The HP OmniBook X Flip 16 gives you considerably more flexibility than a conventional laptop. Its 16-inch touchscreen can be folded all the way back for tablet use or positioned at different angles for presentations, streaming and creative work. In its 60th Anniversary Sale, the HP OmniBook X Flip 16 is now $750 (was $1200) at Best Buy.
That's a massive $450 saving, equivalent to 37.5% off the regular price. You get plenty of performance for the money too. The Core Ultra 7 256V is paired with 16GB of fast LPDDR5X memory, a spacious 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD and Intel Arc 140V graphics.
The Core Ultra 7 256V is a modern Series 2 processor with a 47 TOPS NPU. Intel's Arc 140V integrated graphics add considerably more graphical capability than you'd get from a basic productivity laptop.
It also features a large 2K touchscreen that makes the OmniBook useful for everything from everyday office work and streaming to photo editing and lighter creative workloads.
Thunderbolt 4 provides a 40Gbps connection for high-speed storage, docks and external displays, and HDMI 2.1 and the additional USB-C port make it easier to build a desktop setup around the laptop.
At $749.99, you're saving exactly $450 against Best Buy's regular $1,199.99 price. That's a hefty 37.5% reduction as part of the retailer's 60th Anniversary sale. This is the cheapest price we've found for a new HP OmniBook X Flip 16 with this specification, so definitely recommended if you've had your eye on it for a while.
The specification is particularly attractive as you're getting a recent Core Ultra 7 processor, 16GB of memory, 1TB of storage, Arc graphics and a large convertible touchscreen for below $750.
Should you buy it?
✅ Buy the HP OmniBook X Flip 16 if...
You want a big-screen laptop that can handle work during the day and transform into a more convenient machine for entertainment afterwards. The combination of a 16-inch touchscreen and 360-degree hinge gives you considerably more flexibility than a standard clamshell laptop.
The Core Ultra 7 256V and Arc 140V graphics provide plenty of everyday performance, and the 1TB SSD will be enough storage for most people's key needs.
❌ Skip the HP OmniBook X Flip 16 if...
Portability is your priority. At more than four pounds, this isn't the 2-in-1 I'd choose if I wanted something to carry around all day or regularly use as a handheld tablet.
The 16GB of LPDDR5X memory is another consideration for particularly demanding workloads. It's sufficient for most tasks, but buyers tackling heavy video editing or other memory-intensive work may prefer 32GB.
The Catch: What to know before you buy
The OmniBook X Flip 16 is a large convertible, and at 4.15 pounds, it's considerably less convenient to hold in tablet mode than a smaller 13- or 14-inch 2-in-1. The flip design is better suited to occasional tablet use, presentations and watching video than carrying around for extended periods.
As mentioned before, the other limitation is the 16GB of LPDDR5X memory. That's plenty for everyday productivity, multitasking and many creative jobs, but it isn't upgradable, which is worth bearing in mind.
UKSOL says it's the first in the UK to achieve regulatory compliance for plug-in solar products
It's ground mount kits with one or two solar panels go on sale on August 27
That's when solar is legal in the UK, and we can expect more of these kits to be available
UKSOL has announced that it's the first solar company in the UK to achieve regulatory compliance for plug-in solar kits, the first of which will be on sale in just a week.
Those products are the UKSOL Plug-In Solar Pro Compact 460W Ground Mount Kit (consisting of a single solar panel), and the Plug-In Solar Pro Duo 890W Ground Mount Kit (two panels). Both of these go on sale from August 27 in the UK — when plug-in kits become legal in this country — albeit in "limited stocks" to begin with.
A pair of hybrid mount kits — a single panel 515W offering, and a 920W two-panel product — have also been approved, and these should be available in October 2026 (or that's the current plan).
All of these have met the relevant regulatory standards, and are listed as 'compliant' in the ENA (Energy Network Association) Connect Direct plug-in solar device database.
The Plug-In Solar Pro products have been developed specifically for the British market, UKSOL informs us in a press release, and these are all-in-one kits that come with everything you need to be up and running.
With the kits out next week, alongside the UKSOL panel(s) you get an integrated (foldable) ground-mounting frame with a ballast tray, as well as the necessary 800W microinverter plus DC and AC cables. There's a smartphone app for monitoring the system, too.
Pricing for the Pro Compact (single panel) 460W Ground Mount Kit is £849 with VAT and two-man delivery included, with the Pro Duo 890W Ground Mount Kit running to £1,199 (also with VAT and delivery). The RRP at retailers is £699 and £1,089 respectively.
Andrew Moore, the CEO of UKSOL, commented: "We expect plug in solar to become an exciting new consumer category, but there is a real responsibility on manufacturers and retailers to get the introduction right. Consumers should be able to understand who manufactured or supplied their system, what testing has been undertaken, what warranty and technical support sits behind it and whether it meets the requirements for the UK market."
He added: "Price will obviously matter, but solar equipment is a long-term electrical product. Safety, provenance, quality and after-sales support need to matter too."
Analysis: An alternative to full solar is (almost) here
(Image credit: UKSOL)
The ground mount kits are, of course, placed on the ground in your garden or other outside area (and weighed down using the ballast tray, to ensure that if it gets windy, you aren't going to end up with overturned panels).
