Last week we learned Realme is gearing up to launch the Watch 2 and Watch 2 Pro soon as the smartwatches were mentioned in the source code of Realme Link app. While Realme hasn’t divulged anything about these wearables yet, the Watch 2 has bagged FCC certification, revealing its design and specs in the process.
The Realme Watch 2 bearing model code RMW2008 has the power button on its right side and features a 1.4″ 320×320-pixel resolution TFT color touchscreen like the first-gen Watch. But the detachable silicon straps now come with Realme’s “Dare To Leap” slogan that we’ve already seen on the rear panels of a few of its smartphones.
Like its predecessor, the Realme Watch 2 has heart rate and SpO2 sensors onboard and is IP68 dust and water-resistant. However, it now packs a significantly larger battery – 305 mAh up from 160 mAh.
The Realme Watch 2 has Bluetooth 5.0 BLE onboard for connectivity, but it’s only compatible with Android 5.0 and above. Although we might see the smartwatch gain iOS support by the time it arrives in the market.
The Realme Watch 2 measures 257.6 x 35.7 x 12.2mm and will come with workout modes, automatic step counter, sleep tracking, and message and incoming call notifications. It will also feature meditation mode and music and camera controls.
Considering the information revealed by FCC, the Realme Watch 2 doesn’t appear to be that big an upgrade over its predecessor, but we’ll reserve our final judgment until the smartwatch goes official. In the meantime, you can read our Realme Watch review.
The Arche is well-built and beautifully designed in its simplicity, and is a great choice if you’re after a high quality DAC for your headphones, but if you’re using the Arche in your main setup, stick with the XLR outputs, as the RCA alternatives are sporadically noisy.
For
Beautiful, solid design
Exceptional isolation from USB noise
Can tune headphone output impedance
Against
Inconsistent RCA noise levels
No fixed line output level setting
Aus Hi-Fi mag review
(Image credit: Future)
This review and test originally appeared in Australian Hi-Fi magazine, one of What Hi-Fi?’s sister titles from Down Under. Click here for more information about Australian Hi-Fi, including links to buy individual digital editions and details on how to subscribe.
French company Focal makes loudspeakers and headphones. Some of its headphones are pretty high-end. As are some of its loudspeakers. So the company has lately taken to producing high-end electronics to drive them.
For example, the Focal Astral 16 A/V processor and amplifier runs to more than AU$30,000. Here we’re spending some time with the more modestly priced Focal Arche DAC and headphone amplifier.
The best DACs you can buy right now: USB, portable and desktop DACs
Equipment
In one way the Focal Arche looks very different. It comes with a curved section of metal. The straighter end has a home amongst the heat sink slots on top of the unit. Install it there and it forms a stylish headphone stand for your Focal (or other) headphones.
Apart from that, the layout of the unit is fairly conventional for this kind of product: deeper than it is wide, a flat well-built (over 4kg) slab of electronics.
On the front is a blue-on-black display screen. To its left is a 6.35mm stereo headphone socket. And to the left of that is a 4-pin XLR socket for balanced headphones. To the right of the display is a combination rotary control/press button. The principal use of that is for output level and switching the unit in and out of standby. But it also invokes the main menu, in which turning the wheel takes you through the options.
(Image credit: Focal)
On the back panel are the line outputs: a pair of unbalanced RCA sockets and a pair of balanced XLR sockets. The inputs are also at the back. There’s a USB Type-B for plugging into your computer, an optical digital audio input, a coaxial digital audio input and a pair of RCA sockets for analogue inputs.
The USB Type-A socket is only there for upgrading the firmware of the unit. As we write, the Focal Arche is on its original factory-installed firmware and no newer version is available for download. The regular digital audio inputs support PCM up to 192kHz sampling with 24-bits of resolution.
With a connection to a computer via USB, the unit supports PCM with up to 384kHz sampling and 24-bits of resolution and Direct Stream Digital in regular, double and quad speed versions (i.e. DSD64, DSD128 and DSD256). The driver objected to 32-bit audio. For Windows, it’s best to choose the ASIO driver rather than WASAPI. The latter worked with everything except for DSD256.
Every time I tried DSD256 with the WASAPI driver, not only did no sound come through, but it broke something in the driver, requiring a reboot of my computer before the DAC would produce any sound at all (with any format).
The Focal Arche employs dual AK4490 DAC chips for digital to analogue decoding. These are specified to support sampling rates up to 768kHz, use up to 32x oversampling, use 32-bits of resolution, offer five filter curves and run with a THD+Noise figure of 112dB.
The Class-A headphone amplifier is dual-mono and is rated at 2x one watt at 1kHz for impedances less than 32Ω. The frequency response is specified at 10Hz to 100kHz, S/N ratio at 116dB and THD at less than 0.001%. No additional criteria are provided for those numbers. I guess that these specs are for the amplifier alone. (16-bit PCM is going to bottom-out at a signal-to-noise ratio of around 97dBA for example.)
In the settings menu the unit can be set to ‘Low’ or ‘High’ gain and an amplifier mode can be selected for each of the current model Focal headphones, plus there are non-Focal settings labelled ‘Voltage’ and ‘Hybrid’. There was a definite mechanical click from within the unit when switching from some settings to others, suggesting to me that there’s a relay doing something in there.
What Hi-Fi? Awards: Best DACs of 2020
Installation
I did the great majority of listening and testing using my computer as the source.
For full use that required that I install USB Audio Class 2.0 drivers from Focal’s website.
Keeping one’s web presence in alignment with slower-moving formal documentation can be tricky, nonetheless it’s a good idea to take some effort. So when reading the ‘Firmware Update’ section of the manual, in which the first step is to ‘Go to http://www.focal.com/arche’, one really should not be confronted with a ‘403 Forbidden’ message.
Oh, you can navigate your way there through the usual links (here you go) but why put it in the manual if it’s going to be wrong? And why not put a redirection on the now-defunct page to send new owners to the correct page?
That wobble aside, there were no problems installing the drivers, and no problems with any of my Windows player software in using them. Windows reported supported PCM resolutions of 16- and 24-bits from 44.1kHz up to 384kHz.
Levels
I found I had to be a little careful using the line outputs. There wasn’t a ‘fixed’ line level output. It was controlled by the front-panel level control, just as the headphones were.
I initially made the assumption that, like some other DACs which lack a fixed line-level output, the appropriate thing to do was simply to advance the gain to the maximum position – an indicated ‘99’ on the front panel – and then use my amplifier’s volume control for level.
When I later checked the manual, that is indeed what Focal suggests. Note, also, that there is only one system-wide level. The unit does not maintain separate levels for headphones and line output. Indeed, inserting headphones does not stop the line output. If you have it on 99 for your main system and then decide to listen with headphones, do make sure you turn down the level.
But as the unit always switches on with the volume level set to ‘20’, which is way too low both for headphones and the line output, I’d recommend you never switch the unit off at all. This will also mean that you will also need to go into the settings menu to switch the Arche’s automatic standby function off.
Also, I would further suggest that you don’t use the ‘High’ gain setting. I tried it at one point while the RCA outputs were connected to my audio system. It did seem rather louder than usual for a given system output level setting. But as I played the bonus Yes cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s America from Fragile, there was this weird crackle on the right channel.
Well, not precisely a crackle, but rather a ‘crack’ on certain very loud notes. For a few moments I revelled in this: a little something previously unheard! But then I started to worry. Was there something wrong with the right-hand KEF LS50 speaker I was using (supplemented by a Krix subwoofer, but that’s not relevant here).
So I started fiddling with levels. I turned the Focal Arche down to ‘80’ output instead of ‘99’, and turned up the amplifier to restore the speaker output to the same volume level as previously. There were no more ‘cracks’… which I found a bit odd, because it was presumably input overload distortion, but input overload distortion doesn’t normally sound like that.
(Image credit: Focal)
Listening sessions
I should note that the unit does not decode MQA. If you use TIDAL, the TIDAL app will unfold any MQA high-resolution content and the Arche will indicate on its front panel display the higher sampling rate… or at least it will if you press the front panel control button or rotate the knob.
The default state of the display is a large pair of digits indicating the output level, with the selected input source in smaller type above it. To see sample rate and digital audio format you have to manipulate the control. After a few seconds it reverts to the previous state. There’s no option for changing the display mode permanently.
It’s good that the format and rate can be seen, but I’d prefer to have them showing by default. This was brought home when I discovered at one point that 192kHz tracks were coming out at 96kHz. I was using JRiver Media Centre and had previously set it to convert anything above 96kHz sampling to 88.2kHz or 96kHz as appropriate because it had previously been used in conjunction with my review of an AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt DAC.
As I keep saying in all my reviews, it’s very easy to accidentally use the wrong output settings, but, of course, most normal people are not hi-fi reviewers and will therefore be setting up their computers for just the one DAC, not darting around between different ones.
I didn’t have an amplifier with XLR inputs available, so for loudspeaker listening used the RCA outputs. Generally the unit sounded excellent, just as I’d expected. But every so often there was just a little background noise, sounding somewhat like random electrical noise. Which of course had me suspecting some breakthrough of the noise from my home computer network, delivered by the USB connection.
I therefore unplugged the computer from the network as well as from mains power, but it made no difference. I only heard it in one listening session, so after a while I started to doubt that I’d heard it at all. There was certainly no such noise when using headphones. And, of course, it’s with headphones that one is most likely to hear such untoward things.
I used a pair of Focal Elear dynamic headphones – Focal’s ‘entry level’ model, priced at AU$1,599 – as well as Oppo PM3 planar magnetic headphones (the brand has now ceased to operate in this space), a pair of ancient Sennheiser HD-535 open-back models and a set of Final Audio B3 in-ear monitors (AU$729). The Arche’s output was set to ‘Elear’ for those headphones, of course, and to ‘Hybrid’ for the others.
