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Withings Body Scan review – a new high in performance (and price)
3:33 pm | January 10, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Smart Home Smart Scales | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Withings Body Scan: One-minute review

The Withings Body Scan sets a new benchmark for the capabilities of modern smart scales. It's both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled, has a build quality and design that sets it apart from the pack, a clear and responsive display, and can provide more in-depth analysis of a user's body composition and physical well-being than its major competitors like Eufy, Wyze, Fitbit and Garmin. 

When used with the Withings Health Mate app, the Withings Body Scan can not only provide you with an analysis of your body composition, the ratio of fat-to-muscle-to-bone that makes up your body but also outline where your measurements sit in comparison to healthy averages. Using this information, it can identify trends in changes to your measurements over time, letting you know if you're gaining or losing weight and how you compare to averages for your age and gender.

For those needing specialized data readings – for example, if you are pregnant or an athlete – the Withings Body Scan can adapt its measurement methods accordingly, to ensure readings are as accurate as possible whilst remaining safe and impressively efficient for the user. In pregnancy mode, it'll tell you the approximate size and weight of your baby depending on how far along you are.

The Withings Body Scan's key drawback for most people will be the price tag. Sitting at nearly £200 more than the next-cheapest Withings smart scale, there aren't that many reasons to spend that much more on a scale. However, if you are looking to take a deep dive into your body composition, take steps to improve your long-term health and habits, or are a keen fitness enthusiast looking to get the most out of your workouts, the value-for-money will show itself in the long run. 

Withings Body Scan: Specifications

Withings Body Scan: Price and availability

  • $400 in the US
  • £350 in the UK
  • Only available via resellers in AU territories

The Withings Body Scan is on the considerably pricier side for a smart scale. However, the unique measurements and level of accuracy you receive for the price mean that if you're looking for an all-in-one health station, it's almost understandable. 

The Withings Body Scan is currently available for $399.95 / £349.95, Users in Australia can't get it from Withings directly, so prices may vary there.

  • Value score: 3.5/5

Withings Body Scan: Design

Withings Body Scan smart scale on wooden surface

(Image credit: Rob Dunne)
  • Stylish and robust
  • Handles up to 200kgs of weight
  • Wall mount for handle included

As with all products that come from Withings, the Withings Body Scan is an undoubtedly stylish and robust device. You can get the Withings Body Scan in either a white or black color, both of which feature lighter banding across the scale which is used to send small electrical signals through your body to gather your body measurements. 

The Withings Body Scan features a 3.2-inch color LCD display, measures 12.8 inches in both length and width, and only comes 1.1 inches off the floor thanks to its extremely thin base pads which run along either side. These also help give the Body Scan a very sturdy feel across the base when taking measurements. The device also uses a tempered glass panel on the front of the scale, and weighs around 4.8kg overall, giving the device a premium feel despite the plastic used across the underside of the scale. 

Thanks to the tempered glass front, as well as the overall sturdiness of the build of the Withings Body Scan, the smart scale can handle weights up to 200kg / 440lbs / 31.5 stone, all while retaining the device's impressive 50g/0.1lb weight reading accuracy. 

Some of the key design features of the Withings Body Scan revolve around the handle which acts as one of the key improvements over other Withings body scales. The handle, and its on-scale holder, are made of the same plastic used across the rest of the device, and use a well-braided cable to attach one to the other. 

The handle and cable are light enough that you should experience no issues while holding them, whilst also not being so light that they feel cheap or underdeveloped. The electrodes on the handle are also usefully positioned to allow easy access for your thumbs on both sides.  

Given the importance of the handle to the improved metrics the Withings Body Scan can provide, these steps have been well considered, even to such an extent that, with your smart scale, you also receive a wall mount for your handle, which means should you struggle leaning down to reach it from the scale itself, you can simply mount it to the wall and use it from there. 

It should be noted, however, that should you choose to mount your handle to the wall, Withings asks that you set this up in the app to ensure the device still gives as accurate readings as possible. This is a simple enough process and takes a matter of seconds.

  • Design score: 4/5

Withings Body Scan: Features

Withings Health Mate stats

(Image credit: Future / Rob Dunne)

The features of the Withings Body Scan smart scale are where the device really comes into its own. To give you a sense of just how much the Body Scan does whilst you're on the scale, here's everything your smart scale is measuring while you're stood on that piece of glass, it measures:

  • Weight
  • BMI
  • Basal Metabolic Rate
  • Metabolic Age
  • Segmental body composition analysis including:
    • Muscle Mass (across five zones) 
    • Fat Mass (across five zones)
    • Bone Mass 
    • Visceral Fat Index
    • Lean Mass
    • Water Mass
  • Nerve health
  • ECG
  • Pulse Wave Velocity 
  • Heart Rate
  • Vascular Age

And that's before everything else you can integrate into the app! If you integrate your Apple Health, Google Fit, or most other fitness apps, your Withings Health Mate app can become a hub for everything from your vascular age to your sleep quality, you can keep all your data in one place and utilise it to better your daily routines, workouts, sleep, eating and long term health. 

When testing the Withings Body Scan, the only two of the many measurements above that we struggled with were Pulse Wave Velocity and Vascular Age. These measurements required a slightly more specific positioning on the scale which proved tricky to master, and the scale required five complete readings before it could start giving you data, which resulted in a greatly reduced amount of data compared to other areas.

Getting all of this data is one thing, understanding it is another, and this is an area where, once again, Withings has hit the nail on the head through the Health Mate app. Through the app, not only are you able to turn on recommended zones and see average data and how you compare to the average in each measurement, but you can also find guides explaining what each measurement means, so if, say, you don't understand what vascular age means, you can find a guide explaining everything you need to know about where it should be, and how it can be improved. 

If you are working with a trainer or health professional, you're also in luck, as the app allows you to create a shareable report of your health that you can give to anyone who might benefit from it, a simple, but effective addition to the app.

  • Features score: 4.5/5

Withings Body Scan: Performance

Withings Body Scan smart scale on wooden surface

(Image credit: Rob Dunne)
  • Simple and efficient setup
  • Eight different profiles full of detail
  • Export data to/from Apple Health or Google Fit

Straight out of the box the simplicity and efficiency of Withings products is as present as ever. Setting up the device takes a matter of minutes through the Withings Health Mate app. If you are new to Withings and don't have an account, the setup of an account plus getting your Withings Body Scan ready takes a maximum of 15 minutes. 

In that time, you'll also be able to import health data from services such as Apple Health or Google Fit, as well as receive a full tutorial on how to properly use your new smart scale and set some goals in the app. 

There are a wide array of tutorials available on additional features within the app, some of which – the at-a-a-glance health improvement score and library of how-to workout/recipe/health management content – are unfortunately locked behind a Withings+ subscription.  This costs $9.95 / £9.95 / around AU$18 per month, but none of it affects the usage of the scale in any way – still, it'd be nice to have after spending this much on a smart scale. 

Once your Withings Body Scan is set up, utilizing it for not only your own, but your family's health is simple. The device can support up to eight profiles, which it can automatically detect. If however, a number of you are of similar weights, the device shows each profile as a list, which you scroll through by balancing on the foot of the direction you wish to scroll, so to go along the list, you simply need to put your weight on your right foot. 

Withings Body Scan black on wooden surface

The Withings Body Scan also has a black variant  (Image credit: Daniel hessel)

The process of attaining your measurements takes around a minute, most of which is taken up by one of the unique features of the Withings Body Scan, the 6-lead ECG (echocardiogram). The ECG takes 30 seconds to complete and is one of the key benefactors of the Body Scan's unique handle. 

Each step of the measurement process is displayed for you on the 3.2-inch display, showing you the results of each test as they are collected, as well as some general daily info such as weather and air quality. You can customize the steps your Body Scan shows on the smart scale through the app, meaning if, understandably, you don't want to know the weather when you're weighing in, you can remove that from your slides. 

The display (and device) are noticeably responsive, and the bright LCD makes it easy to see everything you need as and when it comes up. Once you are finished, your results will already be waiting for you in your Withings Health Mate app, meaning it's quick and simple to access the more in-depth data with no waiting around. 

Overall, using the Withings Body Scan is extremely simple, everything you want to know can be seen on the smart scale itself during your weigh-in, and more detailed information can be found in the app once you are finished. The accuracy of measurements taken is extremely high, with weight having an accuracy of up to 50g/0.1lbs thanks to the four weight sensors spread across the scale, as well as featuring patented position detection technology and 'Position Control' technology. The Body Scan's segmental body composition capabilities are equally impressive thanks to the device's BIA (bio-electrical impedance analysis) multifrequency technology, which during testing was able to provide consistent results across five different bodily segments. 

  • Performance Score: 4/5

Withings Body Scan: Scorecard

Withings Body Scan: Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

Withings Body Comp

As the next offer down from Withings, the Body Comp offers a great alternative for those looking to access the various benefits of the Withings Health Mate app whilst sacrificing some of the more accurate and more detailed measurementsView Deal

Garmin Index S2

An alternative suited to Garmin users. The Index S2 offers a number of Garmin-tailored features, for a reduced price, whilst sacrificing some of the accuracy and detailed measurements offered by the Withings Body ScanView Deal

Huawei Watch GT 4 review: Huawei’s best smartwatch yet could use third-party support
7:22 pm | October 20, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Smartwatches | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Huawei Watch GT 4: One minute review

I really like the Huawei Watch GT 4. It’s an impressive-looking device with a wide variety of materials and colorways available, and every one of these iterations looks fantastic. The big AMOLED screen’s refresh rate is nice and smooth, colors pop, and the speaker is loud – embarrassingly loud, if you leave workout notifications on during a class. 

It’s functional too, with highly accurate metrics. TruSleep tracking was accurate and the metrics in the Huawei Health app were pleasantly detailed, although I was missing some actionable advice on that front. Huawei’s TruSeen 5.5+ algorithm offers great heart rate tracking that extends to workout tracking, too, and the GPS was comparable to the best smartwatches (we tested it against an Apple Watch Ultra 2), so you’ll get great results on runs and rides. 

Having said all that, I won’t be using it again. Under normal circumstances, I’d be giving such a watch a glowing review, perhaps even full marks, but it’s languishing on 80% here. The watch itself is fantastic, but it’s impossible to ignore the frustrations that come with it being saddled with Huawei’s baggage. 

The limits imposed by the US and every smartphone manufacturer, and Huawei’s refusal to abandon its AppGallery store, which most phones will only support in-browser, means you have a watch that can’t interface with lots of popular apps. Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Spotify, and more are on the no-go list, although others like Strava were fine. 

However, if you can get over these flaws, you’ll find a gorgeous watch waiting to be loved. If you already have a Huawei phone and are used to a few workarounds, it’s probably the best smartwatch for you. 

Huawei Watch GT 4: Specifications

Huawei Watch GT 4: Price and availability

Huawei Watch GT 4

(Image credit: Future)
  • From £229.99 in the UK
  • From €249.90 euros in the EU 
  • Unavailable in the US and AU

For starters, let’s address the elephant in the room: Huawei technology is unavailable in the US or Australia, due to ongoing disputes with the Chinese telecoms manufacturer (and the Chinese government) over security concerns. 

The UK has removed Huawei devices from its 5G network but hasn’t banned the sale of these devices entirely. The EU still allows Huawei devices to be sold. While UK and European fans can access Huawei tech, some functionality, such as NFC contactless payments, is limited. 

It’s a shame because the Watch is terrific value. Both the 46mm with silicone black strap and the 41mm with silicone white strap cost just £229.99 in the UK and €249.90 in the EU, which is a great price for a chunky fitness watch with a stainless steel case. Prices rise with a variety of different options, including a rose gold version with Milanese straps or leather straps on the 46mm. 

The most expensive is the 41mm steel-and-gold edition watch, which costs £349.99 / €399.90 euros, followed by the stainless steel 46mm with stainless steel strap, which costs £299.99 / €369.90 euros. It’s a very well-priced watch that looks gorgeous and could be an absolute powerhouse with the right support; it’s just a shame about the lack of availability. Unless you’re an existing Huawei user, there’s almost always a better option.

