The Wahoo Trackr heart rate monitor chest strap comes from a company known for working with Team GB athletes. As such this is a professional-grade bit of kit which now offers a rechargeable battery, making it more accessible for everyone than the last generation Tickr.
From running and cycling to fitness classes, athletics - and beyond - the Trackr makes for a super accurate way to get the most clear heart rate data. Since most metrics on smartwatches are now extrapolations from heart rate data, it pays to have the most accurate start point and this is what the Trackr is all about.
Sadly, it does lack the oxygen sensing capabilities of the more modern wrist-worn smartwatches, so data like SpO2 is lacking. For this, you'll need a separate bit of kit in the form of a muscle oxygen sensor.
The Wahoo Trackr is compatible with the company's own Wahoo app suite and plenty of popular third-party fitness apps including Cardio Mapper, Endomondo, and Runtastic. It also works with both ANT+ and up to three Bluetooth connections at once making it highly compatible in terms of hardware.
When it comes to battery life, this model goes for a solid 100 hours on a charge. This model is rechargeable (unlike the other Wahoo heart rate monitors before it) and the supplied USB 3.0 cable packs an LED to show charge status at a glance.
In terms of water use, it's not for swimming with just an IPX7 rating. That's not the best and means it's rated for a depth of one meter for 30 minutes, so it's not designed as a swim tracker and doesn't have onboard memory to make that a feature.
Overall this is one of the most convenient and compatible heart rate monitors that's also comfortable and super accurate - making it clear why this is used by professional athletes.
Wahoo Trackr: Price and release date
Available to buy now in the US, UK, and Australia
Priced at $89.99 / £79.99 / AU$149.95 RRP
The Wahoo Trackr launched on June 25 and is available across the globe. It launched with a price of $89.99 in the US, £79.99 in the UK and $149.95 in Australia.
The Trackr is a more affordable option than the other top-end options from the competition in the likes of Garmin and Polar. You can buy the Trackr directly from Wahoo or on sites like Amazon.
Wahoo Trackr (Image credit: Future)
Wahoo Trackr: Design
Comfortable to wear
Small strap length
Simple design
The Wahoo Trackr unit itself is pretty standard in terms of shape and size, although it is definitely one of the lighter options at 39g including the strap. As such it feels like it's barely there and you won't need to worry about it moving around due to its minimal weight.
The Trackr comes in one size with a strap that extends between 68cm and 91cm (27 inches to 36 inches) which sounds like plenty when you consider Wahoo says this works for up to 50-inch chest sizes. The reality felt quite different though as it was a snug fit even on a 42-inch chest.
Wahoo Trackr (Image credit: Future)
The straps feature skin-sensitive materials that work to detect your heart rate, without the need to wet them or do anything before getting started. There is a clasp system to attach the strap around your chest which is very easy to use and allows for quick adjusting as needed to find the right fit.
The fact that this model features LED lights for status and charging feedback is a really useful addition. As is that magnetic charging port, which makes it very easy to attach to the cable and get charged up.
The unit is IPX7 rated for water making it splash and sweatproof. Technically it's capable of withstanding being submerged in water at one meter depth for up to half an hour, but since it doesn't store data this won't work for swimming unless perhaps you have your phone poolside – although I didn't test that as the device isn't sold as a swim tracker.
Crucially, the Trackr is comfortable, if a little snug, and you won't notice it once you get going. That's the key, isn't it? So unless you specifically want this for water-based tracking there is very little to complain about.
Design rating: 4/5
Wahoo Trackr (Image credit: Future)
Wahoo Trackr: App and features
App is simple but effective
No swim tracking
Lots of third-party app compatibility
The Wahoo Trackr comes with its own app which offers some useful tracking metrics, with some helpful heart rate-specific screens. Of course, you can do this with your training app of choice, so it might seem a little redundant. But for anyone new to this who wants to use the dedicated Wahoo app then it makes sense to have that available.
As mentioned, the Trackr requires an app to work, but it will also pair with a smartwatch. So it's possible to go out without a smartphone and still track all data associated with GPS while getting the chest strap level of accuracy. Usefully, the watch can then store that data so you have it uploaded on your apps of choice when you get back to a connection.
The readouts on the Wahoo app are decent with nice big display data and the ability to pull in more from other hardware. So you could use this with a power monitor, for example, and that will also be displayed in the Wahoo apps. In the case of cycling that can be great for a connected bike and various data monitors all working at once. This is where that ability to use ANT+ and three Bluetooth connections at once comes in handy.
Wahoo Trackr (Image credit: Future)
The LED lights are helpful when charging to get your status, but are even more helpful when connecting to see what the device is doing – as well as getting a battery level update. That said, it connects quickly and easily and is always pairing-ready when you clip in and strap on, so the lights are more for to indicate isn't going as planned. I didn't have that issue as this connected first time with many devices.
Features are few, to be honest, but that's not a bad thing. This is a very smart and accurate heart rate monitor that doesn't try to reach beyond its core task, but rather focuses on doing that to the best possible ability – and in my testing across running, cycling, and HITT, it achieved this.
Features & app rating: 3.5/5
Wahoo Trackr (Image credit: Future)
Wahoo Trackr: Performance
Super accurate
Easy to setup and use
Wide connectivity
Thanks to this HRM's electrocardiography (ECG) heart-rate sensor, you can expect a 99.6% accuracy as standard. While wrist-worn light-based monitors are better than ever, they're still reliant on less accurate input – making all the data extrapolated from that, using algorithms, less accurate too. In that way, this is a very powerful heart rate monitor that's superb for anyone that wants a greater level of accuracy.
All that said, when out running with the Garmin Forerunner 965 and the Trackr connected to an iPhone 15 Pro Max, the compared data was very similar. As heart rate changed, on a hill climb, for example, the chest strap stayed with me accurately and the watch took a little longer to adapt. As the run went on and averages were more detailed that became less varied between the two – but the watch did still have some lag behind the Trackr.
When glancing in a race situation or training hard where you can only spare less than a second to use the energy to crane your neck and move your wrist, the chest strap reliability and responsiveness were really welcome.
Wahoo Trackr (Image credit: Future)
The results were not quite so similar when it came to faster runs – the chest strap really stood out as better here. On doing a fast 5K race with both of these units on, it was clear that the optical Garmin sensor was not as good. It had my heart rate never topping zone three, even though I was all-out and set a PB. The chest strap, on the other hand, was far more accurate, detecting zone four at the back end of the race and my zone five kick-up at the finish. Perhaps this is due to arm movement while going at speed, and sweating, but whatever the reason this put the chest strap into a league of its own.
So, if you're looking to accurately track high-speed, sweaty running, or HIIT classes, then a chest strap is a must and this model makes it easy to set up, monitor, and use with whatever app or device you want. I now run with the Garmin as my display but use the Trackr as the HRM, disabling the optical sensor on the watch in favor of the chest strap's accuracy.
Wahoo Trackr (Image credit: Future)
Wahoo Trackr: Buy it if...
You're serious about heart rate training A chest strap detects changes to your heart rate more quickly than a watch, which makes it a more accurate tool if you're training by heart rate zones.
You hate having to charge your fitness tracker The Wahoo Trackr’s battery is rechargeable meaning you get a decent 100 hours of use and can then quickly charge back up, rather than faffing about with battery replacements.
Wahoo Trackr: Don’t buy it if…
You like to see your data presented to you in real-time The Wahoo Trackr must be paired with a device to view the read-out. A phone can be awkward to view while running so you'll need a watch too. Although for cycling, with a mount, that doesn't apply.
You want ultimate ease If accuracy isn't so important then a wrist-based sensor may be enough for you, with no need to put on the chest strap before you go out to exercise.
Designed for multi-sport use, the HRM-Pro is the most advanced heart rate strap Garmin produces. It’s also one of the most expensive options available. With the ability to connect to multiple devices via Bluetooth and ANT+, capture insights into your running form, and store workout data to its internal memory, the Garmin HRM-Pro has everything you need from a heart rate monitor strap. Although it’s probably of greater interest to those who already own Garmin products.
The MyZone MZ-Switch isn’t just a chest strap. The center sensor node features an ECG monitor as well as an optical sensor and pops out so it can be worn on the wrist like a smartwatch, your arm or even your swimming goggles, giving you the best of both worlds. And, when used in chest strap mode, the MZ-Switch’s accuracy compares with that of the Garmin HRM-Pro. A great alternative if you want to mix it up a bit.
The Philips 5400 LatteGo is a bean-to-cup coffee machine capable of making 12 different types of coffee. With its easy-to-use TFT LCD display, you can customize each cup by tweaking the amount of beans, milk and water you want. Best of all, the 5400 remembers these settings, giving you the option to save it to one of four profiles, saving you the hassle of adjusting the options every time.
Setting up the 5400 LatteGo is simple enough, though some important details are missing from the instructions. For example, it doesn’t mention that a rubber band must be attached to the filter in order to slot into the water tank. Once you’ve placed the machine in your kitchen or office, the 5400 is easy enough to maintain. The water tank, found on the right side, can be easily slid out from the front for refills.
The machine's water tank is easy to remove, and you'll get an alert when it needs refilling (Image credit: Daryl Baxter)
Longevity is a big theme of the 5400, self-cleaning after each use to prevent any grime from clogging up its internal pipes. Though it’s worth noting that when it’s working, especially when grinding the coffee beans you’ve put in, it can be noisy. We measured noise levels of up to 79 dBA (about the same as a phone dial tone), so we’d recommend not making a cup during the night if others are sleeping nearby.
The 5400 offers plenty of customization options, such as different milk foam levels. However, the milk spout can’t be turned, so you have to carefully position your cup between the milk and coffee spouts. Nevertheless, the 5400 made a fantastic drink every time, and we didn’t experience any issues that dampered our experience of using it — apart from setting it up for the first time.
Overall, this mid-range coffee machine is designed to appeal to users with different skill levels when making coffee, and the 5400 succeeds in that regard. Granted, the Breville Barista Express Impress offers something similar, but it lacks a helpful LCD display and the useful modularity of the 5400 that makes it so easy to clean. If you’re new to machines like this, we can’t recommend the Philips 5400 LatteGo enough.
It's not possible to adjust the direction of the milk spout, so you'll need to be careful how you position your cup (Image credit: Daryl Baxter)
Philips 5400 LatteGo: price and availability
List price: £679.99 (around $900 / AU$1,320)
Launch date: December 2021
Availability: UK
At the time of writing, you can only buy the Philips 5400 LatteGo on Amazon UK, or the Philips website with a list price of £679.99 (discounted to £619.99 at the time of writing). The coffee machine isn’t available in the US or Australia, but the 3200 is a smaller version of the 5400 that's more widely available.
The best bean-to-cup coffee machines are never cheap, and considering what the Philips 5400 LatteGo is capable of, you’re getting a fantastic machine that sits comfortably at the mid-range price bracket, with a lot of features helpful for beginners.
Value for money score: 5/5
Philips 5400 LatteGo: specs
Philips 5400 LatteGo: design
The Philips 5400 LatteGo looks every bit like a £619 coffee machine — high-quality, big, and sleek with its chrome finish. However, taking it out of the box, we were surprised by its depth (14.6in / 37.2cm), and you may find it comes close to the edge of your kitchen counter.
Setting the machine up was straightforward. The instruction booklet outlined out how to put the right compartments in, such as the water tank and the waste tray. The 5400 LatteGo also comes with an optional filter, called AquaClean, which Philips claims can help avoid descaling for up to 5,000 cups of coffee. While the instructions explained how to install the filter, it left out an important point. You see, there’s a black elastic band that must attach to the filter - otherwise, it won’t slot into place. We only found this out after coming across a post on Reddit, as we were under the impression that the filter just had to be placed into the tank. Not so. Including this detail in the instructions would help prevent this frustrating moment for others.
Once set up, we switched on the 5400 LatteGo and followed the prompts on the bright TFT display to prepare it for its first cup of coffee. Putting in the coffee beans, bought from a nearby independent coffee shop, was easy enough. You simply pour them into the designated section of the machine, and the 5400 LatteGo does the rest. Every time you select a coffee from the display, you can choose how much coffee, water, and milk you want — even choosing whether or not to include milk foam.
The bright display makes the 5400 LatteGo very easy to use (Image credit: Daryl Baxter)
It’s worth noting that the colorful TFT display is very helpful, making it easy for beginners and advanced users to personalize their coffee. Best of all, the machine remembers your preferences, saving you the chore of tweaking the coffee, water, and milk every time.
When it comes to cleaning the 5400, everything is simple enough to take out, such as the water tank, the drip tray, and more. It makes the machine feel modular — almost like working on a car engine. Everything has its place, but it’s easy enough that you can put every part back in as before once they’ve been cleaned. The machine even takes care of its internals by rinsing its pips regularly. But the machine’s design ensures that cleaning never feels like a chore.
There’s little here we can criticize, except for the unclear instructions. Everything in the Philips 5400 has its place, and everything works as you expect. Just be sure to not put anything in the bin when you set up the machine for the first time.
Design score:4.5/5
Philips 5400 LatteGo: performance
When it comes to mid-range coffee machines in this price range, there are usually plenty of knobs and levers to get accustomed to - but not with the Philips 5400 LatteGo. Instead, the TFT display lets you easily pick the coffee you want, with a bunch of customization options to make sure the machine will brew the right amount of beans, foam the right amount of milk, and use enough water.
The Philips 5400 LatteGo offers 12 different drink options as standard:
Americano
Cappuccino
Café au lait
Caffe Latte
Caffé crema
Coffee
Espresso
Espresso lungo
Frothed milk
Flat white
Latte macchiato
Ristretto
It can also dispense hot water for making tea, and has a dedicated travel mug function.
First off, I picked a regular caffe latte from the TFT display, using the physical buttons on the machine to scroll through the list. Once selected, I could easily choose how much coffee, milk and water I wanted by tweaking the levels of each. After I pressed ‘OK’, the 5400 got to work.
It was noisy during the three minutes it took from pressing the button to having a fresh cup of coffee, but everything worked as expected. One important note is that the spout can’t be adjusted, so you have to make sure that the cup is lined up with both the milk spout and the coffee dispenser.
