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13 Of The Coolest Honda Motorcycles Coming Out In 2026, And What They Cost

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Although Honda is known for legendary sports cars like the Honda Civic Type-R and the Honda NSX, it didn’t get its start with four-wheeled vehicles. Founder Soichiro Honda began the business with a motorized bicycle in 1947, meaning it has been making motorcycles for nearly 80 years now. While the company started in Japan, it has since expanded worldwide, building bikes in various countries around the world, including Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia, and China, and more.

Even as Honda is churning out motorcycles from these factories, it has been busy developing new models to launch in 2026. It has announced several available models across multiple categories, including adventure bikes, scooters, and dirt bikes for the model year. So, if you’re looking to get a new motorcycle, you can definitely find a Honda bike that fits your taste or needs.

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Given that, we decided to pick out some of the coolest Honda motorcycles we expect to hit the showrooms this year. We included the MSRP of each of these models, giving you a rough idea of how much you’ll have to spend to get these two-wheelers into your garage.

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XR150L

The XR150L is one of the cheapest motorcycles you can buy in 2026, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not getting much out of it. This dual-sport motorcycle straddles the best of both worlds — a capable bike that can handle off-road trails and a comfortable motorcycle that’s good for stop-and-go riding along city streets. Honda designed it to be simple and rugged, aiming to make it an affordable and reliable option for beginners, commuters, and lighter or smaller dual-sport fans. 

This motorcycle is powered by a 149cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. This is then supported by a steel frame, ensuring it can withstand the rigors of off-road driving, while its conventional fork suspension and single rear shock help maintain comfort on both dirt and pavement. You also get a large 19-inch wheel up front and a 17-inch wheel in the back, helping you maintain control over rough terrain and poorly maintained infrastructure while still offering stability as you cruise through city streets and mountain roads.

More importantly, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg just to get this bike. The XR150L starts at $3,399 (plus a $300 destination charge), making it one of the most affordable ways you can get mobility through town and country.

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Dax 125

The Super Cub is one of the most reliable Honda motorcycles you can buy, but it looks pretty vanilla and is designed to cater to everyone. If you want the same reliability but desire something more distinctive, then you should look at the Dax 125. This model has been derived from the popular Super Cub through the CT series, but it comes with modern features that make riding easier. Aside from that, it’s designed with old-school charm in mind, making it stand out from the crowd.

Even though it only features a small 124cc engine with a four-speed semi-automatic transmission, it is still capable of cruising up to 55 mph, even with two passengers on board (depending on their weight, of course). You also don’t have to worry about shifting, as its centrifugal clutch design means that you don’t need a clutch lever to engage or shift gears — just choose the gear you want with the left foot lever and it will operate automatically and smoothly as you get going.

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The Dax 125 costs at least $4,199, and you’ll have to shell out an extra $300 for the destination charge. But if you’re after its iconic looks and design, this premium is worth paying for.

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Monkey

You might be thrown off by the name Monkey, but it’s one of Honda’s most recognizable minibikes thanks to its retro appearance. The model just received a facelift for 2026 — while it still kept the original styling its fans know and love, the company added several modern features, like all-LED headlights and taillights, plus a full-LCD circular display for its speedometer and odometer.

This little retro bike isn’t the fastest one on the market with its tiny 124cc single-cylinder engine paired with a five-speed manual transmission. But that is no issue because this isn’t designed for speed. It’s a commuter bike that is happiest puttering around town, enjoying life. Though it’s not meant to go very fast, it still comes with front-wheel ABS for safety, and even with 12-inch wheels, it’s still a pretty nimble bike. The Monkey has a tiny 1.5-gallon gas tank, but with an EPA rating of 162.6 MPG, one full tank could potentially last you several days inside the city.

One downside to the Monkey is that it’s a bit pricey for its small stature, coming in at $4,399 with a $300 destination charge. But if you want a motorcycle that looks good, is easy to ride, and fits easily in the back of your pickup truck, then this retro bike is definitely worth every penny.

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CB500 Hornet/CBR500R

After focusing on smaller motorcycles, we’re now looking at the big boys of Honda’s motorcycle lineup, starting with the CB500 Hornet. This is Honda’s entry-level streetfighter, which originally hit the market in 2013. This bike comes with a 471cc two-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Its engine performance is slowed by dual-disc brakes up front and a single-disc brake at the rear, both equipped with ABS for safety and maneuverability.

If you find the CB500 Hornet the perfect fit for your riding style, but desire more performance, consider the CBR500R instead. This sports bike has practically the same specifications, but it’s tuned for a sportier ride and a more aggressive riding position at the expense of a little bit of comfort. The differences between these two models are similar to what makes the CB650 and CBR650 different. The CB model is a naked street bike for day-to-day use, while the CBR is designed for more spirited riding

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As one might expect, the sportier bike costs a bit more. The CB500 Hornet starts at $5,899 while the CBR500R costs $6,399, meaning you have to pay as $500 premium for the latter. Since these motorcycles are also larger than the previous models we’ve mentioned, they have a $600 destination charge.

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NX500

While naked bikes are great for day-to-day commutes and sports bikes deliver speed and exhilaration, if you prefer taking the long way round on both dirt and pavement, Honda is continuing the NX500 for the 2026 model year. This adventure bike was first released in 2013 as the CB500X, but Honda renamed it in 2024 to set it apart from the CB500 family and give it its own distinct personality.

