Review - Page 14 of 153

Intel Optane Memory H20 M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Running Optane and Flash in Harmony

Our Verdict

Blending Optane memory and QLC flash, Intel’s Optane Memory H20 is an innovative M.2 NVMe SSD that delivers a unique caching experience. It is ultra-responsive to most consumer workloads, especially repetitive tasks.

For

+ Optane caching improves system responsiveness
+ Rivals high-end NVMe SSDs in light and mixed workloads

Against

– Low endurance
– Optane caching not beneficial in all workloads
– Limited to specific systems and 1TB maximum capacity
– Slow sustained write performance after the SLC cache fills
– Lacks AES 256-bit encryption support

Go to page:

Features and Specifications

Not too long ago, Intel killed off most of its client Optane products to focus on one — the Optane Memory H20. The H20 marries the company’s latest QLC flash with Optane Memory to provide fast performance for most client workloads, but it can fall short in large sequential transfers. It’s a clever blend of innovation and technology, bringing improvements over the Optane Memory H10, but it still isn’t quite something that has fully won us over for day-to-day use. It also isn’t available for stand-alone purchases at retail, so it doesn’t make our list of Best SSDs.

Data caching isn’t anything new. For years, Intel has accelerated performance through data caching via various implementations. The company even has competition in the space from software vendors like Enmotus. My first experience with this technology started with the company’s Smart Response Technology a decade ago, which allowed you to use an SSD to cache data from an HDD for faster retrieval. But that was just the beginning.

Intel further refined the technology to leverage its very own Optane Memory to offer unparalleled response times compared to traditional SSDs. The company released products like the M10; low-density, fast access Optane SSDs for use with supported systems. Shortly after, Intel progressed to new designs.

Two years ago, the company released the H10, a dual-controlled, hybrid SSD that was very unique and unlike anything we’ve seen before. The idea was simple: combine the best of both worlds onto a single, slim M.2 SSD stick – high-density NAND flash for capacity along with bleeding-edge Optane Memory for speed. However, our initial impression of the NVMe SSD was rather underwhelming compared to the best SSDs available.

Since then, the company has tweaked and tuned the Rapid Storage Technology caching software with multiple optimizations and improvements. Concurrently, the company focused on advancing the H-series hardware, too. Today, we analyze the latest version of the software in use with the H10’s successor, the H20. Leveraging essentially what is an Intel SSD 670p in conjunction with a newer Optane controller, and of course, that sweet, sweet Optane Memory, Intel’s Optane Memory H20 is quite similar to the H10, only improved.

When Optane caching is enabled, the SSD aggregates the performance of both storage mediums for fast peak performance and fast access times. Intel’s H20 is an OEM-only-oriented product, however, meaning that it is highly unlikely you would ever find this SSD on sale in retail outlets. Still, they may trickle down to eBay or similar marketplaces, so purchasers of systems containing this unique SSD can upgrade their capacity.

Specifications

Product	H20 512GB	H20 1TB
Capacity (User / Raw)	512GB / 512GB	1024GB / 1024GB
Form Factor	M.2 2280 S3	M.2 2280 S3
Interface / Protocol	PCIe 3.0 x4 / NVMe 1.3	PCIe 3.0 x4 / NVMe 1.3
Optane Controller	SLMXT	SLMXT
Optane Media	1st Gen 3D Xpoint	1st Gen 3D Xpoint
Optane Capacity	32GB	32GB
NAND Controller	SM2265	SM2265
DRAM	DDR3	DDR3
NAND Flash	Intel 144L QLC	Intel 144L QLC
Sequential Read	3,300 MBps	3,300 MBps
Sequential Write	2,100 MBps	2,100 MBps
Random Read	65,000 IOPS	65,000 IOPS
Random Write	40,000 IOPS	40,000 IOPS
Security	Pyrite 2.0	Pyrite 2.0
Endurance (TBW)	185 TB	370 TB

Intel’s H20 comes in limited capacities of just 512GB and 1TB, and both models come equipped with 32GB of Optane Memory. Intel rates both for the same up to 3.3/2.1 GBps read/write speeds and up to 65,000/40,000 random read/write IOPS at a queue depth (QD) of 1. While the sequential figures aren’t groundbreaking, no flash-based SSD comes close to delivering the same random IOPS performance at low QDs.

As it is an OEM-only product, the pricing for the device is not clear, but the company states it will ship in June for PCs priced at roughly $800 and up. Additionally, the H20 comes with tight hardware requirements. The H20 is only compatible with 11th-Gen Intel Core series processors and Intel 500-series chipsets or newer. Also, you will need Windows, Intel’s RST Driver 18.1 or newer, and there is no planned retroactive support for previous-gen systems.

The H20 supports Pyrite 2.0 security but lacks AES 256-bit hardware-accelerated encryption. It also supports S.M.A.R.T. data reporting, Trim, and is rated to consume as little as 35mW at idle to reduce power consumption and heat generation.

A Closer Look

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Intel’s H20 comes in an M.2 2280 single-sided form factor. The drive interfaces with the host over four PCIe 3.0 lanes and communicates via the NVMe 1.3 protocol. The H20 takes advantage of the same components found in the company’s 670p and a newer and faster Optane controller. As with the H10, the H20’s SSD controllers are given two lanes each, meaning that sequential performance is limited if you don’t enable Optane Memory acceleration.

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Silicon Motion developed the NAND controller specifically for Intel and the company’s 144L QLC. The SM2265 is a dual-core, four-channel NVMe controller that interfaces with the flash at fast speeds of up to 1,200 MTps, roughly double the speed of the previous-gen flash. The drive does have DRAM, but very little – our 1TB sample contains only 256MB of DDR3.

Intel’s 144L QLC uses a floating gate design with three 48-layer decks stacked atop each other. Each deck can operate as SLC or QLC. Each deck can also be erased without disturbing the data on other decks, which helps reduce latency spikes caused by garbage collection. It also has four planes for handling parallel data operations and a few new reading and writing techniques to improve responsiveness.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Intel made revisions under the hood of the Optane Media controller, too. It features both performance and power management improvements that reduce overall power consumption, something that is needed when handling power-hungry Optane media on an M.2 form factor in its own right, and even more important when combining it with the secondary storage components. The Optane Memory is still first-gen media, however.

MORE: Best SSDs

MORE: How We Test HDDs And SSDs

MORE: All SSD Content

Current page:

Features and Specifications

Next Page 1TB Performance Results

Tiger Lake-H Tested: We Benchmark Intel’s Top-End 8-Core i9-11980HK

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Intel is starting to get its legs again. The company, which initially had issues with its 10nm chips, has released its first eight-core, 10nm Tiger Lake-H processors that are ready for gaming and high-end productivity notebooks.

For its 10th gen chips, Intel used a 10nm process (“Ice Lake”) for ultrabooks but used a 14nm chip (“Comet Lake”) for these enthusiast machines. Now, we have time to see what Intel’s 10nm SuperFin chips can do on the high end. Like the U-series Tiger Lake chips, these use Willow Cove execution cores paired with a UHD Graphics 750 engine that’s powered by Intel’s Xe architecture.

It comes at a crucial time. AMD’s

Ryzen 5000 series

(“Cezanne,” on a 7nm process) has proven powerful and, among gamers, popular. During current hardware shortages, some of the

best gaming laptops

have been nearly impossible to find. Intel claims that it has already shipped more than 1 million of its chips to its partners and that it will come in more than eighty different laptop designs.

The 11th Gen H-series processors include Thunderbolt 4 (and

USB 4

) and Resizable Bar support, and are notably Intel’s first eight-core laptop chips that work with PCIe 4.0 SSDs. AMD’s competing Zen 3 mobile chips are still on PCIe 3.0.

A lot is riding on Tiger Lake H’s success. Intel has already called its 11th generation the “world’s best gaming laptop processors,” and now, with the help of a sample unit, we’ve had a chance to see if those claims ring true.

How We Tested Tiger Lake i9

Image 1 of 4

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Image 2 of 4

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Image 3 of 4

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Image 4 of 4

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Our Tiger Lake-H testing was performed on an Intel-branded sample “white box” system, similar to our early testing of Tiger Lake-U and Ice Lake. This isn’t a review of the Intel Core i9-11980HK processor inside so much as a performance preview of what you can expect from upcoming systems that will be available to buy. Our full reviews will come when we see the i9-11980HK and other 11th Gen CPUs in computers that are on sale.

Intel loaned reviewers these systems with the knowledge that they are pre-production systems that aren’t necessarily representative of final systems, which may have more finished drivers.

Unlike previous Intel sample systems, this one couldn’t toggle between TDPs. Many of Intel’s 11th gen processors will be configurable by the manufacturer, ranging from 35 to 65W (the Core i9-11980HK is a 65W, overclockable processor that peaks at 110W (PL2). In HWInfo, our unit showed a PL1 of 65W and a PL2 of 109W.

We did our testing on the suite we use to test gaming laptops to get an idea of where something specced similar to this sample system might fall. We had a limited amount of time with the system, so we could only run some tests. Some, like battery life, are more important on actual systems that will be on sale than this early sample.

