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I’ve used the Galaxy S25 for a week and it’s the fastest small phone I’ve tested, but I’d trade some speed for newer cameras
9:00 pm | January 22, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Phones Samsung Galaxy Phones | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Samsung Galaxy S25 review: Two-minute review

Samsung Galaxy S25 held in hand at an angle to reflect the Samsung logo

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Samsung Galaxy S25 is polished, powerful, and predictable. Everything about the Galaxy S family has gotten a bit better over the years – the sleek design that is totally not an iPhone lookalike; the One UI 7 interface that looks much nicer even as it grows more complex; the bright and colorful display that draws you into every web page and photo. It’s all great, but it’s not very exciting.

The Galaxy S25’s performance is top-notch: this is the fastest phone you can buy at the time of its release, other than the more expensive Galaxy S25 Ultra. Unlike Apple, which hobbles its base model iPhone 16 with a slower processor, Samsung has ensured that the Galaxy S25 starts on the same platform as its larger brethren, with an identical Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset inside. There’s nothing this phone can’t handle.

That might be an empty compliment, because the Galaxy S25 just doesn’t do very much more than you’d expect a flagship phone in 2025 to do… not yet. At launch, Samsung bragged on and on about Galaxy AI, and all the ways this phone would get to know you. Maybe it will, someday, but none of that is here just yet.

Samsung Galaxy S25 from angle in hand showing bottom part of screen and USB-C port with SIM tray

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

In fact, throughout the phone, the AI takes steps backwards. The Now Brief feature that Samsung wants us to use multiple times a day? It offers the weather, and news stories I really don’t want to read – at least Google Discover knows the stories I like. Even the health advice wasn’t helpful – get more sleep? Thanks, I’ll get right on that.

I used to be able to use AI to turn on the flashlight or activate my personal hotspot. Now I have to wrestle between competing AIs. Samsung said users won’t need to know whether they’re using Bixby or Google’s Gemini, so seamless will the combined AI experience be. In my time with the phone, however, that was not at all true. Many of the features I used to enjoy with Bixby are now hidden, because Gemini takes over the side button when you set up the phone, and Gemini cannot do half of what Bixby can do.

Bixby continues to improve, and it comes closer to fulfilling its promise of a voice interface. I can now ask Bixby to “help me charge my Galaxy Buds using my phone” and it will open the correct Settings menu for wireless power sharing. Sadly, Bixby itself is hard to find, relegated to the Search bar in the Settings app.

I can always put Bixby back on the side button, but then I’d lose Google Gemini features, such as they are. It’s easier now to talk to Gemini, and Google’s Search is more ready than ever to identify whatever you see or hear, whether that’s live in person or on the phone screen. Beyond that, it can, um… I’m not sure, exactly.

Samsung told me that Galaxy AI would do things like turn off the TV when I fall asleep, or identify the best thermostat setting to help me fall asleep. Yes, Samsung appears to be obsessed with sleep across its Galaxy range.

So where, exactly, is the AI? I’m using a Galaxy S25, and a Galaxy Watch Ultra, and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. I’m watching my Samsung Smart TV, and controlling everything, including my lights and thermostat, through Smart Things. So, where is it? Where are the suggestions? Where is the intelligence?

If Samsung is being cautious and not overextending Galaxy AI for now, then I appreciate the sensitivity and I will be patient. I don’t need AI-generated fake news headlines, or inaccurate summaries of my messages. When Samsung’s Galaxy AI summarized my phone calls or my Notes, it was very accurate, with no glaring errors. There’s no AI help for Notifications yet, sadly.

Samsung Galaxy S25 showing the Now Brief screen, with a finger covering some corporate information

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

I will continue to feed my Galaxy S25 my personal data to keep in the Samsung Knox-secured Personal Data Engine, and hopefully its Galaxy AI will chew that up and spit out features that are tailored to my personality and habits. I can be patient, because, AI features aside, the Galaxy S25 is a satisfying phone.

The cameras on the Galaxy S25 are great, even if they didn’t get an exciting upgrade with more megapixels or longer zoom. Samsung’s One UI 7 software is the most heavily customizable version of Android you’ll find – you can change everything down to the number of rounded corners on your squircle-shaped widgets, or you can leave everything unchanged, and enjoy the colorful, smooth feel of One UI 7.

Here’s the thing. The Galaxy S25 is a great phone, but there are competitors that are finally catching up to Samsung. You can get a OnePlus 13 for the same price (with OnePlus’s trade-in offer), and that phone has better battery life and nicer cameras. The Google Pixel 9 Pro just got a fabulous new look; it’s more expensive, but I’ve seen that price drop to the Galaxy S25’s level for Black Friday, and its price will surely drop again.

If you need a phone, the Galaxy S25 is an excellent choice that will keep you satisfied for years. If you’re looking to upgrade from a Galaxy S24, you may want to wait a bit longer, because the Galaxy S25 offers only subtle improvements, and I’m hoping that Samsung freshens up the Galaxy S lineup with something more exciting next year.

Samsung Galaxy S25 review: Price and availability

Samsung Galaxy S25 in blue, silver, light blue, and mint green

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • Available for $799 / £799 / AU $1,399 with 128GB of storage (256GB in Australia)
  • All the colors are kinda blue, including Icyblue, Navy, and Mint (and Silver)

The Samsung Galaxy S25 starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399, which is not only the same price as the Apple iPhone 16 and Google Pixel 9 (the Pixel 9 is very slightly cheaper in Australia), but also the same price as last year’s Galaxy S24 at launch. It’s a big deal that Samsung didn’t raise the price, because I’ve heard strong rumors that the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset inside is more expensive than previous Snapdragon platforms. It’s worth the premium.

The Galaxy S25 starts with a paltry 128GB of storage in the US and UK, but Australia skips that low-end model and starts at 256GB. Also, for some reason US customers can’t buy a Galaxy S25 with 512GB of storage, although it’s not really an issue, as 256GB is probably the sweet spot. Every Galaxy S25 comes with 12GB of RAM inside.

You can find the Galaxy S25 in a few shades of blue and also silver, and Samsung is keeping a few colors exclusive to its own online web store, like a snazzy pinkish Coralred color. My review sample is Silver Shadow, and it’s a nicer-than-average shade of light grey, with real depth to the finish on the back glass.

An important note here is that Samsung fans often say nobody pays full price for a Samsung phone. You can look for sales throughout the year, especially in the form of a trade-in discount if you give Samsung your old phone. The Galaxy S25 is worth the list price, but keep an eye out for deals, and we will do the same.

  • Value score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S25 series: $900 instant trade-in credit and up to $300 credit at Samsung
Looking for an unlocked device? This right here is your best option by far. The official Samsung Store is offering an excellent trade-in rebate of up to $900 and $300 of store credit on the house for both carrier and unlocked devices today. The trade-in here is superb and the $300 credit is also a significant bonus that can be used to pick up any number of cheap accessories at the Samsung Store. Overall, a superb opening deal and one that's even better than I anticipated.View Deal

Samsung Galaxy S25 review: Specs

Samsung Galaxy S25 on a stand showing the lock screen

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The standout spec in the Samsung Galaxy S25 is the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset. It seems that Qualcomm has overclocked the two primary Oryon cores by 0.15GHz – and if that doesn’t sound like much, know that those cores run at a mind-melting 4.47GHz at peak, and it's hard to imagine squeezing any more speed out of these chips.

That gives Samsung the benchmark crown for many of our Future Labs benchmark tests, whether you’re comparing the Galaxy S25 to the iPhone 16 Pro or any other Android phone. The Galaxy S25 isn’t the spec champ in most other ways, but it has enough power for bragging rights.

You can find phones with screens that refresh faster than 120Hz, like the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro. You can get a phone like the OnePlus 13 with 16GB of RAM, not to mention much faster charging speeds; Samsung is still stuck in the slow lane when it comes to charging.

