13 Aug
Blog

Intel NUC 11 Extreme Review: A True Mini Gaming PC

Intel NUC 11 Extreme on a table.

Intel Beast Canyon NUC 11 Extreme in the test: A real mini gaming PC

RRP $ 1,180.00

"The NUC 11 Extreme is too expensive, but that still doesn't hold it back."

advantages

  • Keep calm

  • Solid processor performance

  • Full-size graphics card support

  • Excellent connectivity

disadvantage

  • Too expensive

  • Larger than previous NUCs

On my desk, where my gaming PC used to live, is an empty space that is now occupied by Intel's NUC 11 Extreme, also known as Beast Canyon. It's a barebones kit with welcome tradeoffs that balances desktop-like performance with a form factor smaller than a current game console.

It's too expensive, awkward compared to a full-size device, and a little too weak compared to a desktop chip. But I can't stop using the NUC 11 Extreme. It is an intelligently designed PC that only makes concessions when needed and exists in its own category.

That doesn't mean Beast Canyon is for everyone. It caters to a very specific market – those with an affinity for crafting who don't mind paying for interesting designs. That said, if you don't mind getting your hands dirty (and you have a spare graphics card) the NUC 11 Extreme is excellent.

design

The side of an Intel NUC 11 Extreme.

In 2012, Intel presented the concept of NUC or Next Unit of Computing for the first time. a graphics card). The heart of the PC is the compute element, which you can unplug like a graphics card.

The new NUC 11 Extreme is a tiny PC, but not as small as previous versions. The 8 liter chassis is 14.1 inches long, 7.1 inches high and 4.7 inches wide. The NUC 9 Extreme is larger at 8.5 inches, but much shorter and a little less wide. It also doesn't support full size graphics cards like Beast Canyon.

That is the compromise with Beast Canyon. It's larger than previous NUCs and other mini-PCs, but it supports a full-length graphics card. You can't have and eat your cake, and I'm pleased with the compromises Intel has made. As I will learn in the next few sections, the NUC 11 Extreme still beats its weight class despite its slightly larger size.

This becomes clear when you compare it to other small form factor options. The Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P is one of the smaller Mini-ITX cases that supports a full-size GPU and is still 10 liters larger than the NUC 11 Extreme. There are smaller NUC cases like the Razer Tomahawk, but this device has an older computing element and is more expensive than the NUC 11 Extreme.

The star of the show is a massive RGB skull on the front of the NUC 11 that connects to ambient RGB strips that illuminate the bottom of the case. Fortunately, you can tweak the LEDs and turn them off if you want. With the included NUC Software Studio you can control the skull and the front, right and left LEDs independently of each other.

Skull on the Intel NUC 11 Extreme.

It's a decent suite that lets you set a solid color or set standard RGB modes like strobe or breathing. You can also use the NUC Software Studio to monitor system temperature and usage, change your fan curve, and switch between processor performance modes.

While the NUC Software Studio offers a decent list of options, it's a little flawed. The software is easy to bounce around, but it would constantly get stuck for a second or two after I changed a setting. It's not a deal breaker, but the NUC Software Studio doesn't feel good.

For my tests, I stayed in balanced fan mode to see the curve Intel intended. There are a trio of 92mm fans under the top to keep everything cool, and they never got loud enough to bother me while testing (even on a Cinebench R23 loop). They make noise, but the NUC 11 Extreme is remarkably quiet given its size. The NUC 11 Extreme was silent when answering emails or hanging out online.

Connectivity

Intel could have reduced the number of ports on the NUC 11 Extreme, but didn't. As with many aspects of the kit, you give up surprisingly little when compared to a full-sized desktop. You are spoiled for port options with the NUC 11 Extreme, and in some ways it goes beyond some full-size PCs.

Front connectors on Intel NUC 11 Extreme.

On the front you have quick access to two USB 3.1 ports, a headphone / microphone combo jack and an SDXC card slot. This turned out to be sufficient in my tests, although I missed a USB-C port on the front. I often use an external Samsung T5 SSD to swap games between PCs and it would have been nice to just toss it in front of the case.

Instead, I had to plug it in at the back, but that wasn't a problem. Even in this small size, Intel manages to accommodate six USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, 2.5G Ethernet and two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the back of the case. The motherboard also has an HDMI 2.0b output in case you want to use the integrated graphics.

Of course, HDMI out isn't all you have access to when you plug in a graphics card. It's only there to provide the built-in graphics option. So when you add a graphics card, you also have access to the ports it has. In the case of the RTX 3060 in my test device, this included a single HDMI and three DisplayPort outputs.

Back ports on Intel NUC 11 Extreme.

Compared to the NUC 9 Extreme, this device adds two more USB ports on the back and upgrades the Thunderbolt ports from Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 4. Even if you run out of ports – which is unlikely given the eight USB ports surrounding the case – you can always throw a Thunderbolt dock into the equation to further expand your connectivity.

For wireless connectivity, the NUC 11 Extreme contains Intel's AX201 chip, which offers dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.

Internals

Intel offers the NUC in two configurations: either with a Core i7-11700B or a Core i9-11900KB. As with all NUCs, you will need to bring your own graphics card, SSD, RAM, and operating system. Everything else you need is already in the compute element or in the housing. This includes a 650W 80+ Gold power supply and an Intel AX201 chip.

Central processor Intel Core i9-11900KB or Intel Core i7-11700B
GPU Support for full-size dual-slot GPU or Intel UHD 750
Storage Up to 64 GB dual-channel SO-DIMM DDR4
storage Up to two PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSDs, up to two PCIe 3.0 M.2 SSDs
Power supply 650W 80+ gold
USB ports Up to 12, including eight
Thunderbolt ports Two Thunderbolt 4
Networking 2.5G Ethernet, dual band WiFi 6
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.2
Ports Headphone / microphone connection, SDXC reader, HDMI 2.0b

My test device was equipped with the Core i9-11900KB computing element, a souped-up laptop chip that is part of the 10 nm Tiger Lake family. In short, it should not be confused with the desktop Core i9-11900K, which is built by Intel using the 14 nm process and requires more than twice the performance.

The Core i9-11900KB is a 65W chip, but it is still equipped with eight cores and 16 threads and can accelerate up to 4.9 GHz based on Intel specifications. My chip never reached this speed during the test, but it got close at just over 4.8 GHz. The slightly cheaper Core i7-11700B still comes with eight cores and 16 threads, but with a slightly lower clock rate.

Both chips come with integrated graphics, but I was disappointed to find that they use Intel UHD graphics, not Iris Xe like many Tiger Lake mobile chips. As I'll get into in a moment, if you're going to get any decent gaming performance out of Beast Canyon, you need a discrete GPU.

Otherwise, the NUC 11 Extreme supports whatever you can get it to do. This includes up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4 laptop memory (SO-DIMM), a dual-slot graphics card and up to four M.2 SSDs, one of which you have to install in the computing element.

Opening everything is a breeze. There's some nice attention to detail here from Intel, including the tiny captive screws on the backplate, a handy door to unlock the compute element, and an SSD slot on the bottom so you can quickly upgrade your storage.

Intel NUC 11 Extreme with no GPU installed.

Once you've removed the side panels, the NUC 11 Extreme opens and offers unprecedented access in this small form. The top cover with three fans can be folded up so that you have all parts of the case free. And there's not much going on inside.

Most of the PC is in the compute element, so you have a small specially designed motherboard, power supply, compute element, and GPU if you have one installed. The NUC 11 Extreme has exactly what it needs, reducing the fat that often comes with small builds.

It's not without its problems, however. The latch for the PCIe slot of the graphics card can hardly be reached when the card is installed. I had to slide the back end of a screwdriver between the GPU and the computing element to open it, and you need to remove the GPU before you can get to the computing element.

Support for full-size graphics cards should also be marked with a large asterisk. It's true that you can plug a full-length dual-slot GPU into the NUC 11 Extreme, but that's about it. That doesn't take into account the additional modular power cables that have to share the space with the rear end of the GPU.

The NUC 11 Extreme has exactly what it needs, reducing the fat that often comes with small builds.

However, dual slot is the limit. If your cooler protrudes even slightly beyond the dual-slot mark, it will not fit into the NUC 11 Extreme. Nvidia Founder's Edition cards could also be a problem. The RTX 3080, for example, has a fan on both sides. In this case, a fan would sit directly on the back of the power supply unit.

Overall, though, this is the most enjoyable small form factor experience I've ever had. I have a few minor issues with the graphics card slot and the extra cables, but these are easy to miss with Intel's clear focus on the building experience. The NUC 11 Extreme is still an argument for barebones, small PCs.

The most disappointing part of the NUC 11 Extreme is that you can't buy it all. Adding RAM, SSD, and Windows is easy, but Beast Canyon really shines with an installed GPU. And adding the price of an expensive graphics card to the NUC 11 Extreme's already high price tag is a tough sell.

But the premium makes sense. Something like the NUC 11 Extreme cannot be built with off-the-shelf parts. However, if you're willing to shop around and have a mini-ITX graphics card, there are options like the Velka 3 that are actually smaller than the NUC 11 Extreme.

Processor power

To get back to the raw power of Beast Canyon, it's more powerful than I expected. The Core i9-11900KB isn't quite on par with a full desktop piece, but it doesn't have to be in such a small package. There's a little compromise, but it's much smaller than it should be given the size of Beast Canyon.

I started testing with PCMark 10, which gives a good overview of performance on a long list of tasks. The NUC 11 Extreme achieved an overall score of 7,520, which is just below the MSI Aegis RS 10 – a mid-tower desktop with a full-size Core i9-10900K. He also beat the flagship Tiger Lake in the HP Elite Dragonfly Max with almost 3,000 more points.

Computing element in Intel NUC 11 Extreme.

PCMark 10 is also demanding. The processor reached a maximum temperature of 93 degrees Celsius during the benchmark, but never clocked down. Even when it was struck, my i9-11900KB continued to climb slightly above 4.8 GHz.

Next up was Cinebench R23, which pushes processors to their limits by forcing them to render a complex 3D image. Here the Core i9-11900KB achieved a single-core score of 1,636 and a multi-core score of 11,424. The multi-core score is in the upper range, but a desktop Core i9-10900K can still beat it by around 30%. Every other Tiger Lake chip doesn't even come close, however.

The Core i9-11900KB even beats the desktop Core i9-10900K by around 23% in the single-core test. While Cinebench performed strongly, it did reveal some weaknesses in Intel's design. According to HWiNFO64, the Core i9-11900KB reached its maximum operating temperature of 100 degrees Celsius before it clocked down to 3.4 GHz. Even with a solid cooling solution, the NUC 11 Extreme is prone to throttling when it's pushed to the limit.

GeekBench 5 is nowhere near as demanding and the NUC 11 Extreme has once again proven its strengths. Similar to PCMark 10, the Core i9-11900KB beats the desktop Core i9-10900K in the single-core test and just under second place in the multi-core test. It also shot way ahead of the NUC 9 Extreme, beating the older device by about 23%.

It's a competent counterpoint to a desktop chip and outperforms all of the other Tiger Lake offerings available.

Handbrake told a similar story. The NUC 11 Extreme reduced our coding time of the Elysium trailer by 13 seconds compared to the NUC 9 Extreme. However, Handbrake showed that the Core i9-11900KB is still essentially a mobile part. Compared to the desktop Core i9-10900K, the chip was a full 30 seconds slower.

Finally, I reached out to PugetBench for Premiere Pro to see how the NUC 11 Extreme would handle video editing. This type of machine seems perfect for the job and my results confirm it. Overall, it scores above a desktop Core i9-10900K, which is configured with an RTX 3060 and 32 GB of RAM. However, this is mainly due to the smooth playback performance, as the NUC 11 Extreme lagged behind the desktop in terms of export and GPU values.

With the NUC 11 Extreme you don't get the full performance of a desktop chip, but with less than half the wattage, that shouldn't come as a surprise. It's a competent counterpoint to a desktop chip and outperforms all of the other Tiger Lake offerings available. Heat was an issue in Cinebench, but this benchmark is a bit of a stress test. There should be no throttling for most tasks.

