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Hands-on Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Higher-end features for all
3:20 pm | September 16, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Comments: Off

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation: Two-Minute Review

When they're in the ear, at first glance the Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation might not look much different to the third-generation AirPods. However, the design has been streamlined for a better fit, while the internal hardware has been upgraded, with many of the best features of AirPods Pro 2 trickling down to Apple's new entry-level earbuds, making them a tempting option among the best AirPods.

For one, both styles of AirPods 4 – these and the standard version, which don’t offer noise cancellation – are powered by the Apple-made H2 chip that stretches the battery life, delivers excellent audio playback, and provides enough horsepower for Apple to offer Adaptive Audio on the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. 

While it doesn't entirely block out the world around you in the way that the best noise cancelling earbuds do – remember these are open-ear earbuds – when paired with music, it can reduce loud rumbles, like a jet engine, down to a drastically reduced sound. 

I think folks who desire the ability to block out the world around them without fully sealing off the ear will find a nice middle ground here. The Transparency mode, as well as how these pick up the user's voice, is very well done and sounds incredibly natural.

You'll also be able to answer or decline calls with a shake of your head and press the stems for easy control, other than for adjusting the volume. Sadly, the ability to swipe to change the volume didn't trickle down from AirPods Pro 2. However, excellent audio quality with a wide soundstage did, and that's paired with support for Personalized Spatial Audio. 

Overall, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation make a bit more sense over the entry-level for the price and provide some future-proofing, but they also make an impact as powerful open-ear earbuds.

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Pricing and Availability

The Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are priced at $179 / £179 / AU$299. They're available from September 20th, 2024, though are available to order already. 

The $129 / £129 / AU$219 entry-level AirPods 4 do not offer noise cancellation, or, as their pricier siblings do, a Find My-enabled case and a couple of other features, but they still offer excellent audio quality and spatial audio support.

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Specs

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Features

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

Much like the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation, AirPods Max, or even the third-generation model that they replace, the AirPods 4 – with or without active noise cancellation – offer several useful features, which make them an excellent choice for anyone with an iPhone, or who’s otherwise invested in Apple’s device ecosystem.

After unboxing, you need to flip the lid open and hold the AirPods 4 near your iPhone to start the pairing process. You’ll see a prompt appear on the bottom half of your screen and can click ‘Connect’ to pair the AirPods 4 with your iPhone and your iCloud account for easy syncing between devices. I found that this process took just a few seconds to complete. 

Fast-pairing and quick switching between devices have long been staples of AirPods, with the former dating back to the first generation, and they perform well here. Right after pairing, I was able to begin listening on my iPhone, and I could quickly switch to listening to audio on a 14-inch MacBook Pro or an iPad. Apple’s various platforms will even automatically switch your AirPods between devices based on what you’re actively using or playing audio on,, but I found this to be a little less helpful. 

One very helpful feature here, though, is the arrival of gesture controls. First announced as an upgrade for the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation at Apple’s WWDC in June, these head gestures launch on day one with AirPods 4, allowing you to easily answer or dismiss a call with a simple head shake. Just in my few days of using the AirPods 4 this has come in handy several times, especially when my hands are full or I’m walking around town. It works for phone calls, FaceTime, and other calling apps that use Apple’s APIs.

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

Aside from nodding your head or saying “yes” or “no”, you can also press the stems, or press and hold, to trigger a few actions. A single press lets you play or pause, while a long press lets you select listening modes. While these open-ear earbuds won’t fully isolate you from your surroundings, the AirPods 4 offer active noise cancellation, transparency, and Adaptive Audio (blending those two) modes. You cannot, however, swipe or down on the stem to adjust the volume – the ability to do this on the AirPods Pro is super-handy, but seemingly, Apple wants to keep that feature for its flagship earbuds.

Apple’s H2 chip – the same chip found in AirPods Pro – powers all of these features, as well as the microphones, custom algorithms, and sensors. As I wrote in my hands-on review, after I tried the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation right after the launch event to quiet down a noisy space, they offer seriously impressive noise cancellation for open-ear earbuds or buds that don’t fully seal off the ear. In that space, with ANC engaged, the sound of the crowded space was muffled, and when music playback began, it was mostly quieted down.

On an airplane, it was much the same experience – you can get some peace and quiet with them, but they won't fully drown out the environmental noise as the AirPods Pro can. Part of this might be due to the fact that your body is feeling vibrations and wants to match them with sound, but I think another factor is that without the full seal and as you move your head, ambient sound has more opportunity to enter your ear. The result is that AirPods 4 block out most sound, but on an airplane – or a train – you’ll still hear the engine roar and even some cabin noise. Still, though, these effectively block out a lot of noise.

I’ve long thought that the AirPods Pro offered the best transparency mode, in which they intelligently let environmental sounds in and lower the decibels so as not to harm your ears. I think the AirPods 4 outpace those, though – with transparency mode enabled here, any sense of roboticness or noise being piped in is pretty much removed; with Conversation Awareness turned on, you can also effectively have conversations with folks quite naturally, at times even forgetting these are in your ears. Your own voice, or in this case my voice, sounds a bit more natural and less processed as well.

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Design

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation don’t stray too far from the working formula of Apple’s other true-wireless earbuds. They opt for short stems like the AirPods Pro or the AirPods 3rd Generation that these directly replace. The curved portion of hard plastic that sits in your ear has been slightly redesigned and is now more curved, to provide a better fit in the ear.

I found the AirPods 4 to be pretty cozy in my ears. I comfortably wore them for over four and a half hours while on a flight and for countless hours with intermittent usage while working. They still just kind of plop in your ear and rest there. I didn’t have them fall out on any occasion, whether on a turbulent flight, while working out, or while walking indoors and outside in a bustling city. 

