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Apple ordered to issue backdoor to users’ encrypted data by UK government
10:41 pm | February 7, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: | Comments: Off

Security officials from the United Kingdom have reportedly ordered Apple to implement a backdoor giving access to encrypted iCloud backups of its users worldwide. As disclosed by The Washington Post, Apple received a technical capability notice from the UK Home Secretary’s office last month based on the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016 which expanded the surveillance powers of the British intelligence agencies and police. As per the document, which is still not officially shared, Apple is required to offer unlimited access to end-to-end encrypted files uploaded by users worldwide and...

Apple ordered to issue backdoor to users’ encrypted data by UK government
10:41 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: | Comments: Off

Security officials from the United Kingdom have reportedly ordered Apple to implement a backdoor giving access to encrypted iCloud backups of its users worldwide. As disclosed by The Washington Post, Apple received a technical capability notice from the UK Home Secretary’s office last month based on the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016 which expanded the surveillance powers of the British intelligence agencies and police. As per the document, which is still not officially shared, Apple is required to offer unlimited access to end-to-end encrypted files uploaded by users worldwide and...

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra is a high-spec phone that doesn’t do enough to earn its ‘Ultra’ name
8:35 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Asus Phones Computers Gadgets Phones | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra two-minute review

If you're going to call a smartphone ‘ultra’, it needs to embody that adjective. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a top-tier camera system. The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra has mind-boggling charging speeds and a chic textured look. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has a stylus (and lots more besides).

Throughout my testing of the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra, I couldn't quite put my finger on what made it worthy of the 'ultra' designation. It’s undoubtedly a highly capable premium Android phone, but in the competitive mobile market, ‘good’ just isn’t good enough.

The latest entry in Asus’ one-per-year line of flagship Zenfone mobiles, the Zenfone 12 Ultra is another top-spec handset that costs a blisteringly large amount of money. On paper, it's a stablemate of the best Android phones and best iPhones – and it certainly competes with those devices in some areas.

Indeed, if you look at the specs sheet below, you’ll see that the Zenfone 12 Ultra bears all the hallmarks of a premium smartphone. Its Snapdragon 8 Elite processor provides a huge amount of processing power, and its giant 6.78-inch display is great for gaming or streaming movies. The phone's three-lens rear camera array also gives shutterbugs much to delight in.

Certainly, from a specs perspective, there's nothing to dispute the Zenfone 12 Ultra's status as an 'ultra' phone. But that's no longer enough.

All of those aforementioned ‘ultra’ phones go that extra mile to justify the suffix, offering unique features or specs that make their hefty price tags seem almost reasonable. I don’t see any such selling point in the Zenfone 12 Ultra. It’s not ‘ultra’, it just is. Ironically, the lack of a non-ultra Zenfone 12 seems to underline this fact.

If you were to ask Asus, the company would likely say that the killer additions here are the phone's AI features. Most new phones nowadays tout a long list of ‘AI features’, a buzzword given to what we’d otherwise call ‘new software tools’ or, less forgivingly, ‘unnecessary software extras’ – but you need to call everything ‘AI’ in today's tech landscape.

Among the Zenfone 12 Ultra’s AI features are an article summary tool, call translation, a feature that creates AI-generated wallpapers, and plenty of AI-powered camera tools. Now, regardless of the usefulness of many of these features (how many people actually phone someone else who doesn't have a language in common?) and the unproven interest of normal tech buyers in AI features, they don’t allow the Zenfone 12 Ultra to collect the 'ultra' suffix for one simple reason – so few of them are actually new. Honestly, the Zenfone 11 Ultra had most of them.

Speaking of the Zenfone 11 Ultra, the 12 Ultra barely brings any upgrades over it to the table. A newer chipset and some minor tweaks to the camera lenses are the only improvements I could discern. I checked the price of the now-year-old Zenfone 11 Ultra one week prior to the 12 Ultra’s release, and it was going for over a third off from Asus itself. So, you’d be saving loads of money on a pretty similar mobile.

What's more, the Zenfone 12 Ultra has even more similarities to the recent Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro. Their appearances are near-identical, as are their specs, with the scant differences being the 12 Ultra's smaller battery and a refresh rate that doesn’t go quite as high, and the ROG Phone's trigger sensors and LED back panel.

Okay, let's take a breath. I may sound down on the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra in this review, but it's undoubtedly a good phone. It provides a top-tier experience across the board and I enjoyed using it throughout my testing process.

That said, Asus loaned me the device for review purposes, meaning I didn’t have to part with a scary amount of my salary to buy it. When you factor in the phone's high price, it’s hard to see why you should opt for the Zenfone 12 Ultra over its equally expensive rivals – or, for that matter, mid-range rivals that offer similar specs for a dramatically lower price.

Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra review: price and availability

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Released in February 2024
  • Costs €1,099.99 in European markets
  • US, UK, and Australian availability unconfirmed for now

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra was launched in early February 2024, a year on from its predecessor, and with nary a standard or Pro sibling to speak of.

At the time of writing, it's only available in European markets for a price of €1,099.99, which will net you 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. "As for pricing and availability in the US, UK, and Australia", Asus told TechRadar, "we have yet to get a clear date or price at this moment." That said, we expect the Zenfone 12 Ultra to launch in at least some of these regions soon.

For a little bit of context, the Zenfone 11 Ultra started at $899.99 / £869.99 (around AU$1,450) for its 12GB/256GB starter model. There was also a 16GB/512GB model, which offers a better price comparison to the Zenfone 12 Ultra, but it was only on sale in the UK (for £949.99). The Asus Rog Phone 9 Pro, meanwhile, is available globally for $1,199.99 / £1,099.99 / AU$1,999.99.

Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra review: specs

Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra review: design

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Blocky phone that looks like predecessor
  • Still has a 3.5mm jack
  • IP68 protection

There’s no getting around it: the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra is a blocky phone. I won’t quite call it ‘ugly’, not when the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra lays claim to that term with such an iron rule, but it’s a little on the boring side.

It looks almost identical to the Zenfone 11 Ultra, and pretty similar to the ROG Phone 9 Pro, but without the lines pattern of the former and the ‘gamer chic’ of the latter.

It’s a big phone, measuring 183.8 x 77 x 8.9 mm and weighing 220g, so if you remember how Asus used to cater to the small-phone market with its Zenfones, you’ll be disappointed. It stretched my hands out and I’ve got fairly average-sized mitts, and it was a pretty big burden in the pocket too.

The right edge of the mobile has the power button – pretty easy to reach, despite the phone’s big size – and the volume rocker, which was a little harder to stretch to. There’s also an in-screen fingerprint sensor, positioned higher up than on other phones, which took a little getting used to.

Talking of acclimatizing, the USB-C charging port on the phone’s bottom edge isn’t right in the middle. Instead, it’s to the left – as far as I’m aware, Asus is the only company that uses this design quirk. There’s nothing wrong with it, once you get through the first few days of jamming your charger into the wrong place. There’s another novelty here too, in the form of a 3.5mm headphone jack. How many mobiles cater to wired headphone users these days?! Props to Asus for that.

I mostly used the Zenfone 12 Ultra in a protective case (provided) but even when I didn’t, it took drops and bumps like a champ. It has an IP68 rating, so it can withstand dust ingress, as well as brief drops in the tub or pool.

  • Design score: 3.5 / 5

Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra review: display

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)
  • 6.78 inches, 1080 x 2400 resolution
  • 144Hz refresh rate max, though usually at 120Hz
  • A few display customization features

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra has a nice big display: it’s 6.78 inches diagonally, which explains how much of a hand-stretch the mobile itself is.

The screen’s resolution is FHD+ or 1080 x 2400 — that’s pretty standard for most smartphones, although you’d be forgiven for wanting a little more at this price range.

Mind you, the phone's refresh rate is super fast at 144Hz (good luck finding many games to utilize that spec, though) and the max brightness is nice and high at 2500 nits. In typical use, you can expect a buttery smooth 120Hz refresh rate.

There's another feature here I love to see in smartphones: a color temperature and balance mode for adjusting the way the screen looks. Max saturation with the warmest possible temperature? Don't mind if I do!

  • Display score: 4 / 5

Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra review: software

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Android 15 with optional Asus overlay
  • Only two years of OS updates
  • AI features aren't very useful

In a pretty unusual move for an Android phone, you actually have your pick between two software systems when you first boot up the Zenfone 12 Ultra. Both are technically Android 15, but you can choose between stock Android and Asus’ reskinned version. The differences are minimal but it's nice to be given the choice.

Stock Android is, if you don’t know, the standard Google-made version of the Android operating system, and it’s popular for being quite clean-looking. However, it misses many custom features that certain other versions of Android have. Asus doesn’t add any of these features in its own version, mind; it’s just a redesign for how menus and icons look.

Whether you pick stock or Asus Android, you’re getting software that’s quite minimal, which is a good thing; there are few pre-installed apps (beyond lots of Google ones) and a smartly laid-out quick-settings menu with big icons that are easy to press.

Asus has only promised two years of software updates for the Zenfone 12 Ultra, which isn’t a particularly ‘ultra’ commitment given how many years of updates rivals offer. That doesn’t mean it’ll stop working after two years, but you won’t get new features added after that point.

As mentioned in the introduction to this review, a few AI features on the Zenfone 12 Ultra seem to be its main selling point, but I wasn’t hugely impressed by any of them. The option to use them is often buried in menus (to use the AI article summarizer, for instance, you need to go into the browser’s ‘share’ menu to share it with the summary tool) and they were often pretty slow to work. In fact, for summarizing articles online, I found it quicker to literally just read the article than to wait for the summary tool to work.

You have to download extra kits for most of the AI features, too, and they’re pretty big, often several GB each. I can see these tools eating up a fair amount of storage space.

I’m always a little cynical of AI features on phones, with most of them seemingly designed to fix problems that no one actually has, and offered in lieu of actual improvements to a given device. Suffice to say, I never used these AI features on the Zenfone 12 Ultra beyond my obligatory testing of them.

  • Software score: 3.5 / 5

Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra review: cameras

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)
  • 50MP main, 13MP ultra-wide and 32MP telephoto lenses
  • 32MP selfie snapper
  • Scene optimization comes in clutch

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra may not offer the megapixel overload of its rivals, but it covers its bases.

On the back of the phone is a 50MP main camera, which is joined by a 13MP ultra-wide and a 32MP telephoto, the latter of which can reach 3x optical zoom.

All three combine to give you a decent level of versatility and control over the shots you take (as long as you don't want to go above the 30x digital zoom cap), and there's largely a consistency between image quality at these ranges

Coming in clutch is the image optimization and HDR, which was quick to punch up the contrast and saturation of pictures to improve their vibrancy without making them look unnatural. Look at the curry bowl or football field images below as cases in point; neither looked as bright in real life as they do on camera.

These improvements increase the Zenfone's camera grade from 'fine' to 'good', even if the phone misses the extra lenses, sensitive sensors, and super-high-res MP counts of its competitors. That said, the latter would have been preferable for situations in which the AI optimization didn't step in, like in the pizza pic below.

Another thing to note is that photos often took longer to capture than I'd expect; I'd often press the shutter button and assume the photo had been taken, only to move the phone and end up with a blurry end image. My advice to owners would be to hold the Zenfone 12 Ultra in place for a few seconds longer than you think you need to, or else you'll end up with a long list of camera reel mistakes.

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)

The selfie camera hits 32MP, and its result is largely similar to the rear ones: it has the potential to make some bright and bold pictures, and succeeds most of the time, thanks to software.

The phone can record video in 8K/30fps, 4K/60fps, or down to HD/480fps in the slow-mo realm.

The Zenfone 12 Ultra also has a small selection of extra modes. Some, like Night and Portrait, work well; the latter was great at balancing contrast and exposure, as you can see in the photo below, and Portrait was fantastic at adding a natural-looking bokeh and also balancing the colors and tones of a shot.

There are a few modes being touted as 'AI' ones too, despite the fact that almost all camera software features use artificial intelligence in some way or another. These include AI Panning, which creates a "dynamic focus effect" on a moving object, and in effect, this is very similar to Portrait mode. The other is AI Tracking, which lets you record a video of something moving and it'll output a zoomed-in photo that keeps the moving subject framed center. I can see this being situationally very useful, although I only ever found myself using it for testing's sake.