Gaming performance

I only did a few gaming tests with the NUC 11 Extreme as it doesn't actually come with a graphics card. Your performance will depend on what you put into it. Nevertheless, I wanted to get an overview of how the RTX 3060 would behave in my test device compared to one in a full desktop. And good for Intel, there is practically no difference.

The NUC 11 Extreme averaged exactly the same frame rate in Fortnite at 1080p Epic settings as a desktop configured with a Core i9-10900K and RTX 3060. Up to 1440p, only three frames separated the NUC 11 Extreme from the desktop, with the NUC averaging 83 fps (frames per second) and the desktop averaging 86 fps.

Intel NUC 11 has opened.

That was also the case in Civilization VI, where the NUC averaged 141 fps at 1080p Ultra and the desktop 143 fps. At 1440p with the same settings, the two machines were within a frame of each other. The NUC 11 Extreme's side panel gives the GPU a lot of headroom, and based on my limited testing, cards should work about as well as they would in a desktop.

When you order a NUC, you won't get this performance without adding a graphics card. The UHD graphics in the Core i9-11900KB are pitifully slow for games. They are available, but a bit not an option. In fact, I couldn't complete my 1440p tests because the built-in graphics just wouldn't hold up.

3DMark Time Spy showed how big the difference is. With the RTX 3060 installed, the NUC 11 Extreme achieved a total of 8,953 points. Without a GPU, the device only scored 828 points, less than a tenth of what the RTX 3060 could achieve. Even in Fortnite, I couldn't go over the 1080p High settings as the integrated GPU only averaged 15 fps.

Civilization VI was slightly better at 1080p with medium settings, but even then the UHD graphics only averaged 23 fps. The built-in graphics are not suitable for gaming unless you are ready to shut down to 720p and run on low settings, and even then, some games may have problems.

You should clearly add a GPU to the NUC 11 Extreme. The built-in graphics aren't very good, but the good news is that between a full-sized desktop and the NUC 11, you're practically not giving up when it comes to GPU performance. The design of the chassis allows a lot of air inside, so most cards should hold up.

Our opinion

The NUC 11 Extreme is excellent – as long as you can handle its high price. The kit starts at $ 1,150 for the i7-11700B, and that doesn't include an operating system, RAM, an SSD, or, more critically, a graphics card. Add those in and you're looking at a machine that easily costs over $ 2,000 without a high-end GPU.

It's way too expensive, but that's the point. You already know if the NUC 11 Extreme is right for you. It is not a machine trying to get a certain price or offer a certain value. Instead, it offers an excellent, small form factor design, a unique way to design a computer, and performance that even full-size desktops are a race for their money.

If you've looked at the NUC jealously, it will meet your expectations – provided you have a graphics card to plug in.

Are there alternatives?

There are other mini PCs out there, but nothing compares to the NUC 11 Extreme. Unless you're looking for a boutique case and configuring your own rig, there is no other machine that packs as much power as the NUC 11 Extreme in this small case. Most Mini-ITX cases are not only larger, but also more difficult to use.

That said, you can save some money by building your own machine if you're okay with a slightly larger case or if you can settle for a mini-ITX GPU.

How long it will take?

The whole point of a NUC is that you can upgrade it with a new computing element over time. Assuming Intel continues to ship them, you can use the NUC 11 Extreme until the power supply fails.

Should you buy it?

Yes, as long as you know what you're getting yourself into. The NUC 11 Extreme is not just a mini PC. So, if you're looking for something to set up and forget, a machine like the M1 Mac Mini is probably better.

Editor's recommendations



12 Aug
Blog

Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Review: RGB and ANC for Less

Razer Hammerhead battery compartment opened.

Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Review: RGB and ANC for less

RRP $ 130.00

"The new Hammerhead True Wireless brings an RGB light show to your ears along with pretty effective ANC."

advantages

  • Comfortable fit and improved design

  • Solid passive and active noise cancellation

  • Eye-catching RGB lighting

disadvantage

  • Buggy beta software and tricky touch controls

Razer used to be a bigger name in the gaming world than it was in the audio world, but after several generations of audio products have been released, it's safe to say that it is no longer the case. The latest in Razer's audio lineup, the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Earbuds are the second generation of Razer's true wireless earbuds for gamers.

They bear quite a resemblance to the first generation Hammerhead True Wireless, but have several significant design refinements, eye-catching Razer Chroma RGB lighting, and solid active noise cancellation (ANC) and audio capabilities. However, the software was still in beta when I tested, and there were some issues with tricky controls, so my rating will likely change after I've had more time with the final software version.

Razer Hammerhead with RGB lighting.Ajay Kumar / Digital Trends

Design and fit

The most immediate and obvious comparison for the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless is that with the AirPods Pro. Available in gloss black, they come with angled earbuds attached to a stem, in-ear silicone earbuds, and a pill box-sized charging case that charges with USB-C. The box came with three different sizes of silicone earbuds, but the standard pair worked perfectly for my ears.

The fit is snug without feeling uncomfortable when worn for long periods of time. At only 53 g, the earphones are barely noticeable when you wear them. This was not the case with the previous generation, which was half-eared and did not go directly into the ear canal. The in-ear design also improves passive noise isolation, which works well for enhancing active noise cancellation.

A light show in your ears

However, this is all pretty standard that you'll find on other true wireless earbuds, including Razer's own Hammerhead True Wireless Pro. The big feature here is Razer Chroma RGB, Razer's full-color lighting ecosystem that it uses for all of its gaming devices and peripherals. After all, how do you know that there is something for gamers without RGB?

On the back of both earbuds you can see the Razer logo illuminated with RGB lighting. The lights are on by default in breathing mode, but you can adjust brightness and modes using the Razer Chroma app. One of the more interesting modes is Audio Meter, which reacts to the music being played to provide a light show to the people around you. It's a noticeable feature that is sure to get some glances in the elevator and grocery store.

Razer hammerhead held in the palm of the hand.Ajay Kumar / Digital Trends

Apart from the aesthetic effect, I can also see it as useful for night joggers. Razer says it has worked on optimizing Chroma so that it doesn't drain battery life excessively and that it will last longer than the first generation hammerheads.

Software and battery

Both the Razer Audio and Razer Chrome companion apps I tested were still in beta and required sideloading on my Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra so I won't really be able to evaluate their capabilities until they reach consumers Version is available. The first time you used the app, it was slow to connect to the earbuds each time and the tweaks were a chore, but hopefully this will change with the final release. With that in mind, the Razer Audio app offers the key customizations that most people look for in true wireless earbuds.

You get customizable EQ controls and a number of preprogrammed profiles including Amplified, Default, Enhanced Bass, Enhanced Clarity and Vocal. As a metalhead, I particularly enjoyed using enhanced bass for music and enhanced clarity for podcasts and audio books.

Razer Hammerhead paired in app.Ajay Kumar / Digital Trends

ANC can be turned on to block out most of the background noise, set to ambient mode so you can hear some background noise (which is helpful when commuting or needing to talk to someone), or turned off entirely if you want to save battery.

The controls of the Hammerhead True are all touch sensitive and can be assigned different tapping gestures for play / pause, skipping tracks, voice assistants, controlling ANC modes and more. The touch controls were a bit fussy, and I never got used to adjusting the volume, which required a double tap and hold. It almost never worked properly on the first try, and often stopped my music or skipped my track instead. It might take some practice, but I would have preferred to remap the double tap to do something else, even if it meant the loss of the volume feature.

According to Razer, the earbuds should last four hours with RGB and ANC on and 16 hours with charging out of the case. With both off, they estimate 6.5 hours for the earbuds and 26 hours for the case. I have to spend more time with the earbuds to know for sure, but my testing with RGB and ANC and volume at a moderate 20-30% easily took at least four hours, if not longer.

Sound quality and features

The Hammerhead True Wireless have Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, 10 mm drivers and a frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. In practice, this results in solid sound quality with balanced lows, mids, and highs. The default audio profile is crisp and balanced, and the EQ can be adjusted to your preferences if you like more punchy bass or crisper vocals. I particularly enjoyed Enhanced Bass listening to Sabaton and Iron Maiden, while Mike Duncan's Revolutions podcast benefited from Enhanced Clarity. Watching Netflix shows sounded perfect in the default settings.

The standard audio profile is clear and balanced

As a gamer, I used the gaming mode, which reduces the audio latency to 60 ms, but at the expense of audio compression and the shortening of the regular Bluetooth range from 33 feet to around 2 feet. This isn't a big deal unless you're using the Hammerhead True Wireless with your console or gaming PC and sitting some distance from the source device. I've only used it with my phone and laptop so it haven't encountered any range issues.

Razer Hammerhead battery compartment opened.Ajay Kumar / Digital Trends

I used gaming mode to play Genshin Impact, Assassin's Creed Rebels, and Asphalt 9 Nitro on my phone. On Asphalt 9, I heard the biggest impact of the reduced audio latency – there was no noticeable delay between my car burning and the tires screeching.

Overall, I found the sound profile to be cheap in terms of detail and soundstage compared to the Anker Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro I normally use, although it can't compete with higher-end true wireless earbuds or over-ear Bluetooth headphones.

Active noise cancellation

The other big standout feature here is Feedforward ANC, which means that the earbuds have two microphones that pick up noise and cancel it out with counter-noise. Feedforward isn't as good as the True Wireless Pro's hybrid ANC, which has microphones both inside and outside, but when combined with the passive noise cancellation, it comes pretty close. It was definitely better than the ANC on the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live that don't form a physical seal with your ears.

Razer Hammerhead with ANC options.Ajay Kumar / Digital Trends

I left ANC on for most of the time and found it very effective at blocking out most of the background noise, including the rumble of my window air conditioner, the sound of my fan, and the general hustle and bustle of the subway. I also had no problem hearing audio over the sound of my rowing machine while exercising. However, it doesn't match the ANC capabilities of the Sony WF-1000XM4 or AirPods Pro, which can hide a wider range of sounds more consistently, and you may notice a slight background noise when no audio is playing.

Price and availability

At $ 130, the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless sits in the middle of Razer's audio lineup and proves to be less expensive than the $ 200 True Wireless Pro but higher than the $ 100 first-generation True Wireless. They will be available in the Razer Store on August 11th.

Our opinion

Despite some software quirks and tricky controls, the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless are a compelling pair of true wireless earbuds – the audio quality is solid, the RGB lighting makes for a fun and stylish look, and ANC is good enough for commuting to work or exercising .

Are there any better alternatives?

If price doesn't matter, that will $ 249 Apple AirPods Pro provide more seamless connectivity for iOS users with Apple's H1 chip and superior noise cancellation. Sony is also the leader in noise cancellation, and the $ 280 WF-1000XM4 are packed with features and support codecs like LDAC. The recently announced Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 offer comparable ANC, IPX7 water resistance, and even better battery life for $ 150 if you're ready to wait for them to hit stores on August 27th.

Anker's Soundcore brand has plenty of inexpensive true wireless earbuds for the budget-conscious, including the Liberty Neo for $ 70, the Life P3 for $ 80, the Liberty Air 2 Pro for $ 130, and many more, though these are yours do not offer the same audio quality or noise cancellation.

How long it will take?

The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless supports IPX4 water resistance, which is supposed to protect it from splashes and sweat so you can use it while exercising. I also accidentally dropped them a couple of times and they survived without physical harm. They also come with Bluetooth 5.2, which was just launched in January 2020, so you should be future proof for a few years. The earbuds also come with a two-year limited warranty.

Should you buy it?

Yes. With the caveat that the software I tested was still in beta, you won't be disappointed with the sound quality, noise cancellation, or flashy RGB lighting of the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless.

Editor's recommendations



11 Aug
Blog

Sony HT-A7000 Review: A Fully-Loaded Soundbar Experience

Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos soundbar close-up of the top.

