The Galaxy A52 5G will likely be announced next week at Samsung’s second Unpacked event of the year, but thanks to an early unboxing video spotted by GSMArena, we won’t have to wait that long to see it in action.
The upcoming midrange device has been subject to plenty of leaks over the past few weeks, and the video from YouTuber Moboaesthetics seems to confirm many of them. The device in the video matches up with previously leaked renders and appears to be fully functional.
Specs featured in the lengthy video include a 64-megapixel main camera with OIS, a 120Hz display, IP67 dust and water resistance, under-screen fingerprint sensor, and a 4,500mAh battery. Unlike the S21 series, there’s a microSD card slot for memory expansion.
The A52 5G and also-rumored A72 5G are both expected to be accompanied by cheaper non-5G variants with other slightly downgraded specs, like a 90Hz screen rather than 120Hz. All told, they’re shaping up to look like highly competitive midrange phones.
Samsung has not confirmed exactly what it’s announcing at next week’s event, but given the appearance of this video and the recent leaks, it seems certain that the A52 5G will be making its debut soon.
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Hasselblad’s latest digital camera, the 907X 50C, is a 740-gram metal box that can serve as a standalone medium format digital camera or as a digital back for Hasselblad V System cameras made from 1957 onward. At $6,400, it is the smallest digital medium format body Hasselblad has ever made, and it is filled with premium Hasselblad touches. But its responsive touchscreen, all-metal body, and satisfying leaf shutter don’t make up for its slow auto-focus or lack of a viewfinder.
Using the 907X takes patience and practice, but if you are willing to put in the time, the 907X’s 50mp CMOS medium format sensor paired with Hasselblad’s gorgeous color science can create stunning results.
I have gotten so used to the DSLR and mirrorless camera layouts: using my right thumb for most controls and having a firm grip around the battery compartment. Using the 907X is done mostly with the pointer finger, and the lack of a battery grip makes holding the metal box feel awkward and foreign at first. There is a grip you can buy for an additional $729 that provides two additional dials and four buttons along with a small joystick, but I really challenged myself to use the camera without this expensive mod.
There is a battery compartment that houses dual SD card slots on the right side of the camera, a USB-C port with a small door on the left, and the shutter button is under the lens mount around front. On the back, below the 3.2-inch articulating touchscreen, are the flash, headphone, and mic ports, all cleverly hidden under a rubber door. Although all of the ports are covered, Hasselblad makes no claims about the camera being weather-sealed. If you plan on taking this out in any sort of precipitation, you do it at your own risk.
There is a rubber door that covers the flash, headphone, and mic ports on the base of the camera.
Anyone who has spent time with Hasselblad’s traditional medium format film cameras will likely feel comfortable with the 907X’s layout. Otherwise, using this camera feels like stepping into a whole new world. To start, the lack of a handgrip leads me to support the weight of the camera on my right palm with my left hand gripping the lens.
Next, there is only one dial on the whole system. It runs around the shutter button, which is on the front of the camera. Spin this dial to adjust f-stop or hold down the small button on the right side of the camera while spinning the dial to adjust shutter speed. All other controls are on the touchscreen around the back, which is, fortunately, very responsive and smooth, quite a departure from the first touchscreen experience Hasselblad shipped on the X1D.
Lastly, there is no viewfinder on the base model. As an ode to the waist-level cameras of medium format past, the 907X’s back screen can articulate 90 degrees up so that you are looking down and into the camera instead of through the camera at your subject.
A 90-degree articulating screen allows you to look down and into the camera at your subject.
The 907X forces you to use it in a particular way. From the button placement to the lack of a handle to the articulating screen, there is very little about this camera that I was accustomed to. When attempting to take photos walking down the street, for example, I couldn’t just whip the camera up and nab a shot of a passing cyclist or the cool shoes of someone walking toward me. I would have to pull the screen out first, then dial in the ISO on a touchscreen, then adjust my hand to reach the shutter and f-stop dial on the front all before I could snap the shot.
Another speed bump in using the 907X is the focus system. It’s contrast based, and it is slow. When pointing the camera at a subject, the pre-production Hasselblad XCD 80mm lens I was shooting with would hunt for at least a few seconds and often not be able to grab focus at all. If I had a limited window for capturing the scene I wanted, I simply wouldn’t even try because I knew I was likely to miss it. For me, missing the shot is more frustrating than just not trying in the first place.
This was incredibly difficult to adapt to at first. I spent the first few days with the 907X constantly feeling like I missed the shot, that I wasn’t moving quick enough. And then I put the camera on a tripod, and I realized why it didn’t need a handle and why it isn’t in the hands of street photographers. This camera is not for the quick take; it’s for the thought-out, the particularly placed, the well-crafted shot. This camera does not chase the moment; it invites the moment to come to it.
It is worth noting the 907X has one of the simplest menus, especially compared to the byzantine and terrible menu systems of Sony. There are five physical rubber buttons under the 3.2-inch touchscreen, but otherwise, navigating the camera’s menu system is done completely by touch. The main menu consists of 11 vectored icons that lead to deeper settings. It’s all very intuitive and responsive.
The Hasselblad 907X has a 50-megapixel CMOS medium format sensor that can be used as a digital back on most Hasselblad V system cameras.
The magic of the 907X is in its 50-megapixel CMOS medium format sensor, which is capable of capturing 8272 x 6200 pixels. It’s larger than a full-frame camera’s sensor, but not quite as big as if you compared it to a medium format film camera. It’s also getting up there in age: it’s effectively the same image sensor Hasselblad has been using since at least 2018’s X1D.
The 907X with the 80mm f/1.9 lens produced the sharpest images at around f/5.6 to f/11, but the amount of depth you can isolate at f/1.9 is truly stunning. Although you can capture both Hasselblad 3FR RAW files and JPEGs, I like the colors from the JPEGs more than the flat profiles of the RAWs, even when I was editing them later on my computer. Hasselblad’s color science is truly remarkable. In particular, the red hues this camera captures are incredibly vibrant yet not over the top. I ended up seeking out red objects to take photos of, simply so that I could be amazed by how true to life the 907X could reproduce them.
The 907X can shoot from ISO 100 to ISO 25,600. The image gets grainy once you cross ISO 6,400, but it’s a smooth grain that has a nice texture to it like film. I also took it out one night on a tripod and let that shutter sit open on still objects. The level of detail this sensor can capture never gets old, which led me to constantly zooming into the photos I had taken once I brought them over to my computer.
Unedited JPEGs from the Hasselblad 907X 50C.
Video can only be captured in 2.7K, 29.97fps or Full HD, 29.97fps on the 907X. The camera also crops the image to 16:9. As a huge 4:3 ratio fan, this makes me very sad, especially considering how many pixels are not being used with the 16:9 crop. However, the video is crisp and holds on to that great color science. But for many reasons, this is not a video camera. It’s almost weird that Hasselblad even included the ability to shoot video at all.
First, there is absolutely no in-body stabilization, so when shooting handheld, you can see every shake, breath, and focus pull. Next, there is no continuous autofocus in video mode and certainly no face detection in either the photo or video modes. But more importantly, that lack of video frame rate and resolution options leads me to believe this camera’s video capabilities are for making GIFs or grabbing a quick video reference. Tune into our video review of the 907X for a sample video shot.
I also don’t think the battery life could support consistent use of the 907X in video mode. While casually taking photos all day, I was only getting through about half a day of shooting before needing to swap in another battery. And while you can recharge the battery via the USB-C port on the camera, I can’t imagine owning this camera and not also owning at least two additional batteries, which cost $99 each.
A battery compartment houses the battery and two SD card slots.
This premium sensor, sleek design, and brand name don’t come cheap: the Hasselblad 907X 50C starts at $6,400. For $3,000 less, the Fujifilm GFX 50R has effectively the same sensor in a more traditional-style mirrorless body. You really have to be in love with the Hasselblad brand or the desire to use this as a digital back for a Hasselblad V system camera in order to justify the 907X’s price tag.
It’s that expensive price, the lack of any real handgrips, and the complete lack of weatherproofing that made me fear using this camera out in the world. I wholeheartedly believe it belongs in a studio that it will rarely leave, on product shoots where the goal is to make a viewer feel as though they can reach into the frame and grab an object, or in the hands of a much more cautious photographer.
The Hasselblad 907X 50C couldn’t be my daily driver, but it would be a sick camera to keep in the garage for those slower or gorgeous drives.
Waymo is publicizing more data from its autonomous vehicles, which it says is for the benefit of the research community. Building on the trove of data it released in 2019, the Alphabet company is calling this latest batch “the largest interactive dataset yet released for research into behavior prediction and motion forecasting for autonomous driving.”
This “motion dataset” includes over 100,000 segments, each around 20 seconds long, of objects like cars and people and their trajectories, as captured by Waymo’s sensor-laden vehicles. The company has included corresponding 3D maps and geographic details in each segment to provide researchers with context for their prediction modeling. In total, Waymo says it is releasing 570 hours of “unique data.”
A wide variety of road types in different urban environments are featured, including San Francisco, Phoenix, Mountain View, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Seattle. Waymo says it included data mined specifically for its unique qualifications for research purposes, including “cyclists and vehicles sharing the roadway, cars quickly passing through a busy junction, or groups of pedestrians clustering on the sidewalk.”
Waymo also claims that its “perception boxes,” or the colored boxes used to distinguish different objects on the road, are “state of the art” and superior to other open-source datasets. “This is important because the better the perception system is at tracking the objects and agents in the motion data, the more accurate the resulting behavior prediction model will be at predicting what they are going to do,” writes Drago Anguelov, head of research at Waymo.
To go along with the data dump, Waymo is also launching an open dataset challenge to encourage research teams in their work on behavior and prediction. There are four challenges: motion prediction, interaction prediction, real-time 3D detection, and real-time 2D detection. The winner of each challenge will receive $15,000, with second-place teams receiving $5,000 and third place $2,000.
Waymo isn’t the first company to release an open dataset. In March 2019, Aptiv became one of the first large AV operators to publicly release a set of its sensor data. Cruise, a majority-owned subsidiary of General Motors, also released AV visualization tools to the public. Argo, which is backed by Ford, has also released a dataset of HD maps called the “Argoverse.”
(Pocket-lint) – Apple announced the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max in September 2019. They were then succeeded by the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max in September 2020.
If you’re in the market for a new iPhone but you don’t want the latest models, you’re in the right place.
The iPhone 11 sits above the iPhone XR and is still available to buy from Apple alongside the iPhone 12 models. The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max took the place of the iPhone XS and XS Max, but while all are discontinued through Apple, you might be able to get hold of them elsewhere.
Here is how the three 2019 iPhones compare to help you work out which is the right one for you.
You can also read our separate features on how the iPhone 11 compares to the iPhone XR and how the iPhone 11 Pro models compare to the iPhone XS models.
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What’s the same across the iPhone 11 series?
Processor
No 3D Touch
Storage options
Software
The Apple iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max all run on the same processor, like the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max.
