01 Sep
Blog

Peptides For The Skin: How Do They Fight The Look Of Wrinkles?

Here's a pop quiz: what are peptides and how are they related to wrinkles? Sometimes skin care buzz ingredients sound like mysterious by-products from a high school science experiment. Before you get out your biology textbook, we have a simple guide to these naturally occurring ingredients. Here's your handy cheat sheet on peptides for skin, why they work, and how they reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

Why do I get wrinkles?

Have you ever wondered what happens to your skin when you see wrinkles? The skin is made up of three layers consisting of the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis. In the dermis you will find collagen, the most important structural protein in the skin. As we get older, we lose collagen, the protein that gives our skin its hold and elasticity. Collagen is the “stone and mortar” of our skin, but as we age we slowly produce less and less of it, making the skin thinner and more sensitive. In addition to the natural aging process, collagen loss can be caused by lifestyle factors such as smoking, sun damage, or poor diet.

So where do peptides fit in? When collagen breaks down, it forms peptides that signal the skin to produce new collagen. By applying additional signal peptides through skin care products, we are actually tricking the skin into making more collagen. As a crucial step in the collagen production process, peptides promote a firmer and smoother appearance of the skin.

How peptides contribute to collagen formation

What are peptides?

As ThoughtCo explains, “A peptide is a molecule made up of two or more amino acids linked by peptide bonds.” Since proteins are also made up of amino acids, you may be wondering: what is the difference between peptides and proteins? ? Peptides contain between two and 50 amino acids, while proteins contain more than 50. Proteins are essentially large peptides (called polypeptides) that are made up of multiple peptide units; they are much longer and structurally more complex than their smaller counterparts. So while all proteins contain peptides, no peptides contain proteins. Since collagen, elastin, and keratin are all important proteins for healthy skin, the peptides involved in their formation are also critical to maintaining the health of your skin.

What are the benefits of peptides in skin care?

There are many types of peptides (think hundreds), but when it comes to skin care products there are a few key players that you can reach for. Eminence Organics Lead Skin Care Trainer Natalie Pergar says there are two specifically that she believes are the most effective – signal peptides and neuropeptides. As we have already learned, signal peptides trigger the body's natural processes to rebuild the longer-chain proteins to create collagen for skin care. Neuropeptides, on the other hand, work at the muscular level to block the transmission of signals from the nerves to the facial muscles.

As Natalie describes: “An important difference between peptides and other beauty ingredients is that peptides work in harmony with the body's natural processes. Other ingredients can benefit the skin but cannot trigger a reaction in the body – for example, vitamin C provides antioxidants, but the body is unable to produce vitamin C on its own. ”

If you want to experience the benefits of peptides, our Marine Flower Peptide Collection uses both plant-based peptides and marine flower technology. The peptides in this collection are obtained naturally from sacha inchi and rice protein and are intended to make the appearance of our skin firmer and more elastic.

With this crash course in peptides, you are sure to be equipped to expand your skin care routine. Do you already use peptides in your skin care products? Are there any other skin-smoothing ingredients that you prefer? Let us know in the comments below or on social media.

This article was originally written by Karen Young Chester in 2015.

31 Aug
Blog

Lenovo ThinkStation P620 Review: Ripping Threads to Shreads

Lenovo P620 in front of a window.

Lenovo Thinkstation P620 in review: the ultimate Threadripper workstation

RRP $ 1,937.00

"The ThinkStation P620 is the most powerful single-socket workstation there is."

advantages

  • Insane processor power

  • Easy to upgrade

  • Toolless design

  • 10Gb Ethernet

Think really big. If you could build a workstation with the most powerful components on the market, what would it look like? Well, it would probably look a lot like the Lenovo ThinkStation P620, a workstation with a Threadripper Pro processor that can handle the most demanding workloads.

It is the definition of overkill and is designed to optimize a specific set of applications for performance. For most people, it's an overpriced workstation that makes no sense if you could build your own computer with cheaper parts that you can buy separately. For others, especially those who are into deep learning and heavily threaded applications, it is the performance champion.

I've been using the Lenovo P620 for a few weeks now – and by "used" I mean tested because the fan noise is too much to cope with in everyday life. It has been proven time and time again to be one of the best performing desktops out there, provided you have the money for the right hardware.

draft

The Lenovo ThinkStation P620 is remarkably small considering the hardware you can stow in it. It's 17.3 inches long, 6.5 inches wide, and 18.1 inches high – a bit thinner than a mid-tower chassis, but about the same height. There is a handy handle on the front of the case to make it easy for you to pick up the device and you need to use it. The P620 can weigh over 50 pounds depending on the configuration.

Regardless of your configuration, the ThinkStation P620 comes with a three-year warranty standard and certifications for multiple software providers. Lenovo maintains a list that includes software from Adobe, Autodesk, Bentley, and Siemens, to name a few.

To open the side panel, Lenovo offers a simple, tool-free solution. You simply open a handle on the side wall with a push and then lift the side wall off. It's a simple, seamless design that allows for quick access to the internals. When my test unit arrived, I jumped off the side wall without thinking about it – no instructions required.

Internals of the Lenovo P620.

The side panel also reveals one of the P620's problems. There is no ventilation on the sides, top or bottom. Instead, the front of the case is almost completely open to allow air to flow through. The problem is, an 80mm fan and a couple of spare PCIe brackets (assuming you don't have any other cards installed) force the air out of the back. A single 80mm fan also takes care of the intake, although there is room for a much larger fan.

This makes the P620 a kind of air tunnel that lets massive amounts of air through the front and displaces it from the limited ventilation in the back. The P620 is also noticeably loud in idle. The dual 80mm fan heatsink for the CPU doesn't help much.

The sound only comes on during load, but I would have liked a fan curve for idling. You couldn't work next to the P620 without being distracted by the noise. The tradeoff, and the good news, is that the added noise means the cooling solution is working.

I appreciate the P620's tool-less, sleek design, but not the noise the design makes.

Even in Cinebench, the processor never rose above 70 degrees Celsius, which is a full 20 degrees below its maximum operating temperature. This is not a perfect cooling solution, but it is an effective one.

Some bigger fans would have helped the noise. Dust filters would have been nice too, especially on a machine that constantly pushes a lot of air through. After only one week of use, the front fan was covered with dust. I also removed the fan covers for the RAM – more on this in the "Internal" section – and found lumps of dust in them.

I appreciate the P620's tool-less, sleek design, just not the noise the design makes. It's built like a server – and unfortunately it sounds like a server too.

Connectivity

Connections on Lenovo P620.

The P620 has enough ports to accommodate pretty much anyone. This includes two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports on the front, all of which support USB 3.2. There are six more USB-A ports on the back of the case, four of which support USB 3.2 and two support USB 2.0. Unfortunately, the AMD chipset doesn't mean Thunderbolt on this computer.

