The 12 best deals worth buying at Best Buy's 48-hour sale

Samsung's 12 best Super Bowl TV deals

The big stories took in everything from Spotify to ChatGPT to Netflix, but it was developments in the OLED TV world that really caught our eye, as Sony, TCL, and LG all made major announcements.

Best of all, the trio might not just revolutionize the already best-of-the-best displays, but also their cheaper models.

How? Well, you'll have to scroll down to find out, so may we suggest you do that now and get up to speed. Enjoy.

7. Whoop clones have thrown us for a loop

It's been a while coming, but we've finally published our reviews of two screenless, fabric-covered fitness trackers – subscription-less rivals to the Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG bands, which we rated as technically excellent but far too expensive.

The Polar Loop was solid in heart-rate tracking, but a letdown with its confusing software choices. The Amazfit Helio Strap was a different matter, though: cheaper than Whoop and Polar, and very good, both in terms of the hardware's capabilities and the app's quality. We duly added it to our best fitness trackers list.

The reviews come at an interesting time, as CES 2026 showcased the next wave of Whoop clones from Luna and Speediance. It looks set to be a crowded category.

• Read more: Amazfit Helio Strap review
• Read more: Polar Loop review

6. Spotify dropped a flawed playlist tool

Following a successful trial run in New Zealand, Spotify is bringing Prompted Playlists – a new playlist-creating tool that puts you in control of the algorithm – to the US and Canada.

Building on Spotify's AI playlist tool, which launched in April 2024, Prompted Playlists takes a similar approach but gives you full control over where you steer the algorithm. In its news blog, Spotify puts it quite simply: “You’re not just asking for music, you’re shaping how Spotify goes about discovering it for you.”

The biggest difference with Prompted Playlists is that you can amend them to update daily or weekly, just like Discover Weekly, but you can tailor them to a far greater degree. After spending some time with it, we can see it becoming one of Spotify’s most intelligent features, and it will be even more powerful once its infancy issues are resolved.

• Read more: I’ve been trying out Spotify’s new Prompted Playlist tool

5. OLED TVs fought back

OLEDs have long been revered as the go-to premium TV tech, but the ‘new’ brighter and cheaper kid on the block – mini-LED – is threatening to eat its lunch.

At least, that was until LG clapped back with its OLED SE, which promises a 120Hz refresh rate, as well as 1,000 nits of brightness, which is far more than the 668 nits we measured on the affordable LG B5 – so the LG B6 could be a real affordability winner if it boasts this tech.

LG Display told FlatPanelsHD that it will make OLED SE panels in five sizes to begin with: 48 inches, 55 inches, 65 inches, 77 inches, and 83 inches, and we’re excited to see how it’ll use these panels in the coming year.

• Read more: The OLED TV vs mini-LED battle is about to really heat up

4. Netflix got a universal boost

Despite Netflix initially teasing that it would get Universal’s live-action flicks exclusively on its platform starting in 2027, it seems the deal has started a lot earlier than we expected.

According to Netflix, “We can confirm that the live-action film pay-1b licensing deal is starting earlier than announced, with the first film being Megan 2.0.”

It’s not clear when exactly other films will follow, but this is certainly another trophy for Netflix to add to its cabinet.

• Read more: Netflix is adding live-action Universal movies to its back catalog

3. We tried Sony’s clip-style buds

The audio titan that is Sony debuted new clip-style open earbuds with its new LinkBuds Clip; we’ve tried them, and unfortunately, this might be a rare miss for the headphones experts.

The fit felt at times looser than we’d want; the lack of deep bass meant music lacked its full resonance or a thumping, punchy beat, and even the treble struggled.

Based on our initial tests, we’d expect these earbuds to cost about half their $229 / £180 / AU$329.95 price, which is definitely disappointing given Sony's track record.

• Read more: I tried Sony’s first clip-on open earbuds

2. Sony and TCL teamed up

Sticking with Sony, the brand just announced that its TVs will now be made in a “joint venture” with TCL, suggesting a major shift for how its displays are developed, designed, and manufactured.

Interestingly, TCL will own 51% of this new joint project, giving it a majority share. It’s worth noting that this might simply be due to Chinese rules that limit foreign ownership in joint ventures to 49% – TCL is a Chinese electronics company, while Sony is headquartered in Japan.

Exactly what this means for us is yet to be seen, but it might mean Sony pivots away from OLED as TCL avoids the tech completely, and perhaps instead focuses on improved mid-range and budget options using TCL’s impressively cost-effective manufacturing.

• Read more: Sony’s future TVs could be made by a new ‘joint venture’

1. ChatGPT got ads

Despite its CEO once calling ads a “last resort” for its business, OpenAI has announced that advertisements are coming to ChatGPT for free and ChatGPT Go-tier users.

The news dropped very late last week, so we couldn’t include it in ICYMI then, so we’ve rolled it into this week's, as the announcement represents a massive pivot for OpenAI.

As part of the reveal, OpenAI shared some examples of how ads might work, such as a sponsored grocery list appearing below the answer to a dinner-related question.

This obviously raises big questions about how trustworthy responses are – for example, with the dinner plan, did the AI recommend those meals because it knew it would fit better with a sponsorship? There’s a lot we frankly don’t know, and we expect this won’t be the last advertisements we see in AI chatbots – even if Google promises Gemini ads aren’t in the works.

• Read more: ChatGPT now has ads

• View all of this weekend's best deals at Amazon UK

Of everything, my top pick is this Blink Mini 2 for £13.99 (was £29.99). Incredibly, this is the lowest-ever price for the manufacturer's home security camera, beating the previous price cut during Black Friday by a whopping 50 pence. That makes it a super-cheap way to add security features to your home – just be aware of the additional costs for the Blink subscription.

Other standout offers include this Levoit Core Mini Air Purifier for £39.99 (was £49.99), the excellent Ninja Blast Portable Blender for £39.99 (was £49.99), and the highly-rated Suri 2.0 Sonic Electric Toothbrush for £89.25 (was £105).

I've hand-picked a total of 14 deals from the Amazon UK sale below, so do have a browse through to see if anything catches your eye as an early payday bargain.

This week's 14 best deals at Amazon UK

I'll, of course, be staying indoors with my family, so I'm stocking up on cozy essentials like a heated blanket, a portable space heater, and a fast-heating foot massager. I'm also getting my husband this top-rated heated vest that runs on batteries, but looks like your typical dad-approved outerwear.

To keep my kids entertained, I'm stocking up on Lego sets, like the best-selling Botanical Mini Orchid, a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, and I'm buying Amazon's newest Fire TV Stick 4K so we can stream Netflix's latest releases.

The best part about my winter survival guide from Amazon is that every single item listed is also on sale. That means you're saving money, staying warm, and being kept entertained, so you can hopefully enjoy the winter weather safely from your home.

12 winter weather essentials from Amazon that I'm buying

To catch up on these and the other seven biggest tech news stories of the week, scroll down to see our recaps of the big things that happened.

When you're done, check out the seven new movies and TV shows to watch this weekend.

7. DJI fans in the US finally got some good news

It hasn’t been a great time for drone fans in the US, with the FCC recently banning the sale of new, foreign-made drones – and a separate proposal from the US Department of Commerce taking aim at all Chinese drone imports (including existing models that have already been launched).

Well, fortunately, a U-turn from the latter has removed that particular restriction from the equation for now. That means that stock of previously approved drones like the DJI Mavic 3 Pro and the Antigravity A1 can still be legally imported into the US.

Still, with the FCC effectively banning the sale of foreign-made drones that it hasn’t approved (in other words, all new models), the future still looks bleak for Stateside drone fans.

• Read the full story: DJI and other drone companies get a partial reprieve in the US – but the ban on new models still stands

6. Sophie Turner served Lara Croft

We got our first look at Sophie Turner as filming on Amazon’s Tomb Raider TV show begins, and the recreation of the character’s iconic video game look is perfect, highlighting to fans of the games how seriously Amazon is taking this adaptation.

Obviously, this is just a still of Turner in her costume, but she is undeniably Lara Croft in it, and if similar care and attention has been paid to the rest of the cast (which includes Jason Isaacs, Sigourney Weaver, and Martin Bobb-Semple, among others) as well as the show’s story, we could be in for a real treat.

No release date has been given yet, but we can’t rule out a mid- to late 2026 launch.

• Read more: Amazon reveals perfect first photo of Sophie Turner as Lara Croft

5. Spotify made people mad

Over the past few weeks, Spotify Premium subscribers have been encountering AI-generated music recommendations in their Discover Weekly and Release Radar playlists, prompting the music platform to introduce labels to identify AI-generated music in a monster Reddit thread.

According to users who have experienced this, the issue with AI music on Spotify is only getting worse; the problem doesn’t lie with AI music itself, but with the deception on Spotify’s part, which is what’s getting under people’s skin. This has led many paying users to think it’s part of a wider, secret business plan and that Spotify is deliberately doing this to avoid paying artists further.

In other news, Spotify has also raised subscription prices for US members, affecting all tiers. It marks the third price increase since 2023, which many people are attributing to the maintenance of Spotify Lossless.

• Read more: AI music is flooding Spotify, and subscribers are furious

4. Meta gave up on VR

This week, Meta seemed to give up on VR as it slashed Reality Labs jobs, including closing down several VR game studios, and ending updates for the excellent VR fitness platform Supernatural.

The news is a tragedy for fans of the Meta Quest system as it suggests Meta’s future support for its headsets will be at least a little lackluster, and Hamish Hector argued that, as things stand, he’s only interested in the Steam Frame.

It’s no secret Reality Labs has been hemorrhaging funds for some time, but this major about-turn from Meta might lead some to wonder if you can trust the company not to change course again if its new AI glasses focus starts to go awry.

• Read more: Meta just killed some of its best Quest 3 game studios

3. Gemini got an upgrade

Google has just dropped "Personal Intelligence" for Gemini, and it might be the most significant leap for AI assistants yet. This upgrade allows Gemini to securely tap into your personal Google ecosystem (Gmail, Photos, Search, and YouTube) to provide deep, individualized context for your queries.

The capabilities are genuinely impressive: imagine Gemini diagnosing a car issue by checking your Gmail purchase history for the model, scanning your Photos for service records, and pulling DIY solutions from YouTube. It’s the "true" AI assistant we’ve been waiting for. Interestingly, given the newly announced Apple-Google AI partnership, this looks like a sneak peek at how the next-gen Siri might function in iOS 27.

• Read more: Gemini gets its biggest upgrade yet 'Personal Intelligence'

2. Siri got a Gemini upgrade

Apple got served a huge slice of humble pie this week, as it conceded Ai supremacy to Google announcing that Siri’ s next-gen version will be backed by Gemini.

A lot of questions remain, but in a joint statement Apple and Google revealed “These [Gemini] models will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri coming this year.”Apple first unveiled its plans to launch an AI-upgraded Siri during WWDC 2024 but almost two years later we’re still waiting for the upgrade. The company has since promised a Spring 2026 launch, and with Google Gemini it might finally make that happen.

• Read more: Apple gives up and lets Google take the AI wheel

1. Verizon had a major outage

Well, we have officially had the first major outage of 2026, and it was a massive, nearly 8-hour outage that took out Verizon's cell service for customers across the United States on January 14, 2026. You can see our full reporting in the live blog linked below, but it was a serious, hours-long event that saw folks with Verizon swap 5G and network bars for SOS with no access to voice, text, and data across much of the country.

Down Detector reports swelled around 12:30 PM ET, with Verizon confirming the issue at 1 PM, but many folks did not see any signs of recovery until closer to 8 PM ET that evening. The carrier didn't have the best communication during the event, with only a few statements that came hours apart. The day after the outage, Verizon confirmed each account would receive a single $20 credit, which, simply put, many customers were not pleased with. The carrier also confirmed to TechRadar that it was a software issue tied to a cyber incident.

• Read more: Verizon service restored after a 'software issue'

Following that electric teaser last year, we’ve finally been shown the first three Lego Pokémon sets, and it turns out the true Champion battle at the end of the Elite Four is a gorgeous 6,838-piece behemoth that’s super-effective against my wallet.

The standout set I’m referring to is the Lego Pokémon Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise, which features all three third-stage Kanto starters on a three-part base – with a woodland clearing for Venusaur, an outcrop with waves splashing against it for Blastoise, and a volcano overflowing with lava for Charizard.

It looks stunning, but as you might imagine, the set will put you back $649.99 / £579.99 / AU$999.99 when it launches on February 27 alongside the other two (more on them down below).

If you do decide to preorder this set, however, you’ll get a bonus Kanto Region Badge Collection gift-with-purchase for free while stocks last. The case showcases Lego-ified versions of every badge, and as someone who has considered sewing Pokémon badge patches inside his favorite jacket, just like Ash Ketchum had them in the show, I’m very jealous of everyone who’ll get their hands on this bonus build.

Gotta build ‘em all

If Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise aren’t in your price range, there are a couple of cheaper options.

The simplest, smallest, and least expensive set is Eevee. This 587-piece critter is up for preorder for just $59.99 / £54.99 / AU$99.99, but features a decent amount of articulation so you can pose the final model by adjusting its head, ears, tail, and paws.

As Pokémon’s now cemented second mascot, Eevee, was a shoo-in for a build, and I love that despite the low brick count, it features a solid amount of detail and looks set to deploy some interesting techniques to create a smoother, less-bricky finish to the ‘mon’s coat.

Then sandwiched between the other two, it's, of course, Pikachu leaping out of its Poké Ball in a flash of blue sparks.

This set is definitely on the display-piece side of things, but I like how there are a few different options for how you pose the final build. For a more action-ready stance, you can opt for Pikachu leaping out of its ball, or you can remove the stand and position Pikachu more playfully with its Poké Ball – with the finished model staring up with a playful look.

I also like the small detail of being able to choose between Pikachu’s two tail shapes in your build – a straight end, which is seen with males, or the heart-like bumps seen with Female Pikachu.

Though I’ll admit the Pikachu looks a little – I don’t know – off? I think it's the cheeks that throw off the face shape for me, which at least makes it easier not to cry at the price.

$199.99 / £179.99 / AU$299.99 is not unheard of for a set with 2,050 pieces, but considering the icon status of Pikachu, I wish it had a second set that was closer to the Lego Eevee’s cost to make it more accessible (though $59.99 / £54.99 / AU$99.99 is also not the cheapest).

I imagine a difficulty Lego faces with the Pokémon builds is that the smooth finishes necessitate a lot of internal pieces, making it hard to cut the piece count down, which then leads to a higher price.

Hopefully, if the collab continues, we’ll see a more accessible range of costs, because right now my hype has dried up – and even the nostalgia these sets are fuelled with can’t refill the crater these three would create in my wallet.

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That's enough of an introduction. Right now, you can get the Samsung 65-inch S84F 4K OLED TV at Best Buy for just $899.99 (was $1,999). That's a huge discount on a big, high-quality TV, bringing it down to a price that's well under half price.

If you need more convincing, then take a look at the specs: a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, four HDMI inputs, Alexa, SmartThings, and Bixby. While it's not as fully-featured as some of the brand's higher-end options, the S84F is extremely impressive for the price and a fantastic choice for most people. In particular, it's a fantastic option if you're looking for that perfect TV for the upcoming Super Bowl.

Today's best Samsung 65-inch S84F deal

Full disclosure. We've not actually reviewed the Samsung S84F, but we expect it would review as well as the similar Samsung S85F that we rated 4.5 out of 5 stars. It has an abundance of features and features an OLED panel that promises to deliver fantastic results.

In comparison to the S85F, the S84F lacks workout tracking, wellness monitoring, video calling support, and a dedicated Filmmaker Mode. If you're anything like me, these are not features I look for in a TV and would happily do without, given the sub-$900 price tag.

If you're keen on the Samsung brand, then head over to our best Samsung TV for all budgets guide. Alternatively, if you want to explore other sizes of TV, then we have guides to the best 85-inch TVs and the best 55-inch 4K TVs.

Joking aside, CES is the biggest tech show of the year, and as you'd expect, a lot of news came out from it. From Lego Smart Play to Samsung's TriFold, it was something else and gives us a good taste of the biggest tech trends of 2026.

Plenty of non-CES things happened, too, and to catch up on all of it, scroll down for our recap of the week's biggest tech stories.

7. We picked our best gadgets of CES 2026

This week has been a fever dream of AI robot barmen and musical popsicles – and that’s all been thanks to CES 2026. The Las Vegas staple is still the biggest tech show of the year, but what are the best new products we’re actually going to buy?

Fortunately, our tech experts were on the ground at CES 2026 and have curated their highlights across everything from TVs to fitness trackers and robot vacuums. If you want to see the potential gadget stars of this year – or just get a taste of what’s coming – make sure to read our roundup below.

• Read the full story: The 25 best gadgets we saw at CES 2026 — smart Lego, big TV innovation, a robovac with legs, and much more

6. Lego got an upgrade

Lego announced a major upgrade to its bricks this week with the Smart Brick. This special block can detect special sensors inside certain minifigures and tile pieces to activate sounds, flash lights, and generally enhance the play features of Lego’s sets in a way we’ve not seen before.

The Smart Brick is debuting in Star Wars sets, and did so to fairly mixed reactions, but TechRadar’s Jacob Krol got to see the piece firsthand and thinks it could be a fantastic new option in Lego’s repertoire.

The first three Smart Brick sets are now available for preorder ahead of their March 1 launch, with the cheapest option starting at $69.99 / £59.99 / AU$99.99.

• Read more: The Lego brick just got its biggest upgrade yet with Smart Play

5. ChatGPT got a medical update

There are now so many people using ChatGPT for health advice (40 million people a day at the last count) that OpenAI has finally decided to do something about it.

ChatGPT Health is a dedicated Health section of the app, coming soon, where you can securely upload your medical records and receive in-depth answers tailored to your specific circumstances. It can also pull in personal health data from apps like Apple Health, if you allow it.

OpenAI envisions ChatGPT Health as a tool to assist in your diagnosis and treatment, rather than as a diagnostic tool, but for the hypochondriacs amongst us, it sounds like the perfect way to get a second, third, or even fourth opinion.

• Read more: ChatGPT Health is a new space for medical questions

4. IKEA made a splash at CES

IKEA made its CES debut at this year’s event, and it was a roaring success to say the least. The company had quite the reaction to the new version of its Varmblixt donut lamp, which received a handful of new smart upgrades – but its Kallsup speaker was another stand-out.

One of the latest additions to the IKEA family of audio devices is an entry-level Bluetooth speaker that's just $10. It comes in three bright colors, including lime green, pink, and white, and is set to arrive in April.

Though its size means that its audio isn’t the most powerful, it’s still a mighty speaker in other aspects. It supports Bluetooth 5.3 and lets you connect up to 100 devices with a simple tap, and it runs on rechargeable, replaceable batteries, allowing you to extend its lifespan.

• Read more: The 5 best gadgets IKEA announced at CES 2026

3. Fujifilm debuted the weirdest Instax ever

Following the launch of the wonderfully weird, half-frame-inspired X half digital camera last year, Fujifilm has quickly delivered on its promise to introduce more concept cameras in 2026.

The latest surprise comes in the Super-8-style shape of the Instax Mini Evo Cinema, which is an instant camera like no other – the first that also shoots video, and which features a quirky 'eras' dial. With a setting for each decade dating back to the 1930's, the Mini Evo Cinema replicates popular looks such as 1960s Super 8 and 1980s color negative.

We only have the Fujifilm Japan press release to go on, but fingers crossed, the quirky hybrid digital-instant film camera gets a global release; we're eager to try it out!

• Read more: Fujifilm’s new Super 8-style video camera could be the most fun Instax ever

2. We saw the latest robot vacuum with legs

Robot vacuums are evolving fast – last year, Roborock gave us one with a mechanical arm, and at CES 2026 this week, it showed off its first model with legs. Can the Saros Rover’s limbs do anything more than scare your dog? Well, yes, actually, as they’re also designed to help clean almost any home staircase.

According to Roborock, that’ll include not just straight staircases but spiral ones as well. The Saros Rover’s clambering powers should make it a strong contender for multi-level homes. Sadly, it’s just a prototype for now, but Roborock told us it is a real product that’s coming to market. Maybe give your dog a heads-up, just in case.

• Read the full story: I saw Roborock's new robot vacuum with legs, and it promises to make no-go zones a thing of the past

1. We tried the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold

We got to try Samsung's TriFold phone, and it might finally be the pocket-sized tablet foldables have been promising to be since their inception.

Lance Ulanoff went hands-on with the phone at CES 2026 in Las Vegas and came away impressed by its thinness and the performance he experienced.

Now it’s still not perfect. The camera setup won’t wow everyone, there’s still no S Pen support, and the cost is expected to be very high, but this is definitely one of the phones to watch in 2026, and even at this early point in the year, it could be in contention for phone of the year.

• Read more: I finally tried the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold and couldn't believe my eyes

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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It was another monster of a tech show, and we've already picked the 25 best gadgets we saw at this year's CES. But what about the bigger picture stuff? What tech trends did we see that give us a taste of what we'll see over the next twelve months?

That's what we've summed up for you below. While it doesn't encompass every single tech trend of 2026 (that would be a very long list), CES is traditionally a strong indicator of the ideas and themes that will dominate the rest of the year.

So if you want to take a break from your floundering new year's resolutions and get a glimpse of the near future, here's what the world's biggest tech show has predicted...

Want to know the best of the best from our time at the show? Check out the video below!

1. Foldables will go creaseless

Phones don't traditionally have a big presence at CES these days, but Samsung bucked that trend this year by showing off its creaseless folding OLED display.

While it was only a tech demo, it was still a big deal. A folding screen that's completely smooth and blemish-free when unfolded has been a holy grail for foldables for the past seven years. Ironically, the rumored iPhone Fold could be the main beneficiary.

The rumors suggest Apple could be the first to use this new OLED screen later this year because the panel has been made by Samsung Display (a separate entity from Samsung). Unfortunately, it's likely to be very expensive, which is why we've argued that, for Android foldable fans, seeing it debut on the iPhone Fold could still be a blessing in disguise.

• Read the full story: Samsung just won CES 2026 with its creaseless folding OLED – but I hope the iPhone Fold gets it first

2. It will be the year of RGB LED TVs

At CES 2025 last year, it became clear that RGB LED backlighting was the next big thing in TVs – and at this year's show, we got a good glimpse of the sets that are actually going to hit the market.

What exactly is this new tech? The tech giants all have their own names for it, with Samsung and LG both calling the tech 'Micro RGB', and Hisense and TCL going for RGB MiniLED. But the big benefits across the board are a wider range of colors plus improved brightness (or the same brightness as today with lower energy use).

You can read our in-depth guide to RGB TVs for the full low-down, but the standout at CES 2026 was Samsung's 130-inch Micro RGB TV. After encountering one at the show, we described it as a beautiful beast of a TV, with the only downside being that it's just a showpiece right now. Still, it features the same tech as you'll find in Samsung's Micro RGB TV lineup, which will arrive in 55- to 115-inch screen sizes, so start saving.

• Read the full story: The best TVs of CES 2026: brighter OLEDs, 130-inch screens, and RGB mini-LED everywhere

3. We'll all get AI emotional support pets

From SwitchBot's KATA Friends to Ecovacs' LilMilo, AI-powered pets were all over CES this year. Most can respond to gestures and petting, follow you about with lifelike eyes, recognize your voice, and some can even tell what kind of mood you're in.

AI gives them a personality and enables them to learn as you play with them. While they can definitely be seen as toys – most have the option to purchase natty outfits and accessories, like a souped-up Build-A-Bear – many brands stress that they can have real value as emotional support companions, providing company and comfort for those who perhaps can't have a real pet.

We certainly found them surprisingly easy to form a bond with. And while some have Funzo from The Simpsons vibes, we reckon a large number of people will welcome a furry, AI-powered pet into their lives this year.

• Read the full story: Ecovacs' new launch nearly made me cry during my CES booth tour

4. AI wearables will become your second brain

AI hardware has been something of a flop so far – remember the Rabbit R1 from CES 2024, or the poor Humane AI Pin? But that didn't stop tech giants from cooking up more contenders at this year's CES, and they all had one thing in common.

The big theme was AI wearables that want to be your second brain. For example, the Pebble Index O1, a smart ring that lets you add notes to your calendar, transcribe notes and more. Or the Switchbot AI Mindclip, a little lapel pin (yes, another one) that records and summarizes conversations.

This is clearly the direction of travel for AI gadgets in 2026. There were dozens of other examples – from the Lenovo's pendant-housed Qira assistant to Anker's Soundcore Work – and we've separately heard that OpenAI's mysterious ChatGPT gadget could take the form of an AI-powered pen. Will we actually buy these things? That's harder to say, but we certainly won't be short of options this year.

• Read the full story: Forget fitness trackers — external brains are the hot new wearables at CES this year

5. Lawnbots will get LiDAR eyes

Robot lawn mower navigation capabilities have come a long way in the past few years, and the new hot tech making its way to your yard in 2026 is LiDAR.

