Engineers at the German Aerospace Center are developing a morphing wing currently intended to reduce drag and replace functions of other parts of the plane’s design
A drone equipped with a morphing wing has been used in testing
The Morphing Technologies and Artificial Intelligence Research (morphAIR) project has a one million Euro budget
A wing that changes shape is in development at the German Aerospace Center, as part of a one million Euro project that could redefine the traditional view of an aircraft.
Rather than a tube with fixed wings and tailplane, future aircraft based on this technology could change shape to cope with changes in flight conditions, reduce drag, and even morph a portion of the wings to handle pitch control and other tailplane functions.
Engineers have tested the technology – part of the Morphing Technologies and Artificial Intelligence Research (morphAIR) project – with a 70 kilo drone, equipped with a 3-meter wide morphing wing.
How does the AI morphing wing work?
The morphing wing relies on a smooth surface with motorized components inside that can alter its shape. Success so far has led to the introduction of a follow-up program, UAdapt (Unmanned Aircraft Wing Adaption) to focus on reducing fuel consumption, by making the plane’s surface less prone to drag, and potentially removing the tail completely.
On the team is Martin Radestock, senior adaptive systems engineer, who told Aerospace America that current wings are essentially inefficient: “Aircraft are flying with turbulent flow over their wings, because they have steps and gaps [e.g. ailerons and flaps] between their control surfaces.”
Smooth wings have no gaps, no screws and rivets, and are assembled in a completely different way to standard aircraft. The wing is described as a “morphable trailing edge” and appears to be a series of motorized, actuator-controlled arms that move left, right, up, and down.
Morphing aircraft is nothing new
While morphAIR’s approach takes full advantage of modern technology, the concept of employing multiple profiles for aircraft to suit different flight conditions and deployment purposes is an old concept given a new life.
The most famous implementation of this is the “swing wing” technology, first tested in 1951 (the Bell X-5 experimental craft) and later a key element of 1967’s F-111 Aardvark. 13 production craft used the tech in total, although the most famous is probably the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, which co-starred with Tom Cruise in the movie Top Gun. These craft were able to sweep the wings backward, sharpening their angle (to 68 degrees from perpendicular to the fuselage) for stable high-speed flight, while the "straight" wings (22 degrees) generated lift for short takeoffs, such as on an aircraft carrier, where the runway is short.
Interestingly, a Grumman Gulfstream II was fitted with morphing flaps as part of testing by FlexSys in partnership with NASA and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, so morphAIR is not the only group researching the next stage of flight.
Developments in aerodynamic flight technology and flight control made the swing wing generation obsolete, but morphAIR’s intriguing re-visitation of the concept of a craft that changes shape in midair could take it in a whole new direction.
We absolutely loved the Anycubic Kobra S1 Combo when we tested out this 3D printer. It's fast, user-friendly, and suitable for beginners, hobbyists, and even micro-business users.
Built around a high-speed CoreXY motion system, the Kobra S1 Combo reaches print speeds of up to 600mm/s without loss of accuracy, which is important when producing prototypes, home projects, or detailed models. In the UK, the Kobra S1 is now £400 (was £599)
Today's top 3D printer deal
This fully enclosed 3D printer offers fast 600mm/s CoreXY printing, built-in four-color support, active filament drying, automatic bed leveling, smart app control, and reliable performance for detailed, multi-color creations.
In his rave review, our 3D printer expert Alastair said the Kobra S1 delivered "next-generation multi-filament printing at an outstanding price" and called it "a printer that you can't fail to be impressed with."
He added that the model "blends build quality, price, and absolute precision" and "when it comes to single-material printing, not only can you print with a wide variety of materials, but it's fast and the precision is hard to beat."
One of the features we liked most is the built-in active filament drying system. This helps prevent moisture-related problems such as bubbles and clogged nozzles. Keeping filament dry improves print quality and reliability, especially during long, multi-day jobs.
Beginners will appreciate one-click auto-leveling, vibration compensation, and flow rate calibration which work together to produce consistent results with minimal setup.
The fully enclosed design maintains stable temperatures for more demanding materials such as ABS.
The Kobra S1 Combo brings color printing within easy reach and supports four-color printing out of the box. Connecting two Ace Pro units expands that to eight colors while reducing filament waste via an optimized printing algorithm.
The Anycubic app and LAN connectivity allows you to monitor and control jobs remotely. Maintenance is simple thanks to a quick-swap nozzle system that lets you replace nozzles in seconds instead of dismantling the print head.
Having tested a wide range of machines, the Kobra S1 remains one of our favorite 3D printers thanks to its combination of speed, ease of use, and excellent print quality. As Alistair noted, "there's a lot to be impressed with here."
If you’ve been thinking about getting into 3D printing or upgrading your current setup, this is an excellent opportunity to pick up a highly capable multi-color 3D printer at a fraction of the usual price.
Anycubic's fast CoreXY 3D printer offers native four-color printing, expandable to 19 colors, 600mm/s print speeds, AI monitoring, automatic bed leveling, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a spacious 260 × 260 × 260mm build volume.
