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XGIMI Horizon 20 Max Review: Brightness to the Max

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Verdict

Xgimi’s most complete projector for the home yet, the Horizon 20 Max produces a bright, colourful image and a feature set that’s good for watching TV, movies and playing games. It is pricey but serves as a good alternative to those who don’t want a more traditional projector.

  • Bright with rich colours

  • Plenty of entertainment options

  • Well featured

  • Good sound for a projector

  • Two HDMI inputs

  • Premium price may put some off

  • Integration of settings can annoy

  • Missing BBC iPlayer

Key Features

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    Brightness

    5700 ISO lumens of RGB laser brightness

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    HDR

    Full house for HDR support including Filmmaker Mode

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    Sound

    Built-in 24W Harmon Kardon speakers

Introduction

Xgimi has had a productive last 12 months, launching an array of projectors and even delving into smart glasses.

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The Horizon 20 is one of its newest breed of home projectors, building on the Horizon series we reviewed a few years ago. This new series is Xgimi’s brightest and most capable yet, delivering 5700 lumens of brightness, the full roster of HDR support and a quick gaming experience.

The model in for review is the Horizon 20 Max, the flagship version that sits above the Horizon 20 and Horizon 20 Pro. While it’s strong on the specs front, can Xgimi deliver one of the best projector experiences?

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Design

  • Elephant Grey finish
  • Swivel stand

The Horizon 20 Max is big and bulky. While it won’t need a dedicated space, it will need some space. It’s not a projector to perch on a windowsill – and at 4.9kg it’s not like Xgimi’s portable MoGo series.

It does feature an integrated stand that can tilt upwards or downwards, and there’s a swivel mechanism to shuffle it left or right. This is principally a projector for the indoors.

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XGIMI Horizon 20 Max standXGIMI Horizon 20 Max stand
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It only comes in one finish – Elephant Grey – which seems appropriate given its size and strong leather-like finish. It’s not necessarily a stunner, but it’s sturdy and well-built.

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While you can lift and move it about, there’s also the option of a more dedicated installation with mounting screws in the stand.

Connectivity

  • Two HDMI inputs
  • No Ethernet
  • Wi-Fi 6

The Horizon 20 Max features an array of connections. There are two HDMI inputs, and one that supports HDMI eARC if you’re considering adding a sound system.

There’s an audio input and a digital audio output for adding other sound systems/devices, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0, though no Ethernet for a hardwired connection to the Internet.

XGIMI Horizon 20 Max connectionsXGIMI Horizon 20 Max connections
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Instead it’s reliant on a Wi-Fi 6 connection, which hasn’t run into any issues that I’ve encountered so far. There’s also Bluetooth 5.2.

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A word on the updates – they can be very large (in excess of 1GB), so one to watch out for if your Wi-Fi connection isn’t the strongest and fastest.

Features

  • 300-inch max size
  • 5700 ISO lumens
  • HDR10+ and Dolby Vision

This is a projector stocked with features – so many that it’s a wonder where to start.

With a throw ratio of 1.2-1.5:1, Xgimi lists the screen size as no smaller than 40 inches and no bigger than 300. Read the very small print, though, and it recommends between 60 and 150 inches for the optimal performance.

The 40-inch size is recommended for brightly lit rooms, while the 300-inch option is intended for viewing in darker rooms. You can perform lens shift (physically moving the lens) and digital zoom.

XGIMI Horizon 20 Max lensXGIMI Horizon 20 Max lens
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Brightness is off the charts at 5700 ISO lumens, a big jump over the Horizon S Max’s 3100. It’s capable of 110% of the BT.2020 colour space for 4K video (covering a wide range of colours).

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Its light source is an RGB triple laser for purer and brighter colours than a lamp-based alternative, projecting images via DLP (a 0.47-inch DMD).

It supports HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Filmmaker Mode, and IMAX Enhanced, though there’s no mention of HLG support. It can play 3D content for anyone with a compatible player, though the Horizon 20 Max doesn’t come with 3D glasses.

Audio is an integrated 24W Harman Kardon system with support for DTS Virtual:X, DTS-HD, Dolby Audio, Dolby Digital, and Dolby Digital+, which implies no Dolby Atmos support (at least not through the speakers themselves).

XGIMI Horizon 20 Max style shotXGIMI Horizon 20 Max style shot
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Xgimi’s ISA technology stands for Intelligent Screen Adaption. It covers the Eye Protection mode that dims the light from the projector whenever someone (or thing) walks past (this has to be enabled first). Auto Focus makes sure the image looks as sharp as it can be.

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Auto Keystone Correction reformats the screen so it fits the space on your wall. I’ve seen it work and not work, as the Horizon 20 Max can sometimes create a much smaller image than was previously on the wall a few seconds earlier. Sometimes, to get the biggest image, you have to play with the position of the Xgimi.

Intelligent Obstacle Avoidance and Intelligent Screen Adaptation cover the other areas of Xgimi’s ISA tech. The former avoids obstacles such as a lamp or a stand so the image fits the space. The latter makes sure that the image fits a projector screen if you have one installed.

XGIMI Horizon 20 Max Wall adaptationXGIMI Horizon 20 Max Wall adaptation
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There’s also a Wall Adaptation feature that changes the colours to suit the wall colour. It does make a difference, though the settings don’t carry over with Dolby Vision content.

Xgimi quotes 28dB in terms of fan noise, but I registered 38.9dB. Boot-up time is about 35 seconds if Fast Boot is enabled. I should warn that the Horizon 20 Max comes with one of the biggest power adaptors I’ve seen. It’s a genuine brick and could act as a doorstop.

Gaming

  • Fast input lag
  • Several game modes
  • VRR

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The Horizon 20 Max makes a play for gaming in a way few projectors I’ve tested have done.

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There’s ALLM and VRR support. Xgimi claims that response times are as low as 3ms for 60Hz, 2ms for 1080p/120Hz and 1ms for 1080p/240Hz refresh rates.

Plug a game console and it’ll instantly go into its game mode. There’s also a Boost mode, but is there much of a difference between Standard and Boost? If there is, it’s not one I could feel with a PS5 controller.

XGIMI Horizon 20 Max standard game modeXGIMI Horizon 20 Max standard game mode
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There are also gaming-specific features, such as a Black Equaliser that enhances detail in black levels, so you’re not surprised by anyone lurking in the shadows. You can also engage virtual crosshairs to keep locked onto your target.

There are several game modes to choose from as well: An Assassin’s Creed mode, RTS, FPS, RPG and Sports mode which add specific customisations depending on the genre you’re playing. Where exactly these game modes are, I’m not sure, as I couldn’t locate them.

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The performance is smooth, with inputs that are responsive and a picture quality that genuinely offers contrast. It’s a bright and colourful image – a phrase you’ll be hearing a lot.

XGIMI Horizon 20 Max Assassin's CreedXGIMI Horizon 20 Max Assassin's Creed
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User Experience

  • Google TV
  • No iPlayer
  • Battery-powered remote

Xgimi has shifted to Google TV (the Horizon S Max ran on Android TV). All the big apps are present with Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube (naturally), Netflix, and new to the UK, HBO Max.

