Sony has announced its PS Plus free games lineup for April 2022, and its certainly an eclectic mix of titles.
From April 5 to May 2, PS Plus subscribers can grab Hood: Outlaws and Legends (PS5 and PS4), Slay the Spire (PS4), and SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated (PS4) for free.
It's certainly a mixed bag, in more than one way. Intense online multiplayer Hood: Outlaws and Legends heads up April's offering and sees players competing with rival gangs in heists against a medieval backdrop. Hood isn't exactly the showstopper PS5 game we were hoping to see from Sony this month (remember when the likes of Destiny 2 and Days Gone headed up the PS Plus lineup?) but it's worth giving a try, especially with friends.
Next, we have SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated, a remake of the original 2003 platformer. At the mere mention of Spongebob, some of you will have either cringed or lit up in delight. But whether you're a fan of the cheery sea sponge or not, Battle for Bikini Bottom is actually a very good game that will scratch the itch for those who love a good PS2 / Xbox era platformer.
PlayStation Plus games for April: ➕ Hood: Outlaws & Legends➕ SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated➕ Slay the Spirehttps://t.co/wJnF75gKfY pic.twitter.com/Tu3sr93whvMarch 30, 2022
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Last, but certainly not least, we have the critically-acclaimed deck builder, Slay the Spire, which sits proudly on our best roguelike games and best Xbox Game Pass games lists. Mega Crit Games' excellent title takes elements from both roguelike and deck-building games to create an experience that will please fans of both genres and suck in those who think its not for them.
If you still haven't claimed your March PS Plus free games yet, which include Ark: Survival Evolved, Team Sonic Racing, Ghostrunner, and Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, see this as a reminder to do so – as they are only available until April 4.
Changes are coming to PS Plus
(Image credit: Miguel Lagoa/Shutterstock)
Sony's next PS Plus free game offering comes shortly after the company announced plans to revamp the subscription service to compete with Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass.
This overhauled PlayStation Plus subscription combines the PS Plus and PS Now (which will no longer be available standalone) services and will be available in three tiers. The lowest tier offers the current benefits of PS Plus, while the highest tier allows access to a library of retro PlayStation games – among other perks.
This new subscription service isn't due to roll out for a few months yet, and current PS Plus subscribers won't see any changes to their monthly free games or pricing when it does roll out (unless they upgrade their tier).
We're just excited to see Sony finally revamping its somewhat stale subscription service, especially if that means we can play more old school platformers like Bikini Bottom.
Ahead of tomorrow’s energy price hike (1 April), Martin Lewis has outlined three tips for people who pay for their energy bills by monthly direct debit.
Tomorrow, the energy price cap is due to rise by an average of 54%. If you have never switched supplier or you were on a cheap fix that has now ended, your energy bills are governed by the price cap. You’re also on the price cap if your previous supplier went bust and you have moved supplier as a result.
If any of those scenarios apply to you, then make sure you read the following tips before the price hike takes effect.
1. Take a meter reading
On 31 March (today), you should take a meter reading and submit it to your energy supplier. This way, you can make sure that all the energy you’ve used is charged at the cheaper rate.
Some people have asked Martin Lewis whether they should slightly inflate their readings to take advantage of cheaper rates. However, he has correctly pointed out that this would be considered fraud.
2. Think carefully before ditching direct debit
With the colossal price hike coming tomorrow, some people are considering cancelling their direct debit. But, as Martin Lewis points out, although this will provide you with greater control over your bills in the short term, this move will cost you more money in the longer term.
If you’re on typical usage and pay by direct debit, the price cap from 1 April is £1,971 per year. If you pay by pre-payment, it’s £2,017 per year. Of course, you’d need a pre-payment meter to pay this way.
If you decide you want to cancel your direct debit and pay your bills quarterly, then the price cap is £2,100. That means you’ll pay around 6% more for your energy than if you stuck with a direct debit.
So, if you’re thinking about ditching direct debit, keep in mind that it’s cheaper to pay this way than it is to pay quarterly.
3. Avoid switching for now
From 1 April until the end of September, you’ll pay £1,971 per year for your energy if your bills are governed by the price cap. However, based on what we’ve seen so far, the current prediction is that the price cap will rise to around £2,500 on 1 October.
Of course, estimates can change and we’re only two months into the six-month assessment period. However, Martin Lewis believes it’s “very unlikely” that October’s price cap will be lower than the April price cap because wholesale prices are currently so high.
Based on these figures, Martin Lewis believes it’s only worth considering switching if you can find a deal that’s no more than 18% to 20% higher than April’s price cap. However, he says this is a “best guess”.
Sadly, for new customers, the best energy deals from the country’s best energy suppliers are around 40% higher than April’s cap. As a result, as things stand at the moment, it is not worth running an energy comparison and switching supplier. Instead, you’re better off staying on the April price cap and seeing how things change in the coming months.
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Three urgent tips for anyone who pays for their energy bills by direct debit
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is currently the heavyweight foldable phone to beat, and when it's succeeded by the Z Fold 4, that'll likely take top spot on our list of the best foldable phones - but Vivo is likely the next company to try and worm its way in.
The Vivo X Fold is launching on April 11, and we know this because the company has been heavily teasing the phone - in fact, it's posted two videos of the upcoming foldable on Chinese social media network Weibo, which you can find here and here.
The first video, which was posted earliest, shows the phone's outer display, and ends with the thing starting to open. As well as a volume rocker and power button, we can see something that looks like an alert slider, so it's possible the phone will get one of them.
The second video is the most revealing, showing the phone from loads of angles - well, except for the one angle that would show if there's definitely a volume rocker or not.
We can see very clearly that this is an outwards-folding book-style foldable, like Samsung's Z Folds, with a very large inner screen and a circular camera bump housing four lenses.
Something else is also apparent too: this is a very good-looking foldable phone.
Analysis: the first attractive foldable phone?
If you spend lots of money on a smartphone, you can generally expect a good-looking phone, with chic designs and premium materials used for top-end phones...
... that is, except for foldables. Despite them often costing lots of money, they can often look pretty plain (other than the fact they fold, obviously).
The Vivo X Fold looks different though. The video shows a good-looking two-tone blue-and-black mobile with some shiny highlights, and it's also clear that the back is clad either in leather or faux-leather (an alternative that isn't made from animals).
Faux-leather feels great to the touch, a fact Vivo is evidently keen to emphasize given the slow shot of a finger stroking the X Fold's rear.
So the Vivo X Fold could have a much more attractive design than we've seen other foldable phones use, eschewing the glass or plastic rear for a premium-feeling material and using a smart application of color to make the handset stand out.
Not everyone cares about how a phone looks - to some, they're just functional devices for communication, gaming or photography. But if you're paying 'foldable phone money' - or a high price - you expect an attractive handset.
Of course, this is all based on the teaser, which is meant to build excitement for a phone, so we might find the mobile disappointing in real life - or, more likely, it might never reach our shores, because Vivo reveals lots of phones that only launch in its home country of China.
