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I tested the Eufy E15 robot lawn mower, and it’s so easy to use even technophobes will love it

9:00 am | June 14, 2025

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

Eufy E15 robot lawn mower: two-minute review

To date I've tested quite a few wire-free, autonomous lawn mowers, but of all of them, the Eufy E15 is the easiest to set up and use. Much of that is down to the robot's AI algorithm-rich software, its superb dual camera system and the simplicity and excellent navigability of the Eufy app.

This admittedly odd-looking lawnbot uses Full Self Driving (FSD) technology, which means there's no need to lay a perimeter wire or install an RTK GPS antennae. In fact, setup took all of about 15 minutes – it can automatically map a lawn up to 800 square metres by cleverly distinguishing the textural differences between grass and planted borders. It then goes out and cuts the lawn in pristine parallel stripes before finishing off with an edge cut along the borders.

Like many robot mowers, the E15 is equipped with a small 20cm cutting deck comprising three razor-like blades attached to a spinning disk. These blades are so sharp that they snip grass with the cleanliness of a pair of scissors, leaving the tips of the nitrogen-rich cuttings to fall back to earth, which in turn fertilise the lawn.

There are a few minor niggles – the navigation system means it can't mow at night, and it can't handle gradients over 18-degrees – but overall, this is an extremely impressive lawnbot and a very strong recommendation for technophobes in particular. Aside from an easily-fixed map-making mistake, and one expected issue regarding small obstacle avoidance, the E15 hasn't put a foot wrong during several weeks of testing. It just works out of the box. That's the short version; read on for my full Eufy E15 review.

Eufy E15 robot lawn mower on tester's lawn — (Image credit: Future)

Eufy E15 review: price & availability

List price: $1,799.99 / £1,499
Available: US / UK
Launched: June 2025

Eufy's first robot mower is available in two variants – the E15 I'm reviewing here, and the E18, which is only available in the US. Both machines are the same size and spec but the E18 has a larger capacity battery which allows it to cut lawns up to 1,200m² / 0.3 acre – that's 400m² more than the E15.

If you live in the UK, you can purchase the E15 direct from Eufy UK for £1,499. Granted, it's an awful lot of money but that's the price one pays for new tech that saves a ton of time and effort. I personally think it's very competitively priced, especially given the fact it comes with a roofed garage to protect it from the elements. It's also exceedingly well built, using highly-quality materials with expert fit and finish.

Stateside dwellers, meanwhile, have a choice of either the E15 or E18. The US Eufy site lists the E15 at $1,799.99 but if you have a lawn larger than 800 square metres (0.2 acre), I would suggest the E18. Eufy sells this model for $1,999.99.

Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Eufy E15 specs

Max lawn size:	0.2 acres / 800m²
Navigation:	Dual V-FSD cameras
Cutting deck width:	8in / 20.3cm
Cutting height adjustment:	1-3in / 2.5-7.5cm, motorized
Drivetrain:	Rear wheel drive
Maximum zones:	More than two
Maximum climbing ability:	40% / 18 degrees
Obstacle avoidance	3D Perception camera system
Connectivity:	Wi-fi, Bluetooth & 4G (sim optional)
Noise:	56dB
Waterproof:	IPX6
Rain sensor:	Yes
Mow time per charge:	About 100 minutes
Lawnbot size:	23.7 x 15.5 x 12.5 in / 60.3 × 39.4 × 31.8cm
Garage size (L x W x H):	28.6 x 18.9 x 17.8 in / 72.7 x 48 x 45.2cm
Lawnbot weight:	39.7 lbs / 11kg

Eufy E15 robot lawn mower review: design

Full self driving lawnbot, uses cameras to navigate
Comes with a charge dock but requires no boundary wires or RTK receiver
Otherwise relatively standard lawnbot design, with 20cm cutting deck

Eufy (a subsidiary of Chinese electronics manufacturer Anker) has approached the development of its first robot mower with the same set of design principals it has applied to its burgeoning range of excellent robot vacuum cleaners. Hence, the E15 is probably the most robot vacuum-like lawnbot on the market right now. And that's a very good thing for anyone who already owns a robot vacuum cleaner and is familiar with the way it is set up and used from day to day.

Although it's not the prettiest looker on the lawn (at least when compared to the F1-inspired Mammotion LUBA Mini), the E15 feels very high quality. It is also the only robot mower I know of to come with a roof for its charging dock as standard – that can be considered a major benefit because, while the E15 is IPX6 rated for waterproofness (IPX6 means ingress protection against powerful water jets), it's direct summer sunshine rather than rain that could have the biggest affect on batteries and electronics.

Incidentally, like all modern robot mowers, this model is fitted with a rain sensor so if it starts raining while it's out cutting, it will return to base and wait a predetermined number of hours before it heads out again.

Eufy E15 robot lawn mower on its charge station — (Image credit: Future)

Although size and weight is pretty inconsequential given that, once in situ, the E15 pretty much stays on the lawn until the end of the cutting season around late autumn, for the record the E15 measures 23.7 x 15.5 x 12.5 in / 60.3 × 39.4 × 31.8cm, weighs 39.7 lbs / 11kg and comes with an integral handle on the front so it's easy enough to lift if necessary.

Like all robot lawn mowers, the Eufy E15 is equipped with a cluster of manual control buttons on the top of its outer casing, including a large red Stop button for any unlikely emergencies. These buttons are handy for quickly pausing or cancelling a task, commanding the robot to return to its dock and turning it on and off without the need for the accompanying app. There is also a master on/off switch on the base of the cutting deck, which is only used when putting the robot into storage or transporting it in the car.

Top-down view of Eufy E15 robot lawn mower — (Image credit: Future)

Before we tackle the E15's clever navigation system, let's head below and take a closer look at the business end. This model is good for lawns up to 800m² (0.2 acres) and has an 8in / 20.3cm cutting width – that's the norm for a robot of this size, but still way short of the Mammotion LUBA 2 which has a generous 15.7in / 40cm deck.

Like almost all current robot mowers, the E15 uses an array of small razor-like blades for the cutting process. Put simply, a silent motor spins a circular disc with, in this case, three double-sided 1.5-inch razor blades attached to the disk's outer edge.

Since the blades are attached loosely and are able to spin 360 degrees, the disk's centrifugal force causes the blades to whip round at immense speed so the grass is cut to a much finer degree than any large-bladed rotary mower. Likewise, if they hit something hard like a stone, the easily replaced blades are less likely to be damaged. (Here's more on how robot lawn mowers work, if you're interested.)

Underside of Eufy E15 robot lawn mower — (Image credit: Future)

Aside from the whisper-quiet sound the cutting system makes (and believe me this thing is near-silent in operation), the main bonus of a system like this is that the fine nitrogen-rich cuttings the robot leaves in its wake are fed back into the lawn as future fertiliser. This 'mulching' method of grass maintenance is not only good for your lawn, but it also means you don't need to figure out what to do with all the cuttings.

The Eufy E15 is rear-wheel drive and those wheels are an ample 7.9 in / 20cm in diameter, with deep treaded paddles that provide excellent traction without causing any grass damage. The front end is fitted with a robust castor wheel that allows the robot to turn on a sixpence. Eufy states a maximum gradient of 40% (18 degrees) which is a few degrees steeper than much of the competition but still nowhere near the Everest-scaling, all-wheel-drive Mammotion LUBA 2 and LUBA Mini's 80% (38.6 degrees) ability.

Robot mower navigation tech has come on in leaps and bounds since the first models were introduced way back in the mid '90s. These early models required a boundary wire around the perimeter of the lawn and many robot mowers like this are still available to purchase today. However, recent advances in RTK GPS, LiDAR and camera-based navigation technologies are quickly making these types of wired robot mowers obsolete.

Take this model, for instance. The Eufy E15 is equipped with a FSD (Full Self Driving) camera tech that works in a similar way to many autonomous cars. The system itself is comprised of two side-by side cameras that produce a stereoscopic image with some depth to it, rather like a pair of human eyes. This, along with a smorgasbord of AI algorithms and heaven knows what else it has hidden beneath the bonnet, ensures that the robot can not only find its way around a lawn but also differentiate between grass and border plants.

Close up of cameras on Eufy E15 robot lawn mower — (Image credit: Future)

Like a human, it can spot the textural and height differences between grass and plants and map the lawn accordingly. And for those who love driving RC cars, you can easily do that with this mower, too, and even view a high-definition livestream of what the camera sees.

The downside to a camera-based system like this is that the E15 cannot mow beyond sunset because it won't be able to see where it's going. Eufy might elect to fit a bright headlamp on the next incarnation but for now, your best bet for night mowing is either the Mammotion LUBA 2 or its new smaller sibling, the LUBA Mini.

The upshot of this robot mower's superb navigation system is that it gives it the amazing ability to cut a lawn in a series of perfectly straight parallel stripes that never fail to impress. Granted, they're not bona fide stripes like a cricket ground, but they're the next best thing. I guarantee you'll be blown away by how smart your lawn looks after just one cut.

Finally, a shout out to the E15's security measures. Firstly, it's bonded to the user's account and Wi-Fi system making it useless to any light-fingered thieves. But as an extra precaution it also features GPS tracking over optional 4G while the unit itself will sound an alarm, enter a locked state and send a notification to the user if it's ever taken beyond its working boundary.

Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Eufy E15 robot lawn mower review: setup

Charge dock requires power source and good Wi-Fi signal
- Mapping is fully automated – and no-go zones can be added in-app if required
- Extremely fast and east to set up

No question, the Eufy E15 is one of the easiest robot mowers I've ever set up; there is no RTK GPS antennae to install and not a perimeter wire in sight. All you need is an electricity source within the eight metres of cable provided and a decent WiFi signal to the robot so you can initiate its setup procedure, update the firmware when required and program weekly schedules and other parameters in the Eufy app.

Once you've created a Eufy account in the app and mounted the charging dock using the provided ground screws, it's simply a case of firing it up and selecting the auto map function. I'd say the whole process took me about 15 minutes and most of the time was spent screwing in the dock's ground screws using the provided Allen key (a cordless driver with an Allen key bit speeds this process up considerably). The E15's excellent mapping ability is fully automatic – the bot can tell the difference between grass and plants, and uses this information to map the lawn.

Screenshots from within the Eufy E15 robot lawn mower app — Click to enlarge (Image credit: Eufy )

However, there may be instances when it treats a scrubby patch on the edge of the lawn as grass and map that too – as was the case in my testing. With some robot mowers you need to physically steer the robot like an RC car to the area in question and modify it by driving the bot on a different trajectory and then saving the map. With this model you simply add a no-go zone or a virtual boundary by drawing a square or line on the app's map. A big high-five to the designers for bringing this robot vac-style editing approach to the table.

While this whole process was very simple, I still hope Eufy will include a manual mapping option in a future update for those who want full hands-on control. Manual mapping – where you drive the robot around the perimeters of a lawn like an RC car – allows the user to fine-tune the map right from the off, with no need to add no-go zones or virtual boundaries.

Eufy E15 robot lawn mower on reviewer's lawn — (Image credit: Future)

Once the mapping has finished, it's time for the robot's first mow. But before you do this, make sure your grass isn't too long or the cuttings it creates could litter the lawn. Instead either opt for the highest cutting height first (these range from 25mm to 75mm in 5mm increments and are set using the app).

Alternatively, use your standard mower with grass catcher to cut the lawn to about 40mm (position 4) and set the robot off on its first cut a day later – I find that 35mm is a perfect height for UK rye grass. Once the grass is ready for the robot, chances are you may never need to use your standard mower again, though you will still need your line trimmer to tidy up some edges every now and then.

If you have a few different lawns separated by pathways and boundaries, that's not a problem. The Eufy E15 can be programmed to cut all of them in succession, even when they're many meters apart. Simply map the lawns individually and set a virtual passageway between them by steering the robot from one lawn to the next. The robot will then follow this set path from lawn A to lawn B and so on and so forth every time it's on a cutting session. Just make sure that there are no gates or stairs in the way and that the passage the robot takes is free of clutter and wide enough for the robot to navigate.

Setup score: 5 out of 5

Eufy E15 robot lawn mower review: performance

Neat, methodical cutting performance
Motorized cutting heights
Expert navigation and very good obstacle avoidance

In terms of cutting performance, I've been exceedingly impressed by how well this robot mower has navigated and cut my lawn, and in such methodical fashion too. It's a joy to watch the E15 as it trundles up and down the lawn in perfect parallel lines, and I love the pseudo stripes the wheels leave in their wake.

The fact you can easily adjust cutting parameters in the app – cutting height (from 25mm to 75mm), edge spacing (how close it cuts to the edge), path spacing (the amount of overlap between each pass), and travel and blade speed (slow, standard and fast) – is the icing on the cake. And if you're looking for the cherry on top of that, it'll be the Path Direction (cutting angle) setting, which is as simple as placing two fingers on the map of your lawn and swiveling the two arrows to the angle of cut you want, whether it's perfectly vertical, horizontal or any angle in between.

Despite this model only having three cutting blades against the Mammotion LUBA Mini's six, I haven't been able to detect any noticeable differences in cut quality. Yes, I prefer the wider tract of the big 40cm Mammotion LUBA 2 – the width of a small push mower – but I'm nitpicking here.

Eufy E15 robot lawn mower changing direction when it meets a dog toy — (Image credit: Future)

Obstacle avoidance on indoor robot vacuum cleaners is essentially for the convenience of not having to untangle a loose sock from under the robot, but a robot mower with fast spinning razor blades is an altogether different kettle of danger. Just as well that all autonomous robots and most wired models have various levels of obstacle avoidance built into their navigation systems.

The Eufy E15's obstacle avoidance is excellent for anything larger than about the size of a tennis ball. I tested it on a number of occasions using some dog toys. Amazingly, the E15 avoided every item including – surprisingly – a small whale-shaped toy with a slim tail. In fact I was especially impressed by how well it managed this last feat because the whale was off-centre to the robot, and yet its camera caught the obstacle in its periphery.

Eufy E15 robot lawn mower mowing neat stripes in reviewer's lawn — (Image credit: Future)

However, as expected, the E15 didn't spot a table tennis ball on two occasions and rode over it, almost slicing it in half. As a result, I wouldn't trust this model to avoid pet mess unless, perhaps, you have a Great Dane, or a horse. (This has been the case with every robot mower I've tested, and for that matter every robot vac, too.)

I'm pleased to report that everything has run smoothly with this model, from its initial auto mapping to its weekly routine of keeping the lawn looking spick and span. It has never got lost or failed to find its charging base, and it's always remained within the confines of its boundary. And that's not a bad accolade for any manufacturer hitting the market with a first-time product. Well done Eufy.

Performance score: 5 out of 5

Eufy E15 robot lawn mower review: app

Easy to navigate
Excellent interface
Could do with a couple of extra features

While I'm a huge fan of the Mammotion range of robot mowers, its accompanying app is quite technical and, in some areas, difficult to get a handle on. By contrast, the Eufy app (which also covers Eufy's security cameras) is mostly a joy to use, and mercifully free of any technical jargon. It's as simple as simple can be, but there is room for improvement.

