Tech
The MacBook Neo is moonlighting as a Windows gaming machine, and it’s doing it well
Apple didn’t position its most affordable MacBook as a gaming machine. The MacBook Neo, a budget-leaning laptop that runs on Apple’s A18 Pro chip, the same chip that powers the iPhone 16 Pro models, has been put through a Windows 11 gaming test for YouTuber ETA Prime.
Turns out, the results are genuinely surprising. Using Parallels Desktop, a virtualization app (paid) with 3D hardware acceleration, the channel ran Windows 11 ARM directly on the Neo’s 8GB RAM (allocating 5GB to the virtual environment), and it did better than most people would think it would.
What games actually ran well?
Dirt 3 held 75 fps at 1200p on high settings, while Portal 2 cleared 100 fps on medium settings. Skyrim, on the other hand, maintained roughly 60 fps at 1200p resolution on medium graphics settings, while Marvel Cosmic Invasion averaged around 60 fps at the maximum resolution.
What helped performance was games running as native Windows-on-ARM applications. However, GTA V was among the notable stumbles, as the frame rates through the Parelles weren’t playable at all. However, according to Notebookcheck, the game runs acceptably via Crossover.
Why does this matter for everyday MacBook Neo users?
For users who work on their Mac but occasionally enjoy playing Windows-only games, MacBook Neo’s ability to run native titles via the Parallels app comes as good news. The cost? Parallels Desktop’s Standard tier costs $99.99 per year, which could add to your weekend leisure sessions.
Anyways, the bigger takeaway is that the MacBook Neo, even with 8GB of RAM (highlighted as a constraint in the video), can run low-to-mid-range Windows games. It also changes the notion around budget Apple hardware being primarily for productivity-based tasks.
As virtualization tech continues to improve and Apple provides more RAM in future generations of the MacBook Neo, it could redefine what “budget” actually means for Apple buyers, bridging the gap between MacBook and Windows laptops even further.
Apple’s upcoming smart glasses could sidestep one of the biggest issues facing the category – privacy concerns – by rethinking something as simple as the camera indicator light. According to a recent report by Bloomberg, the company is working on display-free smart glasses that focus on everyday functionality, but with a design approach that may make them feel less intrusive than current offerings.
The device, internally codenamed N50, is expected to arrive around 2026 or 2027 and will function more like a companion to the iPhone than a standalone augmented reality system. Instead of a display, the glasses will rely on features like photo and video capture, voice interactions via Siri, notifications, and media playback.
A Subtle Hardware Shift With Big Implications
What sets Apple’s approach apart is how it plans to handle recording visibility. Unlike existing smart glasses that use small LED indicators, Apple is reportedly experimenting with a more prominent lighting system integrated directly into the camera module.
The design includes vertically oriented lenses surrounded by visible lighting elements, making it harder to hide when recording is active.
This could address a key concern that has plagued smart glasses since their inception: the fear of being recorded without consent.
The Privacy Problem Others Are Still Facing
The issue isn’t theoretical. A report by WIRED highlights how users of Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses have attempted to bypass privacy safeguards. Third-party sellers have even promoted accessories like “ghost dots,” designed to dim or block the recording indicator light.
These attempts, while often ineffective due to built-in protections, reveal a broader problem. If users actively try to hide recording signals, the trust required for widespread adoption breaks down.
Even unsuccessful workarounds contribute to the perception that smart glasses can be misused, reinforcing the “creepy” reputation that has limited their acceptance.
Apple’s Strategy: Solve Trust Through Design
Rather than relying solely on software restrictions, Apple appears to be addressing the issue at the hardware level.
By making the recording indicator more visible and integrated into the design, the company is attempting to remove ambiguity. If successful, this could make it significantly harder to use the glasses in a way that feels covert or deceptive.
This aligns with Apple’s broader approach to new product categories. As seen with devices like the iPhone and Apple Watch, the company often enters markets later but focuses on refining user experience and addressing key pain points.
Part Of A Larger AI Wearables Push
The smart glasses are not being developed in isolation. Bloomberg notes that they are part of a broader strategy that includes AI-powered AirPods and other wearable devices designed to interpret the user’s surroundings.
These products will rely on computer vision and Apple Intelligence to provide contextual information, from navigation assistance to real-time reminders.
This suggests that Apple’s goal is not just to build smart glasses, but to create an ecosystem of devices that make AI more ambient and seamlessly integrated into daily life.
What This Means For Users
For consumers, the success of smart glasses will depend as much on perception as on functionality.
If Apple can make its glasses feel transparent and trustworthy, it could overcome one of the biggest barriers to adoption. At the same time, tight integration with the iPhone and Apple’s ecosystem may make the device more useful in everyday scenarios.
What Comes Next
Apple’s smart glasses are still in development, with a launch expected no earlier than 2026 or 2027. Fully featured augmented reality glasses remain further out, likely toward the end of the decade.
Until then, Apple’s focus appears to be on getting the basics right – functionality, usability, and most importantly, trust.
At some point in 2025, Windows stopped feeling like an operating system and started feeling like a demo for AI. Open Notepad to jot something down, and there it was, nudging you to summarize. Fire up Edge, and Copilot would politely wave from the sidebar. Even apps like Microsoft Paint began to feel different, not because they got simpler, but because they suddenly wanted to generate, edit, and enhance images for you.
Microsoft wasn’t just adding AI, it was threading it into every corner of the experience. And for a while, that felt exciting. Then it started to feel… a bit much.