Intel Reference Design for Tiger Lake i9 and Competitors

The Tiger Lake-H i9 reference design came with the following specifications:

CPU	Intel Core i9-11980HK (8C/16T, up to 5.0 GHz)
GPU	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Max-Q (6GB GDDR6) at 65W, Intel UHD Graphics
RAM	32GB DDR4-3200 (16×2)
Storage	2x 512GB Phison SM280512GKBB4S-E162 PCIe Gen 4 SSD
Display	16-inch, 2560 x 1600 (16:10)
Networking	Killer Wi-Fi 6E Ax1675X
Ports	2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB Type-A, microSD card reader, 3.5mm headphone jack
Battery	90 WHr
Operating System	Windows 10 Pro

Yes, Intel’s sample system paired its top-end GPU with a mid-range Nvidia GPU. It’s an odd pairing on paper, but one that allows for slim systems. Intel claims that this will enable “thin enthusiast” laptops, which fall in between ultraportable notebooks with its H35 processors and the big, thick machines that include the most intensive graphics cards.

From our reviews database, we chose to compare a number of different laptops depending on the task. For gaming, we broke out the

Acer Predator Triton 300 SE

with a 35W i7-11375H and the Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 with a Ryzen 7 5800H. Both of these also use RTX 3060 GPUs, like the reference system.

For our productivity benchmarks, we also included some other, bigger systems that may have more powerful GPUs to compare against a range of processors, including the Ryzen 9 5900HX in the

Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733

; the Intel Core i9-10980HK in the

Alienware m17 R4

; and the 35W Ryzen 9 5980HS in the Asus ROG Flow X13.

	Acer Predator Triton 300 SE	Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5	Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733	Alienware m17 R4	Asus ROG Flow X13
CPU	Intel Core i7-11375H	AMD Ryzen 7 5800H	AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX	Intel Core i9-10980HK	AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS
GPU	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Max-Q, 75W TGP	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 125W TGP	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, 130W	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080	AMD Radeon Graphics (integrated)
RAM	16GB DDR4-3200	16GB DDR4-3200	32GB DDR4-3200	32GB DDR4-2933	32GB LPDDR4x-4266
Storage	512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD	512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD	2x 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD	512GB Boot, 2TB (2 x 1TB RAID 0) SSD	1TB M.2 2230 NVMe SSD
Display	14-inch, 1920 x 1080, 144 Hz IPS	15.6 inch, 1920 x 1080, 165Hz, IPS	17.3-inch, 1920 x 1080, 360 Hz, IPS	17.3-inch, 1920 x 1080, 360 Hz	13.4-inch, 3840 x 2400, 16:10, 60 Hz, touch

And here’s how the CPUs all stack up on paper:

	Cores / Threads	Process Node	Base Frequency	Max Turbo Frequency	TDP
Intel Core i9-11980HK	16-Aug	10nm SuperFin	2.6 GHz	5.0 GHz	45 – 65 W
Intel Core i9-10980HK	16-Aug	14nm	2.4 GHz	5.3 GHz	45 – 65 W
Intel Core i7-11375H	8-Apr	10nm SuperFin	3.3 GHz	5.0 GHz	28 – 35W
AMD Ryzen 7 5800H	16-Aug	7nm FinFET	3.2 GHz	4.4 GHz	35 – 54W
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX	16-Aug	7nm FinFET	3.3 GHz	4.6 GHz	35 – 54W
AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS	16-Aug	7nm FinFET	3.0 GHz	4.8 GHz	35W

Productivity Performance of Tiger Lake i9

We started out with our productivity suite to test the Core i9-11980HK to its 10th Gen counterpart, the highest-end Intel H35 processor and a series of AMD Ryzen competitors.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

On Geekbench 5, the Tiger Lake-H system started strong, pushing the highest single-core (1,649) of the bunch and beating the next highest multi-core score by more than 1,000 points (9,254). The next closest was the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX in the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733, which also had 32GB of RAM.

The Core i9-10980HK, the 10th Gen chip from Intel, was in a close third on multi-core, though in single-core other Ryzen laptops surpassed it.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The Intel sample system was also the fastest system to complete our Handbrake test, which transcodes a

video to 1080p (with one caveat: we removed laptops with far more powerful GPUs, which could have some effect. If you left in the Ryzen 9 5900HX, it was faster at 6:11 in the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733).

It was (unsurprisingly) significantly faster than the 35W Core i7, and also ahead of the Ryzen 7 5800H and 35W Ryzen 9 59080HS.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The Intel sample system contained a pair of 512GB Phison PCIe Gen 4 SSDs, which the Core i9-11980HK can take advantage of. It was one of the speedier laptops in our test pool, but the Asus ROG Flow X13 was actually a little bit faster in our 25GB file transfer test.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

To check stability over a longer duration, we ran Cinbench R23 for 20 runs. The cooling, which was exceptionally loud during all of the tests (and sometimes while the sample system was doing absolutely nothing) kept it stable.

It started at a high of 11,846.31 while largely settling in the 11,600 range. During the Cinebench stress test, the CPU ran at an average of 3.5 GHz and an average temperature of 85.77 degrees Celsius (186.39 degrees Fahrenheit). While the chart looks largely stable, the monitoring tool HWinfo reported that the CPU was being thermally throttled for the majority of the test. This is the downside of putting a high-wattage processor in a slim system, and also explains the constant fan noise.

Gaming and Graphics Performance of Tiger Lake i9

In this system, Intel paired its top-of-the-line mobile processor with an RTX 3060 Max-Q. It’s a questionable decision for this kind of performance preview, as our first impression didn’t give us the chance to see what happens when this chip is used with a more powerful graphics card that would take full advantage of its capabilities. So our test pool here includes other laptops with an RTX 3060, either full or

Max-Q

On most of the benchmarks we ran, this thin and light notebook performed almost identically to what you would expect from Intel’s 35-watt Tiger Lake H processors that were launched earlier this year. That is, at

1080p

. We also ran the tests at the laptop’s native 2560 x 1600 resolution.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

On Shadow of the Tomb Raider (highest settings), the Intel sample system ran the benchmark at 62 frames per second, within one frame of the Acer Predator Trion 300 SE with H35. The Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 with a full RTX 3060 Max-Q won out at 73 fps.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

We saw a very similar pattern on Grand Theft Auto V (very high settings). Intel’s system matched the Acer but fell behind the Alienware. On both Shadow of the Tomb Raider and GTA V, the Intel system was still playable above 30 fps at 2560 x 1600 on the same settings.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Tiger Lake-H finally had its moment on Far Cry New Dawn (ultra settings), running at 91 fps, beating out both the Predator (73 fps) and AMD-based Alienware (79 fps) at 1080p. At native resolution, the sample system was still over 60 fps.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

But on Red Dead Redemption 2 and Borderlands 3, we were back to the same old tale, coming extremely close to the H35 laptop. On RDR 2‘s medium settings, it ran at 48 fps at 1080p and 33 fps at 2560 x 1440.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

On Borderlands 3‘s “badass” quality settings, the game ran at 56 fps at 1080p, falling about 10 frames behind the Alienware. Intel’s sample system ran the game at 37 fps at 2560 x 1600.

Lastly, we ran the Metro Exodus gauntlet that we run in our laptop review. We have laptops play through the benchmark 15 times on the RTX preset (1920 x 1080) to simulate a half-hour of gaming. Intel’s CPU ran at an average of 3.38 GHz with an average temperature of 64.71 degrees Celsius (148.48 degrees Fahrenheit). There was some throttling, but not as often as during the Cinebench R23 stress test. The GPU ran at an average of 1,188.23 MHz and 64.21 degrees Celsius (147.58 degrees Fahrenheit).

Cooling Tiger Lake i9

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Unlike with some previous early Intel samples, we were allowed to crack this one open to show it to you.

The laptop has three fans, while even most gaming laptops stick to two larger ones. That may explain the decibels. But what’s also fascinating is that the motherboard in the reference platform has been placed effectively upside down. This means that we can’t see the full cooler, including the heat pipes. That would require far more disassembly.

There are still serviceable parts, but they are connected to the edge of the board. Notably, there’s only one 512GB SSD that’s easily accessible. The other one must be on the other side of the motherboard.

Impressions of Tiger Lake i9

As always, it’s extremely difficult to get a complete picture of how high-end, Tiger Lake-H chips will run in laptops that OEMs will start selling today. Our testing was done under extremely limited time, and only used one new 11th Gen H-series chip.

To complicate things, this reference design is meant to represent a new “thin enthusiast” sector for Intel, which meant we couldn’t see how the Core i9-11980HK will perform at its best, in a thicker laptop with more elaborate cooling. Of course, every laptop is unique, so the processors may perform slightly differently based on size, cooling and other factors. We hope to be able to see a bigger, flagship gaming system with this processor for a fuller idea soon.

In productivity testing, our early benchmarks show a leap for Intel and its 10nm SuperFin process, especially in multi-core workloads. But AMD’s best, the Ryzen 9 5900HX still puts up a fight in some areas.

In gaming, we’ll really have to wait. What we now expect from finalized thin systems is that they won’t run games much differently from H35 variants unless those titles really hit the CPU hard.

As usual, the best way to truly tell is when we start testing laptops with a Tiger Lake-H that you can actually buy. As those hit our labs, we’ll see a wider variety of laptop designs and the full range of 11th Gen H-series processors.

MSI Optix MAG272CQR Review: Decent Speed, High Contrast

MSI’s Optix MAG272CQR delivers 165 Hz and adaptive sync in a gently curved VA panel with QHD resolution. Decent contrast makes it viable for HDR and it has extended color too, all for a reasonable price.

Intel Core i5-11400 Review: Unseating Ryzen’s Budget Gaming Dominance

Intel’s Core i5-11400 takes the mainstream gaming segment by storm with the best blend of price and performance on the market.