This high-speed 3D printer offers native seven-color printing, expandable to 19 colors, automatic bed leveling, AI monitoring, Wi-Fi connectivity, a spacious 260 × 260 × 260mm build volume, and print speeds up to 600mm/s.
Three mandatory standards now cover China's entire solar manufacturing chain
Rules take effect January 1, 2027, across polysilicon, wafers, and modules
Older polysilicon facilities face pressure to upgrade heat recovery systems
China is preparing a major reset of its solar industry by introducing mandatory energy rules that could remove inefficient production capacity.
The new standards cover the entire photovoltaic supply chain, including polysilicon, silicon wafers, modules, and inverters across domestic manufacturing.
Set to take effect on January 1, 2027, the measures aim to reduce excessive capacity and shift competition away from low prices.
New rules target energy-heavy solar production
The three standards, known as GB 29447-2026, GB 47835-2026, and GB 47834-2026, establish binding requirements for solar manufacturing efficiency.
Unlike previous voluntary guidelines, these rules create compulsory limits that can influence production, procurement, imports, and renewable energy project decisions.
GB 29447-2026 focuses on polysilicon and germanium production by tightening energy consumption limits for major manufacturing processes.
The requirements are expected to pressure older polysilicon facilities that consume more power while encouraging upgrades in efficiency systems.
Manufacturers may need to adopt improved heat recovery, hydrogen recycling, and process optimisation methods to meet the updated energy requirements.
The wafer sector will also face stricter rules through GB 47835-2026, which covers monocrystalline silicon production standards.
Older crystal-pulling equipment and inefficient wafer lines could face increasing pressure as the industry moves toward improved manufacturing methods.
Technologies such as continuous crystal pulling, better thermal management, and thinner wafers are expected to gain greater importance.
GB 47834-2026 introduces energy efficiency requirements for crystalline silicon modules and grid-connected inverters, affecting finished solar products.
The module standard reportedly introduces three efficiency grades, with Grade 1 representing the highest level under the classification system.
Minimum Grade 3 efficiency levels are reported at around 23.2% for TOPCon and HJT modules, alongside 23.5% for BC designs.
The standard also introduces environmental stress testing and bifacial performance requirements for different module technologies.
Solar price wars face pressure from stricter standards
China's solar industry has faced nearly two years of severe oversupply, forcing manufacturers into aggressive price competition, and the new rules are expected to accelerate retirement of older production lines and increase pressure on less efficient manufacturers.
Legacy PERC module facilities, early TOPCon production capacity, and high-energy polysilicon plants could experience the strongest impact.
Companies operating newer production systems with lower energy consumption may find it easier to meet future requirements, and the changes could also affect how solar projects select equipment as government-backed tenders adopt stricter compliance measures.
State-owned utilities and public renewable projects may increasingly favour products meeting higher efficiency and energy performance standards.
For solar manufacturers, the shift may increase short-term costs through equipment upgrades, factory changes, and capacity reductions, however, the new framework could push the industry away from endless price cuts toward efficiency-focused competition.
The rules mark a major change for a market that expanded rapidly through low-cost manufacturing and large production volumes.
By limiting inefficient capacity, China appears to be moving toward a solar sector built around energy savings and higher-quality output.
Pentagon receives 2,000 Ukrainian attack drones after landmark export approval
Ukraine completes first official export of fully assembled combat drones
F10 drone secures Pentagon contract after strong Gauntlet I performance
The United States has taken delivery of 2,000 Ukrainian F10 attack drones after manufacturer F-Drones secured a Pentagon contract during the opening phase of the Drone Dominance program.
The shipment follows Ukraine's first official export permit for completed combat drones, marking a notable change from earlier approvals covering mainly technologies, components, or accessories.
Ukraine grants its first export permit for finished combat drones
Ukraine's State Service for Export Control issued the permit on July 1 2026, clearing F-Drones to send a batch of F10 units across the border into American territory.
A company representative said the permit had already taken effect, with the drones crossing that border soon after approval was granted.
F-Drones noted this approval arrived before new government measures simplifying military exports under martial law had formally taken effect.
The company completed the full approval cycle under the export control mechanism that was already in place at the time.
That process required a positive decision from the interdepartmental commission overseeing military-technical cooperation and export policy matters.
State-owned company Spetstechnoexport accompanied the entire procedure, from initial review through to final sign-off.
Previous Ukrainian export decisions had typically involved individual components or subsystems rather than complete, combat-ready drone systems shipped in bulk.
This shift suggests Ukrainian officials now view finished drone exports as both commercially valuable and diplomatically useful for deepening ties with Washington.
UDD Tech Corp's path to winning the Pentagon contract
American firm UDD Tech Corp, which represents F-Drones products in the United States, entered the programme's first phase known as Gauntlet I.
Testing took place at Fort Benning in Georgia in February 2026, involving 25 competing drone systems from multiple manufacturers.
The F10 system finished sixth among those 25 competitors and secured a place among 11 total programme winners.
That result brought the contract to supply 2,000 drones to the U.S. Department of War directly.
UDD Tech Corp also earned selection to continue into the programme's next competitive phase going forward.
The Drone Dominance initiative itself is designed to accelerate American access to low-cost, combat-tested unmanned systems developed outside traditional domestic supply chains.
