11 Nov
Blog

Apple MacBook Pro (2021) In-Depth Review: Perfect Pro Laptop

The 2021 MacBook Pro with the lid open on a white table.

MacBook Pro (2021)

RRP $ 2,499.00

"It's the best MacBook Pro since 2015. And yes, it has a notch."

advantages

  • Incredible XDR display

  • Fantastic creative achievement

  • Extensive port selection

  • The keyboard and trackpad are perfect

  • Excellent speakers and webcam

  • Endless battery life

"We were wrong."

It's not a phrase you'll ever hear from a company like Apple. Nor will it crawl or ask for forgiveness.

Instead, Apple corrects its mistakes by releasing a product like the 2021 MacBook Pro. Whether it's the thickness of the case, the touch bar, or the ports, the MacBook Pro represents an inversion of almost every major design decision made in the previous generation.

And yet the 2021 MacBook Pro manages to be more than just a referendum on the 2016 MacBook Pro. It's brave in a way that makes it exciting, but familiar in a way that makes it comfortable. You could even call it the best of both worlds – that's exactly what you want from a “Pro” laptop.

One thing is certain: you don't have to apologize for it.

draft

The back of the MacBook Pro with the lid open.

If you take a step back, the 2021 MacBook Pro still looks a lot like a MacBook. It's still made from a unibody aluminum chassis, it's still available in silver or space gray, and there's still an Apple logo on the lid.

But the changes in this generation are not subtle enough to be overlooked. Black has become the dominant accent color and adorns both the Apple logo and the keyboard background. The black keyboard in particular looks like a statement piece when so many laptops have copied the MacBook look. Silver laptops with black keycaps have become ubiquitous in the laptop world, and the change to the MacBook Pro is refreshing.

It also instantly sets these MacBook Pros apart from the otherwise similar-looking MacBook Air (and 13-inch MacBook Pro). Like the Space Gray iMac Pro and its accessories, Apple uses the slightest change in color scheme to create a premium, exclusive feel. For this reason, the box is sure to come with a black Apple sticker. This is an expensive product and Apple would like to welcome you to the cool club. It's not dissimilar to the strategy used in the fashion and design industries.

The other small changes to the design include the removal of the "MacBook Pro" logo from the bottom bezel, new rubber feet on the bottom, and ultra-thin bezels on top. There is a tradeoff to this bezel, of course – although Apple won't hope you see it.

The notch

The notch of the MacBook Pro in which the camera module is located.

I've been wondering the idea of ​​a notch in a laptop since it debuted on the iPhone X in 2017. When companies like Dell pushed forward with wafer-thin bezels in the XPS laptops, Apple stayed on course with thick bezels in the years since then. In the early years of thin-bezel XPS laptops, a notch was even considered, but it never came into play.

And yet, to the surprise of almost everyone, the MacBook Pro 2021 has a large notch that hangs down from above and houses the camera module and a host of other sensors. It's a bigger and more intrusive notch than the iPhone, and it goes for a more boxy shape. And yes, Apple houses a number of important components in the notch that would have been very difficult to assemble without enlarging the frame or reducing the quality of the webcam.

I see the notch as a compromise, not a design flourish.

For the first time in a long time on a MacBook Pro, the notch ensures a frame of the same size in all directions around the screen and even enables Apple to introduce rounded corners. In that sense, it bears a lot of resemblance to the Surface Laptop Studio's screen.

However, the notch is also about branding. It does the same thing for the MacBook Pro as it always did for the iPhone, and creates a trademark. Like it or not, it's Apple's way of standing out in a sea of ​​identical plates and shells.

The MacBook Pro with the default wallpaper that hides the notch.

Do i love the look No i can't say I see it as a compromise, not a design flourish. However, given the options of a chunky top bezel (older MacBooks) or an inferior webcam (Dell XPS 15), this isn't a bad compromise. The notch looks more intrusive in the 14-inch model, which offers less space in the menu bar to accommodate the protrusion.

But in my time with the 16-inch MacBook Pro, it never got in the way. And thanks to the dark mode, default backgrounds, and translucency built into macOS, the notch wasn't as noticeable as I thought it would be. I don't like that your cursor completely disappears behind the notch.

Full screen mode was the only exception. I often use Split View when working and automatically move the top panel over the notch.

For the most part, Apple is finding sensible ways to get around the notch.

Size and dimensions

A side profile of the 2021 MacBook Pro.

Unlike the previous generation, the primary design tenet of the MacBook Pro 2021 wasn't ultra-thin. This is a departure from typical Apple products, but also offers creative professionals exactly what they wanted. Most would happily trade half an inch thick for extra power.

That's exactly what the 2021 MacBook Pro does. The side profile is thicker and rounder. And as some keen Apple historians have noted, it pays homage to an Apple laptop from 20 years ago, the Titanium PowerBook G4.

There are a number of reasons for the thicker chassis, including space for additional ports and better thermals. I have the 16 inch model, and it's now 0.66 inches thick and weighs 4.7 pounds. In both respects, that's significantly larger than the previous generation's 16-inch MacBook Pro. The 14-inch is just 0.05 inches thinner, but significantly lighter at just 3.5 pounds. Importantly, the 16-inch MacBook Pro I tested was larger than the previous generation Intel-powered, which was 0.02 inches thinner but almost half a pound lighter.

It's not often that Apple products grow in size, but then again, Apple's approach here is unorthodox. Many of the biggest features of the MacBook Pro 2021 simply destroy what the previous iteration insisted on. The Touch Bar is the most egregious example, and it's dead and gone on both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.

Ports

It's no secret that the MacBook Pro is doing the opposite with its ports. While it took way too long to get here, Apple made what I think was the best possible port selection possible. You still get three Thunderbolt 4 ports for all of that powerful docking you might need. However, they are no longer your only options.

Initially, charging is mainly done using the MagSafe 3 power adapter on the left. What a wonderful return! Before the 2016 MacBook Pro, the intuitive MagSafe adapter has always been one of the distinctive technologies behind the MacBook Pro. And now it's back.

A side profile view of the MacBook Pro's port selection.

It's also better than ever. It is more powerful and can deliver up to 140 watts of power. That's more than you can charge through Thunderbolt 4. It also feels like it has a stronger magnetic grip and it's naturally thinner. It even has a chic braided cord, which is beautiful. The MagSafe 3 adapter is included, so you probably won't be charging via USB-C too often (unless you're like me and have USB-C chargers plugged into almost every wall outlet in the house). .

In addition to charging, the MacBook Pro has an HDMI port and a full-size SD card slot. Technically, you don't need either. But as a convenience, it's something that the target audience of this laptop will really appreciate. I wish Apple had done us a favor and made this an HDMI 2.1 port for the highest possible bandwidth. On the other hand, that's a lot more useful on a gaming laptop right now than anywhere else.

The SD card slot in particular is a must. So many MacBook Pro buyers will be transferring files from a camera to a laptop. This was something that Dell brought to the XPS 15 and XPS 17 a few years ago, and it's great to see Apple follow suit.

Finally, the MacBook Pro includes the latest connectivity standards, including Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.

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The MacBook Pro 2021 marks the most significant evolution in the line's display technology since 2012. That shows how far Apple was ahead of the game at the time, but the competition has clearly caught up. It's not uncommon to see Windows laptops with great color accuracy and saturation, high resolutions, and even the use of OLED screens. The MacBook Pro was still among the best, but laptops like the 4K OLED Dell XPS 15 started to score higher in our tests.

The MacBook Pro takes the crown back, but not in a way that you might expect. Let's get down to the basic details first. It's a 16.2-inch screen with a rather strange resolution: 3456 x 2234. That means an increase in pixel density from 220 pixels per inch (ppi) to 250 ppi. That also means that at 15.4:10, it's slightly higher than the 16:10 aspect ratio. This also applies to the 14-inch model, only with a lower resolution of 3024 x 1964, which corresponds to a slightly higher 254 ppi.

The display of the 2021 MacBook Pro 16 inch.

Whichever one you choose, this will be the first Mac to receive the Liquid Retina XDR treatment, which also showed up in the iPad Pro in early 2021. These screens are operated with mini LEDs and not with standard LEDs. Mini-LED does not use individually illuminated pixels like OLED; Instead, they use thousands of local dimming zones that allow for deeper blacks and better contrast than LEDs.

This is exactly what I saw when I tested the screen with my colorimeter. In terms of black levels, the difference to OLED can hardly be distinguished. Both blow conventional LEDs out of the water and offer a much greater depth of quality.

To be clear, this MacBook Pro isn't brighter or more colorful than the previous model. It still achieves 100% sRGB and 90% AdobeRGB and a brightness of 475 nits. That's a lot bright, but you might be scratching your head over the 1,000 nits of sustained brightness Apple claimed in its announcement?

Well, that's for HDR content. And when it comes to supported content, it looks amazing. I went to YouTube first and found some HDR certified videos. If you already know about HDR on TVs, this is no surprise, but the visual difference is breathtaking. Switching back and forth between Apple's XDR preset and the default preset can be done right in the display settings, so the difference is easy to see. Highlights are brighter, the entire video is noticeably brighter, and in terms of fidelity, Apple's XDR implementation really brings the colors to life.

This is the best laptop I've seen for viewing and creating HDR content.

But let's be honest. Very few people buy a laptop to watch HDR movies. Finding HDR content on the web is still pretty annoying, and making sure you see it in HDR is even more frustrating.

Because of me. But the panel itself is commendable, especially since it now includes a 120 Hz ProMotion refresh rate. This allows the screen to automatically adjust the refresh rate between 20 Hz and 120 Hz depending on what is happening on the screen.

If you still think that high refresh rates are only noticeable or beneficial to gaming laptops, just try turning off ProMotion and locking the screen at 60Hz. Once you've seen it it's hard to miss. Animations and scrolling feel a lot smoother. Heck, even the reduced ghosting of the cursor improves the overall look of the system.

While 120Hz is the same refresh rate as some other high-end laptops like the Surface Laptop Studio and the MSI Creator Z16, laptops like the Dell XPS 15 and HP Specter x360 16 still lack it.No other OLEDs exist yet – or mini-LED panel that supports 120 Hz, which makes the MacBook Pro's screen a unique proposition right now.

Webcam

Apple updated both the webcam and speakers this time. First off, it's the first MacBook Pro to feature a 1080p FaceTime webcam for a breath of fresh air. There was no way Apple could have got away with releasing another MacBook Pro with a 720p camera. This upgrade is significant and results in a much sharper, smoother feed for your laptop controlled video calls.

Of course, Apple isn't the only one making laptops with 1080p webcams. The Surface Laptop Studio has one, and the 5-megapixel cameras on the HP Elite Dragonfly laptops are impressive too. Webcams have never been more important and laptop manufacturers are finally starting to find out.

As expected, Apple's image processing is top notch. It really puts the 2021 MacBook Pro in a league of its own. Now there were times when I felt that the smoothing effects were a little too strong or the color balance was a little too warm. For example, compared to the 2019 iMac I have at home, it's a brighter and better processed image. It's not a perfect webcam, but it's the best you can find on a laptop – aside from none.

speaker

A top-down view of the MacBook Pro.

The MacBook Pro 2021 maintains its reputation for delivering the best audio experience on any laptop. Apple increased the stakes this time with an improved six-speaker sound system. You still get two tweeters and four woofers, but they've each been upgraded for a more robust and bassier mix. The tweeters are both bigger, and Apple says the woofers now go half an octave lower.

This is quite a difficult thing to test myself out, but I can assure you that the 2021 MacBook Pros are a refined version of the previous generation. The bass booms harder and the stereo separation feels wider than ever. Of course, Apple was so ahead of the game that these little tweaks won't move the needle for anyone.

The spacing between the speakers on the 16-inch MacBook Pro and any laptop cannot be emphasized enough. Laptops like the Surface Laptop Studio and the Dell XPS 17 sound decent on their own, but are pale in comparison. The MacBook Pro actually offers a nice set of speakers for listening to music. You're still the only laptop I can say that about with confidence.

But more than that, chances are these will sound better than your average bluetooth speaker or computer speaker. I'm all for technology that makes another type of technology superfluous.

Keyboard and touchpad

The keyboard and touchpad, like the webcam and speakers, are without a doubt the best you can find on a laptop. No doubt on my mind

The keyboard has nice, springy keys with a comfortable 1.1 mm travel. This is the same Magic Keyboard as it was on the previous 16-inch MacBook Pro. Needless to say, yes, this is the replacement for the infamous butterfly mechanical keyboards of yore. I've loved this keyboard since it first emerged, and it's still one of the most comfortable and accurate laptop keyboards you can type on.

Apple MacBook Pro Review 2021 14

Apple MacBook Pro Review 2021 13

The Touch Bar is of course the big change from the keyboard in the 2021 model. It's gone. Broken. And for my part, I couldn't be happier. I'll admit that I loved the idea when it was announced, but after using it for many years I think it was a flawed premise from the start. The Touch Bar never kept its promise or received the support it needed to become something more useful.

So it's gone. And it has been replaced with something less ambitious but far more functional. The function line is back, but somehow improved. Well, Apple did it by increasing the size. They're now full-size keys, rather than the squat keys you'll find on almost every laptop, including older MacBook Pros. The Escape key is even wider and is flanked on the right by Touch ID. I love these changes.

I've always hated the miniature function keys on laptop keyboards – but I never knew I wanted them until I started using them. I've found that I don't type these keys incorrectly or reach for them as often. However, when making these keys bigger, Apple removed a few key function keys, namely the backlight brightness and the Launchpad buttons. There may be a keyboard shortcut that I am not aware of, but for now you can change the brightness of the backlight in the new Control Panel.

On the MacBook Pro, the keyboard brightness can now be found in the control panel.

I would have liked a slightly smaller escape key to make room for the brightness controls for the keyboard backlight, but everyone will have their own opinion on this.

The reason for this, of course, is that the larger the keyboard, the shorter the trackpad. This is certainly not a problem with the 16-inch MacBook Pro. It remains large and extensive and offers plenty of space for long swipes and multi-finger gestures. The Force Touch trackpad continues to stand out, simulating the feeling of a click with just a small motorized haptic feedback engine. We've seen this type of touchpad show up in other laptops like the Surface Laptop Studio, but the extra size of Apple's touchpad still makes it my favorite.

