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Save 50% On New Hunger Games Hardcover & Deluxe Edition Box Sets

by admin October 4, 2025

The Hunger Games returned in a big way earlier this year with Sunrise on the Reaping, the fifth novel in Suzanne Collins’ wildly popular dystopian book series. More than 1.5 million copies were sold worldwide during launch week in March. If you haven’t read it or are interested in snagging a nice box set for yourself or as gift, Amazon has a fantastic deal on The Hunger Games 5-Book Hardcover Box Set ahead of Prime Big Deal Days. Released in June for $125, the slipcased collection is on sale for only $60.90. Alternatively, you can snag the gorgeous collectible paperbacks that were published ahead of Sunrise on the Reaping’s release. The Deluxe Hunger Games Collection comes with an eye-catching display case and is only $36.74 (was $70). All four Deluxe Editions are also on sale individually for less than $10 each.

We’ve rounded up the best Hunger Games book deals below. Beyond the two box sets, Amazon has The Hunger Games: Illustrated Edition for nearly 50% off, which is great timing considering Catching Fire’s Illustrated Edition releases Tuesday, October 7. We also detailed notable deals on the film adaptation series, including The Hunger Games 5-Film Collection for only $25.

$60.90 (was $125)

The Hunger Games 5-Book Hardcover Box Set includes the original trilogy starring Katniss Everdeen and the two prequel novels. The Hunger Games was published in 2008, and the two sequels, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, followed in 2009-10. After a 10-year hiatus, Collins returned in 2020 with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Set 64 years prior to Katniss volunteering as tribute, the novel focuses on Coriolanus Snow as a young man and the 10th Hunger Games. Sunrise on the Reaping follows Haymitch Abernathy, one of the District 12 tributes for the 50th Hunger Games, which takes place roughly 25 years before the original novel.

This box set would make for a great gift for longtime Hunger Games fans and new readers who enjoyed the movies. Together, the five novels are 2,112 pages. If you haven’t read the full series, it’s generally recommended to read them in the order they were published, but you can also read them in chronological order: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, then Sunrise on the Reaping, then the original trilogy.

The box set is a bit cheaper than buying hardcover editions of all five books separately. All five hardcover editions are also available separately for low prices right now. It’d cost you around $67 to buy all five, and you’d miss out on the display box.

The Hunger Games Hardcover Editions

The Hunger Games — $10.21 ($23)
Catching Fire — $9 ($23)
Mockingjay — $11.07 ($23)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes — $17.79 ($28)
Sunrise on the Reaping — $19.17 ($28)

$36.74 (was $70)

The 5-Book Hardcover Box Set offers excellent value, but you should also check out the budget-friendly Deluxe Edition paperbacks that were published in February, a month before Sunrise on the Reaping’s release. Available to purchase individually or together in a display-worthy slipcase, the Deluxe Editions have exclusive cover art that pays homage to the original covers. Instead of being commemorated on pins, the mockingjay on these covers is alive and surrounded by foliage. The scene wraps around to the back covers thanks to the stained page edges with stenciled artwork.

If you buy the Deluxe Box Set, the four books form a beautiful mosaic when inside the display case. Each Deluxe Edition is on sale for roughly 50% off; buying all four separately would cost you about $1 less than the four-book set. But again, you’d miss out on the display case that completes the scene.

It seems likely that Sunrise on the Reaping will eventually receive a matching Deluxe Edition. For now, you’d have to settle for having one mismatched book in the series. But with Sunrise on the Reaping available for $19.17, you’d be spending roughly $56 total on the series, slightly less than the 5-Book Hardcover Box Set.

$18.15 (was $35)

Longtime fans who have already read The Hunger Games series multiple times should check out the Illustrated Edition of Book 1. Published in October 2024, The Hunger Games: Illustrated Edition is on sale for only $18.15 (was $35). This oversized hardcover edition is 368 pages and includes over 30 highly detailed black-and-white illustrations by artist Nico Delort.

$29.59 (was $37)

Catching Fire’s Illustrated Edition releases October 7 and is available to preorder for $29.59 (was $37). The 384-page hardcover also features 30-plus black-and-white illustrations by Delort.

$25.69 (was $42)

If you want to add all five movies to your collection, the 5-Film Blu-ray box set is your best bet in terms of value. Released last June, the 8-disc set comes with three Blu-rays and five DVDs. It also includes a voucher for digital editions from Vudu, though it’s possible the codes have expired by now.

The Hunger Games (2012)
Catching Fire (2013)
Mockingjay: Part 1 (2014)
Mockingjay: Part 2 (2023)
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)

The collection is packaged with the slipcover shown above. All five movies support DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.

Alternatively, The Hunger Games 4-Movie Collection is available for $18 at Amazon. You’d need to buy The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes separately, but this could be a good option for those who want the Steelbook Edition of the latest Hunger Games movie.

$84.68 (was $94)

The 5-Film Collection hasn’t received a 4K Blu-ray release in the US, but the Australian edition is region-free. Amazon has been stocking more and more international editions lately, and The Hunger Games 4K Blu-ray box set is an example of that. If you pick up the 4K Blu-ray edition, your order is sold and shipped directly from Amazon.

The downside here is that the 4K Blu-ray set is priced substantially higher. Even with a 10% discount, the 5-Film Collection is $84.68 (was $94), which is roughly equivalent to the cost of buying all five 4K Blu-ray editions separately. The 4K editions of the films are available for $14-$19 each. Before buying The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes on 4K Blu-ray, make sure to check out Walmart’s exclusive Steelbook Edition, which is in stock for only $25.

