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Product Reviews

Trump signs executive order saying his TikTok deal is legal

by admin September 25, 2025

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order finalizing some of the terms of a deal to bring TikTok’s US business under American control. The new TikTok entity will be owned by a group of US-based investors, while ByteDance will maintain a smaller stake in the new company and keep the app’s algorithm.

TikTok has faced more than a year of uncertainty about its future in the United States since former President Joe Biden signed a law last year requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban. In January, the Supreme Court upheld the law and TikTok briefly went dark just as Trump took office. Trump promptly signed an executive order extending the ban deadline for the app. (He signed off on a fourth extension last week.) Today’s order declares that the plan to split off a US entity from the ByteDance-owned company will meet the requirements of the ban order.

The executive order comes after a flurry of interest in TikTok from US companies and investors. Microsoft, Amazon, Perplexity AI, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian and YouTuber MrBeast were all reportedly among those vying for the business.

Under the new arrangement, US investors will have a large stake in the US entity. CNBC reported that Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX would be part of a core group of investors that own 45 percent of the business. Trump confirmed Oracle’s involvement, and also mentioned Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch as investors as part of the deal. ByteDance, TikTok’s current owner, will have a 19.9 percent stake and the rest will go to a group of investors that includes ByteDance’s previous investors. Vice President JD Vance said the new company would be valued at around $14 billion.

Oracle, which has previously partnered with the company on data security, will continue in its role overseeing the app’s algorithm and security. The fate of the TikTok algorithm has been a major question. Some lawmakers have questioned the decision to license the algorithm from ByteDance. Earlier this week, both the Republican chair and Democratic ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party expressed concerns about any arrangement that doesn’t put the algorithm squarely in American hands.

Answering questions after Trump signed the order, Vance said to reporters that the deal ensures that US investors will have “control over how the algorithm pushes content toward users.” In reponse to a question about whether the algorithm would prefer MAGA content, Trump lamented that although he would love for the platform to be 100 percent MAGA, it would in fact treat “everyone fairly.” Trump described China as “fully on board” with the deal.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

Borderlands 4 Quincunx Stellium: An upper-body shot of Vex holding a glowing orb in her left hand as she looks out in the distance.

Product Reviews

Borderlands 4’s latest patch triggers a flurry of performance complaints, but Gearbox says new stuttering problems ‘should resolve over time as the shaders continue to compile’

by admin September 25, 2025

A new Borderlands 4 patch has gone live with an array of fixes, gameplay tweaks, and the big one, promises of improved performance and stability—sorely needed for a game that, despite its popularity, holds a “mixed” rating on Steam, largely because of sub-par performance. (For the record, our reviewer liked it quite a bit.) The update has sparked a new round of performance complaints, though, as quite a few players are reporting that instead of being improved, their in-game performance is worse than ever.

One of the less-great things about PC gaming is that the nigh-infinite number of potential hardware configurations means that somebody, somewhere, is always going to have problems with a new game launch or update. In this case, though, the problems seem fairly widespread, with reports of diminished frame rates and increased stuttering coming in on Steam, Reddit, and X alike.

Some users do say they’ve seen an improvement in frame rates, or at least that things are more or less the same. But, at least at this point, they seem easily outnumbered by players who say they’ve encountered the opposite effect. A few players have said clearing the shader cache might help clear up the problems, but it’s not clear whether that’s related to this new patch or just a catch-up to a known issue we talked about last week.

Gearbox acknowledged the complaints a couple hours after the patch went live but indicated that there might not actually be any problems. “Stuttering issues should resolve over time as the shaders continue to compile in the background while playing,” the studio wrote on X. Compiling shaders is, you’ll recall, the bane of gamers everywhere. “If you’re still experiencing issues after 15 minutes of continuous play, you can also clear your shader cache via your video card manufacturer’s approved method.”

(Image credit: Gearbox Software (Twitter))

Fingers crossed, then, but we’ll keep you posted if the problems turn out to be more serious than that. For now, you can check out the full patch notes below.

Change List:

Weekly Activities:

Weekly Big Encore Boss has switched to a tougher variant of a different existing boss with an even more rewarding loot pool for those that take it on.
The Weekly Wildcard Mission has changed. These Missions feature a guaranteed Legendary drop that you can repeatedly earn to get your ideal roll.
Maurice’s Black Market Vending Machine has moved to another location and changed its offerings. Remember, while the location is the same, your vending machine items are different from other players, so ask around to see if someone has the item you’re looking for!

Stability & Performance

Improvements to stability and performance.
- Addressed various instances of hitching, low FPS, and crashes.
- We are continuing to investigate and will make further improvements to stability and performance.
Updated character animations for performance improvements.
Graphics Preset could be set to High or Very High when using Run Auto-Detect in Visual Menu.
Addressed rare issues of infinite loading screens during crossplay.
Improved loading of characters in menus to reduce visible delays when entering character select.

Rewards & Progression

Addressed a reported issue where players could lose or be rewarded unintended extra Skill Points in multiplayer.
Addressed an issue that could prevent Contract target enemies from consistently spawning.
Updated Repkit lifesteal challenge to track lifesteal from any source.
Prevented region discovery achievements from unlocking before discovering all areas.
Prevented instances of unowned DLC content appearing in chests or in menus.
Improved clarity of DLC-related warnings and reward availability.
Addressed a reported issue where the Reward Center could stop working after claiming the Gilded Glory Pack rewards.
Rewards Center popup now correctly excludes already-claimed cosmetics.
Reduced sell prices on Gilded Glory Pack gear in Vending Machines.
Updated the Break Free Pack reward bundle to redeem properly in all instances.
Challenge timing has been updated so players can properly progress from Ultimate Vault Hunter (UVH) 4 to UVH 5 after completing the required Wildcard Mission.
- When ranking up in multiplayer, players that are not the host will not see the change to their UVH level, but will be able to switch to the higher level. This will be addressed in an upcoming update.
Updated Class Mods to prevent them from dropping with incorrect skill points.
Removed the ECHO log “Maurice’s Log” as a requirement for the challenge ”Kairos Speaks“.
- Note: For those not seeing the reward after this change, we will be addressing that in a future patch.

Vault Hunter Changes

Harlowe the Gravitar

Gravitar Ground State Capstone has been corrected to remove inaccurate verbiage about enemies taking reduced damage when they do not.
Gravitar Flux Generator no longer heals enemies with Potential Transference Capstone.
Updated Gravitar Accretion passive to consistently grant Lifesteal to allies.
Addressed various reported issues with Gravitar Unstable Energy Pocket created from CHROMA Accelerator Action Skill.
- Includes instances where it would not disappear properly, convert to Cryo Damage, or split as intended with certain skill tree combinations. Skills that saw updates: Special Purpose Magnets Augment, The Shattering Light Capstone, QED passive, Break the Ice passive, Containment Breach Augment, and Eureka! Passive.

Amon the Forgeknight

Forgeknight Primal Surge passive now properly restores Shield and Ammo.
Forgeknight Firewall Action Skill has been adjusted so Vengeance cannot be stored by Firewall before Scourge is active, as intended.
Forgeknight Onslaughter Rocket Punch now connects more reliably with shielded enemies.
Addressed a reported issue with Forgeknight Forgeaxe not consistently seeking nearby enemies.