BBC iPlayer, just like it was with the Horizon S Max, is not supported but the rest of the UK catch-up apps are. You can bypass that problem by casting directly from the iPlayer app.

XGIMI Horizon 20 Max Google TVXGIMI Horizon 20 Max Google TV
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I’ve found Google TV to be swift and responsive. You’ve got a huge number of apps, and content curated based on what you watched. Some find it overwhelming but I disagree. I think in terms of information meted out, it provides what you need to know. However, I don’t think Google TV’s curation is the best, as it often recommends titles I’ve already seen.

Accessing the settings is a bugbear for me, though it’s the case with many Google TV projectors.

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Enter into the settings, and when you press back, it doesn’t go back to (or open) the main menu but exits completely. It’s annoying if you want to change another setting. To do so, you have to go back into settings again.

XGIMI Horizon 20 Max picture settingsXGIMI Horizon 20 Max picture settings
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Another unintuitive example is with gaming. The console recognises a game signal and switches to Game mode, but its picture mode remains Standard. What follows is a back-and-forth to make sure all settings are aligned. The settings are also not well explained, but this is also an issue with other Google TV projectors such as the Epson EF-72.

Leave the Xgimi running and the Ambient Screensaver comes on with the option to see either your own photos in Google Photos, Art Gallery or Custom AI art. You can also have it set to display the weather, time, etc.

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Control is via a remote, and it’s easy enough to use. It has a motion-detected backlight that makes it easier to use in a dark room, which I like. It does require batteries to use rather than charging via USB-C, which I don’t like.

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XGIMI Horizon 20 Max remote controlXGIMI Horizon 20 Max remote control
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Picture Quality

  • Bright for a projector
  • Rich colours
  • Smooth motion

The Xgimi Horizon 20 Max is incredibly bright for a home cinema projector, and it does hold up well in a bright room. Black tones look good (but are affected by ambient light), colours do change, but detail remains decent.

In its darkened environment, the Horizon 20 Max looks very good. Black levels are strong – black tones actually look black – with a colour performance that’s warm and rich, with highlights that appear stronger than they do on the Epson EF-72 with Thunderbolts* on Disney+.

There’s a vibrancy to colours, especially the explosions in the film, that offer an impressive sense of punch.

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However, with white tones, like Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s suit near the film’s opening, it comes across more creamy yellow-ish. While the colours are attractive, they’re not always the most accurate, even in Dolby Vision.

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XGIMI Horizon 20 Max Blade Runner 2049XGIMI Horizon 20 Max Blade Runner 2049
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But in general, the Horizon 20 Max gets colours right. K’s jacket in Blade Runner 2049 is green, not black; the orange tones of the radioactive Las Vegas section are captured with greater subtlety and a wider tonal range than I’ve seen on other projectors.

A stream of Sentimental Value on Mubi in 4K SDR doesn’t feature the deepest blacks, but for the most part, I’ve found black levels to be fine. Titles in HD look good, though both 4K and HD content aren’t the sharpest looking but that’s a minor issue given the scale of the image.

XGIMI Horizon 20 Max SupermanXGIMI Horizon 20 Max Superman
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With Superman in Dolby Vision (4K Blu-ray), it’s bright to the point where there seems to be some slight clipping (loss of detail) in the brightest parts of the image. But the Xgimi’s clear strength is its brightness, with highlights that are genuine ‘high-lights’.

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Casting the Strike series from the iPlayer app, I found skintones to be warm but colours with high levels of fine detail in clothing and characters’ faces. Black levels can look shallow, and again, it’s not the sharpest image, but it does look lovely for a streamed image.

XGIMI Horizon 20 Max Strike iPlayer castXGIMI Horizon 20 Max Strike iPlayer cast
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Comparing how the Xgimi works with both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision with a 4K Blu-ray of Doctor Sleep, and the latter is brighter with colours that look richer and warmer, with genuine contrast and depth for a projector. There’s a slight cool look to the colours in HDR10+, not to mention more black crush (loss of detail in black tones). Based on this, I’d vote for Dolby Vision over HDR10+.

XGIMI Horizon 20 Max Doctor SleepXGIMI Horizon 20 Max Doctor Sleep
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Watching football on Prime Video and it’s debatable if the colours are truly correct, regardless of whether the mode used is Movie or Sports. At times, it looks a little too bright, but in a dark room, the added brightness helps.

With the MEMC processing, I can’t tell if it makes a difference with it off or set to High. The image is already so smooth that it doesn’t feel as if any additional processing has been added. I say this as a positive, not a negative.

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XGIMI Horizon 20 Max sportsXGIMI Horizon 20 Max sports
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Avoid High Power mode, as on the MoGo series, it casts the image in a green tint. It’s such a degraded image that I can’t understand why it’s even there. Vivid mode though, offers more brightness than Movie, and colours still look good rather than artificially amped up.

One piece of advice is to avoid the Adaptive Mode. It’s meant to adjust brightness depending on a room’s ambient light levels, but it produces a distracting, flickering brightness to the image and does so even when the room’s brightness hasn’t changed.

Sound Quality

  • Broad soundstage
  • Clear dialogue
  • Decent bass for a projector

The Xgimi Horizon 20 Max features two 12W speakers from Harman Kardon. Xgimi’s MoGo series have pretty capable audio for their size, the Horizon 20 Max is among the best I’ve heard for a projector.

The soundstage feels big, and I didn’t feel the need to raise it above level 40 as it was loud enough and filled the room with sound. Bass is good with some weight and warmth added to the overall presentation. It’s not the most detailed or defined, but it offers decent levels of dynamism and energy. Dialogue is delivered with clarity and sounds natural, though raising the volume can lead to slightly sharper voices.

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XGIMI Horizon 20 Max tiltXGIMI Horizon 20 Max tilt
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With sports, it’s not one congealed blob of sound. The commentary is one part and crowd noise is distinct from it, creating a better sense of size and scale. This is a good effort if you’re not considering adding a sound system.

If you are thinking about connecting a sound system, I’d go down the route of connecting the Horizon 20 Max to a home cinema amplifier.

Should you buy it?

You want to use it during the day and night

The brightness levels of the Horizon 20 Max make it a good choice to watch in a brighter room or a blaced out environment.

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You want an affordable projector

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At £2599, it’s the most expensive of the Horizon 20 series, but if you’re willing to save, the Horizon 20 cuts down on features and is £1000 less.

Final Thoughts

The Xgimi Horizon 20 Max is no doubt expensive at £2599, but it delivers a consistently enjoyable picture and sound that makes it a good alternative to more traditional and similarly priced efforts from BenQ and Epson.
 
It’s very bright, so you can use this beamer in daylight, and despite its bulk and weight, it’s more portable than traditional projectors that require a dedicated installation.
 
It improves on the Horizon S with more connections, higher brightness, a stronger gaming performance and a more welcoming user experience for a stronger all-round performance.
 
