06 Dec
Blog

Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro Review: Style Meets Substance

Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro.

Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro

RRP $ 170.00

"Soundcore's flagship earphones just got better, with ANC and Hi-Res audio."

advantages

  • Excellent sound quality

  • Good noise cancellation

  • Very good transparency

  • Very good call quality

  • Wireless charging

  • LDAC Hi-Res audio

disadvantage

  • A bit bulky

  • Somewhat awkward charging case

Ankers Soundcore audio brand has consistently wowed us with wireless headphones and true wireless earbuds that are impressive value for money. We thought Liberty 2 Pro was an excellent choice last year for $ 150 because it offers great and detailed sound quality. With its newest model, the $ 170 Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro, the brand is taking a giant leap forward with the addition of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), transparency mode, wear sensors, and high-resolution audio via Sony's LDAC Bluetooth codec – all features that the Liberty 2 Pro was missing. That's not bad for the $ 20 price tag. Do these additions make the Liberty 3 Pro a breeze for fans of high quality audio? Let's check them out.

Smaller and slimmer

Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro alongside Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro.Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro (left) and Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro. Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

As much as we enjoyed the sound of the Liberty 2 Pro, we didn't really love its shape or style. Our reviewer noted that they protruded quite a bit from his head and that “everyone around you is acutely aware of the buds; they are impossible to ignore. ”The Liberty 3 Pro are significantly slimmer. They're still hard to ignore, but this time around, it's in a good way. The highly polished exterior of our Fog Gray tester looks like jewelry rather than a plastic audio accessory.

Soundcore has replaced the tiny, difficult-to-use physical buttons on the Liberty 2 Pro with touch controls that also help keep the earbuds in place. Instead of squeezing it between your thumb and forefinger, you can just type.

The silicone ear wings or wingtips have also been improved. With the Liberty 2 Pro, I found it too soft to really offer additional security. But the 3 Pro's wingtips are sturdier and wedge deeper into the folds of my ears. Soundcore also offers an excellent selection of wingtips and earplugs – each in four sizes.

A case for better ergonomics

Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

One of the coolest features of the Liberty 2 Pro – the sliding lid of the wireless charging case – returns to the Liberty 3 Pro and is just as satisfying to use. The mechanism lets you slide the lid open and closed with one hand and I guarantee you will play with it like a fidget toy even when you don't need the earbuds.

What has unfortunately also returned is the awkward orientation of the earbuds inside the case. There's just no way you can pull it out and put it in your ear in one continuous motion – god knows I've tried. It's just as awkward to put back when you're done. Something about the alignment they need to be in when carrying them compared to the way they need to be placed in the bag goes against every instinct in your brain as to how it should work.

But what the case lacks in ergonomics it makes up for in style. Although it's bigger than many charging cases, its perfectly smooth, rounded contours sit comfortably in the hand, and when you slide the lid open, you'll be treated to a light show of the embedded LEDs – the Liberty 3 Pro looks like it's from an imaginary one Science fiction future.

Sublime sound

Man with Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

I had the opportunity to try several Soundcore products: The Life Q30 ANC headphones, Liberty 2 Pro, Liberty Air 2 Pro and Life P3. Each one far exceeded my expectations considering the other products that you can buy at similar prices. The Liberty 3 Pro are no exception and deliver beautiful, powerful sound that will suit whatever genre of music you want them to offer. Its dual driver architecture, which combines a dynamic driver for the low frequencies with a balanced armature driver for the mids and highs, works like a charm.

The bass response is excellent. The Liberty 2 Pro also offered powerful bass, but the 3 Pro makes this more controlled. If you listen to The Doors' Dolby Atmos Music version of Riders On The Storm, you can feel the deep roar of the bass line at the start of the track, but at no point does it interfere with the jingling notes of Ray Manzarek's Rhodes piano that seem to fly completely weightless through the air. In the very highest registers there is a slight tendency to hiss, but thanks to the huge number of EQ presets and manual adjustments of the Soundcore app, it is possible to switch this back down if it bothers you.

The HearID feature, which was designed to match the earbuds to your specific hearing profile, actually worked for me – a surprise as I haven't had much luck with digital enhancements like this in the past. Turning it on gave me a much needed boost in certain frequencies and I enjoyed the way it changed the sound. Your mileage may vary.

Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Soundcore contains a simulated 3D surround setting in its app. While this improves the feeling of space, it also undermines the sound and cannot compete with a real Dolby Atmos track.

The hardest part of the Liberty 3 Pro to judge is its hi-res wireless audio made possible by the inclusion of Sony's LDAC Bluetooth codec. In doing so, Soundcore chose to ditch the Liberty 2 Pro's aptX, but I think it's an acceptable compromise.

If you listen to a very high quality recording in a quiet room, you can notice an extra level of smoothness and depth.

By the way, if you want to use this function, it must first be activated in the Soundcore app, otherwise it will not be recognized by Android devices as LDAC-enabled headphones. It's also worth noting that iPhones don't support LDAC.

My experience with LDAC is that it can bring about improvements in audio quality. But the difference is incredibly subtle, even with very high quality headphones and when streaming 24-bit lossless tracks from a service like Amazon Music. This is the case with the Liberty 3 Pro. In a perfectly quiet room, while listening to a very high quality recording, you can notice an extra level of smoothness and depth – as if someone had carefully trimmed the sharp points, giving you a more natural sounding signature. Or, you may not even notice the difference.

Given that turning on LDAC significantly affects battery life (4.5 hours when turned on versus 8 hours when turned off) and prevents the Liberty 3 Pro from connecting to a second Bluetooth device (more on that later), maybe it's just not worth it to you

Not very calm

Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

ANC makes a good addition to any set of true wireless earbuds, but not all ANC systems are created equal. In the case of soundcore, it has yet to master the art of complete silence. I found the same situation with the Liberty 3 Pro as the company's Liberty Air 2 Pro: ANC definitely reduces external noise, but when you're not playing music you will hear a slight hiss. Is it a deal breaker? No, but if you're buying a set of ANC earbuds to silence the world so you can think or sleep, you should probably look into other options like the Bose QuietComfort earbuds, Jabra Elite 7 Pro, or the Technics EAH-AZ60.

Transparency mode, on the other hand, can be very effective, especially if you turn on the Singing Mode option, which is great for hearing voices, including your own.

Thanks to the HearID feature of the Soundcore app, there are some interesting tweaks to both settings, but I didn't find a huge difference.

Good call

Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro scope of delivery.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Liberty 3 Pro's multiple microphones do a really good job of recording your voice for calls. It's a full, natural, and resonant sound that – under optimal circumstances – is as good or better than what your phone's microphone can do.

That changes a bit when things get loud around you. Interestingly, your callers may never even hear these other sounds because the ambient noise cancellation is great. But since the software is working overtime to mask these noises, it also goes a little overboard and creates a noticeable warble in your voice. This compression can be extreme at times. Still, find a relatively quiet place and you should be able to hear your callers loud and clear without any problems.

Go the distance

Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The battery life of six hours on a single charge (24 hours with charging case) is more than sufficient if you leave ANC switched on. This jumps to 8/32 when switched off. Those are numbers that put the Liberty 3 Pro on par with some of the best ANC earbuds, and give them a healthy edge over the AirPods Pro.

If you run out of juice, a 15-minute quick charge in the case gives you three hours more time, which is great: Most competitors only get an additional hour on a 10-minute charge.

Extras

Soundcore doesn't skimp on bells and whistles. You can customize the touch controls with full freedom to select every function and gesture on both earbuds – even the volume that the Liberty 2 Pro lacked. There's a fit test to help you determine the correct size earbuds, and you can decide whether or not you want the wearing sensors to automatically pause your music when you remove an earbud.

Each earbud can be used independently for both calls and music, and as previously mentioned, you can pair the Liberty 3 Pro with two devices at the same time – a great convenience for people who and don't routinely have to switch between their computer and phone do want to dive into their settings every time.

After all, an IPX4 rating for water resistance means that you should withstand a very sweaty workout or a rainy run without any problems.

Our opinion

While the Liberty 3 Pro are still more powerful than many other true wireless earbuds, they are easy to recommend, with great sound quality, capable ANC, and tons of useful and practical features.

Is there a better alternative?

At $ 170, Soundcore has an interesting niche for that Liberty 3 Pro. If you spend a little more – let's say $ 200 – you can get that Jabra Elite 7 Prowhich, in this reviewer's opinion, are a perfect set of earbuds. They're smaller, more comfortable, and have better ANC performance, but I'm not sure they sound quite as dynamic as the Libertys. And ironically, they currently lack Bluetooth multipoint, a signature Jabra feature, while the Liberty 3 Pro does.

Spend a little less – let's say $ 150 – and you can get it Technology EAH-AZ40, with fantastic sound quality, but very few frills. There's no wireless charging, no ANC, and no advanced bluetooth codecs.

How long will they last?

Hard to say about true wireless earbuds, but the Liberty 3 Pro have a few things that should help with their longevity: A good starting battery life of 8 hours (this tends to decline as the earbuds age), 18 Months warranty and an IPX4 rating for water protection. If you care for them, they should last for many years.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. They are great value for money in a range of true wireless noise canceling earbuds.

Editor's recommendations



16 Oct
Blog

Eufy RoboVac X8 Review: Turbine Meets Unavoidable Collisions

The RoboVac X8 is docked to its charger.

Eufy RoboVac X8

RRP $ 599.00

"The Eufy RoboVac X8 brings a feature-rich companion app to the table, but the vacuum cleaner disappoints on some fundamental points."

advantages

  • Strong suction power

  • A solid companion app

  • Great battery life

disadvantage

  • Messy vacuuming and poor performance

  • Bad object avoidance

  • Bulky design

  • On the expensive side

When it comes to smart home appliances, robotic vacuums have managed to rise and dominate. It's not an unwanted invasion, however, as nothing beats an automatic cleaning assistant that floats around your house picking up dirt on a set schedule. The best robotic vacuums use advanced laser scanning technology to create blueprints of your home, maps that the vacuum cleaner references in its cleaning route, and maps that you can access in the vacuum cleaner's companion app. Other features like object avoidance and voice assistant control are also pretty standard these days.

There is no shortage of smart home brands offering "the best" vacuum robots on the market, which can make the buying process difficult. Eufy, a sub-label of parent company Anker, is a prolific manufacturer of some of today's leading smart tech – from cameras to health monitors. Eufy's brand new RoboVac X8 competes against the hordes of robotic vacuums and is hailed as one of the company's first vacuums. Is it worth the investment? We got our hands on a test device and can say a lot about it.

unpacking

the RoboVac X8 is packed with a handful of essentials to get you started. In the box you will find the X8 itself (with the side brush already attached), the charging station with power cord, an additional filter and an additional side brush as well as an instruction manual.

