Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia, denied reports about delays of the company's next-generation AI platform and said that production volumes of the upcoming Vera Rubin platforms are 'giant.' He didn't address reports about delays of Vera Rubin Ultra-based rack-scale systems carrying 144 AI GPUs.

"[The reports about Vera Rubin delays are] not true," Huang told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Japan, reports Bloomberg. "Vera Rubin is already in production. Giant amounts of production incoming."

Nvidia confirmed production of its Vera Rubin platform in January and then sampling in February, so the current comment reiterates what we already know. Nvidia stressing that 'giant amounts of production' are incoming is meant to reassure investors that the company is on track to sell a boatload of its next-generation Vera CPUs, Rubin GPUs, and Vera Rubin NVL72 systems in the coming quarters, which means more record-setting quarters.

What Huang did not address — or perhaps he wasn't asked — is Nvidia's rumored delay of its Kyber NVL144 rack-scale solution with copper interconnects due to the system's complex PCB midplane by more than a year from 2027 to 2028. An alternative dual-rack design has reportedly been canceled and an even larger CPO-based NVL576 configuration may also face delays or limited availability, the same report from SemiAnalysis claimed earlier this month. The setback could leave Nvidia's Rubin Ultra platform with a smaller NVLink scale-up domain than originally envisioned. Nvidia says its roadmap is intact.

The Kyber NVL144 architecture was designed to connect 144 Rubin Ultra GPUs using a copper-based NVLink 7 scale-up fabric, so the machine required a sophisticated PCB midplane to carry high-speed electrical links between the system's components. SemiAnalysis claims that this midplane was challenging to manufacture, leading to a delay. The report does not identify defective chips or problems with particular components mounted on the board, but specifically points to the manufacturability of the PCB infrastructure itself.

"Our roadmap is intact," a spokesperson for Nvidia told Tom's Hardware.

Nvidia's statement on the matter neither confirms nor denies the report, but indicates that the company will be able to offer products mentioned in its roadmap without revealing whether they also remain on their previously announced launch schedules.

Nvidia reportedly considered another copper-based design, called NVL72x2, as an alternative to Kyber. The system would have placed two Oberon racks back-to-back to expand the size of the NVLink scale-up domain without using optical interconnects. However, SemiAnalysis says customers rejected the unusual design and operational requirements, but does not specify their individual objections that could include serviceability, cooling, cabling, and data-center layout.

Meanwhile, the planned NVL576 rack scale solution that was supposed to combine eight Oberon racks interconnected using co-packaged optics between NVSwitches has also been postponed, or shipped in relatively small quantities because of 'ongoing CPO challenges,' SemiAnalysis claims.

The existence of the planned NVL576 configuration suggests that Nvidia had been developing some form of CPO-enabled NVSwitch connectivity for the Rubin generation. In theory, similar optical switch-to-switch connectivity could potentially be used to join smaller GPU groups into an NVL144 system and bypass Kyber's problematic copper midplane. However, the available information does not clearly indicate whether the CPO technology intended for NVL576 could reproduce Kyber's topology, bandwidth, and latency characteristics, or whether it was sufficiently mature for high-volume deployments by potential NVL144 customers.

The reported Kyber delay comes on the heels of another report saying that Nvidia had canceled quad-compute-chiplet version of its Rubin Ultra in favor or a dual-compute-chiplet design that is projected to deliver 2X lower performance. With Kyber NVL144 delayed and NVL72x2 cancelled, Nvidia will only be able to offer 72-way scale-up systems till sometimes in 2028, meaning that AMD and Google may end up with more competitive scale-up systems in 2027 – 2028. AMD's Mega Pod based on the Verano CPUs and Instinct MI500-series accelerators, is expected to pack up to 256 accelerators. Google's TPU 8i can provide roughly 1,024–1,152 accelerators within one low-latency domain, whereas the TPU 8t goes much further and can get to 9,600 chip packages per domain.

AI continues to wreak havoc on the tech industry, driving up the prices of processors, RAM, motherboards, and more PC hardware so companies can keep up with its hunger for more power (and RAM).

Fortunately, Newegg is offering a limited sale on several discounted bundles containing AMD processors we've tested and rated highly for their solid performance, alongside compatible motherboards and 16GB RAM modules to help these CPUs reach their full potential.

So, if you're looking to upgrade your PC with some of the best CPUs for gaming or productivity content creation, along with the best motherboards and precious RAM to maintain their stability, this round-up could be your next best solution.

FAQ

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

An entry-level Alienware PC almost sounds like a contradiction; it's long been the all-out brand you could choose when money isn't a concern, and you'd rather have a guarantee your games will run. So, does the Alienware 15 need to exist, or is it just competing with the tantalizingly new category of high-end gaming handhelds?

Including NVIDIA's RTX 5050 graphics certainly piqued my interest, because until now, I've never seen what this low-end laptop GPU can actually do. Is it worth picking the 50 Series chip for the benefit of cutting-edge DLSS upscaling, or is it too weak to be worth your time? I had so many questions, and these are the conclusions I reached from my testing for this review.

How much does the Alienware 15 cost?

The Alienware 15 starts at $1,399.99 on Dell.com, featuring the same AMD Ryzen 7 260 processor as my sample but with a previous-generation NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 discrete graphics card. Memory and storage remain at 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, but upgrading to an RTX 5050 GPU increases the price to $1,459.99.

A third and final variant of the AMD model increases storage to 1TB with an RTX 5060 GPU for $1,849.99, but the CPU remains the Ryzen 7 260. Alternatively, an Intel-based Alienware 15 starts at $1,499.99 on Dell.com with a Core 7-240H CPU, RTX 5050 GPU, and 16GB/512GB of memory and storage, though you can upgrade to RTX 5060 graphics and a 32GB/1TB RAM and SSD combo.

In the United Kingdom, the AMD-based Alienware 15 starts at £829.00 with a less powerful Ryzen 5 220 processor, RTX 3050 graphics, and 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. At the time of writing, an Intel-based Alienware 15 starts at £849.01 with a Core 5-210H CPU, RTX 3050 GPU, and the same 8GB/512GB RAM/SSD.

Is the Alienware 15 well made?

The Alienware 15 is a bit of a mixed bag, starting with a relatively plain exterior design featuring an iridescent alien head logo and thick air vent panels underneath, synonymous with the capable cooling you'll see in this category. And while its most striking first impression is how heavy it is — at 4.89 lbs (2.22 kg) — it still isn't much different from its rivals. Gaming laptops are just heavy.

Its 15.3-inch screen sits on a gapped hinge, which looks strange at first glance, but I can feel airflow around the gap while it's in use, so it makes sense. The backlit keyboard is unremarkable, sticking to a single color and including a number pad that I'm sure most gamers will never use, and, as usual, I wish the space had been saved for larger speakers.

Admittedly, despite my gripes with the lack of any significant bass response, the sheer volume of the fans during games likely nullifies the appeal of its speakers anyway. As with all gaming laptops, I'm recommending you use headphones here. A small 5.5-inch mechanical touchpad only clicks properly in the bottom half, but you'll probably use a dedicated mouse for most games.

A 3.5mm audio jack pairs with a USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port on the right side, while a single USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 is available on the left side, along with two traditional USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports for dongles, HDMI-out 2.1 for external monitors, and gigabit Ethernet for wired networking. The 180W AC adapter uses an outdated barrel jack, but you can charge up to 100W with USB-C.

How fast is the Alienware 15?

Starting with Counter-Strike 2, the game recommends 'High' settings with AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution and vsync disabled for native, uncapped rendering at 1920 x 1200. While spectating a few rounds on Dust II, I saw the frame rate remain around the 165 FPS target when I was connected to AC power and Alienware's 'Performance' mode was active.

However, the laptop's fans were extremely loud throughout, keeping the CPU and GPU temperatures at around 68 °C and 60 °C, respectively. Switching to 'Stealth' mode reduced the fan speed, but no amount of graphical tweaks brought them down to a comfortable, more inconspicuous level. This is a loud laptop, and you'll have to get used to wearing headphones when you're gaming.

In Cyberpunk 2077, I found that the 'High' preset with ray tracing and upscaling disabled most consistently achieved a native 60 FPS baseline in the game's built-in benchmark. Of course, the game supports DLSS 4.5, so setting Super Resolution to 'Balanced' and Multi Frame Generation (MFG) to 4X in the 'Ray Tracing: Low' preset has the Alienware 15 scaling to 171 FPS, up from ~42 FPS.

I have to assume you're considering a gaming laptop with NVIDIA's RTX 50 Series graphics to take advantage of realistic, ray-traced lighting. Luckily, that is quite possible with the RTX 5050 in the Alienware 15, depending on your feelings around MFG and "fake frames". If, on the other hand, you don't care so much about those visual luxuries, then it runs quite smoothly without ray tracing.

For other popular multiplayer titles, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS generally runs above 60 FPS with the 'High' preset at render scale 100, but you can push it to 165 FPS or higher by switching to the 'Medium' preset and further lowering some settings. Similarly, Apex Legends can reach 165 FPS and beyond with a little time spent in the settings, but the laptop's fans will be loud.

Performance benchmarks

To put the specs of Alienware's cheapest laptop into perspective, the Ryzen 7 260 is a "Hawk Point" processor built on AMD's previous-generation Zen 4 architecture and ranks as the second-fastest CPU in the Ryzen 200 Series mobile range. That 8-core, 16-thread chip pairs with NVIDIA's entry-level RTX 50 Series mobile GPU, the GeForce RTX 5050.

However, benchmarking the Alienware 15's CPU in Geekbench 6 burst performance tests placed the Ryzen 7 260 even lower than I perhaps expected, even falling below the original ASUS ROG Ally gaming handheld from 2024. Cinebench 2024 failed to run any extended CPU stress tests after complaints of insufficient memory, so there's sadly no reprieve for this processor.

Testing the RTX 5050 across 3DMark's full gamut of GPU-centric tests yields a reasonably consistent and unsurprising conclusion: it's faster than the last-gen RTX 4050, but of course, it still falls behind the 4060. If you were choosing between a gaming laptop with an older GPU, such as an RTX 3060, and the 5050 in this Alienware 15, you'd choose the Alienware.

Finally, the PCIe Gen 4 SSD hits around 7,023 MB/s read speeds in CrystalDiskMark, while write speeds drop closer to 5,962 MB/s. It's a fast drive, and one that sees the Alienware 15 running neck-and-neck with the high-end Alienware m18 R2 from 2024. The 512 GB SSD has limited storage capacity, but it performs as expected.

Does the Alienware 15 have any issues?

Above all, the most significant issue I had during my time with the Alienware 15 was its limited 512 GB SSD, reporting a usable 477 GB with only 332 GB of free space on its first boot into Windows 11. It simply isn't enough, and no amount of optimizations offered by the pre-installed 'SupportAssist' app can help that. After installing only four games, I was out of space.

Alienware advertises "user-upgradeable options" for "up to 1TB PCIe SSD (Gen4) storage", promoting "the flexibility to adapt for whatever comes next", but the ongoing memory crisis stunts that notion. It isn't Alienware's (or Dell's) fault, but I quickly learned that 512 GB isn't good enough in a gaming laptop, and upgrades are extremely expensive in 2026.

Otherwise, the loud fans (~58 dBA) are difficult to ignore and will likely annoy anyone around you. Booting into a game switches the Alienware 15 into 'Performance' mode via the Alienware Command Center companion app, which quickly ramps up the fan speed. Profiles like 'Stealth' mode advertise the laptop as "ideal for any environment", but it's only true if you aren't gaming.

Despite the fans working as hard as they can, the keyboard still gets quite warm during gaming, and it felt a little uncomfortable after a while. I could solve it by plugging in my Steam Controller or by using an external keyboard and mouse, but at that point it feels like I'm hardly using the laptop. Using a thermal camera, I detected a temperature of 46°C around the WASD keys — not abnormal for a gaming laptop, but not exactly ideal either.

Should you buy the Alienware 15?

You should buy this if ...

✅ You want a modern, entry-level NVIDIA gaming laptop

✅ You don't have space for a full-sized desktop PC

You should not buy this if ...

❌ You're looking for quiet, portable AAA gaming

The biggest problem with entry-level gaming laptops is that they immediately compete with high-end gaming handhelds, like the Xbox Ally X, which will be more tempting for its versatility alone. However, if you're looking for a stay-at-home gaming machine that occasionally travels with you — with an 180W AC adapter included — the Alienware 15 keeps up with modern gaming by leaning heavily on NVIDIA's RTX 5050 GPU.

Its 512 GB of storage will fill up fast, so you'll either have to be happy with regularly switching between installed games from your library, or rely on an external hard drive to transfer backups. This laptop is loud, restrained, and heavy, but it will play your games, particularly so if they support NVIDIA's latest DLSS upscaling technology. If you're pondering the Alienware 15 on a budget because it's on sale, then I say go for it.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Nowadays, storage devices for consumer and data center applications differ rather dramatically, as do approaches to product design as well as go-to-market strategies. Therefore, to get a more or less comprehensive overview of the storage market in general, you must observe both ends of the spectrum. To complement our interview with Nelson Duann at Computex, we also sat down with his colleague Alex Chou, who is in charge of Silicon Motion’s enterprise storage business.

Alex Chou is an interesting person to talk to. Before joining Silicon Motion, he spent some 18 years at Broadcom, where he led the wireless connectivity business, also initiating the Enterprise Switch, PoE, and 10-G Base-T PHY business with a product marketing focus. Before that, he worked at UMC Capital, ARK Logic, and Western Digital, where he developed graphics accelerators. He deeply understands the industry and uses his knowledge to expand SMI's business into the data center segment. As he is the first general manager of Silicon Motion's enterprise business unit, it is safe to say that all the success that the company has faced in the new segment so far can be attributed to Alex Chou.

Anton Shilov: Can you introduce yourself to our readers, please?

Alex Chou: My name is Alex Chou. As you know, Silicon Motion has two business units: the client business and the enterprise business. I am responsible for the enterprise business unit. My responsibilities include defining new products, leading development teams, bringing products to market, and working with OEMs, cloud service providers, and other customers to promote our technology and differentiation.

Getting into enterprise SSD business

Historically, Silicon Motion was focused on NAND controllers for client applications as well as embedded graphics processors and USB display controllers. Following the restructuring in the early 2020s, SMI formed a separate business unit to offer enterprise-grade SSD controllers, though it took the company some time to land its first tangible orders. By now, the company has yet to grab a 10% market share, yet it has clients among cloud service providers (CSPs), hyperscalers, and OEMs, significant achievements given Silicon Motion is a relatively new market entrant.

Anton Shilov: It has been a challenging year for much of the industry, particularly for memory-related segments. Yet Silicon Motion reported first-quarter revenue of $342.1 million, up 23% sequentially and 105% year-over-year, while SSD controller sales increased by roughly 40% to 45%. Can you explain what drove those results, particularly on the enterprise side?

Alex Chou: It depends on how you define a difficult year. If you look at the results, I would argue that this has actually been one of the best years the storage industry has seen.

Silicon Motion is fundamentally a controller company. We build controllers that work with NAND from all major memory suppliers. On the enterprise side, we are still relatively new compared to some established competitors, but we have secured a number of new projects and have started delivering products to customers.

We have invested heavily in PCIe Gen5, Gen6, and Gen7 enterprise SSD controllers. Today, our Gen5 products are beginning to ramp into volume production with multiple OEM customers. That ramp is contributing to our growth.

Anton Shilov: Do you have an estimate of your market share in the enterprise SSD controller market?

Alex Chou: That depends on how you define the market. Some people measure market share by unit shipments, while others look at exabytes shipped because SSD capacities continue to increase.

We have only recently begun shipping enterprise products in volume. If you listened to our CEO's comments during the earnings call, we expect enterprise shipments to increase significantly in the second half of the year. We are still in the early stages of our ramp, but we are making good progress with several key customers.

If you look beyond the initial ramp and think about the full-year run rate, I believe we can build from there and target a much stronger position next year. Longer term, our goal is to exceed 10% market share in the $4B enterprise SSD controller market, but this year is really about getting through qualification, customer testing, and the early production ramp in 2 half of this year.

Our goal is to continue expanding our share. We are only beginning the ramp [of our data center-grade SSD controllers] today, but we expect our share to increase meaningfully as deployments grow.

Anton Shilov: Who are your primary customers? SSD manufacturers, OEMs, or hyperscalers?

Alex Chou: We primarily work with OEMs. We sell controllers and firmware solutions to SSD manufacturers and OEMs. Some customers use our complete controller-and-firmware solution, while others develop their own firmware.

At the same time, we work directly with hyperscalers and cloud service providers to explain the advantages of our products and ensure they understand our technology roadmap.

Enterprise SSDs are used in several different segments. Traditional compute servers represent one market. High-density storage systems used for AI and large-scale data storage are another. We also see growing interest in storage systems located near GPUs, where latency becomes particularly important.

One area where we differentiate ourselves is quality of service. We have developed a patented traffic-shaping engine that helps maintain latency consistency under heavy workloads and multi-tenant environments. That capability is particularly attractive to hyperscalers and cloud service providers.

Anton Shilov: Do you see the enterprise SSD market splitting into different categories depending on workload?

Alex Chou: Yes. We see at least three major categories emerging.

The first is traditional compute-attached enterprise SSDs, which are used in conventional servers and storage systems. The second is very high-density storage for AI and hyperscale environments, where capacity, throughput, and cost efficiency are critical. The third is storage located closer to GPUs, where the requirements are very different because latency and quality of service become much more important.

That third category is particularly interesting. In AI systems, the storage subsystem is no longer just feeding CPUs. It increasingly has to support GPUs directly, especially for workloads involving very large datasets or KV-cache offload. In those environments, low latency and predictable performance matter much more than they did in traditional storage deployments.

Storage Next, PCIe 6 and PCIe 7 SSD controllers

Anton Shilov: Is that where Nvidia's Storage Next vision comes in?

Alex Chou: Yes. Storage Next is one of the major industry developments we are watching very closely.

The idea is that storage will move closer to the GPU and become part of a much more tightly integrated data path. In some cases, the goal is not just to maximize bandwidth, but to ensure that latency remains low and deterministic enough for AI workloads that continuously move data between accelerators, system memory, and storage.

This is one of the reasons we have invested heavily in QoS and latency control. Through our traffic-shaping technology, we can manage access patterns and reduce latency spikes when multiple tenants or applications share the same SSD. In a cloud environment or an AI storage environment, that becomes very important.

Anton Shilov: So, the challenge is no longer just raw throughput, but how predictably the SSD behaves under load?

Alex Chou: Exactly. Bandwidth still matters, but in many enterprise and AI environments, consistency matters just as much.

When multiple applications, multiple VMs, or multiple users share the same storage device, you need to control latency and quality of service carefully. If performance becomes unpredictable, it can affect the entire system.

That is why we have focused on a traffic-shaping mechanism that can prioritize and isolate workloads more effectively. We believe that kind of latency management will become a key differentiator for enterprise SSD controllers going forward.

Anton Shilov: How does that affect your roadmap for future controllers?

Alex Chou: It affects it quite a bit. Our upcoming controllers are not designed only for higher sequential bandwidth. They are also being designed for newer enterprise requirements such as OCP 2.7 compliance, stronger security, better QoS, and support for more advanced deployment models.