The other option from UKSOL is to buy a hybrid mount kit in October, and these can be situated on the ground, or on a wall (or balcony). They'll arrive in a 515W compact (one panel) variant and an 890W dual panel setup, with other offerings too (up to a 1260W hybrid kit). No pricing is available for those yet.
Kits from other manufacturers should be going on sale soon enough as plug-in solar becomes legal on August 27, when UKSOL's first ground mount offerings become available. Manufacturers must ensure compliance with UK regulations, of course, as UKSOL has done, with the likes of Asda, Currys, B&Q, Wickes, and Screwfix potentially stocking these solutions.
Plug-in panels offer a good alternative as a scaled-down version of a full roof-mounted solar setup, as not every house can have the latter — flats certainly can't, and some roofs just aren't suitable. Plug-in solar is the obvious choice if you're renting, and don't own the property, too — and they're a lot less of a financial commitment than a full roof installation.
A typical payback period for plug-in (when the electricity saved roughly equals the cost of the panels) is three to five years, according to the experts, which is way quicker than a typical full solar install.
The reMarkable Paper Pro doesn't come with Android installed, but a YouTuber fixed that
The port isn't perfect, but solves several flaws with the ereader
The YouTuber wants to release a more accessible Android 13 port
We adored the reMarkable Paper Pro when we first reviewed it back in 2024. The “elegant writing tablet” combines a large color e-ink display with speedy writing response, and a distraction-free operating system to create a package that seriously delivers. Though we found it often lacks more features than it boasts.
This is a downside of its proprietary Linux-based OS. It keeps distractions low so you can focus on writing, but means there’s a lot of essential apps without ports for this tablet. The solution, as YouTuber Chalid Raqami found, is to simply install Android yourself.
Running Android 13 on the reMarkable Paper Pro comes with a slew of major benefits. It can support third-party Bluetooth keyboards instead of the pricey official keyboard folio, run apps like Kindle and Microsoft OneNote (with support for the stylus) and, perhaps best of all, the ability to swap between Android 13 and the original OS at the press of a button.
Though getting Android to work on the tablet wasn’t quite as simple at first.
The biggest trouble is the tablet’s measly 2GB of RAM and meager four-core processor. Raqami says he spent a lot of time optimizing his build to make it less frustratingly slow, getting it to a point where the tablet could comfortably run one Android app at a time.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Imperfect, but beautiful
Though as you can see from the video and Raqami himself admits, the user experience is far from optimized. Things are still somewhat laggy and a little glitchy at points (color popping in and out as you scroll through the Kindle library) — certainly not as stable as you’d expect from an official Android release — but that’s the cost of trying to retrofit a system that was never meant to run this OS.
The flipside is you get a much more capable tablet in terms of the apps it can attempt to run, and that might make you wish you could install Android 13 on the Paper Pro yourself.
Well, if you’re willing to recreate Raqami’s work, you can get started right away. For everyone else, he says he’s trying to release a version of the port himself as a simpler install package, though for various reasons he says it’ll be a little while until the package is polished enough for general release.
In the meantime, he says some early testers may be able to help him fine-tune the Android port by trying it before launch, though again you’ll need to stay tuned for if/when that becomes a possibility.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / Future)
Alternatively, you could pick up the Onyx Boox Go 7. It isn’t full-color, but it is an impressive Android ebook reader that we really loved when we reviewed it earlier this year.
Best of all, it comes with full Android support already installed. No jerry-rigging required.
Here's something I never thought: What if my ears could see? The very idea of it conjures visions of earlobes with clusters of tiny, spider-like eyes.
Of course, now we're all considering this possibility thanks to what appears to be a stunning crack in Apple's typically rock-solid dome of product secrecy.
As we reported earlier this week, MacRumors dug into one of the macOS 27 release candidates and unearthed a short bit of video featuring a man wearing AirPods Pro earbuds but somehow using them with Apple Intelligence to save an image of a book for later.
The guy isn't wearing glasses, so it's not the rumored Apple iGlass or Apple Vision Wear at work here. Instead, everyone believes this is the first confirmation that Apple is working on AirPods with cameras or "AirPods Vision," a pair of Bluetooth earbuds also equipped with vision sensors that, in concert with your connected iPhone, can use Apple Intelligence to recognize objects and then store information about them for retrieval later.
Here is your first look at AirPods with Cameras in action using Visual Intelligence.This video file came from macOS 26.7 RC pic.twitter.com/yo7RI4MCeuAugust 18, 2026
I spent some time staring at the bud in the guy's ear, and it looks, from this angle, exactly like the current AirPods Pro 3 I currently wear. I assume that whatever sensors the buds are using live on the opposite side, facing out so they can "see" what you see.
I also got caught up in the book the guy is memorizing. Could, Should, Might, Don't, is a real book by former design head for Google X, Nick Foster. In it, he dives into four mindsets of, I guess, future ideation and innovation:
"Could" revolves around the wild possibilities (probably why we watch and love Star Trek).
"Should" is sort of the realist's approach to what we should do based on on-the-ground facts and data.
"Might" appears to combine elements of the first two.
