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Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023): a productivity beast that’s not for everyone
5:00 pm | January 23, 2023
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023): Two-minute review

The Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) is both surprising and completely expected. Apple took us all by surprise by announcing it, along with the MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023) and Mac mini (2023), via a couple of press releases at the tail-end of January 2023. A glamorous Tim Cook-led launch at the company's Cupertino headquarters this was not.

However, while the timing and manner of the launch was surprising, the fact that Apple was following up its incredibly popular and critically acclaimed MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) was not. With the launch of the M2 chip last year, it was only a matter of time before we saw the more powerful M2 Pro and M2 Max. Unlike its predecessor, the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) isn’t a complete redesign that acts like a warning shot across the bows of its competitors, but more of a refinement of the hardware.

On the outside, it’s essentially exactly the same as the previous model, with a 16.2-inch screen, chunky body with a great selection of ports (including a full-size HDMI port, which now supports up to 8K at 60Hz, plus a memory card slot) and 1080p FaceTime webcam. It also has the same 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with mini-LED tech and 120Hz ProMotion adaptive refresh rates for smooth and responsive scrolling and motion. But, why tinker? It remains the best display you can get on a laptop.

On the inside, the new model has been outfitted with the aforementioned M2 Pro or the more powerful – and expensive – M2 Max; two new chips from an increasingly confident Apple that once again proves that its (sometimes maligned) complete control over its hardware and software has paid dividends, leading to powerful and efficient performance with software tweaked to get the very best out of the hardware. 

MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) in use in a studio

(Image credit: Future)

During my time reviewing the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023), I threw all manner of tasks at it, and it didn’t skip a beat – even when on battery life, which caused only a tiny hit to synthetic benchmark results, but no noticeable drop in performance. And, with over 20 hours of battery life, this is a laptop you’ll rarely need to plug in throughout the day.

The only issue I have regarding the performance of the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) is that the M2 Pro does such a good job, that it’s hard to see what the M2 Max can improve on, apart from perhaps higher benchmark numbers. 

If you need some serious GPU power, then sure, the M2 Max may be worth it, but for most people the M2 Pro will be more than enough. Truth be told, the M1 Pro and M1 Max are still excellent performers as well, and in my benchmark tests the M2 Pro clearly outperformed the M1 Pro, but not by enough of a margin that would make upgrading from the previous model to the new one worthwhile. It’s quite telling that in its press releases about the new MacBooks, it mainly compared to performance to the older Intel-based MacBook Pro 16-inch from 2019.

Price is going to be a big consideration, however, with the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) starting at $2,499 / £2,699 / AU$3,999 – a big investment that shouldn’t be undertaken lightly. If you have the budget and need the power, however, then Apple has come up with another winner.

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) review: Price and availability

  • Starts at $2,499 / £2,699 / AU$3,999
  • Same price as previous model in the US
  • UK and Australia get price rises

The Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) got a surprise launch on January 17, with pre-orders going live as soon as the news dropped. The new MacBook Pro 16-inch will start arriving for people who pre-ordered it on January 24, 2023 – the same day that it will also be available to buy from various retailers.

The previous 16-inch MacBook Pro suffered from shipping delays of up to a few months, and while some of this can be attributed to the unprecedented situation it launched in – with both a global pandemic and global chip shortage raging – I’d still recommend you order sooner than later if you’re keen to get hold of the new MacBook Pro 16-inch as soon as possible.

While writing this review, I checked Apple’s US store, and it’s still promising deliveries by January 24, so hopefully stock will be plentiful and shipping delays rare.

When it comes to price, there’s some good news as the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) isn't getting a big generational price increase. Much like the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) M1 Pro version, this laptop starts at $2,499 in the US for the base configuration: that's the M2 Pro chip, 16GB of unified memory, and 512GB of SSD storage.

If you want to step up the brain power, you can get a version with the M2 Max chip, with a 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU, 32GB unified memory and 1TB SSD for the rather eye-watering price of $3,499.

As usual, you can configure the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) to come with various spec upgrades, so you can customize the laptop to best suit your needs and budget. However, these upgrades come at a cost, and can make an already very expensive laptop even pricier.

MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) in use in a studio

(Image credit: Future)

If you want the absolute highest-end model, with a massive 96GB of memory and 8TB of storage, it’ll cost a huge $6,499. Needless to say, this kind of power will only be needed by extremely intensive enterprise-level workloads.

In the UK, the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) is sadly even more expensive, with the base model costing £2,699, which works out as about $3,315 with the current exchange rates. And, while Apple has kept the same launch price in the US for the base model of the 16-inch model as the previous model, in the UK, the new model is £300 more expensive than the previous model, which launched at £2,399.

While some of that increase could be down to the current difficult financial situation in the UK and poor exchange rates, it’s still disappointing.

The more powerful model with an M2 Max chip costs £3,749, again a rise compared to the M1 Max model, which launched at £3,299.

In Australia, the starting price of the base model is AU$3,999, compared to the AU$3,749 the M1 Pro model launched at. Again, an increase, but not quite as severe as the one the UK has witnessed. The high-end MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) with the M2 Max chip will cost AU$5,599, another increase over the M1 Max model, which launched in 2021 for AU$5,249.

So, it’s a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to price. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is firmly aimed at creatives and professionals that require a lot of power, so it was never going to be a budget product, but it is still a big investment that a lot of people should consider carefully about whether or not they need it. I was thoroughly impressed with the performance of the previous model, so I have no doubt that this new model will justify the price tag when it comes to performance, however.

While Apple should be commended for keeping the price the same between generations in the US, it is a shame that other markets haven’t been given that same luxury.

  • Price score: 3.5/5

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) review: Specs

The MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) comes in three main configurations; two with the M2 Pro chip and one with the M2 Max chip.

Each of these options can be configured to change the chips, add more memory (up to 32GB with the M2 Pro and up to 96GB with the M2 Max) and storage up to 8TB.

MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) in use in a studio

(Image credit: Future)

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) review: Design

  • Same design as 2021 model
  • Best screen on a laptop
  • Plenty of ports

From the outside, the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) is identical to the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021), with the same dimensions of 0.66 x 14.01 x 9.77 inches (1.68 x 35.57 x 24.81cm) and a weight of 2.2 kg (4.8 pounds) for the M2 Max model (the M2 Pro model is slightly lighter, but not noticeably so).

If you’re already familiar with the 16-inch MacBook Pro, then, you’ll know that this is a big, chunky, and heavy laptop. It’s a mobile workstation that’s been built to be mainly used on a desk, and if you’re looking for something more portable, consider the MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023), which offers the same specs, but in a smaller overall package.

However, the fact that the new MacBook Pro has the same design as the previous one should be welcomed, because the previous model fixed several problems I’ve had with MacBook Pros in the past – namely the range of ports that they come with.

The MacBook Pro 16-inch comes with three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, a full-size HDMI port and SDXC memory card slot. This is a big improvement over the two USB-C ports that older MacBook Pros came with, and which the MacBook Air (M2, 2022) and MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022) still feature.

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MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) being charged

(Image credit: Future)
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Close up of ports on a MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023)

(Image credit: Future)
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Close up of ports on a MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023)

(Image credit: Future)
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Close up of ports on a MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023)

(Image credit: Future)

This range of ports means you can hook up a monitor or projector via HDMI, or insert a memory card, without having to use an adaptor. Combined with the long battery life (more on that in a bit), it means this is an impressively portable laptop to do some serious work on when switching between offices or studios. In these days of hybrid working, where a lot of people are dividing their work time between the office and their home, this can be a real boon, as no matter where you go, you’ll be able to make use of the power of this laptop.

Also, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) is undoubtedly a thick and heavy laptop, its width and depth is roughly the same as the MacBook Pro 15-inch, despite the larger screen. To prove this, I placed the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) on top of a 15-inch MacBook Pro I use in the office, and while the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) is a fair bit thicker (0.66-inches vs 0.61), it otherwise has a footprint that is very close to the 15-inch model.

On opening up both MacBooks, you can see how this was achieved: the MacBook Pro 16-inch has much thinner bezels that surround the screen than the 15-inch model. Not only does this make the MacBook Pro 16-inch look like a much more modern laptop, but it also allows Apple to include a larger screen without making the entire laptop larger.

MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) in use in a studio

(Image credit: Future)

As with the previous MacBook Pro 16-inch model (as well as both 14-inch models), there is a compromise to the thinner bezel in the form of a ‘notch’ around the webcam, which dips down into the screen. This caused a bit of a stir when this design debuted in 2021, with many people saying it was a rather ugly and distracting design choice.

Back when I reviewed the 2021 models, I didn’t find that to be true at all – instead, I thought it was quite a clever way of maximizing screen real estate, and I hardly noticed it in most applications. Two years on, and I stand by those opinions, and in the intervening years, the furor over the notch appears to have died down somewhat. Sure, it still won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but it really isn’t the deal breaker that it was once made out to be.

The 16.2-inch screen remains unchanged, and that means this is still the best display you’ll get on a laptop, period. It’s a Liquid Retina XDR display featuring mini-LED tech, and offers 1,600 nits of peak HDR brightness and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Along with P3 wide color gamut and one billion colors, this is an incredibly bright and vibrant display. I used it in an office with plenty of ambient light, including strong overhead lighting, and the screen looked fantastic, with bright colors looking lively and realistic, while blacks were rich and deep.

At this time of year where I’m located (Bath, England), there’s not an abundance of bright sunlight, but when I used it outside, again the screen remained bright and vibrant.

As for the rest of the design, the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) has a large and comfortable keyboard. It manages to feel tactile and responsive, and the days of faulty MacBook Pro keyboards seem to be well behind us. As part of my review process, I typed up part of this review using the keyboard, and I didn’t have any issues at all. The keyboard is backlit, so even when night rolled in and the lights grew dim, I could still happily tap away.

The keyboard also comes with a Touch ID button that allows you to log in to macOS, as well as pay for items using Apple Pay, by simply placing your finger on top of the button. As usual, the process is quick and accurate (you can set it up the first time you use the laptop), and most importantly, secure.

The trackpad below the keyboard is large and responsive, and while many creatives may prefer to use a mouse, it works well when you need it.

Overall, the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) doesn’t change anything design-wise from its predecessor, but – frankly – it doesn’t need to. The port selection is great, and it continues to have the best screen you can get on a laptop. Apple has resisted the trend of adding touchscreen capabilities, but truth be told, you won’t miss it.

Keep in mind, however, that this is a big and bulky laptop, compared to the likes of the MacBook Air or Dell XPS 15.

  • Design score: 4.5/5

MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) in use in a studio

(Image credit: Future)

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) review: Performance

  • Excellent performance
  • No throttling when on battery
Benchmarks

Here’s how the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Cinebench R23 CPU: Single-Core: 1,644; Multi-Core: 14,700
Geekbench 5 Single-Core: 1,961; Multi-Core: 15,061
PugentBench Photoshop: 1,060
Premier Pro: 1,095
Blender: Monster: 123.97; Junkshop: 71.94; Classroom: 55.42
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 19 hours and 39 minutes

The base configuration of the MacBook Pro 16-inch with M2 Pro chip comes with a 10-core CPU (upgradable to 12-core), a 16-core GPU (upgradable to 19-core), 16GB memory, and 512GB SSD storage, with the M2 Max MacBook Pro 16-inch model starting with a 12-core CPU, a 30-core GPU (upgradable to 38-core), 32GB memory, and a 1TB drive.

You can upgrade the specs on the M2 Pro model up to 32GB memory and the M2 Max model to a huge 96GB memory. The M2 Pro features 200GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, while the M2 Max pushes that further with 400GB/s. Both versions can be upgraded to a whopping 8TB of storage space. If you have the budget to max out the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023), then you’ll have a seriously powerful mobile workstation that can rival powerful desktop PCs. It really does feel like the days of having to be stuck at a desk to perform intensive computational workloads is over.

The M2 Pro and M2 Max chips are, on paper, big steps up over the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips that came with the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021), with Apple claiming that the M2 Pro offers 30% faster GPU performance than the M1 Pro, and twice the memory bandwidth of the M2 chip, which launched last year.

The M2 Max, according to Apple, offers 30% faster GPU performance compared to the M1 Max thanks to the increased number of GPU cores, and four times the memory bandwidth of the M2 – leading the company to claim it’s the world’s “most powerful and efficient chip for a pro laptop.”

Efficiency is a key word here – it's a big theme that Apple keeps returning to when talking about the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, and for good reason, as I really think this is the main area where Apple has the advantage over Intel and AMD in the chipmaking stakes.

It means that M2 Pro and M2 Max-equipped MacBooks can pump out impressive performance without draining the battery. Crucially, the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) doesn’t throttle its performance when on battery power either. Other workstation laptops usually enter a lower-powered state when on battery power to conserve battery life, and while that means you’ll hopefully get a few more hours before you need to plug it in, performance is throttled, which can have an impact on any tasks you want to perform without the laptop being plugged in.

MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) being charged

(Image credit: Future)

The good news here is that Apple has managed to achieve the best of both worlds, with no noticeable impact on performance when the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) is unplugged and running on battery. Throughout my time with the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, I used it both plugged in and on battery, and I didn’t notice any change in performance, even when running complex video editing tasks. While the benchmarks you can see on the right were run with the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) plugged in, I also ran the same tests with it unplugged, and saw a negligible impact to performance.

This has resulted in a very impressive mobile workstation that you can truly use while out and about without sacrificing performance.

Another nice benefit of Apple’s pursuit of efficiency with its M2 chips is that the MacBook Pro 16-inch is virtually silent in operation. Because the M2 Pro (which was in the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) Apple sent me to review) efficiently manages its power consumption, it appears that it rarely gets hot enough for the MacBook’s fans to kick in.

For anyone who can’t stand the distracting whirr of fans working overtime, this will be welcome news. It’s especially useful for musicians, producers and film makers who need to hear their work clearly and without interference, and if you’re using the included three-mic array to make ad-hoc recordings, or participating in video calls, then there’s going to be no background noise from the MacBook.

Speaking of the mic array (which Apple claims is ‘studio quality’), I found it to be very good, with excellent noise cancellation, and offers the same level of quality as the array found in the 2021 model. While you wouldn’t want to make any professional recordings with it, it’s certainly clear enough to record impromptu jams and podcasts, and means you don’t need to lug around an external microphone for those purposes. 

The six-speaker sound system also offers excellent sound quality, and avoids the tinny quality I’ve been frustrated by on other laptops. Again, while the speakers won’t replace studio-quality speakers and monitors, it means you can still get very good sound reproduction without having to plug the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) into anything. Productivity on the go is another key theme.

MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) in use in a studio

(Image credit: Future)

The FaceTime HD webcam is the same 1080p camera from the previous model, and it does a good job of producing clear footage, even in low-light conditions. I’m sure the M2 Pro offers some more processing oomph to help out with video quality (as the M1 Pro did), but I didn’t see any noticeable difference between the webcam quality of the 2021 and 2023 models.

The rest of the performance of the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) is also impressive. The model I’m reviewing comes with the M2 Pro, 32GB memory and 2TB SSD. While I would have liked to have tried out the M2 Max model (and hopefully I will later), the M2 Pro model is going to be far more popular with most people, as it’s more affordable, while also promising the kind of performance most people require. The 32GB of memory is also a good choice for most people – I’d recommend going for 32GB minimum for creatives, as while the model with 16GB is cheaper, it’s not as future-proof. 

