News

• US stores see equipment prices rise by around 10%
• Canon EOS R1 price has increased by $500
• Further tariff-led increases could be on the way soon

Earlier this year, both Canon and Nikon warned consumers that prices of their products would be affected by US tariffs – and now those price hikes have begun in earnest. As reported by DP Review, who have been tracking the US prices of Canon and Nikon gear on the companies’ own websites as well as Amazon, there has been a clear spike in prices in recent weeks.

Nikon cameras and lenses, for instance, have risen by an average of 10.5%. Canon prices have jumped by as much as $500 on certain items (over the price listed when the product was first announced), and on average have increased by 9.7%. Other manufacturers have made similar increases; Sigma, for instance, bumped up its lens prices in the US by 10% earlier in June.

For Canon, the products that have most increased in price are higher-end cameras such as the Canon EOS R1 and Canon EOS R3, which have risen by $500 and $400 respectively over their launch prices. However, both models had been significantly discounted from their launch prices ahead of these recent rises, so the increases are actually much larger than they seem.

Nikon, meanwhile, seems to have hiked prices on all its lenses manufactured in China, with the biggest percentage increase going to the AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D prime: $134.95 to $199.95. That’s a price increase of almost 50%.

Not all items have been affected, but this could potentially due to stock from the pre-tariff era being still available. Once this has been sold and new stock needs to be imported from outside of the US, this stock could also be subject to price increases.

It’s a somewhat bleak picture for US-based camera consumers, and sadly it could yet get worse. On 9 July, the 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs is due to end, which could mean countries where camera gear is manufactured, such as Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, could be subject to tariffs as high as 24%, 37% and 46% respectively. Companies may choose to absorb some or all of the tariff-led increases, of course; they could also hike prices even further in order to maintain their profit margin.

So, what does this mean for the US consumer? In all likelihood, it means that prices on cameras and lenses will rise even further – and that now might be the best time to invest in that piece of equipment you need. If you’re based in the US and are thinking of buying new gear, make sure to check out our buying guides for the best beginner mirrorless cameras, best compact cameras, best cameras for photography, best cameras for vlogging, best travel cameras and more.

You might also take the price hikes as a sign that you should master and maximise the equipment you already have rather than replace it with expensive new gear. Check out our camera how to guides and learn how to get more from your existing gear, whether it’s perfecting your astrophotography or using Adobe Photoshop to make your shots sing.

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For the last month, I’ve had the not-so-arduous task of comparing the shiny new Sony WH-1000XM6 against their biggest rivals. Yep, I’ve tried wireless headphones from everyone, including all the big hitters like Apple, Bose Sonos…you name it! But as the headline has already spilled, there’s only one pair of headphones I’d recommend to all – and that’s Sony’s latest flagship cans.

In my Sony WH-1000XM6 review I made it clear – these are an exceptional pair of headphones that serve up a delicious cocktail of spectacular sound quality, a delightful design and, most importantly, class-leading noise cancellation. And so, it will be of little surprise that the XM6 swiftly pushed their way into our list of the best headphones.

Still, some of the competition is incredibly fierce. Models such as the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 earned a glowing five-star review from us – and believe me, they’re the real deal. But I can’t help but feel that the Sony WH-1000XM6 are the better pick for most people. Why? I’ll break it down into three key reasons.

If we’re talking ANC, there’s simply no one out there that can top Sony right now. That's right, the WH-1000XM6 offer the best noise cancelling I’ve ever tested on a pair of over-ear headphones. Yes, even better than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra. And substantially superior to Sony’s previous effort, the Sony WH-1000XM5.

That’s because Sony’s latest cans harness the power of a new and improved QN3 HD noise cancelling processor, which fine tunes 12 microphones in real time to shut off the outside world. Oh, there’s also AI onboard, which does a bit of extra legwork to keep pesky external sounds from creeping in.

Whether I was walking near a traffic-heavy road, working in a chatter-filled room or vacuuming my apartment, the XM6 induced silence – or at least, near-silence. So, whether you’re looking to make those morning commutes a bit more bearable or perhaps just feeling a little anti-social, you can trust the XM6 to keep you locked into your favorite tracks and movies.

Oh, one more thing about that phenomenal mic system. It also helps to offer crystal-clear calling, with six beamforming mics helping to bring the focus to your mouth. Again, AI is at hand to carve out clamors from your surroundings, and this works incredibly well.

I attended a demo at Sony’s 5020 Studio in Madrid, where someone walked into an artificially noisy environment, but after placing the XM6 on and making a call, the only thing I could hear was their voice. You really are getting next-level clarity with these headphones – and yes, they’re considerably better in this area than previous models like the Sony WH-1000XM4.

