Gadgets - Organizer

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station Review

6:21 pm | February 24, 2026

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

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: Price & Availability

The P280 sits in the mid-to-upper tier of portable power stations, competing with other 2kWh-class systems. The base unit from Aferiy is currently (as of February 2026) priced at £799. Other well-known brands with similar capacities include the:

- EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max (£1199)

- Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 (£899)

- BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 (£1,199)

- Anker SOLIX F2000 (£899), and.

- FOSSiBOT F2400 (£599)

This places the P280 in a competitive position, undercutting some premium brands while offering a higher inverter output than several similarly sized rivals.

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: Design & Build

This is not a “throw it in a backpack” power station. With a 2048Wh battery and a high-output inverter, the P280 feels closer to a compact home backup unit than a lightweight travel companion.

Specs & Features - at a glance

Capacity: ~2048Wh

• Battery Chemistry: Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO₄)

• Cycle Life: 4,000+ cycles to 80% capacity

• Inverter: 2800W continuous pure sine wave

• UPS: <10ms automatic switchover

• AC Charging: Up to 1800W (0–80% in ~55 minutes)

• Solar Input: Dual MPPT, up to 1200W (2 × 600W)

• Combined Charging: AC + Solar up to ~2000W

• Car Charging: 17–18 hours via 12V

• AC Outputs: 3 × 220–240V (2800W shared max)

• USB-C: 2 × 140W PD, 2 × 20W PD

• USB-A: 2 × QC 3.0

• DC Outputs: 2 × 12V DC, 1 × XT60 (12V), 1 × 12V/10A car socket

• Weight: 21.6kg

• Expandable: Up to 10kWh+ with additional batteries

The design is industrial but clean, with clearly laid-out, front-facing ports, more robust sockets on the sides, integrated carry handles and a large display panel showing battery status, input/output wattage and system alerts. Overall, it feels robust and well assembled, which is reassuring given its intended role in home backup and emergency scenarios.

The P280 also features a small LED light on the front of the unit. It offers steady-on, flashing and SOS modes. While useful in the absence of any other available light source, it does not appear to be as bright as the light found on the Jackery Explorer 2000 v2, making it more of a convenience feature than a serious work light.

However, given its capacity, the P280 is somewhat larger than some rival brands. Take, for example, the Jackery Explorer 2000 v2. While similar in capacity, it has a lower-rated 2200W inverter though still enough to power most household appliances. However the Explorer is roughly 2cm shorter side-to-side, about 2cm shorter in height and approximately 1cm less deep, resulting in a noticeably more compact overall volume. The trade-off, of course, is inverter headroom.

One minor criticism is the power button. It appears to be made from faux-chrome plastic and doesn’t feel as confidence-inspiring as the more rugged, IP-rated buttons found on some of Bluetti’s comparable models.

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: Battery & Longevity

The use of LiFePO₄ battery chemistry is a major plus. Compared with standard lithium-ion, it is more thermally stable, safer under stress and significantly longer lasting. With 4,000+ cycles to 80% capacity, you could realistically expect a decade or more of regular use before meaningful degradation — a strong selling point for home backup buyers.

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: Inverter Performance

This is where the P280 truly stands out. A 2800W continuous pure sine wave inverter puts it firmly into serious appliance territory. It can comfortably handle full-size fridge/freezers, microwaves, kettles (depending on rating), power tools and multiple devices simultaneously. For many households, 2800W is enough to cover essential circuits during an outage.

In testing, I was able to power a Ninja Double Stack Air Fryer drawing approximately 2400W with both baskets in use. The Jackery Explorer 2000 v2, mentioned earlier, was unable to sustain this load for an extended period, whereas the P280 handled it without issue. That additional inverter headroom makes a tangible difference in real-world scenarios.

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: UPS Capability

The built-in UPS function switches to battery power in under 10ms during a power cut. That is fast enough to keep PCs, routers, network storage and other sensitive electronics running without interruption. For remote workers or home office setups, this adds genuine practical value.

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: Charging Performance

Fast charging is another highlight. Via AC wall charging, the unit accepts up to 1800W, reaching 0–80% in around 55 minutes — excellent performance for a 2kWh system and a significant reduction in downtime. Solar charging is equally impressive, with dual MPPT controllers allowing up to 1200W of solar input (2 × 600W).

This makes it viable for semi-permanent off-grid or van life setups, especially where panels may be oriented differently. Combined AC and solar charging can reach approximately 2000W, dramatically reducing recharge times when both sources are available. Car charging, however, remains slow at 17–18 hours via a 12V vehicle socket and is best treated as a top-up option rather than a primary charging method.

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: Ports & Connectivity

The port selection is generous and practical. Three 220–240V AC sockets share the 2800W maximum output. USB provision is strong, with two 140W USB-C PD ports suitable for high-end laptops, two additional 20W USB-C ports and two USB-A QC 3.0 ports. DC options include two 12V DC outputs, one XT60 (12V) and a 12V/10A car socket.

This makes it suitable for everything from MacBook Pros to CPAP machines, routers and portable fridges. It can also be used to charge drone batteries; however, if that is your primary intention, it is worth considering DJI’s Power Stations, which offer dedicated fast-charging outputs tailored specifically for DJI drone batteries.

The P280 can also be controlled via the Bright EMS app. Through the app, you can monitor power flow direction, view input and output wattage and remotely switch AC or DC outputs on and off. However, the app appears to be third-party rather than AFERIY-owned, which may or may not concern some users depending on their expectations around long-term software support and ecosystem integration.

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: Expandability

The P280 supports expansion batteries, scaling total capacity to over 10kWh depending on configuration. That is a substantial increase and shifts the unit from “portable power station” towards “modular home energy backup” territory. For users thinking long term, this flexibility is a major advantage.

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: Real-World Use

For short outages, the 2048Wh capacity is sufficient to run a fridge for many hours, keep lights and internet active and power a TV while charging essential devices. With expansion batteries, it becomes viable for multi-day outages.

For campers and van lifers, it may be overpowered unless running induction hobs, coffee machines or power tools, but for more demanding setups the inverter headroom is welcome. LiFePO₄ chemistry combined with UPS capability and fast recharge times also makes it a strong emergency preparedness solution.

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: What Could Be Better

At 21.6kg, it is not lightweight and portability is relative. Car charging is slow via 12V. Finally, while competitively priced, it competes with established brands in terms of price, availability and ecosystem, and brand reputation may influence some buyers.

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: Verdict

The AFERIY P280 is built for people who genuinely need power — not just for charging phones, but for running real appliances. With a 2800W pure sine inverter, fast 1800W AC charging, 1200W solar input, long-life LiFePO₄ battery chemistry,

UPS functionality and expandable capacity, it is a highly capable and future-proof portable power station. It loses a star due to its bulk and the fact that not everyone requires this level of inverter output. However, if you do, the P280 represents strong value and serious performance.

Buy it if

• You need a powerful 2800W inverter capable of running high-draw household appliances.• You want very fast AC charging with minimal downtime.• You’re buying primarily for home backup with UPS protection.• You value long-life LiFePO₄ battery chemistry for long-term use.• You want the option to expand capacity beyond 2kWh in the future.

Avoid it if

• You prioritize lightweight portability and compact size.• You only need to charge small devices and low-wattage appliances.• You plan to rely mainly on 12V car charging.• You prefer buying into a more established brand ecosystem.

We list the best laptop power banks.

The Philips Baristina is the most affordable bean-to-cup coffee maker I’ve ever tested — and it’s seriously impressive

5:53 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Coffee Machines Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: Europe, North America | Comments: Off

Philips Baristina: one-minute review

With the Philips Baristina, brewing espresso using freshly roasted beans is as easy as using coffee pods. Unlike most of the best bean-to-cup coffee makers, where the entire brewing process takes place within the case, the Baristina uses a portafilter handle much like a manual espresso machine. Push the empty handle into place, select your drink, and the Baristina will grind the right dose of coffee into the filter basket, tamp it down, then move it to the brewing group automatically for the shot to be extracted.

It's a clever design that's unlike any other bean-to-cup machine I've tested, and because the Baristina uses a portafilter, cleaning up is a piece of cake. There's no need to take the side off the machine, empty messy internal bins, remove components, or wipe up stray coffee grounds that have escaped.