  • Camera score: 4 / 5

Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra camera samples

Image 1 of 7

A camera sample captured on the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra showing a football field at 0.7x zoom.

(Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 7

A camera sample captured on the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra showing a football field at 1x zoom.

(Image credit: Future)
Image 3 of 7

A camera sample captured on the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra showing a football stand at 3x zoom.

(Image credit: Future)
Image 4 of 7

A camera sample captured on the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra showing a curry bowl.

(Image credit: Future)
Image 5 of 7

A camera sample captured on the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra showing a pizza.

(Image credit: Future)
Image 6 of 7

A camera sample captured on the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra showing a light installation.

(Image credit: Future)
Image 7 of 7

A camera sample captured on the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra showing the sun setting over a river.

(Image credit: Future)

Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra: performance and audio

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset
  • Fast for gaming and everyday use (mostly)
  • Range of audio options

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra really embodies the ‘ultra’ in its name when it comes to performance: it’s a certifiable beast.

The processor at work here is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, which is the chipset you'll find inside many of the current best Android phones (at the time of writing, at least) and it tells. It’s paired with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage.

Games were snappy to play, and could easily handle the highest graphical settings; they didn’t lag or stutter once and, in the most noticeable improvement (in my mind) over a lesser chipset, they were really quick to open too.

In a Geekbench 6 multi-core test, the Zenfone 12 Ultra returned a score of 9,818, putting it in the higher echelons of phones we’ve tested. For context, Geekbench’s own rankings mark the iPhone 16 Pro at a score of 8,528 (though no recent 8 Elite-toting phones are listed).

The speed is mostly noticeable in other parts of the phone, too, for example when you’re trying to edit a big photo. However, I noticed that the AI features could cause the phone to slow down noticeably. This isn't a deal-breaker, especially given that most of the features take only a second to use, but the minor slowdown was still noticeable.

The Zenfone 12 Ultra has stereo speakers and, in a surprisingly retro turn, a 3.5mm headphone jack. As a result, audio fans have a choice as to how they’d like to listen to content on this phone, which is a rarity in this day and age.

  • Performance score: 5 / 5

Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra review: battery life

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Pretty big 5,500mAh battery
  • Lasts for over a day of use
  • 65W charging, 15W wireless

The Zenfone 12 Ultra packs a 5,500mAh battery — that's pretty big, but it’s also necessary for a phone of this size and power.

When I used the Zenfone as a normal mobile (i.e. not as a gaming phone) it could reliably coast through a single day of use and reach mid-way into the second day without trouble, but I wouldn’t go quite so far as to say it’s got two-day battery life.

When I did go heavier on the gaming side of things, I was happy with how well the Zenfone 12 Ultra could handle a few hours of gaming without losing too much battery — it’s hard to be scientific when talking about experiential battery use, but the phone lost charge slower than lots of other handsets I’ve tested recently.

Charging is a little slow. That feels silly to say for a phone with 'fast charging', but it’s at 65W, which is slower than lots of its rivals. There’s also 15W wireless charging.

  • Battery score: 3.5 / 5

Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra review: value

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra on a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Future)

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra is an undeniably pricey premium phone. While an argument could be made that no phones in this price range really offer value for money, it's doubly the case with the Asus.

I say this because it doesn't really offer any killer features, either over its predecessor or comparatively priced rivals, that make it a must-buy. When you cost this much, specs alone will only get you so far.

If you can find the Zenfone 12 Ultra at a meaty discount, it's potentially more deserving of your money, but I'm talking a 25% discount as a minimum for that to be the case.

  • Value score: 2.5 / 5

Should you buy the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra?

Buy it if...

You need lots of processing power
The Zenfone 12 Ultra is one of the most powerful phones on the market right now, and it'll stay a contender for years to come.

You're a wired audio fan
Few Android phones come with headphone jacks these days, especially towards the premium end of the market.

You play 144Hz games
Very select mobile games can play at 144 fps, but for the ones that do, it's hard to find mobiles that support this high refresh rate. The Zenfone 12 Ultra is one of them.

Don't buy it if...

You don't like big phones
The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra will stretch smaller hands; don't buy it thinking it's one of the compact Zenfones of old.

You find the Zenfone 11 Ultra discounted
The Zenfone 12 Ultra doesn't offer that many upgrades over its predecessor, and that older phone is now poised for sizeable sales.

Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra review: Also consider

If you want other 'ultra' smartphones to compare the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra to, here are some other similar-priced picks.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
The natural rival, this Android powerhouse has a wider array of cameras, a bigger and higher-res display, and a stylus. However, its chipset is the same as the one in the Asus, its battery is smaller, and it charges slower.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review

iPhone 16 Pro
The other natural rival, the iPhone 16 Pro, costs roughly the same as the Asus. It has a smaller screen, a weaker battery, and, if the benchmarks are anything to go by, a lesser chipset. But I'd be remiss not to mention the Apple rival at a phone this costly.

Read our full iPhone 16 Pro review

Xiaomi 14 Ultra
Another ultra-branded Android phone, this Xiaomi has an unbeatable camera array, a better display, and faster charging, but last year's chipset and software.

Read our full Xiaomi 14 Ultra review

How I tested the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra

  • Review test period = 2 weeks
  • Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
  • Tools used = Geekbench 6, Geekbench ML, GFXBench, native Android stats

To properly test the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra, I used it daily for two weeks; this doesn't include a short period beforehand when I set it up, took the review photos, and played a few games on it.

The testing of the handset occurred in two parts. The first saw me run benchmark tests, take sample photos, and run down the battery. The other was more experiential; I used the handset for personal things like music and video streaming, social media scrolling, mobile game-playing, and other everyday tasks.

At the time of this review's publication, I've been writing reviews for TechRadar for exactly 6 years (happy anniversary, me!). I've reviewed countless smartphones in that time, including multiple Asus models as well as headphones, smartwatches, and tablets.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed February 2025

I tested Amazon’s Fire TV Soundbar Plus system, and it’s wireless 5.1 surround sound without the expense or fuss
6:23 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Soundbars Televisions | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus: Two minute review

The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is a solid soundbar at a decent, but not exceptional, price. While that’s a non-controversial and fairly vanilla statement, it’s a strange situation for Amazon since the company typically subsidizes its products, especially ones like Echo speakers and Fire TV branded TVs, to beat the market. It’s hard to ignore that there are plenty of cheaper options, whether you’re considering a basic all-in-one soundbar or a 5.1-channel soundbar system.

While I’m surprised that the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is not as discounted as most Amazon products compared to the competition, it is one of the best soundbars I’ve experienced when it comes to ease of setup – everything is already paired and you just have to plug it all in.

The performance is, as expected at this price point, good but not great. The surround sound is immersive and the audio quality is what you’d expect at this price point. The sound doesn’t have quite the clarity of more premium options, but only fussy listeners will notice.

The only big issue I had with the audio quality is that the stereo image is not as wide as it should be from the soundbar, which I’ll get into below. And while the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is advertised as having Dolby Atmos, it doesn’t actually have the physical speakers for spatial audio, so you won’t find it on any list for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.

That said, you could do a lot worse for a soundbar system at its price point, whether you’re looking at the most basic configuration or the 5.1-channel one, especially if you see it discounted (as Amazon is wont to regularly do with its products).

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus system on rug

The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus comes with all the accessories you need, including an HDMI cable and wall-mount brackets (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Price & release date

  • First available: December 2025
  • Price: Starting at $249.99 / £249.99 (about AU$400)
  • Available in the US and UK

The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is priced at $249.99 / £249.99 (about AU$400), and is just a standalone soundbar (along with a power cable, HDMI cable, remote, remote batteries, and mounting kit). The next level up comes with a wireless subwoofer and is priced at $374.99 (about £300 / AU$590). The maxed-out configuration (reviewed here) adds surround speakers along with the subwoofer for a 5.1-channel setup and costs $489.99 (about £390 / AU$770).

Surprisingly, this is more mid-range than budget pricing, bucking Amazon’s typical model of subsidizing its hardware for either market share or branding, especially when it comes to either smart home devices or Fire TV ones.

As far as availability goes, those in the US have access to all three configurations while only the most basic configuration is available in the UK. The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is not sold in Australia.

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Specs

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus top surface control buttons

A basic set of control buttons is located on the soundbar's top surface (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Features

  • Surprisingly stripped down feature set
  • Some EQ and audio modes available through the remote
  • Virtual Dolby Atmos

Considering the branding, I was surprised to see how barebones the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is. It doesn’t have built-in streaming the way Roku soundbars do, and it doesn’t have any Alexa-related functionality. There’s no app either, so you’re not going to be able to do any EQ fine-tuning (with an exception that I’ll mention below).

All EQ settings are available via the remote. There are four audio modes: Movie, Music, Sports, and Night. I preferred the Movie mode most since it seemed the least affected. However, Night mode is a nice addition as it keeps any peaks in the audio from getting too loud while simultaneously making everything easy to hear at low volume.

There are also individual bass and treble controls as well as surround sound volume on the remote. A dialogue function boosts the volume of dialogue to make it easier to hear – a great option for those with hearing loss, even if it’s a somewhat subtle effect.

There’s no physical Dolby Atmos on hand – the advertised Dolby Atmos is virtual, meaning you don’t get a true spatial audio experience. You get a full surround sound experience with the rear speakers at least, so there is a lateral 360-degree soundstage, just not the vertical one that spatial audio provides.

Besides the usual HDMI and optical digital connections, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus also comes with Bluetooth, so streaming a Spotify playlist from a phone is straightforward.

The one area where the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is unique is that, when paired with certain Amazon Fire TVs, you can fine-tune the audio on a deeper level in the TV’s settings.

  • Features score: 3.5 / 5

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus subwoofer on rug

Subwoofer level can be adjusted using the bass settings on the remote (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Performance

  • Sounds good but not the best resolution
  • Stereo image is a bit narrow
  • Surround sound is immersive

The sound quality of the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is pretty good. You might not be impressed if you’ve used hi-fi equipment or premium soundbars, but if you’re looking for your first home theater surround sound system, you should be pretty happy.

Specifically, the high-end is just a tiny bit lacking so the audio doesn’t quite have the best clarity and resolution. This was especially apparent when playing music I’m familiar with, which just didn’t quite have the same sparkle it usually does. However, this is a nitpick.

The mids are fairly well balanced so that they sound full without being compressed or distorted. And there’s lots of bass available from the subwoofer so you get that rumble when watching movies.

You can adjust the subwoofer via the bass settings on the remote to be less impactful (or more) if you want. The treble, as mentioned before, is also adjustable via the remote, though I found the various levels to be a little too subtle.

When it comes to the soundstage, the left and right channels are a little closer together than I would like. This is because, even though the soundbar has left, center, and right channel speakers, the drivers and tweeters for the left and right channels (each channel has a mid-bass driver and tweeter) both face straight ahead. Even though the soundbar is 37 inches wide, this is not enough separation when you’re sitting beyond a 1.5-meter distance from the TV.

Yes, everything that’s supposed to be on the left sounds like it’s on the left and everything that’s supposed to be on the right is there as well. But, the stereo image is still a bit too narrow.

The surround sound, on the other hand, is a pleasure to listen to. The surround speakers offer a 360-degree experience, even when it’s just the atmosphere of a video game like It Takes Two or random background characters talking such as I experienced when watching Fool’s Paradise. I also tested the surround speakers with 5.1-channel audio mixes on YouTube, and it was enlightening to experience the spaciousness these speakers deliver while also confirming that you don’t really need to listen to Bob Marley in anything other than stereo.

It’s worth noting again that, though this soundbar supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, this is purely virtual as there are no physical upward-firing speakers. And I didn’t notice anything resembling that vertical sense of space when watching movies and TV with Dolby Atmos soundtracks.