Anton Shilov: Are you already sampling your PCIe 6.x controllers?

Alex Chou: On the Gen6 side, our controller design is essentially complete; we have an FPGA [emulating algorithms], and we expect tape-out very soon. If everything goes according to plan, we expect first silicon back in the second half of 2026.

That controller not only supports a faster host interface, but also supports new features and requirements we see from AI infrastructure and hyperscale customers.

Anton Shilov: So, the PCIe Gen6 SSD platform is not just a speed upgrade for Silicon Motion?

Alex Chou: Correct. PCIe Gen6 obviously provides more bandwidth, but for us the more important part is that the surrounding system requirements are changing as well. Security, QoS, cloud deployment models, and AI storage architectures are all evolving at the same time, so the controller has to evolve with them.

Anton Shilov: Let us talk about the roadmap in more detail. You said the PCIe Gen6 enterprise controller is close to tape-out. What comes after that?

Alex Chou: PCIe Gen6 is the next major step for us, and the design is essentially complete. We expect to tape out very soon and, assuming [everything works correctly], receive first silicon in the second half of 2026.

But internally, we are already working beyond PCIe Gen6. PCIe Gen7 development has already started. In fact, the overall architecture for our Gen7 enterprise controller platform has already been defined. That means we are not just planning the interface speed increase; we are also defining the surrounding architecture, feature set, and deployment model that will be needed in the next generation of enterprise and AI systems.

Anton Shilov: So, SMI's PCIe Gen7 controller is no longer just a concept?

Alex Chou: Correct. PCIe Gen7 is already in active development. The current plan is to have internal samples in 2H, 2027 and to move toward production in that same general timeframe.

As controller development becomes more complex, you cannot wait until the market is ready before starting work. By the time a new interface reaches the market, the controller has to be nearly finished already. So, we are always working at least one generation ahead, and in practice often two.

Anton Shilov: As NAND becomes denser and more complex, error correction also becomes a bigger issue?

Alex Chou: That is a major part of controller development now. As NAND moves to higher layer counts and denser cell structures, the controller has to do more work to maintain reliability, endurance, and data integrity.

One of the areas we are working on is stronger LDPC. On the enterprise side, LDPC with a 16KB collaborative codeword is already used with SM8466, SMI’s first Enterprise PCIe Gen6 controller, and it is part of the roadmap because future NAND will require more robust error correction. That is one of the reasons enterprise controller architecture keeps becoming more complex generation after generation. You are no longer designing only for interface speed. You are also designing for signal integrity, power, security, QoS, error correction, and support for future NAND generations that may behave very differently from today's devices.

Anton Shilov: Will LDPC with 16KB collaborative codeword be enough for next generations of 3D NAND with hundreds of active layers?

Alex Chou: A 16KB LDPC engine already consumes a significant amount of silicon area and is quite sophisticated. For PCIe Gen7 controllers, our goal is to optimize and improve that engine from multiple angles rather than simply keep expanding it. We still need our architects to make the final call on exactly which improvements we will implement, but at this point we are more likely to refine and enhance the current design than to move beyond 16KB LDPC.

SSD controller development strategy

Anton Shilov: Speaking more generally, SSD controllers are increasingly becoming full platforms rather than just controllers, because integration matters so much. Do you expect close collaboration between controller vendors, NAND makers, and SSD manufacturers to become even more important as the industry moves to next-generation storage devices?

Alex Chou: I may not fully understand your question, but let me explain how we approach it.

At Silicon Motion, we design the controller architecture and build the firmware stack with a rich feature set. For example, we have developed our own [PerformaShape] traffic-shaping engine to improve QoS. That is the foundation of the platform.

From there, we have to look at how NAND evolves from one generation to the next. As we move from PCIe Gen5 to Gen6 to Gen7, controller performance has to scale accordingly. If you want to saturate the PCIe interface and deliver, say, 7 million IOPS today and much higher performance in future generations, you have to understand exactly where NAND is going.

That is why my team meets regularly with Samsung, SK hynix, SanDisk, Kioxia, and all other NAND vendors to review their roadmaps. Silicon Motion is part of that ecosystem, and because of those relationships, we usually get early visibility into future NAND generations and often receive early samples so we can bring up our controllers and make sure they take advantage of new NAND as quickly as possible.

That matters even more in the current supply environment. Because we work with all NAND suppliers, hyperscalers and cloud service providers can come to us and ask for a solution that is not tied to a single memory vendor. A company like Samsung naturally builds around its own NAND, but we have the advantage of being able to support multiple suppliers. That gives customers much more flexibility when supply is tight.

So yes, we have a core controller architecture and a common firmware base, but one of our strengths is that we work very closely with NAND vendors on future generations and make sure our platform can take advantage of faster interfaces, higher die counts, and new NAND capabilities as they arrive.

XL-Flash and storage-class memory

Anton Shilov: What about storage-class memory? Are there any developments there? As far as I can tell, adoption of Kioxia’s XL-Flash has been limited.

Alex Chou: That’s a very good question. I am actually going to visit Kioxia, so I should have a better sense of their plans after that. At the moment, Kioxia is essentially the only company still pushing XL-Flash, so they are trying to build something around it.

The challenge is that it is not just about the technology itself. You need a broader ecosystem to support it, and that is what makes the situation more complicated. We are watching it closely and trying to understand whether it is something we really need to support, but at this point I do not have a definitive answer. We are still evaluating it.

Anton Shilov: Have you heard anything similar from other suppliers? Quite a few memory makers used to talk about storage-class memory or similar technologies in their roadmaps.

Alex Chou: Based on what we know, not really. If you look back at last year’s Flash Memory Summit, several NAND makers were talking about higher-performance flash and storage-class-memory-like concepts. That created a lot of buzz at the time, and we looked into it, just as we have looked into XL-Flash, to understand whether there was a real ecosystem forming around it.

But there is much less discussion around those ideas now. One reason is simple: memory vendors do not really need those products at the moment because they can sell conventional NAND at very high prices and still generate strong returns.

Anton Shilov: In other words, they can just sell QLC 3D NAND and be perfectly happy.

Alex Chou: Exactly.

Anton Shilov: On the other hand, Nvidia wants storage devices capable of 100 million IOPS.

Alex Chou: Yes, that is where Storage Next comes in.

Anton Shilov: Has anyone actually come close to 100 million IOPS yet?

Alex Chou: I would say Storage Next gains many attentions. XL-Flash could be one possible approach to address that kind of requirement. But these are other options aiming to address high-performance and low latency needs.

What matters more is that Storage Next has a much stronger ecosystem behind it because Nvidia is actively driving it. There are regular meetings around it, and our architect has been involved from the very beginning. We have been tracking it closely and trying to make sure our future controller architecture can support it if and when the market materializes.

At the same time, Nvidia itself appears to recognize that 100 million or 200 million IOPS may not be realistic in the near term. The target seems to be moving closer to something like 50 million IOPS, which is more achievable. So yes, we are watching it very closely, and we are building in the flexibility to support it if needed.

In storage, having a technically interesting idea is not enough. The industry has to agree on how to use it, how to deploy it, and how to integrate it into systems. Storage Next currently has more momentum because the ecosystem behind it is much stronger.

Anton Shilov: So, you see Storage Next as more commercially relevant than storage-class memory, at least for now?

Alex Chou: Yes. At least today, Storage Next looks more immediate and more actionable.

We are already participating in those discussions and thinking about what future controller requirements will look like in that environment. That includes not only bandwidth, but also latency behavior, QoS, and the role storage plays in systems where GPUs are increasingly central to the data path.

That does not mean other technologies disappear. It just means that if you ask where the market is actively moving right now, the answer is much more on the Storage Next side than on the storage-class-memory side.

Anton Shilov: So, in practice, you make sure your controller works with all relevant NAND types, while the memory vendor mainly has to make sure the media itself complies with the interface requirements?

Alex Chou: When we design a controller, we already cooperate closely with NAND suppliers. Our architects look at all of the major vendors to understand whether there are any special requirements we need to account for. Then we handle another layer of optimization in firmware to make sure we can support all of those devices properly.

If you look deeper into enterprise NAND, most products also use interface chips internally to connect large numbers of dies. Those interface chips can differ from vendor to vendor, so we need to understand their configurations as well, including die counts, planes, and other architectural details. The goal is to make sure the controller and firmware together can support all of those different combinations.

So far, our architecture has been able to support NAND from SanDisk, Kioxia, SK hynix, and the other major vendors. Even if the interface chips differ, we try to keep the overall hardware design as flexible as possible.

There are really three elements involved: the controller itself, the hardware board, and the firmware. Ideally, you do not want a completely different board design for every NAND supplier. Fortunately, the industry has standardized a lot of the pinouts and module interfaces, which makes it possible to use a common hardware design and swap in NAND from different suppliers with the right firmware support.

We spend a lot of time making sure we can support all of those different combinations.

Anton Shilov: So you are effectively building controllers with a fairly clear view of what future NAND generations will look like.

Alex Chou: Exactly. We want to make sure that when the next generation of NAND arrives, we are ready to support it as broadly as possible.

For the longest time, I thought that, despite their annoyances, iPhones had something big over the best Android phones: PC connectivity. I'd always seen iPhone and Mac-owning friends quickly send files between the two, and assumed it was an Apple-exclusive feature.

As it turns out, this isn't true. Android users can use a Windows app that brings loads of really useful features — and it's really underutilized, which is why a tech journalist like me hadn't heard of it.

This software is called Phone Link, and we've got a guide on how to connect your Android phone to a Windows PC using Phone Link elsewhere on TechRadar. I downloaded it about a year ago, largely out of duty to test every tool, appliance, and gadget I could get my hands on. I was expecting it to last a weekend.

A year on, though, and Phone Link has become such a useful part of my workflow that I'd forgotten it's something not everyone's heard about. It's such a natural part of the way I use my phone and computer that I'd totally forgotten it was something I initially downloaded to test!

Well, no longer: TechRadar has let me wax lyrical about Phone Link, and I'm going to give the tool its time in the sun.

Sending photos from phone to PC

For the most part, whenever I want to connect my phone to my PC, it's to move pictures between the two devices.

As a smartphone journalist, you can understand that I'm sending snaps from my phone to my computer a lot. Sometimes it's camera samples from a mobile I'm testing that I want to upload for a review. Occasionally, I want to back up pictures I really like before I wipe a phone and send it back to the company.

The most frequent use case, though, is to transfer to my PC pictures I've taken on one phone, of another. I use smartphones to do review photography, and it's a great way to test out a phone I'm reviewing.

Before Phone Link, I'd have to use a USB cable to connect my phone to my computer — approving the connection on my Android's end, because they're always annoyingly suspicious — and drag and drop all the relevant pictures into a folder on my computer. It's not an especially onerous process — it's a lot quicker than when I used to use Google Drive to transfer pictures, for instance — but it takes a little while of fiddling with my phone and digging out a cable to work.

Not so with Phone Link. Its Photos tab shows a big old list of all the pictures you've taken recently, giving you options to save them to your PC, open them in an editing app, and share them with others.

These pictures appear as soon as you take them, as long as your phone is on the same Wi-Fi as your computer. I've become used to taking photos in one room of my home, and entering my office, to see them linked up on Phone Link, ready for an edit. When I've got PC notifications turned on, I can even hear the 'bong' of my computer telling me they've arrived.

Phone Link also lets you browse the contents of your mobile in the Files tab, where it appears in the Devices and drives list alongside any cloud or local drives you have. I don't use my phone to handle non-photo files, but it's a nice touch that'd be really useful if I were in another line of work.

Apps on my PC

Ostensibly, one of the main uses for Phone Link is that it lets you open your smartphone apps on your computer. Its Apps page shows you a massive list of every one you have installed on your mobile, and clicking on it opens it in a window.

This doesn't override anything you have going on on your phone; if you're using it as a second screen to watch a YouTube video or act as a music player (one of many ways you can repurpose an old Android phone), the app will open in your PC window alone.

When I first started Phone Link, I tried using it for everything, but often bounced straight off. In many circumstances, using a smartphone is simply more intuitive than using a mouse and keyboard, given that phone apps are designed for thumbs. But over time, I've found a few uses of Phone Link's app windows that are genuinely handy.

As mentioned, one of those uses is as a music player. I can let Spotify hang around as a spare window, ready to skip tracks or change playlists when I want. It's also useful as a way to check apps that don't have PC equivalents, like Too Good To Go or Mubi Go, or ones that do have web functions but are easier on the phone, like my national health service's app.

There's one way that Phone Link saved me hours, though. When I used to work for a company that didn't let you use your work Gmail account on personal computers, Phone Link was my workaround to still see emails on my PC. This saved me ages each day; time that'd otherwise be taken up checking and replying to emails on my phone, or trying to get my decrepit work laptop to turn on.

Naturally, you can manage your calls and texts via Phone Link too. Personally, I don't think I've sent an SMS or made a non-WhatsApp voice call since the 2010s, but I'm sure there are some people who'd find this handy.

I also appreciate a notification list down the left side of Phone Link. This transforms it from being software solely for controlling your mobile to a veritable hub of information from your handset. I'll often keep it up on my second monitor; it makes good use of its space.

Controlling my phone from my computer

As mentioned, you can use your computer to control your mobile's apps via Phone Link, but you can also use it to change the actual settings of the device itself, which proves itself useful in an entirely different way.

Phone Link lets you monitor your phone status; I can see how it's connected to other devices, what battery it's on, and whether it's currently paired with Phone Link or not. I can even see a little representation of what my wallpaper currently is. All useful to a small degree, but the charge is the only one of those that's seriously useful.

What's more important are the status controls. You can toggle between vibrate, sound, and silent, turn Do Not Disturb on and off, and turn on the media player.

From a cursory mention of the tools, these might not sound that important, but I've found them really useful in a pinch. I'm constantly forgetting to mute my phone before I go on a video meeting, and a quick click of the Do Not Disturb button means I'm not going to have unexpected calls.

As a lazy person, I also love the fact that you can use Phone Link to play a sound from your phone; I'm always doing this instead of spending five seconds actually looking.

My one gripe with Phone Link is that I still need my phone with me to use it. When you start using it each session, you're required to unlock your device and approve the connection. But this is a small price to pay for the transformational effect it's had on my workflow — and I hope that you, too, consider giving it a try.

The most exciting new Surface features in years are now available on a PC with a Snapdragon X processor. The Surface Laptop 8 for Business can now be purchased with a Snapdragon X2 Plus or Snapdragon X2 Elite.

For those who prefer a 2-in-1 over a traditional laptop, the Surface Pro 12 for Business (13-inch) is also available with a Snapdragon X2 chip. Like its clamshell sibling, the Surface Pro for Business also had an Intel model launch earlier this year.

The official names of the new PCs are "Surface Pro for Business 12th Edition" and "Surface Laptop for Business 8th Edition" but I've referred to them as the Surface Pro 12 for Business and Surface Laptop 8 for Business in this piece for ease of reading.

The standout feature of this year's Surface lineup is the privacy screen seen in the Surface Laptop 8 for Business. That display can be set to obscure content on your screen when people try to view it at an angle. It's similar to Samsung's screen on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

The built-in privacy screen of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business combats creeping eyes from all angles, as opposed to third-party privacy screen protectors that only work from the sides.

The Intel version of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business launched earlier this year and received high marks from our Editor-in-Chief. The vast majority of what makes that laptop great extends to the Surface Laptop 8 for Business with Snapdragon X2, which are now available to order.

The haptic trackpad of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business is also a key addition. Thanks to a recent update to Windows 11, you can now feel the operating system and supported apps as you interact with them. Haptic buzzes occur when you drag files in File Explorer or perform certain actions.

The Surface Laptop 8 for Business is one of few devices to support the new haptic experience.

The new Surface Pro 12 for Business is largely a spec bump when compared to its predecessor. The Snapdragon X2 chip inside delivers better graphics performance than the first-gen Snapdragon X.

The Surface Pro has matured over more than a decade of refinement, so it's hard to complain about Microsoft sticking with what works.

What's special about Surface for Business PCs?

When Microsoft first introduced Snapdragon X chips to its Surface hardware, a split was formed that saw Intel on business PCs and Snapdragon X on consumer hardware. That's no longer the case, since you can order Snapdragon X processors in consumer or business PCs.

Notably, there are no new Intel-powered Surface PCs for consumers in 2026.

There are several differences between the consumer and business models of the latest Surface devices. Here are the features seen only on the business side:

• Pre-installed Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise
• Integrated Privacy Screen option
• Advanced Exchange Warranty service
• Device Firmware Configuration Interface (DFCI) cloud management
• Windows Autopilot tenant pre-registration
• Access to the cloud-based Surface Management Portal
• Native corporate domain onboarding pathways during initial setup
• Intel models available

Most of the features seen in the Surface for Business PCs are options general consumers would never use. The exception being the privacy screen that I wish was available on consumer versions of the Surface Laptop.

One key difference between the Snapdragon X2-powered Surface Pro 12 for Business and its Intel counterpart is that you can only get 5G connectivity with the Intel model.

Anyone can purchase a Surface for Business device. You don't need to own a business or have some sort of special account. But again, you're likely paying for unneeded features compared to the consumer Surface PCs unless you really need a privacy screen.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Philips Hue is widely known as the best smart bulb brand, but if you're looking to get yourself kitted out with a full Hue setup from the main range, it'll cost you. You might have spotted the brand's Essential range — which looks very similar to the main lineup but comes in at a much more affordable price — and wondered where the compromise is. You can see an Essential bulb on the left of the image above, next to a main range bulb on the right.

This article is here to help you figure out whether the Philips Hue Essential range is right for you, or whether it's better to splurge on the original lineup. We've tested both, and you can get the full low-down on what we thought of the budget-friendly bulbs in our Philips Hue Essential series review. For a quick summary, though — plus links to buy — read on.

Philips Hue Essential bulbs: reasons to buy

Let's start with the good bits about the Philips Hue Essentials range. Here are the main benefits to know about:

✅ The performance is excellent: In her side-by-side tests with the main range, our Homes Editor Cat Ellis found "both were equally responsive, and produced colors that were identical to my naked eye when [she] switched between scenes". The Essential bulbs are based on a different color-matching technology to regular Hue lights, but Cat "had a hard time telling the difference".

✅ They're compatible with the full Hue ecosystem: The Essential bulbs will play nicely with any Hue gadgets you already have, making them a great way to extend your existing smart light setup.

✅ They're much cheaper than the main range: While prices vary depending on exactly which bulb you're buying, generally the Essential models come in around half the price of the main range.

Philips Hue Essential bulbs: reasons to avoid

So what about the downsides? These are the main compromises you'll be making if you opt for an Essential bulb:

❌ The white shades don't match the main range: Essential bulbs have a narrower white light range, which is an issue if you were hoping to add them into a room that already has bulbs from the main lineup.

❌ They can't dim as low: Essential bulbs can only dim to 2%, whereas the main range can go right down to 0.2%. If you want seriously muted lighting, you'll need to shell out a bit more and stick to the main range.

❌ They can't get as bright: Essential bulbs have a lower maximum brightness capacity — they can reach 803 lumens, whereas some of the standard White & Color Ambiance bulbs can hit 1,600 lumens. It's worth nothing that this spec varies by bulb; not all standard bulbs have a higher max brightness than their Essential counterpart.

