What if you were alone in a giant open world littered with bandits and mutants, with few resources to get you where you need to go? That question is at the heart of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, one of the most haunting survival horror games I have ever played and unlike anything else in the genre.
Review info
Platform reviewed: Xbox Series X Available on: Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC Release date: November 20, 2024
The game’s chilling sound design, incredible storytelling, and demanding combat come together to deliver on that central premise. It effortlessly entrusts you to find your way own way through its technically impressive recreation of Chornobyl. That trust is woven into every aspect of the experience offering a radioactive sandbox full of dangers, rewards, and opportunities for you to discover and make the most of.
In that sense, Stalker 2 is the purest form of a survival horror experience there is, because at all times it is unpredictable, deadly, and terrifying in a multitude of ways. It is one of the boldest Xbox Series X games and PC games I have seen this generation. However, its lack of handholding and rugged, realistic approach to gameplay is not going to be for everyone. Plus, the storage chest of small visual bugs I saw in my time playing keeps it from being spotless.
Stories of Chornobyl
(Image credit: GSC Game World)
As Skif, you are just another Stalker fighting for your own survival in The Zone - the barren and deadly landscape surrounding the Chornobyl power plant which suffered two explosions, one in 1986 and another in 2006. However, one seemingly simple task, to activate a Scanner and meet someone named Sodler, doesn’t go to plan and you're ambushed and knocked out. After waking up you have none of the gear you entered The Zone with and your Scanner has been stolen by your attackers.
So you walk. Alone, you move from settlement to settlement, hearing a rumor here or there when others are friendly enough to help you. Eventually, you come across large towns that allow you to discover more about The Zone, the political dynamics between factions, and the dangers in the wild that are whispered around the campfire.
Best bit
(Image credit: GSC Game World)
The way Stalker 2 executes the clear vision the developers obviously had during development is impressive and leads to a fresh experience, devoid of a lot of the clutter found in modern open-world games. The map isn’t dotted with icons, you don’t have a litany of progression trees to sort through and manage. It’s a remarkably focused game, despite its huge open world.
These moments interacting with entire outposts or individuals in the world are key focal points for how Stalker 2 tells its narrative. Whether it was small stories about an encounter someone had with a bandit or key cutscenes where characters would deliver these almost Shakespearian monologues about The Zone, I kept wanting to learn more, explore more, and meet more people.
You may stumble upon a faction baron who isn’t too happy with you stepping on his turf, an interaction that ends up leading you down an entire core questline, or you might find a lone survivor surrounded by mutants that you can choose to save or let die, and, either way, never cross paths with them again.
The delivery of the narrative in this way means that such moments of discovery are the driving force behind Stalker 2’s exploration and open world. The possibility of who I might find kept me moving and the excellent Ukrainian voice acting (English, not so much) breathes life into the individuals you meet. On top of that, The Zone is a character in itself. The way individuals talk about it as a mythical, breathing creature they love, fear, or want to escape from is unlike anything else I have seen done in a game before. The writing here is truly impressive.
Loneliness of Chornobyl
(Image credit: GSC Game World)
That novel approach to storytelling echoes throughout the rest of the experience. The Zone is a barren expanse full of not much, making it an incredibly isolating experience. There are rarely companions by your side and on each excursion I set out on I would feel on edge.
Sometimes I would hear roars of mutants in the distance, causing me to jump up and start looking around frantically to see if I had accidentally stumbled upon something I should run away from. Or, I would accidentally end up in the middle of a terrifying storm and try to dart to my destination while praying lightning didn’t strike me, as the wind whistles through my headphones.
The Zone in Stalker 2 feels like it is alive; alive in an organic, realistic way that most open-world games can only dream of. The intense atmosphere created by developer GSC Game World is heightened by Stalker 2’s visuals as well as its sound design.
It has one of the best dynamic weather systems I have ever seen, and there’s always a stunning demonstration of landscape or environment whether it is raining, sunny, or cloudy (again, feeling almost lifelike in how it has been realized). There are also Emissions, huge deadly radioactive storms that can occur as you are exploring, coating The Zone in a thick red smog that will kill you in moments if caught outside in one. These offer some of the most impressive visuals in the game and my jaw dropped the first time I came across one.
Similar breath-taking moments both big and small are scattered throughout, demanding that you stop and take it all in.
Dangers of Chornobyl
(Image credit: GSC Game World)
The final piece of Stalker 2’s puzzle is its combat which is taxing, yet fascinating. Guns and weapons are weighty and inaccurate, so your approach to encounters requires a lot of thought before you commit, and as a result, feels very realistic. You can’t just run in and spray your way to survival. Instead, you have to precisely place shots and keep an eye on your surroundings.
Weapons are bulky and can jam at any moment creating a sense of panic. There aren’t any grenade indicators telling you someone threw a frag your way, so you have to be aware of the sounds to hear it clink along the ground, for example, only serving to add to the intense atmosphere coursing through the game. Enemy indicators regularly disappear if you lose sight of them for a few seconds, so you’ll also have to be prepared and predict where they might be as you flank them.
Bandits won’t always know where you are at. So, they will organically guess where you might be. One standout moment I had was when I ended up starting a fight with half a dozen enemies outside a small rail station. While fighting the main group, one of them flanked me quietly, then finished me off with one shotgun blast.
That moment forced me to change my approach to combat. From here I embraced the intensity of zipping from cover to cover or unjamming a gun in the middle of a firefight. It’s chaotic and the combat demands a lot of patience to learn and adapt in a way that goes beyond most other survival-focused first-person shooters. But that lack of hand-holding is what kept me hooked as the encounters never felt scripted or formulaic. However, this style of combat will be a dealbreaker for some who don’t want to feel dragged down by the gameplay and simply want to explore or lose themselves in the world. Combat is fundamental to Stalker 2 and you can’t really ignore it.
However, combat and these interactions with other people are also where I noticed the most bugs. Some were small like the UI regularly not showing up. Others were more substantial, never game-breaking but certainly immersion-breaking; characters clipping through geometry in settlements, or a pair of headphones floating in mid-air during a cutscene instead of sitting atop someone’s head. Occasionally, I would also see an enemy teleport spawn somewhere in front of me out of nowhere, which was less than ideal.
A lot of these will be addressed in a day one patch, but each time I came across one I was slightly disappointed because, for a moment, it ruined the immersion Stalker 2 offers, which is its biggest asset.
Should I play Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl?
(Image credit: GSC Game World)
Play it if…
You appreciate great world-building This experience is for you if you love survival horror games with excellent world-building and storytelling, and enjoy an unguided open-world experience.
You're up for a challenge Play this if you enjoy survival games and aren’t turned off by unapproachable mechanics and punishing gameplay that isn’t easily accessible.
Don’t play it if…
You want a more guided experience You won't enjoy it if you want a more traditional open-world RPG that is filled with map markers and checklists telling you where to go and what to do.
Accessibility
Stalker 2 has a number of basic accessibility options like subtitle sizes which are varied and the ability to add a background. You can also change your crosshair color and setting, and turn off or on almost every UI element like threat indicators, hit markers, and health information. Protanopia, Deuteranopia, and Tritanopia are also available.
However, it lacks the advanced accessibility features you may find in other big open-world role-playing games (RPGs) like adjustments for those who are partially sighted, blind, or have hearing problems. Its difficulty options are also formulaic with a “story” option called Rookie, a standard mode simply named Stalker, and a harder, veteran mode with no deeper ability to customize them.
How I reviewed Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl
I played Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl for nearly 50 hours encompassing the main story, side missions, and exploration. I played the game mostly in performance mode on Xbox Series X with a standard Xbox Wireless Controller, and I enjoyed the sights and sounds of the game with a Gigabyte M28U monitor and Steelseries Arena 3 speakers.
The P20 is Engwe’s most refined model so far. The company’s bikes are known for their large and brutalistic design style, so making a compact e-bike like this might seem like a deviation from its core values. In reality, this e-bike still looks remarkably Engwe-esque. It’s chunky and robust where it needs to be while still featuring a surprisingly lightweight build for carrying around.
Folding the e-bike can be done in as little as 10 to 15 seconds thanks to a couple of easy-to-use clips and the unique magnetic adapter system. The latter stops the e-bike from unfolding and is far better than the clip design of Brompton bikes. Unfortunately, it’s not quite as easy to maneuver as a typical Brompton, but it’s not far off. If you want a foldable e-bike with a little more power than a Brompton, then the P20 is a fantastic option.
At £1,199, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything of such quality, and with the same attention to detail, elsewhere. It’s too early to tell whether the Engwe P20 will make it onto our list of the best e-bikes but it’s certainly a strong contender.
Engwe P20: Price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
£1,199 / €1,299
Not available in the US
Available from the manufacturer directly
The Engwe P20 is only available in UK and EU markets. The 250W motor and 15.5mph / 25kph speed limiter make it road-legal everywhere it’s sold. There won’t be a US version as this e-bike is specifically positioned for the UK market. Unlike many other Engwe e-bikes, there’s no option to upgrade the battery.
It’s available in black, white or a lovely mint green, which is the model I tested. The price is the same no matter which colour you go for. Engwe also offers a range of accessories at an additional cost, including a rack bag, bike pump, and lock.
Value score: 4/5
Engwe P20: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Reliable and well-engineered folding mechanism
Carbon drive belt
Upright riding position
Let's begin with the folding process for the P20, which is a five-step operation. This is achieved through a five-step process, although I tended to only perform two of these steps for most folds. The steps comprise adjusting the handlebar, folding the riser, folding the frame, lowering the saddle, and finally folding the pedals. Most of the time, steps two and three are sufficient, although you might also need to make the saddle adjustment if you need to fit the e-bike into tight spaces.
I prefer not to adjust the handlebars too much, because that involves messing around with a clamp mechanism that I don’t believe would stand the test of time if it was used regularly. I also don’t see a huge benefit in tucking them away any more than is already the case in their natural position.
The riser rotation mechanism is nice and robust while allowing for the rider to rotate the riser and handlebars down to the front wheel. Unfortunately, there’s no way of locking the riser into position when the bike is folded. The frame folds in half at the midpoint with a seriously sturdy and robust folding mechanism. Engwe is getting so much better at implementing intricate design features, and it really shows on the P20.
One of the standouts of the whole design is that the two halves of the e-bike connect together through magnets that are mounted to each wheel. It’s a really ingenious solution that eliminates the need for any moving parts, which could fail over time.
It’s almost impossible to review a foldable e-bike without comparing it to the folding mechanism of the Brompton. With both e-bikes in my possession, I decided to fold one after the other and there’s no clear winner. I think Engwe’s system is simpler to operate and I love the magnetic catch, but the Brompton is smaller and lighter and therefore easier to maneuver. I think it all comes down to what overall e-bike size you want, and what your budget is.
Moving on from folding, the P20 is single-speed, with a long-lasting carbon belt drive and disc brakes. There are no major performance issues with this setup, although you do lose a little efficiency with the carbon drive compared to a metal chain. The 20-inch puncture-proof tires are perfect for city cruising, but lack the bulk required for going up and down curbs or off-road. Don’t judge it too harshly, though, as this e-bike knows exactly what it is and what it isn’t designed to do.
Design Score: 4.5/5
Engwe P20: Performance
(Image credit: Future)
Cadence is too high
Top speed of 25kph / 15.5mph
No suspension
The first thing I noticed was how easy it was to get up to the top speed of 25kph / 15.5mph. This is due to the power of the motor, available torque, and the achievable cadence of the single-speed setup.
This is good news in the sense that it takes minimal effort while using minimal battery. The downside to this is that it’s very difficult to ride beyond 30kph / 18.5mph, because the cadence is just too high. The experience left me wanting a gear with lower cadence, or three or four extra speeds to cycle through. I think the Brompton 4-speed has it perfect, although greater resistance on the P20’s single speed would also be sufficient.
The issue was particularly noticeable when going downhill, but the e-bike really came into its own when I was nipping around flat city streets, on which the P20 is responsive, quick, and a joy to ride. If you’re looking for a simple, good-looking, foldable bike for cruising around a town or city, the P20 is one of the best options I’ve tried.
The motor is completely silent, so at times it feels like you’re riding a standard pushbike. You’re also not subject to any sudden jerky movements thanks to the torque sensor, which picks up the rotation of the pedals perfectly. The P20 responds quickly and efficiently, so it’s always ready to go when you are.
As there’s no suspension, and given the size of the tires, you’ll want to avoid off-roading or going up and down too many curbs. That being said, I did find that the e-bike was remarkably capable of cushioning almost every bump I threw at it.
The carbon belt is a winner, and I’m a big fan of these types of belts because they’re less susceptible to problems with grease or dirt. I’m sure we’ve all experienced those times of getting our clothes dirty from getting on or off a bike, and this is all avoided with the P20. The belt promises to deliver 330,000km of distance, although it’s worth noting that carbon belts are generally less efficient than standard chains.