Vex the Siren

Addressed a reported issue with Siren Grave Harvest Augment being triggered while Incarnate is not active.
Addressed a reported issue where Siren Blight Attunement passive could occasionally fail to damage the Timekeeper.
Damage caused by Siren Spirit Bomb passive now counts properly as Companion Damage and changes its color to match attuned element.

Rafa the Exo-Soldier

Addressed a reported issue preventing Exo-Soldier Blowout passive from stacking properly when repeating Action Skills.

Gameplay

Addressed a reported issue in the “Overwriting a Wrong” Side Mission where nodes would not spawn consistently.
Addressed a reported issue in the “Talk to Zadra” Mission where the objective could fail if players exited and relaunched mid-dialogue.
Updated beam hit detection, as it was causing beams to not be blocked properly. Eg: Forgeknight Forgeshield.
Repkits now consistently consume the correct amount of charges after activating Forgeknight Scourge action skill.
Prevented Forgeknight from sliding at the end of Molten Slam.
Addressed various reported instances of enemies getting stuck.
- Impacted Missions: during “Kill Order Forces” in the Fadefields, “His Vile Sanctum” Mission, and “A Lot to Process” Mission.
Addressed reported desync issues observed with Lightweight Armature enemy movement in multiplayer.
Updated Zadra’s Lab Fast Travel unlock to after discovery.

Gear

Vladof Atling Gun Heavy Weapon Ordnance now properly targets Primordial Guardian Inceptus.
Queen’s Rest Pistols with Daedalus Ammoswitcher licensed underbarrel now shoot the correct projectiles.
Gear with the Short Circuit Augment now traces properly toward enemies instead of random directions.
Addressed reported edge cases where interrupting reload could cause ammo desyncs that would prevent ammo from firing.
Hellwalker: now always spawns with Fire element.
Tediore weapons: +10% Damage and +10% magazine size.
Order Pistol Lucky Clover (Rocket Reload): increased fire rate.
Order Sniper Rifle Fisheye: increased Damage.

UI & UX

Updated gear thumbnails in cases where they did not display properly, and ensured stand-in thumbnails load properly.
Updated various UI visuals for alignment, consistency, and clarity.
Adjusted inventory dropdown menus to prevent unintended selected changes.
Added D-pad navigation support to the Reward Center and improved handling of the Inventory Overflow message.
Prevented Matchmaking Menu hint bar from displaying incorrect prompts when joining another player’s game.
Addressed compass occasionally displaying incorrect location name after teleporting.
Updated localization and various text descriptions across the game.
Added various improvements to compass, custom waypoint placement, and ECHO location.

Visuals

Addressed carryable objects disappearing or appearing in the wrong location after being picked up; includes cases in Ready to Blow, Lost Capsules, and Hangover Helper Missions.
Improved triggering of Armor Segment breaks VFX when Shield Capacity effects expire.
Updated NPC and enemy pathing.
Addressed VFX concerns with various weapons, vehicles, and elemental states.
Various animation updates.
Various visual updates and improvements.
Adjusted rift portal effect to corrected visuals.
Updated ECHO-4 to have correct positioning when viewing various menus, and to prevent clipping.
Ambient critters have a more natural spawn behavior.

Audio

DJs in Carcadia Burn and Fadefields now play their VO when starting or completing Contracts.
Adjusted radio music mix for improved audibility.
Added missing audio for multiple weapon types, customization, and menu navigation.
Reduced instances of voiceover cutting out during Missions.
Updated startup movies to have correct audio.

Misc

Addressed reported instances of incorrect or deleted characters appearing in Menu or Lobbies.
Enabled Tab key in SHiFT UI.
Added haptic feedback for controllers to Exo-Soldier Unmissable Missiles Augment.
Updated Credits listing.

NOTE: We’ve received reports that some players are experiencing reduced stability after downloading this update.

SOLUTION: Stuttering issues should resolve over time as the shaders continue to compile in the background while playing. If you’re still experiencing issues after 15 minutes of continuous play, you can also clear your shader cache via your video card manufacturer’s approved method.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

‘The Astronaut’ Teases a Returned Space Traveler’s Worst Sci-Fi Nightmare

by admin September 25, 2025

A person who thinks they’re home alone starts to suspect there might be an unnatural presence lurking around: that’s a pretty classic horror movie setup. What makes The Astronaut extra eerie is that the main character is a NASA astronaut whose most recent voyage ended with a rough re-entry. And that presence just might be something extraterrestrial that hitched a ride to Earth.

Here’s the new trailer for The Astronaut, starring Kate Mara as the understandably freaked-out title character. Is it real or in her mind—and which scenario would actually be worse?

Here’s the official synopsis:

“When astronaut Sam Walker (Kate Mara) crash lands back to Earth, she’s discovered alive in a punctured capsule off the Atlantic coast. General William Harris (Laurence Fishburne) places her in quarantine under strict NASA surveillance for rehabilitation and testing. But as disturbing events escalate, she begins to fear that something extraterrestrial has followed her home.”

While Mara is often seen in drama roles, she’s no stranger to genre; while she’d probably rather leave 2015’s Fantastic Four behind, she was also in the standout Black Mirror episode “Beyond the Sea” (coincidentally also about space-travel oddities), the overlooked android thriller Morgan, the first season of American Horror Story, and she does a voice on Invincible, to name a few credits.

The Astronaut is the debut feature from writer-director Jess Varley. It also stars Gabriel Luna (The Last of Us), Ivana Milicevic (The 100, Gotham), Macy Gray, and Scarlett Holmes, and it hits theaters October 17.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Chromebooks vs. PC: The Differences Between Chrome OS and Windows

by admin September 25, 2025

The big limitation with Chromebook software is in downloading applications from the web. With Chromebooks, you just can’t. So that means you can’t download more advanced software like video editing, photo editing, or industry-specific applications. The only apps you can download are the Android apps you’ll find in the Google Play Store. This can be helpful to fill in the gaps, though most of the web apps will be better solutions, as not all of these apps are well-optimized for touchpads. Fortunately, there are many touchscreen-enabled Chromebooks that feel more natural to control.

Because it’s primarily a web browser, Chromebooks aren’t as useful when away from Wi-Fi. You can still use offline mode in some applications like Google Docs, but for the most part, you’ll want to stay connected. These days, I’m not sure that’s too different from how people use Windows laptops.

Hardware compatibility is the other big issue you may run into. Most printers, mice, keyboards, and other accessories should work just fine on Chromebooks. In some cases, such as Wacom tablets, there are some models that Google has specifically certified. But again, it’s some of the industry-specific gadgets that will cause problems with Chromebooks. For example, I can’t use my USB colorimeter, which is how I test and calibrate screens. Because there’s no compatible software, that colorimeter doesn’t work. By contrast, Windows is the default native operating system, meaning every application imaginable is available to download.

Chromebook Plus vs. Windows Laptops

Photograph: Luke Larsen
Photograph: Luke Larsen
Photograph: Luke Larsen

While the best laptop hardware is still found in Windows laptops and MacBooks, Chromebooks are catching up. The “Chromebook Plus” certification has helped over the past couple of years, which is Google’s relatively recent program to increase the hardware standards of Chromebooks.

