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TechStage | Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3 in the test: waterproof and hard

Testing Tests overview Smartphone Huawei P Smart 2021: Budget model with room for improvement Asus Zenfone 7 Pro: Turbo smartphone with flip camera Samsung Galaxy Xcover Pro in the test: hard but slow Oneplus Nord N 10 5G in the test : Gallop in price Oppo Find X2 Pro in the test: performance bargain Asus ROG Phone 3 in the test: Perfect gaming smartphone LG Wing in the test: 1 , 5 displays and gimbal cam Smartwatch Oppo Watch in the test : Great AMOLED Smartwatch from 240 € Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 in the test: competition for Apple? Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro in the test: Smartwatch with cross-country battery Apple Watch: Smartwatch with contract from 15 € per month Buy Apple Watch 6: All generations in the price check Skagen Falster 3 in the test: Smartwatch with Wear OS test Huawei Watch GT 2: Noble fitness tracker in watch form Multiroom Ikea Symfonisk in the test: Sonos loudspeakers under 100 Euro Bose Portable Home Speaker in the test: battery, WLAN, Airplay 2 Sonos Move in the test: The robust all-rounder Musiccast: Multiroom from Yamaha in the test Denon Heos in the test: versatile Multiroom system Flat soundbar Teufel Sounddeck Streaming in the test Teufel Raumfeld in the test: rich multiroom sound Keyfinder Tile Slim (2019): key finder in Credit card format Bluetooth key finder Tile Pro in the test: 122 m range! Key finder Tile Pro in the test: the range champion Orbit Bluetooth tracker in the test: looking for wallet and keys Nonda iHere 3.0: smart key finder under test Chipolo Classic and Plus: Bluetooth key finder under test Musegear finder 2: Keyfinder without mandatory registration Action-Cam DJI Pocket 2 in the test: Zoom and 64 – Megapixel sensor Actioncam Insta 360 One R: 1-inch image sensor in the test Gopro Hero 8 Black in the test: Back to the top Insta 360 One R in the test: The modular action cam Motorola Moto G8 Plus test: Great smartphone, but … Insta 360 Go: Micro-GoPro in the test Motorola One Action Test: Good hardware, bad camera microSD In the test: Kingston UHS-I U3 microSDXC Kit MicroSD card for smartphone: Samsung Evo Plus 2017 Test report: Lexar Professional 1800 x microSDXC Kit Test report: Intenso Premium microSDXC card with 64 GByte Android Sonos Move in the test: The robust all-rounder Honor 20: Inexpensive high-end smartphone in the test Xiaomi Mi 9: Top technology at a bargain price Doogee S 87 in the test: modular outdoor smartphone ZTE Axon 10 Pro in the test: high-end phone at a competitive price Motorola Moto G7 Power in the test: big one Battery, low price Sony Xperia 10: smartphone with 21: 9 display in the test Counselor Advisor overview Purchase advice The right cordless screwdriver for the home workshop Bargain: Which Fire TV Stick from 19 € is the right one? Purchase advice: What good is a leaf blower with a battery for 45 Euro? True wireless headphones: How much do you have to invest? Buying advice water cooling: High -End PCs cool better Adviser: Air conditioning and fan against the heat wave Sony shows the Xperia 1: Is the predecessor XZ3 worth it now? Practice Caution, money away: Kickstarter & Co. are not shops Turn off Android notifications from annoying apps Here’s how: New Android keyboard Install L now Tip: Use “Ok Google everywhere” in Germany In the test: Does the jailbreak work for iOS 7.1? Goderma and mobile medicine: The doctors apps are coming! Instructions: Jailbreak for iOS 7 on iPhone 5S, 5, 4S and 4 Technology Importing technology from China, part 2: Customs, taxes and tricks Drones & copters: From toys to FPV racers What does the end of an ecosystem mean? Smartphones with a flexible display: What’s in it for me? Overview of smartphone processors: everything Snapdragon? Evolutionary dead ends: the very worst mobile phones mpass: Pay with the NFC mobile phone – or the NFC toilet roll Display calculator Calculate pixel density, number and display proportion Best list Test winner Price comparison Price comparison overview Smartphones from Android 7.0 Phablets with stylus Fitness tracker with GPS Bluetooth headphones with ANR Drones with GPS Video TechStage Test Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3 in the test: waterproof and hard start design Display Camera Equipment Battery Price Conclusion Comments from Stefan // 06. 01. 2021 15: 00 Clock

There are not many outdoor smartphones , with tablets the selection continues to shrink. One of the few models is the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3, which looks like an oversized first-generation Note smartphone.

Around 500 The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3 costs at the time of the test, but it looks with his removable back and the whole design look like an oversized Samsung Galaxy Note – and that is now almost 10 Year old. The reason is clear: The Tab Active 3 wants to be a real outdoor tablet and is according to military standard MIL-STD – 810 H against falls from up to 1.5 meters and against penetrating water and dust according to IP 68 – hardly any other tablet offers that. There does not seem to be a sufficient market for this, which is why Samsung primarily offers the device as an Enterprise Edition and wants to appeal to companies and companies with it. Is the extraordinary tablet still worthwhile for private individuals?

Design It has already been indicated: The Samsung Galaxy looks modern Tab Active 3 certainly not off. It comes to the customer with a wide frame all around the display, offers hardware buttons for the Android control back, home screen and the app switcher and also a sloppy back made of simple plastic, which is held on the device with many small plastic lugs – completely as before 10 years. All of this doesn’t seem high quality, but there are good reasons. The wide edges protect against fall damage, especially in combination with the plastic cover included in the scope of delivery. The hardware buttons instead of the onscreen buttons guarantee basic operation even with dirty hands or hands in gloves, and the back can be removed so that the battery underneath can be replaced. It would probably all be possible in a more stylish way, but here Samsung clearly focuses on practicality. Unfortunately, this does not apply to the case itself, it takes a lot of brute force to finally fit the tablet into it.

Even without a cover, the plastic frame of the device is additionally thickened against bumps, especially at the corners of the device, and does not look particularly high quality overall. The back made of black plastic is slightly grooved. This way it is spared fingerprints, but still relatively slippery. It also sounds slightly hollow when you knock on it – that doesn’t make a high-quality impression. This increases when you remove the back of the case. It is held in place by numerous plastic noses that seem to be torn from the body of the tablet one after the other during this process. That sounds almost scary and doesn’t seem like it will last long. Experience has shown that it does, however, models like the Samsung Galaxy S5 had similar backs with internal rubber lips for water resistance, and they didn’t break off after the fifth use.

While the workmanship is quite convincing overall and all keys can be operated properly thanks to the reasonable key travel and pressure point, we do not like the layout of the keys. Samsung not only installs power and volume buttons on the right, but also a dedicated camera button that is highlighted in red. However, Samsung positions the generally laudable additional key in the middle and, despite the size of the 8-inch model, just reachable with the thumb, while the much more important power key is out of reach above it. Accordingly, users of the tough tablet have to put up with the fact that when they try to put the device into sleep mode, at least initially, they have to activate the camera (or the calendar if the device is pressed for a long time). It’s just a matter of getting used to, but the manufacturer could have done better.

All pictures of the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3 in the test (27 Pictures) Display This measures 8 inches for better protection The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3’s display is laminated with plastic instead of glass. This is currently more or less the smallest size for a tablet, which makes the device more or less manageable. The resolution is 1920 × 1200 pixels and accordingly 283 ppi (pixel per inch). That is significantly more than many of the mostly cheap 8-inch models have to offer. The highlight is the option to operate the screen with a stylus. In addition, the increased sensitivity of the touchscreen allows operation with gloves. A robust and waterproof stylus, which otherwise works like the stylus from the significantly more expensive Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 + (test report), is included in the scope of delivery and can be inserted into the protective cover that is also included – practical!

Otherwise, the screen convinces with decent data. Colors and contrasts are sufficiently pronounced, the brightness is measured just under 500 cd / m2 – In connection with the good viewing angles, this is enough for good readability even outdoors. The presentation is also sharp enough. There is hardly anything to complain about on the screen, even if it is more than 60 Hz refresh rate does not exist.

Camera Cameras in a tablet are almost always neglected by the manufacturers, exceptions are often only high-end models such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 + (test report). Even there, they are usually still weaker in direct comparison to top smartphones. It is therefore not surprising that the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3 is no exception. A glance at the equipment list shows that the cameras were not the focus of development: There is a 13 – Megapixel camera, front an equivalent with 5 megapixels – that’s far from high-end away. The image quality of both optics is sufficient for video chats and to clarify certain ideas when planning a project, but nobody will want to take their vacation photos seriously with them. Overall, the camera quality is roughly on the level of decent 240-Euro -Smartphones: Sufficient during the day, more or less bad in poor light.

Nice weather camera in the tough tablet Furnishing The built-in Exynos 9810 already came in the top models of the penultimate generation, so used in the Samsung Galaxy S9 (test report), accordingly it is no longer completely fresh. However, it still delivers sufficient performance, and the chip is also impressive for the upper middle class. Together with 4 GB of RAM, it ensures mostly smooth operation in everyday life and the performance is sufficient in most cases even when playing games. Only real high-end titles require the graphics to be screwed down – here you can tell the age of the former top chip. The internal memory is 64 GByte, the version also available with 128 GByte is not sold in this country. Thanks to the possibility of expansion by up to 500 GByte via micro SD card should probably be in the most cases suffice.

Wifi 6 is already on board, LTE, however, only in the equipment variant, which is subject to a surcharge. The then also offers telephone functionality via VoIP and GSM network. Otherwise, with Bluetooth 5.0, NFC and GPS, all essential technologies are on board. The reliable and fast fingerprint sensor is integrated into the mechanical home button. The built-in mono speaker is powerful, but sounds a bit lacking in bass. Practical: The tough tablet has pogo pins on the long left side, which the device can use to charge in landscape format – for example in corresponding keyboards.

The Galaxy Tab Active 3 largely offers the same stylus features as the much more expensive one Galaxy Tab S7 + This is particularly worthwhile if the tablet becomes a PC replacement using Dex functionality. With the Tab Active 3, this only works with an external display connected (via USB C) or Bluetooth, also for keyboard and mouse. If this is available, the Android tablet becomes a surprisingly productive office device thanks to the PC-like user interface. In addition to the outdoor capability, the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3 scores above all with the stylus and the appropriate software, as with other Note models. It allows you to easily write and digitize handwritten notes, and you can also write short reminders on the screen that is switched off with the Tab Active 3. Android 10 is now available for the model, and the manufacturer promises at least two more major updates. The security patch for our model is from November at the time of testing 2020 and is therefore sufficiently current.

Battery pack 5000 mAh – some smartphones already offer that much, so that’s not unusual or even good for a tablet. Rather, the unique selling point is another feature: the battery of the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3 can be exchanged – without tools. There is thus the possibility of doubling the runtime with a few simple steps and manageable expenses. This shouldn’t be absolutely necessary for most users, because in PCmark’s battery test the device lasts for 8.5 hours at 200 cd / m2. In most cases, this should easily last until the evening. Then the tablet wants to be on the “leash” again for a good 2 hours, it cannot charge wirelessly.

