Over the past couple of months, I’ve been playing a lot of games on my Xbox Series X, and following the release of the iOS 14.5 beta, which added support for the Xbox Series X controller, I’ve been itching to stream my games from my console to my iPhone. However, I dreaded having to pair my controller with my phone — I figured that it might be a hassle, and I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to sync my controller between the two devices.
Turns out, it’s a smooth process to sync the controller to my iPhone. Better yet, it’s easy to swap the controller’s connection back and forth between my iPhone and my Xbox Series X.
Here’s how you set everything up:
First, you have to pair your Xbox Series X controller with your phone or PC. Activate sync mode on your controller by pressing and holding the sync button on the back, which is just above the USB-C port. After a couple seconds, the Xbox logo on the controller will flash rapidly.
Then, on the device you’re trying to sync the controller with, look for the controller in the Bluetooth settings menu. Select the controller to pair it. (Using iOS 14.5 beta, my Xbox Series X controller first appeared with the name “Accessory,” but once I tapped it, it autofilled to “Xbox Wireless Controller” followed by a combination of letters and numbers.)
Press and hold the sync button on the back of your controller to pair it with your phone or PC.Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge
Once the controller is connected to your new device, have fun playing some games!
To use your controller with your Xbox Series X again, double-tap the sync button. The Xbox logo will flash slowly, and then the controller should reconnect with your console.
To switch the controller back to the other device, hold the sync button. The Xbox logo should flash rapidly for a few seconds, and then it should connect to your device. Double tap the sync button to switch it back to your console.
That’s it! I’ve been really pleased with how easy it is to switch between my console and my iPhone, and I suspect I’ll be playing even more Xbox games away from my console than I originally imagined.
One thing you should be aware of: this quick-swap functionality only works with the last mobile device or PC that the controller connected with, according to Microsoft’s Timo Wolf. So if you want to quickly swap between your Xbox Series X and a different device, you’ll need to manually set up your controller with that new device first. And, Wolf says, this method apparently only works for jumping between your Xbox and another device over Bluetooth — it won’t let you swap between an Xbox and the Xbox Wireless Adapter.
In recent years, several representatives from PC case companies have told us that mini-ITX cases are a niche, without enough interest to be worth heavily investing in. Yet oddly, over that same period, more and more companies seem to be churning out these compact small form-factor (SFF) chassis.
The latest entry into the mini-ITX case space is the Meshlcious, from Ssupd (Sunny side up design), a new spinoff brand from Lian Li. As you might guess by the name, the Meshlicious is all about mesh–or nearly, as the case ships with one tempered-glass side panel, which can be attached to either the GPU or CPU side of the case. It will also be available in either black or white. Our review unit arrived dressed in black.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
At 14.17 x 9.65 x 6.55 inches, the Meshlicious is similar in size to the Jonsbo A4 case we used for the
RGBaby build
last year (the A4 is 13.39 x 10.75 x 6.65 inches), and much smaller than the last ITX case I built in,
Asus’ ROG Z11
(20.9 x 7.6 x 15.2 inches) pictured above. At $119 (MSRP) the Meshlicious is also much cheaper than either of those cases, while offering up lots of versatility (within the confines of its 14.67 liter volume), as well as a riser cable for showing off your graphics card. To help keep your components cool, it has mesh covering four of its six sides (or five if you spend $30 on a second mesh side panel to replace the glass side that ships in the box). As I found during testing, though, you’ll probably want to add at least one front intake fan.
Despite its small size, the Meshlicious supports graphics cards up to 12.6 inches and four-slots thick, thanks to a motherboard tray that can be slid forward or back to make room for thick cards. Just note that, as with all cases this small, there are a whole lot of limitations due to space constraints. Installing a long graphics card limits space for SATA storage, for instance. And while you can use a full-size ATX power supply, you may want to opt for a modular SFX PSU just so that there’s less excess cabling to hide. There’s really nowhere to hide excess bulky power cables.
Specifications
Type
Mid-ITX Tower
Motherboard Support
Mini-ITX
Dimensions (HxWxD, vertical orientation)
14.17 x 9.65 x 6.55 inches (360 x 245 x 166.4mm)
Max GPU Length
12.6 inches (320 mm)
CPU Cooler Height
2.87 inches (73mm) with 3-slot GPU, 2.09 inches (53 mm) with 4-slot GPU
External Bays
✗
Internal Bays
Up to 2x 3.5-inch and 3x 2.5-inch with SFF GPU, or 3x 2.5-inch with full-length GPU
Expansion Slots
1x
Front I/O
1x USB 3 Type-A, 1x USB-C
Other
Tempered Glass Side Panel
Front Fans
None (2x 120/140mm supported)
Rear Fans
None
Top Fans
None
Bottom Fans
None
Weight
8.16 pounds (3.7 kg)
Warranty
?
Panels Galore
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Working in the Meshlicious is fairly easy for an SFF chassis, thanks to its easily removable panels. Every side save for the bottom has one, and by default, all are mesh except for one side which is tempered glass with a moderate tint. As noted earlier, you can pop that glass side on either the motherboard side or the graphics card side, depending on which you want to show off.
Metal push pins hold all the sides on, and they stay on snugly and pop off with ease. This is a mechanism I wish more case makers would use, though I’m sure it works much better with small panels than it would with large full-ATX towers. The case and side panels are all steel (save for the glass panel) and reasonably thick and rigid. Nothing feels cheap or flimsy, which is nice given the case’s relatively low price for an ITX chassis.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
With the side panels off, the Meshlicious becomes a minimal shell, housing a PCIe 3.0/4.0 riser cable for vertically mounting your graphics card, and a few cables for the top-panel connections. (The $119 version we tested has a PCIe 3.0 cable, but a $159 version with a PCIe 4.0 cable will also be available.)
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Speaking of the top ports, things are fairly minimal (like the rest of the case’s design), with one USB 3 Type-A port and one Type-C. There’s no real need for an audio jack in a case this small, given that the audio ports around back are inches away from the front, and will generally deliver better audio than external ports would anyway.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The included accessories are also minimal, and include a bracket for mounting SATA drives, which you’ll need to leave in the box if using a long graphics card — as I did for this build. Also included is an angled HDMI cable, which you’ll need if using a full-size graphics card, as the Graphics card ports are at the bottom in this layout. The cable I got was quite short at just over three feet (not quite enough to make it to my arm-mounted test monitor), but a company rep told me Ssupd would make a change to include a longer cable (and larger zip ties) on future shipments, although initial versions will likely include what you see above. The zip ties included aren’t nearly big enough to wrangle the excess mess of power cables I encountered with my ATX power supply.
The silver aluminum bar above is a shorter mount for the motherboard tray. You’ll use this if installing a four-slot graphics card, to shift the tray more toward the motherboard side. Keep in mind that doing this also minimizes the cooler clearance, which is also quite limited to begin with. You get 2.87 inches of CPU cooler clearance as standard, which shrinks to 2.09 inches if you make room for a thicker card. That means if you’re using a 4-slot card, there will even be some AIO coolers you’ll need to avoid. As I used a slim Noctua air cooler (more on this below), the limited space here wasn’t an issue.
The 2.5-slot Zotac RTX 2080 Amp Extreme I used fit without adjusting the motherboard tray, but left little room between the side panel and the case fans. So I’d recommend either opting for the mesh panel on the GPU side or moving the motherboard back. 240 or 280 mm radiators (or just 120/140mm fans) are supported in the front for cooling your CPU. But note if adding a fan and radiator, things will likely get very tight, since this is also where your excess power cable slack also needs to go. Even if you just install intake fans here, you may have issues with cables pushing up against your fan blades. So you’ll need to take extra care to keep this from happening.
The case supports either SFX or larger ATX power supplies, although the bracket of an SFX power supply comes pre-installed. And I’d recommend using one of these smaller supplies if at all possible, since it will give you extra space and you’ll likely have less cable slack. I used a modular ATX Seasonic Focus PSU and wound up with a big ugly bundle of cables zip-tied together and no place to hide them.