The first thing to note was that with none of the headphones was there any chance of the output limits of the Focal Arche being approached. ‘Ample’ is not the word to describe the output on tap. It could be destructive if one wanted. You need not worry about your headphones being supplied insufficient power.
And that translated into a real authority in performance. At this point I’ll pause to slightly regret the order in which I did things. As is my usual practice, the measurements were made after the listening sessions had been completed. I do that intentionally because I’m fearful that my listening impressions may be coloured by knowledge of the unit’s objective performance.
But in this case I was later to discover that the one thing done by the named amplifier output settings was switch between three different output impedances. That means that to the extent that a set of headphones has an uneven impedance curve, its tonal balance will vary according to the setting of the amplifier.
That seemed to have an affect upon the performance of the Final Audio B3 in-ear monitors. These use dual balanced-armature drivers (sans crossover) and delivered a fuller, richer, more balanced performance with the Focal Arche than they did with the DragonFly Cobalt mini-DAC. It turns out that the ‘Hybrid’ setting of the Arche implements a 10Ω inline output impedance, and I’m thinking that this provided a fortuitous adjustment of tonal balance.
The effect was subtle, and the B3 buds sounded excellent anyway with the Cobalt, but they sounded even better with the Arche. I would have liked to experiment more with listening using the different modes, but the loaner review unit was by then already overdue for return.
With the Oppo PM-3 headphones, the sound was more traditional (they are closed back). They have an even impedance across the audible frequency band so they don’t really care about (modest) output impedances. They delivered an extremely solid performance with the Focal Arche amplifier. I went back in time to the debut Black Sabbath album. The thunder at the opening of the first track was utterly clean and deep. When the first riff cuts in, the drums pierced through the mix to hover above it all, even the toms. They were surrounded by substantial air, filled with their natural reverb. The hi-hat bit appropriately.
Going back to the Final Audio B3 in-ears, there was enormous life and dynamic range across all the music genres I tried (including prog rock, jazz, female vocalist, baroque and classical). The best sound came from the open-backed Elear headphones. Focal knows what it’s doing by providing a first-class signal to drive its own products: The Elears were open and airy, limitlessly detailed and beautifully balanced.
Best audiophile headphones 2021: ultimate high-end headphones
Final verdict
If you’re after a high quality DAC to drive your Focal headphones (or really, any brand or model of headphones at all), the Focal Arche is a fine unit.
My same enthusiastic recommendation will also be the case if you intend to use the Focal Arche in your main system… but only if you’re using the XLR outputs.
Laboratory tests
I calculated the internal impedance of the Focal Arche’s headphone output at 2.5Ω. It delivered 1.9VRMS into a 300Ω load, which is around 12mW or nearly 11dB above the sensitivity rating used by most headphones. Into a 16Ω ohm load, it delivered 1.65VRMS, or 170mW and more than 22dB above sensitivity rating.
I figured that was that… but a couple of days later I started to wonder about the different amplifier settings. The Voltage setting is supposed to be a voltage amplifier, in which the unit need not provide much current. The Hybrid setting is supposed to combine voltage and current amplifier functionality. And the other five settings feature outputs optimised for particular models of Focal headphones. Would they make a difference?
Indeed they would! To four significant figures at nine different measurement criteria, the Voltage output setting was unique, while the Hybrid and Elear settings were the same, and the Utopia, Clear, Elegia and Stellia settings were the same. It was with the Voltage setting that the internal impedance of the Focal Arche was around 2.5Ω. With the Hybrid and Elear settings, it was around 10Ω. With the Utopia et al setting it was around 17.5Ω.
I did not repeat the measurements on the ‘High’ gain setting, just did a quick check to see what effect that had on level: it boosted it by 12dB. Into high-impedance loads you can expect the maximum output from the headphone amp to be about 7.5VRMS. Clearly there’s never going to be a shortage of power even with high-impedance, low-sensitivity headphones.
The unit has fairly aggressive output protection. Everything went smoothly at low gain, but when I tried to measure maximum output at high gain into low impedance loads (16Ω), I kept tripping the protection. Oh, don’t worry that this may constitute some limitation on performance. Oh no… the last measured output voltage with a 1kHz test signal into that low impedance was around 5.2VRMS. That equates to 1.7 watts – not milliwatts, watts – output. Add 32dB to the sensitivity rating of your earphones or headphones, and that’s the maximum it will deliver with the high gain setting. Enough, in other words, to do major damage to you or your ear gear in very short order.
All that was in voltage mode, which you will recall has a low output impedance. In Hybrid mode, with an output impedance of around 10Ω, the unit could be wound up to the maximum level at which point it was producing a ‘mere’ 4.7VRMS output. Or 1.4-watts and 31dB above the sensitivity rating.
The unbalanced line level outputs were a bit lower in voltage than the norm, delivering around 0.95RMS in ‘Low’ gain mode and 3.8VRMS in ‘High’ gain mode. Of course, that’s with the level control set to maximum in both cases.
Speaking of the level control, it has 100 indicated levels. Down very low each numerical increment amounts to around 1.5dB. At higher levels that drops to 1dB per indicated number, then 0.5dB and then from level 60 and up, 0.5dB per two number increments.
Graph 1 (Image credit: Australian Hi-Fi magazine)
Graph 1 shows the frequency response of the Focal Arche with 44.1kHz signals and you can see that the frequency response is sensible: it rolls off a little above 8kHz to be down by around 0.35dB at 20kHz, then drops rapidly beyond that. There’s also a very slight roll-off in the bass, with output down by 0.4dB at 10Hz.
Graph 2 (Image credit: Australian Hi-Fi magazine)
Graph 2 shows the frequency response with 96kHz sampling, and you can see that the bass was the same while output was down by 0.3dB at 20kHz, 0.7dB at 30kHz and 1.2dB at 40kHz.
Graph 3 (Image credit: Australian Hi-Fi magazine)
Graph 3 shows the frequency response with 192kHz sampling, and you can see that the the 96kHz performance is simply continued: –1.8dB at 50kHz, –2.6dB at 60kHz, –3.4dB at 70kHz and –4.3dB at 80kHz.
Clearly Focal has chosen the DAC filter settings to return a flatter, more extended frequency response than many other DACs.
With 24-bit audio, tested with both 96kHz and 192kHz sampling, the noise performance I measured from the Focal Arche was simply weird. Let’s start with the easiest bit.
With the XLR outputs, the noise was at –108dBA consistently with repeated measurements. And that figure was maintained irrespective of whether my Surface Pro 2017 was plugged in or not. When it was plugged in, it was connected by wire to my home network, and that is one horribly noisy affair. The great majority of DACs let some of this noise out into the analogue output.
The Focal Arche did not. Measurements, plugged in or not, were identical… at least they were when I was using the XLR outputs. But when using the RCA outputs, things were very different. First, the results I gained were inconsistent. From measurement to measurement they ranged from –79dBA to –97.6dBA.
Again, it didn’t matter whether the computer was plugged in or not. To double-check that, I pulled out a network streamer and connected it to the Focal Arche by optical digital audio, just to ensure that there was no way any electrical interference could be carried. It resulted in a middling –89.8dBA noise level.
To double-check the test setup, I then switched in a different DAC which I knew to provide good performance. Its RCA outputs delivered a noise performance of –114.5dBA when using exactly the same rig I used for the Arche.
Graph 4 (Image credit: Australian Hi-Fi magazine)
Graph 4 illustrates the variance of the noise levels depending on the output used. I have included a couple of the RCA outputs with and without the connected computer plugged in, plus the optical connection. They are the five traces up relatively high.
The white and green traces near the bottom are via the XLR outputs. The purple trace right at the very bottom is the RCA output from the comparison DAC. The point of that is to demonstrate that the test arrangement wasn’t the problem.
Note, also, that all the output measurements – apart from the one for the comparison DAC – had a weird bump in the noise around 60–70kHz of varying levels. This would not, of course, be audible, but it is just a little bit strange.
The PTZOptics Webcam 80 is more expensive than the Logitech C920 despite being less usable across different lighting conditions thanks to frequent overexposure.
For
Tends to flatter the face with warm color exposure
Wide field of view
Against
Photos are frequently too sharp
Handles low light poorly
Expensive
Before the holiday season struck, we felt confident saying that we had been through the worst of the webcam shortage. Major retailers were once again starting to reliably carry big names like Logitech and Razer without marking them up, and eBay price gouging had considerably fallen. But as vaccine shipments are getting delayed and lockdown looks to be stretching out further into the new year, the camera situation is more uneven. It’s not quite as bad as it was in early 2020, but even a year later, whether or not the best webcams will be available depends on the day you’re looking.
For instance, during the writing of this review, we were able to find our favorite webcam, the Logitech C920, for its original price of $79.99 both directly from
Logitech
and from
third-party sellers
, but that didn’t hold true just a few days before, and we can’t confidently say it’ll be the case a few days after.
With that in mind, we’ve decided to start doing individual reviews for certain standout webcam competitors from brands you might not have heard of. Today’s entrant is the PTZOptics Webcam 80, a Logitech C920-like from security camera maker that aims to fill the hole left by the gold standard- both in capability and in price.
Both the Logitech C920 and the PTZOptics Webcam 80 shoot in 1080p at 30 fps, connect over USB, and have built-in stereo microphones. They also both use autofocus, with the Logitech C920 having a 3.67mm focal length and the PTZ Optics topping out at 3.5mm. Their fields of view are also similar, with the C920 capturing 78 degrees of the space in front of it and the PTZ Optics Webcam upping that to 80 degrees.
On paper, then, these two cameras would seem to be almost identical. And that’s probably how PTZ Optics is looking to justify the Webcam 80’s $89.00 price tag. But video quality is still largely subjective, as factors like color accuracy and lighting are still difficult to determine from numbers alone. Despite being more widely available, does the PTZ Optics webcam deserve its price, which is $10 more than the category-leading C920?