The color display is accompanied by physical buttons for selecting options (Image credit: Daryl Baxter)
Afterwards, I decided I wanted more milk foam, so I simply went back to the display, selected ‘milk foam’, and the machine delivered. The coffee tasted fantastic, especially using fresh coffee beans from Stokes Coffee in my home town of Lincoln. Once the machine finishes making a drink, it automatically self-cleans, which takes a minute, and is noisy. So, if you’re wanting coffee late at night, make sure there’s no one sleeping nearby.
Another useful feature of the Philips 5400 is its ability to save your preferences as one of four profiles. This allows you to quickly select your custom drink without having to manually adjust your settings every time. I found this very useful, setting up three profiles for the different types of coffee I usually have in the morning, afternoon, and when I need to get some urgent work done.
The 5400 LatteGo's interface is easy to understand and use, even for beginners (Image credit: Daryl Baxter)
Overall, I’ve been very happy with the Philips 5400 LatteGo. Although the initial setup process was frustrating in places, the daily routine of picking and choosing the types of coffee was a breeze. The water tank simply slides out from the front for easy refills, and maintaining the machine’s other parts were also straightforward when needed. Granted, the 5400 can be noisy, with sounds of up to 79 dBA when grinding beans and steaming milk. However, that’s admittedly part of the package when you want a freshly brewed cup with steamed milk. For everything it offers, the Philips 5400 is a fantastic buy for anyone looking for a high-quality coffee machine.
Performance score: 4.5/5
Should you buy the Philips 5400 LatteGo?
Buy it if
You love a variety of coffee-based beverages The 5400 isn’t sparse on the types of coffee it can make. If you want a latte with extra milk foam or one with none but more coffee in, it can happen. There’s plenty of customization here, so you may discover a type of coffee you’ll end up loving.
You want to save a trip to Starbucks A regular cup from Starbucks or another big chain soon adds up. With the 5400, there’s the potential to save a trip and some money for your coffee fix, especially with the many types of coffee it can make.
You want to explore the world of coffee beans Using this machine is a perfect opportunity to try out a variety of coffee beans that many independent stores offer. For instance, we tried this variant from Stokes Coffee, based in Lincoln, UK, which had a fantastic berry aftertaste, perfect for this time of the year.
Don't buy it if
You’re on a budget
A high-quality bean-to-cup coffee machine can be expensive, to be prepared to, not only buy the 5400 LatteGo at a high price, but to maintain it with good quality coffee beans, filters to prevent build up of grime, and more.
You’re looking for a small and simple coffee machine
There’s no escaping how long the 5400 is. If you’re short on space in your kitchen, you should reconsider where it’s going to be.
You want to make large amounts of coffee for you and your family
Don’t expect to make a round for your workmates or family — the 5400 is meant to do one cup well, so take that into account.
Philips 5400 LatteGo: also consider
Not completely sold on the Philips 5400 LatteGo? Here are two alternatives you should consider:
Smeg BCC13
The BCC13 is much pricier than the Philips 5400 LatteGo, but has a more stylish design and a boiler that can generate more pressure for better quality steamed milk.
If you want more of the barista experience, this machine gives you the fun of inserting the portafilter, pulling a shot, and foaming your milk, but guides you through the process to make it straightforward.
I used the Philips 5400 for several weeks at home in my kitchen, making three to four types of coffee every day via the display that allowed me to choose new variants every time.
With every coffee made, I noted the time it took for one to be made, the noise, and flavor, alongside what it was like to clean and maintain the coffee machine. I also made coffee with different levels of milk, water, and beans, as well as choosing different amounts of milk foam. Learn more about how we test.
Yale Smart Video Doorbell and Doorbell Chime: two-minute review
The Yale Smart Video Doorbell and Doorbell Chime set lets you see and speak to visitors no matter where you are in the world, providing you have a mobile phone connection. Although the concept isn’t new (Ring pioneered the video doorbell concept a few years back), this is a very good alternative solution – and one that works out cheaper too.
There are two options: either use your existing doorbell wiring, or charge the doorbell via its built-in rechargeable battery using the provided USB-A to USB-C cable. We chose the latter which means it does need to be unclipped from its bracket and topped up with power every couple of months, depending on how much it is used.
Installation is surprisingly straightforward, thanks in part to the video installation guides within the Yale Home app that talk you through the various options. Simply attach the white mounting plate to the door frame with the screws/wall plugs provided, using the additional ‘wedge’ if you need to angle the plate slightly.
An additional wedge-shaped mounting plate lets you mount the doorbell at an angle, if necessary (Image credit: Chris Price)
Then, once charged, clip the video doorbell into the bracket. This can be removed later for re-charging using the security pin provided (the same kind of pin you use to take a SIM card out of your phone). For added security, a tamper alert notification can be sent to your phone if someone tries to remove the doorbell from its housing.
After pairing the Yale video doorbell with your home’s Wi-Fi (a quite straightforward process via the Yale app), it’s then a case of customizing to suit your needs. For example, using the ‘house settings’ option you can name the house, even add a photo of it, as well as edit house owners so your partner, house mates or children get alerts if someone comes to the door.
The doorbell is supplied with screws and wall plugs, plus double-sided tape (Image credit: Chris Price)
In addition to house settings, there also options for adjust speaker volume (handy if you live on a noisy street), image brightness, night vision and video quality. Two recording options are available, either medium (720p) or high (1080p). In addition to operating as a video doorbell showing you who is at the door when pressed, you can also detect and record movement like a standard security camera. However, while human detection is provided as standard, you will need to subscribe if you want alerts for pets, packages and vehicles on your driveway.
Two subscriptions are available, both free for the first month. For £3.50 (about $5 / AU$7) a month the camera plan offers AI motion detection and cloud recording for one camera while for £9 a month (about $12 / AU$20) you get cloud recording for all cameras plus a cellular back up (see subscription options below).
Adding the Yale Doorbell Chime lets you hear when a visitor calls from elsewhere in your house, and offers different chime options (Image credit: Chris Price)
Finally, the Yale Video Doorbell is designed to be connected to other home devices including Yale’s range of smart locks, smart alarms and home security cameras. We paired ours to Yale’s plug in door chime which comes with a volume button and multiple tones, much like a standard doorbell.
For added connectivity, we also linked the doorbell with Yale’s Amazon Alexa so we could receive alerts via a number of Echo Dot devices (support is also provided or Apple HomeKit and Google Home products).
Yale Smart Video Doorbell: subscription options
Yale Camera Plan: AI motion detection, cloud recording for one camera, Yale home app. £3.50 a month.
Yale Secure Plan: Automated call alert, AI motion detection, cloud recording for all cameras, cellular back up, Yale home app. £9 a month.
Yale Smart Video Doorbell and Doorbell Chime: price and availability
Although wired-only video doorbells are usually a cheaper option, a wireless (battery powered) doorbell is obviously much more convenient if you have less technical expertise, or don’t already have wiring in place. Considering it offers both wired and wireless connectivity, Yale’s Smart Video Doorbell and Chime therefore represents pretty good value for money at £129.99 (about $170 / AU$250) for the doorbell alone, and £29.99 (about $40 / AU$60) for the additional chime.
The price of the hardware is broadly similar to its closest competitor, Ring’s Battery Video Doorbell Plus and Chime. You may also find bundled deals if you decide to buy the two components - doorbell and chime - together (though it is possible to just use the doorbell by itself if you so choose).
Of course, as with many home security products, it isn’t just the cost of the hardware you have to bear in mind, but also the subscription plans. Here, Yale fares quite well too. Its basic subscription is particularly good value for money costing £3.50 (about $5 / AU$7) a month for free cloud storage after a free month’s trial. This compares to $4.99 / £4.99 / AU$4.95 for the basic Ring subscription plan.
Rather more expensive is the premium Yale subscription plan at £9 a month (about $12 / AU$20). However, this is probably only worth it if you have multiple cameras you want to monitor via the app - for example if you are the landlord of several AirBnB properties. It may also be necessary if you live in an area where WiFi is very patchy and need to rely on the cellular network to keep the security system going.
Value score: 4/5
Yale Smart Video Doorbell and Doorbell Chime: design
Easy to install mounting bracket
Solidly built video doorbell
Simple plug-in chime
Unlike smart cameras, even the best video doorbells usually require some level of DIY skill. Thankfully this is minimal with the Yale video doorbell given its wireless design. Just mount the bracket on the door frame using the wall plugs and screws provided, then clip the solidly built video doorbell inside. A tall, narrow weatherproof (IP65) design, the doorbell incorporates three elements – the wide angle (154 degrees) lens and sensor at the top and the large doorbell button marked with a chime symbol underneath.
The Yale Smart Video Doorbell is easy to install, and comes with all the fittings you need (Image credit: Chris Price)
As soon as you get within range of the doorbell this illuminates green and triggers motion recording while pressing the button will send a notification to connected smart phones and devices (Alexa, Google Home etc). Just one thing you need to be careful of and that’s to mount the video doorbell at the right height. Because the camera is on top, it’s easy to place the doorbell a little higher than it needs to be. Best play around with the doorbell first before installing the bracket. Finally, the doorbell chime needs to be plugged in where everyone can best hear it – in our case the hallway was best.
Design score: 4.5/5
Yale Smart Video Doorbell and Doorbell Chime: performance
High quality 1080p image resolution
Stable connection
Slow video streaming
When it comes to performance, there are two aspects to a video doorbell. One is how it captures motion, the other – arguably more important – is how well it acts as replacement doorbell. If you live on a busy street then chances are you have a lot of passers-by and maybe quite a bit of passing traffic too. Unless you want to record everything going on (which will really use up the battery) we recommend adjusting motion detection settings.
We recommend adjusting the motion detection settings to avoid accidental triggers from passing pedestrians and traffic (Image credit: Chris Price)
Thankfully the Yale isn’t overly sensitive. Nevertheless, for optimum results we found it best to keep motion sensitivity to low or medium and to use to use Detection Zone settings so that the camera only tracks motion within a certain area (and doesn’t pick up people walking or driving past your house). Clip length can be adjusted between 10 seconds and one minute, or ended as soon as motion stops. In low-light situations, the camera automatically switches to night vision and there are both 720p and 1080p recording options.
Once the camera has recorded movement, notifications are pushed through to the user’s mobile phone (either via text or text with image). Alternatively, you can go in via the app and click the Activity tab at the bottom to view them. Our only criticism is that they tend to take a few seconds to load even with a fast internet connection. Recordings can be downloaded onto your device or a snapshot taken from them.
You can review footage from the doorbell in the mobile app (Image credit: Chris Price)
When it comes to using the Yale Video Doorbell to speak to people coming to the door, results are a little more mixed. Video is very good and sound is generally OK (though we found we needed to turn it up to higher levels because of traffic noise). However, there can be a slight delay ‘waking the camera up’ before talking to someone at the door. One time, a courier who rang the bell didn’t wait for the call to be connected and decided just to leave the parcel on the porch rather than take it next door (thankfully it wasn’t stolen).
Performance score: 4/5
Video quality is good, but there's a noticeable lag if you want to speak to a caller (Image credit: Chris Price)
Should I buy the Yale Smart Video Doorbell and Doorbell Chime?
Buy it if
You want to track movement around your property Thanks to customizable detection zone settings, the Yale is great for capturing motion
You want easy installation
It’s a versatile security solution offering mains and battery powered options
Don't buy it if
You regularly need to speak to people on the doorstep
We experienced a delay answering calls from people ringing the doorbell.
You have a poor Wi-Fi connection
Like most video doorbells, you will need a good Wi-Fi connection unless you want to pay a premium subscription for cellular backup.
Yale Smart Video Doorbell and Doorbell Chime: also consider
Not sold on the Yale Smart Video Doorbell and Chime? Here are two alternatives you should consider.
Ring Battery Video Doorbell Plus
Amazon-owned company Ring has firmly established itself as the ‘go to’ company for video doorbells and now has several including this latest wire-free model.
An affordable wired video doorbell, the Arlo device offers a lot of useful features, but you will need to pay for a subscription to benefit from many of them.
How I tested the Yale Smart Video Doorbell and Doorbell Chime
I used the doorbell every day for several weeks
I set it up myself without any assistance (expert installation is available for £90)
The doorbell was set up on the front door facing towards the road
To put the Yale video doorbell to the test, I installed on my front door for over two weeks, covering up my existing entry-phone system. During this period it captured hundreds of clips, most of which were generated from delivery people and friends coming to the door.
On most occasions when the doorbell was pressed we were in the property and the chime in the hallway was triggered. However, on a few we were out. Unfortunately on at least occasion the courier left a parcel on the doorstep on full view because it took too long to connect the call from the video doorbell to my smartphone!
The PowerA OPS v1 is a wireless PC controller that's also compatible with mobile devices and cloud gaming services. Being a cheaper alternative to the PowerA OPS v3 Pro, it understandably misses out on some of that controller's standout features. Those include Lumectra RGB lighting, 'quick-twist' thumbsticks and the remappable bumper buttons.
That said, the OPS v1 is still a decent option if you're on a budget. Drift-resistant Hall effect thumbsticks are present here, as well as four remappable buttons on the rear which can be programmed on the controller itself with a dedicated button. You're also getting a Turbo button function and support for 2.4Ghz, Bluetooth and USB-C connectivity.
One particularly impressive aspect of the OPS v1 is that the textured grips on this controller actually feel nicer than on the OPS v3 Pro. On the more expensive gamepad, I found the textured grips to be a touch too rough over longer play sessions. Here, they are unintrusive and provide the perfect amount of grip for comfortable sessions of any length.
The controller itself - and its various buttons, bumpers and triggers - do feel quite cheap overall with some rather flimsy-feeling plastic being used. It's not horrendous by any means, but certainly a downgrade when compared to the v3 Pro and many of the best PC controllers out there today.
(Image credit: Future)
PowerA OPS v1: Price and availability
$49.99 / £49.99 for the standard model
Special Fortnite edition for $54.99 / £54.99
Available at PowerA in the US and Amazon in the UK
The PowerA OPS v1 launched in August 2024, and is available to purchase for $49.99 / £49.99. It's available at PowerA's own website in the US, but those in the UK will need to rely on retailers like Amazon to secure the bag there. A Fortnite edition is also available (pictured throughout the review) which features a distinct livery. This one comes in slightly pricier at $54.99 / £54.99.
