02 Sep
Blog

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED Review: The Performance You Need

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED sits on a tabletop.

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X

RRP $ 1,099.00

“The Asus Vivobook Pro 16X offers everything a content creator needs in a laptop. And the price is right. "

advantages

  • Incredible battery life

  • Gorgeous OLED screen

  • Powerhouse performance

  • Great value

  • A decent slot machine

disadvantage

  • Boring design

  • DialPad feels tricky

Asus has set itself the task of making OLED laptops accessible to the masses. The ZenBook 13 was the cheapest 1080p OLED panel we'd seen earlier this year, and now the Vivobook Pro 16X does the same for 4K OLED.

The high-resolution screen is available in a basic configuration starting at $ 1,100. In a world where OLED is typically reserved for laptops over $ 2,000, the Vivobook Pro 16X is a big step in the right direction.

Paired with a Ryzen 9 5900HX processor and an RTX 3050 Ti graphics card, the ingredients for an excellent content creation machine are available at an affordable price. As it turns out, it is just that – and so much more.

draft

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED laptop bezels.Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

The design of the VivoBook Pro 16X is not its strong point. This shows the laptop's low price. It's not an unattractive laptop in and of itself, just a very simple one. The dark gray case is not noticeable and the rather large plastic bezels ensure that it does not feel up-to-date. The few design flourishes that it has, such as the orange Esc key and the name tag on the front with the words "#BeExplorers", seem a little weird.

The design just doesn't have the premium look of some of its competitors, like the Dell XPS 15, MacBook Pro 16-inch, or even the HP Envy 15. But this, too, is significantly cheaper than many of these other options. Ultimately, the Vivobook Pro 16X is intended for those who prefer a cheaper laptop without sacrificing performance. Design is not in the foreground.

Fortunately, that doesn't mean the Vivobook Pro 16X is a poorly built device. It's a lot durable. The only weak point is in the middle of the lid along the hinge, but that's typical. It's an otherwise sturdy laptop that can be used and moved around.

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED sits on a tabletop.Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

Asus has also made no compromises in terms of portability. Despite being a very large laptop, the chassis is 0.74 inches thick and 4.3 pounds – slightly thicker than the XPS 15 but half a pound lighter than the HP Envy 15. The Razer Blade remains one of the thinnest Options for laptops of this size and performance level.

A similarity between the Vivobook Pro 16X and the Razer Blade is that both are absolute fingerprint magnets. The lid, in particular, was quickly covered with hard-to-remove fingerprints.

advertisement

The Vivobook Pro 16X has a super-glossy OLED display, which is still relatively rare on laptops. You can find it as an option on the most expensive Creator-based laptops, such as the Dell XPS 15. This laptop lets you configure an OLED screen at the cheapest cost for $ 2,300. HP can get you one for its Specter x360 15 for $ 1,580. But $ 1,100? It's unheard of, and yet that's exactly what the Vivobook Pro 16X does.

If you've seen one of the OLED screens on these laptops, you know what you're getting with the Vivobook Pro 16X: jet black, insane contrasts and a warm hue. Reds and oranges are turned up, but not unrealistic. With the “Vivid” color mode in the MyAsus application, you can make the colors stand out even more. You can also adjust the color temperature, either cooler or warmer. I always found these Samsung OLED panels a little too warm for my taste, so being able to cool them down a bit is perfect. This software also comes with some OLED care tips, including pixel shifting, pixel updating, and the ability to automatically hide the taskbar. In theory, these should prevent any possible burn-in that you might experience.

I used a Spyder colorimeter to measure color saturation, brightness, gamma, and color accuracy – and I was impressed across the board. Again, this is almost identical to what you'll find in other OLED laptops like the HP Specter x360 15 or Dell XPS 15, and that's a good thing. In the P3, AdobeRGB, and sRGB color spaces, it is near perfect, and the color error is small enough for more precise color correction. It may be the best laptop screen I've ever tested – especially at this price point.

In addition, the Vivobook Pro 16X is the first laptop with a larger 16:10, 16-inch screen with OLED functionality.

Ports

Connectivity on the right side of the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED laptop. Headphone connection, micro SD slot, micro USB connection, HDMI connection, USB

Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

Connectivity on the right side of the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED laptop. Headphone connection, micro SD slot, micro USB connection, HDMI connection, USB

Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

Connectivity on the left side of the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED laptop: Two USB ports.

Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

Asus keeps the port selection pretty simple, although it's decidedly old school. That means you get three USB-A ports, HDMI, a barrel connector and only one USB-C port. Although the USB-C port can supply power, Asus unfortunately decided to place it on the same side as the standard power connector.

The Vivobook Pro 16X also has a microSD card slot instead of a full-size slot. This is a little less convenient when uploading content directly from a camera, which seems to be one of the main uses for a laptop like this one. That's too bad.

The take-up of the barrel plug is also not optimal. Laptops like the XPS 15 rely solely on USB-C power, and that seems to give the entire laptop enough juice overall without sacrificing performance. Not only is USB-C more convenient, it also allows full charging on both sides of the laptop.

Keyboard and touchpad

Asus did a good job with the palm deflector, but accidental clicks do occur every now and then.

Asus has adopted the same keyboard from its higher-end ZenBook range. The keystrokes feel snappy and the keycaps don't wobble too much. There isn't a lot of travel here but I found it to be a pretty enjoyable typing experience.

Close up on the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED keyboard

Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

Orange keycap on the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED keyboard.

Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

In addition to the orange keycap, the keyboard also has a racing stripe on the Enter key and some color differences in between. The keyboard includes a number pad, which makes sense for a laptop of this size. Laptops with a number pad often off-center the touchpad as you type to match the position of your wrists as you type, but the Vivobook Pro keeps it centered. It's visually nice, but it means that your right hand rests on the touchpad while typing. Asus did a good job with the palm deflector, but accidental clicks do occur every now and then.

Asus has experimented with new touchpad functions in recent years – be it with the integration of a calculator or with the installation of a second screen. There's something new on the Vivobook Pro called the DialPad. When you swipe over the small icon in the upper right corner of the touchpad, a small digital clock face will appear on the left side of the touchpad. As soon as you slide your finger over the watch face, a screen dial is triggered, with which you can control various system-wide and app-specific settings. The default controls are just volume and screen brightness, but there are a few more options in the ProArt software that can be added. None of these were particularly useful, and certainly no more convenient than just using the keyboard.

However, its actual use is to set certain controls in applications such as the Adobe Creative Suite. It's all based on the same dialing system developed for the Surface Dial that Microsoft introduced for the Surface Studio All-in-One. The new premium creative laptops from Asus in the StudioBook range make much more use of the dial with physical controls and accessories. I could see someone using the DialPad for the occasional control change, but the combination of the swipe to trigger and the digital watch face makes for a clunky experience that would require considerable habit formation to use effectively.

I didn't find the DialPad particularly useful, but it never got in the way either. Since it requires a swipe, I've never had accidental starts.

Close-up on the dialpad of the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED.Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

power

The Vivobook Pro 16X deserves its "Pro" designation with two components. First the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX. This is a 45 watt 8 core processor with lots of power, especially for multithreaded tasks. It's the same CPU we've seen in a number of excellent gaming laptops in 2021 and been a winner across the board. Cinebench R23 multi-core results are impressive, stomping on Intel's 11th generation H-series laptops like the Dell XPS 15. Single-core performance is still a bit higher in Dell's XPS laptop, but the Vivobook Pro is not far behind there either.

The Vivobook Pro also beats the XPS 15 in all PCMark 10 benchmarks, which include testing basic tasks like web browsing and video conferencing, as well as more difficult workflows like multitasking and photo editing. It's only 4% ahead overall – but keep in mind that this is a much cheaper laptop we're talking about. The Vivobook Pro is fast and nimble whether you're doing basic administrative tasks, playing games, or rendering a video timeline.

Laptop 3DMark time spy Cinebench R23 Underdog bench 5 PCMark 10 Fortnite (1080p Epic) Civilization VI (1080p Ultra)
Asus Vivobook Pro 16X (RTX 3050 Ti) 4601 1486/11478 1544/8299 6287 57 fps 68 fps
Acer Swift X (RTX 3050 Ti) 4073 1437/10135 1287/6663 6247 43 fps 66 fps
Dell XPS 15 (RTX 3050 Ti) 4540 1513/9979 1556/7692 6024 50 fps 73 fps
Dell XPS 17 (RTX 3060) 7039 1525/10145 1568/8801 6209 78 fps 104 fps

Even ultra-thin 16-inch laptops like the LG Gram 16 don't do well because they use a weaker 25-watt processor and integrated graphics. Gaming laptops like the Ryzen-powered Razer Blade 14 or Lenovo Legion 5 Pro, although often far more expensive, have a similar performance range. The significantly larger XPS 17 is also a better one-to-one comparison in PCMark 10 with its RTX 3060 graphics.

For a similarly expensive competitor, the Acer Swift X achieves the performance of the Vivobook Pro in these benchmarks with a smaller 14-inch size. The Acer Swift X also has a Ryzen 5000 processor and the RTX 3050 Ti for graphics.

Seeing all of this in real applications is of course the most important thing. And the Vivobook Pro didn't disappoint. The great multi-core performance of AMD's Ryzen 5000 chips enables really fast video rendering, which makes the Vivobook Pro super fast in applications like Handbrake and Adobe Premiere Pro. How fast? Well, according to its own tests, the Vivobook Pro 16X has set a new record for laptops when rendering in Handbrake.

These tests were all run with the system's default "Standard" fan profile, which means you can likely see improvements with the built-in "Performance" mode in the Asus software.

The only exception I saw was timeline playback in Adobe Premiere Pro. This is one area where Intel’s optimization has an advantage over AMD. That means a laptop like the XPS 17 will do better overall in Premiere Pro. You'll also see a slightly better overall Premiere Pro experience with a gaming laptop like the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro, which has more powerful GPU performance with its RTX 3070.

But these are not fair comparisons either. When was the last time you heard of a $ 1,100 laptop that can handle 4K video edits like a breeze? This is the Vivobook Pro for you.

Gaming performance

Of course, you can't try out some games with an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti. And the Vivobook Pro 16X does better than you might think. The Vivobook Pro 16X does much more with the RTX 3050 Ti than some other laptops with this graphics card. In games, it achieves significantly better frame rates than smaller laptops with the same GPU as the Acer Swift X and the Asus ROG Flow X13.

You shouldn't buy this laptop just for gaming, but it's certainly powerful enough to handle modern games on the side.

In Fortnite, for example, the Vivobook Pro 16X is 25% faster than the Acer Swift X, averaging 57 frames per second (fps) in 1080p at epic settings. This even exceeds the 50 fps that the Dell XPS 15 gets, even with the RTX 3050 Ti. This is not bad, especially since the screen only has a refresh rate of 60 Hz.

The XPS 15 got the upper hand in Civilization VI, the other game I tested on the Vivobook Pro. While the Dell system can play the game in 4K Ultra with a smooth 55 fps, the Vivobook Pro 16X got stuck with a choppy 39 fps. This advantage is less obvious in 1080p, where both systems easily landed at over 60 fps.

That makes the Vivobook Pro 16X a decent gaming machine, but of course not as good as an RTX 3060 laptop like the Dell XPS 17. You shouldn't buy this laptop just for gaming, but it's certainly powerful enough to run on the side cope with modern games.

Loudspeaker and webcam

Close-up of the bezels and webcam on the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED laptop.Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

There are two main locations for speakers in laptops – either towards the top right of the keyboard deck or along the edges facing the surface below. However, Asus chose a unique position for the Vivobook Pro 16X – right on the front. If you sit back while watching a movie or video, you will get decent quality sound from these speakers. It's not the richest, most full-bodied audio I've ever heard, but it's not bad.

Oddly enough, if you hear something while typing or using the laptop, your arms are undoubtedly blocking the sound. An odd choice no doubt, but they'll get the job done during a video conference. Asus even offers some "AI-supported" noise-canceling for the microphones.

Speaking of video conferencing, the webcam here is only 720p, so don't expect the crisper image quality of any of the rare 1080p laptop webcams out there. I have to say, however, that the Vivobook Pro's imaging isn't as bad as many of the other 720p webcams I've tested. This is an example where the larger top bezel can accommodate a higher quality sensor than laptops with a thin bezel like the Dell XPS 15.