Screenshots from Eufy lawnbot companion app — Click to enlarge (Image credit: Eufy)

What I'd like to see is an option to manually map a lawn and an option to mow in a chessboard pattern (i.e. cut vertically and horizontally) in one go. But I'm pretty certain we'll see something like this in a future update. It is, after all, early days for this newcomer.

App score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Eufy E15 robot lawn mower?

Attribute	Notes	Rating
Value	The Eufy E15 isn't cheap but it's in the same ballpark as other similarly-styled models on the market.	4.5/5
Design	Odd looks aside, the E15 is robust and extremely well equipped to deal with most lawn layouts, bar those with steep slopes.	4.5/5
Setup	Setup is also extremely fast and straightforward, thanks to accurate automatic mapping.	5/5
Performance	The E15 is a sterling operator that cuts grass brilliantly well while avoiding almost all obstacles in the process.	5/5
App	There is no simpler mowbot app on the market, though a few tweaks wouldn't go amiss.	4/5

Buy it if...

You're a technophobe

I haven't come across an easier model to set up and operate.

You want lawn stripes

The E15 is a deft lawnsmith that cuts in ruler-straight stripes.

You need simple reliability

This model has proved to be very reliable with great obstacle avoidance.

Don't buy it if...

Your lawn is very large

This lawnbot's smaller battery and cutting tract mean it's not well-suited to extra large lawns.

You want night mowing

Because it relies on cameras to navigate, the Eufy E15 can't mow in the dark. If that's a priority, consider the Mammotion LUBA Mini.

Your lawn has steep gradients

This bot will struggle on steep slopes – it's good up to 18 degrees.

How I tested the Eufy E15 robot lawn mower

I've been using this lawnbot for the past few weeks, and I've been working it hard during that time. It has been out on regularly scheduled mowing tasks, and I've also put it through a range of tests – including assessing its obstacle avoidance using dog toys. I also assessed the ease of setup, how user-friendly the app is, and how the cutting performance compared to other lawnbots I've reviewed.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed June 2025

I finally got the purple MacBook I’ve been begging for… it just turned out to be the 13-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop

6:06 pm | June 13, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Windows Laptops | Tags: Battery Life, CPU, GPU, HDR | Comments: Off

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Two-minute review

I have been begging Apple to release a purple MacBook for a few years now and have been repeatedly disappointed year after year, so when I found out that the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch was going to sport a pastel purple colorway, it really was Microsoft's game to lose in my eyes.

And while it doesn't quite come close enough to dethroning the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch, performance-wise, it's a very solid everyday laptop that looks undeniably superior to Apple's rather boring MacBook Air design, which has stayed the same over the past couple of years.

The Surface Laptop 13-inch starts at $899.99 / £1,099 / AU$1,699 on Microsoft's website, which is roughly the same price as the MacBook Air 13-inch (which starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699), but its performance, at times, is substantially slower than Apple's best laptop, making it an iffy value proposition for those who could go either way as far as operating systems go.

Had the Surface Laptop 13-inch shipped with an Intel Lunar Lake chip rather than the underpowered Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-core SoC, this would be an entirely different review, as I'd be giving this laptop six-out-of-five stars, because in just about every other way than its performance and minor compatibility issues, this is the best ultrabook I've ever put my hands on.

Aesthetically, it's an upgrade over its larger Surface Laptop 7 sibling that launched last year, with a tighter form factor that is exceptionally lightweight and sleek. Its 3:2 display offers plenty of real estate for a laptop this small, and its keyboard and trackpad are a dream to use.

Best of all, it comes in purple (technically 'Violet'), though you will pay slightly more for this color option than the base platinum colorway, as it's only available on the higher capacity configuration.

Meanwhile, the Arm-based Snapdragon X Plus is an incredibly efficient chip, getting just over 17 hours of battery life on a single charge in my testing, which easily translates into two full workdays or more without recharging, outlasting even the latest MacBook Air 13-inch models.

If all you're looking for is a gorgeous-looking laptop that is great for everyday computing tasks, school work, and general productivity—while liberating you from having to keep a constant eye out for power outlets to recharge day after day—then the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch is one of the best Windows laptops you can buy, and one of the best student laptops as well, especially if you get a student discount. It just isn't the knockout blow against the MacBook Air that Windows fans might be hoping for.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Price & availability

A Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch on a desk — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

How much does it cost? Starts at $899.99 / £1,039 / AU$1,699
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? You can buy it in the US, UK, and Australia

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch is available now, starting at $899.99 / £899 / AU$1,699 directly from Microsoft or at retail partners. It comes in slightly cheaper than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 in the US and UK, (starting at $1,099.99 and £1,039, respectively). In Australia, however, the larger Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch starts out cheaper at AU$1,597 (and it comes with more powerful hardware to boot).

The Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch also features a more powerful Qualcomm chip, a sharper screen, and better port support (though no Violet colorway, you'll have to settle for the equally gorgeous Sapphire option).

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch starts with an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus SoC, 16GB LPDDR5x RAM, 256GB storage, and a Platinum colorway. You can increase the storage by 256GB for an additional $100, which also gives you the option of picking either the Violet or Ocean colorway.View Deal

Similarly, the Surface Laptop 13-inch is also slightly cheaper than the MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 in the US (starting at $999), while being slightly more expensive in the UK (the base MacBook Air 13-inch start at £999), while there's no difference in starting price between the two in Australia.

Compare this, however, with a similar memory-and-storage-specced Dell 14 Plus, starting at $799.99 / £999 / AU$1,298, but which comes with more powerful x86 processors from AMD and Intel, meaning that you get better performance without any compatibility worries that come with Arm-based chips.

Granted, none of these competing laptops look anywhere near as good as the Surface Laptop 13-inch, but if your main interest is performance, there are cheaper options that will get you what you want.

All that said, however, this is the best-looking laptop you're going to find at this price, in my opinion, and yes, that includes the entire MacBook lineup. If you want to look good at a cafe while reading emails, or streaming Netflix in an airport lounge while waiting for a flight, this laptop will turn heads (at least in Violet) without totally breaking the bank.

The only real knock I can point to is that the long-term value of the Surface Laptop 13-inch is lower than a MacBook Air 13-inch with M4. The latter is much more performant, and it will stay 'current' for a few years longer than the Surface Laptop 13-inch, in all likelihood.

Value: 3.5 / 5

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Specs

The ports on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-core SoC
16GB LPDDR5x
The display could be better

There isn't a whole lot of variation in terms of spec configurations for the Surface Laptop 13-inch, with the biggest difference being some extra storage and two additional colorway options.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch Base Specs
Price:	$899.99 at Microsoft.com \| £899 at Microsoft.com\| AU$1,699 at Microsoft.com
Colorways:	Platinum
CPU:	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-core
GPU:	Qualcomm Adreno X1-45
Memory:	16GB LPDDR5X-4300
Storage:	256GB SSD
Screen:	13-inch, 3:2, 1920x1280p 60Hz, 400-nit, Touch PixelSense
Ports:	2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 w/ DP and Power Delivery, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x combo jack
Battery (WHr):	50WHr
Wireless:	WiFi 7, BT 5.4
Camera:	1080p
Weight:	2.7 lbs (1.22 kg)
Dimensions:	11.25 x 8.43 x 0.61 ins \| (285.65 x 214.14 x 15.6mm)

For $100 / £100 / AU$200 more, you can upgrade the storage on the Surface Laptop 13-inch to 512GB and get additional Violet and Ocean colorway options, but otherwise the more expensive configuration (which I tested out for this review) is identical to the base configuration.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch Max Specs
Price:	$999.99 at Microsoft.com \| £999 at Microsoft.com\| AU$1,899 at Microsoft.com
Colorways:	Platinum, Violet, Ocean
CPU:	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-core
GPU:	Qualcomm Adreno X1-45
Memory:	16GB LPDDR5X-4300
Storage:	512GB SSD
Screen:	13-inch, 3:2, 1920x1280p 60Hz, 400-nit, Touch PixelSense display
Ports:	2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 w/ DP and Power Delivery, 1 x USB Type-A 3.1, 1 x 3.5mm combo jack
Battery (WHr):	50WHr
Wireless:	WiFi 7, BT 5.4
Camera:	1080p
Weight:	2.7 lbs (1.22 kg)
Dimensions:	11.25 x 8.43 x 0.61 ins \| (285.65 x 214.14 x 15.6mm)

There's no option to upgrade the memory or storage on any of these models beyond the configuration options at the time of purchase, which does make the longevity of the Surface Laptop 13-inch's specs more limited than laptops like the Dell 14 Plus, where you can at least upgrade the storage if you'd like.

And while the specs on the MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 might not be upgradable either, they are simply better overall for a relatively small increase in price, meaning the long-term value of the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is superior overall.

Specs: 3.5 / 5

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Design

A masculing hand holding the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch at an angle — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Beautiful color options and fantastic aesthetics
Light and portable
Display resolution is only 1280p with no HDR

The design of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch is simply stunning. There's no other way to describe it.

Starting with the exterior aesthetics, the Surface Laptop 13-inch is as close to a MacBook Air for Windows as you're going to find on the market, and in my opinion, it's even better looking thanks to the additional Violet and Ocean colorways alongside the default Platinum look of the base model.

You pay extra for the splash of color, but it's a worthwhile investment. The machined aluminum finish of the laptop chassis, along with the pastel-ish hue of the chassis and the darker, more matte color of the keycaps and trackpad, really help make this laptop stand out.

The keyboard on a Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The display on the Surface Laptop 13-inch is a step down from the larger 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7 from 2024, which had a maximum resolution of 2304 x 1536 (a PPI of 201, compared to the 1920x1280 Surface Laptop 13-inch's 178 PPI) and 120Hz refresh compared to just 60Hz for the Surface Laptop 13-inch.

It also has a lower contrast ratio of 1,000:1 compared to the larger version's 1,400:1. The Surface Laptop 7's display is also made of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. In contrast, the Surface Laptop 13-inch's display is only "Strengthened glass" according to Microsoft's official spec sheet for the Surface Laptop lineup.

The display does max out at 400-nits, though, which is nice and bright enough for most people and situations, but you might struggle to see the screen properly if you're using the laptop outside on a bright sunny day.

I found that carrying the Surface Laptop 13-inch around was very easy, as it fitted in pretty much any laptop bag and was thin and compact enough that I was able to use it sitting in an airplane seat during my 15-hour flight to Computex 2025 with almost no issue.

Speaking of using the laptop, the key switches are quiet and have good travel and responsiveness, and everything is well-spaced, so you don't feel cramped despite the laptop's smaller size.

The trackpad is likewise responsive and smooth, making navigation and clicking around the desktop a breeze.

One thing that's not that great is the port selection, which is limited to two USB-C Gen 3.2 ports, a USB-A Gen 3.1 port, and a 3.5mm jack for a headset.

It'd have been nice to get some USB4 ports in there like you get with the larger Surface Laptop 7 models, but both USB-C ports do support power delivery and DP 1.4 output (though if you're trying to connect to more than one monitor, you need one port per monitor, rather than being able to daisy-chain them to just a single port).

The webcam of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The webcam, meanwhile, is a 1080p Surface Studio Camera that is crisp enough, but unlike the larger Surface Laptop models from last year, it does not support Windows Hello authentication, and it doesn't have a physical privacy shutter, which in 2025 should be pretty much mandatory, so along with the port and display downgrades, I've got to ding what is otherwise a nearly perfect design.

Design: 4.5 / 5

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Performance

A Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch on a bed — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

A performance downgrade from last year's Surface Laptop
Some compatibility issues with ARM architecture still linger
Gaming is functionally a no-go

What holds the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch from really being the fierce MacBook Air competitor that many of us hoped it would be is the 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus SoC.

When I reviewed the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 last year, I was genuinely impressed by the performance of the Snapdragon X Elite chip, despite the compatibility challenges that Windows-on-Arm is still working through. That was a much more powerful chip, though, and even the 10-core Snapdragon X Plus SoC offers noticeably better performance than what the Surface Laptop 13-inch is packing.

The 8-core chip isn't awful, to be clear. It's perfectly good for general computing tasks like streaming, school work, and office productivity, and it's probably one of the best student laptops out there for those who want a little bit of style to go along with their studies.

But if you need this laptop to do anything other than writing up papers and reports, streaming movies, or using web-based cloud software, you will likely be unhappy with what you're getting here for the price.

The most direct and obvious comparisons I can make with this laptop is the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch with Apple Silicon (starting with the Apple M2), the larger 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7, the recently released Dell 14 Plus, last year's Dell XPS 13 (with both Intel and Qualcomm SoCs), and the Asus Zenbook A14 with the entry-level Snapdragon X SoC.

Only the M2 MacBook Air 13-inch and Dell 14 Plus are cheaper than the Surface Laptop 13-inch (at least at the time of review), and all of these laptops start around the same price, give or take a hundred bucks or so.

The models I've tested and that TechRadar has reviewed in the past vary by spec, so it's not entirely an apples-to-apples comparison laid out in the charts above, as some of the Dell and Apple notebooks' advantages can be easily chalked up to more expensive processors.

If you go with any of those systems at the same price as the Surface Laptop 13-inch I tested, the performance difference might not be nearly as dramatic on paper, and almost certainly won't be all that noticeable.

Still, it's pretty clear that the Surface Laptop 13-inch either lands somewhere in the middle of its competition, or comes in second or third from the bottom. Add to that some performance issues stemming from Microsoft's Prism software layer that translates x86-architecture-designed programs, which is pretty much every Windows program, to be Arm-compatible.

Generally, this works rather well, but it does introduce system overhead that will slow things down. In short, unless you're running a piece of rare Arm-native software, you will almost never get as good an experience with Windows software on Arm as you would with the x86 architecture powering Intel and AMD chips.

The question comes down to whether or not the performance is good enough, and I think that for most people, it will be (unless you want to load up Steam and get into PC gaming. The best gaming laptop, this is not).

A masculine hand typing on a Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Much like the MacBook Air 13-inch, the Surface Laptop 13-inch is more geared toward casual computing needs and productivity work, and it excels at these tasks.

So, even though the MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 gets roughly twice as many frames per second as the Surface Laptop 13-inch, the MacBook Air 13-inch still struggles to maintain playable frame rates unless you seriously scale back your graphics settings.

The MacBook's gaming advantage, then, only really looks intimidating as a percentage, but in practice, none of the laptops I tested were suitable for the task of playing, say, Cyberpunk 2077 at max settings and native resolution.

What it really boils down to, then, is whether you're just looking for a new laptop to keep up with friends and family, maybe do some office work, or write that Sci-Fi novel at the local coffee shop that you've been meaning to finally get around to this year.

If those are the boxes that need ticking, any of the laptops listed above will get the job done, but none will look as good as the Violet Surface Laptop 13-inch.

Performance: 3.5 / 5

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Battery Life

The battery life indicator on a Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

How long does it last on a single charge? 17 hours and 14 minutes
How long to recharge from empty to full? With the included 45W charger, it takes about two and a half hours to charge to full.

