Asus has introduced another fantastic keyboard with the ROG Falchion Ace HFX. This 65% board, which compresses only the most essential keys onto a short panel, offers immense functionality across several areas.
The drawcard of the Falchion Ace HFX is its incredible switches. While the standard Falchion Ace is available with three switch choices, the HFX only offers one tactile feel option – comfortable to the touch magnetic keys, making this Asus’ first hall effect keyboard. It’s one of the most satisfying keyboards to use that I’ve ever laid my hands on.
Despite not offering a wireless connection, it does include a dual USB-C arrangement so that it can quickly switch between two computers with a press of a button on the side, similar to how a monitor might switch between devices. A USB dongle or Bluetooth solution might have been more practical to pull this trick off, but it’s still a welcome ability.
(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)
More interesting to me is the return of Asus’ proprietary touch bar, a unique design element of the Falchion series that compresses media controls, volume, keyboard RGB brightness and other handy features into a touch panel, letting you adjust settings with taps and swipes of your finger. This feature rocked and is much more intuitive than a FN + key macro solution, though the depth of macroing with this keyboard is immense, allowing you to arrange quick commands, website hotkeys and quick Windows commands with a bindable keystroke.
With so much positive to say about the ROG Falchion Ace HFX, there aren’t many drawbacks, although the ones that are there might keep you from a purchase. This board doesn’t come cheap and is one of the most expensive options that Asus offers. The lack of a wireless variant will also leave buyers cutting down on cable clutter unimpressed, and those seeking wrist support will need to make a separate purchase.
More diehard keyboard shoppers will also be left unimpressed by the lack of hot-swapping functionality, and that there's only one switch type available (though the standard ROG Falchion offers three different options).
It’s a tremendous piece of kit. The ROG Falchion Ace HFX is one of the keyboards to beat in 2025, and it may be my favourite keyboard since the Logitech G PRO X TKL.
Asus ROG Falchion Ace HFX: price and availability
(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)
How much does it cost? $199/£239.99/$AU$359
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, Australia and other regions
The ROG Falchion Ace HFX is the fourth most expensive keyboard that Asus offers, below the base model Azoth, customizable Claymore II, and the extremely expensive Azoth Extreme. The price marked for the Ace HFX is reflective of the epic magnetic switches underlying its awesome-feeling keys, but given its 65% size profile, it lacks a lot of the typically essential buttons present in the higher-priced models, including a dedicated function row and numpad.
Not that you should feel you need to move up the range for said features, because the Falchion Ace HFX is more than competent and exclusive on its own terms. Compared to the competition, it’s one of the only options to offer magnetic switches on a 65% board. You may want to consider the Logitech G Pro X 60 if you want an even smaller board, or the Glorious GMMK 3 Pro 65 if you want greater customization, but there aren't many major brands offering magnetic switches right now.
Value: 4/5
Asus ROG Falchion Ace HFX: specs
Asus ROG Falchion HFX: design and features
(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)
More reserved ROG design
Brilliant build quality
Useful multifunction panel and dual computer support
Asus’ ROG gaming accessories are at their best when they don’t look too gamery, and the Falchion HFX looks fairly neutral compared to many other high-end boards offered by the manufacturer.
Available only in black, the one thing about this board that I would consider a tad excessive from a design perspective is the spelling out of ‘Republic of Gamers’ across the top. RGB lights behind each key are programmable with several lighting animations available.
At the top left, you’ll see an illuminated symbol, indicating which setting you’ve got your multi-function touch panel set to, cycleable with the press of a multifunction button in the top left. The panel across the back can be swiped with a fingertip, and can be used to adjust brightness and volume, change key actuation points, play and pause media, or even pull off any dedicated macros you have in mind. In the Armory Crate app, you can limit which functions the cycling button switches between, allowing for a more streamlined experience (I simply have it set to volume and media controls). This touch bar isn’t a new feature, as it’s been available on other Falchion models since 2022, but it works especially well on a small board like this.
There are also lights at the top right, indicating if win lock has been activated, if caps lock is currently on, and if ‘Rapid Trigger’ has been enabled, allowing for much quicker keystroke response times than whatever your preset mode is set to.
Your keyboard’s RGB lighting and per key actuation points can also be adjusted in the ROG Armory Crate app, where you'll find Speed Tap mode. This changes the function of the keyboard to allow for quicker directional changes by prioritising the last pressed in key – so instead of coming to a full stop when strafing in a game, you’ll move left to right or vice versa without lifting your fingers off the keys.
Design and features: 5/5
Asus ROG Falchion HFX: Performance
(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)
8,000Hz polling rate
Magnetic hall effect switches with five layer dampening
Useful competitive gaming features
The Asus ROG Falchion HFX is a gaming keyboard aimed at competitive play, through and through. It offers an exceptional 8,000Hz polling rate – an enormous amount of reports the keyboard provides your computer in a second, theoretically improving response time. As a result of this, click latency is as low as 1.1ms on average with the Falchion HFX.
The keys feel coarse in a comfortable way, allowing for satisfying tactile contact between your fingertips and your inputs. A raised dot on the W key allows you to position your hands for gaming without looking down, brilliant for low-light battle stations.
The actuation point of your keys can be adjusted readily on the fly using the multi-function touch panel, allowing for much more shallow keypresses if you so wish. Backing all of this up is the fact that the keys are magnetic, and well damped to allow for a satisfying press while also being quick and not too loud. On the less technical side, the keyboard has three adjustment angles with two sets of feet underneath.
Many of these features may go above and beyond the needs of a casual gamer and indeed are well past the desires of somebody just after a useful typing tool. But for a dedicated gamer, the ROG Falchion HFX might be the exact device for your hobby.
Mechanical keyboard enthusiasts will likely be disappointed by the lack of hot-swappable keys, and that there's only one switch to choose from. Thankfully, the base model ROG Falchion offers more switch variety – the Falchion HFX is more of a performance model with its magnetic keys.
Performance: 5/5
Should I buy the Asus ROG Falchion HFX?
Buy it if...
You crave good performance and feeling
The ROG Falchion HFX offers a brilliant intersection of form and function, contained in a 65% board and offering some of the first magnetic switches on a mainstream model.
You want to ROG out
With its lighting and key programming reliant on Asus’ Armory Crate, you’ll likely want this to compliment other Asus peripherals in your arsenal.
Don't buy it if...
The price isn’t right
The ROG Falchion HFX isn’t designed to be a budget winner, and it’ll be a poor fit if you want to save cash.
You want greater customization
Mechanical keyboard fans will likely crave hot-swappable keys, which the ROG Falchion Ace HFX does not offer.
Asus ROG Falchion HFX: also consider
Keychron C3 Pro
Compatible across Mac and Windows PCs, the C3 Pro offers a solid design and a nice price, though it won’t be a winner among serious gamers.
Logitech’s smallest gaming keyboard might be a welcome option if you’re after switches from a premium brand but in a tinier unit.
How I tested the Asus ROG Falchion Ace HFX
I tested the Asus ROG Falchion Ace HFX over four weeks, paired with other Asus products including an OLED monitor, mouse and headset. I used it exclusively on my Windows 11 gaming PC and played games including Marvel Rivals, Avowed, The Headliners and Forza Horizon 5. I also used it for some productivity tasks, such as for typing out documents.
Over that time I used it across several lighting settings, enabled different macros and put it in different positions, while constantly adjusting actuation points and diving into toggles in the Armory Crate app.
Say hello to another bombastic entrant in Xiaomi's Ultra series. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra leads with its Leica-backed camera array, made all the more prominent by the existing 1-inch 50MP main sensor being joined by a new, larger 1/1.4-inch 200MP telephoto sensor.
As with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, it takes superb shots that don't look as processed or technically 'perfect' as what you might expect out of Google's Pixel imaging pipeline, but they're potentially better for it. Meanwhile, its videography skills have been tailored to meet and beat the likes of the iPhone 16 Pro series across areas including resolution, control, and LOG video capture.
Beyond the excellent imaging experience, the phone's underlining internals impress, with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite running the show. That's backed up by tangible optimization benefits from Xiaomi HyperCore resource management, a new IceCool vapor chamber, and the fastest storage and RAM you'll find on any phone out right now.
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
HyperOS 2.0 (atop Android 15) expands on the AI feature set introduced on the 14 Ultra, with useful translation, productivity and image editing tools. There's nothing that sets Xiaomi's AI feature set apart from major rivals, but it delivers on its promises (save for Reflection Removal, which refused to work correctly in testing).
Beyond AI, there is a wealth of nice refinements to the look and feel of the user experience, however inconsistencies and some inexplicable choices mean Xiaomi's interface remains one of the more convoluted and trickier to deal with. The company has also only committed to four years of OS and six years of security updates, lagging behind industry leaders and harming the phone's long-term value proposition.
The screen is stunning and boasts better drop resistance than its predecessor's, while the new Si-C (silicon carbide) battery lasts less time than expected but can be replenished quickly, thanks to rapid 90W charging. Presumedly due to some EU regulation, 15 Ultras sold in the EU come with a smaller battery than their Chinese counterparts, although this isn't an ailment that's unique to Xiaomi.
All in all, Xiaomi has improved on everything that made the last Ultra so great, while most of the weaknesses are persistent pain points, more deeply rooted in Xiaomi's approach (primarily to software).
For the price, this is a respectable uber-flagship, however those hoping to get their hands on one in markets like the US or Australia will have a tough time doing so, as Xiaomi doesn't sell its phones in these regions, and carrier support isn't guaranteed.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra review: Price and availability
Priced from £1,299 / €1,599
Released February 27 in China, March 2 internationally
Limited to no availability in US and Australia
As with its predecessor, fans in Xiaomi's homeland of China were treated to a native launch of the 15 Ultra first, on February 27. The company then staged an international release in Barcelona just days later, on March 2.
The phone went on sale on the same day, at 14:30pm GMT, coming in with a starting price of £1,299 / €1,599 across the UK and Europe (the same as its predecessor, in the UK). In some markets, there's also a higher 1TB storage model, which costs £200 more.
In regions like the UK, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra undercuts principle rivals – the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max – by £50 and £100 respectively, when comparing like-for-like storage capacities. The main difference being that both of those alternatives can be had for less, if you're willing to drop down to 256GB of onboard space, which Xiaomi doesn't offer with the 15 Ultra. Both also come with less RAM than the Xiaomi.
As ever with Chinese phone makers such as Xiaomi, while the 15 Ultra's March 2 launch was heralded as its 'international' release, the brand doesn't sell smartphones in key markets like the US and Australia (although you will find their smart home and lifestyle products there). As such, beyond importing or buying via third-party retailers, you won't find the Xiaomi 15 Ultra locally; not to mention there may be carrier band incompatibilities with networks in those markets.
Value score: 4.5 / 5
Xiaomi 15 Ultra review: Specs
Xiaomi 15 Ultra review: Design
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Leica camera-inspired colorway
Xiaomi Shield Glass 2.0 w/ improved drop resistance
IP68-certified against dust and water
After dropping down display sizes following the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, subsequent generations of the series have generally hovered around the same weight and dimensions, and that continues with the 15 Ultra.
It's a hefty device (226g or 229g, depending on your choice of finish), and a hair thicker than its predecessor. That makes it one of the weightiest candy bar flagships of the current generation and a trait you'll notice in prolonged use, even if it does also reinforce the Ultra's air of premium power.
Aesthetically, the pillowed glass front, chamfered metal frame and large circular camera bump are consistent with the aesthetic Xiaomi has cultivated over the last few generations of Ultra, and stands apart from the more square-jawed looks of its most prominent rivals (save for, perhaps, the similarly curvaceous Honor Magic 7 Pro).
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
One of the most notable cosmetic changes is to the camera hardware. Whilst the circular quad-sensor array on the 13 Ultra and 14 Ultra offered a pleasing symmetry, Xiaomi has had to shuffle things around quite drastically to accommodate the phone's new headline telephoto snapper. The result is an asymmetrical assortment of lenses that I'd say is weaker visually but gives the 15 Ultra a more utilitarian look, which some might appreciate.
Along with the base all-black and all-white colorways – as was available on the 14 Ultra – this year you also have the option of a Silver Chrome variant (pictured), which tries to evoke the visual identity of Leica's iconic M3.
It's a bit on the nose, as a representation of the ongoing brand partnership between Xiaomi and Leica goes, but it's also undeniably distinct. Two-thirds of the phone's 'aerospace-grade' fiberglass back is wrapped in black faux leather, which stands in contrast to the satin-finish silver it's next to.
The leather has the practical bonus of added grip and after two weeks of testing, hasn't yet shown any signs of wear. That might be down to the fact that I also threw on the included glossy clear hard-shell case whenever taking the phone out and about, though.
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Xiaomi once again launched a Photography Kit accessory pack with its latest Ultra (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
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This generation is called the 'Legend Edition', complete with detachable raised shutter and thumb grip (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
On the subject of durability, like its predecessors, the 15 Ultra packs IP68-certified dust and water resistance, which while great, does now technically lag behind key rivals, like the Oppo Find X8 Pro, OnePlus 13 and aforementioned Magic 7 Pro. In addition to IP68-protection, all three of these alternatives have adopted IP69-certification too (check out our pick of the best rugged phones for a rundown of some of the hardiest handsets out there).