  • Performance score: 4 / 5

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus rear ports

A minimal set of inputs, including HDMI ARC, optical digital and USB-A, is located on the soundbar's back panel (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Design

  • Basic aesthetics and design
  • LED indicator lights instead of alphanumeric display
  • Most fine tuning done through the remote

Aesthetically, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus can best be described as utilitarian. All the units come in a matte black. The units are also all pretty boxy, and you would only know that they were made by Amazon because each piece has the Fire TV logo imprinted in shiny black somewhere on it. The various units don’t call too much attention themselves, other than the fact that the sound bar is 37 inches wide so you’ll need a wide enough surface to install it if you’re not wall-mounting.

The ports on the back are surprisingly limited to HDMI, optical digital, and USB. While the HDMI port is ARC-enabled, I would have appreciated a second HDMI passthrough port. This is an issue I frequently find with cheaper sound bars.

Another limitation is that there’s no alphanumeric display on the front, just five LED indicator lights that shine through the front grill cloth to reflect what the volume or various settings are up to.

The controls on top of the soundbar are a bit more limited than on the remote, but the necessary ones are here, namely: power, source, Bluetooth, volume up, and volume down.

All fine-tuning is done on the remote. Luckily, it’s easy to use and has separate bass and treble buttons to cycle through levels as well as a button to turn on/off surround sound, which has its own volume up and down. There are also EQ preset and dialogue buttons.

  • Design score: 4 / 5

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus rear speaker on table

The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus system's surround speakers make an instant wireless link to the soundbar when plugged in (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Setup & usability

  • Already paired out of the box
  • Easy to use
  • No real display for current settings

Setting up the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus couldn’t be easier. Everything comes in one big box – all the packaging seems to be materials that can be recycled – and just needs to be removed and plugged in.

The soundbar, subwoofer, and rear speakers are already paired so that once everything is plugged in and powered on, the soundbar will register the other units. A wall-mounting kit is also included, though it’s just for the soundbar. The hardest part (unless you’re planning on mounting) is putting the batteries in the remote.

As far as using the soundbar, it’s also just as straightforward. The buttons on the sound bar itself are a bit basic so you need to keep track of the remote to get most of the functionality. But switching sources and adjusting the audio to taste within its limitations is fairly foolproof.

I do wish there was a front panel alphanumeric display for feedback when making changes. Instead, you have to rely on the indicator LEDs and listen to a voice prompt to know what setting you’ve changed. And if you’re not paying close attention, you have to adjust again to find out what it was on.

  • Setup & usability score: 4.5 / 5

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus remote control

With no app or Alexa control, EQ and sound adjustments on the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus are all carried out using the included remote (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Value

  • Good, but not great, deal for a surround sound soundbar system
  • Can find cheaper, though lesser, 5.1-channel sound bar options
  • Same money can get better-sounding options, but with fewer channels

I may sound a little confused when discussing the price of the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus by saying it’s at once affordable and overpriced. At $489.99 (about £390 / AU$770) for the surround sound configuration, it’s a good mid-tier system for the price that comes with a large soundbar, subwoofer, and two rear speakers. Yet, it’s priced higher than one would expect from the likes of Amazon, especially considering how light on features it is.

This is particularly highlighted when considering the Ultimea Poseidon D50, a 5.1-channel sound bar system that goes for a paltry $119.99 / £149.99 (about AU$180). Sure, the Ultimea comes with many more compromises with slightly worse audio and build quality, but it’s also much, much cheaper.

Of course, you can spend the same amount on something that’s not quite considered premium and get a much smaller package. Consider the Sony HT-S2000, a 3.1-channel system that counts virtual Dolby Atmos as a main attraction. It does have generally better audio quality. Still, you have to pay $499 / £449 / AU$695 for it.

  • Value score: 4 / 5

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus rear speaker behind sofa

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus?

Buy it if...

You want the easiest setup possible
All you have to do to set up the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is to power up the various units. It doesn’t get easier than that.

You don’t want to spend too much for a surround sound system
While it’s not the cheapest out there, the price is pretty good, especially if you go for the configuration with the surround speakers and subwoofer.

You want a straightforward soundbar
Not only is this soundbar system easy to set up, but it’s easy to operate. If you find that too many bells and whistles get in the way, then this might be the one for you.

Don't buy it if...

sound-enabledYou want a lot of features
The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is surprisingly stripped down, especially for a surround sound- enabled setup. Sure, there’s virtual Dolby Atmos, but it’s not the real deal.

You want crystal-clear audio
The sound quality is good, but if you’re fussy, you’re going to wish you spent a little more on something with better clarity and resolution.View Deal

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Also consider

Ultimea Poseidon D50
The Ultimea Poseidon D50 is proof you can go really cheap and still get a 5.1-channel system. Yes, there are compromises, such as the lack of any kind of Dolby Atmos support, and it’s also a bit cheap-looking. But, it mostly sounds good, and is easy to set up.

Read our full Ultimea Poseidon D50 review

Sony HT-S2000
If surround sound is not a top priority, but you still want something beyond stereo and have $500 / £500 to burn, the all-in-one Sony HT-S2000’s overall sound quality is impressive and its virtual Dolby Atmos is actually spacious-sounding.

Read our full Sony HT-S2000 review

Hisense AX5125H
Hisense's soundbar system offers 5.1.2 channels in a compact package with wireless surround speakers and subwoofer. It also has an alphanumeric front panel LED display and costs less than Amazon's system.

Read our full Hisense AX5125H review

How I tested the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus on TV stand

The Nakamichi Dragon with its two subs in my home. (Image credit: Future)
  • I used the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus for a couple weeks
  • Tested with both TV, movies, and music

I used the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus system regularly for a week. I used it with TV shows, movies, and music. I tested the various EQ options and audio modes as well as played around with all the other settings available, such as the dialogue mode.

After testing, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus seems to be a decently priced 5.1-channel system that leans a bit on the Fire TV brand, offering mostly convenience and the surround sound experience, and not much else.

I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.

ProCook’s semi-automatic espresso machine is one of the best I’ve ever used – and one of the most affordable, too
12:00 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Coffee Machines Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: | Comments: Off

ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine: two-minute review

The ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine is a semi-automatic coffee maker sporting a smart design, a beginner-friendly interface, and an impressive set of features that belie its entry-level price. At £399 (about $500 / AU$800), it's one of the most affordable bean-to-cup coffee makers I've tested, and also one of the best.

With its integrated burr grinder, manual steam wand, and centrally positioned display, it looks similar to premium semi-automatic machines such as the Breville Barista Touch Impress; but there are some key differences. For example, parts of the ProCook machine's chassis are made from plastic rather than metal, reducing both the weight and cost; its screen is crisp monochrome rather than color; and it has a manual steam wand rather than an automatic milk frothing system.

ProCook Barista Bean To Cup Espresso Coffee Machine on kitchen counter

The ProCook Barista Bean to Cup is a good-looking semi-automatic espresso machine, with a case made from a combination of brushed stainless steel and silver-toned plastic (Image credit: Future)

None of those factors will be a problem if it will be your first espresso machine, and you're after something that will perform well and guide your hand while you get to grips with the process. Just select your preferred drink using the clear, high-contrast screen and set of four buttons, customize it if you like, and the ProCook Barista will guide you through (almost) ever step of the process.

There are a few quirks along the way. For example, the machine doesn't reveal that after pulling the lever for the steam wand, you'll have to wait half a minute for the steam to actually begin, even if the machine has already heated to temperature. neither does it tell you to tamp your ground coffee, instead directing you to transfer the portafilter straight from the grinder to the group head – a potentially messy mistake.

Those are small quibbles, though; overall, the ProCook Barista is a likeable, fun introduction to the world of espresso-making that demystifies what can sometimes be an intimidating craft.

The biggest drawback is that it's currently only available in the UK. If you live elsewhere, take a look at my list of alternative recommendations further down this guide.

Person selecting drink using ProCook Bean To Cup Espresso Coffee Machine

There are six coffee drinks to choose from, each of which can be customized (Image credit: Future)

ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine: price and availability

  • Only available to buy direct from ProCook in the UK
  • Currently priced at £399 (about $500 / AU$800)
  • One of the most affordable bean-to-cup machines we've tested

The ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine is available to buy now direct from ProCook in the UK for £399 (although its usual price is £599). It isn't currently available in other countries. This is very good value, and cheaper than anything in our guide to the best bean-to-cup coffee machines.

If you're on a tighter budget, the ProCook Espresso Coffee Machine is an entry-level espresso maker in the same series priced at £199 (usual price £249). It has a similar LCD panel and manual steam wand, but lacks the built-in grinder of the Barista machine. It's available bundled with a standalone grinder for £269 (typical price £349).

There's also the premium ProCook Barista Elite Bean to Cup Espresso Coffee Machine, which has a full color display rather than monochrome, and an automatic steam wand with heat sensor. It's available for £599 (usual price £999).

  • Value score: 5/5

ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine: specs

ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine: design

  • Chassis is made from a combination of plastic and brushed metal
  • Controlled using high-contrast monochrome display and four buttons
  • Excellent integrated conical burr grinder with easy adjustments

With its centrally positioned display and brushed metal finish, the ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine bears a passing resemblance to semi-automatic espresso machines from Breville, but there are some significant differences. Firstly, the ProCook machine's chassis isn't made entirely from stainless steel, but has strategically placed plastic panels that reduce both the weight and cost, without having a significant impact on aesthetics.

I certainly welcomed the lighter build when moving the ProCook Barista into position in my kitchen (at 21.38lbs / 9.7kg, it weighs a lot less than most similar espresso machines). The only downside is that plastic doesn't conduct heat well, which means you can't use the top of the ProCook Barista as a cup warmer (the circular depression I initially took for a cup holder is actually just a place to store the tamper).

ProCook Bean To Cup Espresso Coffee Machine bean hopper

Turning the bean hopper adjusts the grind size, and pressing it down while twisting lets you remove it to clean the burrs (Image credit: Future)

The tamper and portafilter handle are also light in the hand. They don't feel as sturdy as those you'd get with a pricier machine, and if you're particular about your accessories then you may prefer to invest in a heavier metal tamper that will help you apply more even pressure. However, the lightweight handle here could be a benefit for people with limited strength or mobility in their hands and wrists.

The bean hopper can be twisted to change the grind size, with markings on the side showing the difference your selection will make to the speed of extraction. It's a small but helpful touch for users grinding their own coffee for the first time.

You can remove the hopper by pressing down as you turn, then take the top off the grinder assembly to clean it using the stiff-bristled brush provided. The machine won't prompt you to do this, but it's a good idea to clean it regularly to avoid build-up of debris in the burrs.

ProCook Bean To Cup Espresso Coffee Machine burr grinder opened for cleaning

The machine comes with a stiff-bristled brush that's ideal for cleaning the burr grinder (Image credit: Future)

The ProCook Barista's display is large and clear, with the decent contrast ratio making it easy to read, no matter the level of lighting in your kitchen. It doesn't offer touch controls; instead, you scroll through menus and select options using four buttons –two either side of the screen.

It's a system that works well and is extremely straightforward to use, although I was surprised to find that there's no simple way to exit a menu and go back to the previous screen. For example, if you selected "single espresso" but have changed your mind and actually want a double, you can't go back to the drinks menu – even if you haven't started grinding the beans yet. Instead, you have to restart the machine. It's a small quibble, but was unexpected considering how much thought has gone into designing the interface.

ProCook Bean To Cup Espresso Coffee Machine with water tank removed

The generously sized reservoir is easy to lift off the back of the machine, and has an integrated handle for carrying (Image credit: Future)

The 95oz / 2.8-liter water reservoir is easy to lift off the rear of the machine for filling. Note that it doesn't have a filter, and ProCook doesn't sell any separately. As such, you may want to use pre-filtered water to avoid minerals changing the taste of your coffee and to slowdown the build-up of limescale.

  • Design score: 4.5/5

ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine: performance

  • Default brew settings produce consistently good results
  • Experimentation is encouraged, even for new users
  • Steam wand is particularly well designed

Some espresso machines come with an inch-thick instruction manual, but not the ProCook Barista. In fact, I found no manual in the box at all, because this machine simply doesn't need one. Just load up the bean hopper, fill the water tank, power it on, and you'll be guided through each step of the coffee-making process with clear on-screen instructions and diagrams.

