Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 Review: What $410 Can Buy You

Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 review 14

"The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is the best Chromebook you can buy for under $ 500."

  • Responsive keyboard

  • Impressive performance

  • Great value for money

  • Under three pounds

  • Bad touchpad

  • Mediocre display

Chromebooks are getting more expensive every year. They also grow in quality. Display, performance and design improve. They're far from yesterday's cheap Chromebooks.

The Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook tries to be the best of both worlds. At $ 410, it captures the original spirit of highly affordable laptops, yet offers an Intel Core processor, a 1080p screen, and a solid appearance.

Lenovo has struck the balance carefully, but not without a few hiccups on the way.

design

I'm not looking for anything special in a laptop under $ 500. I want modern. I want thin and light. I want a solid build quality. And bonus points if it doesn't look gaudy or plastic.

The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 performs better than most Chromebooks at this price. The color "graphite gray" is initially subtle. Although each surface is made of plastic, it feels firm and well built. The hinge is firm and resists shaking, even when you tap and swipe on the touchscreen.

I have a few minor complaints. The bezels are large – especially the chin. The 360 ​​degree hinge provides additional space under the screen. It is hard to miss on such a small laptop. Premium chromebooks like the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook or the Asus Chromebook Flip C436 have the thin frames we see on Windows laptops, but they're about twice as expensive. It's a problem that the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 solves by using a slightly larger 16:10 aspect ratio.

Despite the frames, the Chromebook Flex 5 comes in a portable package. It's less than 3 pounds and 0.7 inches thick, and just a bit bigger than a MacBook Air. Options like the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook or Google Pixelbook Go are much smaller – but price tags aren't.

Most Chromebooks under $ 500 are bulky 15-inch laptops, which is a shame. The Chromebook Flex 5 fills this gap.

The Chromebook Flex 5 offers a standard selection of ports, at least for a modern Chromebook. On the right side there is a USB-C 3.1, a USB-A 3.1, a headphone jack and a microSD card slot. The other side contains another USB-C port and a Kensington lock. Unfortunately, only the right side can be used to charge the device.

As it is a 2-in-1 device, the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 has a volume rocker and a power switch in addition to the connections. The volume rocker is mushy and difficult to distinguish, which is a little frustrating. You'll use the volume control on the keyboard a lot more often, but that's no excuse for lousy keys.

Display and speakers

The Flex 5 Chromebook doesn't have the best display in the world. It is a 13.3-inch IPS LED display with a standard resolution of 1,920 x 1,080. It has a slight shade of green, which makes pale skin tones look sick.

It only brightens up to 250 nits. This is bright enough for home use, but if you stand under strong office light or sit next to a window, the glossy screen can cause strong reflections. A matte screen may have made the screen look cheap, but avoided this problem.

I've seen a lot worse on Chromebooks, but options like the Google Pixelbook Go or the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook do much better. The software on my colorimeter doesn't work in Chrome OS to measure color accuracy, but the Flex 5 Chromebook is probably not accurate enough for creative people. For what a Chromebook is made for $ 410, the screen does the trick.

The Flex 5 Chromebook has a set of upward-facing speakers that flank the keyboard on both sides. The placement is good, but they are as thin as laptop speakers. The Pixelbook Go is far superior in this category.

Keyboard and touchpad

The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 offers a pleasant typing experience. This is the typical Chrome OS layout outside of the oddly shortened left and right arrow keys. But the keycaps are big, the journey is long and the keystrokes respond. Lenovo has even installed a backlight with five brightness levels. I felt at home.

The touchpad is a different story. It's big enough, but of below average quality. The plastic, structured surface leads to skipping and sloppy tracking. Inexpensive touchpads like this slow down my workflow and make detailed tasks such as text selection difficult. The click mechanism is also quite stiff and loud. As my daily driver, the touchpad was the only hurdle to usability that I kept tripping over. I'm not shocked by the price, but I was hoping to be surprised. The switch back to a Google Pixelbook Go felt heavenly in comparison.

The Flex 5 Chromebook has a 720p on-screen webcam that can be serviced for occasional zoom calls.

performance

Many cheap Chromebooks use slow MediaTek or Intel Celeron processors. Not the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5. It offers an Intel Core i3-10110U processor of the latest generation of Intel chips. This is a full 15-watt processor, while many other Chromebooks use an 8-watt processor. More performance means more potential performance, and the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 offers.

Other Chromebooks that use this 10th generation Core i3 are usually much more expensive, such as the Asus Chromebook Flip C436 for $ 800. The Flex 5 corresponds to this processor in multi-core scores in Geekbench 5 and is 18% faster than the Google Pixelbook Go.

The two cores and four threads it offers may not sound impressive, and 4 GB of RAM may not. But it feels quick. Chrome OS works on this hardware regardless of how many tabs you have open. This can best be measured in a test like the Tachometer 2.0, which measures JavaScript performance. In web applications, the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is as fast as a quad-core Core i5 Windows 10 laptop. This is important because it is almost exclusively what you use this Chromebook for.

You can of course run Android apps on the Flex 5. 3D games like the mobile racing driver Asphalt 9 Legends were played smoothly. However, the integrated graphics cannot even start a match from PUBG Mobile. As strange as it may sound, your phone will perform better. Many of these Android apps are still not well optimized for the 16: 9 aspect ratio and a cursor. However, this is a problem with Android app emulation in Chrome OS in general, not the fault of the Flex 5.

A processor with higher performance has one disadvantage. Heat. The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is not a fanless device like the Pixelbook Go. Open a few YouTube videos, Slack, Spotify, and about a dozen websites – that's enough to hear the fans spinning and the keyboard warming up. I never had the feeling that the fans were turning prematurely or too often.

The laptop also has 64 GB of eMMC storage. It's not a ton of capacity – and not as fast as a solid-state drive. Unfortunately, both have become the standard for Chromebooks. As long as you do most of the things in the cloud, 64 GB shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Battery life

The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 offers decent battery life. It has always been a Chromebook strength and budget laptop deficit. These two properties meet in the Flex 5, a laptop has a better battery life than most at this price.

On average, it took me about six to seven hours of my daily workload. Not quite enough to get through a full day's work, but close.

It's not a Pixelbook Go – or even the current Lenovo Yoga C640 – but it should take you most of a working day. In our browsing test, I zeroed the battery through a selection of websites. The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 lasted almost eight hours. Playing videos took a few hours longer, and I looped a video clip until it died.

Our opinion

The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is one of the cheaper Chromebooks you can buy. It is characterized by excellent performance, excellent battery life and solid build quality. The touchpad is not great, and neither is the screen. It's not a no-compromise laptop, but this $ 410 Chromebook is still one of the best laptops you can buy under $ 500.

Are there alternatives?

The 14-inch Asus Chromebook C425 is worth considering. It doesn't have such a powerful processor, but it looks impressive and only costs $ 443. The Google Pixelbook Go costs a little more, but it remains my choice for the best Chromebook you can buy.

If you're looking for a Windows laptop with a similar price tag, the Acer Swift 3 is a good choice. The $ 399 model is equipped with an 8th generation Intel Core i3 processor, 4 GB RAM and a 128 GB SSD.

How long it will take?

The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 should last four or five years. Google extends software updates to older Chromebooks for many years. The warranty is a one-year limited warranty.

Should you buy it

Yes. If you are looking for a laptop under $ 500, the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is one of the best you can buy.

Editor's recommendations




Is Your Gym Healthy? | Breaking Muscle

Is your gym healthy? - Fitness, clean gym, public security, viral, commercial gyms, ihrsa, covid-19, boxing gym

One of the great moments of the great pandemic was reading gym owners' social media posts explaining that they were not allowed to open, but bars for health reasons.

No one should seek medical advice from someone who is not a medical professional, or assume that the guy who just made you lift your body weight is a health professional.

Let us clarify that. Most gyms were all about looking good naked first, and then everything else. Let’s not pretend that bringing society to gyms is a salvation for society because it only sounds selfish.

All of these gym owners can correct the future situation by figuring out how to make their gyms safe for use in a pandemic world and how they can be part of the long-term solution to chronic illnesses rather than pitch pitching. It won't happen, but it's nice to think that things could change for the better.

Does that sound cynical? Well, maybe, but it's the truth and it's not the gym owners' fault that they are in the situation they are in.

They would probably like to have hundreds of members who pay them for walking or being more active, rather than lifting their weights after them or cleaning their room.

Because yes, most healthy activities and chronic disease reduction can be achieved without a membership of USD 150 per month or a group class of USD 20 per session.

But that's not why you're there and part of the problem and part of the solution if you only agree to be. You want this membership and you want it in a boxing gym because it has a different meaning for you.

Your gym is approximately 2,500 square meters, maybe more, maybe less, but it's not a huge, cavernous room. They have some bars and rings, dumbbells and squats, kettlbells, dumbbells, ropes and things that look well stacked on the wall. It's a dark, moody prison yard, but you love it.

You will be the type of person who spends a good hour or more in this small gym, sweats profusely, breathes heavily most of the hour, and does so with little time for the intricacies of fitness etiquette.

