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Realme GT review: In the flagship fast lane?

(Pocket-lint) – It’s probably no surprise that the Realme GT’s international reveal happened just one day after the OnePlus Nord CE hit the headlines. Because, while the GT isn’t a direct competitor – it’s actually more powerful than OnePlus’ more budget offering – it’s certainly a handset that wants to lead the young brand’s charge on OnePlus’ ongoing dominance in the alt-flagship space.

It’s even pulled the same old-hat promotional tagline – “flagship killer” – which is rather cheeky. But that gives Realme a platform upon which to stand. It is a bit cheeky. It has previously released phones with eye-slapping phrases plastered on them – we lambasted the Realme 8 Pro for its ‘Dare To Leap’ slogan. It’s that bit different, that bit of fun.

With the Realme GT the company is looking to enter the fast lane – the ‘Grand Tourer’ name reference name says it all really – for this alt-flagship has top-tier Qualcomm processing power, a more grown-up looking vegan leather finish than earlier Realme devices, and arrives at a price point that could make you pay attention to this brand over better-established products such as, say, a Moto G100 or Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite.

Design & Display

6.43-inch AMOLED panel, 1080 x 2400 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate
Colours: Racing Yellow, Dashing Silver, Dashing Blue
Dimensions: 156 x 73 x 9.1mm / Weight: 186g
Finishes: Vegan leather or glass back
In-display fingerprint scanner

With phones often gigantic slabs these days, it’s rather refreshing to hold onto the Realme GT – because it’s sensibly proportioned, not too thick even in its vegan leather finish, and is on the right side the 200g weight barrier (a limit that we’ve pretty much decided to impose having handled the all too heavy Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra).

Motorola’s new Moto G9 Plus is a stunner of a phone – find out why, right here

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That the volume control buttons are on the opposite side to the Realme GT’s power button – a rarity in most Android phones – is something you might not immediately love, but we stuck with it and it’s actually a sensible layout. Taking one-handed screengrabs is easier, as one beneficial example.

But it’s not the layout that’ll first catch your attention. It is, but of course, that bright yellow rear – which Realme calls ‘Racing Yellow’, keeping in theme with that GT name. It’s a bold, bright finish, almost like an exemplary Pantone shade card for what a true yellow should represent.

That it’s vegan leather is another standout point, but less for its apparent environmental kudos – although there’s an argument that processes for this material aren’t actually Thunberg pleasing – and more for its tactile quality. It’s nice and grippy. It doesn’t become smeared in heaps of fingerprints. It looks consistent – and the black stripe down from the integrated cameras panel helps to soften the look.

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Why, then, Realme has decided to (literally) stick its logo onto the rear is a big question. This silvered stick-on will inevitably fall off over time – not that we’ve actively been picking at it. Maybe that’d be for the better though – we’re not fans of any brand sticking big logos onto its phones. Motorola used to, before realising it looks much better to be subtle. Still, Realme ought to deboss or emboss for added chic.

Flip the phone over to its front and the Realme GT houses a 6.43-inch AMOLED panel, delivering a screen that’s capable of deep blacks and strong colours. Sadly, however, its auto-brightness adjustment is so shy that you’ll often end up squinting at the dulled screen trying to find the manual brightness slider. At maximum brightness it can remain visible in outdoor sunlight though. At lowest brightness there’s some ‘black crush’ to visuals, which is fairly common – an issue other Oppo phones present (Realme is effectively under the same umbrella as that brand).

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Interestingly this panel has some top-end features, such as a 120Hz refresh rate, to keep visuals extra smooth and easy on the eyes. You needn’t have the 120 refreshes per second active for the sake of battery life, though, as a 60Hz option is found within the menus – which is on by default anyway. In terms of resolution the Full HD+ span of pixels over the 20:9 aspect ratio panel delivers ample detail – these days you don’t really want or need much more, as it rarely enhances apps and mostly just squeezes the battery life.

Performance & Battery

Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 platform, 8GB/12GB RAM
Realme UI (v2.0) software over Google Android 11 OS
4,500mAh battery capacity, 65W fast-charging
Stainless steel cooling system
5G connectivity

That the Realme GT can cope with a 120Hz refresh rate is no surprise given its top-end hardware under the hood. There’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, paired with 8GB or 12GB RAM (there are two variants, we have the lower spec 8GB model in for review).

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It’s this “my processing power’s bigger than yours” angle that will garner the GT a lot of attention – especially for its asking price. And so it should, for this Realme performs really well whether you’re casually navigating between pages and apps, or digging deep into a gaming session.

Other than when recharging it doesn’t overheat either, which is impressive in the context of a faux leather-backed device with such a strong performance engine running things. The stainless steel cooling system designed within must be part of the reason for the apparent well-managed heat dissipation.

With mixed use we’ve found the GT’s battery life to be perfectly acceptable. Long days will see you finish close to the 20 per cent mark, after around 18 hours, but that includes some gaming so we think that’s pretty good innings. Besides, with a 65W fast-charging capability – no wireless to be found here – topping it up is speedy. It can even learn your typical charging pattern as to not refill the battery too quickly, which will help with long-term battery health.

We suspect the GT could last longer if various settings were activated to throttle the experience. But we’re glad that’s not the case. So often we hit a wall with, say, a Xiaomi phone because its software default controls the way in which apps respond – often causing notification issues or delays. Realme doesn’t have that issue; its Realme UI (version 2.0 here) is effectively a rework of Oppo’s ColorOS, which we’ve found in recent iterations to be generally pleasing.

Cameras

Triple rear camera system:
- Main (26mm): 64-megapixel, f/1.8 aperture, Sony IMX682 sensor, 0.8µm pixel size
- Wide-angle (16mm): 8MP, f/2.3, 1.12µm
- Macro: 2MP, f/2.4
Front-facing selfie camera:
- 16-megapixel, f/2.5 aperture, 26mm, 1.0µm pixel size

Given the phone’s price point its camera setup is the one area to expect some compromise. Realme has gone down the “triple camera” route – but, really, it’s a main camera paired with ultra-wide that show their worth, while the low-resolution close-up macro camera isn’t even worth including in our view. It’s a trap so many makers have fallen into – to oversell their cameras.

Anyway, that’s not to say expect bad things all across the board. As a straightforward point-and-shoot camera the main 64-megapixel sensor – which uses six-in-one processing to deliver 12-megapixel results by default – is capable enough. For sharing snaps on socials and so forth it’ll deliver the goods.

That said, however, it’s not the most refined in terms of processing. Where detail lacks – subject edges such as buildings, or busier areas such as trees and shrubs – there’s oversharpening, often to the detriment of realism. Colour also can look as though it’s been washed over with a blue filter, while contrast is a bit punchier than needed.

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: Main cameraMain camera

Then there’s the wide-angle camera. Results from this aren’t consistent with the main lens – the colour looks different, for example – while detail lacks, and optically speaking it’s not particularly great. The benefit of having the wide camera is, of course, that it’s wide; that you can fit more into a shot, even if the edges are blurred and the contrast pushes image noise into greater visibility. You can compare the main camera and the wide camera – including 100 per cent zoom-in for each shot – in the gallery above.

The Realme GT might have wide-angle covered, but it doesn’t really cater for zoom. Well, it depends how you look at it. The camera app does offer 2x and 5x as part of the controls, but we’d strongly suggest avoiding using these as it’s nothing more than digital zoom. Given that the main sensor is 64-megapixels, however, the 2x ought to be better than it is. The 5x really pushes beyond what’s acceptable, with soft and unimpressive results. You can see the zoom stages from wide to main to 2x to 5x in the gallery below:

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: Ultra-wide (16mm)Ultra-wide (16mm)

So while the zoom is one to avoid and the wide-angle isn’t great, the GT’s main camera is passable. It recognises backlighting to boost high dynamic range (HDR). It’s managed pretty well in low-light conditions, too, so if you’re shooting indoors at night then it can still focus and present enough detail – as we found out in a basement distillery at Edinburgh Gin.

That’s the long and the short of it: there’s not really much that’s “GT” about this Realme’s cameras. A “Pro” version might be able to rectify that – but it’d also come at cost, given the list price of camera components. And, really, that’s not the point of this phone. The GT is all about flagship performance for the day to day, not top-tier cameras – if you want that then you’ll have to pay out a lot more cash elsewhere.

Verdict

From its striking yellow-colour vegan leather finish, to its impressive performance thanks to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 platform, the Realme GT is an impressive alt-flagship – but one that will depend on its eye-catching asking price to lure in a fan base.

As we said up top, this Realme has arrived at a time when OnePlus is no longer, well, “being OnePlus” – i.e. delivering flagship devices for considerably less cash. In that sense, then, the GT slots into the space that OnePlus once occupied in its earlier days, a tactic that’s as measured as it is a bit cheeky.

No, the GT doesn’t offer the greatest of cameras, its auto-brightness is shy to activate, and as a brand name it might not yet resonate with the masses.

But it’s hard to not see the GT’s specification for what it is: more powerful than a Motorola equivalent, such as the G100; and more software consistent than a Xiaomi device, such as the Mi 11 Lite.

In that sense, then, the Realme GT sure does enter the alt-flagship fast lane, overtaking some of the big competition that are also jostling for pole position.

Also consider

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Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G

We love the Xiaomi’s colour finish and slender build – it’s a great alternative to the current glut of massive flagship phones. That said, it’s less powerful and the software brings its share of irks.

Read our review

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Moto G100

It’s about the same price, but with a slightly lower-spec processor, equally so-so cameras, but a more established brand name and near flawless software.

Read our review

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Writing by Mike Lowe.

HP Elite Dragonfly Max Review: A Pricey 5G Follow-Up

Our Verdict

The HP Elite Dragonfly Max has a bright display and long battery life, but its performance could be stronger, and it has a very high price, even for a business-class laptop.

For

+ 5G option
+ Bright Display
+ Long Battery Life

Against

– Middling Performance
– Expensive even for a business-class computer

The original HP Elite Dragonfly challenged the Lenovo ThinkPad line with its style and excellent keyboard. Now, there’s a variant, the HP Elite Dragonfly Max ($2,199 to start, $2,789 as configured).

Despite the Max title implying that this device would be bigger, it’s actually the same size as the original, which is one of the best ultrabooks. This version adds a bright Sure View Reflect screen and 5G networking. But if neither of those appeal to you — the Sure View Reflect screen in particular suffers from some really harsh viewing angles that undercut its positives — you might be better off looking at the original Dragonfly or other options.

