PocketBook InkPad Color 2: one-minute review

It’s fair to say that color ereaders still have a way to go before they become mainstream, but one company looking to make sure we get there is PocketBook. The European brand’s InkPad Color 2 ereader takes what worked on the original model, improves upon it slightly, encases it in a sleek, new design and throws in waterproofing to make sure you can take it on your next poolside holiday. 

If you primarily read comics and graphic novels, then the InkPad Color 2 isn’t a bad option and I enjoyed using it more than its predecessor. Firstly, I found it faster and more responsive than the original – read my PocketBook InkPad Color review to find out more – thanks to a new quad-core processor. I also like the fact that it’s got IPX8 waterproofing (the previous model had none) and adjustable light temperature which strains the eyes less when you’re reading in the evening or at night.

I also found that some colors look marginally better on the screen – that’s thanks to a new filter. But it retains the older-generation E Ink Kaleido Plus display found on the older model when the latest color screen to be had is the Kaleido 3. While the colors are still not as saturated as I would have liked, some hues do look richer and they get better as you increase brightness. Other colors, however, still look quite washed-out (muted) and I’d probably hold out for a color ereader till someone decides to use E Ink’s Gallery 3 screen technology that promises saturation similar to what we’re used to seeing on our phones. Sadly the screen also lacks in contrast when compared to other similar models.

The InkPad Color 2 features a small speaker (you can see the grille on one edge of the device), but I think it’s unnecessary – the sound is decent, but it doesn't get very loud and, with Bluetooth 5.0 support, you’re better off pairing with a set of headphones to enjoy audiobooks.

While the improvements look good on paper, the user interface is still not as streamlined as we’ve seen on other ereaders and you can’t purchase content directly from the device’s book store if you live outside of the European Union. 

Still, it’s good to know that you get these improvements – as incremental as they may be – for the same launch price as the older InkPad Color ereader.

PocketBook InkPad Color 2 review: price and availability

• Announced April 2023
• Available to buy now for $329 in the US
• Available in UK and Australia as international imports via Amazon

Two years after PocketBook announced the original InkPad Color ereader, it released the second-generation model… and for the same price too! Which is good news as there’s more bang for your buck here than before.

Available to buy directly from PocketBook or from some third-party retailers, the InkPad Color 2 will set you back $329 in the US. If you happen to be in the UK or Australia, your best source of picking up the InkPad Color 2 would be Amazon UK and Amazon AU respectively, where you can get the German import for about £345 and AU$595 respectively.

That’s not a bad price for a 7.8-inch color ereader, although for a little extra money ($399 in the US), you can get the older Onyx Boox Nova 3 Color that also has writing capabilities. 

A more up-to-date color ereader would be the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C, with a 7.8-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 screen, an octa-core processor and running Android 11 for a slightly smoother user interface and full-featured writing capabilities, costing $450 / £450 / AU$765.

While still not cheap, the InkPad Color 2 could well be worth your while if you really want a color-screen ereader and don’t need to take notes on it.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

PocketBook InkPad Color 2 specs

PocketBook InkPad Color 2 review: Design and display

• Refreshed design reminiscent of PocketBook Era
• Good-sized screen
• Older-generation display technology with new color filter

All PocketBook ereaders have a signature design – either rounded or cut-off corners. The latter came with the PocketBook Era and the InkPad Color 2 inherits a similar, more modern look compared to the rounded corners of the older model. I’m a real fan of this design aesthetic – it’s refreshing and the InkPad Color 2 looks even better thanks to the metallic silver (what PocketBook calls Moon Silver) trim around the side of the chassis.

That’s not the only design aspect the InkPad Color 2 inherits from its Era cousin – the PocketBook branding is now on the lower left corner of the tablet compared to being in the center (as in the older InkPad Color) and matches the color of the silver trim.

The front bezels and the rear panel is black plastic that is a magnet for oily fingerprints, and given the rear is textured, not that easy to wipe off either. 

Barely visible on the edge of the lower bezel are four control buttons. These are marked but, again, quite faintly. I’m not a fan of their placement – they’re so close to the edge that I find it easier to tap on the screen to turn pages. I had the same issue with the PocketBook Era too where the buttons aren’t quite where my thumb sits on the side of the device. While I didn’t quite enjoy the buttons on the older InkPad Color either, at least they were higher up on the bezel so my thumb could rest on the two middle ones. 

I still stand by my statement that the buttons on both models of the InkPad Color should be slightly raised or textured differently as they’re hard to find by feel alone and it becomes difficult to put the device to sleep if you’re reading in the dark (which I often do).

Where the older color ereader had a separate power button on the bottom edge, the button on the right corner of the lower bezel doubles up as the sleep and power buttons. You need to go into the device’s settings pane to set that up though. I customized mine to work as a sleep button with a single press and a double to power down. The left corner button gets you to the home screen (and can be customized for another function), while the middle two are the page-turn buttons.

The lower edge now just houses the USB-C port for charging and file transfer, beside which is a tiny indicator light that glows when you press a button, when the screen refreshes or while charging. The right edge has two tiny slits which is the speaker grille.

All in all, it’s a clean, minimalistic look that is now waterproof. An IPX8 rating means the InkPad Color 2 can survive in 2 meters of water for up to 60 minutes.

As before, the main selling point here is the color screen. For me, 7.8 inches is a good size – decent amount of screen real estate so you don’t have to constantly keep turning pages and, thus, eating into the battery life, and it’s still portable. That said, this screen doesn’t always display full pages of a graphic novel – depending on how the file has been set up.

What I’m not quite a fan of is the fact that a 2023 ereader model is using an older-generation screen technology. PocketBook has stuck with the E Ink Kaleido Plus screen it used in its original color ereader, but has tried to improve on it by using a new color filter. This filter, PocketBook says, adds more saturation to the colors displayed compared to the older model. While that’s ever so slightly true for some hues, the overall results are quite mixed. For example, there are some blues that look a lot richer compared to what I saw on the InkPad Color, but some reds and browns still look washed out.

The screen retains a 300ppi resolution for grayscale reading (black and white only) and has just 100ppi resolution when viewing in color. The latter is quite low, considering you can get ereaders with 150ppi color resolution. This may not mean a lot to you if you’ve never used a color ereader before, but I found a significant difference when comparing the InkPad Color 2 side by side with the newer Kaleido 3 display on the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C (see the Performance section for details).

What the InkPad Color 2 does better than its predecessor is offer adjustable light temperature. To be able to change the frontlight hue to warmer tones in the evening or night reduces eye strain and can help maintain your sleep pattern. One thing to note, however, is that if you are reading in color, warmer light will affect the colors slightly. 

The InkPad Color 2 gets what PocketBooks calls its SmartLight functionality – when selected, the device will automatically adjust the frontlight temperature to suit the time of day. While that’s nice to have, I found that the auto-selection of the warm tones are just too warm and the display is just too… jaundiced for my liking.

• Design and display score: 3.5 / 5

PocketBook InkPad Color 2 review: Software and user interface

• 1GB RAM and 32GB GB internal storage
• Arguably the best file format support of any ereader brand
• User interface could do with some improvements

As I’ve mentioned before, the InkPad Color 2 gets a new processor – while no specifics have been revealed of which precise chip it is, it’s now a 1.8GHz engine compared to 1GHz in the older model. This is paired with 1GB of system memory (or RAM), which might not sound like much but is more than enough for a low-power device like an ereader.

