06 Nov
Blog

Sony Bravia XR Z9J Master Series 8K HDR TV Review

Sony Z9J TV with multicolored, glittering swirls on the screen.

Sony Bravia XR Z9J Master Series 8K HDR TVs

RRP $ 6,500.00

"The Z9J is one of the best televisions of all time."

advantages

  • Incredible brightness

  • Excellent control of the background lighting / black levels

  • Spot-on color

  • Excellent movement

  • good sound

disadvantage

  • It lacks high-end gaming features

  • Very expensive

The Sony Master Series Bravia XR Z9J is one of the most emerging TVs that you can buy today. Sure, LG has its $ 30,000 worth of $ 30,000 8K OLED TV, but among the LED / LCD TVs, the Sony Z9J is the most expensive commercially available TV you can buy. At around $ 6,500 on the street, the 75-inch Sony Z9J makes Samsung's $ 2,600 flagship 75-inch 8K Q900R look like a budget buy in comparison.

Do you need the Z9J? No. Do you want the Z9J? Yes sir. Will you ever own one I doubt it. But here's the thing: none of this really matters.

Allow me to explain.

Pure Sony flex

Streaming options on the Sony Z9J.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The Sony Master Series Z9J is the successor to a line of Z-Series TVs that represent the best that Sony can make. When we talk about "setting the bar" that is the purpose of the Z-Series. If the Z9J could speak on behalf of Sony, I think it would say something like, “Hi. I am the Z9J. I'm the best LED / LCD TV Sony has ever made, and I'm the best LED / LCD TV money can buy. Sony knows TV technology better than any other brand and I am proof of that. "

This Z9J – such a racket. But does it have the means to back up these claims? In most cases, yes.

While the Z9J doesn't quite reach TV nirvana (it seems to have too much self-esteem for an inanimate object), it comes very close to it. I've tested TVs that can get brighter, TVs that can get darker, and TVs with more advanced gaming features, but all in all, the Sony Z9J outperforms them all with the right…. Perhaps more importantly, though, the Z9J is just plain fun to see.

Oh, and the fact that it's an 8K TV? That's just a bonus.

How does Sony do it?

The XR processor is key to the Z9J's outstanding performance.

Details about the Sony Bravia XR Z9J

While we tested the 75-inch model XR75Z9J, our test also applies to the 85-inch model XR85Z9J.

Screen size Model no RRP
75 in

XR75Z9J

 $ 6,499
85 in XR85Z9J $ 8,999

Again with the processor

Image with colorful stripes on the Sony Z9J.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The latest generation of image processing chips from Sony is called the Cognitive Processor XR. For the sake of brevity – and undoubtedly to the chagrin of Sony – I will simply refer to it as the “XR processor” in the following. This processor is key to the Z9J's outstanding performance. In some ways I understand how it works and in others I am completely amazed. Look, I'm not an engineer, I just play one on TV.

What I understand is that the processor is supposed to understand how the human eye / visual system works and then actively maximize the performance of a television by using cognitive intelligence and doing a lot of processes per second. It's not just about how quickly this processor can make decisions, it's also about how meaningful those decisions are. For example, if we see an image of a cheetah on the screen in the grassy plains of Africa, with the cheetah in the foreground and the grasses in the background, the XR processor is likely to put its effort into resolving fine details in the cheetah coat for each Image it appears in instead of trying to add detail to a blurry grass background. That is smart decision making.

Another way to express the importance of this TV's processor: if the Z9J were a car, the XR processor would be its engine. Several other brands build TVs with many of the same parts as in the Sony Z9J, but they don't look like the Z9J because they don't have the Z9J's motor. In other words, you could build the shell of a McLaren 720S to specification, right down to the wheels, tires, mirrors, seats, and steering wheel – and it would look just like a McLaren 720s. But throw a Toyota Camry engine under the hood and that car has no hope of doing anything remotely like a McLaren 720s.

Now that I'm immersed in that auto metaphor, let me go ahead and beat her to death. If I put a McLaren 720s engine in our 720s-looking shell, but gave the car a Chevy Malibu drivetrain and suspension … well, you get it. It still won't work like the McLaren 720s. Likewise, Sony's XR processor needs some other premium mechanics to work its magic. That brings us to the backlight system.

Proven backlighting system

Beautiful starry sky over a bridge on the Sony Z9J TV.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Sony used to call its fancy backlight system "Sony Backlight Master Drive". This is the marketing language for Sony's Secret Sauce lighting system. While LG, Samsung and TCL are promoting mini LED backlight systems, Sony is sticking to a tried and tested system that remains a mystery to anyone who cannot physically disassemble and analyze it – it has simply left out the fancy name. Ask Sony what's going on behind the curtain and it will respond with something like, "We don't say, but it looks great, doesn't it?"

All right, Sony. You won't tell. And you are right. It looks great.

HDR images, both in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, look spectacular.

I don't know how it can be that Sony can use a fraction of full-size LEDs with far fewer dimming zones than the competition and somehow create a TV that looks better than TVs with much more impressive specs on paper, but the company pulls that trick year round for year through. The result is excellent backlighting with minimal blooming and halo effects, excellent black levels, very impressive shadow details and really impressive brightness – all where it matters. HDR images, both in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, look spectacular.

That brings us back to the XR processor. Thanks to the intelligent decision-making of the XR processor, the backlight system does what it does when it has to. At least I think that's what happens. I end up seeing a stunning TV, and with Sony keeping its approach so secret, I can only make one smart guess.

Masterful color

Colorful picture of a major event on the display of the Sony Z9J.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Since it's not enough for me to simply say that the Z9J has impeccable color rendering, I use a Spectracal C6 colorimeter profiled on an X-rite i1 Pro spectrometer and Calman Ultimate software to measure TV performance to eat. In terms of color, the Z9J is an exemplary performer. I've only seen two other TVs with standard color accuracy that can stand up to the Z9J, and these two TVs were also made by Sony (the A90J and the A80J).

Flawless movement

Images of burning firewood on the Sony Z9J TV.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Historically, Sony's strength, cinematic and fluid movement with a minimum of artifacts, is one of the Z9J's more admirable features. There's a fine line between breaking down motion blur and introducing gross motion smoothing that makes an image appear artificial or what I believe to be the dreaded “soap opera” effect, and I've never seen a brand tread that line as neatly as Sony it does. Although to be honest, many of Sony's premium TVs do equally admirably in this category at a much lower price point.

Superior upscaling

With so little 8K content to enjoy (thanks, YouTube, for some amazing 8K footage for 8K TVs, albeit heavily compressed), it's important that every 8K TV is capable of 4K To upscale 1080p and 720p material to 8K resolution without it looking worse than its native resolution. While I feel like most TV manufacturers offer solid upscaling, I'll have to leave it up to Sony as it is cut off from the competition in this area. Pictures just look cleaner on Sony 8K TVs, regardless of the original resolution. But no TV is a miracle worker, and I contend that no 75-inch or taller TV looks good when playing 720p cable or satellite content.

Sound of stars

Close up of the bottom of the Sony Z9J's screen.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

For those of you who regularly read my TV reviews, I'm going to sound like a broken record here. I think a premium TV like the Z9J deserves an equally high quality sound system. Really, a television just doesn't have to sound terrible to be passable in my book. After that, an immersive, immersive audio experience is best delivered from a high quality soundbar (we have more than a few amazing suggestions for the best soundbars you can buy) or even better, a multi-speaker audio system powered by an A / V Device powered is receiver (an admittedly dying type of sound system).

All in all, the Sony Z9J delivers a surprisingly satisfying audio experience with punch, grunt, clarity, and musicality. It's one of the best sounding TVs you can buy. And it should be the price.

Performance metrics

In SDR without adjustments to the user-defined picture mode (automatic local dimming to medium and peak luminance to off). I measured 389 nits of peak brightness from a 10% window. With Auto Local Dimming on low, I measured 431 nits, and with that setting on high, I got 381.

With automatic local dimming to medium and low peak luminance, I achieved 784 nits. With medium peak luminance I reached 1422 nits and with high setting 1902 nits. This is for SDR folks. This is an incredibly bright SDR picture. You shouldn't take this TV outside with you, but you could take this TV outside and still see it in full sun.

With HDR there were variations depending on where the auto local dimming setting was, but the advanced contrast setting had a big impact on the TV's brightness output. At the medium setting, I have a peak brightness of 2,500 nits. Impressive.

I assume that the Z9J is likely to be able to achieve a peak brightness of 4,000 nits with small HDR highlights.

I just went into Vivid mode to grin and it zoomed in to 3,600 nits. Impressive.

Keep the following in mind: Measuring a test pattern with a 10% white window is not a fair measure of real content performance. I assume that the Z9J is likely to be able to achieve a peak brightness of 4,000 nits with small HDR highlights.

Is there something it can't do?

Caleb Denison plays a video game on the Sony Z9J.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Given the mountain of praise I've given the Z9J, one might wonder what its weaknesses might be. It has a couple.

First, the Sony Z9J is not the best choice for gamers who want the latest features supported by next generation game consoles like the Xbox Series X / S or PCs with hot rod graphics cards like the RTX-3000 series. At the time of writing, variable refresh rate (VRR) is not yet supported (at least not in the US) and firmware updates for VRR support in markets outside the US have been less than warmly received. The auto-low-latency mode was only recently (somehow) offered in a firmware update and is supposedly buggy.

While I don't see hardcore gamers opting for the Z9J, with so many other standout gaming TV options available at a fraction of the cost, I think anyone who pays that much for a TV should get everything. All the bells and whistles. The Z9J falls short in this regard.

Car video game on the Sony Z9J.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

In all honesty, I think the Z9J's biggest weakness is that it can't be enjoyed by very many people at home. To say it is prohibitive is a gross understatement. Fortunately, I expect the Sony X95J to match 95% of the Z9J's performance at a much more accessible price point (relatively speaking, of course – it's still pretty expensive). Does the Z9J really have to be that expensive? That's the harsh reality with luxury products, I suppose.

Why i love it

Sony Z9J TV with multicolored, glittering swirls on the screen.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

By the time I saw the Sony Z9J, I would have told you that the TV I was going to buy this year would be either the LG G1 Gallery Series OLED or the Sony A90J OLED – and it would be a tough call between the two. Now that I've seen this TV I'm not sure. No TV stopped me from OLED like the Sony Z9J. I think it's the HDR brightness beat and the way the image seems to jump off the screen into my room in a way I haven't seen from OLED before. Don't get me wrong, OLED is still the king of contrast thanks to its perfect black levels, but the Z9J does so well that I don't have to work too hard to forgive him for suffering a bit in the blacks department. It's just that good.

I spent hours just watching it because it was such an incredible joy to see.

The greatest validation I can give this TV is that I spent hours just watching it because it was such an incredible joy to see. Sure, I probably should have done other work, but I got myself a passport and watched for sheer pleasure knowing it would be a year or so before a TV like the Z9J crossed my test room again.

