17 Apr
Blog

Arlo Essential Indoor Camera Review: Privacy Is a Priority

Arlo Essential Indoor Security Camera on the table

Arlo Essential indoor surveillance camera

"Thanks to the Arlo Essential Indoor Security Camera’s helpful privacy lock, you never have to wonder if Big Brother is watching."

  • Privacy shutter offers security

  • Clear and clear night vision

  • Smart discovery with Arlo Smart

  • Video quality artifact elements

Arlo has long distinguished itself as a high-end surveillance camera manufacturer and has expanded its growth in this segment thanks to the introduction of its Essential line of surveillance cameras. With a balance between price and performance, the Essential line extends the company's reach. However, a certain type of camera was missing – a real type of indoor camera.

With the Arlo Essential Indoor Security Camera, all of that changes. On paper, it won't amaze anyone with its specs, but what is really amazing here is the focus on privacy. Equipped with a visual shutter that opens and closes, it is one of the few cameras that addresses the ongoing privacy concerns at home.

A barrier that protects your privacy

It is difficult for security camera companies to have a privacy lock, but Arlo, like some other companies, shows us that it is possible. The Arlo Essential indoor security camera has a simple privacy screen that covers the camera's lens when you don't want it to be recorded – like when you are at home. Unlike other implementations that require users to flip a switch, it is mechanically operated across the entire Arlo app. This is great because you can be away and still control the privacy lock.

Arlo Essential Indoor Security Camera privacy screenJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

It blocks the camera's view, protecting your privacy at home. This is important because you know with greater peace of mind that someone is not watching you. When someone actually accesses the camera, the action of the data protection lock is accompanied by an audible sound – so you know that it is being accessed. This is useful because it is so distinctive that you know it is being operated without actually seeing it.

I'm a proponent of mechanically operated privacy shutters like this one, so bravo to Arlo for designing the camera with that in mind.

All the intelligence, mediocre quality

The design of the Arlo Essential Indoor Security Camera allows it to stand freely on shelves and desks and to be mounted on the wall using the brackets provided. In terms of design, the all-plastic construction feels a bit hollow and looks pretty generic, but the articulated base allows for quick and easy adjustment for the ideal view with the camera.

It is safer to know that someone is not watching you

For an indoor camera, the 130-degree field of view is sufficient – I've seen other models with larger views – but strategic placement in corners gives the best coverage. It records at 1080p resolution and offers night vision and two-way audio – all the standard features you would expect from a modern security camera.

However, many of the advanced features are hidden behind the Arlo Smart subscription. By default, the Arlo Essential Indoor Security Camera sends notifications when motion is detected. However, you won't get item detection, package delivery detection, or activity zones without subscribing to Arlo Smart, which starts at $ 3 a month for a single camera. Fortunately, there is a three month trial that is included with the purchase.

As for the performance of the camera, it's nice that Arlo Smart can distinguish motion from pets or people, so you can filter what you want to get through the app rather than get bombarded by false positives. The quality of the video is average at best. It suffers from artifacts early on, but that seems to go away after a while. There is enough detail to see most of the things in the scene while colors have a slightly unsaturated hue. I have no complaints about night vision performance. It's crisp and clear and illuminates the area up to 20 feet.

One thing that could make it perfect

While I applaud Arlo for its mechanical privacy screen, there is only one thing missing from the Essential Indoor Security Camera that makes it perfect – a geofence feature that can automatically arm the camera when I'm not home.

Arlo Essential Indoor Security Camera on the tableJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

Currently, activating the camera is a manual process performed through the app. Sometimes I'm just in a hurry and don't have time to activate the camera. A feature that she can automatically activate based on my phone's location would sweeten the package.

Our opinion

If privacy is a primary concern for you, this is Arlo Essential indoor surveillance camera ensures that you don't have to worry thanks to the data protection lock. The $ 100 cost is worth it just because it's a camera you can trust.

How long it will take?

Although the all-plastic construction feels a bit flimsy, it comes with a one-year limited warranty that covers the camera for defects. Given that it is supposed to be stationary in one place, it should last a long time.

Is there a better alternative?

The SimpliSafe SimpliCam is worth considering just because, like this one, it has a mechanically operated privacy screen that you can see and hear. The main benefit is that it works with SimpliSafe's home surveillance system, so not only is it activated and deactivated every time the system is activated, but in an emergency, emergency responders can even access the camera's feed to assess the event.

The Eufy Indoor Cam 2K Pan & Tilt is worth considering for its lower cost and ability to articulate almost 360 degrees. It can even stow its camera when not in use. This is a slightly different way of protecting home privacy.

Should you buy it?

Yes. It's one of the few models that respects your home privacy and ensures you are informed when the camera is being accessed.

Editor's recommendations




17 Apr
Blog

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 Review: It’s Finally Fixed!

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4

"Microsoft's Surface Laptop 4 is by far the best in the range thanks to the huge performance improvements."

  • AMD chips are widely used in configurations

  • Thinnest 15-inch laptop

  • Excellent workmanship

  • Great typing experience

  • Long lasting battery life

  • Older AMD chips will degrade performance

  • Thick bezels, bad webcam

Well, Microsoft did it. It finally fixed the Surface Laptop 4.

The previous model was plagued by poor performance and a lack of solid configurations to choose from. This was difficult to recommend, especially for the 15-inch model.

With the Surface Laptop 4, Microsoft fixed these issues, thanks in part to the incredible performance and battery life of some new AMD processors. I looked at the 15-inch Surface Laptop 4, which had an eight-core Ryzen 7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and a 512 GB SSD. That added up to $ 1,800, which ultimately feels like a reasonable price for what the Surface Laptop 4 has to offer.

design

There are a lot of things to love about the design of the Surface Laptop – even in 2021. All of these things are still intact on the Surface Laptop 4, which means that the case remains relatively unchanged.

At just 0.58 inches for the 15-inch model, it's still remarkably thin than ever. This thinness is really noticeable in the palm rests, which are barely lifted from the table. This is especially true if you are used to thicker laptops in this category, e.g. E.g. the Dell XPS 15 (0.71 inch thick) or the MacBook Pro 16 inch (0.64 inch thick).

Of course, these laptops have a larger chassis to support the extra performance that you can configure. Since the Surface Laptop 4 doesn't support discrete graphics or 45-watt processors, Microsoft can work extremely thinly. It's still an accomplishment, however – the similarly configured LG Gram 16, for example, is still 0.66 inches thick. This makes the Surface Laptop 4 the slimmest 15-inch laptop you can buy.

The tiny stature of the chassis makes the build quality all the more impressive. You won't find the bend or bend that is common on laptops that thin. The lid is rigid, the hinge opens with a finger and it doesn't wobble too much either. It's a superbly made device worthy of the Surface brand.

I also like what the ultra-thin design does to make the screen stand out. The Surface Laptop 4 is one of the few 15-inch laptops that offers a 3: 2 screen – and it's great. The bezels are bigger than I'd like, but in the 15-inch form factor, they're less outrageous.

The ports include USB-C 3.1, USB-A, a headphone jack and the magnetized Surface Connect. Microsoft continues to ignore the existence of Thunderbolt 4, which means that the USB-C port is not as fast as on other laptops and cannot be used for charging. The docking capabilities of the Surface Connect port are great, although everything is proprietary.

performance

The new components make the Surface Laptop 4 what it is. It now comes with a wide range of Intel and AMD processors. AMD's Ryzen processors debuted in the Surface Laptop 3, but were a year behind with Ryzen 3000 chips. Performance was disappointing, especially when compared to a large 15-inch laptop. It made it very difficult to compete with competitors like the XPS 15 or the MacBook Pro 16-inch. Microsoft's first hug from AMD didn't go over so well.

The Surface Laptop 4 addresses this issue in two important ways. First, Ryzen processors will be available in both 13.5-inch and 15-inch sizes. The smaller size is limited to the six-core Ryzen 5, while the 15-inch model only offers the eight-core Ryzen 7. These additional cores offer the Surface Laptop 4 great performance potential, especially with the 15-inch model Microsoft and AMD need all the performance they need.

The Surface Laptop 4 is pretty powerful thanks to this Ryzen processor.

These are still a year back, although they use Ryzen 4000 processors. It feels a little more forgivable given the current drought in chip shipments. More importantly, AMD achieved its biggest performance leap in the generation with Ryzen 4000, so the Surface Laptop 4 benefits from these advantages.

And that has definitely proven itself in my tests. These four additional cores mean huge improvements in multi-core performance. That was evident in benchmarks like Geekbench and Cinebench. In everything that just depends on the CPU, like the video encoding in Handbrake, the Surface Laptop 4 is pretty powerful thanks to this Ryzen processor. It also performed reasonably well on the photo editing test in PCMark 10, which makes it a reasonably decent option for photographers, and I couldn't have said that about the previous model.

Geekbench (single / multi) Cinebench R23 (single / multi) PCMark 10 3DMark Time Spy
Surface laptop 4 15 1016/6658 1137/5881 4849 1177
LG gram 16 1573/5454 1394/4137 4827 1390
Lenovo Yoga 9i 15 (Core i7-10750H) 1532/5415 1141/6400 4800 3487
MacBook Air (M1) 1727/7585 1479/6680 n / A n / A
Asus ZenBook 13 OLED (Ryzen 7 5800U) 1423/6758 1171/7824 6034 1342
Surface laptop 3 15 900/3056 722/2407 n / A 835

Based on my tests, the Surface Laptop 4's thinness is still holding it back. Less thickness means less space for airflow. Outside of the Surface Book line, this applies to all Surface products. But because of its size, many potential buyers could be fooled into thinking this is a serious workstation. This is certainly not the case – there will always be tasks the Surface Laptop 4 is not designed for, such as: B. Video editing.