I think most people will love the P20, although you might, at times, find yourself wanting an extra gear or two.
Performance score: 4/5
Engwe P20: Battery life
(Image credit: Future)
100km range
36V 9.6A battery
Five-hour charge per battery
The advertised range of 100km is only achievable in perfect conditions, at the lowest pedal assist, and with minimal rider weight. In reality, you’ll be looking at nearer 50km / 30 miles per charge. This is still more than enough for most daily commutes, especially considering that this e-bike is designed for shorter rides rather than for long journeys.
You’ll only be able to attach the single 36V 9.6A battery to this frame, so there’s no option to double the range. Engaging and disengaging the battery is very easy thanks to Engwe's attention to engineering an effective clip mechanism.
Removing the battery will let you charge it at home or at work during the day. It also reduces the chances of the battery being stolen, although there is an integrated anti-theft battery lock. Charging from empty to full takes in the region of five hours.
Battery life score: 3.5/5
Engwe P20: Scorecard
Buy it if...
You want a foldable e-bike
The Engwe P20 offers robust folding mechanisms and a lightweight frame that will make your daily commute an absolute breeze.
You need an affordable e-bike
At £1,199, it’s not the cheapest e-bike on the market, but it offers better build quality and parts than cheaper alternatives.
You love Engwe
Engwe is creating one of the broadest and best ranges of e-bikes out of any e-bike manufacturer out there. It’s producing fantastic e-bikes and the brand is here to stay.
Don't buy it if...
You want the lightest foldable e-bike
I would opt for a Brompton e-bike if you want something that is as portable as they come.
You go off-roading
With no suspension and small wheels, you’ll feel every bump you go over
Also consider
Brompton C Line Electric Explore
One of the best folding e-bikes for most commuters. An e-bike that is really easy to fold up, has a good level of power on tap, and is of excellent overall quality.
I rode the Engwe P20 on and off over the course of a couple of months. I rode it around city streets, up and down main roads, as well as along my daily 7-mile commute which takes me through the countryside. I covered almost every type of terrain except off-roading.
With its blend of impressive suction power, rotating mop pads, expert navigation and obstacle avoidance, self-cleaning ability and smorgasbord of AI and software features, the Dreame L40 Ultra is a solid hybrid vac-and-mop system for those looking to simplify their home cleaning regime. In fact, it's one of the best robot vacuums I've tested.
Equipped with advanced LiDAR navigation, the L40 Ultra efficiently and very quickly maps your rooms, cleans in precise patterns and is better than average when it comes to dodging obstacles. With its ample suction power (up to 11,000Pa – up there with the highest you'll find anywhere), the L40 Ultra handles dust, pet hair and small debris very efficiently, whether it's on hardwood, tile or low- to medium-pile carpet. It mops exceptionally well, too.
Personally, I would always recommend opting for a robot model with a self-emptying cleaning system, especially if you have pets. Well the L40 Ultra's dock not only automatically empties the robot's tiny onboard bin but it washes its mops, too, and then dries them using warm air. No, it's not the prettiest looking cleaning station in town but it is equipped with oversized water containers and a much larger dust bag than much of the competition. And that means you'll spend less time doing maintenance.
You can read more about the Dreame L40 Ultra below but, if you're in a rush, take it from me that this model is well worth the investment if you're looking for a competent, reliable and mostly fuss-free hybrid bot to perform the mundane tasks of keeping your floor spaces in tip-top condition on a daily basis.
(Image credit: Future)
Dreame L40 Ultra review: price & availability
List price: $1,499.99 / £999
Launched: October 2024
Available in white only, the Dreame L40 Ultra comes with a list price of $1,499.99 / £999 (although when it first launched it was cheaper, at $1,249.99 / £899). Even though that puts it in TechRadar's premium price bracket, I think it still represents strong value for money.
The L40 Ultra sits just below the company's flagship X40 Ultra, which costs around $350 (£250) more, mostly because it comes with an extra laser for improved obstacle avoidance.
In terms of other brands' offerings, it's very comparable feature-wise to the Qrevo Master ($1,200 / £949) from Roborock (another Xiaomi-linked company), which sports roughly the same level of suction power and very similar onboard tech, including an extendable side brush arm and rear mop for precise edging.
You can buy direct from Dreame, or head to a third party retailer like Amazon. Seasonal shopping events always include strong robot vacuum deals, and the Black Friday sales can be a particularly good time to shop.
Value for money score: 4.5 out of 5
Dreame L40 Ultra specs
Dreame L40 Ultra review: design
Superb vacuuming and mopping features
Full self-cleaning dock
Large, jarring clean base
Backed by Chinese behemoth Xiaomi, Dreame is fast becoming a major player in the ever-expanding arena of robot vacuum cleaners and robot mops, and this high-end hybrid model comprising a 2-in-1 vacuum and mopping system is a sterling example of just how much attention to technical detail the company applies to its products, especially when it comes to features, navigation and onboard smarts. In fact, there are many similarities between the L40 Ultra and class-leader Roborock's premium Qrevo Curv and S8 MaxV Ultra models, only this one's for affordable to buy.
(Image credit: Future)
Before I get down to the nuts and bolts, I should address the elephant in the room – namely the size and design of the L40 Ultra's charging dock-cum-cleaning station. This white-only model's dock is 59cm in height, 41cm in depth and 34cm in width, and it's clad almost entirely in plastic that attracts pet hair and dust like a cowpat attracts flies. To break up the monotony of so much white, the L40 Ultra also comes with a blingy, rose gold-tinted dustbin cover that some users may actually like. I don't.
Moving on to the robovac itself. Let's start with the little side rotating brush that all robot vacs are equipped with to fling any debris that sits outside of their chassis into the path of the main brush roller. In the vast majority of models the brush is fixed in position and its bristles can only stretch an inch or so beyond the machine's bodywork, which makes cleaning right-angled corners near impossible.
(Image credit: Future)
Well, like some of the top end Roborock models, this one is equipped with an articulating side brush mount that pops out on an arm by a few inches so the spinning bristles can reach deep into corners. This is a game-changer because it means you might not need to reach for a hand vac to finish the job. Also, unlike any other model I've tested, this one's side brush doesn't engage when on carpet and that means its bristles will last longer and will be less likely to snag on a rug tassel or wrap itself in a wayward shoelace.
(Image credit: Future)
The same thing applies to the L40 Ultra's mopping system, which uses two magnetically attached circular spinning mops on the rear that do an impressive job of keeping hard floors dust- and stain-free. Like Roborock's flagship models, the L40 Ultra's right-hand mop automatically protrudes beyond the chassis by several inches when the device is cleaning around chair legs and along skirting boards. But more than that, this model's mops are automatically ejected and left behind in the base station whenever the bot is out on a vacuum-only run.
Yes, the L40 Ultra's mops will retract when on carpet by 10.5mm, but the thinking behind this particular system is that it's better for any carpet that the bot may need to cross en-route to a vacuum-only session to not have any mops fitted at all. And so it leaves them behind in the dock, just in case. After all, you ideally don't want any dirty wet mops possibly touching the fibers of your favorite deep-pile rug lest they leave some unsightly marks.
(Image credit: Future)
Like most modern hybrid units, the L40 Ultra's dock not only charges the robot's ample 5,200mAh battery between cleaning sessions, it also sucks debris from the robot's tiny 300ml bin into a much larger 2.3-liter dust bag. This should happily last a month or two before needing to be disposed of, unless, like me, you have a menagerie of hairy pets.
(Image credit: Future)
Because this model also mops, it has two huge water tanks – 4.5 liters for the clean water and an equally voluminous 4 liters for the dirty stuff. I should also add that this model ships with a small 200ml bottle of Dreame-branded floor cleaning solution, which you pour into a separate reservoir next to the dust bag section. This solution is then added to the water that's pumped into the robot's small water tank before it heads out on a mopping run. Like all similarly styled premium hybrid robot vacuums, the L40 Ultra's mops are automatically cleaned in the station on its return and then dried using wafts of warm air.
The robot itself uses LiDAR, an RGB camera, sensors and AI to help it map and navigate around the home, and it's one of the very best systems this writer has so far come across. Its initial mapping run was not only fast but exceptionally accurate, too. In fact, it was the first bot to accurately divide my downstairs open-plan flooring into four separate rooms where others have either joined two rooms together or made the entire ground floor one large room. Incidentally, the same LiDAR, sensor and camera set up is also used to detect obstacles, and very good it is, too. You can read more about my obstacle testing in the Performance chapter below.
(Image credit: Future)
One of the biggest issues I have with robot vacs is the propensity of loose rugs I have in every room, and rugs are the robot vac's arch nemesis, especially if they're not fixed down with some of that sticky stuff IKEA sells to keep rugs from slipping on hard floor. Well I'm pleased to report that at no time has the L40 Ultra snagged itself on any rug tassels or ruffled up any rugs while traversing them. I put this down to some extra height at the front of the unit that allows it to ride over almost any rug, no matter how thin and slippery it is. Top marks in this regard.
For some reason, most robot manufacturers still insist on producing circular bots instead D- or square-shaped models. As a result, the main suction area on this model is positioned between its two side wheels with 9cm or non-suction space on either side of its single rubber roller. This is normal for most bots and invariably why they are equipped with a side brush to fling wayward matter into the path of the suction roller. And speaking of suction, this model produces 11,000Pa of power, which is above average and more than enough oomph for hard floors and all but the deepest of carpet pile.
Unlike Roborock and a few other manufacturers that equip their bots with two rubber brush rollers that run in tandem, this model has just one 17cm roller. Nevertheless, I haven't seen any significant reduction in dust collection as a result of having just one. As an added bonus, this model also ships with what Dreame calls a TriCut Brush, specifically designed for cutting loose hair so it doesn't bundle together and block the main suction tube in the cleaning base when it's drawing debris from the robot's bin. It's worth fitting this replacement roller if you have cats or dogs of the shedding variety.
(Image credit: Future)
You get ultrasonic automatic carpet detection and five levels of vacuuming power with this model – Quiet, Standard, Turbo, Max and Max+ – and a sliding scale of mop wetness depending on how dirty your hard floor is and whether it's tile, vinyl or delicate wood. I always set vacuum power to either Turbo, Max or Max+ for full efficiency and, because I have engineered wooden floors, somewhere in the middle of the moistness chart when mopping.
Robot vacs of this nature are usually really easy to set up and this one is no different. Simply remove the dock and robot from the box, place the dock somewhere with good access to all your rooms and fill up the fresh water tank (the dust bag is pre-fitted). Next download the Dreame app (iOS and Google), tap the plus sign, select the L40 Ultra and follow the on-screen instructions. A voice assistant will chip in with odd vocal announcements during both setup and day-to-day use, and it goes without saying that this model will also respond to your own voice commands if that is your wont.
Design score: 4.5 out of 5
Dreame L40 Ultra review: performance
Excellent vacuum skills
Decent mopping, too
Impressive self-cleaning dock
The model Dreame L40 Ultra is an excellent navigator and a stalwart performer when traversing loose rugs. But how well does the L40 Ultra actually clean? Well, if the contents of the dock's dust bag are anything to go by, I'd say it's a winner, especially at collecting the wayward dog and cat hair that my home seems to be engulfed in.
In fact, I can often hear that reassuring whoomph sound as another cardigan's worth of hair is being sucked out of the bot's bin and into the dock's larger-than-average dust bag. What's more, this bin-emptying sequence isn't too loud either. This, alongside the TriCut Brush feature, means I'd rate the L40 Ultra amongst the best robot vacuums for pet hair.
(Image credit: Future)
I have no issues to report regarding this model's efficiency at collecting dust and debris whether it's on my hard wooden flooring, the especially hairy carpeted rug sitting in front of my dogs' bed or the entire floorspace of our village hall. It just heads out, cleans the edges first before embarking on systematic parallel lines for the rest of the room and then returning to its dock like clockwork. You can even adjust the frequency with which it returns to its dock to empty the bin.
I've been especially impressed with how well the L40 Ultra has tackled our large village hall. After mapping the 110 square meter area in about seven minutes, it then proceeded to start cleaning the edges and under any tables and chairs before sweeping the main floorspace in perfect parallel lines and what's more, in the direction in which the floorboards were laid. Granted it seemed to skirt around three small areas for some bizarre reason but I still call it a great success.
To date, the L40 Ultra has held enough juice to vacuum the hall's entire floorspace in one fell swoop, while in Turbo mode. That's a remarkable statistic. It took 95 minutes to complete what I consider a huge task for any robot vac with an amazing 54% of battery power still remaining.
(Image credit: Future)
The same level of efficiency applies to its mopping system, which is better than any static pad-based moppers out there. No, it won't replace a mop and bucket (or one of the best wet-dry vacuums) for rapid stain removal, mostly because it's too much hassle commanding a robot to mop a specific area that's only a few inches square.
