16 Apr
Blog

TurboGrafx-16 Mini Review: Hardcore Retro Gaming

turbografx 16 mini pc motor core grafx review

TurboGrafx-16 Mini Review: Hardcore retro delight for everyone

"The TurboGrafx-16 Mini is the latest retro console you have to have."

  • Affordable price

  • Beautifully designed hardware and software

  • Extensive game selection

  • Optional multiplayer support

  • Second controller not included

  • Whimsical games can limit the attractiveness

Do you think you are a hardcore player? Do you usually end the video games you play in a couple of sessions and giggle when a friend describes a game as a "challenge" after hitting it several times? If it's you, it's time to put your money where your mouth is and buy the TurboGrafx-16 Mini, home to some of the toughest games ever.

Andy Boxall / Digitaltrends.com

The TurboGrafx 16 Mini, known in Japan as PC Engine Mini and in Europe as Core Grafx Mini, is another entry into the popular world of the newly released retro game consoles. Apart from its robustness, it is a little pleasure. I spent a long weekend diving in and out to see what it was like.

Design and furnishings

The model you see here is the European Core Grafx Mini, which exactly replicates the original model except for a 10% reduction in scale. The TurboGrafx 16 Mini is also a faithful replica of the original from the 90s, but differs greatly in its appearance. The small console is made of plastic and is very light. There are two USB Type A ports on the front for connecting the controller. One is included, but you can buy additional controllers and an adapter that lets you add up to five controllers for some games. This is a bit of a shame as it contains some great two-player titles. If you pay extra in addition to the $ 100 price, some people will be prevented from trying them out.

Andy Boxall / Digitaltrends.com

On the back there is a removable plate that hides the HDMI connection for your TV, as well as a micro USB for the power supply. You will receive a cable in the box, but no power supply. I used a basic charger that came with an Apple iPhone and it worked fine, so you don't have to buy a special charger before using the console. On the front there is a power switch in the same place as the original.

It only takes a few moments to connect the console and press the switch. At this point, it is immediately ready for use. There is no need to wait, no internet connection to be set up and no profile to be created. It's a welcome change from some of the more complex game consoles and makes the Core Grafx Mini perfect for quick game correction.

Andy Boxall / Digitaltrends.com

The two-button controller is the same size and design as the original and has quick switches for both buttons. It's smaller than a PlayStation 4 dual shock controller and a lot lighter. It's convenient to hold and use, and connects to a generous 3-meter cable, but anyone who has only used a modern controller will find it easy. The D-Pad is less precise than an analog stick or even a touchscreen, and it feels tight at first because of its small size, although I got used to it after a short time. All of this is part of the appeal, true to the original and representative of its time. This is also one of the reasons why the line-up of the games puts your skills to the test.

Menu and game selection

What a beautifully designed software and menu system this console offers. From the various background images – the animated with the moving PC Engine character – to the cheerful stereo music and the simplicity of the game selection, it is both lovingly created and perfectly executed. You scroll through a horizontal list of games organized by console. This means that you get a selection of games released on TurboGrafx 16 and PC Engine in Japan.

Select a game and you will receive a cool animation of the Hu-Card or CD-ROM, which is "inserted" into the virtual console, with precise sound effects. It is this care and attention that makes those who played with the original smile smile. This continues when you go to the Settings menu because you can play your game as if it were displayed on the handheld version of PC Engine. There is a 4: 3 aspect ratio CRT filter for added retro realism.

How about the games? There are 57 games preinstalled and the list contains most genres, with an emphasis on shooters, platform games, arcade ports and RPGs. There are several exclusive PC Engine titles and 32 PC Engine games in the original Japanese language. This can make getting into some of the more complex games challenging, but most games are easy to learn and play. This was before the on-screen instructions, the complicated control methods or the movement mechanics with several buttons. Therefore, in some games you will have to experiment a lot to find out what to do if no instructions are provided.

play games

Here are a few things you really need to know to play PC Engine games: some are pretty weird, there are a lot of shoot em ups, you probably won't have played many of the titles before, and almost all of them are it really hard. Shortly after it was released in Japan, I had a PC Engine, so some of the titles were known and I started to get into PC Engine games again.

Andy Boxall / Digitaltrends.com

When I originally bought the PC Engine, I did it for a shoot-em-up known internationally as Gunhed or Blazing Lazers. It's here and it's as fun as it was then. It rolls vertically, has a cool selection of upgradeable weapons, an unforgettable soundtrack, and some tough enemies. This sets the tone for most games on the console. However, it's not the only shooter I've played on the new console, and it turns out to be a treasure trove of crazy shoot-em-ups.

Soldier Blade and Super Star Soldier are very similar to Blazing Lazers. The intense, exclusive title of the super CD-ROM Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire is joined by many others. Don't be fooled by the first relatively easy levels of the Soldier's Blade. It will be very difficult, very quick, but it has nothing to do with Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire. I had never played that before, but it immediately and totally obsessed me. It is so insanely difficult, so incredibly difficult that you giggle when your ship is blown up again. It does a lot of things that got old quite quickly and made Soldier Blade and Super Star Soldier more fun to play with.

Massively difficult shooters are common here. Dragon Spirit has both land and sky enemies to roast. With Fantasy Zone, you can move both left and right through a landscape (a crazy world that's like a twist in The Beatles & # 39; Yellow Submarine movie, just with bullets), in which enemies come from all directions shoot. Psychosis lives up to its name because the ship does not move as fast as you want it, so that you are overwhelmed in a few moments. It is interesting that I don't mind trying the games over and over again, because the challenge is welcome and still fun.

What else? I love the pinball game Alien Crush, the bubble bobble-like Parasol Stars and the PC Engine classic Ninja Spirit. Yes, it's difficult too, but achievable because of the mega-weapons and a steep but reasonable learning curve. The Space Harrier arcade game comes along with R-Type and the best Bomberman games, including Bomberman Panic Bomber, an excellent Tetris / Candy Crush-style mashup.

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What about the craziness? There is enough of that. Probably the best is Lords of Thunder, a barking, crazy side-scrolling shooter straight out of the imagination of an 80s metalhead. There is a hair metal guitar soundtrack, a Thor-like character and a high level of difficulty. Then there is J.J. and Jeff, a weird platformer with cackling birds and a farting hero, as well as other weird but really fun platform games like Air Zonk, PC Genjin, and Bonk & # 39; s Revenge. Be sure to check out the Japanese-language sports game Appare! Gateball, which is a bit like croquet and a lot more fun than it sounds.

This little console has hours of entertainment. The games above have kept me busy for a weekend, and all before I looked at some of the longer RPG games like Neutopia and Neutopia 2. Just be aware that none of these games is easy. Whether it is the control method, the mechanics or the game design itself, you are absolutely challenged by many games here. Of course some are frustrating because of that, but not so many. The best titles are fair and well designed, so you rarely feel like you can't get ahead with a little more practice.

Andy Boxall / Digitaltrends.com

The list of quirky titles and extremely tough gameplay may not appeal to anyone who has never played games from that time or heard of PC Engine. It is probably the least mainstream of the retro consoles out there. I was familiar with him and some of the games, so I knew what it was going to be like. That doesn't mean you shouldn't get one, just because you know it's a little different.

Unfortunately, this time I wasn't able to try multiplayer on the console, but when I saw an early version in early 2020. Playing Bomberman against a real opponent is ridiculously entertaining, and if you have like-minded friends, investing in a second controller increases the longevity offered here.

Price, availability and guarantee

The TurboGrafx-16 Mini costs $ 100 through Amazon in the US and £ 100 through Amazon in the UK. Although the console could already be pre-ordered, deliveries were delayed and the dates are still in the air. Konami sent Digital Trends the following shipping and approval status statement:

“We are working closely with Amazon to provide regular updates to our customers who pre-ordered the Core Grafx Mini and TurboGrafx-16 Mini PC engines. For the latest delivery date information, visit the Track Your Package page on Amazon. Amazon is still accepting new pre-orders for the consoles and we are working hard to resume normal delivery schedules as soon as possible. We thank everyone for their patience in this uncertain time. "

Our opinion

The TurboGrafx-16 Mini was reborn from a time when no prisoners were caught. The wonderful list of games means that one title is too hard and another is waiting to seduce you. Thanks to the extensive list of real classics on board, not only retro fans will appreciate the console, but also fans of shoot-em-ups. Lovingly designed software, simple setup and a reasonable price make this mini console accessible to everyone.

Is there a better alternative?

No. If you want to play TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine games, there aren't many other ways to do it than to locate an original console and buy games. However, if you just want a retro gaming experience and are not interested in the console, there are several other options. The $ 80 Sega Genesis Mini will likely offer a larger selection of more popular games, as will the $ 80 Nintendo SNES Classic, if you find one on sale.

How long it will take?

The console should withstand normal use with no problems, and even the controller should be fine, even if a frustrated bump or two falls on the floor. The list of games is extensive and varied, and some are difficult to master, providing hours of entertainment. The best thing about such retro consoles is how quickly they can be set up and used. Even in a few years, when the temptation to play arises, it's easy to get started quickly.

Should you buy one?

Yes, definitely. The generous list of games as well as the nifty software and design make it easy to recommend.

Editor's recommendations




16 Apr
Blog

Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab Review: Flexible and Smart

Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab Rating 2 hands on 4 of 21

"As the name suggests, this Android tablet proves to be intelligent and flexible with many useful functions."

  • Built-in stand

  • You can hang it up

  • Works as a smart home hub

  • Google Assistant built in

  • The YouTube dashboard is broken

  • Unbalanced weight

The Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab is an Android tablet that really stands out from its competitors. It offers a number of useful functions in a 10.1-inch device, including a versatile stand, Google Assistant, Smart Hub functions and much more. Here you can see how intelligent the Yoga Smart Tab really is.

design

Yoga Smart Tab hangs on a wall

Where most tablets need outside help in the form of covers or stands, the Yoga Smart Tab is designed to do everything you need. It has a built-in stand that pops out to watch films at the push of a button and can be adjusted to the desired angle. It also has a support to make typing easier when it is on a flat surface. You can even hang it on a wall with the stand if ever needed.

Since there are speakers on one side of the tablet, holding is a bit cumbersome, especially in portrait mode, as it is heavier on one side than the other. It's also a bit chunky which made my arm tired. It weighs 581 grams. The Galaxy Tab S6 weighs 420 g and the Amazon Fire HD 10 504 g. That doesn't seem to make much difference, but if you hold a tablet in your hand for an hour or two, every little bit counts.

The 10.1-inch FHD IPS screen (1920 x 1200) is very clear and shows no major distortions when viewed from different angles. The colors are vivid and when looking at photos it almost seemed like I was looking at a high quality print.

software

The Yoga Smart Tab is smarter than a regular tablet because it has a special Google Assistant mode and a variety of skills. Opening the tablet stand automatically activates the Google Assistant environment mode. The tablet turns the constantly on display into an intelligent screen that shows the weather, your agenda, entertainment, memories and much more. Most tablets don't have environmental mode access, so this is a great additional feature.

I really like the ambient option because it's even more useful than your average Android tablet.

If you don't want all that jazz on your screen, you can also use the feature to turn your tablet into a photo frame or remote control for your Google Assistant-compatible smart home devices. I really like the ambient option because it is even more useful than the average Android tablet. In addition, it has 360-degree far-field voice recognition, so Google Assistant can hear you no matter where you are in the room.