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

The case is downright tiny given the smaller footprint that the left and right AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation take up. It’s much smaller than the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation case, and even the case for the cheaper AirPods 4, and is shorter than the AirPods 2nd Generation’s case. You still flip it open to take out or put back your AirPods 4, and there’s a multi-purpose indicator light on the front.

There’s no back button on the back case for easy pairing, though. Instead, you’ll double-press the back to trigger pairing for other devices, including non-Apple ones. It’s an easter egg that Apple needs to publicize a bit more.

To charge the AirPods 4, you can plug them in via USB-C, though there’s no longer a charger in the box. If you get the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, you can also place them on any Qi-wireless charger or Apple Watch charging puck.

In my testing, I found that with active noise cancellation, transparent, or Adaptive Audio enabled, you’ll get around four hours and 15 to 20 minutes of usage. That’s beyond Apple’s promised four hours of playback with a listening mode enabled. With no mode on, you can get about five to five-and-a-half hours of playback, depending on the volume you’re listening at. A quick five minutes of charging in the case also provides at least an hour of listening.

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Sound Quality

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

To sum up, the AirPods 4 essentially sound as good as AirPods Pro 2nd Generation, and, as with their predecessors, that’s without the buds providing a true seal of the ear. There’s a clear and rich audio mix with a fairly wide sound stage, but the real chef’s kiss here would be the Spatial Audio support.

Powering the audio experience is Adaptive EQ via the H2 chip, and pushing out sound is a custom high-excursion drive and a high-dynamic range amplifier. It’s also worth noting that there’s a single H2 chip in each bud, with audio sent over Bluetooth 5.3 from the connected device. 

This all comes together to give you a balanced representation of the track you’re listening to, but if you’re listening to something that bops with more oomph the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation won’t shy away from raising the lower-end or really offering a surprising amount of bass for earbuds of this size. For instance, with Burnin’ Train by Bruce Springsteen, the track starts off with a rising guitar riff that’s quickly joined by drums, piano, and vocals all across the sound spectrum – it sounds sonically here and in lossless via Apple Music I didn’t notice any distortion or dropouts. 

With a pop/EDM track like Apple by Charli XCX, you can see how the AirPods 4 handle layering of sound, with a surprisingly sharp bass track that doesn’t distort with the singer’s vocals on top at higher frequencies, with various electrical beats in between. The AirPods 4 tend to handle almost all genres well, and even without a full seal, deliver a great balanced mix, although at higher volumes you will have some sound leakage. 

Spatial Audio here essentially gets rid of stereo’s left and right channels, with various elements of a track flowing around you. It’s a more immersive listening experience, and Apple’s implementation here is excellent. I particularly like spinning it with a live track, but I think the album version of Down On The Corner by Creedence Clearwater Revival is one of the best examples. Not to mention, it also works with some movies and TV shows to put you right in the middle of the action.

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Value

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

At $179 / £169 / AU$279 with active noise cancellation or $129 without, AirPods 4 offers a variety of features previously found only on Apple’s most high-end earbuds. The new design language streamlines the AirPods' appearance, as they all look similar. 

If you’re sold on open-ear earbuds or ones that lack silicone tips, AirPods 4 are likely your best bet if you want to be within Apple’s ecosystem. The higher price might only be $70 away from AirPods Pro, but you still get a lot of value for the price: three listening modes, a comfortable open-ear design that doesn’t fall out, solid battery life, and a findable case should they go missing. 

The $129 / £129 edition of AirPods 4 will lose the listening modes and the Find My enabled case, but it still offers a rich, crisp audio experience, all of the handy Apple ecosystem features, and support for Spatial Audio. 

Should I Buy Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation?

Buy them if...

If you want an open-ear fit that works in the Apple ecosystem

Replacing AirPods 2nd and 3rd gen, AirPods 4 are the new open-ear, non-ear sealing earbuds that work extremely well with the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac.

Don't buy them if...

If you want the best noise cancellation in an earbud

Considering AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation don't seal off your ear with a silicone ear-tip, these earbuds won't block out all environmental sound. So if you're looking for that consider another pair like AirPods Pro 2nd Gen or one of the best wireless earbuds from elsewhere.

How I tested Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

For the past several days, I've been living with and using Apple's AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation with an iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad Mini, iPad Pro, 14-inch MacBook Pro, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple TV 4K. 

I tested audio playback, standard, and Spatial Audio tracks in various locations to gauge and track performance and see if there was sound leakage since these are open-ear earbuds. I threw various tracks across genres at AirPods 4, streamed from Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, and Nugs.net. 

I used active noise cancellation, transparency, and "Adaptive Audio" listening modes in various locations, including at home, in an office environment, while walking around a city, on a train, in a car, and on a plane. I tracked and measured how long the battery lasted with these modes on and off and the charging time. 

  • First reviewed September 2024. 
Motorola Edge 50 Neo launched in India
2:51 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: | Comments: Off

The Motorola Edge 50 Neo has made its way to India following its announcement last month. It features a 6.4-inch LTPO OLED display (FHD+ 120Hz), Dimensity 7300 chipset, and a 4310mAh battery with 68W wired charging. Edge 50 Neo also features a 50MP main cam (LYT-700C), a 10MP telephoto (3x zoom), and a 13MP ultrawide lens. The phone boots stock-looking Android 14 with Motorola's Hello UI on top and 5 years of assured software updates. Edge 50 Neo comes in four Pantone colors - Poinciana (Red), Lattè (Gold), Grisaille (Grey), and Nautical Blue. Edge 50 Neo in...