While that pillowed glass frontage does seem a little exposed, especially if you were to fumble the 15 Ultra face-down, it's clad in Xiaomi Shield Glass 2.0. The 14 Ultra sported its first-gen Shield Glass, which claimed to be 10x more drop resistant than the Gorilla Glass Victus on the 13 Ultra, while the 2.0 variant is supposedly 16x more resistant, compared to Victus. In theory, a drop on that 'All Round Liquid Display' shouldn't prove fatal.
Xiaomi hasn't eradicated Corning's presence from the Ultra outright, however, with Gorilla Glass 7i covering the camera array on the phone's back. Despite being as scratch resistant as the brand's top-tier Victus 2 glass, when paying Ultra prices, I'd have hoped for sapphire glass or something with even higher scratch resistance (even at the expense of drop durability), considering part of its job is ensuring camera clarity.
The main generational improvement to the viewing experience on the 15 Ultra is its higher peak brightness: an emissive 3,200-nit ceiling that outpaces all its mainstream rivals (the closest being the Super Actua display on the Pixel 9 Pro line, at 3,000-nits), only really falling short of Oppo's and OnePlus' latest flagships, which both claim to reach as high as 4,500-nits.
As with the 14 Ultra, the viewing experience here is unquestionably excellent. Out of the box, it serves up Full HD+ visuals and a dynamic refresh rate (between 1 and 120Hz), however, you have the option to crank the resolution up in the settings menu, to make the most of the phone's impressive 522ppi pixel density. You can also fix motion at 60Hz (for lower power consumption) or 120Hz (for more fluid viewing), and you can even force that higher refresh rate on an app-by-app basis.
Along with options for resolution and HDR upscaling, as well as motion smoothing and TÜV Rheinland-certified blue light eye protection, the 15 Ultra's display also makes the switch to an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which proves faster and more reliable than the previous optical solution, even when your hands are a little wet.
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Despite an asymmetrical down and forward-firing stereo speaker pair, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra outputs sound with clear separation and clarity through almost the entirety of its volume range.
At maximum volume, the stability of higher frequencies begins to waver, while bass is present throughout, but could be more prominent in the mix. Dolby Atmos support brings with it a set of EQ sliders (including presets) and there's effective spatial audio too.
Display & audio score: 4.5 / 5
Xiaomi 15 Ultra review: Software
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Launches on HyperOS 2.0 atop Android 15
New AI features include Interpreter and Reflection Removal
4 years of OS + 6 years of security updates
Last year marked a pretty notable shift for Xiaomi's mobile user experience. The company retired MIUI and replaced it with HyperOS, which although familiar on the surface, served up some notable quality-of-life improvements behind the scenes (it took up significantly less space on your device's storage, for example). It also served as the launchpad for their AI feature set.
Now, the Xiaomi 15 series arrives on HyperOS 2.0 (running atop Android 15). For the most part it adds an extra layer of visual polish, with the likes of the Artistic Lock Screens now able to support video, alongside subtle new animations throughout the UI that generally elevate the experience (even if some might be a little heavy-handed).
Better contrast and reworked UI elements across the Settings, Clock and Calendar apps, make them easier to use, as do a tweaked volume control layout and the ability to long-press on control panel entries – like brightness – to expand and access additional features (very iOS-like in its execution).
Frustratingly, Xiaomi insists on continuing to bury or completely hide some fundamental Android controls (such as Extra Dim) without explanation, but it does at least finally let you toggle Today's Recommendations off, which means there's less cruft within your home screen app folders.
HyperOS is a deeply customizable and capable user experience, provided you've got the stones to learn its nuances and forgive its inconsistencies.
Look familiar Apple Intelligence users? (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
There are new and improved AI tools spanning writing, image editing, and language across HyperOS 2.0, with Xiaomi's repetoire most closely mirroring experiences from the likes of OnePlus. Apple, Oppo, Samsung and Google have all leant a little harder into generative imagery on their latest devices, which isn't really part of the experience on the 15 Ultra, beyond image expansion and the ever-creepy AI portrait (check out our Xiaomi 14 review for a deep-dive on that).
The AI Writing toolset has been fleshed out, with summarization, proofreading, extension and tone alteration; all in a handy pop-up card that, once again, looks suspiciously like Apple Intelligence's interface. Like Samsung's Writing Assist, you can call on these tools essentially anywhere you enter text, which creates more opportunities to actually use them.
The translation app – AI Subtitle – has a well thought out and easy to use interface, allowing for conversational use with a speaker sitting either side of the phone, while the existing image editing tools (Expand, Erase, and Sky) have been joined by Enhance and Remove Reflections options (although the latter was next to useless, in testing).
Erase has also been bumped up to Erase Pro, which uses a larger model for improved results, however, unlike the base feature, it relies on an active internet connection to function. In fact, when disabling my data connection, practically none of the 15 Ultra's AI features worked offline, suggesting that the all rely on off-device processing to varying degrees (the exceptions being the base Erase, Remove Reflections and Sky image editing tools).
At the phone's Chinese launch, Xiaomi also showcased interconnectivity with iOS, iPadOS and MacOS devices, including Oppo Find N5-like screen mirroring and wireless file transfer, which is on track to come to global devices in the near future (as such, I haven't been able to test this feature).
The 15 Ultra's image editing toolset (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Part of the price justification, when it comes to these top-shelf phones, is that they come with long-term support. Apple, Google and Samsung all offer a commitment to around seven years of operating system and security updates, so you know your phone will be supported for the entire time you use it, and also benefit from new functionality over time too.
Despite an improved six years' commitment to security updates with the 15 Ultra, Xiaomi has only promised four years of OS updates, which hurts the phone's value proposition, relative to some of the best phones already on the market.
Software score: 3.5 / 5
Xiaomi 15 Ultra review: Cameras
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
50MP f/1.63, 1-inch Sony LYT-900 main sensor w/ OIS
The previous Ultra – with the same 1-inch main Sony sensor – in my opinion, captured shots as close as any phone has yet come to emulating what you might more readily expect from the best cameras.
Most of the best camera phones – the Pixels and Galaxys of the world – take technically excellent smartphone photos; replete with tone mapping and HDR processing, detail enhancement and face brightening. While the 15 Ultra has access to all these same tricks, however, it handles images very differently... more authentically.
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The 200MP telephoto can let in enough light for fast-motion macro shooting (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
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Leica 'Blue' monochrome filter (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
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Minimum amount of bokeh in Portrait mode (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
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Standard amount of bokeh in Portrait mode (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
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Maximum amount of bokeh in Portrait mode (note where edge detection falters around the whiskers) (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
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Macro mode (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
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Macro mode (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
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Night mode tends to over-correct on white balance, but otherwise impresses (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
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Accurate real-world lighting conditions in which the Night mode shot was taken (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Xiaomi's processing isn't as technically savvy as, say, Google's and the camera system can be a little inconsistent – especially with attributes like white balance and edge detection (much like on the 14 Ultra) – but it doesn't shy away from contrast and shadow, which when twinned with the natural depth effect afforded to that 1-inch sensor, can help you capture truly arresting shots without really trying.
Add to that the Pro mode manual controls and baked-in Leica filters, and there's a lot you can do with that main snapper, without the need for post-capture editing. That lead 50MP sensor is just the start, of course.
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(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
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(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
The reason this phone's camera system looks so physically different to its predecessor's is because Xiaomi needed to make room for a huge new 1/1.4-inch telephoto sensor (up from 1/2.51-inches). The 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP9 that Vivo put to work on its most recent flagship – the X200 Pro – now also finds a home on the 15 Ultra.
Here, it serves up an equivalent 100mm focal length, and helps build on the existing camera system's impressive versatility. That large size means it's able to take in far more light than your average periscopic telephoto sensor (Xiaomi claims 136% more than the 14 Ultra's equivalent), but it's also likely the reason why the 15 Ultra lost out on its predecessor's mechanical aperture; there just wasn't room.
As trade-offs go, it's a compromise I welcome, as this higher fidelity telephoto is far more practical across zoom, portrait and even macro shooting. Speaking of macro, one of the biggest limitations of such a large main sensor is its minimum focal range, which is why it's a relief that the automatic macro mode kicks in and switches to a pleasingly competent ultra-wide.
No longer being unable to stop down in particularly bright shooting scenarios may irk videographers, but at least the Photography Kit allows for ND filters and the like, even if that's more of a band-aid than a solution
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Leica Vibrant (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
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Leica Authentic (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
As well as filters, Leica's involvement expands to two shooting profiles: Leica Vibrant (the default on Xiaomi's phones) and the more muted Leica Authentic (see above), while some high quality filters can be activatated in-camera too (the monochromatic 'Blue' was a personal highlight).
Xiaomi made a big song and dance about the 14 Pro's video chops, even though stabilization at some resolutions was terrible at launch (later fixed via software updates). Thankfully, that doesn't appear to be a problem with the 15 Ultra's videography skills. You can switch between all the phone's rear sensors while recording at up to 4K/30fps, with options for 4K/120fps, and even 8K/30fps capture, if desired.
The 15 Ultra also joins an exclusive group, by being the only other phone besides the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro lines to support ACES (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) Log video capture (alongside Dolby Vision recording); making it a powerful choice for serious videographers, especially those who prefer Android to iOS.
Camera score: 4.5 / 5
Xiaomi 15 Ultra review: Performance
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC
LPDDR5X RAM & UFS 4.1 storage
Xiaomi HyperCore system management
As with the rest of 2025's Android flagship contingent so far, the 15 Ultra arrives running on Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset; in most regions accompanied by 16GB of RAM and 512GB or 1TB of the fastest and most power efficient UFS 4.1 storage on the market (there is a 12GB RAM/256GB version that's trickier to come by).
Xiaomi says the chip serves up 45% better multi-core CPU performance (compared to the 14 Ultra), artificial benchmarking places on equal footing with the recent Honor Magic 7 Pro and the company even featured a slide during its Chinese launch, highlighting every aspect in which it trumps the iPhone 16 Pro Max; including gaming and networking performance.
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
A new dual channel 'IceLoop' vapour chamber offers enhanced cooling, which in real-world testing ensured that even after an hour's gameplay on a demanding title like Zenless Zone Zero with cranked visual settings (i.e. 60fps instead of 30fps), the phone never rose past a slight warmth.
Game Turbo is also on-hand to prioritize gaming performance, while also silencing notifications and the like, although finding how to bring the app onto your home screen to manage installed games takes some doing (hint: it's hidden within Xiaomi's Security app, of all places).
As with every other phone that relies on the Snapdragon 8 Elite, it offers buckets of headroom, ensuring whatever phone it's in will feel fast and remain capable longer than most others in the long term. Xiaomi's latest HyperCore technology then sits on top, better managing resource allocation, so that opening and reopening apps is faster; meaning less time staring at those initial splash screens than before.
Performance score: 5 / 5
Xiaomi 15 Ultra review: Battery
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Larger 5,410mAh battery than predecessor
Up to 90W wired & 50W wireless charging
7 hours of screen-on time per charge
While Xiaomi hasn't disclosed why, as with the Honor Magic 7 Pro, the international version of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra packs in a smaller battery (5,410mAh), compared to the Chinese variant (6,000mAh). That said, 5,410mAh is still pretty capacious, and Xiaomi's Si-C Surge Battery tech offers up increased capacity, without adding addition bulk to the phone's design; Apple and Samsung should take notes.
True to the brand, fast charging is part of the equation here, with the same impressive 90W wired and 80W wireless charging support (just don't expect a charger in-box in Europe or the UK).
If you are able to source the correct adapter, at standard speeds the 15 Ultra refilled to 56% in 30 minutes and hit 100% after 67 minutes. If you dip into the phone's battery settings, however, you can enable Top Speed mode, which warns of more noticeable warmth when charging, in the pursuit of faster recharge speeds. When enabled, the phone hit 44% in 30 minutes and 100% in 50.
If you're the forgetful type, Top Speed mode might better serve you, otherwise the results, to me, suggest it's better to leave the phone in standard charging mode, which still should still prove quick enough for most users (and will likely prolong battery health).
While benchmarking using PCMark 3.0's battery test dished out an impressive score on par to the Ultra's most like-minded and similarly-capacious Si-C battery-toting rivals, real-world longevity underwhelmed at only 7 hours of use per charge. That equates to a day's use, but considering the battery tech, system improvements and capacity of the cell(s), I would have expected closer to the Magic 7 Pro, which has a marginally smaller battery but lasted 45% longer in testing.
Battery score: 4 / 5
Should you buy the Xiaomi 15 Ultra?
Buy it if...
You want one of the best camera phones today If you couldn't tell by the design, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is all about the camera. While it's strong on all fronts, its camera is the prime reason to consider it.
You want a great multimedia experience The 15 Ultra's top-tier internals and crisp 2K OLED screen make it great for gaming and enjoying media.
Don't buy it if...