Philips Hue Essential Starter kits

Most people getting started with a Philips Hue lighting setup will begin by purchasing a 'Starter kit', which bundles some bulbs, a Philips Hue Bridge, and occasionally a bonus Philips Hue accessory. A Bridge isn't essential, but it is a good idea if you want to maximize the potential of your bulbs. There are a few variations available, with different numbers and kinds of bulbs included; I've listed a selection here.

US starter kits

UK starter kits

Philips Hue Essential bulbs

If you already have a Bridge and are looking to extend your setup, or are planning on going without (basic bulb functions can be controlled via Bluetooth), you can buy individual or multipack bulbs. There's a massive range — I've just included a selection here.

Whichever bulb lineup you choose, you'll have to decide between Hue's three light types. White and color ambiance bulbs can emit any one of millions of RGB colors, including a wide range of different white tones. White bulbs emit a warm light at a set color temperature, and White ambiance bulbs can be set to any one of a massive range of cool to warm white lights.

US bulbs

UK bulbs

• Windows 11's July update has arrived
• It packs some smart features, including pausing updates at length and a new recovery option
• This patch also cures a nasty bug that slowly eats more and more drive space, but there's an issue to be aware of for Dell laptop owners

Microsoft has released its monthly patch for Windows 11 and the July update is a biggie, packing a feature that I've been awaiting for quite some time.

That would be the ability to pause updates on Windows 11 Home – beyond just a short period of time, which has been the only choice to date – and there are some other impressive additions from Microsoft here.

I'm going to pick out my top four features introduced by the July update, as well as rounding up some of the other more notable changes here. I'll also highlight an important bug fix that has been deployed for a nasty flaw that eats your drive space – along with a warning for some of those with a Dell laptop (who may not get this update for a good reason, as you'll see).

As ever, these changes were seen in the last optional update (June preview), and most of these features are being rolled out gradually, so you may not see them right away after installing this update (indeed, you may have to wait a while based on how the update winds blow regarding your exact PC configuration).

1. Pausing updates

Sometimes you want to hold off installing an update because of a bug that you're nervous about potentially affecting your system, and up until now, Windows 11 users have only been able to avoid any given update for five weeks.

Okay, so that's a fairly long time, but what if the bug is one of those persistent and niggly affairs that Microsoft takes an age to fix? You may want to delay the update beyond five weeks, and now you can. The catch is that you'll need to continually renew the delay for every 35-day period, but nonetheless, you can now keep an update at bay for as long as you want. (Well – until you're forced to update to a new version of Windows 11, that is, when support runs out for your current version).

2. Point-in-time restore

Another neat addition is point-in-time restore, a new recovery option that you can employ when something bad happens to your PC and you can no longer reach the desktop. Point-in-time restore lets you roll back a non-functioning system to a previous working state. It reverts to the "full system state" meaning that all your apps, files, and settings are recovered as captured at that previous time.

Hopefully this is a feature that you'll never need, but if you do, you'll be very glad of it. Note that the system backups obviously take up drive space, with older backups automatically deleted after 72 hours by default. Also, if you have a system drive that's smaller than 200GB, you'll have to enable this feature yourself (as it won't be turned on automatically due to potential space issues – note that you can specify a maximum amount of storage space used).

3. Fewer annoyances with widgets

The July update is making the widgets panel 'quieter' by which Microsoft means that it has cut out a lot of clutter. The main change is that by default the panel just displays your widgets and Microsoft has got rid of the promotional nonsense in terms of ads and the MSN feed. Notifications and taskbar badges are also minimized by default, and widgets no longer open when you hover over them.

There are some other streamlining moves here, and even if you don't use widgets, I think this is a noteworthy change as it shows the direction Microsoft is now heading in with Windows 11 – chilling out on the upselling as was previously promised (if not entirely banishing it).

4. Screen tint

Windows 11 has been graced with a number of accessibility improvements in the July update, first of which is a new screen tint ability. This does what it says on the tin, allowing you to tint the screen with a choice of colors to help reduce eye strain, or to make text more easily readable. You can adjust the tint intensity, and this is a very useful addition that'll save people from downloading a third-party app to get these kinds of color overlays.

Other features in the July update

There's quite a lot going on here aside from the above major moves, and that includes Microsoft boosting the speed at which File Explorer launches (helping Windows 11 to feel more performant overall).

There's a whole lot of work on the Bluetooth front, too, as Microsoft notes: "This update improves reliability and performance when connecting to and using Bluetooth devices." That includes better driver stability, improved audio routing for calls via Phone Link, and more.

File Explorer has also been honed to be more reliable, and Microsoft has implemented a performance tweak to the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) that means PCs will shut down more promptly. If you've ever sat staring at your computer while it takes 20 seconds to shut down, wondering what on earth it's doing, that kind of behavior will hopefully be a rarer occurrence going forward.

A major bug fix – and Dell laptop problems

There's some good news for those of you who have been suffering at the hands of a mysterious bug that eats storage space (due to an out-of-control database file). This is fixed with the July update (the cure was in the June preview before it), so you can grab this to resolve the issue (hopefully).

There's some bad news on the bug front, though, namely that you won't get this update on some Dell devices with Intel CPUs, as Microsoft has blocked it due to the July patch causing all sorts of weird issues. I say it's bad news, but at least Microsoft caught the problem and has prevented the update from being piped to those machines.

Microsoft informs us: "This update might not be available for a limited number of Dell devices with Intel processors due to an incompatibility reported by Dell that can potentially cause unexpected shutdowns, poor performance, increased heat, and battery drain. We are working together with Dell to prevent the affected models from experiencing the issue and plan to release a resolution for affected devices in the coming days."

So, if you were wondering why you couldn't get this patch on your Dell laptop, now you know. You'll just have to sit tight for now until Microsoft and Dell get this ironed out.

The adventurous developer who recently released Linux for the Atari Jaguar (1993) has brewed up a version of the open-source OS for the Sega 32X (1994). If you can’t remember the 32X, it was Sega’s mid-gen answer to early fifth-generation challengers like the Jaguar, 3DO, and Amiga CD32. Sega’s solution added some potent processing power to a mushroom-like slot in an expansion to its popular Mega Drive/Genesis. Now cakehonolulu has got it running Linux, despite facing several major hurdles.

Compared to its Genesis host, the Sega 32X was incredibly muscular. The Genesis had relied on the capable but long-in-the-tooth Motorola 68000 (7 MHz) for years, but the 32X add-on boosted that with a pair of Hitachi SuperH SH2s (SH7604) CPUs (23 MHz). It also ramped up system RAM from the base 64KB by adding 256KB of its own. Sega’s expansion offered more than just speed; the console’s color palette was ramped up from 64 to 32,000 simultaneous colors on screen, and it was powerful enough to introduce hitherto unachievable 3D graphics elements to mainstream console gaming.

As with cakehonolulu’s tale of Linux wrangling on the old Jag, the above-linked blog talks through a long list of hurdles that needed to be leapt to get the Linux kernel booted and running BusyBox. This time around, particularly steely roadblocks included: the even more constrained RAM situation, the lack of hardware synchronization primitives, the desire to get SMP working across the pair of SH2 CPUs, no direct UART access from the 32X, and scheduler bugs, among other things.

On the positive side, smoothing the development process along were access to Chilly Willy’s 32X devkit, the linuxmd project, the Krikzz FPGA-based flash cart with ROM – RAM mapping tools, and existing SH2 documentation and sample projects. Please check through the linked blog for far more technical details from cakehonolulu.

As you can see, cakehonolulu was successful again. So, what’s the next stop for this adventurous dev – the Sega Saturn? Whatever the project may be, it was interesting to read that works like this are basically forming a portfolio for the Spanish dev, which they hope will help them with job hunting.

• The US Treasury has sanctioned First VPN's administrator for aiding ransomware attacks on American infrastructure
• Another suspect was targeted for selling "cryptors" that cloak malware from security systems
• The move follows a May 2026 takedown by European law enforcement and the FBI that seized the VPN's infrastructure

The United States government has officially issued sanctions against the operators of a notorious free virtual private network, escalating a global crackdown on digital infrastructure used to facilitate ransomware attacks.

On Monday (July 13), the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated First VPN Service (also known as 1VPNS) and its Ukrainian administrator, Dmytro Rashevskyi, for abetting cybercriminals. The service, which has operated since 2014, was heavily favored by ransomware gangs targeting American hospitals, municipalities, and businesses.

While the best VPN services are designed to protect everyday consumer privacy, rogue networks like First VPN provided malicious actors with the tools to "hide the origins of their attacks, deploy malware, and manage exfiltrated data," according to a Treasury Department press release.

As part of the same action, the Treasury also sanctioned Yegeniy Vladimirovich Silayev, a Belarusian national accused of selling "cryptors" to ransomware operators.

While Silayev is not directly affiliated with First VPN, his inclusion in the sanctions package highlights a broader strategy of targeting the entire cybercriminal supply chain. Cryptors are tools specifically built to disguise ransomware as harmless files, preventing security systems from detecting or deactivating the malware.

A haven for cybercriminals

The US Treasury's latest move is an update to an ongoing international operation against First VPN.

In a massive May 2026 takedown, a coordinated effort led by European law enforcement agencies and the FBI successfully seized the service's website and server infrastructure.

Prior to the takedown, Rashevskyi aggressively marketed First VPN on dark web forums. To lure cybercriminals, he promised total anonymity and boasted that the network "does not keep logs of users' identities or activities, and that it refuses to cooperate with law enforcement investigations into illegal activity originating from the servers it rents to customers".

According to the US Treasury, Rashevskyi went to great lengths to keep the operation running. He utilized false identities, such as "Maksim Sorin" and "Roman Chabanenko," to "buy infrastructure from companies that might otherwise refuse to do business with him because of complaints of abuse from internet service providers about illegal activity originating from 1VPNS servers".

Disrupting the cybercriminal ecosystem

This latest wave of sanctions was coordinated alongside the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and carries severe consequences for the designated individuals.

Under the new sanctions, all property and interests belonging to Rashevskyi and Silayev within the US are blocked, and US citizens are strictly prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them. Beyond the immediate financial freeze, OFAC sanctions serve as a massive reputational blow designed to choke off future revenue streams.

By focusing on the service providers and tool suppliers who facilitate these attacks, rather than just the ransomware operators themselves, authorities are aiming to maximize their impact and disrupt multiple gangs at once.

"Under President Trump's leadership, Treasury is using every available tool to disrupt the cybercriminal ecosystem and protect the American people," said Gene Lange, who is performing the duties of the Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. "We will continue targeting the actors who enable ransomware attacks against Americans and our critical infrastructure".

The Sino-American chip wars have resulted in many back-and-forth salvos and negotiations as the countries try and strike a balance between technology access and trade. Currently, both sides have set respective import and export controls, letting specific companies on a case-by-case basis. Today, Reuters reports that Chinese telecoms giant ZTE and server firm Maginfra have received U.S. approval to buy Nvidia's last-gen H200 "Hopper" chips.

ZTE joins a club that counts Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, and JD.com among the roughly 10-strong group of Chinese companies with U.S. clearance for those purchases. Additionally, an apparent subsidiary of Kingsoft Cloud got approval to buy AMD accelerators equivalent to Nvidia's H200, presumably Instinct MI300X-class chips.

Over on the Chinese side of the table, Reuters remarks that there's no word on whether the respective authorities will give ZTE the go-ahead for import, as the country has taken on a protectionist stance as it tries to grow its own chip industry. The country has discouraged firms from purchasing foreign tech and has instead pushed companies to acquire homegrown accelerators. Huawei in particular has made great strides both technologically and financially.

But even with those domestic production initiatives, the Chinese hunger for AI silicon is so deep that six months ago, Reuters said the nation's tech firms had more than two million H200 chips on order, far more than what Nvidia had on hand at the time. We'd venture that hunger has barely subsided.

ZTE might not be a familiar name Stateside, but the corporation is one of China's largest telecommunication conglomerates, and among many other ventures, it sells all sorts of carrier network gear that's installed worldwide, along with corresponding client-facing equipment, including phones and IoT equipment. Like most any sizable technological venture, ZTE has joined in on the cloud computing and AI push, so it needs accelerators to make those ambitions reality.

The current status of the AI chip trade situation is roughly that the U.S. allows Chinese firms to buy AI chips up to and including the Hopper family (meaning no Blackwell chips), with a 25% export tariff, though final decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. Over on Chinese shores, Beijing's authorities play their cards close to their chest and dole out approvals as they see fit, with no clear rules seemingly set. But China is, of course, a global power with trade connections to most everyone, so interested firms were able to get their hands on Blackwell chips through various creative (and potentially illicit) means.

Whether this change will actually clear the way for any great volumes of H200 accelerators to make their way into ZTE's data centers remains to be seen. CNBC cites a U.S. trade official who today stated that "very few shipments against licenses for H200s and equivalents have taken place. It’s a very small quantity of chips" during a congressional hearing. If H200 shipments become material to Nvidia's bottom line, we'll almost certainly hear about it in future comments or earnings reports.

• The Rivelia Start is De'Longhi's smallest automatic coffee maker
• It has a menu of 10 coffee drinks, including cold brew
• It's on sale now in the UK for £599.99 (about $800 / AU$1,160)

De'Longhi makes some of the best espresso machines I've tested here at TechRadar, and as the owner of a small kitchen, its latest model has particularly piqued my interest. The De'Longhi Rivelia Start is the company's smallest fully automatic coffee maker.

The Rivelia Start is a successor to the 2024 De'Longhi Rivelia, which our tester Josephine Watson gave a full five stars thanks to its consistently well-extracted espresso, clever Bean Adapt technology that optimizes brew settings to suit your preferred beans, and LatteCrema Hot system, which creates thick and creamy foam for milky drinks.

The Rivelia Start offers all that in an even smaller package, and adds the ability to prepare authentic-tasting cold brew. De'Longhi promises that your cold brew will be "ready in under five minutes", which tells me that it's not just pouring a shot of hot coffee over ice, like some other machines I've tested recently. Instead, the coffee is extracted using ambient temperature water, which results in fewer bitter compounds being dissolved for a more mellow flavor.

The Rivelia Start's standard menu contains 10 drinks, but if you like the idea of an iced latte or cappuccino to help you stay cool in the summer months, you can upgrade your Rivelia Start with the optional LatteCrema Cool set, which lets you create chilled milk foam for six further drinks.

Personally, the feature I'm most excited about is the pair of swappable bean hoppers. My job sometimes involves drinking a lot of lattes, and I always prefer to switch to decaf in the afternoon so I can still sleep after a day testing drip and espresso machines. With the Rivelia Start, there's no need to purge one type of coffee from the hopper before refilling with another; just unscrew the whole thing and swap it for one filled with a different type of bean.

It's simple to operate too, with an interface of clearly-labelled buttons rather than a touchscreen, making it extra accessible for new users.

Its small size isn't the only thing that sets it apart from other coffee makers, either — it also comes in a palette of earthy colors that fit with the current trend for natural shades and textures, which makes a refreshing change from the stark black, white, and chrome that once dominated kitchen appliances.

It's available to buy now direct from De'Longhi in the UK for £599.99 (about $800 / AU$1,160) in two colors: maple brown and jade green. More hues will be available from third-party stores from September, and we're currently waiting for details of its international launch.

This RAMpocalypse is getting worse by the day, making vital components for PCs like SSD units for storage and RAM chips for boosting performance cost hundreds of dollars by themselves.

During such a crisis, it's easier to find essential parts built into pre-made desktops. One such example is the Geekom A7 Max AI Mini-PC, a compact form-factor desktop built for crushing heavy workloads while being capable of light to mid-level gaming thanks to its 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM.

Fortunately for workers and gamers alike, the Geekom A7 Max AI Mini-PC is now on a limited-time 29% discount for $594.00 at Best Buy (which is nearly half the price of a Steam Machine) just for today.

Why buy the the Geekom A7 MAX AI Mini-PC over the Steam Machine?

The Geekom A7 MAX AI Mini-PC is a handy desktop for work and 1080p gaming on the side. It's equipped with an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU, an AMD Radeon 780M GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD (the latter two of which can be upgraded to 64GB RAM and a 2TB SSD, respectively).

With these specs, the Geekom A7 MAX Mini-PC will suffer little to no lag performing productivity duties like typing or opening internet browser tabs while being capable of running light indie games at 60fps and even some AAA games at 1080p resolutions/30fps (with FSR enabled) at medium settings.

Another notable feature of this mini-PC is its large number of USB and HDMI ports, which allow it to connect to four monitors simultaneously, making it incredibly useful for those who want to open multiple programs at once without having to juggle their positioning on a single screen.

So, if you want a compact-sized, desk-space-saving mini-PC to play light games like Minecraft or indie games like Mina the Hollower on the side while tackling never-ending paperwork at the office, the Geekom A7 MAX that's now $594.00 at Best Buy could be your next best workplace buddy.

Just be aware that this deal is only available until July 15, 2026, so think fast if you want to get it.

FAQ

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Samsung is back with another solid-state drive, and this time it's something a little bit different. The 990 is a QLC-based 990 EVO Plus, positioned as a budget drive that can still push a lot of bandwidth. It’s a little late to the game and not quite what was rumored for the 990 QVO, but it does bring some new technology to the table. We’re always interested in seeing what Samsung puts out, and this time is no different. It should not be confused as being part of Samsung’s Pro line or, for that matter, the EVO line, so keep that in mind.

The drive has its ups and downs, but in this challenging market, and for a budget drive, that’s to be expected. Samsung is still well-regarded for its name and reliable hardware, even as there has been a massive push towards enterprise, away from the consumer side. Samsung has, in fact, given some ground in the SSD space for many years, even as it produces some of the most common OEM drives. So while this is not a Crucial situation, it’s best to jump into this review with the right expectations about what this drive is and isn’t. It’s a budget drive with full Gen 4 throughput that hits the most common capacities with sufficient performance and power efficiency. It’s not meant to be a throne-taker.

It’s also thankfully not another 990 EVO situation – that drive felt somewhat underwhelming by the time it arrived, even when pitted against budget drives – but the 990 is also not a QLC rallying call. It’s a competent drive that mostly hits the right notes, as intended. Given how scarce Samsung QLC drives have been, and how much demand its QLC flash surely has elsewhere, it can feel like Samsung is throwing consumers a bone, though it would be crass to put it that way. We instead think this is smart positioning by the company as it knows the future is with QLC and the technologies used in this flash (even if first shown two years ago at ISSCC) point firmly at an ambitious future. The 990 just lets you own a piece of that.

Samsung 990 Specifications

The Samsung 990 is only available at 1TB and 2TB capacities, with MSRPs of $269.99 and $529.99, respectively. These prices are very high, as you can get competing drives like the Crucial P310 for substantially less, and in fact even the TLC-based WD Black SN7100 costs less. But Samsung has historically launched with MSRPs well above actual market price. You should be able to get the drive at significantly lower prices after launch, but the “Samsung tax” may still apply. We’ll get into what that means throughout the review.

This limited capacity range is unfortunate, but enables Samsung to pack the flash into just one package, which reduces PCB space so that any OEM variant can be used in multiple M.2 form factors and will always be single-sided. Less than 1TB is also not enough for these denser dies if you want good performance. That leaves 1TB and 2TB as the target capacities, which also makes sense in a market where 4TB+ is getting exceptionally expensive. We’ll eventually see 2Tb dies to make single-package 4TB a reality, but that’s further along in Samsung’s roadmap.