Battery life

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw how long it was taking.

A 16-inch laptop with an RTX graphics card and a 4K screen with amazing battery life? Yes that's it. The Asus Vivobook Pro 16X achieves an incredible battery life, although all of these factors work against it.

Asus didn't go into the details, but this new OLED panel in the Vivobook Pro uses different materials when it comes to power consumption. The battery life improvements from using AMD's Ryzen 5000 platform probably won't hurt either. Whatever the secret sauce is – it works.

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED sits on a tabletop.Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

In our light web browsing test, the Vivobook Pro 16X lasted over 16 hours on a single charge. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw how long it was taking. It revolves around laptops like the Dell XPS 15, which was dead after just five hours in the same test. It even beats the lightweight LG Gram 16, which was previously a battery life champion in this test.

In our lightest test, which repeats a local video file, the Vivobook Pro 16X even earned 30 minutes more.

Don't necessarily expect two full days of work with the Vivobook Pro, especially if your typical workload is using the discrete GPU. But you will have a hard time finding many laptops, especially none with that much power, that can outlast the Vivobook Pro 16X on a single charge.

Our opinion

The Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED occupies a wonderful niche in the laptop market. It's boldly said that powerhouses and high-end displays don't have to be reserved for people with deep pockets. There are still elements that set this "midrange" laptop apart from the more expensive options, but none that will slow your workflow or make you regret your purchase.

Are there alternatives?

There are a variety of larger laptops sold to a "content creation" audience. The HP Envy 15 is most similar in price and performance, although it is not as powerful and a bit more expensive.

The 14-inch Acer Swift X is a good alternative. Although smaller, it offers similar performance for almost the same price. Of course, the huge OLED screen is missing.

After all, if you have the money, the XPS 15 or XPS 17 won't let you down – they only cost you an arm and a leg.

How long it will take?

The Vivobook Pro 16X OLED should be a solid laptop for five or six years, although you can't get a warranty for that long. However, the components inside are high-end and should be able to adequately supply workloads, games and applications for many years to come.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. It's a laptop with high-end components at an amazingly affordable price.

Editor's recommendations



22 Aug
Blog

Eufy Floodlight Cam 2 Pro Review: Spot-on Subject Tracking

eufy Floodlight Cam 2 Pro Test Lifestyle

Eufy Floodlight Cam 2 Pro in the test: precise subject tracking

RRP $ 299.00

"From the sharp graphics to the rich app, there's a lot to love about Eufy's Floodlight Cam 2 Pro."

advantages

  • Excellent video quality

  • Great motion tracking

  • A powerful companion app

  • No subscription required

disadvantage

  • Hardwired only

  • Only 8 GB of internal storage (no cloud option)

Over the years, the world of intelligent security has taken on an entirely new form. While we used to rely on the big names in home surveillance to install their hardware and provide remote surveillance services, the performance of the security system has gradually become more and more DIY – and that's how we like it. Nothing beats grabbing your phone, opening an app, and viewing an instant live feed from a specific camera.

For outdoor DIY gadgets, the installation itself may take a little longer, but the instant reassurance remains the same. And what's not to love about a powerful floodlight camera with a control app?

When you buy a floodlight system you come across hundreds of brands that claim to be the best, but one name that still blows us away is Eufy, the smart home division of parent company Anker Innovations. Amid the release of a brand new line of outdoor cameras, we were able to find the Eufy Floodlight Cam 2 Pro, the company's current flagship.

Does the Floodlight Cam 2 live up to its "premium" bill? Yes indeed. Read on to find out more.

Out of the box

The Floodlight Cam 2 has the look and feel of a camera built for performance. Do you know when something just feels cheap? That thought never crossed my mind with the Cam 2, especially when I was holding it in my hands. About the weight of a brick, the Floodlight has an IP65 rated outer shell that feels sturdy and ready for the elements.

The Cam 2 comes with everything you need to get started. The scope of delivery includes the camera itself, assembly and wiring material, a USB power connection for the initial setup (you need a power module in standby mode) and the operating instructions.The scope of delivery of the Eufy Floodlight Cam 2 Pro.

Before installing the Cam 2 outdoors, you must first connect the device to your WLAN and the Eufy app (for iOS and Android platforms). After you've added the app to your mobile device, open it and tap Add Device. Select the Floodlight Cam 2 Pro from the list of available hardware. You will then be asked to scan the QR code on the camera body. The QR label is neatly hidden in the Floodlight's lower flap compartment, accessible by holding the release tab (watch out for your fingers) and pulling down on the white part of the camera body.

By tapping into the live feed, the daylight view presented a clear and colorful image with balanced contrast and little (if any) visual artifacts.

Next, connect your Floodlight using the included USB temporary power cable so you can go through the rest of the app setup. After you have connected the camera to your WLAN and run through the firmware update, you can start with the installation.

Eufy Security app setup screens.

Wired installation only

Similar to many other outdoor camera products (especially those with powerful lighting), the Floodlight Cam 2 requires a hard-wired power connection (110 to 240 volts). While certain homes may have pre-existing cables under house and garage awnings that you can use, you may need to add professional grade wiring and a compatible junction box to your to-do list if your home is not floodlit.

The wired connections of the Eufy Floodlight Cam 2 Pro.

Yes, I was moaning to myself wishing the Cam 2 could run on batteries (I'm not a fan of wiring work) but there is no way I will lose the overall grade because of that. With its abundance of rich features, plus internal storage and powerful lighting (more on these two assets below), a hardwired connection is absolutely necessary. Without one, we'd recharge the batteries every two weeks.

If a wall or ceiling junction box is installed (either the setup is Floodlight approved) the rest of the installation is just a matter of screwing in the Cam 2's rectangular mounting plate, connecting the wiring, and attaching the camera. Conveniently, the camera comes with a sturdy strap that you can hang from the junction box while the cables are being connected.

Top notch video quality and motion tracking

the Floodlight camera 2 has a 2K sensor for live feeds and video recordings. That is twice the number of pixels compared to its predecessor, the Eufy Floodlight Camera. While the previous iteration only offered a fixed view, the Cam 2 has an adjustable 360-degree lens housing, a 130-degree vertical axis, and full pan and tilt controls. While a lack of 4K support can leave some users disappointed, based on the video quality I learned about during my testing period, I assume that most property owners will be more than satisfied.

Daily footage from the Eufy Floodlight Cam 2 Pro.

The Cam 2 delivers extraordinary videos, day and night. By tapping into the live feed, the daylight view presented a clear and colorful image with balanced contrast and little (if any) visual artifacts. Night views use the three adjustable 3,000 lumen floodlights that illuminate the area in and around the camera well. Better still, the Cam 2's automatic night mode (you can toggle it on and off in the app) brings another level of nighttime detail.

Night shots from the Eufy Floodlight Cam 2 Pro.

One of my favorite out-of-the-box features of Cam 2 that is only surpassed by its optics is the camera's subject tracking. A very responsive AI. Module is built for human recognition. Whenever a passer-by crossed the Cam 2's 270 degree motion threshold, my Cam 2 would fly into action, catching the person and tracking them with ease. In addition to a motion notification on your phone, the Cam 2 also records a video clip in the Eufy app and logs it when a person is detected.

Yes, not having to use your credit card for an annual cloud service membership is a huge benefit, but those looking for expanded storage may be a little disappointed.

Best of all, you can create two custom activity zones in the Eufy app (more on app coverage below) to avoid unnecessary motion alerts that are outside your property line.

A feature-rich companion app

The Cam 2 basics are all pretty stellar, but what about the mobile app? Rest assured, you are in good hands. Eufy Security is your one-stop portal for all Anker security products, from indoor and outdoor cameras to motion sensors. All of your Eufy hardware that is currently online is listed on the Devices tab on the home page, along with a thumbnail of the last picture you took.

When a motion clip is recorded, it is saved in the Events tab. Here you can sort all of your recordings, with filters for people, pets, and more. You can also watch clips again and delete clips you no longer need. With 8GB of internal storage that's estimated to last up to 30 days (based on average motion detection settings), no subscription is required to store videos. Yes, not having to use your credit card for an annual cloud service membership is a huge benefit, but those looking for expanded storage may be a little disappointed.

The different screens of the Eufy Security App.

On the "Security" tab, you can set your Cam 2 to "Home" and "Away" mode, each with their own settings and adjustments. You will also find geofencing and schedule selections to program your camera based on your zip code, sunrise / sunset, time of day, and more.

Tapping the Floodlight Cam 2's play button on the device screen will take you to a live feed from the camera with capture options, screenshots, two-way communication and tracking / calibration functions. Tapping the settings icon in the top right corner will take you to various customizations for the Cam 2 itself, including motion detection / monitoring, lighting, recording and video quality. You can also arm / disarm the Cam 2, turn the automatic night vision on and off, and much more.

For smart home lovers, the Cam 2 offers support for Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can receive and view motion events and live feeds from your Cam 2 via a compatible smart display.

Price and guarantee

The Eufy Floodlight Cam 2 Pro is currently $ 299 and comes with a one-year, no-hassle warranty.

Our opinion

Outside of a slightly longer installation window than most smart security devices, the Floodlight Cam 2 Pro is top of the line. With outstanding video quality, intelligent subject tracking, numerous customization options, a solid mobile app and a fair price, the Cam 2 is a premium outdoor light that we warmly recommend for any residential or commercial property.

Is there a better alternative?

When it comes to wired floodlight cameras, the Floodlight Cam 2 is a perfect match with other top Floodlight options from Ring, Arlo, and other major security brands. If you're a quality connoisseur and insist on 4K, the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight camera gives you UHD viewing, the option of wireless installation, and a lower price. However, you'll need to opt for an Arlo subscription if you want some type of video storage, which makes the Floodlight Cam 2's internal storage even more convenient.

How long it will take?

A rugged design and hard-wired electrical connection to your home's power supply should keep the Floodlight Cam 2 running for some time. If you run into trouble, Eufy's one-year warranty covers you.

Should you buy it?

Absolutely. The Floodlight Cam 2 Pro offers exceptional setup-to-assembly performance and a companion app with an incredible number of customization options.

Editor's recommendations



30 Jul
Blog

Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 Review: Dual Screens, If You Need It

Illustration of the ZenBook Pro Duo with a second display.

Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED review: Two screens when you need them

RRP $ 3,000.00

"The Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED is a fantastic laptop for the creative when you can use its second screen."

advantages

  • Useful dual screen design

  • Excellent workmanship

  • Nice OLED displays

  • Strong performance in creative apps

  • Keyboard action is comfortable

  • Active pen is precise and responsive

disadvantage

  • Clumsy keyboard and touchpad

  • Battery life is awful

  • Expensive

Asus doesn't do without dual screens. The company has some laptops with second screens embedded in the touchpad, but last year it released the more extravagant ZenBook Pro Duo UX581, which positioned a second large display under the primary panel. For such a futuristic idea, the laptop was remarkably well made.

But Asus hasn't rested on its laurels and recently launched the ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED UX582 and made several significant changes to this experimental design.

I have a well-stocked configuration of the ZenBook Pro Duo with an Intel Core i9-10980HK CPU of the 10 x 2160) OLED panel and a second OLED screen at 3840 x 1100.

However, this is an expensive $ 3,000 machine. Is the dual display functionality enough to compete with the best laptops for video and photo editing?

design

Asus ZenBook Pro Duo sits on the table.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Close the lid of the ZenBook Pro Duo and it looks like a chunky 15-inch laptop with a light industrial design in a Celestial Blue color scheme and the usual Asus concentric swirl on the lid. The edges are angled for aesthetic and functional reasons, especially the rear edge that houses the new ErgoLift AAS (Active Aerodynamic System) hinge that supports the lower chassis for better airflow and more comfortable typing upwards.

It bears a vague resemblance to gaming laptops due to the aggressive ventilation on each side, but overall the design is more function than form. A look at the ZenBook Pro Duo gives a clear impression that it is a working device. Compare that to the Dell XPS 15, which is far slimmer and adds a touch of elegance, making it a more attractive laptop. Another laptop with a different design, which also presents a pure work aesthetic, is the Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel with its foldable display design – not surprising that this device is also aimed at creative people.

There is nothing slim and light in the ZenBook Pro Duo.

