There are several ways to achieve fitness, from bodybuilders to the general population.
Steve Keane is the co-founder of Strength Coaching, a coaching service that specializes in helping ordinary people develop incredible physiques. I'm a big fan of Steve's work and see him partly as a coach and partly as a fitness philosopher.
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"Samsung's Odyssey G7 should be the ultimate gaming monitor, but the flickering problem with G-Sync is holding it back."
Excellent color rendering
Beautiful design
Great curve for immersing yourself in games
Fast refresh rate of 240 Hz
Defective adaptive synchronization
Low static contrast performance
Curve off-center
Curved gaming monitors are not a gimmick. These wraparound screens offer a fun way to immerse yourself in game worlds without the need for clumsy VR headsets.
The new Odyssey G7 from Samsung extends the technology even further. For the first time, the screen curve, now 1000R, finally matches the curvature of the human eye. It is true immersion in games at its best.
I looked at the 32-inch version of the Odyssey G7 monitor, which has a native resolution of 1440p and a refresh rate of 240 Hz. It's certainly a one-of-a-kind gaming monitor, but with a widespread G-Sync flicker problem and $ 800 price tag, the Odyssey G7 has a lot to prove. Is the Samsung Odyssey G7 worth a spot on your desk?
When it comes to design, Samsung has done an admirable job. The first thing you need to do when unpacking the monitor is to attach the triangle base to the neck of the stand. Then insert the top of the neck into the back of the monitor, attach four screws, and lift the entire assembly out of the packaging. You will then be greeted with an absolute giant of an ad.
While 32-inch monitors are initially large, the 32-inch G7 from Samsung sets new standards. The stand is huge and the curve seriously brings the ends of the monitor far forward. Pushed all the way back on our desk, the sides of the panel protrude about a full foot forward so you really want to make sure you have plenty of room for the G7.
The intense curve of the G7 makes it a real centerpiece on your desk.
If you do, you will be pampered. The intense curve is a wonderful eye-catcher, and with the display so far forward it becomes a real centerpiece. The stand itself may be large, but it uses long, slender legs to give it a spacious feel and to leave plenty of room. The stand also has tilt and height adjustments. It can even turn into a portrait, though I can't think of any reason why anyone would want to do this.
The curve in our example was a bit uneven, with the sharpest point being a little off-center on the left. However, when you are immersed in a game, you forget about everything.
Cables can be run through the inside of the stand to keep things tidy. A headphone hook keeps your cans off your desk when you're not playing.
On the back of the display is Samsung's Infinity Core lighting that extends to the lower corners on the front. This doesn't really add much to the display, but it's implemented in a somewhat subtle way so it's not a problem – the front lighting elements aren't really visible from most seating positions.
The connectivity of the G7 is minimal, but in a good way. It has two DisplayPort inputs and an HDMI connection as well as an integrated USB 3.0 hub with two connections. Power is supplied by a large power supply module that you want to hide somewhere under your desk.
Your only control mechanism is a directional button at the bottom of the display. Click it once to bring up the first selection screen, where you can choose between input source, picture-in-picture mode, and main menu.
In the main menu, the two most interesting submenus are the game menu and the picture menu. The game menu offers settings for the refresh rate, the black equalizer, the response time, the adaptive synchronization and the low input delay. You'll want to make sure you're set to 240Hz, and you can easily set the Response Time setting to "faster" with little entry delay as these settings don't seem to go beyond the control panel.
The black equalizer is set to 13 at the factory, which you might want to lower to around 10 for more accurate performance. By the age of 13, dark elements turn black a little too early, which gives a deeper picture but puts you at a competitive disadvantage in gaming as you cannot see details in the dark.
The Picture menu provides settings for managing colors, including settings for brightness, contrast, sharpness, and color adjustments.
The panel used by Samsung is of the VA type and has a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. This is a bit low for a 32-inch panel, but not a problem when gaming as higher frame rates are possible. In my tests, the color reproduction was also good, covering 100% of the sRGB storage space, 85% of the AdobeRGB storage space and 90% of the DCI-P3 storage space.
With support for 1.07 billion colors and a tested Delta-E (color deviation from real) of 1.25, this panel offers surprisingly good performance in terms of color space and accuracy. Note, however, that I only measured the center of the screen. There is a noticeable color shift at the edges, probably due to the curve that the VA panel bends to its limits.
I tested the maximum brightness of the display without HDR and recorded a number of 392 nits. This is above the typical brightness of 350 nits specified by Samsung, but is sufficient for brightly lit rooms.
Calibrating the display resulted in better colors but less brightness.