The drive can reach 7,250 / 6,450 MB/s for sequential reads and writes and up to 850K / 1,200K random read and write IOPS. Peak performance is attained at 2TB, where you have the optimal amount of interleaving or parallelization: Sixteen 1Tb dies means four dies for each of four flash channels, the typical ceiling. However, as these are four-plane dies, you still get 32-way interleaving at 1TB with eight dies, which is enough to get good performance with just two dies per channel. Less than that is much less ideal, and more than that introduces additional overhead, especially for budget controllers. The math changes with six-plane and 2TB dies, but for this flash, 1TB is the reasonable minimum, with 2TB offering the best performance.

The drive is rated for approximately 4W of power draw across the two capacities, when looking at both reads and writes. Check our power results below to see how accurate that is. The drive is rated for 400TB of writes per TB capacity, which is high for QLC flash – we would typically see maybe 300TB, which is one-half of the TLC standard – but also indicates a very high drive writes per day (DWPD) rating. This is due to the warranty only covering three years rather than the normal five, so the amount of writes per year is significantly higher. This is atypical, so requires further explanation.

For those who live for TBW and write endurance, this illustrates why TBW often looks better on paper. Spreading 400TB over three years works out to roughly double the daily write allowance of a typical 300TBW / five-year QLC drive. Most people will never approach either number, and they will live with the shorter coverage window. However, if you intend to hammer the drive with writes to the point of exceeding TBW within the three-year warranty period, then this could be good. Although you really shouldn't use a budget DRAM-less QLC-based drive for that type of workload. However, that option exists and is rarely the case with a QLC-based drive. As a final note, the drive does support TCG Opal 2.0 for encryption.

Samsung 990 Software and Accessories

Samsung’s Magician software is the gold standard for consumer SSDs. This is an SSD toolbox with all the features you need. It displays system and drive health information, including SMART, and checks whether your drive is legitimate. You can also benchmark your drive and use any optional features, such as encryption. The software is also essential for keeping the drive’s firmware up to date, although you can also download that from the first link.

Samsung 990: A Closer Look

The 990 has an SSD controller, a single NAND flash package, and power management circuitry. There is no DRAM package present. This is a single-sided drive, which is ideal for compatibility and cooling. There is a lot of free space on the PCB, and by putting distance between the controller and flash, there is separation to mitigate component heat generation. This would also help if a heatspreader or heatsink were to be added. Without this space, the drive could be sold in a shorter form factor, which is particularly useful for OEM drives.

The label has information about the drive, such as the date of manufacture (DOM), model, serial, the PSID, and the power rating. We always caution that you not take certain drive information as being conclusive about the hardware. For example, you should not assume TLC or QLC flash from a drive’s TBW. Likewise, you shouldn’t rely on the labeled power rating – and this is done more often on M.2 2230 drives for portable devices – as any indication of drive power efficiency. Here we have 3.3V / 1.85A, which indicates potential power draw over 6W. Now, the power ratings given on spec sheets will often be average and not peak, and will be separated as read or write rather than mixed. In fact, this drive’s load power states can reach a peak of 5.90W via SMART, which is much above the rated average ~4W. We track both peak and average in our testing.

We always enjoy reviewing Samsung drives with a focus on the technicals, as the manufacturer remains a leader in many ways. The 990, in particular, requires some extra description to be fully appreciated. Simply looking at the benchmark results might make the technology seem underwhelming – to be honest, this is very much a budget drive, even taken in the best light – but that doesn’t mean Samsung phoned this one in. In fact, there are signs of deliberate design here, and some of the decisions could help sell this drive. Samsung still has to get the pricing right, of course, but what else is new?

Let’s start with the controller. The 990 is using the PiccoloQ, which is the QLC flash version of the Piccolo. The Piccolo is utilized on the 990 EVO and 990 EVO Plus, two TLC-based drives. In all cases, it’s a four-channel, DRAM-less design, which limits performance and capacity. In both cases, the controller takes up to 2,400 MT/s flash – this is more than enough to saturate PCIe 4.0 – and the interior design is the same. This means it’s a Samsung 5nm part with multiple ARM Cortex-R8 cores and a single R5 core. If the Piccolo stands out in any way, it’s that it offers a PCIe 5.0 x2 option in addition to the standard 4.0 x4 interface. This option or mode has limited usefulness, though, and nothing in the 990 would change that if enabled for the PiccoloQ.

So, not much new on the controller front, but the use of this controller at the 990’s rated speeds does give us some more information. Namely, we know the 990 EVO runs more slowly because it’s using flash slower than 2,400 MT/s, 1,600 MT/s Samsung V6P TLC, to be precise. If we look at Samsung’s V7 QLC flash, it can run at that same speed. This is why the originally speculated 990 QVO with that flash was targeted at the same speeds as the 990 EVO. Things have changed since then. This drive could have been the 990 QVO, but with the EVO and EVO Plus lines going DRAM-less this generation, we suspect the QVO tier was “promoted” to the plain 990 name, and the 990 now targets the 990 EVO Plus's specs

The evidence to back this up, which also supports the loose 990 QVO rumor, is that Samsung does have a V7 QLC OEM drive: the BM9C1. This is the cousin to the PM9C1 line with OEM 990 EVO and 990 EVO Plus (PM9C1b) variants. The BM9C1 is available down to M.2 2230 and uses the same PiccoloQ as the 990 (the QLC version of the 990 EVO/EVO Plus’s Piccolo). It’s just limited to the same speeds as the 990 EVO, as it’s running at 1,600 MT/s. We have to be careful here, though, as Samsung’s V9 QLC press release indicates a 60% I/O improvement, which, with the V9 being 3,200 MT/s, suggests a 2,000 MT/s ceiling for the V7 QLC. Since there is an OEM TLC-based drive in between the 990 EVO and 990 EVO Plus (the PM9C1a) at 2,000 MT/s, the possibility for a ~6 GB/s 990 or 990 QVO with V7 QLC existed.

Before we dive more deeply into the flash, since we haven’t seen the new Samsung QLC in a while and there is some neat tech here, let’s decode the module. “K9” tells us it’s Samsung NAND flash memory. “YYG” indicates it’s a QLC flash package with sixteen dies (HDP) in a 2TB configuration, which confirms 1Tb dies. “Y8” means it’s 8-bit, J tells us the voltage, “5” tells us the number of chips enabled and ready/busy signals, and “D” tells us the generation. With V7 being “C” and V8 skipped, this suggests V9. The second part of the code tells us how the flash is packaged and that it’s commercial / consumer-grade. While you aren’t expected to know how to read codes on your SSD, knowing how it works can be useful, especially with Samsung drives, even if it’s just a matter of trying to figure out if you have a counterfeit product.

So let’s talk about the flash. This is a 286-Layer part, technically, but is sold as 280-Layer once accounting for source/ground and dummy lines. Dummy lines are usually at stack edges, as the physics of flash can make these lines otherwise unusable. A higher layer count – Samsung’s V7 is only 176-Layer, although technically 191 layers – generally means higher bit density. Bit density is key to scaling NAND flash, which is acting as capacious, non-volatile storage media. This can be disappointing to some because it means you don’t always see any real performance scaling as the layer count progresses.

Fitting more flash into the same space can mean less room for charge in each cell, which makes it harder to optimize for performance if you’re trying to maintain the same endurance level. That is certainly the case with this flash, as the performance only manages to match that of last-generation 176-Layer QLC flash from competitors, which is why we want to go out of our way to point out Samsung’s design decisions and why it leans innovative in ways you won’t see in, say, your game load times.

For one, when we talk about the layer count difference – reported versus actual – you also get an efficiency number that is the ratio between usable and total word lines. Samsung is a leader here, with high layer efficiency. Samsung also has held off using three decks or stacks of flash and is still at two, due to having superior channel etching – it’s able to drill down more layers with a higher aspect ratio. It’s also possible to run lines through the flash itself rather than rely largely on masked steps, which sets the stage for Samsung scaling to extremely high layer counts. One issue with high layer counts is that you start losing uniformity from layer to layer, and Samsung accounts for this with optimized word line spacing, too. So, as we’ve said in the past, it often feels like Samsung is falling behind on layer count, but in reality it has a very focused strategy and the best technology in the business, and we can see this with the 990’s flash.

For the consumer, though, the 990 is a little bit weird. This is presumably 3,200 MT/s flash that is being “wasted” with a 2,400 MT/s controller. This flash has amazing bit density, but having a single sixteen-die package at 2TB is nothing new. What about performance? Samsung has made optimizations to improve performance on this flash, but nothing amazing. This QLC is only comparable to the competition in performance terms, particularly at 2,400 MT/s. Samsung is playing catch-up, but we also think this is a case of designing for enterprise rather than consumer.

QLC flash is now highly sought after in enterprise for its density, and Samsung’s optimizations all benefit that kind of environment. In fact, from a consumer’s perspective you could look at this V9 QLC as being focused on higher bit density – but no 2Tb dies – and you would largely be correct. Samsung’s V9 QLC is 86% more dense generationally and about 94% more dense than the competition’s 176-Layer QLC flash.

We’ll take a look at one new technology in the V9 QLC flash to illustrate. One important consideration is flash power interruption leading to data loss, which, without power loss protection (PLP) means you are looking at protecting data at rest. This is on the non-volatile media or flash, not the volatile memory like DRAM. When folding from the pSLC cache to the native flash, data loss is not an issue because you don’t invalidate the original pSLC copy until the write has been verified. However, when writing to native QLC, you are writing multiple pages where the upper pages will require higher levels of sensitivity for proper reading. There are different methods of writing to QLC flash, but generally multi-bit flash has multiple write passes that go from fuzzy (coarse) to precise (fine), and lower pages write faster and may be complete first. Therefore, it’s important not to ruin existing lower-page data if you lose power while still adjusting voltage for the upper pages.

Micron has a unique way of dealing with this using a differential engine that can predict values from partial shifts, but a more common method is simply to back up or buffer the values in nonvolatile flash. QLC stores four bits per cell, so a full backup means writing four bits of pSLC per cell. pSLC is used because its writes are fast, whereas QLC's upper-page writes, in particular, are an order of magnitude slower. Samsung reduces the buffer to a single parity bit by using an odd/even algorithm, creating a sensing window that’s more like TLC (8-state) than QLC (16-state). This improves performance, endurance, and bit density. Some of that performance is still lost for higher bit density. For consumers, the direct benefit is higher TBW, but we speculate the higher density is aimed more at enterprise and future flash generation products. This is in part a response to Solidigm’s floating-gate design, a different technology than charge trap, with tighter charge placement.

MORE: Best SSDs

MORE: Best External SSDs

MORE: Best SSD for the Steam Deck

Comparison Products

The Samsung 990 enters a crowded market with a lot of good options, at least in theory. If we’re looking at QLC-based drives, this means the Crucial P310 and Sandisk WD Blue SN5100 at the very top. Both of these drives perform incredibly well. Below that, we have the older wave of drives represented by the TeamGroup MP44Q. That drive in particular remains a budget favorite with a fast controller and good QLC flash.

We would put the rest below that, even though the hardware is not always worse. This would include the Biwin M350, the Kingston NV3, and the Seagate FireCuda X1070. These drives are using alternative controllers – SMI, SMI, and TenaFe, respectively – that are roughly comparable, and the flash is not particularly old, either. However, these drives tend to be more budget-focused with reduced performance and (ideally) reduced cost.

We’ve also thrown in Samsung’s 990 EVO and 990 EVO Plus for comparison. The 990 should be closer to the latter, but with QLC flash, it would be okay landing somewhere in between. On the whole, we would expect the drive also to be between the two main categories of drives – that is, above the budget ones, below the two fastest, and closer to the middle MP44Q and its MAP1602-equipped alternatives, but with Samsung’s name recognition. The technology is here to make this a reliable drive, which is also a factor to consider, but being this late to the game puts the 990 at a general disadvantage.

Trace Testing — 3DMark Storage Benchmark

Built for gamers, 3DMark’s Storage Benchmark focuses on real-world gaming performance. Each round in this benchmark stresses storage based on gaming activities including loading games, saving progress, installing game files, and recording gameplay video streams. Future gaming benchmarks will be DirectStorage-inclusive and an evaluation for future-proofing is included where applicable.

We start by looking at 3DMark because, frankly, QLC-based drives make a lot of sense for gaming. Aside from large installs and updates, you’re mostly doing reads, which do not favor TLC drives as much. While it’s true that QLC flash is still slower, often-accessed data might be left in the pSLC cache – if you leave enough space free – and QLC is also optimized for random reads. Games do involve a lot of sequential reads and often at larger block sizes than you’d expect, but as long as the drive has sufficient interleaving (it’s sufficiently large) you are going to get pretty good performance.

For 3DMark, which is a synthetic test, we might expect the drives to perform as they do under ideal, cached circumstances. This means the 990 should perform closely to the 990 EVO Plus and better than the 990 EVO, even though both of those latter two are TLC-based. It does. The 990 gets pretty close to the P310, which is one of the best QLC drives out there, aside from the Blue SN5100. We tend to look at ~45µs as a good cutoff point for all-around performance – gaming doesn’t need to be super responsive – which is roughly around the popular budget NV3. The 990 is significantly faster than that, which is all you could ask for here.

Trace Testing — PCMark 10 Storage Benchmark

PCMark 10 is an industry standard trace-based benchmark that uses a wide-ranging set of real-world traces from popular applications and everyday tasks to measure the performance of storage devices. The results are particularly useful when analyzing drives for their use as primary/boot storage devices and in work environments.

PCMark 10 performance usually, but not always, follows 3DMark. There is speculation that some drives or firmware may be optimized for benchmarks like PCMark 10, but taken within a greater suite of tests it’s still useful to get a feel for application performance. For us, that means for a primary drive – your boot or OS drive where your apps live – or for your everything drive, if you work and game on a single drive in your system. This isn’t too unusual with laptops where M.2 slots are limited.

The 990 again ends up roughly where we’d expect – above the 990 EVO, and close to the 990 EVO Plus. It’s not on the level of the P310 or Blue SN5100, but it’s clearly above the budget drives. This is a strong result with good latency. For instance, we would take the 990 over the NV3 any day, every day. On the other hand, the P310 and Blue SN5100 are frankly better drives. These two drives are better optimized and performance-oriented. The 990 is more of a gap filler that’s late to the scene.

We have to say, though, that we’re glad Samsung didn’t push out a 990 QVO that was more like the 990 EVO, even if it would have arrived earlier. Such a drive would have used older QLC flash and performed more slowly simply due to the lower interface speed.And frankly we’d rather have density-optimized flash that can run at the 990 EVO Plus level. That’s what the 990 delivers, even if it feels a little underwhelming. However, it makes perfect sense given the current market, enterprise demand, OEM demand, etc. The drive is still very fast and of a superior quality to a great many budget drives out there, and that makes it worthwhile.

Console Testing — PlayStation 5 Transfers

The PlayStation 5 is capable of taking one additional PCIe 4.0 or faster SSD for extra game storage. While any 4.0 drive will technically work, Sony recommends drives that can deliver at least 5,500 MB/s of sequential read bandwidth for optimal performance. Based on our extensive testing, PCIe 5.0 SSDs don’t bring much to the table and generally shouldn’t be used in the PS5, especially as they may require additional cooling. Check our Best PS5 SSDs article for more information.

Our testing utilizes the PS5’s internal storage test and manual read/write tests with over 192GB of data, both from and to the internal storage. Throttling is prevented where possible to see how each drive operates under ideal conditions. While game load times should not deviate much from drive to drive, our results can indicate which drives may be more responsive in long-term use.

You know our PlayStation 5 line by now: just about any drive will do. The 990 can push more bandwidth than the 990 EVO, which arguably makes it a better pick. It’s on par with, or better than, most budget drives out there. At least, for the things you will usually be doing on the PS5. It’s clear from our one bandwidth test that the drive ran out of cache, and it has the typical slow QLC flash write state. This is not indicative of real-world performance if you do normal installs/updates with mostly reads. If you are freshly installing the drive and moving a ton of games onto it, then yes, this could be an issue, but the QLC write speeds are still significantly faster than 1GbE if you’re intending only to download a ton of games at once. Otherwise, you can check the cache size in the relevant testing section.

Transfer Rates — DiskBench

We use the DiskBench storage benchmarking tool to test file transfer performance with a custom 50GB dataset. We write 31,227 files of various types, such as pictures, PDFs, and videos to the test drive, then make a copy of that data to a new folder, and follow up with a reading test of a newly-written 6.5GB zip file. This is a real-world type workload that fits into the cache of most drives.

We also see some write performance issues in DiskBench. This is dependent on cache size and speed, but for the most part should be limited by the interface speed. However, there are cases where copy speed will simply be slower, whether due to the controller or other optimization trade-offs. We can see that the 990 EVO, with TLC flash, is not exactly doing great here, and the 990 EVO Plus does much better. However, the 990 lags behind, and is very far behind the P310 and Blue SN5100.

So, we can put some of this slow speed on the Piccolo/PiccoloQ controller. To avoid getting too technical on this, we suspect it is partially architectural. This is reflected in power efficiency, as both the P310 and Blue SN5100 – with the Phison E27T and a proprietary Sandisk controller, respectively – are significantly more power-efficient than the 990 EVO, 990 EVO Plus, and as we’ll discover, the 990 as well. We also know that Samsung’s V9 QLC flash is not particularly inefficient.

As for the controller, there are reasons to design it differently. Reliability is one reason, especially if you sell a lot of OEM and enterprise drives that share the technology. Scaling is another, as you may use similar technology across your stack. You might want to optimize for a different sort of performance baseline; you may have unique endurance requirements, and you also might have to keep capacity in mind – enterprise drives, in particular, could make better use of this flash’s interface speed when scaling for capacity. Therefore, DiskBench results for our specific testing may not really be what Samsung is optimizing for, in which case the 990’s performance more or less hits expectations based on the 990 EVO and 990 EVO Plus. It just disappoints against drives like the NV3, which are otherwise inferior.

And to put a cap on it, yes, this is a consumer drive, but if you go back and read our 990 EVO review – and other recent Samsung SSD reviews, for that matter – you will see we underlined the idea that Samsung has been late to the party with less-than-leading performance recently. The fact is, Samsung has and has had bigger fish to fry, and its technology is sound but no longer looks amazing on the standard consumer benchmarks. That makes its products less relevant if you just want the fastest drive, although we’d argue there are secondary effects like drive reliability that still keep Samsung in the fight, certainly as an OEM option. It’s also true that consumer use has a lower bar – any halfway-decent NVMe drive is fast enough for daily driving – which means, sometimes you’re just buying the Samsung name.

Synthetic Testing — ATTO / CrystalDiskMark

ATTO and CrystalDiskMark (CDM) are free and easy-to-use storage benchmarking tools that SSD vendors commonly use to assign performance specifications to their products. Both of these tools give us insight into how each device handles different file sizes and at different queue depths for both sequential and random workloads.