I tested the Surface Laptop 4 in PugetBench for Premiere Pro, which tests everything from 4K playback to video encoding. It's sad to say, but the 15-inch Surface Laptop 4 pales in comparison to the M1 MacBook Air. It's not even close – and that's a far cheaper laptop. The graphics are the culprit here, which can speed up the tasks in Premiere significantly.

It is possible to play games, but it is not pretty.

To be fair, the Radeon graphics are a massive improvement over the Vega 9 graphics I tested in the Surface Laptop 3. It ran over 30% faster in 3DMark Time Spy. If Microsoft had chosen Ryzen 5000, the graphics performance would have been a better match for Intel models.

Due to the lack of a graphics card, the Surface Laptop 4 really isn't something you want to play on. I've tried Civilization VI and Fortnite and the results have been poor. You don't want to play a full resolution game, but if you set the Civilization VI settings to Medium, you can get some playable frame rates. I wouldn't care about a game like Fortnite. I had to lower the pixel resolution to 1620 x 1080p and the 3D resolution to 70% to get 60 frames per second (fps). It is possible to play, but it is not pretty.

Battery life

Aside from performance, battery life is the most important advancement Microsoft has made with the Surface Laptop 4. Microsoft claims that this configuration gives you 17.5 hours, but I've never achieved that much. However, I got 13.5 hours in my test that went through a series of websites until the battery ran out.

That's really impressive, especially for a laptop this size. It's nearly four hours longer than the last iteration – which puts it in the league of laptops like the LG Gram 16 and many other laptops with 1080p screens.

This could be the first Surface product to exceed my battery life expectations, which is a good sign for Microsoft. This is the only case where the lack of a number of performance-hungry components is beneficial.

According to Microsoft, you can do a few more hours with the 13.5-inch AMD model, while the Intel models take about an hour less.

Display and speakers

The Surface Laptop 4 offers a beautiful resolution of 2256 x 1504 pixels that is sharp, bright (378 nits) and color accurate. I guess Microsoft only sells one resolution per size so you don't have to choose between a 1080p and a 4K model, both of which have flaws. This is the MacBook approach, and it ensures that you get a sharp screen anyway.

I want to point out that the color saturation is not quite the same as the competition, which in turn strengthens the target audience for this laptop who is not a creative professional. The screen hits 97% of the sRGB color space, but only 73% of the AdobeRGB. Microsoft offers an sRGB color mode that is included in the display settings, but has not improved the color saturation.

The speakers are under the keyboard where they point up. I prefer this position across from the bottom of the case, but the sound isn't as clear as laptops, which instead position them next to the keyboard, such as a laptop computer. B. Dell XPS 15 and MacBook Pro. The sound itself has a fuller audio profile than many other laptops, even with a slight hint of bass. This time around, the addition of Dolby Atmos adds the much-needed stereo separation that gives the Surface Laptop 4 a decent music and show experience.

Keyboard and touchpad

The Surface Laptop 4 has an excellent keyboard and touchpad. It's roomy and the keys have a long travel of 1.3mm. This makes for a very comfortable typing experience. The keys have a very even and even white background lighting, but only three levels of brightness.

I also have a lot of good things to say about the glass touchpad, which tracks smoothly and has plenty of room for multi-finger gestures. The palm rejection is great too, which is why I wish Microsoft had used a bigger touchpad for the 15-inch model. It would fill in the empty palm rest space better, as we've seen on many other laptops lately.

The laptop does not have a fingerprint reader but relies solely on the IR camera for secure logins. I like laptops to offer both, but Windows Hello is lightning fast on the Surface Laptop 4.

The webcam could have used an update, however. It's only 720p, which is unfortunately still the standard specification on laptops. We're seeing some new laptops transitioning to 1080p in 2021, and I would have liked Microsoft to be at the forefront of this trend to help people work from home.

Our opinion

The Surface Laptop 4 isn't perfect. The case could still be updated, and I wish Microsoft had used Ryzen 5000. But both the 13.5 and 15 inch laptops are now much better work laptops because of the improved performance and battery life. The Surface Laptop 4 has gone around the corner.

Are there alternatives?

The LG Gram 16 takes a similar approach to a large, ultra-thin laptop that isn't geared towards content creators.

It's hard not to recommend the Dell XPS 15, which has built-in or discrete graphics options. You'll also find a few cheaper options than the Surface Laptop 4, but they don't have a sharp 3: 2 screen.

How long it will take?

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 should last at least four or five years, as long as you don't get jealous when the case is inevitably redesigned.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The changes Microsoft made to this design in its fourth iteration make it a great option.

Editor's recommendations




16 Apr
Blog

Monoprice SB-600 Review: Affordable But Average Dolby Atmos

Monoprice SB-600 Dolby Atmos soundbar

"The SB-600 is easy to use and quite affordable. It doesn't really make Atmos shine."

  • Easy adjustment

  • Clear dialogue

  • Generous number of entrances

  • Semi-wireless surround speakers

  • Distracting display

  • Mediocre Dolby Atmos

  • Bad sound quality in the middle range

For those who want an even more immersive TV experience, Dolby Atmos sound bars are a tempting upgrade. Soundbars are easier and more convenient to set up than wiring a room with an A / V receiver and a set of discrete speakers. They just make a lot of sense.

However, Dolby Atmos sound bars tend to be expensive because of the extra speakers and drivers required to get the full 3D effect that makes Atmos worth it.

Monoprice is trying to do something about this with its very affordable ($ 450) SB-600 soundbar. Did you succeed in creating an Atmos experience for everyone?

Let's take a look.

What's in the box?

Monoprice SB-600 Dolby Atmos Soundbar all partsSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Monoprice includes everything you need to set up the SB-600. Inside the box you'll find the main soundbar, a wireless subwoofer, two semi-wireless surround speakers (more on that later), a remote control, power cords, HDMI and analog cables, wall-mount hardware, and printed instructions.

You may just need to buy an optical cable if your TV doesn't support HDMI ARC.

The box and packaging of the SB-600 is very sustainable when it comes to soundbars. It's mostly plain cardboard, apart from three foam trays that protect the soundbar and a number of poly bags.

design

Monoprice SB-600 Dolby Atmos soundbarSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Like many Monoprice products, the SB-600 has a bare atmosphere. The main soundbar is a simple black case with a perforated metal grille. At 40 inches wide by 3 inches high, it should fit neatly under most TVs without blocking the bottom of the picture. Aside from the little Monoprice and Dolby Atmos badges and the four control buttons on top, it looks very clean.

This would be an ideal situation – soundbars definitely shouldn't be drawing attention to themselves – if the bright LED display wasn't hiding behind the grille. This tells you which source you are using (HDMI 1, 2, ARC, etc), and although the instructions say the display will automatically dim after 10 seconds, our test device stayed bright throughout the system use to avoid an undesirable visual Create distraction.

Monoprice SB-600 Dolby Atmos soundbar displaySimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The 8-inch wireless subwoofer is an inconspicuous black box. With a size of 16.5 inches, it is on par with many other wireless subwoofers in this category. The surround speakers are tiny – about the size of a fat paperback novel.

I love that Monoprice includes wall mounting hardware with the SB-600, but the brackets for the surround speakers point it straight out of the wall. If your TV room has sidewalls evenly spaced from the seating area, this is not a problem. If you don't, you won't be able to rotate the speakers so that they are aimed at the heads of the audience rather than the front of the room.

The included remote control is simple but effective, and gives you access to all of the SB-600's settings and modes in a logical, user-friendly layout. It's not backlit, which makes it more awkward to use in a darkened room. However, this is an obvious feature to avoid while trying to keep the price as low as possible.

Setup and configuration

Unlike many soundbars in the $ 700-2,000 range, the SB-600 doesn't have Wi-FI connectivity. That's a minor drawback for things like high-quality streaming music, but it simplifies setup.

Something that surpasses many other soundbars is the SB-600's generous port selection.

After you've connected the main soundbar to power and your TV via HDMI, and connected the subwoofer, all you need to do is find a home for the surround speakers.

Technically, these devices are wireless – they don't need to be connected to the wireless sub or soundbar – but they're not entirely wireless. The right loudspeaker must be connected to the power supply via its power supply unit and connected to the left loudspeaker via the supplied 13-foot analog cable.

It's simple enough – I had no problem hiding the cord behind our couch that is pressed against the wall, but I can see that this is more of a challenge in other situations. Still, it's better than the usual surround setup required for affordable surround sound bars: wiring both speakers to the subwoofer, which is messier and less flexible in terms of placement.

Monoprice SB-600 Dolby Atmos soundbar inputsSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Something else that surpasses many other soundbars is the generous port selection on the SB-600. You get two HDMI inputs, an HDMI-ARC output, an optical input, a coaxial digital input, an analog socket and a USB connection for MP3 music playback. There is also a bluetooth connection for wireless music streaming.

That's pretty decent – many soundbars only have a single HDMI-ARC port, which means you end up having to sacrifice an HDMI port on your TV without being able to reclaim that port without the use of an HDMI switcher. These two HDMI ports are also 4K HDR compatible and support Dolby Vision so you don't have to worry about your TV getting the highest quality signal.

Sound quality

Monoprice SB-600 Dolby Atmos soundbar surround speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

As you move away from your TV's built-in (and probably terrible) speakers, the SB-600 is a big step up. Between the six drivers of the main soundbar, the wireless sub and the surroundings, you get a better feeling of immersion than a TV, with very clear sound that can also get very loud if desired.

The dialogue sounds clear and straightforward. If you have trouble recognizing speech, the SB-600 can help.

However, the SB-600 has two distinct disadvantages. First, it lacks a decent midrange. Even after playing with the built-in EQ modes (movie, music, dialogue, sports) and changing the bass and treble levels, I couldn't make the system feel full and warm.

I suspect there is simply too big a gap between the target frequencies of the soundbar drivers and the capabilities of the subwoofer. It can deliver big, booming bass as well as bright highs, but this mid-range area feels decidedly hollow.

On the positive side, the dialogue sounds clear and straightforward – the center channel of the soundbar prefers very high frequencies. If you have trouble recognizing speech, the SB-600 can help.