Open the lid of the ZenBook Pro Duo and the second display rises at an angle – the previous version remained flat and less comfortable to use. Since both displays are OLED, there are tons of bright colors and deep blacks to stare at, and at least it looks cool. This angle is not only helpful for use in the east; it also provides additional airflow over the lower chassis for theoretically improved thermal performance.

The main display hinge is pretty tight and it takes some pressure to lift the second display. Despite the heavy weight of the underside, you need two hands to open the laptop, but everything feels sturdy and gives you the certainty that after a lot of opening and closing you won't have any problems with the second display in the long run.

Asus constructed the ZenBook Pro Duo from a mix of aluminum and magnesium-aluminum alloys, so the feeling of durability is carried over to the rest of the laptop. I would rate it with the best laptops for its rigidity without bending, bending, or twisting on the machine. It corresponds to the Dell XPS and Latitude and Lenovo ThinkPad lines, which are some of the toughest laptops built today. This quality is a common characteristic of Asus laptops – we rarely come across one that is not rock solid.

While the ZenBook Pro Duo isn't thin and light, it's not as big as you'd expect given the second screen. It's 0.83 inches thick and weighs 5.16 pounds, compared to the XPS 15 at 0.71 inches and 4.5 pounds. The ZenBook's bezels are larger at the top and bottom, making the case larger overall – not to mention the impact of the second display, but it's by no means a huge laptop. The Acer Concept D 7 Ezel is thicker and heavier at 1.13 inches at its thickest point and 5.6 pounds, and this device feels bigger than the ZenBook Pro Duo.

Right side view of the closed Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 with connectors.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The ZenBook Pro Duo comes with a palm rest extension that slides up on the bottom of the case. That makes up for the fact that there is no palm rest built into the device and typing without the extension is uncomfortable (more on the keyboard later). Adding the extension pushes the laptop back onto your desk, which means it takes up quite a bit of space when fully configured. The extension has a pass-through for the LED on the bottom that shows the battery status, which is a nice touch.

There is no doubt, however, that you will be reconfiguring your desk to make everything fit, and the expansion is another thing to take with you if you want the convenience of using the ZenBook Pro Duo on the go. I would have recommended adding a magnetic link to keep the extension in place; As it is, it slides around while you work and that can be distracting.

Finally, Asus also offers an ErgoLift stand that further supports the back of the ZenBook Duo Pro. You can achieve a 12 degree angle by using the stand that attaches to the bottom of the chassis so you can always have it with you. I found it a bit clunky to use, but then I didn't attach the stand to the test device.

Certainly, it offers a more comfortable angle for both viewing the second screen and typing, with your palms resting more naturally on the desktop in the latter case. In theory, you could also use the palm rest extension, but it doesn't fit properly with the stand attached, and so it seems like one thing or the other. It's also another complication in setting up the laptop as you move from place to place.

ZenBook Pro Duo ErgoLift Stand.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Connectivity is decent for a laptop as thick as the ZenBook Pro Duo. On the left is a proprietary connector for the 240 watt power adapter, a full-size HDMI port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. On the right side there are two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support and one USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port. It is noticeable that there is no SD card slot, which would have made sense for the ZenBook Pro Duo in the creative market. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 offer wireless connectivity.

perfomance

My test device was 10th with an Intel Core i9-10980HK eight-core / 16-thread CPU. Asus paid a lot of attention to thermal performance, with lots of airflow, as mentioned above, two 97-blade fans and a whopping six heat pipes, including one for the power supply module. There's also a G-sensor that detects when the display is closed at an angle of less than 80 degrees. At this point the power will be reduced to limit consumption and extend battery life.

Illustration of the ZenBook Pro Duo with a second display.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Asus offers a performance optimization utility that switches between standard and performance modes. I found the utility inconsistent – it raised the Cinebench R23 multi-core score to 9968, making it one of the fastest laptops we tested, but it didn't affect our Handbrake test of a 420MB video in H. converted .265.

It also raised Geekbench 5's multi-core score to 7542, placing it higher in our peer group. In our gaming benchmarks, the utility either had a minimal positive impact or reduced performance; I will discuss this below. The utility had no influence on the PCMark 10 score, which was particularly strong in the area of ​​content creation and is one of the fastest devices.

Overall, the ZenBook Pro Duo was a fast laptop, but maybe not quite as fast as you'd expect given the Core i9 CPU. I can imagine that despite all the efforts Asus put into heat treatment, the CPU still struggled to maintain full speed. The fans would certainly spin up, especially in performance mode, and a lot of heat was blown out of the side ventilation slots. In general, it can do CPU-intensive tasks and has managed to keep up with or outperform the latest Ryzen 7 CPUs – something we haven't seen on a lot of Intel-based laptops.

Given the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070, the ZenBook Pro Duo does well with apps that can use the GPU. It scored 647 in the PugetBench Adobe Premiere Pro benchmark, which is the fastest score we've seen on a laptop. The closest thing is the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro gaming laptop with a Ryzen 7 5800H and an RTX 3070 that managed 622. Anyone using Adobe's suite will be delighted with the performance of the ZenBook Pro.

Geekbench (single / multiple) Handbrake (seconds) Cinbench R23 (single / multiple) PCMark 10
Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED (Core i9-10980HK) 1266/6918 106 1236/8326 5769
Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel
(10875H)		 1301/7949 114 N / A N / A
HP Envy x360 15
(Ryzen7 5700U)		 1198/6790 116 1258/8131 5419
Asus ZenBook 13 OLED
(Ryzen 7 5800U		 1423/6758 124 1171/7824 6034
Dell XPS 15 (Core i7-10875H) 1314/7549 122 N / A N / A
HP Envy 15 (Core i7-10750H) 1274/5542 139 N / A N / A
MacBook Pro 13 (M1) 1707/7337 N / A 1487/7547 N / A

Gaming was a mixed bag, perhaps due to the Nvidia Studio drivers installed on the ZenBook Pro Duo. These are designed to ensure consistent and reliable performance in creative apps rather than hardcore gaming, which appears to have impacted gaming performance. Either that or the GPU had thermal issues at times, as I suspect that happened to the CPU.

Additionally, as I mentioned above, the Asus Performance Utility only increased frame rates by a few or decreased performance. Civilization VI, for example, saw significant frame rate drops in performance mode. 3DMark scores rose, with the ZenBook Pro Duo hitting 8,763 in Time Spy and 17864 in Fire Strike in performance mode, but that increase didn't result in gaming.

The ZenBook Duo Pro did well in Fortnite on Epic graphics at 1080p, Civilization VI on Ultra graphics, and Assassin's Creed Vahalla on Ultra High graphics, but fell behind in Battlefield V on Ultra. The performance decreased disproportionately at 4K, whereby the ZenBook Pro Duo lagged far behind the crowd at this resolution. I haven't been able to test at 1440p, but it's possible you can run games there if you dive into Nvidia settings and enable that resolution.

The bottom line is that while the ZenBook Pro Duo doesn't always live up to its components as a gaming laptop, it is still quite usable for modern 1080p and maybe 1440p titles. You may get better performance if you remove the Studio drivers and install the regular Nvidia drivers, but then you lose the benefit of better creative application performance and reliability. This is likely not something that the laptop target market will go for.

Laptop 3DMark time spy 3DMark fire strike Assassin's Creed Valhalla (1080p Ultra High) Battlefield V (1080p Ultra) Fortnite (1080p Epic) Civilization VI (1080p Ultra)
Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED (RTX 3070) 7998 16932 74 fps 78 fps 102 fps 111 fps
Razer Blade 14 (RTX 3070) 8605 19673 60 fps 96 fps 96 fps 84 fps
Asus ROG Strix G15 (Radeon RX 6800M) 10504 26800 77 fps 109 fps 108 fps 91 fps
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (RTX 3070) 9175 21033 61 fps 73 fps 101 fps 101 fps
MSI GS66 Stealth (RTX 3080) 9097 19175 70 fps 97 fps 140 fps 140 fps

Primary display

Close-up of the image of the ZenBook Pro Duo display.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The primary display of the ZenBook Pro Duo is a 4K OLED panel with DisplayHDR 500 support that looks just brilliant. OLED excels in that it usually highlights colors without becoming oversaturated and creates blacks that look incredibly deep, and the panel Asus selected for the ZenBook Pro Duo does both.

My colorimeter agreed with my subjective impression. First, the display was quite bright at 369 cd / m², well above our 300 nit threshold. That's less than the OLED display on the HP Specter x360 15, which registered 426 nits, and the Dell XPS 14 4K IPS display, which reached 442 nits, but is still bright enough for most indoor environments. The contrast was typical for OLED displays at 368,610: 1, compared to the Specter x360 15 OLED at 426,180: 1 and the XPS 15 4K at 1480: 1 (good for an IPS display).

The colors were wide at 100% of sRGB and 99% of AdobeRGB, with the Specter x360 15 OLED hitting 100% and 98%, respectively, and the XPS 15 4K hitting 100% of both color gamuts. Accuracy was good with a DeltaE of 1.25 (less than 1.0 is considered excellent) and was close to the 1.21 of the Specter x360 15 OLED, but not as good as the spectacular 0.65 of the XPS 15 4K.

Simply put, the display on the ZenBook Pro Duo was a joy to use. Black text appeared on a white background, the colors were vibrant and beautiful, and Netflix was a dream thanks to the 4K resolution and HDR support. This is a display that everyone will love including the creative professionals who demand wide and accurate colors.

The sound is driven by two downward-facing speakers, which ensure a clear sound and hardly sufficient volume. I want things to get a little louder, but it's good enough for the occasional YouTube video. The mids and highs are fine, but there is no bass. You will need a pair of headphones for Netflix bingeing and music sessions.

Secondary display

Second display of the ZenBook Pro Duo, ScreenPad +.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The second display of the ZenBook Pro Duo, called ScreenPad +, is also OLED and runs at 3840 x 1100. Like the primary display, it is bright and colorful with deep black tones. I couldn't position my colorimeter properly to get a formal reading of its quality, but it seems to be on par with its bigger brother. Speaking of size, the second display is big enough to be useful, though the extreme widescreen format means any maximized apps can look a little funky on it.

This laptop is designed with the creative in mind, and it is these users who will get the most out of the second display.

Asus has packed a lot of functionality into the second display, all of which are accessible via a ScreenXpert Control Center menu that can be pinned or left floating on the left, right, or bottom of the display. The menu provides access to Brightness, an App Navigator utility that makes it easy to move windows from one screen to another, a button to lock or unlock the keyboard, a button to view the ScreenPad + desktop, a button to open the MyAsus App, a button to open the Launcher app that provides access to ScreenPad + apps and setup.

Useful ScreenPad + apps include a Quick Key utility that provides quick access to features like copy and paste, a handwriting app that converts ink to text, a virtual numeric keypad, a Spotify control center, and a Corel Multicam utility. There are also buttons to open an AppDeals app and the MyASUS app, and a button to open the Asus Control Panel app (see below).

There are several ways to use the ScreenPad +. You can turn it into a massive touchpad, which is less useful than it seems as it is positioned above the keyboard and therefore not very comfortable to use. It can host app windows, so it can act as a typical external display. Asus has developed a new Control Panel app that supports Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop and Lightroom Classic, and has several commonly used functions for each app.

The app is fully customizable and is designed to optimize the use of the supported applications. One final way to use the secondary display is to move control windows out of the way in apps like Premiere and Photoshop to make more room to view and edit a video or photo. Note that the Control Panel app can start automatically and take away this functionality.

Close-up of the second display of the ZenBook Pro Duo, ScreenPad +.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Overall, I found the ScreenPad + to be a useful addition, but mainly for certain users who can use the app-specific functions. That's fine, because this laptop was designed for creative people, and it is these users who will get the most out of the second display. Personally, I probably wouldn't use it for much more than dragging down windows that don't clutter my main display or that I want to see separately, like the Netflix app or a YouTube window. That might make the ScreenPad + a niche component, but a useful one nonetheless.

Touchpad and keyboard

Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 keyboard with stylus on top.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Close-up of the vertical touchpad on the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Close-up of the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 keyboard.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

On its own, the ZenBook Pro Duo’s 3-tier, backlit keyboard is a good one. It has a lot of travel and comfortable key spacing, and the switches provide precise action with a nice click. My only complaint is that the ground movement is a little abrupt and therefore has a harrowing effect that can be tiring during long tip sessions. I would rate it a step or two behind the great keyboards of the HP Specter x360 15 and Dell XPS 15. The biggest problem with the keyboard is that there is no palm rest.