"Don't" is the risk-averse part. It's all the reasons people don't want Artificial General Intelligence or robots running AGI living with, working with, and maybe ultimately controlling us.
While not anti-tech or anti-innovation, the book has a point of view and seems an odd choice to include in what might be an iPhone and AirPods tip video.
I look at the overall image and that book and think:
"Yeah, we Could do this, have AirPods that cansee, but we Should think about the consequences of another sensor on our body, and while it Might be cool to have an always-aware system memorizing things for you, we Don't want other people to freak out when they see cameras in our ears."
Smart Glasses is a lesson
Usually, I would remind people that these are all rumors and Apple is always working on oddball stuff that will never see the light of day, but we have a tip video. Apple doesn't create tips for products it's never bringing to market.
I think there's a good chance we will get these "seeing" AirPods Pro this year. I understand the system probably isn't collecting and storing images of everything you see forever. It appears to be on demand, and the use of Apple Vision should mean that it takes the image, sends it to Apple's Private Cloud Compute, matches it with available data on the internet — "What is this book?" — and stores that data without the need for the actual photo or anything else the AirPods Pro's sensors detected.
Even with those assurances, consumers are in no mood for more wearable sensors. Just look at the growing negative sentiment around smart glasses, which some are now calling "creep glasses."
The difference, of course, is that such smart wearable cameras are meant to both analyze the world you see and to capture and store photos and videos. The "creep" factor comes in from people circumventing the onboard privacy controls (trying to hide the LED lights) so they can surreptitiously capture photos and videos.
If they see cameras on your AirPods, they will surely recoil and demand to know what they're for and if you are capturing images and video of them.
The problem with camera- or vision-equipped AirPods, though, is that people will have similar concerns. If they see cameras on your AirPods, they will surely recoil and demand to know what they're for and if you are capturing images and video of them. You might say no, but also secretly wish you had. The chance to document at least their face and name so you don't forget it the next time you see them would be too hard to pass up.
AirPods Vision, if that's what they're called, might not allow you to capture images of living things, something that could seriously limit their utility except for use in quiet, windowsless, and people-free rooms like the one that guy is standing in. Oh, wait, that has a window. What if someone walks by? Does the AirPods' vision system stop working?
Ternus could recalibrate, though. I'm sure he'll continue to support the health and safety aspect, but maybe he pumps the brakes on glasses and these AirPods with cameras until he has a better understanding of public sentiment and the privacy implications. There's a lot to discover, and given the challenges in these markets, there's no need to rush into anything.
Implementing AI systems will become more expensive as models become cheaper, experts warn
Cost-efficient tokens are resulting in more complex AI agents
Soaring costs could result in changes to how businesses rely on AI, as the inference paradox becomes more apparent
The drive towards agentic AI workflows could be about to hit its first real challenge: cost. With more companies using agentic AI over chatbots, the costs are set to mount up.
Analysts have raised the alarm on token economics, citing evidence that as the price of a token decreases, the resulting workflows are becoming increasingly complicated. Consequently, rather than driving agentic AI workflow costs down, increased token use is pushing costs up.
The research by Gartner warns of the realities of the "inference paradox," which may lead to businesses reappraising their approach to AI development and use.
What is the inference paradox?
Gartner’s report, which has identified trends driving token economics, indicates that efficiencies in token price are being canceled out by the costs linked to increased AI capabilities.
They list a trio of trends: improving foundational model cost economics, improved AI efficiency enabling “more sophisticated AI applications,” and the higher use of AI tokens by “sophisticated workflows” compared with standard chatbots.
Gartner describes this as the “inference paradox,” the situation in which “better unit economics escalat[e] the overall cost of AI without providing a clear pathway to commensurate and predictable value.”
Agentic AI costs are outpacing results (Image credit: Gartner)
“The harsh economics of the Inference Paradox are exemplified by the differences between a simple chatbot and an AI agent," notes Will Sommer, a Sr. Director Analyst at Gartner.
"Where a simple chatbot must read and interpret a query and quickly respond with a probabilistically reasonable answer, an AI agent must constantly reason, negotiate, and question itself.”
The study suggests that using an agentic reasoning model rather than a basic chatbot increases inference costs fivefold, a multiplier that can increase with complexity.
Cost management priorities
The implications of the inference paradox are not yet fully understood or realized by the companies driving forward with agentic solutions. As Sommer notes, “Product leaders cannot rely on more efficient token economics to rationalize AI costs.”
Various solutions may become apparent – such as corporations partnering over AI agent development to manage costs – but as the drive toward more complex models and agents continues, so the cost and volume of tokens will increase.
“Each successive generation of AI capability will necessitate more, and often more expensive, tokens," added Sommer. "There is no reliable, economical one-size-fits-all model on the horizon. Producing competitive AI products will require developing and maintaining complex multimodel ecosystems.”
Given the potential destruction that going all-in on AI could wreak for some companies, it could be time reappraise that “cost cutting” agentic AI strategy.
Wi-Fi signals can reportedly reveal people from different viewing angles
A new study suggests that ordinary Wi-Fi networks could be repurposed to identify individuals without cameras, sensors, or their knowledge or consent.