The Meshlcious supports basically two distinct component layouts, each with a mini-ITX motherboard. You can either use a small-form-factor graphics card mounted horizontally, up to 8.3 inches (or less with a front radiator), or a longer full-sized GPU up to 12.6 inches mounted vertically (which is what I installed). With the former, you can also install a drive rail system for 3.5 or 2.5-inch drives. With averically mounted longer GPU you’re limited to mounting two 2.5-inch drives on the bottom of the case. Rather than go over the full details of possible layouts, here are a couple of diagrams, direct from Ssupd.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The build scenario I went with was a combination of these two, using an air cooler like in the image above, left with a long GPU (below, right).
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Building in the Ssupd Meshlicious
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
With the four sides popped off in a matter of seconds, building in the Ssupd Meshlicious was fairly straightforward, at least at first.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
For the sake of simplicity, I carried over the core components from the Asus ROG Z11 case story, including an ROG Strix B550-I Gaming motherboard, an AMD Ryzen 7 3700X CPU, a low-profile Noctua NH-L9a-AM4 chromax.Black CPU cooler, and the aforementioned Zotac RTX 2080 graphics card. We would have loved to upgrade to a Rzyen 5 CPU and a 30-series graphics card. But in case you haven’t noticed, both have been extremely scarce since launch, and for our purposes here, the existing parts work just fine.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
I dropped the motherboard in first, complete with the cooler and RAM. Next I tried to jam the ATX power supply in before realizing the SFX bracket comes pre-installed. I removed that via four screws, then slotted in the Seasonic ATX PSU in the area to the right in the image above. That went without issue, until I realized the GPU riser cable wasn’t fully extended on the other side, and was stuck behind my power supply. So I had to remove the PSU momentarily and secure the PCIe slot near the bottom of the case for the vertical RTX 2080. For smaller cards mounted horizontally, the cable gets mounted near the top.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
That done, I was ready to install the graphics card and the sole SATA SSD for this build, an attractive Team Group T-Force Delta Max RGB model that added some extra RGB to this case that ships without lighting or fans. In this configuration, another 2.5 inch drive can be mounted on the bottom, in a tight spot below the power supply. But for that you’ll need remove the PSU, or install it and connect the cables before installing the power supply. Again, for those who want to install more than two 2.5-inch drives here, you’ll need to use the drive bracket, which necessitates you also use a much shorter graphics card, mounted horizontally. But given many ITX motherboards include two M.2 slots (one often hidden on the back like with our Asus board), plus the ability to install two 2.5 inch drives on the floor of the Meshlicous, that should suffice for most setups. If you’re looking to install lots of storage drives, you probably aren’t also looking for a super compact case.
With everything installed in the Meshlicious,it was instantly clear that I had a bunch of excess cabling, mostly from the power supply, but some from the SATA drive (which also requires a USB cable for its light show). And given that the case is so small, there was no place to effectively hide the mess. Had I installed a radiator and fans in the front and used an SFX PSU with shorter cables, perhaps I could have hidden the cables along the back edge of the radiator. But of course the radiator, pump and fans would have introduced more cabling and taken up a fair amount of space itself.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
For the sake of hitting the launch day on this case, I bunched the cables together hastily with a few zip ties and velcro straps and called it a day. I clearly could have been a bit neater, but with the cables near the CPU/motherboard side of the case, they aren’t all that visible with either the tinted tempered-glass side over the GPU area, and even less so if you opt for using the mesh panel here.
Gaming and Conclusion
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Given that most of the sides on the Meshlicious are mesh, you could get away without adding intake fans for plenty of builds, as I did here. But adding at least one in the front would be a good idea. Either that, or if you’re using a large and powerful GPU, you might want to consider buying a second mesh side panel to replace the glass one — even if just during long gaming sessions. The panel can be popped off and replaced in just a few seconds.
After about a half hour of playing Borderlands 3 at high settings with the glass panel on, the panel got surprisingly hot, which isn’t exactly surprising given how close the fans are to the un-vented side panel. And while you could swap the side panels and put mesh in front of the graphics card, that would mean your glass panel is going to sit right up against the intake of your power supply. I don’t have to tell you that restricted airflow like that — at the very least — isn’t great for the longevity of your PSU.
Moving the motherboard tray back nearly an inch, as noted earlier, could alleviate this issue somewhat, but not if you’re using a graphics card that’s 3 slots or more thick. It would have been nice if Ssupd had included at least one fan to mount in the front, but I can also see why the company didn’t. Most people will likely either want to install a front radiator (which will come with a pair of fans on its own) or use specific fans, be they RGB or, say, quiet and efficient Noctua spinners.
And again, for many more modest builds with graphics card TDPs south of 200 watts, you could likely get by without any added fans. After all, the Meshlicious gets its name from the fact that three of its sides are all mesh by default. Opt for a fourth mesh side panel for an extra $30 and your CPU and GPU coolers shouldn’t have an issue dissipating heat themselves.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Just don’t expect the Meshlicious to be any quieter than your components of choice, especially if you opt to put the mesh panel in front of your graphics card. Just as small cases like this involve tradeoffs in terms of component support, a mesh-covered case is going to trade some noise for better thermal dissipation. You should always choose your components wisely. But if building in this Ssupd case is your aim, you’ll want to spend extra time making sure your parts will … mesh well with the Meshlicious.
Zendure’s SuperTank power bank is $100 at Wellbots today, which is the lowest price we’ve seen that doesn’t require a coupon code. It will ship for free and is a tax-free purchase for people who live outside of New York state, as well. This battery’s best feature is that it can recharge devices requiring up to 100W (this includes the 16-inch MacBook Pro, among other powerful machines) at the same speedy pace that their factory chargers can deliver, yet it’s smaller and more portable.
It contains a 27,000mAh 99.9Wh battery (the maximum you’re allowed to legally bring onto a commercial flight, according to the Federal Aviation Administration), and it hosts two USB-C ports, two USB Type-A ports, and a display to see the remaining battery capacity.
I spent time with this model in 2019, comparing it to a few others on the market that can also provide lots of watts to recharge power-hungry devices. The SuperTank is the most compact, user-friendly model out the bunch, and it’s still one of the best around today. Zendure more recently came out with the $250 SuperTank Pro, which has the same capacity and wattage but with more fast-charging USB-C ports and a detailed OLED screen.
Each SuperTank includes a USB-C to USB-C cable, but if you have an iPad or iPhone, I suggest picking up Zendure’s high-quality braided cable that’s USB-C to Lightning. It’s $10 at Amazon.
Zendure SuperTank
$100
$180
45% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
This little suitcase-looking device is the SuperTank, a 27,000mAh power bank that supports up to 100W recharge speeds through its USB-C PD port. It features four ports in total and an LED to show remaining battery life.
$100
at Wellbots
The SuperTank (left) next to the SuperPort wall charger.Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Of course, Zendure also makes a device that can help the SuperTank recharge as quickly as it puts out juice (recharging such a big battery with a standard 18W or so phone charger takes forever). That’s called the SuperPort, and it plugs into the wall, acting like a USB power hub. It features a USB-C port capable of 100W PD to recharge the SuperTank (or anything else that you have that needs a lot of power), an 18W PD USB-C port, and another two 18W USB Type-A ports. Usually $100 at Amazon, it’s $80. Just click below the price on the product page to clip the $20 off coupon.
Since yesterday, several retailers have begun taking up to $200 off Samsung’s new Galaxy S21 phones. Those came out just a few weeks ago, and while it seems surprising to see a price drop so quickly, this is typical of Samsung phones. If you didn’t place a preorder but are still interested in getting one unlocked for $100 off the S21, or $200 off either the S21 Plus or S21 Ultra, check out the links below.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (128GB, unlocked)
$1,000
$1,200
17% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
The flagship model in the Galaxy S21 line includes a 6.8-inch 3200 x 1440 OLED display, support for the S Pen Stylus, 12GB of RAM, and five image sensors, including a 108-megapixel sensor.