One other key area where the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch shines is its stellar battery life. In my testing, it ran about 17 hours and 14 minutes on average in my battery test, thanks to the super-efficient Arm architecture. This puts it in fourth place overall in my top 10 laptop test group, but it does outlast all three MacBook Air 13-inch models in the group by an hour or more.

So even though it's not officially in the battery life winner's circle, you can't ask for much more from a laptop this thin and light.

Battery Life: 5 / 5

Should you buy the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch?

A masculine hand holding the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 scorecard
Category	Notes	Rating
Value	While not as cheap as something like the Dell 14 Plus, it is on par or cheaper than similar offerings from Dell and Apple.	3.5 / 5
Specs	There aren't a whole lot of configuration options, and the lack of USB4 is unfortunate.	3.5 / 5
Design	It's simply gorgeous and a joy to type on. If it had a physical camera privacy shutter, better ports, and a better display, it'd be a 6 out of 5.	4.5 / 5
Performance	For a casual use notebook, it's in line with similarly specced Windows laptops, but the MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 runs circles around it.	3.5 / 5
Battery Life	At just over 17 hours of battery life in my testing, this is one of the longest lasting Windows laptops around.	5 / 5
Final Score	It's not perfect, and had Microsoft flexed some muscle to get a 10-core chip in this laptop without raising its price, it'd truly be the Windows MacBook Air we've been waiting for, but it'll be more than close enough for most people and looks better than anything Apple has put out in years.	4 / 5

Buy the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch if...

You want a truly eye-catching laptop
This is the look we should have gotten on the M2 MacBook Air redesign, rather than the dull, uninteresting colors we got. Apple's mistep is Microsoft's advantage.

You want an all-day laptop
At 17+ hours of battery life in my testing—including using it throughout an almost 15-hour flight to Taipei—this laptop has the juice.

Don't buy it if...

You want a high-performance laptop
If you want a laptop for serious professional workloads like video editing or for PC gaming, you're going to want to opt for a beefier device.

You want worry-free app compatibility
While most Windows apps will work on this device thanks to Microsoft's Prism compatibility layer, you will still occasionally run into some apps that won't work on ARM devices.

Also consider

If my Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch review has you looking at other options, here are three other laptops you should consider instead...

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4)
The most recent Apple MacBook Air 13-inch offers substantially better performance than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13, making it a much better value.

Read our full Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) review

Dell XPS 13 9350
If you don't want to hassle with the quirks of Qualcomm's ARM-based chips, the Intel Lunar Lake-powered XPS 13 is a fantastic alternative.

Read our full Dell XPS 13 9350 review

How I tested the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch

I spent about a month with the device
I used our standard suite of benchmarking tools and performance tests
I used it as my primary work laptop, including taking it on an international work trip

I spent about a month with the Surface Laptop 13-inch, far longer than I usually spend with a device under review. While this was mostly due to circumstance (Computex and WWDC, in particular), this did allow me to do a much deeper dive.

In addition to my normal benchmarking process, I took extra time to retest some competing laptops we had in the office to come up with a more thorough comparison against the Surface Laptop 13-inch's competitors.

First reviewed June 2025

Mario Kart World just about makes the podium, but some strange design decisions have left me scratching my head

2:28 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Consoles & PC Gadgets Gaming Nintendo | Tags: Final Fantasy, Mario Kart | Comments: Off

Review information

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: June 5, 2025

Mario Kart World has launched alongside the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2. And with it, the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe curse has finally been broken. Of course, it’s reasonable to expect Nintendo to have supported its 68 million+ selling Switch game for as long as it did, but the time certainly felt right for something new.

And Mario Kart World absolutely feels new. Not in the literal sense, of course - that’s a given. Rather, it genuinely takes Mario Kart to fresh new heights with utterly stunning visuals and transformative racing techniques that feel so much more tactile than the underwater or anti-gravity gimmicks of the series' past.

The big draw to Mario Kart World? Well, the clue’s in the name. The game offers a gigantic open world for players to explore in Free Roam mode - either solo or in local or online multiplayer. The game’s circuits are also integrated into this map, as are hundreds of mini-challenges and collectibles.

World also introduces Knockout Tour, a non-stop endurance race from one end of the map to another, in which the goal is to remain above a constantly dwindling placement threshold to avoid being eliminated. It’s hands down the best mode in the game and really comes to life online, where races are almost impossibly chaotic.

While Mario Kart World does offer the most exceptionally satisfying driving model the series has ever seen, I can’t quite bring myself to say it beats out the excellence of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe just yet. Its main Grand Prix mode actually does the game’s otherwise wonderful circuits a bit of a disservice, and there’s a pile of frustrating design decisions that all add up to muddy the overall experience to a degree.

Namely, Nintendo has fumbled the bag somewhat with its open world here. While the act of simply driving about and unlocking outfits for your favorite characters can be a lot of fun in and of itself, there’s little in the way of actual content here outside of short challenge missions. Even the main form of collectible here - stickers you can place on your kart - falls flat. But more on that in the review proper.

Overall, Mario Kart World has moments where it’s easily the best game in the series. The handling of the karts here is sublime, and learning courses and routes with the new rail grind and wall ride techniques is endlessly fulfilling. There aren’t even any major issues with online play, which, for Nintendo, is an accomplishment. It’s just such a shame that certain design decisions lead to a game that feels lacking in some crucial areas.

There’s a whole world out there, but is it worth seeing?

The big draw to Mario Kart World is, as mentioned, its Free Roam mode. For the first time ever, Nintendo has created a fully explorable Mushroom Kingdom without any load times. Even pressing the ‘+’ button from the main menu will seamlessly transition you into Free Roam, which is super impressive and is a strong indicator of how much more powerful the Switch 2 is compared to its predecessor.

The only load times you’ll experience in Free Roam come from switching characters or fast traveling to a named location on the map, and even these are extremely brisk. Pair this with impressive draw distance, rock-solid 60fps performance, and simply stunning visual fidelity, and you have a mode that acts as a real showcase of the console’s hardware chops.

It’s a massive open space, dotted with the game’s many circuits and plenty of scenic routes to travel between them. It’s also exceptionally varied, featuring everything from lush forests and arid dunes to a haunted swamp and an industrial space port. There’s a great amount of fun to be had in simply driving around, taking in some breathtaking sights, and vibing to World’s eclectic soundtrack.

That said, Free Roam leaves a lot on the table. Don’t get me wrong, going on a drive with your friends (Free Roam is also playable in multiplayer) is joyous, and I can see it being a wonderful experience for groups of friends and families. But once the novelty wears off, there actually isn’t all that much to do here.

Best bit

Mario Kart World’s driving is sublime. Drifting feels more fine-tuned than ever, while new techniques like wall riding and rail grinding offer an incredibly high skill ceiling and avenues for creativity during any given moment out on track.

Aside from character costumes, which you can unlock by picking up Dash Food items at various drive-thrus dotted throughout the map, your main collectible in Free Roam is stickers. This irks me on so many levels.

The stickers themselves are inoffensive, and many have very cool and eye-catching designs. It’s their implementation that’ll leave you wanting more. You can choose a single sticker, which will be placed on your kart of choice, and they also act as a miniature icon during online play. However, the stickers simply don’t show up on half the karts in the roster, and on most, they’re far too tiny to be noticeable.

Furthermore, stickers are pretty much the main form of collectible in this game. Completing one of many P-Switch challenges dotted around the Free Roam map? While these are fun little distractions, all you’re getting for your troubles is a sticker. Running over a hidden Question Block panel found tucked away in the map’s circuits? Sticker. Collecting Peach Medallions? For that, you’ll at least get a cool alternate kart livery! Nope, I’m joking, it’s stickers.

As a result, the joy of driving around in Free Roam can quickly diminish if you’re not racing about with friends. It does feel like what we have now, at least, is a foundation on which Nintendo can build upon with more activities and potentially new areas. We’ll have to see how things pan out in the future, but for now, don’t be surprised if Free Roam starts to feel a little vacuous for you over time.

Catch my drift

So the open world in Mario Kart World leaves a lot to be desired, but I’d be a fool to completely write the game off because of it. What saves World for me, and why I still consider it to be my new favorite game in the series, is that its driving and racing feel so, so good.

Previous Mario Kart games had gimmicks like gliding, underwater, and anti-gravity racing. All of which were cute and fun, but little more than fluff that was broadly used for set-piece purposes. There’s nothing wrong with that at face value, but World’s additions do genuinely feel transformative.

World introduces charge jumping, rail grinding, and wall riding to the karting mix, and all work in tandem with one another to actively raise this game’s skill ceiling compared to previous entries. By themselves, these individual mechanics don’t necessarily make you faster, but when chained together to take advantage of a circuit’s level design and shortcuts, they’ll make you feel like Nintendo injected some of that Neversoft Tony Hawk game goodness into Mario Kart World.

It helps that Mario Kart World rewards skillful driving a good deal more. Drifting has also been fine-tuned, feeling more precise and satisfying than ever. Drafting a kart in front of you for a quick slipstream boost has also been greatly enhanced, feeling much faster and a more viable tactic for getting ahead.

The whole thing feels very carefully balanced, which is where items come in. The iconic Spiny Shell - which makes a beeline for the player in first and explodes on contact with them - is still devastating, but you maintain some forward momentum after getting hit, making the punishment slightly less severe. Common ‘last to first’ items like the Bullet Bill and Lightning have been considerably nerfed, with their benefits and debuffs having less of an effect on the overall race.

There’s a smattering of new items to help keep things fresh, too. The Coin Shell follows a set path down the track, dropping coins for other players to pick up, thus increasing their top speeds. Kamek can be summoned to transform players into other characters and place random obstacles at the front of the pack. There’s also the Ice Flower, which is a bit of a dud, being practically identical to the Fire Flower in effect.

Then there’s the Feather, which hasn’t been seen in the series (outside of Battle modes) since the SNES original - so long as you’re not counting Mario Kart Tour. The Feather simply makes your kart jump into the air, which seems underwhelming, but write it off at your peril. In truth, the Feather can be extremely useful for accessing loftier parts of a track or initiating a grind or wall ride without needing to take a few seconds to rev up a charge jump. They’re also great for accessing various shortcuts on any given circuit.

At the races

Let’s talk about modes, then. Outside of Free Roam, you’ve got the expected appearance of Grand Prix mode, which comprises eight cups - all featuring four races each. It’s joined by other mainstays, including Time Trial and Battle modes.

Grand Prix is something I have pretty mixed feelings on in Mario Kart World. That’s because the bulk of each event is made up of intermission segments where you race along a portion of the open world map, with your destination being a single lap of the featured circuit.

Needing to drive from one circuit to the next is something Nintendo made a big deal of in World’s marketing. I do like their inclusion, and they lead to some interesting and unique racing. However, they’re far better suited to the excellent Knockout Tour mode, where the whole point is driving a route from A to B across the entire map, OutRun style.

In Grand Prix, while you’ll get to do a three-lap race of the first track on the docket, you actually end up doing very little racing on the tracks themselves. This makes it harder to learn each circuit at first, and also means they don’t live very long in the memory.

And that’s a huge shame, because again, track design is some of the best the series has ever seen. The winding alleyways and shortcuts of Shy Guy Bazaar. The spectacle of being transported into a movie world in Boo Cinema. And the sheer moment-to-moment set piece that is Bowser’s Castle. They all have the wind taken out of their sails somewhat, as we simply don’t get much racing time on them.

There does exist a workaround here, though. By selecting VS Race from the menu, you can set up custom race rules. By setting the track selection rule to ‘open’, only then can you do a full-length race on each circuit. The absence of a traditional Grand Prix setup, then, is baffling. Especially as those intermission routes really shine in the Knockout Tour mode.

Speaking of Knockout Tour, it’s another highlight in Mario Kart World, and easily the best way to play the game, especially in an online 24-player race. Each of the eight Knockout Tour events smartly blends open roads with segments of circuits, going from ascending steep mountains to weaving through busy traffic in a matter of minutes.

The goal of Knockout Tour is in its name. Each checkpoint will eliminate the racers in the back four places, eventually whittling the grid down to just four for the final stretch. It’s constantly thrilling and rewards skillful driving, clever usage of shortcuts, and an understanding of rail grinds and wall rides for quick bursts of speed.

Needs a few upgrades

While I have greatly enjoyed my time with Mario Kart World so far - in both solo and multiplayer environments - it still can feel rushed or incomplete in certain areas. I’ve already spoken about my frustrations with the Grand Prix format and lack of meaningful activities in Free Roam, but those, unfortunately, aren’t my only issues.

It’s not the end of the world, but the character selection screen is objectively a total mess. Things aren’t too bad at first, but you’ll soon realize that each unlocked costume acts as its own slot on the roster. There’s no dropdown list here, letting you choose an outfit after selecting a character. It’s all just one large jumble with only rudimentary organization.

This is actually something Nintendo has gone backwards on since its last game in the series. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, certain characters like Yoshi, Inkling, and Shy Guy let you choose an alternate look or color after picking them. There’s nothing like that in Mario Kart World, so I seriously hope this gets patched in soon.

Furthermore, the unlocking process for some characters is frustratingly random. A handful are tied to beating cups in Grand Prix mode, which is completely fine. The rest, though, are tied to the Kamek item transforming you into a random character, meaning you genuinely might not complete the roster for weeks if not months, based on how much you play.

These gripes aside, I still really do love Mario Kart World. Its driving is sublime, Knockout Tour is a fantastically chaotic new mode, and I’m so serious when I say the game’s massive soundtrack is worth the price of admission alone. Outside of Final Fantasy 14 Online, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a soundtrack this varied and of this quality. It covers everything from jazz and techno to rock and ska, classical, big band, and everything in between. Even after 30 or so hours, I don’t believe I’ve come close to hearing the entire track list. There’s just so much here, especially if you’re nostalgic for the wider Super Mario franchise.

Should I buy Mario Kart World?

Buy it if...

You want a kart racer that’s as fun as it is chaotic
The best driving in the series, paired with hilarious items and the new Knockout Tour mode, makes Mario Kart World a chaotic blast in both single and multiplayer.

You’re playing with family and friends regularly
Mario Kart World’s Free Roam mode is excellent for parents who want some simple racing fun with their kids, or even as a casual pick-up-and-play mode with friends.

Don't buy it if...

You were hoping for more meaningful unlocks
Aside from characters and costumes, the main form of unlockables is stickers. When you realize this is much of what Free Roam has to offer, it may be enough to turn you away.

You’re not keen on randomness or items
The Kamek item tied to unlocking some characters aside, getting three red shells up your rear end on the final corner of a race remains uniquely infuriating.

Accessibility

While there are no accessibility options in the traditional sense, such as colorblind filters, Mario Kart World does offer some driving options to make things easier in some regards. These include smart steering, which veers you away from track edges, as well as auto-accelerate and auto-item use options.

It's also quite strange and frustrating that there are no dedicated volume control options - nothing for either music, voices or sound effects. This isn't uncommon for Nintendo games, but the omission of such audio options continues to be utterly baffling.

