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I tested the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen thinking they couldn’t better the originals for ANC – but wow, was I wrong

4:55 pm | July 25, 2025

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen: Two-minute review

I've been wanting Bose to lighten up a bit for years where its earbuds are concerned and with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen, the usually oh-so-serious audio heavyweight got the memo. Would you look at that 'Deep Plum' hue?

When setting up the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen (try saying that three times in quick succession after 5:30pm) you're prompted to rename them if you'd like – and someone on Bose's payroll clearly had a jolly old time coming up with cheeky suggestions such as "Cherry Wine", "Burgundy Buds" or "Sonic Sangria". You love to see it. (They're also available in black and white, naturally.)

But that's far from the end of the fun times where this particular Bose vintage is concerned. These buds are the most sonically exuberant listen I've heard to date in this type of form factor, a fact only enhanced by their rock-solid, near-impenetrable active noise cancellation (ANC), which you can usefully tweak on a slider when creating Bose's hugely successful 'Modes' (more on that later).

This time around, you also get wireless charging from the box and multi-point connectivity that works seamlessly, something the original Ultras bizarrely lacked on their release. Some of the best earbuds on the market then? Oh absolutely.

But not everyone will be wholly happy with the update. If you were expecting a complete design overhaul from the inaugural late-2023 Ultras (which were not too dissimilar in design to the September 2022-issue QuietComfort Earbuds 2), you're still not getting that.

My colleague in Australia, Sharmishta Sarkar has been waiting for a rework there for some time now – and to be clear, she means an alternative to wedging the buds in with stability bands because these silicone accessories eventually wear out (even though a total of three, in different sizes and separate from the interchangeable tips, has been provided in the box). Anyone who wanted Bose to take its smaller QuietComfort Earbuds 2024 design and Ultra-fy it for 2025 (are you out there?) will also be disappointed.

I am not disappointed. The ovoid nozzle actually slips happily into my bijou ear canal and serves up exciting, expansive audio that nixes more low-level constant noise than anything else I've tested on the market. And with the (admittedly incremental, but still welcome) upgrades Bose has given me in the QuietComfort Earbuds Ultra 2nd Gen, I'll be thoroughly recommending them to anyone who'll let me for some time.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen review: Price and release date

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) in purple color, next to some flowers of a similar shade but held in a hand — (Image credit: Future)

Released on June 12, 2025
Priced $299 / £299 / AU$450
Available in black, off-white and 'deep plum' (pictured)

Key things to note here: they're newe,r and while they're not cheaper, they're also not more expensive than what's gone before them. Bose has generously carried over the original Ultra Earbuds' 2023 launch price (which was the same as the prices listed above) to 2025 and ignored inflation, although you can now find the older set for nearer $220 / £199 / AU$399.

Why mention this? Because if the deep plum limited colorway and wireless charging as standard don't matter to you, you might think the smart money goes on the older set. I actually disagree, as you'll see, but there's definitely a case to be made for it…

In terms of direct competition, your rivals at the level are of course AirPods Pro 2 which can be yours for around $50 / £70 less than the Bose (though often drop to being much cheaper), the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 (which are pricier, at $399 / £349 / AU$599), or the Technics EAH-AZ100 which are virtually the same price as the Bose depending on where you live, at $299 / £259 / AU$478.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen review: Specs

Drivers	9.3mm dynamic
Active noise cancellation	Yes, plus Immersive audio and 'Modes'
Battery life	6 hours (earbuds), 24 hours (total)
Weight	7.7g per bud
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3
Waterproofing	IPX4

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen review: Features

Up to 24 hours of battery (up to 6 from the buds)
Excellent and useful Modes options
Option to switch off on-ear controls

Via a few clicks within the Bose companion app, Bose has added (drumroll)… the ability to switch off on-ear controls with this iteration. Why you'd want to switch off the capacity to scroll through your listening modes (you can customize the long-press function too, if you'd rather use it to switch source devices manually, access your voice assistant or deploy a hotline to Spotify), stroke the stem to alter volume or tap to pause and play your tracks is strange to me – but if you want to, you can now. And you couldn't before.

Now: Modes. It's not new, but I was a huge fan of the feature in the original Ultra Earbuds and I still love it now. What are these Modes? Essentially, you can combine however much of Bose's excellent ANC or ambient passthrough you want on a slider – although take note, the solo slider starts at full transparency or awareness and goes through to maximum ANC – along with Immersive Audio.

You can pick whether you want Immersive Audio on or off, 'Still' (so you can move your head around your source device and feel the different sounds being piped into each ear accordingly) or in 'Motion' (which means that whichever way you turn your head, the three-dimensional immersive soundstage will not change).

There are three presets from the box: Quiet (max ANC, Immersive Audio off); Aware (max Ambient passthrough, Immersive Audio off); and Immersion (max ANC, Immersive Audio set to 'Motion'). I created a fourth preset: Work. Here, I set ANC to 75% and select 'Still' under Immersive Audio. This way, all but the most important noises are gone at my desk, and said desk is my fixed audio source – so I'm less tempted to leave it!

The thing is, if these profiles didn't do exactly what they promised to do, you'd say they were surplus to requirements. But because they genuinely enhance the listening experience better than any similar solutions currently offered by rivals (for me, it's better than JBL Spatial Sound, for example), they're emphatically worth using and celebrating.

On the ANC, Bose says there are new AI algorithms included this time, for better filtering of sudden noise spikes via its ActiveSense system. What I can tell you is that I've never heard more effective ANC in a set of noise-cancelling earbuds. Better than the outgoing model? Yes. I even missed my own doorbell while testing (which meant an extra journey to collect my next review product) – and my music was not loud.

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The QCUE and QCUE 2 next to each other, outside on a sunny day, showing their similarities — Not to hammer the point home, but from a design perspective, there's a new wax guard and… not much else, to differentiate the original QCUE (left) from the QCUE 2 (right) (Image credit: Future)

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It's not all great news: your Bluetooth version is still 5.3 (when 6.0 now exists) and although you get Snapdragon Sound again, which means aptX Adaptive is on the menu as well as aptX Lossless, you've still got to be using an Android non-Samsung device with a compatible Qualcomm chip (see our aptX explainer for more on that tricky business).

None of that is Bose's fault, of course, but it is a roundabout way of saying that LDAC would've been a great addition this time around – especially when cheaper options such as the Nothing Ear (a) proudly offer it.

Also, the three-tab EQ graph is relatively basic compared to some flagship options and there are no listening tests to augment certain frequencies to create your own 'Personi-Fi' type profile – which is a feature of the JBL Live Beam 3, for example.

However, that doesn't mean there's no sonic tailoring whatsoever in the QCUE 2 – just that you might not be aware of it. CustomTune is a feature that actually made its debut in the QuietComfort Earbuds 2, but it's worth noting nonetheless, because I think it's a big part of what makes the sound and ANC so effective.

Basically, that thwomph sound in each ear when you put them on? It's not performative. What's happening is that this test sound travels through your ear's unique canals, bounces back to the buds nestled within them and is picked up by the microphones.

Then, Bose's CustomTune tech gets to work, potentially amplifying some frequencies while pulling back a touch others, depending on the architecture of your auricles. It's just that you don't take an active part in this test, in the way you do with lengthier tests offered by the Nothing Ear, for example.

Battery life? It's fine, but not exceptional. In my tests, I managed to get the promised six hours from them with my 'Work' mode deployed, but not a minute more – and that's largely because I found (unlike many rivals) they're able to play relatively loud and I was able to listen at just under 45% volume at my desk.

Features score: 4.5/5

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen review: Sound quality

Loud, zealous, crisp and expansive audio
Excellent across the whole frequency range
Immersive Audio is beautifully handled

Let's take the excellent ANC performance as read (scroll back if you missed that). Sonically, the QCUE 2nd Gen are also a rare treat across the frequencies, with a layered and expansive soundstage that allows bass registers ample space to rumble and clack, midrange vocals and instruments to sound textured and fully realized, and treble trills to soar unaffected above it all.

If you love a considered hip-hop album (and I really do) you'll find much to celebrate here. I cue up OutKast's Stankonia and through the Bose buds Gasoline Dreams is an emotive romp filled with guitar kerrangs, drum fills and sonic articles lesser earbuds cannot unearth. Big Boi sounds extra indignant; Andre 3000's playful Georgian twang is just that bit more noticeable.

Switching to Ozzy Osbourne's Bark at the Moon (thank you, Ozzy), the complex layers of laughter, driving guitars and bass are faithfully captured and held dutifully in a cohesive but energetic mix – and when that guitar glances from left to right through the soundstages, it whooshes past each ear like a Tokyo bullet train.

For detail, they're also very good, and while there will always be that old argument about integrated, neutral hi-fi sound versus fun and excitement, for me, Bose has absolutely aced the sonic treatment here.

For detail and neutrality, you'll get just a little more from the aforementioned Technics EAH-AZ100, but for bass impact and zeal, the Bose buds take it. And there's so little in it this time around, I cannot dock any stars.

Sound quality: 5/5

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen review: Design

Excellent mics for call-handling
On-ear touch controls work very well
Winning 'deep plum' finish

As mentioned (and pictured), the earbuds and case are extremely similar to the older model in terms of size, shape and driver array. What I didn't mention before is that there is a small difference to the build, and it's the addition of something Bose calls an embedded ear wax guard, to prevent any of the stuff produced naturally by our ears (let's not be weird; a healthy body creates ear wax) finding its way beyond the casework and into the driver housings.

I cannot say I had this issue with the older set, but having seen a few Reddit threads that mention it, it's a sensible addition from Bose.

Bose also promises improved voice pickup from the four mics per bud and thus improved call quality this time around, and I think the company has made good on that claim. It was a sore point in the older set, and this time callers felt I sounded much clearer and more present.

You can also tweak how much of your own voice you'd like to hear in the app (something rival Technics calls 'Sidetone') and it is beneficial if you prefer to hear a little more of your dulcet tones in calls, to avoid shouting at your recipient.

In the Bose app, there's a fit test to work out whether you've got the correct tips and fins fitted, and although it's quick and relatively rudimentary (I passed first time with the pre-fitted options, no issue) I did find the buds secure and comfortable during my testing.

Basically, if you've liked the fit of Bose's flagship earbuds to date, it's more of the same here. OK, in today's money the charging case could be considered a touch on the large side. For me it's no biggie, since its flat underside means it sits happily in my hand and in my bag without issue.

Design score: 5/5

Three screengrabs from the Bose app, using the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen — (Image credit: Bose)

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen review: value

Simply the best ANC earbuds on the market
…but not the cheapest

Value is an odd thing to quantify here, since it really is horses for courses. I keep coming back to this: there will be those out there who simply want the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market, that also do great things with their music. This is that pair of earbuds.

No, they're possibly not the absolute best earbuds for small ears (although to clarify: I had no issue with fallouts and I have bijou ears, but they do protrude more than rivals) nor do they ask you various questions about what you're hearing and when you stop hearing certain frequencies to create sound profiles.

If you want to take an active part in augmentation, you'll be better served by AirPods Pro 2 or Nothing Ear. That said, not everyone wants this – and for me, the overall sound quality here is so good I wouldn't touch it anyway.

Value: 5/5

Should I buy the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	Excellent ANC and now, wireless charging. Every perk is class-leading	4.5/5
Sound quality	Immersive audio is wildly fun and engaging but even with all profiles off, the sound is zealous and powerful	5/5
Design	A case of 'it wasn't broken, so we didn't fix it' but the added wax guard is a nice touch	4.5/5
Value	Simply the best earbuds for ANC on the market – and that's worth paying for	5/5

Buy them if…

You need class-leading ANC in earbuds
I've never heard bubble-of-silence noise cancellation in earbuds quite like it – no, not even in the older set.

You like immersive, head-tracked audio
With Bose's earbuds, you get to choose whether you want your own personal surround-sound performance fixed or moving, and in conjunction with whatever level of ANC you want.

You like vivacious, dynamic, pro-active audio
Want your grime tracks with a thumping bassline? Bose can give it to you and then some. If I had to use just one word to describe the audio performance here, I'd go with 'powerful'.

Don’t buy them if…

You've already got the Ultras
If wireless charging doesn't matter to you, you're not fully sold on the new color, the incremental upgrade in the inaugural set's very good ANC isn't a deal-breaker and, er, wax buildup has never been an issue for you, you might give this update a miss.

You prioritise stamina
The battery life here isn't terrible exactly, but compared to certain rivals, it can certainly be bettered – the Technics EAH-AZ100 lasted a lot longer on a single charge, for example.

You want LDAC
No dice here, friend. If you need Sony's higher-resolution Bluetooth audio codec, look to the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen review: Also consider

	Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)	Technics EAH-AZ100	Cambridge Audio Melomania A100
Drivers	10mm	10mm free-edge dynamic	10mm Neodymium dynamic
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery life	6 hours (earbuds, ANC off; 4 hours with it on) case not specified	12 hours (earbuds, ANC off); 17 hours (charging case)	11 hours per charge; up to 39 hours with the case
Weight	7.7g per bud	5.9g per bud	4.7g per earbud
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX Lossless / Adaptive	Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC and LC3 compatibility	5.4 with LDAC and aptX Lossless
Waterproofing	IPX4 earbuds only	IPX4 earbuds only	IPX5 earbuds only

Cambridge Audio Melomania A100
Cambridge Audio also offers an excellent listen in its latest earbuds with good ANC. No immersive audio profiles (Cambridge doesn't believe in tinkering with recorded music in that way) but if it's an integrated hi-fi listen you seek, add them to your list – and they'll last longer than the Bose option. Read more in our Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 review.

Technics EAH-AZ100
Another option with better stamina that also offers excellent sound quality and decent noise cancellation. Here, you even get multi-point to three devices (rather than the standard two) though, and the classy finish makes them nothing short of a joy to own. Get the full picture in our Technics EAH-AZ100 review.

How I tested the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen

Tested for two weeks
Tested at home, walking along a crowded beach and on a packed train

I used the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen for two weeks when writing this review, and my testing involved listening to music, podcasts and watching streamed movies from various devices – including Android and Apple sources.

I listened at home when working and taking calls, during several beach-combing walks and on a busy commuter train – and let me tell you, with these as my musical companion, it was no hardship.

I've been testing audio products full-time since 2019, firstly over at our sister publication What Hi-Fi? as a staff writer (locked in our hi-fi testing facility for two years, I was), then as senior writer at TechRadar and, since early 2024, audio editor. My background as a professional dancer is what drives me to search for faithful timing, precision, clarity and good old fashioned fun in recorded music.

First reviewed in July 2025.

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Samsung’s mid-range mini-LED TV is pretty good, but I’d opt for one of its better-priced rivals

9:00 pm | July 24, 2025

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

Samsung QN80F: Two-minute review

The Samsung QN80F is the mid-range model in the company’s 2025 4K Neo QLED mini-LED TV lineup. It is available in 50-100-inch sizes (with the 50-inch only available in the UK and the 100-inch only available in the US and Australia) and carries a stacked feature set.

The QN80F uses the same NQ4 AI Gen2 processor as its predecessor, the Samsung QN85D. While not as effective as the step-up Gen3 processor, it still delivers useful picture and audio enhancements.