Home/Peripheral/Keyboards/Thermaltake’s W1 wireless mechanical keyboard boasts month-long battery life
Matthew Wilson 19 hours ago Keyboards
Thermaltake is expanding its peripheral line-up this month with a new wireless keyboard. Today, the company officially announced the W1 Wireless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, delivering Cherry MX switches free of wires.
The W1’s main selling feature is the wireless connectivity. There are three different connection modes that can be used. 2.4GHz wireless is available for low latency in a range of 10 meters – this mode is also battery life friendly, with Thermaltake claiming it can last over one month on a charge. The other wireless mode is of course Bluetooth, or you can plug it into a device directly via USB-C.
The other key selling point here is that this is a mechanical keyboard, sporting Cherry’s tried and true Cherry MX switches. There will be two options for the W1, Cherry MX Blue of Cherry MX Red. Blue switches are clicky and tactile, while Red switches are linear and make no noise.
Finally, for durability, this keyboard ships with PBT keycaps, which are more resilient against solvents, meaning the caps will last longer without wearing down. The Thermaltake W1 wireless mechanical keyboard is available via Thermaltake’s own store for $109.99.
KitGuru Says: Are any of you currently in need of a new keyboard? What do you think of the Thermaltake W1?
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Razer launches Huntsman V2 Analog with new Analog Optical switches
Today, Razer is launching the Huntsman V2 Analog, a new keyboard with Razer’s brand new …
Matthew Wilson 1 day ago Featured Announcement, General Tech
If you are looking at picking up some new PC gaming gear this month, then we’d like to help you out. We’ve teamed up with ASUS to offer KitGuru readers an exclusive discount on some of their best gaming peripherals.
We have an exclusive 10% discount code for KitGuru readers buying directly through the ASUS store. Using code ‘KITGURUSAVE’ you can get 10% off the following peripherals:
ROG PUGIO II Mouse
ROG Strix GO USB-C Headset
ROG Strix Scope RX Keyboard
ROG Sheath Mouse Pad
We’ve reviewed a lot of ASUS gear over the years, including the ROG PUGIO II mouse and ROG Strix GO headset – which earned our ‘Worth Buying’ and ‘Must Have’ awards respectively.
The ROG PUGIO II is a tri-connectivity mouse, featuring wired, 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth, so it can be hooked up to almost any device. Meanwhile, the ROG Strix GO headset features 2.4GHz wireless modes and USB-C for wired connectivity and charging. Be sure to check out our reviews of both to get the complete rundown.
The ROG Strix Scope RX keyboard is the first to feature Asus’s own ROG RX red optical mechanical switches, which offer faster response times compared to standard mechanical switches. As you would expect, it is an RGB keyboard too, so it’ll look great as part of any gaming setup.
KitGuru Says: Let us know if you end up picking any of these up!
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AMD’s answer to DLSS could be coming in March
Back when AMD announced the Radeon RX 6000 series, the company mentioned that it would introduce an alternative to Nvidia DLSS for its products. Named Super Resolution, this AI upscaling technology is apparently coming out in March, alongside an update to Radeon Boost.
João Silva 3 days ago Accessories, Featured Tech News
Razer is about to launch the Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma, a universal dock with 10x ports and RGB lighting to greatly expand and centralise connectivity for your setup.
Featuring Thunderbolt 4 interfaces, the Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma allows users to transfer data at blazing fast speeds, connect to multiple displays and devices, and charge a laptop through a single cable. The USB-C port is capable of delivering up to 90W of power to charge a laptop, while also delivering power to all other connected devices. The dock supports up to two video outputs at 4K with a 60Hz refresh rate or a single output at 8K with a 30Hz refresh rate.
With four Thunderbolt 4x ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, a 3.5mm audio combo jack, a UHS-II SD card slot, and 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen2 ports, this docking solution is ready for every scenario. The Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma, as the name suggests, includes Razer Chroma RGB, capable of displaying 16.8 million colours and multiple lighting effects. Users can synchronise the Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma with other Chroma RGB-compatible devices through Razer Synapse. This docking solution works with both Windows and Mac devices with Thunderbolt 3/4 interfaces and is USB4 compliant, but it also supports legacy Thunderbolt devices.
The Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma is now available for pre-order, priced at $329.99.
KitGuru says: Are any of you in need of a dock like this? What do you make of the Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma?
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ESA planning Digital E3 in June, needs publisher backing for keynotes
We’ve known for a while now that the ESA is planning a digital version of …
darkFlash has released a new mini-ITX case with RGB lighting for compact DIY PC builds. Despite its small size, this case supports 240mm radiators and 320mm long graphics cards without sacrificing airflow thanks to the meshed panels of the case.
Available in pink, black, white, and neomint, the darkFlash DLH21 is made of 0.8mm SECC metal. The case consists of 5x meshed panels with pre-installed magnetic dust filters to prevent dust from getting into the system. Moreover, this case was designed to offer a trouble-free disassembly of the case through easily detachable side panels and a magnetically connected top panel.
The RGB LED strip on the bottom of the case has 13x different lighting effects to cycle between using the LED button on the top I/O panel, but users can also synchronise it with other components through motherboard RGB software.
The DLH21 case features 2x expansion slots and supports mini-ITX motherboards, up to 2x 2.5-inch drives or a single 3.5-inch drive, and SFX/SFX-L power supplies (125mm long). CPU tower coolers can’t be more than 134mm tall and GPUs can’t exceed 320mm in length and 147mm in width. Radiator and fan support is a bit limited, allowing users to mount a 120m/240mm radiator on the side, a 92mm fan on the back, and 2x 120mm fans on the side. The top I/O panel has 2x USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
The darkFlash DLH21 ITX chassis is available now starting at $189.99.
KitGuru says: Have you ever built a mini-ITX system? What’s your opinion on the darkFlash DLH21 case?
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Antec launches P10 FLUX chassis
Last month, Antec began expanding on its FLUX series of cases with the airflow-focused DF700. …
The Raspberry Pi Pico’s RP2040 SoC is turning up in the most unlikely of places, one of which is a redesigned mechanical keyboard from Pimoroni. Keybow 2040 is the latest version of Pimoroni’s Keybow keyboard add ons, and this version is the first to feature the RP2040 SoC as the brains of the project. We reached out to Pimoroni and we have all the confirmed details on this most unusual RP2040 board.
It’s so beautiful, I think I might cry, @pimoroni 🥲 #Keybow2040 #RP2040 pic.twitter.com/V3igoXviwrFebruary 8, 2021
Pimoroni’s Keybow has been around for some time. It was developed to use a Raspberry Pi Zero as a simple USB gadget that would emulate keyboard keys or be used to run macros. Keybow RP2040 has the new “Pi Silicon” SoC at the heart of the board, not a Raspberry Pi Pico but the RP2040 SoC embedded to the custom-designed board, which is used to emulate a USB HID device.
It sports a 4 x 4 matrix of Cherry MX-compatible mechanical keys, all of which have an RGB LED underneath controlled by an IS31FL3731 PWM LED matrix driver. Of course, each of these LEDs can be independently controlled to produce colorful animations or to indicate function / status of a key.
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(Image credit: Pimoroni)
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(Image credit: Pimoroni)
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(Image credit: Pimoroni)
Power and data connectivity is handled via a USB-C connector. On launch there will be MicroPython and C/C++ libraries with examples which can be tweaked to serve your needs. Pimoroni aim to have keyboard emulation ready on launch, which would introduce the feature to Raspberry Pi Pico’s own version of MicroPython. At present, keyboard emulation on the Pico is only possible with C and CircuitPython from Adafruit.
