HP Envy Move all-in-one desktop with Intel Core i5 processor.

When it comes to portable computing, everyone has their own preferences. For some, an 11-inch laptop might be the perfect size for carrying around, while for others, a laptop with an 18-inch display might be fine.

But what about a full desktop computer?

This year, HP has combined the best of both worlds, aiming to achieve the practicality of an all-in-one (AIO) computer and a laptop. It’s called the HP Envy Move All-in-One Portable Desktop PC, and it’s packed with interesting hardware choices and software features. This unique device, which can be described as an all-in-one (AIO), is designed for a specific group of users who want the power and ease of use of a desktop PC, but also the flexibility of portability. Traditional all-in-one PCs are compact, but they are still stationary and require a constant power connection. The Envy Move aims to change this by using a built-in battery and a simple solution that allows you to take it wherever you need it. But with laptops with foldable and dual displays already on the market, does a portable AIO PC make sense? Read on to find out more.

HP Envy Move All-in-One Desktop Price in India

is available in India in a single model in Shell White colour for Rs 1,24,999 . This model is powered by a 13th Generation Intel Core i5 processor with Intel UHD Graphics. It has 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 1TB of PCIe NVMe M.2 storage. The retail package includes the HP Envy Move, a 90W adapter, and a wireless Bluetooth keyboard with integrated touchpad.

HP Envy Move All-in-One Desktop Review: Design and Display

The HP Envy Move has a dual-tone design with textured polycarbonate and mesh fabric for the chassis. At the front, the speaker system is hidden under the mesh with a chrome HP logo. At the back of the desktop, there is a large HP logo engraved in chrome. Above it, there is a handle to lift the computer. The handle also has the same color scheme, but the hinge is made of leather, giving it a premium feel. On the right side of the desktop, there is the power port, HDMI 1.4b port, brightness adjustment button, and power key. On the left side, there is a USB Type-C port (10Gbps), a USB Type-A port (10Gbps), and volume controls. At the top, there is also a privacy shutter for the webcam. The entire machine weighs 4.1kg, which may not seem that heavy for a desktop machine, but it is quite heavy by laptop standards. During testing, we felt it was quite heavy to lift it by the handle.

When not in storage or transport, the HP Envy Move uses rotating kickstand legs that stay in place only when placed on a table. These legs are also made of polycarbonate, so the desktop feels stable and doesn’t wobble when placed on a table. This is a good thing, as HP expects users to move this 4kg PC around the house while exercising or when the kids are using it.

Talking about the display, the HP Envy Move comes with a 23.8-inch QHD touchscreen IPS panel with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. HP claims a peak brightness of 300 nits, but we found it quite low when using it in a bright room.

HP Envy Move Display HP Envy Move Display – Equipped with a touchscreen display

The screen becomes hard to read when a light source is pointing at it. I noticed this mainly while photographing the product for this review. The touchscreen is responsive and I had no issues with that, but the resolution feels a bit low considering the size of the display. Since the Envy Move is targeted at people who want an entertainment machine, I watched a few movies on the device and the color saturation levels were quite disappointing and the clarity was a bit low as well. The QHD display is fine for work and app usage, but when it comes to entertainment, it doesn’t quite hit the sweet spot as a sharper display would be nice.

HP Envy Move All-in-One Desktop Review: Keyboard, Speakers, Touchpad, Camera

The keyboard used has a built-in trackpad, which may be a bit awkward to use for users who buy a desktop and expect to use a mouse rather than a trackpad, but the trackpad is responsive, the keys are tactile, and it makes for a compact setup to carry from room to room.

The HP Envy Move is equipped with a 5W dual speaker system co-tuned with Bang and Olufsen. The audio quality is adequate for watching movies and listening to music, but don’t expect thumping bass when watching action movies or bass-heavy music.

HP Envy Move Speaker System HP Envy Move Speaker System

The speaker system is hidden under a mesh material.

As for the camera, the HP Envy Move uses a 5-megapixel webcam that supports Windows Hello and can also be used to take pictures. It uses some AI to reduce noise during video calls, but the video is still not clear enough. The camera is supported by dual microphones for better audio reception.

HP Envy Move All-in-One Desktop Review: Specs and Software

The HP Envy Move doesn’t offer much customization when it comes to core specs. The all-in-one desktop only comes with a 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD and 16GB LPDDR RAM (soldered in), with no upgrades beyond these. For the processor, the HP Envy Move comes with a 13th Gen Intel Core i5 1335U with Intel UHD Graphics, again with no upgrades. This may be a bit limiting for end users, but seems fine for a basic home PC with a focus on multimedia and entertainment. The desktop runs off a power cord, but it does have a 6-cell 83Wh Li-ion battery that can be charged using a 90W adapter.

HP Envy Move Webcam HP Envy Move Webcam

Equipped with a physical switch that allows you to block the webcam at will.

The all-in-one can charge to 50 percent in 45 minutes, which is roughly in line with my testing results. In terms of wireless connectivity, the HP Envy Move comes equipped with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

HP Envy Move All-in-One Desktop Review: Performance and Gaming

This all-in-one can easily handle most productivity apps like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro for 1080p editing without much GFX. It does overheat while rendering and the fans are quite loud. As for benchmarks, we ran Geekbench and got a score of 1,602 for single-core and 3,975 for multi-core. This all-in-one does not support Cinebench R23. Although the HP Envy Move is not meant for gaming, we tried a few games. The performance was not very good. Forza Horizon 5 ran fine at around 60FPS at optimal settings, but as soon as we increased the settings, the frames dropped significantly. Casual games can run fine, but graphics-intensive games will struggle on this machine, so it is not ideal as a gaming machine.

HP Envy Move All-in-One Desktop Review: Battery Life

Although the HP Envy Move can run off a power cord, the built-in battery is especially useful during a power outage or when you need to move your desktop to another location without losing the current state of your PC. Despite the battery being the secondary power source on this machine, it can run for around four hours, which is very impressive.

HP Envy Move All-in-One Desktop Review: Verdict

Simply put, the HP Envy Move is better suited to home use than the office, and it has a battery backup so you can use it as a secondary display if you need to, which in theory makes it great for continuing to work or watch entertainment as you move from room to room.

The price of Rs 124,999 is a bit too high considering the hardware offered, and the heavy weight of 4kg is also an unavoidable fact. For entertainment on the go, a larger (but compact) tablet (Android or iPad) would be a better choice. As well as being much lighter, these are also cheaper and more power efficient, so will last much longer. If you need a compact work PC, there are larger laptops available too, such as Asus’ Zenbook Duo, which has a foldable display that is 19 inches wide (or tall), but is a bit more expensive (starting at Rs 159,990).

The HP Envy Move is still great if you want a compact all-in-one PC that you can carry around your house occasionally, as it’s not as lightweight as a laptop. It’s not a laptop replacement , and it’s certainly not a tablet replacement, meaning it will appeal to a very niche demographic, one that finds it the perfect sweet spot for work and productivity rather than entertainment.

HP Envy Move All-in-One Portable Desktop PC

• Price: Rs 1,24,999

Pros:

• Rugged construction
• The on-board battery is a nice addition
• The speaker system provides excellent sound output

Cons:

• The display could be brighter and not adjusted enough
• Not suitable for heavy-duty applications
• Basic Graphics Performance

The post HP Envy Move All-in-One Desktop Review: A Combination of Uniqueness and Ordinary appeared first on Review Products.

Rural internet users rejoice – fast internet’s now available for a fair price.

Starlink’s satellite service is easy for subscribers and you can set up the hardware in minutes. Be prepared to spend more time and money for optimal performance though.

Pros

• +Less expensive than mobile data
• +Hardware rental
• +Easy Setup

Cons

• -May require additional hardware
• -Potential speed throttling

After moving to the countryside and experiencing repeated issues with traditional broadband, we decided to give Starlink’s residential service a try. Here’s what we learned about how Starlink’s residential service works and if it delivers on its promise of high-speed internet.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been in the news frequently of late – and the service is improving all the time. The ‘portability’ feature makes it possible to deploy satellite internet elsewhere for a small monthly fee, plus Starlink hopes to provide an off-grid cellular service in the next few years. Still, Starlink is best known for offering a solution to people living in areas outside the scope of high-speed broadband or fibre optic internet. True, such people can rely on a mobile data (4G or 5G) connection but this is usually very costly and not very reliable.

But does it deliver everything it promises? Or is it pie-in-the-sky stuff? We put Starlink to the test.

STARLINK: PRICING & COVERAGE

One of the big caveats of using Starlink is that it’s not yet available in every area of every country. Fortunately, the main website immediately prompts you to enter your address, to check if coverage is in place or planned for your area, then lists various subscription plans.

Starlink Subscriptions

Given the huge cost of launching satellites it’s hardly surprising that the cost of a basic subscription has risen in recent years: currently it’s $120 per month for a ‘standard’ plan which offers ‘unlimited data’.

There is a caveat here however, in that ‘Standard’ data usage is subject to a ‘fair use’ policy. Full details of expected performance for various plans are available on the main site but in brief these are a download speed of 25 – 100 Mbps, an upload speed of 5-10 Mbps and a latency of 25-60ms.

If you find this too restrictive you can also pay for a certain amount of ‘Priority’ data. For instance paying an extra $20 per month ($140) will net you 40GB of ‘Priority’ speeds. While latency is no different, the expected performance of ‘Priority’ data is much greater with download speeds of 40-220 Mbps and upload speeds of 8-25 Mbps. If you’re looking for the best small business router and ISP, Starlink for Businesses offers separate subscription plans.