Price and configurations

Despite all the quality of life updates for the MacBook Pro, it really isn't intended for everyone. That's more true than ever for this latest generation of MacBook Pros, especially with the 14-inch model starting at $ 1,999. That price makes the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1) look downright quaint for $ 1,399.

The MacBook Air and 14-inch MacBook Pro make the 13-inch MacBook Pro obsolete, especially as it retains the Touch Bar and lackluster port selection. The MacBook Air remains the best choice for college students and anyone else who does not spend most of their time on a heavy-duty application.

The screen of the MacBook Pro 2021.

When you come across the 16-inch model I tested, you'll pay at least $ 2,499. My device came with the M1 Pro, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of SSD storage for a total of $ 3,899.

That sounds like a lot, but the 16-inch MacBook Pro has always been expensive. The starting price hasn't changed, and you can still set it at over $ 6,000 for a device with 64GB of RAM and 8TB of storage. The sweet spot for you depends on what exactly your needs are. Very, very few people are going to need 64GB of RAM, and the $ 2,200 Apple is asking for 8TB of storage is outrageous. Somewhere in between is probably where you want to be, regardless of whether you end up going for the M1 Max or M1 Pro.

It's important to note that there are two versions of the M1 Max, one with a 24-core GPU and one with a 32-core GPU. Essentially, Apple is charging $ 200 for 8 more cores of GPU power. It should also be noted that only an 8-core processor is used in the starting configuration of the 14-inch M1 Pro. This is the same as the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro, although the 14-core GPU should offer a significant improvement in graphics.

The lines get blurry on this lower-priced MacBook Pro, which is sure to be the most popular, but keep in mind that this is primarily a laptop for professional creatives. And for those who actually need a professional laptop, you've just found your ultimate tool.

Thanks to the vastly improved performance of the M1 Pro and M1 Max, these MacBook Pros can actually be used as professional content creators' machines. That means photo editors, color graders, website designers, programmers, video editors, 3D modelers, game designers, music producers, and more. If you're looking to try more than just these creative areas, it will pay off to put the money on one of these new MacBook Pros.

power

As I get my hands on more configurations of these new MacBook Pros, I intend to make more detailed comparisons between the different models, especially between the M1 Pro and the M1 Max. For now, however, my test unit was the 16-inch model with the M1 Pro. That means the 10-core CPU is paired with the 16-core GPU, all of which share 32GB of unified memory.

Both chips have two additional CPU cores (10 total) over the standard M1 (which is included in the 13-inch MacBook Pro and Air), and that helps with multi-core processing. If you look at how it fares in synthetic benchmarks, you can clearly see that a higher core count flexes its muscles.

Its multi-core score in Cinebench R23 was one of the highest laptop scores in our database and was only surpassed by the all-AMD Asus ROG Strix G15, a thick gaming laptop. The 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro also achieved 39% better results than the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro in this benchmark. The 14-inch model will likely end up a bit softer, but that's still more of an increase in CPU performance than I assumed with just two additional cores.

The real benefit is for applications that can take advantage of these enhanced graphics.

Handbrake is another CPU-bound application that I tested the machine on, and it had a similar increase in performance over the M1. The 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro encodes 4K video in H.265 38% faster than the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro. It's certainly a fast laptop, though it's beaten by laptops like the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X. Laptops like the Acer Swift X, Dell XPS 15, and Razer Blade 14 were only five or six seconds slower.

But the real improvement here is in the graphics. The M1 Max, in particular, offers GPU performance that is designed to rival discrete graphics cards found in competing gaming laptops and creative laptops. My device came with the M1 Pro with 16 GPU cores, which doubles the eight found in the M1.

The graphics on the 14-inch model are particularly noteworthy. While I haven't tested this particular model myself, the fact that both sizes use the same graphics configuration is a big deal. After all, the previous 16-inch MacBook Pro already had an 8-core CPU and a discrete GPU. Despite some thermal concerns, it was already a pretty powerful creative laptop. That was never the case with the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The 14-inch model fills that void, offering a really powerful option in a smaller size (and lower price than the 16-inch model).

The MacBook Pro with an Adobe Premiere Pro benchmark.

The real benefit here is in applications that can use these graphics. An obvious example is video editing in an application like Adobe Premiere Pro, which now runs natively on Apple Silicon. PugetBench for Premiere Pro tests everything from timeline playback to exporting to applying GPU effects. Here the M1 Pro also impresses in operation in the emulation. The export score wasn't very impressive, but it was still 29% faster than the M1. An 8-core Intel or AMD processor in combination with a discrete Nvidia graphics ensures a faster export time.

But when it comes to video playback, the MacBook Pro absolutely flies. It easily scores the highest score we've ever got in this test, and even outperforms gaming desktops and workstations. The MacBook Pro was designed for such tasks, and it is certainly one of the best video editing laptops you can buy. If you choose the M1 Max model, you will likely get a higher export score as well.

The MacBook Pro is not alone in this endeavor, however. There is no doubt that 2021 was a year of high-performance 14-inch laptops, be it the Razer Blade 14, Surface Laptop Studio, or Acer Swift X. However, unlike all of these laptops, the implementation of the MacBook Pro is the cleanest . The notebook's surface stays pleasantly cool at all times, and there is practically no fan noise. It's hard to compare this to a laptop like the Razer Blade 14, which is constantly buzzing and making your palms sweat.

Gaming performance

Apple didn't put the graphics at the center of the MacBook Pro for the purpose of gaming. And as Apple's graphics power increases, this point becomes clearer and clearer.

Finding heavy games that can pose a real challenge to the MacBook Pro is a challenge in itself – there just aren't a lot of modern AAA games on the platform. But there are a few, and I've tested Fortnite, Civilization VI, and Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Rise of the Tomb Raider on the 2021 MacBook Pro.

In Fortnite, when comparing the M1 Pro to the M1, you can play at high settings at almost 60 frames per second (fps) instead of being degraded to medium. That's closer to an RTX 3050 or 3050 Ti, which isn't too surprising. This level of graphics can be found in laptops of very similar size, such as the Surface Laptop Studio or the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X. Again, the main difference the MacBook Pro brings is the lack of fan noise. The fans on the MacBook Pro are practically inaudible in almost all situations, even while gaming.

The comparison wasn't so cheap in Civilization VI. The M1 Pro MacBook Pro averaged 64 fps in medium settings and only 49 fps in Ultra. Being 35% slower than the Surface Laptop Studio shows the importance of optimization. Civilization VI has always performed poorly on the Mac platform, and it's no different here.

Gaming is still no reason to buy a Mac, even on the powerful M1 Max MacBook Pro.

Often referred to as one of the few AAA titles designed for Macs, Rise of the Tomb Raider also struggled to hit 60 fps on the MacBook Pro. At the highest settings in 1920 x 1200, an average of only 40 fps was achieved and at medium settings 47 fps. In comparison, the Surface Laptop Studio averages 70 fps at medium settings, which is 33% faster.

Overall, the graphics performance of the M1 Pro is incredible. Aside from the M1 Max, they would be the most powerful graphics ever in an all-in-one system-on-a-chip package. However, they are not remarkable in terms of performance alone, especially not with the 16-inch model. We've seen 16-inch MacBook Pros with discrete graphics, and the 16 GPU cores here don't necessarily blow an equivalent discrete mid-range card out of the water.

Things may look different with the M1 Max, especially the 32-core GPU option. I'll know as soon as I've tested it myself, but with double the GPU cores like the M1 Pro, I expect it will actually improve gaming performance quite a bit.

But that doesn't make it a proper gaming laptop yet. But the games are simply missing. Unless Apple Arcade really takes off, gaming will never be a reason to buy a Mac, even on the powerful M1 Max MacBook Pro.

Battery life

Efficiency has always been the greatest strength of Apple's M-Series chips. Because of this, the M1 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air were miles ahead of the competition in terms of battery life.

Somehow, the 2021 MacBook Pros go even further. The 16-inch model I tested achieved a new record in our database for battery life when surfing the Internet. Our custom script goes through a number of popular websites until the battery runs out and the 16-inch MacBook Pro lasts for over 18.5 hours. When I say the MacBook Pro is a multi-day laptop, I mean it. Several full working days went by for me without having to recharge it.

The 2021 MacBook Pro, half open.

The only laptops that even come close to this battery life are some of the current AMD Ryzen systems. The Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED lasted 16 hours and 15 minutes, while the AMD-powered Surface Laptop 4 lasted 13.5 hours. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is the champion far and wide. It shows how much efficiency Apple can save by not having to build a hot separate GPU into its laptop.

Besonders beeindruckend ist auch die Standby-Zeit. Wenn Sie es eines Tages halb aufgeladen gelassen haben, ist es ein paar Tage später nicht tot. Das verlängert die Lebensdauer des MacBook Pro erheblich. Ich habe nur nicht annähernd so viel nach meinem Ladegerät gegriffen.

Laut Apples Schätzungen wird das 14-Zoll-MacBook Pro drei Stunden weniger Akkulaufzeit haben als das 16-Zoll-Modell, was hauptsächlich auf die unterschiedliche Akkugröße zurückzuführen ist. Der 16-Zöller hat einen 99,6-Wattstunden-Akku, während der 14-Zöller nur einen 70-Wattstunden-Akku hat.

Our opinion

Das MacBook Pro 2021 ist der Pro-Laptop, auf den Mac-Fans fünf Jahre gewartet haben. Es ist eine Rückkehr zum Ruhm für ein Produkt, das sich lange Zeit veraltet und untermotorisiert anfühlte. Es hat die besten Lautsprecher, Webcam, Tastatur, Trackpad, Display, Akkulaufzeit und Portauswahl aller Laptops, die ich je getestet habe. Das ist viel, um in einem Laptop richtig zu stehen. Unterdessen wird die Leistung diejenigen zufriedenstellen, die eine Maschine suchen, die mit ihren Arbeitsabläufen mithalten kann, insbesondere diejenigen, die in anspruchsvollen, kreativen Bereichen arbeiten.

Gibt es Alternativen?

Auf der Windows-Seite gibt es eine Reihe leistungsstarker, aber kompakter Laptops, wie das Dell XPS 15 und XPS 17, Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme, MSI Creator Z16, Surface Laptop Studio und viele mehr. Diese Laptops enthalten alle separate Nvidia-Grafiken und die meisten enthalten auch bis zu 8-Kern-CPUs.

Es gibt eine Vielzahl von Gründen, sich für einen dieser Laptops gegenüber dem MacBook Pro zu entscheiden. Einige sind leistungsfähiger, einige haben interessantere Designs und viele sind billiger. Aber keines bietet das Gesamtpaket, das das MacBook Pro bietet.

Wie lange wird es dauern?

Die Hoffnung bei einem so teuren Laptop besteht darin, dass er mindestens über fünf Jahre hält. Das MacBook Pro soll deutlich einfacher zu reparieren sein als in früheren Generationen. Während Arbeitsspeicher und Massenspeicher noch angelötet sind, scheinen Komponenten wie der Akku oder die Anschlüsse austauschbar zu sein, was die Lebensdauer des MacBook Pro um Jahre verlängern könnte.

Wie immer bietet Apple auch mit AppleCare+ erstklassigen Kundensupport. Es ist teuer, aber es verlängert die Standardgarantie von einem Jahr erheblich.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. Es ist das beste MacBook Pro seit über einem halben Jahrzehnt und der beste Laptop für Entwickler, den Sie kaufen können.

Editor's recommendations



07 Nov
Blog

Beats Fit Pro Review: The Best Beats (or Apple) Buds So Far

Beats Fit Pro.

Beats Fit Pro Review: The Best Beats (or Apple) Buds So Far

RRP $ 200.00

"They're the AirPods Pro, but more secure, Android-compatible, and lower-priced."

advantages

  • Comfortable, secure fit

  • Excellent ANC

  • Excellent transparency

  • Very good sound quality

  • Funny extras (head tracking)

disadvantage

  • No wireless charging

  • Limited control settings

  • No EQ settings

When looking for a set of true wireless earbuds, you have more choices than ever and many more features to consider. Active noise cancellation (ANC), comfort, secure fit, battery life, sound quality, wireless charging, in-ear sensors and so on. This can be a tough decision even if you're using our guide to the best true wireless earbuds.

Well, your decision has gotten even tougher: the $ 200 Beats Fit Pro, with its unique wing tips and loads of advanced features enabled by Apple's H1 wireless chip, makes a compelling case that you actually do it all can get – without compromise. How good are they? We think they are Beats' best earbuds yet.

These wings

Beats Studio Buds alongside Beats Fit Pro.Beats Studio Buds (left) and Beats Fit Pro. Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Probably the most unique aspect of the Beats Fit Pro is the wing tips that protrude from the outer surface of the earbuds and curve inward towards your ear. When the earbuds are properly positioned, the tips should anchor just below the arch of your anthelix – a firm, ridged fold of cartilage. Insertion is pretty easy – just slide the earbuds into your ear canal, then twist them back and forth a little. With a little practice you can do it in one go.

When I first saw photos of the Fit Pro, I was skeptical of how convenient these pointy tips would be. Beats isn't the first company to use this design – you can find similar rubber anchors on the Sony WF-SP800N, Jaybird Vista 2, Bose QuietComfort earbuds, and the JBL Reflect Mini NC – but unlike those other earbuds, the Fit Pros wingtip shows are more dramatic in your ears.

If you need prescription glasses or want to wear sunglasses, then you should. The Fit Pro is not in your way.

I didn't have to worry. They are made of super soft silicone rubber. And while I wouldn't go so far as to say that you won't notice them at all, they are very convenient, even for long periods of time. More importantly, they do what they were designed to do: lock the Fit Pro in place so you don't keep pushing it back whenever you try to remove it while running or doing activities.

But what I like most about the wingtips is that they don't bother the glasses at all – unlike the Powerbeats Pro's over-ear hooks. So if you need prescription glasses or want to wear sunglasses for protection, go to the Fit Pro, out of the way.

The design has only one possible downside. The wingtips are nicely integrated into the plastic of the multifunction buttons – so much so that you can't really see where the rubber ends and the plastic begins. However, this means there is no way to replace them if the wing tips are ever damaged or simply wear out with use. You need to buy new earbuds.