Unlike other robotic vacuum cleaners on the market, the X8 does not come with a dual-purpose charging station / dust collector. This means that you need to keep an eye on the vacuum cleaner's trash can so that you can manually empty it when it is full. To be honest, these towering canisters can be a real eyesore depending on the home decor you have to pair them with. So to me it wasn't a big deal that the X8 didn't come boxed with one.

The RoboVac X8 is docked to its charger.

The X8 itself is about 4 inches tall (including the top-mounted lidar scanner) by 13 inches in diameter. The vacuum cleaner's black body is a fairly low-key aesthetic that works well in most homes. The branding for the twin turbine function of the vacuum cleaner is located directly above the vacuum cleaner – a black label with a blue stripe on the left and a red one on the right.

The 600 milliliter dust box has a purple locking tab that you push down to pull out the tank. The washable filter is located directly in the dust box. To access it, just pull on either side of the tank and it will open in a clam-shell style. When you turn the vacuum cleaner you will find a central roller brush, two sturdy drum wheels, a forward facing surface adaptive wheel and a single side brush (detachable).

The bottom of the RoboVac X8.

The charging station doesn't take up much space – although you'll want to allocate enough space for the X8's docking process. Whenever I sent my test unit home to charge, the nipple needed a lot of space to comfortably dance around before docking (like the dog who has to turn a few times before landing in the dog bed).

Put up

Once your X8 is ready to use, the first thing you should do is download the EufyHome app (for iOS and Android devices). As soon as you start the app, EufyHome requests access to your device's bluetooth in order to be able to recognize your vacuum cleaner. After a few seconds, your X8 should appear in the list of available devices. Select it, enter your applicable Wi-Fi information (the X8 only works on 2.4 GHz network bands) and wait for the vacuum cleaner to connect to your network.

Note that you will need to set aside at least an hour or so for the X8 to have enough charge to function. My test device only registered my WiFi after it was docked for a while. Once everything is live, the app will prompt you to send your vacuum cleaner for the first cleaning. During this first pass, the lidar (light detection and distance measurement) and other image mapping functions are actively operated and create a cleaning map of your house that you and the vacuum cleaner can access.

power

The RoboVac X8 is equipped with several cleaning functions. First and foremost is the much-advertised twin turbine technology. Each turbine brings 2,000 Pa of suction into the equation, creating a vacuum experience that is twice as powerful as many competing bots. The ultra-pack dust compression feature is a solid consideration for a vacuum cleaner without an automatically empty canister / charging station. Essentially, all of the dirt the X8 draws in is heavily pressurized, reducing tank volume by up to 127%. Combined with intelligent lidar mapping and nearly three hours on a single charge, this should result in an incredible cleaning experience … right?

Not exactly. The RoboVac X8 lived at my house for several weeks. With the many rounds of cleaning I went through, I found the overall performance to be pretty average – in some cases below average. Let's start with the top slice of bread in the compliment sandwich.

Whenever the sweeper came across the oat, it whipped it into cracks and crevices that the vacuum cleaner would never navigate to.

The twin turbine technology brings the vacuum cleaner to impressive levels. When crossing the carpet, the X8 penetrated deep into the fibers, pulling up dirt, hair and other debris that was not visible on the surface. With BoostIQ activated, the vacuum cleaner also did an excellent job of automatically adjusting the suction power when switching from carpeted floors to tile and hardwood surfaces. When set to Pure (the default setting for soft suction), the vacuum cleaner is quite quiet, although the volume increases quickly when you switch to the next suction level. More on this below.

Collision avoidance

Now, let's get to the meat of the sandwich, where I'll complain. I've tested (and owned a couple of models) a few other vacs that had pretty lackluster object avoidance. This, combined with severe collisions with the inevitable obstacles, made for a nerve-wracking experience when I let go of the suction cups. Unfortunately, I found the Eufy no different. On the one hand, the X8 did a fine job of not slamming into furniture when bumped into a chair or ottoman, but there never seemed to be any active effort on the part of the vacuum cleaner to actually avoid the obstruction. Several times I had to jump in to save the vacuum cleaner from under a chair or between two items, which requires you to manually continue the cleaning cycle each time.

The RoboVac X8 cleans oats.

Also, the side sweeping brush turned out to be a nightmare when I put test oatmeal on the laminate surface of my kitchen. Whenever the sweeper came across the oat, it whipped it into cracks and crevices that the vacuum cleaner would never navigate to. I had to pull out my cordless handheld vacuum to clean up this clutter later. There have also been a few instances where the X8 would simply stop and not pair with the home map it created. It would come back online after a few moments of buffering, but it was strange walking by and watching it stumble.

Out of the lawsuit and into the bottom slice of bread. My X8 was fully charged and never needed to be charged during a complete cleaning of my home. It would cover the entire floor plan in under an hour (1,300 square feet) with minimal human babysitting required during operation.

software

The EufyHome app is your point of contact for all X8 settings and adjustments. Once the vacuum cleaner's lidar sensors are working, a detailed map of your home will be available for viewing on the home screen. From here you can track the progress and battery life of your vacuum cleaner while it cleans the house, labels rooms, sends the vacuum cleaner to clean specific areas and regulates the suction power.

If you want the X8 to move away from certain areas of the house, tap Edit Map and set one or more restricted areas that you want the vacuum cleaner to avoid.

App screens from the EufyHome app.

When vacuuming, you have the option of switching between four different presets (Pure, Power, Turbo and Max), with Pure (the softest setting) being the default setting. You can also turn BoostIQ on and off. This is the X8's ability to automatically adjust suction based on the surface it is vacuuming over.

Several useful functions are housed in an almost invisible separate settings menu. To access it, you need to tap the gear icon in the top right corner of the home screen. Here you'll find options to create vacuum schedules, a cleaning history report, and card management tools. In my opinion, the scheduling feature should be a quick tip button on the main screen of the app.

The scheduling function should be a quick tip button on the main screen of the app.

Visually, I wasn't the biggest fan of the super dark overlay that dominates the main map screen, either. It may sound fussy, but considering the other submenus on the EufyHome app are bright white, the X8's black background made navigating to certain functions a bit difficult – at least for me.

Price and guarantee

You will find the Eufy RoboVac X8 on sale for $ 599 via the Eufy website. Similar to other Eufy products, the X8 comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a one-year limited warranty.

Alternatively, there is also the Eufy RoboVac X8 Hybridwhich is linked to the function of a wiper. For the added $ 50 cost, it certainly seems like some added value given its 2-in-1 vacuum and mopping capabilities.

Our opinion

I cannot actively sing the praises of the RoboVac X8. Yes, it has a great app and the promise of powerful and smart cleaning technologies to keep your home pristine. In my personal experience, the X8 has often done more of my work for me and required multiple rescues and resets, with a handful of glitches thrown in every now and then.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes, several. From Roomba's entire range to affordable vacuum cleaners from Roborock and Neato, there are plenty of robotic vacuum cleaners that can clean your house without so many hiccups. In the price range, I think of the iRobot Roomba i3 Plus with its self-emptying dock and efficient cleaning as well as the Roborock S7 with its acoustic wiping function.

How long it will take?

I suspect the Eufy RoboVac X8 will last for several years. The outer shell is well protected, the app seems to stay updated successfully, and with the option to replace the main brush head and side brushes, there seems to be a lot of support from Eufy. It comes with a one-year limited warranty that protects it from defects from the date of purchase.

Should you buy it?

It's by no means a total dud, but your money is better off elsewhere.

Editor's recommendations



18 Sep
Blog

MSI Creator Z16 Review: Gamer Meets Creator

The MSI Creator Z16 open on a coffee table.

MSI Creator Z16 Laptop Review: Gamer Meets Creator

RRP $ 2,727.00

"The MSI Creator Z16 has its charms, but it can't quite beat its competitors when it matters."

advantages

  • High refresh rate screen

  • Excellent content creation performance

  • Clicky, comfortable keyboard

  • Thin, slim case

  • Not a bad slot machine

disadvantage

  • Small, thin touchpad

  • Very expensive

  • Mediocre battery life

Everyone wants to try the MacBook Pro. The Creator Z16 is MSI's attempt to take on the 16-inch model, and on paper it looks like a viable alternative.

It has the same high-resolution 16:10 screen and ultra-thin body. It's even priced similarly sky-high, with a launch configuration costing $ 2,549.

But the MSI Creator Z16 has to do whatever it takes to distract buyers from the MacBook Pro or even Windows competitors like the Dell XPS 17, Asus Vivobook Pro X16, or a host of others. The Creator Z16 has a unique set of features, but its appeal is likely to be limited to those with a unique interest in PC gaming and content creation.

draft

The closed lid of the MSI Creator Z16.

The MSI Creator Z16 is a strange bird. The inspiration from the MacBook Pro is of course in the foreground, be it the color "Space Gray", the rounded corners or even the 16-inch 16:10 display. But many of these features have become standard in a technology world that closely follows Apple's example.

What distinguishes the Creator Z16? Well, MSI is primarily known as a gaming company, and it shows. Despite its supposed target audience for the Creator Z16, MSI was unable to completely shake off these PC gaming trappings.

The most obvious element is the keyboard's RGB backlight, powered by SteelSeries. The per-key RGB backlight is an exclusive effect on gaming laptops and peripherals, and it's daunting to see it here. Sure, it isn't hard to turn it into static color, but it's weird to pay extra for something that most non-gamers don't want.

The other holdover from his gaming roots are the vents. I can appreciate good airflow in a system, but the Creator Z16's extra vents force other elements of the laptop into awkward places. The extensive row of vents above the keyboard pushes the touchpad down to be squat. Meanwhile, the ventilation openings on the side walls also push the ports further down in the device. That's not an inconvenience, but it makes for a cumbersome looking setup. Again, it's a common thing to see in a gaming laptop – just not a content creator laptop.

The MSI Creator Z16 opens in front of a window.

There are no doubt some who appreciate the light gaming influences of the Creator Z16. There are even advantages in terms of performance and display. But from an aesthetic point of view, MSI still needs to clean up a bit before the Creator Z16 is competitive.

However, MSI has managed to make the Creator Z16 impressively thin. It's only 0.64 inches thick, which is almost exactly the same as the 16-inch MacBook Pro. That makes it thinner than options like the Dell XPS 15 and ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4. It's also a bit heavier than all of those laptops at 5.07 pounds. There's enough extra weight to easily tell the difference when you're carrying it in a bag or just moving from room to room.