HP Elite Dragonfly Max Specifications

CPU	Intel Core i7-1185G7
Graphics	Intel Iris Xe Integrated Graphics
Memory	16GB LPDDR4x-4267
Storage	512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
Display	13.3 inches, 1920 x 1080, HP Sure View Reflect
Networking	802.11ax Intel Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
Ports	USB Type-A x1, Thunderbolt 4 x2, 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack, HDMI 2.1, NanoSim Card Reader
Camera	5MP (1440p) webcam
Battery	56 WHr
Power Adapter	65W
Operating System	Windows 10 Pro
Dimensions(WxDxH)	11.98 x 7.78 x 0.63 inches
Weight	2.49 pounds
Price (as configured)	$2,789

Design of the HP Elite Dragonfly Max

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The HP Elite Dragonfly Max is a slick, thin convertible laptop with a glittery matte black shell that feels durable but loves to collect fingerprints. There’s a symmetrical, reflective HP logo on the lid and a smaller logo below the screen, plus EliteBook and Bang & Olufsen branding on the keyboard deck.

What’s most noticeable about this laptop is the size, although it’s not especially larger or smaller than most other ultraportables. At 11.98 x 7.78 x 0.63 inches, it’s a little wider than the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (11.6 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches) and the Razer Book 13 (11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6) but not too much thicker. But at 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.55 inches, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano is significantly thinner than the HP Elite Dragonfly Max.

The Elite Dragonfly Max is on the lighter end when it comes to weight, however. Its 2.49 pound weight is only beaten by the ThinkPad X1 Nano’s 2 pounds. Meanwhile, the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 and Razer Book 13 are 2.9 and 3.1 pounds, respectively.

Ports on the Elite Dragonfly Max are varied but poorly distributed. While the left side has the NanoSim card reader (if you have a model with cellular networking capabilities, as we did) and a single USB Type-A port, the convertible’s right side has two Thunderbolt 4 connections, an HDMI 2.1 connection and a single 3.5mm combination headphone/microphone jack. This uneven port distribution can make charging your laptop a pain if your desk setup makes its left side more accessible.

Productivity Performance of the HP Elite Dragonfly Max

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The HP Elite Dragonfly Max is HP’s latest attempt to compete with Lenovo’s ThinkPad, specifically the ThinkPad X1 Nano. That means it aims for plenty of productivity power, and comes equipped with the slightly more powerful Intel Core i7-1185G7 to accomplish this. But the ThinkPad, with the Intel Core i7-1160G7 and the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 and the Razer Book 13 with Intel’s Core i7-1165G7 CPU still offered strong performance and won out in some tests.

In Geekbench 5, a synthetic benchmark for testing general performance, the Elite Dragonfly Max achieved a single core score of 1,512 and a multi-core score of 5,195. That puts it slightly ahead of the ThinkPad X1 Nano’s 1,473 single core score but about on par with its 5,155 multi-core score. But the XPS 13 2-in-1 and the Razer Book 13 beat it on both fronts, and by a much wider margin when it comes to multi-core performance. The former earned scores of 1,539/5,571, and the latter hit scores of 1,556 and 5,495.

The Elite Dragonfly Max did have a slightly faster SSD than its competitors, transferring 25GB of files at a rate of 558.9 MBps. The Razer Book 13 was the next fastest, hitting 479 MBps, while the ThinkPad X1 Nano came in towards the bottom of the pack with a 424.81 MBps speed. The XPS 13 2-in-1 was the slowest computer here, transferring the files at a rate of 405.55 MBps.

Our Handbrake video transcoding test, which tracks how long it takes a machine to transcode a video down from 4K to FHD, saw the Elite Dragonfly Max once again land on the weaker side. It took 19:44 to finish transcoding, while the ThinkPad X1 Nano took 16:55. The XPS 13 2-in-1 was faster at 15:52, while the Razer Book 13 was the quickest at 14:46.

We also ran the HP Elite Dragonfly Max through Cinebench R23 for 20 consecutive runs to see how well it operates during an extended work session. Scores started out at 4,172 before dropping to the high 3,000s for most runs, and achieved an average of 3,925. There were a few peaks and valleys during tests, which might have been related to short bursts of throttling we noticed throughout the 20 runs. Most of the throttling happened during the beginning of the tests, but there were instances of it throughout. The CPU ran at an average 2,405.82 MHz clock speed during this test, and sat at an average temperature of 69.16 degrees Celsius (156.49 degrees Fahrenheit).

Networking Performance of the HP Elite Dragonfly Max

Our configuration of the HP Elite Dragonfly Max came with a Nano Sim card slot for 5G networking, plus a prepaid card from AT&T. When I tested the laptop in downtown Brooklyn, I found that it was only slightly slower than my home Verizon Fios connection.

I was able to watch videos, download apps and stream music with no interruptions. The biggest difference I noticed was the time it took to load pages, which would sometimes take about a second longer than on Wi-Fi.

Still, your experience might differ based on where you live and your choice of carrier.

Display on the HP Elite Dragonfly Max

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The HP Elite Dragonfly Max is, no matter how you configure it, a pricey computer. And for that extra cost, you do get a new, almost absurdly bright HP Sure View Reflect display, which also packs novel privacy and anti-blue light technology. While we were impressed with a measured 707 nits of average brightness, we were let down by extremely strict viewing angles. This screen tended to wash out for me when I moved more than 45 degrees away from it, perhaps because of the privacy features.

But when I was sitting directly in front of the screen, I had a great experience even in my brightly lit office. I tested the screen by watching the latest trailer for Cruella on it, and colors were vivid while blacks were deep. Glare also wasn’t an issue, although the screen had some minor reflectivity to it.

When I looked at the screen in a darker environment, reflectivity became less of a problem, but viewing angles still remained tight.

HP Sure View Reflect is one of HP’s privacy-oriented displays, with a built-in app (you can also turn it on with the F2 button) that turns the image into a blank copper rectangle when you look at it from more than 45 degrees away. This worked well for me when I turned it on, but given that the image is already so washed out at those angles, it seems like an unnecessary addition, especially because it also made my screen uncomfortably dim even when looking at it from straight on. I also wonder if building the screen to accommodate this technology reduces viewing angles even when the privacy feature isn’t turned on.

Still, there’s no denying that the screen is pleasant under optimal conditions. Our colorimeter showed it covered 81.7% of the DCI-P3 spectrum, which is much higher than the ThinkPad X1 Nano’s 71.6% and the XPS 13 2-in-1’s 70%. Only the Razer Book 13 came close, with 80.7%.

And, of course, 707 nits is immensely bright. The ThinkPad X1 Nano is much dimmer at the still very bright 430 nits. At 426 and 488 nits, respectively, the Razer Book 13 and the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 are in a similar boat. However, there is such a thing as diminishing returns, and we’re not sure that the extra brightness is worth it — we still had great viewing experiences on these competitors, some of which boast better viewing angles.

What might be worth the extra cost is HP’s Eye Ease technology. This always-on, hardware level anti-blue light filter supposedly shifts harmful blue light spectrum images to more comfortable places on the spectrum without affecting the look of the image. This is because the screen only targets a very specific area of blue light, rather than tinting the whole image yellow like most solutions. After a whole day of working on the Elite Dragonfly Max, I did notice a lack of eye strain; however, I’m not sure if it was a placebo effect. I tend not to feel too much strain from my regular monitor, either, and I feel like I’d need to judge this feature over the course of a few weeks to fairly assess it.

Keyboard, Touchpad and Stylus on the HP Elite Dragonfly Max

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The HP Elite Dragonfly Max has a chiclet style keyboard that feels stiff and hard when pressing down keys, but I still managed to type quickly on it

On 10fastfingers.com, I regularly hit 78 – 79 words per minute, which is towards the upper end of my usual score range. However, I also had a number of typos during my tests, and keypresses didn’t exactly feel cushiony. Aside from the typical notches on the F and J keys, the keycaps also don’t have any distinct build features to help you find your fingers’ position by touch alone. This left typing feeling a bit like a chore, even if I technically typed speedily.

The large, 4.3 x 2.6 inch precision touchpad is, by contrast, a more pleasant experience. It feels smooth to the touch, and scrolling happens just as smoothly, although there’s enough friction to easily make precise adjustments. Multi-touch gestures like scrolling with two fingers or switching apps with three fingers were also a breeze to pull off.

There’s also a small, separate fingerprint reader to the right of the touchpad, which is a nice plus given that much of this computer’s competition integrates fingerprint readers into the touchpad instead, which creates dead zones.

Audio on the HP Elite Dragonfly Max

The HP Elite Dragonfly Max comes with four speakers by Bang & Olufsen (two top-firing and two bottom-firing) that have impressive bass. I listened to “Butter” by BTS on them, and I didn’t feel like I lost any information from the beat heavy song. Audio was also clear with no tinniness, even on high vocals, and I could easily hear the song across my two-bedroom apartment at max volume.

At around 50% volume, I had about as optimal of a listening experience as I would expect to get from a device this size.

The HP Elite Dragonfly Max also comes with an audio control program called, well, HP Audio Control. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear much of a difference between its music, movie and voice presets.

Upgradeability of the HP Elite Dragonfly Max

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The HP Elite Dragonfly Max is surprisingly easy to open for an ultraportable. It’s got five Torx T5 screws on the bottom, and the case easily lifts off after removing them. (The hardest part may be finding a Torx screwdriver.) Once you’re inside the laptop, you’ll have immediate access to both the Wi-Fi and 5G chips, plus you’ll see a silver shield above the battery with a pull tab on it. If you pull on that tab, you’ll have direct access to the laptop’s SSD.

Battery Life of the HP Elite Dragonfly Max

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The HP Elite Dragonfly Max has an edge on battery life over its competition. In our battery benchmark, which continually browses the web, runs OpenGL tests over-Wi-Fi and streams video at 150 nits, the HP Elite Dragonfly Max held on for 13 hours and 9 minutes.

That’s a bit more than an hour longer than its longest-lasting competition, the ThinkPad X1 Nano, which had a 12 hour battery life on the same test. The Razer Book 13 lasted for 11 hours and 44 minutes, while the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 was the quickest to die with a 10 hour and 52 minute battery life.

Heat on the HP Elite Dragonfly Max

The HP Elite Dragonfly Max runs on the cool side for an ultraportable laptop, plus it has special software to keep it extra cool when it’s on your lap.

