In an odd disclosure that comes after Intel recently released the details of its 11th-Generation Core Rocket Lake-S processors, the company has unveiled a “new” Adaptive Bost Technology that allows the chip to operate at up to 100C during normal operation. This new tech will feel decidedly familiar to AMD fans, as it operates in a very similar fashion to AMD’s existing boost mechanism that’s present in newer Ryzen processors. This marks the fourth boost technology to come standard with some Intel chips, but in true Intel style, the company only offers the new feature on its pricey Core i9 K and KF processors, giving it a new way to segment its product stack.
In a nutshell, the new Adaptive Boost Technology (ABT) feature allows Core i9 processors to dynamically boost to higher all-core frequencies based upon available thermal headroom and electrical conditions, so the peak frequencies can vary. It also allows the chip to operate at 100C during normal operation.
In contrast, Intel’s other boost technologies boost to pre-defined limits (defined in a frequency lookup table) based on the number of active cores, and you’re guaranteed that the chip can hit those frequencies if it is below a certain temperature and the motherboard can supply enough power. Even though Intel has defined a 5.1 GHz peak for ABT if three or more cores are active, it doesn’t come with a guaranteed frequency – peak frequencies will vary based upon the quality of your chip, cooler, PSU, and motherboard power circuitry.
Think of ABT much like a dynamic auto-overclocking feature. Still, because the chip stays within Intel’s spec of a 100C temperature limit, it is a supported feature that doesn’t fall into the same classification as overclocking. That means the chip stays fully within warranty if you choose to enable the feature (it’s disabled by default in the motherboard BIOS).
Intel does have another boost tech, Thermal Velocity Boost, that allows the processor to shift into slightly higher frequencies if the processor remains under a certain temperature threshold (70C for desktop chips). However, like Intel’s other approaches, it also relies upon a standard set of pre-defined values and you’re guaranteed that your chip can hit the assigned frequency.
In contrast, ABT uplift will vary by chip — much of the frequency uplift depends upon the quality of your chip. Hence, the silicon lottery comes into play, along with cooling and power delivery capabilities. We’ve included a breakdown of the various Intel boost technologies a bit further below.
Image 1 of 2
Image 2 of 2
Intel’s approach will often result in higher operating temperatures during intense work, but that doesn’t differ too much from AMD’s current approach because ABT is very similar to AMD’s Precision Boost 2 technology. AMD pioneered this boosting technique for desktop PCs with its Ryzen 3000 series, allowing the chip to boost higher based upon available thermal and electrical headroom, and not based on a lookup table. Still, the company dialed up the temperature limits with its Ryzen 5000 processors to extract the utmost performance within the chips’ maximum thermal specification.
As you can see in AMD’s official guidelines above, that means the processor can run at much higher temperatures than what we would previously perceive as normal, 95C is common with stock coolers, triggering some surprise from the enthusiast community. However, the higher temperatures are fully within AMD’s specifications, just as Intel’s upper limit of 100C will fall within its own boundaries.
Here’s the breakdown of Intel’s various boost mechanisms:
Turbo Boost 2.0: Increased frequency if chip operates below power, current, and temperature specifications.
Turbo Boost Max 3.0: Fastest cores are identified during binning, then the Windows scheduler targets the fastest two active cores (favored cores) with lightly-threaded applications. Chip must be below power, current, and temperature specifications.
Single-Core Thermal Velocity Boost: Fastest active favored core can boost higher than Turbo Boost Max 3.0 if below a pre-defined temperature threshold (70C) and all other factors adhere to TB 3.0 conditions.
All-Core Thermal Velocity Boost: Increases all-core frequency when all cores are active and the chip is under 70C.
Adaptive Boost Technology: Allows dynamic adjustment of all-core turbo frequencies when four or more cores are active. This feature doesn’t have a guaranteed boost threshold — it will vary based on chip quality, your cooler, and power delivery.
Overall, AMD’s Precision Boost 2 and Intel’s Adaptive Boost Technology represent both company’s attempts to extract the maximum performance possible within the confines of their respective TDP limits. In its traditional style, AMD offers the feature as a standard on all of its newer Ryzen processors, while Intel positions it as a premium feature for its highest-end Core i9 K and KF processors. As you would imagine, we’ll have full testing of the feature in our coming review.
(Pocket-lint) – We reviewed the original Bose SoundLink Revolve back in 2017. So to see the “Plus” model back three years later for the sequel – which adds better water-resistance and improved battery life – surely spells portable speaker perfection?
Well, it depends how you look at it. Sure, the SoundLink Revolve+ II has those minor improvement points, but the design otherwise remains as it was – including the older Micro-USB connector – which seems a little odd considering the more advanced yet similarly priced Bose Portable Home Speaker has launched in the interim.
What the SoundLink Revolve+ II really delivers upon is portability and 360-degree sound output so that could make it your outdoor summer soundtrack partner (hopefully with some friends too, eh, 2021?).
Design & Setup
Dimensions: 184mm tall x 105mm diameter (widest) / Weight: 900g
Connectivity: Bluetooth, 3.5mm/AUX, USB
Bose Connect app (iOS & Android)
On-body controls, voice prompts
Finishes: Luxe Silver, Triple Black
IP55 weather-resistant design
Bose makes a number of semi-conical speakers, delivering its typical stylish design language here in the SoundLink Revolve+ II. There’s no seams to the metal centre unit, with uniformly drilled holes allowing sound to perforate the full 360-degrees of output.
Also typical of Bose design is a rubber-like cap up top, which can handle a few knocks and bumps no problem, and is also where the on-board controls live. You can control Bluetooth pairing, source, and volume up/down from here if you’re not using the app instead.
There’s also a flexible fabric handle to make portability even easier – not that this speaker is especially heavy, at under a kilo. However, there’s no charging base, like the one you’ll find in the Bose Portable Home Speaker, but you can buy one as an optional extra at your own cost.
That IP55 rating might sound meaningless unless you get the full description: the first ‘5’ means it can withstand limited dust ingress from its electrical enclosures; the second ‘5’ means it can withstand low jets of water from any direction. It’s not waterproof, therefore, so don’t go lobbing it in the pool – but a splash won’t be a bother.
Best Alexa speakers 2021: Top Amazon Echo alternatives
By Britta O’Boyle
·
When it comes to setting up the SoundLink Revolve+ II your main option is Bluetooth (otherwise it’s wired AUX or USB). If connecting from a mobile device you’ll be prompted to obtain the Bose Connect app – available for Google Android and Apple iOS – which will walk you through the process.
It’s here – on the speaker itself – that you’ll begin to hear voice prompts, i.e. spoken word, to help guide you through everything too. The spoken word form is very Bose – the same as you’ll find in its other devices, such as the NC 700 Headphones.
Otherwise connectivity is fairly straightforward. There’s no Wi-Fi, so no Airplay or Chromecast, with the target being casual indoor and outdoor listening. To that end, again, the Bose Portable Home Speaker is much better connected overall – while still being portable and weather-resistant.
Sound Quality
Dual passive radiators, single down-firing transducer
Pair to other Bose Home speakers
Battery life: to 17 hours quoted
360-degree sound output
As we said of the original: “Good sound quality from a Bose product is almost taken as a given. If there’s a Bose logo on it, it’ll be well balanced and easy listening.”
The same rings true for the SoundLink Revolve+ II: the sound is projected from every angle using an internal deflector, providing largely uniform and believable sound from whichever angle you’re listening.