Epomaker AK84S Review – Chocolate Switches, Silicone Keycaps

Introduction

Epomaker has been on a roll of sorts, working first with Ajazz to release the K620T V2.0 we saw recently and then putting out the B21 on Indiegogo that will get a review here shortly. That campaign was funded on day 1, which tends to be reassuring for marketing and is some advance capital for mass manufacturing. This model has worked well enough for the company to put out another keyboard on Kickstarter shortly after, and we take a look at this entry today to coincide with the crowdfunding campaign. Thanks again to Epomaker for sending a review sample to TechPowerUp!

The B21 is a cute 65% keyboard that may not have enough keys for everyone. With the new AK84S, Epomaker sought to address this by putting out the company’s first 80% keyboard. As the same suggests, it employs an 84-key form factor similar to the Akko 3084, which gives the average user much more flexibility in how to use this keyboard. In addition to the base layer, Epomaker is using the AK84S to trial a few other new things, including its own brand-new switches launching alongside and a replacement silicone keycap set. We go over all of this and more, but start with a look at the specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Epomaker AK84S Wireless Keyboard
Layout:	84-key, 80% form factor in a modified US ANSI layout
Case:	Choice of ABS plastic/CNC plate, acrylic, or CNC machined aluminium
Keycaps:	Choice of ABS or PBT plastic in different colors and themes, as well as a silicone set
Macro Support:	Yes
Wrist Rest:	No
Anti-ghosting:	Full N-Key rollover USB, 6KRO with Bluetooth
Media Keys:	Available as a secondary function
Dimensions:	128 (L) x 316 (W) x 40 (H) mm
Cable Length:	6 ft / 1.8 m
Software:	Yes
Switch Type:	Choice of several Gateron optical or mechanical switches, as well as 1st-party Epomaker Chocolate switches
Backlighting:	Yes, per-key 16.8 M colors
Interface:	USB or Bluetooth 5.1
Warranty:	One year

HyperX Pulsefire Haste gaming mouse review: Lightweight but not lacking

(Pocket-lint) – The Pulsefire Haste is HyperX’s answer to the trend of superlight honeycomb gaming mice out there. It ticks a number of boxes too – unless you love RGB lighting by the bucket load.

We’ve been happily working, surfing, and gaming away with the Pulsefire Haste to bring you our thoughts on how this lightweight mouse stacks up against the competition.

Lightweight design and an agile frame

Honeycomb design with 59g lightweight shell
Hyperflex USB cable
Dustproof TTC Golden Micro dustproof switches
Virgin-grade PTFE feet

When we started using the HyperX Pulsefire Haste we noticed a few striking things about it. First up, it’s one of the lightest gaming mice we’ve used, weighing just 59 grams.

Pocket-lint

However, it is wired – which detracts from that sense of freedom. That said, the floppy Hyperflex cable ensures that the USB connection doesn’t weigh you down or get in the way while gaming.

Although the Pulsefire Haste might not be the best-looking gaming mouse we’ve seen, it’s still a satisfying mouse to use with plenty of features that make it appealing for the price.

Its body verges on being a good fit for medium to small hands – we suspect that large-handed gamers might struggle with it – and we found it comfortable to use during our play sessions.

Pocket-lint

If you’re worried about the honeycomb shell presenting a problem for dust and dirt ingress, you don’t need to fret as the Pulsefire Haste sports dust-proof switches. We’re also fairly confident a spray of compressed air would soon sort the insides out. But we wouldn’t recommend spilling a drink on it.

The outer shell also has a nice PBT-esque finish to it, making it easy to grip, and there’s not much danger of it slipping around in the hand. A nice addition to this is the included textured grip tape which can be applied to the main mouse buttons and either side of the mouse. This tape is easy to apply, without the annoyance of bubbles, and maintains the overall honeycomb finish too.

In the box, you also get some replacement PTFE skates, so if and when those wear out you can replace them and rejuvenate the mouse without much hassle.

One area the Pulsefire Haste lacks is in RGB lighting. We’ve seen much nicer-looking lightweight mice with snazzier appeal. The SteelSeries Aerox 3, for example, sports some nice RGB lighting that glows from within the honeycomb shell, but that’s sadly lacking on the Pulsefire Haste.

The Pulsefire Haste only has RGB on the mouse wheel, which is customisable within the software. Where thing this does shine though is the way it changes when you change DPI level. The mouse wheel lights up with different colours showing briefly as you change levels, so you know at a glance what you’re in.

Capable gaming setup

1000Hz polling rate, Up to 16000dpi
Speed: 450ips / Acceleration: 40G
6 programmable buttons

When it comes to gaming, we found the Pulsefire Haste to be a relative joy to use. Like other lightweight gaming mice, it’s easy to flick about the desk which makes it perfect for fast-paced first-person shooters and battle royale games.

Pocket-lint

With 450ips and 40G acceleration, it’s more than capable too. We wish the PTFE feet were a bit bigger, as we’ve certainly seen larger ones on other mice, but generally the HyperX mouse is easy to grip and even easier to move.

The DPI switching button on top also makes it easy to set and switch between various different DPI levels within the HyperX Ngenuity software. From there you can also programme macros, reprogramme keys, and adjust other settings.

Pocket-lint

The software is a bit barebones compared to the likes of Razer’s Synapse software or Corsair’s iCue, but it’s easy to use and allows you setup and tweak most things with ease. We found macros easy to record and set, with the easy adjustment of delays and tweaking a doddle also. Macros don’t seem as fast to activate as with other mice though.

Verdict

All told, the HyperX Pulsefire Haste is an appealing lightweight gaming mouse. It’s not the fanciest we’ve seen, but it has a number of highlights both in design aesthetics and specification terms.

It’s comfortable, capable and agile – which is obviously an appealing part of any mouse design, but it’s also so much more. The affordable price tag and the overall finish of this mouse make it well worth considering if you’re after something light and pleasing for your gaming sessions.

Also consider

Corsair Sabre RGB Pro

Pocket-lint

If you’re not bothered about having a super lightweight mouse, don’t like holes in your peripherals and want something built for pros then consider this instead.

The Corsair Sabre RGB Pro is another affordable mouse with some serious specs that include an 8,000Hz polling rate and some pro-level specs that include Nvidia Reflex Latency Analyser compatibility.

Best gaming mice: The best wired, wireless and RGB gaming mice to buy today

squirrel_widget_4443128

SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless

Pocket-lint

It might be more expensive, but the SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless is snazzier too. With some nice RGB lighting and other highlights that include P54 dust resistance, up to 200 hours battery life and both 2.4Ghz and Bluetooth connectivity options.

Best gaming mice: The best wired, wireless and RGB gaming mice to buy today

squirrel_widget_3681750

Writing by Adrian Willings. Editing by Mike Lowe.

AirPods 3 and Apple Music HiFi could arrive this week

(Image credit: Apple)

Rumours have been building over the past few weeks around the launch of a new Apple Music HiFi tier alongside the third generation of Apple AirPods, and we’ve now had a potential launch-date leak as well.

According to rumours site AppleTrack, we can expect the announcement to land on May 18 in the US (well ahead of the tech giant’s June 7 WWDC event) via a press release rather than the usual launch show event.

This date coincides with Google’s I/O event, at which it will likely announce the new Google Pixel 6, so it would make sense for Apple to try and steal some of its competitor’s thunder by revealing its own big products on that day.

No information is concrete at this stage, but from past leaks we’re expecting this CD-quality music tier to cost the same as the regular individual Apple Music subscription – $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$11.99.

AirPods 3: release date, price, design, leaks and news

Apple teaser

As MacRumors has discovered, Apple itself is pushing out some teaser material that lends extra weight to the imminent launch of its HiFi streaming tier.

In the company’s Music app, a teaser video has begun to appear in the app’s Browse tab, with a ‘coming soon’ message alongside the text, “Get ready—music is about to change forever”.

While this doesn’t necessarily support the specific May 18 date, or even explicitly refer to the HiFi tier, it does strongly indicate we’ll be seeing it arrive soon, and coupled with recent rumours we expect we might. Either way, we’ll find out on Tuesday.

Apple AirPods (2019) review

Master & Dynamic MW08 review: Approaching perfect

(Pocket-lint) – The true wireless earphones market is getting pretty saturated these days. That means it’s becoming harder and harder for any audio company to stand out. So how does one make a pair that people will notice and care about?

Master & Dynamic’s approach for the past couple of years has been to build a pair of ‘buds that doesn’t look like the rest, while also delivering a very different, dynamic sound from the drivers. With the MW08 that continues, but the experience is a little more refined.

What came before?

Master & Dynamic launched into the true wireless market with the MW07, before following it up with the ANC-equipped MW07 Plus and sport-focused MW07 Go.

Pocket-lint

: MW07 PlusMW07 Plus

The non-Go editions were recognisable by their use of marbled acrylic. They looked like they were designed to match tortoiseshell sunglasses, but with the latest MW08 that has changed for more premium materials.

Best true wireless earbuds for wire-free Bluetooth audio

Master & Dynamic has also enhanced the MW08’s active noise-cancelling (ANC), sound quality and battery life, promising to be far better than any of the previous models.

Design

Ceramic design
9g weight per bud
IPX5 water resistance
Colour options: Black, blue, white, brown

With the MW08 it’s clear there’s a focus on design. You can’t go wrong with ceramic. It’s lovely, shiny and extremely durable.