Where the previous model had 16GB of internal storage alongside a microSD slot that can support an additional 32GB, the second-generation color ereader gets non-expandable 32GB of storage. This is usually a lot if you’re mostly storing a library of ebooks, but if most of them are comic file formats – they are typically larger than your average ebook – and audiobooks – which can be larger still – you could eat through that storage space. Even then, it’s a lot!

As with any PocketBook ereader, the operating system is Linux based and I’m still not quite a fan of the user interface. It’s not too bad, really, but it’s not as smooth and streamlined as other ereader setups from the more popular brands. Even Onyx’s Android-based interface is a bit smoother, but the staggering number of customizations available there can be a little mind-boggling. 

That said, I like the fact that audiobooks are stored separately from ebooks on the PocketBook, making them easier to find when you want to listen rather than read. Another thing I like about the audiobooks on the InkPad Color 2 is that it continues playing if you go back to the home screen or jump into your library to decide what you’d like to read next. In fact, it will continue playing even if you open an ebook and start reading… handy if you can multitask like that.

Updates to the user interface since I tested the PocketBook Color have helped make the UX a little better, but I still find it lacking. While the general layout of the home screen is good, I would like to be able to sort my library out as I see fit. On PocketBook ereaders (all of them), your library gets sorted alphabetically by title, but you can filter by author name.

Another thing to commend PocketBook on is the staggering number of file formats its ereaders can support. The InkPad Color 2 can handle a staggering 36 file types, which includes document, images and sound. That’s very impressive indeed. You may not even have some of these file formats, but it’s good to know that the support is there.

The onboard book store, while accessible in any region, will display prices in Euro. You can set up an account if you live outside of Europe and don’t mind purchasing in a different currency. That said, the store doesn’t have a lot of titles you’ll see from the top publishing companies, so your choices will be quite limited.

• Software score: 4 / 5

PocketBook InkPad Color 2 review: Performance

• Improved performance over InkPad Color and Era models
• Speaker sound is good
• Screen color resolution is disappointing

Giving the InkPad Color 2 an updated processor was a good call. Issues I noticed in the PocketBook Era – sluggish refreshes, slow loading of page numbers – are no longer a problem. However, I am a little disappointed with the screen. 

Despite the 300ppi in grayscale, the screen lacks contrast. A side by side comparison with other monochrome ereaders shows a distinct lack of sharpness to the text displayed on the screen. This makes the InkPad Color 2 comparatively harder to read indoors unless you raise the brightness up. During my testing, I found that the screen looked best at 90% brightness even when using it in a well-lit room. That, however, becomes an issue if you’re reading at night with your room lights off as it can strain the eyes (even if you change the light temperature to warmer hues).

The lower color resolution is also an issue – which is evident when comparing alongside the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C, a 7.8-inch color ereader sporting a Kaleido 3 screen. While some colors look better on the InkPad Color 2 compared to its predecessor, I could see lines and textures that kept distracting me while I was reading a volume of The Sandman graphic novel. Other colors look a lot better on the Onyx ereader, with no texturing evident at all and I think I would pay extra to have a better screen experience.

Aside from the disappointing screen, the new processor has made page turns faster, which was a complaint I had with the InkPad Color 2’s predecessor. The screen is also more responsive than before. However, the refresh rate isn’t as good as what I’ve seen on other ereaders and ghosting can be a problem till a page refreshes. For example, if you’ve selected some text to highlight, you will see light ghosting within the highlighter’s circular color choices. At other times, the cover page takes a second or two to refresh to look its best in color.

If you’re a fan of audiobooks, the built-in speaker is pretty good, but I still think it’s unnecessary. The sound doesn’t get as loud as I’ve experienced with some Onyx Boox models, and I found using Bluetooth headphones an easier experience as it gave me the freedom to move around without the sound getting too faint. Where the sound quality from some Onyx Boox speakers was tinny, the InkPad Color 2 in fact has better sound despite its mono speaker. Not bad, PocketBook!

Battery life is also quite good. The 2,900mAh pack inside will get you about 4 weeks between charges, but that will depend on how you use the ereader. Just reading about 30 minutes a day can get you up to 5 weeks between charges, for example. However, if you read longer or listen to audiobooks more often, you could get less than 4 weeks. The screen brightness setting can also affect the battery life.

Topping up that battery can be a little over an hour from 30% to full, depending on the kind of USB-C cable you use. The one packaged with the ereader itself is quite slow and took me 2 hours and 23 minutes to go from 34% to full. I used an USB-C Type 3 cable plugged into a 65W GaN wall plug and that took1 hour and 17 minutes to go from 30% to 99%.

• Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Should I buy the PocketBook InkPad Color 2?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

If you think the PocketBook InkPad Color 2 isn't for you, take a look at a few other alternatives below, with a full specs comparison to help you choose.

How I tested the PocketBook InkPad Color 2

• Used it to read for about 7 weeks, in both color and B&W
• Used it to listen to audiobooks
• Compared it directly to other 7-inch and 7.8-inch ereaders, both color and grayscale

I’ve used the PocketBook InkPad Color 2 as my main ereader for just under two months now. While it came preloaded with a lot of titles already, several were in European languages (German, Polish, etc), so I sideloaded a bunch of my favourite DRM-free titles that I own. 

As a voracious reader, I used the InkPad Color 2 to read a minimum of 2 hours a day, sometimes more. I did browse the onboard store out of curiosity to see what was on offer, but refrained from purchasing anything.

While most of my reading was word-heavy – so ebooks in grayscale – I read a couple of graphic novels on it to test its color rendering and resolution. I compared how these same titles were rendered on the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C to come to my final score of the InkPad Color 2.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed September 2023

Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro: One minute review

If you dabble in multi-sports and are looking for an attractive watch, which gives your basic stats for an array of sports and exercises this watch could be a great choice. With over 100 exercises to track its inclusive, while it even has a separate running app, but its statistics are very basic and won’t beat its competition. 

The look of the watch is smart, with a choice between a black rubber strap or brown leather and a sapphire glass watch face with 1.47" AMOLED screen – it’s beaming with colorful apps, which are clear and easy to navigate. However, it's a chunky watch, with its watch face really standing out on the wrist. 

The S1 Pro app, called Mi Fitness, is easy to set up but doesn’t offer much more than the watch itself, while it still has some features which need personalization. 

Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro: Specifications

Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro: Price and availability

• $330 in the US
• £300 in the UK
• AU$391 in Australia

The Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro was launched in China in August 2022, but was released officially around the world this February 2023. Its UK price is £299.99, with prices starting in the US at $330 and in Australia at AU$391. 

The price is surprisingly high for what you get, especially compared to its contemporaries. It looks and feels premium, but doesn’t hold a huge amount of value unless you’re a die-hard Xiaomi fan. 

• Value score: 3/5

Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro: Design and screen

• Large watch face for a smartwatch
• Quality AMOLED touchscreen
• A heavy and chunky model

The first thing you notice about this watch is its size; it’s huge, and sat on my dainty wrist looking quite chunky indeed. If you want a discreet watch, this is not it. The main reason for its size is its large watch face, all sapphire glass, paired with a stainless steel case. It's certainly attractive, looking more like a standard watch than a smartwatch.  

Like its predecessors, the Xiaomi Mi and Xiaomi S1, you can choose from a brown leather strap or a black silicone strap – I liked that the brown strap worked as a more formal accessory, and I was able to pair it with not just gym wear, but smarter outfits too. With two buttons on the right-hand side of the watch, the top button is more prominent, and the dual use of buttons and touchscreen was effective. 

