The Silicon Valley’s belief that it can optimize society goes back a long way – and is in the 1960 have already failed.
US President John F. Kennedy, here speaking at Rice University, Houston, 1962. The Democrats wanted to predict his election campaign using data analysis.
(Image: Unsplash, History in HD)
If you work for Bank of America or the US Army, you may have already used Humanyze software. The company emerged from the MIT Media Lab and describes its products as “science-based analytics to promote adaptability”. If that sounds vague, it might be on purpose. Humanyze sells devices for spying on employees, for example NFC sensors, ID cards with RFID tags or microphones that record the sound and volume (but not the actual words) of conversations.
Or do you work in healthcare, retail or finance? Companies there use Receptiviti’s software. The Toronto-based company aims to “help machines understand people” by searching emails and slack messages for linguistic indications of dissatisfaction. “We are concerned about our perception as Big Brother,” the CEO of Receptiviti recently told the Wall Street Journal. He prefers to refer to employee monitoring as “company mindfulness”. (Orwell would certainly have had something to say about this euphemism.)
Such “people analytics” are usually justified with the improvement of efficiency or customer experience. Some governments and health experts also hope that tracking applications will prevent the spread of Covid – 19 to stop. However, companies and governments often avoid crucial questions: Who should know what? Is the information correct? What to do with it And will there ever be a reliable formula for human behavior?
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(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.
The Chinese company vivo presented in the today the flagship series consisting of two smartphones: vivo X 60 and vivo X 60 Pro. Many new features including Exynos 1080 and display at 120 Hz and a multimedia sector in collaboration with ZEISS
by Lorenzo Tirotta published on December 2020 , at 11: 01 in the Telephony channel I live
Today, through an event in China, vivo announced its new flagship series X 60. The Chinese brand presented two smartphones: vivo X 60 and alive X 60 Pro . The two devices have many features in common: the design is the same , simple and straightforward for both devices, with the difference only for the Pro version which features a curved display and not flat like the standard one.
The devices share the same panel AMOLED 6, 56 inches with resolution Full-HD + and a refresh rate of 120 Hz , increased compared to the predecessor X 50. Both new vivo smartphones are equipped with the Samsung chipset Exynos together with Mali GPU – 78 . X 60 standard will be available in versions 8 / 128 GB and 8 / 256 GB , while the Pro version will be distributed with only the memory cut 12 / 256 GB UFS 3.1. The vivo X series 60 supports module 5G , NFC , bluetooth 5.1 and is distributed with the latest version Android 11 together with OriginOS , company-owned interface.
The multimedia sector is a strong point of the brand, which even with the previous devices has proved to be sensitive and interested in the sector. This thesis is reinforced by the close partnership with the German company ZEISS for the optics of the cam. The vivo series features a main Sony from 48 MP followed by a quadrangular by 13 MP a 120 ° and a 2X telephoto lens from 13 MP . The Pro version also gains a camera 8 MP periscopic with 5X optical zoom which interpolates up to 60 X by digital zoom. The selfie cam from 32 MP is the same for both models, inserted in the hole on the front of the display.
The batteries have a similar capacity: 4. 200 mAh per X 60, while 4. 300 mAh for the Pro variant . Both phones support charging at 33 W and reverse charging as well.
The dimensions are: 158, 57 × 73, 24 × 7, 59 mm , and a weight of 178 grams for the Pro version, while the X 60 measurement: 128, 63 × 75, 01 × 7, 32 mm with a weight of 175, 6 grams . The limited thickness of 7, 36 mm makes it the thinnest 5G smartphone on the market. the fingerprint sensor is integrated under the display.
Prices and availability
Vivo X 60 and X 60 Pro will be available in China from January 8 . Il vivo X 60 8 / 128 GB costs 3. 500 CNY , approx. 430 euro , while 3. 800 CNY, 470 euro for model 8 / 256 GB . vivo X 60 Pro is available only in the version 12 / 256 GB at a price of 4. 500 CNY, approximately 560 EUR at the exchange rate. These remain the prices for China, for Europe the figures will tend to increase.
