Belkin BoostCharge 3-Port USB-C Wall Charger with PPS 67W review
If you’ve ever wished you could charge multiple devices simultaneously, the Belkin BoostCharge 3-Port USB-C Wall Charger with PPS 67W (I know, quite the name) is a practical solution.
This charger packs in three USB-C ports, a maximum output of 67W and Programmable Power Supply (PPS) tech, which adjusts the model’s power automatically to fit the needs of your devices, enabling an “optimum” charge. That’s a pretty comprehensive package, especially given this model has a fairly moderate list price of $44.99 / £39.99 /AU$89.95. Some may still want access to a USB-A port, but fear not, there are alternatives – see the ‘Also consider’ section for more.
For reference, this charger can supply 67W charging in single-port mode, 45W from Port 1 and 20W from Port 2 in double mode, and 25W from Port 1 as well as 20W from remaining ports when triple-charging. That will likely be enough for most people, but there are some devices, like the OnePlus 13 phone, for instance, that support 80W charging – so make sure 67W will be enough juice to go around for your phones, laptops, tablets and more.
Unfortunately, though, I did have to use my own cables to charge my devices. There are no USB-C cables included in the box for UK buyers – something you get with a handful of similarly priced models. And although this is still a solid-value charger overall, that really would’ve taken it up a notch for me.
One more thing I would’ve liked to see from the Belkin BoostCharge 3-Port is foldable prongs – at least for the UK model. The US model has this, so if you’re on the other side of the pond, expect ultimate portability. But the lack of foldable prongs in the UK is a little frustrating, as if you want to slide the charger into your pocket, for example, it might end up poking into you. Ultimately, it is still very small though, making it ideal for use in tight spaces – a huge plus in my book.
Otherwise, the design is solid here. This Belkin charger doesn’t do anything fancy, there are no exciting colors like you’d get from the Anker Nano USB-C Wall Charger (30W) and no display. Still, its tiny form, elegant finish and curved look makes it a hit, all things considered. And overall, I’d say this is a good multi-port charger, worth your consideration. The lack of a USB-C cable and foldable prongs is a bit of a blow, but otherwise, this model’s small size and strong performance had me feeling satisfied.
Should I buy the Belkin BoostCharge 3-Port USB-C Wall Charger with PPS 67W?
Buy it if…
You’re on a budget Thankfully, this Belkin charger isn’t too expensive considering its tri-port configuration. If you wanted the slightly fancier UGreen Nexode Pro 65W, for instance, you’d have to shell out $55.99 / £44.99 – ouch!
You’re working with a tight space Thanks to this charger’s small size, it can easily slot into those small spaces behind desks, drawers, beds, shelves…OK, you get the idea. Considering its 67W max power output, this is a pleasingly compact charger – especially when you compare it to the likes of Apple’s 70W USB-C power adapter, for instance.
Don't buy it if…
You need bags of power If you need tons of power for charging the latest MacBook and smartphone at once, for example, this model might not cut it. For me, though, 67W was enough to charge the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE and another device, like my Soundcore Space One Pro headphones or LG Tone Free T90S earbuds.
You’re short on USB-C cables Unfortunately, there’s no USB-C cable included in the box with this Belkin charger, at least in the UK. That’s a bit of a shame, especially if you’re someone that is yet to amass three cables already. Sure, you can purchase some at a fairly low price, but there are alternatives, like the Anker charger listed below, that sort you out with a fresh new cable from the offset.
Belkin BoostCharge 3-Port USB-C Wall Charger with PPS 67W: Also consider
Anker 335 Charger (67W) If you want a slightly cheaper alternative to this Belkin charger that also boasts three charging ports and 67W of power, the Anker 335 Charger (67W) is the ideal option for you. I tested the UK edition out and loved its foldable prongs, speedy performance and inclusion of a USB-C to USB-C cable – it’s a great value product. It does swap out one USB-C port for a USB-A port – which may not be for everyone. It’s also chunkier than this Belkin charger. But all in all, it’s still an alternative well worth considering. Read our full Anker 335 Charger (67W) review.
The LG C5 is a feature-packed, mid-range OLED TV that continues the LG C-series legacy of offering real bang for your buck. Launching at $2,699.99 / £2,699.99 / AU$4,299, the 65-inch model I tested is priced exactly the same as its predecessor, the LG C4, one of the best TVs of 2024.
The LG C5 comes with a host of new AI features and an Alpha 9 Gen 8 AI Processor that leads to a modest picture brightness boost over its predecessor. LG’s C-series continues to lead the way when it comes to features in a mid-range OLED, and while there are not many new additions, it carries over what made the C4 great.
Picture quality is superb on the LG C5. Its vibrant, accurate color, strong contrast, and lifelike textures all combine to rival what you see on the best OLED TVs. Motion handling is good overall, but I did find some scenes where the C5 stumbled. (This was fixed with a quick trip to the picture settings.) One area where the C5 struggles is screen reflections in well-lit environments, which can impact darker images. It looks brilliant when viewed in dimmed conditions, however.
Sound quality has never been a strong point of LG C-series OLED TVs, and while the C5’s built-in 2.2-channel Dolby Atmos system sounds punchy and well-balanced, it won’t beat one of the best soundbars, which I’d recommend for the C5.
The C5 is easily going to be one of the best gaming TVs of 2025. It has a full suite of gaming features, including 4K 144Hz, VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming, smooth and responsive performance, and a ton of cloud gaming options for those without a console.
LG’s webOS 25 is the C5’s smart TV platform and alongside the previously mentioned new AI features, it continues to be one of the better interfaces on the market. Quick Cards in webOS 25 is a useful feature and LG’s Quick Menu continues to be excellent for those who like to regularly adjust picture settings.
The C5’s design is basic and safe, though a faux-marbled rear panel, solid aluminum stand, and trim profile help to give it a premium appearance. LG’s new AI Magic Remote is sleeker and more modern looking than previous Magic Remote versions but is only available in select regions.
LG C-series OLEDs are regularly among the best TVs when it comes to value for money. While pricey at launch, they will become more affordable over time as prices drop. It’s hard to ignore, however, that the still-available LG C4 is the better value option after numerous price drops as the C5 is only an incremental upgrade. Still, for anyone looking for a new TV, the C5 is a fantastic option.
LG C5 OLED TV review: Prices & release date
The LG C5 shows accurate colors (Image credit: Future)
Release date: March 2025
42-inch: $1,399.99 / £1,399.99 / AU$2,199
48-inch: $1,599.99 / £1,499.99 / AU$2,499
55-inch: $1,999.99 / £1,899.99 / AU$3,299
65-inch: $2,699.99 / £2,699.99 / AU$4,299
77-inch: $3,699.99 / £3,699.99 / AU$5,999
83-inch: $5,399.99 / £5,799.99 / AU$7,999
The LG C5 was released in March 2025. It is the mid-range series in LG’s 2025 OLED TV range, sitting above the LG B5 and below the flagship LG G5 and LG M5 series. It is available in 42 to 83-inch screen sizes.
Launch pricing for the LG C5 is nearly identical to that of its predecessor, the LG C4, except for the 42-inch model, which is $100 cheaper in the US. All other sizes in the US, UK and Australia have exactly the same launch price as the C4.
LG C5 OLED TV review: Specs
LG C5 OLED TV review: Benchmark results
LG C5 OLED TV review: Features
The LG C5's connections include 4 HDMI 2.1 ports (Image credit: Future)
Alpha a9 Gen 8 AI Processor
New AI features including AI Sound Wizard
Four HDMI 2.1 ports with up to 144Hz support
The LG C5 uses the same OLED Evo (EX) panel as its predecessor, the LG C4. It features LG’s upgraded Alpha a9 Gen 8 AI processor, which introduces new AI capabilities (more on those below) as well as a Brightness Booster that is not supported in the smaller 42- and 48-inch models. The C4 supports the Dolby Vision high dynamic range format, but not HDR10+. It also supports the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound formats.
For audio, the C5 features the same 2.2-channel, 40W Dolby Atmos built-in speaker system as the previous C4. Its range of sound modes includes Standard, Cinema and AI Sound Pro, as well as a new AI Sound Wizard (more on that below).
LG TVs are typically well-equipped for gaming and the C5 is no exception. While there are no upgrades from its predecessor, it still carries a full-suite of gaming features including 4K 144Hz, VRR (AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync), HGiG, Dolby Vision gaming and ALLM. It also features a Game Optimizer mode where settings can be adjusted, including a boost mode to reduce input lag.
The LG C5 comes with a number of AI features, such as AI Search, AI Concierge and more. (Image credit: Future)
The LG C5 uses the latest iteration of LG’s smart TV platform, webOS 25. This offers a plethora of AI capabilities including AI Search, an advanced search feature that looks for content based on the user’s criteria and questions; AI Concierge, where content is recommended based on a user’s viewing history; and an AI Art feature where users can create AI artworks (creating artworks cost credits that can be bought, but 100 credits are provided to start with).
Alongside AI Picture Wizard, a feature that lets users create a personalized picture mode based on visual prompts, LG has introduced AI Sound Wizard, a similar feature where users react to audio clips to establish a personal sound profile. For the home screen, Quick Cards (a feature introduced in webOS 24 that lets users organize apps based on categories such as Sports, Games, etc.) has been further streamlined.
