I've tested several of the latest budget gaming laptops recently, and the Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 is the best value…

DLC included at a great price ; Excellent performance ; Visually impressive ; A feature complete port

Locked at 30fps ; Fine details like hair appear blurry

Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition is an incredible port that delivers smooth performance in addition to a formidable level of detail and impressive ray-tracing effects. With all the game’s significant downloadable content included at a fantastic value...

Supremely comfortable and great for wide feet ; Unique lacing system is secure and supportive ; Excellent every day shoe, long term comfort ; Durable materials

Zero drop can strain the achilles ; Heavy going – don't expect PBs with these ; Cushioning is generous but firm ; Occasional pain point on the ankle ; Upper mesh hard to clean

Like most Altra shoes, the Timp 5 Boa's have an especially wide toe box, making them an excellent choice for people with wide feet, and a zero drop which will take some getting used to if you haven't tried such shoes before. But it's the unique ski...

Decent vacuuming ; Excellent mopping on max setting ; Not too loud ; Easy to use ; Compact dock for a hybrid ; Strong obstacle avoidance

Mapping can take a few attempts ; Edge cleaning isn't great ; AI auto-adjustment unreliable ; Returns to dock mid-clean

The Eufy E25 Omni is a very capable hybrid, delivering good vacuuming and impressive mopping performance for a reasonable price. It's easy to use, needed very little intervention to complete its tasks and, while it couldn't quite produce the edge...

Fantastic listening test ; Comfortable build ; Competitive value

Low max volume ; Cheap-feeling case ; Touch control issues

Like the best clip-style open earbuds, the Soundpeats Clip1 are comfortable to wear and grip the ear well. But these buds also have some features you wouldn't expect and a lovely low price, which offsets the few rough edges.

Premium-feeling design ; Reasonable price ; Keyboard great for typing…

…but less so for gaming ; Only adequate 1080p performance ; Not the sturdiest construction

The LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 offers fantastic quality for the price. It feels premium, even if its construction isn’t the most sturdy, while the clear and vivid display helps to showcase games in their full glory. However, the lack of graphical power on...

Lots of component customization available ; Attractive design with plenty of ventilation and access ; High-performance options

Future upgradability may be limited ; The proprietary motherboard may be considered problematic ; Midrange configuration performance isn’t the best in class

Standing out as one of the most striking desktop designs in modern PC gaming, the Alienware Aurora offers a compact aesthetic that feels straight out of the future. While the futuristic form factor does limit some long-term upgrade potential, it makes...

Great gaming performance ; Incredibly compact design ; Good port selection for the size

Fairly priced but still expensive ; Fans can get noisy under load ; Not as upgradeable as older NUCs

Asus has gone from strength to strength since taking over the NUC compact PC brand from Intel back in 2023 - and the new 2025 Asus ROG NUC is the perfect demonstration of that. Packing the latest Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, this mini PC is smaller than a...

Fast and powerful ; Excellent build and features ; Good subject tracking

Not all features available at launch ; 48MP/8K photos in JPEG only ; No histogram for exposure

The Potensic Atom 2 doesn't introduce anything new in terms of features or design, but it does deliver solid performance across the board. Image quality is good overall, and the subject-tracking features are effective despite this not being a selfie...

Superb new M5 chip ; New faster SSD ; Same old great screen and casing

'Only' Thunderbolt 4 ; GPU still trails Nvidia ; Gets expensive quickly

The MacBook Pro is the go-to laptop for creatives, and it remains that way in 2025. The M5 brings a little more performance than the M4, especially in its SSD, but otherwise the machine is largely unchanged from last year, to the extent of carrying...