If the camera is your biggest concern in a smartphone, there's no question the Vivo X60 Pro+ will fit your bill. Check out our full review, both in text and video format within.
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Apple's entry-level MacBook Air is the best bang for the buck computer that I can recommend right now. This is our Apple M1 MacBook Air review.
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Motorola Moto G30 is one of the newest members of the G-series. The device offers a set of features that check a lot of boxes in the budget segment. The Moto G30 is powered by the Snapdragon 662 SoC, packs a 5,000mAh battery, and offers a quad rear camera setup alongside a design that’s good to look at. But how good is it really when compared to the competition? We spent some time with the device and here’s our Moto G30 quick review.
The smartphone offers a fresh look with its gradient design on the Dark Pearl color variant, which we received from the company. It is hard to spot the fingerprints on the back, which makes it a few of the devices that we can recommend without using a case. The phone is easy to grip, thanks to the curves at the sides. Furthermore, the fingerprint sensor is situated within the Motorola logo, which is a decent placement as it is easy to reach while holding the device.
On the left edge lie all the buttons including the Google Assistant, volume rockers, and the power button, which is positioned well and has a textured finish to it. However, the Google Assistant button is up on top and is very hard to reach with one hand without doing some thumb acrobatics. At the bottom, you get a Type-C port, which is accompanied by a microphone and loudspeaker. On the top, you get a 3.5mm audio jack and secondary microphone. I have a soft spot for phones that come with a headphone jack. The Moto G30 offers an IP52 rating for water resistance but don’t take it to the beach with you.
The Moto G30 features a 6.5-inch LCD display that offers a 90Hz refresh rate. The bezels are on the thicker side, but they won’t bother you while watching content or using the phone in general. While it is not as contrasty as an OLED screen, the display quality is good for media consumption. Plus, 90Hz makes the experience smoother than usual. However, the screen’s maximum brightness isn’t the best. We had trouble viewing it in direct sunlight, especially when trying to view photos.
The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 662 chipset, paired with 4GB/6GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB of internal storage that can be expanded. We faced no issues while browsing through the phone and in casual use. Although, the animation is on the slower side. Apps load quickly and you’ll be able to multitask without worries. That being said, don’t expect to play your favorite games in high graphics settings.
As for battery life, the 5,000mAh cell will last you an entire day easily – with any kind of usage. Motorola offers great battery life on its budget devices and the Moto G30 is no different. The company bundles a 20W charger in the box, and it charged about 35% in 30 minutes and more than 60% in an hour.
The Moto G30 sports a quad rear camera setup that is led by a 64MP primary camera, which is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. The cameras are plenty versatile but apart from the primary sensor, the others need improvement.
The 64MP sensor uses pixel-binning to capture 16MP shots by default. However, you can click full-res photos as well. As with any other camera nowadays, you get good details in broad daylight. Moreover, we found the colors to be fairly accurate too. At night, it takes a while to click images. It misses out on details in the shadows. Plus, there is some kind of smoothening going on to reduce the grain. Switching to Night Mode offers better details but the highlights could be blown out at times. As for portrait shots, the software is able to offer good separation between the subject and the background.
The secondary cameras are not worth writing home about. The 8MP sensor captures lesser details when compared to the primary lens. It is perfectly usable in daylight. Coming to the 2MP macro camera, it is average at best. The shots lack details but it does allow you to get super close to the subject. On the front lies a 13MP selfie shooter that offers average dynamic range and aggressive HDR most of the time. You can click portrait shots, which offer a good separation of the subject from the background. Turn to low light and the details disappear but using the Night Mode is the better choice since it offers better colors.
A jack of all trades but master of none
The Moto G30 seems to be a device that is a jack of all trades but master of none. It offers a good display with a 90Hz refresh rate, average performance, and cameras, a long-lasting battery life – all of it packed inside a stylish design. It does a bit of everything. However, the phone faces tough competition from the likes of the Redmi Note 10 (though, more expensive but better value) and the Realme Narzo 30A. That being said, if you are strictly on a budget, you won’t be disappointed by the Moto G30.
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Amazfit T-Rex was our Editor’s recommendation for the best rugged smartwatch at a budget. The brand is now one-upping its offering with the launch of the Amazfit T-Rex Pro. It is more rugged than ever, adds a biometric sensor to detect atmospheric pressure, gets a 3-axis gyroscope sensor and offers more positioning options and over a 100 sports modes. But do these additions deserve the $30 price hike? Let’s take a look at the new Amazfit T-Rex Pro’s capabilities in our quick review.
As rugged as ever
The new rugged wearable is built out of polycarbonate, which is strong enough to withstand hammer blows (yes, I tested that – just don’t put the hammer to the screen). It is rugged all around but that doesn’t translate to bulk. The smartwatch weighs just below 60 grams (straps included). It is really lightweight for the kind of design it offers.
The Amazfit T-Rex Pro is one of the most affordable Military Certified rugged smartwatches. It can withstand extreme temperature and conditions from 70-degree Celsius to -40-degree Celsius. I tested these numbers as far as I could by putting it in the freezer, and it still worked after 20 minutes. Obviously, I couldn’t test out the extremes. Further, the 5ATM rating has been bumped up to 10 ATM, which means it can withstand splashes, rain or snow to a depth of 100 meters.
The outer of the smartwatch is similar to its predecessor. You get Up and Down buttons on the left edge, and Select and Back buttons on the right. These are meant to help you with UI navigation, but I found myself using the touchscreen more often.
The buttons are likely to come into play if you are showering or swimming because water droplets on the screen cause hindrance in navigation. On the back of the device, you’ll find the Bio-Tracking Optical sensor. Coming to the straps, these are silicone bands, and are still the same – comfortable to wear 24 hours a day.
Display remains the same
The Amazfit T-Rex Pro comes equipped with a 1.3-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 360 x 360 pixels. It lies under the protection of 3D Corning Gorilla glass, which also has an anti-fingerprint coating over it. Essentially, it is the same screen as the predecessor. It is easily visible under direct sunlight.
The responsiveness can be improved
However, it does take 1-2 seconds to turn on the screen on wrist-to-wake, which is more than what I experienced on the original T-Rex. You also get an always-on display (AOD), which is also bright enough to see the time at a glance without the whole display lighting up. Plus, like before, there are two options for AOD – digital or analog. These presets cannot be changed to your liking. That said, you get important stuff like time, day and date on AOD.
Amazfit has bumped up the sports modes from 13 to 100+. You get a slew of modes under the following major modes: Running & Walking, Cycling, Swimming, Outdoor Sports, Indoor Sports, Dance, Combat Sports, Ball Sports, Water Sports, Winter Sports, Leisure Sports, and Others. I was able to test walking, outdoor running, and badminton but I’ll test more in our Amazfit T-Rex Pro full review.
You can swipe right and go to Workouts to start tracking. While testing, it took a while to acquire a GPS signal. In running, it shows current and average pace, distance, duration, and heart rate. And with walking, I can conclude that the wearable doesn’t register fake steps. Plus, during exercise, it shows the usual duration, calorie consumption, and heart rate.
Aside from that, you can set a 1-minute interval while measuring heart rate 24×7. However, it consumes a lot of battery. While I didn’t achieve the quoted 9 days on heavy usage, the T-Rex Pro lasted me 7 days with AOD off and heart rate interval set to 1 minute. You can get extra juice if you set the heart rate interval to up to 30 minutes.
Sleep tracking is better than before
Further, sleep tracking has been improved. It is pretty accurate. However, I cannot say how accurate are the REM, Deep Sleep, and Light Sleep numbers – there is no way to tell that. Plus, it can measure naps that are 20 minutes or longer.
While the UI is simple to use and pretty straight-forward, the response time or latency can be reduced. As I said before, it takes a second or two for the watch to light up when I raise my wrist. That being said, I didn’t encounter any stutters while navigating through the watch. The watch also allows you to control your music. You can skip a track, go to the previous track, and adjust the volume.
The notifications still remain non-actionable, meaning that you get informed of what’s happening but you can’t take action on it. For instance, if you get a message from your friend, the watch will display the message but you’ll not be able to do anything with it. You’ll have to pick your phone to reply to the message. This is more of a limitation of RTOS, which is what the watch is based on. The companion app and its functionalities remain the same. You can read about it in our T-Rex review here.
To conclude, the Amazfit T-Rex Pro is an awesome rugged fitness wearable. However, it could get smarter with actionable notifications to make it a full-fledged smartwatch. We’ll take a deeper dive in more sports modes in our Amazfit T-Rex Pro full / long term review. As for what’s on offer for USD 180 / INR 12,999, it is a compelling package. You can go for it if you are into outdoor sports, and like to stay connected while you are on the mountains hiking or swimming by a beach.
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Realme 8 Pro is here as a direct competitor to the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max (review). The USP of this device is its 108MP primary camera. But is it enough? When compared to the Redmi offering, what I miss the most on this phone is a high refresh rate. It sports an AMOLED display but is stuck at 60Hz. While the competitor offers a recent chipset, the Realme counterpart comes with a processor that can be found on its predecessor.
The intro might give you an impression that there is not much going on for the Realme 8 Pro, but that’s not the case. It supports 50W fast charging and an in-hand feel that could shame some humongous flagships. Here are more details in our Realme 8 Pro preview.
120Hz is dearly missed
The Realme 8 Pro features a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a full-HD+ resolution and an in-display fingerprint scanner. The display doesn’t offer a 120Hz refresh rate like the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, and isn’t the brightest out there but gets the job done. The colors are vibrant but you are likely to experience some stutters in the UI. I enjoyed watching YouTube videos, and it is perfectly fine for content consumption.