The multifunction buttons are super easy to press – almost too easy. Inserting the buds into your ears without accidentally squeezing them can be tricky. However, they reward you with a tactile click that leaves no doubt that you pressed them correctly. There's no way to customize the controls other than the long press action, which can be set using iOS or the Beats app for Android to trigger either ANC mode changes or volume.

Eliminate the noise

Beats Fit Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Beats Fit Pro use the same ANC and transparency system as the AirPods Pro, with similarly impressive results. External noises like the roar of fans or the rumble of traffic are significantly reduced, leaving you with a nice, quiet bed to play your audio on, whether it's music or podcasts. Hell, you can just turn on ANC and use it for some quiet in a noisy home or coffee shop.

From Chick Corea to Megan Thee Stallion or a Brahms concert, the Fit Pro will make everyone happy.

Oddly, while the Fit Pro's transparency mode is way better than the Studio Buds – and slightly as good as the AirPods Pro – the ANC mode isn't quite as good as the Beats Studio Buds, which is frankly a surprise. I attribute it to Fit Pro's slightly larger pressure equalization openings, a feature that increases the overall comfort of wearing ear canal-sealed headphones. In this case, however, those vents seem to let in just a little more sound than they did on the Studio Buds, and I believe that's what degrades the Fit Pro's ANC performance. To be clear, we are not talking about day and night, or even close to such a difference. It's subtle, and you might not even notice it, but hey, you are paying me big bucks to point out this stuff.

Highest sound …

Man wears Beats Fit Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Fit Pro sound really good – better than the Studio Buds, and I think they're better than the AirPods Pro, too. They have a wide soundstage and a defined stereo image that puts them on par with the excellent Jabra Elite 7 Pro. But the real surprise here is the Fit Pro's sound signature.

Despite its workout-friendly design (which screams to be compared to the Powerbeats Pro), the Fit Pro doesn't place special emphasis on the bass. Not that there isn't a lot of bass response – there is – it's just that Beats tamed the lower end of the Fit Pro to be more proportional to the rest of the frequency bands. While they may not offer the pounding rhythm you want for an intense workout, they are much better suited to playing a wide variety of genres.

Fit Pro includes head tracking sensors that allow you to experience Dolby Atmos in a whole new way.

You can create the world's most eclectic playlist, jumping from a jazz master like Chick Corea to Megan Thee Stallion and then to a Brahms concert, and the Fit Pro will happily render them all, with lots of detail and zero harshness in the high frequencies.

I still wish Beats (and Apple) would give us control of the EQ when a little more boom is needed, but it's really hard to complain considering how great the Fit Pro is right out of the box Box sounds.

… and also spatial audio with head tracking

Beats Fit Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

For Apple – and therefore for Beats – spatial audio is a big deal. The company has done it all with the support of Dolby Atmos Music on the Apple Music streaming service. Any headphone lets you enjoy the 3D aspects of Dolby Atmos, but the Fit Pro includes head tracking sensors that allow you to experience Dolby Atmos in a whole new way. When the feature is on (you can turn it off in the iOS Control Center), Dolby Atmos songs will respond to the orientation of your head. Sounds strange – and takes getting used to. But when you turn your head from side to side it sounds like the song is being played "in front of you," so turning your head to the left balances the chant towards your right ear and vice versa. If you turn your head for more than a few seconds, this position becomes the new front.

It also works with Dolby Atmos, 5.1, and 7.1 movie soundtracks, but in these situations the “front” is always the position of your screen, whether it's an iPhone, iPad, or your TV (Apple TV 4K only ). I'm not sure if head tracking is a big reason to buy the Beats Fit Pro, especially if you're an Android user (only Apple devices currently support head tracking), but it's a fun feature that does Music and movies can do a lot more entertaining.

Call quality

Beats Fit Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

In all but the loudest environments, the Fit Pro delivers very good call quality. Like most true wireless earbuds, you struggle with loud noise, but when it's relatively quiet your callers will be able to hear you without a problem. They're much better suited for calls than the Studio Buds, which sound a little mushy in comparison.

Beats doesn't include a separate sidetone adjustment so you can hear your own voice clearly, but you can switch to transparency mode before or during a call, which boils down to the same thing. And because the Fit Pro's transparency mode is so good, it helps make these earbuds very capable conversationalists. The fact that you can use both earbuds independently for both calls and music is a bonus.

Battery life

Beats Fit Pro charging case.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

After a few years of stagnation, Apple has started to improve the listening time you can get on a single charge of its earbuds. The Beats Fit Pro are designed for six hours with the ANC or transparency mode activated, which makes them the longest-lasting ANC earbuds in the Beats or Apple range (the AirPods Pro are 4.5 hours at the end and the Studio Buds are preserved five hours). . Better still, if you turn those modes off, that number jumps to seven hours – not quite the nine hours you get from the Powerbeats Pro, but pretty decent nonetheless.

The charging case, which disappointingly does not support wireless charging (Qi or MagSafe), can increase these numbers to up to 27 or 30 hours. A quick five minute charge gives you an extra hour of playtime.

Our opinion

Contents of the Beats Fit Pro box.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Beats Fit Pro are essentially Apple's AirPods Pro, but with a more secure fit, Android compatibility, slightly better sound, and a lower price point. That makes them almost perfect in our books.

Is there a better alternative?

If you want everything the Apple ecosystem has to offer (head-tracking spatial audio, Find My Network, quick toggling between Apple devices, and hands-free Siri) then no, there aren't any better alternatives at this price point if it is the truth is about wireless earbuds. If you really want / need wireless charging, get ready to pay $ 49 more for it AirPods Pro.

However, if you are less picky about these features, this is the Jabra Elite 7 Pro deserve your full attention. They're just as good or better for ANC, transparency, and sound quality, and many people will find them more convenient, but almost as certain. They also have wireless charging and an incredible amount of customization for EQ, controls, and more. And they are the same price as the Beats Fit Pro.

How long will they last?

It's good that the Fit Pro has a longer battery life than Apple's other earbuds (except for the Powerbeats Pro) as, in our experience, this is the only area that can greatly reduce the life expectancy of the earbuds. Even if they drop 50%, you still get three hours on ANC, which while not great, is still perfectly usable for most situations.

It's harder to tell how much life you're getting out of the flexible wing tips. If those get shredded or torn, it's the earbuds.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. Despite some missing features like EQ, control adjustments, and wireless charging, that is Beats Fit Pro are an outstanding set of true wireless earbuds.

Editor's recommendations



06 Nov
Blog

Apple AirPods 3 Review: Better Buds In Every Way

Apple AirPods 3.

Apple AirPods 3

RRP $ 179.00

"A great upgrade for Apple's iconic true wireless earbuds."

advantages

  • Very good sound quality

  • MagSafe wireless charging

  • Spatial head tracking audio

  • IPX4 water resistance

disadvantage

  • Not great in noisy surroundings

Now that Apple has released its third generation, $ 179 AirPods, You are probably wondering, are they any good? If I have first or second generation AirPods, should I upgrade? And is it still worth the extra cash on the $ 249 AirPods Pro? I will save you some time.

The answers are yes, yes, and maybe. Would you like to know more? Here is our full review.

In the Goldilocks zone

AirPods 3, AirPods and AirPods Pro sit in their charging cases.

AirPods 3, AirPods and AirPods Pro side by side.

  • 1.
    Apple AirPods (left), AirPods 3 (center) and AirPods Pro.
  • 2.
    Apple AirPods (left), AirPods 3 (center) and AirPods Pro.

The design of the third generation AirPods – which we now refer to as AirPods 3 – makes them look like the missing link between the original AirPods and the AirPods Pro in every way. That intermediate impression is the story of the AirPods 3 in a nutshell: They take the best parts of each of these other models to strike the perfect middle ground at the same intermediate price. If that was Apple's goal, I think it has succeeded insanely.

Fans of half-open earphones no longer have to accept mediocre sound quality.

The AirPods 3 are stuck in the Goldilocks zone – they improve the second generation AirPods in every way, while paying for the second generation AirPods with wireless charging at a lower price than they used to be and significantly less than the regular price AirPods Pro .

Even their charging case is a situation that sticks out of both worlds, with Qi and MagSafe compatible wireless charging and yet with dimensions almost exactly the same size and shape as the original AirPods case.

Bigger, better sound

Apple AirPods 3 in the charging case. Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The original AirPods won many fans for their wireless convenience, simplicity, and easy integration with iPhone. But most would admit they're okay at best in terms of sound quality – hardly an improvement over the performance of the wired EarPods Apple ships with its iPhones. And despite the semi-open design, the AirPods 3, just like the original AirPods, sound a lot better.

Head tracking spatial audio is like sitting in a studio session with your favorite band.

As long as you're in a quiet place, the AirPods 3 sound just as good as the AirPods Pro. There is a lot of clarity from the different frequencies and to my great surprise they have a warm and powerful bass response. You can't compete with closed designs like the Jabra Elite 7 Pro or Sony's WF-1000XM4, but I put them head-to-head with other semi-open buds like the AirPods, Marshall Minor III, Soundpeats Air 3, Urbanista Lisbon and Earin A3 and the AirPods 3 defeated them all. Fans of half-open earphones no longer have to accept mediocre sound quality.

Get spatial

Apple AirPods 3.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Apple has done a lot about spatial audio and Dolby Atmos since adding tracks to Apple Music that use this immersive format. And while pretty much any wired or wireless headphone can enjoy Atmos while listening to select Apple Music songs, the AirPods 3 take it a step further with spatial head-tracking audio.

The function that the new AirPods share with the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max takes advantage of the already immersive quality of Dolby Atmos music and adjusts some of the song elements in real time to respond to your head movements. The lead singer (s) are “pinned” in the direction of your head, so if you turn your head one way or the other, that singer's voice will sound like it's still coming from the same forward direction. It's a bit like a studio session with your favorite band.

A more bulbous (but super smooth) shape makes them safer without compromising on comfort.

As with Dolby Atmos music itself, the effect can vary widely from track to track. But when done right, like on Imagine Dragons' new album Mercury – Act 1, it's a wild ride. Older material remixed for spatial audio, like the Rolling Stones classic Tattoo You, doesn't fare as well as newer works (sorry Mick and Keith).

The same head tracking works on movie soundtracks too, and I'd argue that it's an even better use of the technology as it can simulate what it's like to be in a full surround sound theater, just with yours Earbuds.

You can't use spatial head-tracking audio often (and you can turn it off completely if you don't like the sound), but it's a cool feature that helps justify buying the AirPods 3, even if there are so many are great real wireless earbuds out there.

Comfortable curves

Apple AirPods 3.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Another common complaint about the first few AirPods is that while they are very comfortable, they don't feel very safe in your ears. This, along with the lack of official water or sweat protection, has deterred some people from using them for running or other high-impact activities.

The AirPods 3 (mostly) manage to dispel both concerns. With a more bulbous (but super smooth) shape, they have much better contact with the skin of the outer ear and that, along with their shorter stem, makes them safer without sacrificing comfort. If you like the fit of the AirPods 2, you should be pretty happy with the AirPods 3. They're not as safe as the AirPods Pro, which means you may need to adjust them regularly, especially if you're using the force sensor controls a lot – squeezing the stems to activate them can accidentally move the earbuds, especially when To run.

But they have an IPX4 rating for water resistance, so go ahead and sweat as much as you want.

Find a nice, quiet place

While the sound quality of the AirPods 3 is really remarkable given their semi-open design with no silicone earbuds, they can't seal much and a lot of external noise seeps into your ears along with your music. Even in moderately noisy environments, you'll need to turn up the volume to hear your podcasts or phone calls.

This is where the AirPods Pro have a big advantage. Thanks to these silicone earbuds, not only do they offer better passive noise isolation, but they also have Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which can attenuate all but the most intrusive outside noise.

On the other hand, with the AirPods 3 letting in so much sound, there's almost no need to remove them to have a conversation, and so the lack of transparency mode isn't a big deal. If you want to be more aware of your surroundings, just pause the music.

Competent calling

Man with Apple AirPods 3.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Call quality on the original AirPods was never perfect, but it was always perfectly adequate. This also applies to the AirPods 3. You shouldn't have any problems being heard, even in moderately noisy environments. Clarity isn't quite as good as the AirPods Pro, but it's good enough for most situations.

A slightly larger battery

We hired Apple to handle the battery life for the AirPods and AirPods Pro because so many other true wireless earbuds offer longer playtime on a single charge, as well as longer overall battery life. So it's nice to see that Apple has managed to get a little more out of the AirPods 3's battery: six hours per charge and 30 hours total time if you include the charging case.

That's still shy of some of the more durable earbuds, but it's still the best we've seen in a range of AirPods. Given that they still support Siri's hands-free calling (one of the biggest battery life benefits), this is a pretty big feat.

The quick charge feature gives you about an hour more listening time when you charge the headphones for five minutes.

Our opinion

With much better sound, a bigger battery, a more secure fit, wireless charging, and spatial head-tracking audio, the AirPods 3 are a huge step up from the second-generation AirPods and an upgrade that all AirPod owners should consider.

Is there a better alternative?

The only half-open earbuds that sound as good as the AirPods 3 are the Oddict branches. However, they lack wireless charging, spatial head-tracking audio, hands-free Siri, and their three-hour battery life is some of the lowest we've seen.

The first generation is a better alternative Apple AirPods Pro, which you can still routinely find on sale for $ 180 to $ 200 (the upgraded version with MagSafe top-up can cost a few dollars more). With ANC and transparency mode, a more secure fit, and better sound, they're the logical next step on the AirPods 3. But a lot of people don't like the feel of silicone earbuds, which brings us back to the AirPod 3.

How long will they last?

With IPX4 water protection and very solid build quality, I am sure that the hardware itself will last for many years. But Apple has had problems in the past with the fact that the batteries in its AirPods lost a lot of capacity in the first two years. I can't say if Apple's new streamlined battery charging feature will significantly reduce this problem. So if you're concerned, it might be worth buying Apple Care to extend your warranty from one year to two years.

Should you buy it?

If you are an Apple device user, definitely. the AirPods 3 are a worthy upgrade of the first AirPods. Android owners won't be able to use features like spatial head tracking audio or hands-free Siri, which makes them less attractive to these people.