Poco has been on a roll in the budget end of the market lately and the Poco M3 is arguably the best entry-level phone out now. We’ve already published our written review and now we bring you the video breakdown.
The M3 packs quite the compelling spec list with a large 6.53 FHD+ display paired with a 48MP main cam and 6,000 mAh battery all packaged in a unique design for around $150/€150. It’s not the first time that Poco ventures into the entry-level segment but this time it’s striking strong.
You’re getting a device that would normally be priced in midrange category. Of course, bringing the price down required some corner-cutting like an LCD panel instead of an AMOLED one, no NFC nor ultrawide camera and an uninspiring (if still solid) chipset. All omissions we can live with at the end of the day when keeping the price tag in mind.
Due to circumstances that transpired over the past months, the new video is not on YouTube and we are instead publishing it on Facebook. You can read more about our uphill battle to reclaim our rightful YouTube channel ownership here alongside a video breakdown by Will.
Qualcomm has its new SoC top model Snapdragon 888 at the beginning of December introduced – and it was clear early on that Xiaomi would use the SoC for its Mi 11 will use. Now this upper class model has been officially presented in China. Not only does the high-end computing heart of this model stand out positively.
With the Snapdragon 888 Qualcomm promises compared to the Snapdragon 865 in the area of the processor cores a performance plus of 25%, the Adreno 660 GPU should increase performance by 35 % enable. The first Snapdragon 888 smartphones should therefore offer a clear increase in performance. And Xiaomi is of course also raising the Snapdragon with the newly introduced Mi 11 888 particularly stands out with its performance potential. The SoC also supports 5G and WiFi 6. Depending on the variant, the Snapdragon 888 are 8 or 12 GB LPDDR5-RAM put aside. The internal UFS 3.1 storage is either 128 or 256 GB .
Xiaomi is not resting on the Snapdragon 888. The Mi 11 also gets a remarkable display. The AMOLED panel is curved on all four sides. So not only to the left and right like typical curved displays, but also to the top and bottom edge. The big 6, 81 – inch display solves with 3. 200 x 1. 440 pixels and works with up to 120 Hz. It’s HDR 10 + – certified and should achieve a maximum brightness of 1. 500 cd / m². DisplayMate is said to have already rated the display with an A +.
The main camera is a triple solution. Xiaomi combines a 108 MP camera with a 1/1, 33 – inch sensor and aperture f / 1, 85 , a 13 – MP ultra wide-angle camera with 123 Degree of field of view and a 5 MP telephoto macro camera. The main camera can be used in video mode 8K with 24 / 30 fps and 4K with 30 / 60 record fps. The front camera resolves with 20 MP and supports a maximum of videos with 1080 p at up to 60 fps. A 4th 600 mAh battery can be found in the 8 mm slim smartphone. Charging is either with up to 12 W via a USB Type-C cable or wirelessly with up to 50 W. Also reverse wireless charging (with up to 10 W) is supported. No charger is normally included in the scope of delivery. Xiaomi installed two stereo speakers in collaboration with Harman Kardon. The dual SIM smartphone also has both NFC and IR support. The operating system is Android 11. Xiaomi uses its own user interface MIUI 12.
The Wed 11 shows itself regularly with a glass back. Alternatively, there are also artificial leather variants. On the Chinese side, the Mi 11 can already be ordered. The cheapest variant with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of memory should cost 3 999 yuan. Converted to around 500 euros. When and at what price Xiaomi’s new flagship will also come to Europe remains to be seen.
The Chinese giant presented today in China its new top of the range. Many news and confirmations made official by Xiaomi. Everything you need to know about Xiaomi Mi 11 in the full article
by Lorenzo Tirotta published 28 December 2020 , at 18: 41 in the Telephony channel Xiaomi
The ‘presentation event of the Xiaomi Mi 11 , held in China today. The Chinese brand has formalized its high-end device, the only one in the series for now, confirming much of the information received in recent weeks from the numerous leaks leaked on the device but also offering unpublished information unveiled during the presentation. As we have widely anticipated, Xiaomi Mi 11 is the first official smartphone with the Snapdragon chipset on board 888 , offering a chance to see it in action early in the new year. Let’s find out the official features of the device between confirmations and news.