Sony HT-A7000 in the test: A fully featured soundbar experience

RRP $ 1,300.00

"Great sound, ease of use, and a huge list of features make it hard to beat."

advantages

  • Great music and movie sound

  • Easy on-screen setup

  • AirPlay 2, Chromecast

  • Hi-Res Audio, 360 Reality Audio

  • 2 HDMI inputs

  • Upscaling audio to 3D surround sound

disadvantage

  • Expensive

  • No manual EQ settings

  • Subwoofer not included

Soundbars come in all sizes, prices, and configurations. Some are characterized by two-channel stereo, while others opt for 3.1, 5.1, or even 7.1 surround sound. The most powerful models have Dolby Atmos, DTS: X and often offer some form of multi-room streaming capabilities. Sony's new $ 1,300 HT-A7000 7.1.2 soundbar has all of that and more, including Hi-Res wireless audio, Sony 360 Reality Audio, intelligent upscaling of a variety of audio sources, and compatibility with Apple's home automation platforms. Google and Amazon.

Sony also gives you two models of wireless subwoofers and a pair of wireless surround speakers to choose from, but these are optional upgrades that can raise the price of the soundbar well over $ 2,000.

Do all these outstanding capabilities justify the equally high price? We put it to the test.

What's in the box?

The scope of delivery of the Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos soundbarSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The HT-A7000 (which we'll call the A7000 from here on) comes in a fair amount of Styrofoam, which is great for protection but is difficult to recycle in some places. Inside you will find the soundbar, a remote control with two AA batteries, an HDMI cable, a special analog cable to connect the bar to a compatible Sony Bravia TV (more on that later), a power cord, two wall brackets, a wall mounting template and a quick guide .

design

Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos soundbar close-up of the top.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

At just over 51 inches wide, 3.25 inches high, and 5.5 inches deep, there's no getting around the fact that the A7000 is a large (and 19 pounds heavier) speaker. It's almost as wide as a 65-inch TV and, ironically, so tall that it obscures some of the undersides of Sony's own TVs, even when their stands are placed in their so-called soundbar position. Unless your TV is already wall-mounted or you intend to do so, it is best to take a few measurements before you hit the buy button.

It's great to have two HDMI inputs – on many soundbars, you're lucky enough to get just one.

Another consideration: even if the A7000 fits between your legs under your TV, you don't want to slide it too far back – its upward-facing drivers (keys for Dolby Atmos and DTS: X sound) shouldn't pass through. any other objects are covered.

But despite its size, Sony did a good job of minimizing the A7000's looks. The upward facing drivers are hidden behind black panels of fabric that wrap around the sides. The rest of the top of the bar is made of black glass. It's a fingerprint magnet, but when blemishes clean it looks really sharp. The glass houses a couple of touch controls that give you access to power, volume, source, bluetooth and a shortcut to Spotify Connect. A non-removable perforated sheet metal grid completes the picture.

Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos soundbar close up of the display.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

A row of drivers sit behind this grille. They're clearly visible in these photos, but don't worry – unless you light the A7000 with studio lights like I did, you won't see it at all. What you see is a scrolling text display that gives you vital information such as the source you are playing from, volume, audio format and various other helpful messages. I'm not a huge fan of these type of displays – I find the limited space and scrolling text a bit annoying, but it's way better than a bunch of color-coded LEDs that you have to decipher (ahem, Vizio).

The good news is that Sony is one of the few soundbar companies that takes full advantage of the A7000's HDMI connection to a TV, giving you on-screen access to all of the speaker's settings and modes.

There are several ports and connections on the back of the soundbar, including two full HDMI inputs with 4K / 8K / Dolby Vision passthrough, a dedicated HDMI ARC / eARC output, an optical input, an analog input, a USB connection for Music playback and port for the Bravia center channel connector that I mentioned earlier.

Having two HDMI inputs is great – many soundbars are lucky enough to get just one – but Sony doesn't exactly make it easy to plug in all of those cables. The connectors are buried in a small cavity and packed very close together.

Unless you're going to be plugging and unplugging a lot of cables, that's not a big deal, but I'm still amazed that soundbar designers find it useful when a USB port is so inaccessible. I would choose Sony, but I've made the same choices with other brands.

Because the A7000 is a full-featured, modern soundbar, Sony's remote control design has been basically unchanged since the mid-1990s. While very functional, it's decked out with buttons, some of which will only work if you buy Sony's optional wireless surround speakers. I actually like having all of these buttons as the A7000 can partially replace an A / V receiver, but the lack of a backlight is disappointing at this price point.

Connections, setup and configuration

Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos Soundbar close-up of the input connectors.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

If your TV supports HDMI ARC / eARC, which most models over the past seven years do, you can use a single HDMI cable to connect the A7000 to your TV. If your TV doesn't have this feature, you're still using an HDMI cable, but that must also be connected to an optical cable.

Unfortunately, if your TV can connect using HDMI ARC / eARC, there is no way to use the optical port as a source for another device like a CD player – if it isn't being used to receive a TV audio signal, it is essentially redundant.

Once connected, you can begin Sony's excellent on-screen setup process.

Those who use an optical TV connection won't get advanced audio formats like Dolby Atmos or DTS: X from their TVs, but given the A7000's dual HDMI inputs, there are still plenty of ways to get those formats from Blu-ray players to get streaming media devices or other third party boxes.

Room calibration of the Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos soundbar on the screen.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Once connected, you can begin Sony's excellent on-screen setup process.

In less than five minutes, the step-by-step process takes you through the placement, automatic calibration, setting up Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast and Amazon Alexa integration – all without having an app on your Have to use phone or something small, scrolling display.

Not that you have to go without an app when you need it: the Sony Music Center app for Android and iOS gives you another interface for controlling the A7000, including the ability to group the soundbar with other Sony speakers.

I've struggled with speech intelligibility with other soundbars, but the A7000 is clear as a bell.

But thanks to Sony's support for all three of the major home automation platforms (Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa), you can add the A7000 to virtually any multiroom scenario, regardless of whether your other speakers are Sony devices or not.

Sound quality

Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos soundbar.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

As a single speaker, the A7000 does an excellent job of processing films and music. If you're wondering if Sony's claims about a built-in subwoofer are the real deal or just marketing hype, I can assure you that it's powerful enough to feel these low-frequency effects when you turn up the volume. Even better, the center channel reproduces dialogue with such clarity and precision that I doubt you'll ever need to use the included speech enhancement feature. I've struggled with speech intelligibility with other soundbars, but the A7000 is as clear as a bell.

When it comes to Dolby Atmos, the A7000 really delivers. However, the speaker's secret weapon is the Immersive AE (IAE) mode.

But regardless of the content you're playing, I have two tips that I think will help if you don't find the audio overwhelming. First, Sony's automatic room calibration appears to be taking a conservative approach to speaker levels. In my media room, the ceilings are low and the TV is much closer to the left wall than the right. If you go into the advanced settings and adjust parameters such as the level of the height and side channels and their calculated distances from your listening position, you can significantly improve the overall performance as well as immersive formats such as Dolby Atmos.

Second, the A7000 is a beast when it comes to volume. With 75% of its range, I was already well above what I could comfortably endure in my room. But I've found that around the 45-50% level there's a real sweet spot where the sound goes from good to great. I encourage you to explore all of these options to get the most out of the soundbar.

Sony SA-SW5 wireless subwoofer.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

SA-RS3S wireless surround speakers from Sony.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos Soundbar close up of the top speaker.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

When it comes to Dolby Atmos material, the A7000 really delivers – especially when you make the tweaks outlined above. The side-firing tweeters help project a wide soundstage, while the upward-pointing treble drivers create that distinctive sound dome effect that movies like Mad Max Fury Road and Ford v. What makes Ferrari so entertaining.

However, the speaker's secret weapon is the Immersive AE (IAE) mode. It is accessible at the touch of a button on the remote control and uses Sony's 3D upscaling technology. Whether you're watching 2-channel stereo TV shows, streaming music, or even playing Dolby 5.1 surround content, it will render as if it was mastered as a 7.1.2 source. Purists may find it overprocessed, especially when applied to stereo tracks, but I found it addicting.

When listening to Dolby Atmos or in IAE mode, Sony offers you the choice between three special sound modes: cinema, music or standard. As the names suggest, they offer some digital processing to enhance certain types of content. As with all types of EQ presets, you may find that they improve or detract from your listening experience – I didn't find them nearly as interesting as the Immersive AE feature itself.

But that brings us to my only real criticism of the A7000: there is no way to directly control the equalizer. No frequency-specific adjustments, no controls for bass, treble, or mids – there isn't even a loudness switch I could find.

Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos soundbar.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Not that I'd make a few gross changes to the soundbar's signature – it's already nicely balanced to my ears – but leaving out those controls on a $ 1,300 system feels untenable. If you are serious enough about your home theater sound to make this investment, you should be able to get under the hood if you choose to.

The A7000 really brings Sony 360 Reality Audio to life.

The A7000 may be the first soundbar I've auditioned that doesn't make me flinch when using Bluetooth. Using a Google Pixel 5, I streamed a variety of songs using Sony's Hi-Res wireless audio LDAC codec as well as the garden variant AAC codec and they both sounded really solid. There's usually a big leap in quality when you switch from Bluetooth to Wi-Fi streaming, e.g. Chromecast or AirPlay, but they are remarkably similar on the A7000. I attribute this to Sony's DSEEE Extreme upscaling technology, which is designed to restore lossy, compressed digital audio to an approximation of lossless audio.

I also took a quick tour of some Sony 360 Reality Audio (360 RA) tracks over Tidal HiFi to see how the A7000 handled it. This reinforced two things I already knew about 360 RA: not all 360 RA traces are created equal, and your speaker will dictate much of the experience. I wasn't particularly impressed with Sony's $ 700 SRS-RA5000, a speaker the company designed specifically to deliver 360 RA audio, but the A7000 really brings that format to life.

Tracks like Dave Brubeck's Take Five and even the much newer Invisible by Duran Duran are in no way exciting, but turn up the Everlong from Foo Fighters or The Chainsmokers and Halsey's Closer and you get a feel for 360 RA's ability to place itself In a live music environment.

Is it worth adding one of Sony's wireless subwoofers and wireless surround sounds? If you have the resources, it is absolutely something I would recommend. As good as the built-in subwoofer and side radiating tweeters are, there is simply no substitute for discreet speakers. The resulting combo is exciting in every way.

Extras

Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos Soundbar close up of the remote control.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Unfortunately, my time with the A7000 didn't give me the chance to try out every single one of its many features, but they are absolutely worth mentioning because they illustrate how thoughtful Sony has been with the development.

You can connect Bluetooth headphones for private listening. Many TVs support this, but when yours doesn't, it's really handy. Bose also offers this feature on its soundbars, but the company only promises that it will work with Bose headphones. Sony, atypical of a company that has a history of promoting its own technologies and standards, lets you use any bluetooth headset.

The Sony Music Center app gives you direct access to Amazon Music, Apple Music, Tidal, TuneIn Radio and any music on your home network, e.g. on a NAS (Network Attached Storage) drive.

As mentioned earlier, if you have a compatible Sony Bravia TV, you can connect the A7000 using a dedicated cable and use the TV's entire built-in speaker system as the center channel. I didn't have a Bravia TV available, but I suspect the sound will be pretty good, especially for dialogue and other on-screen noises.

Our opinion

Though expensive, Sony's HT-A7000 is a feature-loaded Dolby Atmos soundbar that sounds great on its own – and even better when accompanied by Sony's optional wireless subwoofers and surround speakers. With an easy-to-use screen interface, it's much more intuitive to get the most out of the speaker than some of its competitors.

Is there a better alternative?

I'm not sure if there are soundbars at this price point or below that are better than the HT-A7000, but I can think of two models that are better value for money depending on your needs and tastes:

LGs $ 1,000 SP9YA saves you $ 300 and comes with its own wireless subwoofer. Given its great audio performance for movies and music, and the ability to add wireless surround speakers later, it's a great alternative to the HT-A7000. However, it only has a single HDMI input, it lacks Sony's sleek on-screen menus, and you can't stream 360 Reality Audio. Some may also find it difficult to work with the hardwired power cord depending on the installation.

Vizios Elevate soundbar Also costs $ 1,000 and includes wired surround speakers in addition to the wireless subwoofer, which means it's a true all-in-one system. It has two HDMI inputs, but like many Vizio products, its primary focus is on being a TV companion, not a complete alternative to an A / V receiver-based system. As a result, it doesn't support Hi-Res audio (unless it's a Blu-ray Disc soundtrack in Dolby TrueHD), Apple AirPlay 2, or Amazon Alexa, even though Chromecast is on board. Still, it's a beautifully designed product that sounds fantastic.

