Last week, Philips Hue showed off a huge collection of new smart lights and accessories to decorate your home and make your TV-watching experience more immersive. There were so many new launches, in fact, that you might have struggled to keep up with them all. To help, I've rounded all the coolest new releases for you in one place — complete with links to the official Hue store so you can pick them up yourself, or register for updates when they go on sale if they're not yet available.

My personal favourite is the new Philips Hue Play Screen Sync, which lets you synchronise Philips Hue Play lights with the action on your TV screen, regardless of its source (unlike a Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, which only works if you're using HDMI input). The Screen Sync uses a fisheye camera to capture what's on screen, and then uses your smart lights to extend the colours into the rest of your room.

Philips Hue has also partnered with smart lighting company Nanoleaf to bring you two colour-shifting Wall Panel Starter Sets, which you can mount on your wall in any configuration you like, and if you want something more architectural, take a look at the new Liane 360-Degree Rope Light, and Signe Gradient Pole. Scroll on for all the details.

The newest Philips Hue launches

If you’re truly serious about coffee in Australia and looking to introduce a coffee maker into your kitchen, then Breville is a brand you’re likely to consider.

It’s easy to see why — not only is Breville a regular feature in my guide to the best coffee machines in Australia, but it also makes reliable, easy-to-master machines that, most importantly, brew a great cuppa.

The Barista Express is one such machine, and while it is a few years old now, it’s still an easy recommendation, especially now that it’s available for AU$595 on Amazon.

The Breville Barista Express has all the necessities of a great coffee machine: an integrated grinder, adjustable settings — grind size, dosage and water volume — and a powerful steam wand for texturising milk, whether it’s dairy or non-dairy. There’s no assisted tamping as you’ll find in the Barista Express Impress, for example, but a manual tamper is provided, along with single-wall and double-wall baskets, along with a razor tool for levelling ground coffee in the portafilter.

However, while Breville might provide all the tools you need for a great coffee, our Breville Barista Express review does admit that it can take a bit of time to find the best settings for the beans you use and for your personal preference. This does mean you’ll need to sacrifice a few espresso shots, but the results are more than worth it.

What’s more, the Barista Express is a relatively compact coffee machine that should cause little issue in even smaller kitchens, and it’s eligible for Breville’s free Barista Gift Pack promotion, which includes a 1kg bag of coffee beans and a Bean Keeper canister to keep them fresher for longer.

The AU$595 price on Amazon only applies to the Charcoal model, while other colours cost at least AU$100 more. Do note that Amazon has a list price of AU$999, which was the case when the machine launched in 2022, but Breville has since revised it to AU$719.

Want more suggestions?

The Breville Barista Express isn’t the only talented espresso machine with a discount on Amazon right now. Other options include the unique Philips Baristina and Philips LatteGo 4400 Series, both of which I’ve spoken highly about before.

Here are some other standout deals for you to consider:

• Philips Baristina – was AU$559 now AU$444
• Ninja Luxe Cafe (Oat Milk) – was AU$849.99 now AU$677
• Breville Bambino Plus – was AU$729 now AU$487
• KitchenAid Semi Automatic – was AU$999 now AU$799.20
• Philips LatteGo 4400 — was AU$1,199 now AU$787.99

• IKEA has launched a new wireless driver for its integrated LED lights
• Called Dubbelkisel, it connects your lights to IKEA's Bilresa hub
• It's Matter-enabled so you can integrate it into a wider smart home setup

If you have IKEA integrated lights in your cabinets or wardrobe, there's good news — the company has just launched a new driver that lets you control them wirelessly, with Matter compatibility, so you can integrate them into the rest of your smart home.

The new driver, called Dubbelkisel, is a successor to the Trådfri driver, which allowed you to control your integrated lights via a small remote control using the Zigbee protocol. The new driver is different; instead of linking directly to a remote, it connects to IKEA's Dirigera hub, which means you can operate your cabinet lights with any of IKEA's smart switches — or even non-IKEA devices as part of wider Matter setup.

As Notebookcheck reports, news of the Dubbelkisel leaked earlier this year, when the driver appeared in a database of Thread devices, but this is the first time we've seen it on sale.

Some users on Reddit managed to get their hands on the device early, and report that it generally performs well, though the older Trådfri has some advantages.

"No problems so far," wrote one poster on r/tradfri. "It’s paired via a gateway, so there’s a noticeable delay when turning on the light. The previous Trådfri power supply was connected directly to the remote and worked instantly. Also I preferred the old, small Trådfri remote over the current Bilresa model."

The new driver is currently available in a selection of European countries, and is expected to roll out more widely within the coming weeks. It's priced at €18, which is approximately $20 / £15 / AU$30.

• Dyson has launched an updated version of its 2020 Corrale straightener
• The Corrale CoolShine has a clever heat-removing attachment
• The brand has also unveiled a hot brush called the Airsmooth

In recent years, Dyson's hair gadget efforts seem have been mostly focused on its Airwrap styler and Supersonic hair dryer lines. So when I was invited to a showcase of the brand's new launches, I was expecting, perhaps, some cool new attachments or an upgraded Supersonic. I was equal parts surprised and pleased to see something altogether more novel.

There's a brand new tool — which I'll get into in a minute — as well as a surprise second-gen version of the Corrale straightener, called the Corrale CoolShine. If that name isn't ringing any bells, I don't blame you. The original Dyson Coralle came out in 2020 and never quite managed to set the haircare world alight.

I tried a Corrale out at the time and although I didn't hate it, it didn't make it into my regular styling routine. So I was especially pleased to see that the surprise second gen has tweaked or removed my least-liked features, and added some more that I'm genuinely excited to use.

One key feature of the original was that it was cordless. That's all well and good, but the knock-on effect was that it was also really very heavy and chunky. The Corrale CoolShine is not cordless, and as a result it can be nice and streamlined and lightweight. I'm very happy with this about-turn; the new, compact shape is much more comfortable to hold, and easier to direct precisely.

What a flex

The flexible plates from the first-gen version are still present here. They have to be, really — these are what 'corrale' the strands of hair, applying gentle pressure to, theoretically, allow for effective straightening at lower temperatures.

However, they've been downsized in line with the general shrinking of the straightener, and are slimmer in width. In their new format, they look much less likely to snag on strands of hair, as the previous version could sometimes do.

That's the 'Corrale' covered, but where does the 'CoolShine' come in? This refers to a unique-to-the-market cooling attachment. It comes in the form of a pair of frames that slide over each of the hot plates, and clip in place. They feature a heat-extracting copper pipe that contains water and is designed to help remove residual heat from hair.

So the central plate gets hot as usual, and then the bars either side of the plate pull the heat away immediately, helping you avoid heat damage. Dyson promises "hair that is cooler to the touch during and after styling, with a smoother, softer feel".

When it was initially announced, it sounded like kind of cold plumbing system, but speaking to a Dyson representative at the product showcase, I learned the system is subtler and more complex.

The tube has just a 'bead' of water in it — if you're envisaging cold water running through it, that's not the case — and it will absorb some of the heat of the plates as you style, so don't expect those bars to remain cold as you style. I'd be very interested to try it out for myself to see how much of a difference these plates make in practice.

There was a Dyson Corrale CoolShine being demoed at the event, and I was very impressed at how it managed to take the model's coily hair to perfectly smooth with an incredible glassy finish — but the kicker is that the stylist (and Dyson rep) wasn't using the CoolShine attachment.

The representative explained to me that the frame is removable to allow for precision styling, as well as in instances where you need to get right up to the root. Both were required here.

A final welcome touch is that Dyson has added universal voltage, so you'll be able to take the tool away with you when you travel abroad.

Full of hot air

The other new gadget is the Dyson Airsmooth brush dryer. This is a fairly traditional hot brush, for creating bouncy blowouts, but — of course — there's a bit of a Dyson twist.

The engineers have added two different types of bristles: some with loops at the top, and some with open bases. The former are engineered so they provide the right amount of tension for a smooth finish, without snagging on a range of different hair types. The latter are meant to diffuse and control the airflow for less turbulence and less frizz.

Dyson has given the Airsmooth a teardrop profile, to enable you to get closer to the root. I've seen this before, on the Shark Glam, and it works well there. There's also intelligent heat control keeping temperatures stable, and again, there's universal voltage — good news for your holiday hair.

The Dyson Corrale CoolShine straightener will have a list price of $329 / £TBC / AU$499. The Airsmooth dryer brush will cost $249 / £199.99 / AU$399 at sticker price.

The Airsmooth dryer brush goes on sale from Dyson US and Dyson UK today (September 8) in the US, with the Corrale CoolShine joining it on September 15.

At Dyson Australia, the hot brush is already on sale (launched September 4) and the straightener will arrive in November.

Can AI-driven NAS tech be sentimental? UGreen CEO Samuel Zhang seems to think so.

Launching the company’s new smart-home technology suite, he started by recounting a personal story. It was a hot summer’s day, and his family gathered in the backyard for a barbecue. They cooked together, chatted, played, and just had a genuinely fantastic time. But weeks later, when Zhang went to check his photo gallery and relive that cherished day, he was left feeling disappointed. The family hadn't taken any photos.

This, he said, got him thinking about home cameras — devices that are typically used for security. But, Zhang said, “it [a home camera] should see more than just danger — it should also be able to witness the joys of everyday family life”. And this, he said, was one of the key points of inspiration for UGreen’s new suite of local smart-home AI technology.

I got the chance to hear about, and see, UGreen’s home hubs, cameras, digital photo frames and more at IFA 2026 in Berlin. Here’s what I learned — and how the technology could transform the smart home.

Keeping it local

At the heart of UGreen’s smart-home suite is the new HomeAgent. This is an ‘agentic AI local hub' that brings local storage, computing, and control all together in a single device. Through this hub, users can connect up a range of UGreen AIoT devices, such as cameras, smart speakers, and digital photo frames, plus some select third-party products.

A crucial part of the HomeAgent’s appeal is its reliance on local storage and computing. This means that any data that runs through your hub — be that photos, videos, voice inputs, or other files — is processed locally, rather than through a corporate cloud server.

At a time when trust in large corporations is strikingly low, and major data breaches seem all too common, this could be a massive selling point for security-savvy customers. Keeping data local also removes the need for costly Cloud subscriptions, making the initial investment feel that bit more worthwhile.

There are three HomeAgent models scheduled for release. The first is the UGreen HomeAgent HA100, which is the most basic option. It provides all of the core functions you’d need from the hub, but offers slightly less processing power, memory, and storage, among other things, than its siblings. The HA100 Pro is the step-up model, which offers heightened performance, with 205 TOPS (as opposed to the standard HA100’s 26 TOPS), a 10GbE LAN port (compared to the HA100’s 2.5GbE), and a more advanced CPU.

The final boss, if you will, of the HomeAgent trio is the MA100. This is powered by the NVIDIA Jetson Thor T5000, and offers far superior AI performance to the other two models, and considerably more memory and storage.

However, this is certainly reflected in the price, with the MA100 commanding a list price of $19,999, compared to the HA100 Pro, which costs $5,999 and the HA100 at $1,799. Early bird offers are available, which make the HomeAgents about half-price across the board. Shipping is set to commence in early 2027.

AIoT in action

So what does UGreen’s smart home AIoT tech look like in person? Well, pretty impressive.

I was able to check out a demo, and take a closer look at all of the HomeAgent products, and other devices you can connect up to it. UGreen had a HomeAgent connected to a smart speaker, and a camera, among other things.

I tried walking towards a door, and a UGreen smart security camera started blaring after I walked past a certain point, telling me that I was on private property. This data is processed locally through the HomeAgent, so if you ask your connected smart speaker about any unusual activity, it can tell you if anyone approached your door, whether that was a delivery worker, or something more nefarious.

The smart speaker UGreen showed off has a new AI assistant, named Uliya. You can use the smart speaker to do just about anything around your home. You can ask Uliya to remind you of where you were at a specific time, to close the curtains, to play music, or even to identify the location of your pet and cast a live video feed. The functionality you get will vary depending on how invested you are in UGreen’s AIoT ecosystem, but the capabilities are pretty broad.

You can also ask Uliya to give you a summary of captured events throughout the day, display memories on a UGreen smart photo frame in real time, or to show you highlights from a special day — circling back to Zhang’s desire to revive memories that had been lost in time. One function I really liked was the ability to create an Away mode, so that when you step out of the house, lights will turn off, curtains will close, and a robovac will get to work.

UGreen’s new HomeAgents appear to be incredibly capable, feature-rich, and innovative products, and their local handling of data could be game changing for some households. At the product launch, Zhang said “In the future, we hope every family can have a HomeAgent”; and it'll be interesting to see how families adopt such tech moving forward.

As TechRadar's homes editor, I test a lot of coffee makers — over a dozen each year — and I'm always surprised by how many automatic espresso machines struggle with the essential task of foaming milk. That's not the case with the Philips LatteGo series, though, and I'm delighted to see one of the best models in a range, the Philips LatteGo 2300, is available for just $499.99 on Amazon for Labor Day (was $699.99).

The LatteGo system is extremely clever and easy to keep clean as well. The milk never enters the body of the machine, so there are no lines or pipes that can gather milk residue and bacteria.

Instead, you pour the milk into a carafe attached to the front of the machine, with measuring lines that mean you only need to add enough for the drink you're currently brewing — which means no waste and no need to store an open container of milk in the fridge.

Your milk will be foamed to perfection and poured directly into your cup, then when you've finished making your drink, the carafe detaches and disassembles into just three pieces of hard plastic. All of these are safe to wash in the top rack of your dishwasher.

Today's best Philips espresso machine deal

Naturally, all coffee makers in the Philips LatteGo series make excellent espresso as well, handling all the complex parts of brewing for you, so you can just add beans and water, pick a drink, and start enjoying it within a couple of minutes.

This particular model has a relatively small menu of four different drinks, but in my opinion that's no bad thing — some other coffee makers can overwhelm you with choices, whereas the 2300 Series focuses on doing the essentials well. You can still customize your drinks, choosing the volume and strength, but you won't need to spend ages scrolling through endless options.

It's one of the best coffee makers on offer this Labor Day, and it comes highly recommended by me.

Shop more of today's best Labor Day sales

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $99
• Appliances: up to $1,200 at Samsung
• Best Buy: 60% off appliances, TVs, laptops & more
• Casper: up to 30% off mattresses
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• DreamCloud: up to 60% off mattresses, 66% off bundles
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lowe's: $1,000 off appliances, patio & tools
• Nectar: up to 50% off mattresses, deals from $349
• Saatva: up to $625 off luxury mattresses
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off 4K, QLED & OLED TVs
• Target: 45% off clothing, tech & furniture
• Walmart: 58% off back-to-school, furniture, & clothing

• Dyson has launched three new fan-purifiers, all with star-shaped nozzles
• The nozzle is designed to be both powerful and very quiet
• I saw them in action, and they're super-effective... but the styling will be divisive

Dyson's loop fans are instantly recognizable. In the home appliance world, their sleek, bladeless design has gained somewhat iconic status. But now we are about to enter a new Dyson fan era — and the design could not be more different to those sleek loops. With their chunky, curving bodies topped with a gaping, star-shaped opening, the new Dyson HushJet fan-purifiers remind me of nothing more than the giant sandworms in the new Dune films.

I perhaps should have seen it coming. Dyson debuted the new look with the HushJet Purifier Compact in September 2025, and it's also used for the HushJet Mini Cool personal fan. But when I saw the new, full-sized range on show in Berlin last week (at Dyson's IFA 2026-adjacent event) I was momentarily stunned.

Both of the previous HushJet fans were compact gadgets, and there was something about seeing the design scaled up — to quite gigantic proportions, in the case of the largest options — that made it feel significantly more unsettling.

The star nozzle draws inspiration from aviation engineering. I spoke to a Dyson engineer about it last year, and she explained the shape was especially good at minimizing the turbulence in the airflow, to create a quiet yet powerful jet of air.

I got to try the new fans out, and I was blown away — pun intended — by how powerful they were. When it came to blasting air, they felt significantly more effective than the loop-style Dyson fans I've used. So while I wasn't immediately sold on the styling, I had no complaints about the effectiveness of the airflow. I'd very happily have one of these in my bedroom over the summer, regardless of the fact it wouldn't blend in at all.

Double-duty

Like most of Dyson's fan models, the HushJets are pulling double- or even triple-duty. They operate as air purifiers, too, and one can also be used as a heater. At the top of the range is the Dyson HushJet Big+Quiet Cool Pure+ Formaldehyde air purifier (and kudos to the Dyson engineer I spoke to, who managed to remember that name without having to check his notes).

The purification capabilities are the most advanced of any of the new models, with the ability to capture a huge range of pollutants, including formaldehyde, and shift a massive amount of air, very quickly. It's around the same diameter as the Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet — ie really very chunky. It's designed for use in large spaces like offices, but it can also be used to clean multiple rooms in a home.

There are also a couple of medium-sized options, built for at-home use. These are the HushJet Pure Cool+ Formaldehyde, and the HushJet Hot Cool Pure+ air purifier, which loses the formaldehyde-capturing capabilities but can be used as a heater over the colder months.

I have no doubt the new-look design will end up being divisive — I think the quirky styling might fit more naturally in an office or commercial setup than it would in a living room, where it'd surely stick out like a sore thumb in many cases. When I asked the Dyson rep if the plan was for the HushJet range to eventually replace the loops, he suggested perhaps not, given how instantly recognizable the loops are as Dyson appliances. I'll be watching with interest.

Pricing and availability

Pricing is as follows: the medium-sized HushJet Pure Cool+ Formaldehyde will cost $599 / £549.99 / AU$999, and the medium-sized HushJet Hot Cool Pure+ air purifier will be $599 / £549.99 / AU TBC. The large HushJet Big+Quiet Cool Pure+ Formaldehyde will come in at $1,099 / £899.99 / AU TBC.

In the US, all three will go on sale in fall 2026. In the UK, the large and medium Formaldehyde options will launch in October and the heater option will arrive in December. In Australia, it's October 2026 for the Cool Pure+ Formaldehyde and "early 2027" for the other two.

It's been a busy week for the team at Philips Hue. At its annual showcase event in Berlin, the company unveiled not just a new series of smart lights (including some particularly stylish additions to its Liane series), but also a whole new approach to AI, which it's using to take the complexity out of creating bespoke automated lighting setups specifically for your home. No more tinkering with toggles and timers — just tell the app what you want your lights to do and when, and the software will handle the rest.

This isn't Philips Hue's first foray into AI. In 2025, the brand introduced an AI assistant that allowed users to describe a lighting scene and would then either find a match in the library of presets or create a new scene from scratch if nothing suitable existed.

Earlier this year, it also launched SpatialAware for the Philips Hue Bridge Pro, which applies lighting scenes differently depending on the position of smart bulbs, light strips, and lamps in a room, with AI trained using expertise from professional lighting designers.

After this week's showcase, I spoke to Marco Merolla, Executive Vice President and Business Leader of Consumer Connected Lighting at Philips Hue's parent brand Signify, to find out his thoughts on the future of smart lighting and AI. I started by asking him about SpatialAware, and whether users had welcomed the new feature in their homes.

"It’s something that brings smart lighting to the next level, but also intuitiveness in getting to the result that you want as a user — to the desired ambience," Merolla said. "The reception of the base was very good in terms of adoption. This is an exclusive currently with the Bridge Pro, but the reception of the Bridge Pro was extremely good in terms of adoption, and that’s not surprising, because, as we said, ambience creation is key in smart lighting."

SpatialAware has been a success, but Merolla says the brand has now turned its focus to the custom AI automations demonstrated in Berlin.