Chromebook Plus models are required to have faster chips, like an Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3, as well as at least 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage, and a 1080p IPS display. You can find a lot of Chromebook Plus models for around $500, too, such as the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 or the HP Chromebook Plus x360.

But this year, the standard got moved up even further with the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14. As I stated in my review, this is the best Chromebook ever made, going above and beyond the requirements of Chromebook Plus. It’s got a bright OLED display, has a solid webcam and speakers, up to 16 GB of RAM, and up to 256 GB of storage. Even more importantly, it gets fantastic battery life, competitive with some of the latest Windows laptops. For $750, that’s a really solid deal for the hardware. It has a better display than something like the Asus Vivobook 14, and you’d be hard-pressed to find something at this price with better hardware. You can make the argument that you’re getting a more limited software experience, but in terms of hardware, it’s a great value.

There is some Windows laptop hardware you’ll never get on Chromebooks, such as discrete graphics. You’re probably not considering a Chromebook if you’re a PC gamer anyway, unless it’s just for game streaming via GeForce Now or Xbox Game Pass.

Why Buy a Chromebook in 2025?

Chromebooks are more than just cheap laptops, but that doesn’t mean they don’t excel at those lower prices. Around $500 is the cut-off point for what I’d consider to be truly cheap laptops, and you’ll always have to accept some level of compromise in that tier. Windows laptops under $500 are often bloated, overly thick, poor performers that are both ugly and have disappointing battery life. Most often, they are not good options, even for students.

On the contrary, there are lots of Chromebooks under $500 that will do you much better. I recently tested the Asus Chromebook CX14 and CX15, both of which are under $300. These aren’t perfect laptops by any means, with lower-quality screens than I’d like. But as a basic laptop, it’s certainly better than any $300 Windows laptop you’d be able to find.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

xAI accuses OpenAI of stealing its trade secrets in new lawsuit

by admin September 25, 2025

Elon Musk’s xAI is suing OpenAI, alleging that the ChatGPT maker has stolen its trade secrets. The lawsuit comes after the company recently sued a former employee, Xuechen Li, for allegedly stealing confidential information from the company before taking a job at OpenAI.

In its latest lawsuit, which was reported by Sherwood, xAI says that Li’s alleged actions are part of “a broader and deeply troubling pattern of trade secret misappropriation, unfair competition, and intentional interference with economic relationships by OpenAI.” According to xAI’s lawyers, OpenAI also hired two other xAI employees who stole proprietary information from Musk’s company.

“Another early xAI engineer—Jimmy Fraiture—was also harvesting xAI’s source code and airdropping it to his personal devices to take to OpenAI, where he now works,” the lawsuit states. “Meanwhile, a senior finance executive brought another piece of the puzzle to OpenAI—xAI’s ‘secret sauce’ of rapid data center deployment—with no intention to abide by his legal obligations to xAI.”

OpenAI didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. Musk, of course, has a complicated history with the ChatGPT maker, and this isn’t the first time his rival AI company has sued OpenAI. Last month, xAI filed lawsuits against OpenAI and Apple over Grok’s placement on App Store charts. Musk alleged that ChatGPT rank in the top spot represented an “unequivocal antitrust violation.” Musk has also filed numerous lawsuits against OpenAI over its relationship with Microsoft and its move to become a for-profit company.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

The Honor MagicPad 3 placed on a colorful desk mat.

Product Reviews

Honor MagicPad 3 review: an iPad Air beating tablet with one big problem

by admin September 25, 2025

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We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Honor MagicPad 3: One-minute review

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

The Honor MagicPad 3 is almost the perfect large tablet. With a bright and colorful 13.3 inch 3.2K display, complete with IMAX Enhanced certification, kicking back with a movie or TV show is an absolute joy. Even simply scrolling the home menu or your favorite social media website impresses thanks to a smooth 165Hz refresh rate.

The tablet’s eight speakers perform well, though lack bass overall; especially in comparison to the superior sound systems found on the likes of the cheaper Lenovo Idea Tab Pro. I think you should immediately disable the Honor Spatial Audio option in the settings menu for the best performance though. It’s on by default and gives a solid impression of depth, but makes everything sound artificial, tinny, and a little hollow.

Still, these minor audio quibbles are easy to overlook considering the tablet’s impressively slim and lightweight build. At just 5.79mm thick and coming in at 595g, it’s thinner and lighter than even the iPad Air. Honor has managed to cram in a truly massive 12,450mAh silicon-carbon battery too, delivering incredible battery life. Seriously, this tablet can power through a full day of rigorous use and then some without breaking a sweat.

I was shocked when half a day editing Google Docs files in a café followed by two hours of 4K video viewing on the train, all at max brightness, ended with the battery barely below 80%. On top of that, the tablet holds charge between uses effortlessly – I often left it on standby stashed down the side of my bed after a night binge-watching Amazon Prime Video and picked it up a few days later to discover that it lost no charge at all in that time.

(Image credit: Future)

If you’re the kind of person that likes to leave a tablet around the house to use as needed, you never have to worry about finding it out of electrical juice. Some of this is likely due to the rather aggressive AI Power Management System, which might be worth tweaking if you need certain apps to continually refresh in the background, but it’s hard to complain when the resulting battery performance is this strong.

So what stops the Honor MagicPad 3 from being a best-in-class product? Sure, it’s a shame that the gorgeous screen isn’t an OLED panel and that there’s no fingerprint reader, but above all else it’s down to the patchy update support.

When quizzed, Honor told us that it plans “at least one major Android version update” and just “two years of security patches”, which is a depressingly short timeframe. In my eyes, the lack of Android version updates isn’t a dealbreaker, as you’re only really missing out on software features, but the two years of security patches is. You generally should avoid using devices once that timeframe is up, so the tablet effectively has a looming expiration date out of the box.

It’s a shame, especially when you can easily find tablets under $200 / £150 with more years of security update support. The brand did at least note that it will “constantly evaluate” its plans and “deploy software upgrades accordingly” which hopefully means there’s scope for this to change in the future.

Honor MagicPad 3 review: price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

£599 retail price
Expect frequent discounts
It’s available in the UK, but not the US or Australia

The Honor MagicPad 3 comes in at £599 (around $800) for a model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which is a very fair price for what you get, especially in comparison to the $799 / £799 iPad Air 13-inch that starts with a pitiful 128GB of storage. Sadly, there’s no Australian release.

Honor frequently runs promotions that slash that price, however, so expect it to be readily available for at least £100 less. In fact, it has already seen its price fall to £499 in the build up to release. Also be on the lookout for various free gifts, including the excellent Honor MagicPad3 Smart Touch Keyboard, which I tested alongside the tablet for this review, or Honor Magic Pencil 3 stylus. These promotions turn an already good deal into a great one.

The one thing to bear in mind here is that limited update plan. If you’re particularly concerned about getting the latest and greatest version of Android, or worry about using a device that’s no longer receiving security updates, then that otherwise showstopping price tag is a little less tempting.