Unlimited ata

Starlink warns that it tries to allocate data for its Standard Plan in a ‘fair and equitable manner’, and if you’re found to be exceeding this they may seek to restrict your network speed. The examples given in the fair use policy include streaming, video calls or online gaming, though puzzlingly enough the same policy also promises to treat all traffic neutrally.

After one month and nearly 400GB of data, we experienced no issues with this policy, although this may be because we use the best VPN on all devices, encrypting traffic so Starlink can’t distinguish specific content like streaming video.

Hardware

The other caveat when signing up for Starlink is hardware costs. Traditionally, this has required you to pay in order to sign up but Starlink has clearly responded to customer feedback. There are special promotions in place. For instance, users in rural Canada can currently benefit from over 70% off hardware prices. Customers in certain countries can also choose to rent the hardware instead of buying. This is the route your reviewer went down, which required payment of a small activation fee of around $50 then an extra $10 per month.

When placing your order, you can also choose to purchase an Ethernet adapter for an extra $40. This is because the supplied Starlink Router has no Ethernet port of its own. Do this if you want to connect devices directly to it via Ethernet or if you wish to attach an alternative router. Starlink subscriptions come with a 30-day free trial. You can cancel your subscription at any time. This also applies to any hardware you’re renting, though we assume in that case it would need to be returned to SpaceX.

STARLINK: UNBOXING

When we placed our order for Starlink, the package took only around a week to arrive – though due to a small addressing error it was picked up at the local post office.

Even for a standard residential connection everything you need to get up and running is in the box, including:

• A rectangular Starlink satellite ‘dish’
• Small plastic stand for said dish
• 75ft connecting cable
• Starlink Wi-Fi router
• 10ft power cable for the router

To make things even simpler, setup is handled by a free smartphone app that walks you through the process.

This is one area where Starlink truly shines, though we were luckier than most as we had an outside power socket and an open lawn. The dish slots into the stand effortlessly and after that, like any of the best Wi-Fi routers, it’s a simple matter to connect the cable to the device. We would warn users though, to check that the white LED at the base of the router is illuminated to make sure that it’s powered on.

When it comes to placing the dish, we recommend using the Starlink app’s built in ‘obstructions’ tool, which can scan the sky to check if there’s anything in the way of the dish receiving signals from SpaceX’s “low earth orbit” satellites.

When the dish first powers in, the app warns that it may take around 15 minutes to establish a reliable signal. We found it did this much sooner (around 5 minutes) and used the helpful interface to create a custom Wi-Fi network for other devices to connect.

STARLINK: PLACEMENT

It only took us less than ten minutes between unboxing the Starlink hardware to going online. Still, there’s a catch.

Placing Starlink’s standard rectangular dish on a front lawn as we did with cables snaking from it onto your porch simply isn’t sustainable. In the first case it can lead to obstructions, as in our case given that the house was directly between the dish and the satellites. Putting the cable and dish on the ground also exposes the hardware to the elements. Ideally the dish should be fixed permanently in a location with an unobstructed view of the sky.

The Starlink website can come to the rescue here. Aside from selling more advanced satellite dishes, you can also buy a standalone ‘pipe mount’ or various wall/roof mounting kits. In our case, this was unnecessary as there was already a vacant satellite mount on our roof where the dish could be slotted in. Not every subscriber will be so lucky.

The other issue of course is that of the router. It’s very difficult to store outside safely, so unless you’re very comfortable with DIY, you’ll need to do as we did and shell out to have a man come and drill holes in the wall to stow the router safely inside whilst still connected to the dish.

STARLINK: SPEED TEST

The Starlink website warns that connection speeds can vary depending on many factors like the placement of your dish, the number of other people using the service at the same time and your chosen activity.

One particular concern for us when putting Starlink through its paces is that most speed tests can’t account for the latency between a device and the wireless router. Fortunately this isn’t an issue for Starlink’s ever-useful mobile app, as it delineates clearly between Wi-Fi and Starlink speed, if you choose to run an ‘Advanced Speed Test’.

In order to avoid the issue of network congestion we ran our tests around 23:00 at night using the Starlink app running on an iPhone 14 Max Pro. The ‘Starlink Speed’ for downloads was 71 Mbps and the upload was 15 Mbps. This was entirely consistent for the promised speeds for a ‘Standard’ plan of  25 – 100 Mbps (downloads) and 5-10 Mbps (uploads).

STARLINK: FINAL VERDICT

After spending some time with Starlink, we can say we’re absolutely delighted with the residential plan. In many cases it works out to be more cost effective than using mobile broadband. Advanced speed testing also shows the download speeds compare very favorably to fixed-line internet in his particular rural area, though you’ll need to do your own research to discover if this is true where you live.

The introduction of hardware rental is particularly welcome, as previously the upfront cost of buying the dish, mount and router was a major criticism of Starlink’s service.

The only warning we’d offer before you sign up today, is that you’ll probably need some additional hardware and expertise to install the satellite dish permanently.

During our research, we did find users who found very inventive workarounds such as using zip cables to attach the dish to the top of a tree. Still, you’ll probably gain the best signal from purchasing a roof mount, as well as enough cabling to fix the dish there safely.

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A premium travel tripod offering simple yet outstanding performance.

The Gitzo tripod kit Traveler series 1 is a travel tripod that oozes quality and provides smooth and positive operation with a maximum working height comparable to full-size tripods. It may be expensive, but Gitzo is one of those brands that manufacturers products that could easily last a lifetime. So, in the long term, this could in fact be a highly cost-effective travel tripod.

Pros

• +Excellent build quality
• +Smooth and solid operation
• +Tall, sturdy and lightweight

Cons

• -Expensive
• -No carry bag included
• -Only offers standard features
• Two-Minute Review

Gitzo tripods need no introduction as a premium option, and the Gitzo tripod Traveler series 1 (4 sections) being reviewed here is a travel tripod made for professional use thanks to its excellent build quality, tall height and light weight. This is one of those tripods that doesn’t look remarkable in any way, but as soon as you use it the smoothness of operation alongside the quality materials used identify it as a high-end travel tripod.

With this in mind and before we get into the specifics, the Traveler series 1 is expensive at $680 / £539 / AU$1,154.95. But this is a tripod that could easily last a lifetime thanks to the build quality and the availability of spare parts if something needs to be replaced. Spare part availability isn’t unusual in the tripod world, but when you’re paying this much money for a small tripod it’s reassuring to know that you can replace parts as and when required.

Despite the high price, this tripod doesn’t include a carry bag or case which some photographers may miss. It’s not a major downside because in reality, many photographers simply attach their tripods to a backpack while walking or carry them in their hand, and the Gitzo does include a well-made shoulder strap which is extremely useful.

Gitzo tripods and heads have some, well, utilitarian naming conventions and the official name of the Gitzo tripod kit Traveler, series 1, 4 sections is the GK1545T-82TQD which is a Traveler tripod/head kit that includes the GT1545T Tripod and the GH1382TQD Center Ball Head. I’ve only outlined these names to make it easier to find the kit we’re looking at here because retailers title the kit differently based on their own naming styles.

The Gitzo Traveler Kit is incredibly well made and oozes quality alongside providing stable support up to 64.4in / 163.5cm with the center column extended. This provides a maximum working height comparable to some full-size tripods, which is impressive for a travel tripod that’s just 16.7in / 42.5cm long when folded with a weight of 3.19lbs / 1.45kg.

The minimum height is 12.8in / 32.4cm, although you can get lower with the short plastic center column that’s included with the legs splayed out flat, or by inserting the standard center column into the legs upside down.

Going with four section rigid carbon fiber legs rather than five sections improves overall stability. This, of course, results in a slightly longer folded length, but the positive trade-off here is the additional stability fewer leg sections naturally provide because this means that the sections have a larger diameter.

The maximum payload is 22lbs / 10kg, so the tripod can support a wide range of camera and lens combinations although Gitzo does recommend that 200mm is the maximum focal length that should be used with the tripod and head.

You could undoubtedly go beyond this given the maximum payload, but travel tripod heads are typically smaller than those designed for full-size tripods. So, even when they can accommodate longer focal length lenses, it’s often not going to provide the most reliable shooting experience.

The head itself, like the legs, is exceptionally well made. There’s no friction control for the ball mechanism, but the main locking control provides this depending on how loose it is and a pan lock controls the stiff yet smooth panning movement.

It’s a simple ball head, but it does everything you need and does it smoothly. The plate used is also Arca Swiss compatible so you can use plates from other tripod heads and L brackets. The head can also be tilted over 90 degrees for portrait format shooting with one notch that allows this. This is ultimately a head where the adage ‘less is more’ is at play, but it does what it does well and can’t be faulted for this.

Twist locks for the legs and control knobs on the ball head and the centre column feature a rubberized grip that is comfortable to use, effective and doesn’t require too much twisting to lock and unlock. This doesn’t sound like much, but when you’re adjusting a tripod, speed and comfort can make a huge difference over a long day of shooting.

It feels almost strange to enjoy using a tripod – camera supports are hardly glamorous, they simply need to hold a camera securely. However, the level of quality and the smooth and positive level of operation afforded by the Gitzo make it a premium option worth considering if your budget stretches that far.

It may be is expensive, but it’s far from being one of the most expensive options available. Believe it or not, there are tripods available that cost upwards of $1000 / £1000 so in this context, the Gitzo is arguably well-priced.

Should I buy the Gitzo tripod kit Traveler series 1?

Buy it if…

You want a high-end travel tripod – In the world of tripods, you often get what you pay for so spending as much as you can afford will ultimately get you the best tripod for your budget. The Gitzo tripod Traveler series 1 is, without a doubt, a high-end option.

