Apple’s latest iPad Pro might look very similar to the model it’s replacing, but it contains several major upgrades on the inside. It’s got the same powerful, energy-efficient M1 chip as the latest MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and now the redesigned iMac. Cellular models have made the jump to 5G. The front-facing camera can zoom and pan to keep you in focus on video calls. But aside from the processor, the biggest technical leap is exclusive to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro: it’s what Apple calls the “Liquid Retina XDR,” a new display that adopts Mini LED backlighting to achieve higher brightness and greater contrast than any iPad (or Mac) that the company has ever made.
Apple says the 12.9-inch iPad Pro can reach 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness — on par with the ultra-expensive Pro Display XDR — and portions of the screen can hit an eye-searing 1,600 nits when playing HDR content. That’s brighter than many 4K HDR TVs on the market.
For comparison’s sake, the previous iPad Pro topped out at 600 nits. Full stop. These measurements also obliterate Apple’s Mac lineup. The 16-inch MacBook Pro can go up to 500 nits. The flashy 24-inch iMac introduced yesterday? Also 500 nits. Things move a little closer when you look at the iPhone 12 Pro’s OLED screen, which can hit a max brightness of 800 nits and 1,200 in HDR.
But Apple isn’t yet ready to make the switch to OLED for its tablets, and the reasoning probably comes down to the brightness advantage of Mini LED — plus the company’s promise that this iPad Pro, with its fancy display, still has the standard 10-hour battery life that iPad users have come to expect. Either way, this is an upgrade that should be plainly evident to the eye.
What is Mini LED?
Unlike OLED, where individual pixels are self-illuminating and can fully turn off when not needed, Mini LED is more of a natural progression from the LCD screens that have become such a mainstay of consumer electronics. But where this new approach differentiates itself is in the size and quantity of LEDs behind the screen. During its Spring Loaded event, Apple’s Heidi Delgado said that the previous iPad Pro had 72 LEDs, but the new “Liquid Retina XDR” manages to pack in over 10,000 of them. Apple accomplished this by miniaturizing the LEDs to a size “120 times smaller in volume than the previous design.”
Apple says the 12.9-inch iPad Pro has over 10,000 LEDs.Image: Apple
The Mini LEDs are grouped into over 2,500 local dimming zones that can individually brighten and dim based on whatever’s being shown on the display. This granular level of control, according to Delgado, results in customers “seeing the brightest highlights along with subtle details in the darkest parts of an image.”
The dimming zones can light up and dim based on what’s on-screen.
Apple isn’t first to Mini LED
Though this might be the first time Mini LED has found its way into a tablet, the technology has already appeared in TVs. TCL really sparked the trend in 2019, and apparently Samsung and LG took notice: their higher-end 2021 LCD TVs now utilize Mini LED backlighting as well.
A visualization of TCL’s Mini LED implementation on its TVs.Image: TCL
Here’s how TCL explains the visual improvements:
LED LCD TVs have two parts of the display that combine together to create an image. The “LCD” (liquid crystal display) part of the display creates a picture and the “LED” (light-emitting diode) part of the display makes light that shines through the picture so your eyes can see it. So the benefit of thousands of precisely controlled mini-LEDs in an active matrix backlight is more powerful light that is more smoothly distributed across the screen, more precisely controlled for sharp contrast and more effective in creating vividly saturated colors that dazzle the eye. Mini-LED simply delivers dramatically better picture performance.
The huge uptick in LEDs could also result in improved panel uniformity; some owners of the previous 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros have observed uneven backlighting. Having exchanged one or two for this very reason, I can vouch. The “panel lottery” is a thing with pretty much any device — TVs, laptops, tablets, etc. — but making the move to Mini LED should help with consistency.
What’s this I hear about MicroLED?
MicroLED is seen as the next major leap in TV display technology and the potential successor to OLED. It shares many of OLED’s best traits (like self-emissive LEDs), ups the brightness, and comes without most of the associated drawbacks since the technology is inorganic. But right now, MicroLED is extremely cost prohibitive and really only found in ultra-premium luxury TVs from Samsung.
Final impressions on the new iPad Pro will need to wait until we get it in our hands. But as someone who uses the previous 12.9-inch model daily for productive and creative purposes, I’m very curious to see what Mini LED adds to the iPad experience.
(Pocket-lint) – When the Fujifilm X-T2 arrived back in 2016, we thought it set a new benchmark for mirrorless cameras. Since then we’ve been spoiled with the likes of the Panasonic Lumix G9 and many other compact system cameras.
In 2018, Fujifilm came back with a bang: the X-T3 brought a new sensor, new autofocus and 4K 60fps video capture that set it apart from its X-T2 cousin. Below we breakdown the key differences between those two. But if you’re looking for the even newer X-T4 then go read our review here.
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Fuji X-T3 vs X-T2: Design & Layout
X-T3: A little deeper (58.8mm) than X-T2 (49.2mm) due to eyecup and grip
Both cameras: Full manual control dials, Fujifilm X mount lenses
Optional battery grip is different for each camera
Both cameras: Weather resistant build
At a glance, the X-T3 and X-T2 are one and the same. But they’re a slightly different size, which means if you want to use an accessory battery grip then you’ll need to buy for the specific camera. X-T2 users will be disappointed that an X-T3 will require a new grip.
Otherwise, the layout and operation is similar: there’s full manual control, all the shutter/aperture/ISO/exposure compensation dials you could need, and that old skool design aesthetic.
The X-T3 does shrink the exposure compensation dial to avoid it getting accidental knocks, while the toggles around its dials are larger for easier adjustment. There’s also a dioptre lock on the X-T3 which was lacking previously.
Fuji X-T3 vs X-T2: Viewfinder, Screen, Performance
Both cameras: 3.0 inch, 1040k-dot, tri-adjustable LCD (X-T3 adds touchscreen)
X-T3: 1.5x autofocus speed improvement over X-T2 (Fujifilm claims)
X-T3: 2.16m phase-detection pixels offer edge-to-edge autofocus (X-T2 has a limited selection area)
Mirrorless cameras have gone from strength to strength in recent times, with electronic viewfinders good enough to rival traditional optical ones. The X-T2’s already decent 0.5in OLED finder remains the same size (magnification) in the X-T3, but the new camera ups the resolution by over 50 per cent. It’s the same finder as found in the Canon EOS R.
Regarding the rear screen, both cameras offer a tri-adjustable fit, meaning the LCD panel can be pulled out for waist-level or overhead work in either portrait or landscape orientation. Most competitors can’t handle this vertical orientation. However, we found this method of control a little fiddly to use, which is a setback. The X-T3, like the X-H1, adds touchscreen – which was lacking from the X-T2.
When it comes to speed, the X-T3 also ups the autofocus ante with a claimed 1.5x speed improvement over the X-T2. The biggest change is the full edge-to-edge autofocus system, though, which offers a mammoth 2.16m phase-detection pixels right across the whole sensor for precision autofocus anywhere within the frame (it offers 425 AF areas, compared to the X-T2’s 325). Even the newer X-T4 doesn’t really elevate its autofocus beyond the X-T3’s capabilities.
Fuji X-T3 vs X-T2: Image Quality, Speed, Video
X-T3: X-Trans CMOS IV sensor, 26-megapixel resolution
X-T2: X-Trans CMOS III sensor, 24-megapixel resolution
X-T3: 11fps burst shooting at full resolution
X-T2: 11fps with optional battery grip only
X-T3: 4K video at 60fps / XT-2: 4K 30fps
Core to the X-T3 is its X-Processor and X-Trans CMOS sensor, both of which are in their fourth generation guises (compared tot he X-T2’s third-gen). This brings greater processing speed, able to handle the slightly higher resolution of the newer camera.
In terms of burst speed, the X-T2 was never a slouch, capable of up to 11fps at full resolution. However, you had to have the optional battery grip attached to achieve that. With the X-T3 you do not: it’s 11fps capable out of the box (and it’ll even hit 30fps with a 1.25x crop and electronic shutter).
Another big benefit of this X-Processor is the readout speed means the X-T3 can cater for 4K video at 60fps straight to the camera’s internal SD card. At the time of launch no other APS-C sensor camera could do this. Furthermore, the X-T3 offers up to a 400Mbps data rate with H.265 compression and 24-bit stereo sound support.