Audio quality

Yoga Smart Tab speaker

Another feature that distinguishes the Yoga Smart Tab from other tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is the fact that it has speakers on both sides of the screen. The two JBL HiFi speakers and Dolby Atmos support do a pretty good job.

If you turn up the volume all the way, it loses its quality.

The bass is nice as long as you don't want it to knock too hard or to listen at full volume. If you turn the volume all the way up, it loses quality. This can be a problem if you enjoy listening to YouTube videos on your tablet, although most tablets have this problem.

performance

Yoga smart tab screen

The Yoga Smart Tab also has a literal Smart Tab. You drag the tab to the right and a YouTube dashboard opens. While this is practical, it is also incorrect. Sometimes I wasn't able to play videos on the dashboard (I just saw the sinking circle of doom). However, when I opened the actual YouTube app, the videos played perfectly.

The screen's performance was excellent. Scrolling, navigating, and opening apps went smoothly without the lag you see on some tablets. However, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 processor and 4 GB of RAM, it's not a good choice for graphics-intensive games. Many 3D titles will stutter and hesitate.

The battery life on the tab is decent. It can take up to 11 hours if you only surf the Internet and offers up to 10 hours of video playback. This is comparable to the battery life of the Galaxy Tab S6.

Our opinion

The Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab may not be perfect, but it is a reliable, dual-purpose device that combines the smart display with a tablet. Thanks to its versatile stand and smart home hub functions, it is more useful than many tablets on the market. Otherwise, the screen and sound are on par with the competition. The only real downside is the unbalanced feel and extra weight when you hold the Smart Tab.

Are there any better options out there?

Perhaps. It just depends on your needs. If you're looking for an excellent Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab S6 is hard to beat. However, one thing that the S6 doesn't have is the Google Assistant environment mode feature. This means that it cannot be used as a hub for your smart devices like the Yoga Smart Tab. If the hub was not so interesting for you, you can choose the S6. If the price matters, the Yoga Smart Tab is around half the price of the S6 at around $ 300.

How long it will take?

The Smart Tab is very well made and I think it will go the distance because it is made of aluminum instead of just plastic. It also comes with a one year warranty.

Should you buy it

Yes, if you have many smart home products compatible with Google Assistant, this tablet is a good choice.

Editor's recommendations




15 Apr
Blog

Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit Ghost Canyon Review: All Potential

Intel Ghost Canyon

Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit "Ghost Canyon" test: all possibilities

"Intel's NUC 9 Extreme Kit is a unique vision of computing, but far from perfect."

  • Extremely small

  • Modular structure with upgrade potential

  • Excellent connectivity, including Thunderbolt 3

  • Upgrades are more difficult than expected

  • Loud fan

I built a plywood computer case earlier this year. With a height of 9 inches and a depth of 5.5 inches, it is an extremely small system. I spent a good thirty hours researching, designing, and optimizing the case that now houses my main desktop PC. It was an enjoyable and rewarding project.

But I could have just waited for the Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit.

The NUC 9 Extreme kit I received for review had an Intel Core i9-9980HK processor, 16 GB RAM, an Nvidia RTX 2070 graphics card from Asus and two solid-state hard drives: One Kingston 2 TB Drive paired with a 380 GB Intel Optane ride. Note that the NUC 9 Extreme Kit usually does not contain any memory, memory or a graphics card.

With these components, it is way ahead of my personal desktop with a Ryzen 5 3500 processor and the GTX 1650 Super from Nvidia. However, the Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit ($ 1,700) is slightly smaller. It is a few tenths of an inch less deep and tall and almost two inches narrower.

No system I've reviewed offers more performance per square inch. The latest NUC is a fascinating, unique and ultimately faulty experiment in compact gaming PCs.

Design and ports

Oddly enough, the Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit basically looks like a NUC. I find it strange because I expected a more drastic redesign given the performance gap. Nevertheless, it has the same square, round appearance as previous NUC devices.

NUC fans might be surprised by its mass, which is many times higher than that of any previous device in the NUC range. However, most people will think the system is tiny. Its volume is approximately 5 liters. In comparison, the XPS Special Edition desktop from Dell – our top desktop for most people – takes up almost 25 liters of space.

Intel Ghost CanyonIntel NUC 9 Extreme Kit (left) and home-made plywood desktop (right) Matthew Smith / Digital Trends

That's a big difference. Though larger than in the past, the NUC 9 is small enough to be stowed almost anywhere you want. Place it on your desktop, on a shelf, or even in a closet (if you can guarantee adequate airflow). It is important that it remains small enough to be easily used as a home theater PC.

The NUC 9 has an industrial appearance that does not communicate its unique approach. Apart from the skull logo that is used on other game-oriented NUC devices, there is nothing in this PC to indicate performance. Personally, I don't mind. I will do the job every day of the week.

The excellent selection of ports speaks for the dual approach of the NUC 9.

And it works. At the front, the NUC 9 offers two USB-A 3.1 connections, a combined headphone / microphone connection and an SDXC card reader. On the back you will find four more USB-A 3.1 ports, two Gigabit LAN ports, DisplayPort, HDMI 2.0 and DVI. There are also two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a rare thing that is still unusual on PC desktops.

It is an excellent selection of ports that speak for the dual purpose of the NUC 9. It can hold a graphics card for games, but can also serve as a small workstation for a videographer, photographer, streamer, or other creator. The wired connectivity is rounded off by the support of Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.

Internals and upgrades

The NUC 9 Extreme Kit would be fascinating if it were “just” a powerful, pint-sized PC, but there's more to it than that. It contains the Intel Compute Element, which is a working PC that is pressed onto a PCI Express card that is smaller than most graphics cards. The compute element houses the processor, memory and hard drive – although the NUC 9 Extreme Kit is only supplied with the processor. You must purchase the storage and hard drive separately.

Intel's focus for the compute element is on upgradeability and customization. In theory, this step offers NUC 9 owners an excellent upgrade path. The processor, RAM, hard drive, graphics card and power supply can be replaced.

I could even say it's better than a regular desktop because you don't have to worry about replacing the motherboard. By exchanging the computing element, you can also update your port selection, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

That is the pitch. Does it work in practice?

Intel Ghost CanyonWorking with these connections is cumbersome Matthew Smith / Digital Trends

I was disappointed to find that the modular structure of the NUC 9 was difficult. Opening the case is easy enough. Simply remove two screws and slide the top back. However, the adapted compute element is decorated with numerous connections at unfavorable angles. These must be carefully removed.

In my experience, gamers who want to upgrade a rig are afraid because they don't want to break an expensive PC. The NUC 9 does not solve this problem.

Intel Ghost CanyonComputing element (closed) Matthew Smith / Digital Trends

As soon as the connections are removed and one last screw is loosened, the Compute Element slides freely like any other PCI Express card. The element is a plastic cover on a circuit board that contains the processor, memory (in the form of two SODIMMs) and solid-state memory.

The processor cannot be removed while memory and memory can be replaced. It is a mobile chip that, like other NUC devices, is permanently connected. That is why the compute element is important. You cannot replace the processor without them. This means that at least a processor upgrade is possible.

Intel Ghost CanyonCalculate item (open) Matthew Smith / Digital Trends

What computer elements will be available and how much will they cost? Intel's roadmap is not precise. However, the company has promised that future Compute Elements will be backward compatible. Intel plans new Compute Element models for 2021 and 2022. Partner companies will also sell standalone Compute Element upgrades.

Personally, I tend to believe Intel's plan. The company has supported the NUC line for years, even though it only makes up part of its overall business.

I expect processor options to be limited compared to a standard desktop, but it might make sense to swap flexibility for simplicity and size. The subtle differences between processors are not relevant to most people, including most enthusiasts. If Intel (or partners) can simply offer a Core i5, i7 and i9 computing element for every future generation of mobile processors, I think that's appropriate. And I'm convinced that Intel will do it.

Processor power

As mentioned earlier, the Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit I received had an Intel Core i9-9980HK processor, 16 GB of memory, and an Nusidia RTX 2070 graphics card built by Asus. The Core i9-9980HK is not the most modern processor since it was launched almost a year ago. Still, it's a top-notch option in the Intel range of mobile chips, which offers eight cores, 16 threads, and a maximum turbo boost frequency of 5 GHz.

The i9-9980HK ran as expected. Geekbench 5 achieved a single-core score of 1,232 and a multi-core score of 7,312. These numbers are in the baseball stadium of the Core i9-9980HK laptops we tested. The Apple MacBook Pro 16 was a little slower and the Acer ConceptD 9 a little faster. Remember that while the NUC 9 is a desktop, its processor is a mobile component.

While the i9-9980HK performs well in Geekbench 5, the latest AMD components express it. We recently tested the Asus Zephyrus G14 with AMD's new Ryzen 9 4900HS. It was competitive with the NUC 9 in the single core and won in the multi core. This is not good for the Intel i9-9980HK. The Asus Zephyrus G14 is a small gaming notebook. So you wouldn't expect the NUC 9 to beat it, but its victory is clear.

Other benchmarks tell a similar story. Our handbrake benchmark, which uses popular video encoding software to transcode a 4K movie trailer, was completed on the NUC 9 in 114 seconds. That is hardly in front of the Acer ConceptD 9, but behind the Asus Zephyrus G14. The Core i9-9980HK also falls behind the Intel Core i9-9900K, a processor for desktops.

I saw a Cinebench R20 of 3,348 from NUC 9. This is also slightly above most laptops with the same chip, but not at the top of the class.

I don't think this processor performance will lower it in 2020 – not at a retail price of $ 1,700.

It's worth noting that the Core i9-9980HK isn't a problem despite these mixed results. It easily defeats the currently available mobile processors of the Intel Core i7 H series. It also easily defeats previous NUC desktops. This is a fast processor capable of handling heavy workloads like 4K content creation or high resolution photo editing. It will shame the majority of laptops and keep up with some mid-tower desktops.

However, I don't think this processor performance will affect 2020 – not at a retail price of $ 1,700 excluding RAM, hard drive, and graphics card that aren't included in the kit.

Gaming performance

As already mentioned, the Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit does not contain a graphics card. You have to get one yourself so that your mileage varies depending on the graphics card you bought. The NUC 9 can be used for dual-wide graphics cards with a length of up to 20 cm. My test device came with an Asus RTX 2070 that fits into the NUC 9, so I tried it out.

I started with 3DMark, where the NUC 9 had a fire strike score of 17,932 and a time spy score of 8,350. This is exactly what I would expect from an Nvidia RTX 2070 desktop packaging. The RTX 2070 Super is slightly faster and achieves 10,136 points in a testbed desktop packing Intel Core i9-9900K. The desktop class RTX 2070 of the NUC 9, however, easily defeats any laptop incarnation of the RTX 2070 we tested.

Fortnite was a breeze. An average of 141 frames per second with a resolution of 1080p and epic details as well as 90 frames per second with a resolution of 1440p and epic details were generated. These numbers are not surprising for a desktop that packs Nvidia's RTX 2070, but they easily outperform laptops with RTX 2070 hardware. The Razer Blade 15 with Nvidia RTX 2070 Max-Q only reaches 72 frames per second under the same conditions. The small size of the NUC 9 clearly doesn't hold it back.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey, our most demanding game benchmark, slowed down the NUC 9 – but only with a resolution of 1440p.