This is significantly cheaper than the PowerA OPS v3 Pro which costs $99.99 / £99.99 and is a solid alternative at half the price. As mentioned, the lower price point does mean that the OPS v1 is pared back when it comes to features, so you may wish to keep that in mind when comparing the two models.
Admittedly, at this price point, the OPS v1 has some very stiff competition in the form of the GameSir T4 Kaleid which goes for $41.99 / £41.99. You are losing out on wireless connectivity with GameSir's pad, but it's more than made up for in excellent build quality, superb micro switch buttons, and a lovely RGB profile.
PowerA OPS v1: Specs
(Image credit: Future)
PowerA OPS v1: Design and features
Cheap-feeling build
Textured grips are preferable compared to the OPS v3 Pro
Rather plain, all-black aesthetic
As a more budget-friendly controller, you can expect the PowerA OPS v1 to be slightly pared back in terms of design and feature set, especially compared to the OPS v3 Pro. Firstly, build quality on the OPS v1 is lacking in comparison, with a cheaper plastic presumably to keep the gamepad's costs down.
Much like with the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro, I'm also not a fan of the plain, all-black aesthetic for the OPS v1's standard model. The special edition Fortnite version is certainly more eye-catching, though, and is the model I'd recommend going with if you're willing to spend 5 bucks extra (and, naturally, if you're a fan of the free-to-play shooter).
One aspect of the OPS v1's design I do really like is the texture on the rear of the grips themselves, and on the bumpers and triggers. The textured grips on the OPS v3 Pro were a little too rough for my liking. Here, though, they're a comparatively light touch and actually feel far more comfortable as a result. The added texture on the bumpers and triggers is also a really nice touch.
(Image credit: Future)
As for features, the OPS v1 shows up with the Hall effect thumbsticks that are swiftly becoming the standard for third-party controllers. It's now quite rare that I test a controller that lacks Hall effect, but it is great to see more affordable gamepads adopt the technology. Sony and Nintendo, please take notes.
The OPS v1 also shares some features with its pricier counterpart. You're still getting four remappable buttons on the rear of the pad, as well as three-stage trigger locks and three types of connectivity (2.4GHz, Bluetooth and wired via USB-C). The box includes a USB-C cable, too. But unlike the v3 Pro, there's sadly no charging dock bundled with the OPS v1.
PowerA OPS v1: Performance
Perfectly responsive during wireless play
A decent 20 hours of battery life
Like the OPS v3 Pro, trigger locks don't work great
There's really not much to complain about when it comes to the PowerA OPS v1's performance while actually gaming. I tested games across a wide variety of genres in my Steam library, including Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy 14 Online, Cyberpunk 2077 and Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance. All that is to say the OPS v1 is a perfectly adequate controller no matter what kind of single-player games you're into.
A 2.4GHz wireless adapter is included in the box, offering 500Hz polling rate which is solidly responsive for wireless play. I'd still recommend going wired if you're interested in playing the best fighting games or the best FPS games for peak responsiveness, but you can't go wrong either way here.
(Image credit: Future)
Unfortunately, as was the case with the v3 Pro, the OPS v1's trigger locks are hit-and-miss. When unlocked, or set to lock halfway, the triggers work perfectly fine. However, I found that the highest notch simply didn't work for any of the games I tested. That's a huge shame as it's a feature that's always nice to see on cheaper gamepads.
As for battery life, you're getting around 20 hours here according to the manufacturer. I did find this to be accurate during my time testing the controller, as I did have to charge up from empty after around a week of play that consisted of 2-3 hour sessions each day. Expect the OPS v1 to take a few hours to charge back to full, too, when hooked up via USB-C. For optimum efficiency here, I'd recommend charging with the cable included and potentially leaving it hooked up overnight so you don't have to wait.
Should I buy the PowerA OPS v1?
Buy it if...
You’re looking for a solid and affordable PC controller Coming in below the $50 / £50 mark, the PowerA OPS v1 offers good value and a decent feature set given its price tag.
You’re after a versatile and customizable PC controller With Hall effect sticks, remappable buttons and trigger locks, there's plenty of options for customization on the OPS v1.
Don't buy it if...
You're hoping for better build quality The PowerA OPS v1 sadly falters in the build quality department, with cheap-feeling plastic for its casing, buttons, and triggers.
Also consider...
If the PowerA OPS v1 misses the mark for you, we’ve got a couple of other suggestions that we’ve tested and reviewed for your consideration below.
PowerA OPS v3 Pro This smartly-priced Pro controller locks in with Hall effect sticks and gorgeous Lumectra RGB lighting, making it worth checking out at the sub-$100 / £100 price tag. There are some design frustrations here, but it's still a very capable gamepad.
GameSir T4 Kaleid This is still my favorite budget-priced PC controller that's also compatible with Nintendo Switch. It's wired only, but comes in slightly cheaper than the OPS v1 and offers excellent build quality, sublime micro switch buttons and a lovely RGB profile.
Played primarily on PC across a wide variety of games
Compared and contrasted to the pricier PowerA OPS v3 Pro
I tested the PowerA OPS v1 over the course of about a week, tackling 2-3 hour gaming sessions each day. During my time with the gamepad, I found I only needed to charge it up once. That total time lasted around 20 hours, lining up with PowerA's battery life claim.
I made sure to test a wide variety of games on PC, including Cyberpunk 2077, Fields of Mistria, Vampire Survivors, Street Fighter 6 and Final Fantasy 14 Online. This is a mix of my go-to games and some I determined to be a great fit for the budget OPS v1.
Air purifiers can be considered yet another unnecessary gadget adding to the clutter in our homes, but if you want to dull strong odors, or try to reduce levels of hayfever-causing pollen indoors, the Molekule Air Pro could actually prove helpful.
I had the pleasure of testing a unit to see how it compared to the best air purifiers on the market. I loved its simple and aesthetically pleasing app, which kept me well informed with real-time and historical indoor air quality readings, but, at this price point, I expected more features. Check out my review below for the full story.
Molekule Air Pro review: price & availability
List price: $1,014.99 / £799.99
Available in the US, only available via Amazon in the UK
Listed at $1,014.99 on the official Molekule website, and £799.99 on Amazon, the Air Pro is, without doubt, a premium-priced air purifier. During my time reviewing it, I did see it discounted on the Molekule website and Amazon US, with a sale price of $749.99 initially, further dropping down to $649.99 over the Labor Day sales – so it’s worth keeping an eye out for deals if you’re in the US.
I won’t lie, I winced the first time I became aware of the Molekule Air Pro's price. I felt sure it must be massively overpriced; but its FDA 510(k) Class II medical device clearance, impressive detection and responsiveness, and informative companion app have changed my tune, albeit begrudgingly.
It’s worth bearing in mind that Molekule recommends that the filters are changed every six months, with replacements costing $174.99 / £159.99, so this cost will need to be factored in, too.
Value for money score: 4 out of 5
Molekule Air Pro review: specs
Molekule Air Pro review: design
Medical grade without the medical aesthetic
Satisfying opening mechanism
Touchscreen display
The aesthetics of the Molekule Air Pro are simple yet satisfying. The outer housing is made from substantial-feeling aluminum and medical-grade polycarbonate. A tan-colored faux leather handle is attached at the front and back of the purifier using large metal pins.
As is to be expected of a metal-cased appliance standing at 23 inches / 586mm tall and 11 inches / 278mm wide, the Air Pro weighs a fair bit at 23lbs / 10.4kg. It comes packaged in a large cardboard box with cardboard fitments – and, helpfully, the reusable pull-string bag has handles that make it easier to take out of the box.
The faux leather handle on the unit itself can happily take the Air Pro's weight, but it still isn’t the easiest to carry around. As a shorter-than-average woman with limited upper body strength, I was able to lift it and carry it up and down stairs, but I certainly didn’t look the most dignified doing it.
(Image credit: Future)
The top face of the Air Pro is encircled by slanted vent holes, with a black circular touch display at the center. There are five screens to swipe between. The first is color-coded according to the IAQ (indoor air quality) level: green for good; yellow for moderate; red for bad; and blue for very bad. On the second screen, the levels of VOC (volatile organic compounds), particle matter, carbon dioxide, and relative humidity in the air are detailed. Screen three has Auto Protect mode and five individual fan speeds. The filter condition can be found on the fourth screen and, finally, screen five offers various functions and settings including standby, languages, purifier details, and so on. While this method of operation is efficient, and at first the shiny finish looks nice, after some time you'll notice fingerprints on the screen and dust and debris on the Air Pro's shiny surface and inside the vent fins – which is particularly visible over the white.
The display screen automatically goes to sleep when it isn’t being used and takes a touch or two to awaken again. There isn’t a Dark mode on the Air Pro, or the option to turn off the blue light when the fan is operational. This is because it isn't possible to contain all of the UV-A light from the PECO technology, meaning that there's a subtle blue glow visible beneath the slanted vent holes.
(Image credit: Future)
Access to the filter is simple: gently push down on the top of the air purifier and twist counter-clockwise. This top piece will slowly rise up, allowing you to remove it and reach the filter. To replace it again, I simply needed to align the red lines on the top section and the inside of the main purifier body, before gently pushing and twisting the top section in a clockwise direction to fix it in place again.
Overall, other than being somewhat cumbersome and a bit of a fingerprint and dust magnet, the Air Pro looks and feels premium, which is only fair given its high price.
Design score: 4.5 out of 5
Molekule Air Pro review: features
Good range of contaminants detected
FDA Class II medical device clearance
Lack of features in the app
The Molekule Air Pro offers a greater number of features than its smaller and lower-priced companion, the Air Mini+. Not only can the Air Pro detect particle matter, but it can also identify, record, and tackle more airborne nasties, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde and benzene. The levels of VOCs, PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10 are detailed on the display on the top of the purifier and in the Molekule app.
The Molekule app allowed me to view the current air score, and switch between fan modes. These included Auto Protect, which has the option of running on Standard, or Quiet for night-time use, and manual speeds from one to five. It was pretty straightforward to keep an eye on air quality using the daily and weekly history, which is plotted onto a graph using colored lines to indicate the indoor air quality (IAQ) at that time. There are also colored rings below the graph that represent the different air scores, which note the number of minutes or hours the air quality was at that level over the time period.
(Image credit: Future)
It’s only a shame that the app settings are quite basic. With much cheaper purifiers such as the AiDot Welov P200 Pro, it’s possible to adjust display brightness, enable screen lock, and set timers and schedules without the use of third-party smart tools such as Alexa. At this price point, I expected a greater number of features. I was happy to see that there were notification settings – until I discovered that this was only to notify when the filter is nearing the end of its life. It would have been helpful to have notifications about changes in air quality, which cheaper purifiers such as the Levoit 300S provide.
One big selling point of the Molekule Air Pro, and a bit of an explanation for the sky-high cost, is the PECO-HEPA Tri-Power filter. Photo Electro Chemical Oxidation (PECO) is Molekule’s patented technology that it states can destroy viruses, bacteria, mold, allergens, VOCs, and more. This technology supposedly creates a powerful chemical reaction, which occurs when the filter is exposed to the built-in UV-A light located in the center of the Air Pro’s body, to destroy organic pollutants. This is teamed with a true HEPA filter, which is said to have a 99.97% particle-capture efficiency rate, along with a layer of carbon to help reduce odors and toxic gases.
(Image credit: Future)
The Molekule Air Pro has been granted FDA 510(k) Class II medical device clearance, which means that it’s suitable for medical purposes since it can capture 95% of particulate matter and destroy contaminants by exposing them to UV radiation. It is caveated on the Molekule website that this is when the purifier is operated in Standard Auto mode, or on at least fan speed two when using manual settings.
The Air Pro has an impressive working range, capable of purifying spaces up to 1,000 sq ft / 93 sq meters. This is the biggest range we’ve seen in all of the air purifiers we’ve tested to date.
Features score: 4 out of 5
Molekule Air Pro review: performance
Cleared odors quickly
Some app glitches
Slow but steady air purification
Setting up the Molekule Air Pro was relatively straightforward, I simply needed to unwind the power cable and plug it in, following the instructions on the Molekule app to get it connected. It took a couple of attempts to connect the purifier to the app, and then further attempts to get the purifier connected to Wi-Fi since it kept getting stuck, leading me to have to restart the app multiple times. It got there eventually, though.
It’s curious that an air purifier at this price doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity as well as Wi-Fi. The AiDot Welov P200 Pro is over $800 cheaper than the Air Pro, and yet it arrives with Bluetooth for instances where a Wi-Fi connection isn’t possible, meaning that you don’t miss out on IAQ data when you’re within range of the purifier.
I used the Air Pro for a couple of weeks, both in the office and in my bedroom at home. Its readings aligned with our air quality monitor, and it reacted quickly to changes in the office environment and at home. It was clear to see the changes in air quality when there were more people in the office, or when we were eating our lunch. Variations were also picked up by the purifier at home, with the air quality dipping when I sprayed on some perfume, for example.
(Image credit: Future)
Other than a few little niggles, the Molekule Air Pro performed well when I tested its reactions following air contamination from dry shampoo. I left the purifier on Standard Auto Protect mode to see how quickly it would detect the change in air quality, and how quickly it could clear the air. After I sprayed some dry shampoo around the Air Pro, it took a few seconds to detect the reduction in indoor air quality, causing the air score to change to Very Bad.
Unlike the Molekule Air Mini+, this change in IAQ was accurately recorded on the air quality graph in the Air Pro’s app, showing a clear spike in the level of particulate matter and VOCs within a minute. That said, it doesn’t show the reading of "very bad"; but this is likely because it was at this level for less than a minute.
A little side note: I liked how the app shows the “Top 3 offenders in your air”, which after the dry shampoo assault showed Chemicals (VOC), Microfine particles (PM1.0), and Fine particles (PM2.5).