The anticipated release date is from the week commencing February 22, but this depends on Pimoroni receiving their allocation of RP2040 SoC. Price looks to be around £50, or about $68. Tom’s Hardware will shortly be receiving their review unit and it will be added to our everything we know page for the Raspberry Pi Pico.
Apple’s MacBook Pro with the new M1 processor is one of the best-performing laptops on the market in its price range. If you are interested in picking up the latest Apple laptop for a discount, Amazon, B&H Photo, and Best Buy are selling the base model, which includes 256GB of SSD storage, for $1,199, knocking $100 off its usual retail price of $1,299.
This is the lowest price we have seen this configuration going for, beating its previous best-ever price by $20.
Elgato’s Cam Link 4K, which launched in 2018, allows you to transform your DSLR or action camera into a 4K webcam. At $130, it does not come cheap, and rarely do we see this product go on sale. But currently, Amazon has the device for $107. If you want to pick one up at Best Buy, you can grab it for $109.
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet was our pick for the best-budgeted Chromebook last year. At its usual price of $299, it’s not a bad option for people who need a device for on-the-go work. But if you are looking to save even more money, Best Buy has knocked $50 off the device, bringing it down to just $249.
Lenovo Chromebook Duet
$249
$299
17% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
The Chromebook Duet boasts long battery life and has a 16:10 aspect ratio display to fit more content on the screen at once. The Duet can be used as a tablet or a laptop. On the downside, it has just one USB-C port and no 3.5mm headphone jack.
$249
at Best Buy
Dell is getting a head start on its President’s Day savings. If you are in the market for a new gaming monitor, the company has a 32-inch HDR curved gaming monitor (model S3220DFF) on sale for just $360. Usually, this model costs $610, and it includes refresh rates up to 165Hz and supports AMD Radeon FreeSync.
(Pocket-lint) – Cambridge Audio has been around for donkey’s years and has built something of a tradition in the world of home audio equipment. But in the world of headphones, it doesn’t quite draw the attention as much as the likes of Sony, Bose or Sennheiser. So when it launched a pair of true wireless earbuds, the Melomania 1, that was something of a surprise.
Even more of a surprise, perhaps, was that the Melomania 1 was both great-sounding and very affordable. So the follow-up pair had a high bar to meet. Can Cambridge Audio blow us away with great, affordable buds for a second time? Here’s how the Melomania Touch fares…
Design
Touch controls
IPX4 water resistance
Faux leather coated case
Available in black or white
3x ear fin and 3x ear tip sizes for fit
Cambridge Audio launched its first pair of true wireless earbuds in 2018, and stood out from the market for a couple reasons. One of those was the design, which reminded us of little foam-tipped bullets. Of course, this shape wasn’t necessarily the most ergonomic or practical for in-ear fit, but the lightweight and easy-to-wear finish helped counter that.
Pocket-lint
The Melomania Touch looks nothing like the first-gen model and doesn’t feel the same in the ears either. It’s a huge change in direction, and one that has its benefits and its drawbacks.
The new warped teardrop-shape design of the Melomania Touch means these ‘buds are designed to fit and almost fill the inner part of your year, holding onto the middle ridge with an in-ear fin. That means, by their very nature, the individual ‘buds are a much more secure fit than the looser-fitting predecessors.
Because of the various sizes of fin and ear tips, we did find it took a couple of tries to get the right fit for us. Trying out a couple of different combinations we eventually settled on one that was comfortable but with a decent seal and with minimal pressure. Essentially just stepping down a size from the default fit. As we talk about in the sound section later on, getting this right fit is essential for good audio.
Pocket-lint
Even with a better fit for this generation you can still tell those tips are in your ear. As the tips are the standard shape and size for earbuds, you can always feel them in there and don’t quite get to that almost undetectable level you’ll find with wider cone-shaped tips. The Touch’s feel isn’t uncomfortable though, so you’ll be fine for a couple of hours at a time – too much longer and you will start to feel some sensitivity.
As we’re sure you gathered from the name ‘Touch’, these in-ears outer surface is touch-sensitive but of course, so you can use it to control various features, such as playing and pausing music or skipping tracks. Like most earbuds that feature this, it’s useful when you’re needing to use it on purpose. Most of the time we interacted with the Touch, however, it was accidentally.
The problem with such a large area being touch-sensitive is that if you try to adjust the fit, reach to remove the buds, or frankly do anything that involves touching them, it’s quite finicky trying to avoid that touch-sensitive area and inadvertently playing or pausing music.
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The charging case is a nice upgrade for this second-gen model. Rather than looking like a small pack of dental floss made from the beige plastic cast-off from a 1990s desktop PC, this cases is pill-shaped and coated in a soft faux leather. It’s a lovely looking and lovely feeling case, although we found the docks for each earbud could do with having stronger feeling magnet, to ensure that each ‘bud was absolutely in the right position to charge.
Performance, features and voice calls
Bluetooth 5.0 and AAC
Qualcomm aptX, TrueWireless Stereo Plus
7 hours music playback (33 hrs in case)
50 hours total maximum battery life (in low power mode)
Cambridge Audio has equipped the Melomania Touch with a lot of the modern tech you’d hope to find in true wireless earbuds. There’s aptX for lag-free connection with most Android phones. In addition there’s Qualcomm’s other tech: TrueWireless Stereo Plus. This connects each earbud to the Android phone independently and to each other, rather than use one ‘bud as the primary and have the other feed from it.
There’s also Bluetooth 5.0 and AAC support, so Apple iPhone users are catered for. The Touch even uses Qualcomm’s tech for enhancing the clarity of voice calls, so while Cambridge Audio is something of a traditional British audiophile company, it’s had the sense to try and utilise expertise from available tech to make these ‘buds convenient for the day-to-day user who will want to use them for calls.
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However, we did struggle at times with the wireless connectivity. It started with the initial setup, where we struggled with pairing and for the ‘buds to be discoverable – to the point where we went through the factory reset guide. Even then we could only get one ‘buds to pair – something that a firmware fix attempt couldn’t sort.
Given that all controls, including the reset process, are activated using that shiny touch-sensitive surface no physical feedback, it’s not exactly easy to perform such tasks. We’d much rather the Touch adopted a similar approach to the companies that have a single physical pairing button on the case itself, rather than trying to press-and-hold a touch-sensitive area on two earbuds simultaneously that’s curved and naturally slippery and may or may not respond as it’s supposed to. It’s finicky to say the least.
So we ended up seeking a replacement pair of the Melomania Touch just to make sure everything checked out. Which, generally speaking, has been the case. Once paired with replacement ‘buds, our connection has been reliable during our testing. With music playing, we’ve had no issues with the audio cutting out once it’s got going.
But connectivity didn’t seem to be quite as on the ball in all areas: upon initial connection, having removed the ‘buds from the case, the music would start in one ear before the other by a second or so. That wait isn’t the norm these days.
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Battery life is strong, even in its normal usage mode. Up to seven hours out of the case at a time is more than enough for anyone, even if you’re taking a long journey. Cambridge Audio says you can get up to 50 hours total battery time if you’re happy switching to low power mode, but the process on how to do that isn’t exactly obvious or easy within the app, and really we’re just not sure it’s worth the hassle.
Getting up to 33 hours of total battery – including the charges in the case – is more than the average from most true wireless buds, so that’ll do just fine in our. Plus, you don’t have to put up with the lower quality sound you get from low power mode, which is actually this pair of ‘buds biggest plus point.
Sound quality
7mm drivers
Melomania app for EQ
As we’ve mentioned, the sound is highly dependent on the fit. For instance, if you have too snug a fit the bass will get a little too ‘boomy’ – particularly in songs where there’s some significant bass or bass drum powering the rhythm. As examples, the bass in Hoping by X Ambassadors or the kick drum in Dopeness by Black Eyed Peas. Some people might really like that high impact bass though. In a lot of songs it is highly enjoyable, but in others it just gets a tiny bit too much for our taste.