Civilization VI performed exceptionally well. It averaged 120 fps at 1080p and Ultra Detail with 2x MSAA turned on and still 100 fps at 1440p and the same settings. These numbers place a large gap between the NUC 9 and laptops with Nvidia RTX 2070 hardware.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey, our most demanding game benchmark, slowed down the NUC 9 – but only with a resolution of 1440p. The NUC 9 averaged a very respectable 57 fps at 1080p and ultra high details, but only reached 47 fps at 1440p and ultra high. While the NUC once again outperforms laptops with RTX 2070 hardware, it falls slightly behind our testbed desktop with an RTX 2060 Super, which averaged 51 fps at 1440p and ultra high.

Since the Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit doesn't come with a GPU, the main question is: does the CPU hold the system in any way? I think the answer is definitely "no". The Core i9-9980HK is a powerful processor with a strong balance between single-core and multi-core performance. However, it is not the new sharpness and is currently surpassed by newer processors that have just been launched by Intel and AMD.

Heat and fan noise

The NUC 9 Extreme Kit has a lot to offer, but its performance is not without consequences. Packing a large amount of hardware in a small space can make cooling difficult, and the NUC 9 encounters this problem.

Intel Ghost CanyonMatthew Smith / Digital Trends

Fan noise is the real problem. The NUC 9 has several small fans, including those in the power supply and in the processor itself. These fans sometimes have to spin quickly, which inevitably makes a racket. Even worse, the mesh side panels of the NUC 9 do not isolate the sound.

This results in a loud little desktop. The fans of the NUC 9 often race in action and sound at maximum speed ready to drown out your robot vacuum. The fans are unpredictable and hard and bounce between high and low speed states.

Price and availability

The NUC 9 Extreme Kit is expected to retail for $ 1,700 when it arrives at Intel's channel partners next month. Intel also has retail Core i5 and i7 models for $ 1,050 and $ 1,250, respectively. These will arrive within three months.

Our opinion

The Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit is an experiment that is promising but not quite working. The compute element is a fascinating way to give a very small desktop upgradability. Unfortunately, it's not as intuitive as I hoped.

The NUC 9 Extreme Kit is also held up by its sky-high retail price of $ 1,700 – without memory, memory, or a graphics card, all of which must be purchased separately.

Is there a better alternative?

It depends on what you're looking for.

The unique modular design of the NUC 9 Extreme Kit leaves it out without direct competitors. However, you can also combine it with other small PCs such as the Apple Mac Mini or smaller incarnations of the Lenovo ThinkCentre and the HP Z Workstations. The Intel NUC 9 could be a compelling little workstation due to its excellent port selection and promises of future upgrades, although I'm not sure if its processor performance is competitively priced. It's a great mobile chip, but in some systems you can find standard desktop components at a comparable price.

The NUC 9 is simply too expensive as a gaming desktop. A system configured like the one I tested would set you back between $ 2,400 and $ 2,800, depending on the exact components you purchase and the sales you may be able to make. That is simply too much for the service offered. With an RTX 2070 Super, you can easily grab a desktop for that price, and it doesn't have to be much bigger. The Origin Chronos and Falcon Northwest Tiki are less well known alternatives.

How long it will take?

Like most high-performance desktops, the Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit remains useful for many years. It will easily take a decade or more, although after a few years it will obviously fade compared to new hardware.

Intel grants a 3-year standard warranty on NUC hardware. That's unusual. Most competitors only give a 1 year warranty.

Should you buy one?

No. The Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit, as it exists today, works better as a thought experiment than an everyday desktop.

Editor's recommendations




15 Apr
Blog

OnePlus 8 Review: Reliable, But Not Compelling

oneplus 8 evaluation bag

OnePlus 8 Review: A good phone that needs a killer feature

"The OnePlus 8 does everything you want and is a great daily partner, but it doesn't provide an excellent reason to buy."

  • Nice design

  • Excellent software

  • Long battery life and quick charging

  • Good everyday camera

  • No wireless charging

  • Not IP68 waterproof

  • No outstanding camera function

The $ 600 OnePlus 7T was an easy-to-recommend phone, but will the story repeat itself with the OnePlus 8 Pro? You'll have to spend an additional $ 100 on last year's phone to get one, since it now starts at $ 700. To justify an increase, the OnePlus 8 needs to significantly improve its game, as it has to compete with many other high-performance phones.

My time with OnePlus 8 shows that doing this is difficult because the addition of 5G is not yet widespread to be called a must.

design

The OnePlus 8 looks almost identical to the OnePlus 8 Pro – only a little smaller, a little thinner and a little lighter. This makes a big difference in carrying the phone around and using it with one hand. Unlike the choice of the 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro over the 6.5-inch iPhone 11 Pro Max, the compromise between screen size isn't that big. The 6.55-inch fluid AMOLED screen of the OnePlus 8 is not a compromise compared to the 6.78-inch OnePlus 8 Pro.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

At 180 grams, the OnePlus 8 is light for a modern smartphone. I like the aspect ratio of 20: 9 in combination with the 8 mm thick body because I can easily stretch my thumb over the screen. The side buttons on the OnePlus 8 are also easier to reach and press than on the 8 Pro. There is a fingerprint sensor under the screen. Even though it's lightning fast, the face unlock usually unlocked the screen before I got there.

I like the feel of the matte gorilla glass finish, which feels cool and doesn't take too many fingerprints, but still captures the light neatly – especially in the stunning green color shown above. Yes, it is green, but in different lighting conditions it turns to a beautiful aquamarine blue, as you can see in our photos below. Due to the curved corners and the low weight, it sits comfortably in the palm of your hand. However, the edges of the body are still very tapered, so fatigue appears when holding the phone.

OnePlus 8 Pro (from left) and OnePlus 8 Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

The back of the camera is not overly pronounced, and fewer sensors mean that it also looks less overloaded. The decision to use a punch-hole selfie camera instead of a complicated and heavy motorized selfie camera has a similar result on the front, keeping it neat and functional. The OnePlus 8 is sleek and chic, with no unnecessary bulk, but doesn't ignore the need for a large screen. It is exactly right.

Screen and software

While the OnePlus 8 performs better in design and size than the OnePlus 8 Pro, the story isn't that easy when we look at the technology inside, starting with the screen. The OnePlus 8 has a Fluid AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 90 Hz, but does not use the motion smoothing function. If you put them side by side, there is a subtle difference: The OnePlus 8 Pro looks a little sharper, smoother and more attractive.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

However, it's not that the OnePlus 8 looks bad – far from it. Play a 1080p HDR10 movie and it is still excellent, while the video is entertaining and impressive. This is supported by the two speakers and the support of Dolby Atmos. Worried about the lack of motion smoothing? Do not be so. While it is sometimes effective to artificially reduce blurring when watching videos, the effect is not always desirable. I didn't miss it. The OnePlus 8 also had fewer problems with touch sensitivity.

The lower resolution means a lower pixel density. The PPI rating (402 pixels per inch) of the OnePlus 8 is significantly lower than that of the 513 PPI of the OnePlus 8 Pro, the 525 PPI of the Galaxy S20 Plus and the 458 PPI of the smaller iPhone 11 Pro. It is not as impressive to look at as one of these phones and is therefore not considered to be of high quality or premium. Here the OnePlus 8 Pro really stands out, and here the cost reduction has had an impact on the OnePlus 8. It's good, but not a reason to buy, as is the case with the OnePlus 8 Pro.

OnePlus 8 Pro (from left) and OnePlus 8 Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

I'm pleased to say that the OnePlus 8 software experience, which has its own OxygenOS 10.5 user interface based on Android 10, is identical to the OnePlus 8 Pro. It's excellent, with a nifty design, lots of speed and little annoyance. I'll take a closer look at this in my test of the OnePlus 8 Pro.

camera

The cost reduction continues with the camera. Gone are the new Sony IMX689 sensors as headliners for the OnePlus 8 Pro. It is replaced by the proven IMX586 sensor, which we have seen many times, with an aperture of 1: 1.75, optical and electronic image stabilization and the ability to record 4K videos at 60 frames per second. There is also a 16-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 2-megapixel macro camera.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

It makes very pleasant pictures, but it will not amaze with incredible, eye-catching pictures. My gallery ended up with solid, reliably decent photos, but nothing that I was particularly proud of. The IMX586 needs good software optimization to get the most out of it. Here OnePlus is at the top of its game. The colors pop, the dynamic range is strong and the HDR is effective. Portrait mode has good edge detection, but takes a few moments to capture the subject.

Use the OnePlus 8's camera to take regular everyday shots and you will be happy with the results. The 16 megapixel selfie camera is good, but not as good as the competition. The macro camera lacks color and definition, the night mode is not particularly good in very poor lighting conditions and there is no optical zoom function. You don't get a bizarre color filter lens with the OnePlus 8 Pro that inverts the colors of your photos for a really weird look, but that's not a bad thing.

oneplus 8 review mill wide angle "class =" m carousel - picture dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn9.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-8-mill-wide-angle-640x640 .jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7OnePlus 8 wide angle Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

oneplus 8 review mill standard "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn1.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-8-mill-standard-640x640.jpg "srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7OnePlus 8 standard Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

oneplus 8 review mill 2x "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn2.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-8-mill-2x-640x640.jpg "srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7OnePlus 8 2x Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

Finally, the OnePlus 8's camera is not noticeable. There is no major new innovation, be it a successful software-controlled improvement like Samsung's single take mode or Apple's excellent Deep Fusion technology, or 8K video recording or a periscope zoom like the Huawei P40 Pro.

Power and battery

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor controls the OnePlus 8. It has a 5G modem and either 8 GB or 12 GB RAM. The chip and 5G modem are probably the main reason the price of the phone has gone up, but 5G isn't available in many places, which means you pay more for something you can't use. This will change over time. However, it is currently difficult to recommend most people to buy a 5G phone. I tested the 12 GB version and the benchmark results are as follows:

  • 3DMark: 6,695 (volcano)
  • Geekbench 5: 3,314 multi-core / 910 single-core

The performance corresponds to that of the OnePlus 8 Pro and therefore also surpasses the Galaxy S20 Plus and the Oppo Find X2 Pro. The calls were clear and reliable, although I couldn't test the 5G connection. I played a lot of the 1945 vertical scrolling shooter, which has a high frame rate and uses the 90 Hz screen refresh rate, and I really liked it. DariusBurst has to be played in a smaller window due to the 20: 9 aspect ratio screen, but that doesn't matter as the gameplay is still exciting. Playing on the OnePlus 8 is similar to playing on the Galaxy S20 Plus, with the right weight and comfort in hand for longer gaming sessions.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

The battery in the OnePlus 8 has a capacity of 4,300 mAh and is supported by Warp Charge 30T quick charge. In contrast to the OnePlus 8 Pro, wireless charging is not possible. Wired charging from Warp Charge is very fast and results in the battery being fully charged in about 20 minutes and in my tests in just over an hour.

In this time of social distancing, OnePlus 8 spent most of the time connecting to Wi-Fi, making video and voice calls, and using it for games, social networking, and video. It easily took a whole day even under heavy use. However, try this activity, which is connected to a 5G network, and the battery will suffer. One feature that I liked was the new intelligent charging optimization, in which the phone learns your charging routine and optimizes the charging around it.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

Like many people, I charge the phone when I go to sleep and then pull it out of the socket in the morning. Even after a few days, the OnePlus 8 brought the battery up to 80% in the first hour and only charged it about an hour before waking up. According to OnePlus, the battery stays charged longer so that you can charge it safely. The optimization can be deactivated if your daily hours are not set.

oneplus 8 review links "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn3.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-8-shortcuts-640x640.jpg "srcset =" https: //www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

oneplus 8 check camera app "class =" m-carousel - picture dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn4.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-8-camera-app-640x640.jpg "srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

oneplus 8 review apps "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn5.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-8-apps-640x640.jpg "srcset =" https : //www.digitaltrends.com/data: image / gif; base64, https: //www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

The battery and the software already mentioned are two of the most important reasons to buy the OnePlus 8.