(Image credit: Future)
The fan upped its speed gradually in response to the "very bad" air score, dropping to "bad" in less than a minute. At this point, the air quality graph in the app had a little wobble. Whenever I tried to view which contaminants were affecting the air score, the graph would revert to the "good" reading from earlier that hour, while still showing that the current air score was "bad" up above. This wasn’t the end of the world at the time, since I could view the detailed readings on the purifier itself; but this glitch wouldn’t be ideal if you were trying to view this detail away from home.
The fan didn’t speed up as high as I'd expected. Other air purifiers I’ve tested tended to go up to the max fan speed when a similar IAQ rating had been recorded. The fan speed of the Air Pro seemed to remain at a moderate level, so it took about 20 minutes for the IAQ to return a "moderate" reading; and a further half an hour for it to return to "good".
While other air purifiers I’ve tested have returned a reading of good IAQ within minutes, it’s worth remembering that while many of these cheaper models have the ability to filter VOCs, they can’t detect them, so their readings aren't as in-depth as given by the Molekule Air Pro.
(Image credit: Future)
In terms of odor control, the Air Pro did a decent job of removing the strong fragrance of the dry shampoo within 15 minutes. In the first few days of testing, I agitated an old rug in our music testing room to see how the Air Pro would respond. Its was similar to when it encountered the dry shampoo, seemingly taking a low-and-slow approach to clearing the air. As part of this test, the purifier was left on Auto Protect for a few hours, which in my opinion left an odor similar to a freshly painted room, although my colleague said it just smelt of fresher air to him. It could be the filter that gives off this odor during its first few hours, or perhaps that’s actually what our unventilated little testing room smells like once the dusty air has been handled!
Unlike the Air Mini+, I was able to sleep with the Air Pro on Standard Auto Protect mode without issue. There were no surprise increases in fan speeds that interrupted my slumber, gaining it some bonus points from me. I did find a similarity to the Air Mini+ in that when it changed from manual speed three via Standard Auto Protect to Quiet Auto Protect, it took a couple of minutes for the fan speed to reduce to a low level, despite the air score being "good".
I used a decibel meter on my iPhone 12 Pro to measure the sound level of the lowest, middle, and top fan speeds. Fan speed one gave a reading of 38dB, which is equivalent to light rain; fan speed three was 51dB, which is roughly the same volume as the noise from a refrigerator running, and the highest setting, fan speed six, was 78dB, which is as loud as a coffee grinder.
Performance score: 4 out of 5
Should I buy the Molekule Air Pro?
Buy it if...
You want an FDA-recognized air purifier The Air Pro has FDA 510(k) Class II medical device clearance, offering some added reassurance that your air quality is genuinely being improved.
You want easy-to-decipher IAQ readings Thanks to the color-coded line graph and associated timings displayed below, it’s really easy to view real-time changes to your air quality, as well as a clear timeline and summary of when the quality changed and the duration.
You want more than just particle detection The problem with budget air purifiers is they're often limited to detecting particle matter. VOCs can have a big impact on air quality; the Air Pro can detect changes to VOC levels and react accordingly. This can be better for clearing odors that cheaper purifiers might miss.
Don't buy it if...
You’re on a budget This probably goes without saying, but this air purifier is not cheap. While it does a good job and looks good for the money, it’s an awfully large investment.
You want something portable The Air Pro would work well in an open-plan living space, but it won’t be so convenient if you intend to use it in different rooms, such as your living space during the day, and the kitchen when cooking, due to its size and weight.
You have unreliable Wi-Fi For some strange reason, the Air Pro doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity. While this isn’t the end of the world, it can prove frustrating if you’re encountering Wi-Fi issues, because there’s no way to record the air quality data as the purifier can no longer communicate with the app.
Molekule Air Pro review: Also consider
Levoit Core 300S True HEPA air purifier A fraction of the price, this four-and-a-half-star-rated air purifier comes with a range of controls and features on its useful companion app. The Levoit Core 300S is perfect for smaller spaces, and it keeps you in the loop at home or away, thanks to the push notifications informing you of significant drops in air quality so you can choose to power it on or adjust the settings from wherever you may be.
Shark NeverChange Air Purifier If the capabilities of the Molekule Air Pro go above and beyond what you need, and you’d rather not pay out twice a year for pricey filters, then the Shark NeverChange may be more up your alley. With a washable DebrisDefence filter on either side, the life of the HEPA filter can be extended by up to five years, plus a replacement filter is only $89.95 / £39.99.
How I tested the Molekule Air Pro
I used the Molekule Air Pro for two weeks
I tested it in multiple environments
I observed its reaction to aerosols
I tested the Molekule Air Proin the TechRadar reviews office and music testing room, as well as in my bedroom at home.
I monitored how effectively it detected and purified airborne contaminants such as dust and dry shampoo, and how well it tackled the strong fragrance of the latter.
I left it running in my bedroom overnight to determine whether it disturbed my sleep. I tested the sound levels using a sound level meter on my phone and assessed the controls and how easy it was to change the filter.
Shark Cordless PowerDetect Clean & Empty System IP3251
The latter is the same model with an additional auto-empty base and slightly different tools, and is the version I tested for this review.
At time of publish, the PowerDetect Cordless is only available in the US, but it's due to hit UK and EU markets imminently, where the codes will be IP1251UKT / IP3251UKT.
The Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum comes with a whole host of smart detection features. It knows whether it's on a hard floor or carpet, how dirty said floor is, whether it's near the edge of a room, and whether it's going into a dark corner, and will respond accordingly by adjusting suction or brightening its headlights. New to this model is a redesigned floorhead that is designed to clean just as well on the pull-back as it does when being pushed forwards.
The PowerDetect Cordless also incorporates the most popular features from today's best Shark vacuums, including a wand that bends forward to help you get under furniture without having to stoop down. Within the wider Shark range, it's designed to combine the smarts of the Detect Pro range (which has almost all the same detection capabilities) with the outright suction power of the Stratos line, theoretically making it the best cordless vacuum for most people.
On test, I was pretty impressed. It delivered great suction, and had no issues picking up fine materials like flour, and larger ones like bits of dried dirt, cereal, leaves, and more, from both hard floor and a thick rug. All the detection features worked as advertised and meant an efficient, low-effort cleaning session. I was interested to note that it doesn't seem to be an option to use the lower-powered Eco mode on soft flooring; the vacuum automatically kicks into a higher mode. It's good but not amazing at tackling hair, and I was a little confused by the 'suction in reverse' feature that Shark has added to this model. I didn't notice any difference in performance on the reverse stroke compared to any of the other vacuums I've tested that aren't designed to do this.
Price-wise, it sits in the mid-range of the wider market, and I think the quality and features more than justify that price (similar detection features from Dyson will set you back a lot more).
The review model I tested was the version with an optional auto-empty base, where the onboard dustbin automatically empties into a larger bin when the vacuum is docked. I think it's well worth investing in this extra, because it's a great effort-saver – and it might be a particularly good choice for allergy sufferers who want to minimize potential for particles to make their way back into the air.
That's the short version; read on for my full Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum review.
Everything that came in the box for my review model (with auto-empty dock) (Image credit: Future)
List price: $429.99 or $499.99 with auto-empty base
Launched: Summer 2024
Available: US now, due in UK and EU soon
The Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum sells for $429.99, or $499.99 if you go for the version with the auto-empty base. At time of publish it's only available in the US, but an EU and UK release is due before the end of 2024. I've requested pricing info, but based on US figures, it might be around £325 / £375.
Based on TechRadar's price brackets, this is around the lower-premium / upper mid-range band (anything over $500 / £400 is counted as premium). Overall, I feel like the build quality and the features make this a well-priced vacuum. The DirtDetect system alone is well worth the investment. If you're on the fence about whether to shell out for the auto-empty base, I think the added convenience is well worth the slightly higher price.
In general, Shark vacuums are much more affordably priced than, for instance, the best Dyson vacuums on the market – the Dyson V15 Detect has similar dirt-detection features, and a list price of $749.99 / £649.99.
In terms of comparable models within the Shark range, the Shark Detect Pro Cordless costs $379.99 / £349.99. It's a bit less powerful than the PowerDetect and it doesn't have the reverse-suction feature, but otherwise the detection/auto features are similar.
Alternatively, there's the Shark Stratos Cordless, which costs $499.99 / £349.99. It doesn't have the same detection / auto features as the PowerDetect, and I found the suction comparable too, so I'm not sure why you'd opt for a Stratos over a PowerDetect.
Shark offers discounts on occasion for its products. However, at time of writing this model is new out, so you might not see it discounted except during holiday and special sales events. Till then, look to the TechRadar Shark promo codes page for a deal.
Value for money score: 4 out of 5
Shark PowerDetect Cordless specs
Shark PowerDetect Cordless review: design
Operated by button; battery and mode info provided on a screen
Bendable wand lets you effortlessly clean under furniture
Optional auto-empty base
If you’ve used a Shark cordless vacuum before, you’ll quickly realize that the PowerDetect Cordless has many of the same Shark vacuum technologies that appear on other models, with a few improvements. This cordless stick vacuum is 46.34 inches long (which is pretty tall) and has a cleaning path width of 10.19 inches.
Like most cordless vacuums, you can remove the wand and swap in another attachment for use as a handheld vacuum. In the stick vacuum configuration, the Shark Cordless PowerDetect Clean & Empty System weighs 18.48lbs.
The wand itself is unique among vacuums in that it is bendable (this is one of the most well-received Shark features, and it's included on many of its vacuums – not just the expensive ones). Click a button and it’ll bend forwards, allowing you to vacuum further under beds, couches, and other low furniture.
The radar graphic indicates the vacuum is in DirtDetect mode, while the rectangle graphic denotes battery life (Image credit: Future)
The Shark Cordless PowerDetect vacuum has a host of different detection features. The DirtDetect system can recognize hidden dirt and automatically boost the suction power in response. You can see when the floor is dirty and clean based on the colors – purple or white – that appear on the screen and around the vacuum head. With EdgeDetect, this Shark vacuum can sense edges and double the suction power along the side of the floorhead when it’s moving alongside an edge.
FloorDetect recognizes the differences between carpets and hard floors and adjusts the power depending on which one you’re vacuuming. Then there is LightDetect, which automatically increases the light on the vacuum when you clean in dark spaces (they're not as bright as you'll find on the – far more expensive – Dyson Gen5detect, though).
New to this model is 'reverse cleaning' – namely, while most vacuums just push larger debris around when the floorhead is being pulled backwards, the PowerDetect has some patented teeth that are designed to actively pull it in.
The vacuum is operated by a one-press button, and there's a trigger under the handle that lets you switch between the three modes. There's a low-powered Eco mode, high-powered Boost, and a DirtDetect, which is the one that auto-adjusts suction based on how dirty the floor is. The other 'detect' features, like EdgeDetect and LightDetect will kick in on any mode.
When the vacuum is turned on, the a circular screen shows which mode you’re in (a green leaf for Eco mode, red circle for Boost, or a radar graphic for DirtDetect), as well as a rectangular symbol noting battery life. It's not quite as clear as Dyson's version, which will literally spell out how many minutes of cleaning you have left in the mode you're currently using, but it's still useful.
The version I reviewed came with a charge base that the vacuum empties into when docked (Image credit: Future)
Tools can vary by region – my review model came with an 8-inch Crevice Tool and a Pet Multi-Tool. It's worth flagging that that there is an optional auto-empty base that I tested out. This is a new thing that Shark has been embracing lately. Dock the vacuum and the dirt from the bin will automatically be sucked into a larger chamber in the base, so you don't need to do it manually nearly so often. It also creates somewhere to store the vacuum, and charges it too.
I’ve tested a Shark vacuum before – the Shark Stratos Cordless IZ862H vacuum cleaner to be exact, so I knew roughly what to expect. I was glad to see that the design was nearly the same, though slightly better in some respects with the Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum vacuum.
This product is easy to use, no matter if you’re using it as a handheld vacuum or in its typical cordless stick form. It switches on with the single press of a button, so you don't have to worry about holding down a trigger while vacuuming. The vacuum itself is very comfortable to use. It doesn't feel heavy or unbalanced, and moves smoothly as a floor vac and is easy to maneuver as a handheld.
The one thing I noticed right away was just how tall this stick vacuum is. The wand provides a lot of length to reach high ceilings or under beds, which is nice for someone like me with 10-foot ceilings, although it could prove a bit unwieldy if you're dealing with cramped hallways, for example.
Even more importantly, the wand can bend forwards with the push of a button, which lets you reach under couches and chairs without having to lean over or squat down. Add onto the fact that the head swivels a decent amount (although it's not as maneuverable as a Dyson), and I can reach awkward spaces around my furniture without any issue.
The forward-bending wand is a favorite feature on Shark vacs (Image credit: Future)
To determine the vacuum’s performance capabilities, I ran a number of tests. I started by vacuuming my entire house which is made up of historic hardwood floors, rugs, and laminate flooring. I noticed right away that the vacuum nozzle lights up automatically when the machine is running. Those lights got brighter when I vacuumed in low light spaces, which made it easier to see dirt, dust, and debris.
My favorite aspect of this vacuum is the DirtDetect system, because it increases the suction automatically when it detects hidden dirt or debris. When this happens, the loop around the screen changes colors from white to purple (Shark claims the color is blue and not white, but I guess it could be a light gray blue). The LED lights on the vacuum head match the colors on the screen. It is assumed that when the suction power returns to normal, the floor is free of dirt.
When dirt is detected on the floor, the ring on the screen and the lights on the floorhead turn purple (Image credit: Future)
It was important for me to run a number of tests to see just how well the vacuum could pick up various items from the ground. To do this, I taped a four-by-four-foot square on my laminate floor and on one of my large, thick rugs. I sprinkled each square with flour and then used the vacuum’s lowest setting – Eco – to suck up the flour.
When it came to the laminate floor, the vacuum picked up nearly every bit of flour on a single once-over. I saw only three specks of flour remaining when I was done. I didn’t notice any difference when vacuuming forward or backward over the flour.
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The PowerDetect did a great job of clearing fine dust from laminate floor... (Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
When doing this same test on a thick rug, I realized quickly that I was not able to use Eco mode, even though I set the vacuum to that setting. The Shark vacuum recognized that I was vacuuming a rug and increased its suction automatically. There does not seem to be any way to prevent this. However, the vacuum did an even better job removing the flour from the rug in a single pass than it did on the laminate floor, as I didn’t see any flour remaining behind when I was done.
