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Best Beats wireless headphones 2021: Bluetooth Beats for every budget

Best Beats wireless headphones Buying Guide: welcome to What Hi-Fi?’s round-up of the best Beats wireless headphones you can buy in 2021.

Beats had already established itself as the headphone make of choice for youngsters, athletes and hip-hop artists alike, but since it was bought by Apple in 2014 the brand’s profile has gone stratospheric.

Beats has a reputation of putting bass before quality, and although we felt this was the case with a few of its earlier models, there are now some excellent Beats wireless headphones around.

We’ve rounded up the best Beat wireless headphones we’ve tested, from in-ears to on-ears, including a true wireless option. Hopefully, there’ll be a pair of Beats wireless headphones sate your audio appetite.

(Image credit: Beats)

1. Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless

Eminently practical and great-sounding and arguably the best wireless Beats headphones around.

SPECIFICATIONS

Reasons to Buy

Great fit

Long-lasting battery

A fun listen

Reasons to Avoid

Overbearing bass

Could be clearer

Now Beats is owned by Apple, its headphones are seamlessly compatible with iOS devices thanks to the inclusion of Apple’s W1 chip. The Powerbeats 3s are only noise isolating, not noise cancelling (i.e. the earbud seals off your earhole from outside noise), but at this price, that’s to be expected. And the snug fit means they’re not going anywhere. The battery lasts a healthy 12 hours, while just five minutes of plug time will get you an hour’s use. Handy if you’re about to dash out the door.

The bass can be a little overwhelming at times but can be a benefit in noisy environments. And they’re a lively, fun listen.

Read the full Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless review

(Image credit: Beats)

2. Beats Solo Pro

Awesome noise-cancelling meets an even-handed and balanced wireless Beats sound.

SPECIFICATIONS

Reasons to Buy

Clear, impactful sound

Great noise-cancelling

Well built

Reasons to Avoid

Could time better

A bit snug

If you’re looking for Beats wireless headphones, the Solo Pro should be right up there on your list. They feel sturdy and well built, but classy with it, like a premium SUV rather than a tank. The battery life also impresses, standing at 22 hours, or 40 with noise-cancelling disabled.

Unlike some on-ears, the bass doesn’t overwhelm, and they make for a nicely balanced listen. They’re a little snug (though it might depend on the size of your bonce) and you’ll find better timing elsewhere, but they’re still a class act all the way.

Read the full Beats Solo Pro review

(Image credit: Beats)

3. Beats Powerbeats Pro

Sporty types will lap them up. Audiophiles, not so much…

SPECIFICATIONS

Reasons to Buy

Very consistent

Comfy

Marathon battery

Reasons to Avoid

Limited dynamic range

Need more bass

Audio lacks vim

Sporty types in the market for the best Beats wireless headphones should look no further. The Powerbeats Pro are truly wireless, so you won’t get tangled in any cables while you work out. They fit well and are extremely comfortable to wear, so they won’t hinder you as you exercise. And they perform superbly thanks to Apple’s H1 Bluetooth chip which ensures a stable wireless connection.

The 9-hour battery life is more a marathon than a sprint, and you get a further two charges from the supplied carry case. The audio lacks a little energy, which is a shame given they’re meant to power you through your runs, but they’re still a good choice to get hot and sweaty with.

Read the full Beats Powerbeats Pro review

(Image credit: Beats)

4. Beats X

These Beats wireless headphones pack a seriously punchy sound.

SPECIFICATIONS

Reasons to Buy

Excellent wireless connection

Simple yet stylish

Sound packs energy

Reasons to Avoid

Need more detail

Midrange lacks refinement

These Beats wireless headphones have a cable connecting the two earbuds – it means you won’t lose either one. They’re lightweight, and the cable not too obtrusive. They stick together with magnets when not in use too, making them easy to store.

Wireless performance is typically excellent, and the eight-hour battery life should be long enough for most people. The audio packs plenty of punch, though it could do with a tad more detail to bring out the finer elements.

Read the full Beats X review

(Image credit: Beats)

5. Beats Flex

Fun and fuss-free wireless Beats headphones.

SPECIFICATIONS

Reasons to Buy

Punchy lows

Durable build

Extra features for iOS users

Reasons to Avoid

Treble is rounded off

Fit may be an issue

The Beats Flex are a step up from Apple’s bog-standard Lightning wired buds. They’re available in some fresh hues (including the Yuzu yellow sample before you), they charge via USB-C, have a 12-hour battery life, and courtesy of one-tap audio share you can split sounds with nearby Beats or AirPod headphones (provided you have an iPhone 8 or later running iOS 14). And they’re very affordable, too.

Four ear tip options gives a good chance of finding a decent fit, and the cable is flat, like a strand of tagliatelle. Magnets keep the earbuds together when not in use.

Pairing is a doddle (even more so using an Apple device). They don’t support some iOS 14 features, including automatic switching to another device or hands-free Siri‌ support. And there’s no noise-cancelling either, but with the correct seal you’ll still enjoy good levels of passive noise isolation.

Audio quality is good, but not great. There’s just not the same impact that the best at this price manage to pull off. Still, the Flex offer a considered, smooth sound profile that’s preferable to one that is harsh or bright through the upper frequencies. A solid Beats bet at this end of the market.