It's a good-looking little coffee maker as well. Although its case is plastic, its matt finish and choice of tasteful colors mean it doesn't look cheap or attract fingerprints. The portafilter handle even arrives in a choice of colors and natural wood finishes (the exact options available will depend on where you buy your machine).

Philips Baristina espresso machine with plant on kitchen counter — (Image credit: Future)

During my tests, coffee was consistently well extracted using my usual freshly roasted beans, with the pressurized filter basket producing a thick layer of crema.

In my opinion, the biggest drawback is that the Philips Baristina doesn't allow you to adjust the grind size, which means you have no control over how quickly your coffee is extracted. You can adjust the volume of your brew, but that's all. If your coffee tastes over- or under-extracted, you'll need to try different beans until you find something that works well with the standard settings.

You should also be aware that the Baristina doesn't have a steam wand or any other means of foaming milk, although it's available bundled with a standalone milk frother if cappuccinos and lattes are your thing.

All in all, it's an excellent beginner-friendly espresso machine that's ideal if you're new to using fresh beans and want to keep things as simple as possible. It's remarkably affordable, too, with a list price of just $299.95 / £279.99 (about AU$600).

Philips Baristina espresso machine hopper with coffee beans — Unlike most espresso machines, the Philips Baristina doesn't offer a way to adjust the grind size. (Image credit: Future)

Philips Baristina: price and availability

Very cheap for a bean-to-cup coffee maker
Sold in North America and Europe
Often available at a discounted price

The Philips Baristina is the most affordable bean-to-cup coffee maker I've tested to date, with a list price of $449.99 / £299.99 ( about AU$650). You can pick up a good-quality manual espresso machine for around the same price — the five-star rated De'Longhi Dedica Duo for $299.95 / £279.99 (about AU$600), for example — but if you're after an automatic coffee maker, I haven't seen another model that delivers better in terms of value for money.

It's often available at a discount at major retailers, making it even better value. You'll find all today's best deals below.

The Baristina is available in North America and throughout Europe, but isn't currently sold in Australia unless you import it.

Value score: 5/5

Philips Baristina: specifications

Name	Philips Baristina
Type	Bean-to-cup
Dimensions (W x H x D)	7 x 13.6 x 15 inches / 18 x 34.5 x 38cm
Weight	11lbs / 5kg
Water reservoir capacity	47oz / 1.2 liters
Milk frother	No
Bars of pressure	16
User profiles	None

Philips Baristina: design

Sleek design with matt finish
Clever "one swipe" portafilter design
No steam wand (although separate milk frother is available)

The Philips Baristina is a compact coffee maker with a smart, minimalist design. It comes in two colors, black and white, with matching portafilter handles as standard. Some retailers also offer a selection of contrasting portafilter shades (including red, green, and yellow), plus light and dark wood options so you can pick something that suits your kitchen décor. Whichever color you choose, the portafilter is fitted with a non-removeable pressurized basket.

All in all, it's a good-looking machine, and although its case is made from plastic, its matt finish means it doesn't appear cheap or attract fingerprints like some more expensive coffee makers I've tested.

Philips Baristina coffee maker with espresso on kitchen counter — The Baristina uses what Philips calls a "one-swipe" system. Push in the portafilter, slide it to the right, and the machine does the rest (Image credit: Future)

The Baristina is controlled using a simple set of three buttons: one for a single shot of espresso; one for a lungo (a longer drink with the same amount of coffee and twice as much water); and one to boost the intensity by increasing the dose of ground coffee.

The bean hopper is quite small, but that isn't a problem unless you're preparing coffee for a crowd; it's best to keep your coffee in a dark, cool, airtight place until you're ready to grind it and refill your coffee machine little and often.

The Baristina's water tank slides onto the back of the machine, and although I'd have liked to see a handle, its ridged surface makes it easy to grip when filling and replacing. It has a robust lid that fits firmly in place to avoid accidental spills, but do note that there's no water filter provided, so if you live in a hard water area then you might want to use a separate water filtration pitcher.

Philips Baristina espresso machine with water tank removed and plant on kitchen counter — The water tank has no handle, but its ridged surface provides grip (Image credit: Future)

There's a removable plastic drip tray for your espresso cup, which slots into place below the groupset. It's nicely made — but, unfortunately, it isn't designed to accommodate a larger cup if you want to use your espresso as the foundation for a long drink.

The Baristina doesn't have a steam wand or automatic milk-frothing system. However, if you want to make milky drinks such as lattes and cappuccinos, it's available bundled with a standalone milk frother.

The standard Philips Baristina (which I tested here) has a single hopper, but there's also a model called the Baristina Variety, which has a larger dual hopper so you can choose between two different beans or roasts on-the-fly.

Design score: 5/5

Philips Baristina: performance

Super easy to use, with no need to weigh or measure
Produced well-extracted espresso in tests
Easier to keep clean than a typical bean-to-cup machine
Grind size can't be changed

The Philips Baristina is a beginner-friendly espresso machine that combines the convenience of a bean-to-cup coffee maker with the easy cleanup of a manual one. To use it, just fill the water tank and bean hopper, gently push the empty portafilter handle into place, and slide it to the right under the coffee grinder. Choose your drink (espresso or lungo), hit the extra intensity button if you like, and the machine will get to work.

The appropriate dosage of coffee will be ground and dispensed directly into the filter basket, then tamped down evenly. Once it's ready, the machine will slide the handle to the left so it sits under the brew group, and extract your drink into your waiting espresso cup. You never touch the coffee grounds yourself, and there's no need to weigh or measure anything.

Philips Baristina espresso machine dispensing a shot of espresso — The Baristina's pressurized filter basket produces plenty of crema (Image credit: Future)

When the Baristina is done and your coffee is ready, the handle will be unlocked so you can pull it out, knock the puck of used coffee grounds into your food waste bin, and clean the basket. It's a lot easier than cleaning up a conventional bean-to-cup coffee maker, which involves pulling out the drip tray to clean out used coffee grounds, removing a side panel to take out and rinse the brew group, wiping up any stray coffee grounds inside the machine's casing, and leaving the whole thing open to dry so it doesn't grow mold.

The biggest drawback of the Baristina is that there's no way to change the grind size, so if your drink tastes under- or over-extracted (sour or bitter), you'll need to experiment with different types of coffee until you find something that works with the machine's default setup.

Philips Baristina espresso machine portafilter with used coffee grounds — During my tests, the used coffee grounds always formed a dry, solid puck, showing that the coffee was properly extracted (Image credit: Future)

It's also worth noting that while manual coffee makers give you a choice of single and double filter baskets, with double (pressurized) and single walls, the Baristina's basket is integrated into the handle and can't be removed. Again, this limits customization, but it's unlikely to be a concern for those looking for their first espresso machine, or upgrading from a capsule coffee maker.

Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Philips Baristina?

Philips Baristina score card
Attribute	Notes	Score
Value	The most affordable bean-to-cup coffee maker I've tested – and one that doesn't skimp on quality.	5/5
Design	Simple, compact and stylish, without the tricky clean-up associated with most automatic coffee makers – although it lacks a steam wand.	4.5/5
Performance	Quick and easy to use, even for beginners, and produces great results with the right beans. Grind size can't be adjusted, but at this price it's tough to complain.	4.5/5

Buy it if

You're on a budget

This is the most affordable bean-to-cup coffee maker I've tested, and Philips hasn't cut corners to achieve its affordable price tag.View Deal

You want to upgrade from coffee capsules

The Philips Baristina is just as convenient as a capsule coffee maker, but without the hassle of having to recycle the pods (which can be difficult, depending on the facilities in your area).View Deal

Don't buy it if

You want to experiment with different beans

The Baristina doesn't offer any way to customize the grind size, so you'll have to stick with coffees that work well with its default settings. There's nothing you can do to change the extraction rate.View Deal

Philips Baristina: also consider

If the Philips Baristina doesn't sound like the right coffee maker for you, take a look at these two highly rated alternatives:

De'Longhi Dedica Duo

If you're feeling a bit more adventurous and want more control over your coffee, this is the best entry-level manual espresso machine I've tested in the past couple of years. You'll need a separate coffee grinder, but this setup provides more scope for experimentation.

