I was pretty excited when De’Longhi decided to shrink one of my favourite coffee machines, especially as someone who values their kitchen counter space. The original Rivelia scored five stars in my review back in 2024, so let’s just say my hopes for the new Rivelia Start were high.

A few weeks after launch, it appeared on my doorstep and I’ve been testing it ever since. You’ll find my full thoughts below.

Price and availability

The Rivelia Start is priced at £599 and can be purchased from De’Longhi’s online store, as well as John Lewis, Currys and Amazon. It comes in five colourways – Onyx Black, Sand Beige, Umber Brown, Jade Green and Arctic White.

It’s not yet available in the US, but is expected to arrive at around $799 if it does.

Design and features

As mentioned, the Rivelia Start is a more compact version of the original Rivelia, so a lot of the features are similar. For example, it retains the brand’s Bean Switch System, meaning it comes with two interchangeable 250g hoppers, so you can keep different beans ready to go and switch between them. There’s also a Switch mode that empties the grinder before changing beans, helping to avoid mixing the two varieties together.

On the front, you’ll find a simple touch interface, allowing you to choose from 10 one-touch drinks, including Espresso, Coffee, Filter Coffee, Cappuccino, Flat White and Latte Macchiato, as well as iced options such as Iced Coffee, Iced Espresso and Cold Brew. De’Longhi says its Cold Brew can be prepared in under five minutes, which is considerably quicker than traditional methods.

For milk drinks, the Rivelia Start uses LatteCrema Hot, which automatically creates the milk foam and adds it to your drink, so there’s no need to manually steam or froth the milk. There’s also the option to add De’Longhi’s LatteCrema Cool carafe, which unlocks six additional cold milk drinks if you want to lean further into iced coffees, but this is sold separately to keep costs down.

The machine itself grinds the beans fresh immediately before brewing, and it has a 15-bar pump (compared to the original’s 19 bar). Its 250 x 430 x 390mm footprint keeps it compact, but it still has a 1.4-litre water tank and a 10-serving grounds container, so you shouldn’t need to refill it constantly.

The other main difference to note is that the original has the brand’s Bean Adapt Technology, whereas the Start doesn’t, but we'll get into this more shortly,

Performance

I’ll be honest, when I first saw an image of the Start, I initially thought there wouldn’t be that much difference between the two models. However, when it actually arrived, I was really surprised by just how much De’Longhi had managed to shrink it without making it feel compromised.

You still get a decent-sized bean hopper and water tank, but it makes the machine feel much easier to live with day to day. The drip trays are easier to remove and clean in the dishwasher, and the smaller overall design makes the machine itself much easier to wipe down and keep looking clean.

In terms of performance, there’s really not much missing either. The interchangeable hoppers are still there, which is arguably one of the best things about De’Longhi machines, especially if you enjoy both caffeinated and decaf options, or there are multiple people in your household who enjoy different beans. They’re easy to use as always, and the different coloured lids mean you can keep on top of what’s in which one.

The range of drinks is also impressive, and whilst there are a few missing compared to the original, all the key ones are there. I also like that the extra shot button is there too, as this is a go-to for me.

It’s a shame you need to purchase the LatteCrema Cool carafe separately, but if you’re like me and prefer hot drinks anyway, it’s really not much of an issue. There’s also nothing stopping you from frothing your own iced milk in a separate frother, or just filling a cup with milk and then brewing an espresso over it.

I was also impressed with the speed of the machine, and it’s not too loud either. I’ll pop a TikTok below showing it in action so you can see, although please note it’s been slightly sped up.

As mentioned, the Start doesn’t have De’Longhi’s Bean Adapt Technology, which automatically adjusts the grinding, dose and temperature to match the specific coffee beans you’re using.

The Start instead relies on manual adjustments and standard user profiles rather than automated software calibration when swapping beans, with the adjustments made on the hoppers themselves. This wasn’t a problem for me, and it’s something I’ve been used to whilst testing all kinds of manual machines. It was a very quick process, but if this is something you think you’ll struggle with, it’s important to note.

Verdict

The De’Longhi Rivelia Start is an impressively compact bean-to-cup machine, and after spending several weeks with it, I can see why you’d choose it over the original. It manages to squeeze in most of the features I love about the Rivelia – including the interchangeable bean hoppers and generous drink selection – whilst taking up noticeably less space. There are a few compromises, most notably the lack of Bean Adapt Technology and the separately sold LatteCrema Cool carafe, but neither bothered me during testing. If you’re short on space but don’t want to compromise too much on what your coffee machine can do, the Rivelia Start is an easy one to recommend.

Alternatives to consider

The obvious alternative here is the original Rivelia, especially if you have the space and budget to do so. However, for the core features, the Rivelia Start is a brilliant way to cut down on both of those things.

If you want to start small, another alternative to consider would be the Smeg BCC02. It’s compact, but it’s still able to pack in a 1.4-litre water container, a decent-sized bean hopper and a frothing wand, although there’s no LCD screen and only three drinks to choose from.

The Gtech AirRAM MK2 is arriving in Lidl’s middle aisle tomorrow, with a huge £85 discount that makes it one of the retailer’s more tempting vacuum deals in recent months.

Usually priced at £230, the AirRAM MK2 is a hugely popular model and is often praised for its lightweight design and impressive battery life. It also uses Gtech’s patented AirLOC Technology, which is designed to capture larger debris as you push the vacuum forwards, whilst picking up finer dust as you pull it back.

You’ll be able to pick one up from tomorrow, Thursday 24th September, although I’d recommend checking Lidl’s stock checker before making a special journey, as availability can vary between stores.

Lidl has been adding some impressive products to its middle aisle recently, including the Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer, which also arrived with an impressive £80 discount.

We’ve actually tested the pet version of the Gtech AirRAM MK2 here at T3, where it picked up an impressive four star rating in our full review. Gtech is a brand we really like, so if you’ve been looking for a new cordless vacuum, this is definitely one I’d be keeping an eye out for.

Eight Sleep has announced the sixth generation of its smart sleep mattress system, and has made it more accessible than before. The Eight Sleep Pod 6 now comes with a smaller Hub size, an extra sensor-packed Cover and is now available for single beds, making it the brand’s most advanced model yet.

Smart mattresses are still new within the wellness space, but since they’ve started to become more mainstream, Eight Sleep has been the main name that’s popped up again and again. Its Pod sleep system combines a hub, cover and base that make adjustments to your existing mattress to prevent snoring and overheating, while tracking your sleep and helping you to relax.

Eight Sleep’s newest Pod, the Eight Sleep Pod 6 has been completely rebuilt, including its hardware and software, to cater to a wider sleep audience. One of the key upgrades of the Eight Sleep Pod 6 is its Hub, which has been given a complete overhaul, including a much smaller design than its predecessor.

The Hub of the Eight Sleep Pod 6 can now fit underneath your bed rather than stick out at the side. It’s also more powerful and responsive, especially with temperature regulation. The thermal engine within the Pod 6’s Hub has redesigned thermoelectric coolers that adjust the temperature 20% faster than the Pod 5 to help with night sweats and hot flashes.

The Cover of the Eight Sleep Pod 6 has also been upgraded with nine-times more biometric sensors than its last generation. These sensors track your sleep stages, snoring, HRV, heart and breath rate, and communicate this with Eight Sleep’s AI Autopilot which learns your sleep patterns and automatically makes adjustments to improve your sleep.

What I’m most excited about with the Eight Sleep Pod 6 is its upgraded precision tracking. I share a bed with my husband, but we’re both wildly different sleepers, so I’ve always worried that an in-bed sleep tracker might mistake him for me and vice versa.

But with the new Eight Sleep Pod 6, the sensors have precise tracking and spatial awareness, so it can pinpoint where each person is on the bed, and will track individual sleep regardless of how close you sleep next to each other. If you have a pet or child on the bed, the Eight Sleep Pod 6 can recognise that too.

What I think many people will be excited by is the Eight Sleep Pod 6 now comes in single sizes. Previously, Eight Sleep’s Pods started at a double size, so if you sleep in a single bed, you couldn’t take advantage of this type of sleep technology.

Now, the Eight Sleep Pod 6 can fit on a single bed. Alternatively, you can put a solo size onto a double, king or queen-sized bed, and the Eight Sleep Pod 6 will just track that side of the bed.

Prices on the Eight Sleep Pod 6 start at £1,799. Add-ons like the blanket, base and pillow cover can be bought separately at Eight Sleep.

Xiaomi has launched its new Mijia Smart Temperature and Humidity Meter 3 Pro, adding CO2 monitoring and a much larger display to its affordable indoor sensor range.

It builds on models such as the Smart Temperature and Humidity Monitor 3 Mini, which launched last summer, but can now track carbon dioxide alongside temperature and humidity. The larger screen also shows the date, day, time and current readings at the same time.

The sensor is currently being crowdfunded in China through Xiaomi Youpin for 114 yuan, which works out at around £15 or $17. Xiaomi hasn’t confirmed international availability yet, but a global launch seems likely.

Connectivity has been expanded through Xiaomi’s Bluetooth Mesh system and a compatible gateway, allowing readings to be sent to the Mi Home app. From there, users can track trends and set up smart home automations to suit your home.

For CO2 monitoring, the sensor uses a low-power Sensirion sensor and gives you a quick visual indication of air quality through green, yellow and red status colours.

That said, the 3 Pro uses a CR2450 battery with a claimed runtime of around one year, whilst the older 3 Mini can reportedly last for up to three years. So while the new model adds more functionality, battery life is actually a step backwards.

Philips has unveiled what it describes as its most advanced electric toothbrush yet, the Sonicare Next-Generation DiamondClean 9900 Prestige. Its biggest new feature is AI-powered brushing guidance built directly into the handle, giving you instant feedback on how well you’re brushing.

It arrives at an interesting time for the electric toothbrush market, with premium models becoming increasingly sophisticated, including the new Dyson CameraJet. That said, Oclean launched its new X Series just yesterday, showing that clever brushing feedback isn’t necessarily limited to the most expensive models.

Philips’ latest toothbrush certainly sits at the premium end, costing £599 (around $800). It will be available from selected retailers including Boots, Amazon and selected dental practices, and comes in black, white and blue. There’s also a rechargeable travel case and luxury charging glass included.

The biggest upgrade compared to Philips' previous best electric toothbrushes is the real-time guidance. The 9900 Prestige uses what Philips calls spatially aware guidance, with a light ring showing your brushing coverage, pressure and whether you’re scrubbing too hard.

There’s also a 12-segment Mouth Map built into the handle, showing which areas you’ve brushed and whether you’ve missed any spots. Philips’ SenseIQ pressure sensing can also automatically adjust the intensity if you press too hard.

You can customise the experience with eight brushing modes, three intensity settings and different types of feedback from the light ring.

For the actual clean, the 9900 Prestige uses Philips’ Sonicare Fluid Action technology, which helps move fluid between the teeth and along the gumline, alongside the company’s latest Sonicare drivetrain. Philips says this provides a quieter clean whilst remaining gentle but effective.

I'm currently reviewing the new 9900 Prestige, so stay tuned for my full thoughts coming soon.

Despite this September being quite warm, there’s a definite chill in the air, meaning autumn and winter are definitely on their way. So, it’s time to pack away your fan and get out your heater. If you don’t already have a heater or your current one isn’t performing its best, ProBreeze has just launched a new ThermaCube Ceramic Fan Heater series that can suit all home types and heating needs.

Expanding its heater collection, Pro Breeze has launched three ThermaCube Ceramic Fan Heaters. Available in 1500W, 2000W and 2200W – or small, medium and large sizes – the new heaters use powerful ceramic technology to quickly heat your room while helping you save energy at the same time.

The Pro Breeze ThermaCube Ceramic Fan Heater has four modes – high heat, low heat, fan only and ECO mode. The fan only mode allows the heater to double as a fan for cooling relief, while the ECO mode automatically adjusts its heat to stick to your target temperature of the room, while also reducing energy consumption.

All three versions of the Pro Breeze ThermaCube Ceramic Fan Heater have a digital thermostat which you can set to your preferred temperature. This ranges from 5°C - 35°C which you can increase in 1°C increments.

The design of the Pro Breeze ThermaCube Ceramic Fan Heater is compact and simple, even in the largest size. Made from flame-retardant materials, the heaters have touch controls at the top to customise the temperature, timer and oscillation. They’re also extremely lightweight so you can move them from room to room, and the minimalist black and silver design blends into your home.

The main differences between the Pro Breeze ThermaCube Ceramic Fan Heaters – other than the size – is heating type and oscillation. The ceramic heating technology increases with the size, so if you want quick and simple heating, the miniature model is best, while the larger version is suitable for intense, high-performance heating.

For spreading warm air around the room, the miniature Pro Breeze ThermaCube Ceramic Fan Heater has 60° wide angle oscillation, while the medium has 55° and the larger offers 65°. All have safety features including overheat protection and tip-over switches to keep you and your home safe.

The Pro Breeze ThermaCube Ceramic Fan Heater is £54.99 for the mini size, £64.99 for the medium size, and £74.99 for the large size. All are available to buy now at Pro Breeze.

Manscaped has unveiled its latest grooming tool, the Lawn Mower Ultra Gen 6, bringing a new metal design, upgraded blades and a colour display to the brand’s flagship below-the-waist trimmer.

The Lawn Mower Ultra Gen 6 is designed to offer a closer and smoother trim, with Manscaped claiming its upgraded ceramic blade can reduce the number of passes needed. It also comes with an interchangeable dual-head system, giving users both a SkinSafe ceramic trimmer and a bidirectional foil blade for trimming and shaving.

Priced at $119.99, it’s currently exclusive in the US via Manscaped’s online store and Amazon, but it’s set to arrive in the UK on 6th October for £120.

Compared to previous models such as the Lawn Mower Go, the new model gets a premium metal chassis, which has been designed to provide better balance. There’s also a high-resolution colour display, showing information such as remaining battery life, as well as built-in tutorials and reminders for when it’s time to replace the blade.

Battery life has also been increased, with the Lawn Mower Ultra Gen 6 offering up to 100 minutes of runtime, making it the longest-lasting trimmer in the Lawn Mower range.

The trimmer is also waterproof and can be used either wet or dry, whilst a dual-temperature LED spotlight is designed to make it easier to see. Other features include USB-C and wireless charging, a travel lock and a soft storage pouch.