Fuji X-T3 vs X-T2: Conclusion
X-T3: £1,349 body only (at launch)
X-T2: £1,399 body only (around £1,249 at time of writing)
The X-T3 is a savvy replacement for the X-T2. It’s faster, more adept at focusing, will deliver similar image quality at a slightly higher resolution, and will appease videographers too. And all for a price that’s actually less than the X-T2 was at launch.
Our suggestion would be to go with the newer model and all the extras that brings (unless the X-T2’s price really plummets). Of course, with the X-T4 being launched since, in 2020, there’s an even newer generation to consider – but, on balance, if you can find the older model in stock then picking it up for a bargain price makes heaps of sense.
Oppo will launch two smartphones in India next week – the A54 on April 19 and the A74 5G a day later. Oppo confirmed that the A74 5G will be priced under INR20,000 ($270/€225) in the country but didn’t hint at the pricing of the A54. However, a new report claims the smartphone will start at INR13,490 ($180/€150) and have three memory options.
The base variant will have 4GB RAM and 64GB storage onboard, and for INR1,000 ($13/€11) more, you’ll get double storage. The third model, with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, will cost INR15,990 ($215/€180).
The Oppo A54, announced last month, is powered by the Helio P35 SoC and runs the dated Android 10 with ColorOS 7.2 on top. It packs a 6.51″ HD+ LCD and has a 5,000 mAh battery under the hood that draws power through a USB-C port up to 18W.
The A54 also features a side-mounted fingerprint reader and comes with a total of four cameras on board – a 16MP selfie shooter inside the punch hole with the 13MP primary camera on the rear joined by 2MP depth and 2MP macro units.
Motorola has been teasing the Moto G60 and Moto G40 Fusion on its Instagram profile, and today it has finally revealed some of the key specs of the duo.
The two new smartphones share a Snapdragon 732G chipset and a massive 6.8” screen with HDR10 support and 120Hz refresh rate.
The main difference between the Moto G60 and Moto G40 is the sensor behind the main camera – the G60 has a 108MP imager, while its sibling is downgraded to 64MP.
The other two members of the triple-cam setups on the back are identical and so is the selfie camera inside a punch hole at the front.
The screens are likely of the LCD variety because we can see a fingerprint scanner on the back. The volume rocker, Google Assistant and power key are all lined on the right side, while the left hosts the SIM tray.
The full launch of the Moto G60 and Moto G40 Fusion will take place on April 20, and the phones will be sold through Flipkart.
Oppo will launch two smartphones in India next week – the A54 on April 19 and the A74 5G on April 20.
The Oppo A54 is powered by the Helio P35 SoC, runs Android 10-based ColorOS 7.2 out of the box, and has two memory options – 4GB/64GB and 4GB/128GB.
The smartphone’s built around a 6.51″ HD+ LCD with a punch hole in the upper-left corner for the 16MP selfie camera. And around the back, we get a triple camera setup comprising a 13MP primary, 2MP depth, and 2MP macro units.
The A54 also features a side-mounted fingerprint reader and ships with a 5,000 mAh battery charged through a USB-C port at up to 18W.
The Oppo A74 5G, on the other hand, has a Snapdragon 480 chip at the helm with Android 11-based ColorOS 11.1 and 6GB RAM and 128GB storage.
The A74 5G sports a 6.5″ FullHD+ 90Hz LCD and packs a 5,000 mAh battery that draws power via USB-C port at up to 18W.
The camera department includes five shooters – a 16MP selfie unit inside the punch hole with the camera island on the back housing 48MP primary, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth modules.
The Oppo A74 5G also features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and supports dual-mode 5G (SA/NSA) and it will be priced under INR20,000 ($270/€225) in India.
(Pocket-lint) – Affordable phones are getting more competitive every single year. As high end phones push new features and boundaries, the more budget-friendly devices tend to pick up on previous gen advancements.
Best budget phone 2021: Cheap phones for $200/£200 or less
Two very active players in this market are Nokia and Motorola, who often battle it out for the same corner of the market. They sell affordable Android phones at varying increments covering pretty much every price point from the lowest cost phones to the mid-range prices.
Two of the most competitively priced models are the 5.4 from Nokia and the Moto G10. So which should you get?
Design
Moto: 165.2 x 75.7 x 9.2mm – 200g
Nokia: 161 x 76 x 8.7 – 181g
Both: Plastic build
When it comes to the shape and size of the two phones, there’s not a lot to separate them. The Nokia is ever so slightly shorter and thinner than the Moto, and is lighter too, but not be a huge amount. Not enough to make a distinct difference.
What does make a bigger difference to the daily experience is the texture of the back. The two phones both use plastic cases, but Moto has gone with a ribbed design which has a grippy texture where those ripples on the case are actually subtly raised to give you a finish that’s easy to grip on to.
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The Nokia by comparison is shiny and a bit more slippery. The Moto also has a bit more of a solid feel to it too. Both the rear panel and the edges of the phone feel sturdier on the Moto than on the Nokia.
From a purely aesthetic point of view there are some nice choices made by Nokia. Firstly, that subtle patterning on the rear plastic and the blue gradient on this model. Plus, the holepunch cutout for the selfie camera looks a little more modern than the notch in the Moto’s display.
Saying that, the camera housing on the Moto does seem to have a more purposeful design about it even if it’s not perfectly centered like the Nokie 5.4.
On a more practical note, Moto’s texturerd power button is a nice touch and makes it easier to find without looking. As for shared features, both have a Google Assistant button and both have a 3.5mm port for headphones. They also both have a Micro SD card slot for expanding the storage.
There are rear-mounted fingerprint sensors on both phones too. Both are reliable, although not especially fast. But that’s to be expected at this end of the market. We rarely had to try twice to unlock, but we can’t say one phone was clearly better than the other in this specific measurement.
Display
Moto: 6.5-inch IPS LCD 20:9 panel
Nokia: 6.39-inch IPS LCD 19.5:9 panel
Moto: 720 x 1600 resolution
Nokia: 720 x 1560 resolution
Again, there are similarities when it comes to displays. Both manufacturers have gone with an IPS LCD display with 720p resolution.
It’s not in resolution where the two differ then because the sharpness is near enough identical on the two. Even colour reproduction is similar. Moto’s looks a tiny bit warmer at times when looking at pale skin tones on video, but for the most part they’re very similar with other colours like blues and greens. What makes the biggest difference to the experience is actually the brightness.
In our testing, with the display cranked up to full brightness, the Nokia is noticeably brighter than the Moto. That’s even more noticeable if you’re looking at it from a little bit of an angle. When your viewing angle changes away from directly head-on the Moto seems to get darker quicker than the Nokia.
Of course, being LCD means neither is fantastic outside in bright daylight, but the brighter panel is definitely helpful here. It just makes that experience less, well, terrible.
Performance and battery life
Moto: Snapdragon 460 processor
Nokia: Snapdragon 662 processor
Both: 4GB RAM and 64GB or 128GB storage
Both: microSD expansion
Moto: 5000mAh battery
Nokia: 4000mAh battery
What about other areas of performance? Nokia has the upper hand here too. It’s equipped with the Snapdragon 662 processor, while the G10 has the Snapdragon 460. Although, if you do want a slightly more powerful there is the Moto G30, which has a better processor.
What that means in daily use however is that things take a little bit less time on the Nokia. Neither is super speedy though, and both load up Mario Kart Tour – for example – without too much of a struggle, even if you have to wait for it to load for a little longer than you’d like.
One thing we did notice however was that the Wi-Fi performance seems better on the Moto. When we went upstairs, further away from the Wi-Fi router the Nokia lost signal in the bedroom quite a lot, where the Moto stayed strong.
It’s a similar experience with battery. Moto has a 5000mAh capacity where Nokia has 4000mAh. That’s a considerable difference both in spec and in real daily usage. In daily use, that means that with moderate use you can get to the end of a second day with the Moto. For some, maybe even up to three days if you’re a particularly light user.
Cameras
Moto: quad camera
48MP primary – 8MP ultrawide
2MP depth and macro sensors
Nokia: quad camera
48MP primary – 5MP ultrawide
2MP depth and macro sensors
Nokia: 4K video
Moto: 1080p video
As affordable phones neither of these two is going to give you stellar photography, but they will offer similar experiences when it comes to the lenses on offer. Both have 48MP primary cameras sitting alongside an ultrawide camera, plus low res macro and depth sensors.