Finally, the camera specs haven’t improved, and that’s disappointing. It doesn’t seem like any of the three main camera sensors have gotten larger, which is the most clear sign that image quality will improve. Samsung’s camera software, with its AI help and Snapdragon image processing pipeline, is better than ever, but I’d still like to see Samsung focus its camera sights on a phone that isn’t its Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S25 review: Design

Samsung Galaxy S25 from the back showing the cameras and Samsung logo

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • Smaller than an iPhone 16, with a larger display
  • Still looks like last year’s Galaxy S (and the year before’s, and…)

The Galaxy S25 has a 6.2-inch display, but the phone is smaller in every way, and even lighter, than the Apple iPhone 16 with its 6.1-inch display. The greatest trick Samsung ever pulled was fitting a larger display into a smaller phone – but we saw that trick in 2023 with the Galaxy S23, and it’s still the same trick.

Sadly, Samsung hasn’t changed the Galaxy S design significantly since the Galaxy S23, when it introduced the porthole-style cameras. The new phones look so much like the older models, even the dimensions are unchanged. The Galaxy S25 matches the Galaxy S23 in height, width, and depth to within a millimeter.

Why does that matter? Because I expect a phone design should improve or the phone should drop in price, and the Galaxy S hasn’t improved. Why are we paying the same amount for a phone that hasn’t changed since 2023? Except for the main processor and RAM, these phones are identical.

It’s a good design, it gets the job done, which is getting out of the way of Samsung’s fantastic phone display. The bezel is even smaller this year, though we’re talking fractions of millimeters, not a noticeable improvement. There is still a bezel; it’s just very small.

Frankly, if you’d never seen a smartphone before, you’d have a hard time telling a Samsung Galaxy S from an iPhone. The two have come full circle to resemble each other again. The camera lenses are arranged differently, but otherwise, these phones are glass slabs with rounded corners. The only real difference is where Samsung and Apple stick the buttons.

  • Design score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S25 review: Display

Samsung Galaxy S25 showing my thumb on the screen and the fingerprint reader fails to match

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • Excellent, bright AMOLED screen with full-color always-on display
  • Fingerprint scanner is still glitchy

The Galaxy S25 has a fantastic display. It’s bright, colorful, and extra smooth when you’re scrolling through your apps or web pages. There’s very little distance between the glass and the screen, so it feels like elements are floating just beneath the surface.

Samsung displays also excel in bright light, and the Galaxy S25 was easy to use for taking photos on a bright, sunny day with heaps of dazzling, white snow on the ground. The extra brightness really kicks in when the sun is out, and it makes a big difference.

The S25 doesn’t get the ProScaler technology that’s designed to make videos look better, with a higher resolution, but I didn’t see much difference between videos on this phone and the Galaxy S25 Plus, which, along with the S25 Ultra, has the Samsung TV tech. In terms of color, smoothness and brightness, the two are identical.

I think the fingerprint scanner under the display needs improvement. After using the OnePlus 13 for a few months I’ve been spoiled by the reliability of that phone’s scanner. The Galaxy S25 often made me re-present my fingerprint two or three times, and then resort to using my password because it couldn’t recognize my finger.

  • Display score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S25 review: Software

Samsung Galaxy S25 showing the Now Brief screen saying it will be a Windy morning

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • One UI 7 is the best-looking One UI in a long time
  • Still far too complicated, though Bixby helps

I expected to write a few hundred words about Galaxy AI on the Galaxy S25, but, um, where is it? The usual stuff is here, including the photo-editing tools, and the writing assistance, and the transcription for phone calls and voice memos. The phone does a nice job of making suggestions for apps, settings, and even widgets, when you open the widgets menu. It takes a light touch, offering suggestions but not being too pushy.

I was expecting more pushy. I was hoping for more pushy. Samsung sent me a Galaxy Watch Ultra to go along with the Galaxy S25, and I’ve been feeding my phone, via its Personal Data Engine, all of my health data for days. The most I’ve gotten is a critique on my sleep habits. I was expecting much more.

At Galaxy Unpacked, Samsung said the Galaxy S25 would use the Galaxy Watch to learn when I fall asleep, and then check Smart Things to understand how the temperature and lighting in my home affected my sleep patterns. I have all of those things set up, including my lights, thermostat, and Samsung TV on Smart Things. And… nothing happens.

I’ve asked Samsung, and they’ll get back to me with more instructions on how to set this all up, but that’s my big problem with Galaxy AI so far. It doesn’t happen, and I might need to do more to set it up.

Take Google Gemini, which now lives on the Side Button of my Galaxy S25. So long, Bixby, right? Nope, Bixby is still there, but you have to find it. If you use the Search feature in the Settings menu, you’re using Bixby. You could have kept Bixby on the side button, but the setup process pushes you to use Gemini instead.

Samsung Galaxy S25 showing the side bar with AI Assist tool

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

That’s too bad, because Bixby is better for the Galaxy S25. Bixby can do things, and I don’t just mean setting timers and checking the weather. Bixby understands the Settings menu better than the Samsung Help Hotline. You can ask Bixby a question using natural language and it will find the settings you need. Say “Bixby, I want to use my phone to charge my Galaxy Buds” and Bixby opens up the Battery menu to Wireless Power Sharing.

You can say “turn on the flashlight” and Bixby can do that, but Gemini can’t. I wish that Bixby were in charge of the phone, including Gemini. Gemini can have a conversation, but Bixby can get things done. Let Bixby talk to Gemini for me.

Samsung said this wouldn’t be confusing, and that users wouldn’t need to know whether they were using Bixby or Gemini or some future AI feature. That’s not exactly true. If you ask the wrong AI to do something, it will act confused and ignore you. That doesn’t make me want to keep using the AI.

Elsewhere, I hate to say that Samsung is falling back into its old ways of software bloat with the Galaxy S25. The amount of extra, unnecessary software is mind-boggling. From Samsung, you get the Samsung Members app (which should just be a website), Shop Samsung to buy Samsung gear, and the Galaxy Store for apps, almost all of which are available on Google’s Play Store as well.

Samsung Galaxy S25 showing the folder of Samsung apps preinstalled on the devices

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

You also get the Samsung Smart Things app, even if you don’t have any Smart Things equipment, and the Galaxy Wearable app, even if you don’t have any Galaxy wearables. But wait, there’s more. There’s Samsung News, Samsung Global Goals (?!), and an app just for Tips about your phone.

Then there are two photo gallery apps, one from Google and one from Samsung. Also two Calendar apps, two web browser apps, oh, and Microsoft gets to stick four apps on your phone as well, just for good measure. Hope you enjoy LinkedIn.

All told, there are 46 apps already installed on your phone before you turn it on for the first time; the final one of these, YouTube, dangles alone an unsightly second page for apps. It’s too much. It’s time for the junk to disappear; it’s time for the duplicate apps to end.

I will freely admit that Samsung Internet Browser is faster than Google Chrome, but it doesn’t benefit users to have two web browsers on a brand-new phone, it just confuses me.

  • Software score: 3 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S25 review: Cameras

Samsung Galaxy S25 showing camera app taking a photo of the Galaxy S25 Plus

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • Reliable cameras with great camera modes
  • Not the best quality, but still impressive

The Galaxy S25 has an impressive array of cameras that take excellent photos, especially if you love to share your photos for some dramatic effect. The cameras tend to saturate colors deeply and give images a warmer tone, which makes subjects like food, sunrises, and faces look more dramatic and inviting. It’s not exactly accurate, but who cares!

These aren’t the best cameras around, not even in this price range. The OnePlus 13 really impressed me with its image quality, and side-by-side shots taken against the Galaxy S25 show the Galaxy can’t match OnePlus for dynamic range, low-light exposure, and accurate color.