You drop weights, you run around, you drip sweat, you spray sweat, you are with your community of moisture freaks to the bitter end when the last bell rings.

Yes, you are probably healthier than most people. Although you would probably do the same thing whether it is healthy or not. In fact, you don't do it because of your normal physical condition, that's nice, but you do it because of performance, the need to lift more, develop a new skill, or even compete. You go to your boxing gym even if you are injured because it is your rite of passage.

And this is where the boxing gym dilemma opens up. They are not like the Globo-Gyms, in which treadmills and equipment take up every square meter and in which about 80% of the members never show up.

They are reducing their cholestrol by having these $ 20 monthly payments in their accounts. It reduces the stress of thinking about the actual work of the training.

Boxing gym visitors are more likely than any other gym visitor to spend most of their time in their gyms (there is an article about New Your Time that makes this clear). They are the one percent of the gym that goes public. That's about 600,000 people across 5,000 gyms (an average of about 120 people per gym) in the United States alone.

After being blocked, boxing gyms are under pressure to be safe places like they were never really designed. It's a fact, it's not insurmountable, but it can't be done by the gym owner alone.

As a member, you have to be so committed that the environment is safe for everyone. The big question is whether you are up to the task.

The health and safety problem for gyms

The International Health, Racquet & Sports Club Association (IHRSA) has a vast amount of information that it provides to its members, the owners of health clubs, about best practices for creating a safe environment.

Granted, there is no way to enforce these recommendations because there is no way to monitor their implementation. It doesn't matter who says it, what they say, and how they plan it. Ultimately, the gym you go to lives in its own deterministic universe, where the owners and the most active members have given the end results.

The biggest problem I see is the fact that the typical boxing gym is a one-stop shop for group and one-to-one classes. There is no real difference in the organization between a group of people who happen to do their own workouts and a group who follows the whiteboard routine that day.

That alone creates a number of logistical problems, and to be honest, it takes patience, diligence, and teamwork between members and employees to enable effective protocols to be implemented in a COVID-19 world.

So you have to ask two questions:

  1. Does your gym have written guidelines and protocols for cleaning and maintaining social distance? If not, why not?
  2. Does your gym offer alternatives for members who are either uncomfortable or at higher risk? Could it be distance learning, online training or even personalized sessions in a clean environment? If not, why not?

If not, why not follow up is pretty important. I can understand how difficult it will be for boxing gyms to cope in a COVID 19 world. But the attitude is important. You will still be in a closed environment with many other people for a considerable amount of time and the likelihood that a lot of air will be shared.

If bars have been responsible for the surge lately, how different is the setup from a gym? Many people come together and have a great time.

From a purely logical point of view, this is not the best situation, but reduce the risk and you have reduced the likelihood of an outbreak if someone is exposed to the virus. If damage limitation isn't even a consideration, this should be of great importance.

As I said, it is not up to the individual business owner to determine the fate of their members. It is up to you, the paying customer, to control your own risk. Make your decisions wisely and if nothing happens, it is success.

Can you work really hard to do nothing? It goes against your mentality, but that's exactly what it will need. Time will tell how successful box gyms will be in a COVID-19 world.

We hope that community really means more than letting a few people clap for you each time you get a PR.

You might like it too:

Is Your Gym Healthy? | Breaking Muscle

Is your gym healthy? - Fitness, clean gym, public security, viral, commercial gyms, ihrsa, covid-19, boxing gym

One of the great moments of the great pandemic was reading gym owners' social media posts explaining that they were not allowed to open, but bars for health reasons.

No one should seek medical advice from someone who is not a medical professional, or assume that the guy who just made you lift your body weight is a health professional.

Let us clarify that. Most gyms were all about looking good naked first, and then everything else. Let’s not pretend that bringing society to gyms is a salvation for society because it only sounds selfish.

All of these gym owners can correct the future situation by figuring out how to make their gyms safe for use in a pandemic world and how they can be part of the long-term solution to chronic illnesses rather than pitch pitching. It won't happen, but it's nice to think that things could change for the better.

Does that sound cynical? Well, maybe, but it's the truth and it's not the gym owners' fault that they are in the situation they are in.

They would probably like to have hundreds of members who pay them for walking or being more active, rather than lifting their weights after them or cleaning their room.

Because yes, most healthy activities and chronic disease reduction can be achieved without a membership of USD 150 per month or a group class of USD 20 per session.

But that's not why you're there and part of the problem and part of the solution if you only agree to be. You want this membership and you want it in a boxing gym because it has a different meaning for you.

Your gym is approximately 2,500 square meters, maybe more, maybe less, but it's not a huge, cavernous room. They have some bars and rings, dumbbells and squats, kettlbells, dumbbells, ropes and things that look well stacked on the wall. It's a dark, moody prison yard, but you love it.

You will be the type of person who spends a good hour or more in this small gym, sweats profusely, breathes heavily most of the hour, and does so with little time for the intricacies of fitness etiquette.

You drop weights, you run around, you drip sweat, you spray sweat, you are with your community of moisture freaks to the bitter end when the last bell rings.

Yes, you are probably healthier than most people. Although you would probably do the same thing whether it is healthy or not. In fact, you don't do it because of your normal physical condition, that's nice, but you do it because of performance, the need to lift more, develop a new skill, or even compete. You go to your boxing gym even if you are injured because it is your rite of passage.

And this is where the boxing gym dilemma opens up. They are not like the Globo-Gyms, in which treadmills and equipment take up every square meter and in which about 80% of the members never show up.

They are reducing their cholestrol by having these $ 20 monthly payments in their accounts. It reduces the stress of thinking about the actual work of the training.

Boxing gym visitors are more likely than any other gym visitor to spend most of their time in their gyms (there is an article about New Your Time that makes this clear). They are the one percent of the gym that goes public. That's about 600,000 people across 5,000 gyms (an average of about 120 people per gym) in the United States alone.

After being blocked, boxing gyms are under pressure to be safe places like they were never really designed. It's a fact, it's not insurmountable, but it can't be done by the gym owner alone.

As a member, you have to be so committed that the environment is safe for everyone. The big question is whether you are up to the task.

The health and safety problem for gyms

The International Health, Racquet & Sports Club Association (IHRSA) has a vast amount of information that it provides to its members, the owners of health clubs, about best practices for creating a safe environment.

Granted, there is no way to enforce these recommendations because there is no way to monitor their implementation. It doesn't matter who says it, what they say, and how they plan it. Ultimately, the gym you go to lives in its own deterministic universe, where the owners and the most active members have given the end results.

The biggest problem I see is the fact that the typical boxing gym is a one-stop shop for group and one-to-one classes. There is no real difference in the organization between a group of people who happen to do their own workouts and a group who follows the whiteboard routine that day.

That alone creates a number of logistical problems, and to be honest, it takes patience, diligence, and teamwork between members and employees to enable effective protocols to be implemented in a COVID-19 world.

So you have to ask two questions:

  1. Does your gym have written guidelines and protocols for cleaning and maintaining social distance? If not, why not?
  2. Does your gym offer alternatives for members who are either uncomfortable or at higher risk? Could it be distance learning, online training or even personalized sessions in a clean environment? If not, why not?

If not, why not follow up is pretty important. I can understand how difficult it will be for boxing gyms to cope in a COVID 19 world. But the attitude is important. You will still be in a closed environment with many other people for a considerable amount of time and the likelihood that a lot of air will be shared.

If bars have been responsible for the surge lately, how different is the setup from a gym? Many people come together and have a great time.

From a purely logical point of view, this is not the best situation, but reduce the risk and you have reduced the likelihood of an outbreak if someone is exposed to the virus. If damage limitation isn't even a consideration, this should be of great importance.

As I said, it is not up to the individual business owner to determine the fate of their members. It is up to you, the paying customer, to control your own risk. Make your decisions wisely and if nothing happens, it is success.

Can you work really hard to do nothing? It goes against your mentality, but that's exactly what it will need. Time will tell how successful box gyms will be in a COVID-19 world.

We hope that community really means more than letting a few people clap for you each time you get a PR.

You might like it too:

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 Review: AMD Nails It Again

Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 14 Review Ryzen 01

"The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 offers incredible value and solid performance with few compromises."

  • Exceptional performance for an affordable laptop

  • Comfortable keyboard and touchpad

  • Active pen included

  • Excellent value for money

  • Solid speakers

  • Mediocre display

  • Boring look

Laptops with AMD's Ryzen 4000 chips seem too good to be true. The specifications are incredibly powerful and cheaper than Intel's.

Take the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14, for example. It is the latest in a range of Ryzen-based budget laptops. This comes with a Ryzen 5 4500U with six cores and 16 GB RAM and costs only $ 600. Due to the technical data alone, a better performance value for the price is hard to imagine.

Is there a catch?

design

The IdeaPad Flex 5 is a plastic laptop. Lenovo calls it "normal" plastic at the top and "stable PC / ABC" at the bottom. Aside from the chemistry lesson, this means the laptop case is relatively sturdy. Don't expect it to be as robust as a unibody MacBook Pro or even the Lenovo Yoga C640 for $ 600. The lid, the keyboard deck and the case back are all somewhat flexible. However, it is not outrageous. Low prices and flexible laptops no longer necessarily go hand in hand.