Honor MagicPad 3 review: specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Starting price

£599

Operating system

Android (MagicOS 9.0.1)

Chipset

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

Memory (RAM)

16GB

Storage

512GB

Display

13.3 inch 3200 x 2136 (3K) LCD

Cameras

13MP, 2MP rear / 9MP front

Battery

12,450mAh

Connectivity

USB-C 3.2, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

Weight

595g

Dimensions

293.88mm x 201.38mm x 5.79mm

Honor MagicPad 3 review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

iPad Air-beating slimness
Surprisingly lightweight
The back cover might be divisive

The Honor MagicPad 3 puts the 13-inch iPad Air to shame with a design that’s both thinner and lighter. It has a 13.3-inch screen with roughly 0.7cm bezels, flanked by a metallic body where you’ll find four large speaker grilles (that’s two along each short edge), a standard volume rocker and power button, a USB Type-C 3.2 port (with support for 66W fast charging) for topping up the battery or connecting an external display, and a small magnetised area where you can affix the compatible Honor Magic Pencil 3 for charging.

The only thing that I would add is a fingerprint reader, which is unfortunately absent. Luckily the face unlocking is quick and responsive and works well even in low light conditions, so it never feels like you’re really missing out on too much.

The back is relatively plain, aside from a camera module with a flash, a 13MP main sensor and a 2MP macro lens, and a row of small electronic contacts for the keyboard case. According to the Honor website, only one colour is available in the UK: a rather basic Grey.

I tested a White model, however, which is available in some other markets, and has an almost bumpy, textured back. It’s certainly a unique feeling, like having a third-party skin applied out of the box, which makes me think that it’s some kind of vinyl sticker.

(Image credit: Future)

I’m in two minds about this. On one hand, I really appreciate the added grip that this material brings, making it far easier to hold the tablet one handed. It’s impressively resistant to fingerprints and, if it came down to it, would probably offer a fair amount of protection from scratches.

It also looks great from a distance, helping the Honor MagicPad 3 stand out in a sea of plain slabs. On the other hand, the strange feel initially made me think that the back of the tablet was constructed entirely from plastic; this somewhat dampened my excitement out of the box.

I tested the Honor MagicPad 3 with the Honor MagicPad3 Smart Touch Keyboard and was very impressed with its performance. The case attaches to the back of the tablet magnetically, with the top half folding down to create a very distinct looking stand that shows off that snazzy back design. The keys are stable with plenty of travel and are very satisfying to press. It also has a large and responsive touchpad, with pronounced mechanical clicks and minimal flex.

It’s a really excellent keyboard and a massive upgrade compared to the Bluetooth model for the Honor MagicPad 2. My only possible complaint is that it seems to only be offered in the US English layout, which took a little getting used to and seems odd given the lack of availability in that region.

Honor MagicPad 3 review: Display

(Image credit: Future)

Not an OLED, unlike the MagicPad 2
Still bright and vibrant however
Impressive 165Hz refresh rate

The Honor MagicPad 3 has an impressive 3.2K (3200 x 2136) IPS LCD screen. With up to 1,000 nits of brightness it’s perfect for indoor use and can hold its own outside on a sunny day.

A variety of media looks absolutely gorgeous on it with cheerful and vibrant colors and plenty of fine detail. At 13.3 inches, the tablet might as well be a portable TV and I love using it to catch up on everything from Amazon Prime Video shows to Netflix movies and YouTube videos.

Honor offers two interesting display features too: Super Dynamic Display and Vivid Display. Super Dynamic Display uses AI to ‘enhance HD video brightness and contrast’ while Vivid Display aims to ‘enhance video clarity and colors’ with the same technology. With both of these features enabled, videos look a tad brighter and slightly clearer but lose a little color accuracy.

The tablet’s display is IMAX Enhanced certified too, which is good news if you want to consume compatible content on services like Disney+ or Rakuten TV. Outside of video watching, the 165Hz refresh rate also makes browsing apps, system menus and websites feel especially smooth.

You should note that this isn’t an OLED panel though. I don’t think that this is unreasonable given the tablet’s cost, but it is significant when its predecessor, the Honor MagicPad 2, did have an OLED display at a similar price point, which had a significantly brighter screen that offered slightly better colors.

Honor MagicPad 3 review: Cameras

(Image credit: Future)

Decent front camera
Serviceable rear camera
Abysmal macro lens

The Honor MagicPad 3 isn’t going to win any prizes for its camera setup, though that’s the case for almost any tablet.

The 13MP front camera is crisp and clear enough for an impromptu video meeting, but not something that you’re going to want to be taking your Instagram selfies with.

As for the rear, you’re getting a 13MP main shooter that suffers from aggressive post processing that smudges over most of the finer details in almost any shot. It’s fine for scanning documents or taking a quick snap of something right in front of you, but gets dicey if you’re photographing from a distance or with the 2x digital zoom.

There’s also a 2MP macro lens that takes images so blurry that it might as well not be there at all.

Honor MagicPad 3 review: software

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(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

MagicOS might not be your cup of tea…
But it’s easy to use, with lots of features
The desktop mode needs work

The Honor MagicPad 3 runs the brand’s MagicOS 9.0.1 operating system; a version of Android 15. It has minimal bloat, at least compared to alternatives like Xiaomi HyperOS, and offers a surprising number of genuinely useful features.

As a former iPhone 15 Plus user that now daily drives the Porsche Design Honor Magic 7 RAR, I think its interface is incredibly intuitive. Its overall design is obviously more than a little ‘inspired’ by Apple, which could upset the Android purists out there, but it’s smooth, easy to use, and extremely responsive.

I might be a little biased here, as it’s my current favorite mobile operating system, but I find that it delivers the perfect balance between the slick aesthetics of iOS and the freedom and customization of Android. There are loads of options to tweak, from app icon shapes and sizes to home screen and charging animations.

A handful of quirky extras give the operating system plenty of its own personality. One of my favorites is the ability to create a humanoid ‘3D Avatar’ for your live wallpaper. When you unlock the device, you’re greeted with a short moving scene of the character going for a stroll through a park, chilling in a cafe, petting a fluffy cat, or a plethora of other possible situations.

Videos of new scenarios are automatically generated when the device is charging and, while undeniably a little unsettling at first, I’ve grown to love seeing what my little homunculus is up to every time I turn the tablet on.

(Image credit: Future)

Of course, being 2025 the software of the Honor MagicPad 3 also has a suite of AI features including AI-powered widgets that do a surprisingly good job of recommending installed apps based on your usage habits, real-time AI subtitle generation, AI writing tools that help you polish or rephrase your text, and automatic on-device AI deepfake detection for video calls.

This is on top of the Magic Portal – effectively the brand’s take on Google’s Circle to Search feature. As with most Android devices, Gemini assistant is also built in and can be summoned by holding the power button for a few seconds.

The only part of the software that I think needs work is the tablet’s desktop mode equivalent: Floating Window mode. It causes each to run in a little window on your screen that you can drag around like a PC desktop environment, but it’s unfortunately quite unresponsive at times.

Filling the screen with two side-by-side apps is awkward and as far as I can tell there’s no way to have a taskbar on screen at all times. It’s not completely unusable, as I still manage to get work done with some fiddling, but is nowhere near as slick or easy to use as the offerings from market leaders in this field like Samsung and Lenovo.

Honor MagicPad 3 review: performance

(Image credit: Future)

Robust performance thanks to powerful specs
Zero noticeable slowdown in general use
More than enough for gaming

Powered by the 2023 flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, the Honor MagicPad 3 might not have the very latest chip but it’s certainly plenty powerful.