Price, guarantee and availability

The OnePlus 8 shown here with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage costs $ 800 or $ 700 if you choose the 8 GB / 128 GB version. In the UK, the OnePlus 8 costs £ 600 for the 8GB / 128GB model and £ 700 for the 12GB 256GB version. OnePlus grants a one-year warranty on its phones that covers manufacturing defects. OnePlus 8 is expected to be available on the OnePlus website and carriers in April.

Our opinion

The OnePlus 8 is a good smartphone. It has an attractive screen, a decent camera, great software, and long battery life. I love the design, the matte glass and the green color. Nevertheless, every function that distinguishes it is missing. This didn't matter with the OnePlus 7T, as it only cost $ 600 – which makes the price a standout feature. At $ 700 or $ 800, the OnePlus 8 has no other function that could take its place. The OnePlus 8 has left the value segment and needs to improve its game.

Is there a better alternative?

The price increase means that the OnePlus 8 worth $ 700 / $ 800 is now available with the Samsung Galaxy S20 worth $ 1,000, the Google Pixel 4 worth $ 800 and the iPhone 11 im Worth $ 700 is struggling. though strong in most areas.

You can pay less and get a good phone. Last year's $ 600 iPhone XR is still a good buy, as is the Asus Zenfone 6 $ 500, and if you find one, the Realme X2 Pro is still a surprisingly good value for around $ 450 .

How long it will take?

OnePlus has not given the OnePlus 8 an IP68 degree of protection, so it is splash-proof and that's all. The body is made of glass and can break if it falls. It is best to put it in a case. OnePlus is good at providing software updates and the phone has enough power, which means it has been in use for at least two years. It's great to have 5G on board to keep it going longer.

Should you buy one?

The $ 100 increase over the OnePlus 7T may not sound like much, but the limited appeal of 5G isn't enough to justify the extra. Therefore, we do not recommend buying the OnePlus 8, even though it is a decent modern smartphone. There are better options at higher and lower prices.

Editor's recommendations




14 Apr
Blog

OnePlus 8 Pro Review: Everything You Want

oneplus 8 per evaluation bag

OnePlus 8 Pro Review: Everything you want

"The OnePlus 8 Pro meets all criteria."

  • Amazing battery life

  • Fast wired and wireless charging

  • Breathtaking screen

  • Great photos from the camera

  • Slick software

  • The response to screen touches must be adjusted

  • Odd Color Filter is a misstep

  • Fast wireless charging is proprietary

The OnePlus 8 Pro is the final OnePlus smartphone. It has everything you want, plus bonus features like wireless charging that enthusiasts ask for. However, OnePlus has tackled a strange feature that nobody is asking about. It's a great phone that's just a hair behind the best.

design

At first glance, the OnePlus 8 Pro does not differ significantly from the OnePlus 7T Pro in terms of design. However, there are some minor changes that make the OnePlus 8 Pro a better phone to hold and use. The phone is a few millimeters longer, not quite as wide and a bit thinner. The corners have a slightly different degree of curvature and are 7 grams lighter at a total of 200 grams.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

I prefer the OnePlus 8 Pro at a distance from the OnePlus 7T Pro. It doesn't feel bulky or bulky and is generally more comfortable to use and use. The changes also mean that it doesn't burrow into my palms as much when I've used it for a while, and the reduction in mass allows one-handed, if not preferable, use. This is still a big phone, and the pages taper to a point. If it can be uncomfortable if you hold it from certain angles.

While it is a significant advance over the OnePlus 7T Pro, the 8 Pro ranks the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus and the Huawei P40 Pro as competitors and cannot quite take the title of the most ergonomic phone in 2020. The competition feels lighter and quicker in the hand. OnePlus has followed Huawei in using a matte finish on the back, and it's a great move. Fingerprints are not easily displayed, and the curved 3D glass looks fantastic in the glacier green shown above, which shows aquamarine in some lighting conditions as shown in the photos. Nice.

For the first time, OnePlus is using a punch-hole selfie camera on the front. As with most examples, this is something you will not notice after long use of the phone. Tearing out the OnePlus 7T Pro's motorized pop-up selfie camera helped make the entire 8 Pro more compact and easy to use. This also means that the phone can be sealed and has an IP68 waterproof rating, although the company has had an extremely negative stance on this feature in the past.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

Perhaps the only disappointing feature of the OnePlus 8 Pro design is the size of the camera hump on the back. It sticks out far more than the 7T Pro, maybe twice as thick as the Galaxy S20 Pro's bump, and has sharp edges that can scratch other objects when rubbed against them in a pocket. This trend continues with the thin and sharp volume rocker, although the slimmed-down slider that changes the notification alert status has a wonderful texture. Despite these nitpicks, the OnePlus 8 Pro is one of the best looking phones you can buy.

screen

The 6.78-inch Fluid AMOLED screen has a resolution of 3168 x 1440 pixels for an excellent density of 531 pixels per inch and offers excellent details. It also offers a wonderful refresh rate of 120 Hz for smooth scrolling and reduced eye strain, as well as 240 Hz touch sampling for faster reaction times when playing. Some other software optimizations are definitely required to achieve touch accuracy in the operating system, especially at the very edges. It feels sluggish in some moments and overly sensitive in others.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

OxygenOS provides options to improve color and enable motion smoothing. When color enhancements are enabled, the screen stays natural, but has slightly more vivid colors. It never reaches the saturation level of the Galaxy S20 Plus. I like the crisp white tones on the screen of the OnePlus 8 Pro that outperform those of the S20 Plus and even the Huawei P40 Pro. Outside in bright sunlight, whites still look like freshly washed sheets. Motion smoothing is less successful because it is rather inconsistent, looks great in one minute, and looks artificial in the next. I switched it off at some point – it is activated by default.

With color enhancement turned on and motion smoothed, the screen appears just right for my eyes and I loved watching movies on the OnePlus 8 Pro. The bezels are minimal and although the pinhole camera easily breaks up the all-screen look, it never gets intrusive. The screen is one of the outstanding features of OnePlus 8 Pro.

camera

The OnePlus 8 Pro's camera is a bit strange. At first glance, everything seems normal. The 48-megapixel main camera has the new IMX689 sensor from Sony with optical and electronic image stabilization as well as a 48-megapixel wide-angle and an 8-megapixel telephoto sensor. This means 3x zoom, 4K video recording and various modes including night mode and super macro.

Normal, right? Wait, I'm not done yet. The fourth sensor of the OnePlus 8 Pro is a color filter camera that inverts the colors in your images. Why? I really have no idea.

Even OnePlus is not sure. In the press details, the color filter camera is described as a way to stand out from the crowd and express your unique style. You can also do this by standing in the street and howling at the moon, but that doesn't make it a good idea.

OnePlus 8 Pro color filter image Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

Photos taken with the color filter remove shades of green, red, and blue, leaving muted shades of brown, black, white, and beige. Do you find that ugly? Most of the time you're right. It's not that the color filter doesn't make interesting pictures because it can do it in some kind of nuclear wasteland. I'm just not sure how often I want to use it. It's hidden in a menu, so it's not even visible and is therefore forgotten – and maybe that's a good thing. It's not always a disaster, and shooting in the sun can lead to some atmospheric shots. Otherwise, my local park looked like a bizarre alien landscape.

When I saw the OnePlus and McLaren concept phone at CES 2020, I hoped the electrochromic camera function would make it to the OnePlus 8, but instead we have the color filter sensor and it's definitely not a worthy replacement. Calling it quirky fun would be a nice description, but more specifically, it would be a gimmick added to obscure the fact that there is nothing really new here outside of the improved main sensor.

Otherwise, I like the photos taken by the OnePlus 8 Pro. The dynamic range is great, the saturation is just at the right level and I was very impressed with the effectiveness of the night mode. It brightens scenes very effectively and also works with the wide-angle camera. I don't understand the inclusion of the color filter and if it is removed from the equation, the camera will be exposed as relatively normal for a flagship Android phone (no pun intended).

Software and battery

The OnePlus 8 Pro's 4,510 mAh battery is a superstar. Granted, I've only used Wi-Fi most of the time at the moment, but that doesn't make performance any less impressive. The moderate use of a whole day from 8 a.m. to midnight consumed only 25% of electricity, which I couldn't quite believe. I didn't charge the phone and it went into "sleep" mode by itself overnight, where it minimized power consumption, so that only 4% of the battery was used during sleep. From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. the next day it was 53%. After several voice calls and at least one hour of video calls, I ended the day around 5:00 with midnight.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

This is an excellent achievement, and charging is also extremely fast. The supplied Warp Charge 30T charging stone and the cable bring the empty battery to 55% in just 24 minutes. The battery will be fully charged in one hour. A new feature of the OnePlus 8 is the possibility to optimize the charging time overnight, by getting to know your habits and only fully charging the battery shortly before normal waking up. It worked very well for me and should lead to less deterioration of the battery over time.

OnePlus added wireless charging to the OnePlus 8 Pro, a welcome addition that should have come a long time ago. It breaks to 50% in about 30 minutes. Although it supports the Qi standard, for OnePlus wireless fast charging, you'll need to buy the OnePlus wireless charger, which costs $ 80 or $ 70. Granted, it's very nice, but that's a significant surcharge. If you don't buy it, other Qi wireless chargers will work, but will only offer slow charging speed.

oneplus 8 pro review wireless charging "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn2.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-8-pro-wireless-charging-640x640. jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

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oneplus 8 pro review wireless charger "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn4.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-8-pro-wireless-charger-640x640. jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

This quick charging is associated with additional costs: The OnePlus charger has a built-in fan that buzzes on itself when the phone is set up. It's acceptable enough if it's on my desk, but I'm not sure if I'm the same if I try to sleep.

The OnePlus 8 uses OxygenOS 10.5, which is based on Android 10, and it is almost identical to OxygenOS 10 on the OnePlus 7T Pro. There are some changes in dark mode as well as support for Google One. A number of dynamic background images have been added that look really great. OxygenOS is one of the best interfaces you can get, and reusing it reminded me why I like it.

It is very fast, is not flooded with senseless apps and is attractively designed. The plug-in screen controlled by Google Assistant is useful and offers news updates, weather information and quick access to your own assistant page with personal updates. I like the sensitive haptic feedback, which feels a lot better in quality than almost any other phone that I test, to the cute little vibration when someone answers a call.

oneplus 8 pro rating browser "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn8.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-8-pro-browser-640x640.jpg "srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

oneplus 8 pro verification notifications "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn9.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-8-pro-notifications-640x640.jpg "srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

oneplus 8 pro review apps "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn1.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-8-pro-apps-640x640.jpg "srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

However, it is not perfect. The lack of a constantly active display is a disappointment, although you can tap the screen to see information. According to OnePlus, a constantly active feature is under development, but it's confusing why it takes so long. I also had some issues with the edge of the screen that was oversensitive. A software update has improved things considerably, but the sensitivity is still not correct. Finding settings isn't smart either, so it's hard to find hidden features like dark mode, which she calls sound.

However, these are only minor annoyances, and like the rest of the phone, the battery life and software experience are some of the best you can find at the moment.

