02 Feb
Blog

Belkin Boost Charge Pro review: My favorite bedside charger

The Belkin 3-in-1 Charger can charge your phone, Airpods and Apple Watch at the same time.

Belkin Boost Charge Pro

RRP $149.99

"The Belkin Boost Charge Pro 3-in-1 Charger can charge all your devices at the same time, and it looks good doing it."

benefits

  • Solid, durable construction

  • Strong magnetic attachments

  • Charges three devices simultaneously

  • Pop up watch charger

  • Fast charge for Apple Watch Series 7

disadvantage

  • The plug is way too big

  • No other USB ports

  • Expensive

I've spent the last four years looking for a great bedside charger. When Apple launched MagSafe on the iPhone 12, that search became a little more focused. When Mophie introduced his snap ring adapter That can make basically any Android phone MagSafe compatible, this search has been laser focused. Now the search might be over: The Belkin Boost Charger Pro 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Pad is about as close to perfection as I've come yet.

draft

This is a flat slab covered in a soft-touch silicone finish that's a bit difficult to keep clean. It measures 9 inches by 3 inches by 0.8 inches, so it's quite large. There are three charging areas: a MagSafe charger for your phone, a charger for your Apple Watch, and a charger for your AirPods, which is really just a Qi charger. I used it primarily to charge my Anker Soundcore Liberty Pro 3 earbuds, but occasionally to charge a second phone. There's a single LED light that shows when your AirPods are charging, but there aren't any other LED light indicators since your phone and smartwatch presumably have their onscreen displays.

The MagSafe charging plate for the iPhone is slightly raised for a good, solid connection. The Apple Watch stand folds up so you can charge either vertically or horizontally, depending on your preference. The Apple Watch holder is also adjustable depending on what size Apple Watch you have. It can be raised if needed to make room for the case, which is an important design flourish. The magnets on both the MagSafe charging puck and the watch charger are very strong and won't let either device slip.

strong contact

The Belkin 3-in-1 Charger can charge your phone, Airpods and Apple Watch at the same time.Adam Doud/Digital Trends

That's really all there is to it. The Belkin 3-in-1 Boost Charge Pro works well, the magnets are solid, and you can charge as much as you need. I like this device (and MagSafe in general) because the magnets keep my phone and watch connected even if I nudge them at night. Sometimes I'd rather have a phone stand that keeps my phone upright so I can read or check notifications, but on a bedside table it's a good compromise. Once I put my phone on the charger I shouldn't be looking at it anyway. The watch folds up so I can use it as a small watch if needed, and that's good enough.

The plug occupies three outlets on my power strip, which isn't ideal.

The main benefit here is that the Belkin Boost Charge 3-in-1 Charger has been updated to support both Apple's 15-watt wireless charging for iPhones and fast charging for the Apple Watch Series 7. I personally have an Apple Watch SE, so I can't take advantage of that particular feature, but maybe you can.

The Belkin 3-in-1 charger's power plug seems to be a lot bigger than it needs to be.Adam Doud/Digital Trends

How the charging pad gets its power is not ideal. The Belkin Boost Charge uses a cylinder plug that twists into the base to lock it in place. That's fine, but I'd always prefer a USB-C port so it's easier to travel with. The power supply at the other end is also huge. The plug occupies three outlets on my power strip, which isn't ideal. I actually picked some up One foot extension cord to mitigate that. It makes my power strip a little messier, but at least I get my plugs back.

Not perfect

Another thing I would have liked about this charging stand is additional USB-A or USB-C connectors on the side. The base is thick enough to accommodate both types of connectors and given the size of the connector it would be nice to be able to connect other accessories. You might be thinking, "This thing already charges your phone, watch, and earbuds, what more could you ask for?" That's a perfectly fair point, so it's an forgivable oversight.

The Belkin 3-in-1 Boost Charge Pro charger works well, the magnets are solid, and you can charge as much as you need.

All of this comes at a rather high price of $150, which is certainly on the high side. The addition of fast charging for the Apple Watch Series 7 is nice, and it could be argued that with this charger you don't need the extra power brick you would need to buy for your Apple Watch charger. Still, it's difficult to justify the rather steep cost, especially given Amazon's preponderance of three-device chargers. It's a very clean and good-looking charger with some attractive add-ons, but whether it's enough to justify that much money depends largely on your situation. If you have the available desk space and the right devices to make use of it, this could be a nice addition to your charging arsenal.

The Belkin 3-in-1 Charger's Apple Watch charger flips up so you can charge your watch vertically or horizontally.Adam Doud/Digital Trends

Prices and Availability

The Belkin Boost Charge Pro 3-in-1 Charger is available on the Belkin website for $150. Orders have already started shipping.

Our opinion

All in all, this is a very expensive charging accessory. But it deserves that price with the ability to charge three devices simultaneously and with the support for fast charging on the 7 Series. There's no shortage of three-device chargers available at a fraction of the price of other retailers other than the Belkin Boost Charge Pro 3-in-1 is solidly built, with strong magnets and fast charging. The plug is a bit bigger than I'd like to see, and I'd rather have a USB-C cable with a charging brick than a barrel charger and a giant plug. But beyond that, this is a simple, understated design that will look good with just about anything in your home.

Is there a better alternative?

This combination of features is hard to find, especially since fast charging is a new concept for the Apple Watch Series 7. So while there's no shortage of great wireless chargers, objectively many of them won't be any better. Remarkable is the Ampere Unravel Wireless Charger, which can also charge three devices simultaneously and fold into a compact cube. But the maximum is 10 watts per charger. The Belkin Boost Charge Pro gives you plenty of power.

How long does it last?

I have no concerns about the durability of this device. There are some minimal moving parts, but otherwise this thing is a solid brick. However, the proprietary barrel loader is a concern. It snaps into place, which is nice, but its shape and the tight confines it's in mean that if it breaks, you'll have to go to Belkin for a replacement. However, Belkin covers most of its devices with a two-year warranty, which should be some consolation.

should you buy it

If you want a good-looking, fast wireless charging trio of pads, then yes. This isn't the cheapest option, but it guarantees to get your Apple devices up and running as soon as possible. Of course, that only applies if you need to charge three devices. The target customer has a MagSafe iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch. If you don't have all three (or at least a set of earbuds that charge wirelessly) then this is probably too much charger for you.

Editor's Recommendations



28 Jan
Blog

Jabra Elite 7 Pro Review: Perfect True Wireless Earbuds

Man wearing Jabra Elite 7 Pro.

Jabra Elite 7 Pro

MSRP $200.00

“These Elite 7 Pro get everything right and don’t cost a fortune.”

Pros

  • Super comfortable
  • Great sound quality
  • Excellent call quality
  • Very good ANC and transparency
  • Good battery life
  • Wireless charging
  • Tons of customization options
  • Excellent water/dust protection

How do you improve on an awesome set of true wireless earbuds? That’s the question that faced Jabra as it contemplated the design for its new $200 Elite 7 Pro, the successor to its excellent Elite 75t, which proved to be some of the best true wireless earbuds you could buy when they debuted in 2019. The answer, it seems, is to double down on what the Elite 75t got right, and then fill in the missing gaps. Did that formula work out? You bet it did. Let’s take a look.

Design

Jabra Elite 7 Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Elite 7 Pro are a natural evolution of Jabra’s true wireless designs. They’re just as rounded and ergonomically shaped as the Elite 75t, yet smaller and lighter. When compared to Jabra’s flagship Elite 85t, the 7 Pro are downright tiny. The multifunction buttons now have a teardrop shape and occupy the entire outer surface of the earbuds, making them impossible to miss. The new design also affords much better water protection, with an IP57 rating (the Elite 75t were IP55), making them effectively waterproof.

The Elite 7 Pro are the most comfortable noise-canceling true wireless earbuds you can buy right now.

But the most noticeable change has to be the charging case. Jabra has abandoned its distinctive, upright design with its flip-top lid for a more conventional clamshell shape. It’s ever so slightly larger now, but it also has wireless charging built-in, something you needed to pay extra for in the past.

It might also be the first charging case that puts its charging port on the front instead of the rear. Though not as pretty, it’s eminently more practical.

The lid isn’t quite as easy to open because of its curved sides, but that’s a minor critique of what is otherwise an excellent design. The earbuds snap in and out of their charging sockets with ease — something that has long been one of Jabra’s strengths.

Comfort, controls, and connections

Jabra Elite 7 Pro seen next to Jabra Elite 75t.Jabra Elite 7 Pro (left) and Elite 75t. Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Let’s just get this out of the way: The Elite 7 Pro are the most comfortable noise-canceling true wireless earbuds you can buy right now. The Elite 75t were already mighty comfortable, but Jabra has managed to refine that shape so that they feel even better. The company says it also reengineered the material of the eartips, which probably contributes to their excellent fit. Maybe it’s just the particular shape of my ears, but the Elite 7 Pro feel like they were custom-made for me — I could happily wear them for hours at a time without pain or fatigue. Not sure if you chose the right size of eartips? You can run a fit test within the Sound+ app to find out.

The Elite 7 Pro are the most customizable earbuds I’ve ever tested.

