25 Aug
Blog

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Review: The Best Foldable There Is

Open the Galaxy Z Fold 3 as seen from the front.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

RRP $ 1,799.00

"After three generations of improvements, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 offers better durability, software support and productivity features."

advantages

  • Improved screen durability and IPX8 water resistance

  • Powerful hardware and features

  • Solid rear view cameras

  • Ideal for multitasking and productivity

disadvantage

  • Still expensive

  • Poor battery life

Foldable phones are no longer an expensive toy for first-time users, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is here to prove it. Let me make it clear that the Fold 3 is still expensive at $ 1,800, but in its third generation of steady improvements, it's finally a functional device that the average consumer can use and enjoy.

Aside from the welcome improvements in durability, the Fold 3 just generally feels more polished. The hinge is less bulky, the screen creases are less obvious, and the Under Display Camera (UDC) is easier to ignore than a punch. There used to be a pretty significant tradeoff in durability and performance in flip phones when compared to mainstream flagships. That is no longer true. After using the Fold 3 as my daily driver for almost two weeks, I don't feel like I'm missing anything important compared to the Galaxy S21, although it still doesn't match the S21 Ultra.

Design and durability

The Fold 3 does not deviate radically from the design language of the Fold 2. Instead, it focuses on refinements to make it a more polished experience both visually and in the hand. In terms of footprint, the size is not drastically different. When opened, the phone measures 158.2 x 128.1 x 6.4 millimeters, with a 7.6-inch main screen – slightly larger than the Kindle Paperwhite in terms of usable screen area. It weighs in at 271 grams, so it's a fair bit heavier than most phones on the market, including the hefty S21 Ultra (227 grams), but certainly a lot lighter than a tablet.

When folded, it becomes a tall and narrow “chocolate bar” phone measuring 158.2 x 78.1 x 14.4-16 millimeters. The thickness is roughly the same as two phones stacked on top of each other, which may seem bulky, but I found it relatively easy to use one-handed as the 6.2-inch cover display is so narrow. Compared to the Galaxy S21 Ultra, reaching across the entire screen with your thumb wasn't a problem – no one-handed mode required.

Z fold 3 with screen folds.Ajay Kumar / Digital Trends

When opened, the Fold 3 is a very two-handed device. I keep coming back to the e-reader comparison because that's how you have to hold it – either with both hands or with your pinky finger holding up the lower bezel. All buttons, including the power button / fingerprint sensor and volume rocker, are on the right. This worked fine for unlocking with my thumb as I'm right handed, but I can see left handed people having issues when they can't use the sensor with their middle or index finger.

There are some durability improvements. The biggest one is the IPX8 water resistance. The Fold 3 can now withstand complete immersion in water, and in fact my test device survived a thorough rinse in the sink. This is one of the bigger premium failures that have existed with foldable products, so it's nice to see that they have been addressed. Dust can still be an issue due to the nature of the hinge, so I don't recommend taking the Fold 3 with you for a day at the beach, but Samsung has incorporated "Sweeper" bristles into the hinge so the dust can be forced out when it comes in. There's Gorilla Glass Victus on the deck screen too, and the main screen has screen protector pre-installed, which Samsung says is 80% stronger than before.

This is all welcome news. For those who have followed foldable models for a while, you'll remember that the previous models had problems with dust penetration and screen protector peeling off, causing scratches and other more serious damage to the screen.

When you first set it up, it gives you a pretty extensive list of ways to care for your phone. This includes not pressing down too hard, using only the S Pen Fold or S Pen Pro (with retractable tips), keeping keys and coins in the same pocket with the phone, and not removing the protective film. Fortunately, despite the somewhat ominous list of warnings, I never felt like I had to make it too small.

Adding a sleeve to the Fold 3 also gives it that extra bit of much-needed support and protection. After using the first-party leather case Samsung shipped with the device, I found it a lot easier to hold for gaming, browsing, and general everyday use. Other case options also have an S Pen slot, but it wasn't included.

Displays and multimedia

None of the panels on the Fold 3 is too short. When folded, the 6.2-inch cover display has a resolution of 2268 x 832. It supports a refresh rate of 120 Hz like the main screen that was not on the Fold 2. I've mainly used the cover screen to take photos with the rear camera, navigate Google Maps, take calls, and get quick notifications on the go.

The increased refresh rates make using the deck screen smoother and more responsive, even though you're mostly using the main screen for multimedia. The only thing the deck screen doesn't support is the S Pen, which makes sense since the deck screen is narrow and quite a bit smaller than the main screen. Whenever you try to type on it or tweet on it, the keyboard is cramped and most of the time I left the main screen open to do something intense.

The main screen is where all of the action takes place. When the phone is unfolded, you get a large and bright 7.6-inch screen with a resolution of 2208 x 1768, which equates to a crisp 374 pixels per inch. It's AMOLED and supports HDR10 + so the colors are saturated and saturated, with the dense, inky black the panel is known for. The phone reaches a peak brightness of 1200 nits so I could use it in the park on a bright summer day without any problems. Both the deck screen and the main screen provide excellent visibility in direct sunlight.

Watching videos, playing games, and surfing the web are all a treat on the main screen. Games like Genshin Impact and Asphalt 9 looked incredible on the sleek and vibrant 120Hz display. They also filled the screen perfectly on startup, no adjustment required. The larger screen real estate was especially handy with Genshin Impact as it was much easier to use the various controls without blocking any part of the screen with my fingers.

Fold 3 Genshin Impact screenshot.

Fold 3 Genshin Impact 2.

The crease is there and visible, but it can easily be ignored when there is content on the screen. The only time I really noticed it was when the screen was off and the light was reflecting off the blank screen. The same applies to the Under Display Camera (UDC). While there is a noticeable pixelated grid, especially on a white background, it's easy to forget and a lot less annoying than a pinhole camera when it comes to drawing attention to it.

Under display camera on the Galaxy Z Fold 3Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Playing on this phone is an absolute pleasure that is enhanced by its sound. I rarely have strong feelings about phone speakers as they tend to be hit or miss, so I was blown away by the robust sound of the Fold 3's stereo speakers. They are located at the top and bottom of the control panel that contains the phone cover screen. So when you turn the phone over for games and videos in landscape mode, you can hold it so your hands aren't covering the speakers.

The result is a rich sound that is well balanced across lows, mids and highs. It's a lot noisy without being tinny and I never felt the need to reach for my headphones, which is more than can be said of most phone speakers. It won't compete with quad speakers on Samsung's own tablets like the S7 and S7 +, but it can still hold its own.

Not everything was perfect out of the box. I couldn't avoid letterboxing YouTube videos, and while it is possible to adjust the screen to force it to fill in, it does cut off content on the sides so this isn't a real solution. Despite these issues, I was still pleasantly surprised that most of the apps I used were either optimized for the Fold 3 by default or could be forced to fill the screen by enabling them in Labs (Netflix and Instagram were the main culprits).