One of the most comfortable devices to hold in the segment
The power and volume buttons are located on the right side, while the SIM tray with two Nano-SIM slots and a dedicated microSD card slot lies on the left. Further, the buttons are easy to reach and clickable like you’d expect from a device priced at INR 17,999. Plus, it comes with a 3.5mm audio jack that lies at the bottom alongside the primary microphone, USB Type-C port, and speaker at the bottom, while the top only has the secondary microphone.
On the back lies a quad camera setup that lies in a square camera module. It sports a textured finish with “Dare to Leap” tag line plastered across the back in glossy finish. You might or might not like the tagline imprint but it does give the smartphone a unique look that distinguishes it from other devices. The Realme 8 Pro is one of the most comfortable one-hand smartphones in the segment. Plus, the textured back helps keep fingerprints at bay. This is one of the phones that I can recommend using without a case – even when it is supplied with the device in the box.
The smartphone packs a 4,500mAh battery that supports 50W fast charging. I like the presence of faster-than-usual fast charging that helps in a quick top-up. I’ve been using it for four days and it lasts me a day with my use case – mostly social media browsing. While some brands are excluding chargers from the box, Realme is providing a 65W charger for a device that supports 65W fast charging.
Coming to the USP of the smartphone, you get a 108MP primary camera that captures detailed images in bright daylight. The dynamic range is satisfactory as well. You also get an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera that captures colors that are slightly different from the ones captured on the primary camera. Then there is a 2MP macro camera, which captures vibrant images but lacks details, especially when compared to the 5MP camera sensor on the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, which I called “the best in the segment” in the review. There is also a 2MP back and white sensor. You can check out the samples below:
The Realme 8 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 720G SoC, which seems dated in 2021. While the daily life performance is fine, you do come across some stutters in the UI. Further, it comes in 6GB and 8GB RAM options with 128GB of storage. The smartphone runs Realme UI 2.0 with Android 11. It is clean and simple to use. I like the usability on offer here.
To conclude, the Realme 8 Pro isn’t a bad device but the competition is too damn hard. It sports a 108MP primary sensor, the fast charging on offer is great, plus, it is comfortable to hold. But is it enough to compete? Time will tell.
What do you think of the smartphone? And, what would you like to see in our full Realme 8 Pro review? Let us know in the comments below.
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Anton D. Nagy contributed to this OnePlus 9 Pro review.
This is the OnePlus 9 Pro, and by all counts, I think this is the phone the company has wanted to make for years. The product that will establish them more as part of the cool kids, where we see more established players like Samsung and Apple. Companies that have gained enough brand recognition to become status symbols, that have earned customer loyalty for years.
The biggest question is if this is the phone we’ve wanted them to make. This is the company that became famous for flagship killers. Products that defied that establishment with better value at acceptable compromise. There’s even proof that the strategy worked as we saw companies like Google, Apple, and Samsung diversify their lineups in order to launch their own sort of affordable flagships.
Now, in their defense, that flagship killer does exist in the OnePlus 9, which is such a dramatic improvement from before, that it deserves its own separate review. The Pro is more a showcase of everything the company can do, and I think the only way to judge it correctly is to forget the past. I get the impression that OnePlus is so certain of the 9 Pro’s capabilities, that this is the most expensive phone they’ve ever made. This price bracket is tough because we even debate the Apples and Samsungs that created it. That would mean that this phone is better than those, not just for the price, and there’s only one way to find out. This is our OnePlus 9 Pro review, in both video and text format.
Even if we’re going clean slate, the OnePlus 9 Pro seems like a blend of many successful ideas from the past. I think Huawei was first at calling any of its phones a Pro, and actually owning that title. Their reputation for cheap phones was so bad in the early days that I wouldn’t even care to review any of them before the Nexus 6P or P10, but then we saw the company drift so dramatically towards quality and capability, that they became a driving force that was hard to be ignored.
I mean, the P40 Pro Plus was my favorite camera on a phone last year. It also demonstrated the importance of co-branding with photography experts like Zeiss on Nokia and Leica on HUAWEI to prove that they’re taking photography seriously. What’s different with OnePlus is that this would be the youngest company to try to do all this, and for Hasselblad, a second chance at getting this right.
Visually, I’m gonna call this my favorite design on a OnePlus phone, ever. No more aggressive camera humps to wobble much on a table, and a far lighter build that feels more balanced in the hand. I’m not sure if it’s the cutout or the co-branding on it, but this phone looks like one of those classic Chevies from the 50s and 60s. I think the morning mist color plays a huge role in that appearance from the top, but the bottom is a mirror that made filming this phone a nightmare.
It does have this cool way of making fingerprints almost blend with the gradient, but I recommend you consider the other matte color options. Still, staples like the three-way mute slider are still here to remind you that this is a OnePlus phone.
From the front, we have the company’s best display on a phone. Dubbed its Fluid Display 2.0, we’re talking OLED with fewer curves, 10-bit color, 1300 nits of brightness, QuadHD+ resolution, and LTPO, so the variable refresh rate can go from 1 to 120hz based on your usage, and we have up to 360hz touch sampling for gaming. Certifications include HDR10+ from the panel and even Dolby Atmos from the speakers for content consumption. Oh, and by the way, this includes Qualcomm’s new Aqstic platform for improved wireless performance.
And since we began talking specs, In typical OnePlus fashion we also have the latest ones, with the amount of RAM and storage directly tied to how much you’re willing to pay. The latest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, IP68 resistance, Dual flavors of 5G, and even a Dual-Cell battery that enables Warp Charge 65T, meaning crazy fast 65 watt PD from the charger that’s actually included in the box, or 50-watt wireless that’s only possible if you grab the optional stand. Also, that wireless charging is now reversible for accessories.
That said, I have a feeling you won’t need to charge this phone much. Testing any phone’s 5G in New York is rough, and even if Google Fi is still not pushing blazing speeds, they were good given the city’s infrastructure. Phone calls were loud and crisp even on Subway stations, but this would be the first OnePlus phone I test that isn’t dual-SIM. It might just be that the T-Mobile approach now became regional, so just keep it in mind. Regardless, after 10 days of testing, this proved to be an all-day phone every single time, no matter how hard I taxed it.
A lot of it has to do with Oxygen OS on top of Android 11. Even if OnePlus is not as quick as Google at pushing you new versions of Android, they’ve been number 2 for at least two years. It’s fast, aesthetically pleasing, includes the Google Feed on the launcher, the Power Menu in the power button, but then has its own set of perks focused on flexibility.
You can easily switch to Amazon’s assistant, you have Reading Mode which is still one of my favorites, Zen Mode to force you to take a break from your phone every now and then. Maybe my favorite is to use facial recognition to only show me notifications on the lock screen when it detects it’s me, and the fact that the optical fingerprint scanner on the display can also be used to lock specific apps.
But alright, if anything the first part of this review proves that this is very much a OnePlus phone in everything we’re used to, which is great. I’ve always been a big fan of using them and was accustomed to accepting the OK cameras because the price was just too good. Now we have a Hasselblad collaboration, and a retail ticket to match, and if you were to look at the spec sheet, OnePlus is not playing around. The Primary sensor is one of the best Sony makes right now, the Ultra-Wide is also the best on any phone right now, which doubles as a Macro camera, and even if the Telephoto is not designed to honor all the lunar marketing prowess that Hasselblad is known for, it looks pretty good on paper.
The results are.. Well, good depending on your scenario. If you have enough light you’ll get the typical photos you’ll expect from any phone with great color, contrast, and detail. In close-ups or macro shots, you get some really good dynamic range, though it can blow out colors when taxed too hard. The problem is that the slightest gloom will somehow have the camera software favor light over the shutter. This makes it really hard to capture detail unless you have a steady hand, and the darker it gets, the more the color tuning gets in the way of the detail.
And sure, inconsistencies are expected when switching focal lengths since each is a different sensor, but in some cases, even saturation varies. It’s as if the software magnifies the grain and sometimes makes a dark vehicle look cartoony. If you like to take photos of animals you’ll find yourself frustrated. I get the impression that the software wants to push that Hasselblad contrast so much that it forgets that all that is pointless without detail. Just keep in mind that on the phone they’ll mostly look good. My findings are when you pull these shots into a computer and compare them to other flagships.
That means that obviously at night, finding detail only becomes more difficult. Some photos are good, some are not. The way light reflections are handled could have a lot to do with it, again, because of that slower shutter being used.
You’ll see what I mean in portrait shots where unless your hand is ultra steady, the detail will be lost. Same story with Selfies where I struggle to find any shot that I can say I like as skin tones are just completely gone over this sort of hue the camera is trying to bring in how it handles light.
In video, sure, you have 8K and I love that the ultra-wide sensor is good enough to assist, pushing a far better crop than Samsung. You also have 4K at 60 and even 120 to get some really smooth cinematic shots. Just make sure you have enough light as that will require more shutter work.
Stabilization is somewhat inconsistent though, with some video working well and some not so well, so just keep that in mind. Really my problem is having selfie video that’s 16 times lower in resolution than what the primary cameras can do, throwing the versatility of what you can do with this phone just out the window if you care about being able to frame yourself in-home movies.
In photos, I feel a software update is needed urgently, and in selfie video, I mean the megapixels are there, and if the OnePlus Nord can do 4K, seriously the flagship should too.