Features score: 5/5
LG C5 OLED TV review: Picture quality
The LG C5 delivers bold, vibrant and dynamic colors, as shown on Disney's Elemental. (Image credit: Future)
Vibrant color and strong contrast
Superb detail
Reflections in brighter environments
The LG C5’s peak HDR brightness (measured on a 10% white window) was 1,180 nits in Filmmaker Mode and 1,198 nits in Standard mode. Those results are an increase over the LG C4, which hit 1,065 nits and 925 nits in Filmmaker and Standard modes, respectively. Fullscreen HDR brightness (measured on a 100% white pattern) was between 195-200 nits, a slight drop from its C4 predecessor.
The LG C5’s upscaling of lower-resolution sources is impressive. An HD stream of Fight Club that I watchedon Disney Plus got both a brightness and sharpness boost, giving the picture a 4K-like makeover. For standard-definition content (480p and below), the C5’s upscaling also managed to clean up textures, though they were still understandably on the fuzzy side.
Color on the LG C5 is superb. Watching a Dolby Vision stream of Elemental on Disney Plus, colors looked vibrant and dynamic, particularly in the scenes where Ember demonstrates her glass-making abilities and dances across the shimmering minerals. Another Dolby Vision stream, of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, showcased an abundance of reds in the throne room fight scene, which were displayed with real clarity and punch.
When I measured the C5’s HDR color gamut coverage, it hit 99.4% of the UHDA-P3 color space and 75.1% of BT.2020. These are both superb results and explain the C5’s excellent color.
The LG C5 has superb contrast between bright and dark tones, as shown here in The Batman. (Image credit: Future)
Shadow detail and contrast were also brilliant on the C5. Watching the opening crime scene investigation sequence on a 4K Blu-ray of The Batman, detail in clothing was maintained in even the darkest of scenes without compromising deep blacks. In the same sequence, the bright lamps and torches contrasted well with the dark surroundings, with an accurate balance between bright and dark tones. Also, aerial shots of Gotham displayed punchy highlights in street lamps and neon signs while still maintaining the murky, dark tones in the surrounding buildings.
In the black and white scenes in Oppenheimer, shadows and highlights looked refined and authentic, with a wide range of gray tones in between. For these scenes, I turned Dynamic Tone Mapping on (it’s off by default in Filmmaker Mode), which gave white highlights a bolder, brighter look without sacrificing the balance of the gray and black tones.
I found that textures and details were refined and lifelike in pretty much all my viewing on the C5. Facial features and skin tones looked accurate, particularly in close-up shots in movies such as The Batman and Top Gun: Maverick. Textures in objects and clothing were also realistic and gave pictures a real sense of depth.
The LG C5's textures and details are refined and natural. (Image credit: Future)
Motion is well handled on the C5. The intense flight sequences and long panning shots in Top Gun: Maverick lookedsmooth with only minimal blurring. I did find that the C5 struggled in some scenes, such as a panning shot of a rocky landscape in No Time To Die, but turning on Cinematic Movement in the TruMotion picture settings helped with this.
For viewing sports, I generally found Standard picture mode with TruMotion set to Natural to be the best option. With these settings active, back-and-forth action during a football game was accurately displayed. Those wanting a ‘smoother’ look can choose their own de-blur and de-judder settings, though I found it was best to keep these numbers low (around 3).
One area where the LG C5 does struggle is with reflections. With overhead lights on in our testing room, screen glare was very obvious compared to the best mini-LED TVs and more premium OLEDs such as the LG G4 and Samsung S95D, and resulted in a loss of black depth and shadow detail in darker scenes.
Picture quality score: 4.5/5
LG C5 OLED TV review: Sound quality
The new Personalized Sound Wizard is a useful tool, but doesn't quite beat the built-in sound presets. (Image credit: Future)
2.2-channel Dolby Atmos speaker system
Clear, detailed sound but limited bass
New AI Sound Wizard is hit-and-miss
The LG C5’s built-in 2.2-channel, 40W speaker array supports the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X (via pass-through) sound formats, and its AI Sound Pro mode upmixes soundtracks to 11.1.2 channels – a step-up from the C4’s 9.1.2-channel upmixing.
My default choice for sound modes on TVs is usually the Movie/Cinema preset. With this active, placement of screeching tires and swerving traffic during the Batmobile chase in The Batman was accurate and well connected to the action on screen. There was a decent level of bass and good rumble to the Batmobile’s engine, but it still felt restrained compared to some of the best TVs for sound, such as the Sony Bravia 8. Dolby Atmos height effects were also limited and the soundstage could have been wider.
Interestingly, I found myself drawn to the TV’s AI Sound Pro mode. When activating this in the same scene of The Batman, everything was enhanced: the soundstage became wider and deeper, and bass, while still limited, was more tightly controlled. The overall sound was brighter, which some people may not like, but it felt more immersive. Still, the C5 could benefit from one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars to complement its picture.
One of the new AI features in webOS 25 is AI Sound Wizard (the audio equivalent of the AI Picture Wizard). This lets you create a personal sound mode, which is done by listening to different audio clips to select your preferred sound profile. I tested three different profiles: Balanced, Natural and Rich, and Rich and Vivid but found they were all a little flat-sounding and still preferred the AI Sound Pro and Movie presets. Still, having that level of customization available is appreciated.
Sound quality score: 4/5
LG C5 OLED TV review: Design
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(Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
Sleek, premium design
Solid, decent stand
New AI Magic Remote, but only for some regions
The LG C5’s design is what you’d expect from a mid-range OLED TV. Its slim frame gives it a sleek look, with a trim profile and bezel-less screen that allows the picture to take center stage. The connections, including four HDMI 2.1 ports, are all easily accessible on the side of the screen – something you don’t always find in TVs from other brands.
The C5 doesn’t beat the premium design of flagship OLEDs such as the Samsung S95D or the Philips OLED909, but it has a solid aluminium pedestal stand and a new AI Magic Remote (only available in select regions, including the US) that’s sleeker, with a matte finish, a less cluttered layout and new AI Home Hub and Accessibility buttons. UK users will have to settle for a slightly updated version of the old Magic Remote which looks the same (even the numbered buttons are still present) but does come with the new buttons.
Design score: 4.5/5
LG C5 OLED TV review: Smart TV & menus
LG's webOS continues to be one of the best smart TV platforms on the market. (Image credit: Future)
webOS 25 smart TV platform
Quick Cards in home menu
Extensive AI features
The C5 uses LG’s webOS smart TV platform. The latest iteration, webOS 25, mainly adds a ton of AI features, including AI Search, AI Concierge, AI Art and AI Sound Wizard. There are also upgrades and improvements to the AI Chatbot introduced in webOS 24.
When I posed questions to the Chatbot about improving picture brightness or sound, it provided advice on how to make those improvements. It struggled with more in-depth questions, but is still undeniably a good tool for some users.
LG has taken customization and personalization a step further with the new Voice ID, which is a very useful feature for families. The C5 supports multiple profiles to make sure content recommendations and settings are personal for each user, and if Voice ID is enabled, webOs will automatically recognise who is talking and adjust to that user accordingly.
Quick Cards, such as the Game one shown here, are still a great way to organise apps based on certain categories. (Image credit: Future)
Elsewhere, webOS 25 retains the Quick Cards feature, which provides useful hubs for categories such as Sports, Game and Accessibility. Choosing your favorite teams in Sports will link to any live or upcoming games, scores, and related content from YouTube and other streaming sites. The home screen’s layout looks very similar to webOS 24 and while the large banner image at top is annoying, the overall layout is user-friendly.
LG stands tall above the competition primarily through its Quick Menu, where settings can be quickly adjusted without moving away from the action on screen. There are plenty of picture and sound settings for those who like to experiment, and they are organized in a way that’s not too overwhelming for more casual users.
Smart TV & menus score: 4.5/5
LG C5 OLED TV review: Gaming
The LG C5 is a brilliant TV for gaming with responsive performance and handling with games such as Battlefield V (pictured). (Image credit: Future)
Full suite of gaming features
Game Optimizer menu
9.2ms input lag time
The LG C5 is an excellent gaming TV. Its full suite of features include 4K 144Hz, VRR (both AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync), HGiG, Dolby Vision gaming and ALLM support, all across four HDMI 2.1 ports. There is also a Game Optimizer mode where gaming settings can be adjusted, and the home menu’s Game Quick Card houses cloud-based gaming apps such as Amazon Luna and Nvidia GeForce Now as well as other gaming features and settings.
Gaming performance on the C5 is superb. Playing Battlefield V on Xbox Series X, intense battle sequences that required fast movement and targeting felt smooth, resulting in a seamless gaming experience with no screen tearing or blur. The C5’s picture quality added an extra layer to the game, displaying gorgeous visuals filled with vibrant color, stunning contrast and refined detail.
Gaming score: 5/5
LG C5 OLED TV review: Value
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The latest LG AI Magic Remote has a design change from previous generations. But it's only available in certain regions including the US. (Image credit: Future)
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UK users will have to settle for the original Magic Remote with a new AI button instead. (Image credit: Future)
Feature-packed for the price
Premium performance
LG C4 still available for significantly cheaper
LG’s C-series OLED is always tough to judge on value. On the one hand, it’s a feature-packed TV with nearly everything you could need for movies and gaming and an excellent set of smart features to match. Although we have no 2025 model prices yet for the C5’s usual mid-range Samsung, Sony and Panasonic OLED competitors, the C5 is most likely to deliver the best bang for your buck of the lot.