In general use, be that visiting your favorite websites or watching shows, you’re not going to notice any slowdown at all. Even when switching between multiple apps, the 16GB of RAM keeps everything cached and ready to go.

It supports Wi-Fi 7 for speedy downloads if you have a compatible router, plus Bluetooth 5.4. The 512GB of storage space is generous, especially at this price, so you’ll likely have room for all your favorite apps and plenty of spare space for downloaded videos. I keep multiple full series downloaded on the tablet at a time and haven’t come close to filling it up.

With specs like these, the Honor MagicPad 3 is also a surprisingly capable gaming device. Call of Duty Mobile runs flawlessly on the highest settings. More demanding games like Zenless Zone Zero impress too, with a rock solid 60 frames per second on high settings. With everything cranked up to the max, I found the very top middle portion of the tablet tends to get a little hot to the touch, but it thankfully never overheated or slowed down to a noticeable degree in my testing.

That said, if you intend to use the Honor MagicPad 3 for gaming I would highly recommend investing in a compatible Bluetooth controller as the large size of the tablet makes it very awkward to hold in your hands when you’re using touch controls.

Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Honor MagicPad 3 review: battery

(Image credit: Future)

12,450mAh silicon-carbon battery
Incredible battery life, beating all competition
Features the Honor E2 power management chip

Truthfully, it’s difficult to fully test the Honor MagicPad 3’s battery life because it almost never runs out of charge. With a gigantic 12,450mAh silicon-carbon battery this thing is practically everlasting, easily powering through a whole week of on and off use without dipping below the 60% mark. We’re talking well above 20 hours of screen on time, absolutely decimating the battery performance of any other tablet that I have ever used.

It offers comfortably double the battery life of the latest iPad Air and is a dream for taking on long trips or flights. You can even use the tablet as an impromptu power bank in a pinch and still have more than enough left over for the rest of your day’s use. It’s incredible frankly, so serious props to Honor here.

In addition to its large size, the battery features Honor’s proprietary E2 power management chip. There’s also an AI power management system built into the OS. How much of a difference does all this tech actually make? It’s hard to say, but the results are impossible to argue with.

Should you buy the Honor MagicPad 3?

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHonor MagicPad 3 report card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

The Honor MagicPad 3 is incredible value – if you can overlook the patchy update plan.

4/5

Design

Thin, lightweight, and visually attractive. The unusual rear design might prove divisive though, and it lacks a fingerprint reader.

4.5/5

Display

A bright and colorful display that’s perfect for watching movies or TV. It’s 165Hz, though the fact it’s not OLED is a downgrade compared to the previous MagicPad.

4/5

Cameras

Your average tablet camera setup. It gets the job done, but you should just use your phone instead.

2.5/5

Software

MagicOS isn’t for everyone, but it’s easy to use and brimming with quirky charm.

4/5

Performance

Great performance across the board. This tablet is more than powerful enough for general use, and excels at gaming too.

4.5

Battery

Some of the best battery performance of any tablet, period.

5/5

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider

Not keen on what the Honor MagicPad 3 brings to the table? Here are two compelling alternatives to consider:

Swipe to scroll horizontallyRow 0 – Cell 0

Honor Magic Pad 3

Lenovo Idea Tab Pro

iPad Air 13-inch

Price

£599

$349.99 / £379.99

$799 / £799 / AU$1,299

Weight

595g

1.36lbs / 620g

617g

Size

293.88mm x 201.38mm x 5.79mm

189.1mm x 291.8mm x 6.9mm / 7.44″ x 11.49″ x 0.27”

280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.1mm

Screen size

13.3 inches

12 inches

13 inches

Processor

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

Mediatek Dimensity 8300

Speakers

8 stereo speakers

Quad JBL-tuned speakers

Stereo speakers

Connectivity

USB-C 3.2, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

USB-C, MicroSD card, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS

USB-C

Battery

12,450mAh

10,200mAh

9,705 mAh

How I tested the Honor MagicPad 3

I tested the Honor MagicPad 3 over the course of multiple weeks in the build up to its announcement and release. It’s become my go-to tablet and has accompanied me on a number of trips.

It’s also seen plenty of use at home, where I’ve been using it for a mix of media consumption and gaming. I tested the tablet in its standard 16GB + 512GB configuration, though in a White colorway that is not currently available.

I used it alongside the compatible Honor MagicPad3 Smart Touch Keyboard which was supplied alongside the tablet. The tablet even replaced my usual work laptop on a handful of occasions, where I evaluated the keyboard’s performance and its overall potential as a productivity device.

First reviewed September 2025

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Qualcomm announces Snapdragon X2, the first 5 GHz Arm CPU, its ‘biggest advance in PC gaming’ and the chip that might finally make gaming on Arm an actual thing

by admin September 25, 2025

Qualcomm has announced its second-gen Snapdragon X2 SoC for PCs and with it come some big claims, especially for gaming performance. The new chip has 18 CPU cores, 50% more than the the OG Snapdragon X, and over double the GPU performance. But will this actually translate into usable gaming performance?

First, some more details as announced at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit 2025. Qualcomm has shrunk Snapdragon X2 down to 3 nm thanks to a newer production process from TSMC. That’s essentially the enabler for everything else that follows.

The 18 cores are all a new third-gen Oryon design that Qualcomm claims was started from a “blank slate.” The result is 39% improved per-core performance and 50% faster peak multi-threaded CPU performance. To that you can add 2.3x peak GPU performance and 78% more NPU performance.

What’s more, Qualcomm claims to have created the first 5 GHz Arm chip. Oh, and the top chip now has a 192-bit memory bus and supports 4K 144 Hz displays. This is serious stuff.

In fact, Qualcomm has introduced a whole new tier of Snapdragon for the top model. The 18-core 5 GHz variant will be know as the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme Edition. Shades of Intel, intentionally or otherwise.

Of course, it’s gaming we’re most concerned with and Qualcomm is making some pretty serious claims. Performance is up hugely compared with the first-gen Snapdragon X chips. Black Myth Wukong runs 2.1x faster than before. The same applies to Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2. Hitman World of Assassination is claimed to be 2.2x faster, and a slew of further games are around the 2x mark.

Qualcomm is making some mega claims for gaming performance. (Image credit: Qualcomm)

All told, Qualcomm’s head of compute and gaming, Kedar Kondap, says the new chip is “Snapdragon’s biggest advance in PC gaming.” However, just as important as pure performance is efficiency. Here, Qualcomm reckons the new chip delivers 44% more CPU performance per watt than an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H and 75% more performance per watt than AMD’s Ryzen 9 AI HX 370.

As for GPU efficiency, the second-gen Snapdragon X is said to be 52% better than Intel’s Lunar Lake laptop chips. The same gaming performance as Lunar Lake but with dramatically lower power consumption, or a lot more performance for the same power budget, would be very interesting for a handheld gaming PC. Bottom line, if all of this is true, then the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme Edition is one heck of a chip.

There will also be a 12-core plain-old Elite version. It’s not totally clear if that offers the same GPU and NPU performance, but the branding for the Adreno GPU implies the 12-core chip gets a lower spec. But if it does, that’s a pity as an 18-core CPU is probably overkill.