What makes this different from the CB500 Hornet is that Honda built this to be comfortable, not just as an urban cruiser, but also as a long-distance warrior. While it retains the same 471cc engine, six-speed manual transmission, and ABS brakes from the CB500 Hornet, the NX500 is taller, has a longer wheelbase, and a slightly greater fuel capacity, edging out the 4.5 gallons of the Hornet with a 4.7-gallon capacity. It also has a larger rake for better stability, especially at high speeds.

The NX500 starts at $6,899, with a destination charge of $600 — this makes it $1,000 more expensive than the CB500 Hornet and $500 pricier than the sporty CBR500R. But if you plan on going on long rides that will take you off the beaten trail, your body may thank you for spending that extra amount on this adventure bike.

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SCL500

Some people love the retro looks of the Dax 125 and the Monkey, but find them too small. If you’re one of them, you should look in the SCL500. Just like the NX500, it has the same engine, transmission, and brakes as the CB500 Hornet and the CBR500R, but Honda built it with a scrambler-style body and frame. This gave it a natural, upright riding position that delivers an easy, comfortable ride for up to two people.

Despite its old-school aesthetics, this bike comes with several modern features for your convenience and safety. It comes standard with ABS brakes and LED lights, plus an LCD screen that displays crucial information, such as gear position and fuel consumption. More importantly, engine components are placed at an optimal position near the SCL500’s center of gravity, helping give the motorcycle a docile ride and making it perfect for both new riders and seasoned motorcyclists.

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You can get the SCL500 starting at $6,999, but you’ll have to pay an extra $600 for the destination charge. This makes it the most expensive option among Honda’s 500-series bikes, but it’s also one of the most iconic.

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CB650R/CBR650R E-Clutch

Experienced riders who find the Honda CB500 Hornet a bit too small may consider looking at the CB650R or CBR650R. These two models share the same powertrain — a 649cc four-cylinder engine with a six-speed manual transmission that utilizes Honda’s E-Clutch technology, which automates the clutch engagement on these motorcycles. But for the sport riders who enjoy more control over their shifts, these bikes still come with a manual clutch lever, allowing you to override the computer.

Since these bikes come with more powerful engines, Honda also equipped them with dual 310 mm discs with four-piston calipers at the front and a single 240 mm disc at the rear for added braking power. They also come standard with ABS, helping you maintain control during sudden stops and emergency braking. Both of these motorcycles are also equipped with LED headlights and a five-inch full-color TFT screen with a customizable display to suit your preferences.

Pricing for the naked street fighter CB650R starts at $8,699, while the fairing-equipped CBR650R is $500 more expensive at $9,199, with both models getting a $600 destination charge. These are more expensive than the entry-level Honda 500-series motorcycles, but you’re getting a larger four-cylinder engine that delivers more power in a middleweight sportbike.

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NC750X DCT

This is the second adventure bike on our list of cool Honda motorcycles, delivering the best of both worlds for daily use and long-distance riding. The NC750X DCT comes with a more powerful 745cc parallel-twin engine and a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. This results in quick, seamless gear shifting that gives you a smooth ride, reducing the stress and fatigue caused by gear-change shock. It also uses throttle-by-wire control and offers four shifting schedules, allowing you to customize how easy or spirited the bike will respond to your throttle inputs.

The NC750X DCT also offers several electronic controls, allowing you to change the bike’s feel to your preference. There are five Riding Modes that adjust power levels, engine braking, and torque control — Sport, Rain, and Standard, plus two more customizable user modes. You can also manage rear-wheel traction with Honda Selectable Torque Control, or HSTC, through three different levels, or switch it off if you want full manual control.

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You will have to shell out at least $9,499 to purchase this mid-range adventure bike. And when you add the $600 destination charge on the NC750X DCT, that means you’re paying over $10,000 for this motorcycle. This might seem like a pretty penny, but the performance and technology that this model offers do come at a cost.

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Montesa Cota 4RT 260R/301RR

If dual-sport bikes aren’t enough to satisfy your desire for an off-road adventure, Honda is offering the Montesa Cota 4RT 260R and 301RR. These are hardcore trials bikes that are built with off-road performance in mind, so don’t expect creature comforts on these models. Honda consulted with FIM World Champion Toni Bou during the development of these models, helping them set the benchmark in their category.

The 2026 Montesa Cota 4RT comes in two flavors — the 260R with its 259cc engine and the 301RR with its larger 298cc engine. The former is designed for those who want a highly capable bike while still maintaining accessibility and affordability, while the latter is for competition-level performance. But whichever model you choose, you’re getting maximum mobility with its 26.7-inch seat height, as well as several protective barriers around the front-brake caliper, an aluminum skid plate with rubber protection under the engine, and a carbon fiber clutch guard. This allows it to absorb the punishment of the toughest trials while helping you stay agile with its low seat area.

Given that these are competition-focused bikes, they’re also priced accordingly. The 260R starts at $9,849, while the more powerful 301RR begins at $12,949. Each bike also demands a $600 delivery fee.

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CB1000 Hornet SP

Literbikes are among the fastest street motorcycles available, with a majority of the most powerful Japanese sports motorcycles equipped with engines displacing around 1000 cc. However, unlike many supercars, you do not have to spend an arm and a leg for supercar performance. This is where the CB1000 Hornet SP comes in.

This naked street bike comes with a 1000cc liquid-cooled inline-four engine mated to a six-speed manual. All that power is managed by two 17-inch wheels, with the front equipped with dual 310mm disc brakes with four-piston Brembo calipers, while the back sports a single 240mm disc. Aside from that, they’re both equipped with ABS to ensure maneuverability and safety, especially in emergency stops.

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You’ll also be spoiled for tech with the CB1000 Hornet SP, featuring a 5-inch full-color instrument display and Honda RoadSync. The latter lets you connect your phone to your motorcycle via Honda’s tech management app, letting you use your iOS or Android device for navigation and the option to make calls and listen to music via a Bluetooth helmet headset.