  • Value score: 3/5

Huawei Watch GT 4: Design

Huawei Watch GT 4

(Image credit: Future)
  • Seven different looks
  • Beautiful, premium designs belying price
  • OS is simple enough to use

From an external style standpoint, Huawei watches as a whole have virtually no consistency. When comparing the Watch GT 4 models to the thick, boxy, plastic cases on the gimmicky Huawei Watch Buds and Huawei Watch D, it’s like night and day. Whereas the Watch D and Watch Buds were quirky at best and unsightly at worst, Huawei Watch GT 4 models look fantastic, with in-built microphones and speakers allowing you to take and receive calls on-wrist. 

These watches evoke different styles of traditional watches, from delicate circular fashion and dress watches to field and diving units. The unit I tested, the 46mm with stainless steel strap, looked very much like an analog dive watch when I picked the right face. Like all the GT 4 models, it has a circular digital crown on the top right and a secondary button on the bottom right, which combined with the very responsive touch-screen, made it easy to navigate around the watch. It was a pleasure to use. 

The screen gets a lot of real estate, and it’s a fantastic screen on both sizes of the watch. The full-color AMOLED screen offers a fantastic refresh rate, ensuring a smooth swiping action, and pops with color. The AMOLED screen was better than many Garmins (although not quite up to Apple’s Retina Display) and output around 600 nits of brightness. This is enough for most people, though it’s a far cry from the Apple Watch Series 9, which can output an impressive 2,000 nits. 

Some watch faces (the free ones, at least) are pretty dross, but I found one I liked that echoed an analog watch face and carried several on-face complications, including step count, the moon’s current phase, and a calendar. It echoed a classic chronograph and complemented the stainless steel aesthetic. 

Speaking of the stainless steel, I have to share a grievance about changing the band. It might be because of my short nails, but after removing the silicone band, applying the stainless steel band to the watch took 15 minutes of effort, accompanied by lots of grunting and profanity. It was not a painless experience, but the watch looks ace with it on. 

  • Design score: 5/5

Huawei Watch GT 4: Features

Huawei Watch GT 4

(Image credit: Future)
  • Lots of workout profiles
  • Lacking payments in many regions
  • Forced to sideload apps

The Huawei Watch GT 4 is entirely dependent on the Huawei Health app, which isn’t available on the iOS or Google Play store, but can be easily downloaded via your browser and the QR code provided. From there, you can customize your watch faces, toggle various notifications streams on and off, and view all your health data in greater detail. The Huawei Health app is excellent at what it does, showing you comprehensive information and offering actionable advice on your workout and sleep.

For example, I am a light sleeper, so Huawei Health recommended I cut out caffeine in the evening before bedtime – not groundbreaking advice, but nice to have. The Watch GT 4 has a load of workout profiles, from outdoor and indoor cycles to pool and open-water swims that count your strokes and lengths as you go. 

The workout profiles interact with Huawei Health nicely and offer bonus features like AI-generated plans to help you train for specific goals in common exercises such as running, which you can follow along on your watch. TruSleep and TruSeen 5.5+ sensors offer advanced heart rate monitoring and ECG functionalities. A temperature sensor, blood oxygen measurement, and a stress metric round up the useful suite of health features on offer here.

All the Huawei-native stuff is great: it’s the lack of compatibility with other phones and operating systems that’s the problem. You can get WhatsApp and email notifications, but not respond to them, and good luck trying to use apps like Gmail without considerable sideloading jiggery pokery. Want Google or Apple Maps on your watch? Tough, you’re stuck with Huawei’s own Petal Maps. Unless you live in a country that supports Huawei NFC payments, you won’t be able to use contactless cards on your watch either. As I used the watch, I noticed more and more features either missing or not gelling, and while getting a Huawei phone would go some way towards solving this (if you don’t live in the US or Australia), in the UK you can’t use Huawei telecoms devices on a 5G network, so the phone won’t live up to its potential. 

  • Features score: 3/5

Huawei Watch GT 4: Performance

Huawei Watch GT 4 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2

(Image credit: Future)
  • Great battery life
  • Excellent sleep/workout metrics
  • GPS matched an Apple Watch Ultra 2 for accuracy

During my time testing the Huawei Watch GT 4, the battery life performed as expected. I tested it over five days, and each day the watch depleted between five and 10 percent, depending on GPS usage. I’m very satisfied the watch lives up to its bold claims of up to 14 days, and I can see the average user getting 10 days out of the watch with a few GPS workouts thrown in. 

Sleep and workout metrics held up very well, and I was happy with the results I got. Running Ability index, Training Load and Training index metrics take a lot of your stats (if you’re a runner, of course) and boil them down into simple numbers. Running Ability will tell you if you’re running, for example, 44% better than users of a similar age, gender, height, and weight. Huawei is good at condensing complex statistics into easily accessible nuggets of information – it’s reminiscent of the best Fitbit watches in this way.

When I tested the GPS tracking against an Apple Watch Ultra 2, the main noticeable difference was that the Huawei Watch GT 4 took far, far longer to connect to a network. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 was almost instantaneous, while the GT 4 took at least two and a half minutes, during which it encouraged me to be in an open area, probably at the place the workout is starting. It doesn’t sound like much to ask, but you either stand stationary for around 150 seconds in front of your house before you start running, or you just run and the watch starts tracking you halfway through your first kilometer. 

Other than that, the Watch GT 4 matched the Ultra 2 closely in terms of both heart rate and distance covered when I wore them simultaneously, so I’m satisfied with the watch’s accuracy.   

  • Performance score: 4/5

Huawei Watch GT 4: Scorecard

Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

Google Pixel Watch 2 review: lighter, faster, and maybe better
6:20 pm | October 4, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Health & Fitness Smartwatches | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Google Pixel Watch 2: One-minute preview

Google Pixel Watch 2 essentially steers the same course as its well-received first version, and that's mostly a good thing.

At a glance, the new smartwatch's design is unchanged. Google did redesign the digital crown a bit to enhance ease of use. Otherwise, the screen and dimensions are the same as they were on the original Google Pixel Watch. However, looks can be a bit deceiving. The cover glass is thinner (Google insists it's just as strong) and the body is now made of lightweight, recycled aluminum. Together, they decrease the weight by what Google insists is a noticeable amount.

More importantly (and maybe more noticeably) this watch has new components and a major platform update. It has a new quad-core processor and Wear OS 4.0, making it probably the best Wear OS watch around right now, if not one of the best smartwatches period.

There are critical new features like the new Personal Safety Check, and, finally, auto-recognition of when you start and stop working out. Google Pixel Watch 2 might also do a better job of recognizing your workout performance thanks to the watch's new multi-path heart rate sensor on the back.

This is just our first impressions of the Google Pixel Watch 2. If you want more from this year's October Made by Google Event, you can check out our early Google Pixel 8 review and our early Google Pixel 8 Pro review.

Google Pixel Watch 2

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The display still has that too-large black bezel around its bright 320ppi face, but the screen is now running in Always On mode by default, while still maintaining 24-hour battery life (according to Google).

If you're up for sleeping with the watch (remember it's lighter for more bedtime comfort), you may appreciate that it can charge a lot faster now thanks to four physical charging pins on the back, which is a switch from the induction charging found on the last model.

Google claims you can get a 50% charge in less than 30 minutes, which means if you want a quick charge before bedtime and maybe don't want to charge up again when you wake up and head out to work, it's possible with the Pixel Watch 2.

Also, if you're looking for more sleep data, the Pixel Watch 2 has you covered with a new skin temperature sensor. And for when you're awake, the new continuous electrodermal activity (CEDA) sensor could help detect signs of stress

Overall this looks like a smart, albeit safe update. Google didn't attempt a wholesale redesign but they've basically changed almost everything else, from the CPU to most of the key sensors and even the charging methodology. With Wear OS 4.0, safety enhancements, and some new Fitbit capabilities, this may be the smartwatch update to watch.

Google Pixel Watch 2: Specifications

Google Pixel Watch 2: Price and availability

Google Pixel Watch 2

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
  • Starts from $349 (WiFi) $399 (LTE)
  • Prices £349 and £399 in the UK, AU$549 and AU$649 in AU
  • One size: 41mm

Google unveiled the new Google Pixel Watch 2, along with the new Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, on October 4. 

The Google Pixel Watch 2 starts at $349 in the US, £349 in the UK and AU$549 in Australia for the WiFi-only model. With LTE connectivity, it costs $399 / £399 / AU$649. 

Preorders started on October 4 and the watch ships on Oct. 12.  It's available in four color combinations: Polished Silver/Bay, Polished Silver/Porcelain, Matte Black/Obsidian, and Champagne Gold/Hazel.

Google Pixel Watch 2: Design

Google Pixel Watch 2 HANDS ON

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
  • Maintains elegance of original design
  • Lighter aluminum body
  • Redesigned digital crown 

Google's original Pixel Watch was one of the best-looking smartwatches on the market and its successor, the Google Pixel Watch 2, measures up to that standard.

The newly thinner glass cover and recycled aluminum body still look like they were poured out together. Its gumdrop shape looks and generally feels good. While lowering the overall weight by about 10%, Google didn't touch the dimensions of the one-size-fits-all 41mm watch.

There is one change that does incrementally improve the aesthetic appeal: Google redesigned the digital crown, mostly by changing the stem that leads to it, to give it a more watch-like look and more importantly make it easier to use it.

Google didn't make any changes to the sometimes challenging band attachment system, but there are some new bands, including six fitness bands. I didn't get to wear them but I can report that the material felt nice.

Google Pixel Watch 2: Features

Google Pixel Watch 2

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
  • New Safety features
  • Skin temperature sensing
  • New watch faces and complications
  • Better heart rate sensor

While I didn't get to spend much time with the new Pixel Watch 2, it's safe to assume that the new quad-core processor should result in smoother operation. However, some of the biggest changes will surely come from the new Wear OS 4.0.

The system change will bring new core apps like Calendar, Gmai, and an updated Google Assistant.

On the Health and Fitness front, the Pixel Watch 2 will match the Apple Watch Series 9 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 to automatically recognize when you start and stop working out. it's one of my favorite Apple Watch features and I'm happy to see it here.

There's a new heart rate zone for runners that can help with pace coaching and alert you when you drop in and out of your personal zone.

Google Pixel Watch 2

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Speaking of heart, the new multi-path heart rate sensor is actually multiple sensors that, according to Google, can much more accurately track your heart rate during more vigorous workouts (Google claims it's up to 40% more accurate than the original Pixel Watch's optical heart rate sensor, just like the Fitbit Charge 6's 60% improvement on the Charge 5). It does this by taking the single-point sensor contact of the original Google Pixel Watch and multiplying it into four points of wrist contact.

There's also a new sweat detector (the CEDA) that the watch can use to measure your stress level.

In addition to all these health and activity adjustments, the Google Pixel Watch 2 now includes Personal Safety features. With Safety Check, you set a timer and if you have not responded by the end of it, the watch can automatically send a message to your emergency contact with your real-time location.

Normally, this feature would require not only an LTE version of the Pixel Watch 2 but a monthly carrier contract, as well. Google will be offering it, though, as a free feature for Fitbit Premium customers. Naturally, Fitbit Premium is not free – it normally costs $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$15.49 a month. However, all new Pixel Watch 2 customers get six months of Fitbit Premium for free.

I got a walkthrough of the new Safety Features and thought they looked clear, concise, and useful.

Google Pixel Watch 2: Early verdict

Having only spent a couple of hours with the new Google Pixel Watch 2, it's way too soon to offer a verdict. 

Still, I'm generally pleased with the look, feel, and function of Google's new smartwatch.

While I wish Google had enlarged the display, the new watch faces are packed full of information and much of the interface appeared clean and responsive.

I'm a little surprised that Google chose to swap out inductive charging capability for four physical pins, but the reasoning is sound. Who wouldn't want faster charging so they can get back to bed with their smartwatch for accurate sleep and temperature tracking?

The new quad-core processor and updated Wear OS 4.0 should make it a more responsive and easier-to-use wearable.