You need a robust travel tripod – The Gitzo tripod Traveler series 1 may be expensive, but it provides excellent stability and the overall quality means it should provide many years of faithful service.

You use an L bracket –  L brackets that allow you to quickly switch between horizontal and vertical shooting typically use the Arca Swiss style attachment – which is the type of mount the inclluded ball head uses.

Don’t buy it if…

You’re on a budget – At $680 / £539 / AU$1,154.95, the Gitzo Traveler Kit is expensive and will be out of reach for some photographers, but there are many great quality options available at around half of this price if you’re on a budget.

You don’t require a tall travel tripod – With a maximum working height of 64.4in / 163.5cm the Gitzo is tall for a travel tripod, which is extremely useful. But if you never shoot at this height you could find a shorter and even lighter option.

You need a different head type – If you prefer using a different type of tripod head to a ballhead, you can instead purchase the Gitzo GT1545T Tripod on its own and buy the desired head type, such as geared or 3-way, separately.

How I tested the Gitzo tripod kit Traveler series 1:

The Gitzo tripod Traveler series 1 was tested over a period of time using several different camera and lens combinations to test how the tripod stood up to standard use in travel-oriented scenarios. Cameras used included a premium compact, an APS-C mirrorless camera and a full-frame mirrorless camera. The tripod was also carried around with other photographic kit in my f-stop backpack to evaluate performance over longer shoots such as landscapes.

With nearly 30 years of photographic experience and 15 years working as a photography journalist, I’ve been covering photographic accessories such as tripods for many years. As a professional photographer, I frequently use a range of accessories to enhance my photography and bring my working experience of using these to reviews where I can consider how effective photographic accessories are from both a professional and an enthusiast point of view.

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A Perfect Road Trip Companion.

70mai’s Hiker 400 power station makes traveling safer and more convenient thanks to a reliable battery, a powerful AC inverter, and a backup flashlight. To complete this great product, an always-on Bluetooth interface brings the station front panel to the user’s fingertips through a snappy mobile app.

Pros

• +Bluetooth low-energy
• +Quiet
• +Small and lightweight

Cons

• -External power adapter
• -NCM based battery

The 70mai Hiker 400 is what everybody wants in a portable power station. It is tiny, lightweight, and can easily fit in a backpack. The plastic case is tough and integrates a small handle. A single fan provides the necessary airflow for the unit, producing barely any noise during regular operation. The NCM battery is not the best available in terms of lifetime, but with a capacity of 378Wh, it has enough energy to charge a laptop over five times.

The technology behind the 400W inverter yields an efficiency of 74% and limits the amount of energy wasted as heat. A built-in Bluetooth low-energy interface controls the unit over a short distance, allowing turning on the built-in flashlight remotely, among other things. The device features four USB ports, but only one is Type-C. Two AC sockets complete the output section.

The 70mai Hiker 400 is available directly from the 70mai online store for $399, or $1.05 per Wh, a high number for an NMC-type power storage solution. It comes with a limited two-year warranty.

Testing the unit consisted of an initial discharge cycle followed by a complete charge. Input power over time when charging was recorded. The unit was again discharged using an AC load at full inverter capacity. The energy provided, in Wh, when compared to the initial charge, gives an idea of the overall efficiency of the power station.

70MAI HIKER 400: DESIGN

The unit ships with a 90W power adapter, a car charger, and a user manual. A curved handle at the top makes carrying the Hiker 400 around easy but renders storing the unit more cumbersome.

HIKER 400: SPECIFICATIONS

• Battery Chemistry: Lithium NCM
• Battery capacity: 378Wh
• Number of charge cycles: Over 1000
• AC output power: 400W, Surge to 800W
• DC output power: 254W
• Number of AC outlets: 2
• Number of DC outlets: 5
• AC inverter efficiency: 74%
• Number of power inputs: 3
• Fastest charge time: 4 hours
• Additional features: Bluetooth LE, Flashlight, ECO mode
• Weight: 3.9kg
• Volume: 7.7L
• Price: $399

A curved top also means losing the ability to place items like smartphones on a flat surface. The unit is well constructed with quality material. Four rubber pads on the bottom prevent the station from moving when cables are connected. The unit measures 22cm x 17.7cm x 19.7cm for a weight of 3.9kg.

The front panel holds the user interface. A high-contrast segmented LCD shows easy-to-understand information while reducing power consumption. The power gauge is displayed centrally. Input and output power and other measurements have a reasonable one-second refresh rate. Icons for Bluetooth, Eco-mode, and timer indicate what features are enabled.

Five push buttons control the unit. The Power and Function buttons are dual-purpose. A long press on Power will turn the unit on or off, while a short press on Function enables the Eco-mode. A long press on Function places the unit in Bluetooth pairing. The remaining three buttons activate electrical sockets or the flashlight. All push buttons light up when active.

The Hiker 400 supports three charging modes totaling 120W of input power. The most convenient charging method remains through the USB Type-C socket, but it takes four hours to complete. The Anderson and 5525 DC inputs both support 12V or 24V, which makes it easy to use a 100W solar panel. The supplied 19V 90W power adapter will take the longest time to charge.

The station provides four USB sockets. A single Type-C socket supports the power distribution mode of up to 100W. In addition, three USB-A sockets offer 5V for a maximum power of 18W. The other DC outputs are a 5521 and a carport, supplying the same regulated 13.6V supply at 10A. Two 120V AC outputs supply 400W under regular operation and can boost to 800W for short durations.

70MAI HIKER 400: IN USE

The 70mai mobile app, available for Android and Apple phones, enables the station’s remote control but requires registration. Installation of the Hiker 400 is easy thanks to clear on-screen instructions. Two icons representing the Bluetooth and smartphone modes appear on the LCD, indicating that the app is connected to the station. Turning off the station does not disconnect the Bluetooth.

With features such as an Economic mode and a power passthrough, the Hiker 400 makes the most out of its small footprint. In the Economic mode or Eco, the station turns off unused outputs after a predefined time. The power passthrough uses the DC input to power devices connected to the station, bypassing the Lithium battery and reducing its wear.

The power station was tested using programmable AC and DC loads to get its overall efficiency. Ideally, this should be 100%, but due to the heating of internal parts and using an active cooler, this number oscillates around 80%. The Hiker 400 earns a respectable 85% when using the DC output, which decreases to 75% in AC mode. The difference is explained by having the fan operating when using the AC inverter. The noise level of the fan at one meter is around 45 dB.

70MAI HIKER 400: THE COMPETITION

Portable power stations capable of less than 1000W used to be rare, their primary purpose being as an emergency power source on the road or at home. The Hiker 400 is ideal for this situation with its small volume and lightweight. The battery chemistry works down to -10 degrees Celsius, making it hard to use on cold winter days.

The Bluetti EB3A is the power station to beat with a price similar to the Hiker 400. Equipped with Bluetooth, it lacks an Anderson input, which limits the type of solar panel it can work with, and more importantly, the battery is limited to 268Wh.

70MAI HIKER 400: FINAL VERDICT

The Hiker 400 provides good battery capacity and inverter power in a small volume. The unit’s versatility is on full display thanks to the Bluetooth low-energy connection. It is an excellent feature since the device rarely loses connection with a paired smartphone. The well-designed mobile app also stands out with no bugged functionality. At 75% in AC mode, the system’s overall efficiency is what one can expect at this price point.

The battery chemistry could be better, but an NMC type still provides at least two years of full capacity, even with daily charge and discharge cycles. Although we liked the passthrough feature, it could have been better as the power is limited to 120W. Having an external power adapter is also something competition tries to avoid as it means an extra item to carry around.

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Feel limited by your laptop’s screen size? The Portable Monitor Flex 14 in offers a quick and easy way to expand your desktop real estate.

The Portable Monitor Flex 14in stands out with a premium build and versatile triple-monitor setup, accommodating 11″ to 18″ laptops. Quick to install and compatible with various systems, it offers solid 1080p performance, good colour rendition, and excellent image quality.

Pros

• +Simple to use
• +Solid build and high-quality materials

Cons

1. -Limited to 1080p resolution
2. -sRGB Colour space
3. -Heavy

THE PORTABLE MONITOR FLEX 14IN: ONE-MINUTE REVIEW

One of the biggest issues with working on a laptop is the relatively small screen size. Even with a larger 16″ screen, the actual real estate quickly disappears as soon as you open more than one window or app. The solution is The Portable Monitor Flex 14in, which is quite unlike any other compact portable monitor.

Firstly, the build quality is designed to partly match the space grey and metal casing of the best MacBook Pro laptops, a design also reflected in many PC laptops. However, while it tries to blend in colour and material with Apple’s design ethos, it doesn’t quite match the quality of Apple’s product design. That’s not to say it’s not well-made; it’s just not as refined as you’d expect from an Apple product

However, it is ingenious. It has dual monitors that fold out on either side of your MacBook 14in or any other laptop, as long as the laptop has a USB Type-C port to connect the display. The power and monitor cable are combined, and if you need extra power, a second USB Type-C port on the monitor allows you to connect it directly to a portable power source or a wall socket.

On the first run with the monitor, a few drivers are needed to ensure the smooth operation of the monitors. Thankfully, The Portable Monitor includes a USB key with all the drivers needed for Mac, PC, and Android, as well as cables.

Once installed, you can connect the monitor and run both monitors from that single cable. This setup does increase the drain on your battery, but you can plug in an external power source if needed.

The OSD menu offers many adjustments over brightness, contrast, sharpness, and other settings. You can also adjust directly through your normal computer settings.