On the back you also have access to PS / 2 ports for older peripherals, audio / microphone inputs and outputs and a 10 Gbit Ethernet port. This is a big win for the P620 because you can plug it into a high bandwidth network without bothering with an add-in network card. If you want to go wireless, you can use the built-in Intel AC 9260 chip, which includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

As storage, you have space for up to two 2 TB M.2 drives and up to four 4 TB spinning hard drives. An integrated RAID controller enables you to access RAID 0 and 1 on the SSDs as well as RAID 0, 1, 5 or 10 on the rotating drives.

I can't think of a situation where the P620 doesn't have enough connectivity. There are plenty of USB ports and space for hard drives, and anything you can't connect directly to the system is likely going through the network. And the 10 Gbit Ethernet port offers plenty of bandwidth for this.

Internals

Central processor AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 3995WX
GPU Nvidia Quadro RTX 8000 48GB
Storage 128 GB Octa-Channel DDR4-3200 ECC
storage 1 TB M.2, up to two M.2, up to four HDD
power supply 1000W 80+ platinum
USB ports 10, eight USB-A, two USB-C
Thunderbolt ports None
Networking 10Gbit Ethernet, WLAN
Ports Headphone / microphone connection, PS / 2, audio in / out

My test device was built with some of the highest quality parts available today, which shows how much power you can put in the ThinkStation P620. At the heart of the system is a Threadripper 3995WX, a massive 64-core, 128-thread processor that can boost up to 4.2 GHz.

All P620 configurations are based on these Threadripper Pro processors. They are based on the same architecture as the normal Threadripper range, with just a few key differences. They support octa-channel memory instead of quad-channel memory, and you can use up to 2 TB of ECC RAM, compared to just 256 GB of non-ECC in the standard range. In addition, they support 128 PCIe 4.0 lanes that fit AMD's Epyc server CPUs.

With the exception of the Threadripper 3945WX, Lenovo offers a 12-core, 24-thread part with a boost clock of 4.3 GHz. While there are four Threadripper Pro options, prices and performance vary widely. The top-of-the-line 3995WX costs nearly $ 11,000.

While these CPUs are the best of the best right now, they may not be long. It is rumored that Threadripper 5000 chips are set to hit the market later in 2021, and they will almost certainly outperform them.

The AMD chip is remarkable, as the direct competitors of the P620 use Intel almost exclusively. The HP Z8 and Dell Precision workstations use Intel Xeon chips, not Threadripper. There is no Xeon chip that can match the Threadripper 3995WX in terms of core count. For that you would have to get a dual socket system.

In addition to a beefy processor, the configuration supplied by Lenovo came with 128 GB DDR4-3200 memory and an Nvidia Quadro RTX 8000 with an impressive 48 GB video memory. Despite being a $ 10,000 upgrade, this card fits in the middle of Lenovo's options. You can scale down to a 2GB Quadro P620 and upscale up to two Quadro GV100s (at a $ 35,000 premium).

Lenovo P620 in front of a window.

I used Lenovo's configurator to get an idea of ​​how much the rig sent for review would cost. At the time of publication, it was priced at $ 14,861.92 thanks to a coupon on the Lenovo website. Without them, it would cost $ 25,624.

I released a similar device with the lowest prices I could find for any component, and the price was about $ 1,000 cheaper compared to Lenovo's price with a coupon. Keep in mind, however, that the Quadro RTX 8000 can cost up to $ 2,000 more than the lowest price I've found, so the difference comes in as you wash it.

If you've got the P620 on sale, it's actually a great deal. However, a Lenovo representative confirmed that the coupon is not constant. At full price, my test device is about $ 11,000 more expensive than buying and assembling the parts individually. At this price, I can handle a $ 1,000 difference, but a $ 11,000 gap is a different story.

There are other systems in this category that are also cheaper. A similarly configured system from Puget Systems costs around $ 16,000 and will likely have better airflow and cooling as it uses a Fractal Define 7 case and Noctua CPU cooler. Similarly, an identical system at Boxx costs about $ 20,000 – a full $ 5,000 less than the P620.

Keep in mind that this price is for configuration on the Lenovo website – in a real-world situation, companies will likely order some of these machines through a different channel. The P620 is too expensive to be a machine, but price doesn't really matter when it comes to a computer that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Inside the Lenovo P620

The P620 is almost entirely tool-free. Upgrades should only take a matter of minutes, with handy levers around all major components for easy replacement. This includes a bracket for the PCIe slots and 5.25-inch bays as well as levers for the power supply unit, intake fan and RAM covers.

Power supply outside the Lenovo P620.

Each of the levers is also coated in red, which makes them stand out from the black and silver inner parts. The motherboard was specially developed for this machine and has eight slots for DDR4-3200 ECC memory and two M.2 slots. There are a few passive heat sinks that cool various parts of the motherboard, as well as covers for the two RAM slot banks.

These covers are just a bit of plastic with a fan on top that will likely add to the noise. It's not ideal, but most ECC kits don't usually come with heat sinks and sit very close to a power-hungry processor.

On the underside of the case is the 1,000 watt 80+ platinum power supply, which you can replace by pressing down the lever. The power supply has no cables; Instead, it plugs into the case with a single plug and delivers 1000W of power without the mess of cables that comes with it.

What would normally take 15 to 20 minutes only takes a few minutes with the P620.

Next to it you will find either one or two drive cages, depending on the configuration. The standard configuration comes with a single drive cage for two additional hard drives. If you use these slots in your initial configuration, it comes with an additional drive cage.

This upgradeability is probably one reason why the P620 is so expensive. Replacing components is a breeze. What would normally take 15 to 20 minutes only takes a few minutes with the P620, which systems using standard parts cannot claim.

Processor power

Threadripper logo on the Lenovo P620

There is no doubt about the P620's performance, especially when you choose a top-notch device. With the right parts, it is certainly one of the most powerful machines on the market, but the inflated price and high-quality components are only useful in a narrow range of tasks. If you're looking for general computing power with the P620, you're spending too much.

PCMark 10 gives a clear view of it. My test device got an overall score of 7,172, which is actually below the eight-liter Intel NUC 11 Extreme I recently tested. Not too surprising, however. PCMark is a general benchmark that tests everyday apps, and most apps are not optimized to use 64 cores and 48 GB of video memory.

Cinebench R23 shows more clearly how powerful the Threadripper 3995WX is. It achieved a respectable single-core score of 1,242, which is a step below the consumer Ryzen 5000 processors. However, Threadripper is designed for multi-core performance. In the multi-core test, the Threadripper 3995WX achieved a score of 61,261, which is well above anything we have ever tested. As a reference, the Ryzen 9 5950X achieved a multi-core score of 23,539.

There is no doubt about the P620's performance, especially when you choose a top-notch device.

When it comes to multi-core workloads, Threadripper shines. It does not dominate tasks that require a single core, but when it comes to distributed work that uses all 64 cores simultaneously, there is nothing like the Threadripper 3995WX in a single socket system.

Geekbench 5 told a similar story. In the single-core test, it lagged behind the latest consumer desktop chips and even some laptop chips. However, nothing came closer in the multi-core test. According to the Geekbench browser, the consumer Ryzen 5950X earned about half of the multi-core score.