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The PowerDetect also handled chunkier debris well... (Image credit: Future)
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... although some debris did get stuck under the wheels (Image credit: Future)
Next, I crunched up breakfast cereal (Cheerios, to be precise) and sprinkled them in both squares. Whether it was laminate flooring or the rug, the vacuum did a similarly superb job, especially when I vacuumed forward. If I pulled the vacuum backwards over the grinded cheerios, some of the larger pieces got stuck behind the wheels and thus were not suctioned up until I made a forward pass. That's a little disappointing, given that being able to suck up large bits of debris on the reverse is something that Shark claims is a specific skill of this vacuum.
In general, I wasn't super impressed with this feature. It's not that it did anything negative, it's just that I didn't notice any difference in performance on the reverse stroke compared to other vacuums I've tested, including the Shark Stratos, which doesn't have this feature.
In my opinion, the suction along the edges of the floorhead are just as strong as it is along the front. In fact, when an edge is detected, you’ll notice that the headlights on that side of the vacuum grow brighter, and the suction power on that edge specifically is boosted, for a closer clean.
Like many cordless stick vacuums, it can be used as a handheld (Image credit: Future)
I didn’t notice any change in the suction capability of the vacuum when I switched it from a stick to a handheld with or without the wand attached. Two attachments were included with my review model – a Pet Multi Tool and a crevice tool. I don’t have pets, but a lot of my dark brown hair gets on my cream-colored couch. I used the Pet Multi Tool to remove my hair, and it did an average job.
I found myself scraping the hair a few times before it was suctioned into the machine. The Pet Multi Tool performed better on Boost mode. Admittedly, I’ve never tested a vacuum that could easily pull my hair off the couch, but I still wouldn't necessarily recommend it to pet owners (TechRadar's best vacuum for pet hairlist has some alternative suggestions here).
The pet hair tool was okay, but couldn't pull all the (short-ish, human) hair from my cream couch (Image credit: Future)
As for the crevice tool, I used this one quite a lot as I have a lot of furniture set in the corners of rooms. I was glad to see that the tool also has a brush. I used it to clean my baseboards and blinds with great success.
In DirtDetect mode, the vacuum has a 72-80 dB sound rating when cleaning hard floors and a 76-79 dB rating when moving over my rugs (this is due to the fact that the suction automatically increases when dirt is detected, which makes it noisier). The dB rating on Eco mode is 74 (you can’t use Eco mode on carpets, only hard floors). Boost mode has an 82 dB and 83 dB rating on hardwood and carpet respectively.
The dock has a much larger capacity dustbin (Image credit: Future)
While not everyone will necessarily need it, I was so thankful for the convenience of the auto-empty system. When I was finished vacuuming, I placed the vacuum on the station and not only did it start charging automatically, but it emptied the dust and dirt from the vacuum into a sealed container. Whenever the container is full, I can remove it and dump the dust and dirt in the trash. It would be a strong recommendation for allergy sufferers, because there are fewer opportunities for particles to escape back into the atmosphere.
If you don't have the auto-empty dock, you'll need to remove the wand first and then hit a button when the bin is placed over a trash can. Note that is it possible to store the vacuum freestanding without the dock: you can fold it over, using the bendy wand, for a more compact storage option.
If you don't go for the auto-empty base, you can manually empty the onboard bin (Image credit: Future)
Maintenance is easy enough, even if there are a few tasks that you’ll need to do about once a month, like cleaning the brushroll and checking the wand for blockages. The onboard dust cup will need to be cleaned out, and you should also check the HEPA filter on the handheld to see if it needs to be rinsed or replaced. The filter on the auto empty station should also be rinsed and dried once a month and replaced regularly too.
Lastly, you’ll need to occasionally clean the sensors – the DirtDetect system sensor is inside the dust bin of the vacuum, while the LightDetect sensor is on top of the vacuum head, and the two EdgeDetect sensors sit along the sides of it.
Performance score: 4.5 out of 5
Shark PowerDetect Cordless review: battery
4 hours to fully recharge the battery (using auto empty station)
Battery lasts 14 mins in Boost, 1hr 7 mins in Eco
Eco option not possible on carpet
One of the most impressive aspects of this vacuum is the battery life. Shark claims it'll last a maximum of 70 minutes in Eco mode, although that's in handheld mode. On test, it managed almost that long: I clocked 67 minutes, although that was with a wand attached. Anything over an hour is a really strong battery time for a cordless vacuum (assuming the suction is still decent, which is true here). However, remember that Eco mode won't work on carpets or rugs, so if you have a home with soft flooring you won't achieve these times.
When I ran the PowerDetect entirely in Boost mode, the battery lasted 14 minutes. That's actually not bad for a maximum power mode; it's only designed to be used on the toughest, ingrained dirt. If you use DirtDetect mode, runtimes will vary based on how dirty your floors are an how much suction the vacuum needs to use.
On an average clean, I found this vacuum lasted around 47 minutes, which involved me switching between the lowest and highest power settings. That'll be more than enough time to clean most homes in one go.
It took about four hours for the vacuum to completely charge. Shark doesn't provide recharge times, but a listing on Best Buy said it'd take 6 hours. I was glad to discover that charging did not actually take that long. Over time, it’ll likely take longer for the battery to charge. It’s not unusual among vacuums on the wider market to take 4-6 hours to charge.
Battery life score: 4.5 out of 5
Should you buy the Shark PowerDetect Cordless?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
How I tested the Shark PowerDetect Cordless
I tested this vacuum for over a week in my house, which has a mix of historic hardwood and laminate flooring, some of which is covered in large, thick rugs. I ran a number of tests such as using the vacuum to pick up flour and crushed Cheerios, and utilized the attachments to clean my couch of hair and dust from hard-to-reach places. I compared the results to other vacuum cleaners I've reviewed in the past. By running these tests and others, I was able to provide an in-depth review.
The PowerA OPS v3 Pro controller makes a strong case with a variety of desirable features. Those include Hall effect sticks with novel ‘quick-twist’ tech, six remappable buttons, micro switches in the face buttons and d-pad, and the brand’s patented Lumectra RGB lighting.
It’s a solid effort on paper, but there are a few things that hold the OPS v3 Pro back from becoming one of the best PC controllers out there. The gamepad simply falls short in many of its design aspects. Its remappable buttons on the rear of the controller feel awkwardly placed, and the ones at the top jut out just a little too broadly. Elsewhere, the micro switch face buttons aren’t particularly tactile, and the relatively low trigger lock sensitivity prevents the highest setting from working across most games I tested.
It’s definitely not all bad news, though, and there’s still plenty to like about the OPS v3 Pro. As ever, I’m a huge fan of PowerA’s customizable Lumectra lighting. The quick-twist thumbsticks are intuitive and a genuinely great addition, allowing you to play with taller shafts without the need to swap them out entirely. Furthermore, the clicky d-pad and bumpers are a delight, and that 30-plus hour battery life seriously impresses.
A bit of a mixed bag overall, then, but if you’re looking for a sub-$100 / £100 PC controller, the PowerA OPS v3 Pro still offers plenty of great features to offset those negatives.
(Image credit: Future)
PowerA OPS v3 Pro: Price and availability
$99.99 / £99.99 / AU$179
Cheaper than other controllers with comparable feature sets
Available at PowerA in the US and Amazon in the UK
The PowerA OPS v3 Pro launched in August 2024, and is available to purchase for $99.99 / £99.99. In the US, it can be bought directly from PowerA, whereas UK shoppers will need to rely on Amazon to secure the gamepad. In Australia, JB Hi-Fi is your best bet.
The relatively lower price point of PowerA’s controller naturally comes with some caveats, such as lesser build quality overall and a lack of polish on features like the trigger locks and textured grips. However, those looking for a competent ‘Pro’ level controller with a robust feature set will find one here.
PowerA OPS v3 Pro: Specs
(Image credit: Future)
PowerA OPS v3 Pro: Design and features
Innovative quick-twist thumbsticks
Textured grips feel quite rough
Lumectra RGB is still very impressive
There’s plenty to like about the PowerA OPS v3 Pro’s design. One of the controller’s headline features is its ‘quick-twist’ thumbsticks. This lets the player raise or lower the height of the stick’s shaft without needing to swap it out entirely. It’s a really handy solution that makes the controller a great option for folks who value no-fuss customization.
As was the case with the PowerA Enhanced Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch, the v3 Pro also features the brand’s bespoke Lumectra RGB lighting. Lumectra lets players do a few fancy things with their RGB preferences. By holding the dedicated ‘LED’ button on the rear of the gamepad, you can cycle through six different RGB zones - the d-pad, face buttons, left and right sides of the controller, and both thumbsticks) and apply different colors and patterns to each. You can be quite reserved with Lumectra, or go buck wild with various RGB flavors should you choose, and I’ve always been a fan of it because of this. Above all, it’s fun to mess around with.
(Image credit: Future)
In terms of features, you’re getting the usual ‘Pro’ controller setup. Micro switch face buttons and d-pad, Hall effect thumbsticks, six remappable buttons, three-stage trigger locks and textured grips. The rear of the gamepad has buttons dedicated to Lumectra customization and remappable button input assignment, as well as a three-way switch that lets you swap between 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, and USB-C connectivity. A 3.5mm headphone port rounds off the feature set in terms of design. It is worth noting here that the OPS v3 Pro is strictly a PC controller and won’t work on consoles. For platform-specific pads, consider browsing our guides to the best PS5 controllers or the best Xbox controllers instead.
While there is plenty to like here, the PowerA OPS v3 Pro is hampered by a few key design weaknesses. For one, the textured grips - while usually welcome on a controller like this - feel very rough to the touch. This, along with the awkward placement of those rear remappable buttons (they’re slightly misaligned with where your fingertips naturally rest) lead to a slightly uncomfortable play experience. While it doesn’t render the v3 Pro unusable, you may want to consider a more standard Xbox Wireless Controller or even a GameSir T4 Kaleid for longer gaming sessions from a comfort perspective.
While hit and miss on design aspects, then, one thing that does boost the v3 Pro’s value is the inclusion of a charging stand. Much like the 8BitDo Ultimate, the v3 Pro’s stand is incredibly convenient; simply hook it up to your PC via USB-C, magnetically attach the gamepad to the top and you’re good to go. Charge time is a little slow at 3-4 hours from empty to full, so we’d recommend an overnight charge to avoid waiting.
PowerA OPS v3 Pro: Performance
Sublime d-pad and bumpers
Top notch 30-hour battery life
Micro switch face buttons miss the mark
Much like the PowerA OPS v3 Pro’s overall design, performance has a number of hits and misses, too. The controller cannot be faulted on battery life; during my two weeks testing the controller - which included around two to three hours of gaming across most days - I never once needed to charge it. PowerA touts battery life of around 30 hours, and this appears to be accurate in my experience.
In terms of individual buttons and such, the d-pad and bumpers, powered by micro switches, are sublime. They have the perfect amount of clicky tactility and are simply a joy to use, especially with competitive games that often require rapid inputs. Games I tested that fit this criterion include Guilty Gear Strive, Final Fantasy 14 Online, and Fortnite. I found the controller to be a good fit for all three. Plus, with a 1,000Hz polling rate when wired to PC (and 500Hz via 2.4Ghz wireless), it’s fantastically responsive on its target platform.
(Image credit: Future)
Other areas of the gamepad are a bit of a letdown when it comes to overall performance. For one, while there are three stages of trigger lock, the lowest sensitivity setting (with the shortest trigger press) failed to work across all games tested. The trigger press simply didn’t register at this setting. And for the other two, there really isn’t much difference.
As a result, I think you’d be better off leaving the trigger lock settings entirely default. This is a shame, as the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro’s trigger lock settings are similar - with three distinct settings - and work beautifully on PC and console. It’s things like this that firmly cement the OPS v3 Pro as the more budget option with decidedly less polish.
Another problem area lies with the micro switch face buttons. While perfectly responsive, there’s a slight bump on the way down as you press the button. While certainly not a huge issue, it does take away much of the tactility and thus the novelty of having micro switch-based buttons.
Should I buy the PowerA OPS v3 Pro?
Buy it if...
You’re looking for a good value PC controller Controllers with this kind of feature set tend to push well above $100 / £100. The OPS v3 Pro comes in at just under that, making it relatively more affordable than its ‘Pro’ level competition.
You’re after a versatile and customizable PC controller Fully customizable Lumectra RGB, delightful quick-twist thumbsticks and half a dozen remappable buttons make for a highly versatile controller.
Don't buy it if...
A top-quality level of design is a must-have in your controllers Between awkwardly placed remappable buttons, rough textured grips and face buttons that feel slightly off, there are a lot of smaller frustrations with the OPS v3 Pro that build up to an experience that’s not as satisfying as it could be.
Also consider...
If the PowerA OPS v3 Pro isn’t quite doing it for you, we’ve got a couple of other options that we’ve tested and reviewed for your consideration below.
Razer Wolverine V3 Pro This is the absolute best premium PC and Xbox controller you can buy right now. It’s much pricier, but it makes up for all the OPS v3 Pro’s shortcomings with more satisfying tactile feedback, better build quality and compatibility with Xbox.
GameSir T4 Kaleid It’s a cheaper option and doesn’t have nearly the same number of features as the OPS v3 Pro. However, this is my favorite budget-friendly PC controller, with sublime-feeling Hall effect thumbsticks, tactile micro switch buttons and a gorgeous translucent build complete with RGB lighting.
I tested the PowerA OPS v3 Pro across a wide variety of games on PC, including some of the best fighting games like Guilty Gear Strive, Tekken 8and the newly-released Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics. Here, I found the superbly responsive d-pad and bumpers to be a perfect fit for this genre. Elsewhere, I made sure to test a wide range of titles, including Fortnite, Fall Guys, Final Fantasy 14 Online and Elden Ring.
One aspect that surprised me most about the OPS v3 Pro was its ultra-resilient battery life. During my two weeks with the gamepad, from full charge, I never once had the top up, which leads me to believe that PowerA’s estimates of 30 hours is absolutely doable here.