When you compare the CB1000 Hornet SP to some motorcycles on our list, you’ll find that it is quite pricey at $10,999 plus a $775 destination charge. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a sports car that offers the same kind of performance and adrenaline for the same price, making this 1000cc street bike your gateway to “budget” adrenaline.

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NT1100 DCT

The NT1100 DCT is the first sport touring bike on our list. Now, these types of bikes are modeled after sport bikes for the speed they deliver, but offer much more in terms of comfort. This makes them ideal for high-speed long-distance riding that would be uncomfortable or impractical on a pure sportbike. Despite being built for the open road, Honda still managed to keep them agile for driving in tight city streets and remain comfortable and practical for your day-to-day needs.

Honda added several features to this motorcycle to make riding convenient. For example, its fairings envelope the rider, offering them protection from the wind and weather while cruising along the highway, and it also has a five-stage adjustable windscreen that you can change on the fly. It comes with two separate seats (unlike some smaller motorcycles that only come with a single, longer one), ensuring that both the rider and the passenger remain comfortable even on long rides.

If you want to get your hands on this bike, be prepared to spend at least $11,999, plus a $775 destination charge. This might seem like a lot, but you’re essentially getting two bikes in one with the NT1100 DCT.

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Africa Twin

Honda claims the Africa Twin is the original adventure touring motorcycle and that this model is its offering for those who want to go anywhere on a two-wheeler. This bike is available in four trims, all of which are powered by a 1084cc liquid-cooled engine with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed DCT.

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The base Africa Twin is ideal for riders who prefer a powerful dual-sport bike that they can take off-road, while the Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES is ideal for those who want a more comfortable ride and anticipate spending more time on the highways without sacrificing the motorcycle’s off-road capabilities. It includes less suspension travel than the base model. The ES also comes with Electronically Equipped Ride Adjustment (EERA), which allows the bike’s suspension to dynamically adjust to surface conditions.

The Africa Twin has a base price of $15,199, but you’ll have to shell out more if you want the higher trims. The most expensive variant with a DCT and the EERA will set you back $18,599, plus you’ll have to pay a $775 destination charge.

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CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP

If you want a motorbike that you can push to its limits on the race track but still bring you home at the end of the day, look no further than the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. This is Honda’s flagship supersport model, and was built using Honda Racing’s experience developing MotoGP bikes.

While this has a similar 999.9cc inline-four engine as the other bikes we listed above, it uses special components that reduce friction and weight while increasing durability. It also features a throttle-by-wire system that delivers power in a linear manner, ensuring precise throttle inputs, as well as a plethora of electronic controls to help you manage the motorcycle.

As one would expect, this halo motorcycle comes at a price — the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP has a starting price of $28,999, with an additional $775 destination charge. Even though this is more than twice the price of most of the motorbikes in our list, you’re getting supercar performance in Honda’s premier street-legal sport bike. 

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Amazon laid off 30,000 workers while CEO Andy Jassy got a 30% pay bump

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Amazon published its annual proxy statement yesterday, revealing Jassy’s compensation for last year.
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Green Powered Challenge: Solar Powered Pi Hosts Websites In RAM

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If you started with computers early enough, you’ll remember the importance of the RAMdisk concept: without a hard drive and with floppies slow and swapping constantly, everything had to live in RAM. That’s not done much these days, but [Quackieduckie]’s solar powered Pi Zero W web server has gone back to it to save its SD card.

Sustainability and low power is the name of the game. Starting with a Pi Zero W means low power is the default; a an SLS-printed aluminum case that doubles as the heat sink– while looking quite snazzy–saves power that would otherwise be used for cooling. The STLs are available through the project page if you like the look and have a hankering for passively cooled Pi. Even under load [Quackieduckie] reports temperatures of just 29.9°C,  less than a degree over idle.

The software stack is of course key to a server, and here he’s using Alpine Linux running in “diskless mode”– that’s the equivalent of what us oldsters would think of as the RAMdisk. That’s not that unusual for servers, but we don’t see it much on these pages. It’s a minimal setup to save processing, and thus electrical power, with only a handful of services kept running: lighttpd, a lightweight webserver, and duckiebox, a python-based file server, along with SSHD and dchron; together they consume 27 MB of RAM, leaving the rest of the 512 MB DDR2 the Pi comes with to quickly serve up websites without the overhead of SD card access.

As a webserver, [Quackieduckie] tested it with 50 simultaneous connections, which would be rather a lot for most small, personal web sites, and while it did slow down to an average 1.3s per response that’s perfectly usable and faster than we’d have expected from this hardware. While the actual power consumption figures aren’t given, we know from experience it’s not going to be drawing more than a watt or so. With a reasonably sized battery and solar cell– [Quackieduckie] suggests 20W–it should run until the cows come home.

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This isn’t the first solar-powered web server we’ve seen, but this one was submitted for the 2026 Green Powered Challenge, which runs until April 24th.

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The Complex Transformations Underlying MC Escher’s Works

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Self-similar images are rather common, which are images in which the same image is repeated on a smaller scale somewhere within the image that one is looking at, something which is also referred to as the Droste effect. Yet in [MC Escher]’s 1956 Prentententoonstelling (‘picture gallery’) drawing, this self-similar image is somehow also the foreground image, from where it just keeps looping around in an endless dance. How this effect is accomplished and what the mathematical transformations behind it are and how they work is explained in a recent video by [3Blue1Brown].