Established American defence contractors have reportedly watched the programme with some caution, given the scale of foreign competition it now permits.
This deal signals a shift toward foreign-made hardware entering a Pentagon pipeline long dominated by established American defence contractors nationwide.
Whether that shift continues at scale, or remains a single contract, is not yet clear from information currently available publicly.
Many PlayStation owners are vowing to boycott the PlayStation Store, cancel their PlayStation Plus membership and never buy PlayStation products again.
It's a PR nightmare for sure, with pretty much any online PlayStation content becoming a place for gamers to protest, derailing any attempt to talk about anything else.
I think the answer is: yes it could, but no it won't.
What Sonos got right and Sony probably won't
Speaking to TechRadar earlier this year, Sonos CEO Tom Conrad set out his views on how to try and make angry customers happy again. "You just have to show up in people's life with some humility and do the hard work of earning their trust back through great execution, great product, great software, great experiences, and never forget what you put people through."
Sonos CEO Tom Conrad admits Sonos got it wrong and has been working hard to regain customers' trust through direct communication and carefully targeting what's being worked on (Image credit: Sonos / Future Publishing Ltd)
So far, Sony isn't doing that: rather than respond to gamers' concerns, it's battening down the hatches and staying silent about its move to digital-only. And that's a shame, because there are genuine reasons for gamers to worry about Sony's decision.
There are three key concerns about digital-only. The first, and I think the most important, is cost. The PlayStation Store is ludicrously expensive: for example Spider-Man 2, a three-year-old game, is £69.99 digital today in the UK, where I'm based. Competition between retailers means it's around £37 on disc.
The second is second-hand gaming. I buy many games second-hand, and many gamers like to sell their games after they've completed them or got annoyed by them, so that they can spend what they recoup on more new games (a win for the industry overall). So I can buy Returnal for about £20 on eBay. I can't buy the digital edition second-hand, so if I want the digital version it's… you guessed it, £69.99.
To be fair, you can get both games, and others, on PlayStation Plus Extra. But not everyone wants or can sustain yet another subscription, and we know that all subscription services go up in price — often dramatically so, as we saw with Xbox Game Pass last year.
Sony may have to eat humble pie for a while in order to mimic Sonos here, seeking out customer views to talk about those concerns, and maybe thinking about how to address them — so for example it could tell us that digital codes would still be sold through multiple retailers, like Nintendo does with its key cards, or that we'd be able to resell our digital-only games (even if it hasn't developed the mechanism for this yet).
However, the reality is that for a firm the size of Sony, even a significant customer backlash such as 246,586 signatures on a petition represents a microscopic proportion of its 125 million PlayStation Plus subscribers, let alone the many more PlayStation owners — and it can afford to ignore them.
That's something of a gamble. Just ask Microsoft, whose Game Pass price hike scared off far more customers than expected — according to reports, it lost 4 million out of 34 million Game Pass subscribers when it was expecting huge growth instead, forcing a partial reversal.
But Sony's gaming business is far bigger, and that means it can still upset a lot of customers without feeling much pain.
I suspect Sony is going to take a different lesson from the Sonos situation: even at the height of customer anger, Sonos still sold lots of speakers, soundbars and subs.
Samsung helps move SSD virtualization from software workarounds into hardware design
New NVMe standard could transform storage management inside AI data centers
AI infrastructure demands are driving a major shift in SSD architecture
Samsung Semiconductor has confirmed its role in ratifying TP4193, a new NVMe technical standard called PCIe Exported NVM Subsystem Migration.
The company developed this specification alongside Google and other major infrastructure players within the NVM Express organization.
It fundamentally changes how NVMe solid state drives handle virtualization inside large, AI-driven data centers.
A shift from software tricks to hardware-native design
Storage virtualization has traditionally lived above the SSD itself, managed by hypervisor software running on the host server.
That software had to intercept every command from a virtual machine, disguise the drive's true identity, and pass modified instructions along, a method known as trap-and-emulate.
This approach worked reliably but consumed significant processing cycles and introduced latency into every input and output path.
As AI workloads tied to GPU clusters grew more dynamic, these inefficiencies became far more noticeable across large-scale deployments.
TP4193 moves that entire process into the SSD hardware itself, letting drives present virtualized, isolated storage constructs natively.
The host server now functions as an orchestrator rather than an implementer forced to constantly intercept and rewrite commands.
This shift slims down hypervisor complexity considerably while giving virtual machines direct access to administrative queues, cutting latency in the process.
Why this likely keeps SSD prices elevated for AI buyers
The standard introduces two core capabilities: standardized creation of virtual storage objects and controlled masking of a drive's underlying attributes and capabilities.
Together, these functions let a virtual machine migrate between physical SSDs without noticing any change to its underlying hardware environment.
That capability matters enormously for hyperscale data centers running constantly shifting AI training and inference workloads across GPU-heavy infrastructure.
Since TP4193-compliant drives require new hardware capabilities built directly into the SSD controller, older inventory cannot simply receive a software update to comply.
Companies like Google, already named as collaborators on the standard, have clear incentive to refresh storage fleets to gain these efficiency and migration benefits.