Another indication of the budget status of the Flex 5 is its stature. It's pretty thick at 0.82 inches and heavy at 3.3 pounds. Compare that to the Yoga C640 at 0.67 inches and 2.98 pounds and the HP Specter x360 13 at 0.67 inches and 2.88 pounds. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga is available at 0.59 inches and 2.99 pounds. The display bezel of the Flex 5 is also not tiny, especially at the top and bottom, which means that the entire case is also more extensive. No matter how you cut it, this is not a small 2-in-1.

It's a rather nondescript design that doesn't catch the eye – like many Lenovo laptops lately.

The hinge of the Flex 5 is firm. The small wobble when moving the laptop does not distract excessively. Most importantly, the tight hinge allows for smooth transitions through the various 2-in-1 modes, including clamshell, tent, media and tablet. The 14-inch display and the resulting housing obviously result in a rather large and unwieldy tablet. You just don't want to try holding a 3.3-pound tablet in one hand for too long.

Aesthetically, the IdeaPad Flex 5 is an attractive dark gray all around. The only chrome is the border around the Lenovo logo on the lid and the keyboard deck. Ultimately, it is a rather nondescript design that – like many Lenovo laptops lately – is not noticeable, but still looks good. The Specter x360 13 with its gem design is at the other end of the attention-grabbing spectrum, and the Yoga C640 is very similar in aesthetics to the IdeaPad.

An advantage of the Flex 5's thickness is that it offers a good level of connectivity. There are two USB-A 3.1 ports, a USB-C 3.1 port, a full-size HDMI 1.4 port, and a 4-in-1 SD card reader. Although Thunderbolt 3 is missing, many will appreciate the inclusion of some of these older ports that come in handy. Wireless connectivity is still limited to Wi-Fi 5 and not the newer Wi-Fi 6 standard, and Bluetooth 4.2 is on board.

performance

The IdeaPad Flex 5 doesn't look like a cheap laptop and doesn't work like one either. The Ryzen 5 chips from AMD keep proving that it is one of the best bargains. In this case, the Ryzen 5 4500U comes with six cores and six threads. It's the same chip that you can find in other cheap laptops like the Acer Swift 3 for $ 650. This option used the Ryzen 7 4700U CPU with eight cores and eight threads for the power supply. Interestingly, the processor performance of the Flex 5 is quite competitive with this chip.

First, it did well in the synthetic Geekbench 5 benchmark, reaching 1,096 in the single-core test and 4,543 in the multi-core test. In the multi-core test, it was 20% faster than the Acer Spin 3, a similar Intel Core i5 notebook. It is clear that the AMD chips perform well when multitasking, even though they have two fewer threads.

The IdeaPad Flex 5 is an extremely fast laptop for only $ 600.

Speaking of which, I then ran our handbrake test, which encodes a 420MB video as H.265 and uses as many cores and threads as a CPU has to offer. The Flex 5 took just over two minutes to complete the test, just eight seconds longer than the Swift 3. The Surface Book 3 13 took four minutes. Compared to the Dell XPS 13, a very fast laptop with the Core i7-1065G7, the Flex 5 was finished in 38 seconds less.

The fantastic performance of the Flex 5 is supported by 16 GB of RAM, which is surprising with such an inexpensive computer. All of this results in an extremely fast laptop for only $ 600, which is characterized by high productivity in multitasking and migration by demanding tasks such as photo and video editing. The laptop slows down when measured with Intel Core i7 laptops that have more threads, especially 45-watt parts. Compared to the typical Intel CPUs that you see in laptops at this price, AMD rules apply.

The Flex 5 also includes built-in AMD Radeon graphics, which according to 3DMark are slightly faster than Intel's Iris Plus graphics. That means you can get a little boost in creative apps that can use the GPU and play light games with lower resolutions and graphics settings. A game like Rocket League plays decently, but anything that is more intense will suffer.

Battery life

The IdeaPad Flex 5 has a battery capacity of 52.5 watt hours, which is not much for a 14-inch laptop. I therefore had little hope of longevity.

The Flex 5 was an average performer. In our web browser test, it took eight hours compared to the Yoga C640 with its CPU with lower performance of over 10.5 hours. The Acer Swift 3 lasted six minutes less than the Flex 5, suggesting that the AMD Ryzen CPUs aren't the most energy efficient. The Dell XPS 13 with a 1080p display and the Core i7-1065G7 lasted 11.5 hours.

For a lower load, I looped a local video clip, and the Flex 5 lasted 11 hours. That's not a bad thing, but it's far less than the spectacular 23 hours of the Yoga C640 and the powerful 14.5 hours of the XPS 13. Last, I took the machine through our most demanding battery test, the Basemark Web Benchmark. This replicates battery life in heavier applications. It took three and a half hours, similar to laptops like the Yoga C640.

No, it's not a leader in battery life. Unlike many budget laptops of the past, however, the IdeaPad Flex 5 should survive most of a working day on a single charge.

display

So far nothing on the IdeaPad Flex 5 screams "cheap". Then there is the display.

It's not that this display is bothering you when you work or even watch movies. Actually, this display would have been pretty good five years ago. Although the contrast is not as high as with better displays, black text is displayed on a white background without major quality problems. And colors may be limited and inaccurate when measured with a colorimeter – as creative types do – but they are neither unnatural nor do they interfere with everyday image viewing and web browsing. This isn't a terrible display, it just doesn't go well with the performance that this affordable laptop can offer.

However, according to my colorimeter, Lenovo had to use a cheaper panel. It is a 1080p IPS display, but it has a narrow color gamut (only 47% of AdobeRGB and 63% of sRGB). The screen is limited to only 242 nits of brightness, and even the contrast is low at 770: 1. It's a glossy screen, so glare issues may occur in brighter environments.

The lackluster picture quality is a shame. Otherwise, the Flex 5 would have been a powerful little photo editing device. We have seen the same panel in many budget laptops, but there are notable exceptions like the Lenovo Yoga C640.

And the audio was a plus, with high-profile speakers next to the keyboard that offer a lot of volume without distortion. The bass was missing as always, but mids and highs were good for music and occasional YouTube videos. You can even bathe Netflix with these speakers as long as you listen.

Keyboard and touchpad

If you've used one of Lenovo's yoga or IdeaPad keyboards, you're familiar with it. It's relatively flat with a lot of space and a precise mechanism, which means that it disappoints those who travel a lot but can otherwise be serviced. I was able to type fast enough at full speed, and although it is nowhere near the Magic Keyboard of the much more expensive MacBook range or even the Specter x360 13's second-best (in my opinion) keyboard, it's a solid keyboard that most works users will enjoy.

The touchpad is also comfortable and of average size for a modern Windows 10 laptop. It supports Microsoft's Precision Touchpad drivers and provides smooth and precise Windows 10 multi-touch gestures. No complaints there.

As a 2-in-1 device, the Flex 5 naturally has a touch-capable display that works as usual. Lenovo also includes an active stylus that supports 4,096 pressure sensitivity levels. This makes it a great option for anyone who wants to illustrate the display or take detailed notes. Many inexpensive 2-in-1 devices either do not include the pen (the Yoga C640 is an example) or do not support it. It's a real plus if it's in the box.

Finally, Windows 10 Hello login without a password is supported by a fingerprint reader in the upper right corner of the keyboard deck. It's fast and accurate, and again a bonus for a $ 600 laptop. However, there is no infrared camera for facial recognition.

Our opinion

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is a spectacularly fast laptop for $ 600 with a build quality that finally deserves the price. The configuration is impressive too – you don't often get a 256GB PCIe SSD and 16GB RAM for nearly that price. If your goal is a budget performer, this is a great laptop.

However, the display is disappointing, which means that all of the power that might target creative types is wasted. This is a shame and holds the Flex 5 back.

Are there alternatives?

The Lenovo Yoga C640 is a bit smaller, has a much better battery life, and a better display. It also costs $ 600, but offers less storage space and a much slower CPU.

For just $ 50 more, you can choose the even faster Acer Swift 3. It is well built, looks good, and is the fastest budget notebook we've tested. But it also has a mediocre display.

For the same price, consider considering a Chromebook route. The Google Pixelbook Go for $ 650 is an excellent choice, with an excellent display and portability.

How long it will take?

The Yoga IdeaPad Flex 5 is durable enough to last as long as you'd expect from a $ 600 machine. And it's fast enough to keep up with your workflow for years. There is no Thunderbolt 3 support, so expansion is limited, but this is expected at this price. The 1 year warranty is typical and disappointing.

Should you buy it

Yes. The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is a very competent, affordable laptop that demonstrates the strength of AMD processors.

Editor's recommendations




2020 Land Rover Range Rover Velar Review: V8 Muscle

2020 Land Rover Range Rover Velar SV autobiography dynamic edition

2020 Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition Test: V8 performance

"A supercharged V8 engine gives the Range Rover Velar a performance that matches its looks."

  • V8 muscle

  • Impressive handling

  • Well equipped cabin

  • Comfortable ride

  • Tech needs to be refined

  • Sunglasses are required for the interior

Land Rover started making glorified agricultural equipment, but today the British company is synonymous with luxury. Like their ancestors, today's Land Rovers have impressive off-road capabilities, but are also good for suburbs. The 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition embodies this transformation.