Microslop: The Internet’s Favorite Roast
That’s roughly when the internet did what it does best. It coined a name: Microslop. Crude, catchy, and brutally effective. Borrowing from the broader idea of “AI slop,” which refers to low-quality, mass-produced AI output, the term quickly became shorthand for something more specific.
Not just bad AI, but unwanted AI.
The kind that shows up uninvited, sits too close, and insists on helping when you really just wanted to type a grocery list. It captured a growing frustration that Microsoft’s software was becoming noisier, heavier, and a little less predictable.
The backlash got loud enough that even CEO Satya Nadella publicly pushed back on the idea of AI being dismissed as “slop.” Ironically, that only made the term spread faster. By early 2026, it had become a full-blown cultural shorthand for dissatisfaction with Microsoft’s AI push, even getting banned in some official communities. At that point, this wasn’t just a meme anymore. It was feedback.
The Moment Microsoft Blinked
For a while, it felt like Microsoft would just keep pushing forward. But then, in March 2026, in a surprisingly candid blog post titled “Our commitment to Windows quality,” Microsoft acknowledged what users had been saying for months. The company talked about improving reliability, reducing friction, and making Windows feel smoother and more dependable again. Among other things, Microsoft said that it’d also be cutting down on Copilot’s presence across Windows.
And those weren’t just hollow promises. Across multiple apps, the company has reduced the number of entry points where AI showed up. Features that had been announced earlier, like deeper Copilot integrations in notifications, have quietly been shelved. What’s more, is that apps like Notepad, Photos, and Snipping Tool no longer have visible Copilot hooks.
On paper, it looks like exactly what users had been asking for. Less AI clutter. More focus. Naturally, the narrative became simple. Microsoft had heard the backlash and was scaling things back. But like most simple narratives, this one doesn’t quite hold up.
Why Microsoft Can’t Just “Turn Off” AI
Here’s the thing. Microsoft can’t actually walk away from AI, even if it wants to. This isn’t a feature toggle. It’s the foundation of everything the company is building right now. From Azure infrastructure to Microsoft 365 to Windows itself, AI is deeply baked into the strategy. Billions have already been invested. Entire product lines are being reshaped around it.
Microsoft was an early backer (read: billions of dollars) of OpenAI, heavily integrated ChatGPT in its products, and then borrowed rival Anthropic’s Claude AI to boost Copilot — all while developing its own AI models. The AI push even birthed a whole new breed of laptops with a Copilot+ branding and a dedicated Copilot button on the keyboard deck.
Yeah, “preposterous,” you might say.
Even now, while scaling back visible integrations, Microsoft is still pushing Copilot into enterprise tools, workflows, and services. So what you’re seeing isn’t a retreat. It’s a recalibration. AI isn’t going away. It’s just being repositioned by making it less visible, but silently seeping into the foundations.
Stealth Mode Activated?
You can see this most clearly in the small details. Take, for example, Notepad. A year ago, it had a bright Copilot button sitting right there in the interface. It was obvious, almost eager. In newer builds, that button is gone. In its place is a far more neutral “Writing Tools” icon. The features are still there. Rewrite, summarize, tweak tone. But the branding is gone. The loudness is gone.
And this isn’t an isolated case. Across Windows, Microsoft is reducing how often Copilot shows up as a named feature while still keeping the underlying capabilities intact, from AI Features to Advanced Features, and whatnot. This is what some are calling “Stealth-Slop.” AI that hasn’t disappeared, but has learned to stay out of your way. Fewer announcements, more availability.
What’s fascinating is that Microsoft’s core belief hasn’t changed at all. The company still sees AI as the future of computing. If anything, it’s doubling down behind the scenes. What has changed is the delivery. The first phase was about visibility. Ship AI everywhere. Make sure users see it, notice it, and ultimately, try it. That worked, but it also backfired.
People didn’t just notice AI. They felt overwhelmed by it.
Now we’re in phase two. Integration. Microsoft is being more selective about where AI shows up and how it behaves. Executives have even said they want to focus on AI experiences that are “genuinely useful,” rather than just widely available. It’s a shift from proving capability to proving value.
The Real Shift
Microsoft hasn’t exactly “fixed” the problem, but that might not even be the right way to look at it. The backlash wasn’t about AI being bad; it was about it being everywhere in ways that felt unnecessary and intrusive. That distinction is important. Even now, criticism around forced integrations and limited user control hasn’t fully gone away, but at the same time, Microsoft is clearly trying to clean things up with a more focused, less cluttered Windows experience.
What’s really changing is not the presence of AI, but how it feels. Instead of being a loud, in-your-face feature, AI is being reshaped into something quieter and more natural. The goal now seems to be simple. Make it helpful without making it obvious. Because for AI to actually work at scale, it cannot feel like an add-on. It has to feel like it was always meant to be there.
That’s the lesson Microsoft seems to have learned the hard way. It didn’t remove AI from Windows. It just made sure you wouldn’t notice it quite as much anymore. Microsoft isn’t a slouch in the AI game. Earlier this month, Microsoft announced not one, but three foundation AI models. Its Phi series of open-source small language models is fairly popular and capable.
By next year, Microsoft wants to release its own frontier models that compete with the likes of ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. “We must deliver the absolute frontier,” Mustafa Suleyman, chief of Microsoft’s AI efforts, said in an interview. As I said, the AI push is here to stay. I just hope it evolves without muddying up everything that Microsoft offers to hundreds of millions of users across the world — including lifelong die-hards like me!
Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Wordle puzzle is a very tricky one, as it’s an unusual word with at least one rare letter. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.
Read more: New Study Reveals Wordle’s Top 10 Toughest Words of 2025
Today’s Wordle hints
Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.
Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats
Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.
Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels
Today’s Wordle answer has two vowels.
Wordle hint No. 3: First letter
Today’s Wordle answer begins with E.
Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter
Today’s Wordle answer ends with N.
Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning
Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a small and delicate person.
TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER
Today’s Wordle answer is ELFIN.
Yesterday’s Wordle answer
Yesterday’s Wordle answer, April 12, No. 1758, was ALLEY.
Recent Wordle answers
April 8, No. 1754: INLET
April 9, No. 1755: LADEN
April 10, No. 1756: CAROM
April 11, No. 1757: PRUDE
“Robotic bird decoys are being deployed at Grand Teton National Park,” reports Interesting Engineering, “to influence the behavior of real sage grouse and help restore a declining population.”. Robotics mentor Gary Duquette describes the machines as “kind of a Frankenbird.” (SFGate shows one of the robot birds charging up with a solar panel… “Recorded breeding calls are played at the scene, with clucking and cooing beginning at 5 a.m. each day.”)
Duquette builds the birds with a team of high school students, telling WyoFile that at school they “don’t really get to experience real-world problems” where failures lurk. So while their robot birds may cost $150 in parts, the practical experience the students get “is priceless.”
Spikes in the electric currents burned out servo motors as the season of sagebrush serenades loomed, Duquette said. “The kids had to learn the difference between voltage and amperage….” To resolve the problem, the team wired a voltage converter in line with the Arduino controller and other elements on an electronic breadboard. “We pulled through and got it done in time,” he said…
A noggin fabricated by a 3D printer tops the robo-grouse. Wyoming Game and Fish staffers in Pinedale supplied grouse wings from hunter surveys, and body feathers came from fly-tying supplies at an angling store. Packaging foam from a Hello Fresh meal kit replicates white breast feathers, accented by yellow air sacs…
The Independent wonders if more national parks would be visited by robot birds…
During this year’s breeding season, which runs through mid-May, researchers are using trail cameras to track whether real sage grouse respond to the robotic displays and return to the restored lek sites. If successful, officials say similar robotic systems could eventually be used in other national parks facing wildlife management challenges.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie “is officially the year’s highest-grossing film to date with $629 million at the global box office,” reports Variety — and it will likely earn over $1 billion. Project Hail Mary now becomes the year’s second highest-grossing movie, with four-week ticket sales over $510, notes The Hollywood Reporter:
The two films have helped propel year-to-date revenue to $2.113 billion — the best showing for the first part of the year since before the pandemic in 2019 ($2.619 billion), according to Comscore. And revenue is running 25% ahead of the same corridor last year.
Some context from ScreenRant:
Even though The Super Mario Galaxy Movie reviews were largely negative, earning it a disappointing 43% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences gave it a far superior score of 89% from audiences, making it Verified Hot on the platform’s Popcornmeter. This indicates that the movie should continue to climb up the global box office chart thanks to strong word of mouth, even as it trails consistently behind the original 2023 movie in terms of commercial performance.
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen called Project Hail Mary “an inspirational example.. We all thought that movie was really uplifting and inspiring.” Before the Artemis astronauts launched their mission, Space.com points out “they were treated to a viewing of Amazon MGM Studios’ Project Hail Maryto bolster their spirits ahead of their monumental 10-day lunar voyage. ”
Marking the occasion and providing encouraging words to the three American astronauts and one Canadian astronaut, Ryan Gosling recorded a brief encouraging video for the moon-bound foursome.
Today NPR took a spoiler-filled look at the science in the film, asking: Would it be possible for humans to travel to a place as far away as the Tau Ceti star system?
It’s not possible right now, says Lisa Carnell, division director for NASA’S Biological and Physical Sciences Division. “I don’t think we are fully prepared to send humans to Mars, let alone light years away,” she says. Given the leaps in technology that humanity has made in just the past century, however, she didn’t want to rule it out…. “I believe it’s possible [one day]”…
The hypothetical study of how humans and extraterrestrials might communicate is a real scientific field, called xenolinguistics, that includes researchers from linguistics, animal communication, and anthropology. Martin Hilpert, a professor of linguistics at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland, says the film “gets a lot of things right” for how such an encounter might occur, though it also employs a lot of “happy coincidences” too.
A new powerful chipset has arrived to take on x86 CPUs and Apple’s M5, writes Wccftech.
The blog Windows Central writes that “Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 processors are here” — and they run Windows:
Microsoft has done a massive amount of work to improve compatibility and has also convinced developers to embrace Windows 11 on Arm. Users of Windows 11 on Arm PCs spend 90% of their time on Arm-based apps that run natively. Additionally, apps that do not run natively can often run through Prism emulation, which has improved dramatically since launch…
[A]pp compatibility issues are overblown by many, and unfortunately those sharing false information are the same folks people rely on to make purchases… Works on Windows on Arm maintains a list of compatible apps and games for the platform. There, you’ll see well-known apps like Google Chrome, the Adobe Creative Suite, and Spotify. We also have a collection of the best Windows on Arm apps to help you out. Snapdragon X PCs aren’t gaming PCs, but there is a growing library of games that can run on the chips.
“Rust’s rise shows signs of slowing,” argues the CEO of TIOBE.