Google held the line on pricing though I can't help but think that the Pixel Watch 2 could be a best-seller if it drops the WiFi model price to $299.

More to come in our full review.

MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V review: a fast, creative Ultrabook that goes the distance
9:50 am | September 13, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V: One-Minute Review

MSI has partnered with car company Mercedes AMG on a customized Stealth 16 Studio A13V laptop dubbed the Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V. This sleek 16-inch ultra-portable is technically pitched at creative professionals, with studio drivers and Windows 11 Pro, but it’s a blurry line at best since MSI is also happy to boast about it’s gaming prowess. 

There’s a 16-inch OLED screen with 4K resolution up front that will work equally well for professional video and color work, as it will for immersive single-player gaming. It is only 60Hz capable however, so it won’t suit every play style, but full DCI-P3 color and a bright display is perfectly suited to creative visual work. 

The device uses conservative thermal design power maximums to keep weight down to a total of 1.88kg. This also means you’ll get reasonable battery life lasting up to 7 hours and 8 minutes, but it also means that performance doesn't match the workstations that aren’t trying to maintain a slim and light form factor. 

You’ll get 100 frames-per-second averages running games at FullHD Ultra settings, but you’d definitely want to run titles in QHD or 4K in order to utilise the power on offer from the Intel Core i9-13900H CPU and a 105W Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU. 

You can get slightly thicker gaming Ultrabooks with better performance for notably less, but you’ll generally take a solid hit in battery life. This is a premium device for those that want great performance and the best possible battery life in an extremely portable and professional-looking package. 

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MSI laptop on a car

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess, Sharmishta Sarkar)
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MSI laptop on a car

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess, Sharmishta Sarkar)
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MSI laptop on a car

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess, Sharmishta Sarkar)
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MSI laptop on a car

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess, Sharmishta Sarkar)
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MSI laptop on a car

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess, Sharmishta Sarkar)
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MSI laptop on a car

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess, Sharmishta Sarkar)

MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V review: Price and availability

  • Retails for $2,899 / £2,399 / AU $5,499
  • Available now in the US, UK and AU

The Stealth 16 Mercedes AMG Motorsport A13V is available now in one main configuration for the US, UK and Australian regions. The recommended retail price lands at $2,899 / £2,399 / AU $5,499 and comes with a bundle of exclusive merch' including a gaming mouse, mousepad, a dual USB, a pouch (for some important things), and a cable tie for either the power brick or your Lewis Hamilton-styled man bun. 

The price is more expensive than many competitor's, with Razer and Asus both offering similar configurations for less. The MSI  Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V does offer additional battery life over the competition, but you do have to pay extra for it. 

  • Value score: 3.5 / 5

MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V: Specs

On the whole this is a well balanced spec sheet. The 4K display may have been an issue if this was a dedicated gaming laptop (since it’s only got a 60Hz refresh rate), but it’s perfectly suited to someone wanting to use it for creative work. 

The CPU is powerful, but only draws 45W (unlike some of the top higher core 13th gen i9 chips) and it pairs nicely with the 105W Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU to offer power without totally disregarding battery life. 

The 32GB RAM allocation will be adequate for many professional workflows and the 2TB SSD is fast and expansive enough for a modern creative pro.  

A more detailed specs list like this:

MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V review: Design

MSI laptop on yoga mat

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess, Sharmishta Sarkar)
  • 4K OLED screen
  • Powerful components
  • Good battery

The Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V is an ultra-portable 16-inch professional laptop with a discrete Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card and a 13th generation Intel i9 processor. Usually having this much power leads to laptops that are bulkier and have limited battery life, but the A13V has a generous 99.9Wh battery and a 4.2lbs (1.88kg) total weight, so it’s designed to be easy to work with on the go. 

This portability focus extends through the exterior design, offering a premium feeling magnesium-aluminum chassis that keeps the device rigid at just 0.85 inches (2.2cm) and a power brick that isn’t as large as you might expect from a laptop this powerful. 

The Mercedes branding is muted enough to be palatable for those that are indifferent to the partnership, and there aren't any outlandish design tweaks since the most notable changes are cosmetic golf-ball-dimples added to the edges and rear vents, and a chequered flag effect on the space bar. 

The keyboard is a reasonable membrane-based setup with enough travel to be comfortable to type on and quiet enough to work in communal spaces. It does still include MSI’s coveted RGB per-key backlighting array so you can customize how you want your keyboard to look. 

MSI used Mercedes' audio component manufacturer Burmester to produce the speaker array for the laptop and the 6 speaker array sounds great for media playback. This is, of course, complimented by the 4K OLED display with Vesa DisplayHDR 600 color and brightness certification to make it an exceptionally appealing device to watch (and create) audio-visual content on. 

The device comes with a 1080p webcam that can manually be shuttered and an infra-red camera for quick Windows Hello sign-in. It’s also got the other standard business feature of a fingerprint reader and offers a wide range of ports and interface options for a modern laptop.   

  • Design score: 4.5 / 5

MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V review: Performance

MSI Stealth 16 playing F1 on a yoga mat

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
  • Balanced workstation performance
  • Fast interface options
MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V: Benchmarks

Here's how the MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Port Royal: 7,171; Time Spy Extreme: 5,599; Time Spy: 11,709;
GeekBench 5: 1,996 (single-core); 18,934 (multi-core)
Cinebench R23 Multi-core:
19,278 points
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 92 fps;
RDR2 (1080p, Ultra): 95fps;
Crystal DiskMark 8 (Read/ Write):
6473/4707 MB/s
PCMark 10 (Home Test): 7,083 points
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 7 hours, 8 minutes

An Intel Core i9-13900H CPU and a 105W Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU is a pretty powerful system configuration that’s capable of impressive creative performance. The CPU isn’t the most powerful available on a laptop today, outpaced by Intel’s unlocked 13th gen i9 and i7 processors (which have more performance cores) and AMD’s Ryzen 9 7940HS, but it is still very competent and will be capable of handling demanding workloads. 

The same could be said about the 105W RTX 4070, which is outperformed by systems willing to divert additional power to the graphical capabilities, but which still offers respectable frame rates of around 100 fps on modern titles using 1080p settings. This level of GPU output offers close to 60% better performance than an Apple MacBook Pro 16 and the Stealth 16’s lower wattage GPU is able to keep up with a 140W RTX 4070 on a Razer Blade 14 for most synthetic benchmarks.

This performance will drop back with more consistent loads since higher powered 4070 GPUs offered 5% to 8% higher framerates across gaming benchmarks, but it’s not as big a difference as you might expect. 

The SSD manages read speeds of 6473MB/s and write speeds of 4707MB/s which isn't exactly breaking records, but it is the latest spec of PCIe internal drive, meaning transferring large files can happen surprisingly quickly. Combine that with Wi-Fi 6E or the direct Gigabit ethernet connection and you’ve got a setup that can move content as quick as anything. 

  • Performance score: 4 / 5

MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V review: Battery life

MSI Motorsport laptop on car seat

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
  • 7 hour 8 minute work lifespan 
  • 6 hour 36 minute movie playback
  • Sub 2 hour gaming lifespan

Battery life is one of the main drawcards of the Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V. Sure it’s not the almost 20 hours you’ll get on a MacBook Pro 16, but it’s a heap more than the 4-ish hours you’ll get from a standard gaming laptop.

We got a very reasonable score of 7 hours and 8 minutes of light work using PCMark 8 Home battery benchmark, which translates into 6 hours and 36 minutes for 1080p movie playback.

You should expect these lifespans to drop to under 2 hours when engaging the GPU, so if you need to do intense work we wouldn’t recommend leaving the charger behind. 

  • Battery life score: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V?

Buy it if...

Battery life is important
You need something powerful that can last close to a full day for light work tasks if needed.  

Don't buy it if...

You need uncompromising performance
You want the absolute pinnacle of laptop power. You can get more powerful devices if you’re happy to trade out some battery life.  

Also consider

How I tested the MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V

  • I tested it using both benchmark tests and video game benchmarks
  • I stress-tested the battery using the TechRadar movie test

I ran the MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A13V through our standard suite of benchmarks to get a feel for the laptop's peak performance and to see how it compares with the best on the market.

In addition to our standard suite of testing, I also tested the device using it for a day of work to see how it fares when typing, web browsing, working and for light photo and video editing tasks. 

The screen was analysed using TechRadar's standard movie test and was compared against other screens running standard web browsing and movie editing software. 

The battery life was benchmarked with two tests to simulate different battery life scenarios.

Read more about how we test laptops and desktops.

First reviewed September 2023

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023) review: this creative workstation is a MacBook Pro beater – at a third the price
12:26 pm | August 30, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023): Two Minute Review

Asus’ Vivobook Pro 16X OLED is a complicated range that isn't afraid to use the best components and play to their strengths, even if it makes messaging complicated for a consumer. 

The 2023 Vivobook Pro 16X OLED I’m covering here is a 16-inch creative workstation with a 13th gen Intel based processor that prioritises performance over battery life.

The 2022 version, however, which is still sold alongside the current update, uses an AMD processor and a slightly different 4K display that isn’t particularly powerful, but which will net you over 10 hours of battery during light work tasks.

What these devices have in common is that neither have much concern for conforming to an ultra-portable thin and light form factor. Admittedly, the Vivobook weighs a very manageable 1.9kg, but at 2.2cm thick it’s half a centimetre thicker than devices like the MacBook Pro 16 and this combines with the lightweight plastic keyboard surround to give it a decidedly gaming-laptop look. 

The powerful components on offer here may be more than capable of smoothly firing up your favourite games after work, but the Vivobook Pro 16X OLED is designed for work – a fact highlighted by the bundled Windows 11 Pro OS and Studio Driver pre-installed on the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. 

The Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023) has an impressively powerful (and power hungry) 105W, 24 core Intel Core i9-13980HX CPU that can boost to 5.6GHz for results that will considerably outpace a top spec Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M2 Max) and often doubles the results of the 2022 AMD based Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2022). This is perfect for creatives that need their machines to do more, but it combines with the discrete graphics to draw a lot of power. This means battery life is only around 4.5 hours during light work tasks — A deal breaker for those that need to work on battery. 

Supporting these powerful components is an impressive 16-inch, 120Hz, OLED display that competes with the best OLED screens available on any laptop. This larger 3200 x 2000 pixel display also has a peak 600 nit brightness, Vesa DisplayHDR True Black 600, 100 percent DCI-P3 colour validated by Pantone and an ultra-fast 0.2ms response rate. 

The Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023) is a different beast to the on-the-go work offering of the MacBook Pro 16, but when you get a more powerful laptop with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD slot for $1,800 /  £1,699.99 / AU$3,399, it’s a pretty compelling alternative. 

Image 1 of 7

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions (Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
Image 2 of 7

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions (Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
Image 3 of 7

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
Image 4 of 7

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
Image 5 of 7

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
Image 6 of 7

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
Image 7 of 7

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023): Price and availability

  • $2,000 / £1,700 / AU$3,399
  • Available now
  • Available in the US, UK and AU

The Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED is available in the US, UK and Australia right now with a few different variations offered in different regions. 

The 2023 Vivobook Pro 16X OLED comes with a 3K 120Hz OLED panel and shouldn’t be confused with the 2022 Vivobook Pro 16X OLED devices that have Intel 12th gen or AMD 5000 series processors. All these devices are being sold in some markets side-by-side, but while they might be priced similarly enough they can be very different offerings. 

The Intel based Vivobook Pro 16X OLED tested here features a 13th Gen i9- i9-13980HX CPU, 32GB RAM and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU for $2,000 / £1,700 / AU$3,399. 

  • Price score: 4.5 / 5

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023): Specs

The Vivobook Pro I was sent to review is listed below. There are earlier generations still available to buy and some regions offer 6000 series AMD alternatives. Some regions will also offer a few different GPU configurations. 

  • Specs score: 5 / 5

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023): Design

Asus laptop on table

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
  • Pro OLED screen
  • Powerful components
  • Good port selection

The design of the Vivobook Pro 16X might seem a little counterintuitive at first. Its chassis is made largely out of plastic rather than the usual high-end unibody aluminium you might expect on a premium work device and the keyboard features a fluro-orange escape key and highlighted command keys that you’d usually only see on gaming laptops. 