I still like the Galaxy Camera app for its versatility. You get the normal shooting modes for slow motion or portrait shots, in addition to a dedicated Night mode. There’s also a great Food mode that is my go-to for showing off anything I cook.

In classic Samsung fashion, there’s a Pro mode, or you can download an extra app for Expert Raw mode, which gives you even more advanced features like simulated aperture and astrophotography.

Image 1 of 2

Samsung Galaxy S25 showing a photo of me in front of a helicopter with some random people in the background

A photo of me in front of a helicopter with some random people in the background (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Image 2 of 2

Samsung Galaxy S25 showing photo edited using AI

Photo edited using AI (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

I’m not the biggest fan of AI photo editing, but occasionally even I would like to remove a random passerby from my tourist photos. The Galaxy S25 is so good at this that it can even remove a person’s shadow with accuracy. If someone is standing on a wood floor, the generative AI will perfectly match the wood planks when it makes the shadow disappear.

  • Camera score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S25 review: Camera samples

Image 1 of 5

Samsung Galaxy S25 image samples from the different cameras

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S25 image samples from the different cameras

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S25 image samples from the different cameras

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S25 image samples from the different cameras

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S25 image samples from the different cameras

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Samsung Galaxy S25 review: Performance

Samsung Galaxy S25 showing the Galaxy Store for apps

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • Snapdragon delivers on its performance promise
  • Too bad there aren’t more cool features to take advantage of it

What do you do with the fastest smartphone in the world? That’s the question Samsung needs to answer, because while the Galaxy S25 wins on many performance and benchmark tests, it’s not clear what the phone can do with all of that power.

To be fair, Samsung lets you choose to limit Galaxy AI so that all computations are handled on the device, and not in the cloud. It’s unclear if that saves a lot of energy, but it certainly shows Samsung’s confidence in the power of the Galaxy S25. OnePlus is still offloading almost all of its AI tasks to cloud computers, even though its OnePlus 13 has the same Snapdragon 8 Elite processor as the Galaxy S25.

Well, not exactly the same processor, as Qualcomm overclocks the chipset just a smidgen so that Samsung can add a ‘for Galaxy’ label. That makes it the de facto performance winner, though again I wish Samsung were putting all of that power to better use.

Don’t get me wrong, everything is very smooth. The interface is buttery slick, and all of my games and apps ran at top performance on the S25. I have no complaints - I was just hoping for a bit more. While One UI 7 looks nicer than ever, I was hoping for maybe something a bit flashier to take advantage of that powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite.

Samsung Galaxy S25 in hand from side showing volume and side buttons

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Where’s my rippling screen when I tickle Bixby, the way my iPhone ripples when Siri wakes up? How about cool animations, or even a fancy screensaver? There’s a generative AI wallpaper that will change the weather in any photo to match your local weather, but it just adds snowflakes on top; it doesn’t let snow accumulate, which would have been cool.

It’s too bad that all of that Snapdragon power is going to AI features, because I would have liked to have seen some real advances in the interface this generation to match the leap in performance. Samsung has a winner – the Galaxy S25 is unequivocally faster than the iPhone 16. Now, let’s see what it can do with all that power, besides standing atop the winner’s podium.

  • Performance score: 5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S25 review: Battery

Samsung Galaxy S25 from the bottom showing USB-C port

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
  • Best battery life of any phone this size
  • The Galaxy S25 Plus and Ultra have faster charging

The Samsung Galaxy S25 has excellent battery life, better than competing phones of this size. In my testing, the Galaxy S25 lasted a full day every single day I used it, even if I took a lot of photos or played graphically intense games with a Bluetooth joystick connected.

Our Future Labs tests say the same. The Galaxy S25 lasted longer than the similarly-sized iPhone 16 and Google Pixel 9. The iPhone 16 lasted less than 12 and a half hours in our battery rundown test, while the Galaxy S25 made it to nearly 16 hours.

You can find better battery life on a phone, but you’d have to buy a much bigger phone. For phones this size, the Galaxy S25 has the best battery life I’ve seen, likely thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which has gone hand in hand with impressive battery longevity in every phone I’ve tried, like the OnePlus 13 and the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro.

For charging, the Galaxy S25 is capable, but its speed is average. It charges at 25W, the same as the iPhone. It charged to 50% in 30 minutes, and was fully charged within an hour, but I’ve seen much faster charging on phones like the OnePlus 13.

The Galaxy S25 has wireless charging as well as reverse wireless charging, so you can power up your Galaxy Buds 3 Pro case by laying it atop your phone battery – and Bixby can help you find the feature if you get stuck.

  • Battery score: 4 / 5

Buy it if...

You need a really good new phone
If you’re looking for a phone this size, or this price, the Galaxy S25 should be one of the top options on your list. It’s a great all-around pick with few faults.

You can get one for free, or almost free
Samsung phones tend to come with great deals from your carrier, if you’re willing to sign a long-term contract. Not every phone this good is so easy to buy.

You want a great phone to mix work and personal use
The Galaxy S25 is great for work, thanks to DeX desktop software and strong multi-tasking, but it’s also great at keeping work separate from your fun time.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best cameras and can spend a bit more
You may not find better cameras at this price, but for just a bit more (or if they’re on sale), the OnePlus 13 and Pixel 9 Pro have the Galaxy beat.

You wish it were a whole lot thinner
The Galaxy S25 Edge is coming, and it will probably cost more than the Galaxy S25, but who knows? If it’s thin and similarly priced, it could be worth the wait.

You want a whole lotta AI, for whatever reason
I don’t judge – if you want an overwhelming amount of AI controlling your phone, you might try an iPhone or Pixel instead.

Samsung Galaxy S25 review: Also consider

Apple iPhone 16
The iPhone 16 doesn’t have the same great battery life, and its cameras lack zoom, but it has iOS and all of the powerful Apple Intelligence features you won’t find on other phones.

Read our full Apple iPhone 16 review

Google Pixel 9 Pro
Sometimes the Pixel 9 Pro goes on sale and drops to the same price as the Galaxy S25 – keep your eyes peeled for Pro cameras, and a bargain.

Read our full Google Pixel 9 Pro review

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy S25

  • I tested the phone for more than one week
  • I took dozens of photos
  • I played games and watched movies
  • I checked email and worked in Slack
  • I used AI features extensively
  • Benchmark testing is for comparison, not scoring purposes

I tested the Samsung Galaxy S25 extensively, alongside the Galaxy S25 Plus, for almost two weeks, using the same work and personal apps and accounts on each.

I used the Galaxy S25 for taking photos, communicating with work colleagues using messages and Slack, and conducting video conference calls. I played games, and edited photos from my Google Photos library.

I connected the Galaxy S25 to a Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, supplied by Samsung. I wore the Galaxy Watch to bed, and let the Galaxy S25 monitor me as I slept. I connected an Xbox wireless controller to play games. I connected the Galaxy S25 to my car for Android Auto and multimedia. I connected the phone to my Steelseries USB-C keyboard, my MX Master mouse, and my Dell monitor for DeX capabilities.

I used Smart Things on the Galaxy S25 to control my home thermostat, lights, security, and television. I used Gemini as my primary side button AI, but also used Bixby extensively.

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review – head-turning power and all-encompassing AI
9:00 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Phones Samsung Galaxy Phones | Comments: Off

Goodbye, all those Note vestiges, and hello to new, or at least more consistent, design language. The all-new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra finally looks like a part of the Galaxy S Family, sharing the same flat band wrapping around its body.

For this latest flagship, Samsung has recast the Galaxy S25 Ultra in the image of its siblings while maintaining that Ultra flair with premium materials, the largest screen, and, yes, the integrated S Pen.