To test this out, I took photos in normal, low and extreme light with both webcams, as well as recorded myself talking to test the microphones.
Logitech C920
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
PTZOptics Webcam 80
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
In normal lighting conditions, with my curtains up and my lamp on, both cameras performed admirably, and the difference was largely a matter of taste. In general, the PTZ Optics webcam seemed to have a higher exposure, which emphasized darker colors, while the Logitech webcam rendered me with a paler appearance. I can say from real-life experience that the pale skin tone is probably more accurate, though I don’t mind the artificial tan from the PTZ Optics webcam.
That said, that same emphasis on dark colors leaves certain objects, like shadows in my hair or on my eyebrows, looking artificially intense in a less pleasing and more distracting manner. I also had difficulty getting consistent results with the autofocus, which meant longer waits in between shots as the camera adjusted and more shots that ended up being too out-of-focus to use. Given that many webcam users are using them to telecommute, that lack of convenience is a serious problem.
However, the PTZ Optics webcam’s slightly larger field of view generally looks more pleasing to me, making my office look less cramped while still keeping the focus on me. Also, while it arguably showed my face in less detail, it tended to capture background elements with more accuracy than the C920. But given that most people use webcams for video calling, it’s questionable if that tradeoff is worth it.
Logitech C920
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
PTZOptics Webcam 80
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Low light is where the PTZ Optics webcam really suffered. When I closed my blinds and turned off the lamp next to my desk, the harsher accents that I mentioned before became bold, artificial lines that surrounded pretty much everything in my photos. This gave my selfies a comic book style look that might be cool if I didn’t mostly use my webcam to talk to my coworkers.
That said, the warm colors it gave my face were flattering, if inaccurate, though I could do without the emphasis the camera put on every single one of my many flyaways.
The Logitech C920, to be fair, wasn’t perfect. Reducing lighting sources left the selfies it took appearing a little out-of-focus, and the reflection from my monitor seemed to be emphasized on my face to make me look even paler than usual. That said, this still comes across as more true-to-life and less distracting than the harsh bold accents I got from the PTZ Optics webcam. At least my flyaways are a little harder to see.
Logitech C920
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
PTZOptics Webcam 80
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
In extreme lighting conditions, facing directly at my window with my lamp on in the background, both webcams were essentially useless. While the PTZ Optics webcam was able to make out more of my face than the C920, it wasn’t enough to make it usable under this light, leaving me looking like I had been collaged together from various newspaper clippings. I actually prefer the shadowy, silhouetted appearance from the C920 shots here, which are at least more honest with the camera’s capabilities. As a bonus, the C920 also captured more of the city behind me.
Walking away from my photoshoot, I felt like the C920 was more usable in more situations, though I have to admit that some of the PTZ Optics selfies were more flattering. For PC webcams, though, I’m not exactly looking for glamour shoots, and having to pay $10 extra for a less versatile webcam with a more finicky focus and exposure isn’t what I’m looking for when I just want to attend video calls.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
But does the PTZ Optics webcam make up for its shortcomings with any bonus features? Sadly, not really. While some off-brand webcams like to add in included tripods or even silly face swap software to make themselves more appealing than the standard names, the PTZ Optics Webcam 80 takes a more basic approach.
It attaches to your monitor via an arm with a tripod slot in the bottom, and you can tilt it downwards but not upwards. It also can’t rotate, though it does come with an attached cover for the camera. That’s convenient, but given that most webcams also have lights that indicate when they’re recording (the PTZ Optics webcam has one of these as well), it’s not absolutely necessary.
Ausdom’s C920 competitors, meanwhile, all rotate 360 degrees and can mostly tilt upwards.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Also disappointing here is the cord length. While the Logitech C920’s greater than 5 ft cable means I’m easily able to thread it around the back of my desk to anywhere I want on my tower, the PTZOptics webcam has a shorter, 4.7 foot cable. That’s not a huge difference, but it’s just short enough to make cable management a bit of a pain. I can reach my desktop’s back I/O just fine, but it won’t easily stretch around to my front ports.
And as you might have noticed from my photos, much of the webcam’s surface is reflective and the whole thing loves to attract dust.
The PTZOptics microphone also isn’t too impressive, though neither is the Logitech C920’s ’s. The key difference here is in volume versus quality. The Logitech camera is, in general, louder and buzzier, while the PTZOptics microphone is quieter and clearer. However, despite the lack of background buzz, the PTZOptics microphone also has a distracting echo effect to it that the C920 lacks.
So is the PTZOptics Webcam 80 worth it? If it were maybe $20 to $30 cheaper, we’d easily say yes. But, given that the PTZ Optics Webcam 80 comes in at $89 versus the Logitech C920’s usual $79, it’s at a disadvantage. And while its extra exposure can be useful in certain situations, it’s generally less versatile than the C920, especially for casual telecommuting. However, if you find Logitech’s camera unavailable, the PTZ Optics Webcam 80 is a serviceable, though pricey, alternative.
Unpacking 2021 with a bang, we have the Samsung Galaxy S21 for you today. Samsung has rearranged its yearly release schedule to pull its high-end S-series reveal for January, and could there be a better way to kick off the year?
We did say ‘bang’, but it’s hardly the most thunderous of those – out of the trio of Galaxy S21 phones announced, we’ll now be presenting you the smallest, vanilla one. We also have the Ultra at the office, but you’ll need to wait a bit more for that – no event starts off with the headliner anyway.
For the second year in a row, Samsung unveils three phones as part of the spring flagship roster (even though it’s very much winter this time around, at least where we are). And, much like last time, there’s a very clear divide between the ultimate uncompromising Ultra and the two more restrained and down-to-earth ‘regular’ S phones. If anything, the gap has even widened.
The examples are plenty, some of them more significant than others. Take the displays for example. Unlike last year when all three phones had 1440p resolution panels, now only the Ultra gets the higher resolution, the ‘mainstream’ S21s stand at 1080p. All three screens were curved in 2020, now it’s just the Ultra. All three S20s had the same high-refresh rate implementation, now the Ultra gets a more advanced Adaptive mode than the other two.
How about the cameras? The S20 Ultra had a vastly superior setup than the other two, regardless of issues it might have had with realizing the full potential of all of its impressive hardware. Well, the S21 Ultra builds on top of that and comes with further improved internals in the imaging department. The S21 and S21+, meanwhile, reuse last year’s bits. Hmm.
But there’s more. In the case of the small Galaxy S21 we have here, a final blow hurts the most – it’s got a plastic back. It’s hardly the end of the world, and we’ll go on to rationalize how that’s actually a good thing on the next page. But it goes to emphasize the further differentiation between the one true flagship and the others that stand below it. And then further down below it.
Some genes are shared among all in the family, after all. The chipset is the same on all three (still different from region to region, but that’s a whole other topic), all have the second-gen ultrasonic fingerprint reader from Qualcomm, as well as stereo speakers and IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. And no, none of them has a microSD slot, that one was most surprising.
Here it is, the high-end Galaxies’ new and improved (read ‘smaller’) retail box. Following in the footsteps of Apple, Samsung has chosen to remove the charger and headphones from the retail bundle, resulting in a more compact box.
Yes, yes, you’re supposed to already have chargers at home, so not including one with every phone should help reduce waste, plus the decreased shipping volume will lower the carbon footprint along the logistics chain. It’s a noble concept though somehow saving the environment still doesn’t feel like the key driving factor.
Having said that, at the S21 keynote, Samsung mentioned that adapters will now be sold at a reduced price, and this seems like a step in the right direction.
Anyway, what you are getting in the box is the phone itself and a USB-C-to-C cable. That sort of means you need to have a moderately contemporary USB PowerDelivery charger lying around, or a USB-A-to-C cable if you intend to use an adapter that doesn’t have a Type C out.
As it came to light around the iPhone 12 launch days, local regulations in France specifically mandate that all phones sold in the country come with a headset. So S21s in France will indeed ship with the usual set of AKG-branded earbuds we’ve gotten used to from Galaxies in recent years. Still no charger, though.
Samsung’s 870 EVO is one of the most responsive SATA SSDs we have tested. Fast, efficient, and well-backed by Samsung, the 870 EVO is our top choice for a solid SATA SSD.
For
Reliable and responsive architecture
Appealing aesthetics
AES 256-bit encryption
Capacities up to 4TB
5-year warranty
Software suite
Features and Specifications
Samsung’s 870 EVO succeeds the hottest-selling SATA SSD on the market, the company’s own 860 EVO, so it has big shoes to fill. Normally, this would be a challenge, but for Samsung, it’s like clockwork: Samsung’s 870 EVO is now our top pick for those looking for the best consumer SATA SSD on the market.
Offering up high-ranking performance and efficiency, spacious capacities, and well regarded by many for high reliability, Samsung’s SSDs have earned quite the following and reputation over the years. The company hopes to build on its reputation with the addition of Samsung’s 870 EVO to its lineup that’s built on years of the company’s flash expertise.
Samsung’s 870 EVO is the most refined version yet, courtesy of its latest 6th-gen 128-Layer V-NAND TLC flash and an updated MKX ‘Metis’ SATA 6Gbps controller. Still bottlenecked by the SATA interface, the new SSD doesn’t stand a chance against the latest NVMe SSDs. Still, Samsung says the 870 EVO offers up to 38% higher performance for everyday computing tasks over its predecessor, and the 250GB model sees an up to 30% improvement in sustained write performance.