Alongside the new trimmer, Manscaped has also launched a new three-step range of groin care products designed to be used before and after trimming.

First up is Ball Scrub, an exfoliating formula containing pineapple extracts and volcanic pumice. It’s designed to remove dirt, dead skin and freshly trimmed hair whilst preparing the skin for shaving.

That’s followed by Ball Shave Gel, a clear, no-drip gel designed specifically for the groin. The clear formula is intended to make it easier to see what you’re doing whilst also providing extra glide across sensitive skin.

The final step is Ball Deo, a refreshed version of Manscaped’s existing ball deodorant. It’s designed to help combat odour and chafing whilst soothing the skin and helping to prevent ingrown hairs, and it’s available in three scents.

Beko has just launched its latest oven air fryer hybrid, and the price will seriously shock you. The – deep breath, everyone – Beko 60cm Built-In Pyro Multi-Function Oven with AeroPerfect AirFry Technology combines multiple appliances in one surprisingly compact device.

Ovens with integrated air fryers are definitely here to stay. Offering the best of both worlds, appliance brands like Smeg, AEG and Miele have all introduced their own versions, but Beko’s 60cm Built-In Pyro Multi-Function Oven with AeroPerfect AirFry Technology is definitely the model that should be on your radar.

Designed for oven and air fryer fans who want to increase their worktop space, the Beko Multi-Function Oven with AeroPerfect AirFry is a built-in oven that offers fan, oven, grill and air fryer cooking in one. The stand out feature is its AirFry mode which uses a special AirFry tray and AeroPerfect technology to cook like an air fryer.

Once you place your meal on the AirFry tray, the AeroPerfect technology evenly distributes hot air around the oven to cook food with moist interiors and crispy exteriors. Like a standalone air fryer, you don’t have to use a lot of oil, so your meal is healthier than traditional oven or deep fat frying methods, and the temperature remains consistent throughout cooking for fast, even results.

Another handy feature of the Beko Multi-Function Oven with AeroPerfect AirFry is its Pyrolytic Cleaning. Anyone who’s cleaned an oven knows what a tedious – and quite frankly, disgusting – job it can be but this feature makes it much easier. How it works is the oven heats up to an intense 480°C to burn away dirt and grease, and turn it into ash which you can then simply wipe away.

Finally, the Beko Multi-Function Oven with AeroPerfect AirFry is easy to use, with its LED touchscreen display. With energy saving in mind, the oven is made from RecycledNet materials, and it has an A+ energy rating.

The Beko 60cm Built-In Pyro Multi-Function Oven with AeroPerfect AirFry Technology is available to buy for £369 at Beko and select retailers, like AO.com. Most ovens cost at least double this price, so I was genuinely surprised by how affordable this Beko oven is – and since it doubles as an air fryer, you’re getting multiple appliances for a seriously low price.

Oclean has announced its new X Series electric toothbrush range, bringing instant, actionable feedback directly to the toothbrush rather than relying on an app. There are three models in total – the X Ultra 20 Set, X Pro 20 Sonic and Oclean X Lite.

At a time when certain brands are pushing the best electric toothbrushes well into premium territory, it's refreshing to see Oclean including plenty of smart features into models that remain relatively affordable.

The X Series is available now from Argos, with prices ranging from £79.99 to £199, or around $106 to $265 in the US.

Leading the range is the Oclean X Ultra 20, which combines sonic cleaning with real-time AI coaching. Using bone-conduction audio, it can talk you through your brushing without headphones or an app, alerting you if you're brushing too quickly, applying too much pressure or spending too long in one area.

It tracks 12 zones of the mouth and gives you a brushing score at the end, with missed areas highlighted on its colour touchscreen. The Care+ app takes things further with personalised reports and recommendations to help you build better brushing habits over time.

It also offers up to 40 days of battery life, noise levels below 45dB and a 4.5-hour charge. You get three brush heads, a wall mount and a charging travel case in the box.

The Oclean X Pro 20 takes a slightly simpler approach, but still tracks 12 zones and shows your brushing score and any missed areas on its full-colour display. Just like the X Ultra 20, the Care+ app also provides weekly tracking and personalised reports.

Its Maglev motor delivers up to 84,000 movements per minute, with four brushing modes covering Quick Clean, Deep Clean, Whitening and Sensitive Gum Care. There's also a FlexFit brush head designed to adapt to the contours of your mouth, whilst noise-reduction technology keeps things quieter.

Battery life stretches to 40 days, with a three-hour USB-C charge and IPX7 waterproofing. It comes with three brush heads, a wall mount and travel case, and you can even customise the wake-up display with your own photos.

Finally, the Oclean X Lite brings the smart brushing features down to a more accessible price. It tracks eight zones of the mouth directly on the built-in display, highlighting areas you've missed without requiring you to connect the toothbrush to an app.

The X Lite has a sonic motor capable of up to 72,000 movements per minute, along with five modes covering Daily Clean, Deep Clean, Sensitive, Whitening and Gum Care. There's also a two-minute timer and brush-head replacement reminders.

With up to 40 days of battery life, an ergonomic handle and a compact travel case, the X Lite looks well suited to everyday use and travelling. It comes with a Professional Clean brush head and is available in grey or blue.

I’ve always been very lucky when it comes to sleep. I get at least eight hours of sleep a night, and have a solid nighttime routine that helps me wind down and fall asleep in a good amount of time.

But I can’t say the same for my husband. He’s more of a ‘my head hits the pillow and I’m out’ kind of person which is something I’ve always found impressive, as it takes me at least 15-20 minutes to fall asleep even when I’m tired.

However, after speaking with Omar El-Gohary, Superintendent Pharmacist at IQ Doctor, I found out that this isn’t actually impressive, but rather, it is a hidden sign of sleep deprivation. To find out more, El-Gohary explained why falling asleep in minutes could be a sign of concern, as well as other signs you may be sleep deprived.

1. Falling asleep in minutes

According to doctors and pharmacists, falling asleep quickly on a regular basis is a sign your body is running on empty, rather than proof that you’re sleeping well.

“Although it may seem ideal, consistently drifting off within just a few minutes can be a sign that your body is carrying a significant sleep debt and is struggling to stay awake,” states El-Gohary. “A healthy adult will typically take somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes to fall asleep. If you're regularly falling asleep almost instantly, it may suggest you're not getting enough quality sleep, even if you're spending enough hours in bed.”

El-Gohary goes on to explain that occasionally falling asleep quickly after a busy day isn’t usually a cause for concern. But if it’s happening every night, and “you're also experiencing symptoms such as daytime fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, headaches, memory issues or needing excessive caffeine to function, it's worth speaking to a healthcare professional.”

After all, “sleep should leave you feeling refreshed, alert and energised the next day, not constantly trying to catch up.’

2. You rely on caffeine to function

Having multiple teas and coffees a day is another sign that you’re experiencing sleep deprivation. Personally, I try to stick to two cups of coffee a day – one in the morning and one in the early afternoon – but I don’t feel I’m reliant on them to get me through the day.

But if you’re starting to notice that “you rely on caffeine from the moment you wake up simply to feel normal, your body may be compensating for poor-quality sleep rather than a lack of motivation,” says El-Gohary. When you drink caffeine is also something to be aware of as drinking it too late in the day can affect your sleep – see what time you should stop drinking coffee for more details.

3. You feel tired after plenty of time in bed

There is a sweet spot on how many hours you spend in bed. For some, eight hours or less is perfect, whereas for others, they need up to 10 hours to feel refreshed and restored. But El-Gohary points out that “sleeping for seven or eight hours doesn't always mean you're getting restorative sleep. Conditions such as sleep apnoea can repeatedly interrupt sleep throughout the night without you remembering waking up.”

4. You struggle to concentrate and feel irritable

A good night’s sleep should leave you feeling refreshed and ready for the day. But if you’re getting to your desk and finding it hard to concentrate, this is a ‘hidden’ sign of sleep deprivation. “Persistent brain fog, forgetfulness and reduced focus are all common signs that your brain hasn't had enough quality rest,” explains El-Gohary.

Irritability is also something to watch out for as “poor sleep affects emotional regulation, making everyday frustrations feel much bigger than they normally would.” So, if you’re starting to get annoyed at simple things or are quick to anger, this is another sign you could be sleep deprived.

5. You could (and do) fall asleep anywhere

This is a ‘hidden’ sign that I definitely experience as I can fall asleep almost anywhere, especially on trains which isn’t ideal as I commute to work! According to El-Gohary, “if you regularly doze off while watching television, travelling as a passenger or sitting quietly during the day, it may indicate your body is trying to recover from ongoing sleep deprivation.”

Getting a good night’s sleep isn’t as hard as it may seem – if you follow these rules for good sleep hygiene.

AEG is upgrading its 7000 - 9000 oven range with its popular PizzaExpert feature – and it’s an update you’ll definitely want to have. The AEG 7000 MealAssist with PizzaExpert Pyrolytic Self-Clean Built-in Oven can be used as a regular oven as well as a pizza oven to make delicious, authentic pizzas in under three minutes.

AEG’s PizzaExpert ovens were originally announced during IFA 2025, but it’s now being made more available to its other ovens. The PizzaExpert feature is endorsed by Scuola Italian Pizzaiolo, the internationally recognised Italian pizza school, so if it’s restaurant-quality pizza you’re after, you can make your own with the AEG 7000 MealAssist with PizzaExpert Pyrolytic Self-Clean Built-in Oven.

To make authentic pizzas, the AEG 7000 MealAssist with PizzaExpert gets up to 340° to cook your pizza in just 2.5 minutes. For beginners and experts, the touchscreen display of the oven guides you through the steps to making the perfect pizza, and offers advice on heat-up time, tray level and when to add or remove the pizza to the oven.

The AEG 7000 MealAssist with PizzaExpert connects to the AEG app to offer more personalised advice and recipe suggestions for pizza dough and sauce. The oven also comes with a specially designed tray and pizza peel – AEG has covered all bases with this oven.

Aside from its pizza-making skills, the AEG 7000 MealAssist with PizzaExpert has lots of other handy cooking functions, including grill, bread proving and baking, defrosting, dehydrating, plate warming, and more. It heats up quickly using its powerful fan and it has a generous 72 litre capacity.

One of its best features is actually its self-cleaning system, called Pyrolytic Cleaning. If you’ve ever cleaned your oven, you know what a big – and gross – task it is but the AEG 7000 MealAssist with PizzaExpert makes it easy.

With the Pyrolytic Cleaning function, the oven heats to the highest temperature to turn grease and food residue into ash. From there, you can quickly and easily wipe away all dirt and grease without creating any excess mess – or covering yourself in oven goop.

The AEG 7000 MealAssist with PizzaExpert Pyrolytic Self-Clean Built-in Oven is available to buy for £949.99 at AEG and select retailers, like Marks Electrical and Appliance City. If you have an existing 7000 - 9000 oven from AEG – featuring CookSmart Touch and Touch+ displays, you should be able to add a PizzaExpert Kit to it.

Tapo has launched its latest hardwired video doorbell, and it might have convinced me to switch back to a wired model. Despite its small size and cheap price, the Tapo D130 video doorbell is packed with sensors, cameras and detection, and it could give Blink, its budget-friendly security competitor, a run for its money.

Looking at the Tapo D130 video doorbell, it does feel like we’ve stepped back in time to when video doorbells were still new. Nowadays, the doorbells on the market are smart, wireless and have slim, long designs, but Tapo’s D130 is quite a short and chunky doorbell.

The Tapo D130 may have a teeny tiny size, but it also packs some clever technology under its hood. Its camera has an impressive 2K 5MP resolution and starlight sensor so you don’t miss any details, as well as colour night vision. To enhance visibility and colour, the Tapo D130 has a built-in spotlight so you can see more at night, while also scaring off potential intruders.

My favourite feature of the Tapo D130 is its head-to-toe views. It offers a 180° ultra-wide diagonal field of view so you can see from the top of your doorframe down to your doorstep. While this isn’t a ‘new’ feature, what I like about it is the Tapo D130 switches to a 4:3 aspect ratio so you can see clear vertical details even when someone is standing too close to your doorbell.

My doorbell often struggles if someone gets too close to the camera, and it makes the footage a little blurry. According to Tapo, the 4:3 live view prevents this which I appreciate.

One thing that may dissuade people from buying the Tapo D130 is that it’s hardwired. However, that shouldn’t put you off as hardwired doorbells are easy to install, and Tapo has made its D130 installation process extremely flexible. It comes with different mounting wedges so you can set up your doorbell wherever you like, and you can manually adjust the wedge to different scenarios and views.

Other notable features of the Tapo D130 is two-way audio, and AI detection which you can access in the Tapo app. It allows the Tapo D130 to recognise people, pets, packages and vehicles, and sends you relevant, real-time notifications when needed.

Tapo is also a brand that offers subscription-free options for its video doorbells. For the Tapo D130, you can save recorded videos on a microSD card so you don’t have to pay a monthly fee, or you can subscribe to Tapo Care for cloud storage – this is something you will have to pay for.

The Tapo D130 is available to buy now for £79.99 at Tapo and select retailers, like Amazon. As of writing, it’s been given a 25% discount, taking it down to just £59.99.

Ultenic just turned its U20 cordless vacuum cleaner into a mop with its latest launch. The new Ultenic U20 Mopper is a vacuum-mop hybrid that offers both cleaning methods in one single, lightweight and affordable device – but it's the hair detangling that I’m most impressed with.

Ultenic launched its U20 cordless vacuum in mid-2025, and it currently sits in spot two in our cordless vacuum guide. Our Senior Home Writer enjoyed its quality, self-standing build, LED touchscreen and large bin but commented that its 55kPa suction could be more powerful.

Now it seems that Ultenic listened with the launch of the new Ultenic U20 Mopper, which not only offers a mopping function, but also has an increased 60kPa suction. This extra power allows the vacuum-mop to clean up dirt from carpets and hardwood floors in a single pass.

To use its integrated mopping function, the Ultenic U20 Mopper comes with a removable 230ml water tank that cleans up stubborn stains. Users simply detach the mop tank, fill it with water and put it back in the brush head to activate mopping.