After all the hours I've spent watching, I want to see it even more. I said that about the few televisions in my life.

Our opinion

Is there a better alternative?

In terms of picture quality, in my opinion only the LG C1 and G1 OLED TVs, the Sony A90 or the Samsung Q900R can hold a candle to the Z9J, and for different reasons. Unfortunately, the blanket answer to this question is yes, as the price of this TV is unjustifiable.

How long it will take?

The Z9J is only held back by the lack of support for some functions related to HDMI 2.1, and these are reserved for advanced gaming problems. In terms of product quality and relevance, the Z9J will still be talked about in five or more years, just like the Z9D is today. Sony offers a one-year parts and labor warranty against defects in televisions used in the home.

Should you buy it?

If you have the resources, beat yourself up. The Z9J is a standout television. Just invite me to a watch party.

Editor's recommendations



06 Nov
Blog

Apple AirPods 3 Review: Better Buds In Every Way

Apple AirPods 3.

Apple AirPods 3

RRP $ 179.00

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

advantages

  • Very good sound quality

  • MagSafe wireless charging

  • Spatial head tracking audio

  • IPX4 water resistance

disadvantage

  • Not great in noisy surroundings

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

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

In the Goldilocks zone

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

AirPods 3, AirPods and AirPods Pro side by side.

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

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

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

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

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

Bigger, better sound

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

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

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

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

Get spatial

Apple AirPods 3.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

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

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

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

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

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

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

Comfortable curves

Apple AirPods 3.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

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

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

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

Find a nice, quiet place

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

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

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

Competent calling

Man with Apple AirPods 3.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

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

A slightly larger battery

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

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

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

Our opinion

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

Is there a better alternative?

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

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

How long will they last?

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

Should you buy it?

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

Editor's recommendations



05 Nov
Blog

Mario Party Superstars Review: The Do-Over Fans Deserve

The entire cast of characters in Mario Party Superstars stands together.

Mario party superstars

RRP $ 60.00

"Mario Party Superstars is the best game of the series and has a better selection of mini-games and fewer gameplay gimmicks."

advantages

  • Effectively nostalgic

  • Back to the basics of mechanics

  • High quality mini-games

  • Addicting bonus modes

  • Playing online is a plus

disadvantage

  • Still slow

  • Not enough boards

  • No essential unlockable elements

Mario Party Superstars is a much-needed makeover to the multiplayer series. It learns so effectively from the successes and failures of previous Mario Party games that it almost feels like it should be the final entry. We have reached the upper limit of Mario Party.

At its core, it's a nostalgia trip back to basics that revives the spirit of the original Nintendo 64 classics. But beyond that, it saves moments of brilliance hidden in the weakest parts of the series. It treats Nintendo 3DS 'Mario Party: The Top 100 (a game that had old mini-games but jettisoned the actual board game) as a clumsy mulligan and gets its "best of" build idea right. Most importantly, it's a second chance for the series on Nintendo Switch after Super Mario Party's potential has been wasted due to a lack of post-launch support.

Mario Party Superstars is the best Mario Party game ever, even if it is by default. The curated nature means players will get the best – and most – mini-games the series has to offer, although that doesn't apply to board selection. The commitment to play online at launch puts it ahead of Super Mario Party and makes Superstars the best version of what a Mario Party game can be.

If it's not broken

If you haven't played a Mario Party game since the Nintendo 64, you will feel right at home in Superstars. There are no gimmicks or formula shake-ups here. Nintendo has reduced Mario Party to the essentials: it is a board game in which players roll dice, compete against each other in mini-games and try to win the most stars. That creates a more focused and reliable party game that doesn't distract with mechanical gambling. Not an ambitious start, but after 15 years of mixed bags exactly what the series needs.

Curation is the keyword here. Previous Mario Party games invented over 50 brand new mini-games apiece, which could result in lots of duds if the series ran out of all its best ideas. This time around, each mini-game was chosen from previous entries, roughly half of which are from the original Nintendo 64 trilogy. Players get 100 of the best mini-games in the series with far fewer stinkers in the pile.

Mario and friends compete against each other in a mushroom mini-game in Mario Party Superstars.

It's nice to see how classic mini-games have been modernized here. Basically, seeing old favorites is just an effective nostalgia game – I screeched when Pushy Penguins showed up, a Mario Party 5 mini-game I played to death on a GameCube demo disc as a kid. But it also has a functional aspect. A game like Mario Party's Crazy Cutters, in which players trace a shape with a jackhammer, simply controls the Switch's Joy-Cons much better than the Nintendo 64's clunky analog stick (unless you're drifting). If you only kept your N64 warm to play Mario Party with friends, you can safely put it away.

Some games have also been tweaked to be better than their old school counterparts. In Mario Party 2, the goal of Dizzy Dancing was to snap a green note hovering over a spinning turntable while trying to navigate inverted motion controls. This time around, the game became a timed game, with players struggling to snap as many notes as possible (a change that first happened in The Top 100). The original could end in seconds, but this is a more competitive iteration that's just better at ruining friendships.

For those who gave up on Mario Party, this is a reminder that with the right mini-games, the formula can still work.

It's also nice that the package includes some real standouts from later (and weaker) Mario Party entries. As someone who quit after the fifth game, I was shocked at how brilliant some of the newer mini-games are. Mario Party 8’s Paint Misbehavin ’, for example, is an adorable, Splatoon-like turf war in which players try to paint as many Goombas as possible with colored ink. As I went through the stack and "favored" my standout games, I found that most of them were from the late GameCube and Wii era.

Wario and Yoshi compete against Mario and Donkey Kong in the mini-game Handcar Havoc from Mario Party Superstars.

This is the real success of Mario Party Superstars. It's not just aimed at die-hard N64s who want a quick nostalgic hit; It takes one long hard look at the entire franchise and celebrates the moments when it shone. For those who gave up on Mario Party, this is a reminder that with the right mini-games, the formula can still work.

Leaner is better

In terms of the overall package, Nintendo took a less-is-more approach here. Instead of filling the game with tons of semi-realized ideas, it focuses more on the core board game Mario Party. There are no special gimmicks like Super Mario Party's character-specific dice or buddy system. Instead, we get the tightest version of the N64 game with slight but smart tweaks to the general coin and item economy.

Outside of the main multiplayer game, however, there is still quite a bit of work to be done. Mt. Minigames acts as a hub where players can compete against each other in a few additional modes. Some of these are simple, like the free mini-game or a 1v3 challenge mode. Some mini-games even have their own point hunt outside of the main game, which is a fun thing. Mario & # 39; s Puzzle Party, a match-two puzzler from Mario Party 3, has its own three-minute point attack mode that has become a surprising addiction to me.

Mario wins a round of survival mode in Mario Party Superstars.

The most important feature here is the online component. Unlike Super Mario Party, Mario Party Superstars supports full online play at launch (the former didn't get this feature until years after its release). The ability to play Mario Party online with friends is crucial. Nowadays it is just not likely that people would regularly bring four people together in person to play a few rounds. Multiplayer titles are played over Discord and Twitch streams. Choosing to play online is a necessity for the series to stay relevant. It's a relief to see it included, even if it should have been taken for granted.

It's also nice that online gaming goes beyond the simple board game. Superstars offers two online specific modes: Survival and Daily Challenge. The former has the longest-term single-player potential among the extras. Players go online and try to beat as many mini-games in a row as possible. It's a high-stakes endurance test that adds smart high score tracking to a series that previously had no compelling reason to play alone.

Choosing to play online is a necessity for the series to stay relevant.

The most effective thing about the different modes in the game is that they all revolve around the same pool of mini-games. Super Mario Party included Sound Stage, a rhythm game mode that was excellent on paper. Unfortunately, it required mini-games designed specifically for this mode. It just wasn't included in the game enough to make a lasting impression, and it made the overall list of the game's mini-games feel thin. Everything you play in the side mode will ultimately be available in the board game, and vice versa.

The best it can be

When I say this is the best version of Mario Party, I have to acknowledge that the series has a certain cap. No matter how good the mini-games are, the central board game can still be excruciatingly slow. Players can increase text and CPU speeds, or fast-forward some board events, but there's no way to directly skip the slower parts of the game. The pace seems a bit faster than previous entries, but it still feels like I can take a toilet break while Toadette moves a star.

Nintendo's awe of Mario Party's past should end with his mini-games. Other parts of the series need to be modernized if the series is to continue.

The collection is also no longer the Mario Party equivalent to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It only contains five boards, all of which are from the first three games in the series. That's a smaller number than any Nintendo 64 game that had at least six. While the list includes standout cards like Space Land and Peach's Birthday Cake, it also includes something of a dud in Yoshi's Tropical Island – a frustrating beginner's card that leaves a lot to the luck.

The space land map in Mario Party Superstars.

It's strange to see the game show such a great awe for the mini-games in the series but not show the same love for its boards. Those who really want to make this a party staple will end up playing the same cards over and over again. Realistically, Switch owners will likely want Super Mario Party ready to liven up the pool.

Likewise, there are only 10 playable characters here (the list excludes characters like Bowser, who appears as an NPC in certain maps and games). This isn't a big deal breaker, especially since characters don't have specific skills this time around, but it's a shame there aren't any unlockable characters or boards to hunt down. That was a staple of old Nintendo party games that have fallen by the wayside in recent years. Instead, the game includes an easy "level-up" system that unlocks collectibles like music and stickers in a shop. Collecting enough coins to buy everything is an efficient catch for completers, but I wish there was something more substantial that could keep me playing.

The sleek character and board pickings would be fine if I felt like the game was saving some content for post launch support. Unfortunately, Nintendo has lost my trust here. I said the same thing after Super Mario Party, a game that felt like DLC but didn't get one. In fact, one could argue that Superstars should have been just a paid add-on and not a full retail game. Any Nintendo franchise could really benefit Mario Party from adopting a DLC model that will keep new games, characters, and boards going for years to come. Hopefully this will be the case here, but I've been burned before – and you'll only get burned once on the Hot Rope Jump before you're out.

Boos steal stars from multiple players in Mario Party Superstars.

Nintendo's awe of Mario Party's past should end with his mini-games. Other parts of the series need to be modernized if the series is to continue. Otherwise, superstars could be a big goodbye for fans looking to close a nostalgic chapter of their gaming childhood.

Our opinion

Mario Party Superstars is a delightful celebration of the multiplayer juggernaut's colorful past. By curating the best mini-games from the series, Nintendo has created a more consistent multiplayer game with fewer duds. The back-to-basics approach ensures a more focused experience that isn't blocked by gimmicks and experimentation. It's still as slow as ever and the selection of boards is disappointingly sparse, but that's as good as it gets when it comes to Mario Party.

Is there a better alternative?

Super Mario Party isn't such a tight package, but it does have some fun ideas that haven't been carried over here.