To conclude, I think that OnePlus has achieved a lot of what it intended with this launch. If the desire was to prove that it could launch a true flagship that competes against the premium sector, the hardware is all there, and all it needs is a bit more software tuning to become one of the best Android phones you can buy right now.
The only problem is perception, and it has a lot to do with how young the brand is. I asked at least 5 friends that were average consumers to pick between the 9 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro or the Galaxy S21 Plus, which are almost the same price, and none of them picked the OnePlus. Sadly, if the 9 Pro is not really a better phone, or doesn’t have a halo feature that makes those other phones look bad, once you remove the value proposition from the equation, it’s a hard sell.
For sure, in cases like photography, it has Improved a bit, but not completely. And then if the company chooses to trail behind in things like selfie video at a time when social media is a huge part of our lives, then why should you pay more for the 9 Pro if a regular iPhone 12 can tackle these things for less money? If there was one product that needed that whole Never Settle mentality, it’s this one.
If you’re a OnePlus fan, I have no problem recommending the 9 Pro. It’s definitely the best phone they’ve ever made and we know the company is speedy about software updates to address the shortcomings. Now, if you’re not, you might want to consider what features you care about most before choosing this over any of its flagship competitors.
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The Redmi Note series is known for providing premium features in the mid-range segment. And, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max (India) / Note 10 Pro (Global) continues the tradition. It brings an AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz, a 108MP primary camera, stereo speakers, a massive battery with fast charging, and more – all under INR 20,000 / USD 300! But what are the numbers if they don’t translate to real-world usage? I’m glad to report that these numbers convert to an exhilarating experience for a device that’s priced competitively. Let’s take a deep dive into its capabilities and limitations with our Redmi Note 10 Pro Max review.
Xiaomi has introduced a new EVOL design language with the Redmi Note 10 series. The switch from Aura design from the previous generation benefits the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max to keep the weight under 200 grams while maintaining a slim profile. You might mistake it for a premium smartphone, thanks to the use of glass on EVOL design. The in-hand feel and grip is one of the most comfortable for a 6.6-inch+ smartphone.
We received the Vintage Bronze and Dark Night color variants but it is also available in Glacial Blue. Personally, I prefer the Bronze color option since it doesn’t attract a lot of smudges and fingerprints making me recommend you to use the device without cover whole-heartedly. On the other hand, the Dark Night variant has a glossy finish to it, which makes the back panel reflective. Oh, by the way, Xiaomi bundles a silicone case with this phone so you are covered.
You’d mistake it for a premium device when you hold it
Starting with the top, you’ll find a speaker, IR blaster, and a 3.5mm audio jack, which is very near to my heart since I prefer listening to music on wired headphones. The right edge houses the SIM-card tray, while you get the volume rockers and the fingerprint sensor on the right edge, which also doubles as a fingerprint scanner. I didn’t have any problems with biometric authentication. It was easy to set up, and worked almost every time. At the bottom, you get a UBS Type-C port and another speaker grille.
Coming to the back panel, it houses a quad camera setup in a vertically-aligned module. Fortunately, the housing is not the same as every other smartphone in the market. The smartphone uses a metallic frame to hold together the glass on the front and the back of the device.
The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max features a 6.67-inch display that offers a high refresh rate of 120Hz. However, it is not dynamic in nature like that of the Mi 10i. That said, I did not miss anything. The 120Hz is smooth and there were minimal stutters. Out of the box, the device is set at 60Hz so you’ll have to go to display settings to enable the high refresh rate. On the top lies the protection of Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
The display is claimed to reach a peak brightness of 1200 nits (for supported HDR content). Practically, it is easily visible under direct sunlight and can go down enough so that you can read ebooks in the bed. I enjoyed watching Zack Snyder’s Justice League on this device. On the other hand, brighter content like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was fun too.
Best in class media consumption experience
The colors are vibrant and bright. Pair that with the set of stereo speakers and you’ll enjoy consuming content on the smartphone. The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max offers the best in class experience for media consumption in its price range.
The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G SoC, which is a 4G chipset based on an 8nm process. While some might not like the lack of 5G, in my opinion, it’s better than the company has invested in other departments rather than providing 5G since we are likely still a few years away from 5G reaching the masses. The chipset is paired with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage.
We received the 6GB variant. It is worth mentioning that RAM management isn’t the best out there. Even if you have four apps open in the background and you go back to the first app, it will restart. However, it is not a major issue and can be fixed easily with an update.
The SoC is capable of providing smooth day-to-day performance as I didn’t come across any major lags in opening or closing apps or browsing through the UI or while playing games like Asphalt. It doesn’t get hot with intensive tasks and is generally a fast phone. Most users would be satisfied with the performance on offer here.
The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max packs a 5,020mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging, which is the same as its predecessor. I had the display set to 120Hz, watched a few YouTube videos. streamed content online, and captured some images. Despite all of this, the phone lasted the entire day easily. Moreover, the device can be charged from 10% to 100% in under 80 minutes. Also, you get the 33W charger in the box.
The smartphone sports a 108MP primary camera that is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 5MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. The primary camera is a Samsung ISOCELL HM2 1/1.52-inch sensor with 0.7µm pixels sitting behind an f/1.9 lens and shoots 12MP (9-in-1) pixel-binned photos by default. This is a versatile set of cameras, and the company is offering fun modes to make use of it.
Starting with the primary camera, it captures detailed images in well-lit environments. It is quick to set focus, and the dynamic range on offer is good too. As for the colors, they are mostly accurate but the greens could be oversaturated at times. Plus, the 108MP mode needs to handle shadows better. That said, a good amount of details offer quality images. Overall, the primary camera performance is really good for the price range.
In low-light situations, the Night Mode 2.0 does a good job. You get a slew of features with VLOG, Clone mode, Panorama, and one of my favorites, long exposure. The wide-angle lens comes with a noticeable fish-eye effect. Plus, the image quality is poor as compared to the primary lens.
The macro camera is the real champ here
Coming to the 5MP macro camera, it is a champ. It captures detailed images, with vibrant colors. However, you need to make sure that there’s plenty of light. In the dim light, you’ll not get as many details in the images. Plus, your subject needs to be stationary. That said, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max’s macro camera is the best in the segment.
As for the 2MP depth sensor, it is present to provide better quality portrait shots, and it does the job. The edge separation is good, while the blur effect doesn’t seem artificial. On the front lies a 16MP selfie shooter, which does a pretty good job for the most part.
The smartphone is capable of shooting 1080p@30fps with EIS for stability. It maxes out at 4K@30fps for the primary camera.
The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max runs Android 11 with MIUI 12 on top. The usual set of MIUI goodness is here. You also get an Always On Display (AOD) but it lasts under 10 seconds so it is not really “always-on.” Plus, I’m glad to report that the phone didn’t push pesky ads. The ad situation is under control here with the Themes app and GetApps pushing out ads, which can be turned off.
I noticed another bug related to the Instagram app. When switching between apps and coming back to Instagram, it inverts the colors of some UI elements as you can see in the screenshots above. It can be fixed with an update.
That said, the overall UI experience was smooth and enjoyable.
| Redmi Note 10 Pro Max | |
| Display | 120Hz SuperAMOLED 6.67-inch FHD+ 1200nits peak brightness |
| Rear Cameras | 108MP primary 8MP wide 5MP macro 2MP depth |
| Front Camera | 16MP |
| Dimensions | 164mm x 76.5mm x 8.1mm |
| Weight | 192g |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G |
| RAM + Storage | 6GB+64GB 6GB+128GB 8GB+128GB |
| Battery | 5,020mAh 33W charging |
| Other features | Dual SIM IR blaster 4G LTE |
| Colors | Onyx Gray Glacier Blue Gradient Bronze |
With a SuperAMOLED display at 120Hz, premium build quality, 108MP camera, one of the best macro sensors in the segment, and excellent battery life, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is our recommendation for best bang for the buck in the mid-range segment.
The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max rewrites the rules of what a mid-range smartphone is capable of doing. With its AMOLED display, 108MP camera, stereo cameras, big battery, and superior build quality, the smartphone is an easy recommendation for INR 18,999 / USD 279 starting price.
| Pros | Cons |
| + Gorgeous design | – Wide-Angle camera could be improved |
| + Vibrant AMOLED display with smooth 120Hz | |
| + Genuinely good 108MP camera | |
| + Lasts an entire day easily |
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Anton D. Nagy contributed to this Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro review.
With the release of the Galaxy S21 line, Samsung also introduced an update to their truly wireless earbuds. Despite having quite a few options in the lineup — ranging from long battery life to simple sound to interesting bean designs, Samsung decided that they would put all of that together to create their version of a Pro earbud. I have already done a Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro review over on my channel, but weeks later I have a couple of extra thoughts on these little earbuds.
Let me put this out there right now: despite me saying these aren’t the absolute best I’ve ever used, the Galaxy Buds Pro has become my go-to every day truly wireless earbuds. So let’s talk through that. This is Pocketnow and this is our Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro review.
The terminology of Pro might make you think that Samsung’s track record of making small earbuds is shifting. Instead, Samsung manages to make earbuds that are basically the same size as the previous Galaxy Buds Live, to the point that style shells for the Live can actually fit on the Buds Pro case.
The overall footprint of the Galaxy Buds Pro is pleasantly small, making for a package that can be thrown easily in any pocket or bag. The case still has some smarts installed, with the USB-C port providing conventional charging on top of the wireless charging capabilities. It’s kind of nice to be able to put the Buds Pro case on a wireless charger while I’m using whatever phone was previously sitting on it — I barely think about how much battery the Live case has, because it’s constantly being topped up. So while it might not have the longevity of the Galaxy Buds+, the give and take means I’ll take the better sound in the Pro despite that sacrifice.