These ‘buds are among the nicest looking we’ve tested. They’re also a little smaller than the MW07 Plus, which makes them more compact and less of an attention seeker when placed in the ears. That’s not to say they don’t still retain that M&D flavour. The shape is still that unique half-circle-half-square design – it’s just more restrained this time around.

Pocket-lint

The internal design has been tweaked too, allowing each ‘buds design to be more ergonomic than before – and so better fitting inside the ear canal. They feel secure and comfy, without the need for use any in-ear fins or grips to keep them from falling out. These ‘buds are precision designed to comfortably fit inside the ear and just stays there.

Granted, we didn’t feel the fit was so secure that we’d risk wearing these ‘buds during a run or workout, but for most instances we can’t imagine them falling out and getting lost. It’s a nice, neat, compact shape.

Open the case and show them to someone for the first time and they may just invoke comparisons to cufflinks. There’s a precision and polished look. It’s more restrained than previous models, but the quality is easy to see.

The ceramic plate is built on top of an aluminium frame – which also acts as the external antenna for strong wireless performance – and the buds sit neatly in their stainless steel case when stowed away.

This case is one of the only elements that’s changed drastically from the previous versions. There’s still a polished steel option, but you also get matte black and polished dark grey ‘graphite’ options. Which one you get depends on which colour ‘buds you want: black, blue, white, brown.

Pocket-lint

More importantly, Master & Dynamic switched the lid to a new position, making it smaller, but more durable-feeling at the same time. By comparison, the large flip-open lid on the old cases feels quite flimsy now. The new case feels sturdier, while retaining its very portable size, and comes with a little carry pouch too – which you will probably need to use if you buy the polished steel version.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the tried-and-tested physical button layout. One earbud features the volume up/down buttons; the other features the multi-purpose key. That makes it simple to adjust the volume level and simple to play/pause. We prefer it to most touch-sensitive alternatives, which often trigger too easily when you want them to.

Battery life, noise cancelling, app controls

Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) and ambient modes
12 hours playtime outside case (42 hours total)
In-ear detection/auto pause
Free M&D app for control
Bluetooth 5.2 + aptX

So the design is sublime, so that usually means you compromise on performance somehow, right? Well, no, not this time.

Pocket-lint

Master & Dynamic’s latest pair of tether-free ‘buds has market-leading battery life. The manufacturer claims up to 12 hours of music playback from a fully charged pair (or 10 hours with the ANC switched on). In real-world use, you’re unlikely to get exactly those figures – we’ve been getting close but a little under – but there’s no battery anxiety here.

You can listen to music for three hours straight and barely even touch the battery. During testing we did this on a few consecutive days and didn’t manage to run out of battery, or need to plug the case in to charge it.

If you commute to work – or will be in the near future – this will comfortably get you through a work week without much trouble. With the battery in the case and battery in the ‘buds you can get up to 42 hours total, which is quite frankly astonishing.

Combine that battery performance with strong wireless performance and good quality calls and you have a set of ‘buds that’s not just pretty and well-made, but will keep up with the challenges of daily life.

Pocket-lint

In all of our testing there’s only one area that we think needs improving: the ANC. The manufacturer’s take on noise-cancelling doesn’t quite perform as well as, say, the Apple AirPods Pro or Bose QuietComfort Earbuds. That said, M&D’s implementation does make a clear difference, handily cutting out most of the noise around you – it’s just less ‘strong’ than those rivals.

We found it worked well to cut out the noise of chatter around us while listening, but walking alongside busy roads, it still let in the sound of tyres rumbling over the asphalt, for example. Granted, it made such sounds quieter, but we could still hear them. And this was with the maximum level of ANC activated.

One feature that works well is the auto-pause – which activates when the ‘buds are removed from the ears. As soon as you take one earbud out, it automatically pauses whatever you’re listening to, thanks to an optical sensor on board. Sadly, it doesn’t then automatically resume when you reinsert the ‘bud, but pressing the play/pause button once resolves that.

Pocket-lint

This is controlled in the all-new M&D Connect app, which lets you see battery level and adjust noise cancelling/ambient sound. This is also where you see if there are any firmware updates available. Sadly, there’s no equalisation (EQ) adjustment because – like any other company that has its own idea of what great sound is – it has already set that for you and doesn’t allow you to deviate from that.

Sound

11mm Beryllium drivers

There’s an unmistakeable quality about Master & Dynamic’s sound and – as the company name suggests – it’s dynamic. M&D doesn’t go for that studio clean and flat approach, or airy, breathy quality. Instead, you get lots of bass, lots of clarity and punch from the high-end, without losing the subtle details in a mix.

The end result is a sound that makes you want to get up and groove along to the bass and drums in any soundtrack. It’ll makes you want to go and listen to all your favourite songs again. It might even make you appreciate songs you didn’t think you liked before.

Saying ‘lots of bass’ often conjures up the picture of big, boomy sound that dominates the audio. In this instance, however, that’s not what it’s like at all. It’s well controlled and shaped bass that forms a big part of the sound profile, but without detracting from the impact of the vocals.

Pocket-lint

Listening to the MW08 and we often felt like the higher-frequency percussive sounds – like shakers, tambourines and hi-hats – cut through the mix somehow and form a big part of the sound. This can sometimes lead to a little sibilance on high impact sounds like forcefully annunciated Ts, Ps, and Ses in vocals, but it’s not as bad as it was in previous MW-series ‘buds.

This sound seems a bit more balanced than the company’s older ‘buds – probably because of the new 11mm drivers. These new drivers also seem incredibly responsive. Short, staccato notes are punchy and tight, whether they be pizzicato strings in an orchestral piece or just finger clicking in the background.

The other great quality of the sound is that it has a sense of space. It feels almost like being surrounded by the sound, rather than having it pumped directly into your ears from a few millimetres away. The soundstage is impressively wide, and combined with the dynamic properties of M&D’s audio it makes for an unmissable experience.

Pocket-lint

A really good example to hear all these elements is the orchestral version of Space by Biffy Clyro. There’s those clear lead vocals, and the prominent piano leading the instruments. But despite that piano, you still can clearly hear the plucked cello and bass strings in the background, while it all retains that real feel of being recorded in a big wide open space. Bowed strings then perfectly swell and drop in crescendos in the chorus, while the subtle percussion beats on somewhere in the distance. It’s sublime.

While call quality isn’t the foremost function of the MW08, they’re well-equipped with a six-mic array and offer clear calls even in slightly windy conditions. The external mics can filter out wind tearing noises, so there’s nothing to detract from any of that listening experience.

Best USB-C headphones for Android phones 2021

By Dan Grabham
·
16 May 2021

Verdict

In a market full of plastic buds, the Master & Dynamic MW08 feel really special. The combination of ceramic, aluminium and a stainless steel case make them unlike anything else on the market.

We’ve long appreciated M&D’s unique take on sound too. It’s high-impact and exciting. It was never technically perfect, but it’s always a great fun listen. We’re glad that with the MW08 the company has retained what makes it M&D, but also focused on improving areas that make this a truly excellent product.

The 12 hour battery life is market-leading, while the ANC performance is decent enough – although not quite incredible. Plus, now the company has an app for controlling features.

The M&D MW08 is the MW series’ coming of age – and it makes pretty much every other pair of wireless earbuds seem boring by comparison.

Also consider

Pocket-lint

Bose QC Earbuds

Bose’s flagship ‘buds are fantastic, although physically large. Sound has that typical spacious and breathy Bose quality with great detail and lift in the mids giving a full and balanced sound. The noise-cancelling is stronger than the M&D too.

Read our review

squirrel_widget_352481

Pocket-lint

Grado GT220

Grado’s approach to the true wireless in-ears market is very focused and measured. There’s no ANC here, but you do get truly stellar sound quality and the passive noise isolation is strong enough you might not even miss the ANC anyway.

Read our review

squirrel_widget_3658156

Writing by Cam Bunton. Editing by Mike Lowe.

Angell electric bike review: A match made in heaven?

(Pocket-lint) – The e-bike space is a fascinating one at the moment, with big brands hopping on board to release their own electrified bikes, but a very healthy independent scene also pumping out unique options too.

The best electric bikes: Get around fast on these top ebikes

One such bike is the Angell, a French bike that doesn’t look like anything else on the market (although that’s a statement increasingly true of a bunch of e-bikes), so we’ve put it through its paces to see how it fares compared to the increasingly spicy competition.

Design

Available in silver or black finishes
Integrated touch display and lights
15.9kg (including removable battery)

Every bike has to share a few commonalities with others, and a frame is one of them – but Angell manages to find some unique design tweaks to ensure that it’s got a look all of its own. Riding the black version of the e-bike, you get a super slimline frame that’s angular and eye-catching.

Its core boast is how lightweight it looks, though, and it’s not just an appearance. The Angell has been designed smartly to carry the bulk of its weight in the removable battery pack behind the saddle. It’s just 13.9kg without that battery, making it easy to pick up, and with it onboard you’re looking at 15.9kg, which is on the lighter side for an e-bike.

Pocket-lint

The two standout parts of the bike’s design are at the front and back of it. Staying with the battery pack, its u-shaped bulk can slide off the back of the Angell after being unlocked with a small key. It has a charging port to let you charge up without needing to lug the bike indoors (a key point of convenience in our experience with ebikes of all stripes), and two integrated rear lights. These lights can be turned on and off using a button on the handlebars, and also have indicator functions to flash amber if you want to feel even more futuristic.