Like the rest of the line, the S25 Ultra now features Qualcomm’s best mobile CPU, the 3-nanometer Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite for Galaxy, which promises to be faster and more efficient than anything the Galaxy S line has run before. Samsung told us this is actually a custom version of the processor, but didn’t go into detail.

While we’ve not yet had the time to benchmark the new phone – we’ll be doing that for our full review – the company did note that the NPU could be 40% faster, the CPU is, as they measure it, 37% faster than the last Ultra, and the GPU is, they promise, 30% faster. Even ray tracing gets a boost with Samsung’s benchmarks finding it 40% better than the S24 Ultra’s Ray Tracing capabilities. Put another way, this might be a very good gaming smartphone.

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra hands-on review: Price and availability

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra was unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked on January 22. It's available to pre-order now in a choice of four colors: Titanium Silver Blue, Titanium White Silver, Titanium Gray, and Titanium Black.

The phone ships in either 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage configurations, and every variant comes with 12GB RAM.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra will begin shipping on February 7 for the following prices:

Samsung Galaxy S25 series: $900 instant trade-in credit and up to $300 credit at Samsung
Looking for an unlocked device? This right here is your best option by far. The official Samsung Store is offering an excellent trade-in rebate of up to $900 and $300 of store credit on the house for both carrier and unlocked devices today. The trade-in here is superb and the $300 credit is also a significant bonus that can be used to pick up any number of cheap accessories at the Samsung Store. Overall, a superb opening deal and one that's even better than I anticipated.View Deal

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra hands-on review: Specs

Here's a look at the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's key specs:

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra hands-on review: design and display

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra HANDS ON

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra looks and feels good, and while some might prefer the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s more rounded styling, the S25 Ultra is 15% lighter and, as a result, feels better in the hand. It’s also still rated IPX68 for water and dust resistance.

Samsung has mostly chosen to leave the screen technology as it is. Covered in more scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass Armor 2 (the previous model had the first generation of Armor glass), the display still has a sharp and pleasing QHD+ resolution, but it’s slightly larger than the S24 Ultra's at 6.9 inches instead of 6.8 inches diagonally. Samsung did this not by making the phone larger, but by shrinking the bezel by 15%.

It’s still an adaptive refresh screen, moving smoothly from 1Hz to 120Hz on an as-needed basis. New to the screen technology is ProScaler, which actually comes from Samsung's TV line and upscales lower-resolution content. This is a hardware update that will not filter down to previous models.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

(Image credit: Future / Jake Krol)

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra hands-on review: cameras

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra HANDS ON

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

While the camera array has been redesigned, and the three rear lenses now almost float above the phone body, two of the three cameras are unchanged from the S24 Ultra: the 50MP 5x zoom and the 200MP wide main camera. New to the trio is the 50MP ultra-wide. Shooting macro images in 12MP binned format, I could already see the quality difference and was especially impressed with the level of close-up detail I could capture. The front-facing portrait camera is unchanged from the S24 Ultra. It's still 12MP, and in my brief hands-on time it did an excellent job of capturing portrait-mode photos.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

I’m a bit disappointed that Samsung didn’t bring back its optical 10x zoom from the S23 Ultra, but the 10x zoom that crops in on the higher pixel count zoom will probably satisfy most people.

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra HANDS ON

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra HANDS ON

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: battery and performance

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra HANDS ON

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Battery size is unchanged from the S24 Ultra, but Samsung says we should expect better battery life from the Galaxy S25 Ultra thanks to the Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite’s 3-nanometer process and the new 40% larger vapor chamber that Samsung has paired with a Thermal Interface Covering (TIM). The TIM sits right on top of the CPU, and the vapor chamber is on top of that to deliver more efficient heat dissipation, which can extend better battery life. Speaking of the battery, Samsung says the phone is “Qi2 compatible”, but that support is not built into the phone; in other words, the phone will work with an external accessory that supports the updated wireless charging system.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: software

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra HANDS ON

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Perhaps the biggest upgrade over the S24 Ultra is the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s impressive AI capabilities. This is more than just a Galaxy AI upgrade; Samsung has infused AI throughout the system, and given it broader capabilities that span across Samsung and Google apps. The company is calling it Cross Action Apps.

Smart select is, well, smarter now, with the ability to recognize on-screen elements and then make suggestions about what you might want to do, AI-wise, with the image. For instance, it could suggest a straight generative edit or making a GIF.

Circle to Search is now aurally capable, with the ability to identify sounds in a video. It's also adept at naming that tune. I pressed the home button, tapped the new music note icon, and began humming Hot to Go by Chappell Roan. The AI got it right, bringing up the music video from YouTube in Google search. It did similarly well with my terrible hum of Fly Me to the Moon. The recognition isn't instant; you have to know more than a few bars, and the software will prompt you to "keep going" as necessary.

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Hands-On, testing the new music / sound function of 'Circle to Search'

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Hands-On, testing the new music/sound function of 'Circle to Search'

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

AI-assisted search is now more agnostic. I long-pressed the home button and asked natural language questions about travel and buying a new vacuum. In each instance, the system used Google Gemini to tap into YouTube and Samsung Notes. It found what I was looking for on Google’s service, dug into videos to find the details that mattered to me, made summaries, and saved them in Samsung Notes.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Hands-On, testing the new music/sound function of 'Circle to Search'

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

These Gemini Live and Bixby enhancements can access all native Samsung and Google apps. Plus, Samsung plans to release the APK so that other third-party companies can become part of the Galaxy AI ecosystem. At launch, it'll feature built-in Spotify and WhatsApp support.

Samsung has also enhanced many of its generative image tools. I took a photo, and drew a marquee to select and remove all the background people in the shot with a single tap. I could tap another icon to quickly see the original photo. The Galaxy S25 Ultra did a good job, even neatly removing shadows.

Other photography features have also been given a generative-AI sheen. Portraits can now instantly be turned into excellent pencil sketches, and the ones I generated looked as good as any sketch portrait that might appear in The Wall Street Journal. Seeing the quality made me a little sad for the soon-to-be-unemployed sketch artists around the world – although I felt a little better when I took another portrait, but in less dramatic light, and the sketch looked nothing like my subject.

There's also a powerful new AI audio cleanup tool called Audio Eraser, which I used to remove distracting background noises from an interview – I could do it on the fly in the video playback, and tone the background noises down or up to my taste. When I fully removed the background noises, though, the main audio sounded a bit artificial. This is similar to the Audio Mix tools Apple introduced with the iPhone 16 Pro, but with fewer audio presets, and I can’t say for certain yet if it has more limited capabilities until I get to spend more time with it.

Sketch to image, which I used to entertaining effect on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 last summer, is now multi-modal, which means you can start with a photo, draw on that, and have the generative AI do its image magic. You can also use text prompts to adjust the image, although I didn't get to try this feature in my brief hands-on time.

Even Samsung's photo library app, Gallery, has been given a brain transplant, and now lets you search by voice. I asked it to show me pictures of "wine" and quickly got a gallery of photos of wine bottles.

One UI overhaul

One UI 7, a three-year-long project for Samsung, has had a complete makeover. I generally like One UI because it’s long been one of the least overbearing Android overlays, and based on my brief look at it, I think One UI 7 continues this trend.

