Zyxel’s WBE660S Brings Fiber-like Performance To Access Points.

The WBE660S lives up to the expectations brought by the arrival of Wi-Fi 7. With three radio channels, the unit supports legacy standards such as Wi-Fi 2.4G and 5ac.

Pros

• +Speedy with an aggregate throughput of 22Gbps
• +Ethernet port supporting 10 Gbps PoE
• +Seamless cloud integration

Cons

• -Expensive
• -Big footprint
• -No power supply

Zyxel’s new WBE660S Wi-Fi 7 access point quickly and reliably brings fiber-like transfer rates to wireless devices in only a few steps. With an aggregated bandwidth of over 22 Gbps, the AP is no longer the bottleneck around the office. The three-radio system, each with four streams, increases utilization by providing a dedicated backhaul channel in a mesh configuration.

Wi-Fi 7 technology increases power consumption. The higher frequency means more energy is wasted as heat, which helps explain the sizable heatsink at the back of the AP. In fact, with its 1.4kg, it is one of the heaviest units we’ve seen at TechRadar Pro. The mobile app makes integration into Zyxel’s cloud infrastructure straightforward. The AP supports up to 8 SSIDs with over one thousand simultaneous clients.

Since the Wi-Fi 7 standard has been out for less than a year, expect the price to be much higher than Wi-Fi 6 or 6e access points. The WBE660S is four times as fast as previous generations, justifying the hefty price tag of $799, which also carries a two-year warranty. The WBE660S is on special right now on Amazon for $499.

ZYXEL WBE660S: TESTING

To thoroughly test the WBE660S access point, we used a BE200 Wi-Fi 7 WLAN card to exercise the new 6GHz channel in both directions. An Iperf Linux server connected to the AP through the 10Gb interface tested clients’ throughput at one meter.

ZYXEL WBE660S: DESIGN

Right out of the box, the Zyxel WBE660S Wi-Fi 7 access point shows many differences from the previous generation. The white oblong-shaped unit has a gray metal back, which doubles as a heatsink. It is twice as wide as the previous Zyxel Wi-Fi 6e model, measuring 31 cm x 17.8 cm x 5.6 cm and weighing 1.4kg. The mounting kit includes a backplate that secures the AP to a wall or ceiling. Another difference from previous APs is that the Wi-Fi 7 model can quickly dismount from the backplate by rotating a blue locking knob.

SPECIFICATIONS

Model: Zyxel WBE660S

CPU: Quad-core Qualcomm 1220 CPU

RAM: 2GB

Storage: 256MB NAND

Radios: One 4×4 for 6GHz Wi-Fi 7 / 6e, One 4×4 for 5GHz Wi-Fi 6, One 4×4 for 2.4GHz

Wireless throughput: Theoretical 22Gbps

Ports: 10Gb Ethernet with PoE, 1Gb Ethernet

Weight: 1.4 kg

Dimensions: 31 cm x 17.8 cm x 5.6 cm

Power Consumption: 17W with one client connected; 41W maximum consumption

The WBE660S utilizes three radios, offering an aggregated bandwidth of 22 Gbps. In addition to the regular 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, the new 6GHz frequency allows 11.5Gbps in optimal conditions by using a channel bandwidth of 320MHz, twice what is available in Wi-Fi 6 and 6e. A 10G Ethernet port supplies power over PoE and the necessary bandwidth to drive such a high data rate. Zyxel offers a secondary 1G Ethernet port on the access point, which can turn the AP into a rudimentary 10G/1G switch.

A single multicolored LED on top of the case provides information about the AP’s operation. Full green means clients are connected, while blue indicates that the AP is boot-up. The built-in antenna offers a maximum of 5dBi of gain, which, together with -104dBm of RX sensitivity, translates into a speedy connection even when located far from the access point. Connected devices can reach throughputs of 500Mb/s at ten meters or more.

The WBE660S features a Qualcomm Pro 1220 chip, which includes a quad-core A73 CPU clocked at 2.2GHz. The platform offers up to 12 spatial streams to sustain the 22 Gbps bandwidth. Coupled with 2GB of DRAM and 256MB of storage, the IPQ9574 CPU can easily accommodate over one thousand clients connected to eight SSIDs. The enclosure, which serves as a heatsink, becomes warm over time, reaching a peak of 50 degrees Celsius.

ZYXEL WBE660S: IN USE

The easiest way to power the WBE660S is through the Uplink port, which provides up to 45W using PoE. Even without a power injector or switch supporting PoE, the device can still be powered through the built-in Type-C connector, requiring 12V at 45W. The AP boots in less than two minutes when connected to a 10G Ethernet port. The front LED slowly blinks green if everything goes well, indicating that clients can connect. With one client connected, the AP consumed only 17W.

Unlike the previous WBE from Zyxel, the new Wi-Fi 7 model is surprisingly more tolerant of regular Ethernet cabling, even at 10G. We had no linkup issue using a five-meter Cat-5 cable connected to a Zyxel 10G switch. The unit does not provide any visual means of knowing the Ethernet speed, so we used the Nebula portal to see if the connection was optimal.

Configuration can be done using Zyxel’s mobile application by scanning a QR code on the back of the unit. Adding the access point to the app is recommended before performing the hardware installation. The Nebula portal allows users to configure and update other Zyxel network devices besides the WBE660S.

ZYXEL WBE660S: PERFORMANCE

The yet-to-be-ratified Wi-Fi 7 standard improves on the 6th edition by having higher throughput per channel and more channels in the 6GHz band. This results in an upper limit of 46 Gbps, more than four times Wi-Fi 6 aggregated bandwidth. We validate the performance of the WBE660S with a BE200 module, supporting a maximum speed of 5Gbps provided by two streams. At one meter, the maximum throughput was 2.5Gbps downstream and 3.7Gbps upstream. Latency is 1 ms with a jitter of 0.1 ms.

ZYXEL WBE660S: THE COMPETITION

The Ubiquity U7 Pro access point offers Wi-Fi 7 connectivity on a budget. At $239, it is one of the cheapest APs available. However, if one invests in Wi-Fi 7 technology, one will likely favor throughput over monetary savings. The U7 Pro has six spatial streams compared to the twelve offered on the WBE660S, resulting in half the throughput. The Ethernet connection is also slower at 2.5Gbps instead of 10Gbps.

ZYXEL WBE660S: FINAL VERDICT

The WBE660S lives up to the expectations brought by the arrival of Wi-Fi 7. With three radio channels, the unit supports legacy standards such as Wi-Fi 2.4G and 5ac. The 6GHz radio sets it apart with four simultaneous streams, each having a higher bandwidth than Wi-Fi 6. The access point does not suffer from range loss since it covers over 1000 square feet with throughput degradation similar to previous generations. Using the WBE600S is straightforward, thanks to its flawless integration into the Nebula ecosystem.

Having an extra channel with higher bandwidth comes with its challenges. The WBE600S uses much power, about twice as much as previous generations. As a result, the metal case is much bigger and heavier. The higher power will also hurt the wallet and increase the electricity bill. This access point remains an excellent tool for applications requiring high bandwidth, such as augmented reality and 8K videos.

The post Zyxel WBE660S Review appeared first on Review Products.

An Immersive Bedtime Experience.

The Aura smart sleep mask combines total blackout with integrated sound and light to create an immersive wind-down experience. The sunrise alarm clock offers a gentle wake-up, while the buildable soundscape provides customization options. However, the high price tag is hard to justify, especially as it’s not a particularly user friendly design.

Pros

• +Blocks out all light
• +Stays in place overnight
• +Sunrise alarm function
• +Large sound library
• +Immersive meditation

Cons

• -Limited app functionality
• -Awkward button placement
• -Not suitable for front sleepers

AURA SMART SLEEP MASK: TWO-MINUTE REVIEW

The Aura smart sleep mask uses light and sound to transform a basic eye mask into a mindful, immersive experience. I tried sleeping with the Aura mask for a week, and as someone uses an eye mask every night, I was excited to see whether a smart upgrade really could improve my rest.

Crafted with integrated speakers and an in-built ‘glow’ light, the sleep mask connects to the Aura app to provide a customizable sleep experience. You can mix and match ASMR sounds, guided meditations, and nature soundscapes to craft a meditative wind-down routine, while in the morning, the sunrise function gently wakes you up with light and sound.

The basic design of the Aura mask is excellent. The sculpted interior ‘Hug’ cushion keeps the pressure off your face and blocks light completely, while the anti-slip straps hold the mask in place even over restless nights. Back and side sleepers should be able to get comfortable, but stomach sleepers are likely to find the mask presses into the face.