Back in 2020 Rust first entered the top 20 of his “TIOBE Index,” which ranks programming language popularity using search engine results. Rust “was widely expected to break into the top 10,” he remembers today. But it never happened, and “That was nearly six years ago….”
Since then, Rust has steadily improved its ranking, even reaching its highest position ever (#13) at the beginning of this year. However, just three months later, it has dropped back to position #16. This suggests that Rust’s adoption rate may be plateauing.
One possible explanation is that, despite its ability to produce highly efficient and safe code, Rust remains difficult to learn for non-expert programmers. While specialists in performance-critical domains are willing to invest in mastering the language, broader mainstream adoption appears more challenging. As a result, Rust’s growth in popularity seems to be leveling off, and a top 10 position now appears more distant than before.
Or, could Rust’s sudden drop in the rankings just reflect flaws in TIOBE’s ranking system? In January GitHub’s senior director for developer advocacy argued AI was pushing developers toward typed languages, since types “catch the exact class of surprises that AI-generated code can sometimes introduce… A 2025 academic study found that a whopping 94% of LLM-generated compilation errors were type-check failures.” And last month Forbes even described Rust as “the the safety harness for vibe coding..”
A year ago Rust was ranked #18 on TIOBE’s index — so it still rose by two positions over the last 12 months, hitting that all-time high in January. Could the rankings just be fluctuating due to anomalous variations in each month’s search engine results? Since January Java has fallen to the #4 spot, overtaken by C++ (which moved up one rank to take Java’s place in the #3 position).
Here’s TIOBE’s current estimate for the 10 most popularity programming languages:
- Python
- C
- C++
- Java
- C#
- JavaScript
- Visual Basic
- SQL
- R
- Delphi/Object Pascal
TIOBE estimates that tthe next five most popular programming languages are Scratch, Perl, Fortran, PHP, and Go.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and SVP of Marketing Greg Joswiak have welcomed the crew of Artemis II back to Earth, after what is probably the most expensive Shot on iPhone event in history.
Looking at Earth from Artemis II, shot on an iPhone. – Image Credit: NASA
On Friday evening, the crew of Artemis II splashed down on the coast of San Diego. It brought to an end the ten-day mission, which saw four astronauts take off, fly around the moon, and return home.
As the three NASA and one Canadian Space Agency crew were picked up in the water and taken to a recovery ship, the world celebrated. Among them were top executives at Apple, after what turned out to be a massive and unexpectedly great promotional event for the company.
Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
Harbor Freight’s Hercules power tool brand is pitched at more demanding users who need tools with more capability and durability than its Bauer brand can offer. This additional capability comes at an added price, but the brand still offers solid value for money. After all, some of Hercules’ tools are even more powerful than their equivalents from big-name brands like Milwaukee. Harbor Freight regularly adds new products to the Hercules lineup, so anyone who doesn’t keep a keen eye on its release calendar risks missing out on its latest and greatest products.
Over the last few months, Hercules has launched an impressive set of new tools and accessories, from battery charging essentials to compact, go-anywhere power tools. These five top picks are among the brand’s most notable recent launches, offering professional-grade power at the prices that Harbor Freight buyers expect. Before you head out to your local store, be sure to check stock levels on the retailer’s website, as stock is limited in some branches at the time of writing.
Hercules 20V 4-1/2 Inch Compact Circular Saw
A great example of Hercules’ ability to rival big brands on performance while undercutting them on price is its 20V 4-½ inch compact circular saw. It retails in tool-only form for $99.99 at Harbor Freight, and it’s backed by Hercules’ five-year limited warranty. In comparison, DeWalt’s Atomic 20V Max 4-½ inch compact circular saw — arguably the Hercules’ saw’s closest big-name rival — costs $199 at Home Depot.
While the DeWalt saw’s motor reaches a peak of 4,500 RPM, the Hercules tool can hit 4,800 RPM. DeWalt’s tool is also only covered by a three-year warranty, a full two years shorter than the Harbor Freight saw. Factor in the price difference of the two brands’ 20V battery packs, and it’s not difficult to see why the Hercules saw is appealing for budget-savvy professionals.
The Hercules saw can cut to a maximum depth of 1-⅛ inch at 45 degrees, while at 90 degrees, it will cut up to a depth of 1-11/16 inch. The brand also includes a saw blade with the tool, so there’s no need to buy one separately. When it’s not needed, the tool also features a hang hook, although its compact proportions and sub-six pound weight means it won’t take up much room in a toolbox either.
Hercules 4.5 Amp Long Throw Random Orbit Dual-Action Polisher
There are a few things that are worth knowing before you buy an orbital polisher, but one of the most important is that it’s not worth overpaying for one. Harbor Freight offers multiple affordable options, including professional-grade tools like the Hercules corded random orbit dual-action polisher. It’s available for $119.99, although it’s not sold with a polishing pad, so anyone who doesn’t already have one will have to buy one separately.
It’s equipped with a locking slide switch and six different polishing speeds for greater control, while its rubberized grip is designed to keep it comfortable on longer jobs. While corded tools are never as convenient as cordless tools when it comes to portability, the polisher’s 25-foot power cord should help minimize the amount of times users will need to move during a job.
The tool is just as powerful as Hercules buyers have come to expect, with a maximum speed of 5,500 OPM (oscillations per minute). However, it doesn’t have as long a warranty as the brand’s latest cordless tools. As standard, it’s backed by a 90-day warranty, although buyers concerned about longevity could add on Harbor Freight’s extended warranty for an extra cost.