Geekbench also gave me a chance to see how the Threadripper 3995WX fares against its non-pro sibling, the 3990X. The Pro-Chip I tested achieved a multi-core score of 32,517. The Threadripper 3990X achieved around 28,000 points in the high-end range under Windows and around 22,000 points in the low-end range. At least under Windows, the Pro model shows some significant improvements.

Put simply, the Threadripper 3995WX is the benchmark. In each representative test, the only processors that run faster are other Threadripper 3995WXs. The Pro range comes at a high price, but shows performance advantages over the Threadripper 3000 range, as well as support for more PCIe 4.0 slots, octa-channel storage, and much more storage.

Content creation

With the power of the P620, you can handle anything from deep learning to data science to creating dense content. To me, large content creation workloads seemed to be the right fit given the beefy GPU and CPU in my review unit. This is a machine that can generate, edit, and render faster than anything.

As Cinebench showed in the last section, the 3995WX Threadripper is a monster in multicore workloads. I turned to a number of Puget Systems' benchmarks for Premiere Pro, After Effects, and DaVinci Resolve to see how the P620 would perform in real life. It's stackable well, but content creation isn't the P620's true calling.

Lenovo logo on the P620.

I started with Premiere Pro, where I did the extended test. This test isn't much longer, but it does include 8K testing – something the P620 should be able to handle in this configuration. It was passed with a total of 1,235 points. A system that rocks a current 32-core Xeon managed 1,001 in the same test, but with a weaker graphics card and significantly more memory.

This test also showed some weaknesses. Compared to systems with a cheaper Threadripper 3990X, my test device is around 200 points behind. Most of these systems also used an RTX 3090, which is much cheaper than the Quadro RTX 8000. You pay a premium for workstation-class parts, and PugetBench for Premiere Pro shows that.

The After Effects test showed this, too, with no clear difference between the 3990X and the 3995WX. The same applied to my handbrake test, in which the P620 achieved the rendering time of a machine with a consumer-class Ryzen 9 5950X.

Blender showed a bigger difference. The RTX 3090 was about twice as fast as the Quadro RTX 8000 with CUDA for rendering. DaVinci Resolve, however, was a little different. Compared to a system with Threadripper 3970X and RTX 3090, my test device was about 9% faster, mainly on the back of the 4K media handling.

As these tests show, a large part of the purchase price depends on software and features. The 3995WX is more powerful than the 3990X, but more memory, more memory channels, and more PCIe lanes are a big part of why it's more expensive. The Quadro RTX 8000 is also more expensive because it has an enormous amount of video memory, but also because it offers rock-solid driver support.

The Quadro RTX 8000 isn't built for gaming, but I'd be remiss if I didn't make good use of a $ 6,000 GPU. Fire Strike Ultra showed how much the Quadro RTX 8000 is wasted on gaming as it got an overall score of 8,667 – the bottom 1% of scores compared to the RTX 3090, the most RTX 3090 results.

RAM in the Lenovo P620.

At 4K Ultra with activated ray tracing, the Quadro RTX 8000 managed 37 frames per second (fps) in Cyberpunk 2077. The RTX 3090 is approaching 60 fps (although it's still struggling to get there). If you need proof that a Quadro wasn't designed for gaming, it's here – but you can still have a little fun after the work is done, provided you turn down a few settings.

Although my test device was equipped, the P620 is limited to Threadripper Pro processors and Quadro graphics cards (as well as a few AMD workstation GPUs). The Threadripper Pro chips are more powerful than their non-Pro counterparts, but not by much (especially when it comes to content creation tasks). The benefits tend to show in other areas, so keep that in mind.

Our opinion

The Lenovo ThinkStation P620 is a top-of-the-range workstation with a price to match. It features some of the fastest components on the market and a smart, tool-free design that makes upgrades easy. It's too loud and the extra power is lost in many situations, but there's no denying how much the P620 has to offer to those who can take advantage of it.

The price is the main problem as there are almost identical systems from smaller system builders for less money. But compared to the Dells and HPs in the world, Lenovo is the only one offering workstation options with Threadripper Pro parts. Plus, if you order multiple systems, you can likely get a deal with the P620.

Are there alternatives?

Yes sir. Aside from the case, motherboard and power supply, the P620 uses parts that you can buy and assemble yourself, which saves you a lot of money. System manufacturers like Puget Systems and Boxx also have similar options that cost less than the P620. Competitors like Dell and HP are currently tied to Intel processors.

How long it will take?

Depending on your hardware configuration, the P620 can last for many years – maybe even a decade. It's a computing powerhouse that can be easily upgraded, and the power supply is big enough to accommodate even the most power hungry components.

Should you buy it?

Yes, if you can get a deal. The P620 is a great one on offer. At full price, there are options from other system manufacturers that are cheaper and come with off-the-shelf parts.

Editor's recommendations



31 Aug
Blog

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Review: The Best for Smaller Wrists

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 functional picture ..

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 review: the best Wear OS smartwatch for smaller wrists

RRP $ 249.99

"The Galaxy Watch 4 has great health and fitness tracking capabilities in a comfortable package designed for smaller wrists."

advantages

  • Comfortable fit and size

  • Excellent fitness and health tracking capabilities

  • Seamless pairing with Samsung devices

  • Two days of battery life

disadvantage

  • Tricky digital bezel

  • Automatic exercise tracking can be inconsistent

the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is the slim brother of the chunkier Watch 4 Classic. With its smaller size and multiple color options, it offers largely the same Wear OS experience as the Classic, but there are a few key differences. It has a digital bezel rather than the physically rotating bezel that the Galaxy Watch series is known for. This reduces part of the overall footprint at the expense of a certain ease of use.

When it comes to features, however, you don't miss a thing. It runs Wear OS 3 and comes with health and fitness tracking features like blood oxygen, heart rate and BMI. You also get a full set of Google Play Store apps including Spotify, YouTube Music, Google Maps, Samsung Pay, and more. All of this leaves you with one of the best Android smartwatches for smaller wrist sizes at the expense of easy control.

Watch 4 vs. Watch 4 ClassicAjay Kumar / Digital Trends

Design and comfort

The Galaxy Watch 4 is much less of a wrist giant than the Watch 4 Classic, which makes it seem more like the spiritual (and physical) successor to the fitness-focused Active range. There are two size options, 40mm and 44mm, and the screen sizes are pretty much the same as the Classic, with the smaller Watch 4 having a 1.2-inch screen and the 44mm having a 1.4-inch screen. There are several color options including black, silver, green, and rose gold. My test device was black.

I got the larger 44mm Watch 4 for testing, even though my wrist is on the narrower side to take advantage of the slightly larger screen size – and possibly battery life. At 30.3 grams, it is a good deal lighter than the 52-gram Watch 4 Classic and fits comfortably thanks to the silicone strap supplied. Carrying, exercising, and sleeping with it all day was perfectly comfortable. Since it's IP68 there is no need to worry about water or dust, so I never felt the need to take it off and often even forgot it was on my wrist.