ATTO gives us a clear image of how a drive performs over a range of block sizes. This can relate to different file sizes, for example, you probably have many files at or below 4KiB in size for various things but larger files, archives, and media files will usually be in units of MiB. Depending on what you’re using the drive for you may want to pay attention to how a drive performs within a certain range. For the quickest comparison, we show the results on a logarithmic scale and, there, the 990 shows significant dips for reads between 64KiB and 1MiB.

What you need to know is that flash is interleaved to improve performance, which means that larger I/O sizes will show higher throughput. A single, four-plane die, with modern 16KiB pages, can interleave up to 64KiB internally. If you have one die per each of four channels, that’s 256KiB. If you parallelize that over four dies per channel – which is the ideal amount and what we have with the 2TB 990 – then you reach 1MiB. While alignment here can impact performance, for example we sometimes look at six-plane flash these days, in general you will see a gradual throughput increase as you go. You’ll see this beyond 1MiB as data can and will be cached in volatile memory, either system-side or in a small cache on the drive. If you’re looking at higher queue depths, which we do with CrystalDiskMark, performance saturates even further as the controller is able to optimize data placement and retrieval with knowledge of what’s coming.

What this usually means is that QD8 is enough to get drives close together, while there will be more disparity at QD1. QD1 is much closer to real-world, as most operations will be at low queue depth, the vast majority at our below QD4 and the majority at QD1 or QD2.

We see that the 990 matches the P310 with QD1 reads, while some drives, like the X1070, do surprisingly well. We can assume that the controller plays at least a partial role here. The X1070 is a good example because, let’s be real, it’s not a drive a lot of reviewers liked. Yet, it has pretty good performance in this instance, indicating it could be a solid secondary storage drive. Fair enough. The 990 just doesn’t really have the response we like to see for that, but it’s fast enough to remain relevant. We got the impression in our X1070 review that its controller was chosen for cost savings and that was plenty for daily use, but we don’t think Samsung cheaped out on the PiccoloQ. Rather, Samsung is looking at the bigger picture, as it also sells drives with the Piccolo controller, including its OEM offerings.

Random latency seems much more important to a lot of people. We generally find that sub-50µs is one bar and another is sub-45µs. The 990 manages the former, which puts it above last-gen drives and some earlier Gen 4 drives, and budget drives like the X1070. It’s in the same ballpark as the NV3, too. It’s sufficiently far behind more popular budget drives, though, to draw our interest. In most cases you won’t notice it, but if you’re using this as your only drive and are sensitive to that, it’s not your best option. On the other hand, we think you have to balance that against pricing and some management of expectations. Any modern SSD is going to be very fast, and with current pricing it might be worth putting more weight on reliability, for example.

Sustained Write Performance and Cache Recovery

Official write specifications are only part of the performance picture. Most SSDs implement a write cache, which is a fast area of pseudo-SLC (single-bit) programmed flash that absorbs incoming data. Sustained write speeds can suffer tremendously once the workload spills outside of the cache and into the "native" TLC (three-bit) or QLC (four-bit) flash. Performance can suffer even more if the drive is forced to fold, the process of migrating data out of the cache in order to free up space for further incoming data.

We use Iometer to hammer the SSD with sequential writes for 15 minutes to measure both the size of the write cache and performance after the cache is saturated. We also monitor cache recovery via multiple idle rounds. This process shows the performance of the drive in various states including the steady state write performance.

Samsung’s TurboWrite 2.0 caching technology utilizes a fixed, static portion of pSLC combined with a much larger dynamic portion. These two zones have unique characteristics which, when taken together, ideally keep the drive feeling fast across a variety of workloads. The static portion ensures the drive always has some cache for random writes, while the dynamic portion varies with drive usage so that you always have ample cache. While the 990 EVO had 108GB total regardless of capacity, it’s more typical for Samsung to increase both caches in absolute terms as capacity goes up. This is the case with the 990 EVO Plus, which has a 216GB cache at 2TB. But we know from our 9100 Pro review that Samsung is quite capable of going with a larger cache. The general trend for consumer SSDs has been to go that way, especially for QLC-based and DRAM-less SSDs, as it better hides weak performance states.

Therefore, it’s not too surprising that the 990’s cache is pretty large. In its fastest state, it writes at almost 6.1 GB/s for over 57 seconds, for a cache in excess of 350GB. This is larger than the 2TB 990 EVO Plus’s but smaller than the 2TB 9100 Pro’s. Our suspicion is that the 990 follows the newer, larger scheme, but we’re dealing with QLC rather than TLC flash. QLC flash to pSLC is 4 bits to 1, while TLC is 3 bits to 1, so in relative terms the 990 lines up with the 9100 Pro. That’s all fine and good. As for how fast it writes, Samsung markets the 990 as having over 50% faster write performance than the 990 EVO, which is accurate simply because we’re moving from 1,600 to 2,400 MT/s, with newer flash and firmware.

Once the cache is exhausted, the drive has to write to the native QLC flash directly or fold data over from pSLC to QLC. The latter is slower but can reduce wear in some cases – folding uses predictable, sequential writes – and reduces the likelihood of errors in transmission. Considering the technology we mentioned above and how Samsung avoids problems with power loss, it makes sense that going slower is by design. In fact, given we know the expected speed of the flash – rated at 41 MB/s per die – we can reasonably assume the firmware wants this outcome. It’s not that the flash can’t handle higher speeds, even at the risk of endurance. It’s simply that for a consumer drive of this type, the response is reasonable and measured. Going faster would require reducing the cache size potentially, which tends not to be a good trade-off for this type of drive.

One interesting thing about the V9 flash is that it can operate in a pTLC caching mode. We don’t see that here. Honestly, that’s not too surprising: Solidigm’s 5-bit PLC flash effectively was designed to run as QLC/pQLC for enterprise, so it’s possible this pTLC mode was for cases where you might need that higher level of performance or endurance. After all, this is extremely dense flash even in such a mode, which points more at enterprise use.

We’ve seen QLC flash from Kioxia also optionally have this mode – and for that matter, Solidigm’s PLC can do pTLC, too – in the past, but that mode doesn’t appear to be designed for consumer use. There may be other reasons for not using it in a consumer product, such as power optimization, as consumer workloads probably benefit more from a straight pSLC and native/QLC hybrid.

Power Consumption and Temperature

We use the Quarch HD Programmable Power Module to gain a deeper understanding of power characteristics. Idle power consumption is an important aspect to consider, especially if you're looking for a laptop upgrade as even the best ultrabooks can have mediocre stock storage in terms of capacity and performance. Desktops are often more performance-oriented with less support for power-saving features so we show the worst-case for idle.

Some SSDs can consume watts of power at idle while better-suited ones sip just milliwatts. Average workload power consumption and max consumption are two other aspects of power consumption but performance-per-watt, or efficiency, is more important. A drive might consume more power during any given workload but accomplishing a task faster allows the drive to drop into an idle state more quickly, ultimately saving energy.

For temperature recording we currently poll the drive’s primary composite sensor during testing with a ~22°C ambient. Our testing is rigorous enough to heat the drive to a realistic ceiling temperature but real-world temperatures will vary due to the environment and workload factors.

Is the 990 power-efficient? Samsung markets the drive as being 38% more efficient than the 990 EVO – or that it cuts power consumption by 38% – which, technically, works with our numbers. It’s not a huge bar to hit as the 990 EVO was not very power-efficient. Even the X1070 is significantly more efficient! The 990, unfortunately, really doesn’t do well against other drives in its class, regardless of flash. We can’t chalk this up as being fully due to the controller because the 990 EVO Plus does well enough for itself.

This is actually expected since, for example, the Blue SN5100, which is using BiCS8 QLC, is less efficient than its BiCS8 TLC sibling, the Black SN7100. QLC and TLC flash of the same generation often have significant differences. TLC flash saw six planes first while QLC tends to be optimized for density. While it’s true that pSLC performance between the two is often comparable, behind the scenes the drive still has to deal with wear-leveling, garbage collection, and other maintenance with block granularity. QLC is slower, with larger blocks and pSLC taking more bits. So all else being equal, TLC often outshines it in power efficiency.

Our impression here, as is the case elsewhere in the review, is that this flash is basically V7 QLC with twice the density. Samsung uses impressive tricks to get it there; the flash is technically a bit faster and more efficient, and it has some neat changes that mostly apply to enterprise. This means you can have the 990 doing worse than the 990 EVO Plus with its V8 TLC. This is not perplexing. QLC flash is made for bit density, and Samsung intends to scale flash for a very long time. It also skipped V8 QLC for a reason. This doesn’t endear it to people wanting to buy this drive for laptops, although we assure you that this does use some cutting-edge technology, and we do think it should be very reliable. It’s just not going to be as efficient as you might expect.

Samsung is cognizant that its drives will end up with OEM variants in laptops and in many cases, shorter form factors. The 990 EVO wasn’t a great laptop drive due to its heat generation, but it works. The 990 is significantly better, so it, too, will work as a laptop drive. We think this drive deserves a heatsink in a desktop or PS5, and probably should have heatspreading of some sort anywhere else, if at all possible.

The question is, will it overheat? In our testing, we found that it got closer than we prefer to that point. Our maximum reported controller temperature was high relative to the initial throttling temperature, but a true composite value would be lower. Even so, the controller did get warm. On the other hand, our Iometer testing is far from real-world. We push our drives hard. This is not the sort of drive for a desktop replacement or high-end laptop in our opinion, although we think with typical workloads it’s perfectly fine. After all, the results here are better than the SK hynix Gold P31, which is a laptop staple. By all means, in a Gen 3 slot this thing will fly. If you’re hammering it at Gen 4 speeds, though, yeah, it’s not the coolest drive in town.

Test Bench and Testing Notes

We use an Alder Lake platform with most background applications, such as indexing, Windows updates, and anti-virus, disabled in the OS to reduce run-to-run variability. Each SSD is prefilled to 50% capacity and tested as a secondary device. Unless noted, we use active cooling for all SSDs.

Samsung 990 Bottom Line

The Samsung 990 is bound to be underwhelming for some, but none of our results should surprise. We know what this technology is and we’ve seen Samsung’s entries in recent years with the 990 EVO, the 990 EVO Plus, and the 9100 Pro. You could even put the 980 and 990 Pros into that mix. The move away from DRAM on the EVO Plus series, in particular, was a sign of the times. It’s not surprising to see the raw 990 – the 980 was TLC-based – go to QLC without the “QVO” addendum. The original speculation of the 990 QVO being a QLC 990 EVO, with the EVO itself being a surprisingly “slow” drive, was probably correct given the OEM evidence, and the 990 being a step up lets it command the 990 name by itself. To reiterate, this is exactly what we expected.

Skipping over the 990 QVO and V7 QLC flash is only sidestepping, and that’s likely because the market has changed so much over the last year or two. Bringing out a QLC-based 990 EVO equivalent just wouldn’t sell and might even make the brand look bad. It could certainly be done, and even still done, as an affordable SKU with better yields. But any 990 was going to be exactly what we got, instead. You need the faster flash to saturate PCIe 4.0 with a DRAM-less drive, and this was always going to be DRAM-less. Using a new or licensed controller with TLC flash would be weird, as it’d be going up against the existing 990 EVO Plus. Frankly, the 990 is a good 990 EVO replacement from retail and OEM perspectives, with one caveat: endurance. Samsung saves itself some headaches by reducing the warranty to three years, and as this flash is robust, it can just nudge up the TBW as a distraction.

We think that’s an important part of the message here. This flash seems designed for enterprise and has technological changes to back that up, with the main consumer benefits being the potential for increased reliability. But memory is still in high demand, and this has to be a budget part, so here comes the three-year warranty. Performance is not bad – it certainly beats earlier Gen 4 QLC-based drives and would beat the rumored 990 QVO as well. It’s just not really performance-focused. It’s also a much more efficient design, but that’s in comparison to Samsung’s own hardware. It’s merely mediocre there in the current landscape. Samsung seems to be building for the future with higher layer counts and bit density, so this lays the groundwork. A client drive seems almost like an afterthought. Users shouldn’t take that personally, but also shouldn’t underestimate this drive as it’s more than effective enough for its purpose.

In fact, in the era of Gen 3 drives returning and so many “box of chocolates” SSDs with random names and hardware, a reliable Samsung SSD is a nice option. Even with QLC flash. If you only need a budget drive to throw into a build or to upgrade an old PC, you get Gen 4 performance and a TLC-like experience for most things. We also feel this drive should be reliable and, although it runs hotter than we’d like, it’s not going to be molten like some other drives. It’s just a polished design by Samsung that fills a micro niche, and clearly it thought a response was needed. It’s not a lot different than our reaction has been to Samsung’s last few new drives, which have all been competent but largely never the strtong leader. That’s okay with us, as we can tell the manufacturer has a longer-term perspective; it just means a little less awe when you finish a build using a Samsung drive.

If you really want the best experience with a QLC-based drive, we still recommend the Crucial P310 – which is going away – or the Sandisk WD Blue SN5100. These offer incredible performance for QLC flash. Otherwise, there are some MP44Q-like drives out there that continue to be budget leaders. The 990 fits somewhere along there as a known-brand alternative. If you’re looking for Gen 5, DRAM, or TLC, then you’re also looking at a higher price tag. Frankly, QLC costs more than it should, in part due to enterprise demand. On the other hand, a modern QLC drive will provide an equivalent experience 99% of the time. The priorities are up to you. For us, the 990 is a fine primary drive for normal builds and OK for laptops, although we’d go cheaper for the PS5 and higher-end for an enthusiast machine.

MORE: Best SSDs

MORE: Best External SSDs

MORE: Best SSD for the Steam Deck

Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua: two-minute review

The Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua is one of those products that leaves you feeling both impressed and slightly perplexed. No question, this is an impressive cordless stick vac with suction powerful enough to deal with everything from fine dust to larger debris, especially when used on carpet. However, while the provided multi-floor head is well engineered, I do wish Dreame had included its clever GapFree hard floor head as featured with the Dreame V20 Pro, which I consider a much better bet for hard floor sweeping.

Battery life is a respectable 35 minutes or so in Auto mode, and the whole machine feels fairly light in the hand, well balanced and easy enough to maneuver. Whether you're tackling carpets or rugs, it performs with the confidence you'd expect from what is essentially a flagship model. However, it’s not the best hard-floor model I’ve seen, at least when it comes to picking up larger debris.

While its detachable mopping unit is a class leader at collecting accidental spills and lifting everyday grime, its twin water tanks are simply too small to support cleaning across an entire home without frequent refills. As a result, it feels more like a maintenance tool than a genuine wet-cleaning solution, making it best suited to localized cleaning and single-room mopping rather than cleaning the floors of an entire house.

I'm not convinced by Dreame's docking solution, either. Instead of the elegant wall-mounted charging docks offered by some rivals, the Z30 Pro Aqua comes with an ungainly stand featuring a collection of bolt-on accessory holders. It's undeniably practical, but it looks more like an afterthought than something designed to complement a modern home. Put another way, you may want to tuck this stand well out of sight.

Nevertheless, strip away the awkward storage system and you’re still left with a very decent cordless vacuum cleaner and exemplary spot mopper for occasional household mishaps.

Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua review: price & availability

• List price: £549 (about $730 / AU$1,060)
• Launched: May 2026
• Availability: UK and Europe

The Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua sits firmly in the premium end of the cordless vacuum market. In the UK, its official retail price is a lofty £549 (about $730 / AU$1,060) but Dreame is currently selling it for a more reasonable £479 (about $640 / AU$920). Across Europe, pricing varies by country but generally lands at around €479.

While you can purchase the vac-only Z30 variant in the USA, the Z30 Pro Aqua we’re reviewing here hasn't been officially released over there yet, though Dreame is expected to bring the Pro Aqua (or a similar wet-dry variation) Stateside sometime later in 2026.

The Z30 Pro Aqua is competing against some seriously capable cordless cleaners and, while its vacuuming credentials are generally excellent, you are paying a premium for a mopping system that doesn't quite live up to the rest of the package. Unless your hard-floor cleaning needs are limited to quick maintenance mops, you may find better value elsewhere.

One alternative is to buy a stick vacuum and a dedicated wet-dry floor cleaner separately. Pairing something like the Dreame R20 (around £179 in the UK) or Shark PowerDetect (around £330) with a specialist floor washer such as the Dreame H15 Pro, Tineco Floor One S7 Pro or Roborock F25 Ultra will deliver much better range for whole-home mopping without constant refills and emptying. Yes, you'll need storage space for two appliances, but you'll also end up with a far more capable cleaning setup that excels at every task instead of compromising on either.

• Value for money score: 3.5 out of 5

Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua specs

Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua review: design

• Elegant hand unit
• Impressive suction stats
• Unattractive docking system

There are two main floor-cleaning disciplines — vacuuming and mopping — and both require a completely different approach. For vacuuming of hard floors and carpet you obviously need a vacuum cleaner — preferably of the cordless stick variety — but when it comes to mopping hard floors you have several choices.

There’s obviously the classic mop and bucket (which reigns supreme despite the paraphernalia and elbow grease required), a large handful of paper towels for liquid spills, or the good old damp tea towel for either messy spills or general hard floor cleaning. However, I know of a more practical solution and it’s called a cordless hard floor cleaner or, for want of a better description, a wet-dry vacuum cleaner.

These machines use a self-dampened spinning roller to quite literally suck up liquid spills of almost every variety — even vomit and puppy wee if you can handle the thought — depositing the disgusting mess into a large dirty water tank which is then emptied into the toilet bowl while holding one’s nose.

The big bonus with wet-dry vacs is that they cleverly eliminate the need for a bucket of water or any other accoutrements, so when you’re faced with a liquid spill, you simply grab the machine, run it over the mess a few times and return it to its charging plinth where it undergoes a robust self-cleaning regime in readiness for the next calamity.

Of course, these handy home helpers are also sterling floor moppers in general, removing most stains and grime off kitchen and bathroom floors in record time. However, the upshot is that you end up with two machines cluttering the home, which is where this all-in-one vaccy-moppy model from Dreame comes into the equation.

Before I discuss the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua’s versatile list of credentials, I must chip in with a quick caveat regarding its looks. Attired in Dreame’s usual posh rose gold bling, the Z30 Pro Aqua’s main vacuum unit is actually very stylish and elegant but I can’t say the same for the storage system-cum-charging-and-mop-cleaning plinth, which is so ugly that even Dreame is shying away from making a song and dance about it on its web page.

I’m struggling to think of what this tangled melange of bendy pipes and bolted-on plastic accessory holders looks like but it’s quite an eyesore that you will definitely want to hide deep in the recesses of the utility room – or at the very least well away from any living areas.

The Z30 Pro Aqua’s charging system entails pushing the suction tube into a pair of arm clamps until they click shut, and it’s a bit of wobbly affair it must be said. But here’s the thing — the suction tube needs to be attached to the mopping head because the charging contacts don’t line up if docked with the vacuum head. Given that most of the time you’ll be using the vacuuming function, I think this is a major oversight because it requires having to change the vacuum head to the mopping head every time you dock the unit. Anyway, to remove the unit, you simply push back against the clamps to release it.

I’ve never been a fan of multiple accessories, but this one comes with a mini banquet, namely the obligatory dusting brush, flat head and crevice nozzle, which all clip into the charging base assembly. However, it’s not very often that I’m able to attach any of the detail tools to the storage post without fiddling about with the connectors. There’s only one way to insert them and even this requires wiggling the accessory until you finally locate the correct entry angle. This is not such a good thing when you’re in the middle of a clean and you’re swapping tools like a plumber fixing a leaky pipe.