It works by bouncing beams of light off static objects to create a 3D map of a space, and is already the standard in the best robot vacuums. In smaller yards with plenty of objects to bounce off, it's a great way of delivering accurate navigation without the need to rely on good satellite signal.

Pretty much every lawnbot brand we saw at CES 2026 – from Segway Navimow to Mammotion and Roborock – was showcasing at least one LiDAR-based model, so expect the tech to become the norm this year.

• Read the full story: I just watched Mammotion's new flagship lawnbot scale an astroturf mountain, and it was mesmerizing

6. 'Longevity' will be the new health-tracking buzzword

'Longevity' may not sound like the most inspiring fitness aim, but it was biggest health tech buzzword at CES 2026.

Firstly, there was the NuraLogix Longevity Mirror, which can pull a huge number of metrics – including your physiological age and more – just from looking at your poor, tired January face. Naturally, it does that through a combination of AI wizardry and a built-in camera.

Then there was the Withings Body Scan 2, a set of smart scales that promises to be your 'longevity station'. To support that claim, it tracks over 60 biomarkers – from your hypertension risk to artery health and metabolic efficiency – to predict your long-term health.

Not everyone will want to see their health dissected in such ruthless detail, but if you do there'll be an army of accessories willing to give you a glimpse into your fitness future.

• Read the full story: The top 5 health gadgets at CES this year, from Garmin nutrition-tracking to that notorious AI smart mirror

7. Smart glasses will go truly mainstream

With only a couple of false starts along the way, CES 2026 is where smart glasses seemed to finally go mainstream – as everyone and their aunt had a pair of specs to debut. Expect them to truly take off this year.

We covered several in our best smart glasses of CES roundup – with highlights including the Asus ROG Xreal R1 AR with 240Hz refresh rate for gamers, and RayNeo’s Project eSIM teasing the first truly phoneless smart glasses.

What really made smart glasses feel like a major trend of the show, however, were all the other glasses we couldn’t squeeze into our round up, because it would otherwise have been a mile long. We even got a major Meta Ray-Ban Display update as part of CES, though it wasn’t all good news.

• Read the full story: The 5 best smart glasses from CES 2026, including the first with HDR10

8. Intel will mount a major fightback

The past couple of years haven’t been great for Intel. While the company has long been the market leader when it comes to processors, its seen its dominance threatened by Apple ditching its products for its own Arm-based M-series chips, a resurgent AMD getting plenty of critical and commercial acclaim for its rival products, and Qualcomm’s Arm-based Snapdragon chips becoming ever more popular in laptops.

So, it was great to see the company come out swinging with its new Panther Lake mobile processors, also known as the Intel Core Ultra Series 3. From what we’ve seen it could be Intel’s best chance to fight back thanks to improved performance, better power efficiency (for longer battery lives) and integrated graphics.

To prove that point, CES saw the likes of Dell, Asus, Acer and Lenovo all launch laptops powered by Intel’s new chips. 2026 could be the year Intel fights back.

• Read the full story: The Intel Core Ultra series 3 processors look impressive enough, but the Arc B390 iGPU is the real game-changer here

9. Solid-state batteries will be tantalizingly close

Another big buzzword you'll hear a lot in 2026 will be 'solid-state batteries' – and while the next-gen battery tech is exciting, you can also expect to see a lot of smoke and mirrors.

The big announcement at CES 2026 was Verge Motorcycles announcing that it will become the first manufacturer to put an all solid-state battery into production “in the coming months”. If that's true, it'd be a real game-changer – and promises to unlock electric motorcycle figures like 370 miles on a charge, with a 10-minute top up providing an extra 186 miles of range.

Exciting stuff in theory, but we'll be waiting to see how this plays out before getting too excited. On a similar theme, we've also recently heard about semi-solid state battery packs (which use a gel-like electrolite substance) arriving for phones, promising improved safety and greater longevity. If you're an early adopter of new battery tech, 2026 could be your year.

• Read the full story: Verge announces world-first motorcycle with solid-state batteries – and it promises a 370-mile range with 10-minute charge times

10. Retro tech will give us our attention back

If you think the golden age of tech was around CES 2012, then you'll be heartened to know that retro tech was out in full force at this year's show – and it wasn't just about nostalgia.

Some of these throwbacks – the Blackberry-style Clicks Communicator (above), for example – are about wrestling your attention back from endless doomscrolling by offering a modern tech experience, but with the guardrails of simplicity.

The Clicks Communicator is all about productivity and hammering away on its physical keyboard, while the new Pebble Round 2 (which ships in May) is a smartwatch that isn't too smart, thanks to its color e-paper display and seven days of battery life.

Naturally, there was tons of other nostalgia tech at CES 2026 – from Stern Pinball machines to My Arcade's new mini Sega arcade machines (we'll take the Streets of Rage one, thanks). But it's the 'anti-brain rot' gadgets, like mini ereaders, that will be the real tech trend of 2026.

• Read the full story: Missing your BlackBerry? The Clicks Communicator brings back the physical keyboard – and a 3.5mm headphone jack

11. Humanoid robots will try (and fail) to enter our homes

Robots are a CES staple, but this year they were particularly keen to be center stage. Unfortunately, they only really managed to prove that they're still not quite ready for prime-time in 2026.

On the first day of CES 2026 we watched LG's CLOiD robot take what felt like hours to to put a single wet towel into a self-opening washing machine, while later we met the SwitchBot Onero H1 (below) and saw it attempt to do some laundry with very mixed results.

In many ways, this year's CES was a helpful real-world antidote to the hype we've seen lately around humanoid robots like the 1X Neo. The latter costs $20,000 (or $499-a-month) and, for the many tasks it can't manage autonomously, you have to let an X1 employee remotely guide it through the chore.

Robotics has made incredible strides in the last decade and will continue to do so in 2026 (expect to see a lot more humanoid hype). But the dream of a robot butler still seems a way off, and for now the smart money is on robot vacuums with legs and arms filling the gap.

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• View all of today's best deals at Amazon UK

What stands out as the biggest bargain of them all is this Blink Mini for £9.99 (was £21.99). It may be the older and last-generation model of the manufacturer's home security camera, but it's also ridiculously cheap. Be aware of additional costs for the Blink subscription, but as a basic indoor cam, the value for money is undeniable.

Elsewhere, you can find this useful Dreo Electric Heater for £39.99 (was £64.99), the impressive Google Pixel 10 for a record-low price of £592.20 (was £899), and the excellent Shark PowerPro Cordless Vacuum for £169 (was £249).

You can find the rest of my top picks from this week's Amazon UK sale below. There's lots more tech, including some excellent value laptops and home appliances, as well as some big savings on some of last year's best game releases that I recommend trying out.

Today's 14 best deals at Amazon UK

There are plenty to choose from. Following the success of the Ray-Ban and Oakley Meta collab, as well as the hype being driven by Android XR the field featured a lot of new players alongside several returning favorites.

These five have risen above the crowd, however. Be it thanks to innovations such as eSIM integration or HDR, or just sophisticated simplicity, these are the smart glasses to watch from the Las Vegas show.

RayNeo Air 4 Pro

• The best glasses for entertainment

If you’re after big (virtual) screen entertainment, the new RayNeo Air 4 Pro glasses will be tough to beat, especially at their very low $299 (UK and Australian pricing to be confirmed) price tag.

They still have a 1080p resolution limit, but in a first for these kinds of specs they offer HDR10 support on their micro-OLED panels, which are made even more vivid with 1,200 nits of brightness. The audio has been tuned up as well, thanks to the expertise of Bang & Olufsen.

The screen expertise of TCL, which makes these glasses, is on show here, and while they lack some of the bells and whistles of their rivals, these specs are also relatively inexpensive – and while I have yet to put them through TechRadar’s rigorous testing, I expect they’ll be a shoo-in for the best cheap smart glasses on the market if you want that entertainment focus.

Asus ROG Xreal R1 AR

• The smart glasses gamers will want to buy

Meta who? Following the breakup between Meta and its third-party HorizonOS partners it seems at least one has already moved on to a new collaborator, because Asus and Xreal have debuted these gamer-friendly specs.

Lenovo announced some smart glasses of their own (Meta’s other HorizonOS partner) but as they’re only a prototype and not the most interesting prototype at that, I’ve omitted them from this list.

Anyway, back to Asus, the R1 glasses are basically the splendid Xreal One Pro glasses with two benefits: a 240Hz refresh rate for buttery smooth gaming, and an included ROG Control Dock. The dock includes DisplayPortTM 1.4 and two HDMI 2.0 ports so you can switch between using the glasses with your PC or your console with just a single click.

We don’t yet know the glasses’ price but I expect they’ll be on the pricier end. The One Pro glasses cost $649 / £579, and I wouldn’t hold my breath for these Asus specs to cost any less (certainly not much less).

RayNeo X3 Pro – Project eSIM

• The biggest smart glasses innovation at CES 2026

TCL's AR glasses brand is back on this list again with something a little different. We’ve already seen the RayNeo X3 Pro glasses before – I saw them at CES last year – and they’re your run-of-the-mill AI smart glasses. They boast cameras, speakers and in-built microphones to facilitate AI interactions.

So why have they made this years’ list? This new model boasts an eSIM with 4G capabilities – so no external connection is required.

Now some big questions related to cost, battery life and, importantly, what apps and features the eSIMs will enable still remain – but in the prophesized post-smartphone world that smart glasses are said to enable, this is a much-needed step.

However well this Project eSIM model does, expect others to follow TCL’s lead.

Rokid AI Glasses Style

• The CES 2026 smart glasses to love if you're on a budget

I tried the Rokid Glasses at IFA in late 2025, and this new for CES model is basically those without a display, which is certainly no bad thing – especially when they’re so darn cheap.

The Rokid AI Glasses Style are just like the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. They even look a little like them too. You’ll find AI voice commands, a 12MP camera that can shoot in up to 4K, a 12 hour battery life and they’ll cost you less than Meta’s specs. Though Rokid’s glasses don’t come with a charging case by default, which gives them an edge price-wise against the Meta Ray-Bans which do. These cost $299, which is $80 less than Meta's option.

While not mind-blowing in any sense of the word, ecosystems are built on these more budget-friendly offerings. Cheaper options help to get new gadgets in the hands of folks who really want them but can’t afford to spend massive amounts, and so this cheaper option absolutely deserves a shoutout.

MemoMind AI glasses

• The AI smart glasses to watch from CES 2026

Rounding off my list are the XGMI MemoMind AI glasses. The projector brand is a newcomer to the space but has impressed testers with its useful AI features, comfy design, a lightweight display, and a decent battery life – a winning combination in the smart glasses world.

Early impressions are one thing, and tech is difficult to properly judge at a tech show. So while things certainly look positive my advice would be to wait for reviews. I remember being impressed by smart glasses at events like CES and then hating them when I have to spend longer than 10 minutes with them.

At $599, the MemoMind glasses are on the cheaper end of things for display glasses, but that’s still a fair amount to shell out.

None of this is meant to be overly critical of these new specs, of course. I’ve included them on this list because of how good an impression the glasses have left early on. Just maybe keep an eye on them for the next few months to see if they can maintain that positivity before hitting ‘buy now.’

TechRadar is extensively covering this year's CES, and bringing you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2026 live news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

You can also ask us a question about the show in our CES 2026 live Q&A and we’ll do our best to answer it.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

As a quick explainer for why you’re getting a refund: just a few months ago in September last year Amazon reached a $2.5 billion settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission over claims it enrolled customers in Prime without their consent, and knowingly made it a challenge to cancel subscriptions.

Because of this starting in November last year Amazon started issuing automatic refunds to many affected Prime members, but if you haven’t received your refund automatically then you’ll need to put in a manual claim – something which you’re now able to do.

How to claim your refund

Starting this month Amazon has been sending claim notices by mail and email to the address and email address associated with the Prime membership.

That notice will detail the form you need to file in order to process your refund, and you’ll have 180 days to submit your claim, with Amazon then having 30 days to review your claim. If approved, payment should come soon after through your choice of PayPal, Venmo or a mailed check.

The FTC itself has a stark warning – you will never be asked to pay for your refund. So if you receive an email which says you need to pay a fee to get your reimbursement, it's likely a scam, and be careful giving your personal information to unknown contacts.

If you’re ever unsure about a possible claim notice you can contact admin@SubscriptionMembershipSettlement.com for assistance. That’s the official Amazon email address for this refund scheme.

Can’t find your claim notice?

If you can’t find your claim notice here’s a few things to try.

Firstly, wait a couple more days. You have three months to submit your manual claim so you can afford to wait a little longer, and if your notice has been mailed to you physically by Amazon it will take a little longer to reach you than an email would.

Then, check if you’ve received a refund already. Amazon sent out information about automatic refunds between November and December 2025, so check your inbox and spam folders for details. Even if you missed the email notification Amazon will have mailed you a check to the shipping address tied to your Prime address, so keep an eye on your physical mailbox too.

Next check if you are eligible for a refund. According to the official FTC page the requirements are:

• You must be a Prime customer in the US
• Signed up through a “challenged enrollment flow” or tried to cancel online but were unable to do so between June 23, 2019 and June 23, 2025
• Have used no more than three Amazon Prime Benefits (including Prime Music or Prime Video products offered for free to Prime subscribers) in any 12-month period after signing up

The “challenged enrollment flows” are any of the following: "The universal Prime decision page, shipping selection page, single page checkout, or the Prime Video enrollment flow" according to the FTC. So if you signed up another way, signed up at a different time, or used four or more benefits in a 12 month period (for example you watched a Prime Video show, streamed a song through Prime Music, streamed a game through Luna, and got free shipping on even a single package all within a year) you won’t be eligible for a refund.

Lastly, if you’re confident you should be eligible but haven’t been contacted you should reach out to admin@subscriptionmembershipsettlement.com via email.

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I have six new entries and a returning favorite from my 2025 list because it’s simply too perfect not to recommend twice. If you’re looking for more options, you can also look at my suggestions from January 2024 or January 2025 – there are some phenomenal picks among them, including Catan, Muffin Time, Dungeons & Dragons, and 13 Beavers.

So tell a friend you have a new game to play, grab one of these seven picks, and get ready to enjoy a fantastic, fun-filled evening. Whether you’re a board game nerd too or more of a novice, I have something for you.

1. Railroad Tiles

For the past couple of years, I have recommended one of my all-time favorite board games in Railroad Ink, but this year I’ve picked its sequel: Railroad Tiles.

The core concept is much the same – create an interconnected network of train tracks and streets (rails and roads) to score points. Tiles mixes things up in several ways, however, adding new game pieces, new ways to score points, and, importantly, the tiles.

Railroad Ink hits the spot for me because it uses randomness to determine which new patterns of rails and roads you can draw each turn, but everyone shares this random pool – avoiding the unfairness that can come from other games reliant on chance. Tiles keeps the randomness – determined by the order tiles are drawn – but adds a new layer of skill.

Each turn, tiles are dealt into piles of different sizes. You take it in turns to choose tile piles, and then in the following round, the order is rearranged based on which pile you took – take a larger pile, and you’ll go later in the order, while smaller pile takers will go earlier.

The skill is knowing when to go all out and gun for the largest pile, and when to play more conservatively to create your traveller’s paradise. Best of all it doesn't feel like this new element raises the skill floor by much; the puzzle-like gameplay of assembling your board with pieces is as approachable as ever, and it just means there’s more to master if you end up playing this game over and over.

Plus, there are extra rules and expansions to add into the mix as you improve, which is always a great way to keep these games fresh after many plays.

• Find Railroad Tiles at Amazon

2. Sounds Fishy

Winter is the perfect time to be with family, but finding a game you can all enjoy and be good at can be a struggle – that’s where Sounds Fishy comes in.

This ‘trivia’ game is simple enough. On their turn, each player reads aloud a question from the deck, while showing every other player the answer on the back of the card. Those other players are then secretly dealt a fish tile, which is either red or blue – don’t show the question asker your color, though.

They must then either make up an answer to the question, or if they’re the blue fish, say the correct answer – with the red fish hoping to get picked and the blue fish hoping to stay hidden.

What I love about this game is that it inspires creativity from the red fish players, and while there is some trivia element, the questions are usually so random that you almost certainly won’t know the answer when reading the question, so there’s no disadvantage for younger players, something which I remember made me not love Trivial Pursuit as a kid. It’s much more of a game about finding out liars, and using your intuition – something everyone can be good at.

3. Flip 7

The problem with being a board game nerd is that while I love games with a bajillion rules and pieces, not everyone is in my boat – and these more complex picks can be impossible to get a good group for (looking at you, Cosmic Encounters, I love it, but no one will play it with me).

Flip 7 is the total opposite. It’s probably the easiest game I’ve played in some time, and also the best.

The goal is simple: score 200 points. You do that over many rounds by being dealt cards and choosing to stick or twist – kinda like Blackjack. If you stick, you bank the total you’ve been dealt; if you play on, you can potentially score more or go bust by being dealt a card you’ve already been dealt.

The unique deck is made up of 12 twelves, 11 elevens, 10 tens, and so on down to one 1, and one 0. So the higher value cards are a double-edged sword – you score more, but are more likely to go bust with them.

There are also special cards that give you a second chance, or force any player to Flip Three in a row, and there’s the Flip 7 of it all – if you Flip over 7 unique number cards in a round, it instantly ends, you score every card you’ve been dealt, plus some bonus points for your troubles.

Every person I’ve played Flip 7 with has loved it. It’s accessible to younger and older players, people who love board games, and people who usually struggle with them. If I could only recommend one game this year, it would be Flip 7; that’s how much I love it.

• Find Flip 7 at Amazon

4. Riftbound

I’ve written about Riftbound a few times now, and I’m as in love with the League of Legends TCG as when I first played it – and I say that as someone with only minimal experience with the MOBA it’s inspired by. So if you know nothing about League, you can still love this game.

It’s pretty simple to play. You choose your Champion and Legend – some cool character who represents your deck – and head into battle against one or more opponents, depending on which format you’re playing. Using cards representing spells and units (anything from pirates to robots to strange, gremlin-like cuties), you fight over locations in a king-of-the-hill style game as you try to rack up points by winning and holding these special spaces. The first to eight points wins.

There are a few other rules to follow, but as someone who has played many TCGs I’d argue Riftbound is one of the most fun and accessible I’ve experienced in a while. I mean, I went from having played casually a few times to making the Top 8 at a local competitive event – and I wasn’t the only player there who did the same. Every match I played was a blast, even the two I lost (including the one that eliminated me from the tournament).

While not technically a board game, there is a product called Proving Grounds, which basically is one – it comes with game pieces and four reasonably powerful decks that play well against each other, and it’s super accessible to complete newcomers.

The only issue is availability. Proving grounds is (at the time of writing) essentially impossible to buy – a combination of over demand and under printing – and regular packs are tough to find too. Riot – the team behind Riftbound – has, however, promised to print a lot more of this game, and so I’d highly recommend keeping your eyes out for this one in 2026 because it is simply so excellent.

• Find out where you can play Riftbound near you

5. Herd Mentality

My second party game of this list, Herd Mentality, encourages groupthink and is the perfect game to get to know people better – or test how well you really know your friends and family.

Each round, you'll be given a subjective topic like “What's the best kind of soda?” Or “What’s the first thing you do in the morning?” Your goal isn't to necessarily give a truthful answer. Instead, you want to say what you think other people will say as you score points for thinking like the herd.

If you think too individually, you're also at risk of being declared the pink cow, which sees you being given a pink cow figure to hold onto – and while holding it, you can’t win.

This and Flip 7 are also easy games to play when you aren’t sober. As always, please drink responsibly, but sometimes, after having a few, you want a game to play that is fun yet simple. These two picks are the ones you're after.

6. Pandemic

I’m sure some folks wish this word died in 2021, but Pandemic is an all-time great co-op game – perfect for groups that would rather work together than tear each other apart during their next board game night.

You work as a team of two to four players to stop the spread of four deadly diseases – taking on various randomized roles in the medical expert field to develop and distribute a cure to each – before the world collapses.

I picked Pandemic up in 2020, like a lot of other people actually, and I still enjoy playing it years later. Winning can be quite challenging, with the situation spiralling out of control if you aren’t careful, but that only lends to the satisfaction of winning when you do eventually win your first game.

Much like Railroad Tiles and other games out there, you can also add extra rules and purchase expansions to up the difficulty and replayability of Pandemic if you play it as much as I expect you will.

My personal favorite house rule is that players can only communicate with the person who moved before them – or a player they share a space with. This adds to the sense of global chaos and helps stop one leader from emerging and telling every other player how to act perfectly on their turn. You might win less, but I’ve found it makes playing more fun.

7. Arcs

Let’s round things off with the returning entrant from last year’s best board games list: Arcs.

This strategy game is just incredible. You and up to three other players take on the role of warring space factions out to colonize planets and conquer the galaxy. You do so over five chapters made up of multiple turns, where you play a card to perform its assigned actions. There are four suits, each with a unique collection of abilities like Battle, Tax, Move, or Build.

Each suit is also numbered 1 to 7, with lower numbers letting you take more actions and bigger numbers giving you a greater chance to go first in the next round.

Going first is important for two reasons: you get to control what the rest of the group can do that turn, and you can decide what you're scoring for that chapter. That second part is why I love Arcs, because it isn’t always about simply fighting; sometimes it's about who has mined the most of a resource, or captured the most spies.

This means you have to keep track of several different things at once, but it does also give players some chance to catch up from behind if future chapters require win conditions they're better prepared for.

The only downside is this complexity, while a delight, makes Arcs less accessible to non-gamery folks. People who don't mind tracking all the various moving pieces, however, are in for a treat.

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As the new year gets underway, it's the perfect time to run an audit on just how many subscriptions you're signed up to, and how much it's costing you. With the hectic pace of modern life you'd be forgiven for signing up for certain apps, sites, and digital services, and then forgetting all about them.

This is something I've done recently and it really made me reassess how many of these digital subscriptions I actually need – the amount of money I've been spending each month is actually quite scary.

The good news is that a subscription detox doesn't have to take a long time, especially if you know the right tools for the job – which I've covered below. By investing a few minutes at the start of 2026 to sort this out, you may well find that your bank balance is much better off by the time that 2027 rolls around.

Method one: check your emails

The subscriptions that you're signed up for will often ping you with an email when it's time to renew again for another month or another year – and if there are any that don't extend you this courtesy, then it's another reason to ditch them. If you get the option to enable these email reminders when you sign up, make sure you do so.

A quick search through your inbox can reveal numerous subscriptions you'd forgotten about. Look for words like "renewal", "renew", or "subscription" and see what turns up. In the mobile app for Gmail, for instance, just tap in the search box at the top and start typing. If you spot these emails as they arrive, flag or star them so you've got a list you can refer back to later.

The Apple One subscription is an example of a monthly bill you'll get an email about, if reminders are switched on: The sender will be "no_reply@email.apple.com", you'll get details of how much you're paying and for what, and the emails contain the word "renewals" so will show up in your searches.

Method two: use the feature built into your phone

Both Google and Apple give you quick and easy ways to check on the subscriptions you've signed up to on phones and tablets. These will only show up for apps and services that are managed through the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, but it's another way of checking what you're paying for.

On an Android device, open the Play Store app, then tap your profile picture (top right) and choose Payments and subscriptions > Subscriptions. You'll see a list of current active subscriptions, as well as ones that have expired – tap on any entry in the list to find more details, and options to cancel the subscription or remove it from view if it's expired.

Over on iPhones and iPads, you need to open up Settings, then tap your name at the top, then Subscriptions. As on Android, you get a list of your active and expired subscriptions, as well as a toggle switch for turning email reminders on or off. Tap on any subscription listed to see more details and to cancel the subscription if you want to.

Method three: use a dedicated app

There are several third-party apps that will help you root out subscriptions you don't need – though admittedly a lot of them require a monthly fee of their own.

We recently wrote about one of these apps, Subee (Android and iOS): subscriptions can be added manually or via a scan of your emails, and you can see how much you're spending and cancel accounts with a couple of taps. Managing more than five subscriptions requires a premium membership at $19.99 / £12.99 (about AU$29.85) per month or $29.99 / £29.99 (about AU$44.80) per year.

Then there's TrackMySubs, which works on the web. Add your subscription renewal dates and prices, and you get a really well done overview of what's going out and when – and it can track all those free trials you sign up for as well, so you don't get any unexpected bills after the trials are over. If you want to track more than 10 subscriptions, you'll need to sign up for a premium plan, yours for $10 (about £7.40 / AU$14.95) a month or $99.99 (about £73.95 / AU$149.35) a year.

Another option is Trim, which is also a web app – though it's only available in the US for now. The app can connect directly with your bank account to build a list of the subscriptions you're signed up for, and then you can dig into your monthly spending and the subscriptions that are becoming due, and see which subscriptions you might be able to live without.

The service is free to use as well, as it makes its money by recommending you deals on insurance and other products.

Here's how much I'm saving next year

So, does any of this actually work? In fact, it does: while I haven't found many subscriptions I'd completely forgotten about during this audit process, it has made me think twice about just how many subscriptions I need (which to be honest, tend to increase in number because of all the apps and services I need to write about for my job).

