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Forget BBQs, I'm all about outdoor pizzas this year. If you want to hop on the homemade pizza bandwagon (welcome, there's plenty of space!), then now's a good time to get yourself set up with a pizza oven. Making your own pizzas is fun and satisfying, and the results are so much more delicious than oven pizzas or takeaway. If you're short on time or not especially gifted in the kitchen, it's pretty easy to find premade dough base balls that you can just roll out and add toppings to (this is my preferred method).

When picking a pizza oven, your main decision will be the type of fuel you want it to run on. Most modern pizza ovens — including the one I have at home — run on gas, which is speedy, convenient, and easy to control by just adjusting a dial. Another option is to opt for wood, which gives that delicious smokey smell and taste (although your pizzas won't be cooking for very long, so the impact won't be massive), but requires more effort to control the temperature.

There are a few 'multi-fuel' pizza ovens that can be used with either wood or gas. Alternatively, you could opt for an electric pizza oven. These are ultra-convenient, easy to control and versatile too. However, they tend not to get as hot as the other options, and you lose that authentic experience and charred flavor.

Below, I've rounded up some of our favorite pizza ovens. If you want to see how these options compare, hop to the bottom of the page for a specs comparison table.

I tend to think of gas pizza ovens as a 'happy medium' option. They can reach scorching temperatures, so you'll get those authentic charred edges, but are reliable to use and it's easy to adjust the heat up or down.

You won't get the 'smokey' wood-fired flavor — however, given your pizza's only going to be in there for a couple of minutes max, the difference isn't going to be nearly as noticeable as, for instance, using a gas versus charcoal BBQ.

Read our full review

• Larger pizzas
• More stable temperatures
• Digital thermometer

• Not portable
• No door for fast heat up
• No wood-fire option

Wood fired pizza ovens run on pellets. Like gas options, they can get super-hot, but controlling the temperatures is trickier — it requires adjusting the vents and adding fuel. You'll also need to deal with the ash leftover afterwards. However, you will get the delicious smokey smell, and a more traditional cooking experience.

An electric pizza oven won't give you that unique cooking experience; instead, it'll be a lot more like using an air fryer or regular oven. They also tend not to have a lower maximum temperature, so it's trickier to achieve those crispy bases and charred edges. However, what you lose in authenticity you gain in convenience — you can control temperatures precisely, and the results are very predictable.

If you look at where global skills demand is climbing fastest right now, two areas are pretty hard to ignore: artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025, AI and big data sit at the top of the fastest-growing skills ranking, with networks and cybersecurity directly behind.

These skills are increasingly being asked of the same person.

For most of the last decade, these were distinct careers.

Cybersecurity professionals attended cybersecurity conferences, earned cybersecurity certifications and worked in cybersecurity teams.

AI and machine learning sat elsewhere in data science org charts, research labs, product groups.

The two communities knew about each other. They rarely shared a calendar.

That separation has collapsed in the last 18 months or so, mostly because security teams are now expected to deploy, oversee and defend AI systems as a routine part of their work.

Research finds that 87% of security teams are prioritizing agentic AI adoption, with 77% of cybersecurity professionals comfortable letting these systems take action without human review. Adoption is happening fast. Demand for people capable of managing that adoption is growing accordingly. And the talent pool, predictably, has not caught up.

“Hybrid skills” is the operative phrase right now. Research finds that 59% of security professionals expect demand for hybrid skills to climb over the next three to five years. What hybrid means here is pretty specific. You need someone who understands attack surfaces and can also interrogate why a model behaved the way it did.

That same person has to have compliance literacy and be able to evaluate whether a deployed system is drifting from its intended behavior. And also be able to talk to engineers about adversarial inputs in the morning and to a general counsel about regulatory exposure in the afternoon.

That's a lot of capability for one job description. But it’s what’s happening.

This profile barely existed as a hiring category two years ago. Today it's in active demand and naturally under-supplied. According to the World Economic Forum, only 14% of organization's have the skilled talent they need to meet their cybersecurity objectives.