How long it will take?

Sony builds great products and has a good track record of keeping those products updated with new software over time. I expect you will spend many, many years with the HT-A7000. With support for every audio format under the sun, it will be a long time to be considered obsolete.

Should you buy it?

Yes. At $ 1,300, it's an investment, but given its considerable capabilities and excellent sound quality, the payback will pay off over many years of audio and video enjoyment.

Editor's recommendations



11 Aug
Blog

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Review | No-brainer Buds

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 and its case are on the floor.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 in the test: No-Brainer-Buds

RRP $ 150.00

"Good luck beating the Galaxy Buds 2 for the price."

advantages

  • Compact

  • Comfortable

  • Effective ANC

  • good sound

  • Solid battery

disadvantage

  • Annoying touch controls

  • Many functions only for Android

It gets really difficult to say anything clever in a wireless earbud review above. There are just so many of these things now. Five years ago? No problem. True wireless earbuds were still in their infancy, and we were all very excited that cables could be gone forever. Today? Well, let me put it this way: I have around 14 pairs of true wireless earbuds on my desk right now and this is exactly what has been popping up in the past few weeks.

My point is that wireless earbuds are now a commodity. We know this because you can pick up a pair at the local pharmacy for around $ 25. In this case, the Galaxy Buds 2 just have to … well, not shit, to be admittedly blatant.

At $ 150, the Galaxy Buds 2 are not only non-absorbent, but will make a lot of people very happy too. Whether or not the Galaxy Buds 2 should be an easy purchase or not can be debated, but there's no denying that these wireless buds are about to fly off the shelves.

Here's why.

Out of the box

Close up on open Galaxy Buds 2 case with earbuds inside.Caleb Denison / Digital Trends

The Galaxy Buds 2 are delivered in a compact box – almost all of the packaging is recyclable. In the box I found a small, white, square wireless charging case (some have called it a Squircle) with the Galaxy Buds 2 embedded in it, along with large and small silicone earbuds (the middle earbuds are already attached to the earbuds) and a USB-A to USC-C charging cable. Maybe there was some product literature buried there too, but I quickly threw the box away and moved on.

The Galaxy Buds 2 I received came in the color graphite, with the inside of the wireless charging case matching that color. The buds (and pod insides) are also available in white, olive and lavender.

Battery life, fit, features

Samsung claims the following battery performance for its headphones and case with a mix of ANC off and on and talk time.

  • ANC on: Up to 5 hours of game time and up to 3.5 hours of talk time
  • ANC on: Up to 20 hours of playtime with charging case and up to 13 hours of talk time with charging case
  • ANC off: Up to 7.5 hours of game time and up to 3.5 hours of talk time
  • ANC off: Up to 29 hours of playtime with charging case and up to 14 hours with charging case

Samsung also claims that the Buds 2 will offer around an hour of playtime on a 5-minute charge and around 2.5 hours on a 10-minute charge. I can confirm both of these claims as conservative because I had a little more time than the claimed time during both of the tests I performed.

In the four days in which I had to test the Galaxy Buds 2 so far, I never got less than 5 hours of game time with ANC, probably because I never exhausted the available game volume. The two charge cycles I went through gave me 5.3 and 5.5 hours, exceeding Samsung's claims.

I haven't been able to discharge the battery in the charging case, but I managed to fully charge it twice, and according to the case's battery indicator, I should get another one without any problems, which fully supports Samsung's claims to battery performance.

The Galaxy Buds 2 are some of the most comfortable wireless earbuds I've ever worn.

Given the size of the Buds 2 and their charging case, I think this battery performance is perfectly fine and is the same as the AirPods Pro, although it's worth noting that the AirPods Pro's performance doesn't really change with ANC on or off.

Fit

Close up of Caleb Denison with the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2.Caleb Denison / Digital Trends

In terms of fit, the Galaxy Buds 2 are some of the most comfortable wireless earbuds I've ever worn. Much better than the bulkier Galaxy Buds + and infinitely better than the cumbersome, bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live.

Their compact shape might not fit all ears, but they did fit my medium-sized ears well. And when I say the Buds 2 are comfortable, I mean that too. You never bothered me; no fatigue after long listening sessions, no ear sweating … nothing to complain about.

I even wore the Buds 2 to bed and enjoyed every second of the ambient rain noises until I passed out. When I woke up, the buds were still in my ears. I think this story bodes well for safety, but I don't go as far as to say that full workouts don't find a way to remove them. Active / sports earbuds aren't, although they come with an IPX-7 rating to protect them from light moisture. But for everyday use, I don't see them fall out of most people's ears. They even passed my eating test. Ordinarily, chewing a semi-raw side of the beef causes enough mandibular movement to remove even the most secured buds, but somehow the Galaxy Buds 2 didn't budge. Imagine that.

features

How well the Buds 2 fit has a lot to do with how they sound, which I'll get into in a moment. However, this is a good time to discuss some of the features Buds 2 owners can use when paired with an Android smartphone. I'll be speaking to you iPhone owners in a moment looking for AirPods alternatives.

The external control of the Galaxy Buds 2 takes place via the Galaxy Wearable app, which is currently only available for Android. You can change the Buds 2's EQ, toggle (but not customize) various touch controls, do an earbud fit test, toggle noise cancellation on and off, and adjust the intensity of the Buds' ambient noise among other things, as below pictured.

Honestly, I could survive without the EQ knob or the variable intensity knob in ambient mode. But one feature that I, as a non-Android user, couldn't do without is control over the Buds' touch controls, since, as I'll discuss in a moment, I'd rather not have touch controls than touch controls that do I can't … control.

Samsung has set the sound for the Galaxy Buds 2 correctly.

So, the few of you out there who own iPhones and think the Galaxy Buds 2 look like a good AirPods Pro alternative? You could be. Just understand that what you get out of the box is what you get and nothing you can do about it. For the most part, that's fine. But if you're worried about accidentally triggering the touch controls – say you're a chronic earbud adjuster or just play with your ears a lot – keep your hands off it.

Sound quality and ANC

Caleb Denison / Digital Trends

Given my previous experience with the Samsung wireless headphones, I didn't go into this review with high expectations. I've found previous iterations of Samsung's wireless earbuds to sound a bit flat and unimaginative. Fortunately, Samsung set the sound for the Galaxy Buds 2 correctly. The self-proclaimed audiophile in me shudders at that statement, but the realist in me knows that most of the people who try the Galaxy Buds 2 are going to love you.

An audio reviewer will tell you that the Galaxy Buds 2 have a little too much bass; that the bass disturbs some details in the upper mid and lower treble range and hides crucial transients such as the plucking of guitar strings or the clink of a drumstick hitting a ride cymbal. This is all true and it doesn't matter.

Samsung is aiming for a mass market with the Galaxy Buds 2 and has designed their sound to appeal to the masses. Sure, the bass is a little fat at times, and that can affect perceived clarity from time to time, but I think most people will stick the Galaxy Buds 2 in their ears and be perfectly pleased with how full, punchy, and lively they can be sound. There's a bit of pressure in the upper treble which gives them a lot of sheen, and the mids, although set back a bit, still give the vocals plenty of presence.

In other words, the Galaxy Buds 2 sound more than passable. They actually sound damn good, even if they are a bit clumsy with the bass every now and then. They definitely sound good enough to justify their price.

ANC, ambient mode, call quality

Close up of Caleb Denison with the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2.Caleb Denison / Digital Trends

As far as active noise cancellation (ANC) is concerned, the Galaxy Buds 2 are a bit cautious about noise cancellation on the AirPods Pro level. If I took a long flight and relied on earphones to suppress the roar of an AirBus motor, I'd turn to the AirPods Pro, Sony WF-1000Xm4, or Bose QuietComfort Earbuds. But to shut the world out, to give the buds a chance to fight, to put your music, podcast or audiobook in the spotlight, the Galaxy Buds 2 are very competent. Of course, these are the best noise-canceling buds I've heard from Samsung so far, although admittedly I slept on the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro.

The ambient mode works perfectly. It's not that I'm not wearing the earbuds, but I can hear just enough of what's going on around me that I don't feel the need to pull the earbuds out. Sure, I feel like a little tool when ordering a mocha from Starbucks with the Galaxy Buds 2 in my ears in ambient mode, but I hear the barista ask if I'm sure I don't have whipped cream on top I want my name to be quite good from my oat milk and later butcher. And isn't that the ambient mode?

Call quality leaves a little to be desired, but that's the case with most of the wireless earbuds I try, no matter how many microphones and AI. Processing is stuffed into the mix. I hear everything in stunning quality, but those on the other end of phone or video calls commented that I sounded a bit thin and digitized. Perhaps one day our headphones will capture and reproduce the sound so well, but that day won't herald with the arrival of the Galaxy Buds 2.

Pet annoys

I have a beef with the Galaxy Buds 2 and that's their touch controls. I'm not a fan of surface-based touch controls as they are too easy to trigger. You can't even touch the buds to adjust or secure them in your ears without accidentally changing ANC mode or pausing a track. It's totally annoying. Fortunately, Android users can turn off touch controls if they want. Anyone who doesn't have access to the Galaxy Wearable app – including those on iOS – will be out of luck.

My recording

I think Samsung finally did it with the Galaxy Buds 2. They're comfortable, have solid battery life, high quality sound, a decent ANC, and are about the right price. Sure, you can get competing earbuds for less money, but not with Samsung's name on them and probably not right next to the phone you plan to buy from your carrier’s store. For Android users, they're a breeze. Probably less for Apple users. Especially with the AirPods 3 on the go.

Is there a better alternative?

Not really! There are plenty of other true wireless earbuds out there that match or undercut the $ 150 price of the Galaxy Buds 2, but few of them have the same combo convenience, tiny form factor, solid sound, and high quality ANC, and most of them are of brands that you have probably never heard of.

How long will they last?

Assuming the Buds aren't lost outside of their case (and beyond the realm of the Finder function), I think the Galaxy Buds 2 will last as long as their batteries, which is a good three or four years for most people. An IPX 7 rating will protect them from rain or sweat, but don't plan on going to the water park with them expecting them to survive.

Should you buy it?

If you are an Android user, yes. If you're an Apple user, probably not. The ability to control the buds with the Galaxy Wearable app is key to convenience and that isn't available in the Apple App Store, at least not at the time this review was written.

Editor's recommendations



11 Aug
Blog

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris Review

Freerunning through Paris during the siege.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla Siege of Paris Review: Everything is the same

"Assassin & # 39; s Creed Valhalla & # 39; s Siege of Paris DLC is the same game, a different setting – nothing new to see here."

advantages

  • History has thematic weight

  • Assassination missions are returning

disadvantage

  • An inconspicuous world

  • Grid sign

  • Severe lack of unique content

For me, the Assassin's Creed franchise is about wandering historical areas, talking to the icons of the time, and sometimes murdering them. In Odyssey, players venture through the colorful world of ancient Greece, meet brilliant mathematicians and philosophers, and explore ruins that still stand today.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla drops the ball in that regard. His world is usually beautiful, but hardly filled with recognizable characters and set pieces. Valhalla's basic gameplay loop doesn't do much to compensate for this issue either, and stagnates after the first couple of iterations. However, the game's Siege of Paris expansion takes in and amplifies any current issues, resulting in a prime example of how bloat, repetition, and general boredom can ruin an expansion.

Beg for compassion

The Siege of Paris DLC begins with two new characters arriving in Ravensthorpe warning Eivor of a mad Franconian king who could one day sail to the coast of England and destroy what they have built. Given the potential threat, Eivor decides to sail to Paris to convince the mad King Charles the Fat to leave England alone one way or another.

From the first time you set foot in Paris, things are obviously different in Walhalla. The picturesque land is bloodied and burned as Charles ’troops destroy everything Nordic on their way. In these opening moments, Paris is neither colorful nor beautiful. It's dead, and it's a fitting introduction as players delve into the story of the Expansion's Revenge and how religion can distort people's minds.