The most notable change is that the Watch 4 has a digital bezel instead of a physically rotating one. The screen sits flush with the aluminum case, but there is a black bezel that surrounds it along with two shank buttons that you can use to return to the home screen or reopen a previously opened app.

If you want to scroll through apps or the different tiles, you can swipe your finger on the bezel and in theory it should recreate the same effect as rotating the physical bezel with haptics.

Galaxy Watch 4 Classic and Watch 4 side by side.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Unfortunately, in practice it was never very accurate. Maybe my fingers are just too inelegant, but trying to scroll with the digital bezel was awkward and picky at best. All of this gives more credibility to my personal belief that physical buttons and controls are almost always superior to “fake” capacitive ones that try to haptically recreate them. Most of the time I only used the touchscreen.

On the plus side, the screen is crisp at 450 × 450, which translates to 330 pixels per inch. The AMOLED panel looks great in all settings and is bright enough for outdoor use. I wasn't worried about durability either, as the screen is protected by Gorilla Glass DX + and has weathered a few accidental drops and hits without scratching.

software

With the merging of Samsung Tizen and Google's Wear OS platform into Wear OS 3, the Watch 4 is one of the best smartwatches I've used in terms of consistency and ease of use. In many ways, Samsung's Tizen dominates the user interface with the different tiles you can set up to show what's important to you, tons of watch face options with as many or as few complications as you want, and solid and improved app support on Google Play Store . Bixby is there if you want to use voice commands, but I've never found much use for it. The initial pairing is simple and automatically imports things like alarms and Do Not Disturb settings from your phone.

However, getting notifications when first set up was tricky. I couldn't always count on messages to come from Teams, Slack, Signal, or Discord. After a software update, the notifications became much more reliable and I haven't noticed any missing notifications lately.

The Watch 4 is one of the best smartwatches I've used in terms of consistency and ease of use.

Apps like Spotify and YouTube Music support offline listening mode, so you can leave your phone at home while jogging. You also have media controls for most apps, including Audible, Netflix, and Pocket Casts. One app I used a lot was Google Maps. You can enter directions using the keyboard or use voice commands and have the Watch 4 give you directions. It's great for saving you the hassle of looking at your phone on the go.

See 4 directions on the map.

Ajay Kumar / Digital Trends

Check out 4 Spotify playlists.

Ajay Kumar / Digital Trends

Take a look at 4 media controls.

Ajay Kumar / Digital Trends

The only complaint I have is that not everything is in the Galaxy Wearable app. You'll need to use the app to initially set up the watch, select watch faces, control watch settings and the quick control panel, and find the watch. However, to get all the details of your fitness and health data, you need the Samsung Health app, which gives you access to sleep and stress tracking, steps, heart rate and more. Finally, for electrocardiogram (EKG) measurements, all you need to do is download the Samsung Health Monitor app and grant permissions, which you can download from the Galaxy Store.

That brings you a total of three apps to take full advantage of the Watch 4, and I wonder why Samsung doesn't put it all in Galaxy Wearable or Health. It's a lot of unnecessary app clutter. There are also some individual permissions that have to be granted in order to be able to use certain functions.

Health and Fitness Tracking

You won't be disappointed with the comprehensive suite of health and fitness tracking features included in the Watch 4. In terms of what it can measure, it is a closer competitor to smart scales than other smartwatches on the market.

The big unique measurement here is body composition. The Watch 4 can measure an impressive range of statistics including body mass index (BMI), basal metabolic rate (BMR), weight, muscle mass, fat mass and body fat. You measure by sliding the smartwatch further up on your wrist, placing your elbow on the table, and then pressing your fingers against the two shank buttons without touching your wrist. It's a cumbersome gesture and not very comfortable to hold for the time it takes to process the results.

Once you get the results there are lots of numbers, and as you can see in the screenshots below, it doesn't really offer much of a breakdown or explanation of what it all actually means. You will need to do your own research to find out if the statistics provided by Body Composition are good or bad and for actionable advice. That would have been a nice feature in the Samsung Health app, and I'm surprised at the missed opportunity as other measurements like sleep and stress tracking offer advice on how to improve it.

With sleep tracking, the Watch 4 neatly breaks down your sleep cycle in the Samsung Health app and gives you a sleep score, shows sleep stages such as REM sleep, tracks blood oxygen and records snoring and even calories burned. It was an excellent way to assess the quality of my sleep, especially on the unfortunately frequent nights I suffered from insomnia.

Stress tracking doesn't throw so many numbers at you, it simply records your stress level on a graph and color-coded bar. It's hard to say how accurate it is. It often told me that I wasn't very stressed when I was under a barrage of work and told me that I was very stressed when I sat down and watched Castlevania on Netflix. As much as I like Trevor Belmont and Alucard, I don't think either of them caused me much stress.

Other tracking features are pretty standard. You get step and workout tracking with a variety of exercises like running, walking, biking, swimming, circuit training, rowing, weight machines, treadmills, and more. There is both automatic and manual exercise tracking, but the Watch 4 is pretty decent when it comes to walking and running.

Watch 4 heart rate monitoring.

Ajay Kumar / Digital Trends

Watch the training with 4 rowing machines.

Ajay Kumar / Digital Trends

It had more trouble noticing when I was using my rowing machine, often being 10 minutes in my workout before noticing. The first few times I had to start it manually before it finally started getting what I was doing. However, it has a bad habit of ending my session early and I couldn't quite figure out why.

With sleep tracking, the Watch 4 neatly breaks down your sleep cycle in the Samsung Health app.

There is also a heart rate monitor and an electrocardiogram (EKG) that you can use to keep track of your vital signs. The EKG requires the separate download of the Samsung Health Monitor, which gives you up to three apps to fully use the Watch 4.

The EKG measurement takes about 30 seconds and requires you to place your finger on one of the button noses. The measurement is not intended for diagnosing a heart attack, but it does tell you if you have atrial fibrillation. It's useful enough in that regard, but not really something I would measure every day as the heart rate monitor automatically keeps track of things.

Performance and battery

The Watch 4 is powered by an Exynos W920 processor and has 1.5 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. This results in fast and responsive apps and measurements. I never noticed any lagging or hanging like you might on certain older generation smartwatches. It's also nice to see the 5nm processor finally reaching wearables after years of hardware stagnation in the smartwatch space.

The battery life is great, at least when compared to the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. With average use, I reliably got two days out of the battery, which included training on the rowing machine for 40 minutes, a walk in the park, sleep tracking, Spotify and general daily monitoring. It took just under two hours to fully charge from 1%. Instead of filling it up overnight, I usually only plugged the Watch 4 in when showering and I never ran out of juice.

Price and availability

the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is available at the following prices depending on size and model:

  • 40mm Bluetooth / WiFi: $ 250
  • 44mm Bluetooth / Wi-Fi: $ 280
  • 40mm 4G LTE: $ 300
  • 44mm 4G LTE: $ 330

Most models will be delivered in mid-September.