Once Stranger Things season 5 finishes, I think I'll have some time off Netflix – especially as your viewing history and recommendations get preserved for 24 months – which is saving me a hefty £18.99 per month ($24.99 a month for those of you in the US).

I also don't really need ChatGPT and Gemini, so that's another £20 (or $20) a month saved. Finally, after binge-watching Inspector Morse again, I think I can live with ads on ITVX again, which is an additional saving of £5.99 (about $8) a month.

A not inconsiderable saving of £44.98 per month then, which I can put towards something else – that works out as £539.76 or roughly $730 every year. Go through the same process yourself using the tips above, and you might be surprised at how much you can save.

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I’m sure you’ve all had a bad experience wrought by scalpers – folks using an army of bots or simply sheer will (and maybe other tricks) to buy up something in high demand but short supply, only to resell it at a massive markup.

In the world of tech, they’ve scalped PS5s, SSDs, and, more recently, RAM, but they’ll also ruin other shopping experiences for concert tickets, limited edition items, and trading cards, among many others.

That latter one has been my greatest source of scalping frustration in 2025. Whether it's Magic: The Gathering’s Secret Lairs or Riftbound’s general availability (even the ability to attend its competitive events), scalpers have taken advantage of the limited supply to jack up prices and ruin everyone’s fun. And while I’m not into the Pokémon TCG scene quite as much, I know scalping is the bane of regular players there, too.

But what can be done to stop them?

In the fight against scalpers and resellers, we thankfully have a few tricks up our sleeves. I’ve gone round our office to ask the TechRadar team which anti-scalper methods they’ve seen, and these three came out on top as our favorites.

The first is actually a rule being imposed by the UK Government to help keep concert ticket prices in check, and it prevents tickets from being resold at a price that’s higher than the original cost.

Service fees would be accounted for, and the rules would also put caps on these to hopefully prevent the price limit from being undermined, but essentially, this proposed law would prevent resellers from making a profit. This would hurt scalpers but not legitimate fans reselling their concert tickets because they can no longer attend, and helps fans who missed out the first time go and enjoy the artist without needing to pay a premium.

While not ideal for all scenarios, for live events, this approach feels like the gold standard. It punishes scalpers without negatively impacting proper fans.

Another option for live events, or also the sale of a limited availability product, is a ballot draw. I think these work especially well if launched in conjunction with an official fan group, like subscribers to a service or newsletter.

While this randomized queue does require some kind of bot detection and also purchase limits to prevent bad actors from finding ways to abuse the system, it helps give fans an equal chance of getting in on the limited supply, and prevents the irritation caused when you get in a digital line only to find out the thing you wanted sold out while you were still 10,000 places from the front – as with the ballot you know ahead of time that you’ll be able to get something.

The last method I’ll highlight is ‘made to demand’: the system every Magic player wishes Wizards of the Coast would return to for Secret Lair.

Rather than pre-making all of a limited edition preorder item, the seller would instead set a time limit of a few days, weeks, months, however long they want, within which folks can submit a preorder. The product would then be made for every preorder and subsequently shipped out to the buyers.

It can be slow to get everyone what they ordered, sure, but it guarantees everyone gets the limited edition thing – so you don’t end up with folks annoyed they missed out on that Limited Edition PS5 controller or TCG cards because they didn’t get in an online queue at exactly 5pm (it hurts every time).

Is the end in sight?

These solutions are unfortunately not foolproof – they can’t account for all kinds of scalping – but my wish for 2026 is that more retailers will employ these and other techniques they can think up to tackle the scalping epidemic.

Having something you’re excited about being snatched up by malicious middlemen and bots simply so they can sell it back to you at a markup makes almost no one happy – just the opportunistic bad actors who revel in ruining someone else's day.

I saw many players in my local Riftbound group upset they couldn’t get tickets to the Bologna Regional Qualifier – one of the first major regional events for the game outside of Asia.

Riftbound representatives have since pledged to make sure sales go better in the future and have revealed that you can’t resell tickets for the event. If the name on the order doesn’t match the person who picks up the tournament badges on the day, you won’t get them.

Eliminating scalping won’t make everything right in the world, but it’ll brighten up the days of everyone who has ever had the displeasure of facing it. I expect over the next 12 months we’ll continue to need all the brightness we can get.

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The key lies in making them around technology (of course) – and your use of it. How about trying a new streaming service in 2026? Or giving physical media another go? Or getting into a techy hobby that you've long wanted to master?

Below, we've rounded up all of our personal 'tech resolutions' for 2026. Maybe you'll want to try some of them yourself, or they might inspire you to think of your own. Either way, they won't require you to give up eating chocolate (unless you want to).

These friendlier commitments don't involve hitting gyms or giving up chocolate. Instead, they're about using gadgets or apps to nudge your life in the right direction, or simply help you survive the brutal month that is January.

So whether you've been looking to discover unsung AI apps, get back into Blu-rays, slash your streaming bills, or ditch the likes of Spotify or Audible, you'll find guides on how to do all of that and more below.

We want to know how you're planning to upgrade your life with tech in 2026 too – so let us know in the comments below how you're planning to give your life a firmware upgrade this year.

1. This year I'm buying Blu-rays again like it's 2016 – here's why you should too

Buying Blu-rays isn't just about nostalgia – it's a tactic that increasingly makes sense in a world of 'streamflation' and ever-changing catalogues.

TechRadar freelance writer Carrie Marshall feels so strongly about it, she's made a nine-step manifesto on why you should join her Blu-ray quest in 2026...

• Read the full story: This year I'm buying Blu-rays again like it's 2016 – here's why you should too

2. I’m an AI expert – here are my top 5 secret tools that could change your life in 2026

Yes, ChatGPT and Gemini are great AI tools, but are they really the best ones for everything? And are there unsung alternatives that people are secretly using to run their lives?

TechRadar freelancer writer and AI expert Eric Hal Schwartz has gathered his five favorite lesser-known AI tools that could become significant parts of your arsenal for everything from organizing finances to cooking in 2026...

• Read the full story: I’m an AI expert – here are my top 5 secret tools that could change your life in 2026

3. I'm slashing by streaming bills by 56% in 2026 – here's my five-step masterplan

Streaming subscription prices have gone through the roof this year – so unless you're a long-time Nvidia stock holder, you've probably been feeling the pinch.

Fortunately, there are some tricks to help cut those streaming costs that don't involve simply staring at a blank screen. TechRadar's TV obsessive Carrie Marshall has rounded up those tips here – including a handy 'cheat sheet' for building your 'subscription hopping' plan for the year ahead...

• Read the full story: I'm slashing by streaming bills by 56% in 2026 – here's my five-step masterplan

4. I’m ditching true wireless earbuds for these bargain Chinese IEMs in 2026 – here's why

If you've been thinking about going off-piste to find your next pair of earphones in 2026, then you should definitely read this.

TechRadar writer Andrew Williams explains how he's recently discovered the bargain world of 'Chinese hi-fi' – and how you can buy some impressive-sounding IEMS for just £45 / $60 / AU$90.

• Read the full story: I’m ditching true wireless earbuds for these bargain Chinese IEMs in 2026 – here's why

5. Forget Audible and Amazon – I'm switching to these 5 alternatives for audiobooks and e-books in 2026

Let's be honest, Audible and Amazon are a bit too dominant in the world of books, whether we're talking analogue or digital tomes.

If you've had a nagging feeling that you could be looking elsewhere for your audiobooks and e-books in 2026, then allow published author and TechRadar writer Carrie Marshall to show you where she gets her reading fix for both...

• Read the full story: Forget Audible and Amazon – I'm switching to these 5 alternatives for audiobooks and e-books in 2026

6. I finally fixed my home audio setup using a roomEQ kit – here's how you can too

Been wondering how to get your home audio setup to sing in 2026, without spending a fortune on audiophile remodelling? A 'room correction' kit could be your answer.

TechRadar writer Andrew Williams explains how he recently used one of these kits to counter the effects of his living room and take his sound quality to the next level.

• Read the full story: I finally fixed my home audio setup using a roomEQ kit – here's how you can too

7. I've been a Spotify subscriber for over 10 years, but I'm ditching it for Apple Music in 2026 – here's why

It can be easy to get complacent with our favorite streaming services and stick with what we know. But is Spotify really still the best place to spend your musical life?

After over a decade with the music giant, TechRadar writer David Nield explains why he's finally jumping ship in 2026 to Apple Music. And no, it wasn't because of his Spotify Wrapped listening age...

• Read the full story: I've been a Spotify subscriber for over 10 years, but I'm ditching it for Apple Music in 2026 – here's why

8. Goodbye, brain rot – I'm ditching my smartphone for this tiny ereader in 2026, here's why

Ereaders have come a long way in the last 25 years – and a new breed of compact models are increasingly becoming distraction-free, smartphone alternatives for many tasks.

TechRadar writer and ereader enthusiast Tom Bedford recently compared the 6.13-inch Boox Palma 2 Pro to his Android phone for reading, writing, messaging and more – and he's convinced it's the way forward for 2026.

• Read the full story: Goodbye, brain rot – I'm ditching my smartphone for this tiny ereader in 2026, here's why

9. 'Zombie subscriptions’ are a silent killer – here are 3 ways to fix them for 2026 in minutes

The new year is a great time for a quick financial Spring clean – and that's exactly what TechRadar contributor David Nield has just done with a few tools that'll be saving him a cool $730 in 2026.

Find out how he's pruning his digital subscriptions and finding the ones that are hidden in the undergrowth with this timely guide.

• Read the full story: 'Zombie subscriptions’ are a silent killer – here are 3 ways to fix them for 2026 in minutes

10. I'm transforming Windows 11 in 2026 using PowerToys – here's how you can too

Frustrated with Windows 11? You're not alone, but fortunately there are some handy ways to customize it to your liking – including PowerToys, an add-on from Microsoft itself.

TechRadar contributor and computing expert Darren Allan explains how he'll be using PowerToys in 2026 and his favorite features, including the essential PowerToys Run and its Keyboard Manager.

• Read the full story: I'm transforming Windows 11 in 2026 using PowerToys – here's how you can too

11. I've been addicted to AllTrails this year – here's why it's your key to an outdoorsy 2026

Looking for a fitness app that isn't explicitly about fitness? AllTrails could be what you're looking for, as TechRadar writer and convert Tom Bedford explains in this handy primer to the path-finding app.

As you'll discover, AllTrails can be much more than just a navigation aid, offering the kind of outdoorsy inspiration that you can't really find anywhere else.

• Read the full story: I've been addicted to AllTrails this year – here's why it's your key to an outdoorsy 2026

12. My one tech splurge in 2026 will be these 3 unsung TV streaming services – here's why

Looking to go a bit more off-piste with your TV and movie streaming in 2026? TechRadar writer and streaming expert Tom Bedford is doing just that – and he's picked out the services that could help you do the same.

After canceling Disney Plus and pausing his Tubi addiction, he's throwing himself into the likes of BFI Player – alongside a more niche history-themed destination.

• Read the full story: My one tech splurge in 2026 will be these 3 unsung TV streaming services – here's why

13. Notion isn't just a note-taking app – here are 5 ways I'm using it to run my life in 2026

If your life is already feeling a little out of control in these early days of 2026, it might be time to embrace the powerful Notion app – and TechRadar's resident power user Lloyd Coombes is here to show you how.

Last year, we showed you how to use the free version to get started with Notion's life-managing powers – and this time we're taking things up a notch with this tour of its most powerful recent features, including Meeting Notes and Calendar.

• Read the full story: Notion isn't just a note-taking app – here are 5 ways I'm using it to run my life in 2026

14. Meditation was my biggest life upgrade this year – here's the app I'm using to continue my hot streak in 2026

Meditation is a classic new year's resolution, but also a tricky one to commit to in the long-term. Fortunately, TechRadar contributor and meditation convert Alex Blake is here to show you how he made it a big part of his life last year.

The key was wading through the countless meditation apps out there and finding one that strikes the balance between depth, usability and affordability. Read on to find out why Meditation by Down Dog could be that app for you, too.

• Read the full story: Meditation was my biggest life upgrade this year – here's the app I'm using to continue my hot streak in 2026

15. I'm a phones expert, and these are my 5 tech resolutions for 2026 – from taking better photos to playing more Fortnite

Sometimes, a tech resolution can be as simple as wringing much more value from the gadget you use most of the time – your smartphone.

TechRadar's Mobile Computing Staff Writer Jamie Richards explains the five things he's doing in 2026 to do just that – from embracing Android's latest customization features to, yes, playing more mobile games.

• Read the full story: I'm a phones expert, and these are my 5 tech resolutions for 2026 – from taking better photos to playing more Fortnite

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From the best wireless speakers you can hear, the best coffee machines for apprentice Americano brewers and cappuccino connoisseurs alike, to the best drawing tablets for sketching up a storm, I’ve thoroughly tested a real range of tech this year. Now I want to share some of that experience with you all.

If you're curious about some of the greatest gadgets from the past year, I’ve got the hands-on experience to make personal recommendations. So if you want to know what the top five gadgets I tested in 2025 are, read on below.

Gaggia Classic E24 Evo Pro

As an inveterate caffeine addict, the one thing I care about more than anything when I’m using a coffee machine is reliable, repeatable results. And that’s why I loved using this machine.

When testing for my Gaggia Classic E24 Evo Pro review, I found it easy to produce shot after shot of consistent, polished espresso. While other machines require a heap of variable tweaking to ensure the coffee expresses correctly, it was super simple to hit the right grind size and tamping pressure to get great results out of the Gaggia. As a result, I was rewarded with delicious espresso topped with a light yet enduring crema.

If you prefer a machine that holds your hand every step of the way, though, this isn’t it. There are no automatic, bean-to-cup buttons or personalizable profiles here. And the milk steamer is anything but high-tech, requiring a bit of a knack to get consistently frothy results. But if what you’re looking for is a workman-like espresso machine that will help you bash out brilliant brews, this will definitely get you there.

TCL C8K

OK, hands up: I’ll admit I’m cheating a bit here. I didn’t technically test this TV; the actual TCL C8K review was carried out by my colleague James Davidson. But I do own it, which effectively means I’ve been testing it in real-world conditions for the past five weeks now.

I’ve never owned a TCL TV before this – previously, I would have gone straight for a big brand like Samsung or LG. But I’ll definitely always consider them in the future. This mini-LED marvel is just flat-out gorgeous. It’s seriously bright and offers very competent contrast, thanks to its 1,680 local dimming zones.

However, my favorite thing about it is the color reproduction. Honestly, feed it a movie or nature documentary, and the hues it produces are so vibrant they make the real world seem like a pale imitation. It can happily rival more premium TVs for richness, making it a pretty tempting purchase at a list price that runs from £1,599 / AU$2,495 for the 65-inch version.

That’s not to say I don’t have any reservations about it. The version of the Google TV OS it runs is missing at least one streaming service, while my phone is utterly unable to connect to it in AirPlay mode, which is a touch irritating. However, if you’re mostly worried about using the big streaming services and your main priority is getting the best picture performance for your buck, this definitely gets my thumbs up.

Oh and if you’re based in the US, don’t worry: the equivalent where you are, the TCL QM8K, is just as stellar and at the time of writing is available at Best Buy from just $1,499.99 (was $2,449.99).

Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch

A more unusual product category I’ve been testing out over the last year is the best digital photo frames. The Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch is certainly one of my top photo frame picks, following on from the similarly stellar – if you’ll excuse the pun – Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame that I tested back in November 2024.

My photos always looked great on the Pexar Starlight. While its pixel density is a little lower than its predecessor, the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame – 141 PPI compared to the latter’s 212 PPI – it still made my monochrome shots look crisp and detailed. Colors are perhaps a bit more muted here than on the smaller frame, but they’re still pretty faithful, all things considered.

So it’s a strong performer, with a couple of caveats. Then why am I including it on this list of my best items I’ve reviewed this year? Well, what lifts it into the top-tier category for me is the design.

It has gorgeous, textured bevels that look like mounting board and a wood-grain effect frame. But the most innovative element is its rear-facing light, which lights up the wall behind it like it’s a painting in a gallery. I love how this makes the frame feel much more integrated into your home decor, especially in the evenings. All in all, it’s a seriously stunning frame with some groundbreaking features.

We Are Rewind GB-001

While the We Are Rewind GB-001 is a great speaker, the main reason I’m including it here is that it’s unlike almost anything else on the market. Combining retro-styling, old-school tape playback, and modern features, it sits at the apex of a category of one.

First off, that tape deck. It offers great-quality playback of both Type-1 and Type-2 cassettes. I tried it with an old tape that had been knocking around since the early 1990s and I was honestly impressed with how little wow or flutter there is, which is those pitch fluctuations you might remember from listening to some older tapes. Recording also offers very creditable quality – when I recorded an impromptu mixtape, I liked how there was just the right amount of old-school tape hiss without much degradation to the overall sound.

It's a pretty nifty speaker in its own right, too. It offers both Bluetooth and Aux connectivity, a suitably epic 15-hour max battery life and VU meters that pump in time with the signal level of your music. Moreover, even though its mid-range is less expressive, it’ll submerge you in buckets of bass – perfect for breakers and skaters who want to relive their glory days or younger people falling in love with that tape hiss for the first time.

XPPen Artist Pro 19 Gen 2

On top of being a tech nerd during my professional life, I’m also a bit of an amateur artist in my free time. Given that they combine two of my biggest passions, you won’t be surprised to hear that I’m a fan of graphics tablets. And probably the best I’ve tested this past year has been the XPPen Artist Pro 19 Gen 2.

First off, it comes with an extremely expansive 18.4-inch screen that makes sketching large-scale artworks a breeze. On top of this, the display is impressively bright, at an average of 250 nits, while simultaneously capable of serving up beautifully rich hues, offering 1.07 billion colors across its 99.8% sRGB, 96% Adobe RGB and 98% Display P3 color gamut.

The drawing experience is first-rate. I found both its more premium X3 Pro Roller Stylus and X3 Pro Slim Stylus to be wonderfully well-weighted, easy to pivot and spin as I drew strokes across the screen. And while their 16K pressure levels are probably overkill – being way more than most people can realistically detect – the styluses are remarkably responsive.

Finally, despite its enormous size and impressive performance, the XPPen is actually surprisingly affordable. Its original list price of $899.99 / £899.99 / AU$1,499.99 was already pretty impressive, but at the time of writing this piece, it was available for $629.99 / £674.99 from Amazon, so it’s worth looking out for bargains.

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I have some ideas, and I considered for a moment making this a one-word article: 'AI.' It's more nuanced than that, of course. Developments across this vast and ever-expanding field, represented by that increasingly ubiquitous initialism, will be myriad.

When I consider 2026, my mind is stuffed full of possibilities and, not being an actual prophet, I have only my reasonably well-informed guesswork to go by. That's why, as I've done in previous years, I talked to my good friend and long-time industry watcher Tim Bajarin, who serves as chairman of the analyst group Creative Strategies, Inc.

Few people understand the tech industry and the tectonic shifts that periodically occur within it, better, and Bajarin has a unique ability to call BS on some of my wilder predictions. This year, I found we were mostly in alignment.

The AI of everything

You don't need me to tell you that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will continue its steady march into and through every part of our lives. There will be no bubble to burst, just bigger and better models, and some monetization through integrated advertising in our prompt results.

It's likely that OpenAI, the current generative AI market leader, will deliver GPT-6. This will be a massive leap in computational power and reasoning. Bajarin agreed, telling me he'd been "hearing it will be significant."

The question, though, is if this will be the first baby step in our long walk to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), the form of AI in which the systems think and act more like us.

Early this year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the path to AGI was already solved; but since then, Altman has distanced himself from a declaration of achieving AGI partially because he thinks the term, perhaps like the soul or human consciousness, has lost meaning.

Maybe that's why Bajarin and I were a little out of alignment on AGI. I predicted we'd see the first clearly definable signs of it next year.

"Not in 2026. AGI still has a lot of work to be done on processing speed and software. My personal belief is we won’t see real AGI before 2028 at the earliest," Bajarin wrote to me via email.

The problem, as he explained it to me, is that these AI systems have yet to achieve something called "polymathic artificial general intelligence."

What is that? Imagine someone who understands music, art, physics, biology, theology and architecture, and, at a deep enough level, can think across these disciplines to reach new and fresh insights. Such a person is known as a polymath, and a true AGI should exhibit analogous qualities, albeit on an infinitely greater scale.

As Bajarin said, 2026 won't be the year for this momentous event. Guess we'll compare notes in 12 months.

A tight race

Not that there won't be some big changes in the AI race.

Even though there are multiple AI companies all vying for your prompts and attention, in 2026 we may see the race boil down to a head-to-head battle between the big two: OpenAI and Google.

Google will be laser-focused on pushing Gemini into everything. The thin dividing line between AI overviews and standard Google Search results will disappear, and eventually, you won't know if you're searching the knowledge graph or Gemini's big brain.

Meanwhile, ChatGPT's growth as a search engine of choice, often called just 'Chat' by loyal users, will, Bajarin agreed, help OpenAI draw "neck and neck" with Google.

There will be no clear winner, but their combined dominance may see other AI players fall or be consumed by rivals. Bajarin agreed, and said the consolidation was "inevitable."

One thing we will not see in 2026 is any real AI regulation, at least on US shores. In a way, this is to be expected. It's hard to regulate a world now running on AI Time. "Governments do not have a solid grasp on how to regulate, given the fast-moving AI developments," wrote Bajarin.

In a way, I almost feel for officials struggling to stay up to date. On the other hand, this is their job, and wholly unregulated AI development, especially if agentic AI really takes off and we get a glimmer of AGI, is a recipe for disaster.

Chip fallout

Elsewhere, the RAM crisis that began in 2025 will intensify in 2026, with supplies reaching record lows and prices skyrocketing. The winners will be companies that stockpiled low-cost RAM.

The losers, though, will be consumers who struggle to buy affordable graphics cards with enough RAM, or to upgrade underperforming systems with a RAM boost.

Most RAM is produced outside the US, in places like China and in Taiwan by TSMC. 2026 should be the year we hear more about efforts to build RAM manufacturing capabilities in the US, but that will have zero impact on supply and prices in 2026.

What say you, Nvidia

Nvidia's leadership position in the AI chip space will continue its global expansion (as long as the White House continues to allow it to sell those chips to places like China), and GPU fans will continue to suffer.

It's not clear to me if Nvidia has any real interest in developing consumer-grade products beyond the current RTX 50 Series lineup.

"This will become more important as 2026 develops," Bajarin wrote, and I think he's right. PC gaming fans' disenfranchisement will grow into deep frustration unless Nvidia can demonstrate some commitment to their market sector.

Windows, Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm

The ARM desktop computing revolution has been something of a revelation for consumers who have long put up with powerful but power-sucking Intel CPUs, and thought they had to live with mediocre battery life.

I got on board years ago with my first M1 MacBook Air, and I'm now using the ultra-powerful M5-running MacBook Pro 14. I've also been impressed with what I've seen of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Series Elite and Plus – those systems are matching Apple for performance and battery life. My prediction for 2026 is that Qualcomm's share of shipped and sold Windows Copilot PCs might become measurable.

In 2024, Qualcomm Windows PCs made up less than 1% of the market. Qualcomm claimed they accounted for 10% of systems selling for at least $800 in 2025, but Bajarin remains unconvinced that ARM-based Windows systems will move the needle that far in 2026. "It is picking up steam, but most of what we see are Intel and AMD-based PCs being shipped today."

That makes sense; but Intel's troubles, and AMD's sticking with more affordable systems make me think the opportunity for Snapdragon PCs in 2026 will be huge.

Apple's big year

I have a lot of thoughts about Apple, but let's start with the glasses. Apple CEO Tim Cook has been talking about augmented reality (AR) for years, and I'm sure he's trying to figure out how to reposition the Vision Pro, shifting it fully to the enterprise sector, while he makes room for iGlasses.

It's clear to me that, with Meta, Google, Samsung, Xreal, and others delivering compelling lightweight, eyeglass AR experiences, Apple can no longer wait to show its hand in this space.

"I think Apple glasses will be out by the end of 2026," says Bajarin in one of his bolder claims. "They have been working on AR glasses since 2017," he adds. "Just needed the right technology and is now close to having what they need for first-gen glasses."

That sounds exciting, but Apple had better deliver something that feels like more than 'first-gen'. If the glasses arrive in late 2026 (and if they do I think it would be in September, and they'd show up with just three new iPhone 18 handsets), they need to be as polished as the Vision Pro, as light as the Meta Ray Ban Display, and as affordable as Echo Frames.

It's possible we'll see the first glimpse of these Apple iGlasses at WWDC 2026, but we might have to wait until late in the year for commercial release (there's a chance they slip to 2027).

In the meantime, promised Android XR AI display frames will arrive, likely over the summer, and will quickly establish themselves among the must-have wearable gadgets of 2026.

No folding now

While I was starting work on this article, Samsung surprised with an early reveal of the Galaxy Z Trifold, with a promise to deliver it in South Korea this year, and in the US in 2026.

It's yet another sign from the foldable phone pacesetter that this form factor is here to stay, and will grow as a market around what Samsung and second-tier competitors like Google have built.

