Windows 11 has just received its first major update since launching. Version KB5010414 delivers improvements to the taskbar, two redesigned stock apps and a public preview of native Android app support. The update began rolling out on 15 February, but it’ll take some time to arrive on all eligible devices. Microsoft first revealed the news in a late January blog post , before confirming the update’s release three weeks later ....
There are still a few months to wait until the next true Xiaomi flagship series, but in the meantime the 11T series is here – a half-step update from the Mi 11 series that tweaks the older phones slightly. Think remixes, rather than upgrades – especially since these phones actually undercut the Mi 11 on price. There are two phones: the 11T and the 11T Pro. Note that there’s no Mi here – these are the first Xiaomi phones to release in the West since the company officially dropped the ‘Mi’ name from its hardware to simplify things....
At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict Budget Android phones don’t come better than this. The Mi A2 Lite has a premium design with 19:9 notch display, dual rear cameras and decent performance. Storage is generous, and we like the fact you can bolster the 64GB internal space with microSD cards up to 256GB in capacity without sacrificing dual-SIM support. A great budget buy. Best Prices Today: Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite Better known in China as the Redmi 6 Pro, the Mi A2 Lite is more appealing to a UK audience thanks to its easier ( now official UK ) availability and more familiar operating system, running Android One rather than MIUI....
Christmas is around the corner and that means the Tech Advisor team is looking back at everything we’ve tested this year and choosing the best of the best. For the budget tablet category, it was a hard-fought battle to come out on top with the best value slate. Google doesn’t even make a cheap enough tablet to be considered, leaving the door open for Samsung, Xiaomi, Lenovo, OnePlus and others to take the crown....
At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The Smooth 4 does offer really stable footage, but it is far from perfect. It’s not all that comfortable to hold and use and doesn’t have a joystick like other gimbals do. It’s best paired with an iPhone as the ZY play app lacks quite a few features on Android, but the fact it’s compatible with Filmic Pro helps. Best Prices Today: Zhiyun Smooth 4 The choice of smartphone gimbals is ever expanding and Zhiyun is another company with plenty of experience in making camera stabilisers....
At a Glance Expert’s Rating Pros Energy efficient Fast Quiet Leaves hair shiny Cons Expensive No choice of heat settings Our Verdict This is a premium product, with a commensurately high price tag, but its technology is impressive: it’s quiet, cool, fast and energy efficient. Best Prices Today: Zuvi Halo Zuvi is a new name in hair care. The Chinese brand has appeared on the scene with a fresh, light-based approach to hair drying – albeit embodied in a somewhat familiar design....
The Acer 27in Predator XB271HU gaming monitor has a few impressive features. It’s a widescreen, quad-high definition (QHD) IPS panel, which in other words, means you get 2K resolution (2560 x 1440) with excellent colour accuracy no matter what angle you view the screen. The Predator XB271HU monitor itself has a native refresh rate of 144Hz, but it can be be overclocked to 165Hz to further minimize motion blurs. Plus, NVIDIA gamers will especially appreciate that the monitor comes with NVIDIA G-Sync, a display technology that synchronizes the monitor’s refresh rate to the GPU to ensure smooth, seamless gameplay without tearing or stuttering....
I’m adamant that the best time of year for TV is autumn. As the weather cools down and we’re spending less time necking pints in pub gardens, our TVs become valued old friends once again. While it’s tempting to browse through Netflix’s endless library to see what I can find, I’ll barely have time to do so. That’s because other channels and streaming services have other, better options for September, with new episodes covering most nights of the week....
At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The Acer Swift 3 is an excellent choice for those after an all-rounder laptop at a reasonable price. It combines nice design and good build quality with a range of features and adequate performance. Some rivals are better in some areas, but the Swift 3 has its pros so it depends what’s more important to you. Best Prices Today: Acer Swift 3 (SF-314) Acer has established itself as a force in the laptop world, offering great value for money....
After appearing in The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian series, Ahsoka Tano finally got her own show on Disney+. Ahsoka was brought into the live-action world in The Mandalorian Chapter 13, The Jedi. In her own quest, she and Sabine Wren went across the galaxy to search for two key figures: Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn. All episodes of Ahsoka have now aired on Disney+, and the show left things quite open-ended....