Jabra targets the Elite 7 Active at those who want a set of earbuds for high-intensity activities, and you could totally get away with using the Elite 7 Pro for all but the heaviest of workouts — once in my ears, they didn’t budge at all.

Jabra Elite 7 Pro seen next to Jabra Elite 85t and Elite 75t.Jabra Elite 85t (left), Elite 7 Pro (middle), and Elite 75t. Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The controls remain the best in the business: Big, easy-to-press physical buttons that offer an unmistakable tactile click when you use them. With single-, double-, and triple-click gestures, plus one for press-and-hold, you can control everything from calls to playback to active noise cancellation (ANC). If you don’t like Jabra’s default control scheme, you can change it within the Jabra Sound+ app, with almost unlimited freedom to pick and choose what each gesture does. In fact, the Elite 7 Pro are the most customizable earbuds I’ve ever tested. If you can think of a function, I guarantee there’s a section in the Sound+ app that lets you modify it.

You can trigger your phone’s built-in voice assistant, or you can configure the Elite 7 Pro to work with Amazon Alexa. With in-ear detection, you can choose to autopause and play your music when you remove or reinsert one of the earbuds.

With Bluetooth 5.2, the Elite 7 Pro are easy to pair and they can stay reliably connected up to 50 feet away (a little less indoors). You can also use the earbuds independently.

They’re pleasure to listen to, no matter your chosen music genre.

When I initially reviewed the Elite 7 Pro in October 2021, it suffered from just one flaw: It lacked Bluetooth Multipoint for connecting to two devices simultaneously. As of January 27, 2022, that has been rectified via a firmware update, removing my only real criticism of these earbuds.

Sound quality

Man wearing Jabra Elite 7 Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Elite 75t possessed enormously powerful bass for such small earbuds, so much so that the low end had a tendency to trample on the midranges. You needed to jump into the EQ settings to rein it in. The Elite Active 75t was milder in the bass department but arguably not as clear. The Elite 7 Pro manages to be the best of both worlds, with a deeply resonant low end that is much better controlled.

A track like Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy, where the opening vocals are essentially whispers that float above a thumping bass line, is an ideal test — if the EQ isn’t just right, the tiny nuances in Eilish’s voice are lost under the pressure of the constant beat. The Elite 7 Pro handle it like a champ, not only giving the low end the power it deserves, but also keeping it where it belongs so that Eilish’s shiver-inducing whispers can be heard with excellent clarity.

Jabra’s call quality has always been good, but I was blown away by the Elite 7 Pro.

You can tweak EQ manually or use Jabra’s small selection of presets in the Sound+ app, but I doubt you’ll need to. The factory EQ is so well-balanced for all kinds of music, I didn’t feel the need to change it at all. You can also choose to use the MySound feature in the Sound+ app, which will attempt to personalize the EQ according to your specific hearing profile. I didn’t find it improved things for me, so I kept it turned off, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

Flipping back and forth between the Elite 7 Pro and Jabra’s more expensive Elite 85t proved to be an incredibly tricky comparison. It felt like I could hear a little more detail from the 85t, but you’d literally need to do a side-by-side comparison like I did to notice.

Either way, the Elite 7 Pro are a pleasure to listen to, no matter your chosen genre.

Noise cancellation and transparency

The Elite 85t were Jabra’s first earbuds to offer a hybrid ANC system (the Elite 75t and Active 75t were given ANC with a firmware upgrade, but those buds don’t use the combination of feed-forward and feedback mics that the 85t has). The Elite 7 Pro are better at canceling unwanted sounds than the 85t, but their transparency mode isn’t quite as crystal clear.

I think this is due to the 85t’s semi-open architecture, which lets in a small amount of outside air. That openness simultaneously makes it easier to hear outside sounds and harder to cancel them. The Elite 7 Pro are fully closed, which gives them the noise-canceling edge. The Sound+ app lets you fine-tune the ANC performance, but much like the MySound feature, I didn’t notice a big difference.

The Elite 7 Pro can’t quite keep up with the reigning champs of ANC and transparency — the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds — or the AirPods Pro, but considering their lower price, that’s not surprising and, honestly, the difference isn’t huge.

Flipping between the two modes is almost instant: Whether you want quiet or conversation, one press on the left earbud is all you need.

Call quality

For the Elite 7 Pro, Jabra has used what it calls MultiSensor Voice technology, which aims to provide better voice pickup through bone conduction-sensing mics. It’s not hype. Jabra’s call quality has always been good, but I was blown away by how much better the Elite 7 Pro are at calls than Jabra’s previous buds. I stood in a parking lot on a windy day, with an active construction site just a few yards away, and yet almost none of that was audible during my tests. A small amount of compression worked its way in there during the loudest moments, but in general, it was superb. And in a relatively quiet spot, it was impeccable.

With Jabra’s adjustable sidetone feature, you can let in as much of your voice as you want, and there’s even a microphone-mute feature you can engage while on a call — something that even pricey earbuds like the Sony WF-1000XM4 and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds don’t offer.

All of this makes the Elite 7 Pro an ideal choice for those who like to talk.

Battery life

Jabra Elite 7 Pro charging case seen next to Jabra Elite 75t charging case.Jabra Elite 7 Pro wirelessly charging case (left) and Jabra Elite 75t charging case. Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Jabra claims you’ll get up to eight hours per charge on the Elite 7 Pro earbuds with ANC on, and the key here is the “up to” part. I played music continuously on them with ANC on and volume set at 50%, and while the left earbud made it the full eight hours, the right earbud only managed 7.5 hours. Given that the right earbud was the first to connect and thus the “primary” earbud, this makes sense — it has to do more work. A fast charge of five minutes will buy you an extra hour of use if you’re in a pinch.

With the charging case included, you should be able to get 30 hours of total playtime, and likely a good bit more if you keep ANC and transparency turned off. The numbers aren’t at the top end of what true wireless earbuds can do, but they’re more than sufficient for daily use and all but the longest of travel plans.

Extras

In addition to the wealth of capabilities I’ve described above, this review wouldn’t be complete unless I mentioned some of the lesser-known features that Jabra throws in, like Find My earbuds, adjustable auto-power off timing, and your choice of voice guidance, tone guidance, or none at all. You can choose if you want to cycle through ANC, transparency, and off modes when activating the mode switch, or you can choose any two of those modes. There’s a separate EQ setting just for phone calls. In-ear detection can be used to automatically answer phone calls or mute the mics. And finally, the Sound+ app offers a series of “soundscapes,” some of which are designed to mask external sounds, while others are meant to be more relaxing or meditative.

What’s in the box?

Jabra Elite 7 Pro box contents.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Jabra is getting better and better at making sustainable product boxes. The Elite 7 Pro comes in an attractive, yet fully recyclable cardboard box, with only one small plastic blister pack for the extra eartips. Inside, you’ll find the earbuds, their charging case, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, and three sizes of eartip (mediums are installed by default).

Our take

I’ve tried and failed to find something about the Jabra Elite 7 Pro that I don’t like. At this price, nothing beats them. And while better ANC, transparency, and sound quality are available, for most folks, it simply won’t be worth the extra investment to get them.

Is there a better alternative?

No. Jabra has priced the Elite 7 Pro low enough that they obliterate any other set of earbuds that cost around $150 to $200. Your only real options are to spend more on models like the Sony WF-1000XM4, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, or the Master & Dynamic MW08.

How long will they last?

I’m still rocking a set of two-year-old Elite 75t, and while they don’t get constant daily use, they’re still in outstanding shape. I expect the Elite 7 Pro to last for many years. With their IP57 protection, not much will affect them (short of actual immersion in water — don’t do that), and Jabra is so confident in that rating it will extend its normal one-year water and dust warranty to two years if you register your earbuds in the Sound+ app.

Should you buy them?

Yes. They’re an absolutely killer set of true wireless earbuds.

Editors’ Recommendations



11 Jan
Blog

Instant Pot Pro Plus Review: Pressure Cooking Gets Smart

Instant Pot Pro Plus with a baking dish in the foreground.

Instant Pot Pro Plus in the test: pressure cooking is getting smart

RRP $ 170.00

"Discovering new recipes and translating their instructions right from your phone into the Instant Pot is a fun gimmick, but not without compromise."

benefits

  • Incredible versatility

  • Major usability improvements

  • Remote control functions are fun and useful

disadvantage

  • Community recipes can be hit and missed

Despite all of its multitude of functions – making yogurt, sous vide, canning – Instant Pot struggled to connect to phones. While Instant Pot has seen some impressive peaks in popularity, how did Instant Pot really reach this huge group of people who want Wi-Fi in every single thing in their home? A 2015 recall of the original Instant Pot Smart put a damper on a device we otherwise loved. Fortunately, the phone-friendly feature is back and we're diving deep to see what else is new.

configuration

Instant Pot Pro Plus lid kept in the kitchen. Simon Sage / Digital Trends

The first thing you need to do is create an Instant Pot account in order to pair the device with your mobile device. Originally, I wanted to create my account through my PC so I could get Chrome to generate a robust password, but this process didn't carry over well to the mobile app. I ended up creating another account through the mobile app with a weaker password, which isn't ideal. Some kind of Facebook connection would make creating an account a lot easier. The pairing process was a matter of course for most smart home devices: Connect via Bluetooth, share the WiFi password, then you start to connect. The requirement for a 2.4 GHz WiFi network is also common for smart home devices.

