Computers - Organizer

I wasn’t convinced there was a need for the LG StanByMe 2 TV – but I’m completely sold on this rollable display after 3 weeks with it

2:21 am | December 12, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Televisions | Tags: Dolby Atmos, HDR, TV | Comments: Off

LG StanByMe 2: Two-minute review

LG’s StanByMe TV has admittedly been something I’ve glossed over ever since the first-generation model was launched way back in 2021. A 27-inch TV on a rollable stand? “What’s the point?” I always wondered. While a 27-inch TV would’ve been considered ‘big’ in the late ‘90s or early 2000s, we now live in a time where a 48-inch TV is realistically the smallest size we’d put in our living room. And with recent releases from the likes of Samsung reaching up to 115 inches, is there really a place for a much, much smaller 27-inch screen in the home?

LG clearly didn’t share my reservations, as the Korean manufacturer announced a second-generation model at CES in January 2025 that didn’t just introduce a few iterative upgrades, but instead represented a complete overhaul.

The premise is the same – a TV you can move from room to room – but it now offers other notable features, including a QHD panel (an increase from the 1080p full HD of the previous generation) and new viewing modes that allow the user to watch while the screen is off its stand (its predecessor was fixed in place).

I’ll admit that I began this review as a sceptic, but after using the LG StanByMe 2 for a few weeks, I’ve done a complete 180 – this is a genuinely fun, cool, useful TV. It’s not going to replace your main screen for watching movies and TV shows, but that’s also not its purpose.

The StanByMe 2 is a TV that you can have in the kitchen to follow along with recipes, or if you have a small bedroom, you can position it over your bed for late-night binge watching. It’s touchscreen-enabled, so you can lay it flat on a table and have your kids play interactive games on it. You can take it away with you in the car to set up and watch content at a campsite or hotel as it can run on battery for a while. I even used it as a second display attached to my laptop.

The built-in battery promises up to four hours from a single charge (up from 3.5 hours in the previous model). I found this to be pretty accurate, although do note that even when the screen is turned off, it’s technically in a standby mode and will continue to use the battery. I left it turned off over a weekend with a full charge, but it had dropped to 34% on my return three days later. A physical power button can be found on the side of the TV, and a long press will power it down completely.

The idea of the StanByMe 2 may elude people at first, but once you have one in your life, you’ll wonder how you ever did without it.

Picture quality is good, although it won’t rival the best TVs. Its built-in speaker system delivers a pleasing audio performance, and is on par with the performance you’d get from conventional TVs. In virtually all cases, we recommend adding one of the best soundbars to boost the sound. Fortunately, you can connect it to a soundbar thanks to an HDMI eARC port, but I reckon since most people will be using the screen in a fully portable mode – which is exactly how it should be used – a physical connection will prove cumbersome.

The StanByMe 2 also benefits from LG’s webOS operating system. At the time of writing, it uses webOS 24, but the company has confirmed the TV will receive the webOS 25 update, and it is guaranteed to receive software updates for five years, up to webOS 28 (LG generally launches a new version each year).

There’s nothing quite like the LG StanByMe 2 out there and that makes it tricky to score for an objective review like this. There are similar screens on the horizon from the likes of Samsung and its Movingstyle model, but that’s yet to see a wide release – we’ve not had a chance to review it yet here at TechRadar, and I’ve not personally seen it either.

As a lifestyle screen that offers a new way to consume content, the StanByMe 2 excels, but tech as unique as this demands a high price and that’s my biggest issue. As much as I would love to give it a full five stars, I have to dock points purely because of how much LG is asking for it – especially when you compare its cost to traditional TVs.

LG StanByMe 2 review: Price & availability

$1,299 / £1,399.99 / AU$2,199
Staggered global rollout: US – July 2025, UK – August 2025, Australia – September 2025

The LG StanByME 2 was announced at CES in January 2025 and was made available to buy in the US from July 2025, followed by a UK launch in August and eventually making its way to Australia in September 2025.

In the US, it’s priced at $1,299, which is higher than the RRP of the entry-level LG B5 OLED TV in 48-inch guise ($899.99) and just below the larger 55-inch variant ($1,499.99).

Meanwhile, in the UK, it’s £1,399.99, although at the time of writing this also includes an XT7S Bluetooth speaker that can attach to the TV stand and boost audio performance. For the same money, you can get a 55-inch LG C5 OLED – which we currently rate as the best TV overall.

In Australia, the StanByMe 2 has a list price of AU$2,199 – about as much as the far larger 75-inch TCL C7K will set you back Down Under. The TCL features a much more capable Mini-LED backlit panel, and as our TCL C7K review proves, it impressed us with a “dynamic, bright and surprisingly contrast rich picture”.

The StanByMe 2 can be on the receiving end of discounts, although these are usually reserved for the major sales events such as Black Friday. In fact, during the Black Friday sales in 2025, I spotted it for $999.99 / £1,199 / AU$1,699. These prices are much more palatable, although it’s still possible to find a more capable TV for similar money.

LG StanByMe 2 review: Specs

Screen type:	QHD IPS LCD panel
Refresh rate:	60Hz
HDR support:	Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG
Audio support:	Dolby Atmos
Smart TV	webOS 24 (customized version)
HDMI:	1x HDMI eARC
Battery life:	Up to 4 hours

LG StanByMe 2 review: Features

QHD IPS LCD panel with extensive HDR support
Touchscreen for greater interaction
Built-in battery with up to 4 hours battery life

As I’ve already mentioned, the LG StanByMe 2 is a compact 27-inch TV that uses an edge-lit IPS LCD panel with quad HD resolution (2,560 x 1,440p) and a refresh rate of 60Hz. So, not a ‘proper’ 4K screen, but it does have comprehensive HDR support in the form of Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG HDR formats.

Unlike the TVs we’re all familiar with today, the StanByMe 2’s screen has a matte coating that slightly reduces image quality, but it helps minimize reflections and prevent fingerprints when you’re supporting it for rolling to a different room. The matte coating isn’t the same, or similar, as the anti-glare panel of the Samsung S95F, as that screen is actually able to absorb light and dissipate over the display’s surface. I would liken it more to a PC monitor.

Where the StanByMe 2 also differs from conventional TVs is that it’s touchscreen-enabled. Thanks to this functionality, you’re able to use your fingers to interact with it, whether it be loading up the built-in sketchpad application to doodle or jot down notes, or playing games that come pre-installed (more games are available via the LG app store). I can’t see many people using it to create shopping lists, say, but it can be hung on a wall-mounted hook (included) allowing you to easily see reminders for each day.

Doodle pad. on LG StanByMe 2 — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

The touchscreen functionality also means you’re able to swipe between home screen menus and press on any app – YouTube, Netflix, et al – to open it, but that’s all. You can’t use this functionality when you’re within these streaming apps. You can’t press the screen to play or pause content, for example. When using streaming apps, you’ll need to use the remote control or the on-screen controls that appear in the bottom right corner when you touch the display.

Where the StanByMe 2 shines is what LG intended it for – a portable screen that can be used where a larger display would be handy. For example, I used it in the kitchen, where I loaded up a YouTube video telling me how to make the perfect mashed potato. I was able to position the StanByMe 2 over my kitchen island and follow along with ease. Watching the same video on a smartphone screen just wasn’t as effective, and I don’t own a tablet or a smart display. Of course, given the StanByMe 2’s price, it would be cheaper to opt for the smaller devices, but the convenience of having the larger display is something I appreciated.

I also positioned the TV over my dining table, where I sit when I work from home. Again, I found myself streaming YouTube videos to play in the background and would occasionally glance up at the screen. Without the TV, I would either have the same video playing on a separate tab on my computer. I also mirrored the screen of my MacBook Pro thanks to the StanByMe’s AirPlay support, allowing me to use it as a second display. These weren’t groundbreaking changes to my normal routine by any stretch, but I found having the StanByMe 2 on, er, standby, incredibly useful.

When it’s connected to the rollable stand, you can plug a mains power cable into its base to use the StanBy Me 2 like a regular TV, but if you remove the power cable, or remove the TV from its stand, the internal battery takes over and you’ll get no more than 4 hours of playtime on a single charge.

However, you’ll need to be mindful that this is only when it's in Eco power mode, which isn’t on by default. If you use the screen in a different mode, then battery life takes a major hit. I turned it on after (unknowingly) leaving it on standby for three days to find the battery had dropped from 100% to 34%. I then watched a 30-minute YouTube video, and the battery level dropped to 9%.

You can power down the TV completely by long pressing on the power button on the left side of the screen. Recharging the battery to full takes around 3 hours in standby mode and 3.5 hours when the TV is in use.

Features score: 4 / 5

LG StanByMe 2 review: Picture quality

Good color reproduction
Decent blacks considering backlight constraints
No Filmmaker Mode

LG’s QNED81 from 2023 impressed me with its color reproduction despite using an edge-lit system, and the StanByMe 2 – which also uses an edge-lit panel – shows similar strengths. Images are vibrant and punchy, and with brighter, more colorful content – such as A Minecraft Movie – the screen delivers a natural-looking image with convincing real-world textures. Fireball explosions appear as paler oranges or yellows, it must be said, rather than intense reds you’d get on a higher-contrast display, but overall it’s a pleasing presentation.

The StanByMe 2 also handled a 4K HDR demo reel from LG’s YouTube channel better than expected. Blacks looked reasonably convincing and central highlights remained clear and detailed. Compared side-by-side with LG’s flagship G5 OLED , there was a clear difference in quality. The G5 was vastly superior, but that’s to be expected given the vast difference in panel technologies.

Scene from The Batman on LG StanByMe 2 — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

In dimly lit environments, the StanByMe 2’s brightness performance was more than adequate. LG doesn’t quote a brightness figure and I wasn’t able to measure it myself, but with the panel brightness set appropriately – 100 in most cases – I had no issues seeing detail or maintaining color impact. For darker content, I found ‘isf Expert Dark’ to be the best-performing picture preset. The ‘isf Expert Bright’ over-exposed the image too much for my liking, and Cinema introduced too much of a yellow tinge.

That said, the StanByMe 2’s picture performance is ultimately held back by the limitations of the QHD panel, edge-light system and matte coating. The combination of these means it struggles to render contrast with absolute precision. Larger areas of the panel can light up when they ideally shouldn’t, because the edge-lit system projects light over a greater portion of the screen.

TVs with more advanced backlight systems – such as OLED TVs from LG, Samsung and Sony, or even Mini-LED TVs from more budget-focused brands such as TCL and Hisense – can be more precise with which areas of the image are lit and which aren’t, resulting in more cinematic-looking picture.

Scene from A Minecraft Movie on LG StanByMe 2 — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

In the case of the StanByMe 2, then, images can look flat in comparison, especially in HDR scenes that require competent backlighting systems to look their best.

Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro is an included feature on the StanByMe 2, which theoretically analyzes each frame to optimize brightness and contrast, but in practice its impact is modest. With the backlight effectively ‘on’ most of the time due to the panel type, this feature can only do so much.

These limitations are apparent with darker content. In The Batman’s Penguin car chase scene on HBO Max, black weren't inky, but more a very dark charcoal grey. To get the best image, I had to push the panel brightness to 100. The TV also lacks a Filmmaker Mode and the Dolby Vision Filmmaker modes that appear on LG’s higher-end QNED and OLED TV models.

Because of these inherent constraints, the StanByMe 2 is best viewed in dimmer environments and isn’t well suited to being your primary screen for movie watching.

Picture quality score: 3.5 / 5

LG StanByMe 2 review: Sound quality

Dolby Atmos support
AI Sound mode with virtual 9.1.2 up-mix
Fine for most tasks, but not intense movie watching

As with picture quality, the StanByMe 2’s audio performance isn’t anything extraordinary. But again, this isn’t a TV designed to be your main entertainment system. Instead, it’s designed to be a supplementary screen in your home.

The good news is that the built-in speakers can be reasonably loud and dialogue is clear. What it lacks is low-end presence – especially in movie scenes with explosions. The AI Sound Pro mode is the best option in my opinion, as it helps create a more expansive soundstage.

Rear of LG StanByMe 2 with folio cover attached — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

You do have options to improve the audio output, either by physically connecting to a soundbar or other external audio device via HDMI eARC, or wirelessly to a Bluetooth speaker or pair of active speakers. I do think a physical connection will be cumbersome for most users, particularly if the TV is connected to its stand. That said, you could always hang it on the included hook and have a cable trailing down to a soundbar on a unit beneath.

I had a pair of KEF Coda W speakers on hand and, once connected to the LG, the difference was dramatic. I also paired a Beats Pill and even that portable Bluetooth speaker delivered noticeably better sound than the TV’s built-in speakers.

What this experiment really highlighted for me was how the LG StanByMe 2 gives you options, both in terms of how you use it to consume content and how you can get sound out of it. You don’t get such versatility from traditional TVs and this really is where the StanByMe 2 genuinely stands out.

Sound quality score: 4 / 5

LG StanByMe 2 review: Design

Multiple viewing modes
Good selection of connections
Useful design touches

Rear of LG StanByMe 2 attached to stand — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

As I’ve alluded to already in this review, the StanByMe 2 isn’t designed to replace a traditional TV. Its headline feature is its ability to be used in a variety of viewing positions. The main position – the one that’s likely to be used the most – sees it being attached to a rollable stand. The first-generation StanByMe was permanently attached to its stand, so it’s great that the new model can detach, expanding its usability.

The stand is relatively heavy at 10.9kg / 24 lbs and its wheels are silent when rolling around, but they’re definitely smoother on hard floors compared to carpet.