How long it will take?

Games can last anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes, so it depends on how often you play. The additional modes extend it. You can also track achievements in the game and buy a shop full of collectibles. I still don't have everything after 20 hours.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. Mario Party Superstars is hands down the best Mario Party game even if the package is missing in some areas. It could be the last Mario Party game you ever need to buy.

Editor's recommendations



05 Nov
Blog

Dreame H11 Max Wet and Dry Vacuum Review: Modern Convenience

Dreame H11 Max vacuum

Dreame H11 Max

RRP $ 500.00

"The Dreame H11 Max vacuum cleaner is powerful, slim and easy to use and is equipped for dealing with hard floors."

advantages

  • Strong suction power

  • Slim, attractive design

  • Adaptive suction

  • Simple interface

disadvantage

  • A bit expensive

  • Does not clean carpets

As someone who hates Swiffers and is way too lazy to mop regularly, I was downright happy to have this Dreame H11 Max wet and dry vacuum cleaner for a twist. This cordless vacuum cleaner impresses with 36 minutes of running time, a self-cleaning roller brush and a slim profile. As the name suggests, it is a 2-in-1 combination vacuum cleaner that can remove both wet and dry dirt. Is it enough to clear my admittedly low bar? Probably! Let's dig in.

Out of the box

The Dreame H11 Max is very easy to assemble. All you really need to do is put the handle on and it clicks into place. It is equipped with buttons for switching on, switching modes and initiating self-cleaning. The orientation of the handle was a bit strange as it loops from the shaft outwards towards the front of the vacuum cleaner, more towards the rear towards the user. The secret of this design decision eludes me to this day.

Dreame H11 Max Vacuum in a corner.Simon Sage / Digital Trends

Otherwise, the H11 Max looks pretty good overall. It has smooth and sharp lines that set it apart from many vacuum cleaners. I could leave this open as opposed to my current vacuum which remains shamefully hidden.

When the charging station is plugged in and you insert the vacuum cleaner for the first five-hour warm-up period, you will be greeted by an acoustic prompt confirming that the charging process has started. The sound can be annoying, but luckily there is a button on the back to completely ban the audio prompts. The stand has space for the supplied spare roll and cleaning brush, but there is no space for the supplied additional filter. Damned.

From here, it's a simple matter of topping up the 0.23 gallon fresh water tank. Once the vacuum is activated, the water runs through the brush, then the filter, before ending up in the 0.13 gallon dirty water tank.

power

What Swiffer pads have in terms of comfort, they lose in terms of cleaning power. Throwing out the mop is a huge effort. After examining my laminate kitchen floor with the Dreame H11 Max, I was pleasantly surprised at how little water it uses compared to conventional mopping and at the same time it picks up a significant amount of dirt. The 200W brushless motor did its job and provided enough traction that I took away a lot of the manual drudgery that comes with wiping. Dreame says it has its proprietary detergent in the box. Even if mine didn't, the H11 Max was still good at cleaning. In the long run, I can't resist the temptation to use another party's more readily available laundry detergent.

Close-up of the vacuum attachment of the Dreame H11 Max Vacuum.Simon Sage / Digital Trends

Some wet vacuums work on carpets, but this one doesn't. My hopes of creating some storage space by breaking free of a much larger vacuum were not only dashed, but completely reversed. I would have to make room for two monstrous devices in my life to maintain all of the floors in my apartment. This is a strike.

With all its power, I didn't find the H11 Max that loud.

At 10.1 pounds, the H11 Max may not have the maneuverability or light weight of a Dyson OmniGlide, but it has good performance and run time. However, my cleaning program is slack to the point of horror, so using the Dreame H11 Max's six 4,000 mAh batteries for 36 minutes is largely wasted. Dreame claims there's enough water to clean 2,152 square feet, but only in my haziest fever dreams will I ever own that much hardwood floor, let alone the change to clean it all at once. A lighter model may actually be better for something you only spill occasionally, rather than cleaning the entire house that some crazy people seem to be doing. With all its power, I didn't find the H11 Max that loud.

LED display of the Dreame H11 Max Vacuum.Simon Sage / Digital Trends

The LED surface keeps users informed about everything. Aside from the power levels, there is very little to consider. You can switch between Auto and Slurpy mode, which soaks up spills. Various error indicators light up when something goes wrong. The outer colored ring serves as a real-time contamination indicator that can help you find particularly problematic areas. This vacuum cleaner adjusts the suction power to remove new debris in a snap, and you can hear it in problem areas to scrub extra hard.

price

The $ 500 H11 Max is in the right range for new wet and dry vacuums, albeit in the slightly higher range. You can certainly find cheaper ones that are closer to the $ 200 mark, but they tend to be wired.

Our opinion

The Dreame H11 Max vacuum cleaner has proven to be powerful, slim and easy to use. A decent water tank and long battery life make it a viable option for larger homes. Unfortunately, without the support of carpet surfaces, the H11 Max is unlikely to be able to tackle every floor in every home. You need to assess whether you would like to have a second vacuum cleaner for carpets in the house.

Is there a better alternative?

Bissell has a number of upright cordless wet and dry vacuums that work on both hard and carpeted floors, and are also a little cheaper. I would consider that Bissell CrossWave before you take the plunge onto the Dreame H11 Max. I still give the H11 Max a notch for a more modern design. For dry soiling, the alternative solution is as cheap as a broom.

How long it will take?

Dreame offers a one year warranty so you are covered for at least that long. Since this vacuum cleaner is designed for larger households, it can be worn out more. However, the lithium-ion batteries are likely to lose primarily mechanical charge. Batteries last between three and five years, depending on usage.

Should you buy it?

Homeowners with a lot of flooring and a desire for cleanliness can use the large battery and the ample water supply of the Dreame H11 Max. It can be overkill for people who like to be content with the occasional broom sweeping to take care of their hard floors.

Editor's recommendations



05 Nov
Blog

DJI Action 2 Review: Reinventing the Action Camera

DJI action 2.

"With its unique modular design and easily replaceable batteries, the Action 2 breaks the mold that has dictated the design of action cameras for decades."

advantages

  • Versatile and unique modular design

  • Remarkably small and light

  • Great picture quality

  • Gimble-like video stabilization

  • Fantastic audio recording function

disadvantage

  • The image quality is not quite as sharp as with GoPro

  • Low light performance isn't that great

When DJI launched the original Osmo Action, it faced stiff competition with the GoPro Hero 8 Black. Surprisingly, DJI did well where so many other companies had tried to break a chunk of the GoPro market, and the Osmo Action had been my action camera of choice for the past two years. It is high time to upgrade, though, and I've been keeping my eye on the DJI Action 2 – DJI has decided to drop the name "Osmo". The new action camera is a total reinvention aimed at creating its own niche rather than going head to head with the impressive GoPro Hero 10 Black that I recently tested.

The question, however, is whether Action 2's innovative modular approach is enough to set it apart from the competition. Are its unique attributes the head start DJI needs to be successful in the action camera arena?

draft

There's really nothing like the DJI Action 2. First of all, it's small – really small: only 1.54 x 0.86 inches and weighs only 56 grams. To get an idea of ​​what this means in the real world, you can slip it in your pocket or even conveniently carry it on the magnetic tag accessory.

DJI Action 2 lens.Andy Zahn / Digital Trends

The second point is that this camera is not just a single unit, it is actually modular, with the front selfie screen or battery separate from the camera module. The modules connect via a strong magnetic clamping system that is absolutely rock-solid. This allows the camera module to be completely sealed even without a charging port, giving it a waterproof rating of up to 32 feet. It can go up to 196 feet deep with the help of the optional waterproof case. Keep in mind that the front touchscreen and battery modules are not waterproof, so don't submerge them without first placing them in the waterproof case.

DJI Action 2 waterproof case.Andy Zahn / Digital Trends

Another advantage of this system is that there is no longer any need to open cumbersome connections to replace batteries. A new battery module can be snapped open in a few seconds to begin charging the primary battery. It is even possible to swap the batteries while the recording is in progress. In the long run, I see a potential disadvantage to this approach is that the primary battery will degrade over time and cannot be replaced, but this design offers enough advantages that seem like a small compromise.

DJI Action 2 connector plate.Andy Zahn / Digital Trends

The magnetic snap system also allows the Action 2 to be quickly moved between different accessories. You can have it on the bluetooth remote one second and effortlessly snap onto a magnetic mount attached to a headband the next. If a metal object is at hand, the Action 2 can simply be glued onto it, potentially allowing it to be mounted in places where a tripod or other mount would not work.

The 1.76-inch touchscreen on both the camera and front screen modules is certainly tiny, but I had no problem using it or filming with it. A single button turns the camera on / off and stops / starts recording; Double tap to switch modes.

DJI Action 2 touch screen.Andy Zahn / Digital Trends

Another interesting design decision is the complete lack of connectors on the camera module. The camera module has 32 GB of onboard memory. To expand this memory, both the battery and the front touchscreen module have a microSD card slot. This means that when the camera is separated from these modules, it can only record in the internal memory. On the plus side, however, this means that if you have multiple power or front touchscreen modules, each with an SD card, these modules not only charge the camera, but also provide additional storage space when plugged in.

One of the more fascinating accessories available for the Action 2 is a macro lens. As someone who spends a lot of time in his spare time photographing insects, tree frogs and flowers, this opens up exciting opportunities. It offers decent magnification, albeit with a healthy dose of edge distortion.

With Action 2 over the past few weeks, I've really come to appreciate how much thought and technology has gone into this camera.

power

As clever as the design of the Action 2 is, it has to be able to deliver great video too. Fortunately, it does. The Action 2 has a 12 MP 1 / 1.7-inch CMOS sensor and an aperture of f / 2.8. These aren't particularly impressive specs, but in practice they produce great looking video. The Action 2 can record 4K footage at up to 120 frames per second for high resolution slow motion or 240 frames per second at 1080p for 8x slow motion.

It's a shame that it doesn't manage 240fps at a resolution of 2.7k, but it didn't bother me that much in use. I generally prefer to shoot in 4K, and when I want super slow motion the action being captured generally dwarfs the importance of resolution.

It achieves that "gimbal-like" stability that allows it to take decent shots while walking and holding the camera.

As for image quality, I'm generally happy with the look of the footage from Action 2. It may be a little saturated and high-contrast, but personally I really like it, and more importantly, it did a good job around Process high-contrast scenes such as a twilight forest with a bright sky. Action 2 consistently managed to get shadows in such situations without blowing out the lights too much.

As you'd expect from a small sensor camera, the low light performance is pretty poor – if not the worst I've seen. There is only so much you can do to overcome the physics of collecting light on a small sensor by a small lens.

Perhaps most importantly, DJI has massively updated its Rocksteady image stabilization so that it is just as good, if not a bit better, than what GoPro has achieved with their latest camera technology. It achieves that "gimbal-like" stability that allows it to take decent shots while walking and holding the camera.