There’s also a new Now Brief widget, which uses on-system AI to learn about you and give you morning and evening briefs that can help you manage your days and nights. There’s health-related info, upcoming schedules, your energy score, sleep quality, weather, reminders, and more. The connections to some of Samsung’s other devices, like the Galaxy Ring are impressive – if you own all the latest Samsung gear, the S25 Ultra could be an even more worthwhile upgrade.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Hands-On, Now Brief screen.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

What’s interesting here is how Samsung is managing this private data locally, using something called the Personal Data Engine. Through this the phone sends your data to an onboard core that can use AI to understand and act as AI agents on your behalf. None of your data, which is protected by Samsung's Knox security, is shared with the cloud or with apps. It’s the kind of insight Apple has been promising us with Apple Intelligence but has so far failed to deliver.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra hands-on review: S Pen

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra HANDS ON

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The S Pen is still there, but Samsung has removed Bluetooth LE support because, it told us, no one was using it. Its main function was to enable you to use the pen as a remote control for shooting photos or controlling presentations. I doubt I will miss it. Otherwise, the S Pen’s operation is unchanged – I drew with it a bit on the S25 Ultra and was impressed with the responsiveness.

Finally, the good news is that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra costs the same as its predecessor, starting at $1,299 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (you can go up to 1GB). That’s still a hefty price, but you should expect some early promotions to lower the pocket pain, and trade-in deals are typically excellent.

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo review: is this the stylish instant camera we’ve been waiting for?
5:33 pm |
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Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Two-minute review

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

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

A hand holds up the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo

(Image credit: Future)

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

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

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

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

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Price and availability

A hand holding the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo

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

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

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

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

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

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Specs

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Design

A hand holding the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo

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

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

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

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

A hand holds the Instax Wide Evo

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

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

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

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

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Performance

The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo being held by hand

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

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

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

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

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

A hand holding Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo

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

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

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

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

How I tested the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo

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

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

Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED (2024) review
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Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Tags: | Comments: Off

This review first appeared in issue 357 of PC Pro.

This year’s update to Asus’ Vivobook Pro 15 makes one thing obvious: the days when you had to pay over £2,000 for a powerful mobile workstation are gone. Packed inside this 1.8kg monster you’ll find Intel’s top-end Core Ultra 9 185H processor and GeForce RTX 4060 graphics, and with Nvidia’s Studio software it’s ready to go with a bunch of professional apps.

Asus certainly has its eye on designers here, even building a dial into the top left of the touchpad. If you’re dexterous enough to keep within its 3cm diameter then you can use it to whizz through timelines in Premiere Pro, adjust brush sizes in Photoshop and switch font sizes in PowerPoint. It’s no replacement for a hardware dial, but could be a time-saver on the move.

Top-down view of the Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED, showing the keyboard and touchpad

The huge touchpad includes a dial for use in apps such as Photoshop (Image credit: Future)

The Pantone-validated OLED display is another plus point. Not merely because it’s incredibly sharp, thanks to 2,880 x 1,620 pixels across a 15.6in diagonal, but also because it ships with presets for sRGB, DCI-P3 and Display P3. Or you can stick with its native color gamut, which covers 99% of the DCI-P3 space (with a 115% volume) and reproduces colors with near-perfect accuracy. It hit a respectable 387cd/m2 in SDR mode, and with VESA DisplayHDR True Black 600 certification it should be no surprise that films look incredible.

There’s a fine pair of speakers here, too, with vocals coming through with particular clarity. That quality extends to the 1440p webcam. If you find, as I did, that the captured audio isn’t as clear as you hoped, head into the settings within the MyAsus app and switch off all the AI enhancements.

Full view of the Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED

At 1.8kg this is no lightweight, but in return you get pro levels of power (Image credit: Future)

This app is also where you’ll find the color gamut options and control over the fan settings. I don’t see the point of buying a laptop as powerful as this and not putting those fans into Performance mode; they’re noisier, but you’re rewarded with significantly faster frame rates in games: Metro Exodus Enhanced’s averages went up by over 10%, for instance, moving from 61fps at 1080p High settings to 68fps. And 3DMark Time Spy jumped from 7,969 to 8,605.

If you buy this laptop then you’ll get faster results still, as the system Asus sent me had RTX 4050 graphics rather than RTX 4060. As mentioned in the HP Omen Transcend review, you’ll struggle to get above 120fps to take advantage of the screen’s 120Hz refresh rate in most games – I only breached 100fps in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p medium and Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 1080p High – but all current AAA games will play fluidly at reduced settings.

Performance of the Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED compared to benchmarks

(Image credit: Future)

Our test machine came with a Core 7 Ultra, but shipping units include the Core Ultra 9 185H. With Asus providing combined CPU and GPU power of 125W it will never feel sluggish. The thick – by modern standards – chassis also has plenty of room for a chunky heatsink and fans, but the drawback is battery life. It lasted for 8hrs 19mins in PCMark’s video-rundown test, but switching to Modern Office dropped that to 5hrs 59mins. You’ll need to take the meaty 200W power supply with you.

This has its own power socket, which sits on the right-hand side of the chassis along with Thunderbolt 4, USB-C and USB-A ports. And a gigabit Ethernet connector, 3.5mm jack and HDMI 2.1 output. Safe to say it’s crowded. A single USB-A port and SD card reader sit on the left, along with the heat exhaust vents.

Sideview of the slim Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED when closed

Asus includes every port you’ll need on the right-hand side of the chassis (Image credit: Future)

With a crisp keyboard, complete with number pad, this is a laptop computer that has appeal across the spectrum. I can see reasons for writers, gamers, designers and video editors to reach for their wallets.

You’ll notice its bulk and weight when travelling, but sometimes only a powerhouse will do. And that’s exactly what the Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED is.

We also ranked the best laptops for animation.

AOC 27B3CA2 review
2:40 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Tags: | Comments: Off

This review first appeared in issue 357 of PC Pro.

We were hoping to review the AOC 27B3CF2 in this Labs, as you can buy it for a similar price to the 27B3CA2 and they’re identical but for one factor: the stand. Where the version with A2 at the end has a lightweight plastic stand that keeps the monitor at a fixed position, with the bottom roughly 110mm above your desk, the F2 offers 110mm of height adjustment.

Both monitors offer the tantalizing prospect of a 27in USB-C docking monitor for around £150, and to hit that price point AOC has had to make some compromises. Let’s start with the features: you only get two USB-A ports (5Gbits/sec), and nothing in the way of extras, unless you count the 3.5mm headphone socket. Aside from this, only an HDMI port graces the rear.

Nor do you get hedonistic features such as a stand with swiveling capabilities, but as this unit weighs a mere 4.4kg it’s easy to maneuver and to carry round an office. At least you get some tilting action, with 5° forward and 23° back.

Sideview of the AOC 27B3CA2

(Image credit: Future)

Naturally, this is a Full HD monitor rather than 1440p. As with all its Full HD 27in rivals, you lose sharpness around text edges, and there simply isn’t as much room for details, which makes it less useful for workers who like to view two documents side by side, especially if one of those documents is a detail-packed spreadsheet. However, whites look fine, so we were happy to use it for day-to-day tasks, and with 65W power delivery over USB-C it could be rolled out in offices where workers bring in their own laptops.

You shouldn’t expect bags of color; next to the Acer Vero B277 Ebmiprzxv, there’s only one winner. It covers a reasonable 92% of the sRGB gamut, though, and an average Delta E of 1.35 suggests respectable color accuracy. The one area of our testing where it fell down was brightness and contrast uniformity: out of 24 test areas, DisplayCal only gave one the green light.

We would love to end on a complimentary word about speaker or OSD quality, but sadly, no. In “Englishmen in New York”, Sting sounds like he’s singing down a phone line from the 1970s, and AOC’s OSD is looking increasingly dated compared to rivals. It’s okay once you get used to it, but there’s an unnecessary learning curve.

All of which means that there really is only one reason to buy this screen: that you’re desperate for USB-C docking and only have £150 to spend. In which case we recommend you seek out its 27B3CF2 sibling with an adjustable height stand.

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Hohem iSteady M7 review: the heavy-duty smartphone stabilizer to beat
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Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Phone Accessories Phones | Comments: Off

Hohem iSteady M7: two-minute review

Adding yet another premium option to the burgeoning smartphone stabilizer market, the Hohem iSteady M7 is Hohem's latest top-of-the-range gimbal. It’s built to carry almost any smartphone – including heavier or larger models that other gimbals can’t effectively stabilize – and comes with a wide range of features to justify its high price and (compared to some) bulkier proportions.