You want a long-lasting device While fast charging is superb, battery life is pretty middle of the road. As for long-term use, only four years of OS updates for a phone this expensive isn't great.
You like a clean, easy-to-use user experience HyperOS 2.0 is certainly more elegant and easier to use than previous iterations of Xiaomi's mobile interface, but it comes with a high learning curve and some truly illogical inconsistencies compared to other operating systems out there.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra review: Also consider
It's clear from the jump where the Xiaomi 15 Ultra's strengths lie, but there are numerous alternatives that offer something similar or excel in those areas where Xiaomi still needs to improve.
iPhone 16 Pro Max Sure, it's a fraction more expensive, but the top-tier iPhone of today shares in the 15 Ultra's emphasis on capturing pro-grade video, while the user experience is cleaner and will likely receive OS updates for longer.
Honor Magic 7 Pro Same chipset, same emphasis on photography, with impressive zoom abilities, plus longer-lasting battery life and longer OS update support for less money.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra A similar feature set, with a focus on AI, and longer software support render this Ultra a worthwhile alternative. It's also readily available in markets where the 15 Ultra isn't
Xiaomi sent me the 15 Ultra just ahead of its Chinese and international launch events. I used the phone as my daily driver over a couple of weeks; taking it to social events for camera testing, gaming and other general smartphone use; from smart home control to social media and web browsing.
Benchmarks were carried out in both Balanced and Performance modes, although most of the time Balanced mode results were actually high. As often happens, Xiaomi devices block access to servers for graphical benchmarking apps, so I was only able to quantify CPU performance, while graphical testing was anecdotal, based on gaming usage and the like.
Having reviewed smartphones for nearly 15 years, including numerous Xiaomi smartphones, as well as devices from the company's key competition, I felt equipped to review this flagship, assessing its strengths and abilities against the market it's competing in.
Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell: two-minute review
The Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell is a very good video doorbell that’s held back a little by a limited battery life and one accessory omission. If you live alone and are willing to charge up the battery on a weekly basis or set it up in a wired configuration, its 9:16 aspect ratio, microSD reader (not to mention included 32GB SD card), and a host of features makes it among the best video doorbells for you to consider.
The battery life is not what one would want in a device that should take the place of the best home security cameras for your front door. It’s also a little disconcerting that the doorbell chime is a separate purchase. The only way to get notifications outside of your phone then is through Alexa or Google Assistant, so there are at least options.
At the very least, the 4K resolution extends to a 9:16 ratio so you can get a full view of whomever or whatever is at your front door. It also has color night vision as well as a night light and two-way talk. As mentioned, it has some voice assistant support as well.
The setup and installation is pretty straightforward as well. All in all, the Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell is a solid option, especially if you’re willing to wire it up. I would also suggest spending the extra cash for the doorbell chime, unless you already have an Alexa or Google smart home setup.
The Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell has a single camera with an impressive aspect ratio. Many other doorbells use two cameras to cover the same area (Image credit: James Holland)
Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell: specs
Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell: price and availability
List price: $199.99 (about £160 / AU$320)
Available in the US
The Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell has a price tag of $199.99 (about £160 / AU$320), which isn't bad, especially considering that something like the Phillips 7000 Series Video Doorbell is a bit pricier at $229.99 (about £180 / AU$350). Unfortunately it's only available in the US, so if you’re in the UK or Australia, you’re limited to the 2K Video doorbell at a $149.99 / £149.99 / AU$327 price point.
The Lorex model offers a 9:16 aspect ratio, while the Phillips uses a dual-camera design for a somewhat similar full body view. Both allow you to do wired and wireless power. However, the Lorex comes with a 32GB SD card compared to the 8GB built-in storage. Of course, the Phillips model does come with a Wi-Fi chime box, whereas the one for Lorex (which is, luckily compatible with quite a few of the brand’s video doorbells) requires a separate purchase of $49.99/ £59.99 / AU$69.00.
If we look at other 4K video doorbells, the Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell’s price tag seems to be about what one should expect. The SwannBuddy 4K goes for $199 / £169 / AU$299, however, it does offer a bit more value, as it not only also comes with a microSD reader and 32GB SD card so you don’t have to spring for a subscription, but it also comes with a doorbell chime included. The Lorex is a little easier to install, partially thanks to the use of plastic mounting brackets instead of metal. The Lorex is also more flexible since it comes with a couple angled brackets so that you can get a clear view of whoever is in front of the door.
Value score: 4/5
Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell: design
Has microSD reader for onboard storage
Comes with two different angled brackets
Straightforward installation
The Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell is available in black and white (the one reviewed here is black) and looks about the same and is a similar size to most other video doorbells you’ll come across. It is a little bit smaller than the Phillips Series 7000 I reviewed as it stands a little over five inches tall compared to the Phillips’ over six inches of height. Functionally, it doesn’t make much of a difference.
The front of the doorbell is composed of the camera on top, the logo etched across the middle, and the actual button lined by an LED indicator that lights up when pressed (or when the doorbell is triggered by someone or something passing in front of it).
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The package includes a mounting bracket and two angled plates (Image credit: James Holland)
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Installation is pretty straightforward (Image credit: James Holland)
The microSD card reader and a micro-USB port for charging sit on the side behind a silicon cover that’s actually a bit tough to pop out (and will be covered by the mounting bracket when installed on a door). While it takes some work to get out (unless you have long nails), it does help keep the integrity of this doorbell’s IP65 rating, meaning that you don’t have to worry about a heavy rain shorting the doorbell.
If you want to wire this doorbell up instead of going the wireless route, which you might want to once you read my thoughts on the battery life, the ports are on the back of the unit. And as is to be expected, the necessary wires are included in a little bag that also includes a pin used to remove the doorbell from the bracket.
The doorbell has a micro USB port and a microSD card reader, both of which are shielded from the elements (Image credit: James Holland)
Also included are three different mounting brackets. Or should I say, one flat bracket that must be used and then two additional ones that are angled to the side or downward to adjust the viewing angle of the doorbell if you don’t want it to just look straight ahead.
Since I’ve mentioned the brackets, I should mention that installation is pretty easy. Just charge up the doorbell, screw in the mounting bracket(s), connect the doorbell to the app (the usual follow-the-directions-on-the-screen situation), pop in the doorbell into the bracket, and you’re good to go.
Design score: 4.5/5
Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell: performance
Sharp 4K resolution with full-body 9:16 aspect ratio
Supports Alexa and Google Assistant
Battery life isn't great
The Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell offers an 8MP camera with 4K resolution (2160 × 3840p) in a unique 9:16 ratio. I appreciate the full body angle so that I can get a clear view of the front door. Someone would have to stand really close to the camera to hide something out of view. And since it has that higher resolution, everything comes through clearly.
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Video is clear and crisp during the daytime, with impressive viewing angles (Image credit: James Holland)
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Footage recorded at night is crisp as well (Image credit: James Holland)
It’s just as clear at night, if a bit more monochromatic. This is intentional as you can change a setting to see whatever’s at your door in color, though it’s not quite as crisp.
There’s a little bit of a lag but seems to be just a second or so – certainly not long enough to hamper a conversation. Speaking of, the microphone is adequate though it picks up more environmental noise than I would like. At least, there’s responsive two-way audio.
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(Image credit: James Holland)
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(Image credit: James Holland)
Since the doorbell chime is sold separately, it’s up to me (or whomever has the app on their phone) to keep an eye for notifications. While I miss the physical chime, I was able to connect the doorbell to Alexa to serve in that capacity (this video doorbell also supports Google Assistant). There’s also the option to share the doorbell with other users so other people in the household are also notified when there’s someone at the door.
Since the Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell is capable of wired and wireless power, I highly suggest you go the wired route. While it doesn’t take too long to charge up, it took about a week to go from a 100% charge to 20%. That means I have to charge it almost every week to keep using it.
There's no separate charm to notify you when someone is at the door, but connecting the doorbell to Alexa will let you receive alerts through a smart speaker (Image credit: James Holland)
Now, I will mention that we have dogs that need to be let out several times a day and multiple people in the home where this doorbell is being tested, so the Lorex is regularly triggered. Still, a weekly charge-up is not something anyone would expect for a video doorbell.
Performance score: 4/5
Should you buy the Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell?
Buy it if
You want to see everything in front of your door
Thanks to that 9:16 aspect ratio, not to mention the 4K resolution, you can get a full view of whatever’s at your front door and not just a headshot.
You don’t want to spring for a subscription
With some video doorbells, you need to pay for a subscription to get a decent amount of storage. You don’t need that here since it has a microSD card reader and includes a 32GB card.
You want voice assistant support
This doorbell works with both Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing easy integration into your smart home (if you use one of those two ecosystems).
Don't buy it if
You want a long lasting wireless doorbell
Whatever the reason, the Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell needs to get recharged almost weekly. This is not the doorbell for you, if you want something that’s set-it-and-forget-it.
You’re limited on funds
Not only is it a bit pricey for a video doorbell (though mostly on par with other 4K video doorbells), it doesn’t come with a doorbell chime, which is sold separately.
Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell: also consider
Phillips 7000 Series Video Doorbell
Not only is it easy to install and use, the video quality is crisp and the onboard storage is enough to forgo a subscription. It is on the pricey side, has a bit of a delay, and sometimes has audio issues. On the bright side, it can be used both wired and wirelessly.
The SwannBuddy 4K is about the same price as the Lorex, also offers superb video quality, and even allows you to communicate through pre-recorded voice messages. It comes with an included SD card and even a doorbell chime, but doesn’t have angled or plastic mounting brackets, which could be an issue for placement or antique door frames.
To test the Lorex 4K Battery Video Doorbell, I used it for a couple weeks to not only answer the door, but to monitor all activity coming in and out (mostly my brother-in-law letting the dogs out to pee). I also played around with and tested the various settings in the app to see how they work, including the voice assistant and night vision settings.
For this review, I tested the UK version, which has an extra 'mini power brush' compared to the US version.
While it certainly has a few foibles, the Tineco Pure One A50S cordless stick vacuum offers a decent combination of features and performance. I tried out the 'Plus' version, which comes with an extra detail tool, and while I wouldn't count it amongst the best cordless vacuums I've reviewed, it does come with some appealing features.
Its 60-degree or so swiveling floorhead and bendable wand make it easy to maneuver around furniture and under beds. The suction power is very impressive, too, effectively picking up dust, debris and even pet hair from various floor types. That said, I wouldn't recommend this model solely for dealing with pet hair because its floorhead feels very resistant on carpet and is therefore tiring to push and pull.
On the other hand, the smart DustSense sensor, which automatically adjusts suction power based on the amount of dirt detected, is genuinely useful and certainly contributes to more efficient cleaning. Battery life is reasonable, too, though larger homes might require a recharge for a thorough clean; and it has a larger bin than the norm which in turn reduces the need to empty it too often. However, while it performs very well at sucking stuff up, the A50S is let down by poor ergonomics and a few other niggling design details.
That's the short version; read on for my full Tineco Pure One A50S Plus review.
Tineco Pure One A50S review: price & availability
List price: $329 / £329
Launched: Fall 2024
The Tineco Pure One A50S has a list price of $329 / £329, which puts it in the mid-range price bracket for cordless vacuums. It's available to buy direct from Tineco, or via Amazon.
It's competitively priced when compared to other mid-priced cordless vacuums with similar features. However, there's some very strong competition out there, most notably the Dreame R20 which, while equipped with a smaller bin, is lighter in the hand and therefore easier to use.
If you're smart about when you buy, you might be able to avoid paying list price too. At time of writing the UK version was discounted to £229 on the Tineco site, for example. The Black Friday sales tend to be an especially good time to shop for new appliances.
Value for money score: 3.5 out of 5
Tineco Pure One A50S specs
Tineco Pure One A50S review: design
Forward-bending wand for cleaning under beds
Handle a little awkward and uncomfortable to hold
No instruction manual included
Tineco – a sub brand of Ecovacs the robot vac company – has been producing innovative cordless vacs, wet and dry mops and carpet cleaners since 1998. The Chinese company is perhaps best known for the high level of 'smarts' it injects into the majority of its products. Chief amongst these is the interface, which invariably involves a (sometimes quite huge) colorful onboard LCD monitor that provides the user with all manner of information, often using animation for added pizzazz. Tech nerds (me included) love this kind of stuff, though I wouldn't say any of it makes Tineco's machines any easier or more efficient to use.
(Image credit: Future)
However, while other models like the Tineco Pure One S15 Pro and PURE One S11 come with huge, colorful circular displays at the head of the hand unit, this model opts for a much smaller and less fancy info monitor that provides little more than three vacuum modes – Eco, Auto and Max – plus a couple of tiny icons that light up if the air channel is blocked or the brushroll is tangled. There's also a simple three-bar battery level indicator. Oh, and you thankfully don't get a trigger with this model – instead you tap a simple on/off button on the rear.
(Image credit: Future)
Elaborating on these power modes a little more, the A50S Plus uses a feature called DustSense that automatically adjusts the suction draw depending on the amount of muck it detects. Many modern stick vacs have this feature and it provides a good balance between cleaning efficiency and battery use. However, I find the 'Auto' power band description a bit confusing because from what I've noticed, both Eco and Auto use the DustSense function whenever the floorhead sensor detects some extra detritus. And you can hear the change in motor pitch as the power is increased, usually for just a few seconds.
