Could 2026 be the year when tech finally tackles its problems?

@PCPRO FACEBOOK.COM/PCPRO A s someone who is

CONTRIBUTORS

Iain Thomson Having spent almost two decades at

The A-List

Next month

ON SALE Thursday 5 February SUBSCRIBE.PCPRO.CO.UK Labs ChatGPT

When the Wi-Fi’s down, who you gonna call? Jon Honeyball!

S ometimes technology brings us the perfect solution

The VPN hunt is on

Background and analysis on all the important news stories

Geekom launches its first laptop

Taiwanese mini PC builder releases first portable computer

6 things to watch for in 2026

What to expect from the year ahead in the tech industry

Bag a software bargain

Don’t pay full price for software when we can offer you huge reductions on genuine products

Live long and prosper?

There are lessons for the transhumanist movement to learn from science fiction, but look to Frankenstein and Ex Machina rather than Star Trek

The ICO clearly isn’t fit for purpose

Experts have called for an inquiry into the Information Commissioner’s Office – and they couldn’t be more right

Regulate before it’s too late

Rather than rely on market forces, we might all be better off letting companies grow so big that governments are forced to step in

Readers’ comments

Your views and feedback from email and the web

Readers’ poll

Imagine a world where one tech company ruled supreme. Who would you want it to be and why?

10 GREAT AI TOOLS FOR 2026

FROM EDITING VIDEOS LIKE WORD DOCUMENTS TO CREATING YOUR OWN BROWSER GAMES, BARRY COLLINS HIGHLIGHTS TEN BRILLIANT AI TOOLS YOU’LL WANT TO EXPLOIT IN THE YEAR AHEAD

AFFINITY

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE FREE CREATIVE SUITE

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO THE INTERNET?

THE INTERNET HAS BEEN DRAGGED DOWN BY ENSHITTIFICATION, ACCORDING TO CORY DOCTOROW. IAIN THOMSON SITS DOWN WITH HIM TO DISCUSS WHAT WENT WRONG – AND HOW WE FIGHT BACK.

DO YOU STILL NEED BACKUP IN 2026?

With modern cloud services and solid-state storage, you might think traditional backup methods are obsolete, but Darien Graham-Smith urges you not to risk your data

Dell Pro Max Tower T2 Desktop

The biggest, best, most exciting products in technology – reviewed and rated

How we test

Laptops and PCs We run a selection of

Medion Erazer Hunter X30

A basic chassis for the price, but you can’t argue with the quality of the hardware within or the price

CyberPowerPC Ultra R5RX

Easy on the eyes and the ears, this is a great choice for 1440p gaming with not a wasted pound in sight

MSI Cubi Z AI 8M

A solid and unassuming mini PC that’s particularly well suited to offices thanks to MSI’s UK-based support

Beelink SER9 Pro (Ryzen 7 H 255)

The novel AMD Ryzen 7 H 255 processor delivers strong all-round performance in a well-built system

HP OmniBook X Flip 14

HP continues to flip the rules on what to expect for around a grand, making this our top choice for 14in convertibles

HP OmniBook X Flip 16

HP pairs a gorgeous OLED touchscreen with a smart 2-in-1 design – the result is a superb everyday laptop

Your bonus software

We scour the globe to negotiate the best software deals for our readers, from extended licences to full programs you don’t need to pay a penny for. Here’s this month’s lineup

BenQ PV3200U

Great colour coverage, integrated 2.1 speakers and a handy puck, but beware of this monitor’s limitations

BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2

This bright and brilliant screen bar will light up your world in ways you may not even have thought of

Soamco Monitor Light Bar

No frills, but it does deliver on all its promises

Motorola Edge 70

A disappointing successor to the Edge 60 and 60 Pro, with no obvious reason for a huge price hike

SUPERCHARGE YOUR STORAGE WITH A GEN5 M.2 SSD

Whether you want to upgrade your laptop or your desktop PC, one of these eight PCIe Gen5 SSDs will do the job perfectly

Acer Predator GM9000

A fast and efficient drive that aims for affordability over outright speed, but it’s undercut by rivals here

Corsair MP700 Pro SE

This second edition Gen5 SSD offers top performance with interesting cooling options, but at a price

Kingston Fury Renegade G5

A faithful follow-up to the popular Fury Renegade, with higher performance and power efficiency

Crucial T705 with heatsink

A superb-value choice for desktop PCs, but choose a less power-hungry M.2 SSD for laptops

Kioxia Exceria Plus G4

By no means the fastest, but a solid alternative to high-end rivals due to its competitive price

Lexar NM1090 Pro

A niche but well-priced high-end drive with good all-around performance but no stand-out features

Best of the PCIe Gen4 SSDs

If your laptop or desktop PC doesn’t support PCI-Express 5.0 there’s little point in buying a Gen5 SSD – so choose one of the best PCIe Gen4 SSDs instead

Samsung 9100 Pro

Available and tested in 8TB, this is the best choice for those after a top-capacity PCIe Gen5 SSD

WD Black SN8100

The pinnacle of SSD design, bringing great performance and power efficiency in one slim package

PRINTERS FOR PROS

THERE HAS BEEN A SLEW OF NEW PRINTERS RELEASED READY FOR 2026, BUT WHICH OF THESE DOZEN WILL BEST SUIT YOUR DEMANDING NEEDS?

