New for 2025 in the world of health and fitness technology is the enticing COSORI Smart Nutrition Scale. I actually first encountered it on TikTok where I've seen a couple of viral posts about it, and now COSORI has officially launched the Smart Kitchen Scale in the UK. See the Price and Availability section for full details.
As a fitness enthusiast with an interest in food and nutrition, but as someone who often struggles to track food and count calories, the COSORI seemed right up my street, and after my initial go at using the scale I have to say I'm really impressed. It's not perfect, and the methodology has a couple of obvious flaws I'll get to, but this is a nifty little kitchen gadget that will catch the eye of guests and make a great sub-£50/$50 gift for the gym enthusiast in your life.
Out of the box, 6he COSORI feels premium and well-built, which you'd hope for a scale that costs nearly 50 bucks. The plastic base houses three AAA batteries, while the platform is made up of food-grade 304 stainless steel that's designed to be easy to clean. The sizing is pretty generous, it's a lot larger than my bog-standard kitchen scale and feels more useful as a result, without being unwieldy.
(Image credit: Future)
The COSORI Smart Kitchen Scale is designed to provide you with accurate information about the food you eat, revealing the exact amount of calories, protein, fat, carbs, and micronutrients like fiber based on weight. Naturally, it requires a companion app where you'll access the database of food, scanning barcodes (or searching for food) as you go.
The scale arrives ready to use, with a QR code included for the VeSync app, I'd say installation, registration, and pairing all took less than a minute. The process to set up the scale was extremely easy and straightforward, with zero hiccups. So far, so good.
(Image credit: Future)
The COSORI Smart Kitchen Scale is so easy to use that there's very little to explain when it comes to its functionality. The VeSync app, which syncs with Apple Health and Fitbit, includes a daily food-tracking platform. You enter your target calories and your desired breakdown of protein, carbs, and fat, the big three 'macronutrients' essential to balancing a diet, shedding weight, or building muscle.
Once your numbers are locked in, you log food just as you would in apps like MyFitnessPal. The most convenient way to do this is by scanning barcodes. The process is super snappy, but has an obvious flaw. The food data comes from Nutritionix, which boasts nearly one million food items. However, if your food isn't listed, you'll need to enter the details manually or pick a substitute.
I did a quick go-around of my fridge and was surprised to find eggs and Greek yogurt from one household UK supermarket didn't show up. However, eggs from another large supermarket showed up just fine, as did some frozen berries from my freezer, and a body-building mainstay: Pringles potato crisps. Your mileage will definitely vary when it comes to what foods are supported, and might even depend on where you live and shop.
Manually entering the information isn't the end of the world, but it's certainly frustrating when the barcode scanner doesn't throw up results.
(Image credit: Future)
Once you've successfully identified your food, you simply pop it on the scale and the COSORI will automatically weigh it and provide you with a breakdown of all the nutrients in the food. Once you're happy with your amount, you simply tap 'Save and Add More', and you're done. Congrats, you've successfully logged the exact weight and calorific breakdown of the food you're about to eat.
In principle, you can use the COSORI Smart Kitchen Scale to track an entire day's worth of eating, with calorie tracking accuracy down to the nearest gram.
So who would benefit? While the COSORI can be used to simply weigh something, this is a lot of money to spend on a scale that you use purely for weight. The COSORI really needs to be used to its full potential to justify the outlay. I'd say that gym-goers, bodybuilders, and anyone trying to build a food regime to complement their fitness plan would absolutely love the COSORI.
It would especially lend itself to people who like to try new foods, mix up recipes, and experiment. By contrast, if you meal prep seven days of boiled chicken, rice, and broccoli every Sunday afternoon, you might be better off with a regular scale.
(Image credit: Future)
The COSORI is particularly helpful for giving you insight into calories and ingredients which don't have an obvious calorie makeup, like a spoonful of peanut butter. I distinctly recall one TikToker being mortified at just how many calories were to be found in a fairly meager serving of peanut butter, for instance. If you take an interest in your diet, calories, and portions, the COSORI could take you from a portion enthusiast to a culinary Rain Man.
While you could in theory use the COSORI alongside something like MyFitnessPal to track your food, you'd lose out on the snappy, automatic tracking and instant results that make the COSORI an attractive package. Therefore, anyone who's already heavily invested in a different food or fitness app might not want to make the switch. The COSORI app even features recipes, including recipes you can use with the best air fryers (some of which, coincidentally, are also made by COSORI).
COSORI Smart Nutrition Scale: Price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
$39.99 / £47.42
No AUS availability
Different brand name in the US
The COSORI Smart Kitchen Scale is available now in the UK from Amazon at the cost of £47.42. In the U.S, you can buy one under the brand name Etekcity, also from Amazon, at the cost of $39.99. Both COSORI and Etekcity are subsidiaries of the VeSync brand, and these are the same product. Unfortunately, the product is not currently available in Australia.
COSORI Smart Nutrition Scale: Specifications
COSORI Smart Nutrition Scale: Scorecard
COSORI Smart Nutrition Scale: Should I buy?
(Image credit: Future)
Buy if it...
You care deeply about food and nutrition
This scale is the perfect companion for anyone tracking calories or trying to hit a fitness goal.
You want an easy way to track your calories
It doesn't get easier than scanning your food and then weighing it.
You tend to eat lots of different foods and create new recipes
This scale is particularly useful for tracking a varied diet and for people who like to mix it up a bit. View Deal
Don't buy it if...
You just want a scale to weigh food
If you don't care about the app or the tracking insights, this is too expensive as a normal scale.
There's not a lot of variation in your diet
While still useful, the COSORI will be less valuable to people who tend to eat the same foods over and over again.
Also consider
(Image credit: Future)
The Renpho Kitchen Scales are an obvious alternative to the COSORI, and a lot cheaper. However, you won't get that epic LCD display the nutritional information, and it's a bit smaller too.
How I tested
I paired the COSORI Smart Kitchen Scale with my iPhone, exploring all of the features of the app. I used the scale to weigh a number of household foods to determine accuracy, as well as the barcode scanner to test the food library function.
The Acer Predator controller is more than a little disappointing given the brand’s track record of producing high-quality gaming hardware. It’s apparent that this is one of Acer’s first forays into the realm of gaming controllers, as the Predator is pretty bare-bones for what it offers in terms of features. That, and its overall build quality, leaves something to be desired.
Don’t expect remappable buttons, trigger locks, or even basics like a good overall build quality here; the Predator’s closest analog is probably the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. And even there, Nintendo’s official pad has the Predator beat on both build and battery life.
This isn’t to say the Acer Predator isn’t at least worth a look. It still gets plenty of things right. Hall effect sticks allow for a controller that could last you years, and it does support Switch-friendly features like gyro aiming for games like Splatoon 3. It is a bit lamentable that the Predator requires AA batteries to be used wirelessly, but both Bluetooth and 2.4GHz connectivity are supported here and overall battery life is pretty decent at around 20 hours on average.
In summary, if you’re after a simple, no-frills controller similar to the official Nintendo Switch option, the Acer Predator might just be for you. However, when its peers are handily one-upping it in terms of design, features, and performance - often at the same price or less - it probably shouldn’t be at the top of your list.
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Acer Predator controller: Price and availability
£69.99 (around $87.99 / AU$139.99)
Purchasable from Acer’s website in certain regions
Limited overall availability, with the controller seemingly not available in the US
While the Acer Predator controller seems to be unavailable (at time of writing) in the US, it is available for £69.99 in the UK and can be purchased from Acer’s own website. Unlike most other third-party controllers, availability (at the time of writing) appears to be extremely limited. The controller isn’t listed at retailers like Amazon, Argos, or John Lewis in the UK. Moreover, Acer itself doesn’t have a store page for the controller in the US or Australia.
In terms of price, the Acer Predator is fairly competitive when you consider that many other top controllers fall within that £60-£70 price bracket. As mentioned, though, it’s not the most complete feeling controller out there when compared to other pads in this range. It would have been a more attractive purchasing option, I feel if it came in at £10 or even £15 cheaper than its current retail price.
Acer Predator controller: specs
(Image credit: Future)
Acer Predator controller: design and features
Simple, but nonetheless eye-catching sci-fi-esque livery
Lacking in build quality in comparison to its competitors
D-pad and triggers feel noticeably spongy
Starting off with the positives, I really like the aesthetic touches on the Acer Predator controller. It’s emblazoned with cool sci-fi-looking patterns that definitely lend it some unique identity, but it’s understated enough to not stand out in a garish way. The bumpers up top also offer a soft, tactile clicky feel. Thumbsticks also feel great here with a comfortable amount of concavity for your thumbs to firmly rest on.