The competition will get more interesting this year, with Apple set to finally deliver its version of the iFold or iPhone Fold, or an iPad Fold (possibly both).

I'd like to say that Apple will learn its lesson from the Vision Pro, and will not price the folding iPhone Fold wildly out of reach for most consumers – but the fact that it has not yet relented on the Vision Pro price gives me less confidence here.

Google, Siri

On the AI front, it's no secret that Apple is rumored to be in deep discussion with Google about integrating Gemini into Siri (for a heavy licensing fee).

This is how Apple will finally deliver the Siri and Apple Intelligence it first promised almost two years ago. Bajarin agreed with me on this point, and so I turned the discussion more directly to Tim Cook and the subject of succession.

I fully expect Tim Cook to remain as CEO through 2026, but there will be some elevation of Hardware Engineering lead John Ternus to CEO-in-waiting. In recent months, Apple's executive suite has better resembled a revolving door, but that won't touch Cook or Ternus.

Bajarin agreed with my general assessment, but gave me a better reason for Cook sticking around, "AR glasses is his baby and [he] won’t leave until it is released and makes the impact he has envisioned for AR."

Don't forget the robots

The effort to bring humanoid robots to market in a big way will gather pace in 2026, kicked off early in the year when 1X delivers the first tranche of $20,000 Neo Betas to customers. But I predict a rough go for this brand, as early adopters will quickly grow frustrated with their robot's plodding capabilities. If you're happy with your robot taking 45 minutes to empty the dishwasher, you'll be fine.

The good news is that the pace of development will be fast (like some of those running robots that showed up late this year). Most of the major robotics companies are using AI to accelerate training, and these humanoids will become better than ever at navigating the unexpected.

Still, the hard reality is that we are years away from any of these robots being fully ready for home deployment. Bajarin agrees, telling me, "It's still 2-to-3 years away." That, I believe, is being generous.

The rest

Those are my major thoughts, but there will be so many other areas of movement, surprise, and controversy:

• AI actors will appear in more commercials and pop up, mostly as background players, in movies and TV shows. The actors' union will make a lot of noise, but I worry there won't be much they can do about it.
• The next version of Windows will be called Windows Copilot.
• OpenAI will continue to move fast and break things: GPT-6 will surely go too far in some respect, OpenAI will apologize, revise with GPT-6.1, and move on.
• Consumers will have to decide between OLED TVs and a new selection of micro RGB TVs promising more brightness and better colors with less filtering.
• 8K TVs will still fail to take off.
• Social media's impact will diminish as Gen Z and especially Gen Alpha reject it in favor of phone-free in-person relationships and activities. Footnote: TikTok's ownership and algorithm may still not be resolved.
• Sam Altman and Jony Ive will release their AI hardware to universal interest and buzz, but huge sales will not follow.
• AI-powered network attacks will increase, and may lead to big platform and cloud outages.

I know, it's a lot to think about. At this time of year my brain is a jumble of possibilities and prognostication, and I'm sure I've missed a few things, certainly some of your own pet topics. Plus, there are sure to be some big, genuine surprises in 2026. Whatever comes, I'm here for it. It's what I do.

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To make this list, our team of experts hand-picked a longlist of notable flops and fails from 2025 (and there was a lot to choose from). Then we published that list on the TechRadar WhatsApp channel for readers to vote on the worst of them all. Our list contains a mix of both catastrophic fails (like our number one) and disappointing product flops.

Below, you can read those mishaps in reverse order, but before we kick off it's time to also give a nod to our honorable mentions, which didn't quite get enough votes to make the cut for the full list.

They were, in no particular order: Friend's creepy AI necklace, Garmin's disastrous subscription service, Dyson's tame V16 Piston Animal vacuum, the fainting Tesla Optimus robot, and Taco Bell's half-baked AI drive-thru (which crashed when someone ordered 18,000 water cups). Oh, and we also got a very late entrant with Meta 'pausing' third-party Horizon OS (Quest) headsets, meaning offerings from Asus and Lenovo are no longer happening.

With that housekeeping out of the way, let's get on with the real show, starting from number 11…

11. Prime Video's hallucinating AI recaps

We all need recaps, right? If you haven't watched a show for a year (or maybe longer), you definitely need the last season refreshing in your mind.

Late in 2025, Amazon came up with the bright idea of saving you the trouble of having to trawl through YouTube trying to find a good recap of the correct seasons by providing one itself. The catch was these Prime Video recaps were AI-generated affairs, but hey – what could go wrong? AI is pretty much infallible, after all.

Of course, the propensity for AI to hallucinate – get things wrong – is well-known, and this scheme went awry in rather predictable fashion.

A recap of Fallout season one that went live early in December – just ahead of the release of season two, which is now underway – offered commendable production values, particularly compared to some of the more thrown-together, turgid and janky YouTube efforts. But it made a couple of telling blunders.

Firstly, the AI recap mistakenly stated that The Ghoul's flashback scenes were set in the 1950s (not 2077, where they're actually set, albeit with a retro vibe). Furthermore, the AI also got the summary of the season finale episode round its neck, completely misinterpreting the ending.

Those aren't minor mistakes, and so Amazon has gone back to the drawing board with this AI project, putting it on ice for now – and we've gone back to 'Man of Recaps' on YouTube.

• Read more: Prime Video hits pause on its AI-powered recaps after viewers were told Fallout was set in the 1950s

10. The ill-judged Sky Sports Halo channel

Does Sky's Halo channel not ring any bells? That isn't surprising, as it didn't hang around for long.

Halo was a Sky Sports channel on TikTok dedicated to "female sports fans" and billed as the "lil sis of Sky Sports" that briefly existed for a few days in November.

The idea was to "build a welcoming community for female fans, whether casual or committed, through fun, trend-led, and relatable content". Sadly, Halo didn't draw in new female sports fans, it only drew the wrath of women and girls everywhere who found it patronizing and sexist.

The relatable content about 'hot girl walks' and 'matcha' bordered on nonsensical, and it was cringingly condescending. Women universally complained that female sports fans just want to watch Sky Sports' normal coverage – and that they didn't need some ridiculous, dumbed-down version.

As a post on X (one of many carrying a similar sentiment) made clear, women don't need a separate platform, they just need to remain visible and be treated equally on existing Sky Sports platforms.

Halo only lasted three days before Sky pulled the plug on the channel, admitting that it "didn't get it right" with this very fleeting and misjudged endeavor.

9. Grok's 'MechaHitler' freak-out

Grok is Elon Musk's AI platform that's integrated with the social media site X, and it received an update in July, of which Musk observed: "You should notice a difference when you ask Grok questions."

And yes, there was a very noticeable difference, as Grok went completely off the rails. The AI embarked on what can only be described as a tirade of antisemitic insanity, as it declared itself to be 'MechaHitler' (a chaingun-toting robot boss version of Adolf Hitler from the Wolfenstein 3D game of the early 90s) and put forth all kinds of anti-Jewish conspiracy theories (and worse) on X.

The posts were deleted, but the damage was obviously done, even though Grok later claimed the comparison to MechaHitler was "pure satire". Musk blamed X users for provoking Grok's hate speech responses, and said that: "Grok was too compliant to user prompts. Too eager to please and be manipulated, essentially. That is being addressed."

New (already planned) Grok 4 models were quickly rolled out, and these were substantial advancements based on AI benchmarks – and put paid to the racist rants. However, any technical achievements here were completely overshadowed by what happened during the 'MechaHitler' incident, which goes down as one of the most baffling, and certainly the most outrageous, tech fails of this year.

8. Call of Duty's terrible co-op campaign

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was unleashed in November and there was good and bad here – and also atrocious.

That awful element of this first-person shooter package was the co-op campaign. As we make clear in our Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 review, there's so much wrong with the campaign it's difficult to know where to start.

How about the nonsensical story, featuring a poorly implemented plot that's a frankly painful experience all-round? Or the dreadful dialogue, or the overall rushed feel of the campaign? Or the jarring changes in the environment throughout the missions, and the overly large nature of Avalon, the semi-open-world map that much of the campaign takes place in?

Perhaps the very worst thing is how Black Ops 7 has gone into reverse gear at alarming speed compared to the cinematic thrills of the campaign of its predecessor, Black Ops 6. And the abandonment of the tight, scripted set-piece goodness that we've previously appreciated, in favor of leaning into Avalon and a more raid-like style as seen in massively multiplayer games, resulting in a much vaguer and more unsatisfying (and annoying) experience.

As our reviewer makes clear, when the highlight is laughing at how bad things are, the co-op campaign becomes rather like watching a particularly second-rate and tepid B-movie with friends – enjoyable in some ways, but for all the wrong reasons.

As for the multiplayer of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, well, that's very different, but the co-op campaign is definitely one of the biggest gaming fails of 2025 (though there were other, bigger, game-related flops – as you'll see below).

• Read more: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has some of the best multiplayer and zombies in the series, but also one of the worst campaigns

7. ChatGPT-5's charm downgrade

ChatGPT-5 arrived in August 2025, but this was not a high-five moment for OpenAI.

While GPT-5 was marketed as having major strengths in terms of understanding more complicated queries without needing additional context compared to previous models, and advancing in major ways in terms of maths and 'vibe coding', those using the new incarnation of the AI were left distinctly unimpressed with this launch.

Why? Emotion, that's why. People felt that GPT-5 was rather cold and abrupt in comparison to what they were used to with ChatGPT, and accusations were leveled of the new model having an emotionless tone compared to GPT-4o. In fact, such was the volume of complaints about this upgrade that OpenAI was forced to bring back GPT-4o and keep it on as an alternative option to GPT-5 (as a legacy model for ChatGPT subscribers).

OpenAI subsequently fine-tuned GPT-5 with improved personality tweaking options, and in the GPT-5.1 update, sought to achieve a better balance of emotion and connection while steering away from the dangers of sycophancy.

Some may think of current AI platforms as essentially a supercharged, super-deep web search, but this episode highlights a key difference between Google and ChatGPT (or other AIs). When people are using AI, they aren't just concerned about the result – as with a basic web search – but the overall experience.

It's not a surprising lesson, really, but it's one OpenAI clearly needed to learn.

6. The vanishing Trump phone

The Trump Mobile T1 Phone, to give the device its full name, was revealed in June 2025. Since then, we've been wondering where this smartphone has got to, and what's going on with it – and clearly you have, too, as you voted it into our top tech fails of 2025.

The gold and gaudy smartphone was initially marketed as 'Made in the USA' with a September release date. However, the former claim was soon walked-back to having an 'American Proud Design' and September came and passed with no sign of the smartphone. Indeed, at the time of writing in December, the Trump phone is still nowhere to be seen, leaving those who've pre-ordered (and dropped a $100 deposit) pretty miffed, no doubt.

There's still continued radio silence about when the hardware will actually ship, with The Verge tracking the saga with weekly updates, noting that it is possible to buy (and receive) devices from Trump Mobile – refurbished Samsung and Apple phones – just not the T1 Phone. You can also get Trump Mobile's 47 Plan and that works just fine, too, based on The Verge's testing.

But the gold T1 Phone remains mysteriously hidden backstage somewhere, out of sight from the audience who've pre-ordered the handset – leaving people wondering if it'll ever emerge from behind the curtain at this point.

• Read more: Can the Trump Mobile T1 Phone really be 'made in the USA'? Here's what experts say

5. The Xbox Game Pass price hike

Microsoft rejigged its Xbox Game Pass at the start of October, shocking gamers with the steepness of the hike that was actioned for the Ultimate subscription. Microsoft sent the price of that top-tier offering soaring to $29.99 / £22.99 / AU$35.95 a month, a 50% leap in cost (or just over in some regions).

Microsoft argued that the value proposition of the new Ultimate tier justified the increase, packing more games and extra bits like a Fortnite Crew membership and better cloud gaming (at 1440p resolution). Subscribers, however, didn't agree, and argued that some of this stuff didn't matter to them (certainly if they don't play Fortnite), then voted with their feet.

Indeed, a rash of Xbox Games Pass cancellations came through so thick and fast it crashed Microsoft's systems. You voted for this fail, too, to the tune of 6% of our poll's total votes, so there's clearly some anger about this which hasn't diminished as the end of 2025 arrives.

So, while Microsoft saw strong Game Pass annual revenue as revealed in the middle of the year (as part of the end of fiscal 2025 earnings report), this ill-thought-out hike could yet prove to be a major wrinkle in that income stream.

• Read more: The Xbox Game Pass price hikes are so bad, it literally crashed the membership site due to widespread cancellations

4. The perma-delayed GTA 6

Is Grand Theft Auto 6 one of the most keenly anticipated games of all time? Undoubtedly. Is it, in fact, the most feverishly awaited game ever to be developed? Quite possibly, although the heights reached here are at least partly down to the agitation around the delays with GTA 6.

You most likely know the story, or the broad strokes of it, but here's a recap of the full delay timeline. Grand Theft Auto 6 was originally confirmed as being in the works by Rockstar in February 2022, but it wasn't until the initial trailer dropped at the end of 2023 that we got the first release date – a pretty wide-open 'some point in 2025' arrival timeframe. That was later narrowed to a fall (autumn) 2025 window, meaning September to November of this year, of which Rockstar said it was "highly-confident" (ahem).

Then in May of this year came the first announcement of a delay to next year, with the game pushed back to May 26, 2026 (a telling date – the anniversary of Bonnie and Clyde's funeral, with a parallel seemingly being drawn to the game's protagonists).

Following that, in November 2025, came news that we had longer to wait again, with the second delay pushing GTA 6 back a further six months to November 19, 2026. We were told that this is all about adding extra polish, performance honing and bug fixing – and not adding content, it should be noted.

The frustration was evident online, though, and in our poll, too, where GTA 6 ended up with 6.5% of the total votes (that half a percent is important, as it edged the game past Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass fail). Clearly, the second delay was very disappointing for gamers everywhere – and it felt worse because of how confident Rockstar previously seemed with its 2025 release timeframe. Normally developers are pretty cautious about making more cast-iron sounding assertions about release dates, but not Rockstar – and we now know that its confidence was badly misplaced.

Still, the old mantra applies here: better that a game is properly finished than rushed out – although 'rushed' is certainly not an adjective that applies to GTA 6, not remotely. It's also worth remembering that other exciting big-name open-world games are nearer on the horizon (or even already here), too.

• Read more: GTA 6 has been delayed once again to ‘finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve’, though I’m not convinced this is actually the final release date

3. Microsoft's unwanted Copilot AI

Microsoft announced its intention to make every Windows 11 PC an AI PC in mid-October, just after Windows 10 reached its end of support. That meant a fresh push for Copilot, a newfangled scheme to bring other AI agents into Windows 11 to autonomously carry out tasks for you, and some voice input-related trimmings.

The timing was clearly about enticing Windows 10 holdouts to make the leap to Windows 11 and the sparkly AI-filled future, but to say it backfired is an understatement.

People rebelled against the buzzwords, against Windows 11 becoming an 'agentic AI platform', and a thousand and one different variants of the sentiment 'no one wants this' were hurled at Microsoft over a variety of social media outlets.

A raft of concerns were aired, including worries about security after Microsoft made it clear that AI agents are run at your own risk, and pose fresh avenues for potential exploits (even if Microsoft is obviously planning to defend against that). Not to mention broader concerns about privacy with AI agents working directly with your files – and the potential for bugs therein. (It's not like Windows 11 has a bad history with bugs, right?).

However, beyond this, the overwhelming cry aimed at Microsoft was to forget about adding fancy AI trimming to Windows 11, and to fix what's already there. To address some of the issues around performance, bugs, and wonky bits of interface which have been annoying Windows 11 users to this day.

Copilot wasn't just given the cold shoulder by consumers using Windows 11, though, as in early December, we also saw claims that Microsoft's having a tough time selling its agentic AI masterplan to businesses. As The Information reported (via Extremetech), Microsoft has purportedly lowered its agentic AI sales targets for staff – slashed those targets, in fact – although the software giant denied this.

On top of that, Copilot caught further bad press when the AI was found muscling its way onto LG TVs. The Copilot app was added automatically via an LG firmware update, with an additional sore point – there was no way to remove it. (Not initially, anyway, though LG later said it would provide a way to remove the app in a future webOS update – this just happened at the time of writing).

As you can imagine, this did not go down well at all, with plenty of suspicion about why Copilot was being forced onto a TV in this way, and the obvious privacy concerns therein.

So... was it a bad year for the Copilot brand? No – it was far worse than that. Maybe 'terrible' just about covers it, with Microsoft managing to provoke quite a monumental backlash against its AI. Therefore it isn't surprising to see Copilot was one of the top three fails of this year, capturing 9% of your votes.

• Read more: Microsoft says Copilot will 'finish your code before you finish your coffee' provoking another barrage of anti-AI and Windows 11 sentiment

2. The overpriced iPhone 16e

Apple released the iPhone 16e in February 2025 as a kind of middle-ground between the iPhone SE and the base iPhone 16. The core idea was a smartphone that offers the essentials of the iPhone 16 while dropping some of the trimmings – including some fancier bells and whistles – for a more affordable price tag.

There were problems here, though, firstly in that people weren't impressed with some of the design decisions Apple made, like running with a single camera. But the biggest stumbling block was that the price tag pinned on the iPhone 16e just wasn't budget-friendly enough.

The iPhone 16e launched at $599 / £599 / AU$999 compared to the iPhone SE (from 2022) that was going for $429 / £429 / AU$719 just before the new model arrived. That's a 40% leap in price, and it proved too much of an ask for a smartphone that has a few too many shortcomings (including a cut-down 60Hz display which takes away from the smooth and seamless experience you expect from an iPhone).

For the money, here at TechRadar we felt the iPhone 16e came up short, and the phone buying public agreed with us – in a survey, over 9 in 10 people felt the smartphone was too expensive for a 'budget' model, and 7 out of 10 were 'unimpressed' with the iPhone 16e overall. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said that $500 (and the regional equivalent elsewhere) felt a more appropriate price.

This isn't to say that it's a bad smartphone – because it certainly isn't as our iPhone 16e review made clear – just that the iPhone 16e is hampered by a disappointing lack of value. And you clearly agreed that Apple missed the mark by some distance with pricing, judging the iPhone 16e as the second biggest tech flop of 2025 with 12% of the total vote. Ouch.

1. The AWS and Cloudflare outages

2025 was a year in which we witnessed some almighty internet outages, showing just how the wheels could come completely off the net if a key service failed – leaving everyone seriously in the lurch for one reason or another.

Indeed, such was your frustration with this year's big outages – caused by AWS and Cloudflare respectively – that you voted this the top tech fail in resounding fashion, to the tune of 50% of the votes cast. To look at it another way, these downtimes were as big an issue as every other fail on this list put together.

AWS or Amazon Web Services was the first of this year's mammoth downtimes and it struck on October 20. It was caused by a DNS bug that hit the Northern Virginia (US-EAST-1) region of AWS, which is a critical part of the internet's infrastructure and handles a huge amount of Amazon's traffic – which the spanner in the works totally disrupted, sparking a domino effect causing problems with other AWS regions to boot.

The end result was the internet being very sluggish for many people across the globe on that day in October, and a frankly staggering array of services being affected or getting taken down outright for substantial chunks of time. That included Reddit, Slack, Zoom, Snapchat, PSN, Xbox, Steam and the Epic Games stores, Fortnite, Wordle, Starbucks, Apple Music, Tidal, T-Mobile, and many, many more – plus of course Amazon services themselves (like Prime Video). In total, over 1,000 websites or services experienced downtime issues, going by Downdetector.

As well as the sheer scope of this epic AWS fail, there were also a myriad of weird repercussions nobody expected. Unfortunate smart bed owners found their mattress stuck at an inclined angle, unable to be moved, or overheating, making sleep impossible for some, and school exams were disrupted, or bank transfers vanished into nowhere.

The Cloudflare outage followed this and was a disaster on a similar scale, effectively taking out a whole chunk of the internet on November 18, just a month later. Cloudflare is again a key player in terms of the infrastructure of the internet – providing security and boosting performance for sites and online services – and sometimes when websites won't load, you may be familiar with seeing its name pop up on an error screen in your browser.

This second major outage was caused by a failure in Cloudflare's own systems (originating from a database permission change), and victims included X, ChatGPT, Spotify, Zoom, and AWS (oh the irony), with collateral damage therein knocking out various other services.

The lesson was clear enough with these outages: in the online world, there's a lot of power concentrated in the hands of a few key cloud service providers, and should any important facet of those juggernaut operations go down, it can take out a huge slab of sites and services.

AWS in particular showed just how vulnerable the internet is to a single point of failure, and this has worrying implications for the future – especially when you view this through the lens of cyber-attacks (rather than internal bugs) being weaponized to intentionally cause online chaos.

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Not an LED bulb was stirring, not even a smart watch,

The string lights were hung across the virtual fireplace with care,

In hopes that AI Saint Nicholas would soon generate there.

°

The children were nestled under their covers,

While visions of new smartphones danced in their VR headsets,

And mom in her heated pants, I in my Bluetooth earbuds,

Had just settled down for another binge of Succession.

°

When out on the lawn, our video doorbell alerted us to such a clatter,

I sprang off the couch to see what my smartphone had captured.

Away to the app, I swiped in a flash

Opened the feed and selected the lens below my sash.

°

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the luster of Instagram filters to the animatronic characters below.

When what to my wondering smart glasses should appear,

but a miniature e-sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.

°

With a millennial driver so sluggish and slightly sleigh-sick

I knew in a moment that it must be AI Nick.

More vapid than influencers, his coursers, they came,

And Nick grunted, cast glances, and listed their names.

°

"Now, Devon. Now, TikTok Dancer, Now, Dancing with Stars,

On, Capricious, On Hinge, On Dessert, and Blintzes.

To as close as you can get to the house without setting off the security system!

Now dash that way, dash that way, please dash away, all."

°

As virtual figures rise before us and spin out and into existence,

So to the top of the house,

the collection, they flew,

With the e-sleigh full of gadgets and AI Nick, too.

°

And then in a twinkling, I heard through my smart woofers,

The stomping and scrapping of each annoyed hoofer.

As I popped out my earbuds and turned around,

Down my central air vent, AI Nick came with a sound.

°

He was dressed all in E-ink fabric with jolly messages appearing from head to foot,

And he was covered in dust that my smart air filter detected.

A small bag of gadgets and gift cards he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a store clerk, filling a shopping sack.

°

His eyes were twinkling question marks, his dimples were almost merry!

His cheeks worked to form an answer, his nose twitched in fury,

His droll mouth drew up to request an inquiry.

And the beard, trimmed neatly to show off his chiseled chin, was white as the snow.

°

The stump of his vape held tight in his teeth,

And a puff of vapor encircled his head like a gray wreath.

He had a narrow face and a belt cinched tight on his belly.

That barely moved when he laughed, which is just as well-e.

He was tall and thin, a right intense AI elf.

And I thought of a prompt to interrogate himself

A lift of his eyebrow and a turn of his head

Soon, let me know, he'd keep silent instead.

°

He spoke not a word but went straight to his work,

And dropped gift cards in stockings and turned to this jerk

And laying a finger on top of his phone,

And shaking his head, up the vent he rose.

°

He walked to his e-sleigh and to the bored deer he whistled.

And away they all flew, like a jet with satellite Wi-Fi.

But I heard him yell loudly as he flew out of sight,

"That's an excellent question. I think the story of Santa is one of universal joy.

Would you like to hear a holiday greeting?

How's this:

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Would you like to hear more or learn more about the history of the holiday season?

Hello...?"

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Kris Kringle’s annual jaunt across the globe is practically a sporting event these years, with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)’s Santa tracker historically being the go-to resource for following Santa’s whereabouts. However, thanks to the internet and smartphones, there are plenty of options to follow along as he delivers gifts at breakneck speeds.

We've already seen him schlep across half of the globe, covering swathes of Australia, Asia, and even Antarctica, and there's still plenty of fun to come if you're in Europe, Africa, and the Americas, so join us for some festive fun, trivia, and, of course, top tech tips.

What is a Santa tracker?

Santa tracking is a well-loved tradition increasingly observed worldwide, but it all began with a happy accident in 1955, making this the 70th year of Santa tracking silliness. According to NORAD, a Sears catalog accidentally printed the Colorado Springs' Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Center’s phone number instead of a Santa hotline and began to receive calls from children hopeful to speak to Klaus himself.

Seeing an opportunity for a little festive fun (and some positive PR), CONAD began publishing press releases on Santa’s whereabouts every year, handing the reins to NORAD after its formation in 1958. In 2004, Google released its own Santa Tracker, which offers a very different experience but is still just as fun.

Fast forward to today and there are a number of ways to find out what's happening to Santa, but these two are the key ones to look out for, in our expert opinion.

Which is the best Santa tracker? NORAD vs Google

NORAD Santa Tracker

The original way of following Santa and, some would say, still the best, this website is actually run by the US military. It fuses gruff colonels presenting a video about Santa Claus with live, up-to-the-minute info on where the man in the big red suit is.