On the other hand, while boasting a slight brightness boost and a new set of AI features, the C5 is very similar to its C4 predecessor. At the time of writing, the 65-inch C5 I tested will set you back $2,699.99 / £2,699.99 (at launch), whereas a 65-inch C4 now costs $1,499.99 / £1,499.99 – a very significant price difference. The price gap between the C4 and its C3 predecessor was easier to justify as the new model was such a step-up, but the same can’t be said for the C5.
However, the C5 is undeniably an excellent TV that justifies its price. Prices are also sure to drop over the coming months, but while the C4 is still available, that’s the model we’d recommend. Once it’s gone, though, the C5 is a worthy replacement.
Value score: 4/5
Should I buy the LG C5 OLED TV?
(Image credit: Future)
Buy it if...
You want exceptional picture quality With the LG C5's amazing contrast, bold colors and realistic detail, it feels more premium than its mid-range status suggests. View Deal
You want an OLED for gaming With a full stock of gaming features, superb performance and a picture to match, the C5 is a perfect gaming TV. View Deal
You want an intuitive smart TV platform webOS 25 is user-friendly with a great menu layout and now comes with a load of AI features that some will find very useful. View Deal
Don't buy it if...
You own the LG C4 While it is a great TV, the LG C5 is only an incremental upgrade over last year's LG C4. If you own the C4, you won't need to buy the C5. View Deal
You want HDR10+ support The C5 supports Dolby Vision but does not support HDR10+, which is becoming a more widely used HDR format on streaming services. View Deal
You want the best built-in sound While the C5's sound will be fine for most people, it doesn't match the C5's other aspects such as picture quality. View Deal
Also Consider
LG C4 The LG C4 is the C5's predecessor and while the C5 has some AI upgrades and other new features, the C4 is a very similar TV that delivers the same versatility and can now be found for a significantly cheaper price. Read our full LG C4 review.
LG G4 The LG G4 is the flagship 2024 OLED TV for LG, and it delivers higher brightness, better picture quality and better built-in sound than the mid-range C-series. You do usually have to pay a more premium price for the G-series, but at the time of writing, the C5 will be pricier at launch. Read our full LG G4 review.
Sony Bravia 8 Sony's mid-range OLED TV, the Bravia 8, is one of the LG C-series' closest rivals, offering similar picture quality but better built-in sound than the C-series. However, LG's C-series models offer better gaming performance and features and a better smart TV platform. This choice will come down to preference and price. Read our full Sony Bravia 8 review.
How I tested the LG C5 OLED TV
(Image credit: Future)
Tested over a week
Tested using SDR and HDR sources
Measurements taken using Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software
I first began testing the LG C5 OLED TV over a couple of days with casual viewing to determine its most accurate picture and sound modes.
After this, I moved on to critical viewing, using reference scenes from movies and TV shows. This included SDR sources (broadcast TV, HD streaming, DVD) and HDR (4K streaming and 4K Blu-ray). I used these to test the C5's picture quality, looking at elements such as color, black levels, contrast, detail, motion and upscaling.
I used a Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player when playing discs including 4K Blu-ray. I also used an Xbox Series X to test the TV's gaming features and performance.
I first took measurements of the C5's brightness using both HDR and SDR white window patterns ranging in size from 1-100%. I also tested the C5's grayscale and color accuracy, taking an average of the Delta-E values (the margin of error between the test pattern source and what's shown on screen), looking for a result below 3.
I also tested the C5's coverage of the UHDA-P3 and BT.2020 color spaces. Finally, I used a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI Input lag Tester to test the C5's input lag in milliseconds.
Thrustmaster is arguably at the top of its game when it comes to flight sticks, so it’s perhaps not all that surprising that the company is now making a play for space sim gear.
The Sol-R range has a cute name, but don’t let that fool you – this is a serious stick (or pair thereof) for anyone who spends plenty of time in the hour-devouring black mass of titles like Elite Dangerous.
If you’re not playing a whole lot of space games, it might not appeal, and the taller and more integrated nature of the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet would still be our pick for the best flight stick. Still, if what you’re playing has a whole host of fiddly toggles, mapping those to the Sol-R’s array of switches, buttons, and dials feels like magic.
Ahead of the launch, it’s worth noting that things aren’t quite dialed in, so for the time being, you can expect to spend plenty of time tweaking buttons and mapping, but if that’s what you’re looking for in your next voyage, this is a great place to start around the $200/£200 mark – at least sort of.
I was sent the Duo pack which includes both Sol-R sticks for the right-hand and left-hand, which will cost you considerably more ($389.99 or £299.99). Still, with each packing plenty of inputs, even a single stick could be ideal for your setup.
(Image credit: Future)
Price and availability
List price:$219.99 / £179.99, or $399.99 / £299.99 for the Duo
Available worldwide
Pre-orders open March 19, available April 16
While each stick in the Sol-R range will run you $219.99 / £179.99, they’re considerably cheaper than rivals like the Saitek Pro Flight, but a little more than Thrustmaster’s own T.Flight Hotas One.
You can preorder from March 19, and they’ll start shipping on April 16, 2025. While no throttle is included, you can use the Thrust sliders on the front of the base.
That pricing makes it a little more than the T-Flight Hotas One, which remains Thrustmaster’s entry-level model but doesn’t include as many buttons, switches, or LED lighting. In fact, it’s around a similar price to Turtle Beach’s VelocityOne which is relatively similar in terms of feature set.
Specs
(Image credit: Future)
Design and features
Plenty of customizable inputs
Flexibility of two sticks
Nice lighting
While I was sent the Sol-R stick’s ‘Duo’ configuration which includes two of the sticks and bases for use at the same time, anyone buying a single one is unlikely to feel short-changed.
Each stick screws on easily but securely to the base, but even before doing that, it’s worth taking in the base itself. Each one has eight buttons, two dials, a thrust slider (with accompanying lighting), and a quarter of switches.
Moving to the stick, there’s a subtle button near the base, and a main trigger at thumb rest height, with an additional one beyond that. Then there are two hat switches, two more buttons, and a thumbstick, all of which combine to make menu navigation much, much simpler.
Speaking of which, you can actually use the F/A-18C Hornet grip or the Viper Grip on the base, giving you plenty of flexibility with your setup.
The blue lighting around the base and top of the stick is a nice touch, too, adding to the futuristic, space travel feel.
There’s a pleasing resistance to the dials and thrust slider, but I do wish the stick didn’t quite wobble so much. The included stabilizers click on with ease and do a great job of minimizing the way the base tends to roll to each side, but it’s still not quite perfect in those intense dogfights.
Those dials aren’t just inputs, either. They’re actually used as modifiers, so you can trigger different effects for any button, trigger, or switch depending on which position they’re in. That makes 44 customizable inputs per stick.
If you’re a left-handed pilot and you’re not looking to invest in both sticks, there’s good news — you can swap the included ergonomic supports over to make the Sol-R ambidextrous. And, if you’re looking for the Z axes, you can find that by twisting the grip.
It’s also worth noting that I have relatively large hands, but the Sol-R fits in them nicely in both hands, with the thumb rest perfectly located.
(Image credit: Future)
Performance
Maps as ‘Generic stick’
Rewards tinkerers
T.A.R.G.E.T. download is still very much just for drivers
I wanted to put the Sol-R to the test with one of my favorite games in Elite Dangerous. While I did test with more traditional flight sims, Elite is a game that’s about exploring space in your own way, meaning it’s a great way to test out everything from dogfighting to space cargo hauling.
It’s also the kind of game that the Sol-R was built for, with a whole host of controls to tweak and map — and therein lies the rub.
Because the Sol-R, at least in its pre-launch stage, is identified in compatible games as a ‘Generic Joystick’, you can expect to do a lot of customization to get it just right in your game of choice. Elite recognized both sticks, for example, but I had to manually map each button.
That might be something that’ll be ironed out at launch, but on the plus side, it does give you scope to tweak as you see fit. In my testing, I got to a really great spot where the thrust slider adjusted my speed, while the variety of buttons switched power to various systems on my virtual ship.
(Image credit: Future)
The hat switch and scroll wheel allowed me to check in-game messages and I could use the toggle switches for landing gear. Is that the kind of thing I’d have painstakingly done if the setup defaulted to a “good enough” button mapping layout? It’s hard to say.
For flight sims, it performs admirably, too. The sheer number of buttons is like a blank canvas for the likes of Microsoft Flight Simulator so you can set a button for your altimeter, anti-ice and more, and the fact the Sol-R appears as a generic stick means you can tailor it just like any other.
I also played Star Wars Squadrons, but the game doesn’t really need many inputs so it was actually more enjoyable with a single stick. Pulling off tight turns and loops did serve to highlight that wobbliness of the base, though.
Thrustmaster’s T.A.R.G.E.T. software is still pretty rudimentary, and while you can download presets, that wasn’t available for the Sol-R ahead of launch — but I’m curious to see how players adjust to the tools on offer. T.A.R.G.E.T. really just acts to get your drivers installed otherwise, and to its credit, it’s a simple, centralized hub for everything Thrustmaster.
Unlike the T.Flight HOTAS One, the Sol-R 1 is sadly PC only — so you won’t be able to use it on your PS5 or Xbox console.
Should I buy the Thrustmaster Sol-R?
Buy it if...
You’re big on space sims For this price, even the single stick will give you a fantastic space sim experience, juggling comfort with a whole host of input options.