"Really, in our perspective, [that is] the next step, because there is a lot that you could do, or may do today that is a bit limited by the system itself," he said. "By analyzing and assessing the user behavior and the consumer behavior, we create a lot of different layers with which they can create behaviors and automation."

That analysis doesn't mean monitoring the behavior of individual users, or automatically creating anything for you based on that behavior. Instead, Signify uses anonymised, aggregated usage insights and broader consumer research to understand patterns and usage, which help inform the behaviors and automation built into the system.

"Clearly there is a limit right now, but with the power of large language models, that is not there anymore, so we can give them the chance and [get them] into concepts that were completely unprecedented before — and that’s part of the things that we launched yesterday," said Merolla. "We’re super excited because the consumer experience will change dramatically in the way you can enjoy the system and create beautiful things."

Not AI for the sake of it

The Philips Hue showcase was packed with news and launches, so I asked Merolla which ones he was most excited about.

"I was super excited by three of them," he said. "Custom AI behavior is a great step because it’s not AI for the sake of it — it’s really AI at the service of the consumer experience. Not in the sense of wanting to enter into people’s lives or be intrusive, but in the sense of giving them a chance to unlock possibilities in a very intuitive way. Custom AI from this perspective is an amazing, lovely direction.

"The second key one that’s quite close to my heart is the entertainment area," he said. "You know that over the years we have worked a lot on making the lighting experience better and better, stronger and stronger. Here, the effort we made was really to make it more accessible."

Merolla explained that accessibility isn't just about price, although that is something Philips Hue has addressed with the Sync Box 4K — a more affordable alternative to the Philips Hue Play Sync Box 8K that launched in September 2024. Accessibility, he said, is also about compatibility, which is why Philips Hue has launched Screen Sync — an alternative to the Sync Box that uses a camera rather than HDMI input, so you can synchronize your Hue lights with your TV screen regardless of the source.

"In the area of accessibility, there is also the Bridgeless idea," he added, referring to the ability to use the Sync Box 8K, 4K and Screen Sync without buying an additional Philips Hue Bridge Zigbee hub. "You can have just one strip light in a Bridgeless configuration. And this is again because we believe that everyone should watch TV or watch video with at least one light connected to amplify the experience, and we don’t want to limit the user who, in that specific moment, only wants that kind of benefit [without] having to necessarily join the full ecosystem."

The final items on Merolla's list of exciting launches are the new Liane 360-degree rope and Signe pole lights.

"These are beautiful design objects — really beautiful design objects," he said. "We did not invent the archetype in the design world — that archetype is something that already exists, but of course we can create the mix between a beautiful design object and an amazing light structure. These two things very often don’t go together. Sometimes products that have a super cool design light effect, like gradient scenes and so on, are not necessarily associated with the most beautiful design from an object perspective.

"And as a direction for the brand in the future, I firmly believe that we need to put this world together — that the design of the external object and the light effect, the things that you can do with that, really need to merge. And I think Liane and the new Signe product are a strong step in this direction."

It will definitely be interesting to see how those two aspects join together in the future, and whether AI functionality begins to affect the design of Philips Hue lights, now that LLMs can remove the barrier to complex automations. I'm definitely looking forward to next year's showcase.

Another sales event is here, and so there's another chance for me to mull over the idea of buying a fancy coffee machine for my home. This time I'm considering the Breville Barista Express Impress on Amazon for $649.95 (was $799.95), as that's the lowest price it's been all year — outside of Prime Day.

• Browse the full Labor Day sale at Amazon

I'm just thinking about all the coffee I buy on the days I commute to the office or while I'm out of the house, and while the odd treat is nice, it does seem more sensible for me to make coffee at home to save money. Yes, this would be a considerable upfront investment, but it will surely make its money back in the long run.

Even though it was $50 cheaper during Prime Day, this is still a tempting offer that I'd strongly consider before this year's Labor Day sales come to an end.

Today's best espresso machine deal

What's convincing me even more is that we awarded the Breville Barista Express Impress an impressive 4.5-stars in our review. Our main takeaway is that it "makes it easy to achieve great-tasting coffee in the comfort of your home." So, if that's what you're after, then there's little reason to look any further.

With its ability to make all sorts of hot drinks with ease, a vast array of adjustable settings, a handy integrated grinder, and a powerful steam wand for milk texturing, it stands out as one of the best espresso machines we've tested.

Sure, there may be simpler, smaller, and potentially less expensive coffee machines out there that may suit my needs as well, but I do like the idea of learning how to use this slightly more advanced option. If you're also still a little put off by the price, some other espresso machine deals that are currently available are below.

Blueair ComfortPure 3-in-1 T10i review

The Blueair ComfortPure 3-in-1 T10i Air Purifier is designed to combat common household problems with a single device. It purifies the air, cools you down when temperatures rise and provides heat when it gets cooler.

One of two models in Blueair’s ComfortPure range, the ComfortPure 3-in-1 T10i Air Purifier sits alongside the larger and more powerful T20i, which is designed for bigger spaces. Blueair also has an established reputation when it comes to air purification.

The appeal of the T10i compared to the best air purifiers is obvious. Rather than filling your home with separate appliances for heating, cooling and air purification, Blueair has combined all three into a single unit that’s designed to keep you comfortable throughout the year.

As someone who lives in a relatively small space, struggles with seasonal allergies and generally loves multi-purpose tech, that’s a compelling proposition. The catch is the price. It’s expensive and you’ll need to factor in placement filter costs over time. But if you genuinely see yourself using all three functions throughout the year, it could offer better value than buying separate devices.

To find out whether that’s actually the case, I spent 10 days testing the Blueair ComfortPure 3-in-1 T10i, putting its purification, cooling and heating features through their paces to see whether it earns its place in your home.

I feel like the Blueair ComfortPure 3-in-1 T10i is already geared towards versatility, simply because it's combining air purification, heating and cooling in a single appliance. That flexibility then continues with a solid range of features and settings that let you tailor the experience to your home and preferences.

Blueair says the T10i can clean a 16m² room in 12.5 minutes, a 39m² room in 30 minutes and a 78m² room in one hour. It also has a Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) of 132 cubic feet per minute (cfm) for pollen, 129cfm for dust and 113cfm for smoke, giving you an idea of how quickly it can circulate clean air around a room.

There are four fan speeds to choose from, alongside dedicated cooling, heating and boosted purification modes. You'll also find a Night mode that reduces noise and dims the display, plus an Auto mode that automatically adjusts performance when pollutants are detected.

According to Blueair, the T10i uses its proprietary HEPASilent filtration technology, which combines mechanical and electrostatic filtration to capture airborne particles like pollen, dust and smoke while keeping noise levels relatively low.

One feature I particularly liked was the way the purifier automatically ramped up when air quality dropped and then settled back down once conditions improved. It meant the unit never felt like it needed to run at full power all the time.

Another highlight is the T10i's 350-degree oscillation. Not only does it provide excellent coverage, but you can customize the oscillation pattern within the app. So if you only want airflow directed towards one side of a room, you can fine-tune that rather than simply choosing between a handful of preset options.

The app deserves a special mention because it's one of the best companion apps I've used with a home appliance. It looks clean and modern, it's easy to navigate and there are plenty of genuinely useful controls. You can set timers and schedules, monitor filter life, check indoor air quality readings, adjust oscillation settings and even enable location-based automation so the purifier can prepare your home before you arrive.

You can also control the T10i directly from the touchscreen panel on top of the unit, via the included remote control or through Amazon Alexa voice commands. So whatever your preferred way of interacting with smart home devices, there's probably an option here that suits you.

With its large cylindrical design, the Blueair ComfortPure 3-in-1 T10i immediately feels more substantial than many standalone air purifiers.

That's not necessarily a criticism. In fact, considering you're getting an air purifier, fan and heater in one appliance, I'd actually say it's surprisingly compact. But it's still worth checking the dimensions (19.69 x 10.24 x 10.24 inches / 500 x 260 x 260mm) before buying because it takes up a noticeable amount of floor space and Blueair recommends leaving clearance around the unit for optimal performance.

Looks-wise, I really liked it. The design is sleek, minimal and unobtrusive enough to blend into a wide range of homes. It feels premium without trying too hard and never looked out of place in my small apartment.

There’s a sturdy fabric handle on the back, which makes it much easier to move around than you'd expect from something of this size and weight. Because, at 13.7 lbs / 6.2kg, it’s not exactly heavy but I'd definitely say that handle is still essential. Blueair has also included an anti-tip sensor that automatically switches the unit off if it's knocked over, which is reassuring if you have children or pets at home.

On top of the purifier you'll find a bright, responsive display with clear icons for different modes and settings. I found it easy to read from across the room and simple to navigate without needing to constantly reach for my phone. Thankfully, Night mode also reduces the brightness significantly if you're using it in a bedroom.

Around the back there's a removable panel that provides access to the filter when it eventually needs replacing. It's all very straightforward and feels thoughtfully designed from a day-to-day usability perspective.

Getting the T10i up and running couldn't have been much simpler. After removing the protective packaging from the filter and reinstalling it, I was ready to go within minutes. Connecting it to the app was equally straightforward and took just a few moments over Wi-Fi.

It's worth noting that the smart features rely on that Wi-Fi connection. During the final few days of testing, I was in the middle of moving house and temporarily without internet access, which made me realize just how much I'd come to rely on the app's controls and customization options.

Performance-wise, I was testing the T10i at the perfect time. Not only was the UK experiencing a heatwave, but I was also packing up my apartment, moving boxes, cleaning rooms and generally creating the sort of dusty, messy environment that puts an air purifier through its paces.

One of the most impressive things about the T10i was how quickly it responded to changes in air quality. While cleaning, packing dusty boxes and using household cleaning products, I could see the air quality readings change almost immediately. Within a relatively short period of time, the readings would settle back down again as the purifier did its job.

I noticed something similar while cooking. The purifier consistently detected changes in air quality and cooking smells before ramping up its performance to deal with them. Watching the readings change in real time gave me confidence that it wasn't simply running on a fixed schedule but was actively responding to what was happening in my home.

Of course, the bigger question is whether I actually noticed a difference. As someone who's particularly sensitive to allergens and airborne irritants, I genuinely did. There's always a risk of placebo effect when you're reviewing an air purifier because cleaner air can be difficult to quantify in everyday life. But over the course of testing my apartment consistently felt fresher and more comfortable, even while I was creating more dust and disruption than usual.

The cooling performance was also surprisingly good. Now, I'd recently tested the MeacoFan Sefte Pro 10in Air Circulator and you're not getting that same level of airflow here. That's hardly surprising considering cooling isn't the T10i's primary purpose. But during several days of temperatures above 86°F / 30°C, I still found the fan mode genuinely effective and comforting.

Its heating mode delivered a similarly solid performance. The weather cooled dramatically towards the end of testing, so I had an opportunity to try it out properly. It won't replace a full central heating system, but it quickly produced warm air and helped make smaller spaces feel noticeably more comfortable.

Noise levels were also impressive. During my own testing, I measured around 35dB on the lowest cooling setting and roughly 52dB at maximum fan speed and boosted purification mode from one meter away. For context, my hairdryer measures around 78dB and my kettle reaches around 69dB. So while there's certainly some fan noise at higher settings, I found it surprisingly quiet overall.

That said, noise tolerance is subjective. Some people will inevitably find higher fan speeds a little intrusive. Personally, I'm someone who enjoys white noise and often sleeps with fan sounds in the background, so I found the sound profile more soothing than distracting.

Ultimately, the T10i performed exactly as I'd hoped. It noticeably improved air quality in my apartment, provided useful cooling during hot weather, offered effective supplemental heating when temperatures dropped and wrapped everything up in a smart, well-designed package. It's best suited to small and medium-sized spaces rather than large homes, but within those limits it's a genuinely impressive all-rounder.

Blueair ComfortPure 3-in-1 T10i review: Price and release date

• Released in Summer 2025
• Priced at $499.99 / £399 (around AU$700)

The Blueair ComfortPure 3-in-1 T10i Air Purifier launched in Summer 2025 with a retail price of $499.99 / £399 (around AU$700). While it's available right now in the US and UK, it doesn't currently seem to be available in Australia.

If your first reaction to that price is that it sounds expensive, I get it. That's probably because most of us instinctively compare it to the price of a good fan or a good air purifier rather than a device that's attempting to do three jobs at once.

For example, one of my current favorite tabletop air circulators, the MeacoFan Sefte Pro 10in, costs considerably less at £119.99 and delivers more powerful cooling. Likewise, there are excellent standalone air purifiers available for much less money, including Blueair's own Blue Pure 411i Max / Blue Max 3250i at £169 / $169.99. But neither of those products heats, cools and purifies the air from a single appliance.

That's really how the T10i needs to be evaluated. You're not simply buying an air purifier here. You're buying an air purifier, a cooling fan and a space heater rolled into one. Whether that represents good value depends largely on how often you'll use all three functions.

In terms of direct competition, there aren't many devices that combine air purification, heating and cooling in quite the same way. The closest comparison is probably Dyson's Purifier Hot+Cool range, which offers a similar all-in-one approach. Dyson's models tend to have a more futuristic design and some additional features depending on the model, but they're often significantly more expensive than the T10i. For example, the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Gen1 HP10 purifying fan is $529.99 / £549.99 / AU$899.

Personally, I can imagine the upfront cost feeling a little steep initially, but it's also the sort of product that will earn its keep throughout the year. Cooling during summer, heating during colder months and air purification all year round is a compelling combination.

Of course, not everyone will need that versatility. If air quality isn't a major concern where you live and you're primarily looking for heating or cooling, there are more cost-effective specialist products available. But if you like the idea of cleaner air alongside temperature control, the value proposition becomes much easier to justify.

Blueair also offers a larger version called the ComfortPure T20i. It costs around £100 / $100 more, but it's designed for significantly larger spaces. Blueair says the T20i can clean spaces up to 156m² in one hour, compared to the 78m² maximum coverage claimed for the T10i. If you live in a larger home or have an open-plan living space, the extra investment could make sense.

One final consideration is filter replacement. Blueair says the filter should last up to a year and the app tracks its condition so you'll know when a replacement is needed. However, you'll also need to factor in the cost of a new filter, which currently costs £49 / $66.99.

Blueair ComfortPure 3-in-1 T10i review: Specs

Should I buy the Blueair ComfortPure 3-in-1 T10i?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Blueair ComfortPure 3-in-1 T10i review: Also consider

How I tested the Blueair ComfortPure 3-in-1 T10i Air Purifier

• Tested the air purifier for 10 days
• Used all of the settings regularly
• Used it while working, sleeping and relaxing at home

I tested the Blueair ComfortPure 3-in-1 T10i Air Purifier for 10 days during a period of warmer weather in the UK when I was also moving house and dealing with some mild allergies. It turned out to be ideal timing, giving me a chance to see how well both the air purification and cooling functions performed in real-world conditions.

I used it most often while working from home at my desk, during the night in my bedroom and throughout the day while cooking, cleaning and relaxing. This gave me plenty of opportunities to switch between the different modes and experiment with various cooling levels, oscillation settings and purification options.

Over the course of testing, I paid close attention to how comfortable it made my home feel, how easy it was to live day-to-day and whether the combination of purification, heating and cooling genuinely offered an advantage over separate devices.

I’ve been testing tech and writing about it for more than 15 years. During that time, I’ve covered everything from health tech and smart home devices to audio tech and wearable gear. Whatever I’m reviewing, my focus is always on whether a product genuinely improves everyday life, rather than delivering an impressive list of features.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: September 2026

Hate cleaning windows? Me too, which is why Winbot cleaning robots are some of my all-time favorite smart home gadgets. These bots use strong suction to grip your windows, and roll across the surface on soft rubber treads. They spray a fine must of cleaning solution onto the glass in a fine mist, then buff away dirt using a microfiber cloth. They're very effective, capable of removing even stubborn grime, and better yet, they're going cheap in Amazon's Labor Day sale.

I've used two Winbot robot window cleaners, each of which suits a different type of home. The Ecovacs Winbot Mini 2 is now $189 at Amazon (was $239.99), and is ideal for apartments. Its compact design means it has a much smaller turning circle than most robot window cleaners, and it fits easily onto narrow panels.

The Ecovacs Winbot W2 Pro Omni, which is now $399 (was $499.99), is great choice for larger homes. It comes with a rechargeable power pack that you can carry around indoors and out, so the robot itself doesn't have to be plugged in while it works.

I was surprised to find there's also a $100 discount on the Ecovacs Winbot WS2 Pro Omni, which is now $499.99 (was $599.99). This model launched at the IFA tech show in Berlin this week, and has three spray nozzles per side rather than the usual two for more even coverage when pre-treating the window, and fewer passes with the microfiber cloth afterwards for faster cleaning.

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• The Anthbot R7 Series includes an 'EdgeEase' string trimmer
• Its mounted on an arm and comes with its own camera for safety
• There's also infrared animal detection

Effective edge trimming has long been the bane of a lawnbot-maker's life. After all, what good is a robot mower if you then have to go in with a side-trimmer to clean up all the lawn edges afterwards? Anthbot's newest robo-mower — the R7 Series, on show at IFA 2026 — has an innovative solution.

The brand has tacked a string trimmer onto the side of the lawnbot. Or, more accurately, onto a "robot arm", mounted to the side of the lawnbot. This arm is designed to adjust to follow winding lawn boundaries, ensuring "zero-gap edge cutting without manual touch-ups". Anthbot dubs the system 'EdgeEase'.

I saw it being demoed — albeit on an AstroTurf lawn, without any actual cutting. The arm movement is smooth and functions well, tucking neatly away when not required. (It's a little less visually impressive than Segway Navimow's own mechanical side-trimming system, but which system functions better remains to be seen.)

I've seen side-mounted blade trimmers before, but this string version feels like a slightly safer option to be protruding out into the open... at least when not in use. Of course, when spinning, those strings will be able to slice just as effectively as a blade.

On that point, I'm surprised Anthbot hasn't added any kind of protective casing. There is a camera specifically dedicated to keeping an eye on the trimming arm, but it's still putting a lot of trust in those obstacle-spotting skills.

Hedgehog spotting

The EdgeEase string trimmer is the headline addition, but I was also interested to see Anthbot has included an infrared sensor for animal detection. This is designed to pick up thermal signals from critters like hedgehogs that might be hidden in the grass, so the mower can avoid them.

These are two standout features in what looks like an altogether extremely capable lawnbot. For the main mowing, it uses two floating cutting discs, designed to adjust to uneven ground for a clean finish. There's also all-wheel drive — precisely powered by four drive motors and two independent steering motors. That's designed to help with traction and maneuverability.

The navigation suite includes LiDAR, RTK, and three AI-backed cameras (including that trimmer cam) to provide "robust, all-scenario positioning" that won't drop out if, for example, the satellite signal is blocked. Anthbot emphasizes the R7 Series is "designed to handle the complexity of real gardens rather than idealized, flat lawns".

The ANTHBOT R7 Series comprises two lawnbots: the R730 and R720. The R730 is designed for lawns up to 3,000㎡ and has the string trimmer included as standard. The R720 has a smaller battery and is meant for yards up to 2,000㎡, and the string trimmer is an optional extra.

Plug-in (or balcony) solar tech has been booming in Europe for a while now, but it seems as though the rest of the world is slowly catching on: these kits are now legal in the UK, while an increasing number of US states are approving them too.

The simplicity is the main appeal of these solar panels, which can be plugged straight into a standard outlet in your home, without any expensive roof mounting or time-consuming planning permission required. Any energy that you generate from free sunlight is used immediately for the appliances in your home, cutting down your electricity bill.