That brings us to the front of the bike, which is rounded and snazzy, with a small integrated display between the handlebars and another integrated light to illuminate forwards. That display area makes for a chunky look between your arms, but is a useful way to both check what assist mode you’re using, or a variety of metrics including your current speed and how long you’ve been cycling, as well as the all-important battery meter.

Best fitness trackers: Top activity bands to buy today

We’re slightly torn on the design. Some people we checked with found it unobtrusive and elegant, while others rightly pointed out that it’s a bit of a eye-catching way to advertise the smartness (and value) of your bike. In that way, it’s very much a matter of taste.

Pocket-lint

There are four buttons on the handlebars in total – two for indicating left and right, one for swapping assist modes, and another to turn your lights on and off – which all work well and are simple and intuitive. There are more involved touch controls on the display if you want to check out further settings and options.

Whether you actually want to use the indicators is another personal point. Although they feel like a futuristic approach to a bike’s place on the roads of our cities, we also found ourself entirely doubting whether drivers were fully aware of how we were using them, despite the brightness of the tail-lights and indicator lights on the end of each handle. Maybe in time smart bikes with indicators will become more commonplace, but for now we still fell back on good old fashioned arm-waving to make sure busses knew where we were headed.

All in all, between the sleek front-end and a battery pack that looks for all the world like the engines of a spaceship, Angell is among the most progressive and interesting-looking e-bikes we’ve tested.

Pedal assistance

Up to 90km / 56mi range
Three pedal assist modes
25kmph/15.5mph maximum speed (regional limits may apply)

Angell thankfully manages to match its new-fangled looks with a smooth and responsive ride. There are no gears for you to worry about here, just an automatic shifter and a few assist modes to choose from.

You can ride it without any help if you like and its lightness makes this bearable if the battery runs out. But the main options are FlyEco, FlyDry and FlyFast – each one ramping up the amount of boost you get, and consuming more battery as a result.

Pocket-lint

In Eco the boost means a gentle bit of help from a standing start, while Fast gives you a palpable whoomph as you start to pedal. It’s the Dry middle option that most people will default to, we feel, as it gives a great balance of comfortable acceleration with ease and safety.

Best turbo trainers: Get bike training indoors

The overall ride is up there with Cowboy and VanMoof in terms of its smoothness, with only occasional hitches as the assist kicks in a second late. It’s perfect for urban riding, with disc brakes making for great stopping distances as well. You’ll find Angell gives you a welcome boost when you start pedalling, and it’s easy to manoeuvre and navigate around obstacles.

The integrated lights are a bit divisive in terms of design, but they’re super functional in use, lighting up nice and brightly so that you can forget about taking external lights with you everywhere you go.

Pocket-lint

A maximum range of 90km on the lightest assistance setting is entirely respectable and pretty much par for the course. That said, having a percentage counter for the battery on the display did give us a surprising bit of range anxiety as it ticked down, for all that the information was welcome.

The display, meanwhile, is relatively easy to use – but at times seems a bit extraneous. Being able to see your speed or route on it is helpful, but we did sometimes think we’d prefer a cleaner frame that we could mount our phone to if we really wanted all this data.

Software and smart

Companion app
Automatic locking and alarm

The software experience using Angell is a slightly complicated one because of that display. It lets you control a bunch of functions on the bike without needing to resort to the capable companion app.

One key function is unlocking the bike with a pin-code, which is part of a security system that’ll sound a loud alarm if the bike detects it’s being moved jarringly. We found this theft alert a little too hair-trigger, and it wasn’t always the easiest thing to tell if it was activated.

Pocket-lint

However, the display and app combine to make it fairly easy to set up navigation, or music controls on your bike, letting you keep your phone pocketed for safer riding. Whether it’s truly much safer than a mounted phone isn’t clear, but it’s certainly more sleek.

As a French bike, the app still has some slight translation issues to be worked out, but it’s nothing that’ll actually impede you as you use it. For the most part, it’s a solid software experience, but it can’t match up to the best we’ve tried from the likes of Cowboy.

Verdict

Riding the Angell was a great time in central London, and reiterated that it, and other e-bikes like it, are absolutely perfect for mid-length commutes and recreational rides. If your concern is getting from A to B without getting tired, this will do the job brilliantly.

It’s got a hefty serving of smart features, some of them unique, and an app that makes it pretty easy to explore them, plus a design that looks like nothing else we’ve tried. Being able to remove the battery to charge, meanwhile, is one of our top criteria in a modern e-bike, and it’s present and correct here.

That makes for an impressive package, and while it’s got a premium price tag to go with its charms, if you’re happy to spend some cash then the Angell will give you an all-new way to enjoy your travel.

Also consider

Pocket-lint

Cowboy

With a removable battery and the best app we’ve yet used, Cowboy’s third-generation bike remains the most persuasive one we’ve tried, and it comes in cheaper than the Angell. It doesn’t have the same design chops, but it’s brilliant fun to ride and its pedal assist is just as impressive.

Read our full review

Pocket-lint

VanMoof S3

While VanMoof’s bikes lack the removable battery as standard, in every other regard they’re the smoothest ride we’ve experienced from an e-bike, making for gorgeous cycling trips and ease of living. While still premium priced, they’re even more affordable than the Angell.

Read our full review

squirrel_widget_309573

Writing by Max Freeman-Mills. Editing by Mike Lowe.

Vaccine drives in the US are getting younger

This week, the FDA authorized the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for people 12-15, a moment that many families have been eagerly waiting for since the vaccine rollout began in the US. As shots became available, parents rushed to get their kids the vaccine. But the decision has also contributed to ongoing discussions about how to best distribute vaccines around the world.

In Santa Barbara, one 14-year-old got a vaccine for his birthday. In Colorado, schools are setting up vaccine clinics. In Los Angeles, high-schoolers were eager for their shot at experiencing a normal life again.

“I have a large family, one that I haven’t been able to see in over a year. I’ve missed out on being with my friends, spending time with family, going to school and so much more,” 15-year-old Malyna Trujillo said at a news conference in LA. “This vaccination isn’t just for me, it’s for my family — for my community.”

On Wednesday, an advisory committee to the CDC endorsed the FDA’s decision, clearing the way for vaccinations to start in earnest. After the committee’s vote, Henry Bernstein, a member of the panel and a Professor of Pediatrics at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell said he was excited that younger people could now get the vaccine.

“This will provide protection for 12 to 15 year olds. It’ll decrease transmission within their families. It’ll contribute to community immunity, and it allows the kids to more safely go back to camps this summer, and back to in person school.” Bernstein said.

Not everyone was thrilled with the decision. “I understand why some countries want to vaccinate their children and adolescents, but right now I urge them to reconsider” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organisation, said this week. He asked that countries donate vaccines to other countries instead.

“In low and lower-middle income countries, Covid-19 vaccine supply has not been enough to even immunize healthcare workers, and hospitals are being inundated with people that need lifesaving care urgently,” he said.

People on the CDC committee acknowledged the disparity in comments after the vote. “If we look at what’s happening elsewhere in the world, that’s evidence of what happens if you don’t have adequate supplies of safe and effective vaccines” said Matthew Daley, a pediatrician and researcher at Kaiser Permanente’s Institute for Health Research. “We’re in this very privileged position where we can see declining deaths and declining case rates because of these vaccines.”

Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Younger people are not at as great a risk of developing severe complications of COVID-19 as older people. But less risk is not zero risk, and as vaccinations have accelerated in the United States, doctors have seen spikes in infections in unvaccinated children.

For parents, securing an early vaccine slot was a first chance to provide their kids a little bit more freedom after a year of caution. Kids were excited at the prospect of sleepovers, shopping, and anything that looks like pre-pandemic life.

“The reason why I got it was because I want to see my friend, which I haven’t seen for a while. We’ve only been able to call each other,” 13-year-old Evan Yaney told WILX in Lansing.

That loneliness is something that experts hope this next stage of the vaccine rollout might combat. At the meeting of the CDC’s advisory panel this week, Grace Lee, a Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University pointed out that we still don’t know the long-term effects of this pandemic on younger age groups. “I think sometimes we lose the importance of children and adolescents in the midst of a pandemic. There’s been such a focus on older adults in particular, I think that the childhood experience our kids have gone through will have long-lasting consequences that may extend across generations,” said Lee.

It has been a brutally hard year for children, many of whom have been kept apart from friends and family, suffered educational setbacks, or witnessed trauma. For them, the chance to get a vaccine offers them hope — for themselves, and also for the future.

“I have been extremely careful throughout this whole thing,” 13-year-old Pia Andrade told Houston’s KPRC as she got vaccinated this week. “My principal actually died from COVID. He was perfectly fine and he got it and was hospitalized and he just died. I’ve seen the effects firsthand, and the more of us that get vaccinated, the better the world will be.”