Researchers from KASTEL, the Institute of Information Security and Dependability at KIT, tested the approach on 197 volunteers in controlled conditions.
Their system reportedly achieved nearly 100% identification accuracy regardless of a person's viewing angle or the way that person walked.
A method that needs no extra hardware
The technique relies on beamforming feedback information, a type of signal that connected devices routinely send back to a router.
This information is transmitted without any encryption, meaning anyone within range of the network could potentially intercept and read it.
By analyzing these radio signals over time, the system reportedly builds images of people from multiple viewpoints inside a space.
Earlier wireless sensing methods often required specialized equipment, such as LIDAR sensors or detailed measurements of channel state information from a network.
By contrast, the researchers say a standard, unmodified Wi-Fi device is entirely sufficient to carry out this new identification process.
"By observing the propagation of radio waves, we can create an image of the surroundings and of persons who are present," said Thorsten Strufe, a professor at KASTEL, KIT's Institute of Information Security and Dependability.
"This works similar to a normal camera, the difference being that in our case, radio waves instead of light waves are used for the recognition.
A user does not need to carry a phone, smartwatch, or other Wi-Fi-enabled device for the system to work.
Turning off one's own device would reportedly not prevent identification, since other active Wi-Fi devices nearby could still be used.
Felix Morsbach noted that intelligence agencies and cybercriminals already have simpler methods, including compromising CCTV systems and connected video doorbells.
“The omnipresent wireless networks might become a nearly comprehensive surveillance infrastructure with one concerning property: they are invisible and raise no suspicion,” Morsbach added.
Compared with existing surveillance options, such as CCTV footage or connected video doorbells, wireless signals leave no visible trace behind.
Professor Strufe cautioned that this same invisibility could make the technology particularly attractive within certain authoritarian political systems around the world.
"The technology is powerful, but at the same time entails risks to our fundamental rights, especially to privacy," said Strufe.
Ordinary routers could potentially enable people to be recognized without their knowledge during routine movements, and this could be dangerous in the wrong hands.
Therefore, widespread deployment could make individual encounters difficult to distinguish from ordinary wireless activity.
The researchers argue that privacy safeguards should be incorporated into Wi-Fi technology before such capabilities become widely and easily exploited.
Specifically, they are calling for protections to be written into the forthcoming IEEE 802.11bf wireless standard currently under active development.
The Cherokee Nation has placed a moratorium on new data centers on tribal lands
Citizens say they are concerned about the impact of new projects on the local areas
Data centers projects on non-tribal land will not be granted support by the Cherokee Nation unless they are given early consultation
Hyperscale data center development has been banned on tribal lands owned by the Cherokee Nation following a poll of its citizens.
The poll was run by a task force headed by Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., and found that 64% of the 1,593 respondents were opposed to the construction of data center campuses within Cherokee Nations lands, which cover about 6,963 square miles across 14 counties in Oklahoma.
Citizens' concerns returned in a 37-page report focused heavily on water consumption, air quality, noise, and cultural resource protection.
Cherokee Nation data centers require early consultation
The report also stated that data centers seeking approval to be built on non-tribal land within the reservation will require an early consultation with the Cherokee Nation, and will not be supported unless this early consultation takes place.
"Our primary responsibility is to protect our citizens and tribal communities from these threats, so we will not support any hyperscale data centers on our reservation without proper consultation," Hoskin said.
As there are no Oklahoma state rules requiring data centers to register, the number of planned and operational data centers is unknown. But estimates vary. CleanView places the number of planned and operational sites at 41, while the US Data Center Map says there could be as many as 51.
What we do know is that every hyperscale project within the state is on non-tribal land. Google’s Pryor campus has operated since 2011, but is undergoing expansion as part of a $2 billion investment in the Stillwater and Pryor campuses.
I'll go ahead and say it: anime is hugely addictive. I don't mean that in a bad way, either — from the moment the first episode of a new series completely grips me, I want to consume as much of it as possible.
In general, anime have figured out a winning formula that blends archetypal, classic storytelling with cutting-edge action and visual craft, and it's why IPs such as One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Solo Leveling and Demon Slayer have continued to do well.
Thanks to Crunchyroll, we get to enjoy a bombastic range of smaller titles, too. Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon, That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime and, most recently, BLACK TORCH are just some of the unmissable titles (and with those names, how could you overlook them?).
However, the missing detail that I've been intrigued about the most is how a typical day-in-the-life of recording works as one of the industry's many voice artists. Even more so because each series will have two separate casts: the original Japanese cast, and an English dub cast.
Luckily, I asked BLACK TORCH's AJ Beckles (Jiro) and Ryan Colt Levy (Ryosuke Shiba) to help fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle. As part of the English dub cast, they're already arguably behind the curve of the show's creation, but one detail of their day-to-day lives still really surprised me.
'You're learning as it is happening'
"It depends episode to episode," Levy begins. "How many scenes or moments your character may have can be different, day to day. I usually will make sure I am caffeinated and hydrated, and that I'm super scratchy. Sometimes these sessions will be early in the morning, so I'll wake up a few hours before so that my voice is primed.
"There's, there's such a cool factor to Shiba's presence that I never wanted to sound tired. I want him to sound like he's in a calm space... so there's there's a fine line there."