The Hunger Games on 4K Blu-ray

The 4K editions have HDR10 and multiple surround sound audio formats: Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD 7.1. The audio and visual enhancements are significant, so it’s worth considering the box set or standalone 4K Blu-ray editions.

With Sunrise on the Reaping’s film adaptation not releasing until November 20, 2026, many fans will want to refresh their memory by rewatching the series, so the box sets would make for great gifts this holiday.

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October 4, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Prime Big Deal Days Kindle Sale: Save Up To $230 On The Kindle Scribe

by admin October 3, 2025

A bunch of Amazon devices are already discounted to official Prime Big Deal Days 2025 prices, including Amazon’s priciest ereader in the ubiquitous Kindle lineup. The Kindle Scribe with Amazon’s Premium Pen is on sale for $100 off for a limited time. You can save even more by opting for the Kindle Scribe Essentials Bundle, which includes the Premium Pen, Fabric Folio case, and power adapter. The 16GB Essentials Bundle is on sale for $315 (was $480). Alternatively, you can get the Kindle Scribe Essentials Bundle with a Leather Folio case for $337 (was $500).

The standalone edition and the Leather Folio Essentials Bundles are eligible for Amazon’s awesome trade-in deal that saves you an additional 20% plus the value of the device you trade. With the 20% bonus discount from the trade-in, you will save at least $230 on the Essentials Bundle with Leather Folio. The bundle deals are exclusive to Prime members, but all shoppers can save $100 on the standalone Kindle Scribe and take advantage of the trade-in deal.

The 2024 edition of the Kindle Scribe won’t be the priciest model in the lineup for long. Earlier this week, Amazon revealed the next iteration for the hybrid ereader and note-taking device. Most notably, the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft will be the first in the series with color e-ink and retails for $630. The regular Kindle Scribe 2025 edition will start at $500 for a 32GB model with a front light. Both models are scheduled to launch before the end of the year. A Kindle Scribe without a front light will release early next year for $430.

Amazon says the new Kindle Scribe is thinner and faster than existing models. The 2025 editions also have 11-inch screens, making them slightly larger than the 10.2-inch models sold now. If you don’t want to spend $500 on a Kindle but are interested in the Scribe, the 2024 edition is a great device that happens to be $200 cheaper than the upcoming version.

$315 (was $480)

The Kindle Scribe Essentials Bundle comes with Amazon’s Premium Pen ($80 value), the official Fabric Folio Cover ($60 value) or Leather Folio ($80 value), and a 9W power adapter for Amazon devices ($20 value). You can choose between Black, Denim, and Rose colors for the cover, while the tablet itself is Tungsten. The cover protects the screen and includes a built-in stand with multiple viewing angles.

All three storage configurations are eligible for the Prime Day deal: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. Each tier is separated by only $10-$20, so if you plan on using your Kindle Scribe to store and listen to audiobooks via Audible, you may want to opt for 32GB or 64GB model.

Kindle Scribe Essentials Bundle (Fabric Folio)
Kindle Scribe Essentials Bundle (Leather Folio)
- 16GB — $337 ($500) | $269.60 with trade-in
- 32GB — $347 ($520) | $277.60 with trade-in
- 64GB — $372 ($550) | $297.60 with trade-in

The Kindle Scribe has a 10.2-inch front-lit display with anti-glare coating, so you can read in any lighting setting. With 300ppi (pixels per inch) and 94 nits of brightness, text is crisp and clear.

The Scribe doubles as a physical notebook. With the Premium Pen, you can create handwritten notes and email them to other devices. It feels remarkably similar to writing on actual paper. You can also take notes in books and documents you’re reading. If you like writing in the margins of novels, the Scribe is the ereader for you.

Interestingly, the bundles with plant-based leather folio are eligible for Amazon’s trade-in promotion, which we’ve detailed below.

$300 (was $400) | Additional 20% off with eligible trade-in

The standalone Kindle Scribe is also eligible for an additional 20% discount when you trade in a device. Your old Kindle is the obvious choice, but Amazon also accepts other devices, including Fire tablets, Fire TV Sticks, and even some Apple products.

With a trade-in, you’ll get the value of that device and an additional 20% discount on your new purchase. That’s a substantial savings. Trade-in values vary considerably, but the extra 20% is automatically worth $60-$68 for the standalone edition. The new prices below don’t factor in the value of your trade-in, which will be subtracted from the $240, $252, or $272 prices.

If you take advantage of the Kindle Scribe deal and have never tried Kindle Unlimited, you can get your first three months for free, which grants access to a library of over 4 million books, comics, graphic novels, manga, and more.

Some Kindle Unlimited titles also include audiobook versions that can be listened to on your Kindle. But for even more audiobooks, you’ll want to check out Audible Premium Plus, especially since the $15/month subscription program is free for your first three months, too. With Audible Premium Plus, you’ll be able to claim and keep one audiobook of your choosing. New releases and even preorders are eligible, so Prime members shouldn’t miss out on this offer.

Amazon is already offering steep discounts on Kindle ebooks ahead of the July 8-11 sales event, so you can pair your new ereader with some cheap books.

And if you plan on listening to audiobooks on the Kindle Scribe, Amazon’s Echo Buds with active noise cancellation are on sale for only $45, down from $140. These Bluetooth earbuds can sync wirelessly with Kindle ereaders as well as other Bluetooth-enabled devices.