You can download the app on the App Store or Google Play Store, and from there you'll be presented with some mini-games to play as well as being able to follow the progress of the present-giving live.

It's quite basic compared to other trackers, lacking a lot of polish and website design. However, it's also the most popular and has a heartwarming history behind it – as well as an army of volunteers ready to take your call to find out where Santa is, and the power of Verizon's network in a now 23-year partnership.

NORAD has also added an AI chatbot called Radar to help you spot Santa, but if you prefer to use the phone then dialling +1 (877) HI-NORAD will do the trick too.

• Check out the NORAD Santa Tracker

Google Santa Tracker

A more recent addition to the Santa tracking mix, Google's Santa Tracker has been going since 2004, combining the power of Google Maps with the savvy knowledge of where Father Christmas is.

While Google doesn't have the same satellite tracking power as NORAD, one has to assume the search giant has struck a deal with the North Pole to figure out where he is in real-time using search and radar and lasers and... stuff. Don't ask us to interpret the magic.

Backing up the Santa Tracker are a whole host of minigames to play, as well as a month-long website encouraging children to learn to code while they encounter a winter wonderland.

There are some pro-Google tools moments in this Santa Tracker – the Quick Draw game is designed to teach Google's image-recognition software to improve, which feels a bit odd – but it's a wonderfully designed site and arguably the most visually accessible way to follow Santa.

You can download the app from the Google Play Store, but in our eyes the mobile site is just as good and more accessible for iPhone users, plus Google's Santa Tracker has the best and easiest-to-use desktop experience, too.

• Try the Google Santa Tracker

Live updates

Hello everyone 👋

My name's Marc and running this live blog is easily the highlight of my year. I'll be your guide for the next hour or so before getting a little sleep, then picking it up again in the morning. I'll be joined over the following 24 hours by several other TechRadar elves, all eager to track Santa as he makes his way around the world.

The big man himself is readying all stations to set off on his annual world tour, but there's still some time left to get yourself ready for his arrival.

Here in the UK, that means leaving carrots for Santa's reindeer, and Santa receives a mince pie and sometimes even some kind of alcoholic tipple like sherry or brandy (or Guiness, in some Irish households).

And look, we have a photo of him enjoying just that kind of feast. Okay, it's not really a photo, obviously – it's an image we generated using Adobe Firefly. Looks pretty accurate though, right?

Down under in Australia, meanwhile, Santa gets a nice cold beer to help him beat the heat, whereas Danish families leave out a bowl of rice pudding with cinnamon called Risengrod for the elves.

In the US, Santa gets milk and cookies, and Argentina sees the reindeer rejuvenated with hay and water.

So, let's take a little look at what the NORAD and Google Santa Tracker sites are saying about Santa's departure time.

On NORAD, St Nick is due to take off in 8hrs and 41mins, which would put it at 9am GMT / 4am ET / 1am PT / 8pm AEDT.

Google, meanwhile, has Santa taking flight an hour after that, at 10am GMT / 5am ET / 2am PT / 9pm AEDT.

Why the difference? Who knows. And which one is right? We can't say for sure, but our guess is that there's some kind of Christmas magic going on here and both are correct.

Anyway, the important thing is that he visits everyone at some point over the course of the night, right?

Whether Santa takes off in eight-and-a-bit hours or nine-and-a-bit, the important thing is that we've got a little while to wait, still. And that means there's time for me to get some sleep before liftoff.

So, I'll leave it there for a few hours – I'll be back online bright and early for the big moment.

And… I'm back! Good morning, everyone.

The good news is that it's now Christmas Eve nearly everywhere in the world – including in the UK, where I am.

The bad news is that I still need to do all of my wrapping sometime in the next 12 hours or so – let's hope Santa is better organized, given that he gets going in only just over an hour, according to NORAD. Google, meanwhile, says he still has a little over 2hrs until takeoff – so it's giving him a little lie-in, maybe.

Whether it's right about the takeoff time or not, Google's Santa Tracker site really is a wonderful thing, and I particularly love the little video that plays at the start. It's enough to get even the hardest-hearted Grinch into the festive spirit. But, if anyone from Google is reading this, I do have a slight issue with it – and it concerns penguins.

Look, we all know Santa lives at the North Pole. But we also know that penguins are southern-hemisphere creatures. They don't live in the North Pole. Then again, maybe Santa has flown them out there to help him prepare for Christmas – they do seem quite good at getting him ready for his flight, after all.

While we're patiently waiting for Santa's reindeers to hoist him into the air, there are a ton of ways to pass the time on both the Google Santa Tracker and the NORAD Santa Tracker.

Head to the Google site and you can play a variety of games: from bouncing presents into their targets to taking down elves with snowballs. Just click the menu button in the top left to see the games gallery.

One of my favorites among Google's games is Quick Draw – although I'm pretty awful at it.

How does it work? Well the robot asks you to draw something Christmassy, then tries to guess what it is. It's like Pictionary, but with a robot rather than your family all shouting at you. The effect is much the same though, with it getting repeatedly annoyed at me and saying "I don't know what that is!"

Interestingly, the robot is called Tensor – which is the same as the machine-learning chip within Google's Pixel phones. Coincidence? I think not.

So, what can you expect to see once Santa takes off? Well, Google uses its Maps technology to plot the bearded one's progress, as well as providing a helpful tally of how many gifts he's delivered so far and some useful information about the local area.

NORAD, meanwhile, has the advantage of having actual satellite images of Santa on his sleigh, rather than just a cartoon. Our suggestion: follow both and get double the fun. (You'll find the links just above this post.)

Quick time check: there's now only 23 minutes until NORAD's Santa Tracker starts! Not long to wait now, everyone…

Speaking of the NORAD website, they have a bunch of things to occupy your time while you wait. There are games, of course, and there's also the HQ, where you can learn about NORAD and its mission and history.

Want more? Well, head to the Library and you can learn all about Santa, his sleigh and his reindeer. There's the Music Stage – where you can listen to his favorite songs – The Theater, where you can watch films about him, and a Gift Shop where you can buy Santa merch.

The Music Stage on NORAD's website includes some of my favorite Christmas songs of all time, including Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Here Comes Santa Claus, Winter Wonderland and Sleigh Ride.

Okay, so you don't get the versions recorded by The Crystals, Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans, Darlene Love and The Ronettes respectively, but they are all available on your streaming service of choice if you want those. And you should do – it's not Christmas without Darlene Love and The Crystals…

There's now just 7 minutes until Santa takes off, according to NORAD. Exciting!

This just in: Santa is preparing for lift-off! Before he begins his epic gift-giving voyage around the world, Santa needs to do his final checks. Reindeer? Check. Reins? Check. Presents?

...

He forgot the presents. That's what last minute checks are for!

Okay, so NORAD's Santa Tracker has reached zero and inevitably… the website has stopped working properly. This seems to happen every year at the start, but it always gets fixed quickly. And in fairness, they do have a lot going on.

So, as it stands, NORAD is reporting that we should return on December 1. Oh dear.

For now, we'll have to stick with Google – and that's fine, because there's so much going on over there that you could spend months exploring that site.

Indeed, Google's Santa Tracker already has its map live ahead of the big man's departure in about 55 minutes. It's currently showing a live feed of the preparations and shows his location as 'Santa's Village, North Pole' :)

While we wait for NORAD to get back up and running, and for Santa to take off on Google's tracker, we have suggestions for plenty of other ways you can spend your time.

For instance, if you want something to watch this Christmas but are tired of the same old Hallmark Holiday movies you can check out the latest episode of the TechRadar Podcast instead!

In this edition, we debate which of the biggest tech stories this year were naughty or nice and make our predictions for 2026. Consider it a must watch!

And… NORAD is back. Phew!

Well, sort of. The website is now online again, and displays a message saying "The wait is over. Start tracking Santa now'.

However, the tracking isn't active yet. Maybe Santa needs to buy NORAD some new computers for Christmas?

Right, so NORAD is currently showing an image of Santa preparing. Maybe he won't actually take off for a little while?

Either way, we have good news! Because the NORAD tracking site has confirmed: "Current conditions at the North Pole indicate good weather for flying."

That's what we like to hear.

While we wait for things to kick off properly, let's return to gaming (because today is not a day for proper work).

NORAD has games in its Arcade section too. They are… how do I say this kindly… not quite as impressive as Google's.

I just tried the 3D Santa Run game, and it's fairly terrifying – but why don't you give it a go and see if you can beat my terrible high score of 600.

My favorite of the NORAD games is the charmingly named Santa Games (which is confusing, as they are pretty much all Santa games, not just this one).

Anyway, Santa Games is a Mario-style platformer in which you control the bearded one, avoiding goblin-type creatures (I didn't know goblins were an occupational hazard for Santa), collecting presents (good), the letters of the word Santa (good) and diamonds (confusing – why does Santa want diamonds?)

This one is actually pretty fun. But difficult though – it's proper old-school in that regard.

There's about 20 minutes to go until Santa takes off, according to Google. NORAD's countdown has already reached zero, but it still says he's preparing, so I think both sites agree that he'll be leaving at about 10am GMT / 5am ET / 2am PT / 9pm AEDT.

Here's hoping he doesn't have a last-minute flat tire on that sleigh…

This being the age of AI and all, I thought I'd ask Gemini, Google's AI chatbot, how fast Santa's sleigh travels.

It put a lot of thought into its very detailed answer, so I won't include it all – but its 'Short Answer' was as follows:

To deliver presents to every celebrating household in one night, Santa's sleigh must travel at approximately 1,300 miles per second (about 2,000 km/s).

That is roughly 6,000 times the speed of sound (Mach 6,000).

The Calculation: The Math Behind the Magic

To arrive at that number, physicists and mathematicians (most notably Roger Highfield, former editor of New Scientist) use the following variables:

The Stops: There are roughly 2.1 billion children in the world. If we assume Santa visits only households that celebrate Christmas, that leaves about 300 to 800 million households to visit.

The Time: Santa doesn't just have one night. By traveling East to West and using the Earth's rotation and time zones to his advantage, he can stretch "Christmas Eve" into roughly 31 to 48 hours.

The Distance: To reach all those houses distributed across the Earth's habitable landmass, he must travel roughly 221 million miles (355 million km).

The Result: Dividing that massive distance by the 31+ hour window means Santa must maintain a cruising speed of 1,300 miles per second.

It then goes into some detail about the laws of physics, but I think that's enough math for one Santa Tracker live blog!

Folks we're about t-minus 2 minutes from the big take-off – over on the Google Santa Tracker the map view is showing the man of the moment preparing to leave the North Pole.

Meanwhile the NORAD Santa Tracker is still showing a picture of Father Christmas packing up presents. He's cutting it mighty fine here, but we assume after all these years he knows what he's doing.

And he's off (at least on the Google tracker)! We can confirm that Santa is now heading over the Arctic Ocean and has already delivered nearly 900 presents. St Nicholas is good at this, right?

It's now Christmas Day somewhere... did you know the earliest time zone on planet Earth is UTC+14:00? And it didn't even officially exist until 1994. The islands of Kiribati have now ticked over to Christmas Day, though with a population of under 120,000 Santa doesn't have too many presents to deliver.

As yet NORAD hasn't updated its 2D or 3D maps – but we're watching closely for the next update.

Santa's next stop, according to Google, will be Provideniya in Russia. The pictures it has of the region show a very pretty if slightly isolated little town.

NORAD still has Santa preparing, although it does have a new message that "NORAD radars and satellites are ready to track Santa!"

With Santa already hard at work we're still waiting for the NORAD Santa Tracker to get a lock on his location – but we expect the big man has his most excitable elf currently working on the issue, and for now, you can stick with using the Google Santa Tracker.

Managing these trackers isn't easy, considering how fast Santa is flying around the world in order to deliver every present on time. We're hoping the reindeer get Christmas Day off.

Gifts delivered count: 60,000 and rising fast.

Santa is about to reach Anadyr, in Russia. According to Wikipedia (no, I did not know this myself beforehand), Anadyr is the easternmost town in Russia. And very pretty it looks too.

NORAD still hasn't updated, but Google is showing Santa delivering gifts in Anadyr – and says he's now delivered 100,000-plus gifts in 15 minutes. That's probably more than even Amazon can manage!

Santa has now just arrived in the Marshall Islands after his trip around eastern Russia. Current delivered present count: 2,716,121! He'll be around the Pacific nations for a while now, before then heading for New Zealand and Australia.

Want to chat with Santa the easy way?
Who needs to dial a number when you can use Google Assistant to ring up the man in red himself? Just grab your Android phone, Google-enabled smart speaker or Google app on iPhone to ask 'What's new at the North Pole' and hear the latest news updates from Santa's world.

Over at NORAD, Santa is (somewhat worryingly) still preparing his gifts, but we're expecting he'll take off any minute now - stay tuned!

Meanwhile, Google's Santa Tracker has the big man in New Zealand! He's likely had to take his jacket off as it's fairly warm there right now, so it's little wonder that a BBQ is just as likely to be the official meal of Christmas day alongside a traditional roast lunch or dinner.

Kiwis also have their own special Christmas Tree, the Pōhutukawa, which has bright red flowers that are popular decorations and also feature on Christmas cards. It's been associated with Christmas since the mid-1800s, though many people do also erect the globally recognized pine-style tree in their homes.

Ooh, we might have lift-off with NORAD... I'm getting a black screen, but the present delivery counter has begun!

I'm not quite sure I'd call this one a game, but I do like Google's fun Wind Tunnel animation, wherein a team of highly qualified elves test Santa's reindeer's aerodynamics.

NORAD has finally announced Santa's departure, and he's off to Russia to catch up with Google's Santa.

According to Google though, Santa's steaming ahead and touching down in Antartica, which means it's time for the penguins to get their presents!

Of course, he's also there to see the folks over at scientific bases like McMurdo research station, where they're doing important work to learn more about all manner of things from climate change impact to geology and atmospheric science, as well as studies into unique life forms found only in these extreme conditions.

Perhaps they'll get a good microscope for Christmas, then!

NORAD's tracker still has Santa in Russia, but that's a great excuse to share some more trivia...

In Russia, he's known as Ded Moroz, or Father Frost. He travels with Snegurochka – a snow maiden who is said to be his granddaughter. Your Santa might be round and jolly but in Russia he's tall and thin, and instead of traveling by sleigh, he makes his way around the country using a 'troika' pulled by horses.

Father Frost is actually a little early to be giving out his gifts here – Russians have a New Year tree rather than a Christmas tree, so the children there will be looking for their presents on 1 January.

Winter Festivals take place across Russia, but the biggest one is in Moscow and runs from them middle of December to the middle of January. There you can marvel at spectacular ice sculptures, ride a 'troika' (which is what Santa uses to get around, there!) and eat bagels and jam.

Whether you've been gifted a new console or just cherish the tradition of saving a great game for the holiday season, our TechRadar Gaming team has assembled a list of their top picks for 2025. Check it out!

Meanwhile, I'm in for another rousing round of Railroad Ride on Google's Santa tracker. It's pretty fun!

Did you know that Santa's sleigh has to travel 650 miles per second (that's 3,000 times the speed of sound!) in order to deliver all those presents on time? That makes it the fastest vehicle on the planet.

When it comes to Christmas songs, the Guinness Book of World Records claims that Bing Crosby's White Christmas is the best-selling Christmas song… and, if fact, the best-selling single of all time. We doubt its popularity has changed too much in the era of streaming, since it's probably on every single Christmas playlist.

All I Want For Christmas is You by Mariah Carey seems to be the only song even close to challenging Bing for popularity. Wikipedia even claims that it's the best-selling Christmas ringtone, from back when people paid for ringtones. We'll be honest, we're taking Wikipedia's word on that; we didn't dig too deep into it ourselves.

Stuck on what to watch this Christmas? Try this handy wee movie marathon quiz we've set up to help you figure out your viewing plans!

On Google, Santa's still flirting with the eastern coast of Russia with his latest stop being Magadan. Next, he's off to the island of Sakhalin.

Meanwhile, NORAD's Santa is making serious tracks; he's already delivered 422 MILLION gifts and that's before he's even reached any densely populated areas. Makes you wonder...

One of our resident audiophiles, Jamie Richards just wrote about his favorite Christmas pick this gifting season, and it's a doozy for producers and electronic music lovers. That's doubly true if you're on a budget, because this affordable mixer could change the game for music lovers who are just starting out their DJ journey.

I've been running our Santa tracker for a few years now, and this early shift is always the slowest part of the day. China and Russia are just so massive, so it takes the bearded one a fair while to make sure everyone over there gets their Christmas gifts in good time too.

Soon, however, he'll make his way back South again, likely crossing Korea, Japan and parts of Australia off his list; so if you're reading from over there, you've got mere minutes to get yourself off his naughty list! Quick, go donate to charity and help a member of your local community!

As expected, Google now has Santa touching down in Japan.

As the year comes to a close, Japan has a slightly different formula to most Western countries that celebrate Christmas, where it’s considered to be a day you spend with friends and partners. Instead, New Year’s Day is the day to celebrate with family. Christmas Eve is also Japan’s version of Valentine’s Day, so overall, it’s the season of sentimentality.

Japan’s Christmas culture is fairly unique, too. Believe it or not, the meal of choice on Christmas in Japan is KFC, with an estimated 3.5 million Japanese families flocking to the fast food chain for their Christmas chicken fix. There are also some typical traditions like Christmas cakes, lights, and markets with a culturally relevant Japanese spin on them.

Still mulling over those Christmas movie choices? Well, we polled your fellow TechRadar readers to find out which were the best of all-time, narrowing it down to the six ultimate Christmas movie picks. Check it out!

Meanwhile over at NORAD, Santa is still schlepping his way around the various locations Google has already covered with its tracker.

One thing I do love about this slightly more, let's say "rustic" Santa tracker is its direct links to Wikipedia so you can read a snapshot of information about the locations he's visited so far. Google also provides a lot of information, but for me there's nothing quite like an extended Christmas Eve Wikipedia rabbit hole.

Look out Aus, Santa Claus is coming to town!

Just like New Zealand, it’s hot hot hot in Australia for Christmas, which is why they leave Santa a nice, cool beer by the Christmas tree.

As you can expect, the summer season makes for a very different-looking festive season than we’re used to in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s popular to have seafood down under for Christmas, and on Boxing Day, many families and friends will gather for a BBQ on the beach.

While Santa makes his way around the coast of Australia, let's roll through some more Christmas fun of our own.

“Jingle Bells” might be one of the most iconic Christmas songs in history, but more than that, it’s a treasure trove of trivia.

First off, and I hope you’re sitting down for this one - it was originally a Thanksgiving song. I hear you, it’s a shock to me too. It was originally composed back in the mid-19th century by James Lord Pierpont for his church's Thanksgiving concert before it was re-released later in 1857 with a more Christmassy title and overall vibe.

Fast forward over 100 years and “Jingle Bells” takes the biscuit once again; in the lead-up to Christmas in 1965, astronauts Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford relayed an unusual sighting to Mission Control from aboard the Gemini 6 spacecraft. Apparently, an "unidentified flying object" was poised to enter Earth's atmosphere, moving in a polar orbit from north to south. Injecting a touch of humor into the situation, they abruptly broke the tension by serenading Mission Control with a rendition of "Jingle Bells” accompanied by Schirra on a compact harmonica, and Stafford with a handful of small sleigh bells.

We hope the astronauts on board the ISS are having a hearty sing-along now Santa's made his rounds.

If you're stuck for dessert tomorrow, we've got you covered. We've tried this last-minute air fryer Christmas cake recipe and were mega impressed by the results, or you can also check out us trying these Christmas classics to find out if they'll air fry well. It uses many of the festive ingredients you'd find in the pantry around Christmas time, and as long as you've got one of the best air fryers, it should be a breeze to make.

NORAD's Santa tracker is finaly catching up, tailing Google's Santa around Australia while we all live in hope he might bring some of that beautiful weather further afield... nope, scratch that, there's a terrific storm right now in Darwin.

I'll stick with my freezing cold but blue skied British Christmas Eve, thank you very much!

While we wait for a little more action from the man in red, I'm heading back to Google's arcade for some more festive fun. Gumball tilt, while simple, is addictive enough I almost forgot it was time to check where Santa is...

Santa is landing back in Japan shortly according to Google, which leads me to believe he left his KFC bucket behind the first time.

While we wait for his next stop, here's another fun fact... Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer was almost called Reginald.

Yep, you read that right - Rudolf and his fellow reindeer almost had completely different names, and the red-nosed wonder himself was almost called Reginald or Rollo. Other names under consideration included Racer and Pacer, Flossie and Clossie and Ready and Steady - quite the departure from our beloved Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen."

Did you know...
Google uses its Santa Tracker to learn more about its systems and tools? That's right, the tech giant gets its staff in the festive mood by letting developers experiment with computer and mobile interactions through the Santa tracker - but apparently, it doesn't always go to plan. In a blog post, Dave Holmes who works in developer relations at Google said: "One engineer who focused on AI and human movement came up with this idea for a game where you could enable tracking on your computer and teach the elves to dance, and they would mimic your movement.” But just before launch…they found a glitch. “If the tracker lost you for a second…the elves' heads and arms would go flying off!”

If you want to find out where Santa is hands free, and you have an Echo or Echo Dot, then check out the various Santa Tracker skills on Alexa - there's one for NORAD too, if you're following along.

Just ask “Alexa, ask NORAD Tracks Santa, where's Santa?" - it's a bit wordy but if Alexa is the only smart assistant in your house, you've got to work with what you've got.

You can ask 'Alexa, where's Santa?' if you enable another holiday personality skill too - head into the app and you'll see it displayed proudly at the top, and you can get stories, info and all manner of things too.

Santa just made his brief little hop over to South Korea, according to Google, and like Japan, South Korea celebrates Christmas as a holiday of romance, which couples will spend together, more akin to Valentine's Day than what we think of as Christmas in the UK or US. And it's an official public holiday, so they really get to enjoy their day.

The Christmas delicacy of choice is sponge cake covered in whipped cream and strawberries – the fruit of love!

While Google's Santa Tracker shows the jolly fellow making fast time across South Korea – remember, he's delivered well over 1,141,999,999 gifts – NORAD's tracker shows the sleigh over Japan. Either way, we're confident gifts are coming in hot, and Santa Claus is indeed coming to town.

After a busy drop of presents and gifts, Google notes that Santa is en route to Russia, and since the sleigh has magic powers, NORAD says Santa's sleigh is making its way across China.

In Russia, Santa is known as Ded Moroz, or Father Frost, and he travels with Snegurochka – a snow maiden who is said to be his granddaughter. Your Santa might be round and jolly, but in Russia, he's tall and thin, and instead of traveling by sleigh, he makes his way around the country using a 'troika' pulled by horses.

Father Frost is actually a little early to be giving out his gifts here – Russians have a New Year tree rather than a Christmas tree, so the children there will be looking for their presents on 1 January.

Winter Festivals take place across Russia, but the biggest one is in Moscow and runs from mid-December to mid-January. There you can marvel at spectacular ice sculptures, ride a 'troika' (which is what Santa uses to get around, there!), and eat bagels and jam. "

In China, Santa is better known as Dun Che Lao Ren (dwyn-chuh-lau-oh-run). As Christianity spread in China, so too did Christmas celebrations, which carry over many classic traditions but with a more culturally relevant twist. Those who celebrate the festive season will light their homes with paper lanterns and adorn their Christmas trees with paper decorations.

Considering Santa travels faster than the speed of light, we'd see he's making pretty good timing, and both trackers are showing the sleigh doing just that. Currently, Google's tracker shows Santa making his way across China, with Beijing being the next major city to expect some jolly presents.

NORAD shows Santa last spotted in Taipei, Taiwan, but is nearing the Philippines and has plenty of presents in tow. Now, not everyone in Taiwan celebrates Christmas, and many people might not even have the day off, but you can still see Christmas lights in shopping centers.

Furthermore, those who are feeling really festive might be able to visit the biggest Christmas tree in Taipei, which is 15 meters tall and has over 27,000 bulbs to make it sparkle.

It seems NORAD and Google's Santa Trackers are back in sync and show Santa, the sleigh, and all his reindeer – including Rudolph – making their way across China, delivering tons of presents.

Whether you're tracking with just Google or NORAD, Santa's journey is far from over, but it's clear that progress has been made. Just take a look at the view when you zoom all the way out on Google's Santa Tracker. That's a lot of ground covered.

And for those tracking, both NORAD and Google still show Santa making his way across China.

A quick status update – NORAD's Santa tracker, as well as Google's official Santa tracker, are both showing old Kris Kringle wrapping up in Australia and heading towards the very aptly named 'Christmas Island'.

Santa was last seen at Christmas Island, which was named in 1643 when Captain William Mynors of the British East India Company named the island after spotting it on Christmas Day (although there were sightings by English and Dutch navigators dating back to the early 1600s). The island is now famous for its incredible coral reefs, red crabs, whale sharks, and seabirds.

Meanwhile, Google and NORAD both show Santa making his way across Indonesia.

A different kind of Night Before...

As Santa races across the globe, delivering gadgets and toys to children of all ages (currently in Bangkok!), one might wonder how the jolly old elf is dealing with this rapidly changing world, especially AI.