By the time you've opened the app, selected a rough zonal area and waited for the bot to get there, you could have reached down with a damp paper towel and cleaned it up in a thrice. Nevertheless, I did perform such a test on a dried soy sauce stain and was impressed by how well the L40 Ultra dealt with it in three short passes. I put that down to those spinning mops and the downward pressure exerted on them.
(Image credit: Future)
Of course, the idea with robot mops is that, if scheduled, they will ensure that any hard floors are kept clean and tidy on a regular basis – and in this case right to the very edge – without any need for reaching for a wet mop, tea towel or paper toweling.
For most of my review period, I generally let the L40 Ultra use its CleanGenius method which purportedly uses AI to identify particularly grubby areas for extended cleaning. I mainly set different vacuum-only and mop-only schedules, even though the bot will happily perform both methods of cleaning during the same time frame. And as I've mentioned above, if performing a dual vac-and-mop function, the L40 Ultra's mops are raised by a couple of centimeters whenever it's crossing a patch of carpet and, if vacuuming only, it will leave the mops in the charging dock.
(Image credit: Future)
Obstacle avoidance is a key element when it comes to robot vacs because the last thing you want is a jammed up robot sitting there doing nothing while you're out and about. I give this model almost full marks for obstacle avoidance, though I wouldn't trust it with avoiding dog mess or some items below about two-inches in height.
I noticed this when I laid out an obstacle course comprising a trainer with wayward laces, a neck buff, a woolen glove, a small dog toy and a phone cable. Amazingly, the L40 avoided the trainer and its two extended laces, the neck buff and the phone wire in three different tests. However, it pushed a small soft dog toy forward on two occasions and rode over the glove, thankfully without it jamming up the suction roller.
Hence, like most robot vacs, this model is not infallible when it comes to items less than about two-inches in height. And that means I wouldn't want to trust it with dog mess of any variety. Other than that common anomaly, I give this bot full marks for performance.
Performance score: 5 out of 5
Dreame L40 Ultra review: app
Easy to navigate
Good customization options
Could be improved here and there
While you can perform two very simple commands – clean and return to home – by tapping two buttons on the robot itself or by shouting ‘Hey Dreame, clean the kitchen' and the like, the vast majority of setting up and customization must be done via the Dreame app, which you can download to your phone for free from Google Play or the Apple App Store.
(Image credit: Future)
The Dream app is very reminiscent of that from Roborock and it's very well thought out and easy to navigate. However, there are some elements I'd like to see improved, especially zone cleaning – which doesn't save the command for later use – and the ability to set routines along with daily schedules. That's what I love about the Roborock app. It allows me to create a bunch of manually programmed routines and specific zone cleaning regimes and it saves them all for instant recall from the home page of the app.
(Image credit: Future)
On the plus side, the Dreame app lets you see the entire map of your floor plan in either 2D or 3D, and make adjustments like room merging, division and renaming, plus handy stuff like being able to add virtual walls and no-go zones. You can even select the direction of your wooden floors so the bot moves in the direction of the seams for more effective dust collection.
The app also allows you to drive the bot around the home remotely while viewing the scene from the front camera – a handy feature for checking on pets when you're away from home. In the pantheon of robot vacuum apps I'd say it's one of the better ones but still a little way off the wholesale customization possibilities provided by the likes of Roborock.
App score: 4.5 out of 5
Should you buy the Dreame L40 Ultra?
Buy it if...
You want excellent cleaning
With its strong suction and very effective mopping, the Dreame L40 Ultra delivers an excellent clean, including the edges of rooms.
You want a hands-off experience
The L40 Ultra comes with a do-it-all dock that takes care of the vast majority of maintenance tasks, including cleaning and drying the mop pads.
You've got a decent budget
This robovac isn't cheap, but if you have the budget for it, it's well worth the investment for the amount of features and how strong the performance is. View Deal
Don't buy it if...
You're on a tight budget
While good value for what you're getting, there are plenty of cheaper and less feature-rich robot vacuums on the market if you're on a tighter budget.
You're short on space
The L40 Ultra's dock is massive and ugly. You'll need space to store it, and possibly somewhere it's not too on-show.
You have delicate wooden floors
Although the water levels are adjustable, you probably won't want to mop delicate wooden flooring. If that's what you have, then you'll be fine with a vacuum-only model, and you'll be able to save some cash and get a smaller dock, too. View Deal
How I tested the Dreame L40 Ultra
As per usual, I spent two weeks living with the Dream L40 Ultra and noted where possible any anomalies in its cleaning patterns. Thankfully there are none to report. I also performed a number of spot checks by programming it to clean a specific dog rug and a section of hard flooring with an ingrained stain. I also took into consideration its overall performance and whether or not it fitted comfortably within a home environment.
The Xgimi Aura 2 is a premium ultra short-throw (UST) 4K projector to come from the Chinese brand and is an update to 2021’s Aura. Like its predecessor, the Aura 2 aims to be a complete one-box solution for big-screen home theater thrills and, as such, is capable of projecting an image up to 150 inches in size.
Xgimi is touting its new Dual Light 2.0 technology – which combines laser and LED light sources – in the Aura 2 to deliver bright, colorful, contrast-rich images. On paper at least, there is a marked improvement compared to its predecessor – the Aura 2 is capable of reaching 2,300 ISO lumens of brightness compared to the Aura’s 1,800. Indeed, in practice, the Aura 2 is certainly bright enough for general viewing during the day, with a good level of depth and detail, serving up a wonderful cinematic image.
Naturally, when viewed in a darker room, the quality of the projected image improves and HDR content performs particularly well. The Xgimi Aura 2 supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG and, following a firmware update since launch, IMAX Enhanced.
Achieving a well-calibrated picture on a wall or white screen is relatively simple thanks to the Aura 2’s wealth of picture adjustment settings, including automatic keystone correction and focus. And, should you need to take the reins and make finer manual adjustments, you can do so.
Despite a UST projector’s cinematic credentials, there is always going to be a case for getting one of the best TVs, especially where cost is concerned. The Xgimi Aura 2 is available now for $2,699 / £2,459 / AU$6,399. That’s only a few hundred more US dollars and UK pounds than the Aura, but over AU$2,000 more in Australia, which is a little puzzling. While in the US and UK it makes a competitive alternative to a 65- or 75-inch TV, for example, in Australia it's a much tougher sell. Granted, the Aura 2 is capable of projecting an image far bigger than most TVs – and TVs that do encroach on 100-inches aren’t exactly cheap – but if you only have space to project an 80-inch image, then those in Australia may feel they’ll be better served by a TV.
The fact that the Xgimi Aura 2 uses the Android TV operating system rather than Google TV also feels like a bit of a missed opportunity, especially as some of the company’s other new projectors do use the latter. Because of its use of Android TV, it’s not the easiest process to get Netflix installed – although you can access it by first downloading a separate app from the Google Play Store – and I wasn’t able to get Disney Plus to install natively, instead resorting to connecting an Apple TV 4K to get my Pixar fix.
Speaking of connectivity, the Aura 2 has a wealth of inputs for connecting external devices, although some may feel doing so will ruin the otherwise clean aesthetic. An external soundbar can be connected too, although the built-in audio system is especially good, so you may not feel the need.
Despite a couple of setbacks, the Xgimi Aura 2 is a fantastic machine, although not without competition. Not only do companies such as Hisense and Samsung have excellent UST projectors of their own but, as already mentioned, home theater fans in certain countries may find greater value in a TV. But, if projection is the way you want to go, the Xgimi Aura 2 deserves an audition.
Xgimi Aura 2 review: Price & availability
Available since September 2024
List price: $2,699 / £2,459 / AU$6,399
The Xgimi Aura 2 was announced and officially launched at IFA Berlin on September 6, 2024. It’s available to buy now for $2,699 / £2,459 / AU$6,399.
Other recently released UST projectors such as the Hisense PX3-Pro, which has a higher ISO lumens brightness, costs $3,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,995 while the excellent Samsung Premiere 9 costs a lot more at $5,999 / £4,999. However, the Premiere 9 isn’t available in Australia at the time of writing. This means the Aura 2 is the most affordable of the three (except from in Australia) and, on paper at least, this is somewhat justified because it’s the lowest specced.
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
Xgimi Aura 2 review: Specs
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
Xgimi Aura 2 review: Design and features
Dual Light 2.0 laser light system
Motorized top cover to protect against dust
Android TV OS not the best
The Xgimi Aura 2 isn’t as projector-y looking as some of its competitors. On the contrary, it’s very much a lifestyle-oriented product designed to blend in with your home décor and not attract too much attention to itself. As such, it’s coated on all visible sides by a Moonlight Sand-colored fabric and has been given a treatment that claims to protect it against water, dust and oil (I didn’t have the confidence to test this out). In reality, it really is an attractive unit and could feasibly either go unnoticed in your room or at the very least be mistaken for a large Bluetooth speaker.
On the top you’ll find a motorized cover that slides open when the projector is powered on to reveal the laser light source. Not only is it a pretty cool party trick, but it helps keep the lasers and mirrors as free from dust and other debris as possible by hiding them away during downtime. There’s also an infrared detector that switches the laser off when it detects someone in its line of sight so you don’t damage your eyes, and yes, it really works.
Along the back (the side facing the wall) there are three HDMI inputs (two for connecting external devices and one that supports eARC if you want to connect an external soundbar or speaker system), three USB-A inputs and an ethernet port for a wired internet connection. Other outputs include a 3.5mm headphone jack and an optical audio port, plus Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 are also supported.
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
The Xgimi Aura 2 uses the company’s own Dual Light 2.0 technology. This, says Xgimi, is a “wide spectrum and narrow spectrum hybrid light source technology” which “addresses issues related to traditional tri-color lasers such as speckles and color fringe, ensuring more comfortable viewing.” It’s also because of this light technology that the Aura 2 is able to use a 0.177:1 ultra-short throw ratio – meaning you can achieve a 100-inch image from a distance of just 17.8cm. Do note that this 17.8cm distance is between the projection surface and the closest side of the projector. You’ll still need to factor in the Aura 2’s 27cm depth when placing it on a bench or entertainment unit. Xgimi says for a 150-inch image, you’ll need a distance of 38.9cm.
Once in position, it’s a relatively pain-free process to get a properly aligned picture on a wall or projector screen. The Aura 2 has built-in auto keystone adjustment, which kicks into action whenever the projector itself is physically moved, or it can easily be run from within the settings menu. I have to admit that my first try of using this feature actually resulted in a completely jarring image that wasn’t aligned at all. I ran the setting again and it fixed it… mostly. I still had to use the manual image correction settings to quickly (and easily) align the four corners of the image within the confines of the viewing space on my wall.
The Aura 2 uses Android TV for its operating system, which is a strange choice considering this platform is all but dead on smart TVs and the projector version of the OS don't necessarily get you access to all the streaming apps directly from the Google Play Store.
Xgimi acknowledges that Netflix doesn’t support projector systems running Android TV by way of a leaflet included in the box, which encourages you to download a separate app called Desktop Launcher. Doing so results in Netflix being able to be used, along with other apps such as Apple TV (which also can’t be found in the pre-installed Google Play Store).
Disney Plus was a notable omission entirely and in Australia where I’m based, 4K content on Stan wasn’t supported. I have a 4K subscription to the Australian streaming service which works without a hitch on my TV, but on the Aura 2 all content was available in HD quality only. The only workaround was to connect an Apple TV 4K to gain access to all my streaming apps, which was slightly disappointing.
That said, the UX will look familiar to anyone who’s previously used it or Google TV. A row of installed app icons is flanked above and below by recommended content and content you’re currently in the middle of watching. In use it was largely lag-free, with only the occasional stutter when trying to move quickly through rows or between menus.
The Xgimi Aura 2 comes with a remote control that’s surprisingly weighty, but which serves to provide a premium feeling. There aren’t many buttons, but I think this in turn makes it straightforward to understand and use. There are buttons for volume control, the home screen, settings, Google Assistant and a dedicated button for quick autofocusing. I did find myself pressing the Google Assistant button when I meant to select the settings, but I imagine this would become a non-issue with more use.
The remote isn’t backlit, which is a peculiar omission considering the projector is more likely to be used in low-light settings, and it’s powered by two AAA batteries. I would’ve preferred it if it were rechargeable via USB-C.
Design & features score: 3.5/5
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
Xgimi Aura 2 review: Picture and sound quality
Bright, colorful images
Custom settings possible with various HDR content
Built-in sound system is impressive
Due to space limitations in the room where I tested the Aura 2, I was only able to project an image roughly 80 inches in size onto a wall as opposed to a dedicated projection screen. Despite this, the Xgimi Aura 2 delivered a delightfully colorful, crisp image even during the daytime. Its brightness figure of 2300 ISO lumens might not match some of its closest competitors, such as the Hisense PX3-Pro or Samsung Premiere 9, but even in a room with sunlight filtering in, the image produced by the Aura 2 was easy to watch.