Design
Xiaomi Mi 11 does not change the design of its predecessors, but sports an innovative display with a quadruple curvature on the sides that brings the metal frame to a thickness of 1, 8 mm. There are two variants presented, the first with a back cover in glass while a second version Leather. The island that houses the cameras has three circular modules : the main one from 108 MP is the largest of the three, recognizable by a silver ring visible along the perimeter. The thickness of the edges of the screen is limited; at the top left there is the small hole that houses the selfie cam.
Technical characteristics
Xiaomi Mi 11 sports a display AMOLED with four curves from 6, 56 inches with resolution QHD + with a refresh rate up to 120 Hz . The maximum brightness reaches the high figure of 1. 500 Nit . A novelty revealed during the presentation is the protection Gorilla Glass Victus for the front.
The multimedia compartment consists of one triple cam on the back and a single selfie cam from 20 MP . The main is a 108 MP followed by an ultra wide angle from 13 MP from 123 ° and a module of 5MP reserved for macro shots . The smartphone records videos up to 8K resolution.
The flagship of Xiaomi Mi 11 remains its processor, the model Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 which will offer an unprecedented user experience in terms of speed and reliability. The smartphone has three memory combinations: 8 / 128 GB , 8 / 256 GB and 12 / 256 GB not expandable. The fingerprint sensor is mounted below the display.
The battery is from 4. 600 mAh and offers the possibility to upload to 55 W via cable, up to 50 W wirelessly and to 10 W with reverse charge. As we have recently seen in this article, Xiaomi has decided to follow in Apple’s footsteps, by removing the charger from the package for environmental reasons. The Chinese brand has stated that it will give the possibility to separately receive the charger from 55 W at the user’s discretion, who will decide whether to obtain it or renounce it if he already has others in possession.
Price and availability
Despite the presentation today, Xiaomi Mi 11 will be available starting from 2021 . The introductory price starts from CNY 3. 999 for version 8 / 128 GB , equal to approximately 500 EUR at the exchange rate. CNY 4. 299 ( 535 EUR) for version 8 / 256 GB and finally CNY 4699 ( 585 euro ) for the version 12 / 256 GB . The first flash sale was scheduled for January 1st 2021 but it remains to be seen which prices will actually be charged in the European regions and in Italy.
After several rumors and some other curious situation, Xiaomi has launched its Mi 12 in China confirming the announcement that it would be the first smartphone on the market with the new Snapdragon 888 from Qualcomm. This SoC is destined to be one of the most powerful of this year 2021, so we will see it in many flagships of different brands, but Xiaomi has just scored a goal by being the first to officially present a terminal with this SoC, which is accompanied by 8 o 11 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of internal storage.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 hides the Snapdragon 888 behind a 6 AMOLED screen, 8 “at 120 Hz
Going on to detail the news of this terminal, we find a mobile with a fairly large screen of 6.8 inches of AMOLED panel with QHD + (2K) resolution with a refresh rate of 120 Hz accompanied by a touch panel system l with 480 sampling Hz.
This screen and its size makes its weight very close to the 200 g, with 196 g of weight specifically, and reach a thickness of 8, 05 mm, an element that its three main photographic sensors help. Of these three sensors, the main module of 108 stands out, which is accompanied by a 13 MP camera for wide angle and a dispensable 5 MP sensor for macro that does not usually contribute much in smartphones. The front camera is 20 MP and integrates in a hole on the screen.
Regarding connectivity, we have 5G and WiFi 6 (ax), in addition to BT 5.1, GPUS, NFC and even an infrared emitter.
The terminal is powered by a battery 4. 600 mAh with fast charge of 55 W and will run Android 11 with the customization layer of the Chinese company, MIUI 12. 5.
Its price at direct exchange remains around The 500 € in its most basic model, but possibly when it arrives in Spain it will do so with a much higher amount by having to add taxes and other fees.
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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 +
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.