For those after a high-spec, high-performing projector that fits into the lifestyle wheel of the market, the Xgimi Horizon 20 Max is an impressive all-round effort.

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How We Test

The Xgimi Horizon 20 Max was tested over the course of a month with 4K HDR, SDR, and HD content from 4K Blu-ray and streaming sources.

Fan noise was measured with the Sound Meter app on Android.

  • Tested for a month
  • Tested with real world use

FAQs

Does the Xgimi Horizon 20 Max support VRR for gaming?

There is VRR support with this projector, and it supports up to 120Hz in 1080p resolution.

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Full Specs

  Xgimi Horizon 20 Max Review

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US ransomware negotiators get 4 years in prison over BlackCat attacks

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BlackCat ALPHV ransomware

Two former employees of cybersecurity incident response companies Sygnia and DigitalMint were sentenced to four years in prison each for targeting U.S. companies in BlackCat (ALPHV) ransomware attacks.

40-year-old Ryan Clifford Goldberg (a former Sygnia incident response manager) and 36-year-old Kevin Tyler Martin (a DigitalMint ransomware negotiator) were charged in November and pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy to obstruct commerce by extortion.

Together with 41-year-old Angelo Martino, a third accomplice who also pleaded guilty in April, the two acted as BlackCat ransomware affiliates between May 2023 and November 2023, breaching the networks of multiple victims across the United States.

According to court documents, they paid a 20% share of ransoms in exchange for access to BlackCat’s ransomware and extortion platform.

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The list of victims includes a Maryland pharmaceutical company, a Tampa medical device manufacturer, a California engineering firm, a Virginia drone manufacturer, and a California doctor’s office.

Prosecutors said the Tampa medical device company paid $1.27 million after its servers were encrypted and it received a $10 million ransom demand in May 2023, with the payment laundered and split three ways with Martino.

While other companies whose networks were breached by Goldberg and Martin also received ransom demands ranging from $300,000 to $10 million, the indictment does not indicate whether they received any additional payments.

“These defendants exploited specialized cybersecurity knowledge not to protect victims, but to extort them,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones on Thursday. “They used ransomware to lock down critical systems, steal sensitive data, and pressure American businesses into paying to regain access to their own information.”

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“We strongly condemn these former employees’ criminal behavior, which violated our values, ethical standards, and the law. When we learned about the conduct, we immediately terminated both individuals,” DigitalMint CEO Jonathan Solomon also told BleepingComputer earlier this month after Martino pleaded guilty.

The FBI previously linked the BlackCat ransomware gang to more than 60 breaches between November 2021 and March 2022.

In a separate advisory, the bureau added that the cybercrime operation collected at least $300 million in ransom payments from more than 1,000 victims through September 2023.


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AI chained four zero-days into one exploit that bypassed both renderer and OS sandboxes. A wave of new exploits is coming.

At the Autonomous Validation Summit (May 12 & 14), see how autonomous, context-rich validation finds what’s exploitable, proves controls hold, and closes the remediation loop.

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Pistons Have Three Rings For A Reason

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Your car’s engine is truly a marvel of engineering, relying on a combination of extreme tolerances and pressures to produce power. Think about it — you’re effectively creating hundreds of explosions per minute across multiple cylinders, and those explosions drive the crankshaft, which in turn transmits power to the running gear. The area which contains these explosions is called the combustion chamber, which relies on being a sealed environment to keep all the violence on the correct side. After all, what’s stopping the explosion from simply blowing past the piston, or the oil from shooting up into the combustion chamber? That’s where your car’s piston rings come in.

Unless you have a Wankel rotary – in which case you have apex seals – your car will likely contain somewhere between three and twelve pistons (unless you have a Veyron). Each of these pistons is collared with three rings, known as piston rings. Fairly obvious and intuitive so far, but why do they exist in the first place?

There’s a short and long answer to that question; the basic gist is that the piston rings act to seal the explosive half of the cylinder from the oily half, and they lubricate the cylinder walls. More specifically, the top two rings, known as the compression and wiper ring, respectively; maintain the compression in the cylinder. The bottom ring, also known as the oil ring, scrapes off excess oil on the cylinder wall and distributes what remains, keeping everything properly lubricated. Each of these three rings are designed in different ways and have different roles, so they’re not interchangeable. Let’s break it down further, going from the top down.

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What each of the rings’ roles are

The first two rings — the top and middle — are both responsible for maintaining adequate compression. In short, the piston acts like the plunger of a syringe — when it pulls back, it sucks the air/fuel mixture in. Now imagine that you cover the end of the syringe so the air can’t escape, then push the plunger down as hard as you can. That’s basically what the piston does before the spark plug ignites the mixture. It shrinks the air to within a fraction of its original volume, then the explosion expands that air and pushes the piston back down, creating work.

Much like the syringe, any leakage of air past the seals means you lose that compression. That’s the top ring’s job; it seals the sides of the piston against the cylinder. The second ring further maintains that fitment, keeping oil out of the combustion chamber, as the oil ring doesn’t provide an airtight seal on its own. The second ring, then, acts to divide the top and bottom halves, while the top ring is primarily responsible for maintaining compression.

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Lastly, we have the oil ring. As the name implies, this piston ring primarily interacts with the engine oil. It’s designed to maintain a constant, thin film of oil on the cylinder wall, preventing the other piston rings from scraping against it. Moreover, it wipes away all the excess oil thrown up by the conrod bearings. That film is then further reduced by the first two rings, ideally leaving only trace levels by the time you reach the combustion chamber. It must be predictable, hence why oil weights are so important to keep track of.

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What happens when the rings fail

First and foremost, the most major signs of failing piston rings are performance loss and burning oil. This is because a gap has formed between the cylinder wall and piston ring, allowing the compression to seep through one side and oil through the other, and it’s typically punctuated by an odd-smelling blue smoke and the engine running rough. This is just one way your car can lose horsepower over time.

The top two rings also serve two other vital roles as well: Keeping the angle of the piston correct, and heat control. The former is fairly intuitive; you don’t want the piston at an angle, otherwise the top or bottom might grind against the cylinder. As for the latter, the materials the rings are made from conduct heat and transfer it to the cylinder walls. Knowing where the heat will go allows things to be predictable and materials placed accordingly, meaning a lighter, higher-performing engine, but that heat could build up from burnt oil forming excessive carbon deposits, further exacerbating the gap. No heat transfer means burning oil, hard starts, and high engine temperatures.

Getting to the piston rings is typically a highly labor-intensive job, requiring the engine’s bottom-end to be completely dismantled to access. Luckily, piston rings are typically made from hardened, heat-resistant materials, so unless your engine’s been abused or contaminants have snuck their way into the combustion chamber, they’re likely to last for around 100,000 to 150,000 miles, depending on your driving habits.