Despite its clever vacuuming and mopping head, the thing that I was most impressed by with the Ultenic U20 Mopper was its Anti-Hair Collector. The upgraded Anti-Hair Collector acts as a scarper to prevent hair from wrapping around the brush head and getting clogged in the dustbin.

It’s a similar concept to Shark’s Anti-Hair Wrap technology which tends to have more of a focus on detangling the brushroll. With the Ultenic U20 Mopper, the de-tangling is focused on both the dustbin and brush head. At 1.5-litres, the dustbin is also more spacious so you shouldn’t have to empty it as much after each clean.

Another upgrade is its Flexible Bendable Tube. measuring 65cm, the tube of the vacuum folds down to reach underneath furniture like sofas and beds. It uses GreenEye technology to illuminate hidden dirt, and its 7-stage filtration system to keep your vacuum more hygienic.

With up to 60 minutes of battery life, and a touchscreen, self-standing design, the Ultenic U20 Mopper has taken the great features from the U20 and made them better – and added some handy mopping extras.

The Ultenic U20 Mopper is available to buy for £169.99 / $259.99 at Ultenic and select retailers, like Amazon. It comes with a mutli-surface accessory kit which includes the water tank, microfibre pads, 2-in-1 brush and a crevice tool.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, but Philips Hue is in for another huge year if its recent announcements are anything to go by. The brand has launched everything from new smart lights to a collaboration with Nanoleaf, but if you're wondering how your existing Philips Hue setup is going to change, it's the new Custom AI Behaviours feature that's really worth paying attention to.

Exclusive to Hue Bridge Pro users, the new feature removes the need to manually build complicated automations. Instead, you can simply describe what you want your lights to do in everyday language, and the Hue AI assistant will create the automation for you.

I spoke with George Yianni, Head of R&D at Hue Connected; Marco Merolla, Business Leader for Consumer Connected Lighting; and Drago Jozic, Market Leader for Benelux & UK&I, to find out what the new update means for Philips Hue users.

For those with an existing Hue setup, George's initial comments give you a good idea of why the new system is such an improvement. He explained that the current Hue system is "internally templated", meaning users have historically been limited to choosing from predefined options and dropdown menus.

That has worked well for the most common use cases, but it also puts a ceiling on how complicated your automations can become. As George explained, Hue previously didn't allow things such as multiple accessories interacting with each other in more complex ways, or accessories responding to different combinations of time and conditions.

"All of those restrictions go away with the new engine," George told me.

Of course, giving AI more control over your smart home raises the obvious question of how do you make it useful without it feeling intrusive? After speaking to the Hue team, it became clear that this is something the company is very conscious of.

Drago explained that the aim is for the technology to become part of your routine rather than interrupting it, with Hue keen to ensure that people never feel like they're being monitored.

There's also a deliberate effort to keep the user in control. As the team explained, Hue isn't currently trying to create things on your behalf without being asked. Instead, "you tell us how you would like the system behave" and Hue makes it easier to turn that idea into reality.

It's important to note that this could change in the future. The team acknowledged that there is an opportunity for Hue to start suggesting useful automations based on the products someone owns or how they use them. However, that's where the line between being helpful and being intrusive becomes much harder to navigate.

For now, Hue says it is firmly on the non-intrusive side, with Custom AI Behaviours acting as a tool to help users get more out of the system rather than something that dictates how their home should behave.

This is ultimately what makes the Custom AI Behaviours feature more interesting than an AI assistant on its own. It means you can create much more automations tailored to the way you actually use your setup, without having to understand what's happening behind the scenes. The AI is simply the way you tell Hue what you want – the real change is the much more flexible automation system underneath.

Despite September being a relatively warm month, there is a definite chill in the air. The temperatures are dropping and the evenings are getting darker which can only mean one thing – autumn and winter are coming.

Many people found it hard to sleep this summer due to the intensely hot heatwaves, and resorted to extremely thin duvets – or no covers at all! But with the colder months of the year approaching, it could be time to switch to your warmer bedding – but when exactly?

To find out the best time to change to your winter duvet, I spoke to experts at M&S who explained the key dates to switching your bedding over the coming months.

When should I change to my autumn-winter duvet?

Having analysed weather data from 2025, Melissa Goldman, senior buyer at M&S, pinpointed that 20th September 2026 is the date when UK households should switch their duvet for autumn. Goldman states that “last year, temperatures fell below 18°C on this date and didn't rise above that point again for the rest of the year, marking it as the ideal time for people in the UK to swap their summer duvet.”

For winter, Goldman recommends changing to an even thicker duvet on the 7th November. Goldman found that “temperatures dropped below 15°C on this date in 2025 and remained there or below until year-end, making this the perfect time to switch to a warmer winter duvet of 10.5 tog or above.”

If you’re not sure what tog your duvet should be, the rule of thumb is to match your duvet to the weather. If the temperature is above 18°C, your duvet should be 4.5 or lower to handle the hotter weather. If it’s between 15 -18°C, a duvet with a 7.5 - 10.5 tog rating is best, and under 15°C is for 10.5 and higher tog duvets.

Many households have multiple duvets to cater to the different seasons, but personally, I’d recommend choosing an all-seasons, customisable duvet. With these types of duvets, you can add or remove sections of it to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter (and you only need to buy one).

I use the Eve Wunderflex Multi-Way Duvet all year round. During the summer heatwaves, both my husband and I had the duvet as thin as possible. Now that it’s getting colder, he’ll likely keep the duvet very thin as he runs hot, but I’ll definitely be adding an extra layer on to my side of the duvet as I’m always cold!

There are plenty of all-season duvets available on the market, including the Simba Hybrid Duvet and the Emma Cloud Duvet which we rated highly in our reviews. To keep even warmer at night during autumn and winter, consider upgrading your bedding with thicker sheets and blankets.

iRobot has unveiled the Roomba Duo at IFA 2026, and it's a rather unusual concept. Instead of relying on a single robot to do everything, the system pairs a larger robot that vacuums and steam-mops with a much smaller robot designed to reach the places its bigger counterpart can't.

It arrives alongside the new Roomba Max 875 Combo Robot + AutoWash Dock, which takes a more traditional approach to robot cleaning and is already available to buy. The Duo, meanwhile, is all about exploring what could come next for iRobot.

Unfortunately, the Roomba Duo is still just a concept, and iRobot hasn't announced plans to bring it to market. Still, it's interesting to see the company experimenting with a completely different approach, particularly after what has been a challenging period for the brand.

Both robots use ClearView Pro LiDAR and PrecisionVision AI to navigate and avoid obstacles, whilst elevated AI cameras on the main robot help create detailed maps and identify areas that need extra cleaning. Its large 17cm wheels are also designed to help it move across different surfaces and thresholds.

The shared AutoWash dock takes care of much of the maintenance, washing and drying the mops, emptying dust and managing clean and dirty water. iRobot says the dust bag can hold several months' worth of debris, so the system is designed to require very little hands-on maintenance.

The smaller companion robot then takes care of the awkward spots, heading beneath furniture and tackling edges and corners where dust and pet hair tend to collect. Its PerfectEdge mop extends by up to 31mm, whilst the side brush reaches along walls and skirting boards.

As mentioned, whether the Roomba Duo will ever make it beyond the concept stage remains to be seen, but it's certainly an interesting glimpse at where iRobot could take its robot vacuums next.

There’s a distinct chill in the air which can only mean one thing – autumn is coming! While summer is my favourite season, autumn is where I really shine in the kitchen as I’m a classic British girl and love to make (and eat) hearty, comforting meals.

When I say comfort food, I mean meals like soups, pies, stews, casseroles, hotpots and crumbles. The list goes on, but essentially, I’ve made myself an expert in all things autumnal cooking, and I’ve stocked my kitchen accordingly to make the best comfort food during the autumn-winter season.

From slow cookers and soup makers to roasting dishes and pumpkin-shaped serving bowls, these 15 appliances, cookware and bakeware essentials are everything I use for autumn-winter cooking.

IKEA has launched a new 2-in-1 clock with a playful speech bubble design, combining a clock with both timer and stopwatch functions. This makes it particularly useful for the kitchen when you're cooking or doing chores.

The Ljungpipare joins IKEA's growing lineup of analogue and digital clocks, including the Örnvråk, a new 3-in-1 clock that also displays temperature and humidity. IKEA says the range is designed to help reduce screen time and give users "quality time in more ways than one".

It's available to buy now for just £2 in the UK and $3.99 in the US, either online or in IKEA stores.

The clock has a magnetic backing, so you can attach it to metal surfaces around the home. It's also powered by a single AAA battery, so there's no need to worry about cables or wires.

The display can be set to either a 12- or 24-hour format via buttons, whilst the whole unit measures just 7 x 8 x 2cm, making it small enough to place almost anywhere.

When it comes to coffee machines, I’ve tried every type you can think of – bean-to-cup, drip, pods, manual, you name it. But I recently became an AeroPress convert after trying its new Steel coffee maker and Manual Coffee Grinder – here’s why.

For those new to AeroPress, it’s a 3-in-1 coffee maker that combines immersion, micro-filtration and air pressure to brew, extract and dispense your coffee. To use it, you simply boil your kettle and add a paper filter into the AeroPress’ filter cap and attach it to the main chamber. Once your kettle is boiled, you position the AeroPress atop your mug, add coffee grounds to the chamber and pour over boiling water.

From there, you simply stir the grounds before inserting the plunger into the chamber to create a vacuum. Similar to a French press, you then push down the plunger to get the coffee to pass through the filter and into your mug – simple!

This is AeroPress’ tried and tested method of making coffee, so much so that the ‘technology’ and features of every AeroPress is the same. There are multiple versions, like the Original, Go, XL and Clear – which I gave five stars in my AeroPress Clear review – but the main differences between them is the material.

Earlier this year, AeroPress launched a steel version of its popular manual coffee maker, called the AeroPress Steel. As mentioned, it’s the same as its predecessors, but it’s made from stainless steel, including the chamber, plunger, filter cap, scoop and stirrer. It has a larger capacity of 360ml and double-wall vacuum insulation to keep your brew hot inside and the exterior cool outside.

Considering that it works the same as the Clear and Original, I wasn’t originally going to test the AeroPress Steel. However, that was until I got my hands on the AeroPress Manual Coffee Grinder, and the two matched so perfectly, I had to give them both a try.

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, AeroPress came out with its first-ever coffee grinder in late 2025. The AeroPress Manual Coffee Grinder is a 3-in-1 coffee press that has 60 adjustable settings to grind coffee beans to go in your AeroPress – or in my case, the AeroPress Steel.

The AeroPress Manual Coffee Grinder works by adding coffee beans directly to its main chamber at the top. At the bottom, you can adjust your grind settings before reattaching the cup which catches the grounds. Next, you attach the magnetic Easy-Grind handle and you manually wind it like a hand crank to grind your beans into smooth or coarse grounds.

Using the AeroPress Steel and Manual Coffee Grinder: performance

As mentioned, I’ve used an AeroPress before so using the AeroPress Steel was easy and a method I was already used to. It goes without saying that making coffee with an AeroPress is longer than simply boiling a kettle or even using a coffee machine, but it feels more rewarding, especially when using the AeroPress Manual Coffee Grinder.

After I’d filled the grinder with beans and adjusted the settings to a medium-fine grind, I got to work – and it was work. Attaching the handle was simple, and its magnetised body was handy to attach and remove. I thought it might slip off easily while I was cranking it, but the handle stayed nicely in place. The circular shape handle felt odd at first but it was easy enough to hold and work with.

The part where it felt like work was grinding the beans. It needs some serious elbow grease, that’s for sure! I’d been to an intense HIIT class the night before using the AeroPress Manual Coffee Grinder, and wow, did my arms hurt. After a minute or so of grinding, my arm was thoroughly sore, but the grounds came out perfect!

From there, I used the AeroPress Steel scoop to measure the grinds into the coffee maker, and I followed the normal coffee-making process. I actually found the dispensing to work faster with my own pre-ground beans than store bought ones, and the coffee tasted delicious – as expected.

Should you buy the AeroPress Steel?

So, should you buy the AeroPress Steel? I’d have to say yes to this. The one thing I didn’t love about the Clear was its plasticky build and as the Steel is made from stainless steel, it doesn’t have that. It looks and feels a lot more high quality, and it works incredibly well, too.

The double-wall insulation is definitely impressive. It doesn’t get hot at all on the outside, although it does get hot on the bottom. When you go to dispose of the coffee puck, you’ll want to wait for it to cool or use a cloth to screw it off but that’s somewhat expected and not something to write home about.

At £159.99, the AeroPress Steel is more expensive than other AeroPress coffee makers (apart from the Premium). But if you want the looks and a good, reliable coffee maker which is sure to last a while, I’d really recommend the AeroPress Steel.

Should you buy the AeroPress Manual Coffee Grinder?

On to the AeroPress Manual Coffee Grinder – should you buy it? I would also say yes to this but with some conditions in place.

The AeroPress Manual Coffee Grinder works exceptionally well, produces perfectly ground beans, and gives you a little arm workout in the morning. But personally – and you can call me lazy if you like – I don’t know if I’d want to manually grind my own beans every day. But if you can get over the arm ache, it’s a very fun machine to use.

I could see the AeroPress Manual Coffee Grinder becoming a big part of coffee-making set-ups for outdoor adventures, especially camping. At £199.99, it will cost you, but I can see the AeroPress Manual Coffee Grinder lasting a long time, so you really will get your money’s worth.

Philips Hue has just given its Bridge Pro smart home hub an unexpected price hike. The Philips Hue Bridge Pro and other bulbs and strips from its smart light collection have also been affected, and it’s taken a lot of people by surprise.

September 2026 has been a big month for Philips Hue. At IFA, the brand announced a new range of lighting, including Signe, Festavia and Play lights, as well as new Play Screen Sync and a slimmer 4K HDMI sync box. That’s not all though, as Philips Hue also announced software updates and an unexpected Nanoleaf partnership.

But this latest announcement definitely isn’t as exciting as its new product launches. Instead, Philips Hue products that were only just launched in 2025 have been given some surprisingly high price increases, with the five-star Philips Hue Bridge Pro receiving the biggest hike.