All incredibly logical and sound advice — but it's Brackles' admission that scripts aren't received until the second that they enter the recording booth that surprises me the most.
"You go into the studio, say hi to everybody, get in the booth, and be ready to work," he adds. "We get the scripts on the day, and you're learning about what's happening in the episode as you go. There's back and forth between yourself and the director. Like Ryan said, making sure you're hydrated, that you can show your mouth doesn't make too many slappy, clicky noises. Don't wear a leather jacket, because it's too squeaky.
"Being professional in that way, but a lot of it just comes down to really doing the work in the booth."
If we think about Disney and Pixar projects as a comparison, normally some semblance of a script will be needed to either get the project itself greenlit, or to get talent (especially the high-profile kind) to sign on.
Anime shows tend to have the safety net of the original manga to achieve both of these, but not only do voice actors tend to operate differently (as Brackles has confirmed), the manga itself can't necessarily be relied on.
With scripts being received so late on in the process, I'd like to think that animators and producers are being given more creative scope to play around with the original material. Sure, we want to see the anime hit the same big beats that we see in the manga, but the interim is surely up for grabs.
Perhaps I'm naive in thinking this might be how things work, but I still can't hide my surprise that the voice cast are having to achieve so much with so little notice. If anything, it's a testament to just how good they actually are.
BLACK TORCH is available to stream now on Crunchyroll every Saturday at 6AM PT / 9AM ET in the US.
Have you ever had four religious experiences in a weekend? OK, that might be hyperbole, but if you had the weekend I just had at Audio Advice Live in Raleigh, then you can relate. Disregarding audiophiles’ apparent love of Steely Dan, I was enthralled and impressed time after time at what I was hearing.
Just about every audiophile adjacent brand (and some more budget friendly enthusiast ones) was there showing off its best stereo speakers. Bowers & Wilkins showcased its flagship 801 D5 , Focal had its all-in-one active Diva Alta Utopia, Klipsch went back to one of its original speaker designs with the Klipschorn, and JBL had its new Summit Series on display including the almost flagship K-2 (the flagship Everest model didn’t make it to the show).
All in all, it was an exciting time to get acquainted with these speakers. Of course, some of them cost the equivalent of a small house in the Midwest, but that’s the deal when a team of audio engineers put their best ear forward.
The Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5 was demoed using a Marantz streamer and amps. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)
1. Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5
Though the company’s original version of the Diamond Series (what the D stands for) came out in 1979, a lot has changed since then. Specifically, 2026 brings with it the Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5, an update that doesn’t look much different to the D4 but sure sounds it.
The model keeps the same design principles in that every driver has its own casing, but comes with a number of improvements. Externally, there are three noticeable changes from the 801 D4: the more open tweeter grille design introduced on the 801 D4 Signature, the stronger and stiffer aluminum spine that’s fully incorporated into the cabinet, and an upgraded plinth that reduces vibrations via tuned mass and constrained layer damping.
More importantly, the internal matrix bracing has been completely redesigned so that the 801 D5’s cabinet is as stiff as can be. This means that the signal is less affected by internal vibrations and reflections.
All of these changes result in a speaker that sounds incredibly detailed yet warm, with a resolution worthy of a studio. They basically disappear so that you’re just focused on the music and reveal things you’ve never heard in your favorite tracks. The Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5 might possibly be the best pair of speakers I’ve heard. Just be ready to drop $65,000 (£43,000, oraround AU$81,900) on a pair…
The Focal Alta Diva Utopia, being active speakers, only need an outlet to use. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)
2. Focal Diva Alta Utopia
Going into this event, I was excited to hear the Focal Diva Alta Utopia, the newest iteration in Focal’s first active speaker series. I almost didn’t get to hear them. Held hostage in customs during the first half of Audio Advice Live, their fashionably late entrance only made me want to hear them more. And oh, were they worth the wait.
There’s a lot going on here. The Focal Diva Alta Utopia speakers use Adapt, a DSP technology that can adjust listening position for imperfect rooms or placement. It also adds an additional driver per cabinet over the Focal Diva Mezza Utopia (the previous generation of this speaker line), making it a four-way speaker. And Focal added an additional Class A/B amp per cabinet for a total five per 600 watts per cabinet or 1200 watts total.
The Focal Diva Alta Utopia also features the company's new PRISM tweeter that’s only available on this model and the company’s Scala Utopia Evo M. This tweeter is essentially a carbon-coated composite material that offers more detail and more aural flexibility over the beryllium drivers that the company has leaned on previously.
Looks are important too, so Focal has made the accessory panels removable, so you can change out the color of the speakers if you get tired of a colorway by ordering additional ones in a different finish.
When I got to listen to these, the first thing I wrote down was “energetic.” These speakers, which retail for a cool $210,000 (£165,000, or around AU$296,800 and FYI, I don’t think you can take a mortgage out to finance these) are in your face in the best way. Room-filling with plenty of mid-bass, they offer that flagship audiophile experience without needing any additional amps or streamers. This is as good as it gets when it comes to active speakers.