Specifications
Product
870 EVO 250GB
870 EVO 500GB
870 EVO 1TB
870 EVO 2TB
870 EVO 4TB
Pricing
$39.99
$69.99
$129.99
$249.99
$479.99
Capacity (User / Raw)
250GB / 256GB
500GB / 512GB
1000GB / 1024GB
2000GB / 2048GB
4000GB / 4096GB
Form Factor
2.5″ 7mm
2.5″ 7mm
2.5″ 7mm
2.5″ 7mm
2.5″ 7mm
Interface / Protocol
SATA 6 Gbps / AHCI
SATA 6 Gbps / AHCI
SATA 6 Gbps / AHCI
SATA 6 Gbps / AHCI
SATA 6 Gbps / AHCI
Controller
Samsung MKX ‘Metis’
Samsung MKX ‘Metis’
Samsung MKX ‘Metis’
Samsung MKX ‘Metis’
Samsung MKX ‘Metis’
DRAM
Samsung LPDDR4
Samsung LPDDR4
Samsung LPDDR4
Samsung LPDDR4
Samsung LPDDR4
Memory
Samsung 128L TLC
Samsung 128L TLC
Samsung 128L TLC
Samsung 128L TLC
Samsung 128L TLC
Sequential Read
560 MBps
560 MBps
560 MBps
560 MBps
560 MBps
Sequential Write
530 MBps
530 MBps
530 MBps
530 MBps
530 MBps
Random Read
98,000 IOPS
98,000 IOPS
98,000 IOPS
98,000 IOPS
98,000 IOPS
Random Write
88,000 IOPS
88,000 IOPS
88,000 IOPS
88,000 IOPS
88,000 IOPS
Security
AES 256-bit encryption
AES 256-bit encryption
AES 256-bit encryption
AES 256-bit encryption
AES 256-bit encryption
Endurance (TBW)
150 TB
300 TB
600 TB
1,200 TB
2,400 TB
Part Number
MZ-77E250
MZ-77E500
MZ-77E1T0
MZ-77E2T0
MZ-77E4T0
Warranty
5-Years
5-Years
5-Years
5-Years
5-Years
Samsung’s 870 EVO is available in almost every capacity you could need, ranging from sizes as small as 250GB up to 4TB for the data hoarders who need the extra space. Each capacity comes at premium MSRPs, with prices ranging from $0.12-$0.16 per gigabyte.
Samsung rates the 870 EVO to deliver sequential speeds of up to 560/530 MBps and sustain up to 98,000/88,000 random read/write IOPS across the board. In regards to the Intelligent TurboWrite algorithm, Samsung did not disclose any changes.
Intelligent TurboWrite
Capacity
250GB
500GB
1TB
2TB
4TB
SLC Write Cache
12 GB
22 GB
42 GB
78 GB
78 GB
Each capacity should measure similar to that of the 860 EVO – typically, it will have a 6GB-12GB of static SLC cache paired with a dynamic SLC cache that spans tens of gigabytes. Speed degradation was not apparent in our testing of the 1TB and 4TB model, but it may impact the smaller models.
The 870 EVO is over-provisioned by 9%, with most of that space set aside for controller use and background block management. Samsung backs the 870 EVO with a five-year warranty, and the drives can absorb up to 150TB of write data per 250GB of capacity, meaning the 4TB model is rated to handle 2,400 TB of writes within its warranty period.
Not only is it rated to be endurant, but it’s also potentially very secure with the option to use TCG Opal 2.0-compliant AES 256-bit full disk encryption for those whose data needs the added protection from prying eyes.
Software and Accessories
Samsung supports customers with data migration software for easy cloning and the Samsung Magician SSD toolbox. Samsung Magician allows you to monitor your SSD’s health via reading its S.M.A.R.T. data report, upgrade the SSD’s firmware if applicable, secure erase, and even benchmark your drives.
A Closer Look
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Samsung’s 870 EVO comes in a 2.5” 7mm form factor and has a sleek, black anodized aluminum casing, that gives it a quality feel over cheaper competitors.
Opening up the 870 EVO reveals very tiny PCBs, not only for the 1TB model but also the 4TB model.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Samsung’s 870 EVO is powered by the company’s MKX ‘Metis’ SATA 6Gbps controller, the same one powering the 870 QVO. The company did not disclose details, like how many or what type of cores the controller has, their speeds, or what process node it was built on. We do know it’s based on an ARM architecture (possibly tri-core like the MJX ‘Maru’ controller before it) and leverages DRAM for FTL metadata caching. Samsung’s own LPDDR4 DRAM resides next to the controller, measuring 1GB on our 1TB sample and 4GB on our 4TB sample.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The controller also has eight NAND flash channels to maintain high levels of interleaving with Samsung’s 6th-gen 512Gb 128-Layer V-NAND TLC. This new flash offers very low latency, communicating with the controller at Toggle DDR4.0 speeds up to 1.4 GTps. Like the company’s previous flash, it is still dual-plane, but due to sub-planes, the die supports very fast performance on par with or exceeding that of most competitors.
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.
G.SKILL, the Taipei-based memory manufacturer, has a history of producing performance-oriented memory products. The brand has some iconic designs, from the classic Ripjaws to the popular Trident series. G.SKILL has consistently delivered competitive performance in a striking aesthetic package. The culmination of this evolutionary process has materialized into some of the most refined memory designs on the market, most thoroughly within the Trident Z line of DDR4 memory kits.
The G.SKILL Trident Z Royal is “meticulously crafted to display just the right amount of light refraction” with a crystalline light bar that “scatters the RGB colors in a magnificent display of LED lighting”. This glamorous new light bar design has been paired with polished aluminium heat spreaders available in either a gold or silver finish. The new kit is glamorous to the point of excess and may leave customers wanting it on a shelf rather than in their system. G.SKILL is still committed to providing topnotch performance with their kits, and this one is no exception.
The G.SKILL Trident Z Royal kit I have for testing today features 2x 16 GB sticks at a blazing fast 4000 MHz speed and 17-18-18-38 timings. So is the G.SKILL Trident Z Royal as fast as it is flashy?
The Raspberry Pi Pico is a radical change from previous Pis, because it’s not a Linux computer, but a a microcontroller board like Arduino . The biggest selling points of the Raspberry Pi Pico are the price, $4 and the new RP2040 chip which provides ample power for embedded projects and enables users of any age or ability to learn coding and electronics. If you have a Windows, Apple, Linux computer or even a different Raspberry Pi, then you are already well on your way to using the Raspberry Pi Pico in your next project.
Getting Started with Raspberry Pi Pico
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The Raspberry Pi Pico is vastly different to any model before it. It is the first device to use RP2040 “Pi Silicon” which is a custom System on Chip (SoC) developed by the Raspberry Pi team which features a dual core Arm Cortex M0+ running at 133 MHz, 264KB of SRAM and 2MB of flash memory used to store files.
The one downside of the Raspberry Pi Pico is that there is no wireless connectivity. The RP2040 is the first microcontroller in the Pi range and this brings with it a new way of working. The Pico is not a computer, rather we need to write code in an external application on a different computer and “flash” the code to the microcontroller over USB. In our tutorial on how to get started with Raspberry Pi Pico, we explain how to connect a PC to the Pico and use it to upload MicroPython code.
Coding with the Raspberry Pi Pico
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Writing code for the Raspberry Pi Pico is handled in C/C++ or MicroPython, the latter being the officially supported language for general and education use, as confirmed by James Adams, Chief Operating Officer of Raspberry Pi.
MicroPython on Raspberry Pi Pico
MicroPython is a version of Python 3 for microcontrollers. It was created by Damien George and first used with the PyBoard development board back in 2014. Since then, more devices have adopted this easy to use language and there is a further fork of MicroPython,CircuitPython created by Adafruit which adds further enhancements for their range of boards. Writing MicroPython code for the Raspberry Pi Pico is possible using the Thonny Python IDE, which is available for all the major OSes, and it is the most accessible way to get started with your Pico.
A fork of MicroPython, CircuitPython has been released for RP2040 boards. Created by Adafruit, CircuitPython has an impressive library of pre-written modules for sensors, LCD / OLED / LED screens and output devices such as thermal printers. Flashing CircuitPython to the Raspberry Pi Pico is as simple as flashing MicroPython, and it is reversible should you wish to revert back to MicroPython or C/C++.
C/C++
Writing code in C/C++ is made possible via two methods. Firstly we can write the code directly in a text editor of our choice and then follow a workflow to build the files which are then flashed to the Pico. Or we can use a graphical workflow and have Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code handle the creation, build and flash process in one application.
Arduino have announced that they will be adding support for the RP2040 to their Arduino IDE, which will simplify the C/C++ workflow immensely and bring it more inline with how Arduino hackers have worked for many years.
8 × Programmable I/O (PIO) state machines for custom peripheral support.
Castellated module allows soldering directly to carrier boards.
Operating at 3.3V, the Raspberry Pi Pico has a 40 pin GPIO, but it does not share the same form factor as the Raspberry Pis before it. We have GPIO pins for digital inputs / outputs, pulse width modulation (PWM) and for specialist communication protocols such as I2C, SPI, UART/Serial. The GPIO also has three Analog inputs, something other Raspberry Pis lack, that use variable voltages to connect to, for example, a potentiometers, joystick or light-dependent resistor.
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The GPIO pins themselves feature castellations, small cutouts that permit the Raspberry Pi Pico to be soldered in place into a project or carrier board.
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More importantly, we can also solder header pins to the Pico and use it in a breadboard. See our tutorial on how to solder Raspberry Pi Pico pins for more details.
What You Do With a Raspberry Pi Pico
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Retailing for $4, the Raspberry Pi Pico is a cost effective means to tinker with electronics projects and study physical computing.
We can use the power of Pico at the heart of robotics and motorized projects, collect data using sensors for temperature, humidity, light and pollution and we can learn the basics of programming and electronics.