And that figure becomes more uncomfortable when you remember that the bar keeps moving. AI literacy is now part of meeting cybersecurity objectives. A team that was adequate 18 months ago may not be adequate now, through no fault of their own.

External recruiting is not going to be a panacea for most companies. The supply of candidates who already combine deep security expertise with AI fluency and regulatory awareness is thin enough that aggressive hiring against this profile produces long, expensive vacancies and a lot of bruised hiring managers.

Which means most companies will have to grow these professionals internally. That looks like routing existing security staff through AI literacy training, embedding compliance professionals with model engineering teams, or rotating talent across both functions deliberately enough that the hybrid skill set develops as a byproduct.

This is a longer game than most CISOs and HR leaders want to play.

Understandably, at least on the surface. It produces dividends in 12 to 24 months, in a discipline where the threat surface changes every month.

But the alternative is worse. Continuing to hire based on the old talent profile means continuing to deploy AI systems that nobody on the security team is fully equipped to govern, which means continuing to accumulate organizational risk that compounds quietly until it surfaces all at once. And it always surfaces.

There is a real opportunity buried in this for cybersecurity professionals reading the same data. It used to be that a career path like this one would plateau around senior analyst or security architect. Now it extends into AI risk leadership, AI governance, model security and adjacent roles that essentially didn’t exist as career destinations three years ago.

If you're a practitioner who adds AI literacy to existing security depth, you are positioning yourself for roles that are scarce, valuable and likely to remain so for at least the rest of the decade.

For employers, the takeaway probably feels less shiny, but it’s no less urgent.

The cybersecurity workforce of 2030 is being trained right now, mostly by companies willing to invest in development before the market makes it cheap to hire ready-made talent.

There may not be an explosion of market talent, because they’re already in house. That means you really can’t wait around for these unicorn skill sets to hit the talent market. Instead, you have to cultivate them.

Look at your existing security and compliance teams. Find the people with curiosity about how AI systems work. Invest in them now.

The organizations that move first will be the ones best prepared to secure what comes next.

We've reviewed and ranked the best HR software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

If you're looking for reliable backup power for your home, camping trips, or weather emergencies, the Jackery Explorer 1000 V2 is one of the best portable power stations we've ever tested.

Right now, the Explorer 1000 V2 is down to $449 (was $799) at Amazon, which is a solid $350 discount. And for readers in the UK, the power station has dropped to £379 (was £419) at Amazon.co.uk.

That makes an already excellent power station even better value. Whether you're preparing for unexpected outages, planning weekends away, or simply want dependable portable power for work and recreation, the Explorer 1000 V2 offers an impressive balance of capacity, performance, and portability.

This portable power station delivers 1070Wh capacity with 1500W output, making it suitable for running household essentials, devices, and tools. Fast one-hour charging keeps downtime short, while multiple AC, USB, and DC ports allow several devices to run simultaneously.

In the UK: now £379 (was £419)View Deal

In our rave review, we said the "Jackery Explorer 1000 V2 is one of the best portable power stations around, a solid choice and one of the most robust and reliable options available." It scored 4.5 stars and earned a TechRadar Pro Highly Recommended badge.

Its 1070Wh battery and 1500W continuous power output are enough to run a wide range of everyday devices, including laptops, refrigerators, lights, routers, and small kitchen appliances. A 3000W surge capacity also helps when powering devices that require extra energy to start up.

The battery can recharge from empty to full in around an hour, making it ideal if you're heading off on a last-minute camping trip or need to get backup power ready before severe weather arrives.

The Explorer 1000 V2 includes three pure sine wave AC outlets alongside multiple USB ports and a 12V car outlet, allowing you to power several devices simultaneously without relying on additional adapters.

The unit weighs just under 24 pounds and includes a sturdy carry handle, making it easy to move between rooms, load into a vehicle, or carry around a campsite.

It also supports UPS functionality with a switching time of under 20 milliseconds, helping desktop PCs and other sensitive electronics continue running if the mains power suddenly fails.