Now that the tech is legal in a growing number of places, we're seeing more and more certified kits and compatible batteries appear on sale. During our travels around the IFA 2026 tech expo in Berlin, the products below particularly caught our eye.

There's one big caveat here — in the UK and US, grid-tied plug-in batteries aren't currently a legal part of plug-in solar, so in those regions the products below will need professional installation (which slightly negates that 'plug-in' descriptor).

Still, there are hopes that plug-in batteries could soon be legalized in the UK and elsewhere, which means the bill-cutting products below could be a glimpse of our home energy future...

1. EcoFlow Stream 2 / Ocean 2

EcoFlow has been in the energy storage game for some time of course, and brings all of its expertise to bear on these two new products. Starting with the 3-5kWh Stream 2 home battery, we've got support for up to 5,000W of solar input and 3,000W of electricity output, so enough to power washing machines, dishwashers, and the like.

It's modular too, so you can stack these up like Lego bricks as your energy needs change, and the units offer four MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) inputs if you need to connect panels in different spots. There's also an AC version if you already have solar panels installed and just need somewhere to store the electricity.

As for the Ocean 2, this is a fitted home battery, replacing the PowerOcean line. It does up to 30 kWh with a single inverter, and can provide backup power if the grid goes down with an instant switchover so you'll never even notice. Both require professional installation, but you can take the Stream 2 with you when you move.

2. Anker Solix Solarbank Max

On to the Anker Solix Solarbank Max, and this impressive-looking home battery brings with it 7 kWh of storage capacity, which should be enough to keep an entire home going overnight (assuming it hits the average figure for usage).

Unlike the AC version that's already on the market, this can connect directly to your solar panels, and it can take on 10,000W of solar input across three MPPTs. You can also expand the capacity up to 42 kWh with extra batteries.

You do need to get an electrician to fit this to your home power network, just to avoid anything blowing up, but Anker reckons you'll have saved on up front costs and be getting pure profit within 2.5 years — though your mileage may vary.

3. Zendure SolarFlow 2400 Pro / 4000 Mix Pro

The Zendure SolarFlow 2400 Pro and 4000 Mix Pro aren't entirely new, but they were shown off at IFA, and we're including them here. Again the emphasis is on simple, easy to manage solar energy storage: the SolarFlow 2400 Pro can take on 4,800W of solar input across four MPPTs, and offers 2,400W bi-directional AC power (hence the name).

With the SolarFlow 4000 Mix Pro, we've got capacity for 13,000W of solar input across two MPPTs, and you get (you've guessed it) up to 4,000W of bi-directional power, so it's a more heavy duty operator and larger unit.

Both these batteries can be connected to plug-in solar panels as well as retrofitted to panels that are already on your roof, though obviously the SolarFlow 4000 Mix Pro can handle more of them.

4. DJI Power 2000 and solar bundle

We were very impressed with the DJI Power 2000 portable power station when it launched last year, and at IFA 2026 it told us that it's going to turn this into a fully fledged balcony solar system — complete with its own solar panels and a microinverter for connecting to a standard power network.

Details are a bit thin on the ground though, as we don't know how much it's going to cost or exactly how it's going to work. Apparently the bundled kit is going to be sold in Germany first, with no word yet on an international expansion.

What we do know is that DJI has the technical experience and nous to put together one of the most compelling plug-in solar packages out there — and one which you can pick up and take camping with you. We'll be keeping a close eye on this.

5. Bluetti Balco 260 / Balco 500

While the kits were unveiled shortly before IFA 2026, we've been able to get a good look at the Balco 260 and Balco 500 at the expo. They offer 2,400W (through four MPPTs) and 4,300W (through a single MPPT) of solar input, respectively.

As with the Zendure models, they're basically an entry level and more advanced version of the same pack: They can be hooked up to balcony solar or rooftop solar as needed, and connected to the mains electricity network in your home.

We were at the launch of these units back in May, and there was a big emphasis on simplicity throughout. The aim here is to reduce as many barriers to entry as possible, which is helped through the changes in regulations now happening in the US and UK.

• The Lissome R1 is a compact countertop dishwasher for small apartments
• Its water tank is filled manually, so it doesn't need to be plumbed in
• It has a surprisingly large capacity — designed for up to three meal sets

For the past decade I have been getting by without a dishwasher. My small apartment just doesn't have space for one — at least, not if I want to have, say, a sink. So when I saw Lissome's countertop dishwasher at IFA 2026, it was like my prayers had been answered at last.

The Lissome R1 is a compact dishwasher designed exactly for situations like mine: small households or apartments that don't have space for a full machine, or rented homes that you can't plumb something new into.

"Dishwasher ownership often assumes a cabinet opening, fixed plumbing and unused worktop space," says the brand. "R1 is designed around the homes where those assumptions do not hold, giving users a compact alternative without asking them to redesign the kitchen first."

It's a compact 280mm wide, 507mm deep, and stands 502mm tall. That means it should be able to squeeze into your kitchen without eating up all your counter space. More useful — for renters especially — is that it doesn't need to be plumbed in. Instead, the water tank is filled manually, giving you plenty of flexibility about where you put it . Plus, you can easily take it with you when you move homes.

Lissome is keen to emphasize that the R1 is designed to be a main dishwasher rather than an overflow machine. In fact, it's rather TARDIS-like, with the ability to hold up to 34 items — it's meant for up to three people's place settings.

It's not a plain white box, but instead has glass windows on three sides. Not only does it look good, but it also allows me to finally satisfy my long-held curiosity as to what actually happens inside a dishwasher. (How well the glass-forward design holds up after being exposed to many weeks' worth of cereal, sauce and coffee dribbles remains to be seen.)

Lissome says the inner workings are built around "the World's First Sweeping Jet Technology". Essentially, there are two rotating arms in the base, shooting out artfully coordinated jets of water that arc gracefully — picture the Bellagio Fountains — across the whole interior chamber.

There are six preset programs. These include Quick Wash, which combines 13 minutes of speed-washing with two minutes of steam-release and drying, and Smart Wash, which uses an AI-powered sensor that "detects water turbidity and grease levels, then adjusts the cleaning cycle and detergent dosage" to get your dishes sparkling without wasting water or cleaning fluid.

IFA, Berlin's huge annual tech expo, is where some of the biggest tech firms unveil their latest innovations — and this year is one of the strongest we've seen in a long time for interesting new releases.

IFA is a great place to find fascinating new gadgets and devices, ranging from next-gen AR glasses to self-driving personal mobility vehicles, and from weird new kitchen appliances to armies of humanoid robots.

We've chosen the top products from those that were nominated for our IFA 2026 'Best in Show' awards to produce this list of our 25 winners, based on how innovative they are, how well they serve their intended use, and the degree to which we think they'll influence their area of the tech market.

There were many more products that we really liked, of course, but we had to be ruthless — here are our top picks from IFA 2026.

Anker Soundcore Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro

The best technology delivers real-world benefits, and what could be more beneficial than a good night's sleep? The Soundcore Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro use in-ear PPG optical sensors to monitor your heartrate, which is more accurate than other optical tracking methods thanks to the rich capillaries and stable position of your ear canal. That monitoring delivers data to the smart-screen, phone-free SleepHub charging case.

The Sleep Earbuds Pro feature passive isolation as well as 30dB active noise cancelling, and the case-based snore monitoring system detects and masks the sound of your partner snoring using its built-in sounds. Despite the addition of multiple new components the housing is thinner than previous generations, and even more comfortable for side sleepers.

Anker's BioSync dynamic audio system monitors relaxation in real time, dynamically adjusting the audio content and structure to help you find the most effective sleep sounds. Sleep earbuds are something that can truly improve your health and happiness by improving your sleep, and these look like a really smart upgrade.

Agibot A3

Agibot is doing some amazing things with humanoid robots, and the full-sized Agibot A3 combines multiple capabilities in a lightweight, extremely dynamic model: if you're assembling a robot dance troupe or planning a big exhibition, the A3's the bot to buy.

The A3 weighs just 55kg, has a power-to-weight ratio of 0.218kW/kg, and delivers up to 12kW of instant peak power, enabling it to somersault. Its battery runs for up to 10 hours and is hot-swappable in seconds, so it's great for applications where it needs to last all day. It'll happily fit in an SUV for travel, too.

In addition to voice and app control, the A3 delivers industry-first touch sensing that adds physical interaction to its controls. It also has a 360-degree multi-array mic system for accurate voice recognition, even in noisy environments.

One of the most exciting features of the A3 is its large-scale swarm co-ordination, which uses precise UWB positioning to enable performances by up to 100 individual robots. That makes it possible to create very complex, high-impact performances for big events, as well as enabling multiple units to work smartly in environments such as factories or warehouses. The awareness and the uptime make this a great new approach to robotics.

Hypershell X Ultra S

The Hypershell X Ultra S exoskeleton helped mountaineer Adriana Brownlee in -30C temperatures on Mount Everest, supported athlete Aurélien Fontenoy's 4,037km Route 66 journey while recovering from injury, and is currently being trialed by search and rescue organizations worldwide.

Before Hypershell, exoskeletons cost $100,000 and above; the same capabilities are now available to consumers for less than $2,000, in a device weighing under 2kg.

The X Ultra S is an end-to-end AI motion-control system that uses an AI model to transform raw sensor data directly into motor torque, enabling faster response, smoother adaptation, and more natural human-machine synchronization.

There are 12 active modes, including walking, cycling and running, and a new Gentle Assist mode for older adults and users with short or shuffling strides. Fitness Mode adds resistance, turning a walk into a workout.

But it's the price that won us over here — this could be a game changer for getting people with limited mobility out and doing more things that they love, from hiking to just visiting the local stores.

JMGO IRIS Ultra Max

The IRIS Ultra Max is one of the world’s first true 4K 120Hz flagship smart projectors, delivering native 4K (rather than pixel-shifted) at 120Hz from input to output, all from its very compact case.

The Ultra Max's dual iris system has 6+9 blades, the highest count in its class, which promises to improve stray light suppression by 11.34% for a more accurate picture, while delivering class-leading contrast, with a quoted ration of 10,000:1. The MALC 6.0 Triple-Laser Engine delivers an impressive 6,500 ISO lumens of brightness, making it more visible in more lighting conditions, and with a promised ability to recreate 110% of the BT.2020 color space, with an astounding color accuracy of delta-E of 0.7, meaning it's truly capable of pro-level color range and accuracy.

The IRIS Ultra Max also introduces an industry-first 3-in-1 Optical System that integrates 0.88–1.7:1 Optical Zoom, Four-Way Lens Shift (V ±130%, H ±53%), and an AI-Powered Gimbal (360° H, 150° V) into a unified projection architecture. This makes it more more flexible than traditional projectors to positioning, because it has so many different options for correcting its picture. It gives small home theater setups top-tier performance without compromise.

DJI Osmo Pocket 4P

Designed for vloggers and movie-makers alike, the Osmo Pocket 4P is the world’s first dual-lens pocket gimbal camera. It delivers cinema-grade imaging in a pocket-friendly form, and features DJI's Academy Award-winning Ronin stabilization.

The main lens is a wide-angle 20mm equivalent with an f/2.0 aperture, and a new 1-inch CMOS sensor that offers 17 stops of dynamic range and over one billion colors via DJI's new 10-bit D-Log 2 color profile.

That's supplemented with a 60mm medium-tele portrait lens, which gives you 3x optical zoom and up to 12x digital zoom. Its f/1.8 aperture is particularly good for creating bokeh effects by compressing the background and pulling it closer to the subject.

The Osmo Pocket 4P also features the latest version of DJI's ActiveTrack, which uses AI algorithms to maintain tracking lock at up to 12x zoom. It can actively track up to eight people, framing groups and centering anyone new who steps into the field of view.

RayNeo GT Max AR Glasses

The RayNeo GT Max AR Glasses are the world's first AR glasses to support Dolby Vision playback as part of creating a virtual cinema experience. They deliver up to 1,200 nits of perceived brightness, a 120Hz refresh rate, and real-time SDR to HDR conversion for super-clear images, too. Their optical system is 29% thinner and lighter than traditional designs, and delivers an industry-leading 59-degree field of view.

One of our favorite features is the adjustable virtual screen sizes, with a choice of 227 inches, 267 inches or 307 inches. That's clever: the tighter size is ideal for spreadsheets and productivity apps if you're using them as a display for a phone or laptop, while the larger sizes deliver immersive gaming and video.

Steady, Pinned and Follow modes enable you to anchor the screen or have it move with you, and 3DoF spatial tracking maintains the screen position without straining your eyes, and keeps subtitles, taskbars and image edges within the viewing area as you move. These look like the most advanced way to take a screen with you everywhere, and they could be indispensable for long flights.

TCL P80 Ultra

If you spend as much time on your phone as we do, you'll be blown away by the screen of the TCL P80 Ultra. It's the first phone to integrate NXTPAPER eye-comfort technology, with a 1.5K sharp AMOLED display for reflection-free reading even in bright sunlight, and a button that instantly turns your P80 Ultra into an e-reader with paper-like viewing.

The P80 Ultra has nano-etched anti-glare glass, eliminating surface reflections without reducing brightness. It also features circular polarized light technology, which changes the light output to more closely replicate the characteristics of natural light, and flicker-free dimming.

The camera's pretty special too. It's a 50MP 3x periscope telephoto lens with a 50MP 1/1.56-inch large-format sensor, capturing more light per pixel than smaller sensors and enabling 6x lossless zoom. Image stabilization eliminates motion blur in photos and video, and TCL's MuseFilm filters promise cinematic-quality images. But it's the groundbreaking display that really won us over — a lot of people will find it much kinder on the eyes.

Lenovo ThinkBook 14x Gen 2

Lenovo's ultra-light laptop makes even ultraportables look positively porky: at just 2.18lbs / 990g and just 12.9mm thick it's one of the lightest and thinnest laptops around, making it ideal for business travelers and students alike — especially if you opt for the backlit keyboard, which is really helpful in dimly lit rooms and airplanes.

Lenovo has somehow managed to give the ThinkBook 14x the super-thin treatment without sacrificing connectivity, so in addition to its Wi-Fi 7 it features two 10Gbps USB-C ports, two 5Gbps USB-A ports and an HDMI 2.1 port, so there's no need to haul a hub around with you. It also has a spare M.2 slot that enables you to expand its storage, which makes this a solid long-term investment.

The ThinkBook 14x Gen 2 is also one of the most customizable ultraportables, powered by Intel Core 7 (Series 3) processors and with display options including vivid OLED and touchscreen LCD. It's good-looking too, with a choice of metallic finishes including Luna Gray, Celestial White, Mystic Violet and Veil Blue.

EarFun Wave Pro X

EarFun's headphones consistently deliver premium performance without the premium price tag, and the Wave Pro X are the brand's best yet. They feature a patented dual-driver system that places a 40mm diamond-like carbon driver and a 10mm liquid crystal polymer driver on a precisely aligned axis, creating a more natural and detailed sound than you typically get from multi-driver designs.

The Wave Pro X feature an 8-mic AI system that continuously optimizes the hybrid ANC system, even in wired AUX mode, and the Qualcomm QCC3095 chipset delivers Bluetooth 6.0, aptX Lossless, LDAC, USB Audio and Auracast. Add AI translation and up to 90 hours of battery life to the mix and you've got a truly excellent pair of headphones — EarFun has been working on these for a long time, and even delayed them in order to get the tuning just right.

Urevo CyberPad 3

The CyberPad 3 is a home/office treadmill that's designed differently to traditional models. Its WalkFree Adaptive Speed Control uses pressure sensors built into the running board, which detect your stepping motion to automatically start and stop operation; when you're walking or running it takes data from the motor to calculate speed adjustments in real time.

Its multi-user support is smart too, capturing raw weight and stride-rate data to generate a structured user profile that's directly linked to the speed-control algorithm.

The support structure is made from Q235 steel with a side frame of die-cast aluminum, and it utilizes a redesigned transmission path to deliver an exceptionally compact construction: the ultra-slim body is under 11cm thick. Despite its small size it features a 15% incline-lift mechanism and a 42cm running belt, with its size based on analysis of human shoulder widths.

Plaud One

Plaud One is a wearable AI companion that combines three key features that are usually separate: wearable conversation capture, context that builds across day-to-day conversations, and AI that can analyze data and take appropriate action. It can capture online meetings, and face-to-face discussions and phone calls, and it has built-in eSIM and 4G LTE for phone-free operation.

What makes Plaud One different is that it understands context. Instead of treating each recording as a standalone transcript, it can retain context across multiple discussions — so a conversation from one meeting can be connected to a later conversation or call.

That understanding enables the Plaud Agent to help you take action, identifying next steps and completing tasks across tools such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion, and Slack.

Minisforum MS-S1 Max-P495

The MS-S1 Max-P495 delivers large-model AI computing from an exceptionally small footprint with a very high specification. It combines AMD Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 with up to 192GB of unified memory to run 128B+ LLMs locally, delivering up to 126 TOPS, and its unified memory architecture eliminates VRAM bottlenecks while also reducing latency.

That power is cooled by a high-performance thermal solution featuring a copper base, six heat pipes, dual fans and phase-change cooling, and it's encased in a fully scalable design, with a slide-out chassis for easy upgrading and a rack-ready form factor.

With 4x PCIe expansion, dual 10Gb Ethernet, dual 40Gbps USB4 v2, Wi-Fi 7, and a built-in 320W PSU, the MS-S1 Max-P495 delivers future-proof power for desktop systems and scalable AI clusters alike — it's a mind-blowing beast made to meet a new kind of research and development need.

XPPen Magic Pro 13

XPPen's Magic Pro 13 is a mobile drawing pad designed for creative pros, featuring an industry-first hardware-level drawing display mode that delivers low latency, native color output and higher bandwidth video transmission over a simple one-cable connection, giving you a paper-like experience with 16K pressure sensitivity and cursor hover support.

It's the first drawing pad in its category to come with dual-USB support, enabling you to benefit from a high-speed data connection while charging your Magic Pro 13.

The Magic Pro 13 features the new Shelf digital asset management system and XPPen's Canvas software, designed to deliver a simple and intuitive sketching experience for capturing ideas when inspiration strikes. And for creatives on the move it offers two thermal management modes, balancing performance and energy efficiency based on different creative scenarios.

Strutt ev1c

Strutt's ev1c reimagines the power chair with three major advancements: Strutt's evSense sensing array, a quad-drive drivetrain, and a modular, connected design.

eVSense uses two LiDARs, 10 time-of-flight sensors, six ultrasonics and two cameras to create 3D maps in real time, powering the Co-Pilot collision avoidance for people, pets, and edges, and the Auto-Pilot, which enables you to select on-screen destinations, or use LLM-powered voice commands such as "Take me to the kitchen" — basically it's a self-driving personal mobility vehicle.

The drivetrain features four-wheel independent suspension, ABS, active steering, and an integrated electronic stability program (ESP), safely managing 13-degree slopes, cobblestones and rough terrain without slippage or tipping. And when it's time to travel, it breaks down into five modules for easy trunk storage. It looks like a genuine move forward for this kind of mobility device.

xTool M2 Color Craft Laser

The xTool M2 is the first desktop machine to combine full-color CMYK printing, laser engraving and laser cutting into one enclosed Class 1 system, delivering a full print-then-cut workflow. Simply print your full-color design onto a piece of wood, leather or acrylic, and the xTool M2 Color Craft Laser cuts or engraves the exact contour with camera-guided precision. And there's a built-in air-assist pump, an industry first for a semiconductor laser, that keeps cut edges clean by reducing carbonization and yellowing.