The RP2040
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The Raspberry Pi Pico is currently the only board to offer the RP2040 but it won’t be that way for long. Adafruit have announced two new boards based upon the RP2040. The Feather 2040 and ItsyBitsy 2040 follow Adafruit’s own range of board layouts and bring extra features such as battery charging, larger storage capacity, STEMMA QT and Neopixels to the mix. Arduino have announced that they are working on the Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect, a variant of the RP2040 with WiFi and Bluetooth. SparkFun have also released the own board based upon the RP2040 which sees their design add a micro SD card and larger onboard flash storage to accommodate projects and corresponding files. Pimoroni have announced the smallest RP2040 based board, aptly named the Tiny2040, this board has less GPIO pins than most, but it has a large onboard flash storage just like SparkFun’s board.
The RP2040 may be the new kid on the block, but it has already brought lots of alternatives to the table, and this is just the start for this low power, high speed chip.
RP2040 Board Comparison
SoC
GPIO
Extra Features
Dimensions
Raspberry Pi Pico
Dual-core Arm Cortex M0+ processor, flexible clock running up to 133 MHz, 264KB of SRAM, and 2MB of on-board Flash memory
Accurate clock and timer on-chip. Castellated module allows soldering direct to carrier boards.
21 x 51mm
Adafruit Feather RP2040
Dual-core Arm Cortex M0+ processor, flexible clock running up to 133 MHz, 264KB of SRAM, and 4MB of on-board Flash memory
21 GPIO Pins, 4 x 12 bit ADC, 2 x I2C, 2 x SPI, 2 x UART, 16 x PWM, STEMMA QT
200mA lipoly charger, RGB Neopixel, Reset Button, USB C
50.8 x 22.8mm
Adafruit ItsyBitsy RP2040
Dual-core Arm Cortex M0+ processor, flexible clock running up to 133 MHz, 264KB of SRAM, and 4MB of on-board Flash memory
23 GPIO Pins, 4 x 12 bit ADC, 2 x I2C, 2 x SPI, 2 x UART, 16 x PWM, STEMMA QT
RGB Neopixel, Reset Button, Micro USB
36 x 18mm
Pimoroni TinyRP2040
Dual-core Arm Cortex M0+ processor, flexible clock running up to 133 MHz, 264KB of SRAM, and 8MB of on-board Flash memory
12 GPIO Pins, 4 x 12 bit ADC
RGB LED, User Switch
22.5 x 18mm
SparkFun Thingy Plus
Dual-core Arm Cortex M0+ processor, flexible clock running up to 133 MHz, 264KB of SRAM, and 16MB of on-board Flash memory
30 GPIO Pins, 4 x 12 bit ADC, 2 x UART, 2 x I2C, 2 x SPI, QWIIC Connector
500mA lipoly charger, RGB LED, Rest Button
58.4 x 22.8mm
Accessories and Addons
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First and third part accessories are the life blood of the Raspberry Pi and maker communities. They bring extra features and enable projects to be realised more easily. With the Raspberry Pi Pico’s new form factor there is a need for new accessories and the first to market at Pimoroni, a UK based official Raspberry Pi reseller. They have released 12 new accessories for the Pico, nine of which are available at launch. They range from simple breakout boards enabling multiple addons to be used at once, to advanced audio output devices and a VGA Demo board which uses the Programmable IO of the RP2040 to create DVI video signals. If your interest are more LED inclined then the Unicorn Pack sees 112 RGB LEDs ready to dazzle your eyeballs.
Tutorials and Support
The best things about Raspberry Pi is the great community and the thousands of tutorials that have been created. From basic to complex there are great tutorials to help you learn new skills.
Right now the Raspberry Pi Pico is so new, that there are only a handful of tutorials available, but as this $4 makes its way across the world, more enthusiasts, such as those who work at Tom’s Hardware will create new ways to help you get the most out of the Raspberry Pi Pico.
Bats communicate and orientate themselves outside of our hearing range. With a MEMS microphone you can quickly track down the night owls.
As I sat on the terrace on long and warm summer evenings, I noticed that there was a lot of bat flying in our garden at dusk. This is probably the best hunting season to catch the many insects that local bats feed on. Since I’m not a biologist, I first had to refresh my long-faded school knowledge on the web to learn that there are more than thirty species of bats in Central Europe, many of which are unfortunately threatened with extinction.
The species can usually be identified by their ultrasound calls. Here the frequencies differ, but also the envelope curves of the calls – i.e. the speed at which the call comes on or off. Bats generate the ultrasonic signals to recognize prey and obstacles and to communicate with each other. The frequencies for communication and navigation differ significantly. The frequency of the signals is species-specific between kHz and more than 120 kHz – we humans don’t hear anything any more there.
Therefore there are a lot of devices available for sale, including kits, which the sounds in the human hearing range of 100 Hz to approx. 16 Shift kHz. A method similar to that used for radio receivers is used here: a so-called mixer. If a signal of frequency f1 is multiplied by a sinusoidal signal of frequency f2, then two images of the signal are created at frequency points f1-f2 and f2 + f2. So you can e.g. a 48 kHz signal by multiplication with a 40 Shift kHz sine to 8kHz and thereby make it audible. Of course, not just one frequency point shifts, but the entire spectrum of the signal. So you get a real hearing impression.
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The Raspberry Pi Pico is an intriguing board. Rather than be another Linux single board computer like every other Raspberry Pi, the Pico is a low-cost Arm based microcontroller which we can program using C/C++ and MicroPython. In this tutorial we will introduce how to get started with the Raspberry Pi Pico, If you would like to know more technical details about the board, then take a look at our review
How to Set Up the Raspberry Pi Pico
1. Download the MicroPython UF2 file from the MicroPython tab.
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2. Push and hold the BOOTSEL button on the Pico, then connect to your computer using a micro USB cable. Release BOOTSEL once the drive RPI-RP2 appears on your computer.
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3. Drag and drop the UF2 file on to the RPI-RP2 drive. The Raspberry Pi Pico will reboot and will now run MicroPython.
Pico Python is MicroPython for the Raspberry Pi Pico. If you have never used MicroPython, it is a version of Python 3 developed for microcontrollers. If you can write Python, then you can write MicroPython. To write MicroPython code, we need to use a dedicated editor and the default, basic editor is Thonny which is what we shall use for this tutorial.
1. Download and install Thonny for your OS, if you don’t already have it. You can grab it for free from the Thonny website. In our case, it is v 3.3.2 for Windows.
2. In a web browser, download the required backendfor Thonny to communicate with the Raspberry Pi Pico.
3. In Thonny, go to Tools > Manage Packages and select Install from local file. Navigate to where the file has been downloaded and select the file to install. When done restart Thonny.
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4. Connect the Raspberry Pi Pico to your computer and in Thonny go to Tools > Options and click on the Interpreter tab. From the interpreter dropdown list select MicroPython (Raspberry Pi Pico). The port dropdown menu can be left to automatically detect the Pico. Click Ok to close.
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The Python Shell (also called REPL, Read, Eval, Print, Loop) will now update to show that the Pico is connected and working.
5. To test we can write a quick print function to say “Hello World.” Press Enter to run the code.
print(“Hello World”)
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How to Blink an LED Light on Raspberry Pi Pico
To further test that we can successfully program the Raspberry Pi Pico, we shall write the “Hello World” equivalent for hardware projects, flashing an LED. This quick test ensures that our hardware is working, and it will introduce the MicroPython language and syntax in the simplest form.
Before we start writing any code, we first need to wire up our test circuit. This will require header pins to be soldered to the Raspberry Pi Pico. To build this project you will need:
A half size breadboard
An LED
A 330 Ohm resistor
1. Insert the Raspberry Pi Pico into the breadboard so that it sits over the central channel. Make sure that the Micro USB port is at one end of the breadboard.
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2. Insert a 330 Ohm resistor into the breadboard, one leg should be inline with GND, which is pin 38. The other leg should be inserted into the – rail of the breadboard. This provides us with a GND rail where all pins in that rail are connected to GND.
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3. Insert an LED, with the long leg (the anode) inserted into the breadboard at pin 34, and the short leg inserted into the GND rail. The circuit is now built.
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With the circuit built we can now start writing the code to flash (blink) the LED.
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4. Import the necessary libraries. Our code is written in the large blank space above the REPL and we start by importing two MicroPython libraries. The first is the Pin class from the Machine library, the second is utime, used to control the pace of our code.
from machine import Pin
import utime
5. Create an object, “led” which is used to create a link between the physical GPIO pin and our code. In this case, it will set GPIO 28 (which maps to physical pin 34 on the board) as an output pin, where current will flow from the Raspberry Pi Pico GPIO to the LED. We then use the object to instruct the GPIO pin to pull low.n other words this will ensure that the GPIO pin is turned off at the start of our project.
led = Pin(28, Pin.OUT)
led.low()
6. Inside of a while True loop, a loop with no end, we toggle the LED on and off, and print a message to the Python Shell (REPL) to prove that the loop is working. Lastly, we add a sleep to pause the code for one second between each iteration of the loop.
while True:
led.toggle()
print("Toggle")
utime.sleep(1)
7. Click on Save and choose to save the code to the MicroPython device (Raspberry Pi Pico). Name the file blink.py and click Ok to save. Your code should look like this.
from machine import Pin
import utime
led = Pin(28, Pin.OUT)
led.low()
while True:
led.toggle()
print("Toggle")
utime.sleep(1)
8. To run the code, click on the Green play / arrow button and the Python Shell will update to say TOGGLE every second, and the LED will flash on and off.
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We have successfully tested our Raspberry Pi Pico and we can now move on to another project. Such as learning how to use sensors with the Raspberry Pi Pico.
The Evernote note-taking program is reinventing itself. When changing to a modern substructure, however, many functions fell by the wayside.