We’ve tested plenty of the best monitors for MacBook Pro, and we can say the quality of the display is excellent in use. On the other hand, this needs to be considered a secondary and tertiary display, especially for MacBooks with their P3 color space and high resolutions. However, the display quality is great and ideal for positioning palettes, browsers, Word documents, and music players that usually get hidden away.

The other major benefit is the articulation of the screens, allowing you to position them in a triangle, so if you’re in a meeting, you can flip the screens around so that people on your left and right can see what you’re discussing.

Overall, it’s a great product, not quite as refined in design as some of the best portable monitors we’ve tried, and the displays should be seen as secondary if you work in the creative sector due to the 1080p resolution and maximum sRGB colour space. However, when it comes to functionality, especially for expanding your workspace and whenever you need to show what you’re doing to others, the flexibility in the positioning of the monitors and the increased workspace is a huge benefit.

THE PORTABLE MONITOR FLEX 14IN: PRICING AND AVAILABILITY

How much does it cost?

$599 / £476

When is it available?

Now

Where can you get it?

It is available for sale in the US, UK and Australia

The Portable Monitor Flex 14in is widely available and can be brought directly from the official website.

Designed as a fold-out monitor system to complement your laptop, the Portable Monitor Flex 14in consists of three sections that fold out, with two monitors attached to a central stand.

The whole unit is made from decent-quality metal that reflects that of the Space Grey MacBook Pros. The build is solid enough, with thick hinges on the monitors that enable the screens to adapt to laptops from 13″ to 16″ without issue, even though the monitor is designed for 14″ screened laptops.

While the overall build is good, there’s a lack of precision, and the finesse of good product design seems to be missing. The component parts are all there, and it does work well, but when folded, there’s space and flex between each of the folded sections where you really feel it should all lay flat. Likewise, the metal stand that folds out is good and solid, but again, there’s some flex when it’s packed away rather than sitting flush in its recess.

In use, the stand folds out, and then the two monitors fold out so that a laptop can be slipped in between the two monitors. The large hinges can then be adjusted to accommodate the size of the monitor that your laptop has. Once all is in position, the USB cable can be attached directly to power and connect the laptop to the monitor.

While these days we’re used to plug and play, it should be noted that before this monitor system can be used, you’ll need to install the drivers. Thankfully, these come in the box with the monitor and take only a few moments to install. Once in place, you can then plug in the monitor and start to configure the screens as needed. On a Mac, this involves delving into the screen options and arranging the monitors so that one sits on the left and the other on the right of the laptop screen, all nice and easy.

Using the Portable Monitor Flex as a triple monitor system is just one use for this device. An equally useful use is in meetings where others need to view your screen. Rather than crowding around, you can fold the Portable Monitor Flex 14in into a triangle of monitors behind your laptop screen, meaning that if you and your colleagues are sitting around a table, you can all view what’s going on. Effectively, then, it’s one of the best monitors for a dual set-up (or even a triple set-up).

Finally, if you just need one monitor rather than two, a quick tap of the mode button allows you to switch one of the screens off or position it in portrait orientation, which can be useful for reviewing documents and content online.

THE PORTABLE MONITOR FLEX 14IN: PERFORMANCE

The initial setup is quite straightforward, with the dual monitor folding out and supported by the stand at the back. The design allows for several usage configurations: as an extension of your laptop’s screen with one on either side, as a triangle of screens behind your laptop screen for others to view your work, or as a single vertical or horizontal screen.

Each configuration can be quickly switched between, with the metal build and large solid hinges providing plenty of flexibility for easy adjustment and positioning. Before you plug in for the first time, the monitor’s software driver needs to be installed. This one-time procedure takes just a couple of minutes and is extremely straightforward, although it is unusual in today’s plug-and-play environment.

As you switch between the different configurations, the screen modes can be selected using the on-screen displays, with = and + symbols on each monitor, allowing you to adjust and change the settings as needed. Likewise, all the usual options and settings are available through the laptop’s OS. By default, the monitors are set to a low resolution, so increasing this to the maximum 1080p is one of the first adjustments that should be made.

Once set up, the screens perform well with a clear, crisp image and plenty of adjustment over the colour and tone. Although the monitor can only display sRGB, it can be adjusted to match well with the MacBook Pro’s monitor. However, the quality of the output means they are great for office documents, browsing the internet, and displaying palettes. Still, they should be avoided for tasks requiring precise colour or tone adjustments.

Overall, the monitors are easy to use, and the additional workspace is definitely a huge advantage. However, if you’re considering this as a screen extension for use on a train, the size—both packed away and when folded out and in use—is a bit obstructive. This solution is more suited for hot desking, moving between offices, or having meetings where flexibility is needed. They’re a great idea and work well in the right environments. The screen quality is good but should not be seen as on par with a P3 high-resolution MacBook screen. These are fine for document review and screen expansion but not for tasks that require absolute colour accuracy.

SHOULD I BUY THE THE PORTABLE MONITOR FLEX 14IN?

The initial idea of this dual-screen system, which sandwiches your laptop screen between two 14″ monitors, sounds and looks great, and in practice, it does work well. However, while the quality of the materials and manufacturing is good, the precision of the product design is somewhat lacking, and this is something that carries through in its use.

Unlike many devices that are simply plug and play, this monitor requires drivers to be installed for use, an unusual step in today’s world. However, once the drivers are installed, everything else is straightforward with an easy setup and connection.

In use, these monitors really come into their own, and through the test, I’ve used them to display emails, music, palettes, and 3D slicer applications, while I’ve used the main laptop screen for tasks that require color accuracy and higher resolutions.

The fact that these have a color space of sRGB and a maximum resolution of 1080p isn’t an issue in practice, and the extra screen space they provide is a huge benefit for all sorts of situations. However, the size and design of the Flex 14″ portable monitor mean that these are not something I would use on a day-to-day basis if I was traveling around or to be used on a train or similar. However, if I was going to a meeting where I knew others would need to see the screen or was hot-desking, then these would be a huge benefit. Overall, it’s a great product, with the feeling that a little more finesse in the product design would elevate this to an absolute essential for many.

Buy it if…

You’re a frequent traveller and multitasker – If you often work remotely and juggle multiple applications, the Portable Monitor Flex 14″ enhances productivity by expanding your digital workspace with its dual-screen setup.

You’re a meeting maestro – Perfect for professionals who present or collaborate in meetings. The monitor’s ability to configure into a triangle view makes sharing your screen with colleagues seamless and effective.

Don’t buy it if…

You’re an aesthetics aficionado – If design precision and a high-end look are paramount to you, the Flex 14’s lack of design refinement compared to premium products like Apple’s may be disappointing.

You’re a resolution and color critic – If your work requires ultra-high resolution and precise colour accuracy, the 1080p sRGB screen of the Flex 14″ may not meet your professional standards.

The post The Portable Monitor Flex 14-inch Review appeared first on Review Products.

Sorry, Apple fans, but the iPhone 13 Pro Max is no longer the best iPhone on the market – you’re going to want to upgrade to the newer iPhone 14 Pro Max for that. The new device has an always-on display, 48MP main camera, no notch and newer chipset, making for an all-around better package.

That’s not to say the 14 Pro Max’s predecessor is bad, though. It’s got incredible battery life, cameras that can do pretty much anything you’d need on a smartphone, and is available in a range of muted, but classy, colors. Simply put, this is one of the leading contenders for the best smartphone in the world right now.

It now also appears with a 1TB storage option (not available on the iPhone 12), so if you’re a budding (or professional) film maker, you can fill this handset with content to your heart’s content.

It’s also got a ‘Pro’ price, starting at $1,099 / £1,049 / AU$1,849 and going all the way up to $1,599 / £1,549 / AU$2,719.

Yes, it’s a bit of a tired trope to moan about how expensive the iPhone can get at the top end, but Apple has charged top dollar for its best iPhone year on year, and yet they still remain among the most popular models, meaning ‘too expensive’ is starting to become rather subjective when it comes to reviewing.

That said, if you’re considering the iPhone 13 Pro Max then you’re probably after the best iPhone, and in that case you might want to wait a little longer, as we’re expecting to see the iPhone 14 Pro Max along with the rest of the iPhone 14 line on September 7. That’s sure to be an upgrade in a number of ways, and even if it doesn’t appeal it’s likely to mean price drops for this model.

In any case, ‘best’ is heavily subjective here, but if you can handle the gargantuan proportions of a phone with a 6.7-inch screen, then this is easily the best iPhone Apple has ever made… until the aforementioned iPhone 14 makes an appearance.

The design is almost identical to that of the 12 Pro Max that appeared in 2020, with the flat, industrial-looking stainless steel frame surrounding the massive OLED screen.

The large camera protrusion at the rear is noticeable (and it now sticks out even further to enable greater photography prowess). The new Pro comes in a fetching Sierra Blue too this year, which is a nice-looking, powdery color to enjoy.

The screen has been improved to not only include a 120Hz refresh rate, called ProMotion (which iPhone users have been asking for for years, but which to our eyes adds very little) but also higher maximum brightness and a smaller notch.

The shrinking of the notch is good, but it’s not game-changing – Apple needs to shrink it out of existence. However, the overall screen quality is stunning, whatever you’re looking at.

The key thing you’d buy the iPhone 13 Pro Max for, in our opinion, is its battery life. Apple has improved this again over the 12 Pro Max, which offered pretty good longevity, to the point where it’s no longer an issue.

Most of the time we’d make it into a second day before needing a charger, and even on a day of high-intensity use it was around 9pm before the phone totally died.

