TL;DR
Developers say .NET’s three-year LTS support is too short, with half of deployed versions running unsupported and Java offering five years or more.
Tech
Buying a Mattress in 2026? We Tested 100+ and These Were the Standouts
Compare Our Top Picks
Honorable Mentions
Photograph: Julia Forbes
We tested many mattresses last year and have hit the ground running in 2026. That said, here are a few options we enjoyed and considered but ultimately didn’t make the starter team.
Leesa Original Hybrid Mattress for $1,499: If you don’t mind the bouncy feel generated by the innerspring core, this is a well-engineered mattress that will appeal to most people—it’s not too firm but not too soft, with excellent edge support and an 11-inch height that won’t feel too tall or too low on your bed frame. It’s got a top layer of memory foam, but because of the Original’s sturdy hybrid construction, which incorporates 789 individual pocketed coils, you won’t get the dips or mashed-down spots over time that you might with a foam-only mattress, which can be a real problem for couples. You also can’t beat Leesa’s limited lifetime warranty. The only note is that while Leesa quantifies the Original’s only firmness level as a “medium-firm,” it is definitely on the softer side, so if you’re looking for a true medium-firm, you may want to consider a “firm” from another model. I also tested this with the optional Cooling Quilt Top, which I recommend if you sleep hot, as it was cool to the touch and helped reduce heat absorption overnight. —Kat Merck. $1,050 to $1,664
The Purple Mattress for $1,599: Purple’s signature squishy GelFlex grid is, like Tempur-Pedic’s Tempur-material, divisive: You are either a rabid super-fan or consider it the worst mattress you’ve ever slept on in your life. My household consists of the former. Along with your mattress, Purple sends a little rectangle of the material so you can see exactly what it is: A rubbery polymer grid that crumples to relieve pressure in areas where you need it, like your hips and shoulders. Because each square of the grid is open, it allows for plenty of airflow, and because the gel is squishy, it still absorbs motion transfer just like memory foam would. If you love that soft memory foam feel but hate the heat absorption, you will probably love Purple. And especially this model, as it best showcases the GelFlex grid without any additional foam layers to get in the way. The only problem I had with this mattress was its height: It’s around 9 inches, so if you have a low-profile bed frame and are used to a thicker mattress, it will sit quite low. I didn’t expect 2 or so inches to make a dramatic difference, but it did. Also, the GelFlex grid makes this mattress extremely heavy (make sure it’s exactly where you need it before cutting the vacuum seal), so placing a box spring or anything else underneath to lift the height will void the warranty. —Kat Merck. $1,099 to $2,598
Thuma Luxury Hybrid Mattress for $1,795: Thuma’s hybrid mattress is interesting because it blends together a smorgasbord of mattress materials: a Tencel cover, organic wool, memory foam, organic latex, and recycled-steel coils. The same rubberwood trees are used for Thuma’s popular Classic Bed frame, and for the Dunlop latex in this mattress. Of the three firmness levels offered—plush, medium, and firm—the medium was yielding some pretty strong support. The sleep trial is a bit unclear, as you only get 100 nights of coverage with your first Thuma purchase. So if you’ve already used it on a different Thuma product, like the frame, you may be out of luck here. —Julia Forbes. $1,295 to $1,995
Puffy Cloud for $1,049: This enhanced all-foam mattress offers profound pressure relief without feeling too soft, despite the name “Cloud” being in its name. The Puffy Cloud has a thinner profile and would most likely be too soft for bigger bodies. However, for lightweight and average builds, it really comes through to support the lower back and hug around pressure points. The thinness also didn’t compromise its motion isolation, which meant little to no shaking when my dogs jumped in and out of bed.—Julia Forbes. $449 to $1,298
The Saatva Contour5 for $3,049: The Contour5 is a newer offering from Saatva, replacing the popular Loom & Leaf in the company’s lineup. Like other Saatva mattresses, but unlike most others on this list, it is not roll-packed and comes delivered on a moving truck. The Contour5 has two firmness options and updated cooling tech that uses airflow channels in its gel foam layer, which is thinner than its predecessor, meaning it retains less heat. In my two weeks of testing, I found the Contour 5 was very good at remaining cool through summer nights, which is extra impressive given that it uses very dense 5-pound-weight memory foam. The Contour5 is soft enough for side sleeping without feeling like a saggy hammock and has excellent build quality, which is impressive for an all-foam mattress without springs. I prefer a hybrid with microcoils, but Saatva is popular for a reason, and as all-foam mattresses go, it has a true luxury feel. —Martin Cizmar. $1,899 to $3,649
The Big Fig Classic for $1,999: The Big Fig is designed for larger body frames. Being a bit overweight myself, I was eager to see how well this mattress, which is advertised as comfortably handling 550 pounds per sleeper, performed. It is a well-built mattress with an effective gel cooling layer; however, the aggressive edge support created a hammock-like feel despite the sturdy springs and three layers of high-density foam in the middle of the mattress. This was true both on my back and on my side. Others may appreciate the effect of sinking a bit into the center of the bed more than I do. —Martin Cizmar. $1,499 to $2,399
The Boring Hybrid Mattress for $799: Boring Mattress is a new company founded by two alums from Tuft & Needle. Simplicity is the company’s selling point. There is just one option: the Boring Hybrid Mattress. (You are allowed to pick a size.) This 10-inch hybrid has four layers of both foam and springs. I’m very sensitive to joint pain, and certain beds tend to make it worse, which is why pressure relief is super important for me. Having slept on a variety of different mattresses throughout the years, I was doubtful that this one would work. But I’ve slept on the hybrid mattress for months now and have yet to feel any pain at all. It strikes an excellent balance between firmness and support that my very particular self hasn’t been able to find with other options on the market. It’s worth noting, however, that its layers come equipped with an open-cell design that’s designed to move heat from your body while sleeping. I’m usually cold, so this feature isn’t that important to me. But on nights when I’ve cranked the heat up in my room and woken up sweating a bit, I can’t say it worked all that well for me. This isn’t a deal breaker, but I wouldn’t buy it solely for that. —Brenda Stolyar. $599 to $999
Casper The One for $899: Casper was a leader in the first wave of bed-in-a-box makers in 2014. The company has changed ownership and design a few times over the past decade but last year’s launch of The One finds the company keeping pace with competitors. This is an all-foam mattress that stands 11 inches tall. Because it’s all foam, it’s on the light side, with a queen weighing an easily movable 66 pounds. One of the main issues with all-foam beds is that they get too hot, but Casper’s The One uses an open-cell foam layer called Breathe Flex Foam on the top, which makes it both pleasantly squishy and breathable. Two more layers of foam add up to a medium-firm feel, with the middle layer designed to cradle your hips, and the base layer designed to provide support. —Martin Cizmar. $749 to $1,698