Thanks to the blackout effect and calming sounds, it’s easy to get immersed in the Aura experience. If you’re struggling to find a mindful headspace before bed, the Aura separates you from the outside world while encouraging relaxation. And with a lightweight build and easy charging method, you can take the Aura’s calming techniques with you when you travel.

However, it’s expensive for a sleep mask, and I’m not sure the features entirely justify the price. There are some issues with the user experience and the app is basic, which seems at odds with the price tag. The Aura is a product like no other, and if you want a more mindful bedtime routine (especially on the go) it might be worth the money. But if it’s just better sleep you’re after, a basic eye mask is probably the better starting place.

I tested the Aura smart sleep mask in Midnight Black, which is available for pre-order and will be released 14th March. The Aura smart sleep mask original was launched in November 2023. and is available for purchase from Aura.

Buy the Aura Smart Sleep Mask in Midnight Black from Aura

AURA SMART SLEEP MASK: PRICE

• MSRP US$358 / £285 / €339.95, often discounted to US$229 / £182 / €218.95
• Aura app is free to use
• 1 year warranty for the mask, Hug insert has a 3 month warranty

The Aura smart sleep mask has an MSRP of $329, although it’s regularly discounted, so don’t expect to pay full price. Aura has previously discounted the original sleep mask by up to 40 per cent, taking it down to $199.

Even at a discount, this is an expensive buy, especially considering a basic sleep mask is only a few dollars. However, the Aura is pretty unique. While blackout masks, sleep masks with integrated speakers, and sunrise alarm clocks exist separately, as far as I can tell the Aura is the only one that combines all three.

Aura offers a one year warranty for the mask, while the interior insert has a three month warranty. The app is free to download and doesn’t require a subscription to use it. This gives you access to the full range of features at no extra cost – a welcome bonus, as you can’t use the mask without the app. It’s not unusual for smart products to charge an app subscription cost on top of the original price, so I certainly appreciate that the Aura doesn’t require this.

Is the Aura mask worth it? Thinking of it less as a sleep mask with some added features and more as a sunrise alarm clock with a speaker, a blackout design, and excellent portability, the cost is somewhat justified. There are limited uses to the Aura, but for those after improved mindfulness before bed, the mask delivers.

AURA SMART SLEEP MASK: DESIGN

• Magnetic 3D Hug insert relieves pressure at the eye area
• Velcro strap for a secure fit
• USB-C charger included

The Aura looks like a bigger, bulkier version of a standard sleep mask, but the simple design hides everything interesting happening underneath. Available in two colors – gray and black – the Aura has a sleek appeal. A few interesting colorways would be welcome, especially considering the price, but the overall look is stylish.

Inside sits a detachable 3D Hug band. This is a sculpted, cushioned band that sticks to the interior of the mask with a magnet, taking the pressure off the face while blocking all light. The outer material and the interior Hug are both soft against the skin, and the 3D effect prevents the mask from damaging the eyelashes. Straps at the back use velcro for an adjustable fit, with an anti-slip design to prevent the mask from moving around in the night.

The interior of the Aura smart sleep mask, including hug cushion and glow bar.

Hidden inside the mask is a set of ultra-slim speakers. Because the speakers aren’t set directly over the ears, there is some sound leakage – if you share a bed, your partner is likely to hear what’s coming from your mask, although not clearly.

Sitting just in front of the eye line on the interior of the mask is a small ‘glow’ bar. This is a gentle light, but when the mask is closed, it does flood the space. It’s also not visible from the outside when wearing the mask.

Aura claims the battery lasts for seven nights of normal use, which I found accurate. However, the battery life does depend on usage – if you choose a particularly long soundscape, expect the battery to drain quicker. A light on the mask indicates when the battery is running low, and you can check battery life by connecting to the app. As the Aura charges directly via the cable, you can’t comfortably use the mask when it’s charging.

Weighing 4.59oz (130g), this is heavier than your average sleep mask, but feels surprisingly light on the face. It’s also light and compact enough to travel with. The Aura does come with a small bag that I assume is for traveling, but it’s very hard to actually get the mask in there, so it might serve some other purpose I’m not aware of. (Aura reached out to me to explain that this bag is a laundry bag for the Hug cushion, to keep it protected during a machine wash. Even without the bag, I maintain it would be easy to travel with the Aura.)

The interior Hug band is removable and can be machine or hand washed with mild detergent. Leave it to dry completely before reattaching to your mask. The mask itself is spot clean-only, and you should avoid getting it wet.

AURA SMART SLEEP MASK: FEATURES

• 100 per cent blackout eye mask
• Integrated speakers play customizable soundscapes
• Glow light provides a sunrise alarm effect

At a basic level, the Aura is a 100 per cent blackout sleep mask. Thanks to the thick fabric and molded shape, no light can get in from any side, leaving you in total darkness. While it does rely slightly on the contours of your face roughly matching the Hug insert, for most people, the Aura should block essentially all light.

But this is the simplest function of the Aura. The Aura is a smart sleep mask, able to connect via Bluetooth to the Aura app to play sound, light, and act as an alarm. As well as white noise for sleep, the Aura offers guided meditations, nature soundscapes, and ASMR, which you can schedule and customize depending on whether you’re waking up, going to sleep, napping, or meditating. Because it uses Bluetooth, you can also play your own music through the Aura…  although I wouldn’t recommend it, as I’ll discuss in the performance section below.

The glow bar on the inside of the Aura smart sleep mask, surrounded by the 3D hug cushion

As well as soundscapes, the Aura also contains a sunrise light. This gentle glow bar is located on the interior of the mask, and it pulses along with certain meditations and noises. It also acts as a sunrise alarm clock, with the light gradually increasing at your chosen wake-up time, for a gentle start to the morning.

The Aura app has its own set of features, but it’s primarily used to control the Aura. While there’s a small sleep diary, its functions are minimal, and it primarily tracks your chosen wake-up and sleep times. The app also sends occasional notifications, indicating it’s time to nap, get ready for bed. These need a bit of fine tuning – I received a wake-up notification several minutes after the alarm had gone off, when I’d already disconnected the Aura and closed the app, for instance.

AURA SMART SLEEP MASK: PERFORMANCE

• Comfortable fit that stays in place during the night
• Immersive experience from blackout design and speakers
• App is basic and not particularly user-friendly

First, let’s talk about the Aura as a sleep mask. It’s soft against the face, with the velcro strap allowing you to create a close and secure fit. The inner Hug cushion is sculpted to the eye area and even with the straps as tight as they would go, it’s comfortable and won’t press against your eyes. An anti-slip coating prevents the Aura from moving during the night if, like me, you toss and turn.

This contoured fit prevents light from leaking in around the edges of the mask, creating a 100 per cent blackout effect. With the mask on, it’s honestly hard to tell if it’s day or night. As someone who struggles to sleep with even small amounts of light in the room, this is a real bonus. But this close fit did come with a slight downside – it could get warm. However, this is an issue with many eye masks.

The 3D cushioned Hug mask, removed from the Aura smart sleep mask.

With the Aura you get the basic benefits of a sleep mask, plus a lot more additional features. Using the Aura app, I designed a series of soundscapes for meditation and to help me fall asleep. With white noise, meditation tracks, ASMR, and nature sounds to choose from, there’s enough variety to suit the majority of sleepers. It was fun to craft these soundscapes, and while I normally kept my sessions under the 30 minute mark, you could push it much longer if you wanted sounds to last for most of the night.

The in-built speakers gave the Aura something of a surround sound effect which, combined with the total blackout, made for a deeply immersive experience. I often struggle to concentrate during meditation – the urge to peek is just too strong. With the Aura, it was much easier to get into the serene headspace and stay there. Plus, because the mask was already on my face and the alarm was set, at the end of the soundscape, I simply had to lie down and go to sleep. No disruptions to my calm mood.

That’s at the start of the night. For the morning, you can use the app to set an alarm for your chosen wake-up time. When the time comes, the ‘glow’ light will gradually illuminate, simulating a sunrise, before the sound kicks in.

The Aura Smart sleep mask in the box it came in.

The wake-up is impressively effective, with the light and sound coming together to create the feeling of a natural beginning to the morning. I did find it a little slow at waking me up, but that’s by design – this isn’t the jarring alert of a standard alarm. However, I always set the alarm to start a few minutes before I actually wanted to wake up, so it had time to work.