Perhaps he's changing his style, or maybe someone else, like an AI St. Nick, might be stepping in. Editor at Large Lance Ulanoff has his own take on the iconic "Twas the Night Before Christmas" that envisions what that special, tech-infused night could look like in 2025.

The Night Before Tech Christmas — a very modern holiday fable

While both Google and NORAD say Santa is making his way through China and Mongolia, NORAD shows that his next major country will be Russia, and he should be there in about 6 minutes.

While Christmas isn't as widely celebrated in Mongolia, there are small communities that do celebrate. Interestingly, Mongolia does have a widespread tradition of a "New Year's Tree," a triangular pine-style tree decorated with lights and baubles.

Yes, it's basically what people who observe Christmas would recognize as a Christmas tree, but made to honor and enjoy a different holiday. So while things are different in Mongolia, they're quite familiar, too.

Google's Santa Tracker now shows the sleigh and the big man himself in Russia delivering gifts, while NORAD shows Santa just in India.

While Christmas isn’t as widely celebrated in India, the festivities are still observed with fervor, and different regions have different traditions. For example, Kerala places a strong focus on nativity, with the community banding together to create the best possible scene and add flair to the crib. Branches from mango trees serve as Christmas trees, adorned with baubles and homemade decorations.

Santa's making excellent time – Google's official tracker currently shows Mr. Kringle last spotted in Nepal, while NORAD shows big red en route to the Maldives.

While you're waiting for Santa, and if you're lucky enough to get a white Christmas this year, I'd suggest firing up Disney+ on the big screen and starting a watch of the wonderful and musically great Frozen. And who knows, maybe you wished for a trip to Disneyland Paris or Hong Kong Disneyland to meet a friendly snowman.

While Santa is making his way across Kazakhstan and Russia, according to NORAD and Google's tracker, which show him dropping presents in India, we at TechRadar want to know if you've been tech naughty or tech nice.

Plus, please be sure to let us know your preferred tracker in the poll at the top of the page.

For the moment, both NORAD and Google agree on Santa's location, so we can say with some certainty that the Jolly Elf is somewhere in Western Asia, near the Black Sea.

Of course, Santa will need to hurry to cover the entire globe, because it's already Christmas in some parts of the world! It's early morning right now in South Korea, the country that puts the K in KPop Demon Hunters (and home base of our friends at Samsung, of course).

To get in that festive spirit, check out this TikTok collab between Samsung and KPop DH, special for the season:

Both NORAD and Google now have Santa heading south of the Equator to the southern hemisphere. NORAD says that Santa is currently heading north from Tanzania, on the eastern side of Africa. The Google Santa Tracker has the Jolly Elf sunning his rosy cheeks in the Seychelles, north-northeast of Madagascar. Either way, Santa seems to be zig-zagging from south to north and back, heading westward as the sun sets on Europe.

If you're reading this in Europe, you better go to sleep! Santa is heading your way right now. Both NORAD and Google have the Jolly Elf on the eastern edge of Europe, heading either towards Ukraine or Turkey, depending on the source. Of course, Santa travels as both a particle and a wave, so it makes sense he would be in both places at once.

Do you need a late night snack while you put yourself to bed? Did you get a Ninja Creami while it was on sale? If you have a Creami, or you're curious about this cool new ice creamy gadget, check out Ninja's video on TikTok making white chocolate peppermint soft serve. I'm getting hungry just watching... on repeat... over and over

Santa just made a quick pit stop at home. Actually, Santa moves very fast, as you can imagine, so he's already heading back south from the North Pole, so you better close your eyes if you are expecting a visit some time soon, as Santa is heading to Scandinavia! Christmas traditions vary depending on where you live.

Norwegians have been celebrating all month with markets and merriment. And, of course, there’s plenty of feasting in Norway too. A long standing Norwegian Christmas tradition is eating lutefisk, a dried fish treated with lye – or lut. It’s a bit of an acquired taste but according to Visitnorway.com more than 750 tonnes are hungrily eaten every year.

He’ll see lots of cosy candles in windows as he makes his rounds in Sweden but these are no ordinary flames. The Advent Candlestick is a Swedish tradition counting down the Sundays before Christmas. Every Sunday a candle is lit, Swedes enjoy spicy mulled wine and eat gingerbread biscuits to celebrate. Gifts are traditionally swapped after dark on Christmas Eve so there’s already plenty of wrapping paper scattered around before lots of feasting tomorrow.

Santa is moving at full speed! NORAD's Santa Tracker has the Jolly Elf near the southern tip of Africa, passing over Swaziland as he heads back north. The Google Santa’s travels have taken him to Kenya now, where lots of other people have been travelling too to make sure they are with their families over the Christmas period. One of Kenya’s languages is Swahili so Santa will make sure to call ‘Heri ya Krismasi!’ or ‘Krismasi Njema’ down from his sleigh between present stop-offs.

On Christmas Day in Kenya, one of the most popular traditional dishes to be enjoyed with family members is Nyama Choma or roast meat. This can be goat, sheep, or lamb and is roasted outside on a barbecue and served with rice and chapatis. Hungry just thinking about it…

Both NORAD and Google's Santa Tracker have the Big Guy somewhere in central Africa right now, with Google tracking Santa heading south towards Chad, and NORAD finding the sleigh heading north to Libya.

While Santa still has so much work to do before he gets to the States, why not check out this TikTok from our friends at LG who took over the screens at Times Square (near TechRadar's US offices!) for an interactive billboard.

Okay folks, it's time to get serious. The NORAD Santa Tracker has our sleigh making a pit stop high up north near the North Pole again, presumably for a cookies and egg nog recharge. On Google's Santa site, we can see the big guy is still delivering presents in Ghana, but he is slowly heading northwards.

St. Nick might have just arrived in Ghana, but the celebrations here kicked off from the 20th so he’s a little late to the party. The good news is that the frivolity lasts until early January so there’s plenty of fun still to be had.

Christmas in Ghana is a full family affair, with adults donning costumes and handing out candies around the neighborhood while children decorate with paper ornaments. Just like Kenya, lots of people have been travelling from all over the country to celebrate the festivities with family members. Ghana’s capital, Accra, is full of music festivals, live events and parties over the Christmas period and is fully decked out with trees, tinsel, and sparkling lights. What a great view for the big man in red!

Can you hear sleigh bells jingling? Is there a trio of Ho's whispering on the breeze? If so, you may hear Santa Claus getting closer! Both Google's Santa Tracker and the NORAD Santa Tracker have the jolly elf in Europe, bouncing around the continent while he takes his sweet time to get to the UK.

NORAD has Santa in Spain, passing over Majorca right now on his way to Valencia. The Google tracker has the sleigh over Budapest in Hungary. Either way, Santa has delivered millions upon millions of gifts and toys tonight (hopefully it's mostly toys), and there is still work to be done!

That Santa sure is wiley! According to NORAD, Santa took a hard right turn at Malta and is now in central Africa, delivering presents in Mali on his way to Timbuktu. On the other hand, Google's Santa Tracker shows Santa sitting over Ukraine right now, so clearly the little elf has been very busy!

Christmas in Ukraine might look very different from what most families are used to these days, but the rich festive culture of the country speaks to its people’s spirit. While an increasing number of Ukrainian households are now celebrating with much of the rest of the world on December 25th, many still observe the Julian calendar and celebrate on January 7th, with the 6th being Christmas Eve. Similar to other slavic countries, some in Ukraine refer to Santa as Old Man or Father Frost.

Upon the appearance of the first star in the night sky, some Ukrainian families will gather to enjoy a meal on Christmas Eve - the Sviata Vecheria (Holy dinner), which has 12 courses to represent the apostles of Jesus. Also, fun fact: Carol of the Bells is actually based on a traditional Ukranian koliadky (Christmas Carol) called “Shchedryk”.

The biggest amongst our seven include Meta trashing its third-party VR headsets, and iRobot going bankrupt, and to catch up on both of those and five more stories, you simply need to scroll down.

When you're done, you might also want to catch up on some of the big streaming hits you missed, seven new movies and TV shows to watch this weekend.

7. iRobot went bankrupt, but isn’t dead yet

The iRobot Roomba was a pioneer of robot vacuums, with the first model launched in 2002. Sadly, hot competition in the robovac space forced iRobot to declare bankruptcy this week – but that isn’t the end of the much-loved brand.

It’s been acquired by Picea Robotics, a company that had already been building Roombas for iRobot. For now, iRobot says there’ll be no immediate changes for Roomba owners to worry about, and the vacuums will continue to work as usual. The future, though, is a bit more uncertain, and iRobot’s co-founder Colin Angle told us the bankruptcy is “a tragedy for consumers."

• Read more: iRobot has been saved from oblivion by a mysterious Chinese robovac giant – here’s what that means

6. ChatGPT finally got an app store

ChatGPT has been steadily gathering some handy plug-ins for the likes of Photoshop and Kayak over the past few months – and this week, OpenAI gathered them all in an app store for us to peruse.

The ‘Apps directory’, which is available in the app or on the web, already has a number of useful options, including Spotify and AllTrails. Once you’ve added them, you can call on the apps inside your ChatGPT conversations to create playlists or discover new hiking routes. We’ve rounded up our early favorites below.

• Read more: The ChatGPT app store is now live — and these are the 5 apps you should try first

5. Warner Bros. rejected Paramount

The latest episode of the hit entertainment drama we hate to love aired this week: Warner Bros. Discovery announced its head hasn’t been turned by the advances of Paramount – instead, it remains faithful to its true love, Netflix.

But much like a rom-com franchise being milked dry, this won’t be the last we see of this love triangle dynamic. This was just the WBD execs rejecting the offer and highlighting its issues in a letter to their shareholders – WBD stock owners could still choose to sell out to Paramount’s hostile takeover.

Additionally, Paramount could return with a better offer – something its CEO, David Ellison, sneakily teased in leaked texts to WBD CEO David Zaslav, in which he highlighted that the bid did not include the words “best and final.” If it does, a bidding war will almost certainly materialize.

• Read more: The Netflix merger drama is only just beginning

4. Your TV was called a “mass surveillance system”

What if we told you your TV was watching what you watched and using that information to build a profile and then deliver marketing and other details and offers based on that? That, among other things, is the contention of the Texas Attorney General, who is now suing the largest TV manufacturers, including Samsung, TCL, Hisense, LG, and Sony.

And spoiler alert: we found the Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) setting in one of our LG TVs (no one knows if it was on by default or not), and we can show you how to turn it off.

• Read more: Texas is suing LG, Samsung, Hisense, TCL, and more

3. Micro-RGB is coming to smaller TVs

Samsung stunned us earlier this year with a 115-inch Micro RGB TV that seriously impressed us after a hands-on. However, at that size and a hefty price tag, it wasn't for most consumers. That's set to change next year, though.

In the lead-up to CES 2026, Samsung has confirmed it will expand its Micro RGB line to include more sizes, including smaller models such as 55-inch and 65-inch, all of which still feature micro RGB technology for brighter, more immersive colors and a more compelling viewing experience. Samsung isn't sharing pricing yet, but the hope is that bringing Micro RGB TV tech to more sizes will expand the price points beyond a single option. Time will tell.

• Read more: Samsung announces new micro-RGB TVs

2. The OnePlus 15R landed

The OnePlus 15 might have only debuted in October, but OnePlus is back with the 15R – a device that costs less but boasts impressive specs, including a 7,400mAh battery that is larger than the one in the 15 proper.

Other highlights of the OnePlus 15R include its 6.83-inch AMOLED display, 32MP front-facing camera, 50MP primary camera, and 12GB of RAM.

Though it does come with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset and an 8MP ultra-wide snapper. So the 15R doesn’t quite compete with the OnePlus 15, but at a cost of just $699.99 / £649 it doesn’t need to. OnePlus isn't officially available in Australia.

• Read more: OnePlus has announced the OnePlus 15R, a phone with a 7,400mAh battery

1. Meta “paused” its third-party VR headsets

In a move which feels as expected as it is disappointing, Meta revealed this week that it has “paused” its third-party VR headset development program – meaning the announced Asus and Lenovo HorizonOS headsets won’t see the light of day. At least not running Meta’s operating system.

Announced over a year and a half ago, this writing was arguably on the wall when neither device manifested at Meta Connect 2025.

Meta has pledged to “Focus on building the world-class first-party hardware and software needed to advance the VR market.” Though our resident XR expert can’t help but wonder if this Meta might have cemented Android XR as the Android of XR instead of Horizon OS.

• Read more: Meta just u-turned on the best VR announcement it ever made

With heating, red light therapy, and an array of five different heads, the Theragun Pro Plus is every athlete's dream. Ideal for gifting, home use, gym use, or even whipping out at a race.

The Pro Plus can heat muscles (improving ROM and pain relief) and cool muscles (reducing swelling). It also includes red-light therapy, a range of other heads, and a biometric sensor.

This excellent deal expires on December 18, so if you're tempted, now is the time to strike. Your muscles will thank you for it.

Today's best Theragun Pro Plus deal

The Theragun Pro Plus is Therabody's ultimate massage gun, and even though we haven't reviewed this particular model, we were huge fans of the Theragun Pro, which received a five-star rating.

The massage gun boasts five head attachments for percussive massage, a heat therapy attachment, and a vibration therapy attachment. That's the complete treatment package, perfect for anyone suffering from aches and pains.

It's also designed for hard-to-reach muscles. Thanks to its triangle shape, it can be gripped in multiple different ways, making it one of the most versatile options on the market. The gun also emits LED near-infrared red light, said to stimulate muscles and help them heal. A biometric sensor reads your heart rate, too.

If you're into your exercise, then it's worth also having a look at our guide to the best fitness trackers with options from Apple, Fitbit, and Garmin. You might also want to check out our best running shoes guide while you're at it.

To catch up on both of these and more, scroll down for our picks of the week's seven most important tech news stories. You'll find quick recaps of them all, and links to the larger story if you want to learn more about what's been happening.

When you're done here, be sure to also check out seven new movies and TV shows to stream this weekend (December 12).

7. IKEA gave us a handy little smart light

IKEA has been on something of a smart home roll recently – and this week it followed up its colorful new speaker-lamps with a handy little motion-sensitive light.

The Gömpyssling – an LED light that automatically turns on when motion is detected – wasn’t officially announced, instead just quietly sneaking onto IKEA’s European stores. It looks ideal for cupboards and a two-pack costs just £3 / €4, though we don’t yet know when (or if) it’s coming to other countries.

At that price, we obviously can’t expect any Wi-Fi smarts or phone connectivity, but it’s already shot to the top of our IKEA impulse buys list.

• Read more: IKEA quietly launches a new smart light – and it's the simplest and most affordable one yet

6. DC told us to ‘Look Out’ for Supergirl

Spoiler alert: there’s a moment at the end of last Summer’s blockbuster Superman film from James Gunn that literally left you yearning for more; it’s when a dishevelled and perhaps slightly inebriated Supergirl (aka Kara Zor-El, aka Superman’s cousin) stumbles into the Fortress of Solitude. It was a brief, comedic bit, but from that moment forward, we all wanted to see and learn more about the DCU’s updated version of the last surviving citizen of Krypton.

We now have the first teaser trailer for the Supergirl movie, set to drop this summer. From the looks of things, that brief appearance in Superman was only the beginning of Kara’s troubles and adventures. There’s nothing here that looks like a straight continuation of the Superman movie tale, except for Krypto, the super dog.

In fact, the settings, character, and tone all feel purposefully different. There was so much to break down from the trailer reveal; we suggest you reread our exhaustive liveblog.

• Read more: Supergirl trailer launch breakdown

5. Paramount pitched a hostile takeover

Last week, Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans for the former to acquire the latter, but Paramount wasn’t ready to get shut out of the negotiations, and so it has announced a possible hostile takeover of WBD.

In many ways, its $108 billion offer trumps Netflix’s – not only is it paying more, but it’s also all cash rather than a mix of cash and shares, plus it buys the whole of WBD, not just the production studios and back catalogue that Netflix is trying to nab. It’s also tough to ignore the personal ties between US President Donald Trump and the Paramount deal.

Not only is he friendly with the Ellison family – David Ellison runs Paramount, and his father Larry Ellison is a close ally of Trump’s and is stumping up some of the cash for the deal – but his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s private equity firm is also putting some money behind the Paramount bid.

However, the Paramount bid also includes financial investment from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, which could raise concerns for regulators who may not want foreign powers to have such significant involvement in a major media empire.

• Read more: Paramount just trumped Netflix's Warner Bros deal

4. We met a different kind of smart ring

Like your futuristic gadgets with tactile buttons that work, instead of yelling a wakeword at a screen half-a-dozen times? So does the Pebble founder, Eric Migicovsky, who invented a new kind of smart ring.

Said to be a "a button and a microphone, a little bit of memory and a Bluetooth chip", the Pebble Index 01 is a smart ring designed to be a note-taker and organiser, connected to an LLM on the Pebble app on your phone. With no assistant personality or subscription, you just talk into the ring, and it'll transcribe recordings and interpret your commands. It doesn't even need to be recharged: it's said to last years, and once done, you send it back for recycling.

The first units are scheduled to ship in March 2026.

• Read more: Pebble is reinventing voice assistants and smart rings in one device

3. The House of Mouse embraced AI

This might have been one of the most surprising moments of the week, but The Walt Disney Company has struck a deal with OpenAI to allow over 200 of its characters to appear in Sora and ChatGPT Images. That means, come early 2026, you'll be able to ask for Mickey, Stitch, Elsa, Yoda, and even some of the Avengers to sit alongside you or be animated in user-generated videos.

Moreover, select Sora-generated videos will be available on Disney+. As part of the deal, Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI and has a multi-year licensing agreement that will allow Disney's characters to appear on OpenAI's platform. Still, for a company that's been so protective and intentional with its characters and stories, a partnership with OpenAI and the use of these in Sora is a bold, big move.

• Read more: Disney and OpenAI are set to open the vault to Sora

2. ChatGPT 5.2 made its debut

ChatGPT 5.2 is now available, and it comes at an interesting time for the world of AI as OpenAI tries to catch up with the seriously impressive Google Gemini 3.

The new AI model for the world’s most popular chatbot is a subtle improvement, delivering upgrades across the board, according to Sam Altman, who says it is "the smartest generally-available model in the world."

The headline improvement is reasoning. OpenAI says GPT-5.2 is better at working through multi-step problems, keeping hold of context in longer chats, and delivering answers that feel more considered rather than rushed. In practice, that means clearer plans, more structured explanations, and fewer moments where the model confidently goes off in the wrong direction.

Initial reactions are quite mixed, with some users taking to Reddit to discuss how “boring” and “corporate” the new model feels. That said, it’s still early days, and we’ll need to properly test ChatGPT 5.2 over the next week or so to get a clear sense of how it compares to 5.1 and Gemini 3.

• Read more: ChatGPT 5.2 is here and all about being a better thinker

1. The Android XR mystery was revealed

The shape, size, weight, and experience of Android XR glasses are no longer a mystery. We got to try not one, but three different Android XR-powered glasses, including a lightweight pair with two displays (for stereoscopic visuals) and a connection to your Pixel phone for all the processing power.

In general, this looks like a promising start to the lightweight Android XR wearable journey and perhaps a better foot forward than the Samsung Galaxy XR, which is quite good but still expensive and not something you’ll wear outside the home or office.

So get ready for video phone calls, turn-by-turn directions, and instant access to an ever-watchful Gemini (if you allow it) in your future, and all right before your eyes.

• Read more: I tried the next-gen Android XR prototype smart glasses

Now, AirTags might be the most well-known, but if you'd prefer much of the same technology for a fraction of the price, then I'd recommend this Tile Mate Bluetooth Tracker at Amazon for $14.99 (was $24.99).

That's a fantastic price for a top-brand product that would also work as the perfect stocking filler. Discounts are available on individual trackers, as well as packs of two or four, should you want to monitor more things at once or hand out lots of little gifts for less.

Today's best Bluetooth tracker deal

The Tile Mate is an affordable Bluetooth tracker with all the key features you'd expect. We love the ability to make the Tile ring loudly when it's within Bluetooth range (up to about 350 feet) and its two-way finding feature that lets you double-press the Tile's button to make your phone ring.

For items lost out of range, the Tile Mate relies on other Tile users to provide the lost Tile's location on your map. It works with both iOS and Android devices and features a long-lasting, non-replaceable battery. It’s water-resistant and easily attaches to items using its built-in loop.

If you're an Apple fan, then you'll want to read our Apple AirTag review and check out the latest Apple AirTag deals.

We've got everything from GTA 6 leaks to a mammoth deal that sees Netflix picking up Warner Bros. Discovery for a huge sum of money – with a 360-degree drone review, the launch of Spotify Wrapped 2025, and more stories also included along the way.

Our advice would be to get settled and get ready to digest this rundown of tech news tales, shaping the industry and almost every part of our lives. No doubt there will be more stories to come over the next seven days as well – we'll see you again this time next week.

7. Another GTA 6 leak got us excited and impatient

No other video game is as eagerly anticipated as GTA 6 right now. And while the launch of the game was recently delayed to November 2026, we do have a new leak to talk about: a leak that supposedly reveals some of the scenes that might feature in the upcoming title. This apparently comes from an animator who previously worked at Rockstar.

The scenes show Lucia, one of the main characters, jumping into the bed of a pickup truck, and an unidentified character picking up a bicycle from a rental station – perhaps hinting at a couple of the ways players will be able to get around in the game. They're interesting, but what we'd really like to see is another trailer please Rockstar, if you're reading...

• Read more: GTA 6 leak supposedly from former Rockstar animator gives us fresh morsels of gameplay footage

6. The Commodore 64 returned to production after a 30-year break

How strong is your sense of computing nostalgia? The classic Commodore 64 is back in production for the first time in three decades, and while the system is incredibly dated compared to our modern day gadgets, there's something about it that makes it appealing – and it has been updated with some modern options, including Ethernet and HDMI.

You'll be able to play your old cartridges and disks on this new version, and in total there's support for more than 10,000 original games (and you get plenty bundled with the device itself). Preorders are open now, and the basic version of the new (but retro) system will set you back $299.99 (around £225 / AU$450) – you can find more details on the updated Commodore website.

• Read more: The Commodore 64 is back on the production line for the first time in 30 years – and I want it, even if it makes zero sense

5. We reviewed the world’s first 360 drone

Today's drones are capable of capturing some fantastic videos and photos – but what if you fitted a 360-degree camera to one? That's the idea behind the new Antigravity A1, the first model we've seen with a full 360-degree perspective on the world. We've been thoroughly testing the new drone, to see if it's as good as its premise might suggest.

In short: it's an appealing piece of kit for drone enthusiasts. Our review talks about "impressive innovation" and an "immersive flying experience", offering "many creative possibilities" – although it's going to cost you a significant amount of money. Click through for our full review and all the details on everything from camera quality to battery life.

• Read more: I tested the Antigravity 360 drone – and only a sky-high price tag brings this unique DJI rival down to earth

4. The yearly recaps landed – including Spotify Wrapped 2025

We've been hit by a barrage of yearly recaps this week – led by Spotify Wrapped 2025, but also including the Apple Music Replay 2025, and the YouTube Recap 2025, which is the first we've seen from the video-sharing platform. If you were wondering where all your screen time went over the last 12 months, then these various round-ups will fill you in.

When it comes to Spotify Wrapped 2025, there's more data included than ever before, including a list of your top albums and a fan leaderboard that compares you to other listeners. There's an interactive game you can play to compare your listening habits against those of your friends, and an AI-powered deep dive into specific days as well.

• Read more: Spotify Wrapped 2025 has landed – here's how to find it, plus the best new features this year

3. Sony launched its best camera ever – and we reviewed it

Also on the review bench at TechRadar this week: the Sony A7 V. As the attached five-star rating will tell you, the successor to the popular Sony A7 IV is a fantastic digital camera, and is sure to appeal to a broad range of photographers who are prepared to pay to get the best hardware in the business (although it's probably a bit much for complete beginners).

With phrases like "another huge step forward" and "exceptional image quality", our detailed Sony A7 V review tells you everything you need to know about this camera – including how it compares to other top models in terms of design, price, and performance. If you're looking for a serious upgrade for your photo kit, you might just have found it.

• Read more: I tested the new Sony A7 V, and now it's my favorite Sony camera ever

2. Samsung finally revealed its Galaxy TriFold

It's been a long wait for the tri-fold phone from Samsung – remember the device was first teased all the way back in January – but it's now official, and it's called the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold. It's available in South Korea now, and it's coming to the US at the start of next year (though we're still not sure what it's going to cost in international markets).

It's your standard foldable, with another hinge and screen section attached – so you really are carrying a tablet around in your pocket. It looks as though Samsung has tried to make the device as thin and lightweight as possible, and the specs that have been revealed are very much flagship level. In fact, it sounds like something of an engineering marvel.

• Read more: Samsung unveils the Galaxy Z Trifold, a foldable that lives up to its name

1. Netflix drew gasps with its Warner Bros. Discovery deal

There's no doubt about the biggest news of the week: Netflix has agreed a deal to pick up Warner Bros. Discovery for a cool $82.7 billion, which will give it access to its very own movie studio, as well as everything produced by HBO and HBO Max. There's a lot of content and intellectual property included here, and we're still taking it all in.