There's no setup process to go through before you can start brewing; the machine takes you directly to a menu of drink options. There are six coffee drinks to choose from (single espresso, double espresso, cappuccino, latte, flat white, and americano), plus hot milk and hot water – the latter of which is dispensed via the steam wand.

You can stick with the default settings for each drink, or press and hold the "select" button to pick your own grind time (which correlates to dosage), water volume (to suit the size of your cup) and water temperature.

Grinding notification on screen of ProCook Bean To Cup Espresso Coffee Machine

The on-screen instructions are clear, but don't attach the portafilter to the group head without tamping first (Image credit: Future)

Note, however, that the instructions do miss a couple of steps. For example, you're told to insert the portafilter directly into the group head, with no mention of tamping the grounds, so a little familiarity with making coffee will be helpful.

The machine also doesn't mention that after pulling the lever on the right-hand side, you need to wait a little while for it to actually start. This wait time is actually quite helpful, giving new users a window to get themselves and their milk jug in position; but if you're used to other espresso machines then you might mistakenly believe that the wand isn't working.

Person steaming milk using ProCook Bean To Cup Espresso Coffee Machine

The cool-touch steam wand is a joy to use (Image credit: Future)

Like many manufacturers of coffee machines, ProCook advertises the pump's maximum pressure of 15 bars, but this isn't really relevant, and the machine will use the industry recommended nine bars when actually brewing. One thing I particularly like about the ProCook Barista is that it displays the exact pressure on-screen during the brewing process, so you can see the impact of your chosen beans, grind size, and tamping technique before you taste the finished drink.

During tests, the default settings provided consistently good results (although I did gravitate towards using my own metal tamper rather than the plastic one provided). The machine encourages experimentation, which is great for those new to espresso, who will find it interesting to see how tinkering with individual properties, such as water temperature, grind size, or bean type, can have a noticeable effect on flavor.

The steam wand is a pleasure to use. It has a cool-touch exterior, which I hadn't expected for an espresso machine at this price. It maintains good pressure, giving you plenty of time to stretch and heat your milk, and its angle makes it easy to achieve a good "whirlpool". It’s controlled using an arm on the right-hand side of the machine, which is pleasingly tactile; simply pull it forward to start the steam and push it back for hot water, as directed by the on-screen instructions. The only potential drawback is that there’s no control over the steam pressure, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing for a machine designed not to overwhelm beginners.

Steam arm on side of ProCook Bean to Cup Espresso Coffee Machine

The steam arm on the right-hand side of the machine is pleasingly tactile (Image credit: Future)

Maintenance is refreshingly straightforward. The exterior of the machine can be wiped clean using a cloth, and the drip tray (easily pulled out), handle, and filters can be hand-washed in warm, soapy water. The ProCook machine arrives with a pair of cleaning brushes, plus a pin for clearing the nozzle of the steam wand if it becomes clogged.

As mentioned earlier, there's no water filter for the reservoir, and unlike pricier espresso machines from the likes of KitchenAid or Smeg, there are no settings for water hardness. You can use tap or filtered water, but whichever option you pick, you will be prompted to run the machine's descaling program once you've used it to brew 300 coffees. However, you can run it sooner if you notice that the water flow has become inconsistent, or it's making odd noises.

Speaking of noise, my decibel meter recorded a maximum volume of 75dB while the machine was grinding coffee, and 60dB while pumping water, which is about standard for a bean-to-cup coffee machine. If you want a quieter bean-to-cup machine, the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8 averaged just 44dB in our tests.

  • Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine?

Buy it if

You want your first espresso machine

As a semi-automatic machine, the ProCook Barista helps you with some of the trickier parts of making espresso, while letting you tackle the fun parts (such as steaming milk). It's easy to use and explains what's happening at each stage of the process, so you can see the effect of tinkering and experimenting on your finished drinks.

You don't want to spend a fortune

This is one of the most affordable bean-to-cup coffee machines we've tested, yet ProCook hasn't compromised on components where it really matters.

You're tired of using capsules

Its integrated grinder with automated dosing means fresh coffee beans are just as easy to use as foil-sealed coffee pods.View Deal

Don't buy it if

You don't live in the UK

At the time of writing, this machine is only available to buy in the UK directly from ProCook.

You already have a grinder

ProCook also sells a version of this machine without the built-in grinder, and it's even cheaper.

ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine: also consider

Not sure that the ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso machine is right for you? Here are two other options to bear in mind.

Breville The Barista Touch Impress

We awarded the Barista Touch Impress a full five stars thanks to its excellent, consistently brewed espresso and auto milk frother that handles both dairy and plant-based alternatives with ease. However, it does cost well over twice what you'd pay for the ProCook Barista.

Read our full Breville The Barista Touch Impress review

De'Longhi Dedica Style

If you're looking for a manual espresso machine that won't break the bank or take up too much space in your kitchen, this stylish little number is the one for you. It has an impressive steam wand, and it's super affordable. It lacks a grinder, though.

Read our full De'Longhi Dedica Style review

How I tested the ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine

I used the ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine in place of my usual Gaggia Classic and Dualit burr grinder for two weeks. I prepared all drinks from the menu, customizing several of them to suit different-sized mugs and experimenting with heat and grind time settings.

I used coffee beans from Exhale Healthy Coffee, which were provided by ProCook, and freshly roasted beans from Clifton Coffee Roasters here in Bristol. I tested the machine using both full-fat dairy milk and almond milk, which were used cold from the fridge.

For more details, see how we test and review products at TechRadar.

First reviewed January 2025

The tiny Hive Thermostat (2024) has made heating my home far more efficient – and it looks great, too
7:00 pm | February 1, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Smart Home Smart Thermostats | Tags: | Comments: Off

Hive Thermostat (2024): one-minute review

Hive is a trusted name in the heating and smart device market, and the Hive Thermostat is its flagship product. The Hive Thermostat has gone through several iterations over the years, starting as the Hive Active Heating before becoming the Hive Active Heating 2, then simply the Hive Thermostat we now know. But this isn't the same smart thermostat we reviewed back in 2022 - it's a newer model with some upgrades.

While the design is largely the same, Hive has done away with the physical buttons of the smart thermostat's predecessor, opting for touchscreen compatibility instead and making for a more sleek and stylish design. But this thermostat doesn't just look good - it's got the goods, too.

The newest Hive Thermostat allows you to easily schedule your heating and Boost it on a whim, but signing up for a Hive Plus subscription is the key to unlocking some of the device's best (and most efficient) features, including bill insights, saving advice, and the ability to ensure you're not heating your home when you're not home. It's an extra cost that's worth investing in if you want to have more control over your heating bill.

However, like its predecessors, the Hive Thermostat doesn't come with native zonal/room control. Hive Radiator Valves must be purchased for room control, which cost £59 a pop (the thermostat and its accessories are only available to buy in the UK). Other extras, like the Hive Hub and installation, can also quickly increase its £119 price tag, but if you're looking for an easy-to-use and convenient thermostat, you can't go wrong as it's one of the best smart thermostats on the market.

Hive Smart Thermostat orange temperature on boost

The updated Hive Thermostat (2024) has a sleek new design with a touchscreen rather than buttons (Image credit: Vic Hood)

Hive Thermostat (2024): price and availability

  • £119 (hub and professional installation extra)
  • Only available in the UK
  • Available from Hive online store

The Hive Thermostat is only available in the UK and costs £119, making it £20 more than its £99.99 predecessor. That price can quickly increase, depending on your required extras - though delivery is free. You need a compatible Hive Hub for the Hive Thermostat to work, which costs an extra £70 if you don't have one, bringing the total to £189. Likewise, if you want to add on a professional installation from British Gas, this will add another £109 to the cost. Adding the Hive Thermostat, Hive Hub, and professional installation increases the total price to £298.

Other optional extras include a stand for £29 if you don't want to mount the Hive Thermostat on the wall, and a Hive Plus subscription (£3.99 a month / £39.90 a year). Zonal/room control doesn't come cheap, either. To heat rooms individually, you need to purchase a Hive Radiator Valve - costing £59 each - for each room you want control over.

For this review, I received the Hive Thermostat, Hive Hub, five Hive Radiator Valves, a professional install, and a year's worth of Hive Plus - which would typically cost an eye-watering £613.

The price of the Hive Thermostat comes in slightly less than the Honeywell Evohome, with similarly priced extras, but the Hive Thermostat offers more sophisticated features. If you're on a budget, it's worth considering the Drayton Wiser, especially if you're after room control. Like the Hive, the Drayton Wiser is only available in the UK.

  • Value score: 4/5

Hive Thermostat (2024): design

  • Easy-to-use digital display
  • Small enough to be inconspicuous
  • Professional installation optional

Straight out of the box, you get your Hive Thermostat with its four required AA batteries, a Hive receiver that connects to your boiler, and a Hive Hub (if you ordered one) that plugs into a normal electrical socket and your router via an ethernet cable. The Hive Thermostat comes with a 12-month warranty, but signing up to Hive Plus extends this.

The Hive Thermostat is stylish and inconspicuous, with the option to mount it on your wall or, if you bought a stand, set it on a flat surface. Measuring just 95.9mm x 95.9mm x 46.2mm (including the dial), it is considerably smaller than the 10-year-old Hive thermostat it replaced on my wall, and doesn't look imposing in my hallway. It's also much prettier than my old thermostat, with its black display, white surround, and silver dial giving it a contemporary look. There are also two discreet buttons on the top - one for the device's Boost feature, and one for Hot Water Boost (if you have a separate water heater).

Side view of Hive Smart Thermostat

The Hive Thermostat (2024) is much smaller than the one it replaced (as you can see from the mark left on the wall) (Image credit: Vic Hood)

While not in use, the display is blank, but press the dial, and the thermostat springs to life, with its touchscreen display showing a red back button, green tick button, and menu button (indicated by three horizontal lines).

The displayed text is easy to read, with large text showing the actual temperature and the target temperature. Just how toasty your desired temperature will make your home is indicated by the color of the text. For example, 21C appears orange (warm), 7C blue (cold), and over 25 red (hot). I found this very helpful, as it gave me a rough indication of just how hot I was making the house - very, apparently.

While you can install the Hive Thermostat yourself, the Hive Thermostat FAQs say, "You need to be competent in electrical wiring and DIY." If that's not you, you need to add on a professional installation when placing your order. The professional installation is done by a British Gas engineer, but you don't need to be with British Gas for this service or to use the Hive.

Hive Smart Thermostat front view

The thermostat's glossy surface remains blank until touched (Image credit: Vic Hood)

As mentioned, I already had an old Hive thermostat installed, but the engineer easily removed it and installed the new one, as well as the Hub and receiver. Alongside this, he installed my extra five Hive Radiator Valves, but this isn't typically part of the service. You need to install the valves (if you buy them) yourself, but it's fortunately a pretty straightforward process. My engineer also gave me a rundown on how to use the app to control my new thermostat. Overall, the engineer was at my home for two hours, but a typical installation takes about an hour and can be booked online when you order your Hive Thermostat.

  • Design score: 4.5/5

Hive Thermostat (2024): performance

  • Convenient smart app compatibility
  • More efficient heating
  • Linking with Siri can be confusing

The Hive Thermostat is a joy to use and there are plenty of features tucked away in this pint-sized heating device.

A click of the menu button brings up options for Heat, Holiday, and Settings. Under Heat, you can manually alter your current temperature, adjust your heating schedule, or simply turn the heating off. Holiday mode allows you to input when you'll be away for a long period and when you'll return, so your heating doesn't come on while you're away but your home is heated for your return. Thanks to Frost Protection, the thermostat turns on when your home reaches below 7C as default to prevent your pipes from freezing, while parents will be pleased to see the Child Lock function, which prevents little hands from adjusting the temperature.

Menu settings on Hive Smart Thermostat

Clicking the menu button reveals the thermostat's Heat, Holiday, and Settings options (Image credit: Vic Hood)

The aforementioned Boost button on the top of the device allows you to heat your home to a desired temperature for a set period, so you can give your home a controlled heat burst. The other button, for Hot Water Boost, allows you to turn your hot water on for a set period but doesn't control the temperature - this button is redundant if you have a combi boiler like me, though.