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Appeals Court Hands Roy Moore Another Loss In Yet Another Bogus Libel Lawsuit

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from the maybe-try-being-less-of-a-perv dept

Former judge Roy Moore made quite a name for himself while attempting to convert his sketchy judicial career into a presumably equally sketchy career as US senator. Prior to his run for office in the 2018 mid-term election, Moore had already been suspended from the Alabama bench for a long list of violations:

  1. disregarding a federal injunction.
  2. demonstrated unwillingness to follow clear law.
  3. abuse of administrative authority.
  4. substituting his judgment for the judgment of the entire Alabama Supreme Court, including failure to abstain from public comment about a pending proceeding in his own court.
  5. interference with legal process and remedies in the United States District Court and/or Alabama Supreme Court related to proceedings in which Alabama probate judges were involved.
  6. failure to recuse himself from pending proceedings in the Alabama Supreme Court after making public comment and placing his impartiality into question.

A normal person may have decided to recede from the public eye and head to the private sector. But because Trump was now president, Roy Moore decided his past judicial indiscretions made him a perfect GOP candidate for a contested Senate seat.

Then came the steady stream of personal indiscretions, which began shortly after Moore tossed his tainted hat into the ring. The list of sexual misconduct allegations is so voluminous it requires its own Wikipedia page.

Moore’s alleged interactions with females as young as age 14 added to the self-inflicted damage Moore had created while still an Alabama judge.

Multiple entities reported on this. Moore responded by issuing legal threats and filing lawsuits. He also sued comedian Sacha Baron Cohen over being duped into an “interview” with a supposed Israeli newscaster (Baron Cohen) who subjected Moore to a supposed “pedophile detection device” created by the Israeli Army. The “device” lit up when Moore was scanned.

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Moore’s cause of action in that case was one of the best worst things I’ve ever seen:

Had Judge Moore and Mrs. Moore known that Defendant Cohen had fraudulently induced Judge Moore into this interview, which as a “set up” to harm and thus damage Plaintiffs and the rest of their entire family, Judge Moore would not have agreed to appear.

Amazing. It’s like arguing in traffic court that if you had known there would be a speed trap set up to catch speeders, you wouldn’t have been speeding when you passed through it.

Suffice to say, Roy Moore has been suing a lot and losing a lot. Somehow, his lawsuit against a political action committee (the Senate Majority PAC) survived several motions to dismiss and was handed over to a jury. This jury awarded Moore $8.2 million in damages because the ad run against Moore’s Senate campaign featured consecutive (sourced!) quotes that may have led viewers to believe he had attempted to talk a 14-year-old “Santa’s helper” into sex while working at a Gadsden, Alabama shopping mall.

While it’s true the consecutive quotes dealt with two separate sets of allegations — the first being Moore’s banishment from the mall for constantly sexually harassing female workers and the second being a separate conversation with the “Santa’s helper” — the jury decided these quotes appeared close enough to each other in the PAC’s ad to infer a connection between these two otherwise unrelated incidents.

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In 2019, Moore sued the Senate Majority PAC, claiming that the group libeled him and subjected him to false light invasion of privacy by suggesting that he sought sex from a 14-year-old girl working as a “Santa’s helper” at a shopping mall in Gadsden, Alabama.

At issue was an ad aired by SMP in the closing weeks of the election that included several frames displaying quotes from the news articles about Moore’s alleged conduct. One frame quoted a New American Journal article that reported “Moore was actually banned from the Gadsden Mall . . . for soliciting sex from young girls.” An immediately subsequent frame quoting the same article read “[o]ne he approached ‘was 14 and working as Santa’s helper.’”

While that may have been enough to convince a jury to give Moore an unearned win and $8.2 million in PAC cash, the Eleventh Circuit Appeals Court says [PDF] what’s seen in the ad doesn’t actually add up to a win for Roy Moore.

First off, even Roy Moore admits the quotations used in the ad are factually direct quotes from other sources.

Here, frame 2 of SMP’s ad contained the following quote: “Moore was actually banned from the Gadsden Mall . . . for soliciting sex from young girls.” The frame included a citation for the quote, and Moore admits that this quote is an accurate excerpt from the cited article. Frame 3 contained the following language: “One he approached ‘was 14 and working as Santa’s helper.’” The frame included a citation for the direct quote, and Moore does not dispute that the directly quoted phrase—“was 14 and working as Santa’s helper”—was an accurate excerpt from the AL.com article.

Since Moore has conceded that, all he can argue is that the quotes appearing consecutively in SMP’s ads add up to SMP deliberately creating a narrative that those making the ad absolutely knew wasn’t true (the actual malice standard).

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Nope, says the Eleventh:

Lastly, Moore contends that SMP must have intended or recklessly disregarded that the ad conveyed the defamatory implication because SMP vetted or fact-checked the ad before publishing it. Moore asserts that because SMP’s research team “read all of the articles” cited in the ad and attempted to ensure the ad’s accuracy, and none of the articles supported the assertion that Moore solicited a 14-year-old girl working at the mall for sex, it necessarily follows that SMP intended, or recklessly disregarded, the ad’s defamatory implication. We disagree.

Before we get to the conclusion that undoes the jury verdict, let’s pause for a moment to appreciate the fact that Moore’s argument here isn’t that he did not solicit a 14-year-old girl for sex, but that he did not solicit a 14-year-old girl for sex at this particular mall.

Given that it’s come to this, it would have made far more sense for Moore to simply maintain his innocence and hope that his GOP voting bloc would simply issue a “who among us” shrug at the long list of alleged sexual harassment. Instead, Moore’s appears to be trying to line his pockets while being forced to state things like this on the public record, which includes the “had I known I was being tricked, I never would have agreed to be tricked” detailed in the opening of this post.

Anyway, this is how it’s going for Moore:

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In sum, Moore points to, and our independent review has revealed, no other evidence in the record showing that SMP intended or recklessly disregarded that its ad implied that Moore solicited sex from Miller when she was 14 and working as Santa’s helper. Because the evidence discussed above is inadequate to support a finding of the necessary intent to defame for purposes of actual malice in a defamation-by-implication case, Moore’s defamation and false-light claims necessarily fail. As a result, the jury verdict cannot stand.

Moore is still out whatever he’s paid to fail repeatedly in US courts. He can, of course, appeal this ruling. But I can’t imagine the Supreme Court cares one way or another about Moore’s attempts to enrich himself by portraying protected speech as defamation. Moore did a considerable amount of damage to his own reputation long before he started suing. Whatever reputational damage has occurred since is so incremental it’s a rounding error. It certainly isn’t $8.2 million.

Filed Under: 11th circuit, 1st amendment, bogus defamation lawsuit, defamation, failure, free speech, roy moore

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Microsoft admits Windows 11 lost its way, Nadella pledges to "win back fans"

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During Microsoft’s fiscal Q3 2026 earnings call, Nadella put consumer Windows front and center. As part of Microsoft’s broader push to reconnect with users across its platforms, he framed the Windows strategy as a back-to-basics project around performance, quality and core UX. “When it comes to our consumer business, we…
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Windows 11 KB5083631 update released with 34 changes and fixes

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Windows 11

Microsoft has released the KB5083631 optional cumulative update for Windows 11, which includes 34 changes, such as a new Xbox mode for Windows PCs, enhanced security and performance for batch files, and performance improvements for launching startup apps.

