The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is the latest hybrid laptop from the venerable Windows laptop maker, marking its first 2-in-1 since the company's major rebranding earlier this year, which replaced the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 2-in-1.
Fortunately, as with the clamshell Dell 14 Plus, Dell's latest 2-in-1 offers very solid performance at a fantastic price. But given that this is a 2-in-1, typically a form factor where the display takes center stage, the dim, lackluster panel makes this a less attractive option as a 2-in-1 than its clamshell sibling.
Starting at $649.99 / £849 / AU$1,498.20, the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 does earn its place among the best 2-in-1 laptops this year thanks to its affordable starting price, especially in the US and Australia where the AMD Ryzen AI 300 configurations are available. When these configurations make it to the UK, the prices there ought to be much cheaper to start as well.
Performance-wise, the 14 Plus 2-in-1 isn't much different than the standard 14 Plus, so what you're really looking for here is the versatility that comes with a 2-in-1.
Unfortunately, this versatility is undermined by the display quality, which is much more important on a 2-in-1. So while I found the rather dim FHD+ display on the 14 Plus to be an acceptable compromise to keep the price down, it's a much bigger negative on the 14 Plus 2-in-1.
That's not to say the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is necessarily bad, or even that its display is an absolute dealbreaker. Given its price and level of performance, the display doesn't keep it from being one of the best student laptops on the market right now, and it also remains one of the best Dell laptops on offer currently. Just be prepared to look past a couple of flaws if you decide to pick one up.
Dell 14 Plus: Price & availability
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
How much does it cost? Starts at $649.99 / £849 / AU$1,498.20
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? You can buy it in the US, UK, and Australia through Dell’s website and other retailers.
Easily the best feature of the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is its excellent pricing. Starting at $649.99 / £849 / AU$1,498.20, there aren't going to be many Windows laptops with solid entry-level specs at this price point. For those who are more price-sensitive (such as students, general users, and enterprise fleet managers), the 14 Plus 2-in-1 really should be at the top of your list if you're in the market for a 2-in-1.
Even better, of course, is that Dell regularly runs sales on its products, so it should be fairly easy to find this laptop for even cheaper (especially around holidays or other major sales events like Amazon Prime Day).
Value: 5 / 5
Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Specs
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Configurations vary considerably between the US, UK, and Australia
Options for both Intel Core Ultra 200V and AMD Ryzen AI 300 processors
No discrete graphics options
The starting specs for the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 feature 16GB DDR5 RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD storage, and a 16:10 FHD+ (1200p) IPS touchscreen display with 300-nit max brightness. The only difference between the US, UK, and Australia is that the US and Aussies start off with an AMD Ryzen 5 AI 340 processor with Radeon 840M graphics, and the UK starting configuration comes with an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V chip.
This also means that while the US and Australian starting configuration only has two USB-C Gen 3.2 ports, the UK swaps one of these out for a full Thunderbolt 4 port.
2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 w/ DP and Power Delivery, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x combo jack
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C w/ DP 1.4 and Power Delivery, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 w/ DP 2.1 and Power Delivery, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x combo jack
2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 w/ DP and Power Delivery, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x combo jack
Battery (WHr):
64 WHr
64 WHr
64 WHr
Wireless:
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
Camera:
1080p@30fps
1080p@30fps
1080p@30fps
Weight:
3.35 lb (1.52 kg)
3.42 lbs (1.55kg)
3.35 lbs (1.52kg)
Dimensions:
12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins | (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)
12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins | (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)
12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins | (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)
For the max spec, the US and UK can configure the 14 Plus 2-in-1 with an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V processor with Intel Arc Xe2 (140V) graphics, while Australia tops out at an AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor with Radeon 840M graphics. The US config also maxes out at 32GB DDR5 RAM and 1TB storage, while the UK and Australia max out at 16GB DDR5 RAM, and 512GB and 1TB storage, respectively.
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C w/ DP 1.4 and Power Delivery, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 w/ DP 2.1 and Power Delivery, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x combo jack
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C w/ DP 1.4 and Power Delivery, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 w/ DP 2.1 and Power Delivery, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x combo jack
2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 w/ DP and Power Delivery, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x combo jack
Battery (WHr):
64 WHr
64 WHr
64 WHr
Wireless:
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
Camera:
1080p@30fps
1080p@30fps
1080p@30fps
Weight:
3.42 lbs (1.55kg)
3.42 lbs (1.55kg)
3.35 lb (1.52 kg)
Dimensions:
12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins | (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)
12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins | (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)
12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins | (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)
The configuration I reviewed is much more in the middle of the pack, featuring an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V chip, 16GB LPDDR5x RAM, and a 1TB SSD. This specific configuration isn't available in the UK and Australia, but the UK can get close enough (though with half the storage capacity).
Dell 14 Plus Review Unit Specs
Price:
$1,099.99 / £999 / (about AU$1,650, but Intel systems not yet available in Australia)
CPU:
Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
GPU:
Intel Arc Xe2 (140V) Graphics
Memory:
16GB LPDDR5X-8533
Storage:
1TB NVMe SSD (512GB in the UK)
Screen:
14-inch 16:10 FHD+ (1200p), 300 nit, touch IPS
Ports:
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C w/ DP 1.4 and Power Delivery, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 w/ DP 2.1 and Power Delivery, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x combo jack
Battery (WHr):
64 WHr
Wireless:
WiFi 7, BT 5.4
Camera:
1080p@30fps
Weight:
3.42 lbs (1.55kg)
Dimensions:
12.36 x 8.9 x 0.67 ins | (314 x 226.15 x 16.95mm)
Specs: 4 / 5
Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Design
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Thin and light
Trackpad can feel 'sticky'
Display isn't great for a 2-in-1
The design of the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is nearly identical to the standard 14 Plus, with the major difference being its 360-degree hinge. Otherwise, it sports a functional design language that, while not premium, doesn't necessarily look or feel cheap either.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
The keyboard on the 14 Plus 2-in-1 is functional, if not incredible, but for most people it'll do the job just fine. The trackpad occassionally felt somewhat 'sticky' to me, however, and it's something that kind of gives away the laptop's price point, if I'm being honest. I've felt similar trackpads on much cheaper Chromebooks in the past.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
The webcam is a solid 1080p at 30 frames per second, which is pretty much standard nowadays. It does feature a physical privacy shutter though, which is excellent.
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
For ports, you have a good mix, especially for a laptop this thin, and if you're using an Intel-based configuration, you get a Thunderbolt 4 port, which is very handy. Regardless of the processor brand, though, with USB-C Gen 3.2 ports available, you can display out using DisplayPort 1.4, and all USB-C ports support power delivery.
Where this laptop was more of a letdown than its clamshell cousin is the display. At 300 nits peak brightness and just 67.5% of the sRGB color gamut and only 47.8% DCI-P3 (according to my testing), the color quality and brightness on the display just isn't very good.
It's one thing when the display on a cheap clamshell isn't great, but if you plan on taking notes or maybe even do some sketch work on your 2-in-1, this display is not going to give you the best experience. If you plan on using this laptop for school, try to avoid using it outside on a sunny day, or else you're really going to struggle to see things clearly.
Design: 3 / 5
Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Performance
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Solid performance
Can do some modest gaming
Not the best for creative work
Here's how the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
The performance of the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is going to vary quite a bit depending on your configuration, but like the clamshell 14 Plus, the 14 Plus 2-in-1 is a very solid performer when it comes to everyday computing and general productivity tasks that are typical of laptops at this price point.
To be clear, this isn't a professional mobile workstation like the MacBook Pro 14, and definitely isn't one of the best gaming laptops, but if what you're looking for is a laptop that does its job, does it reasonably well, and doesn't try to do too much beyond the everyday, then the 14 Plus 2-in-1 is a very solid pick (especially if you're on a budget).
Thanks to the integrated Intel Arc Xe2 or Radeon 840M graphics (depending on your configuration), you'll also be able to get some casual to moderate gaming out of this laptop, though you'll definitely want to keep things at or below 1080p and reasonable graphics settings.
In my testing, Civilization VII (one of the more graphically demanding sim games out there) managed to get close to 60 FPS on average on medium settings, which is more than enough for a thin and light laptop like this.
This is a 2-in-1, though, and the focus really is on note-taking, drawing, and the like, and for that the responsiveness of the display was good enough for the price, though nothing spectacular.
Performance: 4 / 5
Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Battery Life
How long does it last on a single charge? 15 hours and 14 minutes
How long to fully charge it to 100%? 2 hours and 36 minutes
I haven't tested one of the AMD Ryzen AI 300 models of this laptop, but the Intel Core Ultra 256V in my review unit is a very energy-efficient chip, so this laptop's battery life is good enough to rival many of the best laptops of the past few years, though it's not in the top five or anything like that.
It ran for just over 15 hours in my battery test, which involves using a script and custom server to simulate typical web browsing behavior. This is more than enough for a typical work or school day, and with the included 65W charger, it took about two and a half hours to recharge the 64WHr battery to full from empty (though higher wattage chargers will likely get you there faster).
Battery Life: 4 / 5
Should you buy the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1?
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 Scorecard
Category
Notes
Rating
Value
The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 offers great value for its price.
5 / 5
Specs
Available configurations are generally very good.
4 / 5
Design
The 14 Plus 2-in-1 looks good on the outside, but its display really brings its design down.
3 / 5
Performance
Everyday computing and productivity performance are solid, but it can't hold up to intense workloads like gaming at high settings.
4 / 5
Battery Life
Solid battery life capable of many hours of use on one charge.
4 / 5
Buy the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 if...
You want solid productivity and general computing performance The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 offers solid performance for most users, especially for the price.
You want a laptop that doesn’t look too cheap While it isn't going to win any major design awards, it's still a pretty good-looking laptop for its price.
Don't buy it if...
You need a high-performance laptop Whileits general performance is very good, you're not going to be able to push it much further than general use and casual PC gaming.
You need a quality display While the clamshell 14 Plus might have been able to skate by with this display, it's not really good enough for a 2-in-1.
For this review, I tested the AZ407UPG1 version. There may be minor differences between different countries' models.
The Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum is one of the most versatile upright vacuums on the market. Like other Shark vacuums, it's outfitted with a Detect mode that adjusts the suction based on the floor type and how clean it is. You don't have to worry about unseen dirt because the vacuum can sense debris, dust, and dirt, and increases the suction as required to clean it up.
While you could use the three manual modes (hard floor, carpet/low pile, and thick carpet/area rug), with the Detect mode, the vacuum informs you when the floor is clean with lights on the vacuum head that turn from purple (i.e. dirty) to white (i.e. clean).
During testing, the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum performed wonderfully on various floor types, especially when it came to picking up fine materials like tea and hair. Though it missed a couple of large oat clusters on a single pass, it's still a top-tier vacuum, with suction capability that's well above average. It's one of the very best upright vacuums I've tested, as well as one of the best vacuums for carpet.
Sure, the vacuum head is a bit bulky, and the cord may get in the way, but Shark made this upright vacuum as versatile as possible. You can remove the pod (which holds the dust bin) from the wand, allowing you to use it as a stick vacuum to reach under couches and beds or in conjunction with one of the three accessories to clean tight spaces. If you need something less bulky, there's a stick vac in the same range – read about it in my Shark PowerDetect Cordless review, or head to TechRadar'sbest Shark vacuums guide to see other options, some of which have similar features.
All in all, the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum is a great choice for those who have homes with carpet and/or lots of rugs as it does a stand-up job with deep cleaning.
Available: Worldwide, including US, UK and Australia
In the US, there are a couple of different PowerDetect Upright options – the one I reviewed is the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum with TruePet Upgrade, and it's priced at $549.99. There's also the Shark PowerDetect Upright Bagless Vacuum With Ultimate Cleaning Tools, which costs $449.99. The base model is the same, but the different bundles come with different cleaning tools. In the UK and Australia, there's just one Shark PowerDetect Upright, with a list price of £399.99 / AU$699.99.
At full price, that puts this vacuum in the upper-mid or premium price bracket. However, at time of writing, there are significant discounts available in all territories, taking this vacuum down more firmly into the mid-range market.
I think it's good value for what you're getting here. There are cheaper upright vacuums on the market, but this one has a flexible design and several advanced features that help set it apart from the competition. As you might have gathered from the above, this brand isn't averse to a discount either, and I expect more price drops to appear as time goes on.
Value for money score: 4 out of 5
Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum specs
Weight:
17.6 lbs / 8 kg
Bin size:
2 qts / 1.3 L
Cord length:
30 ft / 9 m
Cleaning path:
12 in / 30.5 cm
Flexible hose length:
1.9 ft / 0.6 m
Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum review: design
Corded vacuum with LED lights and a 12in cleaning path
Detachable dust cup lets you use the wand with the three specialty tools
Four cleaning modes including an automatic mode
The Shark PowerDetect Upright is a corded upright vacuum that can be used in various configurations for different cleaning tasks.
Although typically I prefer the freedom of a cordless stick vacuum, I do understand the appeal of a corded upright – in a battle of upright vs cordless vacuums, the former tends to last longer, will never run out of juice, and almost always deliver more powerful suction too.
(Image credit: Future)
The cable here is fairly generous at 30 feet / 9m long – that's not the longest on the market, but it should still enable you to clean a decent-sized space before having to unplug and replug.
Similarly, at 17.6 lbs / 8kg, it's not the lightest vacuum but it's not overly heavy either. The vacuum head is a bit bulky, but comes with useful design features like a self-cleaning brushroll which means the vacuum can pick up pet and human hair easily without it tangling on the brush, and LED headlights to make it easier to see in dark corners. In fact, you'll notice a lot more lights and indicators on this vacuum than most, plus an odor neutralizer capsule designed to prevent bad smells and keep your floors smelling fresh.
(Image credit: Future)
The handle has five buttons: a power button and four cleaning mode buttons (Detect mode, Hard floor, Carpet/Low pile, and Thick Carpet/Area rug. When using the Detect mode, this upright vacuum senses the floor type and adjusts the speed of the brushroll and the suction power to clean. Upon sensing dirt, the LED indicator light on the vacuum head turns purple. When the light is white, users know that section of the floor is free of dust and dirt.
(Image credit: Future)
The vacuum is outfitted with two other Detect modes. With Edge Detect, arrows on the top sides of the vacuum light up when the vacuum moves close to an edge of a room, and the suction increases on the relevant side of the floorhead to clear any dust that might have gathered there. There's also Direction detect, which is designed so that the vacuum cleans just as well on the reverse stroke as it does when it's pushed forwards.
The dust cup on this PowerDetect vac has a capacity of 2 quarts / 1.3L, which is on the smaller side for an upright vacuum, but is still far bigger than the bin you'd find on a cordless stick vacuum.
For greater flexibility, this dustbin section can also be removed and held in the hand. A flexible hose connects the wand to the dustbin, and from there you can reattach the motorized vacuum head to the wand, to allow you to reach under furniture without the dustbin getting in the way.
(Image credit: Future)
You can also attach one of the detail tools, to tackle awkward or hard-to reach areas. Exactly what tools are included depends on which bundle you opt for. The review model I tested here came with a Duster crevice tool, Pet multi-tool, and HairPro Self-cleaning pet power brush.
As far as sound goes, the vacuum has a dB rating between 77-83, which is dependent on the mode being used or the increase in suction by the vacuum when it senses dirty floors.
Accessories make it easy to clean furniture, ceiling, and tight spaces
Great at detecting dirt and adjusting suction on various floor types
The Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum took only a couple of minutes to assemble. When I first tried to use it, the machine wouldn't turn on despite pressing the power button and having it properly plugged in. Eventually, I realized I didn't have the hose connected all the way. I love that the vacuum 'protects' the user from accidentally turning the vacuum on and sending dust and debris they've just vacuumed back into the room.
On test, the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum did not disappoint. I have historic hardwood floors, laminate floors, and low pile rugs in my house. On my first go, I cleaned my entire house with the vacuum, jumping between the Detect mode and manual surface modes (hard floor, carpet/low pile, and thick carpet/area rug) to get a feel on how each one worked.
(Image credit: Future)
I've tested a number of Shark vacuums, and I'm a huge fan of the Detect mode, which detects unseen dirt on the ground. I love when the lights turn from purple to white, indicating the surface is dust-free. So many vacuums lack this feature and it's truly a shame, because it's difficult otherwise to know if my floors are actually clean.
No matter the mode, I felt like the vacuum picked up dirt, dust, and debris on all my different floor types wonderfully. The only drawback I observed was that the vacuum head wasn't able to fit into tight spaces. Not to mention, I was unable to reach under my couch or bed because the dustbin got in the way. (There is a workaround this; keep reading.)
(Image credit: Future)
During my testing period, I had the opportunity to take the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum to my parents' home and test it on the carpet in their bedrooms. I was stunned by how much dust and dirt it picked up from the carpet. When using the Detect mode on their carpets, I found myself vacuuming over one strip of floor about six times before the light turned from purple to white indicating it was clean. (According to my dad, they hadn't deep cleaned their carpets in a while…) Anyone who has carpet in their home would do well to have this vacuum on hand.
(Image credit: Future)
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this upright vacuum is the ability to break it down and use the detail tools provided. The main pod (which holds the dust bin) can be removed from the wand, and the wand can be removed from the vacuum head. This allowed me to attach the duster crevice tool to the end of the wand and clean the corners or my ceiling.
Granted, I had to hold the pod in one hand and the wand in the other, but there aren't too many upright vacuums that offer this feature, and it's very useful. I was also able to use the wand and the vacuum head to clean under my couch and bed without the pod getting in the way.
The only drawback to breaking down the vacuum is that it's not easy to move the unit around the house in that mode. I'd have to pick up the pod in one hand and hold the wand in the other and walk to a new spot. Sometimes, I'd have to go back and grab accessories or the vacuum head or make sure not to get the hose tangled in the cord.
(Image credit: Future)
I don't have pets so I used the Pet Multi Tool and HairPro Self-Cleaning Pet Power Brush to remove my own hair from my couch. Compared to other vacuums that offer similar accessories, I thought they performed slightly better – although that might be more to do with the fact that the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum has a more powerful suction. Nevertheless, it's worth putting this model in the mix if you're looking for the best vacuum for pet hair.
Maintenance isn't too much of a hassle. When I was done cleaning, I removed the dust bin and placed it over a trash can before opening the latch, allowing the dust and debris to fall in. Because the dust cup is much larger than you'd find on most cordless vacuums, you shouldn't have to do this too regularly. The only other required maintenance is cleaning the pre-motor filters every month, the HEPA filter every year, and hand washing the soft roller as needed. Sensors must also be occasionally cleaned, and blockages must be checked for in the hose, wand, and nozzle. The squeegee bristle strip has to be cleaned or replaced occasionally too.
Suction tests
I went on to run a few standardized tests so I can get an even better look into the suction power of the vacuum and how it compares to other models. To do that, I placed loose leaf tea and oats on one of my rugs and on the laminate floor in my kitchen. From there, I used both the Detect mode and the manual modes of Hard Floor and Thick Carpet/Area Rug to see how well the vacuum sucked up the debris.
