Showing posts with label Latest from TechRadar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Latest from TechRadar. Show all posts

Sunday, July 5, 2026

Latest Tech News

The Samsung S95F was our TV of the Year last year, thanks to its excellent picture quality, effectiveness in a bright room and superb gaming capabilities. It edged out the LG G5, the S95F’s flagship rival, for the honors — but needless to say, both these models were top-tier performers and contenders for our list of the best TVs. So I've been relishing testing their successors side by side.

I’ve already tested and reviewed the LG G6, the G5’s successor, and it earned five-stars in my LG G6 review. It’s one of the best OLED TVs I’ve tested this year, especially for bright room viewing (more on that later).

Now, the S95F’s successor — which is called the Samsung S95H in the US, and the S99H in the UK (and there is a separate model called the S95H in the UK, which is different to the US' S95H. Clear? Great…) has arrived in our test room, so I put the S95H/S99H and G6 side-by-side to see which flagship OLED comes out on top.

Colors

Samsung S99H (left) vs LG G6 (right) showing the Racer family in their garage from Speed Racer. The S99H makes red tones look orange in this scene, while the G6 shows a much deeper red.

Both the Samsung S95H/S99H (left) and LG G6 (right) showcase bold colors, but the S99H made reds in Speed Racer look orange in places, shown in the floors and shelving, while the G6 showed red (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future )

Color reproduction on both these TV’s predecessors has been superb in the past, so I was keen to see how the two new models would fare. I started with Speed Racer on 4K Blu-ray, which I recently reviewed as part of the June 2026 Blu-ray Bounty, and boy, does it have some impressive colors.

With both TVs set to their respective HDR Movie modes (called Cinema Home on the G6) colors are bold, punchy and vibrant on both TVs, perfectly delivering the hyper-saturated, cartoon-esque look of the movie.

Colors practically exploded on screen on both TVs. Looking closer, the G6 has deeper, richer colors which add a more 3D-like effect to the picture, while the S95H/S99H’s are on the more natural side. Blues, greens, purples and yellows appear more true-to-life on the S95H/S99H, while the G6 opts for dazzle.

One thing I found very interesting however was how each TV rendered red. In some scenes, I noticed that the S95H/S99H made these red details look more orange, while on the G6 they had a much more candy-apple red look that felt more accurate to the movie. This was clear in a scene with the red shelves, walls and floors of the Racer family garage, shown above.

Samsung S99H (left) vs LG G6 (right) showing a close-up shot of Speed Racer from speed Racer. The G6 shows punchier colors, while the S99 shows higher brightness

The S95H/S99H (left) has higher fullscreen brightness, but the G6 (right) has punchier peak brightness and bolder colors (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future )

In the close-up shot of Speed Racer during a race shown above, the red of his seat and the M logo on his helmet was deeper and bolder on the G6, looking a little pale on the S95H/S99H. For any red tones, I preferred the G6’s saturation: for this movie at least, in these modes.

For the record, in terms of measurements, the S95H/S99H scored 2.2 SDR color accuracy and 99.97% UHDA-P3 and 89.3% BT.2020 HDR color gamut coverage, to the G6’s 2.3 SDR color accuracy, 99.3% UHDA-P3 and 83% BT.2020 color gamut coverage (measured after its most recent update as of July 3rd 2026). So, these two generally measured about the same in these major areas.

When it came to skin tones, I found myself drawn to the S95H/S99H. The G6 clearly favoured red in Cinema Home, hence the deeper reds in objects. To some, the skin tones of characters on the S95H/S99H may have looked a little washed out, but I found the highlighting red tones in people’s faces, such as their cheeks, during close-up shots to be a little distracting.

Samsung S99H (left) vs LG G6 (right) showing a close-up shot of Mia from La La Land. Both Tvs show crisp detail, but the S99H has more accurate skin tones
The S99H (left) has more accurate skin tones, with the G6 (right) favoring red shades in skin tones Lionsgate / Future
Samsung S99H (left) vs LG G6 (right) showing Mia at the spring party from La La Land. The S99H has the more accurate colors, but the G6's colors are bolder
Both TVs show great color reproduction in La La Land, but the S99H's (left) feel more natural Lionsgate / Future
Samsung S99H (left) vs LG G6 (right) showing Sebastian walking on a pier at sunset from La La Land. Both TVs accurately render the gradient of the sunset
Both TVs do a great job rednering the gradation of the sky in La La LandLionsgate / Future

Switching to La La Land, with both TVs in Movie mode, the more natural colors worked in the S95H/S99H’s favour. At the spring pool party, Mia’s yellow dress was vibrant on both screens with some gorgeous visual pop, but the yellow looked more authentic on the S95H/S99H. In the background, the green bushes were deeper on the G6, which gave them a nice, rich look, but again I felt the softer green of the S95H/S99H suited the movie better.

Later on, a close-up shot of Mia, the G6 again showed off the red tones in her skin, while on the S95H/S99H, her skin tone was uniform, more lifelike. In the ‘City of Stars’ scene, as Sebastian walks along a pier at sunset, both TVs accurately delivered the gradation of the sky, which goes from purple, to orange, to pink, accurately and while the G6 again had that richer look, the S95H/S99H had a bit more punch in the paler tones.

Contrast and dark room viewing

Samsung S99H (left) vs LG G6 (right) showing Batman on a subway from the Batman. Both TVs are set to movie mode and in bright conditions and here, the S99H shows the more accurate picture

With both TVs set to Movie mode (Cinema Home on the G6), both can easily show a dark movie like The Batman in brightly lit conditions and still have good contrast (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future )

Moving onto darker movies, I started with The Batman, my reference disc for darker scenes. The Batman is a very dim movie (mastered at a max of around 400 nits) so it can be tricky for any TV to accurately display.

As both TVs have effective reflection handling layers (more on that below), I tried out the movie in Filmmaker Mode in a brightly lit room — and of the two, the G6 better preserved richer black tones with crisper textures and contrast. The S95H/S99H was much dimmer, and although the matte screen blocked mirror-like reflections, the movie was harder to watch.

Switching to Movie mode on both TVs, it then became a much closer call. Watching the subway scene, as Batman stands on a dark subway platform, both TVs delivered strong black levels with good shadow detail. The S95H/S99H had the more uniform picture of the two overall in Movie mode.

Samsung S99H (left) vs LG G6 (right) showing Batman on a subway platform from The Batman. The S99H showcases deeper blacks but does show some black crush while the LG G6 looks too bright

With both TVs set to Filmmaker Mode, the S95H/S99H (left) shows deeper blacks and more dynamic contrast, but sometimes can crush said blacks. The G6 (right) preserves better detail, but is a little bright (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future )

Switching to darker viewing conditions, and switching back to Filmmaker Mode, the differences between each TV was much more apparent. While both TVs still delivered strong contrast, shown in scenes with bright lights against dark backgrounds such as the Batcave and the crime scene at Mayor Mitchell’s house, the S95H/S99H actually delivered noticeably deeper blacks.

In some cases they were too deep, as it did exhibit some black crush, which resulted in loss of shadow detail. In the same subway scene from before, the background became mostly ineligible on the S95H/S99H. On the G6, these same details were preserved, but the picture was much brighter and the darker areas on screen weren’t as satisfying. Despite the black crush, I found myself drawn to the S95H/S99H’s more uniform picture.