The video uses previous work by [B. de Smit] and [H. W. Lenstra Jr] whose 2003 paper detailed the underlying transformations, as well as the mystery of the center of the work.

Although [MC Escher] created a transformation grid with square rectangles into which a non-transformed image could be copied verbatim, he left the center as a void with just his signature in it, leaving many to guess how one might be able to fill in this area with something that made sense. In the work by [Smit] et al. it was postulated that by treating the work as having been drawn on an elliptic curve over a field of complex numbers this might be possible.

While the transformation is simple enough at first, with just four rectangles at different zoom levels to make up the corners, the trick is to connect these rectangles. Using the demonstrated complex method this can be automated, with the central void now filled in and creating its own Droste effect. This once again demonstrates the beautifully complex mathematics in [Escher]’s works, despite him never having had any formal mathematical education.

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Best 2-in-1 Laptops (2026): Microsoft, Lenovo, and the iPad

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There will always be a use case for owning both a laptop and a tablet as stand-alone products. But the 2-in-1 laptop is the utopian dream of combining these two into a single device.

Of all the models I’ve tested, no 2-in-1 laptop is equally good at being both a tablet and a laptop. They always lean toward one or the other. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy one, especially since the convenience of having both in one device makes it an easier pill to swallow, price-wise.

The products below should meet most people’s needs. But if none are a fit for you, check out our other computer buying guides, including the Best Cheap Laptops, the Best Tablets, and the Best iPad.

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Detachable Tablets

Microsoft

Surface Pro 13-inch (11th Edition, 2024)

If you want a 2-in-1, think first about a detachable tablet. These are basically tablets that attach to a keyboard. This form factor emphasizes being able to switch between tablet and laptop modes. It’s just as functional as a tablet as it is as a laptop. The Surface Pro is the epitome of this design, pioneering the idea of a tablet with a built-in kickstand that runs a full version of Windows.

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Microsoft has refined the hardware over the years, but it wasn’t until the 2024 model that it came into its own. That’s largely thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (and Plus) processor, which finally gave the device an appropriate amount of performance and battery life. While it’s not cheap (especially once you include the Type Cover), I love that you can now use the keyboard while detached from the screen, making it even more adaptable in scenarios away from a desk. To compete with the iPad Pro, there’s even an OLED model (with 120-Hz refresh rate) available, which really brings visuals on the display to life.

Last year, Microsoft came out with a smaller and more affordable model, the Surface Pro 12. This is the most successful small tablet Microsoft has ever made, and a big reason is because it doesn’t cheap out on quality or shrink down the size too much. With a 12-inch screen, it still allows the keyboard to be large enough to be comfortable typing on. It doesn’t have the option for an OLED screen, but this is still a surprisingly premium-feeling device that is even more portable than its older sibling.

Not only is the Surface Pro 12 cheaper overall, it’s also the only 256-GB storage model on offer. Because Surface devices run a full version of Windows, they are the best 2-in-1 devices to use as full laptop replacements. While the hardware is there to make for a good tablet, Windows isn’t so friendly with touch and doesn’t have a touch-first app ecosystem to support it. That’s where iPads come into play.

The iPad Air and iPad Pro are the best tablets you can buy, largely thanks to the breadth of touch-first apps available in the App Store. In many ways, that’s what makes an iPad such an ideal 2-in-1 laptop, especially if you actually want to use it as a tablet. They are also easier to hold in one hand, as they are lighter than the Surface devices. These days, these iPads are increasingly legitimate laptop replacements too. With the Magic Keyboard attachment, you can add an additional USB-C port and a full-size keyboard and trackpad. I like that this design doesn’t rely on a kickstand either, which makes it easier to use on your lap than the Surface.

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iPadOS still isn’t perfect, but with the introduction of windowing and better cursor support, they work as laptops better than ever. The latest model I tested, the M4 iPad Air, is immensely powerful, and with the Magic Keyboard attached, it’s a really solid 2-in-1 laptop that comes in cheaper than the Surface Pro with the keyboard included. It’s plenty of performance for just about anything you’d want to do with an iPad, especially if you opt for the larger 13-inch model. My only real complaint is that the palm rests on the Magic Keyboard are quite small.

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Historic China-Europe Space Mission Hopes To Collect Pivotal Data Never Seen Before

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There are now thousands of satellites orbiting Earth, but there’s still a surprisingly basic thing we haven’t yet targeted well. The Earth is often bombarded with solar storms, but so far, we’ve yet to observe the planet’s magnetic field respond to them in real time. Now, a spacecraft built jointly by China and Europe is on the verge of doing just that. The spacecraft is launching as part of SMILE, which stands for Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer.

The venture is the first comprehensive, mission-level space science partnership between the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the European Space Agency. That includes designing, building, and operating the whole thing. The collaboration actually traces back to 2015. That’s when ESA and CAS put out a joint call for mission ideas. SMILE was picked from 13 proposals and entered its study phase a decade ago, in early 2016.

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Once SMILE launches, it will head for an unusually elliptical orbit that will swing from just 5,000 kilometers over the South Pole to a whopping 121,000 kilometers above the North Pole. The point of the wider arc is to give the instruments a better vantage point for watching how solar wind slams into Earth’s magnetosphere. That’s important because when that interaction is strong enough, it can trigger geomagnetic storms, which can sometimes be dangerous. Moreover, solar storms can even be a problem for satellites in low-Earth orbit.

Scientists currently have a decent understanding of how the interaction takes place. But the picture is incomplete. There are existing missions like the NASA MMS and the ESA-NASA SOHO spacecraft built for similar purposes. But they’re designed for individual events affecting localized areas, rather than a broad global perspective.