Of course, the big question hanging over all this is game support. “We are collaborating across the industry to bring more titles on Snapdragon,” Kondap said in front of a presentation slide showing a long list of supported titles.

In our testing, Snapdragon’s gaming support thus far has fallen well short of Qualcomm’s bullish claims, whatever the raw capabilities of its chips. And that remains the doubt. Even if the new Snapdragon X2 is super fast, will games actually run reliably?

The top chip even gets a 192-bit memory bus. (Image credit: Qualcomm)

But here’s the thing. Sometimes you get a sense from a product launch that a company knows they have something special. That’s the vibe I got from the Snapdragon X2 launch. A lot of that is probably down to the use of TSMC 3 nm technology. No other PC vendor is currently offering 3 nm GPU tech, integrated or discrete.

On paper, then, this thing looks like a huge advance and the best APU for handheld PCs. It should be far faster than anything AMD or Intel can currently offer, if you ignore AMD’s Strix Halo, which isn’t truly a chip for handhelds and costs megabucks.

In the end, of course, it will all hinge on software, both the games themselves and Qualcomm’s GPU drivers. We’ve heard it all before when it comes to gaming on Arm. But if Qualcomm can make some strides on the software, then this chip needs to be taken very seriously in the handheld gaming market. It could be awesome.

Best handheld PC 2025

All our current recommendations

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

9 Best Down Comforters (2025), Tested in Our Homes in Every Season

by admin September 25, 2025

Compare Our Top 9 Down Comforters

More Comforters We’ve Tested

If you want a warm blanket but you don’t want traditional down, consider a down alternative, or a comforter made with eucalyptus or bamboo.

Buffy Breeze Comforter

Photograph: Buffy

Buffy Breeze Comforter for $200: The Buffy Breeze Comforter has been on my bed for years. It’s made with a eucalyptus fiber fill and has a eucalyptus fiber cover, which lends it a silky feeling and excellent temperature regulation. It keeps me warm in the winter, but in the summer it doesn’t get too hot or feel too stifling. There are cute duvet covers available that I don’t entirely love—the comforter shifts around inside quite a bit—but if you want a duvet cover, this one is decent and made out of similar materials so it won’t detract from the comforter’s cooling features. The best part is that the Buffy Breeze is pretty affordable, and it goes on sale during basically every shopping holiday.

The Company Store Legends Luxury Luxe Royal Down Medium Warmth Comforter for $592: For the price, I admit I was expecting this to be about as high-end a down comforter experience as one could get. And indeed, the RDS-certified Legends Luxury Luxe Royal looks nice, with a silky embossed basketweave design on the cover, but it didn’t have the same loft or fluffy feel as the brand’s Legends Hotel line. Which is strange, as it has a higher fill power than my favorite Legends Hotel comforter, the Premium Alberta (700-750 to Alberta’s 600-650). And it’s not just me—during testing, I lent the Legends Luxury Luxe Royal to my teen son, who had previously been trying the Alberta, and he only made it three days before asking for the Alberta back. —Kat Merck

Photograph: Kat Merck

LaCrosse Premium Down Medium Warmth Comforter for $352: From the Company Store’s flagship LaCrosse collection, this RDS-certified comforter hits all the brand’s high points: loops for comforters that have ties; 600-650 fill power; combed cotton sateen cover. However, it is around the same price as the Legends Hotel Premium Alberta, above, which is considerably fluffier. —Kat Merck

Photograph: Brooklinen

Brooklinen Airweave Cotton Quilt for $254: This fluffy quilt is made of a waffled, textured fabric that feels lightweight, airy, and fluffy but still manages to keep heat in. It’s a wonderful blanket for summer months or afternoon naps, and I love the punchy colors. (I tested it in Marigold, a vibrant orange that brings me joy every time I see it.) My tester blanket did have a couple of loose threads, but careful snipping took care of them.

Utopia Bedding Down Alternative Comforter for $34: If you’re on a tight budget, this affordable down alternative comforter offers great value for the price. It’s quilted and lightweight, but it’ll still keep you warm despite not being particularly heavy. I wasn’t a huge fan of the outer fabric—it’s microfiber that I found to be a bit scratchy and rough. But the comforter is available in a wide array of colors (there are 11 to choose from), and it has corner loops so it’ll work with a duvet cover. It’s also well-constructed—I didn’t find a single loose thread or stitch, unlike some other affordable comforters I’ve used in the past.

Eden & Om Bamboo Comforter

Photograph: Louryn Strampe

Eden & Om Bamboo Comforter for $149: This blanket is silky-soft and quite thin. It’d be a great option for a summer blanket since it’s naturally cooling, though conversely, you might want to have a warmer comforter around for cooler nights. Even in the Extra weight, it doesn’t completely block the chill from my box fan, let alone keep me warm enough in the brutal winter months. But on nights when it isn’t dreadfully chilly outside, this blanket reminds me of the Buffy Breeze comforter (above)—it helps regulate my body temperature without making me too warm or too cold. It’s also pretty breathable so on the off chance I do sweat, I don’t wake up feeling trapped and overheated.

Ikea FJÄLLBRÄCKA for $129: I used this Ikea comforter for several years. It’s not even 100 percent down (they cut it with duck feathers), it tends to get a little lumpy, and it’s not especially lofty, but it does have a 252-thread-count shell that prevents feather leakage. The biggest downside is that the added duck feathers give this comforter a little more of a “poultry smell” than white goose down feathers would. However, this comforter is also machine washable and sturdier than a lot of quilts I’ve used at this price point. —Martin Cizmar

Comforters We Don’t Recommend

Photograph: Wayfair

White Noise Goose Down and Feather All Season Comforter for $72: This all-season medium-weight comforter is breathable, balanced, and suitable for all seasons, with between 2 and 3 inches of 600-fill power thickness. The outside material is soft but feels sort of weird to the touch because it’s made of polyester and nylon—although this helps with noise reduction and is quieter than the others I’ve tested. It’s machine washable and struck a great balance between being thin and light enough for warmer weather while having enough thickness to still feel cozy. However, the comforter came with a really weird, pungent odor that smelled like grass and sweat. I washed and dried it two times to make the stench bearable to sleep with, but every once in a while during testing I could still smell the odor faintly. This is a solid all-season down comforter that strikes a good balance and has a great price point. I just wish it hadn’t smelled so gross. —Molly Higgins

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Down is the layer of fluffy feathers between a bird’s outer feathers and its skin. It’s a great insulating material—just think of all those birds that manage to stay warm and dry all year long. Down is efficient, it’s more eco-friendly than some alternative materials, and it’s breathable despite keeping things so warm. Down holds up well over time with proper care, so your initial investment will last for years. A down comforter is especially worthwhile if you live in a cold climate. Blankets made with down alternatives or other types of materials can be good, too, but if you’re looking for a warm blanket that’ll last decades, down is probably what you want. We have an article dedicated to helping you decide.

How Do You Choose a Down Comforter?

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Look for a cover thread count between 230 and 500. Fabrics with these thread counts are “down-proof” and minimize the chances of feathers poking through.