While Apple has made some welcome strides in the user reparability of its products, the unified memory of the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips are soldiered straight onto the chips means they can’t be upgraded. If you’re buying a MacBook Pro 16-inch with the aim of it being your main productivity laptop for the next half a decade or so (and with this price tag, you really should consider it a long-term investment), then getting the most memory you can afford is the way to go.

The MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) comes with macOS Ventura preinstalled, and it feels fast and responsive. Since the launch of the M1 chip in 2020, Apple has been doing a great job with encouraging app developers to make versions of their products that run natively on M1 and M2 chips, and in 2023, the new MacBook Pro 16-inch has launched with a huge collection of applications that have been tweaked to run on the M2 Pro and M2 Max, leading to a flawless experience (and one I assume Microsoft is envious of, considering its problems with getting both devs and customers to love Windows on ARM). While there are still some Mac apps that only have Intel compatibility, once again Apple’s Rosetta 2 tool comes to the rescue, and after installing it, will run automatically when you load an Intel-only app and will ensure that it runs on the new hardware, with no perceptible impact to performance.

While reviewing the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023), I put it through a number of real-life tests to see how well it performed. I had both Safari and Chrome web browsers up, with multiple tabs in each, I performed photo editing and video editing in Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro respectively, and plugged in a MIDI keyboard and recorded several multi-track projects in GarageBand and Ableton Live (I won’t go as far as to refer to my noodling as songs), using virtual instruments and effects from Native Instrument’s recent Komplete Kontrol package, and the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) kept up easily – even with multiple raw 8K video streams in Premiere Pro. Without needing to render previews, you can quickly add effects and instantly play them back to see how they’ll look in your finished creation, and this has the potential to drastically speed up your workflow. 

The HDMI port now supports 240Hz and 4K, and 8K up to 60Hz. So, you can plug the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) into any of the best monitors available right now, and you’ll get an excellent experience.

MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) in use in a studio

(Image credit: Future)

Once again, however, the built-in screen is the highlight here, with the Liquid Retina XDR display making your own work, as well as any media you play (I loaded up Apple TV+ for a spot of binge watching while reviewing the MacBook Pro 16-inch), look phenomenal. The ProMotion refresh rate of 120Hz keeps macOS Ventura and apps feeling smooth and responsive. Scrolling through media-heavy webpages is a particular joy with this screen. It’s so good, that if you go for the 16-inch model over the 14-inch MacBook Pro, you’ll be pleased you did, as the larger screen really shows off Apple’s tech, and makes the more bulky design a price worth paying.

While I’ve not had a chance to test the 14-inch model (again, I hope to in the near future), I assume performance will be pretty close between the two, as they use essentially the same hardware.

Overall, performance is excellent, but if you have the M1 Pro or M1 Max model from 2021, don’t feel you have to upgrade.

  • Performance score: 5/5

Charging cable and adapter of the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023)

(Image credit: Future)

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) review: Battery life

Apple claims you can get up to 22 hours of battery life with the 16-inch MacBook Pro (2023) – four hours more than the 14-inch model (due to a smaller physical battery).

That kind of boast for a powerful workstation laptop would usually be dismissed with a weary “yeah, right” from me, but having been impressed by the battery life of the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021), which lasted 18 hours and 48 minutes in TechRadar’s battery life benchmark test, I had high hopes for the new model.

I was right to, with the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) lasting a huge 19 hours and 39 minutes in the same test, which involves looping a 1080p video file until the battery dies. A few tweaks here and there (such as lowering screen brightness, turning off Wi-Fi and the backlit keyboard) and I can easily see it lasting the promises 22 hours.

Obviously, with more intensive workloads, the battery is going to drain a lot faster, but this is nevertheless extremely impressive, and blows away the 2019 Intel model, and pretty much any Windows 11 competitor.

The MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) charges via a MagSafe charger that clicks into the proprietary port via magnets, which makes it easy to plug in, and safe if it gets pulled out. Using that and the large 140W USB-C Power Adapter charges the MacBook quickly – it took less than an hour to go from empty back up to 100%.

You can also charge the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) via a USB-C cable, and while this will be slower, it means you have the option to charge it with a common charger if you leave the MagSafe cable at home or in the office.

Should you buy the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023)?

Buy it if...

You want the best display on a laptop
I really can’t emphasize enough just how good the screen is on the MacBook Pro 16-inch, and Apple’s larger model really shows it off in all its glory.

You want a mobile workstation that lasts for hours
The battery life of this thing is incredible. You could go two work days, or even a few long haul flights, on a single charge.

You’re looking to upgrade your Intel-based MacBook Pro 16-inch
The MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) improves on the Intel-based 2019 model in every way, from performance to battery life, screen and port selection. It’s a huge leap.

Don't buy it if...

You want a slimline, portable, laptop
The large screen and healthy amount of ports comes at a price: portability. This is a large and chunky laptop that some may struggle with. Check out the 14-inch model instead.

You don’t need the power
Even the base model of the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) is incredibly powerful, and not everyone is going to get the most out of it. Unless you’re going to be doing heavy creative workloads, there are better-value laptops out there.

You have the 2021 model
Look, I get it, some people always want the very latest tech. However, if you have the 2021 model, you really should think twice about buying the 2023 version – sure, it’s more powerful, but not by an amount that will make the upgrade worth it.

MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) review: Also consider

If our Apple MacBook Pro (2023) review has you considering other options, here are two more laptops to consider...  

How I tested the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023)

MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) in use in a studio

(Image credit: Future)
  • I spent around 20 hours using the MacBook Pro for general work
  • I wrote parts of this review, edited 8K videos and made music on it
  • I ran our usual suite of standardized benchmarks

I’ve been using the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) on and off for around four days, alongside the Mac mini (2023), since Apple sent it to me for review. During that time I used it as my main work laptop, and wrote parts of this review on it.

I also used it for a number of creative projects, such as editing 8K video in Adobe Premiere Pro, and creating multi-track music in both GarageBand and Ableton Live, performing some of the creative use cases Apple envisioned for the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023).

I’ve been reviewing MacBooks for well over a decade, and have extensively tested every previous model of the MacBook Pro 16-inch for TechRadar, using this experience to compare the latest model to its predecessors, as well as compare it to Windows-based laptops.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed January 2023

Shark Anti Hair Wrap Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ250UKT review
5:30 pm | June 22, 2022
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances Vacuums | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Shark CZ250UKT: two-minute review

Product info

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

UK: Shark Anti Hair Wrap Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ250UKT
US [discontinued]: Shark Canister Pet Bagless Corded Vacuum CZ351
AU [discontinued]: Shark Bagless Barrel Vacuum CZ250

For this review, we tested the UK version. 

Shark is well known for making some of the best vacuum cleaners around and we know the brand as one of the frontrunners when it comes to cordless vacuums. But unlike its rival Dyson, Shark still makes a range of plug-in corded vacuums. This includes uprights and canister vacuums, which are also known as cylinders and barrel vacuums depending on what part of the world you’re from.

The Shark Anti Hair Wrap Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ250UKT is the slightly cheaper sibling of Shark's top-of-the-range plug-in canister vacuum, but that’s not to say it’s lacking in features. The powered brushroll floorhead employs Shark’s Powerfin technology to get deep into carpets, as well as its self-clean anti hair wrap technology. The cleaning wand bends in half to reach under furniture and can be used for overhead cleaning too. There’s a crevice and an upholstery tool included in the box, plus UK customers benefit from a powered pet tool too.

On test, this Shark canister displayed good performance and maneuverability. We noticed particularly good pick-up on carpets, but it’s equally at home on hard floors as well as cleaning upholstery or overhead. It’s a great choice for those who don’t like upright or stick style vacuums or for anyone who wants a reliable clean without having to worry about how much battery is left.

Shark Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ250UKT hero image2

(Image credit: Future)

Shark CZ250UKT: price & availability

  • List price: £299.99
  • Discontinued in Australia and the US

This vacuum has slightly different names in different countries. It’s the Shark Anti Hair Wrap Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ250UKT in the UK. Whereas in the US it goes by the name Shark Canister Pet Bagless Corded Vacuum CZ351 and in Australia you’ll find it called the Shark Bagless Barrel Vacuum CZ250. The only real difference between the three models is that the UK version comes with an additional small, powered pet tool. 

It's well priced in comparison to cordless vacuums and is also cheaper than Shark's top-of-the range canister vacuum, which comes in at $479.99 / £329.99/ AU$799.99. You may even be able to use one of the Shark promo codes currently available to bring the price down.

Shark CZ250UKT review: design

  • 1.9 quart/ 1.6 liter dust cup capacity 
  • 25 ft/ 9 meter power cord 
  • HEPA filter

Weighing in at 9 lb/ 4.4kg without the hose or any attachments in place and without a full dust cup, the canister itself is a pretty good weight for most people to carry up and down stairs, the large carry handle and rubberized grip certainly help, too.

The canister size is fairly standard, measuring 19.3 x 10.2 x 10.2 inches/49 x 26 x 26cm (h x w x d) and there are plenty of different configuration options for storage, depending on whether you’ve got a tall or short cupboard space.

Storing the Shark Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ250UKT

(Image credit: Future)

The floorhead has headlights in the front to illuminate dark spots such as areas below furniture. There’s a powerful self-cleaning brushroll that’s designed to remove debris from deep within carpet fibers, whilst avoiding that annoying clog of hair around the brush. There’s no option to turn off the brushroll though, which can sometimes be desirable for particularly delicate floors.

A control panel on the handle houses a power button, but there’s also one on the canister so you can switch it on using either. A suction level button allows you to easily cycle between the three suction levels using your thumb, and a third button lets you choose between carpet or hard floor modes. For this as well as the suction levels there are easy-to-understand symbols that light up to display the selections you’ve made. It defaults to hard floor and the middle suction power when first switched on.

The full box contents for the Shark Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ250UKT

(Image credit: Future)

In the box you’ll also get a crevice tool and an upholstery tool as well as a clip to hold them to the wand, providing convenient and easy access when cleaning. If you buy it in the UK you’ll get an additional pet power brush to tackle pet hair on upholstery and cushions.

The flexible wand can bend in half at the midpoint, allowing it to reach under low furniture without the user having to bend down, a feature seen on many Shark upright vacuums. And for overhead cleaning the small tools can be attached directly to the wand. Likewise, the main floorhead can be attached to the handle for easier cleaning of small spaces like stairs.

Shark CZ250UKT review: performance

  • Maneuvers well 
  • Controls conveniently located on handle 
  • Good dust collection 

The flexible wand does its job and allows for easy cleaning under low furniture without having to bend. Although it’s not quite so easy to maneuver in this mode, we didn’t feel we had as much control over the direction of vacuuming as when it’s in standard mode.

The floorhead is self-supporting so when you click it upright to go and move a stray sock out of the way, it stays put without falling over or having to be placed on the floor, plus the brushroll will automatically pause. And switching between power levels or floor type is super easy with the controls at your fingertips on the handle.

controls an dattachments on the Shark Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ250UKT

(Image credit: Future)

General pick up is good on both carpet and hard floor and the beauty of a plug-in vacuum means you don’t feel the need to use one of the lower power levels to conserve battery, you’ll only need to switch to lower power for vacuuming delicate rugs or upholstery. Speaking of rugs, it coped well with a long pile area rug, removing lots of debris left behind by a robot vacuum that had cleaned it the same day.

We were impressed with the dust and dirt collection even if it was slightly horrifying how much it removed from recently vacuumed carpets. Edge cleaning is good, too, and it was able to collect oats from along our baseboards no matter whether we approached with the front or side of the floorhead. It didn’t struggle to remove hair from carpets and we were pleased to see that none of it became tangled in the brushroll.

The canister is small enough to balance on stairs and by removing the wand and attaching the floorhead or one of the tools directly to the handle, cleaning stairs is a breeze. Similarly, we were left with clean sofas after vacuuming them with the upholstery tool. And the crevice nozzle attached to the wand came in handy for removing cobwebs overhead, though you wouldn’t be able to clean like this for long without getting arm ache.

Shark Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ250UKT on the stairs

(Image credit: Future)

The dust cup is easy to remove and during our tests all of the dirt and dust fell straight out into the trash at the push of a button. Having said that, though, the large capacity means you don’t have to do this too often, which is particularly helpful if you’ve got allergies and are sensitive to the usual dust cloud that erupts upon emptying a vacuum. The filters are also easily removed and they’re washable, so keeping them in good condition doesn’t require expensive regular replacements.

Emptying the Shark Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum CZ250UKT

(Image credit: Future)

During use, the floorhead proved to have good general maneuverability and the canister followed behind, with very little effort required to pull it along. Occasionally the hose would become folded and inhibit suction, but that’s quite common for long hoses and doesn’t take much to adjust back.

On the highest suction power vacuuming hard floor, our noise meter maxed out at 76dB, but this went down to around 68dB on the lowest suction level. On carpet the noise levels were pretty similar, but the tone wasn’t quite so high pitched.

 Should I buy the Shark Bagless Cylinder Pet Vacuum? 

 Buy it if… 

Don't buy it if...

First reviewed: June 2022

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Headphones review
7:00 pm | May 12, 2022
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Headphones Wireless Headphones | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: May 2022
• Still Sony's flagship headphones
• Launch price: $399 / £380 / AU$649
• Regular price now: $329 / £319 / AU$549

Update: February 2024. The Sony WH-1000XM5 remain as Sony's best-ever headphones in terms of what they can do: rich and detailed sound, superb active noise cancellation, great smart features and a comfortable fit. However, their competition has grown more fierce over time, and while they've had a general price cut that helps keep them competitive, they're no longer our absolute first choice among the best noise-cancelling headphones in their range. The Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless offer better sound quality, double the battery life, great noise cancellation, some some even smarter app-based features, usually for a cheaper price than the Sony. If noise cancellation is your priority, spend a little more on the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, which are the best in class for this, and also sound clearly better than the Sony. To be clear, we love the Sony WH-1000XM5, and if you like to stick with Sony cans, as many do, we recommend them – but they've been pipped in the headphones race. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones have one of the most revered family trees in modern audio history. Following two best-in-class over ear noise cancelling predecessors, the WH-1000XM5 land with a level of anticipation that is unusual in the world of personal audio.

TechRadar deservedly awarded the Sony WH-1000XM3 and Sony WH-1000XM4 top marks in their respective reviews, and so the expectation is that the WH-1000XM5 will follow in those perfect audio footsteps. 

In terms of specs and performance, they mostly do follow in their predecessors' footsteps (a little too closely) but in terms of design, the Sony WH-1000XM5 cans represent the biggest departure that the line has seen since its conception. Still, we enjoyed reviewing them, which is why they're one of our top picks in our best wireless headphones guide. 

So are the differences in design enough to raise the already-high bar Sony has set for itself? Read on for our full Sony WH-1000XM5 review.

Sony WH-1000XM5 review: Price and release date

  • Price: $399 in the US
  • Price: £380 in the UK
  • Price: AU$649 in Australia
  • Released in May 2022

On sale now, the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones will begin to ship from May 20, 2022, priced at £380 / $399 / AU$649 – a significant step up above the £350 / $349 / AU$549 asking price of the previous-generation Sony WH-1000XM4. 