The quality of the screen, 1.47" AMOLED, is one of its best features, gliding through the apps and features effortlessly. It’s a colorful display, which looks more attractive than some of its competitors’ offerings. There were no niggles as I tried to open any of the features and we appreciated the quality,of the display, especially when I was out on a run . I also used the watch for hiking on a bright day and it really held its own - never letting me down when I wanted to check out stats as I hiked. 

It’s an expensive watch and really does look the part, but we’d love to see a more lightweight version, as at times this felt quite heavy on the wrist. There are no smaller size options in the same way there are in the best Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy model lines

• Design score: 3.5/5

Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro: Features

• Easy to set up
• Needs more personalisation 
• Lacking sleep details

Setting up the S1 Pro’s adjoining app, Mi Fitness, is really easy and it only takes you a few minutes. The install process takes you through a variety of features, helping you sync your device and add in personal goals, from the number of calories you want to burn while you are exercising to the number of steps you want to achieve every day. This is something I personally think is important for any smartwatch – it has to be tailored around your own activity goals and personal life.

As well as giving you data on the watch itself, you can delve into the app for the details of your workouts, with the app tracking your exercise over the week: illustrating your calories, steps and moving time via a colourful rainbow design, similar to the Apple watch's circle design.

Clicking into the details of the workout, however, each tracked performance seemed to have some randomized values attached to it, which didn't give it a personal feeling - perhaps a bug they need to fix in the app. The Sleep section of the app didn’t provide much detail either, just giving me a score from ‘poor’ to ‘good’ without any details on how to improve or what those scores meant. All of the best sleep trackers and sleep tracking apps break your sleep down into light, deep and REM cycles, and offer actionable advice for getting better sleep. Fitbit, Samsung and even Pokémon Sleep offer chronotype-based sleep profiles, so this is a huge content hole for Xiaomi. 

We like the ‘competition’ element of the app which allows you to add friends, who also have the watch, and compare your exercise routines. A feature which could rouse up some motivation between your group of friends, or cause an argument – providing you all have the S1 Pro. 

•  Features score: 3.5 /5  

Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro: Performance

• Some inaccurate statistics 
• Easy to navigate 
• Basic features, with phone pairing

I used the watch for a couple of months, putting it through its paces on various runs, hikes and at various fitness classes. I also tested it against my everyday smartwatch (a Fitbit Versa), to see if it tracked the same amount of calories and output.

As a runner, I loved the separate app on the watch for different running activities, with everything from a timed basic walk or run to advanced intervals. I mostly used the watch as I sweated through spinning classes and it was great to see real-time statistics, however, it didn’t provide me with anything different to the competition. Tracking was also off compared to Fitbit, and registering a higher calorie burn on the S1 Pro and a lower anaerobic threshold.

At least the watch is easy to navigate day-to-day. Clicking the large button takes you to the home screen, then it changes into a touchscreen, as the home screen gives you shortcuts to tracking your chosen exercise, heart rate, sleep metrics and many other options. We particularly liked the extras, which we haven’t found on other smartwatches, such as skin temperature, a compass and even a flashlight, so you no longer have to rely solely on your phone. 

The home screen also has apps to sync your calendar, your contactless cards and your music, providing you have an Android 6.0 or higher or iOS 11 or above. Personally, I’m not keen on syncing emails or phone calls to a smartwatch, as I primarily use them for fitness motivation, but it’s nice to have the choice. 

After tracking a couple of hikes, the app gave me a detailed breakdown of my cardio output, with speed, cadence and elevation tracked, but no information or further breakdown on these individual metrics. It claims to have a 14-day battery life, but if you’re using it regularly you will only get around a week out of it based on our tests. Remember to take your charger with you if you’re going on holiday. 

However, charging is quick and just 10 minutes will give you two days. It’s a good watch, but to beat its competitors such as the Apple Watch and the Samsung Galaxy watches it will need to have more accurate stats and more stand-up features – especially for just under £300.  

•  Performance score: 3.5/5 

Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested

Our writer wore the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro for over a month and used it during a variety of workouts, including runs and spin classes. She compared its workout statistics to a contemporary Fitbit for accuracy, wore it overnight to test its sleep tracking capabilities, and hiked with it to examine its GPS credentials.  

First reviewed: June 2023

Dyson 360 Vis Nav: Two-minute review

The Dyson 360 Vis Nav – I’ll call it just the Vis Nav going forward – has been seven years in the making, according to the engineers involved in the project. It’s not Dyson’s first robovac, although it is for Australia, where the cleaning machine has been released before heading to other markets.

When I saw the robot vacuum cleaner being demonstrated at its launch event in Sydney in May 2023, I thought those seven years were well spent. The Vis Nav sure can utilize its entire 65 air watts of suction in Boost mode, with the evidence of its prowess quite clear when the dust canister is emptied. It’s also the only robot vacuum cleaner I’ve tested that’s capable of doing a decent job of room edges and around furniture legs thanks to an automatically extending side duct.

After having used the Vis Nav for a few weeks now, I’m rethinking my assessment of those seven years of work put towards the Dyson 360 Vis Nav – I’m not as impressed any more. Firstly, its navigation leaves me confused – it tends to stop in the middle of a room while cleaning, get its bearings, then start again. That’s not to say it misses spots, but the stopping can be disconcerting until you get used to it. It will clean an entire section or room, then head to the edges, before moving on to another room.

Another thing that has me scratching my head after every single cleaning run is the dust map that’s displayed in the MyDyson app. According to that, the dirtiest places in my test space are the ones that I’ve already vacuumed with the Dyson V15 Detect (sometimes in Boost mode) minutes before the Vis Nav.

I’m also not really sold on its battery life either. While it manages to run for 47 minutes in Auto mode on a full charge, it barely gave me 15 minutes on Boost, which isn’t enough to finish a decently-sized bedroom.

If you mostly plan to use it in Auto mode, though, the Dyson 360 Vis Nav is arguably the best robot vacuum cleaner I’ve tested in terms of dirt pick-up. It’s very simple to use, has a clear touchscreen and the dust canister is supremely easy to empty. It won’t mop, its D-shaped body won’t really go into corners, and there are no plans to offer the Vis Nav with an auto-empty station. While I love its suction, I really can’t justify its premium price point.

Dyson 360 Vis Nav review: price and availability

• Announced May 2023
• Currently only available in Australia; US and UK availability TBC
• Retail price of AU$2,399; US and UK price TBC

It seems Dyson is releasing specific products in specific markets to test the waters. Like the Dyson AirStrait hair straightener, which has only been released in the US, the 360 Vis Nav is currently only available in Australia. There’s no confirmation on when the robovac will roll into other markets, but we’ll keep you updated as soon as we know.

We also don’t have pricing information outside of Australia, where the Vis Nav costs AU$2,399 (converting to around $1,635 / £1,250 at the time of writing). While it’s easy to brush off that price with the excuse that’s “it’s a Dyson”, that really is a lot of spare change you’ll need to dig up, particularly considering you can get a more versatile robot vacuum cleaner for that kind of money.

