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Acer Veriton GN100 AI mini PC workstation – another AI development system using the same Nvidia Grace Blackwell foundations

10:20 am | February 14, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets | Tags: AI, ARM, PC | Comments: Off

I’m not going to get to have the Acer Veriton GN100 for long, so this is more of a hands-on discussion than an actual review.

My first reaction, out of the box, to the Acer Veriton GN100 is that it all seems remarkably familiar. An elegant mini-PC style case with a car-grill aesthetic, a selection of USB-C ports alongside a 10GbE LAN port and the mercurial NVIDIA ConnectX-7 SmartNIC.

While it’s physically a little smaller, the ports on this machine are identical to those on the ASUS Ascent GX10, as both brands followed Nvidia’s Blackwell system plan exactly.

The only significant difference is that where the Asus provided access to the single M.2 NVMe drive that was installed, the Acer Veriton GN100 is an entirely sealed unit, where whatever storage it has can’t be replaced or upgraded.

Inside is the same Nvidia DGX Spark Personal AI Supercomputer built around the ARM v9.2-A CPU and Blackwell GPU integrated silicon. This, when combined with 128GB of LPDDR5 memory and 4TB of NVMe storage, is collectively called the GB10 platform.

This is a remarkably powerful platform that has uses in data science, medical image analysis, robotics and AI model development. To be clear, this isn’t a Windows PC, and an understanding of Linux is required to use it.

As the specification suggests, this isn’t an inexpensive item, starting at $2999 for the US-supplied hardware, but £3999.99 in Europe. For those who want a highly compact and efficient development environment, especially for AI, the Acer Veriton GN100 is an option, but it isn’t the only machine available using the same platform.

Acer Veriton GN100: Price and availability

How much does it cost? From $3000, £4000
When is it out? Available now
Where can you get it? Available from Acer and online retailers

To avoid any confusion about specifications, Acer decided there would be only one SKU of the Veriton GN100, with 128GB of LPDDR5 and 4TB of storage.

Inexplicably, it costs £3999.99 direct from Acer in the UK, but only $2999.99 from Acer in the US. Why do we pay 82% more for an identical part when the UK doesn't tariff Taiwanese goods, Acer?

Also, this product doesn’t seem to be available elsewhere, so finding it cheaper on Amazon, for example, isn’t currently possible.

The alternatives built around the same platform are the ‘founders edition’ Nvidia DGX Spark Personal AI Supercomputer, ASUS Ascent GX10, Gigabyte AI TOP ATOM Desktop Supercomputer, and MSI EdgeXpert Desktop AI Supercomputer.

The Nvidia DGX Spark Personal AI Supercomputer, as the originator modestly calls it, undercuts the Veriton GN100 in the UK and costs £ 3699.98 for a system with 128GB of RAM and 4TB of storage. But, it’s more expensive for US customers, costing $3999 on Amazon.com.

The ASUS Ascent GX10 price on Amazon.com is $3088.94 for the 1TB storage SKU (GX10-GG0015BN), and $4,149.99 for the 4TB storage model (GX10-GG0016BN).

Even with the current price of M.2 modules, that is a remarkable price hike for the extra storage capacity.

For UK customers, the 1TB ASUS Ascent GX10 model price is £3713.02, but I found it via online retailer SCAN for a tempting £2799.98. SCAN also carries a 2TB option for $3199.99 and the 4TB model for £3638.99.

The Gigabyte AI TOP ATOM Desktop Supercomputer 4TB model sells for £3479.99 from SCAN in the UK, and can be found on Amazon.com for $3999.

And the final model with the same spec as most is the MSI EdgeXpert Desktop AI Supercomputer, selling for £3,598.99 from SCAN in the UK, and $3998.01 on Amazon.com for US customers.

The conclusion is that the US price is difficult to beat, whereas the European pricing is wildly out of what competitors are charging for this technology.

Acer Veriton GN100: Specs

Item	Spec
CPU:	ARM v9.2-A CPU (GB10) (20 ARM cores, 10 Cortex-X925, 10 Corex-A725)
GPU:	NVIDIA Blackwell GPU (GB10, integrated)
RAM:	128 GB LPDDR5x, unified system memory
Storage:	4TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD storage
Expansion:	N/A
Ports:	3x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C, 20Gbps, alternate mode (DisplayPort 2.1) 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C,with PD in(180W EPR PD3.1 SPEC) 1x HDMI 2.1 1x NVIDIA ConnectX-7 SmartNIC
Networking:	10GbE LAN, AW-EM637 Wi-Fi 7 (Gig+) , Bluetooth 5.4
OS:	Nvidia DGX OS (Ubuntu Linux)
PSU:	48V 5A 240W
Dimensions:	150 x 150 x 50.5 mm
Weight:	1.2kg

Item

Spec

CPU:

ARM v9.2-A CPU (GB10) (20 ARM cores, 10 Cortex-X925, 10 Corex-A725)

GPU:

NVIDIA Blackwell GPU (GB10, integrated)

RAM:

128 GB LPDDR5x, unified system memory

Storage:

4TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD storage

Expansion:

N/A

Ports:

3x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C, 20Gbps, alternate mode (DisplayPort 2.1)

1x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C,with PD in(180W EPR PD3.1 SPEC)

1x HDMI 2.1

1x NVIDIA ConnectX-7 SmartNIC

Networking:

10GbE LAN, AW-EM637 Wi-Fi 7 (Gig+) , Bluetooth 5.4

OS:

Nvidia DGX OS (Ubuntu Linux)

PSU:

48V 5A 240W

Dimensions:

150 x 150 x 50.5 mm

Weight:

1.2kg

Acer Veriton GN100: Design

Oversized NUC
Connect-7 scalability
Zero internal access

While the GN100 looks like an oversized NUC mini PC, at 1.2kg, it's heavy, although it is lighter than the ASUS Ascent GX10 by over 200g.

In order to drive the monster silicon inside, Acer included a Delta-made PSU that’s rated to 240W over USB-C.

All the ports are on the back of this system, and nothing is on the front, not even the power button, other than some visual styling and the Acer logo.

These include, identical to the ASUS Ascent GX10, four USB-C ports, one of which is required for the PSU to connect, a single 10GbE LAN port and a single HDMI 2.1 video out.

This arrangement enables a single monitor using HDMI, but additional ones using the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 ports in DP Alt mode, although one is exclusively needed to power the unit.

Why Nvidia chose USB 3.2 and not USB4 seems curious, since the models and data processed on this unit will eventually need to make it somewhere else, and the best networking on offer is 10GbE, which equals roughly 900MB/s transfer speeds.

And for those working on the hardware, the lack of any USB-A ports for mice or keyboards looks a bit silly.

However, this hardware is intended to be used ‘headless’ using a remote console, so perhaps that isn’t an issue in the greater scheme of things.

Where this design sheds any resemblance to PC hardware is with the inclusion of a ConnectX-7 Smart NIC, a technology acquired by Nvidia when it bought Mellanox Technologies Ltd, an Israeli-American multinational supplier of computer networking products based on InfiniBand and Ethernet.

In this context, ConnectX-7 is like those annoying cables that Nvidia used to make video cards work collectively, when they cared about video cards. Except that the capacity amount of bandwidth that can travel over ConnectX-7 is substantially more.

The port has two receptacles, with each capable of 100GbE, allowing 200GbE to flow between the GN100 and another, doubling the number of AI parameters from 200 billion in a single machine to 400 billion when buddied up to another.

Acer Veriton GN100: Features

ARM 20-core CPU
Grace Blackwell GB10
AI platforms compared

The Nvidia GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip marks a notable advancement in AI hardware, created through a partnership between Nvidia and ARM. It arises from the growing need for specialised computing platforms to keep pace with the rapid development and deployment of artificial intelligence models. Unlike a typical PC, the GB10 is designed around the ARM v9.2-A architecture, incorporating 20 ARM cores (10 Cortex-X925 and 10 Cortex-A725). This reflects a wider industry move towards ARM-based options, which are more power-efficient than PC processors, and potentially more scalable for AI tasks.

The capabilities of the GB10 are impressive. It combines a robust Nvidia Blackwell GPU with the ARM CPU, achieving up to a petaFLOP of AI performance with FP4 precision. This level of power is especially suitable for training and inference of large language models and diffusion models, which are fundamental to much of today’s generative AI. The system is further supported by 128GB of unified LPDDR5x memory, enabling it to handle demanding AI tasks efficiently.

The caveat to all this power and memory is that PC architectures aren’t designed to exploit them effectively, and Microsoft Windows memory management has long been an issue.

Therefore, to be efficient and communicate effectively with other nodes, the GB10 needs Ubuntu Linux, modified with NVIDIA’s DGX OS, to harness the platform's power and handle multi-node communications.

As I already mentioned, the GB10 delivers up to 1 petaFLOP at FP4 precision, ideal for quantised AI workloads. But that is still less than the multi-petaFLOP performance of NVIDIA’s flagship data centre chips, the Blackwell B200 or GB200.

However, where it goes toe-to-toe is in respect of power efficiency, since this node only consumes around 140W, which is much less than the Blackwell B200, which can consume between 1000W and 1200W per GPU. The GB200 combines two B200 chips and a Grace CPU, and the power demand can bloom to 2,700W. Although these systems might offer up to 20 Petabytes of performance, at around 19 times the power.

The balance here is that the GN100 can sit on your desk without needing any special services or environment, whereas the datacentre hardware needs a specialist location and services to ensure it doesn’t overheat or cause the local electricity network to fail.

In this respect, the GN100 and its counterparts represent the more realistic end of the AI wedge, but how useful they can be is dependent on what you are attempting to do, and if this much power is enough for your purposes.

Acer Veriton GN100: AI Reality Check

In my prior Asus GX10 coverage, I talked at length about AI, and how there are lots of people making a bet that it is the next big thing, and others who are much more critical of the technology and how it's developing.

I’m not going to rehash the obvious flaws of AI, or the lack of a path to address all of those, but I would strongly recommend researching before starting any AI endeavour and creating expectations that either can’t be met with current technology, or the power in this physically small computer.

What I can say is that recent AI releases have substantially improved over previous generations, but access to these advanced models, like ChatGPT 5.3 Codex and Claude 4.0, is ringfenced for paid subscribers using the Cloud.

Obviously, the beauty of a device like the GN100 is that you can download these models and run them on your own hardware, even if getting the most out of them requires them to be connected to the Internet to source information.

For those interested, running GPT-5.3-Codex on this hardware requires you to install Tailscale and a local inference engine like Ollama, pull the codex to the GN100 using the appropriate commands. Then you can open up an Open WebUI from another system, ideally, and use the model.

For anyone familiar with Linux, none of this is especially taxing. But to make it even easier, the ChatGPT team (or is that the AI?) has made a Codex App that does most of the legwork for you.

If you want to try something else, some models come in pre-prepared Docker Containers that can simply be installed and executed, making deployment remarkably straightforward.

When you first power the system up, you are presented with a web interface created for the Nvidia DGX Spark, and install VS Code, the DGX Dashboard with JupyterLab, Open WebUI with Ollama and Comfy UI.

To be clear, this isn’t like a Windows application install. You are given instructions as to the commands you need to execute, which install the tools and libraries that are needed. Those who don’t use Linux every day will find it a challenge, but eventually, even I managed to get almost everything working, at least enough to load models and create some output. Image generation was especially impressive, although some of the deep thinking models aren’t that responsive if you ask them something genuinely challenging.

Some people might assume that because the code for these models is being run locally on the GN100, the cost of a subscriber model should be cheaper. But I’ve not noticed that so far, you just get better performance and save the creators' electricity bill. What running a model on this hardware gives you is that you own the model, it can’t be removed from you, and there is the potential for you control the model, customising it in a specific and personal way.

For those exploring AI in a serious way its necessary to use the latest models, and that often has a cost implication, even if you own the hardware platform.

What you certainly don’t want to do is install some free model from a couple of years ago, and then be disappointed with the results. The steepness of the curve of development on models is extraordinary, and even versions of the best ones from six months ago have been overtaken by the latest releases.

