Yesterday, Honor launched the Honor 7X, its new budget offering with a stunning full view 18:9 display. In fact the whole phone looks lovely as you will see in the video below.
The Key Features
– 5.93-inch display with IPS Full HD+ resolution (2160 x 1080 pixels) with an 18:9 aspect ratio
– Kirin 659 chipset, 4gb ram, 64gb storage
– Storage expanded for an additional 256 GB with a microSD card
– Dual rear camera setup that features 16mp and 2MP sensors for depth sensing
– Front camera is a 8mp
– 3,340 mAh battery
– 156.5 x 75.3 x 7.6mm
– Weight 165g
– Android 7.1 and EMUI 5.1 – update to Oreo and EMUI 8 in New Year
– 3.5mm headphone jack
– Micro USB, no NFC
In my first impressions video, I take a closer look at the camera interface and photo editing app with a few samples too. I will be producing a camera showcase, so stay tuned for this over the coming weeks.
Welcome to my Google Pixel 2 XL Camera Review and Showcase. First let’s take a look at the key features of the Pixel 2 XL.
Key Features
– Android Orea with a minimum 3 years OS updates and security patches
– Fullscreen 6.0in display QHD+ (2880 x 1440) pOLED at 538ppi, 18:9,3D Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5, Always-on display, 100% DCI-P3 coverage, 100000:1, super contrast ratio, True black level, Full 24-bits depth or 16.77 million colours
– Rear Camera Rear Camera, 12.2MP, 1.4μm, Autofocus with laser + dual pixel phase detection, Optical + electronic image stabilization, f/1.8 aperture, Rear Camera Video 1080p @ 30fps, 60fps, 120fps, 720p @ 30fps, 60fps, 240fps,4K @ 30fps
– Front Camera Front Camera 8MP, 1.4μm, f/2.4 aperture, Fixed focus, Front Camera Video, 1080p @ 30fps, 720p @ 30fps, 480p @ 30fps
– Processor Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 835,2.35Ghz + 1.9Ghz, 64Bit Octa-Core, Adreno 540, Security module
– 4gb ram, 65gb or 128gb storage
– Media & Audio – Stereo front-firing speakers, Bluetooth 5.0 + LE, Wireless HD audio with LDAC, Qualcomm® AptX™ and AptX HD™ audio codecs supported, USB-C™ port to use with your own USB-C digital headphones
– Headphone Adapter to connect a 3.5mm jack to your Pixel
– 3 mics Noise suppression
– Battery 3520 mAh battery, Up to 7 hours of go with 15 minutes of charge
– Sensors Active Edge™, Proximity / Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer / Gyrometer, Magnetometer, Pixel Imprint: Back-mounted fingerprint sensor for fast unlocking, Barometer, Hall effect sensor, Android Sensor Hub, Advanced x-axis haptics for sharper/defined response
– IP67 water and dust resistant
So the Google Pixel 2 XL features a decent specification, but just how amazing is its camera? Lets find out now.
Video Review
Conclusion
The Google Pixel 2 XL makes photography easy with some incredible post processing. Video stabilisation is one of the best too. Highly recommended.
– Industry-leading wireless noise cancellation
– Chargeable carrying case for up to 9 hours battery life (3 hours battery life and 2 x 3 hours charges with case)
– Truly wireless hands-free calls, listen free from wires and unwanted background noise with one of the industry-leading noise cancellation
– Smart auto-settings to optimise listening settings automatically based on user’s behaviour
Yesterday, I posted a few shots from the camera. Today, I am taking a closer look at the Razer Phone and giving you some more shots from the camera, which include some overcast conditions as well as running dogs.
Key Features
– 120 Hz UltraMotion™ screen, 5.7 inch IGZO LCD 1440 x 2560, Wide Colour Gamut
– Featuring Dolby Atmos and THX certified audio
– Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 with 8GB RAM
– Rear cameras – 12MP AF f1.75 Wide, 12MP AF f2.6 Zoom, Dual PDAF, Dual tone, dual LED flash
– Front camera – 8MP FF f2.0
– Stereo Front-facing speakers with Dual Amplifiers
– Audio Adapter with THX certified DAC
– 4,000 mAh battery for all-day power with Quick Charge 4
– Storage – internal: 64GB UFS, External: microSD (class 10, 2TB max.)
– Wireless 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2,NFC
– Bands GSM: Quad-band GSM UMTS: B1/2/3/4/5/8, LTE: B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/19/20/25/26/28/29/30/66, TDD LTE: B38/39/40/41 TD-SCDMA: B34/39
– Size 158.5 x 77.7 x 8 mm
– Weight 197 g
So sit back and enjoy the first impressions and camera showcase.