So, Sony’s come on significantly in the realms of ANC and call quality. But something else that’s been refined is the touch controls. On the XM6, swiping forwards and back to skip or return to a track, flicking and holding to adjust volume, and double tapping to pause or play music feels so incredibly smooth.

In fact, the XM6 supply the most intuitive, fluid touch controls I’ve ever seen on a pair of headphones. You can even cover the right earcup to enable passthrough mode – how cool is that?!

And after testing some rival models, I came to appreciate those touch controls even more. I absolutely adore the open, expansive, yet coherent sound of the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 – I think for the money, they arguably offer the best sound quality on the market right now. Yep, maybe even a bit better than the XM6 which, by the way, sound absolutely fantastic! But unfortunately for the Px7 S3, they’re limited to basic button controls which felt like such a downgrade to me after extensively using the XM6. This alone kept me going back to the Sony contender.

For reference, if you want to skip tracks on the Bowers headphones, you’ve got to double press the play button – and it’s three presses to go back. That, to me, feels a little rigid…and behind the times. Similarly, the Apple AirPods Max, which offer enticingly expansive audio, a beautiful design and excellent usability for iPhone users, are held back by physical controls (among other things).

I appreciate that some may find touch controls a little irritating. Perhaps you’ll accidentally skip a track when taking the headphones off. Maybe you’ll pause your music when adjusting your luscious locks. But the XM6 handle touch beautifully. I’m yet to experience any accidental playback alterations or the like. Touch controls – when done right like this – are so much more than a nice-to-have now.

I could cap this off by talking about the beautifully balanced, dynamic sound of the XM6. I could even talk about their slim, comfortable design which brings foldability back to the fore. But instead, I want to talk about the insanely broad, yet detailed feature-list you get on these Sony headphones.

Yes, of course you get that phenomenal ANC and calling. But with the Sound Connect app, you unlock so much more. There’s scene-based listening and adaptive audio, which adjusts depending on your environment. There’s LDAC and DSEE for accessing higher-resolution audio over Bluetooth. And now, there’s a 10-band EQ tab, which comes with a Find Your Equalizer listening test too.

But I’m only scratching the surface! There’s even more, from Auracast through to a Cinema listening mode that really help to set the XM6 apart from their rivals. They truly have everything you could want from a pair of the best noise cancelling headphones and more.

Combine that with the above reasons and you’re looking at a pair of true all-rounders. The Sony WH-1000XM6 have every base covered, and nail all the fundamentals like sound quality and noise cancellation. So, if there’s one pair of the best over-ear headphones I recommend to everyone…it has to be these.

But wait – this is an open discussion rather than a final decision! Do you agree? If you already have the Sony WH-1000XM6, what are your impressions thus far? I’d be interested to hear from you, so feel free let me know your thoughts in the comments. Most of all, enjoy the music.

• Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra
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• Surfshark has had its no-logs policy verified by Deloitte for the second time
• The independent verification, from a Big Four auditing firm, corroborates Surfshark’s no-logging claims
• Existing Surfshark subscribers can access the full report via their Surfshark accounts

Surfshark has reaffirmed its commitment to privacy and transparency with the release of its second no-logs assurance report on June 16, 2025.

Already rated as one of the best VPNs by TechRadar, this is the second time Surfshark has worked with Deloitte to verify its commitment to user privacy by auditing its no-logs policy.

Surfshark invited Deloitte to audit its no-logs statement for the first time back in 2023, illustrating the seriousness with which it takes user privacy.

However, a second no-logs assurance report in 2025 “demonstrates Surfshark’s proactive approach to privacy,” said Donatas Budvytis, Surfshark’s Chief Technology Officer.

It's a welcome update in an industry where plenty of VPN providers have yet to prove their own no-logs claims. Some VPNs, particularly free VPN services, do keep logs. In some cases, these can contain personally identifying information, putting user data and privacy at risk.

Only recently, TechRadar’s Chiara Castro reported that some 17 free VPN apps found in Google and Apple app stores have ties with China. VPNs operating in China are subject to strict data retention laws and may be forced to share data with the Chinese government upon request.

Surfshark’s decision to have Deloitte, one of the Big Four auditing firms, take a second look at its no-logs policy provides substantial credibility and, as Budvytis explains, “a big confirmation of privacy and transparency to our current and future users.”

It also proves Surfshark’s claims that it doesn’t monitor user activity or keep logs of their activities. That this is a second independent verification shows that this is an ongoing commitment on the part of Surfshark, and not simply a one-off.

Deloitte’s independent audit provides assurance that Surfshark’s no-logs policy has been properly implemented.