When using the laptop alone, your wrists rest on the desktop and your fingers are at an awkward typing angle. As mentioned earlier, Asus offers a palm rest extension that solves this problem, but the ZenBook Pro Duo extends further back on a desktop and it's another piece to take with you. Also, as mentioned above, you can attach the ErgoLift stand and that helps too, but again, it's another piece to play around with.

The touchpad, on the other hand, is just terrible. I hate being this negative, but it's tiny, vertically oriented (which is weird to use), and placed to the right of the keyboard where it's annoying. It includes Asus' virtual LED numeric keypad which is great for those who would use something like this, but that doesn't make up for its size and placement. It's a Microsoft Precision touchpad, so it works well enough. It's just terribly uncomfortable.

Both displays are of course touch-enabled and support the supplied Asus active pen, which can be magnetically attached to the lid. The pen works well and ensures fluid and precise coloring and control on both displays.

Close-up of the webcam of the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Finally, the passwordless login of Windows 10 Hello is supported by an infrared camera and facial recognition. It's quick and accurate, and I had no problems signing in. The webcam is a disappointing 720p as some vendors start configuring 1080p webcams in response to the pandemic-inspired surge in video conferencing.

Battery life

Asus has increased the battery of the ZenBook Pro Duo compared to the previous generation by 29.5% to a capacity of up to 92 Wh. That's a lot of battery, but that's a lot of machine, so I didn't have extremely high expectations.

I was on the right track. The ZenBook Pro Duo doesn't do well in any of our battery benchmarks. In our web browser test, for example, it didn't quite make four hours, a meager score that even gaming laptops tend to outperform. The previous version lasted about 5.5 hours, but that was with the second screen turned off. I ran my tests with the second screen on, assuming that most users would want this feature in battery life as much as when plugged in. According to Asus, the second screen should reduce battery life by about 1.5 hours, which I've seen and which suggests that the updated version doesn't show better longevity, at least in this test, despite the larger battery.

In short, the ZenBook Pro Duo has terrible battery life.

Note that the Dell XPS 15 4K ran for seven hours and the HP Specter x360 15 ran a little over six hours. I realize I've picked a few comparison devices that aren't much better than the ZenBook Pro Duo. The latest laptops last around 10 hours in this test, but of course most of them don't have OLED displays and such powerful components.

In our video looping test, which repeats a Full HD Avengers trailer, the ZenBook Pro Duo reached six hours, compared to the XPS 15 with 20 minutes more and the Specter x360 15 with 6.5 hours. Again, other modern machines last much longer, usually over 13 hours or so. I also ran the PCMark 10 gaming test, where the Asus lasted less than two hours; This isn't all that bad, and the test itself is likely more of a measure of how aggressively a laptop is running on battery life than how long its battery lasts.

In the PCMark 10 application test, which is the best indicator of battery life, the ZenBook Pro Duo achieved 5.5 hours, which is about half of what most other laptops can do. We didn't test the XPS 15 with these benchmarks either, but the Specter x360 15 lasted three minutes less in the gaming test and two minutes less in the applications test.

In short, the ZenBook Pro Duo has terrible battery life. Of course, this is not unexpected in the design of the machine. This means that if you are on the road for a full day at work, you have to carry the powerful 240-watt power brick with you. Add that to the palm rest extension and ErgoLift stand, and your backpack will feel pretty full.

Our opinion

The ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED UX582 (www!) Is a great laptop for anyone who really benefits from adding a second display to the device, not to mention a powerful CPU and GPU that can handle demanding tasks. This includes creatives who use their laptops with apps like Adobe Premiere Pro and Photoshop, which makes sense because that's exactly what Asus is aiming for. In this regard, the company has succeeded in producing a laptop that meets special requirements.

For most other users, however, the ZenBook Pro Duo is too heavy, too complicated and suffers from a short battery life. It's also expensive at $ 3,000 when you can get equally powerful and much more portable laptops for the same or less money.

Are there alternatives?

The Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel is another differently designed laptop tailored for creative types. It's also very fast, very heavy, and has a very short battery life. It's even more expensive, too, but if you're a creator and need its flexibility, the Acer is a great alternative.

The Dell XPS 15 is a cheaper device for developers because it's fast (though not as fast as the ZenBook Pro Duo), has its own great display, and is far more portable. If you don't need the second display, it's a viable option.

Otherwise, the ZenBook Pro Duo is in a class of its own. You won't find any other device with the same type of second screen, and if that matters to you, the Asus is your only option.

How long it will take?

The ZenBook Pro Duo is extremely well built and feels tough enough to withstand years of use. Its components also keep up, so that your investment pays for itself. You will be disappointed with the one year warranty, which is industry standard but not long enough for such an expensive product.

Should you buy it?

Yes. When you need a second display, the ZenBook Pro Duo isn't just your only choice. It's a great choice, period. If you don't, your $ 3,000 will likely be better spent elsewhere.

Editor's recommendations



16 Jul
Blog

TCL 20 Pro 5G Review: The Rollercoaster Smartphone

The TCL 20 Pro 5G seen from behind, hand-held.

TCL 20 Pro 5G

RRP $ 500.00

"TCL's screen expertise shines through in the TCL 20 Pro 5G, but the rest of the phone – from the camera to the software – does not meet the same standards and falls behind the competition."

advantages

  • Excellent screen for videos

  • Good gaming performance

disadvantage

  • Only 60Hz refresh rate

  • Unreliable software

  • No watertightness

The TCL 20 Pro 5G is designed like a phone that would have pushed a manufacturer's product range to the top a few years ago and would have cost four-digit numbers back then. While the 20 Pro 5G is also at the top of TCL's growing line of smartphones, it costs just $ 500.

That alone got me to try it out, and the more recommendations we can give at this price, the better. However, my weeks with the TCL 20 Pro 5G turned out to be a rollercoaster ride with a shaky start and persistent ups and downs, but it paid off enough to give it a try. The question is, did it completely do it? That's the way it is.

design

The TCL 20 Pro 5G is definitely a piece of smartphone nostalgia, as we've seen phones that look like this before. It's 8.8mm thin and tapers to a relatively sharp point on either side of the slim screen with an aspect ratio of 20: 9. A polished section on the matte black glass back gives it character and repeats a design we saw earlier on the Huawei P30 Pro, but here the camera lenses are flush with the case.

The TCL 20 Pro 5G from behind.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It is not only reminiscent of Huawei's phone, but also older devices like the OnePlus 7 Pro, Oppo Find X2 Pro and various Samsung Galaxy phones including the Galaxy S8. Although the design is very pretty and the width makes it easy to hold and use with one hand, it has the same problems as the phones a few years ago – it's delicate, it absolutely slips off and the sides do it uncomfortable to handle. However, at 190 grams, it's lighter than many modern large phones.

There is a clear TPU case in the box and I felt the need to use it due to the sharp sides and slipperiness of the phone. A 3.5mm headphone jack is a welcome addition, there's a USB Type-C charging port on the bottom of the phone and a single speaker too. The power and volume buttons are thin slivers of metal, plus there's a smart key on the left side of the phone that can be customized to perform actions like waking the Google Assistant, activating the camera, taking a screenshot, or the full Deactivate can perform. I was forced to disable it as I almost always accidentally pressed the button during normal use.

The TCL 20 Pro 5G charging port.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The curve on the screen of the TCL 20 Pro 5G.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The headphone jack of the TCL 20 Pro 5G.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Smart key on the side of the TCL 20 Pro 5G.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It's hard not to consider the TCL 20 Pro 5G "old" when placed next to the Samsung Galaxy S21 + as it shows how the design has changed since the time the 20 Pro 5G would have looked fresh. The Samsung cell phone is roughly the same size and weight, but is much more comfortable to hold, less slippery and arguably more stylish. Is old something bad? No, the TCL 20 Pro 5G is very pretty indeed, but it's a little frustrating that TCL failed to avoid the pitfalls of similar phones when the design was used in 2021.

software

My first experiences with the TCL 20 Pro 5G were unlike any other phone. I set up all of the test phones from scratch with my primary SIM card, but the first time with the 20 Pro 5G it was a disaster. I had problems with screen recognition of taps, auto brightness didn't work, I received almost no notifications, and my battery life was very poor. It got so bad I reset the phone and tried again, but nothing changed, so I stopped using it and asked TCL about incoming software updates.

I reset the phone a third time after waiting but didn't hear any software update news and, oddly enough, the phone has worked a lot better since then. I didn't apply any software updates outside of the reset / setup process. I test a lot of phones and have never come across them. I note because if you buy a TCL 20 Pro 5G and find that it isn't working properly, some resets can cure it.

My first experiences with the TCL 20 Pro 5G were unlike any other phone

The phone has Android 11 with the TCL v3.0 user interface which is relatively straightforward and is close to the vanilla Android experience you get with the Google Pixel series. However, the organization of apps in the app drawer is set to Category by default, which is less intuitive than alphabetical in my opinion, and there are various pre-installed apps as well as shortcut icons to services like setting up the smart key, locking the screen, and accessing the TCL support pages.

Notifications are more reliable than when you first started, but the phone tends to just stop showing them on the lock screen and not start again until you unlock the phone. I've also experienced some strange app instability with Outlook refusing to work on a cellular connection but apparently fine when connected to Wi-Fi.

Video playback on the TCL 20 Pro 5G.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Edge detection is not as good as it should be. For example, I still sometimes accidentally switch from one app to another when I swipe. On the positive side, the system is fast and I really like the different always-on-screen designs, especially the one with the time shown in red on the side of the display. It's so clear and legible, even from a distance. Although the TCL 20 Pro 5G is now working to the point that I can use it on a daily basis, it still has its problems, which, combined with my early experiences, doesn't give me much confidence in it.

Screen and performance

The TCL 20 Pro 5G has a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with Full HD resolution and HDR10 certification, but only with a refresh rate of 60 Hz. Inside there is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor with 6 GB RAM and 256 GB of storage. TCL is a screen expert and we rate their TVs highly, so I had similarly high expectations for the TV on the 20 Pro 5G phone.

TCL 20 Pro 5G screen.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The phone's screen doesn't disappoint. TCL's NXTVISION display engine improves colors and contrasts very effectively. I put it next to the Samsung Galaxy S21 +, a phone that costs twice as much with a display that I think looks amazing, and the TCL 20 Pro 5G improves on it. When looking at Carfection's view of the Singer Porsche 911 DLS, the colors are richer and livelier and the shadows are dark, yet rich in detail. It's really beautiful, and it does really well with the iPhone 12 Pro's wonderfully natural palette too.

That's quite a feat for a $ 500 smartphone, so it's a real shame that TCL didn't choose a screen with a refresh rate of 90 Hz or higher. This is a feature we see even on the cheapest phones currently available and also on the TCL 20 Pro's main competitor, the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. I missed the nice fluid scrolling when using Twitter or Chrome which adds a refresh rate of 90Hz. The screen's performance is also hurt by the single speaker, which is easily obscured by the hand and, unsurprisingly, lacks depth and bass.

Asphalt 9: Legends played on the TCL 20 Pro 5G.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I had no complaints about the speed of the Snapdragon 750G and enjoyed playing on the TCL 20 Pro 5G. I've played both Asphalt 9: Legends and Genshin Impact and found the phone very comfortable to hold in landscape mode. It didn't get hot either and the games ran smoothly. The nice contrast and colors of the screen make gaming one of the phone's strong points.

The 4,500 mAh battery offers two days of moderate use, but it doesn't like it when you squeeze the phone even a little harder, especially when you want to take advantage of the screen. After normal usage plus an hour of gameplay, some YouTube, and a video call, the battery would have dropped to 20% by the end of the first day. Charging is done with an included 18W charger, which takes a slow two hours to fully charge the phone.

The phone's screen doesn't disappoint

It has a sub-6-5G connection that works with T-Mobile, but compatibility with AT&T is limited to 4G LTE due to the bands supported by the phone. The WiFi connection has a shorter range than other phones, but the call quality was good.

camera

There are four cameras on the back of the TCL 20 Pro 5G. The 48 megapixel main camera has a f / 1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization and is supported by a 16 MP wide angle camera, a 2 MP depth camera and a 5 MP macro camera when you put the phone in the USA buy macro camera has 2 megapixels. You can shoot 4K video at 30 frames per second and take selfies with the 32 MP hole punch camera at the top of the screen.