One update on this Shark range is 'Direction direction' tech, where the vacuum is designed to vacuum just as well when pushed forwards as when it's pulled backwards (some previous Shark vacuums tend to pool debris behind the floorhead when reversing). I also kept an eye on this aspect in my tests.
(Image credit: Future)
When it came to the loose-leaf tea, the vacuum performed perfectly on my laminate floor and area rug. No matter if I vacuumed forward or in reverse, or what mode I used, it sucked up every single piece of the fine material in a single pass.
(Image credit: Future)
Now for the oats test… When it came to vacuuming oats on my laminate floor, the vacuum did a pretty good job. It looked like the vacuum had picked up all the oats in a single pass. However, I later found that the vacuum missed five clusters. Compared to other models I've tested, this is still impressive. Most vacuums push the oats forward or I find that the oats get trapped behind the wheels. The Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum didn't do that. Sure, it missed a couple of oats, but they were quite large clusters and only needed one more pass to remove them from my floors.
(Image credit: Future)
For the carpet/rug test, the results were slightly different. No matter the mode, the vacuum suctioned oats perfectly when vacuuming in reverse. Oddly, it missed a few of the larger clusters of oats when vacuuming forward. It took me two to three swipes of the vacuum to remove all the oats from the rug. Again, this is not as big of a drawback as it seems. Most vacuums struggle with picking up x-large clusters of oats, no matter the floor type.
(Image credit: Future)
With its Edge detect feature, the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum senses when it's near the edge of a room, where dust can collect, and boosts suction on the relevant side of the floorhead to clear it. To test this feature, I sprinkled loose leaf tea along a wall. The vacuum head picked up every bit of the fine material in a single pass. I give the edge cleaning a perfect rating.
Performance score: 4 out of 5
Should you buy the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum?
Attribute
Notes
Rating
Value
Sits in the upper-mid / premium price bracket, and while it's not the cheapest upright option, the flexibility and features justify the cost.
4.5 / 5
Design
An upright corded vacuum with four cleaning modes and sensors that detect edges, vacuuming direction, surfaces, and dirt. Versatile design that can be broken down into different configurations.
4.5 / 5
Performance
In addition to superb edge and reverse cleaning, it excels in cleaning all floor types, especially carpet. It may miss extra-large debris on a single pass but still outperforms most battery-powered vacuums.
4 / 5
Buy it if...
You have carpet or lots of rugs
Carpet and rugs hide a lot of dust and debris, but this exceptionally powerful upright vacuum can grab even the finest materials like tea.
You're a pet owner
The suction on this vacuum is excellent, and that combined with useful detail tools and a large dust cup make it well suited to those who need something that can cope with lots of pet hair.
You want more assurance that your floors are clean
The vacuum is outfitted with a Detect mode, which informs you when your floors are clean or dirty with lighting cues.
Don't buy it if...
You don't like to be limited by cords
While corded vacuums are not limited by battery life, they do limit how far you can go from an outlet. Not to mention, a cord can get in your way or get tangled.View Deal
You don't want to mess around with different configurations
The bulky vacuum head doesn't fit in tight spaces and the dust bin can prevent you from reaching under furniture. Although you can break down the vacuum to clean hard-to-reach areas, it will take you some time to do so and can be a bit of a hassle to move everything from one spot to the next. For ultimate freedom, try one of the best cordless vacuums instead.
You only have hard floors Those with hard floors don't really need the power of an upright vacuum. Something lighter like the Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum will perform just as well.
How I tested the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum
I tested the Shark PowerDetect Upright Vacuum with TruePet Upgrade over the course of two weeks. Not only did I use the numerous cleaning modes on my hard floors and low pile carpets, but I also took the vacuum to my parents' house and tested the vacuum on the high pile carpets in their bedrooms. As part of my review, I ran two vacuum tests with fine and thick materials on two different floor types to see how well the vacuum picked up the items on the lowest suction setting.
Samsung understood the assignment with the Galaxy S25 Edge, but it didn’t strive for extra credit. The goal was to make a Galaxy S25 Plus that’s easier to hold, but Samsung did not set out to make the thinnest phone possible – in fact the Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t even the thinnest phone Samsung makes today. Instead, it did what Samsung does best: it gave us a little more inside a little less.
The Galaxy S25 Edge is a very good phone, and it feels like something unique compared to every other phone I’ve reviewed. The difference is noticeable; it’s much slimmer and lighter than almost everything else, even when wearing a case. Still, the S25 Edge isn’t a revolutionary new design, and I can’t help but anticipate the competition it’s going to face from Apple in the shape of the rumored iPhone 17 Air.
This is the thinnest Galaxy S device Samsung has ever crafted. It’s 1.5mm thinner than the Galaxy S25 Plus, and almost 2.5mm thinner than the Galaxy S25 UItra.
Could I feel that millimeter in my hand? I’m not sure, but between the thinness and the weight reduction – it’s almost a full ounce lighter than the Plus and two ounces lighter than the Ultra – the Galaxy S25 Edge is undoubtedly a standout.
Front to back: Galaxy S25 Edge, Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, Galaxy S25 Ultra (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t the phone for you if you want the thinnest phone possible. It’s the phone for you if you want a Galaxy S25 Plus, but wish it were easier to hold. It’s the Galaxy S25 Ultra, minus the extra bits that you wouldn’t use, like the S Pen stylus. It’s not something totally new, but it’s a better option for the right buyer.
But why didn’t Samsung go for broke? Why not make the Edge the absolute thinnest smartphone ever? The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is 5.6mm thin when it’s unfolded. Had it shaved another 0.3mm off the Edge, Samsung could have at least said that this is the thinnest Samsung phone you can buy.
The answer, of course, is battery life. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is super thin, but the battery is split between the two halves. Each half of the Z Fold 6 packs only about 2,200mAh of battery life (for 4,400mAh total), which is a lot less than the 3,800mAh the Galaxy S25 Edge offers.
A thinner Galaxy S25 Edge would have meant a smaller battery, and based on my testing, the S25 Edge is using the smallest battery it can get away with.
The Edge had trouble lasting past dinner time in my testing period. If Samsung had made the Edge the thinnest phone ever!, it probably wouldn’t last through my lunch break. I have no doubt Samsung could build such a phone, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
That makes the S25 Edge a pleasantly thin phone that is simply not very special. There are no special features that set it apart from the rest of the Galaxy S25 family. There’s nothing new here. It’s a well-crafted device that delivers exactly what I expected; no more and no less. That’s not a bad thing! It’s just… predictable.
Front to back: Galaxy S25 Edge, iPhone 16 Pro Max, Galaxy S25 Ultra (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The big problem is that Samsung is competing against a specter. The iPhone 17 Air could arrive later this year, and it’s hard not to see the Galaxy S25 Edge as a preemptive attack by Samsung on Apple’s next design concept. Because make no mistake, Apple is going to make a big deal out of going thin.
Apple is going to pretend it invented the millimeter. If and when Apple launches an iPhone Air in September, it will act like thinness is the biggest design innovation since the capacitive touchscreen. All other specs be damned! And I think Apple will be willing to shrink the battery and cut back on cameras even more severely than Samsung.
If that happens, the iPhone 17 Air will probably be less capable than the Galaxy S25 Edge in many ways, but it will give Apple the all-important bragging rights. Apple could use the dual-OLED display found on the iPad Pro, and recent rumors suggest the rumored phone will be around 5.5mm, making it thinner than any phone Samsung currently sells.
In a way, this takes the pressure off Samsung. The Galaxy S25 Edge is a very nice phone, and it fits neatly into Samsung’s price ladder as a little nicer than the Galaxy S25 Plus, but not as feature-packed as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It doesn’t need to prove anything – the Galaxy S25 Edge does fine with less, without trying to be the most.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Price and availability
Starts at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849 for 256GB/12GB configuration
That’s $100 / £100 / AU$500 more than S25 Plus, $200 / £150 less than the Ultra
Left to right: Galaxy S25 Ultra, Galaxy S25 Edge, Galaxy S25 Plus, Galaxy S25 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The Galaxy S25 Edge slots in neatly between the Galaxy S25 Plus and S25 Ultra in Samsung’s lineup. It’s closer to the Plus, which makes sense because it lacks more of the Ultra features than it possesses – there’s no S Pen, no telescopic zoom lens, and no big battery inside, for instance, although it is, like the S25 Ultra, built from titanium.
Otherwise, you get most of what you’d expect from the Galaxy S25 Plus, minus the zoom camera. It packs a sensor with a lot of megapixels, and that sensor is actually larger than the main sensor on the Galaxy S25 Plus. Both cameras use sensors that are smaller than the main 200MP sensor on the mighty Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Now I need a moment with my Australian friends, because something very odd is happening down under. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has come down in price by AU$400 since launch, which means it costs less than the Galaxy S25 Edge by AU$100. Also, the S25 Edge seems priced a bit high in Australia compared to the rest of the world – it’s AU$500 more than the Galaxy S25 Plus?! That seems like a mistake, but it’s the real price for now, so I would wait until Samsung offers a discount to buy the Edge.
Storage
US price
UK price
AU price
256GB
$1,099
£1,099
AU$1,849
512GB
$1,219
£1,199
AU$2,049
Value score: 4 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Specs
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge (left) and Galaxy S25 Plus (right) are very similar inside (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Like the rest of the Galaxy S25 family, the S25 Edge gets 12GB of RAM to support the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset inside. This platform has proven powerful and very efficient in my reviews of the best Android phones this year.
The 6.7-inch display on the S25 Edge seems to be identical to that on the S25 Plus. The main camera uses a new 200MP sensor that we haven’t seen before, which is a bit smaller than the 200MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but larger than the 50MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Plus. There’s no telephoto lens, but the Edge seems to use the same 12MP ultrawide camera as the S25 Plus.
The Galaxy S25 Edge comes with a 3,900mAh battery under its display, which is even smaller than the 4,000mAh battery beneath the Galaxy S25’s 6.2-inch screen. That’s what you sacrifice when you make a phone thin.
Samsung Galaxy S25
Dimensions
158.2 x 75.6 x 5.8mm
Weight
163g
OS
OneUI 7, Android 15. 7 major Android upgrades promised.
The real selling point for the Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t the thinness, it’s the lightness. You have to hold this phone to appreciate it; you can’t just look at the S25 Edge if you want to experience how thin and light it is. Photos don’t do justice to the remarkably light weight, and that’s a big part of the experience.
If you get pinky-finger fatigue from balancing your phone, the S25 Edge might be the phone that will save your favorite digit. Even though it has a huge 6.7-inch display, the Galaxy S25 Edge is lighter than the iPhone 16 (6.1-inch screen, 170g), or the Pixel 9 (6.3-inch screen, 198g). It’s only one gram heavier than the 6.2-inch Galaxy S25, but it feels lighter since it’s less dense.
I almost always use a case with my phone, and since Samsung did not have cases ready for my review period, I asked my friends at Casetify to send over their thinnest cases for the Galaxy S25 Edge. Even with a case on the phone, it still feels remarkably thin and light, especially considering that huge screen size. My S25 Edge in a protective Casetify shell is still lighter than my Galaxy S25 Ultra with no case.
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The Galaxy S25 Ultra is almost as thick as the Galaxy S25 Edge in a case, including the camera bump (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
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The MagSafe magnets make this Casetify case worth buying (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
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Still thin, even in a case (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The design overall looks nearly identical to that of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but on very close inspection things are less impressive. Frankly, the build quality of the Galaxy S25 Edge seems messy compared to the Ultra or to any Apple iPhone.
There are gaps between the frame and the back glass. The SIM card tray doesn’t line up perfectly. There’s a gap between the camera bump and the back of the phone that I worried would pick up dirt – and by the end of my review period, that was the dingiest part of the phone.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
This phone could have been special. Samsung could have tried something new, like capacitive buttons on the side – a trick that rumors say Apple is considering. It could have had super-fast charging to go with that slim battery. It could have had unique colors or a unique finish.
Instead, it’s just a slimmer version of a phone we got six months ago, and it’s not even a really nice version at that.
Design score: 3 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Display
More Galaxy S25 Plus than Ultra, but that’s pretty great
Fingerprint scanner was totally unreliable
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The Galaxy S25 Edge, like the Galaxy S25 Plus, is sort of a hidden gem in Samsung’s lineup when it comes to display quality. While the S25 Ultra has a slightly-larger 6.9-inch screen, all three phones all have the same resolution. When you pack the same pixels into a smaller display, you get a screen that’s technically sharper, in terms of pixel density.
Which is to say the Galaxy S25 Edge has a fantastic screen, one of the best you can find on any phone. It is plenty bright, even in bright sunlight, though the Ultra does beat the Edge thanks to the addition of the remarkable coating that Samsung has been using for a couple of years to eliminate glare on its flagship flat phone.
The display can refresh at up to 120Hz – take that iPhone 16 Plus – and thanks to LTPO tech you can even get a full-color always-on display that refreshes as slowly as 1Hz to save power.
I’ve never had great luck with Samsung’s fingerprint scanners, and the S25 Edge didn’t recognize me any faster than other Galaxy phones, and unlocking failed more often than not. I know I have fingerprints because my OnePlus 13 sees them with 99% accuracy, so I assume this is a Samsung problem, not a me problem.
Display score: 5 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Software
OneUI 7 is well built, but doesn’t add much to the Edge experience
AI features can be useful, but many feel like even more bloat
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
For better and for worse, the Galaxy S25 Edge uses the same One UI 7 interface as the rest of the Galaxy S25 family, with Android 15 serving as the engine. Samsung and Google seem to be locked in a perpetual struggle to control Samsung’s phones, so you’ll get two web browsers, two photo gallery apps, even two wallets and two different password managers.
It’s getting to be a bit much. I’m the first to insist that Samsung’s software – like its Internet web browser – performs better than Google’s alternative. But nobody wants two of everything; you don’t get an extra steering wheel when you buy a car. It’s time for Samsung to end the duplicate-apps project.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
There are plenty of Galaxy AI features on the phone, and it comes with Google Gemini preloaded and ready to take over the power button at your beck and call.
I think we may have already hit the wall with AI features. Samsung has been touting its Now Brief widget and app since the Galaxy S25 launched, and it’s a completely useless piece of software. It’s supposed to learn things about me and then offer information tailored to my needs, but nothing like that happens.
I’ve been wearing a Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro while using the S25 Edge for weeks. The Now Brief offers no more than today’s weather, a missive that feels creepy coming from an AI (‘Wishing you well’?!), and the first few events on my work calendar, which are usually the first three people who took the day off and logged it properly.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
At worst, Now Brief offers me partisan political news. I filter out most politics from my social feeds, and I don’t talk about politics in my text messages, so I’m not sure why Now Brief thinks politics are what interests me. It’s inescapable.
Thankfully, Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S25 Edge will get seven years of major Android and security updates, so it should last through Android 22, just like the rest of the Galaxy S25 family.
Software score: 3 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Cameras
Exactly what I expected based on the specs
Samsung’s processing can be fun, or inconsistent
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
When I heard that the Galaxy S25 Edge would use fewer cameras than its S25 stablemates, with one big 200MP main sensor and a supporting ultra-wide, I was excited at the prospect. After all, one of Leica’s most popular cameras, the Leica Q3, uses a single large sensor and a wide lens, and fakes all of the zoom with digital cropping. If anybody can pull off the same trick on a camera phone, it’s Samsung.
Nope. I’m disappointed to say the cameras are fine, but not groundbreaking. I was hoping the Edge would be a trendsetter. Instead, it runs down the middle of the road without faltering. It does a great job at the things Samsung camera phones do well, but it can’t handle the all-in-one duties of the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
There are no surprises with the Galaxy S25 Edge cameras. The main camera uses a 200MP sensor with a wide lens, and that sensor is a bit smaller than the 200MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. No surprise then that the Ultra is still the best Samsung camera phone, in more ways than one.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The main camera produces images that are a bit fuzzier than what I got from the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and I was surprised to find the colors dialed back a bit as well. The Edge’s cameras don’t seem to be tuned to pop colors as much as the Ultra cameras do. It still managed to take excellent food photos and warm portraits, like I expect from Samsung.
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Taken with Galaxy S25 Edge (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Galaxy S25 Edge 100% crop
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Taken with Galaxy S25 Ultra (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Galaxy S25 Ultra 100% crop
If you need a zoom lens, the S25 Edge isn’t going to satisfy you. The digital zoom doesn’t come close to providing the detail and quality I get with optical zoom on the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max. A heron across the river looked like a white, featherless blob when I snapped a pic with the Edge. The iPhone and Galaxy Ultra images revealed a beak and some plumage.
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Taken with the Galaxy S25 Edge (Image credit: Philip BerneFuture)
Galaxy S25 Edge 10X digital zoom
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Taken with the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
iPhone 16 Pro Max 5X optical zoom, enhanced to 10X
If you take a lot of photos outdoors, the S25 Ultra has a coating on the display to reduce glare, and it makes a big difference even compared to the S25 Edge, which has a nearly-identical display otherwise. The Edge can get bright, but it’s much easier to see the Ultra’s screen if the sun is shining directly on you.
Camera score: 3 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Camera samples
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Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Performance
Excellent performance from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
The Edge stayed very cool under conditions that break other phones
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
I was expecting excellent performance from the Galaxy S25 Edge, and this phone delivered beyond my expectations. It was plenty fast, with that overclocked Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset providing a bit more boost than you’ll get on a non-Samsung Snapdragon phone. Samsung has also done a remarkable job of keeping the phone cool, even when you push the performance to the limit.
I perform a stress test where I run multiple mapping apps on a phone, and play music over Bluetooth, then sit the phone above my car dashboard in the sunshine. Most phones take less than an hour of this punishment before they shut down due to overheating.
The S25 Edge never quit, managing to stay cool enough to function for as long as I needed. That’s incredible – every iPhone, Pixel phone, and Galaxy phone I’ve tested has failed this endurance test. The Edge really lives up to Samsung’s claims of much better cooling – that 10% larger vapor chamber clearly makes a real difference.
This makes the Galaxy S25 Edge an easy contender for a best gaming phone ranking. It offers great performance and superior cooling – everything a gaming phone needs.
I also had fun playing games with the Galaxy S25 Edge clipped onto my Xbox wireless controller using a cheap third-party attachment from Amazon. The phone is so lightweight that gaming for long periods was a breeze – it’s a nice way to kill time while I wait for my Switch 2 to arrive.
Performance score: 5 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Battery
Good battery for the thin size, but not great
Couldn’t last a full day if I used it aggressively
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
As I said above, Samsung could have made a thinner Galaxy S25 Edge, but the battery life would be terrible – as it is, during my review period the S25 Edge often needed a recharge while I was eating dinner, especially if I played games, took a lot of photos, or otherwise taxed the phone heavily.
If I scrolled my social feeds and listened to music on the train into work, I would be concerned about whether the battery would last until the train ride home.