Where the monitor suffers a disappointment is the contrast performance. Samsung claims a static contrast ratio of 2500: 1, which is lower than the 3000: 1 VA panels normally produce. This is likely because it is bent to within an inch of its life, so I can forgive that. However, the example I have available doesn't provide a contrast ratio close to the Samsung numbers, with the highest number recorded ending up at 1480: 1 when dynamic brightness is turned off. These are very low values for a VA panel, although it would appear that these numbers vary significantly from sample to sample.
Calibrating the display resulted in a slightly better color reproduction with a Delta-E of 1.09, but that decreased slightly from peak brightness to 370 nits, and the peak contrast ratio dropped to 1330: 1 – almost half what Samsung is promising.
The G7 also supports DisplayHDR 600, which means it should achieve a peak brightness of up to 600 nits. However, this only happens when the rest of the display is dark. With just eight vertical lighting zones, HDR performance is modest at best. It is best to leave it deactivated.
Overall, the image quality of the G7 can be rated as quite good, especially when you consider that it is a gaming monitor with a panel curved to 1000R.
I use a 32-inch 4K monitor as my own daily driver, so you can imagine the step from this to QHD with the same panel size being quite a success. I tried switching from the 32-inch Samsung G7 in my main work setup but to no avail. While the color reproduction is impressively good, especially for a gaming monitor, the resolution isn't high enough to work on, especially considering the distance the monitor is due to its large base. The curve also causes distortion which makes photo editing confusing.
While the Samsung G7 falls short when it comes to productivity tasks, the display changes to its original element as soon as you start a game. This is where the lower QHD resolution becomes an advantage as driving is much easier than 4K and high frame rates are provided for this monitor. I equipped the display with an RTX 2070 super graphics card, with which the frame rates in competitive games could be increased significantly to 150 frames per second (fps) and higher. And yes, that makes you a better player.
I don't know how Samsung did it, but the VA panel continues to deliver sharp, smudge-free images even at higher frame rates and extremely fast movements on the screen, making it very easy to track fast-moving subjects from competitive shooters. In Destiny 2, I was suddenly able to track fast-moving subjects with a sniper rifle and successfully land headshots at moving targets over and over again – which I couldn't reproduce on my 60 Hz 4K monitor.
Start the BLJR Busters UFO test and see three UFOs flying across your screen, one at 240 Hz (top), one at 120 Hz (center), and one at 60 Hz (bottom). The 60 Hz alien always runs a few pixels behind the 120 fps and 240 fps aliens. The 120 and 240 Hz aliens are practically neck to neck for on-screen position, but where the 120 Hz UFO is slightly blurry in its rapid movement, the 240 Hz alien is crystal clear.
The image provided is from a video taken with the camera to track the aliens, which makes a pretty good impression – but I couldn't capture how dramatic the difference is with my camera. The 240Hz alien is so crystal clear at high speed that you wonder why anyone would care about a 120Hz display.
The G7's 1000R curve makes games incredibly impressive.
I also launched Horizon Zero Dawn which recently launched on PC. At the highest settings, my PC only pushed around 70 fps into the G7, but the game ran incredibly smoothly and the curve just pulled me in and held me in place. The G7's 1000R curve might not work for productivity, but it makes gaming oh so impressive.
The deep black of the VA panel as well as the vivid colors and high brightness draw you further into the game. If you want to perform well in competitive games, then you should only look at the 27-inch version. However, this 32-inch panel is great for balancing the power of competitive gaming with the immersion in slow single-player gaming, story-driven games.
As many people report on the internet, the G-Sync flicker problem also occurs. The Samsung G7 is technically not a true G-Sync monitor. Instead of using a G-Sync module developed by Nvidia, it is based on the adaptive synchronization protocol implemented in the VESA DisplayPort 1.4 standard.
This is not a problem in and of itself as many displays work well this way. But not the G7. Turn on adaptive sync. While you usually won't notice any problems using the desktop, problems do arise as soon as you start a game.
You'll notice the black flicker in game menus and loading screens the most. It's also present when playing games at high frame rates, although it does so at lower frame rates too. On my panel, it was worst on the left and right edges of the screen, like a black vignette that keeps popping up.
This made adaptive synchronization unusable. Despite everything the G7 does to immerse you in the game, the flickering was so intense with adaptive sync enabled that it felt like I had a twitch in my eye. I searched the internet for a solution ranging from new cables to various settings to a firmware update, but nothing solved the problem. I also tested two 27-inch G7s, both of which had the problem, albeit to a lesser extent. It is best known and known as a known problem with this 32-inch sample.
The only solution for crack-free gameplay was to turn off adaptive sync and enable V-sync instead. Usually this is a sub-optimal solution as it may fix the tearing. However, stuttering and input lag become an issue as the display cannot adjust the screen refresh rate to match your frame timings.