Other aspects of the controller don’t fare as well. The d-pad and face buttons have an overly mushy feel. It doesn’t help that the former is extremely basic and rather flat in design which did make for an occasional mispress during gameplay. Triggers, meanwhile, did grow on me after some time, but these are fairly wide and offer an unsatisfyingly spongy feel. A pretty mixed bag overall, then, in terms of buttons and modules.
It’s also worth noting that the Acer Predator’s 2.4GHz dongle is not separate in the box. Rather, it’s housed within the controller’s onboard battery compartment. So make sure you’re taking that out first before inserting any AA batteries if you’re planning to use it wirelessly on PC.
It’s a slightly strange choice for a controller, and it does take a little bit of wrestling to release it from the controller’s slot. But it does at least offer a safe way to store the dongle to prevent you from losing it when not in use.
(Image credit: Future)
Acer Predator controller: performance
Hall effect thumbsticks make for a long-lasting controller
Well-developed rumble that offers a robust and impactful play experience
Battery life is decent but may vary depending on your battery brand of choice
Design issues aside, the Acer Predator does perform admirably as a controller, with few notable faults. Despite the pad feeling outdated in some aspects, I’m grateful for the inclusion of Hall effect sticks first and foremost. This will make for a long-lasting gamepad that’s resistant to stick drift issues. On that front alone, the Predator is worth considering if you’re tired of cycling through controllers on a semi-regular basis.
What surprised me most here is the Predator’s incredibly effective rumble tech. It’s not exactly haptic feedback a la the PS5’s DualSense wireless controller, but it feels significantly less flat than many other controllers in this regard.
Playing action-heavy titles like Wuthering Waves, Zenless Zone Zero, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, I was really impressed with the impactful register of sword swipes and other special abilities. It’s a well-rounded vibration that successfully adds a good layer of immersion to whichever game you’re playing. However, you still may wish to switch off vibrations for competitive play as I do feel such a strong rumble could disrupt things like aim or other desired inputs.
The Acer Predator controller also matches many of its peers on compatibility and connection types. It works with Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile devices (both Android and iOS) and supports 2.4GHz and Bluetooth for wireless connectivity, as well as USB-C for wired connections. Switch compatibility is an especially big plus here, as I feel the Acer Predator makes for a decent alternative to the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.
Battery life is also pretty decent overall. Acer’s own website states you’ll get around 25 hours here, but this will of course vary based on the AA battery brand used. The controller comes with a pair of Energizer AA batteries included in the box. With these, I managed to get around 20 hours of playtime before needing to swap them out. Again this will vary based on brand and the types of games you play, but this is an overall decent number that means you shouldn't have to swap out batteries too often.
(Image credit: Future)
Should I buy the Acer Predator controller?
Buy it if...
You want a good Switch Pro Controller alternative While many of the best Nintendo Switch controllers do outshine Nintendo’s official pad in terms of design and features, the Acer Predator still puts up a decent show and is a good pick if you’re looking for a reliable Hall effect controller.
You like rumble This is arguably the Acer Predator controller’s standout feature and really comes alive in action-heavy games. While not quite haptic feedback or Nintendo’s own HD Rumble, it’s nonetheless very robust and impactful here.
Don't buy it if...
You want better, sturdier build quality There is an overtly cheap feel to the Acer Predator controller, from its chassis to its individual buttons and modules. While not the absolute worst we’ve ever tested in this regard, it still leaves much to be desired.
You want a more reliable wireless solution It’s quite rare for contemporary controllers to run on AA batteries, and if you don’t like the idea of having to purchase these to keep playing wirelessly, you should consider a controller that offers a more modern charging solution.View Deal
Also consider...
If the Acer Predator is proving to be a hard sell, refer to the table below in which we compare its specs to two other great controllers.
8BitDo Ultimate The 8BitDo Ultimate still finds itself at the top of our best Nintendo Switch controllers guide for good reason. Superb build quality, lovely additional features, and an included charging dock all at a very reasonable price.
Nintendo Switch Pro Controller Despite lacking modernities like Hall effect sticks, the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is still a real workhorse of a gamepad, with excellent build quality and best-in-class battery life for the console.
Compared to the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and 8BitDo Ultimate
I tested the Acer Predator controller over the course of a week, hopping between PC and Nintendo Switch. By doing this, I was able to test multiple connection types from 2.4GHz to Bluetooth and wired, while also sampling a wide range of excellent games including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Astral Chain, Zenless Zone Zero, and Wuthering Waves.
While certainly far from the best controller I’ve ever tested, it did eventually somewhat win me over thanks to its broad compatibility, strong rumble tech, and impressive battery life - even if I’m not personally a fan of having to rely on AA batteries for wireless play.
The Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless is a rechargeable and bagless portable vacuum cleaner that is designed to be suitable for use in the home and the car. It's affordably priced, although on test I found it lacked the power to tackle anything but the simplest vacuuming tasks.
The design is pleasantly lightweight and easy to use. There's a washable HEPA filter, and the dust cup has a capacity of 2.3 cups / 550ml – enough for a few small cleaning sessions. However, there are a few slightly annoying design features. In use, care needs to be taken not to absent-mindedly hit the dust cup release button that sits a little way up the handle from the sliding power switch. Emptying the dust cup requires removing the whole front of the vacuum, including the filter. That's not unusual for a low-cost mini vacuum, but it is a little fiddly. On the plus side, it did mean that I regularly shook off the debris that had collected on the filter.
The accessories that come with the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless look a little cheap, but I found them to be useful. There’s an extension hose, a flat nozzle, and a small brush nozzle, which proved particularly helpful when vacuuming fabric surfaces.
Moving on to cleaning performance, and the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless was regretfully underwhelming. While it did an adequate job of picking up larger pieces of debris, such as biscuit crumbs and oats, it struggled to suck up finer debris like smaller crumb particles and flour, to the point where I needed to enlist the help of the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro (which sits at the top of TechRadar's best handheld vacuum guide), to finish the job to a good standard.
(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)
In terms of value for money, things are a little complicated. Comparing current Amazon list prices (which, it should be highlighted, can often change), it's significantly cheaper in the US than the UK. At the US price, it's perhaps worth considering if you just need something very basic for small cleanup jobs. However, in the UK, there are better affordable alternatives in our best car vacuum roundup.
That's the short version – read on for my full Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless.
More expensive in the UK, and not good value for money
Far cheaper in the US, where it's better value
The Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless is listed for £37.99 at Amazon UK, and this price includes the accessories and charging dock. It’s also possible to purchase the handheld vacuum and accessories without the dock (there’s a USB-C charging port on the end of the handle), for a list price of £29.99. While the price is relatively budget-friendly, it's not particularly good value for money when you consider the price and performance of other mini vacuums on the market.
In the US, the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless is significantly cheaper. The model with a charging dock is no longer available at Amazon US, but it’s still possible to purchase the standard version, for an extremely affordable $15.99. At that price, it's a much more compelling prospect, and might be worth buying.
You will need to factor in the ongoing cost of replacement HEPA filters. These aren't currently available at Amazon US, although you can pick them up at Amazon UK, where a pack of two costs £15.88. That's almost half the cost of the vacuum itself, but as they’re washable they should last a while, providing you aren’t frequently vacuuming areas that are excessively dirty.
Value score: 2.5 out of 5
Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless specs
Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless review: design & features
Small and lightweight
Cheap materials
Washable HEPA filter
Satisfyingly small and lightweight, the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless is easy to carry between locations, making it perfect for quick couch cleans after a biscuit binge, or for taking out to the car for a mini-valet. It has compact dimensions of 13.4 x 3.2 x 3.5 inches / 33.4 x 8 x 9cm and weighs just 1.2 lbs / 560g, so I found it easy to maneuver to vacuum high and low surfaces.
As expected for the price, the material quality of the isn’t outstanding on the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless or its charging dock. The majority of the plastic is a cheap-looking black plastic with a matte finish, and the material of the accessories isn’t the best either, but they did the job. The business end of the vacuum itself looks a little better, in a glossy translucent black plastic. This is pretty common among handheld vacs, as it still provides visibility of the remaining dust cup capacity, but helps to minimize the eyesore of the contents that were vacuumed up.
To power on the vacuum, there’s a teal-colored upward-sliding switch that I found a little more fiddly than a simple power button, but it wasn’t much of a hindrance. Further down the handle, toward the dust cup, there’s a pressable button with a subtle trash can icon that acts as the release trigger for the dust cup.