This name requires a lot of unpacking. The Velar was introduced for the 2018 model year and is part of Land Rover's efforts to transform the legendary Range Rover into a model family. The Velar is slimmer and more car-like than the original Range Rover, which remains the brand's flagship. And the SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition is a one-year special edition that contains a turbocharged V8 instead of the usual V6 engine.

The Velar was already the most technically heavy Land Rover SUV, but the V8 gives his CV more power. However, this additional ability comes at a price. The SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition costs from $ 91,775 – a whopping $ 34,550 more than a basic Velar.

Design and interior

The Velar (the name refers to the first Range Rover prototypes from 1969) reaches the limits of Land Rover design. It dispenses with traditional SUV boxiness and ensures a slimmer appearance. The steeply sloping windshield and the low roof give the Velar a completely different silhouette than the original Range Rover and the smaller Range Rover Sport. Short overhangs ensure a sporty appearance and ensure that the body does not get caught on obstacles in the field.

Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

The differences between the SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition and the standard Velar are subtle. The Dynamic Edition gets another front bumper with larger cooling outlets that supply air to the V8 engine and brakes, as well as a new rear bumper with four exhaust tips. A shelf under the transmission tunnel helps to improve aerodynamic efficiency.

The interior feels more like the cockpit of a sports car than an SUV. You sit fairly high above the floor, but the dashboard, center console, and door sills rise to wrap you around. While this makes it easier to reach the cup holder or touchscreen, it also creates the worst of both worlds. A big, big vehicle that you can't see anything from.

The interior feels more like the cockpit of a sports car than an SUV.

The quality of the interior material is high, as you would expect from a vehicle that costs so much. The Land Rover contained lots of real metal trimmings, and the quilt pattern stitching on the seats is a nice touch. However, Land Rover also used a lot of piano-black plastic, which easily smeared and scratched and also produced glare in direct sunlight. When the sun is at certain angles, the black and metal cladding of the piano along with the huge screens can blind a driver like paparazzi lightbulbs on the red carpet.

Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

The Velar is an intermediary when it comes to size. Land Rover regards the Porsche Macan Turbo as the competition of the Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition. The Velar is much larger than the Macan, but smaller than a Porsche Cayenne – the next size up. The Velar is also larger than a Mercedes-AMG GLC63, but smaller than the SUV's big brother, the GLE.

The Velar has more cargo space than the GLC or Macan, but the Mercedes has more leg room at the front and rear (Porsche does not publish internal dimensions for the Macan). The BMW X3 M has more cargo space than the Land Rover, but only with the rear seats folded down. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio is smaller overall, but offers more headroom than the Velar, just like the X3 M. Subjectively, the back seats of the Velar felt comfortable and spacious, but the front seats felt tight, with limited legroom.

Technology, infotainment and driver assistance

The Velar features the InControl Touch Pro Duo infotainment system from Land Rover, which, as the name suggests, has two 10.0-inch touchscreens. The top screen manages phone, navigation and media functions and can be tilted up to 30 degrees for better positioning. (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is a Wi-Fi hotspot that can handle up to eight devices.)

The bottom screen deals with vehicle settings and climate control. It has additional buttons that allow you to change the cabin temperature or switch between different driving modes. The on-screen menus are logically arranged and contain high quality graphics. However, the loading times for both screens were slow, especially immediately after starting the vehicle.

The driver also receives a digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster, a head-up display and capacitive steering wheel controls. These controls work well, but their glossy black plastic surface adds to the glare in the cockpit – something Lincoln could avoid with its reconfigurable steering wheel controls.

A screen has additional buttons with which you can change the cabin temperature or switch between different driving modes.

The 2020 Velar is equipped as standard with autonomous emergency braking, a lane departure warning system and parking aids at the front and rear. Our test car also had an optional adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and a 360-degree camera system. These functions are part of an option package that also increases the speed threshold for autonomous emergency braking.

As with most other luxury cars, it's surprising to see adaptive cruise control as an option when it is standard on some mainstream brand cars like Honda and Toyota. Land Rover also offers nothing more demanding than the simple lane keeping assistant. Other luxury brands (and even some mainstream brands) offer technologies that can actively steer the car to keep it in the lane.

2020 Land Rover Range Rover Velar SV autobiography dynamic editionStephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

With the exception of the 360-degree camera system, the driver aids performed well. Poorly chosen camera angles and a confusing user interface didn't make it helpful. The 360-degree view is also not displayed automatically and cannot be activated in certain situations. Such a system can be very helpful in an SUV like the Velar. So it was frustrating that Land Rover's efforts were neglected.

Experience driving

The V8 engine of the SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition transforms the Velar. While the Standard Velar is a relaxed and luxurious cruiser, the Dynamic Edition is exciting and dynamic.

The 5.0-liter V8 with compressor is used in numerous Land Rover and sibling Jaguar models. In the Velar, it produces 550 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque. For comparison: the most powerful V6 Velar can only produce 380 hp and 332 lb-ft. Power is transmitted to all four wheels via the same eight-speed automatic transmission that is used in other Velar variants.

Land Rover estimates that it can go from zero to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, with a top speed of 177 mph. That's good for such a heavy vehicle, but unfortunately for Land Rover there are many high-performance SUVs on offer today. The Velar has much more power than a BMW X3 M Competition, a Mercedes-AMG GLC63 or a Porsche Macan Turbo, but cannot improve its times from zero to 60 mph. After unpacking, the Macan Turbo corresponds to the time of the Velar and, according to Porsche, can reach 4.1 seconds with the optional Sport Chrono Package. BMW cites 4.0 seconds for the X3 M competition, while Mercedes claims that the GLC63 can reach 60 miles an hour in just 3.8 seconds.

The Velar breathed like an angry bear as its engine breathed through a quad exhaust system.

In addition to the V8 swap, Land Rover gave the SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition larger brakes, improved all-wheel hardware for additional performance and new tuning for both the all-wheel system and the adaptive air suspension. Despite the relatively limited changes, the Dynamic Edition felt pretty sporty on winding roads. The steering was precise, the body swaying was well controlled, and the larger brakes had a lot of confidence that stimulated the braking force.

The Velar breathed like an angry bear, whose engine breathed through a model-specific quad exhaust system. And like a bear, this Land Rover was surprisingly nimble, even though it was still an animal. If carving in bends is a priority, you're better off with a sports sedan or a sports car, but the Velar copes with bends better than the average SUV.

Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

While the focus is on driving on the road, the Velar is also equipped for off-roading. It has a limited slip differential at the rear and Land Rover's Terrain Response system, which can be used to adjust different vehicle settings for different surfaces. The Velar also has an all-terrain progress control that acts like a low-speed cruise control on slippery surfaces.

However, the Velar all-wheel drive system only has a single-speed transfer case and not the two-speed units used in most serious off-roaders. Together with the 21-inch wheels and the low-profile tires of our test car, this means that this SUV is not our first choice when we hit the trails.

Fuel consumption and security

The disadvantage of a V8 is the poor mileage. The SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition is rated 17 mpg (15 mpg city, 20 mpg highway) compared to 20 mpg (18 mpg city, 24 mpg highway) for the most powerful V6 Velar. According to the car's on-board computer, we managed an average of 14.5 mpg over a week's drive.

Crash test assessments by the Road Safety Insurance Institute (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are not available. While the Velar has been on the market for a few years, high-end vehicles like this usually have a low priority for testing because they are sold in small quantities.

Land Rover does not have a reputation for reliability, but the automaker offers a four-year 50,000-mile warranty comparable to other luxury brands, as well as a six-year warranty on corrosion / perforation with unlimited mileage.

How DT would configure this car

Is it better to choose SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition or the Standard Velar? The Dynamic Edition comes with a substantial price premium, but the right one. If you can afford it, the V8 drivetrain adds a sporty character that other Velar models lack.

2020 Land Rover Range Rover Velar SV autobiography dynamic editionStephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

This version also offers all driver aids and other functions, some of which are chargeable in other equipment variants. The Dynamic Edition also has a good picture of collectability: Land Rover has no fixed production cap, but a spokesman told Digital Trends that the company expects only 500 of these special editions.

Our opinion

The 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition proves that the devil is in the details. It's a stylish SUV that combines luxury, performance and technology like no other vehicle. However, a closer look reveals some problems.

Land Rover's InControl TouchPro Duo infotainment system lives up to the promise of a smartphone-like interface, but slow screens dampen the experience. The interior is luxurious, but a lack of front legroom and glare-free trim parts show that it could have used a different pass through customer clinics. The Velar generates impressive performance data, but the BMW X3 M Competition, the Mercedes-AMG GLC63 and the Porsche Macan Turbo are faster. Other Land Rover models are better suited for off-road driving.

However, these shortcomings don't ruin experience. The standard Velar is a solid but luxurious SUV that doesn't really stand out from the many alternatives available. However, the V8 engine of this model turns the SVAutobiogrpahy Dynamic Edition into something very special.

Should you get one?