The side and top bezels are quite small, but the laptop has a sizeable lower chin, especially when compared to the Dell XPS 15. It's not all that extraordinary, but it certainly isn't the most cutting-edge laptop either.

advertisement

A close-up of the MSI Creator Z16's display.

The MSI Creator Z16 offers a 16-inch screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1600. This is a 16:10 format that corresponds exactly to the size and shape of the MacBook Pro 16-inch. This is no coincidence either.

However, the resolution is missing a bit. While the screen looks sharp enough for casual work for this screen size, you'll find that many of the Creator Z16's competitors use a higher resolution. The 16-inch MacBook Pro has a resolution of 3072 x 1920, while many Windows competitors offer a higher-resolution 4K display.

However, the MSI Creator Z16 has a few key features that give it the upper hand over the 16-inch MacBook Pro and a number of other laptops. First, it has a refresh rate of 120Hz. Yes, that's another holdover from MSI's gaming roots – and it helps give the Creator Z16 a more legitimate PC gaming experience.

But smoother animation is a boon for everything else you do as well. Whether it's moving the cursor or scrolling a web page, everything is improved with a higher refresh rate. We'll see this more in the future, especially with OLED panels, but so far it remains one of a kind that gives the Creator Z16 an interesting edge.

The second notable feature of this display is its touch capability. While it's pretty common in Windows laptops like the Dell XPS 15, the MacBook Pro 16-inch lacks it. I don't expect developers will rely on the touchscreen too much, but it's a nice addition for casual use.

In terms of image quality, the MSI Creator Z16 has a few different color modes that you can take advantage of. Content creators will be drawn to Display P3 mode. This produces the best color saturation and accuracy, which was impressive. With 100% sRGB, 91% AdobeRGB, and 93% P3, it's just as colorful as the MacBook Pro. The Delta-E of just 0.76 is a fantastically low average color error. All of this makes for the kind of display that professional color graders and photo editors will love.

The brightness and the contrast didn't tear me out of the water. The screen achieved 385 cd / m² and had a contrast ratio of 800: 1 at 100% brightness. OLED laptops such as the Samsung panels of the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X or Dell XPS 15 shine here.

Keyboard and touchpad

The keyboard and touchpad are mixed in the MSI Creator Z16. On the one hand, the keyboard offers a comfortable typing experience with large keycaps, clicking keys and a fairly standard layout. The full-size arrow keys are nice but can take a bit of getting used to.

A small curiosity in the layout is the lack of a function key on the left. Instead, MSI has opted for an enlarged control button. You still have a function key on the right side of the layout, but only as a half key shared with a second control key.

Keyboard and touchpad of the MSI Creator Z16.

As I mentioned in the design section, the keyboard has RGB backlighting per key, although the SteelSeries software isn't the most useful. For what it's worth, the indicator light on the Caps button on my test device didn't come on when I turned it on.

The touchpad is where my bigger problems are. It's both too small and poorly implemented. Due to the placement of the keyboard (see the Design section above for more information), the touchpad has been squeezed into a squat shape. This is one of the smaller touchpads you'd find on a laptop designed with the creative in mind. Most of the designs follow the MacBook Pro in that they feature an enlarged touchpad that leaves plenty of room.

However, the click of the touchpad is the most frustrating part. While tracking and gestures are fluid on the glass surface, the click mechanism is not well executed. It squeezes when you apply pressure and then requires a second squeeze to register a click, and I found the mechanism too loud and stiff. Although I got used to the faulty touchpad over weeks, going back to a MacBook Pro or XPS laptop felt heavenly.

If this were a gaming laptop, the importance of the touchpad is diminished. This is disappointing on a device where the touchpad is expected to be the primary input.

Ports

The side connections of the MSI Creator Z16.

The MSI Creator Z16 has a fairly limited number of ports. On the left you will find a USB-A 3.2 Gen2 port, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, a headphone jack and an AC power adapter. On the right side you have access to another USB-A, USB-C and a micro SD card slot.

This is disappointing in several ways. There are two different approaches that competing laptops take. Laptops like the MacBook Pro 16-inch stick with only four Thunderbolt 4 ports, which provide the device with a lot of power, make a separate power supply unit superfluous and simplify set-up. The other option is to throw in the entire kitchen sink, including HDMI, USB-A, and SD card slots. The MSI Creator Z16 is somewhere in between. It doesn't include HDMI, requires an A / C adapter to provide full power to the device, and only has a micro SD card slot instead of a full size.

This will be an inconvenience for creatives who mainly work outside of the camera and are forced to use adapters and dongles when uploading raw content.

power

The MSI Creator Z16 has packed some powerful components in its thin case. MSI doesn't sell cheap configurations of the Creator Z16, which is not a bad thing. It's a high-end device for a professional audience. The starting configuration for $ 2,549 still gives you an Intel Core i7-11800H, an RTX 3060 (with up to 65 watts of graphics), 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD storage. This basic configuration even comes with the same 1440p 120Hz screen.

My test unit was a slightly revamped model that increased the storage to 32GB and storage to 1TB, bringing the price up to $ 2,727 (you can buy it on Amazon starting at $ 2,599). If you want to spend more than three grand, you get it with an additional terabyte of memory and a higher clocked Core i9 processor.

What you get with the Creator Z16 is a very powerful (and expensive) laptop regardless of the exact configuration. In most benchmarks, it is in the same range as the XPS 15 and 17 and the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4.

Cinebench R23 (single / multiple) Handbrake (seconds) PCMark 10 Pugetbench Premiere Pro
MSI Creator Z16 (Core i7-11800H) 1444/9615 102 6486 738
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 (Core i7-11800H) 1519/10497 106 6251 432
Dell XPS 15 (Core i7-11800H) 1513/9979 103 6024 509
Dell XPS 17 (Core i7-11800H) 1525/10145 109 6209 692
Asus Vivobook Pro 16X (Ryzen 9 5900HX) 1486/11478 90 6486 6287

The video editing was an outstanding benchmark for the MSI Creator Z16 in my tests. In Pugetbench Premiere Pro, which tests everything from applying effects to exporting timelines, the Creator Z16 took home the prize for the high score, backed up by an incredible score on the video playback. Yes, that means it even beat the Dell XPS 17.

What's the secret? Well, I mentioned earlier the numerous vents in the case that could allow the system to push the components harder without overheating. The processor was able to sustain around 4.5 GHz throughout PCMark 10, with occasional bursts above 5.0 GHz. The internal temperatures never rose above 95 degrees Celsius during the test. That's hot, but it's pretty much what you see in similar systems.

The fans can get really loud. If you dare to change the fan settings to "Performance" you will see what I mean. That'll get you even higher scores than I listed above, but the fan speed is pretty unbearable. In the meantime, the Creator Z16 does an excellent job of keeping surface temperatures down while you don't do anything intense. Thanks again to the thermal, which includes three fans and five heat pipes.

The MSI Creator Z16 with Fortnite plays on the screen.

When playing games or video editing, the surface around the WASD keys can of course get quite hot.

The MSI Creator Z16 is also a good choice for someone who wants to do PC gaming on the side. The RTX 3060 is a powerful graphics card, and the 120 Hz refresh rate allows these higher frame rates to be used.

3DMark time spy Battlefield V Assassin's Creed Valhalla Civilization VI Fourteen days
MSI Creator Z16 (RTX 3060) 6322 102 fps 50 fps 92 fps 56 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 (RTX 3060) 6691 106 fps 48 fps n / A 85 fps
Dell XPS 15 (RTX 3050 Ti) 4540 103 fps n / A 73 fps 50 fps
Dell XPS 17 (RTX 3060) 7039 109 fps n / A 104 fps 78 fps
Asus Vivobook Pro 16X (RTX 3050 Ti) 4601 90 fps n / A 68 fps 57 fps

The games listed above were tested at 1080p (or 1920 x 1200 for 16:10 laptops) at maximum graphics settings. The XPS 17 remains the fastest in the group for most games, aside from the great Fortnite performance of the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4. There are dozen of factors that affect a game's frame rate on a laptop, and the Creator Z16 resides in the middle and swaps hits with other laptops in this category. Thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate, you'll likely prefer to play in 1920 x 1200, which offers a much smoother gaming experience.

The fact that it can even handle difficult games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla at 50 frames per second (fps) is impressive.

Battery life

Inside the MSI Creator Z16 is a 90 watt hour battery. That sounds great, but it wasn't enough to make this laptop a battery life champion. Among other laptops in this category, all of which have high-resolution screens and RTX graphics cards, the Creator Z16 is one of the worst in terms of battery life.

The Creator Z16 can last up to over eight hours just watching a local video. With light surfing on the Internet, it is five hours and 20 minutes. In my actual workload, which consists of more multitasking and web applications, that drops to less than five hours. The ThinkPad X1 Extreme gets you two extra hours, while a Ryzen-based laptop like the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X gets an astonishing 16 hours on the same test.

Part of the problem with the Creator Z16 could be the higher refresh rate screen, which you can switch down to 60Hz for a little more juice.

Cameras and sensors

The keyboard deck of the MSI Creator Z16.

The MSI Creator Z16 has the standard set of cameras and sensors. A 720p webcam is located above the display. These kinds of bad cameras are typical of laptops – and have been for years. You can occasionally find a 1080p webcam in 2021 laptops like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 or even MSI's own GE76 Raider gaming laptop.

Unfortunately, the Creator Z16 sticks to 720p and the results aren't impressive. In bright light, your video calls will appear faded to match your skin tone. There are strong artifacts and strange colors in lower lighting. It's not ideal if your daily work involves a lot of video calls. On the other hand, a laptop like the Dell XPS 15 isn't going to do you any better.

MSI also includes an IR camera for Windows Hello facial authentication. You can also log on to Windows using the fingerprint reader, which is located directly below the arrow keys. The placement is a little strange, but fingerprints are registered well.

Our opinion

The MSI Creator Z16 is the right laptop for a very specific person. If you're looking for a laptop for content creation but don't want to miss out on the PC gaming experience, the MSI Creator Z16 manages that balance better than most. The 120 Hz screen and the excellent performance make it shine in both worlds.

But with its lower resolution display, mediocre battery life, defective touchpad, and high price, its flaws are a few too many.

Are there alternatives?

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme, now in its fourth generation, is a great alternative with better configuration options (up to an RTX 3080 and Core i9) and a cheaper price.

The Dell XPS 15 and 17 are also good competitors. The XPS 15 isn't quite as powerful, but it has a design that I prefer and options for a 4K OLED screen.

I wouldn't recommend buying the current Intel-powered MacBook Pro 16-inch, but the rumored update to the M1X MacBook Pro is waiting in the wings and looks pretty impressive.

How long it will take?