The detachable dust cup has a 2.3 cup / 550ml capacity, which is roughly a half cup more than the highly-rated Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus. Please be warned: the release button is so easy to press accidentally if you’re not paying attention. Fortunately for me, I only did this at the beginning of the testing process, so I didn’t end up emptying flour and oats over my car interior, but it could easily have happened.
This compact vacuum has a washable HEPA filter that sits on top of the dust cup. This meant that I had to remove it every time I needed to empty the cup contents, which is a small inconvenience, but did serve as a good opportunity to check the state of the filter each time and a reminder to wash it regularly to maintain efficient suction. I found it easy to release and remove the dust cup thanks to the button on the vacuum body. The filter was a little fiddly to remove as a type of rubber material surrounds it, but overall it was simple to pull out and replace.
(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)
There are some convenient attachments included with the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless, including an extension hose that I found useful for reaching further into tighter spaces when connected to the flat nozzle, plus a brush nozzle for keyboards, to hoover up pet hair, and other tasks. All the accessories attached to the vac easily enough, and they stayed firmly in place during use.
The cheaply-made hose attachment wasn’t the most flexible, but it was adequate for the job. The flimsy nature of the connecting ends gives me a little concern, though, as I’m not sure they’ll stand the test of time, and look like they could easily split. They performed well during testing however, so I could be being overly cautious.
Homekane claims that the Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless has a runtime of 25-30 minutes, and supposedly takes three hours to recharge via USB-C. It was a simple case of popping the vacuum into the dock, although I wasn’t a fan of the configuration. I understand that storing the vacuum handle first in the dock allows the dock to be smaller, therefore saving space, but it’s a little inconvenient.
In addition to this, the design means that the charging indicator light faces backward, so when the dock is placed against a wall, it’s not possible to see when the vacuum is fully charged. This may not be an issue for people who are happy to leave the dock powered at all times, but it's not ideal for the more energy-conscious among us.
The stated noise level of the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless is 80 dB, which is equivalent to the sound of busy traffic. Testing the noise of the vacuum with a decibel meter on my phone confirmed that this statement is accurate, and while it’s unpleasant for someone like myself who suffers from tinnitus, it’s no louder than one would expect from a compact vacuum cleaner.
Unfortunately, there’s only one power setting of 9,500Pa available on the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless, which is considerably less than the Temola Handheld Vacuum Cleaner, which offers 15,000PA on its highest setting. Even its eco mode is more powerful than the Homekane, at 10,000Pa.
Nonetheless, it had no issue when vacuuming up crumbs, but the real test was to come when I put it through its paces against our TechRadar vacuum testing process. Unfortunately for me, this involved decanting flour, biscuit crumbs, and oats into my car's interior.
I tested three car vacs together for a direct comparison, our best handheld vacuumandbest car vacuum, the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus, and the Temola TS20BS. The Homekane was lightweight and easy to wield, a nice contrast from the noticeably heavier handheld Shark vac. But, while it may have been more pleasant to hold, I quickly found myself wishing that I hadn’t left the Homekane till the last to test.
The lower suction level of 9,500Pa was evident, with the finer particles refusing to budge from within the pile of my car mat. Worse still, the back-positioned air outlet meant that I had to change the order of my testing process, as, to my horror, it blew the oats I’d spread for the next test everywhere – under my seats and deeper under the glove compartment area. I was not amused, to say the least. I didn’t experience these issues with the Shark or Temola, as their air outlets are helpfully located on the sides, making for minimal blowback.
(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)
I decided to test the small floor brush attached to the crevice nozzle to see how much this would help, and I’m pleased to say that it did a great job at picking up the elusive particles, making an incredible difference to the results I got from using the vac alone, so that’s one saving grace for the Homekane.
The results weren’t 100 per cent perfect, and I certainly wouldn’t use it for a full-on car valet, but overall the carpet looked clean enough. It did an okay job with the larger oats, which were collected fairly easily, but it was much slower than the other two car vacs. And again, there just wasn’t enough suction to pick up those smaller particles.
The crevice tool did a good job, presumably because the limited suction was restricted to a smaller area. It picked up lots of loose leaves and stones in the nooks and crannies of my car’s footwell and vacuumed the dust from the small gaps around my door’s armrest with ease. The flexible extension hose proved useful when vacuuming the crevices around my car’s center console, providing a little extra reach when the crevice tool on the Homekane Handheld Vac alone wouldn’t have fitted as far into the space.
I also used the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless with the crevice and brush nozzle attachments to vacuum my desk and keyboard in our busy TechRadar reviews office. It did a satisfactory job of making them look cleaner, but it left behind some of the finer dust and fibers. This result was lacking in comparison to the Temola TS20BS, which did a better job of picking up most of the debris thanks to its higher suction setting.
(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)
When attempting to empty the dust cup, I found the washable HEPA filter tricky to remove, finding I had to put my fingers within the filter itself to get enough purchase to wiggle it out. After testing with the flour, biscuit crumbs, and oats, I found I needed to spend some time bashing the filter to remove as much as I could before washing it.
Performance score: 2.5 out of 5
Should you buy the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless?
Buy it if...
You're in the US and you want a super-cheap vac While I wouldn't recommend this handheld vac to fellow Brits, at the current price of $15.99 it wouldn't make a bad purchase for spontaneous clean-ups.
You want something lightweight One thing this small vac has going for it is that it's satisfyingly small and light to wield, so it could make a good choice for someone who struggles with larger vacuums.
Don't buy it if...
You want good suction There are plenty of other high-suction and better-performing alternatives out there for a similar price. I kept an open mind about the limited suction power, but after testing other vacs at the same price point that did a far better job.
You want high-quality materials From the packaging to the vacuum and accessories, the low price point is clear. Don't get me wrong, nothing fell apart or broke when I was using it, but if you like to own products that look good quality, this isn't one of them.
Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless review: also consider
Temola TS20BS This lightweight vac is only slightly more expensive than the cost of the Homekane in the UK, but you get an awful lot for that little extra investment. It has two suction levels, 10,000PA, and 15,000PA, with the latter doing a fantastic job of picking up the finer dust from testing, especially when the dust brush was used. One important caveat, however, is that I've been unable to source replacement filters so far, so this is something to keep in mind.
Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus A firm favorite here at TechRadar, this Shark handheld vac offers great vacuuming performance and versatile tools. No wonder it's our top choice for the best handheld and car vacuums. Check out the full review to learn more.
How I tested the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless
I tested the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless against two other handheld vacs
I assessed its ability to vacuum both large and fine debris
I made use of the included accessories
I took a close look at the design and materials used for the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless. I used it to vacuum my sofa and my desk and put it through its paces against the TechRadar vacuum testing process in my car. This involves testing a vacuum's ability to pick up fine and coarse particles, namely oats, and a mixture of flour and fine biscuit crumbs.
I assessed the fit of the accessories and used each of them to see how effective they were. I also looked at how easy and efficient the dust cup emptying process was.
We’ve seen a wide range of new tech announced and showcased at CES 2025, including everything from gaming handhelds to electric scooters. The star of the show has certainly been AI, and the new Acer Aspire Vero 16 takes full advantage all while being encased in a blend of post-consumer recycled plastic and a brand-new oyster shell material.
Acer has stated that the Acer Aspire Vero 16 is committed to carbon neutrality for its entire life cycle. On top of using bio-based materials, it uses an easy to fix design in order to ensure that repairing is an option before replacing.
Price and availability
(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)
The Acer Aspire Vero 16 is set to release in April in the USat $799.99 and then later on in Q2 in Europe at€1,199. These are starting prices which will fluctuate based on the specifications you’re looking for.
It’s definitely one of the more affordable options on the market, especially in the US. However, regional pricing puts it at a much higher price point elsewhere.
Design
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(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)
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(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)
When first laying-eyes on the Acer Aspire Vero 16, I think its quite clear that it’s made from recycled material due to the color and design. It looks pretty, with a marbled green chassis encasing the entire device including the trackpad. As well as recycled plastic, the chassis is also made from oyster shell material, making it carbon neutral and 100% recyclable.
Unfortunately, when holding and using the Acer Aspire Vero 16, it feels like cheap plastic. The casing has quite a light and fragile feel to it, and I wouldn’t entirely trust the Vero 16 in my backpack without an extra layer of protection like a case or sleeve - and even then, it’s a risk.
Despite being cased in plastic, the Acer Aspire Vero 16 is actually a bit heavier than I was expecting. It weighs in at 3.97 lbs (1.8kg), which isn’t the most lightweight option out there, but isn’t too heavy for you to transport to and from work or keep with you on the go either. Just be sure to pack it up snug and secure.