Price The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3 is only available in black. In this country, a distinction is only made between versions with and without LTE. The 10. The 1-inch version is called the Galaxy Tab Active 3 Pro and, in addition to a larger display, includes a different chipset, a larger battery and a higher-resolution front camera.

Conclusion Looking at the technology of the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3, the price is still (early January 2021 ) round 440 and 500 Euro too high. There are sometimes much better equipped tablets, such as a Huawei Matepad Pro (test report) or an iPad 10. 2 of the 8th generation. You shouldn’t take them with you in the rain or on a hiking tour in the Alps (for whatever reason) – you can do that with the Tab Active 3. In addition, a full-fledged stylus is included with the Samsung model, at least with the Apple product the surcharge.

Apart from that, the active tablet offers decent performance, good display, sufficient memory and great DEX functionality in everyday life. In addition to the stylus and the resilience of the device, the special highlight is the exchangeable battery – or more precisely: the possibility of simply exchanging it, even if you still have to buy an additional battery separately. If you are looking for such features, you cannot avoid the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3.

If that is too expensive for you, you should take a look at our purchase advice: How much tablet is really necessary. It is particularly cheap with Amazon tablets such as the Fire HD 8 Plus (test report). In this article we show how users can get Google services on Fire tablets without much effort.

Permalink: https://techstage.de/-5005055

EU plans its own satellite internet

The EU Commission is considering the operation of its own satellite internet. To this end, it has commissioned a feasibility study from a consortium of European satellite manufacturers and operators, telecommunications companies and rocket service providers for 7.1 million euros, the results of which should be available in a year.

According to the Airbus group involved, the system is intended to provide safe internet access for citizens, companies and public institutions and to open up white spots in rural and remote areas. If the project is approved, it would be the third major satellite-based European space project after the Earth observation program Copernicus and the GPS alternative Galileo, which is currently being developed.

Expectations and requirements Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton is one of the big supporters of the system, according to Airbus. This is to be based on the EU’s Govsatcom program for connecting and sharing satellite services and also use the results of the EuroQCI initiative, which promotes innovative methods for quantum cryptography.

The consortium, to which Arianespace, Eutelsat, Hispasat, OHB, Orange, SES, Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space also belong, is to determine the expectations of potential users and the requirements of the mission. The corporations should provide a preliminary draft design and concept for the provision of services and the associated costs.

Better critical infrastructure It will also be examined how the satellite system could improve and connect to critical infrastructures including terrestrial networks in order to strengthen the EU’s access to the cloud and provide digital services independently. The tasks also include finding out whether the project could strengthen the 5G ecosystem and the interoperability of different communication systems. The future 6G mobile radio technology should already be taken into account.

The head of the ArianeGroup, André-Hubert Roussel, appealed to the Commission to give the initiative in the area of space policy top priority. Europe must drive this program and associated projects ambitiously, he told the Playbook newsletter service of the online magazine “Politico”. Direct entry into the satellite-based network would require an ongoing wave of rocket launches. The longer the EU waits, the more Elon Musk’s space company SpaceX establishes itself as the cheaper option to put satellites into orbit, especially since it receives public contracts in the USA for its Falcon 9 rocket.

SpaceX is already in the process of building up a satellite network for Internet supply with Starlink, and so has a clear lead. In December, the Federal Network Agency assigned the US company the first time-limited frequencies for its planned mega-constellation. The British communications company OneWeb is pursuing a similar project, for which the European rocket operator Arianespace, which belongs to the ArianeGroup, recently 36 sent satellites into space.

(anw)

Six gadgets to help meet New Year's resolutions: e-book reader, smartband, smart scale … What else?

The New Year is a special moment in the minds of each of us. For a long time, this date has marked the moment when we plan what will change in our lives in the next 365 days. Depending on our character, these provisions may concern starting some activity or giving up something that has a negative impact on us. Unfortunately, it is not easy to change your lifestyle overnight. Therefore, many New Year’s resolutions end up with the fact that after a few weeks we just get discouraged and give up. What if there was something that would help us stick to our resolve and make it a little easier? This is where technology comes in handy. Here are six inexpensive gadgets that can help you meet your New Year’s Resolution.

The New Year has begun, and with it – the time of resolutions and their implementation. But what to do in order not to give up this time and persevere in our promises? Technology can help. Here are 6 gadgets to help us meet New Year’s resolutions.

E-book reader

One of the most frequently made decisions is that we will read more books in the coming year. Such a promise is most valuable, because the readership statistics in our country are decreasing every year. However, in today’s busy world, some people simply find it difficult to find time to read, and reading on the go and carrying books with you everywhere can be just uncomfortable. Books are not only heavy, but also easy to destroy and to lose the place where we finished reading recently. Therefore, instead of paper copies, it may be worth investing in an e-book reader, among which the Kindle brand reigns. This device can store thousands or even tens of thousands of books in its memory, it is light, handy and resistant to the hardships of everyday use. Moreover, it usually has some nice features. First of all – by opening a file with a given book, we are automatically directed to the place where we finished last, and additionally we can adjust such things as the font size and the brightness of the screen backlight, which makes it easier to read in dark rooms. Thanks to such a device, we can devote every moment of our free time to reading, which will greatly facilitate the implementation of our resolution.

Onyx Boox Max 3 e-reader test – on Android and without inhibitions

Fitness band

Another very popular resolution that we promise ourselves for the New Year is that we will do more sports, or – even exercise at all. In order to maintain a high level of motivation, it is crucial to be able to track your progress, because it is very easy to get discouraged without seeing results. Therefore, a smart fitness band is a good choice here. Such devices do not cost much and offer many possibilities related to tracking and organizing training. They can monitor the number of calories burned by us, the repetitions made, and if they are equipped with GPS – thanks to them we can track the routes of our run or cycling. In addition, most of them are also able to monitor our rest, which allows you to determine the appropriate training intervals. All this data is of course collected in the accompanying smartphone application, thanks to which we have easy access to them and we can both track our progress in training, and on their basis, for example, plan its expansion.

Review of the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 smartband – invariably invincible

Good headphones

Hardly any gadget helps in implementing New Year’s resolutions as much as headphones. They are very versatile and thanks to them we can help ourselves in achieving many goals. If we want to exercise, good, motivating music can help a lot. If our goal is to read more books, why not reach for audiobooks? And if we want to be more productive at work, nothing helps us better than cutting ourselves off from our surroundings. So what kind of headphones should you choose? First of all, if we value comfort and convenience, it is worth considering the TWS model, i.e. wireless. In addition to the quality of the sound itself, let’s pay attention to whether the pair we are looking for has ANC (active noise reduction), thanks to which we can cut off from the sounds of the environment and work or exercise in peace. The prices of such headphones are decreasing every month and today it is not difficult to get good quality with really little money.

Great test of True Wireless in-ear and in-ear headphones

Heater of tobacco

A lot of Poles still smoke cigarettes, and many New Year’s resolutions are related to the desire to reduce smoking. After all, we all know how harmful cigarette smoke is to the smoker and to the smoker himself. Therefore, perhaps on the New Year it is worth getting a tobacco heater, also popularly known as IQOS after the name of the most popular model. It is a device that (as the name suggests) heats the previously pressed tobacco, supplying the body with nicotine, but without emitting unpleasant odors and without causing discoloration on the skin and teeth. The most important advantage, however, is much lower (studies even say about %) the amount and concentration of harmful substances compared to cigarette smoke produced in the process smoking traditional cigarette. And it is cigarette smoke and its tar, not nicotine, that is the leading cause of cigarette disease. So if we are disturbed by an addiction, but we do not have the willpower enough to end it on the move, it will be a good move to buy such a heater. Thanks to it, we will harm ourselves and the environment less.

IQOS 3 Duo tobacco heater review – back to menthol

Smart Bathroom Scale

Too high weight is slowly becoming a very popular disease of civilization also in Poland. Therefore, a large part of New Year’s resolutions is about losing two, five or maybe more kilos. Here, however, as in the case of sports, the key issue is to accurately track and analyze your progress and draw conclusions from the collected data. If we use a regular weight, it will only tell us how many kilograms we have, but it will not let us know what these kilograms make up. Therefore, it is worth looking for a scale that, in addition to this information, will conduct a thorough analysis of the body composition. All because thanks to this data we will know how our weight loss process is going. Often, if we want to lose weight thanks to exercise, our total body weight does not change, but the fat under the skin is displaced by much heavier muscles. With this information, it will be much easier for us to stay motivated, especially as modern bathroom scales also send all measurements to the smartphone app, which makes tracking the weight reduction process much easier.

Smart scales test: Huawei, Xiaomi, Fitbit, or maybe Hoffen?

Guitar neck protector

Who among us would not like to become a rock star or even be able to play focal classics to play with friends? Unfortunately, learning to play guitar can be a tedious and frustrating process if we don’t know how to go about it. Fortunately, technology can also help us here, because you only need to search for a while to find special guitar caps (eg Fret Zealot) that will help you learn to play. When placed on a fretboard, they will illuminate it in specific places, showing us on which frets we should press the strings to play specific chords. Thanks to the built-in tutorial companion applications, we will learn the basic techniques of the game, and the huge library of songs, to which the overlay can show chords in real time and make us quickly learn our favorite songs. Such a device will guide us through the most difficult stage of learning, allow us to see the effects of our work and can be the beginning of a very pleasant adventure with the guitar.