The MSI Creator Z16 is an expensive laptop, so you should expect a lifespan of at least four or five years. The performance and components are all high end and should keep you productive for many years. The solid build quality should meanwhile hold up well.

MSI offers one year of accidental damage protection with a limit of one damage per laptop. If you want an extended warranty, you have to rely on what online retailers have to offer.

Should you buy it?

For most people, the answer is no. There are laptops out there that are better at focusing on content creation. The exception is for someone who wants a 120Hz screen without sacrificing content creation performance.

Editor's recommendations



26 Aug
Blog

Google Nest Doorbell Review: When Beauty Meets Intelligence

Google Nest Doorbell (battery) on the outside of the door.

Google Nest doorbell (battery)

RRP $ 180.00

"The Google Nest Doorbell (battery) is intelligent and elegantly designed and offers the complete package."

advantages

  • Beautiful minimalist design

  • Smart alerts

  • Doesn't require a subscription to video history

  • Useful quick answers

disadvantage

  • Fine video details are on the soft side

  • Inconsistent capture rates

It's been a long time since I last checked a video doorbell – six years to be precise. Since that 2015 review of the Ring Video Doorbell, we've seen countless video doorbells spanning the full spectrum with premium features like radar technology and intelligent detection. While I've never seen Nest Hello, it's one of the most popular video doorbells around – and gives Ring competition in the field.

Three years after its publication, we finally have a real successor with the Google Nest Doorbell, which is mainly characterized by the fact that it is battery-operated – in contrast to its predecessor. There's a lot more to like about this one, but with Google in charge this time around it will be interesting to see how its experience differs from its predecessor and if it improves on the competition.

Setup and installation

It's obvious that simplicity is at the heart of the Google Nest Doorbell. While you have the option of wiring it to your existing doorbell port, which takes a few steps and may require a professional if you're unsure of how to do it yourself, setting it up as a wireless, battery-powered doorbell is a breeze. All you have to do is screw the mounting plate to a surface, then slide the doorbell into position – it's that simple.

Google Nest Doorbell (battery) components located on the floor.John Velasco / Digital Trends

I attached the mounting plate to a wooden panel on the outside of my front door, which is a bit easier than installing it on a brick surface, for example. If you are concerned about it being stolen, know that it will take quite a bit of force to get it out of position. I tried to pull it out with my own hands and it didn't move. To remove it when it needs to be charged, you will need to use the unlocking tool that came with it. The only problem here is that I can absolutely imagine losing the release tool, so you should keep it in a safe place.

Note that you won't be using the original Nest app to complete setup. Instead, everything is done through the Google Home app. After scanning a QR code and going through a few menus, the Google Nest Doorbell was up and running in less than 10 minutes.

draft

If you liked the original Nest Hello design, you'll be amazed what Google did with the new design. The Nest Doorbell is made from 46% recycled plastic and has a minimalist design that looks absolutely beautiful. Don't be fooled by the plastic, because the matte surface ensures that it stays clean and smudge-proof.

Bottom view of the Google Nest Doorbell (battery) on the outside of the door.John Velasco / Digital Trends

Best of all, it doesn't have the purposeful design of other doorbells. The Nest Doorbell is simply one of Google's best designs of all time – and that says a lot!

camera

Google has proven that specifications shouldn't have that much weight in the overall system. For example, just look at the Pixel 4a and 5a, two smartphones that do a lot but don't have big specs. Yes, there's no denying that the Nest Doorbell's specs don't come close to the original Nest Hello, but it doesn't have to be because it's smarter.

The Nest Doorbell is one of Google's best designs of all time.

Let's get the specs out of the way. There is a 1.3 megapixel – inch sensor with a diagonal field of view of 145 degrees that records video with a resolution of 960 x 1280 pixels. It's an odd aspect ratio for sure, but the Nest Doorbell's camera can see the floor below it about a few feet away. This is important because it can recognize when parcels are being dropped off right on the doorstep.

In terms of performance, the Nest Doorbell delivers decent-looking clips that use HDR video to compensate for the exposure of the scene. Highlights are dimmed while shadows are increased to bring out details that would otherwise be lost. There are some artifact elements that showed up the first time you accessed a livestream, but they quickly disappeared after 10 seconds.

Fine details are on the softer side, but I can still see most of the things in the landscape. Oddly enough, the recording rate varies widely from a choppy 9.11 frames per second (fps) all the way up to 31.77 fps. In one case it recorded at 9 fps when it was sunny and clear outside – so who knows why this is happening. Fortunately, night vision is sharp and clear.

characteristics

Doorbells have two main purposes: to keep an eye on who / what is on the doorstep and to keep an eye on what is happening. In my experience so far, the Nest Doorbell excels in both. It was almost perfect at recognizing people, packages and movement and sending notifications on my smartphone. Small details like the LED ring around the doorbell, which lights up when someone approaches, shows how intelligently they perceive their surroundings.

If you're a die-hard Google Assistant user, you'll love how much they're involved with the Google ecosystem. For example, when someone rings the doorbell, not only do I get a notification on my phone, but I also see a live stream on my Google Nest Hub Max smart display showing me who is there.

There are also the Quick Responses to choose from, which come in handy when I'm in a meeting or otherwise busy and can't open the door. While there are only three to choose from at the moment, I appreciate the usefulness of this feature. And when you end up answering a ringtone, the internal microphone ensures that voices can be heard, while the internal speaker emits enough volume and clarity for people to hear my voice.

Google Nest Doorbell (battery) on the outside of the door.John Velasco / Digital Trends

Another major selling point about the Nest Doorbell is that it comes with three hours of free event video. This is noteworthy because normally you would have to subscribe to a service to receive any type of video storage – so there is great immediate value to this offering. Subscribing to Nest Aware extends your video history to 30 days and offers additional security features such as access to emergency services.

battery

Initially, I had the Google Nest Doorbell set to detect any movement, which can obviously drain the battery faster. However, I disabled it and just set it to monitor people and packages. After almost a week of use, the battery life remains constant at 70%. If you're doing the math, it has to be recharged sometime long before the month is up. Changing the detection settings will hopefully produce better results in the coming weeks.

Our opinion

With a sticker price of $ 180, the Google Nest Doorbell (battery) competes in a crowded room. No, it's not the most feature-rich or spec-rich video doorbell, but it works just fine as a smart doorbell. Google designed a beautiful doorbell with the intelligence to keep me updated on what's happening at the front door.

Is there a better alternative?

Alexa users will want to look elsewhere as the Google Nest Doorbell is only compatible with the Google Assistant ecosystem. The Ring Video Doorbell (2nd generation) is an excellent solution for Alexa users and undercuts the Nest Doorbell in the price department.

For those looking for a more advanced video doorbell, the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 with radar technology with 3D motion detection technology can show you where someone is on your property.

How long it will take?

The Google Nest Doorbell (battery) has a sturdy construction that feels like it can withstand the elements. Its IP54 rating ensures it can withstand extreme temperatures from -4 degrees Fahrenheit to 104 F. There's a one-year limited warranty that's included to cover any defects.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. It combines beauty and practicality in one package, giving you the peace of mind that it will work whether you are there or not.

Editor's recommendations



12 Mar
Blog

Roborock H6 Adapt Review: Clean Air Meets Clean Home

Customize roborock h6 rating

Roborock H6 cordless vacuum cleaner

"The unbelievable suction power of the Roborock H6 Adapt soaks everything up and at the same time keeps the air clean."

  • Light, with strong suction

  • Quiet, except in the highest suction mode

  • Five-stage air filtration to improve air quality

  • Numerous accessories make cleaning easier everywhere

  • Shorter battery life in high-performance mode

  • It takes four hours to fully charge

Robotic vacuums offer a consistent level of clean and unmatched convenience, but there are certain tasks they just can't do – cleaning the stairs, for example. Robotic vacuums are also not particularly suitable for on-site cleaning.

When a robotic vacuum cleaner is struggling, a cordless stick vacuum cleaner can do the job. Thanks to a number of vacuum cleaners that have appeared on the market in recent years, users have a wide range of choices. Now Roborock has added another option with the H6 Adapt, a Red Dot 2020 winner for its design.

The Roborock H6 Adapt combines five-step air purification with powerful cleaning and a lightweight design to provide a product that is not only easy to use, but can also improve air quality while keeping the house clean.

Small, light and powerful

The Roborock H6 Adapt is possibly the lightest stick vacuum cleaner I've ever used. The main body is only three pounds and the attachments barely weigh anything. It easily clears up dirt and doubles as a duster to keep the tops of the closet clean or to suck cobwebs out of the corners.

Since no stand is required, the H6 Adapt is the perfect vacuum for small spaces. You can just plug it in for charging, although it includes a wall mount that can charge the vacuum while doubling as an accessory rack. This is also a necessary addition as the H6 Adapt comes with a number of different accessories.

The main accessory is the baton, a 30-inch extension that fits any other accessory. The Adjust H6 There's also a larger carpet brush for vacuuming the floor, a motorized mini brush that's perfect for stairs, and a dust brush.

It also comes with a splitting tool for vacuuming tight corners and a flexible tube for accessing hard-to-reach areas. With all of these accessories, the H6 Adapt can clean a wide variety of different areas. You can use it to vacuum at the kitchen table, vacuum up flour in the kitchen and tidy up the car after a long drive.

Max Mode feels like it's vacuuming the paint off a car.

The battery is rated for up to 90 minutes of continuous suction power, although this will vary in actual use. The type of accessory and the cleaning mode you choose can have a significant impact, especially if you choose Max mode. This mode increases the suction power to the maximum possible level, but shortens the battery life considerably. That said, when you need to thoroughly clean an area, Max Mode feels like he's vacuuming the paint off a car.

Powerful suction meets air purification

Many people find stick vacuums less hygienic, and this is sometimes the case. In many vacuum cleaners, dirt particles can escape from the container, resulting in poorer air quality than at the beginning. This is not the case with the Roborock H6 Adapt.

As someone who is very allergic to cats but still owns one, the furniture in my house is vacuumed regularly. A couch is less relaxing when you sit on it and break out into beehives. Some vacuum cleaners only cause an allergic reaction by vacuuming cat hair, but the H6 Adapt does not.

I sneezed less, especially when using the higher power modes.

It holds the hair in its dust container and can remove up to 99.99% of all allergens less than 3 microns in size when cleaned. Roborock lists cat dander, along with dust mites, mold, pollen, dog dander, and other pollutants, as one of the particles it removes.

While I'm usually skeptical of air purification claims until they can be proven, the H6 Adapt has shown how effective it is. I've sneezed less, especially when I've used the more powerful modes for cleaning cat hair from furniture.