This promising story, however, is told by some of the most unredeemable, poorly-written characters I've come across in an Assassin's Creed title. Charles himself is a madman who is hard to forgive by the end of the DLC, regardless of your point of view. Of course, his wife (a good Christian whom he tries to kill several times) is an apologist who believes he can be saved, and the game eventually tries to push players in that direction too.

Charlemagne in the siege of Paris.

Likewise, the Viking leader Sigfred, who leads the siege of Paris, is an angry lunatic, which shouldn't sound too strange to a Nord invader. In fact, Sigfred is one of the easier characters to sympathize with early on. This is all taken away after he (and I cannot stress this enough) commits war crimes during the siege of Paris. There's a reason some of the more brutal aspects of Viking life – the rampant murders and looting – are left out of the game's main story. Assassin's Creed Valhalla has a strong stance on what is right and wrong, even with Vikings as the main characters, and Sigfred falls heavily on the wrong side.

There are no characters to bond with, no one to miss when the credits roll in after about eight hours.

Of course, there are some entertaining characters in The Siege of Paris, but they can't save the game's overall poor cast. There are no characters to bond with, no one to miss when the credits roll after about eight hours. Having villains or anti-heroes in a story is never a bad thing, but they need to be made convincing or at least reasonably relatable, and Siege of Paris doesn't do either.

More of the same

Between the main story missions, players can explore Paris and its outskirts as well as England, Vinland or other areas of the game. Much of what The Siege of Paris has to offer both inside and outside the main story can be found throughout the base game. This is Valhalla's systemic problem, and it is a difficult one: the main game loop of the game repeats itself quickly and often with few variations. That remains true in The Siege of Paris.

The huge map of the expansion is still littered with collectibles, world events and wealth to crap your pockets with. There are even a few monasteries to loot, but none of this is new. The equality would have been somewhat offset if Paris had looked more prominent, but that's not the case. If you tell me it's any other part of England, or really any part of Central Europe, I would believe you.

That's not to say the area can't be beautiful. It is filled with lush nature, small towns and villages. Paris has its own charm but is losing its French accent and I couldn't tell the ninth century Paris, France, from Hamburg, Germany. It's just not distinctive; There are no landmarks or locations that players want to see quickly.

Freerunning through Paris during the siege.

Even the rest of the contents of the extension have this property. None of the missions, apart from the actual siege of Paris, are memorable. Again, this is the same content that players know from the main game. I followed NPCs, examined things by holding a button for a moment, and smacking enemies to a pulp.

It's just not distinctive; There are no sights to see or places to visit quickly.

Thankfully, there is some unique content in the Siege of Paris. Players will face off against cavalry, which is a decent threat, until they figure out how to fight it effectively. There are also rebel missions that players can take on at any time and earn new cosmetics. The DLC also marks the return of assassination missions that players may remember from previous games in the franchise. Players are tasked with taking out a specific target and exploring ways to murder their prey. However, these missions all steer the players towards an extremely obvious solution and leave behind the creativity of the players in their approach.

Our opinion

I've played a decent number of RPG expansions in my day, and most of them have built on what the base game does well. Whether it's Blood and Wine from The Witcher 3 or Old World Blues from New Vegas, a good DLC takes the best aspects of the base game and highlights them with a unique, new spin. Assassin's Creed Valhalla’s Siege of Paris opposes this. The best parts of the game – its world and characters – stay in the dirt while a boring gameplay loop and clumsy story take center stage. Of course, some players will enjoy exploring more of this, but considering how long it takes to quit Valhalla, I couldn't imagine coming back for seconds. When I first got to the version of the game from Paris, I saw an exhausted, burned-out country. When I left it, I could certainly empathize.

Is there a better alternative?

If you're looking for some extra Assassin & # 39; s Creed adventures, try Odyssey's The Fate of Atlantis DLC pack. It will take a while to finish, but it has a lot more unique content than you can find in The Siege of Paris.

How long it will take?

It took me about seven hours to complete the main story of The Siege of Paris. Completing the rest of the DLC content could easily eat up another 20 in my estimation.

Should you buy it?

No. When you're done Assassin's Creed Valhalla and not striving for more, there is no compelling reason to dive back in. The Siege of Paris doesn't offer enough unique content to entertain everyone but the most ardent Assassin & # 39; s Creed fans.

Editor's recommendations



09 Aug
Blog

Xbox Recon Controller Review: Game Audio Mixing Made Easy

The Turtle Beach Xbox Recon controller is on a table.

Turtle Beach Xbox Recon Controller Review: Game Audio Mixing Made Easy

RRP $ 60.00

"The Turtle Beach Xbox Recon Controller is packed with imaginative and useful on-board features at a shockingly low price."

advantages

  • Great build quality

  • Robust audio control

  • Well placed buttons on the back

  • Useful pro-aim function

  • Excellent value for money

disadvantage

  • Wired only

  • Contradicting functions

Whenever a new video game console drops, third-party manufacturers get to work. There is always a race to see who can make indispensable accessories that trump the console manufacturers themselves. This is especially evident with controllers, where companies are taking on the impossible task of improving gamepads perfectly designed by giants like Sony and Microsoft.

It takes a lot of creative effort to achieve this lofty goal, but Turtle Beach struck gold with its Recon Xbox controller. Instead of trying to surpass the basic capabilities of a regular Xbox controller, it offers a whole new vision of what a controller can do. Turtle Beach essentially built a sound mixer into a controller that allows players to EQ audio, adjust game volume, and even control voice chat on the fly. It's exactly the kind of innovation you can expect from a company best known for their headsets.

The Xbox Recon is not just a niche product for the dedicated audiophile; It's an excellent console companion that rethinks the usefulness of a controller. Its wired setup and some complicated options keep it from being the ultimate Xbox controller, but a low price point makes it a serious alternative to Microsoft's baseline X Series controllers.

Reaching the baseline

With every third-party controller, there is always one major hurdle that must be met: It must have all of the basic functions of its first-party counterpart. Companies like PowerA have developed complex controllers for consoles like the Nintendo Switch that add extra functionality at the expense of rumble and amiibo support.

A close look at the buttons and joystick on the Xbox Recon controller.

The Recon does not cut off such corners. It has everything you'd expect from an Xbox Series X controller. The button layout is identical, with minor adjustments in some positions. The joysticks don't feel too different, it rumbles as expected, and even includes an eight-way D-pad that some other third-party Xbox pads lack. Even with small differences, everything is in its place.

In fact, the Recon even goes a little further in some places. It includes cooling handles and has two mappable buttons on the back, neither of which are found on the standard Xbox wireless controller. Since it doesn't use batteries, it's also a bit lighter than Microsoft's controller.

The Recon does not cut off such corners. It has everything you'd expect from an Xbox Series X controller.

The only downside to this is that the Recon can feel a bit more toy-like than the sophisticated Xbox Wireless Controller. However, that is hardly a blow. Turtle Beach easily passes the first test here by creating a controller that ticks each box and adds some tweaks of its own while maintaining a comparable price range of $ 60.

Superhuman sound

If the recon just stopped there, it would be a perfectly suitable third-party option. But the fact that I haven't even talked about its core functionality speaks to how robust this package ultimately is. The Recon is designed for audio and offers several ways to optimize the sound in a mini command center on top of the controller.

With a few carefully placed buttons, players can adjust game and chat audio separately. This allows anyone to essentially mix audio on the fly without delving into menus and making adjustments. Usually you would need external tools to do this, so the fact that it is built right into the Recon is extremely useful. It even has a mute button that players can use to mute their microphone without fumbling for a button on their headset.

I can't think of a video game controller that ever aimed to do what Turtle Beach achieved here.

I noticed that the chat controls didn't seem to work properly on the PC games I tested. When playing the Back 4 Blood Beta through in-game chat, turning down the chat volume had no effect. This made it unclear to me exactly where I could use this feature outside of playing on an actual Xbox.

When it comes to audio, the controller goes one step further and offers four equalization presets that players can use to switch between different sound profiles. Turtle Beach's Signature Sound option allows players to boost bass, prioritize game chat, boost treble, or get a smoother mix. There's also a one-press button that activates Superhuman Hearing, which amplifies soft noises like footsteps (although I've found it generally just crank everything up).

The sound mixer that appears on the Turtle Beach Xbox Recon controller.

All of this comes together to give players complete control over the game audio. While playing Last Stop, I was able to quickly switch my EQ to prioritize voices on the fly. During a music montage, I might as well turn up the bass to round off the orchestral score. Players will most likely pick their favorite presets and leave it at that, but I just turned the page for novelty.

I have to emphasize how impressive it is that all of this happens without any software or driver installation whatsoever. All of these options are housed in the controller itself. I can't think of a video game controller that ever aimed to do what Turtle Beach achieved here. The ability to set mic monitoring or boost the bass like pressing a button to jump is extremely impressive and makes the Recon a truly unique controller.

Perks and quirks

With all of its bells and whistles, the Recon still has a few notable quirks. Most importantly, it is a fully wired controller which is the main sticking point. For those who don't want to thread chicken wire from their Series X onto the couch, this might be a tough sell. It doesn't help that players have to use wired headphones here as well and add some cable juggling. That makes the Recon more of a focal point for my PC than my Xbox, as playing with tethering is more common in my own PC setup.

It's filled with great features, though each adds to the assembly complexity of the device.

The controller also has two mappable back buttons that are completely unobtrusive, although this is not without its problems. The triggers cannot be assigned to the back buttons for some reason, nor can button combinations. On the plus side, players can set up four different mapping profiles and quickly switch between them. For example, I had mapped A and B to one profile and set the right and left bumpers to a different one.

The back of the Xbox Recon controller, including its back buttons.

The back buttons also have some weird interactions with the Recon's other specialty feature (yes, there are more): Pro-Aim. When enabled, players can hold down the right backspace button to decrease stick sensitivity. For example, you could squeeze it while aiming down to drastically lower sensitivity in the blink of an eye and allow precise aiming. There are even four different presets for Pro-Aim. The only problem is, you can't actually map a control to the back button and use Pro-Aim at the same time, or you could jump every time you try to aim. It's an amazing feature for a controller, but one that bumps into the head with another option.

That is the story of the Recon in general. It's filled with great features, though each adds to the assembly complexity of the device. Trying to flip through EQ presets or map buttons on the fly can be a bit of a circus, and you can't always use all of the functions at the same time. Compared to the elegance of a regular Xbox controller, the Recon can definitely feel confusing the first time you use it.

The Turtle Beach Xbox Recon controller is on a table.

But that's a necessary compromise when you consider how much the controller can do without external software. Turtle Beach loaded up a $ 60 controller with on-board features that other companies have yet to dream of. Considering the price and build quality at Microsoft are perfect, all you really need to do is take advantage of one extra feature to get your money's worth. Even if you just use Pro-Aim or something as small as the mute button, you get more functionality than a regular Xbox controller. It's shocking that this doesn't make players $ 100, but you won't hear me complaining about a good deal.

Our opinion

While third-party controllers can be a risky endeavor, the Xbox Recon reduces the noise by doubling the strengths of Turtle Beach. The audio-first controller offers gamers many practical functions that make it easy to optimize the sound mix in no time at all. Despite some notable quirks, Turtle Beach does something really unique here, which sets the Recon apart in a field that is only going to get more crowded.

Is there a better alternative?

For a simple wireless controller, the Xbox Series X baseline is still the best choice. The hybrid controller mixer setup is somewhat unique, however.

How long it will take?

It's always hard to tell when it comes to third-party controllers, but Turtle Beach is known for quality products. It'll surprise you if you don't spend a few years on it.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Xbox Recon is a surprisingly useful controller for gamers who use headphones in-game or anyone looking for some extra button customization.

Editor's recommendations



08 Aug
Blog

Eve Spectrum 4K Review: It Exists, and It’s Mighty Good

Eve Spectrum 4K gaming monitor Cyberpunk

Eve Spectrum 4K

RRP $ 799.00

"The excellent design and image quality of Eve Spectrum 4K make the wait well."

advantages

  • Stunning, minimalist design

  • Excellent IPS panel implementation

  • HDMI 2.1 and 100 watt USB-C

  • Razor-sharp 4K image

  • Highly configurable panel settings

  • Sell ​​without a stand to save money

disadvantage

  • Eva has a sketchy story

  • Overwhelming color performance with our sample

The mythical Eve Spectrum is a monitor you may have heard of. It was a fully crowdfunded show that was due out a year ago. But it never did. This left funders very disappointed as they feared they had lost their money to a project that would never come to fruition.