If that wasn’t enough there’s also fluorescent rubber feet and a thicker-than-ultrabook 2.2cm profile with gaming styled air-vents, a sci-fi dog tag badge and and a hinge cutaway that mean this laptop looks more like a gaming laptop than many gaming laptops

Fortunately, it’s subtle enough that you could easily still pull it off in a work setting and the lightweight chassis and bolstered cooling mean you can easily push into demanding creative tasks without any issues. 

The screen is undoubtedly the standout attraction as far as the design goes, offering a 16-inch 3.2K OLED panel that is capable of a 600 peak brightness. This combination of OLED blacks and a brighter-than-usual screen make this display on offer one of the best we’ve ever seen on a laptop. 

The screen also offers Pantone Validated full DCI-P3 color and a Delta-E of less than 2 to make it the perfect laptop for video editing, using it as a photo editing laptop, or any other creative color work. It also comes with Dolby Vision HDR that’ll allow you to playback media in vivid HDR and the 120Hz refresh rate and low latency 0.2ms response rate means games and other moving media will appear smoother and more immediate.

Asus includes DialPad functionality on the Vivobook Pro 16X OLED’s trackpad, allowing you to quickly change a wide array of settings in creative applications. It’s also got a fingerprint sensor, number pad, physical webcam shield, and a wide array of interface options including; Ethernet, HDMI and an SD Card slot, to ensure you can conveniently work in a range of formats.  

The Harmon Kardon designed speakers are Dolby Atmos compatible and compliment the impressive screen, and Asus has harnessed the new AI capabilities of this 13th gen Intel chip to offer onboard AI background noise cancellation for web meeting audio, and can blur backgrounds and change focus settings for video.

  • Design score: 4.5 / 5

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023): Performance

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
  • Excellent CPU performance
  • Solid GPU performance
Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED: Benchmarks

Here's how the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Port Royal: 5,538; Time Spy Extreme: 4,989; Time Spy: 10,356;
GeekBench 5: 2,115 (single-core); 18,934 (multi-core)
Cinebench R23 Multi-core:
28,443 points
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 90.77 fps;
RDR2 (1080p, Ultra): 144.94 fps;
Crystal DiskMark 8 (Read/ Write):
3,952/2,957 MB/s
PCMark 10 (Home Test): 7,781 points
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 4 hours, 35 minutes

Performance is a standout feature of the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023). The Vivobook Pro 16X OLED has an impressive 105W, 24 core Intel Core i9-13980HX CPU that can boost to 5.6GHz and can push between 25 and 90 percent performance bumps over the M2 Max – A pretty serious performance achievement in a similarly sized laptop.

The 4060 on the model tested is also capable of graphical benchmark performance 28 percent more than a top-spec MacBook Pro 16 on Geekbench 5 OpenCL benchmark and can almost double the Apple unit’s Sid Meier's: Civilization VI frame rates.

This graphical performance is also roughly double what I had on file for the ASUS Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2022) with a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti across a range of gaming and synthetic benchmarks. A performance jump that makes it a very different offering to its predecessor. 

The only disappointing element we found in the performance of the Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023) was in SSD speed. At just 3,952 MB/s sequential read and 2,957 MB/s sequential write, it's close to half what you'll get from many competitors on the market. You're unlikely t notice it when transferring media since you're generally bound to whatever interface you plug in with (we could transfer from an external PCIe SSD over thunderbolt at a max speed of 1,600 MB/s), but it's an unfortunate omission for something that's supposed to be the pinnacle of power. 

  • Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023): Battery life

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
  • 4h35min work lifespan 
  • 4h13min movie playback

This device's impressive performance is driven by a much bigger 245W peak power draw on the Vivobook compared to around 35W on the MacBook Pro. This means that while you’ll get around 4 hours and 35 minutes of battery using the Vivobook Pro 16X OLED for light work tasks, you won’t be able to really push the device with heavy workloads unless you’re close to a powerpoint. Running a game for example will net you only around an hour and a half of run-time on a full charge. 

The lifespan for 1080p movie playback lasting a total of 4 hours and 13 minutes. This is more than enough to get you through a film, but it's not ideal for those trying to use it for any reasonable length of time away from power. 

It's also disappointing against the 10-plus hours I've benchmarked on earlier AMD powered iterations of the Vivobook Pro 16X OLED for the same tests. It is low enough to make it an entirely different kind of offering to the 20-ish hours you might be able to stretch from a MacBook Pro 16, even if you're dabbling in graphical work. 

  • Battery life score: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023)?

Buy it if...

Performance is critical
If you want workstation performance from a creative Windows laptop then it’s hard to look past this exceptionally powerful device. 

Don't buy it if...

You need something that runs on battery
The Asus Vivobook 16X Pro OLED does not have a long battery lifespan, even by gaming laptop standards, so if you want to work on the go it’s best to look elsewhere. 

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023): Also consider

How I tested the Asus Vivobook 16X OLED (2023)

  • I tested it using both benchmark tests and video game benchmarks
  • I stress-tested the battery using the TechRadar movie test

I ran the Asus Vivobook 16X OLED through our standard suite of benchmarks to get a feel for the laptop's peak performance and to see how it compares with the best on the market.

In addition to our standard suite of testing, I also tested the device using it for a day of work to see how it fares when typing, web browsing, working and for light photo and video editing tasks. 

The screen was analysed using TechRadar's standard movie test and was compared against other screens running standard web browsing and movie editing software. 

The battery life was benchmarked with two tests to simulate different battery life scenarios.

Read more about how we test laptops and desktops.

First reviewed August 2023

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023) review: this creative workstation is a MacBook Pro beater – at a third the price
12:26 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023): Two Minute Review

Asus’ Vivobook Pro 16X OLED is a complicated range that isn't afraid to use the best components and play to their strengths, even if it makes messaging complicated for a consumer. 

The 2023 Vivobook Pro 16X OLED I’m covering here is a 16-inch creative workstation with a 13th gen Intel based processor that prioritises performance over battery life.

The 2022 version, however, which is still sold alongside the current update, uses an AMD processor and a slightly different 4K display that isn’t particularly powerful, but which will net you over 10 hours of battery during light work tasks.

What these devices have in common is that neither have much concern for conforming to an ultra-portable thin and light form factor. Admittedly, the Vivobook weighs a very manageable 1.9kg, but at 2.2cm thick it’s half a centimetre thicker than devices like the MacBook Pro 16 and this combines with the lightweight plastic keyboard surround to give it a decidedly gaming-laptop look. 

The powerful components on offer here may be more than capable of smoothly firing up your favourite games after work, but the Vivobook Pro 16X OLED is designed for work – a fact highlighted by the bundled Windows 11 Pro OS and Studio Driver pre-installed on the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. 

The Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023) has an impressively powerful (and power hungry) 105W, 24 core Intel Core i9-13980HX CPU that can boost to 5.6GHz for results that will considerably outpace a top spec Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M2 Max) and often doubles the results of the 2022 AMD based Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2022). This is perfect for creatives that need their machines to do more, but it combines with the discrete graphics to draw a lot of power. This means battery life is only around 4.5 hours during light work tasks — A deal breaker for those that need to work on battery. 

Supporting these powerful components is an impressive 16-inch, 120Hz, OLED display that competes with the best OLED screens available on any laptop. This larger 3200 x 2000 pixel display also has a peak 600 nit brightness, Vesa DisplayHDR True Black 600, 100 percent DCI-P3 colour validated by Pantone and an ultra-fast 0.2ms response rate. 

The Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023) is a different beast to the on-the-go work offering of the MacBook Pro 16, but when you get a more powerful laptop with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD slot for $1,800 /  £1,699.99 / AU$3,399, it’s a pretty compelling alternative. 

Image 1 of 7

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions (Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
Image 2 of 7

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions (Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
Image 3 of 7

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
Image 4 of 7

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
Image 5 of 7

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
Image 6 of 7

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
Image 7 of 7

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023): Price and availability

  • $2,000 / £1,700 / AU$3,399
  • Available now
  • Available in the US, UK and AU

The Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED is available in the US, UK and Australia right now with a few different variations offered in different regions. 

The 2023 Vivobook Pro 16X OLED comes with a 3K 120Hz OLED panel and shouldn’t be confused with the 2022 Vivobook Pro 16X OLED devices that have Intel 12th gen or AMD 5000 series processors. All these devices are being sold in some markets side-by-side, but while they might be priced similarly enough they can be very different offerings. 

The Intel based Vivobook Pro 16X OLED tested here features a 13th Gen i9- i9-13980HX CPU, 32GB RAM and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU for $2,000 / £1,700 / AU$3,399. 

  • Price score: 4.5 / 5

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023): Specs

The Vivobook Pro I was sent to review is listed below. There are earlier generations still available to buy and some regions offer 6000 series AMD alternatives. Some regions will also offer a few different GPU configurations. 

  • Specs score: 5 / 5

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023): Design

Asus laptop on table

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
  • Pro OLED screen
  • Powerful components
  • Good port selection

The design of the Vivobook Pro 16X might seem a little counterintuitive at first. Its chassis is made largely out of plastic rather than the usual high-end unibody aluminium you might expect on a premium work device and the keyboard features a fluro-orange escape key and highlighted command keys that you’d usually only see on gaming laptops. 

If that wasn’t enough there’s also fluorescent rubber feet and a thicker-than-ultrabook 2.2cm profile with gaming styled air-vents, a sci-fi dog tag badge and and a hinge cutaway that mean this laptop looks more like a gaming laptop than many gaming laptops

Fortunately, it’s subtle enough that you could easily still pull it off in a work setting and the lightweight chassis and bolstered cooling mean you can easily push into demanding creative tasks without any issues. 

The screen is undoubtedly the standout attraction as far as the design goes, offering a 16-inch 3.2K OLED panel that is capable of a 600 peak brightness. This combination of OLED blacks and a brighter-than-usual screen make this display on offer one of the best we’ve ever seen on a laptop. 

The screen also offers Pantone Validated full DCI-P3 color and a Delta-E of less than 2 to make it the perfect laptop for video editing, using it as a photo editing laptop, or any other creative color work. It also comes with Dolby Vision HDR that’ll allow you to playback media in vivid HDR and the 120Hz refresh rate and low latency 0.2ms response rate means games and other moving media will appear smoother and more immediate.

Asus includes DialPad functionality on the Vivobook Pro 16X OLED’s trackpad, allowing you to quickly change a wide array of settings in creative applications. It’s also got a fingerprint sensor, number pad, physical webcam shield, and a wide array of interface options including; Ethernet, HDMI and an SD Card slot, to ensure you can conveniently work in a range of formats.  

The Harmon Kardon designed speakers are Dolby Atmos compatible and compliment the impressive screen, and Asus has harnessed the new AI capabilities of this 13th gen Intel chip to offer onboard AI background noise cancellation for web meeting audio, and can blur backgrounds and change focus settings for video.

  • Design score: 4.5 / 5

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023): Performance

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
  • Excellent CPU performance
  • Solid GPU performance
Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED: Benchmarks

Here's how the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Port Royal: 5,538; Time Spy Extreme: 4,989; Time Spy: 10,356;
GeekBench 5: 2,115 (single-core); 18,934 (multi-core)
Cinebench R23 Multi-core:
28,443 points
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 90.77 fps;
RDR2 (1080p, Ultra): 144.94 fps;
Crystal DiskMark 8 (Read/ Write):
3,952/2,957 MB/s
PCMark 10 (Home Test): 7,781 points
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 4 hours, 35 minutes

Performance is a standout feature of the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023). The Vivobook Pro 16X OLED has an impressive 105W, 24 core Intel Core i9-13980HX CPU that can boost to 5.6GHz and can push between 25 and 90 percent performance bumps over the M2 Max – A pretty serious performance achievement in a similarly sized laptop.