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Thankfully, there’s a manual equaliser (EQ) to adjust the sound to your own preference. This is found within the app, where you can also enable and adjust the transparency mode to let in external audio, so that you’re not completely blocked off from the world.
Use a fit that’s less pressured and the sound changes a little to become a lot more natural and less bass heavy. Bass is still quite prominent, but it doesn’t detract from the rest of the frequencies. In fact, the 7mm drivers in these ‘buds are some of the most detailed you’ll hear at this price point.
So with the right fit you get loud and prominent bass, but also all of the subtleties elsewhere in the mix Jangly piano is still bright and clear, as is subtle guitar string plucking, while vocals are delivered with clarity. Nothing is ever drowned out by those punchy bass notes. So all in all, it’s a dynamic sound that’s impressive at this end of the earbud market. And that’s what really matters.
Verdict
After loving the sound that came from the original Cambridge Audio Melomania 1, we had high hopes for the follow-up pair. And there’s no denying, the audio from the Melomania Touch is super – vibrant, punchy and hugely enjoyable.
But the earbuds suffer from connection issues and a design that’s just not hugely practical. Whether it’s the frustrating pairing process, or the fact that – at times – the connection to one of the ‘buds failed or was delayed, the experience lacked the polish we’d come to expect given the success of the first outing.
Still, once you have the Melomania Touch in our ears and are listening to music – and not touching them, because that touch-sensitive panel is easy to hit by accident – the music is so good.
In this price range you’re unlikely to find anything that sounds as dynamic and clear as these. We’re just wary given the connectivity ups and downs.
Also consider
Pocket-lint
Jabra Elite 75t
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As reliable a pair of true wireless ‘buds as you’ll find. These in-ears are small, comfortable to wear and deliver a sound solid.
Read our review
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Sony WF-SP800N
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These sporty in-ears offer a lot of Sony’s smart ambient sound control and the noise-cancellation tech is the real star. Battery life is only average though, which is surprising given the (massive) size of the case. Overall these ‘buds sound great and offer plenty of customisation.
Razer is adding its Chroma RGB to a new part of your setup: a Thunderbolt 4 dock. It’s the latest office-style accessory to get a touch of the company’s gaming aesthetic, and its selection of ports is clearly meant for those looking to future-proof their setups.
The dock, dubbed Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma, costs $329.99 and is up for pre-order at Razer’s website and retail stores. It has ten ports in total and is compatible with any Windows 10 laptop with Thunderbolt 3 or 4 and Macs with Thunderbolt 3, as long as they run macOS Big Sur (including both Intel-based laptops and those with Apple’s own M1 processors).
(Image credit: Razer)
Of the four Thunderbolt 4 ports, you’ll use one to connect your laptop to the anodized aluminum dock. The other three can be used for power delivery, data or a display. Razer claims the dock supports up to 40Gbps data transfer speeds.
The dock supports up to two monitors at 4K60 or a single 8K monitor at 30 Hz, but it doesn’t use traditional HDMI or DisplayPort outputs. You’ll either need to use this dock with a USB-C or Thunderbolt monitor or get Thunderbolt-to-DisplayPort cables.
(Image credit: Razer)
On the front, besides a TB4 port, there’s also an SD card reader and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The back features the other three TB4 ports, RJ-45 Ethernet, and three USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports. It comes with a 135W power brick and offers 90W power delivery to charge your laptop without other cables.
One thing that’s unclear is if this dock will work with regular USB 4, given that Thunderbolt 4
is largely USB 4 with some optional features
.
The dock is 7.48 inches wide, 2.93 inches deep and 1.06 inches tall. That will take up a bit more space than some docks that have vertical stands, and it allows for more room for its RGB showcase.
And what would a Razer device be without Chroma RGB? The Thunderbolt 4 dock works with Razer’s Synapse software for lighting customizations, at least if you’re on Windows 10. The company says Synapse isn’t supported on macOS, so it’s likely Mac users will have to opt for a generic rainbow pattern.
But Razer isn’t the first to an RGB dock. WD added the D50 Game Dock NVMe to its Black line last year, which is $320 or more if you add up to 2TB of internal storage. It, however, is more about the storage and has fewer ports.
It’s not a huge surprise to see Razer, known primarily as a gaming-focused company, continue its dive into the office. It made its first productivity-focused notebook, the Razer Book 13, last year. It has also made office-bound peripherals in a partnership with Humanscale.
Razer is also updating its laptop stand, the Laptop Stand Chroma V2, with more ports (USB 3.2 Gen 1 both Type-A and Type-C, HDMI 2.0 and USB-C for power delivery) and an 18-degree angle which is meant to improve ergonomics. It, too, features Chroma RGB. The $150 laptop stand is also up for pre-order.
The Razer Huntsman V2 Analog keyboard is premium in its feature set, design and price; although, dedicated macro keys would’ve been nice. Pressure-sensitive keys bring a fine level of control in supported PC games, and they’re highly programmable, from their sensitivity to their reset point and functionality. For those who can put Razer’s new analog optical switches to work, this is as swanky as it gets.
For
Highly customizable analog mechanical switches
Satisfying typing experience
Comfortably padded RGB wrist rest
Handy media controls
Against
Wildly expensive
No macro keys
Customizable actuation could go lower
Limited PC support for analog control
The best gaming keyboards can come in flashy colors, offer high levels of programmability and different typing feels, but they still haven’t ousted controllers or become the cemented leader in gaming control. A big reason for that is the joystick. Not only do joysticks provide a fun, assertive and even nostalgic way to play games, but they also provide a type of input keyboards typically can’t offer: analog input.
It’s been a slow movement, but mechanical keyboard makers have been introducing keyboards with analog input, with keys that are sensitive to how much pressure is applied. Some, like the Wooting lineup, use optical mechanical switches to achieve this. With that in mind, it’s not too surprising to see Razer enter the analog race (crawl?). As one of the leaders in optical mechanical switches, the introduction of the Razer Huntsman V2 Analog with new Razer Analog Optical switches almost makes complete sense. That is, until you see the $250 price tag.
Razer Huntsman V2 Analog Specs
Switches
Razer Analog Optical
Lighting
Per-key RGB
Onboard Storage
4 profiles (no RGB)
Media Keys
Yes
Interface
USB
Cable
USB Type-C, plus USB Type-A for USB passthrough
Additional Ports
1x USB 3.0 passthrough port
Key Caps
Doubleshot PBT
Software
Razer Synapse
Dimensions (LxWxH without wrist rest)
17.53 x 5.52 x 1.71 inches
Extra
USB-C to USB-A Adapter
Razer Analog Optical Switches
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The big difference between analog mechanical switches and standard mechanical switches is how they read key presses. Most keyboards have digital input, meaning that they read either a 0 value (not depressed) or 1 value (depressed). Analog switches can get more specific. They work like a controller joystick in that they’re able to tell how hard you’re pressing a key and report the input appropriately. In a driving game, for example, this could mean a slight left turn when tapping A or a sharp turn when pressing it hard and bottoming out. Or in a FPS game, it could be the difference between creeping forward into a dark room cautiously or sprinting full force ahead.
With Razer’s Synapse software, you can set any of the keyboard’s keys to work like the functions offered via an Xbox controller’s left and right analog joysticks. It’s easy to set W,A,S and D, for example as left joystick up, left down and right, respectively. Afterward, pressing W lightly in a racing game might move your car forward a bit, while pressing it all the way down will rev you up to max speed.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
In this way, the Huntsman V2 Analog can let you play supported games with the same type of control you’d have with a controller with joysticks. But Synapse even offers more customization, letting you select one of its preset configurations or choose what point in key travel represents what analog input value from 0-255.