Read the full Beats Flex review

(Image credit: Beats by Dre)

6. Beats Solo 3 Wireless

Great wireless tech makes these wireless Beats headphones an excellent choice.

SPECIFICATIONS

Reasons to Buy

Strong audio

Clear midrange

Healthy battery life

Reasons to Avoid

Lack detail

Tight fit

No Lightning connection

The Beats Solo 3 Wireless are long-lasters: a whopping 40 hours of battery life should see you through most of a week’s use, and if you do run out of juice, just plug them into your device using the supplied cable. The wireless connection is rock solid, making them some of the most reliable Beats wireless headphones we’ve tested.

They deliver a full-bodied sound with bags of energy, but you can get greater subtlety and refinement elsewhere. Not a bad shout for cutting through the hustle and bustle of your local gym, though.

Read the full Beats Solo 3 Wireless review

MORE:

These are the best wireless headphones for running and the gym

Check out the best Sennheiser headphones

Our definitive list: Best headphones

Qonto: Apple Pay also available

Qonto has introduced support to Apple Pay: customers will be able to “tokenize” their credit card and simplify purchasing procedures both online and in physical stores, paying directly with their iPhone or Apple Watch

by Alberto Falchi published on 20 January 2021 , at 14: 21 in the Innovation channel

Qonto Apple

News coming soon for Qonto , the payment institution that wants to revolutionize the concept of a business current account. The company announced support for the Apple Pay payment system, for both its physical and virtual cards.

Qonto announces Apple Pay support

As the use of electronic and traceable payment systems such as credit and debit cards grows, physical payment cards are rapidly transforming into virtual instruments, which can be “tokenized” for use on payment apps, including which Apple Pay , which allows you to pay avoiding the classic “swipe” on the POS. In fact, Apple Pay allows you to virtualize your cards on the Apple Wallet and make payments without ever having to extract it from your wallet, both online and in physical stores, relying on the iPhone or wearable devices such as Apple Watch .

Starting from 19 January, also the Mastercards issued by Qonto support this payment method and can therefore be combined with the Apple Wallet. Privacy and security are guaranteed by the fact that the data of the “virtualized” card are not saved on Apple’s servers or on the user’s iPhone: by inserting the card on Apple’s virtual wallet, a unique Device Account Number is assigned to it. , which is encrypted and saved in the Secure Element of the iPhone, a dedicated chip on which apps and their cryptographic data, designed to resist attack attempts.

Once the card is virtualized, it will be possible to make purchases more easily both in-store and online. In the latter case, a touch with Touch ID or a glance (for iPhones that support Face ID) will be enough to transfer all payment information to the merchant, including shipping and billing information, thus avoiding having to fill in every time these informations.

Mac and Big Sur, bug with the screensaver starting at random

A number of users complain of a nuisance drawback: on new Macs – but the problem seems more than the operating system – the screensaver starts randomly and does not allow the resumption of activities

of Andrea Bai published on 20 January 2021 , at 13 : 01 in the Apple channel

macOS Apple

Recent systems Apple MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini equipped with Apple M1 SoC may suffer from a bug that suddenly stops user activities by starting randomly and the screensaver and prevents you from regaining control of the system.

It is a problem that several users are reporting all over the network, starting with Reddit, on the official Apple support forums and on the community forums dedicated to Apple. such as that of the MacRumors website.

New Macs: the screensaver starts randomly and locks the system

The only way to resume activity, at least on portable systems, is to close the screen and wait a few seconds . On Mac mini, you need to put the system to sleep using a keyboard shortcut. Currently there does not seem to be a recurrence of the problem in specific situations, with most of the reports having in common the fact that the problem would occur in a completely random way . The problem would arise even if the user has chosen to never activate the screensaver under any circumstances.

The extent of the problem is not clear and whether it is actually limited only to Mac systems with M1 SoCs, as on MacRumors a user indicates that he has also encountered the same behavior in a MacBook Pro 16 inch equipped with Intel processor. It is likely, at this point, that the problem is mainly attributable to the operating system.

The cause has not yet been precisely identified, but it seems that it may be related to the Quick User Switch functionality or ” Fast User Switching “: a user on the MacRumors forum has in fact reported that by deactivating this feature the problem no longer occurs, even if the two elements at least apparently shouldn’t have no connection.

We await an official patch that can restore the correct functioning of both features.

AirPods Max leave the iFixit laboratory with a repairability score of 6 out of 10

by Jordi Bercial 2 hours ago …

In a landmark event for Apple’s AirPods range of headphones, iFixit has finished with the disassembly of the AirPods Max and has evaluated the repairability of the device, and it is that, although the usual with brand headphones has always been a 0 over 10 due to a design that does not allow any type of repair , the AirPods Max are not only minimally repairable, but they manage to get out of the iFixit laboratory with a grade of 6 above 10.

Although it is true that a 6 is not a stellar note or much less, it is clear that Apple does not see these AirPods as a desired headphones chables , but any component that may fail inside can be repaired by a technician or an experienced user with the repair of devices like this.

According to iFixit, we found several components designed for repair, with connectors for practically everything and a clear preference for screws over glue , although there is too great a variety of screws, with heads that even the company’s kits do not have, so, if we really have to go all the way, we will have to arrive well prepared.

In any case, it is clear that the larger size of the AirPods Max makes repairs easier compared to the rest of the brand’s headphones.