Samsung S99H (left) vs LGG6 (right) showing Marla from Fight Club. Both TVs set to Filmmaker Mode, the G6 has the more impactful contrast while the S99H looks a bit dimmer
With both TVs in Filmmaker Mode, the G6 (right) does a better job showing this scene from Fight Club in a bright room20th Century Studios / Future
Samsung S99H (left) vs LG G6 (right) showing Marla from Fight Club on screen. Both TVs are set to Movie Mode, the S99H is brighter while the G6 has stronger contrast
With both TVs set to Movie mode, it becomes a much closer call20th Century Studios / Future

Next I switched to ‘brighter’ movies with dark scenes, and went back to having brighter conditions in the room. In Fight Club, back in Filmmaker Mode, the G6 had the more impactful contrast and richer black tones.

As Marla and the narrator talk in a dimly-lit shop, the S95H/S99H’s matte screen created a haze effect across the screen, affecting some dark tones and made textures look a little softer. The G6’s glossy screen had crisper textures and deeper blacks with more impactful contrast. But switch to Movie mode and, again, it was a toss up as to which looked better.

Using a scene from space in Alien: Romulus in Movies modes, both TVs delivered rich black tones with a good amount of white stars dotted throughout, something some cheaper TVs I’ve tested can’t reproduce as cleanly. Again, in Filmmaker Mode, the G6 was the more engaging picture with the inky blacks, but the S95H/S99H did a better job handling reflections on this occasion, while still delivering powerful contrast. So let's dig more into reflections and visual punch.

Brightness and reflections

Samsung S99H (left) vs LG G6 (right) showing a snow-covered fence on screen. Both TVs show good brightness with brilliant whites, but the G6 has the edge in peak areas

Both TVs deliver bright, brilliant whites with excellent, controlled brightness. A note: the S95H/S99H does not have this red tint in person, it is the matte screen being picked up the camera awkwardly (Image credit: Future)

OLED TVs are getting brighter. Once struggling to hit over 1,000 nits HDR peak some years ago, this is easily surpassed now, on both flagship and mid-range models.

I measured the S95H/S99H as hitting 2,739 nits HDR peak brightness (10% window) in Filmmaker Mode, as well as 449 nits of fullscreen HDR (100% window). In HDR movie mode, the S95H/S99H hit 2,751 nits peak and 450 nits fullscreen.

The G6 in the same modes, after a re-test with a new firmware update, hit a staggering 3,004 nits peak (10%) and 451 nits fullscreen brightness in HDR Filmmaker Mode. In HDR Cinema Home, the G6 hit 2,207 nits peak and 365 nits fullscreen brightness.

How did this translate into real-world scenes? Using some snow scenes from the Spears & Munsil UHD Benchmark, both TVs, set to Filmmaker Mode, showed punchy white tones with plenty of vibrancy, but the G6 had that little bit more depth in some areas. Generally, however, the S95H/S99H had the brighter picture in larger white areas, during a shot of a snow-covered ground or a white sky.

Samsung S99H (left) vs LG G6 (right) showingthe narrator next to an overturned car from Fight Club. The S99H shows higher fullscreen brightness, with a bolder looking blue sky

The S95H/S99H's (left) stronger fullscreen brightness in Movie mode is on show in this scene from Fight Club, as the blue sky looks much brighter than on the G6 (right) (Image credit: 20th Century Studios / Future )

In movies, going back to Speed Racer, Speed’s white Mach 5 car and helmet appeared brighter on the S95H/S99H, especially in Movie mode, which makes sense based on the 500 nits peak HDR difference between the S95H/S99H and G6 in that mode.

However, the G6 again had that satisfying glint that drew the eye more. In daytime scenes, the S95H/S99H again showed higher overall brightness, especially in lighter colors like green and yellow. But, the G6’s richer colors sometimes gave it a perceived sense of higher brightness through its boldness.

In another scene from Fight Club, again in Movie mode, as the narrator stands over an overturned car in the day, the clear, blue sky was noticeably brighter on the S95H/S99H. The G6 still showed good brightness, but it wasn’t as impactful as the S95H/S99H.

Samsung S99H vs LG G6 showing cactus on screen against black background. Both TVs do a great job reducing reflections even with large dark areas on screen

Both TVs are very effective at reducing reflections and while the S95H/S99H (left) is better at getting rid of them totally thanks to its matte screen, the G6 (right) does a better job maintaining black tones while reducing reflections (Image credit: Future)

I’ve touched on bright-room conditions and reflection handling above, and both these TVs are impressive on this front. The S95H/S99H’s anti-glare screen does an excellent job at eliminating mirror-like reflections, turning them to a haze. While it would beat every other OLED TV in brighter rooms, the G6 is more than a match for it.

When I compared the LG G6 to last year's Samsung S95F for their reflection handling, I preferred the G6, as it did a better job delivering inkier, richer black tones while still eliminating most reflections.

The S95H/S99H is brighter than the S95F, and while this does mean its overall picture quality next to the G6 is improved, delivering more powerful contrast, I still prefer the G6 for bright rooms… in Filmmaker Mode.

In Movie mode, however, it again becomes a very tight call, edged by the G6 for me. I just preferred the preservation of contrast over the out-and-out reflection handling.

Which do I prefer?

Samsung S99H (left) vs LG G6 (right) showing the exterior of Lou's tavern from Fight Club. Both TVs show punchy highlights, bold colors and strong contrast

(Image credit: 20th Century Studios / Future )

In these tests, the LG G6 proved to have bolder colors, with better black levels and punchier highlights in brighter conditions (still with great reflection handling). The Samsung S95H/S99H showed better skin-tone accuracy, better contrast balance and black tones in dark room viewing, and higher perceived fullscreen brightness.

Deciding between these two TVs is no easy task. Both deliver outstanding picture quality, with their own strengths, and superb gaming experiences. It's never been a closer contest. So torn am I between the two, I’m saying you can’t really go wrong with either. It will come down to price and what you’re looking for — though while I've only focused on picture here, I do know that a lot of people are put off by the huge frame on the S95H/S99H, and that might make the difference.

If you want Dolby Vision HDR, bolder colors and better contrast with richer black levels in a bright room, go for the G6. If you want HDR10+, a more accurate-feeling picture out-of-the-box in a dark room, and a TV that beats the most challenging reflections, go for the S95H/S99H. Honestly, both TVs can do pretty much everything.

If I had to choose one today, it would be the LG G6. Not only does it have the better black level performance in brighter rooms, but right now, it's cheaper in the UK (where I am) and Australia, with a 55-inch G6 costing $2,299 / £2,099 / AU$3,499, while the S95H/S99H 55-inch costs $2,199 / £2,399 / AU$3,999. If I were in the US, or if the prices switch here, I could easily change my mind: it's that close.



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Saturday, July 4, 2026

Latest Tech News

Titan 2 Elite: 30-second review

Touchscreens have changed the way we enter text on our mobile devices, with swipes used to interact with apps rather than typing on a traditional keyboard; long gone are the days of BlackBerry.

This means that the way apps are designed has changed greatly since the advent of smartphones. However, there is still a place for physical QWERTY keyboards, especially if you do a lot of typing. Whilst a touchscreen is great for straightforward input, when it comes to shortcuts, they can be a little bit convoluted, and that’s where this type of QWERTY keyboard really starts to make sense, especially when you can customise and add your own shortcut systems into the keyboard layout.