How I reviewed Mario Kart World

I played Mario Kart World on Nintendo Switch 2 for around 30 hours for this review. I tested more or less everything the game has to offer, including Grand Prix, Knockout Tour, Free Roam, VS Battles, and online play. During that time, I also unlocked the majority of characters and outfits and completed close to 100 P-Switch challenges in Free Roam.

During my playtime, I primarily used the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller in docked mode on an LG CX OLED TV which allowed me to enjoy Mario Kart World at its native 1440p resolution, transitioning to the Joy-Con 2 during handheld play on the Switch 2’s 1080p vivid LCD display.

First reviewed June 2025

I tested LG’s xboom Grab Bluetooth speaker and frankly, it’s got the chops to challenge the JBL Flip 7

2:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Hi-Fi Wireless & Bluetooth Speakers | Tags: AI, CES | Comments: Off

LG xboom Grab: Two-minute review

There are only so many ways you can design a Bluetooth speaker. Sonos has done the Toblerone look. Ultimate Ears has mastered the rounded cube. And JBL pioneered the rugged cylinder. Is there any room left for innovation? LG thinks so. And the answer is straps.

The xboom Grab is far from the first speaker to feature built-in carry straps, but its two elasticated loops are unique among the best Bluetooth speakers. Subtle enough when not in use, they’re a neat addition that means you can easily lash the Grab to a bike frame or handlebars. Release one end from the metal bracket and you can also hook the speaker to just about anything.

More than a novelty, the straps are useful for users on the move. So are the Grab’s dimensions, which mean it fits neatly in a cup or bottle holder. It might not be the lightest at 700g, but this is a speaker that lives up to its portable promise. It’s also one that feels built to survive a beach party, even if its buttons are easy to press accidentally.

Straps aren’t the only standout feature. To distinguish the Grab in a crowded market, LG has packed it with tricks. A pulsing light strip adds a sliver of color at the foot of the unit. Whether that’s a welcome addition will depend on your taste for ambient flair, but the saturation is bold and the execution slick – as is the option to control, sync or disable its hues in the app.

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LG xboom Grab Bluetooth speaker in an outdoor setting — (Image credit: Chris Rowlands)

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Strangely, the Grab connects to the ThinQ app, rather than the LG xboom one. This requires you to create an account, a step that feels both unnecessary and lengthy. Still, it’s worth the effort: the app is where you gain access to a range of configuration options, including AI room calibration and the ability to power the speaker on and off remotely. It’s also where you can adjust sound settings.

You’ll want to do that. By default, will.i.am – with the help of LG’s sound engineers – has set the xboom Grab to Bass Boost. This gives it plenty of low-end energy, at the expense of clarity elsewhere in the range. Switch to Standard mode and separation improves dramatically. There’s still weight to the lower frequencies, but it’s balanced with detailed mids and expressive treble, which are given more space to breathe.

A 10W tweeter and 20W racetrack woofer, plus a pair of passive radiators, deliver a dynamic listen, creating a soundstage that’s surprisingly full and spacious for a portable speaker. The Grab certainly has no trouble being heard, indoors or out, with distortion only creeping in when you really crank up the volume.

Longevity isn’t lacking either. Switch off the lights and the Grab’s 20-hour battery rating stacks up. That puts it at the head of the field, with a several-hour lead over its primary rival: the JBL Flip 7.

In truth, the challenge for most people will be choosing between the Grab and the Flip 7. Both speakers have compact proportions and stellar sonic performance. Both also offer app connectivity and adaptive AI tuning. Design is likely to be the deciding factor. If clean lines, bright lights and carry straps do it for you, the LG xboom Grab won’t leave you disappointed.

LG xboom Grab review: Price and release date

Announced at CES in January 2025
Officially priced at $149.99 / £129.98 / around AU$175

LG unveiled the xboom Grab at CES in January 2025. Part of the ‘xboom by will.i.am’ range, it debuted alongside the larger xboom Bounce and party-ready Stage 301. All three hit shelves in April.

Ticketed at $149.99 / £129.98 (around AU$175), the Grab is pitched directly against the JBL Flip 7, which currently occupies the top spot in our list of the best Bluetooth speakers.

At that price point, the Grab enters a crowded and competitive market. The Sonos Roam 2, another portable speaker that sits happily in our best wireless speakers roundup owing to its Wi-Fi streaming capability, has recently been discounted to a similar asking fee.

Because it doesn’t undercut its rivals, the Grab instead needs to deliver a superior experience to win listeners. And, as you’ll read below, it does a thoroughly good job of trying, offering a plethora of features for the money.

LG xboom Grab review: Specs

Weight:	700g
Dimensions:	211.0 x 71.6 x 70.0mm
Battery life (quoted):	20 hours
Connectivity:	Bluetooth 5.3
Multipoint:	Yes
Drivers:	16mm tweeter, 80 x 45mm woofer, 2x passive radiators
Aux-in:	No
Charger port:	USB-C
Microphone:	Yes
Waterproof rating:	IP67
App:	Yes

LG xboom Grab review: Design

Built-in elasticated straps
IP67 waterproof and dust-proof
Seven-button interface with customizable shortcut

In many ways, the LG xboom Grab borrows from every Bluetooth speaker that’s gone before it. It’s a solid cylinder clad in fabric mesh, with reinforced ends where the passive radiators reside. It combines the clean lines of the Ultimate Ears Boom 3 with the tidy dimensions of the JBL Flip 7. That’s a strong starting point, which LG has embellished with neat details and a dash of flair.

It wouldn’t look out of place in a modern apartment, yet the Grab is also ready for the beach. Like most of its contemporaries, it benefits from an IP67 water-resistance rating. LG’s also had it certified to military standard 810H. If you’re not up to speed with military testing codes (that's absolutely fine, by the way), that means it can easily shake off shocks, sand and salt water spray. In short, the Grab is built to last.

It certainly feels that way. At 700g, the Grab is weightier than other speakers of a similar size, which gives it a real sense of solidity. From the grooves on the bumpers to the metal plate where the straps attach, its construction is sturdy. The aesthetic might channel urban understatement, but there’s no cause for hesitation when lashing it to a bike or stashing it in a bottle holder.

In fact, the built-in straps mean you can mount the Grab just about anywhere. Far from a gimmick, they give you real flexibility for positioning the speaker outdoors. One end of each strap can unhook from the mount, allowing you to thread them through gaps in a fence, over handlebars and bike frames, even around tree branches. Or you can just hook one for a dangling disco.

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Because they’re elasticated, you can stretch the straps for a secure fit and tighten things up by threading the bands back through their brackets. When not in use, they loop neatly around the compact body of the speaker. It’s a simple but clever setup that’s genuinely useful, whether flat surfaces are in short supply or you want to mount the Grab on the move.

If you do position the Grab on a shelf or table, little feet underneath will stop it rolling, while the light strip casts an ambient glow. This sliver of saturation runs in a thin line along the front of the speaker, pulsing in sync to your music with hues you can choose in the app. This won’t be to every taste, but it’s less naff than it sounds. As integrated lighting goes, it’s the subtlest and slickest I’ve seen. You can also turn it off entirely, if you prefer a low-profile approach.

Along the top of the cylinder sits a row of seven buttons. Complementing the standard set of power, volume and play/pause controls is a dedicated key for Auracast pairing, plus a heart button which can be set as a shortcut for Apple Music or LG Radio+. In practice, this last button feels unnecessary. Omitting just one key would’ve made the interface that bit simpler to navigate at a glance.

It doesn’t help that the buttons aren’t illuminated. The black outline design means they fly under the radar, but you have to feel your way around the shapes after dark. The buttons are also easy to press accidentally when handling the Grab or looping the straps. I unintentionally turned the speaker off several times. It’s a minor niggle, but the one that stands in the way of a five-star rating for the design.

Design score: 4.5/5

LG xboom Grab review: Features

20-hour battery life, USB-C charging
ThinQ app connectivity for light and sound control
Full-color adaptive lighting strip

In an arena that’s bustling with Bluetooth speakers, LG’s pulled off a rare feat with the xboom Grab: packing a product with features and making almost all of them feel like meaningful additions. Look past the will.i.am tie-up – although I’m sure the Black Eyed Pea leant a helpful hand in the Grab’s development – and you’ll find a speaker that offers a lot of substance for the money.

Admittedly, I didn’t get off to a flying start with the Grab’s app connectivity: I downloaded the wrong one. You’d be forgiven for assuming the xboom Grab would use the xboom app, but it’s actually the LG ThinQ one you need to install. That’s followed by a mandatory sign-up process which demands too much time and information for pairing with a Bluetooth speaker.

A faff? Yes. It’s worth the effort though. Connecting the app unlocks a catalog of control and configuration options, including the ability to remotely turn the speaker on and off. It’s where you’ll find the settings for the light strip (see above), with a palette of pulse and color modes to choose from. And it’s also where you can fine-tune the sound output to suit your ears and space.

Part of that toolkit is AI room calibration. This analyzes the area where you’re listening and adjusts the audio accordingly. It would take a keen ear to detect the exact changes made to the output, but recalibrated from living room to bathroom to back garden, the Grab never sounded out of place. There are sounds modes to choose between too, but more on that below.

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According to LG, will.i.am’s influence isn’t limited to the sound signature. He’s also had a hand in shaping the sound UI – the beeps and noises you hear when using the Grab. Now, this might sound like more marketing schtick, but it does actually make a difference over time. If you’ve ever used a speaker with low-grade sound effects, you’ll know how budget audio design can cheapen the experience when used every day.

That’s not a problem which besets the Grab. From powering on to establishing a Bluetooth connection, the xboom’s noises are rich, weighty and well-defined. It’s a small touch but one that makes a difference the longer you spend with it. As with other components, this attention to sonic detail gives the impression that every element of the speaker has been thought about. And crucially, they don’t start to grate after a fortnight.

Neither does the battery life. After two weeks with the Grab, I came away hugely impressed with its staying power. Rated at 20 hours without lighting, trips to the wall were pleasingly infrequent. On a full charge, you’ll be covered for days of casual listening before you have to worry about charging it. It’s not the quickest to refill when you do, but that’s a small price to pay for longevity.

Features score: 4.5/5

LG xboom Grab review: Sound quality

16mm tweeter, 80 x 45mm woofer, 2x passive radiators
AI calibration and adaptive sound
Party link pairing with xboom speakers

LG’s equipped the xboom grab with a promising sonic architecture. An 80 x 45mm racetrack driver does woofer duties, while a 16mm dome tweeter from Peerless handles the higher stuff. These both pump out from the front, with passive radiators at each end to help distribute the sound. It’s a setup that translates into a very engaging listening, once you’ve done some tweaking.

Out of the box, the LG xboom Grab is set to Bass Boost. This gives it plenty of low-end energy, as befits a will.i.am party banger. But it also has the effect of dominating the sound signature and crowding the mids. Fine if you you want a bit of boom in the room, but not the most refined performance.

Things are significantly enhanced by switching to the Standard setting. There’s still no shortage of bass, but it exists in much better balance with the mids and treble. Oomph from the lower frequencies is paired with brightness and detail higher up the range. The soundstage offers a surprising amount of separation, resulting in a dynamic and engaging listen.

Fed with Maribou State’s latest album, the Grab dealt deliciously with many layers of electronica, balancing rich synthesized bass with clarity in the mids. Vocal reproduction is expressive too, whether it’s Hozier and his backing choir or Phil Collins doing some Disney-sanctioned crooning.

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Yes, the xboom Grab is still a portable Bluetooth speaker, so the pickiest audiophiles shouldn’t expect a miracle. But for its size, it gives a hugely impressive account of itself. Details are perhaps easier to detect indoors, but the fullness and warmth of the Grab’s output isn’t lost in an outdoor setting either. Only at the top end of its volume level does distortion risk creeping in, a level that few will ever have cause to explore. This really is a unit fit for all occasions.

Besides Bass Boost and Standard, there’s also a Voice Enhance mode that you can select in the app. Alternatively, you can leave it to AI to analyze the genre and choose a setting to suit. But to my ears, there’s little reason to stray from the Standard setting. This gives the most balanced rendition, whatever’s on your playlist.

I haven’t listened to the LG xboom Grab back-to-back with the JBL Flip 7, but based on what I’ve heard, I’d say it’s a close-run thing between the two. Given how highly the Flip 7 scored in our review, that’s praise indeed. Both use drivers of the same dimensions, so at least internally there’s little to differentiate between the two. It’s fair to say that buyers of the xboom Grab won’t be disappointed with what greets their ears.

Sound quality: 4.5/5

LG xboom Grab review: Value

Value is a relative concept. In 2025, $150 / £130 / AU$175 has become the standard price for a portable Bluetooth speaker of this size. For that money, the LG xboom Grab offers a lot: you’re getting a product built for portability, with the added bonus of solid battery life, synchronized lighting and genuinely useful app connectivity. It sounds great, too.

But $150 / £130 / AU$175 isn’t small change. In pure value terms, there is an obvious argument that the xboom Grab would be more compelling if it came in cheaper than its rivals. And there are plenty of people who’d prefer to sacrifice some of its clever features and lighting frills for a saving of 20%.

The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 is a good example of a speaker that takes a simpler, more affordable approach without compromising on audio quality or performance. Its value offering is one of the main reasons we rate it so highly. The xboom Grab might sound bigger and better, but it also costs a chunk more. There’s definitely a gap in the market for a simple, solid and reliable mid-size speaker that costs $130 / £100 / AU$150.

As it is, the LG xboom Grab justifies its price by maxing out on features. It gives a solid performance that ticks the key boxes, complemented by extra tricks that will feel like real benefits to the right buyer. Whether that’s you will depend on how much you appreciate carry straps, light strips and an app with AI sound calibration.

Value score: 4.5/5

Should I buy the LG xboom Grab?

LG xboom Grab
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Design	Tidy dimensions, built-in straps and IP67 water-resistance	4.5/5
Features	20-hour battery life, adaptive lighting and app connectivity	4.5/5
Sound quality	Full sound and decent bass with AI calibration and in-app EQ	4.5/5
Value	A solid build and plenty of features at a competitive price	4.5/5

Buy it if…

You want a super-portable picnic speaker
With dimensions that fit in a cup-holder and built-in straps which attach to your handlebars, the xboom Grab is a Bluetooth speaker that’s built to grab and go. IP67 water-resistance means it can survive a shower, too.

You appreciate decent sound quality
As Bluetooth speakers go, the Grab offers full sound with decent bass, good detail and impressive separation. AI can tune output to suit the room and genre, while the app lets you adjust the EQ to suit your listening tastes.

You want a feature-packed speaker
The Grab offers a lot for the money, including ThinQ app connectivity, AI audio analysis and Auracast party link pairing with other xboom speakers. Battery life is also top of the class at 20 hours with the lightstrip turned off.

Don’t buy it if…

You don’t need app connectivity
The xboom Grab’s smart features are part of its appeal. If you don’t need AI sound calibration, adaptive lightning or the option to adjust the EQ, you can pick up a simpler Bluetooth speaker without app connectivity for less money.