End of Article. Tell us something in the Comments or come to our Forum!

Jordi Bercial

Avid tech and electronics enthusiast. I messed around with computer components almost since I learned to ride. I started working at Geeknetic after winning a contest on their forum for writing hardware articles. Drift, mechanics and photography lover. Don’t be shy and leave a comment on my articles if you have any questions.

LG considers exiting smartphones in 2021

LG is considering exiting the smartphone market in 2021. After losing around $4.5 billion over the past five years, LG’s smartphone business has been struggling to compete with rivals. Now LG CEO Kwon Bong-seok has notified employees that the company is considering making big changes to its smartphone business.

The Korea Herald reports that Kwon Bong-seok sent out an internal memo to staff on Wednesday, hinting at a change in direction for LG’s phone business. “Since the competition in the global market for mobile devices is getting fiercer, it is about time for LG to make a cold judgment and the best choice,” says an LG official in a statement to The Korea Herald. “The company is considering all possible measures, including sale, withdrawal and downsizing of the smartphone business.”

LG confirmed the internal memo was genuine in a statement to The Verge, noting that nothing has been decided yet. “LG Electronics management is committed to making whatever decision is necessary to resolve its mobile business challenges in 2021,” says an LG spokesperson. “As of today, nothing has been finalized.”

LG’s Rollable phone.

This new internal memo follows a now-deleted report from Korean outlet TheElec earlier this month that claimed LG was planning to exit the smartphone business. LG branded that report “completely false and without merit,” in a statement to Android Police just a week ago.

LG has previously promised “wow factors” to try and attract consumers and make its flagging mobile division profitable. LG has tried multiple times with the G7, the V40, the G8, and the V50 to compete with Samsung and Huawei, but it’s not been enough to push its market share in the right direction. LG’s latest Velvet and Wing smartphones have attempted to try something new, but neither were well received.

Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Apple all continue to dominate worldwide smartphone shipments, according to IDC. LG is now turning its focus to its Rollable phone, in an effort to differentiate it from the competition. LG teased the Rollable device again at the Consumer Electronics Show last week, with a “unique resizable screen” that extends from a phone to become a small tablet display.

LG has promised its Rollable device is real and will launch in 2021, but with the company reconsidering its mobile plans it could be one of the last LG phones we’ll see.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go review: Style on a budget

(Pocket-lint) – The Microsoft Surface Laptop has, through all three of its release iterations, proven to be our favourite premium Windows laptop time and again – winning the Pocket-lint Awards in its category in both 2019 and 2020.

So when Microsoft decided to bring out a more affordable version, called the Surface Laptop Go, it did make us wonder what would have to give to cut the price without cutting into a premier experience. So here’s how it all stacks up.

Design & Display

12.4-inch PixelSense display, 3:2 aspect ratio, 1536 x 1024 resolution
Dimensions: 278 x 206 x 15.7mm / Weight: 1.1kgs
1x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack
Proprietary Surface Connect port for power
Finishes: Platinum, Sandstone, Ice Blue
Windows 10 S

Upon pulling the Surface Laptop Go from its box it looks a far cry from its budget status, aping many of the premium design traits that you’ll find in the Surface Laptop proper. The use of cool-to-touch metal on the lid and frame being standout, while the finish options – there’s three, this one in the photos is Ice Blue – look great.

Pocket-lint

The Go is small and lightweight, yet it’s got a fairly large screen on account of the 3:2 aspect ratio – making the 12.4-inch panel more like an A4 sheet of paper than the more elongated screens that are so typical in laptops.

The screen is plenty bright, too, while its resolution – at 1536 by 1024 – is pretty sharp considering it’s less than Full HD in overall pixel count. That’s not a big problem, it just means you’ll find sharper panels elsewhere in the market. It’s befitting of its budget status, really, which is the whole point of the Go model.

Pocket-lint

Ports aren’t especially plentiful: there’s a USB-C and a full-size USB-A port, but other than the 3.5mm headphones jack that’s your lot. Thankfully power is handled by Microsoft’s Surface Connect rather than using up the USB-C port, although we would prefer this proprietary format to be dropped in favour of more ports in the design.

When plugged in we found the Go’s first issue though: it’s noisy. The fan kicks in due to the device heating up when recharging, which is delivered in an irksome whistling fashion. It doesn’t even need to be under load for this to happen, you could have no applications open whatsoever and it’ll whistle away.

Pocket-lint

Another major point to mention is the use of Windows 10 S. This version of Windows utilises the Microsoft Store to obtain and download apps – so you’re shielded from EXE file-types and can’t download and install such a variety of apps.

However, to switch out from S to ‘normal’ Windows 10 is easy enough: you can do it for free and we suspect most will do this straight away. We certainly did. That then means the Go has no limitations in what you can obtain and run on it, whether that’s a different browser such as Chrome, or a full-fat app such as Photoshop (albeit running at Intel Core i5 levels).

Keyboard & Trackpad

Fingerprint reader power button*
Full-size keyboard, no backlight
Large precision trackpad

Although the Go’s keyboard looks fairly squashed into its space, it’s actually a full-size one – and that makes for a decent typing experience.