As a smartphone, the Titan Elite 2 runs Android 16, into which you install the latest apps, and the screen itself, while small at 4.03 inches, is an AMOLED display with 1080 x 1200 resolution and a very decent 120Hz refresh rate. This means it is actually pretty good for watching back TV shows or catching up on social media, but it really comes into its own for quickly typing in messages. Actually, after I got used to the small keys, I found it much easier to respond to messages, WhatsApp, and emails on this keyboard than on the standard touchscreen.

Through the test, I found the battery life was pretty decent, and because you are generally not using it the same way you would, say, a standard touchscreen smartphone, the battery still had a decent 60% remaining when I got back home. I then just found myself using the phone less because of the design, and again, that was something that really endeared me to the design.

The other point about the design, aside from the bright orange colour, is just how small and compact it is. It fits neatly into a trouser pocket, and while it’s as wide as a smartphone, it’s shorter, making it feel slim and lightweight.

Whilst there were many aspects of this phone that I really liked, there were a few minor issues. When it came to quickly editing a photo or two, the small screen was just a little bit too small. There’s not a great deal of real estate for anything other than typing or watching back videos, and even when you come to play games, because the screen is that much smaller and with that keyboard in place, it’s not great. Then there is the issue that there is no 3.5mm jack or wireless charging, which is a little bit of a shame. However, it does feature Bluetooth and the USB-C port.

The Unihertz Titan 2 Elite is a really nicely considered phone. It won’t appeal to everyone, but for those who like the slightly retro approach to smartphone use, it is a great option.

Titan 2 Elite: Price and availability

  • How much does it cost? $489
  • When is it out? Now
  • Where can you get it? Online at unihertz.com

At present, the phone is only available for pre-order, with a full release in August. The US price is at present set at $489.99.

You can pre-order now by clicking here, and the item will start shipping soon.

  • Value: 4/5

Titan 2 Elite

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Titan 2 Elite: Specs

CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 7400, octa-core, 2.0–2.6GHz
Graphics: Mali-G615 MC2
RAM: 12GB LPDDR5
Storage: 256GB UFS 3.1, microSD support up to 2TB via hybrid slot
Ports: USB-C
Connectivity: 5G, 4G LTE, dual Nano SIM, eSIM, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou/Galileo, IR blaster
Audio: Loudspeaker, FM radio, no 3.5mm headphone jack
Camera: 50MP main + 50MP telephoto rear cameras; 32MP front camera
Size: 117.8 × 75 × 10.4mm; 163g
OS Installed: Android 16

Titan 2 Elite: Design

The Unihertz Titan 2 Elite instantly differentiates itself from most smartphones, first with its colour options, my review sample was the bright orange, though it’s also available in a subdued black. Then more strikingly, with its physical QWERTY keyboard below the touch screen.

The phone itself is compact, measuring 117.8 x 75 x 10.4mm and weighing just 163g, significantly lighter than the latest intake of smartphones. Whilst that screen is smaller, as the review went on, I found that having a physical keyboard always there, partnered with an on-screen keyboard for special characters, actually made it a quick way to input text and write emails, something I always find extremely tricky on my iPhone.

The phone's build quality is also surprisingly good. Made of aerospace-grade CNC aluminium and with that anodised finish, it gives a good, high-quality premium feel.

The keyboard is well designed, with a slight bevel on each key. They just make it a little easier to find each key than if they were flat. It does take a little bit of time to convert from using a touchscreen mobile to one with a physical keyboard, and there is no doubt that those keys are really small. But even with my hands, I was able to adapt to those keys relatively easily, and I did find typing just a little bit easier. I was far less likely to mistype on this phone than I am when using the touchscreen keyboard on the iPhone.

Titan 2 Elite

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The screen is smaller and has a slightly different aspect ratio than I am used to, and at 4.03 inches, it features an AMOLED display that is nice, bright, and easy to view in most conditions. It also has a decent resolution of 1080 x 1200 and a refresh rate of 120Hz, so whilst it is not really designed for a bit of gaming, if you do decide to opt for a few moments playing Asphalt Legends, the gameplay is actually relatively smooth.

That screen size can leave things feeling a little cramped at times, but it is quite nice to have a square screen. What really strikes you about the phone in your hand is just how comfortable it is to use. It looks a little bit wider than the standard smartphone when you take it out of your pocket, but it’s actually much the same.

It’s just the height that is much reduced, meaning that, firstly, it’s more comfortable in a pocket, and, secondly, when you have it to your ear, it’s in a really nice position for the earpiece and the microphone. I just found it much nicer to handle than my larger phone.

Design-wise, this looks like a business phone, and there is no getting around it. It also looks very retro with a modern twist. I love the bright orange color, and I really like the look of the QWERTY keyboard. It’s supported by the touchscreen, and as designs go, it all seems well balanced. Of course, like all decent smartphones these days, there is also a selection of cameras on the back and a very decent forward-facing selfie camera for conferencing.

  • Design: 4.5 / 5

Titan 2 Elite

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Titan 2 Elite: Features

There is no escaping the main feature here, which is that physical QWERTY keyboard with touch-sensitive functions, both on the screen and the keyboard itself, which is quite remarkable when you start to scroll through pages, especially online, and you can do that by just swiping up and down on the keyboard itself and not the touchscreen.

This function is not available from the outset. You need to delve into the settings to activate it, but once you have, the scroll assistant and cursor assistant open up a wealth of controls I have not seen on a smartphone of this style before. It just becomes quick and intuitive to use.

Then, as you delve into the settings and you go to shortcut keys, you then have a series of function keys that you can also assign, so if you want a quick key to open up one of your apps or to copy and paste, then you can do all of that through the shortcut key menu. This is something that I always find especially tricky on a touchscreen-only device.

The point about the keyboard is that it is a decent-quality, and once you figure out that you need to push the “symb” button in order to bring up symbols and numerics, everything from that point on becomes pretty much smooth sailing.

Inside, there’s a relatively decent MediaTek Dimensity 7400 chipset, 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. As you use the phone for various apps, you realise it is more than capable of work-related tasks, including the full Google suite, where it seems especially tuned and smooth in use.

What I also like is that there is dual Nano SIM support, eSIM support, and a hybrid microSD expansion option, so you can have one Nano SIM alongside a microSD for storage expansion.

The CPU is joined by a decent GPU, the Mali-G615 MC2, which we often see in this style of mid-range smartphone. During the test, I found that this was more than enough for most productivity apps in the Google suite and handled Lightroom and gaming without too many issues, although the screen size was the main limitation. So, for the intended use, if you are mainly typing, then this GPU is probably going to keep up with everything that you need.

The cameras are not cutting-edge, but they are well-balanced, with a 50-megapixel main camera and a 50-megapixel telephoto camera, which should just about cover you in most situations. They are great for site pics and taking a few snaps, but they are not cutting-edge camera quality. Likewise, the 32-megapixel selfie camera is perfect for video conferencing and video calls, and for capturing a quick picture of yourself in front of a few locations, but the quality is mediocre rather than outstanding.

What I do like is that it has the latest version of Android 16, and Unihertz has said that this will come with five years of update support and OS upgrades to Android 20, along with all security patches until 2031, meaning that your investment in this phone will be supported for a good few years.

The other point here is that whilst it might lack a 3.5mm headphone jack, which I would have liked to have seen on something slightly retro-styled like this, there is NFC, an IR blaster, fingerprint unlock, USB OTG, FM radio, Google Pay support and a programmable red side button that you can assign to something such as the camera.