In a world where companies race to launch Pro, Pro Max, and Pro Plus devices, Xiaomi decided to go old school and introduced only one flagship phone today – the Xiaomi Mi 11. It is officially the first phone with Snapdragon 888 chipset and comes with Xiaomi’s best display – a 6.81” AMOLED with QHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate.
Xiaomi Mi 11
The front panel also has 480Hz touch sampling rate, advertised peak brightness of 1,500 nits, and Gorilla Glass Victus protection.
The Snapdragon 888 can be combined with either 8GB RAM and 128/256GB storage or 12GB of RAM and 256GB storage. There’s no microSD slot onboard, so no option to add more after the purchase.
The main camera setup consists of the 108MP cam, known from the Mi 10 series (the one that is 1/1.33” in size), with a 7P lens and f/1.85 lens in front.
The 13MP ultrawide angle camera has 123-degree FoV, while the third snapper, sitting on the side, is a basic 5MP macro lens. On the front, Xiaomi placed a 20MP selfie cam, tucked behind a punch hole in the upper left corner.
Xiaomi Mi 11 in White and Black
Getting back to the front panel, we have a screen that is curved on both sides, and underneath the Mi 11 implements Goodix’s latest optical fingerprint scanner. According to the scanner’s maker it even supports heart-rate monitoring but Xiaomi said nothing about such a feature on stage.
Photos from the in-person launch of the Xiaomi Mi 11, courtesy of Sina
The Xiaomi Mi 11 has a 4,600 mAh power cell that supports 55W wired fast-charging, 50W wireless, and 10W reverse charging. It will work with every Quick Charge 4+, Quick Charge 3+, and Power Delivery 3.0 adapter. Xiaomi has decided to skip the charger in the retail box but will give a 65W GaN adapter for free if you don’t have a compatible charger already.
Other highlights of the Xiaomi Mi 11 include Harman Kardon-tuned stereo speakers, improved Night Mode capabilities, dual 5G connectivity (at Sub-6 GHz networks), Wi-Fi 6E support, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and all the finest navigation services.
Pre-order has already started, with the first sale scheduled for January 1, 2021. The Xiaomi Mi 11 will be offered in six different colors – Black, White, Blue, Khaki Vegan Leather, Purple Leather, and Special Edition with Lei Jun’s autograph for some reason.
Xiaomi Mi 11 in all its colors
Pricing begins at CNY3,999 ($610/€500)and goes up to CNY4,699 ($720/€585) for the roomiest memory option. The first flash sale is scheduled for January 1, 2021.
While the announcement saw only one phone, later in 2021 we hope to see a Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro with a periscope lens, as some early renders suggested, as well as an improved main camera. We are also hoping to hear more on international availability soon.
As we see off the last full week of 2020 we get the Apple flagship on top of our trending chart. The iPhone 12 Pro Max has been there before, but it’s been months since it last managed this feat.
The upcoming Galaxy S21 Ultra has replaced the S21+ in the top 10 and has even managed to make the podium, while the most popular phone of the year – the Galaxy A51 rounds up the top three.
The Redmi Note 9 pair of China-bound Pro 5G and international Pro follow, with their Poco X3 NFC cousin in sixth.
Then there’s another Xiaomi-made phone in the Mi 10T Pro and one more Poco – the M3.
Finally we have the Galaxy A series duo of A21s and A71 at the foot of the chart.
Specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra were detailed last week, and now the S21 and S21+ have also got the same treatment, leaving little to the imagination.
The S21 and S21+ will be powered by the Snapdragon 888 SoC in the US and have an Exynos 2100 chipset at the helm in Europe. Both smartphones will boot Android 11 with One UI 3.1, have 8GB RAM onboard, and come with two storage options – 128GB and 256GB. But neither of them is likely to come with a microSD card slot for storage expansion.
The vanilla S21 will feature a 6.2″ FullHD+ Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED display, while the Plus model will come with a slightly larger 6.7″ panel of the same resolution. Both screens will be protected by Gorilla Glass Victus and have a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz.