You won’t use the built-in straps
Built-in elasticated straps let you attach the xboom Grab to hooks, handlebars and just about anything. If you think they’ll get in the way, the JBL Flip 7 has similar dimensions, matching performance and a smaller, detachable carry strap.

You want Wi-Fi connectivity
Besides a 3.5mm aux input, another connectivity feature missing from the Grab’s spec sheet is Wi-Fi. For multi-room audio via your home network, you’ll need a speaker like the Sonos Roam 2, which now costs a similar price.

LG xboom Grab review: Also consider

	LG xboom Grab	JBL Flip 7	Sonos Roam 2
Dimensions:	211.0 x 71.6 x 70.0mm	182.5 x 69.5 x 71.5mm	168 x 62 x 60mm
Weight:	700g	560g	430g
Battery life (quoted):	20 hours	14 hours	10 hours
Connectivity:	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi
Drivers:	16mm tweeter, 80 x 45mm woofer, 2x passive radiators	16mm tweeter, 80 x 45mm woofer, 2x passive radiators	1x tweeter, 1x mid-woofer
Aux-in:	No	No	No
Charger port:	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C
Microphone:	Yes	No	Yes
Waterproof rating:	IP67	IP68	IP67
App:	Yes	Yes	Yes

JBL Flip 7
Winner of a rare 5-star TechRadar rating, the JBL Flip 7 sets the bar for portable Bluetooth speakers. Similar in size to the LG xboom Grab, it’s lighter by 140g but loses out on battery life by 6 hours. Its drivers are the same size as the Grab’s and offer an equally entertaining listen, with adaptive AI Sound Boost. The choice probably comes down to design preference.
Read more in our in-depth JBL Flip 7 review

Sonos Roam 2
A premium speaker that’s now been discounted, the Roam 2 offers a sleek alternative to the xboom Grab. Despite its minimalist build, it also benefits from an IP67 rating for rain-proof listening. You also get support for Sonos multi-room smarts, with Wi-Fi connectivity complementing Bluetooth when you’re at home. Battery life is underwhelming at 10 hours, but the reward is rich, balanced audio with a wide soundstage.
Read more in our in-depth Sonos Roam 2 review

How I tested the LG xboom Grab

Tested for a fortnight, indoors and out
Streamed extensively via the Spotify app
Played music spanning a range of genres

To test the xboom Grab, I used it as most listeners would: by living with it. LG only had a review sample available on a two-week loan, so I had to make the most of my time with it. That meant using the speaker for shower singalongs every morning, ambient background during the day and kitchen bangers in the evening.

Because the Grab’s designed for alfresco audio, I also spent plenty of time listening to it outdoors. Beyond the garden, I strapped the speaker to my bike and stashed it in my beach bag, to see how well it held up as a picnic companion – and how useful those elasticated straps are in the real world.

Musically, I challenged the Grab with a genre-spanning catalog of tracks, covering everything from Maribou State’s soulful electronica to the grungiest alternative rock that BBC Radio 6 Music had to offer. The test playlist also included the Phil Collins tracks on Disney’s 1999 Tarzan soundtrack, courtesy of a certain five-year-old.

Glorious Model I 2: Two-minute review

The Glorious Model I 2 is a wired gaming mouse with some useful features and pro-level tweaks, making it ideal for all kinds of play styles and genres.

There’s no mistaking the Model I 2 for anything other than a gaming mouse, thanks to its brash but tasteful design. Its profile is sleek, while the honeycomb back portion allows for the RGB lighting underneath to shine through in all its glory. The thin RGB strips on both edges are also a nice touch.

It has quite a long profile, longer than many of the best gaming mice. It also slopes away to the side, adopting a slightly ergonomic form. The thumb slot has a prominent floor, which fitted my thumb rather well – although I can well imagine some users not finding it to their liking – while the central hump was ideally placed for my palm. What’s more, that aforementioned honeycomb texture is pleasant to grip on to.

The scroll wheel on the Model I 2 has prominent spikes and a soft rubber material, both of which make it very tactile. However, it’s placed further forward than usual compared to other gaming mice, making it slightly more of a stretch for me than usual.

Another untypical feature of the Model I 2 is the DPI selector, which is split across two topside buttons rather than one. This makes adjusting the sensitivity much more convenient.

Side view of Glorious Model I 2 with RGB lighting, on plinth with pink background — (Image credit: Future)

It also has three side buttons, all of which are conveniently placed; I found them easy to actuate with the various parts of my thumb. Additional button caps are included for the side button closest to the back: one has a more prominent poke, while the other is a blank to block off the switch altogether if you don’t plan on using it.

The Model I 2 features a sniper button as well, which is likewise well-positioned and can be swapped out for other caps included in the box, each of which have varying profiles.

The construction of these buttons – and the rest of the mouse for that matter – is quite solid. However, I found the skates a weak point in this regard, as, on my unit at least, they weren’t installed with as much care as I would’ve liked. Some of the corners weren’t adhered to the underside fully, resulting in them spiking upwards. Thankfully, this was my only grievance in terms of build quality.

The Model I 2 comes with customization software, called Glorious Core. Here you’ll find many of the usual gaming mice tweaks. There are a few performance-related settings to tinker with, including lift-off distances and debounce times, as well as a Motion Sync toggle.

The polling rate can be increased up to 1K, while there are five stages of DPI to configure, with a range between 100 and 26,000. There are also some rebinding options available, although these lack the selection of system and media shortcuts of other software. I also found the UI too small for optimal viewing, which made it harder to use.

Front three-quarter view of Glorious Model I 2 with RGB lighting, on plinth with pink background — (Image credit: Future)

In action, though, the Model I 2 performs better. The clicks are snappy but have a relatively long travel, as well as a little more dampening than usual, which provides more cushioning than I was expecting.

Glides are a little rougher compared to other gaming mice I’ve tried, though. This is perhaps at least partly due to the aforementioned installation issue with the skates. However, I still found them smooth enough to be usable, helped by the fact that there are quite a lot of them, so they cover a wide surface area.

At 66g, the Model I 2 is hardly the lightest gaming mouse around, but the weight is distributed so evenly that you don’t really feel it ever weighing you down. The integrated USB cable is also light and malleable enough to not cause any dragging issues.

I was also quite fond of the scroll wheel, as I found its notching provided plenty of security and precision when moving it slowly, yet was quick and light when performing fast flicks. The scroll click is also very satisfying, providing plenty of dampening and feedback with an incredibly sturdy feel, so I had no concerns about triggering misscrolls.

For the outlay, however, I’m not sure the Model I 2 performs significantly better than its cheaper rivals, such as the Asus TUF Gaming M4 Air and the Cooler Master MM311. It’s a solid choice, and it has some unique features that make it more practical, but ultimately there are better value alternatives if you can live without these.

Back three-quarter view of Glorious Model I 2 with RGB lighting, on plinth with pink background — (Image credit: Future)

Glorious Model I 2 review: Price & availability

$64.99 / £59.99 (about AU$101)
Available now in black and white
Expensive for wired gaming mouse

The Model I 2 costs $64.99 / £59.99 (about AU$101) and is available now in two colorways: black and white. It comes with various spare caps for the sniper and rear-most side buttons. A wireless variant is also available.

This is reasonably expensive for a wired gaming mouse. It’s more expensive than the Asus TUF Gaming M4 Air, for instance, which we reckon is the best lightweight wired mouse for gaming at the moment. This does lack the feature set of the Model I 2; it doesn’t even have RGB lighting. However, at just 50g, it's quite a bit lighter than the Model I 2.

The Model I 2 is also more expensive than the Cooler Master MM311, which even has the added benefit of being wireless, and that's partly why we rate it as the best budget gaming mouse around. It doesn’t have a rechargeable battery, though, nor does it have as many buttons as the Model I 2.

Glorious Model I 2 review: Specs

Interface	Wired (USB-C-to-A)
Ergonomics	Right-handed asymmetrical
Buttons	9
DPI	Up to 26,000
Switches	Glorious Switches
Weight	2.3oz (66g)

Should I buy the Glorious Model I 2?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value	The Model I 2 is expensive for a wired gaming mouse – you’ll have to decide whether its extra buttons are worth it.	3 / 5
Design	The Model I 2 looks good and is comfortable in the hand. The software has some nice tweaks, but it's limited in terms of remapping.	4 / 5
Performance	All the buttons and scroll wheel perform very well, and glides are quite smooth. However, it doesn't exactly exceed the competition when it comes to precision and speed.	4 / 5
Overall	The Model I 2 is a competent gaming mouse that’s comfortable to use with some nice features. However, the software lacks versatility, and the performance isn’t outstanding, so its relatively high price might not be justified.	3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You want some handy buttons
There are three side buttons and two DPI buttons, all of which are convenient and easy to use. Additional caps are included for some buttons, too.

You want a great scroll wheel
It might not be a standout feature of many gaming mice, but the one here deserves mention given its tactility and security.

Don't buy it if...

You want a symmetrical design
This is a hardcore asymmetrical mouse, thanks to the prominent thumb slot and offset sloping design.

You want plenty of rebinding options
While there are some remapping options available, the selection is very sparse compared to what other gaming mice offer.

Glorious Model I 2 review: Also consider

	Glorious Model I 2	Asus TUF Gaming M4 Air	Cooler Master MM311
Price	$64.99 / £59.99 (about AU$101)	$49.99 / £39.99 / AU$76	$39 (about £31 / AU$59)
Interface	Wired (USB-C-to-A)	Wired (USB-C-to-A)	Wireless (2.4GHz), wired (USB-C-to-A)
Ergonomics	Right-handed asymmetrical	Right-handed symmetrical	Right-handed asymmetrical
Buttons	9	6	6
DPI	26,000	16,000	30,000
Switches	Glorious Switches	Kailh GM 4.0	Razer Optical Mouse Switches Gen-3
Weight	2.3oz (66g)	1.8oz / 50g	2.2oz / 64g

Asus TUF Gaming M4 Air
The TUF Gaming M4 Air is another wired gaming mouse, but it’s a lot cheaper than the Model I 2. It’s also lighter by a significant amount, which may make all the difference to serious gamers who are sensitive to such things. It doesn't have many bells and whistles, but for pure gaming performance, the TUF Gaming M4 Air is more than up to the task. Read our full Asus TUF Gaming M4 Air review.

Cooler Master MM311
Not only is the MM311 cheaper than the Model I 2, it’s also wireless. Coupled with its excellent gaming performance, this makes it one of the best value gaming mice around. You don’t get a rechargeable battery, but it’s an acceptable sacrifice given the low cost. Read our full Cooler Master MM311 review.

How I tested the Glorious Model I 2

Tested for a full day
Used for gaming and working
Extensive gaming mouse experience

I tested the Model I 2 for a full day, during which time I used it for gaming, working, and general browsing.

I played Counter-Strike 2, a good test for gaming mice given the demands it places on quick and accurate movement and aiming.

I’ve been gaming on PC for over a decade, and during that time I have experienced a large number of mice. I’ve also reviewed a broad range of models from multiple brands, with varying price points, designs, and feature-sets.

First reviewed: May 2025
Read more about how we test

After testing the cheapest Roku streaming stick, I’ve found one of the best values in streaming

10:04 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Streaming Devices Televisions | Tags: HDR | Comments: Off

Roku Streaming Stick: Two-minute review

Roku TV interface shown on TV screen — The Roku TV interface is easy to navigate, but we experienced some lag when making selections during our testing of the Roku Streaming Stick (Image credit: Future)

The Roku Streaming Stick is cheap, compact, and easy to use. As the cheaper of Roku’s two newest streaming sticks, the other being the Roku Streaming Stick Plus, it has its limitations – specifically, no 4K or HDR support – but the value proposition here is very good. If you’re trying to save money, it might be among the best streaming devices out there.

As far as competition goes at this price point, there’s really only the Amazon Fire TV Stick HD, which is slightly more expensive. Of course, if you care about getting the best performance and features and are willing to pay for it, I suggest going for the Roku Ultra (2024) instead.

The Roku Streaming Stick is literally just a stick with an HDMI port on the end, and is small even by streaming stick standards. When I reviewed the Amazon Fire TV Sticks that came out in 2023 ( still current models), I had trouble fitting their bulky bodies into the HDMI slots behind my TV, so the svelte design of the Roku Streaming Stick is welcome.

The only visual difference between this and the Streaming Stick Plus version is that the Roku logo is purple as opposed to an etched design, making it look just a bit cheaper than its big brother. Otherwise, it’s identical, with the same somewhat convex case, with the HDMI male jack on one end, and the USB-C charging port on the other. There’s also a reset button, and that’s it.

It’s worth noting that Roku only provides a USB-C to USB-A cable for charging – there’s no power supply or adapter. When I first saw this on the Roku Streaming Stick Plus (again, they’re identical in this regard), I was a little upset that I was expected to pay extra for an adapter. But then I realized there was a good reason for the lack of an adapter, since you’re expected to use the USB port on your TV to power the streaming stick.

Because you’re powering the stick from the TV’s USB port, which is usually just a few slots over from the HDMI connections, there are no hanging cables from the device. This means you’ll end up with a cleaner-looking setup using the Roku Streaming Stick.

Roku Streaming Stick and included accessories — The Roku Streaming Stick comes with a USB cable and a remote with a voice control option (Image credit: Future)

The included remote control is Roku’s voice remote. It has a slightly bulky body with a little bit of weight that makes it nice to handle while still being fairly compact. The buttons include dedicated play/pause buttons – a feature I appreciate over the navigation wheel layout that most remotes have. And there’s also a voice assistant button, which lets you make voice commands when holding it down. It’s not Roku’s best remote – that would be the one included with the Roku Ultra – but it’s good enough and about what one would expect at this price point.

The Roku Streaming Stick is intended to be an entry-level HD device, so there’s no 4K or HDR support. I tested it on a 65-inch TV, and the picture quality was still pretty good. If you’re getting this for a guestroom TV, it’s probably worth saving the few extra bucks.

The Roku Streaming Stick’s biggest sticking point is its performance. Given the stick’s low price, you shouldn’t expect the world, but it’s still worth noting. The actual streaming experience is fine and without interruption, but the Roku Streaming Stick has a slight delay when interacting with it, with the onscreen cursor moving just a fraction of a second after a button press, so you feel like it’s catching up.

It’s worth noting that the Roku Streaming Stick uses the old 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi standard, which is even slower than the 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) one used by the Roku Streaming Stick Plus. You probably don’t need the latest Wi-Fi standard for a streaming device, but the Streaming Stick’s slower and older WiFi standard is a potential reason why it runs a little slower.

The Streaming Stick’s interface is the usual intuitive one I expect from Roku. There are a few watch suggestions at the top, but the home screen is otherwise just a series of tiles for different apps. I appreciate its simplicity compared to the more congested interfaces used by Google TV, Fire TV, and other smart TV platforms. If you prefer that type of layout, Roku has a similar setup when you click on the “What To Watch” tab on the homescreen.