Titan 2 Elite

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
  • Features: 4.5 / 5

Titan 2 Elite: Performance

Test Scores

Geekbench CPU Multi: 3292
Geekbench CPU Single: 1061
Geekbench GPU: 3038
Wild Life Overall: 3971
Sling Shot: 7709

The design of this phone is quite striking, and actually, whilst it has a decent CPU, when it comes to the main focus of this smartphone, it’s all about productivity and being able to type quickly, with the big feature being that full QWERTY keyboard.

An initial look at the phone as it’s lifted from the box shows it is exceptionally high quality. That CNC-machined aluminium just gives it a real nice finish, and with that anodised orange coating, it just looks great. It’s kind of in the same colour profile as the new iPhone 17 Pro, but if you are not into these bright, vivid colours, you will be glad to know you can also order a black version, which is a lot more sedate.

Getting started with the phone was quick and easy enough, and after a full charge, I loaded the interface, signed in to Google, and instantly, all my Google apps and everything else were available. It just shows how the Dimensity 7400, 12GB of RAM and the ultra-fast UFS 3.1 storage could be when used on a phone that’s primarily designed for productivity rather than multimedia, and for messaging, browsing, email, as well as updating a couple of Google Docs, it was able to handle everything without too many issues.

The one thing that I did note from the outset was the size of the screen. There is no getting away from the fact that it is a lot smaller than your average smartphone. However using Google Docs, because you have the keyboard underneath rather than covering half of the screen being taken up by a keyboard, it feels perfectly workable despite being smaller.

As I got into using the keyboard and my thumbs started to get the muscle memory for the positioning of all the keys, I found my typing speed actually increased, or at least the number of mistakes I was making rapidly reduced. When smartphones first arrived, I used a BlackBerry for a long time, and there is still a bit of that muscle memory left, which helps me navigate this phone relatively quickly.

Obviously, with technological advancement, it’s much better than those older phones, and what I like most is that the keys are not only physical but also touch-sensitive. By activating the cursor and scroll controls in the settings, I could then use my finger to swipe left or right on the keyboard or navigate on the screen with the small cursor.

This ability to essentially use the keyboard as a trackpad just made typing and correcting what I was typing on screen so much easier than on my iPhone, which when trying to place the cursor on the iPhone will inevitably pick a spot two lines below what I want.

Trying to navigate anywhere on my iPhone screen with the cursor is near impossible, to the point where I rarely bother, often just deleting a line or two in order to correct something. Here, with the Android 16 interface within Google Docs, it just worked. It was easy to place the cursor where I wanted, then correct the text and move on without getting frustrated.

During the test period with the phone, its limitations became obvious, and if you do decide to download Lightroom, for instance, to update and edit some photos, the small screen size really starts to feel like a limitation, although the interface is incredibly well designed for small screen phones.

It’s still possible to work on an image, but your eyesight has to be pretty good, and it is obviously not designed for this sort of thing. Likewise, playing games just gets you a small screen rather than the large screens that we are used to with the latest smartphones.

However, when it came to viewing video, and this might be because I was used to an old iPod video years ago, I actually quite enjoyed watching a couple of episodes of a TV show on the small screen. Whilst yes, it is considerably smaller than the iPhone's, the screen and picture quality are still pretty good.

Through the test, I utilised the phone in and out of the office and also on a trip up to London. Because I was so impressed by its use, I used it as my main phone for about a week to see if I could really get on with a keyboard smartphone rather than a touchscreen option, and over time if that keyboard was a touch larger then yes I might have actually made the switch.

One of the things this highlighted through the use was battery life, which lasted a full day without issue, even with making a few calls, answering emails, updating Word docs, and listening to music. I wouldn’t say that the battery life is outstanding at the end of the day. It did need a good charge, but for a phone of this size, it’s certainly more than enough for a day-to-day phone that will always be charged at night.

To finish the test, I took a quick look at the camera, and there are two options. You have your wide-angle to capture large vistas and your telephoto, which lets you zoom in and, as I found, is also pretty good for portraits. Whilst the camera is not a major feature of the phone, the fact that both are set at 50 megapixels means that they are well balanced.

Whilst the cameras are not headline features, they can still capture a pretty decent image as long as the lighting conditions are right and you are not expecting too much. If you are just taking holiday snaps, or, more than likely, a few images on business trips, then this will be perfectly adequate for what you need.

  • Performance: 4 / 5

Titan 2 Elite

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Titan 2 Elite: Final verdict

Titan 2 Elite

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

There is no doubt that the Titan 2 Elite is a niche phone with that QWERTY keyboard, and it’s not trying to take on touchscreen smartphones. It’s more of an alternative to use, and it also changes how you use your smartphone because you have a physical way to interact with it, rather than that touchscreen swipe.

Through the test, I found that it’s much better suited to typing, so it’s good for writing emails, replying to social media messages, and standard messages. I found it a lot easier on this phone than on my iPhone, mainly because I am always mis-typing on that touchscreen, whereas here each press, because of that small bevel on the keys, was a little more precise despite the keys’ small size, which was surprising.

I also like that the keyboard, which features a decent backlight, could be set to be touch-sensitive, essentially using it as a trackpad or for left- and right-scroll, which again just made things easier. The fact that you can also assign some of the buttons to custom settings and applications really does help with workflow, especially if you do a lot of typing on your phone.

When it came to battery life, it was well-balanced and able to handle all of Google’s productivity apps without issue and lasted easily all day. For me, at least, I found that the touchscreen and keyboard combo was a really great way of working. I also love the retro look of the phone. It is kind of a mix of retro and modern, but I do miss a 3.5mm headphone jack. It would just have set it off nicely.

So whilst this phone is not really a competitor to the latest touchscreen mobiles, it does offer something different, and if you like the more physical way of interacting with your phone and you want something that is just a little bit smaller and lighter than what is on offer in the mainstream, then the Unihertz Titan 2 Elite is a great alternative, with a design focused on productivity rather than social, gaming and creative use.

Should I buy the Titan 2 Elite?

Value

Keyboard smartphone with unique features with mid-range performance

3.5/5

Design

The compact design is distinctive, and with a physical keyboard, it gives a different slant on smartphones

4/5

Features

The keyboard is the main feature, but the fact that it is touchscreen and has a more square-style screen means there are plenty of features that help promote productivity

4/5

Performance

Mid-range performance from the CPU and GPU, but that is more than enough for its intended use for productivity

4/5

Overall

A retro take on the modern smartphone that works and gives you an alternative to the standard touchscreen approach

4/5

Buy it if...

You primarily type
If you use your smartphone to answer emails, write notes, and send messages, a physical keyboard might actually be a faster way to work.

You miss BlackBerry
Back in the day, everyone had a BlackBerry, but then the touchscreen revolution happened, and we all left for the new technology. However, when it comes to productivity, nothing quite beats the secure layout.

Don't buy it if...

You play games and watch videos.
The compact screen is really nice, but if you play games, stream video, or watch other content on your smartphone, the small screen will be a limitation.

Your touchscreen focused
If you use a lot of apps that require touch gestures, then the smaller size of the touchscreen on the Elite is going to have its limitations, and you might find that many apps, including those that are creative, all feel a little bit too cramped.

For more professional picks, we've tested the best rugged phones for field-work.