Once the Instant Pot is fully inserted, you can activate it for (deep inhalation) pressure cooking, slow cooking, rice cooking, steaming, roasting, making yogurt, hot meals, canned food, sous vide and NutriBoost which mimics the effects of cooking without really all burn these nutrients.

App

The biggest selling point of the new Instant Pot Pro Plus is its smartphone connectivity. This allows you to search an extensive database of recipes, check the status of your cooking and control the process remotely.

The recipes really dominate the conversation when it comes to the app. The greatest convenience is to wirelessly transfer the cooking settings from your phone to the Instant Pot and start cooking right away. Discovering recipes was a breeze. You can filter by vegetarian or vegan diet, time of day, difficulty and preparation times. The search for vegetarian dinners only brought about 40 results out of the original 1,500, many of which were a mix of tofu, quinoa, butternut squash, or lentils. It was clear that I wouldn't have many kilometers in the long run.

Instant Pot App runs on a smartphone with an Instant Pot and ingredients in the background. Simon Sage / Digital Trends

I chose an eggplant parmesan because my partner can tolerate the vegetarian diet if there is enough cheese involved. With a shopping list feature, you can export the ingredients to any app you normally use for things like that. I would also have loved to tick them off in the Instant Pot app itself. The recipe was pulled from the internet and had each step broken down correctly, along with shortcuts for starting the Instant Pot and setting timers. While the app is running, a notification will appear in the system tray so you can keep an eye on the cooking progress at a glance.

This was the first time I've cooked pasta in an instant pot, and I followed the author's instructions in good faith. Unfortunately, I should have taken some time to read the community comments and reviews, which precisely reported that the recipe produced undercooked penne. There is also a five-star rating system in place, but at 3.6 stars no alarm bells went off initially. I was able to save the meal with a little extra water in the baking dish and a longer cooking time in the oven. The only collateral damage was a few burnt noodles on top and a scramble over the smoke alarm. The rest of the penne was tougher than I would have liked, but better than crispy.

There is a lot of trust in the community to provide high quality recipes.

As for the recipes, they rely heavily on the community to both provide quality advice and check if they don't work. Popular recipes will have enough community momentum for this to work, but niche recipes will get beginners like me rolling the dice pretty often. Regardless of where you search for recipes on the internet or how you send those instructions to your devices, you are likely to encounter the same uncertainties. Even if the recipe search ultimately fails and the convenience of one-touch instructions is lost, you at least have remote monitoring of everything you manually enter. In the best case scenario, you will find a handful of recipes that you love in Instant Pot's database and you will be able to use the one-touch function reliably.

What else is new?

My last Instant Pot was the Ultra 6 Quart, so the Pro Plus was a big step up in many ways. The inclusion of handles on the inner pot is a huge improvement in ease of use. Fins on the lid and some brackets along the base provide a home for a large, chunky platter that would otherwise roll around on the kitchen counter while you try to add ingredients. The front has a touch screen, which can be much easier to navigate than just a clicky wheel. An extra cover on the pressure relief helps evacuate steam, not that I've ever had many issues with spill damage. There's also a new pulse-release mode that aims to reduce splatter when depressurizing super dishes.

Instant Pot Pro Plus with a baking dish in the foreground.

Our opinion

Being able to cook so many things without lighting the stove and ultimately saving energy is a huge draw. Discovering new recipes and transferring their instructions straight from your phone to the Instant Pot is a fun gimmick, but not without its compromises.

Is there a better alternative?

On paper, the Instant Pot Pro Plus is at the top of their product range. At just $ 170, your savings will be minimal even if you can find a cheaper model from competing brands. The Instant Pot Pro Plus is currently only available with a capacity of 6 liters. So if you cook for a large household, the other 8 liter models may be more suitable. The baking option is also not available on the Pro Plus, while it is available on the Pro. All of this means you'll struggle to find a better alternative than the Instant Pot Pro Plus, aside from a few specific hangers.

How long it will take?

I used the Instant Pot Ultra for about three and a half years with no sign of it slowing down or wearing out. Ready-to-use, Instant Pots come with a one-year warranty to cover all mishaps at the beginning of their lifespan. The sealing ring on the inside is probably the first thing you'll need, but you can easily buy replacements for it. We suspect that with a little care, an Instant Pot could last five years or more.

Should you buy it?

The Instant Pot Pro Plus is easy to recommend. It continues to repeat what made the brand so successful. The benefit from the range of functions is still impressive.

Editor's recommendations



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



24 Nov
Blog

JBL Reflect Flow Pro Review: Spectacular Sport Earbuds

JBL Reflect Flow Pro.

JBL Reflect Flow Pro in the test: Spectacular sports earphones

RRP $ 180.00

"Many functions and a powerful sound make them perfect training friends."

advantages

  • Firm, secure fit

  • Excellent noise cancellation

  • Choice of hands-free A.I.s.

  • Completely waterproof

  • Wireless charging

disadvantage

  • Limited control

  • No quick charging option

JBL isn't always the most enduring company when it comes to personal audio. Sometimes, like the Tour Pro + earphones and the Tour One ANC headphones, it absolutely pegs down. Other times it falls short, as I've felt with its flagship Club One cans. But they've been more hits than failures lately, and that certainly goes for JBL's newest true wireless earbuds, the $ 180 JBL Reflect Flow Pro, a product that mates with the $ 200 Beats Fit Pro , the $ 180, competes Jabra Elite 7 Active, and JBL's own Reflect Mini NC for $ 150. How good are the Reflect Flow Pro? Let's take a look at them.

Great fit without Frankenstein

JBL Reflect Flow Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

In theory, the Reflect Flow Pro are the company's successors Reflect flow Model, a comfortable and waterproof set of sports earbuds that unfortunately had some drawbacks. They were huge – often sticking out of the ears and giving off what I consider a Frankenstein monster look. Their physical buttons were a little difficult to press, their sound quality was uneven, and their transparency mode (ambient mode) was limited.

But if you look at the design of the Reflect Flow Pro, it becomes clear that despite its name, it is actually the Pro model of the Reflect Mini NC and not the Reflect Flow. The Reflect Flow Pro are smaller and lighter and fix practically every bug we found with the original Reflect Flow.

The Reflect Flow Pro comes with three sizes of silicone earbuds and four sizes of wingtips ("power fins" in JBL parlance) that range from large to barely available, which means that more people are likely to find a suitable combination. This is in stark contrast to the Beats Fit Pro, which has a single, permanently installed set of wingtips.

Scope of delivery of JBL Reflect Flow Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

According to JBL, the fit is secure enough to go surfing with the Reflect Flow Pro. I respectfully disagree. Yes, they are very secure, but no, I wouldn't risk finding out the hard way they couldn't be wiped upside down. Still, as long as they stay in place, they won't have a problem handling all that water – with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, they're pretty much the toughest earbuds you can buy.

The charging case is neither waterproof nor dustproof, but well made and quite robust. The integrated carrying loop is just big enough to guide the bag through the loop and attach it to a bag strap or even a belt loop on the trousers.

From zero to hero

The Reflect Flow Pro not only improve the design of the Reflect Flow, they are also packed with features. Wireless charging, wear sensors, a choice of voice assistants, active noise cancellation (ANC), transparency mode, custom controls and EQ. It's like JBL defies us to find something that's missing, and frankly, it's hard to find bugs at all. And that's before we even dive into things like sound quality, call quality, and practical extras (but don't worry, we'll cover those too).

Hours of power

JBL Reflect Flow Pro charging case.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

One of the things the original JBL Reflect Flow got right was its impressive power capacity: 10 hours per charge and two full charges in the case's battery. The Reflect Flow Pro doubles these numbers when ANC and transparency are disabled. But even when you use these features, you still get up to eight hours on a single charge. That's better than both the Beats Fit Pro and Beats Powerbeats Pro.

The only thing missing here is a quick charging option. Ordinarily I would call JBL for this oversight, but if you can offer people up to 10 hours per charge, the need for fast charge is greatly reduced. In addition, the charging case of the Reflect Flow Pro supports wireless charging of Qi, something that Beats products have not yet been able to do.

Sound that moves you

Man with JBL Reflect Flow Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Punchy and powerful bass can be fun no matter what you're doing while listening to music, but it's a great benefit for people who need exercise motivation. The Reflect Flow Pro won't disappoint: you sound great right out of the box, with lots of low-end boom and decently clear mids and highs. Throw up a track like Billy Idol's Rita Hayworth and the Reflect Flow Pro delivers a high-octane sound attack that is guaranteed to get you moving.

Subtlety isn't their forte – these aren't the earphones for finding lost details in your favorite jazz ensembles – but they're not a blunt instrument either. The headphone app from JBL offers a very powerful EQ tool that rewards patience and experimentation with many tuning variations. My only gripe is that the company doesn't come with a few more built-in presets – you only get three: bass, jazz, and vocal.