A Dolby Vision stream of Toy Story 4 on Disney Plus via an Apple TV 4K device exhibited excellent color reproduction, with the Aura 2’s 99% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut meaning greens, pinks, yellows and reds were all delivered with vibrancy. Getting the best picture settings for your personal preference, though, isn’t the easiest thing in the world.
When the Aura 2 detects Dolby Vision content it automatically switches to a default picture mode which doesn’t give much in the way of customization. You can switch between Dolby Vision Bright and Dark modes, with the former boosting the brightness a little, and you are able to set your own custom settings for things such as brightness and contrast, but there isn’t anything in the form of Filmmaker Mode, for example. Switch to non-Dolby Vision content, however, and you are able to cycle through a more familiar set of picture presets, including Movie, which I used whenever it was available.
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
Darker scenes in Toy Story 4, such as when Woody accidentally gets thrown out of the traveling RV at night revealed the Xgimi Aura 2 could handle subtle shadow details surprisingly well. As the famed cowboy is walking along the road at night, the rocky detailing of the tarmac road is easily seen, while grass and trees in dimmer lighting to the left are picked out as well.
While the majority of content projected by the Aura 2 includes the black bars above and below the central image – which can look a little too stretched out at times – because it is IMAX Enhanced, any content viewed in this format fills the entire projection surface. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on Disney Plus is a good example, and one of the opening scenes featuring Ta Lo and Xu Wenwu in a lush green forest was another treat for the eyes. The fast-moving fight choreography was handled expertly and colors were clear and natural.
What was perhaps most surprising to me during my testing of the Xgimi Aura 2 was its audio performance. Xgimi has opted for a four-speaker Harman Kardon system with a combined output of 60 watts. With the projector and speakers sitting below the screen, it could have been all too easy for the sound output to feel low, but in actual fact voices clearly come from further above, resulting in a more immersive experience than I was expecting.
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
It can support Dolby Atmos, although I experienced more of a half-dome of sound as opposed to a full enveloping effect, which is to be expected to some degree due to there not being any physical rear speakers. But the Aura 2 can throw sound out wide with accurate object placement within the soundfield. Bass performance was also surprisingly good, with the Aura 2 projector capable of going real low. A little further on in Shang Chi,when the titular hero is fighting on a bus, is an engaging watch, with the backing soundtrack, punches, kicks and smashes all being fired out with genuine impact.
The Aura 2 does have an eARC output for connecting an external sound system, but I don’t think many people will feel the need to do so unless they want a more authentic Dolby Atmos experience.
Picture & sound quality score: 4.5/5
Xgimi Aura 2 review: Value
Competitively priced in the US and UK
Expensive compared to other models in Australia
Affordable big-screen TVs could be a better option
The Xgimi Aura 2 can be considered good value, but only depending on where you live. In the US and UK, it costs less than a well-specced big-screen TV such as an 83-inch LG C4 OLED. In Australia, however, it does still cost more for an 83-inch LG C4, but only by a few hundred dollars. Given the TV has a more feature-packed operating system, delivers true blacks and has a picture quality that’s less susceptible to bright rooms, it makes it a more compelling option purely from a value standpoint.
But, if it is a projector you’re seeking, the Xgimi Aura 2 definitely deserves an audition. It’s a great projector that delivers a colorful, clear image. It’s let down by its operating system, but if you don’t mind plugging an external media streamer into one of its HDMI inputs, then this becomes less of an issue.
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
Value score: 4/5
Should I buy the Xgimi Aura 2?
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
Buy it if...
You want a simple UST projector The Aura 2 has a wealth of built-in, automatic picture adjustment settings that should mean getting the perfect image is just a button press away.
You want vibrant images With 99% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage, the Aura 2 delivers superb, punchy colors that dazzle no matter the image size.
You don't have an external sound system It's no issue for the Aura 2, the built-in speaker goes big and loud, and only adds to its home theater credentials.
Don't buy it if...
You do all your viewing in a bright room It's not specific to the Aura 2, but a bright room is a projector's kryptonite. It counters well, but ultimately won't be able to compete against a TV.
You want access to the popular streaming apps The Aura 2 uses Android TV as its OS, which isn't as talented as Google TV. Some apps are missing and others require workarounds. It's not the most seamless of experiences.
Also consider
Hisense PX3-Pro Our top pick as the best UST projector right now, the PX3-Pro delivers high brightness and rich color from its 3-laser light engine. It's also well-equipped for gaming, with multiple HDMI 2.1 ports and support for 4K 120Hz and 1080p 240Hz gaming.
Samsung The Premiere 9 It's expensive, but Samsung's The Premiere 9 is capable of delivering outstandingly bright images. Its Tizen smart TV platform is a joy to use and the built-in sound is so good, you won't need a soundbar.
Epson LS800 The Epson LS800 uses a 3-LCD laser light source to beam a stunningly bright 4,000 lumens image. This makes it a great option for daytime sports viewing and it also has good built-in sound.
Tested at home in various real-world living conditions
Projected the image onto a white wall as opposed to a dedicated screen
Watched a variety of content in SDR and HDR format
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
I tested the Xgimi Aura 2 at home over a period of about a month so I could experience it during various daytime living conditions. This meant multiple light sources, be it natural daylight or overhead lightbulbs, came into my testing room, at which point I rated the picture to see how well it performed.
The projector was tested against a white wall for the duration of my review, which also allowed me to test out its wall color adaptation and wall flatness modes. Both performed well and I could see noticeable differences before and after calibration.
I used a variety of content, including 4K HDR and standard full HD content from a variety of streaming services.
My testing evaluates the projector's performance against other reviews my colleagues at TechRadar have conducted. I have been writing about and reviewing displays for five years.
Dimensions/Weight: 765 x 385 x 395 mm (WxDxH)/18kg
The Procolored F13 Panda L1800 is a dedicated DTF printer aimed at enthusiasts and entrepreneurs looking to customize clothing on a medium scale. It’s an accessible and affordable, consumer-friendly printer that also has the wide-format proportions and high ink capacity that will interest established print shops producing up to 50 pieces per day. But first of all, what is a DTF printer?
DTF (direct to film) is a process that prints specially formulated liquid ink onto plastic film ready for transfer onto the surface of fabric using a heat press. It differs from sublimation printing where the dry ink on the transfer paper is sublimated by the heat into a gas that can penetrate the fibers of certain textiles and other materials (for more on this, I reviewed the best sublimation printers out there right now). DTF’s surface printing is therefore less permanent, but also less fussy about your fabric and it has no problem printing on black cloth because it adds white ink to the usual CMYK foursome.
The Procolored F13 Panda L1800 is using an Epson inkjet print head to apply ink droplets to 13-inch (33cm) rolls of transfer film. That means you can print high resolution graphics at tabloid or A3 size width and up to a meter long. This semi-pro printer costs around US$3,000/£2,400 and that includes Windows software, a set of 250ml inks, a roll of plastic film and a bag of adhesive powder (essential for curing your transfers). But if you also want the tabloid-sized Procolored Panda oven that I used to conduct this test, the all-inclusive price is around US$3,400/£2,800. I also added a Panda heat press costing around US$469/£360 to complete my Procolored production line.
Procolored F13 Panda L1800: Design and build
(Image credit: Procolored)
The Procolored Panda L1800 printer feels like a professional tool thanks to its robust all metal construction, while the playful Panda logo makes it look more like a consumer product. Either way, the design and build quality are both excellent. The various metal hinges and flaps are built to last, as are the equally rugged roll holder and paper cutter that bolt on with satisfying precision. The design is quite compact compared to other wide-format fabric printers, while still being large enough to hold 13-inch (33cm) rolls of transfer film for printing tabloid/A3-width sheets up to a meter long. There’s plenty of room for ink in the bottle holder at the right side too. Each of the five bottles holds 250ml of DTF ink. The whole thing weighs just under 40lb (18kg).
Inside the steel bodywork, the long lengths of clear plastic tubing look more science project than polished product, but it all works well enough. There’s no touchscreen interface, unfortunately, just an LED display showing the operating temperature and a few large button controls.
The accompanying Procolored Panda Oven is a simple steel unit for heating your printed film to 120-degrees to cure the DTF ink ready for transfer. It’ll take tabloid-sized sheets so the footprint is similar to that of the printer and the surface is conveniently flat which is handy for laying out and inspecting your work. Again, the metal construction feels strong enough to withstand life in a busy print shop.
Procolored F13 Panda L1800: Features & specifications
(Image credit: Procolored)
The Procolored F13 Panda package includes all the features needed to print from a PC onto fabric via film transfer. The L1800 printer itself can print onto 13in (33cm) rolls of plastic film which are then sliced to the appropriate length (up to one meter) with the included guillotine attachment. You can also feed in regular sheets of letter or tabloid paper when running nozzle checks, but there is no paper input tray.
It’s using inkjet technology to apply specially formulated DTF ink onto polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film. The quoted print speed is a little longer than the average photo printer at eight-foot per hour. I found it took anything between 5 to 10 minutes for a letter-sized design and 10 to 20 minutes for tabloid. Procolored suggests a production rate of 20 to 50 pieces per day which could suit a medium-scale shirt business.
One major advantage of DTF printing over sublimation printing is that it adds white ink to the four CMYK colors which makes printing onto black fabric possible. White DTF ink is prone to clogging, but this printer avoids print head clogging by circulating the white ink, even when not in active use. The only downside is that DTF uses more energy than sublimation as a result.
Procolored F13 Panda L1800: Setup
(Image credit: Procolored)
Setting up the Procolored L1800 printer from scratch takes around half an hour - if everything goes to plan. The roller assembly needs to be screwed onto the machine, so you’ll need a screwdriver, but it’s so intuitive, you might not need to refer to the online instructions. The cutter clips on in a similarly logical way. Loading the ink requires more care to pour the five 500ml bottles into the correct five 250ml reservoirs without spilling any. I spilled a few drops, but the water-based ink is easy to clear up. Each color has to be sucked through long runs of rubber tubing to the print head using the supplied syringe. Once the film and ink are loaded, the printer can be switched on and allowed to reach its operating temperature. DTF printing requires a temperature range of 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F) for stable ink viscosity.
So far, so easy. However, I had real trouble installing the necessary Procolored RIP software and printer drivers. The first hurdle was finding a Windows PC with sufficient USB inputs. With no inbuilt wi-fi, you need to connect a data cable to the printer and have a second USB port free for the dongle that must remain plugged in while running the software. The Procolored software and drivers are delivered on a USB stick so a third USB port is useful. Even then, it took many hours and some assistance by patient Procolored engineers in China before I was printing. Perhaps my problems were down to user error, so I don’t want to put anyone off at this stage, but I do think the software side of things needs improvement and you will need some Windows OS experience to install it. Procolored are still working on Mac software for this product.
Procolored F13 Panda L1800: Operation
(Image credit: Procolored)
Once you’re up and running, printing tee-shirts is fairly straight forward and fun, though I have to admit making a lot of mistakes and misprints along the way. First, you open the Procolored RIP software, adjust your canvass dimensions to suit your shirt size and import your design. When you’ve finished manipulating it with the Photoshop-stye software, hit RIP. If this were a consumer product, that button would be labelled print, but technically, your image is undergoing Raster Image Processing in order to create a bitmap that the printer can read and print.
After a few minutes of printing, you’re rewarded with a warm and moist version of your design on film, which can be sliced off with the integrated cutter. Until the ink is cured, it’s prone to smearing, so you’ll need to be careful as you cover it with the adhesive powder (included). After tipping the excess powder back in the bag, place the film in the oven at 120 degrees. The Procolored oven will automatically rise to this temperature and sound an alarm after 180 seconds when your transfer is cured and ready to remove. It is still a little sticky at this point, so it’s best to get right onto the pressing stage. With your plain garment ironed and waiting on your heat press, place the transfer on it and activate the press. Procolored’s heat press also defaults to the right temperature and automatically re-opens after 45 seconds. Remove your tee-shirt and wait a few minutes for it to cool before peeling away the film to leave the graphic fixed permanently to the fabric.
Procolored F13 Panda L1800: Performance
(Image credit: Procolored)
If you want to print detailed graphics onto fabric with a high-quality finish, you should definitely try the Procolored F13 Panda package. I printed a variety of images onto a variety of textiles to test its performance and was consistently impressed by the results. The five DTF inks are strong colors which combine to make vivid prints with very accurate colors on film and they maintain that boldness when cured and pressed onto garments. What’s more, the colors seem to hold fast after multiple wash cycles. For the test, I used shirts made of 100% organic cotton, a polyester mix and bags made from 100% polyester and found that the initial was the same clean transfer in each case. However, it’s the pieces that fit best in the heat press that transferred the easiest. Items that are larger than the A4-size heat press had to be pressed in stages and a couple of times, the design stretched and failed to transfer.
