TECH NEWS

Do you really need an expensive fan to stay cool? I tested 5 handheld models from £17 to £130, and one…

I've tested some excellent portable fans this year, with premium looks and price tags, but do you really need to spend over £100 to stay cool this summer? To find out, I picked out a collection of five fans at different price points, from £16 through to £130, to see whether paying extra really makes a difference.

I tested and rated each fan based on perceived power, volume, design, and value. All five models are around the same size, and are rechargeable via USB. Only one (the Shark ChillPill) has a battery you can replace yourself; the rest are all sealed units.

Read on for my full thoughts on each one — or use the links below to jump straight to retailers while stock lasts.

1. John Lewis High Power Handheld Fan

Image 1 of 5

This little fan doesn't have the sheer power of the DysonHushJet Mini below,...

Copyright of this story solely belongs to techradar.com. To see the full text click HERE

https://www.zdnet.com/a/img/resize/09f6420cb4d806ddf9f1826c24708a8d8c494d7f/2026/08/12/c5701548-fd0e-4efc-bb73-cbdd9f42b8dc/sparkyhero.jpg?auto=webp&fit=crop&height=675&width=1200

Sparky Linux just restored 32-bit support - why that still matters

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways * Sparky Linux has revived its release for 32-bit hardware * The 32-bit version is available as either a minimal GUI or a minimal CLI * You can download and use Sparky Linux for free. Every PC sold

https://www.zdnet.com/a/img/resize/a7760f7d865f32ae0d67ee8af2421b7276cf2f49/2026/08/11/60013da5-d7f0-40f6-bbe6-65a037c1d5e1/dsc05542.jpg?auto=webp&fit=crop&height=675&width=1200

Every Amazon Google Pixel 11 preorder deal - get up to $350 on an Amazon gift card, free

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Google just announced its new flagship Pixel 11 series, including the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. The phones include upgrades to the processor, cameras, and storage, making them an elevated choice

https://images.ctfassets.net/jdtwqhzvc2n1/1J59SGXBNdsrIt3Kw0ldLc/a141fa05285801695f63cba9b60fc522/a26da258-6757-46f3-857c-c143d56f830a.jpg?w=800&q=75

SpaceXAI debuts Grok 4.6, overtaking Kimi K3's performance and vaulting to the world's fourth best on Artificial Analysis

Elon Musk's company SpaceXAI, formerly known as xAI, has released Grok 4.6, its latest frontier AI model, with a focus on long-running agents, coding and knowledge work — and a pricing strategy designed to make those workloads cheaper to run. The model scores 61 on the third-party Artificial

ShareX

ShareX is a free and open source program that lets you capture or record any area of your screen and share it with a single press of a key. ShareX also allows uploading images, text or other types of files to many supported destinations you can choose from. How can

1. John Lewis High Power Handheld Fan

Read more

Sparky Linux just restored 32-bit support - why that still matters

Every Amazon Google Pixel 11 preorder deal - get up to $350 on an Amazon gift card, free

SpaceXAI debuts Grok 4.6, overtaking Kimi K3's performance and vaulting to the world's fourth best on Artificial Analysis

ShareX