An LED display provides all the information you need

The H6 Adapt has an LED display on the handle that gives you information at a glance. Three main points are displayed: whether the vacuum is locked or unlocked, the remaining battery life and the current suction mode.

Knowing how much battery life is left is fantastic. It is shown as both a percentage and a specific time. You can see up to the second how much longer the battery lasts before you have to stop and recharge. This amount varies greatly depending on the mode. With a remaining battery life of 49%, the Eco mode (the lowest suction mode) offers a lifetime of just over 41 minutes, while the standard suction mode offers just over 21 minutes and the maximum suction mode only offers a lifetime of just over 21 minutes five minutes.

There is a button at the end of the handle that allows you to switch between suction modes as needed, as well as a button on the side that locks the vacuum. That way you can let go of the trigger and it will keep working. Goodbye, aching fingers!

After a minute of inactivity, the screen will automatically turn off to save battery life. It takes approximately four hours to fully charge the battery after you wear it out. So if you have a large house and want to vacuum the entire area, it is a good idea to get a spare battery.

Simple dirt disposal

All stick vacuums work roughly the same way, with a release latch to open and empty the dust bin. Too often this latch is at the bottom of the dust bin – in other words, when you open it, dust and grime shower on your hand.

The Roborock H6 Adapt provides a simple solution for this. There is a switch just below the trigger that opens the dust container. Hold the vacuum over the trash can and press the switch to toss the contents of the trash can into the trash can. The top of the vacuum opens to allow access to the filter in case it ever needs to be replaced. The entire vacuum has a modular structure so that parts can be exchanged without any problems.

Our opinion

The Roborock H6 Adapt is a great option that allows for thorough cleaning while addressing household air quality issues. Its light weight makes it a great solution for those who may not be able to lift heavy weights. The $ 450 price tag is steep, but the H6 Adapt is cheaper than some of its competitors like the Samsung Jet 90 ($ 649) or the $ 600 Dyson V11.

How long it will take?

The Roborock H6 Adapt is made of hard plastic. This durable material makes it lighter than the competition, but that doesn't mean it's weak. The vacuum feels strong, so I expect it to last for years, especially with proper maintenance. Should something go wrong, Roborock offers a one-year guarantee from the date of purchase.

Is there a better alternative?

If you're looking for a comparable suction device at a cheaper price, consider the Tineco Pure ONE S11 for $ 300. A few bells and whistles are missing, but the job is done for less. On the other hand, the Dyson V11 Torque Drive is top notch when it comes to raw cleaning power. While you are paying more, your carpets are clean.

Should you buy it?

Yes. Air filtration improves the quality of the air in your home by ensuring that dirt and allergens stay tightly trapped in the vacuum.

Editor's recommendations




15 Oct
Blog

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential Review: Tech meets nostalgia

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential Rating 2 out of 9

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential

"The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential will wake you up, but it's a snoozer that knows what else is out there."

  • Compact design

  • Shows the time clearly

  • Affordable price

  • USB port for charging devices

  • No way to set an alarm through the Google Home app

  • A firm tip is required to snooze

  • Not good for music playback

More than any other company besides Google itself, Lenovo has designed Smart Assistant devices with the Google Assistant. From smart displays to hybrid tablets, Lenovo has one of the more robust portfolios. While this isn't the first time the company has delved into the world of alarm clocks, the latest addition is the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential, giving consumers even more choices about what to impress these prime properties about their beds. The sticker price of $ 50 seems like a home run, but it needs to stand out from others to make a better buy than the competition.

Bring back alarm clock

Today's smart home devices can be overwhelming at times, especially as Google's smart home ecosystem continues to evolve. What is evident here is Lenovo's intention to simplify the design of its smart alarm clock. Unlike its earlier efforts, this one doesn't have a touchscreen, but rather the LED design of traditional alarm clocks. With that in mind, the Smart Clock Essential has a bit of nostalgia.

The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential takes up roughly the same space as the Google Nest Mini and is a suitable addition to any bedside table. Thanks to the large LEDs on the front, I can quickly see the time – and without straining my eyes if I suddenly wake up in the middle of the night. It's also great that the temperature and weather conditions are shown through icons. Around the top lip of the device are physical controls for volume and pause / play, as well as a button for manually setting alarms. If you're like me and have a charger nearby for your smartphone, you'll appreciate the fact that there is a full-size USB stick just for that purpose.

One could argue that its design is nothing more than a shrunken version of its sibling, the Smart Alarm Clock, but the Essential's use of LEDs instead of a touchscreen display makes it less distracting. It's simple, looks clean, and saves space.

All Google Assistant smarts

Interaction with Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is done through voice actions and commands through the Google Assistant. In this regard, it works like any other smart speaker or display. Compared to the Google Nest Mini, the Essential is definitely a better option when you consider the visual element it provides for showing the time, day of the week, temperature, and weather conditions. It's just more convenient than asking the Google Assistant for all of these details, for example.

The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is a suitable addition to any bedside table.

There are two ways to set an alarm: you can tell the Google Assistant to set an alarm, or you can set an alarm manually in Essential. At a time when voice actions are faster, this method may seem archaic, but those who grew up with a real alarm clock will appreciate that bit of nostalgia. On a more modern note, I find it convenient that I can just respond with "stop" to turn off the alarm when it goes off.

But what if you need a little extra time to wake up? Then you can just say, "Hey Google, sleep for six minutes." You can also turn off an alarm by pressing any of the physical buttons other than the alarm button. You can also tap the top of the Essential to turn it off.

I really would have liked more controls in the Google Home app, such as the ability to set alarms. On the one hand, I understand that voice commands have become the preferred method for setting alarms, but it wouldn't hurt to give users the option to set one through the Google Home app.

Some minor quirks

Don't expect the sound quality to blow your mind, which is to be expected given the size. It is what you hear about the Google Nest Mini. For responses from the Google Assistant, the 3-watt speaker is enough to recognize it, but it lacks the robust tones and punch of other audio-centric smart speakers – like Google Nest Audio or Google Home.

I found some minor quirks with the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential that hopefully will be fixed with future software updates. For some reason, it can't compete with other Google Assistant speakers or displays in the same room. Whenever I ask him to turn the night light on or off, my Google Nest Hub responds with an error. However, if I mute the Nest Hub and say the command again, it works like a charm. Also, the snooze function doesn't work when I tap the top of the device.

Our opinion

The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is a tough call. It's a touch of nostalgia, but it doesn't bring anything new to the (night) table.

How long it will take?

Since it will remain stationary, it is unlikely to break. It's sturdy and well built so I'm confident it will withstand a fall. There is a 1 year limited warranty that covers defects.

Is there a better alternative?

There are some products in Lenovo's own portfolio that are better alternatives. The logical suggestion is the $ 80 Lenovo Smart Alarm Clock, which has a touchscreen display that offers some “light” smart display features, such as: E.g. access to smart home controls (e.g. turning on lights) and live feeds from surveillance cameras. The Lenovo Smart Display 7 offers the best solution as it is a full featured smart display with a camera that costs $ 100.

Should you buy it?

Yes, mainly for cost reasons, when you don't need the added functionality of the other alternatives above.

Editor's recommendations




13 Oct
Blog

Surface Laptop Go Review: Surface Meets Chromebook

Microsoft Surface Laptop go review featured image

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go

"Surface Laptop Go is an affordable way to stay productive and enjoy world-class Surface design without breaking the bank."

  • Thin and light

  • Comfortable keyboard and trackpad

  • Good choice of ports

  • Good performance

  • No backlit keyboard

  • The display's pixel density is low

  • No Surface Pen support

Nowadays there is a surface device for everything. You can create and play one, travel with one, or just enjoy daily productivity in a tablet form factor. However, what most Surface devices have in common is that there is often a steep price to buying a device. Microsoft has started fixing this with the Surface Go first. Now there's a device for people who want a traditional clamshell laptop too.

The Surface Laptop Go is a gorgeous 12.4-inch laptop from Microsoft that starts at $ 550 and rivals the best Chromebooks and even some of the best budget Windows laptops.

Conceptually, the newest entry to the Surface family takes all of the lessons Microsoft learned from the larger Surface Laptop 3 into a smaller, cheaper package. It's also specially designed for those looking for a Surface device with a balance between performance and premium design.

Does that mean Microsoft has to make too many cuts? Or does the Surface Laptop Go have everything you need to be your new productivity laptop?

Surface meets Chromebook

The new $ 550 Surface Laptop Go may look like a smaller version of the 13-inch Surface laptop, but once I took it out of the box, it felt very different.

The top lid and keyboard of the Surface Laptop Go glow brightly with a familiar aluminum finish, but the rest of the laptop doesn't. The lower part of the Surface Laptop Go is made of a polycarbonate composite resin made from fiberglass and 30% post-consumer recycled content.

Although Microsoft says this is a durable material that won't scratch, the Surface Laptop Go feels more like an HP Chromebook 14 or a Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 made of plastic here.

Arif Bacchus / Digital Trends

Still, Microsoft paid attention to the most important parts of the Surface Laptop Go. This includes both the keyboard deck and the screen. There is no bend when typing, and when I tried to bend the screen it didn't bend either. Each of them is made of aluminum.

I think Microsoft was smart at keeping the top half out of aluminum. Surface fans would have been annoyed if Microsoft released an all-plastic Surface laptop.

Microsoft had to make changes to the Surface Laptop Go design to match the price. One of them is the choice of case material.

The partially plastic construction has an advantage. The Surface Laptop Go is a featherweight at 2.45 pounds and just 0.62 inches thick. I can hold the laptop over my desk between two fingers and let it dangle almost like a sheet of paper. I can also open the lid with one hand. Its weight is under the 2.84 pounds of the standard Surface 3 laptop and close to the 2.3 pounds of the Pixelbook Go.

Arif Bacchus / Digital Trends

The Surface Laptop Go has what some other premium laptops these days lack in a USB-A port. Just like the larger 13-inch sibling, the main ports are on the left side of the device. In addition to USB-A, there is a USB-C port, which is not Thunderbolt compatible for security reasons. There is also a headphone jack.

Elsewhere on the right is the proprietary Surface Connect. It is only for charging and does not contain any data. According to Microsoft, you can charge the device to 80% in just an hour using the included charger, but the device is also charged via USB-C. A great thing to boot up with power banks on the go.

Those who care about speed should be pleased that the Surface Laptop Go has the latest in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections. The mix includes Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, giving this affordable laptop the latest in wireless technology.