But lo and behold, to my surprise, I now have the test device of the 4K version in front of me.

The Eve Spectrum 4K is essentially everything a lot of gamers could want in a monitor: 4K, IPS, fast at 144 Hz, with HDMI 2.1, DisplayHDR 600, G-Sync / FreeSync, with all the panel optimization settings you can think of The OSD can only dream, a very minimalist design – the list goes on. The design was created in collaboration with the community and many players loved it.

But is the Eve Spectrum 4K good enough to become one of the best gaming monitors out there? Well – and maybe it was worth the wait.

design

The front of the Eve Spectrum 4K with the screen off.Niels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

The Eve Spectrum is the most minimalist monitor I've ever seen. In itself it's just a 27-inch panel with very thin bezels and a power LED on the underside. And I'll say it for itself, because the standard $ 799 kit doesn't come with a stand – that will cost you an additional $ 99.

This is something that the community wanted and, in my opinion, a great move. The enthusiast market has a penchant for attaching monitors to wall mounts and monitor arms in the name of cleaner, more minimalist-looking setups, and I'm all for it. Heck, those mounts often cost less than $ 99 or so at this ballpark.

The styling of the Eve Spectrum is nothing more than clean and classy.

However, if you do, I am happy to announce that the booth is for the most part worth the price. It's beautifully machined and painted and feels like a high quality piece of kit. My only complaint? It's so slim you'll see the cables behind it. That, and at its lowest height, is still tall, with the bottom of the display just over 3 inches above the desk.

Otherwise, it has a full range of customizations, including rotating it to portrait. It doesn't pivot, but that doesn't really matter. The stand also has a recess under the foot to pass cables underneath, like your keyboard.

The optional stand attached to the back of the Eve Spectrum 4K.

The boxing and branding of the Eve Spectrum 4K.

Other than that, the design of the Eve Spectrum monitor is very small. The backend only offers the connections and controls in a very clean, rectangular design. There is no aggressive, player-centered styling here – just clean and classy. I've always thought that less was more, and I really like the aesthetics of the Eve Spectrum.

Ports & controls

The side connections on the back of the Eve Spectrum 4K.Niels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

The Eve Spectrum I'm reviewing is the 4K model. Since this is a high refresh rate 4K panel, it is expected to include HDMI 2.1 – and it is here: The 4K Eve Spectrum includes a DisplayPort 1.4a input and two HDMI 2.1 ports. This makes it ideal for connection to your PC and two modern consoles, so that they can run in full RGB colors without chroma subsampling and with HDR activated at 4K and 120 Hz.

In addition, the display has a USB-C upstream port, which is ideal for docking the monitor with a single cable connection and display input, access to the USB hub and a power output of up to 100 watts via USB-C offers . It uses the DisplayPort protocol, and the OSD (on-screen display) lets you either prioritize the refresh rate to hit the full 144Hz, but with the USB hub running at USB 2.0 speeds, or the display at 60 Limit Hz, but USB 3.1. reserve bandwidth for the ports.

With HDMI 2.1 and USB-C with 100 W power, the Eve Spectrum offers the best connection options in the gaming monitor class

The only catch is that there's no ethernet port, so it's not a full-fledged hub. But chances are you're only using the USB-C docking feature for a second laptop besides your desktop anyway.

The USB hub itself has two USB-A and one USB-C ports, all of which run at USB 3.1 Gen 2 speeds for up to 10 Gbit / s bandwidth.

The display is powered by an external brick, but the power cord is on the short end. This means that especially if you mount the monitor on an arm and want to keep the cabling tidy, you want to have a cable tray under your desk that you can slide it into, as it won't dangle all the way to the floor without it.

The controls and connections on the back of the Eve Spectrum 4K.

On the back there are controls for the monitor, which consist of a direction switch and an on / off button. Pressing the switch takes you to the OSD of the display, which is one of the most extensive OSDs I have come across on a gaming monitor. Of course, you'll find the usual range of connectivity, system, color, and overdrive settings, but the Eve Spectrum has a few more tricks up its sleeve.

For gamers, Eve offers a cheating crosshair, an FPS counter, a low latency mode, adaptive sync settings, response time settings and strobing modes for the backlight. Of course, backlight strobing won't work with Adaptive-Sync enabled, but that's to be expected.

In the meantime, the OSD also includes settings to customize the behavior and colors of the Power LED with full RGB support. If you don't like the white light, just change it according to the colors of your setup. Isn't that neat?

However, there is one strange thing about the OSD: it's blurry. This is a 4K monitor, but the OSD is not very nicely designed, nor is it programmed to have the same sharp resolution as the display. But it's an OSD, and it's well-equipped, so do you really care that it doesn't look nice? It's also a bit slow to adjust values, and I would prefer to have a brightness adjustment option that doesn't require me to dig deep into the menu for quick changes. But unfortunately.

picture quality

Testing the Eve Spectrum 4K Monitor with a Spyder Colorimeter.Niels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

The Eve Spectrum is based on the same panel as the LG 27GN950 that we tested last year and that was very good indeed. With that, the Eve Spectrum is off to a good start, and while the specs aren't all that different, Eve throws a factory calibration into the mix that claims a typical Delta-E (color difference from real) of 0.59, especially on our device in his attached report indicates a Delta-E of 0.5. As a reference, any number below 2.0 is considered good enough for professional editing, so I was anxious to double-check those numbers.

But there's more to it than just color accuracy. The IPS panel offers a resolution of 4K (3840 x 2160) for razor-sharp images, has an advertised static contrast ratio of 1000: 1, as is expected from IPS panels, and can display up to 1.07 billion colors since it a 10. is bit (8 bit + FRC) panel.

I was disappointed when testing the display's color performance. Brightness and contrast tests were great and delivered a good 500 nits of brightness at 100% and achieved the promised contrast ratio of 1000: 1 perfectly, but the panel did not come close to the promised color performance.

Coverage of the DCI-P3 space was limited to 95% instead of the promised 98%, which is acceptable, but gamma was 2.3 instead of 2.2, the white point was 7100K instead of 6500K, but worst of all was the color accuracy Reading I received a Delta-E of 2.31, which is outside the acceptable norm for professional color grading and, according to the accompanying report, is far from the promised value of 0.5. Normally I would reduce this to differences in the test equipment, but with such a large discrepancy I can hardly believe that this calibration was even performed.

And let's face it, a typical Delta-E across all of its tests of 0.59 is too good to be true anyway. The only monitor I've ever achieved this with is Acer's ConceptD CM2, which isn't a gaming monitor at all, despite the fact that LG's 27GN950 was terribly close. Nevertheless, our Spyder X Elite calibrated the display to acceptable standards within a few moments, refined the white point, the gamma performance and corrected the colors to a Delta-E of 1.46.

Browse the web on the Eve Spectrum 4K gaming monitor.Niels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

That said, it's about more than just synthetic testing, and most players probably don't care that much about perfect color performance anyway. When I tested the LG 27GN950, I found that the left and right sides of the panel fell off in brightness near the edge, making it almost look like a piece of parchment that was still rolled up on each end. To my surprise, the Eve Spectrum showed no such phenomenon, and while it wasn't at all annoying on LG's panel, it looks much higher quality when the same panel is evenly illuminated to the edge.

Additionally, the amount of IPS glow and backlight bleeding from this IPS panel was also minimal – either this device was selected to be sent to me (although Eve claims not to do so on its website), or Eve has a trick his case for the monitor construction, which limits these effects better than LG. I kind of feel like it's the latter, but I don't believe it as I haven't seen any other units. That's not to say there aren't any, the lower left corner shows a little more sheen, but it's very acceptable.

Overall, the Eve Spectrum 4K I tested has one of the best IPS panel implementations I've seen, but I'm a little at a loss as to why I couldn't reproduce the color performance Eve tested. In any case, the performance is more than good enough for most use cases that I wouldn't pass the monitor on just based on the test results I had with my sample.

Playing in the Eve Spectrum

The Eve Spectrum 4K gaming monitor with cyberpunk on the screen.Niels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

The most important factor for gaming performance is the fast refresh rate of 144 Hz. 144 Hz is now the norm for gaming monitors, while there are monitors with 360 Hz in the upper range. You don't get that at 4K, of course, where you're limited by overclocking to 160 Hz at the highest end on LG's models with the same panel, and although this overclocking option isn't available on the Eve Spectrum, you can opt for a 240 Hz variant decide by falling on a QHD panel (2560 x 1440). However, other than extremely competitive gaming, I can't see a fall for anything over 144Hz.

But let's forget all of that for a second, turn on adaptive sync, turn on HDR, and start a few games with the graphics sliders all the way up. Here the Eve Spectrum shines in the truest sense of the word.

In HDR games, the Eve Spectrum 4K literally shines.

I didn't think I would like it that much, I thought the smaller 27 "panel would offer a lesser experience than my own 34" ultrawide despite the higher resolution, but boy, I was wrong. Playing at 4K for immersion is tremendous value, especially when playing games that have textures with the required resolution. I've played Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Horizon Zero Dawn, and even started Cyberpunk 2077 because it would be almost criminal not to do it. Long story short, the Eve Spectrum offered a level of resolution that was fun to play on, especially with immersive titles like these that have texture resolution to aid them. Coupled with 600 nits of HDR brightness, I could lose myself in game worlds for hours.

Of course, when it comes to competing titles like Insurgency Sandstorm, the Eve Spectrum 4K isn't lazy either, although it's important to keep in mind that it's a 4K monitor. While I had no problem playing the above story-based titles with higher visual fidelity and relying on Adaptive-Sync to keep things running smoothly, in this competitive online shooter I had to lower the graphics settings to get close the 144 Hz refresh rate to come – budget for a beefy graphics card if you're interested.

Our opinion

If you're looking for a proper 27-inch 4K gaming monitor, the Eve Spectrum is as good as possible. Priced at $ 799 and another $ 99 for the stand, it competes head-to-head with LG's best and offers some additional features, albeit with a bit more risk due to the company's history.

The Eve Spectrum may be well over a year late, but it's certainly not lacking in demand and it's still one of the best, if not the best, 4K gaming monitors money can buy. With HDMI 2.1, DisplayHDR600, 98% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, a great IPS panel implementation and a mighty tidy design, the Eve Spectrum 4K is a display that many gamers can be itchy about.

Are there alternatives?

The best alternative right now is 27GP950 from LG, which is the successor to the LG 27GN950 that we tested last year. All three are essentially identical monitors based on the same panel, except that LG's new version has HDMI 2.1. The LG panel also does 160Hz overclocking and comes with RGB, and it costs about the same when you include the kickstand.

This makes the Eve Spectrum a tough best seller, but if you're into the minimalist design, want the 100 watt power output, skip the booth, and want the customizability, the Spectrum 4K may have the edge.

How long it will take?

Eve covers the Spectrum with a three-year warranty, including a 14-day DOA period and a pixel policy that states that the display must have no bright pixels and up to five dark pixels before a replacement is guaranteed. That being said, I don't see any reason why the Spectrum 4K shouldn't last at least five years like any monitor should, if properly cared for, do.

Should I buy it?

This is where Eva's reputation can come into play. The weight you place on the company's longevity and ability to deliver will no doubt put some off – and that's fair.

But just because of the quality of this brilliant monitor, the Eve Spectrum is absolutely worth buying.

Editor's recommendations



07 Aug
Blog

Level Lock Review: A Continuation of Smart Meeting Beauty

Level Lock (2021) inside the key housing on the door.

Level Lock Review: A sequel to Smart meets stylish

RRP $ 249.00

“Your neighbors won't know. The Level Lock looks something like a standard lock. "

advantages

  • Gorgeous aesthetics

  • easy installation

  • Cheaper in levels lineup

disadvantage

  • Geofencing settings cannot be adjusted

I just don't like Level's smart locks, I absolutely love them. Why do you ask this? Well, that's mainly because they don't follow the traditional smart-lock design, which tends to have huge cases over the latch and an obvious keyboard on the outside. Quite simply, the intelligent locks from Level look like conventional locks. It would be difficult for you to even tell the difference.