The stand has two sections: a fixed-height main pole and an adjustable arm that can raise the screen up and down a few inches. The base plays host to a power point, which is used to charge the TV’s built-in battery.

When you want to detach the TV from the stand to use in tabletop mode, you need to press a large central button on the rear panel of the TV and pull it forward. Because the TV itself is quite light at 4.3kg / 9.5lbs, it’s easy enough to hold onto the screen with one hand, and press the button with the other. And thanks to its lightweight build, you shouldn’t have too much of an issue carrying it around.

To use the StanByMe 2 in tabletop mode, you need to clip in a supplied kickstand on the rear of the screen, and slot the folio cover into two holes along the bottom edge. The folio cover then folds around to the back of the screen and slots into the kickstand.

The final viewing mode is hanging it up on a hook against a wall. The hook needs to be drilled into the wall, so it wasn’t something I could test for this review. I own my home, but with my review sample only being on loan, I didn’t want a hole left in my wall when it was returned. Once the hook is mounted, you can attach a strap to the StanByMe 2 to hang it. You can hang it in either portrait or landscape orientation, and besides watching TV, you could activate one of the many wallpapers or screensavers, which include weather and calendar information, a ‘now playing’ screen when playing music, or a digital photo album.

Connections of LG StanByMe 2 — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

LG’s listing information for the TV also shows a person hanging this strap over their shoulder with the TV in landscape mode – similar to a messenger bag. But who wants or needs to hang a 27-inch TV over their shoulder?

A remote control is supplied with the StanByMe 2, which I expected to be similar to the one used by LG’s other TVs, but there are a few design changes.

Perhaps the coolest function is the fact that the remote can magnetically attach to the top edge of the TV (when it’s in landscape mode) or to the folio cover when it’s in tabletop mode, so you don’t have to worry about losing it.

The biggest difference between this remote and the one you’d get with a regular LG TV is that it loses the Magic Remote functionality, i.e. you can’t use it to move a pointer around the screen as you can on an LG TV. If you have an LG Magic Remote at home, or you purchase one separately, then you can benefit from the pointer function as it’s compatible with the StanByMe 2.

There’s a small selection of connections on the StanByMe 2, including an HDMI eARC for connecting to a soundbar to boost audio output, or to a laptop or PC so the TV can moonlight as a second screen. There’s also a USB-C port on the side for connecting external devices and power banks, and another USB-C port on the top edge for connecting a webcam.

LG says the USB-C port can also charge the screen TV when it’s not connected to the stand, but I struggled to get this working, even when using my MacBook Pro’s power brick. The user manual states you need a charger capable of either 65W (20V/3.25A) or100W (20V/5A) output, a criteria my MacBook’s charger satisfies.

Design score: 4.5 / 5

LG StanByMe 2 review: Smart TV & menus

Customized version of webOS
Five years of upgrades promised
No on-screen adverts!

Quick settings menus LG StanByMe 2 — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

The LG StanByMe 2 uses a customized version of the company’s well-received webOS operating system. If you were to look at the version used here side-by-side with a regular LG TV, you’ll easily spot the differences.

Two rows of apps dominate a large portion of the StanByMe 2’s screen, as opposed to a single line on the company’s regular TVs, with the familiar ‘cards’ for dedicated hubs – Home Office, Game, Music – just above. What’s pleasing to see in this instance is that there aren’t any on-screen ads or promotions in sight. The regular version of webOS will display on-screen adverts and even screensaver ads (unless you turn them off), so their complete absence is a welcome change.

From the home screen, if you move left – either by pressing the left button on the remote’s d-pad, or swiping – you’re met with a screen displaying calendar and weather information, quick access to various wallpapers and a sketch pad.

Remote control for LG StanByMe 2 — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

The TV also supports Google Cast and Apple AirPlay, so you can beam content from your phone or laptop directly to it. I used the Screen Mirror function to extend my MacBook’s display and use the LG as a second monitor. It was a seamless process and even moving browser windows over to the LG worked as smoothly as if I had a dedicated monitor physically connected to my laptop.

Setting adjustments are as slick as I’ve come to expect from LG, having used the company’s G-series OLED over the past three generations. Pressing the settings button on the remote brings up a Quick Menu that appears as a transparent overlay in the top left of the screen, which allows you to quickly change picture, sound and other settings.

Smart TV and menu score: 5 / 5

LG StanByMe 2 review: Value

Pricey compared to larger, more conventional TVs
Other rollable TVs exist, which can be found for less
Ultimately not fantastic overall value

With a price tag of $1,299 / £1399.99 / AU$2,199, the LG StanByMe 2 is undoubtedly expensive compared to traditional TVs, which can cost much less, come in bigger screen sizes and benefit from more capable displays.

Plus, a quick search online reveals similar rollable TVs in markets including the US, UK and Australia. We've not reviewed them here at TechRadar, so can't comment on their performance, but the fact remains the LG StanByMe 2 isn't the only one of its kind.

If you can find it at a discounted price, it’s a lot easier to recommend, because what the TV has going for its uniqueness. LG classes the StanByMe 2 as a ‘lifestyle TV’ and I couldn’t agree more. It’s not going to replace a main TV in your home, but is designed to be an addition that can make your daily routine more convenient.

There’s certainly a case to be made for its existence then, but you’ll need to seriously consider whether it’s worth the premium price tag.

Value score 2.5 / 5

HBO Max home page on LG StanByMe 2 — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Should I buy the LG StanByMe 2?

LG StanByMe 2 score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	It lives up to its lifestyle credentials with a variety of viewing modes, connections and interactivity options.	4/5
Picture quality	It’s not going to replace a conventional TV, but it does more than enough to meet the brief of being a lifestyle screen	3.5/5
Sound quality	Clear dialogue and expansive sound, with the option to improve it via various methods	4/5
Design	A range of viewing modes and some useful physical connection options make the StanByMe 2 one of the most versatile screens out there.	4/5
Smart TV and menus	LG’s webOS platform is always a joy to use and the customized version here continues that trend.	5/5
Value	A fun, cool TV that’s supremely versatile, but there’s no denying it’s expensive compared to traditional screens.	2.5/5

Buy it if...

You want a versatile TV

The StanByMe 2 can be used in a variety of viewing modes and is easy to move between rooms in your home.

You want a smaller TV

At 27 inches, the StanByMe 2 should be easy to accommodate in most spaces, plus it can be taken away with you in the car.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best possible picture quality

The limitations of the LCD panel mean the StanByMe 2 simply can’t deliver the absolute best picture quality.

LG StanByMe 2 review: Also consider

LG B5 (48-inch)

I've already mentioned the LG B5 in this review for several reasons. Most notably, it offers a dramatic leap in picture quality thanks to its OLED panel, and in 48-inch guise, it's often more affordable than the StanByMe 2.

Read our full LG B5 reviewView Deal

Sony A90K (42-inch)

It's quite tricky to find a 'small' screen TV these days, but the Sony A90K continues to be sold in a 42-inch size. It was released in 2022, yet the Japanese brand hasn't felt the need to update it. We've not given it the full in-depth review treatment, but some hands-on time revealed it to be a talented performer. We just wish it wasn't so expensive!View Deal

How I tested the LG StanByMe 2

Used at home and tried most viewing modes
Watched a range of content from various streaming services
Let it run on battery power to test stamina

I tested the LG StanByMe 2 over a period of about 3 weeks at home. I used most of its viewing modes, including attaching it to its stand and using the folio cover. I wasn't able to test its hanging mode, as I wasn't prepared to drill a hole into my wall.

I watched a variety of dark and bright content from a number of streaming services, including The Batman and A Minecraft Movie on HBO Max. I also tested its ability to connect to external audio devices via Bluetooth to improve sound output.

First reviewed: December 2025
Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Goodbye June review: New Netflix movie is a near flawless directorial debut for Kate Winslet — but you’ll cry your eyes out

8:00 pm | December 11, 2025

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

Is Goodbye June a Christmas movie, or a movie that simply has Christmas in it? I'm not sure – but what I do know is that you won't stream a more tragically beautiful film this festive season.

It's quite a choice to drop a film that follows a dying woman's last days on Christmas Eve, but I can see why Netflix made the decision. If anything, the timing drives home the importance of hugging your loved ones that bit tighter, and never missing the chance to tell someone you love them.

In a nutshell, mom and grandmother June's (Helen Mirren) cancer has spread, sending her to hospital for what she and her family know will be the last few days of her life. Doting son Connor (Johnny Flynn) and his sisters, highly-strung Julia (Kate Winslet, who also makes her directorial debut), internally angry Molly (Andrea Riseborough) and flighty expat Helen (Toni Colette) spend as much time as they can by their mothers' bedside.

Along with June's ailing husband Bernie (Timothy Spall), the quartet's job is to give June the best send-off possible, despite a myriad of issues and long-held grudges making emotions run even higher than you’d expect in such a scenario.

Reading those last two paragraphs may well have put you in mind of your own family, whether it’s particular people or a similar situation – and that's one of the great strengths of Goodbye June. Our cast might be A-list, but here they're grounded, and their relatability helps to deliver what at times feels more like a fly-on-the-wall documentary than a drama.

The movie is something of a family affair off-screen as well as on, and some more cynical critics might be tempted to brand it as a ‘nepo baby’ creation (Winslet stars and directs and her son Joe Anders writes the script). I actually think their family ties are a huge advantage here... and thank God Winslet is now trying her (very successful) hand at directing.

Watching Goodbye June is like looking into my own past – and you might feel that way too

One of the biggest compliments you can give an actor is that they fully inhabit a role they take on. We’re not watching Helen Mirren play a dying grandmother here, we’re watching June dying.

When I look at June, I see my own grandmother, who died two years ago in similar circumstances, surrounded by her family. Every detail takes me back there, from her haircut and cardigan down to the pearl necklace and the gold ring she can no longer wear.

In a way, I'm projecting here, as I didn't get to be there for my grandmother's final moments – the peace June and her family ultimately find is something I hope my own family did too. But there's something universally relatable in June's situation.

"Masterclass Mirren" (as I'm now calling her) delivers a performance up there with The Queen – so it was a shock to learn from Winslet's press tour that she'd initially refused the role, explaining she never plays characters with dementia or cancer. I'm so glad she broke her own rule for Winslet, and I really think they've created something incredibly special.

There's a scene in Goodbye June where June is left alone in hospital to sleep, and she turns to the window and finally allows herself to shed a few tears after putting on a brave face for everyone else. Mirren conveys vulnerability and traumatic catharsis utterly convincingly, in a scene that will resonate with any woman who has ever lain awake crying in the small hours because life has gotten too much (which is probably all of us).

It's the little details – the family bickering, the gentle ribbing, the chaos of bringing up children, and the occasionally overwhelming reality of simply existing – that make Goodbye June feel so well-rounded, even if I can never watch it over Christmas again.

Whoever thought of Toni Colette for this movie needs a raise

The cast of Goodbye June — This lot could be a real-life family. (Image credit: Netflix)

What might surprise you given the movie’s synopsis is how tenderly funny Goodbye June is. Even in the darkest of moments, there’s laughter, most often courtesy of Spall and Riseborough.

The film’s casting is inspired across the board. Mirren is an obvious score, and Spall isn't far behind her. If Winslet and Riseborough did a 23 and Me ancestry test and found out they were related, I wouldn't be surprised – Julia and Molly are the most convincingly fractious of siblings, and you’ll absolutely believe that their grudges really are decades old.

For me though, it's Colette as Helen who is the most inspired inclusion. She has the least amount of screentime, and casting an Aussie as Winslet's sister can't have been a subconscious choice (no matter how good Colette is at accents). When her character is revealed as a chakra-aligned free spirit who has emigrated to Florida to expand her practice, it all makes perfect sense.

Helen is the ideal counterweight to her sisters, and provides some measure of solace to lonesome brother Connor. And, by way of a B-plot involving her, Goodbye June also examines late-in-life pregnancy, effortlessly threading back into the idea of June's memory living on.

Anders' script is thoroughly convincing and sharply observed, which is particularly impressive given his relative youthfulness. You can take your pick from any of Goodbye June’s cast and identify exactly which one you'd be, thanks to his expertly drawn character portraits. That said, there’s perhaps a little bit of all of them in us – we feel represented in Julia's overwhelming sense of responsibility, Helen's growing and all-consuming sense of fear, Connor's alienation, or Molly's frustration with the world around her.

Visually, there's definitely a Netflix-specific feel to the movie that's becoming increasingly noticeable across the platform's content. In the context of a Christmas movie, I think it works, akin to a really sad version of The Holiday. But Winslet's vision as a director lifts the movie above the everyday; as much as I hated being told that actors make the best writers and directors while doing my master's degree (I'm not an actor, and I’m sure non-actors in the industry are tired of hearing it too), she makes a convincing case for the notion.

At this point it probably goes without saying that you need to steel yourself to watch Goodbye June, but you’ll be richly rewarded in return.

To witness people enduring great pain, even if those people are fictional characters, asks us to reflect on what truly matters in life, and it can be a deeply affecting – and yes, consoling – experience.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Boulies OP180 office chair review: Surprisingly comfortable and built for the workplace

7:55 pm |

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

Boulies OP180: 30-second review

The Boulies OP180 is, like all the OP-designated line, designed for workspaces. It’s perfectly comfortable for home office use, and its compact design without headrest means it won’t dominate the room. But, to my eye, it looks, feels, and performs like a chair for actual offices. One look at it and you can picture a series of OP180’s parked in cubicles or nested around a table in a conference room.