Having these three capabilities in a single device is a huge power-up: instead of having to print on one machine and engrave or cut on another, you can turn your raw idea into a finished, professional-looking product in a single operation. It's ideal for stickers, labels, signage, personalized gifts, and small-batch products — you could start a whole business with this one device. And because it's an enclosed system, it's also very safe.

Perlegear AX1 Smart Adaptive Mount

The Perlegear AX1 Smart Adaptive Mount answers an interesting question: what if your TV mount was as smart as your TV? The AX1 is an AI-powered, motorized TV mount that can automatically adjust the height of your TV to different viewing positions, so for example you might have it low for solo TV watching, but raised for watching sports with friends, or for following an on-screen fitness app or motion-based game.

The AX1 is controllable via gesture commands, its mobile app, via remote control, or via Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri. It can distinguish between single- and multi-person viewing, with the latter calculating the best screen height for the group, and it's capable of moving a 200-pound / 90kg TV up to 15.7 inches / 400mm vertically, with real-time obstacle detection that stops and reverses the move if the path is blocked.

Speediance Gym Monster 3

The brilliantly named Gym Monster 3 delivers serious strength training for home workouts, combining the experience of a Smith machine, barbell, dumbbells, cable machine, rowing machine, pulley system, and squat rack into one streamlined setup with up to 200lbs / 90kg of intelligent digital resistance.

Twin 800W direct-drive motors deliver smooth, consistent resistance through every rep, and it's adjustable in one-pound / 0.45kg increments, so you can progress at your own pace, rather than make big jumps you might not be ready for.

The Gym Monster 3 is controlled via a clever Bluetooth Ring Control that enables you to make adjustments without stepping away or breaking your flow, and it features four dedicated training modes: Standard, Chain, Eccentric, and Fixed Speed. It also features a built-in AI coach that can guide you from your first session onwards.

Midea GreenApex Dishwasher

The humble dishwasher hasn't changed much since Josephine Cochrane's 1886 invention went electric in the late 1920s and gained spray arms in the 1950s. But the Midea GreenApex is very different from traditional grease-busters. It's a dual heat-pump system that uses a single coordinated heat pump platform to deliver washing, rapid drying, and dry storage in a single appliance.

The GreenApex is 50% more energy efficient than conventional dishwashers, delivers 30-minute rapid drying and 168 hours of dry storage without continued system operation, and offers gentle heat-pump drying at around 45°C, so you don't need to worry about high temperatures damaging more delicate items. It feels like a major leap forward for an appliance type that doesn't often have the phrase 'cutting-edge' associated with it.

Reolink OMVI 2i Ultra

The Reolink OMVI 2i Ultra Security Camera features an innovative, decoupled dual-lens tracking system in which the individual lenses operate fully independently of one another. Unlike in other dual-lens or hybrid zoom security cameras, the two lenses here are not mechanically linked, so the fixed 130-degree 4K wide-angle lens never moves, while the telephoto camera is free to rotate anywhere, including to cover areas outside the field of view of the main lens.

This means that when the 4K camera's on-device AI spots a person, vehicle or animal, it triggers the pan-tilt camera to lock onto and follow that subject even after they exit the wide camera's field of view — but you don't lose any recording from the wide camera's view during that time.

You can also use the wide-angle view to redirect the pan-tilt camera to a particular location by simply tapping that point in the live camera view, or have the wide camera and the pan-tilt camera monitoring two distinct locations, such as your driveway and a side gate.

Navimow H510 Pro

The Navimow H510 Pro features four key innovations: precise edge finishing, zero-turn steering, adaptive mowing intelligence, and 3D modelling.

Rather than edging with a trimmer line, which can be noisy and cause minor damage, the H510 Pro has an extendable robot arm that performs zero-gap edging quietly and safely — it's the most interesting and smart version of this technology that we've seen.

The all-wheel-drive system protects your turf too, with a zero-steering system that avoids dragging the wheels across the grass during lateral turns. And the Adaptive Mowing Intelligence feature analyzes grass growth patterns to determine the optimal mowing frequency, using the 1/3 cutting rule to preserve lawn health.

With 3D terrain modeling rather than the industry-standard 2D, and a sensor array including infrared as well as LiDAR and vision for low-light reliability, and triple-sensor avoidance to protect wildlife, the H510 is a smart solution for even the most challenging lawns.

DJI Romo 2 Series

The Romo 2 Series is a robot vacuum that won't be defeated by obstacles such as deep rugs, sliding door tracks and other barriers. That's because it has robotic legs that can step over obstacles as high as 4cm, and double-step thresholds up to an impressive 8.5cm.

It also features a built-in LiDAR-guided ultra-wide-swing robotic arm to extend the mop's reach, and its powerful suction system features an automatically lowering plate that forms a semi-seal on carpet for better extraction of dust and allergens.

The Romo 2 Series also benefits from the tech of DJI's flagship drones, with a Structured Light-Speckle projector and dual fish-eye vision sensors for full 3D depth perception. It can detect items such as cables and training pads as thin as 2mm, and its AI can distinguish between debris and liquid, as well as deal with transparent obstacles such as glass doors and mirrors.

Acer Vero 16

With so many laptops sacrificing easy maintenance and repairability for super-skinny styling, the Acer Vero 16 is a breath of fresh air. While it doesn't skimp on style or power — it's highly portable, delivers up to 180 platform TOPS with an Intel Core Ultra X9 processor 388H, and can be configured with a stunning 16-inch 3K OLED display — it's made with longevity in mind.

A tool-free latch provides easy access to the Vero's innards, and the battery and SSD are replaceable, while the system is designed to support the next two generations of processors if you want to upgrade. Fully 70% of the chassis consists of a blend of PCR (post-consumer recycled) and bio-based oyster shell material, and it meets US military standards for toughness. This is a laptop that's built to last, in a way that's rare to see — and very welcome.

Asus ProArt GR1X

The Asus ProArt GR1X is tiny, measuring just 150 x 150 x 51mm. But there's nothing small about its specification. Designed for advanced content creation and local AI workflows, it delivers data center-class compute inside a mini PC, removing the need to run LLMs remotely while eliminating cloud latency, cost, and IP protection concerns for pro creators.

The ProArt GR1X features the groundbreaking Nvidia RTX Spark 'superchip', which means you get a 20-core Grace CPU and a 6,144-core Blackwell GPU, delivering up to one petaflop of FP4 AI inference performance. With up to 128GB of LPDDR5X unified memory at 9,400MHz, it enables you to run up to 120B-parameter LLMs locally, and render entire 3D scenes on-device in Windows 11.

That kind of power demands highly efficient cooling, and Asus has developed an advanced precision-cooling system that delivers 1.6x more efficient thermal coverage than standard compact systems. Asus also solved the challenge of metal-enclosure signal attenuation by embedding the Wi-Fi 7 antennas behind a glass-like signal-transparent material. It's quite the design coup, and an impressive showcase for Nvidia's new elite chip.

EcoFlow STREAM 5000 / STREAM AC 5000

The EcoFlow Stream series is a plug-and-play modular system for residential solar energy generation and storage that's designed to be renter- and apartment-friendly. It can add battery storage and smart power-management to existing solar PV installations, as well as being employed to create a new home system from scratch.

The Stream Series features EcoFlow's Oasis 3.0 home energy management system, which understands dynamic energy tariffs, keeps an eye on the weather forecast, and continuously analyzes your home energy needs to optimize generation, storage and consumption.

That means you can give the EcoBot AI agent instructions such as "I need my car charged by 7am tomorrow at the lowest possible cost" and it will implement the necessary steps, or have your energy schedules reconfigured automatically when you have visitors or other instances of increased demand.

From October the EcoFlow Stream series will also get a new feature: Local Mode, which gives you uninterrupted operation and local app control even if there are cloud or connectivity outages. It's a very powerful (no pun intended) system that's been designed with the real world in mind.

Tapo D260

The Tapo D260 wired/wireless security camera is a video doorbell that delivers all the benefits of high-spec security without the potential downsides: it stores facial recognition data locally to protect privacy, and no features are locked behind a subscription. It's advanced, yet totally cost-free once you buy it.

It has 4K resolution, a wide 180-degree field of view to cover the entire doorway, and delivers sharp detail in subjects up to 30 feet away.

The D260 features multiple intelligent detection and recognition features, including radar as well as the obligatory infrared motion sensor. These enable it to discount false alerts from things such as moving branches or passing headlights, while on-device AI can recognize people, packages, vehicles, and animals.

If you wish, you can opt in to build a library of family and friends using facial recognition, and there's even a voice changer to disguise your voice when speaking to unfamiliar callers. In a world where people are sick of subscriptions, this offers a great security upgrade without the monthly fee.

• The Romo 2 Series is drone brand DJI's second-gen robot vacuum
• Available in transparent (P2) and non-transparent A2) versions
• Following Romo's hacking drama, DJI has added 'Local Data Mode', which severs the bot's internet connection entirely

Looks aren't everything, but in the case of the DJI Romo 2, that seems the logical place to start. DJI has come in strong with its second-generation robot vacuum, calling it "not just a cleaning tool, [but] an elegant, semi-translucent piece of future-forward home decor".

My home has been blessed with the presence of several very good-looking robovacs over the year, but it must be said that none has quite the wow-factor of the Romo 2. (I'm about to begin testing at home, and also saw the bot being demoed at IFA 2026.)

The rest of the market is going for minimalist shapes and glossy surfaces; DJI has embraced the opposite aesthetic. Like its predecessor, the Romo 2 has a chunky, curvy build that reminds me of Apple's iMac G3 of the late 90s, while the transparent cover — which exposes tubes, filters and mechanisms that make the robovac function — has shades of HR Giger. Although, obviously, without the sexual overtones.

I should state at this point that I'm specifically talking about the Romo P2. DJI has also released an A2 version, which is essentially the same except with opaque covers, for those seeking a less bold aesthetic.

I'm already hooked on the design of the Romo P2, but I don't like it enough that I'd have it in my house if it wasn't also a good cleaner, so let's take a look at what DJI's second-gen robovac has in its cleaning arsenal.

Making your way

DJI really knows what it's doing when it comes to flying gadgets — it makes pretty much all the best drones on the market right now (which makes it slightly unfortunate that they're in the process of being banned in the US).

Now, it promises to use this expertise into its robovacs. Specifically, the press info states that "By converting aerial robotics intelligence into ultimate terrestrial performance, [the Romo 2] sets the new gold standard for home automation."

The main area where the brand has been able to port in its drone knowledge is in its navigation and spatial perception. The Romo 2 uses "an advanced sensory array" that combines "Structured-Light Speckle Projector LiDAR with dual-eye fisheye vision sensors" to create precise 3D maps in real time.

DJI says it can avoid obstacles as thin as 2mm, and navigate objects like floor-standing mirrors and glass partitions with confidence and ease. I haven't tested the Romo 2 on my own glass partitions yet, but given the original Romo boasted some crazy-good obstacle avoidance skills, I have high expectations.

Leveling up

Working alongside those navigation skills are some mechanical features to help deliver thorough cleaning coverage. The Romo 2 has pop-out wheels that raise it up to boost it over single steps up to 1.6in / 4cm tall, and double steps up to 3.3in / 8.5cm. That's not quite the biggest step clearance I've seen from a robovac at this year's IFA, but it's up there.

The Romo 2 also has a mop pad that can swing out 123 degrees, extending the mop's reach by 3in / 7.8cm and enabling it to dip right under low furniture.

DJI has also added a clever-sounding feature whereby the Romo 2 uses AI to distinguish between solid and liquid spills. When it encounters the latter, the bot will wave its robotic mop arm out to clear the mess without getting any on its wheels.

Privacy focus

The launch of DJI's first robot vacuum was marred by a security hiccup that saw a Romo owner inadvertently gaining access to 7,000 other devices, so it makes sense that privacy is addressed specifically in the press material for the second-gen version.

DJI has added a 'Local Data Mode', which severs the internet connection of the DJI Home app completely. With this mode activated, things like home maps, camera feeds and voice recordings should have no way to escape.

• The Govee Sky Ceiling Light shifts according to time, weather, and mood
• It prioritizes flicker-free blue light when you want to concentrate
• It's Matter-compatible, unlike a recent skylight-style light from Philips

Smart lighting company Govee has launched a new smart ceiling light that changes color depending on the time of day, just like a real skylight — and can even use AI to shift its settings to suit your mood.

The Govee Sky Ceiling Light, which debuted at the IFA tech show in Berlin this week, can automatically adjust the light based on time and weather (ideal for rooms without natural light), and can prioritize Govee's sky blue spectrum when you want to feel energized (particularly handy if you're working from home).

A few months ago, Philips launched a new skylight-style light fitting that changes light temperature and brightness to suit the time of day. It looked very realistic, but without true smart home integration (the skylight is operated via a physical remote control), we found its starting price of €499.99 (about $580 / £430 / AU$810) a little hard to swallow.

The Govee Sky Ceiling Light, on the other hand, is Matter-compatible, so it can integrate with your other smart home devices. It's more affordable too, with a list price of $399.99 (about £300 / AU$560).

However, the Philips lamp has a few extra tricks up its sleeve, including an integrated UV-B module designed to support your body's natural production of vitamin D, and an IP44 rating for use in bathrooms — which often lack real windows. Its rectangular shape arguably looks more like a real skylight as well, particularly in homes with traditional styling.

I can see smart skylights becoming increasingly popular over the coming years, particularly for small homes, and it will be interesting to see how else brands manage to differentiate themselves. The Philips light isn't a Hue product, but it is made by the same parent company (Signify), so I wouldn't be at all surprised if we see a Philips Hue skylight this time next year.

• Segway Navimow has unveiled its Navimow H510 Pro lawnbot at IFA
• It features an extending, robotic arm for trimming lawn edges
• Also uses the brand's 'Xero-turn' technology for gentler turns

First, we had a robot vacuum with an arm for picking up socks. Now, limbs are making their way to robot lawn mowers too. The new Segway Navimow H510 Pro features its own mechanical arm, and this one is for trimming the edges of your lawn.

Effective edge-trimming has long been a problem for lawnbot-makers, and in recent years we've started to see side modules being added onto machines for exactly this purpose.

But Segway Navimow's solution is altogether cleaner: it has taken the main blade and mounted it on a robotic arm, so when the lawnbot is at the perimeter of a lawn the whole thing can reach out (by up to 2.9in / 7.4cm) to mow those edges. In fact, the brand promises 'zero-gap edge trimming' — no blade left unshorn.

I saw it being demoed at IFA 2026, and it was pretty majestic in action. You can see a clip below of the blade retracting back in.

The supporting software, called 'EdgeSense', coordinates the movement depending on the type of edge it's tackling. It'll react differently to hard edges (like walls and patios), soft edges (like flower beds) and irregular edges (table legs).

Because the edge trimmer and main mower use the same cutting deck, the results should be more consistent and even than if you were relying on two separate systems. Segway Navimow's aim is to "finally [close] the gap between robotic convenience and truly finished results".

One issue with finding a successful edge-cutting solution is how to handle the safety aspect of having blades protruding out from the bot's main shell protective casing.

On this front, Segway Navimow has added a side shield that provides a barrier against the blades. There's also "live-detection protection" that will shut off operation instantly when a human or animal approaches. The latter partly relies on heat-sensing to alert the lawnbot that there's a live creature about.

Smooth mover

The Segway Navimow H510 Pro uses the brand's 'Xero-Turn' technology. This tech was introduced at CES in January, and sees the lawnbot twist its wheels to effectively crab-walk its way around bends, so it won't churn up your grass.

There are further features to help the lawnbot tackle tricky terrain without risking damage to your turf. Each of the four wheels is independently powered (it's an AWD machine) to enable it to move with precision, and there's rear wheel suspension to maximize wheel contact at all times, even when the ground is uneven.

• Dyson has launched three new 'Nurovi' robot vacuums
• The R3 Nurovi Spot+Scrub UV has a roller mop and UV spill detection
• The R2 Nurovi Wash+Dry has two Reuleaux triangle mops, which move asymmetrically for no-gap cleaning
• The R1 Nurovi Dry is a vacuum-only bot, with no mopping

Dyson just unveiled a new fleet of robot vacuums with plenty of intriguing features. The range is called 'Nurovi' which is a portmanteau — the bots combine "Neural Intelligence technology" with Dyson's new "Vision system". It makes sense, but if anyone can remember how to spell it without checking, I'll be impressed.

There are three models in the lineup: the R3 Nurovi Spot+Scrub UV and R2 Nurovi Wash+Dry are both hybrid machines that can mop as well as vacuuming, and the R1 Nurovi Dry is a vacuum-only option.

I had a chance to check them all out at Dyson's IFA 2026-adjacent event in Berlin. Here, I also chatted to Nathan Lawson-McLean, a Senior Design Manager at Dyson, about the development process.

Light it up

Let's start with the flagship model: the R3. This is a second-gen upgrade of last year's Spot+Scrub Ai, and like that model it's designed to 'spot' concentrated messes and spills and scrub back and forth over them to clean them away. However, the R3 model's spill-spotting skills are powered by UV light.

"We continue to leverage our in-house vision systems and neural intelligence, to really build on this advanced stain detection," Lawson-McLean tells me. He explains that whereas with the Spot+Scrub Ai, Dyson focused on identifying a range of specific stains, here the team worked on tackling the invisible residue left by dried liquid spills. The UV light causes those stains to fluoresce.

"So as the robot's running around your home on its mission, it will now expose these totally invisible stains that become breeding grounds for bacteria," he explains. "And it will then go over it once, turn around, check, and repeat that movement."

I ask him what kinds of stains the system can tackle, and he tells me it's a wide range, including most sugary drinks, tonic water, sparkling water and milk. "I'll be honest with you, because I find you'd be surprised what fluoresces — a bit like a bowling alley in your own home," he adds.

Going in circles

Moving on to the R2 Nurovi Wash+Dry. A key difference between this and the R3 is that the R3 uses a roller mop for wet cleaning, whereas the R2 uses two spinning mop pads. Not just any spinning mop pads, though: rather than the circular pads we're used to seeing, Dyson has harnessed its geometry skills and given us a couple of Reuleaux triangles. You know — that triangular shape formed from three circular arcs.

Cleverly, the shapes move in tandem to create a straight-edged mopping finish with no center gaps — and they can get right into the corners of rooms too. As you can see in my photo image above, one of the pads can extend out to one side, to clean closer to the edges of rooms.

Both systems use heated water (158°F / 70°C on the R3, and 167°F / 75°C on the R2) to help cut through grease and tackle dried-on dirt. The heating part happens at the dock, rather than within the robot vacuum itself, to conserve battery. Some cooling will naturally take place as the mopping continues, but Lawson-McLean explains to me that the robovac is designed to return to the dock to top up with hot water when the on-bot reservoir drops below a certain temperature.

Large and small

The R2 has a sister model: the Dyson R1 Nurovi Dry. It's essentially an R2 but without the mopping functions, so those looking for a simpler and more afforable entry into the robovac market.

Both the R2 and R1 have a 'Twin-capture system' which separates fine and coarse debris in order to improve cleaning efficiency. "So traditional robot vacuum cleaners will just have one roller. And the balancing act is, well, I need to have a really open aperture to get large debris, — let's say like fusilli pasta, sweetcorn, things like that — but actually, when it comes to getting effective fine dust pickup from the floor, if I have a huge open aperture, all that airflow is wasted," says Lawson-McLean.