Rather than going down the route of having multiple little speakers all pointing in different directions, the Revolve+ II has one main speaker that points downward, using the deflector at the base to bounce the sound out in all directions.
This design gives the speaker grounding, while two passive bass radiators and enough air space – despite the small size – seeing to pretty considerable bass output too. So whether you like your underground dance music, impactful rock, or something more poppy or easy-listening, this speaker can handle it all.
Indeed, to the point that it fills up even pretty large rooms. Not as convincingly as a larger system, but given just how small this Bose product is the sound is well beyond its size.
Volume is decent too, remaining convincing throughout its mid levels. Crank it up loud the bass can’t keep up with the dynamic, though, which is a tell-tale of the product’s scale.
In terms of longevity the 17 hours quoted seems accurate from our week of medium-level listening sessions. That’s always going to be dependent on volume factors, but at least you’ll get voice prompts about battery so you can assess expectations with reasonable accuracy too.
Verdict
If you’re looking for a stylish portable Bluetooth speaker then the SoundLink Revolve+ II is a great little speaker. It exudes style and sounds great through 360-degrees too.
It’s the context of where it sits that’s a little more challenging. We’d opt for the Bose Portable Home Speaker for the extra sound and connectivity. And as the second-gen Revolve’s design hasn’t evolved beyond the original there’s also the temptation to look back at other older products, of which there are many for a cut of the asking price. squi
Also consider
Bose Portable Home Speaker
squirrel_widget_3491108
Although it was release before the SoundLink Revolve+ II, the newer design brings USB-C, greater connectivity, and, to our ears, greater sound quality too. There’s some water-resistance, plus an included charging stand, which makes this the product to plump for – and only for a touch more cash in any event.
Read our review
Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3
squirrel_widget_145462
It might be older, but it’s a chunk of cash less than the Bose, still sounds massive, plus there’s full water-proofing to put it a cut above. However, it’s with design where the Bose takes extra points.
(Pocket-lint) – The HP Spectre x360 13 is a bit of a dream convertible laptop. Not much has changed in this 2020-2021 version apart from a shift to Intel’s 11th Gen processors. But these bring a significant jump in performance, especially for gaming, with no downsides.
You have plenty of laptops to choose from with this much cash to spend. You could get a (admittedly non-convertible) MacBook Air, a Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, or a Lenovo Yoga 9i (although the Shadow Black model we saw we can’t recommend).
Particular benefits of the HP Spectre x360 13 include an ultra-small footprint, a near-perfect hinge design that’s far more sturdy than most, and a great keyboard. This is a style laptop that doesn’t compromise on the basics, and that matters because no matter how expensive a laptop looks or feels, you always take the outer gloss for granted quickly enough.
Design
Dimensions: 16.9 x 194.5 x 306mm
Weight: 1.3kg (1.28kg measured)
Unibody aluminium shell
HP Spectre laptops are some of the most striking, and perhaps contentious, slim-and-light models we review all year. The HP Spectre x360 13’s look hasn’t changed much in this latest generation, but is still worth a mention.
It has a thing for angles – like the 45-degree cut-outs in the corners, and peaked contoured edges. It all gives the Spectre x360 a distinct and angular appearance – but not one that all will instantly like. However, HP tempers the look by keeping everything bar the screen border a sedate silver. A couple more striking two-tone finishes are available if you want to fully embrace the Spectre’s provocative style.
All the HP Spectre x360 13’s panels are aluminium, rather than magnesium. HP could have used the latter to bring the weight below its currently perfectly respectable ~1.3kg. But then you’d lose some of the cool, metallic feel that works hand-in-hand with the laptop’s severe look.
The Spectre x360 13’s build is exceptional too. There is zero keyboard flex, real Apple-grade rigidity, and the integrity of the flippy hinge is best-in-class stuff.
Use the rival Samsung Galaxy Book Flex 2 on your knees and you’ll notice the screen actually wobbles slightly from the motion. There’s almost none of that in the Spectre x360.
However, the HP’s footprint is actually one of the most notable things here. The Spectre x360 is tiny for a 13-inch machine, shaving off a significant amount of depth. Some of you won’t appreciate this as much as the sub-1kg weight of lighter alternatives. But it helps this laptop fit in smaller bags or onto cramped tables.
Screen
13-inch IPS LCD touchscreen with stylus support
Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels)
100% sRGB colour, 460-nit brightness
Part of this footprint is down to HP’s cutting down of the screen border at the bottom edge. And, of course, because the HP Spectre x360 13 has a widescreen display rather than the 3:2 aspect ratio some prefer for productivity apps.
Are you in that crowd? HP caters for you too, now. Hunt down the 14-inch version of the HP Spectre x360 13, which trades the small footprint for more screen space and a larger touchpad. Yes, a “14 13”, weird naming, isn’t it?
HP sent us the “entry-level” screen version of the HP Spectre x360 13. It has a Full HD IPS LCD screen, rather than the 4K OLED you can get if you’re willing to spend more (and probably sacrifice battery life as a result)
This LCD isn’t a true wide colour gamut screen – but we still think it is great. It delivers very high contrast for this style of display, making blacks look rich and deep even when the brightness is maxed. And that top brightness is high enough to work outdoors comfortably enough.
Resolution is the one obvious shortfall. While 1080p lets you see slight pixellation in text – which is why you might choose to buy a MacBook Air instead – it’s still not a low resolution per se. Where almost all Windows laptops of this type offer 1080p as a starting resolution, and an ultra-high res one as a pricey upgrade, all MacBook Air models have 1600p screens, which wipe out that slight pixellation.
The HP Spectre x360 13 also supports a digitiser stylus, with pressure sensitivity. Looking online, it seems you may get one in the box with some packages, but ours didn’t include the stylus (based in the UK, so it may be a regional thing). This doesn’t seem as essential an accessory as it does in the Lenovo Yoga 9i, though, as there’s nowhere to store then pen in the laptop itself.
Keyboard and Touchpad
2-level backlight
Textured glass touchpad
The HP Spectre x360 13 is at heart a pretty straightforward laptop. It’s a good job, then, that HP has the basics aced.
For one, it has a very good keyboard. There’s plenty of key travel, zero flex to the keyboard plate, and meaty-but-quiet feedback when you press the keys. This is not necessarily what you’d expect from a style-driven portable laptop in 2021. But HP has not forgotten this element is pretty important for those who actually work eight hours a day in front of the thing.
There’s a two-level backlight for confidence when typing in darker rooms. And the only concession to the Spectre’s low-depth case design is that a row of function buttons are shifted to the right of the keyboard. We guarantee you’ll press Page Up/Down accidentally a hundred times, but you’ll get used to the layout in the end.
The touchpad is trimmed down more substantially to fit the Spectre x360 13’s shape, but is still very good. It has a smooth textured glass surface, and a confident clicker that isn’t affected by pressure places around the pad itself.
There’s a hint of pre-click float, which is usually something to complain about. But here it actually seems deliberate, to lend the pad a greater sense of click depth.
The HP Spectre x360 13 also has a little fingerprint scanner, below the arrow keys. It is not as subtle as a pad built into a keyboard key or a power button, but then HP doesn’t exactly have much space to work with here and its responsiveness is sound enough. Plus, as you can see, subtlety isn’t the name of the game when it comes to design.