Picture quality is mixed on the QN80F. Its vibrant yet natural colors are up there with the best TVs, and it also delivers refined details and solid contrast. While brightness is lacking compared to cheaper rivals such as the TCL QM7K (and even the TCL C7K in the UK), it can still give pictures a nice boost. Black levels, while raised at times, are also generally respectable. Where the QN80F struggles is with its highly reflective screen and inconsistent motion handling, particularly with sports – something its more premium counterpart, the Samsung QN90F, has no issue with.

Sound quality is average on the QN80F. Speech is clear and sound placement is accurate, with a good sense of direction, but bass is lacking, and the narrow soundstage never extends beyond the screen’s threshold. Movie fans will definitely want to invest in one of the best soundbars for this TV.

Gaming is a strong area for the QN80F, which has a near-full list of gaming features, including 4K 120Hz, FreeSync Premium Pro and ALLM across four HDMI 2.1 ports. Plus, Samsung's Gaming Hub is an excellent portal for cloud-based gaming apps. Pair all this with an ultra-low 9.9ms input lag time, and the QN80F competes with the best gaming TVs.

Samsung’s own Tizen 9.0 smart TV platform serves as the QN80F’s smart interface. With smooth performance, tons of picture settings, a customizable home page, several ‘hubs’, and a useful quick menu, Tizen 9.0 is the best iteration of Samsung’s smart TV platform to date. Some settings are buried deep in menus, but this is one of my only gripes.

While the QN80F does have a strong feature list and generally solid performance, its value is a tough category to score. At $1,299 / £1,399 for the 55-inch model I tested, there are cheaper mini-LEDs from Hisense and TCL that deliver very similar features and performance for a lower price. The QN80F is still a good option, but one that you should look for during major sales events.

Samsung QN80F review: Price and release date

Samsung QN80F with aerial shot of city at night on screen — The Samsung QN80F demonstrates decent contrast but minor backlight blooming (Image credit: Future)

Release date: May 2025
50-inch: $N/A / £1,099
55-inch: $1,299.99 / £1,399 (roughly AU$1,991)
65-inch: $1,799.99 / £1,699 (roughly AU$2,757)
75-inch: $2,299.99 / £2,599 (roughly AU$3,524)
85-inch: $3,499.99 / £3,699 (roughly AU$5,363)
100-inch: $5,999.99 / £N/A (roughly AU$9,196)

The Samsung QN80F is the mid-range model in Samsung’s 2025 4K Neo QLED (mini-LED) lineup, sitting above the Samsung QN70F and below the Samsung QN85F and the flagship Samsung QN90F. The QN80F is not available in Australia. For the 55-inch model I tested, its May 2025 launch prices were $1,299.99 / £1,399 (roughly AU$1,990).

Since its launch, there have been discounts across the entire lineup. The 55-inch price remains unchanged in the US, but in the UK, its price has dropped to £1,199.

Samsung QN80F review: Specs

Screen type:	QLED with mini-LED
Refresh rate:	120Hz
HDR support:	HDR10+, HDR10, HLG
Audio support:	Dolby Atmos
Smart TV:	Tizen
HDMI ports:	4 x HDMI 2.1
Built-in tuner:	ATSC 3.0 (USA)

Samsung QN80F review: Benchmark results

Samsung QN80F review: Features

Samsung QN80F ports — The QN80F has four HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz support (Image credit: Future)

NQ4 AI Gen 2 Processor
HDR10+ HDR support
Four HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz for gaming

The Samsung QN80F uses a mini-LED backlight and has a standard gloss screen rather than the Glare Free screen used in the step-up Samsung QN90F mini-LED TV. It features Samsung’s QN4 AI Gen2 Processor, a step-down from the Gen3 processor used in the QN90F, that supports 4K AI upscaling and Real Depth Enhancer.

Like all Samsung TVs, the QN80F supports the HDR10+ High Dynamic Range format, but not Dolby Vision.

The QN80F’s four-channel, 30W sound system supports Dolby Atmos. There are also AI-based tools such as Active Voice Amplifier and Adaptive Sound, both of which analyze the content on screen and adapt the sound accordingly.

Gaming features include 4K 120Hz, VRR (AMD FreeSync Premium Pro included) and ALLM, with all supported on four HDMI 2.1 ports. There is also Samsung’s Gaming Hub, which provides access to cloud-based gaming apps including Xbox and Luna.

The QN80F uses Samsung’s Tizen 9.0 as its smart TV platform. Along with the AI-based picture and sound enhancement tools mentioned above, the TV provides AI content recommendations based on viewing history. It has access to all major streaming apps such as Netflix and Prime Video, and there is built-in voice assistant support from Alexa and Bixby. The QN80F also supports the Samsung Art Store feature previously exclusive to Samsung’s The Frame TVs, which lets you display artworks when the TV is in standby mode.

Features Score: 5/5

Samsung QN80F review: Picture quality

Samsung QN80F with orange butterfly on screen — The QN80F's strength lies in its color reproduction, which is punchy and accurate (Image credit: Future)

Bold, vibrant colors
Generally good contrast
Screen reflections

I measured the QN80F in its Standard and Movie picture modes. I did find that Filmmaker Mode was the more accurate picture preset overall, but Movie provided a brightness boost (in default settings) that allowed the QN80F to better show off its picture quality strengths.

Peak brightness (measured on a 10% HDR white window pattern) hit 1,106 nits in Movie mode and 975 nits in Standard. That is a big drop from its step-up sibling, the QN90F, which registered 2,086 nits in Movie and 1,987 nits in Standard. It’s even less than the cheaper mid-range TCL QM7K, which hit 1,733 nits in Filmmaker mode (the UK equivalent TCL C7K hit 1,706 nits). This is quite a disappointing result for the QN80F.

Fullscreen HDR brightness, however, was significantly higher, with the QN80F hitting 754 nits in Movie mode and a mammoth 869 nits in Standard, which should make Samsung’s mid-range mini-LED TV great for daytime viewing in brighter rooms.

This does, however, bring me to the elephant in the room: the QN80F’s reflective screen. I found that I could see objects reflected on the TV’s screen when watching dark scenes, even in dim room lighting conditions.

The QN80F does an effective job upscaling non-4K movies and TV shows. An HD stream of Fight Club viewed on Disney Plus benefited from an uplift in sharpness, giving textures a cleaner look, and contrast was also stronger. But upscaling wasn’t as effective with lower-resolution content. The TV’s Auto Remastering HDR setting is an option here, but I found it gave pictures a too-sharp look.

Color reproduction is the QN80F’s main strength. A scene from Elemental (on Disney Plus) where Ember makes a red and orange glass vase showcased the TV’s vibrant, punchy color display. Watching a 4K Blu-ray of Wicked, a scene where Elphaba sings under pink flowers showcased the QN80F’s ability to deliver more natural hues, giving the flowers and Elphaba’s green skin a realistic yet dynamic look.

When I measured the QN80F’s HDR color gamut coverage, it yielded results of 70.3% for BT.2020 and 93.05% for UHDA-P3. These are surprisingly low results for a mini-LED in this range, but also not far off the QN90F’s numbers, which hit 76.3% and 93.6%, respectively, for the same color gamuts.

Samsung QN80F with peacock feather on black background on screen — Black levels are surprisingly deep on the QN80F, but can also sometimes take on a raised gray tone (Image credit: Future)

The QN80F’s black levels were generally quite good. As Hutler made his way to Orlock’s castle in Nosferatu, blacks looked pretty deep, although they did take on a slightly raised gray tone at times. Contrast was solid, with light sources such as torch and lamplight contrasting well with the dark surroundings in both Nosferatu and The Batman. The QN80F also showcased good local dimming with very few instances of backlight blooming.

Viewed from an angle, the QN80F’s screen took on a gray wash in darker areas, but its contrast wasn’t as bad as what I’ve seen on some older or cheaper mini-LED TVs.

Watching the black and white scenes in Oppenheimer, the QN80F had a good range of gray tones, and while screen uniformity wasn’t as good as what you’d find on more premium mini-LED and OLED TVs, it was still solid.

Textures and details throughout my viewing were rich and lifelike, with the right level of sharpness. Faces looked detailed, and the QN80F’s solid contrast helped to give objects and textures definition and depth.

Motion handling was an area the QN80F struggled with. Setting motion and judder reduction to between 3 and 5 seemed to be the sweet spot for movies, depending on how ‘smooth’ a picture you’re looking for. With these settings active, a scene in No Time To Die where a camera pans across a cliff face was smooth without any of the dreaded soap opera effects.

Using the same settings, sports never looked quite right, however. There always seemed to be motion artifacts, regardless of the settings I used. While football games on both YouTube and Prime Video were watchable, the action wasn’t as smooth as on other TVs I’ve tested, such as the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED.

Picture quality score: 4/5

Samsung QN80F review: Sound quality

Samsung QN80F with photo from Art Mode on screen — The QN80F delivers clear speech and accurate sound placement, but struggles in every other aspect with its sound quality (Image credit: Future)

Four-channel, 30W speaker system
Direct sound
Narrow soundstage and limited bass

The QN80F has a four-channel, 30W speaker system that supports Dolby Atmos. It has two preset sound modes, Standard and Amplify, as well as AI sound enhancement tools such as Active Voice Amplifier Pro (to enhance speech volume) and Adaptive Sound Pro (analyzes the content on screen to optimize the sound).

The QN80F’s built-in speakers delivered direct, clear sound throughout my viewing, with speech coming through with good clarity in most movies. Active Voice Amplifier Pro and Adaptive Sound Pro, found in the TV’s AI Mode in Advanced Settings, worked very well for sports by amplifying the commentary. Sound was also accurately connected to the action on screen, as demonstrated by the swerving traffic in The Batman’s Batmobile chase scene.

Unfortunately, the QN80F falls short elsewhere. In the same Batmobile scene, the soundstage was very narrow, and there was no sense of Dolby Atmos height or surround effects. Bass was also lacking, making the rumble of the Batmobile’s engine feel limited and flat. The balance between the vocals and score in Wicked was effective, but it didn’t have the same weight or dynamic quality I’d experienced with other TVs I've recently tested, such as the TCL C7K.

Bottom line: QN80F’s sound is fine for day-to-day viewing, but I’d recommend using it with a soundbar.

Sound quality score: 3.5/5

Samsung QN80F review: Design

Samsung QN80F central stand — The QN80F's plain, but sturdy pedestal stand (Image credit: Future)

Central pedestal stand
Sturdy build quality
Bulkier and plainer design than other Samsung TVs

The QN80F’s design plays it safe. It has a slightly bulkier depth than more premium mini-LED TVs and a plain-looking rear panel, though its glossy, silver metal frame does give it a more premium look than other mid-range TVs from Hisense and TCL.

The TV features a central pedestal stand, and due to its placement, it will make it difficult to place a soundbar underneath easily. The stand itself is made of a similar plastic to that used on the TCL C7K, but it still suits the QN80F’s design.

The QN80F uses Samsung’s SolarCell remote, a slim, compact remote control with minimal buttons. It can be charged using USB-C or the solar panel on the rear, eliminating the need for any batteries. In the UK, a second remote with numbered buttons is also included in the box.

Design score: 4/5

Samsung QN80F review: Smart TV and menus

Samsung QN80F Tizen home page — The QN80F uses Tizen 9.0, the best iteration to date of Samsung's smart TV platform (Image credit: Future)

Samsung Tizen 9.0 interface
Home, Game, Daily+ and Art hubs
Some settings difficult to find

The QN80F uses Samsung’s Tizen smart TV platform, now in version 9.0. The Home screen’s default layout is the For You page, which presents recommendations based on your viewing history, along with a row of customizable apps. There is a large sponsored ad at the top of the screen, but this is not as invasive as the one found on Google TV.

Tizen 9.0 is the most advanced version of Samsung’s smart TV platform to date. A useful Quick Menu provides easy access to major settings categories, and it even remembers your most visited settings for quick navigation. There are four major hubs: Home, Game (a portal for all things gaming), Daily+ (for health and office-based apps) and the Art Store (where artworks can be purchased to display as a screensaver).

There are plenty of picture settings in the menus for those who like to tweak, but this is also one area where Tizen 9.0 falls short. Some settings are buried in several submenus and can be very difficult to find. Still, performance is snappy enough that navigation is easy, though I did find the QN80F to be a bit slower than its more premium counterparts.

Smart TV & menus score: 4.5/5

Samsung QN80F review: Gaming

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Samsung QN80F with Battlefield V on screen — The QN80F with Battlefield V and game menu (1) and Samsung's Gaming Hub (2) displayed (Image credit: Future)

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Samsung QN80F with Game Hub on screen — (Image credit: Future)

Four HDMI 2.1 ports
4K 120Hz, AMD Freesync Premium Pro support
9.9ms input lag time

The QN80F has a stacked feature list for gaming. It supports 4K 120Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, ALLM and HDR10+ gaming, all featured on four HDMI 2.1 ports. Samsung’s Gaming Hub continues as an excellent portal for everything gaming-related, including access to cloud-based apps from Xbox, Luna and more.

Performance is responsive and snappy, even during fast-paced gameplay. In Battlefield V, the most chaotic of battles felt smooth, and targeting enemies was easy. This is helped by the QN80F’s ultra-low 9.9ms input lag time, which is up there with the best 120Hz TVs.

The QN80F’s Game picture mode delivers superb color and contrast with a nice hit of brightness. Textures are sharp, and motion is smooth and well-handled.

Gaming score: 5/5

Samsung QN80F review: Value

Samsung 2025 SolarCell remote — The QN80F's compact SolarCell remote control (Image credit: Future)

Good feature set for the price
Cheaper rivals available
Price drops help value

Value is a difficult area to score for Samsung’s Neo QLED TVs. That was something we discovered in our Samsung QN90F review, and the same holds true for the Samsung QN80F.

The 55-inch model I tested is available for $1,299 / £1,199 at the time of writing. In the US, you can get the Hisense U8Q (the company’s flagship mini-LED TV) for $848, and the TCL QM7K mini-LED TV for $749, a $4-500 price difference from the QN80F. Yes, the QN80F has more features, but both those TVs are significantly brighter.

In the UK, the QN80F is a more tempting option. Priced at £1,199, it's cheaper than the Hisense U7Q Pro (the U75Q equivalent for the UK), which is priced at £1,499. But the rival TCL C7K 55-inch is priced at £849, so again cheaper rivals exist.

The QN80F’s stacked feature list and generally solid performance make it a more premium option than its rivals, but ultimately, the Hisense and TCL alternatives deliver nearly the same performance at a lower price.

Value score: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Samsung QN90F?

Samsung QN80F with red and yellow flowers on screen — (Image credit: Future)

Samsung QN98F
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	A full suite of gaming features and AI-based enhancement settings	5/5
Picture quality	Punchy colors and contrast and refined textures but motion is hit-and-miss and the reflective screen can be very distracting in bright rooms	4/5
Sound quality	Clear speech and accurate placement but lacking bass and narrow soundstage	3.5/5
Design	Plain design with slightly bulky depth but solid and sturdy with central stand	4/5
Smart TV and menus	Snappier navigation and a 'hub' design make this the best version of Tizen yet, but some settings still buried in menus	4.5/5
Gaming	An strong list of gaming features, with a responsive performance to match	5/5
Value	More expensive than much of the competition and best sought out at a discounted price	3.5/5

Buy it if...