Hohem supplies the iSteady M7 with a detachable mini tripod (which screws into the standard tripod mounting point at the base of the gimbal handle), a detachable AI tracking module/fill light, and two USB charging cables: one USB-C to USB-C and one USB-C to USB-A. There’s no AC adapter included, so you’ll have to connect this cable to something else to recharge the battery. All of the above fits snugly into a hard-shell zip-up carry case, which also has a net-covered space in the lid to store extras such as manuals or additional cables.

The stabilizer folds flat for storage, with three locks keeping the gimbal arm firmly in place. When it’s time for use, these locks have to be manually disengaged so that the arm can move freely, and the arm also needs some simple manual balancing once the phone has been mounted. For mounting, the phone is placed inside a firm spring-loaded grip, which can be rotated 90º to switch the phone between landscape (16:9) and portrait (9:16) orientation.

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Hohem iSteady M7 smartphone stabilizer

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
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Hohem iSteady M7 smartphone stabilizer

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
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Hohem iSteady M7 smartphone stabilizer in carry case

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
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Hohem iSteady M7 smartphone stabilizer in carry case

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

The grip and gimbal motor are powerful enough to accommodate smartphones up to 500g in weight, and 12.5mm in thickness. That impressed me, given that the last flagship gimbal I reviewed, the Zhiyun Smooth 5S AI, can only manage phones up to 300g and 10mm. If you own one of the larger smartphone models (including folding phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6) or like to have a chunky case or lens accessory fitted to your handset, this extra capacity could make all the difference.

Hohem has designed and built the iSteady M7 very well. The gimbal felt comfortable in my hand, and I found all the major controls – from the front trigger to the customizable zoom/focus/tilt/pan wheel on the left – to be thoughtfully located and easy to access. There’s even a built-in extension rod, which allowed me to add an extra 20cm of distance to the gimbal arm and achieve some otherwise impossible shooting angles.

For my money, though, the best design touch (and one feature that no other stabilizer offers, to my knowledge) is the 1.4-inch touchscreen panel on the handle. Not only does this enable access to a range of settings via swipes and taps, which meant I didn’t need to use the Hohem Joy companion app to delve into some of the stabilizer’s deeper functions, but it also unclips from the handle to work as a remote control unit. This meant I was able to set the iSteady M7 up on a flat surface using its tripod, then use the remote to control gimbal movements and more from a distance of up to about 10m.

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Hohem iSteady M7 smartphone stabilizer

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
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Hohem iSteady M7 smartphone stabilizer

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
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Hohem iSteady M7 smartphone stabilizer

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
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Hohem iSteady M7 smartphone stabilizer

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

It doesn’t stop there. The iSteady M7, like the Zhiyun Smooth 5S AI, comes with a small removable module for AI-assisted subject tracking. This mounts securely onto the gimbal arm (facing either front- or backwards) and, via a tiny camera, enables tracking of human subjects no matter which camera app you’re using on your phone. Some stabilizers will only track when using the manufacturer’s app, but this module meant I could use the native iPhone app, Blackmagic Cam, TikTok, or any other app I preferred. The Hohem Joy app itself is fine, although thanks to some poorly translated text and odd design choices, I would rather use other apps with which I’m more familiar. There’s room for improvement there, then.

The module also sports a really useful LED fill light (which can be customized for brightness and color) but perhaps more impressive is the way it combines really well with the remote unit. Not only was I able to preview the tracking camera’s POV via the remote screen, but I could also double-tap on the screen to track other objects. It’s far beyond what you get with the Zhiyun gimbal’s AI tracking.

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Hohem iSteady M7 smartphone stabilizer

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)
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Hohem iSteady M7 smartphone stabilizer

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

As for the 3-axis gimbal stabilization itself, I have absolutely no complaints. The usual modes – Pan Follow, Pan Tilt Follow, and POV – are supplemented by a full custom mode that allowed me to tailor movement speeds to my needs, and the ability of the gimbal to rotate through 360º on the pan axis gave me a lot of freedom to get creative with camera movement. The settings menu also features an ultra-wide-angle mode, which moves the gimbal arm out of the way of the camera during ultra-wide shots.

With a solid battery life of up to 12 hours with the gimbal largely static or eight hours with AI tracking enabled, you may want to pack a power bank for long weekend shoots, but I’m quite happy with the capacity. A USB-C socket on the gimbal arm even allows you to charge your phone’s battery while it’s mounted – just another example of the sort of thoughtful design touches that make the Hohem iSteady M7 arguably the best phone gimbal on the market right now.

Hohem iSteady M7 review: price and availability

The Hohem iSteady M7 is available now, and priced at around $299 / £269 / A$459. That puts it among the priciest of smartphone stabilizers out there, but given its spec level, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing – particularly if you own a heavier handset that cheaper stabilizers aren't able to accommodate.

Hohem iSteady M7: specs

Hohem iSteady M7 review: Also consider

Insta360 Flow Pro
Insta360’s compact foldable gimbal feels like the pick of the current mobile stabilizer bunch – at least where portability is concerned. With excellent battery life, and the ability to subject track when using third-party iPhone apps (or the native iPhone camera), it’s an impressive all-rounder that’ll fit into a large pocket when not in use.

Read our Insta360 Flow Pro review

Zhiyun Smooth 5S AI
With similar AI-driven app-agnostic tracking skills, Zhiyun’s flagship stabilizer is perhaps the Hohem iSteady M7’s main rival. It falls behind on several features, however, with no removable touchscreen remote and a much lighter maximum phone capacity – which is probably why it’s now substantially cheaper than the M7.

Read our Zhiyun Smooth 5S AI review

Should I buy the Hohem iSteady M7?

Hohem iSteady M7 smartphone stabilizer

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

Buy it if...

You own a heavy, bulky smartphone
With its 500g weight capacity and ability to grip devices as thick as 12.5mm, this is the go-to stabilizer for anyone owning a large and heavy smartphone. Most rivals don’t come close to its payload limits.

You want a highly flexible gimbal
Thanks to app-agnostic tracking, the built-in extension rod, the touchscreen remote control and its fully customizable pan, tilt and follow settings, the iSteady M7 is probably the most versatile smartphone stabilizer on the market.

Don't buy it if...

You need a compact, portable stabilizer
There are lots of smartphone stabilizers that fold down small enough to fit into a small bag or even a coat pocket. This is not one of them. While it’s not especially large or heavy, you’ll need at least a small backpack or similar to carry the iSteady M7.

You’re on a tight budget
You can pick up effective, well-equipped stabilizers for half the asking price of the iSteady M7, so check if you need all of its features and payload capacity before shelling out your hard-earned cash.

How I tested the Hohem iSteady M7

  • One week of use
  • Tested with an iPhone 13
  • Used for B-roll and vlogs

I used the Hohem iSteady M7 in and around my home for a week, using it to record footage both handheld and with it sat on the ground or a desktop using its tripod. I tested it with my Apple iPhone 13 and several camera apps, including the native iPhone camera app and Hohem Joy, and used the phone’s front and rear cameras to record b-roll and vlog videos.

First reviewed January 2025

Acer Vero CB272K bmiiprx review
12:58 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Comments: Off

This review first appeared in issue 357 of PC Pro.

You can usually be confident of aggressive pricing from Acer, and it doesn’t disappoint here. The next cheapest 4K screen, BenQ’s PD2706U, costs £399, while the BenQ BL2790QT costs £270 and includes a mere 1440p panel. No contest, surely?