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra in comparison costs $1,599 / AU$2,699 (not available in the UK), but you can justify that price tag as it’s a self-emptying and self-cleaning (aka it’s mop gets cleaned and dried too) robot vacuum cleaner. Take the Ecovacs Deebot Omni X1 as another example, which also has similar capabilities to the Roborock, and which sets you back $1,549 / £1,499 / AU$2,499. Both have more logical navigation pathways and, while they don’t necessarily have a dedicated Boost mode, they do have very powerful suction.

• Value score: 2.5/5

Dyson 360 Vis Nav: Specs

Dyson 360 Vis Nav review: Design

• D-shaped body
• Full-width bar brush and an automatically extending side duct
• No side brushes to scatter dirt

The moment you lay your eyes on the 360 Vis Nav, you’ll be able to identify it as a Dyson machine. Whether it’s the blue body or the distinctive radial cyclones you can see on the top of the bin canister… I really can’t put my finger on it. What’s really interesting about the Vis Nav, however, is its shape. It’s the first robot vacuum that I know of to feature a D-shaped body that looks like it can get into corners but doesn’t manage it anyway.

Another major design change from anything else out there is the lack of the rotating side brushes you see on other robovacs because, according to Dyson and I agree, they tend to scatter dirt more than push them towards the bar brush under the vacuum. 

Speaking of which, that too has been specifically designed for the Vis Nav. Firstly, the bar brush spans the entire length of the vacuum’s body, meaning it can cover more floor than other droids. And second, it’s a fully redesigned combo of some of Dyson’s existing cordless vacuum cleaner brushes – there are hard bristles to tease dust out of carpet fibers, a soft roller for hard floors, and anti-static carbonfiber filaments to make sure dust doesn't stick to the brush or hard floors as it moves along, creating static energy. It’s also thick enough to ensure hair doesn’t tangle. It’s washable too.

As impressive as the bar brush is, I’m in love with the side duct. This little red tongue sticks out automatically when the Vis Nav gets close to a room’s edge or senses furniture legs, then retracts when it’s not needed. It will even stick out when there are large boxes in the way to make sure the edges along said boxes are cleaned.

The top of the Vis Nav is a 360º camera to allow for visual navigation as opposed to the lidar sensors most other robovacs use. When it’s in a dimly-lit room or under a bed, a light comes on to help it make its way around a home without bumping into anything. That said, it does have a tendency to bump into slightly reflective objects, like a large green glass vase I had on the floor of my test space.

Then there’s a touchscreen which, thanks to being a high contrast display, is easy to read in any kind of lighting. Well, touchscreen is a little misleading as I found that I had to press the screen, which also happens to be a button, to get the vacuum to do its thing. You can use it to start the machine, choose the mode, pause a clean and watch it tell you when the robovac is doing an edge clean or is mapping. It will even let you know it’s charging, how much of the battery is filling up (diagrammatically) and when it’s detected that you’ve taken something (brush, filter or bin) out. When not in use, the screen goes dark with a dim crescent moon and stars displayed to indicate it’s hibernating on its dock after charging up.

Beside the screen is the filter. Just press the silver top to release its housing and you can take it out to give it a wash. Just make sure it’s fully dry before putting it back in again.

Arguably the best design element is the dust canister. It features the distinctive radial cyclones we’re used to seeing on the cordless handsticks, just smaller, and a red semicircular button releases it from its spot. The handle is usually folded down when fixed to the bot and houses the release button to open the bottom – similar to how the larger bins on the V series vacuums operate. The grill within is fully exposed, which is a good thing as long strands of hair get tangled around it and need to be cleaned out manually – it’s not all that hygienic as Dyson makes it out to be.

The dock, which comes in two pieces, is a small charging station with cable management on the rear.

• Design score: 4/5

Dyson 360 Vis Nav review: Performance

• Great cleaning prowess
• Dynamic suction
• Confusing navigation

The Dyson 360 Vis Nav comes with a decent 65AW of suction and a motor that spins at 110,000rpm. This combination is quite powerful, so much so that I was shocked the first time I emptied the bin – it was full! And that was just in Auto mode! 

There are a total of four modes here – Auto, Boost, Quiet and Quick. I’d recommend leaving the Vis Nav on Auto as it does well on this mode. And as soon as it’s finished the interior of a room, it will pop out its side duct to suck up dirt and small debris along the room edges. As mentioned, it will do this even when it senses large pieces of furniture or boxes on your floor – basically anything that creates a decently large ‘edge’ to warrant a clean.

Does this side duct or tongue actually do a decent job? Yes, for the most part. I did have hair and visible bits of dust along some skirting board edges and they all got sucked up, but I also saw it miss some spots. The way I see it, there is no other robot vacuum cleaner that will come as close to the edges of rooms and furniture as this one. So that’s a big tick in my books.

In Boost mode, it’s really quite powerful, easily filling up its dust canister when running over a carpeted floor. As with any Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner, there’s just not enough battery life on the Boost mode to actually finish a large-ish room in one go. If your rooms are big, it will return to its dock to recharge after 13-15 minutes and return later to finish the job. I found it performs admirably well in Auto mode itself – it does, after all, adjust suction dynamically anyway and you’ll see the evidence of its suction power when you empty its bin.

The evidence of its cleaning prowess can also be heard when the volume of its usual hum goes up a little during this automatic adjusting. While Dyson was keen to point out that the Vis Nav is a relatively quiet robovac, it’s actually on par with most other new models out there. It averages about 62dB in Auto mode and can hit 64dB when dynamically adjusting suction power. The maximum I’ve recorded is 68dB in Auto mode. It hit 78dB in Boost. In comparison, I found during my Dyson Gen5detect review that the handstick got as low as 60dB in Eco mode, hits 64.5dB in Auto and is as loud as 75dB in Boost. There is a Quiet mode on board the Vis Nav which, Dyson says, is quiet enough for you to watch telly while it's working, but I’ll have to disagree. It recorded a low of 55dB during my testing in Quiet mode and I still had to increase the volume on my TV a little.

Its navigation performance also leaves something to be desired. Where models from iRobot, Roborock and Ecovacs move in a logical manner, the Vis Nav has seemingly been directed to start from the middle of a room and move outward – at least going by the images on the Dyson website. While that’s mostly the case in Auto mode when set to clean the whole home, I have occasionally seen it go wayward, although it doesn’t seem to miss any spots from what I can tell. It has a tendency to start and stop in this mode, where it reduces its power, stops seemingly to get its bearings and then continues with the job at hand. This start-stop routine was disconcerting initially as I kept wondering if it was in trouble.

It’s a completely different story if you set it to clean a specific zone. While it doesn’t do its usual start-stop for a small section, it absolutely does not move logically during zone cleaning, inadvertently missing spots. It also bumps into things, like furniture, in this mode which it doesn’t do when asked to vacuum the whole home.

Unintelligent navigation isn’t something I expected from Dyson, but it’s not really a deal breaker as it’s possible to get fixed via over-the-air firmware updates.

Dyson has mentioned that it’s best to register the device so these updates can be rolled out automatically, making the app a necessity. To ensure older people who aren’t comfortable with phone apps also get support, Dyson Australia has set up a service where customers can call in and ask for a flash drive to be posted to them – plugging this into the USB port on the bot (yes, there is one) will begin the update process. I imagine this service will be available in other markets when the robovac appears on shelves elsewhere.

• Performance score: 3.5/5

Dyson 360 Vis Nav review: App

• Neatly designed app
• Easy to use
• Confusing dust map

You don’t necessarily need the MyDyson app to control the 360 Vis Nav, but it will help as there are more features in there that could prove useful. For example, you can schedule cleaning runs, say, three times a week while you’re away, create a new map or remap a home, and give your machine a name. I called mine Dyson Fury. You can also use the app to link other Dyson devices you might be using and find handy tutorials for them.