The solution was to have a large, open brush bar area for chunky particles, and a separate area for the fine dust, with, as Lawson-McLean describes it, "a highly concentrated and efficient airflow path that's sealed down to the floor."

Finally, both the R2 and R1 boast another feature ported over from Dyson's most advanced stick vacuums: a piezo sensor that intelligently detects the size and amount of dust around, and the floor type, and adapts its suction power to suit. The aim is to deliver an efficient clean without wasting any battery. This intelligent adjustment will kick in if the bot is set to Auto mode.

Dyson has a chequered history when it comes to robot vacuums. The Dyson 360 Vis Nav suffered from a too-high price given its feature set, and was crippled by navigation issues. Last year's Spot+Scrub Ai wasn't quite a roaring success, but did go some way to repairing the brand's robot vacuum reputation. Will Dyson continue its upward trajectory with these new launches? I'll be watching with interest.

Buying information

From Dyson US, the Dyson R3 Nurovi Spot+Scrub UV robot vacuum is scheduled to go on sale on 15 September, at a list price of $1,199. The R2 Nurovi Wash+Dry went on sale on 3 Sept, exclusively at Costco, for $699 (it'll be available direct from Dyson further down the line, but not via any other third party retailers). The R1 Nurovi Dry is also scheduled to go on sale this month, at an as-yet-unknown date, with a list price of $549.

At Dyson UK and Dyson Australia, the R2 and R1 went on sale yesterday (4 Sept) at a list price of £749.99/ AU$1,449 for the R2 and £499.99 / AU$949 fro the R1. In both territories the R3 is scheduled to launch in early 2027, pricing TBC.

George Yianni is excited about the future of smart lighting, and his enthusiasm is infectious. As the Chief Technology Officer and Founder of Philips Hue, Yianni has seen smart home tech move from niche to mainstream — and he has a clear vision for how you'll be lighting your home in years to come.

On September 2, Philips Hue held its annual showcase event in Berlin, just around the corner from the IFA tech expo. There, Yianni and other senior figures took to the stage to show off the brand's latest hardware (including some particularly artistic new lights and more affordable syncing devices), and to explain how new software developments will change how we all interact with lighting in the coming months.

After the event I had the opportunity to speak with Yianni, and to delve deeper into how Hue (and its parent company SIgnify) has identified practical uses for AI that aren't just a gimmick.

"There’s a push for AI for the sake of it, and we’ve really tried to shy away from that," he told me. "AI large language models are really good at processing the unstructured information and turning it into something structured, and vice versa, and that’s really where we applied it."

The first example he gave was SpatialAware — a feature that launched last year, which creates lighting scenes and applies them based on the position of lights in your room.

"We’re applying AI as a tool to deliver functionality," Yianni explained. "So what we launched last year is, we spent quite some time with our lighting designers to produce the right set of rules, tools, and training towards a large language model to codify and scale the lighting design process."

"So it can take all the unstructured information of where lights are in space, lighting design rules, and what colors look complementary, and then expose that to the user in a general way, so they can describe anything they want, and it uses its world knowledge and this lighting design skill set we’ve given it to generate new lighting design scenes for them. It’s really not something you could have done any other way."

The second example, which debuted at this year's event, is Custom AI Behaviors. This lets you use natural language to describe how you want your Philips Hue lights to behave. For example, you can ask them to behave differently on weekends and weekdays, or change scenes automatically at sunset — all without fiddling around with complex settings.

"There are so many different diversities and details about how a consumer might want their home to behave that we cannot build a user interface with buttons, toggles, dropdown menus for every possibility, and that’s why we put some limitations around automations to this point," Yianni explained. "Otherwise, the user interface would be impossible for most users.

"But natural language is a fantastic way to just describe arbitrarily how you would like your home to behave, and then we can use AI to translate that into a special programming language we’ve developed that runs the automation in the Bridge. So it’s a fantastic way to capture intent and translate into something we can just run in the background, and again, AI is the right tool to do that.

"We think of AI as a tool to be used to solve problems, and often it’s not the right tool, and then we don’t do it that way. But there are definitely are good use cases, and I think more in the works, which take advantage of it."

Exciting developments

The Philips Hue event was packed with new announcements, so I took the opportunity to ask Yianni which one he was most excited about personally. For him, accessibility was one of the biggest draws.

"It's a little bit difficult to choose, because I think we've made some great products for users that don't have smart lights yet," he said. "I think what we've done with entertainment is super exciting, to just make it so that even if people don't want a smart lighting system, they just want it around [their TV]. Now we give you a very simple, easy to use and understand kit that gives it to you."

This system is the Philips Hue Play Screen Sync, which is designed for people who aren't using an HDMI source for their TV, and may be using a native smart TV app, for example. Screen Sync uses a camera with a fish-eye lens to monitor what's on the screen, and then synchronize those colors with a light strip behind the TV. You don't have to invest in a Philips Hue Bridge to use Screen Sync either — you can use it with a single light strip via Bluetooth if you're not interested in a full Philips Hue setup.

If you do use an HDMI source for your TV, there's now a more affordable 4K version of the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, which also works with a single Hue light and no Bridge.

Yianni is also particularly proud of what the brand has achieved so far with artificial intelligence. "I think for our install base of users and for ourselves as users of Hue personally, the AI automations are a bit of a game changer," he said. "I now can finally have my home behave exactly the way I wanted to. I think that's a really big deal.

"So I'm a bit torn between those two, right? For me, it's AI automations, but I think for our business and for our overall mission of getting people to use lights in a in a richer way than just being on or off, I think the the bridge-less entertainment with just becomes so much easier to to step in with just that use case, which is a great way to start."

When it comes to the lights themselves, though, Yianni has a clear favorite: the Liane 360-degree rope light (pictured at the top of this article), which users can drape in any way they like, and which projects light around its whole circumference.

"I think it's hard to beat the statement of Liane," he told me. "I think it's really taking what we offer in a in a new direction, where you can really unleash a lot of creativity in users because it's really a product which has a lot of different ways of it being applied. I think it's something quite unique that doesn't exist in the world yet.

"Yeah, these as they omnidirectional rope lights exist in architectural lighting, but I really think we we add a new element of depth to it by making it controllable and having these subtle gradients that we can put on it. I think that's really exciting. It's something that doesn't exist in the world yet, and really adds something to an existing trend. I think that I think the most exciting lighting model."

I'm hoping to test the Liane rope light very soon to see whether it meets those expectations, so watch this space.

• One-click transformation between upright, stick and handheld vacuum
• Features Shark's Detect and Reveal tech to optimize power and capture every last speck
• List price £479.99 (already on sale in US for $529.99)

Shark has launched a brand new vacuum system — the Shark PowerDetect Transformer — which is an upright disguised as a stick disguised as a handheld. In other words, it's three vacuum cleaners in one.

The idea behind the Transformer is to provide multiple cleaning tools in a single package: a deep-cleaning upright for your carpets and hard floors, a stick vacuum for quick cleans, and a handheld for high places and hard to reach spaces, as well as for things like your car.

According to James Kitto, SharkNinja's SVP Managing Director for the EMEA region, "The upright vacuum hasn’t meaningfully changed in decades. With Transformer, we’ve rethought what a vacuum can do by removing unnecessary complexity and creating a system that adapts to real life."

What's so clever about the Shark PowerDetect Transformer?

It's definitely well thought out. In handheld and stick mode, the goal is light weight and portability, so the Transformer uses a relatively small dust chamber that sits just below the handle. When you need to get rid of serious amounts of dirt, there's a much larger dust collector that snaps onto the front, giving you the capacity of a normal upright.

The Transformer also comes with two key technologies we've seen in other recent Shark vacuum cleaners: PowerDetect, which automatically optimizes the cleaning power based on dirt levels, the floor type, your movement, and the cleaner's proximity to things such as skirting boards; and Reveal, which uses illumination to ensure that dust and dirt have nowhere to hide.

Other features include auto-emptying of the small bin into the larger one with a single click; HEPA filtration with anti-allergen sealing; odor neutralization; Shark's no-hair-wrap system to take hair from the brushroll rather than letting it accumulate; and DuoClean Detect brushes that have been designed to capture dirt, debris and hair on carpeted, tiled and wooden floors without having to switch heads.

Could the Transformer depose our current favorite Shark vacuum, the Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick? It might: it's essentially an even smarter version of the PowerDetect, and yet it's slightly cheaper; while the PowerDetect Cordless Stick has a list price of £499.99, the Shark PowerDetect Transformer is £479.99. It's already on sale for $529.99 in the US, but we don't yet have details of availability in Australia.

• Google has fixed a setup issue with the first-gen Chromecast device
• Owners have been complaining for months about their devices going missing from the Google Home app
• The update also fixes functionality issues

Have you been running into setup issues with your older Chromecast and Google Home devices? You’ll be happy to hear you’re not alone on this one — and even happier to know that Google has finally rolled out a fix.

These issues first arose when Google announced it would be ending support for its oldest Chromecast dongles back in May. From there, owners started reporting problems with setting up their devices after they started disappearing from the Google Home app on Android.

A Google Home app update made setting up Chromecast even more difficult which, understandably, sparked a lot of worry for those who are still using the first-gen Chromecast from over 10 years ago, convincing them that Google was officially pulling the plug on its OG streaming device. Similar issues then started cropping up for owners of the 2015 Chromecast model and Google Home Mini speaker, affecting functionality as well as the setup process.

At first, users were left to find their own workarounds and solutions, with many having to factory reset their devices, revert to older versions of the Google Home app, or even wipe their entire Home ecosystem to start afresh. Thankfully, Google has solved this, implying that these setup and functionality crashes were part of a software glitch.

The Google Nest Community account on Reddit replied to a series of frustrated posts with the following statement: ‘We've resolved an issue that was impacting the ability to set up some older Chromecast and Google Home devices. If you haven't already, factory reset your speaker or update your Google Home app to version 4.26 and try again’.

It hasn’t been the best time to be a first-gen Chromecast owner to say the least, but at least Google’s latest fix offers some reassurance that the company isn’t writing off its oldest streaming device yet — despite pulling the first Chromecast from shelves in early 2025. That said, Google isn’t the first tech giant to be accused of intentionally bricking older streaming devices to get users to upgrade.

Amazon received similar backlash when a user filed a lawsuit against the company, after reporting that two Fire TV sticks ran into severe performance issues just a few years after purchasing them. The user claimed that Amazon had been software tethering, while not disclosing the truth about the lifespan of its Fire TV stick streamers.

Now that Google has found a solution, hopefully it does the job at reviving your older Chromecast model. If the issues still persist, Google recommends reaching back out to the Nest community to let them know.

• California lawmakers have approved a plug-in solar bill
• All that's required now is the Governor's signature
• These kits could save you up to $450 a year on electricity

Adding plug-in solar power to your home's energy mix is about to become legal in California: lawmakers in the state have now passed a bill approving the use of plug-in (or balcony) panels, so it's now ready to be signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom.

Senate Bill 868 (the Plug and Play Solar Act) was first proposed at the start of the year, and permits plug-in solar kits up to 1,200 watts to be connected to a standard outlet. A simple online registration form is all that's required in terms of paperwork.

If you're new to the tech, it enables residents to benefit from solar energy without the expensive installation costs or planning permission processes associated with rooftop solar. You just put these kits on a balcony, on a wall, or in a backyard, and plug them in.

Any electricity generated by the sunshine and your new plug-in kit gets offset against what your home is currently demanding in terms of electricity. Official figures suggest savings could be up to $450 per year.

More to come

Utah was the first US state to legalize plug-in solar, in 2025, and since then eight other states have followed. New York State, like California, is waiting for a Governor signature, while proposals are pending in another seven states.

The change in law is particularly helpful for those renting a property, as it means solar is an option without any permanent changes to the place of residence. When you move, you can just pack up the solar panel kit and take it with you.

Retailers are still playing catch up though. There's a scarcity of kits being sold at big stores, but dedicated start-ups are filling the gap: for example, Bright Saver is selling plug-in solar panels starting at under $300, though a $29 yearly subscription is also required.

Plug-in solar has already proved a huge success in Europe, especially in Germany, and the technology just became legal in the UK as well. Expect more states to follow Utah and California in the coming months and years.

Philips Hue smart lights just got a major upgrade, with a new system that lets you sync lights with your TV screen regardless of its source. Signify, the company behind the Hue brand, showed off a new system called Hue Play Screen Sync at an event (no, not IFA) in Berlin yesterday, and it looks set to make immersive entertainment lighting a lot more accessible.

The Philips Hue Play system lets you use smart lights (including light strips and bars) to extend the colors from your screen, creating a more immersive viewing experience. However, until now, this could only be done using a Philips Hue HDMI Sync Box, which sits in between an HDMI source and your TV. If you want to watch content via a non-HDMI source, such as a native app on your smart TV, you were out of luck.

The new Philips Hue Play Screen Sync changes all that, using a fisheye camera to monitor the action on your TV screen and synchronize it with your smart lights, regardless of the source.

Similar systems already exist from rivals including Govee and Nanoleaf, so I'll be interested to see how the Hue Play Screen Sync compares. Camera-based systems usually have a few drawbacks compared to HDMI screen syncing (they can be affected by reflections on your TV screen and tend to have more latency) but hopefully the Hue system will offer performance comparable with the HDMI Sync Box.

A bright future

Another big update launched at yesterday's event is Custom AI Behaviors, which lets you use natural language to describe lighting automations, rather than having to create them manually — something that could be quite time-consuming or fiddly when done in the app. For example, you might choose to have your lights behave differently at the weekends, or activate a particular scene automatically after dark.

The Philips Hue app already contained an AI assistant the let you use text or speech to describe a lighting scene (such as 'something for Christmas' or 'a tropical sunset'), and would search the existing scene library for a match. If none existed, the assistant would create something suitable for you. This was a useful feature, but Custom AI Behaviors goes far beyond that, and should make advanced automations much more accessible, with no need to spend time fiddling with switches and sliders.

On the subject of accessibility, there is now a 4K version of the Philips Hue Sync Box to accompany the 8K version launched in 2024. The 4K Sync Box is more affordable than the 8K model, and for the first time, you can use it to sync a single light with your TV via Bluetooth, without a Philips Hue Bridge.

Third-party collaborations are coming as well, including one leaked last week, which allows you to integrate Nanoleaf Shapes lights into your Hue lighting setup, and a collaboration with Sonos that will let you control the brand's speakers with selected Hue switches.

There's a huge bundle of new smart lights too, including Festavia curtain, net, and icicle lights (ideal for Halloween and Christmas), a Philips Hue Liane 360-degree rope light, with LEDs around the entire circumference, and an OmniGlow outdoor strip light. Omniglow is a technology that uses tightly packed LEDs to create an extra smooth gradient, with no visible gaps, and this is the first time it's been available for an exterior light.

I'm hoping to test some of the new lights soon, and will bring you full hands-on reviews as soon as possible.

• A new IKEA device called the Liljebagge has appeared
• It's an affordable smart radiator thermostat
• We're still waiting to hear on international availability

IKEA isn't slowing down when it comes to launching smart home products — see the smart sensors and wireless lights it's already pushed out this year, for example — and the latest new device to catch our eye is a smart radiator thermostat called the IKEA Liljebagge.

We're relying on WinFuture and a fair bit of Google Translate to tease out the details here, but it seems there's support for the Matter and Thread standards, and a retail price of just €15 (that's roughly $17.40 / £12.90 / AU$24.30).

The WinFuture article talks about IKEA "preparing" to launch this thermostat, but it's already popped up on the IKEA website in Sweden. We can't see it on any other international sites as yet, though — we've asked IKEA for clarification on US and UK availability and will update this article if we hear back.

As per the official listing, installing the Liljebagge means you can "adjust the temperature in each room individually, control it when you’re away, increase comfort and reduce energy use", and it should fit "most water-based radiators".

Aggressively priced

You're able to control the smart radiator thermostat from the IKEA Home app on your phone, or directly on the device itself. If you want it cooler in the bedroom and warmer in the study, then this makes it possible without much hassle.

IKEA's contender is particularly cheap compared to other smart thermostats that do the same job, and price is typically something IKEA likes to compete aggressively on (see also its $10 / £10 speakers, for instance).

Some other details: the built-in display turns off when you're not using it, so your radiators won't always be glowing, and you're able to adjust the temperature in 0.5-degree Celsius increments using plus and minus buttons.

On the home network integrations, it seems you'll need a Thread border router to use this on a Matter network. If you're going to go the IKEA route, you'll need the Dirigera hub. Power is provided by two AA batteries, which should last you 18 months. We'll update this story as soon as we hear anything about international availability.

• The new Shark CryoGlow Clinic Face + Body delivers blemish-clearing in as little as four weeks
• It targets eight different zones including chest and hands
• It's priced at £549.99, with pre-orders opening today

We're big fans of the Shark CryoGlow LED face mask, which combines LED facial care with a clever InstaChill cooling system to help reduce under-eye puffiness. But like any LED mask it's purely for your face and not something you can really use anywhere else. So hurrah for the new Shark CryoGlow Clinic Face + Body, which adds a second section that you can use on your neck, on your chest and on your hands.

This new skincare system targets eight different zones: forehead lines, crows' feet, frown lines, lines around the lips, smile lines, neck, chest and hands. It's twice as powerful as the first generation CryoGlow series, and it promises to clear blemishes in as little as four weeks.

What's different about the Shark CryoGlow Clinic Face + Body

The neck and chest section looks rather like something you'd make an alien princess wear in a sci-fi movie, but if you're going to bring LED light therapy to your upper body this is a pretty elegant-looking way to do it. And while it's not in the list of targeted areas, you can use the ArcFlex body panel on your back as well as your chest.

Both parts of the CryoGlow Face + Body feature the "GlowShell" design, which delivers even light distribution without being too close to your skin, and there's a mix of blue, red and deep infrared light to target blemishes and improve the appearance of your skin.

The Face + Body also introduces what Shark says is the first instant hot and cold under-eye contrast therapy for at-home use. It alternates between warming and cooling to help stimulate circulation, and it features InstaChill cooling to reduce puffiness around the eyes.

The Shark CryoGlow Clinic Face + Body will launch in White Gold with preorders beginning today (September 2) and a full release on September 9. The UK price is £549.99 and you'll be able to buy the sections separately: the Shark CryoGlow Clinic Face is £379.99 and the Clinic Body is £249.99.

• Smart home brand Shelly announced its new security camera ahead of IFA 2026
• It lets you view and store footage to microSD cards with no additional subscription cost
• You can upgrade to Shelly Premium for cloud-based storage and other smart features

The early IFA 2026 product announcements have started, and home tech company Shelly has unveiled its new smart home security camera — and I think it has a shot at becoming the next cheap Ring alternative.

The new indoor Shelly Camera is the latest affordable smart home device designed for those who want similar features to those found in the best home security doorbells, but want to avoid the catch of additional subscription fees.

With a reasonable $49.99/£35 (approximately AU$65) price tag, the Shelly Camera sports all the basic features you need to ensure your home is covered to give you added peace of mind. Though the camera’s video quality isn’t as advanced as the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro’s 4K resolution (Shelly’s is limited to 1080P), its other features more than make up for it.

As well as 110-degree horizontal and 70-degree vertical fields of view, which should be enough to cover a single room, the Shelly Camera supports black-and-white night vision monitoring and is compatible with Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings. It’s also built to slot easily into your existing Shelly smart home ecosystem, working with other devices to trigger automations and activate lighting when movement is detected.

While many leading smart-home brands require you to sign up to a subscription in order to use their devices to their full potential, that’s not the case with the Shelly Camera.