Yes. Long live the V8.

Editor's recommendations




Samsung Q90T 4K HDR QLED TV review: Mostly Exceptional

"The Samsung Q90T delivers a breathtaking picture."

  • Eye-catching design

  • Excellent brightness and contrast

  • Spot color accuracy

  • Excellent for playing

  • Rainbow effect from the screen level

  • Still expensive

  • Nobody connects box

Given that the Samsung Q90R was one of my favorite TVs in 2019, I had high hopes for its successor in 2020, which I suspected would be the Q90T tested here. As it turned out, Samsung had some interesting plans to shake up its 2020 lineup, which was unveiled at CES earlier this year.

Unlike the Q90R, the Q90T doesn't come with Samsung's One Connect Box (a feature I'm a big fan of), the backlight system has fewer local dimming zones, and the panel layer that enables deeper black levels isn't quite as effective. To use these functions, you have to switch to the Q800T, which is an 8K television.

All of this makes the Q90T appear less as a replacement for the Q90R than as an effort by Samsung to bring premium buyers to its 8K TV line. But it's not all bad news. The 65-inch Q90T costs $ 1,000 less than the 65-inch Q90R when it was released. It has a pimped sound system and is available in other sizes – including 55, 65, 75 and 85 inch variants.

Ultimately, the Q90T doesn't seem to be as advanced as last year's 4K flagship, but it is still a remarkable TV and will likely be one of the best TVs you can buy this year.

Out of the box

The Q90T is one of the heaviest 65-inch devices I've wrestled with from Samsung and Panasonic plasma TVs since sunset. Most of the weight comes from the stand, a sturdy, curved piece of brushed metal that attaches to the center of the TV. This weight instilled confidence that the panel is held securely, and it is, but the TV still wobbles a lot more than I want. Be sure to install a seat belt to ensure safety when you mount this TV while standing.

Do-it-yourself wall mounting needs a friend. I dare to say that even the 55-inch set would require a second set of hands to be securely mounted on the wall. I would also recommend drilling the wall mounting plate into studs as I'm not sure if drywall anchors would do the trick.

Samsung Q90T remote controlDan Baker

In addition to the TV and the stand, the packaging contains the simple but effective remote control from Samsung, batteries, stand screws and some product literature, which contains an installation guide that I would like to recommend to buyers, since the method of installing the TV stand depends on Stand size varies TELEVISION.

Properties and design

The Q90T is a very eye-catching television, even if its bezels are not as invisible as that of the Q90R. It's a black plate with an intentionally thick profile, but I like it. Maybe it's all lush brushed metal, but the Q90T seems to be on business.

The Q90T is a very eye-catching television

I mentioned the absence of Samsung's One Connect box, which handles all incoming connections from game consoles, Blu-ray players, etc., and conducts power and video signals over a single clear cable that is virtually undetectable on a wall. Its convenience and practicality are missed.

Samsung Q90T profileDan Baker

The Q90T has four built-in HDMI inputs, of which only one is HDMI 2.1 capable. This means that the TV supports eARC together with variable refresh rate (VRR), automatic low latency mode (ALLM) and up to 4K 120 Hz signals. All of this is good news for gamers.

Samsung's workmanship has also improved this year. You will see fewer artifacts, especially if you stream content from Netflix, Hulu, Disney + or HBO Max. Apps for which everyone is directly integrated. Samsung has also reduced its tendency to sharpen the image too much by making the image presets in the focus department less aggressive. These are all welcome improvements.

Regarding the backlight, I have already mentioned that there are fewer zones, but as I will explain shortly, this is not a weak point for this TV. Samsung's local dimming processor seems to be working even better than last year, fewer zones or not.

user friendliness

Samsung's Tizen operating system is fine. There is nothing wrong with that. I think most people will navigate it easily enough. Maybe it just feels a little stale to me because I've used it so often and I've been using it for a long time. I will say that Samsung's automatic detection function, which detects what you have connected to the TV, labels it correctly and allows immediate control via its own remote control, is something I have always appreciated on Samsung TVs and that for the user friendliness of this television set is of great importance.

Compared to LG's webOS, which looks a bit dated, Tizen makes less effort to integrate the smart home, which I think is a little more geared towards meeting the needs of television. Tizen also complies with LG's webOS in that it combines free wireless and free TV channels provided over the Internet and summarizes everything in one guide.

Compared to Android TV, which is used by Sony, Tizen feels a bit more individual, but less language-friendly. Samsung added the ability to make Amazon Alexa the default voice assistant – much better than Samsung's own Bixby – but the integration was uncomfortable for me. Android TV makes using the Google Assistant very easy.

picture quality

It gets a little tricky here. From the moment I turned on the Q90T for the first time, I found that it had a problem with the uniformity of the panel. Certain areas of the screen appear blotchy, which is known in television circles as the dirty screen effect (DSE). I've seen this on less expensive TVs, but never on a premium Samsung.

Dan Baker

I think that's an anomaly. Let me explain.

First of all, it is clear that this TV has been used before – the screws of the TV stand were in a sandwich bag and I could see some small scratches on the back of the TV. In addition, the TV box saw significantly more than the typical mailing campaign. Speaking to representatives from Samsung, I also learned that, given the global coronavirus pandemic, it was difficult to send review samples to reviewers, and part of this fight meant that the device I had received was unlikely to be checked, before it was shipped to me.

The Q90T is a top performer.

I have requested a replacement sample for Q90T and will update this review as soon as I have made a second review. I only offer this option in extreme cases when I suspect that a television is damaged or otherwise defective. Until then, my rating and rating for this TV contains the uniformity issues I've seen.

But uniformity is only part of the picture quality. Otherwise, the Q90T is a first-class service provider.

The Q90T's black levels are the best I've seen outside of Samsung's own high-end models (like the 8K Q900R and probably the Q800T, which I haven't checked yet) and the Sony and LG OLED TVs, one use completely different technology. Blooming is well controlled, which is particularly evident when, in some films, subtitles run across the bottom black letterbox bars without turning the black bar gray.

Dan Baker

The brightness is more than sufficient. Using Portrait Display's Calman software, along with a SpectraCal C6 HDR colorimeter and a Videoforge Pro pattern generator, I measured the sustained peak brightness in HDR at 1500 nits, which is bright enough to provide a stunning HDR image from the Screen appears. Compared to the brightness of the Sony X900H of 750 nits that I am currently evaluating, the number is twice as high, although I would say that it is not twice as bright.

The Q90T delivers a breathtaking picture

The color accuracy in the Q90T's film image preset was immediately ready for use in both SDR and HDR. I've made minor adjustments to the white balance that have further improved color accuracy, but I think most people will love the color of the TV without any adjustment. So far, only the Sony X900H has achieved ready-to-use color accuracy, but with a slightly lower color volume due to the lower HDR brightness. However, I still have a lot of TVs to check, so I will be running updates all year round.

Apart from technical data and dimensions, the Q90T delivers a breathtaking picture. In my case, the dirty screen effect was a distraction, but it didn't affect other performance elements. I suspect that the replacement device I am getting has a more typical "clean" panel than I have seen in the past.

I have a complaint that I am less optimistic that a replacement TV will respond, and this is a rainbow effect that I have observed on the screen. This can be a side effect of Samsung's anti-glare treatment or the wide-angle viewing layer, both of which are very effective for the intended purpose. This is also something that I would like to investigate further and that I will update as I learn more.

When I saw this TV for several days, I was often amazed by its picture quality. Samsung tends to over-brighten the picture, especially in HDR mode, but I suspect this move away from technical accuracy is actually enjoyed by many viewers. However, purists should check out the Sony A8H OLED, the Sony X900H LED or one of LG's OLED televisions if strict compliance with the intent of the creator is of the utmost importance.

Gaming performance

This is an excellent TV for gamers. The Q90T's response time is among the best I've seen from a VA LCD panel, its input delay is also exceptional at just 10 ms in game mode, and its support for Freesync VRR will be a huge bonus for gamers, especially if the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X arrive.

At this point, the only televisions that can compete for games with the Q90T are LG's OLEDs that topping Nvidia's G-Sync VRR.

Our opinion

The Q90T will likely turn out to be one of the best 4K HDR LED TVs you can buy in 2020. Without the suspicious problems with panel uniformity I've seen, this TV would be enthusiastically received by me. I suspect a replacement pattern review will lift all of the caveats as the Q90T outperforms any other television I've seen in its class this year and in all previous years. It's no small thing that Samsung offers such premium picture quality at a significantly cheaper price than last year.

Is there a better alternative?

At this point, I have not yet tested a superior 4K LED TV for the Q90T. I'm excited to see what Vizio brings this year and I've been impressed with the Sony X900H so far, but if history is an indicator, the Q90T will be one of the best 4K LED TVs you can buy this year.

You can find more options in our best TVs of 2020.

How long it will take?

With an HDMI 2.1 input, the TV supports extended functions for many years. I suspect that this television will continue to exist in the future.

warranty

Samsung offers a one-year warranty on parts and labor for home use and a 90-day warranty on parts and labor for commercial use.