Obviously, the actual shape of the Galaxy Buds Pro is different than the Galaxy Beans — in the first move toward what could constitute the word ‘Pro,’ Samsung comes back to an in-ear driver that creates a seal in one’s ears for better-isolated sound. The result inevitably is better bass response, for a bit more bump than before. That’s not to say Samsung completely moved away from the lessons learned with the Buds Live — the Buds Pro still has a small vent that allows for just a little bit of air to filter through so that you don’t have a total and potentially uncomfortable seal. This is something that actually adds to the earbuds’ ambient sound feature, which we’ll get into later.
The Buds Pro has touch-sensitive areas on both earbuds that can be customized in the app, but basically provide just the typical tap and hold controls. Single, double, and triple taps on either earbud give you playlist control while holding either earbud can control volume, activate voice assistance, or change up the sound modes. Either earbud can be used on their own, making for the usual scenario for me where I have one earbud in until it runs out of battery and then switch up to keep the background tunes or podcasts rolling. And finally, if you want to turn on the pairing mode to get the Buds Pro connected to a new device, both earbuds have to be in and pressed until the mode is activated.
Now obviously sound and sound mode quality might be different across other people’s I found in my JV review and since then, the Buds Pro provides a great listening experience that works for multiple genres of audio content. Finding the right ear tip for a comfortable but robust seal is the first step toward a good sound experience, and I found the already installed tips to be just fine. The music I generally listen to came through very pleasantly, from hip-hop tunes to poppy R&B to electronic songs from Daft Punk (shouts out to them, end of an era). While I did say that there is better bass this time around, I will also admit that I’m a bit of a bass head especially for my hip-hop songs, so it’s good that in the Samsung app there are equalizer settings — Bass Boost was an obvious choice.
But for yet another layer of immersion on top of the raw sound profile, you get the active noise cancellation. That’s part of the joy of the Buds Pro, as the typical construction finally meets the features of the previous releases and puts them all together. The noise cancellation only works when both buds are in, at which point you can select two levels: high and low. The high setting seems to make the bass response stand out even more, so if you have this on with bass boost, you’re definitely in for a bump.
Overall, I’m really happy with the sound of the Galaxy Buds Pro but I have to restate the point I made in my first review: these are not the best-sounding earbuds I’ve ever used — that accolade for me goes to the Sennheiser Momentum 2. They’re also not the best noise-canceling earbuds I’ve ever used — that distinction still goes to the Sony WF1000Xm3. But like I said at the beginning of the video, the Galaxy Buds Pro has become my go-to dailies — and it comes down to how practical they are for my personal utility.
It all has to do with the last sound mode — Ambient Sound. The mode that uses the microphones to funnel in the sounds of the outside world. It’s there so that you can continue engaging comfortably with the outside world, even with both buds in — this is a feature that Samsung took further with detection, where the buds will automatically turn down the volume and max out the ambiance when its sensors and microphones can tell you’re trying to talk to someone. It’s sensitive enough so that the one sentence of ‘sorry, repeat that’ can trigger it.
And while it’s a nice mode to have especially when you’re just jamming out with both buds in, you can forget about singing along with your music. It’s only really useful for those incidental moments like a family member trying to get your attention. I still prefer to have as much environmental awareness as possible. when I’m out and about.
Talking to people in the meat space is one thing, but of course, you can use these earbuds and their microphone arrays for voice and video calls. Here is your test of the microphone quality using the Galaxy S21’s Pro Video mode, where the earbuds can be used as the Bluetooth audio input.
This brings me to my use case. If you want to just have some literal background tunes while running around and getting things done, you can do what I do and have one of the Buds in at half volume with Ambient Sound on max. Let’s call this the multitasker’s scenario, in that I can listen to audiobooks, podcasts, news, or YouTube videos without it fully taking my attention away from the task at hand. I can continue enjoying that content even if I’m walking around in a grocery aisle, without blocking out speaking scenarios with workers or cashiers. And if I need even more open hearing, a quick tap to pause the media is just fine because the maxed out Ambient Sound mode in just one ear lets me comfortably interact.
This is the way I use the Galaxy Buds Pro more than half of the time. The fact that the sound is plenty good to enjoy, the active noise cancellation does a proper job of blocking out the world, AND the ambient sound mode can help me maintain awareness makes these earbuds one of the most satisfyingly versatile pairs I’ve ever used.
It’s not all high notes, though, as Samsung’s move to marry multiple features into a Pro model actually makes the Galaxy Buds Pro regress a tiny step backward in the fit department. Don’t get me wrong, I love that these are the more typical earbud design because it means the low-end response is better — but it’s almost as if Samsung prioritized small size over design cues that might help keep the buds in one’s ear.
The Galaxy Buds Live, with all of its quirks, fit really nicely in my ears, while the wingtips of the Galaxy Buds+ gave them that needed a bit of extra security. I appreciate that the overall footprint of these earbuds is so small, but without these little extras, extended-wear times for me eventually mean a bit of sweat internally or externally makes them slip. It can get kind of annoying and considering the vast differences in people’s ear sizes and anatomy, obviously, your mileage will vary.
You might have noticed that in this video I’ve been using the Galaxy Buds Pro with a phone that isn’t made by Samsung. The Buds Pro, like most all Samsung accessories, can be used with any Android device as long as you install the companion app. This means installing not just a frontend app, but also some backend services. While all of these things are innate to any Samsung smartphone or tablet, you’ll have to just install the additions to your phone to get the most out of these earbuds.
This includes sound mode switching, the equalizer, getting notifications read aloud, and using the Find My Earbuds feature that blares sounds from each earbud if you forgot to put them back in the case. But for those of you who want the lowest latency, the Gaming Mode feature is only available if you pair these with a Samsung phone. That’s the thing about high featured earbuds like these — Samsung tuned them for best use with a Samsung phone, which makes sense but is something you have to keep in mind.
With the occasion of our Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro review, we want to take this opportunity and award these earbuds with our Recommended badge for all-around value true-wireless earbuds.
All things considered, the Galaxy Buds Pro provides so many features in a package that sums up the best parts of Samsung’s previous audio products. Even though the fit might be a point of contention, the practical use cases that each and every capability the Buds Pro bring to your ears makes them so useful.
If anything, the $199 price tag is right in the middle between the more affordable offerings that don’t have as many features and the higher-priced competitors that excel in certain departments like noise cancellation and battery life. Despite each particular part not being the best, Samsung used the sum of those parts to pleasantly achieve the term ‘Pro.’
The post Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro review: best earbuds? (video) appeared first on Pocketnow.
Anton D. Nagy contributed to this post.
For the longest time, the OPPO Find lineup has been more about Finding innovation than restraint. The Find 7 wowed many of us with its specs and QuadHD display for the time. The Find X was… Well, crazy. It took the design and motorized cameras more seriously than any other, and then the Find X2 Pro didn’t just go Periscopic but also taught the new kids how to do it in a compact body. There’s never been anything conventional about them, so of course, it creates this sort of expectation of another vanguard phone for 2021.
Well, this is the Find X3 Pro, what OPPO dubs as the Billion Color phone, and what I’m gonna call one of the sleekest, best-looking phones of the year so far, but not necessarily what I’d call a successor to what made the brand popular. So yeah, it’s not crazy, there’s no wow factor, but if refinement was the intent, there’s a lot of that here. This is our OPPO Find X3 Pro review.
You know, I saw the leaks, and sure, I also thought it looked a lot like an iPhone, but I think that’s a huge oversimplification. See, usually, smartphones in this category are large and chunky just to fit all their hardware, but this is probably the thinnest and lightest flagship I’ve tried yet.
To provide some context, it’s just 193 grams, making it around 35 to 36 grams lighter than the 12 Pro Max and S21 Ultra respectively. It’s also just 8.2mm thick, leaving the Ultra trailing behind at 8.9, though the 7.4mm on iPhone is hard to catch up with. I don’t usually make a big deal about these things, but because the body is narrower than average, somehow the weight distribution makes this phone feel almost hollow and effortless to use.
Now, it does seem like if 2021 is the year of the contour camera, but this is a very different approach. There’s a whole scientific explanation into how it takes 40 hours and more than 100 processes to create this kind of a curve, and I like it. It’s more cohesive and helps prevent lint from being stuck in the corners. If anything I’d say the curves make the hump look larger than it is because it doesn’t really protrude much. It is elegant, I’ll give you that, but that’s so long as you can keep it clean. I might recommend you try the Blue option cause this Gloss Black color doesn’t do so well in that department. Also, I don’t have a specific rating for the back, but I do know the front is Gorilla Glass 5.
Now the whole claim for the Billion Colors starts with this display. Last year’s Find X2 Pro was my favorite display on a phone, edging out every competitor in contrast ratio, and the legacy continues. This is a stunning 6.7-inch Quad HD OLED capable of 10-bit color, 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, HDR10+, 1,300 nits of brightness, and the same 5 million to 1 contrast ratio from last year. Colors, brightness, and viewing angles are seriously fantastic, and because it’s LTPO, you also have a variable refresh rate between 5 and 120hz at more power efficiency, and 240hz touch sampling. Match this with tiny and symmetrical bezels allowing for 92.7% of screen to body ratio, and a good pair of dual firing speakers, and yeah, content consumption is great. There’s also a very fast but not as reliable face to unlock through the punch hole, and an optical fingerprint scanner at the very bottom of the display to unlock it easier while wearing a mask.