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Latest Tech News

As someone who loved Batman: Arkham Asylum back when it originally launched, it might surprise you that I never got around to playing Arkham City or Arkham Knight until very recently. Despite all the hype for Arkham City that you still read online, it was Knight that genuinely wowed me. It's a near-perfect Batman game, and believe me, that near is carrying a lot of weight.

From the Backlog

Every gamer has a backlog — and that’s no different for us at TechRadar Gaming. From the Backlog is a series about overdue first-plays, revisiting classics, returning to online experiences, or rediscovering and appreciating established favorites in new ways. Read the full series here.

Playing Arkham Knight is like being given a key to the DC vaults in game form. The cast is deeper and richer than a chocolate layer cake, with villains ranging from the Joker (somehow returning) to Firefly, all getting their moment in the sun.

Over the course of the many hours that you'll spend in Gotham, you'll fight all of them to some degree, and learn about their particular plans, foibles, and personalities through radio broadcasts aimed at riling up the Bat.

I'm like a bat, I always fly away

A screenshot from Batman: Arkham Knight showing the caped crusader gliding through the Gotham City skyline.

And what a joy it is to spend time in this depiction of Gotham. It's split across three large islands, each about as big as the entire Arkham City map, and you're given some fantastic traversal mechanics to help make your journeys easier. Chief among these is the Grapnel Boost, upgraded from its debut in City to make launching off platforms a way to gain significant altitude very quickly.

Then you have the Batmobile, which is, in my view, unfairly maligned. It's fine, as it goes, even if the vehicle handling is far from perfect, and it's also largely secondary to most of your traversal. When you do need it for a puzzle or a mission, it's easy to summon and then easily dismissed. Even the car combat, which many seem to hate, didn't bother me.

Sure, it's not as fun as the hand-to-hand stuff, not by a long shot, but it's a means to an end and never overstays its welcome.

There is one particularly sticky sticking point, however. One thing that almost ruins the game and that's the Riddler challenges, and how the game integrates them into the plot.

Everyone's least favourite genius has an entire mission tree dedicated to him, which is actually pretty fun. He's captured Catwoman, and you need to solve a series of challenges to set her free. Do so, and the mission is over, and you can hand him over to the authorities, right? Nah. Not by a long way.

None of this detracts enough from the otherwise towering highs of Arkham Knight. It's a brilliant game with the best traversal and combat mechanics in the entire series.

The game seems to think that you'll love the Riddler challenges so much that just doing the 10 trials to free Catwoman won't be enough. If you want to clap the Riddler in irons, you'll need to find every Riddler trophy, solve all of his riddles, destroy every breakable object, and save every rioter who had a bomb implanted in his brain by the Riddler. That sounds ridiculous, but doable. Let me explain why it's not: there are so many of these. There are 243 challenges in total.

None of them are particularly difficult by themselves, but I didn't save Catwoman until I was close to the end of the game, and had found about 10 Riddler trophies and saved one bomb rioter. As I looked at the scope of the challenge ahead of me, the sheer time that it would take me to complete all of them, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. This game has just singlehandedly ensured that there is a boss fight that I will never see. I will never fight the Riddler mano-a-mano, and I'm quite okay with that, valuing my time more than a fight that many hail as a series highlight.

If only it ended there. I'd be fine missing a snippet of content, but no, it's worse than that. If you want to see the true ending of the game, the game that you've likely put 40-50 hours into by this point, you'll need to pony up a bunch more hours and complete all of the Riddler challenges. That's right: if you want to see all those hours converted into a narratively satisfying ending, you need to go on a hidden object hunt across the length and breadth of the map.

Or, you could do what I did, and just watch the true ending on YouTube and save yourself a lot of time.

Knight and day

best superhero games: an enemy in a suit of armor vaulting at Batman, a Falcone tower in the distance

(Image credit: Warner Bros. Interactive)

It's a real shame that the game's decided to lock up its ending behind such a convoluted set of tasks that aren't even very fun to do. The riddles are tolerable, but not stellar, while the Trophies are just a collectible with a tiny puzzle attached.

It's as though Assassin's Creed Shadows hid the ending away until you'd found every shrine and painted every animal, and it is patently absurd. It's a far more serious sin than giving you vehicle combat that, while fairly tedious, never lasts that long.

None of this detracts enough from the otherwise towering highs of Arkham Knight. It's a brilliant game with the best traversal and combat mechanics in the entire series. It trades the tight, claustrophobic (and coulrophobic) spaces of Asylum for a sweeping open world that is packed with villains, without landing on an unsatisfying halfway house as City did. It's got a great big bad, a wonderfully diverse set of environments, several playable characters, and is now cheap as chips. I had a huge heaping helping of fun with it.

So please, play Arkham Knight if you've not already, as you're in for a treat. Just don't try to go for the true ending if you value your sanity. Savor the gameplay, then open up YouTube.



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Friday, July 3, 2026

Latest Tech News

There are a lot of monitors out there these days, and every one of them is touting how great it is in one way or another. Whether that is visual clarity or resolution, aspect ratio, custom zoning, colors, anything like that.

However, what isn't said is that even though there are iPads that you can buy with tandem OLED displays, most people in a business context or professional context just don't need that and probably don't even understand what they're looking at, even if they had all of the monitors at their disposal. I'm saying this from experience as well. It's not just me saying that as a tech reviewer isolated in a box, but as somebody who procures monitors for a growing business.

I've had several people who, when trying to figure out what they want for a monitor, simply just say they want a 27-inch screen because that's what they're used to and that's all they need and want. I've set up several workstations with much nicer setups, only to see the settings toned down to the point where they are using it as is: a 27-inch HD monitor rather than a fantastic 4K display with color accuracy.

The USB-C feature adds a layer of simplicity to this monitor: instead of needing a dock or an HDMI plug-in, you can simply train your team to plug in their company laptop with a single USB-C cable. One-cable setups are super easy, and this monitor does that very, very well.

For those who need simple and those who don't need anything fancy, this may just be one of the perfect monitors that fits that gap, while every other monitor seems to be trying to push for the best of the best of the best in some other area that may or may not matter to the masses.

Dell | 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

Dell 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor: Price and Availability

The Dell 27 Plus QHD USB-C S2725DC is widely available from Dell in all regions, as well as retailers such as Amazon. It retails for around $250 / £250.

For what you're getting, that feels like a phenomenal price to me. Especially when buying these out in bulk across multiple locations, offices, or similar setups.

Dell 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor: Unboxing and First Impressions

Right out of the gate, the unboxing for this one is very similar to the last Dell 27" HD monitor that I tested. It's a very simple white box. Inside is just as simple. There is a monitor, a three-piece stand, and some included cables. The only difference is that this box includes a USB-C cable as well. That is actually a surprising length, making it long enough for you to route into a desk, pull away, or mount somewhere as well, if needed. I would have expected probably a meter or two, but this one seems to be quite a bit longer in a good way.

Once set up, I was able to plug in a test device via USB-C to confirm it had power. Then I tested it with all sorts of different devices that I had. I tested it on my MacBook, my iPad, another iPad, and my iPhone. I tested it with several other laptops and a couple of desktops, and all of them worked out great. This USB-C is quick and responsive. The screen looks sharp, and the few times that you need to use the OSD, it works well.