Galaxy S21 (on left) and Galaxy S21+ (on right)
For photography, the S21 and S21+ will sport a 64MP triple camera on the back, with the 10MP selfie shooter placed at the center of the screen.
Keeping the lights on will be a 4,000 mAh battery on the S21, with the Plus model packing a 4,800 mAh cell. But neither phone will come with a charger included in the box. You can check out the table below for the complete specs of the S21 and S21+.
Specs
Galaxy S21
Galaxy S21+
CPU
Exynos 2100 (in Europe), Snapdragon 888 (in US)
RAM
8GB
Operating System
Android 11 with One UI 3.1
Display
6.2″ FullHD+ Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED Always-On Display with Gorilla Glass Victus, 120Hz refresh rate, 1300 nits brightness, 421 ppi pixel density
6.7″ FullHD+ Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED Always-On Display with Gorilla Glass Victus, 120Hz refresh rate, 1300 nits brightness, 394 ppi pixel density
Rear Camera
12MP primary (F/1.8, 79°, 26mm, 1/1.76″, 1.8µm, OIS) + 12MP ultrawide (F/2.2, 120° FOV, 13mm, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm) + 64MP telephoto (F/2.0, 76° FOV, 28mm, 1 / 1.76 “, 0.8 µm, OIS) with 3x hybrid optical zoom, auto-focus, PDAF
Front Camera
10MP (F/2.2, 80° FOV, 25mm, 1/3.24”, 1.22µm)
Video Recording
8K @ 30FPS, 4K @ 30/60FPS, 1080p @ 30/60/120FPS, 720p @ 960FPS
Internal Storage
128/256GB
Connectivity
5G, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, NFC
Battery
4,000 mAh with 25W Charging, Qi Wireless Charging, and Reverse Charging
4,800 mAh with 25W Charging. Qi Wireless Charging, and Reverse Charging
Misc
IP68 rated, Wireless PowerShare, Samsung Knox, Dual SIM + e-SIM, Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner
Colors
Gray, White, Pink, Purple
Silver, Black, Purple
Dimensions
151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9mm
161.4 x 75.6 x 7.8mm
Weight
171 grams
202 grams
In addition to revealing the complete specs, the source also corroborated the previously leaked prices of the S21 and S21+.
The regular model will start at €849 in Europe, while the Plus variant will start at €1049 for the 128GB version, and spending €50 extra will get you double storage.
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.
The global debut of Samsung Galaxy S smartphones 21, Galaxy S 21 + and Galaxy S 21 Ultra is coming in big steps. Although the premiere is still ahead of us, we already know quite a lot about the devices. Recently, renders have entered the network that present the appearance of all three variants in detail. Today we can read the full technical specification of Samsung Galaxy S 20 and Galaxy S 21 +. These are not only partial data, but a complete package of information about the hardware. Although these models seem to differ only in size, the specification reveals many more elements characteristic of only one of the new “galaxies”. Without unnecessary extension, let’s get to the point.
The full technical specifications of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S flagship have just leaked to the network 20 and Samsung Galaxy S 21 +. We check the most important differences between the models.
Samsung Galaxy S smartphone test 20 FE – cheaper, not worse
So let’s briefly discuss the fundamental common features of devices and see what makes them different. Both models will receive the Samsung Exynos chip 2100 for Europe and Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 for the USA. In both cases, we can count on 8 GB RAM, Android 11 with One UI 3.1 overlay, Dynamic AMOLED screen with image refresh level 120 Hz and brightness up to 1300 rivets. The main photographic unit consists of 12 MP main camera with f / 1.8 light, 12 MP ultra wide angle with f / 2.2 aperture and 64 MP telephoto lens with f / 2.0 brightness. For the selfie he will answer 10 MP main camera. There will also be 8K video recording at 27 FPS, 5G modem, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC and fast charging 25 W and QI wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy S 21.
Samsung Galaxy S Test 20 +: exemplary smartphone. Is that enough?