It’s a nice app – clean interface and simple navigation. What I didn’t realize when I first let Dyson Fury run loose in my test space was that a map is not created automatically. You need to go into the app, and find the map creation bit under Settings for the robovac. What it will do on its first run is create a rough outline of your home that it uses as a dust map to indicate which parts of you home are dirtiest.

The dust map looks very much like a heat map, with the brightest bits indicating where the most dirt is. However, it doesn’t seem to match up with the bot’s performance. For example, in the dust map below, where I made it clean a fully-carpeted bedroom in Boost mode, it’s supposedly really dirty. And yet the amount of dirt and hair returned in the bin was very little – in fact, it sucked up far more than that on an Auto run just a few days prior to that specific zone clean.

To test out a theory, I decided to first vacuum a section of the test space with the Dyson V15 Detect – in Boost mode, mind – then run the Vis Nav on Auto in the same space. It still showed me areas that were apparently very dirty and they weren’t even the edges. Go figure!

• App score: 3.5/5

Dyson 360 Vis Nav review: Battery life

• Up to 50 minutes 
• 2.5 hours to top up
• No more than 15 minutes on Boost mode

While Dyson doesn’t specify what battery capacity is housed inside the Vis Nav, the company does claim you’ll get up to 50 minutes out of it on a full charge. I will have to agree with that number as I managed to get 47 minutes on Auto mode before it headed back to its dock for some time at the mains.

There is absolutely no loss of suction as the battery drains, which is typical of any Dyson cordless handstick as well. 

While 50 minutes might be enough to clean a small one-bedroom apartment, anything larger will require multiple runs. In comparison, far cheaper models from Roborock and Ecovacs offer much better battery life for about the same kind of performance (bar the edge cleaning, of course).

In Boost mode, I got 15 minutes out of a full charge on one test run and 13 minutes on another. That may not be enough to clean a full room, particularly if it’s a big one.

The light on the machine doesn’t seem to affect its battery life from what I can tell – even when running it on a dimly-lit space, it gave me the same amount of cleaning time. And, from going by the battery icon on the display, it looks like the bot only heads back to its dock after it’s just short of being fully drained. There’s no percentage indication on the display or the app, but it looks like it could be running till it goes under the 10% mark before needing to spend some time at the mains. Only once during my five weeks with the bot did it stop just centimeters away from its dock because it could go no further.

• Battery score: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Dyson 360 Vis Nav?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

The Dyson 360 Vis Nav is a powerful robot vacuum cleaner, but how does it compare to other robovacs out there? If you'd like some options, take a look at the alternatives below.

How I tested the Dyson 360 Vis Nav

• Used in own home for five weeks
• Tested on hard floors (tile) and carpet

For this review, I ran the 360 Vis Nav a few times a week for five weeks, mostly on Auto mode doing a full-home clean. The test space consists of a home office, which also doubles up as storage space, a small hallway, open-plan living/dining/kitchen, plus a single bedroom. All rooms have hard floors, with the bedroom alone being fully carpeted. As a quick comparison with another robot vacuum cleaner, I ran the TP-Link Tapo RV30 Plus (which I happen to have at the same time) once in that five-week duration.

To test every feature possible on the Vis Nav, I ran it on the other three modes – Boost, Quick and Quiet – a couple of times each. To see how accurate the dust map was, I also did a clean with the Dyson V15 Detect once, before running the Vis Nav over the same space immediately after.

While I had to empty the dust canister after every run anyway, I’ve also taken out the filter and bar brush to see how easy they are to clean for ongoing maintenance of the device itself. 

Before each cleaning run, I always made sure to check rooms for stray socks or charging cables on the floor that could cause Dyson Fury to get furious. I doubt that took me more than a minute to do a quick check.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed July 2023]

Dyson 360 Vis Nav: Two-minute review

The Dyson 360 Vis Nav – I’ll call it just the Vis Nav going forward – has been seven years in the making, according to the engineers involved in the project. It’s not Dyson’s first robovac, although it is for Australia, where the cleaning machine has been released before heading to other markets.

When I saw the robot vacuum cleaner being demonstrated at its launch event in Sydney in May 2023, I thought those seven years were well spent. The Vis Nav sure can utilize its entire 65 air watts of suction in Boost mode, with the evidence of its prowess quite clear when the dust canister is emptied. It’s also the only robot vacuum cleaner I’ve tested that’s capable of doing a decent job of room edges and around furniture legs thanks to an automatically extending side duct.

After having used the Vis Nav for a few weeks now, I’m rethinking my assessment of those seven years of work put towards the Dyson 360 Vis Nav – I’m not as impressed any more. Firstly, its navigation leaves me confused – it tends to stop in the middle of a room while cleaning, get its bearings, then start again. That’s not to say it misses spots, but the stopping can be disconcerting until you get used to it. It will clean an entire section or room, then head to the edges, before moving on to another room.

Another thing that has me scratching my head after every single cleaning run is the dust map that’s displayed in the MyDyson app. According to that, the dirtiest places in my test space are the ones that I’ve already vacuumed with the Dyson V15 Detect (sometimes in Boost mode) minutes before the Vis Nav.

I’m also not really sold on its battery life either. While it manages to run for 47 minutes in Auto mode on a full charge, it barely gave me 15 minutes on Boost, which isn’t enough to finish a decently-sized bedroom.

If you mostly plan to use it in Auto mode, though, the Dyson 360 Vis Nav is arguably the best robot vacuum cleaner I’ve tested in terms of dirt pick-up. It’s very simple to use, has a clear touchscreen and the dust canister is supremely easy to empty. It won’t mop, its D-shaped body won’t really go into corners, and there are no plans to offer the Vis Nav with an auto-empty station. While I love its suction, I really can’t justify its premium price point.

Dyson 360 Vis Nav review: price and availability

• Announced May 2023
• Currently only available in Australia; US and UK availability TBC
• Retail price of AU$2,399; US and UK price TBC

It seems Dyson is releasing specific products in specific markets to test the waters. Like the Dyson AirStrait hair straightener, which has only been released in the US, the 360 Vis Nav is currently only available in Australia. There’s no confirmation on when the robovac will roll into other markets, but we’ll keep you updated as soon as we know.

We also don’t have pricing information outside of Australia, where the Vis Nav costs AU$2,399 (converting to around $1,635 / £1,250 at the time of writing). While it’s easy to brush off that price with the excuse that’s “it’s a Dyson”, that really is a lot of spare change you’ll need to dig up, particularly considering you can get a more versatile robot vacuum cleaner for that kind of money.

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra in comparison costs $1,599 / AU$2,699 (not available in the UK), but you can justify that price tag as it’s a self-emptying and self-cleaning (aka it’s mop gets cleaned and dried too) robot vacuum cleaner. Take the Ecovacs Deebot Omni X1 as another example, which also has similar capabilities to the Roborock, and which sets you back $1,549 / £1,499 / AU$2,499. Both have more logical navigation pathways and, while they don’t necessarily have a dedicated Boost mode, they do have very powerful suction.