The Winkbed for $1,799: WIRED reviewer Julian Chokkattu slept on the luxury firm version of the WinkBed for almost two years and he was quite happy in that time. His favorite perk? The edge support is fantastic, so his partner never wakes when he slips into bed late at night. The plush pillowtop also adds a luxe, hotel-like feel to a relatively firm bed. —Martin Cizmar. $1,427 to $2,856
Silk and Snow S&S Organic for $950: I wouldn’t expect this to feel silky-soft, but the latex is supportive for sleep. I love how responsive (read: bouncy) this bed is, especially as someone who tosses and turns often. It’s able to move with me so I never feel unsupported, or overheated for that matter. Latex and coils are breathable, as are the organic cotton cover and wool fire barrier. —Julia Forbes. $800 to $1,300
Nest Bedding Quail for $1,299: When it comes to all-foam mattresses from classic bed-in-a-box brands, I prefer the Casper above, but the Quail by Nest is a nice option if you want an all-foam bed that’s a little firmer and you’re willing to pay a little more. My biggest issue with the Nest was that despite its claimed cooling system—the foam is infused with minerals and designed with an airflow layer—I did sleep a little hot on it during my week of testing. —Martin Cizmar. $849 to $1,499
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Courtesy of Helix
Helix Sunset Elite for $3,095: Our top pick, Helix, also has an Elite collection that consists of seven mattresses along a spectrum of softness. At 15 inches high, the Sunset Elite is “the tallest mattress on the internet,” and comes shipped in two separate boxes, each heavy enough to max out FedEx requirements. The firmness is dictated by the foam density of the upper layer, which zips into a larger support system. This makes the mattress adjustable if you end up regretting your order. The bottom section has a separate layer of microcoils. I spent a month sleeping on the softest model from the Elite line, dubbed the Sunset, and appreciated the deep cradling effect. Helix offers a 100-day trial period on all of its mattresses. —Martin Cizmar. $2,871 to $4,871
Wayfair Sleep 14-Inch Plush Cooling Gel Hybrid Mattress for $324: This plush mattress has a top layer of cooling gel that conforms to your body for comfort and has classic pocket coils below for structure and support, with layers of memory foams with varying thickness surrounding the coils for extra support (the coils and memory foam mixture helps with low motion transfer, too). The top knit cover and sides help with breathability and the overall cooling effect. The mattress is also compatible with an adjustable bed base, has solid edge support, is CertiPUR-US and Oeko-Tex Certified (ensuring no harmful toxins), and has a 10-year warranty. This bed is super comfy if you like a more plush mattress. —Molly Higgins. $555 to $1,014
Mattresses to Avoid
Not every mattress we test can be a winner, which is why we test in the first place. Here are a few that did not make the cut according to our standards.
Birch Elite Hybrid for $2,619: This is the newest model from Birch, and frankly, you would be just fine sticking with the Birch Natural or Birch Luxe Natural instead. The Birch Elite Hybrid was incredibly top-heavy and incredibly difficult to move, given the floppiness and weight of its numerous latex and coil layers. The top layers slid around, creating a lumpy surface, and the new “CoolForce” layer was completely undetectable. —Julia Forbes. $2,499 to $4,499
Brooklyn Bedding Spartan for $1,499: This mattress is designed for “athletic recovery,” and as a former collegiate athlete, I was excited to try it. I had opted for medium firmness over the soft and firm options, but upon receiving it, I had to double-check that I hadn’t gotten the soft option by accident. The medium cratered around me, leaving me with unhappy pressure points. The lack of overall support didn’t help me recover from soreness, so I couldn’t tell you whether the Far Infrared Ray recovery tech in the cover helped at all. —Julia Forbes $1,099 to $2,399
Sleep Number Climate360 Smart Bed for $8,712: This bed can be temperature-controlled, which is amazing. The adjustable base means you can be comfortable when watching TV, reading, or sleeping. Unfortunately, the price tag has too many digits, and sleep experts recommend avoiding electronic usage before bed—advice the Sleep IQ app defies. Did we mention it costs as much as a used Buick and the weight is not far behind? —Martin Cizmar. $10,249 to $14,499
Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt for $2,199: Tempur-Pedic is one of the country’s best-known and loved mattress brands, but two separate WIRED reviewers (Martin Cizmar and Nena Farrell) have both disliked different mattresses from the company over the past two years. Nena found the Tempur-Adapt totally lacking in support, and felt like she was sinking into a void when she lay on it. Her spine and muscles both ached after sleeping on it so she gave it to her sister who also hated it, describing it as like sleeping on a leaky air mattress. —Martin Cizmar. $1,699 to $3,398
Amazon Basics mattress for $279 (Full): This one is made of cheap foam that isn’t dense enough, causing too much sinkage. —Martin Cizmar. $189 to $386
Parachute Eco Comfort Mattress for $2,650: This mattress just doesn’t live up to its extravagant price. The model we tested didn’t have enough proper padding above its coils. —Martin Cizmar. $1,550 to $2,850
Frequently Asked Questions
Our testing process is simple—we dedicate a week or so to each mattress, sleeping on it at home to understand what it’s all about. The WIRED Reviews testing team has been refining our testing methodology since 2019, when we would try out mattresses side by side in a conference room, much like a mattress store experience. But just like what can happen at a mattress store, the experiences we were documenting in these brief observations could change the more time we spent with a mattress. Hence, we went back to basics and dedicated a week or more to sleeping on each one, noting down our nightly experiences.
That being said, I have spent the last six years as a certified sleep science coach and professional mattress testing becoming a mattress sommelier of sorts. Instead of devising tests to show how much a bed can support at the edge or reduce motion transfer, it really comes down to understanding the range of materials, sleeping positions, and body types in the mattress space.
What Should You Look for When Buying a Mattress?
Mattress shopping requires a bit of self-assessment before you even get into the particulars of a mattress. Taking note of your body type, preferred sleeping position, pain points, and material preferences for things like allergies or staying chemical-free are all data points that make the search a lot easier. From there, we can help you narrow down options for different scenarios, such as if you are a couple looking for a firm mattress to help with back pain. For that, I’d point you to some of our other guides, such as the best mattresses for sex and the best mattresses for back pain, to discuss some of our favorite options we’ve tested.
What Are Mattress Certifications?
This is one of the most critical factors to look for when buying a mattress, as it’s basically a cheat code for evaluating a mattress’s material and quality claims. For mattresses that use memory foam or organic and natural components, mattress certifications help us, as consumers, gain insight into the sourcing and safety of these materials. CertiPUR-US certification is a non-negotiable for me when it comes to memory foam because it shows that harmful chemicals were not used in its production. GreenGuard Gold is another certification that ensures any off-gassing from your mattress upon unboxing won’t affect your indoor air quality—important if you have sensitive skin, a strong sense of smell, allergies, or asthma.