A productive powerhouse

Much of the Fold 3's value comes from its extra screen space and the customized Android 11 software that supports it. You can have multiple apps open, run them side by side in split view, or run up to three in resizable windows. Fair warning: many of these features are considered experimental and you will need to dive into labs to enable them. So don't be surprised if it doesn't work right away.

As soon as you have put it into operation, the possible uses are many. In my case, it was possible to watch a video or livestream while taking notes or using Google Maps to navigate and still be able to text a friend when I arrived. It's even possible to pull up a keyboard on one half of the screen and type things in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, almost like an old-school slider.

By adding the taskbar and edge panel, you get something that is close to a desktop experience and gives you access to frequently used apps at all times. You can also pin them together with App Pair so that they both start together in split-screen view, drag and drop content, and move and resize windows as you wish. It comes as close to a laptop as you will get it with a phone, and since it supports Samsung DeX, you can get a true desktop experience by connecting wired or wirelessly to monitors, TVs, and laptops.

You can also choose the app behavior for the title screen and decide which apps can still be displayed when the main screen is closed. I turned it on for most apps, although it was most important for Google Maps as I could still get directions after closing the main screen. There's also Flex mode, which allows apps to adjust themselves when you bend the screen. A good example is YouTube, where bending the screen at an angle to keep it upright places your video at the top and the comments area at the bottom. All of this helped make the Fold 3 feel like a seamless device, with software designed and optimized for it.

The productivity potential is increased by using the S Pen Fold Edition or the S Pen Pro. It is important that you only use one of these options as they will have a retractable tip if you press too hard – other S Pen models will damage the screen. Although neither is included, I received an S Pen Fold with my test device and was able to use it for recording and sketching. I'm not a great artist, but being able to pull out the S Pen and seamlessly jot down a quick note, reminder, or shopping list was incredibly convenient. However, that brings me to the one disadvantage. While having a bigger screen to use the S Pen is fantastic, there is no space to plug it in after you use it. So you'll either need to put it in your pocket or buy a case that has a slot that can accommodate it.

The productivity potential is increased by using the S Pen Fold Edition or the S Pen Pro.

Or you can do what I did and take the Fold 3 to a press event to take notes but forget the S Pen at home. It's been happening more often than I'd like to admit, which is the main reason the Fold 3 doesn't offer the same experience as the Note, in my opinion, even if it's much better in terms of screen real estate. Maybe as soon as I get my hands on a Fold 3 S pen sleeve, I'll feel different.

Performance and hardware

Under the hood, the Fold 3 has hardware that matches the best flagship phones on the market. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and has 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB / 512 GB of storage. There is no microSD card slot, which is a shame. So if you're a big power user like me, you'll want the bigger memory configuration.

I ran it through several benchmark tests that you can see below and it performed brilliantly. Multitasking is fluid and responsive, there were no slowdowns or app crashes and, as mentioned, it also mastered demanding games like Genshin Impact and Asphalt 9: Legends without any problems. In terms of graphics performance, it was an average of 87% better than other devices on the market.

Benchmarks:

  • PCMark performance: 14,460
  • PCMark battery life: 9 hours, 20 minutes
  • Geekbench (single / multi-core): 1,113 / 3,431
  • GFXBench Aztec: 19fps
  • 3DMark: 5,647

All of this is great, but you will notice one spec that isn't that hot, which is the 4,400 mAh battery, which is slightly smaller than the Fold 2. The PCMark battery test took 9 hours, 20 minutes to drain 20%, which corresponds to a little more than an average working day term. I usually had to fill up in the evening to keep going. A one hour session of Genshin Impact and some surfing could easily eliminate 20% of the charge.

On the flip side, the phone supports 25 watts of fast wired charging and 11 watts of fast wireless charging, so it was easy to quickly charge using one of the many Samsung Fast Wireless charging stands and adapters I scattered around my home. These aren't included though, so you'll need to buy your own if you want to take full advantage of the speed.

Connectivity is as good as you'd expect. The Fold 3 supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6e, NFC and has Bluetooth 5.2. I had no problem taking and making calls, surfing the city on 5G, and connecting to accessories like the Galaxy Watch 4 and bluetooth headphones.

A camera on each side

The camera functions are not changed compared to the Fold 2. On the back, the phone has three 12-megapixel (MP) cameras: a primary sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), a telesensor for 2x optical zoom and OIS and an ultra-wide angle for 123-degree recordings. All three cameras take great photos. The images are sharp, have a lot of detail and minimal noise. As is typical of Samsung cameras, colors tend to be jazzed up a bit in terms of saturation, but I like this look.

The rear sensors have more challenges in low light, cloudy, and nighttime settings, but still do quite well. There is some noise with close-ups and the occasional blurring, but for the most part, things come across clearly. However, the ultrawide sensor loses some sharpness and clarity, especially in low light, and is more prone to softness and noise, likely due to the lack of OIS. This also applies to the S21 Ultra, so I won't judge the Fold 3 too harshly for that.

In comparison shots with the iPhone 12 Pro Max and even the older Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, the Fold 3 is displaced. The iPhone 12 Pro Max takes more reliable, razor-sharp and color-accurate recordings, while the S20 Ultra and its successor, the S21 Ultra, are unbeatable in terms of pure image quality, especially for telephoto and ultra-wide-angle recordings. While I would have liked a camera system comparable to the S21 Ultra or Note 20 Ultra, it's still a very good set of sensors that most people will be happy with.

The 10 MP selfie camera on the cover is also suitable for quick selfies and copes reasonably well with proper lighting. The 4MP UDC camera on the main screen, on the other hand, doesn't get as hot. Most of the pictures I took with it were muddy, pixelated, or washed out, although Samsung tried to clean up the image with post-processing.

  • 1.
    Selfie with UDC camera.
  • 2.
    10 MP selfie with cover screen camera on Fold 3.
  • 3.
    Selfie with 12MP primary sensor.

In the comparison shots above, you can see the difference between the 4MP sensor, the 10MP sensor and the 12MP rear camera for selfies. The latter is the best option if you are looking for pure quality. The 4MP UDC camera is only suitable for video chatting or when you only need it in an emergency.

Price and availability

The Fold 3 will cost you $ 1,800, which is $ 200 less than the Fold 2 originally. It's still an expensive phone, make no mistake, but the drop in price makes it easier to digest. The phone will be available on all major US carriers including AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon with a variety of installment plans and offers. There are also some nice trade-in options if you have older equipment left over.

Our opinion

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is the best foldable one on the market and a significant improvement over the Fold 2 in terms of durability. After three years of refinement and advancement, I am much less reluctant to recommend the phone to the average user. It offers one of the best gaming experiences I've had on a phone and offers great value for multitasking and productivity.

It offers one of the best gaming experiences I've got on a phone.

That said, it's not perfect yet, with room for improvement in battery life and camera performance. It's also still expensive at $ 1,800, though the price becomes more palatable when you consider the Fold 3 as a possible replacement for your phone, tablet, and e-reader. With that in mind, I think the Fold 3 is worth buying if you are willing to spend the money and you know you will find some value out of the screen real estate.