For those working in this area, using modern AI is like trying to get onto a bus when they don’t stop or even slow down to allow passengers on or off. Being aware of where the model of interest is, and when it's been overtaken, is critical to not being completely out of date before the project is completed.

Acer Veriton GN100: Early verdict

NVIDIA decided to ship its Grace Blackwell technology in an entry-level form and created a blueprint for that in their NVIDIA DGX Spark Personal AI Supercomputer, its partners are delivering their versions, like the Acer Veriton GN100.

Other than the outer case and a few other small choices, it's debatable how much variation we’re likely to see between these machines. It’s not like the GPUs, where the partners get to design variations and even tweak the founders' editions for better performance.

Maybe if these become massively popular, then we might see more variation, like combining two systems in a single box, or blending the technology with DAS storage. But for now, this is where we are.

That said, the Acer version is perfectly serviceable, but when the specifications are so close its mostly about price. For Americans paying $2999 for the GN100, it's probably one of the cheapest options, and for those in Europe, oddly, it's one of the more expensive. Perhaps Acer can fix that for Europeans, but given the rising cost of RAM, it's more likely the USA will have to pay more.

The one weakness of this design is the lack of access to the SSD, and if that’s a deal breaker for you, some other machines do have that capability.

As ever, Acer has delivered a workable solution for demanding computing tasks, but what this brand can’t guarantee is the skills needed to make the most from their platform. Buyers need to appreciate that while the hardware offers more than ten times the AI processing of a high-end PC, making the most of what it can do requires a particular skill set.

For more compact computing, see our guide to the best mini PCs you can buy

I tested the Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro for two months — here’s why this classic portrait lens beats pricey first-party glass

4:00 am |

Author: admin | Category: Camera Lenses Cameras Computers Gadgets | Tags: AF | Comments: Off

Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro: one-minute review

I've had a busy time reviewing Viltrox lenses this year – including a range of primes such as the cheap and characterful 'body cap' 28mm f/4.5 lens, my dream reportage photography 35mm f/1.2 lens, the buttery bokeh-delivering 135mm f/1.8 LAB and the lightweight 50mm f/2 Air. Now, it's the turn of the AF 85mm F1.4 Pro.

It's designed for full-frame and is currently available for Sony and Nikon cameras only, with no word yet on an L-mount version (Fujifilm's X-mount is APS-C, and there's already an equivalent 56mm F1.2 Pro lens available). It's the first 'Pro' autofocus lens I've tested in Viltrox's range, which also includes the AF 50mm F1.4 and various APS-C lenses, including the 27mm F1.2 and 75mm F1.2 (for Sony E, Fujifilm X and Nikon Z).

In short, it's the classic portrait lens for pro photographers, with upper-body portraits and dreamy animal portraits (think cats and dogs) being its speciality. I also like the focal length for street photography.

Side barrel of the Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro lens in photographer's hand, outdoors and with bronze-colored ferns in the background — Just 15mm in length – Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5 is a true body-cap lens, with a much faster f/4.5 aperture than other such optics, including the Panasonic 26mm f/8. If you don't mind something a little larger and pricier, there are f/2.8 alternatives (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

In the hand, the Viltrox 85mm F1.4 Pro's rugged build quality is immediately evident – this is a weather-sealed metal lens, with a range of external controls for photo and video work, even if it lacks the digital display found in Viltrox's flagship 'LAB' lenses.

Image quality is top drawer in every regard, too, demonstrating everything you'd hope for in a portrait lens; detail is sharp, bokeh is smooth, lens distortions are minimal. And then comes the mic drop: this lens costs just $589 / £569 / AU$919 – that's a third of the price of Sony's 85mm F1.4 GM II, and almost half the price of Sigma's 85mm f1.4 Art DG DN. It's regularly on sale for less, too.

Surely we can forget these rival lenses then, and save a packet with the Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro instead? Not quite. At 800g and measuring 108.5mm in length, this is a hefty lens that's a fair bit heavier than rivals. If an 85mm f/1.4 lens is your workhorse optic, it could be well worth forking out extra for a lighter alternative.

Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro: price and availability

Available in Sony E and Nikon Z-mount versions
It costs $598 / £569 / AU$919
Viltrox regularly discounts its lenses – there's 15% off the AF 85mm F1.4 Pro at the time of writing

Viltrox's 'Pro' series, which includes the 85mm F1.4 lens, sits between its flagship 'LAB' series, and above its lightweight 'EVO' in terms of both price and quality. At $598 / £569 / AU$919, it's not a cheap lens by any means, and is the priciest of a trio of Viltrox 85mm lenses, with an f/1.8 and f/2 EVO also available. That said, the f/1.4 aperture is a better option, especially for pros who work in challenging situations, including indoors and low light.

The lens is currently available in Sony E and Nikon Z versions, but not L-mount or Canon RF (don't expect the latter – Canon has locked Viltrox out. But for reference, Canon's own 85mm F1.4L VCM costs 3x the price of Viltrox's, and for me is very similar).

A fairer comparison for value, then, is against Nikon and Sony's own 85mm lenses, plus lenses from other third parties such as Sigma. Nikon doesn't have a f/1.4 version in its range yet.

Here's how the Sony and Nikon-mount 85mm lenses stack up (spoiler alert – the Viltrox wins on value):

	Sony E mount	Nikon Z mount
Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro	$598 / £569 / AU$919	$598 / £569 / AU$919
Nikon Z 85mm F1.2 S	N/A	$2,999 / £2,799 / AU$4,749
NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S	N/A	$849 / £789 / AU$1,399
Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art	$1,319 / £979 / AU$1,596	N/A
Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II	$2,049 / £1,799 / AU$2,499	N/A
Sony FE 85mm F1.8	$649 / £499 / AU$949	N/A

Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro: specs

Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5 specs
Type:	Mid-telephoto prime
Mount:	Sony E, Nikon Z
Sensor:	Full-frame
Focal length:	85mm
Max aperture:	f/1.4
Minimum focus:	0.79m, 0.13x max magnification
Filter size:	77mm
Dimensions:	84.5 x 108.5mm
Weight:	28.2oz / 800g (lens only)

Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro: design

Durable, weather-sealed design, but prone to scratches
Around 25% heavier than alternatives
External controls suit photo and video work

Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro lens attached to a Nikon camera, mounted to a tripod outdoors and with bronze-colored ferns in the background — Tim Coleman

Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro lens in photographer's hand, outdoors and with bronze-colored ferns in the background — Tim Coleman

The Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro's build quality and design are clearly excellent, and remind me of Sony's current standard-focal-length GM lenses – and even more so of Canon's new range of hybrid 'VCM' lenses, which includes a triple-the-price 85mm F1.4L VCM. As mentioned, Viltrox isn't permitted to make Canon RF lenses, but I've used both the Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM and Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro, and I'm having a hard time spotting any meaningful differences, besides the Canon lens being 25% lighter.

There's a ridged aperture ring that can be set to clicked or smooth adjustments between aperture values, and which could host a follow-focus mechanism for cinematic manual focusing, equipping the Viltrox 85mm lens well for photo and video work. Elsewhere, there's an AF/MF switch, a custom button, plus a large focus ring – every control is beautifully dampened / smooth in operation.

A rear rubber seal confirms the weather-sealing, and you'll find a USB-C port within the metal rear mount, through which future firmware upgrades can be installed.

Viltrox supplies a chunky lens hood which easily screws on and off, while the lens accepts the common 77mm size of threaded filters.

There's a reassuring weight to the metal lens, although it's perhaps a little too weighty for its own good; at 800g it's around 25% heavier than the aforementioned Sony, Sigma and Canon equivalents. Measuring 108mm in length, it's similar in size to the Sony lens but bigger than Sigma's.

Despite its weight, I thought the balance between the Viltrox lens and mid-range Nikon camera, with which I was testing the lens, felt pretty good. I wouldn't want it any heavier or longer, but it just about sits within comfortable limits – and it would be an even better match with chunkier a Nikon Z8.

Over the course of two months with the lens I've managed to look after it, and it still looks pristine. However, I've tested other Viltrox lenses in other scenarios with less care, including the AF 35mm F1.2 LAB which has a similar finish, and they've proved to be prone to scratches. I'm not going to test that theory for the sake of it, but that's my word of warning.

Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro: Performance

11-blade rounded aperture with f/1.4 to f/16 range, capable of smooth bokeh
Speedy and reliable VCM autofocus
Extremely sharp between f/2 and f/8

Close-up of the Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro lens attached to a Nikon camera, mounted to a tripod outdoors and with bronze-colored ferns in the background, emphasis on the lens aperture blades — Tim Coleman

That big f/1.4 aperture is for sure a major selling point of the lens, especially when you consider that Viltrox already has two 85mm lenses for full-frame cameras in its range: the original 85mm f/1.8 and an 85mm f/2 EVO – the latter is the lightweight and affordable choice.

You can see how chunky the diameter of the lens is in the product gallery above, plus how big the lens aperture is through the range, with a generous 11-blades creating a circular aperture for attractive bokeh.

Like Canon's range of hybrid lenses, the Viltrox 85mm lens employs a Voice Coil Motor (VCM) which drives autofocus, and the result is snappy autofocus – it's quicker in my experience than Viltrox's pricier 135mm f/1.8 LAB.

Focusing is internal, meaning the lens size remains unchanged as it focuses, and that there are 'floating' lens elements inside. That means there's an unsettling rattling noise when moving the lens when it's not on the camera, or when the camera is not turned on. There's nothing to worry about here – that's totally normal, and it's the same with all such lenses. Those elements 'lock', and are ready to go for focusing when paired with a camera that's turned on.

Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro lens sample gallery: man in a blue beanie, with blurry bronze-colored ferns in the background — f/1.4Tim Coleman

Image quality impresses, truly. Detail is incredibly sharp, especially between f/2 and f/8, where lens distortion is also pretty much non-existent. Open the lens to f/1.4 and there's vignetting (darkening in the corners), but that's gone by somewhere between f/2 and f/2.8.

Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro lens sample gallery: man holding the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema camera — An 85mm f/1.4 lens is a good option for product photography – I used it for my Instax Mini Evo Cinema shotsTim Coleman

Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro lens sample gallery: man in blue beanie hat, outdoors — An 85mm f/1.4 lens is a good option for product photography – I used it for my Instax Mini Evo Cinema shotsTim Coleman

Only in the most extreme scenarios, and with all lens corrections turned off, have I seen chromatic aberrations in my photos. One example was an image that included dew drops on a backlit cobweb.

Bokeh is super-smooth. Provided you're relatively close to your subject and shooting between f/1.4 and f/2.8, you'll typically get smooth and big bokeh that's rounded in shape – no ugly onion-ring effect in sight.

Increase focus distance and, as bokeh consequently gets smaller, it can go a little cats-eye in shape. Overall, however, bokeh looks lovely, and is a real reason to opt for this 85mm lens over Viltrox's other offerings.

Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro lens sample gallery: moss and autumn leaves at the base of a tree — At f/5, detail is staggeringly sharp across the entire frameTim Coleman

Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro lens sample gallery: moss covered branch — At f/5, detail is staggeringly sharp across the entire frameTim Coleman

As is the case with other 85mm f/1.4 full-frame lenses, macro photography is not the Viltrox lens's forte. Minimum focus distance is 0.79m, making for a modest 0.13x maximum magnification. To be clear, the Sony and Sigma alternatives are no better.

Close focusing beyond the lens's capabilities is hardly the regular concern of a portrait photographer, but for me I like mixing up what I photograph, and would appreciate more versatile close focusing – it would make for a more complete lens.

Should you buy the Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro?

Buy it if...

You specialize in portraiture
Upper-body portraits, animal portraits – if these are your thing, you'll want to pick up a pro lens like this.

You're a pro on a budget
You'll get similar performance from this lens to what you'll get from much pricier alternatives.

Don't buy it if...

You regularly shoot long and demanding portrait sessions
If portrait photography is your full-time job, it could be worth stretching your budget to a pricier but lighter alternative (Sony users in particular).