During my testing of the PowerA OPS v3 Pro, I integrated it into my overall gaming PC setup which includes the Razer Fujin Pro gaming chair, an AOC Gaming 24G2SP monitor and Razer BlackShark V2 X wired headset.
This model has slightly different names and product codes in different territories:
In the US:
Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop with XL HEPA Self-Empty Base RV2610WA
More basic model: Shark Matrix Self-Empty Robot Vacuum RV2310AE
In theUK:
Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum & Mop RV2620WDUK
Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Self-Empty Robot Vacuum & Mop RV2620WAUK
For this review, I tested the RV2620WAUK. There may be minor differences between different countries' models.
I’ve been testing robot vacuums for several years and, while I’ve long accepted that no robot will ever allow me to retire from manual vacuuming altogether, I’m forever hopeful one will come close! Shark has an excellent reputation in the vacuuming world, so I was cautiously optimistic when the Shark Matrix Plus Robot 2-in-1 landed on my doorstep.
Some might say the popular tech brand was late to the robot party, at least in the UK. Shark has had success with robot vacuums in the US for a while now, but only added them to its UK lineup in spring 2024. I tested the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Self-Empty, which can vacuum, mop and empty its own bin. Happy days.
As you might expect from Shark, this smart little robot packs plenty of techy features. A major highlight is its 360-degree LiDAR sensors. This light detecting and ranging technology is aimed at quickly and accurately mapping your home and navigating around obstacles and I can confirm the Shark’s works very well. It also has a special air blasting feature, which I haven’t encountered before, that blows out air to push debris away from edges and corners and into the path of the suction channel. Again, I was impressed.
Although it didn’t blow my mind, the mopping results were better than I’ve experienced from a robot in the past. Rather than just dragging a vaguely damp mop pad along the floor, the Shark Matrix Plus Plus’ mop pad oscillates as it goes (100 times a minute, allegedly), to mimic a scrubbing motion. Many people will also love that the bin unit the self-emptying vacuum discharges into doesn’t need to be emptied for 60 days. Unless you have two hairy kids and two hairy dogs that is – I didn't make it past two weeks.
I tested the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 on the ground floor of my four-bed home for a month. Although it wasn’t perfect and the app wasn’t as slick as I’m used to, I really did rate this robot, especially for those who are tight on money as well as time. I'd have no qualms about giving it a place on our best robot vacuum list. Read on for the full low down on my time testing the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 robot vacuum.
Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 specs
Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: price & availability
List price: $699.99 / £449.99
Available: US and UK
The Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 sells in the US for $699.99 on Shark’s own website. At time of writing, there are seven robots in the range, with the Matrix Plus being the third most expensive, behind two PowerDetect models that come with self-refill water reservoirs in the base and cost up to $999.99. The cheapest Shark robot you can get in the US is the Shark ION, which is just $279.99 but unappealingly basic.
There are just three robot models available in the UK, and the Matrix Plus 2-in-1 I tested boasts the most diverse spec. In the world of robot vacuuming, I’d say its £449.99 price tag is more than reasonable (even allowing for exchange rates, it’s a better deal than in the US), but you can save yourself £100 if you empty the bin manually and get the entry-level model that still mops but doesn’t self-empty. Or, if you mostly have carpets so want a robot that’s more focused on vacuuming, invest £50 more and go for the top spec Shark PowerDetect.
Whichever side of the pond you are shopping for a Shark Matrix Plus, I’d say the brand has priced it very reasonably, especially when you consider most robots that include mopping capabilities, for example iRobot’s Roomba, cost $1k plus. It’s not entirely flawless, but the Matrix Plus 2-in-1 represents excellent value in terms of build quality, features and cleaning prowess.
Value for money score: 4 out of 5
Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: design
Low-key looks
Compact base station
Tricky mop insert
The Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 won’t blow your mind with its futuristic looks or striking shape, but it won’t scare the horses either. It’s black and round with a neat little base and sat under the table in our hallway just fine. It arrived nicely packaged, with a great deal of cardboard and other eco-friendly packaging and precious little plastic.
(Image credit: Future)
Underneath, the design is also fairly innocuous, but I was a tad worried by the corner brush, which has just one brush arm, instead of the usual three-to-five I am used to seeing. The roller head had rubber fins – which tend to be good on solid floors – as well as carpet-friendly brushes, but there was only one roller, and some of the better robots I have tested have two.
(Image credit: Future)
The base station (which measures H14 x W12 x D9 inches) only caters for dirt; there’s no water reservoir. But the bin capacity is generous and it’s easy to see when it’s getting full due to the vertical strip of transparent Perspex. It also clips in and out easily, as does the filter in the other side of the base station – a large, foam creation that needs cleaning under the tap once a month. I appreciated that the base station has a plastic disc the size of the robot, which is to protect wood floors from getting soggy when the mop attachment is in place.
(Image credit: Future)
On the top of the Shark Matrix Plus are just two buttons, one to power on/off and the other to start/stop, everything else is done by the app, which I will cover in depth lower down this review.
(Image credit: Future)
Design score: 4 out of 5
Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: app
Good mapping skills
Scheduling and spot cleaning
No multi-maps
To get started, I just had to pop on the side brush, plug in the base (then charge the robot for six hours) and download and connect the app. Do make sure you only connect it to a 2.4 GHz wi-fi network, I wasted about half an hour trying to connect it to my 5 GHz but that was my fault for not reading the instructions. In my defense, the instructions that come with the Shark Matrix Plus are not particularly enlightening, but are enough to get you set up (if you read them properly).
(Image credit: Future)
Compared to other robots I have tested, the SharkClean app is pretty basic and rather annoying. Hopefully there will be upgrades as Shark gets its head around robot life. It is basic in that it doesn’t allow you to schedule specific rooms or more than one clean per day, it doesn’t let you choose how the robot cleans (perimeter-first works best for our pet-filled home), and you can’t change the power levels once it’s working.
The annoyances generally iron out, but they can be frustrating. Mainly I found it slow to connect, which is annoying when you’ve decided to pop a clean going before you jump in the car. The cleaning reports didn’t always record/save, and I found it hard to move between actions. For example, if it was returning to base, I couldn’t get the app to show me the maps so I could plan the next job. Sometimes the map disappeared completely, or the app froze, and once or twice it wouldn’t acknowledge that we had a robot in the house at all!
The other downer that didn’t bother me, but might you, is that it will only map one floor. I am happy to use my cordless vacuum upstairs (where it lives) and have never been one for carrying robots up and down levels but if you want to use the robot on multiple floors, you’ll only be able to map one of them.
It's not all bad news though. The actual map the Shark Matrix Plus created was perfect first time and was created really quickly – in less than 10 minutes. I also found it very easy to add rooms, as well as rugs (to prevent wet carpets in mopping mode) and create a schedule for each day (to coincide with the school run).
App score: 3 out of 5
Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: performance
Good at corners and edges
Quieter than advertised
Mopping a bit basic
Using in vacuum mode
The Shark Matrix Plus comes with the regular vacuum cleaning insert installed, which has a small bin and filter inside and automatically empties its payload back at the mother base. I needn’t have worried about the measly single-arm corner brush, as it did an excellent job of getting dog dander and dust bunnies out from along the skirting boards and corners of cabinets etc.
(Image credit: Future)
Shallow enough to get under all our freestanding furniture, including the sofas and the kitchen kickboards, the Shark Matrix Plus also had no problem climbing onto chunky rugs or over the wooden thresholds between rooms, many of which have thwarted less agile robots.
Being largely open view with level flooring throughout the ground floor, our home is the perfect setup for robotic cleaning. But I was also hugely relieved to discover the Shark Matrix Plus could hoist itself over the legs of the lounge chairs in our kitchen, which have grounded every other robot I’ve ever hosted. This meant I’d have to lift the heavy chairs onto the sofa out of the way or go and rescue the robot and restart it mid-clean. I was delighted the Shark Matrix Plus glided over them with barely a grunt.
(Image credit: Future)
Another genius benefit of the Shark Matrix Plus is its ‘Matrix’ cleaning system, which essentially means it cleans back and forth and then up and down, in a grid-like pattern. The difference between that and a simple back and forth clean was significant. You can only use Matrix if you’re doing one room, presumably because it takes more time and power, but I liked to use it on the living room because that’s our only carpeted room and the results were much better.
You can also Matrix Clean a 5’ x 5’ area without the app, which is great for random spills. You need to carry the robot to the spot, then press and hold the start button for five-to-seven seconds until it says, ‘starting spot clean’.
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I used this spot cleaning function to test the Shark Matrix Plus on an area of flour and oats. As you can see from the photo gallery above, the results were average. It cleared most of the flour, except in the grooves between the wood planks, and left just a few crumbs of oats. I still had to get out my cordless to finish the job, and I only used the low power setting to get the flour out of the grooves, suggesting that my cordless is better than the Shark Matrix Plus, even on its lowest power setting. Annoyingly, there was quite a lot of flour and oats left around the base station when it returned to empty the bin, and I had to get the cordless to clear that up, too.
(Image credit: Future)
As I work from home, I really appreciated how quiet the Shark Matrix Plus was, my decibel meter recorded just 46 dB in the low power mode, which is the one I mostly used on our hard flooring. This is similar to the sound of bird calls or in a library and was much lower than Shark’s official rating, which presumably has to include the bin emptying sound level. Being so quiet meant I could have it running around in the background when working, except during Zoom meetings, without feeling distracted or annoyed. It is indeed much louder when emptying the bin into the base station, but it’s very short-lived.
On the point of bins, I did love having the extra capacity of the base station as my usual robot requires daily emptying. However, it fell far short of the 60-day emptying schedule advertised – I found two weeks was about the longest I could leave it.
Our carpets and rugs are all low pile (upstairs, too), so I can’t tell you how well the Shark Matrix Plus might manage on a thick pile rug, but it did well on our wool carpet in the living room and the jute rug in the kitchen. I mean, it’s hard to say how deep down the clean was, but I didn’t feel the need to get another vacuum out afterwards.
(Image credit: Future)
Using in mop mode
Before mopping, I first had to add rug zones to my map, so it didn’t soak the rugs or carpets. This was pretty easy to do, until it got to the exploration run, which you’re meant to do to make sure you have got the rug placements right. The Shark Matrix Plus wandered close to where I’d marked the kitchen rug, and then went a bit mad, zig-zagging all over it. I decided I didn’t have the patience to worry about it and sent it back to base.
(Image credit: Future)
Once the module is in, the Shark Matrix Plus automatically recognizes it is mopping and – this bit is amazing – it will vacuum and mop at the same time. I’ve only tested one robot vacuum that claimed to mop and was disappointed to discover that it really couldn’t. That other model barely made my floors damp, let alone cleaning them, and because it had to go round and vacuum first, it also took a lifetime to do a terrible job.
By contrast, the Shark Matrix Plus did a much more thorough job and you could see trail marks where it had been, which showed decent coverage. The pad oscillates over the surface, which presumably picks up more dirt than just sliding along. The mop pad was reassuringly dirty when it was done, too. As most of our ground floors are real engineered wood flooring, I also appreciated that the Shark Matrix Plus didn’t flood them in water as that would almost certainly damage them. Oh, and it also managed to find, and skip past, the rugs.
(Image credit: Future)
In truth, the results didn’t compare with what can be achieved with an actual mop, and it didn’t get very close into the corners or skirtings, but it was good enough for a mid-week freshen up before getting the mop and bucket out on Saturday morning.
Performance score: 4 out of 5
Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: battery life
Plenty of power
Charges quickly
The battery life ranges from about 85-110 minutes, depending on what power mode you have it on. This isn't anything to rave about, but it only needed one quick recharge when covering our ground floor in max power, which took around 131 minutes (including charging time) to do all six rooms and the hallway (which the Shark app says is 112sq m worth of cleaning). Once recharged, it would return to the spot it left off and merrily resume cleaning.
The official Shark stats say the battery takes six hours to fully recharge, but I found it only took about three so perhaps it wasn’t completely empty whenever it went back to base. Either way, I had no complaints about the battery life.
Battery score: 5 out of 5
Should you buy the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1?
Buy it if…
You hate emptying bins
As I own a robot that requires emptying every single day, I can assure you that you need a self-emptying base station.
You have hairy housemates
The roller is anti-hair-trapping and it works well. There were a few hairs around the middle after a month’s testing but nothing like what I’m used to seeing wrapped around my robot’s rollers. It also has proper HEPA dust filtration.
You want zero drama
Of all the robots I have tried, this was the least needy. It never once got stuck or lost, nor sent me a distress message to say it had ‘fallen off a cliff’ (when in reality it was just straddling the doormat).
Don’t buy it if…
Tech stresses you out
The app is glitchy and unreliable and not terribly informative, either. There may have been swearing…
You want to clean upstairs, too
The mapping currently only covers one floor level, so choose wisely.
You’re OCD about dirt
Like most (possibly all) robots, the suction power isn’t comparable to manually operated vacuum cleaners – use it for daily maintenance cleaning, then do a ‘proper’ vacuum on the weekend.
Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: also consider
Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1
The Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 and Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 are both powerful robot vacuums with mopping capabilities, but they differ in key areas. The AI Ultra excels in smart navigation and AI-powered obstacle avoidance, while the Matrix Plus offers a better clean thanks to its multi-surface brushroll and Matrix Clean
The Narwal Freo X Ultra and Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 both offer advanced vacuuming and mopping, but they've very differently priced. For the extra loot, the Narwal Freo X Ultra offers self-cleaning mop pads and autonomous water management, ideal for hands-free maintenance.
I vacuumed carpets and vacuumed and mopped hard floors
I recorded the sound levels using a Decibel Meter App
I used the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 to clean the ground floor of our four-bed, Victorian family home for a month, using it every day on all our downstairs floors, which include terracotta and porcelain tiles, engineered timber, wool carpet and three rugs. The total area is around 120sq m.
I checked out every feature on the app, and did Spot cleans, Matrix cleans and mopping runs. I liked being able to pick specific rooms, so I could just get the main kitchen and hallway done quickly, but mostly I scheduled the robot to work while I was out of the house, so I could arrive home to nice clean floors throughout.