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What SMILE aims to learn

Since none of the existing solutions can show the full picture at once, SMILE is designed to fill in this gap. It features a soft X-ray imager, which will map the boundaries of the magnetosphere globally for the first time. The goal is to watch how Earth’s magnetic shield changes shape when solar eruptions pass by.

Better observations could also help predict geomagnetic storms before they hit. Some of these storms are powerful enough to disrupt satellite navigation and radio communications around the world. The last notable one, which hit in May 2024, did just that. Then there was the much worse one from back in 1989, which actually knocked out Quebec’s entire power grid for nine hours, leaving millions without electricity. It’s a reminder of why solar storms affect power grids in the first place. Problems like these can be prevented with better forecasting, as they would give operators time to shut down vulnerable systems in advance.

That said, as is often the case with ambitious space missions, SMILE has run into some snags. It was supposed to lift off on April 9 from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana. However, ESA announced that the launch had been postponed due to a technical issue on a subsystem component production line. As of writing, we don’t have a new launch date yet.

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Trying To Install Haiku On A 2009 Mac Mini

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Although the number of uses for a 2009-era Mac Mini aren’t very long, using them to run new-and-upcoming operating systems like Haiku on would seem to be an interesting use case. This is what [The Phintage Collector] recently took a swing at, using both the 2024 Beta 5 release and a current nightly build. The focus was mostly on the 32-bit build, as this has binary compatibility with BeOS applications, but the 64-bit version of Haiku was of course also installed.

One of the main issues with these Mac systems is that they use EFI for the BIOS, so you’re condemned to either take your chances with the always glitchy CSM ‘classical BIOS’ mode, or to make Haiku and EFI get along. While for the 64-bit version of Haiku this wasn’t too much of a struggle, the 32-bit version ran into the problem that the 64-bit EFI BIOS really doesn’t like 32-bit software. After a while the 32-bit version of Haiku was thus abandoned for a later revisit.

With the 64-bit version a lot of things just work, though audio couldn’t be made to work even with a USB dongle, and there’s no hardware acceleration for graphics, so gaming isn’t really going to happen either. The positive thing here is probably that as a test system for 64-bit Haiku such a Mac Mini isn’t too crazy, it being just an Intel system with an Apple-flavor EFI BIOS.

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If you’re into giving it a shot yourself, the video description page contains a lot of resources to consult.

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DDR5 prices drop nearly 30%, but memory costs are still far from normal

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The spot price of a 16GB DDR4 chip has reportedly fallen by around 5% to $74.10 over the past month, following more than a year of unrelenting increases. This modest correction marks the first monthly decline in DRAM spot pricing since the rally began in early 2025, when a 16GB…
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7 Of The Best Harbor Freight Deals In April 2026

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Harbor Freight has used deals to get people in the door since the company’s inception. April 2026 is no exception, as the store is celebrating a few sales, including its Spring Black Friday sale over the first couple of weeks of the month, additional coupon deals that are available, various brand deals, and special deals for the company’s Inside Track members. All told, there are more than a few hundred items on sale, which is a lot to keep up with. It takes hours to scroll through that many deals to see if any of them are any good. 

That’s precisely why we went ahead and did just that and then posted the best deals we could find below. They are a mixture of all the deals seen above, excluding the store’s Dollar Days deals since they’re mostly odds and ends that are lightly discounted. The list below also only contains items that are at least 25% off and consist of things we think might be helpful around the house, garage, or workshop. Harbor Freight sells all kinds of niche and obscure tools, so if you need them, some are on sale as well. 

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Many of these deals finish up by mid-April, so if you’re reading this later, you may want to check again for a fresh set of deals, as most will have expired by then. Good luck and happy shopping. Should none of the deals below appeal to you, you can find the full list of deals here.

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Bauer 1,800 PSI Portable Pressure Washer

The Bauer 1,800 PSI Portable Pressure Washer is a pretty decent tool for light power washing work around the homestead. It boasts 1.2 gallons per minute (GPM) of flow, which doesn’t quite stack up to industrial strength power washers, but is more than good enough for DIY stuff at home. Bauer says this electric power washer is best used for cleaning patio furniture, barbecues, bikes, campers, and other stuff, and it should stack up well with competitors for car cleaning. It should also be strong enough to clean the actual patio itself and other similar tasks. It’s also relatively small, making it easier to store when you’re done. 

The power washer is on sale for $70, down from its typical $100 price tag, which means it’s 30% off until mid-April. For the money, you get a reasonably competent pressure washer that comes with three quick-connect nozzles that includes one for soaping, a 15-degree wide-area nozzle, and a high-power nozzle. You also get a 35-foot power cord with GFCI protection, and a 20-foot hose that can also be used with soap. Everything can be stored on the device itself, and it weighs a total of 14.8 pounds, which is light enough to carry around. 

Current owners seem to like it as well. Bauer’s pressure washer scores a 4.6 rating with 197 customer reviews. Owners say you may have to buy a replacement nozzle every now and then, but otherwise, the machine works as described and works best for small tasks.

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U.S. General Magnetic Paper Towel Holder

Having a clean roll of paper towels handy is imperative for any garage or workshop, and the U.S. General Magnetic Paper Towel Holder can solve the problem of having paper towels readily handy without breaking the bank. This one is quite simple. It comes in two pieces that each have powerful magnets. You affix them to virtually any toolbox or some other metal surface at the correct distance, and then you hang a roll of paper towels on it. U.S. General says this design helps accommodate any width for paper towels, so no need to buy special ones just for this holder.