There's also a new HorizonSteady feature that maintains a level horizon regardless of the camera orientation. Keep in mind that RockSteady 2.0 only works below 100 fps and HorizonSteady only works at resolutions of 2.7K or less. Despite the resolution limitation, I found HorizonSteady absolutely worth the tradeoff when shooting smooth footage on uneven, uneven terrain.

In addition, the Action 2 has the hyperlapse and timelapse functions that we expect from action cameras. This is very important to me as it is one of my main uses for action cameras. These modes work well, and I love the prospect of traveling with the Action 2 and using its magnets to capture time-lapse videos in unique locations.

I was shocked at how good the sound recorded from Action 2 was. It's very useful for vlogging purposes – or just for video recording in general. It's far better than I'd expect from an action camera, and is a serious upgrade over the previous Osmo Action, which had pretty good shooting capabilities.

It's very useful for vlogging purposes – or just for video recording in general.

The Action 2 is capable of capturing still images, although in my experience this is a rarely used feature of action cameras. The 12-megapixel sensor does a good job of rendering nice pictures, but honestly, I'm more likely to pull out my phone to take a still photo than to put the Action 2 into photo mode. Even so, the functionality is there when you need it. Another feature you might be interested in is the QuickClip mode, which records preset 15-second videos for social media. You can also stream live with the Action 2 at up to 1080p 30fps or use the camera as a webcam.

Battery life

On the one hand, I was only able to record about 12 minutes of 4K video before the Action 2 ran out of juice in the camera module's 580 mAh battery. However, the other two modules are equipped with 1300 mAh batteries, which is sufficient for a day of shooting. They charge from empty to full in about 90 minutes.

Software and connectivity

I have no complaints about the software on the camera itself. It is very responsive and changing settings is quick and easy. The DJI Mimo companion app is also a useful tool as it enables remote control of the Action 2 and an editing workflow for your footage. There is also an AI editor that can automatically edit your videos with music and matching transitions so they can be easily shared right from the app.

The Action 2 has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for connection to the app and optional accessories such as the Bluetooth remote control. I had no problems with the camera in this regard; It is a well developed and optimized system.

Price and availability

The Action 2 comes in two different bundles: the power combo is $ 399 and includes the main camera, power module, magnetic collar, and magnetic adapter mount, while the dual-screen combo is $ 519 and all contains what is included in the power combo, bar an exchange of the power module for a front touchscreen module and a magnetic ball head adapter holder.

The great thing here is that you get the same camera features whether you go for the budget-friendly power combo or the pony-up for the front touchscreen. I wouldn't say both combinations are a real bargain, but it comes down to what you would expect for a camera with Action 2 capabilities.

The Action 2 will be available for the front touchscreen combo from November 2nd. The power combo and most of the additional accessories should be available sometime in mid-November, with the exception of the DJI MIC – which will be available in December – and the magnetic headband – whose availability has not yet been decided at this point.

DJI Action 2 Unboxing 3.Andy Zahn / Digital Trends

Our opinion

The DJI Action 2 is a really innovative action camera and its novel approach really sets it apart from the competition. It does pretty much anything you'd expect in an action camera, and it does it very well. It's an action camera that, when taken to the bare minimum, is so small and light that you really have no excuse not to take it with you. By doing everything in its power to rethink action cameras from the ground up, DJI has landed a real home run with Action 2.

Is there a better alternative?

GoPro is always the elephant in the room when it comes to action cameras, and the Hero 10 Black was an easy choice for Editors & # 39; Choice when I checked her out last month. They are so close together that if I were forced to determine a winner I would likely declare a draw.

They're roughly in the same price range considering their different pricing models, and both offer great image stabilization. The GoPro can capture 5.3K footage, its 4K footage looks slightly more detailed, and it can capture 240fps slow-motion at 2.7K, while the Action 2 can only achieve that frame rate at 1080p. However, the Action 2 camera module is only about a third the size of the Hero 10 Black and its modular magnet system offers really unique advantages over the GoPro.

I could go back and forth for hours comparing these two cameras, but in the end I came to the conclusion that they are on par.

Its modular magnet system offers really unique advantages over the GoPro

How long it will take?

Unlike GoPro, DJI doesn't follow an annual release schedule for its products, so I can't tell when it will be replaced. Despite its age, my original Osmo Action is still a very capable camera, and I expect Action 2 will remain relevant for much longer. It's pretty sturdy, so it should last a long time – depending on how much punishment it receives, DJI naturally offers a standard limited warranty on its devices.

The only downer is the already mentioned non-replaceable batteries, especially in the camera module. Eventually, the battery life on this module degrades to the point where you need to leave a battery or front touchscreen module connected in order for it to work for a reasonable amount of time. However, this will last for many years and be used frequently, so this shouldn't stop you from buying the camera.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. The DJI Action 2 is an extremely compelling action camera, especially if you have a specific use case in mind that would benefit from its small size, light weight, and unique modular design.

Editor's recommendations



05 Nov
Blog

Honor 50 Review: What’s Old is New Again

Honor 50 rating on top of hand

Honor 50 in the test: Honor is back, and what's old is new again

RRP $ 615.00

“The Honor 50 represents the return of the new independent brand to Android phones with integrated Google Mobile Services. That's big, but the rest of the phone doesn't feel particularly fresh, despite the crazy color scheme and workmanship. "

advantages

  • Nice 120Hz AMOLED screen

  • Fast charging

  • Lightweight and reasonably sized

  • Fun video modes with easy editing

disadvantage

  • No wireless charging

  • No watertightness

  • Single speaker

Comebacks are surprisingly common in mobile technology, with Nokia, BlackBerry, and even Palm returning after a while – with varying degrees of success. Honor, once owned by Huawei, is the latest established name to return. Technically, however, it hasn't gone away as it was just sold by Huawei for the chance to thrive on its own.

Since then, Honor has made agreements with Google, Qualcomm, and several other companies that are currently unable to work with Huawei. That means Honor is not only back, but now it has Google Mobile Services too. The Honor 50 is its first smartphone with Google Play and all of the other apps and services expected, so this seems like a fresh start. On the flip side, Honor could still be trying to figure out his own identity after being connected for so long.

draft

The version of the Honor 50 that you see in our photos is the special edition “Code” and everything I want to see in an Honor phone. The company has often incorporated eye-catching reflective back wall designs, and this is probably the brightest and most noticeable yet. The letters H, O, N and R give the design depth and sparkle in different shades of silver and blue, depending on the viewing angle and lighting. I think it looks excellent, but if it's not for you the phone is also available in black, green, or a slightly more subtle, sparkly tone called Frost Crystal.

The back of the Honor 50.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It is thin at just under 8 mm and very light at 175 grams. This, along with the curved screen and modest width of 74mm, makes it very easy to hold and operate with one hand. The curve is pretty dramatic and a bit sharp if you grip the phone tightly. The quality of workmanship is excellent, as the glass panel and the rear panel are flush with the metal housing. The stadium-shaped, two-stage camera housing with two round modules on the back also fits perfectly with the reflective letter O design of the code.

Yes, the Honor 50 is on board with Google Mobile Services

The Honor 50 looks great, is not heavy, is well made, and comes in a variety of unusual colors for people looking to make a statement with their phone. However, if you've seen and held the Honor 30 Pro, then you've seen and held the Honor 50 too, as the two are closely related in terms of size and shape.

The curved edge of the Honor 50.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Another thing is that for Honor's talk about the phone marking its "Independence Day" and its definitive split from Huawei, the similarity in design and specification between the Honor 50 and the new Huawei Nova 9 is striking. It won't do much to convince someone that the two are firmly and definitively divorced.

camera

A 108-megapixel main camera leads the show on the Honor 50, plus an 8-MP wide-angle camera and a pair of 2-MP macro and depth cameras. The selfie camera has 32 megapixels and a 90-degree viewing angle. Honor promotes the camera system as one for aspiring vloggers and has incorporated several different video modes that all cameras use at the same time.

The Honor 50's camera module.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

First, let's talk about still images. The 108MP camera is very sensitive to light. In a variety of situations, photos will be underexposed or overexposed, and the wide-angle camera is even worse. Photos are better on a brighter, sunnier day, but some won't like how the blue skies are oversaturated. I do not mind; it definitely makes the photos pop, and I prefer that to the depressing tone of the photos taken when the sun wasn't shining.

However, if you look carefully, photos may be lacking in detail – there are also signs of over-processing. On the upside, I like the range of portrait and aperture modes that give either people or objects a bokeh effect. Edge detection is also solid.

The multi-camera video modes record with two cameras at the same time, so you can create video combinations with the main rear camera and selfie camera, including simultaneous recording, a picture-in-picture window, and other combinations. It's a gimmick, but it works. However, the user interface is a bit cumbersome and slow, so you will need a little patience to master the controls.

It's not something I would personally use outside of the review, but it would certainly be fun in large groups if you want to capture everything that happens around you. There is also a very easy to use editing suite that makes creating a final clip completely easy on your phone. The Honor 50 supports Bluetooth headsets in video mode, so you can use them instead of the internal microphone to record sound – which should result in better sound, especially when recording from a distance. Strangely enough, the Honor 50 only records videos in 16: 9 or 21: 9, but supports 4K at 30 frames per second (fps).

The Honor 50's still camera wasn't very inspiring

The Honor 50's video camera is fun, but only if you try your hand at the world of vlogging. Those who are more ambitious or experienced will quickly want more, as they only record in 1080p at 30fps in multi-cam mode. However, I'm not sure if it is used very often by the average person who makes videos. The Honor 50's still camera didn't inspire me much, but software refinement can improve its capabilities over time.

software

Yes, the Honor 50 is on board with Google Mobile Services. This means that it includes the Google Play Store, Gmail, Google Maps, Messages, and every other expected apps. Also, sign in to your Google account during setup so that you can use Google's cloud services. Using the Honor phone is exactly the same as any other Android smartphone in terms of Google integration.

Honor's own MagicUI 4.2 is installed over Android 11. In terms of design and layout, it hasn't changed much from MagicUI 3.1 installed on the Honor 30 – this just added Google-Ness. There are other references to Honor's past, with the always-on screen having the same customization as the feature on Huawei phones, down to some of the same icons and animations. However, the always-on screen is one of my favorite parts of MagicUI because it is easy to personalize and information on the lock screen is clearly displayed.

I didn't experience any reliability or app issues with the Honor 50, and notifications came through with no issues. It was a steady partner during my time on the phone.

Screen and performance

The Honor 50's screen is exactly what we expect from a mid-range phone today: it's an AMOLED panel with a switchable refresh rate of 60 Hz or 120 Hz; has a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels and 300 Hz touch sampling; and it's colorful, dynamic and responsive.