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There’s no real competition in results though. The Nokia produces much more vibrant and colourful shots. The G10 primary sensor often washed things out quite badly and that meant it didn’t match the ultrawide colours at all often.
If you want the better photographs, it’s the Nokia that outpeforms it’s price tag, although we’d still say the macro on both are pretty useless and not worth using.
Price
Moto: Around £130
Nokia: Around £150
There’s no getting around the fact that the Nokia is more expensive than the Moto, but there’s not a huge amount in it and given the better performance in a number of areas, it’s more than worth the outlay.
Conclusion
Motorola has split up its G-series range even more this year, and as long as you’re able to put up with a poorer display and slightly slower performance, it could well be worth saving money and getting the G10 over the 5.4.
However, there’s no denying the better performance and display on the Nokia, which you’d expect from a slightly more expensive phone.
Still, we think in the G-series it’s the G30 that’s the one worth getting this year. It features a more fluid display than either of these two and is still affordable.
(Pocket-lint) – Back at the end of January 2021, Fujifilm announced this, the X-E4, one of the more junior models in its mirrorless camera line-up. It’s not the total baby of the range, though, a title which goes to the X-T200. The X-E4’s main difference to that camera? It brings the coveted X Trans CMOS sensor type into the fray.
When we first heard announcement of the X-E4, we thought it looked a little like the fixed-lens X100V, except with the obvious addition of an interchangeable lens mount. And given how fond we were of the X100V, that set up this interchangeable equivalent in good stead. Except this adds a flip-forward screen to the series for the first time.
So is the Fujifilm X-E4 a real mid-range champ, or does it lack innovation to elevate it above and beyond its X-E3 predecessor and surrounding X series cameras?
Design & Lens Mount
Fujifilm X mount (for XF lenses)
Dimensions (body): 121 x 73mm x 33mm / Weight: 364g
Vari-angle mounted screen, with touch controls (3-inch, 1,620k-dot LCD)
If you’ve been thinking about a Fujifilm camera then there’s three current models that sit fairly close to one another: the X-T200, the X-E4 on review here, and the higher-end X-T4. So how do they differ?
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The X-E4 sits in the middle of the trio, with a more advanced sensor technology than you’ll find in the lower-end X-T200 – but other features are otherwise fairly similar. The higher-end X-T4, meanwhile, has the exact same sensor as you’ll find here – so while the ‘T’ model doesn’t mean higher quality images, it has more dedicated control dials and can shoot much faster.
The X-E4 is designed with small-scale in mind, too, so our attachment of a 10-24mm f/4 lens (not included) makes it look a bit bigger. Really Fujifilm intends to sell this camera with the 27mm pancake lens, which is sold as a kit, because that really enhances the small scale – but we’d only suggest doing that if you know you’ll want to buy other lenses later, otherwise you may wish to look to the X100V instead (if you can find it for a good price anyway).
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Prominently the X-E4 adds a flip-forward LCD screen for the first time in the X series, enabling that selfie or vlogging angle for those who need to frame themselves. However, the design of the camera – there’s also a built-in electronic viewfinder (EVF) – means you cannot simply flip the screen up in one swift movement. Although it’s not complex, we find the two-part movement to get the screen forward is rather fiddly. And even then the EVF’s marginal protrusion stops it from being completely vertical.
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The screen quality is otherwise perfectly decent, at 1,640k-dots, and the little nub on the side makes it easy to position by 90 degrees (or similar) in a single motion – which is handy for waist-level work. The touchscreen is highly responsive, which is both great for quick reaction, yet annoying because we took heaps of unwanted pictures while the camera was in low-power mode in-between shooting proper.
A big part of any X series camera is the style, though, with this silver and black finish the epitome of retro cool. The X-E4 is made primarily from magnesium alloy, which gives it a robust feeling in the hand. However, it’s not weather-resistant like the pricier X-T4, so if you’re keen to always run around in the rain then this might not be the choice body for you.
The camera’s dials aren’t just there to look pretty either – you can quickly control the shutter and exposure compensation via their individual dedicated dials (many XF lenses have aperture control rings as the third piece of the puzzle). Sadly, there’s no lock of the exposure compensation dial, which we found was a little too easy to knock out of place (and so we took a number of images at +/-0.7EV).
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Want to point and shoot? No problem. The X-E4 can be set to auto in every regard so you can just snap away. Even applying various filters – Toy camera, Miniature, Pop color, High-key, Low-key, Dynamic tone, Soft focus – if you want to get a bit ‘arty’ with results.
Performance
Battery: 2,200mAh (circa 450 shots per charge)
Autofocus system: 117 selectable areas
Face Detection & Eye Detection AF
Low-light focus: to -7EV
Adjustable AF point size
Up to 8fps burst
The X-E4’s focus system is an echo of the X-T4 too. The camera uses a massive 2.16-million phase-detection pixels embedded across its sensor’s surface, designed to cover the full width from edge to edge. That means you can focus anywhere in the field of view, as far vertically or horizontally as you wish, and still acquire the same focus ability as you would in the centre.
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The autofocus system is pared down to 425 areas maximum – it’s 117 selectable areas though – which can be further reduced to simplify operation as you wish. The AF point can be adjusted between a variety of point sizes, too, by using the front thumbwheel; the miniature joystick to the rear, meanwhile, handles repositioning with speed – if you’re not using the touchscreen.
However, there’s still no Panasonic Lumix S1-style Pinpoint mode, which we always miss when using other brands’ mirrorless cameras. Pinpoint is great for still life work, as it enables really specific focus – not that the X-E4 struggles, but you may find focus is positioned a millimetre forward/back to expectation based on available contrast, for example.
Now we wouldn’t say the autofocus is the very best going for moving subjects, but it’s still highly capable. It’s hard to ignore Sony’s forward motion in this department, really, where it’s excelling in fast-moving subject capture.
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The 8 frames per second (8fps) burst shooting is also capable, although approaching half that of the X-T4 – which is yet another clue of the X-E4’s target audience.
Autofocus is said to be good to -7EV, which means really dim conditions. With the curtains closed and not much light available the camera had little qualms in capturing – even when the sensitivity was forced to be maxxed out to ISO 12,800 as a result.
In terms of longevity the X-E4’s battery is relatively high capacity, capable of delivering 450 shots per charge or thereabouts. This will vary depending on the screen’s on time, how much movie shooting you wish to do, and so forth. There is a low power mode that auto-activates by default, though, so the rear screen will go into a low brightness and super-low refresh rate to retain battery – but mean it’s instant to reactivate when you want it for that next shot.
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Recharging takes place via USB-C, much like an Android phone, but you’ll need to use a 15W charger at the wall for the fastest possible recharge times. It’ll take about three hours to recharge the one cell, which isn’t especially quick, but use a low power USB port and it’ll take three or four times longer than that. In short: don’t think plugging it into the side of your computer will serve the same result, as it won’t.
Image Quality
26.1-megapixel X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor
4K at 30fps, Full HD (1080p) at 60fps
Sensitivity: ISO 160 to 12,800
Inside, this lightweight camera houses the same 26.1-megapixel X-Trans CMOS 4 and X-Processor 4 combination as you’ll find in the X-T4 – so quality is, in effect, one and the same. It’s lens dependent, of course, as that’s a major part of what attributes part of the clarity and sharpness of an image.
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: ISO 200ISO 200
This sensor type is backside illuminated, with the copper wiring placement beneath the photo diodes in the sensor, in order to create a cleaner signal path. But the real sell is the X Trans CMOS aspect, which uses Fujifilm’s unique colour array, not the typical Bayer array, to make benefit of a larger sequence to determine colour results.
Fujifilm shots tend to look very natural as a result, sometimes a little cooler in appearance, but there’s a lot of options within the camera to manipulate as you please – including traditional film stock equivalent, if you want to shoot Velvia for added punch, or Provia for softer portrait tones.
We’ve often praised Fujifilm for its image quality prowess, a trend that the X-E4 continues. It’s handled our various snaps well in terms of exposure, colour balance, scale and detail. The real sweet-spot is in the lower to medium ISO sensitivity, as higher up the range things beging to reveal a lot more image noise – not to the point of destruction, as such, but detail drifts away and processing is more apparent, even from ISO 3200.
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That you’re getting Fujifilm’s current best-of-best (well, ignoring its medium format line-up) in a camera that sits in the middle of the range is impressive.