There’s a good amount of free content available to stream directly through the Roku interface. There’s also a Sports tab, but you still need a subscription to whichever service has the rights to your favorite sport. Otherwise, Roku’s interface here is its usual rock-solid self.

Roku Streaming Stick: Price and release date

Roku Streaming Stick plugged into TV's HDMI port — The super-compact Roku Streaming Stick is powered by your TV's USB port (Image credit: Future)

$29.99 / £29.99 (about AU$50)
Released April 2025

Thirty bucks or quid for a streaming device is impossible to beat. The closest to that is probably the Amazon Fire TV Stick HD that I mentioned earlier at $34.99 / £39.99 / AU$69.

The question you need to ask yourself is whether it’s worth saving ten bucks for this version over the Roku Streaming Stick Plus, which goes for $39.99 / £39.99 (about AU$70). The design of both sticks is the same, and so are the limitations in performance. If you’re trying to just get the cheapest streaming stick with 4K and HDR support (but not Dolby Vision), the Plus version is the one you’ll want. But if you have an older TV that doesn’t support those features, the basic Roku Streaming Stick will be ideal.

The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2023) is also a good streamer to look at as it’s regularly discounted to the same price as the Roku Streaming Stick Plus. And unlike Roku products, that model is available for purchase in Australia.

Roku Streaming Stick remote held in hand — Roku's remote control sits nicely in the hand and features a mic button for voice search commands (Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the Roku Streaming Stick?

Roku Streaming Stick
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	HD streaming with Dolby Atmos but no 4K or HDR support	3/ 5
Performance	It’s fine when streaming, but it lags when interacting with the interface and menus, possibly due to using an older Wi-Fi standard	3.5 / 5
Design	It’s slim and is designed to get power from the TV it’s connected to, helping provide a cleaner, more tangle-free look	4.5 / 5
Value	Streaming doesn’t get cheaper than this. You just have to decide if you can forgo 4K and HDR support	5 / 5

Buy it if...

You’re on a strict budget
Getting the Roku Streaming Stick is on par, pricewise, with dinner for two from a fast food chain. You can’t really get cheaper than this

You want to hide the cables
The ability to draw power from a TV’s USB port is a nice touch that allows for a cleaner-looking setup, especially if you plan on wall-mounting your TV.

You want a Roku device
There are other almost as cheap options. But if you like the Roku smart interface, then this is the perfect entry-level device for it.

Don't buy it if...

You want top performance
The slight lag while navigating is a performance-related concern, as it can be frustrating to feel like you’re always a quarter step behind.

You want 4K and HDR
The Roku Streaming Stick does have features like Dolby Atmos, but you’re missing out on the 4K resolution and HDR support that pricier models have.

Roku Streaming Stick review: Also consider

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2023)

If you’re an Amazon Prime Video subscriber and/or own Alexa smart home products, then the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2023) is the way to go. It has faster Wi-Fi6 support, not to mention 16GB of onboard storage and Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support. It is very Prime-centric, however, and shows ads for Prime content every time it’s idle.

Read our full Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2023) review

Roku Ultra (2024)

If you want both speedy performance and the Roku ecosystem, The Roku Ultra (2024) is your best bet. Sure, it can’t tuck behind the TV discreetly like the Streaming Stick or Streaming Stick Plus, but the Ultra is the company’s best and most robust streaming device. It supports just about every feature, including 4K and Dolby Vision HDR, and it comes with Roku’s best remote.

Read more about the Roku Ultra (2024)

Roku Streaming Stick on table — (Image credit: Future)

How I tested the Roku Streaming Stick

Used regularly for a week
Tested with various apps
Tested the remote

I used the Roku Streaming Stick regularly for a few days to evaluate everything it can do. I used it to stream Roku content and movies and shows from apps like Max. I also spent time using the remote and testing its various functions.

I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years, from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.

Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro: one-minute review

The Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro is a wireless mechanical keyboard with numerous connectivity options for great flexibility. It has a rather restrained aesthetic, although the vibrant RGB lighting and various colorways help make it stand out. It lacks the pomp of many gaming keyboards, and it’s all the better for it in my view.

In terms of build quality, the Rainy 75 Pro is dense and very heavy, while the aluminum casing makes it near impossible to dent or damage. The double-shot PBT keycaps also feel premium, with their smooth texture and subtle indentations.

The board is also quite thick, especially at the back, and there are no adjustable feet. Thankfully, the stock angle allows for a good typing position, although I still would’ve welcomed some form of wrist support, since I did find the Rainy 75 Pro uncomfortable after long periods.

Customizations are available courtesy of the VIA web app. Here you’ll find a macro creator and RGB lighting adjustments, with plenty of effects to choose from. There are also myriad shortcuts available for remapping, rivaling many of the best keyboard options around, although the interface doesn’t do a great job of presenting them in the cleanest manner.

There are other issues with this web app: it requires you to download JSON files to work, while profiles have to be saved as files on your PC, both of which feel outdated and clunky. What’s more, there aren’t any performance-related tweaks, and sometimes it would lose connection to the keyboard altogether.

Thankfully, in action, the Rainy 75 Pro provides a mostly enjoyable experience. The linear Cocoa switches in my unit were snappy and responsive, with a light actuation and a very satisfying feel, which made for fast typing. However, beware that they are quite loud.

Connectivity is mostly great, and switching between Bluetooth and 2.4.GHz devices is easy. However, I did experience momentary lagging in one particular instance when connected via the latter method to my PC, which is obviously disappointing, but thankfully only occurred once.

Despite how solid and pleasurable it is to use, the Rainy 75 Pro is still an expensive keyboard and it faces some stiff competition, such as the Razer Pro Type Ultra and the MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra, the latter of which is cheaper but performs equally well. If you’re looking for the sturdiest board around with effortless typing, the Rainy 75 Pro is hard to beat on these fronts. But all things considered, it's hard to justify its expense in a market full of great value alternatives.

Close-up of side of Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro on desk with pink background — (Image credit: Future)

Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro review: price and availability

$139 / £159 / AU$239
Available now in multiple variants
High-end of the market

The Rainy 75 Pro costs $139 / £159 / AU$239 and is available in multiple colorways and switch types. Wired and non-RGB versions are also available with lower prices. It comes with a keycap puller, USB cable, 2.4GHz USB dongle, and three spare switches.

This places it at the premium end of the space, although when you consider its high build quality, mechanical switches and multiple connectivity modes, it makes a little more sense. It’s close to the same price as the Razer Pro Type Ultra, although that board is full-size, making it a better choice for productivity purposes.

However, the Rainy 75 Pro is more expensive than the MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra. That board has analog switches, which allow for various actuation adjustments to be made, an aspect shared by some of the best gaming keyboard options. It also features multiple wireless modes, although it has a 60% layout, which means it lacks quite a few useful keys present on the Rainy 75 Pro.

Value: 3 / 5

Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro review: specs

Layout	75%
Switch	Mechanical
Programmable keys	Yes
Dimensions	12.6 x 5.4 x 1.8 inches (32 x 13.7 x 4.6cm)
RGB or backlighting	Yes (customizable)

Back of Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro with USB cable attached, on desk with pink background — (Image credit: Future)

Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro review: design and features

Exceptionally heavy
Well made
Not the most convenient software

The Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro has a somewhat muted appearance, especially in the white colorway I had on my review unit. It looks modern enough, and the lack of gamer touches is something I welcome, while the RGB lighting does enough to add vibrancy.

It’s also one of the heaviest keyboards I’ve ever used. It feels extremely dense and sturdy as a result, and if you’re prone to gamer rage, be careful of venting your frustrations out on this one. The aluminum casing feels very premium and hard wearing too.

The Rainy 75 Pro is also quite thick, although mercifully it has a fairly steep tilt angle, so the front end is lower to the ground than the back. This makes getting a comfortable position easier, although I found that my wrists still had to bend noticeably to reach the keys.

The double-shot PBT keycaps have a smooth texture and feel high quality, as you would expect. They also have minimal indentation, but it’s enough to secure your finger tips in place.

There are some useful default shortcuts on the Rainy 75 Pro, including the ability to hot-switch between Bluetooth and 2.4GHz devices using the Fn and Tab keys. However, it’s a shame that none of the keys have their Fn shortcuts labelled on them.

Close-up of Cocoa switch underneath keycap on Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro, with RGB lighting on — (Image credit: Future)

However, what’s more inconvenient is the switch for activating the wireless capability, since it’s located underneath the Caps Lock key, meaning you have to remove it to access it – a baffling design choice and one I’ve seen before on the MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra.

Thankfully, it’s rarely needed as it can be left in the on position, even when using the board with a wired connection. The only time I needed to switch it to the off position was when installing a firmware update.

The Rainy 75 Pro makes use of the VIA web app for its customization abilities. This provides the usual tinkering options, with macro creation, RGB settings, and plenty of remapping options.

However, the web app isn’t the most user-friendly interface, requiring you to download and then upload JSON files manually to get working. You also have to save your custom settings as files to your computer, which is also inconvenient and outdated.

I encountered other usability issues, too. There were occasions where the key remapping function wouldn't work, and sometimes the board lost connection to the web app, requiring me to refresh the page to remedy.

The layout of this web app also leaves a lot to be desired, as the scattergun approach to listing all the remaps isn’t the best presented, making it hard at times to find the shortcuts you need.

Design & features: 3.5 / 5

Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro review: performance

Light and snappy
Great for typing
Can get uncomfortable

The performance of the Rainy 75 Pro is excellent, whether you’re gaming or typing. The linear Cocoa switches in my unit had a very light and snappy actuation, with plenty of rebound and a relatively short travel, all of which made for quick taps and fast typing. Their lubed yet clicky feel also provided plenty of feedback, resulting in a tactile feel to match the best mechanical keyboards.

However, typing is quite loud, and while the Rainy 75 Pro is comfortable to use for the most part, that aforementioned thickness and the wrist bend required to access the keys did cause me some discomfort after a while. This is yet another keyboard where I would’ve appreciated a wrist pad.

Connectivity is seamless in the main, and I found switching between Bluetooth and 2.4GHz quick and easy. Battery life also seems reasonable, if not exceptional, dropping to 80% after several days of varied use between Bluetooth and 2.4GHz.

However, I did experience some serious lag on one occasion when playing a game, causing a severe delay to my inputs. My mouse inputs were unaffected, so I don’t believe it was an issue with the game.

This is obviously concerning, but I should stress this only happened once during my several days with the Rainy 75 Pro, and what’s more, it was fleeting. Still, it’s worth mentioning all the same.

Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro with keycap puller, USB 2.4GHz dongle, and three spare switches on desk with pink background — (Image credit: Future)

Performance: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro?

Gamakay TK75HE V2 Scorecard
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value	The Rainy 75 Pro is quite expensive, and although it offers a lot, there are plenty of competitors at this price point – and below.	3 / 5
Design and features	The Rainy 75 Pro is exceptionally solid and heavy, and it uses double-shot PBT keycaps. The customization web app isn’t the best, though, and it’s a little too thick for long-term comfort.	3.5 / 5
Performance	Light and snappy, the Rainy 75 Pro is great for typing and gaming, with a satisfying feel. I did experience a brief connection issue on one occasion, though.	4 / 5
Overall	The Rainy 75 Pro is very enjoyable to use, and the build quality is very impressive. However, the lack of wrist support, awkward software, and high price hold it back somewhat.	3.5 / 5

Buy it if…

You want easy typing
The snappy actuation and fast rebound make this a very tactile and easy board to type fast on.

You a sturdy unit
The sheer weight of the Rainy 75 Pro alone is testament enough to its build quality, but the aluminum material further consolidates this.

Don’t buy it if…

You want the best software
The VIA web app isn’t the easiest or most convenient to use, and there are no performance-based tweaks available for hardcore gamers.

You want to save money
The Rainy 75 Pro isn’t exactly cheap, and there are plenty of keen competitors around at this price.

Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro review: also consider

	Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro	MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra	Razer Pro Type Ultra
Layout	75%	60%	Full size
Switch	Mechanical	Analog (TMR magnetic)	Mechanical
Programmable keys	Yes	Yes	Yes
Dimensions	12.6 x 5.4 x 1.8 inches (320 x 137 x 46mm)	Not stated	17.28 x 5.16 x 1.57 inches (439 x 131 x 40mm)
RGB or backlighting	Yes (customizable)	Yes (customizable)	Yes (customizable)

Razer Pro Type Ultra
If you’re looking for a similarly premium experience, the Razer Pro Type Ultra is a great alternative, especially if you plan on doing a lot of typing. It’s about the same price as the Rainy 75 Pro, but has a full-size layout. However, like the Rainy 75 Pro, we found its angle a little steep for optimum comfort levels, but in all other regards, it’s an excellent keyboard for work and play. Read our full Razer Pro Type Ultra review.

MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra
Another formidable slab of a keyboard, the FUN60 Ultra has a 60% layout, so it lacks some keys useful for productivity and certain games. However, it’s great for typing with, and its TMR analog switches make it a boon for gamers. What’s more, it’s remarkably cheap considering its premium feel and performance, so it’s certainly a board worth considering if you can live with the compromised layout. Read our full MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra review.

How I tested the Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro

Tested for several days
Used for gaming and typing
Plentiful keyboard experience

I tested the Rainy 75 Pro for several days, during which time I used it for gaming and typing. I used all of its connectivity modes on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems. I played Counter-Strike 2, a good test for keyboards since it requires fast and accurate inputs.

I have been PC gaming for over a decade and have plenty of experience with keyboards of all kinds. I have also reviewed a large number of them, with different connectivity methods, switch types, layouts, and price points.

First reviewed: May 2025
Read more about how we test

I tested Meze’s newest open-back headphones and their stunning depth, clarity and style make them perfect for audiophile-grade listening

1:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Headphones | Comments: Off

Meze Audio Poet: One-minute review

The Meze Audio Poet are a posh pair of ‘phones. At this price point, you deserve nothing less than ‘posh’, and the Poet deliver in spades – from an impressive quality of build to a lagoons-deep listening experience. Smart touches like magnetically attached earpads and a nifty adjustment mechanism exemplify the thoughtfulness with which the Poet were designed, like many of the best wired headphone available.

A narrow soundstage and an eventually fatiguing listening experience serve to slightly dull these premium cans' shine to sit easily among the best over-ear headphones on the market – but only because of the increased scrutiny such premium prices invite. For those with the budget and inclination, the Poet are a hard set to turn down.

Meze Audio Poet open-back headphones on a wooden surface — (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

Meze Audio Poet review: Price and release date

Released February 20, 2025
$2,000 / £1,899 / AU$3,550

Meze Audio is a relatively young headphone company – at least, young against the years held by the generational heavyweights that tend to claim column inches such as these. Yet in a relatively short period of time, this underdog has curried a not-so-relatively high level of consumer trust and goodwill, thanks to an ever-expanding range of headphones both accessible and incomparable.

These are the Meze Audio Poet, a recent entrant into their range of upper-crust audiophile headphones. They continue the tradition of posh Meze units past, coupling forward-thinking driver design with rarefied aesthetic design to make something as fun to look at as they are to listen through.