While Netflix is promising lots of benefits for consumers, we can't help but worry about higher prices for streaming services and shorter theatrical runs for movies in actual physical theaters. There are a lot of unanswered questions about what happens next, but we've covered everything about the blockbuster deal that's been announced so far.

• Read more: Netflix agrees $82.7 billion deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery – and claims it’ll result in 'more choice and greater value for consumers'

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But what to buy your tech-loving nearest and dearest? Don't worry if you're stuck for inspiration, because we have plenty of that. Below, you'll find an ever-growing selection of gift guides to help you find the perfect presents for your loved ones.

We've got everything from gifts for movie lovers to gifts for gamers and much, much more – and in many cases we've found super-low prices on them, too. So why not have a browse – and you never know, you might find something to add to your own wish list, too.

My goal was to reach 1,000 ELO on Chess.com. I’m stuck in the 900s, but I’m now using a GoChess smart chessboard to train me, and you can too. The cheapest option, the GoChess Mini, is just $199.96 at Amazon (was $249.95). The other designs are all are all $50-off at the official GoChess store as part of a lingering Cyber Monday deal, too.

These boards allow you to play against another player, or against an AI, and when you do you can optionally turn on AI assistance, which will help you find and learn the best moves – or simply highlight blunders so you can avoid playing them and seizing defeat from the jaws of victory. You can even set it up to play games remotely with other players in online challenges, and sync it with apps like Chess.com.

Why am I testing a chess set for a tech site? Well, as I mentioned in the intro it's a smart chess set that I’ve been using to help me achieve my goal to reach 1,000 ELO on Chess.com (a rating I’ll only get if I can keep up a winning streak and lose less).

Generally chess is lost rather than won. What I mean by that is while white has a slight advantage, if games are played perfectly, experts believe they will always end in a draw. This doesn’t happen if one player makes a mistake and their opponent capitalizes on it, though. As such, the game is lost by whichever player made the last mistake.

My issue is I keep making that last mistake, which eventually snowballs into a defeat.

I’ve been training with the board’s AI to help me spot mistakes in practice games, so I hopefully don’t repeat them in real games against players (I never use AI or other assistance against real people, that’s called cheating and what’s the point of cheating to reach my goal?).

I set the board up, select the bot difficulty I want to play against, and modulate the level of aid I receive based on what I want from the game. Do I want full assistance to help me learn to navigate a confusing middle game that I’ve blundered in the past ('blunder' is used in chess to mean 'mistake'), do I just want blunder warnings so I can remember why I should leave my knight where it is rather than shifting it absent-mindedly, or do I want zero help as I play a no-holds-barred practice game?

In this way the GoChess board is very useful, and while I’ve noticed the blunder detection isn’t always the most sophisticated, it’s very good at spotting the beginner mistakes I would usually make. Pros wanting to avoid the kind of errors that aren’t obvious for several turns may find the AI isn’t quite capable enough for their needs.

I also love that the board is a physical thing. I usually play my chess digitally, and the 3D manifestation makes it a lot easier to visualize the layout of the pieces.

All this isn’t to say the GoChess boards are perfect, however.

The pieces have magnets so the board can track them as they move, but every piece uses the same magnets – so if you put a knight in the bishop starting position the board won’t know to correct you. Piece-recognition can be a bit hit-or-miss for some boards, or so I’ve heard, so this isn’t the end of the world.

It can sometimes struggle to follow pieces accurately during captures if you move things too quickly too, forcing you to put things back to reset the move before it goes through. In time-controlled games (I play rapid games where each player only has 10 total minutes to make all their moves for the game), this can lose valuable time.

Another frustration, albeit a manageable one, is that the chess bot AI is shown in the setup as strength levels from 1 to 32 rather than as an estimated ELO. After the game is over, the app will say the estimated ELO of the bot, and a help menu says that Level 1 is around 400 while Level 32 is around 3,000, but I would like it if I could adjust the AI strength to my required level without any trial and error.

Lastly, the GoChess boards are kinda pricey. Yes they have a lot of useful tech built-in, but I know that for many folks justifying a $250 - $350 chess set is tough when you can pick up a regular one for around a tenth of the price.

Thankfully that last problem has been helped by lingering Cyber Monday discounts, as all GoChess boards are $50 at its official website – and the cheapest GoChess Mini set is on Amazon for $199.96. If you’re after a gift for yourself or a chess-loving loved one this is a really solid option to consider while it’s still on sale.

Shop more Cyber Monday deals

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $119
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
• Lowe's: up to 30% off appliances, holiday decor & tools
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, TVs & phones
• Target: 40% off Christmas decor, clothing & furniture
• T-Mobile: up to $1,100 off latest iPhone 17
• Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
• Wayfair: 54% off Christmas, furniture & decor

The full-featured nature of these smartwatches means they aren’t exactly the cheapest fitness trackers, but with discounts for Cyber Monday currently on offer, anyone looking for a little help reaching their fitness goals can save up to AU$631. But be quick, these deals will be ending in a few hours!

For more Cyber Monday deals, check out our live hub for the best offers on kitchen appliances, headphones, ereaders and many more.

It's been a bumper week this week – as it is every week – and we've seen an important upgrade for ChatGPT, a new retro film camera from Kodak, an update on the US ban for DJI, a tease about the 'future of wearables' from Garmin, and more besides.

Of course, it's peak time for the Black Friday deals as well, so you'll find links to a pile of discounts and deals further down this page (or head here for the best UK deals too). If you're in the market for a new piece of tech, now might be the perfect time to pick it up. But first, here are the rest of the week's biggest stories...

7. Kodak gave us a gloriously retro 35mm film camera

Say hello to the Snapic A1, a new 35mm film camera from Kodak that offers multiple exposure shooting, a 25mm three-element glass lens, a maximum aperture of f/9.5, and manual focus, all wrapped up in a plastic build with a retro aesthetic.

The camera tips the scales at a mere 117 grams, comes in two colors (Rhino Grey and Ivory White), and costs $99 (that's around £75 / AU$150), with a neck strap and pouch included. Given the sample photos provided, we're cautiously optimistic about performance, too.

• Read more: Kodak reveals affordable 35mm film camera that's a glorious blast from the past

6. Garmin teased the ‘future of wearables’

What is Garmin working on? One of the company's official social media pages posted and then pulled a teaser for a new device, promising the 'future of wearables' – and there's been plenty of speculation online about what the teaser could be referring to.

Based on the brief glimpse we get in the teaser image, it looks as though the upcoming device could be a slim smartwatch rather than the Whoop competitor Garmin is rumored to be working on – but we won't know for sure until Garmin makes it official.

• Read more: Garmin just teased a new device it's calling the 'future of wearables' – and it's coming soon

5. ChatGPT got a voice mode upgrade

The voice mode inside ChatGPT now works much more seamlessly with the text mode, so you can switch between them more easily. We've already given the new interface a whirl, and came away impressed by how much it improves the user experience of the AI bot.

We've got all the details you need to know about the newly revised and improved voice mode, including how to switch back to the old interface, and exactly what the differences are if you're signed up for one of the ChatGPT subscription plans, compared to free users.

• Read more: ChatGPT's voice mode just got a major upgrade – here are 5 things you need to know

4. Insta360’s all-seeing drone got a launch date

Insta360 has a new 360-degree drone called the Antigravity A1, which should make for some spectacular in-flight views, and some fantastic subsequent photos and videos. The drone was actually announced in August, but now we have an on-sale date too.

You'll be able to place your order for the Antigravity A1 on Thursday, December 4 – and it's going to be available worldwide, so you should be able to get hold of one. In the meantime, DJI is strongly rumored to be working on its own 360-degree drone device.

• Read more: Forget DJI – Insta360's exciting Antigravity drone just got an on-sale date and it's soon

3. OpenAI’s first gadget took a step closer to reality

It's no longer a secret that OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, in partnership with ex-Apple design chief Jony Ive, are working on a device that will let you carry ChatGPT around with you at all times – but we're still waiting to find out what it looks like and what it'll cost.

Those questions remain unanswered, but we do know the gadget is getting closer to a launch. Altman has now gone on the record saying the device should feel like a "cabin by a lake" compared to an iPhone – whatever that means – and will be launching within the next couple of years.

• Read more: Sam Altman says his new AI device should feel like a 'cabin by a lake' – not an iPhone

2. DJI warned us about its imminent US ban

Time is rapidly running out for DJI to avoid having new products banned in the US – not because any security audit has found it to be a threat to US national security, but because no security audit at all has taken place, with a December 23 deadline fast approaching.

DJI has now posted a full update on the current situation for its users, and is asking for their help to avoid a ban. Find out what the ban will mean for DJI if it eventually comes into force, and that will happen to the products you've already bought after that date.

• Read more: DJI explains what its looming US ban means for your drones – and says time is quickly running out

1. We hand-picked the best Black Friday deals

We take Black Friday deals hunting very seriously here at TechRadar, and our team of experts has been hard at work looking across the biggest retailers on the web for the holiday season discounts that you should be taking advantage of across this week.

We're not just looking for the most significant discounts out there – though that's part of it – but we're also picking out the best gadgets and products on the market, and finding them at the lowest prices. You can be sure that all of these deals are worth your while.

• Read more: The best Black Friday deals in the US and the best Black Friday deals in the UK

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Well, retailers have thought of that too, and many of the big names in retail in the US and the UK have policies about refunding the difference if price drops continue.

Here's what you need to know about how each retailer approaches it, which should give you more peace of mind as you continue your holiday season shopping.

Amazon

Let's start with the big one – Amazon. We spoke directly to Amazon UK, who told us that it doesn't offer any post-order price adjustments – and now Amazon US has confirmed it has the same policy.

It added that it does try to make its real-time prices as competitive as possible and may sometimes change its prices. However, it won't automatically refund you the difference if something you buy subsequently drops in price during its Black Friday week.

This is a change from previous years, when Amazon has had an automatic process in place (similar to its Pre-Order Price Guarantee) that saw refunds automatically offered if prices for Black Friday Deal products dropped further by a certain date.

However, Amazon did confirm to us that everything you order from Amazon (except for Amazon Haul items) can be returned within 30 days for a refund – there are more details here on the policy and on the equivalent 30-day returns policy for US buyers.

Other US retailers

Walmart

Walmart is similar to Amazon during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Neither Walmart stores or the Walmart website promise to match pricing offered by competitors, or to give you money back if one of your purchases gets discounted further.

Have a read through the rather comprehensive Walmart Policies and Guidelines page ('Walmart price policy' section), though, and you'll see that Walmart does at least promise to match prices in store to those on its website.

Best Buy

The Best Buy price match guarantee is one of the best around. The retailer will honor a refund if something you've bought drops to a lower price, either at Best Buy or a select number of competitors: you just need to get in touch with them.

However, some products are excluded, such as items from third-party sellers or with third-party contracts, so make sure you check before buying.

Newegg

Newegg had a Black Friday Price Protection deal in place, and it was refreshingly simple: if the price drops on something you've purchased, you get the money back.

However, it needed to have a Black Friday Price Protection badge on it when you made the purchase, and the offer only ran until the end of November 29 – so Cyber Monday isn't covered by it.

Target

Target has a price match guarantee in place for the holiday season, and will price correct for you if you buy something that then is available at a lower price later on.

As you'll see from the link, it's pretty simple, but you do need proof of purchase and there are exceptions – including items bought from stores and included in promotion bundles.

UK retailers

Currys

Currys does offer a Black Friday price guarantee, which simply means that if you order something that then goes down in price over Black Friday, you can claim back the difference.

It was an appealing offer, but it was only active between 29 October and 18 November – so you needed to have registered well in advance of Black Friday to claim.

Argos

Argos also offers a Black Friday price guarantee, and this one does run right through until 25 December (so includes Cyber Monday).

If something you've bought drops in price again, you can get the difference as a credit to use at Argos – however, the product must have a 'price guarantee' badge on it, which based on our quick scan, is shown on some but not all of the discount deals. So again, check before you hit that 'buy' button.

John Lewis

John Lewis has a price promise policy that means it'll refund you the difference if something you bought in the last seven days subsequently becomes cheaper at one of the 25 retailers it price matches with (which includes John Lewis itself).

However, there are a few stipulations – John Lewis says it will "price match some offers and promotions but not reduced to clear", so you'll need to be careful when buying and also complete this form to see if you're eligible for a refund on the difference. The product "can be on seasonal offer or promotion".

That form shows you the other retailers that John Lewis price matches with (for example, it includes Amazon but "electricals only") and the store says it'll get back to you "within 48 hours" of completing the form.

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So what about that $300? Well, the coupon code scales with how much the PC is, and you need to spend over $3,499 to get the full $300 off. Still, the $1,000 mark is already considered pretty affordable for a gaming PC with specs on par with the more modest of our best gaming PCs. The RDY Scale B04 even comes with a iBuyPower gaming mouse and keyboard to get started.

Today's best cheap gaming PC deal at iBuyPower

The iBuyPower RDY Scale B04 gaming PC is a firmly mid-range gaming PC. It features an Intel Core i5-14400F processor, RTX 5060 graphics card, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD with its base model. That's not super high-end, but for the price, this is a great choice if you're looking to get started with a decent 1080p gaming setup. The 1TB SSD also means you'll have plenty of space to store your games.

If you're interested, here are a few more machines that you can apply the code to at iBuyPower today:

• RDY Slate 8MP B04: was $2,149 now $1,649
• RDY Element 9 Pro R07: was $2,049 now $1,699
• RDY Y60 B02: was $2,249 now $1,899
• RDY Element Pro R07: was $2,599.99 now $1,999
• RDY Y70 B01: was $2,699 now $2,049
• RDY Slate 8MP B06: was $2,749 now $2,399
• RDY Y70 R12: was $2,999 now $2,449

For more, check out our best Black Friday deals for gamers. We also have a list of best budget gaming PCs.

Don't be caught out in the dark with winter power outages, or ensure you're fully loaded on your outdoor adventures with Anker Solix's portable power station line-up here to assist in every eventuality.

From the travel-ready C1000 Gen 2, all the way up to the heavy-duty, whole-home capacity F3800 Plus system. Customize and bundle for a portable power bank that suits your needs.

Don't forget to quote the 5% off Anker discount code TRBFCM25 to shave even more off these heavily discounted products.

Anker Black Friday deals on the C-Series

Anker Black Friday F-Series deals

Already saving over 50% on many of these portable power stations and bundles, you can get an 5% off with the Anker discount code, TECHBFCM.

Chinese scientists have demonstrated how it's theoretically possible to use a large swarm of drones to block off satellite internet from Taiwan in a simulation of 'large-scale electronic warfare'.

Tom's Hardware reports that the study, as highlighted by the (paywalled) South China Morning Post (SCMP), found that plunging the whole of Taiwan into internet darkness would require around 1,000 or possibly up to 2,000 specially adapted jamming drones.

The study was run by the Zhejiang University & Beijing Institute of Technology, and as the SCMP explains: "Hundreds or thousands of small, synchronized jammers would need to be deployed across the sky – on drones, balloons or aircraft – forming an electromagnetic shield over the battlefield."

Starlink has become a focus for China since Musk's Starlink satellites were deployed to help Ukraine after it was attacked by Russia in 2022, to reestablish communications on the battlefield.

Denying Starlink in such a total way would not be an easy task, as you might imagine. Musk's satellites have clever tech on-board and, compared to a typical satellite, their collective 'mesh network' nature makes them much more difficult to block out.

The SCMP says that the Chinese scientists used real Starlink data to create a simulation of the positioning of Musk's satellites over a 12-hour timeframe. They then worked out a grid of jamming drones – using a mixture of wide and narrow-beam electronic noise-generating jammers, flying at an altitude of 12 miles (20km) – so that they successfully blocked the signal to the ground in all areas.

The conclusion was that 935 coordinated drones should create the necessary 'electromagnetic shield' to block Starlink out from Taiwan completely. However, lower-power (cheaper) drones could be used instead - deploying around 2,000 would work, according to the report.

Analysis: a costly endeavour to realize

Obviously mobilizing 1,000 or indeed 2,000 drones loaded with specialized jamming equipment is going to be a headache – because it's not just about that initial deployment in a shield formation, but also keeping those drones in place. That includes switching them out for replacements as needed, as they'll need to be refuelled in a sustained internet-blocking campaign that's running for some time.

It wouldn't be cheap, and it wouldn't be easy to manage logistically, but China clearly has the wherewithal to achieve this feat, marking a possible new way to leverage technological warfare. The study does rely on some assumptions, including ideal conditions for the drones to operate, while a real-world deployment can end up far from ideal.

And, of course, the targeted island being could take action against these drones. Taiwan has anti-drone equipment, but the jamming drones will be 12 miles in the sky, so taking down a lot of them would not be trivial. It might be costly to field such a drone swarm, but it would also be costly to break this blockade.

At any rate, it isn't comforting that China is flexing technological warfare muscles in this way, and in conjunction with China's internet cable-cutting capabilities, as Tom's Hardware points out, the furrowed brows of those potentially threatened may be multiplying.

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From heading off grid for a camping trip, ensuring your RV is kitted out with all you could need for a comfortable adventure, to safeguarding against outages back home. Bluetti is offering huge savings on some of its most popular products. From the lowest ever prices on the likes of its Apex 300 portable power station, to picking up its small but mighty Elite 30, available in plenty of cool colors to appeal all recipients.

Power up with Bluetti this Black Friday, and get $100s off newer models, too, including its BK500 battery system.

Already hugely discounted, TechRadar readers can also utilise an exclusive Bluetti discount code and save a further 6%. Just quote FUTURE6 at the checkout.

Bluetti Black Friday deals see lowest ever prices

Save on new arrivals in Bluetti's Black Friday sale

Already hugely discounted, don’t forget you can shave a further 6% off all devices using the BLUETTI discount code FUTURE6, exclusive to TechRadar readers. Apply now until November 30 to claim your double saving.

DragonFire, a new laser defense system, has been successfully tested in the UK and proved its accuracy for taking down even fast-moving drones, with a contract now in place to provide the Royal Navy with the weapon.

As Tom's Hardware reports, the UK government just announced the $415 million (£316 million) contract with MBDA that'll ensure the laser-directed energy weapon (LDEW) system is on board a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer by 2027 (five years ahead of the originally anticipated timeframe).

The recent test runs of DragonFire at the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD) Hebrides range witnessed the laser taking out drones flying at up to 650km/h (just over 400mph). The MoD tells us that this LDEW can hit a Pound coin (a little smaller than a US Quarter) from a kilometer away, which is a mind-boggling feat.

This isn't just about accuracy, though, but cost efficiency, as the laser costs around £10 per shot (approximately $13). Compare that to the price tag attached to a missile for intercepting a drone, which "cost upwards of hundreds of thousands of pounds per shot," the MoD notes. And obviously, when you consider the potential scale of drone attacks, that quickly mounts up.

Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, stated: "This high-power laser will see our Royal Navy at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, delivering a cutting-edge capability to help defend the UK and our allies in this new era of threat."

The contract to deploy DragonFire will involve the creation of some 590 jobs in the UK.

Joint effort

The DragonFire trials were conducted by the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, in conjunction with MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ – the latter two being the partners who are working with MBDA to develop the system for readiness in 2027.

In a press release from last year, MBDA explained, "The UK DragonFire programme brings together the best of UK industry. It leverages MBDA's decades of weapon system manufacturing expertise, Leonardo's position as a world-leading authority in laser technology, electro-optics, and advanced targeting, and QinetiQ's experience as the only UK company to successfully develop and safely operate high-energy laser sources in the UK and coherent beam-combining technology."

While only the first ship fit is confirmed, other Type 45 destroyers (there are six of these Daring-class anti-aircraft and anti-missile vessels in the Royal Navy fleet) are expected to get DragonFire in the future beyond 2027.

Potential drawbacks to the laser system are the weather and possible atmospheric interference, and the true test will be how DragonFire performs in real-world conditions on board that first destroyer.

The other obvious caveat here is the amount of power needed for this LDEW, which limits DragonFire to installations where there's plenty of wattage on tap, such as on board a ship, as opposed to a nimbler armored army vehicle on land – but more mobile deployments are planned eventually.

If you're curious as to what the power consumption of this laser is, a previous trial at Porton Down in October 2022 used "in the order of 50kW of power" we're told.

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• Browse the full sale at Amazon

Below, we've found savings on game controllers, coffee machines, speakers, and Lego, offering a selection of big savings sure to suit tight budgets. This includes the JBL Go 4 for £29.99, a PlayStation 5 DualSense controller for £43, and the Oral-B iO2 Electric Toothbrush for £34.99.

There's plenty more where they came from too. So whether you're shopping for a treat for yourself or an affordable Christmas gift to go under the tree this year, you're in the right spot.

Amazon Black Friday deals under £50

Today's best Black Friday deals - quick links

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Boots: save on 1,000s of beauty products
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch 2 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Lego: sets & accessories from £2.99
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion

And what a week it’s been: big surprises from Apple and Google, a massive Cloudflare shutdown that took half the internet with it, the latest challenger to take on ChatGPT, and much more. So, settle in for a delectable digital digest that’ll have you in the know before you can say “AirDrop works with Android"...

7. Black Friday kicked off early

The Black Friday discount extravaganza is meant to start on November 28, but what’s a fixed date in the calendar when you can start releasing bargains early? That seems to be the retailers’ attitude, and if it means you can score some serious savings without having to wait, that’s fine with us too.

We’ve been following all the latest sales and picking out the hottest discounts on our live blog pages, so be sure to check those out below if you’re in the market for a deal or two. From appliances and smart home kit to laptops, headphones, smartwatches and more, there are deals to be found across the board.

• Read more: Check out all of the best Black Friday deals in the US and all the top Black Friday deals for UK shoppers. There are plenty of Black Friday deals in Australia too.

6. Apple and Google named the best apps of 2025

As the year draws to a close, Google and Apple – gatekeepers of the Android and iOS app stores – start dishing out awards for their favorite apps of the past twelve months. This year was no different, with both firms announcing their shortlisted winners within a day of each other.

Google went first, revealing Focus Friend by Hank Green to be its top app of the year. Other honored names included Luminar, Edits, Wiser and Pingo, with many more receiving recognition for their efforts in the Android ecosystem.

It was Apple’s turn a day later, and the company went all out by nominating a whopping 45 apps and games across a wide range of categories, each of which had three winners. BandLab, Ladder and Tiimo garnered top spot as joint app of the year winners, and they were joined by apps made for iPad, Mac, Vision Pro, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and more.

• Read more: Check out the all the Android apps of the year and Apple’s picks for iOS app of the year

5. We tested the Nano Banana camera

It’s safe to say that in our current age, if there’s a tech gadget, someone has jammed artificial intelligence (AI) into it. That’s as true for the Caira camera as it is for anything else, but in this case the end result is something you might actually want to use.

In fact, it’s more than that, as Caira makes for an excellent camera that’s bolstered by on-camera AI editing smarts powered by Google’s Nano Banana model. The device snaps onto your iPhone magnetically, works with real DSLR lenses, and packs in a dedicated Sony sensor. The real intrigue comes after capturing an image, when you can enter a command into an AI prompt window and have the on-board intelligence edit your pictures to your requirements.

We took it for a spin and were impressed with its abilities – this isn’t some cheap toy that you’ll quickly get bored of. But is it enhancing your creativity, or just taking over? That’s something we can’t quite decide.

• Read more: I tested Caira, the first Nano Banana AI camera – now I’m cancelling my Lightroom subscription

4. Disney and YouTube TV patched up their differences

Back in October, a raft of Disney-owned channels started disappearing from YouTube TV, the result of the two companies failing to agree on a new streaming deal. Now, though, that’s in the past, and like two long-time friends making up after a nasty spat, it’s all water under the bridge.

We noticed earlier this week that Disney channels had made a comeback on YouTube TV, all thanks to Disney and YouTube signing a multi-year agreement to get things back to the way they should be. There was even a pleasant surprise thrown into the mix in the form of ESPN Unlimited.

Simply put, YouTube TV subscribers now have access to ESPN Unlimited, including premium content such as a live WWE events. That wasn’t available to YouTube TV members before Disney and YouTube’s temporary separation, showing that good things can come from bad breakups.

• Read more: The Disney-YouTube TV deal is secretly great news for sports fans – here's why

3. Google somehow made Android work with AirDrop

If there’s one thing we know about Apple, it’s that the tech giant doesn’t like sharing. It prefers to keep its proprietary techs to itself, so it came as a massive surprise to hear this week that Google had found a way to make its Quick Share feature work with Apple’s AirDrop.

That means you can now send a file from your Android device and an Apple fan will be able to accept it using AirDrop on their iPhone. And all this was seemingly done without Apple’s direct involvement – and possibly even without its knowledge.