Fill power vs. fill weight: Fill power is a measurement of how much space, in cubic inches, an ounce of down takes up—for instance, a fill power of 600 means one ounce of down will take up 600 cubic inches. A higher fill power means fluffier, more efficient down. Fill power doesn’t necessarily translate to warmth, but it’s an indication of the quality of the down and how much the down compresses. Fill weight, on the other hand, is the amount of down inside the product. If something has high fill power but low fill weight, it won’t necessarily be warmer than if something has low fill power and high fill weight. It’s a little confusing. The most important factor is how the down is distributed. Look for baffle-box or sewn-through construction in your comforters for an indication that down will be distributed evenly and keep you warm throughout the night. Baffle boxes keep down lofty but need to be shaken sometimes to reallocate the down inside, whereas sewn-through keeps things in place but often results in a slightly less fluffy comforter.

Goose vs. duck down: Goose down has a higher fill power than duck down, so it’s fluffier and loftier. It’s also less smelly and generally more hypoallergenic. On the other hand, duck down is usually more affordable. We think goose down is best unless you’re on a very tight budget. Two common types of goose down are Hungarian and Hutterite. Both are considered to be top-notch based on the large down clusters typical of birds that come from the cold regions of Hungary and Canada. Hutterite tends to be more affordable. You likely wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two. Hungarian down can be a bit loftier, and Hutterite down can be a bit softer, but ultimately neither of these factors should make or break your decision to purchase a comforter. When it comes to the types of birds the down comes from, however, you should look for all goose down or at least a blend of goose and duck. That will cut back on odors and allergens and offer a fluffier, more high-quality blanket.

Down comforter care tips: If you’re investing in a comforter, you might want to consider getting a duvet cover, which can help protect the comforter and also usually improves the look (unless you’re into plain white). When it comes to washing the comforter itself, you want to follow the instructions on the care tag, and wash it as infrequently as you can. You can do it at home if your washer is big enough; otherwise, head to local laundromat to use their bigger machines. Use a delicate wash cycle with high spin speed to get as much moisture out as possible, and avoid using fabric softener, which can degrade the down’s fluffy texture. You should also use a small amount of detergent—err on the side of less, not more—and consider an extra rinse cycle to ensure that all the soap is rinsed out. Make sure that your comforter is fully dry using a low-heat setting. It might take a few cycles. Fluff the comforter between rounds to ensure efficient drying and maximum loft. I like using wool dryer balls to help make drying more efficient.

How Does WIRED Test Down Comforters?

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For each comforter we tested, our testers slept with our respective picks for at least seven nights in locations around the US—our testers included folks living in Portland, Oregon; northern Illinois; New York City; and Kansas City, Missouri. Every comforter in this list has at least been tested during autumn, though most have been tested during every season. We looked for comforters that struck a balance between price, efficiency, and quality, and sought out different fill weights, fill powers, and materials to ensure our recommendations met a variety of reader needs. We assessed how we felt as we fell asleep, slept, and woke up. We paid careful attention to details such as whether a comforter was noisy while settling in for the night, or whether any feathers poked through.

Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that’s too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Proton Mail’s redesigned mobile app is built for speed

by admin September 25, 2025

If you use Proton Mail on your phone, things are about to pick up. The company is rolling out new apps for Android and iOS. The updated mobile applications are rebuilt from the ground up with a “cleaner, faster and more private experience.” Proton first announced in April that it was working on the revamp.

The company says the new Proton Mail lets you scroll, archive and reply twice as fast as before. It also now supports an offline mode, allowing you to read, write and organize messages while away from the internet. A redesigned interface aims for simpler navigation, with areas like the composer button now sitting within easier reach.

The iOS and Android apps, while still native to their respective platforms, now share a common codebase. Proton says they share 80 percent of their code. This should enable faster development and near-simultaneous future updates.

Product lead Anant Vijay Singh credited the update to Proton’s community and business model. “The new Proton Mail mobile apps reflect this feedback and show what is possible if you build an email app without the constraints imposed by trying to monetize user data, allowing for a cleaner, faster, and more private experience,” he said.

Proton has had a full plate lately. The company is working on an upcoming overhaul of Proton Calendar with similar user experience upgrades. This summer, it even joined the chatbot fracas with Lumo, which it believes can carve a niche as a more ethical AI assistant.

The Proton Mail updates begin rolling out today in the App Store and Play Store.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles review: a revamped classic that’s a must-play for any tactical RPG fan

by admin September 25, 2025

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When Final Fantasy Tactics was released in 1997, it was lauded as a masterful tactical role-playing game (RPG), mixing impressive visual effects with depth-filled combat and a stellar narrative. But now, this beloved title has been reborn, affording longtime fans as well as new players the chance to experience it all. Enter Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles – Square Enix’s remaster of a true classic.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, Nintendo Switch (physical and digital); Nintendo Switch 2, PS4, Xbox Series X and Series S, PC (digital only)
Release date: September 30, 2025

This expanded remaster brings plenty of shiny new stuff to the table. It’s fully voice-acted, has considerably upgraded visuals, and a fair few quality-of-life updates. All of these are available in the ‘Enhanced’ edition of the game, but you can also play through the original if you’d prefer, which uses the translation from War of the Lions – an updated version of the game which launched on the PlayStation Portable (PSP) back in 2007.

Anyway, I’ve played through the entirety of the Enhanced version of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, and I’ve got plenty of thoughts – most of which are positive, fans will be delighted to hear! Let’s take a closer look at this remaster, then, and find out if it can do justice to a real fan favorite.

An adventure like no other

(Image credit: SQUARE ENIX)

If you’re new to Final Fantasy Tactics, I’ll give you a quick rundown of the game’s premise. Ramza Beoulve is a highborn young man, who is thrust into a deeply political, brutal conflict – one that centers around two nobles vying for the throne of Ivalice.

Ramza – alongside his allies – will play a gigantic part in the war’s trajectory…though his actions will later be obscured in the history books. It is up to you, the player, to uncover the truth behind this conflict – and the importance of Ramza’s role within it.

You’ll control young Ramza and his allies across various battlefields, which use a tile configuration – something that fans of the Fire Emblem series, for example, will be well familiar with. You’ll have to level up your characters, recruit increasingly powerful units, and make use of the renowned job system – one of the best parts of the game, hands down.

You can switch between a number of jobs – spell casters like Black and White Mages, sword users like Squires and Knights, and a whole lot more. A key difference in the Enhanced version is that there’s a fully-fledged Job Tree, which makes it easy to understand how to unlock each class, and lets you track your progress in doing so.

Best bit

(Image credit: SQUARE ENIX)

I had a huge amount of fun creating an army-crushing squad in The Ivalice Chronicles. Creating a monk, who could heal and hit-hard, while also using the Ninja’s dual wield skill for 2x the power, made for a truly devastating combination.

As had previously been the case, you earn job points in battle to increase a unit’s proficiency in a particular class, through which you can earn new abilities and passive skills. Mixing and matching skills from different jobs is great fun – and optimizing your skillset will be crucial if you want to make it through the main story, which is by no means a breeze…more on that later.

Some jobs do take ages to unlock – but it doesn’t always feel worth your time, given that some of the classes further along the tree have skills that seem a little situational. Still, you don’t have to make use of these jobs. One of my main units, for reference, was a monk – a melee fighter class you unlock pretty early. I just ensured that he had secondary skills from the Ninja class to keep him primed for late-game combat.