After 15 minutes of streaming video, the laptop’s touchpad measured 77.5 degrees Fahrenheit, while the center of its keyboard (between the G and H keys) was about 10 degrees hotter at 88.9 degrees Fahrenheit. The laptop’s underside was mostly about 90.1 degrees Fahrenheit, although it ran closer to 102.7 degrees Fahrenheit closer to its vents.

The HP Elite Dragonfly Max also has HP Context Aware software, which uses machine learning to detect when the laptop is on your lap so it can lower the performance mode. HP claims this can reduce the temperature by up to 9 degrees Fahrenheit, although you can turn the feature off if you’re using a lap desk and would prefer to prioritize performance. For my part, I noticed that the Dragonfly was still warm on my lap, but it did adjust its performance mode on and off as advertised. Unfortunately, I don’t have a temperature reading camera at home to test lap temperatures.

HP Elite Dragonfly Max Webcam

The HP Elite Dragonfly Max comes with a 5MP webcam that captures photos at 1440p, which is a higher resolution than you’ll find on even most desktop webcams. Plus, it’s also got a physical camera shutter.

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That said, artifacts are still present on photos taken with this laptop’s camera, although lighting and color is accurate. The quality should be more than enough for most casual use cases, but my face is more pixelated than I like when I view this camera’s photos at full screen.

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Pixelation becomes more noticeable in low-light environments, but color and lighting remains strong.

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This camera’s performance in saturated lighting conditions is unique, but maybe flawed. I’ve never seen a webcam take such a detailed photo through a window pane before (usually, they’ll just depict windows as sheets of white), but my face is bathed in so much shadow that I’m not sure the camera counts as usable under these conditions.

The HP Elite Dragonfly Max also has two front facing mics and two world facing mics, which lets it use AI noise cancellation to help keep background noise out of calls. I found that the AI noise cancellation works well, although the microphone quality itself is questionable. My recordings sounded echo-y and especially muffled, and part of me wonders if the AI noise cancellation contributed to this.

This laptop also has a sliding physical webcam cover.

Software and Warranty on the HP Elite Dragonfly Max

This laptop does not skimp on the pre-installed software, with over 16 HP-branded programs alone coming pre-loaded on it. And that’s not even everything. There’s also a program that tries to get you to install free trials for different Adobe Creative Cloud programs, plus typical Windows pre-installs like Microsoft Solitaire Collection and Maps.

At least the HP apps are generally useful. HP Wolf Security, for instance, is a free firewall not unlike Windows Defender. HP QuickDrop lets you easily transfer files across devices, including mobiles phones. There’s even HP Easy Clean, which is a novel app that shuts down all of your laptop’s input for a few minutes so you can sanitize it without accidentally pressing any buttons (there is a 2-button keyboard shortcut to unlock your PC early if you need to, though).

But there’s no reason all of these utilities have to be their own separate programs. It’s easy to see them as clutter that way. If I were HP, I’d consider rounding up most of these functions into one central hub app, similar to Lenovo’s Vantage program.

The HP Elite Dragonfly Max also comes with a three year limited warranty.

HP Elite Dragonfly Max Configurations

The HP Elite Dragonfly Max has two pre-built Wi-Fi only configurations, one pre-built Wi-Fi and 5G configuration and one fully customizable option. Our review configuration was that Wi-Fi and 5G pre-built option, which came with an Intel Core i7-1185G7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 13.3 inch FHD display. It costs $2,789.

The Wi-Fi only pre-built models are $2,199 and $2,399, respectively, although the only difference between them seems to be whether the laptop uses an i7-1165G7 chip or an i7-1186G7 chip. Otherwise, you’ll get 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 13.3 inch FHD display.

The configurable option is exclusive to HP’s website, and starts at $2,409 for the Windows version (the website says it technically costs $3,347, but there’s a permanent $1,000 discount applied to it). You can shave $236 off the price if you want to go for FreeDOS, which might be useful if you intend to install Linux on the device.

More realistically, you’ll be configuring your PC to add on to it. Here, you can bump the CPU up to an i7-1185G7 processor and the RAM up to 32GB for a combined $489, and the SSD up to 2TB for $865. There’s also in-between options— bumping the SSD to just 1TB will cost you an extra $235, and there are 16GB and 32GB RAM bundles available for both the cheaper i7-1165G7 CPU and the more costly i7-1185G7 CPU.

You can also choose to go Wi-Fi only in a custom build, or go for either Intel XMM LTE ($155) or Qualcomm SnapDragon 5G ($440) networking. Plus, there’s add-ons like an optional Wacom pen, which costs $74.

HP’s website says custom builds won’t ship until October, although HP assured us that this is incorrect, and is in the process of sending us more information.

Bottom Line

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The HP Elite Dragonfly Max is an expensive convertible with a great look and a bright screen that purports to have an anti-blue light feature, but it doesn’t have a worthwhile power boost compared to cheaper options and doesn’t exactly make up for it with its keyboard or its display’s other specs.

I acknowledge that our configuration has an extra cost tied to it thanks to the 5G, which was admittedly only slightly slower than my Wi-Fi when I tested it in downtown Brooklyn. But even without the 5G, this computer costs more than $2,000. Compare that to the ThinkPad X1 Nano, another business class convertible which either beat it or performed on par with it in all of our productivity tests and only costs around $1,600 from certain e-tailers, and it’s hard to justify getting the Elite Dragonfly Max.

Granted, the HP Elite Dragonfly Max has a slightly higher battery life and a much brighter screen than the ThinkPad X1 Nano. But viewing angles on this display are excessively strict, so it still comes with caveats. Plus, you lose out on that great ThinkPad keyboard and the ThinkPad X1 Nano’s 16:10 aspect ratio.

If you go for a non business-class computer like the XPS 13 2-in-1 9310, you can get even more power for even less.

If you’re a business-oriented buyer and you really want 5G or bright displays or niche security software like HP Sure View, then this laptop might be for you. Otherwise, you can get more raw power for less elsewhere, plus maybe some better viewing angles while you’re at it.

Level’s new smart door lock is a little simpler and a little less expensive

Smart lock company Level is announcing a new model in its lineup today, simply named the Level Lock. The new Level Lock is very similar to the model introduced last year (now known as the Level Lock Touch) but without the touch controls. It sits in the middle of Level’s lineup and is available starting today in matte black, satin nickel, satin chrome, or polished brass for $249.

Like the $329 Level Lock Touch, the Level Lock uses the core technology that first debuted in the Level Bolt to completely hide all of the smart lock’s electronics and battery in the bolt of the lock itself. This allows the design of the lock to be very discreet and modern — you wouldn’t know it’s a smart lock just by looking at it. Level says the single CR2 battery in the bolt can power the lock for up to a year.

The Level Lock’s smarts, battery, and motor are hidden entirely in the body and bolt of the lock itself, so there’s no attachment on the outside.

Image: Level

Starting today, all of Level’s locks are now certified with the Works with Alexa program, so you can use Amazon Alexa to control them. They also work with Amazon’s Sidewalk network, as well as Apple’s HomeKit platform for control outside of the home. You can also control the lock with the Level smartphone app or a standard key.

There are many smart locks available, and few are as expensive as Level’s options. But all of them require large keypads, battery packs, or other obvious fixtures on the door that give away their smarts. For those that want a smart lock, but don’t want to advertise the fact, Level’s locks are the way to go.

Amazon brings its cashierless tech to a full-size grocery store for the first time

Amazon’s cashierless Just Walk Out technology is coming to a full-size grocery store for the first time, the company has announced. The new 25,000 square foot Amazon Fresh store is significantly bigger than the 10,400 square foot Amazon Go Grocery store it opened last year, or its standard 1,200 and 2,300 square feet Go stores, marking a minor milestone as Amazon scales up its technology. The new store will be Amazon’s fourteenth Fresh location in the US when it opens on June 17th in Bellevue, Washington.

When Amazon previously opened a 35,000 square foot Amazon Fresh store last year using its high-tech Dash Carts, it prompted speculation that the company’s Just Walk Out technology wasn’t suitable for larger stores. But Amazon has always maintained that Just Walk Out, which uses a series of overhead cameras and pressure sensitive shelves to automatically detect what shoppers put in their carts, can scale up to stores of any size.

“Bringing Just Walk Out technology to a full-size grocery space with the Amazon Fresh store in Bellevue showcases the technology’s continued ability to scale and adapt to new environments and selection” said Amazon’s vice president of Physical Retail and Technology, Dilip Kumar. “I’m thrilled it’ll help even more customers enjoy an easier and faster way to shop and can’t wait to get their feedback on this latest Just Walk Out offering.”

Amazon says that when customers arrive at the new store in Bellevue, Washington, they’ll be prompted to pick a checkout option, and that traditional checkouts will still be available for customers that want them. If they decide to use Just Walk Out, they can enter the store by scanning a QR code in the Amazon app, inserting a linked credit or debit card, or scanning their palm. Once they leave the store, they’re automatically billed for the items in their virtual cart, and a receipt is sent digitally to them.

The new store uses of Just Walk Out, but it won’t feature the high-tech Dash shopping carts Amazon debuted in its first Fresh grocery store last August. Amazon declined to say whether it would be bringing Just Walk Out tech to its pre-existing Amazon Fresh stores in the US. Meanwhile in the UK, the technology appears in Fresh-branded locations that are similar in size to Amazon’s Go stores in the US.

In addition to Amazon’s own stores, the company also provides Just Walk Out to third-party retailers. Amazon says Hudson markets, OTG CIBO Express, and Delaware North are three external retailers that have started to roll out the technology at various locations.

Roccat Kone Pro Review: An Ergonomic Win

Our Verdict

The Roccat Kone Pro is a very comfortable ergonomic mouse with a unique look and shape that’s more considerate of the ring and pinky fingers than most rivals. Its mundane plastic can easily attract moisture, dust and fingerprints. But once you download the mouse’s software, there’s a lot of programmability.

For

+ Cozy ergonomic shape catering to most fingers
+ Buttons are highly programmable
+ Unique scroll wheel, RGB look

Against

– Plastic chassis lacks grip, gets clammy, attracts dust
– Need software to change CPI out of the box
– Black version attracts fingerprints

When it comes to the shape of your best gaming mouse, you may prefer an ambidextrous design that’s symmetrical in shape or opt for an ergonomic mouse, which typically curves in a way that caters to the right-handed gamer’s thumb. The Roccat Kone Pro (and wireless Kone Pro Air) are a more unique approach to ergonomic gaming mice with bolder curves that also provide support to the ring and even pinky finger.