How to choose a printer that won’t let you down

Buying a printer should be viewed as a multi-year investment, so it makes sense to thoroughly understand your options before you buy

How we test

Our rigorous testing procedure helps separate the wheat from the chaff

Brother DCP-T780DW

Brother’s first attempt at a refillable inkjet for the UK market, and it’s very nearly a killer debut

Canon i-Sensys MF664Cdw

A few foibles, but the MF664Cdw offers a decent balance of specification, price and performance

Canon Pixma TS6550i

The TS6550i ought to sit in the sweet spot for Canon’s new Pixma range, but huge running costs let it down

Epson EcoTank ET-4956

Epson’s EcoTank ET-4956 combines everything the home office needs into a compact, affordable MFP

Brother DCP-L1660W

It’s a shame that the DCP-L1660W isn’t a better printer, because it’s cheap and its scanner is very good

Brother MFC-J4550DW

This extremely quick inkjet multifunction is something of a bargain now that its price has fallen

Canon Pixma TS4150i

An impressive inkjet MFP in many ways, but running costs are extortionate unless you subscribe to a print plan

Canon Pixma TS7550i

The TS7550i produces strong results and has an attractive initial price, but the running costs kill

Epson EcoTank ET-2950

The EcoTank ET-2950 is a perfectly decent refillable MFP, but you can get more for your money

HP LaserJet Pro 4002dn

Fast and professional it may be, but the LaserJet Pro 4002dn isn’t especially cheap to run

Kyocera Ecosys PA2101cx

Kyocera’s PA2101cx isn’t especially cheap to run, but if you aren’t in a hurry it will deliver strong results

Xerox C320

Xerox’s C320 colour laser offers reasonable speeds and running costs, but it doesn’t excel in this crowd

View from the Labs

With little innovation in printers, it’s a game of spot the difference between this year’s Labs and the last – but is that such a bad thing?

TP-Link Omada EAP787

A good-value business Wi-Fi 7 AP that delivers fine performance and plenty of management choices

Ubiquiti Networks UniFi U7 Pro XG

This classy tri-band business Wi-Fi 7 AP delivers the perfect blend of features, performance and value

Zyxel NWA50BE

Modest performance, but this dual-band Wi-Fi 7 AP delivers great business-class features at a low price

DrayTek VigorSwitch P2542x

A good-value gigabit PoE+ switch with a high port density, a big power budget and heaps of features

Jabra PanaCast 40 VBS

This smart VC combo offers on-demand Microsoft Teams Rooms and BYOD modes, plus great image quality

Upgrade your business to Wi-Fi 7

Practical buying and strategic advice for IT managers and decision makers

Cybersecurity for remote workers

Small businesses can’t afford to skimp on security for remote workers. Davey Winder plans out your risk mitigation checklist

Privacy by design

Protecting personal information can’t be an afterthought. Steve Cassidy explores how to put data privacy first

“Will this be another half-arsed Microsoft initiative that putters out after a few years?”

Expert advice from our panel of professionals

“We were left shell-shocked. Somehow, we’d fixed a machine, for cash, without destroying it”

As a new year dawns, we wonder why flashing a BIOS remains so stressful, ask what Ridge it’s really running and stare at a £500 PSU that doesn’t fit

“An AI may be technically responsible for causing harm, such as financial loss or injury”

Have you considered how the use of AI affects your contracts and legal obligations? Probably not, but fortunately Olivia is here to help

“Ransomware remains a major threat to business; denying that is akin to a nose/face spite thing”

Ransomware attacks are up and cyber insurance is up. Maybe it’s time to start taking the threat seriously, huh?

“Progress lies not with the trusted brands but through innovators in the gaming sector”

In the land where everyone is in a bind, those with the smallest devices will be king – or, why mini systems make such great diagnostic devices

Football Manager A game of two halves

It’s Football Manager versus Football Manager , new against old, as David Crookes explains

How Mozilla hopes to stop the ENSHITTIFICATION of the internet

AI is already disrupting the web as we know it, but that could offer an opportunity to build a better way of working, argue speakers at this year’s Mozilla Festival. Nicole Kobie reports from Barcelona