You'd like a versatile prime
With modest close-focusing, the 85mm lens is fairly niche – it works well for portraiture and street / documentary photography, but not a great deal else.

How I tested the Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4 Pro

Viltrox loaned me a Z-mount version of the lens
I paired it with my full-frame Nikon Z6 II
My review period spanned two months, and I used the lens in a range of scenarios

Viltrox sent me a Z-mount version of the lens at the back end of 2025, which has given me plenty of opportunity to test it out in various scenarios with my Nikon Z6 II full-frame mirrorless camera (but not with an APS-C body).

I set up my Z6 II for the lens, including the various subject-detection autofocus modes (Auto area, with specific subject detection based on what I was shooting).

I used it indoors and outdoors, in good light and bad, and I shot sequences of the same photos through the aperture range in order to check for lens distortion, sharpness, bokeh and so on.

First reviewed February 2026

I flew the world’s lightest bi-copter drone, and it’s the most fun I’ve had outside of FPV drones – but there’s a catch

8:00 pm | February 13, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Cameras Computers Drones Gadgets | Tags: JPEG | Comments: Off

V-Copter Falcon Mini: one-minute review

From ZeroZero Robotics, the drone company responsible for the impressive HoverAir X1 Pro and ProMax selfie drones, comes another interesting model: the V-Copter Falcon Mini. This is a sub-250g version of the V-Copter Falcon, which was released in 2020 and weighed 26.8oz / 760g. The original Falcon was admired for its unique design, and gained a cult following, but it never quite made it into the mainstream.

With the launch of the more regulator-friendly sub-250g Falcon Mini, with availability on Amazon on the horizon, it looks like this new model has greater potential than its predecessor. You may be wondering what makes these drones interesting, and it’s the simple fact that they’re bi-copters rather than quadcopters, so they only have two motors and two sets of rotors, rather than the standard four.

The advantage here is that the Falcon Mini is extremely agile and quiet compared to standard quadcopters. You can even install the propellers upside down to fly the drone upside down in Reverse Flight mode, which is a bit gimmicky, but is possible due to the rotors having tilt mechanisms that help to keep the drone steady in a hover and during flight.

@techradar
♬ original sound - TechRadar

This is a drone that’s more about flight than image capture, in my opinion. Sure, the Falcon Mini has a camera, and can capture up to 4K 30fps video and shoot 12MP JPEGs, but the camera is completely automatic. With no manual control, not even exposure adjustments, you're beholden to how the camera’s light meter responds to what’s in front of it. So, nipping around upright and in Reverse Flight mode are the order of the day.

V-Copter Falcon Mini top view unfolded — (Image credit: James Abbott)

V-Copter Falcon Mini: price and release date

Available at Amazon US by the end of February 2026
European launch by the end of March 2026
Standard kit and Fly More Combo available

The Falcon Mini will officially launch at the end of February 2026, after a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo raised $519,461 from 1,338 backers. The drone will be available at Amazon US at this time, with two kits available: Standard and the Fly More Combo.

The Standard kit will cost $379 in the US, while ZeroZero Robotics says the European launch will follow by the end of March, with a retail price of £379. The Fly More Combo will cost $399 / £399, respectively.

The Standard kit is the single-battery option, while the Fly More Combo includes a couple of extra batteries, a two-battery charging hub and a carry bag. This option, as with all drones, is going to be the best option for most people because of value, and the simple fact that more batteries increase flight times.

I'll update this page with links for purchase once the product is available to buy.

Price score: 3/5

V-Copter Falcon Mini: specs

V-Copter Falcon Mini specs
Camera:	12MP 1/2.3-inch CMOS
Video resolution:	4K
Frame rates:	4K 30fps / 2.7K up to 50fps / 1080p 50fps
Video transmission range:	Up to 1.5 miles
Flight modes:	Normal, Sport, Turbo
Battery:	2330mAh; up to 34 minutes flight time
Charger type:	USB-C / battery charging hub
Weight:	8.78oz / 249g
Dimensions:	Folded: 7.24 x 3.74 x 2.36 inches / 183.9 x 95 x 59.9mm Unfolded 5.91 x 8.98 x 5.12 inches / 150.1 x 228.1 x 130mm

V-Copter Falcon Mini: Design

Unique bi-copter design
Folding propeller arms
Tilting rotors

The one thing you cannot get away from is the Falcon Mini's unique design: it’s a bi-copter rather than a quadcopter, like we’re used to. Not only does this drastically change the way the drone looks, but it also makes the Falcon Mini surprisingly quiet in flight when compared to quadcopters. To compensate for having just two rotors, there are proprietary tilt-rotor controls and twin servo motors that precisely adjust the angles of the propellers to create balance and stability during flight. These also allow for fast acceleration by tilting the propellers.

Moving back to the basic design, as the name suggests, the V-Copter Falcon Mini creates a unique V shape in the sky. At certain angles, only having two propeller arms makes it tricky to see in the sky because it's such a compact drone.

Folded, the Falcon Mini is just 7.24 x 3.74 x 2.36 inches / 183.9 x 95 x 59.9mm, and it extends to 5.91 x 8.98 x 5.12 inches / 150.1 x 228.1 x 130mm when unfolded, with a weight of 8.78oz / 249g. You can buy the Falcon Mini in two colors: Matte Black and Canary Yellow.

V-Copter Falcon Mini top view — James Abbott

V-Copter Falcon Mini bottom view — James Abbott

If you opt for the Fly More Combo you’ll benefit from a two-battery charging hub. This is, of course, much quicker for charging batteries than doing it individually in the drone. However, it’s strange that ZeroZero opted for just two battery slots when the Fly More Combo includes three batteries.

ZeroZero claims that the 2330mAh batteries provide up to 34 minutes of flight time, but during testing this was much shorter in real-world flying conditions. Flight times were around 20 minutes until batteries reached 20% and indicated that performance had been limited, and that the drone should be landed. Battery testing took place on a mild winter day in temperatures of around 50F / 10C, so battery life should improve slightly during warmer months, although I can't see that it would ever reach 34 minutes.

V-Copter Falcon Mini controller with phone attached — James Abbott

V-Copter Falcon Mini controller front view — James Abbott

The controller is simply designed and looks quite minimalist, although you have all the direct-access controls you need, including standard control sticks, a Return to Home/Stop button, a flight mode button, a photo button and a video button.

The phone holder folds back and stows away alongside the control sticks, and it’s rotated over to the front to hold your phone above the control sticks for use. With the vertical mode switched on, rotating your phone to portrait orientation sets the Falcon Mini to capture upright photos and videos.

Design score: 4/5

V-Copter Falcon Mini: Features and performance

Three flight speeds
Reverse flight (upside-down)
Agile flight

The Falcon Mini flies just like a standard quadcopter, although it’s considerably quieter. ZeroZero claims that it’s 50% quieter than a quadcopter, which makes sense since it has 50% the propellers and motors. Noise has been measured to be 62 decibels at two meters by ZeroZero, and it’s fair to say that the drone is noticeably quieter than the many quadcopters I've flown.

Flight, as previously mentioned, doesn’t feel dramatically different to a quadcopter despite only having two rotors. To compensate for less motors, the rotors tilt forward to boost airflow and generate thrust, with each rotor moving independently to allow for sharper turns. This, combined with the tilting rotors, does mean that the Falcon Mini can accelerate quickly when in its faster flight modes.

Normal mode allows for speeds of up to 8.9mph, Sport up to 26.8mph and Turbo up to 35.8mph. Sport is the mode that you’ll probably use the most, since it’s like Normal on other drones. Normal and Sport are accessed using a button on the controller, while Turbo is accessed via the V-Copter app. This option sits alongside Orbit and Zoom Out automated flight modes and the Reverse Flight Mode. Reverse Flight enables you to fly the Falcon Mini upside down, where it looks like it’s skating in mid-air rather than simply flying.

To do this, you have to refit the propellers upside down and use the Reverse Flight Kit, which is a plastic bracket that locks the propeller arms in their extended/unfolded position. Reverse Flight makes the drone even more agile in some respects, and with the propellers facing down you have to use hand take-offs and landings, which isn’t as bad as it sounds because you can grab the drone's airframe with your fingers, well away from the propellers.

For Reverse Flight, you’ll definitely need to be outside in an open area to reduce the risk of crashing. When you’re indoors, due to the lack of GPS signal the Falcon Mini goes into an indoor flight mode, in which the drone flies slower and is less responsive. It’s useful, but this isn’t the type of drone you’d typically want to fly indoors, unlike the HoverAir X1 Pro/ProMax with their built-in propeller guards.

Video transmission is 1.5 miles, which suggests the signal isn’t as strong as drones that offer transmission over six miles or more. What I did find during testing is that even when flying the Falcon Mini just a few hundred meters away from me in open space, I did occasionally receive low-signal warnings, and there was sometimes a lag in the camera view on the app screen.

Flight seems to be where the Falcon Mini Excels, thanks to its fast acceleration and agility. Plus, let’s not forget Reverse Flight, which is a bit of a gimmick, but it is unique and takes advantage of the drone’s innovative design. For me, this drone is about as fun as you can get with a camera drone in terms of flight, before you have to move on to FPV drones like the DJI Avata 2 to enjoy the most thrilling flights.

Performance score: 4/5

V-Copter Falcon Mini: Image and video quality

Fully automatic camera
Up to 4K 30fps video
Photos captured in JPEG only

V-Copter Falcon Mini camera close up — (Image credit: James Abbott)

The Falcon Mini certainly sits within the camera drone category, and surprisingly comes with an extremely basic camera; this is what makes me think that this is a drone designed more for fun and flying than it is for image creation. The camera features a 12MP 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, which appears to be the same spec as the original V-Copter, but it could be a different, newer sensor.

This can capture video in 4K at 30fps, 2.7K up to 50fps and 1080p at 50fps, while vertical video is captured in 2.7K at 30fps. Photos can only be captured in JPEG format, which is a shame because raw files provide more editing flexibility. You capture photos in landscape and portrait format.

V-Copter Falcon Mini video

The camera is fully automatic – you just aim the camera and shoot – so it’s easy to use, but this does mean you have no control over exposure at all. It’s best to shoot with the sun behind the drone to avoid overexposure or underexposure, which does limit creativity somewhat.

Photo of flooding taken with a V-Copter Falcon Mini — James Abbott

Photo of a town taken with a V-Copter Falcon Mini — James Abbott

Vertical shooting can be initiated by rotating the camera holder on the controller to portrait orientation. This is cropped vertical rather than natively captured vertical, as on the DJI Mini 5 Pro, but it’s still useful for capturing social media-ready footage. You simply have to activate the feature in the app menu, and it appears to use your phone’s accelerometer rather than the position of the phone holder.

Despite having only 50% of the rotors of ‘standard’ camera drones, the Falcon Mini’s 3-axis mechanical gimbal keeps footage smooth and lets you adjust the camera's angle depending on what you’re shooting, as with most drones.

There’s also a Night Mode for shooting at Night which, in a nutshell, optimizes the automatic camera for night capture. It works well, and I found most photos and videos captured at night to be satisfactory, but you can see heavy image processing in both cases, and the results are far from professional quality.

Image and video quality score: 3/5

V-Copter Falcon Mini: testing scorecard

DJI Mini 5 Pro
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	The drone isn't expensive, but it should be cheaper than the direct competition.	3/5
Design	The design is undoubtedly unique, and works surprisingly well.	4/5
Performance	The Falcon Mini Flies well, and has the Reverse Flight mode trick up its sleeve.	4/5
Image and video quality	Image quality and camera functionality are what let this fun-to-fly drone down.	3/5

Should I buy the V-Copter Falcon Mini?

Buy it if...

You'd like fun-to-fly drone
The Falcon mini is more about fun flight than it is for quality image capture – if you like to smile as you fly, this is about as fun as you can have outside of FPV drones.

You don’t need the best image capture
If you’d like a camera that can capture 4K video and photos with a fully automatic and worry-free camera, that's what you get with the Falcon Mini.