Editor's recommendations



03 Nov
Blog

Apple Watch Series 7 Review: The Only Smartwatch to Buy

Apple Watch Series 7 in your pocket.

Apple Watch Series 7

RRP $ 399.00

"Stylish, customizable, powerful, reliable and with a larger field of view, smaller bezels and faster charging than before, the Apple Watch Series 7 is the best smartwatch you can buy."

advantages

  • Big screen, small bezels

  • Simply personalized

  • Choice of models and sizes

  • Comprehensive health tracking

  • Reliable software and notifications

  • Fast charging

  • Stronger and harder than before

disadvantage

  • Only works with the iPhone

The Apple Watch Series 7 could be the perfect smartwatch. I'm sorry to give away the game so early, but there are no secrets or surprises here – and that's a good thing. A smartwatch should be an extension of your smartphone, but it must also function reliably and sensibly on its own. It should provide comprehensive, motivational and informative health and activity tracking without alienating those who are not athletes. It should look good and easily adapt to your mood, style, and surroundings. It shouldn't require constant supervision or have complex or tricky features that overshadow basic day-to-day utility. New models also need to be improved from the previous version, so anyone can consider upgrading if they want.

The Apple Watch Series 7 has all of this and more. Let us talk about it.

draft

It's almost impossible to tell the difference between Series 7 and Series 6 just by looking at them. The 1mm increase in case size – 45mm and 41mm for the 7 Series versus 44mm and 40mm for the 6 Series – is only noticeable when you remove a tape measure, and the slightly larger curvature at each edge is only visible when you put the two of them look side by side and look very carefully. The speaker on the left side of the case is a single slot rather than the Series 6 double slot, but that's about as noticeable as the visual changes.

Apple Watch Series 7 on the wrist.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

What you notice are the much smaller 1.7mm bezels (down from 3mm on the 6 Series) and the increased field of view. Apple says that compared to the Series 6 and the Watch SE, 20% more screen area is visible and 50% more than the Apple Watch Series 3. The Ion-X glass above the screen has a contoured edge so that the screen follows The case seems to bulge at the top, just like a curved screen on a smartphone.

The version in our photos is an aluminum model in midnight that is black in color with a hint of blue and I chose it because, unlike the blue or green versions, it is easier to combine with more bracelet options. If you have a bracelet collection from an existing Apple Watch, they all go perfectly with the Series 7, just in case you worry that the 1mm increase will make them look weird.

Apple Watch Series 7 from the side.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It would be easy to blame Apple for not changing the design much, but it hasn't because it isn't necessary. The Series 7 looks amazing and the Apple Watch has become a style icon in my opinion. The soft curvature of the case makes it very comfortable to wear, no matter which bracelet you choose, and it is really light at 38.8 grams without a bracelet, so you can wear it day and night.

While this is true of some fitness bands as well, the difference is that the Apple Watch looks great and it's incredibly easy to change the entire look of it when you get bored. Apple's watch faces have come a long way, especially in WatchOS 7 and WatchOS 8, becoming classier and more visually exciting instead of just adding complications. Put together a small collection of bracelets and bracelets, and Apple Watch is ready for whatever you wear, any time of the day.

Apple Watch Series 7 on the wrist from behind.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It's this versatility that makes owning the Apple Watch so convenient. It turns it from a piece of technology into something that is truly yours. No other smartwatch offers such easy customization. You can even just choose the Wear-and-Forget-Sport Loop Harness, which is some of the best basic harnesses you can get and is adjusted for the duration of your possession.

The Apple Watch Series 7 wears no differently than the Series 5 or Series 6 Watch, and that's fine. It's still the most comfortable, personal, and easiest-to-live smartwatch you can buy.

screen

If the slimmer bezel didn't change the design significantly, did it change the screen? Yes it did, but don't expect the Series 6 to make you feel like a Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. The increase is much more subtle, but Apple emphasized the difference through WatchOS 8 by using new watch faces like Contour, adding larger fonts, and making better use of the extra space.

App menu on Apple Watch Series 7.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Buttons are bigger and easier to find, wider notification cards contain just a little more information, more text fits on the screen at one time, and you can see more at the same time. Swipe up to see quick settings, and turning on a focus mode requires a less precise action and is faster than before. But perhaps the best indication of how much screen the Series 7 has gained is the three additional font sizes available when compared to older models.

Apple says the screen is brighter indoors, but I didn't notice any difference. However, this may be because I never have any problems reading whether I am in the sunlight or in the dark, or whether it shows the main screen or the excellent always-on dials. It's sharp and colorful and doesn't reflect absurdly either. The Ion-X glass over the top is also tougher and more resistant to cracking than before, but to get the supposedly more durable sapphire crystal displays you'll need to buy the stainless steel or titanium models.

Apple Watch Series 7 and Series 6 from above. "Aria -habenby =" gallery-9-2823138

Apple Watch Series 7 and Series 6 from the side. "Aria -habenby =" gallery-9-2823139

  • 1.
    Apple Watch Series 7 (left) and Series 6 (right)
  • 2.
    Contoured screen of the Apple Watch Series 7 (red, top) versus the Series 6

The smaller bezels also make the Series 7 look more modern, even when placed next to the Series 6, a smartwatch that can hardly be called old. If you're from a Series 3 watch, the smaller bezels and larger viewing area of ​​the Series 7 will transform the experience for you. In this case, the Series 7 is a huge upgrade. I used a Series 6 last year and the extra screen real estate was evident when I used the Series 7.

Health and activity tracking

The Apple Watch Series 7 measures your heart rate and your electrocardiogram (EKG), measures the oxygen level in the blood, warns of heart rate irregularities, sends an emergency alarm when you fall, reminds you to start exercising if they don't notice you are moving or cycling, records your swimming activity and automatically starts a timer when you wash your hands. I'm just scratching the surface here as I haven't mentioned sleep tracking, dozens of exercise plans, Apple's Fitness + service, sound alerts, and the mindfulness app.

Heart rate on Apple Watch Series 7.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The health and fitness tracking is comprehensive, detailed, accurate and, in my case, completely exaggerated for my needs – and that's a good thing. That means, should I decide to do more, the watch will be ready without upgrading. The Series 7 records my walks, my sleep and my training at home without any problems and can be started so quickly and easily that sometimes I don't even have to go to the training app because the watch detects my activity more than usual and suggests a tracking mode. Or I use the app selection mode by pressing the bottom button on the watch to jump straight into the workout app. It takes seconds what I want as an occasional trainer.

I also appreciate the "silent" features. Heart rate, blood oxygen and even noise are monitored in the background, so if anything changes it will let me know. I don't have to do anything with setup either, since most of these functions are active by default. Apple's Activity Rings give me a clear indicator of my daily activities and are appropriately motivating, with reminders to move me and animated screens when I reach a goal.

Daily activity in the Apple Health app.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Overview of Apple Health.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Apple Health breath data.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

All health data in the Apple Health app.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The data is presented in the Apple Health app. It shows helpful trends that let you know if you're doing more or less than usual, summaries of your recent workouts (including GPS maps), and offers the ability to dig deeper. I love the All Health Data list view, which shows you the most current information instantly and also combines it with historical data. Tap each section to see a more detailed breakdown of the data. It's well laid out, very informative, and extremely easy to digest.

Although everything is presented very nicely with bright colors and neat graphics, the app can feel dense and complicated. But it does show how much capability the watch has and how it can benefit those who are much more focused on fitness than I am. I would really like to see the health and fitness apps combined in one, as I often forget the fitness app, which has more information about daily activities.

EKG on Apple Watch Series 7.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Blood oxygen measurement on Apple Watch Series 7.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Apple Watch Series 7 case back.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Apple Watch Series 7 is any fitness partner you want, and it works just as well no matter the amount of effort you put into the workout. It has all of the skills, dates, and motivations you want – or as little as you want – all without irritating messages about pushing your limits either on the clock or in marketing. This also goes well with the design and customization, because all of this looks as sporty or not as sporty as you want it to be. It's excellent.

Software and performance

Apple's WatchOS 8 software, released in September, will be installed and will be compatible with all Apple Watch models since Series 3. It works the same way as it does the Series 6, and I'll summarize my experience with the software in a previous article.

It's fast, responsive, and full of features. I easily get notifications from my iPhone 13 Pro and can reply to most of them right from the watch. Most messages can be replied to using the keyboard, which has a new QuickType swipe function. It's surprisingly accurate and makes it much faster to type on the watch's small screen. I also like how the iPhone comes up with a popup that allows you to enter text on the phone rather than the watch without finding the message to match. Not all messages have this deep interaction. For example, tweets can only be liked or retweeted and Outlook e-mails cannot be answered on the wrist, but only marked or marked as read.

It's still the most comfortable, personal, and easiest-to-live smartwatch you can buy.

The Watch Series 7 processor may be called S7, but it's just a name change, and it has the same performance as the S6 in the Series 6. That means it is 20% more powerful than the S5 chip in the Apple Watch SE , which Apple is still selling along with the new Series 7. You can purchase the Series 7 with a cellular connection and, provided you pay at your monthly cellular plan, the watch can make and receive calls and receive messages even when you are not connected to your phone.

Twitter notification on Apple Watch Series 7.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

With WatchOS 8 on the Apple Watch Series 6 and Series 7, I had no issues with responsiveness or apps. While setting up the Series 7, I had issues with the Set up as new watch option, but it turned on without any issues when I chose the Restore from a backup option. This is the first time I've come across it and I suspect it has to do with the Series 7 setup on launch day and the server delays that came with it.

battery

I've worn the Apple Watch Series 7 24 hours a day for the past week, and when I wake up in the morning after tracking my sleep, the watch still has between 20% and 30% energy left, depending on whether I have during the day previously recorded a workout. This means that a single use over a whole day is not a problem. At 30% remaining, it continued through the end of a work day if I did not record any workout. Alternatively, if you don't enable sleep tracking and disable it overnight, two days or even more are achievable.

Apple Watch Series 7 for a fee.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Watch Series 7 has a new charger with quick charge function and can be easily recognized by the silver housing compared to the older versions. According to Apple, it offers an 80 percent charge in 45 minutes, but when plugged into the Apple Fast Charger, it exceeds that and hits around 88% in that time. It reaches 100% in an hour. There's also a handy feature where an eight-minute charge gives back eight hours of sleep tracking.

Using an old charger with the Series 7 will charge it at its normal rate, which is understandable but unfortunate to anyone who has sat on a stand like the Belkin 3-in-1 MagSafe charger, as you have the benefit not received from the speed increase of the new charger.

Price and availability

the Apple Watch Series 7 starts at $ 399 for the 41mm model and $ 429 for the 45mm model. Add $ 100 for the GPS + Cellular version and even more depending on which bracelet you choose. For example, if you'd like the RED Braided Solo Loop Belt product in our photos, prices start at $ 449.

In the UK, the 41mm Apple Watch Series 7 in aluminum starts at 369 pounds and the 45mm model starts at 399 pounds. Prices increase depending on the bracelet you choose, and you have to add £ 100 to the price if you want the GPS + Cellular model.

The Series 7 looks amazing and the Apple Watch has become a style icon in my opinion.

Outside of the standard Apple Watch models, you can buy special Nike versions that are the same price but come with Nike straps and exclusive watch faces. You can also pay more for the Apple Watch Series 7 for a stainless steel case and sapphire crystal above the screen. Prices start at $ 699 or £ 649. The titanium Apple Watch Edition starts at $ 799, or £ 699, and the Apple Watch Hermés starts at $ 1,229, or £ 1,179. Functionality and specification are identical in the entire range, so all of these only offer material and strap differences.

Our opinion

Smaller bezels and a 1mm difference in case size have had a big impact on the Apple Watch Series 7, increasing its appeal and overall visual appeal. Faster charges and that helpful 8-minute zap for overnight use mean the relatively short battery life is much less of a concern and you can use and enjoy the watch 24 hours a day. WatchOS 8 is reliable and easy to use, health tracking remains unmatched even without hardware changes, and massive customization is fun.

It's everything you'd expect from a smartwatch as it integrates perfectly with the iPhone but still has enough power to be used on its own at will and never feels redundant due to lack of features or poor app support. The Apple Watch Series 7 has improved over the Series 6, and even feels like a worthwhile upgrade to last year's model for those who don't mind spending the money. It's also worth noting that Apple hasn't changed the price either, and has kept it the same in recent generations despite hardware and software improvements.

The Apple Watch Series 7 does anything I want, and I am very aware that it can do a lot more, making it feel like a safe purchase even for those who are just starting out with a smartwatch. The uncomplicated handling also makes it great for newcomers and thanks to the two sizes and different designs, there is something suitable for you. It's really great, and I'm struggling to find a reason not to wholeheartedly recommend it.

Is there a better alternative?

It doesn't happen often that I say this, but if you own an iPhone and want a smartwatch, there is no better alternative to the Apple Watch. There is usually an alternative, but in this case, buying an Apple Watch Series 7 is the best option available. This year, the Apple Watch SE is doing less well than it was in 2020 due to the lack of an always-on screen, a larger bezel, standard charging speed, and less powerful health monitoring.

If you have an Android phone, there is no point in making good use of the Apple Watch, so check out our recommendations for Android smartwatches.

How long it will take?

The Apple Watch Series 7 is dustproof according to IP6X, water-resistant to 50 meters, is float-proof and has a stronger, more break-proof glass above the screen. Belts can be exchanged easily and inexpensively if they should be broken or dirty. Apple should support the watch with new software updates for up to five years. Keeping the Apple Watch Series 7 for five years can be a challenge if you want to keep up with technology trends, but for everyone else, it's perfectly doable, given the Series 7's capabilities, performance, and ruggedness.

Should you buy one?

Yes sir. Not only is it the best smartwatch for your iPhone, it's also the best smartwatch available today.

Editor's recommendations



01 Oct
Blog

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Review: The Best of the Best

Upright functional image of the iPhone 13 Pro.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro

RRP $ 999.00

"The iPhone 13 Pro offers a lot of performance under the hood with a 120 Hz display, excellent camera functions, lots of storage space and endless battery life."

advantages

  • Packs a lot of power into the size

  • Incredible camera and video performance

  • Very long-lasting battery

  • Smooth and responsive 120Hz screen

  • Comes with 1 TB storage option

disadvantage

  • No USB-C

  • Not all third-party apps are optimized for higher screen refresh

I say it in advance; the iPhone 13 Pro is the new iPhone model that you should buy if you can afford it. Unlike last year's iPhone 12 Pro, it has the same features as the larger Pro Max model. You will recall that last year the 12 Pro Max had bigger camera sensors, which gave it better low-light performance and a 3x optical zoom instead of 2x.