The downside, however, is that you lose some of the tonal nuances, especially in films with very dynamic soundtracks (think Marvel, DC, and Star Wars films).

Second, with Dolby Atmos systems, you won't be overwhelmed by the height channel effects.

Monoprice SB-600 Dolby Atmos soundbar surround speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

I threw a ton of Dolby Atmos footage on the SB-600, from Disney + titles like Iron Man 2 and Doctor Strange, to Dolby Atmos songs from Tidal HiFi, to Dolby Atmos demonstration videos from my LG TV. I found the system to generally provide good surround performance, but that extra dimension that Atmos offered was hit and miss.

It became most evident – and most enjoyable – when listening to Atmos music. Tracks from The Weeknd and Post Malone had a really sprawling soundstage that filled the room.

In contrast, films lacked the overhead dimension that Atmos is known for.

With Dolby Atmos systems, you won't be blown away by the SB-600's height channel effects.

Bluetooth audio was acceptable, but it's immediately apparent that Monoprice didn't make this mode a huge priority. If you know what the system can do with a Dolby Atmos music stream, it's a bit disappointing that the SB-600 can't upscale regular stereos any better into a more immersive mix. All speakers are active when listening over bluetooth, but the sound lacks the expected extent.

Control and ease of use

Monoprice SB-600 Dolby Atmos Soundbar Remote ControlSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Monoprice SB-600 Dolby Atmos soundbar controlSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

I really like it when you start a new stream, whether from the TV or some other connected device. The LED display shows what type of signal is being received. It could be Dolby Atmos, Dolby Surround, or PCM, which is a helpful endorsement of your source material.

However, this display can be difficult to read. Only a handful of characters are displayed at a time, so most messages will scroll. You need to be careful as the sound format will only be displayed when you switch to a new input.

As mentioned above, the display's always-on mode was a bit annoying at times.

Another weird quirk: setting your preferred bass and treble levels will reset when you switch from one EQ mode to another.

Our opinion

The Monoprice SB-600 is a decent surround sound bar with lots of inputs and very easy setup thanks to its wireless subwoofer and mostly wireless surround speakers. However, a lackluster performance from Dolby Atmos and a hollowness in the midfield prevent us from getting our full approval.

Is there a better alternative?

For a lot less money the $ 300 Vizio M-Series 5.1 soundbar The SB-600 may not have dedicated treble drivers or wireless environments, but the virtualized Dolby Atmos effects are still noticeable and offer a much better frequency balance.

For a significantly better Dolby Atmos experience, this offers Vizio SB36512-F6 offers excellent Atmos sound at the same price as the SB-600.

How long it will take?

Monoprices products are nothing special, but they're well built and the SB-600 should last for many years. It comes with a one year warranty.

Should you buy it?

The main advantages of the SB-600 are its excellent inputs and semi-wireless surround speakers. But if these features aren't particularly important to you, you'll be happier with a Vizio model for the same or less money.

Editor's recommendations




15 Apr
Blog

DJI Air 2S Review: Superb Results Without the Work

DJI Air 2S in front

"When quality and performance are paramount, there is nothing like the DJI Air 2S."

  • Takes sharp pictures

  • Strong details from the 5.4K video

  • Pro level clips with mastershots

  • Fun and Safe to Fly

  • The camera can sometimes search for focus

One leisurely activity that kept me sane during last year's lockdown was flying the DJI Mavic Air 2. It had everything you'd expect from a drone, whether you were a first-time flyer or a seasoned pilot. Now, however, it looks like DJI is removing a page from Apple's playbook by releasing an updated version of its drone a year after it was released.

I had very few concerns about the Mavic Air 2 when I tried it out last year. He was near perfect in every way. Step into the DJI Air 2S, a slightly upgraded version that stands out most of all for the upgraded camera sensor it brings with it for the ride, which clearly brings it closer to Mavic Pro territory – the company's premier consumer drones. How much better is it getting? Read on to find out.

Bigger 1-inch sensor is no joke

In the camera world, one way to improve performance is to introduce a larger sensor. That's exactly what DJI brings to the Air 2S, and it's without question the drone's most notable new quality. The new 20-megapixel 1-inch sensor with 2.4 μm pixels is no joke and improves the half-inch sensor of its predecessor. With the larger sensor on board, more light can be drawn in to reveal more details – especially in the shadows, where noise is traditionally most evident.

John Velasco / Digital Trends

Photos from the camera are crisp and sharp, which is what you'd expect from a larger sensor. Taking pictures around sunset time has proven difficult at times as small sensors (like the one in the DJI Mini 2) aren't designed for low light, but that's not a problem here. In fact, I've used my photo editing software to enhance the shadows on some of my sunset shots – and I'm happy to announce that there is no significant evidence of noise.

Of course, the best results are achieved when it is sunny. However, what makes the DJI Air 2S helpful is that it can definitely capture stunning photos without having to edit them later. There is still a "SMART" photo mode, which essentially functions as the drone's HDR mode. It takes a picture and automatically adjusts the shadows and highlights to bring out the best details, so you get a high quality shot the first time.

The quality meets your expectations: it is excellent.

There are some new additions to the video page that are pushing the threshold in a direction that will add even more usefulness to the creators in the post. In addition to your traditional 4K recording at 60 frames per second (fps), the DJI Air 2S up the ante by offering 5.4K recording at up to 30 fps. Of course, this offers a few useful tricks – like the ability to use the digital zoom 6x when recording in 1080p or to trim the post-pans for pans and zooms.

dji air 2s evaluation image example 1 of 4John Velasco / Digital Trends

dji air 2s review image sample 2 of 4John Velasco / Digital Trends

dji air 2s evaluation image example 3 of 4John Velasco / Digital Trends

dji air 2s evaluation picture example 4 ofJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

The quality meets your expectations: it is excellent. There is a lot of detail, colors have a subtle tone of saturation, and there is reasonable dynamic range to bring out details in highlights and shadows that are otherwise lost. However, I've found that the camera tends to seek out focus at times. Therefore, it may sometimes be necessary to switch to manual mode. What was missing from my test was an option for HDR video mode, which I happily used with the Mavic Air 2. I'm assuming this is a future update, but what that would mean is a properly exposed video that looks great at first.

Moving to a larger sensor is exactly what this iterative update needs to stand out in the DJI lineup. The problem presented here, however, is that the Air 2S is diminishing the Mavic Pro line's reputation as a professional drone.

Fly even safer

Whether you are just starting out or a seasoned professional with numerous flying lessons, the DJI Air 2S is even safer to fly than its predecessor. The most notable feature here is the addition of upward-facing sensors on the drone itself, complementing the other three (forward, backward, and downward) that are in place to make the flight safer overall. The new upward-facing sensors are useful when using the drone's improved APAS 4.0 technology to avoid obstacles in its flight path. This can best be seen when using the new ActiveTrack 4.0 tracking function, which allows the drone to intelligently track a subject / object while avoiding obstacles.

John Velasco / Digital Trends

Thanks to these new safety features, you get great footage, especially because you can control the Air 2S to follow a subject without worrying about it hitting anything. Now I've tried this with someone walking very quietly through a field, safely navigating around poles and signs.

In my years as a drone pilot, I've never really encountered a close call. First off, the DJI Air 2S is greeted with the same OcuSync 3.0 technology introduced with the recent DJI FPV drone. That said, the drone's video feed feed now extends 12 km – an increase over the Mavic Air 2's range of 10 km. In one case, however, the transmission was briefly interrupted, so I just had to restart the app. However, after a firmware update, the video feed was no longer interrupted.

A beginner can look like a pro with the Air 2S.

During another test flight, one of my worst fears about flying a drone came up. Somehow the connection between the remote control and the drone was broken and the drone hovered high in the air for about a minute. In my panic, I tried restarting the app hoping it would connect, but it didn't. Fortunately, the Air 2S's safety protocol was introduced, with the drone automatically flying near the maximum altitude of 400 feet and then returning home on its own. Eventually it landed all by itself and locked, averting the crisis. This experience is exactly the proof why it is one of the safest drones to fly.

Pro creation without being a professional

Through years of flying, I have had the experience of taking breathtaking photos and videos, all of which were achieved with manual operation. What is special about the DJI Air 2S, however, is that, similar to the other drones in its portfolio, you don't have to be a professional to get high quality footage. Thanks to the various Quickshot modes, all you have to do is select your subject in the frame and the drone will do the rest. All previous Quickshot modes are available again, e.g. B. Circle, Dronie and Asteroid, with which the Air 2S flies away from a subject and then captures a tiny planet.

John Velasco / Digital Trends

The latest addition is MasterShots, a new mode that uses some of DJI's popular Quickshot modes and automatically creates professionally composed clips – all with no physical interaction controlling the drone. Once you have selected your subject / location, the DJI Air 2S automatically sets predefined flight paths to record all the clips you need. The end result is a short clip that looks like a professional who piloted and edited the video. This new automation shows exactly why the Air 2S can make a beginner look like a pro.

Minimal compromise

Unsurprisingly, DJI recycled the design of its popular drone, so there aren't any major differences between the Air 2S and the Mavic Air 2. It still folds up to make travel easier, but what's even better is the fact that it uses the same batteries as the Mavic Air 2. For anyone upgrading, it's nice to know they're getting their old ones Batteries can continue to use.

John Velasco / Digital Trends

Speaking of batteries: The total flight time with the DJI Air 2S has been reduced to 31 minutes – compared to 34 minutes with the Mavic Air 2. To be honest, this is not a problem, but the compromise was made to take into account the larger camera sensor and the slightly heavier weight of the Drone weighing 595 grams. In sport mode, it can still reach a top speed of around 42.5 miles per hour (mph).