From what I can gather, the Eco mode ramps the power up to the equivalent of Auto mode, and Auto mode increases its power to the equivalent of Max mode which doesn't use DustSense at all because it's already at maximum power. You still with me? This means that 'Auto' is actually a false flag and more like a medium mode. Not sure why Tineco's designers opted for this labelling but I'm guessing they called the equivalent of a medium mode 'Auto' for marketing reasons because, well, everyone uses auto mode on every device, right?
According to Tineco, the Pure One A50S Plus boasts 185 Watts of suction power which is rather confusing since most manufacturers use either Air Watts or Pascals when measuring their products' statistics (here's more on how to tell how much suction your vacuum has). All I know is that there is no shortage of suction power here, as I'll get into in more detail in the Performance section.
(Image credit: Future)
Let's take a quick tour of the Pure One A50S Plus' handle design, starting with its ergonomics. The A50S Plus's handle is comprised of two grip sections, and your hand naturally gravitates to the rear handle because that's the area with the small protruding finger support. Also, this is the type of hand position that most stick vac manufacturers opt for.
However, I've found that if you use the rear section of the handle, the angular edge of the info screen mount digs into the flesh between thumb and index finger and rests on a pressure point that hurts after just a few minutes of use (Dyson's vacs have a similar effect). But worse than that, this position also involves bending the arm at the elbow which means your biceps and anterior muscles in the forearm end up holding all the weight, while the shoulder muscles take care of the pushing and pulling.
(Image credit: Future)
Call me a loafer but I want an easier ride when doing one of the most mundane tasks in the home, so I tend to vacuum with a completely straight arm while performing a pendulum motion using mostly the top of my biceps and shoulder muscle group. I simply walk slowly forward while swinging the whole unit back and forth like a grandfather clock's pendulum. You should try it.
(Image credit: Future)
However, if the handle on the vac is positioned in a way that involves bending the wrist and arm – like this and most other models – I immediately ask myself why manufacturers continue to insist on making models with right-angled handles on the rear when they should ideally be positioned above, and be smooth and circular in shape. Roidmi with its rounded rectangular handle on the X30 Pro, Miele's Duoflex models and Vax with its Blade series have managed it, so why has no one else cottoned on?
But I digress, because, as alluded to above, the Tineco A50S Plus does indeed have a second grip section at the top, though it's still not especially comfortable to use because the pinky finger is squashed in the process. It's not terrible but it's not brilliant either. Also, this model's weight – 3.3kgs with wand and main floorhead – is higher than other models I've tested – just over half a kilo heavier than the Dreame R20 I very recently reviewed – and that makes it feel heavy in the hand, especially during a long session on the pile.
(Image credit: Future)
While most stick vacs ship with a relatively small dust bin of between 0.5 liters and 0.8 liters, this one comes with a substantial one-liter capacity for longer cleaning sessions and fewer trips to the kitchen bin. The emptying mechanism is pretty much the same as all stick vacs, Dyson notwithstanding. In other words you awkwardly unlatch the bin section from the motor housing, and flip a latch to empty the contents. Since this bin is larger than most, clumped pet hair tends to fall out though it might involve a gentle tap of the unit against the inside of the kitchen bin. However, it can be a bit fiddly to fit the bin back onto the vac.
Since the inner mesh filter inside the cyclone section was as dusty as expected, I attempted to pull it out to give it a clean but it wouldn't budge. So I tried twisting it, still to no avail. I then reached for the accompanying manual only to discover that it was full of useless safety and troubleshooting information with absolutely nothing on how to use the machine, let alone remove the mesh filter. So I went online and downloaded the manual from the Tineco website but it was the same piece of safety literature. Needless to say the mesh filter is still firmly attached and perhaps it's designed that way – answers on a postcard please. [Ed's note: we contacted Tineco's PRs, who say the filter can be removed, although we're still not sure exactly how.]
(Image credit: Future)
I was, however, able to access the washable sponge HEPA filter system, which works in tandem with said mesh filter to remove '99.9% of dust and debris as small as 0.3μm', one micrometer. This model also includes a scent block that clips under the battery to help keep carpet smells at bay. (This last feature is unusual but not unheard of – it's most associated with today's best Shark vacuums.)
(Image credit: Future)
Regarding the business end, this model comes with a sturdy articulating wand that can bend 90-degrees for easy access under beds and sofas, and a 23cm brush bar comprising two rows of chevron-shaped bristles designed for both hard floor and carpet. The roller brush can be easily removed for cleaning.
In general, the build feels clunky, unrefined, and less maneuverable than other vacuums I've tested – not just pricy models like those made by Dyson, but even more budget-friendly options from the likes of Dreame.
(Image credit: Future)
According to the blurb, the Tineco's 3DSense brush bar has built-in sensors that will automatically boost suction whenever it detects the edge of a skirting board. In fact you can see two small cutouts on each side of the floorhead's housing, which allow the suction to draw in air from the sides, along with any dust that's lurking along the edges. Nice. There are also two rows of stiff combs at the rear of the brush to prevent entangling of hair and cotton strands.
In order to help the brushroll collect larger particles on hard floor and when using it on carpet to help reduce friction, the floorhead is also equipped with an air intake switch that opens two little ports where the front of the head meets the floor. And, in a nod to the best Dyson vacuums on the market, this model's front headlight is green colored to make dust on hard floors more visible. However, unlike the Dyson, which uses a laser to highlight even the finest of particles, this model uses a simple green LED bulb. Nevertheless, it's still surprisingly effective.
(Image credit: Future)
For use in handheld mode, the Tineco also comes packaged with a motorized upholstery brush, a detail nozzle with slide-down brush fitting and a wall mount that holds everything in one place. The rear handle position works just fine with this setup, though the body does feel heavy when held up high. Also, like the majority of cordless stick vacs, this model won't stand up on its own so there will be times during use when you'll just have to prop it up against something while you shift any furniture around.
Design score: 2.5 out of 5
Tineco Pure One A50S review: performance
Great suction performance
Decent running time
Too much suction resistance on carpet
The first thing you notice when holding the Tineco Pure One A50S Plus for the first time is the 3.3kg weight, which makes it feel a bit clunky when carrying it around – a bit like the equally hefty Dyson gen5detect. Personally, I think much of the weight comes from the wand and its over-engineered centre section where it bends at 90-degrees.
Since this vac only comes with one floorhead, which is designed more towards carpet use, it isn't as smooth sounding on hard floor as most hard floor-specific soft rollers. However, while the A50S has proved to be a very impressive cleaner on carpet (see results below), the design of the floorhead makes it feel very stiff to push on even medium-pile carpet, and that's with the little front air-intake wide open and the power in Auto (i.e. medium) mode.
(Image credit: Future)
Moreover, when the DustSense feature kicks in, it produces even more friction between the front of the floorhead and the carpet. Put another way, your arm will feel like it's had a good workout after just five minutes of cleaning, although the aforementioned pendulum action helps in this regard. In hindsight I would opt for vacuuming on carpet in ECO mode, which applies less downward suction to the floor and makes it that little bit easier to push.
The Tineco A50S's floorhead articulates up to about 60-degrees – less than a Dyson or the Dreame R20, but decent enough for easy steering around furnishings. However, it is a bit of a struggle removing the wand to swap over to any of the hand tools. The fit is very firm – which is good – but also tricky to release. Incidentally, while quite heavy to hold up in the air, the handheld side of it using the mini motorized brush head is efficient at doing the stairs, the car, the dog bed and sofas, and so on.
I tested the Tineco A50S's noise level and it's not too shabby. In ECO mode it registered at a pleasant 63dB at shoulder height, 66dB in Auto mode and a not considerably louder 69dB in Max mode.
Suction tests
As well as assessing general usability, I ran a series of suction tests. For my main hard floor vacuum test I scattered 25g of oats, flour, orzo pasta, crushed digestive biscuit and a few Coco Pops and set the unit to Auto mode. The motor started gently before the DustSense sensor ramped up the power as soon as it detected the extra debris.
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Debris laid out on hard floor ready for suction test (Image credit: Future)
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During the suction test on hard floor... (Image credit: Future)
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... and after (Image credit: Future)
Impressively, it collected everything – even the large pieces – in one sweep. Weighing the contents of the bin, it collected 24g in all but I'm betting at least 1g of the flour likely remained in the bin and around the mesh filter.And that's a great result in my opinion.
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Debris scattered on carpet ready for suction test... (Image credit: Future)
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... and the results following the test (Image credit: Future)
For the carpet test I used the same pre-weighed 25 grams of ingredients and used the same Auto setting with the front air intake open. This test required one back-and-forth sweep to remove the majority of the debris and a few more quick passes to remove any evidence of flour.
Like the hard floor test, I measured the bin's contents but this time it said 26 grams because it had also collected some hidden dust in the carpet. Yes, it did take a lot of effort to push the floorhead on the medium-pile rug I used but, hey, it did the job and did it well.
Performance score: 4 out of 5
Tineco Pure One A50S review: battery life
Lasts around 70 minutes in Eco, 17 minutes in Auto and 10 in Max
Will automatically drop to Eco mode as battery life runs low
Recharge takes just over three hours
Tineco states a maximum runtime of 70 minutes, which is up there with the longest you'll find anywhere. However, that figure is always for the lowest powered mode. However, I ran a test in Auto mode on a 50:50 medium-pile carpet and tiled hard floor mix and after seven minutes the battery depleted by two bars (from three). Nevertheless, it carried on running till around 17 minutes before automatically switching to Eco mode where it continued at lower power before coming to a stop at 20 minutes and 22 seconds.
In Max mode, runtimes are understandably shorter. I ran this test on hard floor only, because it's too powerful and creates too much friction on carpet. From full charge, it lasted just shy on 10 minutes in Max, before dropping to Eco where it ran until 12 mins 16 seconds before stopping.
Now I should add that most day-to-day vacuum tasks would likely be just one or two rooms unless doing a full spring clean, so 20 minutes in Auto mode is perfectly acceptable, especially given the the DustSense feature boosts the power and battery usage when it detects extra dirt. However, if you have a weekly cleaner who uses your cleaning tools to vacuum the entire home, this model may struggle to complete a whole three bedroom house with kitchen lounge, dining room and bathrooms on a single charge, especially if used entirely in Auto mode.
Now that the battery was completely flat, I fully recharged it and it took exactly three hours and four minutes, which is about average for a cordless stick vac. By the way, I did notice that the charging bar on the screen turns off after a set amount of time so you will need to press the power button while it's connected to the mains to check its progress. However, there is also a green light on the side that pulsates throughout the charging process so I would use that as a charging state reference.
Battery life score: 4 out of 5
Should you buy the Tineco Pure One A50S?
Buy it if...
You want great pick-up performance
This model sucks like a limpet, and aced all my suction tests.
You need a large bin
The A50S Plus ships with a larger-than-average 1-liter dust bin – closer to what you'd expect on an upright vacuumthan your standard stick vac.
You want automatic suction control
The Tineco's DustSense feature works well, and will ensure an efficient clean that won't deplete the battery.
Don't buy it if...
Your strength isn't what it used to be
The A50S is difficult to push on carpet, and it's heavier than average too.
You need something light in the hand
There are lighter stick vacs on the market, and this one is especially weighty when used in handheld mode.
How I tested the Tineco Pure One A50S
I received the Tineco Pure One A50S Plus a few weeks ago so have had plenty of time to live with it and put it through its daily paces. Despite some annoying traits, it does vacuum well and I do rate the extra large bin. Aside from general vacuuming on both hard wooden flooring and carpets up to medium pile, I also tested it using a variety of ingredients – including some large biscuit crumbs – and it sailed through both floor-type tests. However, my overriding thoughts is that it feels a bit clunky when compared to other stick vacs I've used.
Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam: One-minute review
There are plenty of dual-drawer air fryers on the market these days, but not too many come with a steam function. And that’s where the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam comes in – as the name suggests, you can use the steam to not just cook meals, but it can even be used to clean the air fryer.
Cooking with steam means you can make dumplings or steamed vegetables easily, but the Philips 5000 Series XXL also has an air fryer+steam combo mode that I found to be quite handy. This not only cooks meat to perfection, retaining moisture, but also allows for crispy skin and crackling, albeit will need a few extra minutes air frying the perfect results.
In fact, pretty much everything I cooked in the Philips Series 5000 XXL turned out to be really good, although I’d recommend not bothering with the presets. They’re handy as a guide, but unless you have the exact amount of food that preset was meant for, it’s not going to cook your meal to perfection. Given its dual drawers, you can sync cook times, no matter what you have in either of them, but you can’t replicate the settings across both drawers because of their difference in size.
However, having the power of steam means you’ll need to deal with a few caveats. For starters, it’s available only for the larger drawer, so you will need to plan out what food item goes into which drawer before you start cooking. That also means steam cleaning is only available for the larger drawer and it requires you to manually scrub the basket and drawer anyway. So it’s not quite the magical solution I was expecting it to be. Well, at least both drawers, and the basket and tray, are dishwasher safe.