Research

The epidemiological impact of the NHS COVID-19 App

This research paper in Nature this week models how well the NHS’s contact tracing app worked. The researchers found it worked about as well as manual contact tracing methods, and calculated that it may have saved thousands of lives. They suggest that similar apps could be used in other countries to blunt the pandemic, while the world waits on vaccines. (Fraser et al, Nature)

Most kids with coronavirus infections lack typical symptoms of COVID-19, study says

People under 18 make up about 13 percent of COVID-19 cases in the US. But they don’t always show the same symptoms as adults. In particular, they are much less likely to have a fever, making temperature screenings less effective at catching cases. (Karen Kaplan/Los Angeles Times)

How COVID broke the evidence pipeline

With more than a year of pandemic research under our belt, scientists are starting to take stock of the flood of COVID-19 related medical research. They’re finding that some of it…wasn’t that great. There were too many studies on individual (useless) drugs, studies with too few trial participants for any significant results, or review studies that quickly went out of date. There were major successes too, but scientists hope they can learn from the failures the next time an emergency crops up. (Helen Pearson/Nature)

Development

Free beer offer results in more vaccinations than all Erie County first-dose clinics last week

We’ve written before about some of the creative promotions that health departments are using to get people vaccinated. Here’s a real-world example from Buffalo, NY of just how well these programs are working. (Bonus: A Slate interview with a health commissioner who was handing out shots.) (Sandra Tan/Buffalo News)

They Haven’t Gotten a Covid Vaccine Yet. But They Aren’t ‘Hesitant’ Either.

About 30 million people in the US say they’d get a COVID-19 vaccine, but haven’t actually taken the plunge yet. Their reasons vary, but many in this group face hurdles like language barriers, difficult work schedules, or general lack of access. (Amy Harmon and Josh Holder/The New York Times)

Coronavirus Vaccines Protect Pregnant Women, Another Study Suggests

New studies are adding to a growing pile of evidence that coronavirus vaccines protect pregnant people. A new paper showed that pregnant people can pass antibodies on to their fetus, and that breastmilk can pass antibodies along to infants. Another study found that the vaccine does not damage the placenta. (Emily Anthes/The New York Times)

Perspectives

This week, the CDC changed its guidance for fully vaccinated people, saying that they don’t have to wear masks in many settings. But masking won’t disappear overnight. Here are a few perspectives from people who are continuing to mask up, for a variety of reasons.

“Maybe it’s because I’m a New Yorker or maybe it’s because I always feel like I have to present my best self to the world, but it has been such a relief to feel anonymous. It’s like having a force field around me that says ‘don’t see me’.”

— ‘Francesca’ a professor, tells The Guardian why she’ll continue to wear a mask.

“I know it’s a low percentage, but there are children who have gotten it and been affected. What if it was your kid? I would take a gamble on myself. But my children? Never.”

— Jani Able, mother of two 7-year-olds tells USA Today why her family will continue to wear masks.

“I still have fears that my husband will die even though we’re vaccinated…Just because I’ve read so many stories about people’s husbands dying. Or I have fears that my child will be that one kid who gets the rare syndrome, and visions of myself in the hospital. I have an overactive imagination. I tend to be anxious and impressionable. But I think a lot of people, not just me, are going through similar thoughts.”

— Frani, a woman in New York City talks to Vice about why she’s still wearing a mask.

More than numbers

To the people who have received the 1.41 billion vaccine doses distributed so far — thank you.

To the more than 161,951,393 people worldwide who have tested positive, may your road to recovery be smooth.

To the families and friends of the 3,359,318 people who have died worldwide — 585,233 of those in the US — your loved ones are not forgotten.

Stay safe, everyone.

ASUS ROG Gladius III Review

Introduction

ASUS is a Taiwan-based computer hardware and electronics company founded in 1989. Back in 2014, the ROG Gladius was the first gaming mouse released by ASUS under the ROG brand. With the ROG Gladius III, ASUS both iterates on and innovates this classic design. For the Gladius III, PixArt’s flagship sensor for both wired and wireless applications, the PAW3370, is used, though customized to allow for up to 26,000 CPI. Furthermore, the Gladius III comes with second-generation hot-swappable main button switch sockets, allowing one to use both 3-pin mechanical and 5-pin Omron optical switches. By default, ROG micro switches rated for 70 million clicks are installed, but may be swapped with Omron optical switches, a set of which is included in the box. At just 76 g, the Gladius III is noticeably lighter than its predecessors without having to resort to externally visible holes. The cable is the same as on the ROG Keris, featuring a soft braid and being exceptionally flexible. Pure PTFE feet are installed by default, and a set of replacement feet is included. Lastly, the RGB lighting is fully configurable through Armoury Crate, which also provides the usual customization features along with a new function called Rapid Fire. In addition to the wired Gladius III, the Gladius III Wireless will also be released, and reviewed at a later point here on TechPowerUp.

Specifications

ASUS ROG Gladius III
Size:	123 mm x 68 mm x 44 mm
Size (inches):	4.84″ x 2.68″ x 1.73″
Ambidextrous:	No
Weight:	76 g
Number of Buttons:	6 (including wheel click)
Main Switches:	ROG Micro Switch (70 M)/Omron D2FP-FN
Wheel Encoder:	Mechanical
Sensor:	PixArt PAW3370
Resolution:	100–26,000 CPI
Polling Rate:	125/250/500/1000 Hz
Cable:	2 m, braided
Software:	Yes
Price:	$89.99
Warranty:	2 years

Mistel X-VIII Keyboard Review

Introduction

During my unplanned hibernation in Taiwan last year, I had the opportunity to catch up with the man behind Mistel Keyboard, the name that has brought us several split keyboards in smaller form factors under the popular Barocco series, including the MD600, MD650L, and MD770. Each of these progressively got bigger in size, but none were larger than the surprisingly regular, older MD870 SLEEKER TKL keyboard from Mistel. So imagine my surprise when I heard that the company decided it was time to get going with another larger keyboard, and a full-size one at that. Enter the X-VIII then, pronounced “X8,” and thanks again to Mistel for sending a review sample to TechPowerUp.

You might have figured out that the name is a bit of a departure from other Mistel keyboards, with the lack of the “MD” in front and no “number of keys + 0” rule in place. Yet, “X-VIII” can be interpreted as 10-8, which in turn can be taken as 108. That happens to the number of onboard keys here, so “X-VIII” ends up working out after all to denote that this is a full-size keyboard. You might also have noted that the photo above, taken from the Mistel website, looks different from the preview image. I had known last year that Mistel was working on their own keycaps, including perfecting the mold for different doubleshot injected colors. I did not have the time to visit them while they were operating, unfortunately, but the X-VIII is their first product after the sets were done, and there are two regular editions and one limited edition as far as keycap sets and colors go. We are taking a look at the Glaze Blue version in this review, and the edition above is called Gloaming to reflect twilight. The limited edition is BumbleBee, with a characteristic yellow, including on the case itself. All three share the same base, however, so this review helps represent them all as we begin with a look at the specifications below.

Specifications

Mistel X-VIII Keyboard
Layout:	108-key full-size form factor in a US ANSI layout, with ISO layout the other option
Material:	ABS plastic case, PBT plastic keycaps, and steel plate
Macro Support:	Yes
Weight:	1.1 kg/2.4 lbs.
Wrist Rest:	No
Anti-ghosting:	Full N-Key rollover USB, 6KRO in Bluetooth mode if available
Media Keys:	Dedicated volume control
Dimensions:	138 (L) x 442 (W) x 42 (H) mm
Cable Length:	6 ft/1.8 m
Software:	No
Switch Type:	Choice of Cherry MX Red, Brown, Blue, Silent Red, or Speed (Silver) mechanical switch
Backlighting:	No
Interface:	USB only or USB + Bluetooth 3.0 in the BT models
Warranty:	One year

Apple said Roblox developers don’t make games, and now Roblox agrees

Massively popular game creation tool Roblox is now a massively popular experience creation tool Roblox, possibly in response to the ongoing Epic v. Apple trial.

Roblox allows a variety of user-created projects on its platform, and until earlier this week, these were all grouped under a tab called “Games” on Roblox’s website. Roblox creators could create and manage “games” through an editor, and individual games had a user limit called “max players.”

That’s all changed now. The “Games” tab now reads “Discover” on the web, although it still points to an address of “roblox.com/games.” Developers can create and manage “experiences,” and experiences have “max people” allowed. The word “game” has been replaced by “experience” across nearly the entire Roblox website, and the iOS and Android apps now have a Discover tab instead of a Games tab — although both apps are currently classed as games in their respective stores. Roblox acknowledged a message from The Verge, but it didn’t offer an explanation for the latest change by press time.

Roblox has used the term “experience” in place of “game” before, and CEO David Baszucki called Roblox a “metaverse” rather than a gaming platform last year. But this change happened days after a legal fight over whether Roblox experiences are games — and by extension, whether Roblox itself should be allowed on the iOS App Store.

The Epic v. Apple antitrust trial has produced a weeks-long, frequently hilarious debate over the definition of a video game. Epic wants to prove that its shooter Fortnite is a “metaverse” rather than a game, pushing the trial’s scope to cover Apple’s entire App Store instead of just games. Apple wants to prove that Epic is an almost purely game-related company and that the App Store maintains consistent, user-friendly policies distinguishing “apps” from “games.” It also wants to defend a ban on “stores within a store” on iOS.

Roblox blurs the line between a large social game and a game engine or sales platform. Users don’t enter a single virtual world like Second Life; they launch individual experiences created by users. Developers can sell items within those experiences, and there are full-fledged game studios that build with Roblox instead of, say, the Unity or Unreal engines. But all of this activity happens within a single Roblox app, instead of as a series of separately packaged games.

Apple has apparently worried about this fuzziness. In a 2017 email, Apple marketing head Trystan Kosmynka said he was “surprised” that Roblox (which he referred to as “Roboblox”) had been approved for the App Store. The email chain indicates that App Store reviewers raised concerns in 2014, but Roblox was approved without ever resolving the issues. Epic brought the decision up again in court, hoping to cast doubt on Apple’s App Store review process.