You want to turn heads
Being a bi-copter alone is enough to turn heads, but you’ll definitely do it with Reverse Flight, which enables you to fly upside down.

Don't buy it if...

You’d like obstacle avoidance
The Falcon Mini, like most sub-250g drones, doesn’t offer obstacle avoidance, so you have to take greater care when flying close to obstacles.

You want great image quality
If you're looking for the best image quality currently available in a sub-250g camera drone, the DJI Mini 5 Pro is your best bet by a long shot.

You'd prefer more features
The Falcon Mini is unique in its design and can even be flown upside down, but beyond this, its features are basic compared to those of some other mini drones.

V-Copter Falcon Mini: also consider

DJI Neo 2

The DJI Neo 2 is a selfie drone that can also be flown like a camera drone and an FPV drone with the required accessories. It offers obstacle avoidance, which is useful when flying the Neo like a camera drone or as a selfie drone. Video can be captured up to 4K, while photos can be captured in JPEG format, all for an impressively affordable price.

See our DJI Neo 2 reviewView Deal

DJI Mini 5 Pro

If you’d like a camera drone that's the best sub-250g model available, the DJI Mini 5 Pro is what you’re looking for. This impressive drone features a rotating camera with a 1-inch sensor and impressive image quality and features. This is a drone that’s perfect for beginners and professionals alike, thanks to its great image quality, safety features, build quality and more.

See our DJI Mini 5 Pro reviewView Deal

V-Copter Falcon Mini in flight against a blue sky — (Image credit: James Abbott)

How I tested the V-Copter Falcon Mini

I tested the drone over a period of several weeks
I tested all of its features, including image and video capture
I assessed flight performance in its various modes

I tested the V-Copter Falcon Mini over several weeks, trying out all of the features and functionality, including Reverse Flight (upside-down flight). The drone was used in the same way as other camera drones to assess both flight performance and camera performance. The Falcon Mini was flown through a range of maneuvers to see how smooth and stable flight is with just two sets of rotors.

First reviewed: January 2026
Read more about how we test

‘I cannot think of a single meaningful downside:’ I tested Wharfedale’s new Diamond 12.1i stereo speakers, and they’re as good as things get for this price

2:00 am |

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Hi-Fi Speakers | Comments: Off

Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i: One-minute review

The Wharfedale Diamond 12i standmount speakers are the latest in the line of 'Diamond' speakers that has, one way and another, been around since 1982. The most recent (and wildly acclaimed) series, the Diamond 12, launched back in 2020 – so it’s about time the Diamond 12i range made an appearance.

(Obviously not everyone loves a ‘13’ name, and Wharfedale is open enough to acknowledge that this new range of loudspeakers is not a ground-up redesign of the range it’s replacing - so ‘12i’ it is.)

The Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i tested here is a two-way bookshelf (or, more accurately, standmount – I'll come back to this) design that sells for the same £249 that the outgoing Diamond 12.1 launched at – which does, of course, mean it’s less expensive in real terms. It's not a situation that occurs all that often with the sort of hi-fi equipment I deal with. In the US, the new model costs $499, and in Australia it's AU$699.

But if you think Wharfedale has cut corners to get the Diamond 12.1i to market at this very aggressive price, think again. Build quality is more than acceptable. The trio of available finishes look (and even feel) good. Best of all, though, is the way the Diamond 12.1i sound. They’re perfectly OK at lower volumes – but let them loose even just a little and they really come to life, combining insight, balanced, dynamic potency and simple entertainment to periodically thrilling effect.

The specification (with highlights including a 25mm woven polyester tweeter, a 130mm mid/bass driver made from mica-enhanced polypropylene, a carefully tuned rear-facing bass reflex port, and some very judicious cabinet bracing), results in a speaker that’s easy to drive and has a frequency response of 65Hz - 20kHz.

The front baffle of each Wharfedale features the tweeter positioned behind a minimal waveguide – the idea is to expose the driver as much as possible in an effort to achieve wide dispersion. Below here is the 130mm ‘Klarity’ mid/bass driver, backed by a substantial magnet with an aluminum compensation ring, with a voice coil that’s wound on a glass-fibre/epoxy resin bobbin.

The crossover between the two drivers is positioned at a sensible 2.6kHz, and is performed by a Linkwitz-Riley network featuring air-core inductors – it has been specified with minimal phase-shift and smooth integration in mind.

Wharfedale’s description of the Diamond 12.1i as a ‘bookshelf’ speaker is, I think, just a little bit naughty. Yes, you may have a bookshelf big enough to accommodate the cabinet’s 250mm depth (which rises to 280mm once you include the speaker binding posts, and more if your speaker cable is terminated with plugs) – but when you factor in the breathing space the rear-facing reflex port needs, even the deepest shelf is unlikely offer the breathing space the Wharfedale require. Let’s just go with ‘standmount’ and leave it at that, shall we?

At 312 x 180 x 250(ish)mm (HxWxD) the Diamond 12.1i are tidily proportioned for standmounts, and the standard of build and finish is more than good enough to justify the asking price. Both of the available colors (‘deep’ black and ‘stone’ grey) are in a kind of semi-matt finish that looks nice (to me, at least), isn’t all that reflective and is actually slightly soft to the touch. Your other option is ‘classic’ walnut, and I will have to reserve judgment on its qualities as I have yet to see (or feel) it.

Each of the finishes is supplied with magnetically attached, full-length grilles finished in black fabric – it certainly makes for a clean look, but I feel it’s a shame to hide the mildly shiny driver surrounds and clean overall appearance. You may feel differently.

On the inside, the Diamond 12.1i feature minimal and carefully targeted ‘spot’ bracing designed to keep both resonance and resonance transfer to a minimum. In conjunction with cabinet walls of varying thickness, plus the resonant properties of the glue holding everything together taken into account, this is a slightly more sophisticated piece of engineering and design than the asking price might lead you to believe.

Some loudspeakers don’t alter their character no matter the volume level you’re listening at. The Wharfedale Diamond 12.1.i don’t undergo drastic volume-related changes, I must emphasize – but at very modest volume levels they can sound just a little matter-of-fact. All you need to do is nudge the level north just a little, though, and these speakers come bounding to life – and then they reveal themselves to be one of the very best budget options around.

Get a Tidal-derived stream of Zaho de Sagazan’s version of Modern Love playing as a 24bit/44.1kHz FLAC file, for instance, and you’ll find out exactly what’s what. The Diamond 12.1i are a direct and spirited listen, with an uncomplicatedly upfront sonic signature and an almost palpable enthusiasm for the recording.

Low frequencies are respectably deep, and nicely controlled where attack and decay is concerned, with knock-on effects to the rhythmic expression and momentum that are entirely positive.

Detail levels are impressive, too, so there’s plenty of variation where tone and texture are concerned to go along with the straight-ahead punch. Transition into the midrange is clean, and once there the Wharfedale demonstrate a similarly insightful and animated attitude – the details of attitude and character in the voice are just as readily available as those regarding phrasing and technique.

At the top of the frequency range, the Diamond 12.1i have quite sensibly decided that discretion is the better part of valor, staying relatively constrained in the mix – but although the highest rebel sounds are dialed down just a little, there’s still no shortage of bite or the overall enthusiasm for attack.

With the discretion at the very top of the frequency range borne in mind, the frequency response here is nicely even and even-handed – and while the overall tonality has a nice little suggestion of heat to it, it’s not even close to becoming overcooked.

The attention to detail the speakers pay extends to the most transient or fleeting harmonic variation, and there’s a respectable amount of dynamic headroom available for when the tune shifts through the ‘volume and intensity’ gears.

Soundstaging is convincing, and the Diamond 12i are able to escape the confines of their cabinets, just a little, in every direction. The layout of the stage is plain, and while the Diamond 12.1i manage to give every participant on it just a little breathing space they’re capable of offering a sense of unity and togetherness at the same time.

The Wharfedale seem in no way demanding of their partnering equipment, either – they don’t get flustered by sitting at the end of a disproportionately expensive system, and they don’t seem to mind being driven by some standard all-in-one electronics costing less than they do. There are qualitative differences, of course – but broadly speaking the Diamond 12.1i are easy-going and adaptable.

Bear in mind that the Diamond 12.1i, just like every other pair of passive loudspeakers, needs a degree of ‘running in’ before they sound how they are intended to sound – certainly you should ensure they have quite a few hours on the clock before you judge them.

The entry-level in passive loudspeakers has enjoyed a very successful decade so far – and this is in no small part thanks to Wharfedale’s efforts. Yes, the company has inspired some very credible rivals to take this area of the market properly seriously (I’m thinking particularly of the excellent Dali Kupid), but there’s just no getting around the fact the Diamond 12.1i offer prodigious value for money in every respect.

They look and feel more expensive than they are, and once they’re properly positioned they sound it too. Unless you’re been suckered in by the promise of an actually bookshelf-friendly design, I cannot think of a single meaningful downside to Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i ownership.

Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i review: Price & release date

Launched in December 2025
Priced at $499 / £249 / AU$699

The new Wharfedale Diamond 12i range of entry-level loudspeakers launched in December of 2025. This 12.1i model is, at £249 in the UK, the second-least-expensive of the five-strong newest Diamond range of stereo speakers. In the United States it sells for $499, while in Australia the going rate is AU$699.

This compares very favorably to options from the likes of Dali, Monitor Audio or Q Acoustics.

Should I buy the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i?

Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i score card
Attributes	Notes	Score
Features	Obviously very limited, being passive speakers, but great driver setup.	5 / 5
Sound quality	Punchy and rapid low-frequency response meets detail and positivity across the range – but best if the volume isn't too low.	5 / 5
Design	Lovely finishes and build quality – but just know they're bigger than you might expect from 'bookshelf' speakers.	5 / 5
Usability and setup	Ideal passive speakers – plug in and go! And they're not fussy about what drives them.	5 / 5
Value	As good as speakers at this price get.	5 / 5

Buy them if…

You’re setting out on your ‘authentic hifi’ journey
Once you hear what a modestly priced pair of speakers designed and built by a specialist can do, you’ll be locked in for life.View Deal

You’re after good looks as well as good sound
The Diamond 12.1i look and feel good, especially in the ‘stone’ gray of my review sample.View Deal

You have a half-decent micro-system that deserves a new lease on life
You might think the speakers that came with your nice little Denon all-in-one are good enough. Wharfedale begs to differ…View Deal

Don't buy them if…

Your bookshelf is only the size of a bookshelf
These are slightly larger cabinets than the description ‘bookshelf’ rather optimistically implies.View Deal

You want to fill an especially large room with sound
There is, of course, a limit to what an affordable pair of speakers fitted with fairly small drivers can do in terms of outright scale.View Deal

You prefer to listen at quite low volumes
The Diamond 12.1i are perfectly OK at low levels, but really come to life if you wind the volume up just a little.View Deal

Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i review: Also consider

Dali Kupid
The Dali Kupid seem to offer a little less (in physical terms) than the Diamond 12.1i while costing a little more – but they’re an energetic, punchy and entertaining listen and can actually comfortably fit on a bookshelf. They’re not quite as easy to drive as the Wharfedale, though. Here's our full Dali Kupid review.View Deal

Q Acoustics 3020c
These are not much more expensive than the Wharfedale these days, and they’re a great-sounding pair of speakers for the money. The cabinet is notably deep, though, so they’re even less of a bookshelf proposition than the Diamond 12.1i. Here's our full Q Acoustics 3020c review.View Deal

How I tested the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i

I positioned the speakers on a pair of Custom Design speaker stands in my home and usual speaker testing room, and connected them to a Naim Uniti Star and also an A&R Cambridge A60 for amplification.

Sources of music were the Naim (as a network streamer), a Rega Apollo CD player and a Technics SL-100G (with a Goldring 1042 cartridge and pre-amplified by a Chord Huei) as a turntable. So I was able to listen to music from lots of different formats, and of various styles and genres.

