Eight reviews dropped in a single day, led by the iPhone 18 Pro Max, which earned HotHardware's Editor's Choice for its A20 Pro chip, variable aperture camera, and Google-matching Siri AI at prices from $1,299. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 drew the boldest praise, with a reviewer calling it "possibly the best Call of Duty ever" thanks to its cinematic campaign, revived DMZ, and classic multiplayer. The loudest trend came from two AI peripherals, the $99.99 Logitech MX Keypad and the $169.99 Razer Basilisk V4 Pro, each adding programmable AI shortcuts to their designs. Tying the batch together are a push toward efficiency over raw specs, heavy reliance on ecosystem lock-in, and rising prices that make even strong drives like the Golden Award-winning KIOXIA EXCERIA G3 feel pricey.
Eight reviews land in a single day, and the AI gadgets make the loudest impression
There is rarely a slow day in this part of the web. The review embargo came off at roughly the same time today, and eight full reviews arrived together, spanning steel PC cases, an LCD-window cooler, a Call of Duty some outlets are crowning the best of the series, two AI-flavored input gadgets, Apple's newest phone, a white Micro-ATX board, and a Gen5 SSD that's still cheap by enthusiast standards. Here's what actually stood out.
Starting with the Logitech MX Keypad. For $99.99 you get an 11-button panel where nine of those keys are LCD screens that swap icons and text depending on which app currently has focus. It runs on plugins through Logitech Options+, and it ships with a three-month GitHub Copilot Pro+ subscription, which about sums up the target buyer.
TechPowerUp: Logitech MX Keypad Review
Being conceived primarily for AI integration and developing, the Logitech MX Keypad is an 11-button control panel featuring LCD keys able to display icons and text. The MX Keypad is closely integrated with Logitech Options+, allowing for plugins and context-aware profile switching.
Tom's Hardware says the same thing in different words about the Razer Basilisk V4 Pro, calling it "a great all-around gaming mouse." The $169.99 Basilisk adds a dedicated AI prompt button on top of a 50K sensor, an 8,000 Hz polling rate, and a 200-hour battery. That button does throw off thumb-button harmony, and the shell runs a touch large. Still, those specs at this price go a long way.
Tom's Hardware: Razer Basilisk V4 Pro Review: Tried and true and now with AI
It's the Basilisk you know and love, plus an AI prompt button.
Razer Basilisk V4 Pro Review: Tried and true and now with AI
This whole "AI-ify everything" instinct has become a recognizable 2026 motif. It shows up most fully on a phone.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max shows up as a tock cycle, meaning refinement over revolution. Starting at $1,299 and hitting $1,899 as reviewed, it swaps in Apple's new A20 Pro chip, a 2nm process, a 4.93 GHz top clock, and a hardware ray-tracing GPU Apple claims runs up to 40% faster than the A19 Pro. HotHardware's benchmarks have it beating the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 in Geekbench while matching it elsewhere, and it adds variable aperture on the main camera plus a Siri overhaul that finally matches Google's. Editor's Choice is fair, though the eSIM-only North American models and the charger left out of the box are the usual friction. Not a bad year to upgrade, just not a reason to.
HotHardware: Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max Review: Killer Cameras, Speed And Smarts
The iPhone 18 Pro Max ($1,299) benefits from Apple’s ultra-efficient A20 Pro chip and variable aperture on the main camera, making it Apple’s best
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max Review: Killer Cameras, Speed And Smarts
As for the boldest verdict of the batch, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is drawing the kind of language reviewers rarely pull out. Cole Martin, who's followed the series since 2009, lands on the phrase "possibly the best Call of Duty ever." The single-player campaign reopens with a squad of South Korean conscripts and American Marines hitting a Seoul convenience store, while the DMZ mode brings back the PvPvE extraction loop with a new MIA system that raises the real stakes when you die. Classic multiplayer gets 12 launch maps and a rotating layout called Kill Block. Both beautiful and violent, as Windows Central puts it, it's a clean finale for the rebooted Modern Warfare arc, and the main reason to pick it up.
Windows Central: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 review — Infinity Ward closes out the subseries with the explosive finale it deserves
From an emotional farewell to a new way to play, Modern Warfare 4 might actually be the perfect Call of Duty experience.
Corsair clearly pulled two items from the same toolbox. The WARTHOG RS chassis is a deliberate callback to the 2012 Vengeance C70, that ammo-box mid-tower with steel carry handles. It keeps the handles, thickens the steel even further, and sells for $199.99. Hardware Busters gives it a 9/10, praising the build quality and noise damping.
Hardware Busters: Corsair WARTHOG RS Chassis Review
Corsair WARTHOG RS chassis review: very thick steel, sturdy carry handles, an easy build, and noise damping and fan noise measured in a lab. $199.99.
The matching iCUE LINK TITAN II 360 RX LCD cooler sits at $239.99, fronting a 5-inch IPS display for widgets and GIFs alongside a modular fan frame and a rare separate VRM fan. TechPowerUp calls it "a compelling option for those fond of Corsair's iCUE LINK ecosystem," and the six-year warranty backs that claim. Together they're a strong ecosystem play, though you have to buy into the whole chain to make it sing.
TechPowerUp: Corsair iCUE LINK TITAN II 360 RX LCD Review
Corsair iCUE LINK TITAN II 360 RX LCD is Corsair's latest AIO liquid cooler. With a 5-inch IPS display, unified fans, a VRM fan, and vibrant ARGB lighting, it grabs attention. Solid performance, quality-of-life features, and a strong warranty make it a compelling option for those fond of Corsair's iCUE LINK ecosystem.
Meanwhile, the Gigabyte Z890M Aorus Elite WiFi7 Ice earns an Editor's Choice at $209.99 largely on looks, one of the cleaner white Micro-ATX boards around, with full heatsink coverage and nine rear USB ports including a 40 Gbps Type-C.
Tom's Hardware: Gigabyte Z890M Aorus Elite WiFi7 Motherboard Review: Icy-white SFF board offers full-size features for Intel
This snazzy Micro ATX board offers full-size features at SFF prices
The KIOXIA EXCERIA G3 4TB Gen5 SSD earns NikKTech's Golden Award around an expected $550, pairing efficient BiCS8 QLC flash with a DRAM-less design that borrows memory via HMB. "Far from the fastest Gen5 M.2 out there," NikKTech writes, but "definitely worth the Golden Award." The catch is heavy write-heavy workloads, and the controller runs warm.
NikKTech: KIOXIA EXCERIA G3 4TB Gen5 M.2 SSD Review
Combining PCIe Gen5 connectivity, next-generation flash memory, and a spacious 4TB capacity, the KIOXIA EXCERIA G3 is designed to address the growing storage demands of gaming, content creation, and everyday computing.