Should you buy it

I'm holding back to give this TV the "Digital Trends Recommended Product" award, but I still think the answer is "yes" until a solution to the extremely uniformity of my sample is found. This is one of the best TVs you can buy this year. If you find problems with the uniformity of the panel that were to some extent a problem for all TV brands, you can request a replacement from your authorized Samsung dealer.

Editor's recommendations




JBL Club One Review: Heavyweight Headphones Pack A Punch

JBL Club One ANC headphones

"Built for those who love club sound, they're a bit expensive for what you get."

  • Powerful, precise sound

  • Outstanding workmanship

  • Easy to use controls

  • Very good call quality

  • Excellent battery life without ANC

  • Heavy

  • Lack of low-end depth and warmth

  • Earcups may not be sealed to all users

  • Only one ANC mode is available at a time

Top tier over-the-ear active noise canceling (ANC) headphones already have an impressive number of competitors, including the $ 700 Bose Noise Canceling 700 headphones, the $ 350 Sony WH-1000XM3 that $ 400 Bowers & Wilkins PX7 and the Sennheiser & # 39; s $ 400 Momentum 3 Wireless.

But there's still room for one and JBL hopes that the new Club One worth $ 350 will earn a place at the table. Do you succeed? Check out our full review.

Design and materials

Swivel JBL Club One ANC headphonesSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Take the JBL Club One and you immediately know that JBL is not playing around. Everything about these headphones says premium. There is high-quality information everywhere, from the heavy metal slides, hinges and ear cup cones to the deeply padded (and magnetically attached) ear pads to the full leather headband.

Regardless of how heavy they are, they are remarkably well balanced once you put them upside down.

This build quality has its price: the Club Ones weigh a whopping 13.3 ounces. To put that in perspective: The PX7 weighs 10.7 ounces and the WH-1000XM3 weighs just under 8.9 ounces.

Amazingly, despite their weight, once you put them upside down they are remarkably well balanced. The combination of headband padding and clamping pressure helps Club Ones feel lighter than their numbers suggest.

However, the comfortable, tight fit may not be for everyone. With ear cups with smaller openings than some competitors, those with large ears may feel somewhat claustrophobic. I noticed that the ear cup cones also had difficulty keeping the pads flush with the sides of my head, and I often left a small gap near the bottom.

Overall, the design of the Club One is reminiscent of a top-class luxury coupé with subtle matt surfaces and only a hint of chrome trim that surrounds the outer surface of the ear cups. I'm not quite sure what to make of the exposed braided audio cables. Depending on your point of view, they add a touch of retro coolness or interrupt the otherwise clean and simple design.

The Club One headphones come with their own hard case carrying case, a USB-C charging cable, an airplane travel adapter, a 6.3 mm plug adapter and two types of analog cables, one of which has an inline remote control and a microphone disposes.

Control and ease of use

JBL Club One ANC headphone controlSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

As the name suggests, Club One headphones are inspired by DJs, according to JBL. That certainly happens in the JBL headphones companion app (more on that later), but not so much in the way the club ones are physically structured. The rotating swivel joints under the hinge of the headband and the pivot points of the ear cup don't let an ear cup turn around for comfortable use in a one-handed DJ style.

This limitation also means that the auricles don't lie flat when you lie around your neck. It's not a deal-breaker, but if you've ever worn full-size headphones while sitting on the plane for hours, you'll appreciate this added flexibility.

Most of the controls on the Club One are very familiar: Play / pause and volume are integrated into an easy-to-find and use three-way control on the right ear cup, while the buttons for power supply, Bluetooth and ANC are equally accessible on the left. The oversized "Action" button, which takes up the entire outer surface of the left can, is a surprise. It is used to summon the Google Assistant or Alexa of your choice, though strangely not Siri.

I like the massive physical button, but it would be nice if I could switch the voice assistant feature to ANC mode, as this is a feature I've used more often.

Another surprise is the double set of inputs for the set of analog cables that come with the Club Ones. Unlike virtually all wireless headphones we've seen, Club Ones give you a choice of which ear cup the cable will go to when you want to be wired, and the connectors use a twist-lock design for added security – another one Rarity in the wireless world.

Sound quality

JBL Club One ANC headphonesSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The club ones sound great, but not what I expected. For me, “DJ-inspired” suggests a bass-forward signature that reflects the throbbing beat of the club floor, but the EQ is actually much milder. Instead of a deep boom, the club ones are turning towards the energetic mids and highs – the elements that puncture an EDM track through the build just before the beat drops.

The result is a sound that creates crystal clear and precise upper registers – almost painful – that really complement the EDM genre.

They convey neither warmth nor expansion nor some of the other headphones in this category

I think that shouldn't come as a surprise. In the JBL Headphones app you will find a special area for EQ adjustments that were developed by world-famous DJs such as Armin van Buren, Sunnery James and Tigerlily – as if Club One's claim to DJ culture was not clear enough.

JBL Club One ANC headphone appTapping these DJ presets will give you a variety of sound switches. You can also just switch to the custom EQ section and program your own with a very versatile graphic slider.

If the sound of Club One has a disadvantage, they don't convey the warmth or expansion of a sound stage, as well as some other headphones in that category.

Sony's excellent WH-1000XM3 can't keep up with Club Ones in terms of pure energy, but it does better swing low-end basses through your whole body. If the Sonys are the Boom Boom Pow of the Black Eyed Peas, then the JBLs are David Guettas Titanium.

In an ideal world, all headphones would be equally comfortable to play all kinds of music, but the club ones have clearly set their sights on the genres you are most likely to hear … in the club.

Some people are very picky about Bluetooth audio codecs. If that sounds like you, you should know that the Club One only supports SBC and AAC Bluetooth connections despite the high end price – not aptX, aptX HD or LDAC. If you want a higher quality level, you must either use the digital T0-to-analog converter (DAC) of your phone or your own DAC and one of the supplied analog cables. JBL claims that when used with these cables, Club One's frequency response jumps to high-definition audio.

I used the Tidal HiFi Masters catalog and put the Club Ones to the test. There is no doubt: they sounded even better with this source, but their extremely powerful EQ remained something I thought genres like jazz, classical and blues didn't do.

Noise cancellation

JBL Club One ANC headphone hingeSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

It takes a hell of a lot of effort to beat Sony and Bose at the ANC game, and although the Club Ones do their best – they eliminate a lot of external sounds – it is not their killer function.

Part of the problem is the design of the headphones themselves. Without a perfect seal around the ear cups, noise cancellation can never be as effective as with tightly closed things. JBL claims that True Adaptive Noise Canceling responds to the environment and changes in real time to adjust by compensating for sound leaks caused by factors such as hair, glasses and head movements. In practice, however, it could not rule out any booming noises such as bathroom fans, dehumidifiers and hair dryers, as well as the Sony WH-1000XM3.

However, it is not a big gap. I would say the club ones are about 85% as effective as the Sonys, but there is something to keep in mind if ANC is a big item on your headphone wish list.

I was also confused about Club One's ANC-related features. The ANC button has two modes: Ambient Aware, which allows you to switch between full ANC and the possibility of outside noise, and TalkThru, which allows you to switch between full ANC and a volume at a reduced volume to conduct a call. For some reason, you can only use Ambient Aware or TalkThru, not both. You use the headphone app to decide which one to control with the ANC button. However, you decide which one is really difficult – both are useful at different times.

The Club Ones also lack any kind of adjustment to the ANC intensity, in contrast to the Sonys with their app-adjustable ANC and Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 with their fantastic ANC function with rotary knob.

There's a clever "Silent Now" feature that allows you to activate ANC without turning on the club ones completely and wasting battery for Bluetooth or amplification. This is something more ANC headphones should offer.

Battery life

JBL takes 45 hours of playback time for the club ones without using ANC, which is very good. However, when the ANC is switched on, this number is only 23 hours. They're certainly better than some noise-canceling headphones like the Momentum 3 Wireless, which only offer 17 hours, but after 30 hours, they're not as brave as the Sony WH-1000XM3.

In less than two hours, they have a quicker turnaround time between uses than the Sonys.

Call quality

JBL Club One ANC headphonesSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Overall, JBL has a winner here for calls in noisy environments.

In my experience, wireless headphones and real wireless earbuds can either suppress unwanted noise during a call or provide very clear call quality. If you ever find one that can do both, keep it! The Club Ones fall into the first category and do an excellent job of suppressing the sounds that compete with your voice. I was standing right next to a loud dehumidifier and my caller said she was not aware of it at all. Of course, less consistent sounds like traffic or construction are not canceled as effectively, but still it's pretty impressive.

The downside is that my voice apparently did the wobbly thing that I associated with powerful noise canceling microphones.

Overall, JBL has a winner here for calls in noisy environments.

Our opinion

JBL rated the Club One headphones in a highly competitive area at $ 350. And while their build quality and materials are sure to match the competition and call quality is very good, their average and sometimes uncomfortable ANC performance and EDM-oriented acoustics make it difficult to give them an unconditional recommendation for everyone.

Is there a better alternative?

For the same price (and sometimes just $ 280), the Sony WH-1000XM3 offers lower weight, better ANC performance, and longer battery life when the ANC is on. We believe that their sound signature will appeal to a wider audience. There's a reason why they're still our number one.