Evernote 10 in the test and Evernote CEO Ian Small in the interview Missing functions and test table Interview with Evernote CEO Ian Small Article in c’t 3 / 2021 read Evernote has been one of the most popular note-taking and information-gathering programs for twelve years. It saves texts, images, handwriting notes, file attachments, links, embedded PDFs and file attachments and organizes them in virtual notebooks. Because of the flexible keyword and search functions and also because it cooperates with many scanners, Evernote is sometimes used as a simple document management system. There are clients for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and web browsers. The data can be kept synchronized on all devices via a cloud connection (Evernote uses Google servers for this).
With the version 10 the manufacturer has developed the clients from scratch. The Electron framework based on Chromium and Node.js serves as the basis for the desktop versions. Evernote for macOS and Windows becomes a web app and looks very similar to the web browser client. Unfortunately, it also took over the moderate speed from that. A few patches that were added quickly have alleviated the initial performance problems significantly, but the new Evernote still feels more sluggish than the previous native clients when leafing through and opening notes.
The surface looks a bit airier and more modern due to larger fonts and line spacing, but it also shows less information with the same window size. Some control elements have changed or postponed, which requires some getting used to. Unpleasant: Only six fonts are supported, two of which are decorative fonts. The previous clients could access all the respective system fonts. Notes designed with it can be seen in Evernote 10 now possibly different.
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The S21 gives here and takes there, but ultimately strengthens the Galaxy reputation
For
Rich, smooth display
Solid battery life
Superb all-round camera
Against
No microSD slot, earbuds or charger
Sony rival sounds better
With flagship smartphones from the likes of Samsung and Apple reliably refreshed every year, it’s perhaps unrealistic to expect every handset to make giant strides in terms of performance or specifications. So, it’s little surprise that the new Samsung Galaxy S21 is more of a refinement of its predecessor than a revamp.
Last year’s Galaxy S20 line-up marked a thorough overhaul, bringing in 5G support and 120Hz refresh rate displays for the first time, plus significant camera upgrades. But for the S21 range, the gains are more marginal – the camera software has been enhanced, the design is arguably better and it packs the company’s most advanced processor yet (the 5nm Exynos 2100).
Of the three-strong, 5G-supporting Galaxy S21 range, you’ll want to consider the two more premium models, the S21+ S21 Ultra, if you’re after a large screen, a top-spec camera (offered by the S21 Ultra), or are particularly excited by the prospect of using your phone to unlock your car (both support the UWB tech that makes this possible).
But for those who are happy with a 6.2in screen and relatively affordable price tag, the ‘standard’ S21 offers the bulk of the S21 features in the smallest, most affordable package of the three.
Pricing
For in-range comparison, the S21+ costs £949 and £999 for the same RAM and storage sizes (for the US or Australia, add $200 or AU$200 onto the cost of each S21 model). The S21 Ultra starts at £1149 ($1200, AU$1849) for the 128GB and goes up to £1329 ($1380, AU$2149) for the 512GB variant.
The Galaxy S21 (alongside the S21+ and S21 Ultra) is available from 29th January – its Galaxy S20 predecessor began shipping at the beginning of March 2020. Those who pre-order the handset before this date will get a free pair of Galaxy Buds Live true wireless earbuds, plus a free Galaxy SmartTag.
The Galaxy S21 has 8GB RAM and is available in 128GB and 256GB storage options, priced £769 ($799, AU$1249) and £819 ($850, AU$1349) respectively. That’s considerably less than the price of the 5G, 12GB RAM version of the S20 at launch last year, and slightly less than the 4G, 8GB version of the S20.
That considered, Samsung has priced the S21 pretty nicely, however, the microSD card slot for expanding the devices’ built-in storage is no more for the S21 and S21+.
Screen
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In terms of its screen, the series’ biggest evolution is that the S21 Ultra now offers the 120Hz refresh rate at its maximum resolution (3200×1440). That rate alongside the Galaxy S21’s lower resolution (2400×1080) still works wonders for responsiveness and smooth motion performance.
Samsung Galaxy S21 tech specs
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Screen 6.2in
Resolution 2400 x 1080
Cameras x3 (12MP, 12MP, 64MP)
Finishes x4
Dimensions (hwd) 7.1 x 15.2 x .8cm
Weight 171g
The S21 Ultra is the only handset in the series to get the S-Pen, as it debuts in the Galaxy S series. However, don’t rule out the accessory coming to smaller phones in the future, as Samsung president TM Roh hinted that the company plans to expand the S Pen “across additional device categories”.
Samsung has stuck with the screen sizes of its S20 line-up, meaning the S21, like its predecessor, has a 6.2in display. The Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O screen supports HDR10+ and has a Full HD resolution of 2400×1080, rather than 3040×1440. This results in a slightly lower pixel density, but that shouldn’t put you off.
In our review of the S20, we called its screen ‘richly colourful and impressively detailed’, and thankfully it’s more of the same this time around. In fact, the S21’s display is very similar, in character if not in resolution.
We watch the Kilauea volcano erupt in the BBC’s Perfect Planet documentary and find it a great advert for the S21’s punchy colour palette, the yellow and orange hues of the lava eye-dazzlingly bright and saturated. The picture is crisply sharp, and that’s backed up with decent levels of detail in rubble, sea and smoke.
However, in comparison, both Sony’s similarly priced Xperia 5 II and more expensive flagship Xperia 1 II boast better all-round screens. We prefer the Samsung’s enthusiastic colour palette – we play the second episode of WandaVision on Disney+ and as colour floods the house and washes over the screen, reds, greens, yellows and oranges look more solid – but the Sonys are sharper and deliver better overall contrast, their OLED displays doing a particularly great job of producing deep blacks that don’t sacrifice dark detail.
Sound
(Image credit: Samsung)
Similarly, the two Sonys better the Samsung for sound quality. We plug in our wired Sennheiser Momentum earbuds via the Sony’s 3.5mm headphone jack (the Samsung’s USB-C output also requires a dongle adapter) and play coney island by Taylor Swift and The National. The Sonys serve up more space around the acoustic plucks and drum and greater vocal expression. Their dynamic and rhythmic superiority mean they also keep a better musical handle on the composition underneath the vocals.
While the S21 isn’t quite as sophisticated a sound, it’s perfectly listenable. There’s clarity and detail throughout the presentation, but particularly in its open midrange, and the delivery isn’t bereft of punch and solidity. The Samsung performs well for a smartphone, the Sonys simply perform more like a dedicated music player. Note that Samsung has removed the bundled earbuds (as well as the charger plug) from the box, so you’ll need a pair of your own.
Features
(Image credit: Samsung)
The Samsung manages to outperform the Sonys in terms of its camera performance, as the Galaxy S21 proves one of the best camera phones around. Like the S21+, the S21 pairs a triple-lens rear camera comprising ultra-wide 12MP (capable of a 120-degree field of view), wide-angle 12MP and 64MP telephoto lenses with a 10MP front snapper – but Samsung has taken further strides in the AI processing department to get even more out of it.
The S21‘s luscious colour capture makes the Sonys’ seem washed out in comparison, while the Samsung takes the spoils when it comes to sharpness and clarity too. Compared with the S20, shots are a little brighter – sometimes at the expense of some shadow detail and depth – and slightly sharper. It’s a close call though, which shows how well Samsung did with the S20’s shooter.
Thanks to an improved Night Sight mode, our attempts at night-time photography with the S21 surface more brightness and highlights. The S20 might grasp some of the night hues more accurately, but its successor digs up more detail overall.
Samsung has also tweaked its Portrait Mode, which now lets owners adjust the lighting and add background effects to their selfies, while Single Take, which works to create a portfolio of all the ‘best moments’ you capture in one shot, now includes a slow-mo capture and Highlight Video reel. The 30x Space Zoom now has a ‘lock’ to help steady photo capture at its maximum reach, too.
For video recording, not only is there 8K video recording at 24fps (or 4K shooting at 60fps), an all-new Director’s View lets you see and switch between all four lenses during recording – handy for making short movie clips. Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds Pro wireless earbuds can also enhance the movie-making experience by allowing you to capture both ambient sounds (through the S21’s mic) and your voice (through the Buds Pro’s mic) at the same time.
The rear camera is the most noteworthy design development of the S21, with its all-new contoured bump in the top left-hand corner blending into the metal frame. Our Phantom Violet sample (a new colourway for Samsung) looks sleek, with the rose gold bump and frame an attractive match for the purple matte-finished rear panel. It looks just as good with the alternative Phantom Grey, Phantom Pink and Phantom White colour options.
The plastic casing – one of the sacrifices for the lower pricing – doesn’t make the device feel as premium as the glass-backed S20, but it is lightweight (171g) and easy to hold in the hand. And its IP68 rating, which is standard for Galaxy S devices in recent years, means it should be well protected from water, dirt and dust. Officially, they should be resistant to submersion up to a depth of 1.5m underwater for up to 30 minutes.
Verdict
While not offering any notable AV upgrades over the S20, the Samsung Galaxy S21 shuffles the S series along nicely with camera enhancements, aesthetic improvements and some modest functionality boosts. It sacrifices some screen spec, premium build and accessories in order to hit a lower price tag, but there is still an excellent balance between performance and value.
The S21 is far from an overhaul of its predecessor, and certainly not a reason for S20 owners to upgrade, but Android fans with older handsets looking for an all-new shiny device can’t go far wrong here – especially if camera performance and value are high on their priority list. Either of the Sony Xperias are better bets for those who place greater importance on music listening, so that’s one area we would hope Samsung advances for the next generation of Galaxy S phone. For now, though, the line’s reputation as one of the market’s best all-rounders remains intact.
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(Pocket-lint) – Bang & Olufsen makes some of the best looking and best-sounding speakers on the market, Bluetooth and otherwise. There are a couple of ranges within B&O Play’s lineup: BeoPlay and BeoLit, with the BeoLit name dating all the way back to 1939. Quite the heritage.