Instead, Kosmynka justified the choice by saying that neither Roblox nor its user-built projects should be defined as games. “If you think of a game or app, games are incredibly dynamic, games have a beginning, an end, there’s challenges in place,” he testified. “I look at the experiences that are in Roblox similar to the experiences that are in Minecraft. These are maps. These are worlds. And they have boundaries in terms of what they’re capable of.” Kosmynka said Apple considered Roblox itself an app (rather than a game) because the company used that label in the App Store, although this doesn’t appear to be accurate.

Besides the crucial factors of “beginning,” “end,” and “challenges,” Kosmynka seemingly argued that these experiences weren’t games because Roblox contained their code in a safe, Apple-vetted Roblox sandbox — making them less objectionable than standalone installable games. But Apple doesn’t use that same logic for cloud gaming services, which stream video of games from remote servers. In fact, it requires these services to list each game as a separate app. That would probably be a nightmare for Roblox, where experiences range from full-fledged professional projects to tiny personal spaces.

Some Roblox users have left irritated messages on Twitter, Reddit, and other platforms. But Roblox has promoted itself as a general-purpose metaverse in the past. It’s got virtually nothing to gain by deliberately stepping into Apple’s minefield of iOS gaming rules, particularly after such an extended courtroom debate about its status. On iOS, it turns out, the only winning move is to not play — or at least not tell anyone you’re playing.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition review: Revisiting the best RPG series ever made

(Pocket-lint) – We couldn’t have been more excited when we heard that the original Mass Effect trilogy was to be remastered for a new collection. But must admit to feeling slightly deflated when we realised the games weren’t to be remade completely.

That means, while the graphics and gameplay have undergone extensive tweaking, they haven’t been completely reimagined for modern consoles. After experiencing what’s possible with the superb Final Fantasy VII Remake, that seemed to be a backwards step to us. Initially, at least.

However, just a couple of hours into ME1, we soon realised why the development team decided on a fresh coat of paint and refinements rather than renewal. The trio just wouldn’t be the same games otherwise – unlikely to have retained the character of the originals. Warts and all.

So, in remastering the original Mass Effect games to 4K HDR, adding all downloadable content (DLC) released over the original games’ lifespans, and slathering on some clever technical glue to match it all together, we get the original trilogy at its best. All the while retaining exactly what made them special in the first place.

Plot points

Something that didn’t need refinement is the story. BioWare has always been a master at storytelling and characterisation. Go further into its past and you can see just how well Baldur’s Gate and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic hold up today – purely thanks to their narratives and clever, interwoven scripting.

The latter game was clearly a huge influence on Mass Effect (and itself heavily rumoured for a remaster). However, free from the restraints of the Star Wars lore book, the studio managed to rebottle lightning – several times.

There are many characters you encounter in the Mass Effect games, not least Shepard him or herself – who you play as throughout – but perhaps the most impressive of all is the universe that BioWare created.

Top Nintendo Switch games 2021: Best Switch games every gamer must own

By Rik Henderson
·
14 May 2021

It took a blank canvas and built its own sci-fi saga, complete with new alien species, political factions, historical mythos and much more. And there’s nary a trade dispute in sight – well, not one that any of the trilogy is hinged on. It’s so complex and involving, it has inspired comic books, fan fiction, even a whole range of cosplay enthusiasts. It will also grip you from the very start.

Top Xbox One games: Best Xbox One S and X games every gamer must own
Best PS5 games: Amazing PlayStation 5 titles to pick up right now
Best PC games to buy: Fantastic games to add to your collection

That’s partly thanks to the speed at which the main story thread reveals itself – which we’ll spare you because you’ve either already played the games first time around and know it already, or want to discover for yourself and therefore avoid spoilers. But it’s mainly thanks to the superb dialogue and neatly woven nature of the games across the entire run.

Many games have adopted inter-threading plots and character development over the years, but few do it quite as well as the Mass Effect series. It enables you to take your lead character – whether created from scratch or using presets – from one game to the next after each completion, literally picking up from where you left off. In addition, actions you make in each chapter have ramifications on the next.

EA / BioWare

By the time you get to Mass Effect 3 and, specifically, the ending, you could experience several key differences to someone else’s journey. It feels organic and, for us, still represents many of the studio’s finest moments.

The same is true with character development and relationships in the game. Each main non-playable character (NPC) in the game forms bonds and relationships with your lead character, depending on your conversational and practical choices. That could end in a friendly or romantic bond, or with them keeping you at arms-length. It results in you empathising with each of your in-game team members more so than in most games – role-playing games (RPGs) or otherwise.

When those NPCs are in peril or decisions on their fate are presented you are genuinely moved or troubled. It’s what made Mass Effect so superb in the first place, and continues to resonate now.

Ch-ch-changes

Of course, that can also be said of the original trilogy releases, each of which being still available through backward compatibility (on Xbox and PC, anyway). Of perhaps more interest are the numerous changes and improvements to this collection.

EA / BioWare

As with many repackaged collections of older games, all of the original DLC from Mass Effect 1, 2 and 3 are present – bar one. Pinnacle Station from ME1 is not present, as the version available to BioWare while putting together the Legendary Edition turned out to be corrupt and it couldn’t find the original files.

Still, you get over 40 DLC packs integrated into the games (where possible). That includes promo weapons and armour.

Best upcoming Xbox One games to look forward to
Best upcoming PS5 games: PlayStation titles to anticipate

The games are also presented with a new launcher, with all three accessible from the same screen. On PlayStation all games are installed to be played from the off, on Xbox (the version tested here), you need to download ME2 and ME3 from the launcher itself. This allows you to save disk space when you are only playing ME1.

Once you start the games, you notice a couple of changes to the options. The first Mass Effect has perhaps the biggest alterations, in that it has the options, plus character creation and models of the subsequent titles. BioWare changed a fair bit in the three years between ME1 and ME2, so the later benefits have now been adopted.

EA / BioWare

That also includes combat. The Mass Effect series combines deep, involving dialogue-based storytelling with action combat sequences. These are third-person and generally use a duck-and-cover mechanic. The first game, however, had clunky, under-realised combat that was tricky to use. We went back to the Xbox 360 original to check for ourselves and found that aiming – especially through the sniper rifle – was a twitchy affair. It has been greatly improved now, with the lessons learned for the sequels being implemented.

The look during combat – the user interface (UI)– has also been unified across the series now. However, ME1 still has some unique foibles. There’s unlimited ammo, for starters, with cooldown times for weapons instead. That was ditched later in the series. On the whole though, it has been polished into a more playable form for sure, which is great to revisit.

Another thing that helps is higher frame rate. While the graphics have been made higher-res and new lighting effects added, to suit the 4K consoles especially, enhanced frame rates make the most difference to gameplay. It differs depending on the format, but the games are now playable in up to 60 frames-per-second on consoles thanks to a ‘favour frame-rate’ option. The Xbox Series X even gets up to 120fps.

EA / BioWare

You do have a resolution drop to get the best frame rates, but it’s very much worth it. We’ve been playing the game largely across Xbox Series S and X, which run the game in backward compatibility but somewhat optimised. We favour frame-rate on the S, which gives up to 1440p and 60fps, while we switch to ‘favour quality’ mode on the X for 4K 60fps. Both run beautifully.

If you’re a PC owner with the right spec, you can even get up to 240fps and run the game in an 21:9 aspect ratio, but we haven’t been able to test that ourselves.

Graphically speaking

In terms of the new graphics themselves, there is a marked improvement, naturally, but you will still have to put up with a lot of the shonkiness of the originals.

EA / BioWare

The artificial intelligence (AI) upscaling process used for many of the texture upgrades did a fine job of creating details that were just fuzzy before, while the manual touching-up work produces excellent character models especially.

However, don’t expect a game that looks like Returnal or Miles Morales. It must be remembered that the original games were released between 2007 and 2012 and, while highly polished, they still look dated. Animations especially are janky. But they are liveable too.

Lighting has been greatly improved through, with the first Mass Effect showing the most change. Outdoor scenes are particularly impressive, with great use of lens flare and recoloured vistas that look significantly better than before. Plus, high dynamic range (HDR) has been added for further saturation and contrast boosts.

That’s not to say it’s all good. Sometimes the picture sharpening does the game a disservice. The Normandy (your space craft) can look overlaid onto a background now, whereas its blurriness helped it blend in before.

EA / BioWare

There are also the occasional annoying bugs or glitches – some old, some new. We’ve experienced some texture pop-in when a level loads, scenery clipping, or the odd character jerking about when faced with unsteady terrain. Sometimes team members just steadfastly refuse to follow you until you save and reload. But, there’s nothing that can’t be worked around or overlooked.

In all honesty, the original games had their fair share of caveats too, but we never minded at the time.

Hit the motherload

Another of the more significant improvements that you get with the Legendary Edition is loading times. Anyone who’s had to sit through the Citadel elevator loading issues of the original Mass Effect will understand just how thrilling it is to finally run the game from an SSD (on console).

We can’t comment on loading times for Xbox One or PS4 (or even PS5, as we’ve not played that copy) – although each are meant to be greatly enhanced too – but our experience of loading on both Xbox Series consoles couldn’t have been any better.