You’re patient With the button remapping, you’ll get out of the Sol-R what you put in, meaning you can make it feel like a stick (or pair of sticks) entirely bespoke to your use case.
Don't buy it if...
You’re looking for a more stable flight stick The Sol-R comes with stabilizers for the corners, but if you’re dogfighting, you might find your stick moving all over the place even with those fitted.
Also consider
Still not sold on the Thrustmaster Sol-R 1? Here’s how it compares to two similar products.
Turtle Beach VelocityOne Turtle Beach’s VelocityOne is arguably the closest rival to the Sol-R, mainly because it offers a great stick experience flanked by additional inputs. It has a similar build quality, too, but you don’t get the flexibility of adding a second stick.
Thrustmaster T Flight Hotas One T Flight HOTAS is still close to the gold standard for new flyers, offering a comfortable stick with a detachable throttle — all at a great price. It’s also ideal for console gamers that play on Xbox.
Tested using Elite Dangerous, Star Wars Squadrons, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
I spent the majority of my time (around 15 hours testing) with Elite Dangerous, simply because it has such a vast array of things that can be triggered by the Sol-R inputs.
I also had a blast blowing away TIE Fighters in Star Wars Squadrons, and also taking on some transatlantic flights in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 — but it feels best for an open-ended experience like Elite Dangerous where you can engage with an array of systems with the huge number of input options.
I tested on my gaming PC rig where I recently tested the F/A-18 stick and Viper TQS mission pack, as well as the T.Flight HOTAS One.
The Amazon-owned Eero got off to an early start in the Wi-Fi 7 market when it launched the high-end – and rather expensive - Eero Max 7 in 2023. That was followed by the Eero Pro 7 earlier this year, and now Eero has launched its most affordable Wi-Fi 7 mesh system in the form of the Eero 7.
But, like a number of ‘affordable’ Wi-Fi 7 routers and mesh systems that have been launched in recent months, the Eero 7 has to make one important compromise in order to keep the price down. This means that it lacks support for the high-performance 6.0GHz frequency band and limits itself to basic dual-band Wi-Fi 7 that just uses the older 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands.
That compromise means that the Eero 7 isn’t as fast as its tri-band Wi-Fi 7 rivals that also support the 6.0GHz band. However, it’s worth remembering that the Wi-Fi 7 standard doesn’t just focus on speed. It’s also designed to provide greater reliability when connecting to lots of different devices, such as smart lights and speakers that you may have in your home, as well as your personal computers and mobile devices.
So while the Eero 7 may not be the fastest mesh system around, it still provides an affordable mesh Wi-Fi system for people who need to reliable Wi-Fi that can reach into every corner of their home.
Price & Availability
How much does it cost? $349.99 / £349.99
When is it available? Now
Where can you get it? Available in the US and UK
Eero states that each Eero 7 mesh router can cover an area of 2,000sq.ft, and we like the fact that it allows you to buy one, two or three Eero 7 units as required. This allows you to choose the option that suits you best, and also provides more competitive pricing for the two-pack and three-pack options.
You can also mix and match different Eero models, perhaps buying a single Eero 7 as a low-cost add-on for an existing Eero mesh system.
Prices start at £169.99/$169.99 for a single Eero 7, or £279.99/$279.99 for a two-pack mesh system. However, we tested the three-pack option, which costs £349.99/$349.99.
That’s certainly a lot less expensive than the Eero Pro or Max, which cost £699.99/$699.99 and a whopping £1699.99/$1699.99 respectively for a three-pack – although, of course, their tri-band Wi-Fi is a lot faster than that of the dual-band Eero 7.
The Eero 7 is currently available in the US and UK, but – as often seems to be the case – Australia has to wait for the latest Wi-Fi 7 products to arrive. However, the Eero Max 7 has recently gone on sale in Australia, so hopefully the Eero 7 and Pro 7 will soon be available as well.
Value: 4 / 5
Eero 7: Design
(Image credit: Future / Cliff Joseph)
Compact (and sturdy) design
Two 2.5Gb Ethernet ports
Powered via USB-C
Unlike the larger Pro and Max models, the Eero 7 sticks with the now-familiar white plastic and curvy space-pod design that the company has used for several years. The Eero 7 models are slightly larger than their predecessors, but they’re still fairly compact, standing just 64.1mm high, and 130mm wide and deep, so it’s easy to place the routers on any convenient shelf or worktop when you’re setting the system up.
They’re pretty solidly built too – I actually dropped one while unpacking the box, but it worked with no problems as soon as I plugged in the power supply.
Each router has two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports on the back, and these are ‘auto-sensing’ ports, which means that they can be used either to connect to your existing broadband router or modem, or to provide a wired network connection for devices such as a gaming PC or console.
(Image credit: Future / Cliff Joseph)
Each router also has a USB-C port on the back, although this is used for the mains power supply, rather than connecting a shared network drive.
Most of the Eero’s rivals provide more Ethernet ports, but that probably won’t be a problem for most home users, and we like the fact that the Eero’s 2.5Gb ports support high-speed broadband connections. However, we’re a little unhappy with Eero’s description of the routers’ performance.
The Eero 7 is quoted as having a ‘BE5000 speed rating’, which many people might interpret as meaning a Wi-Fi speed of 5000Mbps (or 5.0Gbps). In fact, a closer look at the tech specs for Eero 7 reveals that the dual-band routers only support a far more modest Wi-Fi speed of 1.8Gbps.
To be fair, that’s still more than fast enough for most domestic broadband connections, but we can’t help thinking that Eero is overhyping the speed a bit.
Design: 4 / 5
Eero 7: Features
Well-designed app
Quick set-up
Limited parental controls
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(Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
The Eero 7 is certainly well designed, but the low price of this dual-band mesh system does mean that it’s a little sparse on features.
Getting started is fairly straightforward – although poor documentation does mean that we noticed one potential hiccup. There’s no manual provided with the Eero 7, and the Eero app (for iOS/Android) starts by telling you to connect an Eero ‘gateway’ – without explaining what the term ‘gateway’ actually means.
In fact, the ‘gateway’ is simply the first Eero router that you connect to your existing broadband modem or router using an Ethernet cable (included in the box), and any of the Eero routers can act as the gateway.
Once that’s out of the way, setting up the new Eero 7 mesh network is a piece of cake.
You’ll need to turn on Bluetooth on your mobile device, and the Eero app then uses Bluetooth to connect to the Eero routers and link them together to create your new mesh network.
It gives tips on where to locate each router, and can even run a test to check the strength of the Wi-Fi signal as you place the routers in different spots around your home.
To keep things simple, the Eero app combines the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz frequencies into a single network, and also provides an option to create a guest network if required.
However, additional features, such as parental controls and content filters, VPN and malware protection, do require an additional Eero+ subscription. There’s a two-month free trial available for the Eero+ service, but after that it costs £9.99/$9.99 per month or £99.99/$99.99 per year (and renews automatically at the end of the trial period, so watch out for that).
So while the Eero 7 provides impressive ease of use, there are rival routers and mesh systems that provide a wider range of features without charging for an additional subscription.
Features: 3 / 5
Eero 7: Performance
Good Wi-Fi range and coverage
1.8Gbps Wi-Fi 7
Dual-band only (2.4GHz/5.0GHz)
With no support for the 6.0GHz frequency band, the Eero 7 clearly can’t match the performance of some of its more expensive tri-band rivals. Even so, its 1.8Gbps Wi-Fi speed is more than fast enough to work with most domestic broadband services, and it didn’t have any trouble dealing with an annoying wi-fi deadspot that we have in our building.
Our aging office router falls well short of the maximum 150Mbps provided by our office broadband connection, generally falling to 120Mbps even for devices that are nearby in the same room. Our old router also struggles to reach an office located at the back of the building, leaving us with a Wi-Fi deadspot where we have to rely on a set of PowerLine adaptors to provide a wired connection instead.
The Eero dealt with both scenarios admirably, immediately bumping our Wi-Fi speed right up to 150Mbs for devices in the same room when running the Ookla Speed Test, and also for large file downloads from Steam. It wasn’t bothered by our office deadspot either, effortlessly maintaining that 150Mbs speed as we picked up our laptop and walked along the corridor to that back office. There’s no doubt that the low cost of the Eero 7 means that its features and performance are fairly basic – but at least it gets the basics right, providing respectable performance and welcome ease of use for home users who simply want to upgrade an older router that still has Wi-Fi 5 or 6.
Performance: 3 / 5
Should you buy the Eero 7?
Also Consider
If our Eero 7 review has you considering other options, here are a few good choices.
Netgear Nighthawk RS200
Smaller homes that just need a single, conventional router could consider the RS200 from Netgear. This dual-band router is slightly more expensive than the Eero 7, but it’s much faster, with a wi-fi speed of up to 6.5Gbps.
Recently launched in the US and due soon in the UK and Australia, the Deco BE65 Pro is a high-end option for power users. It’s competitively priced, but provides tri-band Wi-Fi 7 running at a blazing 11Gbps.View Deal
Viltrox's first professional LAB lens gets the Z-mount treatment, and I've already had the chance to test the lens for several weeks, pairing it with my Nikon Z6 II for supreme shallow-depth-of-field portraits and more.
At $899 / £829 / around AU$1,500 (discounts are available on the Viltrox website too), it's half the price of the Sony lens, and just a third of the price of Nikon's Plena, which originally cost around $2,600 / £2,700 / AU$4,600. For Nikon Z users like me, that's clearly a huge difference.