When adaptive sync is enabled, the monitor waits for the GPU to shift a frame out, then immediately updates it to display it, and waits for the next full frame. Without this option, the display is updated 240 times per second, regardless of whether a new frame is to be displayed or not. When V-Sync is disabled and the GPU is halfway through rendering a frame, the display will show that half the frame, causing quick responses, but with cracks visible. With V-Sync enabled, the PC waits for the entire frame to be rendered and the panel to reach an update interval, resulting in tear-free images but also a short delay.
Samsung should take responsibility for the G-Sync flicker issue.
The monitor can display up to 240 fps evenly spaced apart from one second, even when running at much lower frame rates, so the images are displayed at almost the exact speed that the GPU is pushing them out. The lag caused by V-Sync is much shorter compared to a 60Hz, 120Hz, or 144Hz monitor, even if your game is running at relatively low frame rates.
In some ways, the G7 is so fast that it doesn't need adaptive sync, and most people would barely notice the difference between V-sync and unbroken adaptive sync on a 240Hz monitor. But that doesn't change the facts: the 32-inch Samsung G7's adaptive sync is broken, and that's just not acceptable for a $ 800 gaming monitor when so many cheaper displays get it right. Given that price, I would love to see Samsung take responsibility for this issue and either come out with a solution, issue a recall, or remove G-Sync certification and lower the price.
Digital Trends has contacted Samsung for a comment and we will update this review as soon as we hear about it.
The 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G7 is an excellent gaming monitor with a curve that draws you into gaming like no other display. However, the problem with G-Sync flicker is hard to miss.
Classic V-Sync can still solve the problems. With a refresh rate of 240 Hz, you don't necessarily need G-Sync for smooth gameplay. However, it's a second-rate solution that is hard to accept when asked to pay $ 800 for a monitor. Until it is repaired, the Odyssey G7 remains faulty.
If you want a 32-inch QHD monitor that is as fast as this one, with such a tight curve, with the deep black levels and vibrant colors that this VA panel offers, there isn't one.
The closest alternative is the Asus ROG Strix XG32VQ, but it's not that fast at only 144 Hz and doesn't have such a tight curve. Similarly, MSI's Optix MAG321CQR offers a monitor of the same size, resolution, but not as fast or curvy, despite being less than half the price.
Samsung's monitors don't usually develop crazy problems, so I expect this to work for as long as you can expect from most monitors: at least five years. However, Samsung only gives a one-year warranty on the monitor, which is below the industry standard.
Monitor technology is also advancing rapidly, and I doubt it will be long before a competitor conjures up a product that performs similarly for less money. Combine that with the G-Sync issue, which likely can't be fixed and you can expect a sharp drop in value in your first year.
Not in its current state. The Odyssey G7's curve is still a great sight, but G-Sync's problematic implementation is a deal breaker.
There's one major caveat: if Samsung rolls out an update that fixes this issue, the Odyssey G7 will be back worth the $ 800 it costs.
Editor's recommendations
"The HP Envy 15 delivers great performance at a great price."
Incredibly strong performance
Beautiful and color-accurate AMOLED display
Solid build quality
Excellent keyboard and touchpad
The display supports touch and pen
A little stronger than rivals
No full size SD card slot
Dell has had great success with its XPS 15 – a sleek, professional laptop with surprisingly high performance. HP has never had its own MacBook Pro 16-inch competitor – at least not in terms of performance.
The HP Envy 15 fills this gap and offers a discount compared to Dell and Apple. My test device is priced at HP.com for $ 1,600, as configured, with a 10th generation Intel Core i7-10750H CPU, 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of solid state drive (SSD) storage, 4K AMOLED display, and RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU. A similarly configured XPS 15 will cost you well over $ 2,000 in comparison, and you'll have to upgrade to the even more expensive XPS 17 if you want to customize the graphics.
There has to be a catch, right? After all, it takes more than just performance per dollar to compete against its high-end competitors. I've searched hard for compromises, and while the Envy 15 isn't perfect, HP hasn't cut corners with the Envy 15.
Compared to the gemstone-cut HP Specter x360 15 with a tiny bezel, the Envy 15 is a pretty conservatively designed laptop. On its own, the Envy 15 is a pretty attractive 15-inch laptop. Its silver color scheme adorns an aluminum housing that is very robust – cannot bend or bend anywhere. The Envy 15 has just enough chiseled parts to make it unique – like the small indentation between the keyboard deck and the palm rest. It adds some pizzazz, but not so much that it outperforms the Specter for its looks alone. Let's not forget that the Envy 15 is technically a "midrange" laptop, which makes the build quality and size even more impressive.
The Envy isn't a petite laptop. It's a bit big and heavy as you'd expect on a 15-inch all-metal machine, 0.73 "thick (actually not bad for a 15-inch laptop, actually) and 4.75 pounds. The Dell XPS 15 is 0.71 inches thick and 4.5 pounds by comparison.