Quiet or talkative

JBL Reflect Flow Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The noise cancellation of the JBL Reflect Mini NC impressed me quite a bit, but the Reflect Flow Pro are even better. So good that I saw almost no difference when I compared it to the Beats Fit Pro (which have a great ANC). Outside, traffic noise was kept well at bay so I could hear my podcasts clearly without turning up the volume. Inside, the bathroom fan, which sits six feet from my desk – but it sounds like it's next to my head – has been almost completely neutralized.

The transparency mode is really good too, with the option to choose between two versions: Ambient Aware (for general ambient noise) and TalkThru (for conversations). Both can be quickly triggered with a single or double tap on the earbuds, which makes them very convenient.

The illusion of control

Controls are the only area in which JBL still has a lot to do. The touch controls on the Reflect Flow Pro are excellent – they respond quickly and accurately to touch and a small tone confirms when a touch is made, which is an important form of feedback when a physical click is not available. The problem is that at JBL you can choose from four possible control “groups” and you can only have two of them active at the same time.

For example, you can choose between playback control, ambient noise / ANC / TalkThru, volume control or voice assistant. If you want playback and volume control, you cannot use Ambient Noise / ANC / TalkThru or Voice Assistant. If you want playback controls and voice assistant, you cannot use Ambient Sound / ANC / TalkThru or volume control.

If this is inherent in the true wireless earbuds, I wouldn't be complaining, but it's not: the Jabra series of elite earbuds give you complete control over every gesture without forcing you to choose between mutually exclusive options.

I also wish there was a way to turn off voice feedback. The quick toggling from ANC to Ambient mode is great, but it's a little less convenient if your earbuds keep saying "Ambient mode on" or "Noise canceling on".

Speak and be heard

The call quality with the Reflect Flow Pro is generally very good. You can struggle a little in very noisy situations, but few earbuds excel in these conditions. More importantly, they handle wind noise better than most of the earbuds I've tried, and that's helpful as they'll be great choices for runners or even cyclists. You will be perfectly heard in relatively quiet conditions.

However, with these earbuds you can also use your voice to summon various assistants – a rare feature that comes in very handy. iOS users can use Hey Siri in the same way as they can with Apple's H1-based products (AirPods, Beats Fit Pro, Powerbeats Pro, etc.). There is also the option of working with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant instead – both work with their respective hands-free wake-up words.

Extras

If you're the type of person who keeps misplacing items, the JBL Headphones app can force the Reflect Flow Pro to emit a loud beep. Each earbud can beep independently, but the feature will not work when docked in the charging case. There is also no map showing their last known location, which some other earbuds (AirPods, Jabra Elite, etc.) do.

The app can also help you find out if the size of the earbuds you choose seals you off from the outside world. If you're not getting the sound quality you expected – especially poor bass – this is the place to start.

Our opinion

With great protection from the elements, great sound and noise cancellation, and great battery life, the JBL Reflect Flow Pro are the perfect alternative to the Beats Powerbeats Pro and Fit Pro for people looking for a killer workout companion.

Is there a better alternative?

I think the best alternative to the Reflect Flow Pro is JBL's Reflect Mini NC. It's less expensive, has a smaller charging case that puts it in your pocket better, and has practically all the features of the Pro. You won't get the same caliber of sound quality, noise cancellation, or call quality, but for some people this is a perfectly acceptable tradeoff.

If you want a smaller earbud, Beats Fit Pro will work fine, and if you want a much more secure fit, consider the Powerbeats Pro.

How long will they last?

With an IP68 degree of protection and a very long starter battery life, you should get many years out of the JBL Reflect Flow Pro. They are solidly built, as is their charging case. JBL supports them with a one-year guarantee.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. If you're looking for a sturdy set of training buds that can handle anything you throw at them – and that come with solid features and great sound – this is it JBL Reflect Flow Pro are an excellent choice.

Editor's recommendations



20 Nov
Blog

Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro+ Review: Quietly Loud and Smart

Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro + on hardwood floor.

Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro +

RRP $ 700.00

"With the Deebot N8 Pro + you spend less time babysitting and can concentrate more on other things than vacuuming."

advantages

  • Very low noise when vacuuming

  • Mop floors very well

  • Avoid most obstacles

disadvantage

  • Mopping plate is difficult to remove

If you haven't dealt with the robot vacuum cleaner for a long time, you may notice a special trend over the last year: self-emptying bots that do the job without any interaction from us humans. Sure, you still have to empty the bag at some point when it's full, but this iterative feature makes it more autonomous.

Most of the big brands offer some sort of self-draining robot hoover, including Ecovacs with its latest model, the Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro +. You may be wondering what's so special about this one that we've never seen before, but the convenience of a self-draining vacuum cleaner is only part of the bigger equation. Can he also clean intelligently without being hindered by obstacles? Here is what I found out.

draft

One look at the Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro + and there's no denying that it's built like every other robotic vacuum cleaner I've seen. Even if the aesthetics are so extraordinary, the only distinguishable aspect here is the bluish paintwork. It's worth noting, however, that it has two side sweeping brushes that help funnel debris into the underside brush and work at a slower speed to keep small bits of debris from being flung in all directions.

Top view of the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro +.John Velasco / Digital Trends

The Ozmo N8 Pro + also has a wipe function that makes it a double-duty model. The microfiber pad in particular is not like the skimpy pad other robotic vacuums use – it actually has substance to make contact with the floor! Unfortunately, removing the mopping plate from the water tank isn't as intuitive as I'd like it to be because you really need to use some force on it.

navigation

Lidar technology enables the Deebot N8 Pro + to clean efficiently, reducing time and maximizing its cleaning schedule. From the start of the first cleaning, he managed to map the different rooms in my apartment because he is actively vacuuming. On the second go-around, I could tell that it knew exactly what to do from the start, as it would move in a zigzag pattern in free space.

Close-up of the sensors of the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro +.John Velasco / Digital Trends

Corners are also handled very well, but it's worth noting that it's also fairly gentle when cleaning around furniture and other obstacles it encounters while vacuuming. Similar to other vacuums with lidar technology, there is the option to set up no-go zones or virtual walls to prevent the bot from entering certain rooms, which is handy when you have places that you don't want to disturb.

Obstacle avoidance

The Deebot N8 Pro + uses laser-based 3D technology, which Ecovacs calls TrueDetect, which gives it the vision of seeing what is in front of it and figuring out the best way to get around it. For the most part, it does the job, but it's still not without its flaws.

Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro + on hardwood floor.John Velasco / Digital Trends

For example, it intelligently sucked around a lonely sock that was lying on the floor – and it was good also to avoid water bowls that I left on the floor for my cats. However, it can still be tripped over by those pesky cable wires on the floor, especially the thinner ones I use for my smartphones. It seems to distinguish thicker cable wires better, like those found on power strips or other large devices, but the thinner ones are a hit-or-miss.

But I have to admit that the Deebot N8 Pro + is not as stuck as other vacuum robots. Sure, it can get under some furniture, like an entertainment center, but it does a good job of telling whether or not it has the required passage.

Cleaning performance

Thanks to its two side brushes, the Deebot N8 Pro + treats hard floors like a champion. Pet hair and other smaller particles of dirt will be eaten up with no problem, but the same deep cleaning that I get from traditional upright vacuums when it comes to carpets and rugs still cannot be achieved. Its suction power increases when it touches carpets, but only ensures superficial cleaning.

Since it is a 2-in-1 combination, adding a wiping function offers enormous added value here. Although it relies only on water to mop floors, my feet can tell how much cleaner my hardwood floors feel than if I just vacuumed them. I also like how you can use the app to set how much water the Deebot N8 Pro + emits during cleaning. More stubborn buildups, however, required several passes to be completely removed. But you are still unbeatable to have a bot that can mop and vacuum at the same time.

An often overlooked aspect of robotic vacuums is how loud they sound when vacuuming. I was surprised at how quietly the Deebot N8 Pro + runs, low enough that it never distracted me while I was working. Compared to other vacuum robots, such as the iRobot Roomba i7 +, it is significantly quieter in operation. Only when it empties its contents into the self-emptying charging station is it loud and distracting. It sounds like a jet engine, but that's what most of them sound like.

Our opinion

Ecovacs is undoubtedly up to something good with the $ 700 Deebot N8 Pro +. It's a reliable bot that cleans well, doubles as a mop and even empties itself. All of these factors definitely add incredible value – especially when it is able to tackle most obstacles without major intervention.

Is there a better alternative?

The Samsung Jet Bot AI + would be the only other superior vacuum robot to consider. It offers exceptional obstacle avoidance, has a self-draining bin and even has a neat security camera patrol mode that can monitor movement. For this, however, you pay significantly more.

The only other model that corresponds to the Deebot N8 Pro + in terms of price and performance is the iRobot Roomba j7 +, which is faster in cleaning performance and handles obstacles just as well.

How long it will take?

Proper maintenance will extend the life of the Deebot N8 Pro +, so it is important to keep the brushes free from tangles and to remove any dust that collects over the sensors. There is a one-year limited warranty that comes with the product and covers defects.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. Why pay for two different robots when you can get a single one that can vacuum, mop, self-drain, and confidently navigate your home without tripping too many times.