Internals are also that of your typical high-end flagship, with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, 12 gigs of RAM, 256 gigs of non-expandable storage, Dual-SIM 5G that supports all flavors, the latest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a large 4,500 mAh battery, VOOC rapid charging up to 65 watts and yes it comes in the box. Finally, some wireless charging up to 30 watts if you have AirVOOC which is optional, it’s reversible up to 10 watts, and yeah, IP68 water and dust resistance are in tow.
This is Color OS 11.2 running on top of Android 11, which sure is not stock Android, but not really far from it. The UI elements are still mostly OPPO, but the more you use it, the more you realize just how much Google-ified it is. You have the Google feed to the left of the launcher, there’s an option to call on the Google Assistant from the power button, and you can also set an app tray if that’s your jam. Other features are actually welcomed, like using your fingerprint to unlock your Private Safe or specific apps, in addition to calling on shortcuts with a gesture. A side menu for quick shortcuts, and other enhancements like Game Space and OPPO Relax 2.0.
Really all you care about is that the UI doesn’t bog down the experience, and that’s the case here. Apps launch fast, animations are minor so it all feels smooth, and as a result, I feel battery life is pretty good. After a week of testing on Google Fi, I’ve been able to end my days with enough of a charge left, no overheating, though even with all the 5G antennas included, I can’t say I ever got 5G to work. Fi is still finicky about the phones it supports with it, even leaving iPhones off the list, so I’ll attribute that to my problem.
Now let’s talk cameras for a bit, cause that’s another reason for the Billion Color tagline. OPPO and Sony co-engineered a new 50-megapixel IMX766 sensor that’s capable of 10-bit color, but this is actually the first phone to include two of them. One for the primary camera, and the other for the ultra-wide. This makes a lot of sense cause if you think about it, in a mirror-less camera you can change lenses to provide different focal lengths, but image quality is never affected cause the sensor doesn’t. I wish that were the case with the telephoto, which took a step back from being periscopic. I’ll let the results do the talking, and we’ll discuss that fourth camera in a bit.
At first, I thought they just looked great because the display made them look good, but once you pull them into a computer, the results remain consistent. As expected daylight photos are great, but OPPO is playing with a bit more contrast in its color science, creating this sort of Leica grain that I’m really liking. It makes colors like red look bolder and more elegant. It plays in its favor mostly when switching focal lengths since you’re losing aperture on the other cameras, so the grain sort of compensates for the loss in detail in the shadows. Having the same sensor in the Ultra-wide leads to color consistency, and even if there’s one less element on the lens, there is nearly no distortion on the sides. And sure, we lost the periscopic zoom lens, but I’d say photos even up to 5X hybrid are really good, though I do suggest you stay away from 20X digital.
In low light, I’d say this phone performs better than most. These would be the only ultra-wide photos I’d recommend at night, providing results that are almost on-par with the Primary. Obviously the darker it gets the harder it is given the differences in aperture, but I’m very impressed overall. It’s not until you jump to the telephoto that things start falling apart, but it’s the story with every other phone.
Oddly, I’m a fan of selfies, but not of selfie portraits. Somehow the latter needs some serious tuning as all dynamic range is blown off, something every other competing phone solved generations ago.
And sadly, it’s the same way I feel about the video. I mean, the back camera can go up to 4K at 60 providing some decent results with good stabilization and colors, but I’m gonna apologize right now for the selfie video footage. No stabilization, pretty regular dynamic range, and it’s still stuck at 1080p, which again is something that competitors addressed ages ago.
As for camera number 4, well this is a Microlens that allows up to 60x magnification and even records Full HD video of, well, the weave that makes up my mouse pad. It uses a circular ring light to help you get really close to your subject, but aside from learning that my hankies were not really 100% cotton, this is more of a gimmick given the low resolution of the results.
To conclude our OPPO Find X3 Pro review, I think the best way to summarize the OPPO Find X3 Pro is by calling it the most mature flagship in this lineup. I mean sure the wow factor is gone, but I think it was done on purpose. During our briefing, we asked why features like the periscopic lens were taken away, and the engineers claimed that users didn’t use it as much as the primary or the ultra-wide. It kind of makes sense for the complexity to be removed if it’s an extra value that’s under-utilized.
Because of its great design, superb display, a great set of cameras,
and excellent battery life,
the OPPO Find X3 Pro is our choice
for a great overall flagship smartphone.
Maybe the reason why I disagree with that approach is that I feel the industry needs phones like the ones this lineup used to stand for. Not all features will stick around for an extra year or two, but the only way to live in the future is through experimentation. If it wasn’t for those motorized cameras or periscopic lenses, I don’t think other manufacturers would’ve adopted the technology. It’s proof that OPPO was actually delivering on useful ideas and not the usual gimmicks we get from other manufacturers.
Regardless, if I were to judge the Find X3 Pro as a flagship, it’s a great phone. From the look and feel of the hardware to the experience with the software, it’s a joy to use. If photography is your thing, it’s one of the best phones on my list, even if I wish all my needs for video were addressed. Sure, I was expecting a bit more than just another flagship with this phone, but that doesn’t deter me from the fact that I have no problem recommending it.
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OPPO announced its F19 Pro+ in India yesterday. Like other F-series devices, OPPO is focusing on video and camera capabilities of the new device. The F17 Pro successor is powered by a MediaTek SoC, which is quite capable for a smartphone priced under INR 30,000. To be exact, the Oppo F19 Pro+ costs INR 25,990 (~USD 356), and there is a lot on offer here. However, there is one big caveat. Despite the excellent build, good display, and plenty of cameras, OPPO decided to stick with a 60Hz refresh rate. That said, here’s our Oppo F19 Pro+ initial impressions.
Grippy and comfortable to hold
Starting with the in-hand feel, you’ll notice that the smartphone fits easily in one hand. It measures just 7.8mm thick and weighs only 173 grams. It is one of the most comfortable-to-hold devices in the segment. We appreciate the design language on offer here.
Coming to the looks, OPPO is offering the F19 Pro+ in subtle colors as you get Black and Silver color options to choose from. It does pick up fingerprints but they can be wiped off easily. It is one of the few devices that we can recommend you to use without a case. There is a chrome-plated frame that is glossy but offers a rounded design. As per OPPO, it has used eight antennas placed all-around the frame in order to maximize signal strength. We’ll put it through thorough use in our review, and let you know about the signal strength.
I’m glad that OPPO decided to keep the 3.5mm audio jack – located at the bottom. You get triple-slot tray for two Nano-SIMs and a microSD card. The buttons on offer provide a tactile feedback. On the back, you’ll find a quad camera setup sitting in a black-coloured camera island with a 5G logo embedded on it.
A high refresh rate would have been a welcome addition
The Oppo F19 Pro+ features a 6.4-inch AMOLED panel that has a Full-HD+ resolution, which also has an in-display fingerprint scanner. The biometric authenticator is easy to set up and works almost every time. Over the top, you get a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 refresh rate. Despite the bright and colorful display, the F19 Pro+ misses out on a high refresh rate. It offers a 60Hz refresh rate.
It runs Color OS UI based on Android 11. OPPO’s skin has come a long way since ColorOS 7. It is fast, responsive, and easy to use. You don’t miss out on customization options either. The Oppo F19 Pro+ is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 800U chipset, which is paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
One of the USPs of the smartphone is its fast charging tech – it offers a 4,310mAh battery that supports 50W fast charging. OPPO says it can be charged from 0-100% in just 48 minutes, which is perfect for the in-house routine of the pandemic life.
On the optics front, the Oppo F19 Pro+ offers a quad rear camera setup. It is led by a 48MP primary camera, which is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2MP monochrome sensor, and a 2MP macro camera. On the front lies a 16MP selfie shooter. The company is also offering new AI video features, such as better low-light recordings and better quality when shooting backlit subjects.
On paper, it might seem a bit underwhelming since Xiaomi now has two smartphones with a 108MP primary camera under INR 25,000. However, we’ll put it to test in our full. review and report back with the performance results. Do you have any specific questions? Let us know in the comments below.
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With the Redmi Note 10 Pro (global, Note 10 Pro Max in India) Xiaomi is picking features from its flagships and offering them in the mid-range segment. The latest Redmi device features a 108MP camera, a Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and a design that could put some flagships to shame. “They must be charging a fortune for that,” you’d say, but it’s not the case. Surprisingly, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max starts at INR 19,000 / $279 (global). I’ve been using it for the past three days, and here’s my Redmi Note 10 Pro Max hands-on preview.
The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max features a glass back with curved sides. Xiaomi is calling it the “Evol” design. It comes in three color options of Dark Night, Vintage Bronze and Glacial Blue. We received the first two colors. The Black is glossy and attracts fingerprints, which can be wiped away with ease. On the other hand, the Vintage Bronze color is unique and looks gorgeous.
The in-hand feel is flagship-grade
It is comfortable to hold and operate with one hand despite the screen being north of 6.5-inches. It’s a big phone but doesn’t feel like a solid brick in the hand. Xiaomi managed to shave-off some weight from the predecessor, and the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max weighs 192 grams. It is comparably lighter than some phones of the same size.
There is a rectangular camera module on the back, which houses four cameras. It sports a two-stepped design. The primary 108MP sensor gets a large silver border while the rest of the cameras are stacked within the black island. On the right edge, you’ll find the usual volume rockers and the power button, which doubles as a fingerprint scanner. It is quick, and I’ve had no issues thus far. You also get a double-tap gesture on the power button that you can program to trigger the Google Assistant, pull down the notifications shade, turn on the torch, among other things.