The Dell XPS 15 also has a slimmer profile, largely thanks to the smaller bezels. The Envy 15's screen-to-body ratio of 82% is a bit lower, partly due to a fairly large chin. Since the XPS 15 uses a display with an aspect ratio of 16:10, the two laptops are similar in size. It's just that the XPS 15 intelligently fills the space with a display instead of a bezel.
While the Envy 15 has some of its own design tricks up its sleeve, the focus is more on performance. It includes hidden rear vents that effectively move air without affecting the look of the back of the laptop. The Envy 15 also has a large pair of feet on the floor that set it off the table more than the competition for extra airflow.
Connectivity is a strength of the Envy 15. You get two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support, plus a full-size HDMI 2.0 port (updated from HDMI 1.4 on the previous model) so you can connect three displays to the device without a dock . You also get two USB-A 3.1 ports and a microSD card reader. However, HP made a mistake by not including a full-size reader. The target group for the Envy 15 are those who want to quickly transport data directly from their cameras.
Wireless connectivity is up to date thanks to an Intel Wi-Fi 6 chipset and Bluetooth 5.0.
HP also added a nice bonus in the form of a second SSD slot that allows either a RAID configuration or additional storage. When you add a few two terabytes (2 TB) of SSDs, you suddenly have an unusually large amount of storage space, which is especially useful for the creative types.
The Envy 15's 4K AMOLED 16: 9 display is spectacular, according to my colorimeter – although you can save some money by resorting to a Full HD option. The AMOLED panel is bright at 404 nits (and the anti-glare function makes it appear even brighter), has an incredible contrast at 404,410: 1 (the best IPS displays come in at around 1500: 1) and its gamma is just right at 2.2. That makes it a dream machine for productivity and multimedia watchers. Turn on HDR and you've got one of the best Netflix experiences out there with black text on a white background. As a writer, I just love this role. These results are on par with the best you can find, including the Dell XPS 15 and MacBook Pro 16-inch. Their IPS displays are similarly bright, but cannot come close in terms of contrast.
The Envy 15's display is also great for developers who HP is targeting with all this performance. The color gamut is very large with 100% of sRGB and 97% of AdobeRGB. The XPS 15 does a little better with exactly 100% of both color spaces in the color gamut. The Envy 15 also has an excellent color accuracy of 0.73 (the human eye can't see anything below 1.0), again just slightly behind the 0.37 of the XPS 17 and 0.65 of the XPS 15.
Most importantly, for the first time ever, HP has a machine that has both the power and the display to compete with the world's best creative laptops. There's no such thing as an HP Specter laptop with 45-watt CPUs, powerful GPUs, and color-calibrated displays. The Envy 15 is the first consumer laptop from HP that puts it all together into a truly competitive package.
The display is also touch and pen enabled, which is an added bonus. Writing on a clamshell laptop display isn't easy, but the feature is there when you need it.
I'll note here that the Envy 15's HDR support is also better than the 2019 Specter x360 15 with AMOLED (I didn't get a chance to test the 2020 version). For the best HDR performance in Netflix, turn on HDR in display settings. Unlike the Specter, this doesn't completely change the overall quality of the display. There's a small drop in color saturation, but it's not dramatic, and Netflix HDR looks great with "true" HDR enabled. This is a benefit of HP's current AMOLED – it supports VESA DisplayHDR and Windows 10 seems to handle it better than before. It's still not as good as the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme's Dolby Vision HDR, which in my experience is the best HDR you'll find on a laptop.
Audio is provided by two upward-facing speakers on either side of the keyboard. The volume wasn't impressively loud, but very clear and without distortion. There was more bass than you would expect and the mids and highs were pleasant. You could watch Netflix on the Envy 15 and not crave headphones as long as you just listen. It still may not match what Apple achieved with its MacBooks, but the Envy 15's speakers aren't bad.
The Envy 15 is HP's shot over laptops like the XPS 15 and 17 that is also aimed at creative people. Therefore the laptop has to be fast.
The problem is that the Envy 15 uses a slower processor than the XPS 15 and XPS 17 – at least based on the units we tested. The Core i7-10750H has two fewer cores and four fewer threads than the Core i7-10875H in the Dells, which puts the Envy 15 at a disadvantage in many content creation applications.
This disadvantage is most evident in Geekbench 5 and Cinebench R20, where the multi-core performance was only tested 27% behind the XPS 15. The XPS 17 is of course even faster. The Envy 15 naturally handles the processor it has chosen quite well, just like other Core i7-10750H laptops we tested.
However, it comes down to performance in practice. That's why I switched to the Handbrake video coding application. Limited to the CPU only, I converted a 420MB video to H.265 and the Envy 15 was ready in a little under two and a half minutes. This is comparable to the XPS 15 in just over two minutes and the XPS 17 in just under two minutes. The ROG Strix G15 with the i7-10750H lasted three seconds longer than the Envy 15.