One of the best parts about this camera is that it packs a fair amount of features that aren’t locked behind a subscription paywall. This includes its resolution specs mentioned above, as well as automations and two-way audio — but its free video storage is what makes the camera a winner.

As well as simply viewing live footage from your smartphone without saving it, you can save recordings locally on microSD cards, and though you’ll have to purchase SD cards separately, it works out a whole lot cheaper than a monthly subscription fee.

For a $50 security camera that gives you access to basic tools and a way to store footage locally for free, you really can’t go wrong. And for those who aren’t too savvy about their smart-home tech, these features should be more than sufficient.

All that said, Shelly does offer a premium tier for additional smarts. At 3.99 euros a month ($4.40 / £3.40 / AU$6.50), Shelly Premium gives you access to cloud-based storage for one camera, and even smarter automation upgrades. This includes AI-powered object-detection capabilities, allowing your device to easily distinguish between faces, pets, and even vehicles to trigger specific alerts, which you can customize.

Having a Shelly Premium subscription opens the door to a handful of additional capabilities to enhance your home security ecosystem, but I don’t think you’re missing out on too much if you decide to stick with its free, basic tier.

For the most part, it’s the storage element that convinces users to cave into subscription models, and here that's not a factor if you're happy to go with the SD card option — and the camera comes with a free three-month trial of Shelly Premium, so you can try out those extra features before deciding whether or not you need the subscription.

Philips Hue makes the best smart lights around, but installing them in every room can be seriously expensive, so I always wait until big sales events to stock up on bulbs. Amazon's Labor Day Sale is the perfect opportunity, with huge discounts on multi-packs of White & Color Ambiance bulbs, as well as strip lights and lamps to extend my smart lighting setup.

The best Labor Day deal I've seen so far is a two-pack of Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance bulbs for just $46.17 at Amazon (was $76.99). That's the kind of deal I might expect to see on Amazon Prime Day, but this time you don't need to be a Prime member to take advantage.

Looking for more options? Scroll down for my top picks in the Labor Day sale, or check out all today's deals on Philips Hue lights at Amazon.

Today's best Philips Hue deals

Shop more of today's best Labor Day sales

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $99
• Appliances: up to $1,200 at Samsung
• Best Buy: 60% off appliances, TVs, laptops & more
• Casper: up to 30% off mattresses
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• DreamCloud: up to 60% off mattresses, 66% off bundles
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lowe's: $1,000 off appliances, patio & tools
• Nectar: up to 50% off mattresses, deals from $349
• Saatva: up to $625 off luxury mattresses
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off 4K, QLED & OLED TVs
• Target: 45% off clothing, tech & furniture
• Walmart: 58% off back-to-school, furniture, & clothing

• The Ninja Crispi Microwave is on sale in the UK today for £359.99
• It has eight microwave modes and five air-frying presets
• Like all Crispi air fryers, it comes with a set of non-toxic glass dishes for storing, cooking, and serving food

Got a small kitchen? Ninja's new air fryer and microwave combo might be exactly what you need, with capacity and cooking features that rival those of your conventional oven, so you could replace it with an extra cupboard.

The Ninja Crispi Microwave has a flatbed-style design rather than a traditional microwave turntable, giving you more space to cook, and lets you combine cooking modes so you can defrost, cook, and crisp foods like fries and nuggets all in one go.

This isn't the first air fryer and microwave combo we've seen at TechRadar (we awarded the Samsung Combi Smart Microwave four stars out of five when we tested it), but the new Ninja Crispi has some advantages over its rivals.

Like all Crispi air fryers, it comes with a set of non-toxic glass dishes that you can use to store, cook and serve food, plus a specially designed steam lid that's ideal for safely cooking foods like vegetables and dumplings.

It has the same five air-frying presets as other Crispi fryers too (air fry, max crisp, air roast, air bake, and air grill), but also has eight microwave modes, including some unusual but very useful options such as 'soften butter' for baking, and 'beverage' for when your tea has gone cold, or you're in the mood for hot chocolate now that the evenings are drawing in.

The Crispi Microwave is a particularly good option for families as well; not only does it have a huge capacity, it has a two-step child lock to prevent curious little ones opening the door during use.

The Ninja Crispi Microwave is available from today (September 2) direct from Ninja for £359.99, and comes in four colours: silver, black, stone gold, and dark blue. We'll be putting it through our usual battery of tests, so if you're not sure whether it's the right appliance to replace your regular oven, check back again soon to see how it performed.

Can you believe that the Dyson Supersonic turned 10 in April this year? When it arrived back in 2016 we were all amazed at its feat of engineering, with Dyson using its expertise in airflow to create a hair dryer that styles and dries hair quickly, efficiently and with minimal heat damage.

Since then, though, the original Supersonic has spawned new models, such as the Supersonic Nural and Supersonic r, but for simple, everyday drying, the OG is tough to beat. And while it still commands Dyson money, the Supersonic Origin is at the receiving end of a 45% price cut at David Jones and can be yours for AU$299.

In our original Dyson Supersonic review, we were thoroughly impressed with its ability to try long, relatively thick hair — it managed to fully remove moisture from towel-dried hair in just under four minutes on the lowest heat setting and highest fan speed. Increasing the temperature and lowering the fan speed resulted in a quicker two and a half minutes.

On that note, the Supersonic offers three fan speeds and three temperature settings, giving you a good amount of control and the ability to prevent heat damage. We also loved how it leaves hair silky smooth.

Of course, the ‘standard’ Dyson Supersonic comes with extra attachments compared to the Origin model on sale, which are designed to be used with specific hair types or use cases — a diffuser for curly hair or a styling nozzle for straightening, for example. If you know you’d benefit from extra attachments, you can still buy them from Dyson directly with the cash you’ll save from this deal.

I’ve seen the Dyson Supersonic Origin drop to AU$299 before, but that was last year during the Black Friday sales and only as an exclusive deal on the company’s eBay store. That means this monster saving at David Jones is one to consider if you’ve always wanted the capable hair dryer, but haven’t wanted to splurge at full price.

Please note that while David Jones lists the RRP as AU$499, Dyson lists it at AU$549, making this a truly stunning discount.

More Dyson deals

• SweepLED can spot hidden cameras by varying its illumination
• AI can detect camera lenses by the light that gets reflected back
• The accessory fits on the back of a camera and works in seconds

Unless you're in the safety of your own home, there's always a worry that you're being surveilled without your knowledge — when you're in an Airbnb, hotel room, changing room, or restroom, for example. Now researchers have developed an LED-powered phone accessory to give you some extra peace of mind.

It's called SweepLED, and it's the invention of a team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). The portable device combines 15 LED lights, a cable to attach to your phone, and some AI processing.

According to the researchers, SweepLED can spot hidden cameras 94% of the time with a processing period of just five seconds per object. While this is only a prototype for now, the team has tested it on 30 different objects, reporting a high level of skill at identifying where hidden cameras are embedded (or not).

Here's how it works: SweepLED fixes to the back of a phone (over the camera). As video is recorded and the phone stays still, the add-on turns its LEDs on and off, comparing different reflection patterns against each other. Hidden camera lenses show up in those reflection patterns in a way that standard reflective surfaces don't.

Protecting your privacy

"Hidden cameras pose a serious threat to personal safety and privacy in everyday spaces," says Professor Jun Han, from the KAIST team. "This research is meaningful in that it combines low-cost smartphone-based hardware with AI analysis to present the possibility of a practical detection technology that even non-experts can use."

Previous devices along these lines required users to look for 'bright spots' manually as they were lit up by the detector, the tell-tale sign that there was a camera looking back at them. This should be more efficient, and better at spotting different camera types hidden in a variety of different housings (like clocks or mirrors).

There's still plenty of work to do to get this refined and commercialized, but it shouldn't be expensive: the KAIST team reckons the manufacturing cost of SweepLED would be in the region of $7 (about £5 / AU$10).

If you do a lot of traveling, it might be worth investing in something like this just to make sure you're not being spied on. The work has been presented at the ACM MobiSys 2026 conference and published online, though as yet there's no indication of when it might be available to the masses.

Tineco is showcasing its latest smart home care technology under the theme “The Future Cleans Itself,” at IFA 2026, demonstrating how automation can simplify tasks before, during and after cleaning. For years, Tineco has developed smart home care products designed to make everyday cleaning simpler, and in 2020, the brand helped pioneer the floor washer category with the launch of the FLOOR ONE S1. Since then, Tineco has continued to push the category forward, earning recognition as the world’s No. 1 household wet & dry vacuum cleaner brand for four consecutive years.

Building on that evolution and leading Tineco’s floor care showcase at IFA 2026, is the Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro which combines powerful cleaning performance with automated features designed to simplify operation and help keep the machine ready when you need it.

One of the key conveniences of the Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro is the base station. While some vacuum cleaners can be a chore to use and put away, the base station helps streamline both the cleaning process and the steps that follow. It provides fast charging, keeping the Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro powered up and ready for cleaning sessions of up to 100 minutes.

The station automatically replenishes hot water and dispenses cleaning solution, reducing the need for manual refilling during cleaning. The base station’s five-liter tank holds plenty of water for frequent cleaning, even in large homes.

After cleaning, the base station works with the floor washer to flush its roller and pipes and dry them with 230°F hot air in just five minutes. An integrated comb in the head of the Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro helps cut out hair and detangles as you clean.

All of this cuts down on the manual upkeep needed before the next cleaning session.

The Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro brings a full arsenal of cleaning capabilities to tackle the many messes that your floor might face. Its wide brush head and 25,000 Pa of suction can tackle dry debris with ease. Powered wheels, a swiveling neck and an edge-to-edge roller make it easy to navigate and clean along edges and baseboards. The Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro can even lie flat to get under furniture as low as 4.33 inches.

For dried, sticky or oily messes, Hydro Burst Cleaning blasts the area with high-pressure water and cuts right through the mess. As you move the floor washer forward, it operates normally, rolling up debris, but with one click it can seamlessly drop a special scraper and move in reverse to more effectively pull up liquids and wipe away water for a streak-free finish.

The Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro is just one part of Tineco’s broader showcase at IFA 2026. The brand is also unveiling the FLOOR ONE S11 Artist Fusion Steam, FLOOR ONE S9 Artist Boost Steam and PURE ONE STATION 7 ZeroTouch, all making their global debut at the event. Beyond these floor care launches, Tineco’s IFA presence spans floor washers, carpet cleaners, vacuum cleaners and smart kitchen products, with additional new products and technologies on display across the portfolio. Together, the lineup brings Tineco’s “The Future Cleans Itself” theme to life through technology designed to make everyday home care simpler.

*Source: Euromonitor International (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.; measured in terms of the brand’s global retail sales volume (in units) of household wet & dry vacuum cleaners in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Household wet & dry vacuum cleaners are defined as household cleaners that dispense clean water (or cleaning solution) to wash hard floors and vacuum the dirty water and debris thereafter. Based on research completed in March 2026.

Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact: 30-second review

The Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact might be a bit of a mouthful to say, but there's plenty to like about this air fryer.

Things start off well when you open the box with a useful quick start guide and fun little cookbook with over 20 recipes, showing you the range of possibilities available with this appliance.

With roast, grill and bake modes alongside the standard air fry function, and with an 8.6L basket that also has a divider so you can cook two things simultaneously, the Twinfry Compact could replace multiple appliances in your kitchen.

From crispy chicken wings, roast potatoes and wonderfully baked cakes, to gooey cookies, grilled burgers, and reheated pizza, I enjoyed using this air fryer.

The controls are straight forward, the basket is easy to clean, and it's not going to set you back as much as some of the more premium machines - while giving you results which are almost as good as expensive rivals.

It's a large device, so those with smaller kitchens might struggle to fit it in, while the lack of a shake reminder means you'll need to be vigilant when it's in use to make sure your food is turned/tossed correctly.

But these are minor points against what is a very capable air fryer, and one you should consider buying — especially if you can find it discounted.

Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact: price and availability

• £159.99, but I’ve seen it discounted to £130
• This model isn't available in the US and Australia

The Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact Air Fryer price is £159.99, putting it in the middle of the larger-basket market, although I have seen it discounted to £130 at some retailers, so it’s worth shopping around to find the best price.

That means the Twinfry Compact finds itself up against some strong competition, including the Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket and Tower Elite 11 Litre Flexi Drawer.

The list price equates to around $220 / AU$300, but this particular model isn't available in the US and Australia.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact: specifications

Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact: design

• Well designed with clear buttons and useful quick-start guide
• You can split the basket in two, and there are six preset modes
• No shake reminder or window on the basket

The Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact Air Fryer is nicely designed, with a sleek matte finish and clear controls. Sure it’s on the larger side, but the sizable 8.6L basket has to go somewhere.

It does mean you’ll need a chunk of worksurface space to fit the 339cm (D) x 482cm (W) x 281cm (H) machine, so those with smaller kitchens might find it a struggle to comfortably place this air fryer, or have enough space in a cupboard to store it. If you are tight on counter space, consider a smaller basket air fryer, or a vertically stacked, dual-basket option such as the Philips 4000 Series Stacked Dual Basket or Ninja Double Stack XL.

You can split the 8.6L basket into two 4.3L offerings with the included divider in the box. This allows you to cook two separate foods, at different settings, simultaneously, offering greater flexibility.

Get past the size though, and there’s a lot to like. I was particularly impressed with the quick start guide in the box, which explained the main functions clearly and offered up a big table of different foods with the best cooking mode, temperature and time. This makes it really easy to get cooking.

What helps the Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact stand out from the crowd however, is its four heating elements. Two above, and two below the basket, providing even heat above and below your food, for an improved cook.

You get six preset cooking modes too, with Air Fry, Roast, Grill, Bake, Reheat, and Dry - but there are no food-specific presets like you see on some air fryers.

I do like the button layout on this appliance, with clearly labelled buttons making it easy to select if you’re cooking on one side of the basket, or doing a large batch in the whole thing — Cosori calls this the 'grandzone'.

Temperature and time are easily adjusted with up and down arrow buttons, while the ‘match’ button can copy the settings from one side of the basket to the other, and sync allows you to cook two foods in each side of the basket for different durations, but have them finish at the same time by delaying the start of the side with the shorter time.

There’s no shake reminder though, which is a small miss as you need to remember to shake or turn the food yourself. There’s also no window on the basket, so you can’t keep an eye on the food while it cooks, you have to remove the basket which pauses cooking.

When you come to remove the basket from the air fryer, the large handle that runs the full width of the basket makes it easy to grip and move around. Although, if you’ve loaded up the basket with food it can be heavy, so you’ll need to use both hands.

Before you put any food in the air fryer for the first time though, you need to wash the basket and pop the air fryer through a test run. The manual says to run the Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact for five minutes at 200C (give the basket, divider and trays a quick wash first) to ensure it's working and to remove any residue on components. During this time it will smell a bit, but don’t worry as it’s doing what it needs to.

Cleaning is pretty easy too. The basket, divider and trays are all dishwasher safe, while you can also hand wash them with warm water, mild soap, and a non-abrasive sponge. The size of the basket does mean washing it in smaller kitchen sinks can be a touch tricky, but it’s not a huge issue.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact: performance

• Great results from air fry, bake, grill and roast modes
• It takes time to fully understand the best temps and timings
• Opt for shorter cook times, to avoid burning food

At 60dB (from my own tests), the fans on this air fryer are noisier than some, so you’ll be well aware that it’s on and cooking. It’s not loud enough to drown out conversation, but you might want to take a step or two away from it if you are chatting to someone.

Whenever I review a large basket air fryer one of my go-to first cooks is pizza. When I tested the Tower Elite 11 Litre Flexi Drawer I was able to fit a small circular pizza in the drawer. With the Cosori, the basket isn’t as big, nor as deep as the Tower, which means I had to slice my pizza in half to fit it in the basket.

Round pizza

Cooked using Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact Air Fryer

Before

After

This wasn’t an issue as it was a fresh pie, but had I purchased a frozen pizza I wouldn’t have been able to cook it in this air fryer. I selected air fry mode, set the temperature to 180C and the time to eight minutes.

After six minutes the pizza was done, with a crispy base and melted cheese making for a satisfying lunch. I returned a few days later with an oval pizza that I could easily fit in the basket. Another six minutes at 180C and again I had a nicely cooked pizza. It’s quicker and easier than using the oven.

Frozen fries

Cooked using Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact Air Fryer

Before

After

I was also able to air fry a large batch of delicious homemade fries (200C for 20 minutes), that came out wonderfully crispy on the outside while remaining fluffy in the middle.

Frozen fries come out equally as well, with the same temperature and duration as their homemade counterparts to achieve a similar cook. The adjustment I made when I came to cook fries again was to reduce the time by a couple of minutes, to avoid the outside of the fries being quite so well done.

Chicken wings

Cooked using Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact Air Fryer

Before

After

Chicken wings, coated in a buffalo ranch rub, came out with wonderfully crispy skin and succulent meat after 20 minutes at 185C.

I was able to fit eight full size wings in the basket, and I might have been able to squeeze one or two more in if I bunch them up a bit, but I didn't want to compromise the cook.

While they were very good, they weren't quite as moist inside as the wings I steam fried in the Philips 5000 series.

Cookie cup

Baked using Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact Air Fryer

Before

After

I also tried a Marks & Spencer cookie cup, currently doing the rounds on social in the UK as a must-try air fryer treat. I went for the Smores Cookie cup, and after 10 minutes in zone 1 (the left side of the basket) at 160C I got a cup that oozed chocolate topped with nicely toasted marshmallows.

And while we’re on the subject of sweet treats, the bake mode was another favorite of mine, with the Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact capable of excellent results. I cooked a simple banana bread in the grandzone for 25 minutes at 160C, and a further 20 minutes at 140C.

It rose wonderfully, and delivered an excellent bake that was soft, fluffy and flavourful. I also whipped up a batch of cookies, and on the bake mode for eight minutes at 175C I was treated to gooey-centered delights with a crispy exterior. The cook on them wasn't quite as impressive as the more premium Philips 5000 series I had recently tested, but they were still tasty.

Banana bread

Baked using Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact Air Fryer

Before

After

The roast mode is also a useful addition. I was able to cook fluffy roast potatoes (with a reasonably crispy exterior) in less time, and using less power than my oven. And there was no need to par boil them either.

I cooked them for 25 minutes at 200C using the roast mode, and while you'll get crispier results using an oven, the Cosori is a great option when you're looking for faster results.

I roasted the potatoes alongside broccoli and sprouts, using the divider so the vegetables could be cooked for 15 minutes at 190C (per Cosori’s own instructions).

This turned out to be too long, as after 10 minutes they were already overcooked. An example of the initial trial and error required when understanding a new air fryer. However, for chunkier veg — such as carrots and parsnips - this setting works much better.

One of the slightly more unusual cooking modes available here is grill, but it works surprisingly well. I tested it out with four beef burgers, with the quick start guide that came with the air fryer suggesting I cook them for 11 minutes at 230C.

I was initially worried when I pulled them out at the end that they could be overcooked, but I was happy to find they were still juicy in the middle. You wouldn’t know it was the work of an air fryer rather than a traditional grill, and it was incredibly easy to do.

If you are someone who grills a lot, the Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact can replace your traditional grill, as well as being a strong air fryer and baking machine.

Burgers

Cooked using Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact Air Fryer

Before

After

Something I did notice was you want to lean towards the shorter end of cooking times, because if forget about the air fryer, or set the timer for the higher end of a cooking range, you might find food gets a little cremated.

This is all part of the air fryer ownership journey, and during the first couple of weeks you’ll need to spend some time closely monitoring how quickly food is cooking to get a better understanding of the performance.