EA / BioWare

When stepping into any of the elevators on the Citadel, it is mere seconds before you reach the next area. This used to take a minute or more. In fact, all the clever tricks BioWare added to help alleviate the loading pain – such as in-elevator conversations or tannoy announcements – are now superfluous. You can still listen to them, but a skip option is also available as they are no longer needed to paper the cracks.

The same is true with loading in other areas of each of the games. Space travel, for example, is almost instant. Even the games load superfast at the beginning, once chosen on the launcher.

There are also many other smaller, often imperceptible tweaks (like an increased number of autosave points), so we could go on and on. It’s worth stressing though, that all of these have been made to improve and existing experience, not replace it. And, as life-long game fans ourselves, there is something altogether noble in that.

Verdict

We’ve played several hours of each of the three Mass Effect games in the Legendary Edition, but haven’t yet completed them this time around (we have in the past, a couple of times). However, we think we’ve seen enough to be able to give an honest opinion.

This collection is like a masterwork or remastering of one of the great music albums. It doesn’t go completely to town, or likely far enough for some, but the subject matter has been treated with the reverence it deserves. Let’s face it, you’d be hard pushed to find better scripting or storytelling out there, even in the biggest budget, most modern games. That’s where the Mass Effect trilogy’s real heart lies – and you can slather on as much polish as you like, but that’s what will draw you back.

Newcomers might initially baulk at the in-game visuals and their many caveats, but once the story grips they’ll find themselves as enamoured as we all were first time around. As for the rest of us, this is like revisiting an old friend and regaling memorable tales – all 100 plus hours of them. Wonderful.

Writing by Rik Henderson. Editing by Mike Lowe.

Dyson Airwrap styler review: Because you’re worth it

(Pocket-lint) – Dyson has its fingers in several pies, from vacuum cleaners to hair care, all of which are pricey but deliver near-perfect results. The Dyson Supersonic might be the most expensive hair dryer on the market, for example, but having used that for a several years we’d not want to use anything else – it’s worthy of its price tag.

Can the same be said for Dyson’s second haircare device, a hair styler called the Airwrap? Yes, yes it most definitely can. Here’s why the Dyson Airwrap is the only hair styler you need in your life and, again, why the hard-to-stomach price tag is worth it in the long run.

Premium, superior design

Silver and pink finish
Digital V9 Motor in the handle
9 attachments available

Taking on a similar design to the Dyson Supersonic, the Dyson Airwrap oozes that premium build quality we’ve come to expect from Dyson products. It’s bigger than other curling tongs, and heavier too, but the points it loses for size, it more than claws back in performance.

Pocket-lint

As with the Dyson Supersonic hairdryer, the Dyson digital V9 motor sits in the handle, dispersing the weight evenly to make the Airwrap easy to manage and hold.

At the very top of the Airwrap’s silver handle is a mechanism for attaching the various accessories, with a release button below it. The accessories are therefore not connected via magnet – as they are with the Supersonic – but easily attached by twisting into place with a reassuring ‘snap’ for a secure fit.

It depends on the Airwrap model as to which accessories are included, with the Dyson Airwrap Styler Complete offering all nine attachments, while the Volume+Shape and Smooth+Control models offer seven attachments each (more on these in a little further down).

Pocket-lint

Below the release button on the main handle, there’s an on/off button with a cold burst option that’s activated when pushed all the way up and held. You’ll also find a heat setting button to the right of the on/off switch and a speed button to the left.

Dyson Airwrap technology: How does it work?

No extreme heat – nothing above 250-degrees
Glass thermistor measures temp 40 times/second
Wet to dry
Coanda effect

Anyone familiar with curling tongs or straighteners will have likely burned themselves at some point. It doesn’t matter how careful you are, they are notorious for their ability to clip your finger or face leaving a red mark in their absence.

Pocket-lint

The Dyson Airwrap styler is different though. For starters, it doesn’t use extreme temperatures, so while the barrel is still warm after and during use, we were able to touch it during and after 30 minutes of styling without any problems at all.

Even on full power and full heat, the Airwrap is designed to stay below 250C – because heat damage is claimed to occur to hair at this temperature and above. To ensure the temperature stays within that set limit, a glass thermistor measures the temperature 40 times a second, which is double the amount of the Supersonic.

The Airwrap is also a wet to dry styler, while most curling tongs require your hair to be bone dry if you don’t want to hear that dreaded frazzle as a ceramic tong finds a wet strand of hair. This might sound strange at first, but it’s one of the reasons we love the Airwrap so much – you don’t have to completely dry your hair to then curl it, thus saving time.

Pocket-lint

Hydrogen bonds in hair break when your hair is wet, according to Dyson. The idea behind Airwrap is to style your hair when the hydrogen bonds are broken, reforming them by using the cold shot above the on/off button on each styled section before you turn the styler off and release the section of hair.

The Airwrap also sets itself apart from other curling tongs thanks to the use of a technology called the Coanda effect. This is essentially the use of high speed jets of air that flow across a surface which sees your hair wrap itself around the Airwrap barrels (it’s like magic), meaning no moving parts like clips are necessary, nor high temperatures. It also smooths everything out, reducing frizz and you don’t get any dents in your hair from clips.

Fantastic performance

Hair needs to be around 80 percent dry
30 minutes for styled long, thick hair
Curls didn’t drop

Sounds pretty great right? No heat damage, no burns, requires wet hair and your hair wraps itself with minimal input from you. It’s basically the dream. We can honestly say the Dyson Airwrap is one of the best pieces of technology we have had the pleasure in testing.

Pocket-lint

However, the way it works takes a little time to get used to, and having the right dampness in your hair makes a big difference to the final result. But after a couple of trial runs, we achieved the exact finish we were after every single time.

We have very long, thick hair which is typically frizzy when allowed to dry naturally (we don’t allow this often, it’s a bad look on us). Prior to the Airwrap entering our lives, it would take an hour to style our hair from wet, whether curled or straight. Even a blow dry is an hour’s work for our hairdresser at the hair salon.

With the Dyson Airwrap, we can get out of the shower and have perfectly styled hair in 30 minutes. We also haven’t touched our GHD hair straighteners or curling tongs isince we’ve had Airwrap in our lives, though we do occasionally use the Dyson Corrale hair straightener.

Pocket-lint

We have the Dyson Airwrap Styler Complete model, which has both the 30mm Airwrap barrels and 40mm Airwrap barrels, both of which use the Coanda effect we mentioned previously. The Firm Smoothing Brush and Soft Smoothing Brush also both use the Coanda effect and, again, both are included with the Complete model.

We found ourselves using both barrel sizes regularly – there are two of each so you can swap when you do the other side of your head to save having the awkward twist of the wrist. We pre-dried our hair to about 80 per cent – still damp but not dripping – then we used the 40mm barrels for when we wanted softer curls and the 30mm barrels when we were after a tighter curl. We would often run through those tighter curls with our fingers for a more natural look though.

Pocket-lint

For our fringe, we used the Round Volumising Brush – which although doesn’t use the Coanda effect, it does allow you to create a blow-dried look. If we styled our hair with the Airwrap on a Saturday, for example, those fabulous curls would still be there on the Tuesday if we clipped it up at night. Sometimes they looked even better the day after, but more to the point, they didn’t drop at all.

We didn’t love the brushes as much as the barrels but that’s mainly because of how we like our hair styled. Ultimately you get both options so you can pick which suits you and your hair best.

The Volume+Shape Airwrap model, designed for fine hair, only has the 30mm Airwrap barrels and Soft Smoothing Brush attachments included, while the Smooth+Control model, designed for frizzy hair, only has the 40mm Airwrap barrels and Firm Smoothing Brush. As mentioned, the Complete model has all attachments, designed for households where different hair types that might share the device.

Pocket-lint

MULTIPLE ATTACHMENTS

All three models have a Pre-styling dryer and Round Volumising Brush, along with a Storage Case, Non-Slip Mat and Filter Cleaning Brush.

Verdict

The Dyson Airwrap Styler is an absolutely fantastic device. We recommended it all the time to friends and we have had countless compliments on not only the condition of our hair but how fabulous and bouncy we’ve managed to make it look – all in half the time it previously took us using other hair styling kits.

It takes a little bit of trial and error when using the Airwrap to get the right level of wetness in your hair, as well as working out exactly how much hair should be in each section and getting the technique right, but once you have mastered these things, you will never look back.

Yes, the £400 (or £450 depending on the model) asking price is an awful lot of money to pay for a hair styler, but in our experience the Dyson Airwrap is the only hair styler we ever want to use again. That makes it worth every single penny for the time it’s saved us alone!

Also consider…

Pocket-lint

Dyson Supersonic

squirrel_widget_148703

If you don’t want a full hair styler and you’ve got a great brush that you blow dry your hair with, try the Dyson Supersonic hairdryer. It’s a brilliant hair dryer, which like the Airwrap doesn’t use extreme heat, unlike other hair driers. The weight is also in the handle rather than the head, making it easier to hold.

Dyson Supersonic review

Pocket-lint

Dyson Corrale

squirrel_widget_233147

The Dyson Corrale is the company’s hair straightener and its third hair product. It’s flexible plates are great for reducing frizz and the cordless technology makes it very easy to style your hair whenever you are, whether you want curly or straight. It’s heavy though and the curls aren’t as natural as the Airwrap offers.

Dyson Corrale review

This review was first published in May 2019 and has been updated to reflect the current market and our continued experience.

Writing by Britta O’Boyle.