The magnetic paper towel holder is on sale for $10, which is 33% off of its usual $15 price tag. This one is for Inside Members only and the deal expires on April 30. It comes in nine colors, including some pretty bright ones in case you want to match your decor or place it somewhere inside the house. U.S. General says that the magnets are rubber coated, so it won’t damage the surface if it happens to slide around. Each magnet is rated to hold two pounds, which is more than enough for a paper towel holder. 

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Customers have few negative things to say about it. It has a 4.9 rating with nearly 5,000 reviews, and if it had a chronic issue, it probably wouldn’t have such stellar review numbers. Owners praise it for doing what it’s supposed to do, and that’s about all anyone says about it.

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Predator 3500-Watt Inverter Generator

There are benefits to keeping a generator around, up to and including having power during an outage or having power while camping. The Predator 3,500-Watt Inverter Generator is a reasonable pickup for folks looking for a backup plan. Predator’s generator includes two 120-volt 5-20R outlets, which are your standard three-prong house outlets. It also comes with a 120-volt L5-30R twist-lock outlet, and one 12-volt DC plug. It won’t have enough electricity to power your entire house, but it should be more than enough to keep your fridge, freezer, and a few lights going until the power comes back on. 

Harbor Freight is selling this one for $600, which is $200 off of its list price, or about 25%. It’s expensive, but generators often are. Predator says that the best use for this is for powering RVs and campers, and even comes with an RV adapter. It runs at 56 dBA, which is reasonably quiet, and it can run for over 11 hours at 25% capacity. There are also automatic shutdowns in case a harmful amount of carbon monoxide is detected. Even so, you shouldn’t use this indoors ever. 

Despite its higher price tag, there are still plenty of customer reviews. This inverter generator scores a 4.7 out of 5 rating with 755 total reviews. Customers note that it works best for camping applications, as a temporary backup for homes, and even on some jobsites. Users also enjoy the push-button start

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Bauer 15-Amp Cut Off Saw

There are tons of uses for a saw, and there are many saws for various occasions. You can check one of them off the list with the Bauer 15-Amp Cut-Off Saw. This little guy mounts to a work surface with a vise, and then you can use its 15-amp, 3.8-horsepower motor to cut through a bunch of different things. Bauer says it’s designed for metal use, but also works for drywall track, angle iron, conduit, piping, tubing, and rebar. It also comes with features such as a depth stop for more precise cutting, a 45-degree miter angle, and a vise that holds material in place while you cut.

This one is on sale with a coupon, so you won’t see the sale if you go to the product listing. Instead, you’ll need to head to Harbor Freight’s coupon webpage and find it there. The coupon brings the price down to $120, which saves you 25%. The saw is otherwise pretty simple. It plugs into the wall and cuts stuff. It’s not the most powerful saw on the market, but for basic DIY use, it’s more than good enough. It also has a 4.5-star rating with nearly 300 reviews, so people tend to like what it offers. 

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Even if you don’t go for the saw, the link above to the coupon webpage is worth your time to check out, since those sales aren’t listed on the product webpages.

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Pittsburgh 6,500 lb. Portable Ramp Set

It’s generally recommended to have something more reliable than a floor jack when working on a car. Car ramps and jack stands do the trick nicely, and Harbor Freight had jack stands on sale last month. This month, the store has the Pittsburgh 6,500 lb. Capacity Portable Ramp Set on sale. This is a pretty simple product. You get two ramps, each of which is capable of holding up to 3,250 pounds of weight while you do something like change your car’s oil. The ramps offer six inches of lift, which isn’t as much as a jack stand, but it’s close enough for basic maintenance tasks. 

The ramps are on sale for $40 and retail for $60, for a 33% savings. Pittsburgh says that it can support vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of up to 13,000 pounds, which should handle just about every car a consumer can own, including some of the heaviest ones known to exist. It also helps that Harbor Freight car ramps have a decent reputation, making it a solid purchase.

For reference, these are not made for loading things into vehicles. However, if you are in the market for something like that, Harbor Freight has the Haul-Master Steel Loading Ramps on sale for $50, 41% off the list price of $85. They support 1,000 pounds and work with trucks, trailers, and vans.

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Doyle 4.5-inch Swivel Vise

Vises are one of those things you may have seen in your parents’ garage that was there before you were born and will be there until the garage collapses. Harbor Freight has such an item on sale right now with the Doyle 4.5-inch Swivel Vise. This is a simple tool that does one thing really well, which is to hold something in place while you polish, cut, or otherwise work on it. The base screws into the work surface for extra stability, and steel jaws are replaceable, so you can keep using it without having to replace the entire contraption. The base also swivels, which, while niche, can be useful from time to time. 

This vise is on sale at Harbor Freight for $100, which is 33% off of its $150 price tag. It seems like a lot, but these types of vises can last for decades with proper care, and potentially even longer since this tool has a lifetime warranty from Harbor Freight, like most of the brand’s hand tools. It also weighs 39 pounds, so the screw holes to secure it to your work surface are likely necessary to keep this thing in place. 

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The vise is quite popular among those who purchased it, garnering a 4.9 rating with a little over 300 reviews. Customers say that the vise is sturdy, functions well, and the swivel moves smoothly when you do need to engage with it. 

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A bunch of Icon and Quinn hand tools

Perhaps the most enticing items on sale are a slew of screwdrivers and pliers from Doyle, Icon, and Quinn that are on sale. There are a few dozen tools and tool sets on sale, including screwdriver sets, bolt cutters, needle nose pliers, a pliers wrench, and basically any other clamping or screwdriver tool you can imagine. This is an excellent opportunity to fill any gaps in your toolbox, especially since Harbor Freight offers lifetime warranties on all hand tools, regardless of brand.