TCL 20 Pro 5G camera lenses.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

For general everyday use, the camera is acceptable, but don't expect it to compete with or be particularly inspired by the Google Pixel 4a or Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. What is clear is that if you want to take a decent sharable photo, stick with using the main camera for stills. The problem is an inconsistency between the main and wide-angle cameras, with the main camera remaining neutral in terms of colors and exposure, while the wide-angle camera over-saturates, especially in less than ideal lighting conditions.

Low-light indoor shots with the camera's night mode are average and don't expose a lot of details, the macro camera (here the 2MP version) is awkward to use as it doesn't have autofocus, and even if you set the distance just right, photos are still not very inspiring. The 2x zoom setting in the camera app accesses a digital zoom and videos look washed out in normal outdoor lighting.

Price and availability

You pay $ 500 for the TCL 20 Pro 5G and it can be purchased through Amazon. In the UK it costs £ 499 and is available through retailers such as Argos. There are two color options, Marine Blue or Moondust Gray (seen in our photos), but only a 256GB storage option is available.

Our opinion

This isn't TCL's first smartphone, but it still feels like TCL hasn't quite gotten going. The screen is the best part of the phone that is the company's specialty, but the rest is broken down into positives and negatives. It gets the design and usability of the software right, but mistakes and inconsistencies destroy my confidence in them. The main camera takes good photos, but wide-angle and video performance lag far behind the competition.

The battery is fine with light usage, but efficiency suffers as you use the phone more intensively, which suggests it needs improvement. While I like the overall design of the phone, many will not like the curved screen and its imprecise touch detection, as well as the sharp sides. This makes the TCL 20 Pro 5G difficult to recommend, especially since there is stiff competition at both higher and lower prices.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. We recommend the $ 500 Samsung Galaxy A52 5G with a 90Hz screen, a pretty design that is more durable due to an IP water resistance rating, the same processor, an attractive screen, and longer software support. The $ 500 Google Pixel 4a 5G is another option with even better software and support, as well as a better camera.

When 5G isn't a necessity, you can spend less and still get a great phone. The $ 350 Google Pixel 4a is still a solid buy, albeit showing its age, as is the much newer OnePlus Nord CE for $ 420 / £ 299 if you live outside the US, and if you want an Apple phone, the $ 400 iPhone SE should be a top consideration too.

How long it will take?

TCL intends to provide two Android version updates and two year security updates for the 20 Pro 5G. That is sufficient, but it stands behind what Samsung offers with the Galaxy A52 5G and behind Apple's support for the iPhone series. The phone is made of glass and has no IP water resistance, so you need to be careful with it. The software update schedule and lack of durability mean that after two years you will likely be ready to upgrade.

Should you buy one?

No. While the screen on the TCL 20 Pro 5G is impressive, the battery life is not very long, it is slow to charge, it is less durable than some of its competitors, and I have concerns about the reliability of the software.

Editor's recommendations



03 Jul
Blog

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Review: Move Aside Thin Gaming Laptops

lenovo legion 5 pro rating 01

"The display quality and performance make the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro a fantastic mid-range gaming laptop."

  • Excellent gaming performance

  • Beautiful 1440p display

  • Satisfactory, accurate keyboard

  • Good cooling

  • Inexpensive touchpad

  • Thick and chunky

Gaming laptops are getting thinner and thinner. Still, there's plenty of room in the market for gaming laptops that don't forego unbridled performance on the altar of portability.

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is one such gaming laptop. Its design is nothing spectacular, nor is the strain you will feel as you lug around.

But for a decidedly old-school gaming laptop, the Legion 5 Pro brings the basics together in a way that will make many performance-minded PC gamers very happy. The affordable entry-level price of $ 1,700 will put a smile on your face too.

design

The front of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro with the lid open.

The Legion 5 Pro is not an eye-catcher. The oversized Legion logo on the lid isn't exactly subtle, and the sleepy, storm gray color and keycap font come straight from Lenovo's business laptop designs. Add in the ThinkPad-like keyboard and black vent pieces that seem glued on, and it's a bit of a Frankenstein design.

I have no problem with a stealth gaming laptop that hides its gaming roots – like the Predator Triton 500 SE or even the Razer Blade 15. But the Legion 5 Pro seems torn between the two identities. The name itself seems a bit confusing, as it can be found both in the Legion gaming line and as a "Pro" laptop. It's less of a mix and more of a mishmash.

The design has its strengths. For example, the super thin bezels around the screen look amazing. Even the lower bezel is relatively small, which makes for a modern design that puts the screen in the foreground. This is thanks to the 16:10 aspect ratio, which is a new trend in gaming laptops. Extra vertical screen space may seem unnecessary when gaming, but it's sure to come in handy when you need to get some work done. Again, 16:10 makes a lot of sense because the Legion 5 Pro hits the line.

The back of the lid of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro when closed.

The screen is also larger than the average 15-inch gaming laptop that is 16 inches diagonally. That's the same as the Predator Triton 500 SE, but it's still an unusual screen size for gaming laptops. But here, too, thanks to its small bezels, it does not add any additional size to the overall print.

And that's important because the Legion 5 Pro is by no means small. It weighs 5.4 pounds and is 1.1 inches thick – clunkier than your average 15-inch laptop and most high-end gaming laptops out there. As we'll see later, this extra size makes for excellent thermal performance, especially when compared to the Razer Blade 15, MSI GS66 Stealth, or even the Alienware m15 R4.

Ports

The ports are on the back of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.

The Legion 5 Pro offers an increasingly popular port placement option: the back of the device. This makes the laptop's footprint even bigger, but it does a good job of keeping messy cables out of the way.

On the back you will find HDMI 2.1, RJ-45 Ethernet, a power jack, three USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports and a USB-C port that supports both USB 3.2 Gen 2 and DisplayPort 1.4.

This leaves only ports on the sides that you really need to access quickly. On the left you will find a headphone jack and another USB-C. There is a single USB-A port on the right.

In terms of connectivity, the Legion 5 Pro supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

display

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro with Cyberpunk 2077 is played.

The Legion 5 Pro offers an excellent screen for both gaming and standard work. Native resolution is 2560 x 1600 to support 16:10 aspect ratio and can be scaled down to 1920 x 1200 for lower resolution games.

According to my colorimeter, the Legion 5 Pro has one of the best displays I've ever tested on a gaming laptop. First of all, it's unusually bright, reaching a brightness of 550 nits. That's even brighter than the latest MacBook Pro or Razer Blade 15. It's also a decently color-accurate panel that hits 77% of the AdobeRGB color space.

The Legion 5 Pro has one of the best displays I've ever tested on a gaming laptop.

It's rare to see such a bright, vibrant, and well-calibrated screen on a gaming laptop. Like the Predator Triton 500 SE, the Legion 5 Pro offers that great picture quality alongside a fast refresh rate, although 165Hz isn't as high as the 360Hz panels you can get in 1080p gaming laptops. But let's face it – unless you're a professional esports gamer, you probably wouldn't notice the difference while gaming anyway. The gameplay feels very responsive and fast, especially since you are running most of your games in the native resolution.

The increase in resolution is worth the tradeoff, especially with such a large screen. Pixels are disappearing thanks to the sharpness that matches what you get on the MacBook Pro. And thanks to the power you will use the full range of 165 Hz even with native resolution.

performance

As I mentioned earlier, the Legion 5 Pro is a chunky gaming laptop that offers better cooling. The result is pretty amazing gaming performance.

My configuration came with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, Nvidia RTX 3070, 16 GB of RAM and two 1 TB PCIe SSDs. Lenovo also offers an identical configuration with the exception of the RTX 3060. This saves 150 euros, but the RTX 3070 option should offer a noticeable increase in frame rates. It's not currently available, but Lenovo reportedly also has a confusing mid-tier model with just 1TB of storage but 32GB of RAM. Most gamers will choose more memory and less memory.

Laptop 3DMark time spy 3DMark fire strike Assassin's Creed Valhalla (1080p Ultra High) Battlefield V (1080p Ultra) Fortnite (1080p Epic) Civilization VI (1080p Ultra)
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (RTX 3070) 9175 21033 61 fps 73 fps 101 fps 114 fps
Asus ROG Strix G15 (RX 6800M) 10504 26800 77 fps 109 fps 108 fps 150 fps
MSI GS66 Stealth (RTX 3080) 9097 19175 70 fps 117 fps 140 fps 149 fps
Razer Blade 15 (RTX 2080 Super) 7637 16895 58 fps 98 fps 110 fps 134 fps

I included the benchmarks in 1080p in the table above to level the playing field between these different laptops that include both 1080p and 1440p resolutions. The Legion 5 Pro masters all games with over 60 frames per second (fps), including the tough assassin Creed Valhalla. As for the lighter esports tariff, the Legion 5 Pro averaged over 100 fps in Fortnite, with room to use the full 165 Hz range in lower settings.

At native resolution, which is the number of people who will likely be using the Legion 5 Pro, you'll still get over 60 fps in most games. Battlefield V was right on the line at 60 fps, while Fortnite played fantastic at 83 fps. The system slowed to 52 fps at 2560 x 1600 in Valhalla, so you should probably stick to lower resolutions for heavier titles like this one.

The Legion 5 Pro offers an excellent price-performance ratio.

Although the Legion 5 Pro with RTX 3070 consistently beat the MSI GS66 Stealth with RTX 3080 (and 1440p screen) in 3DMark runs, the MSI device was well ahead in every recent game I have tested. Of course, newer configurations of the GS66 Stealth aren't widely available right now – and if so, they'll get quite a bit more expensive. The same goes for the Razer Blade 15, which will easily cost you at least $ 1,000 more.

All of this makes the Legion 5 Pro an excellent price-performance ratio for the performance it offers. The only problem is the Asus ROG Strix G15, which offers a base configuration for a similar $ 1,650. It's a more powerful laptop, no doubt about it. It's a strength of AMD's new Radeon RX 6800M graphics card that beats the RTX 3070 in every way and challenges the RTX 3080 in some. The performance of the ROG Strix G15 is undeniable. I prefer the design and screen of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro, but it's hard to beat the ROG Strix G15 in terms of price.

Cyberpunk 2077 plays on the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.

During my tests, the Legion 5 Pro turned out to be a well-cooled device. The GPU temperatures never rose above 86 degrees Celsius, while the CPU temperatures were even cooler. The surface temperatures got warm at times, but never quite as hot as on slimmer laptops like the MSI GS66 Stealth or the Razer Blade 15.

All configurations of the Legion 5 Pro feature the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H. It's a powerful 45-watt chip with eight cores and 16 threads. This gives you improved CPU performance over the 35-watt processors found in something like the ROG Zephyrus G14. The Legion 5 Pro had a particularly impressive single-core score of 1430 in Cinebench R23. It also does a lot better than Intel-powered laptops such as the MSI GS66 Stealth.

I also tested the CPU-based video encoding in HandBrake, and the Ryzen 7 was an absolute runabout. In comparison, the GS66 Stealth was 24% slower in the same test. That ensures the Legion 5 Pro is just as good a machine for content creation and heavier CPU-based workloads as it is for gaming.

Still, it's not quite as fast as the Ryzen 9 5900HX that you can find in the ROG Strix G15 or ROG Zephyrus G15.

battery

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro doesn't have great battery life. Other gaming laptops have made strides in this area, like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, but the combination of the RTX 3070 and G-Sync panel is a recipe for frequent use of the charging port. The 80-watt-hour battery isn't quite as big as some of the 99-watt-hour batteries you'll find in premium gaming laptops.

Still, the battery life isn't nearly as bad as a laptop like this one has been for years, probably thanks to the efficient Ryzen processor inside. A little more than seven hours of light surfing on the internet isn't a bad thing. However, the second you boot up the discrete GPU, you'll find that it drops off pretty quickly. On the other hand, you probably shouldn't be playing without being plugged in anyway.

I should also mention the massive 300 watt power brick that comes with this thing. It's a tank and adds some weight to the backpack if you plan on traveling with the Legion 5 Pro.