How Long Does a Mattress Last?
As a ballpark estimate, your mattress should last eight to 10 years. I don’t recommend going much beyond that, as the mattress materials are past their prime and aren’t providing adequate support or comfort.
Just like picking out a bed, there are several factors involved that dictate how long it’ll last. Durability of the mattress’s materials always comes into play, as beds with coils tend to remain more structurally intact than all-foam beds, which can sag around the middle and edges over time. Your build also plays into this, because if your bed starts to buckle under your weight night after night, that’s obviously an issue. If this is the case for you, I’d recommend reviewing your warranty to see if it can be replaced.
How Long of a Mattress Warranty Should I Look For?
The industry standard for a warranty is about 10 years, so that should be the minimum in most cases. Many brands will offer prorated coverage beyond that decade mark, meaning the mattress can be replaced at a significant discount, depending on how long it’s been. This is where the fine print of a warranty is especially important to review, because many mattresses offer lifetime warranties. For example, DreamCloud has a “Forever Warranty” that fully covers its mattresses the first 10 years. After that 10-year mark, you have to pay $50 each way for the mattress repair or replacement to be delivered. It’s still a good deal, but something to be aware of.
Should I Buy My Mattress In-Store or Online?
Where you purchase your mattress is another personal preference. Many people may live near a showroom that sells a mattress they’ve been eyeballing, and want to go see it in person before buying. Others may do that and wait for an online holiday sale to secure a major deal.
The nice thing about buying online is that you get much more variety than what you’d get with a mattress store. You’ll still receive the sleep trial component that most brands offer for in-store purchases when opting to do so online. You can try the bed from the comfort of your home for a set number of days, typically 90 nights to an entire year, depending on the brand. Many companies, but not all, will require a 30-day adjustment period for you to get used to the mattress before they will process a return. If you do end up returning a mattress, some brands, both online and brick-and-mortar, may ask you to donate it to a local charity or arrange for pickup as part of the warranty. By donating, mattresses are kept out of landfills and put to good use.
Should I Wait for a Mattress Sale Before I Buy?
In all honesty, it comes down to how you’re currently faring with your mattress and sleep schedule. If you’re sleep-deprived and ready for a change, there’s no time like the present. We do cover coupons and promos that come up in non-holiday periods. For example, we have a special code for the Nolah Evolution running at all times.
During the holidays, the WIRED Reviews process is unique because we meticulously track price changes and sales year-round. That way, we can deliver news about the really good sales rather than what’s dominating headlines. Major mattress sales weekends include Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. There are plenty of ad hoc sales that pop up for various events in between, too.
How Does WIRED Acquire Mattresses for Testing?
We conduct a lot of research about what’s new in the mattress world, as well as the legacy of established brands and models. To perform hands-on testing, we will request free media samples from these brands or buy them outright on sites like Amazon or Wayfair, or from smaller vendors. Some brands will engage with us in partnerships, but that does not dictate their placement within an article, what we say about the product, or even if we cover it. Even if we receive commission, it’s essential that we publish our true account of our experiences.
What Does WIRED Do With the Mattresses After Testing Them?
Because most mattresses we test are provided as media samples, we donate them locally upon completion of testing.
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A developer has reopened a long-standing complaint about Microsoft’s support policy for its .NET development platform, arguing in a new GitHub issue that the three-year window for long-term support releases is too short for enterprise upgrade cycles. The current release model gives even-numbered versions three years of free support and odd-numbered versions 18 months. The legacy .NET Framework, which is tied to Windows and supported for much longer, is increasingly abandoned by the broader ecosystem.
The core problem, as described in the issue opened earlier this month, is that when a new LTS release arrives, two of the three years on the previous one have already elapsed. That leaves enterprises roughly one year to complete the upgrade, a timeline that is fast even for well-resourced teams. The developer also noted that potential customers are reluctant to adopt software that is already approaching its end-of-life date.
Another developer commenting on the issue said telemetry showed about 50 percent of deployed versions of their software were running on versions Microsoft no longer supports. They added that they try to use the legacy .NET Framework wherever possible because its support is tied to the Windows lifecycle, but that is getting harder as libraries and frameworks drop support for it.
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The complaint is not new. A similar issue in 2023 drew a response from Microsoft program manager Richard Lander, who said the company chose its support windows to balance stable deployment time with the team’s ability to innovate. He said Microsoft had discussed longer support periods and paid extended support but opted to continue with only the free plan.
Microsoft’s free support window is shorter than what some competing platforms offer. Oracle provides five years of premier support for Java LTS releases plus additional extended support, and Python receives five years of security fixes for every release. The gap has become a recurring source of friction for enterprises that build on .NET but operate on upgrade cycles that do not match Microsoft’s annual release cadence.
The tension was visible again in March, when a Microsoft engineer proposed dropping legacy .NET Framework support from a database library. A developer responded that the legacy framework and its compatibility layer are currently the only .NET targets with support timelines that work for enterprise deployments. The proposal was closed as not planned, an acknowledgment that the older platform’s longer support lifecycle still matters to a significant part of the user base.
The underlying question is whether Microsoft’s push to restructure around speed and AI can coexist with enterprise demands for longer platform stability guarantees. The complaint surfaced weeks after the company’s Build developer conference, where it pushed AI deeper into its developer tools but did not address the support-lifecycle gap. The GitHub issue remains open.
Carol Twomey of Fidelity Investments Ireland explores the quarter of a century that she has spent navigating the evolving technology space.
Carol Twomey, vice-president of software engineering at Fidelity Investments Ireland, joined the organisation 25 years ago, when she was drawn in by the opportunity to travel, work across different locations and develop a strong technical foundation.
“As a systems associate programmer working in Boston and Rhode Island, I wrote code, solved real problems and learned how large, complex systems operate,” she told SiliconRepublic.com.
“That early exposure gave me a deep appreciation for scale, accountability and the responsibilities that come with building technology in a regulated, customer‑focused environment.”
She added: “Over time, what has kept me here is the variety of meaningful work and the quality of the people I work alongside, and a culture that actively supports growth and inclusion. It also feels especially meaningful to reflect on that journey in a year when Fidelity Ireland is celebrating its 30-year milestone, a reminder of the lasting presence, growth and impact the organisation has built here over three decades.”
What factors have shaped you into the technology leader you are today?