Not so this year. The iPhone 13 Pro has all the guts of the 13 Pro Max (apart from the battery capacity and screen size, of course) without breaking your hand or wallet. Add the powerful A15 Bionic processor, 120Hz ProMotion display, almost two days of battery life, and great camera performance, and you have the best iPhone 13 model in the entire lineup.

iPhone 13 Pro upright again.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

iPhone 13 Pro right side.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

iPhone 13 Pro left side.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

draft

The iPhone 13 Pro I tested came in gold which is not my pick, but you will work with what you have. Both the front and the back are protected by ceramic glass and an angular stainless steel strip runs along the sides, which differs in quality from the cheaper aluminum of the iPhone 13.

All the standard buttons are there, including the bell / mute and volume buttons on the left and the side button on the right to activate Siri and turn the screen on and off. There are also downward-facing speakers on either side of the Lightning port. As I've found with other iPhone 13 models I've tested, it's a disappointment that Apple continues to stick with Lightning, especially when most people have USB-C devices for the most part. But my hope is that Apple will make the change for next year's model.

Shot in the style of the iPhone 13 Pro.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The iPhone 13 Pro measures 5.78 x 2.81 x 0.3 inches and weighs 7.2 ounces. That's more or less the same dimensions as the iPhone 12 Pro (5.78 x 2.82 x 0.29 inches), but it's almost an ounce heavier (6, 66 ounces). welcome additions that are worth the extra weight. In terms of usability, I found it to be just as easy to use as the iPhone 13 – you can navigate and grasp the screen with one hand. Only with the Pro Max do you reach the limits of one-handed operation.

iPhone 13 Pro in hand.

apple iphone 13 pro test dan baker 10

Like all other iPhone models, iPhone 13 supports IP68 dust and water resistance. I'll admit that this came into play more times than I expected because the phone spilled a couple of times in the park while I was juggling devices during the test. So it also picked up a dent on the screen, even though the ceramic glass protects the front. It's usually not visible unless the light is reflected exactly that way and it doesn't affect usability. And if you're more careful than me and don't do a circus act in the park (or use a case or screen protector), you probably won't suffer from this problem.

In terms of the physical differences between the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro, there aren't too many. The TrueDepth sensor has a 20% smaller notch on the screen, according to Apple, which is true, but it's also a little deeper and, as far as I could tell, doesn't add a meaningful amount of usable screen real estate. As always, there's Face ID, which I generally found hit-or-miss with wearing a face mask. You can do some alternate face scans to make it work better, but it's not that safe either, so I decided not to give it a try.

iPhone 13 Pro-Notch.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

On the back, the sensor array is pretty similar to last year. There's a vaguely square camera body and three cameras. The only notable difference is that each camera sensor is larger and the camera hump protrudes a little more. In my opinion, this is a fair compromise for improved camera performance.

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There are many selling points for the iPhone 13 Pro, but one of the biggest is the screen, and we're not just referring to the size. Like the iPhone 13, it is a 6.1-inch super retina OLED screen with high color accuracy, a resolution of 2532 x 1170 and 460 pixels per inch. Its sharp, bright viewing angles are great, it can reach 1,000 nits of brightness and up to 1,200 nits for HDR content. Outdoor visibility is excellent even in direct sunlight and the screen also supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

This is all fantastic, but what really sets it apart is the 120Hz ProMotion display. ProMotion is a technology first introduced in the iPad Pro series in 2017 that enables Apple to increase the refresh rate from the standard 60 Hz to 120 Hz for different types of content. This has become the standard on Android flagship phones, but it's a technology Apple has been slow to adopt outside of the iPad pros, so it's great to have it on both the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max to see.

iPhone 13 Pro home screen.

Digital trends

Surf the iPhone 13 Pro.

Digital trends

iPhone 13 Pro DT website.

Digital trends

The special thing about Apple's implementation of ProMotion is that the iPhone 13 Pro uses a low-temperature panel made of polycrystalline oxide (LTPO), d 120 Hz for demanding tasks such as fast scrolling or gaming. This type of implementation was first developed for the Apple Watch's always-on screen to save battery life, and has the same effect on the iPhone 13 Pro, but I'll go into that more in the Battery section.

In actual use, the ProMotion OLED screen is sleek and fantastic to use. As someone who used the 120Hz-capable Samsung Galaxy Fold 3 before picking up the iPhone 13 Pro, the transition in terms of ease of use and smoothness was seamless despite the change in display size. And don't let anyone tell you that you won't notice the difference.

The screen of the iPhone 13 Pro.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Main home screen on iPhone 13 Pro.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The lock screen of the iPhone 13 Pro.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The power button of the iPhone 13 Pro.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

After getting used to 120Hz it's impossible to go back, which brings me to the one implementation downside – not all apps run at 120Hz. Most of the games I've tested at 60 frames per second (fps) or less, and at the time of testing, many third-party app animations weren't enabled for 120 Hz, which means animations looked choppy when scrolling. All of this will no doubt change over time as more app developers allow support for ProMotion, but it's something to be aware of.

I usually don't comment on speaker quality as there is only so much you can do with a phone speaker, but the iPhone 13 Pro has remarkably rugged stereo speakers. Even at higher volumes, they do not suffer from great distortion and offer a good range.

Performance, battery life and connectivity

In some ways, it feels a little pointless to talk about the performance of the latest iPhone model. It's the iPhone 13 Pro; It has the latest and greatest A15 Bionic processor with 6GB of RAM so of course it will be an improvement over its predecessor. You get a variety of large storage options including 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, which is what the model I tested had. That's a sizeable amount of storage space that allows you to download tons of apps and games and take lots of photos and videos. I didn't get anywhere near filling it during my test.

I know I said benchmarks were pointless on the latest iPhone, but I ran them anyway and the results 9) below confirmed the phone's powerful capabilities. I was able to launch a lot of apps and play challenging games like Genshin Impact and Asphalt 9. The iPhone 13 Pro will handle whatever you can throw at it and more.

AnTuTu: 823.553
Read / write memory: 1635.3 / 1768.6 MB / s
RAM read / write: 205.8 / 83.2 MB / s
3Dmark Wild Life Extreme: 56.4 fps

The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro.iPhone 12 Pro (left) and iPhone 13 Pro (right) Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The iPhone 13 Pro is a king of batteries. Not quite as much as the Pro Max, but it still lasted well over a day. If I really wanted to, I could go almost two days before I had to recharge. Much of this is due to the optimized power consumption through the combination of the larger A15 Bionic processor and the LTPO screen with its variable refresh rate. At 3,095 mAh, the cell is also larger than the 2,815 mAh battery that came with the iPhone 12 Pro. The result is hours more runtime with average usage, even as a power user.

The iPhone 13 Pro is a king of batteries.

Like all other iPhone 13 models, the Pro is MagSafe compatible, supporting 20 watt fast charging via cable, 15 W MagSafe charging and 7.5 W Qi wireless charging.

Connectivity is as good as you'd expect, with support for 5G, Ultra Wideband, sub-6 GHz, and mmWave. I tested on T-Mobile in the greater NYC area, and while it didn't match the 5G speeds I expected, connectivity was pretty stable overall. The phone also supports dual band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.

Cameras and videos

The iPhone 13 Pro, along with its bigger brother, has the best camera array in the product range. You get three 12-megapixel sensors: a 12-MP wide-angle, a 12-MP telephoto, and a 12-MP ultrawide sensor that can take 120-degree snapshots. This camera array leads to incredible photo results. When starting the camera app, you can set your preferred filter. For this review (and personal preference), all photos were taken in the standard mode, which is the most lifelike.

All of the outdoor shots in bright sunlight were excellent. Both the standard and ultrawide cameras captured a lot of detail and accurate colors. The deep blue of the sky, the fluffy white clouds, the green grass, the reflections and waves of the pond and even the fine details of individual branches came into their own.

It is also remarkable how well the phone handles recordings in direct sunlight. Shining sun is a major challenge for phones, even flagships. The iPhone 13 Pro handled it like a – dare I say – professional. Even if the sun was a glowing ball in the sky, it didn't completely wash out the photo or cast everything in the shade. The image had some darkness and some colors, especially the treetops, but Apple's software processing is clearly at play here, and it's impressive to see.

The attention to detail of the ultra-wide and telephoto lenses is also commendable.

The attention to detail of the ultra-wide and telephoto lenses is also commendable. While I sometimes noticed a slight edge distortion with telephoto shots, on the whole it came off with excellent clarity and detail. It's also a champion at focusing on what is most relevant in the photo, a fact we noted in our deep dive comparisons with the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, where the iPhone 13 Pro generally focuses on most of the time has the edge. At the same time, the Ultra impressed with its pure 10x optical zoom.

In addition to the 3x telephoto zoom, macro photography is the other great feature of the iPhone 13 Pro. Usually when focusing on an object, the phone will lose focus and it will become blurred. It just can't handle the focal length. The iPhone 13 Pro, on the other hand, can switch to the zoom lens to focus objects very closely. This kicks in automatically, and while the result doesn't always work, the results look great, with lots of detail, like sewing in a crochet piece or the individual veins in a sheet.

The only downside is that you cannot manually force the phone into macro mode as it is completely automatic of macro mode.

Last but not least, when it comes to photography, lowlight photos are. The iPhone 13 Pro has a night mode that is activated automatically when the lighting conditions are not ideal. It works mainly by increasing the auto exposure so that a photo that might have been taken immediately takes five to seven seconds instead to let in more light for a picture with better clarity. The result is photos that are taken at night and are much clearer in dark rooms than you would normally get, with better color accuracy. There is some loss of detail and blurring, but it's still an impressive result in most of the shots I've taken.

Cinematic mode is supported by both the rear and front cameras. It's a nice effect that adds a film-like blur to the background. It works best when you focus on faces, but it tends to hit and miss on objects. You also get Portrait Mode which adds the bokeh effect to both front and rear shots. It's neat, and I ended up taking several shots outdoors and playing around with the background.

Solid # iPhone13Pro pic.twitter.com/mkTRl8xXDB

– AJ (┛ಠ_ಠ) ┛ 彡 ┻━┻ (@Ajay_H_Kumar) September 26, 2021

In addition to the already impressive features, there are the video recording capabilities of the iPhone 13 Pro. It can handle 4K at 24/30/60 fps and 1080p at 30/60 fps. I recorded a smooth and stable 4K video of an airplane flying overhead with almost no shake or loss of focus that I could notice. It is rare that such a level of stabilization is achieved on a phone without the help of a gimbal.

Software and functions

The iPhone 13 Pro is updated to iOS 15 by default. We've taken a closer look at individual features introduced with the operating system, but the most notable are improved notification summaries, support for scanning text in the camera app, tabs for Safari, and future support for storing vaccination logs and other data.

iPhone 13 Pro home screen.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

This rating is not a rating of iOS compared to Android. We have lots of these types of parts if you're interested, and by now you probably already know which ecosystem you prefer. However, I'll note that this version of iOS had more bugs at startup than I've usually seen. Aside from the app optimization for the 120Hz screen and hit-or-miss Face ID, I also had an issue with the phone not unlocking with my Apple Watch Series 6. However, Apple has confirmed this problem and should be addressed in the next update.

Price and availability

The iPhone 13 Pro is currently available on sale starting at $ 999 in blue, silver, gold, and graphite color options. It also has 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage size options and works with all major US carriers. The only thing to keep in mind when choosing the memory size besides your requirements is that ProRes recording at 4K 30 fps is only supported with a minimum of 256 GB of memory.

Our opinion

The iPhone 13 Pro is the best iPhone you can get. With the iPhone 13's form factor, a 120Hz screen, great camera performance, tons of battery life, and ridiculous storage options, it's really a phone for power users. My daily driver has been a pleasure to use and you won't be disappointed if you pay for it.

Is there a better alternative?

In terms of hardware, the iPhone 13 Pro is the best model in the lineup, but if you want a longer-lasting battery and a bigger screen, the iPhone 13 Pro Max has it all in the Pro, only bigger. The iPhone 13 is cheaper, but it's pared down with no 120Hz screen, telephoto lens, or macro photo support> It doesn't have a 1TB storage option either. The iPhone 13 Mini is an even smaller version with the same hardware, which makes it a great choice if you love small phones. If you own an iPhone 12 Pro, our camera review didn't show that much of a difference between the two devices and it's probably not worth upgrading.

When you're ready to switch to Android, the Samsung Galaxy S21, OnePlus 9 Pro, and the upcoming Google Pixel 6 can all offer the same or better camera performance, just as much power, and lots of unique features. Android manufacturers also tend to be more innovative by introducing new technologies like folding screens that give you options like the Z Flip 3 and the Fold 3.

How long it will take?

The standard warranty for the iPhone 13 Pro is one year, but you can get Apple Care + to extend it for 2-3 years and cover two accidental damage claims every 12 months. The phone is also waterproof and dustproof according to IP68, so it can withstand complete immersion and rinsing in the sink. Personally, I suffered a superficial dent from dropping the phone on rocky ground without its case, but this is rare and easy to avoid. Apple is also great at software and security updates, so your iPhone 13 Pro should feel like new for three years or more.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. There is no question that the iPhone 13 Pro is the best model in the entire lineup, with the same capabilities as the Pro Max without the bulk or the bigger hit for your wallet.

Editor's recommendations



01 Oct
Blog

Apple iPhone 13 Review: The iPhone for the Masses

iPhone 13 held in hand.

Apple iPhone 13

RRP $ 799.00

"The iPhone 13 remains Apple's flagship model, offering most of the value of the Pro at a lower price."

advantages

  • Fast and responsive performance

  • Excellent camera and video functions

  • Long battery life

  • Supports most of the premium features

disadvantage

  • Still no USB-C

  • No higher refresh rate or telephoto lens

the iPhone 13 is the new iPhone Apple expects most people to buy, and it's easy to see why. It has most of what makes the Premium 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max great, including the lightning-fast A15 Bionic processor, an ultrawide camera, and a battery that can easily be used for a full day before you need to charge it.

