At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict While the Pixel XL is an attractive phone (if you can get used to the glass section) with decent combination of hardware and software, we can’t help but feel a bit disappointed. It’s very similar to the much cheaper Nexus 6P and OnePlus 3. You can get plenty of other Android phones for less which have extra features like waterproofing and expandable storage. Sorry Google, but things have gone a bit wrong here....

In summary August firmware update for Pixel devices rolling out now Addresses a major security flaw Two more minor fixes are also included Google has released a new firmware update for all of its Pixel devices, and while it isn’t the full Android 16 Material 3 Expressive design that many are holding out for, it’s far more important that you download and install it now. Pixel firmware number BP2A.250805.005 has started rolling out to all Pixel devices from the Pixel 6 through to the current Google Pixel 9 series, and it includes the August 2025 security patch....

At a Glance Our Verdict We certainly like the Switch 5 which is essentially an improved version of the Alpha 12. However, it’s the price that’s really the sticking point here so look for the Switch 3 if it’s out of your price range. Best Prices Today: Acer Switch 5 While we wait for the Microsoft Surface Pro 5, Acer has something to fill the gap and will eventually be a rival....

The writers of House of the Dragon promised plenty more beasts than in the original series, and they certainly delivered. The fourth episode of season 2 finally brought us an actual dance of the dragons, with fire-breathing creatures fighting for life and death. In House of the Dragon season 1 we saw ten dragons – nine alive, plus the giant skull of Balerion, the Black Dread. The HBO series is expected to show seventeen dragons in total, meaning we are meeting several new fire-breathing beasts in the second season....

It also launched its largest-ever Echo Show, an updated Halo fitness tracker, a new gadget aimed at kids called Glow and a Blink-branded, battery-powered doorbell for £49.99 / US$49.99. Looking for a new Kindle? Strangely, new models were quietly announced a week before the big hardware event. Find out all about the new Paperwhite and Signature Editions here . Household robot Built-in Alexa Autonomous movement The surprise announcement of the event was undoubtedly Astro....

In summary: Tech Advisor predicts The Apprentice series 20 may premiere around January 29, 2026, based on historical patterns of late January or early February airings. The BBC has not officially confirmed the air date for series 20, though the show is confirmed to return following Dean Franklin’s £250,000 investment win. The series typically airs after The Traitors concludes, maintaining Lord Alan Sugar’s continued search for new business partners and investment opportunities....

Honor has much to celebrate in the UK. Apart from upgrading its UK-specific site , it’s also debuting the brand new Honor 9X Pro in the UK today – and to, well , honour the event it’s knocking £50 off the handset in a part of a massive sale with up to 60% off. Just remember to click on the coupon tab to claim the £50 discount before you add the phone to cart....

Honor has launched its latest mid-range phone , the Magic 7 Lite, in Europe, positioning it as a significant addition to the brand’s lineup. The phone is part of the recently launched Magic 7 series in China, which is still awaiting a full global launch. While the Magic 7 Lite is now available in the UK, we’re still waiting for the Magic 7 and Magic 7 Pro to join later this month....

It’s back to school season and although devices like laptops and tablets might spring to mind, you should consider a smartwatch. While it might not seem like an obvious companion for your time in education, there are various ways it can help you study better. Allow me to make the case for smartwatches , which could help you make the grade. Time keeping Ok, this is pretty obvious, but a smartwatch is going to help you keep track of the time but there’s more to it than just telling you it’s 3:04pm when you raise your wrist....

Whether you’re receiving intrusive calls or simply don’t know who has your phone number and would like to start again, it might be time to change it. However, it’s not obvious how to actually do that. As it turns out, the method can vary depending on the phone or network you’re with. Below you will find a guide on how to change your phone number, regardless of whether you’re using an iPhone or Android phone ....

Before you can edit PDFs, you need to be able to open them in some form of application on your PC or laptop. If you don’t have a PDF editor , you can alternatively convert them to Microsoft Word format. Here are some free options for doing so. (Of course, not all PDF packages are expensive, and there are some great free options out there.) Get a free trial of Adobe Acrobat DC More accomplished than any of the free online options we mention below, Adobe Acrobat DC is a full-blown PDF editor that thinks nothing of converting your files to Word format....

In the days when every PC had a hard disk drive (HDD), defragging was an crucial way to keep it in top condition. HDDs have since been replaced by solid state drives (SSDs) in the majority of devices, which are able to operate much more efficiently. In fact, defragmenting an SSD may actually cause it to work less effectively. Many devices that still use the older hard drives can perform defragging automatically, but it’s still worth doing manually from time to time....

Although the UK Government has capped the price of power, our bills are still set to rise again in October. If you want to cut costs, you need to know where your power is going. Once you know that, you can change your habits and save money. We’ll explain to to find out how much electricity different devices and appliances use, so you can decide how often or how best to use them....

For the first year after release, Microsoft offered a free upgrade to Windows 10 for any users running older versions. It was a popular move and one that has undoubtedly contributed to the software now being installed on more than 1 billion devices . While this offer officially expired back in 2016, it’s still possible to make the transition without spending any money. We’ve been able to successfully upgrade a Windows 7 PC to Windows 10, now that the former is no longer supported by Microsoft....

Unlike a games console where developers optimise their games for specific hardware, PCs come in all shapes and sizes. Some rely on a graphics chip that’s integrated into the main CPU, while others have blazing-fast PCI Express graphics cards. No matter your setup, it’s possible to squeeze out extra fps (frames per second) from your PC. Of course, if you’ve just bought the latest shooter, MMO, or racer and have found that it’s completely unplayable even after trying all these tricks, you may need to upgrade your components or invest in better hardware....

The FIFA World Cup is in full swing. For the following month we’ll all be football fans, following the fortunes of countries local and far-flung, good, bad and indifferent at kicking a bladder around a field. To embrace fully one of the world’s fully global events requires an element of planning. From a UK perspective games kick off at various times from 5pm through to 11pm. It’s likely that you may be at work, in bed or – in extreme cases – both, when South Korea and Algeria face off....

YouTube is an invaluable resource for music fans. While Spotify, Deezer and others battle it out for dominance in the streaming market, YouTube has become such a popular music site that Google now has a subscription service that allows you to watch YouTube videos without ads and even offline . In this guide we’ll show you how to put together a Christmas playlist so you can be very festive indeed this season....

We can’t quite believe that cheques still exist in 2021. Or that the NHS still uses fax machines. But this is the reality we’re faced with. If you receive a cheque and don’t fancy making a trip to the bank or can’t because your local branch has closed down, it can be hard to know what to do with cheques. Well, depending on who you bank with, there’s a good chance that you may be able to turn those bits of paper into money in your account via your smartphone....

Microsoft includes its own security suite with Windows, in the form of Windows Defender. It’s a decent option in many cases, and usually gets out of the way if you install another antivirus package. Should you wish to disable it completely, then you’ll need to follow the steps below. It’s unwise to have no security software though, as we discuss in Do you need Antivirus on a new Windows PC or laptop?...

If your Chromebook is having problems or you’re thinking of selling or passing it on to someone else, then resetting the device is a good idea. Chromebooks make this very easy thanks to a feature called Powerwash, which returns your laptop to a box-fresh condition, hopefully solving any issues you had and leaving no data for snoopers to stumble across. Here’s the easy way to reset a Chromebook. Will I lose my files if I reset my Chromebook?...