The love story of two middle-aged pirates, Stede Bonnet and Ed Teach, is arguably one of HBO’s most charming series. Both hilarious and heartwarming, Our Flag Means Death gained a legion of fans – particularly in the LGBTQIA+ community. Although creator David Jenkins takes liberty with historical facts, Our Flag Means Death is still rooted in reality. Stede Bonnet was a genuine Barbadian known as the Gentleman Pirate. He came from a wealthy family of planters but gave up a comfortable life for crime and adventures....

Sure, the new Pixel 8 flagship phones are exciting but there’s still good news if you can’t afford to upgrade. A big feature drop for Pixel devices is here, bringing with it all kinds of new features for devices as old as the Pixel 4a 5G. With hardware just about as far as it can go in terms of development, software is the area where the big improvements and features can make a huge difference and the arrival of Android 14 means millions of Pixel devices are about to get a free upgrade, which starts rolling out from today....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Pros Great trigger buttons Very fast 120W charging Excellent specs & performance Subtle design Cons No headphone jack Clunky software Middling battery life Our Verdict The Poco F4 GT has excellent hardware specs for the price including the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Paired with amazingly fast charging, trigger buttons, and game-boosting software features, it is a solid gaming phone that manages to masquerade as a regular smartphone thanks to its restrained design....

At a glance Expert’s Rating Pros Super powerful Exceptional value Great battery life Ultra-fast charging Cons Cameras aren’t the most Consistent HyperOS software has some bloatware Our Verdict If you want flagship-level performance without the sky-high price tag, the Poco F7 Ultra is the phone for you. It’s super quick, has great battery life, charges in a flash and won’t hurt your wallet so much. The cameras aren’t quite flagship-grade, but they’re still more than good enough for a casual shooter....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Pros Laser mapping Powerful suction Remote control, voice activation and app compatible Cons Underwhelming mopping Our Verdict The M7 Pro is an excellent cleaner: it’s rugged, has powerful suction and a brilliant mapping system. However, some concerns about post-purchase support have left us less inclined to recommend it. Best Prices Today: Proscenic M7 Pro Robot vacuums are a big purchase and people should feel confident that they are buying for long-term use....

Apple has suffered at the hand of Jon Prosser who, until recently, was relatively unknown on the Apple leak scene. Since bursting onto the scene earlier this year, Prosser has correctly predicted the release of the iPhone SE – complete with pricing and key specs – alongside the updated MacBook Pro , and he has even provided key details around the upcoming iPhone 12 range . Of course, the latter can’t be proved just yet, but it’s in-line with what other sources seem to be reporting and given Prosser’s track record, there’s a tendency to trust what he says....

At a Glance Our Verdict While Sony’s PS4 Pro is not to be sniffed at – it still provides a bump in performance compared to the PS4 – it simply can’t compete with what the Xbox One X provides. True 4K@60fps gameplay is stunning, and the inclusion of a 4K Blu-ray player means you can enjoy UHD movies too. Best Prices Today: Microsoft Xbox One X Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro was the most powerful games console on the market by some way since release in 2016, but it looks as if that crown has now been taken, as Microsoft’s souped-up Xbox One X is now available to buy in the UK....

Ahead of the company’s annual Tech Summit event, where it’s expected to unveil the next generation of its flagship smartphone chipset, Qualcomm has today announced a revamp to its branding. Going forwards, Snapdragon smartphone chipsets will use a simplified single-digit naming system with generation numbers. This should be cleaner, while still emphasising the company’s four performance tiers, with the 8-series powering flagship phones, and the 7-series, 6-series, and 4-series below....

Qualcomm is aiming its two new mobile processors, the 6 Gen 1 and 4 Gen 1, directly at mid-range and budget phones respectively. Announced today, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 promises up to a 35% improvement in gaming performance and is the first Qualcomm chip at this level to support 200Mp photo capture. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 meanwhile can handle 108Mp shots, boost 10% in gaming performance, and allow for several days of battery life, according to Qualcomm....

