Let’s not kid ourselves. If there’s one review you’re desperate to read this week, it’s going to be the newly released iPhone 16e – well, worry not, as we’ve got the lowdown on Apple’s latest budget handset below. But just in case you missed some of the other exciting releases we’ve been handling this week, we’ve also assembled a roundup of the hottest five here.
First, let’s not bury the lede: we’ve put the brand-new iPhone 16e to the test. Its sleek new design and gorgeous new display will likely challenge what you expect from a cheap phone – as will its price. On top of this, we’ve been trying out Amazon‘s huge new Echo Show 21, the first smart screen that will likely give you a truly satisfying TV-watching experience. And there are many more exciting new reviews recapped below.
The iPhone 16e has received some much-needed upgrades to go along with its rebrand from the iPhone SE series. Rather than the outdated design of its predecessors, which hark back all the way to the iPhone 8, it’s got a much more modern look. It also rocks the brand new C1 chip, Apple’s first-ever cellular modem, and one of the best displays the brand offers.
But whether it can truly join the pantheon of best cheap phones is up for debate. For every step it’s taken forward, it has another foot in the past: bafflingly, it features the return of Apple’s controversial notch, while it doesn’t have a dedicated ultra-wide lens, just using a 12MP crop of its 48MP sensor for the 2x zoom. And the trickiest sell is its price, which is a decent markup over its SE forebears.
For
- Modern design
- Versatile Action button
- New C1 chip
Against
- The notch is back
- 2x zoom is just a crop
- No MagSafe
Lance Ulanoff
“The iPhone 16e has an excellent screen, powerful performance, a cutting-edge CPU with Apple Intelligence, and even an all-new C1 modem chip. Ultimately, this is another great iPhone – but it may not be the best choice if you’re looking for a ‘budget’ phone.”
Read Lance’s full iPhone 16e review.
The Amazon Echo Show 21 is where the Venn diagram of the smart-home hub, tablet, and TV screen meet. Like its smaller sibling, the Echo Show 15, it can be wall-mounted, offering a way to control your smart thermostat, look up recipes, and catch up on Severance all while keeping your hands free to cook a bacon sarnie. But thanks to that 21-inch display, it offers an even better viewing experience than its 15-inch sibling.
With Fire TV built-in, it offers broad access to a range of streaming services, and its sound quality is genuinely pretty impressive, making it absolutely one of the best smart displays if you want both hands-on controls of your smart home and to watch TV shows in your kitchen. If you’re just after a smart TV, though, there are better options out there.
For
- Solid build quality
- Surprisingly good sound
- Sensitive touchscreen display
Against
- Tricky to install and mount
- Quite expensive
- Options can seem overwhelming
Chris Price
“Combining all the functionality of Amazon’s Fire TV and Echo smart speakers, the Echo Show 21 is perfect for checking out recipes while you cook, or for controlling your home’s smart devices. However, there are better and cheaper options if you just want to relax and watch a movie.”
Read Chris’s full Echo Show 21 review.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 sit astride two different worlds. They’re neither as light and ear-plugging as many modern in-ear earbuds nor as transparent as many hooked, open-ear buds. Instead, they offer some of the strengths of both – offering the ANC and more intelligent features of the former and the secure fit and lengthy battery of the latter.
In terms of sheer comfort and impressive head-tracked spatial audio, they rival some of the best noise-canceling earbuds – although their sound is sadly on the weaker side. Features like heart-rate tracking give them some extra workout credibility, although they are only IPX4 so try not to sweat on them too much.
For
- Stuffed to the gills with features
- Very secure and comfortable
- Heart-rate feature very useful
- Head-tracked spatial audio
Against
- Tinny on occasion
- Sound suffers with ANC off
- Case is bulky
- Only IPX4 splash-proof
Becky Scarrott
“The Powerbeats Pro 2 offer an enviable 45-hour maximum battery life, excellent in-ear security, talented head-tracked spatial support, and a useful heart-rate monitor. That said, sonically the Powerbeats Pro 2 are not quite worthy of the money.”
Read Becky’s full Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review.
The Sony Bravia Projector 8 is a well-built premium projector that can match its biggest rivals in terms of performance. Thanks to its Z-Phosphor laser light source, it can produce 2,700 lumens of light, which is impressively bright and means it can offer an impressive HDR picture, even in lieue of HDR10+ support. It’s also easy to operate, thanks to its polished operating system and handy backlit remote.
However, the Bravia Projector 8’s gaming features make it shine as one of the best 4K projectors out there. Not only does it include 4K 120p, but it also supports ALLM, which switches into game mode as soon as you plug in your console. It’s capable of a seriously swift input lag of just 10ms. This makes this a gorgeous companion for a current-gen console, offering nearly as many features as a high-end gaming TV.
For
- Impressive image processing
- Excellent motion handling
- Great choice for gamers
Against
- Black levels could be better
- No HDR10+ support-
- No 3D support
Stephen Withers
“The Sony Bravia Projector 8 is an impressive native 4K projector that delivers vibrant, punchy and detailed big-screen pictures. Its long-life laser light source is bright, and the motion handling is class-leading.”
Read Stephen’s full Sony Bravia Projector 8 review.
The OM System OM-3 is fun in a way few cameras are these days. Thanks to its faux-leather frontage and silver top plate, its design echoes 1970s analog cams, with those exposure dials littering its top edge just the cherry on top.
But despite these retro good looks, this is every inch a modern camera – it’s actually crammed with advanced features. Its stacked 20MP Micro Four Thirds sensor is capable of lightning-fast of up to 50fps. Its subject-tracking autofocus is super smart, while its computational photography modes make trickier shooting techniques like focus stacking a breeze.
For
- Gorgeous design
- Speedy stacked sensor
- Handy computational photography modes
- A joy to shoot with
- Incredible image stabilization
Against
- 20MP sensor only
- Pricey compared to rivals
- No grip, so not great with large lenses
- Modest EVF
- Single SD card slot only
Timothy Coleman
“OM System has unveiled the prettiest and outright funnest camera for 2025 so far, the OM-3. Under the hood there are plenty of modern smarts. If you can live with the Micro Four Thirds sensor that enables a truly compact and lightweight camera / lens system, then the OM-3 should be right at the top of your shopping list.”
Read Timothy’s full OM System OM-3 review.
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josh.russell@futurenet.com (Josh Russell)