TechStage | TV-OS: strengths & weaknesses of Android TV & Co

Testing Tests overview Smartphone Huawei P Smart 2021: Budget model with room for improvement Asus Zenfone 7 Pro: Turbo smartphone with flip camera Samsung Galaxy Xcover Pro in the test: Hard but slow Oneplus Nord N 03 5G in the test: galloped in price Oppo Find X2 Pro in the test: performance bargain Asus ROG Phone 3 in the test: Perfect gaming smartphone LG Wing in the test: 1.5 displays and gimbal cam Smartwatch Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 in the T est: competition for Apple? Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro in the test: Smartwatch with cross-country battery Apple Watch: Smartwatch with contract from 15 € per month Apple Buy Watch 6: All generations in the price check Skagen Falster 3 in the test: Smartwatch with Wear OS Test Huawei Watch GT 2: Noble fitness tracker in watch form Huawei Watch GT in the test: record-breaking battery life Multiroom Ikea Symfonisk in the test: Sonos loudspeakers under 100 Euro Bose Portable Home Speaker in the test: battery, WLAN, Airplay 2 Sonos Move in the test: The robust all-rounder Musiccast: Multiroom from Yamaha in the test Denon Heos in the test: Versatile multi-room system Flat soundbar Teufel Sounddeck Streaming in the test Teufel Raumfeld in the test: rich multiroom sound Keyfinder Tile Slim (2019): Key finder in credit card format Bluetooth key finder Tile Pro in the test: 122 m range! Key finder Tile Pro in the test: the range champion Orbit Bluetooth tracker in the test: looking for wallet and keys Nonda iHere 3.0: smart key finder under test Chipolo Classic and Plus: Bluetooth key finder under test Musegear finder 2: Keyfinder without registration obligation Action-Cam DJI Pocket 2 in the test: Zoom and 64 – Megapixel sensor Actioncam Insta 360 One R: 1-inch image sensor in the test Gopro Hero 8 Black in the test: Back to the top Insta 360 One R in the test: The modular action cam Motorola Moto G8 Plus Review: Great smartphone, but … Insta 360 Go: Micro-GoPro in the test Motorola One Action Test : Good hardware, bad camera microSD In the test: Kingston UHS-I U3 microSDXC Kit MicroSD card for smartphone: Samsung Evo Plus 2017 Test report: Lexar Professional 1800 x microSDXC Kit Test report: Intenso Premium microSDXC card with 64 GByte Android Sonos Move in the test: The robust all-rounder Honor 20: Inexpensive high-end smartphone in the test Xiaomi Mi 9: top technology at a bargain price Doogee S 90 in the test: modular outdoor smartphone ZTE Axon 10 Pro in the test: high-end phone at a competitive price Motorola Moto G7 Power in the test: large battery, small price Sony Xperia 10: smartphone with 21: 9 display in Test Counselor Advisor overview Purchase advice The right cordless screwdriver for the home workshop t Bargain: Which Fire TV Stick from 19 € is the right one? Purchase advice: What good is a leaf blower with a battery for 45 Euro? True wireless headphones: How much do you have to invest? Buying advice water cooling: High-end PCs cool better Adviser: Air conditioning and fan against the heat wave Sony shows the Xperia 1: Is the predecessor XZ3 worth it now? Practice Caution, money away: Kickstarter & Co. are not shops Turn off Android notifications from annoying apps Here’s how: Install the new Android L keyboard now Tip: Use “Ok Google everywhere” in Germany In the test : Will the jailbreak work for iOS 7.1? Goder ma and mobile medicine: The doctor apps are coming! Instructions: Jailbreak for iOS 7 on iPhone 5S, 5, 4S and 4 Technology Importing technology from China, part 2: Customs, taxes and tricks Drones & copters: From toys to FPV Racer What does the end of an ecosystem mean? Smartphones with a flexible display: What’s the point? Overview of smartphone processors: Everything Snapdragon? Evolutionary dead ends: the very worst cell phones mpass: Pay with the NFC mobile phone – or the NFC toilet roll Display calculator Calculate pixel density, number and display proportion Best list Test winner Price comparison Price comparison overview Smartphones from Android 7.0 Phablets with stylus Fitness tracker with GPS Bluetooth headphones with ANR Drones with GPS Video TechStage Counselor TV-OS: Strengths & weaknesses of Android TV & Co beginning Android TV Tizen OS Web OS My Home Screen Loewe OS Metz VIDAA U3.0 Conclusion Comments by Jochen // 03. 01. 2021 11: 10 Clock

Does it matter which operating system the new Smart TV has? TechStage presents the most important OS for TVs in the guide and explains where they score.

Modern smart TVs no longer only differ in terms of appearance, equipment, and picture and sound quality. An essential feature is the operating system, which is largely responsible for ease of use. While the smartphone market is dominated by Android and iOS, several operating systems are competing for flat screen televisions. We will introduce you to all the important ones and address the respective strengths and weaknesses.

The article appears in our UHD TV theme world. There were other articles published there, for example our guide for really big TVs, tips for buying a next-gen TV or our constantly updated list of the cheapest TVs from all categories (e.g. OLED, HDMI 2.1 or just huge).

Android TV Not only on smartphones, but also on smartphones TVs are very popular with Android. In addition to Sony and Philips, TCL and Metz Blue rely on Android TV from Google. Corresponding televisions can not only be set up using the remote control supplied, but optionally using an Android smartphone.

Tile-like structure, clear structure and a lot of apps: that’s Android TV. #The start page has a uniform design on almost all Android TVs: Here you can find a list of the most important apps, streaming services and TV channels. All applications are arranged in tiles on the user interface; additional applications can be added in next to no time. While Android was still a bit sluggish and unstable to use in previous versions, these teething troubles have been resolved with Android 9.0 (Pie).

The gear wheel at the top right takes you to the most important system settings, the Google Assistant is lurking at the top left, for example to browse streaming services by voice or to call up current weather information or traffic reports.

The selection of apps under Android TV is generally huge and one of the best on the market. Thanks to the Google Play Store, you will find a varied portfolio in the areas of video, music, games and news. The integrated Google Chromecast ensures flexible compatibility with smartphones. While the standard interface is identical on all Android televisions, the individual manufacturers adapt their menus for picture and sound settings individually.

Overall, Android TV scores with a clear design, high operating speed and an extensive selection of apps. Smaller weak points in terms of performance can only be found on very inexpensive or older flat-screen TVs with an Android system. It is therefore important to check every now and then whether there is an update for your own TV.

Tizen OS With Tizen, Samsung uses its own operating system; the sheer number of Samsung TVs alone makes it a major competitor to Android TV. With Tizen OS, all functions are packed into a horizontal menu bar. You can store the most important apps here, preview streaming content, switch sources, open TV recordings from USB sticks and jump to the picture and sound settings.

Tizen OS from Samsung offers a lot of information at a glance and likes it colorful. All of this succeeds quickly even if the selected Samsung television does not have the fastest processor. In contrast to its competitors Philips and Panasonic, Samsung has integrated a powerful media player into Tizen OS, which can play photos and videos as 360 Degree view. In addition, there is a function in “Ambient Mode” to display paintings, photos or infographics with news or weather data on the screen when not in use. Alternatively, this takes on the look of the wallpaper behind the flat screen TV.

Relatively new is the intelligent program guide, which combines content from television and streaming services. In terms of apps, Samsung is one of the leading manufacturers on the market. In addition to HD +, you can also find Disney +, Apple TV, DAZN, Sky Ticket, Netflix, Tidal, Amazon Music, Spotify and Deezer. Tizen OS supports Apple AirPlay 2 to stream photos, music and videos from iPhone or iPad wirelessly to the hip flask, as well as Google Chromecast and Bluetooth.

If you like control by voice, you will also get your money’s worth with Tizen OS. A recent software update makes Google Assistant available on Samsung smart TVs in addition to Bixby and Amazon Alexa. Together with WebOS from LG Tizen OS is one of the most user-friendly and versatile operating systems on the market.

Web OS LG uses the WebOS operating system in its OLED and LCD televisions, which is visually reminiscent of the keyboard of a piano. The latest version, WebOS 5.0, is extremely fast and clearly structured. The high level of operating comfort is also due to the fact that you can control a mouse pointer on the TV with the LG remote control. So you can move the so-called Magic Remote freely in the air and navigate to the desired window like with a laser pointer. This is surprisingly precise and you get used to it quickly.

LG’s WebOS provides apps and functions like on a keyboard. The individual tiles give access to the TV program, the most important apps (these are freely configurable), the home dashboard – an overview of all connected and networked devices – as well as the art gallery, the sports alarm and the fast media player for 360 – degree representations. The art gallery contains paintings, photos and drawings that transform the LG TV, including a wooden or metal frame, into a deceptively real work of art. The sports alarm provides timely information about when your favorite team is playing again, for example in football or basketball, and provides constantly updated results.

With AirPlay 2 and the support of Chromecast and Miracast, WebOS 5.0 is very communicative. The range of videos and games in the app area is plentiful, including Apple TV, Disney +, DAZN, Sky Ticket, Google Play Films, Netflix and Zattoo. However, music and news apps still have room for improvement. The already installed application “Reelgood”, a streaming guide that bundles content from Netflix, Disney +, Amazon Prime Video and Maxdome, is very useful.

LG has thought of the Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control. In terms of handling and clarity, WebOS 5.0 is currently ahead, closely followed by Samsung Tizen OS, Panasonics My Home Screen and Android TV.

My Home Screen Panasonic equips its current flat screen TVs with the My Home Screen 5.0 operating system. This is clearly laid out, almost spartan, and requires little space on a flat screen. In the horizontal bar you can find the app icons from Netflix, YouTube and the “HD +” platform as well as access to the complete range of apps and an overview of all connected devices.

My Home Screen from Panasonic is limited to the essentials and is therefore intuitive to use. The sorting of the symbols is flexible, other applications can be added. You can also assign a button on the remote control to start your favorite app with just one press of a button.

New in My Home Screen Version 5.0 is the preview of thumbnails with various cinematic content as soon as you navigate to the streaming apps from Netflix and YouTube. The Panasonic software works quickly and smoothly with barely noticeable waiting times when changing menus. In addition to a DLNA server, My Home Screen also has the TV> IP function. This allows the TV signal to be transported over the network to a television set in another room in which no programs are traditionally accessible via cable, satellite or DVB-T2.

At Panasonic, the app offer is still expandable. With Disney + and Apple TV, two industry giants are missing here. Even those who like to stream music are currently losing out with the Japanese. When it comes to voice control, Panasonic is also not up to date: Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant can only be used in conjunction with separate speakers.

Loewe OS The traditional Loewe brand, which after the takeover by the Skytech Group was able to avert its final end at the very last second, is building its high-priced television with the Loewe OS6.3 operating system. In contrast to earlier Loewe TVs, the current models are easy to operate thanks to their attractive user interface with rectangular symbols and a simple menu structure. However, you have to get used to some little things first, such as the fact that a longer press on the “Home” button leads to the picture and sound settings.

The Loewe OS is clear, but important streaming apps such as Netflix are missing. The start page gives you access to the TV recordings that land on the internal hard drive. With the apps, however, you have to do without industry giants such as Netflix. These are only accessible via a Fire TV Stick from Amazon, which Loewe makes available to its customers free of charge after registering online. All applications on the streaming stick can be accessed via the heavy Loewe remote control.

In the spring 2021 Loewe wants to significantly expand the range of apps with a new platform. Loewe OS6.3 works quickly overall, but like Panasonic only enables voice control via Amazon Alexa via separate speakers such as the Echo Dot. Multimedia files can be accessed from a smartphone or a Fritzbox, for example. Loewe OS 6.3 has caught up with the market leaders from LG, Samsung, Panasonic and the like, but cannot quite keep up in terms of appearance and comfort.

Metz While the cheaper smart TVs of the Metz Blue series are delivered with Android, some Metz televisions come with a Linux Operating system used. This offers a special feature: The user can decide for himself how complex the user interface should appear. In addition, the number of functions can be gradually adapted to your own needs (“Simple”, “Comfort”, “Expert”). The start page and the submenus are kept very factual with clear labeling, but dispense with colored frills. But you know immediately which function is where.

The Metz user interface is based on a Linux system and attaches great importance to sober objectivity. The Linux system promptly implements control commands via the remote control and works at a good speed. The heavy metal signaling device with a well-structured key arrangement has reserved three keys so that preferred functions can be freely assigned to them.