Is there a better alternative?

Not really. Samsung dominates the foldable market with no other competitors in sight, especially not in the US. The Fold 3's biggest competitor is Samsung's own Galaxy Z Flip 3, but there are some big differences between the two foldable devices.

For starters, the Flip 3 is smaller in both dimensions and screen size, and has a 6.7-inch screen that folds in half. The purpose of the Flip 3 is to use its compact clamshell design to reduce the phone's footprint in your pocket, rather than improve multitasking and productivity. It serves this purpose well, but isn't a real competitor to the Fold 3.

Samsung Galaxy Flip Phones.

There are rumors of a Pixel Fold in the future, and there are also the Mi Mix Fold and the Huawei Mate X2, but neither is likely to hit markets outside of China. Neither the Moto Razr nor the Surface Duo received many awards, and we had significant concerns in our testing.

Outside of the world of foldable devices, when your primary desire is a big screen and flagship specs, both the Galaxy S21 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra have powerful hardware and S Pen support.

How long it will take?

Samsung has taken care to improve the durability of the Fold 3 by adding IPX8 water resistance, a more durable hinge with sweeping bristles, an improved screen protector for the main screen, retractable tips on the S Pen Fold and Pro, and Gorilla Glass Victus for. added the deck screen. Throw on a case and you won't need much to babysit the phone. If you're particularly concerned, you can invest in Samsung Care + for an extended warranty over the one-year limited warranty and accidental damage protection. The crease can get worse over time, but I would expect the phone to last at least two years, if not longer.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. The improvements to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 are big enough that I can recommend them to average consumers who aren't early adopters. There are still a few compromises made when it comes to battery and camera performance. So if you value those two things the most, you might be better off with the S21 Ultra. However, for gaming, multimedia, multitasking, and productivity, you won't do any better than the Fold 3.

Editor's recommendations



25 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.

Continue reading

25 Aug
Blog

Google Nest Cam (Battery) Review: The Anywhere Home Camera

Google Nest Cam (battery) on the table.

Google Nest Cam (battery) test: The camera for anywhere in the house

RRP $ 180.00

“The Google Nest Cam (battery) is one of the most versatile cameras out of the box. You even get a free video history. "

advantages

  • Works both indoors and outdoors

  • Stores three hours of video history for free

  • Great contrast with HDR video

  • Magnetic plate has a strong connection

disadvantage

  • Bulky design

  • Details are a little soft

It may be surprising to learn that Google has been in the home security business for quite some time. In fact, the original Nest Cam was first released in 2014, long before any of us could have guessed that the Google Assistant would become the brains behind running the smart home. That's quite a long time if you think about it, and the company has released many more cameras – some of which have been well received by users and critics.

However, the latest intelligent surveillance camera is said to be the most ambitious offering to date. The Google Nest Cam (battery) may be the security camera to beat, not just because it works indoors and outdoors, but because it has enough intelligence and power to be the only camera you can count on, when You work you need it. And, oh yes, you don't have to sign up for a subscription service to get access to the best features.

That's not the rule, but I like where it goes.

Setup and installation

Designed to handle both outdoor and indoor situations, I have to admit, I love that you can choose where to place the Google Nest Cam (battery). Thanks to its IP54 protection rating, it can withstand the weather if it is placed outdoors. I chose to keep it as an indoor camera for this review, but it's worth noting that it comes with a wall plate, screws, and anchors if you set it up outdoors. Because it's battery operated, there's no need to run annoying cables around the house – unless it needs to be charged.

Google Nest Cam (battery) with internal stand on table.John Velasco / Digital Trends

While you can buy the optional $ 30 indoor stand that allows the Nest Cam (battery) to stand upright and move around like other indoor cameras, I just put it on the side of a door frame because its magnetic platter is impressively strong. It takes a lot of force to remove until you need two hands to remove it from surfaces.

Another interesting change is that the camera is no longer tied to the Nest app. Instead, everything is set up and managed by the Google Home app. After following the instructions in the app, your Nest Cam (battery) was up and running in less than five minutes.

draft

The new model bears no resemblance to the original Nest Cam from 2014. It actually follows Google's previous line of home surveillance cameras, the Nest Cam IQ series, which has a similarly rounded design with a short connector between the base and the camera body. The Nest Cam (battery) is only available in the snow color, so it would be nice to get at least a few more options. Am i in love with the design? Not really, especially when it's bulkier than other indoor cameras, but I can still appreciate its modern design.

Google Nest Cam (battery) attached to the fridge with a magnetic plate.John Velasco / Digital Trends

Interestingly, I found that if the camera is separated from the magnet base, it will become inoperable. It's a bit strange that its functionality is tied to the connection to the magnetic disk, but Google says it's a privacy protection feature when you're using it outdoors – so it turns off while it's charging indoors . However, you can turn this off by going to the device information settings in the Google Home app. In this way, it works regardless of whether it is connected to the magnetic disk or not.

I'm also not thrilled that it uses a proprietary power connector. I understand the pin connections help keep it weatherproof outdoors, but the proprietary connection means I just can't use any other charging cable I might have lying around. Instead, I would have to go straight to Google.

camera

In terms of specs, the Google Nest Cam (battery) is a small step down from the previous Google Nest Cam IQ Indoor. It has a 2-megapixel 1 / 2.8-inch sensor with a 130-degree field of view that can record video at 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second (fps). In comparison, the Nest Cam IQ Indoor has a decent zoom function that preserves details thanks to its 8 megapixel 4K sensor. With an outdoor camera, the Nest Cam's (battery) field of view is narrower than other all-outdoor cameras, so you'll want to strategically place it in one place to maximize coverage.

Screenshot of the live view of the Google Nest Cam (battery).

Fortunately, the Nest Cam (battery) still offers HDR video, which balances high-contrast scenes well, so the lights and shadows are tinted appropriately to give the entire scene a more neutral contrast. Even so, it doesn't capture nearly the same level of detail and clarity as the Nest Cam IQ Indoor with 4K sensors. Details are a little softer on the Nest Cam (battery). However, its night vision performance is still impressive.

software

As already mentioned, the Google Nest Cam (battery) only works with the Google Home app – unlike previous Nest Cams that could still work with the Nest app. I welcome this change as all of my smart home devices are under one roof. There is an events page through the app that lists all of the event triggers, complete with animated preview clips and detection type.

At first I found the app's navigation a bit confusing as I had to go through other menus to find filter options. Another strange oversight that I noticed while using the app is the ability to quickly take a snapshot or video clip while viewing the video stream live. There are no options for this, which I find quite strange as it is a standard feature on many cameras. I really hope Google will update the camera to enable this basic feature as it comes in handy.

privacy

If Google does one thing perfectly with the Nest Cam (battery), it has to be that they take your privacy seriously. As much as I would have liked to see a kind of privacy shutter over the camera lens itself, the camera can be completely switched off via the Google Home app. You'll find other standard privacy features like motion zones that let you choose which areas the camera should keep an eye on, as well as a green LED on the camera itself to indicate that someone is accessing the live feed.