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(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)
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The Acer Aspire Vero 16 measures in at less than 2cm and despite being so slim, it still comes packed full of ports. You get to take advantage of two Thunderbolt ports, as well as a USB-A port, an HDMI 2.1 port and an audio jack.
You get an LCD display panel on the Vero 16, which is 1920 x 1200 pixels. Despite not being OLED, the screen is actually very bright and vibrant. It looks absolutely stunning but did leave me wanting slightly more in terms of resolution, however at this price point you can’t complain too much.
Specifications
Performance
(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)
Picking up the Acer Aspire Vero 16 allows you to take advantage of up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor paired with Intel Arc graphics as well as 32GB of RAM. This machine offers absolutely insane performance, especially for its price point. Regardless of what you’re intending to use it for, it offers a high level of performance for a wide range of productivity and creativity tasks.
Of course, having this processor means you get to take advantage of a range of AI features including Copilot+ to help you speed up the process of everyday tasks. But as AI slowly takes over the laptop space, this is becoming more common.
With a 65Wh battery you’ll get a decent battery life out of this laptop. Acer states it’ll run approximately 10.5 hours, allowing you to get through a work day and then some on a full charge.
Early verdict
Overall the Acer Aspire Vero 16 is an amazing laptop, providing you with great performance at a low price point. As if that wasn’t already good enough, you get a clean conscience as the casing is made from 70% recycled materials and is gorgeous.
One downside is the material feels quite cheap, but this can easily be looked past when you consider all of the other benefits which are on offer. It’s somewhat frustrating that the regional pricing of this laptop makes it less affordable outside of the US and I hope Acer can adjust this prior to the laptop’s release in April.
The Technogym Connected Dumbbells are all about smart tech and compact design. Instead of cluttering your space with loads of weights, these adjustable dumbbells give you a range from 2kg to 24kg in a sleek, compact package—ideal if you’re short on space or just starting your fitness journey.
What makes them really stand out, however, is their AI smarts. Built-in sensors track things like your reps, sets, and weights, which sync up with the Technogym App. The app’s AI Coach then uses this data to suggest exercises and tweak your workouts to help you hit your goals—just like having a PT in your pocket.
I loved the twist-handle design for weight adjustments. It’s quick, smooth, and satisfying to use. The build quality is top-notch, too, giving you confidence they’ll handle even your sweatiest sessions. That said, a max weight of 24kg might not be enough for advanced lifters, and the price tag could scare off anyone keeping an eye on their wallet.
After testing these for weeks, including doing full-body workouts and app-guided routines, I’d say they’re a great choice for those who value convenience and tech-driven motivation. If you’re an experienced lifter or on a tight budget, though, you might want to look elsewhere.
Technogym Connected Dumbbells: Price and availability
Dumbbells+ bundle costs £2,530 / $3120 / AUS$5030, which includes a stand, an exercise mat, a foam roller, and resistance bands
Comes with a two-month free trial of the Technogym Plus membership, which is £8.99/month thereafter
Available now in UK, launching soon in US and Australia
The Technogym Connected Dumbbells can be purchased directly from the brand’s official website or flagship stores in the UK for £1,410. At that price, they’re definitely not cheap, especially when competitors like Kabata are offering a similar setup for just $999 / £810. Or there are less-smart-but-similar options available, like the Bowflex SelectTech 552, which can be found online for around £350. Then, on top of that, you’ll have to fork out an extra £8.99/month for the Technogym Plus app if you want to take advantage of its full feature set. Gulp.
If you’re opting for the more complete Connected Dumbbells+ bundle, which includes a sturdy stand, exercise mat, foam roller, and resistance bands, this pushes the price up to a whopping £2,530. Sure, it’s a more complete package if you’re building out your home gym, but it’s a massive cost for a stand and some fitness accessories which can be bought separately elsewhere for much less. The price does include installation and setup, though, which is a nice touch for those who’d rather not fuss with assembly.
If you’re outside Europe and in the market for a pair of these babies, you’ll need to wait a bit—a US and Australian launch is coming later in 2025.
Price score: 3/5
Technogym Connected Dumbbells: Specifications
Technogym Connected Dumbbells: Design and build
(Image credit: Future)
Stylish black and silver finish fits any modern gym space
Knurled metal handles offer solid grip, even when you’re sweating
Twist-handle weight adjustment is smooth and precise
When it comes to design, Technogym’s Connected Dumbbells are a masterclass in how to serve style and substance in one neatly finished package. The black and silver finish feels effortlessly modern, meaning these dumbbells won’t look out of place even if they’re just sitting in the corner of your living room. And let’s be honest—no one wants a home gym setup that makes a space look cluttered. Thankfully, the minimalist look is spot-on here.
But it’s not just about aesthetics. I found the knurled metal handles were a delight to hold throughout most workouts. They’re grippy enough to reassure you they won’t slip, even when your palms are on the sweaty side. You won’t be getting that insecure feeling you can find with some cheaper alternatives.
Adjusting the weight is where the magic really happens. The twist-handle mechanism is smooth and intuitive. It’s ridiculously easy to use, and that satisfying click lets you know the weight’s locked and ready to go. Whether you’re grabbing 4kg for bicep curls or cranking up to 20kg for squats, it’s all very seamless-feeling. The weight range itself, 2kg to 24kg, covers most bases for a variety of exercises, although seasoned lifters might find it limiting if they’re used to heavier loads.
One of the standout features has to be the optional Strength Corner stand. It’s not just there to look pretty—although it does. The stand keeps your workout space organized, stores accessories like a foam roller and resistance bands, and even has a tablet (or in my case, phone) holder so you can follow along with the app without constantly looking down. I found it’s compact enough for smaller spaces—like me in my garden room-cum-gym space—and it means you have everything in one place, saving you from rummaging around mid-session.
As you’d expect from the premium gym equipment brand that is Technogym, the build quality of the Connected Dumbbells is top-tier across the board. Everything feels solid and well-made. The weight plates lock in securely, so there’s no wobbling when you’re mid-rep. The only small snag is docking the dumbbells back into their base—it’s a bit fiddly at first, especially if you’re rushing. But once you’ve nailed the technique, it’s not an issue at all.
In short, the design of these dumbbells is as functional as it is good-looking. They’re durable, user-friendly, and stylish enough to show off.
Design score: 4.5/5
Technogym Connected Dumbbells: Features and performance
(Image credit: Future)
AI coaching adapts workouts to your progress
Built-in sensors track reps, sets, and weight use
App motivates with milestones and progress tracking
These dumbbells aren’t just your bog-standard piece of gym equipment—they’re essentially a workout buddy. Each dumbbell is fitted with smart sensors that track every rep, set, and weight you use. This data syncs to the Technogym App and this is where the clever stuff happens. The app’s AI Coach uses all that info to create personalized workout plans, tweaking them as you progress. It’s like having a PT in your pocket.
The app itself is super easy to navigate. Whether you’re looking to do strength training, active recovery, or something in between, there’s a workout for it. One of my favorite features is the little celebratory ping when you hit a new PB. It’s a small touch, but it genuinely makes you feel like a champ. That said, the app isn’t perfect. It doesn’t track bodyweight exercises like push-ups or planks, which feels like a bit of a letdown if you like mixing things up.
In terms of how they handle workouts, these dumbbells are a dream. Like I said earlier, adjusting the weight on them is quick and fuss-free thanks to the twist-handle mechanism. It’s smooth, precise, and feels really robust. Even at heavier weights, the dumbbells feel perfectly balanced, which makes a huge difference during more intense sessions when you’re rushing around.
Connectivity deserves a mention too. The sensors sip battery, so you’re not constantly worried about them dying on you. During my time with the dumbbells, I also experienced no glitches or lag between the app and the weights; it all worked pretty seamlessly, which is reassuring. Although for nearly £1,500, so they should. The only downside, I’d say, is the 24kg max weight. This could be a sticking point for anyone looking to go heavy. A 32kg max weight would have solved this issue, IMO.
Nevertheless, for anyone just starting out or at an intermediate level, these dumbbells are a great option. They’re smart, efficient, and genuinely make your workouts more engaging. Advanced lifters might find themselves craving more weight, but for most people, they’ll hit the sweet spot.
Performance score: 4 / 5
Technogym Connected Dumbbells: Verdict
(Image credit: Future)
The Technogym Connected Dumbbells hit the mark for anyone wanting stylish, space-saving, and tech-packed gym gear. They’re easy to use, look great and the AI-driven app makes training feel a lot less like guesswork. Beginners and casual users will love the convenience and motivation these dumbbells bring to the table.