Our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers
We’ve broken down each of the B&O Play speakers currently available to tell you all about each in turn, so that you can best decide which one you think fits your lifestyle, home or plans. Read on to find out more about the full range.
Pocket-lint
B&O Beosound A1 (2nd Gen)
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With a slightly awkward renaming of the excellent BeoPlay A1, the Beosound is B&O’s latest portable Bluetooth speaker, and it’s a real doozy. Bringing down the starting price of the speaker while cleverly and subtly updating its design, it offers a compelling package.
The one drawback to the speaker is that it really mainlines on the Bluetooth side of things – there’s no Wi-Fi here, or AirPlay, so you’re dependent on that Bluetooth for everything. That’s no different to the original, though, and you get the extremely useful additions of both Alexa support and waterproofing, the latter the real key to its upgraded success in our eyes. There’s also a bigger battery, giving 18 hours of use per charge.
With its sleek metal body and leather strap, the Beosound A1 2nd Gen is about as good-looking as a portable speaker can get, too, with superb build-quality matching its impressive oomph and balanced sound. It’s a high-quality speaker for those looking for something a little more distinctive.
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 2nd Gen review: The portable Bluetooth speaker king
Pocket-lint
B&O Play BeoPlay A1
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B&O Play, Bang & Olufsen’s lifestyle subsidiary, makes some of the best looking and best sounding speakers on the market, Bluetooth and otherwise. There are a couple of ranges within B&O Play’s lineup: BeoPlay and BeoLit, with the BeoLit name dating back to 1939, which is quite the heritage.
We’ve broken down each of the B&O Play speakers currently available to tell you all about each in turn, so that you can best decide which one you thinks fits your lifestyle, home or plans. Read on to find out more about the full range.
B&O BeoPlay A1 by Bang & Olufsen review: Bluetooth speaker bliss
B&O
B&O Play BeoPlay P2
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One of the newer speakers in the BeoPlay 2 range, the P2 effectively replaces the older A2 speaker, which you’ll read more about below. It’s the result of some good iteration, shrinking the form-factor of the speakers without compromising on sound quality, and smoothing away some of the rough edges.
That iconic all-metal grille is still very much present and correct, along with a built-in loop for carrying, but the P2 could genuinely fit in a roomy pocket or handbag, rather than being slightly too big to carry around super easily, and as such is a real star for usability. It has a 10-hour battery to keep you going all day, and you can also use Siri from your iPhone straight through the speaker when you need to.
B&O
B&O Play BeoPlay P6
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Another one of B&O’s newer speakers is the BeoPlay P6. This uniquely designed speaker has a fairly science fiction-style look to it, and again prominently displays the metal grille that marks out a B&O portable. With an all-over design, the sound coverage is 360-degree, and helps the P6 to be a genuine room-filler from a volume and quality standpoint.
A raft of buttons on the speaker’s top let you control it as needed, although the companion app also lets you handle all of that from your smartphone if preferred. The P6 also has a battery that should last you for 16 full hours of playback, which is a really impressive life, and made even better by the fact that it’ll fully charge in just 3 hours.
An on-board microphone also makes the P6 useful for taking calls or ordering about Siri or the Google Assistant to take care of tasks. Sound-wise, a 4-inch woofer and two 1.5-inch full-range drivers take care of pinpoint reproduction.
BeoPlay P6 review: Sensational sound at home or on the go
B&O
B&O Play BeoPlay M3
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The BeoPlay range may have a range of portable speakers, and also a fair amount of unconventional design, the M3 is B&O Play’s potential answer to the traditional bookshelf speaker, and, as such, is a little more standard itself.
This is a gorgeous stationary speaker, mains-powered, with a small form-factor that doesn’t stop it putting out quality sound. It’s bigger sibling the M5 can be found further down this guide, but this smaller version is a powerful option. B&O says it’s designed to fill a “medium-sized” room, and the design means that it should melt into the background visually.
With a 3.75-inch woofer and 0.75-inch tweeter, the balance is great, and really comes into its own if you pair it with one or more other speakers (whether M3s or another type). The M3 is a great choice if you’re looking for a subtle, but exquisitely designed multi-room speaker that could work in a variety of home settings.
B&O
B&O Play BeoPlay A9
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The B&O Play BeoPlay A9 is very much an iconic B&O product, and is now in its fourth generation of internal specs. It looks just as much like a piece of furniture than it does a speaker. In fact, at first glance, you might not know it’s a speaker at all. Behind its round exterior you’ll find an 8-inch bass woofer, two 3-inch midrange drivers, two 1.5-inch full-range drivers, and two 0.75-inch, 80-watt tweeters.
The BeoPlay A9 has some cool tricks up its sleeve too. To turn the volume up or down you simply swipe your hand across the top of the speaker, or you can rest your hand on top for a few seconds to mute what’s playing. A tap of the right hand side will skip the track forward, while a tap on the left will skip it back. Finally, a short tap on the centre of the speaker will resume the last music source played.
With some modern upgrades, the A9 also now works with Google Assistant to provide smart assistant benefits, as well as packing AirPlay 2 for your connection needs. If you’re looking for a statement speaker that produces some delicious Danish sound – and have the money to back it up – the BeoPlay A9 is the speaker for you.
Pocket-lint
B&O Beosound Balance
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Right at the top end of B&O’s scale (and that’s a scale that goes to some pretty extreme places), the Beosound Balance is a simply gorgeous home speaker that won’t necessarily work for many people’s budgets, but will provide a premium experience for those who go for it.
We love the look of the speaker, its wooden base contrasting nicely with the fabric of the main unit above it, and that construction hides a full range of drivers that’ll pump out stunning sound. It’s got solid connections, especially since Spotify Connect is coming in an update, and if you’re looking for a home speaker that really stands out, it could be a great choice.
Read the full B&O Beosound Balance review
Bang & Olufsen Beosound Balance: Opulent audio
Pocket-lint
B&O Play BeoLit 20
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The BeoLit 20 is the latest upgrade to a line that’s included the 17 and 15 before it, and makes some canny additions to an already lush design, including a wireless charging pad on its top-side to keep your phone topped up.
At this price, the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity is a bit of a drag, but for portable Bluetooth sound you won’t find much more high-fidelity options out there.
You can use the Beoplay app to configure the one-touch command button on top to carry out one of four different functions: Alarm, Connect, ToneTouch or Remote. Two BeoLit 20 speakers can be connected together to create a stereo pair and the battery once again provides up to 24 hours of playback.
Bang & Olufsen Beolit 20 review: Box of tricks
Pocket-lint
B&O Play BeoPlay M5
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The BeoPlay M5 is a cylindrical speaker that fires sound out through a full 360-degrees. Inside it has a 5-inch woofer, a 1.5-inch midrange driver and three 0.75-inch tweeters, with each driver being given its own Class D amplification.
It can either be used on its own, where it is more than capable of filling a room with sound, or be used as part of a multi-room music system with other B&O speakers. You can connect them together via Google Cast or BeoLink Multiroom and there’s no limit to the number of speakers you can join together.
The top aluminium disc is used to control the source and volume levels and you can use the Beoplay app to calibrate the sound depending on where the speaker is positioned. This is a seriously nice-looking speaker, and it’s noteworthy that B&O were on the “all-fabric” look years before it went mainstream through the likes of Amazon.
Best portable projector Buying Guide: Welcome to What Hi-Fi?’s round-up of the best portable projectors you can buy in 2021.
Projectors are typically neither convenient nor cheap. To get the most out of the best projectors you need to paint entire rooms black, buy yourself a screen, an AVR, a speaker package and possibly even have to fix a chunky mounting bracket onto the ceiling.
This is why portable and mini projectors are a better choice for many. There’s no need to replace your TV. Just pull out your portable when you want to go big and you can even take them around to friends’ houses for movie nights. What’s more, installing a portable projector is no more complicated than finding a flat surface or even a sheet hung in the garden and pointing the thing at it (though a dedicated screen is so much better).
A few years ago, these mini projectors were still hard to recommend despite their convenience. ‘Pico’ projectors had dim light sources that couldn’t do justice to colours or contrast, even in a darkened room.
Today’s portable projectors benefit from improvements to LED and laser light tech. And that means a bigger, brighter picture and no more worrying about having to replace the lamp after a year or so. Traditional halogen projector lamps tend to last 2000-3000 hours. LEDs last tens of thousands.
There’s no magic brand-new tech in the lower-end of the portable world, of course. If a projector fits in the palm of your hand, it will not be particularly bright nor kick out top notch detail. No micro projector works well during the day with the windows open either.
This is one reason our best portable projector round-up includes almost all flavours in this category. There’s a pick so small you could fit it in some large coat pockets. It is great for camping, travelling or for entertaining the kids without putting a TV in their room.
The newer “lunchbox” style projector is a better fit for many, though. They offer a decent compromise of portability and performance, and will likely have the better software extras, as these are real lifestyle tech buys.
Right at the top of the tree are projectors that blur the divide between normal and portable designs. They are only slightly smaller than some normal home projectors but have built-in speakers and other convenience features such as short-throw lenses. These mean the projector does not have to be as far from the screen to create a large, cinematic image, and they can be stowed away in the cupboard again once you’re done with your viewing.
Got all that? If that sounds like the kind of convenience and entertainment you’re looking for, then read on for our best mini projectors of 2021.
(Image credit: Grado)
1. LG CineBeam HU80KSW
This all-in-one, do-it-all portable projector does it all well.
It’s not what you’d call ‘mini’ but the LG CineBeam has an integrated handle for easy carrying and is small enough to be easily hidden away in a cupboard when not in use.