Our opinion

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is packed with features and has plenty to please Android users. With its sleeker design and more color options, it's more fashionable than the bulky Watch 4 Classic, although it does make some compromises in terms of usability. The health and fitness tracking features are impressive, especially body composition, although there is room for improvement. Wear OS 3 is smooth and responsive, and the issues it encountered the first time seem to be steadily being fixed. If you're looking for a comfortable, feature-rich smartwatch, you won't go wrong with the Galaxy Watch 4.

Is there a better alternative?

If you're an iPhone user, the obvious choices are the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE. They incorporate the best of the iOS ecosystem, are high quality, and come with most or all of the same features as the Watch 4. While it is possible to use Android smartwatches on iOS, the setup and integration are not perfect and you will be missing out on a lot of features.

For Android users, the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is our top pick, with the Watch 4 right next to it for people with smaller wrists willing to forego the convenience of the physical bezel. However, there are other Android smartwatch options like the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 and the TicWatch E3, both of which will get Wear OS 3 sometime next year. But the Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic are both newer. So if you want the latest and greatest, you are better off with them.

How long it will take?

The Galaxy Watch 4 comes with a standard one year warranty. It's dust and waterproof to IP68 and rated up to 5ATM, which means it can survive 10 minutes at a depth of 50 meters. It's also MIL-STD-810G certified, which means it has passed a series of laboratory tests for shock and vibration resistance. The included sports armband also seems to be made of good, high-quality silicone that does not stick after training. After all, Wear OS 3 is the latest software for smartwatches, and you're sure to get more updates, so I expect it to last at least two years, if not longer.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. The Galaxy Watch 4 is the best Wear OS smartwatch for people with narrow wrists. It has the same great health and fitness tracking features as the Watch 4 Classic, but with a lower starting price and two days of battery life. While the digital bezel isn't nearly as precise as the physical dial, the slimmer and more comfortable design makes it a worthwhile compromise.

Editor's recommendations



29 Aug
Blog

Govee StarPal Review: Take it Anywhere Portable Smart Lamp

Govee StarPal function

Govee StarPal Smart Lamp Review: The portable light source to take with you

RRP $ 50.00

"The Govee StarPal Smart Lamp is a solid product that is tarnished by poor app design."

advantages

  • Multiple scenes and color options

  • Portable thanks to battery power

  • Cheap price

  • Radiant colors

disadvantage

  • Antiquated app design

  • Feels fragile

Smart bulbs seem like a dozen these days, but it's hard to find quality – especially at an affordable price. Smart lights are perfect for creating an ambience in a room, whether you're watching a movie with your spouse or sitting down for a gaming binge.

Philips Hue started the smart lamp boom with its Bloom Table Lamp and Go Portable Light, but both of these smart lamps are expensive at $ 70 and $ 80, respectively. The newer Philips Hue Iris table lamp alone costs $ 100. Govee offers a cheaper alternative: the Govee StarPal Smart Table Lamp, which starts at just $ 50. It packs all the functions you would expect from an intelligent lamp into one attractive package.

Features and functions

I tested two different models of the Govee table lamp – the H6055 and H6058. The main difference between the two is that one is bluetooth only while the other is bluetooth and Wi-Fi compatible. The H6058, known as the StarPal Pro lamp, is the focus of this test because of its Wi-Fi compatibility.

A special feature that immediately stood out is that these lamps are battery operated. You can plug them in and use them all the time (and I would recommend that), but if you want to charge them and take them with you on the go, you can get around six hours of full brightness from the 3350mAh battery with the lights on. At 4.9 feet, the power cord is long enough so that you don't have to spend a long time looking for an outlet for your lamp.

Govee StarPal Smart lamp with pink light.

The lamps can display around 16 million different colors and change from warm white to cool white over the course of the day. The color temperatures range from 2,200 K to 6,500 K. These can be exchanged as desired via the app or voice control.

The Wi-Fi lamp (but not the Bluetooth lamp) works with Alexa and Google. There are also IFTTT Govee applets that allow you to further control your lights, although the applets control the Govee Home app – not individual lights.

If you ever feel like having an impromptu dance party, you can sync the lights with music. They blink and change color to the beat, and you have full control over how suddenly the change happens thanks to a multitude of different options in the app. You can choose the sound source, from the built-in music to your phone's microphone.

Of course, the lights are also equipped with the standard smart features: scheduling, sleep / wake cycles and more.

Setup and installation

The Govee StarPal Smart Lamp has two small feet that make it easy to set up on any flat surface. Once you've done that, a physical button on the back is all it takes to turn the light on for the first time. You also have to press the button once while syncing the light with the app.

The Govee Home app guides you through the setup process. It's not difficult, but it has a particular curiosity: you have to manually enter your WiFi network name and password instead of selecting your network from a list. Unless you have renamed your network to something simple, I suggest doing it beforehand.

Other than that one step, the setup process was pretty straightforward. Alexa recognized the new devices immediately and I was able to add them to the Living Room Group without any problems.

Software and performance

As functional as these lights are, the app is terrible. Almost every time I open the app, it first shows that the lights have been disconnected and makes me wait several seconds for it to see them again.

The lights can be turned on and off from the home section of the app, but this process takes two to three seconds. A little buffer wheel even appears in the app while it's working. I expect a little lag between my phone and smart devices, especially those that work over bluetooth, but the time the Govee app takes just feels too much. It's a lot easier to control the lights (and get feedback faster) through the Alexa app.

Aside from the weird delay in controlling the lights, the app shows a lot of information at a glance. It shows how the lights are connected (whether via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or both), the charge of each lamp, and whether it is currently on or off.

Selecting one of the lights opens up further options. You can customize timers, change the color of the light, adjust its brightness and change the mode. There are four different modes: Music, Color, Scene and Home Improvement. These modes are used to manipulate the effects on the lamp. There are more than 32 preset scenes to choose from, some of which are pretty impressive. Others fell a little flat, with slow transition effects or harrowing color combinations that didn't look good together.

The app presents you with an emotional color wheel in which each emotion is displayed next to its corresponding color. If you are trying to create a certain mood in the room, this unique feature can be helpful. I have certainly not seen that with other products.

Strangely enough, the Govee StarPal Pro reacted faster to commands when manipulating individual lights than when switching them on or off from the start page. The app lets you group devices for instant control of the smarts area of ​​the app, but it's not at all intuitive.

The Govee app has a lot of interesting features, but also a lot of problems. The app itself needs to be refined and the controls made more intuitive. I was able to find out how much of it worked, but I would worry that someone who wasn't using smart home devices for a living might bump into a wall.

On the performance side of things, the StarPal Pro is best reserved as an accent light as I wouldn't necessarily say it has the strongest light for reading. That said, with so many color options and scenes, I love using it as an accent light to complement other main sources of light in a room. Cheaper smart lights tend to be weak in terms of color production, but I'm happy to report that they produce rich, vibrant colors that help set the mood.

Our opinion

The Govee StarPal Pro is a budget-friendly lamp that works great – provided you're not using the Govee Home app. After you've set up the lights, use Alexa or Google Home to control the lights and you'll be a lot happier. Apart from control problems, the StarPal Pro is a good-looking lamp that creates atmosphere and atmosphere in your home.

