Welcome to my review of the Huawei Freebuds Studio headphones which retail for £229.
Key Specs
Intelligent noise cancellation: with chipsets and sensors, the headphones offer hybrid active noise cancellation, attention mode and uplink noise cancellation during voice calls
Box contents: Huawei FreeBuds Studio, wireless ANC headphones with Bluetooth in graphite black, including case, charging cable USB-C, quick start guide, warranty card and safety information
Dynamic ANC: The multi-scene perception system, consisting of an IMU1 sensor and microphone system, automatically adjusts noise cancellation in different environments
Attention mode: Activate the ANC button in attention mode to allow ambient noise/set the “voice highlight” mode in the Al Life app to reduce noise
Noise cancelling for calls: the 4 outward facing microphones accurately pick up the sound from the direction of the voice – 2 inward microphones make voices more clearly audible
Dual Antenna: The headphones offer wide signal coverage with dual antenna design, even when the phone is in the bag or other disturbing environment
Low latency gaming mode: the algorithm for encoding wireless audio signals significantly reduces signal latency to provide a more intense gaming experience
The Huawei Freedbuds Studio are Huawei’s answer to Sony XM4’s and Apple AirPods Max headphones. In terms of comfort they do a great job. Sound quality is close to the Sony but not at Apple’s level. But like all headphones, the feature set on certain hardware is what can make or break these headphones in the eye of the purchaser. So watch my video review to find out more.
Video Review
Conclusion
The Huawei Freebuds Studio sound terrific and have excellent noise cancellation. To get the most from the feature set you really need a Huawei phone. They still work really well on android phones but there is no app available on iOS. Verdict 8/10.
Useful Links
More info & latest pricing on Huawei Freebuds Studio on Amazon – Click HERE.
Eric Clapton – Layla (Acoustic Live at MTV Unplugged)
Axel F – From Beverly Hills Cop
Natalie Merchant – Ophelia
CeeLo Green – Bright Lights Bigger City
Stevie Ray Vaughan – Tin Pan Alley
K.D. Lang – Constant Craving
Nigel Kennedy – The New Four Seasons
Hans Zimmer – Mountains
Video Review
Conclusion
The upgraded Melomania 1+ are a superb addition to the Cambridge Audio line of true wireless earphones. Excellent sound quality, good fit, easy to use and a long battery life, mean that these achieve a 8.8/10.
Welcome to my comparison and review video comparing the iPhone 12 mini against the iPhone 12 Pro Max. This will help you decide which iPhone 12 is right for you.
The video includes –
all the real world differences that actually matter
side by side screen comparison of apps, photos and video so you can see what you miss or don’t miss
photo competition – guess which phone took which photo – answers revealed in video – you might be very suprised
actual camera differences
battery life in the real world
much more
So grab some popcorn and sit back and watch. Also note there are no ads in the video, so if you enjoyed this or found it helpful, and want to buy me a coffee, please use my PayPal , http://www.paypal.me/gavinsgadgets .
Hi everyone. At the request of many of you, I have now started a photography section on my website. You can access it by going to the index and selecting “Photography”. If you are browsing on a desktop, you will see the option across the screen.
Active Noise Cancellation blocks outside noise, so you can immerse yourself in music
Transparency mode for hearing and interacting with the world around you
Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking provides theater-like sound that surrounds you
Computational audio combines custom acoustic design with the Apple H1 chip and software for breakthrough listening experiences
Designed with a knit-mesh canopy and memory foam ear cushions for an exceptional fit
Video Review from Dec 2020
3 Months Later
So what is my view after using them for a longer period and have there been any new issues. In terms of ease of use, sound quality, movie experience and instant device switching etc, there are amazing. I still think these sound better than the Sony XM4, but to justify their extra cost, you must have a few pieces of Apple hardware to gain the benefit of all of their features. No surprises that Apple Music sound the best thru them as well. I did have a blue colour originally but I not have space grey which I think is the more practical finish as it will show less dirt over time. So some of the issues have been unexpected battery drain. This should be a firmware fix and maybe Apple can add a power off sequence too using the buttons as that would help. With three plus hours of continuous use, condensation build up starts to appear under the magnetic cups. This does evaporate. My advice is simply to check if using for a long period and wipe away or take some breaks.
Conclusion
My opinion still stands. If you are all in on Apple hardware, there is nothing quite like these. The best wireless headphone. 9.5/10.
Useful Links
Latest pricing on Amazon for the AirPods Max – click HERE.
MagSafe is Apple’s solution to fast wireless charging along with the use of some nifty accessories. After many months of using MagSafe and buying many products, below are the ones that I use now every day and why. All the products mentioned below are ones that I have bought. None were sent as review samples either, so my honest opinions are below.
MagSafe Duo
I originally reviewed this on my YouTube Channel in November 2020, but it still sits proud on my office desk. Covid has meant I haven’t gotten to use it for one of its intended purposes and that is a travel companion. It charges my iPhone 12 Pro Max, AirPods, AirPods Pro and Apple Watch with ease. The phone section also charges my other Qi devices. With the iPhone 12 range, the magnets firmly attach to the back of the iPhone to charge quickly. I also like that when covid restrictions finally lift and I can travel more, I will simply fold it half for travel. When you fold it it simply snaps together. What has surprised me is that I don’t have this on my bedside table. That’s because I am using my Apple Watch for sleep tracking at night, so its best to charge it when working in my office at my desk.