It’s too bad Samsung didn’t use the latest silicon carbon battery technology found in the OnePlus 13, which might have helped it to pack in more power. I also wish this phone charged faster than other Galaxy S25 models, not slower – if it had 80W charging like the latest OnePlus phones I wouldn’t be worried about having to top up throughout the day, because that top-up would take less than 15 minutes.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
As it stands, 15 minutes of charging got me just past 25%, and a full charge took about an hour. That’s pretty slow by today’s standards, especially considering that this battery is smaller than any other inside a Galaxy S25 phone.
Samsung might also be exaggerating its battery claims. It told us to expect the Edge to offer longevity somewhere between the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S25, but in our lab benchmark tests the S25 Edge lasted for less than 13 hours of constant use where the Galaxy S24 lasted more than 13 hours, and the Galaxy S25 topped 15 hours.
If you really need good battery life the Galaxy S25 Plus is the Samsung champ, delivering almost 19 hours of screen time in our rundown test. But it’s not the Edge’s lack of battery life as such that bugs me; it’s how long it takes to top the phone up.
Battery score: 3 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge score card
Value
Not a bad price for the svelte design and pocketability. You know what you’re getting, there are no surprises, so it seems like a fair upgrade from the Galaxy S25 Plus (or is it a downgrade from the Ultra?)
4/5
Design
A bit thinner and much lighter than any other flat phone you’ve tried. You can’t tell by looking; you have to pick it up to feel the difference. The finish is a bit shoddy, but the design might still satisfy buyers with a sore pinky.
3/5
Display
The same great display I saw on the Galaxy S25 Plus (with the same lousy fingerprint scanner). It’s super sharp and very bright, though if you’ll often be in bright sunshine the Ultra has a better anti-glare coating that makes it worth a look.
5/5
Software
Samsung’s One UI looks as good as ever, though the AI features are starting to wane in terms of their usefulness. Thankfully, this phone gets seven years of updates, so it will have no problem running your favorite apps and hopefully improving in the years to come.
3/5
Cameras
You get fewer cameras on a thinner phone, but the main camera still takes fantastic shots, albeit ones that are a bit subdued by normal Samsung standards. They don’t pack the same detail as the Ultra, but food photos and portraits are especially gorgeous.
3/5
Performance
Fantastic performance from the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is paired with some of the most impressive cooling I’ve experienced on a smartphone. I couldn’t get the Edge to fry itself, no matter how much I pushed past its performance limits.
5/5
Battery
Battery life isn’t terrible considering the weight reduction, but I wish the smaller battery came with faster charging to make me forget how long I need to wait. I had to charge the phone most nights after dinner, unless I was careful.
3/5
Buy it if...
The Galaxy S25 Plus would be perfect if it were easier to hold The Galaxy S25 Edge is the Galaxy S25 Plus minus millimeters and ounces, so it’s easier to grab and easier to hold for longer.
You want the second-thinnest Samsung phone The Galaxy S25 Edge is the thinnest Galaxy S phone, and if you don’t like foldable phones it’s the thinnest Samsung phone you care about.
Don't buy it if...
You thought it would be the thinnest The Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t really the thinnest anything, but it is very light, and that might be more important when you’re holding it for a long time.
You’re taking photos in bright sunlight… from far away The Galaxy S25 Ultra remains the Samsung camera champ, with its anti-glare screen coating that helps in bright light plus its real optical zoom lenses… plural.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Also consider
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus The Galaxy S25 Plus isn’t as thin as the Galaxy S25 Edge, but it has the same specs with much, much longer battery life. It even gives you a real zoom camera.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra If you don’t need an S Pen, or anti-glare, or two zoom lenses, or incredible battery life and faster charging, or up to 1TB of storage, you don’t need the Ultra, but you want it.
Benchmark testing is for comparison, not scoring purposes
I tested the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge for more than two weeks before posting this review. I received the Edge before I traveled to Google I/O, and I took the phone along as my primary work device and for entertainment on flights.
When I got back from Google I/O I had Covid, so the Galaxy S25 Edge was my primary couch companion, and my source of entertainment and contact with the world. I used it to play games, watch movies, and listen to audiobooks.
When I’d recovered, I took the S25 Edge car shopping and connected it to a number of different cars to test. I used the phone to take photos, research cars, and more. I even asked for help from Google Gemini and Samsung’s Galaxy AI to do research, answer calls, and respond to solicitors.
I connected the Galaxy S25 Edge to a Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and an Xbox Wireless controller, among numerous other devices.
Future Labs tests phones using a mix of third-party benchmark software and proprietary, real-world tests. We use Geekbench, CrossMark, JetStream, WebXPRT and Mobile XPRT, and 3DMark for performance testing. We test a phone's performance on video tasks using Adobe Premiere Rush. We also measure display color output and brightness.
For battery testing we perform proprietary tests that are the same for every phone, which enable us to determine how long it takes for the battery to run down.
In the time that I’ve spent with the Honor 400, part of me is stunned to see just how far the mid-range market has come. Usually, when I test phones at this end of the scale, I anticipate there being one area that significantly holds the phone back from true greatness. This is understandable – there needs to be some reason to upgrade to the best phones like the iPhone 16 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – but on the Honor 400, this caveat never really applied.
For starters, with an affordable price tag of £399.99 in the UK, the Honor 400 already undercuts a ton of mid-range contenders like the Pixel 9a, the Samsung Galaxy A56 and the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, which will make it a more tempting buy for those who are tied to a strict budget.
Diving into the phone itself, Honor spoils us with a number of features, the highlight being the 6.55-inch AMOLED display, which can reach a peak brightness of 5000 nits. I’ve tested a lot of phones in my time, but Honor just knows how to make a mid-range display that’s instantly eye-catching. It’s colorful, easy to use outdoors, and great for streaming films and TV shows.
The new 200MP main camera captures some great shots, especially when the sun is out, but the setup really comes into its own when paired with the Harcourt-inspired filters in the phone’s portrait mode. If you prefer taking pictures of friends and family rather than what you had for dinner, then you’ll appreciate what’s available here.
This amounts to a solid experience overall, but in some instances, it’s a slight downgrade compared to the phone’s predecessor. For instance, the Honor 200 has a slightly larger 6.7-inch display as well as an additional telephoto lens. The same Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset has been carried over, so you won’t gain much where performance is concerned.
With that in mind, I wouldn’t recommend the Honor 400 to owners of last year’s Honor mid-range. For those with a device that’s been out for four or five years, though, it’s hard to argue with the value proposition Honor has put together.
Honor 400 review: price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
Starts at £399.99 in the UK
Released in May 2025
Situated as the middle child of the new Honor 400 series, the Honor 400 has a starting price of £399.99 for the 256GB model, but that price leaps up to £449 if you want the larger 512GB storage option.
At the time of writing, only UK pricing and availability have been confirmed, with the phone releasing in May 2025 both as a SIM-free device and from several UK networks.
Even though their naming conventions are easy to understand, the pricing within the Honor 400 range is a little confusing. At present, the Honor 400 Lite costs £249.99, just £150 less than the Honor 400, whereas the Honor 400 Pro asks for an extra £300 with an RRP of £699.99.
I can only hypothesize that the Honor 400’s entry-level price is a strategic move to make it more affordable than some of the established best mid-range phones, which tend to sit around £499.
Value score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 review: specs
Dimensions:
156.5mm x 74.6mm x 7.3mm
Weight:
184g
Display:
6.55-inch (2736 x 1264) up to 120Hz AMOLED
Chipset:
Snapdragon 7 Gen 3
RAM:
8GB
Storage:
256GB / 512GB
OS:
Android 15
Primary camera:
200MP (f/1.9, 1/1.4'', OIS) sensor
Ultra-wide camera:
12MP (f/2.2, FOV 112°) sensor
Front Camera:
50MP sensor
Battery:
5,330mAh
Charging:
66W wired
Colors:
Midnight Black, Meteor Silver, Desert Gold
Honor 400 review: design
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Honor is definitely nipping at Apple’s heels
The design feels more confident than the Honor 200
The overall design of Honor’s mid-range phones has always felt a little off to my eyes. For example, the Honor 90 from a few years back had a wonderful Emerald Green option that made it stand out, but it was hampered by two distinct camera bumps that felt wildly out of place.
Things weren’t much better with last year’s Honor 200, which featured far too much negative space in its camera module, making the design feel like an afterthought compared to the rest of the device. Thankfully, Honor has finally hit a far more premium, if potentially dull, aesthetic.
As mentioned in the Honor 400 Lite review, it isn’t hard to see where Honor is drawing its inspiration from here. The flat edges around the device, alongside the vertically aligned cameras, give off a whiff of the iPhone 16, which is no bad thing when you consider that the Honor 400 is less than half the price of Apple’s £699/$699 handset.
It does feel premium in the hand, and even with a plastic chassis, I think people would be surprised to learn just how cheap the Honor 400 is at the checkout, based solely on its looks.
I do wish, however, that Honor could have kept some of its signature flair where the colors are concerned. The company has instead opted for safe black, silver and gold variations. Thankfully, there is an official IP rating this time around of IP65, so you won’t have to worry about dust particles or jets of water – always helpful over long-term use.
While it certainly won’t wow anyone, I feel that this is the most confident-looking mid-ranger that Honor has ever put out, and I have to admire it for that.
Design score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 review: display
(Image credit: Future)
It’s a smaller display at 6.55 inches
The curves have been swapped out for a flat panel
If there’s one area where this company has easily outpaced the mid-range competition, it’s in the quality of its displays, and the Honor 400 is no exception, although there is one tweak that might put off some folks from upgrading.
Starting with the good, this 6.55-inch AMOLED display is just drop-dead gorgeous to look at. It gets impressively bright at up to 5000 nits, and when using it outdoors against direct sunlight, I haven’t found myself squinting to make out what’s on the screen.
The crisp 2736 x 1264 resolution also makes the phone great for catching up on Netflix or whichever streaming service takes your fancy. Using the Honor 400 at the gym, I was quite immersed in a few episodes of Prime Video's Invincible while on the treadmill, with the phone doing the show’s vivid color palette justice.
If you don’t mind sacrificing a little more battery life, you can toggle Super Dynamic Display alongside Vivid Display, two modes that use AI to analyze what you're watching and respond with improved colors and realism in real time. I can’t say that I saw an immediate difference, but the screen already looked great, so I can’t really complain.
(Image credit: Future)
While the phone’s refresh rate can be set to 120Hz at all times, by default it’s placed in an adaptive mode that allows it to change depending on the task at hand, saving battery life in the process. Even though this has long been a feature among the best Android phones, it blows my mind that it’s now something we get as standard in the mid-range/budget market.
Making a return is all of Honor’s dimming and eye-health features. That sounds impressive on paper, with ‘3840Hz RiskFree Dimming’, but what does it actually mean? In practice, this tech limits the amount of refreshes that take place at a speed imperceptible to the human eye, reducing the risk of eye fatigue over time.
Of course, something like this is difficult to quantify. However, I will say that out of all the phones I’ve used, the Honor 400 is one of the few that doesn’t leave me with noticeable eye-strain if I do a quick bit of scrolling before bed, particularly if the fantastic ‘eBook mode’ is activated.
All of this amounts to a wonderful display, but if you currently own an Honor 90 or an Honor 200, it’s worth bearing in mind that both of those phones have a larger 6.7-inch display, so you are getting a slight downgrade where size is concerned. Personally, I don’t mind, particularly as it makes the Honor 400 easier to use one-handed, but it’s still something to consider.
Display score: 4.5 / 5
Honor 400 review: cameras
(Image credit: Future)
Just like the display, the cameras have also been downgraded/upgraded
The new 200MP main sensor is the star of the show
There’s a definite pattern of give and take with the Honor 400. I’ve already mentioned the differences in the display tech, and unfortunately, it also extends to the new camera setup.
On paper, you’ve got a 200MP (f/1.9, 1/1.4'', OIS) main sensor, flanked by a 12MP (f/2.2, FOV 112°) ultrawide that also serves as a macro lens. That might sound fairly decent given the £399.99 price tag, but eagle-eyed readers might have already noticed that while the main sensor has had a bump from 50MP to 200MP, the phone is missing the additional 50MP telephoto lens from the Honor 200.
While it’s nice to have a dedicated telephoto lens, having the upgraded megapixel count on the main lens does open up more opportunities for cropping and zooming that don't completely wreck the quality of the photo.
Enjoying the wonderful sights of Surrey’s Box Hill, I was able to snap some fantastic shots that really did the trail justice, helped in large part by the brilliantly sunny weather. When I felt the need to crop in on certain photos for social media after the fact, I didn’t feel hard done by in the final results.
The same can be said for the ultra-wide shots, which, despite that 12MP ceiling, still packed an impressive degree of detail and color. In a pinch, that same ultra-wide lens can be used for macro shots if, like me, you enjoy getting the odd picture of fauna up close (although I can’t imagine using it for much else).
You’ve got 4x digital zoom for picking up subjects in the distance, but for something really far out, you can lean on Honor’s 30x AI Superzoom. Just like it operates on other Honor phones, this feature uses AI to recreate the picture you’ve taken. This means the end result isn’t technically a photo at all, but something AI has constructed from a real photo. As you might imagine, its success rate can be mixed, and there’s a general ‘watercolour’ look that plagues all of these images after the fact.
Speaking of AI, there’s an ‘image to video’ feature that lets you make short AI-driven animations out of shots you’ve taken. I’ll admit, one video it derived from a selfie felt so realistic that I didn’t like the idea of seeing what else it could do. Thankfully, these videos don’t go beyond five seconds, so there isn’t a huge use case for them.
When it comes to more traditional AI features in the phone’s editing suite, like AI cutout or AI outpainting (the latter of which extends the picture with generative AI), it all works rather well.
Last year, Honor made a big splash by partnering with photography studio Harcourt to add more pizazz to the portrait photography of the 200 series; now those signature Harcourt filters are back on the Honor 400, looking better than ever.
If you’re the type of person whose Instagram uploads are filled with model-style shots, you’ll appreciate what’s on offer here. Although there are just three Harcourt filters (Vibrant, Color and Classic), they all look great and pump out truly eye-catching shots.
While the 50MP selfie camera doesn’t utilize Harcourt’s prowess, it still managed to capture self-portraits that I was more than happy to share with the world, which doesn’t often happen. There’s a wonderfully soft bokeh here that pairs well with the camera’s autofocus.
The dedicated night mode also does a respectable job, so you should be in luck with most low-light situations if you do want to take a quick snap.
Camera score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 review: camera samples
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Honor 400 review: performance
(Image credit: Future)
Same chipset as last year
Respectable performance in its price range
The best thing I can say about the Honor 400 from a performance perspective is just how little it’s been on my mind over the course of testing the device. Of course, I’m not saying that it exceeds the best iPhones – far from it – but even though it uses the same Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset as last year, it goes to show how far the mid-range market has come, where you can now expect solid day-to-day performance without breaking the bank.
In the time that I spent with the Honor 400, I didn't have an app fail to load or crash mid-use, and I could jump from one app to another without any significant delay. Even when using the phone as a hotspot to watch a video on my iPad, I could still scroll through Google Chrome on the Honor 400 without any noticeable slowdown.
When it came to games, the phone handled booting up a race in Asphalt Legends Unite and the game’s frenetic energy with ease. Graphics look bold and exciting on the display, and any visual stuttering was very brief and infrequent.
I found the performance within Call of Duty Mobile to be even better, so if you like to get in a few rounds of Nuketown on your lunch break, you won’t have any issues doing so here.
I will say that for both games (and at times when I was really pushing the device), I felt some heat radiating off the Honor 400. It was never enough to make holding the device uncomfortable, but it did give me pause to make sure that I didn’t overstretch the phone’s limitations.
I do, however, want to give a brief nod to the speakers, which performed surprisingly well in testing. I almost always anticipate a mono-speaker system at this end of the market, but there's a stereo set-up on the Honor 400, and it can get impressively loud and immersive when you're diving into a spot of gaming.
Performance score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 review: software
(Image credit: Future)
Honor has gone all in on AI
MagicOS is better, but there’s still room for improvement
Just like almost every other company on the block right now, Honor has gone all-in on AI.
As with AI implementation on other devices, I found the overall experience to be a mixed bag. I don’t think the situation is quite as dire as what I’ve come across using Apple Intelligence on my iPhone 16 Plus, but there are definitely areas where Honor has plenty of room for improvement.
On the better side of that equation is Honor’s Magic Portal, which operates similarly to Google’s Circle to Search (which already exists on the Honor 400), only this time requiring that you highlight an object using your knuckle. I found the feature to be incredibly responsive, and once you’ve selected your desired image or piece of text, you can quickly share it to a list of apps that appear on the side, as chosen by AI. It’s genuinely a great example of AI being used intelligently, and I did find myself using it a few times to save text quickly.
Features like AI Subtitles and AI Translate have their moments, but there’s still work to be done. For the former, it can generate speech to text with decent speed and accuracy, but when I tried to get it to make subtitles from a YouTube video, the whole experience fell apart with nonsensical text. AI Translate fares a bit better with a quick response time for translations, but it doesn’t boast quite as many available languages as Live Translate on Galaxy AI-toting Samsung phones, so you’ll find a more robust experience elsewhere.
At the lower end of the scale, AI Suggestions pretty much does what it says on the tin by offering up quick access to apps it thinks you need at certain times of day, but this is a feature Apple’s had for years so I don’t understand why Honor has drawn so much attention to it here as if it’s something brand new. There’s also AI Deepfake Detection, although this only works with video calls and doesn’t let you know if you’re seeing a video or image online that’s fake, which is really where it should be targeted.
Magic Capsule on the Honor 400 Pro, which also features on the 400 (Image credit: Future)
All of this sits on top of MagicOS 9.0, Honor’s Android 15 overlay, which in itself is something of a head-scratcher. I will say that compared to when I last used MagicOS on the Honor 90, the operating system has come quite a long way, and it feels less cumbersome to use than I remember.
It’s not quite as slick as stock Android, which can be found on the best Pixel phones, but it does have a nice aesthetic. And as someone who mostly uses an iPhone, I did appreciate the nods to iOS, including Honor’s take on the Dynamic Island, which shows music playback at the top of the display, as well as the need to swipe down from different sections to access the notification tray or the control center (even if I did find myself in the latter a few times when it wasn’t my intention).
What holds MagicOS back is the unfortunate amount of bloatware that comes preinstalled on the Honor 400. When setting the phone up, I needed to get rid of several apps, including TikTok and Temu, not to mention Honor’s own-brand apps, which include the company’s Google Play Store competitor, the Honor App Market. It’s not a deal-breaker, by any means, but it doesn’t help the phone against fierce competition.
On a better note, the Honor 400 now comes with a promised six years of updates, providing official support until at least 2031. Compared to the paltry support that Honor provided for previous devices, this is a huge shift that makes the Honor 400 a better option as a phone to last you well into the future.