The prices vary from item to item, but everything on this webpage is 35% off until around mid-April. Harbor Freight tools tend to work as well as their big brand-named counterparts, and usually cost less. In terms of tool hierarchy, Quinn is closer to a budget brand while Icon is Harbor Freight’s higher-end brand. Doyle is the brand Harbor Freight uses to sell tools that are expected to get professional use. 

There are too many sets, tools, and deals here to list them all individually, so the link above is a good place to start learning more about what tools are available, how much they cost, and what they do. Harbor Freight also has sales like this going for lighting, gloves, cordless power tools, and other tools as well, if the hand tool angle isn’t your thing. The savings range from 30% to 40%, depending on the category you look at.

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Quordle hints and answers for Monday, April 13 (game #1540)

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Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Sunday’s puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, April 12 (game #1539).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

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Best VPN 2026: Surf the web securely

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Even if you’ve never subscribed to a VPN service, there’s a good chance that you’ve already heard about its importance. Constantly advertised on podcasts and around the web, VPNs have taken off in the last few years and while it’s easy enough to get caught up in the noise of it all, just know that they are worth the hype, and we should know – we’ve tested the best of them.

For anyone who’s completely out of the loop, virtual private networks are able to mask the location of the device you’re using to browse the web, which means that bad actors aren’t able to track your whereabouts, nor are they able to access your device if you’re connected to a public Wi-Fi network.

Although masking your IP address and keeping your online activity safe is the core appeal of having a VPN, there’s a lot more to it. For instance, if you’re travelling abroad and want to read the news in your mother tongue, then you can use a VPN to have your browser believe that you’re back in your home country.

When it comes to signing up for a VPN, there’s almost always a ton of deals available for first-time customers, so it helps to shop around to get the best price. As with most bits of tech however, you’ll always find the best deals for VPNs if you shop around Black Friday in November.

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Regardless of when you sign up, this guide can pair you with the best VPN for your needs as we’ve highlighted the areas that each service excels in. Keep on reading to see which VPNs most impressed our tech experts, but if you’re completely strapped for cash and want to keep your devices free of malware then our guide to the best free antivirus may serve you better.

Which is the best VPN?

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Learn more about how we test VPNs

We carry out speed tests to get a general feel for how each service performs. We test all services using their clients’ default settings.

We run tests from a London-based connection that typically sees speeds between 500Mbps and 700Mbps, which means that we’re able to get a good idea of what each VPN’s maximum speeds currently are. We test multiple endpoints from each provider in three locations: the UK, the Netherlands and the US.

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  • Fast HTTPS transfer speeds

  • Wide range of endpoint countries

  • No price increase on renewal

  • More expensive than many rivals

If you don’t want to spend any time diving into the details and would rather get straight to enjoying the benefits of having a VPN, then ExpressVPN is where your search ends. This is by far the best VPN that we’ve tested, with incredible speeds and a variety of countries to connect to.

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During our testing we picked up on unbelievable download speeds across the board, including 278.4Mbps in the UK and 195.2Mbps in the United States. For productivity users who don’t want to be caught out by web pages that take an age to load, this is the service to go for.

It’s not just the speed of ExpressVPN that’s impressive though, as the service boasts one of the most expansive suites of extras that we’ve come across. There’s ExpressKeys which can be used to safely store and access all of your passwords, and can be handy if you’re constantly forgetting them, alongside ExpressMailGuard which can stop phishing emails from ending up in your inbox.

One of the most recent additions to the company’s toolbox is ExpressAI. This service lets you converse with an AI chatbot for help with any queries or issues that you might typically use AI for, except that unlike those other options, ExpressAI doesn’t log your conversation so it’s all private.

It should be said that ExpressVPN isn’t the cheapest VPN service available, but for all that you get here, it’s well worth the expense as you certainly won’t be wanting for anything. The company also lets you connect with no less than 105 countries so you have plenty of options available to you when hiding your IP address.

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  • Blisteringly fast

  • Good for streaming

  • Unlimited devices

  • Great value subscriptions

  • Subscriptions renew at a higher rate

  • You have to interact with a human being if you wish to cancel your subscription

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Although ExpressVPN, for our money, provides the best overall VPN package that you can buy right now, if you’re someone who is solely focused on speed and wants to make sure that they can access the fastest possible internet connection whilst masking their IP address then Surfshark VPN is the option for you.

When putting the service to the test, we picked up on 264.8 Mbps download speeds in the UK, 297.6 Mbps in the Netherlands and 228 Mbps in the US, which averaged out to around 263.47 Mbps. That average comes in only ever so slightly behind NordVPN in our tests, but consistency is the name of the game with Surfshark – helpful for when you’re working for a long period of time and need to keep a connection going without interruption.

In terms of security, Surfshark is one of the best companies out there for transparency so you can surf the web with peace of mind in knowing that your data and browsing history isn’t logged. The company also publishes a Transparency Report to let you know if it’s been contacted by government agencies over access to information.

Going one step further, Surfshark also makes use of independent audits to make sure that everything’s in check and that there’s nothing for customers to be worried about. It’s gestures like these that go a long way towards consumer confidence in a VPN service, and we would love to see them adopted industry-wide.

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With regards to the connections on offer, Surfshark currently uses more than 4500 servers across 100 countries. Although that’s slightly less than the 105 countries connected to ExpressVPN, it’s still a significant amount and won’t leave you wanting. Just bear in mind that Surfshark’s renewal prices can be higher than what you initially paid to sign up, so double-check the rate ahead of renewal to make sure you’re happy with the cost.