For $80, the Kone Pro can keep up with the competition when it comes to specs, software and functionality. But an unimpressive plastic chassis with some questionable gapping in places like under the primary click buttons stop it from being flawless.

Roccat Kone Pro Specs

Sensor Model	Roccat Owl-Eye
Sensitivity	19,000
Polling Rates	125, 250, 500 or 1,000 Hz
Programmable Buttons	8, (including 3 scroll wheel functions)
LED Zones and Colors	2x RGB
Cable	5.9 foot (1.8m) USB Type-A, braided
Connectivity	USB Type-A
Measurements (LxWxH)	4.94 x 2.83 x 1.57 inches (125.6 x 72 x 40mm)
Weight	2.34 ounces (66g)
Extra	1x extra set PTFE feet

Design and Comfort of Roccat Kone Pro

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The Kone Pro’s best asset is, perhaps, its shape. It caters to parts of the hand that many gaming mice today neglect: the ring and pinky fingers. Ergonomic mice often focus on curving in for a righty’s thumb, and the Kone Pro does too. But it also provides a subtler, longer curve in its right side, where the ring finger can easily rest and the pinky may find respite too. I have longer hands for a woman, and sometimes I noticed my pinky dragging on my mouse pad in my typical claw and palm grips still, but this happened less often than with most gaming mice I’ve tested.

The mouse’s shape makes palm gripping very comfortable. My palm’s outer edge makes comfortable contact with the Kone Pro’s hump, while the deepest part of my palm hovers above. In both palm and claw grips, my ring finger often grazes the gap underneath the right click button. This is a small annoyance but one worth noting for perfectionists. This wouldn’t be an issue if I used a fingertip grip, but I find the mouse a bit bulky for that, and a more symmetrical shape would be helpful too.

Roccat’s Kone Pro measures 4.94 x 2.83 x 1.57 inches and weighs 2.34 ounces. For comparison to other ergonomically shaped wire mice for righties, the Razer DeathAdder V2 is longer, less wide, taller and heavier (5 x 2.43 x 1.68 inches / 2.89 ounces), and the honeycomb-filled Glorious Model D is about the same length and weight but less wide, taller and lighter (5.04 x 2.4 x 1.65 inches / 2.4 ounces). Especially with its lightweight plastic, the Kone Pro does a good job of feeling light for its size, but I wouldn’t call it lightweight, especially with the likes of honeycomb mice like the 2.08-ounce Glorious Model O- around.

Roccat Kone Pro and wireless Roccat Kone Pro Air (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Available in black or white (the above picture shows both color schemes available for the wired and wireless versions of the mouse, and the white version is wireless), the Kone Pro’s plastic shell is nothing remarkable. It’s carved with a gathering of parallel lines on the sides where it curves in, and it’s easy for fingerprints together there and elsewhere, making the mouse look extra unremarkable, especially with the black unit we’re reviewing. The chassis lacks gripping and is a little slick without being gross or too slippery, but some more grip would be appreciated.

A Roccat Kone logo stamped on the plastic chassis is inoffensive, yet snooze-worthy. The chunky, plastic side buttons don’t look the most premium to me; although I like the contrast they create on the white version of the mouse. Of greater concern is the amount of spacing under the primary click buttons, between them and throughout the scroll wheel, where dust accumulated during my weeks of testing. The gaps under the primary click buttons allow RGB to shine through in a unique, appealing way. But if you look through the spacing at the right angle, you’ll be alarmed to see some of the mouse’s internal components. (Note that the mouse has a 2-year warranty.)

Although the scroll wheel can get dusty and some might think it looks flimsy, it adds a special touch to the Kone Pro. Instead of opting for some pattern-textured rubber, the Kone Pro’s scroll wheel is a thin, but hard, piece of aluminum. It makes for a cool side profile, as I can see through the wheel into some RGB lighting. Tactile scrolls are subtly reassuring, and it’s a little heavier to press in than other wheels. It’s also not as grippy as some rubber wheels, but slippage shouldn’t be a problem unless you’re literally sweating. And if you are (no judgement here), this wheel may be a bother.

Gaming Experience on Roccat Kone Pro

The Kone Pro starts off with the right tech to compete with other gaming mice in its price range. Its Roccat Owl-Eye sensor is based off PixArt’s PAW3370 and can reach 50g max acceleration and a sensitivity of up to 19,000 CPI. But while many mice offer a way to change CPI settings without ever opening an app, the only way to change the Kone Pro’s CPI out of the box is by downloading software. There’s even a profile switch button on the mouse’s underside, but this doesn’t change CPI by default. Even worse, CPI was set uncomfortably low. Swarm eventually confirmed it was set to 800 CPI, when I’d prefer around 2,500-3,000.

I used the Kone Pro across CPI settings, from a comfortable 2,500, to the lowest (50) and highest (19,000). Regardless, tracking seemed as smooth and accurate as expected of a premium gaming mouse. I had no trouble with large sweeping swipes or careful, small movements, meaning the mouse was part of the action rather than a hindrance.

The primary click buttons use what Roccat calls Titan Switch Optical mechanical switches. If you haven’t heard the hype around optical mechanical switches, (which are finding homes in some of the best gaming keyboards too), yet, basically they actuate when their stem goes through a light beam, rather than via metallic contact. This should prevent them from suffering from accidental double-clicking, which has been reported among some premium gaming mice after a years of extended use. Roccat claims these Titan switches are particularly “great for FPS and action games.”

I tried the Kone Pro across some shooters and found it easy to press the primarily click buttons with my fingers at various positions. It didn’t take much force or effort to press those buttons or the cheaper feeling plastic side buttons.

Compared to left-click, right-click felt clunkier though. In a side-by-side comparison with mice using standard mechanical switches I had on hand, including the Logitech G203 Lightsync, Cooler Master MM711 and Razer Orochi V2, the Kone Pro’s clicks sounded noticeably softer and seemed easier and lighter to actuate, but the other mice’s clicks felt sharper.

In the Human Benchmark reaction time test, where you must click when the screen turns from red to green, I averaged 178.6ms with a low of 168ms with the Kone Pro, compared to 205ms and 163ms, respectively, with the Orochi V2.

Meanwhile, the side buttons are large and high enough to be easily accessible without repositioning. Both myself and a man with larger hands had no issue accessing both buttons that way with palm and claw grips and without accidentally pressing another button on the mouse.

The Kone Pro keeps up with the design trends of other gaming mice in its price range, with its 5.9-feet-long braided cable and “heat-treated pure PTFE glides.” The PTFE feet are spread across the top of the mouse’s underside, plus around the sensor and on the bottom. Roccat also includes an extra set of feet in the box. The mouse moves slightly easier and more lightly than I expected from looking at the chunkier rat, but it’s not as slippery a glide as I’ve experienced on other mice, such as the small Razer DeathAdder V2 Mini.

Roccat’s Kone Pro proved comfortable enough for hours of gaming but after a few minutes of heavy gaming it felt a little clammy and moist. There’s not much in the way of grip here either. There are slimier mice out there, but after a bit you may want to take a moisture break from the Kone Pro.

Features and Software of Roccat Kone Pro

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The Kone Pro uses Roccat’s Swarm software, which is a required download if you want to change the mouse’s default CPI setting. There’s no button that’ll change CPI out of the box unless you program it to in Swarm. Swarm’s UI is pretty extensive but harmless to use; however, every saved change in Swarm results in a 1-2 second delay, making detailed changes to the mouse a little tedious.

The Settings page has tweaks that many gaming peripheral makers don’t include in their software, including vertical scroll speed and double-click speed. Here’s also where you can change the DPI settings from 50-19,000 in 100-unit increments. There’s a CPI calibration tool too, but I’ve found it ineffective here and with other Roccat mice because it always suggests I go just a little higher or lower than what I’ve already set it to.

Swarm’s Button Assignment section lets you assign functions for the programmable buttons: left and right click, scroll up, down or in, the two side buttons and the profile cycle button on the underside. Swarm even includes 3 extra presets to give you some ideas for using all that functionality. Additionally, if you program one button as the Easy-Shift[+] button, all aforementioned inputs can have a secondary function when pressing the Easy-Shift[+] simultaneously. The mouse’s RGB will automatically switch to blue to inform you that Easy-Shift[+] has been activated.

That ultimately means you can program 16 different inputs with the Kone Pro, from launching programs, to keyboard functions and macros and opening a new browser window. A macro manager also lets you set up macros that’ll automatically launch with games and other apps.

Illumination controls the Kone Pro’s 2 RGB zones, including a brightness slider. You get 5 RGB presets, (plus off), with most offering a slider for speed too. You can pick a solid color for each individual zone if you want via a color selector or by entering red, green and blue values.

I used the Kone Pro as my primary mouse for about a month on and off using its Aimo reactive RGB setting. According to Roccat, Aimo RGB is meant for “adapting to your play the more you use them, and becoming more dynamic and nuanced as AIMO products combine.” Swarm adds that “Roccat is continually developing exciting new features and effects for Aimo, which will see your level increase.” But I’ve never been able to get my AIMO level past 15% when reviewing Roccat’s Kone Pro, Burst Pro or Kain 200 Aimo; however, I haven’t combined Aimo peripherals. I did hit 35% with the Vulcan 122 Aimo keyboard but didn’t feel like RGB was reacting to what I was doing on the PC. The case was the same with the Kone Pro.

In Swarm’s Advanced Settings tab you can choose among a 125, 250, 500 or 1,000 Hz polling rate (sorry, extremists, no 8,000 Hz here yet). There are also tools for playing with things like distance control and angle snapping.

Swarm lets you program a generous 5 onboard memory profiles. If you have Swarm open, you can also have the profiles launch automatically with specific programs.

Bottom Line

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The Roccat Kone Pro is a solid gaming mouse, especially where ergonomic shapes are concerned. A well-endowed hump, accessible buttons and space for the ring and smaller pinky fingers make it a win for palm and claw grips especially. And while it’s not the most exciting look in all black (the white version does pop more), an aluminum scroll wheel and RGB-lit left and right-click buttons help differentiate the mouse.

The Kone Pro’s plastic shell is not a standout though. There’s nothing to help boost your grip, and it easily starts feeling moist when gaming. Plus, there are gaps throughout the design where dust easily builds up. For a better grip in an ergonomic design, consider the Razer DeathAdder V2 Pro, which is going for $30 less ($50) than the Kone Pro as of writing. And if you hate cables, note that there’s a wireless version of the Kone Pro.

But if your fingers have earned some extra attention, the Kone Pro knows what to do.