Hercules 20V/12V Dual-Voltage Battery Charger
Hercules’ cordless tools are split into two main lines, the 12V line and 20V line. With the brand’s recently launched dual-voltage battery charger, users can charge both kinds of battery with one device. According to the brand, the charger takes just 70 minutes to fully charge a 5Ah 20V battery. It features a tough plastic construction to withstand being scratched or damaged while it’s in use, and if there are any defects in its materials or workmanship, buyers can get the charger replaced or repaired for up to three years after purchase.
The charger is just 6 inches long and 4.6 inches wide, and it weighs just one pound, so it’s easy to fit into an existing tool setup. Anyone who doesn’t need the charger to be portable can also free up space on their workbench by mounting it to a wall. When it’s charging, an easy-to-read LED indicator shows users how long they’ll need until their batteries are ready for use.
Hercules 20V 1 Inch SDS Plus Rotary Hammer
Whether you need a rotary hammer or a hammer drill, Hercules’ range should have what you’re looking for. The brand’s hammer drill retails for a cheaper price than its big-name counterparts and so does the recently released 20V SDS Plus one-inch rotary hammer. The latter tool can be purchased at Harbor Freight for $109.99 in tool-only form, and it’s covered by the same five-year warranty that Hercules’ other professional-oriented 20V tools are.
Although it doesn’t deliver enough impact force to match up to the most powerful rotary hammers from brands like DeWalt, it’s still a capable tool. The brand says that the hammer offers up to 2.1 ft-lbs of force, while its motor can reach up to 1,150 RPM. Buyers can pick from a choice of four modes, while the D-shaped handle and removable side grip help improve drilling precision.
The side grip is included as standard as an accessory, alongside a depth stop. However, buyers will still need to purchase any bits and chisels separately, and they’ll need to have a suitable 20V battery and charger too. Hercules offers various SDS Plus bits, as do other, cheaper Harbor Freight brands like Warrior.
Hercules 16-Piece Left-Handed Cobalt Drill Bit Set
Most of Hercules’ latest products are available to purchase both in-store and on Harbor Freight’s website, but a few are in-store exclusives at the time of writing. One of those in-store exclusives is the brand’s 16-piece left-handed cobalt drill bit set, which retails for $54.99.
Left-handed bits are most useful when drilling out broken bolts or screws, and so most users will use them less frequently than they use standard drill bits. However, Hercules still hasn’t skimped on their durability. The brand claims that the cobalt bits will last up to four times as long as a cheaper, standard Harbor Fit bit.
The set comes with a handy carry case with clear size markings, with bits ranging from 5/64 in to ½ inch in size. Every bit is covered in a bronze oxide coating. Hercules’ warranty for the set is not as generous as the cordless power tools that many buyers will be using the bits with, since only 90 days of coverage is offered as standard.
It’s been a long time since the original iPod hit the scene, but if you clamour for the days when MP3 players were all the rage, and when listening to music felt like a genuine hobby and not something that simply happens in the background of another task, then you’re in luck. Recreating those glory days of music playback but with a modern twist, there are tons of portable music players you can buy in 2026, and thanks to our tech experts, we know which ones are best.
Although we’re big proponents of portable music players (we wouldn’t have compiled this very list if we weren’t), there are sure to be some people reading this article wondering why on earth they’d ever invest in a dedicated music device when they can so easily jump into a Spotify or Apple Music stream on their smartphone. It’s a fair point, but it’s missing a ton of nuance.
For starters, the big appeal is that if you want to hear your favourite tracks with as much detail as possible, then a portable music player is the way to go. With one of these devices in tow, and a pair of wired headphones, you’ll spot the difference right away as there’s more depth, greater surround sound and a sense of energy that you just don’t get when listening to audio over a smartphone which is downgraded by the very nature of streaming.
However, unlike the music players of old, there are a lot of modern conveniences that can be found with newer tech. There are some devices which run on Android and, as a result, can give you access to your go-to streaming services, but here you can enjoy them with a notable audio boost. There’s a lot to like, but in order to separate the best from the rest, we put each music player through a series of rigorous tests.
Our review process includes listening to both high and low quality music files across an array of headphones, establishing a device’s versatility along the way, whilst also checking on battery drainage through everyday use. Only the music players that truly excel in all of these checks are then considered for this list. If you don’t already have a pair of cans to go with a new music player then our guides to the best headphones and the best cheap headphones have you covered.
SQUIRREL_ANCHOR_LIST
We play a lot of music, different genres and at different file resolutions to get an idea of how well portable music players. If there are features then we make sure we fiddle with them until we’re satisfied. We gauge on how long their battery life is and whether the player holds up to the manufacturer’s claims. We try them on their various wireless connections to see if they offer a smooth performance, and we’ll delve into their sub-menus and see if they work as they’re meant to.
Of course, it always comes back to the music. Portable music players are tested by reviewers who have a love of music, a knowledge of sound quality, as well as a context of the market. We’ll compare to similarly priced rivals, so when we recommend a particular model, it’s among the best you can buy for the money.
Obviously, we know not everyone has the same taste in music, so we won’t only test with the same perfectly mastered album, but with a variety of genres and file qualities, from MP3 to Hi-Res FLAC. Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Articulate, expressive and confident sound
Lavishly specified
Significant perceived value and pride of ownership
Quite chunky by ‘portable’ standards
Wildly expensive
Won’t entice vegans
The price of the Astell Kern SP3000T puts the rest of portable players on this list to shame, though it’s (ironically) less expensive than its predecessor. At $3199 / £2999, it is among the most expensive music players we’ve tested.