Conductor SEO tool review
2:17 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Tags: | Comments: Off

If you want a platform that can do your SEO, content optimization, and website monitoring, all from a single tool, Conductor is a solid choice for you. It goes beyond just boosting traffic and offers various features to dominate your website in its niche. For the SEO part, you get a detailed competitor analysis feature where you can use various filters to compare another site head-to-head. Regarding content, Conductor delivers AI-driven recommendations for keyword insights, content attributes, and even your page health. But that’s not all. We’ll cover various powerful features of Conductor in this review and help you find the right way to utilize it.

Conductor: Plans and pricing

Unlike other SEO platforms, Conductor does not have any fixed paid plans for their services. It claims to deliver the perfect plan for its customers by customizing it according to their needs. However, you can expect a bunch of features under their premium plans.

The Intelligence plan comes with best-in-class keyword and audience research, in-depth competitive and content intelligence, and global rank tracking and market share analysis. You can even benefit from automatic performance and ROI reporting, actionable AI-driven suggestions, and seamless direct integrations with platforms like Drupal, Asana, and more.

On the other hand, the Conductor Website Monitoring plan, powered by ContentKing, helps you with continuous website monitoring. Along with that, you get intelligent prioritization of pages and issues, 24/7 dynamic monitoring, and real-time alerting customized with specific rules. It also provides critical technical SEO insights, detailed governance and compliance tracking, and live change tracking with audit trails. So, with these trial plans, you do get an idea of what’s in store for you.

Conductor: Features

Explorer

Conductor Explorer feature

(Image credit: Conductor)

Conductor's Explorer helps you thoroughly research keywords and your target audience. You can study search volume and take advantage of organic search, social media, and demographic data(with age, occupation, and location insights). With a few blinks, you can transform keyword and topic research into content outlines that can easily be shared with task management tools such as Asana, Trello, and Jira.

Furthermore, Explorer keeps an eye on and analyses your competitor's strategies. This involves monitoring the keyword's performance, content’s impact, and the backlinks profiles. Plus, you get assistance in selecting high-volume and low-competition keywords for your paid search campaign as well.

 Pages Report

Conductor Pages report feature

(Image credit: Conductor)

The Keyword Details report from Conductor gives a thorough look at how well your web analytics data is performing in organic marketing. It shows year-over-year data, compares metrics, and gives insights on paid versus organic traffic for your domains and segments. These reports also show the ROI of your marketing strategy by combining multi-channel analytics, search data, and activity tracking into one view.

Plus, you get automatic tracking and reports on how campaigns impact ranking and revenue. Detailed insights on changes to your site, like title tags, meta descriptions, and heading tags, further enhance the useability of these reports.

 Keyword Research

Conductor's Keyword Research boasts over 20 billion keywords. This comes with data on search volume, competition, and trends. You can also choose from thousands of location and device combinations to see data in the most relevant search context for a specific keyword.

What really impresses us is that you can determine the level of competition for your keywords by analyzing the different types of results. This includes featured snippets, videos, or People Also Ask results. While this sounds good, do check all your ranking pages for the same keyword to make sure you’re not cannibalizing your own performance or chances of outperforming your competitors.

Content Guidance

Conductor Content guidance feature

(Image credit: Conductor)

You can create compelling, relevant, and optimized content by analyzing the top-performing content and identifying gaps. Conductor's Content Guidance comes with real-time AI-generated recommendations for keywords, readability, and structure. This makes sure that you follow industry standards and user preferences. For example, you can take a URL and use the tool to understand the shortcomings as well as advantages of your optimization.

Digital Presence

If you want to define and track the visibility of all your digital content across the Google SERP, social media, owned content, press coverage, and earned media, then the Digital Presence Tracking feature will take care of it. By tracking and analyzing your brand's performance, it offers a holistic view of your digital footprint. In addition, you get brand mention tracking and digital presence analysis to enhance brand reputation. Not to forget, Conductor's Website Monitoring is powered by ContentKing, which provides 24/7 real-time monitoring and alerting for optimal performance.

Conductor: Interface and in-use

The Conductor's interface is neat, intuitive, and easy to navigate. Its well-organized dashboard allows you to access important tools and insights. However, if you are new to the software, these features can be daunting.

Despite that, Conductor integrates seamlessly with a wide range of other platforms. For example, you can create, deliver, and optimize content with advanced design and UX capabilities by connecting your account with Adobe. Likewise, SEMrush improves online visibility management across various channels from a single platform, and Yext boosts business visibility with modern, AI-powered search capabilities.

Similarly, Google Analytics helps track organic content performance and provides detailed reports on website traffic. This is an added advantage, especially when using Google Workspace. It offers real-time monitoring and constructive insights into Google search results through Google Search Console.

Conductor even integrates with project management and collaboration tools like Trello, Jira, and Asana, streamlining workflow and productivity. Dragon Metrics improves ranking and automates reporting, while Talkwalker specializes in consumer intelligence for impactful brand analysis. All and all, there are plenty of tools to help you out with your SEO journey with Conductor.

Conductor: Support

Conductor support

(Image credit: Conductor)

Conductor’s strength lies in their exceptional training and assistance. If you are new to the software, there’s a thorough onboarding program called Seamless Startup. It assures expert guidance on account setup and integration to meet your marketing targets. There is a Role-Based Mastery section that offers expert-led training sessions, focusing on equipping you with the essential skills related to the software.

To keep your team up to date, Conductor includes self-paced learning, live training sessions, and a knowledge base. You can also rely on FAQs, how-tos, and 24/7 Assistance from a global team ready to save your day with their in-product chat and email support.

Conductor: The competition

At times, you might need a tool with specific features to meet your marketing needs. So, Ahrefs, Moz Pro, and Semrush are all great options to consider instead of Conductor. They have their own set of special features and functions that cater to different aspects of SEO and digital marketing.