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October 3, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Save on sets from TCL, Sony, Hisense and more

by admin October 2, 2025

Black Friday remains the best time to grab a new TV at a discount, but Amazon’s latest October Prime Day sale should be a decent time to take the plunge if you need to upgrade right away. While the two-day Prime Big Deal Days event doesn’t officially start until October 7, a small handful of well-regarded TVs from the likes of TCL, Hisense, Sony and Samsung are cheaper than usual right now. You can find our full list of the best October Prime Day TV deals below. We’ll update this roundup as prices change and new offers arise in the days ahead.

Best Prime Day TV deals

TCL

The TCL QM6K is widely regarded by reviewers we trust as one of the year’s better TV bargains. It’s a budget-oriented model, so it won’t get you the same level of contrast, color volume or brightness as more expensive sets, nor will it be ideal for HDR content (especially in well-lit rooms). Still, its quantum-dot color, mini-LED backlighting and full-array local dimming more than hold their own for the price, plus it runs on the useful Google TV platform. It’s also a nice buy for gaming on the cheap, since its input lag is relatively low and it has a native 144Hz refresh rate that can reach as high as 288Hz at 1080p. This discount ties the lowest price we’ve seen for the 75-inch model.

$750 at Amazon

Hisense U8QG 65-inch Mini-LED TV for $1,082 ($416 off): Several reviews suggest that the Hisense U8QG ticks most of the requisite boxes for a LCD TV in 2025: robust local dimming and mini-LED backlighting, exceptionally high brightness, vibrant quantum-dot colors, a fast refresh rate (165Hz in this case), support for the major HDR formats and so on. It’s a higher-end option than something like the TCL QM6K with much better brightness and contrast, though it still falls short of a good OLED TV when it comes to the latter. Like most LCD panels, it’ll also look a bit washed out if you view it from an angle. It has three HDMI 2.1 ports, which is one fewer than many other TVs in this price range, though it uniquely includes a USB-C video input if you want to hook up a gaming laptop or Nintendo Switch. (Just note that you won’t get VRR or HDR when using that.) You’d mainly get it over an OLED TV if you’re willing to trade some picture quality for something that’s better-suited in a bright room. This deal on the 65-inch model isn’t an all-time low, but it matches the best price we’ve tracked since July.

Samsung S90F 55-inch QD-OLED TV for $1,498 ($100 off): The Samsung S90F is an upper-tier model with a QD-OLED panel, which blends the usual perks of a quality OLED set — near-perfect contrast, wide viewing angles, clear motion, low input lag — with a layer of quantum dots. This helps it produce a wider gamut of more vivid colors compared to traditional WOLED TVs. It also comes with four HDMI 2.1 ports and has a fast refresh rate of 144Hz. It doesn’t support Dolby Vision HDR, however, and reviews we trust say that the LG C5, a competing WOLED model, retains darker black levels in a bright room. (The S90F has a more colorful image, though.) We saw this 55-inch model go for $100 less earlier in the month, but this deal matches the best price we’ve tracked otherwise. The 65-inch version is similarly discounted. Just make sure you only buy the 55-, 65- or 77-inch model, as every other size in the US uses a lesser WOLED panel. Shady, we know.

Sony Bravia 8 II 65-inch QD-OLED TV for $2,998 ($502 off): It’s certainly not cheap, but the Sony Bravia 8 II has earned plaudits for its excellent image processing, upscaling and overall accuracy alongside the expected color, contrast and motion benefits of its QD-OLED display. This should help it make lots of movies and shows look closer to their original intent. It also uses the handy Google TV interface. Outside of an extremely brief dip in June, this deal matches the best price to date for the 65-inch version. That said, if you can’t stomach the high price, other reviews note that the older Sony A95L offers similar performance a bit less, while more recent competitors like the LG G5 and Samsung S95F can get noticeably brighter (even if they’re not always as accurate). Those two should be better for gaming as well, as the Bravia 8 II only has two HDMI 2.1 ports — one of which is an eARC port for soundbars — and its input lag is slightly higher.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K for $25 ($25 off): The standard Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K offers the same core experience as the pricier Fire TV Stick 4K Max, only it comes with a slightly slower processor, half the storage (8GB) and Wi-Fi 6 instead of Wi-Fi 6E. For most people just looking for a casual streamer on the cheap, those shouldn’t be huge losses. This model is also more powerful than the just-announced Fire TV 4K Select, though its Fire OS interface can still be messy and ad-heavy, with special emphasis on Amazon’s own services. This deal is $3 more than the stick’s all-time low, though it matches the best price we’ve seen since Black Friday last year.

Amazon Fire TV Stick HD for $18 ($17 off): The Fire TV Stick HD is the budget pick in our guide to the best streaming devices. It can only stream up to 1080p, and it can run a bit choppier than the 4K models since it has a slower chipset and half the RAM (1GB). The usual issues with the Fire TV interface still apply here too. But if you just want to add streaming apps to an aging TV or basic monitor for as little cash as possible, it should get the job done. This discount ties the device’s lowest price to date.

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October 2, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Amazon Turns To AI Snoop Dogg To Save Failed Cloud Gaming Service

by admin October 2, 2025

Luna, Amazon’s video game cloud-streaming service, is shifting gears. While the service will still feature AAA video games like Fallout and Dead Island, the retail giant has announced new plans to “reimagine” Luna as a way for families to play casual, easier-to-learn games using their phones. And the first one of these games Amazon revealed is a courtroom comedy game featuring an AI-powered Snoop Dogg as the judge. Hmm.