The Poet aren't the most expensive pair on Meze’s audiophile-range docket, but at $2,000 / £1,899 / AU$3,550, nor are they 'cheap". How, then, do they fare?

Meze Audio Poet open-back over-ear headphone on a stand, placed on a wooden table tray — (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

Meze Audio Poet review: Features

State-of-the-art planar drivers
Smart, musical acoustic design
Earpads easy to detach

The Meze Audio Poet are a serious piece of audiophile-listening kit. This fact is borne out, in part, by the abject lack of anything that conventionally constitutes a ‘device feature’. If you, as someone new to this echelon of listening device, are looking for consumer-grade bells and whistles, such as wireless connectivity, active noise cancelling or aggressive digital EQ sculpting/bass-boosting, you’ll come up mercifully short.

The features that stand the Poet apart are those that make their listening experience worth the outlay – starting with its drivers.

The Poet have planar magnetic drivers, designed and manufactured exclusively for Meze by Rinaro. This is a partnership that goes back a way, and which has produced special fruit – both in the form of a unique diaphragm design (found here, and in other audiophile Meze-mezze like the Elite and Meze Empyrean), and in a new MZ6 driver design, which combines incomparable fidelity with incomparable compactitude. Planar drivers have their own USPs, including (among many other attributes) extensive upper-range detail and smoothness. Here, you’re getting the cream of the crop.

Meze Audio has also licensed proprietary Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS) tech from Dan Clark Audio – a clever system of physical frequency-damping that serves to tame fatigue-inducing high-end. Since these babies have a fidelity of up to 96kHz, you can see the appeal of such high-end control.

On the practical side of the equation, a somewhat-novel feature presents in the complete removability and replaceability of the ear pads with incontestable ease. They’re held in place magnetically, and can be plucked off for cleaning or replacement without the demented and destructive picking and tugging that the same events can often require in other headphones.

This kind of modularity is a vote of confidence in the headphones, too. Meze expects you to go the distance with the Poet, so much so that it wants you to be able to take the best possible care of them, thereby maintaining the best possible listening experience. It may be a bare-minimum expectation for something so priced as the Poet, but in the world we live in, and with the unscrupulous design decisions undertaken by other consumer brands, a win is very much a win.

Features score: 5 / 5

Earcups of the Meze Audio Poet open-back over-ear headphones, on a wooden surface — (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

Meze Audio Poet review: Sound quality

Excellent depth of sound
Voices, woodwinds and transients are glorious
Soundstage a little narrow

Though the Poet are open-back headphones, they still have some interesting closed-back-y isolation created by the ear cups – with partial thanks to the snug fit they create around your ears. The ear cup cushioning is plush and deep, and docking into them feels like closing an airlock around your face. It’s pleasantly uncanny, hearing a quieter, still-clear outside world while your ears feel like they’re in a different space altogether.

Listening to my digital copy of Pile’s luminary album All Fiction is disarming for the impressive attack these cans possess; this is one of the more convincing translations of the album I’ve heard, insofar as feeling like Rick Maguire is frustratedly plucking those guitar strings in real space, close by my ears.

The soundstage isn’t the most three-dimensional I’ve heard – more on which shortly – but the depth and separation between instruments is highly commendable. For instance, in Pile’s Blood, auxiliary strings thrum through its emotional climax. I usually perceive them as a searing block; a unit. Through the Poet, though, they’re the multitudes they were recorded as – strands, vibrating apart, and catching one another’s air.

Alabaster DePlume’s work was a particular high point for me with these headphones. Not Even Sobbing, from Come With Fierce Grace, is a sparse elegy that fills in from the outside, its endless swells and dwells between saxophone, voices, violins and bass that seem to gain volume by mitosis, crowding in close around your ears like you’re the fire they’re singing round. The Poet hear them beautifully.

Carry case for Meze Audio Poet over-ear headphones on a wooden surface — (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

This is the Poet’s strength. They can readily resolve disparate instruments within an arrangement, in a way that highlights the figurative space between performances, musicians, and takes. Lesser headphones have a tendency to glue, smear, and otherwise daub, often imperceptibly – which can render the background more as an oil painting than a relief.

Hearing a creak in the piano at the start of Andy Shauf’s I’m Not Falling Asleep, from The Bearer Of Bad News, sealed the deal with this line of enquiry. The rendering of a space and time with open clarity and tangibility gives you new angles from which to feel close to something special.

The Poet are dynamite with transients, too. Everything’s whip-crack sharp and responsive. This is a particularly cathartic demeanor when it comes to the dead drums and plucky electric piano of Demon Fuzz’s Afreaka!, or the delicate, tentative textures of The Books’ collage-folk The Lemon of Pink.

All this said, the Poet do tend to prefer vocals – simultaneously a strength in one sense, and a weakness in others. The prominence of that upper-mid range over the lower-mids can make for an occasionally imbalanced experience, but also gave another high point in listening to Dirty Projectors and Bjork’s When The World Comes to an End, from the phenomenal, voice-led EP Mount Wittenberg Orca.

The open-back design doesn’t bring as much width as other headphones, and many of the albums I listened to across multiple devices and formats felt ‘closer’ than I felt they ought to. That said, they do seem to do the trick with respect to low end, which feels quite bloomy, but in a plush and rich way (as opposed to the boomy, indistinct way many closed-backs ultimately provide).

I thought this, plus the tighter soundstage and V-shaped frequency response, would make heavier tracks like those of Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs For The Deaf a little lacklustre. Boy, was I wrong. The vocals are a little floaty, but that grinding muffled-guitar core is everything you’d hope for and more – and the bass a silky undercurrent enjoying newfound fidelity and focus. Ultimately, these headphones are an indulgent listen.

Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5

Close up image of earcups of the Meze Audio Poet open-back over-ear headphones, on a wooden table — (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

Meze Audio Poet review: Design

Impeccably put-together
Satisfying practical design flourishes
Robust enough to assuage your worry

The Meze Audio Poet are premium kit, so it should come as no surprise that there’s some pristine design in and around them. It’s hard not to start with the case – a foam-lined ABS hard-case with an unnecessarily neat pleather-clad hinge. It’s not the most opulent outer shell in the world, but opening it does feel like unwrapping a gift every time (particularly with a well-chosen, pleasant-to-use clasp at the front).

The headphones themselves, more importantly, are a veritable work of art. Precision-milled backplates catch the light in intoxicating ways via their contemporary art-deco-ish patterning, and feel hugely solid against my hands' light compressive force.

On the connectivity front, the cables are thankfully discrete from the ear cups. Each ear cup jack receives its respective TS connector with a stiff and reassuring click. I’m confident that, in the unlikely event you comedically wrap your Poet cable around a nearby hatstand while in transit, the hatstand would follow you for the ride.

Carry case of the Meze Audio Poet over-ear open-back headphones, on a wooden surface — (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

Something I absolutely love about the Poet’s design is their complete embracement of simple solutions over flashy tech. Ear cup adjustment isn’t some encapsulated, easy-to-break ratcheting system, but rather a simple friction-based push-fit system – it moves slowly and surely up and down, but freely in rotation. Exceedingly simple, and exceedingly well executed.

That lean to simplicity does create a fun potential pitfall or two in places, though. For instance, the titanium bars that host the earcups are resonant, and all too eager to transmit their gong-like overtures through to your ears with the slightest bang or brush. Meanwhile, the headband is a single length of suede leather, which promotes ease of fit to your bonce but doesn’t play as nice with headphone stands.

Minuscule gripe aside, these headphones are self-evidently designed with careful thought – and with something of a reverence for those people that’ll be spending their hard-earned on grabbing a pair. I’m a fan!

Design score: 5 / 5

Headband of the Meze Audio Poet open-back over-ear headphones, on a wooden surface — (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

Meze Audio Poet review: Value

Price not to be sniffed at, even if cheaper than other audiophile headphones
Justify their price point well...
… but minor shortcomings stand out more

With a pair of headphones as, frankly, luxuriant as these, two key issues present.

For one, they will handily reveal the shortcomings of practically any sound source you put before them. For another, they will wear their own shortcomings all the more prominently, if only for the increased scrutiny that such a high asking price places on them.

It’s an easy trap to fall into with something as good, and as expensive, as the Meze Audio Poet. And bear in mind, too, that this is still the ‘budget’ end of the audiophile spectrum, one which, at the other extremity, straight-facedly asks you to spend tens of thousands. I love these things, but the threshold for unequivocal endorsement gets exponentially higher against cost, just as returns tend to diminish.

It is with this line of thinking, and these resulting caveats, that I say the Meze Audio Poet do a great job of justifying their expense, but that certain behaviors – from a narrower-than-expected soundstage to the unexpected fatigue of longer listening sessions – stand out more for that expense. Your money is paying for cutting-edge planar drivers, meticulously designed and stunningly beautiful earcups, effortless ergonomics and quality materials; it also needs to buy you an experience greater than the sum of its parts, which the Poet readily do. With some small asterisks.

Value score: 4 / 5

Cables, and leather case, for the Meze Audio Poet open-back over-ear headphones, on a wooden surface — (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

Meze Audio Poet review: Should you buy them?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	Free from the tyranny of consumer-grade bells-and-whistles; cutting-edge drivers and acoustic design are triumphs.	5 / 5
Sound quality	Bright, clear, deep, reedy – the Poet are a rich set, friendly to vocals but incredibly adept with transients.	4.5 / 5
Design	Beautifully made, with some well-executed minimal mechanisms; a joy to behold and to wear.	5 / 5
Value	The research, design and commitment to quality justify the price, but the little things, stand out against that price all the more.	4 / 5

Buy them if...

You value your hi-fi
Audiophile headphones are the haunt of the discerning listener. The Poet are here to render your records and audio files in the clearest, deepest light – and will perform all the better when placed after quality sources.

You’re an active listener
These headphones dock over your ears like visiting spaceships. Though open-back, they create a remarkable distance between you and the world around. This, coupled with the three-dimensional rendering the Poet are capable of, make scrutinizing your faves for new discoveries all the more thrilling.

Don't buy them if...

You’re risking your credit score to do so
Impeccable as the Poet sound, they're only worth investing in if you’ve the money spare. You’ll find more bang-for-buck, and near-equivalent enjoyability, in cheaper Meze Audio cans!

You’re choosing open-backs for the soundstage
Despite their open-back nature, the Poet do not quite ‘breathe’ the same as other open-backs this writer has tried and enjoyed. I’m reminded more of closed-back headphones by the fit and feel, as well as the dimensionality of sound.

Meze Audio Poet open-back over-headphones on a wooden surface — (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

Meze Audio Poet review: Also consider

	Meze Audio Poet	FiiO FT5	Edifier Stax Spirit S5
Type:	Over-ear	Over-ear	Over-ear
Open-back or closed-back:	Open-back	Open-back	Open-back
Driver:	Planar magnetic	Planar magnetic	Planar magnetic
Frequency range:	4Hz to 96kHz	7Hz to 40kHz	10Hz to 40kHz
Impedance:	55 ohms	36 ohms	18 ohms
Connector:	Dual mono TS 3.5mm to 6.3mm TRS	Dual mono TS 3.5mm to 3.5mm TRRRS	Wireless (Bluetooth, LDAC/aptX Lossless)
Weight:	405g	465g	347g
Extras:	ABS hard case, dual TS to 6.3mm stereo cable, dual TS to 3.5mm stereo cable	Carry case, Dual mono TS 3.5mm to 3.5mm TRRRS cable, x4 TRRRS adapters (3.5mm TRS; 4.4mm TRRS; 6.3mm TRS; mini XLR)	Carrying case, 3.5mm TRS cable, USB-A to USB-C cable, ear pads

FiiO FT5
FiiO’s FT5 over-ear headphones are, if anything, disruptive. FiiO has done some incredible things with its position in the hi-fi market, including bringing stunning leaps in planar magnetic driver tech to the mid-range much quicker than anyone else has dared. Do they sound better than the Poet? No. Are they four times cheaper and still Actually Very Good? Yes.
Read the full FiiO FT5 review here

Edifier Stax Spirit S5
If you actually want those high-tech gubbins I was so gleefully celebrating the absence of before, try the Edifier Stax Spirit S5 on for size. Wireless tech and app connectivity collide with planar magnetic driver design in this Actually Quite Affordable pair of quality listening ‘phones.
Read our full Edifier Stax Spirit S5 review here

Meze Audio Poet review: How I tested

Tested for five weeks
Used as listening headphones at home
Mainly tested with digital music sources, via my computer and a Universal Audio interface
Also listened to vinyl on a Victrola Stream Sapphire, via the headphone out of a Cambridge Audio amplifier

Headphones are a daily fixture for me. As a freelance writer often in need of ‘locking in’, as a music lover with an ever-expanding library of too-cool-for-school records, and as a freelance musician reliant on headphones for recording, monitoring and mixing.

My experience with headphones of all types, purposes and budgets puts me in a fun position to evaluate the Meze Audio Poet – a pair of audiophile cans which became my resident listening headphones at home, spending time between my living room and attic studio space.

In the attic, the Poet were used to listen to digital copies of records from my collection and via streaming, through a Universal Audio Volt 4 audio interface. In the living room, the headphones were plugged into my Cambridge Audio Azur 540r receiver, which received the sound of my record collection via a Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable (outfitted with an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge).

First reviewed: June 2025
Read more about how we test

I was blown away by this laptop cooling pad’s arctic cooling – but it still can’t quite freeze out the competition

9:20 pm | June 11, 2025

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

Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad: review

The Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad is a relatively high-end option for keeping your gaming or productivity laptop cool. At $89.99 / £116.26 (around AU$140), it certainly costs a pretty penny; but in return you get a cooling pad with a giant 4.72-inch turbo fan capable of spinning at up to a ludicrous 3,500rpm.

Unlike more shy and retiring options, the Llano V10 isn’t scared to announce its presence – in fact, it’s a little bit of a loudmouth. To benchmark this laptop cooling pad, I ran a 3DMark stress test on our Acer Predator Helios 300 testing laptop with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU testing laptop, while running the Llano V10 at max power for 15 minutes. Using a sound level meter, I measured the noise it was kicking out 10 minutes into the test; it registered 69dB from a few inches away, and 57.5dB at my head height. This makes the Llano the second-noisiest cooling pad I’ve tested, right after the Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad, which clocked 79dB and 64dB respectively.

But the one thing you can count on from this little blowhard is that it blows – hard. I measured our gaming laptop’s peak temperature before benchmarking, and again at the conclusion of the 15-minute stress test. With the Llano running at max, its temperature rose from 81.5ºF (27.5ºC) to 103ºF (39.5ºC), a rise of just 21.5ºF (12ºC). This performance is right up there with the best cooling pads, with the only one I’ve tested that could beat it being the Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad. So, you’re getting pretty icy cooling here.

A closeup of the side of the Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad, showing off its RGB lighting. — (Image credit: Future)

When it comes to design, the Llano V10 looks decent enough, treading just on the right side of cyberpunk styling without looking too conspicuously edgy or brutalist. The polygonal RGB lighting bars along the sides and back are tastefully done, allowing you to choose between a range of shifting hues. Unlike some laptop cooling pads, it isn't available in an array of colors; but the black offered looks just fine to my eyes.