You want a punchy, colorful picture
The QN80F's main strength lies in its colors, which are bold, yet natural-looking.

You want a great TV for gaming
The QN80F carries a near-full suite of gaming features, including 4K 120Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, ALLM, HDR10+ gaming, across four HDMI 2.1 ports, and it also delivers smooth, responsive performance.

You want a smooth user experience
Tizen 9.0 is the best version of Samsung's smart TV software to date, with a useful quick menu, mostly smooth navigation and an intuitive hub layout.

Don't buy it if…

You want Dolby Vision HDR:
As with all Samsung TVs, the QN80F doesn't support the Dolby Vision HDR format used for 4K Blu-ray and by streaming services. It does support HDR10+, however.

You want the best value mini-LED TV
The QN80F faces stiff competition from cheaper rivals that deliver equally strong performance and features for a lower price.

You have a very bright room
The QN80F's reflective screen resulted in mirror-like reflections during my testing in brighter conditions. View Deal

Samsung QN90F: Also consider...

	Samsung QN80F	Samsung QN90F	Hisense U8QG	TCL QM7K/TCL C7K
Price (55-inch)	$1,299.99 / £1,399 (roughly AU$1,991)	$2,499.99 / £2,499 (roughly AU$3,786)	$999 / £1,799 (roughly AU$1,513)	$749 / £849 / AU$1,395
Screen type	QLED w/ mini-LED	QLED w/ mini-LED	QLED w/ mini-LED	QLED w/ mini-LED
Refresh rate	120Hz	165Hz	165Hz	144Hz
HDR support	HDR10+, HDR10, HLG	HDR10+/HDR10/HLG	DolbyVision/HDR10+/HDR10/HLG	DolbyVision/HDR10+/HDR10/HLG
Smart TV	Tizen	Tizen	Google TV / VIDAA	Google TV
HDMI ports	4 x HDMI 2.1	4 x HDMI 2.1	3x HDMI 2.1	4 (2x HDMI 2.1)

Hisense U8QG

The U8QQ is Hisense’s top mini-LED for 2025, and its picture quality is brilliant for the price. Although it struggles in similar areas to the QN80F (such as sound quality) it's arguably overall better value for money (in the US at least).

Here’s our Hisense U8QG review

Samsung QN90F

The step-up sibling to the QN80F, the Samsung QN90F offers superior picture and sound quality, plus its Glare-Free screen makes it better for bright room viewing. It is a significant price increase over the QN80F, but the QN90F is a big quality increase as well.

Here’s our Samsung QN90F review

TCL QM7K/C7K

TCL’s mid-range mini-LED model (QM7K in the US, C7K in the UK) delivers higher brightness, better overall sound and impressive gaming performance again for cheaper than the QN80F. But, the QN80F does offer more as an overall package.

Here’s our TCL QM7K review and our TCL C7K review

How I tested the Samsung QN80F

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Samsung QN80F being tested with calibration equipment by person — (Image credit: Future)

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Samsung QN80F with testing equipment attached — (Image credit: Future)

Subjective tests made using HDR and SDR sources
Measurements taken using Calman calibration software
Tested in varying lighting conditions in our testing lab

Before conducting my subjective and objective tests, I did some casual viewing of the QN80F to determine its best picture mode, deciding on Movie mode due to its added brightness. Filmmaker Mode is a good alternative as it provides a more accurate picture but it lacks the visual punch of Movie mode.

For my subjective tests, I used reference scenes from a variety of HDR (4K Blu-ray and 4K streaming) and SDR (broadcast TV and lower-resolution formats such as DVD) sources to test the QN80F's picture quality, focusing on color, contrast, detail, motion handling and upscaling. I used some of these same scenes to analyze the QN80F's built-in speakers as well.

I took several measurements of the QN80F using a colorimeter, test pattern generator and Portrait Displays Calman Color Calibration software. Brightness was measured using 1-100% white window patterns in both SDR and HDR, with results presented for peak (10%) and fullscreen (100%) brightness.

I also measured the QN80F's grayscale and color accuracy, recording its Delta-E results (the margin of error between the test pattern and what's displayed on screen).

I also measured HDR color gamut coverage for the BT.2020 and DCI-P3 color spaces.

You can check out a more in-depth guide to how we test TVs at TechRadar in the link.

First reviewed: July 2025
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Psylo browser review

4:52 pm |

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

For years now, there’s been an online arms race between companies that want to know everything about what you do online, and companies that are trying to stop all these intrusive logging and tracking technologies.

We, as consumers, have a fairly limited privacy-boosting toolbox. Think antivirus apps and today's best VPNs.

But now there’s something new. Something we haven’t seen in a while. A new web-browser called Psylo. While the name might bring up memories of a certain terrible movie featuring a seven-foot-tall dreadlocked alien, the name is a play on the core functionality – the ability to have multiple tabs within one browser, each one completely isolated from the others, and each with its own IP address.

So how does Psylo stand up against today's best secure web browsers? We’re going to take a look and see just what Psylo brings to the table.

Features

User privacy is at the heart of what Psylo does, and a small but focused set of features reflects that. The main feature of this mobile browser is the concept of tab isolation.

This "silo" system means that every tab is isolated from the others, so websites can only attempt to track what you’re doing in that single silo rather than following you around the internet.

Another big driver for Psylo’s developers was to combat browser fingerprinting. Browser fingerprinting works by identifying all the specific ways in which your particular device’s setup is unique. This is done by looking at the apps and extensions you have, what hardware you’re running, where in the world you are, what timezone you’re in, and even the size of your browser window.

No two individual setups are the same, which means, just like a human fingerprint, these details can be used to identify and track a specific user.

Psylo works to foil this fingerprinting by changing your browser's time zone and language to match the location of the proxy server you’re connected to, making it harder for websites to identify and track where you are in the world. It also works to stop another form of tracking called canvas fingerprinting by implementing canvas randomization, all of which makes your unique fingerprint that much harder to pick out from all the others.

An image of the Psylo interface on an iPhone — (Image credit: Shaun Rockwood)

Psylo is also a no-logs provider. The only information it holds about you is your subscriber number, which it needs to confirm whether or not you’ve paid. It can also see when you’re connected and how much data you’re using, so that it can track your monthly bandwidth allowance. It doesn’t store your browsing history, IP address, or any other kinds of information that might be used to identify you.

Finally, unlike many other browsers these days, you don’t need to worry about Psylo trying to shoehorn in an AI assistant. It’s a browser first and foremost. Oh, and because it’s subscription-supported, you don’t need to worry that it'll overload you with adverts or sell your personal data on to third parties.

Server network

An image showing a list of Psylo's servers in the UK, Germany and Japan — (Image credit: Shaun Rockwood)

Psylo would not work without the network of private proxies that underpin it. The Mysk Private Proxy Network is made up of 40+ servers around the world. While a proxy server usually does not offer the same level of added encryption that you find with a VPN, it still works to anonymize your identity.

Psylo works in partnership with the well-known VPN service Proton VPN to provide the exit nodes for its connections. This means that any website you access through Psylo will see your traffic coming from a Proton VPN IP address.

An additional benefit here is that, because you’re using only Proton VPN’s IP addresses, you’ll still be able to access websites that block or restrict traffic coming from an IP address that’s associated with a datacenter, as these are often connected to fraudulent activity.

These servers are key to Psylo’s functionality, and you must pick a proxy server to connect to before you can create a new silo within the browser.

Apps

As Psylo is built using Apple’s WebKit, it’s currently only available for iPad and iPhone users, though the developers do hope to bring us an Android version in the future.

You can find Psylo in the App Store. Installation is as straightforward as any other app, and the iPad and iPhone apps are laid out the same, so it’s easy to swap from one device to the other.

An image displaying Psylo's tabs within the app. — (Image credit: Shaun Rockwood)

The app is minimalist and simple. Once you’ve created your silos, they’re laid out for you. You tap to open that particular silo and, if you tap and hold, you'll see options to edit the silo details, copy the URL and deep link, or delete that silo.

Other than that, you have a plus sign to add more, and the traditional cogwheel icon to access the settings menu. The settings menu shows your bandwidth usage, subscription details, and you can choose to have the silo tabs show the website address and/or the proxy IP address.

You can also access Mysk’s social media, send an email to the support team, and view the FAQ, Privacy Policy, and TOS.

Ease of use

The Psylo interface could be charitably described as “minimalist”. After you’ve got the app installed and you’ve signed up for a subscription, you’re dropped into an empty black workspace (or a white workspace if you’re not using dark mode on your device), with an invitation to create your first silo.

An image showing the setup process for a silo within Psylo. — (Image credit: Shaun Rockwood)

You need to enter a name, the website address you want to connect to, and then choose a proxy server. You can also give each silo an individual icon and color. Advanced options are tucked into a sub-menu, but it’s unlikely your average user will need these.

It only takes a click to access the silo, and the website you’ve chosen is loaded up automatically. It’s pretty easy to get to grips with, though it’s unlikely this is the sort of browser that would appeal to a beginner or even the average internet user. This is a product targeting someone who values privacy above all else.

Speed and performance

Psylo is a browser designed to interact with websites, and it’s very good at doing so. It renders even image-heavy websites like Amazon’s storefront in a couple of seconds, but it’s not really designed or intended to be used for streaming content, torrenting, or downloading large files.

Its speed tests were remarkably consistent, but also very much on the slower end of things. We tested the UK, US, and Australia proxy servers on a 1 Gb connection, and every test returned a speed just above 21 Mbps.

That’s more than enough for most things when it comes to using the internet and interacting with online apps, but if you’re thinking about doing anything bandwidth-intensive, there are better options than Psylo.

An image depicting Psylo's speed test results. — (Image credit: Shaun Rockwood)

To put these results into context, a download speed of 25 Mbps is recommended for streaming 4K content, so it’s unlikely this is a browser you’d want to use for your movie marathon. Then again, this isn’t really what Psylo is designed for, so we don’t consider these results to be a mark against it.

Unblocking

As mentioned above, Psylo is not really designed with accessing streaming content in mind, and as such, it struggles with the big streaming sites. Trying to access Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video resulted in a prompt to download the specific platform’s app to view content, and the Paramount+ website refused to load at all when connected to either the UK or US proxy servers.

When connected to BBC iPlayer, it detected that our IP address was not in the UK and refused to display any content, even with the UK proxy server connected. This suggests there might be some issues with accessing geo-restricted content. We’ve raised the issue with Psylo’s tech support team, and they are going to look into it, but for now it’s just something to bear in mind.

Privacy and Security

With such a focus on user privacy and security, you would hope that the company’s terms of service and privacy policy reflect that, and Psylo does not disappoint.

Both documents are written in plain, easy-to-understand English and are up front about the information the company collects from you when you sign up for, and use, the product.

Psylo collects your Apple subscription identifier so it knows if you have a valid subscription or not, your App Store region, how much bandwidth you’re using, and timestamps. All uploaded or downloaded data is aggregated by the hour and is rounded to the nearest 50 Mb, making it all the more difficult to identify a specific user. Psylo also does not collect any sort of personally identifiable information (PII), IP addresses, or logs of website visits.

Each of Psylo’s nodes runs an HTTPS proxy server that routes traffic between the silos you create and the target websites via a Proton VPN exit node. These proxy servers can’t see the content of what you’re doing online, but they do see the destination address. Psylo’s no-log policy guarantees that none of this data is logged or stored.

Psylo’s privacy policy is also one of the rare ones that specifies exactly what happens to any stored data once you stop using the service, and how long it will take the company to delete any information it does collect, such as bandwidth data or the details of your subscription.

Psylo is impressively open about the nuts and bolts of its service, despite not being an official open-source product. You can even see a diagram of the system architecture on the Mysk Inc. blog.

Customer support

Psylo has an FAQ available within the app, which goes into detail about the service, including limits on bandwidth, number of silos, details of the no-logs policy, etc. There is also email support, as well as accounts on Bluesky and X/Twitter that you can reach out to with any questions.

At the moment, there’s no live chat support or AI chatbot, but we found the support team responsive and helpful when we reached out during our testing.

An image showing the settings page of Psylo, focused on the support section. — (Image credit: Shaun Rockwood)

Pricing and plans

Psylo is available with a monthly or annual subscription. A monthly subscription is currently £9.99 in the UK ($9.99 in the US), and an annual subscription will cost £99.99 (or $99.99). Psylo is running a deal at present that'll net you 30% off an annual sub, but there’s no getting around the fact that Psylo is one of the more expensive options out there.

£99.99 puts Psylo in the same price bracket as Brave VPN’s annual subscription, which was already nearly twice as much as an annual subscription with a VPN provider like Proton VPN, Surfshark, or even Express VPN, though the month-by-month cost is cheaper than some.

A 7-day free trial is available for users who sign up for the annual subscription, while users who opt to pay monthly get 3 days free to decide if the product is right for them before any money is taken.

Should you use Psylo?

Psylo is an interesting product with some strong selling points and an impressive commitment to user privacy, especially defeating browser fingerprinting. There are some alternatives on the market that can be used to obtain a similar result, but none are quite as effective or as elegant as Psylo and often require both multiple apps as well as a fair degree of technical know-how to make them work properly.

The biggest issue is the subscription cost. In a world where it seems almost everyone has their hand out asking users to cough up for an ongoing subscription, wallets are more strained than they ever have been, and an expensive, niche product like Psylo is likely only going to appeal to a specific subset of people.

All this said, we feel that Psylo is a fast, effective product that does exactly what it sets out to do. If you’re someone who values their privacy above all else and you don’t mind paying for it, then Psylo deserves a place as part of your privacy toolkit.

Alternatives to Psylo

The Brave browser is a product with a commitment to user privacy, through what it calls “Shields”. These are designed to block trackers, cross-site cookies, and alert you to phishing or malware risks. It also works to defeat browser fingerprinting by blocking browser-language and font fingerprinting as well as randomizing and/or removing browser features to make you harder to track. Brave also comes with a built-in VPN that requires a subscription to use.
Aloha is a privacy-first browser with a built-in VPN. It also features an advert, tracker, and malware blocking, along with a no-logs commitment; however, it does not appear to have any specific measures to defeat browser fingerprinting. So, if that's a specific concern, you'd be better off looking at one of the other alternatives. The free version also comes with adverts that can be removed by signing up for a paid subscription.
LibreWolf is another browser that was based on the Firefox browser, but this one comes with far tougher security out of the box. It’s a little on the bare-bones side and offers little in the way of added features beyond the basics, but as with Psylo, this is a browser you use for a very specific reason. Librewolf comes with uBlock built in and offers strong protection against web tracking and browser fingerprinting. The absence of any sort of subscription makes it a tempting alternative.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

I tested Canon’s biggest multifunction tank printer and loved it

4:43 pm |

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

The Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21M is a large-format printer with a difference; it can also scan and copy. By adding a flatbed scanner to a 24-inch ink tank printer, Canon has created a three-in-one device that could prove indispensable for schools or small businesses wanting to enlarge prints quickly and affordably, or print posters at the point of sale without a PC.

This unique multifunction device can print on cut paper up to LTR or A4 size, or produce banners and personalized wrapping paper on 24-inch wide rolls. With its integrated scanner, you can do more than just copy documents; enlarging graphics such as maps or CAD drawings into A0-size posters can be done via the printer’s own touchscreen interface.