Performance and games

The OnePlus 8 Pro has a Snapdragon 865 chipset and the X55 5G modem as well as 12 GB RAM. Due to social distance measures, I was unable to test the 5G component, but I used 4G and made calls as usual. The calls are clear and it's easier to place the speaker on your ear than the Galaxy S20 Plus. Here are the benchmark results before we start playing games.

  • Geekbench 5: 3,352 multi-core / 890 single-core
  • 3DMark: 6,589 (volcano)

These are higher results than a Galaxy S20 Plus with a Samsung Exynos chip inside and only slightly higher than the Oppo Find X2 Pro with similar performance. The OnePlus 8 Pro has two game modes, a standard mode and a hardcore Fnatic mode (so-called because it was developed with the E-Sports team of the same name), which increases CPU, GPU and RAM and at the same time switches off all unnecessary time.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

When playing Asphalt 9 Legends, DariusBurst SP and Vectronom with Fnatic mode on and off, I didn't notice anything else. The 120 Hz refresh rate made Asphalt 9 Legends look great. The 19.8: 9 aspect ratio of the screen means that you have to play DariusBurst in a smaller window if you want to see everything that is going on. This is a problem for many phones with a similar screen size and shape. The phone stays completely cool during the game.

How about the OnePlus 8?

OnePlus 8 Pro (from left) and OnePlus 8 Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

The OnePlus 8 Pro is the new flagship for 2020 and will be released along with the OnePlus 8, which is cheaper and smaller from $ 700. The phone has a 6.55-inch fluid AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 90 Hz, a three-lens camera without a color filter sensor, a smaller battery, no wireless charging and basic splash resistance. The design is very similar, although it is lighter and slimmer, which makes it easier to use with one hand. Check out our full review

Price, guarantee and availability

The OnePlus 8 Pro costs $ 1,000 for the 12GB / 256GB version or $ 900 for the 8GB / 128GB model in our test. In the UK, the 8 GB / 128 GB OnePlus 8 Pro costs £ 800, while the 12 GB / 256 GB model costs £ 900. OnePlus grants a one-year guarantee on its phones, which only covers the hardware in the event of a defect.

This makes it more expensive than the OnePlus 7T Pro for $ 850.

Our opinion

The OnePlus 8 Pro's best features are the ones that really matter: the screen is stunning, the battery life is amazing, and the software is nifty and attractive. The camera works well and the design is great. It also has wireless charging and IP68 protection. As much as OnePlus wants the color filter to be a differentiating factor that really pushes people to buy it isn't. However, take it away and you still have a state-of-the-art smartphone that doesn't miss a beat.

Is there a better alternative?

We recommend everyone to take a closer look at the $ 1,000 Apple iPhone 11 Pro and the $ 1,200 Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, as they both offer the best technology currently available, from screen to camera, and excellent Offer software experiences.

Although Google Pixel 4 is also recommended for $ 800, the battery just can't keep up with the OnePlus 8 Pro. Keep this in mind when you are seduced by the Pixel 4's amazing camera and slick software. We were also impressed with the Oppo Find X2 Pro for $ 1,300, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus for $ 1,100 is still a brilliant all-rounder.

How long it will take?

When you buy a OnePlus 8 Pro with a two-year contract, it lasts at least as long in terms of performance and the technology it contains. The 5G function is also future-proof, and OnePlus is good at keeping its software up to date on time. OnePlus has an IP68 protection rating for the phone, which means that it is waterproof. However, the rest of the phone is made of glass, so it can break if dropped. One case helps avoid expensive glitches.

Should you buy one?

Yes, but it is not quite the mega smartphone we are used to from OnePlus.

Editor's recommendations




13 Apr
Blog

Shure Aonic 50 Headphones Review: Uncompromising Audio

Shure Aonic 50 headphones

"Shures Aonic 50 are some of the better sounding headphones, but they're expensive."

  • Excellent sound

  • Effective noise cancellation

  • Comfortable

Shure has built a reputation for making studio headphones that stand out from the crowd. We have said this over the years based on our experience with products such as the SRH1540 and the SRH750DJ.

With the release of the $ 400 wireless Aonic 50 headphones, Shure has taken on a new challenge: Finding a solid footing in an area already populated by outstanding products. With the Aonic 50, Shure relied on what he knows best – incredible-sounding headphones – and is satisfied with other functions. The result is a product that may not distance itself completely from the competition, but it has certainly created some freedom.

Out of the box

I have been using these headphones for conference calls since many people around the world work from home. When it was time to check it out, I had to rummage through my home work area to find the box for the Aonic 50, as I couldn't remember what it looked like.

Shure Aonic 50Nick Woodard / Digital Trends

What I found was a round package with the headphones and their carrying case that were stuck inside. The cans, which are available in black or brown bezels, include a 3.5mm audio cable, quick start guide and manual, and a USB-C charging cable. Standard accessories, clear, but still important.

In both cases, it's easy to connect (and stay connected). The included audio cable allows you to connect to a laptop or one of the remaining devices that still have a headphone jack and listen passively without turning on the headphones.

Bluetooth is similarly simple because the Aonic 50 automatically switches to pairing mode when you press the power button at the bottom of the right headphone cup. The Aonic 50 has Bluetooth 5 technology – with support for codecs like aptX, AAC and SBC – and I can guarantee that the connection was not a problem during the more than 30 hours of wireless listening that I spent with the audition .

design

Appearance. I don't have to tell you that earphones are often a better option when it comes to being easy to wear and travel-friendly. Headphones are objectively heavier, bigger and more difficult to transport.

Disclaimer out of the way, the Aonic 50 are a set of perfectly portable headphones. Shure has managed to find a cross between durable, flexible and comfortable in the design of these cans. Although they are not indestructible, they feel sturdy. Although they are not weightless, their size feels good across the entire fit. Although the cups are not fully foldable, they can be tilted 90 degrees to fit the headphones flat in their carry case.

Shure Aonic 50Nick Woodard / Digital Trends

The ear cushions and memory foam with which they are outlined provide the comfort you hope for from a $ 400 headphone, and the controls on the right cup were easy to use once I got their exact positions along the cup had set in memory. I still don't know if I would pick them up over a set of earphones to take them for daily commuting, but they were very convenient for long walks with the dog and for weekend tasks.

characteristics

Even for a brand that is so highly praised for its audio quality, it is no longer enough today to rely on solid sound only. Unlike the Aonic 215, Shure's wireless headphones that were introduced alongside the Aonic 50, these headphones have features that justify the retail price. You can still get similar or better features for the money you would spend, but these headphones prove they belong to the table.

Shure Aonic 50Nick Woodard / Digital Trends

Shure takes up to 20 hours of battery life, with the "up to" part of this sentence depending on how loud you adjust the volume and how much noise you eliminate. I had to charge it exactly once in the time I used it, and when I did that, an hour plugged in gave me an 88 percent battery life. This would take you through several working days or overland flights without hiccups.

As mentioned earlier, Shure has built most of the controls into the right headphone cup. Side buttons adjust the volume, and a middle button offers a variety of uses, including title mixing, answering calls, and activating a voice assistant. There's also a switch that allows you to navigate between Shure's environmental mode, neutral mode, and active noise cancellation. Everything is there and they are easy to use.

The problem Shure encounters – actually through no fault of my own – is that I am obliged to measure the Aonic 50 against our reigning champions in not one but three headphone categories. The Sony WH-1000XM3 are our preferred noise canceling sockets, wireless headphones and headphones in general. If you start putting the $ 400 Shure headphones next to the Sony, which was retailed for $ 350 but is currently available for $ 300, the Aonic 50 looks less like a bargain.

The Sony model offers a battery life of 30 hours on a single charge, which significantly disadvantages Shure despite the more expensive model. In addition, although I liked using Shure's included controls, Sony had several models to refine its commands, and it shows.

This is all to be said, if you look at the Shures, it is not because of their functions. Honestly, they're good, but for a price that should at least hit birdies, of course. When you pay for the Aonic 50, you pay for the sound quality.

Audio quality

I can talk about the battery life and control of the Aonic 50 until the cows come home, but at its core the sound is Shures bread and butter. Your cost will cause most to charge a lot for the audio quality of these cans, and rest assured they will deliver.

Shure Aonic 50Nick Woodard / Digital Trends

I had the opportunity to test the Aonic 215 earphones before moving on to these headphones, and the biggest flaw I found in its sound was the lack of adequate bass. While it is at least partially a personal preference, it is difficult to replicate a track as it should sound without filling the entire range.

The Aonic 50 with its 50 mm drivers and a frequency range from 20,000 Hz to 22,000 Hz took care of that. The lower end doesn't overwhelm you. it hits the sweet spot where the bass makes its presence distortion-free. Rum from Brothers Osborne had the authority that I had previously missed. Heavier tracks like Post Malones Enemies never missed a beat.

Of course, it's not just about the bass. Songs like Stuck In The Middle With You by Stealers Wheel showed masterful stereo images. And yes, I also can't hear this song without thinking about Reservoir Dogs.

Other selections, such as an acoustic version of Peter Frampton's baby, I Love Your Way, were an haunting journey that really sounded like Frampton strapping and plucking myself in my living room. If the picture is not clear enough, these things sound fantastic.

Noise canceling function

The active noise cancellation and features included in the Aonic 50 are solid, but may not be as effective as you would expect from premium headphones. With the corresponding switches of the switch on the right cup, you can choose between three modes. Ambient mode pipes in noise from your surroundings; The neutral mode represents the middle ground and is based on the natural noise isolation capabilities of the headphones. and active noise cancellation doesn't need much explanation.

Shure Aonic 50Nick Woodard / Digital Trends

I found the ANC effective. I was able to drown out barking dogs for the most part at work, and when I stepped into my garden to get some fresh air, the neighbor who was mowing the lawn next door was just a low growl in the background. There is an appearance of white noise when the ANC is on, although I only noticed it in quieter settings.

Shure's free ShurePlus Play app gives you the ability to customize both ambient mode and active noise cancellation, depending on what you're using. The app also has an equalizer that allows you to adjust the sound of the headphones. However, if you ask me, the Aonic 50 has an ideal sound signature as it is.
The only problem I can address with the Aonic 50's noise canceling features is that they are just nothing special. And if you want to compete against excellent noise canceling headphones like the Bose 700, you have to be special to stand out.

Our opinion

Shure's Aonic 50 headphones are some of the better sounding cans you can find, and there's nothing objectively to complain about the features on offer. But they're expensive, and even though they're fine noise-canceling units, they're not as good as a $ 400 price suggests.

Are there any better alternatives?

It would be difficult to find something in this price range that sounds much better. However, in terms of features and active noise cancellation, you can spend $ 100 less with the Sony WH-1000XM3 and not miss much. Or pay the same price and forego sound quality for an improved ANC with the Bose 700.

How long it will take?

The Aonic 50 feel quite durable and are backed by a brand that's been around for almost a century. These headphones will last a long time.

Should you buy it

If the sound quality is of the utmost importance to you and factors such as functions and noise suppression take a back seat, yes. Buy the Shure Aonic 50 – you won't regret it. When a cheaper, more rounded product approaches your cup of tea, buy the Sony WH-1000XM3 and don't look back.

Editor's recommendations




10 Apr
Blog

Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus Review: The One You Want

Galaxy S20 Plus

Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus review: the one you want

“The Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus has everything you need now, and with 5G, it's ready for the future. It's the Galaxy S20 phone that needs to be bought in 2020. "

  • Nice screen, 120Hz refresh rate

  • The camera takes good photos in all environments

  • Slim and light

  • 5G for the future

  • Boring design

  • The camera software needs some improvements

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus is the smartphone equivalent of a well-known friend. The design, the camera and the performance reliably deliver all expectations. But you won't find any surprises either. It is a safe, trustworthy companion.