Software score: 3 / 5
Honor 400 review: battery life
Slightly larger 5,300mAh cell
Easily gets you through a full day of use comfortably
Despite its smaller stature, the Honor 400 features a slightly increased battery capacity compared to the Honor 200, jumping from 5,200mAh to 5,300mAh. Honor hasn't been too specific where longevity is concerned, other than claiming an “all-day battery life” for the phone, which, thankfully, is an assessment that’s more on the conservative side.
I put the Honor 400 through a heavy day of use, starting at 8:30am, getting just over four hours of screen time, including 40 minutes of Instagram and 25 minutes of Prime Video, alongside 33 minutes of Spotify in the background and 1 hour and 39 minutes of using the phone as a hotspot for my iPad. With all that in mind, the phone still had 30% left in the tank by 10:30pm, 14 hours later.
For my money, that’s more than enough to alleviate any major battery anxiety. You also toggle one of two power-saving modes, which halt a lot of background processing to extend the longevity as much as possible. On most days, however, I didn’t need to charge the Honor 400 until about halfway through the following day.
When you do need to top up, you won’t have to wait long as the Honor 400 boasts 66W fast charging, although there isn’t a compatible fast charger included in the box. When charging at a slightly slower 60W rate on an adapter I had to hand, it took about 30 minutes to get from 20% to 69%, and a total of 54 minutes to get back to a full tank.
Unfortunately, there’s no wireless charging available, which does feel like a sticking point when that feature is creeping into the mid-range conversation.
Battery score: 4 / 5
Should I buy the Honor 400?
Honor 400 score card
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Design
It might not turn heads with its colorways but the Honor 400 has a confident look.
4 / 5
Display
The display is the true highlight here, just not for owners of last year’s phone.
4.5 / 5
Performance
Great everyday performance that’s difficult to fault.
4 / 5
Camera
The absent telephoto is missed, but everything else is solid.
4 / 5
Battery
More than enough to get you through an intensive day of use.
4 / 5
Software
MagicOS still has some way to go, as does Honor’s AI suite.
3 / 5
Value
Great cameras, a gorgeous display and tons of storage make this a winner.
5 / 5
Buy it if...
You want a vibrant display The Honor 400’s bright and colorful 6.55-inch AMOLED display has been the highlight of my time using the phone. It’s set a very high bar indeed.
You want more storage for less The ability to get 256GB as standard (or 512GB for just an extra £50) makes the Honor 400 a bargain for those who store tons of files locally.
You want a great phone for portrait photography Honor’s 200MP main camera takes some great shots, but it’s the Harcourt-infused filters that make it a winner for those who love to indulge in portrait photography.
Don't buy it if...
You have last year’s Honor 200 With the Honor 400 carrying the same chipset, a smaller screen and one less camera, it isn’t exactly a must-buy for last year’s adopters.
You want the best Android experience Honor’s MagicOS still has a way to go before it can compete with slicker operating system overlays found on Samsung and OnePlus phones.
You value wireless charging Even though you get fast wired charging here, the lack of wireless charging is noticeable given that it’s slowly becoming a feature at this end of the market.
Honor 400 review: also consider
If you're not completely sold on the Honor 400's set of features, then these alternatives might be a better fit.
Google Pixel 9a Even though it costs a little more, Google’s latest mid-ranger offers up a far better software experience that’s as close to iOS as you’ll find among the Android crowd.
Samsung Galaxy A56 For a more premium-feeling build, not to mention a much longer lifespan of software and security updates, the Galaxy A56 is arguably a better buy for those who don’t want to upgrade again for quite a while.
Battery tested against intensive and typical days of use
For the purposes of this review, I used the Honor 400 as my main handset for a total of seven days as it carried my SIM card. Due to this being a pre-release model, certain features like Google Wallet wouldn't work with the device, so I relied on a paired TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro smartwatch for payments.
While the phone does feature 66W fast charging, I used a 65W adapter during the charging test, which automatically downgrades to 60W in the process. The phone I used prior to the Honor 400 was the iPhone 16 Plus, which served as a mental reference over the testing period.
The De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic is a premium bean-to-cup espresso machine that’s a pleasure to use, brewing exceptionally well-balanced coffee and giving you a huge array of ways to enjoy it.
Once you’ve tailored your espresso to your liking, the Primadonna Aromatic presents you with an enormous menu of hot and cold drink options so you can enjoy it any way you like. You don’t need to worry about being blinded by choice, though, because the machine will ‘learn’ what drinks you enjoy and when, and will bump them to the front of the queue depending on the time of day.
The interface is thoughtfully designed, with a chatty tone, step-by-step instructions, and diagrams and animations to walk you through everything from brewing a macchiato to cleaning the brew unit.
(Image credit: Future)
For me, there are only two drawbacks. The first is the Primadonna Aromatic’s sheer size. I've tested some big coffee makers over the past few years, but this is definitely one of the largest.
Width isn’t much of an issue because the water tank can be removed from the front, making it possible to push the machine up against a wall and only move it out for occasional cleaning. The problem is the height. At 16in / 46.3cm this is a seriously tall appliance, and if you position it on a counter under a wall cabinet, you might struggle to open the bean hopper on top when it's time for a refill. Make sure you measure your space carefully before investing.
The second issue is the price. This is one of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines I’ve ever tested, but also one of the most expensive. In fact, only the Jura J10 is pricier. You’ll need a household of coffee lovers with varied tastes to get the most out of the Primadonna Aromatic.
(Image credit: Future)
De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic: price and availability
Costs £1,549.99 (about $2,100 / AU$3,300)
Launched in the UK in April 2025
Not yet available in the US (but likely to arrive soon)
The De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic launched in the UK in April 2025, priced at £1,549.99 (about $2,100 / AU$3,300). At the time of writing, it’s not yet available in the US, but I anticipate a wider release soon.
It’s one of the more expensive coffee machines in De’Longhi’s fully automatic series, sitting between the De’Longhi Primadonna Soul (which only brews hot beverages) and the top-end De’Longhi Maestosa (which has dual bean hoppers and a special milk carafe that can combine ingredients like cocoa powder).
The Primadonna Aromatic is definitely at the upper end of the price scale when it comes to home coffee makers. However, if you’re a fan of chilled espresso-based drinks, it’s a more affordable option than the Jura J10, which is also great for hot and cold drinks, but has an eye-watering price tag of £1,795 / AU$3,990 (about $2,300).
The Primadonna Aromatic is easily one of the best coffee makers I’ve tested this year, but there’s no avoiding the fact that its price will be beyond the budget of many coffee aficionados.
Value score: 4/5
De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic: specifications
Name
De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic
Type
Automatic bean-to-cup
Dimensions (W x H x D)
10.3 x 16 x 18.2in / 26.2 x 40.7 x 46.3cm
Weight
28.7lbs / 13kg
Water reservoir capacity
2.3 quarts / 2.2 liters
Milk frother
Automatic, hot and cold
Bars of pressure
19
User profiles
4
De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic: design
Very large, but stylish
Five-inch touchscreen and intuitive interface
Two-carafe system for hot and cold milk foam
Easy to clean with dishwasher-safe components
The De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic is a large but stylish espresso machine, with a brushed metal finish and black accents. Its most striking feature is a 5in color touchscreen that displays the menu options (there are 35 customizable hot and cold drinks to choose from), which is supplemented by four buttons: power, profile selection, hot drinks, and cold drinks.
The coffee dispenser on the front can be moved up and down to accommodate different-sized cups and has a magnetic cover that’s easy to remove when you want to clean the nozzles.
The Primadonna Aromatic comes with two milk carafes – one for hot milk and one for cold – that push into a connector on the left of the coffee dispenser. Each carafe has a dial on top that allows you to pick from three foam textures, from creamy to thick. Turning the dial all the way to the right will select cleaning mode, which you should run before returning the carafe to the fridge (the machine will remind you to do this if you forget).
The two milk carafes push into a connector on the front of the machine, and can be stored in the fridge between use (Image credit: Future)
Both carafes have lids to keep the milk fresh while it’s refrigerated. When it’s time to give them a deep clean, they can be easily disassembled and cleaned in the top drawer of a dishwasher, or left to soak in hot, soapy water for 30 minutes and rinsed.
The water tank is also nicely designed. It has a generous 2.3 quart / 2.2 liter capacity, and unlike some others, it's large enough to get your hand inside when you want to clean and dry it. There’s also a lid with a funnel-shaped hole for mess-free filling, and the machine comes with a water hardness testing strip that helps you set it up correctly, plus a water filter that screws inside.
The large water tank slides into the machine from the front (Image credit: Future)
The Primadonna Aromatic will alert you when it’s time to replace the filter. New ones can be purchased directly from De’Longhi for £15.99 (about $20 / AU$35), but at the time of writing, they are discounted to £8.54 (about $10 / AU$20).
In addition to the main hopper, the Primadonna Aromatic has a chute you can use to add a scoop of pre-ground coffee when you want to drink something different from your usual beans. It’s a great feature that you’ll find on most De’Longhi machines, and is ideal if you want to switch to decaf in the afternoon.
There's a large-capacity bean hopper on top, or you can use a scoop of pre-ground coffee if you want to switch to something different (Image credit: Future)
My only real issue with the Primadonna Aromatic’s design is its height. This mighty machine stands an imposing 16in / 407mm tall, which means there’s not much headroom between its lid and my wall cabinets. That usually wasn’t a problem, but it made refilling the bean hopper trickier than I’d like. I was just about able to remove the lid (which has a soft seal to keep your beans fresh) and slip scoops of coffee inside. It’s well worth measuring the space you have available to make sure this impressive machine will fit.
The good news is that you don’t need much room on the sides. The water tank is located on the right, but slides out from the front of the machine. If you position the Primadonna Aromatic right against a wall or cabinet (as I did), you’ll only need to move it out approximately once a month to clean the brew unit.
Design score: 5/5
De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic: performance
Produces well-extracted, balanced espresso
Hot and cold milk frothing both work very well
User profiles provide smart recommendations for multiple users
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The drinks you make more frequently at the current time of day will be displayed first in the menu (Image credit: Future)
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You'll be prompted to create profiles for everyone who'll be using the machine during setup (Image credit: Future)
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All instructions and other text is written in a chatty style that makes the Primadonna Aromatica more pleasant to use (Image credit: Future)
The De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic is a joy to use, and manages to nail both the fundamentals and the details.
First (and most importantly), it can brew an excellent espresso. The machine’s standard settings appear to be configured for medium roast arabica beans, because it produced a delicious, sweet, well-rounded espresso first time using my preferred beans. If the taste isn’t quite to your liking, you can delve into the Bean Adapt tool, which is accessible via a link above the main drinks menu.
Just select the type of beans you’re using, either through the machine’s touchscreen or De’Longhi’s Coffee Link mobile app, and the machine will automatically adjust its brewing settings accordingly, including the grind size. If the resulting espresso doesn’t meet your expectations, you can tinker with the options manually to achieve the optimum extraction.
Once you’ve perfected your espresso, you can take your pick from a selection of hot and cold drinks.
(Image credit: Future)
One of the Primadonna Aromatic’s main selling points is its ability to ‘learn’ which drinks you like at different times of day. This excellent feature helps you avoid scrolling through the vast menu every time you want to make a beverage, and is great for households with more than one coffee drinker.
User profiles for coffee machines sometimes feel a bit superfluous (after all, who’s actually replacing all the beans in the hopper when they want to brew a drink for themselves?), but with the Primadonna Aromatic, profiles are an integral part of the experience. When you first set up the machine, you’ll be asked to provide names for all the people who’ll be using it, and given the option to set different-colored profile icons. I set one for myself, and a second for my husband. You can switch between these profiles at the press of a button, and the menu will rearrange itself with that person’s preferred drinks listed first for quick selection. I test new coffee machines every month for TechRadar, and this is the first time I’ve found user profiles in an espresso maker genuinely useful.
The LatteCrema hot milk frothing system is excellent and produces some of the best results I’ve seen from an automatic espresso machine. De’Longhi advises that you’ll get the best results with whole dairy milk or plant milk, and during my tests, I found that dairy and oat produced the thickest, most stable foam. Push the milk carafe into place, tilt the dispenser so the nozzle is positioned over your cup, turn the dial to the position described on the machine’s screen, and you’re ready to begin.
(Image credit: Future)
Another of the Primadonna Aromatic’s key features is its ability to make tasty cold-brewed drinks. These aren’t a tacked-on extra, and are given just as much prominence in the menu as hot beverages. There are even quick-access buttons beside the touchscreen that let you filter the drink menu by temperature.
The machine comes with a silicone ice cube tray, and after selecting a cold drink, you’ll be prompted to add a certain number of cubes to your cup or glass (at least six for an iced latte macchiato, for example). For milk-based drinks, you’ll then be asked to connect the cold carafe (the one with the white lid), which should be filled with either skimmed dairy milk or a plant-based alternative for the best results.
One of the biggest drawbacks of most automatic espresso machines is the cleanup, which sometimes takes so long that I think I’d be better off making my coffee manually. The De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic is different. It rinses itself automatically after brewing and prompts you to rinse the milk carafe, but both processes only take a couple of seconds and seem to require very little water. I tested the machine for several weeks and never noticed any change in the taste of my drinks, so this system clearly works.
When it’s time to give the machine a deep clean, the Primadonna Aromatic provides step-by-step instructions to help you disassemble and wash the coffee dispenser components, and remove and rinse the brew unit. I found a small build-up of coffee grounds in the hatch containing the brew unit, but these were easy to wipe up with a damp cloth.
I was a little nervous about cleaning the plastic milk carafe components in the dishwasher, but they came out sparkling. Washing by hand is fine too, but it's reassuring to know they've been cleaned at a high temperature to remove residue that might harbor bacteria.
Performance score: 5/5
Should you buy the De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic?
De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic: score card
Attribute
Notes
Score
Value
It's a brilliant machine, but there's no escaping the fact that the Primadonna Aromatic will be beyond the budget of many coffee lovers.
4/5
Design
Smart and stylish, with a super-intuitive interface and dishwasher-safe components to make maintenance a breeze.
5/5
Performance
Brews consistently well-balanced and tasty espresso. Both hot and cold milk foaming work well, and user profiles that 'learn' your preferences are extremely handy.
5/5
Buy it if
You enjoy cold drinks regularly
The De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic makes excellent iced espresso drinks, and its cold foam is particularly impressive. Use skimmed or plant-based milk for the best results.
You have a generous budget
This is one of the most expensive espresso machines I’ve tested. It’s a joy to use, but there’s no escaping the fact that it’s seriously pricey.
Don't buy it if
You have just a couple of favorite drinks
The Primadonna Aromatic learns your drink preferences, but if you only drink cappuccinos and double espressos (for example), most of this machine’s functions will be superfluous. There are over 30 drinks to choose from, and sticking with one or two would be a real shame.
You’re the only coffee drinker in your house
This machine’s smart user profiles are one of its best features, and if you don’t share your coffee machine with anyone else, you might be better off with a simpler machine that doesn’t offer such depth of customization.
De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic: also consider
De'Longhi La Specialista Touch
If you don't have the space or the budget for the Primadonna Aromatic, this compact semi-automatic machine from De'Longhi is well worth a look. It can automate the trickiest parts of making espresso-based drinks, or let you take control. It's much smaller than you'd expect, and very reasonably priced.
If money is no object and your coffee orders are so complicated they give baristas a headache, the J10 could be the espresso machine for you. Like the Primadonna Aromatic, it does an excellent job of brewing hot and cold (with only one milk carafe needed), and it can even infuse foam with a flavored syrup of your choice.
I used the De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic for two weeks in place of my usual coffee machine, and brewed coffee using a blend of freshly roasted Brazilian and Colombian arabica beans. I set up a separate user profile for my partner to test the smart recommendations, and we both used the machine to brew a variety of hot and cold drinks throughout each day.
(Image credit: Future)
I tested the hot milk frother with whole dairy milk and oat milk and used the cold milk frother with skimmed dairy milk and oat milk, as instructed by De'Longhi. All milk was bought fresh and used cold from the fridge.
The Coros Heart Rate Monitor is a strap-based monitor designed for your upper arm that uses optical tracking tech to measure blood volume, rather than electrocardiograph or ECG, which measures the heart's electrical signals. While many of the best heart rate monitors use ECG, optical sensors are found in the best smartwatches. Which begs the question: why does Coros' stand-alone HRM use optical sensors instead of ECG?
The short answer, from Coros, is that optical heart rate monitoring works by using light shone through your skin to see your blood flow. While watches can do a reasonable job on the wrist, there is a lot more blood higher up the arm, making a dedicated strap – which can be affixed tightly yet comfortably to that higher arm position – more accurate.
So, for your money, you are getting a more accurate optical heart rate monitor than a smartwatch, yet with arguably a more comfortable wearing position. Unlike a chest strap, it's a comfortable wear for both men and women of all body types and sizes, and to top it off you get a decent 38 hours of use with its rechargeable battery.
Thanks to Bluetooth connectivity, this can be used with many different devices from smartwatches and phones to bikes and gym machines. There's also a useful wear detection feature which means this can auto-power on and connect. All you need to do is put it on.
There is basic waterproofing, to 3ATM, but this is more to make it sweat and rain-proof – so don't expect this to be usable for swimming. You also won't find connectivity options like ANT+ here, so that may limit some people in terms of which devices this can be used with.
Coros Heart Rate Monitor key specs
Component
Coros Heart Rate Monitor
Dimensions
42.5 x 28.4 x 9.1mm
Weight
19g with strap
Fit
18-32cm standard, 24-43cm large
Case material
Plastic unit, with polyester fibre, nylon and spandex band
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Compatibility
3 simultaneous
Water resistance
3 ATM
Accelerometer
No
Battery
Rechargeable USB-A
Coros Heart Rate Monitor: Price and release date
Available to buy now in the US, UK, and Australia
Priced at $79 / £69 / AU$140 RRP
A similar price point as Garmin's HRM Pro
The Coros Heart Rate Monitor launched on June 27, 2023 and is available across the globe. It launched with a price of $79 in the US, £69 in the UK and $140 in Australia.
The Coros HRM is available in several colours thanks to a selection of band options, which you can pick at purchase. These include Grey, Lime and Orange. There is also an option to get a large version of the Grey if needed – more details on that in the design section.
You can buy the Coros HRM directly from Coros via sites like Amazon.
Price-wise, it's comparable to the Garmin HRM-Pro, so it's in line with the rest of its competitors without being either outstanding value or egregiously expensive.
Value score: 3.5/5
Coros HRM (Image credit: Future)
Coros Heart Rate Monitor: Design
Comfortable to wear
Easy to fit
Simple design
The Coros Heart Rate Monitor is all about simplicity and as such this is a doddle to wear. Since this is made to go on your bicep, once you've got the right size adjusted to suit you using the velcro fitting, it's a simple case of sliding it up your arm to pop it on.