Is it one of the best large format printers? I put it to the test.

Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21M: Design and build

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Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21M during our review — (Image credit: Canon // Future)

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Specs

Type: large format color multifunction inkjet printer

Functions: Print, scan, copy

Connectivity: Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi

Data storage slots: USB Host

Print speed: A3+ in 4min 15sec

Max paper size: 24-inch roll

Print quality: 2,400 x 1,200 dpi

Memory: 1GB

Apple AirPrint: yes

Consumables included: 4 x 70ml ink bottles

Dimensions/Weight: 968 x 533 x 245 mm (WxDxH)/31.7lb/34kg

The user-friendly design has the same chunky appeal as Canon’s other professional MegaTank models, with the rounded off white plastic casing and large tilting touchscreen display.

It’s quite a large unit because the 24-inch paper roll fits neatly inside where it’s kept clean and dust-free. The four ink reservoirs add to the bulk, but given its broad functionality, I’d say this printer is pretty compact.

The A4 scanner platen adds nothing to the size when you compare the multifunction imagePROGRAF TC-21M with the otherwise identical print-only version called imagePROGRAF TC-21, without the ‘M' for multifunction.

Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21M: Features & specifications

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This is a three-in-one device so you can print, scan and copy. There’s no fax, but it has plenty of other features, enriched by its wide format capabilities. Naturally, it has Wi-Fi with AirPrint, Mopria and Chrome OS compatibility, but it can also enlarge A4 or smaller documents up to A0, or repeat the scanned image to produce banners or wrapping paper on the paper roll.

Alternatively, you can shrink your scans down to make name tags or business cards. Basically, this versatile machine has a much longer list of paper size options than your average wide-format printer.

There’s room for 100 sheets of plain letter or A4 paper in the main tray, while larger sheets of cut paper are loaded one at a time. The internal roll holder will take anything up to 24-inches wide. There’s no output tray to collect your prints, unless you buy the optional stand with integrated basket for around US$180 (£140).

There’s no auto duplex mode either, but there is a USB Host port beside the touchscreen display for a convenient way of printing to, or scanning from a thumb drive.

Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21M: Setup and operation

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Getting your new Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21M started is much like installing any inkjet printer, except that it takes two to lift it onto the table. There’s also the extra time needed to fit a roll or paper, but the shaftless roll holder makes this quite easy.

The box includes four 70ml bottles of ink which pour into the tanks on the right hand side and the keyed bottle spouts make it impossible to fill the wrong tank.

The touchscreen simplifies the setup procedure by telling you what to do next. It’s even quicker to download Canon’s Print app onto your smartphone and use that to connect it to your local Wi-Fi network. The app also makes it easy to print and scan remotely, or check the printer’s status and ink levels.

Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21M: Performance

The Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21M printed without a hitch and only suffered one A4 paper jam during my tests, which was easily rectified. Overall, it scored highly on ease-of-use and print quality. It takes nearly two minutes to print an A1 poster in standard quality, so it’s not fast, but the results are very good. It also has a draft mode which almost doubles the print speed and the slightly paler print quality is fine for gift paper and the like.

Canon’s single bubble jet printhead has a total of 4,352 nozzles spraying its four pigment inks onto the paper and producing detailed prints at 1,200 x 2,400 dpi resolution. It’s equally adept at printing color documents on A4 paper, as it is on A1.

The four colors look bright and being pigment-based, they dry quickly for smudge-resident and longer lasting results. This is perfect for large maps, CAD drawings and poster-sized graphics, where the vivid colors look pleasing vibrant on plain paper.

With coated photo paper, you still get bright and detailed images, but unsurprisingly, it doesn’t achieve the wide color gamut and natural shading of photo printers like the 12-ink Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1100. It’s certainly good enough to say that the Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21M has strong all-round print quality.

The CIS scanner worked well and made it possible to blow up A4 test documents to A1 size without any real loss of detail. I can see how this application would be useful in a shop, or school setting where posters can be produced without the need of a PC.

I found it quite easy to use the printers touchscreen to turn a test scan into a repeated pattern that could be used as wrapping paper. I did the same thing using Canon’s PosterArt, which is an equally user-friendly piece of software that comes free with the printer.

The only slight problem I had was a practical one. Without the optional stand or any extendable flap to collect each printout, you have to catch each print as it emerges and before the internal cutter sweeps across to dump them on the floor. Easily solved by moving the printer to a bigger table.

Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21M: Consumables

As a refillable ink tank printer, the Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21M is potentially very economical to run, which is important in a printer designed for running out such large prints.

The box includes four 70ml bottles, which is roughly enough ink for around 6,000 letter or A4 pages. While a replacement Canon PFI-050 multipack is significantly cheaper than cartridge ink, it’s quite expensive for bottled ink.

I found compatible pigment ink tended to be around a quarter the price of Canon-branded ink.

Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21M: Maintenance

Being an inkjet, the Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21M is prone to drying out and suffering clogged nozzles if left unused, but this can usually be solved by simply running a maintenance cycle.

Just enter the printer’s on-screen settings and choose one of the cleaning cycles to flush the nozzles. Further down the line, you may need to replace the PF-08 printhead and MC-32 maintenance cartridge, both of which are reasonably priced by Canon.

Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21M: Final verdict

I enjoyed turning out bright poster-sized prints and banners with the Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21M simply by blowing up images on its integrated scanner. It proved to be a very versatile product with its wide paper size compatibility and two input options.

The touchscreen interface and bundled PosterArtist software ensure it’s easy to use, and with the scanner, front USB port and Wi-Fi with AirPrint compatibility, it’s pretty well featured.

No, it can’t auto-duplex and it’s better with graphics and line drawing than photos, but otherwise, the strong print quality, and the affordability of its bottled ink will make this an essential accessory in many a shop, school or studio.

For more print solutions, I've comprehensively tested the best small business printers and best home printers.

After weeks of testing, the 11th-gen iPad proves it’s still one of the best – even without Apple Intelligence

4:07 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets iPad Tablets | Comments: Off

Apple iPad (A16): One-Minute Review

Choosing the best iPad these days can be tricky. Not only are there several models to choose from, but all of those models are also pretty well-specced, and they increasingly look similar.

I've spent several weeks testing the latest iteration of Apple's entry-level tablet, which for the purposes of this review we'll mostly refer to as the 11th-gen iPad. You may also have seen it referred to as the iPad (A16), or the iPad 2025. It’s not noticeably different from the 10th-gen model that arrived in 2022, and which ushered in a significant redesign that brought plenty of modernization.

Instead, this is a more under-the-hood upgrade that keeps Apple's most affordable iPad ever-so-modern and ensures that it'll still be kicking for many years to come. The biggest change is a jump in processing power to the Apple-made A16 – it's not a light-years-ahead upgrade from the A14 Bionic in the 10th-gen iPad, but it's still zippy-fast for opening apps and completing most tasks you'd want to do on an iPad.

Those tasks include playing games, browsing the web, multitasking with two apps, using handwriting recognition with the Apple Pencil, or doing any of the above while on a FaceTime call, without slowing things down or unduly draining the battery life. While testing this iPad alongside an iPad Pro with M4 and the 11-inch iPad Air with M3, I didn't always find myself reaching for those to perform more demanding tasks, thanks to the performance on offer here.

This iPad still boasts a sizable 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, offering a nice experience for watching almost anything; however, the glossy finish does make it harder to use in very bright environments. Still, there are no issues with color accuracy or the reproduction of visuals here. Apple's still tucking the front-facing cameras alongside the top here, which makes the Magic Keyboard Folio, or at least a Smart Folio, a nice addition. The Magic Keyboard for this iPad still splits into two, which I quite like, but it's not a free upgrade.

Out of the box, this iPad is running iPadOS 18, and it runs really well here, thanks to the A16 chip, but it's not enough power to support Apple Intelligence. That might be a deal breaker for some, but I don't see it as a major shortcoming based on my testing. Remember, you can download ChatGPT from the App Store and it'll work just fine here.

One piece of excellent news is that there will be no price increase for the new entry-level iPad, which means no premium for the A16 chip, and Apple is also doubling the starting storage to 128GB.

While the 11th Gen iPad is sticking with more affordable prices at $349 / £329 / AU$599, it's still more expensive than the 9th Gen iPad once was – with hindsight, that tablet was an excellent deal. Even so, I think many people will find themselves at home with the 11th-gen iPad, they just need a basic model or someone who wants to get a bit more out of an older iPad, like the 9th Gen.

Apple iPad 11th-gen: Specs

iPad Air (A16) Specs
	iPad (A16)
Starting price	$349 / £329 / AU$599
Operating System	iPadOS 18
Chipset	A16
Memory (RAM)	6GB
Storage	128GB / 256GB / 512GB
Display	11-inch LED Backlit (2360 x 1640) IPS LCD
Cameras	12MP wide main, 12MP ultrawide front
Battery	28.93Wh
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3. 5G Sub-6Ghz and Gigabit LTE on Cellular models.
Weight	1.05lbs / 0.475kg without cellular and 1.06lbs / 0.48kg with
Dimensions	9.79 x 7.07 x 0.28 inches / 24.9 x 17.95 x 0.7mm (L x W x D)

Apple iPad A16: Pricing and Availability

11th Gen iPad (A16) Review — (Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)

The 11th-gen iPad starts at $349 / £329 / AU$599
One major change: it now starts with 128GB of storage
It comes in Pink, Yellow, Blue, and Silver

Apple's 11th Gen iPad – also known as the iPad A16 or the 2025 iPad – is on sale now with a starting price of $349 / £329 / AU$599. That starting price gets you 128GB of storage, which is double the starting storage of the 11th-gen iPad with no price increase.

You can choose to upgrade that storage to 256GB or 512GB, but it will cost you. Storage aside, all models have the same specifications, including the A16 chip inside. The 11th-gen iPad comes in four colors: Blue, Pink, Yellow, or Silver.

Apple iPad 11th Gen: Design

The 11th-gen iPad keeps the more modern design that the 10th-gen model ushered in
It no longer says 'iPad' on the back, now matching the rest of the lineup
This iPad still feels pretty high-end, with an aluminum build, and is easily portable

As I hinted at above, my favorite part of the iPad A16 – aside from the value proposition it provides – would be the design, and specifically the colors, as the rest of it is basically unchanged. My review model is a lovely shade of Pink that’s vibrant and fun.

Like most other iPads, and different from the likes of a Samsung Galaxy Tab or an Amazon Fire HD tablet, the entry-level iPad A16 is mostly a slice of aluminum. It’s effective at hiding fingerprints on the sides and rear, thanks to its mostly matte finish. This also allows the shade of Pink to vary here, depending on how the light hits it – either bouncing off with a highlight or looking a bit more muted.

The only glossy and fingerprint-prone area on the rear would be the Apple logo. Just like the updated iPad Air with M3 in the 11-inch or 13-inch size, this iPad no longer says iPad on the back. It’s a simple cosmetic change that gives this iPad a more minimalist finish.

If pink isn’t your thing, Apple also offers the iPad A16 in Yellow, Blue, or Silver – all crafted from that single piece of aluminum.

The rest of the story with the design is mainly bezels and buttons. Apple reserves Face ID and the True Depth Sensor stack for the iPad Pro, meaning that to unlock or authenticate securely without entering a pin, you place a finger on the power and sleep button, thanks to it being finished with a piece of glass.

That critical material enables Touch ID, and it works well – I just recommend setting up one finger from each of your hands so that you can better unlock your iPad, regardless of how you’re holding it. The power/sleep button, located at the top, is accessible when you hold the tablet vertically or on the left-hand side when held horizontally, making either position convenient. The volume up and volume down buttons are right next to it.

The only other input-output element is the USB-C port on the bottom, which remains unchanged from the previous-generation 10.9-inch entry-level iPad. In fact, almost every part of the design is unchanged here.

There are stereo speakers that push sound out at the top and bottom when the tablet is vertical or left and right when it’s held horizontally. There’s a main 12-megapixel camera centered along the longer side of the iPad – that’s on the top when held horizontally or on the right side when held vertically – and it delivers excellent performance for video calls. Apple has also kept a 12-megapixel camera on the rear as well.

While Apple didn’t redesign anything here, the 10.9-inch iPad remains a well-crafted tablet, and its modern look and feel complement its performance. It has nearly identical looks to the higher-priced iPad Air and feels at home next to an iPad mini or even an iPad Pro. It still comes in just one screen size, and as I’ll detail below, the 10.9-inch size, which Apple markets as 11-inch, is ideal for a wide range of tasks.

It’s easily portable, weighing in at just 1.06lbs / 0.48kg if you opt for cellular connectivity, or 1.05lbs / 0.475kg with a standard Wi-Fi-only connection. If you’re upgrading from the previous generation, it keeps the exact dimensions – 9.79 x 7.07 x 0.28 inches / 24.9 x 17.95 x 0.7mm – which means your existing Smart Cover Folio or Magic Keyboard Folio will work just fine.

Design score: 4 / 5

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Apple iPad 11th Gen: Display

The 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display is great for most tasks
The glossy display can make it harder to use in very bright conditions
The 11th-gen iPad supports two Apple Pencils

If you’re looking for an iPad to browse the web, use various apps, stream movies or TV shows, play some games, and even do a little work, you’ll have no problem with the iPad in almost any scenario.

That’s a testament to the upgrades Apple rolled out in 2022, when it introduced this updated look for the most affordable iPad. The iPad A16 still boasts a 10.9-inch display, although, as Apple has done with the iPad Air and iPad Pro, it rounds that up to 11 inches in the marketing blurb – you’ll see in a footnote on Apple’s tech specs page for the iPad A16 saying it has a 10.86-inch display, which we’ve found to be the same as the 10.9-inch size of the previous generation.

Apple is still opting for its Liquid Retina display technology, and the 11th-gen iPad has an LED IPS screen that offers a resolution of 2360 x 1640 pixels. In my testing, I’ve found that it’s great for watching Severance on Apple TV+ or Nobody Wants This on Netflix, as well as for browsing the web, working within TechRadar’s CMS, or typing in a document. I’ve found that it can get punchy with colors. It’s a great screen to use in general.

The only issues are that it has a glossy, reflective finish, which makes it challenging to use the iPad A16 in really bright scenarios, and that fingerprints easily show on this display. The 11-inch iPad Air with M3 most certainly has the iPad A16 beat here, as it features an additional coating to block reflections, and it can produce even more vibrant colors. Then again, it is a bit more expensive.

I also had no issues with writing or sketching using either the Apple Pencil (first generation) or the Apple Pencil with USB-C on the iPad A16. Using both models here felt quite close to writing with an actual pencil or pen on a sheet of paper, in that there wasn’t a noticeable lag.

Display score: 4 / 5

Apple iPad 11th Gen: Cameras

The camera setup on the 11th-gen iPad remains unchanged from that of the 10th-gen
That's fine, though, as the selfie camera is awesome, mainly thanks to its CenterStage tech
There's still a rear 12-megapixel camera with no flash as well

The previous-generation iPad (10th-generation, also known as the 10.9-inch or 2022) saw Apple correcting its placement of the selfie camera on its iPads, and the iPad A16 doesn’t make waves by moving it again.