Given how expensive most iPhones are, and the fact that owners carry them with them everywhere, they’re attractive and easy targets for thieves, but they might soon become less appealing.
That’s because according to an internal Apple memo obtained by MacRumors, the company is implementing a system whereby Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers will be alerted if an iPhone that’s brought to them has been lost or stolen, and instructed not to repair it.
The system will apparently work through a link to the GSMA Device Registry, which is a global database where devices can be reported as lost or missing. If an iPhone is listed on there, then the repairer’s internal MobileGenius or GSX system will display a message saying as much.
While this change hasn’t yet been confirmed by Apple, it would make sense for the company to implement this, and it’s not the first thing the company has done to make it harder for stolen iPhones to get repaired.
Already, if Find My iPhone has been enabled for the phone and the customer is unable to disable it, then a repair will be refused, as that suggests the device has been lost or stolen. But this new system should snag devices where Find My iPhone was never enabled for whatever reason.
Analysis: better late than never
While this sounds like a good idea, it also sounds like an obvious idea and something we’re surprised wasn’t already happening, as we can’t imagine it would be too difficult to implement.
Making stolen iPhones hard to repair will make them much less desirable to thieves in the first place, so this should reduce the instances of theft – though of course it will only help if the device has been logged in the GSMA Device Registry, or logged as stolen to begin with.
Still, between this, Find My iPhone and Face ID, stealing an iPhone is likely to be more trouble than it’s worth in most cases.
What’s not clear though is whether the repair provider would alert the registered owner or the police if a lost or stolen device reaches them. This report simply states that they won’t repair it, which might reduce thefts in the first place, but won’t help reunite a phone with its rightful owner.
We've got a written Xiaomi 12 review, but if you prefer to watch or listen to your information rather than read words, then our new Xiaomi 12 video review is here for you.
This video, presented by Tom Bedford from our phones team (with a really amazing shirt, according to this writer), takes you through all the aspects of the phone in 5 minutes, including its screen, cameras and gaming performance.
The video also points out a few of the issues with the phone, including its software issues and overheating chipset, so it's not just a sizzle reel of "why we like the Xiaomi 12".
You can view the video on YouTube (or above, as we've embedded it in this article). We'd love to hear your thoughts on the phone - is the Xiaomi 12 a big success for the Chinese tech giant, or a misstep in the company's rivalry with Samsung? If you've got a strong opinion on the new phone (or like Tom's shirt) let us know in the YouTube comments section.
Alternatively, if you want, you can treat our Xiaomi 12 video review as a mini-podcast. Admittedly you'll miss out on any footage of the phone, as well as the camera samples (and you won't get to see Tom's funky shirt at all), but we want to cater for all readers, viewers and listeners.
If you're a fan of tech video reviews, check out the TechRadar YouTube account where we provide you with reviews, news and analysis on tech, entertainment and more, and you can join plenty of other fans in subscribing for timely new videos.
Moon Knight has finally landed on Disney Plus – and, unsurprisingly, the show's premiere contains a reference to the Marvel hero's comic book history.
There's a lot to take in during Moon Knight's first episode (check out our spoiler-free review if you haven't yet), so there's a chance that this particular Easter egg may have passed you by. After all, we're introduced to Steven Grant, his two alter-egos in Marc Spector and Moon Knight, the scary Egyptian god known as Khonshu, the villainous Arthur Harrow, and Layla (albeit only through a phone call) during the Disney Plus show's opening salvo. Add in the spooky and horror-infused scenes, mind-bending but brief time jumps (as Steven and Marc each take control of their body), the humorous quips, and the wider mystery at large and... well, as we said, there's lots to unravel.
Still, the first entry in the latest Marvel Phase 4 project is hiding a pretty prominent Easter egg in plain sight. It's possible that Moon Knight comic fans will have spotted it a mile off but, for those of you who didn't, we've got you covered. Big spoilers follow for Moon Knight episode 1, so turn back now – bookmark this page for later, once you've seen the episode – if you haven't caught it yet.
Moon Knight episode 1 Easter egg explained: who is Duchamp, aka Frenchie?
Jean-Paul Duchamp, aka Frenchie, is an iconic Moon Knight comic book character.(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney Plus)
The Easter egg in question can be seen just before Layla tries to call Marc Spector on the flip phone Steven Grant finds in his apartment.
Before the mobile phone rings, we see Grant scrolling through a seemingly never-ending list of missed calls from Layla. However, there's one name that obviously stands out among the numerous references to Layla on the flip phone's screen: Duchamp.
Of course, this being a Marvel production, a name like this would ordinarily pique the interest of most Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans. But, as we've mentioned before, there's so much going on in Moon Knight's opening episode that you may have forgotten about it by the time the credits roll.
So, who is Duchamp? Moon Knight's comic history holds the answers.
Frenchie has helped Marc Spector throughout Moon Knight's near 50-year comic history.(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney Plus)
Jean-Paul Duchamp – otherwise known as Frenchie– is a former French army officer who befriends Marc Spector, a former soldier-turned mercenary, when the pair cross paths in North Africa. Duchamp made his comic debut in Werewolf by Night #32 in May 1975, and the duo go on to become very close friends in the comics, with Spector being the one who gives Duchamp his iconic nickname.
Unsurprisingly, the duo eventually join forces on a number of missions, excursions, and other assignments, with Frenchie becoming the full-time helicopter pilot for Spector. The pair end up working with another mercenary called Raoul Bushman (more on him in a moment) to conduct raids on historical dig sites, including one on the Tomb of Pharoah Seti II on the Egypt/Sudan border.
The heist, though, goes awry. Bushman ends up killing the archaeologist leading an expedition on Seti II's tomb – Doctor Peter Alraune – among other innocent people, which enrages Spector, who is unsurprisingly against murdering civilians. Spector turns on Bushman, but the latter ends up leaving Spector for dead in the desert after the pair's gruelling showdown sees Bushman come out on top.
Spector makes his way back to civilization, but collapses due to his injuries. It's here where a group of locals carry him to a tomb containing a shrine to Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon, with the deity appearing before Spector and saving his life. In return, Spector agrees to become the "Fist of Khonshu", aka the vigilante known as Moon Knight, who enacts vengeance on those who Khonshu considers to be unjust.
Meanwhile, Duchamp believes Spector died during the raid on Seti II's tomb. So he's shocked when Spector reveals that he's still alive and, after Spector explains what happened, Duchamp vows to help Spector get his revenge on Bushman and his henchmen.
Long story short, Duchamp ends up being installed as Moon Knight's permanent sidekick. He becomes Spector's trusted confidant, transporting him to various locations in his Moon Knight-designed helicopter, and assisting him on missions. After spending many years Рread decades Рas a Moon Knight associate, Frenchie currently works as Mątre d' at the restaurant he set up.
Major spoilers for Moon Knight episodes 2, 3 and 4 follow. Don't read past the image below if you don't want further spoilers.