The strap materials are a combination of polyester fiber, nylon and spandex, which all equate to a very comfortable feel. But, crucially, this is flexible enough to slip on and off with a stretch, but tight enough to stay in place without it feeling too tight or uncomfortable.
At 19g the total weight is barely noticeable. When you consider people run with large phones in arm strap cases and barely notice them, you can imagine how unobtrusive this feels.
Does this feel more comfy than a chest strap? The answer in my case was a yes, but that may vary from person to person. I certainly like the fact this slips on easily, and thanks to that auto-wear detection sensor it'll connect up quickly and easily too.
This is made to fit biceps of sizes between 18 and 32cm. So unless you're very slim or a bodybuilder, this is likely to fit you comfortably regardless of gender. If you are bigger in the arm area then there is the option to go for a larger variant of the strap at point of purchase, which accommodates 24-43cm biceps.
Coros HRM (Image credit: Future)
The sensor setup itself comprises five LEDs with four photodetectors. That combination, representing the best optical heart rate sensors from Coros right now, should mean this is fairly future-proof, unlikely to be eclipsed by more accurate technology for a while. That said, it won't offer SpO2 measurements, so if you're after O2 features then you may want to keep looking elsewhere.
There is an LED light on the side of the main unit which acts as a useful communication light. When on charge this will glow orange until the battery is full after two hours, and it then turns solid green so you know it's good to go.
The charger is USB-A at one end and a proprietary magnetic attachment at the end of the HRM connection. While it's easy to plug into many different power sources, we would have preferred the more efficient, up-to-date USB-C.
The strap is also washable, where the main unit can slide off, making it possible to keep that looking fresh for long periods.
Design score: 4/5
Coros HRM (Image credit: Future)
Coros Heart Rate Monitor: Features
App is minimal
Lots of third-party app compatibility
No swim tracking
The Coros Heart Rate Monitor can be paired to many devices and works with the app you want to use. But there is an included Coros app that you can use, ideal if you've already got other Coros devices like the Coros Pace Pro.
The Coros app is fine for analyzing data, but it won't track you while you're out exercising. So you will need to use a third-party app, like Strava. I connected the HRM by opening the Coros app, and once connected, I could just open Strava, slip on the armband, and it would pull in the HR data directly.
I found this helpful for heart rate training or zone tracking. Generally speaking, I used the phone to collect the data and then only looked at it when analyzing my effort after I was back and showered off, so you'll need to take your phone in a chest, waist or arm-mounted running case.
Coros HRM (Image credit: Future)
It's also worth noting that if you already have a smartwatch and simply want to add a more accurate heart rate tracker than the built-in optical option, this can connect to your smartwatch too. And yes, this did prove more accurate than wrist-based options during our testing, so this could be a viable alternative to a chest strap.
The app is the only way to know an accurate measure of the HRM's battery life. Sure the light on the side can give you rough guidance, but that's not likely to serve you before a run or ride where you'll want reassurance you have enough juice to go the distance. A push notification would have been helpful when connected too.
It's worth noting that this can broadcast heart rate to up to three devices simultaneously. So you could have your watch and phone connected to your bike computer at the same time, for example. I haven't tested this feature yet, but it's good to have the option should the need arise.
Features: 3/5
Coros app (Image credit: Future)
Coros Heart Rate Monitor: Performance
Good accuracy
Easy to use
Very comfortable
One of the most important things to mention here is comfort. This is more comfy to wear than a chest strap, while offering almost the same level of accuracy. It's easy to slip on and off, less noticeable to wear and can also be kept hidden to avoid knocks – with the option to slide it under your sleeve.
While a wrist-worn heart rate monitor in a watch can be useful, wearing this on your bicep is so much more accurate. As mentioned it's a better spot, with more blood, for clearer readings. But it's also higher up the arm with far less movement when running and way less bumping when riding a bike. All that combines to offer great levels of accuracy across sports while staying comfy.
Where this falls down compared to a chest strap is battery life. It's decent, hitting close to the claimed 38 hours in real-world use, but still doesn't compare to the one or two year battery power of some chest straps.
Coros HRM on the left and chest strap on the right. (Image credit: Future)
In one run (image above), with an early hill climb which I use to beat any chance of averaging explaining accuracy, I did spot some issues. I had a competitor chest strap on in addition to the arm-based Coros HRM connected to my phone. On the hill climb, my heart quickly jumped to 170 and the chest strap kept up. However, the Coros strap lagged behind, reading 155. It did catch up, but was a few seconds behind.
After that, as the distance lengthened and those averages came into play, it got even closer, but I was aware of that initial blip.
So while you can see the early discrepancy, generally both the Coros and chest-mounted HRM show similar readings with near-identical max and average heart rate data. It was certainly noticeably more accurate than a wrist-worn optical heart rate sensor is capable of offering.
Performance score: 4/5
Coros HRM: Scorecard
Category
Comment
Score
Value
In line with competition, making it reasonable.
3.5/5
Design
Very well designed to be comfy, work well, be easy-to-use and accurate.
4.5/5
Features
Great app compatibility but loses points on lack of swim support.
3/5
Performance
Accurate, comfortable and easy to use.
4/5
Total
A superb option for accuracy and comfort with charge support.
4/5
Coros HRM (Image credit: Future)
Coros Heart Rate Monitor: Buy it if...
You're need true heart rate training A dedicated HRM detects changes to your heart rate more accurately than a watch alone, allowing you to zone train with quality.
You want comfort and ease The Coros HRM is very comfortable and easy to slip on and off with that auto turn-on and -off functionality, making it a pleasure to use.
Coros Heart Rate Monitor: don't buy it if...
You want to see your data Unless you own a Coros or other smartwatch, then seeing your data isn't easy when phone connected to this HRM.
You want the best battery While battery life here is good, it's not chest strap level performance so consider that charging will be a part of this use.
Designed for multi-sport use, the HRM-Pro is the most advanced heart rate strap Garmin produces, although it’s probably of greater interest to those who already own Garmin products.
The MyZone MZ-Switch isn’t just a chest strap. The center sensor node features an ECG monitor as well as an optical sensor and pops out so it can be worn on the wrist like a smartwatch.
I used the Coros HRM for a few weeks to test. I did this across running and cycling mainly and mixed in longer steady trips out as well as hills and sprints to get a range of results. I compared using a wrist-worn Garmin, a chest strap and, at one point, an optical armband too. I used this with a few different apps to try out how the data could be used, shared and analyzed.
Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer: one-minute review
Since Philips introduced the world to the first air fryer back in 2010, the market for this health-conscious kitchen appliance has boomed. Manufacturers like Ninja dominate best air fryers lists, but British Philips continues to improve upon its patented Rapid Air Technology, and its most recent offerings, like the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Steam Air Fryer, are increasingly impressive.
The Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer NA150X isn't quite on par with the 5000 and suffers from some of the same issues around ease of use, but it's also considerably cheaper at £133.99. For that price tag, you get a well-performing air fryer with plenty of room and a handful of useful features, such as a shaking reminder and sync cooking, without bombarding you with a bunch of extras.
When the 1000 Series works well, it's excellent: chicken is succulent with just enough crispiness on the skin, muffins are soft inside without being dry, and chips (homemade and frozen) are golden and fluffy inside. I found the presets are mostly accurate and provide top-notch – though you do need to keep an eye on cooking at times – and the recipes provided in the accompanying Home ID app (though limited) are delicious.
(Image credit: Vic Hood)
Frustratingly, you have to rely on that Home ID app a lot, especially at the start. Like the Steam Air Fryer, this appliance comes with a limited physical user manual. You need to download the Home ID app to access the full digital manual that gives clear instructions on each button's functionality and the food tables listing recommended weights and food types. While these tables are helpful, they aren't as thorough as others we've seen and don't cover some commonly air-fried foods. For example, I need to know what weight and settings to use for individual vegetables, like carrots and broccoli, more than I likely need to know the weight to cook meatballs with baked gnocchi.
However, once you get to grips with how the air fryer works, the digital interface is straightforward to use. You have the option to cook in one 7.1L XXL basket or to add the provided divider to create two individually programmable baskets – these can also be set to sync and finish cooking at the same time or to have matching settings. This air fryer is surprisingly compact (compared to its competitors) given its capacity, and the deep baskets are deceptively spacious, with a handy Max line indicating how much you can fill each.
(Image credit: Vic Hood)
The XXL basket and crisping plates are dishwasher friendly (though we always advise against this), and their non-stick coating makes them straightforward to clean – in theory. The XXL basket is cumbersome to clean, especially in a sink, and even if you just use one side, the entire basket needs to be removed and washed. Similarly, if you are cooking two foods at once and need to shake one side, you inadvertently remove and shake the other at the same time.
Ultimately, this is a great air fryer with an affordable price tag, even if the user experience isn't ideal. You may just need some patience (like with many air fryers) to find the optimal settings and weights for foods not listed in the table.
Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer: price and availability
£133.99 at Philips (roughly $181.45 / AU$281.43)
Available in the UK, but not in the US or Australia currently
Available at third party retailers like Amazon, but cheaper from Philips directly
The Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer is a budget to mid-range appliance at £133.99 (roughly $181.45 / AU$281.43). At that price, it's worth considering if you don't want to shell out £200+ on a premium air fryer like the Ninja Double Oven and Dreo ChefMaker. While it does come with fewer bells and whistles than more premium options, including the excellent Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Steam Air Fryer, it gets the job done. While the results aren't always as consistent, this is a solid air fryer for this price tag.
At the time of writing, the Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer NA15X is only available in the UK as the NA150/09 (the Australian model has seemingly been discontinued). In the US, the closest model to the one we tested appears to be the Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer, which costs $199.99.
You can pick up the model we reviewed from third-party retailers like Currys or Amazon for £159.99, though you'll save some cash purchasing from Philips directly (£133.99).
Value score: 4.5/5
Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer: specifications
Extra functions: Copy (apply same settings to both baskets), Time (syncs cooking times), Shaking reminder
Smart control
No
Rated power
2,450W
Capacity
7.1 liters
Temperature range
40C-200C / 104F-392F
Time range
Up to 60 minutes
Dimensions (including handles)
17.23 in (L) x 11.87 in (W) x 11.61 in (H) / 437.69mm (L) x 301.43mm (W) x 294.91mm (H)
Dishwasher safe
Yes
Weight
12.79lbs / 5.8kg
Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer: design
Black modern design
Fairly compact for an XXL air fryer
Spacious 7.1L capacity
Clear digital LED interface
Cumbersome to hand wash
Full user manual is digital only
The Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer has a matte black body with a black digital LED interface on the top, a glossy black plastic strip around the middle, and two large handles. The XXL basket is pulled out using the handles, like a drawer, and has two crisping plates inside, with each drawer also showing two maximum fill lines, one indicating the max capacity for frozen potato snacks and the other for other food types. A plastic divider is provided, which slides into slots between the two plates, creating two individually programmable, smaller baskets rather than the one XXL basket.
(Image credit: Vic Hood)
Given its 7.1 liter capacity, this air fryer is much more compact than others we've tested of similar size, measuring 17.23 in (L) x 11.87 in (W) x 11.61 in (H) and weighing 5.8kg. So, while it will take up some room in your kitchen, it's nowhere near as chunky as the likes of the Russell Hobbs Satisfry 9L Dual Basket Air Fryer. If you've kids at home, you'll be pleased to hear it's cool to the touch when on, with the airflow temperature out the back (on XXL cooking) averaging around 43C, and it's not too intrusive volume-wise either, averaging around 60 decibels (again on XXL cooking),
The digital LED interface is clear and easy to use, with minimal clutter on the screen. However, to understand how to use its various presets and functions, you need to download the companion Home ID app using the QR code on the front of the appliance. The physical user manual provided mostly consists of confusing illustrations that try to explain how to use the air fryer, but the digital user manual accessible through the app is much more thorough.
t's extremely frustrating that you can only read the 918-page user manual on your phone as a sort of PDF, though, and if you don't have a smartphone to download the app, you're snookered. This is a recurring issue with Philips air fryers we've found, but at least the QR code on this one works, and the app's recommended recipes are actually pretty tasty.
(Image credit: Vic Hood)
The digital user manual provides clearer instructions on the air fryer's presets and features, and how to use them, alongside food tables which recommend the weights and settings to use for certain food types. While these tables cover common food types like fries, chicken breast, and muffins, they could be more detailed – and some of the times listed in the tables are slightly different than the presets on the appliance. Instead of recommendations for cooking turkey roulade and veggies, a clear table on the settings for individual vegetables would be much more useful or what type of vegetables to use for the Mixed Vegetable preset would be much more helpful.
Another annoying issue I found with this appliance was cleaning it. While the Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer's basket and crisping plates can be put in the dishwasher, and I successfully did, we typically advise not to use a dishwasher to clean anything with a non-stick coating (as this has) to ensure it doesn't wear away over time.
You may have difficulty dishwashing the basket on this one anyway because it's pretty cumbersome and will take up a lot of room in your dishwasher. The entire XXL basket comes out as one and therefore the whole thing must be cleaned, even if you only use one of the baskets within it. While it cleans easily with dish soap and water, it can be a bit tricky to get it in the sink and give it a thorough clean.
While it's a shame Philips has dropped the ball again when it comes to a clear, physical user manual (which would benefit older, less savvy users), once you do get to grips with this air fryer, it's straightforward and convenient to use.
Design score: 4/5
Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer: performance
What it cooks well, it does brilliantly
Six presets, mixed accuracy
Time function to sync cooking
Copy function to match basket settings
Quality of life features, like shaking reminder
The Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer comes with six cooking presets (Frozen Fries, Steak, Chicken Drumsticks, Mixed Vegetables, Cake/Muffin, Reheat) and three extra functions (Time, Copy, and a Shaking reminder).
When the Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer works well, the results are impressive. I started my testing with frozen chips, adding 400g of frozen steak cut fries to one of the smaller baskets and selecting the Frozen Fries/Potato Snacks preset. This automatically adds the Shaking reminder (which can also be selected manually), which sees the appliance chirping about halfway through cooking to indicate when to shake or turn your food.
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Frustratingly, this does mean you need to shake the whole basket, whether you want the other half shaken or not. The results were excellent, with the chips cooked pretty evenly (though some were a tad more done than others) and crispy outside but fluffy inside. I had similar results when cooking homemade fries, following the food table instructions, though I had to pull the chips out a few minutes earlier than the recommended time to prevent them from becoming overdone.
The results for chicken wings and muffins were perhaps the best I've had from an air fryer yet. Into the XXL pan, I added six full-size wings coated in a Louisiana dry rub and selected the Chicken Drumstick preset (the food tables have no chicken wing recommendation).
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Apart from turning the wings when prompted, I made no changes, and the resulting wings were perfectly crispy outside and juicy inside without being too much of either. Likewise, using a Ninja (sorry, Philips) blueberry and lemon muffin recipe with the Muffin preset in the XXL basket resulted in perfect muffins: soft and fluffy inside but not too dry.
While the recipes in the Home ID app are somewhat limited, at least for my specific appliance, they have stellar results. When you sign up for the app, you choose your appliance and are offered recipes that are suited to your specific air fryer. To start, I tried a green bean recipe that was simple but resulted in the most delicious green beans I've ever had from an air fryer: not too soggy, just perfectly cooked.
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The spicy drumstick recipe was even more impressive and produced eight piping-hot drumsticks from the XXL basket that tasted and smelled amazing. Again, they weren't "grab a napkin, quick!" juicy and had just the right amount of crisp on the skin.
But not every food test worked out this well, and I found a lot of my issues boiled down to the food tables not being detailed enough. I'm always intrigued by an air fryer steak preset and have yet to find one that produces pan quality. The Philips 1000 Series has a Steak preset, but the food table only gives a rough weight for the steak and doesn't recommend the type of steak to cook or if the recommended weight (150g-200g) is per steak or total. I opted for two medallion steaks weighing 340g total and added them to one basket.
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The food table recommends one basket can fit four steaks, but I seriously doubt it, as I would have struggled to add more than two. How you like your steak is a personal preference, and with no notes on timings for specific doneness, I left the steaks in the full preset time and was left with two leather-like chunks of meat. They were like chewing on old shoes. One side of each was nicely seared, and the other wasn't, and they were drier than the Sahara. This is something you could probably experiment with to get the right level of doneness, but my advice is this: just don't cook steak in an air fryer.
I also had disappointing results with mixed veg. Again, the food table wasn't clear on what type of mixed veg it recommends or whether to add oil, but it does state timings may vary due to preference and to cut the veg roughly. I added the recommended weight in broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower to each basket and selected the Mixed Vegetable preset – making use of the Copy function to match the settings for both baskets. When I shook the veg halfway through the 20-minute cooking time, I saw my cauliflower and broccoli had browned on top, but, on tasting, my carrots weren't cooked properly.
(Image credit: Vic Hood)
This could, like the steak, likely be rectified with some experimentation, but without clear instructions on what individual vegetable cooking times are recommended or what to include in your mixed vegetables, it's difficult to know off the bat what the best approach is.
Overall, this Philips air fryer is a solid appliance, and it provides great results more often than poor ones. If you've never owned an air fryer before or don't have the patience to get the most out of some of its peskier presets, you may struggle with it. But if you're a seasoned air fryer user or don't mind a few failed attempts before getting optimal results, it's worth the time, money, and potential effort.
Performance score: 4/5
Should you buy the Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer
Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer: score card
Attribute
Notes
Score
Value
Great value for a solid air fryer, but don't expect the consistency and high quality of more premium appliances.
4.5/5
Design
A sleek and fairly compact air fryer given its spacious capacity. The XXL basket can be divided into two separate programmable baskets, which are easy (but cumbersome) to hand wash. But Philips has dropped the ball with its user manual and instructions, so you'll need to use the Home ID app for thorough instructions.
4/5
Performance
What this air fryer does well, it does brilliantly. It has produced some of the best air-fried food I've had in all my testing. However, the user manual food tables could have more detail on optimal preparation and the settings to use for more common foods, as the results with some of the presets were thoroughly disappointing.
4/5
Buy it if
You want a spacious air fryer that isn't massive
This air fryer offers good capacity but isn't huge and bulky. It will still take up some counter space, but it's relatively small given its size.
You want an air fryer for under £150
This air fryer may have some pesky issues, but it's great value at £133.99 and offers a much higher quality than others we've seen in this price range.
You want an air fryer for simple, day-to-day meals
While mixed veg was a mixed bag, I found it easy to cook common air fryer foods in this appliance, like chicken, chips, and muffins. If you want a convenient air fryer that will cover the basics well (with some adjustment), this is a good option.
Don't buy it if
You have a small sink or dishwasher
While this air fryer's components can be cleaned easily thanks to their non-stick coat, the act of cleaning it can be a pain. The XXL basket is chunky and a struggle to clean, even in our fairly large Belfast sink. That's mainly because it's cumbersome and you need to clean the whole basket even if you just use one side of it. It's dishwasher safe if you have the room, but I advise against it to ensure the longevity of your components.