Combined with existing NAND supply constraints and rising demand tied to generative AI infrastructure, that refresh cycle adds fresh upward pressure on enterprise SSD pricing.
Multi-tenant environments benefit from secure isolation across multiple GPU attach points, a feature increasingly demanded by AI infrastructure operators managing shared hardware.
Hyperscalers rarely delay adopting standards that reduce hypervisor overhead and simplify live migration across thousands of virtual machines simultaneously.
Whether this translates into an immediate wave of hardware purchases remains uncertain, since standard ratification and actual product rollout rarely happen on the same timeline.
What seems more predictable is that any near-term drop in enterprise SSD prices looks increasingly unlikely, given how directly this standard ties new capability to new hardware.
Here at TechRadar, I test some of the best 4K Blu-rays each month as part of the Blu-ray Bounty. This is where we look at the latest 4K releases from that month and judge whether they’d be a worthy addition to your collection, focusing solely on the video and audio quality of each disc.
Every so often, a disc wows me so much that I add it to my rotation for testing the best TVs and best soundbars. 4K Blu-ray is my go-to source for AV testing, as it delivers a higher video bit rate, resulting in better picture quality than streaming, and uncompressed soundtracks for the best audio.
Some of the discs from the near-100 discs I’ve tested as part of the Blu-ray Bounty that have joined over the years include Wicked, The Mask, The Sound of Music and Dark City, to name just a few.
As part of the most recent June 2026 Blu-ray Bounty, there’s another disc that will definitely be joining the testing rotation, as it performs at a reference-quality level. And that disc is Speed Racer.
Breathtaking color
Speed Racer's bold red colors proved an interesting test for the Samsung S95H/S99H (left) and LG G6 (right) (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future )
My go-to 4K Blu-rays for color testing have been Wicked and The Sound of Music. Wicked features an oversaturated, candy-color style that really generates a lot of pop on the right screen, while The Sound of Music delivers still-vibrant but more authentic and realistic colors.
Speed Racer falls in Wicked’s camp, but takes it to another level. Throughout the movie, there are some seriously vivid colors. Red is a prominent feature throughout the movie, as it's the color of Speed Racer’s ‘M’ logo and the interior of his car, both of which are often front and center on screen. It’s also the color of the Racer garage at home and Papa Racer’s shirt, which he wears throughout the movie.
When I tested the Samsung S95H/S99H and LG G6 side-by-side, both TVs interpreted the red differently: the G6 gave it a much deeper red hue, while the S95H/S99H made it look paler, almost orange in some places. Both of these TVs, likely to be two of the best OLED TVs I’ll test in 2026, captured the visual punch of this red, but it was useful to see how each TV interpreted the color.
Both the S95H/S99H (left) and G6 (right) do a great job delivering the vibrant purples of Royalton Industries accurately. (Image credit: Warner Bros. / Future )
There are plenty of scenes where a single color dominates. As the Racer family arrived at Royalton Industries, there were a lot of bold purples, including the airship's color, the walls, and even the transport. On the OLEDs I tested the disc on, these purples had a beautiful richness to them that again was displayed in different ways by the S95H/S99H and the G6, with the latter again adding that bit more depth.
This trend continued throughout the movie, whether it was the neon greens of a grass field in a flashback, the fantastic pink/purple/orange gradients in the sky during sunset or the lush blues of the sky during daytime race sequences (or Speed’s iconic blue and white shirt.) Even the white of the Mach 5 / 6 and Speed’s helmet had a glorious clarity to them, really dazzling on the S95H/S99H and G6.
The use of color is fantastic in Speed Racer, and if you have a TV with Dolby Vision, you’ll be rewarded with the most breathtaking colors, some of the best I’ve ever seen on a 4K Blu-ray. But it’s not just color reproduction where this disc is useful.
A Dolby Atmos showcase
Speed Racer's races sequences are fantastic for sound testing, particularly Dolby Atmos (Image credit: Warner Bros. / Future)
When it comes to testing soundbars and TV audio, my go-to 4K Blu-rays have been The Batman, namely the Batmobile/Penguin car chase scene for its detail and bass, and Top Gun: Maverick, for its all-around expansive Dolby Atmos soundtrack.
Speed Racer has proved to be a far more compelling disc, audibly, than I ever thought. While I anticipated some hefty bass from the car’s engines, I didn’t anticipate the level of detail and sound mapping I would hear.
During the opening race, there are plenty of demonstrations of pinpoint accuracy as cars swerve wildly through the corners of the winding track. The sound of squealing tires demonstrates excellent directionality and is fully connected with the action on screen. As a car moves from side to side on screen, you can be sure to hear it in the front channels.
One moment in this scene, in particular, really grabbed my attention, though. As Speed makes his way around the track, he has to grind the rear axle of the Mach 5 against the edge of the track and as I was watching, I heard the sound of a grind come through crystal clear in the left rear speaker of the Samsung HW-Q990C soundbar I was using (an 11.1.4 channel Dolby Atmos system comprising of a soundbar, subwoofer and two rear speakers). This was the moment that made me realize just how precise and detailed the Dolby Atmos mix of this disc is.