135mm is an ideal focal length for portraits, but I also love the perspective for landscape photography, together with the excellent light-gathering capabilities of a fast f/1.8 aperture prime lens like this.
So what do I think of the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB now that I've tested it? It's a truly stunning lens, although it does have one significant drawback that has me thinking twice.
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(Image credit: Tim Coleman)
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(Image credit: Tim Coleman)
Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB specs
Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB: Design
Premium design and build quality
Very heavy
Unique customizable LCD screen is a fun touch
It's clear that the Viltrox 135mm is built for pros. The build quality is top-drawer, from the weather-resistant metal barrel, front lens element and rear mount to the reassuringly secure connection to the camera – you'll need some muscle to click the lens into place – and the premium controls dotted around the exterior.
There's a smooth focus ring, a second ring that can be set to smooth or clicked and which by default is set to control aperture, plus custom buttons and a customizable top LCD.
It's possible to customize the welcome screen of the top LCD (seriously), which is a nice touch, even if I can't see myself creating my own welcome screen... yet. It's also possible to apply firmware updates easily through the USB-C port built into the rear mount.
Focus distances are marked precisely on the LCD, down to the centimeter, which is something you don't get with other lenses. There's also a AF / MF switch plus a focus-range limiter. These exterior controls cover all the bases for the scenarios in which I see myself using the lens.
Autofocus is smooth and essentially silent. Viltrox says focus speeds are "150% faster", although I'm not sure what that's in comparison to, and I wouldn't say this is the fastest-focusing lens I've used, even if it is smooth. I'll touch on why I think so in a bit.
In the box is a decent-sized lens hood and a soft lens pouch for packing the lens away safely. So, all in all, the Viltrox 135mm F1.8 sounds great, right? And it is, but for one thing.
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(Image credit: Tim Coleman)
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As I mentioned in my verdict at the start of this review, this lens is heavy – very heavy. It's the first thing you notice as you take it out of the box. How heavy? 43.6oz / 1,235g, without the lens hood. Ouch.
To be clear, quality 135mm f/1.8 lenses like this are heavy, but the Viltrox is another level; it's about 25% heavier than the Sony and Nikon lenses I've mentioned.
I wish the Viltrox was lighter, at least for using it with my Z6 II. The balance is so front-heavy that this is a lens that's best used in short bursts, which is a shame because I could see myself using a lens like this for event photography, and those jobs are long hours.
If you shoot with a larger camera such as the Nikon Z8, or more so the Nikon Z9, the balance of the Viltrox lens will be much better.
Still, there's also a very good reason why this lens is so heavy – its supreme optical quality.
Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB: Performance
135mm focal length ideal for isolating subjects
Virtually flawless optical quality
Precise and smooth autofocus, but not the fastest
The optical quality of the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens is virtually flawless, much like the Nikon Plena lens, and the MTF charts shared by Viltrox back this up.
Detail is sharp from center to edges, even when using the maximum f/1.8 aperture. There's not a huge amount of vignetting either – it's hardly noticeable if you stop the aperture down to f/2.8, while at f/1.8 it's easily corrected if you don't want those darker corners that help your subject stand out all the more.
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A portrait taken with the aperture set to f/1.8 (Image credit: Tim Coleman)
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The same portrait, but at f/2.8 (Image credit: Tim Coleman)
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With aperture set to f/1.8, bokeh is smooth, big and round (Image credit: Tim Coleman)
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Even at f/2.8, bokeh quality is lovely. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)
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I tried my hardest to induce lens flare, and even then the quality of shots is top drawer (Image credit: Tim Coleman)
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Another lens flare attempt (Image credit: Tim Coleman)
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135mm is an excellent focal length for isolating subjects, and focus fall-off at f/1.8 is smooth. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)
I purposefully pushed the lens in tricky scenarios, such as backlit portraits at golden hour, and it handled flare admirably. It also focused precisely, no mean feat when its VCM motors are working hard to shift those weighty lens elements, of which there are 14 in nine groups, although focusing is slightly snappier with Sony's and Nikon's lenses in my experience.
Most photographers splashing the cash on a lens like this do so for its ability to produce attractive bokeh, and the Viltrox lens impresses on this front, especially for the price.
The 11-blade circular aperture delivers buttery smooth and circular bokeh in out-of-focus areas of dappled light, as you can see in the sample images. This kind of bokeh quality is the holy grail for pro portrait photographers, and it's now available in a lens that costs a fraction of the price of Nikon and Sony's own lenses.
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f/1.8 (Image credit: Tim Coleman)
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f/2.8 (Image credit: Tim Coleman)
The top-drawer optical quality, especially for the competitive price, cannot be overstated, and Viltrox has really given me something to think about. Would I buy this lens? Absolutely. I'll just hit the gym first, or upgrade my gear with the chunkier Z8 for better balance, or – more cost-effectively – the Z6 II battery grip.
Its weight and slightly sluggish autofocus are the only drawbacks to an otherwise flawless lens.
Should you buy the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB?
Buy it if...
You want a long portrait lens
The telephoto 135mm focal length is ideal for head-and-shoulder portraits and for isolating subjects.
You want top-drawer optical quality
Supreme sharpness, buttery smooth bokeh, excellent control of flare and lens distortions… optically this lens is essentially flawless.
You want a well-made lens
Build quality and handling (aside from the weight) are excellent – this is a lens that's built to last and which offers you all the controls you need.
Don't buy it if...
You want a lightweight lens for long shoots
Weight is the lens's Achilles heel – at 45.6oz / 1,235g, you'll only want to use it in short bursts.
You want class-leading autofocus performance
Autofocus speeds are slightly on the sluggish side, even if the end results are precise and reliable.
You like to include surroundings in your portraits
The 135mm focal length is designed to isolate a subject, with little room for including surroundings unless you're shooting from some distance.
How I tested the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB
Tested intermittently for a few weeks
Paired with a Nikon Z6 II
Used in a range of scenarios and at different times of day
I received the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens for Nikon Z-mount a few weeks ahead of its official unveiling on March 19, 2025. It's already available for Sony E-mount.
I've paired the lens with a Nikon Z6 II body, and used it in a range of challenging scenarios to test its optical quality. These situations included backlit portraits during golden hours, with the light dancing around the sun included in some photos.
I haven't yet had the opportunity to test the lens during inclement weather yet, so I can't comment on its weather-resistance credentials.
Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer is a movement-based fitness Nintendo Switch game, developed by Imagineer. Holding the Joy-Con controllers in either hand, you dodge, duck, and throw out combos following on-screen prompts, progressing through daily structured workouts of increasing difficulty. Warm-ups, cool-downs, a Free Training mode, and separate mitt drills provide enough variety for those looking to switch things up.
Review info
Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch Available on: Nintendo Switch Release date: December 5, 2024
Movement-based console games are an odd bunch, and none more so than fitness games. I remember when you could get Dance Dance Revolution on the original PlayStation, complete with a much worse, fold-away version of the arcade’s iconic dancefloor. Since then, most movement-based games have been party ones like Wii Sports, but offerings like Wii Fit and Ring Fit Adventure have attempted to bring actual workout programming to consoles with mixed success. Who are they aimed at: existing Switch users looking to get fit, or existing fitness fans Nintendo is hoping to sell a Switch to?
Fitness Boxing 3 is solidly aimed at the former, although its harder workouts move at a pace to challenge most. As TechRadar’s Senior Fitness and Wearables Editor, I’ve got a solid background in reviewing fitness kit. I’ve also got a lot of experience punching things, having been a kickboxer for many years in a previous life. It felt as though I was tailor-made to review this thing.
I duly fired the Switch up and worked my way through the tutorial. Anyone who’s played Dance Dance Revolution or one of its many clones, or even Guitar Hero, will understand the principle at work here: you see the prompt work its way up to the on-screen target, and you throw a punch at the exact time required. The better your timing, the higher your score.
Once you complete the initial section, comprised of jabs and straight punches, you work your way through the different combination-based daily classes, adding in hooks, uppercuts, body blows, dodging (by holding the Joy-Cons close to your chest and moving your body) and other moves designed to complicate things, all while increasing speed.
(Image credit: Nintendo/Imagineer)
Get with the program
The game will ask you to pop in some details, including your age, weight, target weight, and so on, and set about generating programs for you based on your preferred difficulty level. The Daily Workouts still require you to go through the various combinations in order to unlock types of punches and moves for use in Free Training, which was a little frustrating as I wanted to immediately get stuck in and test everything. However, if you’re moving through a workout program from beginner to advanced as intended, this shouldn’t be too much of an issue for you.
The workout programming is excellent. As someone well-versed in fitness programs, I was glad to see everything started with an optional warm-up and cooldown and reminders to hydrate, and that frustration in lack of customizable programming for me would be a boon for people who need their hand held through their introduction to fitness.
Once you start unlocking workouts and combos, you can string them together in custom programs in the Free Training room, so my itch was eventually scratched with a bit of patience. You can view all your stats and progress in the My Data section, which is very comprehensively laid out in graphs and, in a really nice nod to the sensitivity of health data, it’s passcode-protected.
The huge customizability of everything was also a big plus for me. You can change trainers, from the default instructor Lin to the bulky Bernado or distinctly Eurotrash-looking Guy. They’ve all got birthdays, and hobbies and you can buy them new outfits with your earned points or switch their Kindness levels on and off, depending on whether you prefer a gentle carrot or a drill sergeant stick for workout motivation.