Verdict
Although the X-E4 is the first Fujifilm X series camera to offer a screen that can face forward, we don’t actually think that’ll be the main appeal for its target audience (it’s also a bit fiddly to position as so) – as much as the spec can cater for vloggers wanting to shoot 4K or Full HD video.
The real appeal of the X-E4 lies in a range of points: from the top-tier image quality from the X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor, to the small-scale body and retro chic design; to the capable autofocus system and variety of filters and film stocks.
If you don’t want the super-fast shooting of the X-T4, don’t need the weather-sealing either, then the X-E4 wraps much of its higher-spec cousin’s features into a smaller, tidier body with a smaller price tag.
Also consider
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Sony A6400
Not the most up-to-date Sony – that goes to the over-four-figures A6600 – but the A6400 is a great example of small scale with big capabilities. And it did the whole facing-forward screen feature first too.
Read our full review
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Fujifilm X-T4
Want that water resistance and almost double-speed burst mode? That’s where the X-T4 comes into play. It’s far pricier, and it’s larger too, but it’s all-round more accomplished – and will feel better balanced with larger lenses, too, if that’s your future thinking.
Seeed Studio announced the reTerminal, its latest addon for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4. This $195 Compute Module 4 machine learning and industrial application carrier board comes enclosed inside a robust case and sports a 5-inch touchscreen and plenty of expansion possibilities.
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Seeed’s reTerminal works with all models of the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4. For the $195 price tag, it comes with a Compute Module 4 with 4GB RAM and 32GB of eMMC flash. You can easily swap out the Compute Module 4 if you need to change the config to accommodate your use case.
The 5-inch capacitive touch LCD has a 1280 x 720 (293 PPI) resolution, much more useful than 800 x 480 resolutions found on other screens. On the front of the unit, we see four user buttons, which can be programmed as required for useful quick access to common tasks.
On reTerminal’s left side, we find two USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, micro HDMI output (4Kp60), and a USB C power input for the 5V 4A required to power the unit. On the other side, we see a breakout for the Raspberry Pi GPIO. This is not directly compatible with add ons/HATs, but we can use one of the many Raspberry Pi add-on boards with a breakout board.
On the rear, we see a finned radiator used to keep the Compute Module 4’s 1.5 GHz quad-core Cortex-A72 CPU cool. We can only assume that this is passive cooling as there is no mention of active cooling. Also present is a MIPI camera interface, which enables using the official Raspberry Pi Camera and the HQ Camera. A useful addition when we consider that reTerminal is aimed at machine learning applications such as Edge Impulse, PyTorch and TensorFlow. An interesting addition is an industrial high-speed interface, which provides a PCIe 1 lane host, an additional USB 2.0 port, 28 GPIOs, and Power over Ethernet, according to the press release.
A series of M4 screw mounts at various points around the device are used to secure the reTerminal to several external modular accessories. We can see an industrial GPIO breakout from the supplied images and a unit that connects to the industrial high-speed breakout connector. We find a standard camera mount at the bottom of the unit, enabling reTerminal to be held in place using many different camera accessories.
A series of sensors are hidden inside of the reTerminal. First, we have a mic array that can be used with machine learning for voice recognition projects, an accelerometer for display rotation, data collection and gesture input, and a light sensor with proximity detection. An onboard real-time clock provides a means to keep your Compute Module 4’s clock in time, useful for projects where connectivity to NTP servers could be problematic.
Seeed’s reTerminal looks to be a nice and tidy means to use a Raspberry Pi Computer Module 4-powered machine for machine learning. Tom’s Hardware will have all of the reTerminal information you need in a future review. Seeed is offering $5 off if you register here.
TCL has announced the rest of its 20-series lineup, with the 20 Pro 5G leading the way. Along with the 20L and 20L Plus, the phone joins the two devices announced earlier this year at CES, the TCL 20 5G and 20 SE, all of which prominently feature the company’s display technology. TCL says the 20 Pro 5G and 20S (a regional variant of the 20L Plus) will come to the US this summer, though the company hasn’t confirmed prices yet.
The TCL 20 Pro 5G offers the most advanced specs of the bunch, with some refinements over last year’s good-not-great 10 Pro. It offers a 6.67-inch 1080p OLED with HDR10 support and includes the latest generation of TCL’s NXTVISION technology to identify on-screen content and adjust color, contrast, and sharpness accordingly. The 20 Pro 5G uses a Snapdragon 750G chipset — a step up from the 10 Pro’s 600-series processor — with 6GB RAM, ships with Android 11, and offers a 4,500mAh battery. Sub-6GHz 5G is supported, but TCL says it can adapt to include other 5G bands depending on the carrier.
The 20 Pro 5G will come to the US this summer.Photo: TCL
The phone’s main camera uses a 48-megapixel sensor with a small but important addition: optical image stabilization. It’s a feature that should help reduce blur in lower-light conditions, and it wasn’t offered on any of last year’s 10-series models.
The standard wide camera is accompanied by a 16-megapixel ultrawide, 5-megapixel macro, 2-megapixel depth-sensing chip, and 32-megapixel selfie camera. For biometric unlock, the 20 Pro includes an in-display fingerprint sensor. We’re pleased to report that the 3.5mm headphone jack remains, and a microSD card slot is available for expansion on the 256GB of built-in storage. The 20 Pro 5G goes on sale tomorrow in the UK, Italy, and Portugal for €549 (about $655).
TCL 20L Plus
TCL 20L Plus
The TCL 20L and 20L Plus are more budget-oriented devices. They both offer a 6.67-inch 1080p LCD, a 5,000mAh battery, and a Snapdragon 662 processor. The 20L offers 4GB of RAM in its base model, while the Plus model starts at 6GB.
The 20L Plus also features a 64-megapixel main camera, while the 20L includes a 48-megapixel main sensor; both devices include an 8-megapixel ultrawide, 2-megapixel macro, 2-megapixel depth sensor, and 16-megapixel selfie camera. Both phones also use circular polarization display technology, so that the screen is visible from any angle when viewing it with polarized sunglasses.
The 20L and 20L Plus go on sale tomorrow in the UK, Italy, and Portugal, starting at €229 and €269, respectively.
(Pocket-lint) – Sony Mobile refreshed its phone line up in 2021 with the Xperia 10 III, alongside the flagship Xperia 1 III and the Xperia 5 III during an online event on 14 April.
The Xperia 10 III succeeds the Xperia 10 II that arrived in 2020, continuing to offer just one device in the mid range Xperia portfolio rather than two. In 2019, the range began with the Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus – both of which are included in this feature for reference.
So which Sony Xperia mid-range device is the best one for you? Here are the Xperia 10 III’s specifications up against the Xperia 10 II and Xperia 10 and 10 Plus to help you decide.
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Design
Xperia 10 III: 154 x 68 x 8.3mm, 169g, IP65/68
Xperia 10 II: 157 x 69 x 8.2mm, 151g, IP65/68
Xperia 10: 156 x 68 x 8.4mm, 162g
Xperia 10 Plus: 167 x 73 x 8.3mm, 180g
The Sony Xperia 10 III, Xperia 10 II, the Xperia 10 and the Xperia 10 Plus all share similar design traits, but the Xperia 10 III and 10 II are more premium, offering a glass rear over the metal backs seen on the Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus.
The camera housings on the rear of the Xperia 10 III and 10 II are also positioned in the top left, just like the Xperia 1 III, making for a better design finish than the horizontal housing on the Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus. The Xperia 10 III is also slightly shorter, though heavier than the Xperia 10 II.
All four devices have rounded edges and a tall, slender look though and they all feature a 21:9 aspect ratio display. The Xperia 10 III and Xperia 10 II are both IP65/68 water and dust resistant however, like the flagship Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III, while the Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus offer no water resistance.
Sony Xperia 1 III vs 5 III vs 10 III: What’s the difference?
Display
Xperia 10 III: 6-inch, OLED, Full HD+, 21:9, HDR
Xperia 10 II: 6-inch, OLED, Full HD+, 21:9
Xperia 10: 6-inch, LCD, Full HD+, 21:9
Xperia 10 Plus: 6.5-inch, LCD, Full HD+, 21:9
The Sony Xperia 10 II1 and Xperia 10 II come with a 6-inch display, matching the size of the Xperia 10. The Xperia 10 Plus has a slightly larger display at 6.5-inches, though all four models have the same Full HD+ resolution.