Our opinion

Who knows if this will be the trend for DJI, but the Air 2S has all the improvements to make it a meaningful upgrade over the Mavic Air 2. Prices for the Air 2S start at $ 999, but I recommend paying the extra cash to get the $ 1,299 Fly More Combo version that comes with ND filters, a carry case, two extra batteries, and supplied with a multi charger.

The DJI Air 2S is still proving to be the best all-round drone. From its crisp video performance to all of its security features, it's the drone to beat. Beginners will enjoy how easy it is to produce high quality footage with minimal interaction, while seasoned professionals will enjoy the improved performance of its larger sensor.

Should you upgrade?

This is difficult to answer. DJI will continue to sell this Mavic Air 2 so besides the Air 2S, the difference between the two is only $ 100. There are certainly good reasons the Air 2S is the superior drone, but it's still difficult to justify another purchase for existing Mavic Air 2 owners. If image quality is paramount, the upgrade is clearly worth it. If you don't mind editing footage, you can still get stunning photos and videos with the Mavic Air 2.

On the other hand, if you think about a DJI Mini For example, there is no comparison as the extra money you would spend buying the DJI Air 2S is justified by the difference between day and night in terms of performance, quality and safety.

How long it will take?

The DJI Air 2S is solidly built all around and has a one-year limited warranty that covers defects. Additionally, you can purchase DJI Care Refresh's extended warranty for the Air 2S, which covers it for accidental damage. Taking into account the cost of the drone, it's worth purchasing it.

Is there a better alternative?

Usually the next logical alternative is something in the DJI Mavic Pro series – like the Mavic 2 Pro. That's not the case, as the DJI Air 2S's new upgrades place it in exactly the same category as the flagship in the company's portfolio.

Should you buy it?

Yes, you won't find a better drone for the money. All upgrades make it a standout model in the world of drones by balancing performance, safety features, ease of use and price.

Editor's recommendations




14 Apr
Blog

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G Review: Buy This Phone

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G

"The excellent Samsung Galaxy A52 5G has a clever trick: it looks good, does everything you need, takes good photos, and has a battery life of two days, but is reasonably priced."

  • Colorful 120 Hz screen

  • Two days of battery life

  • The camera takes photos that can be shared

  • IP67 water resistance

  • Useless fingerprint sensor

Samsung made the best Android phone of 2021, the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but at more than $ 1,000 It's a serious investment. The Galaxy A52 5G costs less than half the amount it would take to back up an S21 Ultra. However, does this mean that it is not worth thinking about? Samsung has made great strides in the attractiveness and overall performance of its mid-range A-series hardware, and while the A52 5G obviously doesn't compare to the S21 Ultra, it has a lot going for it.

While we expect smartphones to have decent cameras and good software, Samsung has thought about what features will improve the A52 5G in meaningful ways and has added them. It turns a good phone into a great one. I lived with the Galaxy A52 5G and so it is.

design

Don't think too long about what the Galaxy A52 5G is made of, but think about how it looks and feels. The matte back has a soft, glass-like surface that is warm to the touch and still offers a reasonable grip. The case has a shiny chrome finish. It's not metal and the back wall isn't glass, but from a distance you would never know. The camera module appears to be part of the back, which reinforces the illusion that it is made of a considerably more expensive material than it actually is.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The white paint on my review unit looks excellent and doesn't attract any nasty smudges or fingerprints, although the chrome finish on the sides did notice a few small scratches during my time with the phone. However, you will have to search hard to find them. Although it weighs 189 grams, it is perfectly weighted and does a very good job of disguising this larger than expected mass.

Another welcome surprise is that in addition to a USB-C charging port on the bottom of the phone, the phone also has room for a 3.5mm headphone jack and the SIM slot also has room for a MicroSD card. The phone is 8.4mm thick and the overall shape is quite "angular," which adds up to the one minor downside of the A52 5G in that it feels quite large, especially when trying to use it with one hand. It's not impossible, but when compared to a slimmer, more curved phone like the OnePlus 9 Pro, which is almost the same width as the A52 5G, the range of thumb movement is significantly less.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

This isn't an isolated case for the Galaxy A52 5G, however, and apart from the slight lumpiness, it's otherwise a good-looking, well-balanced smartphone with a premium feel without a high price tag.

screen

Yes, the screen has a noticeable bezel, but no, it doesn't matter. The chin is the largest area, and even then, the A52 5G still looks like a modern phone. The 6.5-inch Super AMOLED has a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz, eliminating any frame concerns. When I started using the Galaxy A52 5G, I had come straight from the cheaper $ 250 Nokia 5.4, which has one of the darkest smartphone screens I've ever used. The A52 5G has twice the brightness and is readable outdoors in most situations. In addition, the viewing angles are excellent.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It's lovely to look at. We've always sung the praises of the screen on the Galaxy S20, the Galaxy S20 FE, and even the Galaxy S10 before that. The Galaxy A52 5G really gives you the same visual experience as these phones, but for a lot less money. When Carfection reviewed the Nomad R, the colors and vibrancy of the surroundings jumped off the screen. The car's Evo group test, the A52 5G's willingness to show lots of detail, and the superb contrast values ​​are all on show.

A good-looking, well-balanced smartphone with a premium feel without a high price.

Add the 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling throughout the OS – it's adjustable to 60Hz if you want to prioritize battery life – and the tiny selfie camera in a hole in the top center and the Galaxy A52's screen 5G is much more like expensive phones. A real highlight of the phone until you get to safety.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Galaxy A52 5G has a built-in fingerprint sensor. Unfortunately, it's not the updated versions of the Galaxy S21 range, but rather the older, much less reliable version that has frustrated us with the Galaxy S20 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra. Because of its unreliability, where it often refuses to recognize input, I turned it off out of frustration, and that makes it a serious security problem. There is face unlock that you can resort to, but even that isn't the fastest or most accurate system. I relied on a PIN to secure the A52 5G because of the phone's hardware defects. That’s not good enough.

camera

The decent five-camera module on the back of the Galaxy A52 5G has a 64-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization, phase detection autofocus and an aperture of f / 1.8. There is a 12MP wide angle camera and a pair of 5MP cameras for macro and depth. It can record videos at 4K and 30 frames per second (fps). There is also a night mode and Samsung's single-take mode.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Photos are generally good. On bright days, it's not oversaturated and shows a pleasing palette with enough pop to catch the images. However, there are situations where the camera will emphasize green colors too much, resulting in a slightly unnatural appearance. However, this is mostly the case when using the wide-angle camera. There's also very little consistency between the main and wide-angle cameras, and some may also find the HDR effect to be too clumsy.

Portrait mode is decent and likes its subject, although edge detection doesn't challenge more expensive Galaxy models. The Galaxy A52 5G's camera is not as powerful as the Google Pixel 4a and suffers from the same problems as older Samsung cameras – inconsistency and oversaturation – but I never chose not to take a photo with it. Photos were taken every day, which I found perfectly acceptable.

Software and performance

It's Android 11 with OneUI 3.1 on my Galaxy A52 test device, which is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor and 6 GB of RAM. The software is almost the same as that installed on the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 +, and Galaxy S21 Ultra. So take a closer look at these reviews. It is crucial that I have no concerns about the speed, smoothness or functionality of the software on the A52 5G.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The OneUI 3.1 from Samsung is easy to use and offers clear menus and settings. The notifications are reliable and most can be interacted with. I also like the constantly active screen with its helpful icons and large time display. Samsung removed (or hidden) its Samsung Daily screen and replaced it with Google News when you swipe right on the home screen, which I personally find more useful. I've used OneUI a lot this year and haven't found it frustrating (other than the power button) or bad, and that trend continues with the A52 5G.

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G review appsAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

Samsung Galaxy A52 5g review refresh rateAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

Samsung Galaxy A52 5g review shortcutsAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

Instead of using its own Exynos processor, Samsung built the Galaxy A52 5G with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G octa-core chip, whether you are in the US or the UK. With both Asphalt 9: Legends it is great for games and Genshin Impact play very well without generating a lot of heat. It doesn't have the instant response you get with the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but I use it for normal tasks every day and it hasn't missed a beat. Top specs are always nice, but the Snapdragon 750G does everything you need.

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G Review GameAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G review headphone jackAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

Samsung Galaxy A52 5g review pageAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

The battery life of the 4,500 mAh cell was very good. With normal use, two days can be achieved without any problems. If you get crazy about gaming this will change, but with general usage, some photos and videos, and the 120hz screen active, I ended most days with over 50% remaining time. It only charges at Samsung's fastest 25W speeds, which is around 80 minutes to fully charge. Wireless charging would have been a welcome addition, but it's rare at this price point.

Price and availability

The 6GB / 128GB Galaxy A52 5G is priced at $ 499 in the US and £ 399 in the UK. It's available through Samsung's own online store and retailers, including Amazon. You can buy it in the white color shown here, or in black, blue, or purple.

Our opinion

What a great phone the Galaxy A52 5G is. It's not overpriced, looks really good, is very well built, takes highly shareable photos, and is powerful enough to do whatever you need to do every day. The battery even lasts two days on one charge. We really expect that from every phone these days, and where the A52 5G really wins are all the extras Samsung has packed.

The Galaxy A52 5G has a number of useful extra features – water resistance, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack – that you don't always see on more expensive phones, plus 5G for the future if you so choose. These are not gadgets, but rather features that you will actually benefit from, and that is really welcome. It's also what turns the phone from simply good to great.

While there are still plenty of reasons to buy a Galaxy S-series flagship phone, the A52 5G ticks all the boxes for half the price or less if you're not that into top-notch photography or hardcore gaming. That's a good value, and while we're inundated with great flagship phones, the less you want to spend, the fewer the choices. So it's great to have a strong recommendation here.

Is there a better alternative?

The Galaxy A52 5G's biggest competitor is the Google Pixel 4a 5G, which also costs $ 499. If the camera is the most important part of your new phone it might be a better buy, but the design and materials can't be the same as the A52 5G. Since Samsung has strong software support for the future, it manages to regain some attraction in this area.

The battery even lasts two days on one charge.