Launched back in 2020, Amazon Luna followed in the footsteps of Google’s video game streaming service, Stadia. But unlike Stadia, which died back in 2022, Amazon has continued to support Luna, offering a subscription service with access to over 100 games as well as giving Prime members a small catalog of games to play for free. It’s never felt like Luna was a big hit, though, despite some publishers like Ubisoft and EA continuing to support it. Well, Amazon seems to have admitted it wasn’t working, because the company just revealed big plans to rebrand Luna as a more casual experience built around couch co-op and new, unique games.

On October 1, Amazon announced that later this year, Luna will change. While the service will still allow you to buy and play AAA games, Amazon is going to target, as explained in a press release about the pivot, “the 100s of millions of people who want to experience the magic of playing games on the big screen but feel left out” due to games being too complicated or consoles being too expensive. Amazon’s play is to turn Luna into a place where friends and family members can gather around the TV, pull out their phones, and play less complicated games together. If this sounds a lot like Jackbox, well, congratulations, you too can be an Amazon Gaming executive.

The big centerpiece of this rebrand is Game Night, a new Amazon-developed hub within Luna that will offer a variety of Jackbox-like, family-friendly, casual games. Players just scan a QR code using their phone, and a few seconds later, they’re having a great time playing… a Snoop Dogg courtroom game powered by AI?

Yeah, the big game revealed today is Courtroom Chaos: Starring Snoop Dogg, which Amazon describes as an “AI‑powered improv courtroom game where players invent outrageous characters, spin wild stories, and do whatever it takes to defend their testimonies before Judge Snoop Dogg.” Gather around, grandma, pull out your Cricket Wireless smartphone, and let’s yell at an AI-powered recreation of a famous rapper who has, let’s say, made some bad choices in recent years.

Will this big pivot work out? I have no idea. A lot of this pitch reminds me of the same stuff Google said about Stadia and what Intellivision promised about the disaster that is the Amico console. Maybe Amazon will find success where others haven’t? Maybe. I mean, it’s not like Luna’s setting the world on fire at the moment. We’ll find out when the big pivot happens later this year.

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October 2, 2025 0 comments

The Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro in a sunny outdoor setting.

Product Reviews

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: a few neat features don’t save these problem-plagued open earbuds

by admin September 28, 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.

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro: Two-minute review

“I can hear your music,” is something my mother used to tell me when I was young, worried that I’d damage my hearing by cranking my music too loud, and it’s something I’ve heard from multiple people since I started testing even the best open earbuds.

These safety-focused open-fit headphones don’t put the earbud in your ear but just outside it, letting you hear surrounding sounds – but until the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro came along, this also meant that people around you could hear the distant ring of your tunes too.

No more! Xiaomi’s sophomore open-ear offering fixes the problem, with a bespoke 10mm driver that’s designed to eradicate sound leakage, and does a decent job at stopping bystanders hearing your music. My local park was no longer regaled by early-morning Busted and Hansen sprints, which I’m sure the community was overjoyed with.

That driver’s just one of five nestled into each earbud, a surprising spec given that most earbuds have one and even top-end ones have only two or three, and you can see them arranged in a flower-like pattern on each bud. But my first-glance comparison between this layout and the look of the five-camera Nokia 9 PureView, which was the first smartphone to use this many rear sensors, continues further than I’d like. Just as that phone offered a packed spec-sheet that didn’t deliver as promising results in testing, the OpenWear Stereo Pro may have the hardware but can’t seem to make good on it to stand a cut above the rest.

For most of my testing, I listened on the default sound profile and the buds sounded awful, really tinny and compressed – luckily I discovered that changing to one of the other few audio presets clears up lots of my problems, adding depth and range, and I wish I hadn’t written most of this review before discovering that! Oh well, a few hours of rewrites gave me more time to review the buds.

That extra testing time didn’t give me extra insight on the design, which isn’t quite as robust or rigid as open-ears need to be for gym users. Doing exercises that don’t see me stand upright like sit-ups, skull-crushers or anything reclined saw gravity drag the buds away from my ears, though thankfully they were okay when running or cycling.

It’s in the feature set that Xiaomi goes some way in winning me over. I’ve already mentioned the sound leak suppression system but the company has also brought back an easily-toggled voice note recording system, which I’ve found really useful in quickly letting me leave reminders to myself.

Despite winning points back, though, the Stereo Pro level out as being ‘fine’ buds, instead of the solid ones they’d need to be to compete in this rapidly-growing and hotly contested market.

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Price and release date

(Image credit: Future)

Available from September 24, 2025
Costs £139.99 (roughly $180, AU$280)
In line with most open-ears

The Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro were announced in September 2025 at a launch event by the company, which also included the Xiaomi 15T smartphone, some new versions of existing wearables and a few other bits and pieces.

The earbuds cost £139.99 (roughly $180, AU$280). A US release is unlikely given precedent, and an Australian one is possible due to Xiaomi releasing some of its earbuds there, but not guaranteed.

That price puts the Stereo Pro in line with most other open-ears, which generally sit between £100 and £160 (or $/AU$ equivalent), though some of our favorite options sit at the lower end of that spectrum. More on that in the Competition section below.

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Drivers

Tweeter + 2x balanced armatures + 18x13mm dynamic driver + 10mm driver

Active noise cancellation

Battery life (ANC off)

8.5 hours (buds) 45 hours (case)

Weight

9.7g (buds) 72g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4

Waterproofing

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

Two useful features
Presets, but no equalizer
8.5 hours of listening per charge

Xiaomi puts the battery life of the OpenWear Stereo Pro at 8.5 hours for the buds, a figure which my own testing gave me no reason to doubt. The charging case bumps that up to 45 hours and both are slightly above average, the case figure to a commendable degree.