Given how well it cooks, though, it would be easy to recommend, particularly if you want steam cooking. You will, however, need to shell out a decent amount of cash for the privilege.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam review: price & availability
Announced November 2024
Launch price of £249.99 / AU$499, but available for cheaper now
Not available in the US at the time of writing
Philips came out with two dual-basket air fryers at around the same time in late 2024 – the 3000 Series and the 5000 Series. Both also have single-drawer options, but it’s only the 5000 Series Dual Basket model that has the steam functionality.
At launch, it came with a list price of £249.99 / AU$499 in the UK and Australia, but can now be had for £179.99 / AU$349. It’s currently not listed for purchase in the US.
This review is based on the Australian model with SKU NA551/00. The model available in the UK is NA555/09 with a brushed-steel finish.
I think the discounted price is quite competitive and could be excellent value for some users, especially those who’ll really make good use of the steam functionality to cook (the steam-clean mode is superfluous). That’s not to say it’s cheap, but it isn’t too much more in some markets compared to other dual-drawer models.
Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam review: specifications
Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam review: design
800ml removable water reservoir on top of appliance
Non-stick coating makes it easy to clean
Clear touchscreen display, but requires small learning curve to master
If you’re already familiar with dual-basket air fryers, the Philips 5000 Series XXL Steam is not going to look too different, except for one very distinct feature – there’s a small rectangular plastic reservoir on the top to hold up to 800ml of water. It’s translucent, so you can see the level as it gets used up, and it has a cloud icon to indicate what could only be billowing steam. If you don’t notice the water level going down, there’s no need to worry as a warning light will appear on the touchscreen display.
The tank can be removed and washed, and it’s best not to leave any water in there when the appliance is not in use to avoid scale build-up. The good news is that the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket XXL Steam has a descaling cycling built in, but better safe than sorry.
Like many dual-basket air fryers, the two drawers are different sizes – a larger 6L basket and a smaller 3L one. Philips says the larger drawer can fit a whole chicken in it, but you will need to make sure it’s not too large a chicken, and although the total 9L capacity sounds like a lot, it may not be enough for a family of four. And it’s only the bigger drawer that has steam functionality.
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The water reservoir has a cloud icon on its lid to indicate billowing steam (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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Both drawers, the large basket and the small tray are non-stick and dishwasher safe (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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The water reservoir fits into its own little niche (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Having two drawers means the whole appliance has a large footprint, but it’s not overly large compared to other similar air fryers on the market. It is, however, slightly taller because of the water reservoir on the top.
The touchscreen display is very clear when it comes on, even if you have bright overhead lights shining down on the reflective surface. The top line of icons are the presets, below which you can choose the time and temperature for each drawer. There’s even the option to sync cooking times if you want. If you’re already familiar with air fryers, you won’t have much trouble finding your way around the functions on the display, although the steam cooking, air fry+steam combo, steam-clean mode and descaling option will be new to most people.
Unfortunately Philips doesn’t provide a proper user manual in the box – it has some diagrams, but they’re not easy to wrap your head around. A detailed manual is available on the HomeID app, which can be accessed via the QR code in the box or on the machine itself, but it’s not easy to find – after some digging, I found a link to the PDF buried in a Quick Guide article for the Series 5000 Dual Basket Steam air fryer.
The rear of the appliance is quite plain, but Philips provides cable management in the form of a clip-on brace. Above this are the two vents that, when you use steam, will puff rhythmically.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
All of Philips’ air fryers have one thing in common – the raised pattern at the bottom of the drawers. This is to help the company’s proprietary RapidAir technology circulate hot air within each basket more efficiently. This pattern also means you can’t cook directly in the drawer, as some other brands allow you to do. Both the drawers on the Series 5000 Dual Basket XXL Steam are non-stick, but no mention has been made on what the material actually is. That said, the large basket, the two drawers and the small tray are dishwasher safe.
One thing to keep in mind with the large basket: it might appear square, but it’s not. So if the basket isn’t fitting, just turn it around and slide it in. The basket has small silicone-covered feet that are prone to pressure, which can happen if you’re handwashing it. This causes the feet to move out of position and not let the basket fit back into the drawer – if this happens, you can gently reposition them.
• Design score: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam review: performance
Very useful time-sync functionality and shake reminders
Plenty of presets, but they are guides only
Not a smart (connected) air fryer
It might take you a while to get used to using steam in an air fryer, but once you do, it’s hard to not keep going back to it – I, for one, couldn’t stop experimenting with it. I used most of the functions on this air fryer and disappointments were rare – it really does cook nearly everything very well. From tender steaks to steamed dumplings, I can hardly fault it.
That said, nothing I made was using the presets. I found very quickly that unless you plan to cook the exact amount of fries, meat or vegetables the presets were designed for, you will not get the right results. The presets on the Philips 5000 Series are guides only, but you can always adjust cook time and temperature for better results.
During my testing I found that manual input of cook time and temperature was the best and, of course, you can always pull a basket out to check on what’s happening to see if any adjustments are needed. Opening a drawer will pause the air dryer – both drawers, in fact – and it automatically restarts when you push the basket back in. Time and temperature adjustments can be made while the appliance is running.
One thing to keep in mind with the Philips 5000 Series XXL Steam is that there is no preheat function here. This isn’t unique to this machine, with others like the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket air fryer (available only in the UK) also missing out on it. A preheat would have been nice for things like cooking steaks, but I got good results even without it, albeit after a couple of attempts to get the right temperature and time settings for the perfect cook (medium for me, thanks).
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Cheese and garlic crumpets before cooking... (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
One of the first cooking modes I tried in the 5000 Series Dual Basket XXL Steam was air fry+steam. This feature works by pumping steam and hot air alternately, so you will hear the sound change rhythmically. The chicken drumsticks that I experimented with were tender and moist, but the skin didn't get crispy. I popped them back in for five minutes more at 200ºC for just air frying, giving me wonderfully juicy chicken legs with crispy skin. The other dish I used the air fry+steam function was pork belly and, again, the meat was lovely, but I did have to use the air-fry mode to crisp up the skin. I’d imagine you could even use it to make some cakes if you want a fudgy interior, but I didn’t have any recipes (or ingredients) on hand to experiment with when it comes to baking during my testing of this air fryer.
I found the steam-only function rather useful though. Not only is it good to steam vegetables for a side, you can even make dumplings in this air fryer. The only issue here is the pre-planning. Given you have only one drawer (the larger one) with steaming abilities, you need to figure out beforehand what you should cook in it. For example, if you have a large piece of meat that you want to cook (time-synced) alongside vegetables, you’ll likely need to forgo steamed veg as the meat won’t fit in the smaller drawer. In which case, you will need to use the 6L basket twice, which isn’t ideal. However, if you’re making steamed fish with some roasted vegetables on the side, you can do them both together by putting the latter in the 3L drawer.
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Halloumi cooked in the air fryer (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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Chicken drumsticks cooked using the air fry+steam mode, then crisped for 5 minutes by air frying only (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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Stuffed portobello mushrooms cooked in the Philips air fryer (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
I found that the 800ml maximum water capacity in the reservoir will last you no more than an hour’s worth of cooking time, so you may need to refill it if you have anything that needs longer cooking. This Philips air fryer also has a maximum temperature of 200ºC, which isn’t as high as some other air fryers are capable of, but I found it still produces lovely crackling anyway.
Time synchronization works well and I appreciate that there is a shake reminder too. I love me some crispy, deep-fried bitter gourd (a childhood favorite) and I didn’t even need to lay the slices down in a single layer. The shake reminders were great when I just plopped handfuls in each basket to air fry and, at the end of 27 minutes, I had a Tupperware box full of my fave snack.
I cooked halloumi in the air fryer, as well mushrooms, steak and frozen foods. No matter what I threw at it, the results were to my liking, although I will emphasize that the presets won’t necessarily be too useful for first-time users.
Dumplings steamed in the large basket alongside prawn and chorizo skewers (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
As good as the cooking is, I was disappointed by the steam-cleaning function. As wonderful as it sounds on paper, it’s not quite what Philips makes it out to be – you will need to manually wash the basket and drawer to remove all traces of grease and burnt food after a 15-minute steam cycle, then pop it back in for a 2-minute hot-air drying session. Moreover, only the 6L basket has the advantage of steam to loosen caked-in grease. Thankfully both drawers and baskets are dishwasher safe.
Given it uses water, there is a descale mode available, but I haven’t had the appliance long enough to try it and, even after three months, have not seen any deposits in the water reservoir.
So while I would love to score this air fryer higher just for its cooking performance, I have to dock marks for the caveats surrounding the steam functionality.
• Performance score: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Should I buy the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam?
Buy it if...
You’d love to cook with steam in an air fryer
While most air fryers let you do more than just air fry (like bake, roast, grill and more), the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket takes it one step further and offers the steam function too. Importantly, it allows you to combine air frying and steaming, which is good for tender meat.
You want excellent results, no matter what you cook This is a high-performing air fryer, even if you don’t always use the steam function. If you are comfortable experimenting, you’ll hit the right notes each time you cook in it.
You want to cook mains and sides together
While not unique to this Philips air fryer, the ability to make a main dish and a side simultaneously is time-saving. And you can have them both ready at the same time. This even works well if you have something steaming in the main drawer and something else in the smaller basket.
Don't buy it if...
You’re a first-time air fryer user
Not only is the user manual difficult to access, the cooking presets on this air fryer are just a guide and won’t work unless you have the exact same amount of the precise food it was made for. This cooking appliance will need some experimentation.
You can’t justify a premium air fryer
Despite being available at a competitive price, there are cheaper air fryers available. If you don’t need the steam function, you’ll be able to save by opting for a single-drawer air fryer. This also means you won’t need the extra space to store a two-drawer air fryer.
You have a large family
While the total 9L capacity sounds good on paper, the larger 6L drawer won’t fit a large chicken. In my opinion, this air fryer is suited to a 2-3 person household.
Also consider
Ninja DoubleStack
Offering two drawers but not taking up as much space, Ninja’s DoubleStack is one of a kind. In our tests, it produced some excellently cooked results, although you won’t have the power of steam here. Read our in-depth Ninja DoubleStack review
Tefal Easy Fry Grill and Steam XXL 3-in-2 Air Fryer
Not widely available, and we haven’t tested this model yet, but it’s one of the few air fryers to offer steam cooking too. It’s a single-drawer model, so won’t take up as much room on your countertop as the Philips, but it is priced higher.
How I tested the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam
Used for five weeks to cook a variety of meals
Cooked mushrooms, steak, cheese, chicken, fish and much more
Tested most cooking functions and presets
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
For a period of five weeks, I cooked nearly all my dinners in the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam, as well as some lunches and a few snacks during the weekends. This gave me plenty of time to test several of the presets (I didn’t try the bread one though) and experiment with most of the cooking modes.
I’m not much of a baker at the best of times, but I did try to make some banana muffins in the air fryer, which didn’t quite turn out as I expected them to, but that had to do with my recipe rather than any fault of the appliance.
However, I also cooked various meats in the two drawers to test the roast, air fryer and air-fry+steam combo functions. These included a scotch fillet, chicken thighs and legs, a pork belly and beef sausages – the latter in the smaller basket.
The vegetables I cooked – both air fried and steamed – included broccolini, potatoes, cauliflower florets, carrots and snow peas. I also cooked some halloumi and portobello mushrooms.
In addition to cooking, I also tested the steam-clean mode a few times. I hand-washed the baskets and drawers most of the time but, when space allowed, I even put them in my dishwasher. The only function I couldn’t test during my review period was the descaling as there were no visible marks to tell me if the feature was working optimally or not.
The idea of combining a smart speaker with a flat screen is certainly not a new one for Amazon. Amazingly, it’s over seven years since the first-generation Echo Shows launched, and three since the original Echo Show 15 first arrived in homes. At that time, its 15-inch display made it the largest Echo device inside Amazon’s stable. But not anymore. That accolade now goes to the newly-launched Echo Show 21.
Essentially, the Echo Show 21 is a larger version of the latest Echo Show 15, complete with Alexa, built-in Fire TV, and an Alexa voice remote. It even features the same mounting bracket as the Echo Show 15, which is handy if you have multiple devices you want to swap over. Capable of being installed in portrait or landscape orientation, it’s best to think of the Echo Show as a rather large web tablet (albeit one with much better speakers). So, in the same way you might use an iPad to display a recipe in the kitchen or control your home’s heating, so you might use an Echo Show to do these things.
It’s much more than that, though. Once you’ve gone through the setup process, pairing the Echo Show with your home’s Wi-Fi and the Alexa voice remote, there’s the option of customizing it all. Usefully, because the Echo Show 21 has Fire TV built in, you can use it much like you would a smart TV. Buttons are provided on the Alexa voice remote for accessing Prime Video, as well as Netflix. Alternatively, you can press the app button to access other apps you have downloaded to your device such as Apple TV, Disney+, and YouTube. You also have the option to display images from your Amazon photo library when the device is not use.