Previously, the Philips Hue Bridge Pro was priced at £79.99 in the UK, $99.99 in the US and €89.99 in Europe. In March this year, the Philips Hue Bridge Pro was given a €10 increase in select European countries, taking it to €99.99 – but that’s nothing compared to the newer prices.

Now in the UK, the Philips Hue Bridge Pro is £129.99. It now costs $139.99 in the US and €149.99 in Europe. This is roughly a 40% increase. The price changes actually rolled out in August, although shoppers have only recently started noticing.

Philips Hue didn’t actually announce the price change, either, so it’s unclear why this increase has happened, especially on newer products from last year. Some sources have speculated that it's due to the global components shortage that’s affected many tech manufacturers – and smart home brands apparently.

It’s not just the Philips Hue Bridge Pro that’s been impacted. As spotted by HueBlog, the 4-pack Hue Essential bulbs, the Hue Flux and the Hue OmniGlow strip have also had their prices increased. Compared to the Bridge Pro, though, it’s not as extreme of an increase, with the Hue Essential bulbs now costing €69.99 compared to the original €59.99.

We gave the Philips Hue Bridge Pro five stars in our review, and found it to be an essential upgrade for Hue users. If you have lots of Philips Hue lights, the Bridge Pro is a necessity, but if you have smaller set-ups, it’s not entirely necessary, so the price hike won’t impact you.

For more advanced lighting systems, you may have to bite the bullet and get the Bridge Pro – or wait until a sale.

Arlo has just upgraded its Secure Early Warning System with two new AI-powered features. The new Threat Assessment and Summary features are designed to give its security camera users better updates and context so they can react quicker to threats.

The Arlo Early Warning system was launched last year, and it unlocked a host of AI detection features. Using AI, the Early Warning System detects people, packages, vehicles and animals, and other motions before sending you alerts. It combines real-time threat recognition with deterrence tools, and interactive notifications, so you can take action against threats via your phone’s lock screen.

The new features added to the Arlo Early Warning System include Threat Assessment and Arlo Summary. Threat Assessment builds off its existing detection features, and works to identify urgent and high-risk scenarios. It can detect events like fires, theft, break-ins and armed threats and automatically trigger a response to deter or stop them.

For example, if Threat Assessment recognises someone trying to break into your home, it can activate your camera’s spotlight or siren in an attempt to deter them. In more serious cases, it can quickly get in contact with emergency services.

Within the Arlo app, Threat Assessment continues to keep you informed with real-time updates as the event goes on. If you have your settings set to ‘do not disturb’, it can break through this to notify you to serious cases.

Arlo Summary is the feature I’m excited about. Similar to Ring’s video summaries and descriptions, Arlo Summary condenses 24 hours of camera footage into a quick, plain-language recap. Not only does this help you make sense of your activity, but it also stops you from having to scroll through every video clip to find what you’re looking for.

The new Threat Assessment and Arlo Summary are available with an Arlo Service Plan and are expected to roll out to subscribers next month. There are now three subscription plans available – Smart Aware, Smart Secure and Ultra Secure, with prices starting at $7.99 a month.

There’s now no shortage of choice when it comes to security cameras. You can spend under £50 or, as this two-camera kit from Arlo demonstrates, over £500.

What does all that extra cash get you? There’s 4K video for a start, plus HDR and what Arlo claims to be advanced AI designed to detect known people and vehicles to prevent false alarms. There’s also package detection for when deliveries are left on the doorstep, fire recognition and smoke alarm detection, and a hub that can be connected to up to 20 compatible cameras at once.

The hub has a microSD card for free local storage, but limitations apply, and full functionality (with cloud storage) is only unlocked when paying for an Arlo Secure subscription.

Can the Arlo Ultra 3’s video quality and AI smarts justify the high price? Read on to find out.

Arlo Ultra 3 review: Price and availability

The third-generation Arlo Ultra is available as a two-, three- or four-camera kit. Each of these comes with a hub, and you can buy additional cameras to expand your system. An individual camera does not work on its own without the hub, so you’ll need to buy a kit before picking up extra cameras if you need a larger system.

Prices start at £529.99 for the two-camera kit reviewed here, rising to £629.99 for three cameras and £799.99 for four. Additional cameras cost £259.99 each.

This all makes the Arlo Ultra 3 sound rather expensive. These prices are much higher than rival cameras, like the latest-generation Ring Outdoor Camera Plus, which costs £90 and is sometimes reduced to just £54.99. That records in 2K instead of 4K, but to many buyers it’ll seem like much better value.

Arlo goes some way towards justifying that price gulf by equipping the Ultra with true 4K instead of any upscaling, HDR, and an unusually wide 180-degree field-of-view, plus 12x digital zoom with automatic subject tracking, colour night vision, an integrated spotlight and siren.

On top of all that is Arlo’s artificial intelligence, which I’ll address in more detail later.

Arlo Ultra 3 review: Design

Even before you power up these cameras, their design goes some way towards justifying the high price. When many outdoor security cameras can look utilitarian, these look sleek, clean, modern and perhaps even Apple-like with their glossy white enclosures. They’re quite compact, which is welcome given how much performance they pack into a relatively small body.

They lack solar charging though, which isn’t a surprise given the shape doesn’t have a large top surface area like, say, the Eufy S3 Pro. But it’s a premium design, and one that mounts to a wall or fence with a couple of included screws and wall plugs. The mount then fixes to the camera with a ball-and-socket joint that offers lots of adjustability and screws tight.

Battery-powered, the cameras charge via USB-C cable and you can buy an additional battery to quickly swap out while the other is charging. Be careful with those batteries though. It’s all too easy to slot it into the camera upside-down, causing it to get completely stuck. Like, really stuck. I managed to free it by putting it in the fridge and letting the plastic contract slightly. User error, but I can’t be the only one.

The cameras are joined in this particular kit by a base hub. This plugs into a wall socket and connects to your router by Wi-Fi or Ethernet, then gives the cameras their wireless internet connection. There’s no integrated storage, but it accepts microSD cards up to 2TB in capacity – that’s good, but well short of the 16TB you could slot into a rival hub like the Eufy HomeBase 3 (which, incidentally, has 16GB of internal storage out of the box).

Arlo Ultra 3 review: Performance

Setting up the Arlo Ultra 3 is much like any other home security camera. Plug the hub into a wall socket and connect to your router – in my case via an Ethernet cable – then download the Arlo smartphone app and follow the setup instructions.

Camera installation is equally simple, with just a drill and/or screwdriver required to mount them to a flat surface like a wall or fence. Be sure to check signal strength and video streaming reliability before reaching for the power tools, since walls and distance will affect performance.

The app opens relatively quickly when away from home, and in my testing I found a live video feed would start in around five seconds, but this will vary by local signal strength and network coverage. From here you can view and download recordings saved in the cloud, control the camera’s LED spotlight, and arm or disarm the alarm.

Video quality is excellent, and certainly among the best I’ve ever seen from a home security system. The full 4K resolution helps, of course, but so does the wide, 180-degree lens and the inclusion of HDR to help retain detail in highlights and boost it in shadows. All those pixels also help with zooming too, and while at the full 12x things get quite pixelated, footage stays nice and sharp when zooming in by 2x or 4x – something a Full HD camera just can’t do.

Night vision is similarly impressive, with an integrated spotlight also on hand to help enable full-colour video after dark.

Motion alerts can distinguish between people, vehicles, animals and packages – and, going a step further than some rivals, Arlo’s AI tech can recognise familiar people and vehicles to help prevent buzzing your phone with alerts about your partner putting the bin out. There’s also fire detection which actually uses the camera and AI to identify flames, rather than just responding to the sound of a smoke alarm – although it can also do that too.

The catch is that many of these features require an Arlo Secure subscription, so even with its high price tag, the Ultra 3’s full capabilities aren’t unlocked unless you stump up for the monthly fee too. This feels particularly stingy when some alternatives, like Eufy’s HomeBase S380, also have person detection with facial recognition but include it for free when paired with a compatible camera.

Those costs can be avoided if you opt for local storage and slot your own microSD card into the hub. But then you’re still missing out on the AI extras that help this camera stand apart from lesser rivals.

A small issue I had is how Arlo uses Apple Maps. This will be fine for most users, but I live on a new-build estate that wasn’t finished when Apple last updated its maps and satellite images (unlike Google Maps, which is fine). So my house – indeed, much of my road – simply isn’t on the Arlo’s map view or satellite imagery, which appears on the Emergency page of the Arlo Secure app.

Arlo Ultra 3 review: Verdict

This is a very good home security camera kit, with excellent video quality and impressive AI-powered technology. I like the hardware design, the app and of course the video quality, along with the excellent night vision capabilities, integrated spotlight and wide field-of-view. But it also comes at a high price, and is even expensive compared to other Arlo cameras.

There is a way to bring that price down, though. Sign up to Arlo’s Secure Plus Annual subscription, at £199.90 a year, and along with all of the regular subscription’s AI cleverness (plus replacement cameras if stolen and cloud video storage) new customers save 50 percent on new cameras. This cuts the price of the two-camera kit reviewed here from £530 to a far more palatable £265.

That £199.90 a year subscription sounds expensive, but it works out at about £17 a month and works with up to 20 cameras.

If budget isn’t a consideration for you, then go ahead and buy the Arlo Ultra 3; you’ll get superb 4K video and, with an Arlo Secure subscription, one of the smartest home surveillance systems around. But if you aren’t in that fortunate position, there are plenty of other options, with similar performance, lower prices, and even no ongoing subscription fee, too.

The warmer days may be coming to an end now, but if there's one thing summer 2026 has taught us, it's that a heatwave can appear out of nowhere. That means having one of the best fans to hand can always come in useful.

One of the little discoveries I've made over the last few months is how handy a portable fan can be. We've seen some big names launch their own options, and Blueair has now joined the lineup with the AlwaysCool Portable Handheld Fan.

It has a few things going for it, including a relatively affordable price and Blueair's AeroSilent technology, and you'll find my full thoughts below.

Price and availability

The Blueair AlwaysCool costs £59/$59.99 and is available directly from Blueair. In the UK, it's available in Cloud Linen or Night Charcoal, whilst the US also gets Arctic Sage and a new lime green version made in collaboration with Jessica Pegula.

It's also available from Amazon, where I've spotted it for slightly less than the RRP.

Design and features

The Blueair AlwaysCool has a matte finish, curved handle and integrated wrist strap, weighing just over 0.5kg. The fan head can be tilted to direct the airflow exactly where you want it, and you can also lay it down, making it hands-free.

There's a small display in the centre of the fan head showing the battery level and current fan speed, whilst the control dial lets you adjust the airflow across 100 different settings. I really like this approach because you're not limited to a handful of predefined speeds, and can find the one that suits you.

The fan features Blueair's AeroSilent technology, combining a brushless DC motor with its airflow design to reduce noise. Blueair claims this provides a maximum noise level of 46dB on the fan's highest setting.

The power button sits on the rear, and it needs to be pressed and held to turn the fan on/off. The fan charges via USB-C, and Blueair claims up to 32 hours of battery life on the lowest setting.

Performance

The biggest advantage of the AlwaysCool is how quiet it is. It's not completely silent – you can still hear the fan, particularly once you start pushing the speed higher – but it's noticeably quieter than a lot of alternatives I've used.

This made a bigger difference than I expected when using it out and about. I particularly enjoyed using it whilst sitting and working on a train, where I could have a steady stream of cool air without adding too much noise to an already busy environment. The adjustable head was also useful here, as I could angle the airflow towards my face whilst keeping the fan sitting beside me rather than having to hold it the whole time.

I found the battery life to be impressive as well, and charging is pretty quick. From completely flat, it took around 1.5 to 2 hours to reach a full charge, and I could get around a week of quick uses out of it, with a few longer sessions thrown in.

Where the AlwaysCool doesn't quite match some of the more premium portable fans is the physical design. It doesn't feel quite as luxurious or expensive as some of the pricier alternatives, although that's not necessarily a bad thing, as it feels like Blueair has focused more on how well the fan performs.

That said, I would have liked to see a travel case included. After spending plenty of time being thrown into my bag, mine picked up a few scratches. A simple case would have helped keep it looking a little smarter, particularly if you're planning to carry it around regularly.

Verdict

The Blueair AlwaysCool is a great choice if you want a portable fan that's quiet enough to use whilst working or travelling, has strong battery life and gives you plenty of control over the airflow. It may not feel like the most luxurious fan around, but Blueair has sensibly prioritised performance over looks, and that's ultimately what matters most here.

Alternatives to consider

There aren't that many premium portable fans around, but two of the most obvious alternatives are the Shark ChillPill, with its 3-in-1 cooling design, and the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool, which takes a more streamlined approach. Both are more expensive than the Blueair, so if you're primarily looking for quiet, adjustable airflow without spending a fortune, the AlwaysCool has a compelling advantage.

KitchenAid just launched its new Design Series stand mixer, and it’s my favourite version yet. The – deep breath, everyone – KitchenAid Luminaire Design Series Artisan Plus 4.7L Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Fluted Glass Bowl comes in a stunning Blue Peppercorn colour, and has a redesigned bowl with an integrated LED light.

KitchenAid is best known for its Artisan Stand Mixer, and in 2026, the brand introduced the Artisan Plus, an upgraded version of its iconic stand mixer with new colours, speed settings and an LED bowl light. The Artisan Plus style is what the new Design Series stand mixer is based on, and it’s a true work of art.

The KitchenAid Luminaire Design Series Stand Mixer is the latest addition to the brand’s Design Series collection. In 2021, KitchenAid introduced Light and Shadow, a stand mixer with a white body and black bowl, while in 2022, Blossom in thyme green and a copper bowl was launched.

The most recent 2024 model was Evergreen, a forest green mixer with a walnut wooden bowl. But 2026’s launch has to be my favourite to date. Steering away from the more natural colours that KitchenAid has favoured in the past, the KitchenAid Luminaire Design Series Stand Mixer has an inky blue colourway which the brand is calling Blue Peppercorn.

Aside from the beautiful Blue Peppercorn colour, the main body of the KitchenAid Luminaire Design Series Stand Mixer has a crinkly velvet-like finish which makes it look like it’s sparkly. It also has a colour-matched trim band and control knob, and metallic accents. My favourite ‘hidden’ detail is the little sparkle decoration on the band.