The backrest is of classic mesh that feels very breathable when used for long hours. And the plush cushioned seat surprised me. Alright, it’s not especially breathable, but the thick foam is incredibly comfortable and supportive. I used it for eight-hour work days for weeks, and it feels like the happy medium between the firmness of the Boulies EP200’s mesh seat and the ultra-soft foam seat of the Boulies OP300. If you’ve struggled with finding the right balance, I’d recommend checking out the OP180.

There’s good adjustability here - seat height and depth, backrest height, lockable recline, and tilt are all present and correct. The chair also features 3D armrests.

And that’s where I discovered one of my only real problems with this chair. Yes, they move smoothly backwards, forwards, up and down, and side to side. But there’s no horizontal locking system, unlike with my favorite of the Boulies range, the EP200. Now, this didn’t prove an issue when sitting down for work, but lean on the armrest to rise from the chair and it will slide out of place.

It’s also lacking full lumbar support, instead opting for a contoured S-shaped backrest. Thanks to the tension of the mesh backrest, I can’t say I missed the lumbar support - I felt supported at all times, and for the OP line, it’s perhaps expected. But, I appreciate some users will want that extra lower back support.

Those issues aside, I should mention the price - it’s selling for $290 / £240. It’s one of the best office chairs for the workplace, although I'd prefer a longer warranty length than the two years offered by Boulies. For home offices, I’d still recommend a Boulies chair like the high-back EP200, which still offers superb value for money and a firmer, more breathable experience.

Boulies OP180: Price & availability

The Boulies OP180 is widely available, selling for $290 at Boulies.com and £240 at Boulies.co.uk. However, at the time of review, it’s discounted down to $240 / £170.

That UK price is also reflected over at Amazon.co.uk. I’d suggest that cost is about right for an office chair chiefly designed to be bought in bulk for HQ.

Boulies OP180: Specs

Price (RRP)	$290 / £240
Seat height	17.3 - 20.1in / 44 - 51cm
Seat depth	17.9 - 19.7in / 45.5 - 50cm
Seat width	19.5in / 49.5cm
Backrest height	22.0 - 24.8in / 56 - 63cm
Recommended user height	5’1” - 6’3”
Max weight load	352lb / 160kg
Material	Mesh and foam
Warranty	2 years

Boulies OP180: Design

Image 1 of 3

The Boulies OP180 in a home office during our review — (Image credit: Boulies // Future)

Image 2 of 3

Image 3 of 3

The OP180 is a classically designed, compact office chair. Only available in black, it’ll fit right into any professional workspace without looking out of place.

To the rear, there’s a Y-frame support for the backrest. And I like the armrest design, thrusting forward like an Enterprise starship. Sure, that’s hardly a game-changer styling, but it does give the OP180 a more modern feel.

In truth, there’s not much to like or dislike about the design of this chair. It looks exactly as you’d expect - and that’s precisely the point of an office chair like the Boulies OP180. It’s not trying to be the Branch Verve or the Herman Miller Embody, with striking silhouettes and bold color choices. It’s a traditional office chair for professionals.

Boulies OP180: Assembly

Boulies claims it’ll take you five minutes to build the OP180. I wouldn’t say it’s quite that quick - it took me a little under ten minutes after misaligning the screws for the armrest first time around (pro-tip: place the three in loosely first, then tighten each).

Everything you need is in the box, including the hex key, which is the only tool needed to piece it all together. Instructions are clear, with each step illustrated with an easy-to-understand image and accompanying text.

Inside the manual, it also clearly lays out what each under-seat lever does and how to use them to adjust the fit once seated.

Overall, I found assembly to be ridiculously easy. It’s probably the fastest I’ve ever built a chair, and if you’re constructing a lot of these for an office space then yes, you probably could get it down to about five minutes. Six screws later, and after slotting in the spokes of the seat base, the casters, and the backrest, I was done.

Boulies OP180: Comfort & adjustability

Image 1 of 3

Image 2 of 3

Image 3 of 3

I wasn’t expecting the OP180 to be as comfortable as it is. That lack of true lumbar support, the high but technically mid-back design made me fear that it would be a literal pain when used for long hours.

I don’t mind admitting I was wrong.

First, I found the plush cushioned seat to be exceptionally accommodating. It’s neither too firm, nor too soft, providing just the right amount of support and softness. For anyone who’s struggled to find a chair with the right balance, this one is absolutely worth exploring.

I’m not typically a fan of foam cushioning on office chairs, as they tend to retain too much heat compared to mesh seats. And while it’s not completely breathable, I didn’t find it got uncomfortably hot when sitting down for those eight-hour days.

While adjustable lumbar support would’ve been nice, it didn’t disrupt the experience when used all-day for work. The contoured, high-tension mesh backrest provided firm lower back support during prolonged use.

Adjustability controls are exceptional. Using the under-seat levers, you can alter the seat height and seat depth, and a quick pull (or push) on the backrest will adjust its height. That gives it real versatility for the workplace, where a range of users might be using these chairs.

Alongside this is the ability to tilt and recline the chair - and yes, unlike some office chairs, both can be firmly locked into place. I appreciated this, but if you prefer a model that keeps the recliner unlocked at all times, you’ll want to look elsewhere.

The chair also features 3D armrests, which can move horizontally, vertically, and swivel in and out with a satisfying click of each turn. Beneath each armrest, you’ll find a trigger - squeeze that and you’re able to raise or lower them to the right height.

My only wish here is that they also acted as a lock to prevent the armrests sliding backwards and forwards. It didn’t alter my seated experience. However, more than once the armrests slipped when too much weight was applied. It feels like an oversight that could be easily remedied in future iterations.

Boulies OP180: Final verdict

The OP180 neatly fits into Boulies’ Office Professional line of chairs. It’s not a showy chair. It’s a classically styled and functional model that’s very well-suited to offices, or even the home office if you prefer a low-profile chair over executive high-back models.

The backrest is breathable, comfortable, and more supportive than you might imagine considering it doesn’t have any true lumbar support. But the foam cushioned seat was the biggest surprise for me - it feels like it’s been engineered to perfectly balance out both the firmness of your standard mesh seats and the soft, almost saggy cushioned seats of other chairs I’ve used.

You have some great control over comfort due to the excellent adjustability controls. Because of this, it’s an ideal pick if multiple people will be using the chair, which, as a fully fledged office chair, is the OP180’s ultimate goal. My only real issue is the lack of lockable armrests - they have a tendency to slide forward when too much force is applied.

Overall, though, I found it a comfortable and supportive choice at a price that’ll suit office managers buying in bulk.

Should I buy theBoulies OP180 office chair?

Buy it if…

✅ You’re kitting out a workplace
With high adjustability, good comfort, and a reasonable price, it is - as intended - a solid pick for offices where more than one person may be using it.

✅ You want a compact office chair
As a mid-back model, the OP180 features a low-profile design that won’t dominate the office or home office.

Don’t buy it if…

❌ You like armrests that lock into place
My main problem with the OP180 is that the 3D armrests have a tendency to slip back and forth when you rise from the chair.

❌ You suffer lower back pain
With no true lumbar support, this isn’t the office chair of choice for those who need additional support for the lower back.

For more workspace essentials, we tested the best standing desks for the home and office.

I’m a professional photographer and the Manfrotto One is the greatest tripod I’ve ever used

3:00 pm | December 10, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Camera Accessories Cameras Computers Gadgets | Comments: Off

Manfrotto One hybrid tripod: two-minute review

As soon as you pull the Manfrotto One out of its box, you can tell this is a tripod unlike any other. I’ve used many professional tripods over the years, such as the 3 Legged Thing Punks Brian 2.0 and Gitzo tripod Traveler series 1, but this feels less like a support for your camera gear and more like the center point of an entire system. An extension of the photo kit itself.

If you plan to use the Manfrotto One to its maximum advantage, then you’re likely a serious content creator, working professionally and on demanding assignments. And for such people, everything about the legs is geared towards ultimate stability.

The weight alone will reveal it isn’t made with an entry-level mirrorless camera in mind, rather professional camera bodies and motion-centric gear, amongst the best full-frame cameras and best cameras for video in 2025. I used a range of models with the tripod, from an older pro-level mirrorless setup, via a Leica Rangefinder system, to a medium-format camera. In each case, the legs felt perfectly balanced.

The extra mass of the center column pulls the center of gravity back to the mid axis of the legs, so that even when using a bulky f/2.8 telephoto zoom lens, the setup never felt like it might topple forward, something I always have to be conscious of when using other Manfrotto aluminium and Gitzo carbon fiber travel tripods.

The Manfrotto One hybrid tripod outside — The Manfrotto ONE feels ideally balanced when using both heavy and lightweight camera systems. When using the former, it can easily support the weight, while it won't be easily blown over with the latter (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

Build quality is of the highest grade. There’s a solidity that is almost intimidating, and I wouldn’t advise leaving the Manfrotto One unsecured on the back seat of your car, for fear of the consequences should you firmly apply the brakes. Both aluminum and carbon fiber variants are available, although I only had time with the former.

During my tests the tripod was exposed to a wide range of weather conditions, from the dampness of a peat bog to the harsh salinity of the Tyne and Wear coastline. I was able to quickly and easily wipe the feet and legs clean with no sign of unexpected water or debris ingress. The same ruggedness applies to every knurled screw, flap, and locking mechanism.

Close up details of the Manfrotto ONE hybrid tripod outside — The aluminium version of the tripod was used during this review. The legs were easy to keep clean and felt hard-wearing during use in wet and salty conditions (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

The Manfrotto 500X Fluid tripod head in an outdoor setting — The 501PL sliding plate. As is visible in the image, if the plate is attached to a smaller camera in the recommended direction, it can be tricky to operate the lens controls (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

Unless you regularly inflict your tripods to 30m vertical drops, with the proper maintenance I can see the Manfrotto One outliving many of its owners.

Earlier, I mentioned the weight and while this does provide stability, it might prove challenging if you have to carry the tripod far, especially if you have the optionally bundled 500X Fluid Head attached. This alone weighs 1.22 kg, so it isn’t a system for the average holiday shoot. In fact, it may even be a challenge to transport it on-location along with a full system of camera bodies and lenses, if you work alone. I often do and found it necessary to set up for my shoot in two stages; firstly, I put up the legs and attached the head and handle, then I returned to the car to retrieve my camera.

However, if this sounds like a major deal-breaker, it’s important to remember that Manfrotto has designed this product to cater for both photographers and videographers, removing the need to carry two separate tripods for each function. This effectively streamlines the modern content creator’s gear bag and brilliantly plugs a gap in the market.

To that end, the Manfrotto One has a few exotic handling features. Starting with the Fast Leg Technology, the traditional clip or twist locks for leg extension are replaced with a single vertically flipping lever lock per leg. With one action, all three leg sections are unlocked so you can simply lift the head to the desired height and close the levers to fix the legs in place. This makes it exceptionally quick to raise and lower the head, in those moments where individually unlocking each section would cost you successful shots.

The downside is that you need to be able to support the weight of the tripod until you safely close each clip. Ideally, I’d recommend setting up the legs before attaching the head, which is made easy with the next clever innovation.

The XCHANGE quick-release system allows the 500X Fluid Head to be mounted directly onto the XCHANGE base of the center column, a bayonet-like fitting comprising multiple spring-loaded attachment points. To remove the head all the user has to do is rotate the locking ring anti-clockwise. This works almost instantaneously and is by far the most rapid head exchange system I’ve seen in a tripod. You’ll need an XCHANGE-ready head, of which there are not too many examples currently available, or you can adapt another using an XCHANGE base and plate adaptor setup.

The Q90 and modular column system is not new to the Manfrotto range – I was a fan of the design on my now ancient 190XPROB – but it’s great to see it put to use in a professional tripod of this level. By pressing the base of the center column the user can rotate it by 90 degrees, quickly positioning the camera for flat-lay shots, vertical-orientation panoramas, and dynamic video transitions.

Since the movement is rotational, you’ll still have to watch out for parallax error between panorama frames (where the relative distance between the subject and background changes between segments, introducing stitching challenges), but it’s helpful when speed is of paramount importance. Videographers, meanwhile, will enjoy spinning the camera around a fixed point to introduce movement to their footage. The best option for regular pano creators is to buy an L-bracket to minimize parallax further, or to use a shift lens.

The levelling column is a huge feature for the video-shooting audience. It’s mounted on a ball fixture, so that by flipping up a clamp that’s handily engraved with ‘LVL’, the whole assembly can be pivoted until the head is perfectly aligned with the horizon. On other, larger and heavier video tripods, the levelling process is often a multi-step one which is inevitably slower.

As a frequent landscape and macro photographer, probably my favourite feature is the split center column design, the lower section of which can be removed, again with a single action. This enables easy and rapid ground-level work, without having to laboriously screw off the bottom of the column and reattach it when you suddenly need to use the tripod at its maximum height.

Manfrotto One hybrid tripod: key specs

Maximum height:	181cm / 71.3 inches
Closed height:	81cm / 31.9 inches
Minimum height (low mode):	30.8cm / 12.1 inches
Materials:	Aluminium/ carbon fiber
Max payload:	33.1 lb / 15 kg (15.4 lbs / 7 kg in Q90 mode)
Leg sections:	Three
Head compatibility:	Manfrotto XCHANGE
Attachment points:	1x accessory thread, 1x weight hook
Weight:	4.77kg / 10.52lb (aluminium), 4.37kg / 9.63lb (carbon fiber)

Manfrotto One hybrid tripod price and availability

The Manfrotto One was released in June 2025 and is often bundled with the 500X Fluid Head, although it can be purchased as a legs-only option. The aluminium legs cost $499.99 / £375 / AU$900, while the 500X Fluid Head kit costs $679.99 / £519 / AU$ 1,200.