• Value score: 2.5/5

Dyson 360 Vis Nav: Specs

Dyson 360 Vis Nav review: Design

• D-shaped body
• Full-width bar brush and an automatically extending side duct
• No side brushes to scatter dirt

The moment you lay your eyes on the 360 Vis Nav, you’ll be able to identify it as a Dyson machine. Whether it’s the blue body or the distinctive radial cyclones you can see on the top of the bin canister… I really can’t put my finger on it. What’s really interesting about the Vis Nav, however, is its shape. It’s the first robot vacuum that I know of to feature a D-shaped body that looks like it can get into corners but doesn’t manage it anyway.

Another major design change from anything else out there is the lack of the rotating side brushes you see on other robovacs because, according to Dyson and I agree, they tend to scatter dirt more than push them towards the bar brush under the vacuum. 

Speaking of which, that too has been specifically designed for the Vis Nav. Firstly, the bar brush spans the entire length of the vacuum’s body, meaning it can cover more floor than other droids. And second, it’s a fully redesigned combo of some of Dyson’s existing cordless vacuum cleaner brushes – there are hard bristles to tease dust out of carpet fibers, a soft roller for hard floors, and anti-static carbonfiber filaments to make sure dust doesn't stick to the brush or hard floors as it moves along, creating static energy. It’s also thick enough to ensure hair doesn’t tangle. It’s washable too.

As impressive as the bar brush is, I’m in love with the side duct. This little red tongue sticks out automatically when the Vis Nav gets close to a room’s edge or senses furniture legs, then retracts when it’s not needed. It will even stick out when there are large boxes in the way to make sure the edges along said boxes are cleaned.

The top of the Vis Nav is a 360º camera to allow for visual navigation as opposed to the lidar sensors most other robovacs use. When it’s in a dimly-lit room or under a bed, a light comes on to help it make its way around a home without bumping into anything. That said, it does have a tendency to bump into slightly reflective objects, like a large green glass vase I had on the floor of my test space.

Then there’s a touchscreen which, thanks to being a high contrast display, is easy to read in any kind of lighting. Well, touchscreen is a little misleading as I found that I had to press the screen, which also happens to be a button, to get the vacuum to do its thing. You can use it to start the machine, choose the mode, pause a clean and watch it tell you when the robovac is doing an edge clean or is mapping. It will even let you know it’s charging, how much of the battery is filling up (diagrammatically) and when it’s detected that you’ve taken something (brush, filter or bin) out. When not in use, the screen goes dark with a dim crescent moon and stars displayed to indicate it’s hibernating on its dock after charging up.

Beside the screen is the filter. Just press the silver top to release its housing and you can take it out to give it a wash. Just make sure it’s fully dry before putting it back in again.

Arguably the best design element is the dust canister. It features the distinctive radial cyclones we’re used to seeing on the cordless handsticks, just smaller, and a red semicircular button releases it from its spot. The handle is usually folded down when fixed to the bot and houses the release button to open the bottom – similar to how the larger bins on the V series vacuums operate. The grill within is fully exposed, which is a good thing as long strands of hair get tangled around it and need to be cleaned out manually – it’s not all that hygienic as Dyson makes it out to be.

The dock, which comes in two pieces, is a small charging station with cable management on the rear.

• Design score: 4/5

Dyson 360 Vis Nav review: Performance

• Great cleaning prowess
• Dynamic suction
• Confusing navigation

The Dyson 360 Vis Nav comes with a decent 65AW of suction and a motor that spins at 110,000rpm. This combination is quite powerful, so much so that I was shocked the first time I emptied the bin – it was full! And that was just in Auto mode! 

There are a total of four modes here – Auto, Boost, Quiet and Quick. I’d recommend leaving the Vis Nav on Auto as it does well on this mode. And as soon as it’s finished the interior of a room, it will pop out its side duct to suck up dirt and small debris along the room edges. As mentioned, it will do this even when it senses large pieces of furniture or boxes on your floor – basically anything that creates a decently large ‘edge’ to warrant a clean.

Does this side duct or tongue actually do a decent job? Yes, for the most part. I did have hair and visible bits of dust along some skirting board edges and they all got sucked up, but I also saw it miss some spots. The way I see it, there is no other robot vacuum cleaner that will come as close to the edges of rooms and furniture as this one. So that’s a big tick in my books.

In Boost mode, it’s really quite powerful, easily filling up its dust canister when running over a carpeted floor. As with any Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner, there’s just not enough battery life on the Boost mode to actually finish a large-ish room in one go. If your rooms are big, it will return to its dock to recharge after 13-15 minutes and return later to finish the job. I found it performs admirably well in Auto mode itself – it does, after all, adjust suction dynamically anyway and you’ll see the evidence of its suction power when you empty its bin.

The evidence of its cleaning prowess can also be heard when the volume of its usual hum goes up a little during this automatic adjusting. While Dyson was keen to point out that the Vis Nav is a relatively quiet robovac, it’s actually on par with most other new models out there. It averages about 62dB in Auto mode and can hit 64dB when dynamically adjusting suction power. The maximum I’ve recorded is 68dB in Auto mode. It hit 78dB in Boost. In comparison, I found during my Dyson Gen5detect review that the handstick got as low as 60dB in Eco mode, hits 64.5dB in Auto and is as loud as 75dB in Boost. There is a Quiet mode on board the Vis Nav which, Dyson says, is quiet enough for you to watch telly while it's working, but I’ll have to disagree. It recorded a low of 55dB during my testing in Quiet mode and I still had to increase the volume on my TV a little.

Its navigation performance also leaves something to be desired. Where models from iRobot, Roborock and Ecovacs move in a logical manner, the Vis Nav has seemingly been directed to start from the middle of a room and move outward – at least going by the images on the Dyson website. While that’s mostly the case in Auto mode when set to clean the whole home, I have occasionally seen it go wayward, although it doesn’t seem to miss any spots from what I can tell. It has a tendency to start and stop in this mode, where it reduces its power, stops seemingly to get its bearings and then continues with the job at hand. This start-stop routine was disconcerting initially as I kept wondering if it was in trouble.

It’s a completely different story if you set it to clean a specific zone. While it doesn’t do its usual start-stop for a small section, it absolutely does not move logically during zone cleaning, inadvertently missing spots. It also bumps into things, like furniture, in this mode which it doesn’t do when asked to vacuum the whole home.

Unintelligent navigation isn’t something I expected from Dyson, but it’s not really a deal breaker as it’s possible to get fixed via over-the-air firmware updates.

Dyson has mentioned that it’s best to register the device so these updates can be rolled out automatically, making the app a necessity. To ensure older people who aren’t comfortable with phone apps also get support, Dyson Australia has set up a service where customers can call in and ask for a flash drive to be posted to them – plugging this into the USB port on the bot (yes, there is one) will begin the update process. I imagine this service will be available in other markets when the robovac appears on shelves elsewhere.

• Performance score: 3.5/5

Dyson 360 Vis Nav review: App

• Neatly designed app
• Easy to use
• Confusing dust map

You don’t necessarily need the MyDyson app to control the 360 Vis Nav, but it will help as there are more features in there that could prove useful. For example, you can schedule cleaning runs, say, three times a week while you’re away, create a new map or remap a home, and give your machine a name. I called mine Dyson Fury. You can also use the app to link other Dyson devices you might be using and find handy tutorials for them.

It’s a nice app – clean interface and simple navigation. What I didn’t realize when I first let Dyson Fury run loose in my test space was that a map is not created automatically. You need to go into the app, and find the map creation bit under Settings for the robovac. What it will do on its first run is create a rough outline of your home that it uses as a dust map to indicate which parts of you home are dirtiest.