But that’s not all. The Artisan Plus mixer comes with an integrated LED bowl light, and the new KitchenAid Luminaire Design Series Stand Mixer does too. This feature looks even more impressive with the Luminaire’s new fluted glass bowl as when the light is on, it makes light patterns around the room.

Aside from the new colour and bowl, the KitchenAid Luminaire Design Series Stand Mixer comes with 11 speeds, including soft start and half-speed fold settings. It also comes with stainless steel accessories, including the Flat Beater, Flex Edge Beater, Whisk and Dough Hook.

The KitchenAid Luminaire Design Series Artisan Plus 4.7L Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Fluted Glass Bowl is available to buy for £899 at KitchenAid. Stand mixers from KitchenAid are quite expensive, but the Design Series models tend to have an even higher price tag, as the new Luminaire model shows.

If I had £900 lying around, I honestly would buy the KitchenAid Luminaire Design Series Stand Mixer. Despite being a special edition, it still has a beautiful colour that blends in nicely to all kitchen aesthetics – I just better start saving up now!

Ovens and cookers are making a comeback in a big way this year – and Smeg is making sure of it. Despite having just launched its first-ever single air fryer, Smeg has also just announced its new generation of Opera range cookers, with an updated, stylish design, and enhanced functionality.

Within the new Smeg Opera cookers range are four models – the Opera Gas Cooker in 90cm and 100cm, and the Opera Induction Cooker in 90cm and 100cm. An Opera Dual Fuel Cooker is also available in the same sizes, and all are crafted from stainless steel with a touch display and level controls.

The new Smeg Opera cookers have huge capacities with the 90cm offering 115 litres of space. The real star is the 100cm sizes, as they can have two compartments, one with a 70 litre capacity, and the other with 35 litres, so you can cook multiple meals at the same time – just like an air fryer!

With a twin fan system, the Smeg Opera cookers heat up quickly and evenly, and its Circulaire function ensures consistent cooking across multiple shelves. I’ve seen this feature in action when I visited Smeg HQ, and it’s extremely impressive as you can cook different types of food at the same time but Circulaire mode keeps smells and flavours separate – so you really could cook a fish next to a cake and not have any issues!

Another handy feature is built-in cooking modes which are only available in the 100cm sizes of the Smeg Opera cookers. The built-in modes include BBQ, air fry and pizza, so the Opera cooker could really replace any appliance you have in your kitchen.

The Smeg Opera Induction cookers feature a five-zone induction hob on the top of the cooker. The hob comes with Flex/Multizone, Eco and Booster options so you can cook quickly across all zones. Each zone is spacious and can cater to all compatible pots and pans. If you have an Auto-Vent 2.0 cooker hood, the induction hob on the Opera cooker can also communicate with it to manage extraction.

The Smeg Opera Dual Fuel cooker is what I think people will be most excited about. It combines a gas hob with an electric oven for versatile cooking power. The hob has six gas burners and visible flame control, plus it comes with a thermocouple that ensures the gas supply cuts off if the flame goes out.

Prices on the Smeg Opera Cookers start at £2,939 / €3,409, and are available to buy at Smeg and in select stores.

Ring has launched Neighbours in the UK, a community-powered forum within the Ring app that's designed to bring local communities together. More importantly, you don't need to own a Ring device or pay subscription fees to use it.

You'll be able to create your own neighbourhood by setting a radius around your home, with the option to go up to five miles. You can also customise your notifications so you're not bombarded with updates that aren't relevant to you.

Neighbours will launch in the UK in October, making the UK the first country outside the US to get the feature. If you're already a Ring customer, Neighbours will appear directly in the Ring app. If you're new to Ring, you can simply download the app and enter your address to set up your neighbourhood.

One of the first features coming to Neighbours in the UK is Search Party for Dogs, a tool that launched in the US last year to help reunite lost dogs with their owners.

Anyone can report a missing dog through Neighbours by uploading a photo or creating a Pet Profile with details about the dog and when it went missing. Ring customers with an active device can also start a Search Party, which allows participating outdoor Ring cameras in the local area to look out for the missing dog.

If a camera spots a potential match, its owner will be notified and can choose whether to share the footage with the dog's owner. Ultimately, it's up to the camera owner to decide whether footage is shared, and the owner of the missing dog can also choose to update the post when their dog has been found.

I'm personally a fan of the feature, particularly as Neighbours isn't limited to people who already own its cameras. Whether it actually becomes a modern version of the neighbourhood noticeboard will come down to how many people start using it, but the idea of bringing local communities together in one place is something that could be really positive.

MOVA has launched its V70 Ultra Complete, its most advanced robot vacuum cleaner and mop yet. With extendable mops and brushes, powerful suction and intelligent mapping, the MOVA V70 Ultra Complete looks like the whole package – and its price isn’t bad, either.

With all the advancements in the robot vacuum space, from climbing stairs to arms that pick up socks, one thing a robot vac has yet to excel at is edge cleaning. Due to their circular shape, it can be hard for these types of vacuums to get close to corners and into hard-to-reach areas – until now, that is.

The MOVA V70 Ultra Complete tackles these tricky areas, and reaches places other robot vacuums just can’t, thanks to its MaxiReachX technology. The robot vac-mop has a 17cm extending mop and 12cm side brush that pop out from the robot’s body to get into corners and skirting boards, and underneath furniture.

With up to 42,000Pa suction power, the MOVA V70 Ultra Complete can easily clean carpets and hardwood floors, and it automatically adjusts to these floor types and different rooms. For mopping, its motor spins the pads up to 300RPM and applies a downward pressure to remove tough stains.

To navigate your home, the MOVA V70 Ultra Complete uses AI and sensors to map your space, and recognise over 300 obstacles. For stair-climbing robot fans, it comes with the StepMaster System 2.0 which allows it to climb obstacles up to 9cm using its tiny robot legs – a concept I will never get behind as it slightly terrifies me.

The MOVA V70 Ultra Complete comes with an all-in-one docking station which self-cleans and empties the robot vacuum. It has an EcoCyclone bagless dust container that can store dirt for up to 100 days, and it’s washable to limit disposable dust bag waste.

The station also washes and dries the mop pads with heated water and air, and recharges the MOVA V70 Ultra Complete’s 6400mAh battery to give the robot vac-mop up to 220 minutes of runtime.

The MOVA V70 Ultra Complete is available to buy for £1,219 / $1,299 at MOVA and select retailers, like Very and B&Q. It’s not a budget product by any means, but it’s well priced compared to other competitors.

Smart sensors continue to be one of the most underrated smart devices, but Aqara just launched its most advanced model yet, and I think it’ll get more people interested in sensors.

The Aqara Spatial Sensor FP400 is a camera-free smart sensor that’s designed to strengthen your automations, and give you a better understanding of what’s happening around your home. The FP400 is the next generation of its popular Presence Sensor FP2, and it builds on its features with upgraded AI recognition and radar.

Using 60GHZ mmWave radar and AI, the Aqara Spatial Sensor FP400 can track up to 10 people in a room at the same time. Not only does it monitor presence and motion, but the Aqara Spatial Sensor FP400 can understand exactly where you are in a room, and respond to your movements accordingly.

In terms of coverage, the Aqara Spatial Sensor FP400 can cover up to 860 square feet and has a 120° field of view. In the Aqara app, you can choose up to eight zones for the sensor to track and sense, so if you have automations set up in a specific room, you can use the Aqara Spatial Sensor FP400 to more accurately and quickly trigger them.

The responsiveness of the Aqara Spatial Sensor FP400 is what interests me most. According to Aqara, the sensor knows when someone or multiple people are present in a room, and how they’re moving within it. In response, the Aqara Spatial Sensor FP400 can trigger lights to follow you around using its built-in ambient light sensor.

Aside from zones, users can customise how sensitive the Aqara Spatial Sensor FP400 is to movement. It has three sensitivity levels to choose from – high sensitivity is best for quieter or long-stay areas while low sensitivity is suited for more active environments.

If you install the Aqara Spatial Sensor FP400 in a room you and your family are often in, you might not want to be alerted to your movements all the time. With this in mind, Aqara added its AI Spatial Learning software to the sensor to reduce false alarms by recognising things like pets, robot vacuums, and airflow.

Speaking of installation, the Aqara Spatial Sensor FP400 can be mounted on walls, and even the ceiling. As a Matter-enabled device, the Aqara Spatial Sensor FP400 is compatible with multiple smart home ecosystems, including Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings and Homey. It also has native support for Thread and Zigbee.

The Aqara Spatial Sensor FP400 is available to buy now for £79.99 / $79.99 / €79.99 at Aqara.

SimpliSafe has launched the Video Doorbell Series 2, its most advanced video doorbell to date. The new video doorbell is packed full of smart detection and AI features which can help actively prevent crimes from happening – although there’s a bit of a catch.

While video doorbells add a key layer of security to your home, sometimes it feels like they’re simply recording incidents rather than helping you stop them. As quoted by SimpliSafe’s Chief Product and Technology Officer, Rebecca Zavin, “We believe that a video doorbell should do more than simply record what happened and alert you after the fact.”

She goes on to say that with the new SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Series 2, “we’re expanding our portfolio of products that can help prevent crime. This is another step toward making home security more proactive, giving homeowners greater confidence that their home and loved ones are safe, even when they’re away.”

How the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Series 2 helps prevent crime is by pairing it with SimpliSafe’s Active Guard Outdoor Protection. When you do this, the doorbell can use AI to detect potential threats and will then alert live security agents.

These agents can use your doorbell’s video, two-way audio and siren to stop burglaries or break-ins from happening, and can also call police and emergency services. The only ‘catch’ to this is the SimpliSafe Active Guard Outdoor Protection is unlocked with a Pro or Pro Plus subscription so you will have to pay a monthly fee to use it.

The SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Series 2 offers 2K video resolution and head-to-toe views, so you can clearly see who’s at your door from its top to its bottom. Its AI detection recognises people and packages, and you can customise your activity zones within the SimpliSafe app. The app also unlocks live view and other security features so you can remotely monitor your home at all times.

Stylish is a strong word to describe a video doorbell, but the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Series 2 is definitely not an eyesore. It’s sleek, compact and has a white LED ring to help with contrast. It’s easy to install, and it uses colour-coded lights that show as amber when a monitoring agent is speaking and blue when the homeowner is.

The SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Series 2 is available to buy for $199.99 at SimpliSafe. As of writing, UK pricing and availability hasn’t been announced. The doorbell also requires a SimpliSafe Base Station, Keypad and an existing wired doorbell set-up.

For the SimpliSafe Active Guard Outdoor Protection feature, you’ll need a Pro or Pro Plus plan – the former is $49.99 a month while the latter is $79.99 a month.

Meross has announced a huge smart home launch, introducing its MSH450P Matter Smart Hub Pro alongside three new smart sensors designed to cover everything from environmental monitoring to home security.

The MSH450P is designed to address some of the stability and connectivity limitations of traditional 433MHz devices. It combines Bluetooth and Matter for a more flexible setup, whilst also allowing users to connect directly to their smartphone and access device data without an internet connection.

The MSH450P costs just £25.99 or $34.99 through Meross' online store, making it an inexpensive way to build out a smarter setup.

As mentioned, the hub is joined by three new sensors, each with a slightly different purpose.

The MS120H (£38.99/$51.99) is focused on temperature and humidity monitoring, offering 0.1°C temperature and 1% relative humidity resolution across an operating range of -20°C to 60°C. This data can then be used to trigger smart home automations, rather than just being displayed as readings.

The MS220H (£38.99/$51.99) is a Bluetooth door and window sensor that goes beyond basic open-and-close detection. When connected to the MSH450P, activity from the sensor can trigger security alerts as well as wider smart home automations.

Finally, the MS420H (£19.99/$51.99) is designed to detect water leaks, triggering local audible and voice alerts, so you'll still be notified even if your phone isn't nearby.

As for the hub itself, the MSH450P is built to work across a range of environments, with an IP65 rating, CR123A battery and an operating temperature range of -20°C to 60°C. It supports Wi-Fi, Ethernet, BLE and 433MHz, with support for up to 32 connected devices.

At IFA 2026, Narwal announced a new range of vacuum cleaners, including robot, stick and wet-and-dry models. But the vacuum that stuck out to me the most was the Narwal V50 Cube, the brand’s first-ever stick vacuum which comes with its very own 5-in-1 multifunction docking station.

While it’s not unusual for a stick vacuum to come with a dock, they’re mainly used for recharging or storage. But the Narwal V50 Cube takes this one step further with its new dock as it combines auto-emptying, self-cleaning, storage, charging and filtration in one compact station.

According to Narwal, the dock takes up less space than an iPad Air, due to its small and compact size that’s 52% smaller than Narwal's other docks. It offers 100-days of auto-emptying, and has a H13 HEPA filter and UV sterilisation to keep your vacuum as clean as possible and without releasing allergens in the air with its antibacterial seal.

Once docked, the Narwal V50 Cube self-cleans and automatically charges itself. Despite its smaller size, the dock can also store the vacuum, its backup battery and multi-surface tools, of which the Narwal V50 Cube comes with an anti-tangle brush, extension wand, motorised hand tool and a 2-in-1 crevice tool.

Onto its cleaning power, the Narwal V50 Cube offers 210AW Turbo Power to expertly clean your floors. While it can clean up both carpet and hardwood floors, it excels at cleaning carpets with its CarpetFocus mode that increases pressure to get deep into the fibres.

Like Shark, the Narwal V50 Cube has a de-tangling system in the brush head to avoid hair getting stuck during cleaning. The head gets into tight corners and hard-to-reach edges while its ‘Cyber Glow’ accent lighting illuminates any dirt you may have missed.

The Narwal V50 Cube comes with AI and detection technologies, including AI DirtSense which switches modes when it detects different types of dirt. With a 1.4kg weight, the Narwal V50 Cube is extremely lightweight and has an ergonomic handle so you can comfortably clean your entire house. Its dual battery system and 180 minute runtime also ensures this.

The Narwal V50 Cube is expected to launch later this year in the US. UK availability has yet to be confirmed.

Govee has released yet another smart light, just a few weeks after its huge IFA reveal and only days after another new model leaked online. The latest addition is the Govee Wallwash Table Lamp, which has now appeared on Govee's website, although you can't actually order it just yet.