  • Large number of servers

  • Wide range of security features and endpoints

  • Clear, audited no-logging policy

  • Great for streaming

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  • Relatively expensive

  • Subscriptions renew at a higher rate

Out of all the VPN services we’ve tested, it’s NordVPN that provides the best alternative package to ExpressVPN. Although the latter can be more affordable in the long run, you may appreciate NordVPN’s more robust approach to online security, so it’s best to compare the features that these two services have before deciding on which to sign up to.

For starters, NordVPN can connect up to six devices simultaneously, so if you live in a large household and you want to protect everyone as they browse the web then this is the option for you. Plus, with dedicated apps for iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS, Linux and Google TV, NordVPN has put in the work to meet you where you’re at and make the process of getting connected a simple one.

Once you are connected to the service, you have a ton of features at your fingertips. Anyone who uses the Tor browser can enable Onion over VPN so that Nord and Tor can work hand in hand for a highly secure session. Regardless of your chosen browser, Nord’s Threat Protection Pro goes one step further than an average VPN by ensuring that phishing scams and malware can’t access your device, so you have an extra layer of security as you search.

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In terms of your own data and how it’s stored by NordVPN, the company presents a clear no-logging policy so your internet history isn’t tracked, and the brand has built up a solid degree of trust in this area thanks to regular audits to ensure that everything is still working to the company’s vision.

NordVPN now provides access to servers in 211 locations which isn’t quite as varied as what we’ve seen on some of the other services we’ve tested, but what you do get from those locations is an impressively stable connection. In fact, NordVPN came out on top with regards to the average speed recorded when all of our test locations were taken into account.

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  • Unlimited-bandwidth free tier

  • Wide range of endpoint countries

  • Paid version is great for streaming

  • Quick download speeds

  • Subscriptions renew at a higher rate

As much as we recommend opting for a paid VPN service as you’ll get so much more in return, especially with features like malware protection and an onboard password manager which feel more essential than ever in the modern age, there are options available to you if you have no cash to spend. While quite a few free VPNs have popped up in the last few years, the only one you need to concern yourself with is ProtonVPN.

What’s most surprising about ProtonVPN is that unlike a lot of free VPNs which throttle the available bandwidth as a means of enticing you towards a paid version of the same service, ProtonVPN lets you surf the web with unlimited bandwidth. This is great if you have a particularly speedy router at home as you won’t feel capped by going down the freebie route.

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ProtonVPN has also made privacy a core tenet of its business practices. The company has a regularly updated transparency report to let users know of any changes they should be aware of, but the company does currently employ a strict no-logging rule so your data isn’t stored. However, the Swiss Government does have the right to order the collection of data in the event of a criminal case.

There’s also a kill switch feature built into the brand’s free VPN service so you don’t have to worry about any gaps in your internet connection that bad actors could exploit. Although there’s a decent number of countries included with the free tier, it’s worth upgrading to the paid version of ProtonVPN if you want a wider variety of locations to choose from.

Still, if speed is your main concern then we reckon that you’ll be quite pleased with what ProtonVPN is able to offer. Across our testing of speeds in the UK, the Netherlands and the US, we noted an average speed of 164.27Mbps which is more than enough for the average user and excellent value when you consider that it’s available at no cost whatsoever.

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  • Fast speeds

  • Low, consistent price of €5 a month

  • Great range of cross-platform clients

  • Not reliable for streaming

If there’s one complaint that can be thrown at most VPN services, it’s that things can get a bit out of control when it comes to renewing your subscription. Oftentimes you’ll see very tempting introductory prices which get you through the door, but once your subscription runs out you can be presented with a nasty bill if you’re not careful. For those who would rather avoid that scenario entirely, Mullvad VPN is our go-to pick.

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Mullvad VPN costs just €5 (roughly £4.35/$5.84) a month, and in the face of rising costs for pretty much every aspect of the tech industry, that monthly rate has stayed the same. It’s brilliant value for money, and a much better option for anyone who doesn’t want to get tied into a long-term contract or who only needs a VPN for a few months.

What’s even more impressive is what you get for that low monthly cost. Mullvad has a strict no-logging policy, and that was put to the test in 2023 when authorities carried out a search warrant at the company’s office in Gothenburg and came away with no customer data. The brand also uses RAMdisk servers which are far more secure than the standard servers typically used by VPN companies.

Beyond that, a Mullvad subscription comes with a ton of extra security features including a kill switch (ensuring that you’re never connected to the internet unless there’s a VPN protocol to go with it), split tunnelling and an ad blocker that can stop you from accidentally clicking on junk ads as you surf the web.

It’s not a perfect service however as we did notice some irregularities when trying to access streaming websites, although the general speeds that we noted were fairly solid. Across our three test countries, we noted an average download speed of 229.87 Mbps which is very respectable. Unless you want a wider suite of features, the likes of which ExpressVPN and Nord VPN can provide, Mullvad is a great option to go with.

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Test Data

  ExpressVPN Surfshark VPN NordVPN ProtonVPN Mullvad VPN

Full Specs

  ExpressVPN Review Surfshark VPN Review NordVPN Review ProtonVPN Review Mullvad VPN Review
UK RRP £10.19 £14.79 £2.99 £7.98 £4.29
USA RRP $12.95 $12.95 $4.19 $9.99 $5.43
EU RRP €5
Manufacturer ExpressVPN
Size (Dimensions) x x INCHES x x INCHES x x INCHES x x INCHES x x INCHES
ASIN B00GAZ1T9U B07KFLMM6Z B09KTX5FKM B09RFFWTFM B092M55HJ2
Release Date 2021 2021 2021 2021 2021

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