Read our full De'Longhi Dedica Duo reviewView Deal

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo

This semi-automatic coffee maker doesn't have a spring-fired portafilter so you'll come into contact with loose coffee, but it gives you a lot more brewing options than the Baristina, and is a good way to start developing your home barista skills.

Read our full De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo reviewView Deal

How I tested the Philips Baristina

I used the Philips Baristina for two weeks with my usual regular and decaffeinated coffee beans, freshly bought from a local coffee roaster. I used fresh tap water, and compared the taste of the coffee with that from my usual Gaggia Classic espresso machine. I used both the regular espresso and lungo options, with and without the "intensity boost" feature. I cleaned the portafilter between each drink, and flushed the brewing group with hot water by pressing and holding one of the control buttons.

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Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 review: A spectacular spectacle in the mobile workstation world

3:23 pm |

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

The Lenovo ThinkPad Lineups have regularly faired quite well in our reviews. In the real world, outside of testing studios, they also review very well. I’ve had my hands on the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 for the last few weeks. In that time, I’ve found myself grabbing it regularly, even among other laptops I am testing right now. I remember the P16 Gen 2 that I tested almost exactly a year ago.

The Gen 3 is somehow even lighter, has a better battery life, doesn’t seem to run as hot and can charge via USB-C. It’s almost as though Lenovo saw the very notes I made about the last one, and said, “understood” and fixed exactly that. The Gen 3 still has the incredible power, with now an even more powerful offering, it still has a great display, it has the beloved Lenovo keyboard, and everything else that we loved from the earlier models.

I will say, one negative is that Lenovo is going to have a hard time topping this in the future. But hey, that’s future Lenovo’s problem. For now, this laptop has climbed its way to a 5-star rating, offering something that really works in the real world for the business professional, those who need a high-performing Windows machine they can rely on to run their business, without having to compromise.

In 2026 we have some phenomenal options for business laptops. Some are more powerful in graphic capabilities, some at single core performance, some at multi core. Some are better for engineering and some for video editing.

But, as we know with Lenovo since we see them in the real world all over the professional business space, there’s something to be said about compatibility in real-world applications. Lenovo thrives here - this is an easy recommendation for our best mobile workstation round-up. So, to have this powerful of a machine, in an industry that already trusts and relies on previous models, is pretty impressive. Hats off to Lenovo.

Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3: Price and availability

The P16 Gen 3 is available from a range of online retailers, as well as direct from the likes of Lenovo US and Lenovo UK.

A base P16 Gen 3 starts at around $2,400, currently priced out using Lenovo’s website. That gives you an Intel Core Ultra 5, Nvidia RTX Pro 1000 Blackwell GPU with 8GB, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, a WUXGA 1920x1200 non touch display at 60Hz, fingerprint reader, and a Wi-Fi 7 chip along with Bluetooth 5.4 as well.

For a base model 16-inch workstation, that’s pretty solid. Now, where it gets really impressive is when you climb up and add features.

My review model, for example, has an Intel Core Ultra 9, Nvidia RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell Generation with 24GB, 32GB RAM, a 3.2K (3200x2000) Tandem OLED with Touch, 1TB SSD, and the same Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips. This unit comes out to $6,998.95 and is a fully spec’d model.

Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3: Unboxing and First Impressions

This Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 came in standard Lenovo packaging, a basic brown box with some red badging, some nice packaging for the laptop and then the charger and documentation that I have literally never read more than the cover of, and I think that was even accidental. Nothing too crazy.

Right away, yes, this is a big machine, but it doesn’t feel like I expected it to. It didn’t feel as heavy as I expected, and when I looked into it, yes, it is actually a decent amount lighter than the Gen 2 model. The Gen 2 was 6.5 lbs, and the Gen 3 is 5.6lbs, almost a full pound lighter, while still keeping the 16-inch frame and the powerful internals, plus adding all of the things that I apparently wished into existence.

Of course, there is the matte dark grey frame with the red accents, the touchpoint in the middle of the keyboard I have gotten comfortable using over the years testing these laptops, and a great touchpad/trackpad. Another thing that is expected, but always good to see, is still present: the killer keyboard, the great ports, and the rugged build. That’s not even to mention the fingerprint reader, Windows Hello face recognition, and other features.

A huge thing I noticed right away was actually the ports, as a good tech reviewer does. First up, all of the ports are on the left and the right, as they should be, which is great. No ports on the back, which immediately signals to users “this should stay on a desktop.” For the Gen 3, all ports are on the right and left. Next up, there is no longer a proprietary charger. This version has a USB-C charging port.

Now, let's not get too crazy and think that your little headphone or even smartphone charger will juice this thing up really at all. You’ll need a powerful brick if you aren’t planning on using the one from Lenovo. But regardless, the ability to use my Anker and UGREEN power stations, bricks, and portable chargers on the go has been excellent, greatly improving day-to-day usability.

Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3: Design & Build Quality

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 is a classic Lenovo feel, with some great ports added. Most of the Lenovo laptops I have tested look like they could be brothers and sisters, in that they are very similar in style, materials, and design language.

The P16 Gen 3 is continuing that legacy with fantastic build quality, a strong hinge, and a design that prioritizes getting work done. Some laptops have shifted to focusing on portability, lightweight designs, or other features that are a bit more niche or not focused on the business worker, but the ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 clearly focuses on removing as much friction as possible to getting work done.

This even extends to features like the ThinkShutter, privacy modes, the fingerprint reader, the self-healing BIOS, spectacular port offerings, a comfortable all-day keyboard, and more. All of these things are intentionally thought through by Lenovo to help ensure a smooth workday.

Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3: In use

Specs

...as tested...
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9 HX
Graphics: Nvidia RTX Pro 5000 Blackwell
Memory: 32GB
Storage: 1TB SSD
Display: 3.2K OLED, 16-inch

This laptop is impressively powerful. It’s great for all-day work, no matter what I am working on. I’ve grabbed it for a lot over the last bit of time that I’ve had it in for testing. It’s been wonderful to type on, test some other gear, run virtual meetings, project manage, and so on.

I’ve spent six to eight hours a day working on the P16 Gen 3, jumping in and out of my many roles throughout the day. I’ve even been able to do some heavier lifting, like large-scale database management, light engineering, video conversion, NAS management, and even consolidating other drives onto my NAS.

I’ve been able to knock out everything that's come up without any issues or stutters. One of the projects I worked on in the last few weeks was a large camera system upgrade, and with this machine, I was able to stream dozens of 4K camera feeds simultaneously, all without breaking a sweat on the CPU or GPU.

Another project I have been working on is my newest obsession: human-in-the-loop coding with Replit. I’ve been able to run full preview windows of the apps and webpages I am working on across multiple displays while researching and agentic coding, using other agents too, such as Notion, Slack, Chrome, and more.

Even with my heavy workloads across several companies, I can run them all without having to close anything down in-between context switching. Usually, for lighter weight machine that I am testing and put my workflow on, I have to shut down some of the apps or understand that things will get throttled. But, for this one, I can keep everything open and running, helping for me to jump in and out of everything as needed.

Throughout hours of typing and living on the keyboard, my fingers are still just as comfortable. I can stay in the standard typing position, use the touchpoint to move the cursor around the screen, and even click really easily with the built-in buttons.

Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3: Final verdict

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 is a laptop for those who need to be able to get real work done. The previous Gen 2 was my top pick in my guide to the best laptops for engineering students - and this upgrade now capably takes that crown.

It’s not for gamers, it’s not for those who want a budget laptop, nor is it for those who need a specific travel laptop or lightweight machine.

But, if you want a machine that can perform at workstation levels, have a good battery life, be portable enough to take with you anywhere, and also be great to use, look at, and type on, then this is worth considering.

The Lenovo P16 Gen 3 is built for those who do, those who get work done every day, and need a tool to help them get there faster.

For more professional picks, we've tested the best business laptops.

4 UK Host review

8:42 am |

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

4 UK Host is an experienced web hosting service, now owned by Miss Group, the company behind StableHost, nameISP, https.se and other hosting-related brands.