While the Hive Thermostat is fairly straightforward to use, I found controlling the device via the Hive app much easier. Controlling my thermostat's schedule was much more straightforward; I could quickly use the Boost feature, and I was able to control my heating from anywhere. There's nothing like the simple pleasure of coming home from a night out and popping the heating on so the house is warm when you get home. You can also set up Quick Actions so you can activate predefined settings at the click of a button, but I found these a bit complicated and they would be better suited to those who own several Hive smart devices.

Hive Smart Thermostat app options

The Hive app allows you to control your thermostat from anywhere (Image credit: Vic Hood)

Even more convenient are the Away Mode and Geolocation features. Away Mode allows you to tell the Thermostat when you're out so it doesn't unnecessarily heat your home while you're away, while Geolocation gives you a notification when you get a certain distance from your home and have left the heating on.

These features are only available with a Hive Plus subscription, however, which I advise getting if you want assistance with saving on your gas bill and advice on using your heating more efficiently. This subscription includes a Saver Mode which predicts your bill and helps you cut it, a Budget Tracker that can alert you when you're overspending, and a Schedule Assist feature that advises on the most efficient way to schedule your heating. Unfortunately, these three features don't work if you have Hive Radiator Valves (as I do).

Hive Smart Thermostat bill insights in app

If you have a Hive Plus subscription, the app will provide insights into your energy use (Image credit: Vic Hood)

Fortunately, despite the Hub's ethernet connection, you can still use your Hive Thermostat manually if you lose internet connection, but you won't be able to control it via the app.

The Hive Thermostat's performance isn't completely flawless, though. While the device is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Siri, Philips Hue, and Mixergy, I struggled to connect my thermostat with Siri - and the app's "Ask Hive" assistant did little to help. When I finally connected it, the voice command didn't work properly. This would be fine if there were clearer instructions on exactly how this compatibility works.

Hive Hub for Hive Smart Thermostat

You'll need a compatible Hive Hub for the thermostat to work (Image credit: Vic Hood)

Another pesky issue is the 'Actual' temperature reading. You set a temperature cap for the Hive Thermostat, so it should never heat your home above that temperature. However, the Actual temperature is often wrong. It seems the temperature is measured from the area immediately around the thermostat, which isn't necessarily a true reflection of the temperature in your home.

For example, my thermostat is in our downstairs hallway, near no radiators, so the Actual temperature appears at the time of writing as 14.8C when it's actually 16C two feet away, so if I cap my heating at 25C, it could potentially reach 26 or 27C in my house before the thermostat registers it at 25. This is fair enough with the thermostat, which obviously can't track every room in the house, but it's worth noting it's not a true reflection of your home's temperature. This becomes a more apparent issue if you get the required Hive Radiator Valves for zonal control. I regularly found the temperature of a room to be higher than the Actual estimate of the valve. For example, right now, my small office is 16.6C, but the valve says it's 15.5C. A degree isn't much, but if you're setting a temperature cap, it's worth doing it a degree lower than you actually want and it's also worth noting if you're trying to save on your gas bill.

Hive Smart Thermostat listed in Hive app

The 'Actual' temperature shown by the thermostat was often one or two degrees lower than it should be (Image credit: Vic Hood)

I also found a significant delay (around 15 to 20 minutes) between my radiators being Boosted and when they actually turn on, despite having Heat On Demand enabled, which should kick the thermostat, and therefore boiler, into action. This resulted in me increasing the Boost time to give the thermostat and boiler time to register the Boost.

A smaller issue I had with the device was its use of lithium batteries. No one likes changing batteries, and while it makes for an easier install, it does mean we need to keep a stock at home for when they run out.

Overall, though, these are only minor things, and the Hive Thermostat has made heating my home much more efficient - especially with the addition of the Hive Radiator Halves. With the press of a couple of buttons or the turn of a dial, I can heat my house, while the extra features ensure I don't use my heating when I don't need to - which should ultimately help my gas bill in the long run. It's made me more aware of how and when I heat my home, so instead of being scared to turn on the thermostat (and remember to turn it off), I happily turn it on, knowing I have greater control of both.

  • Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Hive Thermostat (2024)?

Buy it if

You want to heat your home more efficiently

While the Hive Thermostat won't necessarily reduce your heating bill, it does allow you to heat (or not heat) your home most efficiently - especially if you get the radiator valves, too. Boost allows you to quickly heat your home for a set amount of time, easy scheduling means you can plan ahead, while manual heating can be capped to prevent you overheating your home. In addition, Holiday and Away modes allow you to easily turn off your heating when you're not home, while the Geolocation sends you an alert if you've left your heating on while out.

You want better control over your heating bill

Subscribing to Hive Plus (though an extra cost) gives you greater insight into your heating bill, helping you set a budget and offering advice on cutting down your costs if your predicted bill is more than you were hoping for. Even without this subscription, however, the Hive Thermostat gives you more control over your heating, which should allow you better control of your bills.

You have a smart home

If you're already invested in the Hive ecosystem, a Hive Thermostat will be a welcome addition to your smart home. You can control all your devices from the app, while Quick Actions allow you to control several devices at the click of a button.

Don't buy it if

You want accurate temperature reading

The Hive Thermostat has a weird quirk where the 'Actual' temperature shown on the device or the app is usually wrong, as it seems to read the temperature around the thermostat or radiator valves (with some wiggle room) rather than the real temperature of the room/s or the heat created by the controlled device. This means that while you can set the thermostat or radiator valves to turn off at a certain temperature, your room could reach that temperature and the 'Actual' temperature will be lower - meaning the device doesn't turn off.

You want room control on a budget

The Hive Thermostat on its own doesn't let you control the individual heating of each of your rooms. To do this, you need to buy the compatible Hive radiator valves, which cost £59 each. So, if you want to control each of the rooms in a five room home, it'll cost an extra £295 on top of the cost of the thermostat itself.

Hive Thermostat (2024): also consider

If you don't live in the UK, here are two other smart thermostats to consider:

Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen)

Google's latest smart thermostat looks better than ever, and uses AI to suggest smart ways to make your home heating schedule more efficient.

Read our full Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen) reviewView Deal

Nest Thermostat E

If the latest Nest Learning Thermostat is outside your budget, this simpler model is a great alternative, and its lower price tag means it could pay for itself sooner via reduced heating bills.

Read our full Nest Thermostat E reviewView Deal

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer review: a no-nonsense air fryer that really delivers
4:02 pm | January 24, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Air Fryers Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: | Comments: Off

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer: one-minute review

British manufacturer Russell Hobbs is a trusted name in the European home and kitchen gadgets market, providing high-quality appliances that don't break the bank. As such, our expectations for the brand's new Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer 9 Litre were high - and it didn't disappoint. The Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer is perfect for small to medium-sized households who want a solid, no-nonsense air fryer and aren't fussed about extra bells and whistles.

This air fryer offers two separate baskets that can be programmed to different temperatures and times. There are also handy match and sync functionalities to allow you to program each to the same settings (if you need to cook more of one food across two baskets, for example) or, if you're cooking separate foods for the same meal, finish cooking simultaneously. I'd have loved to see smart functionality included to make this process even easier, though. In addition, nine presets are available so you can quickly cook pizza, chips, and even steak. I found these presets to provide mostly accurate results, though, like most air fryers, some experimentation is required for optimal results. Overall, I only had a few minor hiccups with testing - with the usual air fryer suspects (baking and dehydrating).

Empty drawers inside Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

You can match or sync cooking times for the two baskets (Image credit: Future)

Aesthetically, the Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer 9 Litre looks beautiful, with its modern matte black and champagne design allowing it to blend into a contemporary kitchen's decor without sticking out like a sore thumb. This design is important because this air fryer takes up a lot of counter space, so the least it can do is be pretty doing it.

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer 9 Litre is a great air fryer with consistent results, but don't expect as much hand-holding as you get from some competitors. There's no recipe book included, only a user manual that tells you how to use its functions (which you definitely need to read), a breakdown of its preset functions, and a rough guide to the temperatures and time for other common air fryer items. While this guide is useful and includes some notes on preparing roast potatoes, for example, it doesn't give weights, so you may need to experiment with how much food product you should put in the baskets for optimal results.

Roast potatoes cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

The manual provides instructions for cooking roast potatoes, but no weights, so you may have to experiment. Our potatoes turned out perfectly (Image credit: Future)

In addition, while nine liters seems like a lot, I found it was enough capacity for our household of two, but larger families may struggle to cook more than one meal component at a time. I'd have loved to see the dual basket become one large basket with a removable divider, as seen in the Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer.

Overall, the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket is a brilliant kitchen gadget that ranks up there with the best air fryers, especially for those with experience using these handy appliances. While this is a more premium air fryer with a price tag to match, it performs better than some competitors we've tested at higher price points. It's worth the investment if you're after a reliable air fryer with quality-of-life functions, but may be less suitable for large families or those after extras, like smart functionality.

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer: price and availability

  • Price: £199.99 (roughly $250 / AU$400)
  • Available in UK only from Russell Hobbs directly and select third-party retailers
  • Regular discounts and sales

While some of the best air fryers on the market, like the Ninja Double Oven and Dreo ChefMaker, can cost you over $250 /£250, the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer 9 Litre comes in at the lower end of premium pricing. At £199.99 (roughly $250 / AU$400), it's still a pretty pricey investment but is well worth the money if you want a reliable air fryer you plan to use regularly. Plus, there are regular sales, with the Russell Hobbs store dropping the price to just £99.99 in its January 2025 sale - an absolute steal for this level of quality.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, the Satisfry Dual Basket isn't available in the US or Australia.

  • Value score: 4.5/5

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer: specifications

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer: design

  • Modern black and champagne colorways
  • Takes up a lot of space
  • Easy to clean
  • Clear touchscreen display, but can be hard to navigate

The Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket has one of the sleekest air fryer designs around. It's matte black with stylish champagne accents, so it should complement a contemporary kitchen well. This is a hefty air fryer, though. It may not be as large as some on the market, but it easily takes up a whole counter space and weighs in at 7.8kg. So, if you have a smaller kitchen or less countertop room, you may struggle to find it a home.

This size isn't surprising given this is a nine-liter air fryer with two deep separate baskets. While this seems like a lot, the baskets have more depth than width and length, so while they can hold bigger items, you can't fit a huge amount in each basket. For example, I got about 321g of frozen steak fries into one basket (with some overlap) while still allowing for the required space the air fryer needs to function, and a small pizza just about fitted in the other. This was fine for our two-person household, but for bigger households, you would likely need both baskets - preventing you from cooking another item for your meal simultaneously. I wish Russell Hobbs had designed this so that you could connect the two baskets to create one large basket, as we've seen from some competitors.

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Frozen fries and pizza inside Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

There's just about enough room for a small pizza in one basket, and steak fries for two people in the other (Image credit: Future)
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Pizza and fries cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

The Pizza setting delivered slightly overdone results (Image credit: Future)

The baskets are easily washed, requiring a simple wipe-down before hand washing both it and the crisping plates. Whether you can actually put parts in the dishwasher is a tad confusing, though. The user manual says you can wash the baskets and crisping plates in the dishwasher, but Russell Hobbs advises against it. This is likely due to the black, non-stick coating of these elements, and it's also recommended you use plastic tongs to remove your food.

While the sound levels of some kitchen gadgets can be imposing, the Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer 9 Liter isn't one of those. Sure, it's loud enough that you can certainly hear it, clocking around an average of 63 to 64 decibels during my testing, but not loud enough that you have to shout over it. Likewise, when in use, the front is room temperature to the touch, with the heat coming out of a vent at the back and hitting a max temperature (while cooking steak and fries together) of 75C / 167F. This means it should be safe to function in your kitchen if you've got little ones about - just don't let them touch the inside!

Control panel of Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

The Satisfry has a bright LED display and touch controls that let you program each basket separately, but make sure you read the instruction manual carefully first (Image credit: Future)

Here's where I struggled a bit with the Satisfry Dual Basket: the touchscreen interface. The appliance has a touchscreen digital display that lets you program each basket, assigning your preferred presets, functions, temperature, and time. On the surface, it looks pretty straightforward to use - but you need to read the instructions because it can be a bit complicated to get to grips with, especially when you're programming baskets separately.