Pocket-lint

Well, it does when it’s light. Unfortunately the Go’s keyboard lacks a backlight, with only the Caps Lock key having a corner LED for any kind of illumination. It’s pretty rare that a keyboard isn’t backlit these days. But that’s another area where cost-cutting has happened, ultimately, to help keep the Go a little more budget.

The trackpad is a reasonably large scale, too, with a smooth topped finish that’s responsive to touch. It is plastic rather than glass, which gives it a slightly more ‘tacky’ feel to the fingers, but it works well enough. Some competitors are releasing laptops with even larger over-size trackpads, but there’s not much unused space in the Surface Laptop Go’s real-estate anyway, so we think it’s a sound solution as is.

Pocket-lint

Also of note is the fingerprint scanner embedded in the power button, which makes for super-quick Windows 10 sign-in. *Caveat time though: this feature is absent from the entry-level model, so if you’re looking to the Laptop Go for its appealing price point then note that not all models offer the same by feature set.

The best Chromebook 2021: Our pick of the top Chrome OS laptops for school, college and more

Performance & Battery

10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor (1035G1), Intel UHD Graphics
64GB/128GB/256GB storage options, 4GB/8GB RAM options

As we detailed previously, the Surface Laptop Go ships with Windows 10 S, but you can switch this to Windows 10 instead without incurring a cost. It’s a good job, then, that there’s a proper processor under the hood, capable enough of handling tasks that may typically fall outside of the Windows 10 S remit. Want Photoshop? You got it.

Pocket-lint

Whichever Surface Laptop Go you pick – and there are three levels – it’s the same processor, an Intel Core i5 (1035G1). It’s the storage and RAM that differ rather dramatically though: the entry-level model has 64GB and 4GB respectively, which is rather limited; the two other models up the RAM to 8GB; while the only other difference from mid- to top-level is 128GB versus 256GB storage.

If you opt for the top-end model, however, the price is significantly higher – by almost 40 per cent over the base model, and closing in on the four-figures mark. That’s rather a lot to pay for doubling the RAM and delivering a usable storage amount. The middle spec model is probably the best balanced of the lot, remaining at an attractive price point with just about enough storage on board.

Pocket-lint

In terms of battery life the Surface Laptop Go quotes an up-to-13-hour life per charge, but that’s over-reaching compared to its real-world figure. We were able to stream a Full HD YouTube video (well, the source was Full HD, the screen downscales that given the resolution available) for just under seven hours before it was game-over time. That’s reasonable enough innings, on par with the Surface Laptop 3, and long enough to cater for a varied day of work/study/mucking about on the internet.

Verdict

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go is a compelling affordable laptop. It pulls on much of the design and quality of Microsoft’s established Surface range, without cutting features to the bone.

There are some quirks – such as a noisy fan, a limited numbers of ports, and limited storage in the entry-level model – but given the balance of features and performance we think Microsoft has got a success on its hands here. The mid-priced model is the one to go for.

Also consider

Pocket-lint

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7

squirrel_widget_3759498

It’s got more ports, better battery life, and is well designed – albeit not quite as refined as the Microsoft product. If the mid-spec Surface Laptop Go seems appealing then consider comparing it to this Yoga before making that final decision.

Apple macOS 11 Big Sur: All the key new Mac features explored

Read our review

Writing by Mike Lowe.

Qualcomm prepares an alternative to Apple's M1 chip: ARM for everyone

A new Qualcomm chip for Windows systems on ARM, Snapdragon SC model 8280, confirms the general interest of the sector towards solutions that are based on ARM architecture to better balance power and consumption

by Paolo Corsini published 20 January 2021 , at 10: 21 in the Processors channel

Apple MacBook Qualcomm Snapdragon Windows Intel AMD

One of the future directions in the world of mobile devices and personal computer is that of the progressive adoption of processors and SOC based on ARM architecture , such as alternative to that x 86 adopted by Intel and AMD processors. ARM is certainly not new as it is the architecture adopted by mobile devices such as tablets, smartwatches and smartphones by virtue of the balance between performance and low consumption that allows to obtain.

On the other hand, the sector is pushed to the adoption of ARM architectures also in systems that until now have seen the proliferation of processors with architecture x 86, in search of an ever-increasing energy efficiency . Quacomm started this transition with its Snapdragon family SoCs designed for Windows on Arm notebook systems, with the model Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 as the last representative to appear on the market.

Apple has for some months put on the market the first Mac notebooks based on ARM architecture, equipped of chip M1 developed internally by the company. The behavior of these systems has surprised, thanks to the balance between speed performance and consumption, confirming how the ARM architecture can represent a valid alternative to that x 86 also in areas typically falling within the competence of the latter.

Hence the general interest of the sector and the rumors of a new specific SoC for Windows on ARM notebook systems that Qualcomm would be developing. Referred to by the name of Snapdragon SC 8280, this SoC would have dimensions greater than that of Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 thus integrating a greater number of transistors and therefore in theory higher processing power. The rumors reported by the WinFuture website speak of two different configurations, the first combined with 8GB of LPDDR5 memory and the second with well 32 GB of LPDDR4X memory; the second would represent a doubling compared to the maximum allocation up to now combined with the Apple M1 chip contained in the new MacBooks.