I chose high resolution test images, and the printer’s 1,400 x 1,400 dpi resolution was able to turn them into crisp graphics, which stay crisp on the cloth. DTF has a resolution advantage over sublimation and thanks to the addition of white ink, DTF printers like this can print on dark fabric with no compromise in quality. Sublimation only works on light fabrics, ideally white. The downside is that DTF requires more equipment for the additional curing stage, but if you can afford and accommodate the curing oven, water-based DTF ink is generally cheaper than sublimation ink.
Procolored F13 Panda L1800: Consumables
(Image credit: Procolored)
The Procolored F13 Panda package ships with a 500g bag of adhesive powder, a roll of PET film, a print head cleaning kit and a set of initial DTF ink (six 250ml bottles). That’s one bottle each of CMYK and two of white, which is more heavily used. Procolored says six 500ml bottles (CMYKWW) of ink can print approximately 800 sheets of A3 (13" x 16") size patterns, or 1,600 sheets of A4 patterns. That much Procoored ink costs around US$300/£200, which seems reasonable, although there’s nothing to stop you buying third party ink which I’ve seen selling for less than $100. In other words, DTF pigment-based ink is affordable and the consumables cost of printing one tee-shirt comes in at well under a dollar a piece.
Procolored F13 Panda L1800: Maintenance
(Image credit: Procolored)
DTF printers need more maintenance than your average inkjet, but luckily the Procolored F13 Panda L1800 will automatically clean its own printhead every 10 hours when left on, consuming about 1ml ink per day. If you’re leaving the printer for more than seven days, however, it’s recommended you empty the ink.
Procolored F13 Panda L1800: Final verdict
(Image credit: Procolored)
There’s a lot to like about the Procolored F13 Panda L1800. The design is logical and appealing and the steel construction feels like it’s built to last. It can print large designs on a 13-inch roll of paper and cut them off with its integrated cutter. I struggled with the Procolored RIP software initially, but once you know what you’re doing, it’s possible to produce enough printed garments per day to satisfy a small business. And the print quality is excellent. By mixing five DTF inks together (CMYKW) it creates vivid and detailed graphics that transfer faithfully onto almost any kind of fabric.
There’s room for improvement too. I found the Windows software unintuitive and it only works while the dongle is inserted. Procolored assured me that Mac software is on the way. The print head is somewhat prone to clogging despite some clever automated ink management and I’d like to see wi-fi and a reset button built into the next edition. There were numerous occasions when the printer wouldn’t connect to my PC, or the ink ran, or the paper slipped, so it’s not perfect. That said, this is a very good DTF printer at a fair price.
It's not quite as quick as the A9 III with its global shutter, unlimited flash sync speed and 120fps burst shooting, nor does it quite produce the same highly-detailed pictures as the 61MP A7R V; but the A1 II is the best Sony has to offer for detail and speed in a single camera.
That dash of the A1 is the same full-frame back-illuminated 50MP stacked sensor, powered by Sony's Bionz XR processor for 30fps burst shooting and 8K video up to 30fps with 10-bit 4:2:2 color depth, plus 4K 120fps slow-motion video.
The sprinkling of the A9 III (that upgrades this camera over the A1) is a like-for-like design, meaning a larger handgrip with a nicely-angled shutter button, a larger 3.2-inch multi-angle touchscreen with better color depth, more effective image stabilization now rated up to 8.5EV, Sony's AI processing chip, plus an additional custom button for the likes of an instant boost in speed for burst shooting.
The A1 II's design is inherited from the A9 III, which means a chunkier handgrip and larger multi-angle touchscreen (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)
Finally, the sprinkling of the all-new includes a new 'Auto' subject-detection autofocus mode, meaning you don't have to manually select the subject type ahead of time, though you still can if you'd rather. Users can also import custom LUT color profiles, in addition to Sony's popular S-Log3 and S-Cinetone color profiles that are built-in.
The message here is that there's practically nothing new in the A1 II, which is highly unusual for a Sony flagship camera, especially after such a quiet 2024 for the camera giant, with this being the first new full-frame Alpha this year.
The A1 II combines excellent A1 and A9 III attributes in a single camera, but there's little here to get excited about. That said, Sony has slightly reduced the launch price compared to the A1 when it was announced almost fours ago (though Sony's hand has been somewhat forced by cheaper rivals coming onto the scene), and has ultimately created a polished upgrade over the first-gen model that's likely to please pros who rely on their gear daily in challenging situations.
It may not be an exciting upgrade, but the Sony A1 II is up there with the very best cameras we've tested.
Sony A1 II: price and release date
Body-only price is $6,500 / £6,300 (Australia TBC, around $12,000)
On sale from late November
New BC-ZD1 charger and VG-C5 grip (sold separately)
The Sony A1 II will go on sale from late November 2024 with a list price of $6,500 / £6,300. That's a fraction lower than the launch price of the A1 from all the way back in 2021. In one sense that's commendable on Sony's part, but on the other hand the market has changed, and the A1 series has now has accomplished rivals that offer perhaps 90% of the all-round package but cost about 50% less. Sony needed to be aggressive with its pricing, and it has been to an extent, but the Nikon Z9 in particular looks very reasonable by comparison.
Sony A1 II: specs
Sony A1 II: design and handling
Same design as the A9 III
Smart control layout with handy shortcuts to frequently used features
New dedicated mic for voice memos
In terms of change from the A1, you get a larger 3.2-inch multi-angle touchscreen, with the dual hinge enabling users to tilt and angle the screen for easy viewing at high or low angles whether they're shooting vertical or horizontal. That dual-hinge design also enables you to pull the screen further away from the body and its chunky viewfinder eye-piece, which can otherwise partially obstruct the screen.
The A1 II's handgrip is more rounded and all-round chunkier, and I feel like it slots into the hand better than the grip on the A1, though they are similar in depth. There are little refinements too, such as the shutter button being angled slightly differently and easier to press.
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(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)
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(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)
As on the A9 III, there's an additional custom button on the front of the A1 II, which is factory-set to act as a speed boost for continuous burst shooting. The idea is that you don't always want to be shooting at the maximum frame rate, which in this case is 30fps, but you might suddenly need that speed, and the button allows you to tick over at a lower frame rate and get an instant injection of extra frames when you need it.
One feature that caught my eye in the original A1, and has again here, is the max flash sync speed of 1/400 sec. That beats the Nikon Z9 for example, making the A1 II a more versatile camera for flash photography, especially if you like using a wide aperture.
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(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)
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(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)
The A1 II is also an extremely rugged weatherproof camera, with nicely designed rigid doors on the connection ports that stay out of the way when the ports are in use, while the dual memory card door features a push lock and is a better design than Nikon's, which can easily be knocked open.
Check out our A9 III review to learn more about the A1 II's design – the two cameras share practically the same design.
Sony A1 II : features and performance
Improved image stabilization, up to 8.5EV
Same 759-point AF array, now with AI processing unit for subject detection
30fps burst shooting for up to 153 raw images, now with pre-capture
Sony has delivered one notable hardware improvement. adding an AI processing unit that was debuted in the A7R V. This should deliver better subject-detection autofocus for photo and video compared to the A1, though we haven't tested the A1 II against the A1, both of which share the same 759 AF point array, to see just how much of a difference it makes.
Having used Sony's previous professional Alphas, I was most keen to test out the new Auto subject-detection autofocus mode. Frustrated by what feel to me like unnecessarily complex subject detection choices that you need to manually select ahead of time – humans, birds, animals, car, insects, planes, trains and so on, I've called on brands to add an auto mode that simplifies the experience. Cue the A1 II and its new mode. I haven't tested the camera for long enough to know if it works well versus using a dedicated mode (which you can also do), but I'll be doing that for my full A1 II review. However, it worked absolutely fine when shooting portraits of people during my hands-on testing, locking reliably onto my subject's eyes.
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Sony also says the next-gen autofocus is able to recognize the head and body of humans / animals, and that its performance is 30% more effective than the A1's for detecting human and animal eyes, while the camera's autofocus can operate effectively in low light down to -4EV.
(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)
Another similarity between this camera and its predecessor is that both can shoot at a burst rate of up to 30fps for a similar length of time before slowing down – a little over 150 raw frames or close to 180 JPEGs. For such occasions, that speed-boost button is infinitely helpful for improving efficiency and workflow by enabling you to adapt your shooting rate.
The A1 II also gets a handy pre-capture feature. Pre-capture is nothing new, although Sony was late to the party, only introducing it to an Alpha camera with the A9 III. Put simply, pre-capture can buffer up to one second's worth of photos – in this case 30 photos – before you fully press the shutter button to start capturing a high-speed sequence. That one second of grace when you're slow to react could be the difference between capturing the moment and missing it completely.
Sony A1 II: image and video quality
50MP stills and 8K/30p video
4:2:2 10-bit color depth and Sony's S-Log3, S-Cinetone, plus LUT imports
Pixel Shift and Noise Reduction shooting modes
Sony's 50MP full-frame stacked sensor is a proven performer, delivering sharp stills with up to 15EV of dynamic range. The A7R V's 61MP sensor gets you marginally better detail, but the A1 II is a much faster performer. Furthermore, in-body image stabilization is improved over the A1, and you'll often getting slightly sharper end results when shooting handheld, depending on the camera's shutter speed and how steady your hand is.
Once again Sony's Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode features, combining up to 16 shots for one larger 199MP composite image. It's not as effective as Canon's in-camera AI upscaling feature in the EOS R1 / EOS R5 Mark II, especially if there's any movement in your shot. However, in situations such as still lifes in the studio it increases detail by up to 400%. Sony has also added a new Noise Reduction shooting mode that, like Pixel Shift, combines multiple images but in this case for a cleaner image, especially in low light.
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The Auto subject-detection mode worked fine in this portrait, with the focus pin-sharp on the eyes (scroll to next image to see a close-up). (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)
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Outright image quality is, in effect, the same as from the A1, which is a good thing, with clean images up to ISO 12,800 from the A1 II's ISO 100-32,000 range. The almost four-year-old sensor has stood the test of time. Where we really see improvements in image quality is in the positive effect of improved image stabilization for handheld shots and even more reliable subject-detection autofocus for shooting animals, vehicles, people, and so on.
How I tested the Sony A1 II
(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)
I tested the camera for a week with the FE 28-70mm F2 GM lens
This was a full-production model with final firmware
I used it with Sony's Creator Cloud app
I tested a final firmware version of the Sony A1 II, together with the new Sony FE 28-70mm F2 GM lens, for a week. The A1 II's raw files were not readable in editing software ahead of the camera's launch.
I've been shooting with a CFexpress Type A card to get the best possible performance from the camera, and recorded burst sequences at TechRadar's standard camera testing settings: 1/250 sec, ISO 200, and continuous AF.
Sony's Creator Cloud app works with the A1 II, and I used the app to remotely shoot images with the camera and upload images too. I shot portraits of humans and animals with the various subject-detection autofocus modes.
I went into my first leg compression experience with Ublives somewhat skeptical of the benefits, and early on in my testing, I wasn’t blown away. Sure, getting a robotic leg massage was kind of cool, and enjoyable, but I didn’t feel like I’d found the vital missing link in my recovery chain. That was until I played my first game of soccer in seven years. After just an hour spent out of breath, fighting for my life on a cold Scottish winter night, I’ve become convinced that leg compression of any kind can provide a massive boost to recovery and performance, and the Ublives SoleFlux Relax are a great starting point for anyone looking to get involved.
Following my first serious aerobic exercise in years, I’ve been mainlining Ublives’ boots multiple times a day, and the only residual soreness I had in my legs was in the places they don’t reach, leaving me thoroughly impressed with their usefulness.
The SoleFlux Relax aren't the cheapest or the most expensive pair of compression boots on the market. You’ll find cheaper options from the likes of Pulsio or more expensive options from Hyperice. In and around the Ublives are offerings from Therabody, who make some of the best massage guns for fitness and recovery.
The SoleFlux Relax, like all leg compression boots, are simple in concept. They’re enormous boots that cover your feet, lower leg, and most of your thigh. Inflatable chambers receive air through a compression device, exerting pressure on your aching limbs to provide the sensation of a massage.
(Image credit: Future)
At first wear, they’re very comfortable to put on, with a single zip running the length of each boot ensuring that you can get in and out of them very easily. I’m six foot tall with long legs and pretty beefy thighs and found that I couldn’t quite get them all the way on for maximum comfort. It wasn’t a deal breaker, but I often used them with the feeling that I hadn’t quite got my leg all the way in.
There are two basic designs of leg compression, and Ublives has opted for a modular design with a small air compression control unit that attaches directly to each leg. This means that you can use each side independently, and are free to move around a bit more. This can be handy if you need targeted recovery for just one leg, or want a bit more flexibility. However, I found that this also led to asynchronous massages where one leg didn’t quite match the other, even when I selected the same program, pressure, and duration. Using the power units was very simple, there’s a button for on, a toggle for pressure, and buttons to control the program and time length.