Ahrefs

If you are looking for strong backlink analysis and a detailed site explorer, Ahrefs is knocking at your door. The platform's strength lies in how it crawls the entire web 24/7 and stores petabytes (1PB = 1000TB) of information about live websites. It helps you to identify link-building opportunities and monitor competitor strategies. Ahrefs is also exceptional in keyword research, offering 28.7 billion filtered keywords and 110 billion keywords. It provides accurate search volume data and difficulty scores to assist you. Furthermore, Ahrefs' site audit tool makes it easy to identify and address technical SEO issues to enhance overall site health. You also get Directory listing, Access Management, API features, Pay by invoice, Audit log, Calendar view, Google Data Studio, and more.

Read our full Ahrefs review.

Moz Pro

If you're looking for a tool that is easy to use and focuses on community and education, Moz is the perfect choice. It offers metrics like Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) that are commonly used to measure the effectiveness of websites and individual pages. With a 30-day free trial, Moz Pro delivers keyword tracking for Google US and International, Google Mobile, Bing, and Yahoo. It also offers valuable insights into keyword difficulty, SERP analysis, and search volume. On top of it, Moz Pro even has a link explorer to analyze backlink profiles and a Page Optimization Score for your target keywords.

Read our full Moz Pro review.

Semrush

Semrush goes beyond just SEO with tools for PPC, social media, and content marketing. One of its key selling points is its massive database, which boasts over 43 trillion links. This makes it the most up-to-date and extensive resource available. Semrush's keyword research tool is useful for in-depth information on search volume, keyword difficulty, and competitive analysis. That’s not all. Semrush even stands out in areas such as global databases, desktop, and mobile traffic data, search engine volatility by industry, brand mentions for PR, and social media engagement and traffic.

Read our full Semrush review.

Conductor: Final verdict

Conductor won the Gold Medal in the 2023 Search Engine Optimization Data Quadrant by SoftwareReviews. They have been improving their service since 2008, particularly their integration with popular tools like Adobe and Asana. Apart from detailed keyword research and real-time content guidance, their website monitoring feature truly meets the expectations. While Conductor is a top choice, there are other exceptional alternatives like Ahrefs, Moz Pro, and Semrush with better global database and user interface customization. But don’t forget that with free trial options, you can test Conductor anytime and see if it boosts your business.

Tecno Phantom V Flip2 in for review
1:55 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Comments: Off

Tecno announced the Phantom V Flip2 and V Fold2 last week, delivering two of the most aggressively priced foldables yet. The Flip2 costs just $699, but its appeal goes beyond being able to undercut its rivals. It has a new cover display and several new software features, but here's what caught our eye during our first interactions. Tecno moved away from the small circular screen on the first Flip and chose an (almost) square 3.64" display that wraps around the cameras and the LED flash. The inner panel remains the same as the predecessor, but the trimmed bezels made the phone slightly...

Huawei Watch GT 5 hands-on video published ahead of launch
12:59 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Comments: Off

Earlier this month, Huawei announced that it will reveal the Huawei Watch GT 5 on September 19 (Thursday this week) and even offered a glimpse at the design. Not that there is much to see, as there are no radical changes from the Watch GT 4. This was confirmed when renders of the new model leaked out and now there is even a short unboxing video. Huawei Watch GT 5 (stills from the hands-on video) The watch follows the now established design with an octagonal body and a circular graduated bezel. According to the note, however, this generation will come in 46mm and 42mm sizes,...

Pixel 9 Pro Fold snaps in durability test
11:50 am |
Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Comments: Off

Last year’s Google Pixel Fold failed JerryRigEverything’s bend test so we’ve been waiting to see if its successor - the Pixel 9 Pro Fold can survive the durability test. The start is promising – the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protected cover screen scratches at level 6 on Mohs hardness scale while the main UTG screen is covered in plastic and scratches at a level 2. It’s all downhill from there as the host adds sand and small rocks on the main screen which immediately find their way inside the device and its hinge. The bend test starts at the 5:40 mark in the video, and like last year,...

Samsung, Xiaomi and other makers found guilty of colluding with Amazon and Flipkart
10:30 am |
Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Comments: Off

Samsung, Xiaomi, and other major smartphone companies are guilty of breaching antitrust laws, according to regulatory reports. Reuters revealed that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) found that Amazon and Flipkart violated local competition laws by giving preference to select makers, hurting other companies. Samsung Galaxy M35 is cheaper on Amazon India, compared with offline stores The CCI posted a 1,027-page report on Amazon, colluding with Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, Realme, and OnePlus. All these companies had "exclusive phone launches," breaking competition law. Similar is...

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 robot vacuum review
9:00 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Robot Vacuums Smart Home | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 two-minute review

Product info

This model has slightly different names and product codes in different territories:

In the US:

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop with XL HEPA Self-Empty Base RV2610WA

More basic model: Shark Matrix Self-Empty Robot Vacuum RV2310AE


In the UK: 

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum & Mop RV2620WDUK

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Self-Empty Robot Vacuum & Mop RV2620WAUK

For this review, I tested the RV2620WAUK. There may be minor differences between different countries' models.

I’ve been testing robot vacuums for several years and, while I’ve long accepted that no robot will ever allow me to retire from manual vacuuming altogether, I’m forever hopeful one will come close! Shark has an excellent reputation in the vacuuming world, so I was cautiously optimistic when the Shark Matrix Plus Robot 2-in-1 landed on my doorstep.

Some might say the popular tech brand was late to the robot party, at least in the UK. Shark has had success with robot vacuums in the US for a while now, but only added them to its UK lineup in spring 2024. I tested the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Self-Empty, which can vacuum, mop and empty its own bin. Happy days.

As you might expect from Shark, this smart little robot packs plenty of techy features. A major highlight is its 360-degree LiDAR sensors. This light detecting and ranging technology is aimed at quickly and accurately mapping your home and navigating around obstacles and I can confirm the Shark’s works very well. It also has a special air blasting feature, which I haven’t encountered before, that blows out air to push debris away from edges and corners and into the path of the suction channel. Again, I was impressed.