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee
First reviewed: February 2026

Eureka Ergonomic Axion office chair review: an attractive mid-range throne with great ergonomic features

11:00 pm | February 12, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Comments: Off

Eureka Ergonomic Axion: One-minute review

Founded in California, Eureka Ergonomic is an office and home furniture manufacturer that – predictably – focuses on ergonomic hardware. The Axion sits roughly in the middle of the brand's vast array of chairs, and is a "hybrid chair that focuses on ergonomics and adjustability."

Immediately, it's clear that this is an attractive bit of kit. Decked out in all-black with a splash of color here and there, it's tasteful enough to be at home in a fairly neutral home office, but energetic enough to satisfy an RGB-obsessed gamer. With plenty of reclining range and an astounding amount of adjustable support areas, there's a lot going on – much of it very well executed, too.

My few complaints are picky ones. I took delivery of the fabric-upholstered version, and this comes with a nylon base. While I'm sure it's more than tough enough for the job, the aluminium base of the mesh version would certainly inspire a little more confidence in the chair's longevity.

However, at less than $500 – and considering the amount of ergonomic features on offer – it's a reasonably-priced daily driver that I've enjoyed using. Of course, spend even more on the very best office chairs and you can get a few higher-end materials from the likes of Steelcase and Herman Miller, and more purpose-built gaming chairs will suit a proper streaming setup better. However, for most, the Axion will be a trusty throne that offers considerable support where you need it the most.

Eureka Ergonomic Axion: price and availability

Price: US$499

The Axion is found in Eureka's gaming chair section, and at the time of writing, it's the second-most expensive out of four on the company's website. Notably, on the website it's the only one that hasn't got the tag "best seller." Make of that what you will.

However, viewed in the wider context of Eureka's dozens of office chair designs, it sits firmly in the mid-range when it comes to price.

In the US, the list price is $499. However, at the time of writing, this has been reduced to $469, which is a decent, if not super-cheap price for a very adjustable ergonomic hybrid chair.

Compared to gaming chair stalwarts Secretlab, the Axion is about $200 cheaper, which makes it a decent pick in this sector of the market – especially if you're looking for something more understated.

Value: 4/5

Eureka Ergonomic Axion: Design and setup

Very smart design
Huge array of adjustable ergonomic features
Requires assembly

As you might expect, the Axion is delivered in a big cardboard box, and requires assembly at home. Each component is neatly wrapped, and I found the level of protection very good. As you'd expect, nothing was damaged in transit.

All of the requisite screws, bolts, and fitting are well-marked in separate bags, and I had no issue completing the assembly. I'd recommend setting aside about an hour of time so you're not in a rush to complete the job.

In terms of instructions, the ones Eureka provides are good, but not great. I didn't run into any issues – it's a quite simple build – but I've definitely had clearer booklets with flat-pack furniture in my time. While fully understandable, the instructions definitely betray the chair's Chinese origins.

During the procedure, each part of the chair felt very solid and well-made. For example, the base was very neatly stapled together, and while not entirely high-end, it everything felt like it'd stand the test of time. For an example of a chair I felt very differently about, check out my review of the Fezibo C3. Thankfully, so such manufacturing concerns here.

Something I would've appreciated was a little more documentation on all the excellent features of the chair itself. For example, through my testing I discovered most of the angles of adjustment offered by the chair. However, it was only when I referenced the product page on the Eureka website for this review did I realise the lumbar support could move horizontally as well as vertically. A nice problem to have, but a walkthrough guide would have got me using everything the chair offered from the start.

It's worth noting too that I was supplied with a second gas strut for use on carpets. I'm not sure if this is a known issue or something confined to testing models, but it's interesting to know there's a minor design flaw here that has to be patched by the user. That said, the strut was easy to install, and presumably free to anyone buying the chair themselves.

On to the good stuff though – being a newbie to truly ergonomic seating, I've never used such an adjustable chair. The headrest, lumbar support, and armrests all have three degrees of adjustment, along with an adjustable seating pad too. I found it was very easy to dial in my perfect seating position.

Some parts could be a little "stiffer" – I found myself moving the headrest while leaning back – but overall there's very little that has been overlooked in terms of design.

Finally, it's interesting that the two upholstery options – mesh and fabric – come with a different base. I can find no reason given for this other than perhaps aesthetics, but I have a feeling most people would rather have a metal base regardless of the upholstery. The nylon base, present on my test model is fine, but at risk of sounding old-fashioned, I find anything metal just feels better.

Overall, there are few chairs that are as adjustable as the Axion in this price range, and beyond some small concerns about the materials, there's not a lot to complain about at all.

In terms of looks, the Axion is very attractive. It's a simple design, dominated by black plastic and fabric/mesh, but the pop of color on the back gives some welcome levity to the appearance.

There are a number of different colors available too, including blue (the color of the test model), bright green, red, and gray. There is also a "silver gray" version available – although personally I'd avoid this, because I've had silver-painted plastic items before, and they develop scratches and dings far faster than plain black in a real-life environment.

Some may be disappointed that there's no all-black colorway, but the gray version is neutral enough to fit most setups.

Design score: 4.5/5

Eureka Ergonomic Axion: Comfort

Tons of support for long sessions
Comfortable for everyday use
I had some issues with the castors on my thick carpet

There's no denying the Axion is a great daily driver. The amount of adjustment in almost every area means that no matter your body shape or seating preference, it's easy to get comfy.

In the past, I've found that ergonomic chairs can be more trouble than they're worth – with squeaking hardware and lumps all over making the whole experience unenjoyable. That's not the case here, and there's a great balance between moderate ergonomic intrusion and general easy-going comfort.

The areas you touch while using the chair are made of pleasant materials. The fabric-upholstered version is wrapped in high-quality synthetic material that has a slight fluff to it. Don't worry, it's not fleecy – but it feels warm enough not to feel staticky or slippery.

I haven't had the chance to test the mesh version, but I expect it's slightly lighter-weight, more cooling, and slightly smoother. The choice you make is down to your preference.

Some of the materials could fell more premium, but it certainly doesn't feel cheap. For example, the rear plastic is nowhere near the scratchiest I've felt, but some really high-end chairs will feel less hollow, and have slightly more give if you were to press them with a fingernail.

Finally, I had a few issues with the castor wheels – most notably that when sitting and rolling towards my desk, the wheel would get slightly stuck in my carpet. Now, I'm aware that the carpet I have is fairly luxurious, but shuffling to move the chair was a little annoying. Of course, if you use a chair pad or have hard flooring, this won't be a problem.

Comfort score: 4/5

Should I buy the Eureka Ergonomic Axion?

Buy it if...

You want tons of adjustable ergonomic features

Almost every part of the Axion can be moved in at least two directions to make sure you're getting the support you need.

You want a hybrid gaming/office chair

The Axion won't embarrass you in your work-from-home meetings, but you also won't feel like you're sat in a boardroom while you're nailing headshots. The best of both worlds.

Don't buy it if...

You want the highest-end materials

The Axion by no means feels cheap. However, there are some parts of its construction that could slightly elevated.

You want a very plain chair

With no all-black colorway and a fairly sci-fi build, the Axion may look too jazzy for the most demure settings.

Also consider

Corsair TC100 Relaxed

Despite being almost $200 cheaper, the TC100 is one of our highest-rated chairs – and our top choice of budget office chair. Granted, it has a gamer-esque design, but the color scheme is muted enough to get away with it, and its build quality is much better than you might expect from the price

Read our full Corsair TC100 Relaxed review

SIhoo Doro C300

If you don't mind missing out on a fair amount of adjustable ergonomic features, the SIHOO Doro C300 is a cheaper alternative top the Axion. Plus, its all-mesh construction will be more comfortable in warmer climes than the fabric version of the Axion.

Read our SIHOO Doro C300 review

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I reviewed Sony’s flagship WF-1000XM6 earbuds — and it’s another case of ‘great sound, impressive features, middling noise cancellation’

7:00 pm |

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

Sony WF-1000XM6: Two-minute review

The all-new Sony WF-1000XM6 an impressive set of earbuds with a formidable set of features – especially formidable for tech journos such as me, who are obliged to stick within some sort of length limit for these reviews – but as Sony seeks to recapture class-leading greatness with its 1000X series lineup, I can't help but wonder whether at some point we'll reach a case of diminishing returns.

Here, for example, Sony once again provides us a smaller earpiece. It's 11% thinner but somehow contains a 1.5x larger antenna for better connection stability, an extra mic per bud to equal eight in total, and two processors. One of these is called the QN3E (to take care of the eight mics and facilitate a new auto ambient sound mode) and the other is the V2, to enable 32-bit audio support (with Sony's LDAC codec) using the new 8.4mm unique driver and introduce a new 10-band EQ tab with a 'Find your EQ' tech plus new 'gaming' EQ preset.

But how many mics per bud is enough to facilitate fantastic ANC? And how much do we need our earbuds to shrink before the listener decides enough is enough – because they're actually not sure it's made the product that much better?

But before I answer those questions, know that for sound quality alone, the Sony WF-1000XM6 are a very good set of earbuds.

Some of the best earbuds on the market then? Well, Sony has certainly sought to stuff these buds with every upgrade it can (and every feature you can possibly imagine) using its own proprietary technology.

But there's the rub; the company that brought us 360 Reality Audio with head-tracking would absolutely love for you to use it, but the format is no longer supported on nearly as many of the big music streaming sites as it used to be – Deezer dropped it in 2022; Tidal gave up its support for the 3D format in 2024.

And in terms of hi-res Bluetooth chops, LDAC is of little use to iPhone owners, although Sony's DSEE Extreme upscaler is here again and it does make Spotify streams sound a lot better.

So what's excellent about the WH-1000XM6, what's less so, and are they worth their refreshingly approachable asking fee? The design of the buds is now pill-shaped, and while the earpieces are thinner, the units are also taller with a little notch halfway up to help them fit.

Because they're slightly more raised from their charging nest and covered entirely in a matte plastic for better traction, they boast what Sony calls "easier pick up" from their case – and I can confirm that while I wasn't convinced about the overall fit in the ear, I didn't drop them while first grabbing them half as much as I did the older XM5.

Sadly, the active noise cancellation didn't live up to my expectations in real-world testing. That said, the battery life, at eight hours from the buds and up to 24 with the case – and yes, that is with noise cancellation deployed – isn't bad at all.

Do I love them? Having spent over two weeks with them, I like them a lot, and that new antenna does provide rock-solid connection that never falters. I also liked the new Background Music Effect perk much more than I thought I would – it's a great focus aid, allowing you to push the music back just slightly, so you can hear yourself think.

Also, Sony's Quick Attention feature, wherein you simply cover the left earbud to lower music and quickly filter in ambient sound around you, is a winner, although this isn't new for Sony – we've loved it on the Sony WH-1000XM6 and previous headphones too.

Ultimately for me though, the noise cancellation isn't the class-leading triumph it is billed as, and competing options such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen (and Apple AirPods Pro 3, if you've got an Apple source device) are offering better access to spatial audio formats and that cocoon of silence noise-nixing you may prioritize.

Add in the Technics EAH-AZ100 as an alternative – offering triple device multipoint, clearer calls and a more comfortable fit – and ultimately, while the WF-1000XM6 are talented and capable earbuds in many respects, there are other buds I would still nudge you to reach for, at this level.

Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds in case — (Image credit: Future)

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Price and release date

Released on February 12, 2026
Priced $329 / £250 / AU$499.95
Available in Black or Platinum Silver

Thankfully, Sony's kept a lid on price increases here here. The older flagship Sony WF-1000XM5 launched in July 2023 for $299.99 / £259 / AU$499, so the WF-1000XM6 are only slightly more expensive in the US, and are actually cheaper in the UK.

That said, Sony's hand has been somewhat forced, because Apple's AirPods Pro 3 came with a $249 / £219 / AU$429 price tag when they hit shelves back on September 19, 2025 – ie. cheaper or the same as the AirPods Pro 2's $249 / £249 / AU$399 price tag in the UK and US (although in Australia, they did come with a more expensive launch price).

Other direct competition at this level? The closest rivals are most pressingly the aforementioned AirPods Pro 3, followed by premium offerings such as the Technics EAH-AZ100, which are $299 / £259 / AU$478 or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) for $299 / £299 / AU$450. I might even mention the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 although those are a fair bit pricier, at $399 / £349 / AU$599.