The 4060 on the model tested is also capable of graphical benchmark performance 28 percent more than a top-spec MacBook Pro 16 on Geekbench 5 OpenCL benchmark and can almost double the Apple unit’s Sid Meier's: Civilization VI frame rates.

This graphical performance is also roughly double what I had on file for the ASUS Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2022) with a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti across a range of gaming and synthetic benchmarks. A performance jump that makes it a very different offering to its predecessor. 

The only disappointing element we found in the performance of the Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023) was in SSD speed. At just 3,952 MB/s sequential read and 2,957 MB/s sequential write, it's close to half what you'll get from many competitors on the market. You're unlikely t notice it when transferring media since you're generally bound to whatever interface you plug in with (we could transfer from an external PCIe SSD over thunderbolt at a max speed of 1,600 MB/s), but it's an unfortunate omission for something that's supposed to be the pinnacle of power. 

  • Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023): Battery life

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED in various positions

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
  • 4h35min work lifespan 
  • 4h13min movie playback

This device's impressive performance is driven by a much bigger 245W peak power draw on the Vivobook compared to around 35W on the MacBook Pro. This means that while you’ll get around 4 hours and 35 minutes of battery using the Vivobook Pro 16X OLED for light work tasks, you won’t be able to really push the device with heavy workloads unless you’re close to a powerpoint. Running a game for example will net you only around an hour and a half of run-time on a full charge. 

The lifespan for 1080p movie playback lasting a total of 4 hours and 13 minutes. This is more than enough to get you through a film, but it's not ideal for those trying to use it for any reasonable length of time away from power. 

It's also disappointing against the 10-plus hours I've benchmarked on earlier AMD powered iterations of the Vivobook Pro 16X OLED for the same tests. It is low enough to make it an entirely different kind of offering to the 20-ish hours you might be able to stretch from a MacBook Pro 16, even if you're dabbling in graphical work. 

  • Battery life score: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023)?

Buy it if...

Performance is critical
If you want workstation performance from a creative Windows laptop then it’s hard to look past this exceptionally powerful device. 

Don't buy it if...

You need something that runs on battery
The Asus Vivobook 16X Pro OLED does not have a long battery lifespan, even by gaming laptop standards, so if you want to work on the go it’s best to look elsewhere. 

Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (2023): Also consider

How I tested the Asus Vivobook 16X OLED (2023)

  • I tested it using both benchmark tests and video game benchmarks
  • I stress-tested the battery using the TechRadar movie test

I ran the Asus Vivobook 16X OLED through our standard suite of benchmarks to get a feel for the laptop's peak performance and to see how it compares with the best on the market.

In addition to our standard suite of testing, I also tested the device using it for a day of work to see how it fares when typing, web browsing, working and for light photo and video editing tasks. 

The screen was analysed using TechRadar's standard movie test and was compared against other screens running standard web browsing and movie editing software. 

The battery life was benchmarked with two tests to simulate different battery life scenarios.

Read more about how we test laptops and desktops.

First reviewed August 2023

Gigabyte Aero 14 review: the best 14-inch OLED laptop screen around
5:21 am | August 17, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Gigabyte Aerop 14: Two Minute Review

The Aero 14 has long been the most work-focused offering from Taiwanese PC component and gaming laptop manufacturer Gigabyte, but while this business Ultrabook is thin and light, it’s got plenty to offer under the hood. 

The 14-inch 3K OLED display is one of the brightest screens we’ve seen on a laptop, OLED or otherwise, so it’s no surprise that it’s capable of extreme vibrancy and contrast. Add to this a pro video color gamut with precise color accuracy and it’s more than capable of handling creative workloads. 

The 14-core Intel 13th generation CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU combine to provide more than enough grunt for more demanding creative workflows. If you need a lot of RAM you might need to look elsewhere since the 16GB of DDR5 is non-upgradable, but for most this should be enough and is balanced well with the rest of the machine’s capabilities. 

The physical design is great, with a lot of attention to detail in the CNC unibody chassis and port selection. I also liked Gigabyte’s Control Center software which offers the unique benefit of a driver update centre that helps you keep on top of software updates outside of Windows 11’s remit.

Unfortunately, the CPU is around 20 percent behind Apple’s M2 Pro or Max processors and the 90W maximum power draw drains the 63Wh battery in 4 to 5 hours depending on the task. This poor battery life makes it a harder sell as a portable creative device and so while it’s one of the thinnest and lightest creative workstations around, it’s really only suitable for those that have access to power where they work.

Gigabyte Aero 14: Price and availability

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Gigabyte aero 14 on a table

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
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Gigabyte aero 14 on a table

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
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Gigabyte aero 14 on a table

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
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Gigabyte aero 14 on a table

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
  • $1599 / £2,384 / AU$2,999
  • Available now
  • Available in the US and AU, limited availability in the UK

While the US is clearly Gigabyte’s preferred market selling the Aero 14 OLED for just $1599, the UK and Australia get hit with a massive tax with the device going for £2,384 and AU$2,999, respectively. 

It’s pretty disappointing to see such wild differences in price across markets so keep in mind that the scores are reflected for the US market only, with about a half mark deduction required for Australia and a 'don’t bother' ticket for the one place I could see it available in the UK. 

  • Price score: 3.5 / 5

Gigabyte Aero 14: Specs

There is only one version of the Gigabyte Aero 14 OLED (2023) available globally. It can be differentiated from its predecessor by the 13th generation Intel Core processor.

You can see the specs for the available model below. 

Gigabyte Aero 14: Design

Gigabyte aero 14 on a table

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
  • Amazing OLED screen
  • Tough aluminum chassis
  • Good port selection

It’s been a minute since we last covered an Aero from Gigabyte and it seems the range that was once defined by its pops of orange and green on the cover has matured into a sleek silver workhorse that won’t rock the boat in an office setting. 

Still, it’s nice to see that the company is forging its own path in laptop design with unique little details, including an HDMI port at the rear of the device that looks like the exhaust of a sports car and a fast-looking set of thermal vents.

The laptop is covered in a CNC milled aluminum chassis that offers a lot of strength for its thin and light design. We would’ve probably preferred a slightly more subdued silver coloring over the gaudy platinum on offer, but it’s still an elegant overall finish. 

The most striking design feature is undoubtedly the screen. The device has been fitted with an OLED panel that offers Vesa HDR 600 True Black certification, making it the brightest of its kind that I’ve seen. The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M1) offers 1000nit peak brightness and the new M2 powered Pros feature an impressive 1600nit peak brightness, but they are not OLED panels which makes it difficult to make a direct comparison.

Nevertheless, the smooth 90Hz display on the Aero 14 OLED offers a sharp 2880 by 1800 pixel resolution and a full DCI-P3 colour gamut commonly used in professional video production, which pushes this bright OLED into being an exceptionally vibrant screen that is perfectly suited to creative work. 

You'd be forgiven for thinking the Aero 14 only packs 'modern' ports, with its array of three Thunderbolt / USB-C ports, one microSD card reader and one headphone jack on the sides, but it also sneaks in a legacy USB-A port on the back next to the HDMI, which is bound to come in handy. 

Gigabyte Aero 14: Performance

Gigabyte aero 14 on a table

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
  • Decent CPU performance
  • Solid GPU performance
Gigabyte Aero 14: Benchmarks

Here's how the Gigabyte Aero 14 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Port Royal: 3,579; Time Spy Extreme: 3,054; Time Spy: 6,696; Port Royal: 4,834
GeekBench 5: 1,669 (single-core); 12,375 (multi-core)
Cinebench R23 Multi-core:
12,239 points
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 70.92 fps;
RDR2 (1080p, Ultra): 66.35 fps;
Crystal DiskMark 8 (Read/ Write): 6,965/5005 MB/s
PCMark 10 (Home Test): 6,696 points
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 4 hours, 45 minutes

There’s a few different ways to look at performance of the Gigabyte Aero 14 OLED device, but the most straightforward is that it's got a powerful CPU and GPU that combine to mean you'll breeze through demanding creative workloads. 

When you look at it against the competition, it’s hard not to compare it to the MacBook Pro 14, especially in Australia where they’re priced very similarly. The Intel Core i7-3700H is about 20 percent behind the Apple M2 Pro or Max processors in comparable CPU tasks. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 is however capable of keeping up with graphical performance from the top MacBook Pro processor. 

Anyone hoping to play games after their creative work can expect 60 frames-per-second and above on modern titles at 1080p Ultra settings. You can even utilise the slightly higher 90Hz refresh rate for smoother visuals on less demanding titles. 

Gigabyte Aero 14: Battery life

Gigabyte aero 14 on a table

(Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)
  • 3h38min work lifespan 
  • 4h45min movie playback

Even if Gigabyte went with a processor like the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS, it wouldn’t have been able to achieve battery life like what you get on the Apple MacBook Pro devices without sacrificing performance further, so it can only take so much responsibility for the disappointing battery life. That said, it could have easily added another half a pound (200g) to the battery to take the edge off the 3 hours and 38 minutes it’ll last during standard work benchmarking. 

This equates to just 4 hours and 45 minutes in movie playback, which is more than enough to watch a movie and is even ok for a gaming laptop, but it’s around half to a third of what you’ll get from Apple silicon. 

Should you buy the Gigabyte Aero 14 OLED?

Buy it if...

You need a powerful Windows laptop
The sleek, portable design is one of the lightest available and the discrete graphics card makes it capable of more demanding workloads .

Don't buy it if...

You need something that runs on battery
The Aero 14 is realistically only going to last a few hours at most if you’re working with the graphics card running, so if you need to work away from power this probably isn’t the laptop for you.

Gigabyte Aero 14: Also consider

How I tested the Gigabyte Aero 14

  • I tested it using both benchmark tests and video game benchmarks
  • I stress-tested the battery using the TechRadar movie test

I ran the Gigabyte Aero 14 through our standard suite of benchmarks to get a feel for the laptop's peak performance and to see how it compares with the best on the market.

In addition to our standard suite of testing, I also tested the device using it for a day of work to see how it fares when typing, web browsing, working and for light photo and video editing tasks. 

The screen was analysed using TechRadar's standard movie test and was compared against other screens running standard web browsing and movie editing software. 

The battery life was benchmarked with two tests to simulate different battery life scenarios.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed August 2023

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C review: this ereader’s color screen is its only redeeming feature
8:58 am | June 15, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C: two-minute review

I take my hat off to ereader maker Onyx for trying to do something different with its Boox E Ink tablets – making them a little more multimedia-friendly. It did that with the Boox Tab Ultra and didn’t quite hit the mark. The company has tried again with a color version of the same tablet – the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C. 

The color screen makes quite the difference, particularly when you’re reading something that’s supposed to be viewed in color. As with other color ereaders, however, the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C uses the E Ink Kaleido 3 screen that has some significant limitations. It can only display 4,096 colors without a lot of saturation, so what you see is rather muted. Still, even that little bit made my reading experience more enjoyable, particularly when I’m absorbed in something like a Sandman graphic novel. “You can enjoy them better on an iPad,” I hear you say. As true as that may be, the Tab Ultra C is first and foremost a note-taking ereader and I’ll refrain from comparing it to an actual multimedia tablet.

As great as having the color screen is, the ghosting here is really significant. Despite Onyx bringing over the multiple refresh rates from the Boox Tab X, even the fastest Regal option can be disappointing. 

Despite a decent processor – for an ereader that is – performance was generally slow and laggy, even for simple tasks like page turns – something my colleague also noticed when he tested the monochrome Boox Tab Ultra. Battery drain is also rather high when compared to other 10.3-inch notetaking ereaders, including the Onyx Boox Note2 Air Plus, with the whopping 6,300mAh pack draining away in a week.

While access to the Google Play Store is great, I think using Android 11 as an operating system feels dated. It’s not really an issue here, but there will be some apps you might want to use that are no longer optimized for this version and Onyx doesn’t offer a way to update to Android 12 or 13 on its ereaders.

The writing experience, however, is good and on par with the other Onyx tablets I’ve tested. Like its monochrome sibling, the Boox Tab Ultra C can also be used with a keyboard – the folio can be purchased separately. While I enjoyed typing on this keyboard, there was the occasional lag to deal with, which was a little disconcerting when typing at speed.