In case you missed my video review of this, its below.
Now this has been out for a few months, the price is being discounted. For the latest price on Amazon, click HERE.
Apple Leather Wallet
You can see the Apple Leather Wallet attached to my iPhone 12 Pro Max on the photo at the start of the article. This is one item that I had expected not to keep, yet after many months of using it, its a firm keeper. I have noticed that the leather becomes slightly more grippier after a while of using it, and leather on leather helps too. The leather wallet first all of the iPhone 12 range, including the 12 Mini. I have managed to get 3 cards inside it too. What I have to do to enable to slide the cards out, is make sure that the bottom card has the numbers facing the finger slide cutout to give me some extra grip to slide them out. Whenever I have gone out, I attached the leather wallet and it has never fallen off. Not once. I find it great to have such a small and removable item on my phone. It is expensive, but then when is anything by Apple cheap! However, it is built extremely well and the leather and leather stitching is high quality.
Latest pricing on the Apple Leather Wallet on Amazon with all the different colours, click HERE.
Moft Snap-on MagSafe Wallet and Stand
This is an absolute genius of a product offering more functionality than the Apple Wallet and for half the price nearly. It fits the entire iPhone 12 range from the 12 Mini to the Pro Max. It holds 3 of my cards and then can be used as a stand in either portrait or landscape. Comes in 4 different finishes.
Moft Magsafe Wallet and Stand, latest pricing on Amazon, click HERE.
Apple MagSafe Charger
I have two of these. You can see one of them in the photo at the top integrate into the Elago MS1 stand and below into the Spigen Mag Fit. So after several months, I realised these are handy, the cable could have been longer and is not detachable, but it does provide 15w wireless charging for your iPhone 12 Pro Max. I have also realised, it is better when added to some low cost accessories as below.
I have this one my bedside table. You put Apple’s MagSafe charger inside the rubberish cover. It has a nanotac surface underneath that attaches to the table. If you reposition the stand, it can be stuck back down. I love this. So low cost too. Now when I life my iPhone the charger part stays on the table. And as it uses Apple’s MagSafe charger, I get all the same benefits. It is also a lot easier to remove.
Spigen Mag Fit on Amazon – latest pricing click HERE.
Elago MS1 Charging Stand
If you look at the photo at the top of the page, this is behind my iPhone. It comes in 4 colours. I choose black. In hindsight, I think white might have looked better. Again, it uses the official MagSafe charger and has enough weight to be sturdy on my desk. You can swivel the iPhone around so its in landscape as well as portrait. Or anything inbetween. The magnets hold it nicely.
And there you have it, my favourite MagSafe products so far from 2020 and 2021. Come back in a few months time as I am sure to have added a few more products to this article. If you have come across a really good item, please share it below in the comments.
Welcome to my review of the Cambridge Audio Melomania Touch earphones that retail for £129.
The Key Features
Bluetooth 5, class 2
Triple core processor architecture
Qualcomm QCC3020 & Kalimba DSP
APT-x, AAC and SBC
Low latency
7mm Graphene enhanced dynamic driver
9 hours continuous battery life
2 hours to charge from 0 to 100%
MEMS mics with cVc noise cancellation
Siri or Google Assistant
IPX4 – case and earphones
Each earbud weighs 5.4g
Within my video review I show you how to setup the headphones, all the companion apps features and settings, discuss the audio quality, the HiFi audio and call quality. Video latency is discussed as well as the fit and finish. Finally, I compare these to AirPods and AirPods Pro.
Video Review
Conclusion
A truly cracking set of true wireless earphones with an excellent companion app. Highly recommended 9/10.
Useful Links
Latest pricing and more info on the Melomania Touch on Amazon – click HERE.
Welcome to my review of the Huawei Mate 40 Pro. This is a flagship phone from Huawei costing over £1,000.
Key Features/Specs
6.76 inches, OLED, HDR10, 90Hz, 1344 x 2772 pixels,
256GB Storage, 8GB RAM, NM (Nano Memory), Up to 256GB Card slot (uses shared SIM slot)
Android 10, EMUI 11 with Huawei AppGallery (No Google Play Services), Kirin 9000 5G (5 nm), Octa-core (1×3.13 GHz Cortex-A77 & 3×2.54 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4×2.05 GHz Cortex-A55), Mali-G78 MP24
In my time with the Huawei Mate 40 Pro, I really loved the feel in the hand, the hardware overall was a joy to use. I was able to use Huawei’s new Petal Search and Huawei’s App Gallery to find a number of apps that I used as well as a few alternatives to those found on Google Play. But the experience is ruined on the software side by this struggle for apps. However, some might be ok with the options available, Facebook and many others can be installed with ease. So check out my video for more info on the app situation and my overall review of this phone.
Video Review
Conclusion
The Huawei Mate 40 Pro is an incredible piece of hardware with very capable cameras. If only it had Google Mobile Services out of the box, it would be an easy recommendation. As it doesn’t, for anyone in the UK it can only get a 6.5/10 as a consequence. If ever Huawei get GMS re-instated, and the phone’s firmware is updated to add this back, the 6.5/10 would jump to an easy 9/10.
Useful Links
More info & latest pricing on Huawei Mate 40 Pro on Amazon Click HERE.