A distinctly parasocial ‘box and bond’ session is available for each trainer, where they’ll talk to you more and tell you about themselves. A little odd to be bonding with a program, but I’m sure it’s a good idea to get people attached to a virtual instructor to keep them motivated.
(Image credit: Nintendo/Imagineer)
Once more, mitt feeling
Between the customizable instructors and the stage/song selection, from neon cyberpunk to garage gym to serene aquatic environment, it felt a bit like Tekken or a similar fighting game, which is thematically very appropriate. As someone used to real-life boxing training, mitt drills in the Free Training section were my favorite part: rather than the DDR format, you’ll get a combination to remember and then the trainer will hold a mitt up, testing your mind-to-muscle connection and reflexes.
It’s all very slick, and when used properly, it feels as though it works incredibly well. I really enjoyed it, performing and executing the moves to the best of my ability, until I found a fatal flaw, one that completely soured my experience.
As the mitt drill sped up, I was getting the routine wrong, but the game was still registering “Perfect” with each punch, Bernado lauding my performance as I threw hooks instead of uppercuts. After a bit of experimentation, I soon found that pretty much any fast, forward movement of the Joy-Con would register as a successful punch, regardless of what kind of punch I was actually supposed to be throwing!
Best bit
The customizability of the game. Pick your stage, and music, choose sitting or standing modes, and your preferred trainer - you can even turn the “kindness” setting on or off!
I tried throwing the Joy-Cons out to either side of me, flailing wildly, and to my disappointment, I still got successful Perfect combination recognitions. I was reminded of Wii Sports, in which people would lie on their sofas and flick their wrists to control their avatar during on-screen tennis. At some point, most people playing this game will realize that their carefully choreographed movements actually don’t matter, and they could be doing anything to score their Perfects and earn those points. This realization stung like a bee and sapped a lot of enjoyment from my remaining playtime.
Still, there’s a lot to like about Fitness Boxing 3 despite this, namely the intense customizability and the careful construction of its workout programs. Those buying this game for fitness purposes are unlikely to be looking to cheat themselves: boxing is a terrific workout, and Fitness Boxing 3 is a great primer, daily workout motivator, and reminder to move. You’ll just have to keep yourself honest and throw your punches properly.
Should you play Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer?
Play it if...
You want to work out at home Fitness Boxing 3 has comprehensive workout programming to help you structure your weekly workouts.
You’re a beginner boxer The on-screen prompts and demonstrations will clearly guide you through how to throw lots of basic and advanced combinations.
Don't play it if...
Movement mapping matters If you want feedback from the Joy-Con, for it to register when throwing a correct or incorrect punch, Fitness Boxing 3 can’t give you that guidance. I’ve yet to find an at-home trainer which can.
Accessibility
A sit-down boxing mode allows those users unable to stand for long periods to play the game and get movement into their day. All lines from instructors come with subtitles, and the instructor’s kindness can be toggled on if you need gentle encouragement.
All in all, the accessibility features are better than I expect from a fitness-orientated gamer.
(Image credit: Nintendo/Imagineer)
How I reviewed Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer
I played the game for around ten hours on an original Nintendo Switch console using the device’s own screen and my LG TV. I worked my way through intermediate combinations, trying Daily Workouts, Free Training using Mitt Drills, and Basic Training with several different instructors.
I spent accumulated points to buy new songs for different stages (such as I Was Made For Lovin’ You by KISS) and outfits for instructors, and I also stress-tested the controls by deliberately throwing incorrect punches.
This review first appeared in issue 353 of PC Pro.
Workstation technology is the pinnacle of desktop PC power, and this month we’re testing a computer that showcases some of the latest high-performance components. Not only is the Scan 3XS GWP TR Ada our first look at AMD’s latest Ryzen Threadripper, back after a hiatus, but also Nvidia’s Ada generation graphics, and it boasts a bevy of PCI-E 5 NVMe storage as well.
First, that processor. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7980X is top of the resurgent range, offering 64 cores running at a base 3.2GHz but with a boost up to 5.1GHz. Scan has chosen Corsair H150i Elite Capellix RGB liquid cooling to eke the most out of this processor. The 360mm version has been installed on the front of the chassis, with three 120mm fans providing plenty of heat dissipation.
With the Ryzen Threadripper supporting quad-channel memory, Scan naturally populates all four DIMM sockets of the Asus Pro WS TRX50 Sage WiFi motherboard. These are 32GB 4,800MHz Samsung ECC Registered DDR5 modules, for a total of 128GB. You would need to replace all of them if you wanted more memory up to the motherboard’s 1TB maximum, but 128GB should be enough for the lifetime of this system.
The powerful components are kept cool by Corsair’s H150i Elite Capellix RGB liquid cooling(Image credit: Future)
No expense spared
Another top-level component is the Nvidia RTX 6000 Ada graphics, which uses Nvidia’s Ada Lovelace architecture, a 4nm design that takes professional GPU performance to the next level and is used in the incredibly potent GeForce RTX 4090 consumer graphics card. The RTX 6000 Ada packs 18,176 CUDA cores, a considerable upgrade on the 10,752 cores of the A6000 it replaces. Both cards have 48GB of GDDR6 memory, but the Ada’s memory is faster (2,500MHz versus 2,000MHz) so bandwidth has increased from 768GB/sec to 960GB/sec. The GPU clock is also up to 2,505MHz on boost, compared to 1,800MHz, so this is a seriously fast 3D graphics accelerator.
Scan has spared no expense when it comes to storage, either. The boot drive is a single 2TB Corsair MP700 NVMe M.2 device. This takes advantage of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series’ support for PCI-E 5. Running CrystalDiskMark 8, it delivered 11,492MB/sec reading and 11,773MB/sec writing, which are phenomenal levels of throughput. As if this wasn’t enough, there’s an 8TB array consisting of four more of the same drive in a RAID0 configuration, installed in a Hyper M.2 X16 expansion card that sits in one of the motherboard’s x16 PCI-E 5 slots. This array delivered mind-blowing 34,186MB/sec reading and 42,176MB/sec writing. That’s not a misprint – you’re getting 30 to 40GB/sec throughput. This will make editing even 8K video relatively painless, for example.
The drives offer throughputs of incredible speeds(Image credit: Future)
Touch of style
This plethora of potent components has been housed in a sizeable Fractal Design North chassis. The slats down the front make this look more like a stylish freestanding radiator than a PC, and it’s packed with features. There are two mounts for 2.5in drives, and two more for 3.5in or 2.5in units. None are used as all of Scan’s storage is NVMe-based. The power supply is a 1,000W Corsair RM1000X 80 Plus Gold unit, which should be well within its comfort zone despite the power-hungry core components. Even under full load, this isn’t a noisy computer.
The Asus motherboard offers both 10GbE and 2.5GbE LAN on the backplane, plus a built-in Wi-Fi 7 2x2 radio that can operate at up to 2.8Gbits/sec. There are three PCI-E 5 slots, but the two x16 ones are taken by the graphics and RAID storage array adapter, while the third operates in x8 mode. There’s also an x16 PCI-E 4 slot with a second that operates in x4 mode. The board contains three M.2 storage slots, with two operating at PCI-E 5 x4 speed (one taken by the boot drive), plus a third with PCI-E 4 x4 performance. The motherboard also has hardware and software support for Asus IPMI remote management expansion cards. However, there are only two 20Gbits/sec USB-C ports – one on the backplane and one on the top of the chassis at the front. The rest are Type-A ports of lesser speeds.
There are 10GbE and 2.5GbE LAN ports on the back, plus Wi-Fi 7 within(Image credit: Future)
Blasted with speed
We were expecting top performance from the new Threadripper, but we weren’t quite ready for just how fast this system is. An overall score in the PC Pro benchmarks of 954 is way ahead of anything we’ve tested before. Most of this is provided by the incredible 1,224 in the multitasking test, which is no surprise with 64 cores available. But the video result of 892 is phenomenal as well. Only the image editing score of 267 has been beaten before. This is a mostly single-threaded test, and there are CPUs with faster boost core frequencies.
If you want a true demonstration of how incredible this system is, however, look no further than the Maxon Cinebench R23 multithreaded result of 107,189. Putting this in perspective, the fastest 64-core Threadripper Pro 5995WX workstation we’ve tested – the Armari Magnetar MC64TP – only managed 76,330. The single-threaded result of 1,728 shows the improvement, too, as the Magnetar managed 1,492, although CPUs with lower cores and higher frequencies such as the Ryzen 7000 series or recent Intel Core chips do better in this test.
Further underlining these abilities, the Blender Gooseberry render took only 94.6 seconds using the CPU, the first time we’ve seen a processor complete this frame processing task in less than two minutes. On GPU (using CUDA) it took 69.2 seconds, much less time than any other professional card we’ve tested. The LuxMark 3.1 score of 26,426 is similarly high, showing just how much GPU compute power the Nvidia RTX 6000 Ada has on offer.
Power trip: the 1,000W Corsair PSU is an 80 Plus Gold-certified unit(Image credit: Future)
Tour de force
This GPU power translates into incredible 3D modelling capabilities. The standout result in SPECviewperf 2020 is an astonishing 1,235 with the snx-04 viewport, almost twice the fastest scores we’ve seen before. The catia-06 result of 208 is also impressive, as is 604 in solidworks-07, showing that CAD and product design capabilities are unparalleled, although the creo-03 score of 76 is surprisingly mediocre. For 3D animation, 295 in 3dsmax-07 and 807 in maya-06 tell their own story.