So as you can probably deduce, Sony has actually gone in quite aggressive with the asking fee here.

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Specs

Drivers	8.4mm dynamic with 'soft edge, hard center'
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life	8 hours (buds, ANC on); 24 hours (case)
Weight	6.5g per bud
Connectivity	Bluetooth with LE Audio and LDAC; USB-C and wireless charging
Waterproofing	IPX4

Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds next to the older-gen. WF-1000XM5 and WF-C710N, on colorful table — Sony WF-1000XM5 in the center, with WF-C710N on the left; WF-1000XM5 on the right (Image credit: Future)

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Features

10-band EQ tab with 'Find My EQ' and new Gaming preset
DSEE Extreme upscaler, LDAC, LE Audio and 360 Reality Audio
Background Music Effect is surprisingly useful
…but the noise cancellation isn't the smash-hit it's billed as

Sony has once again stuffed these earbuds with all the perks and extras it knows, but a lot of them will be a case of "Yes, we know about that – what's new?" to fans of Sony's WF-1000XM lineup.

So what is new? The 10-band EQ tab (it used to be limited to five) is one upgrade, plus a specific Gaming EQ preset. Sony's more recent Sound Connect app is also newly used with the flagship lineup (this used to be the Sony Headphones app, until October 2024) but Sound Connect was already around for the budget-friendly Sony WF-C710N, which landed April 2025 – so anyone who owns those will be familiar with the 'Find My EQ' tab.

If you're not one of them, I can tell you that it's still good here: you tap on various sound profile bubbles and the software continues to supply more, based on your preferred listening choices, until it presents a personalized profile you can save as a preset.

But again, it's something that is also available in much cheaper Sony earbuds. It's also not a hearing test, as such (there are no diminishing tones to engage with; no analysis of your hearing and curation of a truly unique profile with augmented tones for you) and while you may not want a full hearing test, it's worth stating that competing options I've mentioned do offer it, for similar money. And if you're hoping for a huge app overhaul from the older Headphones app, you won't get it sadly.

For me, this companion app isn't the most intuitive. For example, the home screen is essentially a list of tabs – you can assign elements to be placed at the top of this, from the depths of the device settings, although for me this sometimes just further complicates things – but along the bottom are four smaller tabs labelled 'My Device' (the one you're brought to upon launching it); 'Scene', which attempts to work out what you're doing physically and also suggests profiles that can be deployed at specific times, such as 'Gym' or 'Commute Home', if you feel you need them; 'Discover' for your listening history (Sony likes to offer logs and 'badges' for listening) plus the option to deploy a gentler Safe Listening experience; and lastly, 'Menu'.

Now, you'd think 'Menu' is where all the good stuff lives, but this is basically just a home for the support bot, a 'Help' function, backups and 'About this app' info.

This means that what you need to do in order to get to any tweakable features is to scroll down to a small tab at the bottom of the 'My Device' toggle labelled 'Device Settings' and from there into the minutiae of customization tabs.

It just feels like a lot of taps. It also presents many chances for newbies to venture down the wrong route, to a dead end, and then wonder how to get back to what I like to call 'that long list I had before'. A reshuffle of the app might be sensible, to bring the user more quickly to the perks they actually want to find quickly.

three screen-grabs on iPhone of the Sony Connect app using the Sony WF-1000XM6 — (Image credit: Sony)

At the top of these Device Settings is 'Noise Canceling/Ambient Sound', but although Ambient Sound has a manual incremental 20-step slider, a 'sensitivity setting' which can be either Standard, High or Low, an auto toggle, and an option to toggle on Voice passthrough (to filter in voices while still suppressing noise), your actual noise cancellation options are still just 'on' or 'off', which feels a little disappointing, especially given the extra mic per-bud onboard here.

Sony hasn't listed a figure for the noise-nixing power in decibels, but the company is keen to tell us that the WF-1000XM6 are the "best noise-cancelling" earbuds it's ever released.

Sadly, I need to manage your expectations here, because although certain sounds are indeed dulled when I deploy ANC, when I switch to the AirPods Pro 3 and it's a different level. Want that bubble of silence feeling where the noise drops and extraneous sounds simply melt away? The kind of ANC that makes you genuinely surprised at how noisy your immediate surroundings have become, when you remove them? Sadly, the Sonys are fairly good, but they're not that good – Bose and Apple both have them beat.

Call handling? This is also a bit of a let down – and not just because it's been so hyped by Sony in these new buds. Although Sony couldn't wait to extol the talents of the new mic on each bud, the new wind-nixing structure around them, plus a new AI algorithm with beamforming and bone conduction sensors to aid with both ANC and call-handling on those four mics per earpiece… in practice, callers said I sounded "muffled" when using them for voice calls, especially when compared to my regular Technics EAH-AZ100.

While I'm on the comparison, Sony's answer to Technics' excellent Sidetone tech, to amplify your own voice in calls, is an on/off toggle called 'Capture Voice' in the app, but I couldn't detect much difference either way when trying to use it. And because I had to really screw the earpieces quite far into my ears to get a secure fit (more on this later), I think I would have benefitted from more of a boost here.

Sony WF-1000XM6 three screen-grabs using grey background of the Sony Connect app, showing the ANC and 'scene' options — (Image credit: Sony)

All of this aside, a lot of things are really enjoyable about the WF-1000XM6 – and Background Music Effect is top of the list. To find it, you have to scroll down that thin tab at the bottom of the 'My Device' tab, labelled Device settings > Sound Quality/Volume > Listening Mode > Background Music – see what I mean about decent features being somewhat hidden away?

Only then will you be able to select from 'My room', 'Living room' or 'Cafe', which spreads and pushes your music just a little further away from your ears each time. I thought it'd be gimmicky; I was wrong. If you're someone who sometimes turns the TV on just for a bit of background noise to focus, or simply can't concentrate if lyrics are too prominent in your ears, say, this feature is for you.

I also like that the on-ear controls are now fully customizable, once you've delved into Device settings > Controls > Change the touch sensor function > Custom. The one caveat is that if you set a long-press of the left earbud to be volume decrease (which is always my preference) you lose Quick Attention, which is one of my favorite Sony-specific earbuds features because it's so useful – if someone starts talking to you or there's been an announcement about the late arrival of your train, say, simply press and hold the left bud and music is pushed low while ambient passthrough is boosted.

Other pleasing notable mentions go to the app's ability to corral my Apple Music subscription to the fold so I can see some playback information in the My Device tab, the 'Optimal Earbud Tips' wearer test (it's quite strict, you know) and the option to prioritize either a stable connection or audio quality. And I should probably mention that thanks to that bigger antenna, I never once experienced any dropouts in connection with this iteration (which was an issue with the older Sony WF-1000XM5 when I reviewed them, initially).

I've also long been a fan of Sony's DSEE Extreme upscaler, which takes your lossier music streams and does remarkable things to add detail and nuance. Here, it is very well implemented; I had to check more than once that I hadn't switched over from Spotify to one of the more audiophile-friendly streaming platforms, and that is something I don't say lightly.

There's also multipoint to two devices and Auto Switch, for handing off the audio from your buds to your Sony Linkbuds Speaker when you come home – but that's the only Sony speaker currently supported, so is pretty niche as an option.

Spatial audio? Ah. Yes, it's technically here, because you can have 360 Reality Audio – if you can find any content presented in the Sony-made format, given that Tidal and Deezer both dropped support a little while ago…

Features score: 4 / 5

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Sound quality

Crisp bass that neither bloats nor overstates itself
Plenty of texture through upper mids
Beaten for dynamic nuance and detail across the frequencies

Switching all sound profiles to 'standard', with a neutral EQ and making sure I've selected the connection profile that prioritizes audio quality (rather than a stable Bluetooth connection) in the Sony WF-1000XM6, I cue up Sevdaliza's Mad Woman. The clock chimes in the opening of the song simmer beautifully initially, with razor-sharp leading edges of notes from the buds. And that note goes all the way down to the abyss without issue too, which is more than can be said for entry-level (and even most mid-range) earbuds.

I'm just missing an extra ounce of build and intentional distortion through the belly of the note that I know to be there – and it's confirmed when I switch to the Technics EAH-AZ100, which have no trouble revealing it.

If you've heard Harry Styles' new track Aperture, it's a similar idea; the timing ticks along beautifully and the Sony buds never shy away from a bass drop, but I can't help but notice when they gloss over a marginal inflection or pop within a gloriously imperfect synth note – because that wants to be remembered as such, and the buds aren't quite recreating it perfectly.

I'm being hypercritical, of course. The sound here is very good indeed – in fact, in instrumental works such as Nicholas Gunn's Campfire there's an expansive and emotive soundstage wherein each musical strand is held together in a cohesive and rewarding mix.

Human breath feels three-dimensional and, for want of a better word, real. It's just that when the flute comes in, I'm missing an iota of excitement as the soundstage builds in intensity and the shaker comes in.

That said, I'll caveat all of this with one potential reason: I did struggle to get the Sony WF-1000XM6 to fit perfectly, even after a week with them… but that's for the next section. If you can achieve a secure fit and seal, I do think there'd be very little in it between them and the best-sounding earbuds in their class.

Sound quality: 4 / 5

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Design

On-ear controls are reliable and the headshell is grippy
Divisive fit and ear-tip material – although plenty of tips are provided
Case magnets feel a little weak

Sony has once again reworked the shape of its earbuds and I have to say that the company's commitment to tweaking and amending the fit in the pursuit of excellence is commendable. These earbuds are 11% thinner than the older model and are very much pill-shaped from above, but they are taller.

That means – and there's no pretty way to say this – they stick out of your ears a little more (as well as from their taller case), and there's a little notch or nub halfway up the housing, to nestle into your outer ear.

Far from being disappointing to me, this initially quite bulbous-looking fit can work very well (see the 'concha fit' style pioneered by the aforementioned Technics EAH-AZ100), however, in this thinner shape, I found that getting a secure fit did involve a fairly rigorous push and twist into the ear, to get them to 'lock in', as it were.

I worry that in the pursuit of a positive 'they're smaller!' goal, Sony hasn't quite achieved the aim of a better fit – although fit is a very personal thing.

Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds tips, held in a hand — Future

The Sony WF-10000XM6 next to the Sony WF-1000XM5, held in a hand, to show the size difference — Future

I eventually achieved the best fit using the 'S'-sized small tips (not the XS, which is unusual for me), backed up by Sony's in-app ear-tip fit test tech, but after several hours of listening, the lower part of my antihelix and on to my antitragus did ache a little.

I also think there's a small chance that the shape of these buds affects the efficacy of the noise cancellation – their thinness perhaps means they didn't fill my outer ear fully, quite where they should? It's hard to know for sure, but as someone who's testing more buds than I can count, it felt a little off.

One good aspect of the taller buds, along with the fact that there's no shiny plastic involved in the design, is that I never once dropped an earbud while getting them out of the case, and that is a comment often levelled at the older XM5 buds.

The ear-tips are again memory foam in style, and while I like them a lot and found them very easy to switch out (particularly thanks to the little colored bands on the bottom, so you don't mix them up), unlike silicone options you do need to give them a moment to re-form if you inadvertently squish them while fitting.

The case is much more angular and a little taller, but maintains a USB-C charger and reset button on the back (it'll also charge wirelessly) plus a solo green LED light on the front. It can charge wirelessly too.

My only point on the case is the magnets that snap the case lid shut; given the extra height and bulk on the top, it feels as if they could be stronger. I did an initial drop-test and it did stay shut, but I didn't feel as confident of this happening consistently as I have with other class-leading buds.

In terms of battery life, their claim of eight hours from the buds with ANC and 24 from the case equals that of the AirPods Pro 3, which means it's good – but this is a standard rather than outstanding figure. In testing, I got a little less from them, at seven hours before they needed charging – but my testing does often involve boosting the volume above 50% and scrolling through features and profiles.