Speed Racer's Dolby Atmos soundtrack is truly immersive and exceptionally detailed (Image credit: Warner Bros. / Future )
There’s good use of Atmos effects and height channels too. As Speed uses his spring-loaded chassis to jump over a rival racer, a cut to said rival’s cockpit reveals a burst of not only bass but also the sound of the wind from the Mach 5 as Speed flips over. This sounded immersive, clean, and incredibly precise. There are plenty of helicopter sequences too, which are great for showing what Atmos can do.
There were plenty of highlight moments throughout the movie, but it is the race sequences that showcase the clarity and depth of this Dolby Atmos soundtrack. But there’s one final area where this disc is a perfect testing disc.
Always in motion
Fast-paced race sequences are frequent throughout Speed Racer, and are a great 'stress test' for a TV (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future )
Motion handling is a key component of any TV. If a TV can’t accurately handle fast-moving images, then action movies and sports won’t look good. While motion interpolation settings, such as judder and blur reduction, can reduce these, they can introduce unwanted side effects, such as the ‘ghosting’ of a ball in a soccer game (where a trail of the ball appears as it travels across the screen).
I anticipate that Speed Racer is going to act as somewhat of a ‘torture test’ for some TVs (like The Batman can be due to its low brightness), as there are not only plenty of fast-paced driving sequences with plenty of quick shifts in direction, but one other real challenge: slow panning shots.
Frequently throughout the movie, commentators from various countries slowly track across the screen from side to side, and even on the S95H/S99H and G6, which have proven to have great motion handling with the right settings, these shots still struggled at times. The commentators sometimes showed judder as the TV’s tried to interpolate the motion, meaning this is something I’ll be using in future tests. With these panning shots, however, there is sometimes natural judder.
(Image credit: Warner Bros. / Future )
Again, though, it’s the fast-paced race sequences that can make or break a TV’s motion. Chaotic driving as cars swerve to avoid debris, smash into one another, or pull a tight turn can look unnatural if a TV’s motion isn’t right. Too much blur and judder reduction, and it’ll look artificial; not enough, and it’ll look like a juddery mess.
Speed Racer really is one of the best Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos 4K Blu-rays I’ve ever tested and is a triple threat disc for color, motion and sound, so if you’re a regular reader of our TV and soundbar reviews and comparisons here at TechRadar, expect to see Speed Racer appear very soon.
The K100XR can travel at over 220 mph (354 km/h) and has a range of 1.9 miles (3 km)
Nordic Air Defense has demonstrated the K100XR engaging in a live interception
Three K100XR interceptors cost less than a single Stinger missile
Drone warfare has presented numerous challenges over the past few years, mostly demonstrated in Ukraine’s defense and retaliation against the Russian invasion, a prolonged conflict that started in 2022. Stopping drone attacks has proved difficult, but that could be about to change.
Defense startup Nordic Air Defense, along with its partners, have unveiled the K100XR, a portable counter-drone system that can intercept and destroy attack drones, such as the Iranian-built devices employed by Russia.
Recently the subject of a live “Demo Day,” the Nordic Air Defense has taken the K100XR beyond the conceptual stage and demonstrated the drone – which can travel faster than a Black Hawk attack helicopter – before a media audience.
Counter-drone vs. Stinger missile
Working in partnership with Volvo Defense, as well as Polish firms WB Group and Tantalit, Nordic Air Defense has taken the K100XR from concept – as revealed in 2025 – to a working prototype, capable of reaching speeds over 220 mph (354 km/h) which makes it faster than the 183 mph (294 km/h) Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter.
But the speed that this compact 12-inch long drone offers as a response to drone attacks is only part of the story. It can maintain its general position for over 20 minutes, thanks to the fact it relies on not jet, but propeller-based propulsion. The K100XR can reach altitudes of 3,300 feet (just over 1 km) and uses AI to identify and track enemy drones, completely autonomously.
As the AI is embedded within the drone, once it is launched the K100XR requires no continuous input from a human controller. Nordic Air Defense claim that three of these counter-drone devices costs less than a single Stinger missile, which typically costs around $480,000.
Can the K100XR realistically play a part in drone defense?
Following the event, the company issued a statement online, noting “The K100XR is designed to meet that challenge by combining high speed, advanced maneuverability, autonomy and a low cost per kill. Demo Day marked an important milestone for Nordic Air Defence.”
Several theaters are opening up that rely on this technology, from the Iranian crisis in the Middle East to NATO’s response to Russia’s expansionism and belligerence on the EU border (which may explain the interest of Nordic Air Defense’s Polish partners). These largely use low cost Iranian Shahed-type drones, essentially single-use kamikaze devices loaded with explosive payloads. Nordic Air Defense’s Demo Day illustrated how the K100XR can deal with these threats, which makes the “low cost per kill” factor significant.
While the scalability of the operation remains unknown, the cost of K100XR drones versus a Stinger is a clear advantage and will likely be a major deciding factor in whether it can prove a more effective deterrent or response to drone warfare.