Welcome to my review of the Google Pixel Buds. In this review, I am going to cover off how to pair, use and a number of tips and tricks as well as my verdict on the sound quality.
Key Features
– Earbuds length: 20.4 mm, Earbuds width: 20.4 mm, Earbuds height: 20.5 mm
– Charging case length: 66.2 mm, Charging case width: 65.5 mm, Charging case height: 28.6 mm
– Weight: Earbuds: 14 g, Charging case: 57g with buds, 43g without buds
– Battery: Earbuds: 120mAh, Charging Case: 620mAh
– A single charge of Google Pixel Buds gives you up to 5 hours of listening time. the case provides up to another 20 hours
– Sensors: Microphone, Accelerometer,Capacitive touchpad
So for the full rundown, now take a look at my video review.
Video Review
Conclusion
The Google Pixel Buds are a surprising package, with good audio, Google Assistant and more. Recommended.
Welcome to my review of the Roth Audio Sub Zero III Soundbar. This Roth Audio Sub Zero II retails for about £130.
Main Features / Specification:
Design:
– 4x 2.75-inch 4 Ohm Ferrite Drivers
– 2x Passive Radiator Bass Drivers
– Thick Wall 3.6L Reinforced Polymer Case
– Cloth Grill
– Wall Mount Capable
– LED Display with Auto Dimming
Performance:
– Wide Frequency Response 40-20,000Hz
– High Power Class D Amplifiers
– 90 Watts Peak Output Power
Inputs:
– HDMI x2, plus 1x HDMI output (ARC)
– 3.5mm Analogue Stereo Connection
– Optical SPDIF Format (Toslink compatible) – Stereo
– Bluetooth aptX A2DP Audio
– Power Input: AC 230-240V, 50 Hz
Dimensions:
– 85cm X 8cm (D) X 8.8cm (H)
The Roth Sub Zero III has been designed to provide high definition for your TV. It has HDMI (2 in/1 Out, ARC enabled), Optical, Bluetooth and Analogue inputs. This means the Sub Zero III will connect easily to any TV or audio source – even wirelessly from your laptop, mobile phone or tablet. So lots of versatility.
There is no need for a separate subwoofer as the Sub Zero III has two built-in Ultra-Bass passive drivers, 2 bass drivers and 2 full range drivers, allowing full frequency range audio in a single discrete unit.
The Roth Audio Designed to perform in any room large or small. It features the Roth MA DSP sound processor, which provides a powerful sounding home cinema experience. With the additional modes, you can select between movie, music and voice. Sometimes, you don’t need lots of bass! Considering its size, the sound bar rocks and makes a huge difference over the built in TV speakers.
The Sub Zero III can be wall or table mounted. In the box is a right angle HDMI adapter which is handy as the connections end up fairly close to the wall or table top. It would have been a nice touch if a HDMI cable was included.
Welcome to my review of the LightwaveRF Smart Home products. In my review, I take a look at the LightwaveRF Link Plus, Smart Wall Sockets, Home Thermostat, Smart Radiator Valve and Boiler Switch.
The new generation of products from LightwaveRF now feature HomeKit support, which adds additional two way functionality. Of course, Alexa and Google are also supported. LightwaveRF products are also sold on the Apple online store.
LightwaveRF solve a problem with smart home usage, by actually makes with physical switches smart. This means you can still turn a light switch on from the wall, or use an app, Apple Watch, Siri, Google or Alexa. Not everyone likes using an app or voice control assistants, so by still having a physical switch to adjust, keeps everyone happy in the house. It is also by far the better way of making a home, smart.
Video Review
Conclusion
With a wide range of products, the inclusion of HomeKit support, LightwaveRF Smart Home products are recommended.
Welcome to my review of the Alpha & Delta JAPP Wireless Sports Earphones Review. These wireless earphones are named after the inventor of Bluetooth, Jaap Haartsen. They retail for $90.
Alpha & Delta designed the Jaap is to overcome the existing problems that plagued truly wireless earphones namely: poor fit, poor battery life and poor connectivity.
First up they feature a behind-the-ear hook design which ensures it stays secure during workouts. I even tried shaking my head to make them fall off, and they didn’t. The tips are using the patented SpinFit bud which is amazing from a comfort and sound quality point of view. They are also IPX5 sweat resistant, so ideal for working out.
The battery life is 6 hours plus the supplied battery bank/charger provides another 8 hours.
In terms of connection, I never lost a beat. Each earphone feature a dual antenna design. To start you pair the left side and then turn on the right earphone, which pairs automatically with the left. Neat.