Looking back, a defining turning point in my career was recognising that growth doesn’t always come from moving straight up, but from being willing to move sideways. I made a conscious decision to pursue lateral opportunities across roles and businesses to broaden my experience, deepen my understanding and build a stronger foundation for future leadership. Along the way, I also came to appreciate the lasting importance of relationships, investing in genuine connections across teams, functions and levels, which proved invaluable as those relationships resurfaced years later, providing trusted perspectives when it mattered most. Together, these experiences paid dividends in perspective, confidence and capability as I progressed into more senior roles.
Over 25 years, my journey has shaped how I view leadership today. As my responsibilities grew, I came to understand that my greatest impact lies not in individual achievement, but in developing and advancing others. Creating opportunities for others to stretch, supporting their growth and building strong, inclusive teams has become central to how I lead. Giving people the platform to thrive is extremely important to me.
How has the technology landscape within financial services changed over the course of your career?
Over the course of my career, I’ve seen the technology landscape shift a lot, from on-premise systems to cloud-first architectures underpinned by automation and continuous delivery. Everyone is now talking about AI and how that may change how we build, operate, and think about technology and our customer experience. What hasn’t changed is the need to operate in a highly regulated environment. The defining challenge today is balancing rapid innovation with resilience, security and trust. That intersection, where technology, regulation and customer expectations meet, has become both the greatest complexity and the greatest opportunity for financial services.
You lead the Fidelity Ireland Innovation Council – how do you build a culture where engineers feel empowered to bring new ideas, rather than just execute on what’s handed down?
I’m fortunate to work with a great, cross‑functional group drawn from both technology and operations across Fidelity Ireland. The Innovation Council is driven by people who are passionate about connecting others and creating space for innovation to emerge organically. Our focus is on bringing associates across our Dublin and Galway sites together, sharing stories, generating and surfacing ideas, developing an innovative mindset and encouraging connections that might not naturally happen day to day. We create avenues where curiosity is welcomed and experimentation is encouraged, so ideas can be explored, refined and learned from collectively.
Engineers are close to the work and often have great insight into meaningful opportunities for innovation. That’s why we actively encourage everyone to bring their ideas forward. By fostering a culture of openness, shared learning, and collaboration, innovative solutions become something that’s collectively created, shared and reused across the organisation, rather than something that’s simply handed down.
As co-lead of the Workplace Investing Women’s Technical Circle, how do you think the industry can better support women in engineering?
I think it comes down to three things: opportunity, sponsorship and peer advocacy, and accountability.
While progress has been made, women remain underrepresented in technology roles in Ireland, with fewer than 25pc of ICT professionals being women. Closing this gap is critical to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of the customers and communities we serve and fully harnesses the talent that exists across Ireland.
Despite positive momentum, it’s clear that more work remains to support women in entering and building long‑term engineering careers, from entry level through to senior leadership. Inclusion must translate into consistent access to opportunity. That begins with everyday leadership behaviours – recognising potential early, creating space for learning, and ensuring women have access to challenging technical work, visible responsibilities and decision‑making forums. These opportunities are essential for building confidence, credibility and momentum over time.
Opportunity is most powerful when paired with active sponsorship and strong peer advocacy. Having benefited from sponsorship myself, I pay it forward by advocating for women in decision‑making forums, opening doors to growth opportunities and backing people as they step into bigger challenges. This support should not sit solely with senior leaders; strong peer leadership communities matter just as much. When leaders actively support, challenge and advocate for one another, progress is compounded. I am fortunate to work alongside a great peer group where that mutual investment is tangible and sustained; we openly share perspective, advocate for one another’s teams and hold each other to a high standard.
Ultimately, supporting women in engineering requires deliberate and shared accountability. That means being intentional about who gets opportunities, providing meaningful coaching and having people’s backs as they grow into new roles. When accountability is built into how we lead, women are far more likely to stay, progress, lead and thrive. That’s also why initiatives like Fidelity Women in Technology and the WI Women’s Technical Circle matter; they help create community, visibility, advocacy and practical support for women at different stages of their careers.
For someone considering a career in engineering or technology today, what advice do you have?
Capability and impact grow through experience, not perfection. My advice is to seek experience across different areas of your business to broaden your perspective and deepen your overall understanding. Focus on learning deeply and staying curious. Engineering is a field where learning never stops, so the ability to think critically, ask good questions, and apply human‑centred thinking and empathy really matters. Build strong relationships and invest in your network. Be willing to step into unfamiliar territory – you don’t need to have all the answers to contribute meaningfully and grow.
Over the past 25 years, I’ve learned that lasting success in technology comes from leading with people, purpose and craft, pairing strong technical and business expertise with authentic leadership, everyday kindness and a genuine commitment to bringing others along.
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Verdict
Overall, this is one of the best cordless lawn mowers you can get at this price. Lightweight, powerful, and easy to handle, it’s a solid addition to a small or medium-sized garden. However, it lacks a mulching plug and charges quite slowly. Even with these drawbacks, the quality of the cut and powerful motor makes this a great choice.
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Good range of cut heights from 25mm to 75 mm
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Excellent balance and mowing performance
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Comfortable ambidextrous handle
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Grass collection box lacks a “full” indicator
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No mulching plug
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Sluggish battery charging time
Key Features
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Review Price:
£269
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Adjustable cutting heights
Cuts from 25mm to 75mm, adjustable via the side handle.
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Battery powered
Runs on dual 20V power for 40V in total.
Introduction
European lawncare experts STIGA produce a dizzying array of cordless lawn mowers, ride on lawn tractors, and robots too. One of their entry level offerings, the Collector 140e kit boasts excellent value mowing in a handsome package that comes with a pair of batteries.
Design and Features
- Comfortable and well balanced
- Three working heights
- No charge level indicator
The standout design feature of this compact, lightweight cordless mower is its obvious nod to car design. Where some cordless lawnmowers are boxy and boring, STIGA has called on its Italian credentials to design something a bit more desirable.
The Collector 140e kit is definitely easy on the eye, with plenty of curves and aerodynamic lines as well as a height adjustment lever straight out of a sports car. Providing a 38cm cut width, it’s well-designed for small to medium-sized gardens.
The handsome lever changes the cut height from 25 mm to 75 mm in six useful steps. The sprung cutting deck takes no effort to change either. It means you can go from an almost bowling-green low to a longer meadow-like lawn easily.
The handlebar is wrapped in foam which makes it pleasingly comfortable to use. And the wide safety lever makes this cordless lawn mower useful for right- and left-handed gardeners too. The handle gives you three working heights to choose from, and folds in half for easy storage.
Power comes from a pair of 20V 4.0Ah batteries, connected in series, producing an impressive 40V. Combined with a brushless motor, this means the 140e can cut through just about anything without getting bogged down.
The batteries live side by side in a compartment on the mower chassis. It’s good to see a safety key included keep the mower safe when not in use. The only thing missing is a charge level indicator on the outside of the compartment.