The host has four main product ranges: Shared Hosting, Value VPS, SSD VPS and Dedicated Servers. There's a focus on value, although there's real power available here, too. Dedicated servers start at £54.99 ($65.99) a month on the annual plan, for instance, but you can opt for a 2 x Xeon E5, 40 CPU core, 256GB RAM monster for £389.99 ($467.99) a month, if you can use it.

The baseline Shared Hosting 4UK-10 plan looks like great value, with unlimited bandwidth and 12 months for free. A one-year free trial, really? There must be a catch, we thought. And there was.

Drilling down to the details, the plan is relatively basic, with just 1GB disk space, one email account and no MySQL databases. And although it's advertised on the site as £0.00 a month, the comparison table shows it has a £14.99 ($17.99) setup fee. That's equivalent to £1.25 ($1.50) a month.

Want to try 4 UK Host? Check out the website here

There's better news further up the range. The 4UK-30 plan gives you 15GB disk space, unlimited bandwidth, a free domain name, 10 databases, unlimited emails and FTP accounts, and support for hosting up to three websites. Prices range from £4.99 ($5.99) billed monthly, to a more competitive £3.54 ($4.25) a month billed three-yearly.

Support is available via live chat, 24/7. There's also telephone support, albeit for limited and slightly odd hours (7am-4pm).

Although the website doesn't make a big deal of any 'money-back guarantee', the small print makes it clear that's exactly what you get. 'If you are not satisfied within your first 30 days we would be happy to provide you with a full refund' (subject to the usual exclusions, like domain name registrations).

While these prices aren't bad, there are better deals around. Hostinger's shared hosting has fewer limits and can be 20% or more cheaper, or you could opt for a VPS and still save money (prices start at $3.95.) But beware, you'll have to subscribe for up to four years to get the headline prices.

Setup

Signing up with 4 UK Host starts by choosing your hosting plan, then entering whatever domain name you'd like to use. The latter can be something you register now, for free with some plans, or a domain you own already.

All plans may be billed monthly, or every one, two or three years. You'll need to pay yearly or longer to get a free domain name, and longer subscriptions get a 10-15% discount.

There aren't a lot of extras, especially for the more basic plans. Our 4UK-20 Shared Hosting plan came with free local backups, for instance, but 4 UK Host offered us remote weekly backups from £3 ($3.60) a month. Backups are important, but that's more than you might be paying for your main hosting account, which isn't going to appeal to bargain hunters.

The 4 UK Host registration form asks for a lot of personal data, including an email address, name, physical address and telephone number.

The form also asked for our 'Organization number / Personal number', but didn't offer any hints to what this was, or why the company needed it. We just entered a memorable number, assuming it would be treated as a second password, and the website accepted it.

Payment options were card or PayPal. We tried PayPal, but ran into a problem: the website hung for minutes, but no PayPal window appeared. Eventually we gave up, restarted the process, and went to pay via card. As we were about to do that, an invoice for the first aborted payment appeared. We gave up on our second payment, without entering any details, but, too late: an email invoice for that payment arrived, too.

Issues like this can happen with anyone, and we're not attaching any blame to 4 UK Host. But it did give us an opportunity to test how the company's systems could cope with unexpected events.

There were no obvious ways to help us solve this problem. The emails and invoices didn't explain what to do if we had problems. The web console displayed our two invoices, but had no way to cancel or delete them. An 'Open Ticket' option pointed us to a near useless web knowledgebase, where searching for 'invoice' gave us only two irrelevant hits: 'Passing Values to Offer URLs' and 'How those the price model work' (not a typo, that's the real title).

While that's bad news, 4 UK Host regained our respect with the quality of its live chat support. We opened a session, explained what had happened and asked for the company to activate our first order, and cancel the second invoice, and gave our two invoice numbers.

We expected to wait for an age, and possibly then be forced to answer an avalanche of questions (what's your name, your order number, your email address, your PayPal transaction ID, and so on). But instead, after two minutes an agent responded; after nine minutes, they told us they were checking; two minutes after that, they told us they'd activated one account and deleted the other invoice.

We didn't have to answer a single further question, the agent just did as we'd asked, and all in under a quarter of an hour. That's great support performance, especially for a very basic shared hosting package.

Creating a website

The 4 UK Host account management system is based on the industry standard WHCMS platform. That's generally good news, as it's a capable system, and if you've used it with another host you'll immediately feel at home.

Choose your hosting package, and WHCMS provides various shortcuts to help you get started. A link to the File Manager enables uploading an existing site to your web space, for instance. Experienced users get shortcuts to the MySQL Databases and phpMyAdmin modules, and you can create email accounts for your new domain by filling in a couple of boxes (email account name and password).

One further click takes you to a standard cPanel console, where you'll find the full set of site creation and management tools.

4 UK Host's Site Builder is a simple BaseKit-powered template-based website creator. It doesn't have the power of the high-end competition, and the bundled version is limited to just three pages, but that could be enough for simple tasks. Your three pages can at least have some rich content, with support for image galleries, custom forms, videos and SoundCloud clips, file links (Dropbox, PDF), basic social media integration and more.

4 UK Host shared hosting includes Softaculous, too, for automated installation of WordPress, PrestaShop, Joomla, and hundreds of other popular apps. It's one of the best user-friendly installers around, and not something you'll always get with the most basic shared hosting. (Some providers use simpler installers with fewer features, maybe supporting just a handful of applications.)

Once your site is up and running, you have access to all the usual cPanel site management tools, covering everything from FTP accounts, subdomains and aliases, to email forwarders, autoresponders and in-depth site metrics (Webalizer, AWStats and more).

We did have an issue with the web knowledgebase, which was short on content and poorly organized. Articles are in multiple languages, for instance, and if you search on a technical term which is identical in both ('DNS') then you'll get multi-lingual results.

Knowledgebase issues are much less important when you have decent live chat support, though, and overall, 4 UK Host provides a capable set of features with everything you need to build and run a quality website.

Performance

It's tricky to measure the performance of any web host. The results you'll see will depend on the type of site you're running, the resources it uses (CPU, storage, database), where your visitors are, when they visit, and other factors besides.

We attempted to get a baseline idea of a server's performance by measuring it over time with Uptime.com. Average response times were fractionally below average, though by so little you're unlikely to notice (50ms).

4 UK Host response times were relatively consistent, too, with no downtime, and no major spikes which might indicate an overloaded server.

Dotcom-tools website speed test measured the load time of our test site from 16 locations across the US and Europe. This second test broadly matched the results of the first. 4 UK Host achieved mid-range speeds only, but the difference wasn't significant, and our results showed consistent speeds over time.

Put it all together and 4 UK Host delivered the performance we'd expect from decent shared hosting; not outstanding, but good enough, and reliable throughout the duration of our review.

Final verdict

4 UK Host wasn't outstanding at any point during our review, but its products are generally well-specified, live chat support was good and we saw consistent and reliable speeds. Worth a look – check it out and see if the company has a plan which suits your needs.

Also check out the best web hosting services.

ProfesionalHosting review

8:36 am |

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

ProfesionalHosting is a popular Spanish provider with over 17 years of experience in web hosting and domain registration.

To be clear, the company has absolutely nothing to do with Professional Hosting at 'professionalhosting.com.' And that matters, because the other provider is very, very different to this one. If you're typing its name somewhere, rather than following our links, be sure to type one 's' in 'profesional', rather than two.

However you arrive at the site, you'll find a huge range of products. You can get regular shared hosting, custom plans for specific web apps (WordPress, Magento, PrestaShop, more), along with a variety of VPS offerings. On top of that there are assorted dedicated servers (Windows, Linux, Elastic Cloud), video and streaming servers, and supporting services such as remote backup, email marketing, SSL certificates and more.

Want to try ProfesionalHosting? Check out the website here

The company is largely focused on the Spanish-speaking market, claiming on the website that 'in our hosting you will have the best support and service in Spanish.'

There is an English language version of the site, but it's a little more difficult to use than it should be, thanks to some inconsistent and incomplete translations.

As we write, for example, the VPS link on the English language site takes us to a Spanish page. There's a language selector at the top, but choosing English just takes you to a 'Page not found' message – in Spanish! We could still find our way around with the aid of Chrome's Translate feature, but that shouldn't be necessary.