Interestingly, the new lamp bears more than a passing resemblance to the Philips Hue Iris Table Lamp, particularly with its rounded light source. However, Govee's version uses three LED elements to project gradients of up to three colours onto the wall, rather than casting light from a single source.

As mentioned, it's not available to buy just yet, but Govee has listed it at $99/€89.99, which works out at around £74 in the UK. We'll have to wait and see whether that UK price is confirmed when it officially goes on sale.

The lamp can be positioned freely on its transparent base, providing flexibility over where and how you want the light to fall. Its hemispherical section uses RGBWW technology to cast light downwards, whilst the upward-facing section uses RGBWWIC to create the colourful wall-washing effect.

The Wallwash Table offers warm and cool white tones ranging from 1,000K to 10,000K, along with more than 80 preset scenes, music synchronisation and Govee's AI-generated lighting features. It also supports Matter, so it will integrate into a wider smart home setup as well.

We'll update this story when Govee releases more information and opens orders.

If, like me, you can’t wait for the next season of the Great British Bake Off to start, then you’ll be happy to know that Aldi just made it easier – and cheaper – to bake along with the programme. The global supermarket retailer just launched its Home Baking range in its middle aisle, so you can become Star Baker at a much lower price.

As mentioned, I’m a big GBBO fan, and have watched it since it was first on the BBC, and we had Mel and Sue as presenters. I’ve even hunted down the best Great British Bake Off appliances but as you may expect, they come with a pretty hefty price tag.

But with ‘baking fever’ set to hit the UK in late September when the new series starts, Aldi has brought back its popular Home Baking range. With prices starting at just £2.69, the Aldi Home Baking range has everything you need to get started or continue your baking journey, including cake tins, choppers, measuring spoons and more.

The standout of the range is definitely the Ambiano Classic Stand Mixer. Aldi originally introduced this stand mixer in March 2026 for springtime baking, but it’s now back and in two bright new colours – red and green.

The Ambiano Classic Stand Mixer is a clear dupe of the iconic KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer which is actually used by bakers on Great British Bake Off. As you’d imagine, the Aldi version is significantly cheaper – you can get it for just £34.99.

Aside from its stylish colours and cheap price, the Ambiano Classic Stand Mixer is a handy mixer for mixing, whisking, kneading and beating. It comes with a beater, whisk, dough hook and splash guard, as well as a large 5-litre stainless steel bowl.

With eight speed settings to choose from, the Ambiano Classic Stand Mixer is quick and easy to use. It also has a pulse function for more intense blitzing, and its swivelling motor head offers expert mixing and easier access to adding ingredients to your bowl, and removing it from the base when needed.

Aside from the stand mixer, the Aldi Home Baking range has a full collection of baking essentials, including a Hand Mixer and Food Chopper for just £11.99. Shoppers can also buy measuring spoon sets, metal bakeware, cake tins, and cake covers.

Sage has launched its new Eye Q Toaster, which lets you choose your ideal toast by colour, then uses a sensor to monitor the bread and stop the cycle when it reaches your selected shade.

It's powered by Sage's patent-protected Eye Q Optic Sensor technology, which monitors the bread up to 10 times per second, automatically stopping when the selected shade is reached. The idea is to deliver more consistent results across different types of bread, rather than relying purely on a timer.

It's available now from Sage's online store, priced at £249.95/$299.95 for the two-slice model and £349.95/$399.95 for the four-slice version. It also comes in either Brushed Stainless Steel or Noir, which is a launch edition.

The Eye Q is the latest addition to Sage's range of best toasters, which already includes the Sage The Smart Toast. That toaster introduced features such as Quick Look, which lets you check on your toast without interrupting the cycle, and A Bit More, for when your toast needs a little extra browning.

The Eye Q has dedicated Sourdough and Crumpet modes, along with automatic lift-and-lower functionality and the familiar A Bit More setting. There's also a Timer Mode, just in case you'd rather stick to the numbers.

Sage has also included a Clearway Cavity, Catch All Crumb Tray and a non-stick ceramic-coated top, all designed to make the toaster easier to keep clean.

Now that we’re getting into the colder months of the year, it’s time for your smart thermostat to shine. Upgrading to a smart thermostat gives you more control over your heating, while helping you save time, money and energy around your home.

Before the colder weather really starts to hit, it’s a good idea to understand your smart thermostat a bit better, and which settings can optimise your home’s heating. The three settings below are available on all your standard smart thermostats, including models from Google, Tado and Honeywell, and are a great way to stay warm and save extra money heating your home this year.

1. Smart scheduling

Smart scheduling is one of the main reasons that people switch over to a smart thermostat in the first place. Being able to set different temperatures in each room of your home at different times of day is invaluable, especially for households with full smart home ecosystems who have lots of automations set up.

Instead of manually adjusting your thermostat or having your heating running constantly, smart scheduling is much easier to fit into your daily routine. Once you set it, your smart thermostat will quietly and automatically run everything in the background so you don’t have to do anything – plus it’s a brilliant money and energy saver.

It’s completely up to you how you schedule your smart thermostat, but I’d recommend setting your heating between 18°C - 22°C. With winter mornings coming up, I’d schedule your heating to be warmer during weekday mornings and to turn back on right before you get home in the evenings.

2. Geofencing

I always thought geofencing was a lot more complicated than it sounds, but it’s actually one of the handiest smart thermostat features you can use. Geofencing uses your smartphone’s location via GPS, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to monitor when you’re at home or away.

Often called Home-Away Assist, geofencing automatically lowers your heating or switches modes when it detects you’re not at home. Users can customise this in their thermostat’s app by drawing a boundary around the home. When you reach a certain distance, your heating will adjust so you’re not wasting your precious heating when you’re not at home to enjoy it.

Similarly, when it detects you’re approaching your home, geofencing can also alert your smart thermostat and get it to start pre-heating or pre-cooling your house so it’s to your liking when you arrive.

3. Room priority

Most smart thermostats come with room-by-room heating, meaning you can keep different rooms in your home at different temperatures. But the room priority setting deserves more recognition as it means you can have your favourite or most preferred room of your house at the perfect temperature at all times.

In your smart thermostat’s app, you can select which room you want your thermostat to focus on. When your thermostat’s sensors detect you or other people are in that room, it’ll prioritise heating or cooling it, so you can stay warm and cosy in your most commonly used room.

Cosori – the kitchen appliance brand best known for its affordable range of air fryers – has just launched its first-ever coffee maker. The Cosori Juni is a pour-over drip-style coffee machine which uses clever temperature controls, pour patterns and vibrations to extract your coffee – and it’s truly hypnotising to watch.

I’ve never been much impressed by drip coffee machines, despite having tested some great models. Due to the advancements in bean-to-cup and pod machines, I just find pour-over coffee makers to be quite old fashioned and I don’t love the taste of the coffee it makes.

However, the Cosori Juni Automatic Pour-Over Machine might have just changed my mind, mainly due to its clever coffee-making process. It looks like a traditional drip coffee maker that you’d find in an office, but it features two brew baskets – one with a cone bottom and the other with a flat bottom – that optimise coffee extraction for single cups or large batches.

Depending on the basket, the Cosori Juni can make up to 600ml of coffee with the cone brew basket, or 1.5 litres with the flat bottom brew basket. But what has most impressed me most with the Cosori Juni is its pour patterns and vibrations.

When you add ground coffee to the basket, the Cosori Juni gently vibrates it during the brewing process to evenly coat the grounds with water and extract the perfect flavour. The machine adds water via its nozzle as the basket spins to ensure coverage.

During brewing, the nozzle of the Cosori Juni moves in spiral, circular or centre pour patterns to replicate the pour-over movement of actual baristas – it’s very fun to look at! Water is also poured in stages to get the maximum amount of flavour and to control extraction while maintaining a precise temperature.

The Cosori Juni comes with a built-in display and controls, but to make the most out of your coffee making, the machine can also be connected to the VeSync app. The app offers personalised recipe suggestions and smart scheduling, and it uses AI to give you recommendations on your brew.

After you make a cup or batch of coffee, the Cosori Juni will ask you to rate your brew in the app. You can give feedback on its sweetness or bitterness, acidity and body. Using AI, the Cosori Juni will then offer improvements you could make for your next coffee, including temperature and pouring phases.

I like the idea of getting suggestions to improve your brewing process, although it’ll be interesting to see how many people will use the AI functionality. I’m sure it’ll be a divisive feature – do coffee machines, especially a pour-over maker, really need AI?! – but being able to understand and make quick changes to your morning coffee will be invaluable to some.

The Cosori Juni Automatic Pour-Over Machine is available to buy for $299.99 at Cosori. As of writing, it’s not yet available in the UK.

Watch out, Blink – Shelly has just launched its first-ever security camera, and it might be the most affordable option on the market right now. As an indoor smart camera, the Shelly Camera is compact and easy to install, and comes with an affordable price tag yet surprisingly advanced features.

Despite launching in 2018, Shelly is still a fairly new name to the smart home space. But the brand is definitely challenging this statement, as it recently announced a whole host of new smart devices at IFA 2026, including smart door and window sensors.

But it's the Shelly Camera that I’m most excited about, especially as it’s the first time Shelly has launched this type of device. As an indoor wired camera, the Shelly Camera is extremely small, circular and easy to install – it can be mounted on your wall or sit inconspicuously on shelves or desks.

Despite its compact size, the Shelly Camera offers full HD 1080p video so you can see detailed images throughout the day and night. It has black and white night vision and offers a wide field of coverage with 110° horizontal and 70° vertical views. I think it’d be a great pet camera or baby monitor, but Shelly states it can be used in homes, offices and small businesses.

Rather than a standalone camera, the Shelly Camera is designed to become part of your Shelly smart home ecosystem, and trigger automations. Using its motion detection, the Shelly Camera can connect to your other devices to enhance your daily routine. For example, when the camera detects that you’ve arrived home, you can set up an automation which turns on your smart lights.

Motion detection comes as standard with the Shelly Camera but if you want intelligent object detection which recognises people, pets and vehicles, you’ll need to sign up for Shelly Cloud. However, the Shelly Camera can easily be used without a monthly subscription, and you can still enjoy many advanced features, including live streaming, and recording and storing footage locally on a microSD card.

While the Shelly Camera is corded, it offers dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and there’s no home hub required for it to work. It’s also compatible with Alexa, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings.

Available in black or white, the Shelly Camera is priced at £37.90 / $49.99 / €39.90 at Shelly. It comes with a two-year warranty and includes three months of Shelly Cloud for free.

Watch out, Ninja – Smeg has just launched its first-ever air fryer, and it’s easily the most stylish air fryer I’ve ever seen. The new Smeg AFC01 Dual Flavour Air Fryer has a generous capacity, and multiple pre-sets and modes, but it’s the price that you’ll be most surprised by.

Smeg is known for many different small and large appliances, but air fryers is something it has rarely ventured into. Instead, Smeg has favoured adding air fryer functions into its oven line-up.

The brand even launched an oven-sized 10-in-1 air fryer last year – see our Smeg 10-in-1 Countertop Oven review for more details – but this is the furthest Smeg has gone into making an actual standalone air fryer… until now.

I originally spotted the Smeg AFC01 Dual Flavour Air Fryer at Milan Design Week earlier this year but other than what it looked like, I didn’t know anything about it – and I was even sure if it was real. Now that Smeg has officially announced the new model, I’m so glad it is real as I absolutely love the look of it.

Let’s face it – while air fryers may be practical, they’re not the nicest things to look at. That is until the Smeg AFC01 Dual Flavour Air Fryer. Smeg has given its single basket air fryer its iconic retro-inspired style, with a main matte coloured body, and silver Smeg lettering at the front.

As mentioned, the Smeg AFC01 Dual Flavour Air Fryer doesn’t look much like a ‘normal’ air fryer, and it also has a different way of opening. While most air fryers have handles so you can pull the baskets out from the front, the Smeg AFC01 Dual Flavour Air Fryer ‘opens’ at the top – in fact, almost everything happens at the top of this air fryer.

At the top of the Smeg AFC01 Dual Flavour Air Fryer is its touchscreen display and a large viewing window with integrated light so you can check on your food’s progress. To open it, the Smeg AFC01 Dual Flavour Air Fryer has a flip-open system that’s operated by a central button at the front.

When you press the button, the Smeg AFC01 Dual Flavour Air Fryer pops open and you can quickly and easily add or remove the basket. The basket itself is made from non-stick ceramic coating which is dishwasher safe, and has silicone handles for safety and practicality. It also has a generous 7.3-litre capacity.

Enough about the looks – how does it work? The Smeg AFC01 Dual Flavour Air Fryer has two cooking modes – Crispy and Juicy+Crispy. Crispy cooks food evenly and gives a golden brown colour and crunch, which Smeg recommends for cooking vegetables and breaded meals.

The Juicy+Crispy mode builds off this setting and combines hot air circulation with internal steaming, so your food gets crispy on the outside, and moist and flavourful on the inside. Both modes use little to no oil, and can be used alongside manual temperature and time controls, or seven pre-set programmes.

Available in black, white, storm blue or emerald green, the Smeg AFC01 Dual Flavour Air Fryer is priced at £199.95. The reason this price surprised me is that while this is a standard cost for most air fryers, this is actually one of the cheapest appliances you’ll find from Smeg – I can’t wait to try it!

IKEA's Dubbelkisel driver for wireless control has quietly gone on sale in several European countries, designed add smart controls to IKEA's integrated lighting. The device first leaked earlier this year after it was spotted in the Thread database, so it's taken nearly seven months to finally arrive.

The new smart driver is designed to make IKEA's standard integrated lighting remotely controllable, which could be particularly useful for light strips installed underneath kitchen cabinets or along bookshelves. Once connected, users can switch their lights on and off and adjust the brightness via the IKEA Home smart app.

It's available now in countries including the Netherlands and Germany, where it costs between €18 and €22. IKEA has yet to confirm when it will launch in the UK and US, but we'll update you when we know more.

The Dubbelkisel works with IKEA's Dirigera Hub and is also compatible with the brand's Bilresa smart remote. It supports Matter, too, meaning compatible IKEA lighting should be able to work with a wider range of smart home ecosystems.

It's also arrived just days after IKEA's first-ever smart radiator thermostat, which recently appeared on the retailer's Swedish website. It could be a sign that IKEA has more smart home products on the way, particularly given that the company unveiled 21 new smart home products at once last November.