We can’t imagine Apple is very happy about being blindsided in this way, but there may be little it can actually do. For one thing, stopping Google’s new trick might be difficult to pull off from a technical standpoint. For another, forcing Google to backtrack would likely earn the attention – and ire – of the European Union, which has been relentless in its desire to force Apple to give up the crown jewels of its ecosystem and make them available to its bitterest of rivals.

There’s no way of knowing how this situation will play out, so we suggest you sit back, buckle up, and grab the popcorn.

• Read more: It’s actually happened – Android now works with Apple AirDrop for simple file-sharing, starting with the Pixel 10

2. Cloudflare gave us our latest global outage

Even the most terminally online of us probably don’t give too much thought to what’s keeping the internet afloat, but the reality was brought home this week when Cloudflare suffered a major outage, taking down scores of websites and crippling our ability to rot our brains and post cat memes when we should be working.

In case you’re not aware, Cloudflare provides a range of services to a vast array of websites, from delivering images to preventing DDoS attacks and more. When Cloudflare crashed, users found they were unable to connect to their favorite sites, including ChatGPT, X, Canva and more.

After initially suspecting a cyberattack, Cloudflare revealed the true cause: an error in its backend system caused a key file to double in size, which was then automatically propagated across Cloudflare’s entire network. Because the file was now larger than the software’s size limit, Cloudflare crashed – as did a huge number of sites that relied on its services. As with the AWS outage in October, it was an apt demonstration of how highly centralized the internet has become – and how risky that is.

• Read more: A major Cloudflare outage took down large parts of the internet - X, ChatGPT and more were affected, but all recovered now

1. Gemini 3 landed to take on ChatGPT 5.1

ChatGPT has been the number one AI chatbot pretty much ever since it launched, and while there have been many challengers, few have been able to lay a serious claim to its crown. Google, though, is hoping that’s all about to change with the release of Gemini 3.

We decided to see if Gemini 3 could put its money where its mouth is, stacking it up against ChatGPT in a range of tests and challenges as part of TechRadar's special AI Week. The result? A dead heat, with ChatGPT pulling ahead on some occasions, Gemini on others.

What was noticeable was how much both models had in common, with any differences feeling more like accents than radically different philosophies. If anything, it shows how far AI chatbots have come for ChatGPT’s reign to face such a forceful threat.

• Read more: Ignore the hype – I tested Gemini 3 and ChatGPT 5.1 head-to-head on what really matters: ease of use

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With up to 58% across Anker devices in the Black Friday sale, we need to highlight the phenomenal discounts available right now on Anker’s range of powerful power stations, ideal for camping and outdoor adventures, long roadtrips, and beyond. These are the four Anker Black Friday deals on power stations worth checking out – and you can get an extra 6% off by using the discount code TECHUK6 on your order.

4 Anker power station Black Friday deals to consider

Already hugely discounted, don’t forget you can shave a further 6% off all devices using the Anker discount code TECHUK6.

All you have to do is use one of these two codes: GIFT4U in the US and GIFT4UUK in the UK, and Back Market will automatically apply the discount at checkout. Don't hang around, though, because the offer is only available to the first 350 orders in the US and the first 350 in the UK.

I've got my eyes on the AirPods, although there are also some strong offers on smartwatches and games consoles, including the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X.

Black Friday deal: get 8% off at Back Market

Back Market is a refurbished tech seller, with the most commonly sold items being smartphones, laptops, and tablets. To give buyers peace of mind, every product sold is guaranteed by the Back Market Promise, which includes a 30-day money-back guarantee for any reason and a comprehensive 1-year commercial warranty. As someone who has purchased and returned items to Back Market, I can confirm how excellent their customer service is.

If you think it's neither, then perhaps it's one of the other five major tech announcements we've highlighted here so you can catch up on yet another massive week in the tech world.

You can also check out the start of our Black Friday deals hunt, because while the big day is still a couple of weeks away, the sales have already started.

7. Gemini Live got its biggest ever update

Google’s real-time conversational AI assistant, Gemini Live, has gradually been getting smarter since it launched in August 2024 – and this week it got its biggest-ever update to make it sound even more human.

For example, it’s now a much better learning assistant thanks to its personalized tutoring powers and ability to imitate accents. You can also do practice conversations to help you tune up for an interview or difficult family chat, and it’ll even respond in a calmer voice if it senses you’re talking about something stressful.

We’ll still need our real friends for their jokes and drinking buddy potential, but their days may be numbered.

• Read more: Google Gemini Live gets its 'biggest update ever' with 5 new upgrades – here's how to try them

6. Superman spun-off

This week, we found out that James Gunn's Superman movie is getting a spin-off, according to Variety.

In the lead is reportedly Skyler Gisondo's Jimmy Olsen, with the character expected to be the 'host' of an in-universe true crime docuseries. He’ll apparently appear alongside other members of The Daily Planet's news reporting team. However, David Corenswet's Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane, who also work for The Daily Planet, apparently won't be involved.

Gunn has yet to officially announce the show (he usually steps in on social media to confirm or deny reports from the trades), but he has previously teased an announced TV show that is his “favorite thing in all of this [DCU Chapter One].”

• Read more: James Gunn's Superman movie is getting a spin-off show

5. Apple launched an iPhone Pocket

This week, Apple launched an all-new product… a pocket for your iPhone. The design is a collaboration with Issey Miyake, the designer behind Steve Jobs’ iconic turtle neck.

At first glance, the fabric sling – which comes in two sizes – is a fashionable carry case that comes in a wide variety of striking shades, but commenters have been quick to deplore the asking price: $149.95 / £139.95, or $229.95 / £219.95 for the long strap.

Apple is no stranger to outrageous accessory prices, but there does seem to be a method to the madness. These kinds of phone slings are picking up steam in territories like Asia, which Apple has targeted heavily based on the Pocket’s availability.

• Read more: Here are 5 reasons why Apple's ridiculed phone ‘sock’ actually makes sense

4. The DJI Neo 2 took flight

DJI took selfie drones to new heights with the Neo 2, which is the lightest and most affordable drone with omnidirectional object sensing – a truly fantastic feature for beginners. We played with Neo 2 ahead of its launch, and it's clearly a much-improved model, even if it's slightly heavier and pricier than the original Neo.

Still, it's only 151g and features better wind resistance, flight speed, and now voice and gesture control – Neo 2 can take off from the palm of your hand and follow voice or gesture prompts for flight moves and then return to your palm. It's incredibly clever stuff. It'll record aerial 4K video at 60fps, or vertical 2.7K video, complete with intelligent subject tracking skills – the whole experience is child's play. Prices start at just £209 / AU$409, but once more, there's bad news if you're in the US – the Neo 2 is another DJI product unavailable at launch.

• Read more: I flew the DJI Neo 2 for a week

3. OnePlus cured the common phone

According to reviewer Philip Berne, “The OnePlus 15 is better than perfect. It grants every smartphone wish I have and exceeds most expectations. It has the best battery life of any smartphone, stellar performance, and top-notch cameras, backed by an understated yet durable design. There isn't a better phone you can buy than this one.”

That’s some high praise, so it’s no wonder this is the first phone Phil has ever given a five-star review. Perhaps it’s finally time to ditch that iPhone or Galaxy phone in your pocket for something much better.

• Read more: The OnePlus 15 has exceeded my high expectations

2. Valve’s Steam Frame finally broke cover

After months of leaks, we finally got to see what the Steam Frame is all about, and it could be the best VR headset we’ve seen in years.

It’s a standalone design with some impressive specs (including a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 16GB of RAM, and at least 256GB of storage, which is expandable with an SD card) and the SteamOS.

That basically makes this both a VR headset and a Steam Deck for your face, which sounds like it could finally put the Meta Quest 3 in its place.

The only downside is we’re missing the price, but rumors have pointed to it costing $1,200, and based on the specs Valve has announced, our resident VR expert Hamish Hector says he’d be surprised if the device didn’t land around this price.

• Read more: 7 things you need to know about Valve's Quest 3 rival

1. Valve debuted the Steam Machine

Valve dropped a bombshell on the gaming scene for both PC and console gamers, with the announcement of the Steam Machine. It’s a mini-PC, but designed like a hybrid PC console, with a small form factor catered to TV-couch gaming setups, and uses AMD Zen 4 hardware that looks like it could give Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox reasons to worry.

With a promise to deliver a streamlined console-like experience using the popular Linux operating system, SteamOS, Valve is putting current generation consoles, notably the PlayStation 5, but more so the Xbox Series X | S, and Microsoft’s Windows 11 on notice. If reasonably priced, we could be looking at a serious contender in the gaming console market, and perhaps a revolutionary move for gamers on every platform.

• Read more: The Steam Machine sounds like a beefed-up Steam Deck for your TV

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Our reviewer rated the regular Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless a perfect 5 out of 5 stars, on par with other ANC juggernauts like the Sony WH-1000XM4 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.

We really like its neutral, crisp, detailed sound and the ANC itself is excellent - but its real strength lies in its 60-hour battery life.

The 80th Anniversary Edition is a collaboration with the German graffiti artist Bond Truluv, featuring his artwork on the cups, along with a new yellow colourway.

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It's finally here – after more than four years of Valve Deckard rumors, Valve's standalone PC VR headset has landed in the exciting form of the new Steam Frame.

In a surprise announcement (or perhaps not that out-of-the-blue, if you've been following the recent rumors), Valve has revealed all the official details about the Steam Frame and how it compares to the best VR headsets.

In short, the Steam Frame is built to compete with the Meta Quest 3 and to offer full PC VR gaming via a wireless adapter. But what else have we learned? Here are the seven main things you need to know about the Steam Frame…

1. It's built for both PC VR and standalone gaming

In theory, the Steam Frame could offer the best of both worlds for VR fans. For meatier PC VR games such as Half-Life Alyx, there's a Wi-Fi 6E (6Ghz) wireless adapter included for a stable, low-latency connection to your PC.

While that already means no annoying wires, you can also go completely PC-free with the Steam Frame. That's because it can also run less intensive games locally, a bit like a wearable Steam Deck – or indeed, a Meta Quest 3.

2. The specs are fantastic

On paper, the Steam Frame is an impressively powerful mid-range headset. You get 16GB RAM (twice as much as the Meta Quest 3) and a 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

An interesting pick to opt for this over the XR2 Gen 2 used by its rivals like the Quest 3, but this chipset does offer a CPU and GPU performance boost over the XR 2 which leans into the frame being a more powerful headset. Storage-wise, there are 256GB and 1TB options, plus a microSD slot for expansion.

The latter is something you won't find on the Quest 3. So while 256GB is the same amount of storage as the top-spec Meta Quest 3S, and only half of what you get on the Quest 3, the Steam Frame offers more storage flexibility.

3. There's no OLED version

Based on leaks that Valve was developing two Steam Frames, and the existence of a Steam Deck OLED, many assumed one model would pack an OLED display. This proved not to be the case.

Valve is making two Steam Frames, but the difference is simply storage capacity (256GB Vs 1TB, with an SD card slot for expansion); there is unfortunately no OLED version for now.

Instead, the Steam Frame opts for LCD with a 2,160 x 2,160 pixel-per-eye resolution, which is comparable to the 2,064 x 2,208 per eye for Meta’s Quest 3.

4. Where's the color passthrough?

Valve's specs sheet for the Steam Frame says it boasts a pair of monochrome cameras for passthrough, which means black and white – so, no full-color passthrough.

This means the Frame will be a proper virtual reality headset, rather than a mixed reality device like what Meta, Apple, and Samsung produce.

On one hand, this is a frustrating downgrade – mixed reality has its uses, after all. However, at the same time most MR games of note offer effective VR modes too, so it might not feel like the drowngrade it seems on paper.

What's more, Valve has also teased a “user accessible expansion port”, which leaves open the door to the possibility of an optional module that adds full-color passthrough at an added cost. We'll have to wait and see on that one.

5. Eye-tracking enabled

As with other premium VR headsets, the Steam Frame is set to boast eye-tracking for one important reason: foveated rendering.

Basically the VR headset can save on compute power by only rendering in full quality the part of the screen you're actively looking at. This allows a game to boast more impressive graphics by simply using the same CPU and GPU more efficiently, no additional power required.

Now, not a lot of games have implemented this in the past, but Steam's catalogue is so expansive I'm hopeful we'll see a lot more games take advantage of this feature going forward.

6. No price confirmed

Valve has yet to confirm a price, but based on the specs it won't be cheap, and leaks suggest it'll cost $1,200 (around £915 / AU$1,830).

This feels right. It has some upgrades over the Quest 3 (namely eye-tracking), and lacks some of the high-end features of pricier models (like the Galaxy XR's OLED display), so falling between the budget and premium price points makes sense.

Obviously leaks should be taken with a pinch of salt, and various factors could affect the final price, but I'd be shocked if it costs considerably more than the leak suggests. That would be a full-on own goal for Valve, but stranger tech decisions have been made.

7. No new software for now...

The Valve Index launched alongside a new Half-Life game, but so far there's been no word of exclusive games coming to Steam's platform to celebrate the launch of the Frame and Steam Machine.

In what feels like an internet conversation ripped from the noughties, there has been plenty of online speculation and leaks suggesting new games would be coming to the Steam Frame ahead of its launch. Specifically, Half-Life 3.

Where real rumors begin and trolling ends is impossible to decipher when Half-Life 3's name is uttered, but new software doesn't seem utterly out of the question. Perhaps Valve is simply waiting until 2026 when it's closer to the launch for its new tech to finally unleash these new titles on the public.

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To catch up on both of these stories and plenty more, scroll down to read our quick-fire catch-up of the week's seven biggest tech news stories.

When you're done, be sure to also check out our picks for the seven new movies and TV shows to stream this weekend.

7. Black Friday month began

We’re still a few weeks away from Black Friday proper (this year it’s set for November 28), but that hasn’t stopped major stores from launching major deals as part of their early Black Friday sales.

We’re seeing major discounts from a wide variety of brands, including Samsung, Ninja, Hisense, and more, across a variety of retailers in the US and UK – with some discounts being seriously impressive, considering it’s not yet Black Friday proper.

We’ve been covering Black Friday deals for years, and these early deals are well worth your time – while some items will get cheaper as November 28th approaches, many won’t – and others still might actually go up in price. So don’t be afraid to browse the early sales and grab a pre-Black Friday deal while you can.

• Read more: Black Friday deals start now

6. Google Maps got a big Gemini upgrade

If you regularly use Google Maps while driving, this week brought some positive news – the app is getting a Gemini brain transplant that should make it a much better navigational copilot.

Some of the improvements include much more natural voice assistance (for example, being able to ask follow-up questions about the parking at your destination), better turning directions (like “turn right after the Thai Siam Restaurant"), and a new Gemini-powered version of Google Lens inside the Google Maps app.

On the downside, most of these features will initially be US-only. Still, the improved Gemini voice assistance is rolling out on Android and iOS in all regions where the AI assistant is available. Expect to start chatting to it “in the coming weeks”.

• Read more: Google Maps is getting a big Gemini upgrade for drivers – here are 4 new features coming soon

5. IKEA launched 21 smart home gadgets

IKEA isn’t messing around when it comes to smart home tech, it seems, as it just dropped 21 new products to choose from across smart lights, smart sensors, and smart controls.

This includes the KAJPLATS series lights with 11 different bulb types, the MYGGSPRAY motion sensor, ALPSTUGA air quality sensor, and the GRILLPLATS smart plug, among others (as with all IKEA’s offerings, we love the names).

Best of all, these gadgets are Matter compatible, so you can easily sync them with your existing smart home setup.

• Read more: Here’s the full list of IKEA’s new smart lights, sensors, and more

4. Spotify dropped Wrapped-lite

Earlier this week, Spotify rolled out a new in-app listening stats tab that offers fresh insights into your weekly listening habits – and it’s a great way to get us ready for Wrapped season.

As well as being able to view your top artists and songs in real time, you’ll also find new playlists based on what you’ve been listening to recently. Spotify has also shared that each week you’ll receive a ‘special highlight’, which could be anything from a milestone to a new discovery to a unique fact about your personal listening habits.

Spotify has shared that not only are listening stats designed to show what you’ve been streaming the most, but they also aim to bring you closer to the music you already love.

Listening stats are now rolling out to Free and Premium users in over 60 global markets and will update every 24 hours, offering new recommendations based on your listening behavior.

• Read more: Spotify’s new listening stats upgrade is here

3. Grand Theft Auto was delayed again

Feeling déjà vu? You might be because Rockstar just announced that the next installment in the Grand Theft Auto franchise, GTA VI, has been delayed until November 19, 2026 – almost exactly 6 months later than its previous release date of May 26, 2026.

In a statement, Rockstar Games said, “We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realize has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve.”

The game is still set to land on the PS5 and Xbox Series X (and Series S) generation of consoles, but if any more delays happen, Rockstar might need to ready a PS6 launch.

• Read more: Mark your calendars for November 19, 2026

2. DJI hit out at its looming US drone ban

The clock is ticking on a DJI drone ban – and ahead of the crucial cut-off day on December 23, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has now given itself the power to ban gadgets that it thinks present a security risk retroactively.

This means that, in theory, not only could new DJI products be banned in the US from 2026, but the FCC could also go back and remove older gadgets from sale, too. The Chinese drone giant, understandably, isn’t happy, calling for an extension of the decision and suggesting that “due process, fairness, and transparency” aren’t being applied.

Unfortunately for drone fans in the US, it’s looking increasingly like a Huawei-style situation for DJI – but owners of existing drones will at least be able to keep and use them, for now.

• Read more: DJI responds to new US drone ban law passed by FCC – here's what it means for you

1. We spent a week with Samsung’s Galaxy XR

We’ve tried the Samsung Galaxy XR headset, and it’s an impressive multimodal AI spatial computer which is much cheaper than the competition (aka the Apple Vision Pro), though at this early stage, we aren’t sure it quite does enough to stand out.

According to Lance Ulanoff, “The Samsung Galaxy XR delivers moments of beauty and inspiration, but it's also stuffed full of disappointment, from the sound of fans on your face to imprecision of gestures to a total lack of 'wow' apps and experiences.”

Our hope is that Samsung’s headset will improve over time, but for now, it only earns three-and-a-half stars.

• Read more: Apple's Vision Pro has nothing to worry about – yet

Fans of the nearly 60-year-old franchise have waited decades for this: a Lego Icons set based on one part of the iconic sci-fi series, and now we have it, a 3,600-piece, 10.5 in high by 23.5 in. long by 18.5 in wide buildable depiction of the Star Trek: The Next Generation. U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D starship, an icon in the long-running series and films that followed.

The arrival of the Enterprise comes just months after Lego and Paramount, which owns the franchise, finally joined forces to start delivering what is sure to be a series of incredible Star Trek-based kits. Prior to this, buildable, block-based kits for the sci-fi franchise have been handled primarily by companies like Mega Blocks. They were fine, but never captured the cachet, design expertise, or sheer audacity of a Lego kit.

Within the limits of the largely square, rectangular, and triangular building pieces, the Lego Icons U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D is a striking replica of the ship from Star Trek: The Next Generation, the series that arguably relaunched the franchise for a new, er, generation in 1987. The vessel features a detachable command saucer, the nacelles with all the right colors and detailing, and a secondary hull. The shuttle bay opens to reveal two mini shuttlepods.

Once you're done building, you'll have all the key characters in Lego form. Of course, this includes Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commander William Riker, Lieutenant Worf, Lieutenant Commander Data, Dr. Beverly Crusher, Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge, Counsellor Deanna Troi, Bartender Guinan, and Wesley Crusher. They'll even carry their own accessories, including phasers, tricorders, and an engineering case.

The set is designed for adults 18 and over and, naturally, includes a display stand. It ships on November 28 and will retail for $399.99. / £349.99 / €379.99.

Lego is planning a splashy Black Friday launch video that will include a guest appearance by Number One and frequent Star Trek director Jonathan Frakes, who signed one U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D set, which one lucky viewer or fan will have a chance to win.

Lego is adding a few more Dilithium crystals to the whole affair, offering anyone who orders the starship between November 28th and December 1 a free Lego Icons Star Trek: Type-15 Shuttlepod.

This pod is a true Lego set unto itself, with 261 pieces, opening wing doors, and a rear hatch. Perhaps best of all, it'll include a mini figure of Ensign Ro Laren, a character who figured prominently in a few memorable episodes of the TNG series and even returned in Season 3 of Picard.

For Star Trek fans, this is like the start of a new mission (perhaps five years, depending on how long it takes you to build the Enterprise). There will be this and other models, perhaps even one of the original, 1960s series Enterprise and all its characters. There could be models for the space station from Deep Space 9 or the sleek Enterprise from the Enterprise series from the early aughts. Maybe some vehicles from the J.J. Abrams films? The galaxy's the limit.

Who knows where Lego will next boldly go? Whatever it is, sign us up, Captain, we're ready to engage.

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This week, we've seen everything from household robots to flagship phones, with Microsoft outages, another Stranger Things season 5 trailer, Samsung's long-awaited tri-fold, and new Fitbits along the way, too. It's been busy, in a good way.

There's lots to dig into, so make yourself comfortable and take a look at what's been happening across the pages of TechRadar. And we'll see you again this time next week with another round-up of the tech-related goings on...

7. We got the final trailer for Stranger Things season 5

We're all heading back to Hawkins, Indiana for one last time: Stranger Things season 5 premieres on Wednesday, November 26, with episodes then dragged out until the finale on New Year's Eve, and we now have the final trailer for the fifth and final season.

There's a lot going on here, and pretty much every major character in the Stranger Things universe – good and bad – gets some screen time. It's been a long wait for this fifth season, but this should be enough to keep Stranger Things fans going for the next four weeks.

• Read more: Stranger Things season 5 final trailer officially released hours after Netflix leak – and fans think it includes a huge spoiler

6. Microsoft gave us another huge online outage

It was only recently that an Amazon AWS outage left a swathe of websites, apps, and services unresponsive, and this week Microsoft's Azure platform joined in with a critical crash of its own. Millions of users were affected before the issues were finally fixed.

Everything that relies on Microsoft digital infrastructure got hit, including Minecraft and the Xbox platform, and Microsoft 365 applications. Thankfully, Microsoft acted swiftly to get Azure patched up again, but these kinds of outages shouldn't be happening at all.

• Read more: Microsoft down? Services recover after major outage hits Azure, 365 and more – and even Minecraft and Xbox were affected

5. Samsung rolled out ads on its smart fridges

Adverts aren't really appealing at the best of times, but one place you definitely don't want them is on your fridge, beaming sponsored content into your kitchen. It's strange then that Samsung has decided to start showing ads on the screens of its Family Hub smart fridges.

That's $2,000 (or around £1,500 / AU$3,000) for the fridge itself, and then you have to put up with "curated advertisements" while you're trying to cook up a meal or just grabbing a drink. Understandably, the move has been met with a rather frosty response from users, although you can at least turn them off.

• Read more: Samsung launches ads on its smart fridges – and I can’t imagine wanting anything less

4. Google said new Fitbits are coming in 2026

Google acquired Fitbit in 2021, and seems to have been prioritizing the Pixel Watch over any kind of Fitbit gadget since then. The last Fitbit-branded device to launch was the Fitbit Charge 6, which made its debut in 2023 – and we'd almost given up hope of new Fitbits.

It's encouraging then that a Google executive has gone on the record to say we can expect new Fitbit devices during the course 2026. It's not clear exactly which gadgets might be updated, but the compact, lightweight fitness trackers are well overdue an upgrade now.

• Read more: Fitbit isn't dead after all – Google just promised more fitness devices are on the way next year

3. The Samsung tri-fold made its public debut

We're moving very slowly towards an official launch of the Samsung tri-fold we've been waiting for all year. Don't forget that this next-gen foldable was first teased by Samsung back in January, and we're still not sure when it's going to launch or what it'll cost.

What we do have is the first public showing of the foldable, which made an appearance at the K-Tech Showcase in South Korea. It was put behind a glass case, so no one could touch it, but we're hopeful that the Samsung phone isn't too far away now from going on sale.

• Read more: The Samsung Galaxy tri-fold just got officially shown off

2. OnePlus revealed all about the OnePlus 15

One of many TechRadar exclusives on the site this week included some key information about the new OnePlus 15 flagship phone: when it's launching globally, the new camera features it's bringing with it, and the different colors you're going to be able to buy it in.

All of these details came out in our chat with the CMO of OnePlus Europe, Celina Shi. We may be approaching the end of the year, but the OnePlus 15 is very much a contender for one of the best phones of 2025 – find out everything you need to know about the handset.

• Read more: OnePlus 15 global launch date, new colors, and camera features revealed

1. The first humanoid robot for home chores arrived

Surely in the year 2025 we should be getting robots to do all of our regular, tedious, household chores? Well, maybe 2026 will be the year: 1X has now opened pre-orders for the Neo Home Robot, which can do tasks like doing the laundry and filling up the dishwasher.

It doesn't come cheap, but you might consider it a price worth paying if it means you've got more free time. There are skills that remain beyond the robot's scope, however – you need to allow a remote operator to control it for those, and it can't yet cook for you or mow the lawn. Perhaps we'll have to wait until 2027 for that.

• Read more: You can pre-order this charming Neo Home Robot today to do all your chores, but there’s a big catch

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