The Xperia 10 III and Xperia 10 II differ in terms of panel technology too though. Like the Xperia 1 III, the Xperia 10 III and 10 II have an OLED display for vibrant colours and deep blacks. The Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus both have LCD displays. The Xperia 10 III also adds HDR support over its predecessors.
All four devices have a 21:9 aspect ratio display, as mentioned above, and all of them offer a 60Hz refresh rate. It’s worth noting that the Xperia 5 II, Xperia 5 III and the Xperia 1 III all have a 120Hz refresh rate.
As you would expect from a succeeding device, the Xperia 10 III improves on the internals of the Xperia 10 II, as well as – naturally – the Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus too. The 2021 device runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 690G platform, supported by 6GB of RAM. That chipset means the Xperia 10 III is a 5G capable device, which is the first for the Xperia 10 range.
The Xperia 10 II runs on the older, but still capable, Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor, supported by 4GB of RAM as standard.
The Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus both run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor with 3GB of RAM as standard for the smaller model and 4GB of RAM as standard for the Plus model. Both come with 64GB of internal storage, while the Xperia 10 II and Xperia 10 III come with 128GB.
The Xperia 10 II, Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus all support microSD for storage expansion but the Xperia 10 II will take cards up to 1TB, while the Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus will only support cards up to 512GB. At the time of writing, it was not confirmed if the Xperia 10 III will also offer microSD support.
In terms of battery capacities, the Xperia 10 III wins here too. It offers a 4500mAh battery, compared to the Xperia 10 II’s 3600mAh battery, Xperia 10’s 2870mAh battery and Xperia 10 Plus’ 3000mAh battery. All models offer Sony technologies like Stamina Mode however and the Xperia 10 III also has Sony’s Battery care feature.
Camera
Xperia 10 III/10 II: Triple rear, 8MP front
Xperia 10: Dual rear, 8MP front
Xperia 10 Plus: Dual rear, 8MP front
The camera department is another area the Xperia 10 III and Xperia 10 II improve over their original predecessors, at least on paper. There’s a triple lens rear camera on the Xperia 10 III and Xperia 10 II, consisting of an 8-megapixel ultra wide-angle sensor, a 12-megapixel wide angle and an 8-megapixel telephoto sensor. There’s also a night mode.
The Xperia 10 meanwhile, has a dual camera consisting of a 12-megapixel sensor and an 8-megapixel sensor, while the Xperia 10 Plus has a 13-megapixel sensor and an 8-megapixel sensor on the back.
All four devices have an 8-megapixel front camera.
Sony Xperia 5 III vs Xperia 5 II: What’s the difference?
Price
Sony hasn’t announced the Xperia 10 III’s price as yet, though we don’t expect it to stray too far from the Sony Xperia 10 II, which costs £319 in the UK.
When they launched in 2019, the Xperia 10 started at £299, while the Xperia 10 Plus started at £349, but you’ll likely find them cheaper now.
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Conclusion
Sony simplified its mid-range Xperia in 2020, by only offering one device rather than the two offered in 2019 and that was a good thing. It continued this is in 2021, whilst also adding 5G support and some good upgrades.
The Xperia 10 III offers a more advanced processor, 5G capabilities, HDR support and a larger battery than the devices it succeeds. It also has a better camera capabilities (on paper at least) and a nicer design than the original Xperia 10 handsets.
The Xperia 10 III is the device to buy out of these four, assuming Sony doesn’t price it too high and you are happy to wait for it to hit shelves of course. That said, you might consider the Xperia 10 II if you can find it for a good price now, or 5G and HDR don’t bother you too much.
TCL is continuing its charge for the top spots in global TV sales. Currently ranked third, according to its statistics, TCL is expanding this year by bringing its Mini-LED TVs to the UK for the first time. It has also promised to produce its own OLED panels by 2023.
TCL has invested over $30bn in its CSOT panel fabrication business. Currently no. 2 in world LCD sales, it has already built its self-emissive panel plant with which it plans to take on LG.
At today’s press conference TCL outlined updates to its lower and mid-range P and C Series TVs, all of which will come with Google TV. Those in UK, France and Germany will also get a TikTok app from March onwards. Details of the premium 8K TCL X Series TV have been left until June but the company has confirmed that the 2000nit TCL X12 Mini LED TV will be among them.
As for the TVs from today’s event, the top model announced was the Mini-LED backed TCL C82 Series which comes in 55in and 65in sizes. It’s a 100Hz, 4K HDR screen fitted with an Onkyo tuned 3.1.2 soundbar which is Dolby Atmos enabled and has upward firing audio.
It supports both AirPlay and Chromecast, and comes with HDMI 2.1 features including ALLM, VRR and eARC. It will also work with Nvidia G-sync anti-tearing tech.
A step down is the TCL C72+ which looks also to be a full array Mini LED range. Like the C82s, it’s ready for gamers with the same HDMI 2.1 features included but this time without the Onkyo soundbar. It has three size variants: 55, 65 and 75in.
Below that is the straight TCL C72 Series which replaces the C71 Series currently available in UK stores. These are QLED TVs which, as with the models above, can handle HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision, including Dolby Vision IQ. There are no plans for HDR10+ yet. The biggest of the ranges announced, the C72 will be available in 43, 50, 55, 65 and 75in panels.
The bottom of the pile are the TCL P72 LCD TVs which come in the same sizes as the C72 but without the 75in model.
While prices and dates are currently unavailable, the company has stated that the TCL C82 TVs will arrive in the UK in Q2 of 2021.
MORE:
Mini-LED TV: everything you need to know about the OLED rival
Cowon has added Bluetooth, a volume wheel and a dual DAC to its bijou player – and produced another class leader
For
Detailed presentation across frequencies
Bluetooth connectivity
Classy build and finish
Against
Screen looks a little dated
Remember matchbook quotes, those little sayings written on complimentary matchbooks you could pick up in high-end bars or hotel lobbies? Should the Cowon Plenue D3, a matchbox-sized portable music player, have come adorned with its own saying, it might have read, ‘Be cautious of people whose actions don’t match their words’.
The third-generation Plenue D player arrives with no boastful fanfare, despite both its previous iterations gaining five-star reviews and even What Hi-Fi? Awards. The demure black packaging divulges little about this machine, apart from the fact that there’s now a Cirrus Logic CS43131 dual DAC on board, whereas the last generation used just one.
There’s also Bluetooth support, so you can pair your wireless headphones or speaker, and a new rotary volume wheel. Regardless of its decorated lineage and all these useful extras, the D3 is only slightly pricier than its predecessor, the Plenue D2.
Build
(Image credit: Cowon)
As we’ve come to expect from this line of miniature portable music players, the PD3’s build is minimalist and chic, with a black mirror finish on the front and back, a matte finish for the sides, and a silver metallic panel across the top of the player. It’s also available in a gold finish.
Cowon’s isometric edge design – where two faces meet, each edge has been cut with precise calculation – creates clean lines and proves that beauty really is in the detail.
The new Plenue D3 is a few millimetres longer and thicker than the original Plenue D, but unless you place the two side by side it is almost impossible to tell. The extra depth is down to a cracking new volume dial on the top right of the player, where the power button used to sit.
This glorious rotary wheel seems like an homage to Astell & Kern and feels just as premium as its pricier competition. As with the A&K Kann Alpha, a recessed light also shines out from beneath the dial. Here, it periodically flashes blue when playing, or glows red when charging or loading music, but you can turn it off in the settings menu if you prefer.
The power button has been relocated to the top right side of the player and, because there’s no need for volume buttons here anymore, the three other little circular controls for play/pause, skip forward and skip back are now even easier to locate and use in your pocket. And the player still weighs just 103g.
The touchscreen is the same 2.8in wide-angle LCD (240 x 230) display as on the previous model. If you think one interface looks a little dated, you can choose between three different ‘skins’ and also alter the text font.
The PD3 responds well, displays album artwork and offers easy navigation and grouping of your music. Considering the challenging amount of screen real estate it has to work with, that’s no mean feat. Once you get used to hopping through the settings and back to your music, the Plenue D3 is a joy to use.