‘Larger’ is not the same as ‘large’, and so while the PSB iQ2 is the larger of the two models in the newly refreshed iQ range, it’s still a very compact little pair of speakers. ‘Compact’ in this instance, though, in no way implies a shortage of features or a restriction on performance
The standard of build and finish is good, the looks clean and understated no matter which of the seven different finishes you choose. The iQ2 has everything you could realistically hope for in a wireless speaker system costing this sort of money. It has — deep breath — wired and wireless connectivity (including a moving magnet phono stage for use with a turntable, and a HDMI eARC socket for connection to a TV), one of the best user interfaces around in the shape of BluOS, a total of 270 watts of power, frequency response that belies the physical size of the speakers, and authentically high-resolution playback. That's a lot.
Though you don’t get everything you could realistically hope for where sound quality is concerned, the PSB nevertheless has plenty to recommend it. Through every input except its phono stage, it’s a lively, engaging and informative listen, can deal confidently with rhythms and tempos, has a fair amount of well-controlled punch, and doesn’t overlook the finer details when it comes to unpicking a recording.
It can sound a little cramped via Bluetooth, sure, and its phono stage is dull when every other input sounds energetic. But as long as you’re not expecting small cabinets with small drivers to deliver hangar-filling sound you'll get from the best stereo speakers on the market there’s plenty to enjoy here.
(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)
PSB iQ2 review: Price & release date
$1,399 / £1,199 / $2,299 (approx.)
Released in June 2026
The PSB iQ2 active wireless stereo speaker system is on sale now. In the United States it sells for $1,399 — unless you like the walnut veneer finish, in which case it'll set you back $1,499. The equivalent in the United Kingdom is £1,199 / £1,299. The pricing is yet to be confirmed for Australia, but you’re probably looking at AU$2299 / AU$2499 or thereabouts.
There is neither the time nor the space to reel off all the very many excellent products that PSB is going up against at this price.
(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)
PSB iQ2 review: Features
19mm aluminum dome tweeter, 100mm mid/bass driver
24bit/192kHz DAC
Wireless and wired inputs
It’s compact, yes, but PSB's iQ2 has found enough space to ensure it's equipped to justify the asking price. No aspect of its specification is underpowered.
Getting your audio information on board in the first place can be done in a number of different ways. All physical inputs are on the rear panel of the ‘primary’ speaker. It has sockets for HDMI eARC, digital optical, USB-C, USB-A and a moving magnet phono stage on RCAs for use with a turntable (this input is switchable to line level in the control app). There’s also a pre-out for connecting to a subwoofer.
The wireless stuff is covered off by Bluetooth with aptX Adaptive codec compatibility. The iQ2 is compatible with the BluOS eco-system, which means wireless access to every worthwhile music streaming service, internet radio and any content you may have stored on a device connected to the local network.
Once it’s on board, the digital stuff is handled by a 24bit/192kHz digital-to-analog converter before it’s handed over for amplification — the analog stuff, of course, is passed straight through. There are 270 watts of TI Burr Brown-derived Class D amplification to power the driver array — 45 watts for each 19mm aluminum dome tweeter, and 90 watts for each 100mm mid/bass drivers. The latter, mildly unusually, are positioned above the former. This is an arrangement that, suggests PSB, is good for a frequency response of 64Hz - 20kHz.
Features score: 5 / 5
(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)
PSB iQ2 review: Sound quality
Lively and informative sound
Well-organized soundstage but not the largest
Sounds dull via its phono stage
There are caveats here, and they concern the out-and-out scale of sound the PSB is capable of generating (or not), and the efficacy of its phono stage. But it’s probably best to start with the things the iQ2 gets — there are more than one or two.
With a Tidal-derived stream of Geese’s Getting Killed playing as a 24bit/44.1kHz FLAC file, the iQ2 is an energetic, engaging listen with a stack of pertinent observation to make where tone, timbre and basic detail retrieval are concerned. It maintains a nicely even-handed tonality, neither adding to nor subtracting from the organic heat of the recording. At every turn, it is attentive to even the finer details of texture and harmonic variation.
It sounds very much like it extends further down the frequency range than PSB is claiming, and when it’s down there it punches with well-controlled determination (as well as no little variation) and has no problems expressing rhythms believably as a result.
Frequency response is equally well judged, so when the system modulates from low end to midrange there’s no apparent step change. Then, once it's there, the iQ2 invests voices with plenty of character and emotional attitude, as well as revealing the finer details of technique. Move up again into the highest frequencies and, though the PSB is not the most substantial where treble sounds are concerned, it manages to describe shine and bite without becoming hard or glassy. The DSP-assisted crossover occurs at around the 3Khz mark, but it’s basically imperceptible.
There’s a fair amount of dynamic headroom available, so as well as having the grunt to play good and loud, the iQ2 breathes deeply enough to put worthwhile distance between the quieter moments of a recording and the points of greatest intensity and attack. And it can manage these transitions without audible stress or compression, which is not something you can automatically say about some of its nominal rivals.
The soundstage it creates is well defined and properly organized, so even complex recordings are laid out coherently. It’s not the most expansive soundstage you ever encountered, though. These are small-ish cabinets featuring small-ish drivers, and quite obviously there’s a limit to the scale of sound you’re entitled to expect. Got a great big room you want to fill with sound? You’ll be needing bigger speakers than these.