Aura claims the mask is side sleeper-friendly, and I found this largely accurate. Sometimes it took a minute of adjustment to get my head, the mask, and the pillow just right, but after that, the mask stayed comfortably in place.

I also found it much easier to get comfortable when I switched my pillow. I usually sleep on a medium-firm, all-foam pillow. The foam gently contours to your head, but it doesn’t have a huge amount of give (read my Levitex pillow review to learn exactly what it’s like). When I used a feather pillow with more yield, there was less pressure from the mask overall. If you’re interested in the Aura, consider what’s the best pillow to suit this smart mask.

The tester using the Aura sleep mask while lying on their back.

Back sleepers shouldn’t have any issues with the mask, however, it’s not recommended for stomach sleepers. The sides of the mask press into the face, so unless you twist your neck all the way around, it’s pretty uncomfortable in this position.

Connecting the Aura to the app was easy, although I question why the power button is in the middle of the face, rather than along the top bar with the rest of the buttons. With the mask on, it’s hard to locate just where the button is. I spent the first part of any mindfulness session randomly pressing my face and hoping for the best. It’s easier to find when you don’t have the mask on, but then it’s a rush to get comfortable before your soundscape starts.

As it uses a Bluetooth connection, you can also use the Aura to listen to your own music or meditations. However, I don’t recommend it. While the speakers are fine for meditations and white noise, there are some obvious issues with sound quality when listening to music. It’s definitely not good enough to replace a set of headphones.

The buttons at the top of the Aura smart sleep mask.

The app itself has room for growth. There’s a sleep diary with space to record my wake up time and sleep time, plus an emotion and a gratitude prompt. It doesn’t record any additional information about sleep quality – you’ll need one of the best sleep trackers for that – but this isn’t a major downside, as the mask isn’t equipped to note that sort of data. The bigger issue is that the sleep diary function is limited and not particularly intuitive. Overall, the app could be more user-friendly – the design seems to prioritize minimalism over navigation, which did not put me in a very mindful place. However, I appreciate that this is a free app, and as the Aura is a relatively new product, there’s plenty of time for development in this area.

The mask isn’t the most user-friendly design and it has limited uses. For example, while the immersive experience is great for meditation, the blackout effect means it’s no good during yoga.

But used before bed, the Aura has some real benefits. The combination of blackout and sunrise light allows you to really tap into your circadian rhythms. At night, I could drift off in darkness, while in the morning, natural-seeming light helped gently wake me up. For meditation, the Aura can improve concentration for anyone with wandering thoughts, and I could see the same benefit if you’re struggling to sleep from stress or anxiety. By balancing mindfulness with real-world features, the Aura can be a helpful addition to the pre-bed routine.

AURA SMART SLEEP MASK: SHOULD I BUY IT?

Buy it if…

You’re sensitive to light: Sleep masks are excellent at blocking light in the evening, making it easier to fall asleep. However, that same blackout effect can be problematic in the morning, when you need light to wake you up. The Aura navigates this issue by incorporating light into the mask itself, waking you up with a natural seeming daylight.

You struggle to concentrate during meditation: As someone who gets distracted easily during meditation, the Aura sleep mask helped me add some mindfulness to my bedtime. Surrounded by sound and with a total blackout, you’re pretty much forced to concentrate. And with the velcro straps keeping the mask close to your face, there’s no temptation to peek.

You travel frequently: A lightweight build makes the Aura easy to travel with, while the total blackout effect and immersive soundscapes can help you relax even in unfamiliar, noisy, and bright environments. And thanks to the glow effect alarm, early morning flights might feel less disruptive (there’s even a pre-flight anxiety meditation).

Don’t buy it if…

You’re on a tight budget: You could buy a lifetime’s supply of standard sleep masks for the same price as the Aura. Of course, you won’t get the light and sound functions that make this smart mask standout, but if you just want a darker night, it’s not worth the money. And if only one of the smart features appeals to you (for example. Integrated speakers) there are cheaper options available.

You sleep on your stomach: The sculpted face of the Aura sleep mask presses into the face in most stomach sleeping positions, requiring multiple adjustments to get comfortable. Whether you spend the entire night on your front or you’re a combination sleeper who moves around, there are some sleep positions that just don’t work with the Aura.

You want all your sleep tracking in one place: The Aura app is free but basic and the sleep diary is bare bones. While I didn’t expect the app to track my sleep, I would have appreciated a little more functionality. Overall, it’s not the most intuitive design to use, and it seems like a missed opportunity. A functioning sleep diary plus more space to record your thoughts and mood would have really added to the experience.

AURA SMART SLEEP MASK: HOW I TESTED

I tested the Aura smart sleep mask for a week, using it both before bed as part of my wind-down routine and in bed to help me sleep and wake me up in the morning. I tested during a mild spring in Wales, in a room without blackout curtains. I also used the Aura around other people, to see how much sound traveled.

The post Aura Smart Sleep Mask Review appeared first on Review Products.

Edit PDFs like a Pro.

Adobe Acrobat Pro has a few additional tools in its arsenal that Acrobat Standard lacks, and most of those would be a very useful addition to a professional workflow. It’s definitely worth trying out, but it’s also likely most customers won’t need anything more than the Standard version.

Pros

• +Polished interface
• +Good number of tools
• +Advanced tools for business use
• +Good redaction and security tools

Cons

• -Best for professionals and businesses
• -Some tools really belong in Acrobat Standard

Adobe Acrobat has evolved since its early days as a PDF all-in-one, growing into three separate multi-platform apps:

Acrobat Reader, Standard and Pro.

Each software adds an increasing number of features, so, if you just need to view a PDF document, Acrobat Reader is ideal. Acrobat Standard and Pro are best for PDF creation and editing, electronic signing, and a lot more document management options. In most cases, and in our experience, Acrobat Standard is the best PDF editor for most people, while Acrobat Pro adds a few more tools for the business or professional user.

We’ve already taken a look at Reader and Standard – you can check out our Adobe Acrobat Reader review and the Adobe Acrobat Standard review for more. It’s time to finish this PDF trilogy by exploring the capabilities of Adobe Acrobat Pro.

ADOBE ACROBAT PRO: PRICE & PLANS

Pro is the most expensive version of Acrobat, but it’s also included in Adobe’s All Apps Creative Cloud bundle.

It’s not going to be a surprise to learn that Pro is the most expensive Acrobat version – $19.99 / £19.97 a year paid monthly (monthly and annual upfront subscriptions are also available).

Unlike Acrobat Standard though, you can opt for a seven-day free trial, if you’d like to check its features out, but it does involve you initiating a subscription, so don’t forget to cancel it in time if you decide the app’s not for you.

There’s also an alternative way to grab a copy of Acrobat Pro: by getting an All Apps Creative Cloud subscription. It’s more expensive, but bundles the PDF editor with dozens of other apps like Photoshop and Premiere Pro, that all integrate seamlessly. This means that if you already have a subscription to handle your professional creative work (or you need one), you already have the most full featured version of Acrobat.

Pricing & plans: 4/5

ADOBE ACROBAT PRO: INTERFACE & EXPERIENCE

The interface is the same as for Reader and Standard:

clean, simple and efficient

Very elegant and well designed interface, offering you various ways of performing the same action, which gives you the flexibility of using the one that suits you best.

Just like Reader and Standard – and just as you’d hope, expect, dream – Acrobat Pro’s interface is clean, simple, well-designed. We found the tools are easy to locate and use, offering you various ways of working.

All told, this creates a highly flexible interface that works for you. Acrobat Pro doesn’t force you to alter your workflow, to do it the Adobe way or else. It’s a fantastic piece of design, particularly for Standard and Pro. We did find Reader’s interface felt more like an advert for Adobe’s superior PDF editors.

Interface: 4/5

ADOBE ACROBAT PRO: STANDARD TOOLS

All the features available in the Standard edition are present and correct in Pro’s comprehensive toolkit

As you’d expect, all the tools available in Standard can be accessed in Pro. This means you’re able to comment on a PDF, share it with others and track the progress of those files. You can change a PDF’s format, and export it as a Microsoft document (Word, Excel or PowerPoint), turn a PDF into images, convert it to HTML, edit it, change the embedded text and images, create PDFs from scratch, fill in and sign PDFs (it’s some of the best eSignature software we’ve ever tested), and there’s plenty more besides.

You also have the ability to combine multiple PDFs into a single file, reorder pages, and delete some. When it comes to security, adding a password to protect a PDF’s content and prevent others from editing it is a cinch. This is all done in a very intuitive way, and even though you might select a specific tool, you’re able to effortlessly access others without having to leave the confines of said tool.