Brush these hassles aside, though, and you'll find an impressive set of products, where even the most basic plans are well-specified and ready for use.

Shared hosting starts at €6.19 ($7.29, £5.31) a month on the annual plan, for instance. Not a big outlay, but it gets you 3GB hard drive space, unlimited bandwidth, a free domain, a Plesk control panel (a powerful alternative to cPanel) antispam, daily backups, and free SSL via Let's Encrypt.

There are four plans in total, but picking just one, Plan WEB + enables hosting up to 10 websites, offers 10GB disk space, and throws in a free year of a professional SSL certificate, all for €15.44 a month ($18.18, £13.48).

You can get hosting for even less, but it often comes with hidden flaws and catches. ProfesionalHosting isn't cutting corners to get a low headline rate, and even its low-end plans should be able to handle some major tasks.

And even if it turns out that the company doesn't live up to its promises, you're protected by a 15-day money-back guarantee.

Setup

Signing up at ProfesionalHosting works much like any other host, at least in principle. But in real life, translation issues make it a little more complicated for English speakers.

You must opt to check out by clicking the 'Contract' button, for instance. The shopping cart icon makes that a relatively easy guess, but when you start the purchase process, even the English language page has a Spanish description of the money-back guarantee.

There's more confusion on the account registration page. Not only does this ask for your name, email address, physical address and phone number, it also demands your 'CIF/DNI' (a national ID number), and further asks '¿Como nos ha conocido?' (which means 'how did you hear about us?').

You can ignore that question, but not the demand for a national ID number. That's bad news if you don't have one, although the website can't validate it, so you can enter whatever you like, and no-one is likely to notice. (You're probably violating a 'be honest about your personal data' clause in the small print, but if you don't have the requested data, there aren't many other options.)

We completed the purchase process, handed over our cash, and three follow-up emails arrived – in Spanish, obviously.

This wasn't quite the hassle you might think. The final welcome email was easy to identify, and even if you don't speak a word of Spanish, it's easy to pick out the Control Panel URL and credentials, FTP login, nameservers, email servers and more.

Logging in took us to the main Plesk control panel, a one-stop platform for configuring and managing your account, domain, website and more. The Plesk interface can use multiple languages, but for some reason, ProfesionalHosting's shared hosting plans are available in Spanish only. You must choose VPS or higher to be able to run your console in English. It's annoying, but once again, Chrome's Translate feature was just about good enough to save the day.

Creating a website

Plesk's main website management screen includes tools to create and manage your website, email and FTP accounts, databases, subdomains and more, as well as key metrics on your visitors, which pages they're visiting, and a breakdown of your bandwidth use.

An automated installer tool makes it easier to set up WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, PrestaShop, Magento, phpBB and more. Its choice of 21 apps doesn't get close to the 400+ you'll get with Softaculous, a platform commonly provided with cPanel, but if you're happy with WordPress (or one of the others) you're unlikely to mind.

The installer is configured with Spanish speakers in mind, for example offering us no less than nine Spanish language options for our test WordPress setup (Spanish, Spanish from Chile, Spanish from Peru, and so on). But there are plenty of other options, this time, and ours had English selected by default.

Our general shared hosting package didn't include a website designer. As with the missing Softaculous, that's bad news for some, but won't matter to the majority.

There's no shortage of ways to manually set up a website, though. The File Manager uploaded our test site with a quick drag-and-drop, Let's Encrypt support allows even hosting newbies to quickly assign a free SSL certificate – and experts can play around with everything from FTP accounts and databases to PHP settings, DNS, and even Apache and web application firewall (ModSecurity) settings.

It's a capable set of tools, especially for the most basic shared hosting package in the range. It would be even better if ProfesionalHosting allowed shared hosting packages to be set up in English, but Chrome Translate got us through most issues, and overall it's a likeable service.

Performance

Websites can fail for all kinds of unexpected reasons, and whether you're a total newbie or an old hand, it's vital to choose a web host with top quality support.

ProfesionalHosting offers 24/7 support via telephone, live chat, email and ticket, and for really stubborn problems, can even connect to your system via TeamViewer for a closer look.

This all sounds good to us, and the company handled our test query well. An agent responded within three minutes, didn't waste time with more questions or authentication (what's your username, your email address, your account number, your domain), and just gave us an accurate and helpful answer, immediately.

Language remains an issue for international users, with the opening chat screen displaying its instructions in Spanish. But we got through that in seconds, and there were no problems afterwards: we posted in English and got an English-language reply.

To complete the review, we ran a couple of performance tests.

Uptime.com monitored our site over time. Response times were a little below average, but that could be because ProfesionalHosting's Spanish servers were located further away from our testing locations. The difference was small, anyway, and there was no downtime during our review.

Dotcom-tools website speed test benchmarked the download speed of our test site from 16 servers located around Europe and the US. This is more relevant as a speed test, and here ProfesionalHosting performed a little better, with downloads running around 10% faster than average.

Final verdict

Not the cheapest service around (and using Plesk rather than cPanel won't appeal to everyone), but ProfesionalHosting's products are top-quality and fairly priced for the excellent features you get. But if you don't speak Spanish, the constant translation issues can be a major irritation.

Also check out the best web hosting services

The Razer BlackShark V3 X takes the best gaming headset on the market and strips it down to a great-value price

2:00 am |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming Gaming Accessories | Tags: PC | Comments: Off

Razer BlackShark V3 X review: One-minute review

The bells-and-whistles version of Razer’s latest BlackShark V3, the V3 Pro, is one of the best wireless gaming headsets on the market. This model might share the name and the basic chassis design, but it’s available at a very different price, and that means the feature spec sheet looks wildly different too.

Razer’s positioning this as an esports model, based on the low-latency wireless connection its Hyperspeed 2.4GHz wireless dongle offers, and the impressively svelte 9.6oz / 270g weight. In reality, as welcome as those attributes are, they’re probably more relevant to a non-professional gamer who wants to save some cash, stay comfortable while they play, and avoid connection dropouts more than a professional player in a stadium.

One thing that translates very well all the way down the BlackShark range is the comfort and adjustability of the headband and earcup design. There’s a brilliant balance of clamping force and headband weight distribution that makes this headset immediately comfy, and it stays that way into the last moments of your 40-player World of Warcraft raid.

The microphone isn’t especially standout, but it offers decent clarity and noise cancellation, and it’s detachable, which means if you opt to connect the headset to your smartphone via Bluetooth, you can wear these on the train or bus without looking like you’re organizing air traffic.

Your mileage of the 7.1 virtual surround may vary, but to this reviewer’s ears, it sounds thin and artificial, inevitably detracting from the original audio source rather than widening it. These aren’t the same titanium drivers as you’ll find in the standard Razer BlackShark V3, and they’re not quite as precise or authoritative in their sound production, which means there’s less leeway for affecting audio sources with virtual surround.

But if you can live with merely good audio and mic quality, the huge 70-hour battery, lightweight, comfortable feel, and clean look are a pretty considerable upside.

The Razer Blackshark V3 X gaming headset on a table. A living room is visible in the background. — (Image credit: Future)

Razer BlackShark V3 X review: Price and availability

Costs $99.99 / £99.99 / around AU$141
Comparable to Microsoft’s Xbox Wireless headset
Considerably cheaper than the V3 and V3 Pro, so don’t expect a similar experience

This version of the Blackshark is really all about the price. A lot of the V3 and V3 Pro’s luxury trimmings have been jettisoned in order to meet a sub-$100 price point, but Razer’s decades of experience mean it knows which bits are essential: comfort, reliability, and usability. Those have stayed, of course.

The specs compare favorably to rivals at this price point, like the official Xbox Wireless headset and RIG R5 Spear Pro HS, a wired model that we’ve been digging lately in the sub-$100 pool.