The dust map looks very much like a heat map, with the brightest bits indicating where the most dirt is. However, it doesn’t seem to match up with the bot’s performance. For example, in the dust map below, where I made it clean a fully-carpeted bedroom in Boost mode, it’s supposedly really dirty. And yet the amount of dirt and hair returned in the bin was very little – in fact, it sucked up far more than that on an Auto run just a few days prior to that specific zone clean.

To test out a theory, I decided to first vacuum a section of the test space with the Dyson V15 Detect – in Boost mode, mind – then run the Vis Nav on Auto in the same space. It still showed me areas that were apparently very dirty and they weren’t even the edges. Go figure!

• App score: 3.5/5

Dyson 360 Vis Nav review: Battery life

• Up to 50 minutes 
• 2.5 hours to top up
• No more than 15 minutes on Boost mode

While Dyson doesn’t specify what battery capacity is housed inside the Vis Nav, the company does claim you’ll get up to 50 minutes out of it on a full charge. I will have to agree with that number as I managed to get 47 minutes on Auto mode before it headed back to its dock for some time at the mains.

There is absolutely no loss of suction as the battery drains, which is typical of any Dyson cordless handstick as well. 

While 50 minutes might be enough to clean a small one-bedroom apartment, anything larger will require multiple runs. In comparison, far cheaper models from Roborock and Ecovacs offer much better battery life for about the same kind of performance (bar the edge cleaning, of course).

In Boost mode, I got 15 minutes out of a full charge on one test run and 13 minutes on another. That may not be enough to clean a full room, particularly if it’s a big one.

The light on the machine doesn’t seem to affect its battery life from what I can tell – even when running it on a dimly-lit space, it gave me the same amount of cleaning time. And, from going by the battery icon on the display, it looks like the bot only heads back to its dock after it’s just short of being fully drained. There’s no percentage indication on the display or the app, but it looks like it could be running till it goes under the 10% mark before needing to spend some time at the mains. Only once during my five weeks with the bot did it stop just centimeters away from its dock because it could go no further.

• Battery score: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Dyson 360 Vis Nav?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

The Dyson 360 Vis Nav is a powerful robot vacuum cleaner, but how does it compare to other robovacs out there? If you'd like some options, take a look at the alternatives below.

How I tested the Dyson 360 Vis Nav

• Used in own home for five weeks
• Tested on hard floors (tile) and carpet

For this review, I ran the 360 Vis Nav a few times a week for five weeks, mostly on Auto mode doing a full-home clean. The test space consists of a home office, which also doubles up as storage space, a small hallway, open-plan living/dining/kitchen, plus a single bedroom. All rooms have hard floors, with the bedroom alone being fully carpeted. As a quick comparison with another robot vacuum cleaner, I ran the TP-Link Tapo RV30 Plus (which I happen to have at the same time) once in that five-week duration.

To test every feature possible on the Vis Nav, I ran it on the other three modes – Boost, Quick and Quiet – a couple of times each. To see how accurate the dust map was, I also did a clean with the Dyson V15 Detect once, before running the Vis Nav over the same space immediately after.

While I had to empty the dust canister after every run anyway, I’ve also taken out the filter and bar brush to see how easy they are to clean for ongoing maintenance of the device itself. 

Before each cleaning run, I always made sure to check rooms for stray socks or charging cables on the floor that could cause Dyson Fury to get furious. I doubt that took me more than a minute to do a quick check.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed July 2023]

On Cloudboom Echo 3: One minute review

The On Cloudboom Echo 3 is the Swiss running brand’s third attempt at making a running shoe to rival the ones that are typically seen on the feet of the fastest runners. The best running shoes for racing are typically the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2 , Adidas Adizero Adio Pro 3, or the Asics Metaspeed Sky+, and On wants the Cloudboom Echo 3 on that list.

Whether you're looking to run a faster marathon on a specific course or you're hoping for a shoe for whenever speed is a priority, making some quite significant changes from its first two Cloudboom shoes.

The first generation Cloudboom was a miss from On, while the Cloudboom Echo felt like a step in the right direction for its pricey racing option. Now with a new midsole setup and a lighter design in play, the Cloudboom Echo 3 is the super shoe we’ve been waiting for from On.

On Cloudboom Echo 3: Specifications

On Cloudboom Echo 3: Price and availability

• $289.99 in the US
• £260 in the UK
• AU$390 in Australia

The On Cloudboom Echo 3 launched on 29th June 2023, priced at $289.99 / £260 / AU$390. 

That’s a step up in price from the Cloudboom Echo and does make it more expensive than picking up shoes that the Echo 3 is going up against. 

The Nike Vaporfly 3 costs $250 / £234.95 /  AU$330.00 for example, while the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3 is also cheaper at £220 / $250 / AU$359.99. 

• Value score: 3.5/5

On Cloudboom Echo 3: Design

• Microfiber upper
• Helion Hyper Foam
• Carbon Speedboard

We’ll start by saying that when it comes to making beautiful-looking running shoes, few do that better than On. The Cloudboom Echo 3 in its white and mint colourway and low-profile look feels every bit a racing shoe.

It’s very light, with our UK size 8 weighing in at 221g, though one side weighed in closer to the claimed 215g weight. Either way, it’s shaved off some grams from the already pretty lightweight Cloudboom Echo, though it’s still not quite as light as Nike’s Vaporfly 3, which weighs in less than 200g.

On sticks to the same 9mm drop as the Echo, though stack heights have changed at the heel and the forefoot, jumping to 37mm at the heel (previously 35mm) and 28mm at the forefoot (up from 27mm). 

It had a good upper on the Echo, but On’s decided to switch things up swapping recycled polyester mesh for microfiber, which is still almost papery thin in feel and does make this narrow shoe feel a bit more spacious up front in the toes, which is ideal when you need that extra room as you up the distance in them.

Below that is a midsole, which marks a new direction for On’s shoes. Its Cloudtec cushioning tech is still there, but it’s definitely been scaled back and less prominent than it was on the first two Cloudboom shoes. There’s now On’s Helion Hyper Foam, which is a Pebax-based foam and sees On join Nike, Saucony, New Balance and Hoka in embracing a Pebax-based super foam. It’s a light foam and one designed to deliver more energy back into your running time, particularly to benefit those longer distance runs in it.

That new foam is joined by a full length carbon plate or Speedboard as On calls it, along with a rockered design, which collectively aims to deliver a propulsive feeling that aims to get you through those running transitions in a quicker fashion.

The outsole doesn’t look hugely different from the one used on the Cloudboom Echo, with the larger of the grippier sections at the forefoot now reaching a bit further back to the middle of the shoe with key areas at the heel covered to make sure you get that traction from the key areas without adding extra weight.

• Design score: 5/5 

On Cloudboom Echo 3: Performance

• Pretty stable racing shoe
• Smooth and propulsive ride
• Still a touch firmer than other racing shoes

We’ll start with the fit and the Echo 3 is a bit on the narrow side, which was fine for our skinny feet, but might be more of a squeeze for wider feet with no wide fit option available. Unlike some carbon racing shoes we’ve tested it does feel like you need to work a bit harder to get a secure lockdown here, with very long laces and a skinny tongue for those laces to sit on top requiring some toying around to make sure it’s not slipping around at the heel.