The Xiaomi Earbuds app for your phone or tablet gives you some extra control over your buds, with the ability to customise touch controls and jump between a few sound profiles (like EQ presets, but without there being an actual EQ). I’ll mention these in more detail later but it’s not quite as much as customization as other buds give you.

The flashy feature that’s designed to make the Stereo Pro stand out from the crowd is a driver which is designed to stop sound leaking. By ‘leaking’, I mean music from the buds that people around you can hear, which is both annoying for them and embarrassing for you (especially if your music taste is poor but trust me, we’re all judging you).

From my testing (and my partner’s, due to her being my guinea pig) the feature does a decent job at reducing sound leaking. It doesn’t totally remove it and sound leaking is still apparent, but it downplays open earbuds’ natural tendency to spread music around (due to the design). It’s most efficient in public areas where it brings your music just quiet enough to be drowned out by background noises.

Another feature present, that Xiaomi has ported over from its standard earbuds, is a recording mode. You can enable this with a gesture command, and it records audio from the buds or, apparently, a built-in speaker in the case.

It’s a useful feature for people who like to record their own voice notes on the go (let’s be honest: it’s a lot easier than using your phone’s notes app) but many countries have laws against recording unawares people, so you’ve been warned.

Throughout testing, I bumped up against a problem that seemed to be a connectivity one, rather than a sound one, though it did affect the audio. Now and then the buds would jump between tunings, from the usual one to an extra-compressed one and back again after a few seconds. There was no way of controlling or pre-empting this. I put it down to a connectivity issue because from time to time the buds would also lose connection for a few moments, a problem likely linked.

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

Very shiny earbuds
Comfortable to wear but unreliable hold
Hardy carry case

If you’re familiar with the look of open earbuds, the thing that’ll hit you about the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro is just how shiny they are. The counterweight and bud both come with a sheen so clean you can do your hair in them, making them look really rather premium. You can pick up the buds in gray, white or, like my test unit, rose gold.

And if we’re making judgements based on appearance, seeing the five drivers on the other side, complete with the text ‘5-driver sound system, designed by Xiaomi’ makes a loud statement about the buds’ audio quality.

Each bud weighs 9.7g, which is a little more than some rivals I’ve tested, but it doesn’t tell. They’re comfortable to wear for long gym sessions or trips, though when I wore them for my workout the bud would often move away from my ear if I leant down or lay down. I’ve found this problem in a few other open-ears and it seems to happen most when the material connecting the bud and counterweight is weak, and therefore unable to hold the bud rigidly.

The case is an oval clamshell that retains your color choice from the bud – and again, has a little ‘designed by Xiaomi’ in case you forget who made it (the name appears four times across the case and buds, not counting a little removable information sticker on the case).

Strong magnets grip the Stereo Pro when you put them in the case, so I never needed to fuss much about putting them in perfectly, which was handy when I wanted to sheathe the Xiaomi in a hurry. Features of the case include a USB-C charging port and pairing button but not much else.

Pre-release information provided to TechRadar didn’t mention an IP rating for the buds or case, so keep them safe from rain.

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Sound quality

Five drivers per bud
Default sound profile is bad
Low max volume

(Image credit: Future)

A glance at the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro’s specs list sets up high expectations for the buds’ audio chops, and that’s because each bud has a startling five drivers (most rivals have one).

There’s a tweeter for refining treble, dual balanced armatures aimed again at higher-frequency tones, an 18x13mm dynamic driver that’s targeted at bass and the aforementioned 10mm sound leak reducer. And if that overwhelming hardware list somehow doesn’t impress you, perhaps the support for Hi-Res Audio and LDAC, SBC and AAC codecs will.

After reading all those specs, seeing the five drivers individually presented on the earbuds in a distinct way, and setting up my expectations fittingly, I was pretty shocked to discover that the Stereo Pro don’t sound good at all. In fact, I wrote a pretty scathing review of the sound – and then connected the buds to the phone app (not available immediately because I had early access to my review sample), changed from the default sound profile and found most of my issues vanish. If you’ve just bought these buds, make this change straight away.

In their default sound profile, the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro sound tinny, compressing a multitude of instruments into one sound and losing the details from almost all of them. In rock songs instruments like rhythm guitar, accompaniment keys and backing vocals are muddled and drum lines and more prominent guitar lines are akin to sleigh bells for how jangling they sound. Reverb fills the space that a detailed soundstage should take up.

Changing from the default sound profile really widens instruments, as well as the soundstage (though if you’re a masochist, the in-app toggle to increase the dynamic range turns the tinniness up to 11). It doesn’t make audio sound great, but it brings it in line with other open-ears.

The drivers’ emphasis on higher-end audio helps vocals and guitar solos stand out, and while there’s sufficient bass it sounds ill-defined and loose unless you fix it in the equalizer. Most of the time, it turns songs into a wall of distorted sound in which you can’t make up the textural details. I can see some listeners being okay with this aspect of the buds, especially ones who like high-powered metal music, but bear in mind that if you try head-banging these buds are going to go flying.

The buds don’t even go very loud, so I sometimes struggled to hear music when I was nearby a road.

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

Your money could go further
…unless you want those features

As mentioned before, the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro sit around the average price of open earbuds, and also as mentioned, there’s lots of competition.

In fact, some of our favorite options are cheaper, making Xiaomi’s offering feel hard to recommend given that its performance also doesn’t match up.

The exception to this is whether or not the buds’ features sound enough to win you over, but for me, the sound quality is a sticking point.

Should I buy the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro?