Razer BlackShark V3 X: Specs

	Razer BlackShark V3 X
Price	$99.99 / £99.99 / around AU$141
Weight	9.5oz / 270g
Battery life	70 hours
Compatibility	PC, Xbox Series X/S (Xbox version), Playstation 4/5, (PlayStation version), iOS/Android
Connectivity	2.4 GHz Wireless / Bluetooth / USB Wired
Microphone	Unidirectional detachable cardioid mic

Razer BlackShark V3 X: Design and features

Similar design to the flagship BlackShark V3
Hyperspeed and Bluetooth, but not simultaneously
Simple control layout

The basic headband, earcup, and hinge design will be familiar to anyone who’s familiar with previous versions of the BlackShark, or indeed the pricier variations of this current V3 generation. The wireframe hinge allows for plenty of adjustability, and there’s a near-perfect balance between the weight carried by the wide, well-cushioned headband and the clamping force generated by the earcups against your temples.

Around those earcups, there’s a generous slice of memory foam to keep that horizontal force from digging in too much and becoming uncomfortable, and there’s a good amount of extension in the wireframe to allow for larger heads.

The control layout is simple and effective. On the left earcup, just above the USB-C cable input, there’s a textured power button, volume scroll wheel, and a mic mute button, while on the right-hand side, you’ll find the holy grail for gaming headsets, particularly more affordable models: a game/chat balance scroll wheel. Having grown accustomed to having this luxury through years of use with Arctis 7 headsets, I always miss it when it doesn’t feature, and I’m seriously grateful to find one on a cheaper headset like this one.

While one probably wouldn’t expect simultaneous 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth connectivity at this price, it should still be noted that, unlike the V3 and V3 Pro, it isn’t available on this model.

The Hyperspeed wireless connection is very stable in my experience, though, suffering no dropouts over the several years I’ve been connecting wirelessly with Razer devices. It does invite some very infrequent audio artefacting in my experience, but that only manifests as a glitchy half-second of audio here and there when connecting to a PC.

Overall, the combo of comfort and looks of this model makes for a powerful one-two punch. Material choices and finish quality are both fantastic at this price range, and really distinguish this headset from rivals priced similarly.

Razer BlackShark V3 X review: Performance

Decent sound but lacking that spark
Capacious battery
Mic does the job

The drivers within this V3 X’s earcups are a similar design to the V3 and V3 Pro’s drivers, with some important differences. All feature a 50mm size, but while the V3 Pro uses a bio-cellulose construction for its flagship version of the Tri-Force driver and the V3 uses titanium, this cheaper version uses… something else. It’s not stated in Razer’s materials.

That’s all academic until you get into road-testing the sound, and I’m bringing up the materials of various driver variations because those materials allow for faster and more supple articulation, which in turn gives you more sparkly high frequencies and more convincing, visceral lows. It’s in the raw sound quality category where I felt the V3 X’s pricing most obviously, and that certainly doesn’t mean they sound bad.

They’re clearly tuned for a balanced sound reproduction instead of wow factor, and that’s the right call. While at the extreme ends of the frequency response range, they sound a little dull, the overall quality is nice and neutral, and that speaks to the esports positioning of this headset. Pro players would probably use a more expensive model, of course, but if they did use this, they wouldn’t have to contend with vital audio cues being drowned out by over-emphasised bass.

Elsewhere, the battery deserves some serious acclaim. All the BlackShark V3s boast a 70-hour battery life, and while that’s boosted in part by the absence of RGB, it’s still an insane number. And it holds up in reality. I found I was even able to eke out a bit more than 70 hours from one charge, and charging is very quick via USB-C.

More muted praise – if you’ll excuse the excellent pun – for the microphone, which is simply serviceable. The audio reproduction lacks a little body, but it’s certainly crisp enough to cut through the mix and ensure your callouts are heard.

Should I buy the Razer BlackShark V3 X?

Buy it if...

You love the BlackShark design
So much of what makes the pricier BlackShark models great carries over to the comfort and lightweight feel of this budget-friendly X option

You care a lot about latency
These are marketed as esports cans due to the low latency Hyperspeed wireless connection, so if you want assurance that you’re getting the comms in time, this is a good option.

You don’t need a broadcast-quality mic
Output quality is functional but not stellar on this model, so it’s a model for people who want clear chat but don’t need crystal-clear mic audio.

Don't buy it if...

You’re an audiophile
It takes a lot of balance and compromise to hit this price point in 2026, which means the drivers are tuned for clarity, not a sonic bath of creamy high fidelity luxuriousness.

You want one headset for multiple consoles
Like many modern headset models, this comes in either PlayStation or Xbox editions, which means you can’t use the same one for both devices.

You want a lot of passive noise cancellation
Despite comfortable pleather earpad cushions, this model’s prone to letting exterior sound bleed in while you’re wearing it.

Also consider...

Still not sold on the Razer BlackShark V3 X? Here's how it compares to two similar sets.

	Razer BlackShark V3 X Hyperspeed	Xbox Wireless Headset	RIG R5 Spear Pro HS
Price	$99.99 / £99.99 / around AU$141	$99.99 / £89.99 / AU$149.95	$69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$99)
Weight	9.5oz / 270g	11.2oz / 320g	11.9oz / 340g
Battery life	70 hours	20 hours	N/A
Connection type	Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless (Hyperspeed dongle), USB wired	Bluetooth, USB wired	Wired 3.5mm
Compatibility	PC, Xbox Series X/S (Xbox version), Playstation 4/5, (PlayStation version), iOS/Android	PC, Xbox X/S	PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X\|S, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2, PC

Xbox Wireless headset
A similarly barebones offering from Microsoft for its own gaming consoles. Capable, but lacking battery life and connection options in comparison with Razer’s model.

For more information, check out our full Xbox Wireless Headset review

RIG R5 Spear Pro HS
Okay, it’s a wired headset. But despite that detail – and the fact it clearly has too many component parts, this is a seriously good value offering, and even cheaper than the budget Razer option.

For more information, check out our full RIG R5 Spear Pro HS review

How I tested the Razer BlackShark V3 X

Weeks of daily use on PC and Xbox Series S
Both connection types tested
Compared to the flagship Razer BlackShark V3 Pro

I swam the waters of low-budget gaming headsets for two weeks with the V3 X Hyperspeed, which meant the usual mix of gaming, Discord, and work calls to get a feel for the driver and mic performance alike.

The meditative, ambient soundscapes of Cairn comprised a lot of that time, along with some callout-heavy Counter-Strike 2 sessions, a few co-op Minecraft adventures, and some long drives in Assetto Corsa Evo.

Both compatible devices were tested, and I kept track of each charge’s duration to check Razer’s stated 70 hours checks out in reality.

First reviewed January 2026

Plans and pricing

Plan	Starting Rate
Basic	$13/month (up to 500 contacts)
Pro	$19/month (up to 500 contacts)
Surveys Free	$0/month
Surveys Basic	$19/month
Pay as You Go	From $30/1,000 credits

VerticalResponse currently offers two email marketing plans, Basic and Pro, along with a Pay as You Go option for occasional senders. Pricing is contact-based, meaning your monthly rate increases as your list grows. Both plans allow unlimited email sends, so you're never penalized for sending more.

The Basic plan starts at $13/month for up to 500 contacts, and includes core email tools, unlimited landing pages, live customer support, automated follow-up emails, and customizable pop-up forms. Test Kit credits (for email previewing) are available as an add-on purchase.

The Pro plan starts at $19/month for up to 500 contacts and adds advanced reporting, delivery rate review, A/B subject line testing, and 10 included Test Kit credits per month.

For those who send emails occasionally, Pay as You Go lets you purchase credits rather than commit to a monthly plan. The starting rate is $30 per 1,000 email credits (for purchases of 200–1,000 credits), with the cost per thousand decreasing significantly for larger volumes.

VerticalResponse also offers a Surveys add-on. The free tier supports unlimited surveys with up to 10 questions and 100 respondents each. The paid Surveys Basic plan costs $19/month and removes those limits entirely.

A 60-day free trial is available with no credit card required. Non-profit organizations can apply for a 50% discount on all Pro plans.

VerticalResponse 3 — *VerticalResponse is a comprehensive email marketing service.* (Image credit: VerticalResponse )

AI tools

VerticalResponse has added an AI Content Assistant to its platform, designed to help you write email copy faster. It can generate a subject line, draft body text, and come up with a call to action. You describe what you're looking for and the assistant produces ready-to-use content, which you can then refine within the email editor.