However, the Echo Show really comes into its own with all the other widgets you can add. Just swipe down from the top of the display and hit ‘widget gallery’. There you will find everything you need to help you organize your life, from sticky notes to shopping lists and from calendars to daily reminders. It can also display local weather, so you're fully prepared when you leave the house.
The Amazon Echo Show 21 is a good-looking device with an attractive wooden frame (Image credit: Chris Price)
Once you’ve made your choice, each of the widgets is then displayed on the home screen. And if you want more details, you only have to touch the screen to bring up more information. For example, while the weather widget shows the temperature for the next four hours, you can find out more information (such as the likelihood of rain and whether you need an umbrella) by pressing the weather option on the home screen to bring info up across the entire display.
Want to control connected devices within your home, such as your smart thermostat, lights, and home security cameras? There’s a ‘smart home favorites’ widget for that. Not only will this allow you to control options such as the temperature of your property, it will also do things like display footage from a connected video doorbell if someone comes to the door. Support is provided for Matter and Thread, which means you can use the Echo Show 21 as a Zigbee Hub.
Finally, also on board is the Echo Show 21 is a 13MP selfie camera (complete with privacy shutter) for video calls. This includes Alexa Drop Ins, which lets you get in touch via video or voice using other connected devices in the household. It’s particularly handy if you want to tell the kids that dinner is ready and they’re not responding to yells from the kitchen because they are on their devices.
Amazon Echo Show 21: price and availability
$399/£399.99 without stand, $100/£100 extra with stand
Available now
Available in the US and UK
Released in November 2024, the Amazon Echo Show 21 costs £399 or $399 direct from Amazon for the standard wall-mount installation (at the time of writing it's not available in Australia). However, if you want a desktop/counter stand you will have to pay an additional $100/£100 on top of that. That makes the Echo Show 21 the most expensive device in Amazon’s line-up, at $100/£100 more than the smaller Amazon Echo Show 15.
It’s not an excessive amount of money for what it is, but it's not an absolute bargain either. A decent 43-inch smart TV will now set you back less money, so it does seem a little pricey.
That said, the Amazon Echo Show 21 is much more than a smart TV. It offers much greater functionality and interactivity for starters, including the ability to control your smart home, music and calendars, as well as being able to stream content from video services.
Importantly, it also feels very solid and well made, with an attractive wooden frame around the outside. It certainly makes a nice addition to the kitchen, living room or office, especially if you are looking for all of the features of an Echo Show device, but with a bigger screen.
Value score: 3.5 / 5
Amazon Echo Show 21: specs
Amazon Echo Show 21: design and installation
Mounting bracket for portrait/landscape orientation
Solid design with black wooden frame around 21.5-inch screen
Alexa voice remote
Designed to be mounted on the wall, the hefty Amazon Echo Show 21 comes with a metal bracket in the box (alternatively, you can buy a desktop stand but our review sample didn’t include one). This means you will need a drill, a level, and hammer for installation. Four screws and four wall plugs are provided in the pack, as well as paper wall-mount template that helps you drill holes into the right places.
The Echo Show 21 is supplied with a bracket that lets you mount it vertically or horizontally on a wall (Image credit: Chris Price)
Once the bracket is installed, you simply slide the Echo Show 21 into place in either landscape or portrait orientation. I used it extensively in both modes, but personally preferred it in portrait because I found it better for displaying the widgets. Around the actual screen is a white background and around that is a black wooden surround, giving the Echo Show the look and feel of a large photo frame. Large speakers are built into either side of the display and on top (in landscape mode) are buttons for volume up/down as well as two pinhole microphones.
For privacy, there’s also a button that switches the microphones on and off (this glows red when activated) and a privacy shutter that covers the 13MP camera. The power cable needs to be inserted into a recess on the back of the display before it’s mounted to the wall, but at 1.5m it’s not overly long, which could limit your options when it comes to positioning it. Finally, you will need to pair the display with the Alexa Voice Remote (it is the same as the one you get for Amazon Fire Sticks).
The power cable plugs into the back of the Echo Show 21, but isn't very long (Image credit: Chris Price)
This can only be paired with one device at a time, and can’t control skills and services outside the Fire TV experience. Also, while some video streaming services such as Amazon Prime can be fully controlled using the touch screen display, other services such as Netflix provide only limited functionality without the remote.
In addition to the circular navigation pad and usual forward/rewind and home buttons, the remote includes an Alexa option with a pinhole microphone for use instead of the smart display’s far-field microphones. As with other Alexa devices, you can change the wake word of the Echo Show 21 – handy if you have several Amazon devices near to one another.
Design score: 4.5/5
Amazon Echo Show 21: performance
Crisp 1,920 x 1,080 display
Maybe a little too bright
Much improved sound system and onboard 13MP camera
The largest display in Amazon's Echo series, with nearly double the viewing area of the Echo Show 15, the Echo Show 21 certainly cuts an imposing figure once mounted on the wall. In fact, it seems more like a much larger smart TV than a glorified touch screen display with built-in Alexa, especially when mounted in landscape mode.
With double the viewing area of the Amazon Echo Show 15, the Echo Show 21 makes a real statement when mounted on the wall (Image credit: Chris Price)
Boasting a highly reflective 1,920 x 1,080 display, the Echo Show 21's picture quality is excellent, delivering crisp, bright images. However, it’s arguably a little too bright especially when watching video content. The first thing I had to do once I switched the display on was to swipe down from the top to turn the brightness down. However, switching adaptive brightness does help a little, automatically adjusting brightness levels based on the ambient light levels in the room. Turn down the room’s lights and the screen will dim too, turn them up and the screen will brighten.
Also on board is a proximity sensor, which adjusts what’s on the screen when you aren't actively using it. When no one is nearby, it closes the control panel and rotates through a variety of screens. For example, it could display various content suggestions such as jokes or football scores or act as a large photo frame, cycling through images in your Amazon picture library. It will also support multiple users, switching between different profiles using facial recognition when the camera is active or via voice recognition instead.
The Amazon Echo 21 features various widgets that let you see information at a glance, and what's displayed can change depending on your proximity (Image credit: Chris Price)
One of the criticisms of previous Echo Show devices was the poor quality of the onboard camera. Thankfully this has been addressed with the Echo Show 21. Supporting auto-framing, 3.3x zoom and noise reduction technology, the built-in 13MP camera works extremely well – whether you're using Alexa Drop In to tell the kids that the dinner is ready, or calling someone for a business meeting. However, if you are worried about privacy you can always cover up the camera using the Camera Shutter button on top of the display, as well as switch the onboard microphones off.
Some reviewers thought sound from the first Echo Show 15 was poor, Amazon has decided to improve it considerably on the new generation smart displays (both 15- and 21-inch versions). In fact, sound on the latest 21-inch model is surprisingly punchy, thanks to reasonably large side mounted speakers complete with two 2-inch woofers and two 0.6-inch tweeters (the previous Echo Show 15 only had two 1.6-inch tweeters).
The Echo Show 21 works well in landscape mode for entertainment, but it really shines as a smart home hub in portrait mode (Image credit: Chris Price)
Over a period of three weeks, I listened to a range of music from various streaming services, including Spotify and Amazon, and found the experience really enjoyable. However, it’s fair to say that the Echo Show 21 still only offers sound quality as good as a modest smart TV, so if it’s a high-quality home cinema system you want, you're best looking elsewhere.
In summary, when it comes to performance, the Echo Show 21 comes highly recommended. And while I think it is rather more successful in portrait mode as a touchscreen home hub, it also doubles as a pretty decent smart TV in landscape mode for sitting back and watching streaming video content.
Performance score: 4/5
Should you buy the Amazon Echo Show 21?
Buy it if
You want a large touchscreen display
At 21.5 inches, this is the largest of all the Echo Show devices, offering nearly double the viewing area of the Amazon Show 15. This makes it an excellent choice if you want to display lots of widgets or simply want a bigger picture for streaming video content.
You need to consult recipes while cooking
Ideal for mounting in the kitchen, the Echo Show 21 is a perfect companion for when you're cooking. It’s also great for looking up recipes on the internet or listening to music when you are preparing the ingredients for a meal.
You want to control smart home devices
Providing support for Matter and Thread, the Echo Show 21 is a really good way of controlling your home. And because it has such a big display, you can see footage from connected security cameras really clearly.
Don't buy it if
You just want to watch TV
Put simply, there are much better and cheaper displays out there for watching TV/streaming services. Unlike the Echo Show 21 these can be connected to a TV aerial too for those who still like to watch good old fashioned TV channels.
You want a portable smart display
Designed to be mounted permanently on the wall, the Echo Show 21 is a big heavy beast requiring specialist installation, unless you pay even more for the table-top mount.
Amazon Echo Show 21: also consider
If you're not sure the Amazon Echo Show 21 is the right smart hub for you, here are a couple of other options to consider:
Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd gen)
The latest generation model boasts better audio, faster performance and added support for Matter, Thread and Zigbee. The only big thing that holds it back is its uptick in price.
The new generation 15-inch Amazon Echo Show offers much better audio quality than its predecessor, putting it on a par with the new 21-inch model. Amazon has also upgraded the auto-framing camera for improved video calls.
How I tested the Amazon Echo Show 21
I mounted on the wall in my home office for three weeks
I used it in both landscape and portrait modes
I tested it both as a home hub and smart TV
To get a good grasp of what a product like the Echo Show 21 can do, you really need to spend as much time with it as possible. That’s because it offers so much functionality! Even after three weeks I’m still finding apps I can download and new things I can do with it.
As I installed it in my home office, I used the Echo Show 21 mostly for listening to classical music while I was working and for features such as the checking the weather before taking the dog out for a lunchtime walk. But I also used it for other things too, including watching video content, turning the heating up and down and viewing images from Amazon Photos.
Personally, I preferred it in portrait mode, although using it landscape mode might work better if you have it installed in the living room or a bedroom. However, you ideally need to use the Echo Show for its advanced smart home control features to get the most out of it. Read more about how we test.
NEO S Purple Wave 5-Fret Fortnite Festival Edition: One-minute review
The NEO S Purple Wave 5-Fret Fortnite Festival Edition is a brand-new variant of CRKD’s Neo S controller. Functionally, the controller is the exact same as the regular one, but this specific variant comes bundled with a 5-fret attachment designed for Fortnite Festival and other rhythm games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band.
The fret attachment slots into the bottom of the controller via the headphone jack, and from there it’s good to go. The obvious comparison is that of the Guitar Hero: On Tour series of games, which featured a similar attachment for the Nintendo DS. However, the issues that plagued that release over a decade and a half ago still persist here.
The fret buttons are small with very little spacing in comparison to a regular guitar controller, and holding the controller in the guitar form can become quite uncomfortable – especially with bigger hands. I’ve tested the NEO S Purple Wave 5-Fret for three months or so now and found it difficult to play for over a couple of hours.
The biggest issue is that there’s no good way to strum in guitar-led rhythm games. The default option is to tap the RB button, which is useless when you have to strum in quick succession; meanwhile, mapping it to the stick works slightly better, but it’s still no substitute. If you’re looking for a way to play rhythm games casually, then it’s more than serviceable. But anyone looking to seriously delve into the genre is better off looking for a more suitable controller like the PDP Riffmaster.
The controller features an Xbox layout and has Bluetooth connectivity, making it great for the PC. However, it doesn’t connect to Xbox consoles (although this is promised in a future update). It does connect to the Nintendo Switch – but it’s awkward to play due to the buttons being swapped around from the usual Nintendo layout.
(Image credit: Future)
NEO S Purple Wave 5-Fret Fortnite Festival Edition: Price and availability
List price:$59.99 / £59.99 / AU$119.95
Available in the US via the CRKD website
Available in the UK via Argos and Amazon
The NEO S Purple Wave 5-Fret Fortnite Festival Edition launched back in November 2024 and costs $59.99 / £59.99 / AU$119.95 – making it $10 / £10 / AU$20 more expensive than the regular NEO S controller. However, it’s currently the only way to get the five-fret attachment for the controller. It’s compatible with Nintendo Switch, PC, smart TVs, and mobile devices at the moment, with Xbox support promised to arrive later down the line.
NEO S Purple Wave 5-Fret Fortnite Festival Edition: Specs
NEO S Purple Wave 5-Fret Fortnite Festival Edition: Design and features
Guitar attachment designed for rhythm gaming
Bespoke Fortnite Festival design inspired by the game
Programmable back buttons and fret buttons
One of the Neo S controller’s main gimmicks is the litany of custom designs available, such as one inspired by the Nintendo Famicom color scheme, 90’s-style translucent variants, and collabs with the likes of Rocket League and Hellboy.
The Fortnite Festival edition is a purple variant with a wavy design that features different shades of purple, while the d-pad, shoulder, and back buttons are bright pink. Meanwhile, the back of the controller is a solid purple shell. It’s a lovely-looking controller until you notice the gaudy Fortnite Festival logo slap-bang in the middle. A more subtle Fortnite design or emblem would’ve been preferable.
This design isn’t extended to the guitar attachment, which is also just a solid purple – although the lighter pink does appear at the fringe of each button. When the attachment isn’t on the controller, it does feel a bit flimsy, like the plastic could snap very easily.