Although it didn’t blow my mind, the mopping results were better than I’ve experienced from a robot in the past. Rather than just dragging a vaguely damp mop pad along the floor, the Shark Matrix Plus Plus’ mop pad oscillates as it goes (100 times a minute, allegedly), to mimic a scrubbing motion. Many people will also love that the bin unit the self-emptying vacuum discharges into doesn’t need to be emptied for 60 days. Unless you have two hairy kids and two hairy dogs that is – I didn't make it past two weeks. 

I tested the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 on the ground floor of my four-bed home for a month. Although it wasn’t perfect and the app wasn’t as slick as I’m used to, I really did rate this robot, especially for those who are tight on money as well as time. I'd have no qualms about giving it a place on our best robot vacuum list. Read on for the full low down on my time testing the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 robot vacuum.

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 specs

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: price & availability

  • List price: $699.99 / £449.99 
  • Available: US and UK

The Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 sells in the US for $699.99 on Shark’s own website. At time of writing, there are seven robots in the range, with the Matrix Plus being the third most expensive, behind two PowerDetect models that come with self-refill water reservoirs in the base and cost up to $999.99. The cheapest Shark robot you can get in the US is the Shark ION, which is just $279.99 but unappealingly basic.

There are just three robot models available in the UK, and the Matrix Plus 2-in-1 I tested boasts the most diverse spec. In the world of robot vacuuming, I’d say its £449.99 price tag is more than reasonable (even allowing for exchange rates, it’s a better deal than in the US), but you can save yourself £100 if you empty the bin manually and get the entry-level model that still mops but doesn’t self-empty. Or, if you mostly have carpets so want a robot that’s more focused on vacuuming, invest £50 more and go for the top spec Shark PowerDetect.  

Whichever side of the pond you are shopping for a Shark Matrix Plus, I’d say the brand has priced it very reasonably, especially when you consider most robots that include mopping capabilities, for example iRobot’s Roomba, cost $1k plus. It’s not entirely flawless, but the Matrix Plus 2-in-1 represents excellent value in terms of build quality, features and cleaning prowess.

  • Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: design

  • Low-key looks
  • Compact base station
  • Tricky mop insert

The Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 won’t blow your mind with its futuristic looks or striking shape, but it won’t scare the horses either. It’s black and round with a neat little base and sat under the table in our hallway just fine. It arrived nicely packaged, with a great deal of cardboard and other eco-friendly packaging and precious little plastic. 

Shark Matrix Plus vacuum test

(Image credit: Future)

Underneath, the design is also fairly innocuous, but I was a tad worried by the corner brush, which has just one brush arm, instead of the usual three-to-five I am used to seeing. The roller head had rubber fins – which tend to be good on solid floors – as well as carpet-friendly brushes, but there was only one roller, and some of the better robots I have tested have two. 

Shark Matrix Plus vacuum test

(Image credit: Future)

The base station (which measures H14 x W12 x D9 inches) only caters for dirt; there’s no water reservoir. But the bin capacity is generous and it’s easy to see when it’s getting full due to the vertical strip of transparent Perspex. It also clips in and out easily, as does the filter in the other side of the base station – a large, foam creation that needs cleaning under the tap once a month. I appreciated that the base station has a plastic disc the size of the robot, which is to protect wood floors from getting soggy when the mop attachment is in place.

Shark Matrix Plus vacuum test

(Image credit: Future)

On the top of the Shark Matrix Plus are just two buttons, one to power on/off and the other to start/stop, everything else is done by the app, which I will cover in depth lower down this review. 

Shark Matrix Plus vacuum test

(Image credit: Future)
  • Design score: 4 out of 5

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: app

  • Good mapping skills
  • Scheduling and spot cleaning
  • No multi-maps 

To get started, I just had to pop on the side brush, plug in the base (then charge the robot for six hours) and download and connect the app. Do make sure you only connect it to a 2.4 GHz wi-fi network, I wasted about half an hour trying to connect it to my 5 GHz but that was my fault for not reading the instructions. In my defense, the instructions that come with the Shark Matrix Plus are not particularly enlightening, but are enough to get you set up (if you read them properly). 

Shark Matrix Plus vacuum test

(Image credit: Future)

Compared to other robots I have tested, the SharkClean app is pretty basic and rather annoying. Hopefully there will be upgrades as Shark gets its head around robot life. It is basic in that it doesn’t allow you to schedule specific rooms or more than one clean per day, it doesn’t let you choose how the robot cleans (perimeter-first works best for our pet-filled home), and you can’t change the power levels once it’s working.

The annoyances generally iron out, but they can be frustrating. Mainly I found it slow to connect, which is annoying when you’ve decided to pop a clean going before you jump in the car. The cleaning reports didn’t always record/save, and I found it hard to move between actions. For example, if it was returning to base, I couldn’t get the app to show me the maps so I could plan the next job. Sometimes the map disappeared completely, or the app froze, and once or twice it wouldn’t acknowledge that we had a robot in the house at all! 

The other downer that didn’t bother me, but might you, is that it will only map one floor. I am happy to use my cordless vacuum upstairs (where it lives) and have never been one for carrying robots up and down levels but if you want to use the robot on multiple floors, you’ll only be able to map one of them. 

It's not all bad news though. The actual map the Shark Matrix Plus created was perfect first time and was created really quickly – in less than 10 minutes. I also found it very easy to add rooms, as well as rugs (to prevent wet carpets in mopping mode) and create a schedule for each day (to coincide with the school run). 