If you're a real power user, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will beat the iPhone 13 with their 120Hz ProMotion screens, extra telephoto lens, and generally superior low-light performance. But you also pay a premium over the base iPhone 13, and let's face it: the average person won't split hair above 60Hz and adaptive 120Hz. The iPhone 13, along with its little brother, the iPhone 13 Mini, does the job and does it well.

iPhone 13 from behind.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

draft

The iPhone 13 does not deviate dramatically from the design of the iPhone 12. The model I tested was a darker blue than the iPhone 13 Pro and the Sierra blue of the Pro Max, which is more of a sky blue. I like both options and I am not surprised that they turn out to be popular choices. You still get the square edges on the sides bounded by aluminum rather than stainless steel on the Pro, a Lightning port, downward facing speakers, volume buttons on the left below the ring / silent switch, and a side button on the right that activates Siri and can turn the screen on and off.

As with other iPhone models, the iPhone 13 is IP68 dust and water resistant and withstood a thorough flush in the sink after I accidentally dropped it into the dirt in the park while juggling four phones in my hands. Both the front and back are protected by Ceramic Shield, which is made by Corning, just like the latest Gorilla Glass Victus that you can find on newer Android flagships.

The front looks largely the same when compared to the iPhone 12, although Apple says the notch that houses the TrueDepth camera is 20% smaller. That's technically correct because it's narrower, but it's also a little deeper now, so the compromise is a bit of a wash in my eyes. Face ID works the same as before, but its usability with a face mask, and especially a face mask and sunglasses, has been a hit-and-miss at best. You can do an alternate scan to improve performance with face masks, but it also compromises safety so I preferred to leave it out.

iPhone 13 face recognitionDan Baker / Digital Trends

The more notable difference can be seen if you look at the back. There's still a vaguely square camera body, but the camera array is positioned differently, with the two sensors not being vertical, but facing each other. This way you can mainly distinguish the older and newer models.

Other differences are a little harder to spot. The iPhone 13 measures 5.78 x 2.81 x 0.30 inches and weighs 6.14 ounces, which makes it just a tiny bit heavier than the 5.78 ounce iPhone 12, which can likely accommodate the larger battery. That's a worthy compromise, and in terms of overall footprint and pocket size, I think the iPhone 13 is a one-handed device, even though the iPhone 13 Mini is Apple's “official” compact phone.

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The 6.1-inch Super Retina OLED screen is big enough that text, apps, and the keyboard never feel cramped, which was a problem for me with the Mini. The 2532 x 1170 Super Retina OLED screen is razor sharp, certified to work with HDR10 and Dolby Vision for a higher dynamic range, and operates at 460 pixels per inch. The downward facing speakers were also surprisingly loud and didn't suffer from much distortion except at the highest volumes, so they're more than capable of serving as audio output if you're too lazy to pair with headphones.

The screen is 60 Hz, but if you've never used a higher refresh rate, it won't bother you. It's still a little disappointing not to see the ProMotion filter across the line, especially when you're paying for a $ 800 phone. You won't find an Android phone in this price range that doesn't have a higher refresh rate, and even cheaper mid-range options support this.

Viewing angles are great, colors are rich and accurate, and outdoor visibility is excellent thanks to a peak brightness of 800 nits. When viewing HDR photos and videos, the phone can even increase the brightness to 1,200 nits. I had no problems viewing text, navigating Google Maps, or viewing the camera viewfinder, even in direct sunlight.

Performance, battery life and connectivity

Performance is one thing you will never find on an iPhone, and the iPhone 13 is no exception. It's powered by an A15 Bionic processor, has 4GB of RAM, and comes with a variety of higher storage options including 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB, though you won't get the highest storage option in particular at 1TB – that's exclusive for the Pro models.

The review unit I tested came with ample 512GB of storage, which was more than enough for my needs – even when I take a lot of photos and 4K videos. My guess is that for most people, 256GB is the best balance between price and capacity.

My guess is that for most people, 256GB is the best balance between price and capacity.

My average daily iPhone usage required a fair amount of time on Twitter, Reddit, and Microsoft Teams, some browsing, lots of photos, and playing Genshin Impact. Unsurprisingly, the iPhone 13 processed everything I threw at it with no lag or slowdown. Benchmark tests confirm the strong performance with 827,398 on AnTuTu, which measures the overall performance, and 55.1 frames per second in the demanding Wild Life graphics benchmark from 3DMark.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Apple's marketing materials made bold claims that the iPhone 13 can achieve 2.5 hours of battery life than the iPhone 12. That's the kind of claim I always take with a grain of salt, especially as a power user who does a lot does more on my phone than the average person. So I was pleasantly surprised when these claims not only proved correct, but were blown out of the water, with the iPhone 13 comfortably holding out for a day and a half before it needed to be charged.

One reason for this is that the 3,240 mAh cell is larger than the 2,815 mAh battery that the iPhone 12 came with. This is a considerable leap that pays off over a longer period. But what also happens is that with the A15 Bionic, Apple has improved battery optimization and management so you can get more juice out of the cell.

I could leave it unplugged and still have plenty of juice the next day.

While the previous iPhone may need to be charged while it was sleeping, the iPhone 13's standby time was good enough to leave it unplugged and have plenty of juice the next day. It's great to see and arguably the killer feature for the iPhone 13, especially for those using older models.

But that brings me to the disadvantage. While the iPhone 13 is fully MagSafe compatible and supports 20 watt wired charging, 15 watt MagSafe charging, and 7.5 watt Qi wireless charging, it still uses a Lightning connector. As I discovered in my first hands-on, it's getting harder and harder to incorporate non-USB-C devices into my life.

iPhone 13 below.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Most of my batteries, chargers, and even my PC now support USB-C, as do my MacBook Air and the new iPad Mini. The iPhone 13 series, along with the new iPad 10.2, are the only devices that still stick to the old charging port. This made the iPhone 13 a bigger inconvenience than it needed to be when traveling, although in general it is a relatively minor issue that can be fixed with an additional adapter. Still, it gives me hope that we don't have to deal with that for next year's model.

Connectivity is pretty standard. The iPhone 13 supports 5G, Ultra Wideband, Sub-6GHz, mmWave, and basically all the bands you would expect from a flagship phone. I tested on T-Mobile in the greater NYC area and the connectivity was good enough, but I never got the 5G speeds that were promised. This is more of a network congestion and rollout problem than an iPhone 13 problem. In many places, even New York, 5G exists more on paper than in practice. Apart from that, you also get dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0

Cameras and videos

Cameras are where a lot of magic happens for iPhones. You get a dual rear camera array with a 12 megapixel wide angle camera and a 12 MP ultra wide angle camera at 120 degrees. Unlike the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, there is no third telephoto camera, so you can't take pictures with optical zoom and you don't benefit from macro photography.

iPhone 13 rear cameras.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

iPhone 13 viewfinder close-up.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

iPhone 13 portrait photo.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

iPhone 13 in landscape mode.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Regardless of this, the photo quality – to put it simply – is excellent. When it starts up, the camera app asks you for the filter you want to apply to your photos. Your selection is Standard, the iPhone 13's default setting; vivid, enhancing colors and saturation; and separate options for cooler and warmer filters. I've only shot in standard mode for testing and personal preference, which I think is the setting most people will use as it's most lifelike.

As you can see in the many sample shots, the iPhone 13 does a great job in outdoor settings. The colors are punchy even in standard mode, and the auto exposure handles the contrast between shadows and areas of direct, blinding sunlight well without washing out, as is the case with many smaller phones. The bright blue sky, the puffy white cloud, the green grass of the park, the waves and reflections of the pond, everything looks great in my eyes.

Details are abundant; When zooming in, individual branches and leaves can be seen, but on closer inspection, edge distortions are found. Both ultra-wide and standard shots look great, with a slight fisheye effect to the ultra-wide. If you were satisfied with the camera performance of the iPhone 12, you will be completely satisfied with the sensors of the iPhone 13 overall.

That’s kitchen sink stuff, though. Nowadays, almost every flagship phone and even many mid-range smartphones can take great photos in good lighting. The real standouts are the ones that do well in low light, and that's what makes the iPhone 13 special. The camera app will automatically switch to night mode and adjust the exposure to capture more light for a clearer, brighter picture in darker settings. In a completely dark setting, this can take up to 30 seconds, although most dimmer settings will extend the exposure to five to seven seconds.

The result is a picture with more sharpness, color accuracy and clarity than you would normally get in low light. However, it is worth noting that there is some ambiguity in the details too, especially when compared to the iPhone 13 Pro.

You can record 4K at 60 frames per second, 30 fps, and 24 fps for video. It also supports 1080p at 60/30 fps, but I didn't feel the need to record at a lower resolution as I had 512GB of storage. I was blown away by how stable the video recording was, especially when tracking moving objects.

Stabilization is usually a significant problem with any type of handheld video recording, but the iPhone 13 made it so handy that I felt like I was recording with a gimbal. Panning around also didn't result in dropped images or auto exposure issues.

iPhone 13 selfie.

Ajay Kumar / Digital Trends

Apple iPhone 13 test image example

Like the other iPhone models, the iPhone 13 supports Cinematic Mode, which adds a blurring effect to the background of people and objects, similar to a movie camera. It works best with faces, and you can tell that the blur is clearly an artificial effect, but it's a nice feature when it works. It doesn't work that well with objects, especially moving ones, but on the plus side, it works with the dual 12 MP selfie cameras, which is a pleasant surprise.

Among other things, you have the portrait mode on the rear and front sensors, which gives the images blur and depth. The photos were beautiful and I had a lot of fun playing around with the different background options.

Software and functions

The iPhone 13 can be updated to iOS 15 the moment you turn it on, which I did right away. The latest operating system is packed with features like an improved notification summary, text scanning in the camera app, tabs for Safari, and support for saving vaccination logs, COVID vaccines, and even your driver's license.

A comparison of iOS 15 with Android is not really worth it in my opinion. At this point you know the differences between them and you know which one you prefer. I will say that this version of iOS 15 seems to have more compatibility issues than previous versions. For example, unlocking the Apple Watch with the Apple Watch Series 6 just didn't work for me. Undoubtedly, many of these issues can and will be fixed, so none of them are deal breakers.

iPhone 13 apps on the home screen.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Price and availability

The iPhone 13 is currently available on sale starting at $ 799 in pink, blue, midnight, starlight, and product red color options. It also has 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage size options and works with all major US carriers.

Our opinion

The iPhone 13 strikes a great balance between size, performance, and price. It's smaller than the gigantic iPhone 13 Pro Max, but offers more screen space than the cramped iPhone 13 Mini. The battery life is the really standout feature that gives you a full day of running time and hassle-free charging. Added to this is the great camera performance despite the lack of a telephoto lens. If you're not ready or able to take advantage of the premium features of the iPhone 13 Pro, the iPhone 13 won't let you down, and I recommend it as a good compact phone alternative to the Mini.

Is there a better alternative?

As is so often the case, Apple's toughest competitor is usually himself. The iPhone 13 is challenged most directly by the iPhone 13 Pro, which is the same size but better across the board in almost every way. The 13 Pro and Pro Max both offer you a 120 Hz ProMotion display, a telephoto lens for 3x optical zoom, an even longer-lasting battery and outstanding low-light camera performance.

In contrast, the iPhone 13 Mini is identical in hardware and features, but it's much smaller and designed for those who really love compact phones and don't mind the cramped screen. However, the battery life won't last quite as long. If you have an iPhone 12, the difference between the two devices isn't that big, and the iPhone 13 probably isn't worth the upgrade.

Outside of the Apple universe, many capable Android phones can give you great camera and battery life, including the Samsung Galaxy S21, OnePlus 9 Pro, and the upcoming Google Pixel 6. But if you already exist in the Apple ecosystem, you can become them probably not viewing these as options, although they are equally worthwhile if you are ready to make the switch.

How long it will take?

The standard warranty is one year, but Apple Care + can be extended for 24 to 36 months and it covers two accidental damages for every 12 month interval. In terms of durability, the phone is IP68 so it can withstand full immersion. I played with it roughly and it still survived falls without noticeable scratches on the ceramic glass. In combination with the regular software and security updates, you should be able to easily keep the iPhone 13 for at least three years, if not longer.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. If you like the price, the size, and the extra battery life, the iPhone 13 offers a lot of value, even if it isn't the highest quality option in the lineup.

Editor's recommendations



05 May
Blog

Apple AirTag Review: Tracker Leverages Billions of Devices

Apple Airtag rating 1

"AirTags are a great way to keep track of your belongings as they take advantage of the vast ecosystem of Find My products developed by Apple."

  • Very easy to use

  • Uses a huge ecosystem

  • Replaceable battery

  • Precision tracking works great

  • Accessories are expensive

  • Some privacy concerns

Apple's Find My app has long been a great way to keep tabs on your iPhone, Mac, or iPad. But what about your non-smart items? After years of rumors and leaks, AirTags are finally here to help you keep track of everything else you want to attach them to and bring everyday non-smart items to the connected world.

AirTags use some fancy technology to beat the competition in ways that only Apple can match. That said, Apple's Find My network is now available on every iPhone. This means that you can be informed of the location of your items in near real time, provided they are in a relatively well-populated area.

AirTags have a lot to offer. At first glance, they aren't overly expensive and are great to incorporate into Apple's walled garden. They're not perfect, but if you're a hardcore Apple user they get pretty close.

Design and furnishings

AirTags are small and portable, making them very easy to keep on a keychain or in a purse or wallet. In terms of base size, AirTags are 1.25 inches wide and 0.31 inches thick.

Of course, most of the time this won't be your actual size. This is because AirTags do not have a hole for a key fob. So if you want to keep an AirTag on your keys (or anything other than a sealed pouch), you'll need to purchase an accessory to hold the AirTag. Yes, accessories for your accessories.

It's a little frustrating that the key fob hole is missing. Sliding an AirTag onto a set of keys is perhaps the most obvious use for them, and while Apple wants to push AirTag accessories, it seems like a pretty basic feature that needs to be ignored.