You want clear, physical instructions
The physical user manual provided with this air fryer is pretty useless and doesn't cover what its functions and features are or how to work them. You can access a digital user manual via the Home ID app, but if you haven't got a smartphone or struggle reading smaller digital print, this may not be the air fryer for you.
You want a heap of extra features
This air fryer doesn't come with a bunch of extra features, functions, or smart control – it sticks to the basics. So, if you do want extra functions like steaming, dehydrating, or grilling, this isn't the appliance for you.
Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer: also consider
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.
If you live outside the UK where the Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer 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).
How I tested the Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer
I used the Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer for a week, cooking a wide variety of foods including fries, chicken drumsticks, steak, fresh vegetables, 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.
‘Flagship killer’ would perhaps be too strident a term to apply to the Honor 400 Pro. Rather, it seeks to subtly undermine the premium crowd with competitive specifications and a slightly lower asking price.
This is a well-built phone made of flagship-grade materials, with the kind of IP68/IP69 dust and water resistance rating that puts many a full-priced handset to shame. Its 6.67-inch OLED display, too, is about as bright, sharp, and accurate as you could reasonably expect.
While you won’t be getting the absolute best performance the smartphone market has to offer, you simply won’t notice that Honor has opted for last year’s top processor unless you take a glance at the spec sheet. The 400 Pro performs very smoothly indeed.
The headline feature here is an all-new 200MP main camera, which captures good photos in a range of lighting conditions. You also get a decent dedicated 3x telephoto camera, which can be further boosted through the use of AI.
(Image credit: Future)
Another impressive AI camera trick is Image to video, though its ability to turn stills into brief videos is a party trick that probably won’t see much practical use beyond showcasing the latest artificial intelligence gimmick.
No matter – the Honor 400 Pro is a thoughtfully balanced phone built on solid specifications, which includes a larger-than-average 5,300mAh battery and speedy 100W wired charging support. You also get 50W wireless charging, though both speeds are reliant on you having the necessary charger to hand.
Honor’s Magic OS 9.0 continues the brand's slightly tiresome obsession with iOS, and it remains a somewhat busy UI. However, it’s also fast and flexible, and Honor’s new six-year update promise is one of the best in the business.
All in all, the Honor 400 Pro is part of a compelling group of in-betweener smartphones, offering less compromise than even the best mid-range smartphones while still costing much less money than your average flagship.
It’s not unique, nor is it without its flaws, but it’s a very accomplished option for those willing to leave the usual suspects behind in pursuit of a bargain.
Honor 400 Pro review: price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
Costs £699.99 in the UK
Released May 2025
No availability in the US or Australia
The Honor 400 Pro was launched globally, alongside its brother, the Honor 400, on May 22, 2025. It won’t be receiving a launch in the US, as is customary from the brand, and there are no plans for Australia at the time of writing.
Pricing for the sole Honor 400 Pro model stands at £699.99 (around $930 / AU$1,450), which isn’t a figure we see all that often. This pitches it well above the Google Pixel 9a and the Samsung Galaxy A56 (both £499), and just short of the Google Pixel 9 and Samsung Galaxy S25 (both £799).
This isn’t quite a full-on flagship phone, then, but it’s also far too expensive to be classed as a mid-ranger. It’s one of those ‘affordable flagship’ phones like the OnePlus 13R, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, or the Nubia Z70 Ultra.
Incidentally, an even cheaper version of the Honor 400, the Honor 400 Lite, launched on April 22 at a cost of £249.99.
Value score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 Pro review: specs
Honor 400 Pro specs
Dimensions:
160.8mm x 76.1mm x 8.1mm
Weight:
205g
Display:
6.7-inch 1.5K (2800 x 1280) up to 120Hz AMOLED
Chipset:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
RAM:
12GB
Storage:
512GB
OS:
Android 15 with MagicOS 9.0
Primary camera:
200MP (f/1.9)
Ultra-wide camera:
12MP (f/2.2)
Telephoto camera:
50MP with 3x zoom (f/2.4)
Front camera:
16MP
Battery:
5,300mAh
Charging:
100W wired, 50W wireless
Colors:
Lunar Grey, Midnight Black
Honor 400 Pro review: design
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Silky matte glass back
Unusual curved-trapeze camera module
IP68 & IP69 dust and water resistance
With the Honor 400 Pro, Honor has dropped the distinctive Casa Milá-inspired camera module of the Honor 200 Pro in favor of a kind of rounded trapezium shape (a trapercle?). It’s a little wonky-looking, though I quite like the unorthodox camera configuration.
Otherwise, Honor has retained the basic look of its affordable flagship range – unlike the regular Honor 400, which has contracted a serious case of the iPhones.
This means that the Honor 400 Pro retains its gently rounded look, with 2.5D glass to the front and back – the latter in a pleasingly silky-to-the-touch finish. The aluminum frame, too, curves around gently, resulting in a phone that sits comfortably in the hand.
These curves also serve to disguise the fact that the Honor 400 is a fairly big phone, with a thickness of 8.1mm (the Honor 400 is 7.3mm) and a relatively heavy weight of 205g (vs 184g).
This time around, Honor has fitted its almost-flagship with both IP68 and IP69 certification. That’s quite an advance on the Honor 200 Pro, which only managed an IP65 rating.
The Honor 400 Pro is available in just two colors: Lunar Grey and Midnight Black. Not the most inspiring selection, it has to be said, but they do look nice and professional, which is kind of the name of the game here.
Design score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 Pro review: display
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6.7-inch quad-curved 120Hz OLED display
3,840Hz PWM dimming
5,000 nits peak brightness
Honor has really knocked it out of the park with the displays in the Honor 400 range this year. In the Honor 400, you’re getting a 6.7-inch OLED with a just-so 2800 x 1280 resolution and a 120Hz peak refresh rate.
That’s fractionally smaller than last year’s 6.78-inch screen, but I defy anyone to portray this as meaningful. Not when the peak brightness has been boosted from an already-excellent 4,000 nits in the Honor 200 Pro to 5,000 nits here.
This top-end figure applies to limited HDR scenarios, of course. With autobrightness switched off, I recorded a maximum brightness of around 600 nits. That’s decent enough, though it’s about half what the Pixel 9 can manage.
Color accuracy is superb, at least when you drop the slightly over-the-top Vivid color mode and select Normal instead.
The Honor 400 Pro display also supports an elevated PWM dimming rate of 3840Hz, just like the Honor 200 Pro before it. This helps reduce eye strain by lowering flicker at lower brightness levels. That's something Samsung and Google continue to overlook.
The main differences between this screen and the Honor 400’s relate to small aesthetic choices. The Pro Display curves away at the edges, though this didn’t interfere with content in any way, nor did it lead to any unintended presses.
Slightly more bothersome is the longer display notch, which crams in depth-sensing capabilities at the expense of a little real estate. If you like to take your video content full screen, you’re more likely to be bothered by this, but it didn’t trouble me too much.
Display score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 Pro review: cameras
(Image credit: Future)
200MP main (f/1.9)
50MP 3x telephoto (f/2.4)
12MP ultra-wide macro (f/2.2)
Honor has really ramped up its camera offering with the Honor 400 series this year. The headline event for the Honor 400 Pro is a new 200MP AI Main Camera, which packs a large 1/1.4-inch sensor, an f/1.9 aperture, and OIS.
We’ll get into the ‘AI’ part of that main camera soon enough, but at a basic level this camera takes sharp, contrasty shots in most situations. You can choose from three basic looks depending on whether you want your shots to look natural, punched up for social media, or to take on a certain artful film camera aesthetic.
Shots from this main sensor are slightly less impressive here on a £700 phone than they are on the £400 Honor 400, which shares the same component. There’s simply a lot more competition at this level. With that said, they’re still more than serviceable.
Unlike the Honor 400, this main sensor isn’t pulling double duty to provide all of your zoomed shots. There's major assistance on that front from a dedicated 50MP telephoto camera, utilizing a Sony IMX856 sensor and aided by OIS, which grabs nice, sharp shots at its natural 3x zoom length and usable shots at 6x or even 10x.
Beyond that, you’ll find too much noise for this to be a viable option, though Honor’s AI image enhancement technology is one of the most impressive around. Stray beyond 30x, and the phone should offer you the chance to activate AI assistance. Head back into the picture after shooting and, after a minute or so of processing time, you’ll be given a much clearer shot.
The results here can vary wildly in effectiveness, and it certainly does no favors to the human face, while it can really miss the target with some fine details, particularly at the 50x maximum range. However, there’s no denying that this can turn out much improved hybrid zoom shots given the right subject and shooting conditions.
What I will say is that this 3x telephoto camera does change the tone of the shots from the main sensor. Moving from 2x (which crops in on the main sensor) to 3x sees a slightly jarring shift from a more natural look to a more vivid, dare I say exaggerated one. It's not ruinous, but you don't get the seamless transition of the truly top-level flagship phone cameras here.
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The 12MP ultra-wide is the weakest camera of the three, bringing with it a marked drop-off in detail and contrast. Still, it remains a viable camera.
Going back to the matter of AI, perhaps the most attention-grabbing – if not exactly useful – feature of the Honor 400 Pro’s camera is Image to video. The Honor 400 series is the first to utilize this Google AI-driven feature, which essentially turns any normal still photo (it doesn’t even need to have been taken on the phone) into a five-second mini-video.
As with so many AI-driven features these days, the results aren’t universally brilliant, but some prove to be alarmingly convincing.
Using one shot that was sent to me of a chicken and a cat facing off under a table, this AI tool caused the chicken to strut forward while the cat casually twitched its ears. Another chicken scuttled in from off camera, while a second cat was revealed to be lying down behind that original chicken. Neither of those last two creatures even existed in the original shot.
It’s undeniably impressive, and even a little scary. But I have to ask myself when I’d use this feature beyond showing off the power of AI to my friends and family. So far, I’ve got nothing.
The 50MP front camera takes decent selfie shots, aided by an additional depth sensor for better portraits with nicely blurred, clearly delineated backgrounds.
Video capture extends to 4K and 60fps, which is another way in which the Pro stands out from the Honor 400 (which only hits 4K/30fps).
Camera score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 Pro review: camera samples
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Honor 400 Pro review: performance
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Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset
12GB RAM and 512GB storage
Performance has ostensibly taken an incremental bump over last year’s Honor 200 Pro. Out goes the stripped-back Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, in comes Qualcomm’s full-fat Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
However, that Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip turned out to be much less capable than its name initially suggested, dropping behind Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in graphical terms.
What we have here, then, is a phone that performs as well as the 2024 flagship crowd. That works out to be a pretty good level for a £700 phone, and indeed, this is the same component that runs the excellent OnePlus 13R. It also means that the Honor 400 Pro comfortably outperforms the entire Pixel 9 range.
Benchmark results are precisely what we’ve come to expect from this well-established chip, as is gaming performance. Genshin Impact will run fluidly on high settings, while demanding console racer GRID Legends speeds by at an appreciable lick.
The existence of the Nubia Z70 Ultra and the Poco F7 Ultra means that the Honor 400 Pro isn’t top of its weight class. Both of those rivals run on the superior Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and only charge £649 for the privilege. However, Honor's phone remains a very capable runner, backed by 12GB of RAM and a generous 512GB of internal storage.
Performance score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 Pro review: software
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Magic OS 9.0, based on Android 15
Six years of OS updates and security patches
The Honor 400 Pro runs Magic OS 9.0, which is the company’s bespoke Android 15 skin. It’s the same basic software provision as that of the Honor Magic 7 Pro.
I think I can speak for the extended TechRadar family when I say that Honor’s UI isn’t our favorite. Bloatware continues to blight it, with unwanted preinstallations of Booking.com, Temu, ReelShort, and much more besides. Honor itself gives you duplicate App Store and email apps, and a stack of its own tool apps.
While this is a take on Google’s Android, Honor seems to be far more inclined towards Apple’s iOS. Everything from the split notification pane to the Settings menu and the lack of a dedicated app tray (by default) speaks to a fondness for Apple’s mobile operating system. Even the icons and the Settings menu are designed in a way that will be familiar to anyone who’s used an iPhone recently.
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You even get a version of Apple’s Dynamic Island, here called Magic Capsule, which offers little widget-like bubbles of information around the extended selfie notch. With that said, it’s an undeniably useful way of surfacing media controls, timers, and the like, and Honor is far from the only Android manufacturer to follow Apple’s lead in this way.
Indeed, Magic OS, for all its clutter and bloat, remains a very functional and extremely snappy UI. Magic Portal is a power user’s dream, providing an easy way to drag text and images between apps. The knuckle gesture shortcut for circling text in this way isn’t 100% reliable, but you can get used to it.
Topping off Honor's somewhat mixed software provision is a commendably strong commitment to six years of OS updates and security patches. Only Google and Samsung do this better with their respective seven-year promises.
What's more, Honor has committed to providing an Android 16 update before the end of 2025, which isn't something you see too often.
Software score: 3.5 / 5
Honor 400 Pro review: battery life
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5,300mAh silicon-carbon battery
100W wired charging
50W wireless charging
Honor seems intent on pushing battery and charging technology in its phones. The Honor 400 Pro gets a meaty 5,300mAh battery, which falls comfortably north of the 5,000mAh average – if not quite as far north as the OnePlus 13R and the Nubia Z70 Ultra, both of which hit the giddy heights of 6,000mAh.
It’s sufficient to get the Honor through a full day of heavy use with remaining charge to spare. Indeed, a moderate day with around four hours of screen-on time left me with more than 60% left in the tank. Average use in a fairly consistent network environment will get you two days on a single charge, no problem.
Talking of charging, Honor goes harder than it probably needs to here. There’s 100W wired charging support that’s seemingly able to get you from empty to 51% in just 15 minutes.
I say ‘seemingly’ because Honor, like most modern manufacturers, no longer bundles in a charger. Without one of Honor’s SuperCharge chargers to hand, I was unable to put those claims to the test.
Ditto for the claim of 50W wireless charging support. It’s good to see, but you’ll need one of the brand’s own SuperCharge wireless chargers to hit that maximum speed.
Battery score: 4 / 5
Should I buy the Honor 400 Pro?
Honor 400 Lite score card
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Design
The Honor 400 Pro isn’t the prettiest phone on the market, but it’s more distinctive than the rest of the range and it’s very well built.
4 / 5
Display
Honor’s display is sharp, bright, and color-accurate, with an appreciable focus on eye health.
4.5 / 5
Performance
It’s not quite a top performer, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 continues to do a good job.
4 / 5
Camera
The 200MP main camera takes good shots in all conditions, while the dedicated 3x telephoto is a competent performer. Honor’s AI features are a little hit and miss, but can be very impressive.
4 / 5
Battery
With a large(ish) 5,300mAh battery supplying two days of use, and rapid 100W wired/50 wireless charging support, the Honor 400 is very well equipped.
4 / 5
Software
Honor’s Magic OS remains cluttered and a little too beholden to iOS, but it’s fast and functional, and Honor’s new six-year update promise is very competitive.
3.5 / 5
Value
You're getting a solid phone with some unique features at a low price.
4 / 5
Buy it if...
You want a more affordable flagship The Honor 400 Pro offers a strong approximation of what the Honor Magic 7 Pro can do, but for hundreds of pounds less.
You’re all onboard with AI working to enhance your photos With the ability to enhance your extreme zoomed shots and even generate brief videos from stills, the Honor 400 Pro’s camera goes further than most with AI.
You like Apple’s way of doing things Honor clearly likes Apple’s style even more than Google’s, with Magic OS 9.0 emulating iOS in a number of ways.
Don't buy it if...
You like Android to be Android With Honor’s iOS obsession, and its insistence on filling its phones out with bloatware, the Honor 400 Pro strays far from stock Android.
You demand the best performance possible for you money The Honor 400 Pro is a fast phone, but you can get faster for the money in the Poco F7 Ultra and the Nubia Z70 Ultra.
Honor 400 Pro review: also consider
The Honor 400 Pro isn't the only affordable flagship phone on the market. Here are some of the better alternatives to consider.
OnePlus 13R The OnePlus 13R is another almost-flagship running on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 power, but it packs a larger battery and cleaner software.
Nubia Z70 Ultra Nubia’s phone is even cheaper than the Honor 400 Pro, but it features superior performance and an even larger battery. It also features a deep 3.3x telephoto camera and a main camera with a novel variable aperture. We haven't tested it for ourselves yet, mind.
Poco F7 Ultra The Poco F7 Ultra outguns the Honor with its Snapdragon 8 Elite chip for £649, though it’s not as refined or well-rounded.
Not all robot vacuums live up to the promise of effortless cleaning – but the Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni gets pretty close.
As a premium all-in-one device that vacuums, mops and even cleans itself, the X5 Pro Omni is designed to keep your home clean day to day without any help. Unlike standalone robot vacuums that need more frequent attention, the X5 Pro Omni's base station handles (almost) everything – from emptying the dustbin to scrubbing and drying the mop pads. You will have to, of course, refill the clean water as necessary and clean out the dirty-water tank.
For this review, I tested the X5 Pro Omni in a 3-bedroom home for an extended period of six months, and it did a great job overall, despite dealing with two messy adults and an even messier Great Dane.
Setting up the X5 Pro Omni is quick and easy, and mapping is fast and pretty accurate, though I had to make minor room division adjustments after the first scan. The robovac navigates well around larger objects, but does sometimes suck up objects like cables or shoelaces, or other small items the sensors miss, meaning it’s best used in spaces that are relatively clear.
Performance is excellent across all floor types, including hard floors, carpets, and rugs. Higher suction modes work best to get dirt out of carpets or pick up heavier debris, while standard mode is fine for everyday cleaning on hard floors. Battery life is impressive and the bot has no trouble doing a full clean without needing to return to the dock and charge.
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The X5 Pro Omni base station is one of its biggest strengths, and unlike competitors like the Dreame X40 Ultra, it reliably clears the robot’s dustbin completely, even with pet hair and heavier debris.
The mop washing system is equally effective, using 70°C hot water and scrubbing to keep the pads fresh, followed by hot-air drying to prevent odors. I also found that the 4L clean- and dirty-water tanks were large enough to only need emptying and refilling once a month.
The Ecovacs app offers fairly deep customization, and tracks details like where the robot has traveled, the amount of area cleaned and the total number of sessions, but doesn’t log obstacles detected like the Roborock app is capable of doing.
Unfortunately the app can be clunky to use at times, like having to navigate into advanced robot settings just to set a scheduled clean or different cleaning modes being triggered than what is selected.
The app prompts you to handle any long-term maintenance issues, replacement parts are easy to find, and consumables last more than a reasonable length of time. In my use, the dust bag typically lasted around 60 days (in my case, mostly being filled with dog fur) and the robovac filter needed cleaning at the same time.
The main brush, side brush and mop pads show the expected wear, and have plenty of life left in them after six months of constant use. Replacement-part costs are in line with other premium robot vacuums, but I found significant price variation across different markets.