One thing worth noting on this is that the pop-out ports on the bottom actually work really well. Of course, they're not Thunderbolt 5 speeds, but they're fast enough to get the work done you may need to do on this: charge quick devices, transfer some smaller files, things like that. Of course, it doesn't need to have crazy high-speed transfer rates, because that's not the design of this monitor. That would be like trying to cram 57 cup holders into a Ferrari. That's just not necessary, because that's not what that vehicle is designed for. Same thing here. Why would Dell spend money and time and resources on crazy high-speed USB-C on a device that isn't designed to work that way?

Dell 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor: Design & Build Quality

I've already mentioned it a little bit, but the design is simple. It's clean, and it's very work-friendly. This isn't the kind of monitor that's going to turn heads, and that's exactly what Dell was hoping for. This is the kind of monitor you would see on the desk of a data admin or an executive admin at a coworking space. Perhaps a hot desk scenario, maybe an accountant, account manager, or things of that nature.

The stand has some slight upgrades from past ones that I've griped about. Instead of a cable pass-through through the base, it actually has a little clip on the back. It's still not perfect, but it seems a little clearer and cleaner to use if you opt not to use the built-in stand. One thing to note is that the monitor is extremely light, so you will need to aggressively adjust your monitor arm to compensate for the reduced weight, which is not usually the case. Usually you have to account for heavier monitors.

There is an OSD joystick for selecting inputs, adjusting USB-C settings, or even choosing the original language when first setting up the monitor. Lastly, I do appreciate that this is a USB-C monitor, as that one-cable setup without needing another dock, another power, or another place to put a docking station really helps clean things up.

Dell 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor: In use

Dell | 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

This monitor has functioned well for everyday work. I’ll be the first to note that it wouldn't be ideal for color-accurate creative work. Nor would it be great for those who try to fit everything on their display at once, expecting a high-resolution screen to help by scaling. It’s not for video editors, photo editors, creatives, gamers, or those.

But for people who work on spreadsheets, project management, emails, web-based content, writing documents, working with AI, perhaps even basic coding, and things in this realm, those who don’t have a specialty niche when it comes to displays, this will work great. I immediately thought of my friends who work in finance and Insurance. These guys would kill for a monitor like this, as it does exactly what they need without any fluff. It’s not going to take their time to set up and understand.

Well, of course, the single USB-C is a huge benefit for this monitor. It's also super great for IT professionals who need a simple setup to run a server or plug into a server room or something like that. Other devices can be plugged into the HDMI ports, and then when they walk in with their laptop, they can plug in with USB-C. You could, of course, also plug in other devices via USB-C, like desktops, but that would also be just as easy to plug in an HDMI cable. That's not necessarily a huge selling point.

One of the many things that USB-C can transfer is audio, and while this monitor does have speakers, do not expect them to be anything fancy. You can potentially get away with some background audio, maybe some lo-fi beats on Spotify or a virtual meeting, but I wouldn't expect these to be anything crazy or clear. They'll get the job done in some scenarios, but not in many.

Dell 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor: Final verdict

Dell | 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

All in all, I think it's pretty clear that this is a simple monitor for simple needs for those who don't have a niche need. Nor do they want to spend what some people spend on a car on a monitor.

Monitor technology has gotten incredible. I would know. I've tested most monitors out right now, and while I do love a fancy monitor, there is something to be said for a simple one that is just plug-and-play, without any bells and whistles, that still costs a very reasonable $200-$250.

There's still plenty of demand for that kind of display, and Dell putting out this monitor shows exactly that.

Dell | 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor
Collin Probst // Future
Dell | 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor
Collin Probst // Future
Dell | 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor
Collin Probst // Future
Dell | 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor
Collin Probst // Future
Dell | 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor
Collin Probst // Future
Dell | 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor
Collin Probst // Future
Dell | 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor
Collin Probst // Future
Dell | 27 Plus QHD USB-C Monitor
Collin Probst // Future

For more top-performers, we've tested the best business monitors.



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Thursday, July 2, 2026

Latest Tech News

Ruko U11Mini 4K: One-minute review

DJI's dominance of the consumer drone market is so total that you have to wonder whether any rival can land a meaningful blow. The Ruko U11Mini 4K is the latest contender to step into the ring, and on paper it looks like a credible one: a sub-250g folding quadcopter with a 1/2-inch CMOS sensor, 4K video, and an optional touchscreen controller that's clearly modeled on DJI's own RC series.

Unfortunately, the closer I looked, the more the U11Mini 4K's limitations revealed themselves, and the gulf between Ruko and DJI's similarly-priced beginner drones remains huge.

In the air, the U11Mini 4K is a mixed bag. Flight is reasonably stable in calm conditions, but it's easily pushed around by wind, and during one flight I experienced an alarming voltage drop that triggered an unscheduled emergency landing. The touchscreen RC3 controller is a solid piece of hardware, and a smart way to sidestep the usual phone-pairing headaches, but its joysticks lack the precision of DJI's equivalents, making smooth, cinematic camera moves a struggle.

There's no obstacle avoidance whatsoever, and the automated flight modes feel half-baked: Point of Interest mode, for instance, simply circles wherever the drone happens to be, rather than the subject you actually want to showcase.

Ruko U11Mini 4K drone

On paper, the Ruko U11Mini 4K looks like a solid DJI Mini 4K competitor, but a few minutes of flying it sadly convinced me otherwise. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

The camera quality is similarly inconsistent. 4K video in good light is detailed and perfectly watchable, if a little flat and lacking in dynamic range, but stills are a different story; the U11Mini 4K's exposure metering routinely blows out highlights, and there's no way to fix this reliably even when dialing back the EV.

Storage is another sore point: the drone does have a small but usable amount of internal storage, but with no USB port on the aircraft itself, getting your footage off it is a major chore, and I'd recommend sticking exclusively to a microSD card instead. One that you'll have to supply yourself, as none are included in the box.

All of this would be more forgivable if the U11Mini 4K were a budget bargain, but at around £300 (rising to £499 for the bundle I tested, with its two batteries, hard case and that RC3 controller), it's pitched at almost exactly the same price as the DJI Lito 1 — a drone that beats it comprehensively on image quality, obstacle sensing and battery life. The U11Mini 4K isn't a complete disaster, but nobody should pick one over DJI's equivalent.

Ruko U11Mini 4K: Price and availability

  • Priced from around $339.99 / £300 / AU$549.99
  • Touchscreen RC3 controller bundle costs $424.99 / £499
  • Available now direct from Ruko and via Amazon

The Ruko U11Mini 4K is available now, sold directly through Ruko's website and via Amazon in the US, UK and Australia.

Pricing varies considerably depending on region and bundle. In the UK, the base package costs around £300, rising to £499 for the bundle I tested, which includes two batteries, a hard case, and the touchscreen RC3 controller in place of the standard smartphone-based remote.

US pricing follows a similar pattern, though at the time of writing Ruko's online store had both bundles discounted. The two-battery, hard case, RC3 controller bundle was priced at $424.99 (down from $599.99), while a separate three-battery bundle with a hard case and smartphone controller (rather than the RC3) was available for just $339.99 (down from $509.99) — making it the cheaper option overall despite the extra battery.

In Australia, Amazon lists a single-battery, smartphone controller bundle for AU$549.99, with a three-battery, hard case and smartphone controller bundle priced at AU$699.99.