There is nothing wrong with that. The new and unexpected can be fun, but it can also disappoint or distract you. This year, the safe choice in the chaos of everyday life feels like the right choice. Of the three new Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphones released in 2020, you should buy this one.

design

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus isn't a nice smartphone, but it's a mature, well-proportioned mobile device. This inconspicuous phone is only suitable for demonstration if you get it in the pretty cloud blue color. In the black or gray shown here, it won't turn your head, but you can be satisfied with using one of the most nifty phones you can currently buy.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

What I mean? The 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen is not strongly curved on the side of the phone, but the 3D glass above it is beautifully shaped on every corner to give the front of the phone a modern shape that is comfortable to hold . The on / off switch and the volume rocker are on the right. The metal body is not only between the chassis and the glass, but is also arranged around it.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

The style of the Galaxy S20 Plus can be appreciated, but it's not for everyone. The camera hump on the back is a bleak rectangle in the top corner, and the gray color seems to be inspired by the last time the Navy gave a battleship a quick spruce. It is also not significantly different from many other cell phones available today, including the Huawei P40 Pro and the Oppo Find X2 Pro.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

The Galaxy S20 Plus is certainly light and slim. It's 6.5 ounces and 0.3 inches thick, which not only makes it a better phone to put in your pocket, but also to last for long distances. However, it is slippery and its width makes it easy to stretch with one hand. A case would be advisable to keep the phone protected.

Compared to its brothers, the S20 Plus is just right. The Galaxy S20 Ultra is considerably larger and heavier, and the S20 is a bit too small for modern conditions, unless you specifically want a small phone. The S20 Plus seems to be the most suitable for most people.

camera

The S20 Plus has a quad-sensor camera on the back, which consists of a 12-megapixel 1: 1.8 wide-angle lens, a 64-megapixel 1: 2.0 telephoto sensor and another 12-megapixel -1: 2.2-Ultra-. wide sensor. A time of flight sensor completes the lineup, and this is the same camera system as the regular Galaxy S20. You can take 3x hybrid zoom recordings or up to 30x digital recordings, record 8K videos at 24 frames per second (fps), record with HDR10 + and record slow-motion videos at 960 fps.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

When the sun shines, the shots are pretty saturated, which can split opinions, but I often found that they animated the pictures well. Night mode is effective and brightens scenes with medium lighting without adding excessive noise. In very poor lighting conditions, however, it becomes loud and less user-friendly. The worst crime is consistently inaccurate edge detection in portrait orientation and problems with focusing. The same problems were found when testing the Galaxy S20 Ultra.

Outside of the saturation surge, Samsung software can also be sluggish when sharpening, but you'll have to look for it to notice. I had no issues with the 8K video mode we saw on the S20 Ultra. The high-resolution videos were recorded smoothly and looked stunning on the screen. It should be noted that this S20 Plus has a Samsung Exynos processor, while the S20 Ultra we tested has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865.

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Although 8K videos look good, playback in all their glory is currently impossible for most because of the cost of buying an 8K TV. Avoid the massive file sizes (at least 500 MB per minute). and shoot at 4K or 1080p. This way, you can also use Samsung's superb Super Steady Stabilization mode, which works incredibly well.

The Galaxy S20 Plus also features Samsung's entertaining single-take mode, where you can record video instead of taking still pictures, and the software generates a selection of clips, GIFs and still pictures for you. It's great for taking pictures and videos that can be shared right now, without having to worry about missing anything. It's easy to use and really fun.

Selfies with 20 megapixels in the central hole are a mixed bag. If you don't use portrait mode, they come out very well, with nice colors and natural tones, but portrait mode is unreliable, blurs edges when they shouldn't be, and smoothes the skin to an unacceptable level. I like the automatically activated gesture control, where holding up your hand starts a countdown timer. The phone has always "seen" my hand, which makes it reliable and user-friendly.

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Samsung Galaxy S20 plus review not night "class =" m carousel - picture dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn2.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/s20-plus-non-night-640x640. jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7S20 Plus non-night mode Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

The results of the camera of the Galaxy S20 Plus are generally very good, almost regardless of the environment or the time of day. It's a great all-rounder and versatile enough that you don't want a feature that it doesn't provide, provided you don't expect much from portrait mode and want a bit of saturation in your photos on sunny days.

Screen and performance

Samsung knows how to create a stunning screen. The dynamic 6.7-inch AMOLED screen offers a resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels at a frequency of 120 Hz and supports HDR10 +. It is undoubtedly beautiful, with stunning colors and a dynamic range, especially when viewing HDR content. Fortunately, a lower resolution video doesn't suffer and I also enjoyed watching older 720p videos. The size of the S20 Plus also makes it an excellent video partner. The previously described low weight is ideal for relaxed viewing on the couch or in bed.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

The refresh rate of 120 Hz means smoother scrolling, less flickering and less eye strain when surfing for longer periods and is extremely effective. You cannot use the 120 Hz refresh rate when the screen is set to full resolution. At this point, it will switch back to a refresh rate of 60 Hz, which is also the case if the phone gets too hot. I preferred the advantages of the higher refresh rate to the higher resolution, so I found the combination with 2400 x 1080 pixels / 120 Hz best for everyday use.

As much as I like the screen and overall size of the S20 Plus, it can't keep up with the fabulously huge 6.9-inch S20 Ultra when it comes to impressive viewing, but you have to decide whether you're ready with the similar to epic size and size to live weight. That is why the S20 Plus is the sensible choice among the three S20 phones. Put it next to the iPhone 11 Pro, another phone with a great screen, and the vibrancy of the S20 Plus is clear. In addition to the more natural tones of the iPhone, colors burst from the screen.

Galaxy S20 Plus (top) against iPhone 11 Pro Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

The Galaxy S20 Plus is sold with two different processors depending on where you buy it worldwide. In the US, it comes with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865 processor, while in the UK it comes with Samsung's own Exynos 990 chip, which has been tested here with 12 GB of RAM.

In the real world, the differences between the two are minimal for everyday tasks, although some independent tests have shown that the Snapdragon 865's Adreno 865 graphics chip is more efficient and therefore may offer better battery life when you play or use the full resolution screen . Here are two benchmark test results:

  • Geekbench 5: 919 single-core / 2,838 multi-core
  • 3DMark: 6,357 (volcano)

It stands directly behind the Oppo Find X2 Pro with Snapdragon 865. A quick test of an S20 Ultra with Exynos drive did not surprisingly show that it was very close to that of the S20 Plus. As you'd expect from a high-performance smartphone like this, the S20 Plus has no problems with everyday tasks, including gaming. Although, like the S20 Ultra, the body feels very warm when it works very hard.

Fortunately, the S20 Plus does not get hot when playing, and its weight loss allows long sessions without fatigue. Even if the graphics on Asphalt 9: Legends are set high, the game is as fast and exciting as usual. The view spans the entire screen and you quickly forget that the pinhole camera is present. DariusBurst SP, which runs at 120 Hz, is beautifully fluid and fun, but some game content is lost above due to the aspect ratio of the phone when you play in full screen mode. This also affects some older games like Reckless Racing 3, which due to the wide aspect ratio leads to a smaller playing area. However, these problems do not only occur with the S20 Plus.

5G is standard on the S20 Plus, so it's ready when the new network is available near you. During this period of social isolation, I was only able to test the S20 Plus on Vodafone's 4G network and EE's 4G network in the UK, where it performed excellently and offered excellent call quality and reception.

Software and battery

Samsung's software can be described in a similar way to the design. It's extremely user-friendly, attractive, but not over the top, and a perfect companion that most people can use every day. It's also colorful, with uniformly shaped icons across the operating system, an effective system-wide dark mode, and a logical settings menu. The constantly active screen is informative and can be adjusted a little. Notifications can be made using the notification shadow.

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Disadvantage? Nothing serious, just a few quarrels. Samsung's OneUI 2.0 differs significantly from Android on a Google Pixel, which some may not like, and although Bixby's virtual assistant is on board, it's largely useless. Samsung also pre-assigned the power button to call Bixby instead of turning the phone on and off. This is now done with a button in the notification shadow. This can be changed in the settings, but is still annoying. Samsung Daily, which is displayed from the home screen, is also a pointless mess of widgets and warnings.

A large 4,500 mAh battery supplies the Galaxy S20 Plus with heavy use for a whole day, even if, in my experience, the refresh rate of 120 Hz is active. During this period of social isolation, the S20 Plus handled multiple voice calls, multiple long video calls, a bit of photography, and regular general use, and generally lasted from early morning until late at night. On days of moderate use, the S20 Plus will not almost run out of power.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

Charging is also quick. There is a 25W charging block in the box, and the phone also supports wireless charging. While not as fast as some of the fastest phones on the market (e.g. the Oppo Find X2 Pro), it is fast enough for most. With a 30-minute charge, the battery will be 55% empty and approximately 75 minutes fully charged.

Price, guarantee and availability

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus costs $ 1,200, which is in the middle of the $ 1,000 Galaxy S20 and the $ 1,400 Galaxy S20 Ultra. The phone can be purchased through the Samsung website and through major contract partners. The phone costs £ 1,000 in the UK, and I tested the phone on the Vodafone network, where it is available with a contract starting at £ 68 a month.

Our opinion

The Galaxy S20 Plus is the Galaxy S20 phone to buy, which sits at the right price with the right screen size in a case of a reasonable size. It is very easy to use, very powerful and the camera takes great photos in different situations. It is only disappointed by the boring design and some inconsistencies in the camera, but none of them are deal breakers.

Is there a better alternative?

If you're considering the Galaxy S20 Plus, you should also take a closer look at the iPhone 11 Pro for $ 1,000. It is Apple's best smartphone yet and our choice as the best smartphone currently available. However, if you're from Android, you'll need to get used to some software and usage changes. However, we think it's worth it. The only concession here is that the iPhone doesn't have 5G, which makes the S20 Plus a slightly better bet in the long run.

If you stay in the Android camp, you can see the Google Pixel 4 XL for its camera and software, but the battery life is much worse than the S20 Plus. Alternatively, you can wait and see what the OnePlus 8 looks like when it is announced on April 14th. If you're outside of the U.S. or like to import, the Oppo Find X2 Pro offers the same benefits as the S20 Plus with the advantage of super-fast charging in the deal.

How long it will take?

The phone is made of glass. So be careful or wrap it in an envelope. The good news, however, is that it has IP68 protection for water resistance. Android 10 is now installed, but there is no indication of when the phone will receive an update to Android 11 after its release later this year. Samsung updates are moderately fast, and the latest flagships are usually updated first.

Since the phone has 5G, regardless of whether it is available in your area, it is still ready to take advantage of the high data speeds if you decide to introduce the new network. Add this with the latest processor, the latest screen technology, and a decent camera, and the Galaxy S20 Plus has no problem beyond the duration of a two-year contract.

Should you buy one?

Yes. If you want a phone from the Galaxy S20 family you should buy it and it is also one of the best Android phones overall.

Editor's recommendations




10 Apr
Blog

LG Gallery Series GX 4K HDR OLED TV Review | Gorgeous

"LG's most beautiful OLED television so far."

  • Breathtaking design

  • Excellent picture quality

  • First class HDR / contrast

  • Improved user experience

  • Excellent for playing

  • Expensive premium for design

  • Stand sold separately (only mounted on the wall)

LG made his bed. Now it has to be there.