AirTags look pretty good. They have white plastic on top and a silver back with the Apple logo. This back is perhaps surprisingly removable. Underneath is a button cell battery that you can replace yourself. It's a bit of an un-Apple step, but a very welcome one, though you don't have to remove the back more than once a year or so. And it's better than many other similar trackers that don't have a removable battery.

Apple's own AirTag holders are very nice, of course – although they are a bit pricey. I've used the AirTag leather keyring most of the time, the simplest offering that is $ 35. That's right, it's more than the $ 29 AirTag itself. Most people will go the more rational route – I found a pack of four similar holders on Amazon for $ 25. While I can't speak to the quality of these, let's face it, they're probably fine. Apple's accessories are of course very high quality – you just have to pay a lot for them.

As you'd expect from an Apple product, setting up an AirTag is easy. In this case, of course, you will need an iPhone with iOS 14.5 or higher. Simply unpack the device, pull out the plastic battery label, and place the device next to your iPhone. It should appear like a new pair of AirPods. Then you can connect it to your Apple ID, name it and give it a small symbol. Once you've set it up, you'll be able to see it along with everything else in the new Items tab of the My Search app.

Features and performance

As mentioned earlier, AirTags work on the Apple Find My network. This means that they can communicate with other Apple devices, even those that do not belong to you, to let you know where they are. When an iPhone is within Bluetooth range of your AirTag, its location is updated and you can see exactly where it is – without the owner of that accidentally passing iPhone ever knowing. This is an incredible way to take advantage of the number of iPhones in the world and an example of why AirTags work so well.

Competitors like Tile offer similar features – but will never be as effective. Tile trackers can communicate with any phone that has the Tile app installed. That's a far fewer number of people than those who have iPhones simply activated with Bluetooth.

If an iPhone is within Bluetooth range of your AirTag, its location will be updated and you can see exactly where it is.

If you lose an item with an AirTag, the Find My app has a number of features that you can use to quickly retrieve it. For starters, you can see the last known location of an item on a map. If you are in a populated area it is likely that the location will be nearly accurate. Once you're approximately 30 feet from the subject, you're within Bluetooth range – and that's where precise tracking comes in. Precision tracking uses the U1 chip in your iPhone and AirTag to get an accurate location. I have found that it is accurate to within a few centimeters. If you use this feature, you will see instructions on your iPhone for where your item should be.

If you still can't find it, or if you know you're around, you can set off a tone from your AirTag to help you find it. The alarm will be relatively loud, especially given the size of the device. All of the tools work relatively well together, making it easy for you to find your lost item.

AirTags also have a special "lost mode". If you lose an AirTag, you can turn on lost mode in the Find My app. You will then receive a notification if it is found by another device on the Find My network. There is an NFC chip in AirTags. If an AirTag is in Lost Mode, another iPhone user can tap an AirTag to find your contact information when you enable this feature.

Privacy concerns

Of course, there are some privacy concerns about AirTags – as with anything designed to be "tracked". However, Apple added some features to prevent problems from occurring. The first privacy concern is that someone could slip an AirTag into someone else's purse or pocket without them knowing where it is. If your iPhone detects that there is an AirTag with you on the way and the owner is not there, you will receive a notification on your phone. If after a while you still can't find the AirTag, it will start chirping, which is also useful for users with an Android device.

Unfortunately, these features may not work as quickly as they should. The notification will take a few hours to appear and the sound may not turn on for three days. In other words, someone could still use an AirTag to track someone else's location without them knowing if they are an iPhone user for at least a few hours or a few days if they don't have an iPhone.

Fortunately, your own location is no problem for AirTags. AirTags do not store location information locally – instead, this information is stored encrypted in the cloud. AirTags should be near the bottom of the list of anyone concerned about tracking, as the phone you carry with you everywhere is far better suited for this.

Our opinion

Apple AirTags are a great way to keep track of your belongings. They use the huge ecosystem of Find My products developed by Apple and can be seamlessly integrated into your iPhone.

At $ 29, the actual AirTag is also relatively cheap. However, if you want to use it for your keys or attach it to something else instead of tucking it in a secure pouch, you need to consider the cost of accessories. That can really add up when you buy multiple AirTags.

Are there any better alternatives?

If you are an iPhone user, there are no better alternatives. Apple has enabled third-party support for the Find My network, so better alternatives may eventually be released. However, Apple users who are prone to losing their keys or other items should stick to AirTags for the time being.

Of course, if you're not too keen on staying in the Apple ecosystem, there are other options. The most important of these is Tile's wide range of products, which include credit card size trackers, trackers with a hole in your keychain, and so on. Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, Tile's trackers can't network half of US smartphone users like AirTags, but they're a great option for basic tracking.

AirTags and Tile-Tracker are similar in price. You can get a pack of four AirTags for $ 100. That's the same price as a 4-pack of Tile Pro trackers. While Tile Pro trackers offer a keychain hole, they don't have the same integration as the devices Apple designed themselves.

How long it will take?

AirTags should last for years. They have a replaceable battery that can be charged for a year and they are IP67 waterproof so they should withstand things like rain, the weird drop in the sink, etc. Don't get them wet on purpose, but if they get wet they should survive.

That doesn't mean AirTags won't get scratched. If you leave them on your keys over time, they will definitely get some scratches – but should still work just fine.

Should you buy it?

Yes. AirTags are the best trackers for iPhone users right now.

Editor's recommendations




01 Mar
Blog

Apple Fitness+ Review: Gorgeous Workouts, Great Potential

Apple Fitness plus Rating Screenshot Trainer3

"Fitness + motivates you to close your activity rings, but is lacking in key areas."

  • Seamless integration with the Apple Watch

  • Diversity of likeable trainers

  • Variety of training types

  • New content every week

  • Requires an Apple Watch Series 3 or later and an iPhone

  • No live courses

  • Some exercises require special equipment

Because of gym restrictions and pandemic issues, many people are building their own gym instead of throwing away their hard-earned cash on gym membership. Services like Apple Fitness + fill that void as the move to home fitness is transforming the fitness industry. Can an online stream replace your personal Pilates class? We tested Apple Fitness + to find out.

Apple Watch is the killer feature

Apple Fitness + is available for the iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV, but was designed specifically for the Apple Watch. As soon as you open a workout on your iPhone, it is immediately displayed on the Apple Watch. Your watch will then send your health data to your connected device so that you can view it if you follow the trainer's lead.

I realized that I connected with the coaches and wanted to train with them.

As you exercise, you can watch your activity rings increase as you get closer to meeting your exercise goals. You can also see your heart rate, time and calories burned. It's a small feature, but incredibly motivating to see all of your stats on the big screen. Since it is displayed on your screen, there is no need to keep looking at your watch. This is huge for someone like me who is likely to stumble or lose rhythm looking at my wrist.

Can't make the mood

Apple Fitness + is great for beginners to advanced users, provided they have the right equipment. Most cardio workouts require a treadmill, bike, or step machine and are not interchangeable. Unlike iFit, which films landscape-related activities suitable for any machine, Fitness +, for example, requires a bike to complete the bike training.

You will also need dumbbells or kettlebells to complete many of the strength activities. You might be able to swap bodyweight exercises, but it's not the same. You can also skip workouts that require specific equipment, but eliminating so many exercises seriously affected my experience. Instead of having a "can-do" feeling, I often had a "can-do" feeling when browsing the training library. To be fair, Apple offers walking workouts and dance classes that don't require special equipment, but there are few. I would love to see more of this creative, equipment-free content.

This "can't" feeling was reinforced by a limited user interface. Fitness + divides the workouts into broad categories (intense interval training, yoga, core, strength, treadmill, cycling, rowing, dancing, and mindful cooldown) to help you find the right exercise. Once in a category, I found it difficult to find the right workout for my fitness level. There was no way to filter activities based on difficulty or equipment required. I had to choose a workout and then read the description to see if it was appropriate for me. This hunt-and-peck method of finding activity was tedious.

Diverse, enthusiastic trainers

Apple is the master of looks, so it's no surprise that the Fitness + videos are highly polished. The videos are recorded in a beautiful studio gym with great camera angles so you can see exactly how the trainer moves. The workouts feature happy music and personable coaches who encourage you to “close those rings”.

There's no way to filter activities, and the Hunt-and-Peck method of finding a workout was tedious.

Apple's trainers reflect a wide variety of races, ages, and body types that I really appreciate. Since these were normal and not particularly healthy top athletes, I found that I connected with the coaches and wanted to train with them. Their enthusiasm was contagious. Apple also adds content weekly so I keep coming back to find out what's new.

Moderate workouts but no live content

Fitness + is aimed at the large number of iPhone and Apple Watch owners. It is aimed at beginners to advanced and not advanced athletes. Established fitness fanatics could use Fitness + to add to their existing routine or do cross-training on a day off, but it won't replace their existing high-intensity routine.

Most workouts are easy to follow and some are even scalable. This is a function that other exercise programs should do. With these scalable strength training sessions, you can choose to complete the selected activities, improve them with more advanced activities, or downsize the exercises if you have an injury or just want to take it easy. This flexibility encourages you to keep going even when an injury or illness gets in the way.

As much as I've enjoyed Fitness +, the service has a big Achilles heel. Unfortunately, unlike Peloton or Mirror, which offer a plethora of live classes, Apple Fitness + consists entirely of recorded videos. On-demand workouts are convenient because you can work out anytime, but they lack the community feel of a live class. Hopefully Apple will hire a few trainers to teach live classes on a daily basis.

costs

Apple Fitness + requires an Apple Watch Series 3 or later, which gives you at least $ 199 back for a new watch. Also requires a monthly subscription of $ 10 or an annual subscription of $ 80. The service is also included in the Apple One Premier bundle, which costs $ 30 per month and includes Apple Music, Apple TV +, Apple Arcade, Cloud, and News +. When it comes to cost, it's significantly cheaper than the average $ 40 per month subscription that most affiliated home gyms like Mirror, Tempo Studio, and Tonal have.

Our opinion

Apple Fitness + is a great workout tool for beginners to advanced users who already own an Apple Watch. A growing collection of workouts from motivational coaches encourage you to exercise. It's a little rough around the edges, but it has potential. If Apple listens to its critics and improves the service, Fitness + Peloton could give a run for its money in the coming year.

Is there a better alternative?

Apple Fitness + shows promise, but it does require an Apple Watch. Not everyone owns an Apple Watch and doesn't want to buy one just to exercise. Fitness +’s strongest competitor is iFit, which has an extensive library of recorded studio and outdoor activities, as well as a growing number of live workouts and does not require a fitness watch. It's priced at $ 10 per month and runs on a tablet or smartphone.

How long it will take?

Apple has supported and updated the software on its older devices in the past, and we expect Apple Fitness + to receive the same treatment. The service will improve over time and its shortcomings (e.g. no live training) will be a thing of the past.

Should you buy it?

Yes, Apple Fitness + may be just what the doctor ordered for Apple Watch owners who want to get fit and stay fit.

Editor's recommendations




05 Feb
Blog

Apple AirPods Max Review | Funnest Headphones Ever

Apple AirPods max

"The AirPods Max are exquisitely crafted headphones designed for Apple lovers."

  • Best-in-class ANC

  • Amazing transparency mode

  • Excellent workmanship

  • Excellent sound quality

  • First class call quality

  • Charges via the Lightning cable

  • Heavy on the head

I'm a headphone freak and have been for almost two decades. And, without a doubt, at $ 550, the Apple AirPods Max are the most fun headphones I've tested in 10 years – but that doesn't necessarily mean you should buy them.

I've heard a lot about these headphones over the past few weeks and now that I've got hold of a pair, I have to be honest: I disagree with a lot of what I've heard. I want to dig into these headphones not just from the perspective of someone who has tested headphones over the years, but also as a studio musician, fan of high-end sound, and a person who loves making smart purchases with hard-earned money. Let's examine what's good, what's great, and what's not about the AirPods Max, and of course, make some comparisons with the Sony WH-1000XM4 and the Bose ANC 700.

Build quality

The most noticeable design element when looking at the AirPods Pro are the metal ear cups. They sit comfortably in the hand – in fact, every part of these headphones feels good. The fabric material in the headband has a cool suspension, the telescopic part of the headband has a satisfactorily smooth movement, the ear cups are squishy and covered in a lush textile, and even the oversized digital crown and the noise-canceling / transparency mode can be toggled button feel good to turn and push. It's really amazing how comfortable it is to hold them.

Riley Young / Digital Trends

But as satisfactory as they are, they aren't called cell phones – they are called headphones, and they need to feel great on your head. For some users, the AirPods Max may feel perfectly fine. Deep auricles, breathable ear pads and a balanced clamping force help a little. The problem, however, is that there is a lot of weight to compensate for. Too much weight in my opinion. These materials are beautiful. This makes the AirPods Max feel super luxurious, but in practical terms, these headphones may be too heavy for some people. Especially if, like me, you wear headphones for hours.

To be clear, Apple has done an impressive job of reducing the stress on the crown and ears through clever engineering and materialsThis is one reason why headphones like the Sony XM4, Bose ANC700, and even the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 Carbon Edition are made from high-quality plastic and composites instead of metal: because they're good for acoustics and they're lightweight and comfortable.

Connectivity

Riley Young / Digital Trends

As you'd expect, the AirPods Max work best with Apple products. Not only do you instantly connect, but you can switch from one Apple device to another in no time. Another benefit is that you can use an iOS device to turn off ANC in the headphone section of the control panel, and you can actually play with the digital signal processor (DSP) over the accessibility section – which I'll mention again later when we talk about sound quality. Unfortunately, if you're an Android user, you lose all of that. As far as I can tell, there is no turning off the ANC or adjusting the DSP without an Apple device. For connectivity, AirPods Max win for Apple users, while Sony and Bose, which both have apps for both platforms with lots of customization options, win for everyone.

The oversized digital crown is awesome.

Control elements / interface

When it comes to controls, I have to give them to the AirPods Max. The oversized digital crown is awesome. It's easy to find if you're wearing headphones, and the volume knob is oddly enough to turn satisfactorily – you even hear a tiny click when you adjust the volume. The digital crown is also extremely accurate and grainy. I had no problem hitting my volume sweet spot, while with other headphones and volume controls, I'm always a click away from the volume that's too loud or too soft.