Honor 50 screen.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It even does very well with the latest Google Pixel 6 Pro, showing the same eye-catching colors with a slightly warmer tone – at least when the Vivid setting is enabled. It is also possible to optimize the temperature of the screen or choose a mode with sRGB or DC-P3 color cards if it does not suit your needs. Jo Yuri's Glassy video pops off the screen, but the phone loses points for its single speaker on the bottom of the phone.

Video of the Honor 50.

Games on the Honor 50.

Honor fitted the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G processor with a 5G modem, and my test model has 6GB of RAM. It's a fast performer, but the operating system never feels snappy, and I've found that it can stumble when closing games and other energy-intensive apps. This may be more of a software optimization problem than a lack of processing courage. Honor's own GPU Turbo X tweaks make it great for gaming, and I really enjoyed Asphalt 9: Legends, especially because the phone is easy to hold and the screen is beautiful. It's a shame it doesn't have stereo speakers to really take advantage of its media prowess.

Battery and charging

I was a little concerned that the 4,300mAh battery wouldn't be powerful enough to last more than a day, but the Snapdragon 778G and MagicUI have to be pretty conservative with power. With normal use, I could turn the phone off overnight and it would have enough juice for the next day. This was especially impressive as I use the phone at the 120Hz refresh rate all the time.

Honor 50 charging port.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The 66W SuperCharge fast charging is established Honor technology and very welcome. It got the battery up to 70% in 22 minutes, which is more than enough for a single day. Unfortunately, there is no wireless charging – a feature I would consider standard on most mid- to upper-range phones today.

Price and availability

The Honor 50 costs 529 euros or about 615 US dollars for the 6 GB / 128 GB model and 599 euros / 695 US dollars for the 8 GB / 256 GB model. It will be available to order from Honor on November 4th. Honor's plans for a widespread release are not yet clear, so don't expect it to hit the US anytime soon. It can be imported from the UK or Europe if you are interested.

Our opinion

The Honor 50 embodies the phrase “everything old is new again”, because despite the new start of Honor as an independent brand, the Honor 50 feels very familiar. The shape of the phone is essentially the same as the Honor 30 Pro, just with a different camera model. MagicUI 4.2 is identical to older versions of the software except that Google has been added. Even the 66W SuperCharge function is a holdover from the Huawei era.

Don't take these as negative; the fast charging is excellent, the software is reliable, and the design is modern and fun. But it feels a bit normal to Honor, and I wanted to see something completely new from the company. Maybe that will come later, and if so, the Honor 50 offers a great reintroduction to how the brand delivers competent, pretty, but not always outstanding smartphones.

That lack of real novelty poses a problem, however: during the Honor's absence, the cellular market has changed and there are a lot more phones out there at the same price point as the Honor 50 that are better value for money. Yes, Google is back on board, but that only brings the Honor 50 back to the same level as many other phones. While that's good news for Honor as a brand, it doesn't make the phone stand out from the rest.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes sir; Check out either the OnePlus Nord 2 5G or the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. Both are slightly cheaper than the Honor 50, but you don't have to sacrifice anything in terms of functionality and performance. If you are outside of the US, you should also consider the Realme GT or GT Neo2. The $ 449 Google Pixel 5a is worth investigating if you're looking for a great camera, and at $ 599, the new Google Pixel 6 is also challenging the Honor 50.

If you're not using an Android phone, take a look at the $ 699 Apple iPhone 13 Mini. As an Android alternative in the same price range, the OnePlus 9 combines a great screen, fast charging, an improved camera and great software in a pretty design.

How long it will take?

We ask Honor about the software update obligation. To be competitive, it must provide major version updates for at least two years and security updates for three years. The Honor 50 is not waterproof or a rugged phone, so if you are unlucky it could be damaged.

There is something else to consider, and that is the talk of Honor finding its way into the US Entity List, which would prohibit Google, Qualcomm, and others from working together. This is the ailment Huawei wanted to overcome by selling Honor, and while it is only a vague threat at the moment and may not affect the Honor 50 directly, it is an unknown that undermines the brand's plan for a broad global reintroduction could.

Should you buy it?

No. While the Honor 50 is perfectly acceptable, it doesn't stand out from the competition with one notable feature and misses some essentials that can be found on other phones at a similar price point.

Editor's recommendations



05 Nov
Blog

LG CordZero Vacuum With All-in-One Tower Review: It Sucks

LG CordZero stick vacuum cleaner

LG CordZero with all-in-one tower

RRP $ 1,000.00

“From start to finish, the LG CordZero makes cleaning child's play. No dust on your hands when you're done! "

advantages

  • Easy cleaning with an empty tower

  • Built-in storage of attachments

  • Comes with mopping attachments

  • Lightweight construction

  • Strong suction power

  • Excellent battery life

disadvantage

  • Does not work as a full mop

The days of bulky, bulky vacuum cleaners are a thing of the past. Nobody wants to set a personal weightlifting record trying to reach the vacuum of the closet. This has led to a surge in lightweight, cordless stick vacuums that have the suction power of their larger cousins, but without the possibility of a hernia.

The LG CordZero fulfills this criterion perfectly. It offers easy but powerful cleaning and all the attachments you need to keep your house sparkling clean. It goes one step further, however, with the all-in-one tower where you can store, charge, and empty the device. The all-in-one tower turns the CordZero from a handy stick vacuum cleaner into one of the most amazing intelligent cleaning devices I've ever seen.

The LG CordZero really sucks, and I mean that in the best sense of the word. It has more suction than any vacuum cleaner I've tested in the past and is head and shoulders above the level of cleaning provided by budget vacuum cleaners. It even outperforms similar suction cups like the Roborock H7.

The all-in-one tower offers storage, charging and a self-draining base

On its own, the LG CordZero is an impressive piece of technology. It performs immensely for something of its size and weight, and it can more than hold its own when compared to similar vacuum cleaners. In combination with the all-in-one tower, however, it is way ahead of the competition.

One of the main complaints I've had with stick vacuum cleaners is emptying the dust bin. No matter how careful I am or how far I push it in the trash can before opening it, my hand always comes out covered in a dusty film. When I use the vacuum cleaner to clean up stray cat litter, I prefer not to think about what else might be in that dust. The all-in-one tower completely bypasses this problem. When you put the CordZero back into the tower, small arms protrude from the tower and grip the vacuum. These arms open the dust bin, and a powerful vacuum cleaner in the tower itself sucks all the dust out of the bin and down into a bag at the base of the tower.

Bag in the LG CordZero Tower.

Although LG has not given a fixed time specification of how much dust this bag can hold, I got an estimate of at least 30 days. This will of course depend on the size of your house and the pollution (you'll likely fill the bag faster if you have pets, for example) but given the size of the bag and the unique compressor technology it is, it should take a while. Even if it only lasted a week at a time, it solves the main problem I have with stick vacuum cleaners: it contains all of the dust in it and none of it gets on my hands.

Great use of space and storage space

The all-in-one tower has two doors that can be swung out to the side and conceals storage space for the various attachments. And the best thing about it: These storage surfaces are unique in shape and design – it is not to be confused which attachment belongs where. So you can easily keep track of all the attachments, and let's be honest: I can't tell where all the attachments are with my other vacuum cleaners.

The tower also opens from above to reveal a charging port for the spare battery. The ability to have a second battery charged and ready to go at any time means you'll always have one on hand. If you clean your home thoroughly, you may use more than normal battery life.

If you open both doors you can access the internal dust bag storage. It's easy to swap out this bag for a new one when it's full. The doors themselves also have additional storage space below. A plate can be pushed, which turns over and releases a hook for attaching certain accessories, such as the power mop attachment.

Every stick vacuum I've ever worked with has a wall-mounted base station, but it's not the most convenient system in the world. The all-in-one tower looks great and doesn't take up too much space, with most of its functions heavily dependent on its verticality.

The tower's black and white design has a stylish look that fits in with most modern home decor.

The all-in-one tower is 10.1 inches wide, 39.7 inches high, and 11.7 inches long from front to back. It needs a power source to charge, so you'll need to locate it near an electrical outlet. The good news is, you don't want to let this out of your sight. The tower's black and white design has a stylish look that fits in with most modern home decor. It's a conversation piece, not an eyesore, and its size means it basically fits in any home.

The CordZero has a telescopic pole and several accessories

I focused a little on the tower, mostly because it adds a lot of functionality to the vacuum. Even without a tower, the LG CordZero would still be one of the best picks for a cordless vacuum cleaner. It weighs just under 6 pounds. While not the lightest vacuum cleaner on the market, it is easy to maneuver with one hand.

It's also much more versatile than other vacuum cleaners. The telescopic pole extends from 20 inches to 29 inches, with several measurements in between. You can adjust the length as you need it for the task at hand. You can also do without the wand altogether and use it in handheld mode, which is perfect for vacuuming furniture.

Power mop attachment on the LG CordZero.

The attachments include the Power Floor Nozzle (your basic suction head for most jobs), the Power Mini Nozzle (perfect for furniture or upholstery), as well as the Power Punch Nozzle, a combination tool and a grouting tool. I used the LG CordZero to clean in preparation for a small Halloween gathering and found that it cleaned almost every area of ​​my house, including the hardwood floor.

The power mop attachment is a big advantage. This suction head doesn't vacuum, but instead rotates two pads that polish your floor the same way a car wash makes your car shine. According to the LG, this essay is intended as a kind of “conclusion”. It is not meant to be used to mop your floor; You still need a robotic mop or a traditional mop for this job. You also can't use anything other than water in the power mop, and the pads must be removed and hand washed after each use. This is one of the few small flaws I've noticed in my time with the LG CordZero.

I should also note that the power mop was damaged in shipping, so I'm not entirely sure it worked as intended. According to the specification everything worked as it should. I was able to adjust the water level with the button on the side of the attachment and the pads spun as expected.

The compressor is the main event

The CordZero's dust bin isn't the largest I've seen, but it holds around 33.8 ounces. This is done by the compressor, a sliding mechanism on the side of the dust bin that compresses the dirt in the bin into a small, narrow section. The compressor also pushes hair, string and other small parts down into the container, where they can be more easily vacuumed when docking with the tower.

LG recommends using the compressor every time you vacuum as all you have to do is press a finger. This makes vacuum operation more efficient and the bags in the all-in-one tower can hold more dirt before they have to be replaced.

It can suck the paint off a car

There is no way my floors are dirty. I use robotic vacuums to keep the floor in decent condition and I use a stick vacuum to mend areas that need it when I don't want to wait for a robotic vacuum to do the job. The floors look clean and feel clean.

After a cleaning session with the LG CordZero, I had to reevaluate my definition of clean.

After a cleaning session with the LG CordZero, I had to reevaluate my definition of clean. It pulled dirt and debris from carpets that I would have sworn would be okay to eat. Its suction power, especially in turbo mode, made me argue about whether my carpet would stay on the floor. Okay, this may be a bit of an exaggeration – but the vacuum cleaner cleans more efficiently than anything I've ever used before.