Disappointingly, you get just one universal brush head with this machine, and not the clever edge-cleaning hard floor-specific head that shipped with the excellent Dreame V20 Pro stick vac. Yes, I know that would perhaps be one accessory too many but I’d be happy to find someone to store it, mostly because it’s so good at cleaning right to the very edge of skirting boards.

The 8.6-inch (22cm) brush head itself is essentially a solid, molded cylinder with protruding paddles, each with a soft nylon bristle attached. Despite its simplicity, it makes an extremely good fist of beating dust out of carpets but it feels and sounds too rigid for hard floors. On the plus side, the brush head is easy to maneuver around furniture legs and I like the suction reduction vent on the front of the head which is handy on deeper pile carpet. A full blue beam of blue light, meanwhile, illuminates detritus when sweeping in darker areas, though it’s not a patch on Dyson’s Lazer Dust Detection system.

This leads me to the last part of this unusual entry into the world of floor cleaning – the detachable mop head. Unlike purpose-built wet-dry hard floor cleaners like the class-leading Roborock 25 Ultra – which comes with a large 33.8 fl oz (1L) clean water tank and 24.3 fl oz (720ml) dirty water reservoir – the Z30 Pro Aqua’s detachable mop head is equipped with a titchy 13.5 fl oz (400ml) fresh water tank, an even smaller 10.8 fl oz (320ml) one for the filthy stuff and, uniquely, a separate collection box for solid debris.

Unlike dedicated electro moppers that port all muck — liquid and solid — into one large container for pouring into the toilet, this one separates the waste into liquid and solids. I can see the reasoning behind it if one were to use the sink for disposing the contents because it keeps the solid stuff aside for emptying into the kitchen bin by simply lifting out the solids container.

Granted, the mop system is self cleaning, but this process uses most of the water in the tank so you’ll likely need a refill for the self-cleaning process followed by yet another refill and emptying session before you can take it out on its next run. On the plus side, the front-mounted wooly spinning mop head – thicker and more absorbent than others I’ve seen – is thoroughly cleaned and then dried on its bucket-shaped base for 30 minutes using hot air at a very effective 158F (70C).

Let’s take a closer look at the engine room of this new vac-and-mop system. The handheld unit alone weighs 5lb (2.3kg) and 7.7lb (3.5kg) with the suction tube and floor head attached. This is the exact same combined weight as the Dyson Gen5Detect, and par for the course given its larger-than-average 20.3 fl oz (0.6L) dust bin capacity. To empty the bin, you simply tap a side button and it lifts off the unit to be taken to the bin and emptied by pressing another button to eject all detritus. In terms of suction power, the Z30 Pro Aqua produces a whopping 28,000 Pascals – more than enough oomph for deep-pile carpet cleaning duties.

The Z30 Pro Aqua’s hand unit doesn’t come with a trigger. Instead you press the On button and choose from Auto (which increases suction automatically when heavy deposits of dust are detected), Eco or Turbo. You can see which mode you’re in by looking at the circular display which, incidentally, also illustrates the levels of debris being collected in Auto mode, a bit like a Dyson only nowhere near as bright or as readable.

Dreame’s 90-minute running time is based on it being in Eco mode on hard floor and that may be true or taken with a pinch of salt. However I have always used Auto mode, for which I got about 35 minutes of suction and/or mopping when running the unit on a hard wooden floor. That’s not too bad for a stick vac in auto mode — I’ve seen worse.

I’ll end this chapter with a shout out to the rose gold suction tube that bends 90 degrees for reaching under sofas and beds. If I’m not mistaken, Shark was the first to produce an articulating suction tube. It’s a great feature to have, mostly because it saves having to get on one’s knees when cleaning under low-slung furnishings.

My final thoughts on the design of the Z30 Pro Aqua? Firstly, build quality is excellent throughout. The main unit feels reassuringly solid without becoming too cumbersome, while the large transparent dust bin, easy-release battery and intuitive controls all contribute to a very premium vacuuming experience.

In essence, it looks to me like this product was created mostly for vacuuming, but with the ability to clean up small spills and odd stains as and when they occur. I don’t think it’s a valid alternative to a dedicated wet-dry vacuum cleaner which is suitable for cleaning a whole home. But, hey, if the concept of a multipurpose two-in-one floor cleaner floats your boat then by all means go ahead. Just be aware that you may not be able to mop more than half a large kitchen before having to perform an empty-and-refill session.

• Design score: 4 out of 5

Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua review: performance

• Exceptional carpet performance
• Not as efficient on hard floors
• Perfect for spot mopping

Aside from some daily vacuuming and low-level mopping, I also set up three performance tests for the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua: carpet and hard floor vacuuming using a variety of dry ingredients, including rice, partly broken cornflakes, oats and flour; and hard floor mopping using a splash of milk and a few cornflakes. For both tests I set the suction mode to Auto, which adjusts the power according to the amount of dust and dirt the built-in sensor detects.

The result for the hard floor test in my kitchen was about average. It certainly wasn’t a match for my Dyson Gen5Detect with its hard floor-specific attachment fitted. Although it collected the cornflakes, oats and flour well enough, the Z30 scattered more rice than it should have. I put this unexceptional performance down to the design of the universal brush head which doesn’t seem particularly well suited to hard floors. It also sounded a wee bit clattery as if it was crying out for a smooth velveteen brush roller. A very good reason, me thinks, for Dreame to include its excellent GapFree hard floor-specific head with this product.

The carpet test, on the other hand, was a much rosier picture. In fac, I’d say that the Z30 may well be one of the better carpet sweepers on the market since it had no issues collecting everything in a single stroke bar a few obstreperous grains of rice. It also left no trace of flour, even when examined close up. The Z30 has also proved very adept at collecting huge amounts of Labrador hair during its general cleaning routines.

For my final test I grabbed the mopping unit, filled it with fresh water and introduced it to some spilled milk and soggy cornflakes. Blow me down with a feather! This thing performed exceedingly well in this test, collecting every last flake of corn and all the milk in a single pass. I put this down to the material used for the roller which is thick, dense, and has a slightly grippy feel. In fact, I also noticed the effectiveness of this roller during standard mopping duties because it dealt with general stains and floor marks with consummate aplomb. I have also been impressed by how well the mop has steered around furniture and how it can be angled to over 90˚ for tight areas.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua

After I’d had my eyes abused by the sight of this model’s convoluted dock design, I managed to find somewhere out of sight to store it before embarking on a series of tests. Aside from a two week period of using it for general cleaning purposes – at which it mostly excelled – I set up a couple of challenging vacuum tests, plus a mopping test using a liquid spill.

I also evaluated its weight in the hand and overall maneuverability on both carpet and hard floors – the mopping attachment is especially impressive in this department. However, on even closer inspection of the dock, I still maintain that there’s work to do in improving its looks and functionality, especially the disappointing charging system that only works if the mopping head is attached. But, hey, each to their own.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed July 2026

Ninja makes some of the best air fryers on the market, but considering how easy these appliances are to use, it sure is difficult to figure out which one to buy. This brand's air fryer range has grown to incorporate dozens of models with different capacities and capabilities.

We've tested ... okay not all, but a decent number of them, so we're in an ideal position to help. The good news is they almost always score highly in our tests, which means you're unlikely to come away disappointed, whichever one you go for.

However, some models will be better suited to your needs than others. Below, I've rounded up all the Ninja air fryers that we've tested and recommend, and which are still available — and if you hit the 'View details' button you can see exactly what we thought of each one. Skip to the bottom of the page for some top tips on how to choose the right one for your kitchen.

Let's fry, let's fry away

How do I choose?

If you're feeding larger numbers or want to create multi-component meals (and have enough counter space), look at the Foodi Dual Zone options — these feature-packed air fryers have two drawers that can be set to different temperatures, and the machine will sync up cooking for you so the food in both sections is ready at the same time. Or, for the same functionality but a smaller footprint, you can't beat the Double Stack, which puts one drawer on top of the other (there are a few capacities available).

Those with small kitchens should consider a Crispi model. These have an innovative design that's essentially a glass container onto which an air fryer hat attaches. The containers can be used as serving or storage dishes, for maximum versatility.

If you don't just want an air fryer, plenty of Ninja's appliances double up as different kinds of cooker. One of the most versatile additions to the range is the French Door Air Fryer, which offers 10 cooking modes and can fit a whole roast or pizza inside. Alternatively, you have things like the 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer, which come with a range of accessories including a griddle plate for an authentic chargrilled finish.

If you're still feeling overwhelmed, I don't blame you. There's a lot of overlap between what these air fryers can do, so I'd start by looking at how much space you have on your counter, and how much capacity you need in your air fryer, and use those requirements to narrow your options down.

Qualcomm continues to flirt with gaming on its Snapdragon X processors. The latest update to Snapdragon Control Panel redesigns game library navigation, improves the software update experience, and helps you get the latest Hexagon NPU drivers.

The overall gaming experience on Snapdragon X PCs will be better following the update, though you won't see a graphics boost.

Snapdragon Control Panel is a piece of software that helps you optimize your gaming experience on PCs powered by Snapdragon X chips.

A bump to version 2026.2.0 brings several notable improvements. Qualcomm shared the change log for the latest Snapdragon Control Panel update on Reddit.

What’s new in Snapdragon Control Panel 2026.2.0.0

✨ User interface improvements

• Redesigned Game Library navigation to be more consistent and intuitive, including clearer favorites add/remove behavior.
• Redesigned the Software Update page with a consistent experience for Snapdragon Control Panel, Adreno GPU drivers, and Hexagon NPU drivers.
• Improved update status feedback so users can more easily understand available updates and current installation state.
• Removed the top-level back button to simplify navigation.
• Expanded the clickable areas for items in the Help dialog.
• Added support for saving and restoring the navigation sidebar state.

🧠 Hexagon NPU driver updates

• Get access to the latest Hexagon NPU driver releases directly from Snapdragon Control Panel.

🎮 One-Click Game Optimization robustness improvements

• Improved the reliability of One-Click Game Optimization workflows, including optimization, revert, and refresh behavior.
• Note: One-Click Game Optimization is currently supported only on first generation Snapdragon® X Series devices.

🛠️ General improvements and bug fixes

• Includes additional reliability, usability, and maintenance fixes across Snapdragon Control Panel.

Gaming on Snapdragon X PCs is in an interesting spot in 2026. It's very clear that Qualcomm aims for its Snapdragon X chips to power gaming PCs eventually, but most mentions of gaming on the processors feel reserved.

When Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and Snapdragon X2 Elite last year, the company failed to mention gaming once. But when laptops with those chips launched, gaming capabilities were highlighted.

"Best Commuter Laptop: extreme performance for multitasking, gaming, and creation," reads the ASUS listing for the Zenbook A16 (emphasis added).

Just two months after unveiling the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and Snapdragon X2 Elite, Qualcomm announced Snapdragon Control Panel. That program lets users optimize game settings and update game drivers.

Meanwhile, other companies have been working to improve gaming on Snapdragon X PCs. Logitech G HUB gained support for Windows on Snapdragon earlier this year.

YouTuber "Ghobso Gaming" tested over 200 games on the Surface Pro 11 with a Snapdragon X Plus, and many titles performed well. They have since run tests on laptops with the Snapdragon X2 Elite. I'll follow up with them and do another piece on that soon.

Our Ben Wilson played some games on the Zenbook A16 with a Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme as well. Overall, gaming on Snapdragon X PCs is better than ever.

At some point, Qualcomm may fully embrace the gaming capabilities of Snapdragon X chips and make that a major part of its marketing. Until or unless that happens, the company will continue to work with partners to optimize gaming on Snapdragon X.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

• Microsoft is improving Windows 11 search in multiple ways
• That includes a calmer search panel, the ability to turn off web results, a better way of prioritizing returned results, and a more stable search overall
• This is in testing for now, and the main worry is how long it might take for Microsoft to usher all this through to release

If you're fed up with the way Windows 11's search functionality works – and you wouldn't be alone – some incoming changes are set to greatly improve this experience.

Microsoft revealed the tweaks to the search box in a blog post, explaining that they're being delivered via a gradual rollout to testers in the Experimental channel for Windows 11 preview builds.

The first major change is simply to make search a calmer place, so when the panel appears, it only contains a list of your recent searches (allowing you to easily fire up one of those again if you wish). The current clutter to the right of that list, including recommendations – some of which are outright adverts – along with trending searches has all been banished.

And the second important piece of work here is that Microsoft is finally giving Windows 11 users the ability to get rid of web results in search. Currently, when searching for a file in the operating system you get not just local results (for files on your drives), but also some web results which can get in the way.

In this new scheme of things, you'll be able to switch off all web results in Settings, and also ditch Microsoft Store suggestions too.

If you keep these results on, Microsoft notes that they won't be prioritized, although this is something the company had already started to address (it used to be the case that web content could appear at the top of the returned results in a truly baffling fashion). Web results have also been stripped of any 'promotional content' so you'll only get the most relevant answers if these results are enabled.

Microsoft has also bolstered the handling of results for Windows 11 settings so that more relevant options are flagged up higher in the pecking order, and Microsoft says further fine-tuning is planned on this front.

The search box will also be able to handle typos, with an improved ability to guess what you really meant ('Chrome' rather than 'Chome' for example), and it'll start to surface possible results after typing just two characters (another enhancement we've already heard about).

While this is mostly all about streamlining, Microsoft is going the other way in one notable respect — adding a bit more detail in for the files returned in the results. Search will now provide more info about files (such as when they were last opened) and a more in-depth preview in the right-hand panel, so you can more readily tell what you'll be opening if you click on that result.

Finally, Microsoft is making search more reliable, which involves "reducing [the] likelihood of crashing and loading issues" which is obviously a welcome move.

Analysis: the rollout fly in the soothing search ointment

Windows 11 search has always been a somewhat painful affair for me, thanks mainly to the clutter of the thinly veiled (or not even veiled at all) ads, and the irrelevant results which were surfaced with a baffling level of priority, as noted. Windows 10 isn't a lot better, frankly, but at any rate, I'm very happy to see the fresh direction Microsoft has taken here.

The calmer search results are a major boon, with Microsoft following in the same vein as the streamlining it recently announced for the widgets panel, which was made a quieter place. (All this follows a broader early promise to rein in the upselling with Windows 11 and generally make the interface a more chilled place).

I was hoping that the option to turn off web results would be brought in, and this is the most important addition for me personally. I'm not alone, and the reaction to these various changes has been very positive, with the only real sticking point being impatience around when these new features will be rolled out. That's both in terms of testers wanting to try the revamped search box now, and the general computing public wondering when they will eventually get their hands on all this.

As this tester posts on Reddit: "We love this... except gradual rollouts. We don't like when things are inconsistent from PC to PC despite running identical [test] builds [of Windows 11]. It's really obnoxious and breaks muscle memory. But the changes seem great and I look forward to trying them."

As Microsoft points out in its blog post, it's worth remembering that there are now feature flags that can be enabled if you're really keen to try out something in a preview build, and it's not on your PC yet.

However, as for those asking: 'For those of us on release, when might this arrive?'

Well, that's a very different kettle of fish, as it could take quite some time for this work to progress through testing. Mainly because there are a lot of changes involved, and it's not something Microsoft will want to rush (especially given the drive to make search more reliable and stable).

And when these search improvements are eventually released outside of testing, it'll be on a controlled rollout that you won't be able to jump the queue with. However, there's a reason for that – Microsoft will need to observe the changes going live in a gradual manner to ensure no unexpected gremlins are crawling around in the works.

So, you will have to be patient, and there's some frustration around the length of time it can take for controlled rollouts to proceed these days (the Start menu overhaul from last year being a key example here – some folks still don't have it even now). But the good news is that these changes are coming, and they promise to revamp search in Windows 11 to a considerable extent. I can't wait (but I'll have to).

I'm always keeping my eye out this time of year for the ultimate 'back to school' laptop deals for our readers. Today, I think I've spotted a listing that could actually lay claim to that title.

It's the brand new Dell XPS 13, which is currently on sale for just $599 if you're a student. This new model has just been released at $699, but it looks like Dell is doing a particularly aggressive intro deal for prospective students right now.

To be honest, even at $699, I'd say this Dell XPS 13 is a strong contender. We haven't reviewed it yet here at TechRadar, but this iteration looks like a very compelling alternative to the likes of the new MacBook Neo, which is also $699.

It's surely no coincidence that the new XPS 13 is priced to compete with the MacBook Neo, as both offer a premium, lightweight laptop at a rock bottom price. The XPS 13 is obviously a Windows 11 machine, however, so it's the one to go for if you prefer Windows over MacOS.

Get the new Dell XPS 13 for just $599 today

• See more: check out all of today's laptop deals at Dell

While we haven't reviewed this model yet, our sister-site Windows Central managed to check it out in-person earlier this year. Initial reports are exceedingly positive, with the price, display, and overall build quality being particular highlights.

Interestingly, Dell had MacBook Neos on display next to the New XPS 13, so journalists could directly compare the to models. According to Windows Central, the XPS 13 had better build quality, a better display, and it was lighter. Of course, they do love Windows laptops over on that site, so your preference may vary.

We still rate the MacBook Neo here at TechRadar with its eye-catching colors and incredible battery life.

With that said, if I were choosing between the two, I'd definitely be tempted by the XPS 13. Generally, I prefer Windows laptops, and the XPS 13's Thunderbolt 4 ports are more useful to me than the Neo's standard USB-C ports. I'm also partial to the XPS 13's display, which I think it is a little more modern-looking than the Neo's, with its thick-bezels.

The highly anticipated upgrades to the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop just launched. Both PCs pack the latest Snapdragon X2 processors from Qualcomm, promising better performance while still delivering great battery life.

The biggest upgrade in the lineup is performance. Microsoft promises up to 53% faster graphics performance on the Surface Pro than the previous generation. The Surface Laptop sees an even larger bump of up to 58% when compared to the last generation.

Those improvements are thanks to the Snapdragon X2 processors inside the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro.

Now, Best Buy has a wide range of configurations available for the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro. I've included a mix of various colors, storage options, and processors. But there are plenty of other configurations up for grabs if you want to mix and match.

• Shop all Best Buy Surface deals

The new chips from Qualcomm perform well and let your PC last all day. Exact performance will vary based on the full specs of a PC, but the Snapdragon X2 Elite competes with Apple's M4 Pro. The Snapdragon X2 Plus stands toe-to-toe with Apple's M3 Pro.

Benchmarks and spec sheets aside, any Surface with a Snapdragon X2 chip will handle a wide range of workloads and tackle productivity tasks easily.

While the Snapdragon X2 chips are the stars of the show, they're not the only upgrades worth checking out in the new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro.

What's new with the latest Surface Pro and Surface Laptop?

There are more display options than ever across the Surface lineup. The new Surface Pro is available with either an OLED display or an LCD screen. The new Surface Laptop 15-inch has a screen with 262 PPI, which is much higher than the last generation offered.

But the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are more than a spec bump. While they share much of their designs with the last generation, both offer a new way to use haptics.

The Surface Laptop now features a haptic trackpad that allows you to feel Windows 11 and supported apps. The Surface Pro delivers a similar experience when paired with the latest Surface Slim Pen.