As I mentioned above, the 12-megapixel CenterStage camera lives on the longside of the iPad A16, so if you have it placed in the Magic Keyboard Folio or the Smart Cover and have it laying horizontally, it’ll be in the right spot for you to record a video – maybe a monologue or an audition tape – or to take a video call.

The latter is really where this camera excels. Sure, it’s fine for snapping a selfie, but the CenterStage tech uses some onboard software tricks to always keep you in the frame. So, if you’re prone to pacing on video calls, the A16 processor inside will do the work to keep you in the shot. It’ll work in tandem with the stereo microphones to pick up your voice as well.

If you jump up, crouch down, move to the left, or the right, the camera will slowly but surely pan to keep you in the frame. Remember, though, that it can only follow you so far, as the camera itself isn’t moving. The 12-megapixel camera itself supports up to 1080p HD recording, and is the same one that’s used on the 10th-gen and 9th-gen iPads.

If you want to take photos or record video with your iPad, this model again has a 12-megapixel camera on the rear that works just fine. Don’t expect it to rival the camera built into your phone, or a dedicated camera, though.

Cameras score: 4 / 5

Apple iPad 11th Gen: Software

Fans of iPadOS will feel right at home on the 11th-gen iPad, as it's the classic experience
With iPadOS 18, you can still split the screen between two apps and also use picture-in-picture
Apple Intelligence isn't supported here, but Math Notes does work

Ever since Apple split the iPad’s operating system off from iOS into iPadOS, its tablets have been increasingly treading the line between being entertainment devices and productivity machines. The 11th-gen iPad is similarly multi-talented, and the leap to Apple’s A16 chip over the A14 Bionic in the 10th Gen or the A13 Bionic in the 9th Gen ensures that everything runs smoothly here.

I threw a wide range of tasks at the iPad A16, and it didn’t let me down, although it might have made me wait a bit longer for some things. iPadOS 18 here, though, runs very well and didn’t exhibit any noticeable slowdowns when doing the things most people will use the iPad for. I could open nearly every app in what felt like the blink of an eye, from Safari, Messages, games and streaming services to more demanding ones like iMovie or Final Cut Pro. I could also split the screen without slowing things down and run a video in picture-in-picture, or a FaceTime call while having two other applications open.

The iPad A16 is a very competent device for most tasks – you could easily use it in school or college, splitting the screen to take notes with an Apple Pencil on one side and viewing a slide deck or highlighting lines in a virtual textbook on the other. I could use it for work, responding to emails and Slack, then switching to Safari or Google Chrome to edit or write stories on the web. I also edited a few photos in Pixelmator Pro without a hitch.

Something you won’t find supported here, though, is Apple Intelligence. The A16 is not one of the chips that Apple says can handle it, so those features are not here, nor will they arrive in the future. That means the 11th-gen iPad will not receive the new AI-powered Siri whenever it ships and, currently, doesn’t support features like Writing Tools, Genmoji, Imagic Playground, the new look for Siri, or – one of my favorites – Clean Up in Photos.

If you're looking for an iPad that can run Apple Intelligence, the iPad A16 isn’t the model for you, and you’ll need to consider the iPad mini, Air, or Pro. However, I don’t think this will be a deal-breaker for the type of user this tablet is aimed at. If you’re simply after an iPad on which you can browse the web, work with nearly any app on the App Store, and enjoy some gaming, FaceTime with friends, or Netflix streaming, with some productivity tools thrown in and Apple Pencil support, you’ll be right at home.

Furthermore, you can get AI features running on the iPad A16 by downloading Google Gemini, ChatGPT, or any number of services. I’ve tested those first two here, plus Copilot, and they work just fine. And one of the standout machine learning features from Apple, MathNotes within the Calculator or Notes app, also works just fine here.

One last note on software – while the iPad A16 with iPadOS 18 can’t run StageManager, Apple’s more advanced multitasking solution for iPads, it will support iPadOS 26 and receive a whole host of upgrades when that arrives later this year, likely in September or October 2025. And yes, that does mean true to the iPad windowing of apps, a menu bar, and the ability to place folders in the dock. I think it will stretch the mileage even further here, and the Apple silicon inside should keep it running for many years.

Software score: 4 / 5

Apple iPad 11th Gen: Performance

The A16 chip keeps things running promptly, even if it's not a night-and-day upgrade over the previous generation
Even more power-hungry tasks like creative edits run well here, but will take some time

Now let’s break down the specifics of the Apple-made A16 chip that powers the 11th-generation iPad. The A16 consists of a 5-core CPU, a 4-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and remains relatively modern even in 2025, despite being introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max.

The other hardware change, alongside the A16 chip, is the doubling of the storage to 128GB from the start, which means plenty of room for apps, videos, and anything else you’d want to store on the iPad. It certainly punches up the value of the device as well.

Inside this iPad, the A16 gives you a tremendous runway – think of it as a performance superhighway – for really any conceivable task you might want to run here. No, it doesn’t essentially eliminate load times, as is the case with the M3-powered iPad Air or the M4-powered iPad Pro, but you’ll be hard pressed to make things slow down here.

I primarily encountered slowdowns when using more creativity-focused applications, such as Pixelmator Pro, Final Cut Pro, or any Adobe Suite product, including Premiere Rush or Photoshop for iPad. Most games, whether Apple Arcade titles or just purchased from the App Store, ran just fine here, and multitasking with picture-in-picture on top didn’t seem to cause much of an issue.

I also ran the iPad A16 through Geekbench 6, which runs the device through a series of tests in a stress-test fashion, and here are the results: 2,577 on single-core and 5,408 on multi-core. While those scores don't beat those of the iPad Air with M3 – and we wouldn’t expect them to – they show that the latest entry-level iPad isn’t any slouch. It matches up pretty clearly without everyday use.

It’s also a highly efficient chip, and it’s paired with a 28.93Wh rechargeable battery inside, which is the same-size cell as in the 11-inch iPad Air with M3. Apple promises up to 10 hours of video playback or surfing the web over Wi-Fi, and up to nine hours on cellular. A better benchmark is that the iPad A16 can last for a full workday of use, depending on the apps you're using. It ships with a USB-C to USB-C cable and a power brick in the box, allowing you to recharge when needed.

Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Apple iPad 11th Gen: Should you buy it?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value	With double the starting storage and the same starting prices as well as the A16 chip and promised future software updates, the entry-level iPad strikes a great value posistion.	4.5/5
Design	The entry-level still looks like a modern tablet with a higher-end design over competitors and support for Touch ID.	4/5
Display	Everything from streaming movies to browsing the web with calls, games, and editing in between looks great, I just wish it got a little brighter to combat using it outside on sunny days.	4/5
Cameras	The CenterStage functionality of the front-facing camera makes this a great device for calls.	4/5
Software	iPadOS 16 runs really well here and gives you basic multitasking and supports the Apple Pencil.	4/5
Performance	The A16 isn't a huge leap over the A14 Bionic and doesn't support Apple Intelligence, but it keeps things running very smoothly and lets you use the iPad for really any conceivable task.	4.5/5

Buy it if...

You have an aging iPad or other tablet

Apple's latest entry-level iPad makes a lot of sense if you have an older iPad (maybe something beyond the 9th Gen) or another tablet and have been wanting better performance, battery life, or a larger screen. View Deal

You want an iPad for the basics and then some

With 128GB of starting storage, an excellent 10.9-inch screen, and the A16 chip, the 11th Gen iPad works exceptionally well for a broad range of tasks, including work and entertainment.View Deal

You don't want to spend a ton

With a starting price of $349/£329/AU$599, this is the most affordable way to enter Apple's iPad lineup in terms of a new model.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You need more power

If you want an iPad that can rival the best laptops and serve as your one device for everything, you'll likely want to consider the M3-powered iPad Air or the iPad Pro with M4.View Deal

Your current iPad is working just fine

Considering that even the 9th Gen iPad will receive iPadOS 16 later in 2025, if your current iPad still meets your needs, then you don't need to make the upgrade just yet.View Deal

Also Consider

Apple iPad Air with M3 (2025)

With the 11-inch size just as portable as the 11th Gen base iPad, the Air is all about speeding things up even further, featuring a better screen that doesn't have issues operating on a bright, sunny day, and the ability to pair it with an even better Magic Keyboard.View Deal

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9

It's our pick for the best Android tablet for most folks, and the Galaxy Tab S9 really toes the line of being an excellent slate for both work and play, nearly as well as the iPad.View Deal

Apple iPad 11th Gen: How I Tested

I spent several weeks with the 11th Gen iPad (A16) in Pink, using it with a few Apple-made accessories, including the Magic Keyboard Folio, a Smart Folio, a first-generation Apple Pencil, and the Apple Pencil USB-C. I first unboxed the iPad and then set it up as a new tablet, before beginning to install my usual apps to start using it.

I tested the new, entry-level iPad alongside the new iPad Air with M3 for a few days, conducting comparison testing to see how the two similar iPads, in terms of build, hold up.

I also tried to use the iPad A16 as my primary device for testing. I use the iPad for a broad range of tasks, including much of my job, like responding to Slack, emails, editing photos or videos, and writing and editing stories. I also streamed hours of content from some of the best streaming services and played several games on the tablet.

Wild Hearts S isn’t exactly definitive, but I’m glad the underrated monster hunting game has a home on Switch 2

3:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Consoles & PC Gadgets Gaming Nintendo | Comments: Off

Review information

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2 (originally released on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC)
Release date: July 25, 2025

Wild Hearts S is the Nintendo Switch 2 port of the 2023 action game, developed by Dynasty Warriors team Omega Force, and this time published in-house at Koei Tecmo. No longer an EA Originals title, Wild Hearts S has been given a chance to shine on Nintendo’s new hardware. So how does it fare?

Well, performance and visuals are a mixed bag. Wild Hearts S targets 60 frames per second (fps), but unfortunately rarely meets that goal. Instead, frame rate can fluctuate wildly, especially in busy, visually dense areas. Graphics on Switch 2 are also noticeably worse than the original PS5 and Xbox Series X|S release, with greatly simplified textures and geometry. Thankfully, the kemono (Wild Hearts’ term for monsters) still look and animate fantastically, as does your player character.

Thankfully, it never reaches a point that I’d call outright unplayable. If you can get used to the performance and presentational downgrades, Wild Hearts S is a solid port of an underrated game that was never able to leave the long, wyvern-like shadow cast by Capcom’s Monster Hunter series.

Far from being an uninspired clone or quickly-made cash-in, Wild Hearts brings plenty of its own ideas to the monster-hunting subgenre. Its karakuri system is fantastic, as it lets players quickly place down contraptions that are useful for both combat and traversal. Its roster of weapons is interesting, too, with each category falling squarely in that satisfying ‘easy to learn, hard to master’ stable.

It’s a game that I strongly believe doesn’t get enough credit for the things it does right. But that’s not to say there aren’t some frustrating elements. Overall movement can feel a bit stiff, the camera can be your worst enemy, and even early game kemono punish new players hard by hitting like trucks.

But if you’re willing to overlook its shortcomings - and a relative lack of polish compared to Capcom’s flagship franchise - there’s plenty to love about Wild Hearts S.

Real face

Wild Hearts S — (Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

The main drive of Wild Hearts is that you’re a hunter from a distant land, trying to find a new purpose away from the chaos of the world. You’re drawn to a land ravaged by deadly beasts - known as kemono - and decide to help the town of Minato rebuild and fight back against the threat these creatures pose.

The story is as basic as it gets, but it’s certainly not offensively bad. It’s very much a vehicle to guide you from monster to monster, location to location. What is neat, though, is that the four main areas outside of Minato are massive, and each is inspired by a different season of the year.

After a brief tutorial, which introduces you to some basic combat against smaller monsters and the awesome karakuri system (more on that soon), you’ll have a chance to create your character. If you’ve done character creation in other Koei Tecmo games, like Nioh 2 or Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, it’s very similar here with plenty of options to customize your appearance, hairstyle, and cosmetics. Definitely one of those where you can literally spend your first hour perfecting your look.

Threads of fate

Your initial run of hunts in Wild Hearts will gradually introduce you to the karakuri system, which is easily my favorite part of the game. Karakuri are wooden, mechanical contraptions that you can spawn instantly from a quick-select menu, and there are tons of different types that aid you in both combat and traversal.

The most basic of these is a stackable box, which can either help you climb to high ledges or allow you to jump into the air for a plunging attack. Springs, meanwhile, can propel you over gaps or let you lunge at a monster for a surprise attack. These and more have multiple uses, providing a good amount of depth to the game.

That’s kind of a running theme with most karakuri devices - they’ll almost always have more than one use. The game doesn’t always spell out the uses to you outright, either, so there’s plenty of room for experimentation.

Furthermore, some karakuri can combine into larger, more powerful devices. Stacking six boxes creates a bulwark, for example, which can stop charging beasts dead in their tracks. Elsewhere, three torches stacked together create a firework that can ground flying beasts.

Naturally, these hybrid karakuri are more expensive to spawn (the system has its own ‘currency’ called thread, which you can gather from rocks, trees and so on), and outside of tutorial moments introducing you to their uses for the first time, it’s largely up to you to figure out when best to deploy them against specific monsters.

Maybe what I love most about karakuri is that you can place them literally anywhere on the open map. Struggling to locate a monster? Pop down a radar tower to scan the surroundings. Need to cross a large swath of land? The flying vine can zip you over there in a flash. What if you need an extra fast travel point? You can set up a base camp and various amenities anywhere you want. It’s an impressively fluid and dynamic system, and one that can help you shape any hunting ground in your favor.

Hunter monster

Wild Hearts’ core objective of hunting large monsters may sound part and parcel for the subgenre, but its pace is decidedly different from that of Capcom’s Monster Hunter series, especially. In Wild Hearts, there’s nothing in the way of item management, and food buffs can be applied at any time, just while you’re out in the field.

That may disappoint some looking for something a bit more slow-paced and preparatory. But Wild Hearts does make up for this in its fast-paced action, aggressive monsters, and its interesting take on build variety.

To start, Wild Hearts handles weapon categories pretty differently from what you might expect. The karakuri katana, for example, is perhaps the easiest to understand. It builds meter as you attack, and when full, it can transform into a whip-like weapon with a powerful, modified move set.

Best bit

Wild Hearts S’s karakuri system is a creative and innovative addition to the monster hunting subgenre, greatly expanding traversal and combat possibilities. Examples include planting a spring to launch yourself at a monster for a surprise attack or placing a zipline to cross massive distances quickly. It’s awesome, and I hope we get to see the system expand in a potential sequel someday.

The karakuri staff is a bit more interesting. It morphs between four forms - each with its own move set - with a carefully timed press of ‘ZR’, and these morph attacks build meter when connecting with a monster. At full gauge, you can morph the weapon into a comically large buster sword, unleashing diabolical amounts of damage. It’s a very risky weapon, though; the sword combo is slow and locks you in place, while knowing the best time to morph the weapon is a learning experience in and of itself.

The bladed wagasa is similarly risky, rewarding successfully-timed parries with massive damage. However, my favorite has to be the claw blade, which has a hook you can embed into a creature before swinging around and towards it like a deranged, combat-ready George of the Jungle.

