With the Consumer Electronics Show taking place in Las Vegas this week, there’ve been so many gadget releases that we’d forgive you if you’re struggling to keep up. But there’s no need to suffer any FOMO: we’re on hand to update you on the five most interesting reviews published on our site this week.
There have been a huge number of exciting products crossing our desks over the last seven days. We’ve put the new super-powered flagship-baiting OnePlus 13 through its paces, and Bush’s affordable Dolby Vision equipped 43-inch TV and Technics’ gorgeous-sounding, fully featured earbuds. So, if you want to know all the exciting tech we’ve been getting hands-on with this week, catch up below.
1. OnePlus 13 review: using this fast, long-lasting flagship smartphone is a blast
Pros
✅ Hardy design can shrug off lengthy dunkings in hot water
✅ Camera capable of fantastic high-speed action snaps
✅ Better battery life than basically any rival
Cons
❌ No deals available on carrier agreements
❌ Cameras fall a bit short of best on market
❌ Only MagSafe compatible with a case
The OnePlus 13 is as beautiful as we’ve come to expect from OnePlus. But it’s now hardy as well – the inclusion of IP69 dust-proofing and water protection makes it seriously tough without the brick-like build of some durable phones. It has substance, too: it’s one of the first handsets to rock a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, and this delivers very impressive performance, making it one of the fastest phones we’ve ever used.
And the epic features don’t stop there. While its camera sensor is marginally smaller than those of the iPhone 16 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, it’s still an impressive performer, taking fantastically crisp action shots. Meanwhile, its battery lasts longer than almost any other handset we’ve tested, persisting for almost twenty hours in our lab tests. It’s also cheaper than most flagships, costing from $899.99 / £899, although the fact it’s not available on many carrier payment plans does make this a more significant upfront investment.
2. Bush 43UT24SB review: an unbelievably cheap 43-inch QLED TV with impressive Dolby Vision performance
Pros
✅ Expressive, well-balanced sound
✅ Great feature set
✅ Super comfortable and great fit
Cons
❌ Some color inaccuracies
❌ Not the best build quality
❌ Menus sometimes prone to lag
The Bush 43UT24SB is an affordable 43-inch QLED TV that offers surprisingly capable pictures. Its inclusion of Dolby Vision – a rarity at this price – means it offers decently contrasty pictures, managing far better black levels than other cheap LED TVs. Meanwhile, its Dolby Atmos audio is capable of sufficiently bassy and wide sound reproduction, something cheap panels can rarely muster.
It’s not entirely flawless: although color performance is generally good, some picture modes have a tendency to look a little oversaturated, while some judder was noticeable during action scenes. The overall build quality isn’t exactly super-premium, either. However, this all needs to be weighed up against its key strength – at £229.99, this TV comes at an astonishingly low price, making it a total bargain.
3. Technics EAH-AZ100 review: superb sounding wireless earbuds heaving with features
Pros
✅ Awesome low price
✅ Ample picture quality
✅ Effective Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision
Cons
❌ Sound takes a dip when ANC disengaged
❌ Battery life decent but not exceptional
❌ Better noise cancelling out there
The Technics EAH-AZ100 are some singularly compelling earbuds. They’re comfortable to wear for long listening sessions, coming with five different sizes of ear tips to ensure the most ergonomic fit. They’re crammed with features, including three-device multipoint connectivity, Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity with LDAC compatibility, and even spatial audio with head tracking. But perhaps most importantly, they sound fantastic, with punchy and dynamic bass and controlled, even expression across the whole frequency range.
They can’t quite rival the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds for sheer world-shuttering noise cancellation, but their ANC is still undeniably effective. However, switch it off, and the sound quality takes a bit of a dive, with the bass, in particular, losing some of its thump. But many buds can only achieve that kind of sound quality at their best, so these are still a great investment if performance is your biggest priority.
4. Miele Blizzard CX1 vacuum review: a capacious, easy-to-use vacuum cleaner that does a great job – as long as you don’t have pets
Pros
✅ Ample dust canister
✅ Simple controls
✅ Great at edge cleaning
✅ Helpful self-cleaning function
Cons
❌ Large and unwieldy
❌ Struggles to pick up hair
❌ Poor performance on carpet
The Miele Blizzard CX1 is a chunky, bagless plug-in cylinder vacuum that is great for cleaning larger homes. First off, its controls are straightforward – there are literally just two buttons for power and cord rewind and a single dial to adjust suction power. On top of this, its bulky frame houses a capacious dust canister, hopefully reducing the number of trips you have to make to empty it, while the vacuum itself has a handy self-cleaning feature, making it a breeze to keep its filters clean.
It does an excellent job of cleaning your home to boot, making short work of hard floors, while its crevice tool makes handling nooks and edges nice and simple. However, it does seem to struggle when vacuuming thicker pile carpets, never quite feeling like it’s giving them a thorough clean. This issue is compounded if your place is home to a molting mutt or thinning feline – it’s not the best we’ve ever tested at picking up pet hair.
5. Nikon Z50 II review: a beginner-friendly mirrorless camera that offers pro-level performance
Pros
✅ Speedy performance thanks to Expeed 7 chip
✅ High-end subject detection autofocus
✅ Adjustable-angle touchscreen
✅ Boosted video specs such as 4K/60p
Cons
❌ Lacks in-body image stabilization
❌ Pretty average 20.9MP resolution
❌ Not a significant upgrade over the Z50
The Nikon Z50 II is the brand’s new entry-level mirrorless camera. But don’t make the mistake of assuming this means it’s lacking in performance: thanks to its Expeed 7 processor, it offers truly flagship performance, with its subject recognition autofocus being particularly rapid. It’s received some boosted video specs and is now capable of 4K/60p, while its body has decent ergonomics and now comes with an adjustable-angle touchscreen.
Naturally, it can’t quite keep pace with the flagships out there. Its 20.9MP resolution isn’t the highest you’ll find, and it offers electronic vibration reduction to steady handheld footage rather than superior in-boy image stabilization. Ultimately, this is a modest upgrade over its predecessor, the Z50. However, that lightning-fast performance makes it a worthy buy for anyone looking for an affordable entry point into mirrorless cameras.
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josh.russell@futurenet.com (Josh Russell)