There’s also, sadly, no room for a good webcam. A 720p camera sits in the screen surround, and it doles out a soft, noisy image like the vast majority of laptops in this class. Puts it on par with a MacBook then, but that’s another way of saying it’s not nearly good enough for this day and age.
Performance
Intel Core i7-1165g7 CPU
16GB DDR4 RAM
512GB Intel Optane SSD
The HP Spectre x360 13 is an Intel Evo laptop. This is a new quality seal from Intel that ensures you get quick-resume from sleep, a Thunderbolt 4 port, fairly fast charging, and good battery life too. And it all revolves around Intel’s 11th Gen processors.
Our HP Spectre x360 13 has an Intel Core i7-1165g7 processor with 16GB RAM and a 512GB Intel Optane SSD. This makes Windows 10 fly. And while it doesn’t quite have the raw power of the MacBook Pro’s M1 processor, there are not going to be any compatibility headaches – as this is a more conventional CPU.
Gaming is the most noticeable performance improvement you’ll see in this generation. Laptops like this traditionally use the graphics chipset baked into the main processor, and Intel’s traditionally are not all that good. But the HP Spectre x360 13 has the Intel Xe chipset, which brings performance up to that of an entry-level Nvidia dedicated graphics card.
We’ve tested a bunch of laptops with Xe graphics recently. They let you play Skyrim at Ultra graphics settings, Subnautica at a fairly pretty Medium, Euro Truck Simulator 2 with everything turned on, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance at 900p with good results.
How about GTA V? That runs just fine too, delivering frame rates in the 40s at the default graphics settings. Intel has finally caught up with AMD, delivering results similar to what you’d see in a Ryzen 7 4700U laptop – like the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 – or a last-gen Intel one with a dedicated Nvidia MX350 graphics card.
We’ve been waiting for this moment for ages: you can treat a laptop like the HP Spectre x360 13 a bit like a last-gen games console, even though it is not remotely made for the purpose.
The HP Spectre x360 13 is also silent when you do light work that doesn’t tax the processor, causing the fans to start spinning. These latest-generation chipsets seem to have a better handle on heat than their predecessors. It’s not silent when you run GTA V, of course, but avoids the annoying high-pitch whirr you sometimes get with small laptops.
The HP Spectre x360 13’s speakers are reasonable, but not quite as the same level as those of a MacBook Pro or Lenovo Yoga 9i. There’s the small portion of bass that largely separates good speakers from poor ones and the tone is even enough, but maximum volume doesn’t break out of the so-so laptop mould.
Battery Life
60Wh battery
65W charger
USB-C charging
The HP Spectre x360 13 has a 60Wh battery – the same size this series has used for a few generations now. It’s a mid-size battery – which is no surprise given the laptop’s footprint – but lasts very well considering the laptop uses an Intel CPU, which aren’t quite as frugal on power as the latest AMD Ryzen models.
Best laptop 2021: Top general and premium notebooks for working from home and more
By Dan Grabham
·
In our hands it lasted 12 hours 15 minutes when streaming video over Wi-Fi at the sort of brightness level you might use indoors. Not bad, right? The Intel Evo mark guarantees nine hours of general use, so the HP Spectre x360 13 is a good way ahead of that.
Its charger is a 65W brick – uh oh, it’s not exactly in keeping with the laptop’s elegant style – but at least it’ll bring the charge to around 50 per cent in a mere half-hour.
Verdict
The HP Spectre x360 13 is a laptop focused on quality. Its build is exceptional. You get the cool and hard feel of aluminium, very low-flex panels and a non-wobbly convertible display hinge. Its keyboard is far better than the thin, clicky designs used in plenty of slim laptops. And while the weight isn’t dramatically low, this laptop’s footprint is among the smallest in its class.
Sure, you don’t get a slot-in stylus and for the deepest display colour you’ll need to upgrade to the 4K OLED version, but HP has aced the parts that affect your day-to-day experience using this machine. Don’t be confused by the funky angular design, HP knows the importance of getting the basics right. Oh, and it costs less than the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, which is an added bonus. It’s top marks all round.
View offer on HP Store (sponsored link)
Also consider
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
squirrel_widget_167666
It’s pricier for the same spec, but you have to pay big to get the comparable Dell XPS convertible. It also has a shallower keyboard and a larger footprint, although the touchpad is a lot bigger too, which may appeal.
Read our review
MacBook Air
squirrel_widget_334337
Apple doesn’t make a convertible laptop – but the Air is probably the laptop you might consider in this HP’s stead. It has a sharper display and doesn’t use a fan at all, so stays silent 24/7. However, the keyboard is shallower, which may be an issue for those who spend a lot of typing tapping out emails and docs.
It’s time to dust-off your union jack, give any British hi-fi you own an extra workout and polish, and celebrate the best of British hi-fi with us. Next week we’ll be saluting some of the most influential British brands, products and technologies to have appeared in What Hi-Fi?.
We’ll also be speaking to Cyrus about its all-new XR Series, asking hi-fi brands what ‘British sound’ is to them, and bringing you fresh reviews of British hi-fi kit from Wharfedale, Cambridge Audio, KEF and Spendor. And that’s not all!
While the definition of a British company has become increasingly blurred, there remains a great number of audio companies from the British Isles that have delivered (and, in the face of Brexit, overcome adversities to continue to deliver) great hi-fi products for our listening pleasure.
From speakers to streamers, amplifiers to turntables, British hi-fi continues to punch above its weight when it comes to delivering great sound. And even as the world becomes smaller, and we all have the chance to see, hear, review and buy products from all over the globe (something we’re very happy about), rest assured What Hi-Fi? will continue to champion the best of British.
In the meantime, here are some features from British Hi-Fi Week 2020:
10 of the best British hi-fi products of the decade
8 British audio firsts that made hi-fidelity sound possible
The making of: the legendary ATC SCM50
50 great British albums to test your hi-fi system
13 absurd and amusing British adverts from the What Hi-Fi? archives
With memory prices falling, now is a great time to be looking for memory upgrades. Fall hardware releases are in full swing, there is competition from both Intel and AMD, and the Red brand has thoroughly fixed the memory issues of generations past. No longer do users have to worry about memory compatibility or shopping for expensive AMD-branded kits. With 3200 MHz natively supported on the new Ryzen platform, options for enthusiasts have never been more open.
The XPG SPECTRIX D50 Xtreme shares a lot of DNA with the D60G. The D60G is a memory kit that has been designed from the ground up to be the ultimate RGB LED solution for the memory market. The D50 trades some of that fancy RGB for a hefty aluminium heat spreader, which results in both a more subdued look and better thermal performance. The XPG SPECTRIX D50 Xtreme comes in speeds of up to 5000 MHz and capacities of up to 32 GB.
The XPG SPECTRIX D50 Xtreme kit I have for testing today features two 8 GB sticks at a blistering 5000 MHz with 19-28-28-46 timings. So does the XPG SPECTRIX D50 Xtreme live up to its extreme name?
NASA test-fired the core stage of its massive Space Launch System rocket in Mississippi on Thursday. The team appeared to clinch its second attempt at a hot-fire run after cutting short an initial firing in January. Pending a review of the test’s data, engineers are aiming to ship the rocket stage to Florida ahead of its debut test flight to the Moon under NASA’s Artemis program.