It also takes on the OnePlus 8 in the US, which is available for $ 500, but it's considerably older than the brand new A52 5G. Some might also check out the Apple iPhone SE for $ 399, which is a whole different deal. It's slim and beautifully done, but much smaller and with a less versatile camera.

In the UK, the price of the A52 5G is even more competitive as it undercuts the Pixel 4a 5G and is closer to the Pixel 4a which means it is excellent value for money. There's a lot of competition, however, from the £ 280 / $ 385 Realme 8 Pro and the £ 469 / $ 645 Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G to the £ 380 / $ 520 Oppo X3 Lite.

How long it will take?

There is some good news here. The phone is IP67 water and dust resistant (yes, even with the 3.5mm headphone jack) and Samsung says the phone will get three Android version and security updates over the next four years. The 5G connection means you're ready to connect to the fastest network, if it's available where you live.

In addition, the MicroSD card slot expands the standard internal storage of 128 GB as well as NFC (in my UK version) for Google Pay and offers everything you need from a smartphone. The Galaxy A52 5G should last two to three years, assuming you're not a hardcore gamer.

Should you buy one?

Yes, the capabilities, style, and performance of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G exceed expectations.

Editor's recommendations




13 Apr
Blog

Wyze Watch Review: A $20 Smartwatch With Faulty Connections

Wyze watch rating Leader03

Wyze Watch Review: A $ 20 Smartwatch With Faulty Connections

"The Wyze watch is beating above its weight class, but inconsistent connectivity is too insane to recommend."

  • Premium hardware

  • Very affordable price

  • Nine days of battery life

  • Inconsistent connectivity

  • Lack of dial and variety of apps

  • No interactivity with notifications

  • No automatic tracking of anything but sleep

If you're the type who likes to put a dollar out, you are probably familiar with Wyze. The company has built its reputation on smart home devices, which offer around 80 percent of its competitors' offerings at around 30 percent of the price. From doorbells to cameras, Wyze has set a new price for a wide variety of smart home and wearable offerings. The latest is the Wyze Watch, a $ 20 smartwatch.

Buying a $ 20 smartwatch with nine days of battery life is a breeze. But along with that price tag comes an enormous number of lowered expectations. It's true that this watch doesn't have the same features that you'll find on most high-end smartwatches, but it does have a few. So let's get started.

Premium hardware

The first thing you'll notice about the Wyze watch is that it looks a lot like a high-end smartwatch. It is made of aluminum and has a silicone strap. There is a single button on the right side of the watch. On my 47mm device, you get a bright 1.75-inch TFT LCD touchscreen that runs on a 300mAh battery. On the back, in addition to the proprietary magnetic charger, are heart rate and blood oxygen sensors.

Wyze watch design and display

The watch comes with a comfortable silicone strap. You can also upgrade to a leather strap if you want. Overall, it looks like a premium watch, but unfortunately (and unsurprisingly) the premium feel stops there.

The performance is a bit sloppy. From lifting your wrist to see the time, to swiping the page to see your apps, there's just a little hesitation every time. It's barely noticeable and certainly not a deal breaker, but it's worth mentioning.

Mediocre software

The software on the watch is very simple. Most of the meaningful interactions take place in the app on the phone. This is the same app that you use to control your other Wyze smart home devices. Pairing the watch is crazy fast. Unlike most smartwatches and fitness bands I've used, just turn on the watch and launch the app. You add the clock to the app and you're done. You are done. It's amazingly quick and loved that part. This will require more smartwatches.

You can choose from just a few dozen watch faces, and apps are even more limited. There are only nine apps on the watch, including weather, shortcuts, blood oxygen, heart rate, and run tracking. You will also receive notifications on the watch from your phone. Notifications are decent in that you can read emails and texts, but there are no replies at all. There is also no microphone / speaker to take calls.

With the Shortcuts app you can control any other Wyze device that you have in your smart home. You can pause notifications on your doorbell or turn on the lights, all from the clock, which is really neat … assuming you have other Wyze hardware. If you're just starting out, your options are limited here. Wyze is really trying to build an ecosystem here, and it's not subtle.

The watch's connectivity is spotty at best and there is no WiFi. So you are limited to bluetooth connectivity. When the watch is plugged in, things work fine and quickly. However, as the day progresses, your watch suddenly receives a series of notifications at once, as if the watch forgot to feed on notifications all the time. If you rely on the watch to stay connected to your phone and keep in touch with notifications, look elsewhere.

Focus on the data

Now we come to one of the main reasons people buy smartwatches – fitness tracking and data. First, there is no automatic data collection of any kind other than sleep. If you want the watch to track your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, or exercise activity, you need to tell the watch to do so. It's not the toughest thing in the world, but it's something a watch is supposed to do on its own.

The Wyze watch is similar to a high-end smartwatch.

In terms of the data itself, the accuracy for step counting and training distance is around 10% to 15% less than that of a Samsung Galaxy Watch 3. This means that while my Galaxy Watch 3 measures 6,000 steps, the Wyze watch measures 5,000 to 5,400. The sleep tracking is pretty accurate, although the app showed waking phases that I don't remember. That doesn't mean they didn't happen, but I don't remember them.

Accurate data is the best, but even inaccurate data can be useful if it is consistently inaccurate. In my case, I found that the data consistently does not match the information on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3. You can use the data the watch collects to learn certain things about your day. You may not know exactly how many steps you took, but you can know that you took 25% more steps today than yesterday. It's certainly not ideal, but it can be useful depending on what you're trying to get out of it.

The good news is that most of the flaws in the Wyze watch are due to the software. What Wyze needs to bring to the table here is more types of exercise, better notification interactions, and more variety in the watch faces. The photo faces help, but even the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 offers more variety in the dials.

What worries me the most about the watch is connectivity. To say it's picky would be generous. It is absolutely bad. If you rely on your watch for notifications, you will be let down. Data like sleep and exercise data is synced with your phone when you connect, so you won't lose anything. It's a relief, albeit a small one.

Our opinion

The Wyze Watch is $ 20, and you get more than your money on this smartwatch – but not much more. Wyze claims the battery will last nine days, which is in line with my tests. Having just a nine-day smartwatch is tempting.

Where the experience falls apart is the lack of watch faces and apps, as well as the connectivity issues. Hopefully Wyze will continue to develop the watch so that its capabilities improve in the future. But for what it is right now, it's not the worst way to spend a single Andrew Jackson.

How long it will take?

The Wyze watch is solidly built and has a water resistance of up to two meters. There is no reason to believe that this watch will not last long. How well Wyze supports software development on the watch depends a lot more on its longevity than on the hardware, which is well built and doesn't feel cheap at all. There is a one year limited warranty against defects.

Is there a better alternative?

Naturally. This is the bottom of the barrel in the smartwatch department. That’s out of the question. Even your traditional fitness trackers cost more than this watch, which is so cheap that it's difficult to get comparable experiences in a similar price range. The best competitor I see is the Xiaomi Mi Band 6, which has just been announced and will be out later this year. This fitness band offers a similar experience in that it is nice but not great when it is above its weight class.

Should you buy it?

If you are serious about fitness or notifications, then this is not the place to be. This watch makes a lot of compromises en route to the $ 20 price range.

Connectivity is the deal breaker for me. I would be willing to accept any other compromise if I knew this watch would notify me. To its credit, it hasn't missed a notification yet, but sometimes it has delivered them much later – and about 20 at a time – which doesn't do me any good.

Editor's recommendations




11 Apr
Blog

Asus ZenBook 13 OLED (UM325) Review: AMD Laptop Perfection?

asus zenbook 13 oled um32 review 1

Asus ZenBook 13 OLED UM325 Review: AMD Laptop Perfection?

"The Asus ZenBook 13 OLED is an indispensable laptop as long as you don't need a headphone jack."

  • Awesome OLED screen

  • Excellent touchpad and keyboard

  • The battery life is spectacular

  • Very thin and light

I may have found the perfect laptop. Or at least something that comes very close.

It's not made by Apple, Microsoft, or even Dell. From the outside, it doesn't even look particularly remarkable. When I pulled the Asus ZenBook 13 OLED out of the box, I fully expected it to be another solid mid-range laptop.

Then I tested the 1080p OLED screen. And benchmarking the AMD Ryzen 7 5800U processor inside. And then he noticed how long it took on a single charge.

The Asus ZenBook 13 OLED has it all. Nearly. Despite a few flaws, the ZenBook 13 OLED (UM325) is a laptop that all potential buyers should consider when it hits general availability in May.

design

The appearance of the Asus ZenBook 13 OLED is the least noticeable feature. It's by no means a bad looking laptop – but if you've seen a ZenBook, you've seen this one. I'm not a big fan of the concentric circle on the lid or the plastered logo on the front, but it's one of the prettier laptops Asus made recently.

This is especially true when you open the lid and see what the laptop has to offer inside. Everything is beautifully laid out, including the oversized touchpad and new keyboard. The layout and keycaps are reminiscent of HP's Specter laptops – but that's not a bad thing. The extra column of buttons under the power button offers some extra functionality, and the font with the keycap feels modern and clean.

At 0.55 inches and 2.5 pounds thick, the ZenBook 13 OLED is both thinner and lighter than most of its competitors, including the Dell XPS 13, HP Specter x360 13, Surface Laptop 3 13, Razer Book 13, and MacBook Pro 13 in. This makes a very portable laptop that is great for on the go. Even if it just moves from room to room, the small footprint comes in handy.

Despite its size, the chassis is robust. You may feel some flexing when applying extra force, but it's not something you will notice in daily use. The hinge opens with one finger and is lifted off the table when it is opened, creating a slight ramp for comfortable typing. I usually don't like these kind of raised hinges, but Asus pulled them off in a way that isn't distracting or ugly.