And it’s definitely worth noting that the above applies to most, but not all, of the iQ2’s inputs. It can, inevitably, sound a little squashed when streaming via Bluetooth — this is hardly unheard of, even in systems costing plenty more than this. Yet the integrated phono stage is an authentic disappointment. It gives away the bulk of the vibrant, energetic attitude the system displays through all of its other inputs and replaces it with an altogether more pedestrian, vanilla alternative. No turntable = no problem, of course, but if you have a record player you’d like to use, try and hear the PSB’s phono stage before you commit to spending any money…
Sound quality score: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)
PSB iQ2 review: Design
246 x 145 x 192mm (HxWxD)
Choice of seven finishes
Rear-firing bass reflex port
If a significant part of the appeal of systems like this is their relatively discreet nature, then PSB is onto a winner with the iQ2. Even by prevailing standards it’s notably compact at 246 x 145 x 192mm, and as long as you give each cabinet’s rear-facing bass port a little breathing space then it’s very adaptable and flexible when it comes to positioning.
As is generally the case with PSB, the standard of build and finish that’s on display here is more than acceptable. The cabinet edges are crisp and clean, and the combination of MDF and aluminum used in the construction allows the speaker to be fairly light (7.4kg per pair) but notably robust. The main sleeve is of MDF, the rear panel is of aluminum, and the front baffle (which is separated from the main body by a slim slice of brightwork) is MDF on aluminum.
There are seven available finishes, which means there really ought to be something to suit your interior design choices, but I can’t help thinking I got the short straw with my review sample's ‘sandstone’ beige. It’s a rather insipid and non-committal color. I haven't seen them but I’d suggest that any of the black, white, ‘boreal’ green, ‘granite’ gray, ‘ember’ red or (cost option) walnut veneer alternatives are likely to be preferable.
For me, anyway, the fact the iQ2 is supplied with four little magnetically attached grilles that cover only the drivers rather than the entirety of the front baffle is probably a good thing. Unless you’re actually trying to disguise the colour of the speakers in the first place…
Design score: 5
(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)
PSB iQ2 review: Usability & setup
BluOS control app
A few physical controls
Easy to create a multi-channel or multi-room system
The primary speaker, the one with all the physical and wireless connectivity, also features a few capacitive (and illuminated) touch controls on its top panel. They’re useful if you happen to be passing, but of much more wide-ranging use is the BluOS control app.
BluOS is an increasingly popular control and management interface, one that’s been adopted by quite a number of manufacturers, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a clean, clear and stable interface, logical in navigation and extensive in its functionality.
Everything you need, from initial set-up — telling the primary speaker if it’s the left or right channel, for instance — and EQ control to establishing a multi-channel or multi-room system using any BluOS-compatible product, can be taken care of from here. Integrating your favorite music streaming service(s), accessing internet radio, checking for updates, so on and so forth — they're all here.
A great operating system is not, in and of itself, a reason to buy a wireless speaker system but it certainly makes it easier when you’re making your mind up.
Usability & setup score: 5 / 5
(Image credit: Future)
PSB iQ2 review: Value
Great specification
Very acceptable build and finish
Energetic sound
Just because you don’t get a whole lot in physical terms, doesn’t mean the PSB iQ2 doesn’t represent very decent value for money.
The specification is good, the operating system is better still, the standard of build and finish is very acceptable indeed — and best of all, the sound is energetic and engaging through all but one of the input options.
If you want nicely poised and enjoyable sound from a system that won’t dominate your room, there’s authentic value to be had here.
Value score: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)
Should I buy PSB iQ2?
PSB iQ2 scorecard
Attribute
Notes
Score
Features
No aspect is underpowered; 19mm aluminum dome tweeter, 100mm mid/bass driver, 24bit/192kHz DAC
5 / 5
Sound quality
Lively, informative and well organized; but sounds dull via phono stage
4 / 5
Design
Choice of seven finishes; crisp and clean edges; notably robust
5 / 5
Setup & usability
Excellent BluOS control app; easy to create a multi-channel or multi-room system
5 / 5
Value
Authentic value to be had, with good specification and even better control app; phono stage just a little lacking
4.5 / 5
Buy them if…
You want a comprehensive little speaker system PSB has managed to cram a lot into what are very compact speaker cabinets.
You have interior decor that requires complementing My review sample looks a bit weird, but the other six finishes are very nice.
You’re considering multi-room and/or multi-channel listening BluOS is supported by a lot of brands and they can all join in with your system.
Don’t buy them if…
You have a big space you want to fill with sound Here’s where I say something profound about the laws of physics…
You want to use vinyl as a primary source The phono stage is the least effective of the iQ2’s inputs.
You haven’t shopped around In isolation the PSB is a great little system, but in practice it has some stiff competition.
PSB iQ2 review: Also consider
KEF LSX II The KEF LSX II is a little larger than the PSB iQ2, and it sounds it — and it’s arguably a more complete, better-balanced listen, too. The industrial design is, to my eyes at least, also more interesting. But while its control app is perfectly adequate, it’s not a patch on the BluOS app the iQ2 is running…
How I tested the PSB iQ2
(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)
I put the iQ2 on some Soundstyle speaker stands for the majority of this test — from there they were attached to a turntable and a CD player (via the phono input and the digital optical input respectively), as well as streaming via Bluetooth and from Tidal using the BluOS app.