Mounted in a behemoth test facility at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, the 212-foot-tall rocket stage’s four RS-25 engines ignited together for over eight minutes to test the conditions of a real liftoff. NASA and its prime contractor, Boeing, needed to reach at least four minutes of continuous test time to call it a success. With eight minutes, “they should have gotten what they need,” NASA spokeswoman Leigh D’Angelo said.
“They clearly got the full duration they were after, which is really great news,” NASA’s Green Run campaign manager Bill Wrobel said right after the engines shut down. “Clearly there’s a lot of data that has to be analyzed.”
The engine run was a crucial last step in the SLS program’s so-called Green Run test campaign. If the data checks out, it will make its way via boat to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for final assembly. The rocket’s first launch, Artemis I, will send an uncrewed Orion astronaut capsule on a trip around the Moon early next year.
You might think this week is pretty nondescript, just another stop on the way to Easter. But there’s a big promotion going on across loads of big-name digital movie services that sees 4K flicks selling for just £2.99.
It’s called Unforgettable Entertainment, and it’s part of a push by Digital Entertainment Group Europe (DEGE) and the British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE) to promote digital entertainment. It’s been running since 2019, and was previously called Mega Movie Week.
So who’s taking part? Pretty much everyone, including Rakuten, Chili, Sky Store, Google Play Movies & Film, Amazon Prime Video, and BT.
And it’s not just films that are on offer. Here’s a selection of what’s available.
Sky Store
His Dark Materials S1: was £16.99 now £3.99
Joker: was £13.99 now £4.99
Avengers End Game: was £13.99 now £4.99
Hard Kill: was £5.99 now £2.99
Microsoft Store
Bad Boys For Life: was £7.99 now £4.99
Charlie’s Angels: was £7.99 now £3.99
Get Out: was £8.99 now £2.99
Men In Black: was £7.99 now £2.99
Rakuten TV
Knives Out: was £10.99 now £4.99
Dirty Dancing: was £7.99 now £2.99
Trolls World Tour: was £9.99 now £5.99
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood: was £10.99 now £4.99
CHILI
Spider-Man: Homecoming: was £6.99 now £5.99
They Shall Not Grow Old: was £7.99 now £2.99
Bridesmaids: was £9.99 now £2.99
Interstellar: was £7.99 now £4.99
As you can see, there’s everything from classics to new releases in 4K HDR and HD as well.
The promotion lasts until 21st March – that’s Sunday. So don’t delay, get watching this weekend.
MORE:
Compare Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K vs Apple TV 4K: which is better?
(Pocket-lint) – Arlo has been refining and expanding its offering over the past few years, with the Arlo Pro cameras moving to their third version and evolving into the Pro 3 Floodlight Camera, a hybrid of two areas that Arlo operates in – cameras and lighting.
While most Arlo cameras now offer some sort of LED illumination, the Floodlight goes a lot further, crossing over into space that was previously dominated by dedicated security lights. So is this fusion a best of both worlds?
Design and installation
Dimensions: 218.5 x 77.9 x 190.5mm / Weight: 650g
Wire-free installation
Waterproof
The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera essentially looks like an Arlo Pro 3 camera sitting in the middle of an LED bar. The design maintains a familiar look to the body of the camera, the big difference being that spread of lights to the front. But this camera is longer in the body than the regular Pro 3 too and has a more substantial wall-mount to accommodate the additional weight.
As before, there are two main components to the light: the wall mount and the casing; and the camera, light and battery assembly. The latter combination slides into the casing and clicks into place.
That means there are no seams or joints on the body, the only place where there’s a joint is around the end of the casing where it meets the back of the light – and well sealed to keep water out. It’s survived some heavy rain and having used Arlo cameras over a number of years, we’ve found them to be waterproof, so no concerns here.
There’s also no way to lock the camera into the housing, you just have to press a button to release it. That’s not a problem for cameras mounted high, but if it’s within reach, it could potentially be removed easily – and not necessarily by yourself.
Installation is simple, because there’s no need for a wired connection, it’s a battery-operated device. That means you can position the light wherever you please, but you will have to drill into the wall to secure the mounting plate. All the screws and wall plugs are supplied in the box, and it’s a quick job to get it up there.
Once the mounting plate is in place, you can attach the remainder of the casing, secured with another screw so it can’t be easily removed. Then the camera assembly slides into the housing and locks into place. The angle can be adjusted, with a ring around the base of the mount to tighten it all up and keep the camera pointing in the right direction.
Arlo has an healthy range of accessories and if you’d rather have this as a wired device, you can buy a charger that magnetically fixes to the bottom, while there’s also a solar charger option too.
squirrel_widget_3330778
Setup and the Arlo system
2.4GHz Wi-Fi or SmartHub or Base Station connection
Arlo app control
The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight will either act as a standalone camera – connected to your Wi-Fi network – or it can connect to an Arlo SmartHub or older Arlo Base Station. In some previous devices the SmartHub was obligatory, but the Pro 3 Floodlight gives you a little more freedom, meaning it’s a more affordable route to getting a single Arlo device up and running.
Using the SmartHub means you get 2K local streaming and 2K local recording on a microSD card, as well as auto zoom and tracking features, so it delivers a wider array of features than the standalone route.
Setup is all managed by the Arlo app on your smartphone and that’s the place to start. Given the size of the camera, it’s worth charging and connecting before you put it in place on your wall, just to make sure everything is working correctly – something that’s easier to do when you don’t have to worry about climbing up and down a ladder repeatedly.
The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight will happily work within an existing Arlo system, the main advantage here being much more substantial illumination.
Once connected and installed, you’ll have to decide how your camera behaves. Unlike some systems, Arlo doesn’t just start recording everything automatically, you have to decide what you want the camera to do. This is important because they are battery operated and capturing every movement will soon drain the battery.
As this is both a light and a camera, you also have to decide if you want to separate these functions. You can choose, for example, to have the light come on when movement or sound is detected, or you can have video captured, or both. Depending on how and where you install the camera, you do at least get the chance to choose and via the app you can create operation modes to cover all your needs.
Talking about battery life, Arlo says that the battery will last 6 months, although we suspect that’s in an environment where it’s not triggered. We suspect the typical battery life would be around 3 months, but it’s going to depend on things like the temperature and how much you capture – dependent on the volume of usage. We’re on track for about 2 months of usage, but we have the device illuminating on motion detection and capturing the cats coming and going on the garden whenever it’s triggered.
Recharging takes 5-6 hours for this extended battery pack and you have to remove the entire camera array to plug it in via Micro-USB to get it recharging. For those who don’t want to worry about battery life, we’d recommend the solar panel to keep it running instead.
Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera performance
2K HDR video capture (2560 x 1440 resolution)
2-3000 lumen floodlight
160-degree wide angle
Built-in siren
2-way audio
The camera on the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight is basically the same as the Arlo Pro 3. That gives you a great wide-angle lens covering 160-degrees, with the option to reduce that angle of capture if you want something narrower.
The Roborock S7 robot vacuum – we have just entered a new era of automated cleaning, and it’s amazing
By Pocket-lint Promotion
·
There’s a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, although you can opt for lower resolution if you want. To view those 2K videos you’ll need a device that supports HEVC (iOS 9 or later, Android 5 or later), but that covers most smartphones from beyond the past few years. The advantage that a higher resolution offers is that you can zoom in to see a little more detail on captured video if you need.