It is Snapdragon SC 8280 may borrow part of its architectural features from the Snapdragon SoC 888 , proposal for top-of-the-range smartphones built with 5-nanometer production technology and announced by Qualcomm in December 2020. The integration of the 5G modem is also conceivable for this new SoC intended for notebooks, so as to offer connectivity in any condition of use while simplifying the overall structure of the products.

these are only rumors which confirm the general interest of the industry towards alternative solutions to those x 86 . For the latter, Intel and AMD are certainly not watching, continuing to develop versions in their CPU ranges capable of operating at very low consumption levels (under 7 Watts of TDP), therefore compatible with passive cooling systems and capable of to offer high operating autonomy with battery. In this direction we must highlight the Intel Lakefield proposals, based on architecture x 86 with two different types of core one with high performance and the other with lower consumption.

Shortly, during 2021, we will see at the debut the new versions of Apple M1 SoC equipped with a greater number of cores and intended for use in MacBook Pro systems higher-end: this will be a new step in Apple’s gradual abandonment of architecture x 86 for your Mac notebook and desktop systems. Without forgetting that in the past AMD has expressed its interest in developing processors with ARM architecture dedicated to datacenters , initiative which was however suspended giving internal priority to Ryzen solutions. It is not certain that AMD can also explore this strategy for its CPUs of the future, relegating x 86 to higher-end models and offering its customers a processor with ARM architecture for the most critical areas in terms of consumption and dimensions.

Apple Car: allegedly produced in Kia’s US factory

Is the first “Apple Car” a Kia? According to a media report from South Korea, Hyundai, which is being seriously considered as a producer of Apple’s electric cars, is considering moving to a location in the United States that currently produces vehicles of that brand. Hyundai has a stake in Kia with around 34 percent. It seems important to Apple that the Apple Car rolls off the assembly line in its home country.

Georgia as the factory location The location of the Kia Motors factory is the 4000 – inhabitant town West Point in the US state of Georgia. Corresponding negotiations between Kia and Hyundai were carried out on Tuesday, writes the newspaper eDaily , citing informed circles.

Hyundai executives believe that the Kia factory could help make it easier to work with Apple. Hyundai itself seems to have concerns about becoming a direct producer because such contract manufacturing could potentially weaken its own brand – it is important to maintain Hyundai’s brand values and not simply become an “OEM factory”.

Apple needs industry help The rumors about Hyundai and Apple as partners had only just settled crystallized in the last week. Previously, there had been reports that Apple had spoken to numerous car manufacturers. The group never builds its hardware itself, but relies on contract manufacturers. Since they currently have no competencies in automobile production, help is needed from the industry. Allegedly, Apple has even spoken to Volkswagen.

Hyundai had in the meantime even confirmed the cooperation – or the negotiations about it – to the US media. The statement was withdrawn a few hours later – probably under pressure from Apple. It is currently unclear when production will start, it is assumed that this could take years. The financial news agency Bloomberg recently threw the year 2024 into the ring, but Apple is also planning a “beta version” for 2022. (bsc)

Apple's high-end AirPods Max headphones opened: teardown with surprises

iFixIt has carried out a first detailed teardown of Apple’s new high-end headphones. The over 600 Euro headphones AirPods Max are – as was to be expected from the iPhone manufacturer – not easy to take apart.

“Adorably Confusing” AirPods Max The process of opening the AirPods Max was “slightly confused and overcomplicated”, write the repair specialists. It is a “delightfully confusing pair of headphones”. This includes that Apple once again built in a lot of glue that has to be tackled with a heat gun. Other components are modular and have an extremely large number of screws.

The total battery capacity is 664 mAh at 2, 54 watt hours and 4, 35 volts. That is more than about Bose’s NC 700 with 2, 39 watt hours. Sony’s popular WH – 1000 XM4, thanks to 4.1 watt hours, manage a longer listening time of 30 hours. Of course, a motherboard is also built in – two in each auricle to be precise.

Hardware carousel in the auricles Here there is an ARM-based microcontroller from STMicroelectronics, Apple’s H1 chip (disguised as a Bluetooth SoC), amplifier and audio codec chips from Cirrus Logic, 256 Megabytes of Flash memory from Winbond and charging electronics from TI. In addition, the AirPods Max have several sensors from STMicroelectronics and Bosch – presumably for inertia and acceleration. Power management seems to come from Apple, other power electronics from TI. The dynamic drivers are 40 mm in size. In terms of repairability, iFixIt gives the AirPods Max a point value of 6 out of a maximum 10. The structure is very complex.

There was a surprise with the bracket. There were rumors beforehand that Apple had planned to make these interchangeable. However, due to production delays, the company decided against it and only made the magnetically held ear pads variable. However, according to iFixIt, it is now apparent internally that the “headbands” can still be flexibly designed afterwards.

Easily accessible mechanics These are only through a mechanism secured, which can be removed with a paper clip or SIM card removal tool. The small hole can be accessed by removing the ear cups. This is possible despite the complex joint structure. In the bracket connector there is a small plug for the electrical connection between the two ear cups. So Apple could definitely add interchangeable headbands. In fact, there are already references to this in the second beta of iOS 14. There is a type identifier for this area. Whether Apple will implement this remains to be seen.

(bsc)

AirPods Max get the full iFixit teardown

iFixit has completed its extensive teardown of the Apple AirPods Max wireless headphones. The teardown has been in progress since the headphones went on sale and is now complete with a full list of all the chips onboard along with a teardown of the Sony WH-1000XM4 and the Bose Headphones 700 alongside for comparison.