I've used it to clean every square inch of carpet in my house and I'm amazed at how much of a difference it makes. Even the air quality has improved after cleaning with the LG CordZero.

Better battery life means better cleaning

The LG CordZero has three cleaning modes: normal, power and turbo. If you use the vacuum cleaner in handheld mode, you can clean for two hours in normal mode, one hour in power mode and 14 minutes in turbo mode.

When you use the telescopic pole, the battery life drops to 80 minutes in normal mode, 40 minutes in power mode and 12 minutes in turbo mode. Of course, these are only estimates; The attachment you use also affects the battery life.

LG CordZero battery indicator.

I found the battery lasted long enough to clean large parts of the house. When he ran out of power, I had it too. With a second backup battery up in the tower, I never found a situation where the vacuum cleaner didn't last long enough to do the job (and then it came time to clean 1,600 square feet.)

It takes about 3.5 hours to charge a battery. You can charge both at the same time: one in the tower and one in the docked vacuum.

The LG ThinQ app helps keep track of cleaning and filters

An app for a vacuum cleaner? Is It Really Necessary? It's a fair question, and I've heard it asked before. While not strictly necessary, it is definitely useful.

During cleaning, the app tells you which cleaning mode the vacuum cleaner is currently in, how long and how often you have vacuumed per month and much more.

The app can also be used to diagnose problems during operation, such as the suction motor, the battery or the rotating brush. It also includes a filter cleaning guide to walk you through cleaning and maintaining the filter in the vacuum cleaner itself.

You can also buy accessories such as new filters or bags for the all-in-one tower in the app. The app notifies you when the vacuum cleaner is charged,

Our opinion

The $ 1,000 LG CordZero vacuum cleaner with all-in-one tower is the closest thing to a perfect product I've seen in a long time. It cleans my floors thoroughly and automatically empties itself after the work is done. It avoids the most tedious part of vacuuming (emptying the dirt) while actually looking forward to the cleaning.

Is there a better alternative?

I can safely say that in my opinion there is no better option. LG sells variants of the LG CordZero that don't include the tower at a lower cost, but no other brands of self-draining like this one. In terms of performance, the LG CordZero is on par with models like the Dyson Outsize.

How long it will take?

After the power mop attachment was damaged in shipping, I was concerned about the build quality – but the other attachments felt strong and plugged in with no problem. The power tines in the power mop scratched the underside of the telescopic rod while I tried to level them to test, but it's cosmetic damage only.

Even if the LG CordZero fails, LG offers a one-year limited parts and labor warranty and an impressive 10-year warranty on the smart inverter motor in the vacuum cleaner itself.

Should you buy it?

Absolutely. At $ 1,000, the LG CordZero All-in-One Tower Vacuum Cleaner isn't a budget device, but it does offer the most thorough cleaning of any vacuum cleaner I've ever used, except none.

Editor's recommendations



04 Nov
Blog

Sony WF-C500 Earbuds Review: Small Buds, Big Sound

Sony WF-C500 true wireless earbuds.

Sony WF-C500 earphones

RRP $ 100.00

"The base buds from Sony are the most comfortable so far and they have that Sony sound."

advantages

  • Great Sony sound

  • Very comfortable fit

  • Excellent controls

  • Amazing earbuds battery life

disadvantage

  • Mediocre total battery life

  • No transparency mode

  • No sidetone on calls

Sony is no stranger to true wireless earbuds. It sells some of the best we've ever tested, like the WF-1000XM4 for $ 280, the WF-1000XM3 for $ 200, and the WF-SP800N for $ 200.

But Sony has been reluctant to step into the more budget-friendly end of the market. That is, until the WF-C500 hit the market for $ 100, its smallest and most affordable true wireless earbuds yet. But to bring the price down, Sony had to cut away many of the features that made its other models so compelling. Did it go too far? Let's take a look.

That Sony sound

Sony WF-C500 true wireless earbuds.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

I've tested a lot of Sony headphones and earbuds, and one thing I've found to be consistent is Sony's sound signature. It tends to be warm, like getting a bear hug from your favorite songs. Bass is always solid but rarely intrusive, and there is usually a nice amount of detail and separation in the mids, upper-mids, and high frequencies. The good news for Sony fans is that the C500 doesn't deviate from this sound formula – they sound rich and full, and the Sony Headphones app gives you the same amount of EQ tweaking that you get in the company's flagship earbuds Find. the 1000XM4.

You can sit the C500 as low as you want and once in place it won't move at all.

I'm not saying the C500 sounds as good as the XM4 – if they did it would be a miracle given the price – but they can do very well with any other set of earbuds I've tested on the same or similar prices, such as Jabra Elite 3, Soundcore Life P3, Sennheiser CX True Wireless and Wyze Buds Pro. If you're a fan of ultra-clear high frequencies, the C500 may sound a bit muffled, but again, the app's EQ adjustments can help a lot in getting the exact sound you want.

There is very good stereo separation. And the C500's soundstage, while not as wide or deep as its more expensive siblings, is still large enough to make you feel like your music is around you, not buried in your skull. I've found the shape of the buds to provide excellent noise isolation. While there is no active noise cancellation (ANC), you may not feel its absence too clearly.

The C500 are equipped with the quality-enhancing DSEE technology from Sony, which increases the sound quality even more, especially when listening to highly compressed digital music.

Great fit

Sony WF-C500 true wireless earbuds side by side with Sony WF-1000XM4.Sony WF-C500 (left) and Sony WF-1000XM4 Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

As much as I admire the way Sony earbuds sound and (if applicable) cancel noise, they aren't always the most comfortable headphones. The WF-1000XM3 and SP800N stick out of the ears a little awkwardly, and the WF-1000XM4 takes up a lot of space in the concha, which will be a challenge for those with smaller ears. The C500, on the other hand, are far more comfortable. They still fill your entire outer ear like the XM4, but they're just a little smaller.

These are good controls – their surface area is almost the same size as the earbuds so you can't miss them.

It doesn't look like much of a difference if you sit them next to each other, but in your ear it's a different story. You can sit them as low as you want and once placed they won't move at all. Combine this with their IPX4 water and sweat resistance and you have a nice little set of companions that will make runners and other fitness enthusiasts pretty happy, but with one major caveat: there is no transparency mode so you need to be extra vigilant when You wear them while around potential safety hazards like traffic.

Big buttons

Sony WF-C500 true wireless earbuds.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Another first for the WF-C500 is the use of oversized, physical buttons. In the past, Sony preferred touch controls on their earbuds, which work well, but I'll be using physical buttons instead of touch controls every day. And those are good controls – their surface area is almost the same size as the earbuds themselves, so you can't miss them. They take almost no force to push (sometimes a good thing, sometimes not) and provide a nice tactile click when you push them. They're not quite as satisfactory to use as Jabra's buttons, but they come very close to them.

The WF-C500 lacks some helpful functions such as transparency mode and auto-pause.

There's no way to change how the buttons are controlled, but you get pretty much everything you need: play / pause, skip forward / back tracks, answer / end a call, increase / decrease volume, and trigger voice assistant. You can also use the earbuds independently for music and calls, but depending on which you choose, you will lose access to the volume or track skip features.

Best (and worst?) Battery

Sony sometimes makes mind-boggling choices, like the tiny USB charging cables it includes with its full-size headphones or the inconsistent support for Bluetooth codecs. With the C500, I find it difficult to understand why the company decided to adorn the earbuds with a phenomenal battery life of 10 hours (certainly one of the largest capacities at this price), but then decided to charge the same time to give case.

Typically, you can expect between two and three full charges on a charging case. If this had been the case with the C500, Sony could have created a fantastic total gaming experience of 30 to 40 hours. But with only 20 total hours, these earbuds actually land on the lower end of the real wireless spectrum, which is a shame. A quick charge option gives you an extra hour of playtime with just 10 minutes of charging time.

case closed

Sony WF-C500 true wireless earbuds.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

I won't say much about the charging case of the WF-C500. It doesn't offer wireless charging, but its compact, rounded shape sits comfortably in the hand or pocket. The earbuds snap on and off with ease, and the case lid opens and closes with a nice, precise movement. The LED indicator lights on the housing and the buds are visible through the translucent plastic of the lid.

Answer call (inside)

Call quality on the C500 can be very good, but you have to choose your moments. They don't do very well for external noise cancellation and loud noises like traffic or wind drown your voice. But when you go to a quiet place it's a whole different experience – your voice will come across with a lot of clarity and detail. Unfortunately, even in quiet places, you will find that the sound of your own voice is muffled because the C500 does not listen in on calls.

Didn't make the cut

So what did Sony leave out functionally to offer the WF-C500 for $ 100? Quite a lot:

  • Wireless charging
  • Active noise cancellation
  • Transparency mode
  • In-ear sensors for autoplay / pause
  • Fit test for earplugs
  • Customizable controls
  • Sidetone for calls

Our opinion

Man with Sony WF-C500 True Wireless Earbuds.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The WF-C500 are a very comfortable set of true wireless earphones with excellent sound quality. They're missing some helpful features like transparency mode and auto-pause, and their overall battery life is a bit anemic, but they're still a good buy for Sony fans looking for a budget-friendly set of buds.

Is there a better alternative?

Yeah, I think Jabra is $ 80 Elite 3 manages to offer more advantages and a lower price point than the WF-C500, which means that you should definitely consider these before buying the Sonys.

The Elite 3 has a transparency mode that comes in very handy for people who wear their earbuds for hours or even just jogging around the neighborhood.

They are extremely comfortable, have better dust and water protection (IP55) and while they don't last as long on a single charge (7 hours versus 10 hours), the overall time is better (28 hours versus 20 hours). . The Jabra Sound + app can even track the last known location of the Elite 3.

The sound quality is very comparable, but here I give the C500 a bit of an edge if for no reason other than Sony you can customize the C500's EQ in more ways, and its DSEE technology can definitely improve the sound of some digital music.

How long will they last?

It's always hard to tell if you've only had a short amount of time with a product like this, but the WF-C500 appears to be very well built and will likely prove to be quite rugged. However, their biggest advantage in terms of longevity is their battery capacity. As a product ages and you go through multiple charge / discharge cycles, its capacity decreases. If you only start with four to five hours, you will only be able to see two hours after a few years. Even if the C500 drops 50% of its capacity (a worst case scenario), they can still last longer than a brand new set of Apple AirPods Pro.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. You can find other earbuds that cost less and have more features, but what is it? WF-C500 do, they do it very well.

Editor's recommendations



04 Nov
Blog

HP Envy Inspire 7900e Review: A Versatile Office Printer

The HP Envy Inspire 7900e has robust photo printing capabilities.

"The HP Envy Inspire is an excellent home office printer for the hybrid working world."

advantages

  • Strong photo printing performance

  • New sleep mode for almost silent printing

  • Companion app with many functions

  • Versatile workhorse for home office or home use

  • Affordable price

disadvantage

  • Box shape is boring at home

  • No USB port for printing from flash drives

A few years ago it would have been inconceivable that we would still be as dependent on the printed document as we are today. But the reality of working remotely has changed that.