Recharging the batteries is simple too, as it comes with a handy dual charger. The only problem with a dual charger is that it splits the power between both batteries, slowing down charging times.
On the back of the mower is a 40 litre grass collection box. It’s plastic on top with a large handle made from fabric underneath. It folds down nicely for storage; however, it lacks a “full” indicator that I find useful on other cordless lawnmowers.
Performance
- Needs a little bit of assembly
- Very powerful
- Comfortble to use
Before taking the collector 140e kit out for its first mow, I needed to assemble the handle section. Fortunately, it took five minutes to attach both handle sections to the chassis and secure them with big yellow cam levers.
When compared with some budget cordless lawn mowers, the quality of the fittings is excellent and feel like they’re built to last. A mark of a good mower, in my opinion, is all in the balance. The Collector 140e is easy to adjust to a comfortable working height and feels very well balanced.
The short overall length makes it easy to push around and even over little steps, even if the 140e isn’t quite as dinky as the Gtech SLM50. And even though the 38cm cut width isn’t ideal for huge lawns, it’s easy to manoeuvre around shrubs and get into tight corners.
Weighing just over 11 kg with the batteries in place, this mower is easy to carry around the garden. Picking it up to carry over a low garden wall was easy thanks to the handle on the top. The plastic wheels aren’t huge and scratch up easily, but work fine on a reasonably flat lawn.
Something that impressed me about this compact cordless lawnmower is the power. The dual batteries produce 40V of power that can chop through long, damp grass without missing a beat. And the cut quality is great: the lawn mower doesn’t leave tufts, and it’s easy to mow in straight lines.
The 4.0Ah batteries can power this mower for up to 25 minutes. I managed about 20 minutes of mowing in a test garden, but I pushed through quite a lot of long grass along the way. The 140e is rated to cut up to 450m², but that would only work for a maintenance cut if done once a week.
The only annoying thing about this mower is the lack of a mulching plug. I personally prefer cutting my lawn often during the growing season with the plug installed. It results in a healthier lawn, and I don’t need to dispose of grass cuttings.
The 40litre collection box is fine for a small garden. I needed to empty it twice in my roughly 250 m² test garden, which is fine, but it would be simpler with a full-level indicator. Without one, I needed to stop a few times to check the grass collection box.
When it was time to recharge, the dual charger splits the power coming in by half. It results in a slow recharge time of 140 minutes, so make sure you don’t have a lawn bigger than this mower can cope with.
Should you buy it?
You have a small lawn with lots of obstacles
Nimble but powerful, this is a great cordless lawn mower for small- to mid-sized gardens.
You have a large lawn or you want to mulch
For larger lawns, a bigger lawn mower with a wider cut is best. If you want to mulch, look for a mower with a mulching plug
Final Thoughts
There are a few minor downsides: there’s no “full” indicator on the grass box, there’s no mulching plug, and charging is slow. However, the light body, excellent manoeuvrability, quality cut and powerful motor make this a great choice for small- to mid-sized gardens. What something for a larger garden or with more features? Read the guide to the best cordless lawn mowers.
How We Test
We test every lawn mower we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
- Used as our main lawn mower for the review period
- Used on a variety of grass lengths to see how well the mower cuts
- Tested to see how easy the mower is to push, turn and store
FAQs
Can you use one battery in the STIGA Collector 140e Kit?
No, it needs both batteries at once for the 40V motor.
Test Data
| STIGA Collector 140e Kit | |
|---|---|
| Sound (normal) | 89 dB |
Full Specs
| STIGA Collector 140e Kit Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £269 |
| Manufacturer | – |
| Size (Dimensions) | 44 x 137 x 122 CM |
| Weight | 11.4 KG |
| Release Date | 2026 |
| First Reviewed Date | 29/06/2026 |
| Model Number | Stiga Collector 140e Kit |
| Lawn Mower Type | Cordless |
| Adjustable height | Yes |
| Blade Type | Rotary |
| Cutting width | 38 cm |
| Grass catcher box size | 40 litres |
The EY Ireland CEO Outlook survey found that Irish CEOs remain confident about growth over the next 12 months despite global volatility and geopolitical risk.
EY Ireland has released its CEO Outlook survey, which explores how those in leadership are responding to global issues, challenges and opportunities. To gather data, EY partnered with FT Longitude and collected information from 1,200 globally dispersed CEOs throughout March and April of this year.
What was discovered is that Irish CEOs are confident about the potential for growth over the course of the next 12 months, despite growing pressures from global volatility and geopolitical risk. Of those who were surveyed, 92pc of CEOs in Ireland said they were optimistic about revenue growth and their competitive position.
However, despite the optimism, Irish CEOs harbour significant concerns about the landscape. Instability and conflict stand out as the most pressing issues for 70pc of Irish CEOs and other concerns include macroeconomic volatility (42pc), trade and supply chain disruption (22pc) and talent and capability gaps (16pc).
There is a similar pattern among the global respondents, albeit at lower levels compared to the Irish figures. 56pc of global CEOs ranked geopolitical risk among their top two concerns, followed by macroeconomic volatility (31pc), technology disruption including AI-related risks (23pc) and trade and supply chain disruption (22pc).
Commenting on the results of the report, Helena O’Dwyer, a partner and the head of strategy at EY-Parthenon Ireland, said: “Irish CEOs are navigating a complex, unpredictable and rapidly evolving landscape. The confidence in their own growth prospects is real and there is a track record over the past decade of successfully navigating global uncertainty with confidence.
“Even still, the pace and scale of the geopolitical upheaval is extraordinary, and geopolitical risk is no longer a background concern, it is a day‑to‑day operating reality – shaping decisions on costs, supply chains, capital and growth. From conversations with clients we know, however, that for mid-sized businesses in particular, the challenge is somewhat different.
“They may lack the scale of management capacity to find the time to actively manage these issues, or struggle with the level of working capital or technology to be able to address issues or take advantage of opportunities. These leaders are more focused on keeping income steady, reducing costs, looking after staff and staying connected to customers.”
Past the testing phase
The report also noted that for many organisations and CEOs, artificial intelligence investment has moved on from the experimental stage to accountability – particularly for those sitting in Irish boardrooms.
84pc of Irish CEOs who contributed their insights explained that they have increased AI investment since 2025, with the focus increasingly shifting from experimentation to the expectation of measurable results.
Data also suggests that leaders based in Ireland are expecting AI to deliver measurable results, with 68pc using standard metrics to measure and report on AI impact across major projects.
60pc expect the large-scale AI reskilling and upskilling of existing employees to be among the two most significant workforce impacts over the next three years, while only one in 10 fear that it will reduce hiring in certain roles.