There are three programs each available in three different durations. Circulation Mode sends pressure up your leg starting at your foot and is dubbed as a sports recovery mode. Sequence mode is targeted at those with muscle soreness and moves from foot to thigh in a slightly different pattern. Finally, there’s Whole Mode, a deep care setting for people who sit for long periods of time and don’t exercise much. Each is available as a 10, 20, or 30-minute program.
I was surprised by how intense the pressure was, even in the middle or lower settings. In fact, the pressure is so intense I’ve not psyched myself up enough to turn it up to five. Rest assured, at least, that even the very achiest and stiffest legs can benefit from Ublives.
While it’s impossible to say whether you will benefit in the same way from leg compression, I’ve found myself impressed by their usefulness. As noted, they were a vital part of my recent recovery from my soccer-induced leg pain. Beyond sports, I’ve found myself using them at some point of every day for a variety of reasons. I’ve used them after a long day sitting down at my desk, and I’ve found another great benefit too. The Ublives seem to help with Restless leg syndrome, with a good program before bed really helping to calm my muscles as I try to sleep.
While Ublives have been my first experience with leg compression, I was surprised by how light they were, and the build quality was reassuringly sturdy. The control units are powered by USB-C and take around 2 and a half hours to charge. From that, you should get 20 minutes of use per day for 10 days, or 200 minutes of use. I’ve broadly found that claim to hold up, running 30 minutes five or six times before needing to charge up again.
Ublives SoleFlux Relax: Price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
The Ublives SoleFlux Relax are available exclusively from Ublives.com. They retail at $599, with the price the same wherever you buy them from, so watch out for exchange rates. The AirFit Hyperbag is an optional extra that costs $120. Ublives advertises a 90-day money-back guarantee for users who want to try the product.
TechRadar readers can score them at the reduced price of $479 by using the code Techradar20 at Ublives.com.
Ublives SoleFlux Relax: Specifications
(Image credit: Future)
Ublives SoleFlux Relax: Scorecard
Ublives SoleFlux Relax: Should I buy?
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Buy if it...
You want excellent leg compression
Ublives deliver great pressure and a range of excellent programs
You want a split-leg design
With two separate boots and control units, these are perfect if you want a separate-leg design.
Don't buy it if...
You’re on a budget
There are considerably cheaper options out there
You want a single-unit design
Other units can be found with a single control unit that manages both legs
Also consider
How I tested
I’ve used the Ublives SoleFlux Relax multiple times a day for a few weeks, including before and after workouts, in the evening at bedtime, and following long days sat down at the office. I used all three of the programs available for each of the three durations available. I also ran the batteries to zero and recharged them multiple times to test battery life and recharge time.
Oupes' new Mega 2 portable power station, with a 2048Wh battery capacity and 2500W AC power inverter, brings affordable rechargeable power to the masses.
Specifications
Battery chemistry: LiFePo4
Battery capacity: 2048Wh
Number of charge cycles: Over 3500 before 20% drop
AC output power: 2500W, surge 5400W
Number of AC outlets: 4
Number of USB sockets: 4 Type A, 2 Type C
Number of 12V sockets: 1 Anderson, 1 Cigar lighter, 2 DC 5521
AC inverter efficiency: 86%
Number of power inputs: 2
Fastest charge time: 1 hour
Additional features: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity
Weight: 22kg
Based on the proven LiFePo4 Lithium chemistry, the station will provide over 3500 charge cycles before experiencing a 20% drop in battery capacity. The design allows for future battery expansion, enabling up to two additional power packs for a total capacity of over 10kWh.
The unit can fast charge at 1600W, resulting in a full charge in less than two hours. Charging through solar panels yields an even higher rate at 2100W. The Mega 2 has fifteen low-power outputs to accommodate many home uses, and a TT30 socket is an excellent addition for road trips. A snappy mobile app available for Apple and Android allows complete control of the unit while providing helpful insight into output power consumption and the overall health of the station.
(Image credit: Future)
Oupes Mega 2: Pricing and Availability
Oupes’ Mega 2 has an MSRP of $1500 and is available at a special price of $1039 for a limited time, about 2WHr per dollar. Oupes also offers other stations with smaller and larger power capacities. The Mega 3 and 5 offer 3000Wh and 5000Wh, respectively, although they cost more, at $2240 and $3500. The Mega 1, the smallest in the family, offers only a 1kWh battery for $700.
Oupes Mega 2: Design
The Mega 2 ships with four Anderson cables, allowing the station to be used on the road or with solar panels, one AC charging cable, and a user manual. It measures 46cm x 27cm x 31cm and weighs 22kg. The plastic case has two handles on each side, allowing the unit to be moved rapidly from one place to another. Two large fans on the left bring decent airflow to the battery charger and AC inverter.
The Oupes Mega 2 has a powerful battery charger that supports up to 2100W through the solar DC input. With a maximum voltage of 150V, the unit can connect to ten 200W 12V panels, completing a charge cycle in less than two hours. The same input is used to charge the battery with the supplied car cable, but it will take much longer since the power is limited to 100W.
Like other power stations, the front panel hosts a large display and buttons to control the outputs. The LCD is bright and shows the percentage of the battery remaining. Input and output power are also shown but in smaller characters. Protections when the output power exceeds the maximum allowed also appear on the display.
The Mega 2 offers plenty of output options to the user. The low-voltage DC sockets include 12V outputs and the ubiquitous USB Type-A and Type-C. Both USB sockets support quick charge through a higher power profile. The Type-C can output a maximum of 100W, while the Type-A can only output 18W. Two 12V high-power outputs are also available, one supporting an Anderson connector that can output 360W, while the other is a cigar plug capable of 120W.
(Image credit: Future)
Oupes Mega 2: In Use
The AC output is more than capable of powering even the most demanding of household appliances. Rated at 2500W with short bursts of 5400W, the Mega 2 can give 120V at 1500W off four regular AC sockets. A fifth socket provides 2500W of power in a TT30 format, which is convenient on road trips to power a trailer's main electrical outlets.
Oupes has been generous with the charging options available in the Mega 2. Surprisingly, with its 1600W input power, the AC input is not the fastest way. The Anderson DC input supports 2100W and, with appropriate solar panels, can recharge the batteries in less than one hour. The DC input tolerates up to 150V, conveniently accepting ten 12V solar panels in series. The Mega 2 has an extra DC port, which can take an additional 2kWh battery.
Oupes’ mobile app replicates the power station's display functionality. The app initially pairs with a smartphone over Bluetooth and requires entering a QR code. The Mega 2 also includes a Wi-Fi interface, eventually becoming the main communication channel once the Bluetooth step is over. This means user data are transferred to Oupes’ cloud services, and the power station becomes accessible worldwide.
The Mega 2 features several protection mechanisms to prevent battery failures and damage to the station or connected equipment. Over ten error codes can be displayed on the front screen, each with a clear description in the user manual. As with any device that generates a lot of heat, it is recommended that the Mega 2 be kept in a well-ventilated area. With an efficiency of 86%, the unit is in the ballpark for this class of power stations.
Oupes Mega 2: The competition
Oupes' Mega 2 falls into the medium-sized power station with combined output power, AC, and DC, approaching 3kW. The 2kWh LiFePo4 battery brings it to the same level as the Bluetti and Ecoflow flagships. The volume taken by the station is about 26L, a smaller amount compared to the Mega 2’s two main competitors. Similar products have fast charging capabilities, which the Mega 2 excels at with its 2100W DC charge.
The Bluetti AC200L has battery capacity and output power similar to the Mega 2. The Bluetti and Ecoflow brands carry an MSRP higher than an Oupes station since they were the first to use LiFePo4 and have an established brand. Compared to the AC200L, the Mega 2 is also 25% smaller and weighs 22kg compared to the AC200L’s 28kg.
(Image credit: Future)
Oupes Mega 2: Final verdict
The Mega 2 power station from Oupes offers solid competition to Ecoflow and Bluetti products in terms of output power and battery capacity. Being a cheaper solution with similar battery technology, the Mega 2 is a more compact and lighter unit that packs as many, if not more, power outlets. It offers a battery expansion that can reach 10 kWh and is remotely controlled through a mobile app. What is missing is the brand recognition and community support the more well-known brands enjoy.
Buy the Mega 2 if ...
you need a powerful station but have a limited budget.View Deal
Don’t buy if ...
you are looking for the most efficient station around.View Deal
Asus took a bold turn towards the mainstream with the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro in 2023, repositioning its flagship (but typically niche) gaming phone as something you might actually want to use day-to-day. You don't get two consecutive radical overhauls in the modern smartphone era, so the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro serves as more of a gentle refinement.
The chief improvement comes from the switch to Qualcomm's impressive Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which provides a measurable bump in performance. This is paired with a whole lot of RAM and a passive cooling system that has been beefed up yet further.
Whatever the contributing factors, the ROG Phone 9 Pro addresses our concerns over its predecessor's sustained performance, remaining consistently fast over longer gaming sessions.
The ROG Phone 9 Pro sticks to the design template of last year's model, with the same (relatively) discrete shape and style. Quality of life features like wireless charging and IP68 certification make a return, too, and continue to be unique among gaming phones.
(Image credit: Future)
Hardcore mobile gamers will likely continue to regard this as a compromised layout, however. Asus has only half-heartedly addressed the lack of dual front-firing speakers, while the display continues to be partially obstructed by a hole punch camera, unlike that of the Red Magic 9S Pro.
One gamer-friendly change on the ROG Phone 9 Pro is the provision of a larger 5,800mAh battery, which ensures epic stamina in regular usage. More to the point, you'll be able to indulge in some serious gaming on your commute without fear of running out of juice. Charging speeds are quick enough, and there's a secondary USB-C port on the left-hand edge for easy charging while gaming.
Asus' rear-mounted AniMe Vision system, introduced in the ROG Phone 8 Pro, has been improved, with a bunch more LEDs. You can even play a series of simplistic games on it, using the returning mappable Air Trigger controls. It's a fun addition, but pretty superfluous given the range of games (both simple and otherwise) that can be played on the main screen.
Talking of which, Asus has stuck with broadly the same 6.78-inch AMOLED panel as before. The only real difference is that the refresh rate now goes up to 185Hz, but you'll struggle to find many games that can capitalize on such a feature.
(Image credit: Future)
Also similar is the ROG Phone 9 Pro's camera system, which adds an improved gimbal stabilization system to the package. It's far from one of the best camera phones out there, especially among its premium-priced flagship competition, but it's capable of capturing solid shots in a variety of scenarios.
The software provision remains the most thoughtful of any gaming phone, with a straight choice between Asus' bespoke gamer aesthetic and a more traditional stock(ish) Android UI. It's a real shame you'll only be getting two major Android updates, though at least the AI-enhanced Android 15 is available out of the box.
For all its many minor improvements, it's questionable whether the ROG Phone 9 Pro is the best out-and-out gaming phone on the market, and it's certainly not the best value. However, it's quite clearly the best option if gaming is merely the first among many interests.
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review: Price and availability
From $1,199 / £1,099.99 / AU$1,999
Shipping expected second half of December
Global Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro pre-orders are open now, with shipping expected to begin in mid-to-late December. The US launch will follow sometime later, but American customers can sign up to be notified of the announcement on the US Asus Official Store.
The ROG Phone 9 comes in three variants: the regular Asus ROG Phone 9 (eyes peeled for a separate review), the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro, and the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition. It's the latter that I've been testing for this review, though it's broadly the same phone as the regular Pro.
Pricing starts at $1,199.99 / £1,099.99 / AU$1,999 for the ROG Phone Pro with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The ROG Phone Pro Edition is the same phone, but with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, as well as an external AeroActive Cooler X Pro fan included in the box. This top-tier model costs $1,499.99 / £1,299.99 / AU$2,499.
It's worth mentioning that there's a little more meaningful differentiation for the regular ROG Phone 9 this year. It has a simpler AniMe Vision LED set-up on the back, and swaps out the dedicated telephoto camera for a lesser macro one.
Pricing for the regular model starts at $999.99 / £949.99 / AU$1,799 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. In the UK and Europe, you can bump the latter up to 512GB for £999.99, but this model won't be available in the US or Australia.
All of this pricing is consistent with last year's models. Make no mistake, this is an expensive phone whichever variant you opt for, especially with Nubia turning out similarly performing gaming phones for hundreds less (see the Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro, for instance). However, the ROG Phone 9 Pro is a unique proposition for the way it attempts to give gamers a phone they'd be happy to use day-to-day.
Value score: 3.5 / 5
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review: Specs
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review: Design
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Same more refined design as ROG Phone 8
Dedicated Air Trigger shoulder buttons
Two USB-C ports
Bundled AeroActive Cooler X Pro fan
Asus dropped its juvenile gamer aesthetic for the ROG Phone 8 Pro in favor of something a little more subdued and mature. Indeed, so comprehensive was the transformation, Asus essentially re-released the phone several months later as the normie Zenfone 11 Ultra.