The Carbon Fiber model is also available in the above kits and costs $719.99 / £539 / AU$1,250 for the legs only, and $879.99 / £669 / AU$1,500 with the 500X head.

This represents a good price to buy the 500X Fluid Head, which costs approximately $219.99 / £164 / AU$389.95 alone. Meanwhile, the Manfrotto XCHANGE accessory can be purchased by itself for around $54.99 / £39 / AU$80, and the XCHANGE plate for $21.99 / £29 (AU$ price TBC), allowing other heads to be used with the Manfrotto One legs and vice versa.

Manfrotto One hybrid tripod: Also consider

Peak Design Pro Tripod

Peak Design's travel tripods have gained almost legendary status, and the Pro Tripod range employs the best elements of that series. A great build quality is combined with a portable, lightweight design across three variants. Furthermore, a unique non-tubular leg cross-section allows convenient storage when not in use, making the tripod easy to carry. It's a fairly expensive option, but it is significantly less heavy than both the carbon fiber and aluminium versions on the Manfrotto ONE.

Read our Peak Design Pro Tripod

Sachtler Ace M Mk II

If you shoot video almost exclusively, you may benefit more from a completely motion-content dedicated tripod. This one from Sachtler is currently the best video tripod available, for its balance of price, features, and ease of use. It's extremely stable and well-constructed, with a workable maximum payload of 4kg – ideal for mirrorless and compact video camera users.

My Sachtler Ace M Mk II review is currently in progress

Should I buy the Manfrotto One hybrid tripod?

Buy it if...

You shoot a variety of photo and video work
As suggested by the name, the Manfrotto One is designed specifically for creators who shoot both types of content. Where, before, you might have had to carry multiple tripods, now you can streamline your gear to a single camera support option.

You value speed of operation
The XTEND leg system and Q90 center column function make changing tripod configurations as rapid as possible. Manfrotto has introduced some seriously clever features here, so if you regularly worry about missing shots because your tripod wasn't set up optimally, the Manfrotto One is for you.

Don't buy it if...

You’re a beginner
For the casual shooter or novice creative, there may be too many features here for you to get to grips with. This is a professional tool meant for high-end assignments, and the many controls and functions take some getting used to.

You only occasionally shoot video
...and you're on a tight budget. It's worth the investment if you combine still and motion media, but otherwise you're not going to get the most from the legs if you mainly shoot photos. It's not cheap and it's quite heavy, so there are more easily manageable options.

How I tested the Manfrotto One hybrid tripod

I spent around a month with the aluminum version of the Manfrotto One
I tested its operational speed and efficiency, ease of use, build quality and stability
I tried the XTEND system and 500X head, and mounted various mirrorless cameras and lenses to it, including a bulky f/2.8 zoom

I spent around a month with the Manfrotto ONE, so I had a good amount of time to use it on a variety of shoots, in a mix of conditions. A local heathland is a regular haunt of mine, and this commonly leaves my tripod feet caked in peat-heavy mud. It's also exposed to the elements. The tripod certainly got wet on a few occasions. However, moisture and dirt were readily wiped off, and the feet showed no sign of excessive scratching after use.

The aluminium version I was using did get cold to the touch (a frequent challenge in winter operations), but the Manfrotto One's hard-wearing plastic components made carrying it more comfortable than directly touching the metal.

Shooting in woodland is always tricky for levelling a tripod head, but the XTEND system and ball-mounted center column made controlling the center of gravity straightforward. Using a range of camera systems, at no point was I concerned that it might topple when set up on a hillside.

Meanwhile, after a coastal shoot, I didn't find the legs prone to seizing, which can happen after exposure to salty air. The 500X head, along with the Q90 rotatable column, made switching to portrait orientation for panoramic photography quick and maintained the balance of the system well.

I shot a variety of exposure durations while waves washed over the feet to see how many vibrations were transferred to the head-mounted camera, and the Manfotto One performed well. At both closed and maximum leg heights, there was no more loss of critical image sharpness than one might expect, although I'd quite like to compare the aluminium and carbon fiber versions for this.

First reviewed December 2025

I tested the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam and it has heaps of potential — but it’s outshone by affordable rivals

1:54 pm | December 9, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Dash Cams Gadgets Vehicle Tech | Comments: Off

Thinkware U3000 Pro: two-minute review

Thinkware has recently introduced the U3000 Pro Dash Cam as a beefier edition of its existing U3000 model. The company is already well-known for producing some of the best dash cams out there, but this model takes things a step further with Connected Service support. Anyone wanting the ability to monitor their vehicle remotely will find that’s now possible with the Thinkware U3000 Pro, with an optional LTE module that will be sold separately.

Another bonus with the Thinkware U3000 Pro, much like the excellent 70mai 4K T800, is that it's able to work in a three channel setup. That means it can be configured to shoot forward-facing video, capture video out of the rear window and also enjoy an infrared view of the cabin area too. That said, if the LTE module is being used, Thinkware states that the cabin cam component cannot be engaged at the same time. Nevertheless, the latter is a handy option for anyone who needs to keep an eye on occupants, from small children through to anyone transporting passengers.

On paper too, the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam has an impressive set of features and functions. My two-channel review bundle came with twin cameras that feature Sony Starvis 2 sensors, one 8.4 megapixel IMX687 for the front and one 5.14 megapixel IMX675 for the rear, shooting 4K UHD (3840 x 2160p) at 30 fps or QHD (2560 x 1440p) at 60 fps for the forward-facing unit. The rear backs it up with 2K QHD (2560 x 1440p) and 30 fps, which is all perfectly serviceable.

This is a slightly different camera to look at too, with a slender body shape for the front that sits neatly tucked up and out of the way of the windshield. That could be a blessing for anyone with a small viewing area at the front. There isn’t any built-in screen though, which means the setup, configuration and day-to-day management of files mainly needs to be done in partnership with the Thinkware app. The app is workmanlike and gets the job done, while built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi covers the connectivity part of the equation without much in the way of fuss.

Like most dash cam models now, this is a unit that can be boosted still further with the optional addition of a hardwire kit. Plumbed into your vehicle’s electrics, the specification is boosted with smart parking modes that enhance the U3000 Pro's appeal. Features including built-in radar and Super Night Vision 4.0 that tap into the power of the Starvis sensors adds up the appeal even further.

Meanwhile, the ADAS (advanced driver assistance) tools and built-in GPS means the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam wants for nothing. It is, however, priced on the higher side and, and for anyone who prefers a rear screen on their dash cam, it might not fit the bill at all.

Thinkware U3000 Pro: price and availability

The Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam is available now and is priced at $429.99 / £399 for the single channel U3000 Pro (roughly AU$800). Meanwhile, the two-channel variant is priced at $549.99 / £479 (around AU$960). This makes it a premium model, with lots of rival models to choose from, including the aforementioned 70mai 4K T800. Anyone wanting a similar dash cam but not requiring the additional features might prefer to just settle with the original U3000 model, which can currently be found discounted via some retailers.

Thinkware U3000 Pro: specs

VanTrue Nexus 5S specs
Video	Front: 4K UHD (3840 x 2160p) @30 fps or QHD (2560 x 1440p) @60 fps Rear: 2K QHD (2560 x 1440p) @30 fps
Field of view (FOV)	147 degrees front / 156 degrees rear
Storage	MicroSD up to 512GB, Cloud
GPS	Yes
Parking mode	Yes, with constant power cable, not included
App support	Thinkware app
Dimensions	69.8 x 102.6 x 55.5 mm / 2.75 x 4.04 x 2.19 inches
Weight	0.31 lbs / 140.7g front / 0.09 lbs 41.1g rear
Battery	No

Thinkware U3000 Pro: Design

Thinkware has gone down a slightly different route with the design of the U3000 Pro. While many dash cams are either boxy or rectangular, the main unit of the U3000 Pro is a little bit quirkier. The front portion of the body is where most of the bulk is as this houses the lens. This in itself is an interesting idea as its angle can be adjusted to suit the rake of different windshields. I found this very stiff to adjust at first, but I guess that prevents it from changing position due to vibration or rough roads.

The back end of the camera body is thinner and contains the slot for the microSD card and has ports for the cables. At the top, there’s a bracket that slides on to the body once it’s out of the packaging and this has the self-adhesive pad that sticks to either a static sheet or directly to the windshield. I think the design works quite well, with a form factor that isn’t quite as blatantly dash cam-looking as some rivals. Handy for anyone wanting a low-key look.

On the underside of the camera, facing downward from the roof, are three illuminated indicators that show BT/Wi-Fi, Rec and GPS from left to right. This panel also contains physical buttons – Rec, Power, Wireless and Microphone symbols, for when manual intervention is needed. The easiest way to get set up, though, is to do everything via the supporting Thinkware app.

Thinkware has kept things blocky for the design of the rear-facing camera and, again, I quite like the rectangular shape used here as it’s different from the many barrel-style units out there. The rear camera is linked up to the front-facing main unit via a decent length cable. Meanwhile, my test unit arrived with a 12V cable connector that could be connected to a standard in-car power port. The alternative is to buy the version with the hardwire kit, which unlocks the extra functionality mentioned above.

Thinkware U3000 Pro: Performance

It took me a couple of tries to successfully pair the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam to my iPhone, for whatever reason, possibly issues with the wireless connection. Once that was sorted, I was easily able to manage the camera and functionality using the options contained therein. Of course, one potential downside for this model is the lack of a built-in screen. However, in its place, the app let me adjust the angle of the camera correctly by showing a view across the bonnet of my car. Those on-camera buttons were useful for basic tasks too, but the app will be the way to go for most users.

Whilst it was operating, the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam got on with the job in hand without fuss, with the red recording button letting me know that it was capturing content as expected. Once I’d used it for a bit, I got the video off the card and checked it out. I’ll admit that wintry conditions didn’t prove the best for capturing good video but overall, I thought the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam footage was a bit on the average side. It was undeniably clear, but dark winter conditions seemed to take the edge off the overall look of the content.

Neither did it didn’t seem to be that good at capturing low light content, while picking out detail including license plates was less impressive than other models I’ve tried. A bit surprising given this model uses the ever-popular Sony Starvis hardware. I thought the detail (such as GPS data, speed and so on) added to the bottom of the footage was a bit on the small side too, especially compared to rivals, although the Wi-Fi and GPS functionality of this model all worked as expected. Overall, the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam felt good, but not as great as I’d hoped for.

One important thing to note is anyone wanting to enjoy the parking monitoring will need to do so by enlisting the services of an optional hardwire kit. This does increase the potential of the bundle, especially for anyone wanting the extra parking features that get unlocked by going down the hardwire route.

Should you buy the Thinkware U3000 Pro?

Buy it if...

You're after an always-on model
The Thinkware U3000 Pro benefits from an optional always-on feature, which offers remote monitoring via your smartphone. However, this requires an optional LTE module to work.

You like a slimline design
Another bonus of the Thinkware U3000 Pro is that the main body is quite compact. This makes it a sensible choice for anyone with a fairly small windshield.

You don't care about a rear screen
While the Thinkware U3000 Pro lacks a rear screen, it can be used easily thanks to the supporting app. This lets users manage every aspect of the dash cam with fuss.

Don't buy it if...

More basic shooting is all that's required
The Thinkware U3000 Pro is just that, a beefier edition of the U3000 Pro, which can be had discounted and while lacking some extra features, it's a solid alternative.

Hard wiring a dash cam doesn't appeal
The Thinkware U3000 Pro will work via a standard 12V car power port if that option is chosen when purchasing. However, any additional features and functions require a hardwire installation.

Footage is vital for piece of mind
The Thinkware U3000 Pro shoots good quality footage in a variety of scenarios. However, I've tested rivals that do it better with the benefit of clearer on-screen GPS data too.

How I tested the Thinkware U3000 Pro

I installed the dash cam in a car for an initial period of three weeks
I used it for various day and night journeys in all types of weather
I connected it to my phone, downloading recordings to check on quality

I tested the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam overall several weeks, which consisted of using it in a test vehicle and in a variety of weather conditions. This allowed me to try all of the features and functions, aside from the hardwire options due to it being powered via a 12V power port.

In addition, I downloaded the Thinkware app, which was installed on an iPhone 17 and used during the installation process and also for file management duties. The Wi-Fi connectivity between the main camera unit and the app was also tested, which based on the size of the 4K video files was a big part of the testing procedure and everything worked as anticipated.

First reviewed December 2025

Fairphone’s newest eco-friendly headphones have a feature I wish Bose or Sony would use – and the sound’s good too

11:05 am |

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Headphones Wireless Headphones | Tags: ANC, AU, US | Comments: Off

Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025): Two-minute review

Two and a half years after eco-friendly tech champions Fairphone released its first pair of headphones, the company is back to release… the same pair but better. Sort-of. The new Fairbuds XL 2025 aren’t a 2.0 model of the original cans, but an updated model with a few nice changes, and a maintained feature that the best headphones should’ve copied years ago.

Fairphone is primarily a smartphone maker, with the Fairphone 6 from mid-2025 being its latest release, and its green credentials come in two forms. Firstly, its gadgets are generally made from recycled or ethically-sourced materials, and secondly they’re designed to last so you won’t be throwing them away and contributing to e-waste.

The original Fairbuds already ticked those boxes pretty well, but the XL 2025 add in more recycled elements and a longer warranty. It’s a nice bonus on cans you already feel good wearing. They also build on one of the big perks of the originals in that they’re modular, so if one part breaks you can easily replace it yourself.