If it’s just the color screen that is its main selling point, then the Tab Ultra C can be a rather expensive proposition.

A color graphic novel page displayed on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C review: Price and availability

  • Available in two bundles directly from Onyx or select retailers
  • Standard bundle list price: $599.99 / €649.99 (around £559) / AU$979
  • Keyboard cover bundle: $665.99 / €715.99 (around £615) / unavailable in AU

Onyx has priced the color version of its Tab Ultra E Ink tablet the same as its monochrome counterpart, at least in the US. The Tab Ultra C retails for $599.99 / €649.99 (around £559) / AU$979 for what is called the Standard bundle – this includes a magnetic case and the stylus in the box.

While you can buy the keyboard folio separately, there’s a bundle for that as well and it will set you back $665.99 / €715.99 (around £615). The Keyboard Cover bundle is unavailable in Australia, but the folio costs AU$179.99 to purchase separately. 

You can get both bundles directly from Onyx’s Boox Shop in the US and Europe (UK customers can choose the EU storefront). In Australia, only one retailer, Elite Electronics, stocks Onyx products.

While the price point might seem fine given it’s a large, color E Ink screen, it is an expensive tablet. And the value diminishes further as its performance is subpar. 

As much as I hate making this comparison, a 10.9-inch iPad would be a better (and potentially cheaper) investment if it’s a color screen you’re after. Throw in an Apple Pencil and you wouldn’t be spending too much more either. If a color screen isn’t important and you want a really capable note-taking ereader, then I’d recommend the Kobo Elipsa 2E in a heartbeat and you’ll save a lot of money too. 

• Value score: 2/5

Drawing with the stylus on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C: specs

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C review: Design

  • 10.3-inch color E Ink screen
  • Thicker and heavier than other large-screen ereaders
  • Features a rear camera

In terms of overall design, nothing has changed from the Tab Ultra. The Tab Ultra C is still a “black slab” as we called the black-and-white model and is really quite thick and heavy. Compared to other 10.3-inch note-taking ereaders, it really is chunky and heavy. Pick it up and you instantly feel every bit of its 490g bulk – it’s perhaps one of the heaviest ereaders I’ve tested. Add in the weight of a case, particularly the keyboard folio, and this is not a very comfortable ereader to use on the go or read while lounging in bed. However, the sharp corners give it a sleek look.

Branding on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C pen

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

A rear camera bump – for scanning documents – means the tablet doesn’t lie flush on a table, but it's not as pronounced as it is on other multimedia tablets. And it won't be an issue if you use the magnetic or keyboard case. There’s no front-facing selfie camera here. 

The front bezels are free of any embellishment with the sole exception of a barely-visible Boox branding in one corner. On the side of the top bezel is the power button and a speaker, while the bottom bezel houses the uSB-C port, mic and microSD card tray. This supports up to 1TB of expanded storage in addition to built-in 128GB. 

There’s no 3.5mm headphone jack here but the speakers don’t sound too bad. However, connecting to your favorite Bluetooth headphones or speaker will be better if you’re listening to music (two audio files are supported, so you can sideload some MP3s).

The rear camera on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

I was sent the Keyboard Cover bundle for this review, so I don’t quite know how the magnetic case looks with the device, but I do like the keyboard. This attaches via the five-pin connector on the side of the tablet. Despite its compact size, the keys are comfortable and there's good feedback from them. Some users might find the keys clacky, but I didn’t mind it at all. Likewise, the stylus that ships with the Tab Ultra C is also great and it attaches magnetically to empty side of the Tab Ultra C. I’ve used it before with the Onyx Boox Note2 Air and the Tab X, and it works really well. I personally love the eraser on the top as it actually manages to erase more surface area than the Kindle Scribe’s pen.

• Design score: 3/5

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C review: display

  • Large 10.3-inch color e-paper screen
  • 150ppi resolution in color
  • 300ppi resolution for black and white

A finger highlighting a passage in pink on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

The main talking point here is the 10.3-inch color screen… there aren’t too many such options on the market. Using E Ink’s Kaleido 3 screen tech gives the Tab Ultra C a nice display for comics and ereaders. All your ebook covers will be displayed in color at a resolution of 150ppi, which is standard for most color ereaders. Screen resolution for black and white is 300ppi. 

Having a color screen also means you can choose to highlight text in different colors if you are in the habit of adding annotations and notes. And you can draw in color too.

Don’t expect bright colors like you would on an iPad or any other multimedia tablet. E Ink Kaleido tech has limitations and can only display about 4,096 colors that appear washed out on screen. A new tech called Gallery 3 is ready for mass production which promises better saturation, but we still haven’t seen a single color ereader with this screen yet. Soon perhaps. Even with muted colors, it’s a pleasure reading on the Tab Ultra C’s screen.

• Display score: 4/5

The four refresh rates on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C review: performance

  • Powerful processor for an ereader, but sluggish performance
  • Heavy ghosting
  • Bad battery management

The color screen is sadly where all the good things end with the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C. While I loved reading on it, simple tasks like page turns are occasionally slow – whether you use the screen to navigate to the next page or the keyboard (the PgDn key). And this happens on both the default reading application and on the Kindle or Kobo apps that I downloaded from the Google Play Store.

The Tab Ultra C has multiple refresh rate options like the Tab X. And while they work really well on the bigger 13-inch tablet, they don’t seem to function as well here and that means there’s heavy ghosting on most of the applications. It’s very noticeable when reading, which disappears as soon as you change the refresh rate, only to reappear a few pages later. The same occurred when using the built-in web browser or any other downloaded application.

Drawings can be in color on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Using the on-screen keyboard is a laggy experience. I’ve used other 10.3-inch ereaders that have faster response times than the Tab Ultra C, and this includes other Onyx tablets. Switch to the keyboard and, while I was expecting a lag there, it’s not as significant. Still, text doesn’t appear in real time and can be a little disconcerting when you’re typing at speed. 

It’s a similar experience my colleague had when he tested the Tab Ultra, so Onyx hasn’t done anything different here except to use a different screen. In both cases, this disappointing performance for basic tasks is surprising as the devices have powerful processors in the form of an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 662… well, it’s powerful for ereaders. It’s possible that an over-the-air firmware update might sort a lot of this out – although the two that I did get pushed through to my device didn’t help.

Interestingly, using apps downloaded from the Google Play Store – including some mobile games – run quite well. I even watched YouTube videos and didn’t think they were too bad! And yet basic tasks aren’t being handled well, go figure.

Typing via the keyboard case on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

There’s also something not right with the battery management on the device. The drain on the 6,300mAh battery pack seems significant even when you’re just reading. The Onyx Boox Note2 Air Plus has a 3,700mAh battery and lasts about 5-6 weeks while reading, writing, browsing the web and playing mobile games. Similarly, the Kindle Scribe’s 3,000mAh battery goes on for weeks at a time too. The Tab Ultra C, on the other hand, drained in a week while mostly reading with a few minutes of typing via the keyboard cover thrown in…and this is both before and after the firmware update.

Topping up the battery also takes a while but that’s expected from a massive 6,300mAh pack – it took about 4.5 hours to go from 7% to full when plugged into a 9W USB-A wall adapter. For me, it was easy enough to let it charge overnight after I’d finished reading for the night to wake up to a fully topped up ereader. 

However, general performance is just not up to scratch, something I did not expect from an Onyx device – pretty much every other one from ereader maker I’ve tested has impressed.

• Performance score: 2.5/5

The Control Center of the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C review: Camera

  • 16MP rear camera
  • Used for scanning documents
  • Feels superfluous

Like the Tab Ultra, there’s a 16MP rear camera on the Tab Ultra C too. Its main task is to help you scan documents and it does that well enough, but not consistently enough. The good thing about the scans are that they’re in full, saturated color… once you’ve shared them to yourself via Dropbox, Boox Drop or cable transfer (or any other method – you link you Google Drive and OneDrive accounts). 

The advantage of having this scanning facility is that you can sign the digital copy using the stylus and directly email it as an attachment to whoever needs the document (you can download the Gmail app from the Play Store).

That said, the scanned documents aren’t of the best quality and I occasionally found some copy looking a little fuzzy. That could perhaps be because my hand was shaking too. The device is heavy and you have to hold it two hands to keep it focused on the sheet you’re trying to scan. I found using my iPhone 13 Pro to scan to be a lot easier, rendering the camera on the Tab Ultra C superfluous.

This isn’t a camera you’d use to take regular photos. While it can, what you see is a pixelated, fuzzy rendering of the scene that’s saved in PDF format, not JPG. So you can’t even edit in post-production like you would a regular photo.

• Camera score: 2.5/5

The TechRadar website displayed on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C browser

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C review: Software

  • Runs Android 11 with basic interface
  • Access to Google Play Store

Software is where Onyx’s tablets shine, with all of them running on Android 11. This gives you access to the Play Store, so you can download pretty much anything… as long as it will run on the E Ink device.

More importantly, though, Onyx has done a marvelous job of adapting the OS to suit the device. The company’s tablets arguably have the most number of settings parameters for you to tweak of any ereader out there and it’s the same here again. In fact, there are times when I feel the adjustments are overkill, but they all work well and once you’ve used them, you wonder why other such devices don’t have something similar. And this goes for the multiple refresh rate options accessible via the E Ink Center (swipe down from the top right corner to bring up the Control Center)… but strangely enough they don’t seem to work as well here.

However, Android 11 is now nearing its use-by date. While security updates may not be important for an ereader, there are going to be apps that no longer run on Android 11, and there’s no way to update to Android 12 (or 13 for that matter).

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C home screen

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Moreover it’s not the easiest of user interfaces to come to grips with. There’s so much going on – take the default notes application as an example – that it will take someone with a decent amount of technical knowledge to become comfortable with it quickly. The note-taking app looks like a stripped back version of an Adobe application with lots of tools at your disposal. You’ll need time to familiarize yourself with them all to make the most of them. On the other hand, Kobo’s Advanced Notes – despite also offering a lot of features having – is actually a little easier to get to grips with. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with the UX, it’s just… complicated and is a steep learning curve.

Still, I am a big fan of having Android as the OS on my ereader… I’d really like a newer version though. Android 11 on an ereader released in 2023 feels very dated.

• Software score: 3.5/5

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C propped on its keyboard case with a highlighted page displayed

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

It’s hard to consider the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C as a contender for one of the best ereaders on the market, so if you’re looking for similar alternatives, take a look at a few other options below. There aren’t any other 10.3-inch note-taking ereaders with a color screen, so all the alternatives below have a black-and-white E Ink display.

How I tested the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

  • Tested for about two months, which included a new firmware update
  • Used extensively for reading, writing, drawing and typing using the keyboard folio
  • Also used to listen to music and browse the internet often
  • Compared with Amazon Kindle Scribe and Onyx Boox Note Air2 Plus

A color page displayed on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

I’ve had the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C for a while and, during my testing, I’ve had a firmware update rolled out. I began my testing from scratch after this update, in case there were new features or improvements to performance. All told, I spent two months with the device before I started writing my review and used the Kindle Scribe and Onyx's own Note Air2 Plus at the same time to make comparisons.

During this time, I used the Tab Ultra C as my primary ereader, to make notes – particularly for this review – using both the on-screen keyboard and the case, and creating hand-written todo lists and other notes.

While reading, I used different colors to highlight passages of interest to me and also attempted to draw something using different colors. My reading was primarily on the Kindle and Kobo apps that I downloaded from the Play Store – I have accounts for both with purchased ebooks that I could read. 

I even spent a lot of time browsing the internet on the default browser. I also watched a few YouTube videos to test the different refresh rate options. I also used it to listen to music by sideloading MP3 files to the default player.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed June 2023]

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C review: this ereader’s color screen is its only redeeming feature
8:58 am |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C: two-minute review

I take my hat off to ereader maker Onyx for trying to do something different with its Boox E Ink tablets – making them a little more multimedia-friendly. It did that with the Boox Tab Ultra and didn’t quite hit the mark. The company has tried again with a color version of the same tablet – the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C. 