That's fine, and with time, I got used to it, but issues arose when I tried to cancel a basket while the other was on. While you can adjust the temperature, time, and settings of one basket while the other is on, there doesn't appear to be a cancel button if you decide to pull out one basket early. I still haven't worked out how to do it without stopping the other basket cooking - and the manual doesn't cover it.

This is an air fryer that's not going to hold your hand. It has plenty of handy quality-of-life features to make cooking efficient, but if you've not had an air fryer before, you may struggle to work out some aspects. While some air fryers come with a hefty user manual and recipe book, this one includes a fairly short manual.

Steaks cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

The Satisfry can cook foods like steak well, but the instruction manual doesn't hold your hand - cooking experience is invaluable. Our cooked steaks tasted great (Image credit: Future)

It does a great job explaining how to use the gadget's main functions but doesn't cover cancelling. Likewise, it lists the preset functions' settings and gives a rough guideline for cooking common foods but doesn't give a recommended weight or size. This was particularly confusing when it came to pizza. There's a pizza preset with a slice of pizza icon, which left me confused about whether it's meant to cook just one slice of pizza or what size pizza this preset was designed for. The air fryer just about fits a small pizza in one basket. If you're expecting to put anything bigger in it. as I was. you're out of luck.

  • Design score: 4/5

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer: performance

  • Presets are pretty accurate
  • Useful Sync and Match functions
  • Quality-of-life features, like Shake
  • No smart functionality

While the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer 9 Litre's interface can be a bit confusing to get to grips with, its performance and features are impressive.

This air fryer comes with nine presets: Steak, Fries, Chicken, Fish, Pizza, Dehydrate, Bake, Vegetables, and Reheat. I admit I was skeptical about air-frying steak so it was the first thing I tested. I popped two sirloins into a basket with a bit of oil and seasoning, selected the Steak preset, and in 12 minutes, I had two medium steaks. Now, they were a bit overdone for my liking, didn't have the sort of sear you get from a pan, and the fat hadn't really rendered, but they tasted great. If I were to repeat this in the future, I'd have preheated the air fryer manually (there's no preheat function) and taken the steaks out a few minutes earlier.

Fries cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

Fries turned out crisp and golden on the outside, and fluffy within (Image credit: Future)

Alongside my steaks, I added about four potatoes worth of fresh fries to the other basket and set the second basket to the Fries preset and to Sync mode. This meant the fries were ready at the same time as my steaks and cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. If you want to cook the two baskets at the same temperature and time or preset, you simply press Match instead of Sync.

Other presets performed well, too, but some food items worked better than others. The Chicken preset resulted in crispy chicken wings that were juicy inside, the Vegetables setting gave me delicious carrots - but charred broccoli - and the Pizza setting gave me a slightly overdone (but not burnt) lunch.

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Chicken wings cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

Chicken wings cooked using the Satisfry air fryer turned out juicy and delicious... (Image credit: Future)
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Vegetables cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

...but vegetables were a little overdone (Image credit: Future)

The Dehydration setting, as with many air fryers, didn't dry out my oranges quite how I'd like, so it took another 120 minutes for the best results. The Bake setting, however, I was fairly impressed with - though an oven definitely gives better results.

Air fryers are renowned for being bad at baking, particularly cakes. When I cooked some cupcake-sized muffins on the Bake preset, they came out a bit browner on top but cooked, whereas another batch (which I set to the recipe instructions rather than the preset) was raw on the bottom. The silicon cupcake tray only just fit in a basket, though, so what you can bake may be somewhat restricted.

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Muffins cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

Muffins turned out well when cooked using the air fryer's Bake preset (Image credit: Future)
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Partially cooked muffin baked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

Don't be tempted to use the recipe instructions rather than the Bake setting (Image credit: Future)

After the muffin success, I gave an air fryer Lemon Drizzle cake/loaf a try. A metal loaf tin didn't fit, but my silicon one did - again just. This time, I combined the Bake preset with the recipe, cooking the cake low and slow for an hour and 30 minutes, adding aluminum foil to the top of it after the first 30 minutes to prevent it from burning. The cake worked, but again, it was quite dry, so I wouldn't advise prioritizing baking with this air fryer (or any, in fact).

What I particularly liked about this air fryer was its extra, quality-of-life functions and features. The Delay function allows you to delay the start of cooking by a set amount of time, so I could easily put some food in the air fryer for lunch an hour later, set the delay time for 60 minutes and the preset I needed, and return to my cooked food after the delay and cooking time had passed.

Loaf cake cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

(Image credit: Future)

There's also a shake reminder for some presets, which means the air fryer beeps to remind you to turn or shake your food - allowing for more even cooking. While this and the end time beep aren't as loud as I'd like, it's very useful when you're busy with other things, as is the auto shut off feature. It feels like Russell Hobbs is missing a trick by not adding smart functionality so you could program the air fryer from your phone, but this may not be a dealbreaker for you.

  • Performance: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer?

Buy it if

You want a high quality air fryer with good performance

The Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer is a high-quality appliance that does its job with little fuss. If you need an air fryer that offers consistent results and covers the common food types well, you can't go wrong with this gadget.

You want a premium air fryer that's not over £200

Premium air fryers can cost upwards of £250 and that pricing isn't always indicative of quality. While £199.99 is still expensive, you're getting premium quality for that price tag and a one-year guarantee, while regular sales and discounts mean you can pick it up for even less.

You want to cook two meal components at once

Whether you want to use Match or Sync, this air fryer can help you make mealtimes easier by setting each basket to its own temperature and time, or preset.

You want a stylish air fryer

This is one of my favorite air fryer designs, as it's simply yet elegant. If aesthetics are important to you, and you're a fan of contemporary decor, this is one of the prettiest air fryers around.

Don't buy it if

You've got a large family

I have a household of two, and this air fryer felt like the right size for us to make larger meals. If you have a large family and want to make a full meal in an air fryer, this may not be for you, but if you want to use an air fryer to do parts of your meals, it's the perfect companion to your oven or stove.

You've got little counter space

Like many dual air fryers, this is a chunky appliance. I have a smaller kitchen and it was quite imposing as it took up a full counter space. If you've a smaller kitchen or less counter space, you may struggle to find a home for it.

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer: also consider

Not sure if the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer is right for you? Here are two more options to consider.

Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone

If you live outside the UK where the Satisfry isn't available, this is two-drawer air fryer is a great alternative. It looks smart, and produces consistently good results (though we'd appreciate a reminder to shake to food for even cooking).

Read our full Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone review

Ninja Double Stack

If you don't have space for a full-width two-drawer air fryer, the Double Stack is the appliance for you. It's deeper and taller, but much narrower than the Russell Hobbs Satisfry or the Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone, and in our tests it produced evenly browned, crispy fries every time.

Read our full Ninja Double Stack review

How I tested the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer

I used the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryeror a week, cooking a wide variety of foods including fries, chicken wings, fresh vegetables, steak, cake, and muffins. I tested all the air fryer's various modes and cleaned the air fryer in line with the instructions provided in the manual. For more details, see how we test.

First reviewed January 2025.

GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite review: smart, swell, and it purifies well
5:00 pm | January 23, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Air Quality Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: , | Comments: Off

GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite: two-minute review

The GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite is a space-saving air purifier that's easy to use, thanks to simple onboard touchscreen buttons, app, and voice control. It has a list price of $49.99 / £59.99 on the Govee website and is also available to purchase at Amazon. Both Govee and Amazon offer the occasional discount on the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite, so it's worth checking in to see if there's a deal to be had.

Replacement filters can easily be purchased from the Govee site and Amazon for a price of $19.99 / £19.99. This is an acceptable price for a 3-in-1 HEPA filter; however, this depends on how long the filter life is, which is currently an unknown as Govee doesn't appear to have provided this information

A great size for placing on your desktop or dresser, the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite measures just 6.2 x 6.2 x 10.75 inches / 158 x 58 x 273mm and is delightfully lightweight at 2.4lb / 1.1kg.

The individual components of the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite.

(Image credit: Future)

The GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite purifies using a 3-in-1 HEPA filter, designed to trap particle matter up to 2.5 microns, as well as VOCs (volatile organic compounds). 3-in-1 filters are fairly commonplace in air purifiers, but since testing purifiers such as the Blueair Blue Pure Mini Max and Shark NeverChange, I'd love to see more brands using washable prefilters over disposables built into the filters.

Unsurprisingly for the low cost, the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite doesn't have an abundance of features, but it does offer app and voice control via the Govee Home app and compatible smart home devices, something many other similarly priced air purifiers don't offer. There's no air quality data available, and it doesn't possess the capability to react to contaminants, so it'll need to be controlled manually to ensure efficiency.

The onboard touchscreen buttons are easy to use, with it simply being a case of pressing the power button to cycle between the sleep, low, high, and custom modes, and there are also Wi-Fi and filter change indicator lights on the control panel. Custom mode is another feature I've not often seen for this price. It enabled me to set up a routine triggered by selecting this setting; for example, I was able to set the purifier to run at high, low, and sleep modes for set increments at a time, making it perfect to set off in the run-up to bedtime.

A close-up of the touch-button control panel.

(Image credit: Future)

The GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite proved satisfyingly efficient when it came to freshening up the air in my living room, with a noticeable improvement when walking into the room. The only failure in terms of performance came from the aromatherapy function, which only produced a light fragrance even when the fragrance pad was saturated with a very intensely fragranced oil.

When it comes to noise levels, the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite was satisfyingly quiet. Volume ranged from 30dB on sleep mode, to 38dB on low, and 47dB on high. The whisper quietness of sleep mode meant that I found it easy to sleep with the purifier on, even with it next to my side of the bed.

In summary, you'd certainly be getting your moneys worth with the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite. The aromatherapy aspect was underwhelming, and there's a lack of detection and air quality data, but the latter is forgivable for the price. However, the smart and custom features really set this air purifier apart from competitors, and I was impressed with this Govee air purifier's performance. I'd highly recommend the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite, but if you'd like to see some other options, I'd suggest checking out our pick of the best air purifiers.

GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite review: price & availability

  • List price: $49.99 / £59.99
  • Available now in the US and UK

The GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite is a smart yet simple-to-use small-room air purifier available at a list price of $49.99 / £59.99 on the Govee website, which is offering a discount at the time of writing, lowering the price to $34.99 / £47.99. It’s also available to purchase at Amazon and is occasionally included in their limited-time deals, so there’s often a saving to be made.

Replacement filters are easy to purchase on the Govee website for $19.99 / £19.99. That's pretty standard for a replacement HEPA filter of this size, assuming that it will last around six months like the HEPA filters in other air purifiers, as Govee doesn’t appear to have released guidance on the recommended usage period.

  • Value for money score: 4.5 out of 5

GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite review: specs

GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite review: design and features

  • Simple design
  • 360-degree air intake
  • Smart features

The GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite is pleasantly lightweight, weighing just 2.4lb / 1.1kg, and with dimensions of 6.2 x 6.2 x 10.75 inches / 158 x 58 x 273mm, it’s small enough to sit on a desk or dresser. While Govee hasn’t reinvented the wheel with the aesthetic of the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite, the materials look and feel good. The bottom of the air purifier comprises of white plastic slats that enable 360-degree air intake. As with many air purifiers, the 3-in-1 HEPA filter is accessed by unlocking the base by twisting the handle on the bottom of the unit, making it easy to remove and replace the filter when required.

The 3-in-1 HEPA filter is made up of three layers, a pre-filter, for hair and fibers, a personal HEPA filter, which aims to capture from PM 2.5 to 0.1-micron particles, and an active carbon filter intended to trap cooking odors, smoke, and VOCs (volatile organic compounds). While the design of the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite feels suitably robust, in terms of sustainability I prefer the option of a washable pre-filter. Pre-filters built into these 3-in-1 filters have a shorter life span as they can’t be cleaned to restore efficiency or be reused; the Blueair Blue Pure Mini Max is a great example of this being done right.

A close-up of the back of the air purifier showing the power-in port and the closed fragrance pad tray.