Like the Astell and FiiO players that feature on this list, the SP3000T is portable in the loosest sense. It’s angular in a similar fashion to other Astell Kern devices but the build quality is outstanding. It’s built from 316L stainless steel, with the front adorned by a 5.5-inch 1080 x 1920 touchscreen that we found to be bright, crisp, and responsive. Battery life is similar to the FiiO M17 at ten hours, though the overall feature set is less comprehensive than the FiiO. There are fewer inputs and outputs, and while the built-in storage is bigger (256GB), the SP3000T can only expand to 1TB with the help of a microSD card.
There is aptX and LDAC Bluetooth support, with sample rates of up to DSD512 and 32-bit/768kHz supported too. There are several DAC filters to play around with, the Crossfeed aims to create a soundstage that’s similar to listening to a pair of loudspeakers in a room.
When it comes to listening to music on the SP3000T, the player gives music a consistently natural and lifelike sound. Detail levels are high, control over decay and attack of notes is well-judged, dynamism is well conveyed whether on a small or large scale and integration across the frequency range is superbly well-realised. Its sense of timing is about as good as you can get from a portable player. The price is huge, but in terms of its performance, we found the Astell Kern SP3000T to be a superb portable player.
Truly outstanding sound quality
Wonderful build and finish
Clever and flexible specification
Big and heavy
Rather pricey
Dedicated portables and full size front ends can cost less
If you’re an audiophile who’s constantly on the go, it makes more sense to have just one device that can serve as your go-to solution for music playback when travelling and when at home. Although such a thing might sound like a pipedream, it is absolutely available in the Astell & Kern PD10. This is a high-end portable music player that works just as you’d expect on the move, but when you’re at home you can dock the PD10 in its accompanying cradle and use it as a front end to control playback from compatible speakers. It’s a great solution to have if you’re obsessed with music fidelity no matter where you are.
The PD10 also happens to be one of the most solidly built music players we’ve ever tested. Comprised of a stainless steel chassis, the PD10 is far from lightweight in the hand, clocking in at 435g, but it has that satisfying heft that you expect from a device at this end of the market.
The row of physical buttons on the side are wonderfully tactile and they give you a quicker means of interacting with playback than waking up the six-inch screen. Still, if you do decide to dive in for more granular controls, the bright display works brilliantly, as does Astell & Kern’s Crimson operating system, which feels more refined than ever.
In terms of battery life you’re looking at a solid 15-hours of use between charges, so you’ll have more than enough in the tank to get you through a long day of work and commuting. By default there’s a sizeable 256GB of storage included with the PD10, but if you want to expand that, there’s a Micro SD card slot that can add up to an additional 2TB to the mix. Sure, the whole thing costs a lot more than most music players but for a true all-in-one audiophile experience, there’s nothing quite like it.
Open, expansive soundstage with lots of detail
Premium build quality
Intuitive user interface and operation
Extensive specification
Swappable DAC feature
Player and DAC modules are expensive
Not exactly portable
Battery life not the longest
The Astell & Kern A&futura SE180 is one of the South Korean brand’s most advanced players thanks to its DAC switching modules that allows the user to remove the DAC inside and replace with it another.
It’s an innovative idea, though we found the process of swapping DAC modules required some force. That’s an area Astell & Kern could make easier and swifter in future iterations.
The SE180 carries itself well, although like the SP2000T, its 280g isn’t exactly portable (the similarly-sized iPhone 13 is a mere 173g by comparison). It is well-built, less asymmetric in look that Astell’s other players and features wonderfully tactile volume wheel that mimics a dial on a expensive watch. Headphone outputs are catered for by 3.5mm unbalanced and 2.5 and 4.4mm balanced, with a USB-C port for charging and microSD expansion that supports cards up to 1TB.
The Quad Core processor offers a snappy and responsive performance, the 5-inch colour screen offers some lovely looking colours, while we liked the Android-esque interface, which is intuitive to use and easy to grasp. File support extends MP3 to DSD256 and resolutions up to 384kHz, though by changing the DAC modules the file support can be extended further. With support for aptX HD and LDAC, the SE180 is covered on the wireless High-Res Audio front. All of that Hi-Res support allows the SE180 to set a high marker for sound. We tested the device with several headphones and found it brought a neutral and noise-free sound to whichever pair we used, featuring terrific amounts of clarity and detail. The soundstage is big and spacious, with the SE180’s sense of precision wringing as much out of music as it can. While it’s capable performer with lower-resolution files, this is a player that shines with higher bit-rates and resolutions, making this a portable player for the audiophile.
Brings refinement to music library
Compact size
Easy to use
Wide file support
Wi-Fi performance can be a little slow
Battery life doesn’t feel too extensive
Getting pricey for an entry level product
The A&ultima SR35 is one of Astell & Kern’s more affordable portable players, though at £799 / $800, it’s more expensive than the SR25 and SR25 MkII, putting dent in those ‘affordable’ credentials.
You get a lot of features and performance packed into the SR35’s compact frame. As usual, it comes with an off-axis screen that does look odd but we adjusted to it in time. The touch screen goes up to 720p resolution but is bright and colourful, while operation is simple enough with buttons on the side for power and playback, as well as the lovely tactile volume wheel. Compared to the cheaper FiiO M11S, the SR35 feels like a premium product.