The color screen makes quite the difference, particularly when you’re reading something that’s supposed to be viewed in color. As with other color ereaders, however, the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C uses the E Ink Kaleido 3 screen that has some significant limitations. It can only display 4,096 colors without a lot of saturation, so what you see is rather muted. Still, even that little bit made my reading experience more enjoyable, particularly when I’m absorbed in something like a Sandman graphic novel. “You can enjoy them better on an iPad,” I hear you say. As true as that may be, the Tab Ultra C is first and foremost a note-taking ereader and I’ll refrain from comparing it to an actual multimedia tablet.

As great as having the color screen is, the ghosting here is really significant. Despite Onyx bringing over the multiple refresh rates from the Boox Tab X, even the fastest Regal option can be disappointing. 

Despite a decent processor – for an ereader that is – performance was generally slow and laggy, even for simple tasks like page turns – something my colleague also noticed when he tested the monochrome Boox Tab Ultra. Battery drain is also rather high when compared to other 10.3-inch notetaking ereaders, including the Onyx Boox Note2 Air Plus, with the whopping 6,300mAh pack draining away in a week.

While access to the Google Play Store is great, I think using Android 11 as an operating system feels dated. It’s not really an issue here, but there will be some apps you might want to use that are no longer optimized for this version and Onyx doesn’t offer a way to update to Android 12 or 13 on its ereaders.

The writing experience, however, is good and on par with the other Onyx tablets I’ve tested. Like its monochrome sibling, the Boox Tab Ultra C can also be used with a keyboard – the folio can be purchased separately. While I enjoyed typing on this keyboard, there was the occasional lag to deal with, which was a little disconcerting when typing at speed.

If it’s just the color screen that is its main selling point, then the Tab Ultra C can be a rather expensive proposition.

A color graphic novel page displayed on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C review: Price and availability

  • Available in two bundles directly from Onyx or select retailers
  • Standard bundle list price: $599.99 / €649.99 (around £559) / AU$979
  • Keyboard cover bundle: $665.99 / €715.99 (around £615) / unavailable in AU

Onyx has priced the color version of its Tab Ultra E Ink tablet the same as its monochrome counterpart, at least in the US. The Tab Ultra C retails for $599.99 / €649.99 (around £559) / AU$979 for what is called the Standard bundle – this includes a magnetic case and the stylus in the box.

While you can buy the keyboard folio separately, there’s a bundle for that as well and it will set you back $665.99 / €715.99 (around £615). The Keyboard Cover bundle is unavailable in Australia, but the folio costs AU$179.99 to purchase separately. 

You can get both bundles directly from Onyx’s Boox Shop in the US and Europe (UK customers can choose the EU storefront). In Australia, only one retailer, Elite Electronics, stocks Onyx products.

While the price point might seem fine given it’s a large, color E Ink screen, it is an expensive tablet. And the value diminishes further as its performance is subpar. 

As much as I hate making this comparison, a 10.9-inch iPad would be a better (and potentially cheaper) investment if it’s a color screen you’re after. Throw in an Apple Pencil and you wouldn’t be spending too much more either. If a color screen isn’t important and you want a really capable note-taking ereader, then I’d recommend the Kobo Elipsa 2E in a heartbeat and you’ll save a lot of money too. 

• Value score: 2/5

Drawing with the stylus on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C: specs

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C review: Design

  • 10.3-inch color E Ink screen
  • Thicker and heavier than other large-screen ereaders
  • Features a rear camera

In terms of overall design, nothing has changed from the Tab Ultra. The Tab Ultra C is still a “black slab” as we called the black-and-white model and is really quite thick and heavy. Compared to other 10.3-inch note-taking ereaders, it really is chunky and heavy. Pick it up and you instantly feel every bit of its 490g bulk – it’s perhaps one of the heaviest ereaders I’ve tested. Add in the weight of a case, particularly the keyboard folio, and this is not a very comfortable ereader to use on the go or read while lounging in bed. However, the sharp corners give it a sleek look.

Branding on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C pen

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

A rear camera bump – for scanning documents – means the tablet doesn’t lie flush on a table, but it's not as pronounced as it is on other multimedia tablets. And it won't be an issue if you use the magnetic or keyboard case. There’s no front-facing selfie camera here. 

The front bezels are free of any embellishment with the sole exception of a barely-visible Boox branding in one corner. On the side of the top bezel is the power button and a speaker, while the bottom bezel houses the uSB-C port, mic and microSD card tray. This supports up to 1TB of expanded storage in addition to built-in 128GB. 

There’s no 3.5mm headphone jack here but the speakers don’t sound too bad. However, connecting to your favorite Bluetooth headphones or speaker will be better if you’re listening to music (two audio files are supported, so you can sideload some MP3s).

The rear camera on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

I was sent the Keyboard Cover bundle for this review, so I don’t quite know how the magnetic case looks with the device, but I do like the keyboard. This attaches via the five-pin connector on the side of the tablet. Despite its compact size, the keys are comfortable and there's good feedback from them. Some users might find the keys clacky, but I didn’t mind it at all. Likewise, the stylus that ships with the Tab Ultra C is also great and it attaches magnetically to empty side of the Tab Ultra C. I’ve used it before with the Onyx Boox Note2 Air and the Tab X, and it works really well. I personally love the eraser on the top as it actually manages to erase more surface area than the Kindle Scribe’s pen.

• Design score: 3/5

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C review: display

  • Large 10.3-inch color e-paper screen
  • 150ppi resolution in color
  • 300ppi resolution for black and white

A finger highlighting a passage in pink on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

The main talking point here is the 10.3-inch color screen… there aren’t too many such options on the market. Using E Ink’s Kaleido 3 screen tech gives the Tab Ultra C a nice display for comics and ereaders. All your ebook covers will be displayed in color at a resolution of 150ppi, which is standard for most color ereaders. Screen resolution for black and white is 300ppi. 

Having a color screen also means you can choose to highlight text in different colors if you are in the habit of adding annotations and notes. And you can draw in color too.

Don’t expect bright colors like you would on an iPad or any other multimedia tablet. E Ink Kaleido tech has limitations and can only display about 4,096 colors that appear washed out on screen. A new tech called Gallery 3 is ready for mass production which promises better saturation, but we still haven’t seen a single color ereader with this screen yet. Soon perhaps. Even with muted colors, it’s a pleasure reading on the Tab Ultra C’s screen.

• Display score: 4/5

The four refresh rates on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C review: performance

  • Powerful processor for an ereader, but sluggish performance
  • Heavy ghosting
  • Bad battery management

The color screen is sadly where all the good things end with the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C. While I loved reading on it, simple tasks like page turns are occasionally slow – whether you use the screen to navigate to the next page or the keyboard (the PgDn key). And this happens on both the default reading application and on the Kindle or Kobo apps that I downloaded from the Google Play Store.

The Tab Ultra C has multiple refresh rate options like the Tab X. And while they work really well on the bigger 13-inch tablet, they don’t seem to function as well here and that means there’s heavy ghosting on most of the applications. It’s very noticeable when reading, which disappears as soon as you change the refresh rate, only to reappear a few pages later. The same occurred when using the built-in web browser or any other downloaded application.

Drawings can be in color on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Using the on-screen keyboard is a laggy experience. I’ve used other 10.3-inch ereaders that have faster response times than the Tab Ultra C, and this includes other Onyx tablets. Switch to the keyboard and, while I was expecting a lag there, it’s not as significant. Still, text doesn’t appear in real time and can be a little disconcerting when you’re typing at speed. 

It’s a similar experience my colleague had when he tested the Tab Ultra, so Onyx hasn’t done anything different here except to use a different screen. In both cases, this disappointing performance for basic tasks is surprising as the devices have powerful processors in the form of an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 662… well, it’s powerful for ereaders. It’s possible that an over-the-air firmware update might sort a lot of this out – although the two that I did get pushed through to my device didn’t help.

Interestingly, using apps downloaded from the Google Play Store – including some mobile games – run quite well. I even watched YouTube videos and didn’t think they were too bad! And yet basic tasks aren’t being handled well, go figure.

Typing via the keyboard case on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

There’s also something not right with the battery management on the device. The drain on the 6,300mAh battery pack seems significant even when you’re just reading. The Onyx Boox Note2 Air Plus has a 3,700mAh battery and lasts about 5-6 weeks while reading, writing, browsing the web and playing mobile games. Similarly, the Kindle Scribe’s 3,000mAh battery goes on for weeks at a time too. The Tab Ultra C, on the other hand, drained in a week while mostly reading with a few minutes of typing via the keyboard cover thrown in…and this is both before and after the firmware update.

Topping up the battery also takes a while but that’s expected from a massive 6,300mAh pack – it took about 4.5 hours to go from 7% to full when plugged into a 9W USB-A wall adapter. For me, it was easy enough to let it charge overnight after I’d finished reading for the night to wake up to a fully topped up ereader. 

However, general performance is just not up to scratch, something I did not expect from an Onyx device – pretty much every other one from ereader maker I’ve tested has impressed.

• Performance score: 2.5/5

The Control Center of the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C review: Camera

  • 16MP rear camera
  • Used for scanning documents
  • Feels superfluous

Like the Tab Ultra, there’s a 16MP rear camera on the Tab Ultra C too. Its main task is to help you scan documents and it does that well enough, but not consistently enough. The good thing about the scans are that they’re in full, saturated color… once you’ve shared them to yourself via Dropbox, Boox Drop or cable transfer (or any other method – you link you Google Drive and OneDrive accounts). 

The advantage of having this scanning facility is that you can sign the digital copy using the stylus and directly email it as an attachment to whoever needs the document (you can download the Gmail app from the Play Store).

That said, the scanned documents aren’t of the best quality and I occasionally found some copy looking a little fuzzy. That could perhaps be because my hand was shaking too. The device is heavy and you have to hold it two hands to keep it focused on the sheet you’re trying to scan. I found using my iPhone 13 Pro to scan to be a lot easier, rendering the camera on the Tab Ultra C superfluous.

This isn’t a camera you’d use to take regular photos. While it can, what you see is a pixelated, fuzzy rendering of the scene that’s saved in PDF format, not JPG. So you can’t even edit in post-production like you would a regular photo.

• Camera score: 2.5/5

The TechRadar website displayed on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C browser

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C review: Software

  • Runs Android 11 with basic interface
  • Access to Google Play Store

Software is where Onyx’s tablets shine, with all of them running on Android 11. This gives you access to the Play Store, so you can download pretty much anything… as long as it will run on the E Ink device.

More importantly, though, Onyx has done a marvelous job of adapting the OS to suit the device. The company’s tablets arguably have the most number of settings parameters for you to tweak of any ereader out there and it’s the same here again. In fact, there are times when I feel the adjustments are overkill, but they all work well and once you’ve used them, you wonder why other such devices don’t have something similar. And this goes for the multiple refresh rate options accessible via the E Ink Center (swipe down from the top right corner to bring up the Control Center)… but strangely enough they don’t seem to work as well here.

However, Android 11 is now nearing its use-by date. While security updates may not be important for an ereader, there are going to be apps that no longer run on Android 11, and there’s no way to update to Android 12 (or 13 for that matter).

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C home screen

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Moreover it’s not the easiest of user interfaces to come to grips with. There’s so much going on – take the default notes application as an example – that it will take someone with a decent amount of technical knowledge to become comfortable with it quickly. The note-taking app looks like a stripped back version of an Adobe application with lots of tools at your disposal. You’ll need time to familiarize yourself with them all to make the most of them. On the other hand, Kobo’s Advanced Notes – despite also offering a lot of features having – is actually a little easier to get to grips with. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with the UX, it’s just… complicated and is a steep learning curve.

Still, I am a big fan of having Android as the OS on my ereader… I’d really like a newer version though. Android 11 on an ereader released in 2023 feels very dated.

• Software score: 3.5/5

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C propped on its keyboard case with a highlighted page displayed

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

It’s hard to consider the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C as a contender for one of the best ereaders on the market, so if you’re looking for similar alternatives, take a look at a few other options below. There aren’t any other 10.3-inch note-taking ereaders with a color screen, so all the alternatives below have a black-and-white E Ink display.