Yay! A headphone jack
At the top lies the 3.5mm audio jack, second speaker grille, and an IR blaster. I’m very glad that they included the headphone jack as I listen to music on my AKG K371 that offers a significant sound boost in wired form. The device offers IP53 rating for water and dust resistance.
Xiaomi is going all-out with the display
Turning over the phone, you are greeted by a 6.67-inch full-HD+ Super AMOLED display that offers a 120HZ refresh rate. Notably, it is not dynamic like the Mi 10i, but I’m very happy with the consistent performance (more on that in the full review). Xiaomi has gone all-out with the display as it offers 1200nits peak brightness, 100 percent DCI-P3 wide color gamut support, and TÜV Rheinland certification for low blue light emission.
On the top lies a 16MP selfie shooter in one of the tiniest punch-hole cutouts in the segment. It comes with a pre-applied plastic screen protector, which I managed to scratch within my short duration with the phone. The display lies under the protection of Gorilla Glass 5.
On the performance front, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G chipset. I’m yet to put it through thorough use, and haven’t played any games yet. However, it should be enough for the device. That said, we’ll test the performance in our full review. The Snapdragon 732G SoC means you get no 5G support. And, for a country like India, it shouldn’t be a deal breaker. Xiaomi is offering LPDDR4X RAM, UFS 2.2 storage, and a 5,020mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging.
The 108MP camera is a first in this segment
Coming to the optics, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max sports a quad rear camera setup. It is led by a whopping 108MP sensor, which is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 5MP macro shooter, which is touted to offer “super macro” capabilities. Xiaomi says it has used a macro lens with 2X zoom. Theoretically, it should allow you to capture macro shots even from a distance. Oh, and, the cameras are plenty versatile! Here are some camera samples:
The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max runs MIUI 12 based on Android 11. It will be upgraded to MIUI 12.5 in the coming months. It would allow you to remove all the bloatware that you don’t use. So far, I haven’t received any ads apart from the GetApps app.
After our Redmi Note 10 Pro Max hands-on preview, I can safely says that it is shaping up to be a promising device. I’ll go in-depth in my upcoming review later this week. Stay tuned! Also, comment down below if you have any questions.
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This is the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2, a very interesting sequel to one of the most opulent products of 2020. I mean, it was hard not to award the first Galaxy Chromebook as best of CES for its sleek design, powerful internals, S Pen support, and a 4K OLED display, but it wasn’t perfect. It obviously didn’t come cheap, and battery life was sort of a problem, which made the choice for ChromeOS be kind of a deal-breaker. It’s always been this topic of debate if buying an expensive Chromebook is worth the money, and the reason why I drifted more to the Galaxy Book Flex, which was almost the same machine, but running Windows.
To use an analogy, an Expensive Chromebook is like trying to sell a variant of the MacBook Pro running iPadOS, but at the same price as one running macOS. And fine, before you cringe, I agree that ChromeOS is superior to what Apple launches in its tablets, but have you ever wondered just how much more superior? I mean guys, even Google decided to tone this approach down. It’s been almost four years since the Pixelbook. Three years since the Pixel Slate disaster and the PixelBook Go from two years ago became far less expensive.
I seriously don’t blame Samsung for switching its approach for 2021, all while keeping some of the elements that made generation one so hot. This is our Galaxy Chromebook 2 review.
Alright, so why the whole *But runs ChromeOS,* or the analogy I used earlier? I think the best way to understand why the Chromebook 2 is NOT better than the first, starts with understanding who a Chromebook is really for. Since Google is a web company, and our lives have pretty much evolved to be always connected, it makes a lot of sense for the needs of many to be centered on just a few things that can all be done on the browser. That allows for a more nimble operating system that does not carry any baggage, which in turn allows lower specs and a more affordable price tag.
Now, let’s be honest, the reason why Chromebooks are more popular in schools and with the average consumer is NOT that they’re better than a Windows PC or a MacBook. It’s because they’re dramatically cheaper. For as much as Google tried to go premium, the software just didn’t match the hardware as it does on competing operating systems.
That’s exactly the best way to describe what the Galaxy Chromebook 2 is all about. The price and the offering now adapt more to reality, but it solves another major pain point in the process… I mean, I know Chromebooks are cheap, but if we’re honest, most of them are also ugly or really skimp down on essentials that some might be willing to pay a bit more for, which is the niche I feel this laptop tries to fill.
Unless you compare it to its predecessor, the Chromebook 2 is probably one of the most premium-feeling and looking Chromebooks on the market today. In this price range, the sexy Fiesta Red in this chassis is a lot more eye-catchy than say, a Pixel Book Go. It borrows from my favorite laptop design from last year, which was actually its predecessor, but it’s not exactly the same body. It is the same Aluminum finish, but this one is slightly thicker and heavier. Still, it keeps one of my favorite design elements, which is to have back-lit keyboard lowered a bit more to provide just enough palm rest, but not too much, and also in offering a fairly large trackpad, along with a decent amount of with USB-C on each side, and even microSD expansion up to 2 terabytes.
You might need to actually use that more often than you think, though. If this is going to be your only computer, specs won’t drive you crazy. The more affordable model starts at an Intel Celeron with 4 gigs of RAM and 64 gigs of storage, which I’m hoping is somehow better than how those numbers made the Pixel Slate cough with anything. My review is based on the Core i3 with double the storage and RAM numbers, which might be a better investment in the long run. Other standard specs include Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 4.
Now, aside from the outer shell, another thing that separates this Chromebook is the display. Samsung’s QLED technology makes a return on this 13.3-inch panel, with a lot of punch in color and contrast. I do wish it went above 1080p, but you and I know that anything with that has an extra digit in the price. Push the hinge further and another reason this is better than the Pixelbook Go, is that the panel is touch-sensitive, so you can set it as a tent to consume content or even a tablet if that’s your jam. Doing this automatically switches the software to gesture-based, which is welcomed. Sadly there’s no S Pen included in the box, but pretty much any USI Stylus works with it, though I wouldn’t recommend you cheap out too much on that, as the experience will vary. Samsung makes a lot of high claims for the speakers, which are beyond Ok to almost what I’d call good, but nothing amazing given the placement.
But alright, after typing half this script on it with the things I like, let me switch over to the things that aren’t necessarily bad. Or as I like to say, where I’m mixed.
The first is the keyboard. It is a joy to type on. Probably the best one Samsung has ever put on a laptop, but make sure you watch Michael Fisher’s review. His unit actually got replaced due to keyboard repetitions. I can’t say my computer has the same aggressive problems that his unit has, but yeah, it’s happened a couple of times, and mostly on Android apps.
And yes, that actually leads me to the second reason why I’m mixed. I think ChromeOS has matured a lot from the last time I used it. I love the ability to switch to more than one desktop for multi-tasking, plus the tablet gestures, and let’s be real, Chrome as a browser is pretty powerful and convenient. If you can live with Chrome alone, you’ll be fine, but my problem continues to stand on the shoulders of Android Apps. The UI elements and the navigation is not always consistent, the size of text or the presentation of features is not consistent, and I think they do affect essentials like battery life. I mean it does charge pretty fast with the bundled 45-watt charger, but the battery drop depends on what you do, so don’t expect the 13 hours promised.
Michael had a better experience with his unit, but I couldn’t get past 5 to 6 hours of use, which I think might have to do with how much I use Android apps for Slack, Microsoft OneNote, and others… I think it’s probably the reason why the fans on my unit kick in pretty often, but that actually leads me to my other problem. Guys, this is the same version of Microsoft Excel and Word on your Android Phone, so don’t be fooled to think it competes with a Windows machine, or heck, even the version on iPadOS. And see, this is my biggest problem, that if you want the full PC experience, you depend on a browser version of the service to exist because, in everything else, you’re using a phone’s app, with phone limitations.
Last but not least, I’m not gonna call this a problem, but I was already pretty excited with how Samsung has evolved its ecosystem to talk to each other, like how the Galaxy Book Flex can charge your devices on the trackpad, or support features like Samsung Notes to sync with your phone. As it stands, since Samsung’s Galaxy Store is not available on this computer, you’re limited to Samsung Smart Things on Google Play and that’s it. It almost feels like a step back when compared to everything Samsung offers to its Windows computers.
To conclude, what can I say? The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook is probably the best Chromebook you can buy for its price range. It’s got an amazing build, a really good display, and I do have to say that even with the basic specs, this Core i3 performs really well. We recommend the Galaxy Chromebook 2 as the Best Value.
My problem with this computer is really ChromeOS, and it might have to do with the fact that I’m biased towards getting a more powerful operating system for this kind of money, cause yeah at this price, you can find some fairly decent Windows machines that’ll be able to do more. Heck, even last year’s Galaxy Chromebook is available with better everything for $100 bucks more than the high-end variant that I just reviewed of version 2.
If you’re on the market for a Chromebook, meaning you know your usage fits into the mold, then sure, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 is a pretty neat little package. It’s what I’d call a more logical high-end Chromebook if there is such a thing.
The post Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 review: CLEARLY a sequel… (video) appeared first on Pocketnow.
If you’ve been following HUAWEI and its development over the past quinquennial, you know very well that the two flagships, the spring P-series, and the autumn Mate-series are two different animals.
The P40 – which earned our Road Warrior award for the Pro version, and the Best Camera of 2020 for the Pro+ variant – is aimed towards the creative, focusing on multimedia and photography. The Mate-series is the one pushing the limits of performance. It is also the device that usually introduces the latest iteration of the Kirin chipset, and other advancements.