Could Frenchie make an appearance in Moon Knight on Disney Plus?(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney Plus)
Given that his name is dropped – well, shown – in Moon Knight's premiere, does that mean we'll see Duchamp make a cameo appearance in the MCU TV show?
It's certainly possible, although there's no guarantee that he will. This could just be another subtle nod – on Marvel Studios' part – to Moon Knight's comic history. We've seen the first four episodes of the Disney Plus limited series, and we can confirm that Duchamp hasn't shown up yet.
There's a chance that he could turn up in one of the final two episodes, though. Back in September 2020, Marvel were reportedly seeking two new cast members (per The Direct) for Moon Knight, and one particular casting call described Duchamp down to a tee. "20-40 (years old), White male," the description reads. "A stereotypical good looking, overly enthusiastic, less intelligent than average but still lovable. Actor must be fluent in French." All signs point to someone being hired to portray a character called Frenchie then, eh?
Of course, it's been over 18 months since that casting call was sent out, and Marvel's plans for Moon Knight's supporting cast could have changed by then. In our view, though, we'd be shocked if Duchamp doesn't appear as part of the show's cast.
We already know that Marc Spector's parents will show up in the TV adaptation – presumably in episode 5 – so maybe they'll turn up alongside Duchamp. The latter is Spector's closest ally, after all. So, if something happened to him, Duchamp would surely be on the first flight – or should that be helicopter ride? – to aid his friend in any way he can. It won't be too long before we find out for sure.
French audio brand Devialet has announced its first-ever soundbar - and with Dolby Atmos and room calibration, it could make a convincing alternative to rivals like the Sonos Arc.
While most soundbars look fairly similar to one another, the Devialet Dione employs a striking design that sets it apart from the competition and takes inspiration from the company's previous space age-style wireless speakers.
In the middle of the new Dolby Atmos soundbar is an orb-shaped center channel, that's designed to maintain perfect front-facing calibration, no matter how you position the Dione (fans of the Devialet Phantom I speaker will recognize the spherical design). Whether you place the soundbar underneath your TV, or mount it flush against your wall, the orb points towards you to deliver sound straight to your ears.
(Image credit: Devialet)
As well as mechanically adapting the sound, the orb in the center of the soundbar contains a gyroscopic sensor that detects the position of the soundbar and adjusts the audio signal accordingly.
As with the Sonos Arc, the Devialet Dione can be calibrated to your room for a personalized sound, using the company's app to scan your surroundings.
This should make the soundbar's Dolby Atmos audio feel particularly convincing, as it will know which surfaces it can bounce sound off of to create an immersive listening experience.
Devialet says that, even when the soundbar is mounted to the wall, its upfiring drivers will still beam sound up to your ceiling.
If you're not watching Atmos content, you'll still be able to achieve a semblance of spatial audio, thanks to the company's proprietary SPACE technology, which upmixes sources into 5.1.2-channel sound.
Push-push it real good
(Image credit: Devialet)
Atmos aside, the sound of the Devialet Dione should be pretty powerful; it contains eight subwoofers and nine aluminum full-range speakers. Those subwoofers utilize Devialet's push-push technology to deliver what the company describes as "powerful, deep bass whatever the volume" without the need for a separate subwoofer.
There are four different listening modes to choose from. The Movie and Spatial modes convert stereo content into multichannel audio thanks to that SPACE algorithm we mentioned, while Voice Mode is designed to make podcasts and news programs sound clearer. Finally, Music mode is there to "faithfully reproduce a stereo setup", and disables all the spatialization effects for a naturalistic sound.
As for connectivity? You get HDMI 2.1 eARC, optical, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, UPnP, and Bluetooth 5, so you should be covered whether you want a plug-and-play setup or easy wireless connections with your other devices.
All that combined with a sleek design that stands out from the competition makes the Devialet Dione an intriguing alternative to the best soundbars available today. However, it's hefty price tag may be off-putting to budget-conscious cinephiles.
Available to preorder now and launching officially in April, the Devialet Dione will cost $2,400 / £1,990, and while Australian pricing is yet to be confirmed, that works out at about AU$3,200.
Devialet has never been a bargain basement brand, with its wireless speakers costing as much as $3,200 / £2,790 / AU$5,490. Still, when you can get models like the Sonos Arc and Samsung HW-Q950A for much less, that price tag will only appeal to those that already love the Devialet aesthetic and sound.
The OnePlus 10 Pro is launching in just a few short days, at least for a global audience - it debuted in China in January. Because of that early launch, we know nearly everything about the phone - but turns out, if you live in the US, you need to forget one of those specs.
In a post on the OnePlus forums, the company has gone through a few of the specs, including the phone's chipset and cooling system - we knew all of this already. Also mentioned is the charging speed, and there's some new information there.
While we know the phone has 80W fast charging, apparently it won't in the US. According to the company "North American devices come with 65W SUPERVOOC wired charging". In the comments, the company justifies that "this is because 80W SUPERVOOC does not currently support 110 or 120-volt AC power – the typical standard for power outlets in the region."
So, if you live in the US, we're sorry to say that you're missing out on 80W fast charging. Admittedly that's still fast, when you consider Apple and Samsung which still stick with incredibly low powering speeds, but it's still a shame when you consider the speeds you're missing out on.
According to OnePlus, 80W powers the phone to full in 32 minutes. You're obviously not getting that same time with 65W, instead we'd expect a full charge within around 45 minutes.
Analysis: still no rivals
If you live in the US, it's fine to be disappointed by the OnePlus 10 Pro downgrade - especially because, for some people, fast charging is a hugely important aspect of a phone.
Think for a minute though: what alternative do you have?
Chinese phone brands are the ones pioneering fast charging, with Xiaomi, Realme and Oppo all touting incredibly quick powering speeds. But you know something else about Chinese phone brands? Very few of them sell in the US - none of those three companies do.
So if you want really fast charging on a smartphone, and live in the States, you don't really have any other choices.
Some super phone fans might be getting ready to write an email: "actually, gaming phones have faster charging," and that's totally true - but those are quite niche devices. If you wanted the OnePlus 10 Pro for, say, its chic design, impressive cameras or distinct lack of garish LED lights on the back, a gaming phone isn't what you want.
If you've never tried 80W charging, 65W won't disappoint you anyway, because you've got nothing to compare it to. But let's hope the OnePlus 10 Pro is a little bit more affordable than it would have been, to compensate for this downgraded feature.
The Fitbit Sense 2 may soon be landing on wrists, judging by two new device names discovered in the installation files for the Fitbit Android app. It's an exciting discovery – there's been no news from Fitbit so far this year, other than the recall of Fitbit Ionic devices earlier this month – but we can't help wondering just what a next-gen Fitbit Sense could offer to tempt us.
The Fitbit Sense was an exciting watch when it launched in September 2020, thanks to its novel stress-detecting technology. Whereas most fitness trackers, smartwatches, and running watches measure fitness by tracking heart rate variability, the Sense uses electrodermal activity (EDA), which is a measure of your skin's electrical conductivity.