It’s a good resolution, able to capture plenty of detail and thanks to that huge floodlight on the front, when triggered in low light, you’ll get high quality video at night too. It’s better than the non-Floodlight version because there’s a lot more light available for night-time capture, although for some it might be too bright and be irritating to neighbours – but you can also change the brightness.
You can capture night video without the floodlight, with IR illumination able to provide some coverage, although not to the same extent as the full floodlight experience and that’s rather more basic – but still useful.
With all that light available, the Pro 3 Floodlight also works great as a welcome home light, even if you only have video capture when you’re away from home. Via the app you can also manually turn on the light, which is useful if you want to do something outside when it’s dark.
Motion detection can be defined in zones (if you’re an Arlo Smart subscriber), which means you can choose not to have it triggered by passing cars, only motion on the driveway, for example. You can also set the sensitivity for motion or audio triggers. As we said above, these triggers can be ascribed to both the camera, the light or both together.
Able to capture audio, you can also talk through the Arlo’s built-in speaker, meaning you can converse with someone you catch doing something you’re not happy with – while there’s also a siren that you can manually trigger, or have automatically trigger, which you probably don’t want outdoors, but could be useful if you’re using it to monitor your garage or storage shed.
As with other recent Arlo devices, you’ll need an Arlo Smart subscription to get the most from the Pro 3 Floodlight Camera – priced at $2.99/£2.99 a month. That unlocks smart features like like the detection zones, auto pan and zoom, and 2K video cloud storage for 30 days.
It’s all about the Arlo app
Voice assistant compatibility
Remote monitoring
Customisation
While the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera can act as a standalone device, it works best as part of a system. That’s because you’ll need to use the Arlo app to control it – and it’s better to have one app, rather than a collection of apps to control a range of cameras from different manufacturers.
Unlike something like a lightbulb, the range of options that Arlo presents means there’s a lot more to get to grips with, but there’s some integration with other systems, like Apple Homekit, Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT and SmartThings. You can, for example, view your Arlo cameras through a device such as the Amazon Echo Show, but we still maintain it’s better to use the Arlo app directly, as you can then view your history and have full control of your devices.
You can also have voice-controlled activation of your Smart Hub. This will allow you to arm your Arlo system via voice through a virtual assistant like Amazon Alexa – with the option to have PIN protection for voice disarming too.
The Arlo app, on the whole, is good. It takes some time to learn your way around it and explore the wealth of features, but it’s generally stable. There will be the occasional time when you open the app to have it reported that you have no connection and can’t see any cameras, but generally restarting the app (and checking you actually have a connection of course) resolves that.
Alerts can be customised and with an Arlo Smart subscription, you can choose the type of alert you want too – such as vehicle, animal or person. You then receive a rich notification on your smartphone, getting a thumbnail of the person detected, for example.
Verdict
Arlo is one of the most popular home camera brands and it’s easy to see why, thanks to the versatility that the system offers. The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera offers all the advantages of the Arlo camera system, but with that powerful lighting giving you more options – and the flexibility to choose how it is used.
It’s a bit of a big beast, but given that you could remove your regular floodlight once you have the Arlo in place probably offsets that worry.
Overall the great performance, good quality video night and day, along with a wire-free setup and the option for hub-free operation means it’s great on its own or as part of a wider system of cameras.
Alternatives to consider
Ring Floodlight Cam
squirrel_widget_143406
Less pretty than the Arlo, this camera offers greater flexibility with directional spotlights. It’s around the same sort of price, but uses the Ring system instead, with a 1080p camera, although it is a wired camera.
Read the Ring Floodlight Cam review
Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera
squirrel_widget_336177
The Netatmo camera is wired – designed to replace an existing outside light – so it’s not quite as simple as the Arlo, but it does come with no ongoing costs. That’s because it saves the footage to internal storage which you can then access via the smartphone app. It’s a 1080p camera.
We could see new iPad Pros launch next month, according to Bloomberg, with one model due a significant upgrade in screen tech.
The site’s sources say that the 12.9in iPad Pro will get a Mini LED display. This would have better contrast ratios than the existing OLED panel, and be less susceptible to burn-in.
It’s not the first we’ve heard about the tech coming to Apple devices, either. Back in 2019, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed the firm was working on Mini LED-equipped laptops and tablets. He also predicted that Apple would debut the tech in the 12.9in iPad Pro. So there’s a lot in this story that stacks up.
The new Pros are thought to look similar to the current models, but with speedier processors inside. In fact, performance should be “on a par” with Apple’s M1 MacBook Airs, MacBook Pros and Mac Mini, the report says.
Apple’s M1 devices launched last year, and are the first to feature Apple’s own silicon chips, marking a break from Intel’s processors. With Apple making the hardware and software, performance has increased significantly, with noted gains in battery life.
Both the new iPad Pros are also thought to feature new cameras. Both have reportedly been tested with Thunderbolt ports, which would transfer data quicker than the current USB-C. But there’s no word on whether they will launch with Thunderbolt or USB-C.
It’s not just new Pros that Apple has in the iPad pipeline. The company is reportedly working on an iPad Mini with a bigger screen than the current 7.9in, and a standard iPad that’s slimmer and lighter than the current model (that tallies with what we’ve already heard).
Both should launch later this year, possibly around September, a year on from the last iPad range refresh. Of course, that’s also when we’re expecting to see the iPhone 13 launch. Better start saving.
MORE:
Read our in-depth review of the Apple iPad (2020)
Find the perfect Apple tablet for you: best iPads
Apple’s first over-ear headphones rated: AirPods Max
Everything we know so far about the rumoured AirPods 3
Wharfedale’s Diamond 12.3 floorstanders are refined, entertaining and well built. What’s not to like?
For
Superbly balanced presentation
Expressive and revealing midrange
Pleasing build and finish
Against
Nothing at this price
Mention the words ‘Wharfedale Diamond’, and the image that comes to mind is that of a small talented budget standmounters. That description applies to the originals from 1982, as well as the star performers from subsequent generations.
What of the various Diamond floorstanders? As a breed, they have proven to be solid over the years but relatively unremarkable on the whole. Wharfedale, like pretty much every other speaker brand out there, has struggled to make a properly musical budget tower. Until now that is.
While the new 12.3 can’t truly be called budget, they do sit at the more affordable end of the market. Most importantly, they have a musical performance that, if anything, impresses us even more than that delivered by the lauded Diamond 12.1 standmounters.
Build
Wharfedale tends to start with a clean sheet every few generations of the Diamond, and so it is with the 12 series. The cabinet is a carefully crafted, straight-edged design that’s strategically braced to provide a solid and low resonance platform for the drive units to work from. It’s all wrapped in a neat, classy finish that belies the 12.3’s modest price. We even like the tidy feet arrangement and smart design of the spikes.
Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 tech specs
Type 2.5-way floorstander
Sensitivity 89dB
Nominal impedance 8ohms
Frequency response 45Hz – 20kHz
Dimensions (hwd) 98 x 18 x 32cm
Weight 19.5kg (each)
These speakers are available in four finishes: black, walnut, white and a rather classy light oak. And the drive units are just as admirable. The 12.3 are a 2.5-way design where the upper 13cm driver covers everything from midrange downwards, leaving the second one to reinforce the lows. Both drivers use a cone material called Klarity, a mix of polypropylene and mica, claimed to be light, rigid and well damped.