HP's new Envy Inspire series stands out for being the first printer developed by quarantined engineers for anyone who needs to live, study and work from home during the pandemic. Printers have seen a new renaissance in our workflows, and the $ 249 HP Envy Inspire 7900e is a printer that feels like it was made with that reality in mind.

It has some helpful features to keep us productive as the world looks forward to the transition to a hybrid work environment when things return to normal.

draft

Unlike HP's Tango range that blends into your home, the new Envy Inspire doesn't hide the fact that it's a printer with a scanner attached. The Envy Inspire is available in two models: The Envy Inspire 7200e is the more compact version with a flatbed scanner on top, while the higher quality Envy Inspire 7900e, the model we received for review and which comes first on the market, has an automatic document is equipped with a feeder (ADF) with duplex function. The price range starts at $ 179. However, if you have more robust copy or scan needs, we recommend spending an additional $ 70 to upgrade to the Envy Inspire 7900e for $ 249.

Each printer model is available in a range of colors including Everglades in shades of green, Thistle in shades of purple, Cyan Surf Blue, and neutral Portobello. Whichever you choose, the Envy Inspire looks like a printer – no doubt about it.

The HP Envy Inspire 7900e is available in one of four colors.

The hues are applied as accents to add a pop of color to an otherwise bland cream colored box, and on our 7900e we found the Portobello highlights on the ADF and on the paper tray.

With dimensions of 18.11 x 20.5 x 9.17 inches, the 7900e is a practical workhorse for the home office with an ADF on top and a paper compartment with a front loader. The more compact 7200e could pass as the modern and box-shaped version of the HP Envy 6055, while the 7900e series takes inspiration from HP's OfficeJet Pro series.

Like most modern printers, both new Envy Inspire models have a built-in 2.7-inch color touchscreen for accessing printer settings and shortcuts.

Since the Envy Inspire is primarily aimed at home users – families and students – and small home workers, the paper tray is a bit small for the capabilities of this printer. There is a 125-sheet paper tray at the front and bottom of the printer. That's more than double the 50-sheet input tray on the Tango X, but the paper tray leaves something to be desired for small office environments. Most home office printers start at around 200 sheets for the paper input tray, and the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e comes with a 500-sheet tray. This means that every time you replace the paper when you attempt to input on the Office Jet Pro, you will have to do so four times on the Envy Inspire. Since the Envy Inspire isn't a compact printer at first, we would have liked HP to have increased the overall height of the device slightly to accommodate a larger input tray.

The new sleep mode reduces printing noise by 40%.

A new and much appreciated innovation is that the photo printer tray is a modular add-on that fits right into the paper tray that you load standard 8.5 x 11-inch sheets into. The photo tray can hold borderless prints in standard 4 x 6, square 5 x 5, or panoramic 4 x 12 inches.

Traditionally, most printers have the photo tray on top of the paper tray, but on the outside. Moving the photo tray inward helps prevent dust build-up, especially if you don't print pictures regularly.

HP Envy Inspire Photo Tray.

The biggest design change – and one you can't visually see – with the new Envy Inspire is a new print mode. A new quiet mode reduces noise by 40% by using intelligent algorithms to slow down the printing process for a quieter experience. The mode was developed during quarantine by HP engineers who were disturbed by loud printer noise during conference calls – a disadvantage of having to share the office space with children who had to print homework.

HP claims to have combined the best features of its Tango, OfficeJet, and Envy lines to create the Envy Inspire.

"We built what we believe to be the best printer so families can work, learn, and get creative – to get things done no matter what life has in store," Jeff Walter, HP director of strategy and product marketing, told Digital Trends. "Whatever you need to create, we can help families with it."

Walter added that the Envy Inspire is a product that combines the best writing systems from HP's OfficeJet Pros, the best photo capabilities, and the best app capabilities from the HP Smart app.

power

An app is required to set up the HP Envy Inspire.

The Envy Inspire wasn't built for speed. Unlike office printers, home users do not stand around the printer to access their documents. Still, the Envy Inspire is a rugged printer that can deliver speeds of up to 15 pages per minute (ppm) in color and black and white, with the first page done in just 18 seconds.

The print resolution is up to 1200 x 1200 dots per inch (dpi) for black and white pages and 4800 x 1200 dpi for color prints and photos. Print speeds here were just under the 24 pages per minute output on the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e, which is one of the best printers on our list this year. Compared to the color speed of 10 pages per minute of the somewhat older HP OfficeJet Pro 8025, the speed of the Envy Inspire wasn't a problem.

To put speeds in perspective, the Envy Inspire's boxier build includes internals that allow it to print at speeds much faster than cuter, design-conscious home printers. The HP Tango X, another high-quality printer, achieves around 10 ppm. Monochrome and 8 ppm about half the speed of the Envy Inspire for color jobs.

Pages per minute is only half of the print speed equation, while the second half depends on how fast the first page can be finished. In my experience, the first page was finished in a little over 15 seconds, and the HP specifications for print speeds were largely correct, with speeds between 12 and 16 pages per minute. Printed text appeared razor sharp and was legible even in small fonts.

Color prints were similarly sharp. Photos printed on Epson glossy photo paper appeared sharp, and the quality – sharpness, tones, and dynamic range – reproduced by HP's Envy Inspire rivaled prints made by the online photo service Shutterfly. Shutterfly's prints appeared a bit warmer compared to HP's photo print rendering. And like Shutterfly, the HP mobile app gives you access to a variety of different templates for creating posters, greeting cards, invitations, and other printable content.

HP's smart app for printing from mobile devices. I can't tell what HP's photo capabilities will be like on HP photo printing paper as none was supplied for this test. In general, most printer manufacturers recommend that you pair their printer with their branded photo paper for the best results. According to HP, the Envy Inspire's new ink technology offers a 40% wider color space and new ink technologies to render lifelike photos.

HP claimed that when printing on 4×6, 5×5, or 4×12 paper, the printer will be smart enough to select the photo paper tray – instead of the standard letter-size paper tray – to print. I couldn't test this feature because I didn't have photo paper of these sizes to test.

While it's admirable that HP is promoting its cloud-based approach to printing, the Envy Inspire could have been easier to set up. Once out of the box, you must download the HP Smart app and follow the instructions to begin printer setup before you can print or make copies. The app guides you through connecting to the printer's ad hoc WiFi network so that you can then connect to your home or office WiFi network. After the printer connects, it will take a few minutes for the printer to update its firmware.

This means that unlike a traditional printer, not only is the overall process a bit complicated, but you also have to use the process dictated by HP before you can do anything with your printer.

Unlike dedicated photo printers, the Envy Inspire doesn't have separate cartridges for color ink. Instead, the printer is powered by two ink cartridges – a black and a combination cartridge with three ink colors for cyan, magenta and yellow.

Both the cartridges and paper must be installed before you can begin setting up the printer. We therefore recommend doing this immediately after taking the printer out of the box and removing all protective films – and there are plenty of them!

The ADF on top of the Envy Inspire 7900e can scan up to 50 pages at a time and handle up to 8.5 "x 14" paper, while the flatbed can handle 8.5 "x 11.7" sheets. The scan resolution is set to 1200 x 1200 dpi and the scan speed is around 8 pages per minute. In addition to using the hardware for scanning, you can also use your smartphone's camera as a scanner with the companion HP mobile app, available on both Android and iOS smartphones.

Duplex scanning, copying and printing can be performed on this printer, which can save you paper if you need to. If you are concerned about saving ink, you can set the printer to print in draft mode. This mode produces lighter prints, but you use less ink and get faster print speeds.

The nice thing about the Envy Inspire is that it has advanced features to simplify your document workflow, making it feel like a more capable office printer. You can set up custom shortcuts to make the printer's tasks easier. For example, small businesses with more extensive accounting needs can program a shortcut to make a physical copy and upload a digital copy of a document to a cloud service such as Google Drive or QuickBooks when they scan a receipt or invoice. In addition to storing documents in the cloud, you can also configure shortcuts to send you the scans by email.

Other useful features include the ability to create printables, which are photo cards and invitations from templates. These are great for handicrafts or for sending a birthday card if, for example, you forgot to pick one up at the supermarket.

Another app function is the ability to send a mobile fax with the app. HP is offering a trial version of its mobile fax service and you can configure it to send a digital fax through the app. The Envy Inspire does not have native fax functionality, and this could be a useful feature when you need to generate a fax.

I really appreciated the new Quiet Mode from HP, which reduces the noise level by about 40% by slowing the printing speed by about 50%.

"When we developed it, it was really interesting … because we developed (Quiet Mode) at a time that we also experienced personally," said Walter. “So if you work from home and there are several people in the house using the printer, for example, you can schedule sleep mode from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. when you might be making Zoom calls and have the printer print 40% quieter during those times . "

HP's new Quiet Mode

Since I don't need a printer to be a speed champion at home, I've generally always kept sleep mode on and not intended for the work day as the system's noise level is noticeable.

"What we're doing is we're essentially slowing a lot of things down and trying to tweak that adjustment to roughly cut the noise in half," Walter explained. “And so we end up slowing it down by about 50%. There are things like, do you know how fast the paper spins? How fast does the cartridge go back and forth? And all of these things produce different decibel levels. And so some things slow down more than others, some adapt more than others, and so we just optimized everything. "

The Envy Inspire's double-sided photo printing is a great addition.

The company stated that sleep mode will not affect print quality, which I think is correct.

For home users who want to print photos or work on scrapbooking projects while locked, the Envy Inspire's double-sided photo printing is a great addition. In addition to printing beautiful photos, the Envy can also extract the removable image file format data from your smartphone's camera to print the geotagged location, date and time on the back of the photo. This makes it easy for you to remember when the store was created. You can also add your own personal note – like "Grandma's 80th Birthday" – as a caption.

For now, the duplex photo printing feature with date, location, and timestamp is limited to the mobile app, but the company is working on bringing it to its desktop software in the future. The reason we rolled out the feature on mobile first is because most of our photos are already on our smartphones, HP said.

The Envy Inspire is designed for PCs and Macs as well as Android and iOS devices. In addition, HP has also worked with Google to make the Envy Inspire the first Chromebook certified printer.

“We have also thought of all the devices that will be in the household,” says Walter. “With more kids doing schoolwork or technology becoming more important to students, we partnered with Google, which has a certification program for Chromebooks. And we made sure that the HP Envy Inspire is the first HP printer to be certified to work with Chromebooks. "

Our opinion

The HP Envy Inspire complements HP's printing universe as a powerful printer for all your home, craft and work projects. With the Envy Inspire, HP not only delivered on its promise to bring the best of inkjet technologies into a single printer, but also created a tool with features that can come in handy as more people, including, work from home during the pandemic a quiet mode and powerful photo functions.