That said, they’re not for everyone. The limited weight range means serious lifters will likely need something heftier, and the steep price might put off anyone on a budget. Plus, the app’s inability to track bodyweight exercises is a bit of a head-scratcher. Although, this could always be addressed with a simple update at a later time.
So, if you’ve got the cash and crave the tech-savvy features, these dumbbells could be a game-changer. For the right user—especially those tight on space—they’re a smart, functional, and a downright stylish addition to a home gym.
Technogym Connected Dumbbells: Scorecard
Technogym Connected Dumbbells: Should I buy?
Buy them if…
You want a tidy home gym. These dumbbells replace 12 sets of weights, making them perfect for small spaces.View Deal
You need tailored workouts. The AI-powered app adapts to your goals and tracks progress effortlessly.View Deal
You’re after sleek, premium gym gear, They look great and work even better—a real statement piece for any home.View Deal
Don’t buy them if…
You’re into heavy lifting. The 24kg max weight won’t cut it for advanced strength training.View Deal
You’re saving the pennies. They’re pricey, especially compared to other adjustable dumbbells.View Deal
You like tracking bodyweight exercises. The app doesn’t log non-dumbbell moves like push-ups or planks, for some reason.View Deal
Also consider
SelectTech 552 A more budget-friendly alternative with a similar 2kg-24kg range. The dial system is smooth and easy to use, but you miss out on the smart features.
Kabata Smart Dumbbells Like Technogym’s offering, these smart dumbbells use AI to automatically adjust to your fitness and strength levels, ensuring you’re lifting the right amount of resistance. And for a much lower cost. However, with a 27kg maximum weight per dumbbell, they are just as limited when compared to other options on the market. View Deal
JaxJox DumbbellConnect (£599) These smart dumbbells offer app-based tracking like Technogym but they max out at an even lower 22kg. Good for casual users, but limited for heavier training.
I tested the Technogym Connected Dumbbells over a few weeks, throwing them into my regular workout routines. This meant squats, lunges, and chest presses to push the weight range to its limits. I paired them with the Technogym app to see how well the tracking and AI coaching worked, manually comparing the app’s data with my own counts. I also used the optional Strength Corner stand to keep things organized and explored its extra features. Durability and ease of use were put to the test during high-intensity sessions.
GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulb: two-minute review
The GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulbs are a fantastic addition for anyone looking to add some smart and (per the name) dynamic lighting to their smart homes. While GE offers all sorts of different lighting options, the smart bulbs comes in two versions: A19 and B30. The first, reviewed here, fits into most traditional light fixtures, while the B30 is ideal for recessed lighting.
You don’t need a hub for the GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulbs, so adding them into a smart home is pretty straightforward. That said, they are limited to certain ecosystems – a minor travesty in this day and age where Matter certification is becoming more widely adopted.
Overall though, the GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulbs belong in the conversation for the best smart lights due to, not only their easy implementation, but the wide range of colors and effects on offer.
The A19 bulbs fit most standard light fixtures (Image credit: James Holland)
Physically, the GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulbs look like most smart bulbs in that they keep the same basic shape of the bulb form factor. The outer part of the bulb is an opaque white while the lower portion towards the base is covered in a matte white casing presumably covering the more digital components of the bulb.
The A19 version reviewed here is on par with a 60 watt light bulb ,offering 800 lumens in terms of brightness with a color temperature of 2,700k. Since this is a bulb with a focus on dynamic lighting, there are 16 million colors and white tones available, and the brightness can be fully adjusted.
The GY Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulbs offer 16 million colors to choose from, and different temperatures of white light (Image credit: James Holland)
Likewise, pairing the light bulb is very easy and straightforward, consisting of physically installing the bulb, turning on the lamp, and going through the setup prompts on the Cync app. Having dealt with a number of smart bulbs over the years, I have found that cheaper ones (aka budget brands) can have connectivity issues during pairing and sometimes even during use.
The GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects bulb might be a little spendy compared to other models, but its connectivity is rock solid. In fact, the closest I‘ve had to any issue is a second or two of lag when turning off through the app, but that’s only if the light’s been on for a while.
Setting up the bulbs using the mobile app is refreshingly straightforward (Image credit: James Holland)
I also tested it with Alexa The setup took just a few steps, and Alexa responded quickly to my voice commands. Unfortunately, this smart bulb only has access to Google Home and Alexa. While that accounts for a good number of smart home ecosystems, it leaves plenty of people in the cold, something that Matter certification would help with, and which isn't on offer here. What’s surprising is that GE does have some Matter-supported bulbs, such as in the reveal and direct connect models.
The GE Cycle Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulbs work with Alexa and Google Assistant, but not Apple HomeKit (Image credit: James Holland)
Most of the magic for this smart bulb is accessible via the app. Each installed light bulb shows up as its own entry in the app, and shows up as a boxy tile with an on/off toggle and a slider to adjust brightness. Tapping the tile doesn’t open more menu diving as one would expect. Instead, you’ll end up turning the light on or off depending on its current setting.
To dig deeper, there’s a little inward pointing arrow at the edge of the icon that, when pressed, moves the tile to the side to reveal four smaller icons. The first gives access to a color wheel where you can really fine-tune the color you want. If there aren’t 16 million colors available here, then it’s probably close. There are some other options in this section of the app where you can just select some preset lighting including different shades of white and some basic colors.
The app allows you to set a color for the whole bulbs, or divide it into sections (Image credit: James Holland)
I won’t say shame on you if you stick to these settings, but you’re missing out on what this light bulb can do if you don’t go beyond that. The second of the four smaller icons allows you to subdivide the lightbulb into four differently colored sections for when you want to get a little wild, but still want static lighting.
The third icon is probably the most unique to the GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulb as this is where the actual dynamic effects are available. First, it should be noted that the dynamic effects are subdivided into two sections of effects, selectable by pressing on ‘light shows’ or ‘music shows’ at the bottom.
Whichever is selected will show a number of presets already loaded onto the bulb, as well as a section of other presets to explore and preview that can be downloaded as well. All the dynamic effects can be customized, though the level of customization depends on the effect itself. Usually, you can change the brightness and selected colors used (many of the presets cycle through different colors for their effects) at the minimum.
The bulb's 'light shows' are a fun addition, and all dynamic effects are customizable (Image credit: James Holland)
The light shows are fun, but are a bit more static than the music shows, which use the microphone on your smartphone (and you can select the sensitivity) to respond to aural stimulus. It’s really cool to see the smart bulb change color and intensity according to the dynamics of a song. The only minor issue is that it responds much better with the volume up. So, when I have a music show effect loaded and am listening to music at a comfortable level that one could talk over, the effect only seems to respond to the peaks of the audio and is off otherwise. To get the full experience, I have to turn up. While cool, I have to consider my neighbors when choosing to turn it up.
Lastly, the fourth icon is for settings. While I won’t spend too much time on this, it’s worth mentioning that there’s a feature here called ‘Trueimage’ that lets you take a picture to set as the background of the smart bulb tile, and preview changes even if you're not in the same room.
TrueImage is a tool that lets you preview changes to the color of your smart bulbs even when you're in a different room (Image credit: James Holland)
The Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulb looks great, whether on a white light setting – regardless of the warmth (I do like to go warmer) – or one of the dynamic effects with its full color array.
Really, the only shortcomings of this light bulb is the lack of Matter support. While somewhat expensive on a per-bulb basis, it’s not an unreasonable price. And, the dynamic effects are worth the cost.
GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulb: specs
GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulb: price and availability
Prices start at $19.99 (about £20 / AU$40)
Available now
Available in the US and Canada
Getting a two-pack of the A19 size direct from GE will run you $37.99, while a single bulb costs $19.99 MSRP. Their availability is limited to the US and Canada, as they unfortunately do not work in the UK or Australia. The B30 is priced very similarly with a single bulb, though it’s listed at a range from around $17 to $26 depending on the retailer.
Pricewise, the GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulbs are a little on the higher end, considering that a two-pack of the Govee Wi-Fi LED Bulb goes for $23.99 / £23.39. Of course, there are some trade-offs, particularly the fact that the Govee’s brightness and the app design could be better.
However, $20 a bulb is not an inappropriate price point. Nanoleaf Matter Essentials costs $19.99 / £19.99 / AU$39.99 for an A19 bulb. While Nanoleaf’s app is a bit buggy compared to the rock-solid setup of the GE Cync, it does come with Matter certification is more universal in application.
Should you buy the GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulb?