Features
(Image credit: Cowon)
The PD3 boasts a battery life of up to 45 hours if you’re playing MP3 files, or a solid 30 hours when listening to hi-res files at ‘normal’ volume. There is support for 24-bit/192kHz WAV, FLAC, ALAC and AIFF files and 64GB of built-in storage, which is expandable to 192GB with the addition of a 128GB microSD card. The PD3 boasts DSD128 file compatibility too – and that support is native, so DSD files aren’t converted to PCM during playback. Again, there’s balanced 2.5mm and unbalanced 3.5mm headphone jacks.
So why should you upgrade to the PD3? If the new volume wheel doesn’t tempt you, Bluetooth 3.0 (with support for SBC and aptX codecs) might. We go into the PD3’s Settings menu, hit the Bluetooth tab and select our Earfun Air Pro wireless headphones, and later our Tribit Audio Stormbox Micro Bluetooth speaker, to pair. Both connect – and automatically re-pair – with ease.
If you’re going away for the weekend and want a tiny sound system for your room that is both ultra-portable and leaves your phone free for actual calls, this is a top solution. Go to the JetEffects tab in Settings and you can stream your music with effects such as ‘X-Bass’, or ever-more creative profiles such as ‘Feel the wind’ or ‘Reverb cathedral’, according to your room or tastes.
There are 48 of these JetEffects in total, including 44 named presets, four user presets you can create with a five-band equaliser and nine special ‘reverb’ modes. Want to hear a track up to 50 per cent slower or at 1.5 times its original speed? The PD3 can oblige here too. Although DSD files can’t be played over Bluetooth or with JetEffect sound profiles, most of your music will work with all of these functions.
The PD3 charges via USB-C and takes around 3.5 hours to fully charge. Loading tracks via the same port is a breeze. We hook it up to our MacBook Pro, find it under our ‘devices’ tab and drag and drop files into the ‘music’ folder – no third-party apps required. You still need to physically connect the PD3 to your source to add music, but when adding files is this easy it genuinely feels like the best way to do things.
Sound
(Image credit: Cowon)
We enjoy toying with the PD3’s Bluetooth connectivity and JetEffect features, but the bulk of our testing is done with the wired Grado SR325e headphones (with a 6.3mm to 3.5mm adaptor) and with sound profiles set to ‘Normal’. But in the Audio Output tab here, you can select between in-ear ‘earphones’ or harder-to-drive ‘headphones’, just to optimise the performance.
We cue up Queen’s Greatest Hits (16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC) and there’s a glorious amount of separation on offer from the outset of Fat Bottomed Girls as the band sings the anthemic chorus. Freddie Mercury’s vocal is central, but the instruments shine too – a detailed drum fill towards the raucous end of the track, vocal trills, guitar ideas – proving there’s an extra level of detail on offer here that some players can’t access. The album continues to Bicycle Race and the character of the vocals and the playful bass completes an exciting, zealous and transparent listen.
The bicycle bells towards the end of the track are sparkling, separate and distinguished through the treble. This is a talented player that’s sonically similar in character to its older siblings, but there are small upgrades to be had in terms of rhythm, timing, detail and musicality.
From the start of Michael Jackson’s Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ (24-bit/192kHz FLAC) the bass riff is notably deep and agile in our left ear and the central melody is zealous and remarkably energetic for such a tiny box of tricks. The layers of vocals are handled with precision so that each is impactful across the frequencies.
Switching to Hans Zimmer’s Gotham’s Reckoning (24-bit/192kHz FLAC) from The Dark Knight Rises original soundtrack, the pensive and fast-paced percussion builds to a full-bodied snap of thunder within a brooding and expansive mix, brimming with emotion and forceful low-end punch.
Verdict
When considering the Cowon Plenue D3, it’s important to note that wi-fi streaming is still off the menu – so you will have to go without on-the-go streaming of Tidal, Deezer and others.
But if you have the files and like the idea of pairing your portable music player either to a wireless speaker or pair of headphones for one of the smallest wireless systems you’ve seen, there’s no better shout currently on the market for the money.
The Plenue D3 keeps things simple: it plays your hi-res music – and it does that very well indeed.
(Pocket-lint) – With some LCD TV makers – including LG! – making a big song and dance about the introduction of Mini LED backlight technology for 2021, the pressure on mainstream OLED TVs to deliver their own substantial hardware leap that’s been rumbling along for years now has become particularly intense.
Just as well, then, that LG’s OLED G1 is stepping up to the plate with a new ‘Evo’ panel design that promises both more brightness and better colour than any LG OLED TV has managed before. Besides that, it’s got all the bells and whistles that cinephiles, gamers and designers will crave in a wall-mount TV. So just how good is it?
Design
4x HDMI 2.1 inputs, 3x USB ports
LAN & Wi-Fi multimedia options
As with LG’s debut Gallery OLED TVs in 2020, the OLED G1 – reviewed here in 65-inch, there’s also 55- and 77-inch versions – is designed very much with wall-mounting in mind. So much so that it only ships with a wall bracket. If you want to place it on desktop legs you’ll have to pay extra for them. And even then they won’t really do the G1’s thin, elegant profile justice.
Pocket-lint
The G1 wall-mount is designed to sit within a recess on the TV’s rear, allowing the screen to hang perfectly flush to a wall. Its impact on your living space is minimised even further, too, by the extreme narrowness of the screen’s frame. You can even choose to play artworks on the screen in a low power mode when you’re not watching it, further justifying the Gallery name.
The only issue with the design, perhaps, is that most people actually don’t wall-mount their TV, but may well still want to get their hands on the G1 series’ unique high brightness panel. If that sounds like you, be prepared to pay the extra for those optional support feet – or a new tripod-style Gallery floorstand LG has introduced for 2021.
The OLED G1’s connections put those of most rivals to shame. Especially when it comes to its four HDMIs, which all meet the latest HDMI 2.1 specification and so can support all the latest features of 4K HDR playback at 120Hz, automatic low latency mode (ALLM) switching for faster gaming response times, and variable refresh rates (VRR). Even in 2021 most rival premium TVs are only offering one or two full-spec HDMIs.
What is ALLM and VRR? TV gaming tech explained
Picture Features
HDR Support: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
Processing engine: Alpha 9 Gen 4
The advances of the OLED G1’s new Evo panel (which is exclusive to the G1 series) come in two main areas.
First, a new ‘luminous element’ is included to enhance brightness without using lots more power or, so LG claims, increasing the likelihood of the OLED G1 suffering with the permanent image retention issue that can affect OLED technology.
Second, LG has introduced a new green layer into the OLED G1’s panel construction that should, in conjunction with new narrower wavelengths for the red and green colour elements, lead to more dynamic and precise colours across the spectrum.
With Panasonic and Sony also using brightness-enhancing panels on their premium OLED ranges for 2021, though, LG has one other bit of the OLED G1’s picture story it’s keen to talk about: its new Alpha 9 Generation 4 processor. Without this, LG argues, the OLED G1 would not be able to unlock the new panel’s full potential.
The Alpha 9 Gen 4 processor also boasts a few potentially important new more general image tweaks. These include new Natural and Cinema Movement motion processing modes, and enhancements to both LG’s AI Picture Pro and AI Sound Pro automatic picture and sound optimisation options.
On the AI Picture Pro front, the latest processor can now use AI learning to identify when an image may be showing a city scene, a landscape or a night shot, and apply specific rules to the image accordingly. It can even apply ‘rules’ to specific objects or areas of specific content within any overall image, creating a more three-dimensional and natural effect than would be possible by just applying the processing rules equally across the whole image.
The OLED G1’s use of an OLED rather than LCD panel – no surprise given the name, eh? – brings with it innate picture quality advantages too. For instance, it can be watched from almost any angle without its colour saturations or contrast deteriorating significantly. It can also deliver light control down to individual pixel level, so that the darkest blacks the panel is capable of can appear literally right next to the brightest whites, without any dimming/greyness/backlight clouding trade-offs. This sort of local light control just isn’t possible with LCD TVs – not even those that use Mini LED technology.
As usual with a premium LG TV, the OLED G1 supports the Dolby Vision and HLG formats of high dynamic range (HDR) technology, alongside the industry standard HDR10 format. There is no support for the rarer (in source terms) HDR10+ format.
The OLED G1 picks up where the company’s popular 2020 X series OLEDs left off when it comes to gaming, continuing to offer 4K resolution, HDR, 120Hz refresh, plus variable refresh rates (VRR) across all four HDMIs.