If apps are important to you, you should think twice about buying a Metz TV. Because Netflix, Disney +, Apple TV, YouTube, Rakuten TV or Amazon Prime Video are just some of the relevant applications that are not available here. You have to buy a Fire TV stick separately.

Instructions are stored in the operating system so that you can look up almost any important topic quickly if you have any questions. Bluetooth and Chromecast are supported for streaming. Overall, the Linux operating system is very tidy and quickly transparent, without setting optical highlights.

VIDAA U3. 0 At the steadily growing TV manufacturer Hisense, the operating system listens to the bulky and somewhat getting used to name VIDAA U3.0. Here memories of Android TV are immediately awakened. This is ensured by the large tiles on the user interface, which not only include apps, but also the entrances and the media player.

Reminiscent of Android, but is named VIDAA U3.0: the operating system from Hisense . The operating concept is well thought out, Hisense dispenses with a nested menu structure and also makes life easy for new customers who previously trusted a different TV brand. There is also an aluminum remote control, which is also clearly designed and has four direct selection buttons for the streaming portals Netflix, YouTube, Rakuten TV and Amazon Prime Video.

Hisense cannot keep up with the range of apps from Sony, Philips, Samsung or LG, but the most important streaming platforms are on board. Via the home network, VIDAA U3.0 allows access to multimedia files that are slumbering on a PC hard drive or a media server in the network. The media player is, however, quite simple and neither does 360 – Degree representations still zoom in on photos. Amazon Alexa can be used for voice commands via voice.

Overall, VIDAA U3.0 makes a very smooth impression, but you have to be patient when switching and starting recordings on USB Bring your hard drive. Because the remote control does not have its own record button. Rather, you first have to navigate to the TimeShift menu and from here to the record button. Top dogs like LG, Samsung and Panasonic are still ahead in the area of ease of use.

Conclusion The operating system of a TV may not seem essential at first glance. But it depends a lot on how you want to use the television in the future. Anyone who mainly watches traditional television or plays via a Blu-Ray player (guide) does not have to attach excessive weight to the TV OS. But if you use apps and streaming services, or stream video games from the cloud via a cloud service such as Shadow or Geforce Now, you should take a close look at what you are buying. Android TV is one step ahead here, and hardly any other manufacturer has app support.

The good news is that these functions can be upgraded if necessary. There are enough cheap streaming sticks, as our guide to streaming boxes shows in comparison. If you need a little more power, you should take a look at the Nvidia Shield TV (guide).

Permalink: https://techstage.de/ – 5000992

TechStage | Heart rate, sleep, training: eight fitness trackers in comparison

Testing Tests overview Smartphone Huawei P Smart 2021: Budget model with room for improvement Asus Zenfone 7 Pro: Turbo smartphone with flip camera Samsung Galaxy Xcover Pro in the test: Hard but slow Oneplus Nord N 10 5G in the test: galloped in price Oppo Find X2 Pro in the test: performance bargain Asus ROG Phone 3 in the test: Perfect gaming smartphone LG Wing in the test: 1.5 displays and gimbal cam Smartwatch Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 in Test: Competition for Apple? Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro in the test: Smartwatch with cross-country battery Apple Watch: Smartwatch with contract from 15 € per month Buy Apple Watch 6: All generations in the price check Skagen Falster 3 in the test: Smartwatch with Wear OS Test Huawei Watch GT 2: Noble fitness tracker in watch form Huawei Watch GT in the test: record-breaking battery life Multiroom Ikea Symfonisk in the test: Sonos loudspeakers under 100 Euro Bose Portable Home Speaker in the test: battery, WLAN, Airplay 2 Sonos Move in the test: The robust all-rounder Musiccast: Multiroom from Yamaha in the test Denon Heos in the test: versatile multiroom system Flat soundbar Teufel Sounddeck Streaming in the test Teufel Raumfeld in the test: rich multiroom sound Keyfinder Tile Slim (2019): Key finder in credit card format Bluetooth key finder Tile Pro in the test: 122 m range! key finder Tile Pro in the test: the range champion Orbit Bluetooth tracker in the test: looking for wallet and keys Nonda iHere 3.0: smart key finder in the test Chipolo Classic and Plus: Bluetooth key finder in the test Musegear finder 2: Keyfinder without mandatory registration Action-Cam DJI Pocket 2 in the test: Zoom and 64 – Megapixel sensor Actioncam Insta 300 One R: 1 inch image sensor in the test Gopro Hero 8 Black in the test: Back to the top Insta 360 One R in the test: The modular action cam Motorola Moto G8 Plus Review: Great smartphone, but … Insta 360 Go: Micro-GoPro in the test Motorola One Action Test: Good hardware, bad camera microSD In the test: Kingston UHS-I U3 microSDXC Kit MicroSD card for smartphone: Samsung Evo Plus 2017 Test report: Lexar Professional 1800 x microSDXC Kit Test report: Intenso Premium microSDXC – Card with 64 GByte Android Sonos Move in the test: The robust all-rounder Honor 20: Inexpensive high-end smartphone in the test Xiaomi Mi 9: cutting-edge technology for schnapps Package price Doogee S 90 in the test: modular outdoor smartphone ZTE Axon 10 Pro in the test: High-end phone at a competitive price Motorola Moto G7 Power in the test: large battery, small price Sony Xperia 10: Smartphone with 21: 9 display in the test Counselor Advisor Overview Purchase advice The right cordless screwdriver for the home workshop Bargain: Which Fire TV stick from 19 € is the right one? Purchase advice: What good is a leaf blower with a battery for 45 Euro? True wireless headphones: How much do you have to invest? Buying advice water cooling: High-end PCs cool better Adviser: Air conditioning and fan against the heat wave Sony shows the Xperia 1: Is the predecessor XZ3 worth it now? Practice Caution, money away: Kickstarter & Co. are not shops Turn off Android notifications from annoying apps Here’s how: Install the new Android L keyboard now Tip: Use “Ok Google everywhere” in Germany Im Test: Does the jailbreak work for iOS 7.1? Gode rma and mobile medicine: The doctor apps are coming! Instructions: Jailbreak for iOS 7 on iPhone 5S, 5, 4S and 4 Technology Importing technology from China, part 2: Customs, taxes and tricks Drones & copters: From toys to FPV Racer What does the end of an ecosystem mean? Smartphones with a flexible display: What’s the point? Overview of smartphone processors: Everything Snapdragon? Evolutionary dead ends: the very worst cell phones mpass: Pay with the NFC mobile phone – or the NFC toilet roll Display calculator Calculate pixel density, number and display proportion Best list Test winner Price comparison Price comparison overview Smartphones from Android 7.0 Phablets with stylus Fitness tracker with GPS Bluetooth headphones with ANR Drones with GPS Video TechStage Counselor Pulse, sleep, Training: Eight fitness trackers in comparison Beginning Fitness Training Display Apps Sleep Battery life Special features Conclusion Comments (25) by Sara // 01. 01. 2021 13: 49 Clock

Fitness trackers are available in various price categories and with a different range of functions. TechStage shows in a comparison test which device is suitable for which requirements.

If you want to buy a fitness tracker, you will find a large number of potential devices on the market that want to lure users with various features and often with low prices. We have tested numerous products in our fitness tracker theme world, all of which have an integrated pulse measurement and sleep analysis:

Fitbit Inspire 2 (test report) Fitbit Sense (test report) Amazfit Volume 5 (test report)

Xiaomi Mi Band 5 (test report) Beurer AS 99 (Review) Realme Band (test report) Fitbit Charge 4 (test report) Honor Band 5 (test report) All devices have strengths and weaknesses that we have in this comparison test weigh against each other to clarify which tracker is for which need and what customers should pay attention to when purchasing.

Fitness and pulse measurement What all trackers in our comparison test have in common are pulse measurement and step counter: The devices all measure the pulse via an optical sensor and record steps taken. The Fitbit Sense also counts the floors you climb every day. All trackers worked without any problems in the step counter test and reliably recorded the steps taken. They also all allow you to set individual daily goals using the app provided. If we have reached the daily goal, the trackers inform us about it.

The permanent pulse measurement also works reliably with all trackers: The deviations from measurements with the pulse belt were in the low single digits in any case Percentage range, whereby all trackers allow a useful long-term analysis of the heart rate. The Amazfit Band 5 and the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 also classify our pulse into different categories and indicate how much time we spent in a relaxed state, with light exertion and intense activity.

In addition to steps and pulse, all trackers also measure the calories burned during the day, but evaluate them relatively conservatively. In addition, some trackers offer an activity index that users can use to set specific goals for active minutes per day. The Amazfit Band 5 has the Personal Activity Index (PAI) for this, the Fitbit Inspire 2, the Fitbit Charge 4 and the Fitbit Sense offer a comparable function.

Training The trackers differ less in terms of training functions than in our previous comparison test. Almost all trackers have a sometimes very extensive portfolio of different sports that can be recorded with the device. Classics such as running, cycling and swimming are included here, as are yoga, cardio, weight training and sometimes more exotic candidates such as rowing on the machine or jumping rope (Amazfit Volume 5). The largest selection is offered by the Amazfit Band 5 and Xiaomi Mi Band trackers, the last one being the Fitbit Inspire 2, which only offers profiles for running, cycling, swimming, treadmill, weight lifting and interval training. The Beurer AS 90, on the other hand, falls again significantly because it is only Records sports in which steps taken can be measured. Overall, however, all other trackers cover a sufficient amount of sports so that amateur athletes should be satisfied with each of these devices.

All trackers are also waterproof and survive a trip to the swimming pool or under the shower. Some devices can also record running and cycling routes with an integrated GPS (including the Fitbit Sense and the Fitbit Charge 4). The other trackers use the GPS of the connected smartphone or measure the stride length. Even without GPS, the detection of the route length worked comparatively well with all devices – so you can also use a device without GPS if you don’t always want to take your smartphone with you. The Fitbit Sense even allows us to set the length of the lap while swimming and then counts the lanes swam. Most trackers also have training profiles for strength training, but none of them were really convincing in our test – the measurements of the individual repetitions were too imprecise.

Displays and controls Even if some manufacturers have improved the screens compared to previous models, some trackers fall significantly compared to their competition from. The devices all have a color screen, most of them with an OLED or AMOLED display, and can be operated using touch controls. This works everywhere without any problems, but the readability of the display on the Amazfit Band 5, the Fitbit Charge 4 and the Fitbit Inspire 2 leaves a lot to be desired – the screen is too dark in both cases in direct sunlight.

The Fitbit Inspire 2 also suffers from the fact that the display does not activate automatically when you touch it and we first have to press a side button before the screen appears. The Fitbit Charge 4 had a negative impact in the test when it came to touch operation because the tracker did not correctly recognize individual swipe gestures and the menus jerked.

The Fitbit Sense, Xiaomi Mi Band 5 and Honor Band 5 offer the best display, all of which convince with a sharp display and excellent brightness.

Apps Anyone of us If you want to use a tested fitness tracker, you must install an associated app on your own smartphone and create a user account. This works in all cases without any problems, but before we can use the individual devices to their full extent, we first have to click through various data protection declarations and consent menus.