After years as the only OLED TV manufacturer in the US, other manufacturers have collapsed. The first problem was Sony. And now Vizio is on board, Philips is sending an OLED to the USA and the budget brand Konka is getting involved.

Now that LG has so many roommates moving into the house it built, it has to struggle to secure the master suite. That means making the best and most sought after OLED TVs on the market. It is likely that LG will never be the cheapest option, so it has to rely heavily on premium options to seduce customers.

Enter the 2020 LG Gallery Series GX OLED. Its characteristic design elements are a so-called "No-Gap-No-Shadow" wall mounting system and an extremely thin profile. LG is an obvious answer to Samsung's approach to seamless wall mounting (available for select Samsung Q-Series TVs from 2017) and has created its own piece of art that somehow keeps the inherently ultra-thin properties of an OLED panel combined with sophisticated technology all electronics in a flat chassis.

LG GX OLED profile recordingDan Baker / Digital Trends

This stunning design comes at a price, albeit a lower premium than I expected. In fact, LG's OLED TV prices are lower across the board. However, a 65-inch GX costs $ 3,500, while the 65-inch CX step-down model, which offers the same excellent image quality, costs $ 2,800. Neither is affordable, but does the Gallery series deserve the $ 700 premium?

If looks could kill, the LG GX OLED would be a serial killer.

I'm not sure. I think the answer will depend on how much value aesthetics has for you. However, one thing is pretty certain. If looks could kill, the LG GX OLED would be a serial killer.

Out of the box

Entertaining story: I hadn't expected the GX-OLED television (pronounced G 10) for this test. I was expecting the CX model and when I took a very carefully orchestrated, socially distant delivery of this TV, I didn't look closely at the box.

To make an unboxing video during a global pandemic, I asked my video producer Dan Baker to unpack the TV himself while he was documenting B-Roll for our video. Then came the message: "There is no stand. No legs. I think we are missing some parts."

A quick phone call to LG revealed that I had deliberately been lined up with a GX-OLED and that the TV doesn't come with legs, but with the gapless wall bracket – an accessory that Samsung charges an additional $ 150 . The fact that I could not get my legs was an unfortunate consequence of closing offices due to coronavirus lock orders.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Three days later I got the legs and decorative plastic plates – accessories, extra for the LG.

Bottom line? This TV is designed for wall mounting. It makes no sense to put it on a sideboard or an entertainment booth, except maybe to enjoy its extra thin profile. If you are not planning a wall mounting, I will guide you to the CX series.

Made to assemble

I'm a fan of LG's wall mount for the GX OLED. The intelligent, one-piece design is compact, robustly built and easy to install. Thanks to the articulated arms, the TV can be pulled out of the wall. This is not so much for adjusting the horizontal viewing angle (which is not necessary with an OLED television with extremely wide visibility), but for easy access to the inputs of the television.

I was surprised at the weight of this GX OLED, which tips the scales at 65.7 pounds. It's not bulky and you can still mount the TV using the included drywall anchors, but I would recommend drilling in bolts if possible.

picture quality

I was impressed with the mini LED and micro LED TV technologies that other manufacturers are starting to mess around with, but at the end of the day my heart still belongs to the OLED and the GX is one of the nicest examples I have seen.

Despite brave efforts to alleviate the problems of LCD televisions and the LED backlights they rely on, there is nothing better than a self-emissive display for black levels, screen uniformity and breathtaking contrast. OLED is currently the best there is. And the 2020 OLEDs from LG look better than ever, even if the improvements are small compared to the previous year.

Currently the only real competition from LG comes from Sony. As mentioned earlier, this will change later this year. However, if I had to choose between a 2020 LG OLED and a 2020 Sony OLED, I would only have to choose the LG based on its features. The Sony A8H is coming, and I can compare LG directly to the Sony competition, but I have to imagine that a significant difference in picture quality that goes in Sony's favor is likely to be overridden by the better package offer of LG's OLED TVs is set.

How for the GX series? I don't see it as the best choice for everyone based on the cost. However, the aesthetics of the TV are undeniably sexy, and LG has the right to ask for a little more. The only reason prevents me from giving this TV a perfect 5 out of 5 stars. Otherwise, this TV is a big win for LG and its customers.

User experience

The GX OLED may be an eye-catcher from the outside, but almost all other improvements for 2020 are hidden inside.

WebOS, LG's smart TV platform and operating system, has been redesigned and the improvement is noticeable. While I have always believed that webOS is accessible and easy to use, it has felt a bit outdated lately.

Magic Motion Remote from LGDan Baker / Digital Trends

The new version of webOS looks and feels much more professional. There are fewer dabs of color and more transparent backgrounds, and the menus are simply easier to read.

The home screen shows multiple apps at the same time, making access to Disney +, Apple TV +, or ESPN as easy as Netflix or Hulu. You could always order the apps to your liking, but now you can see more of them at the same time.

The home screen also takes up less space, closer to a third of the bottom than half.

There are a few fun functions within webOS, one of which is unfortunately useless for the time being – again due to the corona virus. Sports alerts let users select their favorite teams and get on-screen alerts for game times, updates to game results and highlights highlighted at a glance.

Another new feature called "Who. Where. What? "Try to make Live TV more interactive by answering voice queries, who the actors are, where a scene is, and what products are displayed on the screen. It's a fun idea. But I still have to put it into practice implement.

In terms of voice interactions, LG's own voice assistant is more intelligent and powerful, recognizes natural language better and provides more personal answers. Interactions feel more like talking to a person than a robot. When the capabilities of the LG Assistant deteriorate, Google Assistant takes control. For example, LG's assistant can help you find content or change the channel, while Google Assistant intervenes to give you news and weather information, or to order a pizza.

The GX also offers far-field voice control if you want to use it. As with all LG OLEDs, the Magic Motion remote control from LG has a microphone and a microphone button. In the GX series, however, a microphone is now built into the TV and the wake-up words "Hi LG" trigger the wizard.

Improved processing

The heart of the 2020 OLED TV from LG (except for the entry-level BX) is the Alpha 9 Gen 3 processor. There are some valuable improvements associated with this. My favorite is a new A.I. Image mode that helps optimize image performance by analyzing ambient light in the room and correcting image settings on the fly.

This may sound familiar, but the function goes beyond the basic “eco modes” by adjusting the TV's electro-optic transmission function (EOTF) to maintain bright details and HDR highlights for the best picture, no matter how bright or a room may be dark. I found the feature to work well and I encourage owners to turn it on when they first set up the TV.

LG GX OLED heroDan Baker / Digital Trends

Other improvements are somewhat technical, but do lead to improvements in image quality. I noticed that the decontouring filter on the Alpha 9 Gen 3 better minimizes banding in wide color ranges, especially for low bit rate content where banding is often a problem. The result is a much smoother picture with fewer distractions.

LG's dynamic tone mapping has also been improved. For the viewer, this means a better HDR experience, in which bright highlights are retained, the brightest objects of interest have the best highlights, and areas with poor lighting retain details without blacks getting a hit.

LG has also added a feature to increase the peak brightness for SDR content, which allows it to look a little more vivid – like HDR – without juicing the entire image in a flashy way.

Speaking of picture mode: users will find that Filmmaker mode is installed on LG's OLEDs this year, including the GX. This image mode deactivates the hatred of all postprocessors, eliminates the soap opera effect, keeps the colors accurate and maintains the aspect ratio and the original frame rate.

To be honest, Filmmaker mode looks very similar to ISF Calibrated Dark. If I watch more content, I will definitely update my comment here. For ready-to-use image settings, I still recommend ISF Calibrated Bright or ISF Calibrated Dark as a starting point.

Gaming performance

Equipped with HDMI 2.1 connections with all technical data and all available player-friendly functions, the 2020 OLEDs from LG are a convincing argument for gamers who are looking for a large-format display to play with. So far, LG's OLED televisions are the only models that support variable refresh rate (VRR) in addition to Freesync and G-Sync. They also support Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) with delay times of just 13 milliseconds.

LG's OLEDs are also the first to add an HGiG mode that should greatly improve the HDR gaming experience. HGiG stands for HDR Gaming Interest Group, which was founded to provide guidelines for TVs, consoles and game developers.

Simply put, this TV kicks your gaming monitor in the ass.

In short, HGiG supports televisions that behave in a predictable manner so that game rendering engines take over the entire HDR tone mapping and allow the TV to easily cut highlights at any peak brightness of the TV. This should help eliminate some of the poor picture quality we've seen recently in some HDR games.

While branding continues to be a problem for some applications, LG OLEDs are very useful for gamers this year. Simply put, this TV kicks your gaming monitor in the ass.

Our opinion

LG's Gallery series GX OLED offers a premium, but the additional investment pays off in beautiful design, an elegant wall-mounting system, and an improved user experience. If you take advantage of LG's excellent OLED picture quality, you have an amazing TV.

Is there a better alternative?

I think the LG CX OLED will make more sense for most people. It's not that slim and doesn't look that sexy on the wall. However, it is cheaper and offers the same image quality and features for the user as the GX, except for the aforementioned hands-free voice control.

For a non-OLED option, the Samsung Q90T could be considered for an equally high quality LCD / LED display.

If Vizio and Philips ship OLEDs in the United States, I will update this section of the review.

How long it will take?

Due to the support of HDMI 2.1 and all related functions, this television is positioned in such a way that it will continue to exist in the future.

guarantee

LG offers a 1-year limited warranty on parts and labor. This guarantee does not apply to image storage, also known as branding.

Should you buy it

Yes. If you appreciate the GX's slim profile and unique gap-free wall bracket and can afford the premium, then go for it. I can confidently say that I would buy the LG GX OLED immediately if the cost didn't matter. It is the most convincing television set that I have ever tested.

Editor's recommendations




09 Apr
Blog

Amazon Echo Show 5 Review: A Smart Display Hidden in a Clock

Amazon Echo Show 5 review

"Amazon's Echo Show 5 is so much more than an intelligent alarm clock."

  • Compact size fits anywhere

  • Attractive design

  • Versatile functions

  • Improved data protection regulations

  • Starting price

  • Slow smart home touchscreen control

  • Alexa calls aren't easy enough yet

  • No Google Photos or YouTube

Despite its name, Amazon Echo Show 5 ($ 90) is the third generation of Alexa-enabled devices to pack a screen. It was developed for desktops, bedside tables, kitchens and shelves and is the most compact Echo Show to date with a 5.5-inch screen, an integrated HD camera and a number of functional improvements compared to the two larger brothers Amazon Echo Show 8 for 130 US -Dollar and $ 230 Amazon Echo Show (2nd generation).

We won't blame you if your head turns with the rapid development of intelligent displays. Amazon, Google, and Partners are all experimenting with form factors, features, and prices to find the sweet spot that drives users to distribute these devices around the house.

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Google's Nest Hub ($ 129) and Lenovo Smart Display 7 ($ 100) are two of its direct competitors and offer similar functions in a compact size. In contrast, Amazon has developed Echo Show 5 as a real entry-level device. At a price well below $ 100, the retail giant is repeating a strategy previously tested with the audio-only Echo Dot, but this is obviously a more powerful device. You can't buy three or five at the same time as hosiery like you did at Echo Dot, but Echo Show is cheap enough to treat yourself and pick up a second as a valuable gift.