Handheld gaming consoles have enjoyed a resurgence recently, and Qualcomm clearly thinks they’re the future. The US chipmaker has announced three new dedicated processors, each of which targets a different kind of handheld console. Two of these – the Snapdragon G1 Gen 1 (for game streaming) and Snapdragon G2 Gen 1 (for mobile and cloud gaming) – are brand new. But the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 is an upgraded version of 2021’s original, which finally made its way into the Razer Edge earlier this year....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Pros Great value Huge battery Versatile cameras Cons Lacklustre screen Plastic build Middling performance Our Verdict Compared to its older brother – the Realme 6 – the 6i loses out on a few things, but a big battery and surprisingly-premium features like NFC and a quad-camera setup still make this a compelling affordable buy. Best Prices Today: Realme 6i With the mid-range and affordable spaces being the real battlegrounds in 2020’s mobile market, Realme is working hard to make sure it has as many contenders in the game as possible....

Ahead of the release of the final season of Game of Thrones next year, HBO and Devolver Digital have revealed a spin-off of the popular Reigns series for mobile and PC. Reigns: Game of Thrones offers a new twist on the classic text-based decision-making game, allowing you to play as your favourite characters from the series and see what life in the Seven Kingdoms would be like if things played out differently....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Pros Temperature options Steam function Wide plates Cons A little heavier than some straighteners Too large to be ideal for travel Our Verdict If you’re looking for straighteners that’ll protect your hair and allow you to style it at a lower temperature, Revamp’s Progloss Steamcare could be for you. Best Prices Today: Revamp Progloss Steamcare ST-1600 straightener The design of the Revamp Progloss straighteners is simple and understated....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Pros RHA signature sound Sits securely in your ears Great touch-sensitive controls Cons Case needs charging weekly regardless of use Earbud shape takes some getting used to Case is bulky Our Verdict RHA’s premium wireless earbuds sound great, with decent ANC and an interesting design that should negate the need to adjust the buds in your ears, but with odd charging case compromises that mean charge is Constantly supplied to the earbuds, you’ll have to charge it weekly regardless of use....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Pros Affordable Customisable motion zones Great app Cons Doesn’t work with existing chimes No continuous video recording No face recognition Our Verdict Best Prices Today: Ring Video Doorbell Wired Ring pretty much invented smart doorbells so it’s no wonder they’re a popular choice. The range is – if anything – almost too large, with seven models to choose between including this latest one, the Ring Video Doorbell Wired....

PS4 users will finally be able to play Rise of the Tomb Raider in October. Square Enix has announced that, in addition to new content for Xbox One and PC players, Rise of the Tomb Raider will be released for PS4 later this year as a 20 Year Celebration edition. Read on to find out more about the Rise of the Tomb Raider PS4 release date. You’ll also like: most anticipated games of 2016...

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict With interchangeable filters for the ideal sound and decent battery life, the T5 Ultraconnect is a pair of Bluetooth earbuds that won’t break the bank. Best Prices Today: Rock Jaw T5 Ultraconnect So-called ‘True Wireless’ earbuds are very fashionable at the moment, but Rock Jaw’s focus on sound quality and customer satisfaction has led it to develop a more traditional form of wireless headphones....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict You can now buy the Galaxy A3 SIM-free for around £160 if you search around online, or free on contract. But it’s possible to get the similarly specified Moto E for half the price, so it’s hard to justify spending the extra on the A3 for its cameras or even Samsung’s software. If you do have £160 to spend, you can get a much more powerful phone such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3....

After the unsuccessful Galaxy J series (which is now discontinued), Samsung has set its sights on the Galaxy A series, which are aimed at the budget- and mid-range phone buyer. The A series has been very popular around the world for years, exemplified by the fact that phones from this series often appear in roundups of the best smartphones are among the best-selling phones. And it’s no wonder: unlike the former Galaxy J series, A-series phones are characterised by very solid build quality, a design that strongly aspires to the flagship Galaxy S series and decent specifications at a relatively low price....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Pros Intelligent ANC IPX7 water-resistance Excellent audio Wireless charging Cons Some features limited to Samsung phones Fiddly touch controls Our Verdict The Galaxy Buds Pro are a premium package, with a decent fit combined with top-notch sound, active noise-cancellation, and smart features that make that ANC seamless to use. Best Prices Today: Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro Samsung’s fourth pair of Galaxy Buds are the best yet, pairing the in-ear design of the Galaxy Buds+ with the active noise-cancelling of the Buds Live to great effect....