The aspect ratio of the screen is the main disadvantage of the ZenBook 13 OLED's design. It uses 16: 9, which went out of style in 2021 in favor of larger, more productive sizes like 16:10 or 3: 2. When you go back to 16: 9, the screen feels stocky. More importantly, the screen has a chubby chin bezel due to the size at the bottom. It's not a thorn in the side, it's just not quite as modern as the Dell XPS 13 or the Razer Book 13.

Asus decided that you don't need a headphone jack on your laptop.

My final complaint with the design of the ZenBook 13 OLED is ports. For some reason, Asus decided that you don't need a headphone jack on your laptop. If Asus were going for a more minimalist setup, that would probably make sense. However, the ZenBook 13 OLED has HDMI and USB-A. Yes, it's an odd choice that is likely to piss people off who didn't realize there wasn't a headphone jack until they needed it.

Fortunately, Asus includes an adapter in the box, but it lets you close either of your two available USB-C ports.

Display and speakers

The Asus ZenBook 13 isn't the first 13-inch notebook with an OLED screen – it was the HP Specter x360. However, this laptop is the first to implement a 13-inch 1080p OLED screen. That's a big deal as OLED panels keep getting cheaper – and hopefully reach more people.

It's not that the ZenBook 13 OLED is super cheap, but compared to the 4K models that OLED is exclusive to. What's the big deal with OLED? Well you will tell the difference when you see it in person. With OLED, pixels are rented out individually, which means that black levels and contrast ratio blow conventional LEDs out of the water. It's not even close, especially on a glossy screen like this one.

The OLED panel feels like the future of laptop displays.

397 nits are bright enough to prevent reflections, but it's the colors that really make this display pop. 100% sRGB and AdobeRGB color spaces are unknown on a 1080p screen, and the color accuracy is among the best I've ever tested with a Delta E of 0.49. Photographers may complain about the lack of a 4K option, but they definitely won't complain about the colors.

The display is non-touchable, as is common with 1080p screens.

When it comes to panels and calibration, the ZenBook 13 OLED is the future of laptop displays.

The same is not true of the speakers. The chintzy audio comes from underneath the laptop and points directly at your table or lap. The sound is messed up, especially when compared to all MacBooks. With speakers in this location, this will always be a problem.

Keyboard and touchpad

I am very happy with the inputs on the ZenBook 13 OLED. I've already mentioned the keyboard's appearance, but it's also very precise and comfortable to type. The layout is comfortable and the 1.4mm key travel feels heavenly compared to many of the 1mm keyboards.

The keyboard does not contain a fingerprint reader. This is an odd feature that a premium device left out.

My only problem was the backlight. There are three levels of backlight brightness, but there are some noticeable uneven spots. It's quite light over the middle zone while others are darker. This is a pity.

The touchpad is similarly successful. It's extra wide, but great for rejecting palms when typing. Tracking is smooth, as are gestures. My only sucker? The click is a little louder than I like. This is especially noticeable if you're coming from a MacBook.

The laptop has a sloppy 720p webcam over the display. It's no surprise how bad it is, but this should be reserved for emergencies only. However, it does include a built-in IR camera for Windows Hello facial recognition.

performance

Thanks to the new Ryzen processors from AMD, the Asus ZenBook 13 OLED offers remarkable performance for a laptop of this size. My device came with the Ryzen 7 5800U, an eight-core processor with a base clock of 1.9 GHz. When you add 16 GB of RAM and one TB of SSD storage, you have a pretty powerful little computer.

This is the first laptop I tested with this chip and I was disappointed. This is a significant improvement over last year's Ryzen 4000 processors and a clear head start over what Intel offers. This is especially true of multi-core performance, of course, thanks to the additional cores and threads that AMD's 7nm chips offer.

Geekbench (single / multi) Cinbench R23 (single / multi) PCMark 10 3DMark Time Spy
Asus ZenBook 13 OLED 1423/6758 1171/7824 6034 1342
Dell XPS 13 (Core i7-1185G7) 1549/5431 1399/4585 n / A 1380
HP Specter x360 14 (Core i7-1165G7) 1214/4117 1389/3941 4728 1457
Razor Book 13 (Core i7-1165G7) 1548/5374 1508/4519 4878 1776
MacBook Pro 13 (M1) 1707/7377 1487/7547 n / A n / A
Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 (Core i7-1185G7) 1532/5415 1435/4409 4800 1648

What's the use of this for performance in the real world? All of the laptops listed above are great for everyday work activities such as multitasking, web browsing, office applications, and video conferencing. That is to be assumed.

The reason the Asus ZenBook 13 OLED beats its competitors in PCMark 10 is mainly because of its excellent content creation performance. If you want to run some creative applications like Photoshop or Lightroom on the side, the ZenBook 13 OLED will surprise you how fast it is with these heavier tasks.

The ZenBook 13 OLED remains an undeniable argument for AMD in 2021.

It's even a decent video production machine. It's 41% faster than the Razer Book 13 in H.265 video encoding in Handbrake, which shows the big difference those additional cores make. In Handbrake it is even 7% faster than in the Ryzen 7 4800U from last year when I tested it in the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7.

Now the ZenBook 13 OLED will obviously never again be compared to a 15-inch laptop with a discrete graphics card in real video editing. Even a modest 15-inch laptop like the HP Specter x360 15 (Core i7-10750H / GTX 1650 Ti) was 45% faster in PugetBench's Adobe Premiere Pro benchmark. This is also where the incredible performance of the MacBook Pro M1 exudes, which is just as fast as that of the Specter x360 15 in the same test.

That said, the ZenBook 13 OLED remains an undeniable argument for AMD in 2021, especially if you're not interested in a move to macOS.

Battery life

Battery life is the final trick in the case of the ZenBook 13 OLED. It took an amazing 15 hours and 46 minutes on our web browser test, which is as good as it gets for a laptop of this type. That was true for last year's AMD laptops, and it is true for this year as well. It beat the HP Specter x360 14 by nearly 9 hours and the XPS 13 by 7.5 hours. In fact, it only takes 19 minutes to keep up with the MacBook Pro!

The ZenBook 13 OLED's lower resolution explains some of this, but even when compared to other 1080p laptops, the ZenBook 13 OLED is way ahead of the competition.

Meanwhile, the ZenBook also lasted 15.5 hours while the video was looping. This is another test in which the MacBook Pro M1 dominates and it lasts over 21 hours. But here, too, the ZenBook 13 OLED is at least 3 or 4 hours ahead of many of the best Intel laptops.

Of course, your mileage can vary depending on how hard you push the system. With the ZenBook 13 OLED as my daily driver for almost a full week, I found it easy to get through a work day without a charge, and there was enough juice left to handle a couple of hours the next morning.

Our opinion

The Asus ZenBook 13 OLED is way ahead of the competition in almost every important category. The OLED screen is a standout feature, as is AMD performance and fantastic battery life. Do I wish it had a headphone jack and a 16:10 screen? Naturally. But the strengths more than make up for these mistakes.

The only caveat is pricing, which is still ongoing. Some international prices suggest the base configuration will be around $ 1,000 while our pimped up model is likely to cost a few hundred more.

Any alternatives?

The best choice is the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 chip. It's cheaper, faster, and has a higher resolution screen. Of course, it has neither an OLED screen nor a USB-A and HDMI connection.

However, if you don't want to upgrade to a Mac, the Dell XPS 13, HP Specter x360 14, and Razer Book 13 offer a competitive package. The XPS 13 is still the prettiest of the range and would still be my pick of the four laptops.

How long it will take?

The Asus ZenBook 13 OLED should last at least four or five years. The 16: 9 aspect ratio will continue to be a bit dated going forward, but the chassis and components are all sturdy and future-proof.

Should you buy it?

Yes. It's one of the most exciting laptops of recent times, especially if you're looking for an AMD device in 2021.

Editor's recommendations




10 Apr
Blog

Wyze Home Monitoring Review: Great Savings, Gaps to Fill

Wyze Home Monitoring Components

Wyze Home Monitoring Review: Big Savings, Bridge the Gaps

"Wyze comes at a compelling price for home security, but it takes more work to catch up."

  • Very affordable home monitoring plan

  • Inexpensive hardware

  • Option for wired or wireless connection with hub

  • No cellular backup connection

  • Limited selection of accessories

When it comes to making noise in the smart home space, nobody is doing it better lately than Wyze. The company has tirelessly expanded its portfolio over the past year, which surprisingly now includes vacuum cleaners, headphones and fitness trackers. The latest offering is Wyze Home Monitoring, a 24-hour home improvement security system designed to protect your home when you are there or not.

After a series of hits with its surveillance cameras, the Wyze Home Monitoring is pursuing the same strategy of being extremely affordable. At $ 5 a month, it's without question the lowest priced subscription. However, are there any compromises with such low cost?

Cover basics

First, let me explain what comes with the Wyze Home Monitoring System. The Core Starter Kit ($ 110 MSRP) is exactly what you'd expect. It consists of a 5-piece kit that consists of a hub, a keyboard, a motion sensor and two input sensors. What's especially important here is that this starter kit is almost a fraction of the cost of its closest competitors – between $ 150 and $ 200 – for packages from Ring, SimpliSafe, and Blue from ADT.

Wyze Home Monitoring KeyboardJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

For the price, you get the same basic components as the other home security systems. So in that regard, it's more for the money. However, a comprehensive selection of accessories is always an advantage when it comes to fully covering your home. With its current portfolio, Wyze lacks the depth of accessories that its competitors offer. While you can have additional motion and entry sensors for the system at a much lower cost than the competition ($ 20 for three entry sensors and $ 8 for one motion sensor), it comes down to the breadth of accessories you have still not close gonna find anywhere else.

However, if you are concerned that someone might be intruding on your home, hitting additional sensors can provide more security. While external threats are paramount, Wyze needs to add other accessories like carbon monoxide detectors, flood sensors, and more to monitor other potential threats around the home.

Optimizations required with experience

Wyze's inexperience in this area will be exposed after I check out the app. The activation and deactivation of the alarm system can be done either physically via the keyboard or via the app. You can select a countdown to have enough time to activate / deactivate. There are three main arming modes: Home, Away and Disarmed.