The assistant is integrated into the existing editor rather than sitting as a separate tool, which keeps the workflow smooth. You don't need to leave your draft to use it. This kind of embedded AI assistance is increasingly standard across email platforms, but the implementation here is straightforward enough to suit the platform's non-technical audience. You don't need to know anything about prompting or AI to get useful results from it.

That said, the AI features here are more foundational than what you'd find on platforms like Mailchimp or HubSpot, which have invested heavily in predictive send-time optimization, AI-driven segmentation, and personalization at scale. VerticalResponse's AI Content Assistant is focused squarely on content generation, making it best suited to users who want a writing shortcut rather than a sophisticated intelligence layer across their entire campaign strategy.

Features

VerticalResponse is firmly focused on doing a handful of things well rather than trying to be everything to everyone. You get a clean drag-and-drop email editor, contact list management, HTML editing, mobile-responsive templates, automated follow-up emails, A/B subject line testing, and a landing page builder. It's a well-rounded core set that covers the needs of most small to mid-sized businesses.

One area where VerticalResponse stands out is its Test Kit, which lets you preview how your email looks across 50+ apps, devices, and browsers before you hit send. It operates on a credit system, which makes it accessible without locking it behind expensive plan tiers. The landing page builder is another highlight, offering SEO tools, self-hosting options, and web forms. It may prove useful for businesses that want to create a campaign destination without a full website.

Where the platform shows its limitations is in automation. The workflow builder doesn't offer the kind of visual, branching logic you'd find in more advanced tools like ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo. Automated follow-up emails are included, but building complex conditional sequences isn't really what this platform is designed for. Similarly, the template library is relatively modest in size, and some users have noted the designs feel dated compared to competitors.

Integrations cover essentials like Salesforce, Ecwid, JotForm, and Magento along with a developer API for custom connections. For a platform pitched at non-technical users, though, the integration ecosystem is less robust than some rivals. At its current price point, VerticalResponse delivers genuine value for straightforward email campaigns, but growing businesses with more complex needs may find themselves outgrowing it sooner than expected.

VerticalResponse 4 — VerticalResponse is straightforward to set up (Image credit: VerticalResponse )

Setup

When we tried it, we found the setup process to be quick and simple. It started with entering our email address into the Start Free Trial box on VerticalResponse’s homepage, and then we were instantly redirected to a standalone sign-up page.

Next, we entered our login credentials and were given instant access to the Get Started page on the VerticalResponse web app. There’s options to follow the prompted setup instructions, or to explore the site independently. Follow the prompts, and in short order you’ll be asked to create your first email list. If you don’t want to do this, then just cancel the pop-up, and simply explore the site manually, as we did.

Performance

For the creation of emails and landing pages, the steps are particularly straightforward- with quite professional results. Those new to email marketing will feel comfortable using this interface with a minimal learning curve.

VerticalResponse 5 — VerticalResponse has a very user-friendly interface (Image credit: VerticalResponse )

The VerticalResponse interface is quite clean, simple, making it very easy to navigate. Tabs get arranged over two tiers: the upper with Messages, Contacts, Forms, and Surveys, and below is Upload New List, Create Sign Up Form, Create Segmentation–or sub-groups, and Create Landing Page.

This thoughtful layout is organized, and ensures all key features are easily accessible. This makes the whole process, from creation of a bespoke email template, to sending it out, as easy and time-efficient as possible.

Adding contacts can be done individually, or imported in bulk. This process is quick and easy, and as the contact information gets added it is instantly displayed.

Security

It took plenty of digging to get some info on how VerticalResponse protects the data it handles. Frustratingly, we were unable to locate any references to security on its website.

To find out ultimately, we had to do a Google search. This query led us to an obscure, dateless post on VerticalResponse’s help site regarding the company’s intended migration from SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to TLS (Transport Layer Security) to mitigate SSL cyberattacks.

Also of note, this platform uses the privacy policy of its parent company Deluxe. It is explicit in its compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is a crucial piece of legislation for digital marketers.

Support

For information outside of office hours, support is available via email contact, but don’t expect an instant reply.

You can access help and support in-session by selecting the question box in the top left corner of the screen. There is the option to choose help for the page you are on, a useful feature, or consult the full index. In either case, you get redirected to the VerticalResponse help center.

This standalone website certainly contains a lot of information while being well organized, but we found some of the categories, like A/B testing, to be a little light on articles. Still, there is plenty of content, such as “Create a List of Non-responders,” and “How to add a Pop Up to a Landing Page.”

VerticalResponse has a live chat for a paid plan, but they only operate Monday-Friday 8 am-4:30 pm CST. When we submitted our question, Kimberly C, a live support person came in about a minute, and gave us our answer efficiently, and also wished us a good afternoon. We did not find phone support.

The competition

VerticalResponse does arguably offer good value for money at the low end of its price plans. However, as the contact scales up, the price quickly ramps up. Therefore, GetResponse might be better suited to a growing business, with its Basic plan starting at $15.58 per month for 1,000 contacts.

Yet another industry veteran is AWeber. This service is similarly priced, and also aims to simplify email marketing, but we prefer VerticalResponse as it offers a far greater range of features.

Final verdict

VerticalResponse is feature rich and well suited to first-time users not familiar with digital marketing strategies. The newly added AI features bring more value to a platform that's already carved out a market segment simply for being consistent and user-friendly throughout its existence.

That said, established businesses that need to run multiple complex email campaigns with deeper personalization and analytics built-in might be at a loss here. If you fall into that category, Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or Brevo are newer alternatives worth looking into that still don't compromise on trust.

Reach even more potential customers with the best email marketing software

VerticalResponse Email Marketing Review: Pros & Cons, Features, Ratings, Pricing and more

1:54 am |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Comments: Off

VerticalResponse 2 — *Paid plans are feature-rich but go up in price quickly.* (Image credit: VerticalResponse )

Plans and pricing

Plan	Starting Rate
Basic	$13/month (up to 500 contacts)
Pro	$19/month (up to 500 contacts)
Surveys Free	$0/month
Surveys Basic	$19/month
Pay as You Go	From $30/1,000 credits

The Pro plan starts at $19/month for up to 500 contacts and adds advanced reporting, delivery rate review, A/B subject line testing, and 10 included Test Kit credits per month.

A 60-day free trial is available with no credit card required. Non-profit organizations can apply for a 50% discount on all Pro plans.

AI tools

Features

Setup

Performance

Adding contacts can be done individually, or imported in bulk. This process is quick and easy, and as the contact information gets added it is instantly displayed.

Security

It took plenty of digging to get some info on how VerticalResponse protects the data it handles. Frustratingly, we were unable to locate any references to security on its website.

Support

For information outside of office hours, support is available via email contact, but don’t expect an instant reply.

The competition

Yet another industry veteran is AWeber. This service is similarly priced, and also aims to simplify email marketing, but we prefer VerticalResponse as it offers a far greater range of features.

Final verdict

Reach even more potential customers with the best email marketing software

Mailchimp Review: Pros & Cons, Features, Ratings, Pricing and more

1:43 am |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Comments: Off

When it comes to email marketing, Mailchimp is still the name most people reach for first. But since Intuit acquired Mailchimp in 2021 for roughly $12 billion, the platform has undergone many changes.

Intuit has poured investment into AI capabilities, rebranding and reshaping features under its "Intuit Assist" umbrella. The result is a more powerful and automation-heavy platform than the Mailchimp many users first signed up for.

That evolution has come with tradeoffs. The free plan has been pared back repeatedly over the years, with the most recent cuts in January 2026 reducing it to just 250 contacts and 500 emails per month. Automation workflows, once a free plan staple, are now exclusively for paying customers. For businesses that rely on Mailchimp's entry-level tier, the math has changed considerably.

Still, for teams ready to invest in a paid plan, the platform now offers a compelling mix of email marketing, automation, AI-powered content creation, and analytics. In this review, we break down what's new, what's changed, and whether Mailchimp is still worth your money in 2026.