For 2019, that processor was the A13 Bionic chip with a third-generation neural engine (it’s also in the iPhone SE (2020)). The three models also come in the same storage capacities – 64GB, 256GB and 512GB – none of which have microSD.
None of the devices have 3D Touch on board, with all opting for Haptic Touch like the iPhone XR and the iPhone 12 models, but all offer True Tone technology and a wide colour gamut.
All three models also come with an improved front camera compared to their predecessors offering a 12-megapixel lens, next-generation Smart HDR for photos and Portrait Mode, as well as Portrait Lighting.
Face ID is on board all three models (as you would expect) and it too was improved compared to older models with more angles supported. All models launched on iOS 13, but they would now support iOS 14, delivering the same user experience and the same new features.
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What’s different between the iPhone 11 series?
Whilst the three iPhone 11s share numerous similarities – including power, software and a similar (though not identical) design, there are a few differences to consider before you make your choice.
Camera capabilities
iPhone 11: Dual camera
iPhone 11 Pro: Triple camera
iPhone 11 Pro Max: Triple camera
One of the main differences between the iPhone 11 series is their camera capabilities. The iPhone 11 comes with a dual camera, while the iPhone 11 Pro models come with a triple rear camera.
The iPhone 11 has dual 12-megapixel ultra-wide and wide cameras with the ultra-wide lens offering an aperture of f/2.4, while the wide lens has an aperture of f/1.8. The iPhone 11 Pro models have a triple 12-megapixel sensor setup, with the same two lenses as the iPhone 11, along with a telephoto lens offering an aperture of f/2.0.
All models have Night Mode, Auto Adjustments, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting with six effects and next-generation Smart HDR for photos. The Night Mode is very good, offering much better low light capabilities across all three devices.
The iPhone 11 has 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x, while the iPhone 11 Pro models have 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out and 10x digital zoom. The optical zoom out refers to the ultra-wide-angle lens, allowing you to get more in the shot. Only the Pro models have 2x optical zoom in thanks to the third telephoto lens. The Pro models also have dual optical image stabilisation, while the iPhone 11 has standard optical image stabilisation.
Apple iPhone 11 Pro cameras explained: Why three and what does each do?
iPhone 11 Pro Max: 6.5-inch, OLED, HDR, 2688 x 1242, True Tone, Haptic Touch, 800nits
Display sizes differ between the three iPhone 11 models, as they did for 2018’s iPhone XR, XS and XS Max and resolutions differ too with the iPhone 11 offering a pixel density of 326ppi and the iPhone 11 Pro models offering pixel densities of 458ppi. The 11 Pro models are also brighter. You’ll notice this difference if you’re looking at the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro models side-by-side but otherwise, the iPhone 11’s display will be more than sufficient for most users.
The iPhone 11 Pro has a 5.8-inch screen like the iPhone XS, the iPhone 11 has a 6.1-inch screen like the iPhone XR and the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 6.5-inch display like the iPhone XS Max.
The Pro models also have OLED displays like their predecessors, allowing for punchier colours and blacker blacks than the iPhone 11 and its LCD screen, but again, this is only really noticeable if you place the devices together. The Pro models do have HDR support though, which the iPhone 11 does not, meaning you’ll see less detail on the standard iPhone when watching HDR-compatible content.
All models have True Tone technology and Haptic Touch.
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Physical footprint
iPhone 11 Pro: 144 x 71.4 x 8.1mm, 188g
iPhone 11: 150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3mm, 194g
iPhone 11 Pro Max: 158 x 77.8 x 8.1mm, 226g
As with the display sizes, the physical footprint between the three 2019 iPhones differs.
The iPhone 11 Pro is the smallest and lightest, followed by the iPhone 11 and then the iPhone 11 Pro Max. With the frosted glass finished on the iPhone 11 Pro models though, the iPhone 11 Pro Max doesn’t look as big as the iPhone XS Max did. It’s an optical illusion of course, but for those that wanted the larger model but thought it looked to big in 2018, you might find yourself thinking differently here.
The iPhone 11 is a great in-between device in terms of size though.
Design
iPhone 11: Dual camera, aluminium frame
iPhone 11 Pro models: Triple camera, stainless steel frame
While the design is similar across the three 2019 iPhones, with all offering a notch on the front at the top of the display, there are differences on the rears, as well as material choice.
The iPhone 11 Pro models have a square camera housing with three camera lenses, while the iPhone 11 has a dual camera. All models have an IP68 water and dust resistance rating, but the Pro models can be submerged up to four-metres for 30 minutes, while the iPhone 11 can only be submerged up to two-metres for 30 minutes.
The Pro models also have a textured matte glass and stainless steel design, while the iPhone 11 is made form aluminium and standard glass. In the flesh, the Pro models are really beautiful, especially in the green and gold colour options. They look more premium than the iPhone 11 but this is something you will only notice when they are next to each other. Otherwise, the iPhone 11 is a lovely, solid device in its own right.
Battery capacities
iPhone 11: Up to 17-hours, wireless charging
iPhone 11 Pro: Up to 18-hours, wireless charging
iPhone 11 Pro Max: Up to 20-hours, wireless charging
Batteries were claimed to have improved for the 2019 iPhone models when they first launched, and while Apple doesn’t detail specific capacities, they did improve in our experience. The iPhone 11 is said to last up to 17 hours, while the iPhone 11 Pro is said to last up to 18 hours and the iPhone 11 Pro Max is said to last up to 20 hours.
We were really impressed with the battery life of 2019 devices though during our testing. Both the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Max will see you through a day and evening without a problem in our experience.
All three models offer wireless charging but none have reverse wireless charging on board. All three models are also fast-charge capable, but only the Pro models come with 18W fast chargers in the box.
Colour options
iPhone 11: 6 colours
iPhone 11 Pro models: 3 colours
Colour options vary between the standard iPhone 11 and the iPhone 11 Pro models.
The iPhone 11 was available in Purple, Yellow, Green, Black, White and Product(RED) when it first arrived. They were more muted than they were for the iPhone XR and lovely as a result.
The iPhone 11 Pro models were available in Midnight Green, Silver, Space Grey and Gold. The Midnight Green and Gold are fabulous and really stand out, especially with the matte rear.
iPhone 11 colours: All the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro colours available
Price
iPhone 11: From $699/£729
iPhone 11 Pro models: From $999/£1049
Pricing between the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro models unsurprisingly differs.
The iPhone 11 started at $699/£729 when it first launched, the iPhone Pro started at $999/£1049 and the iPhone Pro Max started at $1099/£1149. As mentioned, only the iPhone 11 is available through Apple now, and it is cheaper, but you might still find the 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max at a good price elsewhere now they have been succeeded.
Conclusion
The Apple iPhone 11 is the cheaper option of the three 2019 iPhones and it’s great value. For many, it will be the one to buy from this trio of handsets.
The iPhone 11 Pro models offer some great features, specifically camera capabilities, design materials and better displays, but they are also particularly pricey compared to the standard iPhone 11.
The iPhone 11 offers more colours than the Pro models, even if it isn’t as premium in design, it sits in the middle in terms of size and while it misses out on a couple of features compared to the Pro models, such as optical zoom in terms of camera and a punchier display, it still offers a great camera with Night Mode and brilliant results.
Nikon has announced development of the Z9, its highest-end mirrorless camera to date and the first in the Z-mount line that the company describes as a flagship. Actual details are thin, but Nikon promises that it will deliver “the best still and video performance in Nikon history” upon release.
From the single image released, the Z9 looks like a cross between the current mirrorless Z7 and the D6 full-frame DSLR, with a built-in vertical grip. Nikon says the Z9 uses a newly developed full-frame sensor and a new image processing engine, with support for 8K video “as well as various other video specifications that fulfill diverse needs and workflows.”
That’s about it for details so far, except that Nikon says the Z9 will be released in 2021. Nikon tends to announce the development of its highest-end cameras this way, with full launches following a few months later. The D6, for example, was announced to be in development in September 2019, and the full reveal happened in February 2020.
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 is the gaming laptop to beat.
When I tested Asus ROG’s Zephyrus G14 a year ago, I was blown away. Not only was it just over 3.5 pounds — a weight unheard of for a system with both a powerful processor and a discrete GPU — but it ran even the most demanding games at much better frame rates than any gaming laptop we’d ever seen at that size. And then everything else about it — the keyboard, the touchpad, the audio, the battery life — was also great. The G14 wasn’t just better than other gaming laptops in those areas: it was better than most other laptops at its price point, period.
Given the G14’s resounding success, it was only a matter of time before Asus put it in a 15-inch chassis. The formula wasn’t broken, and Asus didn’t fix it — Asus just made it bigger. While I had some questions when I heard the G15 was on the way (could it deliver the same combination of portability, battery life, and performance as a 14-inch product? Could it do that without costing over $2,000?), what’s become clear throughout my testing period is that the device isn’t just as good as its 14-inch counterpart; it’s somehow even better. Asus and AMD have done it again.
Gaming on Cloud 9.
The G15’s secret weapon is its processor. All models have AMD’s monstrous eight-core Ryzen 9 5900HS. My test model, priced at $1,799.99, pairs that chip with Nvidia’s new GeForce RTX 3070 (an 80W version, with dynamic boost up to 100W), as well as 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. This configuration is a step above the base model, which includes an RTX 3060 and 512GB of storage. There are also two RTX 3080 models — pair it with 16GB of RAM for $1,999.99 or 32GB of RAM for $2,499.99. (I think my test model hits a sweet spot: 512GB of storage isn’t a lot for a gaming laptop, and it seems like the RTX 3080 models are fairly low-clocked and don’t perform hugely better than the lower-tier options.)
Asus says the G15 has a “desktop-inspired layout” with separate keys to control the volume, toggle the microphone, and pull up Armoury Crate.
Another highlight, consistent across all models, is the G15’s 165Hz QHD display. We’re finally starting to see 15-inch laptops with QHD screens en masse this year, indicating that this is the first year that manufacturers think mobile hardware is powerful enough to take advantage of them. Traditionally, mobile gamers have had the option of a 1080p display or a 4K display. (Not only is the latter quite expensive, but very few laptops can run demanding games at playable frame rates in 4K.)
You get over 3.5 million pixels from this QHD display.
So, the big question: Can the Zephyrus G15 run games at QHD resolution? The answer is an emphatic yes.
Some raw numbers to start. The G15 averaged 178fps on CS:GO at maximum settings — dust particles, fires, and other graphically intensive effects looked just fine. Red Dead Redemption II, also at maximum settings, averaged 58fps. (Come on, that’s basically 60). Ray tracing was no problem for this machine: the system averaged 61fps on Shadow of the Tomb Raider with ray tracing on ultra, and a whopping 81fps with ray tracing off. Remember, the G15 is running these at QHD resolution, which is already a bigger haul than traditional 1080p.