How long will they last?

A standard one-year guarantee applies to the JBL Club One headphones. However, the build quality of these headphones is excellent and I suspect they will last for many years as long as you don't abuse them. The magnetic ear pads can be easily replaced when worn, as long as JBL continues to sell replacements.

Should you buy them

Yes – if your sound quality preferences match Club One's strengths, that is performance and precision focusing on the higher registers, for an energetic audio experience and you don't mind the extra bulk, these headphones deliver the goods.

Editor's recommendations




Skin Care Routine For Oily Skin: Everything You Need To Know

Oily skin can be a struggle. There is no greater (beauty) disappointment than starting the day with a fresh complexion that transitions into the oil slick area at noon. Fortunately, there are a few tips and tricks to keep your oily skin under control and keep your complexion fresh and clean all day. Here is our guide to maintaining a greasy complexion, including curated skin care for oily skin.

What makes the skin greasy?

Like dry skin or combination skin, oily skin is a genetic skin type. There is an inherited disposition to overproduce the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which triggers an excess of sebum production in the skin. We need sebum – the oily, waxy substance that lubricates the skin – to keep our moisture barrier intact, but overproduction can be problematic. Excess oil causes the pores to enlarge (when they expand to accommodate the amount of oil produced). If oil is trapped, it can combine with dead skin cells and bacteria on the surface of the skin, causing breakouts.Orange peel

Skin type test

There are some freebies that you have oily skin. It often shows the following properties:

  • Shiny looking
  • Greasy when touched
  • Orange peel-like texture with visible, enlarged pores
  • Prone to outbreak
  • Makeup feels like it slips off as soon as it's applied

Still not sure if you have an oily complexion? Try this 3-step test to determine your skin type:

  1. Clean and maintain
    Wash your face with your favorites Eminence Organics Cleaner and do not apply any additional product for at least one hour.

  2. Blot
    Take a clean piece of handkerchief and gently dab your T zone.

  3. Examine your skin
    If your skin feels comfortable (not tight) but there are residues on the tissue, your skin is probably oily.

How to repair oily skin

Oily skin can be genetic, but oil production can also be affected by hormones, stress, the environment, and seasonal changes. Here are some tips to keep oily skin at bay.

  1. Skip hard, drying ingredients
    Many of the products that claim to repair oily skin can make them worse. Most contain harsh ingredients that remove the skin's moisture barrier. While this makes your skin feel less oily, it often releases more oil to compensate for a dry complexion. When choosing a cleaning agent Very easily It is recommended that you follow this rule of thumb: “You should avoid detergents that contain harsh surfactants that remove too much oil from the skin and leave it so dry that it feels firm – and may only squeak when you put a finger over it pull. Some common surfactants are sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) and ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS). “Instead, choose natural and organic products that are formulated without harmful additives that deprive your skin of the moisture it needs.
  2. Adjust your diet
    Avoid alcohol and spicy foods that increase your heat index. These dilate the blood vessels and make you sweat, which gives your already smooth complexion sweat. Instead, camp on Foods like carrots, grapefruit and kale that are high in vitamin A and slow down oil production. And don't be afraid of greasy food. In fact, foods like salmon, tuna, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds, which are high in omega-3 fats, help regulate the hormone that controls oil production and keeps the skin balanced.
  3. Keep your skin care cool
    Eminence Organics president Boldijarre Koronczay recommends storing masks and moisturizers in the fridge to keep your complexion cool and oil-free. He says: "If you apply products directly from the refrigerator, your skin temperature stays lower, which reduces excess oil production."
  4. Embrace minimalism
    If you have oily skin, it may be time to rethink your makeup routine. Primers and liquid primers often contain silicones that clog and enlarge pores and worsen problems with oily skin. We recommend replacing your silicone primer with a natural alternative such as Mangosteen Daily Resurfacing Concentrate, which uses lactic acid and natural extracts of red clover and ribose to achieve primer-like results. Instead of your preferred liquid foundation, Curls recommends using a mineral powder such as Sun Defense Minerals that "soaks up excess oil like a sponge".

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Daily mangosteen surface renewal concentrate

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Sun Defense Minerals

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Routine for the care of oily skin

One of the best ways to combat oily skin is through your skin care routine. Here are the skin care steps we prescribe to make your oily skin look fresh and dull.

  1. Double cleaning
    A myth of skin care that we have to destroy: oil cleaners make the skin greasier. In fact, they can improve the appearance of oily skin by absorbing excess sebum from its surface. Heidi Waldorf, MD tells Cosmopolitan: "It may not sound intuitive, but oil cleaners have been developed for oily skin types. The oil in the facial cleanser attracts the sebum of your skin so you can rinse both off without pulling your face off. “One of the best ways to give oily skin a thorough – but gentle – cleanse is to add a double cleanse to your skin care regimen. First remove excess oil and make-up with Stone Crop Cleansing Oil or Wildflower Cleansing Balm and then clean it to a deeper level with your favorite Eminence Organics detergent. For oily skin, Curls recommends using a facial detergent for problematic skin – such as Clear Skin Probiotic Cleanser – that mattifies the appearance of the skin.

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    Stone fruit cleaning oil

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    Probiotic cleaner for clear skin

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    Also note this product: Wildflower cleansing balm

  2. Peeling (gentle)
    Exfoliation is one of the most important steps for oily skin – but don't go overboard. A gentle peeling helps to remove deposits on the surface of the skin and to clog and minimize the pores. Eminence Organics Product Support Representative and licensed beautician is responsible for a gentle but effective peeling Josie Barton recommends almond and mineral treatment. The finely shredded almonds in this treatment exfoliate the skin gently, while ground ivy firms and firms the skin to give it a porous-looking complexion.

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    Almond mineral treatment

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  3. Use a clay or carbon face mask
    Everywhere, beauty editors swear by clay and carbon-based face masks to combat oily skin. Joshua Artist Craftsman, MD tells Shape: "Both ingredients help to pull out and absorb excess oil within minutes, which makes the skin more matt." We recommend masking with the Charcoal T-Zone Purifier side from Balancing Masque Duo. This deep cleansing face mask is made from kaolin clay and charcoal to remove dirt, oil and bacteria caused by excess oil. A botanical ingredient extracted from Buchu leaves reduces the oil and minimizes the pores for a smooth, matte look.

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    Balancing Masque Duo

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  4. Moisturize (yes, really)
    Adding moisture to already smooth skin may not be intuitive, but it is an important step in maintaining oily skin. Indeed, a lack of moisture can cause the skin to produce more sebum to maintain moisture. Stanley Kovak, MD tells SELF: "Believe it or not, a moisturizer adds moisture to the skin and minimizes the perception of the skin that it is too dry. Adding moisture to the skin actually reduces the oiliness as it slows down sebum production. "

    We recommend applying a light moisturizer to oily skin that has a double effect to minimize pores and control the oil. Some of our oily skin moisturizers:

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Probiotic moisturizer for clear skin

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Stone crop hydrating gel

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Also note this product: Red currant protection moisturizer SPF 30

  1. Use a toner
    Do you still feel oily? Keep the skin matt all day Red currant matting mist. This refreshing mist contains natural astringents, red currants and elderflowers to tighten the pores, as well as a Youth Shield Antioxidant Complex, which moisturizes the skin and protects against element abuse.

    Shannon says in her 5-star rating: "I love this toner! A spray fights any shine I could have and makes my moisturizer last twice as long. I use it in conjunction with the Red Currant Protective Moisturizer and it really improves the game. My skin has never looked better! My skin is calm, soft, dull, tight and protected from the harmful pollutants of the city. "

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    Red currant matting mist

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    For more information on dealing with oily skin, see the following in The Mix video, in the Eminence Organics Lead Skin Care Trainer Natalie Pergar shares their top rules.

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03LQTHjaexg (/ embed)

Do you have problems with oily skin? We'd love to hear your tips and tricks to keep you in control. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on social media.

Eufy Indoor Cam 2K Pan And Tilt Review: Thieves Can’t Hide

ufy Security Indoor Cam 2K

Eufy Security Indoor Cam 2K pan and tilt report: nowhere to hide

"Eufy's 2K Pan And Tilt offers 360-degree coverage and sharp video quality at an affordable price."

  • The rotating base offers 360 degree coverage

  • Inexpensive costs

  • Sharp 2K footage

  • Tons of data protection features

  • The 2-factor authentication is missing

  • Shrill sounding speaker

Anker Innovations' smart home sub-brand, Eufy, has made progress in building its portfolio. The EufyCam 2 and the Eufy Security video doorbell have proven to be top competitors in their respective areas. Now they have to ensure security with an indoor camera in the house. The Eufy Security Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt is a fascinating option to monitor your home and protect your privacy.

360 degree security cover

As the name suggests, the Eufy Security Indoor Cam uses a rotating base that allows it to pivot and tilt to ensure maximum coverage in your home. Regardless of position, it can be manipulated to cover almost any area. This implementation is rare for indoor cameras, so it has a distinct advantage over its fixed counterparts.

John Velasco / Digital Trends

Indoor cameras are usually best located in corners to maximize their coverage. With this function, however, it can be placed anywhere and still cover all corners – despite the camera's moderate 125-degree field of view.