OnePlus Nord CE 5G review: Hardcore, you know the score

(Pocket-lint) – OnePlus has be on something of an exploratory journey over the past 12 months or so. Rather than delivering one or two phones at a time and launching them both globally, it took a more regional approach.

That meant while some markets got the original Nord, others – like the US – didn’t, then OnePlus followed up with various models to suit different territories. It even continued this approach with the OnePlus 9 series, offering a 9R in India, but nowhere else.

This is pretty standard practice for most manufacturers, but wasn’t for OnePlus. At least, not until now. But obviously this transition to being a ‘proper’ smartphone manufacturer is working, because it’s back again with another Nord: the Nord CE 5G.

Plastic fantastic

Dimensions: 159.2 x 73.5 x 7.9mm / Weight: 170g
No official waterproofing
3.5mm headphone port
Blue Void, Charcoal Ink and Silver Ray colours

For a while there’s been this sense that when building a good smartphone, you have to start with the right materials. It had to be aluminium or steel and glass. Using plastic was as good as writing ‘cheap trash’ over the back of the phone in capital letters. But things have changed, thanks in part to the efforts of Samsung.

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With its Galaxy Note 20, S20 FE and this years S21, it showed you can use plastic materials in a way that doesn’t detract from the look and feel of the phone. OnePlus has taken the same approach with the Nord CE. Our unit in Blue Void has a lovely frosted/matte finish to it that’s very reminiscent of the Samsung approach, and we like it a lot.

It has an eye-catching blue finish with just the slightest splash of purple up the edges. There are two other safer colours in Charcoal Ink (Black-ish grey) and Silver Ray.

Being a frosted/matte finished plastic does have its advantages too. Firstly, it’s not at all slippery. So it’s not hard to keep a hold of one-handed, and it’s not likely to just randomly slide off the arm of your sofa. Secondly, it not as likely to crack or turn into tiny shards when it’s dropped or banged against something. It’s a very practical choice.

Also, it just feels, well, nice.

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That’s not the only practical choice made by OnePlus with the Nord CE. It’s both slimmer and lighter than the first Nord, so it doesn’t feel like a huge phone in your hand. It’s not exactly compact, but it’s easy to hold and comfortable enough to use. And it has a 3.5mm socket for wired headphones and headsets.

One choice that might not go down so well with long-time OnePlus fans is the removal of the alert switch. For years this simple slider button on the side has set the company’s phones apart from rivals, offering an easy tactile way to switch your phone to silent or vibrate. Apparently, that’s not considered ‘Core’ enough to make it on to a ‘Core Edition’ OnePlus phone.

In case you were wondering: yes, that’s what CE stands for.

Other core design choices include: not having a physical fingerprint sensor. Instead, there’s an in-display one so there’s nothing on the back, breaking up that glorious matte blue surface. The camera housing is a pretty basic pull-shaped protrusion and the display has just the one hole punched through it for a single camera.

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Sadly, one last feature not deemed essential to a Core Edition phone is a subtle haptic motor for feedback. That means, with it enabled, keyboard taps are accompanied by a nasty feeling buzz, rather than a subtle tap. We quickly switched it off.

Display and software

6.43-inch AMOLED 90Hz display
1080 x 2400 resolution
OxygenOS 11

Screen resolutions haven’t changed much in recent years with most smartphones opting for some version of full HD. This particular flavour is 1080 x 2400, which is the same as on most other OnePlus phones. That means it’s plenty sharp enough for day-to-day tasks with individual pixels imperceptible.

It’s AMOLED too, which means it’s a pretty punchy panel with vibrant colours and deep blacks. In its default ‘vivid’ mode the screen often over eggs the colours a bit, but with this being a OnePlus phone running OxygenOS, you get to customise its balance quite lot. Switching to ‘sRGB’ mode balances things out a lot more, but does make it a bit less exciting.

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The 90Hz refresh rate ensure that when you touch the screen, or swipe at something in the interface, the response is immediate and smooth. It doesn’t reach the heights of the OnePlus 9 Pro’s 120Hz, and doesn’t feature the advanced adaptive refresh rate tech that adapts it to the content, but it’s impressively fluid and smooth for a mid-ranger.

That’s not the only element where you just about get the hint this isn’t a top tier panel.

For instance, despite being AMOLED, when the screen’s off (or black) it’s not quite as dark as the black frame around the panel, so you don’t get that blending effect, you can see where the bezel stops and the screen starts. There’s also a slight colour shift when you look at a white screen from different angles.

Just for a little perspective though, the fact we’re picking up on such non-issues as a slight negative shows two things: how competitive the mid-range market has become recently and how good this phone is for the money OnePlus is asking for it.

Part of the joy of OnePlus phones over the years is the customisation on offer from the OxygenOS software. We’ve already mentioned the ability to calibrate the screen to your exact liking, but there are also modes like Reading Mode which turns the screen monochrome for when you load up your favourite e-book app.

There’s not much new to report from a software side with the Nord CE. It’s the same as the software found in the OnePlus 9 series and OnePlus 8T that came before it. It’s OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11, which represented a major redesign when it first launched.

While OnePlus was often seen as a manufacturer offering a stock-like Android experience with lots of customisation choices, it no longer feels that way. Oppo’s ColourOS offers far more customisation of elements like the fingerprint scanner animation, always-on display, icon styles and shapes. OxygenOS by comparison feels quite stripped back and bare.

This does help it retain that feeling of ‘essentialism’ though. It has everything you need, presented in a clean and clutter free way. There aren’t any unecessary apps pre-loaded, and even core parts of the experience like phone, messages and software updates are now powered by Google’s own apps, rather than OnePlus’ own design.

Power and performance

Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor (8nm)
6GB, 8GB or 12GB RAM – 128GB or 256GB storage
4500mAh battery
30W fast charging

Where the Core Edition OnePlus Nord gets it right is the feeling of speed and fluidity under your fingertips. A big part of that, as mentioned, is down to the high refresh rate of the screen and the software. OnePlus has always done a great job of optimising its software animations to feel speedy.

That performance transitions well into games and apps too. Using it daily as a main phone, it never left us in any real need of more, despite ‘only’ having Snapdragon 750G. It’s not a top-tier platform, but just like the Snapdragon 765G that appeared in the first Nord, this one gets the job done without any trouble.

Playing Mario Kart Tour was a hassle-free and smooth experience, as was browsing the web, scrolling through Twitter and any other app we came across in our day-to-day phone usage.

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Similarly, the 4500mAh battery inside is more than strong enough to cope with the most demanding of days. For the most part, with light usage, we’d finish the day with something like 40 per cent of the battery left over. That’s with the usual hour or so of web browsing and social media, plus a chunk of gaming.

Once empty it fills up quickly, as is typical OnePlus style. It uses a 30W wired charger, which OnePlus has clunkily named ‘Warp Charge 30T Plus’. In actual fact, it’s almost the same as Warp Charge 30T, in that it can fill 70 per cent of the battery in abut half an hour. It’s been a mainstay feature for OnePlus phones for many years and something of a lifesaver when you’ve forgotten to charge your phone or when it drains unexpectedly.

Cameras

Triple rear camera system:
- 64MP primary camera
- 8MP ultra-wide (119-degree)
- 2MP monochrome sensor
4K recording at 30fps
16MP selfie

Ah, OnePlus and cameras. It seems to be an age-old complaint of OnePlus phones having a not-quite-good-enough camera system. They’ve definitely improved the quality over the past couple of years, there’s no denying that, and for the most part the primary snapper on the Nord CE is decent.

Pocket-lint

You’ll get sharp photos with good colours and depth of field from the 64-megapixel sensor. It pixel bins down to 16-megapixel images automatically, so isn’t using all 64 million of those pixels individually. Not unless you enable it.

It has all the camera features you’d expect too. It’ll take portrait shots with excessive background blur, night mode shots, panoramas, timelapses, slow motion video and even has a ‘pro’ mode for adjusting ISO, white balance and shutter speed manually yourself.

There is one major weakness we’ve encoutered on the Nord CE’s primary lens however, and that’s focus distance. It really, really doesn’t like focusing on anything closer than about 13 or 14cm, which means close up shots of flowers, bugs, berries and the like are near-on impossible. You can see examples that would normally be simple shots, impossible because it refused to focus.

The only solution is either taking the photo from further away and cropping the photo in edit, or using the 2x zoom function to zoom in digitally when taking the photo.

We don’t expect super macro skills from an affordable mid-range necessarily, but we do expect it to at least handle close up focusing a bit better than this.

Without being too cricital though, having the 2x zoom and the seperate ultra-wide lens means you get enough versatility in shooting to make it useful in most situations. There’s a variety in focal lengths, but we do question the decision to put such a visually distinct different between them.

What we mean by that is there’s a noticeable drop in quality when switching from the main to the ultra-wide. Images lose some crispness, and appear visually more contrast heavy and darker, losing a lot of vibrancy in the colours while adding more noise, even in daylight. At times it also adds a hyper-real element to the colours where they just seem unnaturally saturated. It’s not the most consistent of cameras.

As for the third camera, that’s just a low resolution black and white sensor to act as a backup to the other two, bringing in some more light data.

Motorola’s new Moto G9 Plus is a stunner of a phone – find out why, right here

By Pocket-lint Promotion
·
14 June 2021

On the front, the selfie camera is decent enough with OnePlus’ HDR capability shining when it comes to balancing out heavy backlighting behind you when snapping pictures of yourself. So even if the sky and clouds look too bright to get a decent shot of your face, the system does well to make sure that it’s not over-exposed and washed out.

Verdict

OnePlus Nord ‘Core Edition’ is something of an unusual phone in its position. The first OnePlus Nord in itself was supposed to represent the core essentials of OnePlus phones. Stripped down, but without real compromise. So in essence, the OnePlus Nord CE is a Core Edition of a Core Edition phone. But that’s perhaps overthinking it a bit.

What really matters is that for the money you’re getting a phone without any significant flaws. It’s fast and responsive, is well-designed, has a good camera and a good screen. It’s comfortably one of the best phones in its price bracket.

We question the removal of the alert slider though. It was one of the few remaining fixtures that helped OnePlus phones stand out from its competition. Without it, it feels like OnePlus is doing more blending in with the environment. It’s transitioned away from standout phone maker, to just another phone maker and the CE is the culmination of that effort.

Alternatives to consider

Pocket-lint

OnePlus Nord

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The original Nord is still here, and still packs a punch. It’s fast, fluid, smooth and has a more premium glass back, slightly more powerful processor and is now discounted because it’s a bit older.