Those frame rates mean you should be able to run whatever game you want in QHD without bumping down any settings. They put the G15 about on par with MSI’s GS66 Stealth with an Intel Core i7-10870H and a GeForce RTX 3080 Max-Q — the two laptops tied on Red Dead and were just one frame apart on Tomb Raider. MSI told us that the QHD GS66 model costs $2,599 — so the G15 with an RTX 3070 is getting the same frame rates for literally $800 less. The G15 also did better than the QHD / RTX 3070 Intel configuration of the Razer Blade 15 Base (53fps on Red Dead, 46fps on Tomb Raider), which costs $400 more. Those differentials should speak for themselves. Yes, the GS66 has a 240Hz screen, but that’s going to be excessive for most people at QHD resolution. If I didn’t already know where the G14 was priced last year, I would be emailing Asus to check if $1,799.99 was a typo. It’s an unbelievable value.
The games all looked great on this screen, which covers 100 percent of the sRGB gamut and 89 percent of AdobeRGB, and maxes out at 334 nits of brightness. It isn’t the highest refresh-rate screen you can get at 165Hz — Razer’s Blade 15 Advanced has a 240Hz QHD model, as does MSI’s GS66 Stealth — but it’s still a significant step above the Zephyrus G14’s 120Hz display. While the G15 doesn’t deliver the best picture I’ve ever seen, it still looks great and certainly improves upon the G14’s 1080p panel. Movement was all smooth, without a stutter in sight, and colors looked great. I saw a small amount of glare when using the device outdoors, but it was still quite usable at maximum brightness.
Cooling, while sometimes iffy on the G14, is stellar on this device. The G15’s “intelligent cooling” system includes two 84-blade fans and six heat pipes. It had no problem with any of the games I threw at it, spending the vast majority of its time between the mid-60s and mid-70s (Celsius) and never jumping above 80 degrees. That’s some of the best cooling performance I’ve ever seen from a gaming laptop, especially considering that this one was running heavy AAA titles, maxed out, at QHD resolution.
More impressively, the fans managed to do this without being deafeningly loud. I could certainly hear them while the machine was under load, but it was standard gaming-laptop noise, and I had no problem hearing game audio. You can also swap to the “Silent” profile in Asus’ Armoury Crate software. That toggle lived up to its name and completely silenced the fans, without causing any heat or performance problems that I observed.
Speaking of audio, the G15’s speakers also sound great. That’s to be expected — there are literally six of them, including two front-facing tweeters and force-canceling woofers under the palm rests. They deliver clear audio with very strong bass and powerful percussion. I don’t often get to say that about laptop audio, especially on gaming laptops. The G15 comes preloaded with Dolby Access, which you can use to jump between equalizer presets for gaming, movies, and music, and it makes a huge difference.
There are three microphones, which had no trouble picking up my voice. They also have presets for game streaming, music recording, and conference calls. Those are handy, but they’re not enough to make the G15 a good choice for remote work because it doesn’t include a webcam. The G14 also didn’t have a camera — Asus seems to have decided that webcams aren’t necessary on Zephyrus products. It’s the one significant knock against a device that is basically perfect otherwise. It’s also very odd to have such an advanced microphone setup and not have a webcam to go with it.
There are a couple other things to note about the G15’s chassis. Like many other Asus laptops, the G15 has an ErgoLift hinge, which folds under the deck when the laptop is open and lifts the keyboard above the ground. This is supposed to create a more ergonomic typing position, though I can’t say I ever noticed the difference. It does dig into your legs a bit if you’re using the laptop on your lap, though. The G15’s hinge isn’t as sharp as some other hinges, but as a frequent couch user, it’s still not my favorite feeling.
The keyboard and touchpad are both great as well. The G14 had one of my favorite keyboards of 2020, and the G15’s is quite similar. The click is comfortable, with 1.7mm of travel, and the dedicated volume keys (a Zephyrus staple) are quite convenient. There’s a fingerprint sensor built into the power button, which is on the top right of the keyboard deck.
The touchpad is massive, at 5.1 x 3.4 inches — 20 percent larger than that of the prior G15 generation. It’s so big that large portions of both my hands were resting on it when they weren’t typing, rather than on the palm rests. This was a bit annoying, but to the G15’s credit, it didn’t cause any palm-rejection issues. It’s also a bit loud and not the easiest or deepest click, but those are nitpicks — it’s a fine touchpad.
But what impressed me the most about the G15 is its battery life. This thing never dies. Using it as my daily driver with an office workload on Asus’ Silent profile around 200 nits of brightness, I averaged eight hours and 32 minutes. That’s just under what I got from the G14, and the G15 has a larger and higher-resolution screen to fuel. The result puts the G15 right up there with its smaller sibling as one of the longest-lasting gaming laptops we’ve ever seen. It has a large 90Wh battery inside, but plenty of gaming rigs with comparable bricks can only make it a few hours on a charge.
Gaming significantly shortens the G15’s life span, of course. I got an hour and 21 minutes of Red Dead out of one charge. Impressively, though, the game was quite playable for much of that time, avoiding stutters and performance issues. The game didn’t drop below playable rates until the G15 was down to 10 percent with six minutes remaining. The 200-watt charger also juices the G15 decently fast — during very light Chrome use, it got the device up to 60 percent in 37 minutes. If you don’t want to carry that heavy brick around and aren’t doing GPU-intensive tasks, the G15 also supports 100W Type-C charging.
G15s are available in eclipse gray (like this model) and moonlight white.
At the end of the day, there are things I can nitpick about this device. In particular, the lack of a webcam is egregious. And there are reasons it won’t be for everyone. Folks who are looking for a higher refresh-rate screen may prefer to spend more on a Blade 15 Advanced or a GS66. Those who want a jazzier design may find Asus’ Strix Scar 15 a better fit. And while $1,799 is a great value for these specs, anyone on a tighter budget has options like Lenovo’s Legion 5 on the table.
But almost everything about this laptop is fantastic. And not only is it fantastic, but it’s fantastic for several hundreds of dollars less than its QHD competitors. If you are willing to use an external webcam and you don’t need a 240Hz screen, there’s really no reason you should be buying any other QHD laptop in the thin 15-inch class. The G15 is superior on battery life, superior on power, superior on weight, and superior on price. It’s just the best.
At 26.5 grams and the size of my thumb, Insta360’s latest action camera, the Go 2, looks like an oversized Tic Tac with an eyeball. It’s the second generation in the Go lineup, which is Insta360’s only non-360-degree camera line. Where the first-generation Go left a lot to be desired, particularly in the image quality department, the $299 Go 2 comes with a new charging case, larger sensor, and improved image quality, making a strong case for a mobile-first action camera.
The case has a 1/4-inch thread for support mounting and a USB-C port for charging.
The most noticeable changes to this tiny camera come in the hardware department. The Go 2’s camera component has a new removable lens cover and less slippery matte plastic housing. The case plays a more active role in the use of the camera, becoming a tripod, remote, external battery, and charger all in one. It is slightly larger than the AirPods Pro case and has a 1/4-inch thread for support mounting and a USB-C port for charging. The standalone camera can run for 30 minutes on a single charge or 150 minutes while in the case.
While the case is not waterproof, the Go 2’s camera is IPX8 water resistant for use up to 13 feet underwater. In the box, Insta360 also includes three camera mounts: a pivot stand, a hat brim clip, and a pendant for wearing around your neck. All of these mounts utilize a magnet to keep the Go 2 attached to them.
Three camera mounts are included in the box: a pivot stand, a hat brim clip, and a pendant for wearing around your neck.
The use of the case as more than just a place to store the camera is one of my favorite innovations in the Go 2. All of the mounts, remotes, and other accessories you have to end up buying for an action camera really add up. So it’s great to see essential features, such as a tripod, being built into the camera’s hardware.
More important than hardware, though, is image quality. With many smartphone cameras producing sharp, stabilized 4K 60fps video and punchy, crisp photos, it’s absolutely necessary for dedicated cameras outside of our phones to up the game. The POV ultrawide look of the Go 2’s video and the unique mounting abilities allow me to create video different enough that I could see myself carrying the Go 2 around in addition to my phone. I simply cannot produce a point-of-view angle, like that of the Go 2, with my smartphone’s camera.
On a phone, the camera’s 9-megapixel photos are crisp, full of contrast, and highly saturated without looking unrealistic. Put that image on a desktop, and it begins to look a bit grainy, where the sensor’s lower megapixel count begins to show, but the image is certainly usable.
Although the Go 2’s video resolution maxes out at 1440p and 50fps, the 120-degree field of view and saturated color science creates an image far more unique than what you get from a phone’s camera. When viewed on a small screen, the video is sharp and smooth with bright colors and lots of contrast. I was impressed with just how true to life the footage looked in perfect lighting conditions, but when I brought it over to the large screen on my laptop, the footage did look a bit noisier. I also wish video taken at night had less grain and noise. The amount of smoothing applied to low-light images doesn’t help either. Insta360 is not alone here: this is a problem even in the more expensive, robust action cameras such as the GoPro Hero 9. It is absolutely a problem I would like to see these companies spend more time fixing. (I’ve been using a pre-production unit in my testing, but Insta360 did not indicate to me that it was going to change anything when it comes to features or performance on the final version.)
There are four preset field-of-view options in the Go 2’s Pro Video mode that range from narrow to ultrawide. Despite the options, I typically just used the ultrawide view and reframed in the Go 2’s mobile app. The camera also utilizes a built-in 6-axis gyroscope along with Insta360’s FlowState stabilization algorithm for horizontal leveling, no matter the camera’s orientation, which produces extremely stable video without a crop to your image. I continue to be impressed with the stability GoPro, DJI, and Insta360 have been able to achieve in their action cameras, and the Go 2 is no exception.
Video Samples from the Insta360 Go 2.
Operating the Go 2 is a unique experience that takes a bit of getting used to. Like the first generation, there are no visible buttons on the camera component. To operate the camera, outside of its case, you push down on the Insta360 logo located under the lens, which then creates a vibration to signal it has been pressed. From powered off, a single press will start recording basic video, a double press takes a photo, and a one-second press will power the camera on to a ready state. If the camera is already on, a single press will start and stop FlowState stabilized video, a double press will begin a Hyperlapse timelapse video, and a two-second press will put the camera to sleep.
Like using touch controls on wireless earbuds, or any tech without a screen, there is a learning curve. It took me about three sessions to know what the LED light indications and different vibrations meant. I felt a lot more comfortable using the Go 2 in its case where its small black-and-white screen displayed which mode the camera was in, what resolution it was filming at, and how much storage was left on the 32GB of internal memory.
Insta360’s mobile app can also be used to control the camera via Wi-Fi and display a live view from the camera. The app also has capable editing software that allows for reframing, trimming, and exporting of clips. A Flashcut feature uses AI editing tools to trim and stitch clips from the Go 2 into flashy edits with punchy music and over-the-top transitions, such as screen wipes and quick zooms. It’s very fun to play with but a bit loud for my taste. For someone not familiar with video editing, this could be very useful though.