Buy it if
You want dynamic effects
The dynamic effects available here are a treat, especially the ones that respond to audio, and set it apart from the competition. Get enough of these and you could probably throw your own rave.
You want easy connectivity
This smart bulb is incredibly easy to set up and use, not to mention that its connectivity is rock solid.
Don't buy it if
You don’t want to spend too much
At about $20 per bulb, the GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulb is on the pricier end. If you’re trying to stretch your budget (maybe you’re trying to get a bunch of bulbs), there are plenty of smart bulbs that are much more affordable.
GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulb: also consider
Govee Wi-Fi LED Bulb
If you’re on a budget, the Govee Wi-Fi LED Bulb might be the way to go. Sure, the colors could be a little brighter and the app could be better designed, but you can get two Govee bulbs for almost the price of one GE Cync smart bulb. The Govee likewise supports Google Home and Alexa.
The Nanoleaf Matter Essentials might need a hub for Apple HomeKit, but it's Matter-certified, meaning that you can use it with any smart home ecosystem. If you have something outside of Google Home or Alexa, that immediately puts it above the GE Cync bulbs. On the flip side, their setup is not quite as rock solid as the GE Cync’s.
How I tested the GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulbs
Tested over a couple weeks
Tested all the different features including multiple dynamic effects
Used with a voice assistant
I spent a couple weeks using the GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Smart Bulbs to get an idea of how they function against how they’re advertised and to see if they’re worth the price. I tested the various presets, from static colors to various dynamic effects. I even connected it with Alexa to see how it would work with a voice assistant.
After having tested the GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Smart Bulbs, I found them to be ideal for those who want a little extra from smart lighting, particularly those engrossing dynamic effects.
I’ve spent the last few years reviewing all sorts of gadgets from audio equipment and robot vacuums to laptops and more with a detailed eye on whether the product works as advertised and is beneficial to those who might be interested in it. For more details, see how we test, rate, and review at TechRadar.
The international version of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A36 ran Geekbench back in October, and today the same happened but with the US-bound model. This confirms that the A36 will be sold in the US, and also confirms the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 SoC that the phone will use.
The prototype tested this time around came with 6GB of RAM, but more options could be offered upon launch. It managed a single-core score of 967 and a multi-core score of 2,750 in Geekbench 6.3.0.
The device will run Android 15 out of the box, which means we're probably still many weeks away from its launch,...
The Asus ROG Phone 9 and ROG Phone 9 Pro were unveiled back in November, with the US launch planned for January 2025. Well, here we are in January 2025, and the two flagship smartphones have now finally become available in the US.
The recommended pricing is $999.99 for the ROG Phone 9, $1,199.99 for the ROG Phone 9 Pro, and $1,499.99 for the ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition. Currently, Asus' online store has a $100 off deal on the ROG Phone 9, bringing its price down to $899.99. It's unclear how long this introductory deal will last, however.
The ROG Phone 9 comes with a 6.78-inch LTPO...
Dreame Technologies hasn’t been around long but, since its inception in 2017, the brand has made some excellent robot vacuums, including the Dreame L20 Ultra. The X40 Ultra succeeds the older model (as well as the X30 Ultra), bringing much-improved intelligence and tracking compared to lesser bots, as well as a fairly unique collection of features. For those who want something slightly cheaper, it's well worth checking out our Dreame L40 Ultra review.
Like most robovacs, the X40 Ultra handles both vacuuming and mopping and comes with a base station that empties the robovac’s dustbin, dispenses water, and cleans the mopping system. Where it stands out is the ability to leave the mop pads behind when vacuuming, the automatic dispensing of floor-cleaning fluid, the wide array of sensors, and the ability to recognize a large number of objects using its cameras.
Getting the X40 Ultra up and running is relatively simple, and upon first activation, it will map your home with an array of sensors. The test space for this review was my own home with a built-in area of 80 sqm, and it took the bot about 10 minutes to poke its robotic nose into every room. The quality of the resulting map is excellent, and any adjustments are easy to make within the Dreamehome app. The X40 is great at identifying and avoiding obstacles like shoes or cables and can even recognize your pets and give them space when cleaning. While very functional overall, the app can be a little clunky at times, like lack of consistency in how navigation gestures work, and a convoluted layout to reach certain settings.
If activating a scheduled or single-time clean, selecting CleanGenius mode lets the robovac use its own smarts to decide exactly what is needed, and it will vacuum, mop, and go back over areas as it sees fit. While the results were good, I found the robovac went a bit overboard and wanted to mop my polished wooden floors every day. Instead, I set a schedule for a daily vacuum and reduced mopping to once a week. I also configured shortcuts in the app to trigger custom cleanups, like an extra vacuum or mop by the front or back door for when my dog walked in with muddy paws.
The X40 Ultra is equipped with an extendable and liftable side brush for getting into corners and under furniture, plus dual spinning mop pads – one of which can also protrude further out as needed. The mop pads are magnetically attached, so the bot can leave them behind at the base station when vacuuming carpets, avoiding any chance of spreading damp mop water or contamination.
(Image credit: Dreame)
After three months of daily use, it’s hard to find fault with the vacuuming prowess of the X40. It works equally well on hard floors, carpets, or rugs, and the extendable brush does a great job of getting into corners and cleaning debris from along walls. The spinning extendable mops are likewise very effective, and the X40 Ultra can keep your floors shiny or quickly get rid of sticky messes. It also very thoroughly cleans the mop pads with hot water – then dries them with hot air – to avoid odors. Overall, the wearing parts on the X40 Ultra (like the mop pads, filters, and corner brush) are fairly robust and don’t need to be replaced too often.
Importantly, it has pet feces detection – and it really does work – which allows the robovac to spot and avoid any accidents, ensuring you won’t come home to a horror show of smeared messes. It can also detect wet patches, so it won’t spread or vacuum over any puddles it encounters.
As great as the robot itself is, the suction on the auto-empty station is a bit weak. I found I had to change the bag more often than expected – and these can get quite expensive. The X40 Ultra itself is not cheap – it’s one of the more expensive models on the market – but when you compare the actual technology and features included, it provides decent value overall.
(Image credit: Future)
Dreame X40 Ultra review: Price and availability
How much does it cost? Starting from $1,899 / £1,299 / AU$2,799
When is it available? Available to buy now
Where can you get it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia
The Dreame X40 Ultra was announced in May 2024 and can be bought directly from the Dreame website if your country has a local online storefront or from authorized local retailers, which can include Amazon. It has a rather steep asking price of $1,899 / £1,299 / AU$2,799 and, so far, has only attracted modest discounts. That said, it shouldn’t be too long before we start seeing worthwhile discounts, which would make the X40 Ultra worth investing in if you want a complete and autonomous cleaning solution for your floors.
However, using the X40 Ultra will incur ongoing costs, specifically the replaceable dust bags. I’ve included the accessories pricing below for the US, UK, and Australia. Notably the Dreame website doesn’t sell the side brush in the US, or the brush cover in Australia. You can also get a kit that contains 2x dust bags, 2x dust filters, 1x main brush, 2x side brushes, 6x mop pads – rather useless ratios of these consumables as they don’t match the usage rates.
For households like mine that have people (or pets) with long hair, Dreame sells an optional TriCut brush that’s designed to shred hair and avoid tangles and clogs. This upgrade does a much better job at keeping hair from tangling compared to the standard brush, and I think it’s well worth the added $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$199.95 – though Aussie buyers pay a very steep premium compared to the US and UK.
If you don’t need all the features offered by the X40 Ultra, or have a simple home layout with few obstacles, then a cheaper robovac like the Dreame L10s Ultra or D10 Plus may be a better buy. You can also opt for options from Ecovacs, with some models like the Ecovacs Deebot N10 Plus ($649.99 / £499 / AU$999) and Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni ($1,099.99 / £951.65 / AU$1,799) offering good value for money.
The X40 Ultra has a fairly standard design and complements the typical round robovac form factor with a base station for charging, dustbin emptying, floor-cleaner dispensing, mop washing and drying – plus containers for clean and dirty mop water. In the box, you get the robovac itself (including mop pads), the base station, two dust bags, a cleaning tool, and 200ml (6.7 ounces) of floor-cleaning solution. Setting it up is very easy – the base station needs the ramp attached, but otherwise, it’s ready to go once plugged in and charged. After installing the app, you scan a QR code on the robovac, and it walks you through the rest of the process in just a few minutes.