Wharfedale follows standard industry practice by using the same tweeter throughout the Diamond 12 range. It’s a 25mm coated woven polyester soft dome, and a good one it is too. A carefully shaped faceplate leaves as much of the dome exposed as possible, and the contouring closest to the dome is there to provide a small degree of horn loading.
Combined with a carefully calibrated, relatively sophisticated crossover, the result is a speaker with a sensitivity of 89dB/W/m and a nominal impedance that’s quoted as being 8ohm compatible.
Perhaps it’s more useful to know that the minimum impedance is 5ohms, which means these floorstanders are unlikely to give any decent price-compatible amplifier a problem.
At just short of 98cm tall, the 12.3 aren’t massive speakers, but they still perform best if given a little room to breathe. We find they work well if positioned at least 50cm from the rear wall; we settle on 90cm in our test room. Similarly, keep them at least 70cm away from the sidewalls if you want to maximise stereo imaging, sonic balance and clarity. A bit of angle towards the listening position helps to firm the stereo imaging, too, but the 12.3’s broad dispersion characteristics mean that you don’t have to be millimetre-perfect to get good results.
Speakers at this level have a difficult job to do: they have to be forgiving enough to sound acceptable with budget all-in-one electronics but still have the transparency to make the most of the best price-compatible separate components around.
Compatibility
The Diamond 12.3 are masters at juggling these almost contradictory demands. They’re smooth, even-handed and wonderfully refined for the money. Feed them a poor signal and they are skilled at revealing the shortcomings without shouting about them. They’ll round off rough edges and downplay unwanted aggression without sounding like they’re smothering the life out of the music.
But given a good source and suitably capable amplification, they perform superbly. While we use our usual reference Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and Burmester 088/911 Mk3 amplifier for part of the test, the bulk of our listening is done with more price compatible electronics in the form of the Marantz PM6007 amplifier and Cambridge CXN streamer. Regardless of the combination, these Wharfedales work a treat.
Sound
Feed them Trance Frendz by Ólafur Arnalds and they deliver a lovely layered sound that’s brimming with detail and dynamic nuance. These speakers capture the album’s laid-back rhythms in a pleasingly sure-footed manner and don’t get tripped up when things get complex.
They resolve a large amount of information but also present it in an organised and controlled way. The Wharfedale’s chief rival is the multiple Award-winning Fyne Audio F302, which sound more enthusiastic but are notably less refined at high frequencies and lack the Diamond’s innate sophistication.
As we move from Jay Z’s Blueprint 3 to Kate Bush’s Hounds Of Love, we appreciate the 12.3’s articulate and expressive midrange and the seamless integration between the drive units. We like how Wharfedale has avoided excess; there’s enough bass weight to satisfy but not so much that it spoils the balance of the presentation. The lows are agile, satisfyingly rich and textured with it.
These Diamonds also sound good at lower volume levels. Too often we come across speakers that only come alive when pushed hard, but the 12.3 can be enjoyed at levels that won’t wake the kids or upset the neighbours late at night. That counts for a lot in our books.
Play them louder and these speakers don’t complain. They deliver Hans Zimmer’s raucous The Battle from the Gladiator OST with verve, tracking the brutal dynamics well. There’s punch and power when required, but also a level of subtlety that’s rare to find in a floorstander at this price. You can add an even tonal balance and stable stereo imaging to the list of plus points, too.
Verdict
It’s tough to make a truly talented affordable floorstander, but Wharfedale has cracked it with the 12.3. They are terrifically accomplished for the money and good enough to claim a space in the Diamond’s hall of fame. Don’t buy another tower at this level without hearing this one first.
Looking for a brand new Dolby Atmos soundbar? Bluesound just added the Pulse Soundbar+ to its lineup of wireless home cinema products, and this one features a ‘3D immersive audio engine’ with support for Dolby Atmos. Bluesound says the Soundbar+ takes the firm’s original Pulse Soundbar 2i (which we awarded a highly-commended four stars under intense review) and pushes its credentials even further.
The Pulse Soundbar+ is billed as the “ultimate audiophile-grade soundbar that will satisfy any home entertainment need” and to that end it offers support for Dolby Atmos, 24-bit high resolution audio, 120W of full-frequency multi-room and multi-channel audio, a choice of black or white finishes and is configurable to a range of home entertainment applications. It also comes supplied with a wall mount bracket as well as two kickstand feet (if you don’t want it on your wall).
Designed to fit perfectly under HD TVs, the Pulse Soundbar+ promises a fully immersive sonic experience thanks to a “full audio-chain redesign with advanced DSP processing” that now supports 3D audio from Dolby Atmos, meaning a wider, higher, and more enveloping soundstage.
The ‘bar itself boasts eight “audiophile-quality” drivers and, according to Bluesound, it “is to audio what the 8K TV is to video”, which sounds decidedly ambitious to us. The Pulse Soundbar+ can either be used alone or paired with the Pulse Sub+ (sold separately) to add drama through the low end, and Bluesound is quick to add that by including a pair of Pulse Flex 2i speakers as rear channels you’ll get a complete wireless Dolby surround sound experience.
Under the hood, the Pulse Soundbar+ features a custom-specified ARM Cortex A53 Quad-Core chipset that can, says Bluesound, process audio eight times faster than previous generations of Bluesound architecture. Combined with two wi-fi chips to prevent network latency, this flagship board design apparently provides rock solid and zero-lag audio performance, even for demanding gaming applications.
Connections? Of course. You can connect nearly any audio source to the Pulse Soundbar+. TVs, gaming consoles, music streaming services, laptops, and music libraries can all be accessed through HDMI eARC, Apple AirPlay 2, two-way aptX HD Bluetooth, TOSLINK, RCA, USB, and Bluesound’s own proprietary BluOS music streaming system.
Newly added simple touch controls on the front panel now mean quick access to play, pause and volume, and with a smartphone or tablet, the built-in BluOS wireless multi-room streaming technology can connect and sync audio to, from, and around any room in the home. Hands-free control of your home entertainment is on board with Amazon Alexa Skills integration, Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri too, and the company states that professional smart home integrators can get access to drivers for other popular control systems such as Lutron, Crestron, RTI, Elan and others.
As with all Bluesound Pulse speaker models, the acoustic design and speaker voicing was performed at Canada’s National Research Council, by Lenbrook’s speaker design and engineering team.
It doesn’t come cheap, though. Available for pre-order now, the Pulse Soundbar+ will begin shipping in April 2021, priced at £799 (€999, $899) in black, or £899 (€1099, $999) in white.
MORE:
Read all our Bluesound reviews
Dolby Atmos not essential? See the best soundbars 2021: the best TV speakers you can buy
On a tight budget? We hear you. See best budget soundbars 2021: excellent, affordable TV speakers
It’s been a while since I last tested fans—in fact, nearly a year ago owing to a move across oceans that seemingly took forever. I am still setting up my full system for fan reviews, including a long overdue audio measurement, but CORSAIR decided it waits for no man and marches on relentlessly with a fervent pace of product releases this month. Today, we take a look at their latest addition to the popular SP series of airflow-optimized fans, and thanks again to CORSAIR for sending review samples to TechPowerUP!