The lithium iron phosphate battery is rated for up to 4,000 charge cycles, providing years of dependable service, while the companion app lets you monitor the battery and adjust charging settings directly from your phone.

For more choices, check out the best portable power stations we've tested and reviewed.

• Shop all the portable power stations at Amazon

• A new report suggests foldable phone prices could rise by 18% this year
• That's in part due to the iPhone Ultra, which could launch at a very high price
• Samsung and other brands may well cash in on this market shift

2026 could be one of the biggest years for foldable phones yet, as the foldable iPhone Ultra looks set to finally arrive in September. But while that’s sure to excite anyone who’s been waiting for an Apple-made foldable, it could also come with some bad news for consumers.

You see, according to a recent Counterpoint Research report (via 9to5Mac), the average price of foldable phones could rise by as much as 18% this year, and that increase will in part be thanks to Apple’s upcoming model.

Specifically, the average price is predicted to rise to $1,485 (roughly £1,110 / AU$2,140), and that’s in part because the iPhone Ultra itself will probably cost significantly more than that, with a recent IDC report predicting that the phone could retail for as much as $2,500 (around £1,870 / AU$3,600) — and that might just be the starting price.

This being an iPhone, it’s sure to be popular and could therefore drive up the average price of foldable phones. But its impact might extend to other brands too, because a $2,500 foldable iPhone could make such prices more palatable when attached to phones from Samsung and other companies.

With this in mind, it’s perhaps no surprise that a Samsung exec said last year that the Korean giant is “welcoming others to join this category,” in response to a question about the iPhone Ultra’s arrival.

Don’t be surprised, then, if future Samsung foldables cost more than current ones — and not just because of rising RAM prices and inflation, but also because of the Apple impact.

Still, this Counterpoint report has some good pricing news too, as while it predicts that book-style foldables will continue increasing in price, clamshell models are expected to fall in price on average, bringing them “closer to premium bar-type smartphone alternatives.”

So while book-style foldables might start feeling even further out of reach for a lot of buyers, clamshell models could become increasingly attainable.

• Companies going all-in on AI are also seeing positive impacts on headcount
• Entry-level roles saw higher-than-average growth, opposing existing research
• Workforce gains aren't immediate – AI needs time to find its place within organizations

A new report has challenged the narrative that AI adoption has been leading to job losses, instead revealing that the companies making the biggest investments in AI are actually growing their workforces.

The study combines corporate AI spending data from Ramp's payment platform and workforce records from Revelio Labs to analyze more than 21,500 US companies, making it one of the biggest of its kind.

It concludes that high-intensity AI adopters increased their headcount by around 10% during the first two years after deploying AI, making AI good news for workers and labor after all.

Clearly, only strong AI adoption has a positive impact on workers, because companies making modest investments didn't see any significant growth.

The study also stresses that the impacts are slow-growing – rather than seeing an immediate uptick in employment, it takes time for companies to integrate AI, discover productive use cases and hire more workers.

High adopters are defined as those who invested around $33 per employee per month during the first three months after adoption, compared with around $3 for low adopters.

It also challenges other recent research, asserting that entry-level employment actually rose by a higher-than-average 12% among high-intensity AI adopters. Other reports have implied that entry-level workers have been among the hardest hit.

Even though tech giants dominate the headlines, with Salesforce cutting nearly half of its support staff and Amazon notably cutting tens of thousands of workers, the Ramp/Revelio Labs report actually shows growth across more than just AI engineer roles, spanning sales, marketing, admin, finance, customer service and more.

While the research can't be used to predict long-term labor impacts, it does at least serve as a notice that workers aren't currently at risk of total redundancy, even amid job role shifts.

It's been all go in the world of headphones and earbuds in the first six months of 2026. In fact, we've put live no fewer than 70 audio-product reviews in the first half of the year.

In the ever-evolving wireless headphones space, the predicted uptick in open-ear designs (a 400% surge in releases of the design was cited late last year) and also wired options (the digital detox trend continues apace) means I had a lot to pick from for this little roundup.