The lack of a shake reminder means it’s easier to forget about checking how your food is getting. But don’t let this put you off. All air fryers come with this learning curve, and with the Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact less tends to be more when it comes to cooking duration.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact?

Buy it if

Don’t buy it if

Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact: also consider

How I tested the Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact

• I used the Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact for multiple weeks in my kitchen
• I cooked a variety of food, including fries, cakes, vegetables, pizza and meat
• I tested the various cooking modes, and the cleaning process

For my review of the Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact Air Fryer, I used it for a number of weeks at home, cooking a wide variety of food and testing out the various functions.

I baked cakes and cookies, air fried fries, chicken wings and pizza, roasted potatoes and vegetables, and grilled kebabs and burgers. I even reheated leftover pizza the next day - which was sensational on a slight hangover.

I also hand-washed the components, and ran them through a dishwasher, to ensure cleaning and maintenance was easy.

First reviewed September 2026

As TechRadar Australia’s resident coffee connoisseur and gatekeeper of our guide to the best coffee machines, I’m constantly on the lookout for exceptional coffee machine deals on the most talented models. This week’s search was made easy, thanks to a 26% saving on the Philips Baristina, bringing it down to AU$444.

The Baristina is my pick for the best budget coffee machine in Australia in the aforementioned guide, thanks to its ease of use, clever features, tasty espresso and, of course, its low price. Its full price of AU$599 can easily be considered affordable compared to other models that typically carry a four-figure tag, but this solid discount makes it all the more tempting.

My colleague Cat Ellis — who is also a trained barista — couldn’t have been more positive in her Philips Baristina review, loving the fact that it combines the best of bean-to-cup machines with the convenience of capsule models.

It handles all aspects of the coffee-making process — grinding, dosing, tamping and brewing — all the while putting on a show. Once you’ve inserted the portafilter into position, the Baristina will automatically move it across to the brewing position when it’s finished grinding and tamping. It’s this feature alone that makes it unlike any other coffee machine Cat or I have previously tested.

It’s not without its limitations: it can only brew a 40ml espresso or a 110ml lungo, for example — there’s no extensive menu of drink options to choose from here — and you can’t adjust the grind size. This need not be a deal breaker, however, as you may just need to conduct some trial and error with coffee bean varieties if you find your espresso tastes over- or under-extracted.

There’s also no way to steam milk, although a colour-matching Philips Baristina milk frother is available separately — or you can buy this as a complete bundle for the same cumulative price.

In my mind, these are minor niggles that are either non-issues or which can be easily resolved. The combination of good looks, intuitive features and consistently well-extracted espresso more than makes up for them. If your kitchen is crying out for an affordable coffee machine, the Philips Baristina is ideal.

Want more suggestions?

If you’re in the market for a coffee machine, but the Philips Baristina doesn’t seem like it will fill your caffeine void, Amazon AU currently has a number of other wonderful models on sale, with up to 53% off.

Philips 5000 Series Megabasket with Steam Air Fryer: 30-second review

The Philips 5000 Series Megabasket with Steam Air Fryer is an air fryer and then some.

Sure it does a great job at being an air fryer, and so it should for the premium price tag it comes in at. The sizable 9.5L basket offers plenty of space for family-sized portions, while the handy divider allows you to cook two different foods, at differing durations and temperatures, simultaneously. It’s pretty par for the course these days, but the 5000 Series Megabasket is only just getting started.

Things are turned up a notch with the steam functionality Philips has built in. Being able to perfectly steam vegetables, fish and dumplings without the need for a separate appliance saves on counter and cupboard space, and the results here are just as good as the air fryer.

However, the versatility is kicked into overdrive with the streamfry function, allowing you to bring the best of both worlds to your food. The crispy finish of an air fryer combined with the moisture locking abilities of steam. The result? Some of the best chicken wings I’ve ever made.

All this functionality not only comes at a cost to your wallet, but also your counter top. This is a wide, tall air fryer that requires plenty of space — especially when using the steam or steamfry function, as the water vapor vents from the rear.

I’m a big fan of Philips’ controls though. The touch buttons are intuitively laid out, with easily recognizable icons that require little reference to the manual to work out - that can’t be said of all air fryer brands.

The basket, trays and divider are dishwasher safe, and you can also use the steam function to give the appliance its own steam clean. You will need to give the top a wipe every now and then, as the glossy finish attracts grime — but it’s a minor point in what is an overwise excellent appliance.

Whether you’re looking to make cakes, cookies, sausages, chicken wings, fish, vegetables, fries, dumplings or pretty much anything else, the Philips 5000 Series Megabasket delivers consistently great results.

Philips 5000 Series Megabasket with Steam Air Fryer price and availability

• At £259.99 (about $350 / AU$490), it’s at the premium end of the air fryer market
• Available in the UK, but not in the US or Australia

The Philips 5000 Series Megabasket with Steam Air Fryer price is £259.99 (about $350 / AU$490), putting it at the premium end of the market, and pits it against the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket in the larger-basket arena.

There are cheaper, big-basket air fryers on the market that also perform well, with the Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket and Tower Elite 11 Litre Flexi Drawer both coming in at around half the price of the 5000 Series.

This exact model (the NA465) isn’t available in the US and Australia, with these regions instead getting the $349.99 / AU$499 5000 Series Dual-Basket Airfryer with Steam (NA551) with two separate drawers, rather than one large one.

• Value score: 4/5

Philips 5000 Series Megabasket with Steam Air Fryer: specifications

Philips 5000 Series Megabasket with Steam Air Fryer: design

• Wide and tall, but for good reason
• Set of tongs included in the box is a nice touch
• Touch controls are easy to understand and well laid out

The Philips 5000 Series Megabasket with Steam Air Fryer is big, it’s almost as if a UFO has landed on your worktop. Wide and tall, it dominates the kitchen counter — but for good reason.

The spacious 9.5L basket provides great flexibility as one large cooking space big enough for 2.5kg of fries, 1.9kg of ribs, or whole chicken, but can easily be split into 3L and 6L baskets with the included divider. This allows you to cook two separate things, at different temperatures and durations, at the same time.

You can even just choose to use one of the sides only, saving on power consumption when cooking smaller portions.

The only small issue with the basket is its handles, which consist of two small protrusions on either side. It means you have to use two hands to open the drawer, and to lift and carry it.

When the basket is fully loaded with food, it’s heavy so you’ll be using two hands anyway, but for times when you want to quickly check on cooking progress, you can’t open it with just one.

The additional height of this air fryer is down to the inclusion of Philips’ clever steam function, giving you more ways to cook from a single machine. You can steam food in this air fryer, as well as 'Steamfry', which combines both cooking methods.

What this means is you’ll need to consider where you want the air fryer to go, and whether you have suitable space for this 496mm x 329mm x 355mm model to fit - especially if you have low-hung wall cabinets over your worktops.

Hot air vents from the rear of the machine, so you need to leave space between it and the wall, and when using the steam function water vapor will also rise from the back of the machine.

The one meter power cable will be long enough for most kitchen setups, and the Philips 5000 Series comes with a clip-on cable tidy for the rear to keep things neat if you like to store your air fryer in a cupboard when not in use. Although, it’ll need to be a sizable cupboard.

A nice inclusion in the box was a set of tongs, a particularly useful addition when cooking with an air fryer, as it makes tossing food and removing it from the basket much easier.

There’s also a paper manual in the box that covers all the basics, mainly via pictorial guides, but for those who want a more detailed breakdown of functionality you’ll need to download the free HomeID app on your phone.

What isn’t made obvious out of the box is the need to run the air fryer empty initially to burn off the protective shipping coating.

Diving into the app deeper, Philips advises to wash the basket and accessories with a soft sponge, water and washing up liquid, dry them, and then run the air fryer empty, a 200C, for the maximum cook time (which for this model is 180 minutes).

That seemed excessive to me. I did an initial four minute cycle at 180C, allowed the basket to cool down, and then washed it, the divider, and the crisp trays, and set the machine at 200C for 50 minutes. The smell did get very strong during this time, but it did the trick.

When I came to cook with the air fryer for the first time, there was a slight smell during cooking, but it didn’t transfer to the food.

The controls here are excellent, just as they are on the Philips 4000 Series Stacked Dual Basket Air Fryer. The illuminated touch buttons on the top of the machine make it really easy to select the basket size you wish to cook with, and to set the temperature and time.

The only slight negative against this design is the glossy black surface quickly gets dirty, and shows up finger smudges. Plus, if your hands aren’t clean it can sometimes struggle to pick up your presses.

There are a number of presets to pick from too (frozen fries, mixed vegetables, chicken drumsticks, tray bakes, fish, dumplings, reheat), if you want to just press and play.

While the presets are useful, I did find during my weeks of testing they sometimes needed to be fine tuned to my preferred cook level. It’s all part of the early trial and error of using a new air fryer to work out the times and temps that work best for the food you’re cooking regularly.

When it comes to cleaning, the good news is the basket, trays and divider are all dishwasher safe. If you don’t have access to one, hand washing also works - although the sheer size of the basket means it can be tricky to clean in smaller sinks.

Another nice feature is the steam cleaning function. Simple to enact - just make sure the water reservoir is full and select the steam clean mode - it does a good job of loosening grease and marks in the basket. It means you can just run a cloth or paper towel round the basket and it’s pretty much clean. No need for hard scrubbing. It’s not going to remove stubborn marks or pieces of food debris, but it’s a handy option when only lightly used.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Philips 5000 Series Megabasket with Steam Air Fryer: performance

Performance

• Steam and SteamFry functions are excellent
• Quiet operation
• Great all-round cooking performance

The Philips 5000 Series Megabasket with Steam Air Fryer is one of the quieter models I’ve tested, making it an excellent cooking companion, especially in smaller kitchens as the noise doesn’t dominate the room.

As well as the presets, there are a couple of other useful features here. First is the shake reminder, where the 5000 Series will work out how many shake intervals are required based on the cook duration you’ve set, and will beep at set times to alert you to the fact you need to shake or turn the food in the basket.

This allows you to ensure an even cook, be it fries, chicken wings, vegetables, or pretty much anything else you’re cooking. If you’re not using a preset, you will need to manually enable the shake reminder by pressing the icon on the control panel.

The second handy feature is sync, allowing you to utilize the dual basket setup, and cook two different foods, at different temperatures, for different lengths of time, but have them finish at the same time.

The air fryer delays the start of the side with the shorter cook time, starting it when its duration matches that left on the other side. It’s simple to set up, and works really nicely.

The 5000 Series Megabasket is certainly well equipped, but how does it actually perform when it comes to cooking food?

As this is a large basket air fryer, and given my penchant for consuming pizza, I decided to kick things off with a simple, store-bought margarita. When I reviewed the Tower Elite 11 Litre Flexi Drawer, I was able to fit a whole round (admittedly small) pizza into the basket.

With the Philips, the basket isn’t as deep, which meant I had to slice my circular pizza in half and lay the two halves at an angle in the basket. It worked fine, but if this pizza was frozen rather than fresh, I would be forced to use the oven.

After warming up the air fryer for a couple of minutes first, I cooked the pizza at 190C for nine minutes. It turned out this was a minute or so too long, as the topping came out a little overdone. It was still fine to eat, but a glass window on the basket would have allowed me to keep a better eye on the progress being made. Alas, there’s no window on the basket.

I returned a few days later however with an oval shaped pizza. This easily sat in the basket, and having learned my lesson I cooked it for seven minutes at 180C.

The final cook was much better, with a crisp base and juicy toppings, although I noticed the part of the pizza towards the back of the basket was slightly more cooked than that at the front.

You don’t always get a completely even cook from this air fryer, but it wasn’t a problem during the weeks of cooking I did.

Fries came out great with this air fryer, whether they were frozen or fresh. Crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle, and using the frozen fries setting I got automatic reminders to shake the basket a few times during the 24 minute cook at 200C.

For the fresh fries I had to set the temperature (200C) and time (21 minutes) manually, as well as enable the shake reminder. Still, the results were great.

Baking is another highlight when using the Philips 5000 air fryer, with a simple banana bread recipe producing a moist inside, crunchy-topped loaf with an excellent texture. I cooked it at 160C for 25 minutes, and then 20 minutes at 140C.

I also produced delicious, gooey-centered chocolate cookies, with an eight minute bake at 175C doing the job nicely. The chicken breasts, mixed green vegetables and sausages I also cooked using the air fryer mode all came out well.

But air frying is only part of the story. The reservoir atop this device is the signal this device has more tricks up its sleeve. The Steamfry function, that utilizes both the air frying components along with generating steam, aims to lock in moisture and enhance tenderness, creating juicy and golden textures. Basically, the best of air frying and steaming in one.

And it works really well. I used the entire basket to Streamfry large, hand-seasoned chicken wings on the chicken preset (32 minutes at 200C).

During the cook there are periods of air frying and periods of steaming, the latter of which are obvious as you can hear the steam being produced, and see it vent out the rear of the machine. If you have it up close to a wall, or under a kitchen cabinet, expect significant condensation. I’d recommend giving it plenty of breathing room when using a steam function.

The results were superb. Wonderfully crisp skin, and juicy meat made for a delicious dinner, and had me returning the next day for lunch to cook the rest of the wings I didn’t need the night before.

And when it comes to solely steaming, the 5000 Megabasket performs well yet again. Popping a selection of Japanese chicken and vegetable gyoza into the right side of the basket (steam and steamfry are available in the whole basket, or the right side only) and using the preset dumpling mode produced perfectly steamed, silky pillows.

A word of warning on the presets though, they aren’t a sure-fire win every time. When I cooked some green beans, broccoli, sugar snap peas, I split the batch between the two compartments. The veg I put in the smaller side I air fried, while I opted for steam on the larger side.

I selected the vegetables preset for both, which gave me settings of 200C for 30 minutes for the air fried veg, and 100C for 14 minutes for the steamed side. I also selected the sync option, so both sides would finish at the same time. However, at the first shake reminder for the air fried side (after 15 minutes) it was clear my veg was already overcooked.

I completed the full cycle for both sides, and the air fried veg was cremated. Thankfully, the steamed side had cooked very well, with tender broccoli stems, beans and peas.

Put bigger, chunkier pieces of veg in the air fry side (such as roughly chopped carrots and parsnips) and the preset is closer to what you need. It’s a good reminder that you need to spend time with your air fryer in the initial weeks to find out which settings work best for the food you cook - even with premium models such as the 5000 series.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Philips 5000 Series Megabasket with Steam Air Fryer?

Buy it if

Don’t buy it if

Philips 5000 Series Megabasket with Steam Air Fryer: also consider

How I tested the Philips 5000 Series Megabasket with Steam Air Fryer

• I used the Philips 5000 Series air fryer for multiple weeks in my kitchen
• I cooked a wide variety of food with it, including fries, cakes, vegetables, pizza and meat
• I tested the various cooking functions, and the cleaning process

I spent multiple weeks using the Philips 5000 Series Megabasket with Steam Air Fryer in my kitchen. During that time I cooked using the air fry, steamfry and steam settings, and used the various preset modes, along with manual setting.

I cooked a wide variety of food, including baking cakes and cookies, air frying chips, pizzas, sausages and chicken, steaming vegetables and dumplings, and steam frying chicken wings.

I also tested the steam cleaning function, and cleaned the basket, trays and divider both by hand, and with the dishwasher.

First reviewed August 2026

• There's more evidence of a tie-in with Philips Hue and Nanoleaf
• An official support page appeared and then disappeared
• We could get an announcement about this later in the week

A few days ago we heard some whispers that Philips Hue would be adding support for Nanoleaf Shapes, meaning these lights could be controlled in the app — and now the integration has almost been officially confirmed.

As spotted by Android Authority, a support page for the Nanoleaf integration briefly went up on the Philips Hue website, explaining the types of light that would be supported, and explaining a little bit about how the tie-in will work.

That support page has now promptly disappeared again, suggesting that it was put up too early by mistake. According to the initial rumor, Philips Hue will be adding support for Nanoleaf integration on Thursday, September 3, which seems about right.

Put together that first leak and the brief appearance of an official support page, and it's now looking extremely likely that this will happen. However, until Philips Hue makes the announcement, nothing is guaranteed.

Nanoleaf panels behaving like Hue lights

According to the support page that has now been yanked from the web, the integration means Nanoleaf panels will "behave like a Hue light, ready to be used across your entire smart lighting setup".

There was also a line saying that Nanoleaf panels behave similarly to a gradient striplight", so you should be able to use the standard color wheel in the Philips Hue app to adjust the colors of the Nanoleaf panels you've got connected.

All of this will be made possible through a Philips Hue Wall Light Module that will connect to Nanoleaf devices. The support document lists Nanoleaf Hexagons, Triangles, and Mini Triangles as the smart lights that are going to be supported.

While there are still some questions about exactly how the connectivity is going to work — with a lot of smart home standards to account for — this seems like good news for both Philips Hue and Nanoleaf users.

Terra Kaffe Aero: two-minute review

The Terra Kaffe Aero does what it does well. There are four settings: Cold Foam, Hot Froth, Hot Milk, and Matcha. Just spin the dial and press it to make your selection. In just a few minutes, your beverage will be ready to drink. Cleaning it is super easy, just remove the whisk and hand-wash it, the pitcher, and the lid.

I found that all of the settings worked well. I tested each of the milk settings with skim milk which worked great. I also tested them all with a barista-style pistachio milk which came highly recommended in my research, and that also worked really well. I did try a low-calorie almond milk (not specifically made for frothing, and not recommended, but I had it in the house) and that was a fail, though I can't blame the Aero for that.

I made matcha in the Aero several different ways. Though I'm new to matcha, I thought it turned out just as yummy as the $7 matcha latte I got at my local coffee and tea shop.

Just for kicks, I also made a simple salad dressing. I just put together some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and used the Cold Foam setting. The Terra Kaffe Aero emulsified the dressing beautifully.

If you're looking for a dedicated pitcher-style frother, I don't know how you could really do better than the Terra Kaffe Aero.

Terra Kaffe Aero: price and availability

• Available at Amazon and on Terra Kaffe's website
• Retails for $149.95 (£110.73 GBP/$210.85 AUD)
• Choose Matte Black or Stainless Steel

The Terra Kaffe Aero milk frother is currently available on Amazon and on Terra Kaffe's own website. The retail price is $149.95 (£110.73 GBP/$210.85 AUD). It comes in two different colorways, Matte Black or Stainless Steel, though both color options refer only to the pitcher itself. The base is matte black on both models.

Terra Kaffe Aero: specs

Terra Kaffe Aero: design

• Attractive and simple design
• Interchangeable whisks for milk or matcha
• Four settings

The Terra Kaffe Aero is an elegantly designed multi-use milk frother. It's nice-looking and it's something you won't mind having out on your kitchen counter.

The Aero comes with two different whisks, one for milk and one for matcha. Place your whisk of choice in the bottom of the pitcher until it clicks into place. Add your liquid, the minimum and maximum fill lines are clearly printed on the inside. Place the lid on top and the pitcher on the base. Spin the dial on the base until you get to the one you want and then press it. The base is magnetized, which is how it controls the whisk from inside the pitcher. Progress lights show you how your beverage is coming along and a series of beeps let you know it's complete.