At launch, you’re looking at around a £30 / $50 savings by choosing the older – and still very good – Sony WH-1000XM4. It’s a sizable chunk of change and, more importantly, it’s a gap that could widen as the year goes on and we drift towards the big shopping holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. At some point in the future, we’re likely to see the Sony WH-1000XM4 dip below the $300 mark before plummeting to half-price – and, at that price, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is a no-brainer.

They're still a fair sight cheaper than Apple’s alternative though, with the AirPods Max still commanding a $549 / £549 / AU$899 price tag when bought direct from Apple.

The noise-cancelling Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones

(Image credit: Future)

Sony WH-1000XM5 review: Design

  • All-new design
  • Comfortable for long listening sessions
  • Design prevents wind distortion – but no longer folds into a compact shape
  • Still no water resistance

After two generations of largely-identical over-ear headphone designs, the WH-1000XM5 headphones are a significant departure from their predecessors.

The best way to quickly describe the WH-1000XM5 headphones is that they’re a bit curvier than their predecessors. It’s all a bit tidier, a bit sleeker – there are fewer visible points of articulation, more discreet noise-cancelling mic ports, and a slimmer headband with additional leather-look covering to hide away its joins and extension points. The cavity for your ears to sit in is a slightly different shape too – a more squat ovoid than the oval of the WH-1000XM3 and WH-1000XM4. Though we’ve not stress tested them to their absolute limits, the slide-out extension points feel sturdier than earlier designs too, with fewer pressure points that could snap away – a complaint of well-used previous models.

The noise-cancelling Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones

The XM5 headphones on the left, and the older XM3 headphones (which have a near-identical design to the XM4 headphones) on the right. (Image credit: Future)

But there are some changes that may not be so welcome. Frustratingly, there’s still no water resistance of any kind featured here. As the headphones can no longer fold in on themselves, they’re not quite as portable as they once were. And while the headband is better hidden and integrated into the overall design aesthetic, it feels as if it has less padding than previous Sony headphones in the line. 

That may be a slightly moot point though – in our experience, they’re no less comfortable as a result, and will happily sit on your head for long listening sessions. There’s ample padding around the ears, and the cups twist and pivot to suit all sizes, with just the right amount of clamp pressure exerted from the band to keep them in place without squeezing your brain out through your ears. That headband now smoothly extends too, rather than using the stepped extension of earlier versions.

The noise-cancelling Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones

(Image credit: Future)

Controls are largely the same as the 1000XM4 headphones. Smart context-aware auto controls aside (which we’ll discuss in the ‘Features’ section of this review), there are two physical buttons on the left ear cup edge. The first cycles between noise cancelling and ambient awareness settings, and you can now use a couple or trio of taps of the ANC button to activate Spotify Tap, letting you fire up and play from the music streamer without getting your phone out of your pocket. The second is the power button, which you can keep held down to activate Bluetooth pairing mode. You’ll also find the exterior to the right ear cup is touch sensitive: swipe up and down on it to change the volume, double tap it to pause audio and answer calls, and cover it with your palm to instantly jump to an ambient awareness mode that funnels in exterior sound. There’s also still a USB-C charging port on the right cup, and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the left cup.

The noise-cancelling Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones

(Image credit: Future)

So, of the obvious exterior changes and additions, what’s going on and why? 

First up, that curvier design is intended to reduce wind-drag across the headphones, which can cause that annoying distortion in noise-cancelling performance when out and about on a windy day. A more aerodynamic design here should help reduce that effect, and while we’ve not run head on into the path of a hurricane, that claim held up on a breezy London day exploring Greenwich park.

The second obvious addition is a doubling of the amount of microphone points housed on the headphones. This provides the onboard noise cancelling processors (yes, there's two inside the headphones) more audio data to to anaylze and improve active noise cancelling performance with, as well as doubling the amount of beamforming mics near a user’s mouth for calls up from two on the WH-1000XM4s to four on the WH-1000XM5s. Call quality, according to our critical buddies, was crystal clear.

Despite these additions, the headphones are actually lighter than the previous model, weighing just 250g – 4 grams lighter than the last version. On top of this, they use ABS plastics in their construction (as does the packaging), made of recycled car parts to up their green credentials.

The noise-cancelling Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones

(Image credit: Future)

Again, there’s a much-welcome included carry case with these latest Sony over-ears. Made of a grey fabric, it’s somewhat collapsible, offering a little more bag space when you’re using your headphones. Just don’t expect it to flatten down to a paper-thin size, as an inner pocket for cable storage keeps it a little beefier. It’s not a like-for-like assessment, but the surface area of the new case is larger than that of the earlier models, even if you can squeeze its cubic area down.

Sony WH-1000XM5 review: Features

  • The best active noise-cancelling in the business
  • Smart ambient awareness options
  • Allows a connection to two devices at once
  • App has features to protect your hearing

Active noise-cancellation features have long been the hallmark of the Sony WH range, and the WH-1000XM5 headphones continue in that fine tradition. It must have been difficult to top the superb performance of previous generations and, admittedly, it’s not a world apart from the WH-1000XM4 model. But there is a definite, if slight, improvement.

The WH-1000XM4 already effectively wiped out low-frequency sounds (the din of public transport, or a plane’s rumbling engines), but the XM5s work harder at the higher frequency zone. That’s in part thanks to the new 30mm driver design that, while smaller than the 40mm design of old, makes use of a high rigidity dome and soft edge to take some of the bite off of higher-pitched sounds. Indeed, walking through London’s Paddington Station, a hive of scum and villainy (and sounds of all kinds), I could barely hear a thing, even with the volume of my music dialled back to a minimum. It was very impressive.

The noise-cancelling Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones

(Image credit: Future)

Active noise cancellation is the headline act among a whole bunch of smart features Sony includes with the WH-1000XM5 headphones, many of which automatically kick in without you needing to do anything, improving the overall listening experience without you having to lift a finger.

First up is location awareness. By pairing with your smartphone, the WH-1000XM5 headphones can learn your daily routine, and adjust Ambient Sound Control settings according to your location. If the headphones spot that you’re sat still at home, they might jump to a less intense level of noise cancellation compared to while you’re sat in the office, based on your preferences. And if you’re out for a walk, it may pipe in more exterior audio to keep you safe while crossing the street.

Speak-to-Chat is another handy feature. As its name suggests, if you begin talking while listening to the headphones, they’ll halt playback and pump in ambient sound so you can have a conversation without taking the cans off. But like the WH-1000XM4s before them, they come with an unfortunate side effect – it’ll stop playback if you begin singing when the feature is switched on. Thankfully, it’s an optional feature, so if you too are a wannabe Pavarotti, you’ll still be able to stretch those lungs when listening.

A more immediately useful and intuitive feature is the fact the WH-1000XM5s will automatically pause audio when removed from your head, thanks to a hidden sensor in the ear cup. Leave them off for a little longer, and they’ll automatically switch off completely, saving your battery life. You’ve also got the option of connecting to two devices at once, switching between the two depending on what’s happening on each, such as to prioritise a notification.

Finally, there’s better support for voice assistants and their wake words. Alexa and Google Assistant can be activated hands-free by their respective trigger commands, and can then be used to do everything from place and answer calls to reading incoming text messages and notifications, as well as controlling music.

The noise-cancelling Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones

(Image credit: Future)

Lots of these features can be tweaked an customised by the accompanying app, which is far more useful than similar supporting software of this ilk. There’s a responsive EQ, with a bass boosting function, that makes a genuine impact on the sound profile of the headphones (though we were very happy with the default tuning), an ear analyzer for optimising the effect of Sony’s proprietary 360 reality audio spatial sound format), and lots of options when it comes to customising noise cancelling levels and the location-aware settings that the app can be set to automatically configure based on your usage and surroundings.

A nice touch which I never realised I’d appreciate before having it presented to me was the “Safe Listening” section of the app. The headphones are constantly logging the decibel level and sound pressure of your listening sessions and lets you know how close you’re coming to the recommended weekly loud noises allowance as defined by WHO. For someone who regularly enjoys drowning out the world at ear-blistering levels, it was a wake up call to have the potential damage I was doing to my ears visualised. The app also tracks the amount of time you’ve spent listening to the headphones too, which is a nice touch for life-loggers, and awards gamified for badges for using the different features of the headphones over time. It’s a shame then that it seems only possible to log time used when connected to a device with the app running, rather than keeping this data onboard the headphones – you won’t get a log of time spent listening to a connected laptop, for instance. 

Sony WH-1000XM5 review: Audio quality

  • Spacious soundstage
  • Spatial audio support
  • LDAC and DSEE Extreme perform well
  • Well balanced, with powerful bass and eye-opening detail 

The jump from a 40mm driver in the WH-1000XM4 headphones to the new 30mm driver in the latest WH-1000XM5 headphones had us initially raise our eyebrows – would the signature dynamism and space of the WH line be lost with the smaller driver? Thankfully those fears were unfounded – they sound pretty much just as good as the exemplary XM4s, though we must admit they don’t sound dramatically better, either.

Sony’s again leaning on a one-two punch of both LDAC codec and DSEE Extreme support here to offer the best possible sound quality from your connected devices. LDAC is your hi-resolution audio option, compressing and decompressing tracks on the fly to deliver much greater wireless bandwidth than a standard Bluetooth connection could conjure. But even if you’re on a lowly standard-resolution streaming service over Bluetooth, DSEE Extreme ekes out a little more detail by using AI upscaling techniques to restore some of the audio data which would otherwise be lost. Both do a great job.  

The noise-cancelling Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones

(Image credit: Future)

Even with the driver change, the soundstage remains spacious and capable of giving all elements of a mix room to breathe and shine. Take the mighty solo section of Metallica’s classic One, for instance – all thrash metal riffing and double bass drum madness, but Kirk Hammett’s blistering high-register finger tapping cuts through and shines. In a more sedate but layered tune like Jeff Buckley’s Grace, the acoustic strum percussively rattles below the harmonised vocals and chorus-pedal guitar line, but there’s room for a walking bassline to sit alongside soaring strings too. Everything finds its place with the Sony WH-1000XM5s, and the effect is a wonderful enveloping of sound, even outside of the 360 Reality Audio spatial settings.

If you’re looking for a test of the tightness of the bass, there’s little better than Rage Against the Machine’s Bullet in the Head, where the bass work of Tim Commerford runs like a… well a piston-powered machine through the track. The WH-1000XM5s let the bassline kick behind the trebley guitar riff with real power without flattening everything else. If you want to see how low the cans can go without losing definition, Massive Attack’s brooding Angel sees the WH-1000XM5s retain musicality and detail at even the lowest frequencies.

At the other end of the mood spectrum, jumping into Prince’s joyous Raspberry Beret revealed details previously missed. It’s Prince’s 80s “more-is-more” production at its pomp, with snapping snares and hand claps piercing the wizard-like mix of synths, strings and guitars. I may be mistaken, but is that a harpsichord sitting beneath it all? If it is, it’s the first time I’ve noticed it in my 35 years of listening to the song.

The noise-cancelling Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones

(Image credit: Future)

And, if you want to listen to the clarity of a wonderfully realised vocal performance while having a good cry, pop on the Prince-penned, Sinead O’Connor-performed Nothing Compares 2 U – she might as well be in the room with you, from forceful chorus to trembling bridge, O’Connor runs the gamut from anger to heartbreak, with the Sony cans picking up each inflection and sibilant cry with wondrous effect.

There’s very little sound leakage too. Sat in the office next to a colleague, they didn’t register any sound even with the volume ramped up to its highest setting, which is an improvement over last year’s version based on what those around me said at the time.

Sony WH-1000XM5 review: Battery life

There weren’t many areas that the Sony WH-1000XM5s could have improved over their 1000XM4 predecessors, so many had hoped that one area that could have seen a jump in performance was battery life. Sony is claiming a slight improvement here – while the 30 hours with noise cancelling activated matches the predecessor, 40 hours with noise cancelling switched off is a two hour improvement over the WH-1000XM4s. That may be a little disappointing for some readers, as competitors are beginning to squeeze out more battery life per charge. But the quality of the other features offset any loss to the competition here, particularly in terms of noise-cancelling abilities, and 30-40 hours of playback is more than respectable enough regardless.

Do Sony’s playback estimates hold true? From our experience, we’d say they’re broadly true – we appeared not to quite reach the advertised 30 hours with ANC switched on, but also tend to crank the volume up louder than the average person would (or the recommended safe level is, even), and thus would expect to see the battery drain faster in line with the high volume.

Sony’s definitely put effort into the charging experience generally though – using the USB-PD standard, you’ll get three hours of playback from just a three minute charge of the headphones, getting you out the door and into your tunes as quickly as possible.

The noise-cancelling Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Sony WH-1000XM5?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

Sony WH-1000XM5 review: Also consider

First reviewed: May 2022

How we test

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review
6:26 pm | February 25, 2022
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Two-minute review

If we were to judge the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra on nothing but its cameras and, in particular, the optical and digitally-enhanced zoom capabilities, we might call it the best smartphone ever.

Or at least, the best phone of 2022. Its successor has since been announced though, so check out our hands-on Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review for first impressions of that. We also have a hands-on Samsung Galaxy S23 review and a hands-on Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus review.

Of course, even before its successor landed, it wouldn't have been fair to judge the S22 Ultra as the best based on its cameras alone – every handset is the sum of its design, features, components, utility, and value – but taken as a whole, this Samsung Galaxy Series-Galaxy Note hybrid is an excellent, albeit massive Android handset that not only ticks all the important boxes, but delivers more features than you may ever want or use.

The design is an echo of, but also more forward-leaning than, Samsung’s last Note device. It really is a hybrid. There will be no complaints about the ultra-high-resolution, 6.8-inch screen, which offers brilliant colors and smooth motion at 120Hz, but is smart enough to stop down all the way to 1Hz, when that’s all you need, to save on battery life.

The camera array is strong. Sure, it’s not a complete overhaul of the Galaxy S21’s camera system, but that was already pretty darn good. This is arguably better – the Optical and Space Zooms are simply marvels of modern technology.

We also love the thin and light S Pen, and we’re thrilled that it’s finally integrated – literally – into the Galaxy line. It does so many things so well, and for productivity-focused mobile users it could be a godsend.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra full back

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra's back is black, satin Gorilla Glass Victus+ (Image credit: Future)
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Specs

Display: 6.8-inch, Quad HD+
Dimensions: 77.9 x 163.3 x 8.9 mm
Weight: 229G
Screen refresh: 120Hz
Screen brightness: 1750 nits
Glass: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+
Water resistance: IP68
Selfie camera: 40MP resolution
Main camera: 108MP resolution
Telephoto camera: 2 10MP resolution sensors
Ultrawide: 12MP resolution
Battery: 5000mAh
Memory: 8GB or 12GB available
Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB available

Samsung’s One UI 4.1 software is mostly good, even if it does create some duplication of browsers, photos, and messages apps. Other tools, like Expert Raw, a freely downloadable Samsung app that gives you full access to all the camera controls and lets you capture and save RAW format photos, and the video-conferencing app Google Duo, which both do an excellent job of showing off the phone’s power and versatility, are the real highlights here.

Performance-wise, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor acquits itself nicely (no, it doesn’t beat Apple’s A15 Bionic). The point is, we couldn't find a single app that was sluggish or disappointing on the mobile monolith.