  • App score: 3 out of 5

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: performance

  • Good at corners and edges
  • Quieter than advertised
  • Mopping a bit basic

Using in vacuum mode

The Shark Matrix Plus comes with the regular vacuum cleaning insert installed, which has a small bin and filter inside and automatically empties its payload back at the mother base. I needn’t have worried about the measly single-arm corner brush, as it did an excellent job of getting dog dander and dust bunnies out from along the skirting boards and corners of cabinets etc. 

Shark Matrix Plus vacuum test

(Image credit: Future)

Shallow enough to get under all our freestanding furniture, including the sofas and the kitchen kickboards, the Shark Matrix Plus also had no problem climbing onto chunky rugs or over the wooden thresholds between rooms, many of which have thwarted less agile robots.

Being largely open view with level flooring throughout the ground floor, our home is the perfect setup for robotic cleaning. But I was also hugely relieved to discover the Shark Matrix Plus could hoist itself over the legs of the lounge chairs in our kitchen, which have grounded every other robot I’ve ever hosted. This meant I’d have to lift the heavy chairs onto the sofa out of the way or go and rescue the robot and restart it mid-clean. I was delighted the Shark Matrix Plus glided over them with barely a grunt.

Shark Matrix Plus vacuum test

(Image credit: Future)

Another genius benefit of the Shark Matrix Plus is its ‘Matrix’ cleaning system, which essentially means it cleans back and forth and then up and down, in a grid-like pattern. The difference between that and a simple back and forth clean was significant. You can only use Matrix if you’re doing one room, presumably because it takes more time and power, but I liked to use it on the living room because that’s our only carpeted room and the results were much better.

You can also Matrix Clean a 5’ x 5’ area without the app, which is great for random spills. You need to carry the robot to the spot, then press and hold the start button for five-to-seven seconds until it says, ‘starting spot clean’. 

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Shark Matrix Plus vacuum test

(Image credit: Future)
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Shark Matrix Plus vacuum test

(Image credit: Future)
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Shark Matrix Plus vacuum test

(Image credit: Future)
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Shark Matrix Plus vacuum test

(Image credit: Future)
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Shark Matrix Plus vacuum test

(Image credit: Future)

I used this spot cleaning function to test the Shark Matrix Plus on an area of flour and oats. As you can see from the photo gallery above, the results were average. It cleared most of the flour, except in the grooves between the wood planks, and left just a few crumbs of oats. I still had to get out my cordless to finish the job, and I only used the low power setting to get the flour out of the grooves, suggesting that my cordless is better than the Shark Matrix Plus, even on its lowest power setting. Annoyingly, there was quite a lot of flour and oats left around the base station when it returned to empty the bin, and I had to get the cordless to clear that up, too. 

Shark Matrix Plus vacuum test

(Image credit: Future)

As I work from home, I really appreciated how quiet the Shark Matrix Plus was, my decibel meter recorded just 46 dB in the low power mode, which is the one I mostly used on our hard flooring. This is similar to the sound of bird calls or in a library and was much lower than Shark’s official rating, which presumably has to include the bin emptying sound level. Being so quiet meant I could have it running around in the background when working, except during Zoom meetings, without feeling distracted or annoyed. It is indeed much louder when emptying the bin into the base station, but it’s very short-lived.

On the point of bins, I did love having the extra capacity of the base station as my usual robot requires daily emptying. However, it fell far short of the 60-day emptying schedule advertised – I found two weeks was about the longest I could leave it. 

Our carpets and rugs are all low pile (upstairs, too), so I can’t tell you how well the Shark Matrix Plus might manage on a thick pile rug, but it did well on our wool carpet in the living room and the jute rug in the kitchen. I mean, it’s hard to say how deep down the clean was, but I didn’t feel the need to get another vacuum out afterwards. 

Shark Matrix Plus vacuum test

(Image credit: Future)

Using in mop mode

Before mopping, I first had to add rug zones to my map, so it didn’t soak the rugs or carpets. This was pretty easy to do, until it got to the exploration run, which you’re meant to do to make sure you have got the rug placements right. The Shark Matrix Plus wandered close to where I’d marked the kitchen rug, and then went a bit mad, zig-zagging all over it. I decided I didn’t have the patience to worry about it and sent it back to base.

Shark Matrix Plus testing

(Image credit: Future)

Once the module is in, the Shark Matrix Plus automatically recognizes it is mopping and – this bit is amazing – it will vacuum and mop at the same time. I’ve only tested one robot vacuum that claimed to mop and was disappointed to discover that it really couldn’t. That other model barely made my floors damp, let alone cleaning them, and because it had to go round and vacuum first, it also took a lifetime to do a terrible job.

By contrast, the Shark Matrix Plus did a much more thorough job and you could see trail marks where it had been, which showed decent coverage. The pad oscillates over the surface, which presumably picks up more dirt than just sliding along. The mop pad was reassuringly dirty when it was done, too. As most of our ground floors are real engineered wood flooring, I also appreciated that the Shark Matrix Plus didn’t flood them in water as that would almost certainly damage them. Oh, and it also managed to find, and skip past, the rugs. 

Shark Matrix Plus vacuum test

(Image credit: Future)

In truth, the results didn’t compare with what can be achieved with an actual mop, and it didn’t get very close into the corners or skirtings, but it was good enough for a mid-week freshen up before getting the mop and bucket out on Saturday morning. 

  • Performance score: 4 out of 5

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: battery life

  • Plenty of power
  • Charges quickly

The battery life ranges from about 85-110 minutes, depending on what power mode you have it on. This isn't anything to rave about, but it only needed one quick recharge when covering our ground floor in max power, which took around 131 minutes (including charging time) to do all six rooms and the hallway (which the Shark app says is 112sq m worth of cleaning). Once recharged, it would return to the spot it left off and merrily resume cleaning. 

The official Shark stats say the battery takes six hours to fully recharge, but I found it only took about three so perhaps it wasn’t completely empty whenever it went back to base. Either way, I had no complaints about the battery life. 