Keyboard and touchpad

The illuminated keyboard of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.

The Legion 5 Pro uses a precise, ThinkPad-style keyboard. It's an odd look for the keycaps on a gaming laptop, but it offers one of the best typing experiences you will find. The key travel of 1.5mm is luxurious and the layout is perfect. The backlight is pretty limited with only four adjustment zones (including the number pad) and a disappointing software experience with Lenovo Vantage. The joy of typing more than makes up for the lack of a stylish backlight.

The quality of the touchpad was all the more disappointing. It's the kind of quality you'd find on a $ 400 Chromebook, not a powerful gaming laptop. It's a big touchpad which I appreciate. But the surface isn't very smooth, which means that clicking and dragging, pinch-to-zoom, or other gestures that require close tracking can skip or feel awkward. It's frustrating, especially on a laptop doing so many things right.

There is a 720p webcam above the screen, which Lenovo fortunately included. It's still omitted from Asus' ROG gaming laptops to allow for a thinner top bezel. However, the laptop does not contain any security features, but it lacks both a Windows Hello IR camera and a fingerprint reader. These have become more common lately even on mid-range gaming laptops, so it's a shame to see Lenovo force you to rely on passwords and PINs to log in.

Our opinion

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is the real deal. If you're done with gaming laptops trying to be too thin at the expense of the right cooling and performance, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is what you've been waiting for.

Are there alternatives?

Most gaming laptops at this price point cannot be compared to what the Legion 5 Pro has to offer. The Predator Triton 500 SE corresponds to the screen size, but is limited to an RTX 3060.

The Legion 5 Pro's two biggest competitors come from Asus. The all-AMD ROG Strix G15 is the gaming laptop with the ultimate price-performance ratio, while the ROG Zephyrus G15 corresponds to the Legion 5 Pro in almost all specifications for the same price. It doesn't have such a good screen, but the Zephyrus G15 has a sleeker design and options for up to an RTX 3080.

How long it will take?

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro should last at least five years. It's a powerful gaming laptop that can handle the latest AAA games for many years.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro isn't the most stylish gaming laptop in the world, but its performance and display more than make up for the difference.

Editor's recommendations



01 Jul
Blog

Xbox Fusion Pro 2 Review: A Controller With Compromises

The Xbox Fusion 2 controller next to an Xbox Series X.

"PowerA's Fusion Pro 2 is great value at $ 90, but you get what you pay for with this third-party controller."

  • Great value

  • Feature-rich package

  • Practical volume control

  • Easy to customize

  • Loud rumbling

  • D-pad is a step down

  • Uncomfortable back paddles

Let's get something straight: the Xbox Elite Series 2 is the best video game controller on the market today. Unfortunately, it's also one of the most expensive. The third-party provider PowerA may have recognized an opportunity and, with the Fusion Pro 2, has risen with a direct competitor to Microsoft's own gamepad.

This wired controller is specially designed for the Xbox Series X | S and offers many of the same extras as the Elite Series 2 at a significantly lower price. It's a sturdy package with back paddles, trigger locks, volume controls and a lot more. At $ 90, it seems like an important value versus the $ 180 Elite Series 2 at first glance.

The Fusion Pro 2 is indeed a solid third-party option for those looking for an Xbox controller with some bells and whistles. Just prepare a classic "you get what you pay for" case here because it lacks the sleek design and cut of a proper Microsoft product.

An important value

It's hard to deny what a strong offering the overall package is. For $ 90, Xbox gamers get a ton of features here that aren't on a standard Xbox controller. For starters, it comes with a paddle pack that adds four back buttons to the controller. That alone is one of the main selling points of the Elite Series 2.

The Xbox Fusion 2 controller and its additional parts.

In addition, the controller has trigger locks that allow players to adjust the voltage on each trigger. There are three different settings each, each of which allows for some very specific controller settings. There is also a volume control at the bottom of the pad that allows players to easily turn the voice chat up and down. Pressing the rotary dial will also mute the chat, which is incredibly handy to have a click of your thumb away.

Those are the greatest features, but there's a lot more where that comes from. The package comes with removable front panels, anti-friction handles, additional joysticks and a carrying case to store everything. It doesn't have all of the interchangeable parts that come with an Elite Series 2, but it makes up for that with the bonus features.

It's hard to deny what a strong offering the overall package is.

The price point goes really far here. In comparison, PowerA's Nintendo Switch Fusion controller costs $ 100 and has far fewer extras. While $ 90 may seem expensive for someone who just needs a standard game controller, it's a real steal when you consider that a similar product costs twice as much.

to make compromises

While it's certainly more cost effective than an Elite Series 2, that doesn't mean it's inherently better. There are many tradeoffs players will make if they choose this route. Most notable is the fact that it is a wired controller, which in itself is a big catch in itself. The package comes with nice mesh wire, but it still means you have to stay tied to your Xbox to play.

There are many tradeoffs players will make if they choose this route.

These compromises also crop up in more subtle ways. The controller uses a regular four-way D-pad, which is a questionable step down from the Xbox Series X's more multi-directional pad. This part is also not interchangeable, so it cannot be replaced across the board.

The most noticeable difference comes from the rumble. The controller's dual rumble motors aren't subtle; This is one of the loudest controllers I've ever heard. Leave this on a coffee table and it will sound like it's piercing. The technology just feels a little cheap compared to the more precise rumble found in video game controllers today. It must be noted that the fact that it is rumbling at all is an improvement over the Switch's Fusion controller, which lacks overall feedback.

The Xbox Fusion 2 controller next to an Xbox Series X.

These quirks aside, the key layout itself is perfectly serviceable. There are a few differences in depth, but this feels like a regular Xbox controller. It's just these little details that bring the third-party character to the fore.

Just next to it

The biggest feature here is the paddle pack, which adds four back buttons to the controller. There's a lot to like about them. It's easy to assign buttons to them, the paddles feel responsive, and the backpack itself can be pulled out at any time.

It's still incredible value, but expect to feel the difference.

The positioning feels a bit off. although. For my hands, the backpack sits a little lower than I would like. That means I had to keep my back fingers higher, which made it difficult to find a comfortable position. After playing a few rounds of Knockout City, I felt like I wanted to throw the pack out entirely.

The back paddles of the Xbox Fusion 2 controller.

That's a shame, because the Fusion 2 has a lot to offer in terms of comfort. The rubber grips are especially nice compared to the cold suppleness of a standard Xbox controller. The trigger locks and interchangeable joysticks are also a welcome bonus that allows players to really customize the feel of the controller.

Of course, comfort is ultimately a question of subjectivity. The paddle package may be just right for some players while others may feel like it's just a bull's eye. No controller is a one-size-fits-all solution, but it's an area where Microsoft's expertise really becomes apparent. The company has spent decades creating the perfect Xbox controller, and that becomes evident when you switch to a third-party option that lacks those subtle tweaks. It's still incredible value, but expect to feel the difference.

Our opinion

The PowerA Xbox Fusion 2 is a great budget option for anyone who wants the extras of an Elite Series 2 without breaking the bank. It's a loaded package with an impressive array of features. Just be prepared for the third party nature. Loud rumble motors, awkward positioning of the back button and the wired condition make this controller a controller that accepts many compromises. If value is the primary concern, it is a strong option. It's just not the best available.

Is there a better alternative?

Microsoft's Elite Series 2 is the better piece of hardware, although it is available for twice the price.

How long it will take?

Since it's wired, you don't have to worry about battery life. The controller itself feels sturdy enough, but it's always difficult to say how a third-party product will hold up over time. However, expect it to be in use for a few years.

Should you buy it?

No. Anyone who really needs the extras is probably better off paying extra for the Elite Series 2. Otherwise, the standard Xbox Series X controller is perfectly designed for casual gamers.

Editor's recommendations



30 Jun
Blog

Beats Studio Buds Review: These Are The AirPods Pro Lite

Beats Studio Buds

"With the Studio Buds, Beats has found a perfect balance between functionality and price."

  • Inexpensive

  • Good sound quality

  • Good ANC

  • Good transparency

  • Very convenient

  • No wireless charging

  • No wear sensors

  • No EQ or control adjustment

With the exception of the Powerbeats Pro, which are primarily aimed at athletes, Beats by Dre has never made true wireless earbuds for everyday use. That surprising omission was finally addressed with the new $ 150 Beats Studio Buds, a set of ultra-compact Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) earphones that offer most of the benefits of the AirPods Pro at a much lower price. Are these the real wireless earbuds you've been waiting for? Let's find out.

What's in the box?

Beats Studio BudsSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Following a growing trend across the industry that we're excited about is the Studio buds come in a tiny cardboard box that has less structural rigidity than a packet of Rice Krispies. That means much less material to dispose of and it is fully recyclable.

Once embedded in your ears, the earbuds will only stick out a little.

Inside you will find the Studio Buds already in their charging case, two additional sets of silicone earplugs (media are installed as standard), some paper documentation and a very short USB-C to USB-C charging cable. Given that there are still a lot of people out there who don't have a USB-C port on their laptop or tablet or a USB-C charger, I think Beats a USB-A to USB-C adapter should have enclosed. Keep this in mind if you are one of the crowd without USB-C.

design

Beats Studio BudsSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The tiny Studio Buds use the same eartips as the AirPods Pro. Instead of the AirPods' iconic white stems, an unusual mohawk-like fin shape makes them a little easier to grip with your fingers. At the tip of the fin is a single physical control button. The intent is that when you take the Studio Buds out of their cases and angle them in your ears, you don't accidentally tap a touch control.

Once embedded in your ears, the earbuds stick out just a tiny bit – just enough to grab the fin or push the button.

Unlike the AirPods and AirPods Pro, the Studio Buds don't have optical sensors, so they can't automatically pause your music when you remove an earbud or resume playback when you put them back in.

The Studio Buds also lack Apple's H1 or W1 wireless chips, but even so, they're still considered a Class 1 Bluetooth device, and more importantly for Apple fans, they give you hands-free access to Siri (or Pushbutton access on google). Assistant on Android devices).

In keeping with Beats' reputation for sport-friendly headphones, the Studio Buds have an IPX4 rating, which should offer more than enough protection for a sweaty workout.

The Studio Buds are some of the most comfortable earbuds I've ever tried.

The charging case isn't quite as compact as the AirPods or AirPods Pro and doesn't offer wireless charging, but its fully rounded contours make it comfortable to hold and still light and small enough to fit in your pocket.

A single LED on the front shows the charging status of the case, but to know how much charge the earbuds have, you need to consult your phone.

Comfort, controls and connections

Beats Studio BudsSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Studio Buds are some of the most comfortable earbuds I've ever tried. Their tiny shape and ventilated design reduce much of the "full-ear" feel that other in-ear headphones can create. I had no problem with the standard medium-sized earbuds, but with only two other sizes to choose from, it's hard to tell if everyone will be that lucky.

As with most physical buttons, the controls are precise and easy to use.

The rounded shape of the earphone body makes a lot of skin contact with the outer ear. In combination with a properly fitting earplug, the Studio Buds offer a more secure fit than the AirPods Pro. You may not get the confident understanding of an ear hook design like the Powerbeats Pro, but I doubt those buds will accidentally come off.

As with most physical buttons, the controls are precise and easy to use. One click handles play / pause / call acceptance / call end, two clicks jump forward and three clicks jump back. Unfortunately there is no way to change this and control the volume. Click and hold to toggle your ANC mode or activate your voice assistant, depending on which earbuds you're using.

I'd prefer some customization options here, but the downside is that you can use each earbud independently and the controls remain the same.

Pairing the Studio Buds is quick and easy on both iOS and Android. Simply opening the case lid while it's near your phone is usually enough to trigger a pairing notification with a tap of your finger, and that's all.

They don't support Bluetooth multipoint for pairing with two devices at the same time (but this is a very rare feature in wireless earbuds). The Bluetooth range is excellent: I was able to get around 25 meters outside and there were no problems roaming inside. The connection stayed rock solid the entire time, which we couldn't say about the Powerbeats Pro.

Sound quality

Beats Studio BudsSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Beats Studio Buds won't disappoint Beats fans: they have the same bass-forward sound signature that the brand is known for. As with all in-ear earphones, the fit determines how powerful this low-end gets. While I found both medium and large sized earbuds comfortable, the large earbuds provided more bass response.