Battery life was more of a mixed bag. We did get a full day of solid use (18 hours or so), but we thought we might get more out of the massive 5,000 mAh battery and high-performance, energy-efficient CPU.

Ultimately, though, this is the kind of device that can make you forget what’s come before it. If you were used to a smaller-screen device, you’ll feel cramped if you ever go back to it. If you struggled in the past to take photos of the moon, you’ll wonder why Apple hasn’t figured this out yet. If you wished that your device had just a little more power to complete those raw image-editing tasks, your wish has been granted.

Part of Samsung’s new S22 lineup, but looking nothing like its siblings, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is to the casual observer a Galaxy Note in a shiny, new coat. It does have a much bigger and bolder camera array (lifted pretty much intact from the S21 Ultra), but it’s otherwise a canny adjustment of the Note aesthetic or, as Samsung might call it, the “Note Experience.” Still, this adjustment leaves it as easily the best Samsung phone.

If you're looking for the perfect Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra audio partner, you may want to check out our Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Release date and price

  • Starts at $1,199.99 / £1,149 / AU$1,849 for 128GB storage and 8GB of RAM
  • Storage options up to 1TB, no microSD slot for expansion

A device that combines the best of Samsung’s S Series and the Note’s more industrial design and capabilities doesn't come cheap. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra starts at $1,199.99 / £1,149 / AU$1,849 for 128GB storage and 8GB of RAM.

There are naturally bigger storage options (that also include more RAM), which can take you all the way to a 1TB model ($1,599.99 / £1,499 / AU$2,449 ). 256GB will run you $1,299,99 / £1,249 / AU$1,999, and 512GB is $1,399.99 / £1,329 / AU$2,149. 

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

(Image credit: Future)

Choose your storage options wisely, because none of the Samsung Galaxy S22 phones come with a microSD card slot for upgrading your storage space.

The good news is, prices are often lower than that now that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is getting on a bit - and they're likely to drop further now that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has arrived.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Design and display

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Screen

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra's AMOLED screen measures 6.8-inches diagonally. (Image credit: Future)
  • Screen is 6.8-inch OLED with WQHD+ resolution
  • Armor Aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass Victus+
  • S Pen housed in a silo in the phone

An inarguably beautiful device, the 6.8-inch Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra – owing to its Note roots – doesn’t look much like the Galaxy S22 Plus. It starts from the original Galaxy Note 10 design but takes it forward with even more premium materials.

The frame is a solid Armor Aluminum that rigidly resists bends. Polished on the outside to a near-chrome finish, the metal is sandwiched between two Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ plates. The front glass is high-gloss, and the back is a warm satin finish; both do a decent job of repelling fingerprints. The phone’s IP68-rated body also handily resided the water we ran over it.

The above finishes come in seven color options: Phantom Black, Phantom White, Burgundy, Green, Graphite, Sky Blue and Red. The dark green is sexy, but we’ve fallen in love with the inky Phantom Black of our test device.

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

(Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

(Image credit: Future)

Did we mention that this is a big phone? Its dimensions are 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9mm, which is taller than a 6.7-inch Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, but, somewhat surprisingly, at 229g, lighter than Apple’s biggest handset. Small hands will struggle with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. The curved edges make the Galaxy S22 Ultra comfortable to hold, but the lack of edges also makes it feel slippery as a fish – albeit a fish made of hard glass and metal.

There are two flat surfaces, on the top and bottom of the device. The top plane is a mostly unbroken slab of metal, with one tiny drill-through hole for a microphone. The bottom surface houses the SIM slot, USB-C charging port (the phone ships with a USB-C cable but no charging brick- BYOB is a thing now), speaker grille, and the S Pen.

If you’re in any doubt that this is a Note in S Series clothing, you need only to press that slight bump on the base and pop out the familiar and light S Pen. It’s all the things a Samsung S Pen should be, giving up nothing for its new Galaxy S22 Ultra home. More on the stylus later.

The 6.8-inch AMOLED screen is another highlight. It supports up to 3088 x 1440 pixels (WQHD+) resolution, which works out to 500 ppi. The iPhone 13 Pro Max, by contrast, has 458ppi on its 6.7-inch 2778 x 1284 screen. It’s worth noting that the S22 Ultra’s default resolution is 2316 x 1080 (FHD+), which Samsung says uses somewhat less battery life – although halfway through our testing we switched to WQHD+ and didn’t notice much, if any, battery performance loss.

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra base

(Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra edge

(Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra wet screen

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra wet screen (Image credit: Future)

Everything from games and videos to apps looks fantastic on the display, which now has the ability to smoothly shift from a 1Hz refresh rate all the way up to a butter-smooth 120Hz. Such adaptive technology can be hard to notice because, for instance, 1Hz might be used for the home screen or a word processor, while 120Hz might be called on for gaming.

The point is, when the imagery should be clean and smooth, it is. The lower refresh rates primarily help to conserve battery – there’s no need to update the screen more than a hundred times per second if nothing is moving.

With a peak brightness of 1750 nits and Samsung’s new Vision Booster technology, the screen does a decent job of maintaining visibility even in direct sunlight. Naturally, though, this means the brightness gets turned up to 100%, which will impact your daily battery life.

Hidden under the screen, roughly a third of the way up from the bottom edge, is the effective ultrasonic fingerprint reader. We found it easy to both register a finger and use it to unlock the phone. The other biometric security option is facial recognition, but Samsung warns that this isn’t as secure as other options, like a PIN or fingerprint.

There’s also a small drill hole through the screen for the 40MP front-facing camera.

Put simply, this is a lovely screen for viewing and writing.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Cameras

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra camera array

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra camera array (Image credit: Future)
  • Main camera is 108MP with f/1.8 aperture and an 85-defree FOV
  • Two telephoto lenses with 10MP sensors, one ultrawide 12MP sensor
  • Optical zoom up to 10x, Space Zoom enhanced up to 100x

When people say, “So, it’s basically a new Samsung Galaxy Note, right?” we have to flip over the phone to show them the camera array, which is a dead ringer for the one on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. 

Don’t worry, though – this is not some Frankenstein’s monster of smartphone design. Because Samsung has done away with the contour box that popped the whole thing up a millimeter or so above the back of the S21, the S22 Ultra’s array of five lenses looks perfectly at home.

The cameras don’t just look similar – they’re almost the same. There are two 10MP telephoto lenses: one is f/2.4 with a 36-degree field of view (FOV) and the other is f/4.9 with an 11-degree FOV. There’s also a 12MP ultrawide with a 120-degree FOV, and then there’s the 108MP main wide camera (f/1.8) with an 85-degree FOV. 

However, the technology backing these lenses has gotten an upgrade. While the image sensors haven't changed since the S21 Ultra, Samsung has done some work on optical image stabilization, digital image stabilization (for a better Super Steady system), and image processing. The result is better performance from all the lenses, but especially in the zoom arena. 

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s zoom capabilities simply blow away anything we’ve ever seen before from a mobile phone camera. Obviously, the 3x and 10x optical zoom are not only solid but offer clear images of distant objects with enough clarity that you can crop in on details without seeing much pixelation.

The 30x and especially 100x Space Zoom is where, at least in previous iterations of Samsung’s technology, you’d see significant artifacts in your photos.

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 1x

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 1x (Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 3x

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 3x (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 10x

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 10x (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 30x space zoom

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 30x space zoom (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 100x space zoom

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 100x space zoom (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Now, however, these images are shockingly good, at least at first glance. Sure, you can’t crop in too much without the images breaking down into a Picasso-like mess, but untouched, these can be perfectly shareable images.

Part of this has to do with the stabilization, which at 100x, basically takes control of the lens and holds a subject (like the moon) in the frame. It can feel a little like you’re no longer in control of the lens, but it does do a good job of countering your shaky hands.

Wide and ultrawide images also benefit from some new pixel sorcery. With the Galaxy S22 Ultra, Samsung introduced Adaptive Pixel. This takes nona-binning (first introduced with the S21 Ultra), which takes nine pixels of information and combines them for better color and contrast, and combines it with the full resolution of the 108MP wide-angle original. That lens also gets an auto-focus assist from what looks like a fifth lens on the back of the phone - it's actually a Laser Auto Focus sensor. If you look closely, you can see the little red laser light peeking out from behind the glass.

Virtually every image we shot looked great, even if we did detect a hint of over-saturation (it wouldn’t be Samsung if they didn’t over-saturate the image).

The front-facing camera, meanwhile, uses tetra-binning to combine four pixels into one for a high-quality 10MP image.

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Nightography selfie

(Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Nightography night sky shot

(Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra long exposure pro camera settings test

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung’s lenses, stabilization, image sensors, and algorithms also make what the company calls ‘Nightography’ possible. While we don’t like the marketing term, the phone’s night-time and low-light photographic skills are clear. It can brighten a night sky to near daytime, capture the moon or your face in poor lighting, and has some long-exposure skills too.

The front and rear cameras do a nice job with portrait photography, courtesy of a Portrait mode that’s getting good enough to separate stray hairs from a bokeh background. Samsung told us this is due, in part, to its new depth map technology. The presets, which include the ability to create a virtual backdrop (a chromakey color is used so that you can easily substitute some other background later) are pretty good, as well.

You can also shoot some high-quality 4K video at 60fps, and up to 8K at 24fps. We were pleased with the results.

We were less impressed with the phone’s Portrait Video capabilities, which come nowhere close to the magic of Apple’s iPhone 13 line’s Cinematic mode video (it needs a face in frame to work). The auto-framing capability, which literally zooms the camera in and out to keep people in frame, doesn’t seem all that useful – we suspect it needs more refinement.

One thing we do appreciate about Samsung’s video shooting capabilities is that, unlike an iPhone, it lets you shoot video, hit pause, and continue shooting while keeping the entire shoot in one video file. Apple should add this feature ASAP.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Camera samples

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Space Zoom photo of almost full moon

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Space Zoom photo of almost full moon (Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Space Zoom shot of the moon through trees

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Space Zoom shot of the moon through trees (Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Space Zoom bird photo

(Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra sunset photo

(Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra ultrawide camera photo

(Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra optical zoom test

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra optical zoom test (Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra front facing camera Portrait Mode test

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra front facing camera Portrait Mode test (Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra portrait mode test

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra portrait mode test (Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Space Zoom photo Freedom Tower from 3 miles away

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Space Zoom photo Freedom Tower from 3 miles away (Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Pro Camera test full control shutter speed ISO

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Pro Camera test full control shutter speed ISO (Image credit: Future)

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: S Pen

  • Very light and versatile
  • Take notes on the lock screen

Aside from the awesome cameras, the main reason you’d spend all that extra dough on a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is for the integrated S Pen. The light and versatile stylus is hidden inside the phone’s body; it’s small, thin, and feels so easy to lose that you’ll wish there were magnets in the S Pen and on the body of the S22 Ultra to hold these companions together when you don’t slip the stylus inside the phone.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra S Pen

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra S Pen (Image credit: Future)

With the S Pen, you can take notes on a lock screen (they’re white ink on a black background), or open the phone and access a slide-in menu of eight customizable options. 

These include taking notes, viewing them, making smart selections of anything on the screen, drawing on a screen capture, live messages, doodling in augmented reality, translations, and PenUp, a community space where you can learn how to draw with the S Pen and share your creations with others. 

All of these features work as advertised, and offer fast ways of grabbing content, marking it up, and sharing with friends and coworkers.

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra with S Pen on top

(Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra drawing with the S Pen

(Image credit: Future)
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra S Pen software menu

(Image credit: Future)

In our estimation, the S Pen is a wildly useful implement and, despite its small size (small for this reviewer’s hands anyway), it’s an effective drawing implement. We opened Sketchbook and had a great time drawing, especially because the pen and screen recognize pressure and angle.

The S Pen is also a solid productivity tool. We scrawled some notes in Samsung Notes and then let the system convert the scribbles to real text. It didn’t miss a word.

Overall, there’s a lot you can do with the S Pen, but it also follows the 80/20 rule – most of us will use 20% of the features, 80% of the time.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Software

  • Android 12 with Samsung One UI 4.1
  • Some apps, like Messages, are duplicated with Samsung and Google versions

While the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is an Android 12 phone - and one of the best Android phones at that - it’s also running One UI 4.1, the latest version of Samsung’s Android interface software. Like most Android overlays, this one isn’t primarily there to enforce a bespoke design aesthetic on top of pure Android; rather, it duplicates some utilities, like the web browser and photos apps, and adds tons of smart software touches and useful tools, like Samsung’s new Wallet, that should enhance the Android experience

Samsung’s onboard photo and video-editing capabilities, for example, are strong. We especially like the ability to magically remove an object from a photo, which worked like a charm on a photo of a dozen donuts – instead of eating them, we just selected them one by one and removed them from the original image. The software did leave behind a few telltale artifacts, but you'd be hard-pressed to tell what was there before we digitally removed a donut.

There’s also a freely downloadable Expert Raw app, which gives you access to all the pro shooting tools (ISO, white balance, focus, shutter speed) and lets you shoot raw images, which we then edited on the phone in Adobe’s Lightroom app.

It’s not great, however, that there’s both a Messages app and a Samsung Messages app. The icons look similar, but they’re two distinct apps. It’s this kind of nonsense that will always keep the Android messaging system slightly behind iOS’s iMessage. We want one system – the new RCS (Rich Communication Services) is fine – and complete cross-app compatibility.

Samsung has made a lot of noise about Google’s updated Google Duo video conferencing utility, which makes its debut on the S22 Ultra, and it does work as advertised. We made a Duo call to a friend, which looked and sounded good on both sides, and then quite effortlessly shared views of our screen, apps like Twitter, and played a YouTube video that we were both able to enjoy.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra connecting phone to Windows 11

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra connecting phone to Windows 11 (Image credit: Future)

Samsung is also strengthening its partnership with Microsoft, and we had no trouble adding our Microsoft account, which includes OneDrive and the Office Suite. It was also easy to connect the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra to our Windows 11 PC. 

We started the process on the phone, and then we had to visit a URL on the PC (it was supposed to pop up automatically, but didn’t) where we found a QR code. We pointed the S22 Ultra camera at the code, and the phone then guided us through the rest of the set-up process.

With the connection complete, we were able to control our phone through the desktop using our mouse; we even ran Asphalt 9 for a hot second before the connection crashed.

While, in our tests, it wasn’t immediately clear how having these platforms blended in this way benefits the user, we think the ability to quickly access on-phone data, messages, and calls is surely part of the attraction.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Specs and performance

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra with camera app open

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra with camera app open (Image credit: Future)
  • A 4nm processor, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in most of the world
  • UK and Australia get Samsung Exynos 2200 chipset

Over almost a week of intense testing, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra never let us down. It’s a fast and powerful phone. The 4nm processor (in our test phone it’s the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset – UK or Australia will get Samsung’s own Exynos 2200 chipset.) doesn’t outperform Apple’s A15 Bionic in Geekbench benchmarks, but raw numbers never tell the full story.

For what it’s worth, here are the numbers for our device, which shipped with 12GB of memory and 256GB of storage). 

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Geekbench benchmarks

 CPU:

Single Core: 1236
Multi-Core: 3417

GPU
OpenCL Score: 5866 

Apple’s numbers are better, but the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra didn’t feel any slower across all tasks. Perhaps the only situation where we detected a small stutter was on 8K video playback (that’s 8K video that we shot with the very same phone). 