Here are some of the key takeaways from this teardown.

The grille for drivers is held by the typical Apple pentalobe screws. However, they are not meant to be turned all the way but rather half-way to release a locking wedge on the inside. Despite doing that, the grille won’t come off as it’s still held down by some glue.

The dual cell battery pack is located only on one side, the right side to be exact. Despite this, and the left side having no counterweight, the headphones seemingly aren’t unbalanced.

The battery has 2.54Wh capacity. The Sony 1000XM4 have 4.1Wh while the Bose 700 have 2.39Wh.

The hinge has a fairly elaborate and intricate electromechanical joint. This allows the hinge to transfer electrical signal without having cables running through the headband into the earcups.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this entire design is that headband plug into the earcups using what looks like a really thick Lightning connector. By pressing into a hole using a SIM ejector tool, you can just detach the earcup entirely from the headband.

Overall, iFixit found the AirPods Max to be surprisingly serviceable, even though things like the glue under the grille and the choice of screws used make it tricky to do so. They gave them 6/10, which is their first non-zero score for an AirPods product.

While compared to the Sony and the Bose alternatives, the Apple headphones exhibited superior craftsmanship in a way that almost justifies their $550 price and the internals make the other two headphones “look like toys in comparison”.

You can check out the full teardown, along with the x-rays, videos, and chip details in the link below.

Source

Linux is Finally on Apple M1…Kind Of.

(Image credit: Future)

Half of the reason to buy a Mac is to get native support for macOS, but that doesn’t mean Mac owners don’t also suffer from the grass-is-greener syndrome. While Apple’s operating system is known for being casual friendly and is also the OS system people who grew up on its products might be more familiar with, PC users are always quick to point out that the extra steps it adds to actions like installing programs can slow down more serious work. It’s currently possible to

emulate Windows for ARM

on Apple’s latest M1 Macs, but what if you want to take your power user cred a step further and use Linux on your new M1 Mac?

According to ARM-based Linux virtualization startup Correlium, now you can – but there’s a bit of a catch.

More to show that it’s possible than anything else, Correlium first posted hints of an M1 version of Linux to its Twitter account on January 15th.

We had some spare time today so we ported Linux to the M1. Releasing tomorrow #fridayfun pic.twitter.com/dCrXApyKefJanuary 16, 2021

Correlium CTO Chris Wade then made the beta build the group was using publicly available the following day but warned that it was for “advanced users only” as it didn’t have USB support at the time.

Now, the group has pushed a new release that adds AIC, UUART, and SMP support, with Wade promising that the group’s next goal is to add “DART, USB, and maybe PCIE (if time persists).”

This adds AIC, UART & SMP. We will push DART, USB and maybe PCIE (if time permits) next. It also looks like tomorrow you will also be able to boot Linux on the M1 with Pongo. Big thanks to the whole @CorelliumHQ team and to @never_released and @qwertyoruiopz for their assistance. https://t.co/tKscy0LUWeJanuary 19, 2021

What does all that mean? Well, now you can technically load Linux on an M1 Mac, though certain connection standards won’t be supported, and you also won’t be able to take advantage of the M1’s graphics. So while this is more versatile than the January 15th release, it’s still a long way from being as useful as Linux is on older, Intel-based Macs (which still isn’t saying much).

That’s to be expected from such a new chip, as even Windows running on M1 currently does so through emulation (though Apple is open to native support). Still, this marks a major step forward for the Linux on M1 and even Linux on ARM scene, particularly when it comes to Wade’s promise of PongoOS support.

So how will you boot third-party operating systems on arm64 Macs?You might have seen that pongoOS has been getting a ton of work in the recent past, and even more is coming. This work will allow us to support pongoOS as a second-stage bootloader for Apple Silicon-based Macs.November 13, 2020

PongoOS is essentially a pre-boot execution environment built with Apple Silicon in mind, with the intention of loading third-party operating systems on chips like M1. It’s been expected to pave the way for Linux on Apple Silicon since late last year, so it’s exciting to see that coming true, even if it’s still primitive.

As for why this is something you’d want to do, we find it best to refer to Linux creator Linus Torvalds.

“I’ve been waiting for an ARM laptop that can run Linux for a long time,” he wrote last November on the

Real World technologies

forum. “The new Air would be almost perfect, except for the OS.”

Despite not always having the absolute best hardware, Macs are still built to run consistently and feel premium. That’s valuable for a lot of users, including power users, especially those who grew up with the Mac.

“I have fairly fond memories of the 11″ Macbook Air (I think 4,1) that I used about a decade ago,” Torvalds explained. “But [I] moved away from because it took Apple too long to fix the screen – and by the time they did, I’d moved on to better laptops, and Apple had moved on to make Linux less convenient.”

Here’s hoping that, as developers get more familiar with them, Apple’s ARM-based laptops don’t follow the same path.

Goodbye and good riddance to the 16:9 aspect ratio

One of the biggest trends coming out of this year’s CES wasn’t something people will necessarily notice at first glance unless they look closely. After enduring years of cramped, “widescreen” laptop displays, it looks like we’re finally starting to say goodbye to the 16:9 aspect ratio.

Here’s the new Dell Latitude 9420.