Pocket-lint
It introduces a roster of new gaming options via a Game Optimiser ‘dashboard’ too. These options include a series of selectable game genre-based picture presets, an AI Game Sound mode, separate tweaks for the bright and dark extremes of gaming graphics, a Reduce Blue Light option for shifting game graphics to a warmer, less fatiguing colour tone, and separate Standard and Boost input lag reduction options that deliver exceptionally fast response times of just 12.4ms and 9.4ms respectively.
There’s also a new Fine Tune Dark Areas option for VRR gaming that provides a counter-measure to the tendency of OLED TVs to exhibit raised black levels when playing VRR images. So LG is clearly hell bent on retaining the legion of gaming fans it picked up with its forward-thinking 2019 and 2020 LG OLED series.
Smart Features
Smart system: WebOS 6.0
After years of merely refining its much-loved webOS platform, LG has finally introduced some really significant changes on the OLED G1.
A new full-screen interface takes over from the old and familiar strip of app icons along the bottom of the screen. This interface focuses for the most part on recommending content based on household viewing habits and currently popular shows from across the wide range of apps the TV supports. There’s a substantial box to top right, too, that takes you to a well-presented and wide-ranging content search page.
LG
While it makes sense these days to shift the webOS focus to providing recommended content curated from across supported apps rather than making users explore content on a per-app basis, the layout and ‘weighting’ of the new home screen doesn’t feel quite right. The three link options along the top of the screen in particular feel like they’re been given more weight than they really warrant.
The signature webOS source icon strip does still continue along the bottom of the new full-screen home page, and you can scroll down from there to a small selection of further shelves containing a list of all your connected devices, and direct content links to some of the most popular streaming apps. Strangely there’s no Netflix shelf at the time of writing, though, and you can’t change the order the shelves appear in.
LG’s voice control and recognition features – Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and LG’s own ThinQ options are all available – continue to be excellent. As does the system’s level of app support, with all the key streaming services covered. This includes the UK’s terrestrial broadcaster catch-up services via Freeview Play.
Picture Quality
The OLED G1 undoubtedly delivers overall better picture quality than any of LG’s 2020 OLED TVs. Whether it delivers as much of an improvement as some quarters might have been hoping for, though, is another question.
The new Evo panel makes an impact in two ways. First, where an HDR image, such as a shot of sun-drenched blue sky, features almost full-screen brightness, there’s a slightly higher level of overall intensity to the picture than 2020’s LG models can provide. Second, the very brightest parts of HDR images – naked bulbs and lights, reflections on glass or metal, sun-drenched clouds and the like – look punchier and, as a result, more natural.
LG
It’s noticeable, too, that since the Evo panel is designed to handle slightly lighter peaks of brightness, it typically delivers more subtle detailing and shading in the brightest HDR areas.
These differences, along with a slightly richer, more refined HDR-content colour palette, are more consistently noticeable when playing HDR console and PC games than they are with typical video.
Even with the punchiest games, though, the OLED G1 step up from 2020’s LG OLEDs don’t elevate the brand’s OLED performance into a whole new ball park. It’s more refinement than revolution. While this initially feels slightly disappointing, it doesn’t take long living with the OLED G1 to start feeling as if this initial assessment is a bit foolish.
After all, the OLED G1 is providing a 10-20 per cent HDR performance boost to 2020 LG OLED TVs – which were themselves sensational performers. And that’s actually a pretty remarkable achievement in a premium TV world now so good that even the tiniest improvements should be embraced like long lost relatives.
What’s more, the G1’s picture improvements aren’t just down to its new Evo panel. The new Alpha 9 Gen 4 processor has its part to play too, on two levels.
First, the new AI Picture Pro option is a substantial advance over its predecessor. Its ability to apply more effective enhancements on a more local basis yields pictures which look both more eye-catching and more natural. This eye-catching/natural combination is key, since while LG AI processing has previously delivered enhancements to colour, sharpness and contrast, those enhancements have always been accompanied by distracting side effects. On the OLED G1 the improvements are not only more pronounced, but come at the expense of practically no downsides.
There are, of course, people who won’t use the AI Picture Pro mode because they don’t like the idea of a TV’s processor taking over the way a picture looks. And for those people the OLED G1 still supports all the calibration tools and accuracy of other recent LG generations. The much improved AI Picture Pro is very much worth trying for most users, though.
The other key processing improvement comes from LG’s new motion options. The new Natural motion processing mode used by default with most of the OLED G1’s picture presets is a little too smooth and can cause unwanted processing side effects. The new Cinematic Movement mode, though, does a superbly well-balanced job of gently reducing the rather ‘hard’ judder with 24p movie sources that OLED TVs can exhibit without creating really any distracting side effects. It’s outstanding.
LG
The OLED G1’s improvements have not, thankfully, compromised any of LG’s traditional OLED strengths. Black levels still look inky, actually exhibiting slightly less noise in areas of near-black detail, despite also showing more shadow detail in most picture presets.
Colours hardly ever look forced or over the top despite the slight brightness increase and marginally purer presentation, and sharpness is slightly improved without making the image look brittle or harsh. With HD sources, in particular, the new Alpha 9 Gen 4 upscaling really earns its corn by delivering a markedly crisper finish than seen with previous LG OLED generations without exaggerating noise.
The OLED G1’s pictures are not completely perfect though. There’s noticeable flickering in dark scenes when gaming in VRR, for starters. All Dolby Vision presets (bar Vivid) can cause some crushing of detail in dark areas. There’s a new hint of magenta over pictures if you watch from a wide angle, too, although contrast and colour intensity still benefit from OLED’s viewing angle advantage over LCD in this area.
The OLED G1 can also still exaggerate compression noise in dark (usually SDR) streamed scenes, and even with the G1 it’s still important to stress that while OLED is untouchable when it comes to local (as in, pixel by pixel) contrast, premium LCD TVs can still get significantly brighter with both peak and full-screen HDR content.
Sound Quality
Since LG doesn’t join Sony in using the screen surfaces of its premium OLED TVs to produce sound, there isn’t much space in the OLED G1’s super-skinny design for a big old set of speakers. With that in mind, though, in many ways the OLED G1 sounds pretty good.
For starters, a new Virtual 5.1.2 upconversion system introduced by the Alpha 9 Gen 4 processor does a surprisingly convincing job of adding a mild sense of height to soundtracks that don’t have height channels built-in. At least the sound expands nicely from all of the TV’s edges, even if there isn’t any sense of actual overhead sounds. Voices tend to sound clear and believable, and detail levels are quite high for a sound system that doesn’t have any forward-facing drivers.
LG
There are two fairly significant issues, though. First, while it’s cool that the OLED G1 decodes Dolby Atmos soundtracks (though there’s no DTS support), it doesn’t do so very well. The speakers just can’t deliver anywhere near as much impact as they should with very loud, dense Atmos moments. In fact, the speakers tend to become more subdued just when they’re supposed to be ratcheting up.
This makes LG’s own AI Sound Pro setting a much better option for most content. This does amp up to take on loud moments, as well as somehow make the sound fill the room more.
However, whenever a film soundtrack features low rumbles – especially in AI Sound Pro mode – the TV’s low frequency drivers start to fall prey to significant amounts of break up and distortion. So much so that it can become quite hard to listen to, and a clear distraction from the onscreen action.
Best go buy a separate soundbar/surround system then.
Verdict
At the time of writing there’s a question mark over whether the OLED G1 is sufficiently superior to the upcoming C1 mid-range OLEDs – which don’t get the Evo panel – to justify its extra cost. Based on the type of enhancements it brings over last gen’s CX models, though, it most likely is a worthy step up from the C1 – if you’re looking to wall-mount anyway.
So while it doesn’t quite shatter the OLED rule book in the way some had hoped, the OLED G1’s new Evo panel in conjunction with LG’s latest processing engine delivers comfortably the best OLED TV LG has ever made. That’s what makes this TV special. A fact which should rightly have both AV and gaming fans drooling, given how good LG’s previous OLEDs have been.
Also consider
LG
LG OLED GX
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If you can live without the Evo panel’s enhanced HDR performance and Game Optimiser functionality but like the Gallery design, 2020’s OLED GX is still available for a chunk of cash less.
Read our review
Panasonic
Panasonic HZ2000
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Panasonic was the first brand to introduce new high brightness OLED technology, and 2020’s version of this technology is still available at a slightly lower price than the LG. Stocks are apparently starting to run low, though, so get a move on!