  • Battery score: 5 out of 5

Should you buy the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1?

Buy it if…

You hate emptying bins

As I own a robot that requires emptying every single day, I can assure you that you need a self-emptying base station.

You have hairy housemates

The roller is anti-hair-trapping and it works well. There were a few hairs around the middle after a month’s testing but nothing like what I’m used to seeing wrapped around my robot’s rollers. It also has proper HEPA dust filtration.

You want zero drama

Of all the robots I have tried, this was the least needy. It never once got stuck or lost, nor sent me a distress message to say it had ‘fallen off a cliff’ (when in reality it was just straddling the doormat). 

Don’t buy it if…

Tech stresses you out

The app is glitchy and unreliable and not terribly informative, either. There may have been swearing…

You want to clean upstairs, too

The mapping currently only covers one floor level, so choose wisely.

You’re OCD about dirt

Like most (possibly all) robots, the suction power isn’t comparable to manually operated vacuum cleaners – use it for daily maintenance cleaning, then do a ‘proper’ vacuum on the weekend. 

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: also consider

Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1

The Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 and Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 are both powerful robot vacuums with mopping capabilities, but they differ in key areas. The AI Ultra excels in smart navigation and AI-powered obstacle avoidance, while the Matrix Plus offers a better clean thanks to its multi-surface brushroll and Matrix Clean

Read our full Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 review

Narwal Freo X Ultra

The Narwal Freo X Ultra and Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 both offer advanced vacuuming and mopping, but they've very differently priced. For the extra loot, the Narwal Freo X Ultra offers self-cleaning mop pads and autonomous water management, ideal for hands-free maintenance. 

Read our full Narwal Freo X Ultra review

How I tested the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1

  • I used this vacuum in my own home for a month
  • I vacuumed carpets and vacuumed and mopped hard floors
  • I recorded the sound levels using a Decibel Meter App

I used the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 to clean the ground floor of our four-bed, Victorian family home for a month, using it every day on all our downstairs floors, which include terracotta and porcelain tiles, engineered timber, wool carpet and three rugs. The total area is around 120sq m.

I checked out every feature on the app, and did Spot cleans, Matrix cleans and mopping runs. I liked being able to pick specific rooms, so I could just get the main kitchen and hallway done quickly, but mostly I scheduled the robot to work while I was out of the house, so I could arrive home to nice clean floors throughout.

During testing, I used the decibel meter on my iPhone to monitor noise levels and conducted a test to see how the vacuum coped with flour and oats on hard flooring. 

As part of my job as a journalist specialising in kitchens and bathrooms, I’ve been reviewing vacuum cleaners for publication both online and in print for several years now. I’ve tested lots of robot vacuums, and currently own an Anker by Eufy Hybrid X8, which I like well enough, but I liked the Shark Matrix Plus more. 

Read more about how we test

First reviewed September 2024

LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED review: This is the 4K OLED monitor of my dreams
8:18 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Monitors Peripherals & Accessories | Tags: , | Comments: Off

LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED: one-minute review

I’ve been waiting a long time for a monitor like the LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED. With a brilliant OLED display and a gorgeous 4K resolution, backed up by an ample 240Hz refresh rate and brilliant picture quality, this LG monitor makes OLED technology a must-have for anybody who plays PC games or bases their home life around their computer desk. 

There’s a noticeable quality difference between OLED and IPS monitors when playing cinematic and competitive games alike on a computer, and with this thing sitting on your desk you’re bound to get bang for your buck on the picture quality front.

But while we can celebrate LG for bringing the cost of an OLED monitor down with the 32GS95UE-B, let’s be honest with ourselves – $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,399 is still expensive for a monitor no matter how impressive the tech is. 

Those looking more greater image depth and HDR performance may also want to look elsewhere, as the LG's peak brightness doesn't reach the retina-searing heights of similarly priced Samsung and Alienware models. My biggest bugbear though? Surely we can give peripherals better names than difficult to understand numbers and letters.

LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED: price and availability

The LG 32-inch UltraGear OLED

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / Techradar)
  • How much does it cost? $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,399
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where can you get it? LG directly and technology retailers in the US, UK and Australia

It’s tough to find a cheap 32-inch gaming monitor – especially one with an OLED panel (with prices often starting well above $800 / £800 / AU$1,000) – but the LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED offers a sensible price-to-cost ratio for enthusiasts. It’s kind of a rarity, considering that it ditches an ultrawide profile and a curved screen for a more standard design, while most OLED monitors elect to have at least one of the aforementioned traits.

Similar monitors are available from Gigabyte and Alienware with significantly lower costs, with the closest competitor being the Samsung Odyssey G8 OLED G80SD (with a listed price of $1,299 / £1,099 / AU$1,999). 

LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED: Design

The LG 32-inch UltraGear OLED

(Image credit: Techradar / Zachariah Kelly)
LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED Key Specs

Screen size: 32-inch
Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160
Brightness: 275 nits full screen, 1,300 nits max HDR
Color coverage: 98.5%
Response time: 0.03ms
Refresh rate: 240Hz (4K) / 480Hz (1080p)
HDR: DisplayHDR True Black400, HDR10
Features: FreeSync Premium Pro, NVIDIA G-Sync, Dual Mode, Pixel Sound, 1 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x Headphone out, 1 x USB-A upstream, 1 x USB-A downstream

An achilles heel of many gaming displays is the design – thick bezels, beefy stands and a focus on big, obvious branding offen make a monitor look cheap and overdesigned. This is in no way a problem for the LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED.

It’s tempting to head this section off with ‘it’s a big black rectangle with a pentagonal stand’ but we can entertain the monitor more than that. It’s a premium design language that LG and Samsung alike have been leaning into with their high end monitors. 