The new experience comes courtesy of Windows 11's new haptic feedback system. That system sends subtle vibrations when you perform certain tasks, such as dragging files in File Explorer or snapping windows.

The new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro build on over a decade of refinement by Microsoft. The overall form factor has matured, but Microsoft has figured out how to squeeze innovation from designs that were already almost perfect.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

When it comes to productivity in the classroom, in the office, or even at home, HP's Omnibook laptops are among the best value-for-your-money Windows laptops.

The Omnibook 5 features an OLED 2K display, solid performance, a long-lasting battery, a sturdy build, and other useful features that help justify its cost, even amid a memory crisis.

And now, the 16-inch OmniBook 5 AI PC is on sale with a 26% discount for only $809.99 at Amazon.

Why buy the HP Omni 6 16" Next Gen AI PC?

Our colleagues at the sister site, TechRadar, went hands-on with the 14" variant of the HP OmniBook 5 and gave it a high score of 4/5 stars, praising its gorgeous display, strong battery life, responsive keyboard, and lightweight design.

The 16" version that's on sale today features similar levels of computing horsepower but with a larger 2K OLED display capable of rendering images and videos with strong contrast.

This configuration of the HP OmniBook 5 is equipped with a Snapdragon X processor, 16GB RAM, a 512GB SSD, and an NPU with 40-60 TOPS to support its built-in Copilot+ AI feature.

With these specs, this laptop will reliably and effectively run productivity tasks like reports or spreadsheets in Office, perform AI-related tasks like researching and compiling information online, open multiple browser tabs without lag, host video meetings, and more.

Other notable features of this laptop include a gargantuan estimated battery life of 34+ hours, a lightweight yet sturdy thin build that makes it easy to carry or store for long-distance travel, a built-in FHD IR camera, and pre-installed Otter.AI to automatically take notes during meetings (which I personally love as I'm regularly forgetting to take notes during fast-paced or long-winded conversations).

So, if you're looking for a dependable workhorse laptop, you can't go wrong with the HP OmniBook 5, especially now that it's on offer for $809.99 at Amazon instead of its usual listing price of $1,099.99.

FAQ

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

A stylish new product encourages the repurposing of old IDE optical drives as standalone audio players. Boutique South Korean electronic device maker das_POD has launched the CD-ROM PLAYER 01 (ships worldwide), and it has some distinct Teenage Engineering-a-like design flair. Any similarity to genuine TE products is purely accidental, we’re sure. The new self-assembly and bring-your-own optical drive enclosure costs from $190.

This das_POD product is “designed to be assembled, repaired, and owned,” says the maker. In contrast to a conventional hi-fi CD music player, the CD-ROM PLAYER 01 is supplied as a project that lets owners repurpose their old, unused, or discarded optical drives. The artsy assertion of das_POD is that “the project explores ownership, reparability, and the physical experience of music.”

As we stressed in the intro, the kit is supplied without any IDE optical drive, something required to complete the project. “Compatible IDE drives can often be found in old computers, second-hand markets, recycling centers, or forgotten boxes in storage,” points out das_POD, just in case you have never heard of eBay. “Every drive carries its own history. Every player becomes unique,” it adds, attempting to add mystique to a simple recycling/upcycling project.

We looked through the das_POD store and noticed that it sells some very reasonably priced IDE drives that can be used to facilitate a complete CD-ROM PLAYER 01 delivered in one package. Several refurb opticals are priced at just $5, for example. But you can also pick through multiple drives at $10, $15, $20… all the way up to $40. Something about the $35 DRIVE_24 from Samsung with its blue logo bar and tarnished beige faceplate (Grade: Output: A+, Sound Quality: A, Condition: C) grabbed my attention.

There are two CD-ROM PLAYER 01 colorways to choose from right now. das_POD sells a model in an anodized semi-gloss white for $220. A model in TE-a-like powder-coated orange is priced at $190.

The maker boasts that the kit supplied needs no soldering. But we also learn on the respective product pages that an AUX cable and 12V power adapter are (also) not included. Circling back to the firm’s online store, it looks like purchasing these items will add $25 to $30 to your checkout total.

A cheaper Aliexpress + DIY alternative for makers?

As some social media commenters say, besides the case, another key component of this product appears to be a CD/DVD-ROM optical drive controller, much like one available from Aliexpress for $30. That leaves the das_POD power board PCB as the sole missing essential, preventing makers with 3D printers, laser cutters, and/or CNCs from crafting their own CD-ROM PLAYER 01-type kits.

from

• Microsoft has blocked Secure Boot updates on some devices
• There have been issues with some devices updating from the 2011 certificate to the latest 2023 certificate
• Some older devices or those not supported by their OEM may be restricted in downloading the latest Secure Boot certificates

Microsoft has blocked some Windows 11 PCs from installing Secure Boot updates due to known issues with certificate updates.

The company is currently rolling out an update for Secure Boot on devices using certificates issued in 2011, which are now expired. The new 2023 certificate is being applied through Windows Update, but issues on devices with faulty firmware have forced Microsoft to halt the rollout.

“Devices in this group are affected by a known issue. To reduce risk, Secure Boot certificate updates are temporarily paused while Microsoft and partners work toward a supported resolution,” Microsoft said.

Secure Boot issues

Secure Boot has long been a device-saving feature when it comes to removing malicious files, as it allows the device to verify and load only authentic software before booting to Windows. However if the device cannot receive certificate updates it can fall victim to threats at the boot-level before Windows is loaded.

Microsoft is currently working with manufacturers to issue a patch that will allow affected devices to install the new Secure Boot 2023 certificate, with HP issuing a BIOS update to allow the installation of the latest certificate.

What this means in practice is that some older devices, or devices that no longer receive updates via their Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), will not be able to apply Secure Boot and Boot Manager protections. Microsoft clarified that, “this results in a gradual reduction in long-term security—not an immediate risk or system failure. Continue to follow standard security practices, including staying current with Windows updates.”

So even if your device is blocked from installing the latest Secure Boot certificate, it will continue to work properly, other Windows updates will continue to work, and your Secure Boot version will continue to protect against known vulnerabilities. It’s just future vulnerabilities that users affected by this issue will need to be aware of.

Many users may not be aware of issues until they need to use Secure Boot, so the silver lining in Microsoft’s warning is that now is the perfect time to check if your Secure Boot is working properly.

How to check Secure Boot is up to date

To check if you are using the latest Secure Boot certificate, take the following steps:

• Open the Windows Security app using the search bar
• Navigate to the Device Security dashboard using the menu on the right hand side
• Look at the Secure Boot section, and check for the following messages:

1. "Secure Boot is on"

If you see this message, Secure Boot is likely working properly. However, this does not display your certificates’ current state. Microsoft has been rolling out an update to show if your Secure Boot is running on the latest certificate, so make sure your don't have any pending Windows updates.

2. “Devices in this group are affected by a known issue.”

Devices with this message will likely be able to install the latest certificates once a firmware update has been issued by your OEM. Check your OEM update channel for availability.

3. “Secure Boot is on, but your device does not support the automated Secure Boot certificate update due to hardware or firmware limitations.”

Devices with this message may no longer be supported by your OEM, or the OEM might no longer be able to provide the firmware updates needed. Microsoft recommends checking your OEM’s Secure Boot support page to confirm whether your device is out of support.

Via WindowsLatest

Tesla's AI5 chip is about to enter mass production at Samsung Foundry using the company's 2nm-class process technology, a principal engineer at Samsung Foundry disclosed in a LinkedIn post, as noticed by Sawyer Merritt. As it turns out, the chip has been taped out recently.

"The Tesla-Samsung Al5 chip has reached tape-out," James Kim, a principal engineer at Samsung Foundry, wrote in the LinkedIn post. "It is scheduled to be manufactured at the Taylor fab using our latest 2nm process and will soon be integrated into Tesla's newest products. It has been an honor to collaborate with the outstanding engineers at Tesla Palo Alto and Austin over the past several months."

Elon Musk demonstrated the first sample of Tesla's AI5 in mid-April and revealed that the processor will be concurrently made both at TSMC and Samsung Foundry. Apparently, AI5 implemented in a TSMC process technology reached taped out several months ahead of AI5 implemented using a Samsung Foundry.

Tesla’s AI5 processor module that Elon Musk demonstrated in April integrates a relatively compact accelerator die — roughly half a reticle in size, based on Musk's earlier remarks — alongside 12 SK hynix memory packages that appear to be standard GDDR6 or GDDR7 devices. The package relies on an organic substrate, and the memory components are labeled similarly to conventional discrete DRAM chips.

Tesla has not revealed the width of AI5's memory subsystem, but the presence of 12 memory packages points to a relatively broad external memory interface. Assuming the module indeed uses 12 GDDR6 or GDDR7 ICs, the processor would feature a 384-bit memory bus. Depending on the memory technology and transfer rates employed, this would translate into memory bandwidth ranging from 768 GB/s all the way to 1.536 TB/s.

The company has not disclosed AI5's peak compute performance, or other detailed performance specifications, but Musk has previously claimed that, in certain workloads, AI5 can deliver performance improvements of up to 40X compared to its predecessor.

Musk expects AI5 to be one of the most produced chip ever, which is why Tesla plans to use two foundries to make it. AI5 is projected to be used in Tesla cars, Tesla robots, and in Tesla's data centers.

The Ninja Slushi is one of my all-time favorite kitchen appliances, but it's simply too large for my kitchen. Thankfully there are personal blenders that are smaller, cost a lot less, and make perfect slushies for one in just a few seconds — and here I've picked three of the best that can tackle ice and other frozen ingredients with ease.

Some single-serve blenders struggle to tackle any ingredients tougher than an apple, but each of the models here will crush ice effortlessly despite their compact size. Once you're done, you can take your drink on the road, to work — or just to the back yard for sipping in the sunshine.

Slushies made this way won't be identical to those created with a Slushi machine, but they can come close. The Slushi works by taking liquid ingredients and freezing them while stirring to create small ice crystals, whereas blenders create slush by chopping up large pieces of ice. If you want an undiluted slushie without added water, try freezing ingredients like juice or soda in an ice-cube tray. Provided you add the recommended amount of liquid to your blender's cup (usually around 6oz / 170ml) you should get a very similar (and equally tasty) result.

Ninja BlendBOSS

At 1,200 watts, the Ninja BlendBOSS has the most powerful motor of all the blenders in this list, and transforms ice and frozen fruit into slush with ease. It consists of a sturdy, unusually-shaped base (which reminds me of a UFO) and a Stanley-style cup, with a sip lid and straw that you can carry, or tuck into your car's cupholder.

It has three preset options (smoothie, ice crush, and blend) plus a pulse option so you can take control yourself. The preset programs will blend and pause in different patterns to ensure all the ingredients come into contact with the blades — and they're very effective. Our reviewer Karen Freeman reported that her smoothie with frozen berries "came out perfectly smooth [with] no chunks of blueberry skin or spinach" and the blender "turned ice into snow incredibly quickly and thoroughly" for iced lemonade. Your recipe needs to include at least 6oz / 175ml liquid along with the ice for proper blending.

Some single-serving blenders tend to jump across your kitchen counter when dialled up to full, but the BlendBOSS has a cleverly designed base with a circle of grippy silicone, plus suction cups to ensure it doesn't dance onto the floor when preparing iced drinks.

The only downside we found is that the lid of the chug cap sometimes fell down and bopped us on the nose mid-slurp, but that was only a very minor annoyance. This is otherwise a brilliant tool for making slushies and smoothies, and very reasonably priced too.

Read our full Ninja BlendBOSS review

Nutribullet Flip

Unlike the two other blenders here, which comprise a plug-in base that you keep in the kitchen and a detachable cup to take with you, the Nutribullet Flip is fully portable and rechargeable so you can whip up drinks on the move (particularly handy if you're at the gym and want a fresh protein shake, for example). Just add your ingredients to the cup, screw on the lid, flip it upside down and press the button. Thirty seconds later, you can turn it upright again and start sipping. What could be easier?

I was a bit apprehensive about drinking from the part of the blender that contains the motor, but you're in no danger at all of cutting yourself; the blade assembly is well away from the drinking spout and the motor can't activate unless the cover on the drinking spout is fully closed.

The Flip handles ice with ease, and I used it to prepare some very nice iced coffee drinks during testing. Particularly large frozen strawberries sometimes required a second blending cycle to be fully pulverized (the Flip only has one program) but nothing I tested could withstand a minute in contact with its blades. When you're done, the insulated cup keeps your slush and shakes cold for hours. You'll need to add at least 8oz / 235ml liquid along with your ice.

Something I particularly like about the Flip is that its blades are at the widest point of the cup, which means everything falls down onto them rather than getting stuck on the sides. It's especially easy to clean as well; add water and a drop of dish soap, run a cycle, then rinse.

Read our full Nutribullet Flip review

Ninja Blast Max

I awarded the Ninja Blast Max a full five stars thanks to its ability to turn even the toughest ingredients into a silky smoothie or tasty slush. Ice and frozen fruit were transformed into a frosty treat in no time at all, and tough fibrous vegetables like kale were no match for its powerful motor and super-sharp blades.

The Blast Max has a 'crush' setting specifically designed for ice, which turns rock-solid strawberries and raspberries into slushies in less than a minute. Alternatively, add plenty of ice, a shot of espresso, and a good splash of milk for a delicious iced coffee. Provided your drink includes at least 6oz / 175ml liquid, the Blast Max will handle it with ease. "The resulting blended iced coffee looked as good as anything you might get from a coffee shop, with a nice layer of foam on top and no chunks of unblended ice crystals," I said.

The Blast Max has a travel cup that detaches from the charging base for sipping on the move, with measuring lines clearly marked on the side. Ninja suggests that you might need to give it a little shake during blending to loosen any ingredients stuck to the sides that might miss the blades, but during my tests I never found that necessary.

The Blast Max is the most affordable of these three blenders right now, and no less impressive than the other two. For me, the only drawback was that, unlike the Nutribullet Flip, the Blast Max doesn't have an insulated cup to keep slushies frosty when you're on the go.

Read our full Ninja Blast Max review

Having spent decades covering Apple, I understand and respect its efforts to maintain a shroud of secrecy over its product development. Reading this line in the blockbuster Apple vs OpenAI lawsuit, I can hear the voices of countless Apple execs and PR people who, rightly or not, feel deeply wronged by what it considered a trusted partner: "OpenAI’s nascent hardware business now rests on the shakiest of foundations, rotten to its core by its illegal reliance on misappropriated trade secrets."

Late last week, Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and, more specifically, a pair of key employees who, over the last two years, left Apple to join OpenAI's hardware business. The massive filing, which calls for a jury trial, accuses the pair of corporate espionage, essentially stealing a raft of trade secrets to help bolster OpenAI's still unrealized efforts to build AI hardware (it's currently working with Jony Ive to build what may eventually become a wearable device).

I've spent some time poring over the documents and, to be honest, the accusations are stunning and, if true, seem unaccountably brazen for people who spent years with the Cupertino tech giant.

From the inside out

Tang Yew Tan, who currently serves as OpenAI's Chief Hardware Officer, was at Apple for a quarter of a century and, according to his own LinkedIn profile, "Oversaw the design and development of iPhone and Apple Watch Product Design, Interconnects Design, Acoustics and Materials technology centers."

Chang Liu (whose LinkedIn handle is "changliu-apple") spent almost a decade as an iPhone Electrical Engineer.

Apple's NDA's that they hand to journalists like me are almost legendary (the first time I signed one, I swear my hands were shaking). I can only imagine the intensity of the Intellectual property agreements (IPAs) Apple says it asks employees to sign from time to time. The language is probably appropriately terrifying; it's hard to conceive of how Liu and Tan could ignore them, and yet, according to the lawsuit, that's exactly what the pair did both during their waning days at Apple and in the time after when they joined OpenAI.

OpenAI's only public response so far has been from its Director of Strategic Communications Drew Pusateri, who said on X, "We have no interest in other companies' trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere."

The company's co-founder and CEO Sam Altman also only obliquely referenced it on X when someone accused him of being afraid of Apple. He wrote, "I am not afraid of Apple, but I have tremendous respect for them. s-tier company." ("S-Tier" basically means "elite").

I won't ask you to read the full document and instead have cherry-picked the most eye-watering accusations:

A potentially sneaky exit

When Liu left Apple, he allegedly took his work laptop with him. If you've ever worked in a corporate environment, you know this is a no-no. Most companies will pursue you to the ends of the earth to retrieve that hardware and whatever corporate access and secrets it contains.

It gets worse

Lui apparently didn't shelve the old (we assume) MacBook. Instead, he, according to Apple, exploited a network vulnerability and used the system to access Apple network folders. If true, that's an incredibly bold move. Surely Liu would've known how Apple's internal forensics could discover what was accessed by whom and when.

Boasting

While allegedly downloading Apple's proprietary files (details on unreleased products, presentations, tech data, specs, and more), Liu may have messaged someone through the Apple-issued laptop, celebrating how he was pulling the wool over Apple's eyes with "LOL" and "so funny". Again, was Liu the most careless corporate spy ever? Who would boast when they know Apple would eventually stumble on these details?

Coaching recruits

Apple claims Liu was actually recruiting Apple employees and coaching them on how to gather data before leaving the company. He may have told them how to email themselves files before exiting Apple.

Now, I understand how some of your, say, personal data, can end up intertwined with corporate data and you may want to hold onto some of that. On the other hand, if you didn't keep a firm line between work and personal files, that's on you.

A real betrayal

Tang Yew Tan spent 25 years with Apple, and what he's being accused of has surely enraged and disappointed Apple. "Mr. Tan has been methodically using Apple’s confidential information to benefit OpenAI," claims Apple.

Like Lui and other Apple recruits, Tan may have emailed himself proprietary Apple info.

Using Apple codenames

Apple claims Tan is asking Apple recruits about upcoming projects using code names only Apple employees would know.

We have their OK

This one is kind of mind-blowing. Apple alleges that OpenAI has used Apple info to get a partner to apply a "specific trade-secret metal finishing technique," because they convinced the partner Apple was OK with them doing so.

Carry out

This last one might be the boldest move of all. Apple alleges that OpenAI instructed potential Apple recruits to bring everything from CAD files to actual prototypes or parts to OpenAI interviews.

That's a particularly stunning accusation, and again, just seems so reckless. What kind of corporate spies operate with this level of impunity?

Naturally, OpenAI will, at some point, respond properly to this lawsuit, perhaps with one of their own. Apple could also eventually settle this suit out of court. They've done so before with similar cases, though I don't think they were quite at this level.

Can they come back from this?

Whatever happens with this case, it's hard to imagine the Apple / OpenAI relationship, which is already somewhat fraught, survives.

For now, you can explicitly choose to use ChatGPT to handle requests in the new Siri in iOS 27 dev beta, and it's a key part of Image Playground and Visual Intelligence. Apple could pull those options and lean harder into its Google Gemini foundation Model partnership while this case works its way through the courts.

I don't think that will materially impact your iPhone experience, but the loss of direct access to those hundreds of millions of iPhone customers could hurt OpenAI, a company that, as Apple acknowledges, is trying to build its own hardware business.

Plus, if OpenAI loses, it could see a lot of the in-house hardware innovation potentially tied to Apple's work blocked from ever reaching consumer hands.