If you can live with it, you will get good and clear apps for controlling the trackers across the board. All services provide intuitively operable statistics and menus with various information on collected data. The Zepp app of the Amazfit Volume 5 also has its own AI algorithm that analyzes the data and prepares its own recommendations. The Fitbit app focuses on maximum clarity and presents data from several days directly below one another, which actually promotes an overview. Beurer is apparently primarily aimed at an older target group and has therefore designed its own app to be rather simple and a bit conservative, almost old-fashioned. This also affects the overview and the rather cumbersome operation.

All trackers also allow notifications to be shown on the display. Users can set separately which apps are allowed to send such notifications in the respective smartphone app of the tracker.

Fitness tracker in comparison (2020) (9 pictures) Visually, there is little variety in the cheap fitness trackers, but inside they differ significantly.

To the fitness tracker theme world

Sleep Even if the meaningfulness of the sleep analysis of fitness trackers is still limited, show the devices we tested show long-term trends. The devices measure our pulse and, in most cases, automatically notice when we fall asleep and wake up. The respective apps show how much time we spent in which sleep phase. Fitbit trackers evaluate our sleep with a special sleep index that includes all measured sleep data and enables our sleep quality to be compared over a longer period of time.

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 analyzes our sleep and then makes additional recommendations on how we can improve our sleep quality. Apart from the Beurer AS 90 we felt the measured data on all devices at least subjectively as credible and reliable. The Beurer AS 99 had problems with the sleep analysis: It was inaccurate Measurements of the waking phases and once the sleep tracking stopped in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. We have to work with Beurer AS 99 also activate the tracking separately before sleeping. The Beurer app then does not provide any information on the heart rate during sleep – a no-go in our opinion.

Finally, all trackers have an integrated vibration alarm clock, which always worked reliably. The Huawei Band 4 and Fitbit Inspire 2 also have a special do not disturb mode that we can activate in the tracker’s menu as required. The devices also lay comfortably on the wrist while sleeping, there were no unpleasant pressure points.

Battery life Depending on which functions we activate on the trackers and how intensively we use the individual tracking features, the battery life varies. Almost all devices in our comparison test lasted at least a week with activated notifications and regular use including training functions.

The Fitbit Sense had to lose some battery life when the GPS function was activated and it brought it with a training session including GPS per day for five days. At the bottom of the list is the Beurer AS 90 with only four days, while the front runner Amazfit Band 5 and the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 easily hold out two weeks.

The advantage of all trackers: The battery can be charged very quickly and takes a maximum of one hour. Corresponding charging cables are included with all trackers, but these differ depending on the model and rely on different connections. We didn’t notice the latter negatively in the test and we found them to be user-friendly throughout.

Particularities The individual trackers from our comparison test mostly rely on a similar look and comparable features, but most of them have Devices have a few more unique features. The Amazfit Band 5, for example, supports voice control using Amazon’s Alexa – a feature that no other tracker can offer.

The three Fitbit devices include a free year of Fitbit Premium when purchased. The service offers, among other things, training programs lasting several weeks with instruction videos, virtual competitions with other Fitbit users, mindfulness and meditation exercises, and detailed health reports. The Fitbit Sense also allows you to answer and make phone calls and can be controlled by voice.

The Mi Band 5 from Xiaomi compares our sleep data with that of other users and gives us based on it individual recommendations for our sleep hygiene, while the Honor Band 5 also measures the oxygen saturation of the user in the blood. The Beurer AS 99 and the Realme tape do not have any additional features worth mentioning.

Conclusion Although all of the fitness trackers we tested have individual strengths and weaknesses, a few clear winners and one clear loser emerge in comparison. Our overall winner is the Fitbit Sense, which with just under 122 Euro costs by far the most, but it delivers the best overall performance and provides users with an all-round carefree package. This is not only due to the excellent display, but also to the wide range of different tracking functions as well as the integrated voice and telephone control.

As the price-performance winner, the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 comes off with us, which scores with an excellent display, a very long battery life and extensive training functions. The cheap price of just under 30 Euro makes this tracker a real bargain. Almost equivalent alternatives are the Honor Band 5 and the Huawei Band 4, closely followed by the Amazfit Band 5, whose screen, however, cannot keep up with that of the competition.

We liked the Fitbit Inspire 2 less, the Compared to the Chinese competition, it offers too few features for three times the price, and the Fitbit Charge 4, whose display leaves a lot to be desired in terms of brightness and control.

The two taillights, which we currently advise against buying, are in our comparison test of the Beurer AS 99 and the Realme Band. The Beurer AS 99 suffers from an old-fashioned presentation and awkward operation – both exist it is better and cheaper with the competition. In addition, the Beurer AS does not have 99 sufficient tracking functions for athletic training. In the test, the Realme Band showed clear problems with heart rate measurement and sleep tracking, which is why we cannot make a recommendation here either.

Permalink: https://techstage.de/-4079998

Best fitness trackers 2021: Top activity bands to buy today

(Pocket-lint) – The fitness tracker market is as crowded as it’s ever been, and only getting busier with time. The benefit of that competition is that more and more devices are releasing that do a great job of tracking your wellbeing and fitness without costing a bomb.

Filtering through to the best devices can be a bit of a challenge though. Luckily, we’re here to help. We’ve weeded out the weaklings to select only the best fitness trackers on the market for you to choose from. We’ve also got distinct features for best smartwatches and best GPS sport watches too, for those who’d prefer a different flavour of wearable.

If what you want is step counting, calorie tracking, sleep advice and maybe even heart rate tracking and GPS connectivity, you’re absolutely in the right spot.

The best fitness trackers to buy today

Pocket-lint

Fitbit Charge 4

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The Fitbit Charge 4 takes everything that’s great about the Fitbit Charge 3 and adds GPS to it. That means it’s a better standalone fitness device, able to give you a little more information without the need for a connected phone. It’s still slim, comfortable and able to track all your daily stats like steps, sleep and activities, with the added extra of being able to give you an accurate route and speed for runs and rides. It also supports Fitbit Pay for mobile payments.

The downside that functionality brings is that heavy GPS use will drain the battery quickly, but if it’s a fitness tracker you’re after, this certainly ticks all the boxes. On top of that, the Fitbit ecosystem is great, supported by a brilliant app that presents your data in a way that’s easy to understand and doesn’t baffle too much with numbers – instead it presents sensible metrics, so you’re always in the picture.

Fitbit Charge 4 review: The most accomplished fitness band?

Pocket-lint

Fitbit Charge 3

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Yes, the Fitbit Charge 4 might be a better option, but the Fitbit Charge 3 still has a lot of appeal. Not only does it offer all those metrics such as sleep, steps and activities, but because it’s slightly older, it offers better value for money.

Sure, you miss out on some of the headline features like GPS, but if you’re not going to be doing a lot of running or riding – or have no interest in speed and distance details – then you might get all you want from the Charge 3. If it’s mostly lifestyle tracking you want rather than sports tracking, the Charge 3 has plenty to offer.

Fitbit Charge 3 review: A stand-out smart fitness tracker

Pocket-lint

Garmin Vivoactive 4

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The Garmin Vivoactive 4 distills much of the goodness that Garmin offers in its advanced fitness trackers and puts them into a device that’s more accessible and offering better value for the money. It offers great heart rate tracking and GPS, as well as monitoring things like steps, sleep and your daily activity.

This is a Garmin device aimed at those who want all those things but don’t really consider themselves to be an athlete who needs the more advanced functions and options offered by the Forerunner or Fenix devices. What the Vivoactive 4 offers is just about enough fitness tracking to keep most happy, in a stylish package with plenty of options.

Garmin Vivoactive 4 review: Great tracking without the huge price tag

Pocket-lint

Fitbit Inspire HR

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The Fitbit Inspire HR offers almost everything the Charge 3 does but in a slimmer, cheaper package. It’s not as premium in appearance as the Charge 3 but it offers great value for money, interchangeable straps and plenty of features including heart rate tracking, exercise tracking and advanced sleep tracking.

The Inspire HR replaces the Fitbit Alta and Fitbit Flex lines, offering a good OLED display, great performance, good battery life, smartphone notifications and it is also waterproof. For its price tag, the Inspire HR is an excellent fitness tracker. It has been succeeded by the Inspire 2 though so consider that one if this sounds up your street.

Fitbit Inspire HR review: The new fitness tracking king?

Pocket-lint

Garmin Forerunner 645 Music

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The Garmin Forerunner 645 Music is more sports watch than standard activity tracker but it offers song storage, waterproofing, changeable straps, heart rate, GPS, altitude, cadence and motion so it is a great option for those all about data.

It has the functionality of most smartwatches with notifications and functions, while offering excellent sports and activity tracking, a compact design for this style of activity tracker and it is comfortable to wear whilst also being compatible with Bluetooth headphones. It’s very expensive when compared to the likes of the Fitbit Charge however and while the battery life is better than many smartwatches, it isn’t better than the likes of the Charge or Inspire lines.

Garmin Forerunner 645 Music review: On the beat?

Pocket-lint

Garmin Fenix 6 Pro

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Garmin’s Fenix 6 is a stone-cold stunner of a smartwatch, and its fitness features are pretty much best-in-class. The reason we haven’t placed it further up this list, though, is that it’s pretty unlikely to be in many people’s budgets. The Forerunner 645 has a great set of features at a big price, but the Fenix 6 Pro takes that even further on both counts.

If you’re willing to spend big, you’re getting a great two-week battery life, with some of the best tracking in any device, and mapping that can take you as far off the beaten track as you’re willing to go. PacePro, meanwhile, is a revelation if you’re into racing, and will genuinely help you regulate your pace for those elusive personal bests. If you want all these features and a boost in battery, you could also consider the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar.

Garmin Fenix 6 Pro review: Sublime sports watch, great smartwatch

Pocket-lint

Fitbit Versa 2

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Fitbit’s Versa 2 has been succeeded by the Versa 3 but it’s still a worthy consideration if you’re looking for more of a fitness smartwatch than fitness tracker. It offers a coloured display, NFC for Fitbit Pay and several smartwatch features, including some third party apps. There is a heart rate monitor, an altimeter and the Versa 2 is waterproof too.

It misses out on built-in GPS, which the Versa 3 has, offering connected GPS instead, but the Versa 2 allows you to connect to Bluetooth headphones for listening to music and it offers all the excellent features of the Fitbit platform. You’ll pay more for this device than the Charge 4 but if you want something more substantial without going full smartwatch, the Versa is a good option and the Versa 2 is cheaper than the Versa 3.

Fitbit Versa 2 review: Alexa, what’s the new Fitbit smartwatch like?

Pocket-lint

Garmin Forerunner 45

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For those after a fitness tracker that’s good for running, the Garmin Forerunner 45 is a great budget running watch. It doesn’t offer full Connect IQ support, it has limited additional sports tracking and it lacks training insights, but the Garmin Forerunner 45 is easy to use, works with Garmin Coach and has a week-long battery life.