Once you do get things locked in place, the feel of running in the Echo 3 is more in line with those top-tier racing shoes. This isn’t one you can amble around in and you won’t find it comfortable to do slow, easy runs in, but that’s simply not what they’re built for. Everything here is designed to give you that faster feel and it does that well. As we said, On’s Cloudtec takes a bit of a backseat and that’s not a bad thing at all. The new midsole is not as super soft and bouncy as rival shoes, but it’s certainly not as firm feeling as previous Cloudbooms and the combination of the new foam, rockered design, and that carbon Speedboard creates a smooth, energetic, and punchy ride. 

In our first run, a quicker 5k, on a pretty flat route, it felt like an enjoyable shoe to run in at around our typical 5k race speed. It handled an interval track session well and didn’t cause any issues during or post-run. In a 10k race test on a hilly LeeValley VeloPark course, the Echo 3 running at quicker than marathon pace with the combination of the hills made it tough going, but when we could and needed to coast at a more settled pace, it felt good to do so.

When we upped the distance and settled closer to our marathon pace, that good feeling remained and it feels like a shoe you can really roll in. That being said, it does still feel like a race shoe that’s primed for those running sub-3 hour times (we run at a 3-hour, 20-minute pace) who will benefit most from what On has to offer here. That’s no real surprise here, though we’d definitely say there are shoes that the Cloudboom Echo 3 is competing against that feels more accessible and more comfortable outside running those sort of elite times. 

From an outsole point of view, it was good on the Cloudboom Echo and it’s more of the same on the Echo 3. We didn’t get to use them in rainy conditions, but on flat roads, pavements and hillier climbs it gripped well and handled cornering with no issues either. We’ve put 50 km of running into it and we are starting to see some wear at the heel of the shoe, which tells us that the durability is likely to fall in line with other carbon racers and it’s one you will want to reserve for your fastest runs and races.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

On Cloudboom Echo 3: Should I buy?

Buy it if...

On Cloudboom Echo 3: Don’t buy it if…

Also consider

First reviewed: July 2023

(Credit: Thanks to RunThrough for the race entry used to test the On Cloudboom Echo 3) 

Under Armour Tribase Reign 4: One minute review

The Under Armour TriBase Reign 4 are a great pair of cross-training shoes, offering excellent value for money, especially at the now reduced price. Their wrap-around rubber soles are supported at the heel and toe, and feature a nice, wide toe box  – all the better for big lifts. However, these shoes aren’t just for shifting steel; the cushioning makes them ideal for short runs (I have been using them to run around a mile to the gym) and explosive plyometric movements, too. 

They aren’t perfect, mind, with some users reporting quick wear of the soles, plus the glossy, vinyl-style laces come undone quite easily. However, at the discounted price afforded to older versions, the TriBase Reign 4 really do reign supreme. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a pair of gym-work buddies that offer better value. 

Under Armour TriBase Reign 4: Specifications

Under Armour TriBase Reign 4: Price and availability

• Around $90 in the US
• Under £70 in the UK
• AU$120 in Australia

The Under Armour TriBase Reign 4 debuted in 2022 to critical acclaim. Since then, as is the case with older shoes, their price has dropped significantly, almost halving in the US and UK. You can now pick up a pair from third-party retailers such as SportsDirect and Dick’s Sporting Goods for around $90, although prices fluctuate. 

The Reign 4 are also available from the Under Armour site, although sizes are limited depending on available stock and region. 

•  Value score: 4/5 

Under Armour TriBase Reign 4: Design

• Wrap-around rubber sole and wide toe box
• Midsole cushioning to support impact
• Slippy tongue and laces

The Under Armour TriBase Reign 4 – much like a lot of gym kit – have clearly been designed with a particular group of people in mind: CrossFitters. Even though only a small percentage of gym-goers devote themselves to WODs, Under Armour has made a smart choice: by designing a shoe for the multi-discipline sporting option, you have something that really can do it all. Lifting? You need a flat platform, minimal heel-toe offset, and a wide toe box that offers the room for your feet to spread out under the pressure. Explosive cardio? You need a bit of cushioning to soften the impact for short stints of plyometrics or for sprinting. And throughout, you need a shoe that offers breathability for hygiene and anti-odor purposes. 

The TriBase Reign 4 deliver on all those fronts; the only thing they can’t help CrossFitters with is proper pull-up form (sorry). The roomy toe box, wrap-around rubber sole and extra heel support provide a firm foundation for squatting and deadlifting. The rubber outsole wraps around the side of the shoe for durability; it’s very low to the ground, plus textured rubber sections on the outsole keep your feet locked in during lifts. 

The cushioning comprises a Micro G foam midsole, running from toe to heel, which I found super comfortable. In addition, the breathable mesh upper is made up of an “abrasion-resistant” material, since CrossFitters frequently involve rope climbs in their workouts. I’d have been happier if there had been an extra layer of protection here – many training shoes do incorporate an extra layer or strip of rubber for rope-climbers – but if the mesh is tough enough, I’ll take it. It’s the one element I wasn’t able to test.

Note that the Reign 4 aren’t designed for long runs, nor should they be used for them – you’ll want to visit our list of the best running shoes for that. Instead, they’re well-suited to short, sharp jogs or sprints that are part of a more varied workout. Likewise, running shoes aren’t designed for squatting, since all that extra cushioning creates an unstable surface. This isn’t the case with the TriBase, which are designed to maximise your contact with the floor at three points between the forefoot and heel, hence the name. 

The downsides? The short tongue and the flat laces; the shiny vinyl coating feels unpleasant and doesn’t take tension well. The shape and surface of the laces resulted in them frequently becoming loose mid-workout – unless extra care and attention was taken when typing them up. But, if you can get past that, then these shoes are exceptionally well designed.

•  Design score: 4/5 

Under Armour TriBase Reign 4: Performance

• Excellent weightlifting shoes 
• Fully flexible, with no splitting near the toes
• Very comfortable, great for everyday wear

For someone who used to wear a pair of beaten-up old Vans in the squat rack, the TriBase Reign 4 are a revelation. Never have my feet felt so comfortable while lifting, or more secure. Vans may have been thin-soled flat shoes that are ideal for ground connection, but their narrower toe box impacted the stability of my lifts. 

The Reign 4’s spacious toe box felt like I was squatting barefoot, except without the slippiness of a sweaty foot on a vinyl mat. That wrap-around rubber comfortably locked my feet into the lift.

Despite the outsole wrapping around the shoe, it hasn’t split, even in the area that’s frequently flexed – the base of my toes. When I’m doing push-ups, planks or split squats, I’m sitting back on bent toes; one of my first thoughts during the set was whether I’m damaging the shoes by doing so. However, following a few months of wear, I’m happy to report there’s no splitting whatsoever. These shoes seem very durable. 

They’re comfortable, too. I have been happily and willingly wearing these shoes outside of the gym: to work, to the pub and for running errands. Aside from the laces, which continue to be a minor annoyance for me, I’m exceptionally happy with the performance of these shoes. 

•  Performance score: 4.5/5 

Under Armour TriBase Reign 4: Should I buy?

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How I tested the Under Armour TriBase Reign 4

I wore these cross-training shoes for around two months before writing this review, testing them in the gym and out. I used them for plyometric exercises such as box jumps and burpees, I used them for planks, standing on toes and checking for splits in the rubber, and all manner of strength and conditioning workouts.

I also used them for short runs, around 1.5km on concrete roads, to test their comfort during sprints and steady-state cardio.