And, obviously, it'll be hard for the partnership to come back from this passage in the suit:

"Apple lacks visibility into what’s been happening behind closed doors at OpenAI, where such misconduct is normalized and exemplified by leadership. This much is clear, however: at every level, from members of its Technical Staff to its Chief Hardware Officer, and in coordination with business partners, OpenAI has been stealing Apple’s trade secrets and confidential information."

• Windows 11's Copilot app has a new feature in testing
• 'PC insights' provides an easy way to receive clear answers to hardware-based questions about your device and its specs
• While there are some fears over privacy (and bloat), Microsoft has made it clear that Copilot needs to be granted permission to access your system and files

Copilot is getting a new ability to answer questions about your PC's hardware, allowing the AI to tap into the relevant hardware details to do so – and while Microsoft is treading carefully with privacy here, that's unlikely to stop some level of paranoia.

Windows Latest flagged the introduction of 'PC insights' for the Copilot app on Windows 11, which as Microsoft explains, "enables customers to conversationally ask Copilot questions about their Windows PC and receive clear responses based on their device's state without having to dig through system settings."

This is currently an experimental feature, so still in testing, and an optional ability that you must turn on for it to be in play. Windows Latest notes that it's gradually rolling out, but only in the US for now.

You can ask Copilot how much RAM you have, or storage space left, or what your GPU is, and the current level of usage for your processor, and a whole bunch of similar component-related queries. You can ask about elements as diverse as whether you have an antivirus running, or what your laptop's battery health is, diving into mild troubleshooting territory should you wish.

To get its answers, the Copilot app hooks up to Windows APIs to analyze your system, and the AI asks for permission to do this. You can allow it access to your PC's hardware details on a one-time basis for that session only, or you can elect to 'always allow' if you're happy to give Copilot this access on a more permanent basis.

Analysis: fears over hallucinations and bloat

As ever, this is AI, and as Microsoft notes, Copilot "may not always provide complete or accurate information", especially during this testing phase. So, if you do get a chance to try out PC insights, maintain a healthy sense of skepticism with the responses you get.

As Windows Latest makes clear, there's also a certain irony about a Windows 11 user checking up on resource usage, perhaps due to system sluggishness, employing the Copilot AI to run diagnostics when the app itself uses the best part of 1GB of RAM when running in the background and doing nothing.

That doesn't stop this new PC insights feature from being situationally useful, of course. Some of the reaction has come from a place of disdain, though, as you might guess, with comments such as the one from this Redditor: "Oh hey it's like Task Manager except instead of lightweight and authoritative, it's bloated and might be lying to me."

Of course, this is a feature aimed at less well-informed PC owners, not those who can easily understand what's happening in Task Manager at a glance. Criticism around the bloat of the Copilot app is fair enough, mind, and this is because in its most recent incarnation, Microsoft changed things so the app is essentially a standalone spin-off of the Edge browser.

Another worry is that of privacy, and having Copilot 'snoop around' on your machine, but as noted, there are clear requests for permissions, and the new feature is strictly opt-in. You don't ever have to go near PC insights if you don't want to. It's also worth noting that giving the Copilot app access permissions doesn't mean it can read the actual contents of files, but only their sizes (for weighing up questions about storage and the like).

At the moment, this is a purely informative or troubleshooting feature, and in the case of attempted diagnostics, it may point to issues with your PC, but won't resolve them for you. However, it's not difficult to envision where Microsoft might head with this, in terms of getting Copilot to implement fixes for certain issues that the AI flags up. I'm talking simple Settings changes rather than anything in-depth, and this has always been the idea of Copilot (even though it hasn't yet been realized to much of an extent).

When we get AI agents in Windows 11 – and they are coming, make no mistake – this kind of functionality may turn into a full-on troubleshooting agent. The trouble (pun not intended) with that being that the mistakes and hallucinations that AI can make could be considerably more aggravating in this kind of scenario.

There used to be a time when you’d buy an Apple app by paying for it once and never again. Then along came the idea of app subscriptions, and slowly but surely, Apple has started selling more and more of its software products through recurring payments. From iCloud+ to Apple TV, there are many ways to spend your cash on Apple’s wares on an ongoing basis.

Today, Apple flogs bundles of its own apps to its users, with Apple One in particular offering a cluster of apps for a single monthly price. And Apple hasn’t stopped there, with the Creator Studio package being introduced a few months ago for users of its artistic apps.

But while these app groupings ostensibly give you a way to get the software you need without paying multiple subscription fees, I’m starting to worry about how they restrict your choices and force you down avenues you might not want to travel.

Not only can they be expensive, but they’re also inflexible, giving you very little ability to customize them to your needs. If subscriptions are the future of app monetization, then Apple needs to do a whole lot better.

Enter the Creator Studio

Apple likes to portray itself as the company of creatives — think about its “Here’s to the crazy ones” or “I’m a Mac” commercials of days gone by. And the firm already sells apps made specifically for this demographic, including Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro, Pixelmator Pro, and more. So it makes sense that Apple would want to offer a software suite that grants interested users access for a single fee, instead of requiring several payments, whether one-off or ongoing.

That’s what you get with the Creator Studio, which is priced at $12.99 / £12.99 / AU$19.99 a month or $129 / £129 / AU$199 a year. In return for your cash, you get a pass for the following apps:

• Final Cut Pro
• Logic Pro
• Pixelmator Pro
• Keynote
• Pages
• Numbers
• Motion
• Compressor
• MainStage

And yes, some of these apps — like Keynote, Pages, and Numbers — are already free, but pay the Creator Studio entry fee and you get “a library of high-quality, royalty-free photos and graphics, and powerful intelligence features” in addition to what comes with the toll-free editions, Apple says.

Considering Logic Pro alone costs $199.99 if you want to buy it outright (rather than pay an ongoing subscription), this package might seem like a rather good deal. But it’s not the price that I’m interested in — it’s the way app bundles like Creator Studio work.

Right now, there are two main app collections available from Apple: Creator Studio and Apple One. While Creator Studio contains the aforementioned creative apps, Apple One starts at $19.95 / £18.95 / AU$24.95 a month and comes with 50GB of iCloud+ storage, plus memberships to Apple TV, Apple Music, and Apple Arcade.

There are two additional tiers, with the most expensive costing $37.95 / £36.95 / AU$49.95 a month and throwing in 2TB of iCloud+ storage, Apple Fitness+, and Apple News+, in addition to what’s already in the entry-level option.

But what if you want to mix and match your apps and services from Apple? What if you want, say, Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro from Creator Studio, plus Apple Music, Apple Fitness+, and Apple News+? Well, you’re going to have to either take out the top Apple One bundle and separately buy those creative apps outright, or you’ve got to pay for memberships of two distinct ongoing subscriptions.

In this instance, combining Creator Studio with the most expensive edition of Apple One means paying $50.94 a month when all you want are five apps. The rest of the content you pay for is superfluous. Throw in AppleCare+, and you’re forking out even more.

Apple gives practically no flexibility or customization with its app collections. You can’t mix and match apps and services, and if there are some you want from both subscriptions, you’ve got to pay for both. That makes it an incredibly expensive way to go.

But with Apple seemingly getting evermore enthusiastic about subscriptions — and the revenue they bring in — don’t be surprised if this state of affairs continues.

Is there a better way?

You might feel that, since Creator Studio is relatively new, Apple is still working out the logistics of how to sell the apps and services it contains. But Apple is no stranger to subscriptions. It’s been offering the likes of Apple Music and Apple Arcade for years now, so it knows a thing or two about how to structure subscription offerings.

Is the lack of flexibility here and the absence of any way to pick and choose apps a deliberate policy on Apple’s behalf? We can’t know for sure, but it’s not a good look.

While the Creator Studio might seem like a decent bargain on its face, it becomes considerably less so if you’re not interested in everything it offers and want to pair its apps with those from the Apple One bundle.

Considering how keen Apple seems to be on subscriptions, I’m surprised it doesn’t offer individual memberships for each component app within these packages. For instance, why is there no individual subscription for Pixelmator Pro? Instead, you’ve got to choose between a one-off fee or the full Creator Studio.

If Apple were to go down this route — and it's what I'd do if I were CEO-to-be John Ternus — it would instantly solve the problem of pairing different apps from different collections. You could simply add whichever apps you wanted to your own “build a bundle” package and get exactly what you need for a more acceptable price.

But that kind of process doesn’t seem to be anywhere on the horizon. There are no rumors saying it’s coming, no telltale clues nestled in Apple’s code. Don’t hold your breath for its imminent arrival.

Until we do get something like that, Apple customers are going to continue to feel ripped off by a rigid, inflexible system that is happy to take their cash in return for apps they don’t want or need. It’s a situation that’s in desperate need of a rethink.

• A software update bricked Philips Hue Bridge Pro devices
• The bug required a very specific set of circumstances
• Philips Hue has promised free replacements to affected users

Over the last few weeks, reports have emerged of Philips Hue Bridge Pro smart home devices becoming bricked, and it looks like the culprit has now been identified. According to Philips Hue, the fault lay with a recent software update — but the company has won plaudits for what it's giving to customers in order to make amends.

The trouble started in late June when Philips Hue released software update 2071353020, which was intended to include “several small changes” that improved the product’s operations. Yet reports started flooding in that the update had caused people’s Hue Bridge Pro devices to fail and become completely unresponsive.

In a statement to Ars Technica, Philips Hue explained the very specific circumstances that caused the problem: “The issue affects users who disabled automatic software updates, remained on an older software version for an extended period, and then manually installed a firmware update after the update package had been stored on the Bridge for more than 10 days.”

As well as that, the spokesperson noted that “Our data shows fewer than 100 Philips Hue Bridge Pro devices have been impacted.”

Still, any disruption like this is a pain. If you’re affected, not only will you have to wait for a replacement to arrive, but you’ll also have to reconfigure your lights and settings from scratch. That’s the kind of disturbance that is made all the more irritating due to the fact that it occurred after users updated their software — something that people are often encouraged to do in order to get the latest bug fixes and improvements.

Free replacements

While it’s always unpleasant to see a software update brick your device, Philips Hue has attracted praise for the way it’s responded. Not only has it issued a fix, but the company has promised that “We will replace affected Philips Hue Bridge Pro devices free of charge, regardless of warranty status.”

The decision has proved popular with Hue owners on Reddit, who've noted in one popular thread that it's a rare example of "big company actually making good". Another comment noted: “Considering the RAM prices too those Bridges went up in costs too. W to Philips on this one.”

If you haven’t updated your Philips Hue Bridge Pro for a while and think your device could be vulnerable according to Philips Hue's description, it might be worth getting in touch with the company first before attempting to update. The last thing you want is a bricked product on your hands.

And if you already have been affected, don’t spring for a replacement device just yet. You might be able to get a free replacement from Philips Hue, so be sure to explore that avenue first before spending a dime on anything new.

Dimplex Rechargeable Cordless Desk Fan: two minute review

Dimplex makes lots of floor, table and pedestal fans, and the Rechargeable Cordless Desk Fan is designed to address one of their weaknesses: they can only go where your plug sockets or extension cables can go. This affordable fan works as wired one via its USB-C port but also includes a rechargeable battery delivering up to 15 hours of air, or around four hours at full speed. That means you you can take it into the garden on a hot evening or take it to your bedroom and run it overnight.

The Dimplex Rechargeable Cordless Desk Fan doesn't oscillate but you can tilt it vertically up to 90 degrees, and it folds down almost flat so it's easy to keep in a drawer or toss into a bag. There are four speed settings here but the high speed one is not recommended while charging, as it depletes the battery faster than the USB-C connection charges it.

The fan works well and is fairly quiet, but it does make a noticeable drone at all speed settings; on a hot day, running the fan at high was very distracting. Of course all fans make some noise, but as this is a small fan with a 6.7 inch / 17cm diameter and 5.1 inch 13cm blades, you need to have it close to you to feel the benefit. In my home office the Dimplex on quiet setting at half a meter distance was noticeably louder than a much larger air circulator running at 50% speed one meter from me. If noise annoys, this may not be the fan for you.

Dimplex Rechargeable Cordless Desk Fan review: price and availability

• Launched July 2025
• UK only
• £34.99 (about $50 / AU$70)

The Dimplex Rechargeable Cordless Desk Fan, model DXRCFN, launched in the UK in July 2025. It has a recommended retail price of £34.99 (about $50 / AU$70), making it the most affordable model in the current range of Dimplex cooling fans and about £10 more expensive than a similarly sized wired desktop fan. It isn't currently available in Australia, and Dimplex doesn't sell its home cooling products in the US.

This fan has been cheaper – it was £25.45 during Prime Day 2026 – but I wouldn't expect to see any price cuts during the summer months in the UK.

Value for money: 4/5

Dimplex Rechargeable Cordless Desk Fan review: design

• Supremely portable
• Finger-friendly grille
• USB-C charging

The design of the fan is rather clever. It's been made for maximum portability, folding in on itself to resemble a small squashed football for travel or storage. It charges via USB-C and takes about four hours to charge fully. Because it's USB you can charge it with a phone charger or power bank, which makes it a good option for travelling. The battery is sealed inside and is not user-replaceable.

In addition to its internal bladed fan there's a circular louvred grille on the front that rotates and enhances the airflow. Although it spins quickly, the front grille is finger-friendly and won't hurt you or a child if you or they touch it (although you can lock it in place if you don't want it to spin).

The Dimplex fan doesn't oscillate, but you can adjust its vertical tilt by up to 90 degrees by moving the fan section up or down. It stays put without having to be screwed in place. Controls are simple, with just two buttons: power and speed. There's no remote control and no smartphone/smart home features.

Design: 4/5

Dimplex Rechargeable Cordless Desk Fan review: performance

• Decent airflow for its size
• Four speed settings
• Distracting sound

There are four fan speeds — quiet, low, medium and high — and I found that for my home office desk the quiet setting delivered a nice breeze without making me feel like I was in a wind tunnel. High speed was a bit intense up close but worked well from a little further away. Dimplex recommends only using High when you're on battery power as it can still deplete the battery when you're recharging it; at its lowest, quiet setting I managed 14+ hours from a single charge.

The Dimplex moves a decent amount of air for its size and it's fairly quiet in terms of its overall volume, which ranges from 36dB to 43dB. However, it does make a noticeable and constant droning sound that rises in pitch as you increase the speed. All bladed fans make some motor noise, of course, but desk fans are designed to sit very close to you, which means any noise is much more noticeable. For me it was too distracting at any speed when I sat it on my work desk, although in the bedroom at its lowest setting it didn't keep me awake.

Performance: 3/5

Dimplex Rechargeable Cordless Desk Fan review: should you buy it?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Dimplex Rechargeable Cordless Desk Fan review: also consider

Dimplex Rechargeable Cordless Desk Fan review: how we tested

I tested this Dimplex fan for a week during summery weather as both a desktop fan in my home office, and as a bedroom fan overnight. Both locations are in my house, where indoor temperatures were around 69.8°F to 75.2°F / 21ºC to 24ºC during the daytime and around 66.2°F to 68.0°F / 19ºC to 20ºC at night.

First tested July 2026

A set of updates for Sega Dreamcast hardware has been merged into the Linux 7.2-rc3 kernel this weekend. Dmitry Torokhov submitted updates addressing the legendary console’s input subsystem and Linus Torvalds merged them on Saturday. The updates even surprised Linux-focused site Phoronix, That’s probably due to context: the Dreamcast continues to enjoy support while admittedly older but real computing hardware like the i486, PowerPC 40x chips, DEC Alpha, and Itanium / IA‑64, have all been sidelined in recent times.

In brief, the updates should mean new versions of Linux will come with more stable mouse, keyboard, and joystick drivers for Dreamcast stalwarts. If you are one of the Dreamcast faithful, still satisfying your computing (and gaming) needs on the final original consumer gaming hardware from Sega, this is good news.

Reading the pull request we can see some details about the new drivers for the Dreamcast’s Maple‑bus peripherals (mouse, keyboard, controller). Specifically, there’s a “fix for a crash in Sega Dreamcast (Maple) mouse driver when opening the device, caused by missing driver data,” as well as “Fixes for Maple drivers (keyboard, mouse, joystick) to properly order setting driver data and device registration to avoid races.” In this context races refers to things happening in the wrong order to result in crashes: it’s a timing bug that’s now been quashed.

Dreamcast hangers-on will now be able to craft specialized Linux builds on CD-R for their machines. The maplemouse driver has had the now-fixed crash-inducing bug since 2017.

Phoronix also comments that Linux kernel fixes for the GD-ROM driver used by the Dreamcast and a proposal for the VMUFAT file-system driver were also seen this year.

The Sega Dreamcast launched at the end of 1998 (in Japan, and the following year in the U.S.). So, in some ways it isn’t that surprising that it is still getting Linux kernel updates when the Intel i486 (1989) has been retired from mainline support. But one might have expected stronger demand for supported Linux distributions among i486 desktop and laptop users.

Windows 95 worked out whether a setup program had run by reading the executable's name and checking it against a short list of hard-coded words, according to Microsoft engineer and semi-official Windows historian Raymond Chen, sharing the details via his Old New Thing blog. A filename containing "setup," "install," or "inst" flagged the program as an installer, which triggered the operating system's routine for repairing system files that installers had damaged. Three non-English entries appeared on the same list, which Chen identified as his own guesses at Italian, Turkish, and Hungarian.

The full match list ran to six terms: setup, install, inst, imposta, ayarla, and felrak. Chen wrote that "install" was redundant, because any name containing it already contains "inst," and speculated that the shorter entry was added later to catch installers named along the lines of "blahinst" without anyone deleting the original. A program whose own name produced no match got a second test, with Windows 95 checking whether the word "Setup" appeared anywhere in the path to the executable. A separate live check ran after any multimedia driver was installed through an INF file, added because those drivers frequently overwrote system DLLs.

This heuristic gated a recovery mechanism Chen described in March. Installers of the period overwrote system files without checking versions, disregarding Microsoft's rule that a file should only ever be replaced by a newer one. An installer carrying Windows 3.1 copies of shared DLLs, for example, would bury the newer Windows 95 versions underneath them, and every program that relied on the current files would break.

Windows 95 kept backup copies of commonly clobbered files in a hidden C:\Windows\SYSBCKUP directory. It would then let each installer finish, check its work, and restore the correct versions where the installer had downgraded them. This safety net depended entirely on correctly guessing that an installer had run, so a setup routine with an unusual name slipped past it, while an ordinary program named something like instant.exe tripped it for nothing.

The file check was often deferred until the next boot rather than run immediately, with Chen explaining that some installers, unable to replace a file already in use, would drop back to MS-DOS, run a batch file to swap the file, and restart Windows, so the cleanup pass had to wait for the reboot to catch anything the batch file had altered.

Windows 2000 debuted a new approach

Microsoft dropped this approach in Windows 2000, which introduced Windows File Protection. That system registers for file-change notifications through Winlogon restores protected files from a cache at %WinDir%\System32\dllcache, with no filename guessing and no waiting for a setup program to complete.

Then, Windows ME shipped a comparable System File Protection, and Vista onward moved to Windows Resource Protection, which guards files using access-control lists instead. The sfc /scannow command that Windows 11 users still run to repair system files descends directly from that work, having replaced a 1995 mechanism that decided when to act by scanning filenames for the word "setup."