This is also a gorgeous and quite powerful gaming phone, and handled my Asphalt 9 race through Barcelona without a single hiccup.

Call quality was generally excellent. We could hear our caller clearly, and they told us we were coming through equally clear. The 5G performance (we were on T-Mobile in the US) was, by turns, excellent and average – it seemed to depend on how close we were to a decent 5G tower.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Battery life

  • Large 5,000 mAh battery and wireless charging
  • Could not meet our expectations for battery life

Like the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the S22 Ultra features a beefy 5,000mAh battery and wireless charging. In our tests, the battery was good for a full day of varied activity (roughly from 7am to 11pm) but not much more (this was the same for mid-range and high-resolution screen settings). 

We were a little surprised that such a large battery didn’t provide a day and a half of battery life. Perhaps the new 4nm chip isn’t as efficient as Samsung had hoped. 

Samsung Galaxy S22 S Pen

(Image credit: Future)

The phone has a built-in vapor champer and heat-sync material. Even so, we detected some warmth on the back of the phone when performing a variety of tasks, including web browsing, photography, and gaming, for extended periods. We wonder if Samsung might be able to improve battery performance with some software tweaks.

As noted above, the phone doesn't ship with a charger, just the USB-C cable to connect to one – a potential shock for people upgrading from the previous Note. Also, the in-the-box package no longer includes a set of earbuds, and while this at least makes some sense, as the phone no longer has a 3.5mm headphone jack, you start to feel like Samsung is asking for more money while giving you less.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is probably not for everyone. It’s giant, expensive, and might be overkill for people who simply want a nice screen, decent photos, and a good on-screen social media experience. For those who want more, say a phone that is ready to run Raw photo editing apps, mark up screens and images, create detailed works of art and take zoom photos that will make you the envy of all your iPhone-carrying friends, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is worth every dime.

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra?

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra?

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

(Image credit: Future)

Buy it if...

Don't buy if...

Also consider...

If the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review has you curious about the fastest smartphones on the market, you can read our full roundup of the best phones you can buy. 

First reviewed: February 2022

Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Headphones review
7:37 pm | February 16, 2022
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Headphones Wireless Headphones | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: August 2020
• Newer Sony WH-1000XM5 now out
• Launch price: $349 / £349 / AU$549
• Target price now: $249 / £199 / AU$399

Update: February 2024. The Sony WH-1000XM4 might be getting on these days, but because you can regularly find them for so much cheaper than their launch, we think these still rule the roost in terms of bang for your buck. The 'target' price above is what you should aim to pay for these headphones, and we've seen them for cheaper than those prices, so they're not unrealistic at all. The Sony WH-1000XM5 have now been launched, but with a much higher price than the XM4 and without feeling like a huge leap in terms of sound or noise cancellation. So the WH-1000XM4 really hit the sweet spot if you can get them for our recommended prices, which isn't hard. We still rate them as the best headphones for most people – they've been bettered in many ways, don't get us wrong… but not for this kind of price. Plus the new version doesn't have the handy folding design for traveling! The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Sony WH-1000XM5: One-minute review

The Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Headphones are a wonderful pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones in every way. That's why they're still up there among our pick of the best headphones of 2022, even though they were released in 2020 – and even though they've recently been superseded by the new WH-1000XM5. 

We love that they deliver exactly what they promise and then some, thanks to their exceptional noise cancellation and cutting-edge codec support.

Granted, they haven’t seen a massive overhaul aesthetically from the Sony WH-1000XM3 that were released back in 2018. However, the WH-1000XM4 headphones pack in a number of new improvements, including DSEE Extreme audio upscaling and multipoint pairing.

The Sony WH-1000XM4 support Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format, which enables spatial audio on stereo headphones, plus the LDAC codec that can send a bitrate of up to 990 kbps. The unfortunate bit there, though, is that it no longer supports aptX or aptX HD, so your hi-res audio support mileage may vary.

Thanks to their extremely comfortable fit and great noise cancellation, we highly recommend the Sony WH-1000XM4 as the best headphones and the best over-ear headphones for most people, but particularly travelers or those with long commutes. However, they’re not great for workout enthusiasts who need a secure fit and water-resistance – or business people who require a best-in-class microphone for phone calls. For nearly everyone else, however, these are some of the best wireless headphones you can buy from a brand with an excellent track record in audio devices.

Since their release in August 2020, the Sony WH-1000XM4 have been given a few updates. For starters, Sony released a limited edition white colorway with a gold finish. The company also releases a firmware update to improve Bluetooth stability when the headphones are paired to multiple devices and to fix a bug which saw users struggle to connect the Sony WH-1000XM4 to Windows computers.

Read on for our full Sony WH-1000XM4 review, with everything you need to know about the best noise-cancelling headphones you can buy today.

Sony WH-1000XM5 review: Price & release date

  • Price: $349 in the US
  • Price: £349 in the UK
  • Price: AU$549 in Australia
  • Released in August 2020

The Sony WH-1000XM4 were announced on August 6, 2020 and while they come from Sony's flagship line, they are no longer Sony’s top-tier go to proposition simply because they've now got a younger XM5 sibling. These over-ear cans sit above the mid-range Sony WH-CH710N and true wireless Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds.

In terms of price, you’re looking at $350 / £349 / AU$549 or thereabouts – which is exactly what the Sony WH-1000XM3 launched in 2018 in the US, and £50 more expensive in the UK. 

That puts the Sony WH-1000XM4 in the same price range as the Bose Noise-Cancelling 700 Headphones that come in at $339.99 / £349.95 / AU$599.95, and slightly less than the more upscale Bowers and Wilkins PX7 that cost $399.99 / £349 / AU$600 – but let's not forget, that model has now been superseded too, thanks to the arrival of the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2, which can be yours for a cool $399 / £379 / approx. AU$575.

They're also far cheaper than the Apple AirPods Max, which cost $549 / £549 / AU$899 – and since the Sony XM4s are now a slightly older model, we wouldn't be surprised if there are some tasty deals to be had soon…

the Sony WH-1000XM4 headband

(Image credit: Future)

Sony WH-1000XM5 review: Design

  • Imperceptible design changes since the 1000XM3
  • Sturdy build and comfortable padding
  • New SoC for improved noise cancellation
  • Lack any sort of water-resistance

Though the Sony WH-100XM4 have a slew of new components inside the headphones themselves, there’s not a major difference between them and their predecessors in terms of aesthetics. In fact, put them next to each other and you’d have a hard time telling the 1000XM3 apart from the 1000XM4. 

That’s not the end of the world, though, as the design of the 1000XM3 is refined and subtle, allowing it to blend in on subway stations, planes and offices without drawing any attention. 

In terms of materials, you’re mostly looking at a high-quality plastic build with supple pleather padding. The result is a product that feels mostly durable while remaining extremely comfortable to wear for an extended period of time.

Around the outside of the earcups you’ll find two physical control buttons for power/pairing and a button that cycles through noise-cancelling modes, as well as a 3.5mm aux. jack and a USB-C port for charging. The outer part of the earcups act as a touch-capacitive control panel that can be used to play, pause or skip music, and raise or lower the volume.

Inside the headphones is where the magic happens, though. Sony has swapped out the old system-on-a-chip (SoC) for a new one that promises better noise cancellation. Key to that, of course, is the Sony QNe1 Processor that constantly samples ambient audio to reactively adjust the level of noise cancellation. It’s an ingenious setup and design that separates it from the one-size-fits-all noise cancelling algorithm from other manufacturers.

The bad news here, however, is that the Sony WH-1000XM4 aren’t water-friendly - they’re not splash-proof, water-proof or even very water-resistant. Sony recommends keeping them dry and far away from any source of water that might damage them. That sounds like common sense - and fairly easy to achieve - but that does limit the places you can bring them: if you’re looking for a pair of running headphones, these aren’t them.

a closeup of the Sony WH-1000XM4 earcup

(Image credit: Future)

Sony WH-1000XM5 review: Features

  • Class-leading noise cancellation
  • Situational and conversational awareness
  • Multi-point pairing to connect to two devices
  • May pause the music if it hears you singing along

The Sony WH-1000XM3 were feature-rich upon release, full of inventive control schemes and intelligent applications of their noise cancellation technology. All that was great about the WH-1000XM3 headphones has carried over to the WH-1000XM4 successors, and with some all-new tricks, too. These aren’t just gimmicks either – they’re useful additions that actually work as advertised.

So let’s kick off with the brand-new stuff. First, and perhaps most importantly, Sony has refined its wireless noise-cancelling approach. Like all good design, it’s subtle to the point where you may not notice it at first (such was the strength of the previous system, anyway). 

Key specs

Acoustic design: Closed

Weight: 253g

Frequency response: 4Hz to 40kHz

Drivers: 1.57-inch dome-type

Battery life: 30 hours

Active noise cancellation? Yes

Extra features: Speak to Chat, DSEE Extreme, 360 Reality Audio

But with the WH-1000XM4, you’re getting a much greater sense of noise cancellation in the mid-ranges – those sorts of areas where you get a low-level humming kind of sound that you could attribute to a fan, or air conditioning unit, or engine noise. It’s never fully silenced, but it’s remarkably quiet, and as soon as you have actual audio playing through the cans, you can’t hear the outside world at all. 

Though high wind can still cause a bit of extraneous noise to come through, it’s otherwise among the best (if not, the best) noise-cancelling system we’ve heard from a pair of wireless headphones.

These noise-cancelling modes are intelligent, too – with your permission, the WH-1000XM4 headphones can learn where you are using geo-location access, and apply your preferred level of noise-cancellation or ambient sound passthrough depending on where you are. So, at home you may prefer a fully cancelled noise mode, while in the office you may want voices to come through. 

With the feature activated, the Sony headphones play a small chiming tone when it’s reached one of your set locations, and dials the noise-cancellation up or back appropriately. Though GPS requirements mean it won’t be able to work during a subterranean commute, you can preset your station or travel hub in the accompanying Headphones Connect app, and have it activate your preferred noise cancelling settings whilst above ground before descending. 

The best of the WH-1000XM4 features though are those that pander to convenience. They’re simple and effective additions. A sensor in the earcups will recognize when you take the headphones off, and pause music accordingly, resuming playback automatically when you replace them. If they’re paused for a few minutes (at a delay of your choosing), they’ll automatically switch off to save battery life. A new multipoint connection lets the headphones connect to two devices at once, intelligently switching between both as the requirement of each device dictates – say, to deliver a notification or answering a call. 

Most impressive is a new Speak-to-Chat feature. With this option switched on, the headphones’ microphone will intelligently recognize when you’ve started talking, and pause your music while ramping up ambient noise being funneled into the cans. It’ll let you have a chat naturally without taking your headphones off, with a short pause occurring after you stop chatting before resuming music playback. 

However, it’s a double edged sword, as it’s almost too effective – if you decide to break into song and sing along with your tunes with the feature activated, it’ll pause your track, ending your karaoke session. Convenient then – so long as you’re restrained with your vocal gymnastics.

a man wearing the Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones

(Image credit: Future)

Sony WH-1000XM5 review: Audio quality

  • Circumaural 40mm drivers
  • Warm and balanced, clear and powerful bass
  • Support for 360 Reality Audio for spatial audio
  • LDAC and AAC but not aptX or aptX HD

Sony’s using the same 40mm drivers in the WH-1000XM4 as it had in the WH-1000XM3, so tonally and in terms of mix, there’s not much to separate the WH-1000XM4 from the WH-1000XM3 headphones that preceded them. It’s a warm and balanced sound that does well to offer a wide soundstage when required and detail that can pierce through a powerful bass performance.

On the noise-cancelling front, Sony’s using its Dual Noise Sensor tech, making use of two mics in each earcup to suck in sound and analyse it with the QN1 noise cancelling processor. This allows the headphones to adjust its noise cancellation response imperceptibly quickly, at more than 700 times a second. It’s fantastically powerful, and never gets in the way of your tunes.

While aptX HD support would have been welcome, the Sony’s LDAC codec, present here, does a good job with devices that support it, pushing lots of detail through wirelessly. The introduction of DSEE Extreme, an AI-driven process that looks to restore detail from lossy compressed formats, does well to bring clarity to even the lower quality formats and files you may throw at the WH-1000XM4. 

Sony’s still pushing its 360 Reality Audio offering too, which is its homegrown immersive audio format, putting you in the middle of a surround-sound mix, and it’s still impressive – even if actually accessing its library is limited to just a few streaming services, and the catalogue’s growth has been slow.

As ever, we put the headphones through their paces with a mixture of streaming services, file formats and spoken word clips, and the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones impressed across the board.

Jeff Buckley’s elegiac Last Goodbye shimmers into action, its slide guitar giving way to a warm bass groove and layers of acoustic guitars, jangling electrics and orchestral strings. It’s a complicated mix, but the WH-1000XM4 headphones do it justice, soaring with Buckley’s falsetto comfortably sitting at the fore.

Putting the bass to the test by jumping over to Bjork’s Army of Me, you can hear the can’s masterful management of bass frequencies, with the arpeggiated bass line walking through the song as the machine-like snare snaps through.

For something a little softer, Bright Eyes’ First Day of My Life has a great warmth – great vocal clarity is paired with sparkly finger picked guitars and a comforting, guiding double bass that never sounds flabby.

At the other end of the spectrum, Janelle Monae’s absolute banger Make Me Feel sounds supremely powerful on the WH-1000XM4 headphones. From the bop of the percussion to the wall of sound that accompanies the pre-chorus, it sees the Sony WH-1000XM4s firing on all cylinders, with expressive dynamics and clear and distinct separation between each instrument. It’s a pleasure at the best of times, and Sony’s cans bring out the best of the track.     

From the perspective of a work-at-home, share-the-kitchen-table-with-a-flatmate user scenario, those around us did notice a substantial amount of noise leakage from the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones – enough to distract at even half their maximum volume level. You may not be able to hear the outside world, but it can hear what you’re listening to, so keep that in mind if you’re planning on taking these to a quiet office or library.

the Sony WH-1000XM4 with their case

(Image credit: Future)

Sony WH-1000XM5 review: Battery life

  • No improvement on battery life compared to predecessors
  • 30 hours with noise cancelling on / 38 hours with it off
  • Quick charging (five hours of charge after just 10 minutes)
  • Last just as long or longer than the competition

While the Sony WH-1000XM4 didn’t get a boost in battery life compared to their predecessors, you're getting a substantial 30 hours with noise cancelling turned on and around 38 hours with noise cancelling turned off. 

At first, that number somewhat disappointed us – how could a product not improve battery life year-on-year? But then it dawned on us that now the headphones have speech detection, a new SoC and algorithm, plus new sensors, too. The fact that it remained the same in spite of adding a host of new features is actually kind of impressive.

Although the Sony WH-1000XM4 don't come with a battery life improvement compared to their predecessors, they do stretch their playback time as far as possible thanks to the new auto-on/off and play/pause sensor inside the earcup that can tell when you’ve taken the headphones off. It’s a huge boon to folks who might forget to turn off their headphones at the end of the day only to find that they’re dead 24 hours later.

The 30 hours should be enough to get you through multiple international flights or a few days to the office, but it’s also good to know that the headphones can be charged in a matter of minutes thanks to fast-charging. According to Sony, you can get about five hours of charge from 10 minutes of power and a full charge after about three hours. 