That has certainly been the case with the Mate 40 Pro, bringing even more power to the palm of your hands. Three months after starting using it, this is our HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro review, long-term.
HUAWEI decided to spruce up the color palette of the Mate 40 Pro, offering it in White, Black, Olive Green, Sunflower Yellow, and the very interesting, chameleonic, Mystic Silver we have over here.
This color option shifts shades from dull silver all the way to red, through orange, yellow, green, and starting from blue. It’s got most of the colors in the spectrum if the proper light hits it at the right angle. The matte finish of the glass also helps keep fingerprints to a decent amount.
The display is curved towards the edges, and so are all the extremities of the back panel. This makes the phone incredibly easy to grab, and ergonomic. The buttons are easily reachable with the power button on the lower side being painted in vibrant red. The volume rockers are placed towards the top, but you also have the option to control output via the virtual buttons on the left side of the display.
At first, I didn’t know what to think about the round, Oreo-like camera arrangement on the back, with the Leica branding in its middle, painted with the same color-shifting shade as the rest of the phone’s backside. I guess this makes it a circle, rather than a disc or an Oreo. You catch my drift. HUAWEI calls it “the Space Ring”.
Overall, we think HUAWEI nailed it with the design, materials, and overall finish of the Mate 40 Pro. That is why Pocketnow decided to honor the HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro with its Editor’s Choice Award for design.
The Mate 40 Pro, as the case with any Mate model before it, is a beast. It is powered by the 5nm octa-core last-gen Kirin 9000 processor, which contains a 24-core Mali G78 GPU, three NPUs, as well as modems capable of operating on most 5G networks and frequencies.
Couple that with 8GB of RAM and future-proofing just got an entirely new meaning. It also features 256GB of storage, and a 4,400mAh battery capable of 66W wired, and 50W fast wireless charging.
The display is a gorgeous 6.76-inch OLED panel with an FHD+ resolution of 2772 x 1344 pixels and a max refresh rate of 90Hz. Aside from the fact that it’s a gorgeous display, it is also extremely curved around the edges, to the point where content flows over almost to a 90-degree angle.
Underneath the display, you’ll find a fingerprint scanner that is fast and accurate and gives you an easy alternative to unlock your phone in case facial recognition fails, you know, due to the fact that you’re wearing a mask most of the time when you’re out.
Just in case HUAWEI needed to prove that they really mean business with the Mate 40 Pro, they packed a total of 5 cameras, 3 on the back and 2 on the front.
On the back, you’ll find a trio of 50MP Ultra Vision Camera (Wide Angle, f/1.9 aperture), 20MP Cine Camera (Ultra-Wide Angle, f/1.8 aperture), and 12MP Telephoto Camera (f/3.4 aperture, OIS), as well as the LED flash.
On the front, inside the oval pill-shaped cutout, there’s a 13MP Ultra Vision Selfie Camera (Wide Angle, f/2.4), as well as the 3D Depth Sensing Camera.
I’ll be honest, I haven’t handled a smartphone snappier than the Mate 40 Pro in the past 12 months. Whether it’s the fast processor, the amount of memory, or EMUI 11 (or a combination of all the aforementioned), I really don’t know, but it’s wicked!
Throw at it whatever you want and it will instantly execute without breaking a sweat. It does that both fresh after a restart as well as running without a reboot for days.
We won’t bore you with benchmarks and other analytical information (there are other reviews out there that specifically focus on that) as we here at Pocketnow believe in real-life performance.
Now, whether you’re playing a demanding game, like Asphalt 9 Legends, or you have several other applications running in the background, you won’t feel any lag, delay, or hiccups.
While we weren’t able to test out 5G due to the lack of service in this particular region, we can safely say that the same performance is translated to WiFi and 4G as well. Data speeds are right there at the upper limit of what the service provider guarantees. Phone calls and general call audio is crisp and clear, and limited only by the quality of your service provider (for instance Hi-Fi voice is only available if both parties’ phones, and their carriers, support it). That is not the case with calls placed on WhatsApp or Facebook, where the quality is crisp and clear.
This brings us to the speakers. The Mate 40 Pro has a pair of rather powerful speakers, one at the top, and one at the bottom, for stereo effect. They are not only loud, but they produce a rather surprising high-quality sound, considering where that sound is coming from (a phone).
HUAWEI has literally spoiled us with the performance of the cameras it equips its phones with. The triple-camera setup on the Mate 40 Pro is no different. It is needless to say that it’s one of the best camera phones out there, competing head to head with its other siblings in the Mate 40 line-up, as well as the P40 lineup.
Regardless of what you decide to capture for posterity, the Mate 40 Pro will not disappoint, let it be landscapes, close-ups, portraits, etc. Colors are accurate, contrast and depth are spot-on, and with the improved focal length of the ultra-wide camera, you’ll get great results. These are also due to the free form lens Huawei decided to use on the Mate 40 Pro, where an uneven shape is utilized to reduce and sometimes completely remove distortions.
When it comes to the telephoto lens, you have the option to zoom in optically up to 5X. Since it’s an optical zoom, and it’s heavily stabilized, the quality of the pictures is exceptional. There’s also the option to go further with digital zoom, but we’d advise you to keep it towards the lower end.
And, again, when it comes to low light, Huawei does such a great job that oftentimes night photos are as bright as if they were taken at dawn or sunrise.
Turning to the front we can only commend Huawei for opting for a wide-angle lens for the selfie camera. It makes it easy to frame your shot, as well as gather more people inside the same frame, should you decide to not distance yourself socially.
Selfies snapped can often benefit from the effects you choose to apply, but you’ll be satisfied with the results even if you opt not to utilize one.
This elephant in this same room has been addressed so many times before that I feel I’m writing the same paragraphs every time I review a modern HUAWEI smartphone.
Yes, it’s Google! I won’t beat the same dead horse once again. The status quo has become the “norm”, so I think it’s time the world shifts from a complaining/wishful thinking/criticizing mindset to just accepting the product for what it is.
EMUI 11 is based on AOSP Android 11, and, instead of Google Play, you get your apps officially from the HUAWEI AppGallery, or unofficially (at your own risk) from one of the various services out there.
We touched on this topic in detail in at least two of our recent reviews with the occasion of the HUAWEI P40 Pro and Mate 30 Pro. Read any of those (heck, read both!) for more details on the topic.
So instead, we’ll be looking at the present and the future. HUAWEI is not only committed to, but has already proven that it can build a solid alternative ecosystem. The AppGallery is expanding every day and yes, while it’s still far behind the Play Store, chances are more and more apps are available every day, slowly filling in the gap.
Solid Google Maps alternatives are represented by TomTom and Here Maps, local banking apps are being added (localized to each country), Bolt is available as an Uber alternative, so yes, there’s an app gap, but it’s closing slowly to the point where the absence of Google and its services is really manageable.
HUAWEI did a nifty little thing with Quick Apps. You go to a website, like YouTube for instance, and it loads the mobile version of the page (which is pretty much as close as you can get to the mobile app functionality-wise). With Quick Apps, you can send that page directly to your home screen, retaining the icon and everything, so for an untrained eye it would seem like it’s the regular app you have installed.
You can do that with Google Maps, Gmail, and pretty much every other service that has a mobile-optimized web offering. Trust me, even if one or two features are missing (which is on the company that’s offering the service, not HUAWEI), it’s as close as it gets.
Sure, I’ve been commending and recommending modern HUAWEI smartphones for years now. Their solid build quality, great design, snappy performance, stellar cameras, and the all around experience makes it easy to recommend them hardware-wise.
But it’s the software and services that really made me hold back just a little in recommending a purchase, especially for those who are not advanced users to the point where you can make this work by spending a little extra time and tinkering with the software.
This has now changed thanks to HUAWEI’s efforts. Sure, the product is continuously improving hardware-wise from the predecessor to successor, and that’s easy to recommend, but it’s the company’s software and ecosystem efforts that allow me to finally recommend HUAWEI’s flagship without major reservations, and I think that’s the most important conclusion to our HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro review.
And the thing is, with top-notch hardware components inside the Mate 40 Pro, it’s future proof enough to where it will still be a top performer down the line when the HMS ecosystem will continue developing into what HUAWEI’s vision is down the road.
You can purchase the Mate 40 Pro outside of the US from HUAWEI’s store (where available) or partner retailers. In the US, it currently goes for $1,348 on Amazon.
Pros:
+ excellent build and design;
+ exceptional cameras;
+ great battery life;
+ powerful speakers.
Cons:
– a tad on the expensive side;
– some apps might not be available yet.
The post HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro review: keeps getting better and better appeared first on Pocketnow.
Well, we have several OnePlus deals. First, we will head over to B&H, where the OnePlus 8 is currently getting a massive $350 discount, which leaves this smartphone available for $450 in its unlocked version with 128GB storage space. The OnePlus 7T is also on sale, and you can get one for $350 with $250 savings with the same 128GB of storage. Now, things get even better when you head over to OIInePlus.com, as you can still find some Valentine’s Day deals that let you get the OnePlus 8 starting at $599 and get another for 50 percent off meaning that you can save up to $500 with your purchase. The OnePlus 8 Pro is also on sale, and you can grab one for $799 after a $200 discount.