It's one of the most feature-rich cameras I've come across right out of the box.

Just like the other Nest Cams, I love that you can set up a geofence to turn the Nest Cam (battery) on or off. Using my smartphone's GPS, the Nest Cam (battery) turns off when I enter my apartment – and turns on again when I leave the geofence and leave.

battery

The Nest Cam (battery) has a rechargeable 3.65 V lithium-ion battery with 6 Ah, which cannot be removed and therefore has to be charged at some point using the charging cable supplied. If you're using it as an indoor camera, just keep in mind that the charging cable is about a meter or so – so there is little wiggle room in how far it can be from a power source. Instead, consider picking up the indoor stand as it has a longer wire.

Bottom of the Google Nest Cam (battery) with proprietary connector.John Velasco / Digital Trends

Due to the battery power, the camera can of course be used anywhere. In the short time I've tested, it's still over 85% charged after almost a week of use, which makes me optimistic that it will last over a month on a full charge. This of course depends on how active it is.

characteristics

Many of the features of the previous Google Nest Cam IQ Indoor are locked behind a subscription service. The key feature of the Google Nest Cam (battery) is that it gives you up to three hours of event video out-of-the-box – with no subscription required. This is wonderful news because it captures and stores video of events over the past three hours. If you need more coverage, you'll need to subscribe to Nest Aware for up to 10 days of continuous video recording.

I'm also excited to announce that even in the event of a network failure, the Google Nest Cam (battery) can continue to function normally as it continues to detect events and save clips. I tested this by unplugging my router. This is especially useful as it will not become inoperable if there is a power failure or the Wi-Fi network is interrupted.

Close-up of the Google Nest Cam (battery) camera.John Velasco / Digital Trends

The Nest Cam (battery) will continue to provide intelligent alerts based on what it sees. So far, when it comes to discerning people and pets, it's pretty much right – and alerting me with a notification on my phone. When used outdoors, it also has the ability to detect vehicles. I like that I can customize the notifications through the app, which helps avoid false positives.

And finally, it includes two-way audio for interacting with people. The internal speaker sounds loud and clear enough when used indoors, but I suspect that ambient noise outside could potentially affect its performance.

Our opinion

While there are some minor inconveniences that could easily be resolved with a software update, the $ 180 Google Nest Cam (battery) is a well-rounded security camera that can be effective anywhere. It's a very versatile camera that doesn't hide any advanced features behind a paywall, and one of the most feature-rich cameras I've come across right out of the box.

Is there a better alternative?

When it comes to clarity and detail, the Arlo Pro 4 is hard to beat with its sharp graphics, color night vision, and removable battery. You pay a little more for it, but the extra features and powerful performance back it up.

At the other end of the spectrum is the $ 130 Eufy SoloCam E40. It shares many of the same functions, such as: B. local storage, which eliminates the need to sign up for a subscription service.

How long it will take?

The Google Nest Cam (battery) has a robust construction with a matte outer casing. It is also designed to operate in extreme temperatures ranging from -4 degrees Fahrenheit to 104 F. In the event of a malfunction due to a defect. Google offers a one-year limited warranty that covers this.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. It's rare that you find a security with so much flexibility and smarts out-of-the-box.

Editor's recommendations



24 Aug
Blog

How To Tighten Saggy Skin On The Face & Neck

Do you gently pull back the skin on your face or neck when you look in the mirror and hope it would look different? Sagging skin is a natural part of the aging process, but it doesn't make it easier when you start to see sagging skin around your neck or jaw area. A surgical lift, like a face lift or eyelid surgery, will instantly tighten and tighten the skin, but these sagging skin surgical treatments are not for everyone. Fortunately, there are a number of less invasive skin lifting options too. We've outlined a few other transformative options for tightening sagging skin without surgery.

Why do I have sagging skin?

The most obvious cause of sagging skin is aging. During the natural aging process, both elastin and collagen production decrease. Because our bodies produce less collagen, our skin looks less tight and taut. In addition, the middle layer of the skin, the dermis, is harder to store moisture. This loss of collagen production and thinning of the skin contributes to changes in the texture and firmness of the skin, resulting in a sagging appearance.

The most obvious cause of sagging skin is weight loss, where you can discover sagging skin on both your face and body. Significant weight loss (100 pounds or more) can have a dramatic effect on your appearance. As Healthline notes, “Carrying extra weight for long periods of time can damage the collagen and elastin fibers in your skin. This makes it difficult for the skin to pull back when taking it off. "

Premature aging and sagging skin can also be caused by UV exposure from spending too much time in the sun. Finally, according to Healthline, pollutants in the environment like cigarette smoke or poor diet like excessive alcohol or excessive sugar consumption can contribute to laxity.

3 ways to tighten the skin on your face without surgery

1. Skin care products for the face and neck

Dryness and a thin texture are two characteristics that lead to sagging skin. The Bamboo Firming Fluid helps alleviate these deep moisture problems. This concentrate also contains bamboo, a Natural retinol alternative and Green Swiss apples to improve the appearance of sagging face, jaw and neck.

Formulated with hibiscus, acacia and paprika, the Hibiscus Ultra Lift Neck Cream complements the Bamboo Firming Fluid by increasing the appearance of elasticity and firmness of the skin.
In particular, the inclusion of edelweiss tightens and appears to tighten sagging skin and smooths the appearance of wrinkles. It also keeps the skin hydrated and supple for a smoother look.

If you are concerned about extra skin around the eye area, then you should try the Hibiscus Ultra Lift Eye Cream before undergoing an eye lift! It includes a rollerball applicator that you can use to gently massage the eye area for a tighter look. In addition, this eye cream soothes tired-looking eyes, smoothes the appearance of sagging skin and reduces the appearance of dark circles.

Now to our favorite part – masking! The Bamboo Age Corrective Masque is designed to moisturize and tighten the skin. One lucky reviewer, GloriaRegarding the mask, she said, “My spa has resumed and after trying it it is now a guard. Love the feeling after. Don't dry at all. Firms and cushions and revitalizes. Love it!"

If you are looking for a serum, we recommend the Firm Skin Acai Booster Serum, enriched with acai and hyaluronic acid from the marshmallow plant. These natural ingredients give you firmer skin by smoothing and plumping up your complexion and neck area.

Our senior skin care trainer Natalie Perger has some additional recommendations for which Eminence Organics products to use. Check out this video where Natalie shows the best ways to tone, tone, and tone your complexion.

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7zdiZx5sjE (/ embed)

2. Facial massage

In addition to surgical and other medical procedures, you can add facial exercises and massages for a non-surgical face lift effect. A facial massage can give you a toned and toned look because the more you train your facial muscles, the stronger they get. After you cleanse your face, you should follow the facial massage steps outlined in the picture below.

Facial massage at home infographic

To accompany the facial massage techniques, use a gua sha tool to contour the face. This tool has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years to tighten the skin and reduce facial tension and puffiness in the eyes.