It remains a shame that Apple doesn’t bundle its higher-power iPhone charger in the box, though, so you’ll need to pay $19 / £19 / AU$29 for that speedy juicing.

The cameras, as we’ve alluded to, enable you to take a huge variety of snaps in a wider range of scenarios than ever. Apple has made a big deal about adding improved low-light capability and Night Mode to all of the three 12MP sensors on the rear, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max also comes with a nifty macrophotography mode.

This means the handset will automatically shift to the ultrawide camera when you get close to objects, and the effects are stellar.

Apple has balanced an impressive amount of power with ease of use, so you can take great snaps in auto mode, but you’re also easily able to play around with various settings for a more hands-on experience.

However, we’re not taken with the new Cinematic mode, which will automatically shift focus depending on where people are looking – it’s cool, but it doesn’t really add much.

Finally, another reason to save up and buy the iPhone 13 Pro Max is its performance – it’s ridiculously powerful, and is able to play games to a high graphical standard and perform intensive tasks like encoding video at a pretty nifty rate.

Most people buying this phone will never scratch the surface of what it can truly do, but videographers will really appreciate the increased storage, the number of shooting options and speed at which it can process edits.

Want more than a two-minute review? Read on to find out how the iPhone 13 Pro Max performed in our in-depth testing – the results of our battery life and camera tests in particular are pretty impressive.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max was unveiled on September 14, and you’ve been able to buy the handset from September 24.  The 13 Pro Max is the most expensive iPhone you can buy right now, with the cheapest model (128GB of storage) costing $1,099 / £1,049 / AU$1,849.

The 256GB model costs $1,199 / £1,149 / AU$2,019, the 512GB variant costs $1,399 / £1,349 / AU$2,369, and the 1TB model costs $1,599 / £1,549 / AU$2,719.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a 1TB smartphone, but it is the first time Apple has offered that much storage – and it’s going to cost you, so think carefully about whether you really need that much space.

Really, 1TB is only for those who are going to be using the iPhone 13 Pro Max for movie making and generating reams of 4K video at 60 frames per second, or thousands of maximum-resolution photos; most people won’t need more than 512GB.

Compare the best iPhone 13 Pro Max deals available

Design – more of the same

We’ll get this out of the way now: if you’re looking at the iPhone 13 Pro Max as your next phone, you surely have to know you’re getting a massive handset. And it is massive. This is not a phone for those wanting something that you can wrap a hand around or even reach a thumb the whole way across – you want screen, you want battery, and you’re ready to sacrifice the feel in the hand for it.

Let’s start by looking at how it’s put together. The stainless steel outer band, first seen on the iPhone 12 range last year, is back again, aping the design of the iPad Pro range for the last few years.

Even after a year, we’re still missing the curved back of the previous iPhone models, first seen on the iPhone 6. Yes, there’s a nice grippiness to the sharper, more industrial-looking edges of the new iPhone 13 Pro Max, and change is always welcome in the world of smartphone design, but it just feels less comfortable to hold.

Speaking of comfort, while we assume that you’re okay with the idea of the larger handset if you’re plumping for the iPhone 13 Pro Max, unless you’ve got very large hands it can be a bit of a challenge to wield.

We’ve noticed that using the phone for extended periods can stretch the fingers a little further than normal, and that can lead to some slight aches; our digits adapted over time, but it’s worth being aware of if you’ve decided you just want ‘that iPhone with the really long-lasting battery’.

The Lightning connector remains at the base of the phone, flanked by the speaker (well, one of them – the other is in the earpiece, and does a thoroughly good job of dispensing sound when you’re watching movies or listening to music).

While there would be numerous advantages to Apple switching the iPhone to USB-C at the bottom (faster charging and data transmission for one) it would clearly incur the wrath of a lot of people with iPhone chargers kicking around, so the miss isn’t really that strongly felt at this time.

We were sent the Sierra Blue version of the iPhone 13 Pro Max and, like the other colors in the range (graphite, gold and silver), it’s on the muted side to allow those who need to do more ‘professional’ things (like carry briefcases and have a weekly lunch with Tomi from Accounts) to have the phone in meetings and the like.

The blue is a strong addition to the line-up in the iPhone Pro range, but despite the phone having Apple’s super-tough Ceramic Shield on the front, we would still suggest you pop this thing in a case.

We still managed to dull the edges off the iPhone 12 Pro Max, as well as scratching the front screen, over the course of a few months’ use – so while the 13 Pro Max is a more robust phone than iPhones from years ago, we still think it’s worth protecting your investment.

MagSafe, the magnetic connection on the back of the new iPhone range that allows you to wirelessly connect chargers and other accessories, also returns – and it’s becoming more of a selling point.

We’re still not seeing swathes of MagSafe accessories on the market just yet, but that makes sense given that, other than the new iPhones, only the iPhone 12 range supports it.

Now there are four more phones that use MagSafe, expect more cases, stands, controllers and gimbals to appear – and it’s really cool to just slip on the round metal disc and see your phone start charging instantly.

iPhone 13 Pro Max Display – Brighter, But 120Hz Misses

There are three key changes to the 6.7-inch display on the iPhone 13 Pro Max that are worth discussing: the smaller notch, a screen that refreshes at up to 120Hz (meaning smoother scrolling and transitions throughout) and improved brightness when frolicking outdoors in the sunny sunshine.

The reduced size of the notch is the most obvious of the three, and while it’s welcome it doesn’t really change a lot in terms of the iPhone design – there’s still a notch encroaching on your movies and games, where other brands are playing with smaller punch-holes and even completely invisible cameras.

That said, we’re not saying the notch is without its merits – when you find that you’re able to unlock your phone with your face from a surprising angle (where you think ‘surely it can’t pick my face up from here’), you can forgive the need for multiple sensors to be wedged in at the top of the screen.

We’d like to see Apple miniaturize this a little more though, and get the cameras and sensors into the rim of the phone – or at least let us see the battery percentage shown constantly, rather than having to swipe down. When we heard word of a smaller notch coming, we had hoped that the little beacon of battery life would be a constant option, but sadly no.

Apple’s 120Hz display technology is called ProMotion, and has been used on the iPad Pro range for years. It’s surprising that it’s taken this long to appear on an iPhone, simply because the technology clearly exists within Apple, and because most rivals have had it on flagship and even some mid-range phones for a while now.

However, we can also see why Apple has eschewed its presence until now – it comes at the cost of battery life, and, to our eyes, doesn’t always add a lot to the browsing experience.

A quick explainer if you need it: the refresh rate is the amount of time your screen will show a new image per second – 120Hz means you’ll see 120 images per second, which means that scrolling a web page or flipping through Twitter will be smoother.

However, often you don’t need that high refresh rate if you’re just looking at a static image, so Apple has made the feature dynamic, with the phone intelligently deciding the refresh rate, and dropping down to 10Hz when needed to save battery life.

A 120Hz display is definitely a luxury extra rather than a must-have feature, and in our scrolling tests we noticed that things didn’t always look that much smoother compared to the screen on the 11 Pro Max – when you peer closely you can see the difference, but in reality it isn’t a huge change.

What was noticeable was that the screen scrolled in a far more ‘stable’ way, meaning that our finger flicks were far more accurate, and we didn’t send the rows of text flying around with the merest quiver of a digit. Text was also clearer as it flew by, showing that there is a benefit here, even if it’s a modest one.

While we have called this a luxury feature, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is presented as one of the most luxurious phones on the market, so a 120Hz screen is something that Apple really should have added by now, and its presence feels more like a box-tick than an impressive new feature.

Another purported advantage of a 120Hz screen is for gaming – the increased frame rate is supposed to yield superior play thanks to smoother motion and the ability to react that much quicker in games – but quite honestly, we couldn’t see a difference compared to older screens.

We chose Aldo’s Odyssey and Grid Autosport to test the feature out, and both looked – and played – identically to on the 11 Pro Max, with the smoothness and graphical performance appearing to be exactly the same.

Do 120Hz Refresh Rates Matter?

Don’t get us wrong, it looks good, but it’s hard to see what 120Hz is adding here other than a touch more fluidity. Developers will likely need to optimize some games to make full use of the slickness of 120Hz, so perhaps that’s what we’re seeing here – we’ve asked for more clarification.

Apple is also touting greater outdoor brightness on the iPhone 13 Pro Max, with higher peak levels of 1200 nits (read: brighter than a lot of other smartphones out there). Compared to the 11 Pro Max, it was easier to see what was on the screen in brighter conditions, although it’s still something of a squint-fest when you’re trying to watch a movie in direct sunlight.

However, that screen brightness increase makes the 13 Pro Max more usable than any iPhone before it and a good example of Apple focusing on the changes that really will make a difference in day-to-day use.

Underpinning all these changes is the fact the iPhone 13 Pro Max has a stunning OLED display, with incredibly rich color reproduction and great use of things like Dolby Vision playback for when you want to watch movies with that extra level of detail and clarity.

The effect is pretty stunning – even though it’s not that new, as the iPhone and many other smartphones have had great screens for many years – and it’s worth remembering that you’re getting a phone that’s a genuine alternative to watching on the big screen when it comes to quality.

We noticed that Apple’s changes to the brightness of the screen are minor, but noticeable when you place the iPhone 13 Pro Max alongside an older phone. Interestingly Apple has wandered more towards more saturated colors with the latest display – particularly when showing off red elements of the image.

This is something that Samsung has always been famed for, so it’s intriguing to see Apple decide to add a little more artificial ‘pop’ to its displays with the iPhone 13 Pro range.

Battery Life – Finally Good

Let’s not beat around the bush here – you’ve already seen us say it, but the battery life of the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the biggest reason why you’d buy this phone.