As is always the case with Fairphone tech, though, you come for the environmentally-friendly promise and stay for one or two surprising extra ways the product elevates itself from the competition. Case in point with the Fairbuds XL 2025: they maintain the 2023 version’s joystick, which is a control system so easy and responsive to use that I’m surprised the big dogs aren’t copying it.

Instead of having myriad touch-capacitive buttons, dials, sliders and levers like most headphones I test, they delegate controlling your sound to a small joystick (well, and a separate ANC button that you rarely need to touch). By pressing or nudging this you can control basically everything you need to for your music, quickly and easily. I love using it and already know I’ll miss it when I move onto my next headphone review.

Beyond that, these are decent-sounding headphones which have energetic and bassy sound, but miss out on the extra ounce of detail or super-expansive soundscapes that many rivals offer. They’re comfortable to wear and look much more distinctive (and fun) than your generic dime-a-dozen headphones.

If there’s something that’ll put off prospective buyers, it’s the price – a common consideration with eco-friendly tech. These cans cost more than I would’ve guessed if I didn’t know, and while their long-lasting guarantee justifies that price well, it’s still a fair amount to pay upfront for headphones which don’t exactly rival the Sony WH-1000XM6 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra.

Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) review: Price and release date

The Fairphone Fairbuds XL 2025 folded down on the arm of a bench. — (Image credit: Future)

Released on December 9, 2025
Costs £219 (roughly $300, AU$460)
US release possible; AU unlikely

The Fairphone Fairbuds XL 2025 were announced on December 9, 2025, roughly two and a half years after the original model. According to the company, the newer model are more of an improved version of the older one, not a brand-new device.

The headphones will set you back £219 (roughly $300, AU$460). Fairphone is generally a European brand but its recent move into America means we could see these launch in the US, and we’ll add in a dollar price once we learn of one. Don’t expect to see these release in Australia though – Fairphone follows geographical (not Eurovision) rules on continents.

That price is, importantly, exactly the same cost that the original cans cost when they came out – but where some manufacturers are actually lowering prices in response to increasingly tough competition in a crazy-crowded market, Fairphone hasn't.

Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) review: Specs

Drivers	40mm
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life (ANC off)	30 hours
Weight	330g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.1
Frequency response	Not listed
Waterproofing	IP54

Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) review: Features

The Fairphone Fairbuds XL 2025 in a man's hand. — (Image credit: Future)

30-hour battery life
ANC is decent when combined with PNC
App has equalizer... and not much else

If there’s an issue with the Fairbuds (aside from the fact that they're absolutely, positively not buds and let's be clear on that), it’s that they’re a little scant on features. There’s no find-my functionality, no listening test or spatial audio, and the Fairbuds app doesn’t offer much.

The key reason to download it is its equalizer, offering presets as well as a custom mode so you can tweak it via a five-band deck – this is called ‘Studio’ mode, so I missed it when I first tested the buds. I found that the only preset worth listening to is the default one, called Amsterdam, as it was louder a clearer than the others.

Beyond that the app lets you install firmware updates, learn the basics of headphones (not particularly important to anyone who’s used headphones before) and order replacement parts for the XL if you damage any. I can see this last service being useful – though hopefully not too often!

The Fairphone Fairbuds XL 2025 on a bench. — (Image credit: Future)

You can toggle ANC, but only with the button on the buds, and not via the app. There are three modes: on, off and ambient. Combined with the passive noise cancellation of the fabric cups, the ANC does a good job at blocking out most sounds around you. It’s not the best noise cancellation I’ve ever heard in headphones, but they won’t leave you wanting more.

The battery life clocks in at 30 hours, which is decent enough for headphones though nothing stellar – some models now offer 80 hours. Fairphone says the battery will last for at least 500 charges before needing to be replaced (that’s 15,000 hours, if you empty the juice tank fully each time) – and given that Fairphone is basically the only company to release a stat like this, it’s hard to say whether that’s standard or not. Still, it’s good to know, and there’s no way you’ll reach that amount of listening in the three years the warranty now covers, anyway.

Features score: 3.5/5

Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) review: Design

The joystick of the Fairphone Fairbuds XL 2025 — (Image credit: Future)

Sustainable build
Comfortable to wear
Incredibly handy joystick controls

The Fairbuds XL aren’t your bog-standard over-ear headphones, and that’s not just a comment on their sustainability. They have a distinctive look and hue, with a fabric band covering and cups, protruding plastic loops connecting the cans and the band, and a two-tier look for the phones. I tested the attractive green model, but there’s also a black one.

I found the headphones comfy to wear, though some people might find them a little heavy. They can be folded, as well as extended quite a bit if you’ve got a larger head, and the fact that the wider tier of the cans wiggles a little bit means they can adapt to different head shapes. However, you can’t rotate the cups to lie flat, like you can on certain other headphones.

On the right cup, there’s an ANC button which you can use to switch ANC modes and also enable Bluetooth, and just beyond that is one of my favorite features of the cans. It’s a little joystick which you can use to turn on the buds (press and hold), play or pause (single press), change the volume (nudge it up or down) and go forward or back a track (nudge it left or right).

The connector of the Fairphone Fairbuds XL 2025 — (Image credit: Future)

It’s really simple and easy to use, and is probably the best implementation of touch controls that I’ve ever used on a pair of headphones.

Let’s also talk about sustainability. The 2023 models used 100% recycled plastics and aluminum, and the 2025 versions one-up that: 100% of the cobalt, copper and silver is fair-mined, 100% of the rare-earth materials are recycled and the cans were assembled with 100% renewable energy.

Now, I’m no eco-genius, but that all sounds good to me – especially the part about rare earth materials given how they cost the Earth. The buds are also modular, so if a part breaks you can replace it without needing a whole new pair of cans, and Fairphone offers a three-year warranty on the Fairbuds (one year longer than on the last model).

Design score: 5/5

Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) review: Sound quality

40mm driver
Punchy, warm sound
Restrictive sound stage

While the 2025 model of Fairbuds XL have the same 40mm driver, one of their big updates is still in the sonic department. Apparently the new cans have been re-tuned for more balanced audio – that doesn’t quite track with my own experiences with them, but I’m not really complaining.

In our reporting on the original cans we noticed that the sound of the Fairbuds was “energetic and forthright, rather than refined an analytical”, and that’s exactly how the new model sound to me.

The bridge of the Fairphone Fairbuds XL 2025 — (Image credit: Future)

In sounds like O.A.R’s Lay Down, or Michael Franti’s Once A Day, you can hear the punch of brass lines and hearty bass, giving an infectious energy to songs. But songs which have complex instrumentation can sometimes feel like their losing some of their edge – Somewhere in Between by Morningsiders feels a little more monophonic than it needs.

Generally, it’s the warmer sounds that benefit from whatever touch Fairphone has added, with (reasonably) well-defined bass and mids that keep their head above the water more often than not. But there’s not quite the expansiveness through the soundstage as you might want and crave, which stops instruments from standing apart, keeping back certain songs from reaching their true sonic breadth and impact.

Some technical specs here: the Fairbuds connect with Bluetooth 5.1. They miss most codecs but do support aptX HD for higher-resolution 24-bit wireless streaming, if you're source material and device is up to it.

Sound quality: 3.5/5

Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) review: Value

The Fairphone Fairbuds XL 2025 folded down in a man's hand. — (Image credit: Future)

Pricier than the features would suggest
Longevity balances value out

If you compare the Fairbuds XL 2025 to same-price contemporaries, it’s easy to make the case that they’re not great value for money. They lack features and the same level of audio refinement that you’d get in rivals.

While that’s true, it's also missing a key point – these headphones are designed for longevity. Where you might need to buy a new pair of Sonys or Bose in a year or two when they inevitably break or the battery renders them unusable, the Fairbuds XL will almost certainly last you a lot longer.

So these are better value than they may first appear – but you need to be playing the long game to appreciate it.

Value: 4/5

Should I buy the Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025)?

Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	The ANC and battery life are average, and there are few other features.	3.5/5
Design	Between the eco-friendly build, the comfortable fit and the handy joystick, I have no notes.	5/5
Sound quality	It's a flawed but fun sound, far from perfect but still enjoyable to listen to.	3.5/5
Value	Sure, the price is high, but they'll last longer than alternatives.	4/5

Buy it if…

You care about the planet
It's the core selling point here: these have been built sustainably.

You want long-lasting cans
Between the modular design and the warranty, you can guarantee these will last longer than alternatives.View Deal

You like controlling music from your cans
The joystick is the single best control feature I've used in headphones.View Deal

Don’t buy it if…

You're on a budget
While they're long-lasting cans, that doesn't stop the fact that the upfront cost is fairly high.

You like tweaking your sound profile
The Fairbuds' equalizer doesn't give you much wiggle room over your sound, and the presets don't help.

Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) review: Also consider

	Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025)	House of Marley Positive Vibration Rebel	Sony WH-1000XM5
Drivers	40mm	40mm	30mm
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery life (ANC on)	30 hours	75 hours	30 hours
Weight	330g	517g	250g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.1	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.2
Waterproofing	IP54	IPX5	Not specified

House of Marley Positive Vibration Rebel
These more affordable headphones are made from wood and recycled aluminum, while offering a much longer-lasting battery too.

Sony WH-1000XM5
Thanks to its Green Management 2025 plan, Sony headphones can be relatively eco-friendly, and these previous-generation ones are actually cheaper than the Fairbuds.

Read our full Sony WH-1000XM5 review

How I tested the Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025)

Tested for 3 weeks
Tested at home, on walks, on public transport and the gym

My testing period for the Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) lasted for roughly 3 weeks, not including the additional time it took to write this review (or run them in).

I generally used the headphones for streaming music from Spotify and Tidal using my Android phone, but also tested on Netflix, Prime Video and various games. I listened at home, on walks around my local area, at the gym, and on public transport (trains and buses) during several long journeys.

In the past I've reviewed multiple smartphones from Fairphone, and other gadgets with an emphasis on eco-friendly tech. I've also tested plenty of headphones over the 7 years I've been writing for TechRadar.

First reviewed in December 2025

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

This pet hair-friendly cordless vacuum is one of the best budget options I’ve tested

8:04 pm | December 8, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances Vacuums | Tags: US | Comments: Off

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder: two-minute review

The Bissell PowerClean FurFinder is a simple but effective cordless vacuum with an affordable price tag. I've been testing it out for two weeks and have generally been very impressed.

On the design front it keeps things basic, with three suction modes, a removable battery, a small but easy-to-empty bin and a wall mount for out-of-the way storage. Like almost all stick vacuums these days, it can be reconfigured for use as a handheld with one of the provided detail tools. In general use I found the performance very good – it had no issues clearing particles and hair from hard floors and carpet, and only struggled when it came to tackling large debris, which tended to get caught in the floorhead casing.

Those seeking the best vacuum for pet hair might prefer a model with larger bin, as the one included here is smaller than average and will fill up quickly if you have shedding pets. They might also struggle with the shorter runtimes – if you bump up to Med mode (as you will likely want to if you're vacuuming carpet), you'll only have 20 minutes or so or cleaning time before having to stop to recharge.

I was especially impressed with the Mini motorized tool, which did a stellar job of pulling fuzz from an old cushion-turned-makeshift cat bed. Unusually, this is kitted out with headlamps to help illuminate areas you might otherwise miss.

It's not doing anything especially new, and those who prefer a more hi-tech appliance have plenty of flashier options to choose from. In its price bracket, though, it's a very strong performer – and certainly one of the best cheap vacuums I've tested. If you're after a solid cordless vacuum for an affordable price, the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder should be on your shortlist.

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder cordless vacuum — (Image credit: Future)

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder review: price & availability

List price: $229.99
Available: US

The Bissell PowerClean FurFinder is only available in the US, where it's very competitively priced, coming in at $229.99 (equivalent to about £180 / AU$360). That's in TechRadar's budget bracket for vacuums, and considering the excellent performance, makes this vacuum easy to recommend.

If you're in the market for a new vacuum, you're probably also considering Shark or Dyson. The Shark Freestyle Max is comparable in price at $199.99 / £149 / AU$249.99 but it's an upright vacuum and can't be reconfigured for use on anything other than the floor, as you can with the Bissell. Plus the battery times are even shorter than on the Bissell.

The oldest and cheapest Dyson is the Dyson V8, which comes in at $349.99 / £329 / AU$397, though discounts do crop up on occasion. It's still a very strong option, with better battery life. But in terms of features it doesn't really add much outside of brand recognition to justify the price difference.

Value for money score: 4.5 out of 5

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder specs

Weight:	3.3 kg / 7.3 lbs
Bin size:	0.4L
Max runtime:	40 mins
Charge time:	2 hrs 30 mins
Size (H x W x L):	in / cm
Max suction:	200AW
Modes:	Low, Med, High
Tools:	Main floorhead, Mini motorized brush head, Crevice tool

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder review: design

Cordless stick vacuum with three power modes and headlamps
Modular design means it can be used as a handheld; comes with useful tools
Dustbin is rather small – especially given it's meant for pet hair

While the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder cordless vacuum doesn't really redefine anything about cordless vacuums, it's a solid offering in just about every way. It's attractive, coming in a black and blue colorway. Its floorhead has lights, like most decent vacuums nowadays, so you can see any dirt right in front of it. It's modular so the main body of the vacuum can be removed from the telescopic tube, and the tube itself can be removed from the floorhead. And its included tools make it multifunctional, and suitable for use as a handheld vacuum.