The way you go about upgrading weapons and armor is really interesting, too. Each weapon type has a universal skill tree, which branches off into weapons you can create from various monster parts. While you can beeline from the start of the tree to your desired weapon, it actually can pay dividends to plan out a route on the skill tree that provides unlockable traits which you can carry over to the final build. You don’t need to worry about wasting materials if you mess up or change your mind, either, as you can reset the tree at any time for a small gold fee, refunding all materials used.

Armor is a similar story, most featuring unique skills like increased health or dodging distance while out on a hunt. The key thing here, though, is a gauge that tilts in either a ‘human’ or ‘kemono’ direction depending on which pieces you have equipped. This is important as certain skills will only become active if you’re in the right spot on this gauge, either on the human or kemono side. You can also make human or kemono-inspired versions of armor sets after crafting the base piece, to further influence the gauge.

It’s a really interesting approach that reminded me of how Monster Hunter players craft hybrid sets that target specific skill activations. In Wild Hearts’ case, you may have to sacrifice some defence or elemental resistances in order to get the skills you want, again bringing an element of risk-versus-reward to gameplay. It’s cool.

What's the 'S' for?

So what are the big differences in the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Wild Hearts? Well, the game now supports multiplayer for up to four players, an increase from the original release’s three. It’s unfortunately not crossplay, though, which makes Wild Hearts S an independent experience that’ll live or die on the Switch 2’s player base. Another slight downer is that the game doesn’t support voice chat, so you’ll need to rely on GameChat or an app like Discord when playing with friends.

Wild Hearts S does pack in all of the original’s post-launch support from the get-go at least. That includes additional kemono and quests, though there isn’t anything brand new or exclusive to this Switch 2 version that you wouldn’t have seen in the original 2023 package.

Aside from four player multiplayer, then, it’s all sounding like a bit of a downgrade so far. And if you were hoping for a fresh, transformative experience compared to the original release, you’re going to be let down. What doesn’t help here is that the game on Switch 2 does look noticeably worse in the visuals department, and performance can be rocky at the best of times.

Wild Hearts S does at least boast some pretty impressive load times, and quality-of-life features have been implemented. These include buffs to certain weapons and armor sets, as well as a reduced frequency of how often kemono will flee to another area (which was a huge gripe I had with the original).

Otherwise, while the port itself certainly leaves a lot to be desired, Wild Hearts S is still a great and more affordable version of the original at retail price. There’s a ton of content to sink your teeth into here, especially if you’re looking for something different in the lull period between Monster Hunter Wilds patches. It’s definitely not as polished or long-lasting as Capcom’s game, but there are plenty of fresh, fun ideas in Wild Hearts that absolutely make it worth checking out.

Should you play Wild Hearts S?

Play it if...

You want a unique take on the monster-hunting subgenre
Wild Hearts has plenty of ideas all of its own, including the innovative karakuri system and an interesting take on weapon and armor upgrades.

You’ll have friends to play with on Switch 2
Wild Hearts S has support for four players via online multiplayer. If you know some friends who’re interested in picking up this release, then you’ll probably have a blast.

Don't play it if...

You were hoping for pristine performance
There have been some impressive Switch 2 ports on the performance front, like Street Fighter 6 and Cyberpunk 2077, but Wild Hearts S isn’t quite there with a notable drop in fidelity and performance that often can’t sit still.

Accessibility

There’s a healthy amount of accessibility options in Wild Hearts S, which could be a knock-on effect of Koei Tecmo working with Electronic Arts for the original release. EA is typically on point when it comes to accessibility options, too, so to see them maintained in this Switch 2 version is great.

You’re getting a suite of colorblind options here for the game’s user interface - protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia - as well as subtitle customization including size, color, and background opacity. You can also change the size of in-game text in general, alter how long you need to hold a button down for certain prompts, and force monophonic audio from all sources.

How I reviewed Wild Hearts S

I’ve put 15 hours into Wild Hearts S on Nintendo Switch 2. Having played through the original release on Xbox Series X back in the day, I was already greatly familiar with the game, and I enjoyed it as much now as I did back in 2023. That said, the Switch 2 version doesn’t offer much in the way of substantial additions or improvements, so the overall experience is very similar.

I largely played in docked mode on an LG CX OLED TV, using the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller as my go-to gamepad. I also spent some time in handheld mode, but performance is predictably worse here, so I stuck to TV play as much as I could.

Google Chrome Enterprise Review: Features, Usage, and Competition

1:49 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Browsers Chrome Computers Computing Gadgets Internet | Comments: Off

Chrome Enterprise is Google’s enterprise-centric version of its popular Chrome browser. With Chrome Enterprise, businesses get the ability to remotely manage the browser and its various aspects, for all their employees across the company.

They can, for instance, manage and control the use of web apps, and extensions, and can influence all kinds of browser settings. Chrome Enterprise also offers several security controls, protects against malware and phishing attempts, and even offers data loss prevention functionality.

This is especially useful these days as web browsers have emerged as a doorway to cyberattacks. In fact, several security reports have shown that a majority of security breaches hit companies through their browsers.

This doesn’t come as a surprise since the growth of cloud-based applications, and powerful SaaS platforms, combined with the accelerated adoption of remote working, has helped transform the web browser into an all-in-one workstation.

Here’s everything you want to know about Chrome Enterprise and whether it’s the best web browser for your business.

Chrome Enterprise: Features

Google Chrome enterprise browser review — (Image credit: Google)

Chrome Enterprise is built around the Chrome web browser and inherits all its security features, and productivity enhancements.

For instance, Chrome Enterprise too runs every web page and web app in an isolated environment of its own to protect other tabs against malicious code. You also get Google’s Gemini AI to help create content and summarize information, as well as improve your search with Google Lens.

Besides the regular browser features, Chrome Enterprise also gets you a cloud-based management and reporting interface for free in the form of Chrome Enterprise Core.

After signing up for Chrome Enterprise Core, IT admins can control how your employees use their browsers, from a single console, irrespective of whether they use Windows machines, Linux distros, MacBooks, and Macs, or even iOS and Android devices.

The IT department can segregate browsers into multiple groups for fine-tuned control. This allows them to define and implement different policies for different departments, different job profiles, and even different offices. They can, for instance, mandate certain extensions for the sales team, while disabling them for remote developers.

Talking of extensions, you can use Chrome Enterprise Core to allow, block, force-install or pin Chrome extensions, and even enable your employees to request extensions. IT admins can also remotely send commands to the browser, for example, to delete browser caches or cookies, and tweak all kinds of settings.

In addition to controlling the browsers, Chrome Enterprise also offers detailed reports on the browser’s deployment and use across your organization. You get the ability to view all versions of Chrome installed in your company, along with all the installed web apps and extensions. It’ll also help you keep track of things such as browser crashes, password reuse and more.

For more advanced security and data protections, you can subscribe to Chrome Enterprise Premium, which costs $6/user/month. This will get you additional controls to enforce policies, detailed security reporting functions, and more.

Chrome Enterprise: Privacy

The biggest advantage with Chrome Enterprise is that it enables centralized browser management. This helps reduce privacy risks by enabling knowledgeable IT admins make informed decisions on behalf of the employees, not all of whom will be well-versed with the dangers lurking on the web.

Chrome Enterprise benefits from Chrome’s malware and phishing protections, and will also prevent users from visiting harmful sites. It’ll also help the IT department keep an eye on the use of extensions and their behavior, for instance, if they are accessing cookies.

Chrome Enterprise also helps cure some of Chrome’s nefarious privacy-invading features. For instance, it’ll help you control your users’ ad privacy settings, and override whether the browser sends usage statistics and crash-related data to Google.

This is especially useful as depending on how it’s configured, the usage stats include details such as memory usage, button clicks, as well as web page URLs and other personal information. Similarly, crash reports contain system information at the time of the crash, and even URLs, and personal information depending on what the user was doing when the crash reporting was activated.

Chrome Enterprise: Ease of use

The management console of Chrome Enterprise Core is fairly intuitive and easy to navigate, which, Google claims, makes it accessible to IT admins of varying technical skill levels. It helps IT define and enforce policies and browser configurations across different operating systems and devices using a point-and-click interface that’s easy on the eyes.

It also helps ease the process of managing a large number of devices, as all browser settings and policies are controlled from a single console.

The cloud-based management console has interactive setup guides that’ll take admins through the entire setup and configuration process. The process to enroll browsers is straightforward and well-documented with detailed OS-specific instructions.

Chrome Enterprise: Competitors

Chrome Enterprise is built around the regular Google Chrome browser, and has all the features you’d expect from a modern desktop and mobile web browser. As an everyday browser, it’s right up there with the best such as Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and their ilk.

The primary competition for Chrome Enterprise Core comes from other enterprise-focused browser management solutions. Different enterprise browsers have different capabilities and go about securing the browser differently.

One of the first enterprise browsers in the market was Island. While Chrome Enterprise takes pride in its management capabilities, especially for large-scale deployments, Island offers fairly detailed reports about how the users are using the web, as well as granular security controls.

Other popular enterprise browsers include the Citrix Enterprise Browser whose USP is its seamless integration with the Citrix Workspace platform. There’s also Microsoft Edge for Business that similarly offers tight integration with Microsoft 365 applications like Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive.

In addition to standalone browsers, you also get products that operate much like browser extensions. They are designed to make regular internet browsers act like enterprise browsers. Solutions like LayerX Enterprise Browser Extension, and Red Access add extra security layers to your existing browser, saving your employees the effort to switch to a completely new browser.

Chrome Enterprise: Final verdict

Chrome Enterprise offers the familiarity of the Chrome web browser along with the centrally managed advantages of an enterprise browser.

You can sign up for Chrome Enterprise Core for $0, which makes it affordable to even the smallest of organizations. Chrome Enterprise is a good option for businesses with mixed device environments, and even more so for those that need to strengthen their BYOD policies.

The product’s central management console is fairly intuitive and well-documented for IT admins, and presents a familiar user experience to end users. Combined with its no-cost tier Chrome Enterprise presents itself as a must-try option for any business looking for an enterprise browser.

Try secure private browsing with the best VPN service.

I’ve used the NiSi V7 kit for a long time, and it’s the best filter holder I’ve used by a long shot

12:00 pm |

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

NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL: two-minute review

When it comes to square filter holders, they’re surely all the same, aren’t they? In terms of basic design, they are, but build quality, functionality and value are another matter. For me, the NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL is one of the best professional 100mm filter holders available, with an impressive performance that belies its attractive price.

100mm filter holders are typically used with lenses as wide as 15mm full-frame (or 10mm for APS-C). For lenses wider than this, you’ll need to move up to a cumbersome and painfully expensive 150mm square filter system.

150mm filters are also so large that they simply look ridiculous, and I have chuckled watching other photographers on location with me wrestle with their window pane-sized filters. But I digress.

The advantage of the Nisi V7 kit, like many 100mm filter holders, is that you can use up to three square filters at once alongside a polarising filter. So, that’s ND graduated filters, ND filters, color correction filters and special effects filters. Are three slots overkill? Definitely not – I often require all three slots when shooting in tricky lighting conditions while controlling exposure times.

One thing that I love about the NiSi V7 kit is that you get four adaptor rings, which means you can use the holder with four filter thread sizes straight away. These include 67mm, 72mm, 77mm, plus the main ring which has an 82mm thread. This covers the vast majority of landscape photography lenses, plus you can also buy adaptor rings for other sizes separately if you need them. For example, I own a 62mm ring that allows me to use square filters with my macro lens.

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NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL case on a branch — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL case attached to a tripod leg — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL adaptor rings — (Image credit: James Abbott)

The V7 filter holder isn’t really suitable for smaller lenses with smaller filter threads, say in the 39mm to 67mm range. For example, I own some small Fujifilm prime lenses, plus some Micro Four Thirds lenses, for which the NiSi M75 II with True Color NC CPL is a better fit. The downside with this smaller holder only is that it only has two filter slots alongside the rear-mounted polarizing filter, rather than three.

Build quality of the V7 kit is excellent and the overall design is reasonably compact. The holder is a CNC-machined single block of matte black coated aeronautical aluminum, with three plastic filter holder slots screwed onto the front. The polarizing filter screws into the main ring, locking in place at around a 10-degree turn, while the holder clips onto the main ring and can be locked in place to avoid detachment of the two parts.

The main ring is also an 82mm adaptor ring, and is attached to the smaller adaptor rings when a smaller thread than 82mm is required. Practically speaking, these are best attached to the lens before the holder is attached. The polarizer can be rotated using a couple of small dials on the rear of the main ring. You can also use any 100mm square filters with this holder.

The advantage of the rear positioning of the polarizing filter is that the filter holder doesn’t vignette with lenses as wide as 15mm. NiSi even says that the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4S doesn’t vignette at 14mm, although I haven't tried that lens with the holder. The rival LEE Filters LEE100 Polarizer mounts at the front, thereby creating a vignette with ultra wide-angle lenses – meaning Nisi has the advantage in this regard.

Unlike cheap polarizers, the supplied True Color NC CPL also produces clean images with no color casts at different rotations, which is exactly what you want.

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NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL front view attached to a lens — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL rear view with a filter in place — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL lock detail — (Image credit: James Abbott)

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NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL polarizing filter being held — (Image credit: James Abbott)

In my experience, some filter holders can also be too tight, making it hard to slot filters in and out, to the point that this can risk accidental damage.

The V7, thankfully, provides just the right amount of resistance that filters are secure, but they’re easy enough to slot in and out of the holder when it’s attached to the front of your lenses.

The downside to a system like this, however, is that a set of filters and the holder take up space in your kit bag and can weigh more than other types of filters.

As magnetic and stackable filters are growing in popularity, you may be wondering what place there is for larger, heavier and more expensive square filters. The simple answer is ND grads. With square filters, you can get everything as right as possible in-camera, including the sky exposure.

With magnetic filters, the price you pay is no ND grads, so while you get a polariser, NDs and other types of filters depending on the kit, you have to shoot HDR to maintain sky detail. That naturally means you have to take more shots and spend more time at the computer editing. For me, square filters remain the optimal option for landscape photography.

NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL: key specs

Filter slots	Three
Adaptor rings	67, 72, 77, 82mm
Polarizing filter	True Color NC CPL
Case included	Yes
Lens cap	Yes

NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL price and availability

The NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL costs $259 / £199 / AU$389, which is an incredible price considering what’s included in the kit: a Filter Holder for three 100mm filters and a CPL, an 82mm main ring with polarizing adjustment, a True Color NC CPL (removable), three adapter rings (67/72/77), a soft case and a V7 Lens Cap.

To provide a point of reference, the LEE Filters LEE100 Polarizer filter alone costs as much as the NiSi V7 kit.

There are V7 kits available that also include several filters and offer excellent value for money compared to purchasing separately. The NiSi Starter Kit – V7 – 100mm Filters costs $499 / £345 / AU$849 and includes most of the above, a few additional accessories, a 3-stop medium GND and a 10-stop ND filter.

If you already own 100mm filters and would simply like a new filter holder, the NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL is perfect for you. If you’re getting started with 100mm filters, I’d recommend the NiSi Starter Kit – V7 – 100mm Filters or one of the other kits that come with filters, because you will save money and have several filters to use from the get-go.