Samsung Galaxy S 20, however, will receive a smaller, 6.2-inch screen with a pixel density of 431 ppi, while Galaxy S 21 + will display the image on 6.7- inch screen. The more modest version of the “eska” will be able to boast 4000 mAh battery, the higher variant will receive a cell with a capacity 4800 mAh. Madman S 21 will be available in gray, white, pink and purple color versions, model S 21 + in silver, black and purple options. Weaker, if one can say so about the flagship, the model will weigh 171 grams by dimensions 151, 7 x 71, 2 x 7.9 mm, more expensive variant 202 we play with dimensions 161, 4 75, 6 x 7.8 mm. European price of the base Samsung Galaxy S 20 is the 849 euro , version with Plus 1049 euro.
Samsung Galaxy S 21
Samsung Galaxy S 21 +
Processor
Samsung Exynos 2100 / Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
RAM
8 GB
System
Android 11 One UI 3.1
Screen
6.2-inch Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED FHD + AOD Gorilla Glass Victus Brightness 1300 rivets 421 ppi 120 Hz
6.7-inch Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED FHD + AOD Gorilla Glass Victus Brightness 1300 rivets 394 ppi 120 Hz
Main camera
12 MP Main f / 1.8 OIS 12 MP f / 2.2 ultra wide angle 120 ° 64 MP telephoto f / 2.0 3x optical zoom
The camera for selfie
10 MP f / 2.2
Record video
8K 30 FPS, 4K 60 FPS, HD 960 FPS
Data memory
128 / 256 GB
Connectivity
5G, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB-C
Battery
4000 mAh 25 In Qi Wireless Charging Chargeback
4800 mAh 25 In Qi Wireless Charging Reverse Charge
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.
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Anchor Bose Jabra JBL headphones Sports headphones True Wireless headphones Blaupunkt Frida 500 in the test: That big e, small e-folding bike
The ZTE Axon family has a long-standing history of industry firsts. Now, they bring us the world’s first commercially available device with an under-display selfie camera, the Axon 20 5G. That’s something we’ve been waiting ever since the first notched phones arrived.
One would expect that such a breakthrough feature will be paired with top-notch hardware. However, ZTE wants to play it safe this time around, and the under-display camera has been coupled with a mixture of high-end and midrange hardware. But the main selling point here is clearly the display. If you are making rid of the cutouts, it only makes sense to use a proper display as well.
ZTE Axon 20 5G specs at a glance:
Body: 172.1×77.9×8.0mm, 198g; Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame.
Display: 6.92″ OLED, 1B colors, 90Hz, 1080x2460px resolution, 20.5:9 aspect ratio, 388ppi; Always-on display.
Chipset: Qualcomm SM7250 Snapdragon 765G (7 nm): Octa-core (1×2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1×2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver); Adreno 620.
Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot, up to 2TB).
OS/Software: Android 10, MiFavor 10.5.
Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, 25mm, 1/1.72″, 0.8µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 16mm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.0, (wide), under display.
Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS, HDR, 10‑bit video; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
Battery: 4220mAh; Fast charging 30W, Quick Charge 4+.
Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; Sound on Display, under-display selfie camera; only 8GB/128GB available in Europe.The full-screen panel checks all the boxes – HRR up to 90Hz, HDR support, OLED, and 10-bit color depth. And it’s actually one of the biggest in town too. The display measures 6.92″ in diagonal, making the phone a bit unwieldy even for users with average-sized hands.
The mid-range part about this phone, though, is the chipset. The Snapdragon 765G offers 5G connectivity and more-than-adequate performance, and it is paired with 128GB of internal storage as a base configuration. The camera setup also leaves something to be desired as it doesn’t offer a telephoto camera, and the ultra-wide unit is just 8MP. Also, no stereo speakers.
So is this the typical first-gen product with its own quirks that need fixing, and people will pay the price of early adoption, or there’s a lot more to it than a huge, cutout-less screen? We’ll see.
Unboxing the ZTE Axon 20 5G
The handset comes inside a standard box containing the appropriate charger with the USB-A to USB-C cable used for charging and data transfer. As a bonus, ZTE has included a transparent silicone case and a 3.5mm to USB-C dongle since the phone doesn’t have a headphone jack.
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