‘Cultural resistance to change’, however, emerged as a major concern for four out of every 10 contributing Irish CEOs, who found it to be a barrier to deriving real value from AI. Globally, CEOs were less concerned, with just 16pc reporting a similar worry.
The report explained that this is reflective of the broader maturation in how businesses are approaching AI. The question is no longer whether or not to invest, but rather, how to demonstrate that investment is generating returns and whether you are building the internal structures needed to sustain and scale it.
Carol Murphy, a partner and the head of markets at EY Ireland, said: “CEOs increasingly are not asking whether to invest in AI, they’re asking what it’s delivering and what comes next. The focus has shifted firmly to results and that’s starting to change how work is organised across businesses.
“We’re seeing companies move beyond pilots and build AI into core operations, but that shift also brings a workforce challenge. Many organisations know they need to reskill and redesign roles to make the most of AI, but progress isn’t always straightforward. There can be resistance to change at all levels and for smaller and mid-sized businesses in particular, training and transformation have to happen in step with day-to-day delivery.”
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Sony may have just dropped its biggest hint yet that a true PlayStation handheld is on the way. In a recently published Q&A with investors, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino said the company’s next-generation PlayStation strategy will deliver a seamless gaming experience that extends “beyond the living room.” While he never explicitly mentioned a handheld, the comments have once again fueled speculation that Sony is preparing to return to the portable gaming space with the PS6 generation.
Sony finally said what everyone was thinking
The statement wasn’t made out of nowhere. Nishino acknowledged that gaming habits have changed over the years, with more players choosing personal monitors and flexible gaming setups instead of gathering around a TV in the living room. Sony says it’s already trying to adapt to those changing habits by expanding its ecosystem with accessories like monitors and speakers, while also pointing to the positive reception of the PlayStation Portal as proof that gamers want more ways to access the PlayStation experience. The executive also emphasized that future PlayStation hardware will leverage technologies that can work “in various forms and locations,” suggesting Sony is thinking beyond the traditional home console.
That said, Sony also poured a little cold water on the excitement. Nishino reiterated that the company doesn’t intend to sell future hardware at significant losses. That’s a notable statement at a time when component costs continue to rise, and gaming hardware is becoming increasingly expensive.
“As a principle, we do not intend to sell hardware at significant losses.” – PlayStation
Naturally, that has led many to question whether now is really the right time for Sony to launch a premium handheld, or whether the economics simply don’t add up. Honestly, I think that’s a fair concern. But I’m not convinced it’s enough to stop Sony.
The numbers might actually work in Sony’s favor
The biggest mistake people make when imagining a PlayStation handheld is expecting it to be a PS5 squeezed into a smaller shell. But honestly, it doesn’t need to be that.
A portable with an 8-inch display isn’t trying to push native 4K graphics onto a 65-inch television. A clean 1080p target changes the equation completely. Modern AMD APUs have already shown just how much performance can be packed into handheld hardware, and by the time Sony is ready with its next device, that technology will only become more efficient. Throw in dynamic resolution scaling, modern upscaling techniques, and a platform where developers know exactly what hardware they’re building for, and suddenly running current-generation PlayStation games on a handheld doesn’t sound nearly as far-fetched.
Then comes pricing. Could Sony really launch something like this for around $550 to $600? Maybe.
Yes, $600 is still a lot of money. There’s no pretending otherwise. But gaming hardware has become expensive across the board. Microsoft’s latest Xbox refresh now starts at around $800, while the Steam Deck, despite being several years old, has seen its price hiked to a little under $800 now. Suddenly, a $600 PlayStation handheld starts looking a lot less outrageous.
More importantly, Sony isn’t just selling a handheld. It’s selling an ecosystem. Every player who buys a PlayStation handheld is also likely buying first-party games, third-party titles, PlayStation Plus subscriptions, accessories, and digital content. That’s a luxury companies like Valve simply don’t enjoy to the same extent. Sony doesn’t need to make huge profits on the hardware itself if the ecosystem keeps players spending for years afterward.
There’s an even bigger reason why this makes sense
Now what about the launch timeline? See, on paper, launching a PlayStation handheld alongside Grand Theft Auto VI sounds like the ultimate power move, right? Pair the biggest game of the generation with brand-new hardware, and you’ve got a marketing campaign that practically writes itself.
But if Sony were really gearing up for a 2026 launch, the rumor mill would probably be working overtime by now. Hardware has a habit of leaking months before it’s announced, and so far, things have been surprisingly quiet. Besides, Sony is already using GTA 6 as one of the biggest reasons to buy a PS5 Pro. Launching another premium device at the same time could end up stealing its own thunder.
I feel that’s why a 2027 launch actually makes more sense.
Rockstar has a history of bringing GTA games to PC much later, and GTA 6 is widely expected to follow the same pattern. That gives Sony a golden opportunity to pitch its handheld as the easiest, and potentially only, way to play GTA 6 and PlayStation exclusives on the go. Suddenly, waiting a little longer doesn’t sound like a delay; it sounds like smart timing.
By then, Sony would have more mature hardware, better manufacturing yields, and a stronger lineup of games to support a new platform. It would also arrive at a time when handheld gaming has become more competitive than ever. Nintendo has the Switch. Valve proved the Steam Deck wasn’t just a one-hit wonder. ASUS, Lenovo, MSI, and Acer are all pushing Windows gaming handhelds further every year. Even Microsoft has finally embraced the category. Sony is now the only major gaming company without a true native handheld.
There’s another piece of the puzzle that makes this even more interesting. Sony has reportedly shifted away from bringing its flagship single-player games to PC, choosing instead to keep those experiences exclusive to PlayStation hardware. If that strategy continues, a native handheld becomes far more valuable than just another gadget. Instead of waiting years for a PC release, the only way to experience PlayStation’s biggest exclusives on the move would be through Sony’s own hardware. Honestly, that’s a pretty compelling reason to buy one.
Am I reading too much into this?
Will any of this actually happen? We don’t know yet. Sony hasn’t confirmed a handheld, revealed any hardware, or shared a launch window. Right now, it’s all speculation based on a few carefully chosen words. But sometimes, those carefully chosen words tell a bigger story. And if Sony really is preparing to take PlayStation beyond the living room, I think a premium handheld is exactly the kind of gamble worth taking.
So here’s my question to you: if Sony launched a “premium” handheld with a gorgeous 1080p display that let you play your entire PlayStation library anywhere, even if it cost around $600, would you buy one?
TL;DR
Amazon is looking at OpenAI and other alternatives after a renegotiated contract will shift Anthropic billing to per-token pricing next year.