We’ve seen analog mechanical keyboards before, but the tech isn’t all the same. For example, the Cooler Master MK850 uses Aimpad tech that essentially takes standard Cherry MX Red mechanical switches and applies infrared (IR) tech to a select cluster of keys to give them analog functionality. The Huntsman V2 Analog is more like the Wooting Two in that every switch is analog and also optical mechanical (or optical for short). In general, optical switches activate when their stem crosses a light beam, differing from standard mechanical switches, which actuate via metallic contact.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
With Razer’s analog optical switches, light travels down a triangular opening in the switch’s stem. That opening widens as you press a key. A photosensor in the switch reads how much light is going through that triangle and makes an analog signal in line with how much light is detected.
Adjustable Actuation Points
The Huntsman V2 Analog’s switches also offer adjustable actuation points. If you download Synapse, you can set individual keys actuation points anywhere from 1.5-3.6mm in 0.1mm increments, as well as the reset point. The amount of force required to actuate an input will also change, starting at 54g if set to 1.5mm actuation and reaching a heavy 74g at 3.6mm.
Customizable actuation (not customizable reset) is something we’ve seen in other analog keyboards, like the Wooting Two. You can also find this feature on the SteelSeries Apex Pro OLED, but its SteelSeries OmniPoint switches aren’t pressure-sensitive.
Synapse makes setting your preferred actuation points simple and even offers a real-time pressure gauge. You can press a button as light or hard as you want, and a meter will visually show you your proximity to the 1.5mm actuation minimum or 3.6mm maximum. It’d be nice if the meter also told you how many millimeters you were at with that press (instead of just a representative green bar), but you can also set actuation points by entering a specific number.
One Keystroke, Two Inputs
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
And for the advanced gamer, Razer’s Analog Optical switches also allow for two inputs in one press if you program the feature via software. In the image above, Q works as Q until I bottom out, when it turns into E, letting me to quickly use two of Ashe’s special moves in Overwatch with rapid ease but still allowing me to just stick with just the Q move if desired.
To use any of these features on your PC, you’ll need to play a game with analog input support. The Huntsman V2 Analog’s namesake switch features are only available in PC games that support both mouse/keyboard and controller input if you set a key to a joystick function and try to use it without such a game, that key will do nothing when pressed). We’ll see how much those requirements limit our analog gameplay and how well the switches fare on the battlefield in the Gaming Experience section below.
Design of Razer Huntsman V2 Analog
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Razer’s Huntsman lineup is always pricey, partially due to the optical switches. The Huntsman V2 Analog is on the upper echelon of the upper-tier and carries a very similar design to what it’s replacing as the brand’s most expensive keyboard, the Razer Huntsman Elite. That includes pleasing media keys and a lavish RGB wrist rest. The design here has some legs up on the Huntsman Elite’s design though and, believe it or not, one of its biggest advantages is its wrist rest.
The Huntsman V2 Analog has a fake leather wrist rest that’s also RGB-ready. To set it aglow, all you have to do is plug in the keyboard and magnetically attach the wrist rest to the keyboard. It’ll metallically snap on securely, and thankfully, doesn’t require plugging in an extra cable to light up (like the Huntsman Elite does).
Wrist rests feel like an odd place for RGB because you’ll rarely see it. From my typical seated positions, I couldn’t usually see the RGB running along the wrist rest’s bottom lip or on the left and right sides. Nor could I see the RGB framing the actual keyboard’s on the bottom lip (if the wrist rest’s not attached) and left and right sides and bottom lip (if the wrist rest’s not attached). Sometimes it’d peek out from the bottom lip, especially if I was sitting lower, but I could never see it on the slides.
But with RGB brightness boosted up to about 40%, I got an impactful glow on my desk — even in a sunny room. And from afar or on a stream, the Huntsman V2 Analog’s RGB is definitely impressive. Whether on the deck, wrist rest or keys, the lighting shines with brilliance, clarity and accuracy with what’s programmed via software. Speaking of, you can set effects or colors to individual keys, and the deck and wrist rest carry 40 individual lighting zones total.
But who cares about RGB under your wrists when there’s so much comfort there too? The wrist rest here is Razer’s plushest yet and provides a clean, natural look with its bezel-less design. The filling has a good amount of density but isn’t quite in the firm category. It’s also not as plush and doesn’t have the same squishy, cooling gel feel of our favorite standalone wrist rest, the HyperX Wrist Rest. But in terms of comfort, this is one of the few pack-in wrist rests I’d consider using with other keyboards.
Razer’s Huntsman V2 Analog has two non-detachable USB cables coming out of it. The second one is for the USB 3.0 passthrough port on the left side of the clacker’s deck. These are thick, braided fiber cables, but we’ve encountered bulkier. Cable management is on you, but one nice touch is that this is a USB-C keyboard natively. (The USB passthrough port cable is USB-A). If you don’t have a USB-C port, Razer includes a USB-C to USB-A adapter in the box.
Media controls work wonders on a keyboard, and Razer has nearly perfectly nailed it with the rewind, play/pause, fast forward and volume wheel/mute button. The volume wheel is the real star. It has a tactile scroll with a healthy amount of resistance, so there won’t be accidental spins. There’s a premium feel that makes the wheel seem like it can take a lot of spinning — which is great because playing with this thing makes me feel like a DJ.
Razer even gave the media buttons customizable RGB. The problem is that the inscriptions are hard to read, so you’ll have to memorize them or get the right angle to read the black-on-black writing. This is also the case with the indicator light south of the navigational buttons.
Premium design touches come in the form of an aluminum top plate sitting atop the plastic bottom and doubleshot PBT keycaps that look as good as they feel. If you look very closely, there’s a subtle finish to the top plate that provides a mild shimmer that matches the effect brought on by the keycaps’ visible texture. The keyboard’s overall finish is clean but not fingerprint-proof.
The keycaps specifically, however, fight off fingerprints well, since Razer opted for the pricer PBT plastic option. They’re also doubleshot, or made with two layers of plastic injection mold, ensuring durability and that the writing never fades. The writing is less striking than other gaming keyboards with loud fonts; although the lower-case lettering on some keys adds playfulness.
Razer claims its manufacturing methods allow for the “thinnest font possible on a doubleshot PBT keycap.” There’s light bleed in between the keys and a lot of light reflecting on the button of the FN row particularly at max brightness. But you can curb this by reducing RGB brightness.
Analog Gaming Experience
The Huntsman V2 Analog’s customizable actuation points and double inputs work with any game or app, but for the keys to be pressure-sensitive like a joystick, you’ll need a supported game. Razer told me this is any game that allows for both game/mouse inputs and controllers. Inconveniently, the brand’s yet to share a list of supported games, but a similar tech, Aimpad, has its own list of supported games, which will also likely work with the Razer keyboard’s analog features too. We’ll update this review if Razer shares a list of supported games.
To try out the switches’ pressure sensitivity, I turned to Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V), hoping to get the same amount of vehicular control I get when playing the game on-console. Have you ever tried to drive like a sane person in GTA V? It’s a game in itself, and with pressure-sensitive input, I was able to get the fine level of control needed to do this successfully.
With the WASD cluster set to control navigation, I was able to tap A to make a light turn instead of one that sharply veered me offroad into local prostitutes. With the A and D keys set to turn my heisted vehicles left and right, a light tap helped me slowly accelerate to the left, and I can hold the key at that level to maintain speed. If I needed to swerve or turn sharply, bottoming out quickly got the wheels turned as far as possible.
Feeling natural and comfortable while keeping a key pressed, say, halfway, will take some getting used to though. Since these switches are linear, at first it felt challenging to maintain just the right amount of pressure to achieve the amount of acceleration I wanted with my car.
Linear switches are great for fast, interruption-free input, but I’d love to see an analog mechanical switch with tactile feedback. It may be easier to keep the key half-pressed (or so) comfortably if there’s a bump along the travel that can serve as a resting point. Full disclosure: I generally prefer tactile switches over linear ones.