Now, heading over to Amazon, we find some nice bundles that feature the all-new Echo smart speaker with smart light bulbs. The first option includes the 4th-gen Amazon Echo with two Philips Hue Bulbs for $80 with a $50 discount. If you want a smaller Echo with a more affordable price tag, you can get your 4th-gen Amazon Echo Dot with clock bundled with a Sengled Bluetooth bulb. You can get yours for $60, and you get $9.99 savings.
And since we’re already talking about speakers, you may also want to consider getting a pair of Mackie CR-X Multimedia Monitors with processional studio-quality sound. You can get them in a standard fashion with the necessary cables and wires to hook them up to your PC, or you can go for the Bluetooth version. The smaller 3-inch option starts at $90 with $10 savings in the standard version, or get the Bluetooth version for $110. The 4-inch option is getting a $30 discount, meaning you can grab a pair for $120, or $140 with Bluetooth, or grab the 5-inch variant for $170 standard, or $190 with Bluetooth and the same $30 discount.
The post The OnePlus 8, 7T, Amazon Echo bundles and more devices are on sale appeared first on Pocketnow.
For creators these days, a pen-based interface is pretty important. It has a much more direct interaction method versus traditional mouse or trackpad interactions. The old mouse and trackpad are disconnected from the information that you’re actually interacting with on the screen. Touch displays solve that to some degree, but fingers are big and clunky. A more-precise stylus provides much more accuracy. We’ve covered some Wacom displays here on Pocketnow before, and I’ve personally been a big fan of since starting as a graphic designer in the late 1900’s. Today, we get to review a competitor to Wacom’s high-end pen displays in the form of the XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro. I’ve always sworn by Wacom pen tablets/displays, so it will be very interesting to see how the XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro compares, especially since its price is considerably less than a comparable Wacom pen display.
The Artist 24 Pro’s screen size is about 23.8 inches diagonally which is 20.74 x 11.67″. The display resolution is a nice 2560 x 1440 pixels. In terms of the whole monitor’s size, it’s 24.88 x 14.57 x 1.76 inches. For color gamut options, we’ve got an awesome 90% of Adobe RGB color gamut! You can also use 88% NTSC or 120% sRGB with a color depth of 16.7 million. The contrast ratio is 1000:1 and the response time is 14ms. The viewing angle is about 178 degrees and you can get a brightness level of 250 cd/m2. There’s a 100x100mm VESA mount, too. The stylus doesn’t require a battery and supports 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity as well as 60 degrees of tilt sensitivity.
The XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro includes a slew of wires and accessories for connecting the display to your computer.
If you have a display port capable USB-C port, you can use the USB-C to USB-C cable in the middle of the above photo to connect the pen display directly to your computer. This works really well and supports the full resolution of the display. If you don’t have a USB-C display port, you’ll have to use the USB-A to USB-C cable on the left to connect to your PC for data transfer AND you’ll have to use the HDMI cable on the right to connect to your GPU. If you have to use the HDMI cable, then you’ll probably only get a 1920 x 1080 pixel display resolution, so it’s better to have a USB-C display port.
You actually get two pens for the Artist 24 Pro! There’s a big cylindrical case to use to keep one safe as well.
The other end of the pen case also unscrews to reveal 8 spare pen tips for when you wear out the one that’s already in the pen.
All of the ports you’ll need are on the back in the above inset area. You’ll need the DC power whether you use the USB-C display port or not. There are two additional USB-A ports here (labeled “Host”) which you can use to connect other peripherals such as a keyboard or whatever.
First of all, the 90% Adobe RGB color gamut is beautiful. Getting as close to 100% Adobe RGB as possible is very important for photographers and graphic designers. It’s a wider color gamut than you would get with other monitors or laptops. The Adobe RGB color gamut is an improvement over Apple’s DCI P3 color gamut as well.
The Artist 24 Pro ships with a screen protector over the monitor display area, and that screen protector sheet was very reflective. I was much happier after peeling off the protective plastic which revealed a beautifully anti-glare screen. This is so much better than using iMac’s or Macbook Pro’s which have extremely reflective screens. The Artist 24 Pro diffuses ceiling light reflections really nicely. It’s a joy to work with. Still, I like to keep the ceiling lights off and use a well-placed lamp for room lighting in order to avoid glare completely.
The display looks great, but what about the pen interaction interface? Well, that works great as well. Windows 10 has pretty good inking and pen interaction usability, except for a few bugs that were added in the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. The Artist 24 Pro software driver has some good workarounds for Windows 10’s problems, and we’ll talk more about those in the Software section below.
Let’s talk about those express keys and roller dials in the bezels though! There are 10 express keys on each side! That’s 20 programmable hardware buttons. Twenty!! There’s also a dial on both left and right bezels and this too can be programmed to control whatever you want.
The bezel buttons feel great. Not only do they have nice tactile feedback, but they also have some texture differentiators. As seen above, one button has a dot protrusion while another has a dash protrusion. This helps you identify the location of your express key buttons simply by touch. You can keep your eyes on the display and what you’re doing with the pen, while feeling for the programmed controls you’re looking for by using touch alone. This is a huge efficiency booster. Most people use regular keyboard shortcuts for this kind of thing, but being able to program your own hardware buttons to do the things you want is a huge advantage. If you’re left-handed, you can program the buttons on the right side to be your most-used functions, while if you’re right-handed, you can program the buttons on the left side to be your most-used functions.
Wacom’s Cintiq Pro 24 doesn’t have this many programmable bezel buttons at all. It doesn’t have any. Instead, they sell a separate programmable remote that you can hold in your non-dominant hand. Personally, I kind of like the bezel buttons since they’re built-in, don’t require charging, and won’t be as easy to lose as a wireless remote.
20 programmable express keys to memorize is an awful lot though. Some people make stickers to place on the buttons so it’s easier to remember what they do. I might start with programming only 5 of them since that would be easier to memorize and personally, I was really happy with the 6 programmable bezel express keys on my Wacom Mobile Studio Pro 13.
Pen accuracy is quite good as well. It’s very precise and very smooth. The pen has two hardware buttons that you can program as well, but it does not have an eraser on the back end. Also note, that XP-Pen includes a nice drawing glove for resting your hand on the display without getting sweaty hand grease all over. Excellent touch including this!
The included stand attached to the back is very robust. There’s a lever at the top that unlocks the stand’s angle.
It’s easy to pull the lever forward with one hand and lift or lower the display to whatever angle you want. Release the lever to lock the stand in place at the desired angle.
The top right corner is where some normal monitor controls are located. The button on the right is the power button. To the left of that is a display settings menu button that looks like a hamburger. Then there are + and – buttons for navigating the settings menu and changing things like brightness or contrast.
A small clip style pen holder is included, but it’s not so obvious how to use it.
It turns out there are two little rubber circular insets on the left and right sides of the monitor. If you pry the little piece of rubber out, a screw hole appears behind it. You’ll need a flat head screwdriver to screw the pen holder clip into the side.
Even though I tightened the screw, the clip still spins and wobbles, so maybe I didn’t install it properly. I didn’t see any instructions about this aspect of the tablet. Anyway, you might want to buy a different kind of stylus holder. I think I would prefer a desk-top stand that holds the pen upright for me.
There are two driver versions available for download from the XP-Pen website. At first, I tried the “Official” driver and later tried the “New UI” beta driver. The normal official driver software is shown above. It’s not terribly customizable, but certainly good enough.
The dialogue for programming the bezel express keys and dials is not super intuitive. The keys are labeled with numbers and drop-down menus let you add customized functions. At the top, there’s a row where you can add specific programs and when that program is in focus the buttons will use the customized functions for that program. One issue with this driver is that I can’t program the pen to behave differently in different programs. So for example, the “Windows Ink” option is pretty terrible in certain apps like web browsers, the Windows 10 Photos app, the Windows 10 OneNote app, etc. I would want to turn that off in those programs, and it’s not possible with this software. However…
Later on I decided to uninstall the official driver and try the “new UI” beta driver, and it was much better. The user interface design is obviously different, but my previous complaint about not being able to control the pen behavior on a program-by-program basis is fixed.
The interface for customizing the programmable dials and express keys is much improved in the new software as well.
The Express key customization interface now has labels for where the buttons exist on the bezel, but now there’s side-scrolling for matching the key numbers to new functions.
The new software even has the ability to disable certain aspects of the software completely. Thankfully an import/export for saving your configuration settings is here as well.
The interface for programming the Express keys is very extensive too. By default, one of the pen buttons was assigned to the eraser function, but I was able to change it to a “double left click” function pretty easily here.
The XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro is only about $899.99 USD which is less than half the price of a Wacom Cintiq Pro 24. That’s some significant savings. You can order the Artist 24 Pro from the XP-Pen online stores in the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and Australia.
Pros
Cons
That list of “Cons” above are very minor nitpicks compared to the list of “Pros” which are pretty excellent. As a pen display, the XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro feels very similar to the high-end pen displays from Wacom. The Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 is probably a good competitor. Wacom’s Cintiq Pro 24 has a 99% Adobe RGB color gamut though, plus a higher resolution display, more ports, and there’s a version that also supports touch… but it’s more than double the price of the XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro! So yes, the Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 is better, but is it twice the price better? Maybe not.
If we look at how the XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro compares to something that’s closer to its price range, for example, the Wacom Cintiq 22 for $1200, the Artist 24 Pro still looks like a much better deal at $900 with its better resolution, better color gamut, better bezel buttons, and better stand.
If you’ve been craving a new Wacom pen display for graphics and drawing, but are still saving up for a good one, you just might want to consider an XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro instead.
The post XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro Review appeared first on Pocketnow.