The Go 2 is available starting today for $299. For a company deeply focused on mobile-first editing for posting to social accounts, the Insta360 Go 2 makes perfect sense: a small portable camera whose footage will likely never make it to a desktop-editing software or a screen larger than a phone. To my knowledge, there isn’t a smaller camera on the market that can shoot 120 degrees with this level of stabilization or this quality, which looks great on the device you’re likely to view it on: your phone.
And for the mobile-first vlogger or avid social media user, that image quality is more than enough, the camera is small enough to mount anywhere, and its lack of confusing controls is perfect for the person who wouldn’t exactly know what to do with lots of options anyway. But for me, I’m most excited to see the bump in image quality. The better image processing and a larger sensor have allowed this camera to take a huge leap forward, even if, on paper, the difference is only going from 1080p to 1440p. This is starting to feel like a camera I might feel comfortable trusting with my more daring moments in a size that won’t feel too big to carry around.
(Pocket-lint) – Samsung introduced three different models of the Galaxy S20 in 2020. The models reflected an upgrade of the regular S10, the S10+ and the S10 5G, called the Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra.
Here’s a look at how these phones stack up to help you work out which one might be the right one for you.
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What’s the same?
Overall look and feel
120Hz Infinity-O display
Core Exynos/Snapdragon hardware and RAM
The Galaxy S20 devices all have a similar overall design with metal core and glass front and back, sporting a central punch hole camera in the display and minimal bezels. All the devices have this Infinity-O display, with curved edges.
Samsung has also put a 120Hz display in all these phones, although naturally, the sizes are all different. That 120Hz display only runs at 1080p however, rather than the full 1440p resolution, which is 60Hz.
On the rear of all the devices is a pronounced camera bump – there’s not even an attempt to blend in the cameras, they are designed to stand out on this generation of phones.
They all have the same core hardware too, either the Samsung Exynos 990 or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, depending on the region you buy it in. This comes with 12GB RAM as standard across all three devices, but the Ultra offers a step-up to 16GB.
And that’s about where the similarities end.
What’s different?
Outside of those outlined details, these phones differ in many ways, seeing each slip into a different position. Here’s what’s different.
Build and dimensions
Samsung Galaxy S20: 151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9mm, 163g
Samsung Galaxy S20+: 161.9 x 73.7 x 7.8mm, 186g
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 166.9 x 76 x 8.8mm, 220g
A glance over the dimensions shows the range of sizes these phones come in. While the overall build quality and look of the phones is the same, physically there’s a big range of size options – some 15mm in height.
That is almost the same as the size difference between the Galaxy S21 models released in 2021, which basically update all the S20 models. Generally, however, these phones are bigger than older models, but with smaller bezels. There’s also a healthy difference in weight and this mostly comes down to the battery and the amount of glass used in the build.
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Display
Samsung Galaxy S20: 6.2-inch, 120Hz
Samsung Galaxy S20+: 6.7-inch, 120Hz
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 6.9-inch, 120Hz
The Galaxy S20 comes in at 6.2-inches as the smallest of the bunch, running up to a massive 6.9-inches on the S20 Ultra – which makes it a big phone. The Galaxy S20+ sits in the middle at 6.7-inches.
These displays are all AMOLED and they all offer a 120Hz refresh rate – although you’ll only get that refresh rate at Full HD+ and not the highest Quad HD+ resolution. (Full HD+ is the default most Samsung phones, with Quad HD+ an option you have to turn on.) In reality, the only difference is size, because they are all equally capable.
Battery
Samsung Galaxy S20: 4000mAh
Samsung Galaxy S20+: 4500mAh
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 5000mAh
The Galaxy S20 has a 4000mAh battery, while the S20+ has a 4500mAh cell and the S20 Ultra has a 5000mAh battery.
The S20 Ultra sounds like it has a huge battery, but we’ve found the demand on the battery to be quite high, especially when using the camera, so it’s worth reading through reviews to get a full picture of the battery life.
The S20 and the S20+ seem to fair better. These aren’t the most efficient phones in their segment, but we’ve found the Galaxy S20+ and S20 to cope a little better with demand than the Ultra.
The big difference in these devices is pushed through the cameras. Firstly, the makeup of the Galaxy S20 and the S20+ are broadly the same – apart from the addition of the time-of-flight sensor in the S20+ – which makes little real difference.
The main cameras are the same – a new 12-megapixel sensor with massive 1.8µm pixels – while both have a 64-megapixel “telephoto” camera. In general, these cameras all perform well, although the telephoto isn’t as sharp out at 10x zoom as the Ultra is. Beyond that, quality starts to drop off on both rapidly.
The setup of the Galaxy S20 Ultra camera is almost completely different. The only thing in common on these cameras is the 12-megapixel ultra-wide angle, with the S20 Ultra sporting a 108-megapixel sensor for the main camera. This is paired with a 48-megapixel telephoto, which is a 10x hybrid optic periscope lens. That combination gives 100x zoom, although that’s mostly a gimmick, as photos at 100x zoom look poor.
Which is the best camera? The S20 Ultra is the best performer for zoom, certainly. But in normal shooting, the S20 and S20+ main camera will often be sharper and richer than the S20 Ultra’s pixel-combined 12-megapixel images. The S20 Ultra, of course, can capture more detail in 108-megapixel mode, but for most, the S20 and S20+ main camera might give better results.
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Prices
S20 Ultra: £1199, $1399.99 (at launch)
S20+: £999, $1199.99 (at launch)
S20: £799 (4G), £899 (5G), $999 (5G) (at launch)
There’s a big difference in the prices of these handsets and that’s broadly reflected in the screen size, but the core power for these phones is pretty much the same. The S20 Ultra is obviously a huge price and it might be that the Galaxy S20+ falls better into your price range for the performance and the features that it offers.
The Galaxy S20 comes in at a cheaper price because it comes as a 4G phone. The models and prices will obviously vary across regions and since launch, prices have dropped significantly, meaning these models are cheaper than the Galaxy S21 models that replaced them.
Conclusion
Samsung’s line-up of Galaxy S20 devices looks to cover all bases. The core experience of these phones will be similar – similar feel, the same software and with the same core hardware, all perform to a similar level.
All have great displays, with the Galaxy S20+ likely to be the sweet spot in terms of size and balance of features. The camera performance is variable, although the S20 Ultra has a natural advantage when it comes to zoom performance.
Ultimately, the S20 Ultra offers a huge amount, but comes at a high cost. We suspect that for those wanting a larger device, the Galaxy S20+ will be all the phone they want.
It’s worth considering, however, that the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE offers similar performance to the Galaxy S20+, but offers better value for money, so might also be worth considering.
Samsung Galaxy S21+ vs S20 FE vs Galaxy S20+: What’s the difference?
(Pocket-lint) – It seems kinda mad that we’ve arrived here, but the Moto G is now up to number 10. It’s no surprise though: as the G series is Motorola’s most successful range and it has consistently delivered great value, simple and reliable phones.
But for 2021, the numbering and naming system has changed – the lower the number, the lower down it sits in the ranks. Therefore the G10 is the entry-level affordable phone in a series that’s long looked a bit crowded.
That causes a bit of a self-administered issue for the Moto G10, however, as it’s no longer the default choice in the range. Why? Because for a little extra money the Moto G30 also exists.
Design
Dimensions: 165.2 x 75.7 x 9.2mm / Weight: 200g
Finishes: Aurora Gray, Iridescent Pearl
Rear positioned fingerprint scanner
Glass front, ribbed plastic back
3.5mm headphone port
Single loudspeaker
microSD expansion
Moto G design has never been all that fancy or premium, which makes sense for a budget phone. Some corners need cutting to get it down to the right price. This generation Motorola has taken on something of an unusual finish with its ribbed back panel (it’s still better-looking than the G30’s odd colour choices though).
That wave pattern you see isn’t just a visual thing, it has texture too. It’s a little weird to begin with, but the texture has its merits. It definitely makes it feel less likely to slip out of your hand, and you’ll never find it randomly slipping off a surface like a completely glossy glass back might.
That’s not the only practical decision made here either. Unlike some more expensive phones, the Moto G10 is equipped with everything you could need. That means you get a 3.5mm headphone port at the top for plugging in your hands-free buds, or wired headphones.
There’s also a microSD card slot for expanding the storage. You might find that useful if you like to keep a physical copy of all your own media offline. And if you have have the 64GB phone, you may just find you fill up the internal storage quite quickly.
So what else is there? Well, you’ll find three buttons up the right side. One is the usual power button, and there’s the volume rocker switch, but then curiously there’s also an additional button which – when pressed – will launch Google Assistant. Which is fine, but we can’t imagine it’s used by most people all that much.
As for that fingerprint sensor on the back, usually we laud the appearance of physical scanners because they’re fast and reliable, but that’s not the case with this one. Most times it would take two or three goes before a successful scan, meaning it was often quicker just to type in the multi-digit PIN instead.
The G10’s front is pretty standard too, with its relatively skinny bezel up the sides and the dewdrop-style notch at the top of the display, barely cutting into the available screen real-estate. And while there’s only one loud speaker, placed on the bottom edge, the speaker grille is long enough that we didn’t find it was all that easy to completely block, meaning you can hear it whether you hold the phone in portrait or landscape.
Display
6.5-inch IPS LCD display
720 x 1600 resolution
269 pixels per inch
60Hz refresh rate
Android 11
On to that display and – as with most affordable phones – this one uses a long aspect ratio HD+ resolution panel. That means, specifically, it’s IPS LCD and has 720 x 1600 pixels spread across that 6.5-inch diagonal.
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Obviously that means it’s not super sharp, but it’s adequate for daily use and won’t leave you squinting. In fact, it’s pleasant enough when inside and watching movies, gaming and browsing the web. It’s not the most vivid panel around though – its dynamic range does suffer, but that’s almost to be expected from an LCD screen on a cheap smartphone such as this.
The one place we did notice it struggle the most was outside in daylight. Trying to frame shots with the camera to shoot in sunlight was difficult. We could barely see what was on the screen, even with the brightness cranked right up.
Performance and battery
Snapdragon 460 processor, 4GB RAM
64GB or 128GB storage
5000mAh battery
If what you’re after in a phone is really solid battery life, we’re happy to report the G10 delivers that – by the bucket load. Even in a phone with a high-end flagship processor and a top-of-the-line display, a 5,000mah capacity battery would be generous. So stick it in a phone with a low power chip and only a HD resolution panel, and you get one of the longest-lasting phones on the market.
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In testing we’d often get to the end of a second day and still have some juice left over, even after using it for testing the camera and playing a couple of hours of games each day. For most people we think this is a genuine two-day phone. You’ll never have to worry about it dying during the day if you’ve taken it off charge in the morning. It’s pretty epic.
Moto also takes care of battery life long-term too. It has a couple of different tools in the battery settings designed to get the most out of the battery for as long as you own the phone.