The CORSAIR iCUE SP RGB ELITE fans come in both 120 and 140 mm size offerings, and CORSAIR sent over both for me to check out. The performance section of this review will stick to only the 120 mm fans to fit in with the rest of the test database, but given how these fans are going to be all about looks over performance, it made sense to showcase them together. These are the same fans that shipped as part of some of their cases recently, and there has clearly been enough demand from customers about buying replacement fans for there to now finally be a retail solution available for purchase. The SP RGB PRO fans are nearly identical in having the same eight addressable RGB LEDs per fan, but these are 3-pin voltage-controlled fans that are even more airflow-optimized. It may seem unfair that we are going to test these as radiator fans for watercooling, but it was that or nothing, so let’s forge ahead with that caveat in mind by starting with a look at the specifications for both fans in the tables below.
AMD’s new Radeon RX 6700 XT GPU will be available to purchase today starting at 6AM PT / 9AM ET, with a retail price of $479.99. Like other GPUs released within the last few months, AMD’s latest Radeon RX graphics card will likely sell out quickly, though AMD tells The Verge that you should be able to buy this graphics card.
The Verge’s Sean Hollister reviewed the RX 6700 XT and noted in his review that the GPU is a solid performer that delivers a 1440p experience for most games, but the performance is not quite as good when compared to Nvidia’s 3060 Ti and RTX 3070 cards.
So far, only Micro Center has listings up for various iterations of AMD’s Radeon RX 6700 XT GPU. We will continue to update the list of cards and retailers selling them as they become available.
You may also be able to find the graphics card at AMD’s direct website, Amazon, Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Adorama in the US; Currys and Ebuyer in the UK; or Best Buy CA if you live in Canada.
If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.
If you’ve used a ThinkPad before, you probably know 90 percent of what to expect from the ThinkPad X1 Nano. All of the staples are here. It’s got the black carbon fiber chassis, the discrete buttons on top of the touchpad, the mechanical privacy shutter, the ThinkPad logo on the palm rest, and (of course) the red pointer nub in the middle of the keyboard.
But one thing is unique about the X1 Nano: it’s the lightest ThinkPad Lenovo has ever made. Starting at just 1.99 pounds, the Nano isn’t technically the lightest laptop on the market. But it’s still one of the best combinations of portability, build quality, and performance that you can buy.
Lenovo has made a few other useful tweaks as well, though they’re not tweaks you’ll necessarily notice when you’re looking at the machine. There’s not much to overthink here: it’s a smaller, lighter ThinkPad. Lenovo didn’t reinvent the wheel, but the updates it made succeed in keeping the Nano current among its rapidly innovating peers.
Here’s what’s new with the Nano, in addition to its lightweight build. It has a 16:10 screen, a feature that a number of this year’s ThinkPads are adopting for the first time. It has a new 11th Gen Intel processor, and it’s certified through Intel’s Evo program (which is the chipmaker’s way of verifying that a laptop includes its latest features like Thunderbolt 4, Wi-Fi 6, instant wake, and fast charging). And there are a few enhanced security features, including a match-on-chip fingerprint reader and a dTPM 2.0 chip, which will mostly be notable for business users.
What looms over that verdict, of course, is the Nano’s price. Technically, it starts at $2,499 and maxes out at $3,719. The good news is that Lenovo’s products are very often heavily discounted, and the current sale prices at the time of publish range from $1,149 to $2,231.
The Nano is highly customizable. It comes with a Core i5-1130G7, a Core i5-1140G7, a Core i7-1160G7, or a Core i7-1180G7, all of which support Intel’s vPro. You can also select 8GB or 16GB of RAM, 256GB through 1TB of SSD storage, and a touchscreen or non-touch screen (both with 2160 x 1350 resolution). There’s even a Linux option. My review model (which runs Windows 10 Pro) is in the middle, with a quad-core Core i7-1160G7, 16GB of memory, 512GB of storage, and the non-touch display. Folks interested in the touchscreen should note that those models are heavier (2.14 pounds) and a bit thicker as well.
You’re paying a premium for the Nano’s weight and the extra business features. A comparable Dell XPS 13 to my test model, for example, is $1,599.99 and 2.64 pounds (over half a pound heavier than this unit).
That said, the Nano’s weight is astounding. I feel like I’m carrying nothing while I’m holding it, even one-handed. I’d easily haul it in my purse or throw it into my backpack and forget that it’s there. For a few comparisons: it’s half a pound lighter than the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9. It’s close to a pound lighter than the ThinkPad X13, as well as the latest MacBook Air. These are already laptops known for their portability, and the Nano is noticeably slimmer.
The laptop achieves this without sacrificing durability, which is often a concern with ultra-light devices. The chassis feels sturdy — there’s just a tiny bit of flex in the keyboard and screen, and I’d be very comfortable jerking it around in a briefcase. Lenovo says the Nano has been “tested against 12 military-grade certification methods,” so there’s also that.
I’m also very happy with the 16:10 display, which is about the same height as a typical 14-inch 16:9 screen. In addition to the extra vertical space it provides, it’s sharper than a 1080p display, and it delivers a nice picture.
There’s also a Dolby Atmos speaker system, which includes two upward-firing and two downward-firing woofers. The laptop comes preloaded with Dolby Access, which is one of my favorite audio apps. You can swap between presets for Movies, Music, and other scenarios (as well as custom profiles), and the settings make an audible difference. You can also personalize the four-microphone array for different uses, including conference calls and voice recognition.
My one quip with the chassis is the keyboard. It’s a fine keyboard, and the little red nub is there if you want to use it. But the Fn and Ctrl keys are swapped from the locations where you’ll find them on other laptop keyboards — every time I meant to hit Ctrl, I hit Fn. After a week of use, I have not yet adjusted to this.
Now, I want to be very clear: I know this is the way ThinkPad keyboards have been laid out since the dawn of time. I also know you can swap the two keys in BIOS. Still, if you’re not currently a ThinkPad user, you should note that you’ll either need some time to get used to this keyboard layout or you’ll be using mislabeled keys.
The port selection is also limited, though that’s not unique among thin devices. You get two USB-C ports and an audio jack, and they’re all on the left side.
Performance-wise, the X1 Nano did an excellent job. It’s not what you’d want to buy for demanding tasks like heavy gaming or video editing, but it kept up with my gaggles of Chrome tabs, spreadsheets, and streaming apps without a stutter. I never heard any noise out of the machine or felt noticeable heat, even when I was running fairly taxing loads.
As mentioned earlier, the Nano has a number of new security features that are coming to 2021 ThinkPads across the line. The one I found most useful was the presence-sensing tool, which automatically locks the device when you’re not in front of it and unlocks it when you’re back. ThinkPads aren’t the only business laptops to adopt this technology, but it is convenient and worked well in my testing. You can also turn it off if it creeps you out. Elsewhere, there’s a match-on-sensor fingerprint sensor next to the touchpad (the qualifier means that fingerprint enrollment, pattern storage, and biometric matching all happens directly within the sensor). The sensor also uses AI to distinguish between real and fake fingers, in case that was a concern of yours.
The one feature that isn’t quite stellar here is the battery life. I averaged 6 hours and 38 minutes between charges with my daily workflow (around a dozen Chrome tabs with office stuff like emailing, Slack, Google Docs and Sheets, occasional Spotify and YouTube streaming, with brightness around 200 nits). That’s fine, and not unexpected since the Nano only has a 48Whr battery, but I often see over seven hours out of machines at this price. It means that if your workload is similar to mine, you may not make it through a full workday on a charge. The 65W charger took 43 minutes to juice the device up to 60 percent.