Because of this, I've chosen to up my usual '5 best' to '8 best' in the headphone space, and give you a 50/50 split of the best headphones and earbuds we've tested so far this calendar year. You'll also see there's a wired option in this main list, as well as a couple of open-fit earbuds. We are nothing if not trend-setters here at TechRadar HQ.

I'll kick off with earbuds and move onto headphones — and within each grouping, I'll organize by release date, so starting with the January release of the ground-breaking Shokz OpenFit Pro, moving on to the February-issue Huawei Freebuds Pro 5 and so on.

Because even eight spots isn't enough to cover all bases, I'll also add a few honorable mentions at the end of this roundup. As I said, it's already been a bumper year for headphones — and we're still only half-way through it…

• Release date: January 6, 2026
• Rating: 4.5 / 5

Finally, a set of open earbuds that sound like you're not wearing open earbuds! In the end, I didn't review the Shokz Openfit Pro because I had to have shoulder surgery — although I did do an early hands-on in which I said how impressed I was with these excellent buds. The writer who did review them is a very active man and, as you'll see if you click through, he put them through their paces for a whole range of sporting activities.

And this is honestly the Openfit Pro's greatest strength. Fans of sports-specific open earbuds and bone-conduction solutions will likely be well versed in Shokz products, but the OpenFit Pro are the first ever Shokz earbuds to feature a "synchronized dual-diaphragm driver and noise reduction". And by 'noise reduction', you absolutely must think 'active noise cancellation, but for an open-ear design'.

And I think (apart from perhaps last year's Honor Earbuds Open, which aren't especially geared for sports use) it's the first time ANC in an open design has been done really well.

Shokz would point you towards its unique new "aerospace-grade aluminum PMI dome cap" on the driver housing as one of the biggest design features. What it means is that there's a little 'nub' on the earpiece now, and it is a very good thing from a design perspective as well as sonically. It slips happily under the cimba concha (one of the inner folds of the outer ear — you'd get it if you tried them) to make them secure for a range of sports. And did I mention the sound? Oh, it's aces.

Read our in-depth Shokz Openfit Pro review

• Release date: Janauary 27, 2026
• Rating: 4.5 / 5

Isn't it refreshing to see something priced at $39.95 / £34.99 (about AU$55) making a 'best of 2026' roundup? And from a trusted name such as Sennheiser too?

For that nominal fee — as my colleague Harry said in his thorough review — "these wired buds offer responsive, clean bass that grabs your attention without spoiling the party for sounds in the mid and treble ranges."

They're not winning any design originality awards, but the CX 80U do feel very pleasant in the ear, even for multi-hour listening sessions (some of us struggle with sleep sometimes OK?) and none of the team ever experienced discomfort or irritation. You also get small, medium and large ear tips included in the box, helping you to find your perfect fit.

There’s also an in-line controller, which is neither too close to the face nor too far down, and because it's attached to the right bud, you'll always know which side is which in a hurry.

All in all, a bargain proposition if you're embracing the wired trend this year — and if you are on that particular train, you should know it leads on past this to Audiophile Town. On this journey, I support you!

Read our in-depth Sennheiser CX 80U review

• Release date: February 26, 2026
• Rating: 5 / 5

I see a lot of earbuds with AirPods Pro looks (although it has to be said, not as many as perhaps two years ago) all vying for a slice of the AirPods' healthy sales figures. So, for me to agree that a set of earbuds classes as a "serious AirPods Pro rival" is no small statement. And the Huawei Freebuds Pro 5 are those earbuds.

For everyday listening, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 are the best earbuds you can get without spending significantly more. They score highly across the board, and make a compelling case that there’s life beyond Apple's ice-white offering — even for those who have been reluctant to shop around.

This is, as the name suggests, the fifth generation of Huawei’s FreeBuds Pro line, which has been knocking on the door patiently since 2020, waiting for people to notice them — and to be fair, we’ve always rated them rather well. The FreeBuds Pro 4 landed in November 2024 and scored four stars, i.e., strong, but not quite there. What you need to know is that the Pro 5 are a wholly different beast; good enough to go head-to-head with the best at this level, including the September 2025-issue Apple AirPods Pro 3.