Sure, you like the larger display to watch all your fancy movies and TikTok clips on, but in reality the notion of owning an iPhone with actually decent battery life is going to attract hordes of people to this model.

Why is everyone proclaiming that the iPhone 13 Pro Max battery life is so good? Well, it just feels robust. On a day of ‘middling’ use – mostly consisting of web browsing and music streaming over Wi-Fi, with three trips out for running and picking up kids from school – we took the phone off charge at 7:30am, and only managed to kill it by 4am the next day by downloading two huge games… that’s 35 hours of battery life.

We performed a side-by-side test with the iPhone 11 Pro Max, starting with both phones at 100% battery, streaming two hours and 20 minutes of YouTube on full brightness. The older model (which, we must stress, has been used for over a year, so there will be some battery degradation) fell to 81% in that time, where the new Pro Max only dropped to 91%.

Even if you were feeling generous to the older iPhone, that’s a massive gulf in battery management.

We’re not claiming that the iPhone 13 Pro Max has bulletproof battery life – on a super-hard day of testing, which saw us using the camera for hours, running around with Spotify playing in the background, and going in and out of signal, making phone calls, running a YouTube test and generally fiddling about with the phone, we only managed to get 14 hours of use before reaching for the charger.

But don’t get us wrong: in day-to-day use, you’ll regularly find that you’ve got a good third of the battery left by the time you go to bed, even with a few heavier tasks like music streaming or navigating using Google Maps for a few hours, so you’re less likely to need a power bank with this new phone.

In our lab testing we saw a score of 12 hours and 16 minutes for continuously browsing the web over a 5G connection until the battery was flat, which is pretty impressive, and the best we’ve seen from a flagship phone – the handsets that have performed better are usually cheaper phones that don’t have things like fast-charging capability.

Oh, while we’re on that subject… we’re still strongly of the opinion that Apple is being unfair by not including a charging block in the box with the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Yes, it definitely does save on waste from people having unnecessary chargers when many iPhone users likely have a few Lightning leads kicking around.

We also get why there’s a USB-C to Lightning cable in the box – so that users can connect easily to one of the new MacBooks or other laptops on the market. But that lead also facilitates the faster charging this phone is capable of, meaning you’ll want to buy the 20W charging block to get that sweet juice into your phone quickly.

It would be better if Apple gave you the option of whether or not to have a charger at purchase – either giving you a small discount for not having one, or just a general sense of being a good person and helping the planet. (Although, in fairness, keeping the cost of the phone the same as last year is a pretty good move when there are some decent hardware upgrades in the mix).

Why would you want that faster charger? Well, if you suddenly remember that you’re useless at life and have let your phone run out of battery, we found that in 15 minutes we could replenish the phone to a third full – enough for up to 10 hours of use, based on our testing.

Another 15 minutes on the charger got the phone up to 53%, showing that the fast charger is definitely worth it. However, the rate of charging slows down after that, with the phone getting to around 80% after an hour, and then requiring another 80 minutes to get to 100%.

The larger iPhones have always been the longest-lasting in each range, obviously, but this battery performance is a level above for a phone made by Apple.

It finally removes ‘Yes, but it hasn’t got very good battery life’ from the equation if you’re deciding between Apple and Android devices, as it’ll be more than serviceable for anyone who regularly charges nightly, and will save the bacon of those ‘forgetful chargers’ who don’t top up each night and then constantly pester you for a charger.

Camera – Making Tiny Things Amazing

While we think the battery life is the real selling point of the iPhone 13 Pro Max, a close second is the camera offering – while the improvements here are only tweaks from the iPhone 12 Pro Max, those tweaks are useful and impressive in a number of ways and make it one of the best camera phones around.

Let’s run through the changes quickly: the main camera (which Apple calls the Wide camera, confusingly) has a 12MP sensor, with larger 1.9μm pixels placed on the largest sensor Apple’s ever put in a smartphone in order to absorb even more light, which combined with an f/1.5 aperture enables you to capture some seriously impressive low-light images, as you’ll see in the samples below.

The Ultra Wide sensor (which zooms out from the main image) has also been upgraded – the megapixel count here is also 12MP which is the same as last year, but it now packs Apple’s Night Mode functionality, with the phone able to take some breathtaking photos in near-pitch black situations, as long as you’re able to hold the handset perfectly still for the necessary amount of time.

The Telephoto lens, the one that can zoom in on distant objects, has been upgraded to be able to zoom in three times optically – meaning that it’s physically magnifying the image, rather than doing so digitally and creating a grainier shot. That’s a useful addition, but it’s a shame you can’t also do 2x zoom optically – as sometimes that would be preferable.

Sadly, the zoom distance is fixed, so you’ll need to make do – although the iPhone’s chipset does a pretty good job of cleaning up the digital zoom.

When it comes to the quality of the photos the iPhone 13 Pro Max is capable of producing day to day, there’s a clear and obvious improvement over last year’s model.

What’s interesting is that it appears to be in the processing of images that the improvements have been made – in some shots the subject was clearer and brighter where a strong backlight was present (which is tricky to manage on a smartphone camera), while in others it was clear that the 13 Pro Max had decided to darken the photo in order to preserve more detail.

This is useful to prevent overexposure, and leads to more attractive shots overall – although the improvements aren’t huge over the 12 Pro Max, or even the 11 Pro Max, they’re noticeable and welcome.

Macrophotography

One of the key changes to the iPhone 13 Pro Max camera setup comes in the shape of the new macrophotography mode, which activates instantly when you move the phone closer to a subject. It’s quite a jarring jump, but suddenly a world of blur becomes clear, and you can take some fantastic pictures.

In fact, it’s only the shadow of the phone falling on some subjects, due to the camera being so close, that causes any issue with the photos – we took some stunning snaps, and we can see the macro mode being something we play with for hours, as all kinds of subjects can look fascinatingly different when viewed ultra-close.

Low-light and Night Mode

Apple has improved all three rear camera sensors for the iPhone 13 Pro Max to make them more effective in low light, and the results are pretty spectacular in a number of ways.

The first is that, generally, low-light shots (not using the long-exposure, hold-still method of Night Mode) look far brighter. Everything we shot looked clear, sharp and bright, and while there was a fair amount of grain in images we definitely got the best low-light photos we’ve seen from any iPhone.

This is partly to do with the new sensor, but also the use of the LiDAR function (which uses lasers to spot where surfaces are) as well as excellent stabilization on board – these mean that the autofocus was superb and sometimes yielded photos that looked brighter than the subject did in real life without losing definition to keep the shutter open for longer.

a night scene of a garden, with trees at the top and sweeping lawn

One interesting quirk of the multi-lens setup of the new phone: in low light, the iPhone 13 Pro Max once again, when using the telephoto lens and instead of using the optical sensor, defaults to the main wide camera and crops in digitally.

It’s not a huge issue, as the picture quality still gets processed to a decent level, but it’s annoying that it’s not highlighted in the process, and Apple has been doing this for years now.

The other enhancement the new, more sensitive sensor has brought with it is that Night Mode doesn’t activate as often. While the results from Night Mode can be incredible (see the samples below) it’s annoying to have to hold the phone steady for a second or two when you just want to take a quick snap in the evening, and the new sensor often negates the need for that.

Photographic Styles

We were surprised when Apple came out with Photographic Styles as a Big New Feature () on the iPhone 13 range – while there are five pre-programmed settings (standard, rich contrast, vibrant, warm and cool) to make the image more vibrant or alter the color temperature, we didn’t see how this was really different from a filter.

But what’s actually happening here is that the color and contrast of the photo are being altered when you take it, rather than an effect being applied post-capture, and which you can undo.

This means you can choose to shoot in richer contrast every time if that’s your style, or take a set of photos that are a little less warm if that’s what the project calls for.

It’s more akin to the photo style options on DSLRs and mirrorless cameras than an Instagram filter, and, while we didn’t really use it that much, it does add another interesting new layer of functionality.

Cinematic Mode

Apple’s other new feature is Cinematic Mode, where the ‘rack focus’ (as in, which part of the shot in a movie is in focus) will change automatically depending on where the focus of the viewer should be.

This means that if the protagonist in your movie looks at someone else and stops speaking, the focus will shift to them and blur out the original speaker- it certainly looks dynamic and more movie-like. You can even alter the focus after the movie has been taken in the on-phone editing suite, if someone speaking doesn’t quite look as sharp as you want.

You might assume that this is a mode designed for professionals so that they don’t have to worry about rack focus when shooting movies, but given that it’s also appearing on the regular iPhone 13 and 13 mini, as well as the 13 Pro, it’s clear that this isn’t exclusively a pro feature, and something the everyday user can play with.

While it’s a fun tool, it seems odd that Apple’s made such a big deal of this. Yes, we can see that it will yield some cool videos if you want to film your friends talking about something or everyone having fun at a party, but that’s quite rare for home footage.

It feels more like you’d need to remember to use Cinematic Mode when the conditions are just right, where the focus of your movie is constantly shifting – and we’re not sure how often most people will make ‘proper’ movies’ at home, rather than just capturing a video of their dog doing a backflip for a treat or similar.

Portrait Mode

Another enhancement Apple has made is, once again, refining the background-blurring Portrait mode on both the front and back cameras.

The forward-facing TrueDepth camera can take some truly stunning selfies (well, subject dependent, of course…) and the blurred-background pictures you can get with the rear-facing camera was something we enjoyed playing with, getting some impressive shots.