Adrenal activity causes you to sweat, which makes your skin more conductive. When you enable the Fitbit Sense's EDA app and place your palm over its face, the watch sends a tiny electrical impulse through your skin, and measures changes in conductivity (EDA responses). More EDA responses over the course of a minute indicate higher levels of stress.
Now, however, Fitbit faces a real challenge – what can it add to make the Sense 2 as impressive as its predecessor? EDA technology alone won't cut it (Fitbit incorporated the same sensor into the smaller, more affordable Fitbit Charge 5) and according to the details discovered in the app's installation files, the new watch will have the same screen resolution, so it's unlikely to look radically different.
It doesn't look like this will be the long-awaited premium Fitbit smartwatch powered by Google Wear OS. The fact that its apparent codename (either 'Rhea' or 'Hera') was found in the APK for the existing Fitbit Android app suggests it'll be sticking with the same Fitbit operating system, and there was no mention of Wear OS to be found.
No sweat
So what could Fitbit do differently this time around? My prediction is continuous stress monitoring, so you don't have to access the EDA app manually and take time out of your day to perform spot checks. In fact, I'd be tempted to put money on it.
Last week, it emerged that Google (Fitbit's parent company) is seeking FDA approval for an algorithm that would allow its fitness trackers to check for irregularities in heart rate throughout the day. If its application is successful, you'd no longer need to open the ECG app on your watch to check for signs of atrial fibrillation. Instead, your watch would perform its own checks every two hours or so (depending on your activity level) and alert you if it detects an unusual heart rhythm – and it's possible that the Sense 2 could track EDA responses in exactly the same way.
With an EDA sensor built into the watch back, the Fitbit Sense 2 could measure EDA responses when it detects that you're sitting still and could even provide alerts when it notices you're starting to feel the strain, then lead you through some breathing exercises to help you get things back under control.
We're keeping our ear to the ground for any further hints about the Fitbit Sense 2 and the rumored Versa 4, which may arrive at the same time, and we'll keep you updated as soon as we know more.
An Elden Ring player and Star Wars fan has hit upon a character build worthy of a true Sith Lord. Combining specific weapons and incantations, they’ve created a character that effectively turns their Tarnished into Darth Sidious, complete with mock force lightning and a medieval lightsaber.
In a video shared on the Elden Ring subreddit, user Nomadianking shows off the build. They’re able to cast lightning bolts from their hands in an imitation of force lightning, propel their foe backward by channeling an invisible force, and imbue a red glow into their shortsword to give it a lightsaber-esque effect.
To top it off, they’ve decked out their character in a black cape, hood, and robes for that ultimate dark Jedi effect, and their face has been sculpted to look like Darth Sidious actor Ian McDiarmid. Plus, John Williams’ classic Duel of the Fates has been added to soundtrack the video alongside the odd Darth Sidious quote, just for that extra Star Wars crunch.
As for how to actually build the character, Nomadianking appears to be using the Short Sword combined with Vyke's Dragonbolt, which makes your right-hand weapon glow red, and Lansseax's Glaive, which creates a glowing red polearm in mid-air to sweep down on enemies.
For the lightning attacks, it looks like they’re using Ancient Dragon's Lightning Spear and Ancient Dragons’ Lightning Strike. Both of those incantations produce red lightning attacks. If you want your Darth Sidious build to be more authentic, try the Frozen Lightning Spear that casts icy blue lightning that’s visually closer to Palpatine’s.
If Vyke’s Dragonbolt isn’t to hand, you can also use the Bloodflame Blade incantation to make your weapon glow a deep red. And if you don’t have access to the lightning attacks, the Honed Bolt spell is another appropriately Sith-like attack.
Although Nomadianking’s combination of spells and armor looks decidedly stylish, it’s unlikely to be much of a winner on the battlefield. The incantations they’ve used are slow to perform and can be easily dodged by most enemies. Try it if you’re besotted with the dark side of the force, but don’t expect to have an easy time of it. You’d be better off finding the best Elden Ring armor sets across the Lands Between.
You don’t have to look far across the Reddit comments to find users congratulating Nomadianking on the build, with many doing what all good Star Wars fans on the internet do best – recycling quotes and memes from the original films. Mentions of “unlimited power”, letting “the hate flow through you”, and admonishments that the video doesn’t, in fact, feature Darth Sidious but The Senate are not few and far between.
The 12900KS will debut at the Intel Talking Tech event which will be streamed on Twitch at 12pm PT in the US (that’s 8pm UK time), during which expert PC builders will show off their skills putting together a number of machines, presumably around the new Alder Lake chip.
Join us as we build 4 PCs with industry experts and talk about the 12th Gen processor family features and its newest member!📅 April 5, 2022⌚ 12PM PT & 3PM ETTune in here: https://t.co/c2XGOm9PJC pic.twitter.com/Cs2Gl9oVQrMarch 26, 2022
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Intel bills the ‘KS’ version of its flagship – which essentially uses the best-performing 12900K silicon, capable of being pushed to higher clock speeds – as the ‘world’s fastest desktop processor’ based on the fact that it’s capable of boosting up to 5.5GHz.
That’s impressive, of course, but that speed can only be hit on a single-core over a limited period of time, with the rumor mill asserting that the all-core boost will be 5.2GHz (which again, is still impressive over the full 8 performance cores of this CPU).
Analysis: Top dog CPUs to battle it out in April
It’s no great surprise to hear that the launch of Intel’s Core i9-12900KS is so close, given that we’ve already seen the incoming flagship listed at some retailers complete with pre-release pricing, and indeed one report contends that someone has already bought one of the CPUs.
While Intel’s assertion that this is the ‘world’s fastest’ desktop CPU based on clocks is one thing, what PC owners will really be interested in is how well the 12900KS performs in real-world apps and games.
What makes this a really interesting launch is the incoming rival Ryzen 7 5800X3D due to arrive on April 20, as AMD has claimed this refreshed processor beats out the vanilla 12900K, and so should come close to the KS version, at least in terms of gaming. Outside of games, the 5800X3D won’t be so competitive with the Alder Lake top dogs, but for hardcore PC gamers who aren’t bothered about other apps in the main, that may not matter.
The crucial point will be the pricing here, and we already know that the new Ryzen processor will cost $449 (around £340, AU$625), or at least that’s the recommended price. We don’t know how the Core i9-12900KS will be priced yet, but pre-release leaks suggest it could go as high as $800 in the US (around £610, AU$1,070). If that’s the case, the relative value proposition is clearly going to be pretty heavily tilted in favor of Team Red. (Remember, the 12900K currently sells for around $600 or so in the US, so we can certainly expect KS pricing to be higher than that).
Ultimately, though, we can’t judge the relative merits of these high-end CPUs until we’ve tested them both, and taken into account whatever the final price tags end up as (at retailers, not MSRPs – and the latter could be quite different depending on demand and availability).