The Scan 3XS GWP TR Ada is a tour de force. Its 64-core AMD Ryzen Threadripper blows everything that went before out of the water with multithreaded tasks, and it’s no slouch with single threads, either. The Nvidia RTX 6000 Ada graphics also dominate for viewport acceleration or GPU rendering, and storage throughput is unparalleled. Of course, this workstation is expensive, but you certainly get what you pay for: the best possible workstation performance on the market.
There are plenty of good reasons to welcome back the non-Pro Threadripper, which is better than ever(Image credit: Future)
For a few years, it seemed like the regular AMD Ryzen Threadripper was history. After the Pro version arrived, there was no non-Pro 5000 series. But now the vanilla Threadripper is back with the 7000 generation. It’s based on the same Zen 4 core as the Ryzen and Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7000 series CPUs, manufactured using variants of TSMC’s 5nm fabrication process, but sits between the two in features and price.
Where the Ryzen 7000 series tops out at 16 cores, the Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series offers 24-, 32- and 64-core iterations. The Pro goes from 12 to 96 cores. Further differentiation comes with memory configuration. All three 7000 series ranges support DDR5 memory at up to 5,200MHz, but where the basic Ryzen has a dual-channel controller, the Threadripper’s controller is quad-channel and the Pro’s is eight-channel.
All three ranges now offer PCI Express 5, but the number of lanes available is another point of difference. The basic Ryzen has 28 PCI-E 5 lanes, but the Threadripper has 48, plus 24 PCI-E 4 lanes, and the Pro has 128 PCI-E 5 lanes. The greater number of lanes will mean that faster storage devices such as NVMe M.2 drives can be attached, faster networking devices can be used, and more graphics cards can be installed.
Since we last had non-Pro Threadrippers, AMD’s Zen core technology has moved on apace. Both the previous 3000 series and new 7000 series top out at 64 cores, but the 3000 version (3990X) had a base clock of 2.9GHz with 4.3GHz boost, whereas the 7980X as found in this month’s Scan system has a base clock of 3.2GHz with 5.1GHz boost. This will offer significantly better performance with software that favors fewer, faster cores and with applications that can use as many cores as possible. With AMD’s Precision Boost 2, you’ll get as many cores as your cooling and motherboard power delivery can handle to run at maximum frequency, although some will be flagged as the most capable after manufacturer testing. Putting this further in perspective, the 32-core AMD Threadripper 2990WX only had a base clock of 3GHz and a boost of 4.2GHz, so the 7980X is a huge leap forward.
As such, this Zen 4-based Threadripper represents another significant update for AMD. Intel has been posing a challenge to the Ryzen 7000 series with its 13th generation Raptor Lake chips, but its Sapphire Rapids Xeon workstation processors have only arrived recently and max out at 56 cores and a 4.8GHz boost frequency. The Threadripper undercuts it in price while the Threadripper Pro now goes up to 96 cores.
With the return of the non-Pro Ryzen Threadripper, there’s a more affordable route once again if you want more than 16 cores in your workstation for the best possible multithreaded performance.
This review first appeared in issue 353 of PC Pro.
Workstation technology is the pinnacle of desktop PC power, and this month we’re testing a computer that showcases some of the latest high-performance components. Not only is the Scan 3XS GWP TR Ada our first look at AMD’s latest Ryzen Threadripper, back after a hiatus, but also Nvidia’s Ada generation graphics, and it boasts a bevy of PCI-E 5 NVMe storage as well.
First, that processor. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7980X is top of the resurgent range, offering 64 cores running at a base 3.2GHz but with a boost up to 5.1GHz. Scan has chosen Corsair H150i Elite Capellix RGB liquid cooling to eke the most out of this processor. The 360mm version has been installed on the front of the chassis, with three 120mm fans providing plenty of heat dissipation.
With the Ryzen Threadripper supporting quad-channel memory, Scan naturally populates all four DIMM sockets of the Asus Pro WS TRX50 Sage WiFi motherboard. These are 32GB 4,800MHz Samsung ECC Registered DDR5 modules, for a total of 128GB. You would need to replace all of them if you wanted more memory up to the motherboard’s 1TB maximum, but 128GB should be enough for the lifetime of this system.
The powerful components are kept cool by Corsair’s H150i Elite Capellix RGB liquid cooling(Image credit: Future)
No expense spared
Another top-level component is the Nvidia RTX 6000 Ada graphics, which uses Nvidia’s Ada Lovelace architecture, a 4nm design that takes professional GPU performance to the next level and is used in the incredibly potent GeForce RTX 4090 consumer graphics card. The RTX 6000 Ada packs 18,176 CUDA cores, a considerable upgrade on the 10,752 cores of the A6000 it replaces. Both cards have 48GB of GDDR6 memory, but the Ada’s memory is faster (2,500MHz versus 2,000MHz) so bandwidth has increased from 768GB/sec to 960GB/sec. The GPU clock is also up to 2,505MHz on boost, compared to 1,800MHz, so this is a seriously fast 3D graphics accelerator.
Scan has spared no expense when it comes to storage, either. The boot drive is a single 2TB Corsair MP700 NVMe M.2 device. This takes advantage of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series’ support for PCI-E 5. Running CrystalDiskMark 8, it delivered 11,492MB/sec reading and 11,773MB/sec writing, which are phenomenal levels of throughput. As if this wasn’t enough, there’s an 8TB array consisting of four more of the same drive in a RAID0 configuration, installed in a Hyper M.2 X16 expansion card that sits in one of the motherboard’s x16 PCI-E 5 slots. This array delivered mind-blowing 34,186MB/sec reading and 42,176MB/sec writing. That’s not a misprint – you’re getting 30 to 40GB/sec throughput. This will make editing even 8K video relatively painless, for example.
The drives offer throughputs of incredible speeds(Image credit: Future)
Touch of style
This plethora of potent components has been housed in a sizeable Fractal Design North chassis. The slats down the front make this look more like a stylish freestanding radiator than a PC, and it’s packed with features. There are two mounts for 2.5in drives, and two more for 3.5in or 2.5in units. None are used as all of Scan’s storage is NVMe-based. The power supply is a 1,000W Corsair RM1000X 80 Plus Gold unit, which should be well within its comfort zone despite the power-hungry core components. Even under full load, this isn’t a noisy computer.
The Asus motherboard offers both 10GbE and 2.5GbE LAN on the backplane, plus a built-in Wi-Fi 7 2x2 radio that can operate at up to 2.8Gbits/sec. There are three PCI-E 5 slots, but the two x16 ones are taken by the graphics and RAID storage array adapter, while the third operates in x8 mode. There’s also an x16 PCI-E 4 slot with a second that operates in x4 mode. The board contains three M.2 storage slots, with two operating at PCI-E 5 x4 speed (one taken by the boot drive), plus a third with PCI-E 4 x4 performance. The motherboard also has hardware and software support for Asus IPMI remote management expansion cards. However, there are only two 20Gbits/sec USB-C ports – one on the backplane and one on the top of the chassis at the front. The rest are Type-A ports of lesser speeds.
There are 10GbE and 2.5GbE LAN ports on the back, plus Wi-Fi 7 within(Image credit: Future)
Blasted with speed
We were expecting top performance from the new Threadripper, but we weren’t quite ready for just how fast this system is. An overall score in the PC Pro benchmarks of 954 is way ahead of anything we’ve tested before. Most of this is provided by the incredible 1,224 in the multitasking test, which is no surprise with 64 cores available. But the video result of 892 is phenomenal as well. Only the image editing score of 267 has been beaten before. This is a mostly single-threaded test, and there are CPUs with faster boost core frequencies.
If you want a true demonstration of how incredible this system is, however, look no further than the Maxon Cinebench R23 multithreaded result of 107,189. Putting this in perspective, the fastest 64-core Threadripper Pro 5995WX workstation we’ve tested – the Armari Magnetar MC64TP – only managed 76,330. The single-threaded result of 1,728 shows the improvement, too, as the Magnetar managed 1,492, although CPUs with lower cores and higher frequencies such as the Ryzen 7000 series or recent Intel Core chips do better in this test.
Further underlining these abilities, the Blender Gooseberry render took only 94.6 seconds using the CPU, the first time we’ve seen a processor complete this frame processing task in less than two minutes. On GPU (using CUDA) it took 69.2 seconds, much less time than any other professional card we’ve tested. The LuxMark 3.1 score of 26,426 is similarly high, showing just how much GPU compute power the Nvidia RTX 6000 Ada has on offer.
Power trip: the 1,000W Corsair PSU is an 80 Plus Gold-certified unit(Image credit: Future)
Tour de force
This GPU power translates into incredible 3D modelling capabilities. The standout result in SPECviewperf 2020 is an astonishing 1,235 with the snx-04 viewport, almost twice the fastest scores we’ve seen before. The catia-06 result of 208 is also impressive, as is 604 in solidworks-07, showing that CAD and product design capabilities are unparalleled, although the creo-03 score of 76 is surprisingly mediocre. For 3D animation, 295 in 3dsmax-07 and 807 in maya-06 tell their own story.
The Scan 3XS GWP TR Ada is a tour de force. Its 64-core AMD Ryzen Threadripper blows everything that went before out of the water with multithreaded tasks, and it’s no slouch with single threads, either. The Nvidia RTX 6000 Ada graphics also dominate for viewport acceleration or GPU rendering, and storage throughput is unparalleled. Of course, this workstation is expensive, but you certainly get what you pay for: the best possible workstation performance on the market.