The Klipsch Klipschorn looks as good as it sounds. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)
People love vinyl for that analog sound. And if there’s anything that most resembles the feel of vinyl in speaker form, it’s the Klipsch Klipschorn, specifically the 80th Anniversary Limited Edition. Based on Paul Wilbur Klipsch’s original design from 1946, it comes with a few updates to bring it into the modern era.
Since only 280 of the 80th Anniversary Limited Editions will be built, Klipsch has pulled out all the stops visually. From its tigerwood veneer to the brass inlay adorning the front of the cabinet meant to emulate the folding that’s happening inside the cabinet, it’s stunning in a very mid-century modern kind-of way.
As far as its actual design, it has an active crossover and a two-way speaker design, composed of the K-5-K high-frequency horn with a 2-inch throat and four-way compression driver that takes care of everything above 350Hz and a 15-inch woofer hidden behind those brass inlays responsible everything under.
The resulting sound is one that’s a little softer around the edges than the other speakers I’ve mentioned here (hence the vinyl comparison). This makes them less ideal for reference-level use, yet they still work wonderfully with all sorts of music.
In terms of flagship speakers, the Klipsch Klipschorn 80th Anniversary Limited Edition are downright reasonable, a word I never would have expected to use for a pair of speakers costing $24,998 (so around £18,485 or AU$35,329).
The JBL Summit Series K-2 stands beside the other speakers in the Summit Series (excluding the Everest). (Image credit: Future / James Holland)
4. JBL Summit Series K-2
If you’re not familiar with JBL’s project series, let me give you a brief definition. A project series for JBL is one in which the lead engineers have been given a no-expense-spared, carte-blanche approach to making the best speaker they possibly can.
There have been five of these series since the company’s inception, and the Summit Series is the newest. Not only are they named after a series of mountains that have struck fear in many an expeditioner’s heart, but they have 12 US patents that have come about just from the creation of this series.
The penultimate of this series is the JBL Summit Series K-2 ($99,990 per pair, or £71,998, which is roughly AU$141,300), featuring a single 15-inch woofer, a 10-inch woofer, and three 1-½-inch dual-diaphragm, dual-motor compression drivers going into a 3-into-1 expansion manifold. That manifold has been designed in a way that requires it to be 3D printed instead of a more traditional construction method. The woofers themselves also use a rigid carbon fiber (HC4) material.
Also worthy of mention is the fact that they have decoupled isoacoustic isolation feet and come with the ability to tri-wire /tri-amp – a feature that only the more expensive Everest can do. The rest of the line can bi-amp.
When I had the opportunity to listen to the K-2s, it was in a large hall, bigger than any of the other spaces, yet these speakers filled out the space with seemingly plenty of headroom to spare. Despite the large room, these speakers had one of the cleanest sounds I heard over the weekend. And that 15-inch woofer kicked like a mule.
The Sonus Faber Olympica V were demoed using an all McIntosh signal chain. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)
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Honorable Mentions
While I was most impressed with this set of speakers, there were quite a few other towers of power that impressed me more than enough to be worth a quick mention. The three-way ported Sonus Faber Olympica V, powered by McIntosh amps, sounded almost as good as the speakers listed above, as they should since they’re about $30k a pair.
Wharfedale impressed with its Elysian R and is probably one of the best representations of a speaker using an AMT speaker. And the new old kid on the block, French brand Cabasse (the company is actually 77 years old), just starting to make inroads into the US is one to watch out for. Cabasse makes some really unique looking and functioning active speakers, but also some great-sounding floorstanders. This time next year, you might be looking at a set of Cabasse speakers with the same amount of interest and deliberation as any of the other brands mentioned here.
RGB TVs have become the talk of the TV world this year, with just about every brand releasing their own RGB model. While the tech is still in its infancy, having been introduced by Hisense in 2025, the tech is being touted as an OLED-killer, delivering much higher brightness and bolder colors akin to a mini-LED, while also delivering the contrast and black tones of an OLED.
So far, I’ve tested the Hisense UR8 RGB mini-LED side-by-side with the Samsung QN80H (a traditional mini-LED), where the UR8’s color didn’t wow me, but its contrast and backlight control did. I’ve also tested the Sony Bravia 7 II RGB mini-LED side-by-side with one of 2026’s best TVs, the LG C6 OLED, and while the C6 came out on top, the Bravia 7 II showed real potential for RGB tech.
But, how do two RGB TVs compare? I’ve swapped out the 55-inch Bravia 7 II for a 65-inch Bravia 7 II and, thanks to some fortunate timing, the flagship Samsung R95H Micro RGB TV has landed in our testing lab at the same time. For context, a 65-inch Bravia 7 II costs roughly $2,599 / £1,999 / AU$3,995, while a 65-inch R95H costs $2,999 / £3,099 / AU$5,295. So, while prices are relatively close in the US (when you’re spending this much money), they are in different price brackets in the UK and Australia.
One note here: as the Samsung R95H has a matte screen, this can cause a red tint in photos that's not visible in-person.