Type in a storm, but don't type in a storm

Arif Bacchus / Digital Trends

The Surface Laptop Go has a full-size keyboard similar to the Surface Laptop 3. We already found it comfortable when we reviewed the original and our minds haven't changed. This is thanks to the keycaps with soft touch and the 1.3 mm key travel. Simply put, the typing is accurate – as long as you're in the light.

The Surface Laptop Go has no keyboard backlight. That's not too unusual for the $ 550 price tag. Similar budget Windows laptops like the Acer Spire 5 don't have backlights, but a $ 650 Chromebook like the Pixelbook Go does.

Still, I wish Microsoft hadn't turned off the lights. This is a very useful feature for students who have to deal with nightly study sessions.

If you can see it, the keyboard should hold your typing correctly. I hit 73 words per minute in Bing's writing test. That's the same thing I get when I type on my go-to device, which is a 15-inch Surface Laptop 3.

Microsoft also has a fingerprint reader on the power button. However, you can only find it on select models. It is not included in the base model but is offered on our midrange devices and top tier models. I would recommend it as it makes logging in to the laptop very quick. Windows Hello facial recognition login is not supported.

Unlike the Surface Laptop 3, the trackpad is not made of glass. It's Mylar, supports Microsoft's five-finger multitouch gestures, and is a nice size of 115mm x 76.66mm. Usually laptop manufacturers shrink the touchpad when they shrink the screen size, but Microsoft knows better. The laptop Go's trackpad is buttery soft and has a nice slippery surface. Scrolling through web pages was pretty fun.

The input is accurate and the trackpad is fluid.

I would also like to mention the speakers and microphones. Just like the Surface Laptop 3, the Laptop Go has Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Audio. There are even two far-field microphones that sit on top of the screens.

The speakers are still in the device on the keyboard deck, but they are very loud. I enjoyed jamming to Clean Bandi & # 39; s Rather Be. Even when the volume was set to 70%, the lyrics were clear and a distinct bass was heard in the introductory sequence with the violins.

With the microphones and 720p webcam, my colleagues were happy with my voice and video quality when I used the Surface Laptop Go during a team video call. This is especially important in our current environment where we spend more time sticking to our displays in web conferencing.

Not enough pixels

Arif Bacchus / Digital Trends

Speaking of displays, if you're looking for a budget laptop these days, you will likely see all kinds of display options. The most common is a 1080p or 1920 x 1080 resolution, but that's not what you'll find on the Surface Laptop Go.

While the 13-inch Surface Laptop 3 has an impressive display with a resolution of 2256 x 1504 (201 PPI), the Surface Laptop Go is the opposite. Instead, Microsoft opts for a 12.4-inch display with a resolution of 1536 x 1024 (148 PPI). This control panel has 10-point multi-touch support, but no Surface Pen support. It even has Microsoft's 3: 2 aspect ratio.

But don't let that fool you. You can find the 1080p panel on a competing $ 550 or $ 650 laptop like the Pixelbook Go, as well as an Asus Vivobook 15, but not the Laptop Go. Even Microsoft's Surface Go 2 has a higher definition 1080p display and is also quite cheap if you don't consider the keyboard cover.

While the 3: 2 aspect ratio offers more vertical space for scrolling and a touchscreen is appreciated for this low price, the bottom of the Surface Laptop Go is flanked by ugly frames. Microsoft downsized the side bezels on the Surface Laptop Go to 7mm (and bent the screen edges for the first time), but this isn't exactly an XPS 13.

While the 13-inch Surface laptop has a pixel-punching display, the Surface Laptop Go is exactly the opposite.

However, this is not all a loss to Microsoft. Microsoft intends to use this laptop for productivity and I was able to do so despite the low resolution panel. I stacked two Edge windows side by side and enjoyed my usual workflow like on my 15-inch Surface Laptop 3, but with limited screen space. This is the advantage of the unusual aspect ratio of 3: 2.

Arif Bacchus / Digital Trends

The panel itself is just as good as the Surface Laptop 3. According to our colorimeter, it achieves a brightness of around 383 nits and an average color error of only 2.3. This roughly corresponds to the laptop 3 (372 nits, 2.4 color errors). However, we can't directly compare this to a Chromebook because our colorimeter doesn't work on ChromeOS. However, Microsoft does not visually sacrifice display or image quality.

The pixels may not be there, but the display quality is. I've seen episodes of Netflix's Designated Survivor and scenes with the exterior and rose garden of the White House were alive and well as expected in real life. And when I looked at the cosmos of National Geographic, I was sunk pretty deep into space thanks to the impressive contrast levels of the display.

Ice Lake is good for the price, just not for playing

Arif Bacchus / Digital Trends

Like the Surface Laptop 3, Ice Lake is back on the Surface Laptop Go this year. While they're not the latest Tiger Lake chips from Intel, they do make a performance difference.

Our device was configured with the Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor, 8 GB RAM and a 256 GB NVMe SSD. This is the midrange model, but the cheaper $ 550 version has the same processor but 4GB of RAM and slower eMMC storage. This slower storage can prove to be a more serious disadvantage if you choose the entry-level model.

You probably won't experience the faster read and write speeds of the SSD on our device. We achieved a read speed of 590 and a write speed of 674. It is about standard for a surface. The Surface Laptop 2 saw similar speeds on the 950 and 617.

Regardless of which model you choose, there is only one processor choice, namely the Intel Core i5-1035G1. It is a quad-core processor running at 1.00 GHz. This processor is great for multitasking and general productivity. It can be found on a similar budget or business laptop like the Acer Swift 3 or the Dell Inspiron 14.5000.

There is no doubt that this chipset is great for both internet surfing and everyday tasks. You can tell by the single-core and multi-core Geekbench 4 scores of 1,176 and 3,459. These results are below most laptops, but are certainly more than adequate for everyday use.

I didn't have any issues with multiple Microsoft Edge tabs. Over 10 tabs didn't slow down the Surface Laptop Go. Multiple instances of YouTube weren't opened either. Given most budget Chromebooks as the Pixelbook Go comes with outdated dual-core Core i3 or Core m3 processors, this is very much appreciated. It almost feels like a ThinkPad-class performance. Even the entry-level version of Apple's MacBook Air has a slower dual-core processor, and that's over $ 1,000.

The Surface Laptop Go is a further development of the Surface Go 2 with slower Intel Pentium Gold or Core m3 processors. This time around, Microsoft got the right performance for its budget PC, although it would have been nice if Microsoft had tried AMD's Ryzen 5 chips. This was previously the case in the larger 15-inch versions of the Surface Laptop 3. These new processors are found in laptops like the Asus Vivobook 15.

Note, however, that the Surface Laptop Go is not suitable for gaming as it has Intel HD graphics and not the newer Iris Plus that you might find on a premium laptop.

Only 1,508 points were achieved in the 3DMark Fire Strike test. That is far behind the 3,947 of the Asus Zenbook Flip S, which has the new Iris Xe graphics from Intel. Fortnite was basically not playable on the Laptop Go, with frames around 15 at low settings. You have to stick to simple 2D games and very old 3D titles.

Battery life that lasts all day

Battery life is crucial as you don't want to be plugged into an electrical outlet all day. Microsoft claims that their Surface Laptop Go has what it takes, as it can last up to 13 hours on a single charge – but is that true?

The answer is yes. While this manufacturer's information is usually doubtful, the Surface Laptop Go gets great battery life. With a screen around 60% brightness, the Surface Laptop Go lasted around 585 minutes in our iMacro web browser test in Microsoft Edge, which runs a continuous loop of web pages.

That is better than the Dell Inspiron 14 (282 minutes) and the Acer Aspire 5 (258 minutes). It even outperforms the MacBook Air (576 minutes). The 783 minutes set by the Pixelbook Go are still a long way off.

When we streamed a loop of video, the Laptop Go pulled out and lasted well over 11 hours and 3 minutes. That's almost the same level as the Pixelbook Go's 13 hours.

All in all, don't worry. The battery in the Surface Laptop Go is indeed designed to last.

Our opinion

Starting at $ 550, the Surface Laptop Go is a great Surface version of the Chromebook. However, there are many price cuts on a Surface device, including screen resolution and the lack of a keyboard backlight. Under the hood, the Surface Laptop Go with its 10th generation Intel Core i5 quad-core processor offers a lot of value and performance. This type of processor is rarely found in a budget laptop, even when paired with entry-level models with only 4GB of RAM and slower eMMC storage. There is a difference that you will feel as you try to get your job done.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes, there are many alternatives. If you are a student on a budget, consider buying the Pixelbook Go. If Windows is a must, there is the bulkier and more powerful Asus Vivobook 15, Acer Swift 3 or even the Dell Inspiron 14.5000. If a budget Surface is a must, the Surface Go 2 might also be a better choice because of its higher resolution display and support for Surface Pen.

How long it will take?

The Surface Laptop Go lasts a while. The internals meet specifications and the design and build quality are robust. You get a 60-day right of return via the Microsoft Store, a one-year hardware guarantee and 90 days of technical support.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Surface Laptop Go makes sacrifices to get a low price, but its 3: 2 aspect ratio, solid processor, and good battery life make it stand out from the crowd.

Editor's recommendations




04 Jul
Blog

Bose Soundbar 700 Review: Sleek Design Meets Top-Notch Sound

Bose Soundbar 700

"Bose gives this soundbar an excellent appearance, excellent sound and numerous functions."

  • Fascinating surround sound

  • Beautiful design

  • Choice of Alexa or Google Assistant

  • Private listening option

  • Intelligent universal remote control

  • AirPlay 2

  • Not the best value

  • Some music services are not supported

  • No Chromecast option for Android

  • No HDMI inputs

Sound bars just started. Their mission was to deliver the best possible sound through a single speaker so people could forget about wiring problems and just enjoy their TV and music. While this still applies to some soundbar models, the industry has quickly shifted back to more speakers and less simplicity.

The $ 800 Bose Soundbar 700 is in some ways a return to the original soundbar concept, but some of its sleek exterior hides some thoroughly modern features.

Is it the right audio companion for your media room? Let's try it out.

design

Bose Soundbar 700Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

If you need to watch a soundbar from time to time, it should be the Bose Soundbar 700.

I claim that soundbars should do their utmost to get out of sight. If you want a speaker to be the highlight of your TV room, invest in the biggest ones you can find.

But let's face it: if you don't hide a soundbar in a wall – which would affect both sound and simplicity – you'll see it. So if you need to watch a soundbar from time to time, it should be the Bose Soundbar 700.

With its sleek lines, perfectly smooth glass top, and amazingly small and flat stature, the Soundbar 700 is one of those rare technologies that can improve your decor instead of compromising it. Available in black or white, you can choose whether it fits seamlessly into the background or makes a statement. Aesthetically speaking, it's quite an orator.