This watch sticks to the basics, but if you’re looking for a simple and easy-to-use running watch, plus some added smartwatch features, the Forerunner 45 definitely fits the bill.

Garmin Forerunner 45 review: A great budget running watch

Pocket-lint

Fitbit Sense

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The Fitbit Sense has a solid and premium design, a lovely vibrant display, it’s easy to use and it comes packed with sensors, making it an excellent health watch.

It’s not great as a smartwatch, and quite a few of its brilliant features are locked behind the Fitbit Premium subscription, but the Sense is fantastic as a device for monitoring your health.

Fitbit Sense review: Good health watch, average smartwatch

Pocket-lint

Withings Steel HR Sport

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The Withings Steel HR Sport is the newer model of the Withings Steel HR. It offers a similar design but it introduces a different strap, along with VO2 Max measuring and GPS.

This activity tracker fills gaps left by other hybrid watches and fully smart watches. It delivers a fantastic battery life, nice analogue face and it isn’t excessively expensive. The Steel HR Sport tracks over 30 sports, it is lightweight and durable and it’s equipped with enough features to ensure fitness enthusiasts aren’t left feeling short-changed.

Withings Steel HR Sport review: Analogue and digital collide

Pocket-lint

Garmin Forerunner 245 Music

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The Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is again more sportswatch than fitness tracker but it’s a great option for those into running but not wanting to spend the big bucks on a top-of-the-range Garmin. It doesn’t have an altimeter and there’s no Garmin Pay, but the Forerunner 245 Music has a slim and light design, training insights and easy to use music features.

The Forerunner 245 is a watch where run tracking is the focal point and if that’s what you care about the most, it certainly delivers a great experience.

Garmin Forerunner 245 Music review: Hitting all the right notes

Pocket-lint

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2

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The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is another option that’s slightly more watch than activity tracker, but it is still packed full of features including waterproofing, heart rate and built-in GPS. It also offers fully-fledged smartwatch capabilities.

It’s one of the most attractive designs on the list, too – we’re big fans of its subdued looks. Like the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music though, you won’t get the battery life of devices like the Fitbit Charge 4 and Fitbit Inspire 2, and sleep tracking isn’t as accomplished on Fitbit’s range of options.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 review: Buy now or wait for the pending features?

Pocket-lint

Garmin Venu Sq

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The Garmin Venu Sq retains the potency of Garmin’s sporting heritage but in a less sporty design compared to the rest of the company’s portfolio.

It’s a compact and comfortable design that offers lots of sports tracking and GPS, along with good accuracy and Body Battery.

Its display isn’t the best and the user interface is a little basic, but the Garmin Venu Sq hass a decent battery life and offers something a little different.

Garmin Venu Sq review: Sporting smarts in a compact watch

Pocket-lint

Polar Vantage M

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Polar redesigned its sports watches in 2018 and launched the Vantage series. There’s the V which is the top model and the M, which loses some functions and doesn’t quite have the same premium design as the V, but offers much of the same goodness. It offers great heart tracking and GPS, with lots of metrics for fitness fans and runners.

It’s supported by Polar Flow, a great app to view your data and sort things and for those wanting to track their training, the Vantage M puts in a good showing with a lot of useful metrics. Where it can’t quite compete is in the smart functions – it’s not as well connected as Garmin or Fitbit, there’s no support for mobile payments or music. But the M is better value for money than the Vantage V, so we think it’s the better option.

Polar Vantage M review: Keeping you on track

Writing by Britta O’Boyle.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 is the first Snapdragon 888 phone

Xiaomi Mi sales will start in China on January 1, but the timing of the rest of the world is not yet certain.

Qualcomm Introduces New Generation Snapdragon 888 System Summit Digital 2020 at the beginning of the month. As usual, the first phones based on the new system circuit are expected to hit the market during the first quarter of next year, but Xiaomi could not wait for the turn of the year to announce the first SD 1024 – their phones.

Only one model was unveiled at Xiaomi’s launch event today: Mi 12. The Pro model is also expected to hit the market later, but its time will be later. Xiaomi Mi is the first phone with the Snapdragon 888 system circuit to be launched. You can read more detailed features of the system circuit in our previous news.

The phone is equipped with, among other things, high-quality HDR 12 + – display 108% with DCI-P3 color space and 2020 maximum staple brightness, as well as stereo speakers tuned by Harman Kardon. The rear camera solution relies on Mi from the familiar 120 megapixel to the main sensor, but the range of cameras that support it has changed in the generation update.

Xiaomi Mi Technical characteristics of :

External dimensions: 164, 3 x 50, 6 x 8, (glass) or 8, 20 (imitation leather version) mm
Weight: 196 (glass) or 196 (faux leather version) grams
6, ”AMOLED display, 3200 x 1440 aspect ratio 20: 9), 108 Hz, 480 Hz touch detection, % DCI-P3, HDR +
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 -order life circuit (1x 2, GHz Prime, 3x 2, 10 GHz Gold, 4x 1.8 GHz Silver, Adreno 660, Hexagon 780)
8 or GB GB of LPDDR5 RAM
164 GB (8 GB) or GB (8 & GB) UFS 3.1 storage
Dual 5G SA / NSA (for networks below 6 GHz), Dual SIM
Wi-Fi 6 Enhanced, BluetoothT 5.2, aptX Adaptive, GPS, Glonass, Galileo, NavIC, Beidou, NFC
Triple Camera:
- megapixel main sensor (1/1, 13 ”, f / 1 . 85))
- megapixel ultra wide angle 123 ° field of view)
- 5 megapixel macro camera

4600 mAh battery, USB Type-C, 13 W fast charge, 12 W wireless charging, 10 W reverse wireless charging, QC4 +, QC3 and USB PD 3.0 support.
MIUI 5 Android 12)

Xiaomi Mi sales will begin on January 1 in China, but pre-orders will begin today. The phone will be available in black, white, and blue with a glass back cover and a khaki and purple faux leather back cover. In addition, a special version with Lei Jun’s autograph and patterned back cover will be available. Mi is priced in China 500 – 585) depending on the memory and storage configuration. Unfortunately, the company has not yet disclosed the phone’s release schedule elsewhere in the world.

Source: Xiaomi (1), (2)

$huawei-smart-latex-pillow-–-sleep-quality-smartwatch-is-not-enough-for-you?-so-huawei-has-prepared-a-smart-pillow$

Huawei Smart Latex Pillow – sleep quality smartwatch is not enough for you? So Huawei has prepared a smart pillow

We all know, or at least have heard of, smartbands and sleep surveillance watches. They show the quality of our night rest, the length of subsequent sleep phases, the frequency of waking up and breathing, and heart rate. However, it must be admitted that not every device of this type is comfortable while sleeping. Probably incl. for this reason, Huawei decided to create a completely different “equipment” that tests our sleep. It is … the Huawei Smart Latex Pillow smart pillow, which went on sale today. It was priced quite reasonably, at around PLN 230. Poducha is not only “intelligent”. It also offers some degree of customization. Namely, it has an adjustable thickness in the range of 9 – 11 cm.

From today in China, you can buy the Huawei Smart Latex Pillow. As befits this type of “device”, it monitors sleep.

Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite from today in Poland. If you hurry up, you can buy one of the cheapest GPS smartwatches at a promotional price

The pillow automatically starts monitoring data such as heart rate or breathing as soon as we go to bed. It is made of 93% Thai natural latex collagen. As the manufacturer assures, the pillow will remedy the problems associated with curvature of the spine, and its elasticity effectively counteracts pressure while lying on the back and on the side. The cushion is also designed so that it allows advanced ventilation of the interior (honeycomb texture with dozens of vents).

Genesis Holm 510 RGB – Gaming desk with built-in inductive charger, USB hub and remote control illumination

The whole is also SGS certified – antifungal standard with an avoidance index up to 99% of mites. But how does it all work? Ultra-thin monitoring sensors are built into the pillows that record heart rate and respiratory rate throughout the night. The screenshots from the Huawei Smart Life mobile application (below) show that the pillow will also record the overall sleep quality on a point scale and the percentage of individual sleep stages. At the moment, it is not known whether the pillow will appear in markets outside of China.

Source: Technave. Huawei

Amazfit GTR 2: beautiful and cheap but will have to improve on some things. The review

Amazfit GTR 2 has a nice appearance, it offers decent fitness tracking and has now strengthened some of its capabilities including sleep tracking and the introduction of a smart assistant like Alexa. It also allows you to have a good autonomy compared to its competitors in this price range. It’s certainly not perfect, and its sports tracking is only for occasional workouts. Here is the review.

by Bruno Mucciarelli published 28 December 2020 , at 00: 21 in the Wearables channel

Amazfit

Amazfit GTR 2 is a smartwatch for Android but also iOS-friendly which certainly sees in its price one of the most important features. However, it also offers many other aspects that every user expects nowadays from such a device, but also pointing to other features that can become an important plus. And let’s talk about a design made with high quality materials, an AMOLED touchscreen display clearly visible and a strap that can be quickly removed for replacement with others.

IS available in two options as regards the color of the case and this is the only difference since both offer the same functionality both for it concerns fitness than for classic notifications. Clearly present an integrated GPS and a sensor that monitors the heart rate 24 hours on 24, 7 days a week and during exercise. It can also perform blood oxygen measurements , a feature sought after in this last period of COVID and that all smartwatch or smartband manufacturers are implementing in their products. It also works as a fitness tracker and ultimately this is perhaps where one of its greatest strengths lies. It is suitable for step tracking and sleep tracking rather than sports tracking a little bit more stringent.

And then there are others too smartwatch functionality: supports basic notifications and is optimized for the AMOLED display. Interesting news is being able to interact with the Amazon Alexa intelligent assistant in the future to get some information directly from the wrist. There is also an integrated music player with 3GB of storage space to transfer music directly to the smartwatch.

To power all these features, Amazfit GTR 2, has a battery that allows you to even reach the 14 days oi 38 days in easier use according to the company. Let’s say that in reality with a constant use of all its features we will get closer to 7 days than to 14 but in fact nothing prevents you from reloading it quickly and using it again. Clearly, we will see that by turning off the always-on display and heart rate monitoring, autonomy will make a big leap forward.

UNBOXING

The packaging of this Amazfit GTR 2 is very classic since it contains inside, in addition to the smartwatch itself, its magnetic power cable which allows you to recharge the battery in a simple way by combining it with any power supply. The end is magnetic and contains two pins that allow you to join the body on the back quickly and easily. Nothing else and therefore a classic and minimal box in its components.

DESIGN and DISPLAY

We assume that the new Amazfit GTR 2 costs in Italy 169 ?? and without a doubt this is the most interesting feature of this smartwatch. At this price, in fact, you get a smart digital watch that is certainly very attractive from an aesthetic point of view which in some ways can do better than other famous competitors even more expensive. Amazfit GTR 2 guarantees a much cleaner feel than the first GTR and fits much better on the wrist too.