The 2022 Oscars ceremony has come and gone – and there's lots to discuss in the wake of this year's Academy Awards.
Unsurprisingly – and that's putting it lightly - that Will Smith-Chris Rock incident is dominating the headlines, and there's bound to be plenty more discussion about it in the days to come. Meanwhile, the Zack Snyder fandom continued to show their devotion to the director's back catalog, with Army of the Dead and Zack Snyder's Justice League landing wins – sans trophy – in the Fan Favorite Movie and Most Cheer-Worthy Twitter-Oscar Awards.
Amid all the noise surrounding the Smith-Rock altercation and Snyder film discourse, though, CODA's shock Best Picture win has largely been overlooked.
The Apple TV Plus movie, which features a predominantly Deaf cast, saw off critically-acclaimed flicks including Dune, King Richard, and West Side Story to secure the coveted gong. And, despite what else went down on the night, the significance of CODA's stunning victory cannot be understated – and the data proves it.
CODA's Best Picture triumph at the 2022 Oscars is hugely significant.(Image credit: Apple)
For one, CODA is the first-ever streaming service movie to pick up the prestigious Best Picture prize at an Oscars ceremony. In doing so, CODA ensured that it's Apple TV Plus – not Netflix, Prime Video, or HBO Max – that made Academy Award history by becoming the first streamer to secure such a gong. In an era where streaming platforms are becoming an increasingly popular destination for audiences to consume movie and TV content, it was a hugely significant moment.
And not just for the streaming industry in general, but for Apple TV Plus specifically. Apple's streaming platform is arguably the fifth most-popular service worldwide, with the above trio and Disney Plus boasting many more subscribers. For context, the last figures suggest Netflix has a global subscriber base of 222 million (per TechCrunch), with Apple TV Plus languishing well behind on 40 million (only 20 million of which are paying customers, per The Information).
Then, there's the fact that numerous productions from Netflix and company have been nominated for Best Picture ahead of previous Oscars ceremonies.
Netflix films including Roma, The Irishman, The Power of the Dog, and Don't Look Up have all failed to land a Best Picture win, while Prime Video's The Sound of Metal lost out at the 2021 ceremony (among others) to Nomadland. An Apple TV Plus film usurping its competitors on such a global scale with the streamer's inaugural Best Picture Academy Award nomination, then, is sure to send shockwaves through the industry as a whole.
CODA's surprise triumph is made all the more remarkable by its audience demand data. According to Parrot Analytics, CODA was the second least-in-demand best Picture nominee among general movie fans when compared to its peers.
Apple TV Plus' CODA was not that popular among general audiences ahead of the 2022 Oscars.(Image credit: Parrot Analytics)
As the above Parrot Analytics chart – created before the 2022 Oscars ceremony – shows, CODA was 14.2 times more popular than the average movie among US viewers. However, its audience demand paled in comparison to Dune, The Power of the Dog, and even Universal Pictures' Licorice Pizza. Kenneth Branagh's Belfast was the only film that was less in-demand among US audiences pre-Oscars, proving just how much of a shock CODA's win really is.
Of course, there's not always a correlation between a film's popularity – among general audiences – and its potential to win Best Picture at an Oscars ceremony. Parasite similarly pulled off an upset at the 2019 Academy Awards over perceived favorites including Joker, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and The Irishman.
Bong Joon-Ho's black comedy thriller, though, was more popular among industry insiders and critics than everyday film fans. Naturally, that changed upon its Oscar win, but Parasite wasn't viewed (or marketed) as a fashionable, must-see film before its Academy Award victory. Maybe CODA will enjoy similar success, based on its own triumph.
All of the above, then, makes CODA's 2022 Best Picture victory all the more remarkable. Much like the movie's cast of characters, CODA has overcome adversity to land an unprecedented win for itself and Apple TV Plus. And, with the company's streaming platform landing multiple awards for the likes of Ted Lasso, plus its prestige TV offerings including Foundation, Apple TV Plus has finally found itself making ground in the ongoing streaming war.
Now, with a Best Picture winner in CODA to boast among its line-up of original productions, Apple TV Plus has to utilize such momentum and seize its moment to make a concerted effort to try and overthrow Netflix and its other competitors. Put simply, it won't have a better chance to do so than now.
If you’ve been holding out for the iPad Pro (2022) then you might have to keep holding out for quite a while longer, as the latest information on the slate suggests that it won’t be landing for at least around six months.
That’s according to Mark Gurman (who has a good track record for Apple information) in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg. Gurman claims that the next iPad Pro will likely land this ‘fall,’ meaning between September and November.
That would probably mean a launch alongside the iPhone 14 range and the Apple Watch 8, both of which are expected to land in September – though it’s possible that Apple will hold two events during that period, like it did in 2020.
In any case, whenever it does arrive, the iPad Pro (2022) will apparently feature an M2 chipset. This will reportedly have the same octa-core CPU as the M1 found in the iPad Pro (2021) range, but potentially with more GPU cores, along with speed and efficiency improvements, due to being made on a 4nm process.
Additionally, the iPad Pro (2022) will apparently support MagSafe, like the iPhone 13 range, allowing – among other things – wireless charging. This is something we’ve heard a number of times now.
Gurman doesn’t say anything more than that about the iPad Pro (2022), but if it really is that far out, then it’s not surprising that news about the slate is limited.
Of course, we’d take Gurman’s claims with a pinch of salt, but given his track record and the fact that there’s no imminent sign of the iPad Pro (2022), there’s a high chance that he’s right.
An iPad Pro 12.9 2021(Image credit: TechRadar)
Analysis: don’t wait, just buy
With the prospect of a wait of six months or more, you might be wondering whether it’s worth holding out for Apple’s next iPad, and the answer is probably not.
The M1 chipset in the iPad Pro (2021) is already more powerful than most apps or users need, and by the sounds of things the M2 will only be a fairly small upgrade anyway. MagSafe meanwhile is more of a nice-to-have feature than an essential one for most people.
And beyond that? Other leaks have suggested that the 11-inch iPad Pro (2022) could get a mini-LED screen, which actually is quite a big change, though the current model’s display is already great. And the iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) already has a mini-LED screen, so no significant changes are expected for its bigger sibling's display.
Indeed, the screen sizes will probably remain the same too based on current leaks, so despite the potentially long wait for the 2022 models, it doesn’t sound like they’ll be very big upgrades at all.
One of the great things about movies is how they can show us possible gadgets and other forms of technology that make us wish they exist in real life. Over the years, these gadgets have amazed us on the screen, allowing us to at least have a peek at the future that we hope we might get.
The best part is that even if some of these gadgets don’t exist in real life, some people are already working on making it a reality. For example, it may probably take years to build a real-working lightsaber, but we wouldn’t hesitate to purchase one whenever that time has come.
For now, have a read at some of the best movie gadgets we want in real life.
