Laptop power banks are super useful for any time you need to work away from mains power. When searching for a power bank to charge a laptop or console, you need to keep two things in mind: can it deliver enough power to charge my device, and is the battery capacity high enough to give the battery a reasonable boost? Laptops and consoles will not charge over a standard USB port: you need one equipped with Power Delivery....

Mixed Signals is a new regular column from Tech Advisor exploring the state of the smartphone today. Emblazoned in the good ol’ red, white, and blue in almost every product shot, the Freedom Phone is transparent about its potential audience: patriotic Americans who want to simultaneously stick it to Silicon Valley and China, while protecting their privacy in the process. The only problem? It’s a privacy and security nightmare that’s still made in China, still powered by Google software, and seems positioned to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers who simply don’t know any better....

It’s almost hard to believe that The Last of Us Part II is actually almost here, after years of waiting, multiple delays, and an entire console generation since the first game launched on the PS3. But here we are, with The Last of Us 2 now just weeks away from launch. Here’s everything you need to know about the PS4 exclusive, from the release date and trailers to the latest gameplay details and why it’s one of our most anticipated games ....

The cheapest of the three smartphones announced by Nokia in March 2020, the 1.3 aims to distill the best of stock Android into a compact and affordable device suitable for everyone. The big news here is that the phone with Android 10, while the company has confirmed it will also get upgrades to the next two versions of Google’s software. It’s worth noting that this is the Go edition of Android, perhaps understandable considering it’s among the most affordable smartphones you can buy....

We originally wrote this article back in August 2014 to say rumours of an upcoming OnePlus smartwatch were rubbish. Two years later the company has finally confirmed our suspicions: there will never be a OnePlus smartwatch. (Phew!) OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei told TechRadar back in October 2015 that it had at one stage looked into making a piece of wearable tech, but instead decided to continue its focus on smartphones....

The Google Pixel 10 has been tipped to add one of the iPhone’s features, but it might not be as good as we were hoping. According to Android Authority , which claims to have seen “credible marketing materials intended for retailers”, the Pixel 10 will support Qi2 wireless charging. This is the next-gen wireless charging technology that Apple pioneered with its own MagSafe standard. It offers slightly better wireless charging speeds, but the main advantage is its magnetised fastening system that ensures a more consistent and convenient charging experience....

Google is putting AI technology at the forefront of its latest Pixel phones, but I hate one of the new features more than anything I’ve seen in my four years as a tech journalist. AI photo features are nothing new for Google: it first released the Magic Eraser tool in 2021, before following it with Magic Editor at this year’s I/O event in May. The latter lets you to completely change the composition of photos, allowing subjects to be moved into the middle of a frame or the size of a person changed....

When Microsoft launched the original Surface in 2012, few could have predicted the impact it would have on the future of the PC. The device itself did little to convince consumers that a tablet could ever replace your laptop, years before Apple popularised the debate. It ran Windows RT, a Windows 8 spin-off which was just as negatively received as the full thing. Performance from the Nvidia Tegra processor was severely lacking, while 2GB of RAM wasn’t enough for many productivity tasks....

After teasing an announcement for the past few weeks, HTC has finally unveiled the Vive XR Elite, an AR- and VR-focused headset that sounds quite similar to the Meta Quest Pro released late last year. Like the Quest Pro, the Vive XR Elite is focused primarily on augmented reality while also providing a solid virtual reality experience. It achieves this via the combination of four wide FOV cameras with full-colour passthrough, 6DoF tracking, and most importantly a depth sensor – something missing from Meta’s high-end headset....

At a glance Expert’s Rating Pros Scintillating and smooth display Good battery life 120W fast charging Focus Pen stylus is great fun Cons Limited software support Stylus not included Officially only works with Xiaomi stylus No 5G option Our Verdict The Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro is a powerful, capable Android tablet with a super-smooth display, great entertainment features, and compares well on price with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra and Apple iPad Pro (2022)....