An intelligent display that you would like to flaunt

Amazon has made a few attempts to turn the Echo Show into a form factor that few would call ugly, but this new model makes it possible. The plate-like designs of previous generations are available in charcoal or sandstone and have been replaced by playful dimensions, gentler curves and flowing lines. It doesn't quite have the feel of Nest Hub, but curved corners, an angled, material-wrapped rear, and a grippy, rubberized base make Echo Show 5 both pretty and practical.

While all Echo Show devices have a data protection button to deactivate the integrated camera and microphone array, the Echo Show 5 goes one step further with a bulky camera shutter that slides over the lens. For a device that is being installed in potentially millions of bedrooms around the world, this is an obvious and very eye-catching attempt to address user privacy concerns. Slide the shutter button to display a bright orange tab while the lens hood changes from black to white and a notification appears on the screen. You will always know when data protection is activated.

The compact dimensions of the Echo Show 5 are ideal on the bedside table.

Even better, the lock ensures that you can still talk to Alexa or family and friends on drop-ins, Skype and Alexa video calls with a hidden camera. It's a simple addition to Echo Show's privacy features, but welcome.

If you're used to a larger 7- or 10-inch smart display, the 5.5-inch Echo Show initially feels like a step down. Fortunately, the display is clear and colorful, and has a resolution of 960 x 480, which is more than sufficient for photos, videos and the Alexa user interface. The menus are clear and easy to read throughout the room, and information such as time, date and weather are clear at a glance.

However, we still prefer a larger display for the kitchen. Google Nest Hub's recipes and YouTube videos look fantastic on a 7-inch, higher-resolution screen, while photos come to life in family rooms. However, the compact dimensions of the Echo Show 5 are ideal on the bedside table.

Alexa at its best

It's no secret that a smart assistant with a screen is an overall more engaging and useful smart assistant. This is certainly the case with the Echo Show 5, which turns out to be a surprisingly versatile device with alarms, reminders, entertainment, smart home routines and much more. When you've thought about the similar-looking Lenovo Smart Clock, stop. Echo Show 5 does a lot more.

While mostly instructing Alexa by voice, you can swipe left on the screen to access a function panel for easy on-screen navigation. We found the touchscreen display to be very responsive, but it took a few seconds for some features, such as B. the smart home control, after the selection was displayed – longer than desired.

Amazon Echo Show 5 reviewTerry Walsh / Digital Trends

We love the ability to customize the home screen with alternative backgrounds, photos and a selection of rotating information. This is a major advance over the limited customization features of the Lenovo Smart Clock and helps make life with the Echo Show 5 feel more personal.

An ambient sunrise function can gently brighten the display 15 minutes before your alarm is triggered. It works well to gently prepare you for the inevitable wake-up call. Sure, you can tell Alexa dazed to stop the alarm, but you can also hit a beat at the top of the screen (we tried to type) to set a snooze timer. If you spend a little time configuring Alexa Routines, you can start your day better with your favorite music and light scenes, set the thermostat, get the latest news, and find out about your daily routine.

Varied music and video selection, but still no YouTube

The loudspeaker of this echo is an appealing bedroom companion for music and radio with many low-end functions. Alexa’s verbal responses to your commands can be heard clearly throughout the room. Given Amazon's continued spats with Google, you won't find any dedicated YouTube or Google Photos apps on board – and let's be clear, both are overlooked – but with support for Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Prime Video, and more you have alternatives. It wouldn't be our first choice to watch an episode of Jack Ryan, but if you don't have a bedroom TV, this is a reasonable option.

It is the friendliest and most versatile smart display from Amazon.

Any Amazon Echo device can control your smart home with voice commands, but life is much easier with a screen. If voice commands don't work or you can't remember the exact name of a device to control it, you have a chic touchscreen controller on hand as a backup. While surfacing takes a few nervous seconds, you can access and control all of the lights, thermostats, cameras, and other smart home devices that Alexa knows. Depending on the device, the functions available may be restricted. For example, we could only change the color of our Philips Hue lights using voice commands, but touchscreen controls are definitely a useful backup.

On the other hand, smart home security systems such as the Ring Video Doorbell 2 offer enhanced functions for the Echo Show. When a visitor calls, you can see and communicate with them on the smart display. You no longer have to rush to the door half dressed to greet the UPS employee.

Alexa and Skype calls, messaging and more

In addition to Skype, the Echo Show 5 offers a number of Alexa voice, video call and messaging functions. Regardless of whether you choose a full video or just voice, the ability to communicate without pulling out your phone is liberating. With an exotic selection of Alexa-enabled devices like smoke detectors and intelligent thermostats, you can now yell at the kids from any room without the excuse of not being heard.

Amazon Echo Show 5 reviewTerry Walsh / Digital Trends

While we've found that conversations with the built-in speaker, dual microphone array, and 1-megapixel camera work well, finding the right contact using voice can be challenging, especially when using Skype. It's still very early for Alexa calls, and while we think this is a groundbreaking feature, Amazon still needs to do more to make external calls effortlessly.

Warranty information

As with all Amazon Echo devices, this new model is covered by a 1-year warranty.

Our opinion

Echo Show 5 is the perfect desktop companion for Alexa fans. We love its cute, compact shape, which represents a major advance over previous generations. Our initial concerns about the reduced screen size quickly resolved in use. It is the ideal size for a bedside table or at your desk.

It is important that it is so much more than an "intelligent alarm clock". While alarms, reminders, timers and basic information such as weather and news reports are the most popular applications, the Echo Show 5 is a capable companion at home, with decent entertainment options, improved smart home functions and hands-free communication.

In addition to the playful form factor, well-thought-out improvements such as new data protection functions, customization options and Sunrise settings make the Echo Show 5 Amazon the friendliest and most versatile smart display to date.

Is there a better alternative?

Google fans who are concerned about the lack of YouTube and Google Photos may opt for the more expensive Lenovo Smart Display 7 ($ 100) or Google Nest Hub ($ 129), while Alexa users find one larger screen, continue to purchase Echo Show 8 ($ 13). or second generation Echo Show ($ 230). For desktop or bedside tables, however, the Echo Show 5 offers fantastic value for money.

How long it will take?

We have found that Echo devices are robust and are well supported with feature updates. Of course, Amazon has been playing the customer support game for many years and they do better than most. No concerns here.

Should you buy it

Yes. Amazon Echo Show 5 is an easy pickup for Alexa fans and a great entry-level device for those considering their first smart display.

Editor's recommendations




09 Apr
Blog

Amazon Echo Show 8 Review: Third Time’s a Charm

Echo Show 8 Lenovo Smart Display Deals Amazon Walmart Rating 12 of 17 610x380 c

"Not too big, but not too small, Amazon has an absolute gem with the Echo Show 8."

  • Size is perfect for any room

  • Easy setup on the device

  • Strong audio performance

  • The YouTube integration is missing

If Goldilocks somehow stumbled into Amazon's headquarters, it would have no affinity for either the 10-inch Echo Show or Echo Show 5. One is just too big, while the other would be too small. She would probably prefer something in the middle. Something like the Amazon Echo Show 8.

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Several new smart displays were introduced last year, such as the Lenovo Smart Display 7 and Google Nest Hub Max. However, the Echo Show 8 intends to remain a relevant player, especially given the sales and package deals that are constantly being offered by the Amazon.

The right size

Amazon has achieved the perfect size with the Echo Show 8. It doesn't look bad when placed on a table or desk, unlike the Echo Show 5, which looks quaint alongside other decorations. On the other hand, it doesn't look massive when placed in tight spaces. Whether on the coffee table in the living room or next to your bed on a bedside table – the Echo Show 8 is the perfect size for almost any place.

Amazon has achieved the perfect size with the Echo Show 8.

Although its size is one of its great advantages, the design doesn't differ from Amazon's previous iterations. It has an angled display that is anchored by a fabric-wrapped base and gives the profile a more distinctive, speaker-like appearance. It's not ugly, but Amazon could be inspired by Google's Nest Hub Max. Google’s design is friendlier, more accessible, and looks better in a home environment.

The volume controls and mute switch are at the top of Echo Show 8, while privacy appreciates the switch that instantly covers the 1-megapixel front camera. On the back there is a power connector, a micro USB connector for maintenance work and a 3.5 mm additional connector.

No smartphone required

Nobody wants to use a separate gadget to set up a new gadget. Fortunately, the entire setup process is limited to Echo Show 8 and nothing more. After entering the password for my Wi-Fi network and then my Amazon account information, the setup process was complete. I never had to touch my phone. Most competitors need to install an app before setup is complete.

Voice commands are the main method of interacting with Echo Show 8. The two microphones at the top of the display recognize the “Alexa” command, which works well in noisy conditions.

John Velasco / Digital Trends

Alternatively, you can use the Alexa app on your phone to do almost the same actions with voice commands. Of course, you can also use the touchscreen display, an 8-inch panel with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels.

It's sharp and crisp, has the same resolution as its 10-inch sibling, but is smaller. That means more details. On the face of it, it's an absolute joy, but nowhere is it as impressive as the ambient EQ technology that Google's smart displays achieve photo-realistic results.

YouTube what?

Getting to know the user interface takes some time, but after a few tries you will be familiar with the menu system and swipe gestures. During most of the idle time, the Echo Show 8 will display messages and various content tailored to you.

Not surprisingly, all of Amazon's native services are provided. Access to Prime Video for movies is just a tap away. In addition, it is a hub to access all connected smart home devices if they have been set up via the Alexa app.

John Velasco / Digital Trends

The Amazon-centered approach, however, has limits. Anyone who wants to play a quick YouTube clip for the kids will find the experience backwards. There is no YouTube app at all. Even if you instruct Alexa to play a particular clip on YouTube, Echo Show 8 will tell you that this is not possible. You can play YouTube videos, but only by visiting the YouTube mobile website on the device.

This is the biggest problem with Echo Show 8, but it works well with other companies. You can access some of your favorite music streaming services like Apple Music. And with an intelligent display, it has never been easier to stay in touch with people. You can make video calls using your Amazon account or make old-fashioned calls using your cell phone number.

Sweet melodies

The audio performance of the Google Nest Hub didn't blow my mind. It felt thin and underpowered. That's why I was shocked by the powerful sound of Echo Show 8. The smart display delivers large audio data that easily outperforms the main competitors.

Not only does the bass perfectly emphasize the lows, it is also practical that you can adjust it and the highs to achieve that perfect sound. The Amazon Echo 8 strikes beyond its weight.

Our opinion

If Goldilocks chose, she would probably go with the Echo Show 8. It is the right size and the right price. For $ 130, this is currently the best value for a smart display. Due to its size, it is ideal for almost any place in the household.

Added to this are the various sales and package deals on Echo Show 8. Amazon has currently granted a $ 90 discount, saving you $ 40 off the MSRP. In addition, some of the bundle offers offer a smart plug, an adjustable stand or an Echo Flex – without increasing the final price.

Is there a better alternative?

If you're looking for something that takes center stage at home, the larger 10-inch Echo Show (2nd generation) is the better choice. However, you pay $ 100 more for basically the same smart display in a larger package.

Do you prefer the Google ecosystem? The Lenovo Smart Display 7 is the ideal candidate as it is similar in size, offers video calls and is perfect for controlling your smart home.

How long it will take?

Since it stays stationary, you can expect the Echo Show 8 to last a long time. Software updates will further improve the experience and bring new functions. This is an investment that gets better over time. Amazon offers a 1-year limited warranty with service in the event of a defect.

Should you buy it

Yes. The Amazon Echo Show 8 is the right size and price.

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