3. Exercise to reduce sagging skin

Ironically, while exercise – and the resulting weight loss – can be one of the causes of sagging skin, it can also improve the appearance of sagging. According to Healthline, activities that promote and tone muscle mass minimize the amount of skin by burning calories and increasing muscle mass in the neck area. Strength or resistance training increases muscle mass and also strengthens and tones your muscles under the skin. Exercises like Pilates are another way to improve the appearance of your skin through tightening and modeling.

We all have sagging skin that we might want to tighten. Now that you know the main methods of tightening sagging skin, let us know which method you tried in the comments below!

24 Aug
Blog

Reducing High Blood Pressure With Isometric Resistance Training

Isometric resistance training (IRT) is readily available and can be a very useful, inexpensive measure for high blood pressure patients.

A new study examines the specific training method used to treat high blood pressure, isometric resistance training (IRT). So let's start with what is IRT? It's a kind of weight training.

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24 Aug
Blog

Top 3 Back Extension Alternatives Exercises

Back extensions is known to be a widely used and efficient exercise that helps build and tone your back. Also known as hyperextensions, this workout is exactly what you need to achieve a healthy and well-built back. However, the only downside to back extensions is that they require a hyper reverse machine. This machine can be brutal if you are not a member of the gym as it is expensive. Therefore, to get the same benefits from this exercise, it is always recommended to try some of its alternatives. These alternatives will prove to be a boon in helping you achieve a healthy and adequately built back without the use of expensive equipment. Therefore, you should read this article carefully and find out about some of the most suitable alternatives of back extensions.

Some of the best alternatives to back extensions and their description:

Below are some of the most suitable back extension alternatives that will give you the same benefits but without an expensive reverse hyper machine.

#1. Good Morning

This alternative to the back extensor is considered somewhat tendentious, as it can cause serious injuries if improperly performed. It involves lifting heavy weights while doing your best to keep your spine in a neutral position. This workout can be done with a barbell or a resistance band. It got the name "Good Morning" because it is done in the same place where you greet someone with a bow.

Step by step instructions:

1. First stand with your hands behind your head and your feet shoulder width apart. You need to stand straight with your shoulders pulled back and your core tensed.

2. Now, while taking a deep breath, bend forward only with your hips. Also, keep your knees bent a little, but try your best to keep your back straight.

3. Then lean forward until you feel a slight compression in your thighs.

4. Finally, stand up on the exhale to return to the starting position. Repeat.

# 2. Reverse hyperextensions

As we all know, with regular extensions, our upper body stays in motion while our legs stay in a neutral position. In reverse hyperextension, however, our upper body remains stationary while our legs are in motion. This exercise is beneficial because you can lift heavy weights with little or no stress on the spine. This exercise is usually done with a hyper reverse machine, but you can also use a flat bench or stability ball.

Step by step instructions:

1. First, lie down on the hyper reverse machine with your stomach and torso on the bench. Your legs should hang straight toward the floor as you hold the machine's handles. Remember to keep your abs moving.

2. Now try to lift your legs off the floor while contracting your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back and aligning them with your body. The movement should be quick and smooth.

3. Lower your legs to return to the starting position.

Repeat.

# 3. Barbell hip kicks

Most people see this workout as an isolation exercise for the glutes. But in reality, this exercise works your entire back chain and is responsible for its development. This is usually done with a barbell. But it can also be done with the help of a weight plate or dumbbells. This workout is ideal for home serving as it is available to be done at home. The most important factor that sets it apart from other types of back extension is the emphasis on lowering pressure on the spine, which reduces the risk of injury.

Step by step instructions:

1. To begin with, stand on the floor with your feet hip-width apart and your knees bent. Put the weight over your hips.

2. Now, while squeezing your glutes, raise the weight so your hips are in line with your knees and shoulders. Remember to keep your core occupied with this.

3. Then slowly lower the weight to return to the starting position.

Repeat.

Frequently asked Questions:

1. What is the main benefit of back extensions?

Back extensions are considered one of the best exercises for building and toning your lower back and core muscles. They also help strengthen your shoulders, hips, and buttocks. It's also beneficial to build your posture and help you get rid of lower back pain.

2. What are some of the best alternatives to back extensions?

Some of the best alternatives to back extensions are:

A. Good morning

B. Romanian deadlift

C. Barbell hip kicks

D. Kettlebell swing

e. Superman

3. Can I do back extensions every day?

Yes, you can safely do back extensions every day.

24 Aug
Blog

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic Review: First-rate Smartwatch

Galaxy Watch 4 Classic on the wrist.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic in the test: A first-class smartwatch

RRP $ 349.99

"The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is a really powerful smartwatch with comprehensive health monitoring functions, elegant One Watch UI software and a sophisticated, elegant design that feels good on the wrist."

advantages

  • Closed, mature design

  • The rotating bezel is intuitive

  • The One Watch user interface is clear and logical

  • Comprehensive health tracking

  • Choice of style and size

disadvantage

  • The battery doesn't last two full days

  • Wear OS 3 software lacks gloss

  • Too big at night

Has the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic Do you have what it takes to top our list of the best Android smartwatches? After all, its predecessor, the Galaxy Watch 3, has done so since its release, and we have high expectations. The already tough job of the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is made even harder by the fact that it has to introduce us to a new operating system and inspire us with its hardware at the same time.

A look at the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic shows that Samsung did its job with the design, but what about the new Wear OS 3 software? There's a lot to do here, but don't worry, this is a feature-rich smartwatch that deserves both your attention and your money.

draft

At first glance, the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic doesn't look that different from the Galaxy Watch 3, but upon closer inspection, there are subtle refinements that give the new model a more cohesive, sophisticated, and watch-like style. The stainless steel case itself comes in either 42mm or 46mm sizes, and I wear the 46mm model on my 6.5-inch wrist. Without the strap, it weighs 52 grams.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 classic.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The ribs on the bezel are smaller and denser than on the Galaxy Watch 3, the chronograph markings are more subtle, and the tabs flow more directly out of the case itself. This, along with the strap and buttons, is the biggest design change. The buttons are elongated, flush with the case and therefore less noticeable, but still separated by a button protector for a clean look.

The bracelet changes the watch the most, as the ends match the curve of the case and the flowing lines match the lugs. It works really well, making the bracelet appear like an integral part of the watch case, and the shape prevents it from bending too far in either direction, which makes it sit better on the wrist. Technically, it's a small design change, but an inspired one that really adds to the comfort and looks of the watch. However, if you swap the bracelet for a non-Samsung version, you lose that advantage.

The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic on the wrist shows the buttons.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

At 52 grams, the Watch 4 Classic is quite heavy and you can almost always feel it on your wrist. This prevented me from wearing it overnight for sleep tracking – it was just too noticeable and I found it distracting as I fell asleep. The 42-mm version is not much lighter at 47 grams and both are significantly heavier than the 37-gram aluminum case 44 mm Apple Watch Series 6.