The driver has a maximum power output of 30W and up to 90% efficiency under high load. It has a slim, rectangular white plastic body measuring 205 x 55 x 18mm, whilst two built-in hooks allow it to be mounted underneath a cabinet or on a wall.

It appears to be a newer version of IKEA's existing Trådfri Driver for wireless control, which also adds smart controls to the company's integrated lighting but doesn't offer Matter compatibility.

After the long hot summer the UK has had, I’m almost excited to feel a bit of a chill in the air. But with autumn and winter fast approaching, you may start to notice some of your household bills rising due to your increased use of your heating.

Turning on the heating is something people avoid for as long as possible as it can significantly push up your energy bills – see 7 tips to keep warm without turning on your heating for more. Following Ofgem’s announcement that its price cap will rise by 4% from October, bills could be getting even higher, so it’s best to prepare your home before the colder seasons hit.

According to Cal Graham, property expert at We Buy Any Home, there are a few forgotten settings and hidden heat leaks that could be quietly increasing your energy bills. The good news is that these fixes are extremely easy to make and free – so here are five hidden energy drains you need to know about.

1. Your boiler’s hidden ‘preheat’ mode

If you have a combi boiler, yours may have a ‘preheat’ mode that you might not know about. This mode which might also be called ‘comfort’ or ‘warm start’ keeps a small amount of water hot so it reaches the taps more quickly.

But while this offers convenience, according to Graham, “it can also mean the boiler is using gas throughout the day when nobody needs hot water. “Switching to an ‘eco’ setting may stop this, although the water might take slightly longer to become warm. Check the manufacturer’s instructions before changing anything.”

2. The temperature sent to your radiator

Your boiler’s flow temperature is what controls how hot water becomes before it travels around your radiator. Many condensing combi boilers are set to 70°C or 80°C but Graham states that a lower setting around 60°C could help them operate more efficiently while still keeping your home warm.

Graham explained that this lower degree “changes the temperature of the water inside the heating system, so rooms may warm slightly more slowly.”

3. Separate hot water settings

Some combi boilers give your household the option to adjust water temperature supplied directly to your shower and taps. If this is the case in your home, you may be using water that’s hotter than you or your family would comfortably use, which means your boiler could be heating water unnecessarily which is a waste of money and energy.

With this in mind, Graham warns that “this only applies to suitable combi systems. A stored hot-water cylinder is different and generally needs to remain at 60°C to control harmful bacteria, so never turn that down without professional advice.”

4. Radiator valves left on maximum

At 30 years of age, I still have no idea what I’m doing with my radiator so this next ‘hidden’ energy drain is probably something I’m doing without realising it. To find out more, Graham explained to me that “Not every radiator needs to be set to maximum. Turning valves down by one setting in less-used rooms can reduce demand while keeping a background level of warmth.”

Graham also pointed out that you should “avoid switching rooms off completely during cold weather, as very low temperatures may encourage damp or put pipes at risk.”

5. Draughts

Drafts are a major source of heat loss in your home. By not blocking or sealing draughts in your home, you’re making your heating work overtime to warm your rooms, so it’s important to identify and seal any gaps around your doors, windows and floors.

Graham says that “windows and doors are obvious places to inspect, but heat can also escape through loft hatches, unused chimneys, letterboxes, keyholes, cat flaps and gaps around floorboards. Walk through the home on a cool, windy day and use your hand to identify unexpected cold air.” Many gaps can be addressed cheaply using rugs, blankets and draught blockers.

IKEA's first-ever radiator thermostat has launched in Sweden, suggesting it could soon join the retailer's growing range of smart home products in the UK and US. The listing, first spotted by WinFuture, confirms that it's called the IKEA Liljebagge.

According to IKEA, the Liljebagge lets you adjust the temperature in individual rooms, control your heating when you're away and potentially reduce energy use. It's designed to work with most water-based radiators, and you can control it either through the IKEA Home app or directly from the thermostat.

IKEA has listed the Liljebagge for just 199 SEK, which works out at roughly £15, €18 or $20. That's incredibly cheap for a smart radiator thermostat, particularly if you're looking to add smart heating without spending a fortune.

We've seen plenty of smart radiator thermostats before, including the Aqara W600, but none have been priced this low. The Liljebagge also fits neatly alongside IKEA's existing budget-friendly smart sensors, such as the Timmerflotte temperature and humidity sensor, which costs just £5/$10.

The thermostat itself has a built-in display that switches off when you're not using it, so you won't have a permanently glowing screen on your radiator. Temperature can be adjusted in 0.5°C increments using the physical plus and minus buttons, whilst two AA batteries provide the power. IKEA says the batteries should last for around 18 months.

There's no UK or US launch date confirmed just yet, but given that the Liljebagge has already appeared on IKEA's Swedish website, hopefully we won't have too long to wait.

Lumie has launched its new Willow lamp, specifically designed to help get your children to sleep. Expanding its children’s lights line-up, the Lumie Willow is an advanced, child-focused nightlight – and after seeing its fun Disney designs, I wish I had one when I was a kid.

Having covered wellness for years on T3, wake up lights have become my favourite products to try. I have one by my bed and use it every morning as a way to wake up more gradually and naturally, rather than being shocked away by a loud alarm.

Most wake up lights come with sunset cycles to help you wind down in the evening, which has also become a vital part of my evening routine. Lumie’s range of lights have both sunrise and sunset cycles, including its new Lumie Willow which offers calming lighting, gentle cues and sunset programmes for your child.

According to sleep research, young children are more sensitive to light than adults. If your child uses a nightlight, its brightness and light colours can have an impact on their sleep, so choosing a good bedside lamp can help your child’s sleep quality and quantity.

The Lumie Willow is optimised for sleep, and emits low amounts of blue light to avoid stimulation when your child is meant to be sleeping. The lamp offers low, warm brightness and colours which can be adjusted easily and silently via the circular dial on the lamp’s stand.

As a sunset lamp, the Lumie Willow has a 20-minute gentle sunset programme that dims over time. Not only does this mimic the setting of the sun, but it acts as a natural aid to signal to your child that it’s time to sleep. When the programme ends, the Lumie Willow can either fade to off or fade to a nightlight.

For Disney loving children, the Lumie Willow comes in three designs – The Lion King, Mickey & Friends and Winnie the Pooh. The Lumie Willow is available to buy for £119 at Lumie.

There is a moment in my conversation with Db co-founder Truls Brataas when he compares materials to people, which is not necessarily where I expect a discussion about aluminium suitcases to end up.

However, as it turns out, it neatly explains the thinking behind one of the most ambitious products the company has made. "All materials are a bit like personalities," he tells me. "Polycarbonate and aluminium, they're good at different stuff, like people."

This idea sits at the heart of the brand's aluminium suitcase collection. Db didn't want to treat the material as a more expensive replacement for polycarbonate or enter a premium luggage market already populated by several established names.

Instead, it spent around three years trying to understand what aluminium could do, where it created problems, and how Db could build a suitcase around those characteristics.

The result contains more than 300 custom components, uses an unusual rivetless construction and, according to Brataas, represents something much bigger than another luggage launch. "It really felt like a natural evolution and an accumulation of everything that we learned over years."

From ski bags to aluminium

Db is still closely associated with the ski bags that helped establish the brand, but its move into conventional luggage stretches back to 2016, when the company launched its Aviator carry-on.

"The reason we made that was that we thought that market was ready for some disruption," Brataas says. "It was ready for someone to come in and look at that category a bit differently."

Db continued learning from those early products before making a much bigger commitment with the Ramverk Pro range, which Brataas says marked the point where the company put far more engineering resources behind conventional luggage.

Aluminium was the next challenge, but much of the thinking behind it came directly from Db's experience designing for specialist travellers. "We've been working with very dedicated travellers for more than a decade from all these sports, and we learned a lot of stuff on how to develop very specific products for these needs," Brataas says.

"For us, it has been a mentality shift on not just designing for the design, but basically deeply understanding the product first before you start to make the solution."

Ditching the rivets

One of the clearest examples is repairability, because Db wanted to challenge riveted construction, something that is common across traditional aluminium luggage.

"We wanted to look into repairability because all the luggage that is out there, most of it has rivets, so it's really hard to do any kind of repair," Brataas explains. "We wanted to see if it's possible to make luggage with screws, like IKEA, where everything can be changed."

The idea sounds simple, but using screws without covering the exterior in visible fixings created a much bigger engineering problem. Db needed internal structures that each component could screw into while keeping the outside of the case clean.

"You need to start to make internal rails and stuff like that," Brataas says. "That was actually quite a big engineering challenge."

As he explained, the shell, the rivetless construction and the need to create a new slide system were some of the biggest technical hurdles of the project. "You sit there with basically an Allen key and Torx and you dismount the entire thing with just screws."

More than 300 custom components

Building Alu this way also meant Db could not simply take a collection of standard luggage parts and assemble them around an aluminium shell. "I think what is interesting is that we didn't go for any components that are off the shelf," Brataas says. "Everything that we made – except the wheels – is made by us."

Even the trolley handle was treated as part of the wider engineering project rather than a generic component, with Db creating its own profile so that it fitted neatly into the edge frame.

Brataas says the company could have taken a much quicker route using existing OEM hardware, but doing so would have gone against its usual approach. "We won't go with off-the-shelf components. We've never done it that way in this company. We always try to do original work."

That decision stretched development to around three years and meant the manufacturing process had to evolve alongside the suitcase itself. Db was trying to build something using techniques that were not already standard on existing aluminium luggage production lines.

When I ask what the team ultimately had to compromise on, Brataas is fairly unequivocal. "We didn't really do any compromises on this thing, quite honestly. We went all the way out on this one."

Aluminium has a personality of its own

Part of the difficulty came from aluminium itself, which Brataas describes as one of the toughest materials to engineer into luggage. "It is the hardest material to work with when it comes to luggage from an engineering point of view, but it also is the pinnacle challenge."

He describes aluminium as relatively soft, highly formable, and naturally lustrous, which means the way the case ages has to be considered during the design process. "It will get a patina over time, but you need to take that into the design process."

Protection was another early concern, particularly because aluminium's softness meant Db wanted to create a case that was protected across the entire structure rather than simply reinforced around the corners.

"One of the cons is that aluminium is quite soft," he says. "So how can you make luggage which has protection not only on the edges of the bag, but through the entire thing?"

Those functional demands then influenced the final shape of the suitcase. "What we do is we start with a very industrial design methodology," Brataas says. "Once you understand and start to create a form, then form will follow the function."

Red Bull meets Acne Studios

That balance between technical performance and visual appeal has been part of Db's identity from the beginning, even though adventure sports remain the most obvious reference point for many people who know the company.

Brataas sums up the original ambition using an unlikely pairing. "Our North Star in the beginning was what happens if you take Red Bull, the pinnacle of extreme sport and outdoor, and mix that with Acne Studios, the Swedish fashion brand, which is the pinnacle of Scandinavian design aesthetic, and you merge that into one thing."

"We are travellers; we do all these sports. However, we want to look good when we do it."

For much of Db's history, that meant bringing lifestyle and fashion influences into outdoor equipment, but Brataas says the direction is increasingly reversing. "What you're seeing more often is we take the outdoor into the lifestyle side."

Alu is perhaps the clearest example yet, taking knowledge accumulated through skiing, surfing, photography, and other demanding travel niches and applying it to a suitcase intended for a much broader group of people.

"We use those high niches to learn how to bring that into other segments because these are the most demanding consumers you will find," Brataas says. "If we manage to make products for them, there's a lot of learning that we can bring into the wider lifestyle as well."

A peek into Db's future

That shift raises an obvious question about what Db now wants to be, because a company producing ski bags, camera backpacks, aluminium luggage and fashion-led collaborations is increasingly difficult to put into one category.

Brataas seems perfectly happy with that. "We are one of the few brands that I know that are category independent," he says. "We can work with so many different verticals, and it's natural for the brand."

Db's co-founder describes the company as a "lifestyle luggage brand", while positioning Alu as evidence of its increasing focus on the lifestyle side and its attempt to "take the outdoor into the lifestyle".

When I ask what he wants the legacy of Alu to be five years from now, Brataas makes it clear that he sees the collection as a statement about Db itself. "Aluminium is a symbol or a peek into the future of Db, and it symbolises the premium position that we have in the bag and luggage category, and it also shows our capability."

That may ultimately be more interesting than the aluminium shell or the 300-plus custom components, because Alu shows how far Db has travelled from solving one very specific problem around carrying skis.

The same obsession with demanding users and original product design remains, but the audience and ambition are becoming considerably broader.

You can shop the Ramverk Alu Collection at Db now.

Samsung will soon unveil a new version of its SmartTag Bluetooth tracker, according to a report online. It is claimed that a Galaxy SmartTag 3 will arrive in October, with a new, rounder form factor. However, it's still not expected to be compatible with iOS or Apple's Find My system.

Launched for Samsung Galaxy phone owners only, the SmartTag range has traditionally even foregone support for Google's Find My Device network. It will be interesting, therefore, to see if the SmartTag 3 will break from tradition.

We don't have any technical specifications as yet, with WinFuture merely posting images of the new device ahead of time. What is clear though is that the tracker will be more like the AirTag this generation, rather than feature the elongated teardrop-style design of its predecessor.

Indeed, the new model looks more like a current Samsung Galaxy Watch, with rounded edges on a squarish body. It seems to be coming in either black or white.

WinFuture also reveals that a number of accessories will accompany the tag. The SmartTag 2 had its own, integrated keyring loop, but that'll be an added extra this time.

There will also be an official pet collar ComfortTag case, according to the leak.

As for pricing, the site states that the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 3 should retail for $29.99, with a four-pack expected to be available for $99.99. That's less than the existing SmartTag 2, which is currently listed on the UK Samsung store for £34 apiece.

It's hard therefore to pin down exact price points for different regions based on the information we have so far. Local taxes and duties can play an effect.

Hopefully, we'll find out for sure soon, with the device said to be hitting the market next month. That means Samsung could formally announce it in the next couple of weeks.

I’ve gone through many different vacuum cleaners over the years, and I still have yet to find my perfect model. But the vacuum brand that I consistently go back to is Shark.