Editor's recommendations



11 Nov
Blog

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

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

MacBook Pro (2021)

RRP $ 2,499.00

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

advantages

  • Incredible XDR display

  • Fantastic creative achievement

  • Extensive port selection

  • The keyboard and trackpad are perfect

  • Excellent speakers and webcam

  • Endless battery life

"We were wrong."

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

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

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

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

draft

The back of the MacBook Pro with the lid open.

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

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

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

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

The notch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Size and dimensions

A side profile of the 2021 MacBook Pro.

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

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

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

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

Ports

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The display of the 2021 MacBook Pro 16 inch.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Webcam

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

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

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

speaker

A top-down view of the MacBook Pro.

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

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

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

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

Keyboard and touchpad

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

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

Apple MacBook Pro Review 2021 14

Apple MacBook Pro Review 2021 13

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

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

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

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

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

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

Price and configurations

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

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

The screen of the MacBook Pro 2021.

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

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

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

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

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

power

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The MacBook Pro with an Adobe Premiere Pro benchmark.

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

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

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

Gaming performance

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

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

Rise of the Tomb Raider on the 2021 MacBook Pro.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Battery life

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

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

The 2021 MacBook Pro, half open.

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

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

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

Our opinion

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

Gibt es Alternativen?

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

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

Wie lange wird es dauern?

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

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

Should you buy it?

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

Editor's recommendations



09 Nov
Blog

Google Pixel 6 Pro Review: A Fantastic New Era Begins

Google Pixel 6 Pro from behind.

Google Pixel 6 Pro

RRP $ 899.00

"The Pixel 6 Pro has the best camera on a smartphone today, a vibrant screen, the latest and greatest-looking version of Android installed, and enough power and long-term support to keep you going for years."

advantages

  • Incredible camera

  • Fun camera features and editing tools

  • Vivid, colorful screen

  • Android 12

  • Long software support

disadvantage

  • Unreliable fingerprint sensor in the display

  • Cellular connection fluctuates in some situations

  • 120 Hz screen may shake

the Pixel 6 Pro is leading Google's Pixel smartphone lineup in an exciting and much-needed new direction. In the third generation, Pixels had become a boring mid-range smartphone for geeks and photographers. The Pixel 6 Pro, on the other hand, is a flagship with an eye-catching design and new technology inside. Plus, it has a fantastic camera, the latest software, and a price that won't hit your bank account too hard.

Does this make the Pixel 6 Pro a phone for everyone that can really compete with the best from Apple and Samsung? Yes, but not entirely either.

draft

What a fantastic looking smartphone the Pixel 6 Pro is, with its fashionable color scheme, high quality materials and feel, and unique style that makes it impossible to confuse with anything else. After a stream of boring, purely functional mobile devices, Google gave the Pixel 6 Pro a design that matches its clean and beautiful software. It's up there with the best looking phones released this year.

Google Pixel 6 Pro from behind.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

All done? Nothing but praise? Well no The Pixel 6 Pro is massive and almost identical to the other monster phone of 2021, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. At 8.9mm thick, it's not slim either, and its 210g weight means you'll always have it in your pocket. It is far from suitable for one-handed operation. The metal and shiny glass don't offer much grip either. So if you don't hold onto it there is a risk of a major, expensive accident.

Even if you do not hold the phone in your hand, it does not eliminate the risk of disaster as the phone has a tendency to slide around on many surfaces due to its slippery nature. A bag is recommended to keep it safe, and I also made sure that it is shielded on surfaces as the large camera module on the back can act as an anchor. The single, raised module strip extends over the entire back and, in the Sorta Sunny version, is framed with black glass and provided with gold decorative stripes in the adjacent pictures. This edge is slightly raised and can prevent the glass and lens from being scratched.

Side view of the Google Pixel 6 Pro.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

That the Pixel 6 Pro is big and slippery isn't unique, but it's a shame the non-Pro Pixel 6 isn't much smaller or less likely to break for freedom since it's made from the same materials. Unfortunately, the similarity in size means that no Pixel 6 phone is ideal for someone who wants a small Google phone. In the past few weeks with the Pixel 6 Pro, I've finally adjusted to the size and weight of the phone, along with the quirk that the power button is too high on the case. If you're coming from a smaller phone, be prepared for the fact that for the first few days the phone won't feel as natural as you might hope it will.

screen

On the Pixel 6 Pro, you'll see a beautiful 6.7-inch AMOLED screen with an aspect ratio of 19.5: 9, resolution of 3120 x 1440 pixels, and refresh rate of 120 Hz, covered with curved Gorilla Glass Victus . This is where it differs from the Pixel 6, which has a smaller, flat screen with a lower resolution and a refresh rate of 90 Hz. The curve is subtle and doesn't bend much of the screen over the sides of the phone and is mostly taken up by noticeable bezels.

Google Pixel 6 Pro wallpaper.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It's incredibly bright with excellent viewing angles, and you can watch videos with the phone flat on the table without losing quality or color. The viewing experience comes extremely close to that of the iPhone 13 Pro, with only a slight decrease in contrast in a direct comparison. Watching the Carfection video on the Ferrari 250 SWB reveals sublime colors and razor sharpness. The Pixel 6 Pro is a powerhouse for video playback.

The stereo speakers are intelligently placed, with the speaker at the bottom of the phone being accompanied by the main speaker at the top of the screen. Although the sound is pushed forward, it still has a wide sound stage. It's loud but the bass is missing, although the immersion from the clever placement of the speakers still makes the Pixel 6 Pro sound great in almost all situations.

The Pixel 6 Pro is a powerhouse for video playback.

All good so far but there are two serious screen issues that really frustrated me. The first is the in-display fingerprint sensor, which is junk. The problem is that it's slow and unreliable. I've re-registered my pressure several times and it doesn't change the situation. I've unlocked the Pixel 6 Pro with my PIN code more than any other phone, and there's no face unlock to bypass the pesky fingerprint sensor. I got around it a bit with Android's Smart Lock feature, which keeps the phone unlocked when it's in my pocket or when I'm at home. However, it's not particularly reliable either.

One-handed mode on the Google Pixel 6 Pro.One-handed mode Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Second, there's the 120Hz refresh rate. It's switchable between 60Hz and 120Hz instead of being dynamic like the Galaxy S21 Ultra's screen, and while much of the software is very fluid, there are apps that just aren't . Twitter is a great example as scrolling through my feed is like wading through mud compared to the iPhone 13 Pro. I'm pretty sure this is a screen refresh issue because when I manually force a 60Hz rate it scrolls freely, albeit with more blur. High refresh rate screens reduce eye strain and make website viewing and content scrolling more comfortable. At the moment, this is not always the case with the Pixel 6 Pro.

Both issues are at odds with the Pixel 6 Pro's polished exterior design, and not what you'd expect from a new high-end flagship from a company the size of Google. The refresh rate inconsistency could be fixed with a software update, and the fingerprint sensor unreliability could be improved in the same way. For now, however, both are pretty significant drawbacks that set the Pixel 6 Pro apart from its more expensive competitors.

camera

You get a 50-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel telephoto camera with 4x optical zoom and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. The Pixel 6 Pro also uses Laser Detect autofocus, optical image stabilization on the main and telecamera, and records up to 4K videos at 60 frames per second (fps). There's also an 11-megapixel selfie camera in a hole-punch cutout at the top center of the screen.

Google Pixel 6 Pro camera module.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I've already compared the Pixel 6 Pro's camera directly to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and Apple iPhone 13 Pro, and it beat those two established camera superstars. Everything you've heard about the Pixel 6 Pro's camera is true – it really is that good. Stills are full of life, colors and details. I haven't yet found a real situation where a photo is being taken that I need to edit a lot, if at all, before considering sharing, and the range of cameras offers versatility for me to have fun and get creative with .

It's the simplicity with which you can snap stunning photos that makes it so exciting. No matter whether night or day – whether the subject is moving or resting or near or far – the 6 Pro does everything for you. You just press a button and get a brilliant picture.

  • 2.
    Wide angle
  • 3.
    Portrait mode
  • 4th
    Pixel 6 Pro
  • 5.
    Pixel 6 Pro
  • 7th
    Pixel 6 Pro
  • 8th.
    Pixel 6 Pro
  • 10.
    Pixel 6 Pro
  • 11.
    Pixel 6 Pro
  • 12th
    4x optical zoom
  • 13th
    20x digital zoom
  • 16.
    Pixel 6 Pro
  • 17th
    Pixel 6 Pro

There are several exclusive pixel camera modes to try out. Action Pan lets you take photos with a blurry background motion effect, which is great for action shots of cars and other fast-moving things. You just take a photo as usual and Google's software will add the speed effect. Long exposure mode does the same thing and you don't have to track the subject, but I haven't found that many situations where it works compared to Action Pan mode.

Everything you've heard about the Pixel 6 Pro's camera is true – it really is that good.