It’s a very comprehensive, even impressive, feature-set – and that’s just the tools you get in Acrobat Standard.

Tools: 4.5/5

ADOBE ACROBAT PRO: PRO TOOLS

Use Acrobat’s Accessibility tool to check if your file meets the accessibility compliance standard.

Some very useful and obviously professional tools, coupled with others that should really be considered mainstream by now.

While the ‘as-Standard’ tools feel weighty, essential for a PDF power user, we couldn’t shake the sense that some tools labelled as “Pro”, don’t really feel that they belong in a “Pro” category.

Take the ability to turn a scanned paper document into a searchable PDF. Although it’s undoubtedly highly useful to be able to do that, some of the best free PDF editors, and even modern hardware, have been offering such a feature for a while now. Take your iPhone camera: you can take a photo with it and any text contained within it becomes selectable – and all without having to pay a subscription.

Another one which is more understandably a Pro feature, is the ability to create and validate PDFs to meet accessibility standards. This is a very important feature for any business, and once you check a document, you’re given a list of issues to fix to improve a document’s accessibility. Some can be resolved automatically, while others may require a little more work. But, we find it baffling why this is restricted to the Pro version? Wouldn’t this feature be of greater benefit if the Standard version had access to it as well?

Adobe Acrobat Pro during our review process

Redacting sensitive information is so easy to do with Acrobat’s ‘Redact’ tool

Be that as it may, as with other features included with Acrobat, it all works well and is easy to understand. There’s even a menu called ‘Explain’ which sends you to a webpage telling you why there’s a problem, and why it’s important to fix it.

Something that makes more sense in the Pro arena is the ability to compare two versions of a document. Acrobat will give you a summary of the disparity through a visual representation, and even gives you the ability to filter those results to make it clearer what has changed. We could see this as an invaluable tool in anyone’s workflow.

Redaction can also prove highly useful when there’s sensitive information on a PDF you’d rather not share with others. As you’d expect, the way it works is incredibly simple: just highlight all the problematic sections, and once you’re done, click on ‘Apply’.

In addition to blanking out certain passages and images, there’s another little highlight here. You also have the option of automatically removing a document’s metadata, embedded URLs, comments, and more. Adobe calls it ‘sanitising’ and if you’re into not passing on too much data, it’s a one-click wonder.

It’s clear that Adobe Acrobat Pro’s market is much more of a niche one than who they’re aiming for with ‘Standard’. It’s highly likely most people will be more than satisfied with Standard, even though Pro is the one included with the All Apps Creating Cloud subscription. However, if those additional tools are crucial to your workflow, you’ll find them extremely well implemented and easy to use in Acrobat Pro.

SHOULD I BUY?

Have different versions of the same file? ‘Compare Files’ will look at them both and tell you what’s different about them (Image credit: Adobe)

BUY IT IF…

You need advanced PDF editing tools, including redaction, and accessibility compliance, or you already subscribe to Adobe’s Creative Cloud package, which includes it by default.

DON’T BUY IT IF…

You want a simple way to view or make basic alterations to a PDF – in our experience, Pro is equipped with more features than most casual users will need.

ADOBE ACROBAT PRO: ALTERNATIVES

We’ve tested out man of the best Adobe Acrobat alternatives if Pro isn’t for you.

If Acrobat Pro is a bit more than you bargained for, we recommend checking out Adobe Acrobat Standard – it’s a great choice for most people’s PDF needs.

For some other top apps, see our pdfFiller review for a browser-based PDF editor that’s surprisingly full of features. For a free alternative, see our PDF24 Creator review – it’s our favorite free PDF tool and it’s packed full of essential document management tools.

The post Adobe Acrobat Pro (2024) Review appeared first on Review Products.

Oppo’s Enco lineup of true wireless earphones has been a relatively quiet success for the company, and has received largely positive feedback from the community, including myself. While the premium Enco X2 headset is among the best that you can guy for around Rs. 10,000 or so, the Enco Air series is a bit more of a hit-or-miss situation. While the regular ‘Air’ variants haven’t quite matched up to the hype, the ‘Pro’ headsets have generally been good picks when it comes to features and performance for the price.

Following up on the somewhat ordinary Oppo Enco Air 3 (which was launched in early 2023) is the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro. The successor to the Enco Air 2 Pro is considerably more expensive at Rs. 4,999, but promises big improvements in the specifications sheet and performance to make up for the increase in pricing, including advanced Bluetooth codec support and bamboo-fibre diaphragms for the drivers. Is this enough to help the Enco Air 3 Pro retain Oppo’s perceptional leadership of the budget true wireless segment in India? Find out in this review.

The case of the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro has a USB Type-C port for charging

Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro design and features

We don’t often see massive design changes in generational updates when it comes to true wireless earphones, and that’s indeed the case with the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro. Apart from minor changes, the Enco Air 3 Pro largely resembles the Enco Air 2 Pro to the point where it’s hard to tell the two apart. The newer earphones are available in a new green colour option which isn’t available on the Enco Air 2 Pro, though.

The earpieces of the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro have a stem design with rounded out sides all around, and distinct ‘L’ and ‘R’ indicators cut into the earpieces for easy visibility. Unlike the basic Enco Air earphones which have an outer-ear fit and no ANC, the Enco Air ‘Pro’ lineup features a proper in-canal fit, which allows for effective active noise cancellation. The earphones are light and comfortable, and come with a charging cable and three pairs of silicone ear tips of different sizes in the box.

As before the controls are touch sensitive, with lightly indicated areas near the top of each earpiece stem. It’s less than ideal, because the small size of the touch area makes it easy to make mistakes. You can set various gestures to control various functions of playback, noise cancellation, voice assistant, and volume, with different gestures capable of being mapped to different functions.

It’s a reasonably detailed set with plenty of room for customisation, but given the propensity for touch miscues, you might want to keep it a bit simple and deactivate certain gestures such as single-tap entirely. While I’m not entirely against touch controls, the zone definitely needs to be bigger than what’s on the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro earphones.

Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro True Wireless Earphones Review

The Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro earphones are IP55 rated for dust and water resistance, so you’ll be able to use them for workouts safely, and even in somewhat wet conditions such as light rain. The charging case of the headset has the Oppo logo at the front, an indicator light just below the logo, the USB Type-C port for charging at the bottom, and no pairing button.

You can put the headset into pairing mode with a long-touch gesture on both earpieces at the same time. Additional features on the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro include support for Google Fast Pair, app-based features such as Oppo Alive Audio (virtualised Spatial surround sound) and Golden Sound (customised frequency compensation based on the specific hearing of each user).

Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro app and specifications

The Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro expectedly features app and feature customisation support, but how it appears and is accessed depends on the device you’re using. If you’re on a supported OnePlus or Oppo smartphone, you’ll see the ‘app’ appearing in the Bluetooth settings of the phone, making for easy access that visually matches the user interface completely. If you’re using other devices, the HeyMelody app offers access to the full feature set on both iOS and Android.

oppo enco air 3 pro review app Oppo

On some OnePlus and Oppo smartphones, app features for the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro appear within the Bluetooth settings menu

Within the app and settings, it’s possible to access various features and customisation options such as equaliser presets, ANC levels and personalisation, enable multi-point connectivity for up to two devices, locate the earbuds with a loud noise, and conduct a fit test. You can also go through the process and enable or disable Oppo Alive Audio (spatial surround sound virtualisation) and Golden Sound (tailored sound profile based on your specific hearing characteristics).

Best Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) Headphones and Earphones in India

Multi-point connectivity worked well on an iPhone and Android device simultaneously. Bluetooth codec selection maxed out on both devices and pleasantly allowed LDAC support on the Android smartphone, unlike on many other similar headsets which limit the codec to AAC when connecting two devices simultaneously. Connectivity was stable on the whole even with this enabled.

Notably, the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro uses a bamboo fibre diaphragm for the drivers, unlike the typically metal diaphragms used on most earphones. The headset has 12.4mm dynamic drivers, a frequency response range of 20-40,000Hz, and a sensitivity rating of 107dB. For connectivity, the earphones use Bluetooth 5.3, with support for the SBC, AAC, and LDAC Bluetooth codecs.

Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro performance and battery life

While Oppo’s budget lineup has typically been device agnostic in terms of performance, the Enco Air 3 Pro takes a big step in setting itself up as made for certain devices. Support for the LDAC Bluetooth codec is fairly wide across Android devices, and this ensures a considerably different sound quality experience when using the earphones with an Android smartphone. Although the sound isn’t bad with the AAC codec (on iOS), there’s an audible difference here.