With a width of 38.5 inches and a height of only 2.25 inches, it is narrow and short enough to fit between the legs of almost all televisions that are at least 50 inches tall and slide directly underneath. If you want to mount it on the wall, an optional (and remarkably affordable) bracket is available for $ 40.

You won't find a single physical button anywhere on the Soundbar 700. The glass plate has a single touch-sensitive area near the front left corner to mute the built-in microphone. However, I recommend using it sparingly – as beautiful as the glass is, it is also a fingerprint magnet. Good thing Bose contains a microfiber cleaning cloth.

The only flat note in an otherwise stunning design is the included universal remote, a bulky, rubberized stone that doesn't match the sleek, minimalist lines of the Soundbar 700. More on that later.

configuration

Bose Soundbar 700Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Although it's a soundbar, the Soundbar 700 is also a powerful wireless smart speaker. Therefore, the setup process is led by Bose's music app (free for iOS and Android). It's tempting to assume that virtually everyone has a phone or tablet that can run the music app. However, if you're one of the few who doesn't have one, or you're considering buying the Soundbar 700 for a friend or relative who doesn't have one, you might not be making the right choice.

As long as you have a compatible device, setting up the speaker is easy thanks to the intuitive Bose app, which guides you through the process with easy-to-follow steps and lots of helpful feedback.

Part of this setup is to tune the Soundbar 700 to the acoustics of your room using the included Adaptiq microphone, a wired plastic headband that you wear like headphones. All you have to do is choose your five favorite places to watch TV and the app does the rest. It's not as elegant a solution as Sonos' TruePlay system, which uses the microphone of an iOS device to get the same result achieve. However, it does have the advantage of being compatible with all smart devices.

You'll also be quickly guided through the process of adding your home theater devices to the universal remote control, and you can choose between Alexa and Google Assistant if you want to use the speaker's voice control features. I strongly recommend that you do this.

links

Bose Soundbar 700 Bose Soundbar 700

The Soundbar 700 can be connected to your TV via HDMI ARC or an optical cable. Since the speaker is limited to Dolby Digital and DTS audio signals, the choice of sound quality does not offer an advantage when choosing a speaker. However, the universal remote control is more effective when you use HDMI ARC because it can send some commands to connected devices via the CEC protocol (one way to send commands via HDMI).

As long as all your devices can be controlled via infrared (IR), I think an optical connection makes more sense. Why should you forego a valuable HDMI connection on your TV, especially since the Soundbar 700 has no HDMI inputs to compensate for this loss?

The HDMI ARC and the optical connections on the back of the bar also include Ethernet (as a more robust option for Wi-Fi) and several dedicated connections for the Adaptiq microphone, a wired bass module (subwoofer) and an optional IR repeater and one for "data" (we're still not quite sure what it does).

You can use it as a Bluetooth source for wireless headphones for private listening – it works fine.

Unfortunately, the connector for cabling a subwoofer is a proprietary Bose connector, so there is no way to use it with a subwoofer from another company. Even stranger, although it is possible to connect a wired Bose subwoofer to the Soundbar 700, both subwoofers sold by Bose (the $ 400 bass module 500 and the $ 700 bass module 700) connect wirelessly to the soundbar.

Wi-Fi is the best choice to stream music to the soundbar. However, it also supports the AirPlay 2 streaming protocol from Apple and Bluetooth. If you are an Android user, this may be your best bet. We'll discuss this a little later.

Speaking of Bluetooth: The Soundbar 700 has a nice function: You can use it with the SimpleSync technology from Bose as a Bluetooth source for wireless headphones for private listening. It works with any Bluetooth speaker, but you can better sync with the on-screen dialog if you're using one of the Bose headphones. The volume of each Bluetooth device can be controlled independently. I tried Bowers and Wilkins PX7 headphones and it worked perfectly – it even stopped my Netflix video when I pressed the play / pause button on the headphones.

Sound quality

Bose Soundbar 700Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Bose Soundbar 700 sounds great and, unlike several other soundbars we tested, handles TV soundtrack audio and music streaming equally well.

Behind the grille are a number of midrange tweeters and a tweeter, which provide most of the direct sound you hear, including a very clear dialogue. However, Bose's PhaseGuide arrays are on the sides of the bar. These cleverly shaped tunnels project sound onto the sides of the soundbar and give the impression that there are invisible speakers above your television and even a few to the side – if your viewing area has walls on both sides.

In short, it triggers the magic trick that we all consciously or subconsciously expect from a soundbar, and that means we get impressive home theater sound without all the cables and speakers.

One limitation that needs to be mentioned – especially since the Soundbar 700 is a significant investment – is Dolby Atmos and DTS: X. These object-based surround formats are the latest and greatest. When a compatible soundbar is combined with a Dolby Atmos or DTS: X soundtrack, the results can be exciting and include sounds that feel like they fully match the on-screen action. The Soundbar 700 is not one of these speakers. It's still great at what it does, but it can't make you future-proof if you think these new technologies are something you want to explore someday.

If you are not yet familiar with soundbars as a whole, I should make one thing clear: as good as the Soundbar 700 provides a feeling of depth and breadth, it alone does not create such a deep feeling of low-end bass for a complete home theater system. Because of its small proportions, there is no way.

I was ready to fall in love with his music less, but it went against my expectations.

That doesn't mean there is no bass – it actually does an admirable job – it just can't compete with systems that come with their own subwoofer.

As mentioned earlier, you can add an optional Bose bass module, but this increases the price.

It can't shake the furniture with low-end bass, but boy can this thing get loud. I would bet that the Soundbar 700 cannot fill any space in your house, even if your home is in palatial proportions.

Dialogue playback is another outstanding element of this speaker. It is clear and easy to separate from background noise – even before you use the available dialog enhancement mode. If for some reason you find it insufficient, you can only increase the volume of the center channel in the Bose Music app and make adjustments for treble, bass and synchronization / delay if necessary.

At $ 800, I had fully expected the Soundbar 700 to be a powerful TV speaker, but I was also less willing to get excited about their music. But it exceeded my expectations very much. Thoroughly modern studio mixes like Beck's Hyperspace album benefit most from the bar's ability to project sound in space, but older tracks like The Who & # 39; s classic Pinball Wizard also get new life from the depths of the Soundbar 700.

On a whim and because the Tidal app advertised it, I tried Buju Banton's The Upside Down 2020 Experience. I couldn't have chosen a better track to find out what the Soundbar 700 can do with the right material. Banton's voice comes through as if he were on stage in front of you, while his background singers, strings and occasional saxophone spread outwards and envelop you in a rich mix of tones. "It all comes from this one speaker?" my son asked. Yes yes it is.

The Soundbar 700 only stumbled once when it heard Hans Zimmer's deeply bass-laden Time from the Inception soundtrack – the cabinet vibrated very slightly.

Multiroom audio

The Bose Soundbar 700 is part of a family of wireless speakers that can be controlled using the Bose Music app. This includes products like the Bose Home Speaker 500 and the Portable Home Speaker. In Sonos' multiroom steps, you can group these speakers to play the same music or stream something different for everyone.

But when it comes to pure multiroom smarts, Bose still has some catching up to do if he wants to do something other than follow.

For example, Sonos lets you pair any matching Sonos speaker – from the Ikea Symfonisk bookshelf speakers for $ 100 to the Sonos Five for $ 499 – as a surround set for the Sonos Arc Dolby Atmos soundbar for $ 800 – Use dollars. If you want to do the same with the Soundbar 700, you'll need to buy a special set of Bose wireless surround speakers.

You also can't turn two Bose speakers into a stereo pair, although this is much less relevant when dealing with soundbars.

Music sources

While the Bose Music app is friendly and user-friendly, it does offer some features that I would like to see, such as universal search, support for other music services, and the ability to stream music from a personal library on the network.

You can choose between Spotify Premium and Free, Apple Music, TuneIn, Pandora, SiriusXM, Amazon Music, Deezer and iHeartRadio within the app or use any audio app on your phone or tablet and stream directly to the Soundbar 700 2 or via AirPlay Bluetooth. The disadvantage of these options is that controls and content reside on a single device, and other people at home cannot edit or continue listening to the playlist if the person with the source device leaves the house.

You are also limited to just six favorites (which Bose calls presets). Regardless of whether it's a favorite radio station, podcast, or playlist, you need to choose wisely.

Universal remote control

Bose Soundbar 700 universal remote controlSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

It's big, bulky, and I'm not a fan of the rubberized surface that covers all the buttons, but I have to admit that the Bose Soundbar Universal Remote is well thought out as long as you only need to control a maximum of three devices (except the soundbar itself).

The idea behind the dark rubber layer is that it intentionally hides the many buttons under its surface. Once you've programmed it for your devices – which is easy and possible via the Bose Music app – only the buttons that correspond to the device you want to operate are selectively illuminated.

Pressing these illuminated buttons first sends a Bluetooth command to the Soundbar 700, which in turn forwards the command to the device in question via IR or HDMI-CEC (if you use HDMI between the Soundbar and your TV).

The main advantage of this arrangement is that the remote control and the soundbar are always perfectly synchronized. Even if you select TV mode on the universal remote and then switch the soundbar to AirPlay 2 or Bluetooth mode using the Bose Music app, the remote will automatically show this status change.

Good as it is, it's not perfect.

Three devices (two if you don't count your TV, which is pretty mandatory) may not be enough for some people.

I wish I could control how long the buttons light up. It always seemed like the lights went out as I decided what to do and I had to shake the remote again.

The soundbar, remote control, or TV screen does not show where the volume is relative to the minimum and maximum settings. If you want this level of detail, you need to consult the Bose Music app.

You can use the remote control to adjust the volume of the soundbar during an activity. However, you cannot access settings such as EQ or dialog enhancement.

For reasons known only to Bose, there are no buttons to access the six music presets that you program in the Bose Music app.

Overall, however, it worked very well except for one mistake – I couldn't get the remote to speak to my cable box. My LG TV and Apple TV 4K were no problem at all. I attributed the bug in the cable box to poor IR connectivity and didn't have enough time to try to fix it.

Voice assistants

Bose Soundbar 700Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Soundbars that are compatible with voice assistants are being used more and more, but few offer you the choice of which assistant you want to use. With the Soundbar 700, you can choose Alexa or Google Assistant and change your mind at any time (you just can't do both at the same time).

One of the best aspects of a smart speaker that really rocks is the ability to summon your favorite music by simply asking for it. But be warned: although Google Assistant and Alexa can take control of a variety of music services, you cannot use these voice assistants to control if the service you want to control is not available in the Bose Music app. Google Play Music (now mostly switched to YouTube Music), Apple Music and Tidal are examples of services that none of the Soundbar 700 wizards can control.