Nevertheless, I don't find the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic tiring during the day and I love the balanced, elegant and unmistakable design.

software

The hardware is great, but the big change in the Watch 4 is the software. Gone is Samsung's Tizen from the Galaxy Watch 3, and the joint Google and Samsung platform called Wear OS 3, or simply Wear, is coming. Tizen has always been the better software compared to the old Wear OS and made the Galaxy Watch 3 our top recommendation for Android smartwatches due to its ease of use, design and reliability. With the new software, the concern for me was how much of Tizen is left or has Wear completely overhauled it?

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic app page.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The good news is that Tizen's superior design and ease of use are preserved through Samsung's One Watch user interface. Wear OS 3 allows businesses to use a custom user interface, which avoids all new watches from looking basically the same. The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic has a rotating bezel that is very helpful when navigating. You rotate it left to show notifications and right to show tiles. Swipe up on the touchscreen to find the app menu and down for quick settings. Then use the bezel to scroll left and right through all of the options that appear. It's fluid, natural, quick, and surprisingly enjoyable. The rotating bezel has a very precise action with nice damping and a decent "notching" feel when rotating.

You should spend a moment digging through the settings to personalize how your watch works, as lift to wake up isn't turned on by default, which means you'll have to tap the screen or rotate the bezel to adjust the display to activate. This is annoying when an app is running and the screen is timing out. An always-on screen can be turned on so that the clock always shows the time. There are many watch faces to choose from, from very simple to very cute, and all of them have custom environment modes.

Galaxy Watch 4 Classic shows off a cute watch face.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It all feels very similar to Tizen on the Galaxy Watch 3 at first, but Wear uses clearer fonts that combine with the razor-sharp screen – a 1.4-inch 450 x 450-pixel Super AMOLED on the 46 -mm- or a 1.2-inch 396 x 396 pixel Super AMOLED on the 42 mm – makes everything easy to read. I never have to blink at the screen and the font choices are more sophisticated than Tizen's. The most obvious change happens when you swipe up on the screen and find a list of apps that includes the Google Play Store.

Android apps for Wear OS work on the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic as opposed to the Tizen-based Galaxy Watch 3, and that includes Google apps that are missing on old Samsung watches like Google Maps, Google Fit, and Google Pay. Google Pay works normally and you can choose either it or Samsung Pay as the default contactless payment system in the NFC setting. Google Fit works with Samsung Health, but it's not immediately apparent how or if it can be set as the default.

There are times when Wear OS 3 shows it's still in the works, but during my review came a small software update that also showed that Google and Samsung are working on fixing any issues. At first, Google Maps loaded as usual, but whether you could scroll through the map on the screen was unsuccessful, and routes were only displayed in text form. Both issues were fixed after the update. However, some apps are still shaky, with Spotify often timing out, leaving me staring at a rotating progress bar.

Many apps are available through Google Play, including common examples like Spotify and Outlook, but not YouTube Music or Uber. It doesn't seem like the Google Assistant is available either as an app to install or as an onboard alternative to Bixby. Notifications are nice and interactive when they show up, but there is no guarantee of arrival, a problem with the old Wear operating system that has unfortunately carried over to the new Wear. However, notifications are grouped in tiles, properly formatted, easy to read, and when you close one on the watch, it disappears from your phone.

In everyday life, the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic with Wear OS 3 has so far been excellent, although it is an unusual mix of Wear OS and Tizen. You get the good looks and reasonable navigation of the One Watch UI and rotating bezel, plus the frustration of unreliable notifications and apps that don't always work properly from Wear OS, along with lots of duplicate services. Since Wear looks different (when they arrive) on other smartwatches that run the software, much of what works well here may be due to Samsung's One Watch user interface, but we won't know for sure until a challenger arrives in the future.

Health tracking

The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic's health and fitness tracking is comprehensive, detailed, easy to use, and packed with features. The Samsung BioActive sensor is the outstanding new hardware addition to the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. The 3-in-1 sensor contains a bioelectrical impedance sensor (BIA), an electrocardiogram (EKG) and a PPG heart rate sensor, all of which are powered by new software algorithms.

Daily activity screen on the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The BIA provides a body composition measurement that shows weight, muscle, fat mass, body fat, body mass index (BMI), body water and basal metabolic rate (BMR). Data like this has only been found on a few smart scales so far and is helpful in better understanding weight loss and the effects of continued exercise on your body. It takes 15 seconds and all it takes is your weight and height, but it is not suitable for people with pacemakers as it uses a small electrical current to take a measurement.

It's typical of many of the high tech health features of a wearable in that it provides a lot of statistics but no real information about what they mean and what you can do to change them. The dates themselves are very variable and the results will depend on the time of day, the last meal, and much more. It is difficult to determine accuracy this way. It's probably only helpful if you can compare the results to another device with a body composition measurement, and even then you'll have to do your own research to know what to do with the data.

The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic's body composition mode.Measurement of body composition on the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

In order to use the EKG, a separate app must be installed on your phone, which lasts 30 seconds and only reports in the event of atrial fibrillation. The app shows an option to measure blood pressure, but this feature is not active on the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic in the UK. The watch also gives you a stress measurement, an SpO2 blood oxygen monitor, a heart rate and a health tracker for women, plus tiles for manual entry of daily water and food intake.

The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is a very strong fitness companion, with all the sensors you need.

Workouts start quickly with a tile with Samsung Health, and you can add Google Fit tiles to the watch, along with a convenient overview of your main stats. I've followed various workouts, including those with GPS. The measurements were the same as those I got from an Apple Watch Series 6 connected to an iPhone 12 Pro. The training mode's auto-pause feature stands out for its eagerness and always paused even when I just stopped taking a photo and then resumed when I restarted.

Samsung Health screen and the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Training mode in Samsung Health with the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Detailed exercise statistics in Samsung Health with the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Heart rate mode on the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Samsung Health app presents its data neatly, and there's enough information for the casual fitness fan, including all of the data gathered from the body composition tests plus heart rate, stress, sleep tracking, step count, and historical workouts -Tracking data. I didn't feel the need to switch from Samsung Health to Google Fit, which suggests it offers a similar level of information and usefulness. The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is a very powerful fitness companion, with all the sensors you need (and some you probably don't need often), accurate data logging, and a well-presented app.

Performance, battery life and charging

The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic uses the new dual-core processor Samsung Exynos W920 with 1.18 GHz and 1.5 GB RAM. It didn't disappoint, with more than enough power to quickly propel the operating system forward. The WiFi range is quite short, however, and the watch doesn't always keep the connection connected or doesn't activate it automatically, for example when opening Google Play. I had to manually connect to Wi-Fi to start some apps, but this may change with another software update. Bluetooth headphones are easy to use and, provided they are already paired with your phone, the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic does not require a second pairing.