General Gaming Experience on Razer Huntsman V2 Analog
Even if you’re not playing a game that supports our review focus’ analog features, there’s a potential advantage to be had in the Huntsman V2 Analog’s customizable actuation points. The most popular linear switch, Cherry MX Reds, have a 2mm actuation point, 4mm total travel and require 45g. Since you can set the Huntsman V2 Analog’s switches to have an actuation point as low as 1.5mm, your fingers can have 0.5mm less to travel to register an input. On top of that, the reset point is also customizable, so you can really get the feel you want. Actuation force is greater than Cherry Reds though, with the Razer switches ranging from 54g with 1.5mm actuation and maxing at 74g.
But in terms of keyboards with customizable actuation points, we’ve seen shorter. The Apex Pro OLED’s OmniPoint switches can actuate at 0.4-3.6mm. And the hard-to-find Wooting Two can actuate from 0.1-4mm with 65g of force. At 0.1mm you’d have to be careful not to accidentally brush up on a key and add accidental pressure, but for very skilled and quick gamers, it’d be nice to have 0.1-1.5mm actuation points be an option.
In general, the keyboard’s well-spaced layout and premium keycaps with their pleasant sound and slip-0resistant texture made long hours of game a breeze.
One of the keyboard’s most unique features is the ability to assign two functions to one key press. With the right execution, this can be fun and efficient and let you complete your two tasks quicker.
I used this trick in Overwatch with the E key. I set the keyboard so that pressing the E key down 1.5mm served as pressing E, which makes Ashe throw dynamite. Then, if I continued pressing E down to 3.6mm, the input would change to Q, which fires Ashe’s shotgun. Being able to hit E and Q in one stroke let me throw dynamite and then quickly shoot it, so it’d instantly explode in an enemy’s face. I could set a macro like this on many mechanical gaming keyboards, but then I wouldn’t have the option to not use the shotgun if, for instance, my aim was off, and I, therefore, didn’t want to waste a shot making it explode.
Again, I’d like to see how tactile, instead of linear switches, might make this feature easier to leverage. With a tactile switch, I could set the secondary input to a point after the bump, which would bring a clearer distinction between input 1 and input 2.
Typing Experience on Razer Huntsman V2 Analog
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The Huntsman V2 Analog debuts Razer’s Analog Optical mechanical switches, which have a lot of tricks to them, as we detailed above. But in their simplest form, they’re linear switches. One of the best parts is that the typing experience is, somewhat, up to you. No matter what, you’ll have linear presses that go down smoothly with no bump or clicking noise along the way. But with the ability to set each switch’s actuation point from 1.5-3.6mm, you can decide if an input requires a light press or nearly bottoming out. Lighter actuation points can make for quicker input, while requiring a harder press may help avoid accidental inputs.
Linear switches are known to have zero clickiness, but the doubleshot PBT keycaps make a delightful noise that reminds me of someone writing with chalk. The spacebar is especially loud with a slightly higher and more hollow noise to it.
The switches are also specced for 4mm total travel and actuate with 54-74g of force. For comparison, the linear analog optical switches found in the Wooting Two, Flaretech Linear55 Reds, can also have a 1.5-3.6mm actuation point, have 4mm total travel and require 55g of force to actuate.
To see how different actuation points can affect my typing performance, I tried the 10fastfingers.com typing test at the lowest and highest actuation settings With a 1.5mm actuation point, my best time was 126 words per minute (wpm) and my accuracy about 1% shy of my average. With actuation set to 3.6mm, my best time was also 126 wpm, with less than a 1% drop in accuracy.
I’m an aggressive typer, so when typing a lot, I’m usually bottoming out. As a result, bringing up the actuation point didn’t make a big difference for me, since I probably continued bottoming out anyway. That said, I have experienced speed boosts with a more dramatic drop in actuation point, specifically with the SteelSeries Apex Pro, which can drop to 0.4mm. But if you’re someone who types lightly and isn’t frequently bottoming out, you may be able to pick up speed by reducing the actuation point.
In general use, using the higher actuation point was noticeably different. Sometimes I’d try to tap something like backspace or an arrow key, and it wouldn’t register. I’m used to bottoming out when typing, but having keys like the function row and navigation keys also require this much fore felt unnatural. Thankfully, Razer’s Synapse software lets you set actuation points for each key, allowing me to bring some down to a lighter 1.5mm. With only a light tap required to make actions like take a screenshot, I felt more productive.
With Synapse, it’s easy to set up different profiles and settings for different uses. For example, my work profile has typing keys set to 2mm, with navigational keys, the FN row and numpad at a lighter 1.5mm. I love firmly asserting a space or enter, so those keys are at 3.6mm.
Features and Software on Razer Huntsman V2 Analog
Razer’s Synapse software is essential for adjusting the Huntsman V2 Analog switches’ actuation point but also offers other customization options.
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The Customize menu lets you assign different functions to each key and even the media controls. The scroll wheel even has three programmable functions (scroll up, down or press in). There’s a massive range of options, from launching programs and switching profiles or RGB, to macros. You can even assign mouse functions to the keyboard. And if you assign a button as the Razer HyperShift key, every key will offer an additional function when you’re holding down that key. This all equates to a massive amount of input customization, even without the analog features.
You can turn off or change RGB brightness without software, but to toggle presets or make your own effects, you’ll need Synapse. If you open Synapse’s Chroma Studio add-in, you get a complex UI that lets you make advanced per-key RGB effects after you get the hang of it.
Considering the Huntsman V2 Analog’s high price, we’re happy to see Razer include 5 onboard memory profiles. Once set up in Synapse, you can plug the keyboard into another PC, and it’ll remember up to 4 profiles without having to download Synapse again. You can toggle through the profiles quickly by pressing FN and menu, and the keyboard will flash the profile’s color to let you know where you’re at. Unfortunately, these profiles won’t remember your RGB settings.
If you do download Synapse, you can save as many profiles as you want and set them to automatically launch with specific games or other apps.
Bottom Line
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
At $250, the Razer Huntsman V2 Analog is one of the most expensive gaming keyboards you can get. And it does a lot to try to earn that title. With premium keycaps, a wrist rest with RGB and comfort to match,a delicious typing experience and advanced gaming features, like onboard memory, it leaves out very little.
A big part of the cost is the analog switches. These are immediately useful in letting you set actuation points, allowing for a more customized experience that may aid in productivity. But you’ll be limited to PC games that take both keyboard / mouse and controller input, making this investment a bit harder.
Unlike some other analog keyboards, such as the $160 Cooler Master MK850, Razer thoughtfully included analog keys in every switch. But we would’ve sacrificed that to get a more attainable price. There’s also a cheaper full-keyboard analog alternative in the Wooting Two, which is $160 as of writing and hot-swappable with either linear or clicky switches.
The SteelSeries Apex Pro, meanwhile, isn’t a true analog keyboard, nor is it optical (if that matters to you). But it does offer arguably the most frequently usable feature of the Huntsman V2 Analog switches: customizable actuation points across the board. It’s also cheaper (currently $180).
In the $200 range alone, there’s also, naturally, tough competition. If you’re willing to spend that much, the Corsair K100 RGB may have more usable bonuses, like a control wheel and macro keys. There’s no analog input or customizable actuation, but the linear switches are optical.
So, unless you know how you’ll put the Huntsman V2 Analog’s pricey switches to good use, there are probably other keyboards that’ll give you more use for your money.
But ultimately, as both an analog keyboard and premium gaming peripheral, the Huntsman V2 Analog checks off nearly every box. We just wish it’d check the ‘expensive’ box a little less hard.
Razer’s latest mechanical keyboard, the $250 Huntsman V2 Analog, looks similar to the company’s previous models, but the biggest differences lie in the switches. This model’s optical switches support adjustable actuation (the amount of movement required to register a press), allowing for near-endless customization through Razer’s Synapse software.