As part of its evaluation, Deloitte examined internal systems and processes, conducted interviews with Surfshark staff, and reviewed supporting evidence.

Deloitte looked at Surfshark’s standard, static, and multiport servers while also analyzing how these servers are configured and deployed. Privacy settings and operational procedures were closely inspected to ensure they align with Surfshark’s privacy commitments.

Ultimately, Deloitte confirmed that the no-logs policy is consistently applied across all relevant Surfshark infrastructure.

If you’re already a Surfshark user, you can read the detailed report, ISAE 3000, which is accessible via your account.

Surfshark isn’t the only VPN provider to have subjected its no-logs policy to an independent audit.

NordVPN had its no-logs claims verified by PwC in 2018 and 2020 before having Deloitte conduct independent reviews in 2022, 2023, and 2025.

The VPN that has undergone more audits than most is ExpressVPN, having published 19 third-party audit reports to date.

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Prime Video’s new Australian World War Two romantic drama has critics raving, but it seems audiences are still continuing to discover the epic show.

While the show was released on one of the best streaming services way back on April 18, The Narrow Road to the Deep North has struggled to gain viewership, with the show yet to top the charts in any of the countries it’s available in (it's not currently available to stream in the UK).

That’s no mark on its quality though, with viewers who have seen it praising the series, and critics hailing it as one of the best Prime Video shows around at the moment, crowning the drama with a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Co-created and directed by Assassin’s Creed helmer Justin Kyrzel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North follows WW2 soldier Dorrigo Evans across three time periods: before his deployment, during his time as a prisoner of war and as an older man in the 1980s, with Jacob Elordi portraying the younger version and Ciarán Hinds playing the older Dorrigo.

Both beautiful and brutal, the series charts Dorrigo's love affair with his Uncle’s wife Amy (Odessa Young) pre-war and how that love both sustains and haunts him during his uncompromising time in a Burmese PoW camp. Later in life, Dorrigo is a revered surgeon and war hero struggling with ghosts of his past and the guilt he feels both over the affair and as a survivor of one of the most brutal theatres of the Second World War.

Based on Richard Flanagan’s novel of the same name, the show unfolds over five gripping episodes, jumping between the three timelines to tell an intricately woven story anchored by outstanding performances from Elordi and Hinds, which, at times, makes love seem as brutally painful as war.

With a perfect score over on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s no surprise the critical response has been glowing. The Guardian called the show “elegant and poetic” while praising the two lead actors’ complementary portrayals of Dorrigo, saying both “really feel like different reflections of the same person.”

The New York Times, meanwhile, called Elordi’s performance “terrific,” while stating the series overall masterfully “combines a sweetly doomed romance, a layered domestic drama and a harrowing World War Two tale.” The BBC also praised the young lead, saying the drama was a “stunning showcase for Jacob Elordi.”

Rotten Tomatoes' Audience Score is perhaps not as strong, but still sits at a respectable 70%. Over on Reddit however, viewers are loving the show, with one post saying “that was perfect [...] worth every minute of my time.”

Another fan posted: “That was powerful [...] solid work,” while a third stated “I’m in awe at the story telling, the cinematography and the music.”

With the show available now on Prime Video in the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, and due to land on BBC iPlayer in the UK later in the year, this criminally underseen show needs to be added to your watchlist immediately.

Bleak, hopeful, brutal and uplifting, The Narrow Road to the Deep North is an emotionally charged must-watch.

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• The Concept AMG XX will take the brand into its next chapter
• Three axial flux motors can propel the slippery shape to 224mph
• An LED light panel at the rear is one of many futuristic features

Mercedes-Benz has lifted the lid on the future of its revered tuning arm with the all-electric AMG GT XX concept, which eschews thundering V8 petrol engines for an all-electric powertrain.

Where customers once flocked to the hand-built, naturally aspirated monsters that lurked under the hood, Mercedes-AMG has been trapped between a rock and a hard place of late, dabbling with smaller capacity turbocharged engines and hybrid powertrains that have failed to hit the mark with Affalterbach aficionados.

“The heart of an AMG was always the motor, we’re delivering a revolutionary new drive that is unparalleled in terms of power density, weight and packaging,” says Mercedes-AMG CEO Michael Schiebe.

The new motor that Schiebe hopes will once again stir emotions is actually three axial flux electric motors that are around two-thirds lighter and 67% smaller than traditional radial flux motors that appear on most of today’s EVs.

Often referred to as 'pancake motors', axial flux drive units are made up of components that look like slim discs and, when stacked, can almost fit inside a pizza box, meaning they can be placed nearer the wheels for improved packaging.