How I tested the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

  • Tested for about two months, which included a new firmware update
  • Used extensively for reading, writing, drawing and typing using the keyboard folio
  • Also used to listen to music and browse the internet often
  • Compared with Amazon Kindle Scribe and Onyx Boox Note Air2 Plus

A color page displayed on the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

I’ve had the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C for a while and, during my testing, I’ve had a firmware update rolled out. I began my testing from scratch after this update, in case there were new features or improvements to performance. All told, I spent two months with the device before I started writing my review and used the Kindle Scribe and Onyx's own Note Air2 Plus at the same time to make comparisons.

During this time, I used the Tab Ultra C as my primary ereader, to make notes – particularly for this review – using both the on-screen keyboard and the case, and creating hand-written todo lists and other notes.

While reading, I used different colors to highlight passages of interest to me and also attempted to draw something using different colors. My reading was primarily on the Kindle and Kobo apps that I downloaded from the Play Store – I have accounts for both with purchased ebooks that I could read. 

I even spent a lot of time browsing the internet on the default browser. I also watched a few YouTube videos to test the different refresh rate options. I also used it to listen to music by sideloading MP3 files to the default player.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed June 2023]

Huawei Watch Ultimate review: the Apple Watch Ultra has nothing to worry about
5:47 pm | May 18, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Huawei Watch Ultimate: One minute review

This is TechRadar’s Huawei Watch Ultimate review. We’ve gone hands-on with the Apple Watch Ultra rival to test its mettle as a day-to-day smartwatch, a workout device, a health companion, and a tool for outdoor pursuits such as diving and hiking. The end result is a watch that’s designed to go toe-to-toe with the best smartwatches from Apple and the best Garmin watches

In many ways it succeeds: the physical build quality is nothing short of spectacular, and the watch looks great – with the right watch face. The Expedition mode, designed for outdoor pursuits such as hiking, trail running and orienteering, is a brilliant piece of UX design, and Huawei Health is a great-looking and very functional companion app. 

However, the typical and all-too-familiar Huawei frustrations prevent this from beating the top outdoor watches at their own game. There’s no Google Maps or GPX files: instead, the Huawei Watch Ultimate works on Huawei’s own Petal Maps service. There’s also no LTE option, which is frustrating for a watch at this price point, as it means you need to remain coupled to your phone for internet access. Some of the better watch faces cost money from Huawei’s online store. And, without a Huawei phone, there’s no contactless payment option, as it won’t support Google Wallet, Apple Pay or other competing digital wallet services. 

I understand Huawei’s instinct to keep things locked down end-to-end in the same way that Apple, Google and Samsung do, but as Huawei devices aren’t as ubiquitous as those of the other brands, it makes recommending the watch more difficult. While the watch will record your running routes using GPS, the omission of on-wrist directions and the inability to stream music without cellular data or a phone nearby are pretty damning. At least it looks nice, it’s tough as nails, and the Expedition mode is ace.  

Huawei Watch Ultimate: Price and availability

  • £699 (Expedition Black)
  • £799 (Voyage Blue)
  • Unavailable in US, not confirmed for AU

Huawei Watch Ultimate currently starts at £699 (around $870 / AU$1,300) for the Expedition Black version of the watch, which has the standard zirconium liquid metal watch face and casing but a plain black silicone strap. It clearly competes directly with the Apple Watch Ultra at this price, and occupies a similar niche and matches the watch in build quality.

The next level up in price, the Voyage Blue, is designed to look more like a traditional diving watch, something along the line of the Omega Seamaster series. Its segmented deep-blue bezel is complimented by a lighter-coloured case and matching aviation-grade titanium strap, and it costs £799.

Unfortunately, availability is a big part of where this watch falls down: it’s unavailable in the US due to the US government’s ongoing dispute with Huawei. Not having the latest phones with Huawei’s own operating system, EMUI, means that even if you get your hands on the watch, some of its features can’t be used. 

Although Huawei technology is currently available in Australia, the Watch Ultimate isn’t yet on sale. It is available in the UK and Europe, and select Asian markets. Is is available in Europe for €749 euros in Expedition Black, and €849 in Voyage Blue.

  • Value score: 4/5

Huawei Watch Ultimate: Design

Huawei Watch Ultimate

(Image credit: Huawei)
  • Top-notch build quality
  • Big and heavy
  • Unimpressive UX

The Huawei Watch Ultimate takes its cues from other premium outdoors watches such as the Garmin Enduro 2 and its principle rival, the Apple Watch Ultra – they’re all big watches with large faces and super-tough cases. The Huawei Watch Ultimate’s case looks great: it’s made of a super-tough, super-hard zirconium ‘liquid metal’ alloy that’s said to be harder than titanium, and finished in a darker grey for the Expedition Black model and shiny silver for the Voyage Blue, which comes with a matching titanium strap. 

The Voyage Blue model especially is a thing of beauty, looking for all the world like a smart version of a premium dive watch like a Seamaster. The Expedition Black is a bit more sporty, with its black silicone strap and more demure case, but both still look like fantastic watches – providing you choose the right face. Many of the default options really spoil the look of the watch, and, frankly, make it look cheap: I went through five or six of the ‘free’ watch faces on the AppGallery store before settling on one I actually liked. 

Elsewhere the watch is comfortable on the wrist (we tested the Expedition Black model) but it is big and heavy, weighing in at 76 grams – that’s useful when surviving bangs and scrapes, but less so if you’re wearing it to bed, as you might accidentally clobber yourself or your partner with it. By the time my testing period was over and I swapped to my smaller Casio F-91W digital watch, I felt like I’d been weight training. If you’re in the market for a daily wearer, this is a big, heavy, and occasionally inconvenient option. 

On the software side, the Huawei Health app is a very good, comprehensively designed companion app, with well-presented data and bags of granular graphs to sink your teeth into, a real treat for health info nerds. I was less impressed with the UX on the Huawei Watch Ultimate: it’s essentially the same layout as on the Huawei GT 4, and if you pinch and zoom, the app layout zooms out into a basic rectangle, with no effort to conform the layout to the screen. It’s a small thing, but very telling, and despite the watch’s beautiful construction, Huawei’s operating system isn’t quite as ergonomic to use as something like watchOS 9. 

The similarities with the Huawei Watch GT 4 continue in the physical design, with the exception of the Ultimate mode button on the left-hand side. Pushing this button takes you to Expedition Mode or Dive Mode – I used Expedition Mode most often – with the other buttons acting as controls to select options for individual apps. However, it would be nice if Huawei made the Ultimate Mode button fully programmable, in the same way the Apple Watch Ultra’s action button is.

  • Design score: 3.5/5

Huawei Watch Ultimate: Features

Huawei Watch Ultimate on-wrist

(Image credit: Future)
  • Lots of workout modes
  • New Expedition and Dive Modes
  • Some features locked away for non-Huawei users
  • Lack of LTE is frustrating

Fortunately, the Huawei Watch Ultimate excels at workout tracking, with loads of modes, just like the Huawei Watch GT series before it. Runs are easily and comprehensively tracked –they’re divided into outdoor and indoor runs, with outdoor run tracking rivaling that of Garmin and Polar watches when it comes to the level of granular data you can pull from a run. From Recovery time and aerobic/anaerobic stress to VO2 Max, GPS and Pace Segment information, it’s all here. There’s no heat map of running power laid over your route, as there is on Garmins, which I’ve always found useful, but combined with Expedition Mode this watch is going to be a great trail-running companion. 

Speaking of which, Expedition Mode is great. I cover it in more detail in a separate article, but essentially it’s one of two new modes that allow you to see and measure specific vital statistics, use the watch’s torch functionality, set GPS waypoints, and tell you how far away you are from each waypoint. By chaining waypoints together, you can stay orientated, and not have to glance at a GPX map every few minutes. 

The Watch also has a heavily-advertised Dive Mode, which we’ve been unable to test yet. Splitting between recreational and free dives in both seawater and fresh water, Huawei says it can operate in and show you accurate depths at up to 100 meters; it can also interface with your air tank to show you readouts on-wrist, and carries a compass for reorienting yourself. I’ve asked a professional diving instructor about the Apple Watch Ultra’s dive credentials, and I’d be fascinated to have the Ultra and the Huawei Watch Ultimate tested alongside each other. 

The Watch is stacked with apps and features, from stress readouts and breathing exercises to maps, texting, voice call functionality with the in-built speaker, and Huawei’s AI assistant, which is only available on EMUI phones. Additional third-party apps like Spotify will need to be downloaded via the Huawei AppGallery, which could again be a problem depending on the phone you’re using. Maps uses Huawei’s Petal Maps rather than Google Maps, which is available as a browser download if you can’t get on AppGallery, but it works fine and offers on-wrist directions. Just make sure that you enable permissions on your phone, as without the right permissions okayed, the app will close on-phone and the on-wrist directions will stop. 

The most frustrating missing feature here is the lack of LTE or real offline GPS options. If I want streamed music, maps or even the ability to call someone from my watch when I go for a run, I have to take my phone with me. The lack of on-wrist maps or directions independent of my phone is especially egregious for a self-professed outdoors watch – yes, you can set GPS waypoints with Expedition Mode, but you can’t call up a decent map or contact someone if, for example, you twist an ankle. Such omissions are fine for a mid-range watch, but at this price point it’s a real kicker. 

  • Features score: 3.5/5

Huawei Watch Ultimate: Performance

Huawei Watch Ultimate Expedition Mode

(Image credit: Matt Evans)
  • Excellent battery life
  • Expedition Mode is awesome
  • Obnoxious notifications

The Huawei Watch Ultimate’s battery life meets expectations fully. Over two weeks of moderate use, the battery lasted around 11 days – slightly less than the claimed full two weeks – in smartwatch mode, with regular GPS functionality draining the battery. I tested the watch’s GPS against a Garmin Forerunner 265 and the GPS on my Oppo phone during one particular run, and I’m satisfied with the Huawei’s dual-band GPS accuracy, accounting for the time it took to activate and deactivate all three devices before and after running. 

The watch’s stand-out feature was the Expedition Mode, which performed better than expected on-wrist. The waypoint finder syncs with the compass to create easy-to-follow directional prompts, and a press of the button switches the readouts to a dim-orange night mode in order to save your eyesight. As long as you remember to drop waypoints to follow regularly enough, your adventures will be unmarred by your getting lost, and the Expedition Mode even has SPO2, barometer and heart rate widgets easily accessible to check your performance at altitude, along with a light for signaling. 

One of my biggest gripes with the watch in day-to-day use is the notifications you get during a run, with reminders on how far and fast you’ve run, speeds, and more. On other apps I’ve used, such as Garmin’s or Polar’s, the notifications automatically sync with the headphones you’re wearing. Not so with Huawei – the default, inexplicably, is blasting the bizarrely-accented AI voice at full volume from the watch’s impressively loud speaker. A jog around the park or a workout in the gym can get very embarrassing, very quickly for the uninitiated. 

While you can lower the volume, and disable the notifications in the settings, getting the reminders through to the headphones is a frustrating, counterintuitive process. You have to pair the headphones with the watch rather than the phone, which isn’t how it’s done with other services, which means that unless I was playing my own music from my watch, I either didn’t get Spotify, didn’t get the helpful mid-run voice prompts, or had to suffer through the infamous Huawei voice yelling “Workout started!”, “Workout paused!”, “Time: five minutes, fifteen seconds per kilometer!” out to the world. 

Otherwise, I was happy: things performed as expected from a premium watch, with all the accuracy and power such a device promises. It’s just a shame that the outstanding build quality and excellent innovations are let down by some frustrating, quintessentially Huawei flaws. 

  • Performance score: 4/5

Huawei Watch Ultimate: Should I buy?

Huawei Watch Ultimate Expedition Mode

(Image credit: Matt Evans)

Huawei Watch Ultimate: Buy it if...

Huawei Watch Ultimate: Don't buy it if...

Also consider

First reviewed: April 2023

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