Is there a better alternative?

HP's Envy Inspire uses inkjet printing technology, and the company claims it combines the best of features from the Tango, Envy, and OfficeJet Pro lines. Suitable inkjet alternatives include the HP Tango series. Make sure to check out our recommendations for the best inkjet printers.

If you need a faster printer to process documents, the OfficeJet Pro 9025e from HP is a great alternative. At $ 249, the Envy Inspire 7900e is $ 100 cheaper than the dedicated office range from HP in the test. The hybrid work / home market that the Envy was designed for makes it a more versatile solution as it is designed for printing documents and photos. Moving to the flatbed version of the Envy Inspire – the Envy Inspire 7200e is coming early next year – will make the price even more competitive, as this model is expected to cost $ 179 when it launches.

Budget conscious buyers who are concerned about the price of inkjet printers, printers with refillable ink tanks, like Epson's EcoTank ET3830, will lower your long-term running costs with cheaper, refillable ink tanks.

How long it will take?

The HP printer has a one-year limited hardware warranty that can be extended to two years. The printer benefits from regular software updates to keep it secure and may even add new features over time through the HP Smart Printing app.

Printers are not designed for annual or biennial upgrades like smartphones, and the HP Envy Inspire should last for many years provided you keep getting fresh ink and paper. The company offers a subscription ink service that makes it easy to refill ink, but not paper. A combo subscription to refill ink and photo paper would make this an excellent printer for the craft room, home historian, and budding photographer.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. If you are looking for a home printer that can print, scan and copy, the HP Envy Inspire is an excellent choice. Unlike Envy printers, the Envy Inspire doesn't reinvent printer design. Instead, HP plays up the utilitarian aesthetic of this printer to deliver a solid all-round workhorse that will blend in well with your home or home office workflow.

Editor's recommendations



04 Nov
Blog

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Review: Farkin’ Fun

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy launches with NVIDIA DLSS and ray tracing

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

RRP $ 60.00

"Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy has some rough edges, but its solo team play mechanics fit the dysfunctional superhero family perfectly."

advantages

  • Effective decisions

  • Intelligent team management

  • Deep story

  • Well developed characters

  • Great use of 80s tunes

disadvantage

  • Weak star-lord fight

  • Jokes galore

  • Lots of bugs at startup

Iron Man has armor. Thor has a magic hammer. The Guardians of the Galaxy have a huge ego.

In their first video game adventure, the aptly titled Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, the arrogance of the underdog superhero team comes into its own. They joke their way through the fight as if every fight is a company softball game. They argue over who is better at killing sentient gelatin cubes. The focus is on Star-Lord, who is given the most difficult task a manager can face: team management.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a clever superhero game that abandons the genre's expectations in favor of gameplay mechanics that better fit its strange roster. "Solo team play" is a well executed riff on Mass Effect that works both in and out of combat. An unpolished, bug-riddled package is dragging the team down, but Guardians fans will be amazed at how many details the game is in its story.

Manage egos

On paper, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is a tough sell. A Guardians game where you can only play as the Star-Lord while giving commands to seemingly funnier heroes like Rocket Raccoon and Groot? The fact that this is a single player game with no co-op sounds like a misstep at first glance. Fortunately, Eidos-Montréal made the right call here – and it's an inspired one at that. This is not a game about replicating Hollywood power fantasies, but rather showing how difficult it can be to manage oversized personalities.

The game successfully borrows ideas from the titles of Mass Effect and Telltale to develop intelligent team management mechanics. For example, crew conversations are filled with dialog trees that make effective decisions across the board. In one sequence, Star-Lord Rocket has to buy enough time to hack a system by distracting a villain with annoying questions. If I can do this successfully (I'm an expert at being annoying), I actually see later that it changes the mission and makes me feel like a successful team leader.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy launches with NVIDIA DLSS and ray tracing

Some of the decisions also have an emotional response. When Drax tries to throw Rocket over a cliff to extend a bridge, I have the option of cheering on Drax or defending Rocket. I choose the latter and am told Rocket will remember it. While I'm not sure how that will affect the story in the end (the ending is the same no matter what you choose), I feel like Rocket trusts me more after this moment. There is a real sense of team building throughout the adventure as I carefully navigate how to defuse tense situations and hurt feelings.

The team may argue and yell at each other, but as a dysfunctional family, they're stronger together – and the game itself plays better if you accept that too.

Team leadership in combat is just as well thought out. Star-Lord can essentially direct traffic during battles by opening a menu and ordering each of his four teammates to make moves that have cooldowns. Each character has their own specialty; Groot is a kind of defensive character who uses his roots to hold enemies in place while Gamora makes heavy attacks at close range. When I have unlocked everyone's skills (each character gets four skills), I know the role of each individual and can control the action according to their strengths.

Star-Lord fights in Guardians of the Galaxy against a member of NOVA Corp.

Fortunately, piloting other characters is fun, because Star-Lord's own movement set isn't particularly exciting. He can shoot guns or hit enemies with weightless melee attacks that would make Spider-Man mockery. There's a bit more depth when he has elementary weapon skills, like an electric shot that can stun enemies on the spot, but his strengths are more as a conductor than as a soloist.

But that's the point, and that's exactly why Guardians work. If you ignore the other characters and treat their skills as optional, Star-Lord will be absolutely destroyed in battle. He needs Gamora, Rocket, Drax and Groot just as they need him. The team may argue and yell at each other, but as a dysfunctional family, they're stronger together – and the game itself plays better if you accept that too.

Inspired by comics

While the game probably wouldn't exist if it hadn't been for the 2014 hit Guardians of the Galaxy, the video game version is much more indebted to the team's comic book origins. It tells a loaded, galaxy-spanning story full of characters, locations, and outfits from the comic. It's almost like developer Eidos-Montréal assumed there wasn't going to be a sequel and tried to fit in as much story as possible so that it feels like a final customization (complete with talking cosmonaut dogs).

All the Easter eggs don't stand in the way of this surprisingly touching story, in which every hero gets a full bow. While there are plenty of ironic jokes, the story shines in the sincere moments. In one storyline, Rocket Raccoon has to overcome his fear of water. It starts out as a running gag the team uses to poke fun at Rocket, but it turns into a pivotal moment in character development. The Guardians have always had a brave underdog vibe and it's really new to play a superhero game that puts personality above power.

The heroes of Guardians of the Galaxy are handcuffed.

The character arcs work particularly well thanks to the game's strong voices. While the actors orientate themselves towards their film colleagues, it doesn't feel like someone is making an impression here. Nolan North effortlessly balances comedy and tragedy in his portrayal of Rocket Racoon, while Adam Harrington draws a whole range of emotions from the phrase "I am Groot".

The game's comedic moments are more mixed than the delicate ones. Not because the script isn't funny, but because there are just so many jokes. The guards are always joking no matter what they do. There is seldom a moment in which there is no dialogue; conversations often collide and end abruptly because someone else has triggered it. It's impressive that there is so much unique dialogue in the game – I've rarely encountered repeated lines during my playthrough – but the barrage of one-liners of characters constantly screaming can be gritty. The first Guardians film is a riot of laughter, but imagine if it went on at this pace for over 16 hours.

It's almost like developer Eidos-Montréal assumed there wasn't going to be a sequel and tried to fit in as much story as possible so it felt like a final customization.

One movie influence that works is the game's reliance on '80s music. If a special gauge fills up in battle, Star-Lord can call the team together for a group meeting and create a motivational speech based on the team's needs. This gives everyone a temporary boost in damage, but it also causes a song to play over the fight. It's a real pleasure to be in the middle of a tense battle against a towering boss, only to have the dramatic score replaced with Don't Worry, Be Happy.

Star-lord jumps on an enemy in Guardians of the galaxy.

While the whole experience can feel like sensory overload at times with the dial constantly turned to 11, it's exciting to see a superhero game with such a unique sense of style. There's a clear reverence for the source material here, and the game feels as much like a historic celebration of the franchise as it does a fitting introduction to its ever-growing lore.

The last-gen experience

The Guardians fight many menacing supervillains throughout their adventure, but they cannot defeat the most powerful villain of them all: bugs. Not like insects – they kill a lot of them. But Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is a disappointingly unstable proposition. From graphical hiccups to bugs requiring checkpoint reloading, there is a feeling that Square Enix should perhaps have taken the lead in every other 2021 game and delayed this one a little.

Some bugs are ridiculous, but not groundbreaking. In a cutscene I walk through a prison cell from the first person perspective. I push against the bars and suddenly my very realistically rendered eyeballs pop out of my head in front of me. Disturbing, but minor. Other problems are more serious. Sometimes dialog boxes stay on screen until I reload the game. Other times, I'm trapped in a fight because an enemy disappeared, but the game still thinks he's alive. A day-one patch will fix some of its more serious issues, but there's no doubt the game needs some fine-tuning before it becomes a smooth experience.

The Guardians of the Galaxy stare at a giant spore.

Bugs aside, it's also a visually inconsistent title. It can be a real treat at times, with vibrant alien planets bathed in a bright pink and purple color palette. At other times, it seems clear that the game is some kind of awkward holder of the current transition in console generation. Faces can look a little creepy, while large visual effects like explosions can be rough around the edges. It's not a deal breaker, but the superhero genre lives and dies by the spectacle. Guardians of the Galaxy offers some Hollywood thrills, but the budget feels thin in other moments.

From graphical hiccups to bugs requiring checkpoint reloading, there is a feeling that Square Enix should perhaps have taken the lead in every other 2021 game and delayed this one a little.

The best comparison I can make here is Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. This game had an arc that I imagine will happen with Guardians. The main game was great fun, but it started in a buggy state that players wrote off. Nowadays, it is the type of game that players will highly recommend to others when it is for sale. I can imagine that this will also be the case here. You can ignore Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy at launch, but there's enough heart, charm, and creativity here to make it an underdog for the holiday season. Suitable, don't you think?

Our opinion

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy isn't doing what players might expect – and that's for the best. By focusing on team management, Eidos-Montréal is able to creatively extend games like Mass Effect. Driving traffic in battles is a rewarding experience, and dialogue decisions actually have an emotional meaning. It's not the cleanest experience. Bugs, graphical issues, and weak Star-Lord combat make it feel like it could have used more time in the oven, but it's exciting to see a Marvel game that thinks a lot about which mechanic best suits its heroes .

Is there a better alternative?

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a really close superhero story that is way cleaner on a technical level. If you want multiplayer, Marvel's Avengers is now available in Xbox Game Pass.

How long it will take?

There are a total of 16 chapters, each of which lasts about an hour on average. The whole adventure takes between 15 and 20 hours, depending on how thoroughly you look for collectibles.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. Though rough around the edges, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is a charming superhero game with lots of fresh ideas – and lots of Easter eggs to keep Marvel fans busy.

Editor's recommendations



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