Its feature set mirrors that of other Astell & Kern players on this list with its wide array of support for audio formats up 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support is accounted for, though we found with the former that it takes a while for the Wi-Fi connection to boot up when the player is powered on. Built-in storage is 64GB, but the SR35 supports expandable storage up to 1TB with a microSD card. Battery life is rated at around 20 hours, but in our experience, the player has a habit of chewing through its battery life quicker than expected. There’s also a choice of Normal and High gain settings to match the impedance of the headphone it’s connected to.
In terms of audio performance, the SR35 doesn’t show too heavy a hand in altering the sound of the headphone it’s partnered with. Unlike the SE180 model where you can hear the effect of the different DAC modules, the SR35 takes the audio signal and gives it more polish and refinement while still keeping true to the headphone’s sonic signature. Compared to the FiiO M15S, it’s sharper across the frequency range, offers more insight, and is more dynamically expressive.
It’s the more assertive and exciting listen of the two similarly priced players. While the SR35 isn’t perfect in all areas, in our opinion, it’s the best portable music player you can buy in the £500 to £1000 range.
Detailed, composed and thoroughly entertaining sound
Specified well beyond what the asking price might suggest
Impressive standard of build and finish
Can get slightly shouty at biggest volumes
Miserly usable memory
If you’re completely new to the world of portable music players and just want to start things out with an inexpensive option that doesn’t require a sizeable investment, then the FiiO JM21 is a great place to start. This music player provides so much of what makes FiiO such a household brand in this market, but at a price that massively undercuts the competition. Aside from the tempting £179/$199 price point, the key factor that makes the JM21 so alluring to new buyers is that the device itself is wonderfully compact. At just 13mm thick and weighing only 156G, the JM21 is more pocketable than the average smartphone, so unlike with a lot of premium music players, you won’t be bogged down. The Sky Blue colourway also has an eye-catching quality about it, which is more than we can say for a lot of smartphones right now.
When it comes to the sound quality, even though you’re spending less than what you would elsewhere, the JM21 still brings a respectable soundscape to the table with no less than two Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC chipsets. This paves the way for playback in resolutions up to 32-bit/384kHz which, in layman’s terms, is a serious uptick on what you can get out of your smartphone.
Still, the experience of using the FiiO JM21 doesn’t feel all that dissimilar to that of a smartphone as it runs on a reworked version of Android 13, with a 4.7-inch touchscreen to boot. With only 3GB RAM onboard, you don’t want to be using it for much more than listening to music, but at least you do have the ability to access your streaming service of choice here.
One thing that is well worth making use of is the available Micro SD card slot. By default, there’s only 32GB storage built into the FiiO JM21 which might be fine for some users who just want a few albums to hand at a time, but for most people you’re better off expanding that memory so you can have a genuine library of music on the go.
Hefty aluminium chassis
Bluetooth pairing is easy, and works decently well
The warmth and saturated feel of a cassette has a strange appeal
Not the most portable of players
No auto-stop function is a shame
Being completely honest, we’re still a bit perplexed by the fact that cassette tapes are having a resurgence given that they were never exactly rated as a medium with noteworthy sound quality, but if an appreciation for all things retro has allowed vinyls to become popular once more, then it does seem like fair game. If you’re one such person who loves the idea of dusting off their old cassette tapes or even buying some of the newer ones that have started to appear, then the We Are Rewind WE-001 is made with you in mind.
Before we can talk about any other aspect, the most striking thing about the WE-001 is its design. Not too dissimilar to a product made by Teenage Engineering (the company behind the Playdate), the WE-001 features a striking, uniform aesthetic, with the orange colourway being particularly eye-catching. It also looks very similar to the classic Sony Walkman, and wouldn’t feel out of place in a scene from Guardians of the Galaxy.
If you’re not sold on the orange colourway then there are quite a few alternatives available. Fans of The King will immediately gravitate towards the special edition Elvis option, while anyone after a more subdued palette will appreciate the Keith model which comes in a dark grey. No matter which one you go for, the physical buttons have a wonderful tactility to them that makes them a joy to use, and they feel like a remedy to a world that’s now so dominated by touchscreens.
Still, even though it very much wears its retro inspiration on its sleeve, the WE-001 is meant to provide a more modern alternative to fans of cassettes. With a built-in battery, the device can be topped up with a USB-C cable and, more importantly, you don’t need to carry around a pair of wired headphones as the WE-001 supports Bluetooth. This means that you can wirelessly listen to your cassettes, making the format feel far less cumbersome. You can enjoy up to 12-hours of use on a single charge which should get more than most through an average day. With regards to audio quality, your enjoyment will very much depend on how you view cassettes as a whole. In our testing, we were reminded of the warm sound that cassettes can produce, which does have a nice quality to it, but you won’t get the same level of detail that you can with digital music players.
Smartphones are compromised in terms of their performance because they’re designed to do multiple things. A portable music player is expressly designed for one thing, so if you love your music and want to hear it in its best quality, it is worth investing in a portable music player.