(Image credit: Future)

The touchscreen control panel was simple to use. All I needed to do was hit the power icon to switch it on, then press again to cycle through to my chosen setting with a choice of sleep, low, high, and custom. There are two light-up icons on the control panel too, consisting of Wi-Fi and filter change indicator lights. While I appreciated the simplicity, I don’t generally like needing to increase to a higher power before switching the purifier off, but the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite responded far quicker than other purifiers I’ve tested, so it wasn’t a major problem.

If I didn’t have the patience to cycle through the settings, I could easily change the settings from my phone. The GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite has 2.5GHz WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity so can sync with the well-designed Govee Home app, and works with smart home assistants like Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri.

One feature I was particularly interested in testing out was the built-in aromatherapy function. There’s a small pop-out tray located above the removable power cable at the back. This houses a pad for dropping essential oils onto that’s intended to circulate the fragrance through the air outlet. Unfortunately, this excitement was short-lived – as you'll discover below.

  • Design score: 4.5 out of 5

GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite review: performance

  • Operated quietly
  • Easy to use
  • Aromatherapy feature underperformed

The Govee Home app is user-friendly and visually appealing. It was easy to add the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite and connect it to my Wi-Fi, and the settings were simple to use, plus was no delay between the app and the purifier whenever I switched between different power modes. Although the interface is fairly simple, there were plenty of useful settings I could alter, which I was pleased to find as some lower-priced air purifiers have limited options. The display brightness can be adjusted, it’s set to “always on” by default, but I could change it to only be on within a certain time frame, so it was simple to set it to switch off around bedtime. I also had the option to set schedules, set a timer, and change the name of the device.

The GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite sits on a table with house plants on either side.

(Image credit: Future)

One feature that the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite lacks is data on the quality of the surrounding air, which is an important thing to note if you’re someone who wants to keep track of these details. This isn’t unusual for a purifier of this price, so while the Smart Air Purifier Lite doesn’t lose any marks for this, it does mean that you’ll need to be proactive in adjusting the settings to suit your environment.

I found the custom mode, which is the final setting in the cycle when using the onboard touchscreen controls, to be a useful feature, as it allowed me to choose a series of three settings, each with their own timer. For example, I could set the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite to run at high for half an hour, then reduce to low power mode for two hours, before switching to sleep mode continuously. This was great for an evening air purifying routine and was simple to calibrate within the Govee Home app.

A close-up of the fragrance pad tray.

(Image credit: Future)

I loved the prospect of purifying and adding fragrance to my living space in one process; in practice, however, the result was lackluster. Due to the intensity of my chosen fragrance oil, I only applied a couple of drops to the aroma pad at first. For context, I only need a maximum of four drops of this fragrance oil in a water diffuser to get an intense aroma, but I needed about twelve drops to be able to detect any hint of it from the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite.

While this aligns with the advice in the user manual, it was surprising that a fragrance this potent needed this many drops to get just a slight hint of the fragrance even when sitting right next to the purifier. In the end, I used enough drops to saturate the pad, resulting in a light fragrance. Obviously, this isn’t going to be a substitute for a diffuser or wax melt burner, but I can forgive this as it isn’t the product's main function, although I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed.

Aromatherapy aspect aside, I was pleased with the performance of the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite. It made a noticeable difference to the air quality of my 13 x 16 ft / 4 x 5 meter living room after running for just two hours on the low-speed setting. I found it easy to sleep with the purifier located next to my side of the bed, something that didn’t come as a surprise as I measured a sound level of just 30dB, which is comparable to a soft whisper. When watching TV, I found the low-speed setting wasn’t noticeable with a reading of 38dB, a sound level similar to light rain, and the high-speed setting was 47dB, which is as loud as moderate rainfall. So overall I didn’t find it disruptive.

  • Performance score: 4 out of 5

Should I buy the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite?

Buy it if...

You want an air purifier in multiple rooms
Not only is the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite small and light enough to easily carry between rooms, it's also cheap enough to buy more than one thanks to its low price.

You want smart features
A real bonus at this price, the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite has smart capabilities making it easy to control via the Govee Home app or with voice control with smart home assistants.

You want to sleep peacefully
Thanks to the sleep mode's 30dB volume, I found it really easy to get a good night's sleep even when the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite was placed next to my side of the bed.

Don't buy it if...

You want some aromatherapy
Unfortunately, I was left unimpressed by the aromatherapy feature. Even after saturating the fragrance pad with an intense fragrance oil, I was only able to detect a slight hint of fragrance.

You want automated purifying
We can't have it all for this price, so if monitoring the air quality or having your air purifier keep on top of the air quality in your environment is top of your wishlist, this won't be the one for you.

You want washable pre-filters
I'm seeing more air purifiers popping up on the market with eco-conscious features, and I'd have loved it if the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite offered this too. This change can increase the life of HEPA filters, and reduce the amount of waste.

GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite review: also consider

Blueair Blue Pure Mini Max
I adored this little Blueair purifier when I tested it. As with the Govee purifier, it doesn't have detection or automated response features, but it performed really well. Plus, it's incorporated a washable pre-filter into its design with the fabric outer sleeve, available in a range of colors. Why not take a look at my full Blueair Blue Pure Mini Max review to learn more.

Levoit Core 300S Smart True HEPA
A pricier alternative, this Levoit air purifier offers insight into the air quality in your home. It's larger than the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite, but with the larger size comes better features with automated detection. To learn how well it performed when we tested it, check out our Levoit Core 300S True HEPA air purifier review.

How I tested the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite

  • I used the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite for one week
  • I tested the usability, app, and smart features
  • I tested how much of an impact it had on the surrounding air quality

I assessed how easy it was to get the GoveeLife Smart Air Purifier Lite set up, how easy it was to operate via the touch screen and app, and how portable it was.

I tested it in different rooms in my home and observed how quiet it was at night time and whether it disturbed my sleep.

I looked at its design and structure, paying close attention to quality, and I reviewed the impact it made on the air quality in my environment, and how well the features worked.

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo review: is this the stylish instant camera we’ve been waiting for?
5:33 pm | January 22, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Cameras Computers Gadgets Instant Cameras | Tags: | Comments: Off

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Two-minute review

The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo is instantly striking with its retro design and ultra-wide body. If you're after the best instant camera for hybrid photography (i.e. the ability to print film images taken directly on the camera or sent from your smartphone) and prefer to shoot on wide format prints, then this really looks like it could be the model for you.

Although it doesn't come cheap, the Instax Wide Evo is very much the step-up from Fujifilm's other Instax hybrid, the Mini Evo, that was launched in 2021, offering most of the same great features, including an LCD display screen, 10 lens and 10 film effects that make 100 different creative combinations, and a microSD card slot, along with a few more new additions.

A hand holds up the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo

(Image credit: Future)

A wider film print means this instant camera is a bit on the larger side, but it makes use of the extra real-estate by adding more physical buttons that let you quickly change settings. These include a dedicated wide angle button that lets you switch to a more standard field of view (FoV) if you don't want that cinematic look.

Speaking of, you can also switch between six different film styles, one of which puts black bars to give your pictures that IMAX feeling, using a button on top of the camera. There's also a dial on the left side of the camera to cycle through the 10 different lens effects, with another dial on the opposite right side to switch between the 10 different film effects. My favorite, though, is the crank that lets you manually print a picture by winding it, which is a nice design nod to the crank for winding back film on the best film cameras.

It gets five stars for fun for all the creative photo editing options it offers, but what about the image quality? I've only been able to try out the new Instax Evo Wide for an hour on the day of its launch, so I didn't test out that many settings. Although I did print out three photos, two of these were selfies (one unedited, the other cropped and enhanced before printing), which looked soft and rich with great contrast using the monochrome film effect.

The Instax Evo Wide will by no means replace your dedicated digital camera – and if you love the 'magic' of purely analog instant film cameras, then this might not be right for you either as your images will always be digital first – but it is a perfect piece of extra kit if you want to be creative with your photography and experiment with a larger field of view.

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Price and availability

A hand holding the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo

There's a dedicated button at the top of the camera for switching between six different film styles. (Image credit: Future)

The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo was launched on January 21, 2025 with a price tag of $349.95 in the US and £319.99 in the UK. We don't yet have Australian pricing, but based on these initial figures it might cost around AU$560.

That makes the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo one of the the priciest instant cameras of its kind, says TechRadar's cameras editor, Timothy Coleman. Indeed, for comparison's sake, the only other Instax camera that takes wide-format instant film prints is the Instax Wide 400 and that sets you back $149.99 / £129.99 / AU$229.99.

The Wide Evo is also almost double the price of Fujifilm's other Instax hybrid, the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo, which retails for $199.99 / £174.99 / AU$299.99. Does the extra cost account for the more premium, larger features in the step-up model? We'll have to see once I've had a chance to weigh this up against its performance.

There's also optional accessories available for the Evo Wide, including a leather case that costs $49.95 in the US and £37.99 in the UK, but might be a necessary additional cost to make sure to protect the LCD display screen (if this gets too scratched up, then you won't be able to take let alone see your photos).

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Specs

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Design

A hand holding the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo

The left dial on the Instax Wide Evo is for switching between the 10 different lens effects. (Image credit: Future)
  • A hybrid instant camera that can print directly or from your catalog of shots, stored on Micro SD
  • Plenty of dials and switches to select various film effects
  • Includes a mirror and switch to take selfies

When rumors started to circle about the Instax Wide Evo, there was talk that it would be "regarded as the best-looking Instax camera ever made" and that caught a lot of enthusiast's attention, including TechRadar's senior news editor Mark Wilson who said off the back of it that the "Instax Wide Evo sounded like my dream instant camera".

Considering that the only wide-format Instax camera alternative is the big and bulky Instax Wide 400, the Wide Evo's textured, minimal black design is definitely a lot more easy on the eye than the plasticky, dull green finish of its larger cousin. (Another alternative if you're set on a wide-format is 2024's Lomo’Instant Wide Glass – an attractive instant camera that we gave 4.5 stars in our in-depth review.) Indeed, I don't think many would be opposed to slinging the Wide Evo over their shoulder for the day.

The leather case that you can buy alongside the Wide Evo makes this very easy to do and might be a crucial accessory – not just for protecting it from nicks and scratches but – to make sure that it has a long life, as the LCD screen could easily get scuffed up over time. That's not great for a camera that doesn't have a viewfinder. Of course, I can't yet say that this will be an issue but it's worth considering.

A hand holds the Instax Wide Evo

This is how you would hold the Instax Wide Evo to take a selfie, with your thumb pulling down on the shutter switch button. (Image credit: Future)

It also helps that the Evo Wide is light – it weighs about half a kilo – making it very portable, but don't expect to be able to fit the Wide Evo in any pocket. As you would expect, because it takes wide-format instant prints, it's on the larger side.

The shutter button is a lot different to the Mini Evo, which has a standard push button on top of the camera. Instead of this, the Wide Evo has a rocker style switch (like the ones you would use to turn on a light) that's situated on the front of the camera, beside the lens. I found this placement and style initially cumbersome, especially when taking a selfie as I couldn't immediately engage the auto focus by half pressing it down.

To be clear, this might be just be because it was my first time using it and could become more easier, but I will say it's not initially intuitive. That's also not to say that all the buttons are like this. The spin dials and crank for printing photos, for instance, are extremely tactile and easy to use.

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Performance

The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo being held by hand

This image was shot with the warm film effect and color shift lens effect settings turned on. (Image credit: Future)
  • Plenty of scope to try different looks, with 100 creative combinations
  • The widest-ever Instax lens and wide-format prints give extra breathing room for your subjects

The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo's built-in film and lens effects make experimenting with different styles extremely easy. The fact that you can create 100 different creative combinations with these settings means there's plenty of room to play around.

Indeed, there's even an Instax Wide app for even more editing options as well as a 'Discovery Feed' for sharing and seeing fellow creations. While I haven't yet had a chance to test these out properly, I did find these effects to cover a lot of different styles during a brief session with the new camera.

When it comes to the picture quality overall, I'm most interested in testing out how the film prints compare to those taken on an instant camera as the images are digital first on the Evo Wide. This is a big deal for me because I'm split between analog and digital, and this in my opinion takes a bit of the magic away.