In comparison, the indoor camera from Ring has a wider field of view of 140 degrees. Since the Eufy Security Indoor Cam has an advantage with its articulated camera, it can possibly cover a larger area. In addition, it can also be mounted on walls and ceilings for a better viewing angle for even more coverage.

The only complaint I have when panning and tilting is that the camera cannot rotate freely beyond a certain point. There appears to be a lock point so it cannot pan over a 360 degree turn. Instead, you have to turn the camera back the other way. This can be a bit confusing when using the function.

Respect for your privacy

The Eufy Security Indoor Cam Pan & Tilt offers some remarkable features that protect your privacy at home.

In addition to the available cloud storage, there is primarily a microSD slot for local storage. It's reassuring for those who want to make sure the footage shot by the camera stays private.

It's worth noting that cloud storage plans through Eufy for 3 days of rolling video history start at $ 3 a month, which is only for a single camera. In the meantime, the $ 10 monthly subscription covers up to 10 cameras with the same 30-day continuous video history.

Second, the camera can be switched off via the app, which causes the camera to hide itself and thus release its microSD slot. It can be used effectively as a privacy screen, which is very nice because the camera lens is completely blocked. However, I wish there was a button on the camera itself that could cover the camera and mute the microphone. There is also an LED light at the base of the camera that flashes red to indicate that the live stream is being accessed.

Finally, it is possible to set activity zones so that any movement or detection registered in the specified zones prompts the camera to take action. All of these features indicate that privacy is of interest to Eufy.

There are many details to differentiate between faces and pets.

A big gap, however, is the lack of 2-factor authentication. I welcome all efforts by Eufy Security Indoor Cam Pan and Tilt, but 2-factor authentication is an important privacy and security feature that Eufy needs to incorporate.

Sharp 2K footage

Eufy outperforms most of the competition with its 2K video recording resolution. There are many details to differentiate between faces and pets, but the resolution is set to 720p when the lighting conditions dim. It is strange that this is the case, especially when taking night vision shots with a resolution of 2K. Nevertheless, the video performance of the Eufy Indoor Cam is above average.

Areas of opportunity

One of the strange features of the camera is its ability to yell at people or pets. Seriously.

Whenever it spots a face or pet, it yells "Hey, what are you doing ?!" I was actually alarmed when it first yelled at me because of the shrill sound of the recording. Fortunately, the sensitivity to motion / pet detection can be reduced and there is a possibility to disable it completely.

The built-in speaker is weak, so it is difficult to talk through the camera. And while the siren function can scare people quickly, in most situations it's not loud enough to alert neighbors.

John Velasco / Digital Trends

After all, I wish the camera was smart enough to know when I'm home or not – much like Google's Nest Cams can be turned on and off automatically depending on your phone's GPS coordinates. Instead, everything is manual for the Eufy Security Indoor Cam 2K pan and tilt, which means that you have to select the mode manually when you leave the house and return.

Our opinion

There's a lot to like about the Eufy Security Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt, and even more if you consider the price of $ 50. Combined with the numerous functions, the excellent video performance and the emphasis on privacy, the competitors have no choice but to admit that it is a legitimate player.

How long it will take?

Cameras are usually repaired, but with so many moving parts of the Eufy indoor camera, there is concern that it could fail. One of the downsides to being so cost-conscious is that it's mostly made of plastic. So I can imagine that if it hits the ground hard it will take a blow. If you are concerned that internal components will fail, there is a 1-year limited warranty for defects.

Is there a better alternative?

Not really for its price. If you're looking for something cheaper, the Wyze Cam V2 is a great option for $ 20. On the other hand, the Google Nest Cam IQ Indoor is another solid package with advanced technology like integrated Google Assistant, HDR video and a 4K sensor.

Should you buy it

Yes. Eufy has a solid all-round surveillance camera that doesn't break the bank.

Editor's recommendations




Acer Predator Helios 300 Review: Best-Selling Performance

Acer Predator Helios 300 2020 review 06

Acer Predator Helios 300 review: More performance at the same price

  • Up to Nvidia RTX 2070 graphics

  • Great keyboard and touchpad

  • Fast 240Hz display

  • Still a bit chunky

  • Uses previous generation GPU

The Acer Predator Helios 300 is one of the most popular gaming laptops in recent years. It's a constant bestseller on Amazon for two simple reasons. It is affordable and reliable.

Acer recently announced an update to the Helios 300 that extends some of its key specs, including the display, graphics, and processor. The result should be better gaming performance at the same affordable price.

design

The Acer Predator Helios 300 hasn't changed its design this year. It's still a somewhat bulky 15.6-inch gaming laptop that comes in a standard black with blue accents. It weighs 5.3 pounds and is 0.9 inches thick, which is quite a bit larger than options like the Asus Zephyrus G or Razer Blade. A good size comparison is the Alienware m15, which weighs 5.5 pounds and is 0.8 inches thick. The Dell G5 SE gaming laptop is also similar in size.

Although it's a bit thick, its build quality is strong. The chassis or the lid have little flex. It feels sturdy and well built to hold or carry.

While gaming brands like Asus and Razer have transitioned to a more minimalist aesthetic, the Helios 300 maintains Predator's old-school gaming design. The back has some aggressive silver vents and the lid has an angular design. It's nothing obscene, but it's clearly built to draw attention to itself.

Acer has shortened the bezels somewhat in recent years. While the top and bottom bezels are still thick, the side bezels are slim enough to give a more modern feel.

display

The new Acer Predator Helios 300 is updated from a refresh rate of 144 Hz to 240 Hz. The faster update rate is useful for fast online games whether you play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or Overwatch. While 240 frames per second sound out of the league of laptop games, gamers who enjoy competitive games are often willing to lower the settings to get better performance. However, you can still opt for the 144 Hz screen, which is available in the basic model for $ 1,200.

The screen also has a response time of 3 ms, which enables fast and smooth input. However, the Helios 300 does not support G-Sync, so image tears may occur, an ugly visual artifact that occurs when a game's frame rate doesn't match the refresh rate of a display.

The screen has a resolution of 1080p and uses IPS technology. It has a blue hue, although the screen handled the dark shadows of Battlefield V quite well. It's not the brightest or most colorful screen in the world, but it doesn't stand out as bad either. It's good. Budget gaming laptops with high refresh rates sometimes push the visual quality aside.

Ports

The Predator Helios 300 has a solid mix of ports that gamers will love. On the left side there is an Ethernet socket, two USB-A connections and a headphone socket. The right side contains an additional USB-A port and a USB-C port.

The right side offers two options for the display output: an HDMI connection or a mini DisplayPort. There are many ports for your keyboard or mouse, additional if you want to dock your laptop on an external monitor. Mini-DisplayPort is a strange choice in 2020, though, and Thunderbolt 3 isn't included.

The socket is on the back. I would prefer the display output to be on the back for a cleaner set up, but that's not the case here.

Keyboard and touchpad

Unlike many affordable gaming laptops, the Predator Helios 300 has a great keyboard and touchpad. The touchpad in particular is surprisingly good. It has a quiet click mechanism and quick, responsive tracking. The beveled aluminum edge that surrounds the touchpad gives the look of the gaming laptop some flair.

The keyboard keeps things simple. It offers a standard layout with only one turbo button at the top. No macro keys need to be programmed, although Acer has a number pad to the right of the device. The RGB backlight is taken over by Acer's PredatorSense software, which is offered in a four-zone setup.

In contrast to the latest ROG gaming laptops from Asus, the Predator Helios 300 has a 720p webcam above the screen. However, Windows Hello login in the form of a fingerprint reader or an IR camera is not supported.

Performance and configurations

The Helios 300 is not the most powerful gaming notebook you can buy. Nevertheless, an upgrade from 9th generation Intel chips to 10th generation chips is carried out. This is an Intel Core i7 H series – 45-watt CPUs with up to six cores and 16 threads.

My pre-production unit of the Helios 300 was also equipped with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q. Note that this is not the recently launched RTX 2070 super graphics, but the previous generation.

I wasn't able to test the pre-production system in benchmarks yet, but I started a game of Battlefield V and had a deliciously smooth gameplay. The RTX 2070 Max-Q has proven to be a solid mid-range laptop graphics chip in other of the systems that we have tested, and I doubt that it will turn out differently here.

My configuration also came with 32 GB of RAM and a 2 TB SSD. The system includes an additional PCIe NVMe SSD slot in the RAID 0 configuration for future upgrades.

The basic configuration comes with an Nvidia RTX 2060, 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB SSD. The previous Helios 300 only started with a GTX 1660 Ti, so the new base model significantly improves game performance at the same price. This is important. My decorated test device had all the tricks, but the basic model is the one that most people will buy.

However, the Helios 300 has a dangerous competitor. The Dell G5 SE, which is equipped with all AMD components. It starts at just $ 862, though it includes a new Ryzen 4000 processor and Radeon 5600M graphics. It's a value leader and doesn't support RTX ray tracing, but game performance was solid. The Helios 300 will have a hard time surpassing it.

The Predator Helios 300 will be available in July from $ 1,200.

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