Whenever I’m covering a new smartphone and see a 2Mp macro camera listed among the specs, it makes me very frustrated. Why? Because even before testing it, I can pretty much guarantee that it’ll be functionally useless. On every single phone with a 2Mp macro that I’ve ever reviewed (and there have been quite a few), the lens has added nothing to the overall experience. Instead of improving the quality of close-up shots, most macro lenses produce a blurry, unusable mess, even when within the recommended distance....

For many tennis fans, the most important fortnight of the year has just begun. In case you weren’t aware, Wimbledon is underway , with the iconic tournament taking place from 1-14 July this year. As a big tennis fan who lives near London, I knew I wanted to be there on the first day to watch top-class action and soak up the atmosphere. However, without signing up for the ballot ahead of time, I knew the only way I could get tickets was to join the queue....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The TP-Link TL-PB10400 is a great-value power bank that has enough capacity to keep both your phone and tablet running away from the mains, while still being sufficiently portable to throw in a bag. Lumsing’s alternative is cheaper, and you may prefer its design, but this TP-Link will refill its own battery faster, it’s better at showing how much capacity remains, and it includes an LED torch....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict A great pair of wireless earbuds for casual listening during a workout or on the commute, but not ideal for extended use. The Tronsmart Spunky Pro offer great value, and surprisingly decent audio quality. Battery life is also strong. Best Prices Today: Tronsmart Spunky Pro With so many expensive headphones and earbuds out there, it’s difficult to find a good pair without digging deep....

There can be no single Twitter feature more often requested than an edit button. For years, users ranging from Kim Kardashian to McDonald’s have requested the option to edit their tweets after the fact. Now the tech giant has confirmed that the feature may soon become reality – but is it actually a good idea? The first hints came at the beginning of the month when the company claimed that they were working on one ....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The S2 Pro from UMIDIGI offers amazing value at just a touch over £200 thanks to its large 18:9 display, huge battery and capacious internal storage. Performance and photography are adequate, making this an excellent budget- to mid-range choice, and worth Considering as an alternative to the Moto G6 if you need the extra storage or dual-SIM capability. Best Prices Today: UMIDIGI S2 Pro UMIDIGI’s S2 Pro goes big on all the best bits: big screen, big battery and big storage....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The Urbanista Seattle headphones are hard to summarise. The design is simplistic and attractive and would be a hit with the fashion-Conscious, but there are downsides too; namely comfort and temperamental touch-based media controls. Luckily they perform much better in the audio department, providing pronounced bass without drowning out the mid-range, although the high-end could be a little clearer. Best Prices Today: Urbanista Seattle wireless The headphone market is more competitive now than it has ever been with a range of wired- and wireless headphones on the market at almost every price point....

USB stands for Universal Serial Bus, and it’s been the standard connection type for computers and most tech devices since 1998, when Apple took the brave decision to use it on its revolutionary original iMac. Before USB, there were multiple connections types, from ADB to FireWire and SCSI, all with their own variations. As with most tech standards, USB has been getting faster ever since with new versions coming out every few years and leaping forward in speed and functionality....

The videoconferencing service Zoom has seen unprecedented use as people can’t meet in person. And with that meteoric rise has come some serious scrutiny and the realisation that Zoom isn’t 100% safe to use. The company has responded well to this criticism of its privacy policies and other security worries, and has ceased all new feature development so its development team can focus on the current version. But antivirus software giant Kaspersky says that code updates alone won’t address all the security issues, nor all those related to privacy....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict It’s expensive, but the Kobold VR300 provides an impressive vacuuming experience that we think could rival that of a conventional vacuum cleaner, but it’s not as smart as some rivals – yet. The low-profile design, upgraded SLAM technology and D-shape design allow the VR300 to safely navigate around obstacles and reach every last nook and cranny. Best Prices Today: Vorwerk Kobold VR300 While Vorwerk may not be a household name just yet, the company is at the forefront of the robot vacuum revolution with a range of autonomous vacs available to buy in the UK and Germany....