Optimised charging learns your usual charging pattern and then using that can predict when you need the battery to be fully charged. So if that is at 7am when your alarm goes off, it’ll charge all the way up to 80 percent, and hang there until it needs to charge the final 20 per cent, in time for you to wake up.
There’s also overcharge protection. So if you’re a really light user and have a habit of just leaving your phone plugged in costantly for days at a time, it will limit the charge to 80 per cent if your phone has been plugged in continuously for three days.
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Being 5,000mAh does mean charging times are a little slow, especially with the charging speeds maxing out at 10W. So it’s definitely one to plug in at night while you sleep. Thankfully, you’ll probably only have to do it once every other night.
As for general performance, this is where the G10 slips up against its slightly more expensive sibling, the G30. The Snapdragon 400 series processor inside isn’t unusable by any means, but it does feel quite slow and laggy a lot of the time. Loading web pages, or backing up photos to Google Photos, seems to take longer than it should, while animations in the general interface appear quite stuttery.
In fact, Google Photos did – on a couple of occasions – just hang and crash, and then failed to upload our photos to the cloud. On a similar note, there were a couple of occasions where a chosen game would just freeze and crash too. It wasn’t just Google Photos getting up to these shenanigans.
The G30 just seems more reliable day-to-day in that regard, which is why we’d recommend that over this phone. It’s not that the G30 is super smooth and fast all the time, it just didn’t leave us hanging as much. Still, for most tasks, the G10 is fine, if unremarkable.
Best smartphones 2021 rated: The top mobile phones available to buy today
By Chris Hall
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As for software, that’s the usual Moto style of having an almost Google Android stock experience with a couple of added extras from Moto. That means all your default apps are Google’s, and you get fun gestures like swiping down on the fingerprint sensor to get your notifications, or a chopping motion to switch on the flashlight.
As for camera quality, the quad system is lead by a 48-megapixel primary camera, which is joined by an 8MP ultra-wide, and pair of low-resolution depth and macro sensors.
Stick to the main sensor and you’ll be mostly fine. In good daylight pictures will be sharp, colourful and feature decent depth. It’s not flagship level, naturally, but it’s good enough for social media use.
The ultra-wide is just ok. It often struggles to focus though, and often leaves colours looking unnatural, completely different to the main sensor.
The macro lens can be useful for close-ups at times, but results are not consistent, and being a low resolution sensor means details aren’t that great either.
So the G10 is yet another case of a budget phone having more cameras than it knows what to do with. Ignore the depth, macro and wide-angle and you’ve got a solid main camera – but that’s hardly selling itself to the “quad camera” standard, is it?
Verdict
The G10 might be the first entry-level Moto G we don’t unequivocally recommend as an easy purchase. There’s nothing wrong with it, per se – indeed, the battery life, software and practical design make it more than good enough for most people – but there’s the Moto G30 to consider.
Our experience with the G30 was just better, especially when it comes down to daily performance, so if you can afford the little extra then we’d recommend opting for that one.
With all that said, the Moto G10 offers great battery life, so if you don’t need anything too taxing then it’s still a decent option considering its asking price.
Also consider
Pocket-lint
Moto G30
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If you have the ability to stump up a little more cash, the G30 is the more sensible choice in Moto’s new G-series range. It has a smoother overall experience and is still great value for money.
Read the review
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Redmi Note 10 Pro
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Few phones at this price point are as accomplished as the Redmi Note 10 Pro. It’s more expensive than the G10, but it’s more than worth it, if you can cope with inferior software.
When times get tough, modders get modding, and 2020 was no different. Today, the winners of Cooler Master’s Case Mod World Series 2020 modding contest receive their crowns, rewarding some of the most remarkable mods created in a challenging year.
The 2020 contest saw 90 entries from enthusiasts across 23 countries. Mods were equally judged on craftsmanship, aesthetics, functionality and innovation, with judges including Cooler Master, professional modders, sponsors, including MSI and the game Control and media judges, including Tom’s Hardware.
Overall, 12 mods won awards, with the most coveted “Best Of” awards going to 6 builds (Best Tower Mod, Best Scratch Build, Best Innovation and Design, Best Craftsman and Best Art Direction).
You can see the full list of Case Mod World Series 2020 winners here. Below is an inside look at some of the fiercest award winners.
Best Tower of the Year: A.R.E.S. by Explore Modding
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos C700M
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Graphics Card: Inno3D iChill Frostbite RTX 2070 Super
We may still be waiting for the hover cars that so many movies and novels have promised, but with Explore Modding’sA.R.E.S. build, the appearance of a floating tower is already here. The modder describes his build as a “story, told in art form.” He drew inspiration for the colors, curves and starry window (made of optic fibers and epoxy resin) from the character Robot from Netflix’s Lost in Space reboot.
Ultimately, A.R.E.S. tells its own story though. And with its base designed to make the tower look like it’s awesomely afloat, that story is told from a world seemingly far off in the future.
Not surprisingly, designing and assembling the base was the hardest part of the mod, Explore Modding told us. It required many parts that were hard to fit together, “due to tight tolerances.”
(Image credit: Explore Modding)
“Even designing it was difficult because I really wanted something that made it look like the case was separated from it and floating above the surface, but that required a lot of trial and error in order to make it stable enough,” Explore Modding told Tom’s Hardware. “In the end, the three acrylic blocks are very sturdy and they’re very transparent, so they even tend to disappear under some light scenarios, creating that awesome effect of floating.”
A.R.E.S.’ hardware panel rotates 180 degrees on the fly, so you can easily swap the build’s look — components on the left or on the right. Cable management located in the back and front allowed for a clean look inside, where the suspended centerpiece boasting all the components steals the show.
(Image credit: Explore Modding)
“I often change the layout on my setups, and I always had the struggle of sacrificing the amazing view of the internal hardware when I had to move the PC to the other side of the desk,” Explore Modding said. “I actually ended up tearing apart my build to make an inverted mod a couple times for this reason. … So this PC can be put wherever you want and still show the same side every time.”
Maintenance is also a bit easier. Just undo a couple screws and turn the panel to access your components. The rotating panel also means you don’t have to tilt the entire case to bleed air from the loop.
Best Scratch of the Year: Ikigai by Nick Falzone Design
(Image credit: Nick Falzone Design)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Graphics Card: MSI Radeon 5700 Gaming X
Motherboard: MSI B550I Gaming Edge WiFi
RAM: G. Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-3600 (32GB)
SSD: WD Black SN750
Cooling: Alphacool Laing DDC, Alphacool GPU waterblock and radiator, Optimus CPU block, EKWB fittings, Cooler Master SF360R fans
Power Supply: Cooler Master V650 SFX
Nick Falzone Design’s mod Ikiagi is named after the Japanese word for, as he put it, “one’s personal passions, beliefs, values and vocation.” The Japanese concept about finding your life’s purpose has also recently picked up Western attention and led the modder to create a sensible design with both modern and traditional Japanese woodworking techniques.
Nick Falzone Design, an American modder, has been working with wood since childhood and grew to enjoy the Japanese aesthetic, including the “overall timeless and modern design.” In fact, the modder’s first PC case had mini shoji doors.
“At the time, YouTube was not around, so I read books about Japanese architecture and Japanese joinery. … I’d always wanted to make the hemp leaf pattern that I did in Ikigai,” the modder told Tom’s Hardware
(Image credit: Nick Falzone Design)
Ikigai incorporates “traditionally made Japanese Kumiko designs” from unfinished Sitka Spruce contrasting with a Wenge wood outer shell complete with hand-sawn dovetails. The inside is mostly acrylic and aluminum with Wenge added for accent pieces.
To keep Ikigai cool, Nick Falzone Design crafted a distribution plate that also serves as the build’s pump top and reservoir, while keeping most of the cables out of view.
The biggest challenge, however, came in maintaining Nick Falzone Design’s vision of a Mini-ITX build. Keeping up with the small form factor trend is great, but carefully constructing the watercooling and wiring in a build that’s under 20 liters is no small task.
(Image credit: Nick Falzone Design)
“I made three full-scale models of the main case and many more models of the interior to maximize each component and make everything work efficiently,” Nick Falzon Design said.
Best Craftsmanship: Cyberpunk 2077 – Deconstruction by AK Mod
CPU: Intel Core I9-10900K
Graphics Card: Aorus GeForce RTX 3080 Master
Motherboard: Aorus Z490 Xtreme
RAM: Aorus RGB Memory DDR4-3200 (4x 8GB)
SSD: Gigabyte NVMe SSD M.2 2280 (1TB)
Cooling: Bitspower fittings, Premium Summit M Mystic Black Metal Edition CPU block, D5 Vario motor, Leviathan XF 120 4xG1/4″ radiator, Water Tank Z-Multi 50 V2 and Bitspower Touchaqua in-line filter, digital thermal sensor, digital RGB multi-function controller, PWM fan multi-function hub, Cooler Master MasterFan SF120M, AlphaCool Eiszapfen laser fitting with 4-pin molex
Power Supply: Aorus P850W 80+ Gold Modular
With Cyberpunk 2077 making splashes of all types in 2020, it wasn’t surprising to see a Cyberpunk-inspired mod. More surprising are the undeniable intricacies, craftsmanship and expertise boasted in this showstopping mod that looked unlike any other entry, (and yes, we looked at all 90).
The mod embodies Mantis Blades being repaired. AK Mod did a whole lot of 3D printing, as well as CNC milling and research into unique parts, like military aviation connectors, a vacuum fluorescent (VFD) display and a light bar — to bring the concept to life.
(Image credit: AK Mod)
Of course, 3D printing Mantis Blades calls for some patience. AK Mod separated the blades’ parts into over 90 fdm and dlp files but had to redesign due to construction failure.
“In the original design, inner metal structure frame and outer arm were separated. The outcome of the first design was too thin. The finger parts are difficult to assemble, and the weight bearing for the wrist part was not as expected, so we had to improve the design and print the outcome all over again,” AK Mod told Tom’s Hardware.
(Image credit: AK Mod)
Other techniques used to make Cyberpunk 2077 – Deconstruction include welding, digital processing lathing, UV printing and laser engraving and cutting. Hand-made parts were also sanded, soil filled, spray painted and given an aged treatment.
(Image credit: AK Mod)
AK Mod also included an actionable ring scanning instrument to “simulate the Mantis Blades being scanned as a weapon,” AK Mod said. Red LEDs add authenticity as the blades move horizontally.
Best Innovation and Design: Spirit of Motion by Maximum Bubble Mods
(Image credit: Maximum Bubble Mods)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Graphics Card: Nvidia RTX 2080 Founder’s Edition
Motherboard: MSI B450M Pro-M2
RAM: G.Skill TridentZ – 3,600 MHz (16GB)
SSD: Samsung 970 EVO (500GB)
Cooling: Corsair Hydro H115i Pro, Cooler Master MasterFan Pro Air Pressure RGB
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G5
While some of this year’s winning mods look straight from the future, Spirit of Motion opts for a retro vibe. Building the mod for his father, Maximum Bubble Mods’ Spirit in Motion goes for a classic car theme, incorporating an “Art Deco era front car grille,” as the modder describes it, topped off with delicious Candy Apple Red paint.