So how do the Sony WH-1000XM4 compare to the competition? Quite favorably. The Bose Noise-Cancelling 700 only clocked in at around 20 hours of battery life with noise cancelling turned on, while the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 matches the Sony at 30.

Should I buy the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Headphones?

the Sony WH-1000XM4 in their carrying case

(Image credit: Future)

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Sony WH-1000XM4 review: Also consider

First reviewed: August 2020

Amazon Kindle Oasis review
2:53 pm | November 17, 2021
Author: admin | Category: Computers eReaders Gadgets Tablets | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: August 2019
• No refresh on the horizon
• Launch price: $249 / £229 / AU$399
• Now with limited availability 

Updated: January 2024. One of the most expensive Kindle devices around, the Amazon Kindle Oasis remains one of the best premium ereaders around. It's a little long in the tooth now, having been released way back in 2019. But with no refresh on the horizon, likely due the the Kindle Paperwhite offering a great ereader experience, the Oasis is still relevant in 2024. It's availability appears to be limited however, so you may have to go hunting to find it in some regions. Nevertheless, the Kindle Oasis is still worth your consideration, though for most people the Paperwhite may be the better bet. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Amazon Kindle Oasis: One-minute review

The Kindle Oasis devices are Amazon's top-of-the-line ereaders, and the most recent one is this 2019 model. If you want a luxury reading experience (and don’t want those large, expensive, lumps of dead tree known as a ‘book’), the Amazon Kindle Oasis (2019) is where you should look. 

In Amazon's hierarchy, the base Amazon Kindle sits as the most affordable device, with its basic screen, limited storage space and few features, and the Kindle Paperwhite bumps up the screen resolution and storage space and adding a few tricks like waterproofing. This Oasis is technically the top Kindle, though the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition has lots of its features and is two years newer.

The Oasis has a range of features you won’t find in lesser ereaders, like its high-quality display and the range of customization options for screen color and brightness. The fact that you’re plugged into the Amazon Store doesn’t hurt either.

But how much value do you put on this experience? Are you willing to splash out on such an expensive device when you’re going to have to buy the books on top? We think for many people the Kindle Oasis is going to be prohibitively expensive.

Amazon Kindle Oasis review: Price and availability

(Image credit: Amazon)

Given the status of the Amazon Kindle Oasis (2019) as Amazon’s most premium ereader, you should be prepared to wince at its $249.99 / £229.99 / AU$399 / AED 999 price tag. That’s for 8GB onboard memory; if you want 32GB storage the price goes up to $279.99 / £259.99 / AU$449 / AED 1,099.

There’s also a version with 32GB memory and free 4G for downloading books on the go in limited markets, which will set you back $349.99 / £319.99 / AU$559.

In comparison, the base Kindle costs $89.99 / £69.99 / AU$139 / AED359 for 4GB storage, and the Kindle Paperwhite will set you back $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$199 / AED649 for 8GB memory, so even the cheapest Oasis is still a big step up from the Paperwhite.

Amazon Kindle Oasis review: Design

The Amazon Kindle Oasis (2019) doesn’t follow the mini-tablet design of most ereaders – one half of the device is noticeable thicker than the other, which gives you a ridge down the back so that it’s easier to hold (in theory).

In practice, we found the ridge wasn’t quite thick enough to offer a comfortable hold – at 8.4mm thick, it’s only 5mm thicker than the 3.4mm of the main body, which doesn’t provide a deep enough ridge to really get your fingers into. We found the Kindle Oasis a little hard to hold when only using this ridge, so we wouldn’t recommend it depending on what position you like to sit in to read.

The Kindle Oasis (2019)’s other dimensions are 159 x 141mm, so it wouldn’t be big compared to a tablet, but its display is bigger than those of the other Kindles – more on the display later.

(Image credit: TechRadar)

One of the more ‘premium’ features of the device is the metal build, which you won’t find in other Kindles. This makes it feel more hardy, which offsets the fact the 3.4mm part of the device, and its relatively lightweight of 188g, can make it feel a little delicate – the overall effect is a device the looks and feels sleek.

The device is also water resistant, with its IPX8 rating meaning that in theory it can survive being immersed in two metres of water for a whole hour. We can’t imagine that you’d want to take it underwater for that long, but it’ll certainly be fine if you accidentally drop it in the bath while reading, or get it splashed here and there.

Something a little less premium is the micro USB charging port, as most tablets and smartphones have done away with it in favor of USB-C, which is faster for charging. You’re not going to be using that much power with an ereader, so it’s not a huge issue, but we could do without the inconvenience of swapping out the charging cables we use for the rest of our devices.

There’s no 3.5mm headphone jack either, nor loudspeakers, so if you want to listen to audiobooks you’re going to need to use Bluetooth headphones or speakers. 

(Image credit: TechRadar)

There are two buttons on the right of the Kindle Oasis, used for skipping forward or backwards through pages. It felt a lot more snappy using these to turn pages than touching the screen, due both to the fact they’re in positions that fall naturally under the fingers, and also because pages turned quicker when we pressed the buttons than when we touched the screen.

There were occasions, however, when the buttons didn’t register our touch, and other times they did but the device stuttered before the next page loaded, prompting us to press again then accidentally skip pages. This often happened when reading books that were complicated in terms of their layout and design, like comic books and our own PDFs, and we didn’t notice it as much for text-based books.

It’s worth noting that for the most part, the design is exactly the same as the previous generation of Kindle Oasis, and that ereader costs quite a bit less now.

Amazon Kindle Oasis review: Display

The display is where you’re seeing the main improvements on the Amazon Kindle Oasis (2019), as there are quite a few additions and changes that improve its quality, and the reading experience.

The display is 7 inches diagonally, which is bigger than the 6-inch screens in the Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite, so you can fit more words or comic book frames on the screen at once, and it’s also higher quality, with 300 pixels per inch, so content looks good too. 

This screen is backlit by 25 LEDs, a big jump over the 12 LEDs in the 2017 Kindle Oasis, and you can see the different – max brightness is really high, so you can read in a variety of situations, and there’s better contrast between light and dark, which makes comic books in particular more vivid.

(Image credit: TechRadar)

The brightness can be changed through the easily-accessible settings menu, but there’s also the option to have it automatically change depending on your environment, as on many smartphones.

It’s in the settings menu that you’ll find another of the Kindle Oasis’ big new features, in the form of the ‘warmness’ light setting. This gives the display an orange hue, which makes it more comfortable to look at during night-time reading, and protects your eyes over long reading binges.

The feature is primarily designed to make it more comfortable to read at night, but we also found that when we used it on a low setting we could read more easily in daylight. There’s not a huge range when you change the warmth, but it’s an appreciated upgrade anyway.

The refresh rate of the screen is appropriate – being an ereader display, you’re not seeing as snappy a refresh as on a smartphone screen, but it was far from slow. When zooming into parts of a document we could see the zoom increments, and this made it easier to zoom to the right part of the file.

Amazon Kindle Oasis review: Battery life

Amazon estimates that the battery in the Kindle Oasis (2019) will last you for six weeks, but that’s with a few caveats: to achieve that figure you’ll need to limit your reading to half an hour a day, keep Bluetooth turned off, and the brightness setting on 13, which is roughly half brightness.

While that might sound slightly limiting, in practice, if you’re going to be reading for an hour or so daily, and with the display a little brighter than Amazon recommends, your ereader is still going to take a fair few weeks to run flat, and this is exactly what we found in our testing.

We read for a good two-three hours daily, and it took about a week for the battery to drop down to 50% – that’s roughly the rate of battery consumption quoted by Amazon. In short, the battery life is pretty impressive – this thing will last you for ages.

(Image credit: TechRadar)

This is one of the perks of E Ink, as the tech uses barely any battery power to show content on the screen, and it’s certainly an eco-friendly alternative to reading books on your smartphone.

Charging via the micro USB port isn’t exactly snappy though – we found it took a few hours to charge the Oasis up to full power, but this doesn’t really matter too much if you’re only going to be powering up once in a blue moon.

Amazon Kindle Oasis review: Software

The Amazon Kindle Oasis (2019) runs on software that’s very tightly integrated with the Amazon Store – so much so that it can be easy to get confused between which books you own as part of your library, and which are suggestions from Amazon.

Once you get the hang of the software, though, it’s easy to find your way between the home page, your library, the settings, the store, and everything else you’ll need.

As is the case with ereaders in general, it’s not the snappiest device in the world, and it can often take quite a while to navigate through menus. This sluggishness can be particularly annoying when you’re trying to type, but it’s a price you pay for using a device that’s optimized for reading books rather than for smooth navigation of the user interface.

cheap kindle oasis sale prices deals

(Image credit: Amazon)

As on other Kindles, you there are a few useful features you’ll find in the Oasis that make it a useful reading tool. One of these is the ability to change text fonts for ebooks, so if you absolutely must read your books in a sans serif font, you’re set. You can also change the page spacing, margins, and orientation, to fully customize your reading experience.

Amazon Kindle Oasis review: Features

The Amazon Store is the biggest collection of ebooks around, so you’re almost certainly going to find the fiction or non-fiction book, comic book or audiobook with relative ease.

If you’re a keen reader you may be interested in Amazon Kindle Unlimited, a subscription service available in some parts of the world that lets you ‘rent’ ebooks. It costs $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$13.99 per month, and you can download and store up to 10 books or comics at any one time, so it’s perfect for quick readers. 

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Kindle Unlimited is particularly good for fans of comic books and graphic novels, as those are typically quite quick to get through but the physical versions cost quite a bit; and the Kindle library has many of the classics, so you can use Kindle Unlimited to make your way through lots of titles quickly.

The selection of books on Kindle Unlimited is rather limited, certainly compared to the standard Kindle store, but it’s great for classic novels like War of the Worlds and 10,000 Leagues Under The Sea, as well as comic books, and a smattering of other titles you may not have heard of but might want to try.

Depending on your tastes and reading habits, Amazon Kindle Unlimited may or may not be worth the regular outlay for you, so do have a look at which titles are supported before you commit.

Alternatively, Amazon Prime members can use Prime Reading, which is like Prime Video in that it offers you free reading of certain ebooks as part of your Prime membership.

You can access both of these services from your Kindle or computer browser, as well as the standard library of books which you can buy, and overall we were able to find any book we wanted.

Should I buy the Amazon Kindle Oasis?

The Amazon Kindle Oasis is for people who value their reading experience above all else, and are willing to throw a good chunk of money at a device that will deliver that experience.

Should you buy it?

If you’re in the market for a premium ereader you could do worse than the Amazon Kindle Oasis (2019), but it’s not much of a jump in quality over the previous-gen Amazon Kindle Oasis, which has now had a price reduction thanks to there being an upgrade on the market.

If the upgraded screen quality appeals to you, and you’re willing to stump up the cash for it, buy the new Kindle Oasis – but if you can take or leave those features, the older version will serve you just as well.

First reviewed: August 2019

Competition

Kindle Paperwhite

(Image credit: Future)

If the high price tag of the Kindle Oasis puts you off somewhat, then you might want to take a step down in the Kindle range and look at the Paperwhite. It’s a simpler device in terms of build quality and screen customization options, but it has all the features and functions of the Kindle, so you’ll be able to read your books just as easily.

Read our in-depth Kindle Paperwhite review

Kobo Forma

(Image credit: Future)

Kobo is one of the best-known competitors to Amazon, and the Forma is basically its equivalent of the Oasis. Kobo’s ebook store may not quite rival Amazon’s in terms of choice, but it’s a sturdy device with a very long battery life.

Read our in-depth Kobo Forma review

Google Play Books

(Image credit: Future)

You don’t need to pay for an ereader at all if you have a smartphone, as the Google Play Books app, which is available on Android and iOS devices, is free, and gives you access to millions of cheap or affordable books. Of course, your smartphone doesn’t make for as great a reading experience as an ereader, but it’s certainly a more economical solution. 

Dyson V15 Detect review
2:01 am | May 21, 2021
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances Vacuums | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Dyson V15 Detect: two-minute review

Product info

For this review, we tested a Dyson V15 Detect, and a Dyson V15 Detect Absolute. They are the same vacuum cleaner in different colorways.

The Dyson V15 Detect is a powerful, tech-packed cordless cleaner from perhaps most innovative vacuum brand in the world. The V15 (and the V15 Detect Absolute, which is the same vacuum in a different color) is able to sense the amount and size of particles it's sucking up, and adjust power in response. It'll even give you a real-time summary of this information, via the LCD screen on the main body of the vacuum. The other headline addition is a green laser on the hard floor floorhead, which illuminates dirt that might otherwise be missed. We're assuming that the new 'Detect' in the name is inspired by one or both of these additions.

Elsewhere, you'll find impressive suction power, even on the lowest 'Eco' setting. However, our favorite mode was Auto, which adjusts suction based on not only the floor type but also how dirty it is, to ensure a low-effort, efficient clean. In our tests, this vacuum sucked up everything we put in front of it, including handling tangled hair impressively well. 

Both the regular V15 Detect and the V15 Detect Absolute (which is the same vacuum in a different colorway) ship with two floorheads: a Digital Motorbar head (the one that can be used with Auto mode) and a Fluffy Optic floorhead (the one with the laser, designed specifically for hard floors). There's also a selection of extra tools for different cleaning tasks. The exact tools included depends where you live and which iteration of the V15 you buy, but if you live with long-haired people or pets, it's worth seeking out the Hair Screw tool, which was new to this model, and great at getting hair out of furniture. 

Runtimes are good – up to a full hour on one charge – although recharge is a little slow. If you need longer than that, you'll appreciate that the battery is removable, with additional batteries available to purchase separately. 

It's not quite perfect. It's a little heavy, and especially so in handheld mode. It's also frustrating that it switches on via a trigger, which needs to be continually depressed, rather than the one-push button found on other Dyson vacuums. The jury's also out on whether the features like the laser illumination and real-time dust reports are genuinely useful, once the initial novelty factor has worn off. 

As you might have guessed, it's also an expensive purchase. While the advanced features and meticulous engineering do help justify the price, there are plenty of cheaper options about with fewer bells and whistles, which will suffice for most people.

Dyson V15 Detect

(Image credit: TechRadar)

For this review, we tested a couple of V15 vacuums – one in Australia and the other in the UK – to see how they compare to the rest of the best cordless vacuums on the market. 

A bit of context so you know where this model sits in the wider Dyson range. The V15 Detect launched in 2021, at the same time as the (non-flagship) V12 Detect Slim. The previous flagship cordless vacuum was the V11 (read our Dyson V11 review for more on that one). The model to follow was the Gen5detect (see our Dyson Gen5detect review). That one features several upgrades to the V15, and at time of updating this review is the best Dyson vacuum available, based on specs.

There's also a sister model in the V15 range: the V15s Submarine, launched in 2023. This is similar the regular V15, but has a wet roller head to enable it to wash hard floors as well as just vacuuming. We've tested that separately, in our Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review.

That's the short version. Read on for our full Dyson V15 Detect / Dyson V15 Detect Absolute review, and to learn if it's the best vacuum cleaner for your needs. 

Dyson V15 Detect review: price & versions

  • List price: $749.99 / £649.99 / AU$1,449
  • Launched: 2021

As with most Dyson cordless vacuums, there are a few different versions of the V15 Detect, with an extra word added onto the end of the name. Generally, it's the same base model, but sometimes there are differences in the range of tools included. That can make examining the pricing a little difficult, but to give us an idea, we'll be looking at what's available to buy direct from Dyson at time of updating this review. There may be other versions and different pricing available at other retailers.