(Image credit: Future)Swipe to scroll horizontallyXiaomi Openwear Stereo Pro score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The decent battery life and useful extras make up for the wobbly connection.

4/5

Design

The buds are flashy and shiny with handy touch controls but the buds aren’t held in place reliably.

3.5/5

Sound quality

The Stereo Pro gives unconvincing sound, even when you’ve turned off the poor default mode.

3/5

Value

There’s bound to be something that works better within your budget… unless the features appeal to you.

3/5

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

Xiaomi Openwear Stereo Pro review: Also consider

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

Xiaomi Openwear Stereo Pro

Huawei FreeArc

Honor Earbuds Open

Technics EAH-AZ100

Drivers

Tweeter + 2x balanced armatures + 18x13mm dynamic driver + 10mm driver

17x12mm

16mm

17x12mm

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Battery life

8.5 hours (buds) 45 hours (case)

7 hours (buds) 28 hours (total)

6 hours (buds) 40 hours (total)

7.5 hours (buds) 38.5 hours (case)

Weight

9.7g / charging case: 72g

8.9g / charging case: 67g

7.9g / charging case: 52.5g

9.6g / charging case: 88g

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4

Bluetooth 5.2

Bluetooth 5.4

Waterproofing

IP57

IP54

How I tested the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro

(Image credit: Future)

Tested for two weeks
Tested at home, in the office, on runs, at the gym and while cycling

I used the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro for two weeks before writing this review, which is the standard TechRadar testing time.

During the testing period I used the buds at home, on walks around my neighborhood, on runs, at the gym, while cycling and on busy public transport. I paired them to my Android smartphone and most of the testing was done on Spotify and Netflix.

I’ve been reviewing gadgets for TechRadar for nearly six years, which has included lots of Xiaomi gadgets in the past. For the last year I’ve been reviewing countless open earbuds, and so have a lot of experience in the area with which to compare the Xiaomis.

First reviewed in September 2025

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro: Price Comparison

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September 28, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Save $50 on Our Favorite Budget Graphics Card

by admin September 25, 2025

If you’re building a new gaming PC, I’ve got a sweet deal for you on a graphics card. The PNY Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti OC (7/10, WIRED Review) is currently marked down to just $379 at Walmart. While prices have been in flux since launch, this is anywhere from $50 to $100 off the usual price, a discount that makes it a much more appealing purchase for gaming at 1080p.

Photograph: Brad Bourque

PNY

GeForce RTX 5060 Ti OC

This is the most modest entry from Nvidia’s 50 Series that I think is worth your time, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll be disappointed. The 16-GB card can chug right along in most modern games at 1080p, beating 60 fps in every game in our test suite with the settings cranked up and the ray tracing turned on. It struggled to keep up at 1440p, at least with everything set to ultra, but a little tinkering, or Nvidia’s latest tech, can help with that. Common games like Minecraft, Helldivers 2, and Marvel Rivals all ran over 90 fps, which is great news for weeknight Squirrel Girl enjoyers like myself.

As an RTX 50 Series card, the 5060 TI supports the latest version of DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) which includes Multi-Frame Generation. For every traditionally rendered frame of gameplay, the GPU can use machine learning to generate up to three extra frames with low overhead. The result is a much smoother experience, with big fps jumps each time you turn up the setting. The tradeoffs are a slight increase in input lag, as well as the occasional tiny artifact, which I feel makes this a great option for slower, cinematic games, but less optimal for twitchy shooters.

This PNY example isn’t the flashiest, with a plastic housing and only two fans, but I think a lot of gamers will be satisfied with it. It does feature the classic 8-pin PCIe power plug, so it could be an upgrade for an older system too, but I don’t think the performance jump would be that noticeable from the higher-end 30 or even 20 Series cards. If you want to check out your other options, I’ve got a full GPU buying guide that covers the latest from both AMD and Nvidia, from this card all the way up to the $2,000 RTX 5090.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Google just asked the Supreme Court to save it from the Epic ruling

by admin September 25, 2025

“The Supreme Court is Google’s last hope to avoid an Epic reckoning in October,” I wrote last week. Google apparently agrees. Today, it’s finally elevated its Epic v. Google case, the one that might fracture its control over the entire Android app ecosystem, to the Supreme Court level. Google has now confirmed it will appeal its case to the Supreme Court, and in the meanwhile, it’s asking the Court to press pause one more time on the permanent injunction that would start taking away its control.

On September 12th, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that permanent injunction and gave Google until October to stop forcing app developers to use its Google Play Billing for payments, allow them to link to other ways to pay and other places to download apps, set their own prices, and more.

But the Supreme Court might see it differently. It might agree with Google’s argument that the lower courts overstepped, or that Apple’s win in Epic v. Apple is relevant to the Google case, or any number of other arguments that you can read in the full document below.

Google says it will fully appeal to the Supreme Court for certiorari by October 27th, 2025, and is asking the Supreme Court to decide whether it’ll press pause on the injunction by October 17th. Meanwhile, the district court judge who issued the injunction, Judge James Donato, is asking Google and Epic to explain how they’ll comply with it in his courtroom on October 30th.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Eliminator power rankings: Why you should use Texans, save Bills

by admin September 24, 2025

Sep 24, 2025, 01:28 PM ET

ESPN Eliminator Challenge is one of the most fun games to play this NFL season. The rules are simple: pick one team, and as long as they win (or tie), you advance to the next round. If they lose, you are out. The caveat is you cannot pick the same team twice.