That’s especially impressive when you consider it’s more or less an entire home cinema system: a 4K HDR picture, stereo sound, an array of smart sources, all in a unit you can carry like a holdall and set up wherever and whenever you might choose. Even the power cable is wound up inside the base, so there is really nothing you have to plug in if you don’t want to.
That’s the great beauty of the CineBeam: its versatility and intuitive simplicity. As long as you have a clean wall or ceiling upon which to throw a picture, you can have it up and running in a matter of minutes each time you use it.
Picture performance is strong: impressively crisp and detailed, with decent depth and natural hues. It is bright enough without being garish, vibrant enough to combat leaked sunlight. And it sounds surprisingly good by the standards of integrated speakers, too.
The only downside is the price, but if you want the best, you’re going to have to pay for it. Besides, you’ll find lots of more affordable options below.
Read our LG CineBeam HU80KSW review
(Image credit: Asus)
2. Asus F1
Projects a cinematic image in dark rooms.
SPECIFICATIONS
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Type: DLP | Brightness: 1200 lumens | Throw ratio: 0.8:1 | Focus: Motorised AF | Zoom: Digital | Keystone correction: +/- 30 degrees | Dimensions: 25 x 75 x 21cm | Weight: 1.8Kg
Reasons to Buy
Decent DLP image
Solid light output
Engaging picture
Reasons to Avoid
No battery
Not the most portable design
The Asus F1 stretches the limits of what we might call a “portable projector”. It does not have a battery and you’ll need a rucksack to take it over to a friend’s house, but it is a very handy projector to take between rooms in your own home.
It weighs just 1.8kg, similar to some laptops, and has a short throw lens. This means it doesn’t need to sit as far from a wall or projector screen to produce a large image. A 1.4m distance gets you 80-inch movies.
It’s also less likely to get damaged when moved about as it uses an LED light array rather than a traditional lamp.
At this size you get much closer to the image quality of a traditional home projector. Its resolution is Full HD, 1920 x 1080 pixels, and the 1200 lumen brightness doesn’t need anything like the light-blocking preparation of a smaller model.
If you want to use a projector in the day time, the significantly brighter Epson EF100 is a better bet. But with the Asus F1 you get a much more cinematic image in a dark room. Colours have real DLP punch and the black level is more than respectable.
We’re not in the same class as JVC’s D-ILA range here, of course, but if you can project onto a grey wall or a white screen with black border, you’re looking at very enjoyable home cinema experience.
Unlike many more traditional projectors, the Asus F1 does not have lens shift or optical lens zoom, just digital zoom and keystone correction. Both limit picture quality so it’s a good idea to take out a tape measure to check it will suit your living room. You need some patience for the menu system too, as it can be very slow to respond.
(Image credit: Nebula)
3. Nebula Mars 2
A battery-powered, truly portable package that’s fun to use.
SPECIFICATIONS
Resolution: 1280 x 720 | Brightness: 300 lumens | Throw ratio: 1.2:1 | Focus: Motorised AF | Zoom: No | Keystone correction: Auto +/-40 degrees | Dimensions: 18 x 12 x 14cm | Weight: 1.8Kg
Reasons to Avoid
Not Full HD
Basic colour reproduction
The Nebula Mars 2 sits in a portable projector sweet spot. It is far from palm-sized, but has a synthetic leather carry strap and a shape similar to the Bang & Olufsen BeoLit 15 “lunchbox” wireless speaker. It’s cute.
This is easily the most fun portable projector in this group too. It has a battery that lasts up to four hours and Android rather than a basic menu system. The front-end is customised for use with the supplied remote, and has a dedicated app store rather than Google Play. But you can still download Netflix, BBC iPlayer and countless other apps to run direct from the Mars 2.
That includes games, but don’t get your hopes up. Most don’t run perfectly, although you can pair your phone and use its touchscreen like a laptop trackpad.
Image quality is respectable too. In a room with closed curtains and no lights switched on, the Mars 2 can produce a watchable image on a 100-inch screen. The projector dims significantly on battery power, but head to the settings menu and you can turn this off. It will simply last closer to two hours than the claimed four.
There’s no worrying about focus either as it has motorised autofocus. Sharpness is less than perfect and there’s some disparity to the sharpness across the image, but you’ll only notice if you look carefully. Its 720p resolution offers far better image detail than a basic 480p model and is a huge upgrade for gaming in particular. And you don’t need to look close to notice that.
The bad parts? Colour reproduction is not particularly good. It lacks finesse and vibrancy, and only minor image controls are available. And while larger than some, the Nebula Mars 2 still needs a partially light-controlled room to produce sufficient image contrast.
Read our Nebula Mars 2 review
(Image credit: Viewsonic)
4. Viewsonic M1+
A tiny projector with built-in Harman Kardon speakers.
SPECIFICATIONS
Resolution: 854 x 480 | Brightness: 300 lumens | Throw ratio: 1.2:1 | Focus: Manual dial | Zoom: No | Keystone correction: Veryical +/-40 degrees | Dimensions: 14.5 x 12.6 x 4cm
Reasons to Buy
Reasonable image in dim light
Speaker goes surprisingly loud
Reasons to Avoid
Low resolution and brightness
Poor focus control
Mini projectors don’t get much more convenient than the Viewsonic M1+. It’s tiny, and only weighs as much as four phones stacked in a pile. And it does come with wi-fi, a MicroSD card slot, plus USB Type-A and USB Type-C connectors.
The stand makes projecting an image from slanted surface, or onto angled walls, a cinch. Its speaker is the real surprise, though. While it sounds harsh and brash at maximum volume, the dual Harman Kardon speakers deliver enough volume for a movie night if you keep things sensible. The sound may only be that of mediocre budget bluetooth speaker, but it’s much better than that of most pint-size projectors.
Image quality is mixed, and not up to the traditional standards of TVs and projectors. That’s hardly surprising as resolution is very low at 854×480 pixels. Text looks terrible, but we are pleasantly surprised by how invisible the pixel structure is even when projecting at 100 inches. Faces look smooth rather than blocky, although naturally there’s limited fine detail. This is a DVD-quality projector, not an HD one.
The Viewsonic M1+’s focusing is fiddly too. It has a flimsy wheel, and the M1+ tends to change focus slightly as soon as your take your finger off the control. Getting a perfectly in-focus picture requires some finger gymnastics.
And, no surprise here, the Viewsonic M1+ needs a fairly dark room to achieve an acceptable image. No-one is likely to be bowled over by this projector. But it is compact, relatively affordable, sounds reasonable, has a three-hour battery life and does a fair job displaying SD-quality movies. If that’s all you require, it does the job.
While the latest rumours suggest the RTX 3080 Ti has been delayed ‘indefinitely’, RTX 3090 remains the go-to option for those demanding the fastest consumer GPU currently on the market. The fact RTX 3090s are so expensive also means there is actually some stock – if you are prepared to shell out £1889 for the Palit RTX 3090 GameRock OC we are looking at today.
On paper, there’s a lot to like about Palit’s RTX 3090 GameRock OC. For starters, it has dual-BIOS functionality baked in, offering users a performance mode and a silent mode. The latter raises the power target to 420W (!), which is a 70W increase over stock, while also pushing the rated boost clock up to 1845MHz, another sizeable boost compared to the RTX 3090’s stock specifications.
And then there’s the RGB. There’s no trying to hide it with this card, the GameRock OC is the most blinged-out graphics card, in terms of RGB lighting, that I have ever seen. If you don’t like RGB, then be warned – this is not the card for you. If you are an RGB lover though, there’s no denying that the GameRock OC is pretty special in that regard.
GPU
RTX 3090
RTX 3080
RTX 2080 Ti (FE)
RTX 2080 SUPER
RTX 2080 (FE)
SMs
82
68
68
48
46
CUDA Cores
10496
8704
4352
3072
2944
Tensor Cores
328
272
544
384
368
RT Cores
82
68
68
48
46
Texture Units
328
272
272
192
184
ROPs
112
96
88
64
64
GPU Boost Clock
1695 MHz
1710 MHz
1635 MHz
1815 MHz
1800 MHz
Memory Data Rate
19.5 Gbps
19 Gbps
14 Gbps
15.5 Gbps
14 Gbps
Total Video Memory
24GB GDDR6X
10GB GDDR6X
11GB GDDR6
8GB GDDR6
8GB GDDR6
Memory Interface
384-bit
320-bit
352-bit
256-bit
256-bit
Memory Bandwidth
936 GB/Sec
760 GB/Sec
616 GB/sec
496.1 GB/sec
448 GB/sec
TGP
350W
320W
260W
250W
225W
RTX 3090 uses the GA102 GPU, which also forms the basis for RTX 3080. Even with its 82 SMs, however, this is not actually a full implementation of GA102, as a fully populated die houses 84 SMs, so just two are missing from the RTX 3090. Ampere has doubled the number of FP32 shaders per SM, so there’s a total of 128 CUDA Cores in each of those 82 SMs, for a grand total of 10496.
Each SM also houses a single RT Core, as well as four Tensor cores, giving us 328 with the RTX 3090. Additionally, there’s 328 texture units and 112 ROPs.
As for the memory, this is a significant step up from the RTX 3080. RTX 3090 of course still uses GDDR6X memory, but it has over double the amount with 24GB. Additionally, the modules are clocked slightly faster at 19.5Gbps, and the memory interface is also slightly wider than RTX 3080, with a 384-bit interface. Total memory bandwidth comes in just shy of 1TB/s, hitting 936 GB/s.
Finally, we can see Palit has pushed the clock speed slightly further than reference. RTX 3090 defaults to a boost clock of 1695MHz, but Palit has added an extra 150MHz to this figure, bringing it up to 1845MHz. Later in the review we test exactly how fast the GPU actually operates, as we would expect GPU Boost to bring clock speed well above the rated speed.
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