While not perfect, the X5 Pro Omni is an excellent choice for those who want a robovac that takes care of itself, with great vacuuming and mopping performance, infrequent maintenance, and a powerful auto-emptying base station.
However, if your home has lots of cables or small clutter, or if you want a robovac with smarter object detection or a nicer app, you might need to look elsewhere.
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Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni review: Price and availability
How much does it cost? Starting from $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$2,399
When is it available? Available to buy now
Where can you get it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia
Launched in late 2024, the Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni is available in most major markets, including the US, UK, and Australia. You can purchase it directly from the official Ecovacs website, Amazon and leading retailers.
At full price, the X5 Pro Omni costs $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$2,399. However, Ecovacs frequently offers discounts of around 20%, bringing the price down to a much more appealing amount. And, if you happen to shop on Amazon, you could potentially find even bigger price drops during major sales.
Of course, actually using the X5 Pro Omni will incur ongoing costs, particularly for consumables like dust bags, filters, mop pads and brushes. Based on replacing consumables as per the recommendations from Ecovacs, I estimate my annual maintenance costs at around $466 / £424 / AU$606.
Some parts, like the Anti-Tangle Main Brush, are significantly more expensive in the UK and Australia than in the US. Third-party alternatives are available but, as expected, Ecovacs recommends using official parts for optimal performance. That said, the most common cost will the dust bag.
Want to know more about consumable pricing, and how parts like the brushes hold up long term? Read through the rest of the review below, or jump to Consumables and Maintenance.
The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni consumables kit (available to purchase separately) helps reduce running costs (Image credit: Future)
Premium robovacs from competing brands tend to be priced a bit higher than the X5 Pro Omni. For example, the Dreame X40 Ultra, which features detachable mop pads and 12,000Pa suction, is listed at $1,899 / £1,299 / AU$2,799. The less fully featured Dreame L40 Ultra costs $1,499.99 / £999 but isn’t available in Australia.
Similarly, the Eufy Omni S1 Pro, which has a slimmer design but a lower 8,000Pa suction, is priced at $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,699, while the Roborock Qrevo Edge comes in at $1,600 / AU$2,799 (currently unavailable in the UK).
Ecovacs also has the more affordable but still premium Deebot T30 Omni, which launched at £799 / AU$1,749 (but isn’t available in the US) and is often discounted to £699 / AU$1,199.
There are cheaper robot vacuums available, but the X5 Pro Omni balances premium features, powerful suction and fairly advanced automation at a price that makes it an appealing robot vacuum, especially when on sale.
Value score: 4 / 5
Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni: Specifications
Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni review: Design and features
Squared-off front, no LiDAR turret
Base station with auto-empty, mop washing and hot-air drying
Side-extendable mop pad
Where most robot vacuums are round, the Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni features a squared-off front (D-shaped) that's a little reminiscent of the Deebot X2 Omni. Ecovacs says this design helps the bot get the side brush into corners and improve edge cleaning. The shape also means it doesn’t use an extendable side brush.
Unlike many competing models, it doesn’t have a top-mounted LiDAR turret, making it shorter and better suited to cleaning under furniture.
The bot has a floating main brush that adjusts to different floor types, and a spinning side brush helps with cleaning along edges. It also features a 15mm (0.6in) mop lift, allowing it to vacuum carpets without transferring any dampness from the mop pads, and the right mop pad extends by 4cm (1.6 inch), improving coverage along walls and corners.
For navigation, the X5 Pro Omni uses dToF (Direct Time-of-Flight) laser mapping, combined with AIVI 3D 2.0 object recognition, an RGB camera, TrueDetect 3D sensors and anti-drop sensors. In other words, it uses fancy robot vision for navigation and obstacle avoidance, and has extra cliff sensors to avoid accidentally driving down the stairs. It can also use some of these sensors to spot stains that need another mopping pass to be fully cleaned up.
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The bot includes Ecovacs' Yiko 2.0 AI voice assistant, which lets you control a range of functionality, like adjusting cleaning tasks without pulling out the app.
The X5 Pro Omni can climb obstacles up to 22mm (0.87 inch), which means it can handle some thresholds and small lips in areas with slightly different floor heights. It also offers ZeroTangle tech, where the main roller brush features comb teeth for hair removal to avoid tangles.
The physical size and weight of the X5 Pro Omni are fairly typical, and the robot itself measures 31.3 x 34.6 x 9.5cm (12.3 x 13.6 x 3.7 inch) and weighs 4.3kg (9.5lbs), while the base station (or dock) is 39.4 x 44.3 x 52.75cm (15.5 x 17.4 x 20.8 inch), with a total weight of 11kg (24.3lbs). The dock needs 50cm (19.7 inches) of clearance on both sides and 150cm (59 inches) in front for proper operation.
The dock handles dustbin emptying, mop washing with hot water, and drying with hot air. It stores dust in a 3L (101oz) bag, which is accessed through a front-opening panel for easy replacement. The clean- and dirty-water tanks each hold 4L (135oz) and are located under a top lid, making them simple to refill and empty. The mop washing tray is removable and any buildup is easily cleaned, although the Roborock Qrevo Edge one-ups the X5 Pro Omni by also featuring a self-cleaning cycle for the tray as well.
Design and features score: 4 / 5
Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni review: Performance
Handles all floor types well
Struggles to get deep into corners
Mop pads lift high enough for carpets but not thick rugs
Overall, the Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni kept my floors clean just as well as I can with a stick vacuum and mop, and rarely required any help or intervention beyond normal maintenance. Once I had cleaning schedules set up, it handled most vacuuming and mopping automatically, and I only needed to step in for occasional spot cleaning or to pick up debris that was too large or in a corner it could not reach.
The bot works at a similar pace to other robot vacuums, taking around 1.5 minutes per square meter to vacuum and 2 minutes per square meter to mop, but since it can do both tasks at the same time, a full clean doesn’t take as long as it might seem.
According to Ecovacs, the 6,400 mAh battery provides up to 224 minutes of runtime, which is enough to clean up to 400m² (4,305ft²) per charge in optimal conditions. Ecovacs doesn’t break down battery life by suction level, but runtime will vary depending on settings and home layout.
Overall performance score: 4 / 5
Mapping and obstacle avoidance
The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni created a detailed and mostly accurate map on its first run. It didn’t require any manual adjustments to the map itself, but I did need to tweak the room divisions in the app. Mapping is fast and easy to run a second time, which I had to do after the robot got lost and mistakenly added extra rooms that didn’t exist.
Obstacle avoidance is decent but not flawless. The X5 Pro Omni generally avoids larger objects, but isn’t great at recognizing cables, shoelaces or small items like pieces of paper towel. It will avoid some small obstacles, but anything lying flat on the floor is at risk of being sucked up or dragged along. It also tends to catch and tangle cables, so keeping the floor clear makes a big difference in how well it completes a cleaning run.
While it doesn’t have dedicated pet recognition, it does a good job of avoiding spills and larger debris. The app lets you set up no-go zones, though these aren’t pet-specific. Unlike the competition like the Dreame X40 Ultra, the X5 Pro Omni does not capture images of obstacles, so there’s no way to review what it avoided after a clean.
The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni uses a wide range of sensors for mapping and navigation. Note how they get dusty over time – following the sensor cleaning reminders from the app is important. (Image credit: Future)
During testing, it rarely got stuck as long as the floor was relatively clear. When it did, it was usually due to cables, a thick rug or getting wedged behind a laundry basket or on a dog toy. It detects when it’s stuck and stops safely, rather than pushing forward and causing damage. If that happens, it has to be manually picked up and placed back on the dock, as pressing the power button doesn’t wake it. If told to return home via the app, it sometimes gets lost along the way and needs to be rescued by hand. On the plus side, these issues came up relatively rarely during use.
To test its ability to handle small steps, I made a simulated step between rooms using a section of plywood at the maximum 22mm height, and while it sometimes took two or three attempts, the bot made it across every clean.
The app includes a remote control mode that streams video from the onboard camera, and allows manual steering of the bot, which I found useful to check on my dog when not home. The video feature didn’t work the first time I tried, but functioned fine every other time I used it. Steering the bot feels slightly laggy but still usable, making it more suited for basic navigation adjustments rather than precision movement. The built-in two-way communication feature works for real-time voice interaction, though there’s no dedicated pet-tracking mode.
Despite the quirks covered above, overall the X5 Pro Omni handles navigation fairly well and happily adapts to changing environments. It moves effectively around furniture, shoes and baskets that shift between cleaning sessions, making it a solid choice for homes where the position of larger items may change frequently.
Mapping and obstacle avoidance score: 3.5 / 5
Vacuuming
I tested the Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni on wooden floors, tiles and rugs to see how well it handled different surfaces. Along with daily cleaning, I ran a series of controlled tests using flour, sand, rice, oats, dry dog food and dry leaves, scattering them in a corner on hard floors and then on a short-pile rug.
Performance across different surfaces was excellent overall. For most debris, the X5 Pro Omni was able to pick up nearly everything in a single pass, but two passes were best for thorough cleaning. Larger or heavier debris required additional cleaning cycles, and the side brush sometimes flicked smaller particles away before the main brush could capture them. The one downside was the robot vacuum consistently failed to get all the way into corners, or fully clean along edges.
The vacuum’s suction power can be set to Max, Strong, Standard or Quiet modes. Standard mode worked well for daily cleaning of pet fur, dust and light debris, but heavier dirt and sand needed Max suction to be fully removed. Carpets and rugs benefited from higher suction levels as Standard mode sometimes left behind some debris.
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Vacuuming test with oats (Image credit: Future)
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Some oats left after a single pass (Image credit: Future)
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The robovac dustbin needs manual cleaning once a month or so (Image credit: Future)
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The robovac dustbin filter can be replaced or cleaned when clogged (Image credit: Future)
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The filter responds well to vacuuming with a stick vac (Image credit: Future)
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After an extended test with no cleaning, hair builds up on the side brush, but it does not reduce performance (Image credit: Future)
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Hair builds up on the main brush over time, but vacuuming performnce remains decent (Image credit: Future)
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Removing the trapped hair is very easy and takes less than one minute (Image credit: Future)
My home has two people who shed a lot of long hair and, in my testing, hair buildup was manageable, but it still accumulated in the side brush and main brush over time, despite the anti-tangle feature. Both the side and main brush collected a noticeable amount of hair after just a week of use, but it doesn’t end up embedded and removal is easy. The wheels and mop pads remained tangle-free, making overall upkeep straightforward, and even leaving it a month between cleaning caused no problems.
I measured the noise levels of the X5 Pro Omni with a decibel meter at a range of 1m, with multiple passes and the results averaged. Using Quiet mode, it produces 41dB, which is low enough to be unobtrusive, and the wheel-drive system is actually slightly louder than the vacuum motor.
Standard mode is only slightly louder at 42dB, making it suitable for cleaning while watching TV or having a conversation. Strong mode increases the noise level to 44dB, which is still reasonable but more intrusive. At Max suction, it reaches 52dB, which is significantly louder and comparable to a stick vacuum at moderate power.
While vacuuming, noise levels remain fairly steady, but auto-emptying at the base station is much louder, peaking at 63dB. Mopping is quieter at 40dB, and general driving noise sits at 41dB, meaning the robot isn’t exactly stealthy when moving between cleaning zones. Mop washing reaches 37dB, so while not silent, it’s quiet enough not to be disruptive.
If wanting to run the vacuum at night while sleeping, Quiet mode is an option, provided you have a closed door between you and the robovac and aren’t a light sleeper. The dock should be placed away from sleeping areas, as the auto-emptying noise is quite loud and could be disruptive if triggered at night. To avoid this you can set Do Not Disturb times, where the dock will not activate the auto-empty functionality, but this does limit vacuuming performance for larger homes as the small onboard dustbin in the bot fills up.
Vacuuming score: 4 / 5
Mopping
For mopping, the X5 Pro Omni uses water with the Ecovacs cleaning solution optionally added to the clean-water tank. I tested with plain water and adding a cleaning solution, but didn’t find the latter made a noticeable difference unless having the bot do a deeper scrub.
During my testing, I scheduled mopping once a week but found that adding extra runs during wet weather helped keep the front and back door areas free of muddy footprints.
The X5 Pro Omni does a good job on open spaces, but it doesn’t reach under furniture edges as well as a handheld mop. The right-side mop pad does extend slightly, helping it clean closer to edges, but some tight spots remain out of reach.
For tougher messes, I tested the X5 Pro Omni by spilling sauce, 'stepping' in it and letting it dry a little on my wooden floors. In most cases, one pass was enough to fully clean up the mess, but two passes were needed for the dried stains. Turning up the water-flow setting was helpful in making sure the mop pads were wet enough to tackle stubborn spots. The automatic re-mop feature worked reasonably well on tiles, but the bot struggled to tell the difference between a speck of dried sauce and darker patches of wood.
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A slightly dried sauce stain (Image credit: Future)
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The robovac moves in... (Image credit: Future)
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Mop pads deploy... (Image credit: Future)
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It swings back for a second pass (Image credit: Future)
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The sauce is entirely cleaned up (Image credit: Future)
The mop pads are washed and dried by the base station after each cleaning run, with drying time adjustable between 2, 3 or 4 hours. You can also set it to wash the mops after each room, or at 10, 15 or 20-minute intervals. The base station washes the mop pads with hot water, scrubbing them against a textured cleaning tray to remove dirt and debris. While I found that this process was very effective, the mop pads still benefit from being machine-washed periodically to give a deeper refresh. It’s also recommended to inspect the pads regularly for wear and replace them as needed.
The X5 Pro Omni isn’t designed to handle large liquid spills, as its mop pads are meant for scrubbing rather than sponging up a lot of moisture. I found that if the robot is picked up after or during mopping (for example, to extract a cable or shoelace), it may dribble water, so don’t do that over anything you need to keep dry.
One somewhat frustrating quirk is that vacuum-and-mop mode is the default setting, and it can’t be changed to vacuum-only by default. Worse, if a mop and vacuum cycle is accidentally triggered, even if canceled immediately, the robovac will still run a mop wash cycle that can’t be stopped.
Battery capacity alone isn’t the only metric though. For example, in my testing the X5 Pro Omni can do a full double-pass vacuum of a three-bedroom house (around 50 square meters of actual floor cleaning) and only drop to 73% battery capacity.
Doing a full vacuum and mop at the same time drops it to 65%, and doing a vacuum then mop takes it to 60%. This means you can expect up to around 140 square meters of vacuuming at maximum suction, and over 100 square meters of vacuuming and mopping. With the suction power set to Standard, the total amount of floor area that can be vacuumed almost doubles.
My results here also support the claim from Ecovacs that the X5 Pro Omni can handle up to 244 minutes of cleaning on a charge.
As a comparison, the Roborock Saros 10 needs to stop and charge after three rooms when set to the maximum suction. Part of the difference is that the Saros 10 has a higher maximum suction power of 22,000Pa, vs 12,800Pa for the X5 Pro Omni, and higher suction does mean higher battery consumption.
One annoyance is that the X5 Pro Omni does not give the exact battery percentage when cleaning, as the Ecovacs app just displays 100 in the battery indicator. It’s not until the vacuum returns to the dock and you start another clean immediately that it updates the remaining capacity. Other times, the indicator works as expected.
The X5 Pro Omni will return to the dock to top up the battery as needed when cleaning. While a full charge can take over 4 hours, getting back to 50% only takes about 30 minutes.
Battery life score: 4.5 / 5
Dock performance
The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni comes with a 3L (101 oz) dust bag, rated for up to 60 days of use. How long it actually lasts depends on your home’s size and how much debris is collected, but in my case, the manufacturer’s estimate was fairly accurate. The robovac’s 250ml (8.45 oz) dustbin is emptied automatically when full, or you can set it to Extra mode for more frequent emptying – useful for homes with pets or a lot of dust buildup.
Unlike the underwhelming auto-empty suction from the Dreame X40 Ultra's dock, the X5 Pro Omni’s base station has a well-thought out airflow design and reliably empties the dustbin. During testing, I didn’t experience any clogging issues within the dock itself, but blockages inside the robot's dustbin occasionally prevented proper emptying which, in turn, affect vacuuming up more dirt until manually cleared.
The robovac is supposed to detect when the dock fails to empty the bin, but I found these warnings to be inconsistent. There were times when the bin was clogged but the app never alerted me, so I had to manually check the dustbin after cleaning to ensure everything was working properly.
Increasing the emptying frequency can help avoid any potential issues, but in my use, clogging wasn’t a frequent issue unless I had accidentally left larger debris that the bit could suck up.
In testing, the mop washing and drying system worked well to keep the pads clean and stop any odors forming between uses. The dock heats water to 70°C (158°F) and pumps it through a wash system to rinse the mop pads, scrubbing them against a textured cleaning surface to remove dirt and grime. After washing, the dirty water is stored in a container in the top of the base station, and it dries the mop pads with hot air, with drying times adjustable to two, three or four hours. The scrubbing system is highly effective, and the mop pads always came out looking fresh after cleaning cycles and there was never an issue with smell.
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(Image credit: Future)
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The dust bag is easy to replace via the front of the base station (Image credit: Future)
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The clean and dirty water tanks live under the top lid (Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
Emptying the dirty mop water is as simple as opening the top of the dock, lifting the container out by the handle and emptying it in a sink. I only did this once a month and the dirty water did tend to smell when being tipped out, but the container was easy to rinse out and didn’t retain any odor. The clean-water container uses the same design and can be topped up at a sink, then put back into the dock.
The dock's noise levels vary depending on the task. Measured from 1 meter away (3.3 feet) mop washing is noticeable at 37dB but not disruptive, though the pumps are briefly quite noisy (46 dB) when running. The drying fan produces a low hum for a few hours but isn’t intrusive. Auto-emptying is the loudest part of the process at 63dB and although it only lasts 10 seconds, it’s still very disruptive if the station is located in a main living area or if done at night.
For households with pets or heavy dirt buildup, the dock performs well and reliably empties debris, though owners should occasionally check for clogs in the bot’s dustbin since warnings aren’t always accurate. Smaller objects left on the floor can cause issues, but aside from that, the X5 Pro Omni’s base station is a very reliable and hands-free system.
Dock performance score: 4.5 / 5
Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni review: App control
Reliable scheduled cleaning
Quick access to cleaning reports and history
Certain settings are hidden in sub-menus
The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni can be controlled using the physical buttons on top of the robot, but the app is critical for unlocking its full potential. It provides access to the home map, lets you adjust cleaning settings and offers deep customization of scheduled cleans.
The app includes a cleaning history and reporting section, which provides a visual map of where the bot traveled during each clean. It also records the time of each session, the area cleaned and the total duration. Over time, this builds into a comprehensive cleaning log, showing the total square footage cleaned across all sessions, the number of cleans completed and total runtime. However, one notable omission is that the app does not log obstacles detected during a cleaning session, which means there's no easy way to see what might have blocked the robot mid-clean.