Finally, I ran our Premiere Pro video rendering test which exported a two minute 4K project to ProRes 422. During this process, both the CPU and the GPU can be used together, allowing a graphics card like the RTX 2060 Max-Q to be bent. It took the Envy 15 just five minutes and a second to complete the test in standard mode. Compare that to the XPS 17, which lasted three minutes and 38 seconds – that's a faster score than recorded in our XPS 17 test because that test used the latest and much faster version of Premiere Pro. Given the price difference and the fact that the XPS 17 uses a faster processor, this is an impressive feat for the Envy 15.
I also tested the HP Command Center software, which has different performance modes. By default, the company sets the Envy 15 to be relatively quiet and run relatively cool. This is how I did all of the above tests. When you really need to get the best possible performance out of the system, performance mode makes a big difference. Other laptops have similar utilities, but I've found HPs to be particularly aggressive. The setting didn't affect performance on synthetic benchmarks, but it did increase Handbrake and Premiere performance on the XPS 17. Given the price difference, this is an impressive result.
HP doesn't advertise the Envy 15 as a gaming laptop, but if you have an RTX 2060 Max-Q inside, there's no reason not to use it. And in our series of gaming reviews, it quickly became clear that the Envy 15 is a good mid-range slot machine.
I ran our tests at 1080p and 4K as 1440p wasn't an option in this driver set. And that's probably fine since 1080p is probably where you want to play your games.
Starting with the synthetic 3DMark benchmark, the Envy 15 achieved 5,123 points in the most demanding Time Spy test, which is slightly behind the 5,801 of the XPS 17 with its RTX 2060. As we'll see, these two machines are pretty evenly matched in terms of performance to run today's modern titles, with the XPS 17 having a slight edge.
In Civilization VI, the Envy 15 achieved 121 frames per second (fps) at 1080p and medium graphics, compared to the XPS 17 at 143 fps and the XPS 15 with its GTX 1650 Ti at 114 fps. Interestingly, the Envy 15 managed 100 fps in ultra graphics compared to the XPS 17 with 90 fps and the XPS 15 with 64 fps. The Envy 15 also beat the XPS 17 and 15 when gaming in 4K resolution.
In Assassin's Creed Odyssey, the Envy 15 hit the sweet spot at 60 fps at 1080p and high graphics, compared to the XPS 17 at 61 fps and the XPS 15 at 47 fps. Finally, the Envy 15 was able to play Fortnite at 1080p and Epic at 84 fps, while the XPS 17 hit 82 fps. This allows both laptops to maintain a solid 60 fps in Fortnite unless you jump up to 4KB with both dropping to around 30 fps.
Of course, none of these frame rates above 60 fps are of any use to you, as the Envy 15's screen is locked with a refresh rate of 60 Hz. It also doesn't include anti-screen-tearing technology like G-Sync or FreeSync. As with many of these productivity-oriented computers, casual gaming is fine, but a suitable gaming laptop with a higher refresh rate provides a far smoother gaming experience.
Apple's Magic Keyboard on the latest MacBooks is the best laptop keyboard out there. Still, the HP keyboard, which has moved from the Specter to the Envy range, is my second favorite. There's a lot of traveling and just the right balance between a light touch and a snappy feeling with a confident ground movement. The mechanism is perfect for me so that I can instantly update myself and type for hours without getting tired.
I like the keyboard on the XPS 15 and some other laptops (I'm thinking of the Lenovo ThinkPad range), but I prefer the HP version over any other Windows 10 laptop. I'm delighted to see that HP isn't reserving the keyboard for the Specter range, and I'll find that you can get the same for the HP Envy x360 13, which is well under $ 1,000.
Interestingly, the Envy 15's touchpad is better than that of the Specter x360 15. It's not the same widescreen version, which means it's bigger and takes up a lot more palm-rest space. It's glass-covered and very convenient to scroll and swipe. It also supports Microsoft's Precision touchpad drivers and all Windows 10 multi-touch gestures. It's as good as a touchpad on a Windows 10 laptop.
As mentioned earlier, the display is touch sensitive and as precise as ever. If you want to use HP's active pen with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, you have this option too. The passwordless login for Windows 10 Hello takes place via a fingerprint scanner, which is located in the keyboard next to the arrow keys – and works quickly and without errors.
Pack that much power into a laptop and equip it with a low-power AMOLED display (which can be aided by using a dark color scheme since AMOLED uses the least power when the screen is high in black), and you won't going to expect a lot of longevity. This also applies to a battery capacity of 83 watt hours.
According to our standard benchmark tests, that's exactly what we saw. In our most demanding Basemark web benchmark test, the Envy 15 lasted almost exactly three hours. That's not terrible for such a powerful laptop, but it does mean that if you're really putting a strain on the CPU and GPU, you'll likely run out of battery life well before lunch. Interestingly, the XPS 15 with 86 watt hours of battery and the XPS 17 with 97 watt hours did not do better. The XPS 17 lasted six minutes less and the XPS 15 16 minutes longer.