In some ways, no. Photographers or film lovers who love detail will appreciate the level of detail on show here, and if you have good eyesight and devour spreadsheets – or tend to work with two windows side by side – the same is true for business use.

Technically, this is a superior panel too, as it’s a true 8-bit display that uses FRC to increase color coverage to 1.07 billion colors. The BenQ BL2790QT, by contrast, is a 6-bit panel with FRC taking its color range to 16.7 million colors. In reality, there’s little between them: the Vero covers 75% of the DCI-P3 space to the 73% peak of the BenQ, and both offer similar levels of (excellent) color accuracy.

Whites look whiter the higher you push the brightness, but this increases power consumption: at 200cd/m2 the Vero wanted 20W, pushing up to 24W at full brightness of around 280cd/m2, though head to the OSD and you can activate Max Brightness to take it to a searing 420cd/m2. That’s 70cd/m2 more than Acer claims.

Switch to HDR mode and the display will boost the contrast between black and white in films and games. And while it offers only a 60Hz refresh rate, the 4ms response time and AMD FreeSync support keeps action looking smooth. With a mediocre set of speakers inside, though, you’ll want to take advantage of the 3.5mm jack sitting next to two HDMI inputs and one DisplayPort at the rear. That’s your lot: there’s no USB-C here, no USB hub and no RJ45 port.

Sideview of the Acer Vero CB272K bmiiprx

The 4K resolution provides lots of onscreen detail (Image credit: Future)

The stand is nice and solid, with a huge 165mm of height adjustment and a phenomenal amount of movement: up to 35° tilt and very nearly 360° of swivel. We also like the OSD, with a trio of shortcut buttons (two of which can be reassigned) and a mini joystick for speedy control.

One final note on the Vero branding. This marks out Acer’s most environmentally friendly products, and here that boils down to the use of more recycled plastic than a typical monitor. That’s a worthy move, but ideally we’d be looking for an EPEAT Gold rating rather than Silver, and some design tweaks to make it easier to repair and recycle at the end of life.

But let’s not be too critical. Only Eizo is truly leading the way here, and that’s reflected in the price of its monitors. You may not get much in the way of frills, but a good-quality IPS panel with a 4K resolution is hard to argue with at £269.

We also ranked the best monitors for dual set-ups.

3CX Phone System V20 review
12:44 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Comments: Off

This review first appeared in issue 357 of PC Pro.

3CX is the place to go for the best IP PBX services, as its phone system software offers an unbeatable range of call-handling features. Not content to rest on its laurels, 3CX has been working hard on development and the version 20 on review represents the most significant update we’ve seen for many years.

Security takes center stage here, with 3CX hardening its systems against cyberattacks by using a zero trust model across the board for much stricter access control policies. Only allowing the native 3CX softphone app to be deployed from the Microsoft store adds extra security, and it lets 3CX update it as required without having to tinker with the main Phone System build.

One of the biggest changes is with the admin console. Previously, there was a separate management interface, but this has been redesigned and integrated into the client app so admins don’t need separate consoles to use and manage the system.

Integrated admin console of the 3CX Phone System V20

Admin functions and call handling are all neatly integrated (Image credit: Future)

Phone System is available in four plans, with the 3CX Free cloud–hosted edition aimed at micro businesses with up to ten users. The Small Business edition, also cloud-hosted by 3CX, supports up to 20 users and starts at £175 per year, while the Professional and Enterprise editions increase the number of features hugely and can be run on-site, in a private cloud or hosted by 3CX.

For this early review, Phone System V20 was only available for Debian Linux 12 so we chose to virtualize it on the lab’s Windows Server 2022 Hyper-V system. Deployment was undemanding: we assigned the downloaded ISO file to a new VM, booted it up and followed the brief Debian install wizard, which finished by loading Phone System and providing a link to its web console.

The new client interface will be a big surprise for existing users as the dashboard’s system performance graphs and quick access icons have been removed to make way for far more information about the Phone System status, configuration and event logs. All admin features are still easily accessible from the left menu, and a sidebar next to it provides direct access to calls, chats and voicemail, with icons to the top right provided for one-click links to a dial pad and availability status settings.

New 3CX portal with its detailed system information

The new 3CX portal provides lots of information about your IP PBX (Image credit: Future)

There are some on-premises prerequisites, as you still need to create forwarding rules on your firewall for Phone System’s SIP and RTP port ranges. The system’s fully qualified domain name (FQDN) must now be resolvable internally and externally so your firewall needs to support split DNS, but smaller businesses can make all these issues disappear by opting to let 3CX host Phone System V20 in the cloud.

You’ll need a paid-for SIP trunk to enable VoIP calls; we used the excellent UK-based T4com Ltd, which is on 3CX’s supported provider list. Adding the trunk was simple: after entering the main trunk phone number, account and password, it was ready for action in one minute.

Adding new users and provisioning IP phones is just as easy as with previous versions, while ring groups, call queues and a digital receptionist ensure calls are never missed. Call forwarding allows users to redirect calls when they’re working from home, and 3CX has added 2FA user authentication plus integration with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and a host of CRM apps.

3CX Phone System V20 is our recommended choice for businesses that want to manage their own VoIP system. Available in a range of affordable plans, it can be hosted in the cloud or on-premises, and this latest version adds an impressive range of new features.

We've also rated the best interactive voice response services.

Cherry XTRFY M68 Pro review: a gaming mouse with odd proportions but stellar performance
12:29 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Mice Peripherals & Accessories | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Cherry XTRFY M68 Pro: two-minute review

At first glance, the Cherry XTRFY M68 Pro is rather restrained in its appearance as gaming mice go. Its straightfoward design is rather inconspicuous, and the white model I've reviewed here is only offset by black side buttons and accents on the scroll wheel. The logo is inconspicuous and there’s no RGB lighting either. So far, so conventional.

However, the design of the Cherry XTRFY M68 Pro's front end is less so. The mouse buttons are raised steeply at the back, and curve down sharply before cutting short, which means the contact point is biased towards your fingertips, more so than I’ve experienced with many other gaming mice.

The M68 Pro weighs just 55g, and there aren’t too many full-size wireless gaming mice lighter than this. It undercuts the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro, our pick as the best wireless gaming mouse, by eight grams. The Turtle Beach Burst 2 Air is one of the rare few that’s even leaner, tipping the scales at just 47g.

The two primary buttons on the M68 Pro feel solid yet easy to fully depress, and the same is true of the side buttons. The scroll wheel is notched well, making for smooth yet controlled spins, and the rubber layer offers plenty of grip, helping to make clicks feel secure. Overall, the M68 Pro seems to be a well-constructed gaming mouse.

The skates are quite thin, so you do feel hard desktop surfaces a little when maneuvering. Despite this, the M68 Pro doesn’t scratch or bottom out, as other gaming mice with insufficient padding do. This is impressive, especially considering there are only two skates on the top and bottom (although the included spare set features a piece for the sensor too). This is still a mouse I would recommend only using with a mouse pad, though, in order to get the best out of it.

The USB port is also located on the right rear side of the M68 Pro, a placement that will no doubt prove contentious, bucking the typical front-end trend (perhaps the snub-nose design leaves no internal room for this placement).

However, it does have the advantage of eliminating drag, although the included braided cable for wired play is light enough to make this no concern regardless. The port is also deeply recessed, so there’s no fear of accidental disconnection. The one major proviso, though, is that you’re right-handed and have your desktop on the right; if it’s on your left, then the cable is liable to get in the way.

Pressing the bottom button, which toggles between various settings and modes, can be awkward, as it sits flush with the underside surface. This is especially the case when pressing in combination with the two side buttons to toggle between the sensor modes, and I struggled to activate it consistently.

Front view of Cherry XTRFY M68 Pro on table

(Image credit: Future)

In fact, altering most of the settings on the M68 Pro is very awkward, since many require various odd button combinations. Worst of all, the buttons still register normal input when you're trying to activate the combinations, which means you have to be very careful about what window you’re on and where the cursor is.