In the ThinkPad X1 Nano, Lenovo is playing to its strengths. You’re getting a comfortable keyboard and touchpad, a red nub, and a capable processor in a sturdy system that’s built to last. The Nano brings a new factor to the table — a chassis that’s (just) under two pounds. The target audience here is clear: business users who like the traditional ThinkPad look and feel and are willing to pay more for an ultralight machine.
The main compromises you’re making are the battery life and port selection. Neither of these is an absolute disaster for the Nano, but they mean that a chunk of users may find competing business laptops more practical. There are a number of ultraportable business laptops with superb battery life, more useful ports, and comparable weight (such as Asus’ ExpertBook B9450 and HP’s Elite Dragonfly). That said, for users who are attached to the ThinkPad brand and want the lightest of the light, the X1 Nano will deliver.
(Pocket-lint) – Despite being well known for invoking nostalgic memories of big wooden speaker cabinets and crackling vinyl, Klipsch is a brand that has adapted with the times. Its first pair of true wireless earbuds was such a great-sounding pair that it became one of our favourites for pure music enjoyment.
The second-generation – the aptly named Klipsch T5 II True Wireless – comes with lots of refinements in terms of design and performance, and also comes in two Sport models, one with exclusive McLaren F1 design. In this review, we’re focusing on the regular model.
Design and build
IP67 water- and dust-resistant
Colours: White / Gunmetal
Physical control button
6 pairs of oval tips
Charging case
It’s in the design department you’ll notice the biggest difference between the T5 and the T5 II. Starting with the first thing you get to: the case. Thankfully, the main ethos remains same, as it still looks friggin’ cool – almost like a chunky Zippo lighter. It’s smaller and thinner than the previous version, but there’s a solidity and durability to it. It feels like it might hurt you if you dropped it on a toe, and gives a reassuring clank when you open and shut the lid.
As for the ‘buds, these almost keep to the same essence too. It’s a similar hard-to-describe shape, featuring a tapered oval design but, again, the second-gen is slimmer, smaller and lighter than the originals. That also means that in the non-Sport model, there’s nothing holding these ‘buds in your ears except for the redesigned oval silicone tip.
The tips extend out from underneath the main body in an unconventional design, but once stuck inside the entrance of our ear canal, we found the fit was secure and steady. These ‘buds never felt like they’d fall out – and didn’t gradually push their way out either. Since the silicon tips are soft and thin, they give just the right amount of pressure. In our ears, the pre-applied tips were the perfect fit, but the T5 II comes with six different sizes, so you should easily find a pair that works for you.
Another interesting change is that there’s one single button on the outside, which depresses really easily to ensure that when you press, it gives easily and doesn’t lead to that feeling that you’re just pushing an earbud deeper into your ear. The button gives in once it feels even the remotest bit of resistance, which makes good sense.
Around the edge of that button is a metal collar, which makes up that outer surface. It’s more than just decoration though, it’s an external antenna to ensure there’s nothing getting in the way of that connection between the ‘buds and what you’re connecting them to.
The main takeaway here is that the T5 II is a lightweight and secure package. Not so secure that we’d recommend using these in-ear in the gym or when out running, but that’s what the Sport models are for instead.
Despite that, with an IP67 water- and dust-resistance rating, the ‘buds should survive pretty much anything anyway. Whether inside your ears, or inside their own metallic bunker/charging case.
Sound
5mm dynamic moving coil micro speaker
10Hz – 19kHz frequency response
EQ control
With frequency response as low as 10Hz, the 5mm drivers inside the Klipsch ‘buds produce sound you wouldn’t expect to hear from such small drivers. Of course, human hearing only really goes as low as 20Hz at a push – but it’s that control at the lower end of the sound spectrum where these earphones definitely excel.
With the equaliser (EQ) set to its default flat mode, there’s still plenty of bass, without it being overwhelming, but – more importantly – you still get clean and bright notes at the top end.
We love how acoustic bass drum kicks retain that feel of air moving around the kick pedal or inside the drum every time the skin is struck by the pedal. Or in songs like Hey Ma by Bon Iver, you get the full airy feel of the bass and mid notes swelling near the beginning or, later on, the muted bass note plucking. What’s more, in that same track, the subtle percussive noises are clear without dominating the primary elements of the track.
The Klipsch T5 II is adept at tackling any genre of music, and will give you the right feel from those acoustic songs, but is sonically strong with more synthesised tracks too. Crank up Leon’s Better in the Dark and enjoy the way the bass sounds when the synth and bass drum strike at the same time, without crumbling.
Of course, you can adjust the EQ, so if you need even more bass you can get it, but we found there was plenty from the default setting. In fact, we never felt the need to tweak the default sound profile. But it’s nice of Klipsch to give that option for those users who have preferences.
Features, performance and calls
8 hours playback + 24 more hours in the case (32 hours total)
Quad mic system for external noise cancelling during calls
Bluetooth 5.0 + signal boosting external antenna
Transparency mode
To get the first thing out of the way: there’s no active noise-cancelling (ANC). An increasing staple feature in the world of premium in-ears, but we’ve often argued that with a good set of well-fitted in-ears, it’s not as noticeable as it would be on over/on-ear cans. Passively, the T5 II does a good job of blocking out noise thanks to those soft tips.
Although ANC isn’t a feature here, you do still get an audio transparency mode, which uses mics around the ‘buds’ casing to let in and amplify noise from around you. Using the Klipsch Connect app you can switch it on and select how much transparency you want – it works pretty well but isn’t always all that effective once you have music playing.
It’s also worth noting that the ‘buds don’t feature any automatic play/pause feature when you remove them from your ears. There’s no proximity sensor for this, which is a bit of a shame.
On the plus side, you do get to pair the T5 II with up to eight different devices – although only one can be connected at a time.
With those external antennae doing their job, we found the wireless connectivity to be very strong. Walking from room to room and leaving the music source where it was, we struggled to make these in-ears drop connection. It’s a similar story with voice calls: you get strong performance here as well, with calls coming through clearly.
The best Lightning headphones 2021 for your iPhone or iPad
By Dan Grabham
·
As battery life goes, it’s very unlikely you’ll ever need to worry about it much. With a maximum of eight hours outside the case, thee T5 II will comfortably get you through your commute to work – well, when we all eventually return to work – and the case will keep recharging in the interim another four times over. That’s well over a full day of non-stop listening time.
Verdict
The first-generation Klipsch T5 was one of our favourite pairs of true wireless earbuds. The second generation takes what was great and refines it, making for a truly stunning pair of ‘buds.
Sure, a few advanced features might be absent – there’s no proximity sensors or active noise-cancelling – but in all the ways that matter, the T5 II performs really well. For music lovers, at this price, you’ll struggle to find anything that sounds better or packaged in as neat and stylish a product.
If you love music, we think you’ll love the sound produced by the Klipsch T5 II. There’s little to rival the quality on offer here.
Also consider
Grado T220
squirrel_widget_3658156
Grado has a similar approach to Klipsch – in that it’s all about the sound – and the T220 sounds fantastic. In fact our first listen left our jaw on the floor, it was that good. It has some downsides though, like a finicky design and sensitive touchpad.
Read the review
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds
squirrel_widget_3492116
If you want all the bells and whistles in a great sounding pair of buds, Bose has the ones for you. QC Buds have excellent noise-cancelling, great sound overall, plus a comfortable and secure fit.
Read the review
Writing by Cam Bunton. Editing by Adrian Willings.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.