Innovative rectangular copper wiring is then packed into tight coils, allowing for more copper per slot in the stator, creating an energy density that is almost three-times that of conventional, sausage roll-shaped radial motors, yet they take up just one third of the space.

To continue the food analogy, Mercedes-AMG likens the use of rectangular wiring to the Italian’s use of tagliatelle, rather than spaghetti, when cooking up a hearty Ragu, because “its flatter, broader surface carries more of the sauce”.

The Concept AMG GT XX uses three of these motors packed into two High Performance Electric Drive Units, one at the front that uses a single axial motor and a unit in the rear that features two.

Combined with all-new, cylindrical Nickel Cobalt Manganese Aluminum (NCMA) battery cells, the powertrain delivers staggering performance figures: 1,360hp, a top speed of 224mph and a top-up time of under five minutes thanks to 850kW charging capabilities.

Mercedes teamed up with charging experts Alpitronic to produce a prototype charging station that is capable of transmitting such a high current via a standard CCS connector.

It says it hopes to roll out its own 10,000-strong super-fast charging network using the technology by the next decade, although it wouldn’t say how many of those would be able to reach the 850kW output.

Taking inspiration from the ultra-slippery Vision One-Eleven concept car, the AMG GT XX has a drag coefficient of 0.198 – about the same as a soaring eagle or a dolphin at full speed, according to AMG engineers.

Specially-designed contours under the body help channel airflow, while active cooling flaps open and close in the front bumper to either reduce drag or funnel cold air to the battery packs and electric drivetrain.

In another world-first, the all-wheel-drive AMG GT XX also features active aero in the wheels, which feature electronically actuated blades that open when the brakes require cooling but then close again to reduce drag.

Cleverly, the wheels act as giant dynamos that charge the system so it doesn't rely on the EV's batteries. However, Mercedes wouldn't go into detail about how much each wheel might cost if you accidentally curb it.

The overall fastback design is low and wide, the window steeply raked to help channel air over the car, with motorsport-inspired air outlets in the bonnet helping to dissipate warm air that is then funneled into the cooling system.

At the rear, there’s a monster diffuser that is finished in naked carbon fibre and a 3D pixel light panel that can display a variety of messages and graphics. During presentations, it gaudily flashed an animated AMG logo, the vehicle’s charge status or a series of naff messages.

I might not the be the target audience for this vehicle, but to me, it doesn’t feel very AMG. But that’s the point, right? This is the new AMG for the kids.

The concept vehicle is also finished in what Mercedes calls its “Fluid Light Paint”. This new-fangled pigment sees painted sections emit light in response to an electric current.

The result is an exterior light array, which runs along the flanks of the concept and visibility glows at nighttime.

It can even 'communicate' its battery level status when hooked up to a charging outlet, like a robotic vacuum cleaner or any other rechargeable electrical appliance, for that matter.

The headlights don’t escape innovation either, as these house a loud speaker that will emit driving sounds and audible signals for pedestrian protection. Passive membrane technology embedded into the soundbar can emit more powerful bass notes, for more realistic, guttural AMG noises.

Inside, Mercedes has replaced the traditional steering wheel with a yoke, which alludes to the fact that the production version of the AMG GT XX Concept could be among the first to sport the German marque’s steer-by-wire system.

The interior features plenty of exposed elements that make it feel like a GT racer, with 3D-printed seat pads that can be tailored to fit the driver and swapped out with ease.

These are clad in a Labfiber Biotech leather alternative material that is made from recycled GT3 racing tires, vegetable proteins and biopolymers.

It is an incredibly complex and scientific undertaking that results in a very hardy, leather-like substance, but there's no information on how energy intense the process is compared to, say, raising a cow.

Twin LED displays make up the infotainment package, with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14-inch multimedia touchscreen integrated into the dash and angled towards the driver for that race car ambience.

Mercedes says its MB.UX operating system will underpin the entire digital offering, bringing the latest infotainment features, despite the racy ambience.

Head designer Gordon Wagener said the entire design process was much shorter than a typical car (around a year, compared with three) and CTO Markus Schäfer claims that much of the technology revealed today is production-ready.

In fact, there is a tentative release date for the road-going car of sometime in 2026, despite the fact we are yet to glean information on total power output, battery range and, perhaps more importantly, price.

Schäfer says that "hardcore AMG V8 fans" have already driven the car and were very positive about the performance. Similarly, he says the sheer weight of technology on the car will help protect residual values.

Whether or not combustion engine fans will be convinced by pixel panels and fake engine noises is yet to be seen, while poor resale values continue to blight high-performance, luxury EVs.

Mercedes only has to look at its recent electrified G-Wagon for proof that its current customer base perhaps isn't quite ready for the future.

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