Galaxy Watch 4 Classic's heart rate sensor.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The 46mm Galaxy Watch 4 Classic has a 361 mAh battery inside and lasts two working days with a single recorded workout and active always-on screen after a week of using the watch, assuming you turn it off overnight the end. It doesn't dare to last two full days with the always-on time showing, and certainly not if you're also using sleep tracking and tracking a workout.

There is a power saving mode that is activated when the watch reaches about 10% of the remaining battery capacity. It extends the usage time by a few hours by disabling non-essential features like the always-on screen. Charging is done with an included magnetic charging disc, and it takes about 80 minutes to reach 10% full capacity. The display usefully shows an estimate of how long a full charge will take.

Price and availability

the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic starts at $ 349 in black or silver and will be released on August 27th. The 42mm model is the cheapest, while the 46mm model costs $ 379. Add 4G LTE and the price goes up to $ 399 for the 42mm or $ 429 for the 46mm version. Buy from Samsung's online store and you can customize the watch with different straps.

Our opinion

The Galaxy Watch 3 is hard to follow, and any new operating system will always be difficult to implement perfectly the first time around, but Samsung successfully got around all of the issues and delivered an excellent sequel to the best smartwatch for Android phones from last year. The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic skillfully mixes a smart design with comprehensive health monitoring and offers it not only in two different styles, but also in different sizes. It is absolutely worth your money.

Samsung's use of the One Watch UI is key to the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic's ease of use as the UI is smooth, logical, and fast. The rotating bezel makes the smartwatch fun to use, and the convenience and robustness of the smartwatch make it easy to wear all day. I found it too big to wear overnight and want the battery to be used for two full days, but these are not issues unique to the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.

Wear OS 3 looks promising, but it's disappointing to still see the old problems of not getting all notifications and not all apps available or always working properly on the watch. It's better than before thanks to the One Watch UI, but still not as reliable or as app-packed as Apple's WatchOS. However, given its novelty, it should not be judged too harshly just yet. Where's the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic? Samsung has definitely made a great successor to the Watch 3.

Is there a better alternative?

If you own an iPhone, the Apple Watch Series 6 or Apple Watch SE are still the smartwatches you should buy. They can be perfectly integrated into your phone while others miss out on certain functions, and WatchOS is built up quickly and logically. Apple Health is great and the battery lasts a few days.

If you have an Android phone, the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic are the only two with the latest Wear OS 3 software, and this can be crucial for quick updates over the next year. Mobvoi's TicWatch Pro 3 and TicWatch E3 are slated to get Wear OS 3 around this time next year, and while both are still good choices today, Samsung's watches are a better choice as you get the new software without the long wait.

It is Samsung that has the Watch 4 Classic's biggest challenger. The Galaxy Watch 4 has the same features and performance as the Watch 4 Classic, with a different design and a touch-sensitive bezel. It's cheaper too, and your preference will likely depend on which design you like better.

How long it will take?

The case of the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is waterproof to 5ATM and has an IP68 rating and meets the hardness standards MIL-STD-810G. The bracelet of my test model is made of thick rubber and feels very hard-wearing. Wear OS 3 software is now up to date and will likely be ahead of the competition for some time as there are no other smartwatches available with the software yet. There's a 4G LTE option for anyone looking to add cellular connectivity with an eSIM. The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic lasts for at least two years.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. The design and comfort of the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic are top notch, there are tons of health monitoring features, and the performance is excellent. It's a great smartwatch to buy.

Editor's recommendations



24 Aug
Blog

Go Beyond the 5 Fundamental Movement Patterns

We can make our workouts more fun and useful by including elements that apply power in natural human situations.

If you're interested in strength training, you've heard of the basic patterns of movement – the natural human movements that most trainers believe that all human beings are ideally able to demonstrate and exercise.

Corresponding Dan John, there are five basic movements:

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24 Aug
Blog

LG A1 OLED TV Review (OLED55A1PUA, OLED65A1PUA, OLED77A1PUA)

LG A1 OLED 4K HDR TV screen with images of a colorful desert.

LG A1 OLED 4K HDR TV

RRP $ 1,800.00

"The LG A1 is not a game changer, but still an OLED television."

advantages

  • Perfect black levels

  • Great color

  • Low input lag

disadvantage

  • Lower brightness

  • Sluggish interface

Unseen, we presented the LG A1 OLED with our Top Tech of CES 2021 Award in January. At the time we wrote, "LG promises that the A-Series will be much more affordable for a wider audience, and while LG has not yet released any figures, we are confident that we will reach the prices that the average family can afford."

Perhaps our trust was out of place.

It turns out that – at the time I write this seven months later – the LG A1 OLED is only two or three hundred dollars less than the LG C1 OLED I raved about earlier this year, assuming you look at it 55- or 65-inch models. That's not the kind of breakthrough pricing I was hoping for when I introduced the A1 OLED to my coworkers via a Zoom call towards the end of the world's biggest virtual tech show. Sure, $ 300 isn't to be sneezed at, but it's not a huge premium to ask if you're already looking to spend close to $ 1,800 on a 65-inch television.

TV prices usually drop towards the end of the calendar year and may drop further when next year's models hit this spring, but for now the prospect of an OLED TV below $ 1,000 remains elusive.

For this review, I think it's important to know what you get and what you don't get with LG's A1 OLED and, perhaps most importantly, whether the small saving comes with some sacrifice in design and performance.

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LG A1 OLED 4K HDR TV screen with pictures of ice breaking.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Despite a few flaws, the A1 OLED is still an OLED TV, and I was quickly reminded of this when I unboxed the TV. It has the same amazingly thin profile that you'll find on the C1 OLED, with a screen thinner than any other smartphone on the market. Sure, there is a bulge in the lower third of the TV that houses all of the electronics, but even when mounted on the wall, you still get the “wow” factor from the incredibly thin screen – even if it doesn't curl up.

The screen isn't the only part that resembles the LG C1 OLED. The entire chassis appears to be identical to the LG C1, with one exception: the A1 OLED only has three HDMI ports, while the C1 has four.

The similarities end with the included stand. The LG A1 comes with two feet that must be screwed into the bottom of the TV, while the LG C1 comes with a heavy, central stand. However, since the LG A1 shares the same chassis with the C1, anyone who wanted to use the central stand of the C1, CX or even C9 OLED TV could if they wanted – the mounting holes are there. A quick visit to eBay will produce results on LG C-Series stands for sale. Just be prepared to pay for it as the shipping is so steep due to the heavy weight of the stand.

Close-up of the stand of the LG A1 OLED 4K HDR TV.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Close-up of the stand of the LG A1 OLED 4K HDR TV

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

LG A1 OLED 4K HDR TV 2 HDMI ports and 2 USB ports.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

LG A1 OLED 4K HDR TV connections and plugins.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Once set up on a stand or mounted on the wall, the television looks very elegant with its extremely thin profile, frameless design and a strong anti-glare coating to reduce the "mirror effect" of the screen.

The A1 OLED comes with LG's newly designed “Magic Motion” remote control, which is equipped with buttons and also enables motion control of the TV in the Nintendo Wii style.