The 4K screen means you need to have the charger close at hand.
In our web browser test, which is the best indicator of productivity, the Envy 15 lasted around 6.75 hours, which is not particularly long. Once again, the XPS 15 and 17 were close together, with the XPS 17 running 19 minutes less and the XPS 15 happening 19 minutes longer. Finally, I looped the laptop through our Full HD Avengers test trailer and it took about eight hours. And you guessed it – the XPS 15 was close again with 30 minutes less. The XPS 17 did it more than an hour longer.
The bottom line is that these powerful, creative laptops with low-power displays probably won't keep you actually working for an entire day. You want to carry your charger around with you. This is quite a task as they are pretty large power bricks. But that's the price you pay for fast laptops with beautiful displays.
The HP Envy 15 is the company's fastest consumer laptop and the one that best meets the needs of creative professionals with high work demands. Really, it's not even close – if you want similar or greater performance, you'll have to switch to HP's commercial line, especially the workstations. And the Envy 15 does its job well – it's fast, it can be configured with even faster components if you are looking to spend more, and it offers the type of display that fits all creative needs.
The Specter line is great for productivity users and those who value good looks and a smaller case. But it's the Envy 15 that makes power users happy – for hundreds of dollars less than they spend on competitive laptops.
The Dell XPS 15 and Dell XPS 17 both offer the same or better performance with great displays and are equally good for creative workflows. But you'll be spending a lot more money, getting a little more class, and a more useful 16:10 display, but not much more.
If you're not a creative professional and want a 15-inch laptop with more flexibility and panache, the HP Specter x360 15 is a good alternative. You'll spend similar money and have an option for an equally great AMOLED display, but you won't get anywhere near the performance.
Don't forget the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme and the MacBook Pro 16-inch. These, too, can be configured with the same powerful components, and both provide superior displays. However, as with the XPS options, be prepared to spend a lot more money.
The Envy 15 is well built and should last for years. However, we would like the guarantee to be longer than a year.
Absolutely. If you're looking for a laptop that can handle demanding creative tasks at a cheaper price, the Envy 15 is the one for you.
Editor's recommendations
"The Asus ROG Phone 3 is a powerful, focused gaming smartphone that makes you feel like a champion."
Incredibly powerful
Breathtaking sound
Focused, useful game features
Large, smooth screen
Great software
Camera could be better
Heavy
Asus has shown how serious mobile gaming is with the launch of Republic of Gamers' ROG Phone 2 last year, which is equipped with technologies and features specifically designed to improve gameplay. Now it's back with the ROG Phone 3. Not much has changed externally, and if anything, the design of the space age has become less noticeable – but the story is different inside.
The difference that the internals make is remarkable. It's so powerful that when he plays PUBG Mobile, Thanos would do it on a ROG Phone 3.
The ROG Phone 3 has a similar look and almost the same size as the ROG Phone 2, but the sci-fi madness is somewhat weakened. The glass back is glossy rather than matte, and the exposed vents on the back of the ROG Phone 2 have disappeared and have been replaced by a cool, transparent area that shows the new cooling system inside. I have never seen a glass transition between transparent and dark, and it looks great.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Despite its exterior, the ROG Phone 3 has not collected any fingerprints, and the ROG logo with RGB looks even brighter and more colorful than the matt glass of the ROG Phone 2. The camera module has been given another lens for a total of three. and it runs horizontally across the device. Asus has reduced the silver angled lines on the body, making the design more mature.
Nevertheless, the gaming focus remains. The USB Type-C connector on the bottom is arranged on the side so that the phone can be held more comfortably in landscape format when plugged in. There is another USB Type-C charging port behind a rubber plug on the opposite side. The phone also has shoulder-mounted "AirTrigger" on the side of the phone (we'll talk more about that later).
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Although it's comfortable to hold, this is a great smartphone. It is 9.8 mm thick, 171 mm long and 78 mm wide. For comparison: The OnePlus 8 Pro is 8.5 mm thick, 165 mm long and 74.5 mm wide.
At 240 grams, the ROG Phone 3 is also one of the heaviest phones ever. The orientation in landscape is well balanced, but in portrait I noticed that the weight was tilted towards the front of the phone. In combination with the slippery body, it often threatened to fall in the face when I lay it down.
One thing that ROG Phone 2 users may notice is the disappearance of the 3.5mm headphone jack. The integration of 5G antennas in the ROG Phone 3 is one of the reasons why the connection no longer fits into the phone. However, if you really want it, there is a dongle in the box. There is also an additional AeroActive Cooler 3 accessory that attaches to the case to assist cooling. You will also receive these accessories in the packaging.