These combinations are a necessary compromise given the lack of buttons and software, but keeping them active when holding them down is a serious misstep. Another gripe I have is that selected parameters are only indicated via different colors displayed on the small side LED, so you’ll likely have to keep referring back to the manual til they’re ingrained in your memory.

Once you get your head around these button combinations, though, there’s a wide selection of adjustments present on the M68 Pro. Despite having no software, there are eight onboard CPI settings to choose from, offering enough scope to dial in levels precise enough for most gamers. There are also four debounce time increments, ranging from 2ms to 12ms, which again should be more than enough to meet individual preferences.

There are only two lift-off distances (1mm and 2mm) to choose from, although this isn’t out of the ordinary, and while there are six polling rates to choose from (or four when wired, topping out at 1K), I can’t see many people wanting more than three for low (125Hz), mid (1K), and high (8K) values. There’s also an option to toggle motion sync on and off.

Underneath of Cherry XTRFY M68 Pro on table

(Image credit: Future)

Once you start gaming, though, the M68 Pro starts to shine. That aforementioned fingertip emphasis encouraged by sloping mouse buttons makes for a more tactile experience. It meant I could get a better grip when lifting off before swipes, and somehow gave me a greater sense of connection to the on-screen action, especially when aiming. The different sensor modes are also effective, with Pro Gaming mode being remarkably snappy and precise, perfect for FPS titles.

Cherry claims the M68 Pro’s battery can last up to 90 hours on a single charge. Although I wasn’t able to get an exact measurement, I can say that after several days of testing, the LED was still green, indicating a percentage of between 75-100%.

To show the battery level, you have to hold down both side buttons and the left mouse button for three seconds, another inconvenient method if you’re still connected to your machine, since again the buttons will still operate. There are four colors representing the 25% increments, and since there’s no software, there’s no way to get a more accurate assessment than this.

All things considered, the M68 Pro is a high-caliber wireless gaming mouse with a few design quirks that may please some but deter others. It’s not what you’d call cheap, but it does beat perhaps its closest rival, the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro, when it comes to pricing.

The DeathAdder can be tweaked with Razer’s in-depth Synapse software, though, which is more convenient. And if you can live without an 8K polling rate and an inbuilt battery, the Cooler Master MM311 is a viable alternative with exceptional value, given it’s still wireless.

Cherry XTRFY M68 Pro with accessories on table

(Image credit: Future)

Cherry XTRFY M68 Pro: price & availability

  • $129 / £139 / AU$214
  • Black, white, and Team Vitality editions
  • Mid-range value

The M68 Pro costs $129 / £139 / AU$214. There’s one white colorway and two black variants: one with gray accents and another with yellow that also sports the logo of esports organization Team Vitality in place of Cherry XTRFY’s.

It’s cheaper than our pick for the best wireless gaming mouse, the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro, yet still competes with it spec-for-spec, as both have an 8K polling rate and the M68 Pro is even lighter.

However, there are more budget-friendly wireless options around, such as the Cooler Master MM311, which is the best gaming mouse for those on a budget – it’s massively cheaper than the M68 Pro and many other wireless gaming mice for that matter. However, its polling rate tops out at 1K, and it requires a single AA battery. Still, if you’re not after eSport-level performance, this may be a better alternative.

Cherry XTRFY M68 Pro: specs

Should I buy the Cherry XTRFY M68 Pro?

Buy it if...

You want elite performance
The 8K polling rate will delight many pro-level players, and the overall performance when gaming is terrific.

You want something you can really grip
The short, raking front end makes the M68 Pro a joy to hold in my opinion - although it may not be to every gamer’s taste.

Don't buy it if...

You want multiple connectivity modes
There’s only one way to connect wirelessly, and using the mouse in wired mode may not suit everyone’s setup, considering the USB-C port is on the right.

You’re on a budget
Although it’s slightly cheaper than some big-name rivals, including Razer, there are alternatives offering better value if you don’t need that ultra-high polling rate.

Cherry XTRFY M68 Pro: also consider

Cooler Master MM311
If you can live without that 8K polling rate – which more casual gamers can – then the MM311 is an excellent budget choice. In our review, we found it was still capable enough thanks to its great performance. It doesn’t have an inbuilt battery, requiring an AA battery to power, but that’s a minor inconvenience considering its price tag. Read our full Cooler Master MM311 review.

Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro
Another state-of-the-art gaming mouse with an 8K polling rate, the DeathAdder V3 Pro is only marginally more expensive than the M68 Pro, yet it has the advantage of integrating with Razer’s excellent Synapse software. It’s hard to find fault with this gaming mouse, which is why it currently claims the top spot as the best wireless gaming mouse overall in our view. Read our Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro review.

How I tested the Cherry XTRFY M68 Pro

  • Tested for several days
  • Played various games
  • 10+ years PC gaming experience

I tested the M68 Pro for several days. During this time, I used it for gaming, working, and casual tasking.

I played titles such as Counter-Strike 2, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - Master Collection Version, and Fear the Spotlight, in order to cover a variety of genres.

I have been PC gaming for over 10 years, and have experienced many mice during that time. I have also reviewed numerous gaming mice, all with various connectivity options, sizes, polling rates, and features.

First reviewed: October 2024

Read more about how we test

ViewSonic VG3456C review
11:42 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Comments: Off

This review first appeared in issue 357 of PC Pro.

A letter can make a big difference in a monitor name, and none more so than here. The ViewSonic VG3456 is a highly affordable flat-screen monitor that you can now purchase for around £250, while the VG3456C is curved – exactly like the AOC CU34P3CV and Philips 34B1U5600CH. They also share the same 3,440 x 1,440 resolution, giving you huge amounts of space on which to spread your windows, and VA technology.

The ViewSonic is the most stylish of the three, with slim bezels and a fuzzy speaker-like finish to the bottom edge of the monitor. We only wish the pair of 5W speakers could live up to the billing, but like so many others here they’re better suited to speech radio and web calls than listening to music or enjoying films.

We were also struck by this monitor’s tilting skills: you can push it backwards by 40°, which may well be the killer feature for some situations. While its height adjustment is limited to 110mm, that should be enough for most setups, and we’d give it a firm tick for stand quality overall: you feel like you’re buying a high-quality piece of kit.

Sideview of the ViewSonic VG3456C

(Image credit: Future)

The panel is much more average. Rather than true 8-bit color, this is a 6-bit + FRC affair, and this is one reason why its gamut is more limited than its curved 34in rivals. In native mode, it covers 74% of the DCI-P3 gamut compared to 88% and 85% for the AOC and Philips. But if you’re happy with the sRGB gamut then it’s fine, covering 97% out of a 104% volume. Accuracy is strong, too, with an average Delta E of 0.69.

With a stated peak brightness of 400cd/m2, we were surprised to find the monitor maxed out at 280cd/m2in our initial tests. But then we went into the (excellent) OSD and discovered that ViewSonic ships it with the Energy Saving mode switched on; deactivating this pushed the panel up to 435cd/m2. This also boosts the whiteness of the whites, but the penalty comes in power consumption: 48W compared to 31W at 200cd/m2.

ViewSonic doesn’t load this monitor with extras, so if you’re hoping for a webcam or KVM switch then you’ll be disappointed (there’s no USB-B input, either). But it does cover the docking station basics, with an Ethernet port and a USB-C video input that can deliver 98W of power. All four USB-A ports are 3.2 Gen 1, so 5Gbits/sec, with two sensibly positioned on the left-hand side.

It adds up to a solid curved 34in monitor, even if we prefer the punchier colors from the AOC and Philips. If the price drops it will become a strong choice.

We also rated the best monitors for working from home.

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