Understanding Bluetooth Codecs on Wireless Headphones and Earphones

The Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro’s bamboo fibre drivers are touted as a major factor in improving the sound quality on the earphones, but I didn’t really perceive this as being the reason for the improvement in performance. Sound quality with the AAC codec and software enhancements switched off seemed largely on par with what I’ve heard on similarly-priced true wireless headsets.

The Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro has bamboo fibre diaphragms for the drivers, along with support for the LDAC Bluetooth codec

Instead, it all comes down to the software implementations, in my opinion; LDAC Bluetooth codec support and the Golden Sound customised profile seemed to make a more notable difference in improving the sound quality, as compared to the competition. Indeed, there aren’t too many options with LDAC support at under Rs. 5,000, so the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro stands out in this regard.

Oppo Enco Air 3 True Wireless Earphones Review

Coming to the sound quality and performance itself, the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro uses its software tricks and codec support to deliver a reasonably balanced and detailed sound that is admittedly rare in the budget space for true wireless earphones. Competing products typically use a reasonable level of tuning alone to make a compelling pitch (heavy bass and the like), making Oppo’s approach a bit more unique.

The detail levels come as a result of the obviously superior bandwidth handling capabilities of the advanced Bluetooth codec, combined with a rather good soundstage that provides a decent amount of spatial virtualisation. Listening to Dua Lipa’s Dance the Night with the LDAC Bluetooth codec in operation, the sound felt spacious and enjoyable, never pushing too hard even at high volumes. Instead, the sound was encouraging, almost as if it was getting me to try and pick out the elements.

The Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro is IP55 rated for dust and water resistance

This cheerful disco-inspired track from Barbie sounded neither too aggressive, nor to forward, instead striking the right balance between drive and comfort. The lows didn’t hit too hard, but this was only a good thing in a segment that is dominated by earphones that come with typically punchy and attacking bass.

Much of this detail is helped along by the Golden Sound enhancement, which conducts a listening test to tailor the sound for specific hearing characteristics of the wearer. Once completed, the sound changes a bit with the profile enabled; it sounded a fair bit more luxurious and open-feeling when enabled, and I usually kept it on after that.

Switching up to the slower but more hard-hitting Am I Dreaming by Metro Boomin’ from the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse soundtrack, the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro was able to adapt and deliver a bit more rumble when needed. However, it also highlighted the very audible U-shaped sonic signature, with the mid-range considerably lower in response than the lows and highs.

Speaking of the highs, the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro seems to push these frequencies a bit too much. I didn’t tend to notice it much at low volumes, but the sharpness was a bit tiresome at high volume levels. This largely depends on what you’re listening to — Dance the Night revealed this, while Am I Dreaming didn’t quite sound as harsh because of the track’s nature.

Active noise cancellation on the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro is fairly basic, and suitable primarily for indoor use to cancel out basic household sounds and make listening just a bit easier. It’s helped along by reasonably effective noise isolation through the in-canal fit, and customisable ANC modes also help in optimising the performance for specific settings. I found the mild mode to be the most balanced and effective indoors; the other modes didn’t particularly help in noisy outdoor scenarios.

Call quality is decent indoors and satisfactory outdoors, but I didn’t find the voice and microphone quality good enough to want to use the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro for very long calls or online meetings.

Battery life is acceptable enough for a headset in this price segment; I got around 4 hours of listening on the earpieces and a little over three charges from the case, when using ANC and the LDAC Bluetooth codec, with the volume at around the 50-60 percent level. This translated to a total run time of around 17-18 hours of listening per charge cycle — not exceptional, but not too bad either.

Verdict

Oppo is among the best in the budget true wireless segment right now, and the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro largely lives up to the reputation created by the brand’s wide range of affordable TWS products. That said, at Rs. 4,999, it’s a fair bit more expensive than earlier products in this segment, and only just about classifies as a budget product based on reasonable definitions and price segmentation. The performance and features on offer do justify the pricing, so it’s worth a recommendation.

While you do get a fair bit more on the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro than what competing products offer for the price, I wouldn’t go as far as to call it revolutionary or exceptional. Nonetheless, it’s easily my pick for the best pair of true wireless earphones for Rs. 5,000, although I’d be more inclined to suggest options such as the Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro and OnePlus Nord Buds 2, which offer a bit more bang for your buck.

The post Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro Review: Same, but Different (In the Right Ways) appeared first on Review Products.

The Redmi 12 5G has been officially launched in India. The new 5G smartphone from Xiaomi is making its global debut in India, and is currently the company’s most affordable 5G smartphone starting at just Rs. 10,999. The device brings some class-leading features such as a glass back panel, new Snapdragon SoC, and more. Is the Redmi 12 5G the real deal? While we work on the full review, here is our first impressions of the phone.

Starting with the unboxing, the Redmi 12 5G comes with all the necessary accessories bundled such as a SIM tray, translucent case, and some documents. The box also packs a 22.5W fast charger and a USB Type-A to Type-C cable.

Redmi 12 5G 4 Redmi 12 5G

Moving on, the Redmi 12 5G comes in three colours. Xiaomi sent us the Moonlight Silver colour which has a shimmery finish for the glass back and produces prism-like colours when light falls on. The phone also comes in Classic Black and Pastel Blue options.

The Redmi 12 5G feels quite hefty mainly due to the big battery and the glass back design. Xiaomi has managed to keep the weigh under 200g while maintaining a thickness of 8.17mm. To offer some extra protection against drops and scratches, the Redmi 12 5G has a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass on the back.

The Redmi 12 5G sports a tall 6.79-inch full-HD+ IPS LCD with a 90Hz refresh rate support. The screen is claimed to offer 450 nits of peak brightness. Indoors, the display gets amply bright to consume content. We have not been able to test the display’s performance in outdoor conditions mainly due to the Mumbai rains but do stay tuned for our full review.

There is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC under the hood. The base variant comes with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage which is priced at Rs. 10,999. The one with 6GB of RAM is riced at Rs. 12,499, while the top-end variant with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is priced at Rs. 14,999. The phone also packs a 5,000mAh battery and supports 18W fast charging.

The Redmi 12 5G features a dual-camera setup on the back with a 50-megapixel primary camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The handset has an 8-megapixel front camera inside the centrally-aligned hole-punch cutout of the display. To make the camera experience more fun, Xiaomi has added some filters which are based on its learnings from its Leica partnership.

In terms of software, the Redmi 12 5G boots the latest MIUI 14 based on Android 13. The software does offer many customisation and personalisation options. However, there are a few bloatware apps preinstalled. Other specifications include a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, AI-based facial recognition, an IR emitter, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.

The post Redmi 12 5G First Impressions: An Affordable 5G Experience appeared first on Review Products.

The common factor between the OnePlus Nord 3 (Review), OnePlus 11R (Review) and iQoo Neo 7 Pro (Review) is that they are all priced under Rs. 40,000 in India, and focus on providing flagship-grade performance. The premium mid-range segment has witnessed a surge of phone launches lately, and if these options were not enough, there is the new Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G to add to the list. Priced at Rs. 39,999, the Reno 10 Pro 5G sits between the baseline Reno 10 5G and the top-of-the-line Reno 10 Pro+ 5G (Review).

While most of the competition aims at offering value-for-money performance, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G has a few tricks up its sleeve to stand out in the crowd. Should you consider buying it? Here is our full review to help you decide.

Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G price in India

The Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G has been launched in India in a single storage option. It comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, priced at Rs. 39,999.

Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G design and display

The Oppo Reno 10 Pro has been launched in two colour options — Silvery Grey and Glossy Purple. We have the latter, which looks quite unique compared to most other recent phones launching in shades of green and black. The phone has a curved rear panel and frame. The glass back of the Oppo Reno 10 Pro offers a premium in-hand feel. What contributes to this further is the fairly slim and lightweight build. The Reno 10 Pro is about 7.89mm thick and weighs 185g. That being said, there are times when the phone has slipped out of my hands due to the smooth finish of the back.

The Oppo Reno 10 Pro is quite a looker in my opinion. The choice of colours and design combined make it look like a much more expensive smartphone. The shiny metallic finish also does a good job of hiding fingerprints and smudges. While the rear panel is made of glass, the chassis is made of plastic. The phone has its power and volume buttons on the right edge, which are easily accessible if you have fairly large hands.