KB5083631 is a preview update that lets admins test Windows bug fixes, improvements, and new features, before they’re generally available during next month’s Patch Tuesday release. However, unlike cumulative updates, monthly optional updates do not include security fixes and only roll out quality improvements.

With the April 2026 optional update, Microsoft has improved the performance of launching apps listed under Settings > Apps > Startup when the device starts.

It also added a new Xbox mode for Windows 11 PCs (e.g., laptops, desktops, and tablets), which provides a full‑screen interface that puts games front and center while minimizing background distractions. Users can enter Xbox mode from the Xbox app, Game Bar settings, or by using the Windows logo key + F11 keyboard shortcut.

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Additionally, this month’s preview update introduces improved security and performance for batch files and CMD scripts, a change that first rolled out in February to Windows 11 Insiders in the Beta and Dev channels.

“Starting with this release, administrators can enable a more secure processing mode for batch files. This mode prevents batch files from changing during execution,” Microsoft explained.

You can install KB5083631 by opening Windows Settings, clicking on Windows Update, and then on ‘Check for Updates.’ However, since this is an optional update, you will need to click the ‘Download and install’ link if you don’t want to install it manually from the Microsoft Update Catalog.

KB5083631 preview update
KB5083631 preview update (BleepingComputer)

​KB5083631 update highlights

Once installed, this optional non-security update will update Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 devices to builds 26100.8328 and 26200.8328, respectively.

The April 2026 preview update comes with dozens of other changes, some of the more important ones highlighted below:

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  • You can now experience haptic feedback on supported input devices when performing certain actions, such as aligning objects in PowerPoint, snapping, or resizing windows. Haptic feedback can be managed in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse, Touchpad, or Pen > Haptic signals.
  • [Secure Boot] With this update, Windows quality updates include additional high-confidence device-targeting data, increasing the coverage of devices eligible to receive new Secure Boot certificates automatically. Devices receive the new certificates only after demonstrating sufficient successful update signals, thereby maintaining a controlled, phased rollout. For more information, see Windows Secure Boot certificate expiration and CA updates.
  • [Authentication (Kerberos)] This update improves Kerberos authentication for Remote Desktop sessions that use Remote Credential Guard, addressing error 0xc000009a.
  • [Windows Security] This update improves event logging related to CVE‑2024‑30098 by including the name of the affected application. This change makes it easier to identify applications that rely on smart card certificates and may need updates following recent security changes.
  • This update removes a white flash that could appear when opening This PC or while resizing the Details pane in dark mode.
  • This update improves the reliability of relevant explorer.exe processes so they stop after File Explorer windows are closed.

Microsoft also noted that updated Secure Boot certificates are rolling out to replace the original 2011 certificates that will expire in late June 2026. In January, Microsoft first revealed plans to refresh expiring Secure Boot certificates on eligible Windows 11 systems, after warning admins in November to update the security certificates before they expire.

It also added that some Windows Server 2025 devices with “an unrecommended BitLocker Group Policy configuration” will boot into BitLocker recovery and require users to enter the BitLocker recovery key on the first restart after deploying the KB5083631 update.

Earlier this month, Microsoft also released an out-of-band update to fix the March 2026 KB5079391 preview update, which was pulled due to 0x80073712 errors during installation.


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Best Soccer Streaming Services by Region (2026 Guide)

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Broadcasting rights for soccer are split by territory, competition, and broadcaster — which means the service you need in London is completely different from the one you need in Los Angeles or Lagos. This guide cuts through that complexity. It covers the best official, legal streaming services for soccer in 2026, region by region, with accurate rights information drawn from official broadcaster and league sources.

Quick Take: Start Here

  • Best global free option: FIFA+ — free on any device, no subscription needed
  • USA (Premier League): Peacock (NBC) — all 380 matches
  • USA (Champions League): Paramount+
  • UK (World Cup 2026): BBC iPlayer + ITVX — all 104 games, free
  • Australia: Stan Sport (UCL + EPL) | SBS on Demand (World Cup, free)
  • MENA: beIN Sports / TOD app
  • Germany/Austria (La Liga): DAZN

Before diving into each region: rights deals expire, change, and get renegotiated. Always verify current availability on the official broadcaster’s website or use the Premier League’s official broadcasters directory to confirm the rights holder in your country. This guide reflects confirmed deals as of May 2026.

Free Options Worth Knowing First

Where You Can Watch Soccer for Free (Legally)

  • FIFA+: Free global platform from FIFA. Streams select live international matches, full match replays, highlights, and original documentaries. No subscription required — just download the app on iOS, Android, or smart TV.
  • BBC iPlayer + ITVX (UK): All 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches broadcast free on these platforms. No cost beyond a TV licence.
  • SBS on Demand (Australia): All 104 World Cup 2026 matches available free to stream.
  • YouTube (select clubs and leagues): Official club and league channels post full-match replays for certain lower-tier competitions and international friendlies. Content varies by rights deal.

United States

The US soccer streaming market is fragmented but well-covered. No single subscription gives you everything, but the major competitions are each cleanly assigned to one platform. Here’s how it breaks down for 2025–26:

Competition Platform Type Notes
Premier League Peacock / NBC / USA Network Paid (Peacock Premium) All 380 matches available; exclusive matches on Peacock; select games on NBC broadcast
UEFA Champions League Paramount+ Paid subscription Full coverage including knockouts and final
La Liga ESPN+ / Fubo Paid subscription ESPN+ holds La Liga rights for the US market
Serie A Paramount+ Paid subscription Bundled with Champions League coverage
FIFA World Cup 2026 Fox / Telemundo Free (broadcast TV) + streaming via Fox One app All 104 matches; Telemundo covers Spanish-language broadcasts
MLS Apple TV+ (MLS Season Pass) Paid add-on Every MLS match streamed globally via Apple TV+

Peacock carries the full 380-match Premier League season, making it the essential subscription for EPL fans in the US. If you also follow the Champions League and Serie A, adding Paramount+ covers both — these two subscriptions handle the majority of elite European club soccer in one setup.

The one caveat worth knowing: some Premier League matches air exclusively on the USA Network (cable channel), and their live stream is not included in the Peacock subscription — only replays are available. If you’re a cord-cutter, Fubo or YouTube TV bundles give you the USA Network live. You can also read our guide on how to watch football without a cable TV subscription for a full breakdown of cord-cutting options.

United Kingdom

The UK has the most competitive and densely covered soccer streaming market in the world — with the trade-off being that you often need multiple subscriptions to follow all the major competitions. The good news for 2026: the World Cup is completely free.