This starter kit is almost a fraction of the cost of its closest competitors.

As you would expect when a system is armed, the hub will emit a loud siren when any of the sensors are triggered. If you have a Wyze surveillance camera, you can also set it up to automatically record when one of the sensors is triggered. For example, if the front door is opened while it is armed, you can have the Wyze Cam in your living room to automatically start recording. Oddly enough, cameras themselves do not trigger an alarm if movement is detected and the system is armed. Instead, you will receive an app notification.

While the basics are well covered here, some additional tweaking is needed before it can be compared to the major players in the field. In particular, the hub cannot emit any distinguishable noises each time a sensor is triggered – not even at home. Personally, I like being at home to hear a sound when the front door is opened. You don't have that option here.

What is even more puzzling is that the system continues to sound the alarm in home mode and also dispatches law enforcement agencies. Fortunately, I had it in test mode whenever it went off, but I would love to see a proper home mode where I can still have the sensors active but only send me notifications (or play a sound on the hub) when they are always activated. In disabled mode, everything is simply disabled so that there are no notifications or alarms.

24/7 surveillance with Noonlight

Wyze Home Monitoring offers 24-hour monitoring via Noonlight, which not only triggers alarms when sensors are triggered, but also emergency helpers who are on standby in emergency situations. When you consider that the service cost is $ 5 per month or $ 60 per year, it undercuts most other home security systems.

Wyze Home Monitoring HubJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

However, when it comes to protection, there are still some loopholes that need to be addressed in the future. Take the Wyze Hub, for example. I am happy to have the option of connecting it wired or wirelessly to my house's network and having my own emergency power supply in the event that the power fails. However, without an active internet connection at home, it will become unusable. Other systems, such as the base stations from SimpliSafe and Ring, have an integrated cellular connection as a backup. In Wyze's situation, no internet connection means there is a coverage gap.

Our opinion

It's a good start, but there is certainly still a lot of work to be done before Wyze Home Monitoring can deliver the same solid and complete home security service that its competitors offer. The accessories portfolio in particular does not make it quite as robust and experience requires additional optimizations and improvements. The cost is hard to miss, however, as you will not find anything that cheap remotely otherwise.

How long it will take?

All components of the system are made of plastic. It's enough, but the design and build quality is obviously a step behind what you get from names like SimpliSafe and Ring. There is a one-year limited warranty that covers the hardware components against defects.

Is there a better alternative?

SimpliSafe and Ring offer two of the most comprehensive home improvement safety systems on the market. Ring, in particular, has one of the deepest accessory rosters that can cover your home inside and out, while SimpliSafe offers impeccable service that goes above and beyond most – for example, the ability for a service dispatcher to access a camera, to review real threats.

Should you buy it?

Yes, but only if you are in need of cost. I expect it will get better over time as more accessories become available and the experience improves.

Editor's recommendations




09 Apr
Blog

Nokia 5.4 Review: Resist the Temptation

hmd global nokia 5 4 hand review screen

“The Nokia 5.4 hasn't improved on its predecessor, but the price has gone up and there have been a few other issues. It's not the phone to buy. "

  • The build quality is excellent

  • Camera is sufficient

  • Poor quality screen

  • Mediocre performance

  • Android 11 not installed

The $ 249 price tag associated with the HMD Global Nokia 5.4 makes it jump off flagship smartphones that cost $ 1,000 or more during this time. But take a closer look and it's actually $ 50 more than the Nokia 5.3 it is replacing. Now that it's more expensive, it has to prove it's worth the extra by improving the specs of the old model and fixing some of the issues it had too.

In reality, the Nokia 5.4 isn't all that different from the Nokia 5.3, and that's not good news. Let's go into that in more detail.

design

From the back, the Nokia 5.4 looks very similar to the Nokia 5.3 and many other Nokia phones. There's a circular camera module on top, a fingerprint sensor underneath, and on my test model, a lovely blue color scheme called Polar Night that looks great in the right light. The phone is made of plastic and can get quite greasy with fingerprints. While it should prove to be quite tough, it is not waterproof.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

At 181 grams it is not very heavy and the body is modestly large, but quite broad. I can almost use it with one hand, but my thumb barely extends across the other side of the screen. However, swipe entry is possible. In addition to the usual volume rocker and the on / off switch, Nokia has placed a Google Assistant button on the left side of the device. While it can be disabled if you don't want to use it (or keep pressing on it like I did), there is no way to reconfigure it. It's unhappy and the button feels like a waste of space.

I've kept coming back to the question of desirability because the Nokia 5.4 is basically the same (from the back) as the 5.3, and that was released around this time last year. It's not ugly at all and I really like the Polar Night color, but it would have been nice if it wasn't just a facsimile of the last one. From a materials and design perspective, the extra $ 50 you'll be spending isn't apparent here, and the recycled design makes it a little dated.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

No, this is not the newest iPhone. Since you're not spending $ 1,000, design may not influence your purchasing decision. However, for a workhorse or a first phone for someone young, it's a pretty and very solidly built phone.

screen

You won't get a better screen with the extra $ 50 either. It measures 6.39 inches, so it is slightly smaller than the Nokia 5.3, but has a resolution of 1560 x 720 pixels with the same pixel density. However, with a maximum of 400 nits, it is even less bright than the Nokia 5.3. It's very dark and it's really suffering from it. It is a waste of time to look at it in sunlight or generally outside at almost any angle except the front. It can also be turned off.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

In the real world, this means that taking photos is cumbersome because you cannot see the viewfinder. When used for Google Maps in the car, a hint of sunlight means the contents of the screen go away and notification notifications on the lock screen are essentially invisible. The screen is at its maximum brightness all the time, but you will be forgiven for thinking it was on the lowest setting.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Brightness is not an issue indoors, but the poor viewing angle of the screen is emphasized. It's right with the Nokia 5.4 or nothing. Video performance is disappointing, with washed out colors and a lack of vibrancy. The only good news is that the teardrop cutout for the 5.3's selfie camera has been replaced with a hole punch in the top left of the screen. This is a far better design choice and makes the phone look more modern from the front.

That small point aside, the Nokia 5.4 has one of the worst screens I've used on a smartphone in a while.

camera

Now we come to one of the areas where you will find a specification difference that may have resulted in a higher price. The main camera is 48 megapixels, up from 16 MP in the old version, but there is still a 5 MP ultra-wide camera and a pair of 2 MP depth and macro cameras. The 48-megapixel camera has a higher number of megapixels, but it still has the same aperture of f / 1.8.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It's not bad at all, provided you ignore the macro camera, which, as always, is useless. The main camera takes pretty photos in good conditions, but it can lack color and pop, especially when lighting is poor. The wide-angle camera injects more color, but it lacks some dynamic range, which leads to more shadows. Portrait mode is decent too, with edge detection accurate enough to be used, and night mode brightens things up, provided it's not too dark.

Overall, it's a step up from the Nokia 5.3, and given the price of the phone, your daily casual shots won't disappoint. However, the Pixel 4a's excellent camera cannot be questioned.

Battery and performance

The Nokia 5.4 uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor and has either 4 GB or 6 GB of RAM and an internal storage capacity of 64 GB or 128 GB. My test model has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. The battery has a capacity of 4,000 mAh. Frustratingly, the phone has Android 10 and not Android 11 on board, despite being an Android One phone. Many will consider purchasing the Nokia 5.4 in the hopes of timely software updates, so this is cause for concern. It really should be installed from the start with Android 11.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The performance is not great. The entire operating system is slow as some apps take several hits too long to open and even keystroke detection suffers from frustrating pauses. Playing Asphalt 9: Legends shows some slowdown and low frame rate as expected, but it runs well enough to play. I found the Wi-Fi range to be pretty short, the connection unstable at times, and constant issues with WhatsApp video calls dropping out. The fingerprint sensor on the back is easy to locate with your finger, but it is finicky and does not respond well to wet or very dry fingertips. There's also a face unlock that's more reliable but a little slow.

hmd global nokia 5 4 rating gamesAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

hmd global nokia 5 4 review appsAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

hmd global nokia 5 4 check fingerprintAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

The battery life depends on your activities. It takes two days with basic use, but play lots of games and take photos and it quickly drops to just over a day. There is no wireless charging and no simple 10W wired charging. While I may have been indulged in high-end phones lately, the Nokia 5.4 quickly became frustrating for me due to its clumsy performance when used for everyday activities.

Price and availability

The Nokia 5.4 costs US $ 249 without a contract in the Nokia online shop or on Amazon. It costs £ 159 in the UK and is available through the same outlets. Both prices refer to the 4 GB / 64 GB model.

Our opinion

Looking back at how I felt about the Nokia 5.3, it was easier to forgive the phone's drawbacks because of its low price in the US and that it was more than a year ago when I was using it. It's much harder to forgive that a year later the Nokia 5.4 had essentially the same issues – poor performance and a bad screen. That it costs more and is still running Android 10 makes it worse. HMD Global has revamped its smartphone lineup for early 2021, and the disappointing Nokia 5.4 shows that a revamp was needed.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. If you want to own a Nokia phone, wait and see how the new Nokia G10 and G20 phones from HMD Global work. They are slated to be released in the next few months, and prices are similar to 5.4. Now if you need a phone, consider spending a little more on the Google Pixel 4a for $ 350 or the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G for $ 399. Both have better performance, screens and cameras.

Alternatively, check out the Motorola Moto G Play for $ 170 or the Moto G Power for $ 250, depending on whether you want a big screen and long battery life, or whether you want to spend as little as possible on a new phone want. The Moto G Power is a better buy when $ 250 is your limit.

How long it will take?

The Nokia 5.4 is not waterproof, but the plastic shell should be durable and moderately protective in the event of a small fall. Android One should guarantee software updates. However, since Android 11 is not yet available on the phone, you should wait for future versions to arrive. The phone will almost certainly outlast your patience in handling its problems.