There are plenty of good reasons to welcome back the non-Pro Threadripper, which is better than ever(Image credit: Future)
For a few years, it seemed like the regular AMD Ryzen Threadripper was history. After the Pro version arrived, there was no non-Pro 5000 series. But now the vanilla Threadripper is back with the 7000 generation. It’s based on the same Zen 4 core as the Ryzen and Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7000 series CPUs, manufactured using variants of TSMC’s 5nm fabrication process, but sits between the two in features and price.
Where the Ryzen 7000 series tops out at 16 cores, the Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series offers 24-, 32- and 64-core iterations. The Pro goes from 12 to 96 cores. Further differentiation comes with memory configuration. All three 7000 series ranges support DDR5 memory at up to 5,200MHz, but where the basic Ryzen has a dual-channel controller, the Threadripper’s controller is quad-channel and the Pro’s is eight-channel.
All three ranges now offer PCI Express 5, but the number of lanes available is another point of difference. The basic Ryzen has 28 PCI-E 5 lanes, but the Threadripper has 48, plus 24 PCI-E 4 lanes, and the Pro has 128 PCI-E 5 lanes. The greater number of lanes will mean that faster storage devices such as NVMe M.2 drives can be attached, faster networking devices can be used, and more graphics cards can be installed.
Since we last had non-Pro Threadrippers, AMD’s Zen core technology has moved on apace. Both the previous 3000 series and new 7000 series top out at 64 cores, but the 3000 version (3990X) had a base clock of 2.9GHz with 4.3GHz boost, whereas the 7980X as found in this month’s Scan system has a base clock of 3.2GHz with 5.1GHz boost. This will offer significantly better performance with software that favors fewer, faster cores and with applications that can use as many cores as possible. With AMD’s Precision Boost 2, you’ll get as many cores as your cooling and motherboard power delivery can handle to run at maximum frequency, although some will be flagged as the most capable after manufacturer testing. Putting this further in perspective, the 32-core AMD Threadripper 2990WX only had a base clock of 3GHz and a boost of 4.2GHz, so the 7980X is a huge leap forward.
As such, this Zen 4-based Threadripper represents another significant update for AMD. Intel has been posing a challenge to the Ryzen 7000 series with its 13th generation Raptor Lake chips, but its Sapphire Rapids Xeon workstation processors have only arrived recently and max out at 56 cores and a 4.8GHz boost frequency. The Threadripper undercuts it in price while the Threadripper Pro now goes up to 96 cores.
With the return of the non-Pro Ryzen Threadripper, there’s a more affordable route once again if you want more than 16 cores in your workstation for the best possible multithreaded performance.
This review first appeared in issue 353 of PC Pro.
As the latest member of the HP Poly Studio family, the X52 video bar delivers an advanced all-in-one solution for medium-sized meeting rooms. Taking over from the Studio X50, it features an uprated 20MP 4K UHD camera, a more powerful Qualcomm 865 CPU, improved dynamic framing algorithms, advanced microphones and Wi-Fi 6 support.
Apart from the larger camera there’s little to tell the two models apart but at 95°, the X52 has a narrower FoV (field of view) than the X50. This is because the X52 is designed to deliver a higher resolution when zooming in to participants at the far end of the meeting table.
Its mic array claims a six-meter pick-up range, while sound output is handled by two 20W ported speakers. You have two HDMI-out ports for dual monitor support, HDMI-in and USB-C for host connections, a gigabit network port and a port for Poly’s optional extension mic. All are easily accessible at the rear.
The X52 runs Poly’s Android-based VideoOS software, which supports BYOD (bring your own device) mode and includes built-in video apps. The guest list is impressive, and includes Microsoft Teams, Zoom Rooms, Google Meet, GoToRoom, RingCentral Rooms and BlueJeans Rooms.
Deployment is simple: you connect power and network, wait a minute while it boots up and point a browser at its IP address. The web interface presents a system status dashboard with the active video app and you move to the Provider section to choose another app from the drop-down list.
You can swap between them as required and, although a reboot is necessary, it only takes two minutes to regain access. BYOD mode is always available with the X52 automatically swapping to it when it senses a USB connection and, once you’ve finished, you can exit back to the app.
The Studio X52 delivers excellent video quality and can be remotely managed(Image credit: Future)
We had no problems cloud-managing the X52 by registering it with our Lens portal account. You can remotely manage all your Poly devices, assign them to sites and rooms, run remote firmware updates and upgrade to the premium Lens service for detailed meeting analytics.
We tested with Microsoft Teams and used the registration code presented on the screen to assign it to our Microsoft 365 account, where the X52 appeared as a new Teams Rooms on Android device. We also paired the X52 with Poly’s TC10 PoE-powered controller tablet and used the same registration process.
Our Teams console showed both devices as online and paired, after which the tablet moved all meeting controls to its own display. We had no problems creating and joining Teams meetings using the tablet’s 10in touchscreen, and in BYOD mode we could use its menu to manually control the camera and create up to ten presets for specific camera positions.
Video quality is excellent, and we noted the camera’s focus is markedly sharper than the Poly P15 we use in the lab. The mics worked well, as remote participants could hear us clearly when we were 4.5 meters away, while the dual speakers delivered a clean sound quality that easily filled our 24m2 meeting room at a 60% volume level.
The X52 gets the benefit of Poly’s NoiseBlockAI and Acoustic Fence technologies, which remove annoying background noises, while the DirectorAI feature handles group and speaker tracking. Also accessed from its web console, the DirectorAI Perimeter option allows you to define a custom tracking zone.
Although still in a preview testing phase, the X52 offers people framing, which shows all participants using up to six split screens. Whichever mode you choose, you’ll be impressed with its speed as the camera snaps to active speakers in no more than two seconds.
Poly’s Studio X52 is perfect for businesses that want a professional video conferencing solution for their medium-sized meeting room. Video quality is excellent, speaker tracking is impressively fast and the big choice of built-in VC apps makes it incredibly versatile.
This review first appeared in issue 353 of PC Pro.
As the latest member of the HP Poly Studio family, the X52 video bar delivers an advanced all-in-one solution for medium-sized meeting rooms. Taking over from the Studio X50, it features an uprated 20MP 4K UHD camera, a more powerful Qualcomm 865 CPU, improved dynamic framing algorithms, advanced microphones and Wi-Fi 6 support.
Apart from the larger camera there’s little to tell the two models apart but at 95°, the X52 has a narrower FoV (field of view) than the X50. This is because the X52 is designed to deliver a higher resolution when zooming in to participants at the far end of the meeting table.
Its mic array claims a six-meter pick-up range, while sound output is handled by two 20W ported speakers. You have two HDMI-out ports for dual monitor support, HDMI-in and USB-C for host connections, a gigabit network port and a port for Poly’s optional extension mic. All are easily accessible at the rear.
The X52 runs Poly’s Android-based VideoOS software, which supports BYOD (bring your own device) mode and includes built-in video apps. The guest list is impressive, and includes Microsoft Teams, Zoom Rooms, Google Meet, GoToRoom, RingCentral Rooms and BlueJeans Rooms.
Deployment is simple: you connect power and network, wait a minute while it boots up and point a browser at its IP address. The web interface presents a system status dashboard with the active video app and you move to the Provider section to choose another app from the drop-down list.
You can swap between them as required and, although a reboot is necessary, it only takes two minutes to regain access. BYOD mode is always available with the X52 automatically swapping to it when it senses a USB connection and, once you’ve finished, you can exit back to the app.
The Studio X52 delivers excellent video quality and can be remotely managed(Image credit: Future)
We had no problems cloud-managing the X52 by registering it with our Lens portal account. You can remotely manage all your Poly devices, assign them to sites and rooms, run remote firmware updates and upgrade to the premium Lens service for detailed meeting analytics.
We tested with Microsoft Teams and used the registration code presented on the screen to assign it to our Microsoft 365 account, where the X52 appeared as a new Teams Rooms on Android device. We also paired the X52 with Poly’s TC10 PoE-powered controller tablet and used the same registration process.
Our Teams console showed both devices as online and paired, after which the tablet moved all meeting controls to its own display. We had no problems creating and joining Teams meetings using the tablet’s 10in touchscreen, and in BYOD mode we could use its menu to manually control the camera and create up to ten presets for specific camera positions.
Video quality is excellent, and we noted the camera’s focus is markedly sharper than the Poly P15 we use in the lab. The mics worked well, as remote participants could hear us clearly when we were 4.5 meters away, while the dual speakers delivered a clean sound quality that easily filled our 24m2 meeting room at a 60% volume level.
The X52 gets the benefit of Poly’s NoiseBlockAI and Acoustic Fence technologies, which remove annoying background noises, while the DirectorAI feature handles group and speaker tracking. Also accessed from its web console, the DirectorAI Perimeter option allows you to define a custom tracking zone.
Although still in a preview testing phase, the X52 offers people framing, which shows all participants using up to six split screens. Whichever mode you choose, you’ll be impressed with its speed as the camera snaps to active speakers in no more than two seconds.
Poly’s Studio X52 is perfect for businesses that want a professional video conferencing solution for their medium-sized meeting room. Video quality is excellent, speaker tracking is impressively fast and the big choice of built-in VC apps makes it incredibly versatile.