On the front, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a full-HD+ resolution (2412 x 1080 pixels) and a 20.1:9 aspect ratio. Just like the Vivo V27 Pro (Review), OnePlus 11R (Review) and a few affordable options such as the Motorola Edge 40 (Review), the display on the Reno 10 Pro 5G is curved towards the edges. I did not experience any ghost or accidental touches while scrolling or playing games on the phone.

What I did have an issue with was the single-speaker setup. For a smartphone under Rs. 40,000, it is very basic to have a good dual-speaker setup, and it is a total bummer that Oppo chose to only offer a single speaker in the Reno 10 Pro 5G. Plus, there is no 3.5mm headphone jack either. The bright side is that the speaker is quite loud but the audio experience is not as immersive.

The Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G has fairly slim bezels around the display

On the bright side, the 120Hz display offers up to 950 nits of peak brightness while consuming HDR content. There is support for HDR playback on YouTube but not on Netflix at the time of writing this. The vibrant 10-bit display offers support for a billion colours. Oppo has opted for an AGC Dragontrail Star 2 glass, which is said to offer 20 percent improved drop resistance compared to Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

I did not experience any major stutters while scrolling through the user interface when the refresh rate setting was set to Auto Switch. There were some software-related issues though, which we will talk about in the next section.

Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G specifications and software

The Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G features a Snapdragon 778G SoC with an Adreno 642L GPU. The phone packs a 4,600mAh battery and offers 80W SuperVOOC fast charging. It offers connectivity features such as Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, dual-SIM, IR emitter, etc. The Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G comes with 14 5G bands in India.

In terms of software, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G runs the latest ColorOS 13.1, based on Android 13. Oppo’s ColorOS has evolved over the years and has been one of the most preferred options for personalisation and customisation. The Reno 10 Pro continues to give users the option to change wallpapers, adjust front shape and size, change icon shape and size, etc.

There is also support for Android 13’s Material You theme, which matches the system and UI colours with the wallpaper’s colours. Also, Oppo also lets users choose when a bunch of featured colour options for the UI and system icons in the Settings app. More details about ColorOS 13.1 have been shared in our Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G review.

While ColorOS 13.1 is feature-rich, it is plagued with app recommendations and ads through the user interface,  be it the set-up screen, bloatware-loaded app drawer and home screen, or app recommendations in the default browser app. There are also a bunch of not-so-popular games and third-party apps preinstalled. App Market, Oppo’s native App Store, also spams you with multiple notifications, suggesting you install certain applications.

Oppo Reno 10 Pro comes with over 50 preinstalled apps

Oppo seems to have taken feedback and has stated that unwanted apps asking for installation permission when first setting up the phone will be removed to provide a better experience in the next software version. However, Hot Games and Hot Apps, which are Oppo’s native app recommendation folders will continue to be available. Users can hide these folders by going to App Market > General > Tap Settings at the top right corner and disabling the toggle for Hot Apps and Hot Games. You can also disable the recommendations spam by long-pressing on one of the notifications, tapping on ‘More Settings’ and disabling the ‘Allow Notifications’ toggle.

However, there seems to be a need for optimisation as I noticed the screen orientation changing automatically even when the Auto-rotate option was disabled. There were times when I noticed minor jitters while going back to the homescreen. Hopefully, Oppo fixes these issues soon. The Oppo Reno 10 Pro is promised to get two major Android updates and security support for three years.

Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G performance and battery life

The Oppo Reno 10 Pro features a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G SoC, which we have seen in a few smartphones priced at around Rs. 30,000 in India. The Reno 10 Pro 5G is clearly not the most powerful phone in the segment. However, when it comes to routine tasks such as scrolling through social media, messaging, content consumption, app loading, etc, the chipset can still get the job done.

Casual gaming, too, is doable. However, for the price, the likes of the OnePlus Nord 3 (Review), OnePlus 11R (Review) and iQoo Neo 7 Pro (Review) offer far better gaming performance and value. Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) supports ‘HDR’ graphics and ‘Ultra’ framerate settings. I noticed some stutter when playing with the highest settings but the gameplay was slightly better when the graphics settings were dropped to ‘Balanced’ or ‘HD’. Asphalt 9: Legends, on the other hand, ran quite smoothly.

RAM management is quite good and apps continued to load from where I had left them. The Reno 10 Pro also offers support for up to 8GB of virtual RAM, which is borrowed from the 256GB of internal memory.

Oppo Reno 10 Pro’s in-display fingerprint scanner is placed quite low for comfort

I also ran a few benchmark tests on the Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G. It scored 5,89.206 points on AnTuTu (v10). In Geekbench 6, the phone scored 1,013 (single-core test) and 2,669 points (multi-core test). It gets demolished by the competition, with the iQoo Neo 7 Pro scoring 1,263,884 points in AnTuTu (v10). While benchmarks are not the only metric to judge a phone’s performance, it does highlight that raw performance is not the Reno 10 Pro’s forte.

However, when it comes to battery life, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G can last a full day. My average screen-on time (SoT) was about 8 hours and 20 minutes. When there was more than two hours of gameplay involved, the phone returned a SoT of about 6 hours and 50 minutes. In our HD video battery loop test, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro lasted for 20 hours and 44 minutes. The 80W SuperVOOC charger refills the battery completely in about 29 minutes.

Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G cameras

The Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G features a triple-camera setup on the back. It has a 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 primary camera with support for optical image stabilisation (OIS). The same sensor is found in the flagship OnePlus 11 (Review) and the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G. The Reno 10 Pro also features an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 32-megapixel telephoto camera with 2X optical zoom. For selfies, there is a 32-megapixel front camera sensor.

Starting with the primary camera, you get good quality images with true-to-life colours. The dynamic range performance is good in most cases. There were times when the exposure in the shadows was not optimal. Night mode shots were well-exposed with little-to-no noise in many scenarios. The highlights were not blown out while trying to retain details in the shadows. In my opinion, the Reno 10 Pro’s primary camera’s low-light performance is among the best in the segment.

The ultra-wide camera’s colour temperature varies compared to the main camera with slightly warmer tones. There is definitely a lack of details, especially around the edges but the camera does a good job with colours and dynamic range.

Oppo Reno 10 Pro ultra-wide camera sample

You also get a 2X telephoto camera which is not as common in the segment. I really liked the telephoto camera’s performance, although there is room for improvement. You get good details and the dynamic range performance is also quite good. Again, the colour temperature is different as telephoto images are slightly cooler compared to the primary camera’s samples.

Portrait mode’s edge detection is excellent. However, the primary camera’s portrait mode makes human skin look a bit red. The telephoto camera’s portrait mode performance, on the other hand is pretty impressive when it comes to colours, edge detection and details. A thing to note though is that there is a shutter lag while taking portrait mode shots, so you need to keep the phone steady and make sure that the subject does not move until you hear the shutter sound.

Oppo Reno 10 Pro portrait mode camera samples (left column: 1X zoom, right column: 2X zoom)

The front camera does a decent job when it comes to getting the skin tone right. Edge detection in portrait mode shots is a hit or miss as I noticed the algorithm blurring out my ear and hair. Low-light portrait mode shots expose the subject quite well and offer good blur, but the details are slightly soft.

Oppo Reno 10 Pro front camera samples (Photo mode vs Portrait mode)

In terms of video, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro can record up to 4K 30fps videos using the rear camera and 1080p 30fps on the front. The rear camera’s footage offers good stability, details and exposure. Video quality from the front camera takes a hit when it comes to dynamic range performance.

Verdict

Oppo Reno 10 Pro is perhaps one of the best designed smartphones under Rs 40,000. It not only looks good but it is also well-built and has a good in-hand feel. The phone scores big points for its good display and battery life. The performance unit is passable for the price as the competition offers far better value. Where the Reno 10 Pro 5G has a slight edge over the competition is its versatile camera system, which also features a good quality telephoto lens.

However, the one area where it struggles is the software experience, which currently does not match the premium price. The phone is also not IP-rated and only has a single speaker.

The post Oppo Reno 10 Pro 5G Review: Many Hits, but a Few Misses appeared first on Review Products.