The lamp is a solid device that suffers from poor app design. The good news is that most of the issues I've had with the lamp will go away when Govee updates the app to make it more user-friendly. Just make sure you are looking for the Wi-Fi compatible model and not the bluetooth-only model. Let's face it: nobody wants a smart device that cannot be controlled remotely.

Are there alternatives?

The Philips Hue Bloom costs $ 70 but has the Philips reputation and performance behind it. On the less expensive end of the spectrum, consider the Amazon Echo Glow. Sure, it's intended for kids, but it can create the same environmental effects and work as a wake-up light in the morning, all for just $ 30.

How long it will take?

The Govee StarPal Smart lamp is made of plastic. It's incredibly light and feels a little fragile. I got the impression that with proper care it would last a very long time (and with LEDs it's not likely that the lamps will burn out that quickly) but don't expect it to survive a fall off the shelf. There is a one year limited warranty that covers defects.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. Despite my complaints about the app, the lights themselves look great. The control that each light offers is impressive, and the $ 50 price tag makes these lamps much more affordable than other options on the market.

Editor's recommendations



28 Aug
Blog

Perfect Exercise For Better Hamstrings

Reverse hyperextension is known as a great powerlifting and bodybuilding exercise that also involves promoting strength and conditioning. This workout, also known as the reverse hyper, is considered a great alternative to the classic Romanian deadlift. It is primarily responsible for the work of your rear chain, which includes your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back muscles. This training involves the use of a suitable reverse hyper machine, with each device having completely different functions. Your choice of an ideal reverse hyper machine will depend entirely on your trainer's recommendations.

It's a great alternative to the deadlift because these exercises completely lack support for your lower back and put a lot of strain on your spine. However, with reverse hyperextension, your lower back remains in a neutral position, which causes minor injury or wear and tear. In addition, reverse hyperfunction is responsible for improved squat and deadlift performance. In addition, this exercise is considered safe as it completely prevents the lower back from curving, thus avoiding any risk of injury or strain. These reverse hyperextension benefits set it apart from any other exercise and should therefore be added to your exercise routine.

The Reverse Hyperextensions Guide below has all of the relevant information needed to complete this exercise in no time.

How to Perform Reverse Hyperextension Efficiently:

The information on Reverse Hyper, which ranges from step-by-step instructions to variations, would be perfect to walk you all the way. So don't forget to read this article to the end and implement the information provided to get the maximum benefit.

Step by step instructions:

1. To begin, you need to lie down on the bench on the hyper-reverse machine with your stomach and torso and not your hips.

2. Let your legs hang straight down toward the floor while holding the handles in the device to hold your upper body in place.

3. Now, while contracting your lower back muscles, hamstrings, and buttocks, raise your legs until they are parallel to the floor.

4. Now lower your legs back down to the starting position.

Repeat.

Storage tips In Understanding:

1. Always make sure you have a quick but efficient warm-up session before performing the reverse hyperextensions. This should be done to avoid the risk of injury or strain, and to tone the target muscles.

2. With your legs hanging straight to the floor, remember to contract your abs to keep your spine neutral and support.

3. Always keep the movement of lifting your legs smooth and controllable.

4. Avoid stretching your legs up, as the firm swing would do the work for the targeted muscle groups. This can also lead to lower back injuries.

Variations of Reverse Hyperextensions:

If you are incredibly familiar with the performance of classic reverse hyperextensions, then you can try the given variations for a little twist:

#1. Reverse hypers with a stability ball

If you can't pick up a hyper reverse machine, feel free to grab an exercise ball for this exercise. This is considered to be one of the most convenient ways to perform reverse hyperextension because you can easily do this workout at home. An additional tip is that the larger the stability ball, the more effective the exercise is.

Step by step instructions:

1. First, lie down on an exercise ball and, at the same time, place your hands on the floor or reach for solid, immovable equipment. Make sure to keep the ball under your hips and stomach.

2. While keeping your torso in a neutral position, lift your legs off the floor so they are in line with your body.

3. Lower your feet back down to return to the starting position.

Repeat.

# 2. Reverse hypers with an exercise bench

If you don't have access to a hyper reverse machine, this exercise will come in handy for you.

Step by step instructions:

1. First you need to lie down on a gymnastics bench with your torso actually lying on the bench; your feet were resting on the floor and your legs were upright. Your stomach and chest should be resting on the bench, while your hips and pelvis should be at the end.

2. Now lift your legs until they are parallel to the floor.

3. Then lower your legs back down to return to the starting position.

Repeat.

28 Aug
Blog

NordicTrack Vault Review: Ample Storage, Arduous Workouts

Nordictrack Vault Smart Fitness Mirror News Specifications ces 2021 Lifestyle

NordicTrack Vault Review: A Successful Home Fitness and Smart Mirror Combo

RRP $ 1,999.00

"NordicTrack Vault comes with the weights you need in a smart home gym and conveniently stores them."

advantages

  • Beautiful reflective mirror that can be swiveled through 360 degrees

  • Growing class library

  • Generous storage space

  • Quality dumbbells / kettlebells

disadvantage

  • No form monitoring

  • Can be difficult / bulky to move

When it comes to fitness equipment, NordicTrack is the leader. Known for its ski equipment and treadmills, the company expanded its product range to include elliptical trainers, strength machines and finally smart home gyms. Now NordicTrack is pushing forward again with the Vault, a combination of home fitness and smart mirror devices. How is it doing compared to the competition? We tested the Vault to find out.

Convenient storage, reasonable size

NordicTrack did a great job with the size of the Vault. The bookcase-sized closet is big enough to hold all of the kettlebells and dumbbells you need without taking up too much space in your house. It's free-standing, which is perfect for apartment residents who are unlikely to be able to permanently install a smart mirror on the wall. At six feet tall, two feet wide, and just over a foot deep, the Vault can squeeze into any corner of your room. It also has a brushed metal finish and mirror front that is attractive enough to work in any room. However, choose your location carefully as the vault is heavy and can be difficult to move without an extra hand or two.

Everything is a mirror, no form

The NordicTrack Vault has a nearly full length 61.5 "reflective mirror and a 32" touchscreen display that allows you to easily observe the instructors and mirror their shape as they train. Unlike other smart gyms, the Vault doesn't provide any feedback on your shape, which is a huge downside. You need to rely on your keen eye to make sure you are doing the exercises correctly and keeping the pace.

Woman touching the screen with her finger on the NordicTrack Vault.

The front mirror has an excellent 360 degree hinge. You can swing open the mirror in tight spaces like a door to access the dumbbells / kettle bells and exercise right in front of the vault with the mirror closed. When you have more space, you can extend and angle the mirror so you can exercise anywhere in your room.

Market leading exercise library

The Vault is operated by iFit, which has a growing library of exercises broken down into categories such as strength, yoga, recovery / mobility / stretching, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). And iFit was the only motivator that kept me on the treadmill all winter, so it's not surprising that it was the feature that got me to use the Vault.

iFit hires some of the best coaches and videographers out there.