In the US there's the Dyson V15 Detect, with a list price of $749.99. There's also the Detect V15 Detect Absolute for the same price (reduced to $599.99 at time of update). They're the same vacuum in two different colorways, and in this case even the tools included are the same.

The UK just has the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute, at a list price of £649.99, reduced to £549.99 at time of update. It's the same in Australia – just the V15 Detect Absolute, this time with a list price of AU$1,449.

Regardless of which iteration you go for, it's going to fall into the premium price category. It's generally a bit cheaper than its successor, the Gen5Detect (from $949.99 / £769.99 / AU$1,549 at list price). If you're hoping to score a discount, Dyson promo codes are rare, but we do sometimes see Dyson deals, especially around events like the Black Friday sales.

  • Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Dyson V15 Detect review: design

  • Upgraded motor compared to previous flagship model
  • LCD display shows info about dust collected and remaining run time
  • Wand can be removed to turn into a handheld

True to Dyson aesthetics, the V15 Detect is a beautiful machine to look at. Under the hood, the motor has been upgraded from its predecessor's (and was improved again for its successor), and generates 230 air watts of suction power. Other than that, it looks similar to the other modern V-range vacuums, comprising the motor, cyclone array and dust canister, in an in-line arrangement. We might have preferred a bigger dustbin on this model, but it's just the standard 0.2-gallon / 0.75L canister that's used in the Cyclone V10. 

Inherited from the V11 is the swappable battery pack. This can come in handy if you've got a large home and would prefer to get the vacuuming done in one go instead of recharging at the mains – that can take a few hours (more on that later).

Dyson V15 Detect – press pictures

The V15 Detect looks similar to other modern V-range Dyson vacuums (Image credit: Dyson)

That battery, though, makes the weight distribution of the V15 Detect quite uneven. It weighs in at 3kg, but feels top-heavy, and it's tiring to use for longer cleaning stints. Our testers found their arms getting tired after using it for about 30 minutes, and they needed to keep switching hands regularly if they wanted to clean for any longer than that.

While later models (and, actually, the V12 Detect Slim that launched alongside the V15) switch on and off via a single-press button, but the V15 still uses a trigger that you need to keep continuously depressed. That, combined with the uneven weight distribution, makes the V15 even more of a workout for your arms. We found it less of an issue with the smaller and lighter V7 and V8.

LCD screen on Dyson V15 Detect vacuum cleaner

The V15 can detect the size and amount of particles it's sucking up (Image credit: Dyson)

One headline upgrade on the V15 Detect and Detect Absolute is the addition of a tiny piezo sensor, housed within the vacuum's handheld unit, which can measure acoustic vibrations from microscopic particles as small as 10 microns. As dust and debris get sucked in, they reverberate off the sides of the vacuum, and the piezo sensor uses those changes in vibrations to measure not just the size of the particles, but also the number.

These are then graphically displayed on a one-inch circular digital screen. As you clean, you'll see the representation change in real time and, when it finally becomes static, you'll know there's nothing more for the vacuum to suck up.

Dyson V15 Detect Absolute

A countdown clock shows you how much cleaning time you have left (Image credit: TechRadar)

Displayed below the graph is a countdown clock representing the remaining runtime, and it also displays the power mode you've chosen. There are three power levels, which can be selected using a silver button on the circular panel. Eco is a lower-suction mode, Boost is a more powerful mode for ingrained dirt, and Auto mode will intelligently adjust suction based on the floor type and how dirty it is.

All versions ship with two floorheads: a Digital Motorbar head (previously called the High Torque head) and a Fluffy Optic head (previously called the Laser Slim Fluffy head, and currently referred to as the Illuminated Cleaner Head in the UK... possibly because they couldn't trademark the 'Fluffy' name there). 

The Digital Motorbar is a motorized head that features a couple of rows of 'teeth' that cut hair and fur into smaller pieces that get sucked up easily and thus prevent tangling around the bristles of the brush. Perhaps most exciting is the fact that this floorhead can monitor brush bar resistance to enable the vacuum to increase or decrease suction based on floor type, when used in Auto mode.

Graphic showing how Digital Motorbar floorhead deals with hair

The Digital Motorbar head is designed to cut up hair and channel it straight into the bin (Image credit: Dyson)

The Fluffy Optic head is designed specifically for hard floors, and it has had a redesign from the one shipped with previous V-series models. The whole head has been slimmed down (although the footprint remains the same), but the major difference is that there's now an in-built laser diode (class 1, so it's safe for humans and pets). Thanks to a custom-designed lens (which is only marginally bigger than a grain of sugar), the laser emits light at an angle that reflects off solid particles to highlight them green. The light is activated via a small switch on the top of the floorhead, and the fluffy part is also washable, so you can keep it at peak performance.

Dyson V15 Detect Absolute in handheld mode

The V15 easily transforms into a handheld (Image credit: TechRadar)

Like other Dyson cordless vacuums, you can convert the V15 Detect Absolute into a handheld cleaner by removing the main wand and attaching any of the other tools. Exactly which tools are included will vary depending on where you live and which iteration of the V15 you buy, but all are well-designed and useful.

Dyson V15 Detect

The Hair Screw Tool designed specifically to tackle hair (Image credit: Future)

If you want to be able to deal with hair (human or pet) in upholstery or furniture, look out for the Hair Screw Tool. This uses the principle of an Archimedes screw, with a tapered design that directs strands of hair or fur (no matter how short or long) towards the narrow end. This is where the suction hole is, allowing whole locks to get sucked up into the bin. Even the bristles have been placed at an angle, to ensure there's no tangling at all. This tool was new with the V15, but is compatible with older models and available to purchase separately.

  • Design score: 4 out of 5

Dyson V15 Detect review: performance

  • Powerful suction; great on carpet and hard floors
  • Laser highlights dust that's invisible to the eye
  • Auto mode is an excellent, low-effort feature

Even though there are three power modes, the V15 Detect is just fine at its lowest setting. To see how it coped with different types of debris, our testers sprinkled fine dust, biscuit crumbs and cereal (separately) on both carpet and hard floor. We found that even in Eco mode, it sucked everything up with just one slow pass. It also did a pretty good job on a hair-entwined carpet in Eco mode. 

During our testing, though, we found the Auto mode the best – it was like a set-and-forget option that handled hard floors and carpets alike. Additionally, when using the Digital Motorbar head, the suction changes reactively when surfaces change, increasing automatically when it senses a rug or carpet. 

This graphical representation of what you're cleaning also works really well. All particles are divided into four categories, depending on their size, and as you clean a specific surface, you’ll find the bars rising. When they become static, you know that the area has been cleaned to the best of the V15 Detect’s ability. We're not sure this feature is strictly essential, especially after the initial novelty had worn off, although we did find it a good way to see when a floor had been cleaned properly.

Dyson V15 Detect

The laser is great at illuminating dingy corners and edges (Image credit: Future)

The laser on the Slim Fluffy tool does exactly what it says on the tin, highlighting particles you normally wouldn’t see with your naked eye, either illuminating a bright green or creating visible shadows. One of our testers deliberately missed the edges of a room with hard floors, and then pushed the head towards these edges – with the green laser illuminated, they were shocked by just how much dust, which wasn’t previously visible, was on the floor.

Our other reviewer wasn't quite as sold on this feature, ultimately deciding it was a little superfluous. They found that dust tended to settle on the inside plastic of the tool, diminishing its ability to, well, shine a light. They had to repeatedly wipe down the inside of the Laser Slim Fluffy to get the best results, and after a while found themselves leaving it switched off, and relying on the display as an indicator of when there was nothing more for the V15 to suck up.

Dyson V15 Detect Absolute

Even after what you think is a good clean, the laser tells you otherwise (Image credit: TechRadar)

Our second tester also found the floorhead a little tricky to swivel around. Because the Digital Motorhead can swivel a lot more, they found themselves using that one on hard floors as well – especially since it’s the only cleaning head that works with Auto mode.

(It's worth noting that the newer Gen5detect has a brighter laser, which is more visible in well-lit rooms, and the same tester was far more impressed with the upgraded version.)

Converting the vacuum to handheld mode and back again is simple – just remove the telescopic tube, clip on your desired attachment and you’re ready to go. However, the click-in battery pack does make the barrel feel heavier than older models like the V7, V8 and V10. Both of our testers found that holding aloft the V15 for more than a minute or two was quite difficult. The Gen5detect simplifies the process further by hiding a tool inside the wand, but that model is even heavier.

Dyson V15 Detect Absolute

The V15 is a little heavy in handheld mode (Image credit: TechRadar)

We can't fault the V15 Detect's cleaning power in handheld mode, though. One tester used it to clean their car, and it sucked up all of the dirt and debris such as small stones and even a few leaves, along with human hair that had collected on the driver’s seat, with ease. 

Unlike today's best car vacuums, which are designed specifically for this task, converted floor vacs like this one are typically quite bulky when used in handheld mode. Our reviewer struggled to fully clean under the driver and passenger front seats, as well in the storage areas on the center console, which frequently attract dust and debris.

The exact tools that are included with the V15 Detect and Detect Absolute varies by country and version, but you'll typically get a Crevice tool and a Combination tool, which we found were good for edges and narrow spaces. 

Both of our review models came with a new-to-this-model Hair Screw tool. This works best as part of the handheld unit to remove pet and human hair off smaller surfaces like sofas, car seats or pet beds. It is possible to also use it on carpeted floors, but given it's small footprint, it's far more efficient to use the much larger Digtial Motorbar head for this task.

Dyson V15 Detect Absolute

The tools included with one of our review models – note, these vary depending on which iteration you buy (Image credit: TechRadar)

Either way, the Hair Screw Tool is a marvelous piece of engineering. When testing it, we removed a clump of hair from a brush and placed it on a sofa – the anti-tangle tool sucked it all up without a single strand getting caught anywhere. It all curled up and got sucked right into the canister. However, we did find this tool could be a little less effective at collecting dust and dander from upholstery, when compared to the Mini Motorized head included with previous models.

Emptying the V15 Detect’s bin is easy. Once the wand and any cleaning attachments are removed, the red lever on the canister pushes open the lid and all that dirt comes right out in a single move.

One final performance element to discuss is noisiness. We were impressed with how much quieter the V15 Detect is in low-power settings as compared to some of the older V-series models. However, bump the suction mode to Boost and it hits 81 decibels – as loud as a truck trundling down a highway at 65kph.

  • Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Dyson V15 Detect review: battery

  • Up to a full hour's cleaning on Eco mode; 18 minutes in Boost
  • Battery takes up to 5 hours to fully recharge
  • Swappable battery reduces interruptions to cleaning 

On the lowest-powered, Eco setting Dyson claims the battery will last up to 60 minutes. That's the same as the V11, although because the suction power has been improved over that model, you should be able to clean more efficiently with the newer V15. On test, the claims were accurate – one of our review models managed a respectable 59 minutes, and the other clocked up nearly 61 minutes. 

If you prefer the Auto mode, you'll get about 40 minutes of runtime per charge, which is enough for the general upkeep of a small two-bedroom house. However, because of the intelligent nature of this mode, runtimes will vary depending on the types of floors you have, and how dirty they are. Bump up to Boost and you'll only get about 18 minutes of power.

The Auto mode suited our testers best, but even the Eco setting has plenty of suction power to clean up a small mess. So the latter is your best bet to maximize on battery life. A countdown of how long you have left is handily available on the digital display.

If you want to be able to clean for longer than 60 minutes, then you’re going to need an additional battery pack. This would be handy in large family homes, because recharge times are long – our testers found a full recharge took between four and five hours.

  • Battery score: 4 out of 5

Should I buy the Dyson V15 Detect?

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First reviewed: May 2021

Kobo Libra H2O review
5:58 am | May 20, 2020
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: | Comments: Off

[Update February 7, 2023: The Kobo Libra H2O is now only available in Australia and will now set you back AU$269.95, AU$20 more than its price on release.]

When the Kobo Forma launched in 2018, we had high expectations that it would give Amazon’s Kindle Oasis a run for its money. However, a slightly lackluster design and a jaw-dropping price tag changed our minds. Rakuten – the Japanese company that makes the Kobo ereaders – seems to have learned some lessons from that Forma feedback, and its new 7-inch Kobo Libra H2O introduces a range of refinements and changes that largely address the complaints.

While the Libra’s  7-inch screen makes it a fair bit smaller than the 8-inch Forma, it brings with it the latest E Ink technology, making it one of the fastest, most responsive ereaders currently on the market. 

Add to that a refreshed user interface and a superior build than the Forma (plus the waterproofing and support for multiple file formats that Kobos are famous for) and you’ve finally got a very compelling competitor to the Kindle Oasis. Better yet, the Libra H2O is far more affordable than either the Oasis or the Forma.

Kobo Libra H20

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Kobo Libra H2O price and availability

The Kobo Libra H2O was launched first in the US and Canada in September 2019 – just a couple of months after Amazon released the second-gen version of the Kindle Oasis – and it became available in other markets later that year. 

Considering it shares a lot of the Forma and Oasis’ premium features, its biggest selling point is perhaps its price tag. The Libra H2O was available directly from the Kobo Store and from major retailers for $169 / £149 / AU$249 on its initial release. In comparison, the 2019 iteration of the Kindle Oasis will set you back $249 / £229 / AU$399, while the Kobo Forma is available for $279 / £239.99 / AU$429.95, though the Forma is no longer available in the US.

And while it’s possible to occasionally pick up the Kindle Oasis for a cheaper price directly from Amazon, you’ll be hard-pressed to find discounts on any of the Kobo ereaders.

As of February 2023, the Kobo Libra H2O is only available in Australia from Rakuten Kobo, with both the global and UK store no longer offering this 2019 ereader. It has also had a small price increase of AU$20, and will now set you back AU$269.95.

Design and display

Unlike more traditional tablet-like ereaders like the Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Aura One, the Libra H2O’s asymmetrical design closely resembles the Forma and the Kindle Oasis. One bezel is much thicker and wider than the rest, providing lots of space to comfortably and securely hold the device without covering the screen. A pair of physical buttons on that same bezel are used for page turning, and the ereader’s battery is housed inside this area of the chassis, with the microUSB charging port on the side of this thick spine. However, the difference between the Forma and the Libra is that the latter has a 7-inch E Ink Carta HD display (the same as the Oasis) as compared to the 8-inch screen on the Forma. 

Kobo Libra H20

One bezel is thicker and larger than the rest, making it comfortable to hold and use the Kobo Libra H2O single-handed. (Image credit: TechRadar)

The Libra H2O and the Kindle Oasis also share the same screen resolution of 1,680 x 1,264, which translates to 300 pixels per inch (ppi), offering a beautifully sharp display that’s easy to read on. That said, the screen on the Libra H2O is not flush with the bezel (as it is on the Oasis) and is, instead, fitted into a recess within the frame. 

This slight depth makes the text on the display appear sharper when compared to the Oasis, and also allows Rakuten to use Neonode’s zForce infrared technology – a plug-and-play sensor module used for touch and gesture control. And whether you’re selecting a word for dictionary look-up or typing in a Wi-Fi password during setup, the screen is supremely responsive – on par with the latest Kindle Oasis and a beat or two faster than Forma.