Design score: 4 / 5

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: value

Stuffed full of features and far from the most expensive buds around
…but the ANC isn't class leading, and spatial audio might be hard to access

Do you want the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market for noise-blocking power? If so, the WF-1000XM6 are not my first choice – but that's not at the top of everyone's list, and doesn't mean you should discount them.

For sound, there's plenty to celebrate. These earbuds offer an expansive and pleasing soundstage with neutrality and plenty of options to further tweak the sound to your liking. If pushed, I could've used a little more energy and oomph to allow for an extra ounce of dynamic nuance, but it's my job to nitpick and I maintain that for sound, they're still bang on the money. Buy them, and you won't be disappointed in the WF-1000XM6 sonically.

But do you want device- and streaming-service agnostic spatial audio profiles with dynamic head-tracking? That's more of an issue sadly, since 360 Reality Audio isn't what it once was (Deezer and Tidal no longer support the format) and as such, you might feel you're missing out – where options such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) do offer that, in various guises and in conjunction with tweakable ANC.

Value: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Sony WF-1000XM6 review?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	Stuffed to the gills with perks, but the ANC isn't class-leading – and spatial audio is hard to come by	4/5
Sound quality	Neutrality and faithfulness in spades, but they could use just a little oomph injection at times	4/5
Design	The tweaked taller shape may work for you, or it may not, but they do well in most areas	4/5
Value	Plenty to celebrate and competitively priced, but there are a few compromises you need to make	4/5

Buy them if…

You really need a good quick attention feature
I've tried literally scores of wireless earbuds that claim to offer an effective way to quickly hear external sounds without the faff of removing your buds or fully going into a transparency mode. I maintain that Sony's Speak to Chat (simply speak, and the music pauses and ambient sound filters in) and Quick Attention (cover the left bud for the same thing) features are the best in the business.

You want a rock-solid connection
Thanks to that larger antenna, I never once had Bluetooth connectivity dropouts using these earbuds in any situation, and you can prioritize the connection stability over audio quality – well done, Sony.

You're fed up of dropping your buds on the floor
Often grab your buds a hurry? Sony's worked hard to make sure there's enough traction on the earpieces and within the design of the case so that you won't lose a bud underfoot as you try to pluck them out of their battery nests, and it really works.

Don’t buy them if…

You want the absolute best noise cancellation around
It pains me to say this, because I really did want Sony to challenge the likes of Bose and Apple here. Sadly, in my tests it didn't quite match up to what was promised.

You need them for super long-haul flights
The battery life is far from bad here, but it hasn't been upgraded from the older set. And compared to direct rivals it can be bettered – the Technics EAH-AZ100 lasted over an hour longer, in my tests.

You want easy-to-find head-tracked spatial audio
At the time of writing, you can still get 360 Reality Audio on Amazon Music Unlimited, but it's safe to say that support for this Sony tech is on the wane.

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Also consider

	Sony WF-1000XM6	Apple AirPods Pro 3	Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)	Technics EAH-AZ100
Price	$329 / £250 / AU$TBC	$249 / £219 / AU$429	$299 / £299 / AU$450	$299 / £259 / AU$478 (approx.)
Drivers	'Unique' 8.4mm dynamic with 'soft edge, hard center'	'Custom high-excursion' Apple driver with new multiport acoustic architecture	10mm	10mm free-edge dynamic
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery life	8 hours (buds, ANC on); 24 from case	8 hours (buds, ANC on; 10 hours with ANC off); 6.5 hours (buds, heart rate sensor on); 24 hours (case)	6 hours (earbuds, ANC off; 4 hours with it on) case not specified	12 hours (earbuds, ANC off); 17 hours (charging case)
Weight	6.5g per bud	5.6g per bud	7.7g per bud	5.9g per bud
Connectivity	Bluetooth with LE Audio and LDAC	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX Lossless / Adaptive	Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC and LC3 compatibility
Waterproofing	IPX4	IP57 case and earbuds	IPX4 earbuds only	IPX4 earbuds only

Apple AirPods Pro 3
No LDAC, but these will take your heart-rate, offer a pretty comprehensive hearing test and (provided you've got an iPhone) translate various languages for you. Also, the ANC is some of the most effective I've ever heard, and Dolby Atmos head-tracked spatial audio is excellent. iPhone owner? You'll be hard pushed to beat these…
Read my in-depth AirPods Pro 3 review for the full scoop.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)
This is the better pick over the XM6 for device- and streamer-agnostic immersive audio profiles, wonderful noise cancellation, and a colorful look (if you like). Some wearers may find the buds a touch big (though they're secure and fit excellently), but if profiles that combine bubble-of-silence ANC as a backdrop for wonderful spatial audio experiences sounds like your bag, you've found the best buy in the business.
See our full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review for more. View Deal

Technics EAH-AZ100
An option with slightly better stamina that also offers slightly better sound quality – and just costs slightly more. You'll still get LDAC higher-resolution Bluetooth support if you've got a device that supports it, but here, you also get multi-point to three brand-agnostic devices (rather than the standard two) and for me, the fit is also just that bit better. And Technics' sidetone tech (to better hear your own voice in calls) makes them the better bet for call handling.
Get the full picture in our Technics EAH-AZ100 review.

How I tested the Sony WF-1000XM6

Tested for two weeks
Tested at home, on a plane, on long train journeys, and while running (occasionally in the rain)

I used the Sony WF-1000XM6 for two weeks to complete this review. My testing process involved listening to new music on Tidal, Qobuz and Apple Music as well as podcasts and plus streamed TV shows from my Apple iPhone 15 Pro (I'm catching up on Married at First Sight UK, please don't judge me) on long train journeys to and from London. I also paired simultaneously to my MacBook Pro and both connections were easy and solid.

I listened at home, on a quiet train, on admittedly half-hearted runs in the constant UK rain, and I even taught myself to make natural soy wax candles from YouTube videos with the WF-1000XM6.

I've been testing audio products full-time since 2019, firstly at TechRadar's sister publication What Hi-Fi? as a staff writer, then as senior writer and now audio editor here at TechRadar.

My background as a professional dancer means I never tire of listening to music, and my still-insatiable need to move to what I'm hearing is what drives me to search for faithful timing, neutrality, precision, clarity, energy, and good old fashioned fun in recorded audio.

First reviewed February 2026

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Xerox C325 laser printer review: I have never found it so easy to copy documents

2:59 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Comments: Off

Specs

Type: color laser multifunction printer

Functions: Print, scan, copy, fax

Connectivity: Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi

Data storage slots: USB Host

Print speed: 33ppm

Max paper size: Letter/legal/A4

Print quality: 1,200x1,200dpi (4,800x4,800 enhanced color)

Memory: 2GB

Apple AirPrint: yes

Consumables included: 4 x setup cartridges (1,500 black, 1,000 color pages)

Dimensions/Weight: 479 x 475 x 491 mm (WxDxH)/60lb/27kg

With its rapid print rate of 33ppm (pages per minute), duplex printing and scanning and a modular design that can expand its paper capacity in step with your growing business, the Xerox C325 is a significant step up from the Xerox C235. The extra $100 buys you a higher spec and premium features such as duplex scanning.

On paper, it has the chops to serve a busy workgroup with high print demands and Xerox suggests a print volume up to 6,000 pages, which could make it an easy entry into our best small business printers guide.

The Xerox C325 is essentially a rebadged Lexmark CX532adwe and since Xerox bought the Chinese-owned brand in 2025, I’ve been keen to see what, if any, improvements have been made.

Xerox C325: Design and build

Xerox C325 laser printer in a home office during our testing — (Image credit: Xerox // Future)

The C325 looks like a typical Xerox MFD (multifunction device) with its two-tone grey plastic and large ADF giving it a top-heavy appearance. One big difference though, are the four square toner cartridges and their compartment at the side of the printer.

Previously, Xerox had always housed its elongated torpedo-shaped cartridges in the center of its printers. The advantage here is that you can swap out your empties as easily as if they were inkjet cartridges. Frustratingly, the Xerox and Lexmark cartridges are not interchangeable.

The Xerox C325 is larger than the C235, with the overhanging ADF and scanner bed being raised up so the unit is almost 50cm tall. The footprint, however, is reasonably compact and in order to load Letter or A4 paper, you first need to extend the main tray beyond the rear panel by an inch or two.

The 4.3-inch tilting touchscreen control panel is both detailed and sensitive and there’s a USB Host port conveniently located close by. All other connections are at the rear. It looks and feels like a sturdy piece of office equipment that would withstand the demands of a workgroup. For my home office, though, I’d prefer the smaller Xerox C235.

Xerox C325: Features & specifications

In addition to key features such as auto duplex, Wi-Fi with AirPrint and Mopria and embedded security software, the Xerox C325 also has a DADF — that’s a duplex automatic document feeder. The ability to scan both sides of a stack of documents saves a whole lot of standing around the printer and is something only upmarket MFPs can do.

With its fast print rate of 33ppm, powered by a 1.2Ghz processing and 2GB inbuilt memory, the Xerox C325 has a higher spec than the C235 in every department. It holds a similar amount of paper (251 sheets of Letter or A4) but this can be upgraded to 901 sheets with the purchase of additional cassettes, while the deeper out-tray can hold 120 sheets. The manual feed slot is useful for printing envelopes and headed letter paper and the USB Host port is handy for scanning directly to a USB thumb drive.

The native print and scan quality is the usual 600x600 DPI (dots per inch), but this is enhanced to 4,800 DPI for best quality color prints. It can recognize and print on a wide range of media up to Letter or A4 size and up to 216gsm in weight. The only absent feature that might have improved this model is NFC (near field communication) which could have enabled more secure printing in a shared office.

Xerox C325: Setup and operation

The Xerox C325 comes with pre-loaded setup cartridges, so the initiation is simple and should only take a few minutes. My printer fired up quickly and launched straight into the setup procedure, which can be done via the touchscreen.

You can use the free companion app called Easy Assist and use your smartphone to help, but I tried both methods and found it faster to use the printer’s own touchscreen interface, which is particularly responsive and easy to type on.

The first test sheet you get from a new laser printer often looks faded as it takes a page or two for the toner to feed through, but this one printed crisply right from the box. In both setup and operation, the Xerox C325 responds promptly making it a pleasure to use.

Xerox C325: Performance

The Xerox C325 printed a whole range of documents with the speed and accuracy you would expect from a printer at this price, but its bright and vivid presentation with color prints gives it an edge over the competition.

The advantage is most noticeable when printing photos on laser photo paper. The Xerox produces a slighter lighter image with more discernible detail than rival lasers such as the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw thanks to its strong contrast. You can still see the pixels that comprise the image, so it cannot compete with an inkjet photo printer for photos, but it is very good with mixed color documents.

And like most laser printers, it’s more consistent at printing text than your average inkjet. Characters always look sharp on plain paper and remain legible down to the smallest point size. The Xerox 325 churns out long Word documents at around 33ppm in simplex mode and about 22ppm in duplex mode, which is to say that it can turn the page over quickly.

The Xerox C325 also makes a great photocopier, thanks to a combination of a speedy scan rate and that valuable duplex scan function. Place your documents to be copied on the 50-sheet ADF (or DADF in this case) and each page will be sucked in, copied on both sides and duplex printed in a few seconds. Copies are so faithful it’s hard to tell them apart from the original.

Xerox C325: Consumables

With the Xerox C325, you get four pre-installed setup cartridges containing enough toner for 1,500 black and white pages and 1,000 color pages, while the highest capacity carts available for this model will yield up to 8,000 black pages and 5,500 color. It works out at around 3 cents (2p) per black page, and 12 cents (9p) per color page, which is quite competitive.

However, the Lexmark CX532adwe, on which this model is based can take even higher capacity cartridges promising yields up to 15,800 mono pages and 8,800 color with a slightly lower CPP (cost per page). This seems to be the main difference between the two MFDs, so for very high print volumes, the more expensive Lexmark makes more sense.

Xerox C325: Maintenance

The only parts that might need replacing apart from the toner cartridges are the black and color imaging drums. These cost several hundred dollars each, but the good news is that they last so long, Xerox says it’s unlikely you’ll need to renew them.