It changes a lot compared to its predecessor especially in its being more beautiful to see and perhaps even less sporty. It has a metal body with a classic case of 46 mm and with two physical buttons on the side just as we used to have on the first version. The strap in this case is classic, i.e. in silicone. It is very light in thickness but we admit that after a first impression not too good because of its lightness, the strap has held up well even after extreme use and is not damaged or damaged by dirt or scratches. Moreover, it can be changed in an instant thanks to the system that Amazfit has decided to insert on the case and this makes it possible therefore to customize the smartwatch to the maximum with other straps to your liking.

It is clear that the true interest in the design, however, goes on the display since the quality of the circular panel placed on the smartwatch seems to be decidedly higher than expected in this price range. We are talking about a 1.3 inch AMOLED panel with resolution 454 x 454 pixel that affects immediately due to the absence of protruding frames or even important edges. Here the display is flush with the body, slightly rounded and above all with a visual quality that is certainly higher than expected. Nice to look at especially for the colors that are well outlined, very bright and also fun thanks to the use of them on some dials and widgets that Huami has created especially for this smartwatch. Its brightness is very high especially when you go outside with direct light. Excellent news especially because this does not impact the battery which is still good thanks to an AMOLED panel that with dark skins especially black tends to consume very little.

To the below the body we clearly find all the sensors that the Chinese company sets for tracking health conditions. The back in this case is made of plastic but very well done, not too annoying and above all not too thick, a symptom that the designers wanted to make the smartwatch as light and comfortable as possible from this point of view. To underline also the presence of a red frame on the upper button of the smartwatch: a peculiarity that does not change the functionality of the button compared to the lower one but in fact allows you to give that touch of beauty and originality to the smartwatch.

HARDWARE and OPERATING SYSTEM

Hidden beneath the sleek design are the sensors and features that make Amazfit GTR 2 a fitness tracker and a pretty competent sports watch for its price range. As a practice in a smartwatch of this type there are an accelerometer and gyroscopic sensors to track the movement . But there are also sensors to allow you to monitor the activity 24 hours on 20 , 7 days a week and not only during the day but also during the night with sleep. Add to this a 3-axis geomagnetic sensor and an air pressure sensor to provide additional data when you go out for some running or climbing.

There is Huami’s BioTracker PPG sensor , which offers continuous heart rate monitoring and the ability to better measure exertion levels during exercise. It is also used to generate blood oxygen measurements : a parameter that users with the arrival of the pandemic increasingly seek to understand if there is any respiratory problem. Given the price, they are all sensors that do not want to reach a professional level of measurement but still allow you to have a rough view of what is happening to the body during a non-professional physical activity or during a walk a little longer. fast. Too bad the lack of a Wi-Fi module or even the NFC but the price to pay for the cheapness of the smartwatch is this.

For sports tracking, there are then 10 modes available in total . The number is not surprising given that it is not a smartwatch for real sportsmen but in fact the inclusion of running, cycling and swimming guarantees to cover on the one hand the greater percentage of sports users and on the other hand to be able to use the smartwatch even in water. which is resistant up to 5ATM . Just about the swimming activity, it is somehow surprising to find it on a product of this price. Clearly present the integrated GPS to ensure more precise work mapping and monitoring those outdoor activities.

How fitness tracker does a good job on the accuracy front although maybe something will have to improve on the software and algorithm side. As regards the count of the daily steps that we have recorded, comparing them to those of a more sophisticated fitness tracker, we can say that we do not have a big difference since we are talking about only a few tens of steps of difference. This means that Amazfit GTR 2 does its monitoring job well and will allow you to actually understand how much you have moved during the hours of the day. The step count can be easily viewed as they are accumulated directly in the various interfaces of the chosen watchfaces or even in the appropriate screen which can be called up quickly.

Huami also includes the PAI Health scores, which take into account the heart rate and through algorithm try to make the user stay more active especially on of a longer time span. For sleep monitoring, it did a fairly well done job as the smartwatch actually recognized when we fell asleep, and then reported the various stages of sleep including REM sleep with some problem likely caused by heart rate detection. it didn’t work properly.

And this brings us to heart rate monitoring in general , which is more or less suitable for the price at which the smartwatch is sold too if the measurement is really very slow compared to the competition. It is the cons of this Amazfit GTR 2: the heartbeat is detected only after about ten seconds and sometimes even more. Moreover sometimes the values do not really reflect reality exceeding by 10 / 15 beat the actual value. Also to be improved on the reception of the GPS signal which sometimes is not accurate on tracking the distance.

FUNCTIONALITY’

For the smartwatch features the new Amazfit GTR 2 basically does nothing but bring what was already seen with the first GTR version. In this case the smartwatch works well on the connectivity side both on Android and iOS devices, managing notifications well. There are music controls, the ability to answer calls via Bluetooth, check the weather forecast and set reminders for events.

There are also a nice range of watch faces , or watchfaces if you prefer, to choose from to show your fitness, sleep or also to display only the time in a more or less scenic way. There are several and we admit that we liked them for completeness and also for the possibility of customization. Moreover, through the application it is also possible to download others directly from the store.

Scrolling down with a swipe it will be possible to enter a series of quick commands where we also find the one for the do not disturb mode: here is the smart function that is activated automatically when it recognizes the user has fallen asleep. By swiping upwards, always with a swipe, you can then access the notifications. They are reported promptly and the icon for some apps is also shown. You can read the title and in various cases the content of the message, but unfortunately it is not possible to respond to the notification in any way. This is a flaw that makes it more of a visualizer than a real smartwatch.

Interesting presence on the offline voice assistant clock which allows you to perform some operations on the smartwatch but which only works if you set English as the language system. However, Alexa will also arrive via an update within the year and this perhaps will allow us to make more sense to a voice assistant on a smartwatch given the potential of Alexa. In this case we could not evaluate this aspect.

The other big news is the presence of a integrated music player with 3GB of sufficient space to be able to insert a good amount of music: from 300 to 600 songs in MP3 format. To load music on the watch you will simply need the Zepp app which will allow you to synchronize them. Once the music is loaded, just pair some Bluetooth headphones and listen to it. It is certainly not the most complete experience we can find on a smartwatch but it does the basic things quite well and this may be enough for many. Hopefully future improvements to music features and the arrival of Alexa to make it even better.

AUTONOMY

One of the most interesting aspects of the new Amazfit GTR 2 is undoubtedly the autonomy that since it will not be necessary to recharge the smartwatch every night before going to sleep. It was possible before with the GTR and is still possible with the new GTR 2. There is a battery with a capacity of 471 mAh that according to the company it should provide 14 days of typical use and 38 days of basic use. The first is based on the use of features such as listening to music, using GPS, the display in always-on mode and continuous heart rate monitoring. The second ” basic ” instead involves the abandonment of the Bluetooth connection used to pair it with the phone, as well as heart rate monitoring and the use of other features such as GPS in a more economical way.

With the typical scenario, we found that the smartwatch can easily make it through seven days and has the potential to go further. Features such as heart rate monitoring, music streaming, sleep assistant activation and always-on display will have a major impact on battery performance.

We also spent a few days in that more basic mode and is a smartwatch that keeps its promises with an autonomy that it can even go up to several weeks with much lighter use. If you are willing to juggle less intensive uses and you don’t have the real interest in keeping everything under control, even the 18 days on a single refill. And especially when it runs out it will take 2.5 hours to go from 0 to 100%. There is no fast charging support but still it doesn’t seem to be such an important shortcoming.

CONCLUSIONS

As said the new Amazfit GTR 2 costs 100 ?? . A decidedly affordable price for a smartwatch that on its side sees the presence of a good level AMOLED circular panel capable of making it readable in any situation and above all very scenic thanks to the 3D finish. The materials are aluminum and polycarbonate and make the smartwatch solid even if very light on the wrist. A considerable advantage for users who can always put it on their side, even and especially during a workout or even a swim or an elegant evening.

There are some things to update. And in this case we are talking about the software. Well done the application that allows to have a vision of any type of information that is the classic one on the activities that regarding the customization of the dials or other. In fact it is slow recording of the heart rate and sometimes it is not even too precise. Ok the price range is not high but in fact a heart rate sensor even inexpensive can quickly evaluate the pulse on the wrist. Hopefully it’s a software issue because it would be a shame not to fully recommend this new Amazfit GTR 2 which from its side really possesses many peculiarities between autonomy, design, lightness and its will to be youthful, elegant but also suitable for every day.

TechStage | Six sports headphones in comparison: top sound for training

Testing Tests overview Smartphone Oneplus Nord N 10 5G in the test: Gallops in price Oppo Find X2 Pro in the test: performance bargain Asus ROG Phone 3 in the test: Perfect gaming smartphone LG Wing in the test: 1.5 displays and gimbal cam Nokia 3.4 in the test: Update- Promise for little money Smartphone Realme 7 in the test: 90 Hertz at the saver price Realme 7 Pro im Test: OLED display and 64 – Watt loading Smartwatch Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 in the test: competition for Apple? Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro im Test: Smartwatch with cross-country battery Apple Watch: Smartwatch with contract from 15 € per month Buy Apple Watch 6: All generations in the price check Skagen Falster 3 in the test: Smartwatch with Wear OS Test Huawei Watch GT 2: Noble fitness tracker in watch form Huawei Watch GT in the test: record-breaking battery life Multiroom Ikea Symfonisk in the test: Sonos speakers under 100 Euro Bose Portable Home Speaker in Te st: Battery, WLAN, Airplay 2 Sonos Move in the test: The robust all-rounder Musiccast: Multiroom from Yamaha in the test Denon Heos in the test: versatile multiroom System Flat soundbar Teufel Sounddeck Streaming in the test Teufel Raumfeld in the test: rich multiroom sound Keyfinder Tile Slim (2019): key finder in Credit card format Bluetooth key finder Tile Pro in the test: 122 m range! Key finder Tile Pro in the test: the Range champion Orbit Bluetooth tracker in the test: looking for wallet and key Nonda iHere 3.0: smarter Keyfinder tested Chipolo Classic and Plus: Bluetooth keyfinder tested Musegear finder 2: Keyfinder without registration obligation Action-Cam DJI Pocket 2 in the test: Zoom and 64 – Megapixel sensor Actioncam Insta 360 One R: 1-inch image sensor in the test Gopro Hero 8 Black in the test: Back to the top Insta 360 One R in the test: The modular action cam Motorola Moto G8 Plus test: Great smartphone, but … Insta 360 Go: M icro-GoPro in the test Motorola One Action Test: good hardware, bad camera microSD In the test: Kingston UHS-I U3 microSDXC Kit MicroSD card for smartphone: Samsung Evo Plus 2017 Test report: Lexar Professional 1800 x microSDXC Kit Test report: Intenso Premium microSDXC card With 64 GByte Android Sonos Move im Test: The robust all-rounder Honor 20: Inexpensive high-end smartphone in the test Xiaomi Mi 9: Top technology at a bargain price Doogee S 85 in the test: modular outdoor smartphone ZTE Axon 10 Pro in the test: high-end phone at a competitive price Motorola Moto G7 Power in the test: large battery, small price Sony Xperia : Smartphone with 21: 9 display in the test Counselor Advisor overview Purchase advice The right cordless screwdriver for the home workshop Bargain: Which Fire TV Stick off 19 € is the right one? Purchase advice: What good is a leaf blower with a battery for 45 Euro? True -Wireless headphones: How much do you have to invest? Purchase advice water cooling: High-end PCs cool better Adviser: Air conditioning and fan against the heat wave Sony shows the Xperia 1: Is the predecessor XZ3 worth it now? Practice Caution, money away: Kickstarter & Co. are not shops Turn off Android notifications from annoying apps Here’s how: Install the new Android L keyboard now Tip: Use “Ok Google everywhere” in Germany In the test: Will the jailbreak work for iOS 7.1? Goderm a and mobile medicine: The doctor apps are coming! Instructions: Jailbreak for iOS 7 on iPhone 5S, 5, 4S and 4 Technology Importing technology from China, part 2: Customs, taxes and tricks Drones & copters: From toys to FPV Racer What does the end of an ecosystem mean? Smartphones with a flexible display: What’s the point? Overview of smartphone processors: Everything Snapdragon? Evolutionary dead ends: the very worst cell phones mpass: Pay with the NFC mobile phone – or the NFC toilet roll Display calculator Calculate pixel density, number and display proportion Best list Test winner Price comparison Price comparison overview Smartphones from Android 7.0 Phablets with stylus Fitness tracker with GPS Bluetooth headphones with ANR Drones with GPS Video TechStage Adviser Six sports headphones in comparison: sound for training Beginning Type Protection class True Wireless Sound Test winner Conclusion Comments In our comparison test we show six headphones the perfect companion for sport in our opinion are. From just under 20 Euro it starts .