Bose uses a small multi-colored LED light strip on its smart speakers to give you visual feedback on what condition it is in. Two white bars indicate a pause, a single blue bar indicates Bluetooth and a small red dot means muting. However, the strip is also animated to inform you that a voice command has been heard. This is a great feature.

What I can't understand is why Bose is not using it to indicate volume – something I should consider for a future firmware update.

Voice commands were easy to hear even with some fairly loud sounds, and the response times were very good when I tested them with Google Assistant.

Our opinion

$ 800 may be a lot of money for a soundbar that isn't compatible with Dolby Atmos, but the Bose Soundbar 700 proves that the investment is a great combination of sound quality, great design, and a host of useful features, including yours, still worth choosing the language assistant.

Is there a better alternative?

The direct competitor of the Soundbar 700 is the excellent Sonos Arc for $ 800, a larger Dolby Atmos soundbar that also offers a choice of voice assistants and offers the best support for multiroom and music services in the industry. If you want to be future-proof for object-based surround sound, this is a good choice.

We believe that the Soundbar 700 treats TV and music audio better with the same accuracy (the Arc tends to prefer TV audio) and has several features that the Arc lacks, e.g. B. a universal remote control, Bluetooth and the possibility to connect a wireless headphones for private listening.

How long it will take?

The Bose Soundbar 700 comes with a one-year warranty. This is fairly standard for this type of product, but Bose has an excellent reputation for producing quality products and the Soundbar 700 should have a very long lifespan. You may want to replace it in the future, but you are unlikely to need to replace it.

Should you buy it

Yes. The Bose Soundbar 700 is a fantastic solution with a speaker for simple but exciting home theater sound. With optional subwoofer and surround speaker modules, it can grow with your needs as long as those requirements don't include Dolby Atmos.

Editor's recommendations




09 Apr
Blog

Amazon Echo Studio review: Gorgeous Bass Meets 3D Sound

"The best Amazon speaker you can buy literally takes music to a whole new level."

  • Class leading bass

  • Chic and simple setup

  • Support for Dolby Atmos and 360 Reality Audio

  • Large, spacious sound stage

  • All Alexa smart

  • Occasionally subdued middle class

  • Brittle note for lighter instruments

  • 3D music is still limited

Amazon's new Echo Studio Smart Speaker is not only good – sometimes it's fantastic. It is also one of the few smart speakers that you can buy that actually compete with the Sonos One. This is partly due to impressive functions that you won't find in any other intelligent loudspeaker on the market, not least thanks to the surprising support from Dolby Atmos.

Even putting the Echo Studio in the same sentence as the One is proof of how far Amazon has come in recent years. With products like the studio and the new Echo Buds, Amazon has proven that it can no longer be left out of the audio conversation.

Related articles

With the studio's 3D sound stage and a burgeoning new Amazon ecosystem that feeds it, Amazon is starting its own conversation, in which other loudspeaker manufacturers will certainly participate.

Roll out the barrel

With a large, rounded housing and an oversized CD feed cut through the base, the Echo Studio offers a unique profile. It is by no means repulsive and the exterior of the acoustic fabric offers a certain seal of approval, but is many times larger than the Sonos One and Apple's HomePod. The well-known Echo LED atrium on the top of the studio is wide enough to actually fit on an angel's head.

There are good reasons for the size of the studio. It is equipped with hardware, including two 2-inch drivers on the sides, a 1-inch tweeter on the front and a full 5.25-inch woofer for firing basses. There is another 2-inch driver on board, pointing up towards the ceiling to enable the hemispherical immersion, for which 3D sound formats such as Dolby Atmos and the new 360 Reality Audio System from Sony are valued. More on that later.

On the round top of the studio are control buttons, including the action button to manually call Alexa (if you don't want to call the speaker using the "Alexa" command), volume buttons, and my personal favorite, a mute button that rotates this rainbow-blue Alexa LED Darth Vader red, which ensures that the speaker doesn't listen to you.

As someone with a natural reluctance to allow listening devices in my house, the red hoop is a comforting reminder that my conversations are safe. It is also part of Amazon's ongoing efforts to restore confidence in its discretion.

As with all Echo loudspeakers, a microphone array in the housing enables voice activation via the “Alexa” voice command (or some other information) and acoustic calibration to adapt the sound signature of the loudspeaker at any location.

Ready, hired, streamed

Sonos, the undisputed king of simple speaker configuration for a long time, has real competition. Setting up the studio couldn't be easier. Sorry Sonos. You learned it by watching you.

After installing the Alexa app on your phone, follow the on-screen instructions and you can start streaming in no time. You can quickly add your favorite streaming service, including Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Tidal, and of course Amazon Music (among others).

It's not just the setup that's intuitive. Amazon's Alexa app makes it easy to customize basic audio settings, control playback, and connect to other devices, from an echo subwoofer to other echo speakers for a multi-room speaker system.

Again, the Sonos app feels very similar, which makes it user-friendly and, in my experience, much more stable and intuitive than Google Home. I also like the fact that unlike Sonos products, you can easily connect to the studio through other apps, including Spotify Connect.

There are more ways to connect than just Wi-Fi. The Echo Studio offers a Bluetooth connection if necessary. There is a dual-use 3.5mm optical / Toslink connection on the back of the speaker for connection to a TV or other device.

Unfortunately, you cannot decode Dolby Atmos movies over an optical link, but there is a workaround. If you have a newer Fire TV device, you can pair the studio with it to stream Dolby Atmos content from selected apps.

This is a fairly specific use case, and it means that you can't get Atmos from the biggest source to the speaker right now. 4K Blu-rays. Although you can certainly set up the Echo Studio as a soundbar replacement, this isn't the best way to use it for your money. Amazon also has other plans for its new 3D speaker.

Alexa stuff

Before we get to the audio extras for those new to the world of smart speakers, let's talk about how much the Amazon Echo line, including the studio, can do. There is a lot to discover, from connecting and controlling a smart home system to checking the weather, shopping and numerous other smart home skills. In fact, the Alexa app offers a whole range of new and old abilities to try out.

This includes controlling the playback of the speaker with your voice. This is easy and works better now than it did a year or two ago. The speaker had few stumbling blocks when he was put through his paces, even with music. With Spotify, the studio seemed to know what I wanted to hear more often than not.

Amazon Echo Studio

As part of the Echo family, the studio can also do things that most third-party Alexa speakers can't. B. Intercom calls throughout your home through your Echo Collection. However, the Sonos One can speak both Alexa and Google.

Amazon Music is growing

You can't talk about Echo Studio without mentioning Amazon Music, as both parts are important to Amazon's plans to lead Spotify and Apple Music.

In early fall, Amazon announced that it would add high-definition music to its subscription music service for just $ 5 more. This undercuts the price of all these competing services and adds something that Apple and Spotify don't have at all.

Just as important for our purposes are "millions" of tracks with a resolution of up to 24 bit / 192 kHz selected songs mixed in Dolby Atmos and 360 Reality Audio (or newly mixed). Dolby and Sony also appear to be realizing their new plans and adding important studio partnerships.

Chills at 360 degrees

The biggest question I had after Amazon unveiled Echo Studio in its latest Alexa product extravagance was simple. What does Dolby Atmos actually mean in an intelligent speaker?

Most Atmos systems surround you with a barrage of speakers to get the 360-degree audio effect, including at least two uploaded speakers to bounce the sound off the ceiling. Even mentioning Atmos for a humble intelligent speaker seems bold. After tracking down the few tracks on Amazon Music (which thankfully have a 360 audio playlist), I was impressed with what this speaker can do.

It gave me something that I've never had from a $ 200 piece of plastic. Chills.

The first song I wrote was Elton John's Rocket Man. At first it was just a few slide effects that spread like a sound aura over the speaker. But as the song started up, the piece's expansive synthesizers stretched from the top of the speaker to the walls and finally blossomed into a cloud of swirling sounds at the front of the room.

The studio couldn't completely submerge me, but it gave me something I never got from a $ 200 piece of plastic: chills.

Stage against signature

While the side and up firing drivers are paramount to the studio's 360 tricks, the powerful, authoritative bass must be the speaker's best asset for everyday listening. Any great speaker can boom, with Google's Max being one of the best examples. But the studio's bass isn't just great. It's clean, tight, and well controlled.

The second song on Amazon's 360 playlist was Ariana Grandes 7 Rings, and although I'm not a Grande super fan, I was impressed by the tight jackhammer bass that the studio reproduced as a chorus beat hit. This powerful bass in combination with the bubbling 360-degree stage ensures a brilliant ride through the entire playlist.

Amazon Echo Studio

However, the studio is not perfect. Because of the only tweeter in the front, the speaker has a little bit of a problem when it comes to delivering detail and clarity in the midrange, especially when singing. It can also become thin at heights when lighter mixtures are fed.

In this regard, the Sonos One and also the Apple HomePod are clear of the ground. This becomes clear when you move away from 360 and high resolution tracks. And let's face it, most of us are stuck listening to compressed music every day.

You can get more clarity in the mid-range by disabling the studio's Stereo Spatial Enhancer, which may choke the mid-range on some tracks, but which also brightens the upper registers, which is sometimes uncomfortable. I found it helpful to reset the highs in the settings.

Regardless of this, the studio's sound signature takes a back seat to the soft, rich and detailed sound of the Sonos One. In addition, the 3D effects of the studio depend on the interior of your living room (especially on the walls and ceiling). 3D blends are currently limited. On the other hand, the sound stage and bass of the Sonos One are more reserved and compact compared to the spacious studio.

guarantee

Amazon's Echo Studio comes with a one-year limited warranty, and you can purchase an additional year.

Our opinion

The best smart speaker Amazon has ever made keeps its promise and offers a new way of listening in combination with Amazon Music. The Echo Studio is one of the most enticing new smart speakers on the market, offering premium bass and solid sound across the board.

Is there a better alternative?

For an Amazon spokesman, no. And if you want to immerse your toes in the world of Atmos Music, this is also your best choice for speakers. If you're looking for a rounded, everyday speaker with the versatility of Google and Alexa (and a more balanced sound signature), the Sonos One is the obvious alternative.

Although the price hasn't dropped since last fall's release, it should be noted that Amazon is currently offering a bundle that includes packages in a free Philips Hue Bulb.

How long it will take?

The speaker seems to be well built and has an expanded decoding for 3D audio formats that are just beginning to take shape. If anything, it's a bit ahead of its time.

Should you buy it

Yes. If you're looking for the best Amazon Alexa smart speaker you can buy – and especially if you're thrilled to dive into the latest musical limits – the Echo Studio is an easy choice.

Editor's recommendations