MailChimp: Plans and pricing

Plan	Starting Rate (Paid Annually)	Starting Rate (Paid Monthly)
Free	$0	$0
Essentials	~$11/month*	$13/month
Standard	~$17/month*	$20/month
Premium	~$297/month*	$350/month

Mailchimp offers four plans: Free, Essentials, Standard, and Premium. The free tier now supports just 250 contacts and 500 email sends per month, a significant reduction from earlier limits, following the most recent cutback in January 2026.

The Essentials plan starts at $13/month (billed monthly) for up to 500 contacts and 5,000 monthly email sends. Standard, which unlocks generative AI tools and advanced automation, starts at $20/month for 500 contacts. Premium (designed for larger teams and advanced marketers) starts at $350/month and requires a minimum of 10,000 contacts, with unlimited users and priority phone support included.

Mailchimp also offers a pay-as-you-go email credits option, useful for occasional senders. Annual billing is available on paid plans and can bring meaningful savings. Verified nonprofits and charities are eligible for a 15% discount.

MailChimp: AI tools

Since Intuit's 2021 acquisition, AI has become central to Mailchimp's roadmap. The flagship feature is Intuit Assist, an AI-powered layer that touches everything from content creation to campaign automation. Rather than a standalone AI add-on, it's built directly into the Mailchimp interface, which makes the experience feel cohesive rather than bolted on.

The most practical tool for day-to-day use is Write with AI, which lets you generate email body copy based on your campaign goals, audience type, and brand voice. You give the AI a brief prompt and it produces multiple draft options you can refine in the editor. A related feature, the AI subject line generator, analyzes your email content and past performance data to suggest up to five subject line variations per campaign. Both tools are available on Standard and Premium plans only.

On the automation side, Marketing Automation Flows (formerly the Customer Journey Builder, rebranded in June 2025) uses AI to generate multi-step campaign workflows based on your brand profile and previous campaign performance. You can launch flows like "Welcome New Contacts" or "Abandoned Cart" with a single click, and the AI pre-populates email content for each touchpoint. This replaces Mailchimp's Classic Automation Builder, which was discontinued in June 2025.

Rounding things out are more established AI features that have matured considerably: Send-Time Optimization predicts the best delivery window for each individual contact, Predictive Segmentation identifies your highest-value subscribers using engagement and purchase behavior, and Content Optimizer scores your campaigns against industry benchmarks across readability, tone, imagery, and calls-to-action. Together, these tools give Mailchimp a meaningful AI edge over similarly priced competitors.

MailChimp: Features

Mailchimp's paid plans are genuinely feature-rich, covering the full lifecycle of email marketing from list-building and campaign design through to analytics and testing. For small and mid-sized businesses, the breadth of tools on offer is hard to match at this price point.

Audience-building tools are a clear strength. You get custom sign-up forms, landing pages, digital advertising integrations, and a lookalike audience finder to help grow your contact list. Dynamic content blocks let you personalize emails per segment and the subject line helper offers AI-powered suggestions to improve open rates, though this is limited to Standard and Premium subscribers.

When it comes to campaign creation, Mailchimp's drag-and-drop email builder remains one of the most accessible in the market. The Creative Assistant generates on-brand templates using your logo and color palette, while multivariate testing tools let you run controlled experiments to optimize your campaigns. These testing features are reserved for Premium users, but A/B testing is available on Standard as well.

Mailchimp has also expanded its platform scope beyond email marketing. A built-in website builder with marketing tools and a transactional email add-on (Mailchimp Transactional, formerly Mandrill) position it as more than just an email tool. That said, some competitors, particularly ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo, offer deeper CRM functionality and more granular segmentation without requiring a jump to higher pricing tiers. For teams that need those capabilities, Mailchimp's value proposition weakens as contact lists scale up.

MailChimp: Interface and In Use

Just like most other email marketing services, Mailchimp is a web-based platform or SaaS. With your account created, the next step is to log in on any device for immediate access to all of your Mailchimp campaigns, analytics, and other tools.

Configuration for role-based access is reserved for the highest pricing plan. For those not familiar, this means that different members of your team will log in using their own Mailchimp credentials, but then will only be able to access features and data relevant to their position. Think about role-based access as a powerful feature, making Mailchimp ideal for a medium or large-sized business, or for a business with a strong need for customer privacy.

MailChimp: Support

Mailchimp offers direct customer support through email, live chat, and telephone, but the ones available to you depend on the plan you pay for. Users on the free plan have access to email support for the first 30 days of their use. Users on the Essentials and Standard plans have access to 24/7 email and live chat support, while only users on the Premium plan can access phone support.

Apart from direct support, Mailchimp offers many other support resources that every customer can access. There's the official Help Center where you can find articles and tutorials concerning all the platform's features. If you're having an issue with any feature, you’ll likely find an article or a step-by-step video tutorial that’ll help you solve it.

Mailchimp offers a separate Marketing Library, which contains articles, podcasts, and videos that teach users how to market effectively. If you need help with your marketing efforts, you can also hire a vetted expert from the company’s directory.

MailChimp: The competition

Sendinblue and MailerLite are two popular alternatives to Mailchimp. Sendinblue is a much more affordable email marketing platform and offers more automation and list management features, but Mailchimp is way easier to use.

MailerLite is also a more affordable tool than Mailchimp. However, Mailchimp offers more sophisticated analytical and reporting features and a broader selection of email templates.

MailChimp: Final verdict

In our analysis, we think that Mailchimp is simply one of the best email marketing services available.

The choice of four tiered plans means that there is a digital marketing solution for businesses of all shapes and sizes. With Mailchimp’s large range of features, it almost guarantees your business will thrive when empowered by Mailchimp’s email marketing tools.

Also factoring in the comprehensive support options, and the robust data security framework makes us even more confident in our recommendation of Mailchimp for businesses of all sizes.

We list the best online marketing services.

Mailchimp Review: Pros & Cons, Features, Ratings, Pricing and more

1:43 am |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Comments: Off

MailChimp: Plans and pricing

Plan	Starting Rate (Paid Annually)	Starting Rate (Paid Monthly)
Free	$0	$0
Essentials	~$11/month*	$13/month
Standard	~$17/month*	$20/month
Premium	~$297/month*	$350/month

MailChimp: AI tools

MailChimp: Features

MailChimp: Interface and In Use

MailChimp: Support

MailChimp: The competition

MailerLite is also a more affordable tool than Mailchimp. However, Mailchimp offers more sophisticated analytical and reporting features and a broader selection of email templates.

MailChimp: Final verdict

In our analysis, we think that Mailchimp is simply one of the best email marketing services available.

Also factoring in the comprehensive support options, and the robust data security framework makes us even more confident in our recommendation of Mailchimp for businesses of all sizes.

We list the best online marketing services.

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AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: Design & Build

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: Battery & Longevity

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: Inverter Performance

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AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: Expandability

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: Real-World Use

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: What Could Be Better

AFERIY P280 Portable Power Station: Verdict

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Philips Baristina: price and availability

Philips Baristina: specifications

Philips Baristina: design

Philips Baristina: performance

Should you buy the Philips Baristina?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Philips Baristina: also consider

How I tested the Philips Baristina

Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3: Price and availability

Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3: Unboxing and First Impressions

Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3: Design & Build Quality

Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3: In use

Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3: Final verdict

Setup

Creating a website

Performance

Final verdict

Setup

Creating a website

Performance

Final verdict

Razer BlackShark V3 X review: One-minute review

Razer BlackShark V3 X review: Price and availability

Razer BlackShark V3 X: Specs

Razer BlackShark V3 X: Design and features

Razer BlackShark V3 X review: Performance

Should I buy the Razer BlackShark V3 X?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

How I tested the Razer BlackShark V3 X

Plans and pricing

AI tools

Features

Setup

Performance

Security

Support

The competition

Final verdict

Plans and pricing

AI tools

Features

Setup

Performance

Security

Support

The competition

Final verdict

MailChimp: Plans and pricing

MailChimp: AI tools

MailChimp: Features

MailChimp: Interface and In Use

MailChimp: Support

MailChimp: The competition

MailChimp: Final verdict

MailChimp: Plans and pricing

MailChimp: AI tools

MailChimp: Features

MailChimp: Interface and In Use

MailChimp: Support

MailChimp: The competition

MailChimp: Final verdict

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