The base station is tall (60cm / 24-inches) but relatively skinny (35cm / 14-inches) and only needs 5cm (2 inches) of clearance on each side. The dust bag and floor cleaner dispenser are hidden under a front-opening cover on the dock, while the mop water is accessed from under a hatch on the top – meaning it’s not suited for placement under a bench. Dreame will also soon release an optional kit to allow the base station to be plumbed into a fresh-water supply and a waste-water outlet, enabling the mop water changes to be fully automatic. The availability of this kit is to be confirmed.
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The robovac sports a multitude of sensors to help navigate your home, ensure the best clean, and avoid any pets or places where it could get stuck. The front of the bot has two cameras (one infrared), as well as 3D Dual-Line Laser sensors and LED headlights. The underside has a carpet sensor, along with downward-facing cliff sensors to detect steps or other drops. The sides of the robovac have edge sensors, and on top, it features a microphone and a laser distance sensor (LDS). All these work together to allow the bot to recognize over 120 different types of objects – including obstacles like cables that could cause a tangle when vacuuming.
The X40 Ultra offers four suction levels – Quiet, Standard, Turbo, Max, and Max+ – with up to a very high 12,000Pa of pull. Notably, the highest suction level (Max+) is only available for a one-off clean and can’t be used with a schedule or a customized shortcut clean. This means the full advertised suction (up from the X30 Ultra’s 8,300Pa) feels like marketing spin, rather than an actually useful upgrade.
The robovac can extend its side brush to get deep into corners, clean along edges or under the lip of low furniture – and even lift it to avoid spreading liquids. The bot can also magnetically drop and pick up the mop pads from the base station, giving it extra cleaning flexibility. While the bot can lift the pads when vacuuming carpet, the clearance is 10.5mm (0.4 inches), so for deeper carpet piles or rugs, leaving the mop pads behind ensures there’s no chance of dampness or cross-contamination. The right-hand side mop pad is also extendable – meaning the X40 Ultra can reach into corners, mop along the edges of kitchen cabinets, or even clean a little way under the edge of low appliances like a fridge.
Design score: 4 / 5
Dreame X40 Ultra review: Performance
Somewhat noisy at full power
Amazing obstacle recognition
Weak base station automatic emptying
Overall, the X40 Ultra does a very thorough job of vacuuming and mopping – and aside from picking up larger debris by hand and the occasional spot clean, I didn’t have to do any extra floor cleaning myself. The robovac has a CleanGenius mode that lets it choose the cleaning parameters for you – though I found it mopped much too frequently, and I preferred using the scheduled cleaning function (as well as shortcuts) to create my own customized cleaning regime.
The X40 Ultra isn’t especially fast, and during my testing, it took around 1 minute per square meter when vacuuming, and takes about the same amount of time to mop. That said, it can vacuum and mop at the same time if needed, which allows for a quicker cleaning run. The 6,400mAh battery is rated to provide up to 198 minutes of vacuuming and mopping at Standard suction strength, covering up to an area of 308m² (3,315ft²) in Quiet mode. It’s a little frustrating that Dreame rates the runtime and area coverage at different vacuum power levels – the exact amount of coverage per charge depends on your specific home and cleaning settings. During my testing, the X40 Ultra was able to vacuum my small 80m² two-bedroom home at Max suction level, then do a full mop, and still have 80% charge remaining. Extrapolating from that, I think it will have no trouble cleaning up to 200m² per charge.
Overall performance score: 4 / 5
Mapping and obstacle avoidance
After setup, the X40 created a very accurate map of my home – with no adjustments needed in the app aside from giving rooms specific names. When vacuuming, the array of sensors and cameras does a great job of spotting anything on the floor, and it’s especially careful to stay clear of anything that might cause a tangle – like shoelaces or cords. Handily, the bot records a picture (viewable in the app) of any obstacle it encounters, making it easy to move it before the next clean.
The X40 Ultra has the smarts to recognize your pets (in my case, just the paws of a Great Dane) and will keep clear if it spots them snoozing. It records a few pictures of any interactions – viewable in the cleaning log via the app – so you can see how your pet reacts to the vacuum. It’s also possible to set up zones for the robovac to stay out of, like around a pet's bed or feeding area. Even more importantly, the robovac can recognize any pet droppings and will steer well clear when cleaning. My dog doesn’t make any messes at home, so I faked a test using food, and the X40 Ultra had no trouble identifying the fake feces and dutifully stayed well clear.
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Using the app, you can also stream live video from the robovac’s main camera while it’s working, or take over and remotely steer it – though this can be a bit laggy. You can also command the bot to navigate to a specific spot in your home, use it to have a two-way conversation, or even have it automatically search for your pets and snap a picture.
Impressively, the robovac only got stuck twice in three months of testing – and both times were my fault. The first time was because it half-ingested a USB-C cable I had knocked down next to the base station, and the second was from vacuuming up a loose tile in my (very old) bathroom. In both cases, no damage was caused, as the bot knew it was stuck and waited patiently until freed.
Overall, the X40 Ultra did an amazing job of navigating my home and had no problem cleaning around always-changing obstacles – big and small – left in its way. It’s a great choice for anyone with a busy, complex home, or if you don’t want to have to worry about picking every last thing up from the floor before cleaning.
Mapping and obstacle avoidance score: 4.5 / 5
Vacuuming
I tested the X40 on polished wooden floors, as well as tiles and rugs. Aside from vacuuming every day for three months, I also performed a number of specific tests to gauge how effective the robovac is at cleaning up a variety of spills and debris types. I used flour, sand, rice, oats, dry dog food, and some dry leaves – scattered in a corner on hard floors and then on a short-pile rug.
Whether on carpet or hard floors, the flour, rice, oats, and leaves were 90% (or more) cleaned up after one pass – and fully gone after two. The dry dog food was all sucked up in one go, while the sand took three passes to capture it all (although a few grains remained on the rug). Importantly, the X40 Ultra’s side brush is relatively slow-spinning, so it doesn’t tend to flick any material away from the vacuum. Anything larger than about 10mm x 8mm (0.4 inches x 0.3 inches) will generally be recognized and avoided by the robovac, as it could get stuck behind the main brush.
I found that the standard vacuum level is fine for picking up pet fur, dust, and light debris on hard floors – but needs to be bumped up to Turbo or Max for carpets. The higher suction modes were also best for sand, heavier dirt, or chunkier debris like oats and dry dog food. This means a daily vacuum in the standard mode with a single pass will capture almost all the lighter debris in your home, but may leave a small amount of heavier debris behind. This isn’t much of a problem, as you can customize scheduled cleans on a room-by-room basis to accommodate different needs.
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On lower suction levels, the sound isn’t too intrusive – and could be set to vacuum overnight – but with the suction turned up, the noise level is not far off a stick vacuum. Measuring at 1 meter (3.3 feet) with a decibel meter, the bot produced 43 dB on Quiet, 46 dB on Standard, 51 dB on Turbo, 55 dB on Max, and 60 dB on Max+. When the robovac is driving without vacuuming, it produces 41 dB, while mopping sits at 35 dB most of the time – with occasional peaks up to 45 dB when moving fast. The base station emptying the robovac dustbin hits 57 dB, while mop washing is 33 dB with peaks up to 50 dB when the water pump runs. These results are normal, but not particularly quiet – so you'll want to position the base station away from living areas where you relax or watch TV.
My home has two people who shed a lot of long hair, and in my testing, the side brush stayed relatively tangle-free – as did the main wheels and mop pads. The front roller does slowly collect hair – as does the main brush – though the TriCut brush (which is available to buy separately) is much better in this regard. Thankfully, both these areas are very easy to maintain, and the X40 Ultra’s design keeps the hair from getting sucked deeper into the inaccessible innards of the robovac.
Vacuuming score: 4.5 / 5
Mopping
I’m not a frequent mopper at the best of times, so I started my X40 Ultra’s testing with a deep clean – then reduced the mopping frequency to once a week – and my floors have never looked better! I found it handy to turn on an extra mopping schedule during wet weather, so areas near the front and back door were kept clean of muddy shoe and paw prints.
Like its side brush, the X40 Ultra can also extend the mop pad on the right side, and I found the robovac easily cleaned areas where a handheld mop struggled to reach. The automatically dispensed cleaning solution (a bottle is supplied in the box) also helped cut through grime in a way that robovacs using plain water can’t manage.
To further test the mopping ability, I spilled two puddles of soy sauce – one of which I allowed to dry – and also smeared wasabi paste and sticky honey on a section of tiled and wooden floor. I found that the liquid soy sauce was cleaned away in a single pass, while the thick, dried soy took two passes to remove. A third pass was needed to get the floor squeaky clean. The wasabi paste and honey both took two mopping passes to fully clean up, leaving no trace behind.