If your beloved monk unit dies in battle, for example, it may well be gone forever…devastating, I know. When a character faints, a display with three hearts will appear above it, and one heart will deplete for each turn a character remains unconscious. If you don’t revive it or complete the battle objective within this time, it will be gone forever.

New auto-save slots have made it easier to go back to before your unit dies – which is a very welcome inclusion. I used this a fair amount in my playthrough. After all, do you really want to spend hours on end re-training a new unit? Personally, I don’t have time for all that!

There’s one more thing I’d like to note about perma-death. In Fire Emblem titles, your units typically have a unique appearance and personality – something that can leave you feeling attached to them, and this causes deaths to feel that little bit more gutting.

In Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, though, a lot of characters have identical appearances and no personality beyond their brief vocal soundbites. This meant I wasn’t particularly attached or interested in my standard units – I often replaced them with special ones that play a more direct role in the plot, have unique costumes, and join your party as you progress through the story. By the way, Cloud from Final Fantasy VII (one of my favorite games, and one of the best RPGs of all time) is one of these…how cool is that?!

Not for the faint of heart

(Image credit: SQUARE ENIX)

Speaking of special units, some of these are going to be extremely helpful – and sometimes almost feel necessary – to get through story battles. There’s one in particular who will join you late on, who is seriously powerful. I won’t spoil who it is for newcomers, but without them, I’d have been toast on a number of occasions.

Yes, I’ll be honest, I found The Ivalice Chronicles to be hard. At times, very hard. I’m an RPGs guy, and have finished some pretty punishing titles – yes, even Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. But the thing that caught me off guard in this game was its severe difficulty spikes.

Some of these, especially early on, forced me to better my understanding of the title’s impressively deep battle mechanics – stuff like zodiac compatibility, faith, and bravery elements require close attention.

Difficulty spikes later on, though, could feel pretty frustrating. I went from reconsidering my team’s build and strategy early on to reconsidering whether my sanity was still intact by the end. These spikes can make progression feel a little uneven, it has to be said, although there are ways to push through the most challenging encounters.

For instance, you can hop into random battles on the world map to grind up your levels and earn job points to get better healing skills, spells, and combat abilities. And these are entirely at your own pace – don’t fancy a random encounter? Just press flee and you can skip it. Need some EXP? Run around for a bit and prepare for battle. I love that you’re not forced into fights – something that can make some RPGs feel repetitive and relentless.

In addition, you can complete errands, which give you gil (the game’s currency) to spend on better armor, weapons, headgear, and accessories. They can also give you experience points and job points. These are entirely optional and are a useful way to earn experience for any backup units you want to use in the event of a character dying, for example.

Anyway, after you’ve been struggling in a fight and you’ve taken some time to train up, you’ll likely find a route to victory. And when you do, you’re going to feel very satisfied – I know I did. The endgame especially was pretty rough for me, but I got there in the end. It’s worth noting that I played the whole game on Knight difficulty – the sort of ‘normal’ level. However, the Enhanced version adds an easy mode, Squire, and a hard mode, Tactician – that one’s for the show-offs.

A message more potent than ever, for a new generation

(Image credit: SQUARE ENIX)

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles has a stellar narrative – one that plays to themes that are arguably even more timely now than they were almost 30 years ago.

The conflict I mentioned earlier takes place after a separate 50-year-long war, which has left much of the kingdom in economic turmoil. Distrust in the ruling class is at an all-time high, with the masses left to struggle in a ruined kingdom while nobles indulge in luxury. The world was, and remains, incredibly designed, with a new ‘state of the realm’ page that clarifies story details and can refresh your memory of character names, among other things.

State of the realm is one of many additions – most of which make for a much more refined experience. Personally, I love the revamped graphics – the game remains true to its roots, visually speaking. Battle animations are incredibly fluid, backdrops are beautifully composed, and colors really pop, injecting a ton of character into this complex world. The incredible score also adds so much texture to the world, and even random encounter tracks, like Apoplexy and Desert Land, had my head bopping mid-battle.

Functionally speaking, one of the best new features is fast-forward, which makes the pace of battle so much more palatable. A lot of movement and combat does feel pretty sluggish, so being able to speed through your enemy’s actions is most welcome. This also helps if you’re sitting through dialogue you’re already familiar with, and I made extensive use of it.

I already mentioned stuff like difficulty options, the job tree, and auto-save – and these all feel like considered, user-friendly inclusions – but despite that, there was some stuff I wasn’t loving about the Enhanced version.

(Image credit: SQUARE ENIX)

This might be controversial, but I think the voice acting is, at best, just OK. Some characters are well represented. Ben Starr – who was phenomenal as Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – does a good job with the cunning and crafty Dycedarg. The personalities of other characters, including Agrias, Cidolfus, and Ramza himself, are also communicated well – but the same can’t be said for others.

Some performances feel a little restrained, non-special characters occasionally have inconsistent accents or tones of voice, and some non-player characters (NPCs) have voices that don’t match their sprites whatsoever. I mean, am I really meant to believe this teenage-looking soldier sounds like a 50-year-old geezer from the east end of London?

Furthermore, I was frustrated by the game’s camera on numerous occasions. Sometimes, it would pan to a bizarre angle that prevented me from seeing the on-screen action. A new overhead tactical view did remedy this at times, but I would’ve liked some further improvements here. Otherwise, performance is fantastic on the PS5 version, no notes.

There’s one more thing that didn’t bother me too much, but will be a concern for others. Content from War of the Lions is largely missing in this remaster. That means that its side content and drawn cutscenes have been mostly left out – something that will upset fans of the well-regarded PSP version, I’m sure.

Still, though, I have to say that I had a great time with Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. Yes, I have some minor gripes – severe difficulty spikes, a sometimes flawed camera, and imperfect voice acting, above all. But those things are certainly not enough to get in the way of an unforgettable adventure, packed with satisfyingly deep combat, a timely, well-written story, and a great score. The quality of life upgrades and enhanced visuals make this the ultimate way for new players to explore Ivalice, and if you’re a fan of tactical RPGs, this remains easy to recommend.

Should you play Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles?

(Image credit: SQUARE ENIX)

Play it if…

Don’t play it if…

Accessibility features

There are a few useful accessibility settings in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. For instance, there’s a sound visualization option, which displays in-game sounds on the edges of the screen, as well as the choice to show speaker names during spoken exchanges.

There are also sound effect subtitles, volume sliders, multiple text languages (Japanese, English, German, and French), and both English and Japanese voice language options. Unfortunately, there is no colorblind mode or similar.

How I reviewed Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles:

(Image credit: SQUARE ENIX)

OK, so I spent more than 50 hours playing Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, battling through the entire main story, a healthy portion of side content, errands, and random encounters. I played the Enhanced version of the game in order to assess the remaster’s quality of life upgrades, graphical improvements, and voice acting.

I played the PS5 edition of the game, with my console connected up to the Sky Glass Gen 2 television and the Samsung HW-Q800D soundbar. When I was out and about, I’d also occasionally dip into the game via remote play on my Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, but this was pretty rare.

Personally, I’ve reviewed a variety of games here at TechRadar, including recent releases like Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army and Drag x Drive. I’ve also played a number of tactical RPGs, such as Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, and a range of Final Fantasy titles.

First reviewed September 2025

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September 25, 2025 0 comments