The bass isn't quite as snappy as on more expensive earphones like the Jabra Elite 85t or the Sony WF-1000XM4, but it's decent enough for the price and actually better balanced than the similarly priced Jabra Elite 75t.

Fortunately, this deep bass is balanced out by the rest of the frequencies and only occasionally creeps into the lower mids, where it can seem slightly muddy. As with other Beats products, hip-hop, EDM, and rap music sound fantastic, but there is enough detail in the mids and highs to enjoy many other genres as well.

The Studio Buds have very good noise canceling.

Beats and Apple headphones never offered EQ adjustments, which never made sense to me. Earbuds come with different sized earbuds because each ear is different. For me, an EQ adjustment fixes the same kind of problem – not everyone will like the way the earbuds are tuned at the factory.

Noise cancellation and transparency

Beats Studio BudsSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

I know ANC is getting more affordable – heck, you can now get real ANC wireless earbuds for well under $ 100 – but I'm still impressed that Beats are adding it to Studio Buds and priced at $ 150 Could hold dollars.

See, not all ANCs are created equal. Bad ANC is just pointless and often introduces as much new noise in the form of hissing as it tries to suppress. The Studio Buds have very good noise canceling. It's not as good as what you get from the AirPods Pro, Jabra Elite 85t, or Sony WF-1000XM4, but they are solid performers and shave both low and high frequency sounds.

What's more impressive is that despite their ventilated design, they achieve this ANC level. Vents let a small amount of air into the ear to help make up for the clogged feeling closed earbuds can create, but this can make noise cancellation less effective. If I hadn't known the Studio Buds were ventilated, I wouldn't have known because of their ANC performance.

Transparency mode falls into a similar area – it's not exactly the "felt like I'm not wearing earbuds" effect of the AirPods Pro, but it's more than enough for having conversations or just being aware of potential hazards like traffic to be.

At startup, the earbuds will force you to toggle between ANC, Transparency, and Off mode, but Beats tells me that if you click and hold, you will only be able to use two of these in a future firmware update.

It would be nice to be able to fine-tune both ANC and transparency, but just like the EQ situation, this is simply not possible for the Studio Buds.

Call quality

Beats Studio BudsSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Despite the total of six microphones, the Studio Buds did not convince me with their call quality. Background noises weren't too annoying, but they were definitely audible. Some noises, such as cars driving by, were greatly reduced, while others – such as birdsong – did not seem to be affected at all.

Because the noise-canceling microphones process this noise, it is difficult for them to keep your voice perfectly clear. There's a lot of jiggling and sometimes it feels like you're far from the mic.

Things improve a lot when they are inside where they work well.

Find my buds

Beats Studio Buds

Beats Studio Buds

Apple's Find My platform is the ultimate lost item tracking service, with millions of iOS devices around the world constantly searching for compatible products such as AirTags or Apple Watches. The Studio Buds also belong on this list. They also work with Google's Find My feature when you pair them with an Android device.

The only minor downside is that the earbuds can only be forced to emit a sound when they are not in their case.

Android too

The Studio Buds stand out for being the first Beats product that plays (almost) well with Android devices like iPhones. There's a Beats app you can download from the Google Play Store to get software updates and check battery life, but right now it doesn't give you access to ANC modes or click-and-hold options like on iOS.

Battery life

Beats Studio BudsSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Beats claims eight hours per charge for the earbuds with ANC and transparency turned off. If you enclose the two full charges in the charging case, you will get a total playing time of about 24 hours. Turn on ANC and those numbers will drop quite a bit, to five and 15 respectively.

At 50% volume, these claims are very accurate. In fact, I was able to last nine hours with ANC and transparency turned off.

There is also a quick charge option: five minutes of plug time gives you an extra hour of life.

Let's put that into perspective: the Powerbeats Pro get nine hours / 24 hours, but that's because they don't have an ANC. The AirPods Pro get 4.5 hours per charge (ANC on) or five hours (ANC off) and a total of around 24 hours with their case. While the Studio Buds may not win the overall award for Best Endurance, they are equal to or better than other Apple / Beats true wireless models.

Our opinion

With a tiny size, comfy fit, great sound quality, and ANC that gets the job done, the $ 150 Beats Studio Buds are by far the best value for money of the entire Beats / AirPods line of wireless headphones.

Is there a better alternative?

I think there's no better alternative to the Studio Buds given their $ 150 price point, but as long as the hands-free Siri isn't high on your wish list, this is the Jabra Elite 75t deserve serious consideration. They sound great (though maybe not as clear as the Studio Buds), and they have very good ANC and transparency, as well as slightly better battery life and loads of features like EQ and controls. Thanks to the great Jabra Sound + app, there is also a Find My Earbuds option.

How long will they last?

With an IPX4 rating and seemingly decent build quality, the Studio Buds should perform well for many years to come. Battery life is always an issue with these type of headphones, and you will likely find that the charge they can hold drops over time. They come with a one-year warranty from Apple.

Should you buy it?

Yes. Even if you are not an iPhone user, the Studio Buds are an excellent and affordable companion for music and movies.

Editor's recommendations



26 Jun
Blog

How to do Superman exercise, benefits and pro tips

If you are bored with your regular core exercises, Superman Exercise can come to the rescue. This exercise targets the lower and upper back, shoulders, buttocks, hamstrings, and abs. In short, it can lead to strong abs.

The Superman exercise is a workable exercise for all ages and people of all fitness levels. This exercise is simple so that even beginners can do it. Fortunately, this is a safe exercise, unlike other core exercises like crunches. However, you should know how to properly do the exercise. It will help you do the exercise effectively without wasting time and counting each repetition.

Benefits of Superman Exercise

It aims at the core. Strong and toned abs not only look great, they also have other benefits. It helps with regular activities like bending over, pulling, and pushing.

This exercise also provides insulation against lower back injuries.

It can prevent postural deviations and gradually improve posture.

This exercise does not require any equipment and can be practiced by people of different fitness levels.

Superman's exercise includes spinal flexions. You need to be careful when performing the movement. Any wrong step can lead to injury. Here is a complete guide to a perfect Superman exercise.

How do you do Superman exercises?

Follow the steps below.

  1. Lie on your chest on the floor with your whole body straight. Extend your hands forward in line with your body.
  2. Keep your head in line with your chest, neither down nor up.
  3. Now slowly lift your arms and legs off the floor. Lift until you feel the muscles in your back contract.
  4. Try to balance the body just below the belly button.
  5. Hold the pose for 3-4 seconds without breathing.
  6. Bring your arm and leg on the floor.

Remember to keep the transition smooth and slow.

Repetitions: 10

Sentences: 3

Pro tips

Follow the tips to avoid injury and make the exercise much more effective.

Keep your head neutral. Don't move your head up or down.

Keep the transition of motion as smooth as possible.

Breathe in and out casually as you practice.

Do not raise your arms and chest higher if you feel like you are overusing your back muscles.

Keep your legs straight.

Engage the core as you lift the body.

Try to lift your belly button off the floor

Take that away

This exercise is good for your lower back, abs, and buttocks. This is a safe practice. However, it is recommended that you consult your doctor if you have a severe or chronic spine injury.

Avoid exercising when you are pregnant.

As a beginner, you can start with fewer reps and gradually increase the reps and sets over time.

17 May
Blog

Romanian Deadlift : How To Perform Like a Pro

Romanian deadlift is a variation on the classic deadlift that puts even more focus and pressure on the hamstrings than the original deadlift. This version of the standard deadlift works your hamstrings to a great extent, along with your forearm flexors and glutes. The main difference between actual and Romanian deadlifts is that the RDL puts more strain on the hamstrings and glutes than the original deadlifts.

This exercise will help increase lower body strength and promote better coordination. It also helps in reducing the risk of injury caused by impaired loading on the lower back. It is also beneficial in strengthening your core as well as the lower body muscles with little effort.

Below is the perfect way to perform Romanian deadlifts efficiently and without a lot of chaos.

How to Perform Romanian Deadlifts Like a Pro:

1. First stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands shoulder-width apart. Next, hold a barbell in each hand just in front of your thighs. This is your starting position.

2. First bend slightly at your knees and roll your shoulders back. To fully engage your upper back, pull your shoulder blades toward your spine.

3. Now take a deep breath and push your hips back until your torso bends forward toward the floor.

4. While holding the barbell near your thighs, pivot it forward from your hips. Keep your arms connected to the barbell near you as you straighten your elbows.

5. As soon as you feel a stretch through your hamstrings, stop hanging on your hips.

6. Now breathe out. Now actively push your hips forward while using your glutes and hamstrings to pull your torso back to the upright position.

Things to be aware of:

1. Always remember to keep your shoulders pulled back during this exercise.

2. As you push your hips back, it is important to remember that you should never tilt forward at your waist. It should only happen because you are pivoting your hips.

3. Always maintain perfect posture and avoid rounding your shoulders and back.

4. Always remember to keep the dumbbells close to your thighs.

Romanian Deadlift Variations:

Once you are fully familiar with the traditional Romanian deadlifts, here are some variations of this exercise that you can try:

1. Romanian deadlift with stiff legs

This version of the Romanian deadlift targets your gluteus maximus muscles, hamstrings, erectors, and lats. It helps build strength and promotes muscle development in the back chain. This is really beneficial for athletes as it increases physical strength and promotes fitness. It also helps in increasing the flexibility of your body.

2. One-legged Romanian deadlift

This variation of the Romanian deadlift works primarily on your hamstrings, glutes, spine straighteners, and lats. It is an excellent exercise for improving joint function on your hips, increasing the well-being of your glutes and hamstrings, and positively influencing your physical strength and performance. They also help you by providing excellent posture and promoting better body balance.

3. Dumbbell Split-Leg Romanian Deadlift

This version of the Romanian deadlift is primarily aimed at your abdominal, back, oblique, ankle, and calf stabilizers. It is known to be a great compound exercise that helps promote excellent body balance. They primarily target your hamstrings and glutes, making great demands on your core muscles. It also aids in improving your mind-muscle connection and efficiently enhancing your athletic performance.

Frequently asked Questions:

1. Is RDL more complex than the original deadlift?

Yes, the Romanian deadlift is more complex than the classic deadlift because it is necessary to maintain a perfectly stiff and solitary spine throughout the exercise.

2. Is the Romanian deadlift safe?

Yes, RDL is completely safe to perform as it is one of the best exercises for building your rear chain and is easy to get to.

3. How many Romanian deadlifts should I do?

You should do at least 3-5 sets of 6-8 repetitions per workout if you're just looking to maintain strength. However, if you want to maintain both strength and strength, aim for 3-5 sets of 1-5 repetitions per workout.

14 May
Blog

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 Review: OLED Disappointment?

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 review 04

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360

"The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 is close to the size, but is insufficient in some key areas."

  • The OLED screen is alive

  • Good performance

  • Excellent battery life

  • Surprisingly thin and light

  • Comfortable keyboard

  • Nice S Pen integration

  • Mediocre build quality

  • Limited to 1080p

  • Large bezels, 16: 9 aspect ratio

Samsung has been preparing for this moment for years. It's finally taking its Windows laptops seriously, and the Galaxy Book Pro 360 crowns this development, ripe for a spot among the best laptops you can buy. At least that's the plan.

It has an AMOLED screen, works hand-in-hand with your Galaxy phone, and is as thin as any laptop you'll ever use.

But is it a laptop that you should buy? I tested the 15-inch model, which comes with an 11th generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, but you don't get a discrete graphics card or 4K screen. Galaxy phone fans will find a lot to like here, but the 15-inch model still lags behind the competition in some key areas.

Video review

Jump to: Design | Display | Ports | Keyboard and touchpad | Webcam and speakers | Performance | Battery life | Our opinion

design

The Samsung Galaxy Book comes in different versions: the entry-level Galaxy Book, the Galaxy Book Pro and the Galaxy Book Pro 360. The model I tested may be the niche of them all – the 15-inch Galaxy Book Pro 360, the convertible 2-in-1 notebook in the line-up. It weighs a little over three pounds so soon you won't be using it as a real tablet anymore.

The 13-inch model is probably better suited for tablet use, but the real advantage of these convertibles is the S-Pen. It's the same thing that interests people about the Galaxy Note smartphones, and it's an important part of the Galaxy brand's DNA. Older Galaxy laptops included a smartphone-sized S-Pen that could be housed in the case. It made sure you never lost the tiny pen, but it wasn't the most enjoyable color experience.