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Competition Platform Type Notes
Premier League Sky Sports / TNT Sports / Amazon Prime Video Paid Rights split across three providers; Sky Sports holds majority of live matches
UEFA Champions League TNT Sports / Amazon Prime Video Paid TNT Sports holds primary UCL rights; Amazon shows selected matches
La Liga Premier Sports / Disney+ Paid Rights shared between the two platforms for 2025–26
FIFA World Cup 2026 BBC iPlayer + ITVX Free All 104 matches streamed free; no subscription required
EFL Championship / League One Sky Sports Paid Domestic pyramid coverage included in Sky Sports bundle

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be broadcast free in the UK across BBC iPlayer and ITVX, covering all 104 matches — the most comprehensive free-to-air World Cup coverage available anywhere. For club football, Sky Sports remains the flagship subscription, but the cost of following all competitions can add up quickly when TNT Sports and Amazon Prime Video are also required for Champions League coverage.

Australia

Australia punches well above its weight for soccer streaming coverage, with two platforms covering the vast majority of elite football — one paid, one entirely free for the World Cup.

Competition Platform Type Notes
Premier League Stan Sport Paid add-on to Stan Every Premier League match live and on-demand
UEFA Champions League Stan Sport Paid add-on to Stan Full UCL coverage including knockout rounds and final
FIFA World Cup 2026 SBS on Demand Free All 104 matches available free to stream; no account required
A-League Paramount+ / Ten Play Paid / Free (select) Domestic league coverage

Stan Sport carries both the Champions League and every Premier League match in Australia, making it the most efficient single subscription for Australian fans of European club football. Stan Sport is an add-on to the base Stan subscription and is available on smart TVs, tablets, and mobile.

Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

beIN Sports is the dominant — and in many cases, exclusive — provider of elite soccer in the MENA region. Its TOD streaming app extends that coverage to any internet-connected device.

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Competition Platform Type Notes
Premier League beIN Sports / TOD app Paid subscription All 380 EPL matches live; exclusive rights through 2027–28 across 24 MENA territories
UEFA Champions League beIN Sports / TOD app Paid subscription Exclusive UCL broadcast rights across 33 MENA + Asia markets until end of 2026–27
La Liga / Serie A beIN Sports / TOD app Paid subscription Bundled into beIN’s comprehensive European football package
FIFA World Cup 2026 Varies by country Paid / free-to-air (varies) Check your national broadcaster for free-to-air agreements

beIN Media Group holds exclusive Premier League broadcast rights across 24 MENA territories through the 2027–28 season, with all 380 matches available live on beIN Sports channels and via the TOD streaming app. For the Champions League, the same group holds exclusive rights across 33 markets in the region through 2026–27. If you’re in the MENA region, a beIN/TOD subscription is the single most comprehensive option available.

Europe (Germany, Spain, Italy, France)

Broadcasting rights in continental Europe are complex — each country has its own rights structure, and in most cases at least one major platform per country holds a dominant position. The table below covers the major markets:

Country Competition Platform Notes
Germany La Liga DAZN Rights extended for 5 years through 2029–30; also covers Austria and Switzerland
Germany Champions League DAZN / Amazon Prime Video Split rights deal; DAZN covers majority
Spain Champions League Movistar+ Primary rights holder for Spanish market
Italy Serie A DAZN Italy Exclusive domestic Serie A rights; Sky Italia carries select matches
France Champions League CANAL+ Primary UCL rights holder for France through current UEFA agreement
France Ligue 1 DAZN France / beIN Sports France Shared rights between platforms

DAZN is the closest thing to a pan-European soccer streaming platform, with rights across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and France for various competitions. Coverage varies significantly by country, so always verify on your national version of the DAZN website before subscribing. For La Liga specifically, DAZN extended its rights deal in Germany and Austria for five years and added Switzerland — making it the confirmed home of Spanish top-flight soccer in the German-speaking market through at least 2029–30.

Canada

Canada’s soccer streaming landscape has simplified in recent years. DAZN Canada holds a dominant position for European club football, making it the main subscription for Canadian fans.

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Competition Platform Type Notes
Premier League DAZN Canada Paid subscription Primary EPL broadcaster in Canada
UEFA Champions League DAZN Canada Paid subscription Full UCL coverage
La Liga / Serie A DAZN Canada Paid subscription Bundled into DAZN Canada’s European football offering
FIFA World Cup 2026 CTV / TSN / RDS Free (CTV) + Paid (TSN) As a host nation, Canada has broad free-to-air coverage; verify current schedule on CTV
Canadian Premier League OneSoccer Paid subscription Dedicated domestic league streaming platform

What’s Coming: UEFA’s Own Streaming Service

The fragmented rights landscape described above may change significantly in the coming years. As of March 2026, UEFA is actively considering launching its own direct-to-consumer streaming service for the Champions League, with a trial reportedly planned from 2027 — initially targeting large Asian markets where existing broadcast deals are weaker. If launched, this would allow fans to subscribe directly to UEFA for Champions League coverage, bypassing national broadcasters. This is worth monitoring if you follow the UCL closely, as it could simplify (or complicate) your subscription setup depending on how existing rights deals are structured at renewal. For companion apps for live scores and stats alongside your stream, we cover those separately.


Key Takeaways

  • No single service covers everything globally. Rights are sold by territory and competition — expect to use 1–3 services depending on your region.
  • Start with FIFA+ for free. It’s the best no-cost baseline for international football, replays, and highlights — available everywhere.
  • World Cup 2026 is broadly free: UK (BBC/ITVX), Australia (SBS on Demand), USA (Fox broadcast), and Canada (CTV) all carry matches free-to-air.
  • USA: Peacock (EPL) + Paramount+ (UCL/Serie A) covers the core European competitions.
  • UK: Sky Sports + TNT Sports + Amazon Prime Video covers the Premier League and Champions League — but the cost adds up.
  • Australia: Stan Sport is the most efficient single subscription for European club football.
  • MENA: beIN Sports / TOD covers virtually everything in the region through 2027–28.
  • Verify before subscribing. Rights deals shift at season boundaries — always check the official league or broadcaster website for current-season accuracy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there one streaming service that covers all soccer competitions globally?

No. Broadcast rights are sold territory by territory and competition by competition, so no single platform has global rights to everything. The closest thing to a free global baseline is FIFA+, which offers live international matches, replays, and highlights worldwide at no cost. For club competitions, you’ll need a region-specific subscription.

Can I watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free?
What is the cheapest way to watch the Premier League in the USA?

A Peacock Premium subscription is the most cost-efficient option for US-based Premier League fans, giving access to all 380 matches. Some matches also air free on NBC broadcast TV. Check the Peacock Premier League guide for the current subscription price and schedule.

What does FIFA+ offer for free?

FIFA+ streams select live international and lower-tier matches, full match replays of certain competitions, highlights packages, and original documentaries — all at no cost. It’s available as an app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, and smart TVs. It does not carry Premier League, Champions League, or domestic top-flight matches, which remain with national rights holders.

Which streaming service has Champions League in the USA?

Paramount+ holds the Champions League rights in the United States, including the group stage, knockout rounds, and final. It’s bundled alongside Serie A coverage on the platform.

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How do I watch La Liga outside Spain?