Read the review

Pocket-lint

Redmi Note 10 Pro

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The Redmi Note 10 Pro is one of 2021’s best value smartphones. It boasts similar specs and capabilities to the Nord CE, but is cheaper. Crucially, it has a bigger battery, bigger display and is water resistant.

Read the review

Writing by Cam Bunton. Editing by Chris Hall.

Devialet Phantom I 108dB

Our Verdict

A powerful, striking and truly one-of-a-kind wireless speaker, but not the most entertaining one at this level

For

Big, broad, room-filling sound
Heart-in-your-mouth bass
Striking aesthetic

Against

Lacks transparency and subtlety
App isn’t a UPnP controller
In-app multi-room flakiness

Despite having welcomed many Devialet Phantom wireless speakers into our test rooms over the past few years, we still find ourselves struck by the beauty and bass reproduction of the latest iteration.

This new flagship Phantom I brings with it a simplification and expansion of the iconic, brand-defining line: the compact Phantom Reactor is now ‘Phantom II’ (in 95dB, 98dB and special-edition Opéra de Paris models), above which sits the ‘Phantom I’ (in 103dB, 108dB and Opéra de Paris variants).

Devialet has now introduced a £349 ($350) Arch configurable connectivity hub for Phantom too, giving owners the option to add sources (including a turntable) either via its built-in phono stage and RCA line-level inputs, or alternatively two coaxial digital inputs.

Features

(Image credit: Devialet)

Without that accessory, the Phantom I is reliant upon a network, with support for AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, UPnP and Roon (both up to 24-bit/96KHz) over ethernet or wi-fi, although there is Bluetooth onboard, as well as an optical input (up to 24-bit/96KHz) at the rear.

Devialet Phantom I 108dB tech specs

(Image credit: Devialet)

Power output 1100W

Airplay 2 Yes

Spotify Connect Yes

Bluetooth Yes

Roon Ready Yes

Dimensions (hwd) 25.5 x 25.2 x 34.2cm

Weight 11.4kg

The decibel ratings attached to the names represent their maximum sound pressure level at one metre – something that sets Devialet Phantoms apart not only from one another but most of their competition, considering they can go between the approximate relative loudness of a lawnmower and a chainsaw.

The sample on test here is the Phantom I 108 dB, which is available in dark chrome or white/gold finishes and covers a claimed frequency range of 14Hz to 27kHz. The Phantom I 103 dB, meanwhile, comes in light chrome or matte black and encompasses a slightly narrower bandwidth (16Hz to 25kHz).

Many of Devialet’s patented technologies are present in the new Phantom I, including its ADH (Analog Digital Hybrid) amplification, designed to combine the benefits of Class A analogue (high performance) and Class D (high efficiency and power) designs.

At the risk of using too many acronyms, HBI (Heart Bass Implosion) represents Devialet’s efforts to produce deep, impactful bass from the compact enclosure; its ACE (Active Cospherical Engine) design takes care of outputting sound evenly in various directions from the spherical chassis; and Speaker Active Matching (SAM) processing works to optimise the signal and performance in real-time.

Such patented technologies have been part of the Phantom line-up from the start, but the new Phantom I aims to take performance further with a next-generation system-on-chip and improved thermal dissipation (it’s four times more energy-efficient than the previous model).

Build

(Image credit: Devialet)

The Phantom’s iconic, visually striking spherical design, which we’ve likened to an ‘Alien bug’ and ‘Storm Trooper’s lunchbox’ lives on, but not totally unchanged. It’s now like a miniature jet engine, with a matte finish, new signature side panels and LED status lights at the rear – it’s eye-catching in the best way possible.

The Phantom I comes with a new puck-like remote that’s as other-worldly and premium as the speaker aesthetic and price deserves, too. We like how you rotate the whole outer ring to change volume (you can also play/pause and skip tracks with the central touchpad), although ergonomically it doesn’t feel all that natural in the hand to do so.

The alternative is Devialet’s dedicated app, which provides similar playback functions, as well as settings such as ‘AV sync’ for reducing latency if you’re using the Phantom I with your TV via its optical input, and ‘Night mode’ for sucking some of the bass out of the performance (which it does effectively, too).

Somewhat disappointingly, the app doesn’t also serve as a UPnP streaming controller, so those wanting to access local or networked files or music services will need to use the paid-for Roon platform (the Phantom I is Roon Ready), or download another third-party UPnP app such as BubbleUPnP (Android) and mconnect Player (Android, iOS), both of which are perfectly usable free apps.

We’re also a little let down by the app’s imperfect multi-room and stereo pairing experience, which in our testing proves occasionally flaky by not displaying the connection, or doing so but not initiating through the speakers. If you’ve spent several thousands on a multi-room wireless speaker set-up, you are perhaps entitled to expect seamlessness.

Sound

(Image credit: Devialet)

You also expect a ‘wow’ performance, which in some areas the Phantom I delivers. This is one of the clearest, most bassy and broadest-sounding single-chassis wireless speakers we’ve come across since the previous full-sized Phantom we tested.

For a wireless speaker of its size, Devialet’s latest can, like the iterations before it, excavate a bass line. The jaunty electro-funk lows underpinning Childish Gambino’s 19:10 are deep and impactful – and visually represented by the enthusiastically pumping side-firing drivers. Play something denser such as 65daysofstatic’s Retreat! Retreat!, and it’s not afraid to get down and dirty with the cacophony of drums and electrics while ensuring they don’t bog down the whole presentation.

The Phantom I produces a broad, open soundstage that far belies its compactness. If you’re looking for the biggest sonic footprint from a small physical one, a single Phantom I can output more than is necessary to fill most living rooms. But, while one of the Devialet’s unique selling points is its spectacular power output, the presentation ultimately becomes harsh and, consequently, less listenable when really pushed.

Such is the Devialet’s midrange clarity that upon hearing it for the first time, you’ll want to queue up songs by your favourite vocalists. We find ourselves doing just this; Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, ANOHNI, and The Tallest Man on Earth’s Kristian Matsson come through with purity and polish. But it isn’t long before we realise that such tangibility isn’t complemented by the levels of transparency we’d expect at this price – and especially from a Phantom.

While the Phantom I can distinguish between a soprano and a piano, it’s only able to draw the silhouette of a vocal or instrument rather than reveal any of its colour or shading. It doesn’t rise and fall with Simone’s dynamic delivery, nor does it get under Matsson’s subtle inflections.

We play Ludovico Einaudi’s piano-led Oltremare, and while the notes float across a soundstage that, if you closed your eyes, could pass for one from stereo speakers placed close together, there isn’t the dynamic insight or finesse necessary for you to thoroughly appreciate the variation in his masterstrokes.

We find ourselves creeping the volume up in an effort to feel more involved in the piece – a sign of a performance that falls short of captivating. For the Devialet’s not insignificant asking price, we expect more in the way of sonic sophistication.

Verdict

Devialet’s original Phantom arrived at a time where wireless speakers were slowly but surely maturing into the high-end market. Today, that premium space is more competitive, and with it, the level of performance has improved too.

You’ll struggle to find another that can fill a room or dig up a bass line quite like the Phantom I, but your search for a wireless solution – single-box or otherwise – capable of more insight for the money will be easier. The Phantom I remains a one-of-a-kind option with undisputed talents, but overall its performance leaves us a little cold.

SCORES

Sound 3
Features 4
Build 4

MORE:

Read our guide to the best wireless speakers

Read our Devialet Gold Phantom review

Google Workspace and Google Chat are officially available to everybody

Google is announcing some changes to its Workspace suite of apps and services today, including availability for anybody who has a Google account. Google says that there are over three billion users of its Workspace apps — though it’s probably a safe bet that Gmail accounts for a healthy chunk of that userbase.

A lot of people will soon have the option to switch over to Google’s more modern system for Gmail, Docs, and Chat. All of them can be integrated in a single tab more easily, for example with chats sliding over to the left to reveal a shared spreadsheet. It’s also related to the company’s new “smart canvas” push, which is also designed to interlink its various apps via “smart chips.”

To get started, Google is now officially offering the setting to turn on Google Chat to all users. It’s a new setting within Gmail.

With the switch, Google Chat messaging should be an option for all now, which can include direct messages and chat Rooms. But Google is also introducing a new terminology to go along with the announcement. It is announcing the “evolution of Rooms in Google Chat to Spaces.”

A Space is essentially the same thing as a chat Room, but Google wants to separate them out into their own top-level form of communication next to Gmail, Chat, and Meet. Google is layering on a few new features like improved message threading, more emoji reactions, user roles, moderation tools, and “discoverable” spaces. In that sense, it seems that Spaces wants to serve both as a Slack competitor and as a competitor for public Discord groups and, well, maybe as an optional replacement for email groups.

It’s a little confusing — but that’s par for the course for Google’s messaging strategy.

Google Spaces

Google

The key idea, according to Sanaz Ahari, senior director of product, is that users can more easily switch between “modalities” of communication. The intent is to “keep the context,” Ahari says. “If you start something with an email and then you want to upgrade it into more real-time interaction between a group — or even for a project — you’re able to do that and you can keep the context. Then you can all seamlessly upgrade into a meeting at the same time.”

Google is promising it will “launch a streamlined and flexible user interface” for Spaces this summer.

Those aren’t the only announcements getting bundled into today’s Workspace news. The company is launching a new tier called “Google Workspace Individual” at $9.99 per month, which gives users more Workspace tools without requiring them to set up their own domain or custom email address.

When Workspace users say yes to a meeting, they will be able to indicate whether they’ll be attending remotely or in the reserved meeting room. Google also provided a date for the Companion Mode feature, which encourages people in the meeting room to also turn on their cameras so that remote workers don’t feel quite as left out — it should be coming in September to desktop and “soon” to mobile.

Google also snuck in an announcement that it will finally offer a progressive web app for Google Workspace in September. In theory, it could make it much easier for Gmail users to have their email and other Google apps feel more like actual desktop apps and not just tabs in the browser. That’s possible now via various Electron apps and Single Site Browser windows, but it requires more work than it should.

Finally, Google is adding enterprise options that are going to be necessary if it really wants to have a shot at going after larger companies. Corporations will be able to use their own client-side encryption for data, add more “trust rules” for various Drive files to simplify access and permissions, and label files based on their sensitivity.