It is a great accessory. Asus has added two very helpful features: a space to store the rubber connector cover that you remove from the phone to attach the AeroActive Cooler 3, and a stand.
The stand is great and puts the phone in the perfect angle for watching movies or playing with a controller. The AeroActive Cooler 2 developed for the ROG Phone 2 is not compatible with the new phone. However, if you bought other accessories, including the Twin View Dock or the Kunai controller, these will work because the two phones are almost identical in size.
I appreciate the new, more sophisticated design of the ROG Phone 3, but I miss the madness of the ROG Phone and ROG Phone 2. I think gaming phones need craziness. Nothing in their existence makes sense. So why not celebrate a little more?
The ROG Phone 3 is the king of gaming smartphones.
I'm a casual gamer, which means I don't spend hours playing online every day, but the ROG Phone 3 still manages to make the games I play look better and smoother while providing useful tools, that improve the experience. When I feel that way, I have no doubt that people who are more interested in mobile games will see even greater benefits.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
The shoulder-mounted AirTrigger are a good example of where the ROG Phone 3 is successful. You can easily map, tap, press, swipe, or even split controls on the screen to effectively create four buttons. They made the simple controls of Asphalt 9 Legends faster to use and prevented my fingers from covering the screen.
The function is activated in the game via the Game Genie menu on the slide-in screen. When you position the AirTrigger activation points on the screen, they vibrate when you get the correct placement. In Transformers: Forged to Fight, I used both the tap and swipe functions, and while typing worked well, it can be difficult to activate the swipe function at the right time.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Pressing the sides of the phone activates X mode, which increases phone performance and minimizes distractions while gaming. Use the "Advanced X mode" setting, where everything is set to maximum and the processor is not throttled at all. I haven't noticed any slowdown, dropouts, or other performance issues while playing on the ROG Phone 3.
The 6.59-inch AMOLED screen has a refresh rate of 144 Hz, 270 Hz touch sampling, 10-bit HDR, HDR 10 Plus support and a touch latency of 25 ms. It reacts incredibly quickly. Dariusburst is played in a small window in the center of the screen and requires skillful, careful controls to switch between the landscape and the onslaught of bullets. The ROG Phone 3 made this much easier thanks to its large, very responsive touchscreen.
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Then there is the sound. Asus worked with an audio company called Dirac and skipped major brands like Dolby. The result is often exceptional. There is a level of detail, clarity and definition that you won't always find on phones, as well as a wide sound stage and really full sound through the two stereo speakers. The ROG Phone 3 sounds like no other smartphone.
Within a few hours I played Asphalt 9 Legends, 1945, Real Racing 3 and Dariusburst as well as a few other casual titles and it went perfectly. You can feel some heat coming from the phone, but it's in the landscape format at the middle bottom of the device, so you'll have to look around for it. My hands didn't get sweaty and I never felt the need to move my grip because the body of the phone was warm.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
The ROG Phone 3 is also compatible with Google Stadia and offers three months of free Stadia Pro access, so it's not just about Google Play games. It is easy to pretend gaming phones as meaningless, but if done properly and thoughtfully, the benefits are obvious. The Asus ROG Phone 3 demonstrates this perfectly.
Asus has worked hard to make the ROG Phone 3 a usable smartphone for everyday use whether you are dedicated to gaming or not. The camera is an integral part of it.
The rear-view camera with three lenses has a 64-megapixel IMX686 main sensor with an aperture of 1: 1.8, together with a 13-megapixel ultra-wide sensor and a 5-megapixel macro sensor. There is a 24 megapixel selfie camera in the bezel above the screen. The rear view camera has several modes, including a night mode, a portrait mode, a motion tracking video mode and a pro video mode. It records videos in 4K and in HDR with electronic stabilization.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
It's decent and more than powerful enough, provided it's your second priority on a smartphone. There is no zoom mode, but both wide-angle and macro modes offer creative fun, so it is not necessarily overlooked. It can be inconsistent, especially under cloudy conditions where it is quite underexposed, which leads to loss of detail. HDR shots on sunny days can look great, and the macro camera definitely surprises with its ability.
The selfie camera has a cumbersome beauty mode as standard, a portrait mode with only average edge detection, which can also wash out skin tones.
I found the ROG Phone 3's camera to be okay for general use. While there are more versatile camera phones, it's solid. For a gaming phone where the camera is always a secondary concern, it's much better than many expect.
Asus wants to "take the industry to the next level" with the ROG Phone 3. It has pioneered 120 Hz screens and high touch sampling rates and explains how best to use a high-end processor ROG Phone 2. For the ROG Phone 3, the 144 Hz screen wins 270 Hz touch sampling rate and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus processor with up to 16 GB RAM easily handle the current wars of smartphone data sheets.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
The Snapdragon 865 Plus is a monster and the first mobile processor to exceed 3 GHz clock speed. In combination with 16 GB LPDDR5-RAM and 512 GB UFS 3.1 memory in my test phone, it is hard to imagine ever needing more power or capacity.