Perhaps the most appealing feature of these keys is that, instead of being limited to the usual on / off nature of key actuation, they can be programmed with analog inputs to emulate a controller’s joysticks for smoother, variable levels of movement and control. You’ll be able to program the keyboard so that pressing a key down slightly will make you walk slowly in game, while pressing it fully will have you running at a normal clip — just like an analog stick.
(Note that game support for using analog inputs and a mouse simultaneously will vary, but using this feature at all requires the Synapse software. And programming an analog input for a key will override its original use case, so you’ll need to revert it or flip to a different profile.)
Building on that feature, Razer’s keyboard also allows gamers to program two distinct functions that would usually require two buttons onto one key, with one firing off at one actuation distance and the other when you fully press the key. You could equip a grenade with a soft press of a key, then throw it by pushing the key all the way down, just to give an example.
Image: Razer
In fact, Razer’s switches can be customized to your specific actuation preferences for gaming or any other use case. The Huntsman V2 Analog keys have a default 3.6mm travel, but you can adjust the distance to a much shorter 1.5mm or anywhere between those values. It’s important to note that this doesn’t change how the keys feel when you push them, but a shorter actuation will let you type a little softer without worrying that your keys won’t register a press.
This is how it works: instead of relying on separate physical mechanisms to delineate between actuation states, the switch’s sensor judges distance pressed by assessing the amount of infrared light hitting it. The embedded animation shows this in action.
A look at how the optical switch determines the actuation level.Image: Razer
Razer’s Huntsman V2 Analog has an aluminum frame, a set of dedicated buttons to control media, and a dial for adjusting volume, which all look and feel great. Razer includes Doubleshot PBT keycaps, which are said to wear better with age than standard keycaps, and you’ll also get a soft wrist rest that contains RGB lights and can be attached magnetically to the keyboard. As you might expect, the keyboard itself has bedazzling Chroma RGB lights all around it, too.
The cable that powers the Huntsman V2 Analog is USB-C, but Razer includes an adapter so you can plug it into USB Type-A ports. And if you want to use the keyboard’s single USB 3.0 Type-A passthrough port for an accessory, it has a second USB Type-A cable hanging off its back that you can plug into your PC.
By the way, in case this is your first time hearing about this kind of analog key technology and adjustable actuation, keyboard company Wooting beat Razer to the punch with similar keyboards dating all the way back to 2016. That company’s current keyboards start at around $150, far less than Razer’s $250 Huntsman V2 Analog. Whether Razer’s model can justify its high price will depend on your thirst for Chroma RGB lights, dedicated media buttons, and optional USB-C connectivity.
The Huntsman V2 Analog is now available exclusively at Razer.com through February 9th, when it’ll launch at more retailers.
Bang & Olufsen’s Beosound Level is the Danish brand’s latest battery-powered connected speaker. It supports voice controls via Google Assistant, Bluetooth, and you can also stream to it via the AirPlay 2, Chromecast, and Spotify Connect standards. B&O says the Beosound Level uses a modular construction that it claims will make it usable far into the future. It’s a welcome feature, considering the speaker’s high $1,499 (£1,099) starting price.
While many stereos and amplifiers from the middle of the last century can still be used today, the average lifespan of modern integrated audio systems is far shorter. If your music system contains a computer, then it’s inevitable that it’ll eventually become outdated. B&O’s hope is that the modular design it’s using for the Beosound Level will help the company keep it supported for longer, as well as making it easier to repair when components fail.
Central to this modularity is the Beosound Level’s streaming module, which houses the speaker’s digital signal processing (DSP) chip, wireless connectivity tech, and antenna array. It’s B&O’s first speaker to use it, but the company says it won’t be the last; it’ll be standardized across its future lineup of home speakers. B&O says there’s enough processing headroom in the hardware that ships with the Beosound Level that it should be able to handle updates in the immediate future. But when the hardware reaches its limit, the company plans to offer an upgrade service for users who are prepared to send their device in to the company to have the streaming module replaced.
The Beosound Level’s battery is also modular, and unlike the streaming module, it’s user-replaceable. However, its form factor won’t be standardized across B&O’s speaker lineup, so replacing it will require a battery made specifically for the Beosound Level. Battery life is rated at up to 16 hours with volumes at moderate levels, dropping to four hours at max volume.
Other features include a built-in accelerometer that allows the Beosound Level to adjust its sound depending on whether it’s standing vertically, horizontally, or hanging on a wall. (A wall bracket is available separately for $119, or £89.) Internally, the speaker has five drivers: two 4-inch woofers, one 2-inch full-range driver, and two 0.8-inch tweeters.
Charging is either handled via a USB-C port on the speaker itself or by attaching a small magnetic plug (which is powered over USB). The speaker has an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance, touch controls, and it’s available with wood or fabric finishes.
We’ve seen companies try to take modular approaches with their devices before, but success has been elusive so far. Modular smartphones have never really gotten off the ground, and Alienware’s promises about a modular future-proof laptop fell apart after just one year. Bang & Olufsen tells me it hopes to support the Beosound Level for years after it eventually stops producing the speaker, so it might be some time before we see if it’s able to deliver on its goal.
(Pocket-lint) – The headphone jack might just be dead – when Apple first got rid of it, the outcry was widespread, but we’ve now come to accept its absence as the default. Many Android phone makers are opting for Bluetooth and USB-C audio instead.
Removing the jack enables phones to be made thinner, use fewer connectors and be made waterproof more easily. However, the adoption of USB-C headphones has been slow because many opt for Bluetooth headphones instead.
There are advantages to using wired though; a digital connection can help improve audio quality, as headphones can be made with dedicated DACs integrated into them, such as the Audeze Sine and iSine that use the Lightning port on the iPhone.
Best in-ear headphones: 10 great wired, wireless and wire-free earphones
So we’ve rounded up the best USB-C headphones we’ve found – there aren’t huge numbers of options, as you’ll see.
Best USB-C headphones to buy
Moshi
Moshi Mythro C
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These well-rounded USB-C earphones sound great and bass reproduction is decent. That’s thanks to a built-in DAC and four in-line buttons with a mic and a DJ Boost mode. As with many other earphones, you also get many different ear tips, as you’d expect.
Note that while these headphones say they are compatible Google Assistant compatible, they don’t have the assistant built-in, as with some other devices (such as the Pixel headphones below).
Libratone
Libratone Q-Adapt In-ear USB-C
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Libratone already has a pair of Q-Adapt in-ear headphones for the iPhone and has also released a pair with a USB-C connector too. They were made specifically for the Google Pixel 2 and fall under the “Made for Google” program.
They’re sweatproof, so can be used when exercising, have in-line controls for controlling music playback and even have a noise-cancellation mode when taking phone calls with power coming directly from the USB-C port.
Google
Google Pixel USB-C Earbuds
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Google released these earbuds alongside the Pixel 3, and, while they aren’t as good as wireless options, they are dirt cheap.
They also have native compatibility with Google Assistant so you can hear your notifications (just press and hold the volume up button) and get real-time translation from Google Translate.
Razer
Razer Hammerhead
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Earbuds aren’t purely useful for music and chatting, though, and can be great for immersive gaming, too. R
Razer’s Hammerhead earbuds are slightly pricy, but if you really want the edge on mobile games they’ll do very nicely indeed. We also really like the look and feel of the tangle-resistant cable.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi ANC Earphone
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Bringing ANC to the table are these earbuds from Xiaomi which offer a nice alternative to the set from Libratone above, especially if those older buds are out of stock. These have an unremarkable design but do everything you need them to very well.
OnePlus
OnePlus Type C Bullets
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OnePlus rounds out our list with these really solid, incredibly simple earbuds, which aren’t particularly noteworthy but equally are priced pretty sensibly and sound really good for the price, too.
Writing by Dan Grabham. Editing by Conor Allison.
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