Unsurprisingly, it has stuck to its design guns with the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro. The phone looks and feels almost exactly the same as its predecessor, with identical proportions of 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm and a similar weight of 227g. That's big by normal standards, but not especially so for a gaming phone.
Like the ROG Phone 8 pro, this heft is partly softened by a soft-touch precision-etched glass material on the rear that curves off at the edges. The Pro model only comes in a sober Phantom Black finish, which has just the slightest of glimmers about it. It's totally non-reflective, however, and also mercifully resistant to fingerprints.
There are still a few gamery decals dotted around the back of the phone, but at least Asus has ditched the cheesy 'Dare to Win' message this time around.
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One thing Asus has leaned into is the AniMe Vision secondary display that debuted on the ROG Phone 8 Pro. Completely invisible by default, this LED system (up from 341 to 648 LEDs) only lights up when you dive into the menus and activate it. You can have it play little animations when music is playing, for incoming calls and notifications, and more. I particularly liked the little countdown timer and smiley face that appears when you take timed photo.
The big new addition is the ability to play simplistic games on this stylized secondary display, but that's arguably the least consequential use for it. Using the Air Trigger controls, you can play crude knock-off versions of Space Invader, Snake, and the like. None of them are especially good, and I'm not sure why you'd ever opt for one of these given the range of games available for the main screen.
Asus added IP68 certification with the ROG Phone 8 Pro, and it makes a return here. It's something you don't get on the likes of the Red Magic 9 Pro with its big fan vents, and it's most welcome as the bad weather starts to roll in.
For gamers, this more accessible design is something of a mixed bag. On the plus side, you get a secondary USB-C port on the left-hand edge, which makes it easy to charge while you're gaming. You also get a 3.5mm headphone jack for latency-free audio.
Conversely, Asus' more streamlined design reduces the bezels to the point where there's no room for dual front-facing speakers. The earpiece fires frontwards, but the other speaker is on the bottom edge of the phone. This will never match true front-firing speakers for stereo clarity, and Asus knows it.
(Image credit: Future)
In a somewhat half-baked attempt to address this, the manufacturer has made it so that both of its official cases (including the bundled ChillCase) redirect the downwards-firing audio frontwards. It works to avoid you blocking the speaker with your finger while gaming, but it's still a half measure, especially if you don't care for the case.
As for the sound output itself, it gets nice and loud and clear, but it's no match for the nuanced output of similarly priced regular phones like the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Those compact bezels also mean that the front camera is marooned in a sea of screen, which isn't optimal for gaming, even if it's a standard measure for the vast majority of non-gaming phones. Still, it does mean that the selfie camera is usable, unlike with the Red Magic 9S Pro's awful in-display solution. Again, it all comes down to your priorities.
I've already drawn a contrast with the way Asus handles cooling compared to Nubia. Instead of integrating a physical fan into the body of the phone, Asus includes the aforementioned ChillCase, which draws heat away from the body of the phone. It also bundles in the AeroActive Cooler X Pro, which is a clip-on fan that serves to draw heat away from the body, as well as provide additional physical shoulder buttons and a built-in stand.
This AeroActive Cooler X Pro runs off the phone's power by hooking into its extra USB-C port, and also uses this to run some ROG lighting, which you can adjust or toggle off in the Armoury Crate app.
Compared to last year's AeroActive Cooler X, the AeroActive Cooler X Pro features a 12.5% larger fan and extra thermal material, boosting cooling efficiency by a claimed 29%. Its design is fundamentally similar though, and it's good to see that Asus is continuing to sell the older fan as a cheaper alternative.
Design score: 4 / 5
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review: Display
(Image credit: Future)
6.78-inch LTPO OLED
FHD+ resolution
Refresh rate now goes up to 185Hz
Asus has gone with a 6.78-inch E6 AMOLED display for the whole ROG Phone 9 range, which is the same as the ROG Phone 8. You might expect a sharper resolution than 1080 x 2400 (FHD+) given the price, especially of this top model, but image clarity is fine and fewer pixels make for better performance.
The brightness hasn't been cranked up at all, with the same claimed peak of 2,500 nits in HDR tasks and 1,600 nits in high brightness mode, which automatically activates in sunny outdoor conditions. It's far from the brightest screen on the market, but it proves to be more than enough in practical terms.
Color output is certainly on the punchy side, even in the supposedly Natural display setting. You can rein this in by switching to Standard mode, which offers a pleasingly balanced look, while you can also fine-tune the color temperature and saturation level according to your taste.
This is an LTPO panel, which means that it can operate at any one of 14 refresh rates depending on the task at hand, thus maximizing energy efficiency. This is actually one more gradient than the ROG Phone 8 Pro was capable of, and that's because the ROG Phone 9 Pro can extend beyond the previous 165Hz limit to 185Hz.
You can only access this elevated refresh rate when the screen is set to Auto, and it'll only activate within games. It's also a simple fact that vanishingly few games will actually take advantage of such a refresh rate. Indeed, most won't even hit 120Hz. Even the super-fluid Dead Cells topped out at 167fps for me.
Still, this is a phone built around high-end mobile gaming, which means it needs to offer the maximum possible gaming performance. In terms of display technology, it's mission accomplished.
Display score: 4 / 5
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review: Cameras
(Image credit: Future)
Familiar 1/1.56-inch main camera sensor with improved gimbal
13-inch ultra-wide with freeform lens
Dedicated 32MP 3x telephoto on Pro models only
It might appear as if Asus has switched to a new main camera sensor on paper, but the Sony Lytia 700 is merely a rebrand of the 1/1.56-inch IMX 890 found in the ROG Phone 8.
All that's new this time around, at least from a hardware perspective, is an improved gimbal system. The six-axis Hybrid Gimbal Stabilizer 4.0 can manage five degrees of motion compensation rather than the previous three.
As we've seen with previous Asus flagship phones, this system results in freakishly stable images and video footage, which has positive ramifications for low-light shots. By keeping even steadier, the ROG Phone 9 Pro can keep its shutter open for longer without it negatively affecting clarity – so long as the subject is relatively static.
Sure enough, food shots taken in dim restaurant lighting looked appropriately sharp and delectable, while Night mode shots were reasonably crisp and clear. I didn't spot too much of that artificial brightening effect that often blights less-than-top camera systems either.
You get the same 13MP ultra-wide camera as before, which can't manage the same detail or contrast as the main sensor. The overall tone is broadly of a piece, however, and edge distortion isn't excessive thanks to the provision of a freeform lens.
We also get the return of the ROG Phone 8's 32MP 3x telephoto camera – or at least, the ROG Phone 9 Pro does. In a noteworthy downgrade, Asus has dropped the telephoto from the regular ROG Phone 9, replacing it with a 5MP macro.
Speaking of the Pro model, the dedicated telephoto camera takes sharp and balanced shots at its native 3x zoom, and usable snaps using the hybrid 2x mode. Things start to get soft at 10x, however, while the 30x hybrid zoom turns out awful impressionistic snaps. Some of the facial features I captured on distant subjects in these extended hybrid zoom shots will haunt my dreams for some time to come.
The 32MP selfie camera makes a return, and it continues to go about its business adequately. Skin still looks a little waxy, but detail is fine; it makes the subject pop against the background nicely, and I appreciated the option of a wider perspective for group and landscape selfies.
That above-and-beyond gimbal further earns its place when capturing video at up to 4K/60fps or 8K/30fps. You can add electronic image stabilization (EIS) to the equation in HyperSteady mode, but this is only available at up to 1080p/60fps. Auto HDR can also be applied to videos, but only up to 1080p/30fps.
More than any hardware improvements, Asus seems to have gone the extra mile on its camera software this year. The big addition is Photo Vibes, which let you fundamentally alter the tone of your shots between five major settings.
Standard is Asus' idea of a balanced look, and it was also my preference throughout my test period. Rich & Warm cranks up the contrast and drops the temperature. Soft & Warm drops both, Vivid gives you high color temperature and high contrast for that cool blue tint, while Gentle Cold gives you high temperature but low contrast.
The other new feature that feels potentially meaningful is the ability to map the right Air Trigger button to the shutter. It's turned off by default, but when activated it gives you something of a point-and-shoot camera feel.
This is still only a capacitive button, so you don't get the same tactile feedback as the iPhone 16's Camera Control button, but it's a welcome addition nonetheless. I particularly appreciated that the shot was taken on release, not the initial press, which helps with stability and shot composition.
Make no mistake, this still isn't a top-notch camera system, despite the premium price you're paying for the phone. Neither night nor daytime shots are up to the level of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, or Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
That's part of the deal with even the best gaming phones, and this is still comfortably the best gaming phone camera in town. It's a low bar admittedly, but it's one that last year's ROG Phone 8 cleared with ease. The ROG Phone 9 Pro nudges things forward.
Camera score: 3.5 / 5
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro camera samples
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Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review: Performance
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Features the brand new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip
18GB or 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM
512GB or 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage
Let's face it, for all the ROG Phone 9 Pro's mainstream refinements, we're all here for the performance. You can take your gaming phone design in any direction you like, but if it can't run games better than regular phones, you're onto a loser.
Suffice it to say, the ROG Phone 9 Pro is very much a winner in the performance department. Much of that success can be laid at Qualcomm's door, with the third-party chip maker providing its latest and greatest 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor with its brand new Oryon CPU architecture.
Now add in an absolute stack of fast LPDDR5X RAM – 18GB in the Pro, 24GB in the Pro Edition – and you have as good a foundation as any phone on the market. My benchmark tests indicate a healthy advance on the previous Android flagship generation, which tended to run on the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
In the CPU-focused Geekbench 6, the ROG Phone 9 Pro scored an average of 10,106. That's a 40% increase on the ROG Phone 8 Pro, and a 15% increase on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
(Image credit: Future)
There's a slightly less remarkable improvement in GPU terms, but Qualcomm's new Adreno 830 GPU still represents a solid bump. The improvement across a selection of GFXBench GPU benchmark tests stood at around 24% on average compared to the ROG Phone 8 Pro.
Benchmark tests are especially necessary in figuring out how fast this phone is, as no games available on the Google Play Store can really stretch it. Genshin Impact and Wreckfest both run on the highest graphical settings at a more or less consistent 60fps.
More noteworthy for gamers is the ROG Phone 9 Pro's improved sustained performance – that is, its ability to run consistently fast over extended periods, which is important for prolonged gaming sessions. In the 3DMark Solar Bar Stress Test, which runs 20 consecutive minute-long high-intensity graphical workouts, the ROG Phone 9 Pro scored 99.6% consistency.
That's better than the ROG Phone 8 Pro's 92.2%, and is right up there with the Red Magic 9 Pro and its integrated cooling fan on 99.7%. You might want to bring the AeroActive Cooler X Pro into play for hour-long sessions and beyond, but this is a meaningful improvement.
How much of this is down to efficiency gains on Qualcomm's part and how much is Asus' improved GameCool cooling system remains unclear. At the heart of this is Asus's custom X Mode which, as well as ramping up the clock speeds of the CPU and GPU, monitors thermal limits and adjusts output accordingly.
Besides a meaty multi-layer cooling system, Asus has positioned the heat-generating SoC at the center of the phone, away from your hands. It'll still warm up after a prolonged gaming session, but not uncomfortably so.
Performance score: 5 / 5
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review: Software
(Image credit: Future)
Android 15 with ROG UI
Armour Crate app to fine-tune gaming settings
Only two OS updates, five years of security updates
One of the big things that, for me, sets the ROG Phone 9 Pro apart from its Red Magic rivals and makes it a more pleasant phone to use day-to-day is Asus' approach to software. Right at the start of the set-up procedure, you're given a choice between a custom Asus UI or a more stock take on Android.
As a fan of Google's Pixel phones, I went with the latter, with its familiar icons, volume control system, and integrated quick settings panel. But tinkerers, power users, and those coming from non-Google-branded phones may appreciate Asus' alternative. The choice is most welcome, and I wish more manufacturers would offer it.
Asus adds a few of its own apps out of the box, including its own Gallery app and the usual everyday tools – think Clock, File Manager, Calculator, Themes, and the like. There's nothing too egregious here, though that depends on your opinion of Facebook.
Armoury Crate is the company's custom game interface, granting access to different power modes and display configurations. For popular games like Genshin Impact, you'll find downloadable Air Trigger button mappings.
Artificial Intelligence figured highly in Asus's press materials for the ROG Phone 9 Pro, but most of it is typical stuff for a high-end phone launched in 2024. There's an AI Wallpaper feature for bespoke backgrounds; natural language image search in the Gallery app; localized AI transcriptions and summaries within the Recorder app; AI call translations; and various image and video editing enhancements. Google's Circle to Search tool is also here.