This is how it went in some benchmark tests:
3DMark Sling Shot Extreme: 6,601 volcano (Without X mode. App crashes with active X mode)
Geekbench 5: 970 single core / 3340 multi core
These values exceed the ROG Phone 2, but are only slightly higher than the OnePlus 8 Pro. They are very similar to the Red Magic 5G, where the 3DMark test on the ROG Phone 3 was actually lower. However, this can be related to app problems as X mode is not active on the Asus phone.
The 6,000 mAh battery lasts two days, which seems somewhat disappointing given the total capacity. However, don't forget that it powers a lot of high-end hardware. According to Asus' own tests, 9.6 hours of Asphalt 9 Legends are played with a full charge compared to 5.7 hours with a OnePlus 8 Pro.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Asus has added a new PowerMaster app to extend the battery life. Interestingly, it has a slow charge mode, definable limits to make sure the battery doesn't stay 100% fit all night (not good for a long life, Asus says), and a choice of battery modes. Wired charging delivers 30 W of power, but there is no wireless charging.
If you take the phone apart, you'll find carefully placed WiFi antennas elsewhere to ensure the best possible portrait or landscape signal, four microphones positioned so that they won't be covered while playing in landscape mode, and 5G support. The cellular and WiFi reception was consistently excellent, and the call quality is also excellent. I don't have 5G reception in my region, so I couldn't test this aspect.
There are two main theme options on the ROG Phone 3: eye-catching, stylized themes and a classic theme so that the phone looks more like Android on a pixel. This is the same approach the company followed with the ROG Phone 2 and Asus Zenfone 6, and a very sensible decision. Both work identically, but the Classic theme undoubtedly makes the phone look more mature and may be a little faster for everyday use.
Apps are hidden in a drawer in both subject areas, while the notification shadow provides interactive notifications and there is a standard dark mode. Asus installs its own game app called Armory Crate, which stores all of your games together. You can define for each individual parameter, e.g. These include automatic activation of X mode, increasing the screen refresh rate and assigning macros. You can also change the system lighting here.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
I used swipe gesture controls that worked fine. Although there is an option that always appears on the screen, the notification options are limited, which reduces its usefulness.
Asus' software on the ROG Phone 3 was reliable and fast, and it's great to see the company continue the good work it started on the Zenfone 6. The built-in fingerprint sensor is fast and reliable and has a face unlock to secure it. I also had no problems with it.
Asus did not announce the final price in US dollars for the ROG Phone 3 at the time of writing, but only the price in euros. The 16 GB / 512 GB version tested here costs 1,099 euros and a 12 GB / 512 GB version costs 999 euros. The phone will be available in Europe from the end of July, but will start with the basic version "Strix", which offers a Snapdragon 865, 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for 799 euros.
The ROG Phone 3 will be available in North America before September. We expect the euro prices to be converted directly to US dollars, which means that the 16 GB / 512 GB model should cost around $ 1,099. Asus will officially confirm prices when the U.S. launch date is announced. The cheapest Strix model is not sold in the United States.
The ROG Phone 3 is unrivaled among gaming phones. This should tell you everything you need to know if it's for you. It's a special monster that offers all the power everyone needs for just about any task they want to do on a phone. If a game doesn't run well on the ROG Phone 3, it won't run well on a phone.
What if you are not a big mobile player? The ROG Phone 3 is one of the best multimedia phones available. The video is outstanding due to the excellent screen and speakers of the phone. However, you won't be able to take advantage of the many game-centered features and may miss a better camera.
If you want a direct gaming smartphone, no. If you're looking for an all-round phone, the OnePlus 8 Pro for $ 900 offers good credentials and a lot of performance, while the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus for $ 1,100 and the Oppo Find X2 Pro for $ 1,300 are flagship products that focus on the camera. Perhaps the best alternative to the ROG Phone 3 is the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max, not only because of the performance of the phone, but also because of the games available on the App Store.
Asus promises that Android 11 will be available for the ROG Phone 3 and will receive security updates for at least two years. However, no timeframe for the arrival of Android 11 has been set. The ROG Phone 3 is not waterproof. It is made of glass and is quite heavy, so it is advisable to buy one of the cool cases from Asus.
Aside from that, the massive specs keep the phone fresh to the touch in a few years, and Asus' efforts to help the battery perform better for longer should help add to the usefulness of the phone in recent years increase two years. If you want to hold onto your new phone, the ROG Phone 3 is a very safe purchase.
Yes. It is the mobile game champion who has the courage and the ability to make you a mobile game champion too.
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