LG A1 OLED 4K HDR details

Screen size Model no RRP
48 inches

OLED48A1PUA

 $ 1,200
55 inches OLED55A1PUA $ 1,300
65 inches OLED65A1PUA $ 1,800
77 in OLED77A1PUA $ 3,000

Features and Specifications

General 4K TV details about the LG A1 OLED 4K HDR TV.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The LG A1 OLED uses a 60 Hz panel in contrast to the 120 Hz panel of the slightly more expensive C1 model. In general, screens with higher refresh rates offer smoother and more natural motion, especially in fast-moving sports and movie scenes.

The A1 is powered by LG's A7 Gen4 processor, not the newest, fanciest A9 Gen4 processor found in all of LG's other OLED TV series. We'll go into more detail about what that means in the Performance section.

As already mentioned, the A1 has three HDMI inputs instead of four, none of which are HDMI 2.1 compatible. The TV supports eARC for uncompressed audio passthrough to other devices, but it doesn't support other popular features associated with HDMI 2.1 such as: However, the A1 offers LG's Game Optimizer setting, so it can't do without game-friendly features. We'll get more into gaming performance in the next section.

The television offers HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision HDR support, so it is an HDR television, but as test measurements with a SpectraCal VideoForge Pro and a C6 measuring device with CalMAN software showed, the LG A1 OLED is not as bright as the LG C1 OLED or, as it turns out, the Vizio OLED TV.

power

user interface

The LG A1 runs LG's WebOS Smart TV system, which recently received a facelift and is a little more eye-friendly and easier to navigate than it was a year ago. However, I've found that WebOS felt more cluttered as it was used, and its implementation in the A1 OLED proved annoyingly sluggish. I was often frustrated with the delay between my key presses and the corresponding action on the screen. The system can be used to watch Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and other apps, but I would highly recommend adding a Chromecast with Google TV, which offers a huge improvement in experience and responsiveness, although it only requires one of three HDMIs Inputs.

Audio

The LG A1 sounds surprisingly good in view of its slim design and reduced price. I think most users will find the built-in sound system perfect for everyday television thanks to its solid dialog clarity and decent bass production, although I would always recommend a selection from our list of the best sound bars for a more cinematic experience while watching movies and games.

image

Since it is impossible for me to review the LG A1 without comparing it to LG's slightly more expensive C1 OLED TV series, I will present most of my observations on image quality in this context. Before I start though, I want to make a few things clear.

As already mentioned, the LG A1 is an OLED television and as such offers a few advantages. Aside from its stunning looks, the A1 is blessed to produce perfect black levels. Since the A1 OLED has no backlighting (every pixel lights up by itself), there are no annoying backlighting anomalies to be endured. There is no blooming or halo around bright objects on a black background, no dirty screen effect (spots on an LCD screen), and no backlight fluctuations (slow brightening and dimming). Therefore, the A1 OLED has a remarkably clean appearance with deep, rich colors and an incredibly satisfactory image quality.

LG A1 OLED 4K HDR TV screen with pictures of someone playing the saxophone.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The response time of the A1 OLED is also practically instantaneous, so that no image blurring is caused by the screen. Instead, the blurring you see on the A1 is actually caused by the fact that your eyes can't keep up with the speed at which the image is changing – even on a 60Hz screen like that of the A1 OLED.

However, the A1 OLED's 60Hz screen robs the TV of the smoother movement you see on the C1 OLED. Plus, the A1 OLED's A7 Gen4 processor isn't as sophisticated as the updated A9 Gen4 image processor from the C1 OLED series and above. It would require placing the TVs next to each other to notice this, but the A1 doesn't do quite as good a job of upscaling low quality content (low resolution or low bitrate streaming video or cable / satellite content) as the C1 does does.

LG A1 OLED 4K HDR TV screen with images of a colorful sunset landscape.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The real drawback of the A1, however, is its brightness. The A1 OLED may not be a weak TV, but it doesn't have the brightness potential needed to really bounce HDR images off the screen. The peak brightness of the A1 OLED is around 500 nits, while the LG C1 and Vizio OLED are closer to 750 nits. That's enough of a difference for most people to notice whether the TVs are next to each other or not. The A1 just looks less brilliant.

The lack of brightness extends beyond bright highlights into color and overall look. The colors of the A1 lack a certain crackle compared to the C1 and the overall picture level is a bit darker. It's perfectly fine (sometimes even dazzling) in a very dark or very dark room, but even turning on the room lights steals a lot of the A1 OLED's zeal, making it a less realistic TV option for many.

Games

Fortnite video game played on LG A1 OLED 4K HDR TV.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Game Optimizer settings on the LG A1 OLED 4K HDR TV.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

As already mentioned, the LG A1 OLED does not offer a variable refresh rate. And while an Xbox Series X or S will tell you that the TV has 1080p resolution at 120 frames per second (fps), that's not the truth. The A1 simply skips every other frame of a 120 fps signal.

However, the A1 is capable of 4K HDR at 60 Hz and has a remarkably low input lag of around 10 milliseconds in game mode. The A1 also comes with an LG gaming dashboard that allows for game genre detection and optimization, along with black and brightness controls that can make it a little easier to spot enemies in dark shadows in challenging first person shooter games.

The bottom line is that the A1 OLED is an excellent TV for most gamers, but those looking to get the most out of their next-gen Xbox Series X or S will want to upgrade to the C1 OLED for the best experience.

Our opinion

The LG A1 OLED has all the image quality advantages inherent in an OLED display and looks very nice in a dark room. None of its drawbacks alone is a deal breaker, but when you add up the individual shortcomings of the A1 OLED and put them in the context of the very small price difference between it and the step-up C1 OLED, it's hard to imagine why anyone would save you money not for the better TV and leave the A1 OLED completely over.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes sir. The LG C1 OLED is a superior TV, if only a little more expensive. The upgrades are worth the additional cost, however; You get what you pay for in this case. The Vizio OLED is also a brighter TV available for the same price, but I don't care about its SmartCast smart TV interface or some of its flaws. However, the Vizio OLED is a better gaming TV overall.

How long it will take?

Since the A1 OLED doesn't have the latest processor or HDMI connectivity, I think it will feel its age a little earlier than most TVs. However, from a general longevity standpoint, I would expect it to last for many years. I wouldn't recommend an OLED TV to anyone who watches the same news, weather, or sports channel for hours, every day, for months, because burn-in is a small risk on any OLED TV.

Should you buy it?

If the price of a 55-inch model falls below $ 1,000, then yes. Otherwise I would forego the A1 OLED and buy the LG C1 OLED TV instead.

Editor's recommendations



24 Aug
Blog

Why Athletes Hate the Jerk Lift

According to my followers, cleaning is easy; doing a snap is okay but they hate the jerk, just like me, but with preparation and training you can get great results.

Hello, this is Oleksiy Torokhtiy. You may recognize me by having been in weightlifting sports for over twenty years. Ten years of that time I was an active member of the national team of Ukraine.

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