This doesn’t help when getting it onto the controller can feel quite fiddly. You need to pop it on at an angle before pushing the top into the ridges, but lining the bottom up can be a bit cumbersome. This attachment comes with a Velcro strap, which you pop in between the controller and guitar, making it easier to hold like a standard guitar neck.
(Image credit: Future)
The Guitar attachment features five buttons to emulate the classic Guitar Hero formula; these buttons are automatically mapped to the buttons used for each lane in Fortnite Festival.
The controller comes with three modes: one for Easy, Medium, and Hard modes in-game, another for Expert, and another for Pro mode (which is the one designed for guitar controllers). You can swap through all three of these modes by holding down all five frets, with the LED on the attachment changing color to represent another mode. You can also rebind these buttons to be used in regular games, although the position of them may not make this the most optimal.
Unfortunately, I found the NEO S Fortnite Festival Edition quite uncomfortable to hold after long sessions – more so than the discomfort of a regular guitar controller. However, it’s far more comfortable in wireless mode, as the USB-C port at the top of the controller gets in the way otherwise.
NEO S Purple Wave 5-Fret Fortnite Festival Edition: Performance
Solid battery life
Easy to set up
Custom button mapping requires using a mobile app
The NEO S works straight out of the box with a USB-C cable connection to PC, or by holding the CRKD button and left on the d-pad to enable Bluetooth connection for PC or mobile. For the Nintendo Switch, it’s as simple as holding the CRKD button while on the controller connect screen. The NEO S Fortnite Festival Edition’s battery life lasted around eight hours from my testing. I didn’t notice much difference in battery drain when using the guitar attachment.
The controller is fully remappable; however, if you’re looking to remap the buttons, you’ll need to do so in the CRKD app. This extends to the Guitar attachment too, which can be mapped to any button on the controller and works even outside of Fortnite Festival. However, there’s no way to actually select and enter a song in Fortnite Festival without using the regular controller.
(Image credit: Future)
The default mapping for the strum bar is the bumper buttons, which is fine for casual play, but the issues become apparent once you’re faced with fast-moving songs like Metallica’s Battery. While a strum bar would allow you to alternate directions for faster moments, tapping one button makes this tiresome, or near-impossible in some cases. You can remap the control stick to work as a strum bar, which feels like the ideal solution, however, I couldn’t get this to work in Fortnite, but it does work in fan games like Clone Hero.
CRKD was founded by former RedOctane staff – who created the original Guitar Hero controllers – meaning that these buttons feel in line with the original series (namely the DS Guitar Grip). However, if you want to play this style of music game seriously, I’d recommend investing in a proper guitar controller.
Should I buy the NEO S Purple Wave 5-Fret Fortnite Festival Edition?
(Image credit: Future)
Buy it if...
You want a way to play Fortnite Festival Pro Mode or other guitar games At the end of the day this controller is made with this in mind. It works for playing these modes casually and allows players the chance to experience the classic genre without forking out a lot for a guitar controller.
You’re getting a NEO S and like Fortnite Festival For only $10 / £10 / AU$20 more I don’t see much reason not to pick this version up compared to the regular NEO S if you have even a passing interest in Fortnite Festival. Considering this is the only way to get the guitar attachment currently, I’d say it’s worth the upgrade.
Don't buy it if...
You plan on playing guitar games seriously While it’s definitely possible for someone to tear it up with the NEO S Fortnite Festival Edition, the setbacks make this hard. If you were playing the likes of Metallica or Slayer on Guitar Hero, I’d invest in a regular guitar controller.
You have big hands or fingers The NEO S is quite snug as a controller and the guitar attachment follows that form. The buttons on the guitar attachment do the job, but are very small and don’t have much space between them, making it easy to double-fret.
Also consider...
Still not sold on the CKRD NEO S Purple Wave 5-Fret Fortnite Festival Edition? Here’s how it compares to the other Guitar Controller on the market and a more regular pad for reference.
PDP Riffmaster This is a great alternative because the PDP Riffmaster is the only proper guitar controller on sale right now. PDP was responsible for the last batch of Rock Band 4 guitars, so these are almost exactly alike.
GameSir Nova If you’re looking for a good Nintendo Switch and PC controller with stats comparable to the NEO S at a cheaper price point then the GameSir Nova may be up your alley. However, this obviously doesn’t support the Fortnite Festival guitar controller addon, but you are still able to play the mode with a regular controller!
How I tested the NEO S Purple Wave 5-Fret Fortnite Festival Edition
Tested for around 15-20 hours
Used it to play Fortnite Festival and Clone Hero on PC
Used it as a regular controller on Nintendo Switch
I’ve been using the NEO S Purple Wave 5-Fret Fortnite Festival Edition on PC and Nintendo Switch since mid-December 2024 (so just under two months). During this time I’ve played a bunch of Fortnite Festival, but my true love affair has been with Clone Hero. I tested the controller in a variety of different musical situations: acoustic tunes that rely on strumming patterns with multiple notes, thrash tunes that require a ton of fast-paced strumming, and songs with wailing guitar solos (yes, I did play Free Bird).
In my experience, it worked best in slower songs and songs with a lot of hammer-ons and pull-offs due to my issue with the strum bar. The highlight of this experience was playing a custom chart of the full Flood album by They Might Be Giants, which featured a lot of piano (among other instruments) charted to Guitar Hero’s clear notes, which didn’t require me to strum.
The real highlight of the JBL Quantum Stream Talk are its design and feature set, which punch above its budget-friendly price point.
It’s super compact and very stylish, with a robust stand that incorporates metal elements to look and feel premium. It’s incredibly easy to adjust and position too, thanks to a small, foam-footed base and a smart swivel mechanism that allows the microphone to be rotated by a full 360 degrees.
The prominent LED ring indicator is a smart inclusion and something that you wouldn’t necessarily expect at this price point, providing a convenient and easy way to check whether the microphone is muted and even adjust some basic settings on the fly.
That said, the recording quality is a let-down out of the box. Its default configuration sounds very jagged and does a poor job of cutting out background noise. Luckily, the compatible JBL Quantum Engine software gives you everything that you need for better recordings. With a few settings tweaked, namely the EQ profile and noise reduction level, it’s perfect for chatting with friends or dialing into meetings - but still not clear enough to rank among the best microphones for streaming.
If you're interested in picking up a streaming microphone on a budget, there are options out there that look and feel substantially worse, but sound noticeably better such as the AKG Ara. If you can wait for a sale, you can regularly find old favorites like the Blue Snowball for not that much more than the price of the JBL Quantum Stream Talk which offers far more bang for your buck.
(Image credit: Future)
JBL Quantum Stream Talk: Price and availability
Costs $49.95 / £39.99
Available via Amazon and JBL
Easy to find in the US and UK
The JBL Quantum Stream Talk is readily available from both Amazon and JBL in the US and UK. It costs $49.95 / £39.99, making this the cheapest entry in the JBL Quantum Stream line right now. At this price, it’s a good value option overall for general use, especially if you’re looking for a more affordable choice that doesn't take up a lot of space on your desk.
That said, those seeking a microphone for content creation would be better off waiting for a sale and spending a little more on something like the HyperX DuoCast - which routinely drops down to around the $60 / £40 mark and offers higher quality recordings.
JBL Quantum Stream Talk: Specs
JBL Quantum Stream Talk: Design and features
Stylish and compact
Feels premium
Good set of features
The JBL Quantum Stream Talk is very stylish for a microphone of its price. It’s compact, with a circular plastic base complete with a small foam ring to help keep it in place on your desk.
It has a simple stalk-like design, with a cylindrical metal column and a small plastic capsule connected by a ball joint that allows it to be rotated a full 360 degrees. Also joining the column and capsule is a short wire with an orange and black braided that introduces subtle splash of color.
At the end of the capsule is a translucent ring illuminated by an LED. This is a bright green by default, turning red when the microphone is muted. The option to dim or even turn off this light would be appreciated, but it’s not particularly intrusive either way.
On the base, you will find a gray JBL logo and an adjustment dial. It's a good size and can be used to adjust the monitoring headphone volume when you’re connected to a 3.5mm headphone jack on the rear. It can also be pressed down to quickly mute the microphone, or held for a few seconds to adjust the microphone gain - indicated by the mic’s LED turning purple. It’s all very intuitive and one of the biggest reasons to consider the JBL Quantum Stream Talk.
While the microphone itself is a single unit, there is a removable USB-C cable. This is a good 6ft length and feels high-quality, matching the orange and black aesthetic of the wire found on the mic.
While I very much like the integrated stand setup, you should bear in mind that this microphone cannot be mounted to a boom arm unlike other budget picks, so is not suitable if that’s your preferred setup.
(Image credit: Future)
JBL Quantum Stream Talk: Performance
Audio quality isn’t great out of the box
Sounds much better when you tweak the EQ
Noise reduction also helps
When you first plug the JBL Quantum Stream Talk into a computer, a popup automatically appears asking whether you would install the compatible JBL Quantum Engine Software - a convenient feature that saves you from having to dig around on a support website to find it. I would highly recommend installing it, as I found that tweaking the microphone’s settings is almost essential.
Out of the box, I was unimpressed with its performance - recordings sounded choppy with a flat, almost nasal quality to them. Booting up Discord for a quick call, background noise was very noticeable, as was any movement of the surface on which the mic was placed. This is a little strange, as the JBL Quantum Stream Talk uses a super-cardioid pickup pattern that should, in theory, really help it hone in on just your voice.
Still, you can achieve decent sound with the JBL Quantum Engine Software in hand. For me, the sweet spot was enabling the “Bright” EQ profile, which bumps up the level of almost every frequency, and turning up both the noise gate and noise reduction settings to medium. Listening back to recordings made with Audacity, my voice sounded a little sharp but otherwise more than ideal for casual chatting. With a few more tweaks, I am sure I could get it to sound even better.
(Image credit: JBL)
JBL notes that the microphone is compatible with the PlayStation and Nintendo Switch too. Plugging it into my PS5, it provided significantly better sound than the integrated microphone of the DualSense Wireless Controller but is not up to par with any of the mics on the best PS5 headsets. Still, the option to use this model with your console is appreciated and increases its utility somewhat.
That said, this is also marketed as a streaming microphone and I am hesitant to recommend it for that purpose. If you’re able to spend a little more, you can find models that sound better out of the box.
This is doubly true if you’re shopping over a sale period, where the likes of the iconic Blue Snowball routinely have their prices slashed to just $20 / £20 or so more. Still, if your budget really can’t extend beyond the $49.95 / £39.99 mark and you just need something quick, this should just about suffice until you’re able to upgrade.
Should I buy the JBL Quantum Stream Talk?
Buy it if...
You want a small microphone The JBL Quantum Stream Talk is a good option if you’re looking for something compact - its small size makes it easy to fit on your desk and it’s very stylish overall.
You want a good set of features Its LED indicators, useful mute button, and decent set of options in the JBL Quantum Engine software all help the JBL Quantum Stream Talk punch above its modest price tag.
Don't buy it if...
You’re a content creator able to spend more If you’re keen to get into streaming, then I would recommend spending a little bit more on a model that sounds better out of the box. Alternatively, wait for the sale and pick up a favorite like the Blue Snowball for cheap.
Also consider...
Want to weigh up your options? Here are two gaming microphones to consider alongside the JBL Quantum Stream Talk.
AKG Ara The AKG Ara is a decent alternative at a similar price. It sounds better out of the box but lacks the gain control, looks worse, and feels cheaper in the hands.
HyperX DuoCast The HyperX DuoCast is frequently available on sale for only slightly more than the JBL Quantum Stream Talk. This entry-level streamer mic offers better sound, two distinct polar patterns, and pleasant RGB lighting if you’re able to stretch the budget.
I used the JBL Quantum Stream Talk as my daily driver for over a week. During that time I tested it with both PC and console with a range of tasks including making calls to friends, recording audio files locally, and attending virtual meetings for work. I made sure to thoroughly test the compatible JBL Quantum Engine software, experimenting with its features to find the best setup.
Throughout my time with the microphone, I compared my experience with my hands-on testing of other models all across the price spectrum ranging from the likes of the Blue Snowball to the Blue Yeti and SteelSeries Alias.
The Bose Smart Soundbar is a great way to elevate your TV experience in the bedroom or other small room. It’s not up to the task of a home theater setup, especially without a subwoofer, but that’s not its purpose. if you’re looking to bring Dolby Atmos sound to a smaller setup, it’s one of the best soundbars you can buy.
The Bose Smart Soundbar’s lack of low-end will frustrate action and superhero movie fans and its narrow soundstage keeps it from truly elevating the audio experience, especially when listening to music. However, it still is one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, with two upward-firing speakers that provide a sense of space and immersion that somewhat offsets that narrow soundstage. In a smaller setup, it almost completely masks it.
Just as important, this soundbar is stacked with features. There’s an A.I. dialogue mode, Alexa and Chromecast support, plus a whole lot more. My favorite feature lets you use specific Bose earbuds as the rear speakers in a surround sound setup for a unique experience. Unfortunately, those are sold separately. And, of course, the Smart Soundbar has the typical Bose markup, so this is not necessarily a great deal, though I wouldn’t call it overpriced either.