Change can be good or bad, and while Motorola as a company has seen its fair share of change, the Razr series of phones which was first released in 2004, has also evolved quite a bit. Fans of the original RAZR V3, which mainly includes millennials (including myself), might find the not-so “edgy” design of the latest Razr 40 Ultra iconic but it still is a very important step in the evolution of the foldable smartphone. I’ve been using Motorola’s top-end and most premium smartphone in India for about two weeks and here’s why I think it is a game changer.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra price in India

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is priced at Rs 89,999 in India and it comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The phone is available in two finishes – Viva Magenta and Infinite Black. I received the Infinite Black unit for review. In the box, Motorola offers a 33W charger, transparent TPU hard case and a Type-A to Type-C USB cable for charging.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra design

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra has a rounded overall appearance which looks thin whether it’s folded (15.1mm) or open (6.99mm). I like that both halves of this foldable sit flat against one another with no gap between them. This also adds to its overall slim appearance when folded, compared to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, which is a lot thicker.

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra uses Gorilla Glass Victus for its front and rear panels

Motorola has also done a good job with the phone’s two rear-facing cameras which almost sit flush with the cover display’s glass surface. This cover display itself is something to behold, and like the rear panel it is also made of Gorilla Glass Victus. Firstly, Motorola has done a fantastic job of embedding the two cameras into it with near perfect cutouts around each camera and the separate LED flash. Secondly, there’s the 3D curved-edge glass screen which wraps around the top edges of the metal frame, giving the Razr 40 Ultra a very polished and premium appearance.

What’s interesting about this edge-to-edge cover display is that it also gives one half of the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra a customisable skin or finish, and all you need to do is change the wallpaper to change how it looks. Indeed, Motorola missed out on an LTPO panel on the front display as having a wallpaper constantly on (like on an iPhone 14 Pro), would have permanently changed the look of the top half of the device. While the display does support an always-on feature, it is only enabled  for a few seconds when you move the phone, before returning to its mirror-black appearance.

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s hinge does not open to 180-degrees

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s rear panel has a matte finish which is very slippery. Thankfully, the frame and hinge have a glossy finish which makes this device a bit easier to grip. Most of the time, I just wasn’t confident enough to operate the phone with one hand simply because it was too slippery to hold. Opening it with one hand is a very risky manoeuvre, but it is possible to do it by first spacing out the top half from the bottom half and then flicking the top half out with a twisting gesture. It almost seems like this phone was meant to be operated this way, which brought back some long lost Razr V3 memories.

If you are okay with a bright colour, I would recommend going for the Viva Magenta finish as it gets a faux-leather textured back, which should make the phone easier to hold and operate.

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s fingerprint reader is embedded into its power button, on the right side

Motorola’s Razr 40 Ultra gets a IP52 rating which is one of the only foldables to offer dust protection, but water protection is rather basic. To recall, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 comes with an IPX8 rating, which is better when it comes to surviving splashes of water but has no protection against dust. Oppo’s Find N2 Flip on the other hand offers neither, officially anyway.

The new water-drop hinge used in the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra lessens the crease on the inner folding display, but it does not fold flat, so the phone always has this slightly concave appearance when open.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra specifications and software

In terms of core specifications, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra seems to be the obvious choice even when compared to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, which until now offered the best specifications for foldable devices in this segment. The Razr 40 Ultra comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC which may seem a bit dated today, but still packs in enough power for gaming and daily app usage.

There’s 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, with no room for expandable memory. The additional storage over the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s base model with 128GB of storage (which retails at the same price), does make the Razr more attractive in terms of storage space. Oppo also offers 256GB of storage at the same price point with its Find N2 Flip, but with a MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ processor.

Communication standards include Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, and support for several 5G bands. The phone has a single physical nano-SIM card slot, but also offers a secondary e-SIM functionality. Both SIMs can be used in dual-standby mode. There’s a USB 2.0 Type-C port at the bottom. The phone is powered by a 3,800mAh battery which can be charged using the 30W charger that comes in the box.

The Razr 40 Ultra’s Retro mode will remind users of the old Razr V3

We always liked Motorola’s approach to software, which has a near-stock Android appearance. With the Razr 40 Ultra, Motorola takes this experience to new heights with the addition of a second cover display.

The software is based on Android 13, and comes with a ton of customisation options which lets you choose from different built-in fonts, wallpapers and matching themes. Even the icons can be themed like on a Pixel smartphone. There’s minimal bloatware which mainly includes the Family Space, Moto, Moto Secure and the Moto Notifications apps.

Most foldables treat both inner and outer displays separately with customisations for the outer display usually hidden in the Settings app. Motorola does things differently and I like how I can change or customise the elements of the external display directly from that display itself, or from the inner display too. I also like how fluidly the outer display works, which is something both Samsung and Oppo’s current clamshell foldables fall short on.

It’s also possible to play regular casual games on the cover display in fullscreen

This external display on the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra also reminds me of a Nintendo Gameboy Advance or a Playdate when playing games. Motorola has included a bunch of preinstalled mini games which are very addictive and entertaining, and have been designed to take advantage of the external display. It’s also possible to play regular casual games such as Subway Surfers on it without any problems.

Unlike any other vertical folding smartphone available in India, Motorola’s MyUX lets users view notifications and even run full apps on the external display. There are even per-app settings when transitioning from the external display to the internal one or vice versa, which is downright impressive and works beautifully with a majority of third-party apps that I used.

Instagram running in full-screen mode (left) on the external display versus default view (right) which avoids the cameras

While the two floating cameras in the cover display do give the Razr 40 Ultra a futuristic look, they do get in the way of apps. To avoid this Motorola lets the user choose whether they want to view any app in fullscreen or the default view which cuts out the two cameras leaving behind a rectangular display (like on the previous Razr 2022) for apps. While this is still a minimal view, it is impressive as to how much work I could get done on it, because these are indeed full-blown apps running on the cover display.

However, there are restrictions when using note-taking apps like Evernote or the like, where you simply cannot select text from a note on the external display, because the keyboard pops up, blocking your view and selection.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra performance

When it comes to benchmarks, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra performs as expected for a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1-powered device. The phone scored 9,76,130 points in AnTuTu and 1,826 and 4,703 points in Geekbench’s single and multi-core tests, respectively.

Gaming performance was surprisingly good for a foldable device. The phone does get warm after five minutes of playing Call of Duty: Mobile at ‘Very High’ graphics and framerates (with all settings enabled), but I did not notice any drop in performance while gaming.

The only app that really managed to heat up the device was the camera. Using the camera app for just five minutes was enough to get this device uncomfortably hot. What makes things worse is that once the device reaches this peak temperature, performance of the camera app takes a hit, with sluggish behaviour when capturing images and stutters in video recordings that would otherwise (under the right conditions), record smoothly.

The dual speaker setup sounded quite immersive, both when gaming and watching movies. I did find the left speaker slightly louder than the right one (when held horizontally).

The main display on the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is a pOLED panel with a full-HD+ resolution and offers a 165Hz maximum refresh rate and a 360Hz touch sampling rate. The 22:9 aspect ratio main display measuring 6.9 inches diagonally and feels sufficiently broad (when held vertically) for viewing content and reading text. It is sufficiently bright outdoors but the colours seem a bit jarring at the default ‘Saturated’ colour setting. I preferred the ‘Natural’ setting as it was closer to accurate. The new hinge also makes the display crease barely noticeable.

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s main inner display is sharp and vibrant

One detail I did notice is that the display frequently drops to 1Hz which is good for battery life, but seemed to be capped at 120Hz most of the time. The only instance when you can force the display to 165Hz is in games, using Motorola’s Gametime tools. Motorola claims that the main display supports HDR content but this was only supported in the YouTube app as Netflix did not recognise the same.

In terms of durability, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s folding display does not feel as tough as Samsung’s ultra-thin glass on the Galaxy Z Flip 4, but is still better than the Find N2 Flip which was quite delicate. In my two weeks of usage which also included plenty of gaming, I only managed to get one minor dent on the Razr 40 Ultra’s display, which was barely visible.

The external display has a 1:1 aspect ratio, measures 3.6 inches diagonally, and has an impressive resolution of 1,066 x 1,056 pixels with a crispy 413ppi that is the same as the internal display. It offers a 144Hz refresh rate which dynamically changes depending on the content being viewed. In my experience, it generally refreshes between 60Hz, 90Hz and 120Hz, and only touches 120Hz when playing high-end games like Call of Duty: Mobile. While the reflective nature of the outer display makes it slightly duller than the internal one, it still gets sufficiently bright outdoors.

Call of Duty: Mobile works just fine on the cover display. Switching between both displays is also possible when gaming

Battery life is impressively good for a phone that is this slim. Given how useful the outer display is, I also ended up opening the phone less frequently. The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra lasted 18 hours and 27 minutes in our video loop test with the display’s refresh rate set to High. With casual use, the phone can easily last a whole day and a bit more. I often ended a day with around 25-30 percent left even after 45 minutes of intense gaming, which seemed to be the only major source of battery drain (after the camera) which did not seem optimised enough.