Colors
While the R95H's (right) colors are brighter, the Bravia 7 II's (left) are much bolder and punchier, shown with the Lumas from The Super Mario Galaxy Movie(Image credit: Nintendo / Universal Pictures / Future)
Watching The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, with both TVs in their Movie modes (Movie for the R95H, Cinema for the Bravia 7 II), I noticed that in their default settings, the R95H appeared to be overblowing its brightness, resulting in some clipping of bright objects. I found that dropping the R95H’s brightness from its default 50 (max) down to 45 or 40 was better for the picture. The color luminance was certainly impressive on the R95H though, with the Lumas’ colors looking extremely bright and vibrant on screen. The Bravia 7 II’s colors had more depth and richness to them, having a lot more boldness that reminded me of an OLED.
Both TVs' color accuracy for the red and green of Mario and Luigi’s overalls respectively, and the vivid pink of Peach’s dress, were very good, but there’s no denying the R95H has much more pop on screen. The R95H’s colors can look a little washed out next to the Bravia 7 II at times, as the latter has such richness in its color profile. While the R95H delivered the brightness of the animation, it was hard to ignore how rich and deep the Bravia 7 II’s colors were.
It's a similar story with real-world content, as Speed Racer's vivid colors have more depth on the Bravia 7 II (left) (A quick note that the R95H did not look this washed out in person) (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future)
Moving to Speed Racer, a real-world movie with equally cartoon-ish vibrant colors, the Bravia 7 II once again showcased richer, deeper colors, giving more detail to the gaudy outfits and decor of the 1960s-inspired aesthetic. The R95H once again delivered on the brightness, which really did make colors explode on screen.
On the surface, the R95H seemed to sacrifice some color accuracy in favor of the pop on screen and in some cases this worked. The orange walls and floors of the Racer home and Pops Racer’s shirt were much more vivid on the R95H, but had that nice clarity on the Bravia 7 II. Yellow however, such as Mom Racer’s apron, was much bolder on the Bravia 7 II.
Switching between picture modes, the Bravia 7 II’s Cinema and Professional (its equivalent Filmmaker Mode) were consistent in their color depth and volume, but Cinema mode suited the more colorful movies. On the R95H, while Filmmaker Mode had a nice accuracy to it, the colors were a bit lifeless in comparison to Movie mode. While the R95H’s Movie mode did sometimes sacrifice accuracy, its sheer brightness was better for Speed Racer.
Contrast and backlight
Both TVs show great contrast with The Batman, but the R95H (right) has a more dynamic look thanks to its higher brightness (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future)
Firing up the opening scenes of The Batman, an often challenging disc for backlit TVs, with both models set to their more accurate Filmmaker modes (Professional for the Bravia 7 II), they do an excellent job. Contrast was strong on both TVs, with a great balance between light and dark tones, such as wall lamps and dark wood walls in Mayor Mitchell’s house, or the overhead lights with the black walls of the Batcave. In the default settings, the R95H again demonstrates its higher brightness, which results in stronger perceived contrast compared to the Bravia 7 II.
Dark tones were pleasingly rich on both TVs as well, and there was very little sign of blooming when viewed head-on. From an angle however, both TVs did show some signs of blooming during dark scenes, with the R95H’s more obvious than the Bravia 7 II’s. The Bravia 7 II did sometimes show some black crush, resulting in detail loss in objects, while the R95H did a better job maintaining these details, such as the texture in Batman’s armor and the lapel of Gordon’s coat.
Both TVs do a great job with high contrast shots and shadows, seen here in Dark City, but the R95H (right) can show some more blooming at times (Image credit: Arrow Video / Future)
Both TVs did a great job with shadows, but during The Batman, the Bravia 7 II cast deeper, inkier shadows across people’s faces. Switching to Dark City, which features plenty of these high contrast shadow shots, this was actually reversed. The R95H cast darker shadows that delivered a higher perceived contrast compared to the Bravia 7 II.
Black levels looked great in Dark City on both sets, although interestingly, in a shot where Murdoch talks to the hotel clerk, I noticed the R95H was subject to black crush this time and the Bravia 7 II actually had better shadow detail. Some dark scenes in the movie did reveal some more blooming, moreso on the R95H when viewed from an angle.
Trying out some black and white content, the R95H’s higher brightness creates a greater dynamic range and higher contrast in black and white movies. Watching Dead Man, any scene during the day has much more punch on the R95H, thanks to the aforementioned brighter whites. Both TVs do demonstrate deep dark tones though, with a good range of grays in between. The 4K disc is in SDR and when switching from Filmmaker to Movie, the Bravia 7 II has a significant brightness upgrade over the R95H, though the R95H’s brightness is much lower by default in this mode.
Brightness
The R95H's (right) higher peak brightness gives bright scenes, like this one from Lawrence of Arabia, much more impact. (Image credit: Sony Pictures / Future)
Starting off with measurements, the R95H is significantly brighter with both TVs set to HDR Movie mode. The R95H clocked in at 1,960 nits HDR peak brightness, while the Bravia 7 II hit 1,163 nits. It’s a similar story in Filmmaker/Professional mode, as the R95H hits 1,977 peak HDR brightness and the Bravia 7 II hits 1,114 nits.
Fullscreen HDR brightness, however, is where things get interesting. In Movie/Cinema mode, the R95H clocks in at 607 nits, while the Bravia 7 II measures 830 nits. This means the Sony should display larger bright areas on screen with more punch and vibrancy.