Apple’s AirPods are among the most popular wireless earbuds on the market at the moment, offering a seamless experience unmatched by most third-party audio companies, and they should get even better in their third generation. Following years of success with the second-gen AirPods, an upgrade was overdue, but to reward the wait Apple has delivered an almost complete redesign of the AirPods we’ve come to know and love. Here’s all you need to know about the third-generation AirPods, from pricing to the key features and how they compare to the competition....
I’ve been testing Amazfit smartwatches for a good few years now so I have a good idea about what’s good and not so good about wearing one. On the good front, I’m always surprised by the sheer level of features it manages to cram in. Sometimes at the detriment of the experience you’ll enjoy, but at least it offers plenty in all departments. At times the wearables offer better sports and fitness tracking than considerably more expensive smartwatches and also promise (and typically deliver) strong battery life....
At a Glance Expert’s Rating Pros Good quality screen No-quibble warranty Well-designed case Cons No Alexa in kids profiles Quite expensive Missing Amazon Prime content Our Verdict The Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is a great kids tablet. The HD 8 Kids Pro is arguably better value, though. This means new Kids Edition models, too. They’re based on the same hardware as the regular Fire Tablets, but bundle a protective case, a year’s access to Kids+ (entertainment, apps, books and more) and a two-year warranty that gives you a replacement if your child manages to break the tablet somehow....
There’s no doubt that Philips makes some of the best TVs around. One of the reasons for this – the same reason I’ve chosen Philips TVs for a decade now – is Ambilight. For the uninitiated, Ambilight means LEDs on the back of the TV which change colour in real time with whatever is on screen. And in 2023, it’s going to get even better. At a launch event in Amsterdam, the brand revealed that certain models from the 2023 range of TVs will come with V2 of the Ambient Intelligence system....
AMD has had a doozy of a reveal at CES 2022, covering not only new entry-level desktop GPUs but a whole suite of laptop-focused upgrades including the reveal of both new and updated laptop-focused graphics cards that’ll bring a significant boost to laptop performance in 2022. Let’s start with the new addition to the laptop market, the AMD Radeon RX 6000S Mobile Graphics. Designed to be used in thinner and lighter gaming laptops than the flagship 6000M series, the 6000S can be used in laptops 20% thinner than standard gaming laptops, and it’ll weigh around 2Kg maximum too....
At a glance Expert’s Rating Pros Outstanding cameras Super-bright screen USB-C port Cons Charging still relatively slow Doesn’t have 5x zoom of Pro Max Our Verdict Outwardly, the iPhone 15 Pro might look the same as ever but lots of changes and upgrades make it a top choice, especially if your current phone is three or more years old. If you already own an iPhone 13 or 14 Pro, there isn’t enough here to warrant an upgrade....
At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict Best Prices Today: Apple TV HD (4th gen, 2015) For years, rumour had it that Apple would launch a TV. Realistically that was never going to happen. Apple doesn’t make TVs and, logically, it doesn’t need to. It just needs a media streamer that’s better than the competition. Here’s our 4th-gen Apple TV review. Update 22 March: Thanks to a free update, the Apple TV is getting some much needed new features....
Since Google launched the Play Store in 2008, the company has had something of a monopoly over where Android users head to download apps. If you’re not using an Apple device, it’s highly likely that Google’s app store is the only one you’re using. However, that could be about to change, with Reuters reporting that major Chinese smartphone manufacturers are working together to create what looks like an alternative to Google’s apps....
At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict Asus has restricted build and component quality to fit the attractive £300 price point, but all the essentials work well together. The Haswell Intel chip means overall performance is better than any Celeron-based competition in the Asus X555LA. Best Prices Today: Asus X555LA The perfect all-round value laptop for work and play. Thay’s how Asus bills its X555LA , and for once we’re almost inclined to agree....
At a Glance Expert’s Rating Pros Fantastic OLED display Svelte design Plenty of ports Cons No dedicated graphics options Flaky NumberPad 2.0 Our Verdict The Asus Zenbook 14 (UX3402) is an excellent laptop, boasting a rich and colour-accurate OLED display, good keyboard, great overall performance, and a battery that’ll get you through the working day. Avoid if you’re workload needs a dedicated GPU, though. Best Prices Today: Asus Zenbook 14 (UX3402) The Asus ZenBook 14 (UX3402) is the new-look version of Asus’s flagship Ultrabook series for 2022....