Samsung has been resolutely anti-OLED for years now, actively campaigning against the tech in an attempt to put consumers off the LG-manufactured TV technology and persuade them to buy a QLED instead. Now, report from South Korean sites MTN, ETNews, and Seoul Economic Daily(viaThe Verge) claim that Samsung are in fact about to sign a contract to buy millions of OLED panels from LG.
We already knew that Samsung Electronics and sister-division Samsung Display are deep into discussions about the former buying QD-OLED panels from the latter but, if true, these new claims suggest an even greater about-turn is coming from Samsung.
In the case of QD-OLED, Samsung will be able to claim (or, at least, attempt to claim) that its new sets, which will apparently combine blue OLED material with red and green quantum dots, are the result of hybrid technology and not really the same as the OLEDs of old. It will likely find it much harder to make the same claims about any TVs derived from LG’s OLED technology, which Samsung has been belittling for years on the grounds of limited brightness and the potential for burn-in.
It’s also worth noting that Samsung and LG are essentially arch rivals, so the idea of the former having to swallow its pride and approach its nemesis to buy its trademark technology is fascinating.
Samsung Electronics apparently finds itself in this position because Samsung Display is finding it increasingly hard to make a profit from the manufacture of the LCD panels that Samsung uses across its current range (including its QLEDs), thanks to Chinese brands flooding the market with much cheaper panels. Samsung can either start buying its panels from these Chinese brands, or seek to go in a new direction, and it appears to have opted for the latter option, even though it means going with a technology it’s publicly criticised and buying panels from its rival.
Ultimately, though, while these industry shenanigans are incredibly interesting (if you like that sort of thing), the upshot is that we should see OLED TVs from Samsung hit shelves next year, and that can only be a good thing, particularly where those TVs also contain aspects of the excellent QLED technology. Watch this space.
In about three months, Samsung will announce the Galaxy A22. Read all about the expected budget phone here and take a look at the possible design.
Every year, Samsung releases a large number of smartphone models, a significant part of which is housed within the Galaxy A series. A considerable number of 2021 models have already been announced, varying from cheap budget models to mid-range phones with 5G support. It started with the introduction of the mid-range Galaxy A42. Not long after, the cheap Samsung A12 and A02s were announced, followed by the A32. Recently, the Galaxy A52 and A72 have been added to the sales range. We now have to wait for the Galaxy A82 and the A22.
In this publication we limit ourselves to the Galaxy A22, the cheap brother of the already introduced A32. It will likely be the cheapest 5G phone that Samsung will announce in 2021 – with an expected retail price of around €250. It is the successor to the Galaxy A21 / A21s released in June.
Samsung A-Series smartphone 2021
Meanwhile, the expected Samsung A22 has been in the news several times. It is known that both a 4G and 5G version will be released – just as is the case with the Galaxy A32 and A52. There is also information available about the colors. The budget phone is expected to arrive in 4 color variants: gray, white, light purple (violet) and light green.
Based on all available information, graphic designer Technizo Concept, in collaboration with LetsGoDigital, has created a series of product renders in which the possible design of the Samsung Galaxy A22 is central. In addition to the four expected colors, Technizo Concept has also added a fifth variant, which in our opinion would fit well into the delivery program; pale yellow.
Much is still unclear about the specifications. Presumably, the new A-series model will be equipped with a flat 6.5-inch LCD display. Although the A21 was still equipped with a punch-hole selfie camera, we expect the new model to feature a notch as all budget models within the A-series are equipped with a notch this year.
Budget phone with quad camera
There is still some uncertainty about the camera system at the rear. It is in line with expectations that Samsung will build in a quad camera – this was also the case with its predecessor. The main sensor will likely be able to capture 48 megapixel resolution photos. In addition, an ultra-wide-angle camera, a depth camera and a macro camera will most likely be implemented.
Samsung could choose to implement a square module, such as with the A12 and A42. For the product renders, however, we assumed that the camera of the A22 will have a rectangular design, as we also see with the A21 and the more recent A32.
With the latter model, Samsung chose not to place a camera frame around the lenses, the cameras are placed directly on the rear panel. We have also reflected this renewed and refreshing design in the A22, as can be seen in the following YouTube video of Technizo Concept.
Hardware & Software
The Samsung A22 is probably powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 700 chipset. This is a mid-range 5G SoC. A MediaTek Helio chip may be used for the 4G model. It is still unclear whether both models will be introduced simultaneously. Recently, a Samsung roadmap appeared online (thanks to Evan Blass) listing the Galaxy A22 5G model for a July release.
With the A32, Samsung chose to introduce the 4G model at a later date. This device was equipped with less powerful hardware, but also with a nicer display and a higher resolution camera than its 5G counterpart. It is quite possible that Samsung wants to apply the same differentiation with the A22.
Samsung is expected to release at least two memory variants: 4GB RAM / 64GB ROM and 6GB RAM / 128GB ROM storage memory. A model with 3GB RAM / 32GB ROM may also be released in some markets. The memory will in any case be expandable with a microSD memory card. This is of course a great advantage. With the high-end models, such as the Samsung Galaxy S21, this option is no longer supported.
Android 11 smartphone
The smartphone will run on the Android 11 operating system, combined with the One UI 3.1 user interface from Samsung. This is a user-friendly and clear interface with many personalization options.
Since it is a budget phone of less than € 300, software- and security updates will also be performed less frequently. Based on other cheap A-series models, Samsung will likely make a security update available 4x per year (once per quarter).
Although Samsung has expanded its software update policy last year, by providing most models with Android OS updates for 3 years, this will probably not apply to the A22. The more expensive models from the A series can count on 3 years of software updates, such as the Galaxy A52, the A72 and the A82 expected later this year.
Battery & charging options
Samsung will probably provide this budget phone with a plastic back panel and a plastic frame. The fingerprint sensor is most likely processed on the side of the device, in the on / off button.
Like all Samsung Galaxy A-series models this year, the A22 will also have an old-fashioned, but still much-loved 3.5mm headphone connection. This way you can use a wired headset to fully enjoy your music.
A USB-C connection is provided for charging. As yet no information is known about the battery capacity, nevertheless it is likely that it concerns a 5,000 mAh battery. This is also the case with its cheaper and more expensive brother; the A12 and A32. Charging is probably possible with a maximum charging power of 15 Watts.
Although Samsung no longer includes a charger in the sales package for the S-series models, all A-series models are still being supplied with a charger this year. You can therefore assume that you will also find a charger in the sales box of the A22.
Samsung A22 price and model variations
It seems that Samsung is planning to launch the Galaxy A22 worldwide. The device is also expected in Europe, both as a 4G and 5G variant. The latter model is expected in July, it remains to be seen whether the 4G model will be introduced simultaneously.
No concrete information is yet known about the price. Nevertheless, a price indication can already be given on the basis of its predecessor and the other A-series models. The price will probably be somewhere between € 210 and € 275, where the 5G model will of course be slightly more expensive than the 4G model.
The 5G version will be equipped with a more powerful chipset. Perhaps Samsung will make some concessions in other areas, in order to keep the price difference between the two models small – think of a lower screen resolution and / or refresh rate and less high-resolution cameras.
Alternatives for Samsung Galaxy A22
If you don’t want to wait until July and are you looking for a new Samsung smartphone, then the 2021 range already offers sufficient diversity. For those who do not place too many demands on their mobile phone, the A12 may be a suitable candidate. If you are looking for just a little more, Samsung offers a good alternative with the A32. The one-year-old Galaxy A51 is also worth considering, this was the best-selling smartphone in Europe last year.
Obviously, there are also plenty of other brands, with interesting models within this price range. Consider, for example, the Nokia 5.4, the Motorola Moto G9 Plus, the OnePlus Nord N10, the Oppo A74 and the Xiaomi Mi 10T. The range of budget phones is wide. Although these smartphones usually offer a good price / quality ratio, the differences between them can be significant. It is therefore always advisable to compare a few models first, so you can make a good decision based on your personal preferences.
Note to editors :The product images shown in this publication are created by Technizo Concept in collaboration with LetsGoDigital. The presented 3D renders are for illustrative purposes only. This product is not for sale. The images are copyright protected. Feel free to use these renders on your own website, please be so respectful to include a source link into your publication.
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