There is a "hidden" settings menu on the Terra Kaffe Aero. To access it, turn the dial to select the drink setting you wish to adjust. Double click the dial (press twice within .7 seconds) to enter that drink's settings menu. The selected drink will flash and the current setting will be indicated by the number of LED lights. For the Hot Milk and Matcha settings, turn the dial to adjust the temperature. For the Cold Foam and Hot Froth settings, turning the dial will adjust the amount of froth.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Terra Kaffe Aero: performance

• Couldn't be easier to use
• Takes just over three minutes
• Beautiful foam from both dairy and plant milk

I put the Terra Kaffe Aero through its paces, and overall I think it did a great job. The foams held up nicely, even after stirring. I tested each of the settings, Cold Foam, Hot Froth, Hot Milk, and Matcha several times. I tried out both dairy milk and plant milk, and learned some things along the way.

Hot froth (dairy milk)

I prefer skim milk, so that's what I used. A dairy milk with a bit of fat in it will likely foam up even better, but I was happy with the results I got using skim. Surprisingly, whole milk and cream are not the best milks for frothing, as they have too much fat. Two percent is the ideal frothing milk.

I started with the Hot Froth setting, pouring in skim milk up to the minimum fill line. I thought the foam was just lovely, as you can see in my series of photos below. The foam held up fine to stirring.

Cold foam (dairy milk)

The Cold Foam setting with skim milk also came out great. It's perfect for iced coffee and other cold beverages.

Hot milk (dairy milk)

The Hot Milk setting with skim milk turned out fine, though it perhaps produced more foam than I was expecting. If you hate foam and just want the milk hot, you're better off using a different method of heating your milk. If you don't mind a bit of foam, this will work for you.

Plant-based milks

First I tried frothing a random low-calorie almond milk I had in the house. Don't bother with this. After that complete fail, I did some research about the best plant-based milks for frothing, and the one I had just tried was at the bottom of the barrel.

There are a few exceptions, but the easiest way to choose a plant milk that will froth properly is to pick one that says "barista" right on the label. The barista milks are made for frothing and they have enough fat (or gums or other additives) to do so. I chose a barista-labeled pistachio milk without gums but with a good amount of fat in it. I picked this one for its mild, milky flavor, but you could also use other nut milks or soy, oat, or pea milk. As long as it says barista on the label, you're good to go. If you can't find one with the barista labeling, at least look for a full-fat plant milk. Oat and soy are supposed to be particularly good for this.

I used the barista-style plant milk to make both hot froth and cold foam several times. It worked really well, in fact it was just about the same as the dairy milk.

Matcha

I had never actually had matcha before, so my son suggested that I try one a coffee/tea shop before reviewing the Terra Kaffe Aero. That way I'd know what it's "supposed" to taste like before making it myself. I did so and was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked it. I don't really like green tea or even black tea all that much, but matcha has more of a mild taste in my opinion.

Matcha is traditionally made with a fair amount of equipment, including a sieve and a bamboo whisk. Enthusiasts will also use a scale to measure out the amount of matcha powder and water with precision.

I made matcha in the Terra Kaffe Aero a bunch of times, using instructions I found online specifically for using a milk frother as opposed to using all of the "proper" equipment. I purchased some ceremonial-grade (which is a higher grade than culinary) matcha powder, which came with a measuring scoop. I used that for measuring the powder rather than a scale. I did not sift the powder through a sieve, though my results might have been better if I had: I usually had a bit of powder at the bottom of my cup.

At any rate, I found two different basic recommended methods in my research: make the matcha in water and then add milk, or make the matcha directly in the milk. I found I preferred the former method, because the latter resulted in a too-milky beverage for my taste. However, both methods worked just fine in the Terra Kaffe Auto.

I will note that I did get a bit of powder left at the bottom of my matcha drinks. So it's not a perfect system, but it's a heck of a lot easier than doing it the traditional way.

And more

Just for fun, I decided to make a simple salad dressing. I don't know about you, but I hate salad dressings where the oil and vinegar elements are separated. I prefer my dressings totally emulsified. So, I poured a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar into the Aero and started the Cold Foam cycle. Not that I was looking for foam, but I definitely didn't want it hot. The results: a perfectly emulsified and delicious salad dressing. There was a tiny bit of foam but it disappeared when I poured it onto my salad.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Terra Kaffe Aero?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Terra Kaffe Aero: also consider

How I tested the Terra Kaffe Aero

I tested all of the settings: Hot Froth, Hot Milk, Cold Foam, and Matcha multiple times. I tested skim dairy milk and two different plant-based milks. I made matcha in water and tried it straight, added frothed milk to it, and made the matcha directly in milk. I tested it both hot and iced. I also made a simple salad dressing on the Cold Foam setting.

First reviewed August 2026

Plug-in solar is no longer a grey area. Kits under 800VA are now legal to buy and connect to a standard socket; no installer required. The government has been promising this since March. Now it is finally here.

But legal does not mean simple. The market has split into three very different products, sold under one loose banner. Solar-only kits that plug straight into a socket — these are then ones that have just been made legal. Then there are battery-only power stations that store grid electricity for later, which still need professional installation. Lastly, there are solar-plus-battery systems that do both. Each behaves differently. Each saves a different amount. And, crucially, only the first one is actually covered by the new rules.

I started my solar journey about a year ago, initially with batteries and now branching into solar panels. But with the advent of new rules and new products, the market is opening up for those who want to turn a modest investment into a reduction in every electricity bill merely by deploying a few solar panels and connecting them to a wall socket.

To help you decide whether or not to buy a plug-in solar kit, or opt for one of the other two options, I've crunched the numbers below for all three scenarios — and thrown in my personal experiences over the past year.

How much can you save?

This question takes inspiration from the classic “how long is a piece of string?”, because there are many factors that impact the answer. These include where you live, the underlying cost of power in that region, the equipment you plan to deploy, and the tariffs you will use with the hardware.

If we consider three basic scenarios: solar only, solar with battery and battery-only, then the amount each requires in investment and the cost benefits vary significantly.

Let's look at each of these and see how much you can spend, how much the return might be, and how that influences the payback period.

Solar only: the numbers brands are quoting

On the solar-only pathway, EcoFlow says its standard kit, two 400W panels and a microinverter, can save you up to £115 a year. That fits the government's estimate that the newly-legalised plug-in solar can save you "up to £110 a year".

So what's the payback period? The EcoFlow panels cost around £299, and the microinverter is about £100, so the payback would be roughly four years. A retail provider, City Plumbing, puts a good 800W kit at £100 to £250 a year, with a four-to six-year payback on hardware costing £600 to £1,000.

Independent estimates land lower and more cautiously. One detailed breakdown puts realistic savings at £40 to £85 a year for an 800W kit, because without battery storage, you only self-consume between 25-40% of what the panels generate. The rest goes nowhere useful, since you have no battery to hold it and, without MCS certification, no export tariff to sell it into either.

That last point matters more than any brochure figure. A solar-only kit under the new rules cannot claim the Smart Export Guarantee. There is no MCS certification path for an 800VA socket device. So every kilowatt hour you don't use the moment it is generated is simply wasted. Real savings depend entirely on how much daytime electricity your home actually uses with the fridge, router, standby devices, the odd load of washing.

A sensible expectation for a solar-only kit is in the £70 to £110 a year ballpark, weighted toward the low end unless your daytime usage is unusually high. Most of that saving comes in the summer months, with much less in winter.

The answer to the solar-energy-you-can’t-use dilemma is a battery, because then you can use every part of the solar generation. If your standing demand is less than what you generate, then the excess can go into a battery that you then use when solar is below that threshold.

Plug-in batteries aren't currently legal in the UK, despite the likes of Octopus Energy telling us recently that they are "the real game-changer". That means that, right now, going this route requires some professional help — but it can also open up much bigger savings...

Battery only: a different game entirely

What do you do if you don’t have a good location for solar panels to be hung or mounted, or if you rent a property that doesn’t allow things to be hung on balconies?

What many people don’t realise is that the price of power varies over a typical day, being relatively cheap at low-demand times, like the middle of the day, and becoming more expensive between 4pm and 7pm, when lots of people start cooking.

There are tariffs, such as Octopus Agile, that break the day into 30-minute slices with different prices for each, and these amounts vary based on wholesale energy costs and how renewable resources are affected by the weather (for example, if it's windy).

With a battery, you can capture power from the grid when it's cheap, and then use it when the price is elevated. And, depending on how much battery capacity you have and how it's wired to the property, you could even make a profit by selling it back to the grid during peak demand.

A good example of this is offered by the Zendure Hyper 2000, an inverter designed to couple batteries (and solar) to the electrics of the home. It charges overnight on a tariff like Octopus Go, roughly 9p per kilowatt-hour, then discharges through the day when the standard rate sits around 24.67p. Do that consistently on an appropriately-sized battery and Zendure's own figures suggest £250 to £300 a year is realistic, once you count that alongside any solar contribution.

Solar and battery combined: the biggest savings, with the biggest asterisk

This is where the most eye-catching claims live. One comparison site quotes 90% self-consumption on an 860kWh annual generation figure, working out at roughly £191 a year. Another puts the jump plainly: without a battery, you self-consume 30 to 40 per cent of what you generate. With one, you jump to between 85 and 93 per cent. That is the difference between an £80-a-year system and a £180-a-year one, but getting that saving requires additional investment.

For example, Anker's Solix Solarbank E1600 is a 1.6kWh battery, rated for 6,000 cycles with still 80% capacity, which works out to over 16 years of daily use for roughly £910 up front. Similarly, the EcoFlow Stream series integrates the microinverter and battery management directly, which is more efficient than bolting a separate power station onto a standard microinverter. The Stream Ultra costs £900, offers 1.92kWh capacity, and can connect 2800W of solar input.

Realistic savings for a properly installed solar plus battery balcony system? About £150 to £300 a year, with the top end reserved for households that also actively manage a time-of-use tariff and have the battery capacity to exploit when prices are low.

A slight snag...

The new interim specification from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero covers solar generation only. It says plainly that these socket-connected devices must not be used with a battery storage system.

So the tidy, self-contained kits with a battery built in, the ones EcoFlow, Anker, and Bluetti are currently selling as balcony solar, do not qualify for the simple socket route at all. They still need a hardwired connection through a fused spur, fitted by a qualified electrician, notified to your network operator under G98 within 28 days.

This may change, but that’s where the regulations stand as of August 27 2026.

My own journey

My electricity bill alone in 2025 was £1,543.80, which was sufficient motivation to do something about it.

The approach I took was to buy an EcoFlow Stream Ultra X, a 3.84 kWh LFP battery, and have it professionally connected to my mains power through a fused spur. That only happened at the end of April, so I’ve only been running on battery support since then.

In those four months, I’ve used Octopus Agile and reviewed the power profile each day to optimise when I collect power at the cheapest rate. I’ve experimented with attaching some solar panels to see what that brings to the table, and I will probably add roof-mounted solar next year.

Running with a battery for four months, at the two-thirds point of the year, we’re at roughly £900 spent on power, meaning that this year should top out at about £1350, making for about a £200 advantage. But looking at the year breakdown, I’m consuming more power but paying less for it. I’m expecting that number to be closer to £350 by the time 2027 rolls around. But that doesn’t factor in the price rises that might have pushed my bill up.

To get that improvement, I’ve invested £1,250 in battery technology, and I’ve also had a new consumer unit fitted that cost almost as much. Therefore, my payback is closer to eight years, but only based on current power costs, not what they might be in 2034.

With this working as well as it seems, I’ve doubled down, bought a second Stream Ultra X, and I’m going to add solar to the mix soon.

New products I’ll be looking at in the coming months, like the EcoFlow Stream 5000 and EcoFlow Gateway, might further skew my plans, depending on what they bring to this power party.

Plug-in solar: the bottom line

Plug-in solar going legal on August 27 is genuinely useful news for renters and flat dwellers who have had no route into solar at all.

But the marketing gap between "up to £110 a year" and the more sober £40 to £85 a year some analysts are quoting is wide, and the reason is simple. Brochure figures assume ideal conditions and often quietly assume a battery, which the new simplified rules do not actually permit.

Treat solar-only kits as a modest, genuinely no-fuss saving in the £70 to £150 bracket. Treat battery-only setups as a tariff arbitrage tool worth £150 to £250 a year if you have the right rate. And treat combined systems as the strongest performer, £150 to £300 a year, but budget for an electrician and G98 paperwork rather than a Sunday afternoon plug-and-play job.

None of these numbers replaces a proper rooftop installation. But for a segment of the market that has had nothing available to it until now, even the conservative figures represent a real, if modest, win.

However, it’s also worth saying that there are at least two reasons you should be considering it even if the current savings seem modest. First, a simple solar-only deployment is the first rung on a ladder to power self-sufficiency; second, grid power isn’t getting any cheaper in the foreseeable future.

It’s about time we stopped accepting that utility services only go up in price, and now it's possible to actually do something about it.

Ninja CrushBOSS: one-minute review

The Ninja CrushBOSS is an impressive three-in-one kitchen system. The largest container, a 72-ounce pitcher blender is made for blending big batches of whatever foods and beverages you like. The medium-sized 64-ounce container is a food processor, to which you can attach a handful of different blades that slice, dice, and shred various foods. The food processor bowl also has a tower blade for blending and a dough blade for making breads. The smallest vessel is a 26-ounce tumbler is perfect for single-serve smoothies, iced coffees, and slushies. It comes with a sipping lid and straw so you can just blend and go.

I put the whole system through its paces and was impressed with the results. If you're in the market for both a blender and a food processor, especially if you want both large and single-serve blenders, you can save money by just buying the Ninja CrushBOSS.

I have to admit that unboxing this system felt a bit intimidating. There are a lot of parts. That is the point of it, of course — to be everything for everyone — but be prepared to take some time to learn how all of the parts fit together and how it all works. You'll be washing a lot of dishes. Plus, some of the pieces do nest, but you're still looking at a lot of storage space for all the bits and bobs.

Ninja CrushBOSS: price and availability

• List price: $319.99 / £239.99 (about AU$450)
• Available direct from Ninja, and from third-party retailers including Amazon

The Ninja CrushBOSS is being sold on Ninja's own website and third-party retailers in the US and UK, with a list price of $319.99 / £239.99 for the unit with all attachments. That's about AU$450, but we don't yet have a release date for the CrushBOSS in Australia. Colorways include Midnight Blue, Black & Copper, Stone & Gold, Mocha & Gold, Bone & White Gold, and Onyx — with more colors coming by the end of 2026.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Ninja CrushBOSS: specifications

Ninja CrushBOSS: design and features

• Three blending/processing vessels
• Three blending programs
• 1,200-watt motor

The Ninja CrushBOSS base suctions to your counter for stability. It comes with three different containers: a 72-ounce blending pitcher, a 64-ounce processing bowl, and a 26-ounce tumbler. Clean each of these containers by filling partway with water, adding a couple drops of dish soap, and blending.

The 72-ounce blending pitcher comes with a tower blade. There is a pour spout in the lid; for thinner liquids you can pop up the spout cap and pour from the pitcher. For thicker ones, you'll remove the whole lid and the blade before pouring out and scraping with a spatula if needed.

The 36-ounce processing bowl comes with a chopping blade, dough blade, and multiblade disc. There are optional attachments that fit into the multiblade disc, including thin slice, thick slide, shred, crinkle cut, french fry, and julienne. This bowl's lid includes a feed chute and pusher.

Finally, the 26-ounce single-serve tumbler comes with a sipping lid and a straw, so you can just blend your favorite frozen beverage and go.

The base suctions onto your counter for stability. It's sleek and classy-looking. The containers slide and lock into place securely.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja CrushBOSS: performance

Full-sized blender

Using the 72-ounce blender container, I made a smoothie using frozen fruit and juice in roughly equal proportions. I used the SmoothSense setting, which automatically detects the amount of solids and liquids in the vessel. The motor will stop and start, using the appropriate speeds to deliver smooth results. This turned out great.

I also tried make a simple frozen yogurt with just frozen fruit and yogurt, this didn't blend up all that smoothly. If I had used any liquid, or possessed more patience, I could have easily made this a lot smoother. At the very least, I should have scraped down the sides and blended it once more. It's pretty chunky-looking but it still tasted great.

Food processor

The first thing I did with the 64-ounce food processor container was to crinkle-cut some carrots. It took me a little time to assemble the blades properly and peel the carrots. But once I dropped them into the food chute, it took only a second or two to totally cut up three carrots.

Next I diced a sweet potato. Ninja's instructions say that you need to soften fibrous foods like sweet potatoes before processing. This is not necessary for regular white potatoes. I followed the instructions and air-fried the sweet potato whole for 10 minutes first and allowed it to cool. Again, once my sweet potato and the blades were ready to go, the Ninja CrushBOSS took only a couple of seconds to dice the entire sweet potato. Once diced, a quick air-fry (yes, quicker than I expected, I over-cooked it a bit) and it was ready to eat.

I shredded some hard parmesan cheese, using the shredding multiblade attachment. Like the other blades, it's super fast. However, a rather large chunk of parmesan got caught between the blade and the lid and wouldn't shred, as you can see in my photos below.

Then I tried a slightly softer cheese, a Swiss. This one also shredded in just a few seconds, and the chunks left after shredding were much smaller.

Next I tried the blade tower, which is centered inside the food processor bowl, just like a blender blade (as opposed to the multiblade system, which sits just under the lid). I made some coarse oat flour. Again, this was super fast. I probably could have run it again if I wanted the flour to be finer, but this was fine for me.

Next I blended some protein pancake batter in the food processor bowl. Of course, the Ninja CrushBOSS made quick work of this. The batter came out pretty smooth and cooked up beautifully.

I made some hummus, which made me question why I ever bought pre-made hummus from the store! It's so quick and easy with a blender/food processor like the Ninja CrushBOSS. And it's much tastier. I did scrape down the sides after the initial processing session and process it again. It was worth the extra cycle to get a totally uniform result, though if you like it chunky, that's not necessary.

Tumbler cup

The single-serve tumbler cup assembly is just like the Ninja BlendBOSS. Just put in your ingredients, screw on the blade lid, and twist it into place on the power base. You do need to have a bit of liquid in order to blend properly, but as long as you do, everything comes out great. Even ice is totally obliterated. I made this banana peanut butter smoothie which came out totally smooth.

I made a very similar smoothie, this one was banana chocolate. It was also amazing.

I made a simple lemonade slushie, just ice, water, lemon juice, and vanilla syrup. This was a quick and tasty treat. Though the ice was thoroughly crushed, the mixture wasn't totally homogenous. The icy part and the liquid part tended to separate as I drank it.

I also used this smaller blender cup to prepare some frozen treats in the Ninja Creami Swirl. I started with a pistachio-flavored healthier ice cream, which included whole pistachios and dates. These can be challenging to blend, but the resulting mixture was smooth. There was a bit of "dust" at the bottom (I probably could have run it twice), but once frozen in the Creami pint, you couldn't tell. This turned out amazing.

I also made a healthier version of Dole whip for the Ninja Creami Swirl. This blended up perfectly and turned out fantastic.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Ninja CrushBOSS?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja CrushBOSS: also consider

If the Ninja CrushBOSS isn't exactly what you're looking for, you might consider the following:

How I tested the Ninja Power CrushBOSS

• I tested all three containers and various multiblade attachments
• I used SmoothSense, PrepIQ, and Custom settings
• I cleaned it after every use

I used the food processor bowl to crinkle-cut carrots, dice a sweet potato, shred both parmesan and Swiss cheeses, make oatmeal flour, blend up hummus, and blend pancake batter. I used the large blender to make frozen yogurt and a fruit smoothie. In the small tumbler blender, I blended two different mixtures to make frozen treats in the Ninja Creami (Dole whip and pistachio ice cream), two different yogurt/frozen fruit smoothies (banana peanut butter and banana chocolate), and a lemonade slushie.

Read more about how we test.