Key Specifications
– Bluetooth Chipset: Bluetooth 4.2 CSR64110
– Driver: 11mm Dynamic Driver
– Battery capacity: 90 mah
– Portable battery charger capacity:
– Music playback time: 6 hours ( 14 hours with battery charger)
– Talking time: 7 hours (15 hours with battery charger)
– Charging port: Micro USB Type B
– Build in microphone: Yes
– Microphone sensitivity: -38 dB
– Supports Multipoint: Yes
– Supports HD hands-free: Yes
– Battery status on IOS devices: Yes
In use, the earphones fit really well and their design is also comfortable, despite its size. I felt the charging solution felt a bit cumbersome but it works well. It is also nice that a carry case to hold everything is included.
The sound quality is pretty good as the SpinFit earbuds provide a solid seal in the ears. Treble is controlled and bass fairly deep. Mids are reasonably clear too. Average soundstage but overall these are a pleasure to listen to music with for extended periods of time.
Video Review
Conclusion
Despite their larger size, the Alpha & Delta Wireless Sports Earphones sound good with decent bass, fit securely and comfortably and are recommended.
Over the weekend I published two posts. A low light camera comparisons between the iPhone X and Pixel 2, and some first shots from the iPhone X.
Now I’m back with some more camera shots from both shots, from outdoor, indoor and some more low light shots. The differences are stark at times. All on auto.
In all these shots it’s the iPhone X first, then the Pixel 2. So which is better in your eyes ?
So perfect sunny conditions with this shot. iPhone X is the first shot. Both look great but do you have a favourite.
In this indoor shot the Pixel 2 on the bottom has more detail. Look at the drinks fridge bottom right. But do you agree?
Now into night shots where the differences between the phones becomes more obvious. Again Pixel 2 is the bottom shot, iPhone X on top.
Again both phones using a different exposure with the Pixel 2 going for a higher ISO. The iPhone X used a 1/4 second shutter speed. But which is better. Pixel bottom. iPhone X on top.
So who is your winner and why?
Some other points to note. The Pixel 2 has Bluetooth LDAC, APT-X and APT-X audio codecs and therefore sound better with headphones. Both have stereo speakers. The iPhone X sounds better than the Pixel 2 but Pixel 2 XL sounds better than the iPhone X. Screens. Lol. iPhone X has a better screen than both Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.
There has been a lot written and shown about the iPhone X, but what I will say, the only way you will understand and appreciate this phone is to spend time using it yourself. Why you ask? Well, I had some fears and concerns over certain aspects which have in some part turned out to be unnecessary. Photo above is using pano mode on iPhone X.
The biggest decision to make is silver or space grey finish for the iPhone X. I went space grey as it looks badass. I have since seen the silver first hand and still stand by my decision. The silver is more photogenic, but space grey looks meaner.
Just as a side note, all the photos you see embedded in this post are from the iPhone X. At the end, I have linked to the Flickr iPhone X Album, Google Pixel 2 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Flickr albums of mine. These albums give you an idea of the differences between the phones and their cameras. Plus those that like to pixel peek can!
Low light/darkness shots.
Starting up, I decided to not use my iPhone 7 Plus old backup, but restore as a new phone. This was a relatively simple job to do. Setting up FaceID was a breeze. Apple Pay and all the other aspects of the setup procedure was completed smoothly. Probably the easiest iPhone to setup.
Above, close up flower shots, one using the 2 x optical zoom.
And moving on to FaceID. It really does just work. Its brilliant actually. I really thought it would be a PITA. Its not. In real life usage, its actually faster than TouchID and effortless. Still waiting for some UK sunshine to test it in bright conditions.
Above, indoor lighting inside a shopping centre.
Above. City landscape. One using 2 x zoom.
That screen. Its stunning. No more on that one. Much better than anticipated. Apps on the whole seems to have adapted ok with the ears and new screen size. Some haven’t so I am hoping they will get updated soon. Google Maps needs an update for example.
Talking of maps, I tested the GPS and used Apple Maps for turn by turn navigation. It looks superb on the iPhone X screen, and also when did Apple Maps get so good. Seriously, for turn by turn directions, it provided great on screen instructions and clear spoken steps.
Gestures, not had too much trouble learning these as I had watched a few YouTube videos. I stumbled with Apple Pay and the double press, but nonetheless completed both transactions.
Siri. Its not as good as Google Assistant. But in some ways Siri is fantastic. I am in the car, stuck in traffic, iPhone X is clipped into my screen mount, I call up Siri and end up sending 10 iMessages to my wife back and forth with little effort.
Camera. As you can see I have taken a range of shots. If you watch my video below, you will see some portrait lighting samples as well. This proved great fun. Talking fun, Animoji is crazy fun, and super cool to use.
It’s early days and I have some thoughts on my overall score but I will compare the X to the Pixel 2 and Note 8. These 3 phones couldn’t be more different. One thing is certain, the X is just an iPhone running iOS 11.
X 8cm (D) X 8.8cm (H)
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