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Week 3 finally had the first major upset of the season with the Green Bay Packers blowing a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns. It was the first game all season where more than 10% of the field was knocked out. Still, 72% of all entrants remain, a far cry from last year when 95% of entrants had been eliminated by now.

This week, the Buffalo Bills are the largest favorites so far as they host the winless New Orleans Saints, but they also have one of the easiest remaining schedules. The smaller the group, the better the pick the Bills are, as immediate win probability matters more, especially if you have not burned any of the other elite teams (or the Arizona Cardinals, who have a prime Week 5 matchup, just like the Bills).

It’s a close call this week for the top choice, but I will side with saving the Bills for down the road and instead take the Houston Texans. There is more risk involved with taking the winless Texans, but they are the third-biggest money-line favorites of the week and set you up for success down the road if they survive. If I had five Eliminator Challenge entries, I would go two Texans, two Bills and one Denver Broncos.

Mike Clay’s Eliminator Challenge cheat sheet

Fundamentally, the Texans check almost every box. This is by far their highest win probability in any game all season, they have a comparably low selection rate and they are one of the biggest favorites of the week. The only box they don’t check is actually winning football games.

A home game against the worst team in the NFL according to ESPN Analytics should be the cure for the Texans’ woes, even though they lost at home to the Titans last season. The Texans are the third-biggest betting favorites this week, and no coach has underachieved compared with the betting odds in his career more than Brian Callahan (3-17 career against the spread).

Mike Clay chance to win: 76%
ESPN Analytics chance to win: 69%
ESPN BET line: Texans -7.5 (-400 money line)
Eliminator Challenge: 9% selected

Before you click the Bills, make sure you are comfortable with your pick in Week 5, as next week has fewer obvious picks on paper. The other great thing about saving the Bills is that after this week, over half of entrants will likely no longer have them available, giving you strong leverage down the road. But the Bills are by far the safest pick, as this is the most lopsided matchup all season, according to Mike Clay’s model.

Mike Clay chance to win: 93%
ESPN Analytics chance to win: 80%
ESPN BET line: Bills -16.5 (-2000 money line)
Eliminator Challenge: 21% selected

Joe Burrow’s injury changed everything for the Bengals’ outlook. ESPN Analytics has dropped the Bengals to the No. 29 team in its rankings since the Burrow injury, as they are 31st in EPA per play offensively and 21st defensively.

The Eliminator Challenge market hasn’t adjusted enough yet, as the Broncos were just 5% selected as of Tuesday evening. Denver has a few strong upcoming matchups, including Week 6 in London against the Jets and Week 7 at home against the Giants, but a home game against Jake Browning & Co. is a fantastic spot.

Mike Clay chance to win: 80%
ESPN Analytics chance to win: 72%
ESPN BET line: Broncos -7.5 (-380 money line)
Eliminator Challenge: 5% selected

Editor’s Picks

1 Related

It’s a tricky travel schedule for the Chargers, who started the year in Brazil, then played Monday night, followed by a physical home game against the Broncos. Now the Chargers fly across the country to face the Giants in Jaxson Dart’s first start. Dart creates a little more variance with the Giants, who could provide a spark in place of Russell Wilson — or could struggle like most rookies.

Still, this is a matchup of the No. 7 and No. 31 teams by ESPN Analytics, so it’s hard to be too negative about this pick. In terms of future value, the Chargers are projected to be favored in almost every game the rest of the season, but there are very few weeks in which they’re the obvious choice. Their easiest remaining matchups are Week 9 (at Titans) and Week 13 (vs. Las Vegas Raiders).

Mike Clay chance to win: 78%
ESPN Analytics chance to win: 74%
ESPN BET line: Chargers -6.5 (-300 money line)
Eliminator Challenge: 20% selected

The Lions make sense this week as a big favorite at home against an inferior team. However, the Lions have more future value than the Broncos, Chargers and Texans, and they have significantly lower win probability this week than the Bills.

Combine that with expected high ownership for the Lions, and they seem like an easy team to save for later, perhaps as soon as next week, where both ESPN Analytics and Mike Clay list them as the largest favorites (at Bengals).

Mike Clay chance to win: 85%
ESPN Analytics chance to win: 78%
ESPN BET line: Lions -8.5 (-550 money line)
Eliminator Challenge: 24% selected

Other options:

Top picks used:

Denver Broncos (Week 1)
Arizona Cardinals (Week 2)
Seattle Seahawks (Week 3)
Houston Texans (Week 4)

Projected path

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September 24, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Jim Carrey’s The Mask – Save $25 On New 4K Blu-Ray Edition

by admin September 24, 2025

Arrow Video has become the Blu-ray distributor for ’90s hits lately, and its next release is smokin’. That’s right, The Mask is getting a new 4K Blu-ray restoration and it’s now available to preorder for $35 (was $60) ahead of its November 11 release. If you preordered for the full $60 MSRP, Amazon will automatically adjust your order total to reflect the 42% discount.

$35 (was $60) | Releases November 11

Released in 1994, The Mask was one of three blockbusters starring Jim Carrey that year, cementing his status as the next breakout star in Hollywood. It’s hard to imagine anyone but Carrey pulling off the role as mild-mannered Stanley Ipkiss and his zany counterpart as successfully as he did, as the comedic actor’s talent for delivering laughs and his malleable face were key factors in the film’s success. Directed by Chuck Russell, The Mask was a big gamble for distributor New Line Cinema, but it paid off handsomely with an impressive box office haul of $351 million at the time.

The popularity of the film led to an animated series adaptation, and a few years later, a sequel was made that we’d really really like to forget about.