That custom grille not only looks good but opens up to reveal the PC’s components. Hand-building the aluminum grille took “tens of hours, hard work and many processes,” Maximum Bubble Mods told us.
(Image credit: Maximum Bubble Mods)
Further earning the Innovation & Design title, Maximum Bubble Mods inverted and mirrored the motherboard and vertically mounted the graphics card to keep all the I/O as low as possible.
“It was all done to keep the PC from getting excessively large and to keep the I/O below the frame that my hinge would mount to,” Maximum Bubble Mods explained.
Perhaps the best part is that Spirit In Motion is now the modder’s father’s best gaming PC (you can even watch him receive the mod on this YouTube video).
“The last time we talked, he was on a Civilization kick and sounding like he was loving the PC, so I’m happy,” Maximum Bubble Mods said.
(Pocket-lint) – If you’ve looked at Oppo’s Reno family over the years, confused at exactly where it fits, which devices are in it, and if they’re even available where you live, then fear not – you’re not alone.
Since the first Reno phone (which was released in 2019), Oppo has expanded the range considerably. Among that product family is where you’ll find a particular gem: the Reno 4 Pro.
It’s a sleek, attractive and well-proportioned, but for a mid-range device it’s arguably a little pricey. Does that affect the overall proposition? Read on…
Design
Dimensions: 159.6 x 72.5 x 7.6mm / Weight: 172g
Monogrammed design on Space Black model
All glass front and back design
When 5G first hit the scenes – and just like when 4G became a thing – phones were pretty large. Not only did phones need an extra external chip to act as the modem, but space was required for cooling, while larger batteries were required to ensure longevity.
In 2020, however, thanks to the advancement of processors that have built-in 5G modems, that changed. Samsung showed it with the S20. And Oppo – having first shown it with the Find X2 Neo – does it again with the Reno 4 Pro. It’s impressively slim and sleek for a 5G-capable device.
In fact, it’s very similar to the Find X2 Neo in terms of size, shape and build. It’s got the glass on the front and back that curves towards the edges, making it look and feel really slim. It’s narrow, too, and has really skinny bezels on the front – ensuring the screen takes up the majority of the space (around 94 per cent of it, says the spec).
Where it differs is in the styling and finish of that rear panel. There’s a new Arctic Blue model that features a frosted glass finish, but unlike most other frosted glass phones, this has been created with an Oppo-designed technique using microscopic laser etchings along the surface. This way the finished product resists scratches and fingerprint smudges.
We were sent the Space Black model which has a much more traditional black, glossy look. However, even that’s unique. There’s a rainbow effect that appears when you angle it towards light, as well as a pattern of repeating monograms spelling out ‘OP’. Because, er, Oppo. The company says this is to make the phone something of a fashion statement. We feel you’ll either love it or hate it. Opinions are definitely mixed here at Pocket-lint.
The camera housing is among one of the most attractive we’ve seen on a smartphone. It’s a simple, glossy rectangle with rounded corners that protrudes from the back with three identically sized camera rings in a neat row. It’s compact, and pleasant to look at.
To pick up and hold the phone in the hand, the Pro is just a delight. Some of the rough edges we found between the glass and metal on the Find X2 Neo aren’t an issue here. This is one slim, smooth and sumptuous mid-ranger.
Those curved edges and the slim nature of the phone do mean there’s a tendency to accidentally touch the display though. We’ve often accidentally tapped an icon in the bottom corner of the display when it pressed into the base of our thumb. Similarly, with navigation gestures enabled, we’ve also often found ourselves trying to swipe away notifications only for it to launch the ‘back’ gesture instead.
Display
6.5-inch AMOLED display, 90Hz refresh rate
FHD+ resolution (1080 x 2400 pixels)
Punch-hole selfie camera
The screen on Oppo’s top mid-range phone is AMOLED, meaning you get plenty of benefits. It’s bright (at about 500 nits peak brightness), and features deep inky blacks and vibrant colours.
It also has the added bonus of a 90Hz refresh rate, which means animations stay smoother. When you’re switching between areas in the user interface or scrolling up and down menus it helps everything seem all that much more fluid.
Heading into 2021, the Quad HD resolution display seems to be on the way out in smaller devices for the sake of battery life. And so Full HD sharpness on the Reno 4 Pro is perfectly fine – and as much as expected. It’s still virtually impossible to see any individual pixels.
For the most part this is a bright and vivid panel. We put it side-by-side with the Samsung Galaxy S21, for instance, and – set to vivid mode – the Oppo more than pulls its weight for things like Netflix watching, general interface appearance, and photo viewing. Where it struggles a little is with games, but we’ll get more into that in the performance section.
It’s not quite perfect though. The curves in the corners, for instance, don’t quite match the more square corners of the phone, while the top and bottom bezels are noticeably thicker than the sides. Both combined makes for a slightly uneven look.
Performance
Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor, 12GB RAM
4,000mAh battery, 65W Super VOOC 2.0 charging
256GB storage, no microSD expansion
5G connectivity
Look at the current mid-range market and you’ll see Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 700-series is the most popular. Here, it’s the same 765G chip that’s inside the OnePlus Nord and a handful of other powerful mid-rangers.
Joining it, there’s a generous 12GB RAM and 256GB storage (in the UK variant), which is more than enough to keep the most demanding apps running smoothly and ensure you have enough space to store all of your photos, music and video for entertainment on the go.
Like the Nord, we’ve not had any issues with performance. In fact, for most tasks, the Pro will feel pretty much as good as any flagship would. It’s fast and responsive, partly down to the fluidity of the display, partly down to the 765G platform being plenty powerful enough.
Loading up games isn’t quite as quick as some of the more recent top-tier phones, but the difference isn’t remarkable. Where you do notice the difference is in the graphics quality. Details that might be smooth and sharp on higher-end phones seem a little rough around the edges. Lines look a bit jagged, almost like the game won’t run at its full resolution. At least, that’s what we found while playing Mario Kart Tour.
The 4,000mAh battery on board is about standard in terms of capacity these days. But what’s not standard is Oppo’s Super VOOC 2.0 flash charging technology. This particular flavour is the 65W variant – which we’ve seen on top-tier phones like the Find X2 Pro. With an empty battery, it’ll charge from 0-66 per cent in just 15 minutes and finish its charge completely in 35 minutes. Now that’s fast!
What we’ve found in the past with phones using this tech is that it changes your charging behaviour. You no longer have to charge it overnight. You can wait until it runs almost flat, plug it in, and even 10-15 minutes is enough to get through the rest of the day.
Oppo seems to have done something rather magical with battery life too. Its standby performance is pretty remarkable. If you’re someone who isn’t glued to your phone constantly then you shouldn’t have too much trouble making the Reno 4 Pro last two days between charges. We’ve left it overnight on many an occasion, in standby, and woken to find it only having lost five per cent of its charge. Impressive.
Cameras
Triple rear camera system:
Main: 48-megapixel, f/1.7 aperture
Wide/macro: 12MP, f/2.2
Zoom (2x): 13MP, f/2.4
32MP selfie camera
4K video at 30fps
The Oppo Reno 4 Pro’s 48-megapixel main camera is joined by a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 13-megapixel 2x zoom lens. What’s interesting here is that the 12-megapixel ultra-wide is also being branded as a ‘night’ camera. A lot of that is down to the fact that Oppo has boosted its night performance, especially when shooting video.
Pocket-lint
: Macro modeMacro mode
That ultra-wide doubles (triples?) as a macro camera, too, and that means not having to rely on a dedicated low resolution sensor for close-up shots – as is so prevalent in many rivals. And you can tell: the macro shots are actually decent, retaining good colour and depth, while avoiding suffering from that nauseating swirling bokeh effect we’ve seen from some of the poorer macro solutions.
As for that third lens, that’s a 5x hybrid zoom camera, so while it’s not quite as impressive as the high-end periscope-like lenses that go up to twice that, it’s still a very versatile system. At 2x optical zoom, images retain colour, sharpness and depth, but as soon as you push it up to 5x – which is where it’s using digital zoom – things can look a little ropey. Images lose sharpness as they tend to once you switch into digital zoom.
Transitioning between the four main focal lengths is easy enough though. There’s an icon on the screen that you can tap to quickly switch between 0.6x, 1x, 2x and 5x. Or you can tap, hold and drag it to use the smoother zooming interface – as it turns into a wheel on the screen.
Pocket-lint
: Ultrawide cameraUltrawide camera
What impressed us was that – while sometimes the images came out with slightly over-exposed highlights – the balance of colour and light between the three cameras was pretty uniform. Greens and purples look the same in all three in the collection above. While they all have a little over-sharpening in the darker areas, that evenness isn’t something you typically see when using three unique sensors.
Best smartphones 2021 rated: The top mobile phones available to buy today
By Chris Hall
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Laser detection autofocus ensures that the camera focuses quickly and reliably even when the light levels aren’t optimal. Indoors in dim conditions we found it to focus fast, which made it quick and easy to grab the shot we were after without repeatedly tapping the screen in frustration trying to get the camera to lock on.
There are plenty of shooting modes too. Open up the More tab in the camera app and you can shoot with stickers, shoot in ‘Pro’ mode to get fine-tuned control, shoot slow-mo, time-lapse, and even scan text or use Google Lens to assess the scene for text and everyday items. It doesn’t feel overly busy with options thankfully, and the main collection of shooting modes is where most people will spend their time.
Verdict
The Oppo Reno 4 Pro’s spec sheet may make it seem like a mid-range phone at a near-flagship price, but its performance and everyday reliability makes this one genuinely good phone – regardless of the price.
The camera system is strong and consistent, offering versatility without falling into the same traps as other mid-range phones with multiple cameras on the back. This has three cameras and all of them useful and actually decent.
A perceived lack of power could put off the smartphone enthusiasts when compared to similarly priced devices, but we’ve enjoyed almost everything that the Oppo phone has to offer. The only minor criticism is graphical performance compromises when it comes to gaming.
While the Oppo is considerably more expensive than the OnePlus Nord or Google Pixel 4a, for that extra money you get a more premium design, a more versatile and powerful camera, and a stupendously fast-charging battery. The Reno 4 Pro is an impressively slim and sleek device that still has all the functionality you’d expect from a top-tier phone.
Alternatives to consider
Oppo Find X2 Neo
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It’s not exactly the same, but it features similar build and performance. The only compromises you make, really, are a poorer camera system and slower charging speeds. But it’ll save you some money as a result.
Read our review
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
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Samsung hit all the right notes with the ‘Fan Edition’ of the S20. It’s got all the top features that matter – like a 120Hz display, flagship-spec processor, and a solid camera system. The price isn’t that much higher considering the spec bump either.