Found in Google Photos, Magic Eraser is only available on the Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro, and it works by digitally removing unwanted things from your photo. It's effective and easy to use, and with a few swipes, random people and objects will disappear from the background of your photos. It even works with old photos and photos that weren't taken with the Pixel 6 Pro. It's part of Google Photo's extensive photo editing suite that goes way beyond optimizing HDR or Saturation. You can even change the look of the sky in your photo with the touch of a button.

Anything that isn't great? The large sensor makes close-ups difficult, and there is no macro mode to make up for this. I've also seen some weird distortion from the main camera where objects appear to be a different shape than they actually are. Aside from that, you get fun photo and video modes, transformative editing tools, and a camera that will capture amazing photos regardless of your skills and the environment. The Pixel 6 Pro's camera is currently the best you can get on a smartphone.

Software and performance

The Pixel 6 Pro uses Google's new custom tensor processor, paired here with 12GB of RAM. There is a choice of 128 GB or 256 GB of storage space. I used the phone normally, spent time playing Asphalt 9: Legends, and took nearly 500 photos over a couple of weeks. Through all of that, the phone was a top performer. I didn't notice any difference with the Tensor-powered Pixel 6 Pro versus a phone with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor when it comes to general everyday life.

Playing on the Google Pixel 6 Pro.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Google used the Pixel 6 phones to launch Android 12. The biggest difference that you will notice with any other Android phone is the material you design. It makes Android cleaner than ever and a little more customizable too, as the accent colors can be set anywhere to match your wallpaper. There are some fairly new widgets of varying uses, with the YouTube Music widget being the most helpful to me and the new clock widgets being the most appealing.

The shortcut keys on the notification shade are bigger, easier to press and have new functions. I can't say they made a significant difference in my daily use, but they are definitely pretty to look at. I like the "bounce" built into vertically scrolling pages in the OS, but the one-handed mode isn't very good as you can't scroll through the OS and instead use a single app. It's not very helpful with a phone this big. I also like the Google Assistant's voice typing mode, which works fully in Messages and WhatsApp, so you can type and send messages hands-free. It's accurate and fast – I use it most days.

Live subtitle mode on the Google Pixel 6 Pro.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The tensor chip is supposed to improve the translation of other languages ​​on the device and is definitely faster than previous versions that I used on older Pixel phones. Live Caption adds text captions to videos in a few other languages ​​including Japanese. While watching one of AKB48's recent YouTube videos, Yuki Kashiwagi, the translation was good enough to understand what was going on, but it takes a while to get started. It will still make mistakes, especially if the conversation is lively, and will completely misunderstand what is being said, but overall it works well and is fast enough to keep up.

Although I've read some comments online about Android 12 having a lot of bugs, nothing was noticed during my time with the phone, at least not in terms of general usage. It is running all of the apps I have installed and has not crashed or done anything that irritates my daily chores. However, I've noticed that the assistant doesn't always give instructions to Google Home and sometimes it responds to the same commands. For example, Assistant stopped playing a YouTube video when I asked Home to stop playing a radio station.

I find Android 12 comfortable and quick to use, but there is a small learning curve. Google doesn't keep popping up cool features after reading the intro guide. The helpful pixel introductory cards that pop up the first time you set up your phone and lead you to notable new features will eventually wear off and you'll have to reach into the settings menu to activate them. It's a shame because you can be missing out if you don't take the time to really learn how to get the most out of Android 12.

Battery and connectivity

Equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery that charges to 50% in 30 minutes with a USB PD 3.0 charger and Qi wireless charging, Google says the Pixel 6 Pro will last around 24 hours before it does needs to be charged. After testing, I expect the Pixel 6 Pro to last at least as long as promised, and I was pretty impressed with the battery life given the size and specs of the screen and the 120Hz always-on refresh rate.

Charging port on the Google Pixel 6 Pro.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

For example, on a single day with three hours of GPS use, a hundred photos, apps open, social networks, and a few other simple tasks, the battery still had around 30% left late in the evening. With light to moderate daily use, it was rare for the battery to drop below 50% by midnight. However, it took the phone about two days and two charges to adjust to my usage before the battery started working much harder. After this adjustment phase was over, the battery life improved significantly.

Side view of the Google Pixel 6 Pro.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

This is a 5G smartphone that connects to either sub-6 or mmWave networks depending on the version purchased. I am testing the phone in the UK on the 4G and sub 6-5G EE network. I have found that connectivity can be flaky and on several occasions a data connection has not been maintained despite showing a 4G or 5G connection. I've noticed that this is especially the case after driving a car, which may indicate that it is struggling to switch between cell towers and possibly 3G, 4G, and 5G as well. It isn't all the time and can only happen in areas with poor coverage, but there is something to be aware of.

After this adjustment phase was over, the battery life improved significantly.

Otherwise, the call quality is very good, with clear voices and a loud speaker (although finding the sweetspot on the ear is a bit awkward). I also had no issues connecting bluetooth earbuds or streaming YouTube to my TV.

Price and availability

the Pixel 6 Pro starts at $ 899 and is available now through Google's own online store and various networks. In the UK, the Pixel 6 Pro starts at £ 849. However, be prepared to wait if you order one now as demand is high and supply is low.

Our opinion

The only thing stopping the Google Pixel 6 Pro from being a must-have is the in-display fingerprint sensor. It's the only technical feature that lets the whole thing down, and since Face Unlock can't be used instead, getting into the phone takes longer than any other top smartphone currently available. It's a real shame because once inside it's a great experience.

Android 12 looks great, the screen is colorful and vibrant, and the camera is the best I've used on any phone in a while. That you have to resort to hacky workarounds to unlock your phone and gain access to these wonderful things borders on cruelty. Aside from the exaggeration, I was hoping that after the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 Ultra debacle, we had exceeded the level that makes security on smartphones annoying, but unfortunately not. Fortunately, the camera makes up for it. The last camera that I liked as much as the Pixel 6 Pro was on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, and I think the photos on the 6 Pro are better than those of the S21 Ultra in many ways.

The many advantages of the Pixel 6 Pro mean I've learned to live with the inadequacy of the fingerprint sensor and other relatively minor annoyances, and the price is extremely competitive. even. If I were told it was $ 1,000, I wouldn't think of questioning its worth. It hits 8/10 here, and that will climb to 9/10 if the screen issues are fixed and connectivity improved in an update, but that number may not really reflect how good the rest of the Pixel 6 Pro is, which is why it is is associated with an Editor's Choice Award.

The Pixel 6 Pro is hands down the best Google phone in the past few years, and it's so powerful and well supported that it will last for years.

Is there a better alternative?

If you want the best camera phone available, our tests show that the Pixel 6 Pro is the right phone right now, although the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro are still superb and have some unique features that set them apart from others . These two devices are the main competitors of the Pixel 6 Pro, and we appreciate the feature set and beautiful screen of the S21 Ultra, as well as the performance, capability, and excellent software of the iPhone 13 Pro. You won't go wrong with any of these three phones.

How long it will take?

The Pixel 6 Pro's screen is covered with Gorilla Glass Victus, the back is covered with Gorilla Glass 6, and the phone is IP68 water and dust resistant so it can withstand harsh treatment. However, due to the slippery case, I still recommend putting it in a suitcase.

Google promises major Android software updates for the Pixel 6 Pro by October 2024 and security updates by October 2026. This is one of the longest update schedules on any Android phone, and even surpasses Samsung's generous four years of security updates on its latest Galaxy Cell phones. The Google Pixel 6 Pro will easily last three years before you have to consider upgrading, but for many it could easily take five years.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. The fingerprint sensor will annoy you, but the camera and performance are so good, and the price is so cheap, that you will overlook it.

Editor's recommendations



08 Nov
Blog

Ring Alarm Pro Review: Peace of Mind When You’re in the Dark

ring alarm pro test 2020q1 lifestyle insitu alarm base station keyboard input

Bell Alert Pro

RRP $ 300.00

"Never worry about power or internet outages again, because the Ring Alarm Pro will continue to work."

advantages

  • Double as a Wi-Fi 6 router

  • Backup of the internet for all devices

  • Lots of accessories to expand the system

  • Battery backup in the event of power interruptions

disadvantage

  • Separate app required for router settings

I have been using the Ring Alarm (2nd Generation) for almost a year now and have had very few complaints about the system or service. It kept me informed of what was going on in my apartment when and not being there, while frequent updates of Ring's services made the experience even sweeter. Add to that the range of Ring devices and accessories and it becomes a breeze if you're looking for a complete all-in-one security system for your home.

So how can Ring do it better? Maybe by making sure that all of my devices stay connected even when the power and internet go down. The Ring Alarm Pro serves this purpose but is different from other offerings in that it effectively acts as an Eero Wi-Fi 6 router to keep not only your Ring devices active and connected, but everything else on the network as well.

Setup and installation

The Ring Alarm Pro is available in a variety of configurations – which is good because it covers both small and large spaces – with the ability to add accessories to the system at any time. The five-part basic kit costs US $ 200 and consists of a base station, keyboard, contact sensor, motion detector, and range extender. I tested the eight-piece kit ($ 300) which has everything that is in the five-piece but includes three additional contact sensors.