Riley Young / Digital Trends

Plus, an almost comically large button just for toggling between ANC and transparency modes is a spring in the cap of the AirPods Max. Again, finding the button while wearing the headphones is no problem, and pressing the buttons with satisfaction is a far better one Experience than holding your hand over the right ear cup of the Sony XM4 or looking for the right button on the Bose ANC 700. I used to think the swipe control thing was cool too, but now I'm kind of over it. The AirPods Max have simple controls for which headphones I want to use. This is the kind of thing Apple is doing right now.

Where is the power switch?

On the subject of battery life, charging times, and the fact that there's no power switch – this may surprise you: I don't have any problems with it. Let me finish

Some think the fact that the AirPods Max doesn't have a power button and can't actually be turned off completely is ridiculous. I do not think so.

The AirPods Max go into a power-saving mode after a short while when you put them down. In fact, I put it on my desk around 8 p.m. and picked them up the next day at 7 a.m. and they had laid off a measly 7%. With five minutes of charging, I can get that blackout and a lot more back, which gives you 1.5 hours of listening time.

When the AirPods Max aren't used for about 72 hours, they go into a kind of ultra-low power mode and use even less power. In practice, with such a slow power failure, it is hard to imagine that a power switch is absolutely necessary. Maybe when you keep it around your neck as a fashion accessory all day long? But even then, it's not like they drain quickly and die of you that day.

Riley Young / Digital Trends

For the claimed 20 hour battery life, I've found this rating to be conservative. With ANC, I've approached 25 uninterrupted hours of play and that's enough to take advantage of a few days before you have to think about recharging. So I'm fine with the battery life, even if the rating is about half that of the Sony XM4 – in real life it's perfectly fine.

I think the valuable thing about this always on standby strategy is that whenever you get a call or a Zoom call, they are ready to go. Just put them on and click to reply. I love that – it's far better than long-pressing a power button and waiting for the headphones to boot while the phone keeps ringing.

What I don't like is the USB-C lightning cable that comes with the headphones. I think it was a mistake to choose a flash when USC-C is a much more sensible choice.

It is not a case

Riley Young / Digital Trends

One area where I agree with other reviewers and commentators is what is called the "case" that comes with the AirPods Max. Since there are many others throwing away this "non-fall" as I call it, I don't feel the need to use more vitriol. It's not a case, it's not a shelter, and if it weren't for the magnets in it which are required to activate the ultra-low-power modeI would say throw it away.

The transparency mode is amazing.

ANC and transparency mode

I want to start with transparency mode because it's amazing – perhaps the most impressive feature of the AirPods Max. It's as close to NOT wearing headphones as I've ever heard it. Everything else pales in comparison.

I'm also looking forward to checking out active noise cancellation on a flight someday, as the AirPods Max, as far as I can tell, may just rule the skies. Since I'm not getting on planes yet, to test the headphones I tried the AirPods Max, Sony XM4, and Bose ANC 700 near some loud fans and an HVAC system. The AirPods Max did very well compared to the best noise-canceling headphones I tested.

Riley Young / Digital Trends

The AirPods Max make it even better every day. They sound like hammering a mechanical keyboard, sipping coffee, and other annoying things. I wore them to a coffee shop and was surprised at how little I heard of the espresso machine and general barista noises. Is it the best noise cancellation on the planet? I can not say it yet. I really have to get on a plane to be sure, but it's damn close. Close enough that I can't call the Sony XM4 the reigning champion anymore, now that there's another big dog on the hill. However, I'll say the AirPods Max won't make anyone crave for more noise cancellation.

Call quality

The AirPods Max are great for making phone calls and taking video conferences – even better than the Bose ANC700, which are great on their own. I found that ambient noise was very well muffled while the clarity of the voice was excellent. The AirPods Max are also very adept at dealing with wind noise.

Sound quality

Before I get into fidelity, I want to mention that I ran some testing with Spatial Audio which, if you're not familiar, is a 3D sound competitor to Dolby Atmos, DTS Headphone: X, and the like. I think it's fun to watch movies, but I'm less enthusiastic about the implementation for music. It's a cool feature, but not a selling point for me.

When it comes to audio fidelity, the AirPods Max sound really good. In particular, I think the midrange has great presence and clarity – something you won't get as much of on the Sony XM4 as the midrange has a bump that tends to clutter the vocal range.

Sony's mid-bass bump is also notable because it gives the XM4 more punch. In direct comparison to the AirPods Max, the Apple cans are less effective. That doesn't mean the AirPods Max lack solid bass. They actually get very deep – deeper than the Sony XM4 or Bose ANC 700 – so everything is sound there. I just noticed that the bass guitar was less prominent on a lot of the tracks I love listening to, and the kick drum had a little less punch than the XM4 and Bose headphones. As mentioned earlier, the more balanced mid-bass enables tThe excellent midrange response from Max.

"I found that Apple Music sounded better than Spotify with the Apple AirPods Max. "

In the high altitude region, cymbals and brass instruments sparkle very well, which I liked very much – sibilance or harshness are irrelevant here. I didn't see a particularly well-executed instrument separation, however, and as far as soundstage and imaging go, I think the AirPods Max are average.

In general, I feel a little closer to the music listening to the Sony XM4 and Bose ANC700, but I feel like hearing more detail with the AirPods Max, which are sure to be the most balanced of the three headphones I compared.

One interesting note: I found that Apple Music sounded better than Spotify with the Apple AirPods Max, and I suspect Apple is using the AAC codec (the only codec supported by the AirPods Max) during the MP3-based deployment from Spotify is more lossy. Another reason to delve into the Apple ecosystem for listening to music.

Riley Young / Digital Trends

I've noticed some have said that the AirPods Max sound better with the ANC off. I didn't think so. Maybe the frequency response is flatter, but I feel like the music is losing part of its life. I've also heard that adjustments to the DSP via the Accessibility menu in iOS could improve the sound, but honestly I like the way they sound instantly with the balanced setting and slight boost setting.

From an audio point of view, I like the AirPods Max very much, and I would like to continue listening to the AirPods Max a little longer, as I suspect that my preference for punch will wane over the weeks and months, but right now I prefer the Sony XM4 -Sound signature. However, this is a deeply personal preference. I can see why someone would prefer the sound of the Max in the long run, and I'll adjust this rating as I change my tune. You sound very good. Good enough to justify the $ 550 price tag.

As for the cool factor, there's no doubt that the AirPods Max have it in their spades, and there's no doubt that they are one of the most fun headphones I've had the chance to test out in many years.

Our opinion

The AirPods Max are near perfect, with top notch noise cancellation, the most remarkable transparency mode I've ever heard, balanced and detailed sound with lots of deep and musical bass, and a very top notch feel. My main complaints are its weight, which I fear won't work for hours of use, and the lack of a proper carrying case.

Is there a better alternative?

For a higher level of convenience, I would recommend considering the Sony WH-1000xm4, which offers competitive sound quality and noise cancellation, as well as superior battery life in a lighter headphone. The Sony also come with a legitimate carrying case and are more portable. Nevertheless, the AirPods Max are wonderful premium headphones with unmatched build quality.

How long will they last?

Given the excellent build quality just mentioned, I can imagine that the AirPods Max will last as long as the battery allows. They come with Apple's standard one-year warranty against manufacturer defects.

Should you buy it?

If you don't mind a heavier headset with a premium price tag then absolutely yes.

Editor's recommendations




21 Jan
Blog

Logitech Circle View Wired Doorbell Review: It’s Very Apple

Circle view doorbell mounted on brick.

Logitech Circle View doorbell

"This is a great video doorbell if you're a die-hard Apple."

  • Neat integration with other smart home devices

  • Good color night vision

  • Light sensor with readable interface

  • face recognition

  • Not at all compatible with Android

  • Additional hardware and subscription requirements

When Apple announced HomeKit Secure Video, manufacturers took the opportunity to deliver hardware for the Apple home ecosystem. We have one of the first video doorbells, the Logitech Circle View Wired Doorbell. This video doorbell was specially developed for Apple. You will immediately notice that it will not connect to Android at all. That has to be the first thing you know about that doorbell.

The second thing you need to know is that you will need additional Apple hardware and a monthly iCloud subscription for the doorbell to work at its fullest. In addition to having an Apple Hub or AppleTV or iPad as a hub, you'll also need to subscribe to Apple's iCloud plan with 200GB or 2TB (for $ 3 / month and $ 10 / month, respectively) so the doorbell does not collect records Counted towards your iCloud storage space.

In short, you need to be all-in with Apple for this doorbell to be of any use to you. If you've read this far, you are probably all there so we can move on. If you are an Android person, this video doorbell won't work for you at all. You can go ahead and stop reading. I'm assuming anyone reading past this point is either a die-hard Apple fan or my editor (hi, boss!).

Appleness extends into the hardware

Once you're beyond that, we can begin examining the doorbell ourselves. The hardware is a study in overengineering. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing to be completely honest. Maybe I'm not pecking here, but even the way Logitech handles the wiring is a bit strange. On the back of the doorbell housing, slide the doorbell wires into slots that "grab" the wires rather than just using screws as you may be used to. When connecting the power converter, Logitech includes clips that you use to connect the power converter to the transformer. Neither of these are bad, in fact it makes for a very clean experience, but it just felt a little over the top. There is nothing wrong with wire nuts and screws. These other methods aren't better or worse, they're just very Apple.

Logitech Circle View Wired doorbell merrily on brickDigital trends / Adam Doud

The video doorbell hardware looks a bit simple. It's a black rectangle on which (from top to bottom) the camera is located, a light for night vision, motion and light sensors, an LED notification light, the doorbell button with a ring of light so people know where to press and finally a little branding. The doorbell is 4.68 cm high and 1.65 cm wide on the larger side. It also comes with an angled bracket if you want to turn the doorbell 15 degrees to the side.

I am particularly impressed with the color night vision capability.

The camera itself has a field of view with a diagonal of 160 degrees and has excellent night vision functions even without the 4,000K LED light strip. The camera does not use IR night vision, but rather a pithy night vision that is grainy but otherwise clear even on a particularly dark night. I set the doorbell on my back door so it didn't even have the luxury of my front yard light to help, and the image was still pretty good, although it wasn't good enough for facial recognition, which we'll investigate further in a little bit .

The camera also has a motion sensor and a light sensor that measures the ambient light in lux. This is really neat as I can tell at a glance at the doorbell if there is enough light outside to take photos or videos. The software doesn't take full advantage of these sensors, however, which we'll explore below.

The wiring is a clean doorbell experience.Adam Doud / Digital Trends

With negatives, the camera suffers from a fish-eye effect on the periphery of the camera. The LED strip on the doorbell has an on and off setting, but no automatic setting. Given the doorbell has a motion sensor and a light sensor, it seems ridiculous that you can't configure the light to turn on when the sensor detects motion and the light is below a certain threshold. However, this is a software glitch, and not the only one.

The software is very Apple

Once you've set up a Home Hub and have an iCloud subscription, open the doorbell features. In particular, you can have the activities for recording the doorbell carried out, e.g. B. Motion detection, doorbell ringing, etc. If you don't have a hub, you're only limited to one live stream. I honestly don't see the need for a home hub to easily capture and store video. If I only had an iPhone, I could still watch motion event videos. This is a blatant platform lock-in and a little gross. Other doorbells require subscriptions to record video, so I'll barely forgive Apple's iCloud request.

It's also noteworthy that if you want to stream video from the camera, every device that acts as a hub must be turned on. Most of the time this isn't a problem, but if you ever need to turn off your iPad, your doorbell will ring. This again supports the argument that using an iPhone I can stream data to it without the need for a device in between. Not cool.

The Logitech Circle View doorbell CAmera uses color night vision.

Other aspects of Apple software are standard on other doorbell interfaces. Scrubbing through events is a little shaky as you can only view events that detect motion or people. However, you have to drag your finger from event to event, and getting to the beginning of an event is a little difficult. However, sharing and saving videos is easy with Apple's share menu.

With Apple, you can also use the sensors in the doorbell to trigger other events in your house. For example, if you want a specific light in your house to turn on when your doorbell senses movement, you can do that. This is a very smart integration that really makes a smart home.

This doorbell is one of the first ones I tested that offers facial recognition that really works. The implementation is not the best. Apple uses your photo library to identify people who ring the doorbell. So, if you've had an iPhone for a long time, you have a lot of people in your photo library. If you're like me and only use Apple products occasionally, this won't work as well. But just the fact that it works at all is very cool. Given the number of doorbells I've tested that I'd love to access Google Photos if they only asked for it, this was a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, my photo library can only accurately identify me and my children. Fortunately, you can add the names of new faces as they appear. This comes in handy the longer you use the doorbell.

Our opinion

Overall, this is a really nice video doorbell – if you're a die-hard Apple fan. If you are not, this is not a good doorbell at all. We already established that by the time you've read this far, it is you. Yes, this is a very nice doorbell that is specially made for you and your existing ecosystem. The field of view is pretty good, although it's not the 180 degrees you get from the Vivint Video Doorbell Pro. Plus, the video quality is good even at night, similar to the HomeHawk window I checked a few months ago. I really like the access Apple gives to the motion and light sensors. Other doorbells have these sensors, but Apple lets you use them, which is pretty neat.

Is there a better alternative?

From a holistic standpoint, this video doorbell is just as good in everything out there. I am particularly impressed with the color night vision capability. While infrared-based night vision can produce brighter and clearer results even on a cheap doorbell like the Wyze video doorbell, I prefer colored night vision because it allows you to better visualize what is actually outside your door. There are also three more doorbells that HomeKit support, including offerings from Netatmo, Robin, and Yobi.

Will it take?

This doorbell is very well built, albeit made of plastic. It's not made from the most durable building materials any doorbell I've tested. That honor likely goes to the Nest Hello doorbell. That being said, I have no concerns about long-term profitability. The doorbell is designed for operation at -20 to 40 degrees Celsius. There is a one year limited warranty.

Should I buy it?

If you've read this far, you're a die-hard Apple. Yes, you should buy it. The integration with the Apple ecosystem is pretty powerful, and using those sensors on the doorbell to trigger other smart home events has really good potential. The $ 199 MSRP is right in the wheelhouse of other doorbells like the Eufy Security Doorbell. After all, the software, Apple's Home Kit, is far more secure than Ring Video Doorbell 3.

Editor's recommendations




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