In a bid to prove that its robot drivers are safer than humans, Waymo simulated dozens of real-world fatal crashes that took place in Arizona over nearly a decade. The Google spinoff discovered that replacing either vehicle in a two-car crash with its robot-guided minivans would nearly eliminate all deaths, according to data it publicized today.
The results are meant to bolster Waymo’s case that autonomous vehicles operate more safely than human-driven ones. With millions of people dying in auto crashes globally every year, AV operators are increasingly leaning on this safety case to spur regulators to pass legislation allowing more fully autonomous vehicles on the road.
But that case has been difficult to prove out, thanks to the very limited number of autonomous vehicles operating on public roads today. To provide more statistical support for its argument, Waymo has turned to counterfactuals, or “what if?” scenarios, meant to showcase how its robot vehicles would react in real-world situations.
Last year, the company published 6.1 million miles of driving data in 2019 and 2020, including 18 crashes and 29 near-miss collisions. In those incidents where its safety operators took control of the vehicle to avoid a crash, Waymo’s engineers simulated what would have happened had the driver not disengaged the vehicle’s self-driving system to generate a counterfactual. The company has also made some of its data available to academic researchers.
That work in counterfactuals continues in this most recent data release. Through a third party, Waymo collected information on every fatal crash that took place in Chandler, Arizona, a suburban community outside Phoenix, between 2008 and 2017. Focusing just on the crashes that took place within its operational design domain, or the approximately 100-square-mile area in which the company permits its cars to drive, Waymo identified 72 crashes to reconstruct in simulation in order to determine how its autonomous system would respond in similar situations.
Some of these crashes involved one vehicle, while most involved two. For crashes with two vehicles, Waymo ran separate experiments simulating its autonomous vehicles in the role of each vehicle — first replacing the vehicle that initiated the crash and then replacing the vehicle that responded to the other vehicle’s actions. For crashes with one vehicle, Waymo only simulated the single vehicle. That left it with 91 simulations in total.
The company reconstructed these crashes, systematically aligning the vehicle’s trajectory to make sure its Waymo vehicles are exposed to a similar situation than in the actual fatal crash. Waymo used the same simulation platform it uses to train and evaluate its autonomous vehicles on virtual roads in ordinary operations.
The results show that Waymo’s autonomous vehicles would have “avoided or mitigated” 88 out of 91 total simulations, said Trent Victor, director of safety research and best practices at Waymo. Moreover, for the crashes that were mitigated, Waymo’s vehicles would have reduced the likelihood of serious injury by a factor of 1.3 to 15 times, Victor said.
“That means that even if it didn’t avoid the crash completely, it took action to reduce the severity of the impact,” Victor said. “If the severity was reduced, it made it less likely that the driver would have died.”
When Waymo replaced the vehicle responding to the instigator of the crash, it found that it “completely avoided” 82 percent of simulated crashes — the vast majority of which without the need for hard braking or evasive action. In another 10 percent as a responder, the Waymo vehicle’s urgent maneuvers helped mitigate the severity of the crash. Those crashes all took place at an intersection where the other vehicle either turned left across or cut straight across the Waymo vehicle’s path, leaving little time to react, the company said.
“We’re not saying that we will eliminate all fatalities, but we are saying that the best way to reduce the chances of a serious injury would be to take an evasive maneuver when that’s possible,” Victor said. “And in all of these crash simulations, the Waymo driver took evasive maneuvers.”
There were three incidents of a person dying after being rear-ended by another vehicle. In simulation, Waymo was not able to avoid these crashes when its vehicle was the one being rear-ended. “In rear crashes specifically, there’s not a lot that the responder role can do,” said Matthew Schwall, head of field safety at Waymo. “So the Waymo driver really suffers from the same challenge that humans do in those situations, that it’s hard to make the prediction soon enough to be able to make an evasive maneuver.”
Twenty simulated crashes involved a pedestrian or cyclist being struck by a driver. Waymo’s autonomous vehicles avoided 100 percent of those crashes in simulation, the company said.
There’s no standard approach for evaluating AV safety. A recent study by RAND concluded that, in the absence of a framework, customers are most likely to trust the government — even though US regulators appear content to let the private sector dictate what’s safe. In this vacuum, Waymo hopes that by publicizing this data, policymakers, researchers, and even other companies may begin to take on the task of developing a universal framework.
To be sure, Waymo did not make its findings subject to a peer-reviewed analysis for publication in an academic or scientific journal, though it would be open to publishing it in the future, a spokesperson said. The simulations were not conducted independently of the company, nor were they reviewed by any third-party for verification prior to the company making them public.
The company did share its findings with a select group of academic experts to get their reactions. Daniel McGehee, director of the National Advanced Driving Simulator Laboratories at the University of Iowa, said Waymo is pushing safety analyses and transparency “to a new level.”
Jonas Bargman, associate professor for vehicle safety at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, said that Waymo’s use of simulation-based assessment is at “the scientific forefront” but only one of the components needed to assess the safety of automated vehicles.
After reviewing the report, Bargman concluded that the “Waymo simulation platform is highly sophisticated,” citing the company’s 3D sensor-level perception models. He singled out the use of counterfactual what-if scenarios as “highly relevant for the introduction of Waymo self-driving vehicles to the public.”
ASUS is a Taiwan-based computer hardware and electronics company founded in 1989. With the right-handed ergonomic Keris Wireless, ASUS continues to expand its wireless mice range. Much like the Chakram and Pugio II, the Keris Wireless comes with triple connectivity: wired, low-latency 2.4 GHz, and long-endurance Bluetooth. ASUS promises a battery life of up to 78 hours without RGB and up to 56 hours with RGB illumination. Proprietary ROG Micro Switches with a rated lifetime of 70 M clicks are used for the main buttons, and similarly to previous ASUS mice, the main button switches are hot-swappable, allowing one to extend the lifespan of the mouse. Additionally, instead of the usual ABS plastic, PBT polymer is used for the main-button pieces, which provides better longevity. The side-button covers can be changed for ones with a different color. The sensor is PixArt’s PAW3335 capable of up to 16,000 CPI, and an internal honeycomb structure is used to achieve a weight of just 79 g. The charging cable is a particularly flexible, paracord-like braided type, and the mouse feet are made out of 100% PTFE. Lastly, full RGB lighting is included, and the usual customization options are available within Armoury Crate.
There are a lot of video doorbells on the market. You can get one from Amazon’s Ring, Google’s Nest, Arlo, Eufy, August, or countless other companies. But none of those video doorbells will natively work with Apple’s HomeKit platform.
For a long time, if you wanted a video doorbell and you were committed to building your smart home around HomeKit, the only option you had was to use hacky workarounds such as Homebridge to integrate unsupported devices into the Home app. That changed late last year as two HomeKit-compatible video doorbells finally hit the market.
I’ve been testing the one from Logitech, the $199.99 Circle View Doorbell (the other is the $299.99 Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell), on my front door for the past few months. It is a very capable video doorbell, with excellent performance and a number of useful features. But it also comes with some significant asterisks attached.
The Circle View Doorbell is a wired doorbell and does not have a battery option. In order to use it, you’ll have to have existing low-voltage doorbell wiring rated at 8-24 volts AC, 10vA or higher, or run wiring from an AC adapter wall wart (not included) to it, as I did. It supports existing doorbell chimes if you have one and includes the accessories you need to make it work. You can check the online installation guide (there aren’t any instructions included in the box, so you have to follow the instructions from your phone or a computer) to see if your existing hardware is compatible. I don’t have a chime in my home, so I skipped the parts of the setup related to that.
The Circle View comes with all of the other hardware necessary to install it, except for a Micro USB cable and A/C adapter, which is required to power the doorbell and configure it before you mount it at your door. It’s likely that you already have one lying around at home, but it’s still an odd omission.
Installation and setup are relatively simple: you get the doorbell powered up, scan the barcode on the back using the Apple Home app on your iPhone to add it to your virtual home, and then install the hardware at your door. The whole process took me about 15 minutes and shouldn’t be much of a challenge for anyone with a screwdriver, a power drill, and even the smallest amount of home repair experience. (Trust me, I’m no Bob Vila.)
But if you want to avoid all of that and just have someone else do it for you (an impulse that I strongly relate to, no judgment here), Logitech has partnered with HelloTech to have someone come to your home and install the doorbell. The service costs $100 on top of the price of the doorbell and includes setting it up and wiring it up at your door. It does not include running wire to your door; you have to have the wiring in place already (likely from an existing doorbell).
Because the Circle View doesn’t have an internal battery, it’s much more compact than something like the Ring Video Doorbell 3 and is closer in size to the Nest Hello or Ring Video Doorbell Pro. There’s the camera in its expected place, a built-in nightlight below that, and a round illuminated circle indicating where to press. The whole bottom half of the doorbell is the button to ring it, so you don’t have to be particularly precise when using it. In the box are straight and angled mounts to better position the camera’s view depending on your home layout. Unfortunately, the angled mount’s 20-degree tilt is not enough for me to see the one spot on my porch where most packages are left through the doorbell’s vertical view.
Lastly, the Circle View only comes in black and has a modern and gadget-y look to it. I don’t mind it, but it might not fit your home’s decor or your style, and there isn’t much you can do to change it. Other companies offer white or black versions of their doorbells, and some even have interchangeable faceplates.
The Circle View Doorbell has a 5-megapixel camera with a tall aspect ratio that lets you see visitors from head to toe.
At its core, the Circle View is very similar to other video doorbells. It will ping your phone with a push notification when someone rings the doorbell, including a video thumbnail preview; you can view a live feed from your phone; and use the two-way speaker to talk to the person at the door like an intercom. The video feed is a tall 160-degree view, which is meant to let you see a person from head to toe or be able to see if a package was left on the stoop. It has a 5-megapixel sensor with 1200 x 1600 HD resolution and HDR functions resulting in image quality that generally looks good.
It also functions very well. Pulling up the video feed from my phone or an iPad is noticeably faster than with other video doorbells, likely due to the Circle View’s support for 5GHz Wi-Fi and my strong mesh Wi-Fi network (a must for any smart home). Push notifications to my phone and watch are nearly instant, though the thumbnail preview rarely loaded on my Apple Watch, just showing a gray square. The speaker and microphone work well for two-way communication, should you desire to ever use it (I don’t). If you’re watching something on an Apple TV when someone rings the bell, you will get a thumbnail preview right there on your TV screen (though you can’t do anything but see it).
The built-in nightlight comes on automatically and is searingly bright, which is unpleasant for those walking up to your door.
The Circle View has some functions that make it slightly unique. The built-in nightlight below the camera will come on automatically when it’s dark out to enable what Logitech calls “color night vision.” It allows you to view a full-color feed even at night, unlike the grayscale view that most other video doorbells offer, and it’s much nicer to use as a result. The light is either on or off — there’s very little in the way of customization — and it is searingly bright, which is unpleasant if you’re the person walking up to the door to press the doorbell. If you have a porch light, the built-in nightlight is unnecessary, and I ended up just turning it off permanently. One thing to note is the Circle View doesn’t have any sort of IR night vision (that grayscale view other cameras offer), so it doesn’t quite have the same range in the dark as others. But in my experience, the range it has with the color night vision is more than adequate.