Image: Dell

An aspect ratio is the ratio of a display’s width to a display’s height (in that order). For example, a screen with a resolution of 500 x 500 would have an aspect ratio of 1:1. Think of it like simplifying a fraction: a 1080p screen has a resolution of 1920 x 1080, which divides down to 16:9.

The aspect ratios you’ll typically see on laptops are 16:9, 3:2, 16:10 (which, for whatever reason, is called 16:10 rather than 8:5), and (occasionally) 4:3. 16:9 is the most common option and also the one with the lowest amount of vertical space relative to its horizontal space.

If you have a modern Windows laptop, there’s a good chance your screen is 16:9. If you have a gaming laptop, its panel is almost certainly 16:9. (It’s unusual to find high refresh-rate panels with other proportions.) There are some notable exceptions: Microsoft’s Surface products have been 3:2 for quite some time, while Dell’s last few XPS 13 models and Apple’s MacBooks are already 16:10. But traditionally, Windows laptops like these have been few and far between.

16:9 screens are cramped — at least compared to other options. I usually can’t comfortably work in multiple windows side by side without zooming out or doing a ton of vertical scrolling, and when I’m multitasking in Chrome, the tabs get tiny very quickly. If you’re used to using a 16:9 screen and you try a 16:10 or 3:2 display of the same size, you probably won’t want to go back. You just have a lot more room, and it’s a much more efficient use of screen space.

But this CES showed that 16:10 and 3:2 displays are inching closer to the mainstream. These are some of the biggest laptops announced at the show that are offering non-16:9 display options:

HP Elite Folio (1920 x 1280, 3:2)
Dell Latitude 9420 2-in-1 (2560 x 1600, 16:10)
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 (2560 x 1600, 16:10)
Lenovo Legion 7 and Legion 5 Pro (2560 x 1600, 16:10)
LG Gram 17 and Gram 16 (2650 x 1600, 16:10)
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro (2560 x 1600, 16:10)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga (2256 x 1504, 3:2)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 and X1 Yoga Gen 6 (up to 3840 x 2400, 16:10)
Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable (1920 x 1280, 3:2)
Asus ROG Flow X13 (up to 3840 x 2400, 16:10)

That doesn’t mean there are no 16:9 displays left — plenty of laptops still use it, and probably will for the foreseeable future. And some of these devices, like the LG Grams, were 16:10 already.

But it’s significant that a large number of the flagships we’ll be seeing in the first half of 2021 will be either 16:10 or 3:2. In fact, when you include MSI’s 16:10 Summit E13 Flip and Razer’s 16:10 Razer Book 13 (both of which were announced prior to CES), I can’t think of a mainstream consumer laptop company that isn’t now selling a non-16:9 flagship-level machine. It’s clear that companies across the board are moving toward laptops with taller aspect ratios, and I fully expect to see more of them in the years to come.

Here’s the X1 Detachable (currently attached).

Image: Lenovo

Again, this may seem like a boring change. But it will make a big difference in the lives of this year’s laptop buyers, particularly people shopping for a work-from-home device. I switched from a 16:9 laptop to a 3:2 Surface Book 2 back in 2017, and it was one of the best purchasing decisions I’ve ever made. If you’re using a 16:9 screen now and are looking to upgrade this year, I encourage you to give one of these new devices a shot. You won’t want to go back.

Vrbo is blocking new Washington, DC reservations during inauguration week

Vrbo has changed its stance on people making reservations in the Washington, DC area during the week of the inauguration. The company announced on January 19th, the day before the event, that it will block any new reservations through Friday, January 22nd. Vrbo previously stated it was evaluating new bookings and that it would “take appropriate action in coordination with law enforcement” if necessary.

The news was tweeted by Expedia Group (which owns Vrbo) and from the official Vrbo Twitter account. It comes in light of DC officials encouraging people to stay home and participate in the inauguration virtually.

Based on updated guidance provided by government officials regarding security threats, and as part of ongoing efforts to protect the safety of travelers, partners and communities, all new Vrbo reservations will be blocked in and around Washington, D.C. through Friday, 1/22.

— Vrbo (@vrbo) January 19, 2021

The company has slowly been changing its policies around inauguration rentals, after Buzzfeed News reported that residents are concerned about extremists using the service to stay in DC. But while Vrbo stated that it was “encouraging hosts to cancel bookings,” it’s not blanket-canceling reservations. When asked if this was still the case after today’s block, the company responded that it would indeed not cancel all existing reservations, but it is “re-vetting [them], to help ensure public safety.”

In comparison, Airbnb not only blocked new reservations, but it canceled existing ones as well. On January 6th, Vrbo stated that all new reservations would be subject to increased scrutiny and security, but it seems like we’ll just have to trust that those measures were effective, as the new ban seems like it’ll only affect people who are booking last minute.

The home-sharing apps are not the only ones trying to avoid more violence in the nation’s capital ahead of tomorrow’s inauguration: Facebook has shut down events near the White House, and Apple, Google, and Amazon have all worked to remove the distribution of Parler, an app that failed to moderate rioters during the attack on the Capitol building earlier this month.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro hands-on

It’s sort of a tradition for Samsung to announce new TWS earphones alongside its latest Galaxy S-flagships and this year we get the Galaxy Buds Pro. We got to spend some time with a pair of Galaxy Buds Pro earlier today and we did some quick tests to get a feel of what Samsung’s latest premium earbuds bring to the table. These are our initial impressions, but we will be doing a detailed review when we’ve spent enough time with them.