For context, I bought my first Instax in 2014 and of course quickly realised how expensive this style of photography is after discarding some duds, which made me even more selective with every picture I took. My boyfriend decided to buy me an Instax printer to solve this issue, but this for me took away what I loved about the style in the first place. I also found that picture quality wasn't on par.

A hand holding Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo

The dial on the right side of the Instax Wide Evo is for switching between the 10 different film effects. (Image credit: Future)

Could a hybrid instant camera offer the perfect middle ground? Or will it be just another printer? I'll be sure to report back as soon as I've had a chance to put the new Instax Wide Evo through its paces properly.

In terms of the wide-angle prints, the larger size makes them feel much more premium than the smaller rectangular formats that mimic your smartphone pictures and is much more akin to the classic square instant prints that were once more popular. The Wide Evo has a dedicated button on the front of it that turns off the wide-angle, but I can't see myself personally using this a lot, but it's a nice feature that nods to its hybrid functionality.

Could this replace the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo as the best hybrid instant camera? I couldn't possibly say without having tested it, but I'll be sure to report back with more details once I've got a sample in.

How I tested the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo

  • A one hour hands-on session at the UK launch event
  • I tried various filters, two lenses and selfie mode

My time with the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo was very brief – just a one hour session at the UK launch event in London. However, during this time, I had decent chance to get a feel for the camera; how it handles for regular photos and selfies, plus the various filter and film effects possible through the physical controls on the camera.

Oclean X Ultra S review: a chatty guide to next-level oral care
6:49 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Health & Fitness Oral Health | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Oclean X Ultra S: Two-minute review

I'd been reading about Oclean’s toothbrushes for a while and was impressed at how popular the brand had become in some markets in a short period of time. We already consider the Oclean X Pro to be one of the best electric toothbrushes, so I was rather excited when, in November 2024, the Oclean X Ultra S finally arrived in Australia, where I am based, after being released in the US in April 2024.

The Oclean X Ultra S is a sonic electric toothbrush that boasts some seriously smart features, including leverage bone-conduction technology to provide verbal feedback in real time to help you brush correctly. I’ve been using it since its Australian release late last year and there’s hardly been a day when I haven’t been scolded for doing something wrong.

What I mean by ‘scolded’ is that the voice alerts sound like a 4- or 5-year-old child telling you off. You’ll hear feedback like “over pressure” suddenly pipe up in your ear or, as has happened to me a few times, “hold the brush at a 45º angle”. I mean, you can’t exactly measure that angle while you’re brushing, can you? While I didn’t get scolded for brushing too quickly, there is a prompt for that too. The most common verbal feedback from the X Ultra S is to “switch area” every 30 seconds.

A hand holding the Oclean X Ultra S with the thumb on the power button below the display

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Despite sounding like a petulant child sometimes, I think the verbal feedback is helpful as I found it improved my brushing habits over time, although understanding what the voice is telling you to do isn’t always clear. It took me a couple of times to realize I was being told to hold the brush a certain way (at a 45º angle), and even the “switch area” prompt can occasionally sound a little incoherent over the brush’s buzzing. I would have preferred the voice prompts to be a touch clearer, but I’m really glad it’s not loud.

If you happen to live in a crowded house (or are traveling), people around you will barely know you’re being told off for not brushing particularly well. A few weeks after I began testing the Oclean X Ultra S, I traveled overseas for a 4-week family holiday and no one heard a thing when standing about two feet away from me. In fact, as a sonic toothbrush, the X Ultra S isn’t loud – the motor, despite delivering up to 84,000 movements per minute, doesn’t buzz above 45dB. To put that into perspective, that’s about how loud a library would get.

Brushing data is available in (gory) detail within the Oclean Care+ smartphone app. The toothbrush tracks 8 zones by dividing the oral cavity into 4 areas and counting the inner and outer sides of your pearly whites separately. It doesn’t, however, track the biting surfaces of your molars and premolars. Not only are you presented with a clover-shaped diagram to indicate your brushing score, number of times you’ve brushed that day and for how long, but a 3D movable denture diagram shows you how well you’ve done each session. You are also provided with information on how much excessive pressure you might have used or if there was any lateral movement.

Image 1 of 2

The color touchscreen on the Oclean X Ultra S displaying the Exclusive Mode icon

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Image 2 of 2

A hand holding the Oclean X Ultra S overa. bathroom countertop

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

In fact, some of this information will be displayed on the bright color touchscreen on the brush itself, including the clover. This display comes on automatically as soon as you pick up the brush from its charging base or travel case, displaying a default mode based on the time of day – Sunrise Soothing in the morning or Sunset Clearout at night. A total of 6 modes are saved on the brush, including the so-called Exclusive Mode that you can select on the app from a choice of 14 (yes, there are a lot of brushing modes here!). You can even set up your own custom brushing mode if you want via the app and have it saved on the brush. Swiping downward on the side of the touchscreen will let you cycle through the 6 saved options.

The Oclean X Ultra S connects to the app via both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, with a remarkably easy setup. While traveling, the brush can save up to 7 days of cleaning data, then transfer this information to the app when it’s back within the original Wi-Fi network. I was away for a total of 3.5 weeks on an overseas trip during my testing period and, sadly, wasn’t able to transfer the early brushing data to the app, but the last week of travel is visible on the app. Incidentally, this information can also be sent to the Apple Health app if you happen to be an iPhone user.

Image 1 of 2

Screenshots of the Oclean Care+ app showing brushing and brush data

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Image 2 of 2

Screenshots of the Oclean Care+ app showing different brushing modes

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

While it comes with a small, round charging base that also doubles as its stand, there’s even a magnetic wall mount with a double-sided adhesive pad on it. Oclean says there’s wireless charging capabilities here but that didn’t work for me and, to be absolutely honest, I didn’t miss the feature at all – it seems rather superfluous to me when it has an impressive battery life of up to 40 days.

Admittedly, this remarkably long battery life will only be possible if you are brushing twice a day for just the recommended 2-minute session each, although I think the Oclean X Ultra S is capable of going longer. At the end of my 26-day overseas trip, the X Ultra S dropped down to 40% battery from a full charge, and that’s using the Unlimited Clean mode that let me brush for over two minutes each time (my average was 4 minutes). There are other brushes that offer similar battery life too, but I am yet to see a travel case that can charge the brush while you’re away.

Image 1 of 2

The Oclean X Ultra S travel case in black and grey

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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Two Oclean X Ultra S replacement brush heads stored inside the travel case

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

While it does seem to be relatively fragile compared to some of the travel cases that ship with say, Philips Sonicare and Oral-B electric toothbrushes, the Oclean X Ultra S has a case that looks premium and well made. Importantly, it has a USB-C port that can actually top up the toothbrush – something you’d be hard pressed to find with other popular brands. The case also stores two brush heads.

The X Ultra S comes with three replaceable brush heads in the box, each one catering to a different type of clean, like gum sensitivity or whitening. They look like any other sonic brush head, and the design of the brush itself isn’t anything remarkable. However, the color touchscreen is bright and looks rather smart when it's lit up. It’s capable of displaying festive greetings and showing you the weather. Even the light around the bottom of the brush, which goes from white to red when you’ve exerted too much pressure, adds to the brush’s aesthetic.

The USB-C port on the Oclean X Ultra S travel case

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

All in all, the Oclean X Ultra S is one of the best electric toothbrushes I’ve used – available in Sage Green and Black colorways, it cleans really well in various modes and is arguably the smartest electric toothbrush yet. Perhaps a little too smart, because my only (tiny) issue with the brush is how the verbal feedback sounds – like a child scolding you. Other than that, this is a toothbrush you could definitely… well, sink your teeth into, but maybe consider buying it when it's discounted.

The Oclean X Ultra S electric toothbrush standing on a table beside its travel case and replacement brush heads

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Oclean X Ultra S review: price & availability

  • Announced at CES (January) 2024; released April 2024 in the US
  • Available to buy now in the US and Australia; unavailable in the UK
  • List price of $129.99 / AU$449.95

As mentioned earlier in this review, the Oclean X Ultra S made its debut in January 2024 at the CES tech trade show and quickly made headlines as the only talking electric toothbrush. It was subsequently released in the US in April 2024, then made its way to Australia in November 2024. While it officially hasn’t been released in the UK, it may be possible to find it on Amazon but being shipped and sold by third-party resellers.

The Oclean X Ultra S will set you back $129.99 in the US and a whopping AU$449.95 in Australia, which is a much higher pricepoint as compared to other markets, even taking taxes into consideration. However, the X Ultra S can be had for half its Aussie price during major sales (which it was during Black Friday 2024, just days after its release Down Under).

If you’re in the UK, I’ve seen it listed online from anywhere between £93 and £219.99 at third-party retailers. UK customers who would love to try an Oclean brush can opt for the X Pro Elite instead, which has a list price starting from £69.90.

Given its various smart features and its build quality, I think the Oclean X Ultra S is absolutely worth considering if you’d like to stop using a manual brush or are keen to upgrade to a new electric one. Just keep in mind that it might take you a while to get used to the verbal prompts – if you can be patient, you’ll definitely see an improvement in your brushing habits.

The Oclean X Ultra S electric toothbrush inside its travel case

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Oclean X Ultra S review: specs

Oclean X Ultra S: score card

Should I buy the Oclean X Ultra S?

Buy it if...

You want the smartest electric toothbrush on the market

With its real-time voice prompts and feedback, plus a very detailed brushing report at the end of each session, the Oclean X Ultra S was designed to ensure you develop better oral hygiene.

You wear braces or have specific dental issues

Not only are there several brushing modes available via the app to cater to different needs, including one for people who wear braces, it also allows you to set up your own custom mode that would be best suited to you.

You travel a lot

Given its rather impressive battery life and the fact that the brush can be charged via its charging case using any USB-C cable, it’s a good one to take with you on the go.

Don't buy it if...

You want simplicity in your brushing routine

While its features can help improve oral hygiene, it’s also overkill for many users. If you don’t need all its bells and whistles, you can opt for a simpler electric toothbrush.

You prefer an oscillating electric toothbrush

While sonic toothbrushes like the Oclean are good for people with sensitive teeth and gums, some people might require the circular motion of an oscillating brush instead. In which case, you’ll need to opt for an Oral-B.

You don’t want to use an app

There’s no getting away from the Oclean Care+ app here – you’ll need it even to set up the brush and choose your preferred modes. If you don’t care for app dependency, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Also consider

If you aren’t sold on the Oclean X Ultra S or are looking for something different, below are a couple of options to consider – one is an oscillating toothbrush while the other is a sonic alternative.

Oral-B iO Series 6

If you want the power of rotating brush heads, Oral-B is the go-to brand and the iO Series 6 is a fantastic option that is frequently discounted, so you won’t need to shell out a lot of money for it. There are 7 brushing modes, a timer, pressure detection sensor and a basic travel case. Importantly, it’s easy to source the brush heads.

Read our in-depth Oral-B iO Series 6 review

Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige

Coming close to what the Oclean X Ultra S can offer – sans the voice prompts, although you still get real-time feedback via the app. It’s a beautiful-looking brush, with a very quiet motor, but gets you only 5 brushing modes. You will, however, be rather dependent on the app to make adjustments to the modes and brushing intensity settings.

Read our full Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige review

How I tested the Oclean X Ultra S

  • Used for two months daily, twice a day
  • Testing period included a 26-day overseas trip without the charging base
  • Tried different brushing modes and brush heads

The Oclean X Ultra S toothbrush standing on a table beside its travel case and brush heads

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

I swapped out my Oral-B oscillating toothbrush for the Oclean X Ultra S in November 2024, soon after its release to the Australian market (I am Sydney-based). I’ve used it twice a day since (and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future), trying out different brushing modes already available in the app and trying to set up my own custom mode. It took me a few sessions to realize that the maximum voice feedback comes via the Exclusive Modes and, for me, that was what helped improve my brushing habits over time.

A planned overseas holiday about three weeks after I began testing the Oclean X Ultra S was an excellent chance to test its claimed battery life. I didn’t carry its charging stand and, although I knew I could use the travel case with any USB-C cable to top up the brush, I didn’t have the need to.

I’ve been using different electric toothbrushes over the years – both sonic and oscillating – and have used this knowledge to rate the Oclean X Ultra S.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed January 2025]

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