Xerox C325: Final verdict

The Xerox C325 fills its roll as a do-it-all workhorse for a busy workgroup well. It has all the key features you could ask of an office printer, with single-pass duplex scanning being a real bonus. It has the paper capacity and upgradability to satisfy a growing business and pretty good toner capacity too, though it has to be said, the near identical Lexmark CX532adwe manages even higher yields. T

he intuitive touchscreen makes it easy to use and the print and scan rates are impressive. Crucially, the print quality also lives up to expectations. The black text output is good, if unremarkable, while the color output is especially strong with lots of detail and bright color. In short, this is a great multifunction device for the office.

For more top-rated options, I've tested out the best home printers and the best laser printers.

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast review: Derry Girls creator is 2 for 2 as new Netflix show pairs Irish wit with unhinged trauma — and it works

11:01 am |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Netflix Streaming | Comments: Off

Back in 2023, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lisa McGee on the BAFTA red carpet the night she won for Derry Girls season 3. It was one of the highlights of my career to date, but after watching her character Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher) flee for her life from the awards in new Netflix show How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, I'm starting to wonder if McGee felt the same way.

The Derry Girls creator was always going to have all eyes on her when it came to her follow-up show, and I'm pleased to report it's an absolute belter. This time around, McGee is blending eerie tragedy and crime-style mystery into her signature blend of Irish wit and charm, and together, it goes down like a spoonful of sugar.

At its core, best friends – screenwriter Saoirse, mum Robyn (Sinéad Keenan) and reclusive mummy's girl Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne) – are told that an estranged friend from their school days has died after falling down the stairs. When they get to the wake and discover Greta (Natasha O'Keeffe) might not be dead after all, they open a can of worms bigger than they could ever have imagined.

When I say you are going to race through these eight episodes because they're so addictive, I mean you won't even move to get another drink. After a doozy of an opening episode, I almost resented the plans I had that meant I had to leave my TV screen unwatched. That's the power of McGee, people... it's almost witchcraft.

The critical eye in me has to really pick this apart... yes, it could have been easily condensed into six episodes and I'm not too sure how much I love one of the most significant sub-plots. But for the most part, I'm breathing a sigh of relief that great Irish telly is back once again (and this is possibly the most Irish show I've ever seen).

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast isn't Derry Girls, but it won't let you forget where Lisa McGee started

Think about Bad Sisters, Big Little Lies and Orphan Black all getting together and having a little Irish TV baby, and you've got How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. McGee's latest work has much darker undertones than we're used to, touching on everything from murder and the occult to witness protection and false arrests. Even the intro titles are creepy enough to send a shiver running down your spine.

While these are topics you'd rarely joke about, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is teeming with natural laugh-out-loud moments. Our lead trio are just as hilarious as they are charismatic, making them the ideal characters to deliver McGee's exceptional script with the timing and wit it needs.

This is where it's most similar to Derry Girls – but if anything, the new Netflix show is almost an ode to it, ramming in Easter eggs wherever you look. Everything from subtle dialogue references to the cast mural that now sits in the center of Derry is there, and that's before you get to cast appearances from the likes of Saoirse Monica-Jackson, Art Campion and Father Ted legend Ardal O'Hanlon.

The comedy is strong enough to stand on its own, but I loved reminiscing on some of my favorite Derry Girls scenes as How to Get to Heaven from Belfast went along. Again, it's something that shouldn't work but does, and it's a testament to McGee's craft that she's managed to pull off intertwining the two shows.

As McGee said the night I interviewed her, "I'm Irish, so I can talk quickly." It's this snappy and dynamic pace of storytelling that makes any of her work feel so electric, meaning we can power through the scenes that don't quite work and not feel hard done by. It's such a creative leap that it was almost a given that there would be imperfections, but like all good things, the pros far outweigh the cons.

The soundtrack is any 2000s kid's dream – and almost a character in its own right

Saoirse, Dara and Robyn stand on a grassy hillside — It's giving ITV crime drama. (Image credit: Netflix)

It took watching How to Get to Heaven from Belfast for me to realize that we've scarcely had any dramas centering on 2000s school culture. The 80s and 90s have been done to death, with the 70s not too far behind. Even the 2010s to now are well represented thanks to shows like Euphoria.

But for some reason, the 2000s has been a blind spot... until now. Much of Saoirse, Dara, Robyn and Greta's backstory takes place during their high school days in 2003, and boy has production paid attention to the all-important details. Classic McGee motifs like diary writing and shifting boys at house parties are all present and correct, but the day-to-day culture of the early naughties almost feels refreshing.

This best comes to life in the (frankly, exquisite) soundtrack that I hope somebody at Netflix eventually turns into a Spotify playlist. We've got Liberty X, 'The Ketchup Song', and copious plays of 'Sound of the Underground' by Girls Aloud in multiple episodes (though their featured discography is not limited to this).

In peak humor, we've also got B*Witched's 'C'est La Vie', which had me both roaring and subconsciously Irish dancing within seconds. How lucky are we to have a talented creator who doesn't take themselves or their work too seriously? Where else can we have a payoff that resembles Popstars: The Rivals?

I will go as far as to say that How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is my best TV show of 2026 so far. It's not perfect, but the smorgasbord of cultural and craft references we're getting are a feast for the eyes and ears, and I'm thrilled McGee's talents will be appreciated on a global streaming service. Let's keep funding her work until the money runs out, please.

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The AirTag 2 is way more findable — and louder — than the original, and this is a truly worthy upgrade

8:50 pm | February 11, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets iPhone Phones | Tags: Apple Store | Comments: Off

There was a moment late last year when I thought I'd lost my wallet. I searched everywhere, in every nook and cranny. It was nowhere. I began walking through all the steps I'd have to take to secure my life; my IDs, my credit cards, even some memories stuffed inside. I was, for a moment, devastated. Then I remembered something: I'd had the wallet on me the other day when I briefly wore a pair of pants... then I switched into shorts.

The wallet was in the pocket of those pants, folded, and laying a shelf in my closet. Now, if I'd had an AirTag on it, I could've located the wallet with some ease. The irony is that this wallet came with a perfect circle cut-out to hold Apple's popular tracking tag. After that scare, I decided to slip an AirTag in, and now I can find it in my house.

And if I had the new AirTag (Second Generation or AirTag 2), I'd find it even more easily – because, as promised, it's got far better range, and can chirp loud enough that you can easily hear it from a room away.

Apple AirTag 2: Price and availability

$29 / £29 / AU$49
Available now at Apple Store and retail

Apple AirTag 2: Setup

If you own one of the best iPhones, setting up the new AirTag is as easy as it was with the original tracking disc. After unpacking the AirTag, I pulled the thin plastic covering off and then tugged until the tiny bit of embedded flexible plastic pulled out of the AirTag.

With that, the AirTag started looking for its iPhone mate. My iPhone 17 Pro Max, which was sitting nearby, immediately detected the AirTag and lit up. On-screen steps guided me through the process of pairing it with the phone and naming the tag (you typically choose a name that aligns with what you want to track, so 'Backpack,' 'Luggage,' etc.).

There's also a pretty stern warning about how AirTags are not intended to be used to track people without their consent. The new AirTags support all the same privacy features, like alerting you if an unknown AirTag is somehow on your person. Plus, if the AirTag is separated from its owner for an extended period, it will start making noise.

Since Apple sent me one of its $35 / £40 / A$59 FineWoven Key Rings, I slipped the AirTag into it and attached it to my backpack.

Apple AirTag 2: Test drive

From the outside, the Apple AirTag 2 is indistinguishable from the original AirTag launched in 2021, but inside it's a whole different story.

Apple replaced significant components, including the ultrawideband chip, which now matches what we've had in the iPhone since 2023 (iPhone 15), and new speakers. Both of these changes are critical to the AirTags 2's biggest updates.

When I learned about the new Apple AirTag, I noted Apple's claims of 1.5x better range and a 50%-louder speaker with some skepticism. Those sounded like big leaps, and I wondered, at first, how I might test them.

The answer was simple, and it resided in my wallet. I simply compared the original AirTag to this new and improved one.

Finding things near and far

The AirTag is useful for finding stuff you've misplaced in your home, but even more impactful when you, or say, your airline has misplaced your luggage, for example. Apple has partnered with dozens of airlines that can now use an AirTag to help locate your lost luggage and let you know it's been found; a reunion with your luggage should soon follow.

Like the original AirTag, the new one can tap into a network of one billion Apple devices to phone home. Basically, an AirTag separated from its owner can ping, for instance, a nearby iPhone, and that connects with the iCloud network to deliver the AirTag's location information (based on that original iPhone's location) back to the owner in the Find My app. All of this information is delivered anonymously, and it's also end-to-end encrypted.

A locally misplaced item can be found via the AirTag's ultrawideband capabilities.

To be clear, I had no intention of losing my wallet or backpack, but I thought I could test out the new range and audio capabilities.

My house is about 40ft front to back and 50ft diagonally from one corner to the other. I placed my backpack with both the AirTag 1 (in my wallet) and the AirTag 2 in one corner, and then I walked to the opposite, far corner of my house.

In the FindMy app, I started by selecting my wallet and then choosing 'Find' to launch Precision Finding. The app reported that my wallet was 'far' and, though connected, said the signal was weak and suggested I move to a different location.

Apple AirTags (2026) tests — AirTag (2026): The range is much better.Future

I started walking in the direction of the wallet and AirTag 1. When I was almost two-thirds of the way to its location, the Find My interface picked up the wallet at 22ft away, but could not identify the direction.

It wasn't until I was within six feet of the AirTag 1 that I got directional information, which is a giant white arrow on a green background that points you to your missing bag, wallet, or whatever.

Next, I returned to the far corner of my house and selected the backpack, in which I had placed the AirTag 2.

Even from that location, the phone connected to the AirTag and told me it was 47 feet away. By the time I was just a third of the way across my home (roughly 32ft), Find My started displaying directional information – a significant improvement over the original AirTag.

I reran the test with the wallet and backpack AirTags fully exposed, and the results were the same.

Sound off

The new AirTags are also advertised as being significantly louder than the original tags, thanks to new speakers.

Keeping the AirTags in the same location, I first selected the wallet AirTag in Find My devices and then chose 'Play Sound'. I heard the familiar two-tone sound.

From inside my backpack, I could just make out the muffled dat-dat-da-dat-dat, which plays three times before ceasing.

I made sure the AirTag 2 was similarly seated inside the backpack, and then selected 'Play Sound' for that AirTag. The difference in volume was stark; I could hear it clearly, even over the din of a nearby television. Impressive.

Watch this

The new AirTag also works with the Apple Watch (Series 9 and above or Ultra 2), though enabling it was slightly less intuitive than I'd prefer.

To add an AirTag to your Apple Watch, you open the Control Panel, hit Edit, and then select 'Find AirTag'. The system walks you through selecting a compatible AirTag, in my case, the backpack one, and once that's done it's just a press of your Apple Watch Side Button and a tap on the Find AirTag icon to launch a search for that item.

When I did it on my Apple Watch 9, the screen immediately transformed into a searching graphic similar to what I see in the iPhone Find My app's Precision Finding feature. It instantly showed me how many feet I was from the backpack, and when I started walking toward it, it switched to a circular wayfinder, with one portion of the circle turning bright white to indicate the proper direction. When I arrived at the backpack and its AirTag, the screen turned green with a bright check mark.

While I can't test battery life, you'll be pleased to know that the new AirTag uses the same CR2032 3-volt lithium coin battery, and is rated to last a year. Finally, the IP67 rating remains, which means the AirTag (2026) can handle splashes of water (rain) and dust.

Overall, this is an excellent little update that retains all that's good about the original AirTag, and updates crucial features to make them much more useful when you're trying to find your lost item. And Apple earns extra points for not raising the price or altering the design, which might have forced you to buy new AirTag accessories.

The AirTag 2 is way more findable — and louder — than the original, and this is a truly worthy upgrade

8:50 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets iPhone Phones | Tags: Apple Store | Comments: Off