The new S-Pen is bigger and feels a lot more like a real writing implement for this size of device. It's not as beefy as the Surface Pen or the Apple Pencil, but it felt very natural for tasks like taking notes, illustrating, and even navigating. The S-Pen is powered by an AAA battery and can magnetize on the lid.

The device itself is a pretty high quality looking laptop, made from a mix of aluminum alloy in some parts and plastic in other parts (e.g. the bottom panel). My test device was the color Mystic Bronze, a subtle mix of gold and silver. It's not obnoxious if not a little boring. The color Mystic Navy is a bolder color option.

Once you pick up the Galaxy Book Pro 360 and start maneuvering, you may find that it's not quite as well constructed as it looks. There's nothing outrageous here, but the keyboard deck is a bit flexible, especially towards the center. The lid feels nice and firm, although there is a weak point in the middle of the lower bezel between the two hinges. There are also spots along the side walls where it creaks when you press on it.

There were some build quality tradeoffs to get this light.

I also felt that the hinge was too loose for my preference. Many convertibles have screens that are too heavy, resulting in an oddly balanced device. The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 has the same problems. It opens with a finger, but closes on its own once it's 75% closed and wobbles too much. This can make the touchscreen uncomfortable to use as you could never accidentally press the screen down.

All of this is pretty common on mid-range Windows laptops, but the Galaxy Book Pro 360's price tag is a bit outside of this category. Of course, Samsung was interested in making the device as thin and light as possible, but there were some trade-offs in the build quality. You can even click the touchpad by lifting the laptop up and pressing on both sides of the palm rests. Not a great look.

display

The screen is the most important feature of the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360. It is not the first laptop to feature an OLED screen. However, there are some special features to consider when implementing.

Most importantly, it is only a 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution. Even the 15-inch model doesn't have a high-resolution screen, which is unusual for a number of reasons. The Asus ZenBook 13 OLED is the only other 1080p OLED notebook you can buy. You'd think Samsung would want to improve the image quality of its OLED screen, but I'm hard pressed to get a 15-inch 1080p display regardless of what type of display technology powers it.

There are two advantages to using 1080p: price and battery life. This will be a cheaper entry point into OLED as it avoids expensive 4K panels. The laptop also has phenomenal battery life, which shows in the results of my tests (see below).

I often found myself squinted and wished it was a sharper screen.

The loss of sharpness is the obvious downside to sticking to 1080p. I'll admit it's been a while since I've spent a long time on a 15-inch 1080p screen, but it's a thorn in my side. As someone staring at small black text on a white background every day, the difference in resolution is palpable. I don't know if the OLED is somehow making it worse, but I blinked and often wished I was working on a sharper screen. It is not for nothing that both the Surface Laptop 4 and the LG Gram 16 have a screen with a higher resolution as standard.

On a 13-inch display, I really don't think it's a problem. However, on a 15-inch device, this is a buzzkill for this laptop's most impressive feature. If you set this next to the 15-inch Surface Laptop 4 and wonder which device I would rather work on, I have no question about whether I would pick the surface, the LED screen, and everything.

Even so, you won't notice that much when looking at pictures or videos. This is where OLED really bends. I will not take up the whole argument again, but the OLED image quality is far superior to the standard LED on a technical level. The individually lit pixels create incredible contrast, and even the viewing angles are an improvement.

As announced, the color coverage is almost perfect. It's 100% across the board in both sRGB and AdobeRGB. This is rare in general, but extremely rare on a 1080p screen. The gamma was slightly off, however, which is unsuitable for watching movies – and I really noticed how oversaturated the colors appeared. According to Samsung, the Galaxy Book Pro 360 is designed for entertainment. This is why the company stayed at 16: 9, and I suspect that is a major reason why it initially chose OLED.

People certainly use their laptops for entertainment, but a greater percentage of the time is spent on work. And a 16:10 or 3: 2 display would have been the better choice for this. The increased area for vertical screens could also have helped reduce the size of the thick lower bezel. I had a similar complaint about the Galaxy Book Flex, but the effect isn't as noticeable on a 15-inch screen.

The brightness of the screen was a bit overwhelming.

When switching between work and leisure, Samsung offers other color modes in the settings, each of which improves the gamma and delivers more natural colors. The changes are minor. However, I recommend keeping the default photo editing and switching to AdobeRGB mode to watch videos.

However, these additional color modes did not solve the problem of brightness. I tested the screen at a maximum of 285 nits, which is a little overwhelming. It's a pretty glossy screen too, and when combined with the solid black created by the OLED screen, you'll struggle with reflections from time to time.

The Galaxy Book Pro 360 supports HDR500, which means you are promised at least 500 nits of brightness. But as we all know, Windows 10 still doesn't play exactly well with HDR. It looks terrible if you are not watching HDR content. This means you'll have to toggle the setting when you're ready to watch them.

Ports

The Galaxy Book Pro 360 contains a limited number of ports. On the side walls there are two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two standard USB-C ports, a micro SD card slot and a headphone jack.

This has become standard in the world of premium laptops, but when you see what Samsung did with the clamshell Galaxy Book Pro, you will get jealous. It includes older ports like USB-A and HDMI, though it's even thinner than the Galaxy Book Pro 360. You wonder why Samsung couldn't have incorporated these options into the convertible model.

The Galaxy Book Pro 360 includes Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1. A 5G model may be available, but only in the 13-inch screen size.

Keyboard and touchpad

I really enjoyed my time with this keyboard with springy scissor switches and 1mm of travel. The 15-inch model has a number pad to the right below the power switch and an integrated fingerprint reader. I'm not someone who makes a lot of sense of having a number pad, but it's not a huge distraction and some people will surely appreciate the addition.

The keys have a bright white backlight that looks pleasant and offers three levels of brightness.

The touchpad is also of high quality. It tracks well, registers gestures with multiple fingers with no problem, although it does have some oddities that are widely used for nitpicking. First of all, it's nice and wide, which I would never complain about. That is, unless the palm rejection isn't absolutely perfect. The size of the touchpad means your thumbs will rest on the edges of the touchpad as you type. This often resulted in accidental clicks or movements of the cursor.

This touchpad is pretty loud too. When I was working with others in a quiet room, I didn't want to click. Compared to the quiet touchpad of the Surface Laptop 4 or the quiet, non-mechanical click of the MacBook Pro, the Galaxy Book Pro 360 is irritatingly loud.

Webcam and speakers

The Galaxy Book Pro 360 includes a simple 720p webcam, which is a disappointment. It's still the standard definition, but some manufacturers have finally started moving to 1080p. Given that we all rely on our webcams these days, a higher resolution camera has become a major selling point on some laptops.

One feature that is missing is an IR camera. That doesn't mean Windows Hello facial recognition, which has become the standard on high-end Windows laptops. This is a handy feature that Samsung shouldn't have given up.

The speakers included in the Galaxy Book 360 are decent. They will make you watch YouTube videos or background music. However, they are pointing downwards, which means that the sound will be muffled when the device is used as a standard laptop. It improves when you put it in tent mode. Even so, these speakers aren't loud enough to fill a room. They're not even loud or crowded enough when you sit further back, such as when you're watching a movie with someone else.

performance

The 15-inch Galaxy Book Pro 360 has only one processor option: the Intel Core i7-1165G7. It's usually reserved for 13-inch laptops, but it does appear occasionally in ultra-thin 15-inch laptops like the LG Gram or the Surface Laptop 4. The Galaxy Book Pro 360 falls into the same category, so you shouldn't expect it to compete against a fully configured Dell XPS 15 or MacBook Pro 16-inch. This is a 28 watt processor with only four cores and eight threads. And instead of a discrete graphics card, the Galaxy Book Pro 360 is based only on the integrated Xe graphics from Intel.

But I was surprised at how much juice Samsung squeezed out of its components. The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 was one of the best-rated devices in its class in PCMark 10. In the "Essentials" test category, in which basic work functions such as video conferencing, Internet surfing and word processing.

It still lagged behind the newer Ryzen 5000 laptops like the Asus ZenBook 13 OLED, but for a quad-core processor, I was impressed.

Cinebench R23 (single / multi) Geekbench 5 (single / multi) PCMark 10 3DMark Time Spy
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 1308/4062 1554/5603 5159 1800
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 1137/5881 1016/6658 4849 1177
LG gram 16 1394/4137 1573/5454 4827 1390
Asus ZenBook 13 OLED 1171/7824 19175 6034 1342

I was also surprised by the graphics performance. I've tested countless laptops with Intel Xe graphics and the Galaxy Book Pro 360 outperforms them all. They're actually quite a step ahead of the Radeon graphics I tested in the Ryzen 5000 processors. For example, the graphics here are 35% faster than the built-in Ryzen 4000 graphics in the Surface Laptop 4 that I recently reviewed.

This in no way turns the Galaxy Book Pro 360 into a gaming laptop. It struggled with Fortnite, the one game I tested on it. At medium settings, the game averaged 50 frames per second (fps), but the frame rate varied a lot and the game felt choppy. Lighter indie games should work fine, as should 3D games that don't require too much graphical power.

The improved graphics help the Galaxy Book Pro 360 perform well when it comes to video editing. I use PugetBench to test the performance of Adobe Premiere Pro – which includes playback and export of 4K video, plus more – and was surprised at how well this thin little laptop actually worked. Despite fewer processor cores, the Galaxy Book Pro 360 was 32% better than the Surface Laptop 4 in the same test. The M1 MacBook Pro even slightly exceeded the GPU score.

Don't get your hopes up now. Even the fanless M1 MacBook Air, a cheaper and smaller notebook, was an overall 25% faster video editing in this benchmark. The discrepancy between Windows laptops and the M1 MacBooks is still an issue that the Galaxy Book Pro 360 cannot really solve on its own.

Fan noise wasn't too much of a problem, and neither were the surface temperatures. Again, it is an advantage to use a low-performance processor in a large package. However, the Galaxy Book Pro 360 pushed the internal temperatures quite high and was 94 degrees Celsius in runs of 3DMark Time Spy.

Battery life

The Galaxy Book Pro 360 has great battery life. The combination of a large 64-watt-hour battery, a lower-powered processor, and a 1080p screen is a recipe for all-day battery life on a single charge.

In our light web browsing test, which used the iMacros plug-in to repeatedly go through a series of websites until the battery ran out, it took 13 hours and 14 minutes. Your daily workload is likely higher, but I had no problem getting away from a point of sale for a full day with web apps, surfing, streaming music, and office apps.

In an even lighter load, the Galaxy Book Pro 360 can get closer to its claimed 21 hours. The system lasted 17.5 hours of local video playback, repeating a 1080p movie trailer until the battery ran out.

Both the Surface Laptop 4 and LG Gram 16 took a little longer, but all three devices are masters of battery life.

Our opinion

The Galaxy Book Pro 360 doesn't seem to be quite the pinnacle of design that Samsung has been asking for. The build quality is shaky and the screen disappoints. However, I like the 13-inch clamshell Galaxy Book Pro much better than the 15-inch model. It has better port selection, is lighter, and the 1080p resolution bothers me less.

Are there alternatives?

The Surface Laptop 4 is one of the biggest competitors to this laptop. It has a higher resolution 3: 2 screen but is not a convertible. The LG Gram 16 fits into a similar class of laptops. It has a 16:10 display but is also a standard clamshell.

The HP Specter x360 15 is a 15-inch convertible with touchscreen and pen support. Both the Dell XPS 15 and Dell XPS 15 offer slim chassis, although they are not quite as small as the Galaxy Book Pro 360. However, these slightly larger laptops can be configured with more powerful components such as 45-watt processors and discrete GPUs .

How long it will take?

The Galaxy Book Pro 360 should last at least five years. It has the latest components under the hood as well as future-proof connections. However, the build quality isn't the best, which means it can be damaged and damaged over the years.

Samsung offers a standard one year warranty. You can also add an extended two- or three-year warranty through Samsung Care +, which costs up to an additional $ 350.

Should you buy it?

This is a great option for Galaxy ecosystem users, especially if you find using the S-Pen on a bigger screen attractive. However, the 13-inch model is probably the better option for most people.

Editor's recommendations




‹12345›»