Ring Alarm Pro in the closet.

In contrast to the Ring Alarm (2nd Gen), which I had hidden on a corner table, the Ring Alarm Pro has to be placed near your internet modem. If you already have a modem gateway that doubles as a router, you will need to connect the Ring Alarm Pro with an Ethernet cable. After setting it up through the Ring app, the only problem I stumbled across was connecting my previous sensors. They just didn't want to connect at first, but updating the Ring app seemed to fix the problem.

software

The Ring app went through a lot of updates, but it can be a bit overwhelming to navigate the app to find various settings. If you've been a long-time Ring user you shouldn't have too many problems, but anyone who is new to the Ring should have a serious look at the app. Regarding arming / disarming the security system, I like that the option is conveniently available right from the main screen. If there is one critical feature I would recommend to turn on, it is setting up the geofence – so that you will be automatically notified of arming / disarming the system based on your phone's GPS location.

In order to access or change some of the router settings, you will need to do so through the Eero app. This can cause confusion for some people as it is technically a separate app, but it is required if you are monitoring traffic on your network, changing the settings of the router, and adding additional Eero Wi-Fi 6 mesh extenders want to add. Personally, I would have preferred some of these options to be accessible through the Ring app as it means one less app to manage.

Home security performance

During the time I have been using the Ring Alarm (2nd generation), I have never had any problems. Whenever a door or window opens, I am informed about these events via the app, which can be combined with other automations, e.g. If you have pets nearby, I also recommend adjusting the sensitivity of your motion sensor as they can set off the alarm if they move. This happened once a year that I was using Ring Protect Plus and I got a call from Ring's professional monitoring service.

Ring motion sensor attached to the wall.

I really like that there are so many accessories connected to the Ring Alarm Pro home security system that you can sleep knowing that you are safe. Aside from the usual sensors, there are also those that can detect other hazards – like water collecting on a floor or even being able to watch out for fire / carbon monoxide sirens that you may already have.

Some home security systems can become vulnerable, but the Ring Alarm Pro cannot.

What really sets the Ring Alarm Pro apart from other home security systems is that it provides backup support for internet and power outages. This is not new in and of itself as other systems have similar automations, but what differs from Ring's offering is that Internet backup is available for all devices – not just the Ring Alarm Pro and its connected sensors. Would you believe it would work?

I tested this by unplugging the Ethernet cable connected to the Ring Alarm Pro from my modem, as well as the power cord. Within a minute, I received a notification that the Ring Alarm Pro was running on battery power and backup internet. I was very surprised to see that all of my devices, such as my laptop and smartphones, were still connected so I could keep working. Ring Protect Plus includes 3 GB of backup data service, but you can sign up for additional data through the Ring app for $ 3 per GB.

Bell alarm keypad on the table.

Fortunately, I haven't experienced an emergency situation, but I like how the Ring Alarm Pro takes that extra step to provide protection in other situations. Take, for example, an evening storm that cuts power for a few hours. Some home security systems can become vulnerable, but not the Ring Alarm Pro, which goes beyond that by providing total security.

WiFi 6 mesh router

There's no denying that I love multifunctional devices that eliminate the need to buy multiple devices – and the Ring Alarm Pro is one of them! Part Home Security Hub, part Wi-Fi 6 Router, it helps a growing smart home by expanding Wi-Fi coverage. Before installing the Ring Alarm Pro, I used an Eero mesh WiFi router with two other extenders in other parts of my home. Exchanging it with the Ring Alarm Pro and connecting the existing extenders was a breeze.

I appreciate the convenience of being able to expand the coverage when I move into a larger room.

Usually devices in my bedroom were struggling to stay connected to my living room router, but the Wi-Fi 6 mesh extender I set up helped fix the problem. Although my apartment is about 1,000 square feet, I appreciate the convenience of being able to expand the coverage if I ever move to a larger room with the Ring Alarm Pro. I can also see which connected devices are consuming the most data and even have the option to pause data usage. For parents, this is an incredibly powerful tool for managing device usage throughout the day.

Our opinion

Ring was a pioneer in the video doorbell space and has expanded into other categories to further expand its ecosystem. With the Ring Alarm Pro, it is the iterative home security system that needs to be beaten right now because it will really continue to protect your home if there is an emergency. Other systems have problems when the power or internet goes out and some of your other devices are left in the dark, but the Ring Alarm Pro keeps chugging as if nothing happened. And. oh yes it doubles as a Wi-Fi 6 mesh router!

Is there a better alternative?

Nothing matches the depth and utility that the Ring Alarm Pro offers, but SimiplSafe's home improvement security system is the closest competitor. While it may not have as many accessories and devices as Ring, SimpliSafe offers one of the best professional home monitoring services out there. In addition, many of the key devices, such as the base station and Smart Lock, are beautifully designed to match any facility.

How long it will take?

If the previous iteration of Ring is any indication, the Ring Alarm Pro should remain in good working order for a long time. Since this is a router and remains stationary, there is very little chance of it getting damaged – even more so if you're like me and place it in a locked room in your entertainment center. There is a one year limited warranty that covers it for defects.

Should you buy it?

Yes, you kill two birds with one stone, because the Ring Alarm Pro doubles as a Wi-Fi 6 mesh router and home security base station. You will never have to worry about home security and power outages again.

Editor's recommendations



07 Nov
Blog

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro Review: Lovely Display Saves Day

Lenovo Ideapad Slim 7i Pro review

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro

RRP $ 1,420.00

"Despite a few flaws, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is one of the better new Windows 11 laptops you can buy."

advantages

  • Solid productivity performance

  • High resolution 90 Hz display

  • Great keyboard and touchpad

  • Simple but attractive aesthetics

disadvantage

  • Build quality is a little below average

  • Battery life is mediocre

Apart from the Surface devices, new Windows 11 laptops have so far been sparse.

Now there's Lenovo's IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro, one of the most anticipated newbies with Microsoft's latest operating system, and it promises to take advantage of Windows 11 with high-end components and a productivity-friendly 16:10 high-resolution display.

The IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is said to be a prime example of the “Midrange Plus” lineup from Lenovo, which offers some of the same features that you will find in ThinkPads and a high quality finish that is nevertheless (relatively) affordable.

My configuration was $ 1,420, which is not that cheap. The $ 1,190 launch configuration is also in a confusing place. But in the end it all comes down to whether this is a good laptop for the money. Despite a few problems, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro makes a promising start into the Windows 11 era of laptops.

draft

A Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro sits on a table, at an angle to the view of the back and lid.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

When I judge the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro as a premium laptop, I have to pick out a few nits in terms of build quality. It's made of machined aluminum, which is a good thing, but I found the lid a bit pliable and the keyboard deck and case base had some flexibility. That would be a suitable build quality for $ 1,000 or less, but at over $ 1,400, it's missing something. The HP Specter x360 14, for example, is only a few hundred euros more and is rock solid, while the Asus ZenBook 13 OLED is several hundred euros cheaper and more robust. However, the hinge on the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is superb, making it easy to open the laptop with one hand while holding the display firmly in place.

The IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has minimal bezels on the top and sides and a larger chin than the Dell XPS 13. An inverted notch on the top houses the cameras and adds a convenient opening for opening the lids. Together with the larger 16:10 display, the chin makes the laptop lower than it could be, while the side bezels keep it relatively narrow.

It's a well-sized laptop that is easy to carry around.

Overall, the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is in line with other 14-inch laptops with 16:10 displays such as the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9. At 0.67 inches, it is thin, although not as thin as the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 with 0.59 inches. At three pounds, its weight is average for 14-inch laptops. The ThinkPad is half a pound lighter, however. Overall, the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is a well-sized laptop that is easy to transport.

Aesthetically, the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro matches many newer laptops that use a minimalist design. It seems the more laptops I check, the more similar they look. The Ideapad is available in slate gray (my test device) or light silver. It has very simple lines and angles, a curved trailing edge and subtle logos that give it a very nondescript appearance.

As with so many similar laptops, including the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1, it's an attractive laptop, but it won't stand out. The HP Specter x360 14, with its gem-cut design and bright accent colors, offers a much bolder design. Do you like the look of the IdeaPad? Probably, unless you want a laptop that makes a fashion statement. It certainly won't offend you.

Along the left side of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro are two USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 ports (one of which is used for power supply).

Along the right side of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro you can see a USB A 3.2 Gen 1 port and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

Connectivity isn't a strength. On the left you will find two USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 ports (one of which is used for power supply) and a USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port and a 3.5mm audio jack on the right.

Unfortunately there is no SD card slot or HDMI which is disappointing. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 take over wireless tasks.

power

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro sits on a table.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

My test device was designed for more powerful laptops with a 35 watt Intel Core i7-11370H CPU, the 11th. It's an interesting processor that divides the difference between, for example, an 8-core / 16-thread Core i7-11800H with 45 watts and a 28-watt 4-core / 8-thread Core i7-1185G7. The Core i7-11370H is a productivity CPU through and through – it's supposed to be fast enough to handle demanding productivity workflows, but it's not in the same league as processors, which are faster in creative applications.