During testing, I used the decibel meter on my iPhone to monitor noise levels and conducted a test to see how the vacuum coped with flour and oats on hard flooring.
As part of my job as a journalist specialising in kitchens and bathrooms, I’ve been reviewing vacuum cleaners for publication both online and in print for several years now. I’ve tested lots of robot vacuums, and currently own an Anker by Eufy Hybrid X8, which I like well enough, but I liked the Shark Matrix Plus more.
Honor already offered the world’s slimmest folding phone with its impressively sleek Honor Magic V2, but rather than resting on its laurels, the brand is back with an even skinnier book-style foldable: the Honor Magic V3.
It's hard to overstate just how slim this phone is – the rear section barely has enough room for its USB-C port. You could easily mistake the Magic V3 for a non-foldable device, and plenty of candy bar phones are actually thicker than Honor’s latest foldable (indeed, the Magic V3 is almost as thin as the iPhone 15 Pro Max).
Of course, dimensions are only one part of the puzzle, and with premium pricing, you want performance to match. On that front, Honor has stuffed the latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor into the Magic V3, along with 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a sizable 5,150mAh battery.
Of course, in 2024, there's more competition than ever in the foldable space. Google, Samsung, OnePlus, and Vivo all offer very compelling options, but the Honor Magic V3 still has one of the most stacked spec sheets around, as well as wider availability than much of its Chinese competition.
However, it's not perfect. Despite having a large battery pack, the Magic V3's longevity failed to impress. It's serviceable, but even with all the extra milliamp hours, it doesn't seem to last any longer than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. On the flip side, it charges a lot quicker, which makes it easier to live with.
Then there's the software, which takes a very different approach to Android with many iOS-inspired choices. It definitely won't be for everyone, and multitasking could use some work, but there are a lot of cool features built-in, and I have grown quite fond of it.
On the whole, I've loved living with the Honor Magic V3. If you're keen on a big screen foldable, but find their typical size and weight off-putting, this is the device for you. It's a real feat of engineering that feels premium through and through.
Honor Magic V3 review: price and availability
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The Magic V3 in its protective vegan leather case (Image credit: Future / Luke Baker)
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The Magic V3 in its protective vegan leather case (Image credit: Future / Luke Baker)
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The Magic V3 in its protective vegan leather case (Image credit: Future / Luke Baker)
Costs £1,699
Available in the UK and Europe; no release for the US or Australia
Honor Magic V3 was originally launched in China on July 12, 2024, before being released globally at IFA 2024 on September 5. It's now available to pre-order in most regions across the world, but as usual, that list excludes the United States.
In the UK, it costs £1,699 and is available in Tundra Green, Velvet Black and Red color options. There's also a Snow (white) version with a unique textured rear panel, but that one's only available in China.
Honor Magic V3 review: specs
Here’s a look at the Honor Magic V3’s key specs:
Honor Magic V3 review: design
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The slimmest foldable so far
Velvety-feeling matte glass back
IPX8 water resistant
The most striking thing about the Honor Magic V3's design is how slim it is. The phone measures just 9.2mm thick when folded, which is almost 3mm slimmer than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 – Samsung's slimmest foldable to date. It's also one of the lightest large-format foldables around, tipping the scales at just 226g. For reference, that's a couple of grams lighter than Honor's own non-folding flagship, the Honor Magic 6 Pro.
Combine these dimensions with some smooth curved edges, and you have a device that feels impossibly thin. It's especially apparent when unfolded, as there's barely room for the USB-C port on the phone's 4.35mm frame.
Unlike some of the competition, the Magic V3's cover display has fairly typical smartphone dimensions, and this makes it feel very natural to use folded down. It's one of the only foldables that I’ve repeatedly mistaken for one of my non-folding phones; the dimensions are so similar that it's easy to get confused at a glance.
While the phone remains slim elsewhere, there's a very sizable centrally-placed camera bump on the rear. It effectively doubles the thickness of the phone in that specific area. However, it does so for good reason, as there are some serious sensors on this device.
The camera island is a circular number finished with black glass, and it has a smooth octagonal aluminum bezel around its perimeter. I'm a big fan of the positioning, as it gives me a nice shelf to rest more of my forefinger on when I'm holding the phone one-handed.
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The Magic V2 (left) and Magic V3 (right) (Image credit: Future / Luke Baker)
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The Magic V2 (left) and Magic V3 (right) (Image credit: Future / Luke Baker)
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The Magic V2 (left) and Magic V3 (right) (Image credit: Future / Luke Baker)
The volume rocker and power button are placed on opposite sides of the phone when unfolded, and this means that they're staggered by a few millimeters when the phone is shut. It didn't bother me when I was using the cover display, but it takes some getting used to when it's unfolded, as most other foldables place these buttons on the same side. It's easy enough to adapt to, and if you're coming from the Honor Magic V2, you're all set, as they're in the exact same place.
The global version of the V3 comes in three color options, and I've had hands-on time with the black and green variants. Both of these versions have a similar velvety-feeling matte finish on the rear glass and dark gray metallic accents around the camera and frame. If you opt for the red model, you'll get a faux leather rear and golden accents; it's easily the flashiest of the bunch.
There's a very nice vegan leather case included in the box, and it comes in a matching hue. It's the kind of case you'd expect to pay a premium for; it feels luxurious, and it's well-designed. This case is more protective than most, too. There's a section that protects the hinge, a thick metal ring to keep the lenses safe and even an adhesive bumper to protect the front section.
The metal ring that surrounds the cameras can be folded out and doubles up as a kickstand; it's a very smart design. It's not always the most sturdy stand, depending on the angle you choose, but the subtlety makes up for it and it's certainly better than having no kickstand. I also found myself flicking it out and using it like a pop socket on occasion – I'm not sure if that's an intended use, but it works fairly well for one-handed use of the Magic V3’s main display.
Design score: 5 / 5
Honor Magic V3 review: display
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6.43-inch 120Hz OLED cover display
7.92-inch 120Hz foldable main display
5000-nit cover display, 1800-nit main display
If you're looking at foldable phones, then you obviously care about displays, and Honor aims to impress with both of the panels on the Magic V3.
On the outside, there's a 6.43-inch OLED display with a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate and an ample 1060 x 2376 resolution. It's an extremely bright display, able to output up to 5000 nits at peak, and it's protected by Honor's super tough NanoCrystal 2.0 glass tech. I've been daily driving the Honor Magic 6 Pro for a while now, which has a similar coating, and I've been impressed by the lack of scratches despite using it without a protector. Hopefully, the Magic V3 fares just as well in the long term.
Honor reckons its glass is up to 40 times more impact-resistant than the glass on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. I didn't fancy whacking it with a hammer, though, so I'll just have to take the company’s word for it.
The glass has symmetrical, subtly curved edges on three sides, and slightly less of a curve on the hinge side. The curves are small enough to avoid creating distracting reflections, but they still make gesture controls feel super smooth; it's a great middle ground.
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Opening the device up, you're greeted with a spacious 7.92-inch foldable display and one of the shallowest creases I've seen on a phone like this. It's still present, of course, but it's miles ahead of the groove that runs through the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6’s display, and the far less glossy screen protector serves to hide it even more. This protector is supposedly tougher, too – Honor says it's up to five times more scratch-resistant than previous versions.
The foldable display also boasts a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate and has a resolution of 2156 x 2344 pixels. It's not as bright as the outer display, maxing out at just 1800 nits, but I never had trouble seeing it, even outside on bright sunny days.
The only thing that I don't love about the main display on the Magic V3 is the positioning of the selfie camera cutout. It matches the outer screen and is centrally placed on the right-hand side of the display. This means that when you're watching letterboxed 16:9 content, the selfie camera will often cut into the image. I still prefer it over Samsung's distracting under-display unit, but I wish it was positioned in the corner, as on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Both screens look excellent in use with vibrant, accurate colors and smooth motion. Watching HDR content on Netflix and YouTube really lets the panels show what they're made of, with dazzling highlights and tons of shadow detail.
If you're concerned about eye health, Honor has arguably done more in this department than any other brand. For starters, this phone has some of the highest PWM dimming rates of any foldable phone, with 3840Hz supported on the inside and 4320Hz on the outside. Then, there are all the usual low blue light and adaptive brightness features, plus a brand new feature called AI Defocus Display.
To be completely honest, this feature is a little beyond my understanding, but it uses AI to simulate a myopic defocus lens. The goal is to reduce eye strain when using the display for long periods. As someone who stares at screens all day anyway, I didn't notice a huge difference, but it's probably a good thing in the long term.
Display score: 5 / 5
Honor Magic V3 review: cameras
(Image credit: Future / Luke Baker)
50MP main (f/1.6)
50MP 3.5x telephoto (f/3.0)
40MP ultra-wide with PDAF (f/2.2)
As the chunky camera bump suggests, the Honor Magic V3 has some impressive imaging hardware on the inside. There's a 50MP main snapper with a wide f/1.6 aperture and a 1/1.56-inch sensor, a 50MP 3.5x telephoto, and a 40MP ultrawide with macro capabilities.
Each screen gets its own 20MP f/2.2 punch-hole selfie camera, but since this is a foldable phone, you can easily use the rear trio for selfie snaps as well.
The Honor Magic V3 produces poppy sharp images with vibrant colors and excellent dynamic range. It finds focus quickly, and just like the Magic 6 Pro, it's great at freezing motion for action shots in the daytime. At night, the phone continues to impress with its sharp visuals and wide dynamic range, but motion blur and noise become more of an issue, particularly when using the ultra-wide.
The main camera produces the cleanest shots, especially in the dark, but I found myself using the 3.5x telephoto just as much, if not more. It's roughly equivalent to a 90mm lens on a full-frame camera, and it's a great focal length for portraiture and street photography.
You can digitally zoom all the way up to 100x in the camera app, but you shouldn't, as your images will look like an AI-generated mess if you do. Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised by the results up to around 15-20x zoom, where you can capture very usable images.
The ultra-wide isn't quite as sharp as the other lenses, but it's a useful focal length for architecture, landscapes, and group shots. I was pleased to see that it has autofocus, as well as macro shooting capabilities, which makes it all the more useful – take notes, Samsung.
The selfie cameras are decent but unremarkable. You get an identical unit on both displays and they're great for video calls and casual snaps, but if you're looking to impress, it's well worth flipping the phone around and using one of the rear lenses.
That becomes even more true when you activate the new Studio Harcourt portrait mode, which only works on the rear lenses. This is a feature that was introduced with the Honor 200 Pro recently, and the results are just as impressive here. The big difference is that it's easy to use these effects for selfies, thanks to the folding form factor.
Honor has also added a new AI eraser to the suite of editing tools, so you can easily remove unwanted items or people from your photos. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it works well.
When it comes to video, you can shoot at up to 4K 60fps on every rear camera, and up to 4K 30fps on the selfie cameras. The stabilization is solid and the microphones sound decent but the videos are a little more contrasty than I'd like as standard. Thankfully, this is easily remedied by applying one of the built-in filters, and if you switch to Pro Video mode, you can even add your own LUT.
Camera score: 4 / 5
Honor Magic V3 camera samples
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Honor Magic V3 review: performance and software
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Zenless Zone Zero on the Magic V3 (Image credit: Future / Luke Baker)
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Zenless Zone Zero on the Magic V3 (Image credit: Future / Luke Baker)
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset
16GB RAM and 512GB storage
Magic OS 8.0, based on Android 14
The Honor Magic V3 is powered by Qualcomm’s top-performing chip in 2024, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and it's paired with a generous 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
Unsurprisingly, this results in zippy performance in all situations and it games like a champ, too. I put a few hours into my current favorite timesink, the graphically challenging Zenless Zone Zero, and it happily ran at max settings with very few frame drops.
After a while, the phone does get pretty hot to the touch, but that’s to be expected with such a powerful chip in a slim chassis. On the plus side, it never became concerningly warm, and performance didn't seem to take too much of a hit, either.
The Magic V3 runs the same software as Honor’s other recent devices, MagicOS 8.0. It's a heavily modified version of Android 14 that takes a lot of inspiration from iOS, and it's guaranteed to divide opinion.
I’ve spent a lot of time using Honor phones lately, and though it took a while to adapt, I have grown quite fond of MagicOS. I particularly like Honor's Dynamic Island clone, Magic Capsule, as it gives you quick access to timers and playback controls no matter what you have running in the foreground.
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Magic Portal on the Magic V3 (Image credit: Future / Luke Baker)
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Magic Capsule on the Magic V3 (Image credit: Future / Luke Baker)
Another standout feature is Magic Portal, which lets you drag images and text from one app to another, as a contextually aware menu pops up at the side of the display. I mainly use it to quickly reverse image search with Google and drag addresses into Google Maps, but it can do a lot more than that, as there are now over 150 apps that support Magic Portal.
Honor is continually adding more AI-powered features to Magic OS, too. It can now reduce background noise on your voice calls in both directions, live translate text and audio using Google's Cloud AI, and soon, it'll be able to detect deepfakes in video calls to protect you from scammers.
Since this is a large-screen foldable, multitasking is quite important, and I feel like Honor could have done more with the Magic V3. You get a quick-access taskbar, and you can split the display or use floating windows, but there's not a whole lot added compared to default Android options.
Comparatively, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a much more intuitive layout, while the OnePlus Open stands out with its awesome Open Canvas mode. The Magic V3 is perfectly capable of multitasking, but it could be so much better.
Performance & software score: 4 / 5
Honor Magic V3 review: battery
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5,150mAh silicon-carbon battery
66W wired charging
50W wireless charging
The Honor Magic V3 uses silicon-carbon tech to cram a sizable 5,150 mAh battery into its tiny chassis, and it also uses AI-based battery enhancements to increase efficiency. These two factors gave me high hopes about this device's stamina, but the reality was slightly more underwhelming.
The phone never failed to make it to the end of the day, but it would often cut it fine. Generally speaking, I found the battery performance to be quite similar to that of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, with its comparatively small 4,400 mAh pack. In fairness, the majority of my testing was done on pre-release firmware; there's every chance battery life could improve as updates roll out.