It's also important to note that iFit is hiring some of the best trainers and videographers out there – and it shows. The video quality is great as most of the exercises were filmed either in a studio-style gym or in a scenic outdoor location. The videographers take the time to capture just the right camera angles so you can see the movement.

The coaches are optimistic and encouraging without being intrusive. Especially in the beginner workouts, the trainers give detailed instructions for each exercise that are easy to follow. In most cases, practice the exercises first before doing them during an intense workout.

New exercises and trainers are also added to iFit on a regular basis. You will keep coming back to see what fresh new workouts are in the library now.

Learning while lifting

While iFit offers a wide variety of content, it isn't the only profitable feature. It excels in teaching you how to exercise. I can't tell you how many times in the past I've picked up my dumbbells to start a strength training program and then stopped a few weeks later because I knew very few exercises. I made minimal progress and was bored with the routine.

Man training in front of NordicTrack Vault.

The iFit training programs took away all of my uncertainty. I learned how to properly use kettlebells and when to use dumbbells. The trainers taught me several exercises for each muscle group and switched through different activities to work my whole body instead of just my arms and shoulders. I didn't just train; I also learned how to exercise. Unlike the Tonal home studio, which mainly focused on strength, the Vault has improved my overall fitness and wellbeing.

price

The NordicTrack Vault is available in two versions – a base option for $ 1,999 without accessories, or a full option for $ 2,999 with dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands and more. Although expensive, the full package is the best value for money for those who don't already own free weights.

NordicTrack Vault mirror pushed aside.

The NordicTrack Vault is operated by iFit, which requires a subscription. The vault comes with a free year of iFit, and you can add a subscription for just $ 15 per month. It's important to note that iFit compares favorably with the competition, some of which are charging $ 40 or more per month. And iFit works with all of your fitness equipment too, so you can use the same subscription on your treadmill and Vault at the same time.

Our opinion

The NordicTrack Vault is a modern storage system for your fitness equipment and, thanks to its growing iFit workout library, a powerful fitness device. With its professional trainers, high quality videos and variety of training courses, iFit sets the Vault apart from the competition. If you already own an iFit treadmill or bike, the Vault is a must-have fitness companion.

Is there a better alternative?

The Vault's closest competitor is the Lululemon Mirror, which is smaller and more stylish than the Vault. It also offers more live and on-demand classes than the Vault at this point. However, the mirror does not include the kettlebells, dumbbells, and resistance bands that come with the full package option of the Vault. It also has no memory for these free weights. After buying weights, you will have to awkwardly leave them on the floor or spend even more money to buy a special rack.

There's also the Tempo Studio, which, similar to the Vault, hides some of the weights and accessories inside its case. While not that attractive, the Tempo Studio provides tracking for the right shape.

How long it will take?

The NordicTrack Vault has a sturdy construction that will last for several years. The weak point of the Vault is its full-length mirror. It doesn't break or scratch easily – we hit it multiple times with no damage – but a hard impact could break the glass.

The iFit software will do it. The company is known for its regular updates that add new workout programs and new features to NordicTrack fitness equipment.

Should you buy it?

The Nordic Track Vault is an excellent option for anyone looking to build a home gym for general fitness. The stylish machine contains a full range of dumbbells and kettlebells and has a growing library of exercises for all abilities and levels.

Editor's recommendations



28 Aug
Blog

Keychron Q1 Review: A Personalized and Long-asting Keyboard

Typing on the mechanical keyboard Keychron Q1.

Keychron Q1 test: a personalized keyboard that will last for years

RRP $ 169.00

"The Keychron Q1 mechanical keyboard is as customizable as you want it to be, with plenty of options to personalize your typing experience and make it last longer, at a price similar to non-customizable models."

advantages

  • Choice of customizable elements

  • Aluminum housing is durable

  • Works with Mac and Windows

  • Key mapping software compatibility

disadvantage

  • No bluetooth

  • No height or angle adjustment

The Keychron Q1 is a customizable mechanical keyboard that is an improvement over the brand's regular mechanical keyboards. It offers the connoisseur a bespoke typing experience, complete with hot-swappable sockets for various switches and support for open source key mapping software. At first glance, it seems very complicated and you need to be a keyboard expert to get the most of it.

My everyday keyboard is usually a Keychron K2V2 and I have considered it to be the best keyboard for my needs for a long time. Would the step to Q1 change that and is the possibility of adjustment really worthwhile? Another important question: is it accessible to all types of users? I've been typing this for more than a week and I'm thrilled with the experience so far.

draft

Keychron Q1 mechanical keyboard.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The upper and lower case of the Keychron Q1 is made of CNC-milled aluminum and the 327 mm long case houses a 75% keyboard. It's designed to be customized and new switches – either 3-pin or 5-pin – to be installed on the circuit board that doesn't require soldering. It can either be prefabricated or ordered as a “bare bones” kit so that you can make it yourself. with your choice of keycaps, switches, seals and noise reduction.

My trial version came pre-assembled with Gateron Brown switches and Keychron's own ABS plastic keycaps. The final element of customization is the ability to add a logo of your choice in the top right corner of the keyboard. Keychron put the Digital Trends logo on it and it looks great (see below). The change is $ 30 and of course, if you select it, it will add to the delivery time.

The Q1 is a really heavy device that, together with very grippy rubber feet, prevents it from moving around on the desk. Although I didn't have a way to change the height or angle, I found it just right for comfortable and fast typing without fatigue, but that won't be the case for everyone, and I'm surprised Keychron didn't make any adjustments like this customizable package. You can order the keyboard in black, blue or an elegant gray.

Close-up of the Keychron Q1 key.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I like the subtle design that doesn't scream for a “gaming keyboard” like many mechanical offerings, but looks on every desk at home, regardless of whether you are playing or working on it. The south facing RGB lights are more noticeable than on my K2V2, and it's easy to change the style by pressing the Function and Q buttons at the same time. When you change the switches the RGB base color also changes and you can see the improved red effect via the Gateron red switches in our photos.

When a keyboard is made for all day typing and not gaming, the manufacturer rarely focuses on the design, and a keyboard becomes just a keyboard, and the design is what it is. Not so with the Keychron Q1, because if you don't like the color combination of the keycaps in our photos, you can design them individually and design them entirely according to your wishes. The same applies to the case color, the small logo and the general typing experience.

Connection and software

The keyboard is connected via a thick, braided, very high quality USB Type-C to Type-C cable with an aviator-style connector in the middle to allow various connections. There is a curly section in the middle for aesthetic reasons only. A USB Type-C to Type-A adapter is included, along with an array of tools for changing the switches, stabilizers, and keycaps on the keyboard.

Windows and Mac switch on the Keychron Q1.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Keychron Q1 connection in pilot style.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Special order logo option on the Keychron Q1.

Optional logo on the Keychron Q1 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

RGB light effect on the Keychron Q1.

RGB lighting effect with the Gateron Red switches

Once connected, there is a switch on the back of the keyboard to set it for use with Mac or Windows. The Keychron Q1 has no Bluetooth, so it cannot be used wirelessly with your computer or connected to an Apple iPad or other tablet. That's fine as it's not suitable for on-the-go use anyway as it's too heavy to take with you.