Fit

As with all in-ear headphones, you’ll have to find the right tip size for your ears to ensure a snug fit. This is rather important since the passive noise cancellation depends on having a tight seal around your ear canal. Provided you’ve attached the right rubber tips, the Galaxy Buds Pro offer superb fit and stay in your ears at all times.

Each earbud weighs just 6.3 grams which is on par with the Galaxy Buds+ and a smidge more than the Buds Live (5.6 grams each) though you really won’t be able to tell the difference when you put them on. After a few hours of wear, you forget you even have them on. Our unit comes in the Phantom Black colorway which features a glossy (and reflective) outward shell while the rest of the construction is matte. The earbuds are IPX7 water-resistant and feature assuringly solid construction.

Sound

The Buds Pro pack a dual driver setup with 11mm woofers and 6.5mm tweeters in each earbud. Upon first inspection, sound quality is quite balanced with decent levels of bass and satisfying highs and lows. We’ll make sure to offer more details in the full review of course but so far we can say the Buds Pro sound seems to befit their name.

The active noise cancellation from the Buds Live (aka Beans) is back on the Buds Pro and this time around and it’s noticeably more potent. While in an office environment the Buds Pro managed to filter all the lows and mids perfectly though we’ll have to test them out in other environments for the full review. This is also when we’ll get the chance to compare them to the likes of Apple AirPods Pro.

The ANC has low and high levels which adjusts how much of the outside sound is blocked out – this seems a little excessive as we can’t envision a scenario where you’d want just a little of the outside noise blocked.

You can of course listen to the Buds Pro without noise cancellation or have them in Ambient Sound mode which amplifies external sounds. The Buds Pro also have the new Voice Detect feature, which works quite well, toggling from noise cancellation or normal mode to Ambient Sound almost instantly when it detects you’re talking. Once the conversation is over, the Buds Pro revert to their original state. The only issue is that if someone else starts talking you’ll still miss the first sentence toward you until you reply and the earphones detect that.

Pairing, other features

We tested out the Buds Pro with a Galaxy Z Fold2 and the pairing was as seamless as it gets. As soon as we opened the case the Buds Pro were recognized and instantly paired to the phone with a single click. Of course, this instantaneous connectivity won’t be available to non-Samsung devices. However, you can get the Galaxy Wearable app on any phone and take advantage of its customization options and controls including programing the touch-sensitive sides of the earphones, find my earbuds and gaming mode.

Galaxy Wearable customization options for Buds Pro

Gaming mode also reduces latency by a noticeable amount. We tested the feature on a game called Athletics Mania, which simulates track and field events. The 100m sprint game requires you to tap immediately after the starting pistol is fired and with the Buds Pro we managed good to very good starts while the exact same test with the Galaxy Buds+ rendered poor results on most tries. Not quite what was possible with a wired headset, but certainly a major step forward.

Upon first testing, the Galaxy Buds Pro are a step in the right direction for Samsung’s TWS lineup and offer tangible improvements over their predecessors. Make sure to tune back when the full review is published as we delve deeper into the Galaxy Buds Pro’s sound and features.

VLC updated for Apple M1, now works natively on Apple Silicon

The famous media player has been updated on macOS introducing native support for Apple Silicon processors, and therefore also for Apple M1

of Nino Grasso published on 19 January 2021 , at 19: 41 in the Apple channel

VLC Apple macOS

The answer from part of the developers on the arrival of the first systems with Apple M1 was amazing. One of the first doubts about the processors made in Cupertino for notebooks and desktops was related to compatibility, but the situation is improving day by day with the arrival of new “universal” apps , so think both for architectures x 86, and for the new Apple M1 with ARM architecture. The latest arrival with Apple Silicon support is VLC , the popular cross-platform media player.

Apple M1 is the first chip of the Apple Silicon series, already available on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro from 13 “and Mac mini, and requires the Big Sur version of macOS to work Native support for ARM instructions is not essential for an app to work with Apple’s new SoCs, since apps x 86 can be translated through a conversion layer called Rosetta 2 and can also be performed with the new Apple chips. But there are big advantages with native apps.

proved effective in the first tests, Rosetta 2 imposes a loss in performance and – above all – in energy efficiency compared to running an app natively compiled for ARM architectures. Especially on an app like VLC, especially if used for r the reproduction of content in high resolution (4K or even 8K), the landing of the native version can bring with it decisive advantages in the viewing experience and in battery life .

Native VLC on Apple Silicon, here’s how to install it

The version of VLC to be considered, therefore, for those who own an Apple device with Apple M1 (and possibly all future Apple Silicon) is 3.0. 12 . In reality, VLC is not yet offered in a universal version, but there are two packages: one for models with Intel CPUs, the other for Macs with Apple Silicon. Those who belong to the latter category must therefore install VLC 3.0. 12 , and then search again for new updates to get the VLC 3.0 package. 12. 1 , which is compiled for ARM architecture and works without any translation layer on M1 Macs.

We remind you that VLC is free software and can be downloaded on the official VideoLAN website. Furthermore, among the novelties of the new version, we have better compatibility with macOS Big Sur, fixes on audio management and with adaptive resolution streaming, and security fixes.