Ruko U11Mini 4K drone

The carry case is a well-designed accessory that'll keep the drone, controller and a couple of extra batteries snug and safe. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

In the UK and Australia, its direct rival is the recently launched DJI Lito 1. This costs £299 in the UK, while in Australia it's priced at AU$539 for the basic bundle (one battery and the RC-N3 smartphone controller) or AU$779 for the Fly More Combo (three batteries, RC-N3 controller, charging hub and shoulder bag). I'd say it's a much better value prospect than the Ruko, and shoppers should definitely consider it if they're hunting for a good entry-level model.

US buyers don't have that option, however, since due to the current DJI ban the Lito 1 isn't sold in America. That leaves older models like the DJI Mini 4K as the more relevant comparison stateside — and despite its age, it's still a better drone than the U11Mini 4K.

  • Price score: 2.5/5

Ruko U11Mini 4K: Specs

Ruko U11Mini 4K specs

Ruko U11Mini 4K

Camera:

48MP 1/2-inch CMOS sensor

Video:

4K 30fps

Flight modes:

Smooth, Normal, Sport

Storage:

Internal memory + microSD card slot (up to 256GB supported)

Battery:

2,200mAh / up to 32 minutes flight time

Charger type:

USB-C / Battery Charging Hub

Weight:

249g / 8.8oz (approx.)

Dimensions:

141 x 86.9 x 57.9mm / 5.55 x 3.42 x 2.28in (folded)

Ruko U11Mini 4K: Design and build quality

  • Folding design, weighing under 249g
  • Optional touchscreen RC3 controller
  • microSD slot supports cards up to 256GB

The U11Mini 4K follows the same folding quadcopter template as most sub-250g drones on the market right now, including DJI's own Mini and Lito series.

It's made from hard plastic, and folds down to a genuinely pocketable size (if we're talking coat rather than trousers, mind you). At under 249g, it sits just inside a weight threshold that exempts it from the strictest drone registration requirements in the UK, US and elsewhere.

Round the back, you'll find a microSD card slot, supporting cards up to 256GB. There's also internal storage built into the drone itself, but accessing it is far more trouble than it's worth.

That's because, bafflingly, there's no USB port anywhere on the drone. The only way to get photos and video off the internal storage is via the controller, transferring wirelessly to an app like Google Photos — a process that, in my testing, also downgraded my 4K footage to 720p in the process. So I'd strongly recommend buying a microSD card (none is included in the box) and ignoring the internal storage altogether.

Ruko U11Mini 4K drone
When folded, the U11Mini 4K would fit in a large coat pocket.Future | Sam Kieldsen
Ruko U11Mini 4K drone
The RC3 controller is well built, but does suffer from some janky software issues.Future | Sam Kieldsen
Ruko U11Mini 4K drone
The batteries are recharged directly via their on-board USB-C port.Future | Sam Kieldsen
Ruko U11Mini 4K drone
Future | Sam Kieldsen
Ruko U11Mini 4K drone
Future | Sam Kieldsen

A clip-on cover is supplied to protect the camera and gimbal during transport, which is a sensible inclusion — if a little fiddly to fit and remove. Depending on the bundle you buy, you may also get a nicely sturdy hard-sided storage case, which comes with internal spaces for the controller, drone and up to two additional flight batteries.

The RC3 controller from the bundle I reviewed is pretty impressive, at least at first glance. Its built-in touchscreen is clearly inspired by DJI's RC series, and it's a decent effort: solid in the hand, with a bright, crisp display. But it came with its own set of connectivity issues, refusing to play nicely with my home Wi-Fi network and preventing me from downloading the latest firmware updates. I was able to connect it to my iPhone's hotspot, so the Wi-Fi antennas evidently do work in some circumstances, but the fact they wouldn't hook up to a network that works fine with every other drone I've reviewed recently suggests there's a deeper issue here.

  • Design score: 3/5

Ruko U11Mini 4K: Features and flight performance

  • 32-minute quoted battery life; around 20 minutes in real-world testing
  • No obstacle avoidance
  • Automated flight modes feel underbaked

Ruko quotes a battery life of 32 minutes for the U11Mini 4K. In my testing, which happened mostly in fairly breezy coastal conditions, I got closer to 20 minutes before the low battery warnings kicked in.

That discrepancy might be partly down to the wind, which the U11Mini 4K isn't great at handling. Despite Ruko's claimed Level 5 wind resistance (a tolerance of 19-24mph), I watched the drone get visibly knocked around by some standard coastal gusts. You can see the resulting unevenness in the horizon line on some of my footage.

One flight also threw up a worrying issue. A few seconds after take-off, with the battery indicator initially showing around 75%, a low voltage warning flashed up, the battery indicator dropped instantly to around 10%, and I immediately effected a panicked return to home (not wanting the drone to drop straight into the sea). When I checked the battery afterwards, it was still showing roughly 75% charge. Whatever caused that mid-air voltage drop, it's not a reassuring thing to experience while flying.

Ruko U11Mini 4K drone

With no obstacle avoidance tech, you'll need to steer well clear of trees, bushes and lampposts. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

Flight itself is reasonably stable and responsive in calm conditions, but the RC3 controller's joysticks let the side down. There's a wide dead zone before inputs register, which makes smooth, considered camera moves all but impossible, and as far as I can tell there's no way to adjust stick sensitivity to compensate. With a DJI drone, the slightest stick pressure produces an immediate and proportional response; here, you're fighting the controller as much as the wind.

Obstacle avoidance is non-existent, so pilots will need to take a lot of care when flying. There's no forward, downward or omnidirectional sensing of any kind, which is a significant omission next to the DJI Lito 1's full suite of vision sensors.

The automated flight modes are similarly disappointing. Point of Interest mode, for instance, should really let you tap a subject on the touchscreen and have the drone circle it automatically; instead, it just flies in a circle around wherever it happens to be at the time, regardless of whether there's anything interesting in front of it. There's also a tracking mode that follows your phone, though I wasn't able to test this myself, since I was flying with the RC3 controller rather than a paired smartphone.

  • Flight performance score: 3/5

Ruko U11Mini 4K: Image and video quality

  • 1/2-inch CMOS sensor, 4K video at 30fps
  • Stills are overexposed and oversharpened
  • No flat/log color profile available

The U11Mini 4K's camera is built around a 1/2-inch CMOS sensor and f/1.8 lens, which on paper is perfectly respectable for a drone at this price. There's no fundamental reason a sensor of this size can't produce good aerial photos and video, but in practice, the U11Mini 4K struggles to get the most out of it.

Stills are the weaker of the two. Exposure metering is unreliable, and the camera has a strong tendency to massively overexpose, particularly in bright conditions. Even dialing back the EV compensation for photos didn't fix this consistently; I was left with whites that were blown out and stripped of any detail far too often. Zoom into the shots even slightly and they're aggressively oversharpened and algorithmically upscaled in a jarring way, too.

Aerial photo of English coastal town
Future | Sam Kieldsen
Aerial photo of English coastal town
Future | Sam Kieldsen
Aerial photo of English coastal town
Future | Sam Kieldsen
Aerial photo of English coastal town
Future | Sam Kieldsen
Aerial photo of English coastal town
Future | Sam Kieldsen
Aerial photo of English coastal town
Future | Sam Kieldsen
Aerial photo of English coastal town
Future | Sam Kieldsen

Video fares slightly better, for reasons I couldn't quite pin down. At its top quality setting — 4K at 30fps — footage is detailed and rich in good lighting, even if it lacks dynamic range and punch compared to the best in this class. Bright areas can still blow out, while shadows tend to lack detail and look slightly underexposed, but overall it's a far more usable result than the stills.