Learn more about how we test music players
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
FAQ
Full Specs
Astell and Kern Aultima SP3000T Review
Astell&Kern PD10 Review
Astell and Kern Afutura SE180 Review
Astell and Kern Aultima SR35 Review
FiiO JM21 Review
We Are Rewind WE-001 Review
UK RRP
£3199
£2500
£1399
£799
£179
£129
USA RRP
$2999
$2500
$1499
$800
$199
$159
EU RRP
€3599
–
€1599
–
€199
–
CA RRP
–
–
–
–
CA$369
–
AUD RRP
AU$5299
AU$3000
–
–
AU$249
–
CPU
Snapdragon 6125 Octa-core
Octa-Core
Quad-Core
Quad-core
Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
–
Manufacturer
Astell & Kern
Astell & Kern
Astell & Kern
Astell & Kern
FiiO
–
Screen Size
5.5 inches
6 inches
5 inches
3.6 inches
4.7 inches
–
Storage Capacity
256GB
256GB
256GB
64GB
32GB
–
Expandable storage
Up to 1TB
Up to 2TB
Up to 1TB microSD
up to 1TB
Up to 2TB
–
IP rating
–
–
Not Disclosed
–
–
–
Battery
5050 mAh
5770 mAh
3800 mAh
3150 mAh
–
2000 mAh
Size (Dimensions)
84.7 x 18 x 141.5 MM
75.4 x 17.3 x 149.5 MM
77 x 19.9 x 137.2 MM
64 x 16.1 x 108.3 MM
68 x 13 x 121 MM
88.8 x 140.8 x 33.5 MM
Weight
483 G
435 G
280 G
184 G
156 G
404 G
ASIN
B0D365BX5K
–
B094JZWX7S
B0BZS29BVS
B0DRYJ9FCG
B0C6B2937N
Operating System
–
–
–
Android
Android 13
–
DAC
AKM AK4191 x2 (Dual Modulator) & AKM AK4499EX x2 (Dual DAC)
AKM4191EQ x2 (Dual Modulator) + AKM4498EX x4 (Dual+Dual DAC)
SEM1 ESS ES9038PRO
Ciruss Logic CS43198 x4
2 x Cirrus Logic CS43198
–
USB DAC Mode
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
–
Release Date
2024
2025
2021
2023
2025
2023
First Reviewed Date
–
–
–
–
–
08/01/2026
Model Number
SP3000T
PD10
AK-SE180-SEM1-MS
SR35
–
–
Resolution
x
1080 x 2160
x
x
x
x
Ports
–
–
USB-C, microSD, 3.5mm unbalanced, 2.5mm balanced, 4.4 balanced
–
–
–
RAM
8GB
–
–
–
–
–
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0
–
Bluetooth 5.1, 3.5mm jack
Colours
Silver
–
Moon Silver
Charcoal Grey
Sky Blue
Orange, Black, Blue
Audio Formats
WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, MQA
WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF
WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, MQA
WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF
AAC, AIFF, ALAC, APE, DSD, DST, DXD, FLAC, ISO, MP3, MQA, OGG, WAV, WMA
Cassette
Touch Screen
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Wifi Spec
–
–
802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz)
–
–
–
Screen
–
–
Yes
–
–
–
Bluetooth
–
–
Yes
–
–
–
USB charging
Yes
Yes
Yes
–
Yes
Yes
Headphone port
–
–
Yes
–
–
–
Inputs
–
USB-C
–
USB-C
–
3.5mm jack for recording
Outputs
3.5mm balanced, optical out, 2.5mm balanced, 4.4mm
Unbalanced, Balanced, Optical
–
3.5mm unbalanced, 2.5/4.4mm balanced
3.5mm/SPDIF; 4.4mm
3.5mm jack for output, Bluetooth 5.1
easyJet passengers ‘vomiting and close to passing out’ after 3-hour Milan queues
IXN: Global Tech Leadership Remains, Eyeing A New Record High
Why Has Jasprit Bumrah Gone Wicketless In 5 IPL Matches? R Ashwin’s Verdict On ‘Lack Of Wickets’
-
Politics2 days agoUS brings back mandatory military draft registration
-
Fashion2 days agoWeekend Open Thread: Veronica Beard
-
Sports2 days agoMan United discover Nico Schlotterbeck transfer fee as defender reaches Dortmund agreement
-
Tech5 days agoHow Long Can You Drive With Expired Registration? What Florida Law Says
-
Politics12 hours agoWorld Cup exit makes Italy enter crisis mode
-
Crypto World4 days agoCanary Capital Files SEC Registration for PEPE ETF
-
Fashion7 days agoMassimo Dutti Offers Inspiration for Your Summer Mood Board
-
Business2 days agoTesla Model Y Tops China Auto Sales in March 2026 With 39,827 Registrations, Beating Cheaper EVs and Gas Cars
-
Fashion5 days agoLet’s Discuss: DEI in 2026
-
Crypto World5 days agoBitcoin recovers as US and Iran Agree a Ceasefire Deal
-
Politics3 days agoMalcolm In The Middle OG Turned Down ‘Buckets Of Money’ To Appear In Reboot
-
NewsBeat4 hours agoPep Guardiola and Gary Neville agree over Arsenal title problem that benefits Man City
-
Business3 days agoOpenAI Halts Stargate UK Data Centre Project Over Energy Costs and Copyright Row
-
Tech7 days agoItalian court says Netflix must refund customers up to $576 over price hikes
-
Tech7 days agoHaier is betting big that your next TV purchase will be one of these
-
Business1 day agoIreland Fuel Protests Enter Day 5 as Blockades Spark Shortages and Government Prepares Support Package
-
Tech7 days agoGamer Restores the Original PlayStation Portal From Two Decades Ago
-
Tech7 days agoThe Xiaomi 17 Ultra has some impressive add-ons that make snapping photos really fun
-
Tech7 days agoSamsung just gave up on its own Messages app
-
Tech7 days agoSave $130 on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic: rotating bezel, sleep coaching, and running coach for $369
You must be logged in to post a comment Login