Watching real-world content, the R95H demonstrates much higher brightness than the Bravia 7 II, especially in Movie mode and with HDR content on screen. Watching Lawrence of Arabia, specifically the desert scene where Lawrence and his guide fetch water from a well, the R95H demonstrates significantly higher perceived brightness, with the white sands and blue sky looking much more vibrant on the R95H. While the Bravia 7 II shows more detail in brighter areas, such as the patterns in the ground, the R95H clearly wins in the brightness battle here. This is interesting given that the Bravia 7 II had the higher HDR fullscreen brightness.
For out-and-out reflection handling, Samsung's glare-free screen (right) is still one of the best. (Image credit: Future)
The same is true with more colorful movies. Going back to Speed Racer, the R95H shows much punchier highlights, such as the lights of the Mach 5, as well as glossier whites of the Mach 5 and Speed’s helmet. I did find that switching to each TV’s respective Filmmaker Mode resulted in much closer brightness, though the R95H’s peak areas were still a little brighter.
As for bright room viewing, the R95H shows how effective its anti-glare, matte screen is. Even with darker movies such as The Batman, there’s no sign of mirror-like reflections at any point. For the Bravia 7 II, bright room viewing is more of a challenge. With a brighter scene, such as the desert one from Lawrence of Arabia, the Bravia 7 II does a good job in a bright room. Any darker or high-contrast scenes, and mirror-like reflections are clearer.
The best buy
(Image credit: Future)
Which TV you should buy from these two really comes down to what region you’re in and your budget. In the US, it’s a close contest, whereas in the UK and Australia, the Bravia 7 II is much cheaper. In terms of actual performance, both TVs did well. Both TVs rendered challenging dark scenes accurately, with hints of blooming on both (though they were sometimes more obvious on the R95H). Both TVs showed excellent color reproduction, with the R95H showing higher color luminance, where the Bravia 7 II showed more color volume.
It’s difficult to choose between these two TVs, and while I preferred the Bravia 7 II in some reference scenes, especially with color, the R95H performed better in darker, more contrast-y scenes. While this is a battle of a mid-range RGB (Bravia 7 II) vs a flagship RGB (R95H), the Bravia 7 II puts up a heck of a fight and is the better value option for the budget conscious. If however money isn’t an issue, the R95H is the TV to pick.
Do either of these TVs topple OLED? For my money, not quite yet, but the Bravia 7 II delivers some seriously impressive colors and the R95H shows again what RGB tech can do for backlight control. OLED, it's definitely time for it to start taking note.
In today's social media age, celebrity brand ambassadors are a common sight, helping endorse or promote a brand's products or tools, giving that extra bit of sparkle or star power.
This is especially true in the consumer market, but we're now increasingly seeing it in the B2B tech world, where what 10 years ago would have been niche businesses now have the power to hire top talent to promote their brand - I'm talking Idris Elba promoting ServiceNow, Keanu Reeves bigging up Palo Alto Networks, and Matthew McConaghey being the voice of Salesforce.
But as a massive Formula 1 fan, I was intrigued to read a press release announcing reigning world champion Lando Norris as a "brand ambassador" for a data company I'd never heard of - so who (or what) exactly are Starburst?
All about Starburst
Founded in 2017, and boasting that organizations in more than 60 countries rely on it to unify their data, "from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises" - Starburst's initial pitch is strong.
In its press release, Starburst describes itself as, "the enterprise intelligence platform for governed data and AI" - a pretty big claim, and one that the likes of Salesforce and Oracle might raise eyebrows at.
Continuing, Starburst says its platform will allow customers to, "run AI directly on distributed data in place, without moving or replatforming it, across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments while providing consistent business context to queries, models, or agents regardless of where it is stored or processed."
Overall, this should help companies develop and run faster analytics, "trusted" AI, and "better decisions at enterprise scale."
(Image credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images)
So what does this have to do with Formula 1? Over to Lando to explain.
“People often see motor racing at the highest level as being about reactions, but most of the performance comes from preparation and understanding the details," he says (in the same press release).
"I’m constantly asking questions, looking for information, and trying to build the clearest possible picture before making decisions. Whether that’s racing, running a business, or working with a team, having access to the right information at the right time gives you confidence to act. That’s what stood out to me about Starburst and why I’m excited to partner with them."
Not much clearer then - but it seems the two-year partnership will launch Starburst’s “Ask. Know. Go.” campaign, which the company says will be "connecting the speed, precision, and data-driven decision-making of Formula 1 racing with the enterprise challenge of turning distributed data into trusted action."
The three parts of this, unsurprisingly, are around getting access to data via AI agents, making sure this data is accurate and trusted, and supporting it with fast and powerful systems.
“Lando represents what happens when preparation, data, and split-second decision-making come together,” said Justin Borgman, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Starburst.
“That's the challenge enterprises face with AI: ask the right questions, access the complete context behind the answer, and act before the opportunity passes. Starburst makes that possible by giving teams and AI agents governed access to data wherever it lives.”
So there you have it - another stitch in the fabric joining enterprises and Formula 1 - and one that will hopefully lead to a more successful second half of the 2026 season and beyond for Lando.