Google Workspace has been rapidly updating and iterating over the past few months, a sign perhaps that the company really does intend to seriously compete with Microsoft. Google’s strategy goes beyond just improving its products — it’s more tightly integrating them together. Gmail users will soon find more prompts than ever to bring them into Google’s other Workspace products — and some no doubt will be looking for ways to avoid all that. Putting buttons for Chat, Meet, and Rooms (soon to be Spaces) at the bottom of the most popular email app in the world is sure to raise usage — and potentially some antitrust eyebrows.

The biggest question mark is whether Google can coherently explain the switchover to Chat, why it’s worth it, and what this new Spaces thing really is. Now that Workspace is going to be available to over three billion regular people, the company is going to need to work hard to clearly communicate with all of them.

How to Build an RP2040 Powered Shortcut Keyboard

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The number of keystrokes we record in a day is huge. From messaging apps to coding or writing that next novel, the sheer number of key presses is hard to calculate. But what if we could save a little time and our aching joints by creating a shortcut keypad?

Pimoroni’s Keybow 2040 is a 16-key keyboard which can be programmed in CircuitPython to act as a USB keyboard. Each single key can be programmed to launch an application, control audio levels, switch scenes in OBS or paste funny cat pictures to Twitter.

In this how-to, we will set up Keybow 2040 to be a general purpose keyboard with page navigation keys, OBS shortcuts and two hot keys to launch common applications.

Our shortcut keyboard was designed to scratch an itch. To augment our existing keyboard, and add extra features such as OBS scene switching and application launchers. Your layout will be a reflection of your needs, so use this guide as a foundation from which to build a personalized layout.

For This Project You Will Need

A Pimoroni Keybow 2040

Setting Up Your Keybow 2040

Pimoroni has a full guide on how to set up your Keybow 2040, and the build process is fantastically simple, requiring only a screwdriver and a few minutes of effort. Keybow 2040 comes with CircuitPython and all of the necessary libraries pre-installed. Should you need to install CircuitPython and the libraries, then Pimoroni has a tutorial that you can follow.

Rather than use the included keycaps we sourced some MX compatible caps from a spare keyboard. We then placed the caps on the keyboard to our desired layout.

The top row is basic navigation, home, arrow up, end and page up. The second row is the remaining arrow keys, and page down. Third row controls our volume, up and down, launches the screenshot tool and opens a terminal / command prompt. The final row is reserved for OBS, moving between four scenes. Obviously, if you’re trying this at home, you can use whatever keycaps you want and assign them to whatever functions you want, whether that’s launching an app, performing an action in a program like OBS or controlling media playback.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Keybow 2040 uses a numbering system which sees key 0 at the bottom left of the board, and key 15 at the top right. When using the Keybow CircuitPython library we will use these numbers to set up what each key will do, and how it will light up.

Programming Your Keybow 2040 Shortcut Keys

The code for this project is written in CircuitPython which is very similar to MicroPython and Python 3.

1. Connect your Keybow 2040 to your computer via a USB-C cable. A new device, CIRCUITPY will appear.

2. Using your preferred editor, open code.py found in the CIRCUITPY drive. We recommend Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code, Thonny or Mu code editors.

3. Delete any text in the file.

4. Import four libraries. The first is board, which enables us to use the GPIO on the RP2040 chip. The second is Keybow2040 which is an abstraction to make controlling the Keybow 2040 easier. Import time to control the pace of the code. Finally import usb_hid which will allow us to send keyboard shortcuts as if we had a USB keyboard.

import board
from keybow2040 import Keybow2040
import time
import usb_hid

5. Import three libraries to enable Keybow 2040 to act as a keyboard, with a US layout, and enable keystrokes to be generated by code.

from adafruit_hid.keyboard import Keyboard
from adafruit_hid.keyboard_layout_us import KeyboardLayoutUS
from adafruit_hid.keycode import Keycode

6. Import two libraries that will enable the Keybow 2040 to send Consume Control codes, typically used for media keys.

from adafruit_hid.consumer_control_code import ConsumerControlCode
from adafruit_hid.consumer_control import ConsumerControl

7. Keybow uses I2C to communicate with the RP2040. We need to tell the code that we are using I2C, and create an object keybow that we can easily reference. Then we use that object to create another object, keys which makes interacting with the keyboard much easier.

i2c = board.I2C()
keybow = Keybow2040(i2c)
keys = keybow.keys

8. Create three objects, keyboard, used to create a USB human interface device (HID) and layout which sets the keyboard to use a US layout. The third object is consumer and enables us to send special key presses, typically assigned to media keys such as volume control.

keyboard = Keyboard(usb_hid.devices)
layout = KeyboardLayoutUS(keyboard)
consumer = ConsumerControl(usb_hid.devices)

9. Create two lists: default and wasd. These lists will store the key numbers that will later be used to light specific keys. As you may have guessed, wasd refers to movement keys, in our case they map to the cursor keys.

default = [0,1,3,4,5,8,9,11,12,13,14,15]
wasd = [2,6,7,10]

10. Create a loop to constantly run the main code.

while True:

11. Inside the forever loop create a for loop that will iterate through the default list, setting the LED for each numbered key to green. Each time the for loop iterates, the value of i changes to the next item in the list, from 0 to 1,3…15. Note that Keybow 2040 uses G R B (Green, Red, Blue) LEDs so bright green is 255,0,0.

or i in default:
        keybow.keys[i].set_led(255,0,0)

12. Create another for loop. This time to set the color of the cursor keys to red, so we can easily locate them.

    for i in wasd:
        keybow.keys[i].set_led(0,255,0)

13. Use a conditional test to check if a key is pressed. The first key is key 0, located in the bottom left corner. When this key is pressed we want it to press the SHIFT + A keys, releases the keys, then light the key red for 0.1 seconds. This shortcut changes scenes in OBS when we present The Pi Cast show.

 if keys[0].pressed:
        keyboard.send(Keycode.SHIFT, Keycode.A)
        keybow.keys[0].set_led(0, 255, 0)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.1)

14. Set a condition for key 1, located one key up from the bottom left. When this key is pressed it sets all of the LEDs to purple (red and blue mixed) then sends a media key command to lower (decrement) the volume. The keys are released and a short sleep reduces the risk of key debouncing. Repeat this process for all of the keys that you wish to map. If you need a template, the complete code for this project is at the bottom of this how to.

  elif keys[1].pressed:
        keybow.set_all(0, 255, 255)
        consumer.send(ConsumerControlCode.VOLUME_DECREMENT)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.01)

15. Key 9 on the keypad has a PrtSc keycap, and this key will trigger the Windows Snipping Tool. Configure this key to set all of the LEDs blue when pressed, and then we instruct CircuitPython to press three keys at once. These keys are Control, ALT and P. We then release the keys, and pause the code for a moment.

 elif keys[9].pressed:
        keybow.set_all(0, 0, 255)
        keyboard.send(Keycode.CONTROL, Keycode.ALT, Keycode.P)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.1)

16. Repeat the conditional process for all 16 keys. The process of identifying a key and setting the actions to be taken when it is pressed are repeated for all sixteen keys. The final key is key 15 (we started at 0) and when this key is pressed it sets all the LEDs to blue, then sends a Page Up key press before releasing the keys and pausing for a moment.

 elif keys[15].pressed:
        keybow.set_all(0, 0, 255)
        keyboard.send(Keycode.PAGE_UP)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.1)

17. In order to keep keybow looking for input we need to tell it to update at the end of each loop. If this is missing, the code will not work as expected.

  keybow.update()

Save the code.py file and Keybow 2040 will restart and run your code, in a few seconds you can press the keys and make short work of most tasks but we still have a little work to do.

Adding Keyboard Shortcuts to Launch Windows Apps

If you’re using Windows, you’ll need to create keyboard shortcuts so that when you hit one of the keys on the keypad, the OS knows to launch a program such as the Snipping Tool (for pressing the Prtsrc key on our keypad) or the CMD prompt after we hit the Terminal key on our keypad. Note that Windows’ built-in keyboard shortcut method wants CTRL+ALT + [a letter or number] so the Prtsrc key on our keypad will actually be firing CTRL+ALT + P, for example. Repeat these steps for any keyboard keys that launch programs.

1. Search for the app (ex: “snipping tool”) in the Windows search box. Don’t launch it.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

2. Right click on the program icon and select “Open File Location”

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

3. Right click on the l shortcut icon and select “Properties.”

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

4. Click on the Shortcut Key field and enter the keyboard combo (CTRL + ALT + P in our case for Prtsrc). This will set the shortcut key for that command which matches the code for that key.

Setting Up OBS Shortcut Keys

To set up OBS shortcuts we need to open OBS, and then click on Settings >> Hotkeys to assign a keypress to a Scene.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Complete Code Listing

Note that this code includes shortcuts for all 16 keys, which you may want to use for different functions in your project.

import board
from keybow2040 import Keybow2040
import time
import usb_hid
from adafruit_hid.keyboard import Keyboard
from adafruit_hid.keyboard_layout_us import KeyboardLayoutUS
from adafruit_hid.keycode import Keycode
from adafruit_hid.consumer_control_code import ConsumerControlCode
from adafruit_hid.consumer_control import ConsumerControl