It’s the foundational elements of the Portrait-mode shots that have been upgraded: the lighting is more natural, the lighting is more natural, and the depth-of-field or ‘bokeh’ effects have been improved so that the things that should be in focus are in focus – the edges of someone’s head for example (and even their stray hairs).

You can even use Portrait mode to capture stationary objects that aren’t human or animal – being able to a heavy depth of field to a trail or forest leads to some lovely pictures when you’re out and about.

We’re a bit sad that Portrait mode only works in 1x or 3x zoom though – on the 11 Pro Max, 2x zoom was the perfect length to capture a subject, and we found that we constantly had to move the camera forward and back to get the right image with the 13 Pro Max. The 12 Pro Max increased this to 2.5x zoom, but now we’ve gone even further.ProRAW

ProRAW is back again on the iPhone 13 Pro Max (and it’s now available on the iPhone 13 Pro too) – and it’s a bit of a gateway drug to ‘proper’ photography.

A quick overview: most phones shoot in the JPEG format, with images processed in-camera to tweak things like color and contrast, and do a jolly good job of it; however, the images are also compressed, and much of the image data discarded, which leaves you with less latitude to edit your shots later.

Most modern cameras also enable you to shoot in raw mode, which captures unprocessed and uncompressed (but very large) image files, giving you plenty of leeway to fine-tune the exposure, color, contrast and more in post-processing.

ProRAW gives you the best of both formats, allowing the user to get an enhanced and ready-to-go snap using the smarts of Apple’s A15 image processor, but retaining all the information to allow you to edit the photo afterwards if you want – this is easily doable in a program such as LightRoom, and we really enjoyed playing with the ability to raise or drop shadows and get some really cool extra effects by altering the exposure and sharpness, thanks to having more image data to play with..

iPhone 13 Pro Max photo showing a long forest trail

A ProRAW photo taken and edited on the iPhone itself from the inbuilt editing app (Image credit: TechRadar)

Now this really is the kind of thing that we’d expect from a ‘Pro’ handset, and it’s a feature that’s really fun to explore and play with.

Speaking of pro modes that videographers will want to use, there’s also ProRes support here, which is a high-quality, lossy video compression format that Apple created to let creative types manage video up to 8K, and which is used regularly throughout the industry now.

The inclusion of support for this format on an iPhone is going to be useful to those who want to shoot commercials or high-end video and send off the edited results from the field – that’s not something that most of us will do regularly, but such additions show that Apple wants to make it clear that the iPhone 13 Pro range is a step above the ‘basic’ models.

iOS 15 and Supreme Power

Apple is making some bold claims about the iPhone 13 Pro Max, selling it as one of the most powerful smartphones out there right now – and the claims seem pretty justified based on our testing.

While the numbers that we saw in our benchmarking absolutely back Apple up (and we’ll get onto that in a minute), the real-world performance is what matters. The ‘issue’ is that smartphones are already more than powerful enough to handle most things you want to throw at them, and the fact the 13 Pro Max is lightning-fast at switching between apps is no surprising thing.

When it comes to raw figures the results speak for themselves: this phone is twice as fast (nearly) at transcoding Adobe video from 4K to 1080p) as the 11 Pro Max, and a second faster than the 12 Pro Max from last year. Apple’s claims that the new A15 chipset is powering things along more efficiently than ever before really do stack up.

But we were surprised to see that some high-power games, like Grid Autosport, didn’t load that much faster – the game’s high levels of detail and graphical fidelity mean it’s going to take a few seconds to load on any device, but we expected it to be a lot quicker on the iPhone 13 Pro Max compared to a phone from two years ago.

That’s splitting hairs somewhat though, as there’s no doubt that when it comes to things like editing photos, saving video and performing the heavy tasks the iPhone 13 Pro Max is more than adept. In fact, it’s only bettered by the iPad Pro range in our testing – which is a far more expensive device, and arguably more likely to be picked up by those looking for a high-power device.

Let’s quickly look at those benchmarks: the iPhone 13 Pro Max scored far better in terms of framerate, multi-core capability and speed of video transcoding when compared to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra – almost twice as fast in some cases.

However, keeping in mind what we said above about real-world use, we wouldn’t read too much into that performance, as both phones operate sublimely well; but if you’re a creative looking for a phone that can help you record high-quality video or work on high-power tasks, this is your phone.

The upgraded iOS 15 is coming to most iPhones, so the new capabilities aren’t too much to get excited about on the new iPhone 13 Pro Max, as you can get the same tricks on older models.

That said, there are a few improvements that you can look forward to: the new Weather app is hugely enhanced, with more accurate location tracking, improved animations and things that are genuinely useful, like radar maps to show heat and rainfall patterns.

Apple is making a big deal about Focus Mode, which allows you to turn off certain distractions when you need them. This feels like a powerful tool, but in our testing we didn’t really get much from it. Perhaps it’s something that needs to be perfected over a few months, allowing you to work out who you want to hear from and in what scenarios, but we found we kept cancelling the settings.

Perhaps we just need more discipline here – but it would be nice to see a few more default modes, or more in-depth tutorials to see how useful this can be.

Another change that’s worth noting is to notifications – it’s great to be able to lump together non-time-sensitive updates, and only see them each morning and afternoon. We instantly found we didn’t care about most of them, and just switched them off in the menu, and having a moment to perform that cleaning was handy.

We do like the new ‘Cards’ used to show images in Messages too – it’s a small change, but they were fun to scroll through.

The post iPhone 13 Pro Max Review appeared first on Review Products.

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.

A fiery design and surprising gaming chops.

Even for Motorola, the champion of cheap Android phones, the Moto G84 is an above-average handset. It excels above its weight class for gaming power, its battery lasts ages, it has some surprisingly top-end features and, if those traits weren’t all enough, it comes in an eye-catching and vibrant red tone that we can’t get enough of.

Pros

• +Lively red color
• +Impressive performance for price
• +Snappy fingerprint scanner

Cons

• -Two other colorways are dull
• -Unimpressive cameras
• -Very similar to cheaper G73

MOTO G84 TWO-MINUTE REVIEW

Another day, another Moto G phone…

…and as usual, the Moto G84 is a surprisingly adept and reliable Android handset from one of the world’s most dedicated phone manufacturers, with Motorola continuing its forcible takeover of our round-up of the best cheap phones.

The latest entry in Motorola’s ever-growing G-line of low-cost mobiles, the G84 brings a few clear and concise arguments as to why it should be your next purchase, as well as a few wardrobes that it hopes you won’t be checking for skeletons.

First up, the Moto G84 is the company’s latest collaboration between Motorola and paint company Pantone, with one of its three colors designed by color experts. This is the Viva Magenta one that you can see pictured above, adorned in the shade that Pantone decided was its Color Of The Year 2023.

It’s a distinctive shade (which may put some people off), and we’re big enough fans to add the vibrant and striking look to the ‘Pros’ list above. But for some reason, Moto decided to release two other color options, silver and black, which look pretty boring by comparison.

We go from one of the phone’s touted selling points to something Motorola is barely mentioning: the G84 is a powerhouse for gaming. While I’ve been disappointed by other mobiles brandishing the same Snapdragon 695 chipset used here, the Moto chews through gaming and other intensive tasks. If you’re a gamer on a budget, this is definitely a solid pick.

It’s at this point in the review (less than a minute into the ‘two-minute review’, so pretty early on) that I should mention the Moto G73. This mobile, released in early 2023 and still ranged by most retailers including Moto itself, has lots of specs in common with the G84.

It has a lower price and the same camera array, same rough design, same software, same battery size, same charging speed and same screen size. Admittedly it’s screen quality is worse, it doesn’t have an under-display fingerprint scanner, it’s less powerful and it doesn’t catch the eye quite like this Viva Magenta-clad beast. But if you want to save some cash and don’t mind these tweaked features, it’s a very real competitor that may sway your attention.

‘Close competition’ is nothing new for Moto phones, given how many similar-looking budget mobiles it releases each year. Neither is my other major gripe with the handset: its cameras are anything but impressive, with photos that look a little dull and unexciting.

Picking up a Motorola phone and being surprised that its cameras aren’t amazing, is like picking up a dumbbell and being surprised it’s heavy – that trait is just par for the course. The cameras aren’t terrible either, they just won’t suit passionate smartphone-centric photographers.

And overall, the Moto G84 is a terribly impressive phone, when you consider its feisty look, gaming power and low price; it’ll just fit some users better than others.

MOTO G84 REVIEW: PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

• Released in September 2023
• Costs £249.99 (roughly $315, AU$475)
• Not for sale in US or Australia

The Moto G84 was released in the UK in mid-September 2023, after coming out in India and Europe in the weeks prior. It was joined by the low-end Moto G54 and premium-leaning Moto Edge 40 Neo.

You can pick up the phone for £249.99 (roughly $315, AU$475), which lodges it firmly in the category of ‘cheap Android phone’, perfect for people on a budget who want a reliable mobile. That’s Moto’s whole schtick, after all. There’s no information on a US or Australian launch, but they seem unlikely even several months after the phone’s release.

Rivals at that price include Samsung’s Galaxy A23 5G, Redmi’s Note 12 5G, OnePlus’ Nord CE 3 Lite and several of Motorola’s own mobiles, like the Moto G73 5G and Edge 40 Neo, which are all at roughly the same price point. But for its price and the performance it offers, the G84 is solidly good value.

Value score: 4 / 5

MOTO G84 REVIEW: SPECS

The Moto G84 has many traits in common with other budget phones, but it exceeds its class in a few areas too.