It’s mature to the point of only having the ‘UltraGear’ and ‘LG’ brand signifier in the front of the pentagon stand, without any branding on the actual display bezels. There’s RGB lighting on the back, allowing you to shine numerous colors onto the wall behind. If you know this feature isn’t for you,  it’s easily turned off through the monitor settings. 

Cables can be fed through the back of the monitor easily thanks to a neat cable management system, and you’re able to raise the panel quite high up off the base.,It would be nice if it could go lower, but we’re being quite picky. The monitor can swivel, tilt and pivot as well if you want to adjust the pitch of the display.

The panel is extremely premium, too. It’s polished with an anti-glare coating that only shows a warped reflection at most in low-light or reflective light situations. This is quite remarkable for an OLED display, as the technology, inherently, can’t go particularly bright. This means it can occasionally suffer in bright rooms, but as I found during testing in my office-bedroom – which is filled with light at all times during the day – I was able to play games with little issue.

LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED: Features

The LG 32-inch UltraGear OLED

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / Techradar)

The big sales pitch of the LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED is its ‘dual mode’ functionality. At the press of a hotkey (located conveniently under the monitor), this monitor can switch between 4K 240Hz to 1080p 480hz. The first is more ideal for those after more cinematic, graphically beautiful gameplay, albeit at a lower framerate, while the second is intended for high octane competitive gamers after smooth frames.

We can err on the critical side with this feature and note that 4K 240Hz gameplay, at its height, would be difficult for even the most expensive gaming computers to reach in gorgeous single player games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Star Wars Outlaws. I would even go as far as to say that 240Hz is not just difficult to attain but is also very much overkill – 144Hz will suffice for a story-rich game.

The flipside of the feature makes much more sense to me – 1080p gameplay at 480Hz for fast-paced games where you want to see more frames rendered in a second. I can see the benefit of this in a game like Counter Strike 2 and League of Legends – but those high frame rates may even be seen as unnecessary by a competitive gamer. Leveling with you, dear reader, that’s not me – I prefer a pretty picture to a consistently smooth one (though I do like my frames to be above 60FPS). The monitor has a smart cleaning process for when it doesn’t detect an input, refreshing the pixels to avoid burn-in – a common issue with OLED monitors. 

The monitor also comes with FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync. It has a Display Port, HDMI, headphone jack, USB (downstream) and USB (upstream) ports, with support for a 100 x 100 mm wall mount. Satisfying me as someone who likes to watch stuff on their computer in bed, the monitor also has built-in speakers and comes with a Displayport and HDMI cable in the box.

LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED: performance

The LG 32-inch UltraGear OLED

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / Techradar)

The LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED’s display is matte – not glossy like you’d expect from most displays. The extreme blacks and darker shades that the OLED pulls off in use – and when turned off – are so deep that you’ll at most see a rough reflection of yourself, but not enough to ruin the experience. 

That’s an OLED panel’s entire deal and it leads to better performance on every front – deeper blacks equals  better contrast – the difference between the darkest and brightest parts of an image.

And at the 32-inch size, I’ve found this monitor to be the best way to experience a lot of cinematic games. Star Wars Outlaws and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine II both play exceptionally well on the monitor and look much more gorgeous on the OLED screen than my previous 32-inch Gigabyte M32Q monitor. 

TV shows like The Acolyte and The Bear look equally impressive – particularly The Bear for its attractive use of color sharpness in central objects amid a bland palette. The LG 32GS95UE-B aces it on color clarity.

The speakers are pleasantly surprising, too. I was expecting sound that peaks too readily and sounds washed out, but the 32GS95UE-B performs just about as well as any TV without a separate speaker system. This can be chalked up to LG’s ‘Pixel Sound’ feature, which provides a directed sound experience without any external speaker system.

The monitor performs relatively well on brightness and HDR – though both could be better at this pricepoint. The maximum brightness (1300nits) and enhanced darkness clarity doesn’t fare much better for content than just using the display with HDR disabled (275nits standard luminosity).  

And while it doesn’t fit into any other category in Techradar’s review format, I’ve just got to say it – this name, the LG 32GS95UE-B, is just letters and numbers. They have meanings obviously but it’s extremely difficult to communicate to a customer – so much so that LG just calls the display the ‘32" UltraGear OLED Dual Mode 4K UHD’ on its website, and hence why we’ve been naming it interchangeably throughout this review. Less letters and numbers please.

Should I buy an LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED?

Buy it if...

Don't buy if...

Also Consider

LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED: Report Card

How I tested the LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED

As soon as I received this monitor, I got to work unpacking it and setting it up. Pulling it out of the box was easy, as was the process of putting the stand together (no tools were needed, as everything slots and screws into place by hand). As my main space in my home is my bedroom-office, this monitor was switched on at almost all hours whenever I was home. To avoid burn-in, the panel was often turned off for cleaning when not being used.

The main use of the monitor was for gaming using a separate headset. I played a variety of games, including Caravan SandWitch, Team Fortress 2, What The Car, Star Wars Outlaws, Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon 5.

I also used the monitor for watching Twitch streams, YouTube videos and lots of TV shows, including The Bear and The Acolyte.

  • First reviewed September 2024
Top 10 trending phones of week 37
2:31 am |
Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Comments: Off

Apple's new lineup is here and expectedly it took our trending chart by storm. The iPhone 16 Pro Max was by far the most popular phone in our database in week 37, with the 16 Pro taking the silver medal. [#InlinePriceWidget, 13123, 1#] The vanilla iPhone 16 completes the all-Apple podium, while another exciting new product to come out this week ended up fourth. Huawei's Mate XT with its tri-fold design will likely only sell in very limited numbers, but there's clearly no shortage of interest from the general public. Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra came in fifth with the Galaxy A55...

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