Rights vary heavily by country. In the US, ESPN+ carries La Liga. In the UK, rights are shared between Premier Sports and Disney+. In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, DAZN holds the rights. Check the official La Liga broadcasters page for your specific territory.

Is DAZN available everywhere?

No. DAZN operates in specific markets including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, Canada, Japan, and others — but is not available globally. Its soccer rights also vary by country; a DAZN subscription in Germany does not carry the same competitions as one in Italy. Always check DAZN’s local site for what’s covered in your territory.

Will UEFA launch its own streaming service?

As of March 2026, UEFA is reportedly planning a direct-to-consumer streaming trial for the Champions League from 2027, initially targeting Asian markets. This would allow fans to subscribe directly to UEFA rather than through national broadcasters. No confirmed launch date or pricing has been announced. Monitor UEFA’s official communications for updates as rights deals come up for renewal.

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Xiaomi 17 Review: I Took It to Thailand for a Real Camera Test

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Xiaomi phones are a little tough to judge. After all, these guys do everything, from making phones to laptops and sometimes even record-breaking electric SUVs. The Xiaomi 17 is a bit like the quiet kid that never gets noticed, simply because its bigger brother, the 17 Ultra, is on a streak of collecting all the best smartphone camera awards. But here’s the thing: most people won’t ever splurge that much money on a non-Samsung or Apple Ultra flagship. The main sales driver will always be the base model, and that’s the question I had in mind. Can the Xiaomi 17 go head-to-head with the OPPO Find X9 and the vivo X300, especially since it’s more expensive than both? You can thank AI for that.

To answer this very question, I got the Xiaomi 17 for review and took it with me on a work trip to Phuket, Thailand. Here, I used the phone to capture about 500 photos in the summer heat, with temperatures soaring to 40 degrees, and constant GPS navigation to put the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC through its paces. Spoiler alert, I really do love this phone, but there are a few quirks, too. Here’s why.

Xiaomi 17 Review

Hisan Kidwai

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Summary

The Xiaomi 17 brings a lot of things to the table. You get the best-in-class performance that’s miles ahead of the competition. A design that’s understated yet premium. Battery life that can easily last two full days, and cameras that, instead of being same same but different, induce a character to each and every photo that makes them more memorable. Of course, it’s not perfect. I’d like the camera bugs fixed and ultrawide performance improved, but overall, the Xiaomi 17 gets my recommendation.

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Design & Hardware

Xiaomi 17 back design

If Apple were ever going to make an Android phone, then they’d probably design something like the Xiaomi 17. I wouldn’t describe the build as flashy, but it’s super elegant and reminiscent of past Xiaomi flagships. I talked about this in my X300 Pro review, as creating a brand identity to compete against Samsung and Apple is super important, and Xiaomi has listened. While I was using it daily, many of my friends and family asked me what Xiaomi phone I was using—note the wording: “Xiaomi phone,” meaning they knew it was a particular brand, and that’s important. The Chinese smartphone maker said they thought of every curve, and I’ll just say it straight: the 17 is the best-feeling compact phone I’ve held this year.

The corners are crafted to perfection, the width is spot on, and even the way the aluminum frame blends into the glass without an abrupt edge makes carrying the phone a very enjoyable experience. Beyond that, the back glass is frosted to prevent the phone from slipping off glass surfaces, and the side frame doesn’t let go of its color inside a case.

Sides of the Xiaomi 17

Speaking of color, you get plenty of options, but my favorite is definitely the blue variant, as it has that breezy summer vibe. The buttons are tactile and positioned where your hand would naturally rest.

Moving to the camera module, Xiaomi has taken the iPhone route of individual stove-top camera cutouts. There are four of them (one houses the flash), and aside from the fact that dust is difficult to get out from between, I do quite like them. The ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is positioned at a comfy place where your thumb would naturally rest. I used it on the beach with wet hands, and it worked perfectly fine. Besides, the phone is IP69-rated for dust and water resistance, meaning it should technically withstand a swim. Did I dare take it inside the water on the beach? Absolutely not, because the IP rating is only for fresh water, and seawater can cause irreversible damage.

Display

Lock screen display of the Xiaomi 17

I’ve said this before that all flagship displays are essentially the same, and that holds true for the Xiaomi 17, too. The phone features a 6.3-inch 1220 x 2656 OLED display, with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. This time, Xiaomi has trimmed the bezels even more for a more premium look, and I’m a fan. The panel is exceptionally color-accurate and vibrant for content consumption, as evidenced by my 3-hour run of The Pitt season 2 on the flight to Thailand. Even the HDR performance is exceptional.

Xiaomi claims a peak brightness number of 3,500 nits. Sadly, I don’t have a light meter to put the claim to the test, but from my experience using the panel in the 12 noon sun at Phi Phi Island, it’s plenty bright for outdoor use. The texts were legible, and I could use the phone for GPS navigation without squinting.

When it comes to durability, I usually don’t like to test that part myself and instead rely on user reports. However, I accidentally dropped the Xiaomi 17 on a concrete floor. The result was surprisingly good. I dropped it, without a case, from a tripod at chest height, meaning that, while the phone was in the air, all sorts of scary thoughts came to mind, including how much this repair was going to cost me. Thankfully, the phone escaped with only minor damage to the frame.

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Performance & Software

HyperOS screen

Performance is what makes or breaks the smartphone experience, and it’s no surprise to anyone that the Xiaomi 17 delivers top-of-the-line performance. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the best Android processor in the market, and it’s coupled with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.1 internal storage. The results? The Xiaomi 17 is an absolute joy to use. It flies through the UI like nothing, and there’s ample headroom for literally any task. That being said, the phone runs on HyperOS 3, which, for the uninitiated, is a very altered version of Android that resembles more like iOS.

I don’t have a problem with the look, especially since HyperOS is one of the smoothest Android skins, with silky animations and a lot of customization. My issue is that, unlike other Chinese skins that allow you to tone down the iOS-ness, Xiaomi doesn’t.

Notification shade of HyperOS

For example, the notification shade is divided into two sections: the quick control and the panel. I don’t like that, but when I went digging in the settings to find a way to merge them, there wasn’t. Also, the back gesture is enabled in the keyboard, so when I tried deleting long text, it would often send me back instead.

There are a few silver linings I wish others would copy from HyperOS, one major one being the lockscreen customizations. There are so many options, and every one of them looks gorgeous. As this is 2026, there’s a host of AI features, such as object eraser, image upscaling, and inpainting. I tried them all, and they work exactly as you’d expect. The company also promises about six years of major software updates and security patches. This is better than vivo’s five years.

Benchmarks & Gaming

A person playing PUBG (BGMI) on the Xiaomi 17

As this is a review, I also ran a series of benchmarks to test the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5’s limits. The phone scored 3,415 in Geekbench’s single-core test and 10,008 in the multi-core test. These are insane numbers, especially when compared with the likes of the vivo X300 Pro and the Find X9, which score about 20%-30% lower in multi-core tests. The story remained similar on AnTuTu, where the Xiaomi 17 handsomely beat its Chinese rivals, scoring 3,423,349.