The FreeBuds Pro 5 look and feel more premium than their price suggests. They’re smaller and lighter than the Pro 4 at 5.5g per bud, which is noticeable. Build quality is excellent, the stems have a high-shine finish and the case has a satiny coating that feels upscale. And the sound and feature-set? It's incredibly good sound-per-pound value at this level. Highly recommended.

Read our in-depth Huawei Freebuds Pro 5 review

• Release date: May 21, 2026
• Rating: 4.5 / 5

Well well well… another fifth-generation set of earbuds finally breaking through the congested roster of 2026 releases to make this Best in Show list!

Anker's Soundcore sub-brand doesn't necessarily have a reputation for releasing the absolute best earbuds; we gave the Soundcore Liberty 5 (yes, take care, because those aren't these — neither is this the 5 Pro Max, which you should swerve in favor of this product, the 5 Pro) a 3.5-star score, and that tended to be par for the course. Until now.

The May-issue Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro brought a change to the brand: it really feels like the firm is coming into its own as a sound specialist, and it knows what buyers really want.

The fit here is fantastic, and while you might think we've been swayed by the fancy touchscreen case, actually no. It's fine, but what is fantastic is the companion app you get with your purchase: it'll boggle your mind given how many tools it offers. And all of the perks are useful too — the ANC is very good, the listening test is handy, and the array of array of little extras is truly impressive for the money.

Read our in-depth Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro review

• Release date: October 31, 2025 (but we got them to test in March '26)
• Rating: 5 / 5

You wanted the best, and these are the best. Nobody said 'best' meant 'affordable' though, so here we are. The eagle-eyed may note that these wired over-ears launched in late 2025, but owing to the very few review samples circulating (see my first point about this being an elite set of headphones), we only got our mitts on them in early 2026; and hang it all, it's my list and I need you to know about them.

If the price tag doesn't make you recoil, you've got a decent amp to drive them and you accept that they're an open-back design (so you wouldn't want to wear them on a packed commuter train or a long-haul flight in coach, say — although I'd wager owners of these cans will fly Business at least), the Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000 headphones are an exceptional audio investment.

Think beautifully precise and engaging audio, plus exhilarating low-end performance — and they're very comfortable too. Okay, yes, for $3,499 / £3,000 / AU$4,999 you might expect comfort, but it isn't always a given, even at this level. Give them the right source material and amplification, and these exceptional headphones will reward you no end.

Read our in-depth Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000 review

• Release date: March 13, 2026
• Rating: 4.5 / 5

Now this is how you do a follow-up set of cans. Regular readers might remember the rather extravagantly priced Nothing Headphone (1) which, well, got 3.5 stars shortly after their release owing to a congested, slightly disorganized and compressed sound. These are not those.

This March-release set — from Nothing's mid-range '(a)' series, although I know it's a confusing naming structure — sound better and do more, but weigh, and cost, less.

The clamping force is still relatively strong, but I personally love the design, including a round multi-function custom button on the top of the right ear cup that can trigger your voice assistant by default, summon EQ control, be a mic mute, or work as a camera remote trigger — a new feature for this model, and one much pricier models (including the AirPods Max 2) have also implemented.

I don't want to appear smug, but I did predict last year that while Nothing hadn't aced it with the Headphone (1), the company took three goes to nail decent earbuds, and I was sure the next set of cans released by the quirky firm would fix all the issues of the inaugural set. And here we are: the Nothing Headphone (a) are some of the best new cans at their level.

Read our in-depth Nothing Headphone (a) review

• Release date: March 16, 2026
• Rating: 4.5 / 5

So, Nothing's cans sat at the top of the pile for precisely… three days. Yep. The ever-evolving world of wireless ANC headphones can be brutal, and only three days after Nothing's affordable and delightfully different-looking headphones started snatching up column inches, Apple's second-generation flagship headphones landed, looking every bit the same as the first pair. And they still came out on top. Harsh, but fair…

I haven't always been an Apple headphone cheerleader. So you might think, given the complete lack of design overhaul, I'd be a little disappointed in the newest AirPods Max 2. But put them on your head, deploy the ANC and get them playing music and it becomes impossible to dislike them. The new H2 chip in each ear cup, combined with a new amplification module, is truly game-changing.