From left to right: the Circle View’s image at night with the nightlight on, the nightlight off, and with a porchlight on.
The other thing that makes it unique is its support for Apple’s HomeKit platform. The Circle View is so committed to HomeKit that there isn’t even a Logitech app to set it up — everything related to the doorbell’s functions is handled in the Apple-developed Home app on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. It also supports Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video, which when paired with a HomeKit hub such as an Apple TV, iPad, or HomePod, allows for storage of video clips in iCloud and face detection features. You can also use a HomePod or HomePod mini as a chime for the doorbell — though in my tests, this was less reliable than I had hoped, working about half the time.
The Apple Home app allows you to see a live feed, timeline of recorded events, control nearby smart home gadgets, and manage the features of the Circle View Doorbell.
The HomeKit Secure Video features require an iCloud subscription of 200GB per month or more and allow you to view up to 10 days of end-to-end-encrypted clips captured by the camera. The clips don’t count against your storage quota in iCloud, but the base plan only supports one camera. If you have other HomeKit Secure Video cameras in your home, you’ll need to pony up for the 2TB plan that handles up to five. If you have more than that, well, I’m sorry, five cameras is all HomeKit currently supports. The facial recognition features can tie into your Apple Photos library to identify certain visitors and even announce their names on a HomePod when they ring the doorbell. I didn’t find this function very useful. Most of the people in my Photos library are my own family, and they aren’t ringing the doorbell to their own home very often.
Within the Home app, you can view the camera’s feed, see a timeline of recorded clips (if you use HomeKit Secure Video), manage notifications, choose when the camera will record video, set up the face recognition features, turn on and off the nightlight, and customize the activity zones for motion detection. You can also set up automations that control other smart home devices when the doorbell detects motion. (Third-party HomeKit apps such as Eve’s will let you set up automations triggered by the doorbell’s built-in light sensor as well.)
While all of that sounds like a lot of options, it’s actually quite limited compared to other doorbells. There’s no way to customize the sound of the doorbell chime, like you can do with Ring or Nest, so forget about any fun holiday-themed chimes. Motion detection alerts cannot be limited to just people or vehicles, so the branches of the tree near my porch would cause the doorbell to ping my phone whenever the wind blew. While you can set an activity zone, you can’t adjust the sensitivity of the motion detection or limit alerts to certain times of the day. I ended up turning the motion detection alerts off entirely as a result. I also couldn’t use the motion detection to trigger automations because of how often it would get tripped.
The Circle View is much smaller than battery-powered doorbells like the Ring Video Doorbell 3.
All of those limitations are because the Circle View relies entirely on the Home app, so it can only do what Apple has built support for. A dedicated Logitech app, while obviously more cumbersome, would likely allow for more options and customization.
A dedicated app would also address the other big limitation with the Circle View: it doesn’t work with anything other than Apple’s devices and platform. That’s fine if you’re fully committed to HomeKit and don’t ever think you’re going to buy a different phone or use a different platform.
But if you share a home with just one person who isn’t fully invested in Apple’s ecosystem and uses an Android phone, the Circle View is effectively a dumb doorbell to them. There’s no way for them to get alerts on their phone when the bell is rung or to view the video feed.
The Circle View also doesn’t work with Amazon Alexa or Google Home, so forget about hearing chimes through an Amazon Echo or viewing the video feed on a Home Hub. (More advanced smart home enthusiasts who are working with platforms like Home Assistant can skip right past the Circle View, too. It doesn’t support any standard protocols.) You are tied to buying an iPhone and using HomeKit for as long as you have this doorbell installed. It’s much like the Apple Watch in that respect. The Circle View Doorbell is effectively an accessory to an iPhone.
Other doorbells may not integrate as nicely with Apple’s platform, but all of them at the very least offer apps for both iOS and Android to view video feeds and manage features. And most of them support Amazon’s and Google’s smart home platforms, giving you a lot more flexibility should you ever want to change things. In my experience covering and using smart home tech for the better part of a decade, limiting yourself to compatibility with just one platform is a recipe for disappointment and frustration down the road.
Still, there are obvious advantages if you’re okay with the Circle View’s limitations. Nothing is ever sent to Logitech’s cloud, so you don’t have to worry about yet another privacy policy or potential security issues. The video that’s stored in iCloud’s HomeKit Secure Video service is end-to-end encrypted, so only you and those you give access to in the Home app can view it. It’s about the closest thing you can get in terms of security to local storage for video clips (which, no, the Circle View doesn’t support) while still having easy access to them from anywhere you might be. You also don’t have to worry about police partnerships or unsavory social networks tied to your doorbell’s camera, as you might with other devices.
The Circle View’s privacy features and platform limitations align so closely with the features of products that Apple itself produces that you could almost imagine an Apple logo on the front of the doorbell instead of Logitech’s. It’s fast, performs the basics very well, and provides a sharp, detailed view of your doorway from your phone. If that’s what you’ve been waiting for from a video doorbell, and you’re not turned off by its limitations, then the Logitech Circle View is an easy choice.
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For the past month, I’ve been testing the two most powerful Wear OS watches you can buy: the TicWatch Pro 3 from Mobvoi and the Fossil Gen 5 LTE. They’re not spec-for-spec identical, but they do share a basic shape: big, chunky, round, and black. If you’re using Android and want a smartwatch, they’re at the top of a persistently tiny list of top-flight smartwatches.
Despite Wear OS’s reputation, both watches are perfectly competent and can do the basics of what many people want out of a smartwatch. Both also offer what I’d characterize as acceptable battery life: a full day most of the time, two at a stretch. The TicWatch can actually go much longer, thanks to a clever second screen layered on top of the first one.
But Wear OS does have that reputation: for years, watches that ran it have been slow, ran out of battery life quickly, and suffered from a tiny ecosystem of apps. Some of those problems have been solved, but that doesn’t mean that these watches (or, honestly, any smartwatch available to Android owners) lives up to the polish and features iPhone users can get with the Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch comparison isn’t really useful for Android users — it’s not and probably never will be an option. Instead, let’s just look at these two watches on their own terms.
The Mobvoi TicWatch 3 Pro
TicWatch Pro 3 review
At $299.99, the TicWatch Pro 3 is not an impulse buy. But the price is about right for what Mobvoi has created. It has pushed the limits of what Wear OS can do in two ways.
First, it has crammed the best technology it could get for a Wear OS device in here. One big differentiator for the TicWatch Pro 3 is that it is the only watch using Qualcomm’s latest smartwatch processor, the Snapdragon 4100. (More from Motorola and possibly OnePlus have been rumored to be coming this year.)
That processor makes the watch faster than other Wear OS devices — though it still can sometimes feel a step behind both Samsung’s Tizen-based watches and even Fitbits. It also accounts for some of the TicWatch’s battery life, which I’ve found can last two and even three days with all the bells and whistles turned on.
The second thing Mobvoi has done to push Wear OS is add a bunch of bells and whistles to make up for the platform’s missing features. The main thing it’s done is put an LCD panel on top of the regular OLED screen. This allows the TicWatch to go into a low power mode when it’s on standby and a super-low power mode when you need it to last for more than a few days on a charge.
Wear OS powers its fitness offerings with Google Fit, which has seen a few updates but is very far behind Apple’s fitness offerings. Mobvoi can’t fix that, but it has tried to fill in the gaps with its own suite of fitness apps on the watch. It even includes a blood oxygen sensor — though it’s no more accurate than the norm for smartwatches, which isn’t very good.
However, using them requires you to place a large amount of trust in Mobvoi the company — as the watch makes perfectly clear when you try to launch these apps, there’s no way to do that without sharing a bunch of information with Mobvoi. I applaud the transparency, but that still wasn’t enough to make me comfortable with it.
One thing to keep in mind with the TicWatch Pro 3: its aesthetics. It’s unapologetically a big, chunky watch. I don’t have huge wrists and it absolutely feels dominated by this thing. It is “honest” in its design, at least, in that it isn’t trying to look like a fancier watch than it is — right on down to the matte plastic lugs that hold the replaceable straps in place. I also wish it had a rotating crown for scrolling.
I ended up using the TicWatch Pro 3 like a bog standard Wear OS watch in the end, turning off its extra screen and sticking to Google Fit for fitness data. It absolutely did the job, but at $299 I think most people would be better off considering other options.
There is only one spec that the TicWatch lacks: LTE. For that, you’ll need to buy the Fossil.
The Fossil Gen 5 LTE
Fossil Gen 5 LTE review
I reviewed the original Fossil Gen 5 smartwatch in 2019, and I called it the “best of a Wear OS situation.” I think that (dubious) honor now goes to the TicWatch Pro 3, but if you need LTE, the $349 Fossil Gen 5 is one of two options you’ve got on Android (the other is Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3 LTE).
Fortunately, the Fossil Gen 5 is essentially unchanged by the addition of LTE. If you’re willing to pay your carrier the extra monthly charges to turn it on, using the Gen 5 with LTE felt virtually the same as using it with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
Even battery life didn’t seem to be a problem. I did notice the watch was more likely to hit two full days with LTE turned off, but I usually didn’t manage to drain it in a single day even when using mostly LTE. Sadly, Fossil also feels as though it needs to make up for Wear OS’s shortcomings by keeping its entirely too complicated battery saver features. A watch should never require users to dig into granular radio toggles.
It does still use the older Snapdragon 3100 processor, though it didn’t feel particularly slow as a result. Aesthetically, it’s very slightly different from the regular Fossil Gen 5 Carlyle that I own and it’s not that much smaller than the TicWatch, but subtle differences make it look just a little more premium.
All in all, if you must have an LTE smartwatch and you use Android, this is your best option if you really prefer Wear OS to Tizen. If you’re agnostic, I think the Galaxy Watch 3 with LTE is probably a better choice.
Wear OS watches
As I’ve been harping on for three years now, every smartwatch for Android involves some kind of compromise.
Samsung watches need a lot more apps and require you to install a lot of extra stuff on your phone to get them working.
Fitbits are great for fitness but not so great at integrating into Android. There’s also the not-so-little matter about the company now being owned by Google’s hardware division. The future of the entire Fitbit ecosystem is sort of up in the air right now.
And honestly, the future of Wear OS is also up in the air. There’s little movement lately in app support and though Google has done a decent enough job keeping the OS from falling into utter decay, it hasn’t done much more than that. It’s overdue for an overhaul.
There are likely more Wear OS watches coming that might be worth waiting for, but the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 remains the best option for traditional smartwatch stuff. At the end of the day, it’s difficult to recommend anybody spend three or four hundred dollars to get on board the rudderless Wear OS boat.
Both the TicWatch Pro 3 and the Fossil Gen 5 LTE are good enough smartwatches for what they are. It’s just that what they are is the best of an old platform with a questionable future.
Photography by Dieter Bohn / The Verge
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