Where this phone does have the edge, though, is with its charging speed. The Magic V3 charges at up to 66W with a wire or 50W using Honor's Wireless SuperCharger. Yep, that's double the Galaxy Z Fold 6's wired charging speed without needing to plug in – impressive stuff.
I found I was able to go from flat to fully charged in under an hour, which makes keeping this device topped up very convenient. What's more, the 66W wall adapter comes included in the box, so you can enjoy the top speeds from day one. Nice work, Honor.
Battery score: 3 / 5
Should you buy the Honor Magic V3?
Buy it if...
You want the slimmest, lightest book-style foldable Simply put, if you're looking for a skinny book-style foldable, they don't come slimmer than this. Plus, there's the fact that the Magic V3 is lighter than some of its non-folding competition. It's a big-screen delight without the usual drawbacks.
You don't want to compromise on cameras Surprisingly, despite having such a slim frame, there's no compromise in the imaging department. An array of speedy cameras with relatively large sensors keeps you well-equipped for all kinds of photography.
You hate the crease Of course, creases are inevitable with folding displays, but the Magic V3 has one of the shallowest and least noticeable creases of the current crop. It's easy to forget about, which is exactly what you want.
Don't buy it if...
You need ultra-long battery life The Magic V3 may boast a relatively large capacity battery, but in practice, it's less impressive. It should still get you through the day, but it doesn't have the stamina of some rivals.
You want a vanilla Android experience Magic OS 8.0 is a heavily modified Android skin that starts to resemble iOS more than stock Android. It's not a bad system, but it's certainly not for everyone.
Honor Magic V3 review: Also consider
The Honor Magic V3 is a powerful large-format foldable with speedy performance and impressive displays, but there's plenty to be said for its competition, too.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
If Honor's Magic OS 8.0 software sounds a bit too Apple-influenced for your tastes, then consider the antithesis, Google's Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which has the most Android-y Android software available. It also boasts a bigger main display and a fetching flat-sided design.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Samsung's latest foldable goes all in on AI features, and while Honor has some tricks of its own, it can't come close to matching Samsung's comprehensive suite of tools. You'll have to be OK with a smaller cover screen and a pretty significant screen crease, though.
Testing included: everyday use including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
Tools used: Geekbench 6, 3DMark, GFXBench, native Android stats, included charger and Honor Wireless SuperCharge stand
I used the Honor Magic V3 as my main handset for around two weeks before reaching any conclusions. I used it exactly as I would use any other phone, taking lots of pictures, gaming, messaging, working, streaming video and navigating with Google Maps. It even accompanied me on an international flight.
I also compared my experience of playing graphically demanding games like Zenless Zone Zero, GenshinImpact, and PUBG Mobile to my experience with other Android foldables like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Vivo X Fold 3 Pro. To confirm my findings, I ran a suite of benchmarks on the handset including 3DMark, GFXbench and Geekbench to compare stats across models.
Battery performance was assessed based on my real-world usage and charging times were measured using the included wall adapter and cable. I also tested the wireless charging using Honor’s Wireless 100W SuperCharge stand.
The Eureka J20 provides the next generation of mopping technology thanks to its RollRenew mopping system. This is one of the best mopping solutions I’ve seen on any robot vacuum. It achieves superior performance by not only mounting the mop pad onto a roller but also spraying fresh water onto it as it rotates around. This helps to ensure the mop is always cleaning the floor with a clean pad. This leaves oscillating mopping solutions in its wake and seems likely to become become the go-to option for customers prepared to pay a premium for the best robot vacuum.
As well as excellent mopping capabilities, the J20 is also very capable when it comes to vacuuming. My tests with crushed digestives biscuits, flour, and oats were adequately dealt with when I increased the suction power to either Turbo or Super Strong. There were times when I needed to carry out a small follow-up sweep, but this was only on larger and more stubborn debris. All in all, the vacuuming performance of the J20 is up there with the best.
LiDAR mapping and AI obstacle detection performed incredibly well, leading to an accurate and reliable map of our house. It handled table legs and other furniture with ease, although this did add to the amount of time required to map the space. Eureka’s app is equally good, with outstanding mapping technology and customizable cleaning schedules.
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The robot vacuum is only half the story, though. The J20 is backed up by an impressive base station that fulfils a range of duties, including charging, self-emptying, and refilling the vacuum water tank. It carries all of these out with very little fuss; all you have to concern yourself with is making sure the base station is filled up with water and the debris receptacle is emptied every so often. The station is a little on the large side, however, so you’ll want to make sure you have enough room for it before investing in this product.
The design of every part of the vacuum and base station is well considered and perfectly engineered. Premium materials are found throughout, helping not only to improve the user experience but also increase the longevity of the device.
There’s little not to love about the J20. This is a premium robot vacuum solution that delivers great vacuuming and mopping performance. The €1,399 price point will put a lot of people off but if you have the money to cover the investment, there aren’t many better alternatives on the market.
Price EU $1,399 / $1,399 (equivalent to £1,100 / AU$2,075)
Available in Europe, US and Australia launches to follow, no launch date for UK
At the time of writing the Eureka J20 is available in four European countries: Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. The €1,399 price tag puts it at the higher end of robot vacuum cleaners and TechRadar's premium price bracket, but that's reflected in the feature set. Robot vacuums do tend to attract discounts around major shopping events like the Black Friday sales, though, so there's a chance you might be able to avoid paying that full list price.
In North America the J20 will be available on eureka.com with a retail price of $1,399, although during the US launch period there will be a $300 coupon, making the final price $1,099. An Australian launch is expected but there's no word on pricing, and so far there's no mention of a UK launch from Eureka.
Value score: 4 out of 5
Eureka J20 robot vacuum specs
Eureka J20 robot vacuum review: design & features
8,000 PA vacuum
RollRenew mopping system
Bagless self-emptying base station
The Eureka J20 vacuum and base station are relatively compact, especially considering the overall functionality and number of features. That doesn’t mean it’s particularly small, though. With dimensions of 423 x 462 x 452.5mm, you’ll need a fairly good amount of space to keep it out of the way. I was fortunate to have a space in my utility room that meant it wasn’t in the way of foot traffic. If you’re tight on space and have a small hallway or kitchen, you’ll need to look for a smaller unit.
Everything was safely packaged, guaranteeing nothing was harmed in transit. After unboxing everything, I plugged the base station in, placed the robot inside, and waited for it to be fully charged. The robot connects to the charging point through two metal plates, which automatically line up without any requirement for human intervention.
In the meantime, I downloaded the Eureka app, which is essential for use as well as for maximizing all the features. Connecting the robot to the app was a breeze, and my phone was able to find it with no problems at all.
While the robot is off mapping your house, the app displays all the progress in a simple and straightforward floor map. It is only after mapping the whole space that rooms can be labelled and zones specified. All in all, the app is incredibly intuitive and easy to navigate. If you’ve never owned a robot vacuum before, then controlling it from a phone will take a bit of getting used to, but you’ll soon get the hang of it.
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All parts look and feel premium, helping to ensure durability when moving around the house. The reality is that at times it might have to interact with children or pets, but there are no concerns that the J20 won’t be able to withstand the test. The units are made from powder-coated dark grey plastic, helping to hide any scuffs and marks that will inevitably come their way. All parts of the robot and base station are easy to wipe clean.
The robot itself is fairly simple in design, with two buttons located on the top of the unit. One is for sending the robot back to its base station for charging, while the other starts and pauses the cleaning process. The same two buttons are also located on the base station for ease of access.
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Underneath the robot is where all the magic happens. Sensors and brushes help to keep the robot on track as well as pick up dirt. The mop assembly is the crowning feature of the vacuum. Engineering it onto a belt means the mop pad stays cleaner for longer and that fresh water is regularly applied to the surface being cleaned. This sets it apart from a lot of traditional robot vacuums that only vibrate a mop pad across the surface.
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One of the best things about the base station design is how easy it is to remove and insert the various tanks, including the clean water and waste water tanks. These fit seamlessly into the casing and are super easy to fill up/empty.
Design score: 4 out of 5
Eureka J20 robot vacuum review: performance
Great vacuuming capabilities
Roller mop picks up spills nicely
Fantastic mapping technology
The biggest evolution for Eureka and for the industry as a whole is the proprietary RollRenew mopping system. This did a fantastic job of cleaning up spills, as long as you got the vacuum to work on them pretty quickly; if it was left for a while, the J20 found it harder to take care of them in the time it was gliding over them. More water would have helped but that’s not usually desired, especially on real-wood floors. The J20 performed better than the Eureka E10s, thanks to the roller mop functionality.
Moving onto vacuuming, my tests involved sprinkling a mix of crushed digestives and flour, as well as oats, onto my carpet and hard floor before seeing how the Eureka J20 performed on its Quiet, Standard, Turbo, and Super Strong suction strengths. The lower settings didn't pick up anywhere near enough debris to make them worthwhile, either on carpet or hard floors.
The Turbo and Super Strong settings were much more capable of picking up the flour and biscuits to a satisfactory standard, although you’ll have to be prepared to put up with nearly 70dB of noise while it’s happening.
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After testing the core elements of vacuuming and mopping, I turned my attention to the amount of noise the device was making. This is important because the quieter the vacuum, the more likely users are going to be able to utilize it at the end of each day without the fear of interrupting a quiet night in.
The audio volume of the J20 increases from 60dB on its lowest suction to 70dB on its highest. This is comparable with Eureka’s other models, such as the E10s, which had an almost identical audio range. The audio levels are not particularly comfortable, especially if you’re trying to relax at the same time. I prefer to put the robot to work either while I’m out during the day or when I’m doing other jobs.
After performing a clean, the J20 will return to its base station and empty its contents. The advertised capacity of the base station receptacle is 75 days, a length of time that is obviously dependent upon your home and how much dirt needs cleaning. In reality, it will need emptying as regularly as any standard upright vacuum would.
(Image credit: Future)
Eureka has always done a fantastic job of integrating state-of-the-art mapping and navigation technology into its robot vacuums. The same is true for its J20 model. Despite taking a while to map out our home and making a number of wrong turns in the process, the resulting map was incredibly accurate. Our rooms have a lot of table legs, which I thought would confuse the robot, but instead it gradually and methodically worked its way around.
The overall performance of the J20 among the best I have ever seen. It effectively picks up dirt, mops up spills, and requires very little human intervention to finish cleaning tasks.
Performance score: 4.5 out of 5
Eureka J20 robot vacuum review: app
Intuitive to use
Specific room and zone mapping
Ability to schedule cleans
Eureka has managed to create an app that is not only remarkably easy to use but also offers a lot of functionality. Having used the app with the Eureka E10s, I continued to be impressed by all that the app offers.
Downloading and installing the app was an absolute breeze. After connecting the vacuum, I proceeded to carry out an initial mapping of the space. The vacuum and app linked seamlessly to provide a usable scan of the house, including a map of scanned rooms. Each of these can be labelled for easier navigation and customization as well as the ability to set no-go or no-mop zones, perfect for carpeted floors.
(Image credit: Future)
Eureka provides a number of different ways to get your space cleaned. The first is to select specific rooms on the map and hit the clean button. This is ideal if you know you have mess in a set number of rooms but don’t want to carry out a full clean. Alternatively, zones can be specified, which is perfect for cleaning those high-use areas.
By far the easiest and most hassle-free option is to set up scheduled cleans and let the vacuum just crack on with doing what it does best. The app lets you specify a time, a repeat schedule, and a number of cleaning cycles. Each scheduled clean can also include the rooms that you want cleaned.
I found all of these features to be incredibly easy to use but I would understand if someone less tech-savvy needed a little bit of help getting everything set up. There were also occasions when troubleshooting was required and if you weren’t able to work through these problems yourself, then I could see how it could become a little frustrating.
App score: 4.5 out of 5
Eureka J20 robot vacuum review: battery life
Battery lasts up to three hours
Takes around three to four hours to recharge
The 6,400mAh battery is advertised as lasting 180 minutes. This running time is only remotely achievable when used with the lowest level of suction power. You can expect this to reduce by as much as half when using the highest power setting.
Given the fact that this level of suction is required almost all the time, you’ll want to weigh up whether you’re happy with this battery performance. Measuring your space is a good start. I found the robot able to cover in the region of 750-850 square feet per charge.
Recharging the robot from empty takes around three to four hours, which is more than easily achieved between cleans. The robot is also intelligent enough to know when it needs a boost and will return to the base station accordingly.
Battery life score: 3.5 out of 5
Should you buy the Eureka J20 robot vacuum?
Buy it if...
You want a roller mop
The selling-point of the Eureka J20 is the mop that is mounted to a roller. This helps to ensure that fresh water is applied to each new stain, thereby improving the overall performance of the mop.
You want a self-emptying base
The J20 robot vacuum transfers all of its debris into the base station every time it returns. This reduces the number of times the main dustbin needs to be emptied.
You love great design
The J20 really looks the part. Every individual element has been expertly designed and crafted to provide a beautiful looking unit.
Don't buy it if...
You are on a budget
At €1,399, the Eureka J20 is far from affordable for most people. The benefit of paying this much money is that you’ll get to enjoy a range of premium features that are not available on cheaper alternatives.
You need a long battery life
The J20 provides a reasonable battery life but at the highest suction power, the battery does begin to struggle a little. If you have a particularly large home and want to complete it in one charge, you might run into some problems.
You want a tried and tested model
The J20 is a relatively new entry into the world of robot vacuums and despite the great features, it hasn’t built up a sufficient track record to make it one of the greats.
How I tested the Eureka J20 robot vacuum
Tested with several full cleans of my home
Used all vacuum and mopping settings
All floor types, including carpet and hardwood
My 600-foot home was perfect for testing the Eureka J20. The mix of carpets, hardwood floors, and a low-pile rug meant I could test all the features of this impressive robot vacuum. After setting it up and mapping the space, I endeavored to let the robot get on with its cleaning, independent of my involvement. There’s no use having a robot vacuum if you’re always going to have to intervene.
More specifically, I included a fine dust and larger debris test to check its vacuuming capabilities. The former was made up of crushed digestives and flour, with the latter consisting of oats. These helped me see how well the vacuum was able to handle different types of mess.