This new version of The Mask is a 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative by Arrow Video that was approved by Russell himself. The 4K edition supports High Dynamic Range–Dolby Vision and HDR10–as well as lossless stereo, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound, and a new Dolby Atmos mix.

Like other Arrow Video releases, the Limited Edition comes with a reversible sleeve and cover art: One side has the original theatrical poster featuring Carrey’s toothy grin, while the other is a simple but striking shot of the Mask as he prepares to P-A-R-T-Y. You’ll also find an illustrated booklet with commentary from author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and original production notes, a double-sided fold-out poster featuring two original artwork options, and six postcard-sized reproduction art cards.

The Mask Limited Edition Bonus Materials

New Features

Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and original production notes
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring two original artwork options
Six postcard-sized reproduction art cards
The Man Behind the Mask, a newly filmed interview with Chuck Russell
From Strip to Screen, a newly filmed interview with Mike Richardson, Mike Werb and Mark Verheiden
Green Faces Blue Screens, a newly filmed interview with visual effects supervisor Scott Squires
Sssssssplicin’!, a newly filmed interview with editor Arthur Coburn
Ask Peggy, a newly filmed interview with actor Amy Yasbeck
Toeing the Conga Line, a newly filmed interview with choreographer Jerry Evans featuring never-before-seen rehearsal footage
Terriermania, a new video essay by critic Elizabeth Purchell on canine sidekick Milo

More Bonus Features

Archive audio commentary with Chuck Russell
Archive audio commentary with Chuck Russell, New Line co-chairman Bob Shaye, screenwriter Mike Werb, executive producer Mike Richardson, producer Bob Engelman, ILM VFX supervisor Scott Squires, animation supervisor Tom Bertino and cinematographer John R.
Archival featurettes Return to Edge City, Introducing Cameron Diaz, Cartoon Logic, What Makes Fido Run, The Making Of, on-set interview bites with the cast and director and B-Roll footage
Deleted scenes, with optional commentary by director Chuck Russell
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery

Like the film? Then check out the original The Mask comics

The Mask Omnibus Editions

The Mask was an adaptation of the comic book miniseries of the same name published by Dark Horse Comics. While the film was lighthearted and played like a live-action Looney Tunes cartoon whenever Jim Carrey donned the ancient relic, the comics it was adapted from were much darker in comparison and featured more over-the-top graphic violence. While Jim Carrey’s version of Stanley Ipkiss is a lovable loser with a heart of gold, the comic book version isn’t nearly as likable, and once he gets his hands on the mask, he quickly uses its power to brutally exact revenge on everyone who harmed him.

Some of these scenes made it into the movie, albeit toned down. For example, the mechanics who extort Ipkiss in the film are humiliated by his alter-ego, but in the comics, they meet a gruesome end at his hands. Other characters are gunned down in cold blood and the book doesn’t have a happy ending for Ipkiss. If you’d like to see just how absurdly violent the original comic is, you can pick it up right now as part of The Mask Omnibus Edition for just $23.62 (was $30). After the film became a blockbuster hit, more comic books were produced under several creative teams, but nothing beats the original mini-series by John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke, as it’s a grim tale about revenge and how absolute power corrupts absolutely.

New & Upcoming Arrow Video Limited Edition 4K Blu-rays

The Mask is just the proverbial tip of the 4K Blu-ray spear for Arrow Video, as the company has several other cult-classics on the way. Sci-fi fans can grab the newly released 4K Blu-ray restoration of Lost in Space, the 1997 live-action adaptation of Spawn releases soon and there’s plenty of horror on the way as well. Creepshow 2, the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness, and Ringu are all coming out soon, giving fans of the genre a varied selection of movies to collect ahead of Halloween.

All of the movies listed below are Limited Edition 4K Blu-rays and have been organized the list by release date.

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September 24, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Save $36 on a Cool, Compact Hall Effect Keyboard

by admin September 22, 2025

Looking for a compact keyboard with a unique twist? The Keychron Q1 HE (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is currently marked down over $35 on Amazon, and comes with Hall Effect switches, a rare offering that adds a ton of functionality to your keyboard.

Photograph: Henri Robbins

Think of a keyboard switch like light switches. They have a fixed point where they activate, and all they can report is whether they’re in one of two states. Hall effect switches are more like light dimmer knobs. They know exactly where they currently are and can report that information back to the computer, which has a number of advantages over traditional keyboard switches.

For starters, you don’t have to settle for a fixed actuation point like you do on most keyboards. You can use the software to set the keys to be super sensitive, or require them to be almost all the way down, or even set keys to send different button presses depending on how hard they’re pressed. If you like to play video games, you can set keys to act like an analog joystick or trigger, letting you easily steer in racing games or walk in RPGs without picking up a controller.

The software has a lot of options, but is well thought out and easy to use, although you do need to plug it in to make changes. It’s QMK-based, but Keychron provides their own web-based launcher to make things even easier, particularly if you’re not well versed in that customization software.

It’s a premium mechanical keyboard throughout. The switches themselves are made by Gateron, and our reviewer noted that they’re exceptionally smooth, thanks to the pre-lubed rails and magnetic sensor. The gasket mount design and full aluminum body work together to provide a soft, deep, typing experience. Unless you’re already using linear switches, you might miss some of the crispness and feedback you get from a tactile or clicky mechanical switch.

While the larger Keychron Q6 HE currently sits at the top of our list of favorite mechanical keyboards, if you don’t need the num pad, you might appreciate the extra desk space you can reclaim with the Q1 HE. They’re otherwise extremely similar boards, and you’ll save $50 in the process.

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September 22, 2025 0 comments