Yes, you can use the Digital Crown as a remote and yes, you can now do gestural controls, use Live Translation, or speak to someone and the headphones now adjust playback so you can chat happily, but none of these upgrades is what clinches the deal for me. What does? The noise cancellation is 1.5 times better, and if you've ever heard the first set, you'll know how remarkable an uptick in performance that is. Also, the sound is punchier and crisper, with greater dynamic nuance and insight.

The one fly in the ointment (and the reason I couldn't give them the full five-star score) is the battery life, at only 20 hours. But I'll take a hit on stamina when the bubble-of-silence ANC is this good.

Read my in-depth Apple AirPods Max 2 review

• Release date: May 19, 2026
• Rating: 4.5 / 5

A set of wireless on-ears in a 2026 'best of' roundup? How novel! And it's not just because of Marshall's continued commitment to rockstar, old guitar amp chic — although that customizable gold 'M button' on the corner of one ear cup is a beauty.

They're comfortable and you get a whopping 80 hours of playtime with ANC off, and a still-great 50 hours with noise cancelling active. But their magic is in what they combine: the Marshall Milton ANC effectively fuse everything we loved about the company's Major and Monitor models. They combine the iconic on-ear look of Marshall’s most popular headphones with the noise-cancelling capabilities and rich feature-set of their pricier over-ears, and all for an official price of $229 / £179 / AU$329.

And come on, they look much pricier than that! Marshall's Soundstage mode also makes a welcome return here, a profile intended to “make your sound more spacious”. It works nicely here, even in an on-ear design. OK, the effects aren’t as drastic as you'll get from some headphones’ spatial audio options, but you can adjust the metaphorical ‘room size’ and ‘amount’ that you'd like to get with your spatial sound. Top tip: a medium room at 80% was the sweet spot for my colleague Harry (and I happen to agree).

Read our in-depth Marshall Milton ANC review

We've tested swathes of headphones and earbuds since the outset of 2026, and I cannot list all of them here, although you can go to my friendly audio reviews corner of TechRadar for a full list of everything that's been through the full 12 rounds with us recently (and in chronological order).

The three products I'm shining a light on here are headphones that also gained 4.5-stars following our thorough review process (not everything gets this rating, believe me) but that didn't quite make the list.

First up is the wired Meze Audio Strada, which landed on January 21, 2026. These are closed-back headphones (great for listening with people around you) that manage to sound admirably un-closed, and deliver an awful lot that will appeal to the well-off and larger-headed listener. Ah, there's the rub! While I adore the soundstage (not to mention the Macassar hardwood ear cups and Magnesium frame), I do not own a particularly large noggin and I struggled to achieve a fit that didn't fall backwards to the nape of my neck. Still, a lovely listen for the larger-headed audiophile.

Next, cast your eye in the gallery above to the mid-March arrival of the JBL Live 780NC. I've got no issue with the fit here, and the sound is great for the money, as is the feature set and very generous 80-hour battery. It's a little disappointing that you don't get a charging cable in the box though, and if we're being truly nitpicky (and it is our job to do so) the bass here can be a little overpowering for the audiophiles among us. That said, if you love the Harman curve (and plenty of consumers do, it has been proven!) they'll likely suit you just fine.

Lastly in this little trio, I'd like to draw your attention to the Grado Signature S750. They are another wired offering, this time open-backed, that actually landed towards the end of 2025 but, owing to their $1,695 / £1,695 (about AU$3,400) price tag, we wanted to take plenty of time over. We published our review in early 2026 — and I still want you to know about them. Things we loved? The exceptionally wide soundstage with excellent positioning and pinpoint clarity. The only issue? Despite the claim of 50% more padding than earlier models, Grado's design language might best be described as brutalist. I love how they look, but they're still quite hefty and after longer listening sessions, you do start to feel that weight across your crown…