I’ve had many Shark vacuums over the years, including upright, stick and handheld models, and the Shark PowerDetect Transformer is a combination of all three in one device. This latest vacuum from Shark is designed to clean all floor types, be easy to maneuver from floor to floor, and get underneath furniture and into corners.

While it’ll take a lot for me to go back to a corded, upright vacuum cleaner, the Shark PowerDetect Transformer may have changed my mind. I spent three weeks testing it, and this is how I got on.

Shark PowerDetect Transformer review: price and availability

Launched in September 2026, the Shark PowerDetect Transformer is available to buy for £499.99 / $529.99 at SharkNinja and select retailers, like Currys, Argos and Very. It’s available in black, blue and green colours.

Shark PowerDetect Transformer review: unboxing and setup

The Shark PowerDetect Transformer arrived in a large cardboard box, disassembled and wrapped in paper bags and sticky packaging. Putting it together was extremely easy and took just a few minutes. An instructional manual was in the box but the entire process was very self-explanatory so it wasn’t all that needed.

First, I inserted the anti-odour box into the main brush head which consisted of me lining up the arrows and clicking and locking it into place. From there, I clicked the main stick pole into the brush head, and slid the large bin onto the front, before attaching the handle.

As a corded vacuum cleaner, the Shark PowerDetect Transformer has a long eight metre power cord. It came with a duster crevice tool, stair tool, HairPro Pet Power Brush and an Anti-Allergen Dusting Brush which clips onto the handheld part of the machine.

Shark PowerDetect Transformer review: design and features

When fully assembled in its upright position, the Shark PowerDetect Transformer measures 117.2cm in height, 28.5cm in depth and 30.6cm in width. It weighs 8kg with the main 1.3-litre bin attached which I found to be extremely heavy. It felt significantly lighter when in stick mode.

As a 3-in-1 device, the Shark PowerDetect Transformer offers upright, stick and handheld cleaning. To convert it from upright to stick, simply unclip the main bin, and then the vacuum can fold down to clean underneath furniture. For handheld, remove the main wand, and attach accessories for cleaning your car, the stairs, and hard-to-reach spots.

Each ‘mode’ is designed for different cleaning tasks. As an upright vacuum, the Shark PowerDetect Transformer is best for cleaning carpets as it has a stronger suction, while stick is easier to carry and get into difficult areas. Handheld is even better at that, and is good for smaller, more controlled cleaning tasks, like getting into the crevices of your car seats.

The Shark PowerDetect Transformer has an intelligent brush head with Anti-Hair Wrap technology to avoid tangles, and an LED light to illuminate dirt. The controls for the Shark PowerDetect Transformer are on the handle, including on/off and floor type, but the vacuum responds to floors itself with its detection technologies.

Shark has given the PowerDetect Transformer four different detection technologies, including direction, floor, edge and dirt. Direction senses how you’re moving the vacuum and will change its suction to forward or backward, while floor detects the floor type and adjusts its power. Edge senses corners, and dirt boosts power when it recognises different types and levels of dirt.

The Shark PowerDetect Transformer actually has two bins – the main large bin at the front and a smaller bin at the top, just underneath the handle. The main bin collects dirt while in upright mode, but when you take it off for stick or handheld, the smaller bin collects debris.

To empty the smaller bin, keep the Shark PowerDetect Transformer on and clip the main bin back onto the vacuum. The bin will then automatically empty into the main bin so you don’t have to empty two bins. It also has HEPA filtration and anti-allergen seal technology to trap dirt, allergens and dust, and prevent odours.

Shark PowerDetect Transformer review: performance

The Shark PowerDetect Transformer hasn’t been out for very long, but I think it’s one of Shark’s most intelligent designs. It offers three cleaning types in one, and does it with a quick and simple assembly system. Clipping the main bin on and off was simple, mess-free and took no time at all.

The controls at the top of the Shark PowerDetect Transformer were easy to use, although with its detection technologies, I rarely needed to use them. The vacuum and brush head immediately recognised different levels of dust and dirt, and I could hear it boost its power when it noticed these things which I really appreciated.

While cleaning, I found the Shark PowerDetect Transformer to work expertly on both hardwood and carpets. The LED light at the front was very bright – I’d go as far to say you could clean with the lights off and still see what you were doing! Its suction power was incredibly impressive, and it sucked up dirt quickly and effectively on single passes.

One area I found the Shark PowerDetect Transformer struggled with was dust. I noticed that it often just pushed dust around rather than hoovering it up, so it took several passes before it got everything. However, the vacuum got into corners and edges nicely.

The handheld mode was good, and its attachments were well made. It cleaned my stairs extremely well, although I found it hard to remove the accessories at times. The stick vacuum was helpful, especially to get low to the floor, and to carry the vacuum up and down my stairs. The length of the cord is generous, so while cordless is preferred, I didn’t find it to be limiting.

My main issue with the Shark PowerDetect Transformer is its weight. As an upright model, it’s extremely heavy and I felt like I really had to push it around, especially on carpet. It was slightly easier to maneuver on hardwood, but some people will struggle with it – it felt like I was doing an arm workout! It’s not the quietest, either.

Shark PowerDetect Transformer review: verdict

The Shark PowerDetect Transformer is undeniably a very clever and useful 3-in-1 vacuum cleaner. Having three cleaning options in one device makes cleaning your entire house – carpet, hardwood, stairs, furniture, car, and any other nooks and crannies – an absolute doddle.

The bin of the Shark PowerDetect Transformer was my favourite part. Having two separate bins meant you could transform the vacuum into different modes, while only having to empty one bin, and it kept everything hygienic and allergen-free. Stick mode was definitely my favourite as it took some serious weight off, and got into tricky areas and under furniture.

Its weight is the main issue for me, but the good thing is you can choose to use the Shark PowerDetect Transformer just as a stick and handheld, and only make it upright to empty the bin. Its noise will be loved by parents who vacuum to wake you up, but in general, it is quite loud when in use and when emptying. Its dust pick-up could be better, too.

Overall, though, I enjoyed using the Shark PowerDetect Transformer, and it’s become my ‘upstairs’ vacuum, as it expertly cleans both my carpet and hardwood on those floors.

Shark PowerDetect Transformer review: alternatives to consider

If upright is your bag, the Hoover H-Upright 300 Pets is a great corded vacuum cleaner that’s extremely lightweight. There’s plenty of cable to go around, and it expertly cleans up pet and human hair, as well as other dirt and debris.

Another upright model – but this one is cordless – is the Gtech AirRAM Platinum. It’s extremely slim, and offers an excellent performance across all floor types. Its LED headlights are like Shark’s, and it also has a clever bin-emptying system.

Finally, if you’re a Shark fan but want an upright cordless model, the Shark FreeStyle Pro is light, easy to carry and despite its clunky bin, it turns corners well and gets into tricky spaces.

Drayton has expanded its smart home range with a new 2nd Gen smart radiator thermostat, giving homeowners more control over the temperature in individual rooms. It joins Wiser's growing Matter-enabled smart home lineup, including the Wiser 2nd Gen HubR, which we reviewed back in April.

Building on the original model, the new thermostat brings several upgrades, including quieter operation, improved battery flexibility and wider compatibility with existing radiator valves. It also has an upgraded motor, which brings operating noise down to just 19dB(A), making it a great fit for bedrooms and other quieter areas of the home.

The Wiser 2nd Gen Radiator Thermostat is available now in white or anthracite, directly from Drayton or selected retailers for £59.99 – around $80.

The thermostat can run on the included AA alkaline batteries, which Drayton says can last for more than two years, or Ni-Mh rechargeable batteries. It's also compatible with radiator valves from a range of major manufacturers, which makes installation straightforward.

There's also a physical Boost control on the thermostat itself, which you can activate by twisting the cap towards the plus symbol to increase the temperature by 2°C for one hour.

For more control, you can use the Wiser Home app to manage individual rooms and create heating schedules. Drayton says its multi-zone heating system could save users up to 30% on their annual energy bills, although your actual savings will depend on how you use your heating.

The thermostat is also Zigbee certified, allowing it to connect to the wider Wiser smart heating system. As part of Wiser's Matter-enabled ecosystem, compatible products can also be brought into platforms including Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Samsung SmartThings.

Ugreen has launched a new range of smart home products at IFA 2026, including an AI-powered home hub designed to control storage, security and smart home control in one place. It marks a move beyond the best power banks and charging accessories the brand is best known for.

The new Ugreen HomeAgent sits in the middle of the lineup, combining NAS-style storage and computing with smart home controls. It can connect to Ugreen's own AIoT devices, as well as other Matter-compatible products, giving users a single place to manage their connected home.

The HomeAgent range is available to pre-order ahead of the Kickstarter campaign, which launches on 27th October. Customers can currently place a deposit to reserve a device, with Ugreen offering a 50% super early bird discount. Other AIoT products are also expected to join the Kickstarter campaign when it goes live.

Users can also interact with HomeAgent using natural language, allowing you to manage files, control connected devices and automate parts of your home without having to jump between different apps.

HomeAgent is built around local storage and on-device AI, meaning Ugreen says your data can stay at home rather than being sent entirely to cloud-based services. That's particularly interesting for things like security camera footage and personal photos.

The wider HomeAgent lineup includes the HA100 and HA100 Pro, as well as the more powerful MasterAgent MA100, which is powered by NVIDIA's Jetson Thor platform. They're joined by SynCare smart cameras, the Ugreen Smart Speaker for Uliya and Ugreen Gallery smart frames, creating a wider ecosystem of connected home products around the hub.

IFA 2026 may have taken place a week ago, but new product releases just keep coming! Haier announced a huge range of large and small appliances at the event, including a three model vacuum cleaner line-up, but it’s the brand’s newest oven that has got me excited.

Despite the rise of air fryers, ovens are having a resurgence, mainly due to the introduction of AI. I’ll be honest, I think it’s slightly ridiculous to have AI in appliances as it’s not always necessary or really saving you time, but Haier’s new ID Ultimate Series 6 Oven could potentially change my mind.

The new Haier ID Series 6 range are built-in large appliances, including an oven, induction hob and extractor hood. Designed to enhance your food preparation and cooking experience, the collection can be bought together as a whole kitchen solution or separately.

The Haier ID Ultimate Series 6 Oven immediately caught my attention when it was introduced at IFA. With its sleek, minimalist design, the Haier ID Ultimate Series 6 Oven has a PartLight light bar at the front which flashes blue to show you the status of your oven, and its cooking progress.

Inside the Haier ID Ultimate Series 6 Oven is its AI Vision internal camera. When you put food inside it, the camera recognises food and monitors its cooking. Once cooked, the Haier ID Ultimate Series 6 Oven stops the cooking programme to prevent burning and so you can serve your food at the perfect temperature and texture.

With its 78-litre capacity, the Haier ID Ultimate Series 6 Oven has a lot of room inside, including seven different shelf levels. The oven also has a Pure Flavour Steam setting and sous-vide programme, so you can steam and cook foods at lower temperatures to preserve its flavours, textures and moisture levels.

Moving on to the hob, the ID Hob Series 6 is dubbed by Haier as a ‘fully active induction hob’. The surface can cater for up to six pots and pans, and it automatically recognises where you put them to deliver precise power. It also has a Power Follows the Pan feature, so you can move your pan to a different position, and the cooking settings follow it.

The ID Series 6 range is expected to launch soon at Haier.

Stihl has launched the RCA 50, a new battery-powered pressure washer designed for smaller cleaning jobs around the home and garden. It's aimed at everything from washing the car to cleaning garden furniture, making it ideal if you're looking for the best pressure washer that you can easily move around.

Weighing just 2.3kg, the RCA 50 delivers up to 100 bar of pressure, whilst still being lightweight. You can connect it directly to a water supply, or switch to suction mode and use the supplied five-metre suction hose with a water butt or another collected water source.

The Stihl RCA 50 is available now from Stihl directly and approved dealers, with an RRP of £209 (around $280) for the tool only. The battery and charger are sold separately, although you can also buy them together as a starter set.

It comes with a 3-in-1 nozzle that lets you switch between rotary, flat-jet and narrow-jet settings, whilst the water pressure can be adjusted continuously depending on what you're cleaning.

Stihl also includes a useful selection of accessories, including a surface cleaner with wheels and a steering function for cleaning patios and other smooth surfaces with less splashing. There's also a spray lance and cleaning agent spray set.

The pressure washer runs on Stihl's AK 20 36V lithium-ion battery, offering up to 15 minutes of runtime on a full charge. The battery is part of Stihl's interchangeable AK System, so the same battery can be used with other compatible garden tools.

Acqua di Parma has expanded its Signatures of the Sun collection with a new men’s fragrance which smells good enough to eat. Available in multiple forms, the new Acqua di Parma Cedro Virtuoso smells like summer in a bottle, and it’s making me want to hold on to summer a little while longer.

September is always an odd month for fragrances. It’s typically still quite a warm month, which is at odds for many people who are looking forward to the autumnal season. But Acqua di Parma’s new Cedro Virtuoso is a warming scent that breaches the gap between the end of summer and start of autumn.

Acqua di Parma describes Cedro Virtuoso as a woody gourmand fragrance, with its notes of hazelnut and Virginia cedarwood. These two ingredients are co-finished and developed through a 30-day maceration process to add a rich, smooth and creamy smell to the bottle.

Cedro Virtuoso has been created exclusively for Acqua di Parma by Fabrice Pellegrin, a principal perfumer who’s worked with multiple fragrance manufacturers. Acqua di Parma Cedro Virtuoso was made to ‘translate the strength and elegance of cedarwood into something modern and textured’.

Alongside the cedarwood and hazelnut is Calabrian bergamot which gives Acqua di Parma Cedro Virtuoso a bright hint of freshness, while also adding extra warmth to the wood and nut that makes the base of the fragrance. It comes in Acqua di Parma’s signature bottle design that will look great next to your other brand fragrances.

My husband is a big fan of Acqua di Parma fragrances, and they always remind me of summertime, so I can’t wait for him to try this one.

The Acqua di Parma Cedro Virtuoso is available as an eau de parfum in 12ml, 50ml, 100ml and 180ml sizes. It also comes as a candle, diffuser, body cream, and hand and body wash. Prices on the fragrance start at £180 / $260 and are available to buy at John Lewis.