You also have to remember that this phone (with its adaptive battery optimisation) needs a break-in period of about three days before it can start delivering the above mentioned figures. The external display can also be a lifesaver in situations when you are low on battery as it takes up less power and you can get almost everything done on it.

Charging the device is also sufficiently fast with the phone managing a 50 percent charge in 30 minutes, and completing the charge in an hour and nine minutes. While wireless charging is available, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra only charges up at 5W making the charging process quite slow compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s 15W charging capability.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra cameras

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra has two rear-facing cameras embedded into its cover display. This includes a 12-megapixel primary camera with OIS and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide which has a 108-degree field of view (FOV) and can also capture macro photos. Selfies are handled by a 32-megapixel camera which is embedded into the inner folding display. Both the front and rear camera systems are capable of capturing video at 4K 60fps.

The dual displays enable a couple of tricks for the camera app. The rear cameras, when folded, can also be used for capturing selfies. These can be captured in a squarish 1:1 ratio or the usual 4:3 ratio as well. Next up, the cover display can also be used as a viewfinder, and lastly, the external display can also be propped up in tent mode to capture selfies or selfie videos, hands-free.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra daylight camera samples

In daylight, images from the primary camera have good details, but with slightly limited dynamic range. This is visible in the shadows and when you point the camera towards the direction of the light. Still, the camera’s HDR system handles darker areas better than the brighter areas, which often get clipped in odd lighting situations. Overall, the images have a slightly contrasted look. Colours are also saturated, but some may prefer this. I also noticed minor purple fringing in brighter scenes.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra low-light camera samples

In low light, photos look surprisingly good using Night mode. I preferred using it compared to the primary camera’s Auto mode as it delivered better dynamic range and managed to maintain sharpness despite longer exposure times. In street-lit scenes dynamic range is excellent, while finer details with grass and other foliage seems to be on the lower side. Colours too are quite good when compared to the Auto mode photos. However, dimly-lit scenes show visible noise in the darker areas.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra ultra-wide-angle camera samples

The ultra-wide angle camera does a fine job of capturing photos in daylight. These appear sufficiently sharp and with good colours and dynamic range. In fact the ultra-wide camera is a lot more consistent when it comes to colours, shot-to-shot, compared to the primary camera. Lens barrel distortion is under control as well. Details are also quite good. However, in low light, details take a hit and the camera struggles to focus even in street-lit situations leading to softer or out-of-focus images at times. Tapping the screen to lock focus before shooting results in better images.

The ultra-wide-angle camera also doubles up as a macro camera. It captures some really impressive photos with good colour and dynamic range and gets you really close to the action.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra selfie camera samples

Selfies come out looking sharp, clear and are well exposed with accurate edge-detection. However, the results are the exact opposite when shooting at night, with mostly flat textures that resemble an painting. I preferred using the primary camera for shooting selfies as the results were obviously better in all types of lighting conditions.

Shooting videos at 4K 30fps is the sweet spot with good details and stabilisation. However, the auto-exposure adjustment is a bit of a problem so it appears as though the video is flickering. Shooting at 4K 60fps made the videos appear a bit contrasted with less detail. The framerate was also not stable and kept fluctuating while shooting. The Razr 40 Ultra is also capable of recording HDR10+ video at 4K 30fps, but these aren’t stabilised and come out quite choppy among other problems.

Recording video in low light was not a good experience. 4K 30fps footage came out dark, contrasted and noisy. The stabilisation was not good either and there was also the same exposure-related problems I spotted when capturing daylight footage. 4K 60fps footage looked even darker and nosier, but showed a steadier framerate.

Verdict

Motorola has a real winner in its hands with the Razr 40 Ultra. It attempts to innovate in a market segment that is loaded with cutting-edge technology and manages to pull it off without any noticeable gimmicks. Its cover display is by far the best we have currently, although that could quickly change. The fluid display and software optimisation also makes this cover display one of the most practical user experiences of its segment. It has a capable set of cameras and also offers a macro mode.

Of course, the Razr 40 Ultra is not without flaws. The heating issue when using the camera app is the primary one. But at Rs. 89,999, it is still hard to find a foldable which is oozing with so many features, and looks slick while pulling it all off. The new flagship Razr should appeal to a lot of premium Android users who are looking for something new and refreshing in a smartphone.

The post Motorola Razr 40 Ultra Review: A True Game-Changer appeared first on Review Products.

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 was a big upgrade over the Galaxy Z Flip 3. It managed to turn, what was a more fashion-forward foldable, into a very useful and practical smartphone with major improvements to its cameras and battery life. With the new Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung has added even more features to the mix. There’s now a bigger cover display with its own widget-based interface, a new processor and improvements to the cameras. I got to spend some time with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 at the Galaxy Unpacked launch event, and here are my first impressions.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s overall design has not changed by much and it still offers an IPX8 rating for water proofing. However, look closely and you’ll quickly notice the expanded glass on the front that manages to hide a large 3.4-inch, Super AMOLED 60Hz display underneath. This new larger display has a resolution of 720 x 748 pixels (306ppi). Tapping on it wakes up the oddly shaped display which resembles a folder icon from Windows or Mac OS.

The standard Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 models come with a glossy-finish rear panel

Samsung’s approach to the cover display’s design on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is very different compared to Motorola’s more radical design for the same. The cover display on the Flip 5 has some really thick bezels on the top, left and right sides with a cutout at the bottom which completely avoids the LED flash and the two cameras.

The inner display on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 has not seen much of an upgrade. It seems to be the same 6.7-inch full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate in a 22:9 aspect ratio. It still feels a bit cramped when browsing through content vertically. However, the aspect ratio of this main display keeps its footprint quite compact compared to other foldables such as the Oppo Find N2 Flip. The phone’s weight is the same as before (187g) but is slimmer when folded (by 2mm) thanks to the new hinge mechanism.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a new hinge mechanism which is said to have better resistance to drops and shocks

According to Samsung, the new hinge is more durable when subjected to drops or shocks and also allows for the zero-gap design between the two halves of the clamshell when folded shut (apart from reducing the display’s crease).

Samsung has gone with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy in the Galaxy Z Flip 5, which is a customised version of the standard chipset just like on the Galaxy S23 series which launched earlier this year. Samsung claims that the new chipset brings improvements to image quality and battery life.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 will be offered in two storage variants. The first with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and the second with 512GB of storage, which is an improvement over last year’s model which had a 128GB base variant.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 shows no gap between the two halves when folded shut

The phone follows Samsung’s recent trend with the standard Galaxy S23 series and offers the same camera hardware as on the previous Galaxy Z Flip 4. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a 12-megapixel primary camera with dual pixel PDAF and OIS with an 83-degree field of view (FOV). The ultra-wide camera offers a 12-megapixel sensor with a 123-degree FOV. Selfies are handled by a 10-megapixel camera.

The phone’s battery capacity also remains the same at 3,700mAh, along with 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging as before.

The software is where things have changed, but primarily for the cover display. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 runs One UI 5.1.1 with Android 13. The Galaxy Z Flip 5’s Flex Window is basically a bigger version of its previous display, but it comes with a lot of added functionality.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s Flex Window cover display cannot run full apps

As observed from previous leaks, it is indeed a widget-based interface. There’s a widget for most native apps, but I could not spot any from Google during my brief hands-on time. One can place calls from the call log widget, check the weather, and even reply to notifications with a full keyboard, which is a big leap from the previous implementation, which used voice input for sending out replies.

The cover display cannot run full apps like on the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra (Review) which seems like a big missed opportunity for Samsung, but we will reserve our final opinion for the full review. The Flex Window also has quick toggles (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc) and comes with Samsung Pay support. Samsung has also added the ability to show one’s boarding pass at the airport from the outer display itself, thus reducing the need to open the phone. A neat trick which Samsung has included is Multi-Widget view, which basically uses the pinch gesture to give a zoomed-out view of all the active widgets in the cover display.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s success depends heavily on the practicality of its new cover display and how frequently it reduces the need to unfold the main display. Our eyes are also on the new chipset which gives Samsung a natural edge in terms of performance over the competition, but we have to use it more to see if there is any improvement with imaging quality and battery life as well. There’s more to come in the full review.

The post Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 First Impressions: Big Upgrades in a Familiar Package appeared first on Review Products.