Moto G84 Specs:

• Dimensions: 160 x 74.4 x 7.6mm
• Weight: 166.8g
• Screen :6.5-inch 20:9 FHD+ (2400×1080) 120Hz p-OLED
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695
• RAM: 12GB
• Storage: 256GB
• OS: Android 13
• Primary camera: 50MP, f/1.9
• Ultra-wide camera: 8MP f/2.2
• Front camera: 16MP f/2.5
• Audio: Stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack
• Battery: 5,000mAh
• Charging: 30W wired
• Colors: Viva Magenta, Marshmallow Blue, Midnight Blue

MOTO G84 REVIEW:DESIGN

• Vibrant Pantone-designed red shell
• Repositioned under-display fingerprint scanner
• 3.5mm headphone jack and USB-C port

Motorola isn’t exactly in the business of revolutionizing smartphone design (well, at least for its budget mobiles, though you can say what you like about the Moto Razr). So if you’ve seen a Moto G in the last few years you’ve seen the G84.

It’s a standard Android mobile measuring 160 x 74.4 x 7.6 mm – a few years ago we could’ve called it “a little on the big side” though you could probably consider it average now. It’s surprisingly light at 166.8g, which means the phone sits a little comfier in the hand than most phones with a flat edge.

You’ve got the usual accouterments of a Moto: a USB-C port and 3.5mm headphone jack underneath, a power button and volume rocker on the right edge. But Motorola has made one big adjustment in its budget phones of late, and that’s in replacing the side-mounted fingerprint scanner with a more premium under-display one. And it’s a great change too, as unlocking the phone is much easier than in previous Motos. The scanner is a bit lower down the phone than on most others, but it’s something I got used to.

There are three different color options for the Moto G84: a silver and a black option, and also an eye-catching red version called Viva Magenta. This latter was created by paint company Pantone, and it’d make the phone very attractive if it wasn’t for the big Pantone-logo color swatch on the bottom. You can’t remove this, it’s part of the phone.

Still, if the G84 was in a line-up of 10 random other phones, it’d be the most attractive one the vast majority of the time – its red is a little richer than Apple’s Product Red and the glossy alternatives some Chinese phones offer.

In terms of protection, you’re looking at IP54: it’s partly dust proofed but not against all solids, and is splash-proof but can’t be dunked in water. That’s all to be expected at this price.

Design score: 3.5 / 5

MOTO G84 REVIEW: DISPLAY

• Big 6.5-inch screen
• FHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh
• Automatic brightness issues

The Moto G84 has a 6.5-inch display, which is pretty average for a smartphone these days, but the Moto’s specs are anything but average.

The phone packs an FHD+ display (that’s 1080 x 2400) and a 120Hz refresh rate, which means the display updates its image 120 times per second, over the old standard of 60Hz. Lots of budget mobiles tout this spec now but certainly not all of them, and it brings a marked improvement when you’re scrolling around the menus.

Another unusual trait is the use of the DCI-P3 color gamut with over 1 billion colors – this was designed for use in movies and it makes videos look that little bit better than on another budget phone.

One other display feature worth flagging is that the punch-hole that houses the front-facing camera is very small, reducing the amount of screen space you’re losing from it.

A small issue I had with the phone was with its display and the automatic brightness features. Often, the phone would default to a screen brightness that was just too low, and I frequently had to manually adjust it to be able to make out the display.

Display score: 3.5 / 5

MOTO G84 REVIEW: SOFTWARE

• Stock Android 13 is clean
• Useful Moto Actions return
• Plenty of customization options

When you boot up the Moto G84, it’ll come running stock Android 13 – that was the current OS when the mobile launched, though Android 14 started rolling out just weeks later. The G84 is only confirmed for one software update too, so Android 14 is all you’ll definitely get, though you’ll be able to enjoy at least three years’ security updates.

Stock Android is always fairly clean, at least compared to some other Android forks, but some bloatware has snuck into the Moto. There’s TikTok, LinkedIn and three simple games – it’s nothing too offensive, and if you’ve used one of the budget phones from another brand you might have used something a lot worse, but it’s still not ideal.

Moto phones have always been great for software customization, even before Google made it an official Android feature, and there’s no difference here. You have plenty of choice in terms of font, color scheme, icon shape, animations and more – if you like diving into the settings and then tweaking the nitty-gritty of how your phone looks, you’ll love this phone.

A returning feature exclusive to Moto phones are Moto Actions, which are easy navigation tricks that I find myself using a lot. Examples include a double karate-chop motion to quickly turn on the torch and a twisting shake to open the camera app. They take a little getting used to, but once you’ve got the knack for them, they’re incredibly handy.

Software score: 4 / 5

MOTO G84: CAMERAS

• 50MP main and 8MP ultra-wide cameras
• Some extra features like Spot Color
• 16MP front-facing camera for selfies

The camera department is an area that Motorola phones rarely excel in, and there’s no exception here. The phone uses up its ‘color’ budget on its exterior shell and there’s none left for its photos…

The main snapper is a 50MP f/1.9 unit and it’s joined by a single 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide companion. On the front, you’re looking at a 16MP f/2.5 selfie camera. That’s not exactly a revolutionary combo for Moto, which used the exact same line-up in the Moto G73 from earlier in the year.

Pictures taken on the main camera looked fine – that nondescript word is the best way to describe them – with fair sharpness but a lack of vibrancy or color that made me miss Samsung’s or Xiaomi’s handsets.

Flip onto the ultra-wide camera and you’re getting pretty grainy pictures – it’s an 8MP sensor, what did you expect – though not straight away. No, the secondary snapper was surprisingly slow to focus when I pressed the icon in the camera app, and I often found myself waiting a few moments for it to sharpen the image.

You can also use the ultra-wide camera for macro (close-up) shots, but this suffers from the issue that all wide-angle-macro phone photos do: it’s rounded and distorted thanks to the lens type. No thanks!

There’s no zoom lens on the Moto G84, so you have to use its 8x digital zoom to get closer to a subject. But I’d really recommend you don’t, unless you want your photo to be as grainy as spot art.

Grainy is also the word to use for pictures captured on the front camera, which is a surprising twist as some Motos redeem themselves on their selfie abilities. They’ll be fine for sending between phones, especially with bokeh working well in Portrait mode, but if you look at selfies on any bigger screen you’ll see the pixels clearly.

When capturing video, you can shoot at 1080p, with no 4K option. There’s also a slow-mo option as well as dual capture (front and back cameras at once) and Spot Color, which lets you isolate a single color in your recording. These latter two options are also available for photography.

MOTO G84: PERFORMANCE AND AUDIO

• Snapdragon 695 chip exceeds expectations
• 12GB RAM and 256GB storage
• 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth 5.1

The Moto G84 packs the Snapdragon 695, and anyone who’s used a phone using this chipset knows what to expect: fine everyday performance, but a lackluster showing when used for gaming or intensive processes. That’s how this exact same chip worked in the recent OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite, and gaming was a slog.

In a pleasantly surprising plot twist, the G84 bucks expectations: it runs a lot faster than you’d think. In fact, through our rigorous gaming tests, it proved itself as one of the most reliable low-budget phones for gaming.

When playing titles like Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG Mobile, the phone could be relied on to get through a match without lags, stutters or freezes – in fact, the G84 beat many gaming phones in that it didn’t even overheat!

This may be thanks to the 12GB RAM you’re getting, a surprising amount for a phone at this price. The 256GB storage is also laudable – this is a phone that’ll last you a long time, and even if you do manage to fill the device’s onboard storage, the microSD card slot will keep you going for even longer.

If you’re into your facts and figures, a benchmark test through Geekbench 6 returned a multi-core average score of 2,037. That middling score shows that this phone is no supercomputer that’ll land a spaceship on the sun or predict the future, but for the price, I was very surprised.

Onto audio – this is par for the course for a Moto phone. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired music and Bluetooth 5.1 for wireless. The onboard stereo speaker is nothing to write home about, but it’s not so tinny that voice calls or memos are affected.

Performance Score: 4 / 5

MOTO G84 REVIEW: BATTERY LIFE

• Large 5,000mAh battery
• Over a day’s use from a single charge
• 30W charging isn’t particularly fast

If there’s one thing a Motorola phone can be relied on to have, even more than a confusing name, great customization or that distinctive sound when you first boot it up, it’s a long-lasting battery life.

No surprise, then, that the Moto G84’s 5,000mAh battery lasts a long time. You can use it to get through a day of use with no issue, and in our tests it lasted well into a second day before the charging cable needed to come out.

That charging cable gets you powering at 30W, so it’s not particularly fast, not when rival budget mobiles hit 50W, 67W or higher. You’re looking at charging times just shy of an hour, or more if you’re using the thing as you power it.

There’s no wireless charging here, but at that price, no-one should be surprised.

Battery Score: 3.5 / 5

HOW I TESTED THE MOTO G84

Review test period = 2 week

Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback

Tools used = Geekbench 5, Geekbench 6, Geekbench ML, GFXBench, native Android stats

As you can tell from my review and the images, I tested the Moto G84 in its Pantone-endorsed Viva Magenta colorway. It felt fitting to test this festive-looking mobile during winter, hence the Christmas baking images!

Before true testing commenced I set up the phone to let the battery use settle, then used it as a standard mobile for two weeks. This included all the tasks you’d use your mobile for: social media, photography and streaming.

I also used it for gaming a lot. In fact, it was so snappy and fast for this task, alongside its lovely display, that I was loathe to move onto the next handset I’m testing for TechRadar!

My tech review history spans five years for TechRadar, and more for other brands. I used to work as an editor and writer for the site, covering phones, tablets and wearables (as well as a wide range of other gadgets), and continue to write freelance reviews across many types of gadget.

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