Asus has also applied some AI smarts to its gaming UI with X Sense. It's only in Beta at present, but it can use AI to identify when the 'Pick up' button appears on a game like Genshin Impact, and automatically activate it. It'll also offer you the option to auto-run, and can speed up conversations in lengthy cut scenes. X Sense can even automatically hammer the escape button when it detects that your avatar is frozen or trapped.
All this positivity is tarnished somewhat by Asus' inexplicably bad update promise, which only commits to two additional major Android versions. Still, at least Android 15 comes with it out of the box, and you're also guaranteed a pretty decent five years of security patches.
There's also the simple fact that anyone splashing out $1,000 / £1,000 or more on a cutting-edge gaming phone is likely to be the type of person who upgrades fairly regularly. Even so, this is an area Asus needs to improve on if it really wants to break into the mainstream with its ROG line.
Software score: 3.5 / 5
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review: Battery
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Larger 5,800mAh battery
Comfortable all day heavy usage
65W wired and 15W wireless charging
One of the unwelcome compromises Asus reached in streamlining the ROG Phone 8 Pro was dropping the size of the battery to 5,500mAh, which isn't the sort of thing a committed gamer wants to hear. There's little point in being able to blast through Honkai: Star Rail at maxed-out settings for two hours straight if it means you're running out of juice on the journey home from work.
While it hasn't quite restored us to the heights of the ROG Phone 7's 6,000mAh battery, Asus has given us an improved 5,800mAh cell this time around. Together with the improvements to energy efficiency, I'm pleased to announce that the Asus ROG Phone 9 is once again a stamina monster.
On a 15-hour day of moderate usage, with around 4 hours 30 minutes of screen on time, I was left with 60% in the tank. That's notably better than the ROG Phone 8 Pro, which left me with less than 50% in similar scenarios, and is right up there around the Red Magic 9 Pro and Red Magic 9S Pro with their 6,500mAh cells.
Of course, at the time of writing, Nubia has just announced the Red Magic 10 Pro with its ridiculously large 7,050mAh battery, so Asus may still be a little behind on the gaming stamina bragging rights. Watch this space.
Asus hasn't changed its charging provision, and it arguably didn't need to. Once again it bundles in a 65W charging brick, which gets the phone from empty to full in a little over 45 minutes. That's a tad worse than the ROG Phone 8 Pro, but about the same as the Red Magic 9S Pro.
One thing that stands out from other gaming phones is the provision of 15W wireless charging. It's another small quality-of-life improvement that makes the phone a little nicer to use day to day.
Battery score: 5 / 5
Should you buy the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro?
Buy it if...
You want the fastest phone on the market At the time of writing, the ROG Phone 9 Pro is the fastest phone out there, bar none.
You want an everyday gaming phone Yes, the ROG Phone 9 Pro is incredible at gaming, but it does all the everyday stuff pretty well too, and without looking like a Transformer.
You want a gaming phone with a little extra Most gaming phones don't come with wireless charging, IP68 waterproofing, and a telephoto camera. This one does.
Don't buy it if...
You're on a budget The ROG Phone 9 Pro doesn't come cheap, and you can get broadly similar performance for much less.
Pocket space is limited While the ROG Phone 9 Pro is pretty discrete for a gaming phone, it's still quite big and heavy by regular standards.
You don't want to upgrade for some time While the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro has plenty of performance and storage headroom, it'll only get two full OS updates.
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review: Also consider
The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro stands apart for its combination of gaming chops and everyday usability, but it’s not your only option. These phones will play games brilliantly without embarrassing you, but also have their own unique advantages.
Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro Nubia is set to release the Red Magic 10 Pro shortly, but at the time of writing, the Red Magic 9S Pro is the closest gaming rival to the ROG Phone 9 Pro – and it's way cheaper too.
Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro 2023's top model continues to impress on performance, and is a close match for the ROG Phone 9 Pro in most respects, but can likely now be found for quite a bit less money.
iPhone 16 Pro Max When it comes to a performance rival for the ROG Phone 9 Pro, only Apple's top dog can really lay a hand on it. Not only does the iPhone 16 Pro Max have formidable power, but it also has access to a superior library of high-end games.
How I tested the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro
Review test period = 1 month
Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
Tools used = Geekbench 6, GFXBench, 3DMark, native Android stats, bundled Asus 65W power adapter
I was sent the top Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition model by a PR representative, at which point I commenced using the phone on a daily basis over a two-week period, followed by a further two weeks of intermittent usage.
For around a week of that time, the 9 Pro was my everyday phone. For the rest of the time, I swapped in another active SIM and continued to use the phone for benchmark tests, gaming, photos, and general browsing.
I'm a freelance journalist who got his start writing about mobile games in the pre-smartphone era. I was around to cover the arrival of the iPhone and the App Store, as well as Android, and their seismic effect on the games industry. I now write about consumer tech, games, and culture for a number of top websites.
The Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame is a true 2K picture frame that arrives at a sweet spot when it comes to cost. With a price tag of $159.99 / £149.99, it remains more affordable than many mid-market and premium frames, while offering pretty decent specs and admirable performance. And since it uses local storage, there are no ongoing subscription costs. In terms of return on investment, then, I’d argue it represents a pretty sweet deal.
Getting started with the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame is super easy. Once you’ve plugged it in and connected it to your Wi-Fi, you can scan a QR code to download the third-party Frameo app. Then all you need to do is press the 'Add a Friend' button on-screen, type the code that appears into the app and you can start sending images to your heart's content. Naturally, this also allows you to connect friends and family, so they can also add photos to your frame.
For anyone wary of uploading photos of their nearest and dearest to the cloud, there’s some good news here. The Pexar comes with 32GB of built-in storage, which should be plenty; that’s enough to store almost a quarter of my photos and I’ve been snapping them since 2010. Should you want more space, you can easily upgrade the frame’s storage – just add an SD card, USB-A or USB-C stick and you can add up to 1TB.
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Adding photos is as easy as it is with many of the best digital photo frames, although there are some peculiarities. You can scroll through your whole phone’s image library or each album, either tapping on individual photos or selecting up to 10 at a time – if you want to upload more than this in one go, you’ll have to upgrade to Frameo+ for $1.99 / £0.99 a month or $16.99 / £7.99 a year. You’ll then have a chance to add captions, before selecting a circular focal area the Pexar will ensure remains framed in either portrait or landscape orientation. Note that you can’t resize this focal area, and sometimes it frames things oddly – honestly, I’d rather just have the option to crop each photo manually.
However, once images have been uploaded on the Pexar, they generally look sumptuous. Its 11-inch screen is true 2K, giving it an impressive 212 PPI pixel density that few frames can rival. You could potentially argue the screen is an odd aspect ratio; 5:3 is an unusual ratio for photos compared to 4:3 or 16:9, but I do actually find its slimline portrait and super-wide landscape format pretty striking, even if it does mean losing a little more of my snaps.
For showing off your pictures, the Pexar does an excellent job. Every image displays superb contrast, making my black-and-white photography really pop. Meanwhile, the color profile seems unerringly precise – the ochers and umbers of Fuerteventura’s stark landscape looked suitably brooding, while my close-up shots of rhododendrons at the arboretum were a riot of vivid purples, reds, oranges and yellows. Even by the iPhone’s very exacting color standards, the Pexar didn’t seem to struggle to match what I saw on my phone screen.
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
The matte screen also makes images look super-realistic and feels nice to the touch. While it inevitably attracts the odd fingerprint, I can’t say I noticed all that many smears and smudges. Also, the anti-glare feature does a decent job of keeping reflected light from spoiling your snaps – although the British weather meant there wasn’t much direct sunlight during my testing period, so I was able to position the frame facing my large sash windows without it having a significant effect on the viewability of my photos.
You don’t just have to make do with static images, though: you can also share videos with the Pexar – although if you want these to be any longer than 15 seconds, you’ll again need to upgrade to Frameo+. And while I was skeptical about how these would translate to the screen, I was pleasantly surprised; color balance and contrast are solid, even if they don’t quite match the HDR brilliance of my iPhone 13 Pro’s display. Motion definitely isn’t 120Hz, but it’s fluid enough that your videos still look true to life. The only place it lets itself down is sound quality: as with TV screens, there’s been much less investment in the Pexar’s speakers and this is readily apparent. Most of my videos sounded echoey and unpleasant and, personally, I’d be happier just leaving the sound off entirely.
Generally speaking, the auto-rotate feature works well – when stand-mounted, you just pop out the magnetic stand, attach it to the other side of the frame, and place the frame down in its new orientation; images will spin to match. Wall-mounting is easy, too. You can hang it in either orientation using nails or picture hooks, although rotating it won’t be as easy using this mounting option – there’s no swivel mount here.
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When it comes to the rest of its design, it looks smart. The white bezels around the screen give it a classy vibe and make it feel much more like a real photo frame and mount. Meanwhile, the black frame is nicely understated, purposely doing as little to distract from your photos as possible. Admittedly, I’m not super into the scored, textured effect that’s been applied to it, but you can only really see that very close-up and it does at least improve your grip when you pick it up.
Ultimately, the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame is a great compromise between picture quality and cost. For its relatively modest $159.99 / £149.99 price, you get a crisp 2K picture, decent color reproduction, and offline storage for added security. There are some limits: uploading a bulk lot of photos using the app will take a long time without a Frameo+ account; the aspect ratio is definitely unusual; and the built-in speakers aren't worth the bother. But that doesn’t change the fact that this digital photo frame offers far more than most others – and even some that cost a fair bit more – at this price.
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame review: price & release date
$159.99 / £149.99
Launched in the US and UK September 5, 2024
Frameo app free or $1.99 / £0.99 a month for Frameo+
The Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame was released on September 5, 2024, and is now available direct from the Pexar store, as well as from major retailers such as Amazon.
Retailing for $159.99 / £149.99, it sits somewhere in the middle of the market – it’s more expensive than cheap and cheerful options such as the 10-inch Aeezo Portrait 01, but it costs half the price of the premium Aura Walden.
One thing that’s worth factoring in is that you don’t need to pay for a cloud subscription to get started with the Pexar: its local storage means you can upload photos using the Frameo app for free. However, you may find you want to upgrade to Frameo+: for $1.99 / £0.99 a month or $16.99 / £7.99 a year, the upgraded tier will allow you to upload 100 photos at a time, rather than 10, and upload videos up to two-minutes long, rather than 15 seconds. It also provides access to cloud backups for your photos and allows you to browse the images sent to your Pexar through the smartphone app.
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Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame review: specs
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Should I buy the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame?
Buy it if…
You want really high resolution The Pexar’s 2000 x 1200, 11-inch screen gives it a seriously impressive pixel density of 212 pixels per inch. Compare it to something like the 133 pixels per inch offered by the $299 / £299 Aura Walden, and you can see what a good deal the Pexar presents.
You’re concerned about your family’s privacy With its offline storage, you don’t have to worry about whether your personal photos are vulnerable to interception in the cloud with this frame. This makes the Pexar a great choice for anyone with a family or who values peace of mind.
Don’t buy it if…
You want to show your snaps at their largest While an 11-inch screen isn’t bad, there are larger frames out there. For example, the Vieunite Textura comes in at a whopping 27 inches, which is perfect for displaying art in larger rooms.
You want unlimited storage On the flipside, the lack of cloud storage on offer here does mean that the Pexar’s total capacity is finite. You can add an extra 1TB via USB or SD card, so it’s unlikely to be a problem for most people; but it's something you’ll need to bear in mind if you want to drop a lifetime of photos on there.
Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame review: also consider
Aura Walden The Aura Walden is a seriously attractive premium option, offering a larger 15.6-inch screen and a gorgeous finish to its mount and frame. Its app is also easy to use and it offers free unlimited cloud storage – which definitely gives it the edge over subscription-based products. It does come in at a much higher price though, and its lower pixel density does show off some pixelation at close range. Read our full Aura Walden review.
Aeezo Portrait 01 If you’re looking to spend a lot less, the $69.99 / £55.99 Aeezo Portrait 01 is likely your best option. It also utilizes the Frameo app to allow friends and family to share photos and videos and offers internal storage or the option to add an SD card / USB stick to give you more space. Unfortunately, it isn't as solid a performer as the Pexar: its 1280 x 800 pixel resolution is much lower and it’s much less bright at 227 nits. Read our full Pexar 11-inch review.
How I tested the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame
I tested the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame over a period of two weeks. I uploaded a variety of photos using the Frameo+ app and set up several other people so they could share photos with the frame as well.
I uploaded a range of images, including portraits and landscapes and everything from brightly colored shots of animals and flowers to black-and-white scenery. I also uploaded a series of videos to assess their resolution and refresh rate. I tried the frame in multiple positions around my home and the TechRadar office and changed its orientation between portrait and landscape.
I’m an experienced photographer, having spent many years shooting both on my Canon DSLR and my iPhone 16 Pro. I’ve taken over 40,000 photos over the years and have spent many years doing post-production on photos and preparing images for print, meaning I have a keen eye for how images should display to look as natural as possible.