Most frequently used settings are easy to access, but some features are buried in sub-menus. For example, scheduling cleans is hidden under Advanced settings, and certain options are locked while the robot is in operation – like when manually triggering a dustbin empty, other settings can’t be adjusted until the process is finished.
Scheduled cleaning is very reliable, and in my testing, the X5 Pro Omni only failed to start once without explanation. If a scheduled clean is missed, the robovac resumes correctly at the next scheduled time. However, one frustrating issue is that if you set a clean for later in the day, the app doesn’t indicate that it’s actually scheduling it for the next day – only showing this after the schedule has been set.
Perhaps my least favorite bug is when doing spot cleans. If I sent the bot to vacuum up a mess, then later wanted to do another one-off clean, the app would show the previous vacuum-only mode was still selected – but when hitting start, it would actually trigger a vacuum and mop, not vacuum-only. Even if you canceled it immediately, it would spend a few minutes running a mop wash cycle before you could get it to do the actual vacuum.
The app also sometimes didn't properly register where the bot was or what it was doing. This was frustrating, because if you tried to trigger a clean, it would say the bot needed to return to the dock first – even though it showed the bot already in the dock on the app. Force quitting and restarting the app would fix the issue, but it was an annoying extra step.
To rule out an issue with my phone (a Pixel 9 Pro XL), I also tried the app on other mobiles and saw similar problems. Apple users may have a different experience – my colleague didn’t run into the same issues when using the app on an iPhone during her Ecovacs T30 Omni review, for example.
The app looks good, but can be frustrating at times (Image credit: Future)
Another small but unnecessary annoyance is that even when Do Not Disturb times are set (muting the robovac), it mostly works, but still loudly makes some announcements. For example, if the bot gets stuck during the day, and you arrive home late and need to manually place it back in the base station during the Do Not Disturb time, it loudly proclaims “start charging”. Another issue is that after turning down the voice volume to a quiet level, the "task stopped" announcement is still made at the loudest setting.
During testing I found the Wi-Fi connectivity to be stable, but it’s worth noting the robovac only supports 2.4GHz networks. I had some quirks when using it with a mesh network, but the issues were hard to pin down to a specific cause. That said, setting up a dedicated 2.4GHz-only network for the robovac helped make it more reliable.
During testing, I went on holiday, leaving a family member to house and dog sit. The robovac initially worked fine, but eventually stopped performing scheduled cleans. Despite easy remote access via the app, I couldn’t identify the problem and had to manually trigger cleans each day remotely.
After returning, I discovered the Do Not Disturb times had mysteriously reversed from 8pm–8am to 8am–8pm, preventing morning cleans. The app does give error notifications (but does not save them to the log), but I was unaware due to a daylight-saving bug that meant the scheduled clean was being triggered an hour earlier than I expected.
In terms of usability, the app provides a similar level of control to other brands, though some robovacs with more features offer slightly more customization. However, occasional lag and loading issues make the experience feel less polished than it should be. The voice and volume inconsistencies are also quite jarring, and take a little of the premium shine off the experience.
I also wish it had an easy delayed start option – like a quick way to select a one-time clean at a set time later in the day – especially because setting same-day scheduled cleans is not possible.
Still, despite these frustrations, the app is mostly reliable and offers a good balance of customization and control, and hopefully Ecovacs will continue to work on improving the experience over time.
App control score: 2.5 / 5
Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni review: Consumables and maintenance
The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni comes with one dust bag, two side brushes, and a set of washable mop pads in the box – but no cleaning fluid is included. While this is enough to get started, you’ll need to order replacement dust bags within 60 days, and other consumables including filters, mop pads and side brushes will need replacing on a set schedule.
Under normal use, the dust bag should be replaced every 60 days, side brushes and filters every few months and mop pads periodically based on wear.
Consumables can be purchased through the Ecovacs website and third-party retailers like Amazon, though availability varies slightly between regions. For example, the quarterly maintenance kit is not available in the US, while six-pack dust bag sets are only sold in the US and not in the UK or Australia.
The app tracks the lifespan of consumables by usage percentages and notifies users when replacements are recommended. These estimates tend to be on the conservative side and, in my testing, parts like the main brush and mop pads lasted longer than suggested, though this will of course depend on your usage.
Routine maintenance is straightforward, with the main brush and robovac dustbin checked weekly, side brushes and sensors every two weeks, and filters and mop pads cleaned or replaced monthly. Hair buildup occurs over time, but manual removal is simple, and no issues were noted with hard-to-reach areas during testing.
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Despite the anti-tangle features, hair builds up on the main brush over time (Image credit: Future)
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The side brush collects hair, but is easily removed and cleaned (Image credit: Future)
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The front wheel is well designed and does not trap hair (Image credit: Future)
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The main drive wheels do a great job of avoiding any tangles (Image credit: Future)
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Removing hair from the main brush is easy – just cut along one side and it slides free (Image credit: Future)
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The mop wash station is self cleaning, but does build up debris over time (Image credit: Future)
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The mop wash parts can be removed for a deeper clean in the sink every few months (Image credit: Future)
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The dust bag seals when removed, which avoids any mess (Image credit: Future)
Based on my usage in a small 3-bedroom home, I estimate consumables will cost up to $465.79 / £423.85 / AU$606.30 per year. For larger homes, costs will scale accordingly. Some notable price differences exist between regions – for example, the anti-tangle main brush is 88.9% more expensive in the UK and 54.9% more expensive in Australia compared to the US. However, Australia tends to have lower prices overall for consumables, while the UK has some of the highest accessory costs.
Third-party consumables are available, though Ecovacs advises using official parts for optimal performance. I did not test any non-official replacements.
With regular maintenance and timely consumable replacements, I found the X5 Pro Omni quite easy to keep in top condition and ongoing costs are similar to other premium robovacs. Be aware, though, there can be significant regional price variations.
Consumables and maintenance score: 3.5 / 5
Should I Buy the Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni?
Buy it if…
You want a powerful auto-emptying system
The X5 Pro Omni’s self-cleaning dock has strong suction and reliably empties the robot’s dustbin, and never clogged during testing.
You want a hands-free mopping system
With built-in water tanks, automatic mop washing and hot air drying, the X5 Pro Omni keeps its mop pads clean with minimal effort on your part.
You want the latest features in a robot vacuum
The X5 Pro Omni offers powerful suction, smart mapping and an advanced all-in-one dock, making it one of the more feature-packed robot vacuums in its class.
Don’t buy it if…
You have a lot of small objects on the floor
While the X5 Pro Omni can avoid most large obstacles, it struggles with cables, shoelaces or flat items like paper towels, and may get stuck if the floor isn’t kept clear.
You only have carpet
The X5 Pro Omni has a strong vacuuming system and mop lift, but if your home is fully carpeted, a vacuum-only robovac will save you money without sacrificing cleaning performance.
You want a polished app experience
While the level of customization and control is decent, the app feels clunky and unpolished at times, and I ran into many small but frustrating issues during my testing.
Also consider
Not sold on the Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni? Below are a few alternatives that are worth considering.
Dreame L10s Ultra This slightly older model doesn’t have quite as many features as the X5 Pro Omni and isn’t as powerful, but it’s still a great option and can often be found for less than half the price. Read our full Dreame L10s Ultra review
Eufy Omni S1 Pro One of the few robovacs that can compete directly with the X5 Pro Omni, the Eufy Omni S1 Pro is a feature-packed alternative with an innovative rolling cylinder mopping system. Read our full Eufy Omni S1 Pro review
Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo While not quite as good at dodging cables as the Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni, the Deebot T30S Combo stands out with a stick vacuum that slots into the side of the its dock, keeping it ready to go for any extra cleanup. Read our full Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo review
How I tested the Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni
I used the X5 Pro Omni as my main vacuum cleaner for six months
My testing space included hard floors and carpet
I performed specific grain-size and wet-spill tests
I used the Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni daily for six months in a home with a dog and two adults, and with polished wooden floors, tiles, carpet and medium-pile rugs. The weather during the test period included both wet and dry conditions. I started with an initial deep clean, followed by ongoing daily vacuuming, with mopping once or twice a week – plus extra spot cleans as needed. I tested both the automatic mode and manually customized cleans using schedules and shortcuts.
I documented cleaning performance over the testing period and conducted a range of specific tests with different debris sizes to further gauge vacuuming ability. I also tested dry and wet spills to evaluate the mopping prowess. Additionally, I strategically placed debris – including fur, leaves and hair – in problem areas like corners to assess the robovac’s effectiveness in daily use.
During my testing period, I changed the base station vacuum bag 4 times, manually cleaned the mop cleaning system in the base station, and performed the full range of maintenance checks as prompted by the app.
As someone who uses a single monitor for both PC and PlayStation 5, the Sony Inzone M9 II really feels like it was made to meet my specific needs.
A follow-up to the popular Sony Inzone M9, the II eschews the white PlayStation look and bulky tripod stand design. Although I did like the unique appearance of the original M9, the stand of the II is undeniably more practical, with a more generous tilt adjustment range and full 360-degree pivot that makes finding the perfect angle a breeze.
The refreshed aesthetic does help emphasize that this is a monitor intended for use with a PC, too, and ensures that it no longer seems out of place on your desk.
Despite coming in a little cheaper than its predecessor at $799.99 / £899, the II also packs some small, but nevertheless appreciated, spec upgrades. This includes slightly better brightness (which now peaks at 750 nits rather than 600) and a boosted 160Hz refresh rate.
(Image credit: Future)
As the PS5 can only output at a maximum of 120Hz, this latter change was clearly made with PC players in mind, and helps this model hold its own against some of the best gaming monitors aimed at the PC audience right now.
This faster refresh rate, paired with the 1ms GtG response time, and not to mention built-in 24.5-inch mode, could also make the Sony Inzone M9 II a great pick for those who enjoy high-intensity PC esports titles like Counter-Strike 2 or Valorant.
Thanks to a wealth of console-specific features, it’s also one of the best monitors for PS5 and PS5 Pro - full stop. It’s got full variable refresh rate (VRR) support, plus Auto HDR Tone Mapping to automatically calibrate brightness for your PS5 during setup. There’s even an Auto Genre Picture Mode that detects the title that you’re playing and dynamically adjusts the picture to match the likes of FPS titles or RPGs.
The built-in speakers lack bass and can be a little tinny at higher volumes, but they are surprisingly decent overall. That means console players used to the generally superior sound systems of a gaming TV won’t have to run out to pick up an extra pair right away.
It’s easy to lament the use of an IPS LCD panel, especially when OLED options are available from competitors at around the same price, but I don’t have any practical complaints about the 27-inch 4K display here.
The Sony Izone M9 II retails for $799.99 / £899. This pricing means that it is slightly worse value in the UK, which is a little disappointing and could weigh on your decision if you’re buying in that market.
Although early Inzone products were marked by their eye-wateringly bad value prices (I’m looking at you, Sony Inzone M3), the Sony Inzone M9 II is actually reasonably priced given its spec.
It comes in a bit more expensive than similar options like the Gigabyte M32UC, though it benefits from a significantly more premium overall design that makes the added cost worthwhile in my book.
If you’re after a 4K screen on a tight budget, alternatives like the Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q could prove tempting as they come in at less than half the price of the Sony Inzone M9 II. Just bear in mind that there are noticeable compromises, including significantly higher response times and noticeably lower refresh rates.
The Sony Inzone M9 II is quite good value, then. I recommend it at full price, but, judging by the discount patterns of other Inzone products, I would expect occasional sales to come along and make it an even better proposition.
The monitor is readily available via the Sony website, in addition to the usual retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart in the US and Amazon, Argos, and Very in the UK.
Sony Inzone M9 II: Specs
Sony Inzone M9 II: Design and features
Easy assembly process
Low profile base
Plenty of adjustment options
I’ve never had a bad experience putting together a Sony Inzone monitor and the Sony Inzone M9 II is no exception.
It’s well packaged, with the monitor, stand, and its base secured separately in plenty of polystyrene foam. To assemble, you simply screw the bottom of the base onto the bottom of the stand and clip it all into the back of the monitor. It took me about fifteen seconds overall and did not require the instruction manual.
As I’ve already mentioned, the Sony Izone M9 II has a radically different design compared to the original M9. It’s black instead of white and has an entirely redesigned stand. Rather than a tripod, the Sony Inzone M9 II is held up by a single thick column on a circular base. It’s quite similar to the design of the stand on the Sony Inzone M10S, which was released at the same time, after all, though a bit chunkier on the whole.
With a radius of just under 3.5in / 9cm, the base is still rather compact for a monitor of this size, which makes it easy to fit on a desk - even if you have limited space. The stand can also pivot, offering a smooth 360 degrees of rotation. This is surprisingly handy, ensuring that you can quickly rotate the monitor to show something to a friend or simply adjust it slightly to better suit your current position.
The monitor can be tilted downwards by five degrees or upwards by 25, so you won’t have any trouble finding the right viewing angle either. The height can also be adjusted by 5.1in / 13cm, which is more than enough leeway to raise or lower it to a healthy height in most setups.
(Image credit: Future)
On the back right-hand side of the monitor is the power button, alongside a well-sized thumbstick for accessing the on-board settings menu.
The menu here is well organized and easy to navigate, but I’d still recommend installing the compatible Inzone Hub PC app, which offers a slightly more in-depth level of tuning.
There’s also a small white power indicator LED built into the side of the display. It is completely invisible from the front, which is a good thing as it stops it from becoming distracting in the corner of your eye, though can still be disabled in the software if you prefer.
You will find all the expected ports at the bottom of the monitor. There’s a DisplayPort 2.1 connector, 2 HDMI connectors, a USB Type-B input (for enabling the USB hub functionality), and two corresponding USB Type-A outputs.
A Type-C port would certainly be a bonus, but given how many peripherals still use USB Type-A, its absence is not that big of a deal. There’s also a third USB Type-A port that’s clearly labelled as being used for software updates via a USB stick only. Lastly, you get a 3.5mm headphone jack for hooking up any compatible audio devices.
In terms of features, you get pretty much everything that you would expect from a premium gaming monitor. It supports Full Array Local Dimming for enhanced contrast, in addition to meeting the VESA Certified DisplayHDR 600 standard.
(Image credit: Future)
On PC, you benefit from a speedy 160Hz refresh rate via a DisplayPort connection, in addition to Nvidia G-Sync support. On PS5, you have VRR and Auto HDR Tone Mapping. The monitor also automatically detects when a PS5 is detected, enabling a pre-tuned PS5 profile.
This is all on top of the usual array of display modes (I’d recommend turning off Auto Picture Mode and sticking to the DisplayHDR profile for the most life-like look in most situations), plus optional settings for on-screen frame rate counter, crosshair, and timer.
Sony Inzone M9 II: Performance
Brilliant for PC, perfect for PS5
A bright, smooth picture suited to a range of genres
An ideal all-rounder
Out of the box, the monitor was in its Power Saving mode, which unfortunately looks rather dim and makes for a lacklustre first impression.
Still, when you turn that off and enable HDR, the resulting picture is fantastic. Despite not being an OLED panel, colours are bright and blacks are surprisingly deep. 4K video is absolutely stunning, while general web browsing and office work benefit from the 160Hz smoothness and highly detailed image.
You likely won’t pick up the Sony Inzone M9 II purely for productivity, though, and gaming does not disappoint. As I used the Sony Inzone M9 II for multiple months, I experienced an extremely wide range of games on it. Highlights on PC include Counter-Strike 2, which is delightfully smooth at 160Hz, in addition to lots of Sid Meier’s Civilization 7,where the detailed models in its diorama-like world come through with excellent clarity.
Hitman World of Assassination benefited hugely from the crisp 4K and cheerful brightness in the sunny stadium of the fictional Miami Global Innovation Race, while the moodier aesthetic of the Dartmoor map showcased the monitor’s strong contrast. Again, this is not an OLED panel, but it still delivers colors that are just as vivid as some of the OLED models that I’ve tried.
(Image credit: Future)
It was a similar story over on PS5, where I played through the bulk of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, sunk hundreds of hours into the latest Call of Duty: Black Ops 6season and tried out Forza Horizon 5 and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered in addition to many other games. The VRR support was a gamechanger in Assassin’s Creed Shadows in particular, where its Balanced preset appears significantly smoother than on monitors without it.
It’s plenty smooth, but on PS5, you are still constrained to a maximum of 120Hz. If you’re buying purely for use with a console, do bear in mind that you won’t benefit from the true refresh rate capabilities of the Sony Inzone M9 II.
Unlike the more expensive Sony Inzone M10S, the Sony Inzone M9 II also packs some built-in speakers. Will they blow your mind? No, but they’re certainly good enough. At 50% volume, sound is clear and accurate with a decent level of detail. It lacks bass, but acceptable audio still puts them in the upper echelons of gaming monitor speakers. They can go impressively loud, which is good, but as you begin to crank that volume up, the sound becomes a bit more tinny.
If you are viewing the Sony Inzone M9 II as quite a significant investment, you can take comfort in knowing that you won’t need to run out to buy an expensive separate set of speakers to experience your favorite games in an enjoyable fashion right away.
Should you buy the Sony Inzone M9 II?
Buy it if...
You want an all-round gaming powerhouse The Sony Inzone M9 II is a superb all-round option, delivering excellent performance in a wide range of game genres. It’s got plenty of features and even some decent built-in speakers.
You play on both PS5 and PC The Sony Inzone M9 II is at its best when you own both a PC and PS5 and use them both on the same display, as it supports a range of features for both platforms. If that’s you, then this monitor is well worth its asking price.
Don't buy it if...
You want to save some cash Although it is a fair price, the Sony Inzone M9 II is still quite an expensive monitor. There are cheaper 4K options out there, especially if you don’t mind skimping on the overall design and build.
Also consider
Not convinced by the Sony Inzone M9 II? Keep these alternatives on your radar.
Sony Inzone M10S If you’re more of a PC player, then I’d recommend the Sony Inzone M10S. It’s one of the best monitors that I’ve ever tested, with a beautiful but functional stand and a blazing-fast 480Hz OLED panel. It is 1440p, however, so intended for competitive shooter players first and foremost.
Gigabyte M32UC A titan of affordable 4K monitors, the Gigabyte M32UC frequently goes on sale and is the one to choose if you want to save some cash. It has loads of features and a speedy 144Hz refresh rate, though it definitely lacks the premium materials and design of the Sony Inzone M9 II.
I tested the Sony Inzone M9 II for more than two months, using it as my primary monitor for the entirety of that time.
I used it extensively with both PC and PS5, in addition to some light Xbox Series X gaming. During that time, I used it for hours of web browsing, office work, and playing countless games.
Even some smaller indie games like Monster Prom 4: Monster Con looked great, with the monitor’s vivid colors really complementing the expressive art style.
On PS5, games tested included Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Days Gone Remastered, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, Forza Horizon 5, Zenless Zone Zero, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Throughout my time with the monitor, I compared my experience to my hands-on testing of other gaming monitors, including the more premium Sony Inzone M10S.