The first thing to note is that Lenovo has included its Performance Optimization utility that allows you to switch between battery saving, smart cooling, and extreme performance modes. The utility only made a difference in two of our benchmarks, our Handbrake test, which encodes a 420MB video in H.265 and Cinebench R23. Both are CPU-bound, and this is where the utility had the biggest impact.

For example, in Handbrake it took the IdeaPad 202 seconds to complete in intelligent cooling mode and 155 seconds in performance mode. That's a significant difference, and in fact, it was almost the same as the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio with the same CPU in that laptop's performance mode. The same was true for Cinebench R23, where the IdeaPad's score jumped from 5,544 to 6,150, a more competitive result.

The IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is a fast productivity laptop.

However, the utility made little to no difference in Geekbench 5, PCMark 10, and 3DMark Time Spy. But the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro also scores well in these benchmarks in intelligent cooling mode and is ahead of the U-series competitors and close to the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 with its Ryzen 7 5700U and the Surface Laptop Studio in all but that 3DMark test. The fastest notebook in our comparison list was of course the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 with a Core i7-11800H. Upon closer inspection of the PCMark 10 benchmark, the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro did well in all tests, including Essentials, Productivity, and Content Creation.

All of this means that the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is a fast, productivity laptop that can handle anything a typical user will throw at it. Put it in performance mode, which has the fans spinning up and a lot louder, and it can handle lighter creativity tasks better. It won't compete with the faster Intel CPUs or AMD's Ryzen 5000 series for developers, but it's better than the typical thin and light Intel laptop.

Geekbench (single / multiple) Handbrake
(Seconds)		 Cinebench R23 (single / multiple) PCMark 10 3DMark time spy
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro (Core i7-11370H) 1578/5957 202 1514/5544 5149 1888
Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (Ryzen7 5700U) 1184/6281 120 1287/8013 5411 1247
Samsung Galaxy Book (Core i5-1135G7) 1401/5221 180 1361/5391 4735 1584
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 (Core i7-1165G7) 1327/5201 N / A 1469/4945 5147 1776
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio (Core i7-11370H) 1321/5131 179 1304/5450 5091 4266
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 (Core i7-11800H) 1520/7353 106 1519/10497 6251 6691
MSI Sumit E13 Flip Evo (Core i7-1185G7) 1352/4891 207 1360/4392 4872 1751

With Intel Iris Xe graphics, the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is not a gaming laptop. The 3DMark Time Spy score is average and it only managed 22 frames per second (fps) at 1200p and epic graphics in Fortnite. This is in line with other Iris Xe laptops and means that the IdeaPad is best for older titles or newer titles with lower resolutions and graphics settings. Or just stick to casual gaming.

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Image of the display of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo equips the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro with a 14-inch 16:10 IPS display in a so-called “2.8K” resolution at 2,880 x 1,800. It's a sharp and bright display with dynamic colors that aren't over-saturated and enough contrast to make black text appear on a white background. It also runs at 90 Hz (60 Hz is configurable), which makes movements and animations on the screen a little smoother. I found the display to be pretty good during my tests and when I wrote this review. There's also the option for a 2.2K (2,240 x 1,400) IPS display that runs at 60 Hz, which I haven't tested.

My colorimeter agreed with my impressions. The display was quite bright at 369 nits, above our 300 nits threshold, beating the 238 nits of the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 for $ 1,000 and the 326 nits of the Samsung Galaxy Book for $ 900, the both real middle class are machines. The IdeaPad was also brighter than the 306 nits of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 for $ 1,885, and that's officially a premium laptop from Lenovo.

The IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro also has wider than average colors, with 80% AdobeRGB (72% closer to average) and 100% sRGB (95% is average), much better than the Inspiron 14 2-in-1's 52%. from AdobeRGB and 69% from sRGB and 48% and 64% of the Galaxy Book. The IdeaPad even beats the ThinkPad's 76% and 100%. These colors were also fairly accurate with a DeltaE of 1.65 (1.0 or less is excellent), compared to the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 with 1.8, the Galaxy Book with 2.41, and the ThinkPad with an even better 0 , 99. Finally, the IdeaPad's contrast was 1,340: 1, well above our preferred 1,000: 1 and much higher than the other three laptops I used for comparison.

Close-up of the webcam, screen and bezels on the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Those are excellent results for a laptop that was not explicitly designed for developers who demand even wider colors – although the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro's colors are certainly wide enough for the less demanding creative types. When searching our database, I couldn't find a current 14-inch laptop for the same money or more that had a better display – and most had significantly worse displays. The display also supports Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range (HDR), which makes it a great laptop for binding HDR content from Netflix and other streaming services. Lenovo charges a pretty penny for the IdeaPad, and the display helps justify the investment.

Sound is provided by two downward facing speakers under the front of the cabinet, and the sound was clear and bright. There was minimal bass as always. The only problem is that the volume was low even at full volume, but there was still a hint of distortion. You want headphones for Netflix and music, and sound quality isn't one of the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro's strong points.

Keyboard and touchpad

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro keyboard and trackpad.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has the same keyboard design found on all Lenovo laptops that are not labeled as ThinkPad. It's roomy with large and comfortably shaped keycaps. The “TrueStrike” switch mechanism was adopted from Lenovo gaming laptops and offers a tactile feel. The switches are snappy, with a soft bottom movement that makes for a precise feel. There was also a lot of travel for this type of keyboard.

It's not quite as comfortable as HP Specter or Dell XPS keyboards, but it's close enough. Most people will love this keyboard.

The touchpad was large and took up most of the palm rest space. Kudos to Lenovo for using the larger display. The touchpad surface was smooth, with just enough friction for precise swipes, and the buttons made a healthy click without being loud. It's a Microsoft Precision touchpad, and so the usual Windows 10 multi-touch gestures were well supported. The touch display was responsive and welcome too.

An infrared camera and facial recognition have Windows Hello support, and it was quick and reliable. Lenovo has incorporated its user presence detection technology, which locks and hibernates the laptop when the user leaves the area, keeps the laptop unlocked when the user is in front of it even when the keyboard and touchpad are not in use, and the laptop automatically reactivated when the user returns from an absence. It can even pause a video when the user leaves. Overall, it's a handy system that works well, and I had to turn it off to run my battery tests unless I wanted to sit in front of the laptop for hours.

Battery life

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro sits at an angle on a table.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

With a 61-watt-hour battery and a high-resolution 14-inch display, the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro made me very curious about its battery life. I was also wondering how the 35 watt CPU would fare.

Initially, the IdeaPad was inconsistent in our web browsing test. When I first ran the test, the laptop only lasted 6.25 hours, which is a miserable score compared to the 10 hours or more we like to see from thin and light premium laptops. I ran it a second time and it lasted 7.75 hours. That's better, but still way behind the field.

The battery life is not a strength of the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro.

For example, the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 lasted 12.9 hours in this test, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio lasted 10.5 hours. However, just as worrying as the short run time was the inconsistency. In our video benchmark, which runs through a local Full HD movie trailer, the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro managed 12.75 hours, which is a decent score that surpassed the 11 hours of the Inspiron but behind the 14 hours of the Surface Laptop Studio lagged behind.

In the PCMark 10 Applications battery test, which is the best indicator for the longevity of productivity, the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro lasted 9.25 hours. We didn't test the Surface Laptop Studio in this review and the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 wouldn't complete it, but the IdeaPad scores below average for thin and light laptops. Most last at least 10 hours, and some, like the MSI Summit E13 Flip Evo, can last 13 hours or more. In the PCMark 10 gaming battery test, the IdeaPad only lasted 95 minutes, which indicates that the laptop is maintaining its performance on battery power.

Overall, the battery life is not a strength of the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro. Whether it can last a full day at work depends on your workflow – if it's tough at all, have your charger with you just in case.

Our opinion

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is positioned as a mid-range laptop, but priced like a premium device, and luckily it lives up to the latter. The build quality is a bit poor and the battery life mediocre, but the performance is solid and the display is excellent for this device class. It is a good looking laptop that is reasonably sized and attractive with a simple design.

The additional features, such as user presence detection technology, are welcome additions that add value. The IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is a solid addition to the 14-inch clamshell market and is conquering a healthy niche for itself thanks to its outstanding display.

Are there alternatives?

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 is a great alternative if you're willing to spend a little extra cash. The display isn't that good, but the battery life is spectacular and the build quality is much better.

HP's Specter x360 14 is another solid option that is also a bit more expensive but gives you the flexibility of a 2-in-1, sleek design, and the option for an even better OLED display.

As always, the Dell XPS 13 is a great choice if you're willing to cut down on the size of the display (and chassis). It's fast, durable, and incredibly attractive and well built. Again, you'll be spending a little more, but it's worth it.

How long it will take?

The IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro could feel a bit more robust, but is built well enough to last for several years of typical use. Its components are up to date and are designed to keep Windows 11 running. As always, the industry standard one-year warranty is disappointing.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. Offering great performance and a beautiful display, the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro will meet most of the needs of the most demanding productivity user. Only the battery life stands out as a real minus.

Editor's recommendations



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