Amazon is looking for cheaper alternatives to Anthropic’s Claude models after a renegotiated contract will shift to token-based pricing that could substantially increase the company’s AI costs, according to The Information. The new pricing structure does not take effect until next year, but Amazon is already exploring options including OpenAI. The report highlights a deepening rift between two companies that were once inseparable partners in the AI race.
Amazon’s dependence on Claude runs deep. Its coding agent Kiro, workplace assistant Quick, and consumer-facing Alexa for Shopping all rely on Anthropic’s models, according to The Information. A shift to token-based billing would make that dependence far more expensive, particularly after Amazon recently scrapped an internal leaderboard that encouraged employees to burn through as many AI tokens as possible.
The search for cheaper models has sent Amazon toward OpenAI, a company it has already been growing closer to. Earlier this year Amazon committed $50 billion to OpenAI, giving the AI lab access to its cloud infrastructure in exchange for access to its models. That deal followed Amazon’s initial $4 billion investment in Anthropic, which has since grown to a potential $33 billion.
Anthropic, meanwhile, has been expanding its own relationships beyond Amazon. The company committed to spending $200 billion on Google Cloud and chips over five years, according to The Information, a deal that effectively makes Google a major infrastructure partner alongside AWS. Amazon’s latest $25 billion investment in Anthropic included a reciprocal commitment of more than $100 billion in AWS spending, but the Google arrangement signals Anthropic no longer depends on a single cloud provider.
The tension boiled over last month when the US government ordered Anthropic to shut down its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models after a security report that originated from Amazon. Andy Jassy reportedly told government officials that Amazon researchers had used Fable 5 to obtain information useful for cyberattacks. The timing raised questions, coming as Amazon was preparing to launch its own cybersecurity-focused AI agent designed to spot vulnerabilities.
The contract dispute, the move toward OpenAI, and the Fable 5 incident together suggest the Amazon-Anthropic relationship has entered a new and more adversarial phase. Amazon remains one of Anthropic’s largest investors and cloud customers, but both companies now have reasons to reduce their dependence on each other. For the broader AI industry, the fracturing of its most prominent investor-model-provider partnership would redraw the competitive map.
Security
At least two vulnerabilities are already under attack
Not everyone is willing to follow responsible disclosure of vulns. An anonymous researcher has dumped what they say is working exploit code for zero-day vulnerabilities across 15 software products and open source projects without notifying any vendors or maintainers prior to publishing – and attackers are already exploiting at least two of these.
The first is CVE-2026-55200, a critical, pre-authentication remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in libssh2, a popular client-side C library that implements the SSH2 protocol. Remote attackers can send crafted SSH packets with excessively large packet_length values to corrupt heap memory and achieve remote code execution.
A fix has been merged into the libssh2 mainline development source control branch, and maintainers are still preparing a libssh2 release containing the patch.
The second is CVE-2026-20896, a critical authentication bypass vulnerability affecting self-hosted Gitea Docker deployments that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to impersonate any user and fully take over the Git server. It’s fixed in Gitea 1.26.3.
The researcher, who goes by bikini, dropped the exploit code and vulnerability write-ups in a now-removed GitHub repository called exploitarium. They remind us of Nightmare Eclipse – the zero-day bug hunter who has been publishing Microsoft exploits over the past couple of months.
Unlike Nightmare Eclipse, however, bikini doesn’t appear to hold a grudge against any one vendor, publishing purported vulnerabilities across multiple products and projects including libssh2, Splunk, RustDesk, 7-Zip, VLC, AnyDesk, OpenVPN, c-ares, Gitea, and Floci.
Bikini claimed – and, to be clear, The Register has not verified these claims or that the code works – that none of the exploits in the repo have been reported.
“Feel free to report them yourself and take credit for the CVE if handed out lulz,” the anonymous researcher wrote, as shown in this screenshot posted on X by Ledger CTO Charles Guillemet. “Please do not abuse these. I do this so to allure people into the field.”
Other researchers, including Federal Signal analyst Ethan Andrews, suggested that bikini used advanced AI models – specifically GPT-5.5 Codex – to automate fuzzing and vulnerability discovery, in yet another indication that the AI-induced vulnpocalypse is nigh.
In response to bikini’s data dump, Andrews built 44 KQL detection rules covering the full exploitarium repo with language translation available for non-KQL stacks.
“The most technically significant findings – libssh2 pre-auth heap write and Gitea default Docker auth bypass – have been independently verified as high-risk with active exploitation observed,” Andrews wrote, noting that some of the exploitarium disclosures “have been dismissed by the community as low-impact AI-fuzzing noise.”
While the repository has since been removed by GitHub, nothing ever truly dies on the internet, and it’s safe to assume that attackers are now also using AI to scan for vulnerable instances. In many cases, bikini’s PoCs mean they don’t even have to spend time developing an exploit. ®
If you’ve ever been on vacation and chose to record video instead of taking photos only to avoid missing the fun moments, thinking you’d pause and take screenshots later, you might have ended up questioning your decision later.
You see, the process involves multiple steps, starting from hunting for the right frame, pausing, and taking a screenshot. If it doesn’t look good, you go back to the video, pause somewhere else, and try taking another screenshot. You see where I’m going with this?
It’s a specific little misery that iOS 27 has now quietly fixed, and I genuinely can’t believe it took this long.
How does the new “Save video frame as photo” feature work?
The new “Save Video Frame as Photo” option in the Photos app does exactly what it sounds like. You can save a single frame from a video directly to the gallery as a photo, without the hassle of capturing screenshots. You can use it in two ways.
The first one lets you use the feature quickly and save a video frame as a photo in as little time as possible. Open the video in the Photos app, scrub to the moment you want, pause, tap the three-dot menu at the top right of the screen, then tap the “Save Video Frame as Photo” button.
You should see a “Saved Video Frame” dialogue box pop up at the bottom of the screen. The saved frame shows up in your library, right next to the video you’ve extracted it from.
However, if you need frame-by-frame flexibility, open a video, then tap the hamburger menu at the bottom to enter the edit menu. Use the timeline at the bottom of the screen to scrub through the video one frame at a time.
Once you find the exact moment, tap the three-dot menu again and tap “Save Video Frame as Photo.” You should see a “Photo saved to your library” message on the screen. Tap the “OK” button below it, and you’re good to go.
The feature is genuinely better than capturing screenshots
The difference in quality here is worth understanding. Saving a video frame as a picture is the same as taking a picture when you’re recording a 4K video at 60 fps; the saved frame comes out as an 8 MP photo (in Apple’s HEIF format).
Screenshots, on the other hand, save as PNG files that are lower in resolution but larger in file size. In a nutshell, the frame-extracted picture has both a smaller file size and a higher resolution than screenshots.