The Level Lock is the company's latest offering that follows the same principles as its siblings. Some people might be confused by the differences within the current offerings, but the Level Lock is in the middle of the lineup at $ 249 – complimenting the hotel key-like Level Lock Touch Edition for $ 329 and the original Level Bolt for the Price of $ 199. Of course, having tested the previous locks, I have high expectations for the latest level lock.

installation

After installing two previous level smartlocks this was a breeze and it took me no more than seven minutes to install. The Level Lock consists of three main components: striking plate, motor and lock cylinder housing. It's a pretty straightforward process, and for the average person, it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes to install from start to finish.

Box with contents of Level Lock (2021).

Unlike Level Bolt's original smart lock, which essentially turned your existing lock into a smart one, the Level Lock is an all-in-one complete solution that replaces your existing bolt. This means that you will need to carry a new set of physical keys with you, unlike the one you have been using before. This is basically the biggest differentiator between the two smart locks. Conversely, the Level Lock Touch Edition is similar to the Level Lock, but adds NFC-based key cards as an alternative form of unlocking.

design

As always, Level does a wonderful job with their designs and this latest one doesn't change the recipe. Level claims it's the smallest Smart Lock ever, but honestly, it's not that different from the Touch Edition.

From the outside, I still love that it looks like a normal lock that you can find on every door. It doesn't attract the same amount of attention as other smart locks with fancy fingerprint sensors or bulky outdoor keyboards, which is a way to deter potential hackers.

Level Lock (2021) in locked position.

There really isn't anyone out there designing smart locks that keep the look and decor of your existing lock. Hence, it is difficult to find fault with a design that is elegant, beautiful and contemporary. Level offers it in four versions: satin nickel, satin chrome, polished brass and matt black, to match any decor.

software

To complete the setup, you need to connect the Level Lock to your home's Wi-Fi network using the Level app, which is available for iOS and Android. I know the app quite well as I've been using the Level Lock Touch Edition for 8 months.

I still love the fact that it looks like a regular lock that you can find on every door.

Much like the design of the lock, the app itself follows the same simple and straightforward approach. From the app's main screen, I can unlock the lock, set up passes to grant temporary access, and change some of its settings – e.g. do it myself.

perfomance

Functionally, the Level Lock works exactly like the other Smart Locks in Levels lineup. While you can access the lock using the mobile apps, I really appreciate that the Level Lock still has an automatic unlock feature when I get near the door with my phone in my pocket. It's able to do this because it sets up a geofence around my location. When exiting, you can choose how long the self-locking will take after opening.

The only persistent problem that I hope will eventually be resolved is the example of having to re-enter my apartment because I forgot something while walking out the door. Since I've set the Level Lock to automatically lock after a minute, it knows I haven't left the geofenced area – so the lock doesn't unlock automatically when I approach the door. I just wish there was a way to customize this, but it isn't there yet.

Side profile view with Level Lock (2021).

Otherwise, the Level Lock offers all the comfort you could want from a Smart Lock. It comes in handy when I come back from a store with both hands carrying groceries or packages so I don't have to hunt for keys. It just starts to unlock automatically when I'm about 10 feet away. The best part is that the mechanism is smooth and fluid – so the bolt is locked correctly every time.

Battery life

Just like Level's other Smart Locks, the Level Lock is powered by a single CR2 battery that is included. Unfortunately, the app doesn't give you a percentage, so it's impossible to measure its performance at this point. Instead, the app only indicates that it is in a "healthy" status.

CR2 battery installation for Level Lock (2021).

On its landing page, Level claims that the battery life is more than a year, but I'm a little skeptical as the Level Lock Touch edition had to be replaced after 9 months. Even so, I still think it's commendable to achieve more than six months.

Our opinion

If you want to use the fancy touch unlock features of the Level Lock Touch Edition, then the new Level Lock will meet all your needs. It's still one of the best-designed smart locks out there, accompanied by all of the smarts you'd expect from a modern smart lock – like automatic unlocking, voice control (works great with HomeKit), and temporary guest badges.

Considering this is $ 80 less than the touch-enabled version, this level lock will save you money while still delivering great features with a modern design that few can match.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes, it's still expensive, which is why affordable smart locks like the Wyze Lock are great alternatives. You pay less for similar features, but the design follows traditional smart locks.

At the other end of the spectrum, some people will appreciate the more-is-better approach. Smart locks like the Eufy Security Smart Lock Touch, Lockly Duo and Kwikset Halo Touch all have fingerprint sensors as another way to unlock them. These fingerprint sensor locks come in handy when you forget to bring your smartphone.

How long it will take?

The Level Lock feels well constructed and consists mainly of metal components. Level states that it uses a patent-pending, six-stage stainless steel gearbox to withstand almost all conditions. There is a two-year limited warranty in case of failure, which is generous as most others offer a one-year warranty.

Should you buy it?

You bet! Level has three options to choose from, but for those looking for a brand new lock to swap out everything they have now, the Level Lock is an excellent choice that doesn't have the clunky looks or controls that I get with Standard -Smart see locks. It eliminates the extra baggage by cutting off the fat.

Editor's recommendations



07 Aug
Blog

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S Review: No 5G, No Deal

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S is held in one hand.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S review: no 5G means no deal

"The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S is temptingly cheap and offers the basics, but for a little more money you can buy a phone that will last longer."

advantages

  • Long battery life

  • Durable construction

disadvantage

  • No 5G for future security

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S is a good smartphone, but it also shows how important it is to pay attention to durability when making a purchase decision, regardless of the price. While it's strong value when it is discounted, as it was at the time of this review, you can get a better, more durable 5G phone at full price for not much more money.

5G might not be for you today, but maybe tomorrow and you will have to upgrade from the Redmi Note 10S to get it. I spent some time on the phone to see if it was worth taking the risk.

design

The Redmi Note 10S has a plastic frame and a plastic back with gorilla glass above the screen, as well as an IP53 protection class against splash water and dust. The 6.43-inch AMOLED screen is flat, while the back is slightly curved, and the whole thing weighs 178 grams and is 8.3 mm thick. There's a fingerprint scanner in the power button on the side of the phone, a 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom, and four cameras in the module on the back.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S seen from behind.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It's not a remarkable looking smartphone, but it's far from unattractive, with a few standout design details that I really like, like the use of clear plastic for the camera module that makes it appear slimmer. The plastic body offers grip and lightness and is comfortable to hold for long periods of time, but it gets covered in messy fingerprints – on the front and back – and the back plate has an awkward curve when pressed.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S seen from the front.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

This is why the Redmi Note 10S is so price sensitive. It's obviously not a premium smartphone, but it's pretty close to being a little on the cheap. Nobody really wants to pay a lot for a phone that sounds hollow when tapped, and the Redmi Note 10S does. It's an inexpensive smartphone on a budget, but that doesn't matter if you can grab one for a low price.

camera

The main camera has 64 megapixels and an aperture of f / 1.8 as well as phase detection autofocus and is in addition to an 8 MP, 1: 2.2 wide-angle camera and a 2 MP depth and 2 MP macro camera . It's not bad. In good outdoor conditions, it will take well-balanced photos with a nice pop of color, provided you are careful with the “AI” mode. Sometimes it can really improve an image, but in other situations it can cumbersome color, add contrast, and manipulate the image so that it doesn't look natural. It is a game of chance that you unfortunately get.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S camera module.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

In more difficult lighting conditions, the camera's white balance suffers and storm clouds turn blue rather than gray or black. Outdoor shots lose visual tension and detail even in poor ambient light. Portrait mode is effective and edge detection is good. The selfie camera has an active beautification by default that brightens and smoothes your skin, but it can be easily turned off.

If you get the Redmi Note 10S at the right price, the camera won't disappoint, but just spend a little more and you can get phones with much better cameras.

perfomance

Xiaomi chose MediaTek as a partner for the Redmi Note 10S, but didn't opt ​​for a Dimensity chip to add 5G. Instead, the phone uses a MediaTek Helio G95 octa-core chip with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. My test model has 6 GB of RAM. Using the phone for general purposes like Twitter and Instagram, web browsing, some YouTube, and casual gaming is fine and won't get hot or slow.

The game is played on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I've played a lot of Asphalt 9: Legends during my time on the phone. I didn't change the default graphics settings and only saw the very occasional pauses during the action. It never got annoying and the phone never got too hot. It's a great little phone for casual gaming.

It's a great little phone for casual gaming

I like the 2400 x 1080 AMOLED screen and the video experience too. It's bright enough that I had no problem seeing it outside in sunlight, although I miss a high refresh rate. There are also stereo speakers on the phone which make watching videos a lot more fun than you often find on phones at this price point, but they don't offer much bass.

The fingerprint sensor of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

There's no 5G on board which affects the phone's longevity as you might not want the fast data connection now but next year. It has NFC for Google Pay and dual SIM support, as well as a microSD card slot. I also like the fingerprint sensor, which is well placed in the power button and reacts quickly.

software

The phone has Android 11 with Xiaomi's MIUI 12.5.2 interface on top. It comes with Google Play and all the usual Google services as well as a variety of Xiaomi's own apps such as a calculator, a QR code scanner, a file manager and the Mi Store App Store. It is visually identical to the version on the more expensive phones from Xiaomi such as the Mi 11 Ultra and runs smoothly and stably here. It's customizable, the notifications can be interacted with in the notification shadow, and I've found it to be reliable.

There are some annoyances, however. The always-on screen isn't always on no matter what settings I'm using, but instead lights up when a notification comes in or when you double-tap the screen. Dark Mode is arbitrary with app support which results in some apps not displaying properly, and I also don't like the way the wallpaper is dimmed by default as it makes the phone look boring.

The always-on screen is not always on no matter what settings I use

None of these things are really unique to the Redmi Note 10S and affect all MIUI phones. However, the version 12.5 installed on the Redmi Note 10S appears to have improved energy efficiency and many of the pre-installed apps can either be hidden or uninstalled, which was not always available in previous versions of MIUI. I don't mind using MIUI as I expect these quirks, but Xiaomi's Android software is still less pleasant to use than Samsung's One UI and OnePlus & # 39; s OxygenOS.

battery

If you turn off the Redmi Note 10S overnight, the 5,000 mAh battery will last for three days with normal use. This includes using the camera, social networking, a video call and some voice calls, as well as other basic phone chores. Use the phone more heavily and it still lasts for two days with no problem. Battery life is a real strong point, but high-intensity tasks can drain it quickly. For example, an hour of high definition YouTube video takes up at least 15% of battery life.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S from below.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

A 33 W fast charger is included in the scope of delivery, which, according to Xiaomi, delivers a charge of 54% in 30 minutes.

Price and availability

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S is not officially sold in the US, but it can be imported. It's available now through Xiaomi's official online store in the UK, where it costs £ 229 at full price, which is around $ 320. However, at the time of writing, it's discounted to £ 179, or around $ 250.

Our opinion

If you can get the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S at the lowest price, it's an affordable smartphone for people who don't ask too much of it or who have the expectation to use 5G. It offers great bang for your buck, with a good screen and long battery life. The MediaTek Helio G95 processor is not the newest, but it is powerful enough for everyday use as well as casual gaming. Even the camera is acceptable under the right conditions.

It offers great bang for your buck, with a good screen and long battery life

However, the lack of 5G is a problem. Cheap 5G phones are in abundance today, and they don't cost much more than the Redmi Note 10S. You might not be able to get 5G in your area today, but it might be next month or next year and you won't need to upgrade your phone if you choose wisely today. If you can afford to get a 5G phone now (or have the time to save a little more) it will be totally worth it in the long run, and that puts the Redmi Note 10S out of the running.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. If you're in the US but don't want to import the Redmi Note 10S and want to spend around $ 250, we recommend the Motorola Moto G Power (2021) for $ 200 if 5G isn't your thing, or toss take a look at the $ 300 OnePlus Nord N10 5G or the Samsung Galaxy A32 5G for $ 280 if so. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, but two have 5G, which offers a certain degree of future security.