The bot washed the mop pads between each test – removing any contamination from previous cleanups. That said, the X40 Ultra is not designed to mop more than a small amount of liquid, as the pads are meant for scrubbing, not sponging.
The only issue I noticed is that the strong magnet in the mop pads (used to attach them to the vacuum) tends to pick up tiny particles of magnetic dirt. It’s normal for some dirt to be slightly magnetic (due to iron content), and this accumulates on the plastic spindle of the mop pads. The mop washing process doesn’t remove this dirt – in fact, it increases wear on the base station – and the slightly rusty residue can stain the mop pads or potentially other flooring during mopping. To avoid this, regularly wipe away any residue remaining on middle of the mop pads.
Mopping score: 4.5 / 5
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Dual scrubbing mop pads.
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The mop pads can be left behind in the base station.
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One mop pad can extend out to reach into corners and under the edge of furniture.
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The magnetic mop pad attachment can accumulate iron rich dirt.
Base station performance
Dreame rates the 3.2-liter (108 oz) dust bag in the base station for up to 75 days of use – but how long it lasts for you will depend on how large or dirty your home gets. The robovac itself has a 0.3-liter (10 oz) dust bin that is emptied by the base station as needed when full, or it can be set to empty after every room.
While I was impressed with the suction on the bot itself, the base station suction is weaker than expected. I found it didn’t always manage to fully empty the bin in the robovac, leaving debris to build up if not manually cleaned. Worse, despite all its smarts, the robovac couldn’t sense when the base station had not successfully emptied its bin – or tell that it was clogged and not vacuuming effectively. That meant it would often do an entire home vacuum while clogged and not pick up anything.
Even when the base station successfully empties the robovac’s dust bin, the low suction means the debris tends to form a clog right at the mouth of the dust bag. This clog would further reduce the suction, worsening the emptying problem. I found the situation could be somewhat alleviated by setting the base station’s auto-emptying frequency to the highest setting and occasionally manually triggering an extra empty cycle. It also helped to ensure the dust bags were very carefully installed with no folds of fabric near the inlet – or to occasionally manually shift the collected debris further into the bag. Even so, I needed to change the bags well before they were full, and I found they only lasted half as long as the 75-day rating from Dreame.
This is the main reason I would find it hard to recommend the X40 Ultra for a household with pets that shed hair (like golden retrievers or huskies) or one with a lot of debris to vacuum up – as the base station suction just isn’t powerful enough to ensure problem-free operation and economical use of the dust bags.
On the plus side, the mop washing system works very well, and I only encountered one minor downside during my testing. The base station heats water and dispenses it into the washing system, then circulates it against the mop pads while the robovac spins the mop pads against plastic scrubbers to remove any contamination. The used water is then sucked out and stored in the dirty water container, and the mop pads and cleaning system are dried using hot air to avoid any odors. The washing process is a little noisy at time, like when the pumps runs, and the drying fan does make a quiet whir for a few hours.
Base station performance score: 3 / 5
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Dreame X40 Ultra review: App control
Deep customization of scheduled cleans
Homescreen widgets and shortcuts
The app is sometimes laggy and feels unpolished
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While the X40 Ultra can be controlled in a limited way using the buttons on top of the circular bot, the app is the best option for everyday use. It makes it easy to interact with the map of your home – created immediately after setup and updated during each clean – and allows you to customize cleaning sessions. The depth of control is noticeably better than competitors such as Ecovacs, and you can fine-tune much of the robot’s day-to-day operations, as well as check the comprehensive cleaning history.
I found the layout and navigation of the app frustrating at times. For example, many frequently used options – like adjusting scheduled cleans – are buried a few layers deep in the menu system, and such settings are locked out when the robovac is in operation.
In my three months of testing, the X40 Ultra only failed to start a scheduled clean once (with no discernible reason) and completed the next day's clean without a problem. The robovac will only connect to a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network, and I found it sometimes had issues with a typical dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) mesh network – like you’d find in our guide to the best mesh Wi-Fi systems. At one point, the X40 didn’t want to connect to my network, and a few times it reported low signal strength despite being right near the router. I found it much more stable to configure a dedicated 2.4GHz Wi-Fi SSID for the robovac to connect to.
While the Dreamehome app is less polished than expected for such a premium robovac, it’s not better or worse overall compared to the competition. Sure, brands like Ecovacs and Eufy offer apps that are nicer to use in many ways – but neither provides the same depth of control options, and they still suffer from lag and the occasional missed clean.
App score: 4 / 5
Dreame X40 Ultra review: Consumables and maintenance
The X40 Ultra comes with everything you need to get started right away, but there are only two dust bags included, along with one small refill of floor cleaning fluid. This means you need to either buy spare bags when purchasing the vacuum, or order them within a month or two. The X40 Ultra consumables (main vacuum brush, mop pads, floor cleaning solution, vacuum bags, side brush and robovac dust bin filters) are mostly only available via the Dreame website in the UK and Australia, whereas in the US they are easier to buy from Amazon than they are from Dreame.
The Dreame app keeps track of each cleaning session and provides an estimated remaining life (in hours) for the consumables and wearing parts. The estimates generally seem quite conservative, and I expect many parts – like the main brush – will last longer than rated and need less frequent changing than expected. Maintenance for the Dreame X40 Ultra is fairly simple and takes about 10 minutes a month. It’s not messy or difficult to do and mostly involves giving the robovac a check-over, dusting off the sensors, and removing any trapped hair if needed. The latter involves removing the main or side brush and simply sliding the wrapped hair off – and I didn’t have to cut any free during my testing.
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Extrapolating my three months of testing to a full year, and using the remaining life estimates in the Dreame app, the X40 Ultra consumables include 10 to 12 dust bags, one filter, one side brush, a container of floor cleaner, one set of replacement mop pads, and one replacement TriCut brush – adding up to around $200 / £163 / AU$500. For a larger home, this cost could easily double or triple. Notably, in Australia (where the X40 Ultra was tested for this review), the TriCut brush is 170% more expensive compared to the US and UK – so using the normal brush saves AU$150 a year.
While using the official Dreame accessories is recommended, there are third-party consumables available from online retailers like eBay and Amazon. The best are nearly indistinguishable from the official Dreame parts, while the worst are of very poor quality and won’t work correctly. Until Dreame offers affordable bulk packs of dust bags, it’s hard to pass on third-party alternatives – provided you can find good-quality ones.
Consumables and maintenance score: 3.5 / 5
Should I Buy the Dreame X40 Ultra?
Buy it if…
You want a premium robovac with the latest features There are very few competitors that can come close to matching the extensive functionality offered by the X40 Ultra.
You need excellent obstacle avoidance The X40 Ultra is very skilled at avoiding anything that might cause it to get stuck, as well as cleaning around obstacles or even accidents from your pets.
You have deep pile carpets The X40 Ultra’s party trick is being able to leave the mop pads at the base station, allowing it to vacuum through the plushest of carpets with zero chance of dampness or cross contamination.
Don’t buy it if…
You have pets that shed more than average The robovac itself is great at picking up fur and other debris, but the base station auto-empty system lacks suction and the bag needs to be changed before it’s full to avoid clogging.
You only have carpet The X40 Ultra does a fantastic job of mopping and keeping its mop pads clean, but if you don’t have much in the way of hard floors, you’ll save a lot of cash opting for a cheaper vacuum-only robovac.
You want a cheaper option The X40 Ultra is great, but it’s also one of the most expensive robovacs available. For those on a budget, there are plenty of other great options at more affordable prices.
Also consider
Not sold on the Dreame X40 Ultra? 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 X40 Ultra 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 reviewView Deal
Eufy Omni S1 Pro One of the few robovacs that can compete directly with the X40 Ultra, the Eufy Omni S1 Pro is a feature packed robovac with an innovative rolling cylinder mopping system. Read our full Eufy Omni S1 Pro reviewView Deal
Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo While not as good at dodging cables as the Dreame X40 Ultra, the Deebot T30S Comboi stands out with a stick vacuum that slots into the base station, keeping it ready to go for any extra cleanup. Read our full Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo reviewView Deal
How I tested the Dreame X40 Ultra
I used the X40 Ultra as my main vacuum cleaner for three months
My testing space included hard floors and carpet
I performed specific grain-size and wet-spill tests
I used the Dreame X40 Ultra daily for three months in a home with a dog and two adults. I tested the X40 Ultra on 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 CleanGenius mode and 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 such as corners to assess the robovac’s effectiveness in daily use.
During my testing period, I changed the base station vacuum bag three times, manually cleaned the mop cleaning system in the base station, and performed the full range of maintenance checks.
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