# Set up Keybow
i2c = board.I2C()
keybow = Keybow2040(i2c)
keys = keybow.keys

# Set up the keyboard and layout
keyboard = Keyboard(usb_hid.devices)
layout = KeyboardLayoutUS(keyboard)
consumer = ConsumerControl(usb_hid.devices)
default = [0,1,3,4,5,8,9,11,12,13,14,15]
wasd = [2,6,7,10]

while True:
    for i in default:
        keybow.keys[i].set_led(255,0,0)
    for i in wasd:
        keybow.keys[i].set_led(0,255,0)
    if keys[0].pressed:
        keyboard.send(Keycode.SHIFT, Keycode.A)
        keybow.keys[0].set_led(0, 255, 0)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.1)
    elif keys[1].pressed:
        keybow.set_all(0, 255, 255)
        consumer.send(ConsumerControlCode.VOLUME_DECREMENT)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.01)   
    elif keys[2].pressed:
        keybow.set_all(255, 0, 0)
        keyboard.send(Keycode.LEFT_ARROW)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.01)
    elif keys[3].pressed:
        keybow.set_all(255, 0, 0)
        keyboard.send(Keycode.HOME)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.1)
    elif keys[4].pressed:
        keyboard.send(Keycode.SHIFT, Keycode.B)
        keybow.keys[4].set_led(0, 255, 0)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.1)
    elif keys[5].pressed:
        keybow.set_all(0, 255, 255)
        consumer.send(ConsumerControlCode.VOLUME_INCREMENT)
        time.sleep(0.01)   
    elif keys[6].pressed:
        keybow.set_all(255, 0, 0)
        keyboard.send(Keycode.DOWN_ARROW)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.01)
    elif keys[7].pressed:
        keybow.set_all(255, 0, 0)
        keyboard.send(Keycode.UP_ARROW)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.01)
    elif keys[8].pressed:
        keyboard.send(Keycode.SHIFT, Keycode.C)
        keybow.keys[8].set_led(0, 255, 0)
        time.sleep(0.1)  
    elif keys[9].pressed:
        keybow.set_all(0, 0, 255)
        keyboard.send(Keycode.CONTROL, Keycode.ALT, Keycode.P)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.1)   
    elif keys[10].pressed:
        keybow.set_all(255, 0, 0)
        keyboard.send(Keycode.RIGHT_ARROW)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.01)
    elif keys[11].pressed:
        keybow.set_all(255, 0, 0)
        keyboard.send(Keycode.END)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.1)
    elif keys[12].pressed:
        keyboard.send(Keycode.SHIFT, Keycode.D)
        keybow.keys[12].set_led(0, 255, 0)
        time.sleep(0.1)                  
    elif keys[13].pressed:
        keybow.set_all(0, 0, 255)
        keyboard.send(Keycode.CONTROL, Keycode.ALT, Keycode.T)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.1)
    elif keys[14].pressed:
        keybow.set_all(0, 0, 255)
        keyboard.send(Keycode.PAGE_DOWN)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.1)
    elif keys[15].pressed:
        keybow.set_all(0, 0, 255)
        keyboard.send(Keycode.PAGE_UP)
        keyboard.release_all()
        time.sleep(0.1)
    keybow.update()

(Pocket-lint) – Xiaomi really, really wants you to pay attention to the Mi 11 series. That’s clear because there’s a Mi 11, a higher-end Mi 11 Ultra, a lower-spec Mi 11 Lite 5G, plus a bunch of regional specifics – including this model on review, the Mi 11i, which is also known as the Mi 11X Pro in India.

Whew. Lost count yet? Us too. But that’s not even every Mi 11 model available – there’s actually eight in total at last count. We shant bother you with the additional options right here, but it does make us wonder if Xiaomi has taken its eye off the ball somewhat. There’s delivering something for everyone, then there’s delivering something excessively.

The Mi 11i, however, is a powerful handset that sits just below the original Mi 11, making for an ought-to-be-more-affordable option (its price is, at the time of writing, to be confirmed). It doesn’t sacrifice much in the pursuit of that saving, though, so is the ‘i’ the more favourable Mi model to go for or just a Mi too far?

Design & Display

Display: 6.67-inch AMOLED panel, 1080 x 2400 resolution, 120Hz refresh
Finishes: Celestial Silver, Frosty White, Cosmic Black
Dimensions: 164.7 x 74.6 x 7.8mm / Weight: 196g
Side-positioned fingerprint scanner

At a brief glance and the Mi 11i doesn’t look especially different to the Mi 11. But there are tell-tale signs: the ‘i’ doesn’t feature a curved screen; instead its 6.67-inch panel is not only a mite smaller than the Mi 11’s, but it’s flat too, which some will prefer – but we don’t think looks quite as flashy from a visual perspective.

Pocket-lint

The screen is quality, though, delivering a Full HD+ resolution – note that’s lower than the Mi 11’s WQHD+ offering – and capable of up to 120Hz refresh rate for smooth visuals. We’ve already seen the likes of this panel in the Redmi Note 10 Pro, so its performance is one and the same – i.e. decent quality.

As it’s an AMOLED panel that means the Mi 11i can have an always-on display activated – which illuminates the edges in a subtle fashion when there’s a notification, as one example – for visuals to be shown on the lock screen without actively needing to turn the display on. The screen tech also means deep blacks and rich colours as standard (and you can further tweak to your preference within the settings).

There’s little to criticise about the screen – although its brightness isn’t as searing as some. Still, it’s a sensible panel selection for this level, even better paired with this device than the Redmi, really, as the Mi 11i has more power to support that 120Hz fast refresh – ensuring support across more demanding situations.

Pocket-lint

Also similar to the Redmi, the Mi 11i drops the under-display fingerprint scanner for a side-positioned one in the power button. Although setting this up suggested it wasn’t going to be especially responsive – for some reason it was being fussy while registering – ongoing use has proven it to be highly responsive. We might even prefer it to an under-display option, as it happens.

Flip the Mi 11i over and, again, it looks largely similar to the original Mi 11. That means there’s a glass panel that’s curved at the edges, which picks up light nicely, but fingerprints show in abundance sadly. We much prefer the fingerprint-resistant and colourful finish of the Mi 11 Lite 5G.

Pocket-lint

Where things do differ is in the camera arrangement. The triple unit, which has two particularly large lenses, does protrude rather incessantly, but that’s all part and parcel of a flagship phone these days – the 11i’s isn’t as disruptive as the giant lump on the Mi 11 Ultra anyway. The really peculiar thing about the Mi 11i is the integrated microphone sandwiched between the two main lenses. Like, seriously, what is that all about? We’re weirded out every time we have to look at it.

Performance & Battery

Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, 8GB RAM
Storage: 128GB UFS 3.1 (no microSD)
Battery: 4,520mAh; 33W charging
Software: MIUI 12 (on Android 11)
Dual SIM, 5G connectivity

Unlike the aforementioned Redmi device, the Mi 11i steps things up in the power department, utilising the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 platform as found in the original Mi 11. That’s the top-grade processor that you’ll find in any phone during 2021, which translates into really great performance.

Pocket-lint

As we said, it gives the Mi 11i an upper hand in ensuring that higher frame-rates are achievable for making the most of that fast-refresh panel. So whether you’re admiring the smooth scrolling around the MIUI software, or playing your very best PUBG: Mobile, it’s an impressive outlay.

Even when gaming we’ve not found heat dissipating from the body to be a problem – likely the result of a plastic rather than metal shell? – while the 4,520mAh battery has been holding up really well under our mixed use. We’ve been getting about 14 hours use, which has seen us arrive at just under half battery by bed time on most days. It also sports 33W fast-charging to get topped-up again nice and quick.

Part of the reason for this long battery innings is the fairly high impact of Xiaomi’s MIUI software. There are lots of options to pick through, a number of alerts to suggest limiting certain functions to retain battery, and a lot of per-app permissions that you’ll need to tinker with to ensure everything runs as you please. They’re not all in the one place, either, so you’ll really need to dig deep to find everything.

As we said of the original Mi 11: that’s kind-of good, but kind-of bad all at the same time, because there’s so much footwork to get everything functioning as you expect – and sometimes you won’t know there’s a ‘problem’ with a specific app until, say, it doesn’t send you a notification. And we’ve found Gmail slow to update and Outlook largely ill-responsive when it comes to notifications on this software platform.

Pocket-lint

All that said, however, we’ve not run into as many considerable hurdles while using the Mi 11i as with some other Xiaomi handsets. It’s quirks rather than total experience killers. And this is running MIUI 12.0.4 – so it’s still not on the expected 12.5 update. How much difference that will genuinely make is yet to be seen though.

Cameras

Triple rear camera system:
- Main: 108-megapixel, 0.8um pixel size, f/1.8 aperture
- Wide (119 degrees): 8MP, f/2.2
- Telemacro: 5MP, f/2.4
Front punch-hole selfie camera:
- 20-megapixel, 0.8um pixel size, f/2.5 aperture

On the cameras front the Mi 11i is largely similar to the Mi 11. Both have triple rear systems, both of which feature a 108-megapixel main camera, a wide-angle, and a macro. However, the ‘i’ model downgrades the wide-angle’s resolution (from 13MP to 8MP) and drops the optical stabilisation of the main camera too.

Pocket-lint

: Wide angle camera (full size image)Wide angle camera (full size image)

Still, we’re glad that there aren’t other throwaway cameras like with so many other phones at the moment. Each lens has its own distinct task. Sure, that built-in microphone looks like its been installed by a 1970s Bond-esque spy team, but otherwise there’s not excesses to be seen. And, no, there’s no zoom lens here – but that wouldn’t be expected at this level.

The main lens uses nine-in-one pixel processing to produce 12-megapixel images as standard – smaller than the four-in-one 27-megapixel output offering from the standard Mi 11 device. There’s still heaps of detail crammed in, though, so it’s a decent enough optic to deliver good results – just don’t expect too much in lower-light when you can’t hold the phone steady. The Night Mode isn’t that great, really, but it can get you out of a tricky low-light situation.

Pocket-lint

: Main camera (full size image)Main camera (full size image)

The telemacro, which also doesn’t feature any stabilisation either, can be a bit tricky to use. But its results are fun. You’ll get some great close-ups, but there’s not the same degree of accomplishment with sharpness or detail as the main lens – partly because it’s 5-megapixels only, partly because the autofocus is limited. But at least it’s a step better than the no-good 2-megapixel macro lenses that so many makers are mindlessly putting on their phones.

All in all, despite the absence of proper optical zoom lenses, the Mi 11i’s take on cameras is decent for this level. There are limitations, though, and the wide-angle isn’t very good here, but in terms of an accomplished main optic without too many distractions it works.

Verdict

The Mi 11i is, on the one hand, a confusing entry to Xiaomi’s series because it adds yet another handset to the Mi 11 line-up. And that muddies the waters between the standard Mi 11 and the Mi 11 Lite 5G – the latter which we’d buy beyond both others given its preferable design.

On the other hand, the Mi 11i doesn’t get anything truly wrong, per se, it functions smoothly as there’s heaps of power – which is a reason you’d consider it above and beyond more budget contenders, such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro.

Using the Mi 11i feels largely effortless, but as it’s an exercise in market flooding there’s also no distinctive reason to opt for one.

Also consider

Pocket-lint

Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G

Of all the Mi 11 handsets this would be our choice. It’s the best looking, the slimmest, and while not the most powerful just feels best balanced as the handset to own. Especially in the minty colour finish, as pictured, which we think looks super.

Read our review

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Pocket-lint

Redmi Note 10 Pro

It’s less powerful, but then it’s cheaper. With the same screen as the Mi 11i, but lesser protruding rear cameras, and software that – for whatever reason – we found more consistent, this money-saving option would be our budget alternative pick.

Read our review

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Writing by Mike Lowe.

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HP Elite Dragonfly Max Specifications

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