NiSi square filters themselves are expensive. They’re optically fantastic and made of high-quality optical glass, but expect to pay in the region of $245 / £95 /AU$279 per filter. The glass used is much better than traditional resin square filters in many ways, but they do cost more.

Should I buy the NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL?

NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL front view attached to a lens with a filter attached — (Image credit: James Abbott)

Buy it if...

You need a pro filter holder

This is a professional filter holder kit offering excellent performance and several extremely useful accessories.

You want incredible value

While not cheap, the NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL is a high-quality professional filter holder at an affordable price, certainly versus LEE filters. For me, it's a bargain.

Don't buy it if...

You’d prefer lighter weight filters

The weight of square filters does add up once you factor in several glass filters, so you may find magnetic circular filters are better for you.

You don’t require ND Grads

The main reason to have square filters is to combine NDs and corrective filters with ND grads. So, if you don’t use ND grads, square filters aren’t for you.

How I tested the NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL

Long-term test
Tested with a variety of lenses
Used for landscape, cityscape and astrophotography

I've tested the NiSi V7 with True Color NC CPL over many years, with a range of different NiSi filters in different combinations, for subjects including landscape, cityscape and astrophotography.

As my go-to filter holder, I've also used it with a wide range of lenses, including zooms and primes, ranging between 16mm and 200mm on a full-frame camera.

With nearly 30 years of photographic experience and 17 years working as a photography journalist, I’ve used many of the cameras and lenses that have been released in that time. As a working photographer, I aim to test cameras, lenses and accessories from a photographer’s point of view.

First reviewed July 2025

Pro goals make Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 the best skateboarding game to date, and I can’t get enough

10:00 pm | July 23, 2025

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

Review information

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Release date: July 11, 2025

To be frank, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 didn’t have a particularly tough job on its hands. Five years prior, the 1 + 2 remake landed during the Covid-19 pandemic and reminded us that the series was an absolute gem, actually, despite what Pro Skater 5 led us to believe in 2015, so all this remake had to do was match the quality of the last installment.

Even though development transferred from Vicarious Visions to Iron Galaxy, it’s safe to say they smashed it out of the park with a fantastic nostalgia hit, complete with all-new content, and I’m hooked all over again.

The start of a new era

When I played Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 almost five years ago, I had goosebumps as I rolled down that first ramp in the Warehouse level, struggling to fathom that I was really experiencing this game that comprised so much of my childhood again, but this time looking a heck of a lot better.

That moment never came with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4, but that's not a slight. In fact, I'd argue it's a compliment, because those goosebumps were thanks to the novelty of playing those games again, whereas we're now fortunate enough for this to be a semi-regular release, provided we get a remake of Tony Hawk's Underground next, anyway.

Back in the day, some may argue the series peaked with the third game. Pro Skater 3 was the best version that was just all about performing sick combos, completing objectives such as the SKATE letters or impressing pro skaters for the sake of it, essentially making each level a skateboarding sandbox. Pro Skater 4 took these goals a tiny step further by giving them context. The SKATE letters need collecting because the janitor tasks you with tidying up, for example.

This has been removed from the remake, and while there was outrage initially, it turns out it was blown considerably out of proportion. Sure, the Pro Skater 4 levels in the remake lose a little bit of charm, no longer having NPCs to actually talk to, but it means the game retains its fast-paced flow better, and the whole package feels like a single game. Keeping that part would be a touch disjointing, going from the THPS 3 levels without those NPCs, to the THPS 4 levels with them, despite this being one game now.

Passing the torch

Iron Galaxy has proved itself more than capable of handling the Tony Hawk series from here onwards, though, because once again, I've spent hours upon hours grinding through the levels, completing all of the goals, including the pro ones.

At the time of writing, THPS 3 is 100% complete, and I have just a few levels in 4 left to go, and frankly, it's been hard to put the controller down. Watching back footage of the original games shows just how impressive and fluid the remake feels now, and even though mechanics like skitching and acid drops didn't feature in the original THPS 3, the fact that both games are identical mechanically now is a huge positive.

Best bit

There are a few new levels that weren't in the original games, and the last one, Pinball, is a delight to explore, with plenty of secrets and hidden areas.

The only complaint I have, and it may well be anecdotal, is that 3 + 4 feels slightly buggier than 1 + 2 did when I rinsed it for weeks on end five years back. I've glitched through the world a couple of times, got stuck bouncing on the ground where the game thinks my skater is in mid-air, but they're not, and every now and then it feels like my button inputs don't entirely register correctly.

I'd be remiss not to mention the soundtrack too because it's such an important component of any Tony Hawk game. It's safe to say the originals had a significant bearing on my music tastes throughout my entire life so far because these days, I love a mosh pit and some heavy metal or pop punk, but there aren't quite as many tracks retained from the prior soundtracks as I'd have liked.

That said, they have included some incredible, more modern bands, such as Turnstile, Idles, and 100 gecs. Huge shout out to Boys in the Better Land by Fontaines DC, too, which is such a perfect fit, and don't worry, folks; Motorhead's Ace of Spades hasn't gone anywhere.

Crowning a new king

It's hard to argue that this isn't the best skateboarding game of all time, to be honest. The amount of content is staggering, and while some folks may prefer something more realistic like the Skate series - somewhere you can't perform The 900 into a revert, followed by 50+ more tricks all in the same combo. After all, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 is very much an arcade game; it's the Need For Speed to Skate's Gran Turismo.

Once you beat all the levels and complete every goal in both games, you unlock pro goals, which are essentially five even more difficult objectives to complete in each level. Beat all of these, and you get your hands on solo tour mode, which gives each individual skater a unique goal in each level depending on their skateboarding style.

Then you have speedrun mode, which allows you to set the highest score you can on different levels and enter leaderboards, along with create-a-park to either design your own level or play those made by the community. Oh, and there's multiplayer, which is endless fun in and of itself. Then there's a bunch of customization options and collectibles to find in each level, plus challenges, including two expert categories which will likely take you a long time to complete.

This is, quite frankly, a no-brainer to pick up if you've enjoyed a single Tony Hawk game in the past. It's one of the best video game remakes in recent memory, and even levels that have a completely different aesthetic now have been improved tenfold. If you haven't played one for many years, then it may be a somewhat steep learning curve, especially for the harder objectives. But it's not too tricky to pick up if you're happy chaining together some kickflips and bluntslides, rather than going for million-plus score combos.

Even the product placement, which usually feels incredibly on the nose, is so well integrated here, with brands such as Vans and Red Bull placed in natural-feeling spots. Although I don't think there's actually a Vans shop right on Trafalgar Square in London, but then again, I also don't think Trafalgar Square is full of quarter-pipes and ramps. Could be mistaken, though.

Should you play Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4?

Play it if...

You played the original games 20+ years ago
This remake is so well done, even if you don't think you'll be as skilled as you used to be, experiencing these two games from so long ago remade in such clarity and with so many small enhancements is worth it alone.

You love an arcade sports game
Tony Hawk games are never about realism, so 3 + 4 is wacky and wonderful in the sense that you can combo 50+ tricks as if your skater has robotic legs that don't get tired, all while chasing a van around London's Trafalgar Square with a nearly-nude man with an elephant mask on in the back.

Don't play it if...

You didn't play the originals, or you don't have the time to learn the skillset
Getting really good at a Tony Hawk game is hard, and 3 + 4 is no different. You may get frustrated if you don't have the nostalgia aspect in your favour and you're struggling to beat some of the score goals.

Accessibility

You cannot remap the base controls, but you can choose which button combos individual tricks are applied to, and you can choose between wallplants being either a one or two-button press.

The camera can be inverted, lots of HUD options can be toggled, and if you're struggling, you can enable assists such as perfect balance on rails, manuals, and lip tricks, and you can turn off bails entirely.

How I reviewed Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4

According to my in-game time played, I have sunk 13 hours and 30 minutes into Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 so far, all on a base PS5 with a DualSense controller. This was entirely in the fidelity graphics mode on a Samsung QN88C 55" TV and a Samsung HWMS650 soundbar.

I've entirely completed all of the THPS 3 content, and I'm around halfway through the levels in THPS 4, and while I've given multiplayer a spin, I haven't spent too much time in it. I have also played around with some custom-made levels, both playing community-made ones and making my own.

Weeks testing the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 convinced me flip phones are the best phones – and I won’t be going back to flat

7:25 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Phones Samsung Galaxy Phones | Tags: Samsung Galaxy | Comments: Off

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7: Two-minute review

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue in hand showing basic widget info. onthe cover display — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 is a great flip phone that gives you the best of Samsung’s mobile might in a package that’s innovative and polished. To say it’s an improvement over past Galaxy Flip phones would be an understatement – this is the Flip I’ve been asking Samsung to make for years.

It’s not quite the best flip phone you can buy, but that’s because flip phones have gotten really good; and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 makes a perfect argument for why flip phones may be today’s best form factor.

Think about it, what’s better than a flip foldable? The Galaxy Z Flip 7 has a huge screen – the same 6.9 inches as the mighty Galaxy S25 Ultra – but it’s smaller and lighter in every way, even before you fold it in half. And instead of the Ultra’s questionable S Pen, the Flip 7 gives you a whole second screen to use. On top of that, it costs $200 / £200 / AU$550 less than an Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue open at a 3/4 angle showing the back — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Flip phones just make too much sense, so what’s stopping them from being more popular? First, there’s the durability question. The seventh generation of Samsung’s flip phones still can’t keep dust out, though it can handle being dunked in water thanks to its IP48 rating.

Second, there are sacrifices required to make a folding phone, and the cameras are a downgrade from other Galaxy phones. This year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 got a 200MP main camera, but the Flip 7 keeps its 50MP cameras on the back. There’s no zoom, only wide and ultra-wide. A 200MP sensor would have alleviated the disappointment of not having a 3x telephoto lens or better.

Finally, the battery takes a hit with the Galaxy Z Flip 7 – maybe too big of a hit. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 doesn’t last long enough. I think this is more of a Samsung problem than a flip phone problem, because the Moto Razr Ultra offers great battery life, though it is marginally thicker and heavier than the Flip 7.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue next to a Moto Razr Ultra botrh showing TechRadar.com on the cover display — A Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 (left) and Galaxy Z Flip 7 (right) with TechRadar on the cover displays (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

It’s impossible to avoid comparing the Flip 7 to the Motorola Razr Ultra / Razr 60 Ultra, which is its biggest competitor (for now, Apple?). Samsung should be thrashing the Razr, but Motorola has been consistently eating Samsung’s lunch in the flip phone café.

With the Flip 7, Samsung finally catches up to Motorola on the cover display. Its cover display doesn’t just fill the front of the phone, it features the thinnest bezels Samsung has ever used on a Galaxy phone screen.

The Flip 7 can also, albeit with some difficulty, use every app on the cover display. You can navigate with AllTrails maps, watch some TikTok, and play Vampire Survivors without opening the phone.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue with Vampire Survivors on the cover display — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Still, as Samsung takes a big leap forward, Motorola continues its slow and steady pace as the flip-phone frontrunner. Today’s Razr Ultra is faster than the Galaxy Flip 7 in every way. The processor is faster; games run faster; the screen refreshes faster; the battery even charges faster.

Does all of that speed matter? Yes, but some folks will appreciate Samsung’s deep feature set and customization options more than a bit of extra speed.

Samsung’s One UI 8 is a powerhouse, especially if you mix business and pleasure on your smartphone. The Flip 7 also ships with Android 16, and this is the first time Samsung foldable buyers haven’t had to wait for an upgrade to the latest version of Android.

Samsung promises seven years of major Android updates and security patches, more than any competitor except Google. It has a good track record of delivering on such promises, while many Motorola fans are still waiting for promised updates for past Razr phones.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue partially open showing TechRadar.com on the display — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Is it time to consider a flip phone? Absolutely. As you’ve probably noticed, I’m a fan of flip foldables, and the Flip 7, with its versatile cover display, rock-solid design, and hefty set of features, offers more value than the sum of its parts.

In fact, I think most people would appreciate the Flip 7, with its unique benefits, more than other phones that don’t make the same sacrifices.

Ask yourself, does your phone need that tiny zoom camera? Wouldn’t you rather have a phone you can slap shut and slip in your front pocket? And I use the cover display on my Galaxy Z Flip 7 far more than I use the S Pen on my Galaxy S25 Ultra.

I’m rooting for flip phones – and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is an exceptional flip for serious smartphone users.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 review: Price and availability

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 on display with numerous devices showing New York City scenes on the cover display — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Starts at $1,099 / £1,049 / AU$1,799 for 256GB of storage
The best color – Mint – is a Samsung online exclusive

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 starts at $1,099 / £1,049 / AU$1,799, which is the same price as last year’s Z Flip 6. The price seems reasonable to me, considering that you’re getting two displays for the price of one, plus glass that bends in half like a dang magic trick.

Galaxy Z Flip phones used to seem pricey, but the rest of the phone world has slowly crept up to meet Samsung, and now $1,099 / £1,049 / AU$1,799 actually seems fair, especially if you’re getting this phone from your carrier with a steep discount (most US carriers offer it for free with a new contract).

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 costs more than an iPhone 16 Pro (except in Australia, where it’s the same price), and less than an iPhone 16 Pro Max. It costs the same as a Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, or Samsung’s new and thin Galaxy S25 Edge.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue next. toa Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 in wood — The Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 (left) is more expensive than the Galaxy Z Flip 7 (right) (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Most importantly, the Flip 7 costs less than the new Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 in the US, where the Razr Ultra starts at $1,299. In the UK, the Razr 60 Ultra costs the same: £1,099. Motorola claims it has been outselling Samsung in flip phones, and its cheapest flip, the Razr 2023, is available for $349 in the US.

At launch, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 only comes in four colors, while last year’s Flip 6 was available in seven hues. Mint and Coralred are exciting (the former is a Samsung web store exclusive); Jetblack and Blue Shadow are more staid. I wish Samsung would try something unique with its materials and finish, but it likes to dress the entire product family in the same sweater for holiday portraits, so all the Galaxy phones look alike finish-wise.

Value score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 review: Specification

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue showing the Quick Setting drop down menu — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

When Samsung admitted that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 would use its own Exynos 2500 processor instead of the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy found in every other flagship Galaxy phone this year, it was like a record scratch moment from a comedy show. Rumors suggest this could have been the CPU inside every Galaxy S25 phone, but Samsung changed its plans late in the game on those phones. Instead, this new Samsung chip debuts in the Galaxy Z Flip 7.

Samsung claims the Exynos 2500 is more powerful than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy that’s in last year’s Flip 6, and this lets the Flip 7 use Samsung DeX, a feature that was oddly omitted from last year’s Flip. I don’t buy it. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 had the same processor and the same RAM, and the Fold 6 could run DeX. Heck, even the Galaxy S24 FE with its mid-range Exynos 2400e chipset could run DeX. I’m calling shenanigans on this claim.