Furthermore, it doesn’t capture unwanted visual elements, such as the video progress bar at the bottom or a notification pop-up that shows up at the exact moment (I hate those).
It’s one of those iOS 27 features Apple didn’t announce onstage, and yet once you know it exists, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.
It’s not surprising that Microsoft is looking to turn its Copilot platform into a “Super App,” given that its rivals are doing the same. But Microsoft is going about the task in a way that doesn’t follow its usual playbook, by putting a big bet on a consumer-savvy hire from the outside with some feather-ruffling ways.
The company’s newly minted Copilot Executive Vice President Jacob Andreou came to Microsoft from Greylock Partners and before that, Snapchat-maker Snap. Andreou currently oversees more than 11,000 Microsoft employees, according to a recent profile in Fortune.
Microsoft is bringing onboard another former Snap (and Discord) vice president, Peter Sellis, to help, GeekWire has learned. Sources say Sellis will be leading Copilot Design, Growth and Engineering, reporting to Andreou.
Andreou is part of a recently formed Copilot Leadership Team. His charter is to lead the “Copilot experience” by driving design, product, growth and engineering, as outlined in a March 2026 reorg memo from CEO Satya Nadella. He is one of a small group charged with shaping the future of Copilot, alongside others focused on the underlying Copilot platform and AI models.
Given Andreou’s Snap background, his plan to meld Microsoft’s consumer and enterprise Copilot experiences makes sense. It won’t be a snap, however. (See what I did there?)
Even though both share the Copilot brand, consumer Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot don’t work the same way or use the same data sources or architecture. To boot, Microsoft hasn’t had a lot of luck with this kind of consumer-enterprise unification, as evidenced by the low interest in and uptake of its free, consumer-focused Teams product compared to its business-focused Teams collaboration offering.
The 33-year-old, Los Angeles-based Andreou seemingly is undaunted by the challenge and is pushing some employees to clock 12-hour days to keep up with younger, AI-focused companies, Fortune reports.
Microsoft was infamous for requiring employees to work long hours and weekends during crunch times leading up to delivering Windows NT and Windows 95, but not so much in recent years. Microsoft is known as a place where outsiders often struggle to thrive compared to those who climb the corporate ladder for years, making Andreou’s approach feel even riskier.
Andreou has been a big backer of the Tasks productivity layer in consumer Copilot, which is still in public preview. Tasks, which enables Copilot to handle actionable items, is similar to the recently released Copilot Cowork layer that is part of Microsoft 365 Copilot. (I asked Microsoft if the two would merge as a single Cowork-type offering at some point but was told the company had no comment.)
However, the holy grail remains the “Super App.” With the Copilot Super App, Microsoft is looking to give consumers and business users a reason to stay within Copilot regardless of the AI task with which they – or their agents – are engaging.
“Come summer, we will be bringing coding to all knowledge work within one Copilot Super App. That’s really exciting. So you’re going to have Chat, Cowork, and Code all in Copilot,” Nadella told Microsoft Build conference attendees in early June.
Microsoft isn’t the only AI-focused company working on extending its AI coding capability beyond just developers. Nor is it the only one betting on the Super App concept.
- OpenAI is working to turn ChatGPT into a Super App that brings together ChatGPT and Codex into a single environment that operates like a personal assistant.
- Anthropic is extending Claude to become a Super App (though it hasn’t used that terminology), as well, by creating a single environment that combines productivity, development and automation tools.
The Copilot Super App isn’t Andreou’s only focus. He tells Fortune that AI model choice and home-grown AI model excellence also are among his key priorities.
Microsoft is expanding model choice in the Copilot Cowork feature beyond Anthropic to include OpenAI and soon, Microsoft’s own Cowork 1 model – which may be based on Microsoft’s hosted version of the open-source DeepSeek model. Cowork 1 will be the newest addition to Microsoft’s growing pool of Microsoft-developed models, seven of which debuted at Build this year. Microsoft is seeking to position itself as the champion of lower cost, efficient models built for those who are token-maxxed out.
Andreou definitely has his work cut out for him as a consumer guy in a heavily enterprise-centric company.
Microsoft 365 Copilot and consumer Copilot are just two of more than two dozen different “Copilot”-branded commercial offerings available across the various Microsoft product teams, which can feel overwhelming.
Microsoft also needs to give users a clearer way to find and use the quickly expanding stable of first- and third-party agents, like the OpenClaw-based Microsoft Scout personal assistant. Will Andreou and his Super App quest bring at least some order to the Copilot and agent madness? We’ll know more sometime this summer.
EOFY is a good time to check gaming laptop deals, even if the laptop isn’t going to be used for work. Gaming laptops can be quite expensive, so a legitimate discount can make a bigger difference than it does on a basic everyday laptop.
That said, a gaming laptop can also be a powerful workstation if your work does need extra grunt. A fast CPU, dedicated GPU and plenty of RAM can help with video editing, 3D work, coding, running AI tools, creative apps or just keeping a lot of browser tabs and programs open at once.
It’s also worth checking our main EOFY laptop deals hub even after June 30, because in previous years we’ve seen some great laptop deals hang around or pop up in early July as retailers clear leftover stock.
For gaming laptops, we have deals from lower-cost RTX 5060 machines with generous RAM, through to much more expensive RTX 5090 desktop replacements.
The Acer Nitro V 16S is a good option for a buyer who wants current-gen gaming performance without paying big money. You still get an RTX 5060, 32GB RAM, a 1TB SSD and a 180Hz display for AU$1,777, which is a lot of hardware for the price.
The RTX 5060 is a lower-end current-gen GPU, but that’s still a good fit for 1080p or 1200p gaming, especially if you’re happy to use DLSS or turn down a few settings in the most demanding games. With RAM prices rising, 32GB of RAM is harder to take for granted at this price, so it’s good to see Acer include it rather than cutting back to 16GB.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is at the other end of the scale. Our Lenovo Legion Pro 7i review described it as “perfect for a desktop replacement, just okay as a portable”, and that’s exactly how I’d frame this deal.
You’re not buying it because it’s cheap or easy to carry everywhere. You’re buying it because you want a very powerful 16-inch gaming laptop with an RTX 5090, 32GB RAM, a 1TB SSD and a 240Hz OLED screen.
Our review gave the Legion Pro 7i 4 stars and called out its excellent gaming performance, gorgeous OLED screen and useful port selection. That makes it a good fit if you want one machine for demanding games, an external monitor setup and heavier work like editing, rendering or development.
The big caveat is battery life, which our review said “is not great”, but that’s the trade-off with this kind of desktop-replacement gaming laptop.
If neither of these gaming laptop deals is quite right, our main EOFY laptop deals hub has more options across cheaper Windows laptops, MacBooks, 2-in-1s and higher-end gaming machines.
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