If you’re looking to upgrade your TV experience in a smaller space like a bedroom or small apartment, the Bose Smart Soundbar is an ideal option, especially with all the features on hand. Just be willing to shell out some extra cash and be aware of its shortcomings.
The Bose Smart Soundbar comes with everything you need to quickly get up and running (earbuds cost extra) (Image credit: Future)
Bose Smart Soundbar review: Price & release date
Price: $499.00 / £499.95 / AU$799.95
First available: September 2024
Available in the US, UK, and Australia
Having been released in September of 2024, the Bose Smart Soundbar is the newest addition to the company’s soundbar lineup. And at $499.00 / £499.95 / AU$799.95, its price tag is about what one would expect from Bose since you’re paying a little bit for the name. You might get more in terms of features or even a subwoofer and surround speakers for that price if you go with models from other companies, but you might be trading off some quality for those extras.
We reported around the time of release that the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds can work as rear speakers for this soundbar. And while that is certifiably a very appreciated feature, you won’t get a pair for free when purchasing the soundbar but will have to pay an extra $299 / £299 / AU$449.95 for the earbuds.
The Bose Smart Soundbar and Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are available in the US, UK, and Australia.
Bose Smart Soundbar review: Specs
Power and mic control buttons are located on the soundbar's top surface (Image credit: Future)
Bose Smart Soundbar review: Features
Personal Surround Sound (requires optional Bose earbuds)
App is easy to navigate and use
Wi-Fi and Voice assistant support
My favorite feature of the feature-filled Bose Smart Soundbar is Personal Surround Sound, which uses Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds as rear speakers so you can get an actual surround sound experience without needing to use rear speakers. Plus, you can adjust how subtle or strong the effect is in the app as well as boost different settings like center channel level for those with issues hearing dialogue. This feature requires you to purchase Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, however, and they’re not exactly cheap.
I particularly liked this feature for gaming. I used Personal Surround Sound while playing Star Wars: Jedi Survivor and found it created a fairly integrated soundscape for the main character to run around in – half the time I couldn’t tell if what I was hearing was coming from the soundbar or the earbuds.
In a way, Personal Surround Sound is even better than a traditional surround sound system since you don’t have to be locked into a specific seat to hear all the audio elements in the soundtrack at the proper distance. On the other hand, this feature only works for anyone wearing the earbuds – not exactly great for group viewing.
The app, which is easy to navigate and use, has plenty of other features on tap. Of course, there are some basic EQ settings. While there’s no parametric EQ, you can adjust the treble, bass, center channel, and height effect, aka spatial audio. You can even toggle on a Wall EQ setting to adjust for when the soundbar is installed against a wall.
Speaking of spatial audio, this soundbar does support Dolby Atmos, and physically reproduces it via those upward-firing speakers. Some soundbars support Dolby Atmos but don’t have any upward-firing speakers, instead using virtual trickery to give a sense of spaciousness. The difference is noticeable.
Bose TrueSpace also takes advantage of those upward-firing speakers, upscaling sound so that you’re getting a spatial audio experience even when the source isn’t Dolby Atmos encoded. (It’s like listening to mono audio on a stereo set of speakers.) As far as I could hear, it’s the same audio going upwards as out whereas Dolby Atmos audio has specific elements that are designated height effects.
If you’re hard of hearing or just find the modern mixes of movies to be hard to understand, the AI dialogue mode might be the feature for you. It’s supposed to automatically adjust dialogue for clarity’s sake. When testing – I watched the beginning of The Dark Knight for this feature – I found that dialogue was clearer since there was a subtle boost to the midrange where voices typically sit. It wasn’t obnoxious the way some dialog boosting modes are, but it still boosted sounds that sit in a similar frequency range that weren’t voices. It’s not perfectly executed, but still is done well.
Lastly, the Bose Smart Soundbar has Alexa support as well as both Chromecast built-in and AirPlay. With Alexa, you can talk to the soundbar the way you would an Amazon Echo, even asking what the weather is or setting a timer. I did find that I had to articulate the wake word a little more for the soundbar to hear me, but that’s not all that big of a deal.
During testing, I found the built-in Chromecast and AirPlay to work seamlessly, which is something I always worry about as in the past I’ve had connectivity issues with Wi-Fi streaming on some devices.
Features score: 4.5 / 5
The Bose Smart soundbar features two upward-firing speakers for Dolby Atmos height effects (Image credit: Future)
Bose Smart Soundbar review: Performance
Light on bass
Balanced mids and crisp highs
Somewhat narrow soundstage
The Bose Smart Soundbar sounds about as good as a soundbar can. You have to remember that these types of audio devices exist mostly for convenience’s sake.
With that in mind, let’s discuss its audio limitations. First up is the bass. While I could turn up the bass level in the app, the low-range boost affects the mid-range frequencies. Since there are just some bass ports on the back and no actual subwoofer-specific drivers, not to mention that the drivers are necessarily compact, the lack of a strong bass response is unsurprising.
There was no rumble on hand when I tested it with The Batman, The Dark Knight, and Deadpool & Wolverine (400 Blows doesn’t lend itself to testing soundbars). Whenever there are big fights in these kinds of movies, there’s always a lot of very punchy low-end information. But here, all that information is very muted if not gone. At least, there’s a subwoofer output to correct that by adding an external subwoofer, and Bose also offers wireless subs (and surround speakers) that can be paired with the Smart Soundbar.
The other parts of the frequency range fare better. The mid-range is not quite rich and full, but it is well-balanced. I generally didn’t need the A.I. dialogue mode, for instance, as the dialogue was consistently intelligible. It also helped that I could boost the center channel level in the app to help with that.
The high-end is nice and crisp on the Smart Soundbar. Whether it was the string arrangement in movie scores or even dialogue when I tested it, everything had a nice clarity as opposed to being overly pronounced or even painful to listen to.
This soundbar's soundstage is inherently limited by its form factor. That said, the sound did feel like it has more width than other similarly sized soundbars I’ve tested and used. This was helped quite a bit by the spatial audio capabilities, as everything sounded a little bigger and wider, even though I didn’t hear as much left-to-right movement as I expected.
Performance score: 4 / 5
The Bose Smart Soundbar's main connections are HDMI eARC and optical digital audio, along with a line output for a subwoofer (Image credit: Future)
Bose Smart Soundbar review: Design
Upward-firing speakers
On-unit controls just for voice assistant
No alphanumeric LED display
Bose is not breaking the mold design-wise with the look or color of the Bose Smart Soundbar. This is a long rectangular, matte black soundbar with a grill that covers the front and wraps around the side to cover the center tweeter and the racetrack transducers on each end. There’s a grill on the top of the unit as well where the two upward-firing transducers are.
Speaking of all those speakers, despite it being technically a 3.0.2 system (the left, right and center speakers along with the two upward-firing ones), the audio decodes at 5.1.4. There are some ports on the back to help with bass but there aren’t any drivers dedicated to the low end.
The on-unit controls are fairly limited as just two buttons are sitting on top of the left side for voice assistant support. There’s a microphone button to turn the internal mic on or off and an Alexa action button to interact with Alexa in a few different ways including stopping the feature.
Most of the physical controls are available through the remote. You have the usual ones like power, mute, and volume controls as well as three source buttons (TV, Bluetooth, App) and a play/pause button. Nothing too crazy. The remote itself is fairly small and light, which is nice, though its small size makes it the kind of remote that’s very easy to lose.
As far as ports go, it has the necessary optical and HDMI ports as well as a subwoofer out, an IR port, and a USB
There’s no front panel alphanumeric LED display – something I always wish I had when it’s missing – just an LED light when the soundbar turns on or is listening when listening to a voice assistant command. While I did miss it, I didn’t miss it all that much.
Design score: 4 / 5
The Smart Soundbar's control app gives you access to a wide range of EQ settings (Image credit: Future)
Bose Smart Soundbar review: Setup & usability
HDMI eARC connection to TV
Easy, app-based setup
One-remote use with Roku TVs
Setup of the Bose Smart Soundbar is very straightforward, even if it takes just a little longer from beginning to end. If you just want to get to it and don’t care about all the features, connecting the soundbar to either your TV’s optical or HDMI eARC port is most of the work. Put some AAA batteries into the remote (unfortunately not included) and you’re good to go.
There are a few more steps if you want to get the full experience. After downloading the Bose app, you pair it to the soundbar (and the Ultra Open earbuds if you have them) and then set up Wi-Fi on the soundbar for AirPlay, Chromecast Built-in and Alexa.
The Bose Smart Soundbar is made to pair seamlessly with Roku TVs. Luckily, I have one so I was able to go through the process – just follow the onscreen instructions – which allowed me to use my TV remote for basic functionality. On that note, once Alexa was set up, I was able to manipulate the soundbar just by using the wake word and speaking to it.
Setup & usability score: 5 / 5
Using the Smart Soundbar's Personal Surround Sound feature requires the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (not included) (Image credit: Future)
Bose Smart Soundbar review: Value
Features boost value
Can get more advanced systems for same price
Cheaper standalone soundbars available
If you’re looking at features, the Bose Smart Soundbar has a lot going for it with the Personal Surround Sound feature (which, again, requires a separate purchase), A.I. dialogue mode, and app support.
For a similar price, however, you can get a 5.1-channel system like the maxed-out version of the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus, which also gives you a subwoofer and rear speakers for true surround sound. As nice as Bose’s personalized surround sound feature is, only one person can use the earbuds at a time. Amazon’s system is lacking features and doesn’t have voice assistant support – not even Alexa. Its audio quality is not quite as crisp, nor does it have the upward-firing speakers of the Bose soundbar. Of course, if you’re on a budget, you can skip the subwoofer and rear speakers and just get the standalone Amazon Soundbar Plus soundbar for $249.99 / £249.99 (about AU$400).
Another option is to spend $349 / £299 (originally $499 / £449 / AU$695) to get the Sony HT-S2000, a 3.1-channel standalone soundbar that includes virtual spatial audio and good bass response. It costs a little less for something that gets you 80% of the way there. But again, you’re giving up a lot as it doesn’t have voice assistant support, the personalized surround sound that’s unique to this Bose soundbar, or one of the many other features on hand.
Value score: 4 / 5
The Bose Smart Soundbar and Ultra Open Earbuds (Image credit: Future)
Should I buy the Bose Smart Soundbar?
Buy it if...
You need all the features The Bose Smart Soundbar is about as feature-filled as it gets, from Alexa and Chromecast built-in to a personal surround sound feature accessible if you have a pair of Bose Ultra Open Earbuds.
You’re looking for great sound in a single soundbar This soundbar has the typical Bose audio quality one expects. While a bit light in the bass, it has good clarity and dynamics.
You want true Dolby Atmos Thanks to the inclusion of two upward-firing speakers, this soundbar offers a real spatial audio experience. On top of that, it can upscale non-Dolby Atmos tracks into faux spatial audio.
Don't buy it if...
You want a full surround sound system While you can use the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds for a great surround sound experience, it’s just for one person. If you want a full surround sound experience, especially with guests, look elsewhere.
You’re on a budget For a single soundbar, you’re paying quite a premium here. There are decent soundbars, albeit with less features and lower-quality sound, at a fraction of the price.View Deal
Bose Smart Soundbar: Also consider
Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus system costs about the same as the Bose Smart Soundbar. And while it’s not nearly as feature-packed, it does come with a subwoofer and surround speakers for a more immersive experience (discounting the Bose’s personal surround sound feature).
Sony HT-S2000 While its Dolby Atmos is virtual, this soundbar still punches above its weight thanks to its impressive sound. There’s no voice assistant support or Wi-Fi streaming, but its price has dropped a bit from when it was released.
Hisense AX5125H Hisense's soundbar system offers 5.1.2 channels in a compact package with wireless surround speakers and a subwoofer. It also has an alphanumeric front panel LED display and costs less than Bose's soundbar.
The Nakamichi Dragon with its two subs in my home. (Image credit: Future)
I used the Bose Smart Soundbar for a couple of weeks
Tested with TV, movies, games, and music
I used the Bose Smart Soundbar regularly for a couple of weeks. I watched movies, shows, gamed and listened to music with it. I tested all the various features, especially the Personal Surround Sound feature to see what it could do.
After having tested the Bose Smart Soundbar, it still surprises me all that this soundbar has to offer. It’s that feature-packed. This is an ideal soundbar for someone with a smaller, not-quite home theater setup, but who still wants a premium experience, and not just because of the name.
I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.
Earlier today OnePlus made the Watch 3 official without much fanfare. It builds upon the seeming success of the OnePlus Watch 2 and OnePlus Watch 2R with an even bigger battery that should last for up to five days for normal use and even up to three days with intensive use.
There's also support for ECG readings, but there's a catch regarding this function. Namely, it's not going to be available in the US and Canada because OnePlus didn't receive official certification from the FDA for the Watch 3's ECG capabilities.
Thus, the ECG Analyzer feature won't be available in those...