The display is bigger this year, up to 6.9 inches for the internal display from 6.7 inches last year, and the phone is 4mm wider to accommodate this. Otherwise, the specs are mostly unchanged from the Flip 6 – 12GB of RAM; a 50MP wide camera and a 12MP ultra-wide; Wi-Fi 7; Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back cover. The battery is larger this year, but maybe not as big as it needs to be.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 specs
	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7
Dimensions (folded):	85.5 x 75.2 x 13.7mm
Dimensions (unfolded):	166.7 x 75.2 x 6.5mm
Weight:	188g
Main display:	6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED 1080 x 2520 pixels 1~120Hz adaptive refresh 2,600 nits peak brightness
Cover display::	4.1-inch Super AMOLED 948 x 1048 pixels
Chipset:	Samsung Exynos 2500 (3nm)
RAM:	12GB
Storage:	256GB / 512GB
OS:	Android 16 / One UI 8
Primary camera:	50MP f1.8
Ultrawide camera:	12MP f2.2
Selfie Camera:	10MP f2.2
Battery:	4,300mAh
Charging:	25W wired; 15W wireless
Colors:	Blue Shadow, Jetblack, Coralred, Mint

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 review: Design

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue folded like a tent — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Big and beautiful cover display with ultra-slim bezels
Nice colors, but design is a bit bland for a flip phone

After years of me complaining that the Galaxy Z Flip wasn’t using enough of its cover space for the front screen, Samsung finally listened (I’d like to think). The 4.1-inch screen on the front of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 takes up every possible inch – Samsung says it has the thinnest bezel ever on a Galaxy phone.

The Flip 7’s cover screen looks like the future of phone displays, and I’m excited for the internal screen to catch up, with a bezel this slim.

Otherwise, the phone is a standard 2025 Galaxy model. It has flat sides, with the power and volume buttons on the right. The power key acts as an effective fingerprint scanner, though it’s more recessed than the power button on other Galaxy phones, and it was hard to find in the dark.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue close up on the hinge and bending glass — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue showing a close up of the cover display bezels and camera lenses with a dirty filthy dog named Beesly on the display — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue close up of the two camera lenses — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

My review sample is Blue Shadow, and the blue certainly has a nice depth to it, though I still wish the color had more pop – there’s not much room for color on a flip phone. Only one half of one side of the phone is actually blue; the rest is all display. Three quarters of the phone is a screen. Is that worrisome? Maybe it should be.

I’ve had the Galaxy Z Flip 7 a week and I’ve been using it extensively. I throw it into my bag with my car keys, and let it bang around with my cameras and other phones in my pockets.

I don’t have a case on it, but some friends at UAG are sending an armored case my way. It may be too late. My back glass – a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 panel – already has noticeable scuffs and scratches marring the shadowy blue. I don’t see any nicks on the screens, so that’s a plus, but I should have gotten that case before I started using this phone. Consider yourself advised.

Design score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7: Displays

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue in hand showing four widgets on the cover display including weather, now brief, calendar, and health monitor — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Big inner display is super-bright and clear
Cover screen is a showstopper – it’s the future of displays

I could rave about the new cover display again, but I’ll start with the impressive inner screen, because the Galaxy Z Flip 7 has been very satisfying to use thanks to this exceptionally bright and clear AMOLED. It was always a joy to open, even in bright outdoor light.

Don’t worry about the crease on the inner screen. It’s completely invisible when you’re using the phone, and it never bothered my fingers when I was swiping across the screen. After all these years it still feels like a magic trick to fold a piece of glass in half, and it still shocks friends who haven’t seen a flip foldable in person before.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s cover display is, as I’ve mentioned, also spectacular. The ultra-thin bezels make it seem to disappear, and you get plenty of room to work with apps and widgets on the 4.1-inch space. It’s a great improvement to the Flip line, and one I’ve been impatiently waiting to see.

Displays score: 5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7: Software

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue at a 3/4 angle showing a home screen panel with the Edge Panels on screen — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The best flip for getting things done
Maybe too focused on productivity, not enough on fun

If you want a smartphone you can tweak and customize to your heart’s content, get a Samsung phone. If you prefer something simpler, you can still grit your teeth and ignore most of the settings, the pop-up features, and the extra steps required to make things work.

How bad is Samsung’s software? Take the cover display, for example. On the Motorola Razr, when you’re using an app and you close the phone, the app shows up on the cover display. That’s simple and intuitive. On the Galaxy Z Flip 7? Not even close.

To use an app on the front screen, you have to find the setting to enable apps on the cover display. This isn’t in the Cover Display settings menu; it’s in a menu called Advanced Settings, and then Labs.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue with a finger pointing at the Advanced Features Labs setting — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Labs. Can you imagine a more frightening way to hide a crucial feature? Why not just call it Dungeon?

And once you find Labs, you’ve only gotten started. You can enable a few pre-selected apps to work on the cover display – Maps, Messages, Netflix – or you can download another widget called Multistar from the Samsung Galaxy App Store.

Multistar creates a home screen that lives on your cover display, and on that screen you can add any app on your phone. On the cover, you swipe to the Multistar screen and tap the app you want to open.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue close up of the app icons on the cover display — Multistar on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 cover display (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Unfortunately, you can’t set any of this up on the cover display itself. You can’t even add widgets to the cover display without opening the phone. It feels like Samsung is still getting the hang of this whole cover-display thing, but the Flip7 is its best effort yet.

This complex procedure exemplifies Samsung’s software ‘philosophy,’ if it has one. The phone has lots of features, and they all work… somehow. Finding those features and making them work can feel like an endless chore, and then features work in a way that seems slapped together and haphazard.

I don’t want to open an app twice, on two different home screens, after loading a specialized widget hidden under three layers of settings. I just want to open an app, close my flip phone, and see the same app on the cover. Easy peasy.

Aside from those issues, I have many questions about Samsung’s AI strategy. The company has a habit of talking up features that never materialize. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 was supposed to have a special version of Google Gemini that could talk to me live while the flip screen was half closed, but I haven’t been able to find a mode that works that way.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue showing the Now Brief screen that says Wishing You Well Have a Special Day — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Samsung’s Now Brief home screen widget and app is also a key selling point for its AI features, but it’s truly a useless bit of software. It never offers me more than the weather and the first few appointments on my company calendar, which are always people who scheduled a day off.

Samsung promised that this Now Brief and its Galaxy AI features would offer highly personalized information as the AI gets to know you through your Samsung devices and usage behavior. I carry multiple Samsung phones and wear a Galaxy Watch Ultra, and I’ve never seen anything personalized for my interests or habits.

Software score: 3 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7: Cameras

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue with cover display showing me taking a photo of myself — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Very good cameras with fun and useful features
Samsung is clearly tuning its cameras for more realistic photos

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 has a good set of cameras that took photos I enjoyed sharing. Images taken with Samsung cameras usually pop with bright colors and a highly-sharpened look, but I’ve noticed on the last couple of phones (this one and the Galaxy S25 Edge) that Samsung has been toning down this artificial look for a more natural photography style, closer to what the iPhone produces. I’m all for it.

Don’t worry, Samsung fans, you still get photos that look great, especially if you opt for Samsung’s specialized modes.

Samsung’s Portrait mode is probably the best on any smartphone. It isolated my subject neatly and blurred the background for a gorgeous look. Samsung’s Food mode is by far the best camera phone mode for taking food photos – I reach for my Galaxy phone whenever I bake something tasty and I want to share it.

Samsung’s AI editing features are also the best I’ve used on any smartphone. When you cut an unwanted person or object out of your photo, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 does a perfect job of filling in the gaps. If there are floor boards or vertical blinds behind them, it fills these in seamlessly.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue in hand showing the camera app interface — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Of course, the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s coolest camera trick is letting you use the cover display as your viewfinder for photos. You can take selfies at the full 50MP resolution when you point the main camera at yourself and use the cover display. You can also set the phone in an interesting position – way down low or hanging from up high – and then take shots with voice commands or by signaling the camera with a wave.

My only complaint is the lack of a real zoom lens. I have a kid who plays sports, and the digital zoom isn’t good enough to capture him on the field. If you take photos from far away often, you’ll miss the lack of real zoom. Maybe Samsung should try a zoom camera instead of an ultra-wide on the Flip 8.

Cameras: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7: Performance

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue in hand showing Vampire Survivors Game Over screen — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Performance is adequate, but not superlative
Exynos is not going to win over any fans from Snapdragon

In my real-world tests, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 performed well. I used it for a variety of complex tasks, including running two apps with one at the top and the other at the bottom of the inner screen, and plugged the phone into my monitor for the full Samsung DeX treatment.

I like Samsung DeX because I have all of my work accounts for email, Slack, and Google Drive on my phone, so when I use my phone I don’t need to log in again, as I do when I use my laptop. I just plug my phone into my USB-C laptop dock and get a little bit of work done, then unplug and go. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 was great at this, and I’m happy to see DeX on the Flip 7 after missing it on last year’s Flip 6.

That said, in benchmark tests it’s clear that the Samsung Exynos 2500 lags behind the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, and it’s a shame that the Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 run on different platforms.

In Future Labs tests, the Exynos 2500 did not beat the Galaxy S25’s Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy platform in a single test – not processor speed, graphics performance, web browsing, AI and machine learning tests, nor any other benchmark we run. In every way, the Exynos 2500 is inferior to the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

Worst of all may be the chip’s power consumption, which I’ll get to in the next section. Samsung isn’t doing itself any favors by ditching one of the best mobile platforms I’ve ever used – the Snapdragon 8 Elite – and I hope it doesn’t ever make the same mistake again.

Performance: 3 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7: Battery

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue lying flat facing the USB-C port on the bottom — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Battery life is unimpressive and charging should be faster
Could the Exynos platform be to blame?

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 usually lasted a full day in my testing, unless I used it extensively for taking and editing photos or playing games. On camera testing days, I needed to charge up to keep it going until bed time.

It could have been worse, but I wonder if the cover display makes a difference. After all, there were plenty of times when I used the cover when I might have used the full screen on a normal phone, and the inner screen certainly draws more power than the half-sized cover display.

The reason I was pessimistic about the battery life was the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s poor showing in Future Labs battery testing. The Z Flip 7 has a battery that’s 300mAh larger than the cell in the Z Flip 6, but it only delivers about 90 minutes more runtime in our rundown tests.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue folded with the always-on display showing the time on the cover display — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Compare that to the Motorola Razr Ultra, which uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. The Razr Ultra has a battery that’s 400mAh larger than the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s, but in our tests it lasted almost 6.5 hours longer than the Z Flip 7! The Z Flip 7 died in just under 12.5 hours in our lab tests, while the Razr Ultra lasted almost 19 hours.

I have to assume the Snapdragon is sipping power compared to Samsung’s Exynos chip, and that’s why the Razr Ultra lasts so much longer with only a slightly larger battery. Motorola’s displays are just as bright, and actually pack more pixels, which means they could draw more power. If it isn’t the display saving electricity, it must be the chipset.

Battery: 3 / 5

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7?

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue in hand showing a firefly wallpaper that was generated by AI — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value	Solid value considering you get two displays for the price of one, plus all of the technology Samsung packs inside. There are cheaper flip phones, but none that can do as much as the Flip 7.	4 / 5
Design	A nice design that will be familiar to Samsung fans. I still wish it were more exciting, and some scuffs during my review time left me more concerned about durability than before.	4 / 5
Display	Excellent displays inside and out. The inner display is bright and clear and a joy to use. The cover screen has the smallest bezels ever, and it's more useful than before.	5 / 5
Performance	The Flip 7 can do more than ever, but Samsung doesn’t make it easy. Expect hidden features, extra steps, and hacked-together solutions. Also, the AI features don’t seem fully baked.	3 / 5
Software	Nice cameras that tone down the saturation for a more realistic look. The best camera modes in the biz, including great portraits and appetizing food shots. Solid AI editing tools remove artifacts flawlessly. I wish it had zoom.	4 / 5
Cameras	Disappointing performance all round thanks to the Exynos 2500. I’m being extra harsh so Samsung doesn’t make this mistake again and use an inferior Exynos chip when the Snapdragon is obviously superior. This phone should be faster.	3 / 5
Battery	Battery life isn’t terrible, but it’s disappointing considering other phones have seen huge advancements thanks to new battery tech and more efficient (Snapdragon) platforms. It still lasts a full day, most of the time.	3 / 5

Buy it if...

You want more phone in your phone
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 lives up to the flip-phone promise, giving you more than the sum of its parts. It’s two devices in one.

You can find a great deal on this phone
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is priced well, but Samsung phones see great discounts from wireless carriers and bonus offers for a good trade.

You want a flip but you’re a serious person
The Motorola Razr may be shiny and colorful, but it doesn’t have Samsung DeX or the full suite of software Samsung offers to get things done.

Don't buy it if...

You want simpler software
The Motorola Razr hews closer to Google’s Pixel version of Android, while Samsung’s One UI is feature-packed, but overcomplicated.View Deal

You don’t like the Samsung Galaxy look
The Flip 7 should have been a cooler-looking flip phone, but instead it looks like every other Galaxy, bent in half.View Deal

You hang out in very dusty places
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 has an impressive level of water resistance, but it can’t keep out dust smaller than a big piece of lint, so be careful.View Deal

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 review: Also consider

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 in blue next to a Moto Razr Ultra from back mostly closed — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Motorola Razr Ultra
The Razr Ultra is more expensive, but it beats the Z Flip 7 on almost every metric, including processor speed and battery life.

Read our in-depth Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 review

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus
It costs $100 / £50 / AU$100 less and blows the Z Flip 7 away for battery life and performance, plus it comes with a 3x telephoto zoom lens.

Read our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus review

	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7	Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 / Razr 60 Ultra	Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus
Price	$1,099 / £1,049 / AU$1,799	$1,299 / £1,099	$999 / £999 / AU$1,699
Processor	Samsung Exynos 2500	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
Cameras	50MP main; 12MP ultra-wide; 10MP selfie	50MP main; 50MP ultra-wide; 50MP selfie	50MP main; 12MP ultra-wide; 10MP telephoto (3x zoom); 12MP selfie
Future Labs Battery Test (HH:MM:SS)	12:24:30	18:57:12	18:46:04

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7

Review test period: two weeks
Testing included: everyday use, including web browsing, social media, photography, gaming, streaming video, and music playback
Tools used: Geekbench 6, and Nit-brightness-testing system

I tested the Galaxy Z Flip 7 for two week before writing this review, using it as my primary work phone for that entire period. I tested the phone using a T-Mobile account provided by Samsung for my review period.

I used the phone extensively for communicating with colleagues, using apps including Slack, Google Meet, Airtable, Gmail and more. I played games including Vampire Survivor and Call of Duty Mobile, and I connected the phone to an Xbox Wireless Controller for games.

I used Android Auto with the Flip 7 in my car, a Kia EV6, for navigation, listening to music and audiobooks, and sending messages using voice input.

I connected the Flip 7 to my Galaxy Buds Pro 3 earbuds, Moto Buds Loop, a Galaxy Watch Ultra smartwatch, and Ray-Ban Meta smartglasses. I used the phone for fitness tracking, snore and sleep apnea detection with the Galaxy Watch Ultra, and other health and fitness activities.

Future Labs tests phones using a mix of third-party benchmark software and proprietary, real-world tests. We use Geekbench, CrossMark, JetStream, WebXPRT and Mobile XPRT, and 3DMark for performance testing. We test a phone's performance on video tasks using Adobe Premiere Rush. We also measure display color output and brightness.

For battery testing we perform proprietary tests that are the same for every phone, which enable us to determine how long it takes for the battery to run down.

First reviewed July 2025

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