Should you buy one?

No, while the Nokia 5.4 is cheap, the phone's drawbacks will still be frustrating.

Editor's recommendations




09 Apr
Blog

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 Speaker Review: An Expensive Experiment

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakers

"A fascinating but expensive speaker that doesn't quite live up to the hype."

  • Easy adjustment

  • Crystal clear sound

  • Chromecast support

  • Works with Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa

  • Expensive

  • Polarizing design

  • Difficult placement requirements

  • Overwhelming 360 RA effects

  • No hi-fi bluetooth codecs

When Sony unveiled its 360 Reality Audio (360 RA) music technology – a stunning 3D format designed to restore listening to live music – the only way to hear it was through headphones.

Starting in March, you can now listen to 360 RA tracks aloud through two models of wireless speakers: The Small Room for $ 300 Sony SRS-RA3000 and the much larger $ 700 SRS-RA5000.

They're both designed to optimize 360 ​​RA playback, but also have the ability to make regular stereo tracks an even more immersive experience if you so choose.

Sony was kind enough to send Digital Trends a RA5000 to try out. So we tested the unusual looking speaker to see if it actually offered a listening experience worth investing in.

What's in the box?

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Sony keeps things simple with the RA5000. In the fully recyclable box you will find the speaker, its power supply and a collection of printed materials such as a quick start guide, safety information and warranty documentation. It's a bit of a surprise – especially considering the $ 700 price tag – that Sony didn't use a 3.5mm cable or two, but you might be expected to buy one when you need it.

With its copper-grilled speakers; curvy body wrapped in cloth; and tall stature, it will be controversial.

design

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

In recent years, Sony has been enthusiastic about black or anthracite-colored devices with copper accents. You can find this color scheme on the WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones and the excellent WF-1000XM3 wireless earphones, but the most bombastic display comes with the RA5000.

With his trio of copper-grilled step-up speakers; his curvy body wrapped in cloth; I suspect it will be a controversial purchase. I really like the way it looks, but my family members are divided about the aesthetics.

If a speaker isn't your cup of tea in terms of design, you can usually just stick it in a bookcase or in a corner behind a plant. That won't fly with the RA5000.

Although it can fill a room with sound from almost any position, the closer you get to it in a central location, the better able it is to accomplish its mission of true 360-degree sound.

However, this raises two questions: How can you supply a central location with electricity (there is no on-board battery) and how do you disguise the enormous power supply module?

Unfortunately, I don't have an answer to either question. For my assessment, I simply placed the RA5000 on a coffee table and let the power cord dangle over the edge. A nearby extension cord under my couch served as a power source, but the trip hazard it created (not to mention how unsightly it looked) means it would never work as a permanent place.

There are a total of six touch-sensitive buttons along the top edges that allow you to access the most frequently used functions such as playback, volume, source, Bluetooth on / off / pairing and sound calibration.

Sony does not include a remote control, presumably because a phone is required to use the RA5000.

Another difficult aspect of the RA5000 design is the use of metal grids over the three high-boosting drivers. These thin shields are eye-catching, but seem to be very easy to dent. Our test device arrived with a very noticeable and a slightly smaller bruise. This is something to keep in mind if you want to put the speaker in a very central location (exactly where Sony suggests it).

Setup and configuration

The Sony Music Center app serves as a guide for configuring the RA5000 and gives you access to settings such as EQ and turning the speaker’s Immersive Audio Enhancement mode on and off. You can also use it to trigger the speaker's automatic sound calibration. However, this can also be done using the touch-sensitive controls that line the upper edge of the housing.

Using the SRS-RA5000 as a Bluetooth speaker is a breeze. Just long press the power button to enter pairing mode, then select the speaker from your phone's Bluetooth device list.

To get the most of it, we recommend that you take the extra step of adding it to the Google Home app so that you can enjoy Chromecast audio.

This opens up all the functions that make the RA5000 unique: It enables 360 RA streaming, which is not supported via Bluetooth. This allows you to stream stereo tracks with much higher quality (up to CD quality), which is also not possible via Bluetooth. Finally, if you have other Chromecast-enabled devices, you can manage the speaker as part of a larger multiroom audio system. If you have a Google Assistant smart speaker, you can use your voice to control the RA5000.

Amazon Alexa users can also control the speaker using voice commands by adding the RA5000 as a device in the Amazon Alexa app.

Sound quality

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The SRS-RA5000 is a speaker with a mission: to enable people to listen to Sony 360 RA music without headphones, while “upgrading” their non-360 RA sources for an even more immersive sound experience. Given the high price tag, these two scenarios should better be fantastic. Otherwise it will be difficult to give the RA5000 our recommendation.

I just don't appreciate what 360 RA brings to the noisy listening experience.

To really get a feel for how it handles these tasks, I created several playlists in the Tidal app. I started by searching through Tidal's 360 RA track library for songs I'd heard countless times before – Heart's Barracuda, Billy Joel's Big Shot, Pharrell Williams' Happy, and Dave Brubeck's Take Five. Then I added the standard HiFi stereo versions of these tracks so I could easily switch back and forth between the two formats.

I also listened to these stereo versions with and without Sony's Immersive Audio Enhancement feature.

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The judgment? The RA5000 does a good job rendering 360 RA tracks with its signature open-air ambient sound. The up and side firing drivers add both width and height to these songs, making for an even more immersive experience than listening to the stereo version, even when using Immersive Audio Enhancement. Not sure if you are actually hearing 360 RA audio? An LED indicator light under the speaker glows cyan when the format is recognized.

But as noticeable as the effect is, I just don't appreciate what 360 RA brings to the loud listening experience. I find that opening up and “stretching” the music to fill the room with sound tends to hollow out the recordings. Intimate details in the mids that I know own these tracks are harder to spot. Lushness and immediacy give way to the ambience, and I think a lot of the songs don't survive this transition intact. Then there is the question of consistency. It turns out that not all 360 RA tracks are the same.

The upward and side fire drivers give these songs both breadth and height, making for an even more immersive experience.

Fire up the 360 ​​RA version of Heart's Barracuda, and the RA5000 does an excellent job of making the iconic rapid-fire guitar licks fill the room. But Ann Wilson's normally soul-piercing vocals sound like she's singing with her back to the audience.

Big Shot loses much of the deep bass thrumming that gives this song so much of its nuance, which is very strange given that the RA5000 is more than capable of producing excellent bass response.

Pharrell Williams' Happy 360 RA is a much better mix, and on the RA5000 at least, it's more fun to listen to than the stereo version. But I still prefer the way this song sounds when played on a traditional stereo pair of speakers. Only Dave Brubeck's Take Five sounded much better in its 360 RA version.

Is this an inherent problem with the 360 ​​RA format? I do not believe that. Some of the above issues can also be heard when listening with headphones. With headphones, however, the spatial rendering is much better controlled and can better convince your brain that the songs are being played by a band on stage in an open space.

The RA5000, despite its 360 degree driver suite, still acts as a very identifiable sound source, reducing the effectiveness of the 360 ​​RA spatial audio effect.

Now, if you gave me a choice between the 360 ​​RA tracks that play on the $ 700 RA5000 and Dolby Atmos Music tracks that play on the $ 800 Sonos Arc soundbar, I'd be Atmos take on the arc every day.

One thing that particularly confused me about the RA5000 is the Bluetooth capabilities. According to Sony, the speaker is designed for high resolution audio, which means it can accurately reproduce frequencies from 20 Hz to 40 kHz. The problem is that only SBC and AAC bluetooth codecs are supported, neither of which can carry high resolution audio.

That would be a bit understandable if there wasn't a better Bluetooth codec. But there is and Sony invented it. LDAC is one of only two Bluetooth codecs recognized as high definition by the Japan Audio Society. However, for reasons known only to Sony, the RA5000's LDAC was not supported.

More than music?

Sony SRS-RA5000 360 speakersSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Comparing it to the Sonos Arc soundbar raises another consideration: for $ 700, can this $ 700 spatial audio speaker do anything other than let you listen to streaming music?

The answer: it depends. You can connect the RA5000 to a newer Sony Bravia TV via Bluetooth. According to Sony, a signal is delivered with very low latency, which means that the audio and video remain well synchronized. However, Bluetooth doesn't allow for multi-channel audio like 5.1 or 7.1, and it definitely lacks the bandwidth required for Dolby Atmos, which is a huge missed opportunity given the RA5000's upstream drivers.

The TV connection feels like an afterthought. It is not officially endorsed by any other TV brand. Since the RA5000 has neither an HDMI port nor an optical port, it is pretty clear that Sony would prefer to use this speaker primarily for listening to music.

Our opinion

The $ 700 Sony SRS-RA5000 is a bold experiment – an eye-catching design that aims to bring immersive live music sound to rooms of all sizes. However, this experiment is not entirely successful, making the RA5000 difficult to recommend.

Is there a better alternative?

For a lot less money the $ 200 Amazon Echo Studio uses a similar multidirectional driver setup to support 3D sound formats like Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 RA. Plus, it can be connected via WiFi to select Fire TV streaming devices for home theater sound, and it's a full-fledged smart speaker from Amazon Alexa. It can't match the overall clarity and depth of the RA5000, but it's pretty impressive for the price.

For a traditional wireless speaker that's $ 700 Denon Home 350 has many of the same features (other than spatial audio) and offers bigger, bolder, more powerful sound, as well as decent stereo separation.

How long it will take?

Sony builds high quality products and the SRS-RA5000 is no exception. Since there is no internal battery to worry about and an additional analog input is no longer available, it should function without any problems for many years as long as you take care not to damage it (e.g. by accidentally pulling the power cord).

Should you buy it?

No. With the SRS-RA5000's unique design, cumbersome placement requirements, and high price tag, only those who want to experiment deeply with Sony's 360 Reality Audio should take the plunge.

Editor's recommendations




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