Keychron advertises the Q1 as compatible with the QMK key remapping software for Windows and Via software for Mac. However, Via wouldn't install Big Sur on my Apple Mac Mini M1, and the Via website isn't the friendliest if you're not familiar with installing software outside of the Mac App Store. When I asked about this, Keychron stated that the software should work fine on my computer, so it may be an isolated problem.

I like the subtle design that doesn't scream for a “gaming keyboard” like many mechanical offers.

Before using it on my Mac for the first time, the system took a few special keystrokes to recognize the Q1, but no other setup was required. I don't really need the remapping or macro tools Via provided, so the fact that it didn't work wasn't a problem and the keyboard worked with no errors. However, if you need custom settings and are using a Mac, you may need a little patience or a deeper understanding of installing non-App Store software to get them.

Tap

Typing on the mechanical keyboard Keychron Q1.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Coming from the Keychron K2V2, the Keychron Q1 was noticeably quieter when typing, even though I used Gateron Brown switches on both. The soundproofing inside the case does a great job, but it sounds a little hollow, which Keychron is aware of and appeals with the option for additional soundproofing foam that you can add if needed. The seal mounts offer a lot of spring and give when the buttons are pressed, and Keychron says the seals allow 2.5mm of travel. If you want more sound from the Q1, you can toggle the switches to the clickier Gateron Blue versions.

The model I'm reviewing has an ANSI layout and not my preferred ISO style where the Enter key is much larger. That meant the keyboard took some getting used to, as my little finger was tapping both the Enter and Shift keys while typing quickly. Now that I'm more used to it, my typing speed and accuracy is the same as the Keychron K2V2, which suggests that if you are already used to a mechanical keyboard, you won't have any problems adjusting to the Q1.

The standard ABS keycaps feel higher quality than those of the Keychron K2V2, with a less plastic texture under the fingers and a comfortable indentation. However, I swapped the keycaps for another set made of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), which feels even better and is supposed to fade and shine longer. Keychron sells PBT keycap packs for $ 40, which makes them pretty expensive, but it's a worthwhile upgrade for better feel and longer durability.

Turns on the keyboard Q1.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It takes less than 30 minutes to swap out all of the keycaps with the tool provided, but longer to make the swap. It's not a difficult task as a "puller" tool is included. You will need patience, however, as this is a time consuming and sometimes painful process as it is very tedious to loosen the switches from the board. I swapped the Gateron Brown switches for a set of Gateron Red switches, which took about 45 minutes. Since removing the switches takes a bit of force, it is all too easy to scratch the aluminum of the chassis, but this will no longer be seen when everything is reassembled. I wouldn't want to change switches regularly, but being able to do so is a significant advantage.

Why? Experiment, because having fun typing is a surprisingly individual thing. For me, the feeling of the red switches surpasses the brown switches, so that I can type even faster and more precisely, which I wasn't aware of until I started playing around with the customizable Q1. In general, the Q1's typing experience is wonderfully solid, especially when compared to the plastic-case K2V2. Every keystroke has a pleasant dampening, is nowhere near as loud and still feels very satisfactory. Interestingly, the Brown switches here require more force to activate satisfactorily than the Brown switches attached to the K2V2.

Keychron Q1 and alternative keycaps and switches.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Although I've tried several different mechanical keyboards lately – for example the Keychron K3 and the Azio Izo – I've kept coming back to the Keychron K2V2. I don't expect that in Q1. The solidity of the metal case, the excellent Gateron Red switches that I have installed for a long time, the quieter sound (I record interviews and hear the clatter of the K2V2 keyboard when I take quick notes), and that I have a better and Seems like a faster typist will keep it on my desk.

All of this discovery was really made possible by the Q1's flexibility, which goes well beyond my knowledge and needs, making it an excellent choice for both beginners and seasoned enthusiasts alike.

Price and availability

The Keychron Q1 can be pre-ordered now, shipping is expected to begin on September 15th. Fully assembled in one of the three colors, the Q1 costs $ 169, although this is a special offer price according to the online store, and the cost can climb to $ 179 at any time. The barebones versions are not available to order at the time of writing and will be available shortly after the fully assembled version is released.

Our opinion

I lost a bit of the benefits of customization before spending time (pretty much actually) switching between switches and keycaps on the Keychron Q1 and then comparing the typing experience to my Keychron K2V2. After choosing the keycaps and switches that felt best for me, it is clear that there is an ideal keyboard setup for everyone, and the benefits are obvious if done right. Understanding and discovering your ideal setup is accomplished through trial and error, but a keyboard like the Q1 minimizes the hassle and cost, and then lasts for years afterward if you're willing to invest in it.

Knowing that I can change all the parts again at any time and also go deeper into customization by adding (or removing) some foam cushioning and also changing the stabilizers and gaskets means the keyboard is really future proof. It's a keyboard that can grow with you, or just stay that way, for not much more money than a non-customizable mechanical model.

I'm a relative newbie to mechanical keyboards, but I've been convinced of the concept since switching to one. The Q1 is not just for enthusiasts who want to create their own "ultimate" keyboard, but for those like me who are looking for a high quality, extremely solid mechanical keyboard for work that really suits my style and preferences without having to buy a new one having to completely new keyboard when something changes or breaks.

Is there a better alternative?

The Glorious GMMK Pro is the direct competitor of the Q1 and is another highly customizable mechanical aluminum keyboard with a size of 75%. It costs the same and has a rotary knob for media control, but doesn't support via remapping software, only QMK for Windows.

If you're not worried about customization, we recommend the Corsair Straife RGB Mk.2 mechanical keyboard, which is also around $ 160 and is a great experience for both work and gaming. You can also check out our extensive roundup of the Best Mechanical Keyboards, or Best Keyboards in General, if you're looking for other options.

How long it will take?

The aluminum case and the modularity of the components ensure that the Keychron Q1 has plenty of life unless you spill something on it as it is not waterproof. Keychron offers a 12-month guarantee, but in the case of the Q1 it will replace the defective parts and not the entire package.

Should you buy one?

Yes sir. It's an absolute pleasure to tap, and the extensive customization options ensure it will last for years.

Editor's recommendations



28 Aug
Blog

Saying Goodbye to a Decade of Breaking Muscle

It is time for someone else to lead breaking muscle through the next decade.

It's been 10 years since Breaking Muscle started. When I started I wrote about what interested me at the time because I couldn't find the information anywhere else. I got into yoga, CrossFit, Russian kettlebell training, MMA, and that led me to weightlifting and gymnastics, but the trade press was mostly about bodybuilding and physique, with very little else. What interested me and Breaking Muscle was niche and hard to find and definitely not mainstream.

Continue reading

28 Aug
Blog

From Coach to Student of Physical Therapy

When I majored in kinesiology at school, the inability to diagnose and treat was the spark that drove me to physical therapy.

As a coach or personal trainer, you are limited by your knowledge and skills. Therefore certifications are suitable; however, you could become too clumsy and lose focus.

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