Sensible headphones belong for the most athletes basic equipment. Those who are not currently doing a team sport want to have some peace and quiet while training. It goes so far that you want to be isolated from the rest of the athletes in order to concentrate on your own routine. Good headphones are tools for bringing the music from the smartphone or another player to the ear reliably and in good quality. And they differ from “normal” headphones in terms of construction. The devices for athletes have to be stable in the ear, even with jerky movements. And they should be protected against sweat or splash water.

In recent years, we have tested numerous sports headphones in a wide variety of price ranges and designs in our sports headphones theme. This ranges from classic Bluetooth headphones such as the Soundbuds Flow from Anker (test report) to the Bose Frames Tempo (test report) to the JBL Reflect Flow (test report). In this comparison test, we show which functions good sports headphones have to fulfill and why the sound is good even with inexpensive devices. To do this, we choose our current test winners, show inexpensive alternatives and present alternative concepts.

Design type Sports headphones are now mostly available as in-ear devices. They sit directly in the ear, usually held in place by special silicone wings. Compared to other designs such as over-ear or on-ear, in-ears have the advantage that you don’t sweat under the headphones. However, there are many who find the plugs uncomfortable. One option is, for example, to hold devices such as Airpods on the ear with a special silicone clip. More about this in our guide The most important accessories for Apple Airpods.

In addition to the classic forms, there are always experiments. Aftershokz is known. The company uses vibrations to transmit the sound via the skull bone into the inner ear. This works well and leaves the ears free, but the sound quality suffers especially with podcasts or audio books, as we show in the test for the Aftershokz Trekz Air (test report). The frames series from Bose relies on sunglasses with speakers in the ear hooks. This works very well with the Bose Frames Tempo sports glasses (test report).

At the same time, the advantage and disadvantage of in-ear headphones is that they are sealed off from the outside world. The JBL Reflect Flow (test report) are a good example of this. They sit so tightly in your ear that it’s easy to forget the world around you. This is great when training in a safe environment, such as bouldering or jogging in a secluded area. However, it is a problem when you are out and about in traffic. If you cycle on or next to the road, you have to be aware of the traffic around you. Yes, you can activate an ambient mode in devices such as the Reflect Flow and other in-ears, then the noises are passed through from the outside. That sounds very artificial, however. Devices such as the Bose Sport Earbuds (test report) have a better balance, but do not seal off the user so blatantly during exercise.

Comparison test sports headphones (6 pictures) The Reflect Flow from JBL are our first test winners for everyone who completely from sports want to be isolated from the outside world.

For the single test

Protection against sweat and water All headphones for Athletes should be protected against water. It is less about swimming or diving with them. Rather, it is about protection against sweat and the possibility of briefly rinsing the equipment under running water.

The protection against water is easiest to read from the IP protection class. The rule of thumb is: the higher the IPXX number, the better the headphones are protected against water. The table shows what the individual numbers mean. Our tip is that the headphones should have at least IPX2.

IPXX protection classes 1st digit Protection against contact / foreign bodies 2nd digit Protection against water 0 unprotected 0 unprotected 1 Protection against foreign bodies> 50 mm / protection against contact with the back of the hand 1 Protection against Dripping water 2 Protection against foreign bodies> 12 mm / protection against contact with the finger 2 Protection against dripping water 2.5 mm / protection against contact with tools 3 Protection against spray water 4 Protection against foreign bodies> 1 mm / protection against contact with wire 4 Protection against splash water 5 Protection against dust / protection against Touches 5 Protection against en water jets 6 dust-proof, protection against contact 6 Protection against heavy water jets 7 Protection against temporary immersion 8th Protection against permanent immersion Source: Heise.de True Wireless or Electric wire? In the last version of our comparison of sports headphones in 2018 the classic Bluetooth headphones with cables between the speakers dominated. Since then, this design has had massive competition from the true wireless approach. The headphones no longer have cables, they connect to each other and to the playback device, such as a smartphone, via Bluetooth. This technology has developed massively in recent years. Where in the past there were sometimes large audio delays, for example in movies or games, the sound can now be heard without latency. The battery life has also improved enormously. The big advantage of the in-ears is their charging cradle. With classic Bluetooth headphones, it happens again and again that they are empty when you need them. True wireless devices, on the other hand, are usually in the charging cradle and thus always have enough charge to be used for a sports session.

Sound The good news: The sound of most sports headphones, including cheap devices such as the RF-BTK – 300 by Renkforce (test report) or the Anker Soundbuds Flow (test report) is now so good that it can be used for sports without any problems. In particular, the cheap devices tend to have a strong to excessive bass. The formula expensive = good sound has long ceased to apply.

With the classic audio brands you can tell that the nuances are sometimes better. In addition, Bose or Jabra, for example, often rely on AAC as an additional codec for the transmission of lossless content. This is often lacking in cheaper headphones. If you value such content in sports, you should adjust your selection accordingly. The inexpensive headphones are also good for streaming Spotify & Co or for podcasts. We write more about the sound of the respective headphones in the linked individual tests.

Test winner and recommendations Our test winners are the Bose Sport Earbuds (test report) and the JBL Reflect Flow (test report). Both sports headphones offer a well-balanced sound, sit firmly in the ear and have enough battery power to endure even longer sports sessions. They are also both comfortable to wear. We recommend the JBL Reflect Flow to everyone who wants to completely isolate themselves during sport. They are one of the few headphones that really deserve the title “Passive Noise Cancellation”. The Bose Sport Earbuds allow more surroundings to pass through without affecting the sound quality. A good third alternative are the Jabra Active 64 t (test report ). We liked the fact that they are easy to use, are well protected against water and sweat and offer great additional features. The price has now leveled off in reasonable regions.

Among the price-performance winners, we mainly see the cheap Anker Soundbuds Flow headphones (test report) and the Renkforce RF-BTK 300 (Review). Both are protected against water (IPX4 and IPX5), well made and magnetically adhere to each other. So you can click them together in front of your body when you don’t have them in your ears.

The special mention goes to the Bose Frames Tempo (review). As with the Aftershokz Trekz Air (test report), the ears remain completely free, so you can easily see the surroundings. But the sound of the Tempo frames is significantly better than that of the bone conduction headphones. Especially with speech, such as audio books, podcasts or audio announcements from the navigation system, you can hear the tempo better with the frames. The disadvantage of the Tempo frames, however, is that they cannot be used just like that. Despite good sound and low latency, you just look stupid when you stream Netflix with it.

Conclusion Anyone who has ever got stuck with the headphone cable while doing sports knows why you should only rely on Bluetooth headphones. The good news is that the cheap devices from Anker or Renkforce in particular also deliver decent sound. For scarce 20 Euro is already available good wireless headsets.

If you want to spend more, you should use a true wireless system. Not only does not a cable get tangled in the bag, thanks to the transport box with battery, the headphones are in most cases so charged that you have enough juice for exercise.

We show even more on the subject of headphones in our individual tests in the subject world of true wireless headphones. Here, too, you can clearly see how prices have been falling in recent years. A suitable guide to this is true wireless headphones under 90 Euro in the comparison test , the guide to true wireless noise-canceling headphones, or the article on the cheapest true wireless headphones.

If you want to track your training progress properly in addition to headphones, we recommend a look at our sports watch or our tested fitness tracker.

Permalink: https: / /techstage.de/-4999059

The New Year has begun, and with it – the time of resolutions and their implementation. But what to do in order not to give up this time and persevere in our promises? Technology can help. Here are 6 gadgets to help us meet New Year’s resolutions.

Onyx Boox Max 3 e-reader test – on Android and without inhibitions

Review of the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 smartband – invariably invincible

Great test of True Wireless in-ear and in-ear headphones

IQOS 3 Duo tobacco heater review – back to menthol

Smart scales test: Huawei, Xiaomi, Fitbit, or maybe Hoffen?

The best fitness trackers to buy today

Fitbit Charge 4

Fitbit Charge 3

Garmin Vivoactive 4

Fitbit Inspire HR

Garmin Forerunner 645 Music

Garmin Fenix 6 Pro

Fitbit Versa 2

Garmin Forerunner 45

Fitbit Sense

Withings Steel HR Sport

Garmin Forerunner 245 Music

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2

Garmin Venu Sq

Polar Vantage M

From today in China, you can buy the Huawei Smart Latex Pillow. As befits this type of “device”, it monitors sleep.

Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite from today in Poland. If you hurry up, you can buy one of the cheapest GPS smartwatches at a promotional price

Genesis Holm 510 RGB – Gaming desk with built-in inductive charger, USB hub and remote control illumination

UNBOXING

DESIGN and DISPLAY

HARDWARE and OPERATING SYSTEM

FUNCTIONALITY’

AUTONOMY

CONCLUSIONS

Design & Display

Setup & Customisation

Mapping, Navigation & Features

Sensor Compatibility & Accessories

Also consider

Garmin Edge 830

realme Watch S Pro

Watch S Master Edition and Buds Air Pro Master Edition

Quick summary

The very best Fitbit trackers available right now

Fitbit Inspire 2

Fitbit Inspire

Fitbit Inspire HR

Fitbit Charge 4

Fitbit Charge 3

Fitbit Versa Lite Edition

Fitbit Versa 3

Fitbit Versa 2

Fitbit Sense

Fitbit Ionic