DeLorean (Back to the Future)
(Image credit: Universal)
It’s not a gadget, but the flux capacitor that runs inside this DeLorean is what makes time travel possible (as conceived by the great Doc Brown). Of course, it’s an engineering feat, and while the flying version is a fan favourite, we still prefer the first iteration (we may probably need a bolt of lightning to be able to use it).
AR Computer (Minority Report)
(Image credit: DreamWorks)
This futuristic thriller starring Tom Cruise contains a scene where he navigates a computer seemingly shown in AR. Using special gloves as the mouse, he carefully navigates through the menu with extreme precision. A similar, less fancy tech exists today, but we can’t wait to see this in the future when they’ve perfected it.
Neuralyzer (Men in Black)
(Image credit: Sony)
The perfect tool for a bad date – just kidding. The Neuralyzer is the Men in Black’s main gadget for letting people forget their most recent memory (depending on how far they want your memory to be erased). It provided a source of laughs in the film, but this is one gadget we’d love to see in our hands.
Iron Man suit (Iron Man)
(Image credit: Disney)
Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit became one of the most iconic gadgets on film. Its multiple iterations have various features that only get better with each movie. A similar tech also exists in real life, but it’s still far from the red and gold beauty that we’ve seen on the big screen
Hoverboard (Back to the Future Part II)
(Image credit: Universal)
Another Back to the Future tech makes its way to this list. In the sequel, we get a peek at the future where kids ditch skateboards in favour of hoverboards. Made by Mattel (as seen in the movie), it resembles much like a real skateboard except for the wheels – and yes, it levitates.
Dream Machine (Inception)
(Image credit: Warner Bros)
The dream machine used in Inception doesn’t exactly scream hi-tech, but its function is what makes us want to try it out. This dream machine allows anyone to go into a deeper conscious, induced by the chemicals that you inject yourself with it. It’s definitely cool and a dangerous tool if ever one exists.
Transporter (Star Trek)
(Image credit: Paramount)
All this traffic on the roads made us wish the transporter from Star Trek was real. Imagine if you can just hop onto a platform and just teleport your way to any destination you want. Goodbye, jet lag!
Remote Control (Click)
(Image credit: Sony)
The movie wasn’t the best, but this Adam Sandler film showcased a remote control that you can use in real life. Too noisy? Just press mute. Didn’t see what’s coming? Just press rewind. This may be a tech that will never happen, but you have to admit that using it in your hands is absolutely fantastic.
Light Cycle (Tron)
(Image credit: Disney)
One of the highlights of the classic 80s film and its sequel is this incredible light cycle that the characters use while playing in a match. As cool as it sounds, the high speed and light trails it leaves behind can kill you – something that hopefully won’t happen when they manage to create one today.
Lightsaber (Star Wars)
(Image credit: Disney)
The coolest gadget among the entire lot, the lightsaber is the ultimate weapon used by the Jedi and the Sith in the Star Wars universe. Powered by crystals that emit a powerful bolt of energy that can cut through anything, this is one gadget we would happily buy if it existed in real life – we may just need some training to do first.
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When I reviewed the Nikon Z9 , the camera giant's new flagship camera, I was majorly impressed with its performance across the board. F...
I pushed the Nikon Z9 to the limit at a velodrome – and got mixed results
When I reviewed the Nikon Z9, the camera giant's new flagship camera, I was majorly impressed with its performance across the board. From its AF speed and accuracy, to its power under the hood for high-speed sequences and electronic-only shutter, it fully deserved its five-star rating. But one thing I didn't do was take it for a spin in the challenging confines of a velodrome.
Luckily, that opportunity recently came up, and it was one I couldn't turn down. Not just because I'd get to shoot with the Z9 again – a camera Nikon believes is its most powerful yet – but also because I'd get to see how its autofocus handled cyclists burning around London's Olympic Velodrome, plus break-dancers and BMX tricksters, too.
(Image credit: Future)
Shooting speeding objects in an indoor environment is a test for any camera, even the Nikon Z9, and while I was there I chatted to Neil Freeman, a technical guru from the Nikon School, to get some tips on getting the most out of the new flagship. So how intelligent is the latest cutting-edge autofocus on pro cameras? And has the Z9's AF sped past its flagship rivals?
As good as the latest autofocus systems are, it still takes time and practice to really get the most out of cameras like the Nikon Z9. As I discovered, they don't yet handle all of the decision-making for you – but they're certainly moving quickly ahead of their DSLR predecessors.
Autofocus unpacked
I've already tested the Nikon Z9 in action scenarios, covering football matches, runners and wildlife. But the velodrome presents a whole other challenge, with very fast moving helmet-clad subjects, in an indoor environment with dimmer light. To freeze the action and get sharp shots on your desired subject, where do you begin with AF?
Throughout the afternoon in the velodrome, I experienced several focus drops from our subject. So what gives? Camera can't cut it in low light, or user error? Well, the Z9 has a host of AF modes and it really pays to use the right ones. That might sound like common sense, but how do you know which is the right one?
Neil Freeman had been at it with the camera before our arrival. "I wouldn't use 3D AF tracking in here. It's not as effective as area tracking AF when there are similar colors in the scene. It's better when the subject stands out from its surroundings." Indeed, the yellow jersey clad cyclists and the yellow Z9 branding in the background did trick 3D subject-tracking on occasion.
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Shot on the Nikon Z9 with Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6. f/5.6 at 1/1,000s, ISO 14400.(Image credit: Future)
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Shot on the Nikon Z9 with Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6. f/5.6 at 1/1,000s, ISO 16000.(Image credit: Future)
I then got to grips with the area tracking AF mode and opted for the wide area coverage, which comes in landscape format only. It didn't seem to fit quite so well with our vertically positioned cyclists. Neil revealed that the ability to change AF area orientation has been made as a suggested improvement to the Nikon Z9 via a future firmware update.
Still, with the subject locked in this area, tracking was like glue. AF subject priority offers the options of auto or manual between people, animals and vehicles. Auto is super convenient rather than having to select the subject manually, but surely it’s less effective? Well, in this scenario, not so. I tried both for the cyclists and found no discernible difference between auto detection and manual.
The end of DSLRs?
What is really impressive is how sticky subject tracking is, once a subject has been acquired, to anywhere in the frame.
In the scenario of four cyclists packed tightly together in formation, area tracking AF stuck to our lead rider all the way to the edges of the frame, even though cyclist number two took his original place in the frame. Intelligent stuff.
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Shot on the Nikon Z9 with Z 24mm f/1.8 S. f/1.8 at 1/1000s, ISO 4500.(Image credit: Future)
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Shot on the Nikon Z9 with Z 24mm f/1.8 S. f/1.8 at 1/1000s, ISO 2200.(Image credit: Future)
One reason that subject tracking is so comprehensive is that the Z9 has around 500 AF points that cover virtually the entire frame. It's an advantage over its DSLR counterpart the Nikon D6, which has a much narrower coverage. So is this mirrorless tech now all-round better than its DSLR forebear? Neil seems to think so, citing that it’s more intelligent in every way.