One thing that might have helped close that gap is a log color profile, but sadly there's nothing of the kind available. A log format may have given me more room to fix the exposure issues in post-production grading, but here what you capture in-camera is largely what you're stuck with, unfortunately.

  • Image and video quality score: 3/5

Ruko U11Mini 4K: Testing scorecard

Ruko U11Mini 4K

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

Competitive on paper but matched or undercut by the superior DJI Lito 1.

2.5/5

Design

Decent folding build and solid touchscreen controller, but let down by the lack of a USB port.

3/5

Features and flight

Reasonably stable flying, but imprecise controls, no obstacle avoidance, and half-baked automated modes.

3/5

Image and video quality

OK 4K video, but routinely overexposes and there's no log profile to compensate.

3/5

Should I buy the Ruko U11Mini 4K

Buy it if...

You're a US buyer priced out of newer DJI options
With the Lito 1 unavailable in the US, the U11Mini 4K gives budget-conscious American buyers another option to weigh against older DJI models like the Mini 4K.

You want the cheapest possible 4K drone with a screen controller
If budget is your only real consideration and you can live with its flaws, the U11Mini 4K undercuts some screen-controller rivals on price.

You only ever shoot video, never stills
Video output is decent in good light, even if the photo side of things lets the side down badly.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You can stretch to a DJI Lito 1
At the same or lower price, the Lito 1 beats the U11Mini 4K in nearly every meaningful respect.

You want precise, cinematic camera control
The RC3 controller's dead zones make smooth, considered camera movement a real struggle.View Deal

You fly somewhere with lots of hazards
There's no obstacle avoidance of any kind, a significant safety gap next to rivals like the Lito 1.

Ruko U11Mini 4K: also consider

DJI Lito 1

At the same UK and Australian price as the U11Mini 4K, the Lito 1 is simply a better drone in almost every way, with superior image quality, full obstacle avoidance and longer battery life. The only thing it can't match is the U11Mini 4K's RC3 touchscreen controller, which DJI doesn't bundle with the Lito 1 currently.

Read our in-depth DJI Lito X1/1 review

DJI Neo 2

Smaller, cheaper and a blast to fly, the tiny, whoop-style Neo 2 doesn't need a controller at all, tracking and filming you autonomously straight out of the box. Its video quality is on par with the Lito 1's, and therefore a clear step up over the U11Mini 4K's, even though it's a much more affordable drone.

Read our in-depth DJI Neo 2 review

Ruko U11Mini 4K drone

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

How I tested the Ruko U11Mini 4K

  • I tested all available flight modes and control methods
  • I captured stills and video in a range of lighting and weather conditions
  • I assessed battery life, wind resistance and file transfer in real-world use

I flew the U11Mini 4K over several sessions, in a mix of calm and breezy UK coastal conditions, to get a feel for how it handled real-world flying rather than just ideal, sheltered conditions. I tested manual flight extensively, paying close attention to stick precision and responsiveness, and also tried out the drone's automated modes to assess how well they lived up to their billing.

On the camera side, I shot both stills and 4K video in a variety of lighting conditions, later reviewing the footage and photos on a larger screen to properly judge exposure, detail and dynamic range. The footage you see embedded above was edited in DaVinci Resolve, but not color corrected. Photos were tweaked slightly in Adobe Lightroom.

I also tested battery life under real-world conditions rather than relying on Ruko's quoted 32-minute figure, and ran through the process of transferring footage off the drone via both the microSD card and the internal storage, to evaluate how easy (or otherwise) that process is for a typical buyer.



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For productivity on the move or at your desk, not much can beat this AOC 14-inch laptop screen extender for $230 (was $300) at Amazon.

Adding two additional screens to your laptop, it turns a single laptop screen into a triple-monitor productivity powerhouse setup in seconds, no separate power supply or drivers required.

It's aimed squarely at people who juggle multiple windows, documents, or reference material and don't want to be limited to a single laptop display when they're away from a desk setup.

Today's top laptop monitor extender deal

A pair of 14-inch 1080P FHD IPS panels that attach to the back of your laptop screen, folding out into a triple-monitor setup for laptops between 13" and 17.3". Connects via HDMI or USB-C with no drivers needed — plug in and it works. Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Chrome OS devices.View Deal

The core appeal here is simple: going from one laptop screen to three without buying, carrying, and setting up separate monitors. Both panels fold flat against the laptop lid for transport and swing out into place when you need them, which makes this a genuinely practical option for anyone who splits their time between a desk, a coffee shop, or a client site.

Both displays are 1080P FHD IPS panels, which means decent color accuracy and wide viewing angles — important since these panels will often be viewed off-center, angled out to either side of your main laptop screen rather than facing you head-on.

Plug-and-play setup via HDMI or USB-C is the other major selling point. There's no software or driver installation required on Windows or Chrome OS machines, so you can be up and running within a minute or two of unboxing it.

However, if you're on a base M1, M2, or M3 MacBook, Apple's chipset only natively supports a single external display without additional hardware. So, you'll need a DisplayLink-compatible adapter to run both extra panels simultaneously. Intel Macs and M-series Pro/Max chips don't have this limitation. Worth checking before you buy if you're on Apple silicon.

For anyone who regularly needs more screen space away from a desk, the AOC 14-inch Laptop Screen Extender is a smart, portable way to get it.

More portable monitor deals

This single-screen FHD laptop screen extender effectively gives you two displays when hooked up to your laptop. It's lightweight with a slim design.View Deal

We genuinely love this portable monitor, and I use it every day as a second screen at work. It's thin, lightweight, hits 2.5K resolution and 180Hz refresh rates, and even comes with a protective sleeve in the box. I scored it 4.5 stars after testing.View Deal

The Z1RC is a 16-inch portable display that performed well during our tests (read the review here). It's cheap, but pleasantly cheerful, and a good alternative to the Z3FC if you're prioritizing color accuracy over refresh rates, hitting 123% sRGB. View Deal

More deals

Pair your screen extender with a new laptop - these are the best deals we've seen recently.

Processor: Intel Core 7 150U
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB

Dell's standard laptop series don't tend to be the flashiest machines, but they do offer great bang for the buck. This Dell 14-inch laptop in particular manages to feature a really up-to-date chipset, 16GB of RAM, and a spacious 1TB SSD for a great price thanks to the official Dell Store's back-to-school sale this week.View Deal

Processor: Intel Core i5-1335U
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 256GB

HP's 4th of July sale has some great low-cost Windows 11 options this week, such as this heavily discounted Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i. Inside, this machine features a Core i5 chipset and 16GB of RAM, which should provide smooth performance on even relatively demanding Windows 11 applications. Annoyingly, this machine only features a 256GB SSD, so storage is a little on the short side.View Deal

Processor: Intel Core N150
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 64GB

A Chromebook is a fantastic option for budget-conscious students since these lightweight laptops don't require much power to run smoothly. This 2-in-1 14-inch HP Chromebook features a decent Intel chipset and 8GB of RAM, which should be great for all the various browser-based tasks that Chromebooks are intended for, such as streaming content, writing, or emails.View Deal

Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB

The Dell 14 Plus is one of our favorite models from Dell in the past few years. It really surprised us when we reviewed it because it offers great performance and a well-thought-out design at an excellent price. Today's best deal is on this Ryzen 7-equipped configuration, which offers plenty of power in this machine's portable 14-inch form factor. View Deal



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