I also tried them on a shelf for a while, and listened purely wirelessly, but because my shelves are positioned in the traditional way, it was quite difficult to get the rear bass reflex ports far enough away from a rear surface…
Apex Recordhunter drone unofficially set a new air speed record of 434 mph
High-speed demonstrator will help develop next-gen military drones
Company targets further records with interceptor drones soon
Germany’s Quantum Systems Group has broken the world airspeed record for an electric drone, hitting speeds of 699km/h (434mph) during internal testing on June 26, 2026.
The latest, unverified record was set in straight and level flight, and would represent a 6.3% increase over the current record. Official testing is expected within the coming weeks, the company said in a press release.
Record-breaker is merely a technology demonstrator
Quantum Systems explained that the Apex Recordhunter drone was developed over the past year, but “serves as a technology demonstrator for next-generation high-speed systems” rather than being a commercially viable product. “Several innovations from the project are expected to support future interceptor drone programs,” the company added.
It is a battery-electric, fixed-wing aircraft developed by the firm’s N3XT advanced development team, benefiting from Porsche-subsidiary-supplied V4Smart battery cells.
Of course, the drone and its successors would not target consumer photographer and hobby markets, instead focusing on high-speed interceptors for modern warfare. Quantum Systems says lessons learned from Apex will directly influence future interceptor platforms for real-world defense scenarios.
“Super proud of the Quantum Systems team, showing our engineering ambition across our Group and reinforcing our commitment to developing world leading technologies,” co-CEO Florian Seibel wrote.
Engineers from Quantum’s Ukrainian WIY Drones division also contributed to the program – a noteworthy inclusion because Russia has increasingly deployed high-speed, jet-powered one-way attack drones. Deploying high-speed drones like the one Quantum Systems has developed could be much cheaper and more accessible than sending off expensive air-defense missiles.
Records continue to be broken as rapid development continues
By mid-July, the company also hopes to have set two other records. The first – the highest speed achieved by an FPV interceptor drone carrying a 500g payload – by its STRILA Interceptor. Second, its SPYS drone, gunning for the highest speed achieved by an anti-aircraft class FPV interceptor drone.
These achievements and potential records reflect an ongoing global race to develop faster military drones, but they also underscore the growing relevance of airborne, remote and autonomous weapons in modern warfare.
That said, other electric drones have technically achieved even higher speeds. Tom’s Hardware recently reported of a New Zealand duo who recorded high speeds of 730km/h (453mph) – that Blackbird drone uses sawtooth carbon fiber prop blades.
Despite lacking official recognition, the duo had previously set a record of 626km/h (388mph) in December 2025 with a separate drone, before quickly being overtaken by another record-holder which achieved a higher 659km/h (408mph). Regardless, an 11.7% increase from December’s first record to today’s unofficial record confirms there’s plenty of scope to continue pushing the boundary.
The Mac mini has emerged as an affordable system for agentic workloads
Apple has seen "incredible demand" for the Mac mini and Mac Studio
Apple silicon can handle an agentic AI while other architectures use a GPU and CPU
If you’re looking for the best way to explore and deploy agentic AI without breaking the budget, the Mac mini might be just what you’re looking for.
Apple’s Doug Brooks has expressed enthusiasm for how the Mac mini and Mac Studio desktop computers are capable of handling agentic AI tasks, thanks to Apple silicon, the ARM-based SoC that the company has introduced over the past half decade.
Success with local AI on these machines has been attributed to design choices made before the arrival of advanced LLMs, with the evolution of Apple’s Neural Engine highlighted as a key factor.
How the Mac mini is ideal for agentic AI
The Mac Studio is also suited to agentic AI (Image credit: Future)
Brooks is the senior product manager of Apple silicon, and referred to the “incredible demand” for Mac minis and Mac Studios when speaking to The Deep View before WWDC 2026.
Describing the Mac mini as an “amazing system” that can “tap into the strengths of Apple silicon and unified memory in a very power-efficient way, and increasingly they're delivering compelling price-performance as well.”
The price point of a Mac mini – compared to the more expensive Mac Studio – makes it particularly suited to teams exploring agentic AI but without the budget to pay for tokens and larger systems.
Neural Engine technology dates back to the A11 chip, and its evolution and inclusion within the current generation of Apple chips, and its high-performance, power-efficient compute processes are pivotal in delivering machine learning to the desktop.
As many AI tools were available first on the Mac (or released exclusively for macOS), it seems that upgrading to the latest Mac mini or switching from Windows has been instrumental in demand.
Mac mini: amazing for AI
Apple’s work on AI has seen deployment in everyday use across computers, tablets, and smartphones, and the company has been a leading exponent of hybrid AI, where an agent can “decide what needs to happen locally and what needs to happen in the cloud based on the workload.”
“For agentic workloads, people often want a system that's under their control, isolated from their primary machine, and capable of running 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
But it is the strength of the Apple Mac mini and Apple Studio – as well Apple’s notebooks – in handling AI that seems to have enthused Brooks the most. He cites security and economics as concerns for developers and creators who are now realising that they can handle AI workloads sitting at their desk – whether using a Mac mini or something more powerful.