"For me, the only area that the D6 beats the Z9 is its image quality, specifically its handle on noise in low light", says Neil. Indeed, we were in a low light environment where we consistently needed to push the ISO up in the region of ISO 6400 (and beyond) in order to select a fast shutter speed to keep our subjects sharp. Image quality is still crisp, but perhaps for those that regularly shoot in low light, it's not so clear which camera would be best.
The road ahead
I still don't feel like I'm quite getting the most out of the Z9 yet and haven't tested it with the fastest lenses and critical depth of field. In this case, the entire heads of cyclists in glasses and helmets were in focus, but would there be critical sharpness on the eyes with other lenses? That's for another day, but I have every confidence that the camera can deliver across the board.
Perhaps the bigger question is 'how smart is the latest mirrorless autofocus tech'? For the Z9 to be its most effective for sharp action shots, there is a degree of combined intelligence at play, between the user and camera. The Z9 has proved to me that it's certainly intelligent, sticky and reliable even with auto subject priority, which takes the legwork out of manual subject selection.
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Shot on the Nikon Z9 with Z 50mm f/1.8 S. f/1.8 at 1/1000s, ISO 5600.(Image credit: Future)
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Shot on the Nikon Z9 with Z 50mm f/1.8 S. f/1.8 at 1/1000s, ISO 5000.(Image credit: Future)
However, it sometimes needs to be in the 'correct' AF mode and there's still an element of guesswork as to which AF mode to select in the first place. To minimize those instances of focus drops, which do happen, I feel like you need to invest the time to experiment in any given scenario.
Pros use their kit extensively and get to know their cameras well, but one day there will be no guesswork at play. In the future, there'll be a single AF mode that does it all – scan for subjects and surroundings, and selects the best mode automatically. We're not quite there yet, but cameras like the Nikon Z9 are definitely moving quickly on the right track.
What if you could get in a car, put on some VR goggles, and be immersed in a virtual world that's perfectly in sync with the outside world? No motion sickness – just a vast alternate universe ripe for games and entertainment.
That's what holoride promises, and we had a chance to experience it at MWC and SXSW recently. Before we dive into what Holoride looks and feels like, let's discuss the tech behind it.
The VR headset hits the road
In Barcelona, Holoride used a Cupra Born EV (basically Seat's version of the Volkswagen ID.3) for the demo, while in Austin, it used several Audi e-tron and e-tron Sportback EVs.
In both cases, the cars were set up with Holoride's developer kit, an HTC Vive Flow VR headset, and an old HTC U12+ smartphone. For our demo, we sat in the Cupra Born's back seat, buckled up, donned the VR headset, and grabbed the phone.
Since the HTC Vive Flow doesn't come with controllers, the U12+ phone was being used as a simple controller. In the future, you'll just use your own phone with Holoride, and maybe even bring your own VR headset, if you have one – though it might be easier to keep VR headsets in the car.
We wouldn't be surprised if some vehicles start getting bundled with VR headsets (or at least feature VR headset storage) in the next few years.
(Image credit: TechRadar / Myriam Joire)
At MWC, Holoride revealed the HTC Vive Flow is the first Holoride-ready VR headset, while at SXSW, the company announced that Audi will ship the first Holoride-ready cars (A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, Q5, Q7, Q8, e-tron, e-tron Sportback, and e-tron GT) starting June 2022 in the US and Europe (UK and Germany).
Basically, any vehicle with VW Group's third-generation Modular Infotainment Toolkit (MIB 3) will eventually be compatible.
For cars without built-in support, there's the Holoride's developer kit, a hockey-puck sized device which attaches to the front windshield with a suction cup and plugs into a USB port for power.
It features GPS, accelerometers, a gyroscope, a compass, and other sensors that accurately capture the vehicle's data (position, motion, velocity, and acceleration) – plus Bluetooth connectivity to interface with the VR headset and smartphone.
(Image credit: TechRadar / Myriam Joire)
Obviously, in Holoride-ready cars, all of these sensors and the Bluetooth connectivity are built right into the vehicle, for a seamless integration resulting in more accurate data for the Holoride experience.
In fact, most modern cars already incorporate the majority of the hardware needed to become Holoride ready, so we wouldn't be surprised if the company announces more partnerships with other vehicle manufacturers soon.
Two impressive VR experiences
The first Holoride tech demo we tried was a simple, cartoonish game called BeatRider. You're riding on top of a vehicle in a stylized desert-like virtual world.
A cannon tracks your head position, with a reticle that randomly changes colors and always points to where you're looking. Bubbles of various colors appear all around you, and you must shoot only the bubbles matching the current reticle color by tapping the phone's screen.
You'd think that all this visual stimulation and head motion in a moving car would quickly result in motion sickness. But that isn't the case at all.
The motion of the vehicle in the game is accurately synchronized with the motion of the car in the real world, so the virtual world around you delivers visual cues that match what our body is feeling. With such low latency, your brain doesn’t register a disconnect between the two.
(Image credit: TechRadar / Myriam Joire)
The second tech demo we tried was a virtual movie theater. You're sitting in a movie theater watching content on a big screen in front of you, but instead of the theater having walls and a ceiling you see a stylized night-time virtual world around you.
Basically, the entire movie theater moves in sync with the car in the real world, and again, the virtual world around you provides enough peripheral visual cues to prevent motion sickness.
One benefit of this virtual movie theater is that you're looking at a larger virtual screen than anything practical with any infotainment system. A VR headset is likely more affordable, too.
Ultimately, Holoride wants to support a wide variety of standalone VR headsets and a broad range of cars. To this end, the Holoride Elastic SDK abstracts hardware specifics, and lets developers focus on creating experiences using the Unity game engine.
A new kind of in-car entertainment
(Image credit: TechRadar / Myriam Joire)
In all, we were impressed with Holoride's tech demos – especially the low latency between the motion of the car in the real world and the motion of the vehicle in the virtual world, which significantly reduces the opportunity for motion sickness.
As we slowly move towards a future where self-driving cars and even driverless vehicles become the norm, Holoride presents an opportunity for a radical new kind of immersive in-car entertainment.
Having a virtual world that's hundreds of miles or kilometers in size opens up a whole new universe of VR experiences that simply aren't possible when wearing a VR headset within the confines of our homes. And that's what makes Holoride so appealing to developers as well as both VR headset and car manufacturers.
To that end, the company's already partnered with content studios like Mackevision, Rewind, and Schell Games.
So, who knows? Perhaps in a few years your Uber ride might not be quite as boring, and your annual family road trip might be less stressful as you wear the latest generation of ultralight VR (or AR) headset and enjoy a whole new form of in-car entertainment. We're game!
For me, there’s nothing more comforting than a plate of fries. Whether it’s to accompany a juicy steak, a gut-busting burger, some fried chicken or just on their own dunked in ketchup, these crisp potato treats are quite frankly delish, and very moreish.