The Llano also feels pretty ergonomic in use. It offers only a single height setting, which may not suit everyone, but I did find the 10-degree angle at which it held my laptop pretty comfortable for long-term use. However, its build does feel a little more insubstantial than products such as the Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad – the V10's materials and buttons feel a little more plasticky and clicky than I’d like.

Probably the biggest question when it comes to the $89.99 / £116.26 (around AU$140) Llano V10 is down to value. On the one hand, you’re absolutely getting the cooling you’re paying for – the fact that it prevented our laptop from warming more than 21.5ºF (12ºC) is the second-best result from any laptop cooler I’ve tested.

The only issue is the best result: the Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad trimmed that warming back to 8ºC and yet costs only $119.99 / £129.99 (around AU$188.33), which isn't much more. Plus, it's often available for even less – for example, costing $95.99 at the time of writing in the US. That slightly weakens the Llano V10’s value in comparison.

The Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad at a 3/4s angle with a closed ASUS gaming laptop on top of it in front of a pink background. — (Image credit: Future)

Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad review: price & availability

Launched on May 17, 2024
List price of $89.99 / £116.26 (around AU$140)

Having launched on May 17, 2024, the Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad is available now. It can be purchased from Amazon at a list price of $89.99 / £116.26 (around AU$140). While that’s at the higher end of the market, it's still its lowest ever price in the UK, and only a few dollars off the $87.99 it briefly dropped down to in May 2025. As such, it represents a decent deal.

Unfortunately, though, the fact that this is a premium product means it has quite a few rivals nipping at its heels. From one end of the market, the budget-priced $19.99 / £20.99 / AU$66.91 Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad offered disproportionately frosty cooling for its mild price, seeing our test laptop rise by 27.5ºF (15.3ºC). Conversely, if you catch it on sale then you can pick up the Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad from as little as $95.99 / £129.99 – it stopped our testing rig from warming any more than 14.5ºF (8ºC), which is a substantial performance boost for comparatively little extra spend.

A closeup of the Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad's controls, showing a lighting mode switch, color switch, on/off switch, fan speeds switches and an LCD panel showing its 900rpm fan speed. — (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad?

Buy it if…

You want exceptional cooling
This is one of the most chill laptop cooling pads I’ve ever had my hands on. It stopped our laptop from warming any more than 21.5ºF (12ºC) during our stress test, which is seriously impressive.

You want an attractive, comfortable cooling pad
Sitting at an ergonomic 10-degree angle, the Llano V10 is comfortable to use over long stretches of time. And its restrained use of RGB lighting means its looks aren’t too in your face, either.

Don’t buy it if…

You want the best cooling for your cash
With the Liangstar offering only marginally weaker cooling for much less money, and the Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad offering superior cooling for not much more, the V10 probably isn’t the best value option out there.

You hate noise
The Llano V10 isn’t the loudest laptop cooling pad I’ve ever tested, but it isn't far off. Both the pad and our testing laptop registered at a combined 69dB during tests, which is nearly as loud as highway traffic, according to the Center for Hearing and Communication.

A closeup of the bottom-right corner of the Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad in front of a pink background. — (Image credit: Future)

Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad review: also consider

Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad
The higher-end stablemate of the V10, the Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad offers the best cooling performance I’ve encountered in tests so far. Even during our 3DMark stress test, this cooling pad kept our laptop's temperature from rising any more than 14.5ºF (8ºC), which is seriously arctic chilling. That’s a pretty impressive step up from the V10, given its list price is just $30 / £13.73 (around AU$48.33) higher. Read our full Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad review.

Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad
If you can’t stretch to premium prices, the Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad is your best shot for glacial cooling. During tests, it kept our laptop from rising by more than 27.5ºF (15.3ºC) – that’s pretty decent cooling in its own right. But it’s rendered far more impressive when you factor in its list price, which at just $18.99 / £23.59 / AU$63.33, means it costs less than a quarter of the price of the V10. Read our full Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad review.

The Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad at a 3/4s angle with an open ASUS gaming laptop on top of it in front of a pink background. — (Image credit: Future)

How I tested the Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad

Tested over the course of multiple days
Measured its cooling while running a stress test on our testing laptop
Recorded the combined volume of the cooling pad and laptop’s fans

I tested the Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad over the course of several days, using the standard TechRadar testing process I designed. First, I recorded the baseline temperature of our Acer Predator Helios 300 with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 testing laptop using a thermal camera. Then I ran a 3DMark stress test on the laptop for 15 minutes while setting the cooling pad to its highest setting, recording the laptop’s temperature again at the end of the test to measure the impact the cooling pad had on the laptop's warming.

In addition, I measured the peak volume of the laptop and cooling pad to assess how much noise they kicked out. When the stress test had been in progress for 10 minutes, I checked the volume of the combined fan noise using a sound level meter, both from a few inches away and at my head height (21 inches from the surface of the laptop).

I also tested how the Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad felt in use, while working and playing games, to assess its overall build quality and ergonomics. In terms of additional experience, I’ve been using a gaming laptop and using creative workflows for decades, meaning I’m very familiar with the struggle of keeping a laptop cool.

First reviewed: June 2025
Read more about how we test

MSI Raider A18 HX review: big in power, big in size… as in literally too big

2:53 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Gaming Computers Gaming Laptops | Tags: CPU, GPU, RAM, Total War | Comments: Off

MSI Raider A18 HX: Two-minute review

The MSI Raider A18 HX is a high-end, premium gaming laptop with a price point to match. Featuring some of the absolute best specifications on offer on the market right now, there’s no need to worry about low frame rates or poor game quality when sporting this titan of a machine.

You do get absolutely brilliant gaming performance on the MSI Raider A18 HX, however this is the expectation when it comes to a laptop at this price point. This device is by no means an option for those who are budget-conscious, however, but you get gaming performance like no other, a stunning 4K display, and a laptop which is future-proofed for years to come.

It does, however, come with some big flaws. Of course, you’d expect an 18-inch gaming laptop to be large, but this device really and truly is on another level in terms of both size and weight.

It’s a behemoth of a device which does have its perks, such as an immersive screen size and lots of ports, but on the other hand, it's so large to a point I wouldn’t necessarily consider it portable. It also only features a 2TB SSD, which despite sounding large, will easily be filled with the size of AAA titles in this day and age.

MSI Raider A18 HX: Price and availability

How much does it cost? $5,609.99 / £4,799
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? UK and US

The MSI Raider A18 HX is a top-of-the-line laptop in terms of performance and of course that comes with a matching price point. Coming in at over $5,000 for the highest specification edition of this laptop, this price point is not for the faint of heart. Considering the specifications of the laptop, the price point does make sense as similar options are around the same price point.

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18, which also features a RTX 5090 graphics card and a larger SSD, will set you back $4,499.99 / £5,099.

You can currently get this laptop in the UK, US and other select regions across the world. However, it’s currently not available in Australia.

Value: 4 /5

MSI Raider A18 HX: Specs

Closed lid of the MSI Raider A18 HX — (Image credit: Future)

MSI Raider A18 HX: Specs
	Base configuration	Review configuration
Model	Raider A18 HX A9WIG-003	Raider A18 HX A9WJG-002
Price	$4,499.99 / £3,999	$5,609.99 / £4,799
CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D Processor	AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D Processor
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
RAM	64GB DDR5	64GB DDR5
Screen	Mini LED, 18inch, 3840 x 2400p, 120Hz refresh rate	Mini LED, 18inch, 3840 x 2400p, 120Hz refresh rate
Storage	2TB SSD	2TB SSD
Ports	3x USB-A, 2x USB-C, 1x SD Card reader, 1x HDMI, 1x Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm Audio Jack	3x USB-A, 2x USB-C, 1x SD Card reader, 1x HDMI, 1x Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm Audio Jack
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Camera	HD Camera (30fps, 1080p)	HD Camera (30fps, 1080p)
Weight	3.6kg	3.6kg
Dimensions	404 x 307.5 x 24-32.05 mm	404 x 307.5 x 24-32.05 mm

The MSI Raider A18 HX is a top-end gaming device where you can either opt for the Nvidia RTX 5090 or Nvidia RTX 5080 graphics cards. While both of these provide high-level graphics performance, if you really want the best of the best in terms of specifications then of course the Nvidia RTX 5090 is the clear option.

All the other specs between these two devices are identical, so no matter which option you pick up, you’ll be getting a mighty processor as well as an almost excessive amount of RAM with 64GB at your disposal.

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Various angles of the MSI Raider A18 HX laptop — (Image credit: Future)

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MSI Raider A18 HX: Design

Large and heavy
18-inch screen looks fantastic
Plenty of ports

When first unboxing the MSI Raider A18 HX, all I could think was… woah. Weighing in at 3.6kg, this definitely isn’t the lightest of laptops, and pair this with the absolutely massive size measuring at 404 x 307.5 x 32.05 mm, this device is almost certainly too big for most laptop backpacks.

Being an avid collector of laptop bags, I tried it in a whole load of different bags, and the only thing I could fit this device in was a suitcase. This is definitely something to take note of if you’re planning to use a gaming laptop on the go.

Size aside, the laptop itself is very traditionally gamer-y in terms of style. You get red accents around the edge of the device as well as RGB on the logo and along the bottom bezel. Contributing to this aesthetic is the font of the keyboard, which is quite aggressive.

You get a stunning 18-inch screen with this laptop with a 3840 x 2400 resolution, perfect for playing AAA titles in 4K. However, for those who play competitive titles where frames win games - you also get a 120Hz refresh rate, ensuring you have the best of both worlds with this display.

The MSI Raider A18 HX features 3 USB-A ports, 2 USB-C ports and a headphone jack. You also get an ethernet port and HDMI port on the back of the device. While this is more than enough ports for a standard set up of gaming peripherals, you’ll likely need extenders if you’re hoping to run a full streaming setup.

Design: 3 / 5

Side view of the MSI Raider A18 HX — (Image credit: Future)

MSI Raider A18 HX: Performance

Can become unstable when battery drops too far
Top-tier gaming performance
Fans get loud

MSI Raider A18 HX: Benchmarks

3DMark: Night Raid: 80877 ; Fire Strike: 42898 ; Time Spy: 18448
GeekBench 6: 2867 (single-core); 12285 (multi-core)
CrossMark: Overall: 1578 Productivity: 1532 Creativity: 1851 Responsiveness: 1067
Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Ultra): 203 ; (1080p, Low): 454
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 167 ; (1080p, Low): 198
Dirt 5 (1080p, Ultra): 306 ; (1080p, Low): 204
PCMark 10 Battery Life: 1hr 27mins
TechRadar movie test: 1hr 45mins

I did have some teething issues when first booting up the MSI Raider A18 HX. At first it was freezing frequently and at one point in the middle of benchmarking it completely froze and I needed to hold down the power button to shut it off. I realised the main issue was when the battery dropped below 10% - it became practically useless, even when I adjusted power saving settings to ensure the best performance.

I resorted to using the laptop plugged in the majority of the time because of the power draw, and risking dropping below 10% battery and having the entire system shut off was not a gamble I was willing to take - especially when playing online. However, when the laptop did work as intended, it was absolutely fantastic, I got top-tier performance from every single title I booted up in Ultra.

Whether I was running lower-intensity titles or AAA games, which did send the fans of the laptop into orbit, I was able to get amazing quality graphics and high frames every time.

It’s worth noting that - as with a lot of gaming machines of this calibre - it did get very hot and very loud quite quickly, with fans going full throttle as soon as I would boot up a game in 4K.

The speakers on the laptop are pretty good, while they of course don’t match headset-level quality, they are perfectly fine for gaming with.

However, if you're looking for pinpoint-accurate directional audio, you won’t really find that from laptop speakers in general anyway, and should in vest in the best PC speakers.

Performance: 4 / 5

MSI Raider A18 HX: Battery life

The battery life was the biggest let down of this laptop. Of course, most gaming laptops have a very high power draw since they contain some pretty intense components, but the MSI Raider A18 HX really was unbelievably low.

When playing AAA games at 4K, I got less than an hour out of the laptop before it would shut itself off. Considering the performance issue I experienced when reaching low battery levels, this rendered the device even more useless for portability.

In tune with the size of the laptop, you get an absolutely gigantic 400w charging brick which also contributes to the lack of portability. However, the perk of having such a big charging brick is that your laptop will charge back to full battery very quickly with mine going from 10% back to 100% in around an hour.

It’s clear that this laptop was designed to remain plugged in at all times, whether it's due to the size of the device itself, the size of the charger or just the battery life in general. While it is a gaming laptop, it’s clearly one intended to remain stationary.

Battery life: 1 / 5

Should you buy the MSI Raider A18 HX?

MSI Raider A18 HX with its charging cable on a wooden floor — (Image credit: Future)

MSI Raider A18 HX: Scorecard
Attributes	Notes	Value
Value	4 / 5	Priced appropriately based on specs, the one downside here is the lack of availability in certain territories
Design	3 / 5	Despite coming with a gorgeous chassis, it’s hard to look past just how big this laptop is which takes away from its portability.
Performance	4 / 5	You get fantastic performance here which is let down when you get to lower battery percentages.
Battery	1 / 5	The battery is a major letdown when it comes to this laptop to the point I wouldn’t even consider using it unplugged.
Average rating	3 / 5	The MSI Raider A18 HX is huge and chugs through its battery, but there's no faulting the level of performance for the price, even if it comes at the (literal) cost of everything else.

Buy it if...

You want top-of-the-line performance
The specifications of this laptop are some of the best on the market right now, which deliver top-tier performance

You want something with the traditional gamer aesthetic
You get a traditional gamer-y style with this laptop including RGB and aggressive font

You want a built-in 4K display
You get a stunning display on this laptop which makes for a beautiful gaming experienceView Deal

Don't buy it if...

You want a portable gaming solution
Despite being a laptop, this device is so large that it means portability is essentially non-existent.View Deal

You need something with good battery life
All that power comes at the cost of (expectedly) woeful battery life. You'll need to keep a wall socket handy for this oneView Deal

MSI Raider A18 HX: Also Consider

Razer Blade 14

If you’re looking for a powerful gaming laptop which provides you with immaculate performance regardless of if you’re looking for stunning visuals or high frame rates all packed into a compact and stunning chassis, then the Razer Blade 14 is a great option.

MSI Katana 15

The MSI Katana 15 is a great budget option for those who are looking for a powerful gaming laptop without having to fork out too much cash. You can pick it up at less than £1,000 and still get decent AAA performance in 1080p.

How I tested the MSI Raider A18 HX

I spent two weeks using the MSI Raider A18 HX as my everyday laptop for work and leisure. I was sure to use the device all day for my typical work day, and then also used it for gaming in the evening. I took it on the go with me to different locations where I needed to work to see how it would feel outside of my workstation. As well as using it every day I also benchmarked the laptop using a range of different benchmarking software.

First reviewed: June 2025