Speaking of extras: this cordless vacuum comes not only with a 2-in-1 Crevice tool (it has a retractable brush), but a Mini motorized brush head that lights up like the floorhead, and a wall mount for easy storage. The wall mount does require a screwdriver to install, though I appreciate the inclusion of wall anchors if you have to install on nothing but drywall.

Getting back to the vacuum itself. The controls here are straightforward, with a power button and a mode button that cycles through low, medium and high suction. There are no screens to provide information and nothing in the way of automation here, which isn't surprising at this price point (although the similarly affordable Dreame R20 does offer automatic dirt detection). I was pleased to see the battery is removable and swappable.

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder vacuum — (Image credit: Future)

A minor complaint is that the dustbin is small. The 0.4 liter capacity will rule it out for large homes, and – perhaps ironically, given the name – it's also not ideal for households with shedding pets. It is at least easily removable, and just as easy to empty.

Design score: 4 out of 5

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder review: performance

Pickup is good on all sorts of dust and debris, including pet hair
Motorized mini brush is ideal for clearing pet hair from upholstery
Not that quiet in operation, and struggles to pick up chunky particles

After having tested the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder on all sorts of surfaces and with different types of messes, I'm confident in its cleaning abilities. Now, it's not going to compete with a heavy duty canister or upright vacuum in terms of pure power, but it has good enough suction that I'm okay grabbing this instead of said heavy duty vacuum. (If you do want a super-sucky upright, head to TechRadar's guide to the best upright vacuums.)

Even on the low setting, it did a good job sucking up dust and debris. I used this cordless vacuum to clean up some extra flour and sugar left over from a robot vacuum test and it got all the leftover remnants in a single pass.

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder cordless vacuum clearing particles off a wooden floor — (Image credit: Future)

I also vacuumed baking soda, lentils, and cereal as a benchmark on hard flooring using the low suction mode and was done spot cleaning in about a minute on low suction. The only issue I came across is that the transparent cover on the floorhead doesn't allow chunky debris to pass beneath it. I experienced this specifically when I pushed forward to vacuum the Cheerios, and they piled up instead of being sucked away. But that just meant it took me two passes instead of one to clean everything up.

I repeated the same test on low-pile carpet actually using the medium suction mode to see if it would take me just one pass, but I ended up with similar results, needing an extra pass to get the Cheerios.

Considering that this is advertised for picking up fur, we have to consider whether it actually handles that task well. I believe that this vacuum does. I used the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder to vacuum up after two dogs and a cat (and a number of humans, a few of which have long hair), and it did a great job of sucking up stray hairs.

I found it didn't really matter which mode I used – higher modes just sucked in more. The floorhead never got in a tangle, either. My only complaint is that the bin filled up quickly, so if you have multiple shedding pets you'll find yourself emptying it more often than you perhaps would like.

Where cordless vacuums shine over powerful corded ones is in their versatility. I was also impressed with how effective the Mini motorized brush head was at cleaning upholstery. I had a couch cushion in the basement was covered in hair from months of being used as an impromptu cat bed and no clean up. With the Mini motorized brush head, it took one pass to completely remove all that hair, and I didn't have any issues with it getting stuck. The motorized roller helped pull up strands of hair, and the headlamps (which are rare to find on a detail tool) helped illuminate any patches I might have missed.

I was also able to get into corners easily with the Crevice tool. I used this for multiple tasks, including clearing lentils and Cheerios stuck between the carpet and the molding after a benchmark test, tackling the cobwebs and spiderwebs that had been overtaking the basement, and vacuuming the dirt that had build up in the footwells of my car. It made short work of all these tasks, although it wasn't ideal as a car vacuum as it was a bit too bulky to get to awkward spots like the dashboard.

It's worth noting that it's not a particularly quiet vacuum, running from 66 to 76 dB depending on the power level chosen.

Performance score: 4 out of 5

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder review: battery life

Battery life is underwhelming – 40 mins on low, 21 on Med, and 13 on high
Recharge is relatively speedy at 2 hours 30 mins
Battery is removable and swappable

Bissell states this cordless vacuum will last up to 40 minutes on Min, 21 in Med, and 13 on Max. I found this accurate – I timed it at 40 minutes and 25 seconds on a single charge in the lowest suction mode. And I find that battery life is enough for vacuuming a good 800-square-feet on a single charge. However, most people will want to use the Med mode most of the time, and 21 minutes is really not enough to get much done.

The 40 minutes does not measure up favorably on the wider market, either. Most of today's best cordless vacuums last around 60 minutes in Min mode, and some even longer. Recharge takes around two and a half hours, which is actually quite quick, but still rather a long time to wait if you're having to stop mid-clean.

Because the battery is removable, it is possible to pick up a backup battery to extend your cleaning times – or to replace the existing battery if it starts to eventually lose charge. The power cable plugs directly into the battery, which is good news if you want to store the vacuum somewhere that's not near an outlet.

Battery life score: 3 out of 5

Should you buy the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder?

Attribute	Notes	Rating
Value	Budget bracket, and great value for the performance.	4.5 / 5
Design	Basic but effective, although the dustbin is smaller than I'd like.	4 / 5
Performance	Efficient pickup of dust and pet hair, although struggled with chunky particles.	4 / 5
Battery life	With a maximum of 40 mins per charge, battery life is underwhelming – most competitors manage 60 mins.	3 / 5

Buy it if...

You don't need anything fancy

This vacuum lacks fancy features but keeps all the essentials, including good pickup, three suction modes and an easy-to-empty bin.

You're on a budget

This vacuum is simple but effective, and comes in at a nice, wallet-friendly price.

You have a smaller home

This vacuum's runtimes are rather limited, but that won't be an issue if you don't have a massive area to clean.

You want a great upholstery tool

I was impressed with how efficiently this Bissell vacuum's upholstery tool pulled pet hair from an old cushion that was being used as a cat bed.

Don't buy it if...

You want something hi-tech

The Bissell PowerClean is rather simple in features. Competitor models offer things like automatic suction adjustment and info screens.

You have multiple shedding pets

As convenient as the Bissell PowerClean is, that small dustbin needs to be emptied after almost every use, and even more frequently if you have hairy pets.

You have a lot of space to cover

The battery life is the biggest weakness for this cordless vacuum. Most of the competition adds at least another 20 minutes of use before needing to be charged.

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder review: Alternatives

Dyson V11

The Dyson V11 is certainly still pricey, even if it's a bit older. But it still has that Dyson magic and does an excellent job cleaning up all sorts of debris, including pet hair. It also comes with a stronger battery life than the Bissell despite having come out in 2019.

Read our full Dyson V11 review

Shark Freestyle Max

The Shark Freestyle Max may not be modular but it's compact, has a large dust cup, and excellent suction power. Its battery life even worse than this Bissell's, and the fact it can't be reconfigured means you're more limited than most cordless stick vacuums, but it is very affordable.

Read our full Shark Freestyle Max review

How I tested the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder

To test the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder, I used it for a couple weeks, testing its vacuum capabilities not only on hardwood floors, but also tile, low pile carpet, and even a high pile bath mat. It was tested in a home that houses two dogs and a cat, plus a number of humans, a few of which have long hair. I used it at its various strengths and tested it by doing general cleaning and also running bench marks with baking soda, lentils, and cereal.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners

First reviewed December 2025

This pet hair-friendly cordless vacuum is one of the best budget options I’ve tested

8:04 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances Vacuums | Tags: US | Comments: Off

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder: two-minute review

The Bissell PowerClean FurFinder is a simple but effective cordless vacuum with an affordable price tag. I've been testing it out for two weeks and have generally been very impressed.

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder review: price & availability

List price: $229.99
Available: US

Value for money score: 4.5 out of 5

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder specs

Weight:	3.3 kg / 7.3 lbs
Bin size:	0.4L
Max runtime:	40 mins
Charge time:	2 hrs 30 mins
Size (H x W x L):	in / cm
Max suction:	200AW
Modes:	Low, Med, High
Tools:	Main floorhead, Mini motorized brush head, Crevice tool

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder review: design

Cordless stick vac with three power modes and headlamps
Can stand up on its own, and transforms into a handheld
Dustbin is rather small – especially given it's meant for pet hair

While the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder cordless vacuum doesn't really redefine anything about cordless vacuums, it's a solid offering in just about every way. Although it has an all-plastic build, it feels sturdy enough and it's attractive, coming in a black and blue colorway. Rather unusually, it can stand up on its own. Its floorhead has lights, like most decent vacuums nowadays, so you can see any dirt right in front of it. It's modular so the main body of the vacuum can be removed from the telescopic tube, and the tube itself can be removed from the floorhead. And its included tools make it multifunctional, and suitable for use as a handheld vacuum.

Design score: 4 out of 5

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder review: performance

Pickup is good on all sorts of dust and debris, including pet hair
Motorized mini brush is ideal for clearing pet hair from upholstery
Not that quiet in operation, and struggles to pick up chunky particles

It's worth noting that it's not a particularly quiet vacuum, running from 66 to 76 dB depending on the power level chosen.

Performance score: 4 out of 5

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder review: battery life

Battery life is underwhelming – 40 mins on low, 21 on Med, and 13 on high
Recharge is relatively speedy at 2 hours 30 mins
Battery is removable and swappable

Battery life score: 3 out of 5

Should you buy the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder?

Attribute	Notes	Rating
Value	Budget bracket, and great value for the performance.	4.5 / 5
Design	Basic but effective, although the dustbin is smaller than I'd like.	4 / 5
Performance	Efficient pickup of dust and pet hair, although struggled with chunky particles.	4 / 5
Battery life	With a maximum of 40 mins per charge, battery life is underwhelming – most competitors manage 60 mins.	3 / 5

Buy it if...

You don't need anything fancy

This vacuum lacks fancy features but keeps all the essentials, including good pickup, three suction modes and an easy-to-empty bin.

You're on a budget

This vacuum is simple but effective, and comes in at a nice, wallet-friendly price.

You have a smaller home

This vacuum's runtimes are rather limited, but that won't be an issue if you don't have a massive area to clean.

You want a great upholstery tool

I was impressed with how efficiently this Bissell vacuum's upholstery tool pulled pet hair from an old cushion that was being used as a cat bed.

Don't buy it if...

You want something hi-tech

The Bissell PowerClean is rather simple in features. Competitor models offer things like automatic suction adjustment and info screens.

You have multiple shedding pets

As convenient as the Bissell PowerClean is, that small dustbin needs to be emptied after almost every use, and even more frequently if you have hairy pets.

You have a lot of space to cover

The battery life is the biggest weakness for this cordless vacuum. Most of the competition adds at least another 20 minutes of use before needing to be charged.

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder review: Alternatives

Dyson V11

Read our full Dyson V11 review

Shark Freestyle Max

Read our full Shark Freestyle Max review

How I tested the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners

First reviewed December 2025

The Honor Magic 8 Lite has the best battery life of any phone I’ve ever tested – but it’s not a total home run

6:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Honor Phones Phones | Tags: Europe, Google Pixel, UK, US | Comments: Off

Honor Magic 8 Lite review: Two-minute review

With the Honor Magic 8 Lite, the battery is undoubtedly the star of the show. It has the same massive 7,500 mAh capacity as the Oppo Find X9 Pro, but when combined with its lower-end energy-efficient chip, it lasts even longer. I'm not exaggerating when I say that four days on a single charge is quite easy to achieve with this phone.

The Magic 8 Lite's construction has been significantly upgraded this year, too. It now carries the highest possible IP rating, so dust and water will pose no threat, while a shock-resistant frame and reinforced tempered glass should keep it fairly safe from drops.

The phone's display is another highlight, and it ticks all the most important boxes. It's bright, has a speedy 120Hz refresh rate, supports PWM dimming, and has slim symmetrical bezels all the way around.

Product shots of the Honor Magic 8 Lite — (Image credit: Future)

Unfortunately, the Magic 8 Lite's performance isn't quite so impressive. You'll see the occasional stutter when you're going about your daily business, and you'll need to use very low graphics settings to get a playable experience in modern games.

The cameras, too, left me wanting more. Honor hasn't upgraded the camera hardware on its Magic Lite series for the last few generations, and while the main sensor on this latest model is quite good, the ultra-wide is pretty terrible.

The software won't be to everyone's taste (and it's not fully up to date), but it has some genuinely useful features, as well as some neat AI tricks that are often reserved for pricier flagship phones. I found it very easy to live with.

So, whether the Magic 8 Lite is right for you will all depend on your priorities. As a photographer and a gamer, I didn't have the greatest time with Magic 8 Lite, but not everyone is like me. Battery life is the number one concern for many users, and that's one area where the Magic 8 Lite will definitely not disappoint.

Honor Magic 8 Lite review: Price and availability

Announced on December 8, 2025
Coming to the UK and Europe in January
Not available in the US

The Honor Magic 8 Lite was announced on December 8, 2025, and is expected to begin shipping in the UK and Europe in January. As usual for Honor products, it won't be coming to the US.

Honor hasn't confirmed official pricing just yet, but with the Magic 7 Lite retailing for £399 at launch, I'd expect the Magic 8 Lite to cost a similar amount.

If so, that would put it in league with big-name rivals like the Samsung Galaxy A56 and Google Pixel 9a, though the Magic 8 Lite already stands out by offering the biggest battery of the three, as well as an IP69K rating.