However, as they’re usually deep-fried in gallons of oil, they’re not particularly healthy. This is where an air fryer can help. These handy kitchen appliances first burst onto the market just over a decade ago, and have improved dramatically over the last ten years.
The best air fryers all use hot air, which quickly circulates around food to create the crisp, golden exterior usually associated with deep frying.
This also speeds up cooking times too compared to traditional cooking methods. So it’s no surprise they’re popular, with 25.6 million air fryers being sold in the US between January 2020 and December 2021, according to market research firm NPD.
I’ve been using an air fryer for just over a year now, and while I started off just cooking fries in the appliance, I soon discovered how versatile air fryers can be.
Over the past 12 months, I’ve cooked everything from fried chicken that rivals KFC to French Toast and even Krispy Kreme style donuts in my air fryer. However, there’s a few things I wish I’d known when I started air frying that would have made using this handy gadget even easier.
Best air fryer deals
Read on to discover what we wish we’d known when we started air frying - or, if you’ve already decided you want to invest in this handy kitchen appliance, check out the best prices on the best air fryers we like right now:
1. Experimentation is key
Most air fryers come with a recipe booklet or app that offers inspiration about what to cook in an air fryer. However, if you’re cooking frozen foods in an air fryer, or using the appliance to recreate dishes you usually prepare using traditional methods, most air fryers don’t come with any cooking charts or guidance to help you.
This means you will need to experiment. When it comes to frozen foods, I’ve found hotter temperatures are better, as the food needs to thaw and brown at the same time. If you set the cooking duration for too long, you’ll end up with over-cooked food, which may even be burnt at the edges.
I recommend using a temperature of around 400 F / 205 C for 15 minutes, after which you open the air fryer drawer and check the food. If it's not done to your liking, then cook for a couple of extra minutes at a time until you're happy.
When recreating your favorite dishes in an air fryer instead of an oven, experiment with the same temperature you’d usually use.
If you find your food is overdone then next time reduce the temperature by 40-50 F / 5-10 C, or increase it by the same amount if it doesn’t look browned enough (but is cooked through).
The same is true for a dish you’d deep fry such as donuts: set the air fryer to the temperature you’d heat the oil to.
However, if it's a dish you’d usually cook on the stove, there are no hard and fast rules regarding temperature.
We had great success when making grilled cheese in an air fryer by using it at 385 F / 196 C, so consider this as a starting point, but also do some research and look for dedicated air fryer recipes for the dish you’re planning to cook.
During my year with an air fryer, I’ve found the appliance can speed up cooking by as much as 50%, providing it's a dish you’d usually prepare in an oven.
Air fryers rarely speed up food prepared on the stove - instead, they ensure the browning and crispness is more consistent, and safer if it's a dish that’s usually deep-fried.
For food that takes around 20 to 25 minutes in an oven, reduce the cooking duration by around five to seven minutes, but be prepared to cook for a few additional minutes if it's not quite to your liking. If it’s usually cooked on the stove, set the air fryer for a similar cooking duration.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
2. Pre-heating is necessary
Some air fryers have an automatic preheat function, which activates as soon as you switch on the appliance, while others require a manual preheat. Whichever model you have, don’t even think about skipping this step.
Preheating sees the hot air circulate in the air fryer's cavity bringing it to the correct temperature. This means as soon as you add food to the frying basket or bowl, moisture on the surface will start evaporating immediately, which causes it to brown and crisp.
If you add food to a cold basket, this process will take longer and you’ll find it won’t be as crisp or appetizingly browned after the cooking duration you programmed in.
3. Sometimes you don’t need to shake or turn food
Air fryer manufacturers always recommend that you should shake or turn the contents of the frying basket at least once, if not several times during the cooking process. Some even offer an audible and visual reminder for this.
Shaking ensures that the hot air can reach every inch of the food’s surface to crisp and brown it, which makes sense with fries and chicken wings.
However, it’s not always necessary. I found when cooking both pork belly and cinnamon rolls in an air fryer, turning the food would have hampered the cooking process. In the case of pork belly, I was aiming to get crisp, crunchy crackling on top, and turning the joint of meat wouldn’t have made that possible.
Similarly with cinnamon rolls, which are never turned when cooking in an oven, I wanted a crisp, evenly browned top, but the bottom simply needed to be cooked rather than browned.
So think about what you’re cooking in an air fryer and whether it really needs to be turned or shaken. If your air fryer has a reminder to shake, if you ignore it won’t hamper the cooking process in any way either.
(Image credit: Instant)
4. Don’t overfill the basket
All air fryers come with a maximum capacity the frying basket can hold, but over the past year I’ve learnt that the closer you get to that figure, the less effective the air fryer is at evenly browning and crisping all of the food in the basket. This is because the hot air struggles to circulate around the food the fuller it is.
In my experience, an air fryer basket should be filled to no more than half its height to ensure food is evenly browned and fully cooked within the specified duration. For example, if you have a 6-quart / 5.7 liter air fryer, a 1lb / 454g batch of fries is the maximum amount you can cook to ensure optimum browning.
If you have a smaller capacity air fryer, or a model that has two frying baskets so you can cook different foods at the same time, such as the Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone air fryer, then you will need to reduce the quantity.
We found in the smaller Instant Vortex Mini, which has a 2-quart / 2-liter capacity, the basket was comfortably able to hold a 0.7 lb / 300g batch of fries without affecting the crisping or browning.
Also when it comes to large items such as bread, cakes or even a whole chicken, the closer the food sits to the heating element in the top of the air fryer, the more likely they are to burn at the point closest to the top, so make sure they are a reasonable distance away from the element.
5. Use parchment paper or a baking tray
Air fryers are designed for food to be placed directly into the frying basket or bowl, but in some cases, such as cinnamon rolls or French Toast, this can leave a sticky mess for you to clean up, and since not all air fryer components are dishwasher safe this could be more time-consuming than the actual cooking.
During my year of air frying, I’ve discovered that parchment paper is a simple solution to this. When I made French Toast and cooked ice cream in an air fryer (yes, really) I found parchment paper ensured the food didn’t stick to the frying basket but didn’t hamper the browning process.
However, sometimes parchment paper isn’t always the most viable method - that was certainly the case with cinnamon rolls - to keep the rolls intact when transferring them to the air frying basket, I need something more stable. So I opted for an 8-inch metal baking tray, which also helped reflect the hot air a little more, browning the sides as well as the tops. You could go for a disposable foil tray too, but that’s less environmentally friendly.
If you are using a baking tin in an air fryer, always ensure there’s a gap of at least 1-inch / 2.5cm around the tray so the hot air can circulate properly, which could mean you need to invest in some smaller baking tins.
My year of air frying has been eye opening and, in many cases, has not only sped up how long it takes to prepare dishes, but also made my life in the kitchen far easier as I no longer have to watch certain foods like a hawk, as I would do if using the stove. I hope my experience over the past 12 months will make your air fryer journey a little smoother.
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