As expected, this performance translates extremely well in gaming. I’m a former PUBG (BGMI) eSports player, and my results were exceptional. The phone maintained 120 FPS gameplay even at high settings without a hint of stutter. I also like Xiaomi’s thermal management, which kept the phone from overheating during both gaming and photo capture in Thailand’s hot summer.

Battery Life & Charging

Battery stats of the phone

After all the chatter about the small form factor, you may expect the Xiaomi 17 to compromise on the battery life, just as other Apple and Samsung phones do. Well, you can’t be more wrong, as the Xiaomi 17 packs an even bigger battery, 6,330mAh to be precise, than the 17 Ultra. And the results are just fantastic. On the morning of my Thailand flight, I unplugged the phone at 5 am. I then continued using the phone for the rest of the day, including the three hours of The Pitt on the flight and map navigation when reaching Phuket airport. I ended the day with 20% remaining, and at 3 am the next morning, I had 20% remaining. For a more typical person, you’d be looking more at two days of usage without a hitch.

When it was finally time to charge, Xiaomi, unlike Samsung, bundles a 100W fast charger in the box that charges the phone from 20% to 80% in just 30 minutes. You also get 50W of reverse wireless charging, though that requires a specific charger.

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Cameras

Closeup of the cameras on the Xiaomi 17

If a phone doesn’t fold in half or has dual screens, the only way to differentiate itself is through the cameras. They are the main reason why people lean towards a certain brand, and recently, both OPPO and vivo have been killing it. However, I think there’s room for a third king: the Xiaomi 17. Like others, it also houses a triple-sensor array, led by the 50MP LightFusion 950 sensor, a 50MP JN1 60mm telephoto, and another 50MP OV50M ultrawide lens. Colors are handled by Leica, and that’s the main strength of the Xiaomi 17. The photos it takes, with the different Leica filters, have a certain character you won’t find anywhere else. Every phone takes similar photos these days, and it’s these color profiles that matter the most.

Still, if you’re not a fan of poking around with the cameras, the default Leica Authentic profile produces colors that are very close to natural, with highlights and shadows handled extremely well. The details are crisp and plenty, the HDR performance is mostly spot on, and the contrast is slightly on the boosted side, which is what I like. Beyond the default camera profile, there are a myriad of filters, such as Negative, Positive, Sepia, Natural, Vibrant, and Blue. Each has a different style of capturing the colors and subject, and I really did find myself going through each and every one of them to decide which actually serves the scene the best. And the results speak for themselves. Every photo tells a different story, and that’s the Xiaomi 17’s biggest strength.

The telephoto lens is 2.5x, and I’d say the same about it, too. It serves as the main portrait camera, and the images deliver stellar detail, with excellent foreground separation and improved natural skin tones without the infamous beautification. Xiaomi doesn’t rely much on AI processing, so zooming past 5x-6x will result in blurry photos. Keep that in mind. The ultrawide hasn’t changed from the previous generation, so it still doesn’t have autofocus for macro photography. While it works great when the light is ample, I saw a significant drop in quality at night.

Speaking of the night, both the main and telephoto sensors benefit from Xiaomi’s mature image processing, which retains detail in shadows without making the image muddy or introducing noise. Videos, which can be shot at up to 8K, carry similar details in all lighting conditions, and I’m a fan. Sadly, it’s not all perfect. In Thailand’s heat, some of the videos I captured were choppy, even when I was in the hotel. This problem then carried over to India, where the first few seconds of every video would stutter. I’ve communicated this issue with the Xiaomi team, so a fix could be imminent. Overall, I love the Xiaomi 17’s cameras.

Verdict

A person holding the Xiaomi 17

Sure, the ₹89,999 price tag of the Xiaomi 17 might feel a bit much, considering it’s more than the vivo and OPPO competition. But the Xiaomi 17 brings a lot of things to the table. You get the best-in-class performance that’s miles ahead of the competition. A design that’s understated yet premium. Battery life that can easily last two full days, and cameras that, instead of being same same but different, induce a character to each and every photo that makes them more memorable. Of course, it’s not perfect. I’d like the camera bugs fixed and ultrawide performance improved, but overall, the Xiaomi 17 gets my recommendation.

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Microsoft now lets admins choose pre-installed Store apps to uninstall

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Windows 11

Microsoft has updated a Windows 11 in-box app removal policy introduced in October to include a dynamic list that lets IT admins choose which preinstalled Store apps to uninstall.

The updated RemoveDefaultMicrosoftStorePackages policy enables admins to remove any preinstalled MSIX/APPX app by referencing its Package Family Name (PFN) using Group Policy Object (GPO) or a custom OMA-URI for mobile device management (MDM).

“IT admins, you can now simplify Microsoft Store app management with dynamic removal on more devices across your enterprise. Use policy to remove any preinstalled MSIX/APPX app by referencing its Package Family Name (PFN),” Microsoft said on Thursday.

To get this new feature, admins must ensure that their devices have at least the April 2026 Windows non-security update deployed. Windows Insiders can get it after installing the March 13, 2026, builds in the Dev and Beta channels.

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To make it work using Group Policy, admins have to:

Microsoft has also extended support for the RemoveDefaultMicrosoftStorePackages policy to systems running Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 11 24H2. Microsoft introduced the policy in October 2025, but it was only made available on devices running Windows 11 25H2 or later.

“The updated app removal policy is now extended to Windows 11, version 24H2 Enterprise and Education editions. Originally, you could only use this feature on devices running Windows 11, version 25H2 or newer,” Microsoft added. “If your organization has standardized on the 2024 release, you can benefit from policy-driven app management without a full OS version upgrade.”

The complete list of supported apps and detailed guidance on applying the policy to a single device via the Local Group Policy Editor or to multiple Active Directory-joined devices are available here.

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While the Intune entry for this policy does not include the dynamic list option, Microsoft has said it will become available in the coming months.

“When this feature becomes generally available in Intune, search for ‘Remove Default Microsoft Store packages’ in the settings picker to locate it,” it noted.

Earlier this month, Microsoft also announced that IT admins can now uninstall the AI-powered Copilot digital assistant from enterprise devices using the new RemoveMicrosoftCopilotApp policy setting after installing the April 2026 Patch Tuesday cumulative updates.


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This is Why You Won't Buy a Steam Machine in 2026

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Valve’s Steam Machine was supposed to be an affordable gaming PC for the living room. Rising memory and storage prices have turned that dream into a pricing nightmare.

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Daily Deal: The Photography Master Class Bundle

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from the good-deals-on-cool-stuff dept

Capture emotions and tell stories through photography with the Photography Master Class Bundle. Transform your skills with six diverse courses, including Portrait Photography, DSLR Photography, Wedding Photography, Off Camera Flash photography, and more. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced, this bundle offers a wealth of knowledge and techniques to enhance your craft. It’s on sale for $40.

Note: The Techdirt Deals Store is powered and curated by StackSocial. A portion of all sales from Techdirt Deals helps support Techdirt. The products featured do not reflect endorsements by our editorial team.

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