Value score: TBC

Honor Magic 8 Lite review: Specs

Here's a look at the Honor Magic 8 Lite's key specs:

	Honor Magic 8 Lite
Dimensions	161.9 x 76.1 x 7.76mm
Weight	189g
OS	MagicOS 9, based on Android 15
Display	6.79-inch OLED, 120Hz
Resolution	2640 x 1200 pixels
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 4
RAM	8GB
Storage	256GB / 512GB
Battery	7500mAh
Rear cameras	108MP (f/1.75) main, 5MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide
Front camera	16MP (f/2.45)

Honor Magic 8 Lite review: Design

Image 1 of 4

Image 2 of 4

Image 3 of 4

Image 4 of 4

Plastic frame with 6-layer drop-resistant structure
Forest Green, Midnight Black, and Reddish Brown options
IP68/IP69K dust and water-resistant

With the Magic 8 Lite, Honor has done away with the curved edges we saw on the last few generations, instead opting for a boxy design with flat siderails, which is bang on trend. While I appreciated how slim the curved edges made the Magic 7 Lite feel, the newer model feels more premium and modern.

The phone is available in three different colors: Midnight Black, Reddish Brown, and Forest Green. I have the latter in for review, and it looks lovely. The rear panel has a velvety matte feel, and the color shifts slightly when the light hits it. It's not a fingerprint magnet, either, which is often a problem with matte-finish phones.

The cameras are arranged in a centrally placed halo, just like on the previous generation, and the design reminds me of the Huawei Mate-series flagships. Love it or hate it, there's no denying it stands out from the crowd.

One of the big upgrades this year is the new IP68/69K rating for dust and water resistance. This means the phone is effectively immune to dust ingress and can withstand dunks in fresh water, as well as blasts from jets of hot water. So, if you can't resist scrolling while you take a shower, this is one of the few phones that will survive the ordeal.

The drop resistance has also been cranked up a notch. Honor reckons it'll survive drops from up to 2.5m heights, thanks to a new 6-layer drop-resistant structure that incorporates non-Newtonian fluid.

The phone still has a plastic frame, but it doesn't seem to be holding it back in terms of durability. The tempered glass coating on the screen has also been toughened; it now has a 31% deeper tempering depth to help with scratch and crack resistance.

Design score: 4 / 5

Honor Magic 8 Lite review: Display

Image 1 of 2

Image 2 of 2

6.79-inch 120Hz OLED display
3840Hz PWM dimming
6,000-nit peak brightness

The Honor Magic 8 Lite now has a fully flat screen, rather than curved edges, and I much prefer it. Not only does this mean you avoid unwanted reflections and accidental edge touches, but it's also easier to find a quality screen protector.

The bezels are slimmer, too, and they're symmetrical on all sides, which gives the phone a more premium look. The pill-shaped selfie cutout is also gone, and you now get a more typical circular punch hole.

The screen is also brighter than before, able to reach a whopping 6,000 nits at peak brightness. I certainly never had any trouble seeing the display out in the sunlight.

It's an OLED panel, and as you might expect, it delivers the deep, inky blacks and vibrant colors that the technology is known for. A 120Hz refresh rate keeps things looking smooth as you swipe around, too.

If you're concerned about eye strain, you'll be pleased to learn that the Honor Magic 8 Lite supports 3,840Hz high-frequency PWM dimming. This will help your eyes feel fresher when using the phone at low brightness levels.

Another neat feature is Honor's AI Heavy Rain Touch/Glove Touch tech. This ensures that the touchscreen continues working when others might fail, for example, when there's water on the screen. It's very useful in the British wintertime.

Display score: 4 / 5

Honor Magic 8 Lite review: Cameras

108MP main (f/1.75)
5MP ultra-wide (f/2.2)
16MP selfie camera (f/2.45)

The Honor Magic 8 Lite has two rear cameras: a 108MP main and a 5MP ultra-wide. Around the front, there's a 16MP punch hole selfie camera.

This is the exact same hardware that we saw on the Magic 7 Lite and Magic 6 Lite before that. Neither of those phones impressed me with their photographic abilities, so my expectations were on the ground when coming to test the Magic 8 Lite.

Indeed, the ultra-wide is as bad as you might expect. You can get passable results in perfect lighting, but there's only so much you can do with such a low-resolution sensor. In low light, you should avoid it entirely.

The main camera, on the other hand, is quite decent. Just don't let the 108MP specification fool you into thinking you'll get exceptionally detailed shots. It spits out 12MP JPEGs by default, and you'll need a bright sunny day if you want to use the full resolution, as the pixels are quite tiny.

I had hoped that this high-resolution sensor would allow for big digital crops without much of a loss in quality, but that's not the case. You can see the quality degrade quite significantly at 3x zoom, and it gets worse as you approach the maximum of 10x.

Still, in the right conditions, you can get some great shots with the Magic 8 Lite. Honor's processing is a little punchy and contrasty for my tastes, but you are given plenty of controls to adjust the way your images look.

The selfie camera is fine, but wholly unremarkable. It's on par with most budget-focused handsets, and it gets the job done, but it doesn't have the edge that Instagram addicts will be looking for.

I found that portrait mode cutouts weren't the most reliable, often chopping off bits of hair. Plus, there's less control than I'm accustomed to. There's no way to change the blur level on the selfie camera, for instance; it's just on or off.

For video shooting, you can capture at up to 4K 30fps on the main camera, while the other two lenses top out at 1080p. Video stabilization isn't the most impressive, and the lack of consistency across lenses means that budding content creators will be left wanting more.

Cameras score: 3 / 5

Honor Magic 8 Lite review: Camera samples

Image 1 of 21

Honor Magic 8 Lite camera samples — (Image credit: Future)

Image 2 of 21

Image 3 of 21

Image 4 of 21

Image 5 of 21

Image 6 of 21

Image 7 of 21

Image 8 of 21

Image 9 of 21

Image 10 of 21

Image 11 of 21

Image 12 of 21

Image 13 of 21

Image 14 of 21

Image 15 of 21

Image 16 of 21

Image 17 of 21

Image 18 of 21

Image 19 of 21

Image 20 of 21

Image 21 of 21

Honor Magic 8 Lite review: Performance

Image 1 of 2

Image 2 of 2

Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chipset
8GB RAM
256GB / 512GB storage

The Honor Magic 8 Lite is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 SoC. It's a healthy upgrade compared to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 that was (strangely) present in both the Magic 6 Lite and 7 Lite.

Still, this is a budget-focused chipset, so you should temper your expectations when it comes to performance. It's paired with 8GB of RAM, which should be sufficient for some multitasking, and either 256GB or 512GB of storage.

In normal day-to-day use, when scrolling social media and responding to emails and WhatsApp messages, the phone feels quick enough. At times, though, you can feel the difference between this and a flagship device. You can expect to see the occasional stutter in the system animations, and sometimes things will take a split second longer to load. Honestly, though, it's very easy to live with.

However, when you boot up a demanding game, that performance gap widens significantly. In fairness, the Magic 8 Lite was still able to play Wuthering Waves, which is well known as one of the most challenging Android titles, but I had to stick to the lowest preset to get playable framerates, and I still saw the odd performance dip.

So, this phone is not a good choice for keen gamers, but if you're more into Candy Crush or retro titles, you might find this level of performance to be all you need.

Performance score: 3 / 5

Honor Magic 8 Lite review: Software

Image 1 of 2

Image 2 of 2

Magic OS 9, based on Android 15
Plenty of AI features
6 years of updates and security patches (in EU regions)

The Magic 8 Lite runs Magic OS 9, which is the same software you'll find on Honor's 2025 flagships like the Magic 7 Pro and Magic V5. That said, we've already seen Magic OS 10 begin to roll out to these handsets, so it's a little strange that the Lite model is launching one step behind. Hopefully, the upgrade will materialize before too long.

Honor promises six years of OS upgrades and security patches for the Magic 8 Lite in the EU, so it will definitely get the new OS, but how soon it will arrive remains to be seen. Regardless, it's a very decent update policy at this price point; it doesn't match the seven years that you get with Honor's flagship phones, but it outdoes a lot of the similarly priced competition. It should be noted, though, that outside of the EU, this phone only gets two years of updates.

Magic OS continues to be a divisive Android skin. It's heavily stylized, and it changes a lot of the core fundamentals, so Android purists probably won't love it. Personally, though, I quite enjoy it. I think it looks nice, and it adds some genuinely useful features.

Honor's Magic Portal is probably the most unique offering. It allows you to drag text and images from one app to another, and I find myself using it quite frequently. I was pleased to see that Honor's "Knuckle to Portal" gesture is now supported on the Lite model, too, as it was missing when I reviewed the previous model.

In terms of functionality, there's a lot of overlap between Magic Portal and Google's Circle to Search, which is also supported on this phone. That said, having more than one way to accomplish a task is rarely a bad thing, because if one service isn't behaving the way you'd like, you can try the other.

You also get loads of AI-powered image editing tools on the Magic 8 Lite, like an object eraser, reflection removal, outpainting, background removal, and more. Again, a lot of these features are built into Google Photos, too, but if you use both platforms, you can see which one does a better job.

Image 1 of 2

Image 2 of 2

I'm a big fan of Honor's Magic Pill feature, which is functionally almost identical to Apple's Dynamic Island. It's nothing particularly new, but it means you have quick access to things like media controls and timers, no matter which app is running in the foreground.

The aggressive power-saving measures that the OS applies by default are less impressive. If you want timely notifications, you might find that you need to go into the settings and tweak things. I often found I wasn't getting notifications from my video doorbell, for example.

Software score: 3 / 5

Honor Magic 8 Lite review: Battery

7,500mAh silicon-carbon battery
66W wired charging
No charger included

Without a doubt, one of the most appealing aspects of the Magic 8 Lite is its insane battery life. The 7,500mAh silicon-carbon cell is up there with the largest batteries available today (tied with the Oppo Find X9 Pro and RedMagic 11 Pro). The difference here is that it's paired with a less powerful and more energy-efficient chipset, which results in the best battery life of any phone I have tested to date.

When I was working in the office, and not playing too many games or taking a lot of photos, I found I was only using around 25% of the Magic 8 Lite's battery per day. I managed to make the phone last for four days on a single charge, and it wasn't particularly challenging to do so.

Of course, battery life varies wildly depending on how you use your phone, but even the heaviest of users should be able to achieve two days on a charge without any difficulty. So, if you're always forgetting to charge your phone, the Magic 8 Lite could be an absolute game-changer.

What's more, despite having a massive battery, the phone also doesn't take too long to charge. It supports up to 66W speeds using an official Honor charger, but sadly, you don't get one included in the box.

With the right charger, you can expect around a 50% charge in just half an hour, while a full charge will take just over an hour. Not too shabby.

As ever, I would have loved to see wireless charging support, especially since the feature seems to be making its way to more mid-rangers, but there's none of that here.

Battery score: 5 / 5

Should you buy the Honor Magic 8 Lite?

Honor Magic 8 Lite scorecard
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value	We're still waiting for confirmation of the phone's price.	TBC
Design	The Magic 8 Lite looks a lot more premium than its predecessor, and it's a lot more durable, too.	4 / 5
Display	Slimmer bezels, higher brightness, and PWM dimming make this display a winner.	4 / 5
Cameras	The 108MP main camera can take some decent shots, but the ultra-wide is pretty awful.	3 / 5
Performance	The Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 is adequate for daily use, but it's nothing too special.	3 / 5
Software	There are some great features, but it's already a generation behind, and the power-saving features can be annoying.	3 / 5
Battery	Simply put, this is the longest-lasting phone I've tested to date.	5 / 5

Buy it if...

You hate charging your phone

If you're always walking around with 1% left in the tank, the Honor Magic 8 Lite could be the phone for you. You can easily go for three days on a single charge, and with light use, you might even be able to make it last four.

You need something durable

An IP69 rating for dust and water resistance, along with a shock-resistant frame and thickened tempered glass, makes for a very hard-wearing phone. This device should be able to withstand some abuse.

Don't buy it if...

You want blazing-fast performance

While I found the performance to be adequate for basic tasks, you can definitely tell this isn't the speediest device around. Gamers should steer clear.

You want the best cameras

With the Magic 8 Lite, you only really get one good camera; the ultra-wide and selfie snappers are wholly unimpressive. If photography is your priority, there are better options to consider.

Honor Magic 7 Pro review: Also consider

The Honor Magic 8 Lite is a battery life champion with great durability, but there are plenty of other great options around the same price. Here are a couple of competitors that are worth looking at:

Samsung Galaxy A56

Samsung's mid-range favorite offers a more premium build, using more aluminum and glass than plastic. It also has a superior ultra-wide camera, but the battery is much smaller, and the charging isn't as quick.

Read our Samsung Galaxy A56 Review

Google Pixel 9a

Google's Pixel 9a is powered by the Tensor G4 chip, which is a massive step up from the Magic 8 Lite's Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 in terms of performance. The cameras are more impressive, too. However, yet again, Honor reigns supreme when it comes to battery life and charging speed.

Read our full Google Pixel 9a review

	Honor Magic 8 Lite	Samsung Galaxy A56	Google Pixel 9a
Price:	TBC	$499 / £499 / AU$699	$499 / £499 / AU$849
Display:	6.79-inch OLED	6.7-inch OLED	6.3-inch OLED
Cameras:	108MP main; 5MP ultra-wide	50MP main; 12MP ultra-wide; 5MP macro	48MP main; 13MP ultra-wide
Processor:	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 4	Exynos 1580	Tensor G4
Battery:	7,500mAh	5,000mAh	5,100 mAh

How I tested the Honor Magic 8 Lite

Review test period: One week
Testing included: Everyday use, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
Tools used: Geekbench 6, 3DMark, GFXBench, native Android stats

I put my SIM card into the Honor Magic 8 Lite and used it as my main phone for just over a week. I used it exactly as I would use any other phone, taking lots of photos, gaming, messaging, working, streaming video, and navigating with Google Maps and Waze.