In the UK, we recommend spending a little more to get the OnePlus Nord CE 5G, which costs £ 299. The software is better, it comes with 5G for the future, has IP67 water resistance, and is the same or better than the Redmi Note 10S in most other areas as well. Also take a look at the Realme 8 5G, which also has 5G from MediaTek's Dimensity 700 chip and costs £ 200.

How long it will take?

The plastic housing and protection class IP53 against splash water and dust should give the Redmi Note 10S a good chance of surviving moderately rough treatment. This is a 4G LTE phone and does not come with a 5G modem. So if you want to try the fast data connection in the future, you'll have to switch your phones.

Should you buy one?

No. You can get a phone with better software and that will last longer if you spend just a little more money.

Editor's recommendations



07 Aug
Blog

Dell XPS 17 Review: A Mobile Workstation in Disguise

The Dell XPS 17 sits in front of a window.

Dell XPS 17 in the test: a camouflaged mobile workstation

RRP $ 2,800.00

"The Dell XPS 17 is unrivaled when it comes to extra-large, high-performance laptops."

advantages

  • Bright, beautiful screen

  • Fantastic build quality and design

  • Performance is impressive

  • Ultra-thin bezels

  • Comfortable keyboard and touchpad

disadvantage

  • Mediocre battery life

  • Bad webcam

If you mainly work from home, the idea of ​​a large 17-inch laptop may sound attractive. The screens on these laptops are just inches smaller than some external PC monitors, wrapped in a single package that you can take with you on the go.

But the Dell XPS 17 is more than just that. It's a powerhouse in terms of performance and hopes to replicate not only the large-screen format of a desktop setup, but performance as well. The latest model comes with an Nvidia RTX 3060, an Intel Core i7-11800H and a touchscreen with 4K resolution. That particular configuration costs a whopping $ 2,800, but if you need the size and performance, the XPS 17 remains one of the best laptops you can buy.

design

The Dell XPS 17, opened in front of a window.

The Dell XPS 17 is a very large notebook. I'll start there as it's the most important feature of this laptop from the rest of the XPS range.

Apart from the XPS range, the size of the XPS 17 is unique. Other 17-inch laptops like the LG Gram 17 or the HP Envy 17 are much smaller than the XPS 17, but that's hardly a fair comparison. These laptops run on lower wattage processors and cannot be configured with high-end discrete graphics cards.

The XPS 17 has more in common with modern workstation laptops like the Asus ProArt studio books or the HP ZBook Fury 17. But even there, many of the options you find haven't been updated in a while and aren't nearly as slick as the XPS 17.

In terms of size (and performance), the Razer Blade 17 is the closest competitor to the XPS 17. The XPS 17 is slightly smaller in most dimensions than in thickness, where the two laptops are almost on par.

It feels high quality and looks elegant, just like other XPS laptops.

If you're looking for a bigger, more creative-facing laptop, chances are, 16-inch laptops are also worth considering. Laptops that fit into this category, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro, the ROG Zephyrus M16, and the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus, follow in the footsteps of the MacBook Pro 16-inch. The XPS 17 is thicker and heavier than most of these laptops, despite everything Dell has done to shrink the case, weighs 5.3 pounds and measures 0.77 inches thick.

But Dell has stuck to its guns with the XPS 17, making it a pretty unique offering in 2021. The larger screen with 16:10 aspect ratio makes the laptop appear even more expansive – even with the insanely thin bezels that wrap around the display.

The Dell XPS 17, open to reveal its carbon fiber palm rests.

The XPS 17 is heavier, wider, and thicker than the 16-inch MacBook Pro, and is larger in almost every way compared to the LG Gram 17. But size comparisons with laptops like this one are hardly fair, especially considering how much more power there is to pack into the XPS 17.

Otherwise, the XPS 17 looks almost identical to the XPS 15. While much of the internal structure is unique, the aluminum shell, ultra-thin bezels, and black carbon fiber palm rests will look very familiar. It feels high quality and looks elegant, just like the smaller versions of the same laptop.

It's one of my very favorite designs. I wish Dell offered the white variant (as seen in the XPS 13), but I'm not going to complain about the aesthetics. Since it was first launched, it's one of the best looking laptops you can buy.

Ports

The closed Dell XPS 17, held in one hand.

The Dell XPS 17 keeps its connections simple: four Thunderbolt 4 ports and a full-size SD card slot. These ports say a lot about where the XPS 17 gets its inspiration from and who it is primarily intended for. If you're frustrated by the limited ports in the MacBook Pro, the XPS 17 isn't of much help. It is noteworthy that there is no HDMI port or USB-A.

Fortunately, Dell includes a USB-C adapter with USB-A and HDMI for free, which makes me happy. Hard to complain with Dell doing the dirty work for you.

The full-size SD card slot is of course there for photographers and videographers. The ability to switch directly from a camera to a computer is extremely useful, even for hobbyists and amateurs. If you have one, your friends and colleagues with MacBook Pros will get jealous.

Keyboard and touchpad

No surprises – the XPS 17 has an excellent keyboard and touchpad. The keystrokes are bouncy and contain no nonsense about nonsense with low travel. Typing is quiet and comfortable.

The keycaps, however, are the highlight of the keyboard. They feel sturdy under the fingers instead of wobbly. I also love how big the keycaps are, leaving very little white space between the keys and nice wide keys on the sides. You can find wider shift keys on another laptop.

The touchpad is similarly wide. Rather than just using the same-sized touchpad on the smaller XPS laptops (as other manufacturers do), this touchpad was specifically designed to take advantage of the 17-inch form factor. The tracking is precise and the click is pleasantly quiet.

Display and speakers

The Dell XPS 17 is all about its screen. The 17-inch screen has a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is perfect for this size laptop. It offers a large workspace for expanding windows and multitasking. The resolution is 3840 x 2400, which is even more pixels than a standard 4K screen. The result is an extremely sharp display with a touch function.

The base model is a 1920 x 1200 model and does not come with a touch screen. It's a $ 400 difference in price, so choose wisely. I don't recommend going for 1080p resolution on such a large display as you start to pick the pixels.

Like the port selection, this high-resolution screen was designed with the creative in mind. It is a bright and colorful screen with almost perfect color saturation, reaching 100% in sRGB and 98% in AdobeRGB color spaces. The color accuracy is also on point and the maximum brightness was measured with 491 nits. It's a thoroughly bright, beautiful screen.

However, the temperature of the screen is rather warm. In many cases, the warmer tint is welcomed. But while watching videos or movies, I noticed some skin tones with a strange orange tinge. Dell only includes a single color mode in the Windows settings.

The 720p webcam, which is located in the frame above the display, is terrible.

Speaking of entertainment, the speakers are decent. I was hoping for more bass for a laptop of this size, but the XPS 17 offers a nice stereo image and can be quite loud without crackling. If you want to hear background music or podcasts while you work, these speakers should be enough without too much discomfort.

However, I have a lot of complaints about the webcam. The 720p webcam located in the frame above the display is terrible. It's part of the compromise with such a narrow top bezel. It gets you through the occasional video call, but if you have to be in front of the camera all day, this isn't the laptop for you.

perfomance

The Dell XPS 17 starts at $ 1,550. What you get in this base model is the Intel Core i5-11400H, integrated Intel UHD graphics, 8 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. This model is a bit cheaper, but does not rely on the strengths of the XPS 17.

With up to eight cores (and the addition of a separate graphics card), the Dell XPS 17 becomes a much more powerful performer. My device came with the Core i7-11800H, 16 GB of RAM, an Nvidia RTX 3060 and a 1 TB SSD. But in exchange for your $ 2,800, you get a laptop that excels at heavy-duty tasks like creative application performance and gaming.

Laptop 3DMark time spy Cinebench R23 Underdog bench 5 PCMark 10 Fortnite (1080p Epic) Civilization VI (1080p Ultra)
Dell XPS 17 (Core i7-11800H) 7039 1525/10145 1568/8801 6209 78 fps 104 fps
Dell XPS 17 (Core i7-10875H) 5801 13876 1315/7959 n / A 82 fps 90 fps
LG Gram 17 (Core i7-1165G7) 1408 1312/3912 1503/4606 4880 13 fps n / A
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (Ryzen 7 5800H) 9175 1430/11195 1460/7227 n / A 101 fps 114 fps

The XPS 17 was already a powerful laptop, but the jump to the RTX 30 series graphics increases performance. The benefits are easy to see when comparing the 3DMark results, with the newer model being 18% faster in the same test. You may write off the RTX 3060 compared to the 3070 or 3080 in gaming laptops, but the names can be misleading. The system can deliver 70 watts of power to the graphics card, which is more than what many non-gaming laptops can do. However, to put things in perspective, the Razer Blade laptops can deliver up to 100 watts of power to the graphics.

This leads to faster frame rates in the games I tested. Outside of the heaviest games, the XPS 17 can achieve over 60 fps (frames per second) in games with 1920 x 1200. Outside of a lighter, more processor-heavy game like Civilization VI, you won't be trying to play games in native resolution, of course. The 60 Hz refresh rate is also a limitation on how enjoyable the gaming experience will be. Because of this, it's not a laptop that should be bought primarily for gaming. But it's a bloody benefit, that's for sure.

The improved graphics as well as the better performance in creative applications. I tested the laptop's video editing capabilities in PugetBench's Premiere Pro benchmark, which tests everything from 4K video playback to timeline export. It outperformed the last Intel-based 27-inch iMac I tested, which had a desktop Core i9-10910. It is the top-scoring laptop that I tested in this benchmark, and you will likely see comparable performance in many other content creation applications.

Of course, processor performance is also extremely important in these tests, and the 11th generation Intel Core i7-11800H, the heart of the XPS 17, does admirably. The CPU hummed with around 3.2 GHz and occasionally increased up to 4.19 GHz. Its PCMark 10 results were fantastic, which tests daily tasks like web surfing, video conferencing, and spreadsheets. It should be noted, however, that laptops with AMD's Ryzen 5000 platform are just as strong in this benchmark, even with smaller 13-inch laptops like the Asus ROG Flow X13.

Much of the XPS 17's impressive performance comes from its good thermals. The surface temperatures never get too hot and the internal temperatures stay pretty cool. I noticed occasional jumps up to a maximum of 100 degrees Celsius (for both the GPU and CPU), but temperatures mostly stayed below 70 degrees for most of my tests.

Battery life

The battery life of the Dell XPS 17 is not that great. Dell packed a 97-watt-hour battery inside – you can't safely pack a much larger battery. Still, you shouldn't expect all-day battery life. The combination of large, high-resolution screen, 45-watt CPU and RTX graphics are all power guzzlers and show how long the battery will last.

The laptop lasted a little over five hours in our light web browser test. It did much better on video playback, where it took nearly 10 and a half hours while a 1080p movie trailer repeated until it ran out of battery. It's unusual to see such a large discrepancy between these two tests, but no matter what you do, you can't expect the XPS 17 to last a full day on a single charge.

The 1080p model with no RTX graphics will of course likely last longer. The XPS 15 also gives you a few hours more battery life.

Our opinion

That Dell XPS 17 is in a class of its own. If all you want is a big screen, the price and size of the XPS 17 may be excessive. However, if you need a bigger screen and extra performance, the XPS 17 is hard to beat.

Are there alternatives?

The next real alternative to the Dell XPS 17 is the Razer Blade 17. These are the only two 17-inch laptops that can be configured with powerful graphics, 4K screens and powerful 45-watt processors. The Razer Blade 17 is more expensive, however.

The LG Gram 17 or HP Envy 17 are both cheaper and more portable options, but they can't be configured as high as the XPS 17.

If you like the design and performance of the XPS 17, then you should also consider the smaller XPS 15. It's a little cheaper, has better battery life, and is easier to carry around.

How long it will take?

The Dell XPS 17 should last four or five years if you look after it. The model offers the possibility of exchanging components such as RAM, memory and the Wi-Fi card. Dell also allows you to add tons of RAM or storage during configuration – but it costs you extra. The XPS 17 can be configured with up to 64 GB RAM and a 2 TB SSD via Dell's own store.

Should you buy it?

Yes, especially when you can take advantage of the extra power and brilliant screen.

Editor's recommendations



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