I also compared the experience of playing graphically challenging games like Wuthering Waves and Zenless Zone Zero to my experience on other Android mid-rangers like the Nothing Phone (3a) and Samsung Galaxy A56. I also ran multiple benchmarks on the handset, including 3DMark, GFXbench, and Geekbench.

I assessed the battery performance based on my real-world usage, and charging times were measured using an official Honor 100W wall adapter and cable.

Doogee V Max LR: 30-second review

Doogee’s V Max series includes some monstrous phones, all powered by the same MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC and a huge 20500 mAh battery.

The V Max LR is the cheapest option and delivers an almost identical design to the Play model, but with the omission of the projector.

Instead, the LR has a measuring sensor, which is slightly less niche and might be useful to anyone in the construction industry who doesn’t already have a gizmo for that.

Using an integrated app, this can measure lengths and areas easily and can be activated via the custom button.

In my V Max Play review, I covered some of the silly mistakes that Doogee made with that phone, like the included bumper that covers over the camping lights, among others. And, the LR model fixes none of these issues and repeats them all verbatim.

However, this choice has the significant advantage of being cheaper than the Play, a phone I felt was way too expensive. Direct from Doogee, the LR is $110 less than the Play, which gives us a good idea of what adding a projector adds to the cost.

That doesn’t make the LR cheap; it's just not the high cost of the Play.

If you want an impressively large phone with enough battery life to last a week of general use, that enhances the owner's biceps, and doubles as a tape measure, then the LR meets all those criteria.

If you don’t care that it's so unwieldy and not inexpensive, it might provide good service, but this isn't a combination that calls to our best rugged phones collection.

Doogee V Max LR: price and availability

How much does it cost? $580/£465
When is it out? Available now
Where can you get it? You can get it in most regions directly from Doogee or from many online retailers.

Doogee sells its phones directly and through online retailers like Amazon and AliExpress.

In the USA, the V Max LR sells for $579.99 directly, or you can get it on Amazon.com for $769.99, but at time of review, it's discounted to $639.99.

A better deal can be had on AliExpress, where the V Max LR sells for $545.51, though I’m unsure whether that price includes tariffs on Chinese imports into the USA.

For UK customers, it's available from Amazon.co.uk for £630. It's also on AliExpress, where the latest price is only £463.23. And, across Europe, AliExpress charges €524.32 for the global version of this phone.

Other phones that offer a rangefinder include the Blackview BV9300 and the Unihertz 8849 Tank 3. The Blackview has been replaced with the BV9300Pro model, but the old one with the same measuring technology as the LR costs around $480 on AliExpress. That seems cheap, but the BV9300 only has 75% of the battery capacity of the LR, and half the storage.

Equally, the original Unihertz 8849 Tank 3 has been superseded, you can still get it, but only the models without the rangefinder.

Given that most phone makers who previously included a rangefinder have removed it from their devices, it hints that it wasn’t a feature that sold many devices.

Value score: 3.5/5

Doogee V Max LR: Specs

Item	Spec
CPU:	MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy
GPU:	Arm Mali-G615 MC2
NPU:	MediaTek APU 655
RAM:	16GB
Storage:	512GB
Screen:	6.78 inchFHD+IPS Screen
Resolution:	1080 x 2460FHD+,120Hz
SIM:	2x Nano SIM + TF (all three can be used)
Weight:	686 grams alone, 771g with bumper
Dimensions:	183.5 x 85.4 x 30.5 mm
Rugged Spec:	IP68 IP69K dust/water resistant (up to 2m for 30 min), MIL-STD-810H Certification
Rear cameras:	200MP AI Main Camera + 20 MP Night Vision Camera + 8MP Ultra Wide Angle & Macro Camera
Front camera:	32MP Samsung
Networking:	WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3
Audio:	130dB loudspeaker with Smart PA
OS:	Android 15
Battery:	20500 mAh (Max 45W wired, 10W reverse)
Colours:	Black

Doogee V Max LR: design

Heavy and thick
Annoying bumper

I’ve already covered the ergonomics of this phone in my Doogee V Max Play review that you can read here, so let's keep this brief.

At 771g, this is an excessively heavy and bulky device that doesn’t fit easily in your pocket and would be a nightmare for anyone who has wrist strength issues or a child.

To make it marginally easier to carry, Doogee created a hard-plastic bumper with an integrated rubber handle.

It’s obvious to anyone using the phone for the first time that the person who designed the bumper never saw a physical phone, and just created it using a CAD model.

I say that because the carrying handle sits over the user-customisable button, and gripping the phone triggers that button every time. So, where on the Play you open the phone to always find the projector controls on the screen, here you always meet the measuring app.

Another clue to the lack of joined-up thinking is that the LR, like the Play, has two large LED arrays that act as a camping light, but the bumper obscures these entirely behind solid plastic. Therefore, to use them, the bumper must first be removed, which isn’t easy in either light or dark.

I do wonder about the number of people involved in the design and production of the LR and the Play who either didn’t notice or chose to ignore the obvious faults in this aspect of the design as it moved from concept to production. But, they did one or the other.

As a phone and a bumper, neither of these things is Doogee’s finest hour.

Design score: 3/5

Doogee V Max LR: hardware

Same SoC as Play model
Confuses IR and Lasers

The underlying Android 15 platform on the LR is unchanged from the Play, and therefore, you can read my review of that phone for a greater insight into what the Dimensity 7300 Energy offers, and if it's something you might want in your mobile devices.

To paraphrase my previous views, it’s a decent SoC with more than enough power for the majority of use cases, even if it’s not ideal for the hardcore gamer.

Its strengths are supreme power efficiency, which, given the phone's battery capacity, results in exceptional running time.

The one feature that Doogee removed from the Play to create the LR was the projector, but its omission left physical space within the design, and the engineers decided to fill that with something more practical and less niche.

You may be wondering what the LR stands for in this phone, and it's the Laser Rangefinder. But this is where we head down a rabbit hole, because I’m not sure whether this phone has a laser rangefinder.

What makes me unsure? Well, in the app, when you activate the measuring system, it says “Turn on infrared”, not “Activate Laser”. But when you do that, you can see a visible laser spot where the phone is pointed. If this were infrared, it wouldn’t be visible, since humans can’t see the frequencies of light that are generally classed as infrared.

In an attempt to resolve these apparent contradictions, I checked the documentation that came with the phone and found no reference to laser light or any safety warning regarding that or IR. Admittedly, the two-page manual was a generic one, and not specific to the LR, but surely if you have a product with a laser in it, of whatever power, that needs a specific kite-mark or something?

What I do know is that, alongside the area on the phone where the ‘laser’ comes out, there's an IR sender/receiver. Doogee mentions it has this in its promotional materials, calling it an “Infrared Remote Control”, although there are no apps included to use it.

My guess, and take this with a huge pinch of salt, is that the laser is a marker so you can see where it is measuring to, and the actual measurement is performed using Infrared, because that’s much cheaper than the electronics to calculate the return of a laser beam.

That would explain why the device's maximum range is 40M and its measurement accuracy is rated at ±3-15 mm. Eventually, I found a reference that said 630-670nm visible infrared, which confused me even more, because that’s in the visible light range, and strictly not in the true infrared range.

I could be wrong, and I’ll be happy to accept it if I am, but whatever the LR has isn’t a ‘Laser Rangefinder’, as is typically defined.

Can it measure distances? Yes, although not that accurately. As they say, measure twice, cut once.

Hardware score: 4/5

Doogee V Max LR: cameras

Rear camera: 200MP Samsung S5KHP2 primary camera, 20 MP Sony IMX350 Night Vision Camera, 8MP Ultra Wide Angle & Macro Camera
Front camera: 32MP Samsung S5GD1

Again, I’ll spare you my repeated thoughts on the camera system of the LR, since it's identical to the same arrangement in the V Max Play. I covered that subject in my review of that phone, so I’ll give a general overview of my thoughts here.

The phone's sensor is good, and the HP2 primary camera in particular is an excellent choice for those wanting crisp, well-saturated images, even in low-light conditions.

It’s combined with the workman-like 20MP Sony sensor that is good for night vision and a workable 8MP sensor for ultra-wide-angle and macro scenarios.

For the sake of thoroughness, I’ve taken another series of example photos using the LR, but there isn’t any practical difference between these and the ones I took using the Play.

One thing I failed to mention on the Play, but I’ll include here, is that neither of these phones has Widevine L1 support, with only L3 encryption. That means that the majority of streaming services will limit the quality of a streamed movie or TV show to only 480P, irrespective of the screen resolution. Many Chinese phone makers don’t care about Westerners watching Netflix, and Doogee is one of those, it transpires.

In short, the cameras are good, but avoid the encouragement of the underwater mode, since given the weight of this phone, if you let it slip from your hand, it will be heading rapidly to the deep six.

Doogee V Max LR Camera samples

Image 1 of 14

Image 2 of 14

Image 3 of 14

Image 4 of 14

Image 5 of 14

Image 6 of 14

Image 7 of 14

Image 8 of 14

Image 9 of 14

Image 10 of 14

Image 11 of 14

Doogee V Max LR Examples — (Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Image 12 of 14

Image 13 of 14

Image 14 of 14

Camera score: 4.5/5

Doogee V Max LR: performance

Decent SoC
GPU is game-friendly
Big battery

Phone		Doogee V Max LR	Doogee V Max Play
SoC		Mediatek Dimensity 7300	Mediatek Dimensity 7300
GPU		Mali-G615 MC2	Mali-G615 MC2
Mem		MediaTek NPU 655	MediaTek NPU 655
NPU		16GB/512GB	16GB/512GB
Weight		686g	686g
Battery		20500	20500
Geekbench	Single	1019	1009
	Multi	3247	3176
	OpenCL	2500	2478
	Vulkan	2521	2501
GFX	Aztec Open Normal	40	40
	Aztec Vulkan Norm.	42	42
	Car Chase	36	36
	Manhattan 3.1	61	60
PCMark	3.0 Score	13932	11709
	Battery	43h 21m	43h 28m
Charge 30	%	12	11
Passmark	Score	13772	13901
	CPU	6816	6973
3DMark	Slingshot OGL	7124	6977
	Slingshot Ex. OGL	5378	5275
	Slingshot Ex. Vulkan	4976	4862
	Wildlife	3300	3269
	Nomad Lite	364	360

I put this data in the review to underline that the LR and the Play versions of the Doogee V Max are the same phone inside.

Yes, there are different results, but the difference is no more than what you get by repeatedly running the tests. The only oddity is why the Play has a lower PCMark score, and I can only conclude that a firmware update that happened between my testing made a change that upgraded the LR on that one test.

If the LR is compared with other rugged phones, the performance is decent but not spectacular. As a good example, the Oukitel WP210 that uses the Dimensity 8200 scores 6023 on the 3Dmark Wildlife test. Therefore, faster phones are available, but the platform on the LR outclasses many designs, like the Blackview BV7300 or Oukitel WP300.

Performance score: 4/5

Doogee V Max LR: Final verdict

As I iterated with the V Max Play, the phone's physical size is a deal-breaker for many, since it limits who can carry it and how far.

On the other hand, if the phone will typically be in a vehicle, then it might not matter.

The idea of removing the projector and putting in the measuring system and its price reduction seems, on paper at least, a good idea.

Though the V Max LR still isn’t an inexpensive phone, especially if you buy it through Amazon.

There are good things about this phone, like the cameras and the SoC, but they’re balanced by the price and a few dire aspects, such as the poorly designed bumper.

That bumper wasn’t good on the Play, and now it's appeared on the LR. I just hope Doogee redesign it for any subsequent V Max models.

Should I buy a Doogee V Max LR?

Doogee V Max LR Score Card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value	Maker price is too high, but online its more affordable	3.5/5
Design	Terrible bumper and a massive device	3/5
Hardware	Decent SoC and a 20500 mAH battery, and a 'Laser Rangefinder'	3.5/5
Camera	200MP Samsung sensor takes great pictures and video	4.5/5
Performance	Decent performance and enhanced battery life	4/5
Overall	Not the most practical phone for daily use, but rugged	4/5

Buy it if...

You need a phone for outdoors
The water- and dust-resistant Doogee V Max LR is suitable for working in the rain and can withstand being dropped. But it is exceptionally heavy and unsuitable for small hands.

You need battery capacity
One of the redeeming features of this design is the battery capacity and how this translates into running time. If all you want is a long-running time, then this is a design that offers that feature, but it also makes it heavy.

Don't buy it if...

You are travelling light
At over 771g with bumper, this is a heavy phone, and it's too big to fit in a trouser pocket. Maybe for a long trek, this isn't the best choice, even if the camera is perfect for scenic shots and measuring planks.

Also Consider

Ulefone Armor Mini 20 Pro
Another practical, rugged design with an inbuilt camping light, night vision camera and about 60% of the battery capacity than the WP60. It’s cheap, but conversely, the cameras aren’t as good, and the SoC isn’t as powerful. For those needing a cheap, tough phone, the Ulefone Armour Mini 20 Pro might be a good choice as it's easily pocketable.

Read our full Ulefone Armor Mini 20 Pro review

ThinkPhone 25 by Motorola
The ThinkPhone 25 offers a powerful SoC, robust package, practical form factor, high-quality camera sensors and decent battery life at a mid-range price point. But, it’s not available in the USA, sadly.

Read our ThinkPhone 25 by Motorola review

For more ruggedized devices, we've reviewed the best rugged tablets, the best rugged laptops, and the best rugged hard drives

« Previous Page — Next Page »