Kobo Libra H20

(Image credit: TechRadar)

The Libra H2O shares the patented ComfortLight Pro screen technology that’s found on all modern Kobos, and reduces the exposure to sleep-disrupting blue light. There are white and amber LED lights on the bottom of the screen that project light upwards and evenly across the display. Both color hues can be used either together or independently, with the brightness adjusted via a simple slider built into the touch interface. 

And while there’s no ambient light sensor on board, you can set the lighting to change depending on your time zone. This change in color temperature happens even when the device is ‘sleeping’ and, if you happen to read a little in the afternoon, then pick it up only around bedtime, you will notice the light is warmer. That, we found, doesn’t happen with the Kindle Oasis, where you’ll have to manually change the brightness to adjust the light at night if you’ve just picked it up for reading in bed.

The Libra weighs 192g, which is 4g heavier than the Oasis, despite the latter’s metal finish. The difference is so small that they both feel the same in the hand, however the larger bezel (or grip) of the Libra H2O is slightly thicker than the Forma’s and its smaller screen size gives it a slightly stocky look.

Kobo Libra H20

The physical page-turn buttons are sturdy with a good feedback (Image credit: TechRadar)

Despite its plastic chassis, the Libra H2O looks a lot better than its more expensive sibling. Where there’s a joint on the thicker bezel of the Forma (between the buttons and the screen) for dirt to collect, the Libra’s front face is constructed from a single piece of plastic. Moreover, the Forma’s soft-touch plastic begins to look shiny and oily within weeks of use, leaving it looking grubby and old. The Libra’s harder plastic finish should mean it’s a little more resistant to this, although you can see fingerprints on the bezels if you have particularly oily or sweaty skin.

Another reason to recommend the Libra H2O over the Forma are the page turn and power buttons – on the latter they feel too squishy, while there’s a very good click and feedback on the Libra. That said, the buttons on the Kindle Oasis are easily the smoothest and best feeling of the three.

Kobo Libra H20

There's a microUSB port on the side of the thicker bezel for charing the device (Image credit: TechRadar)

There’s a recessed power button round the back of the Libra, and while it’s reasonably easy to locate just by feeling for it, it’s practically impossible to press if you’re using the Libra single-handed. It can also take some getting used to locating it without flipping the device over if you tend to keep rotating the Libra to read in different orientations, as it’s far from where your hand sits – on the opposite side to the grip, in the corner diagonally across from the Kobo branding on the bezel.

The Libra H2O retains its IPX8 waterproofing and can survive a 60-minute dunk in about 2m of water. However, you will not be able to use the touchscreen if the device is submerged, but the physical page-turn buttons still work just fine.

Battery life

The underlying hardware that keeps the Libra H2O ticking consists of a Freescale Solo Lite 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage – which, sadly, can’t be expanded as there’s no microSD card slot on board.

It matches the 1,200mAh battery that’s in the Forma which, we found was capable of powering weeks of constant reading. If you are an avid reader and spend pretty much all day doing just that, then you should be able to get about two weeks’ worth of use between charges. If, however, you’re a more casual reader and spend no more than an hour or two reading per day, you can likely push that to around four to six weeks with display brightness set to about 15%. 

During our test period, we spent about three to four hours each day with the Libra H2O for over a week (with brightness set at 8%) and barely made a dent in the battery indicator on the screen.

Kobo Libra H20

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Reading experience

Like the Forma before it, there’s a gyroscope inside the Libra H2O that’s capable of detecting full 360-degree movement. That means you’ll be able to read in portrait orientation with the page buttons either on the left or right, or in landscape mode with the buttons above or below the display.

Thanks to the latest generation of black-and-white E Ink technology, page turns on the Libra are almost immediate, whether you choose to use the touch interface or the physical buttons, and its smaller and lower-resolution screen make it a bit faster than the Forma in many areas. When you rotate the device, for example, the change in page orientation is a lot quicker than its bigger brother, and using the onscreen keyboard is more responsive and immediate.

The Forma’s physically larger display may not sound like a significant increase over the Libra (8 inches vs 7 inches) but, in the flesh, that difference is quite stark, and arguably makes for a more immersive reading experience on the bigger Forma – and that extra screen real estate means it can fit more words, so you’ll be turning the page a bit less frequently too. But the downside to the Forma’s bigger size is that it’s less portable – the Libra, conversely, is compact enough to fit into a smallish shoulder bag, satchel or handbag, so it’s more friendly for anyone who wants to read on the go. 

Kobo Libra H20

The user interface remains largely unchanged but there are some new features (Image credit: TechRadar)

The Libra’s user interface is simple, with only one or two points of difference from the older models. You can quickly do all the basics, like adjust the font size, look up unfamiliar words, add annotations, and change margin and line spacing. However, the Libra H2O’s new version of the Kobo OS has added a few new features, which have selectively been rolled out to some other Kobo ereaders. 

The new Kobo interface adds an improved ebook navigator that’s accessible by swiping up from the bottom of the screen or tapping in the middle of the display. The progress bar on the lower part of the navigation overlay makes it easier to scan forwards or backwards through a book and be able to find your place again. It also offers one-touch access to all your annotations, and a search box so you can look up a specific word or phrase through the entire book. You can even pull up a list of chapters from this new menu. 

Move the scrubber and a preview of the pages appears on screen (although you will need to lift your finger off the slider before the preview is displayed), letting you decide if you’ve found the right page instead of taking you directly to it. After moving to another location within a book, there will also be a dot on the slider marking your last page, so you can get back to it easily with a single tap on the dot. We were already partial to Kobo’s UI and these improvements make it a lot more streamlined than the cluttered interface on a Kindle.

Kobo Libra H20

The new ebook navigation scrubber makes it easier to skim through your current read and find your previous place again (Image credit: TechRadar)

Another reason we’re partial to Kobo is because of its support for multiple, open file formats. You can read books in EPUB or PDF format, and there’s support for CBR and CBZ formats for fans of graphic novels and comics. You can even load MOBI, PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP, TIFF and HTML files onto a Kobo device for viewing. Heck, you’ll even be able read plain old TXT files on a Kobo device.

If you happen to be a Pocket user (a website and browser plugin that lets you save articles for reading later), you can sign into your account on your Kobo and all saved articles will automatically be synced to your ereader. Dropbox also has an agreement with Kobo that allows users to wirelessly transfer files from a Dropbox folder to the Kobo device – a much easier way to get free or non-DRM books and documents onto your reader than laboriously plugging in a USB cable. (Ugh, such inconvenience!)

Kobo Libra H20

You can hold the Kobo Libra H2O in any orientation and read (Image credit: TechRadar)

Another major benefit of the Kobo OS is baked-in Overdrive support, which in supported countries can allow you to borrow ebooks from your local library – a very handy money-saving tool.

Verdict

Despite a plastic finish, the Kobo Libra H2O is a strong all-round ereader, particularly if you’re not keen on Amazon’s more locked-down Kindle ecosystem. What makes it a worthwhile upgrade if you’ve been using a more traditionally shaped ereader (like the Kobo Clara HD, the Auras, or even the Kindle Paperwhite) is its more comfortable and convenient asymmetrical design, with page-turn buttons that are perfect for single-hand use – whether that’s in bed, during your daily commute in a crowded train or bus, or while simultaneously sipping a glass of something naughty in the bathtub. 

And while you can also get that with the Forma or the Kindle Oasis, the Kobo Libra H2O is significantly cheaper than either of those options, while also being notably more responsive than its bigger (and more expensive) sibling. 

If you’re already a heavy user of Amazon’s ebook services like Prime Reading or Kindle Unlimited, then there’s perhaps still a case to be made for picking up the Oasis over the Libra. But for anyone else looking to buy an ereader with an asymmetrical design, Kobo's newest option is a compelling choice.

Competition

Amazon Kindle Oasis

Amazon Kindle Oasis

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Amazon's Kindle Oasis has a much more premium feel than either the Kobo Forma or the Libra H2O, thanks to its metal body, but its luxurious reading experience doesn't stop there. There's Audible support on board, so you can listen to audiobooks, and Bluetooth connectivity means you can use a set of wireless headphones to listen. However, it will cost you more than the Libra H2O, support very limited file formats and will keep you locked into Amazon's Kindle ecosystem.

Read our in-depth Amazon Kindle Oasis (2019) review to find out more.

Kobo Clara HD review
11:00 am | July 27, 2018
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

[Update February 7, 2023: The Kobo Clara HD is no longer available in the US and has had a small price rise in both the UK and Australia, now priced at £119.99 / AU$189.95.]

Competing against the Amazon Kindle brand is a difficult task, but Kobo is attempting to do so with its new Kobo Clara HD, which has a similar specs list and price to the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite.

If you want an alternative to the big A’s biggest selling ereader, the Kobo Clara HD is here to offer you all of the same features but with a slightly different design and reading experience.

Below we'll talk you through everything we like and loathe about the Kobo Clara HD, plus everything you need to know about it.

Kobo Clara HD price and release date

  • The Kobo Clara HD price is £119.99 / AU$189.95
  • On sale in the UK and Australia
  • Currently unavailable in the US

The Kobo Clara HD's price has recently increased by £10 / AU$10 and is now £119.99 / AU$189.95, though the device is no longer available in the US. This aligns with the price of the 2018 Kindle Paperwhite, which comes in at £119.99 / $129.99 / AU$199. 

While you can still pick up the Kobo Clara HD in both the UK and Australia, it's predecessor, the Kobo Clara 2E was released in September 2022 and is available for $139.99 / £129.99 / AU$229.95 in those two regions and as well as the US.

You can get it now in the UK and Australia from a variety of retailers including Kobo's manufacturer, which is called Rakuten. You can also buy it in the UK from a variety of other retailers including John Lewis and WHSmith.

Design

  • Lighter than the Kindle Paperwhite
  • Strange looking rear that won't appeal to everyone

Comfort is one of the most important elements of an ereader, especially when you'll likely be reading books for long periods.

So you’ll be glad to know the Kobo Clara HD is comfortable to hold for long periods of time without it becoming too heavy in the hand.

At 166g this is a similar weight to the standard Kindle model, and quite a bit lighter than the Kindle Paperwhite. That's pretty much ideal.

We found it was easy to hold for long periods of reading, but also wouldn’t blow away in the slightest gust of wind. The size of the device also means it's easy to hold in one hand.

There’s still room for a 6-inch screen though, which is the most common size on ereaders at the moment. All of Amazon’s range sports a 6-inch display, but if you want something a little larger there’s always the Kobo Aura One, which comes with a 7.8-inch display instead.

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Despite the 6-inch screen, this is still a very compact device with dimensions of 157 x 111 x 8.3mm. It managed to fit in the back pocket of men's jeans, and it's easy to slot this into your bag ready for your commute.

Basically, it's a lot easier to pick up, carry and read the Kobo Clara HD than it is most of George R R Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series in paperback.

It’s made of plastic, so doesn’t feel as premium as the latest version of the Kindle Oasis, but it’s easy to grip, with the rear of the device having an odd effect that helps your fingertips hold on.

We don’t fully know how to explain it, but there are lots of little dots that looks similar to the pointillism style of artwork. It sort of feels perforated, but it's made of solid plastic rather than a pliable material that feels soft to the touch.

It may be comfortable to hold, but the effect on the back doesn’t look great compared to many other ereaders - including Kobo’s own range - so don’t expect this to be the best looking device on the market from the rear.  It's also not waterproof - for that, consider the Kobo Aura H2O.

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On the front there’s the Kobo logo emblazoned just below the screen. There are then thick bezels around the edges of the ereader, and these don’t sit flush to the screen like on the Kindle Oasis.

The bezels are quite raised away from the screen, which doesn't look great. Those bezels give you lots of room to rest your fingers though.

You won’t find yourself tapping on any buttons around the edges while you're reading, as there’s only a power button on the bottom of the device that sits next to a micro USB charging port.

Display

  • There's a 6-inch Carta E Ink display that's 300 pixels per inch
  • Easy to read in bright sunlight and has customizable brightness too

On the front of the Kobo Clara HD there's a 6-inch Carta E Ink touchscreen display that is great for reading books, as it comes with the standard 300 pixels per inch, which we’ve seen on lots of other devices including the Kindle Paperwhite.

The screen is the perfect resolution for ebooks and even suits if you plan to read graphic novels on the display, but note this will only show them in black and white. 

If you want to read comics in color, you'll have to opt for a reading app on a tablet.

The Kobo Clara HD has the perfect size display though, and you're easily able to navigate the books you're reading as well as having enough room to read at the same time. For example, you can hang your finger over part of the display ready to change page without having to stop reading and slowing down the action.

You can easily change the brightness on the display to make it easier to read in bright sunlight, or you can leave it on the auto-brightness mode, which we found worked well.

Kobo's own ComfortLight PRO technology will also change the color temperature and hue of the display depending on what time of day it is.

You can set your bedtime within the brightness section on the ereader and it will then switch to a more natural lighting that's easier on your eyes before you go to sleep. It turns down the blue light in the screen and brings forth the warmer, redder colors which are proven to help your brain switch off at night.

We had it set to come on at 10pm and it would immediately switch to a redder tint that's easier on the eye. You can also turn this on manually if you want, and there's a slider, so unlike some other products you can decide how much you want it to do.

Battery life

  • Should last for weeks without charging
  • You can recharge with micro USB at the bottom of the device

Ereaders generally have great battery life, lasting for around a month or so, and we’d expect a similar amount of time from the Kobo Clara HD.

We’ve used the ereader for a week now and found it dropped in battery by around 26%. With around an hour or so of reading a day you'll likely find this ereader to last roughly three weeks to a month, depending on how bright you have the display and whether it's connected to Wi-Fi.

Kobo has yet to provide an official estimate of how long the Kobo Clara HD will last from a single charge though. If you want to charge up the ereader, you’ll plug it in using the micro USB port at the bottom of it. 

We found this will take a few hours to charge, but you won't have to do this that often so it's not much of an issue.

Software and Kobo Store

  • Comes running Kobo's own software that's easy to set up and use
  • Kobo Store is more limited than competitors, but still extensive

The Kobo Clara HD comes with the company's own software on board, and it's easy to get your head around and set up.

Once you've got the Kobo Clara HD set up, you can find all of the menus you'll need by tapping on the three horizontal lines in the top left corner of the display.

Here you'll be able to find shortcuts to your books, your saved articles, the Kobo Store (so you can buy books) and much more. You'll also find the Settings in here, where you'll be able to set up Wi-Fi on your ereader.

The Clara HD will automatically sync with your Kobo account, so if you've used an ereader from the company or bought books on Kobo before you'll get them all automatically connected to your account.

You can then just tap on them to download. Scrolling through books is just an easy tap on the left or right of the display as there are no buttons here to help you navigate through the menus.

When you're in the book, you can tap at the top of the display to view different elements of it. The percentage read appears in the top left, while the bottom right is where you can change the size of the font or skip to different chapters.

The software on the Kobo Clara HD is accomplished and is perfect for what it sets out to do. It's simple and easy to use, so you shouldn't have many issues with reading on the Clara HD.

The easiest way to read books on your Clara HD is buying them directly from the Kobo Store, but there are a few other routes you can use to get titles. You can upload EPUB files by connecting the ereader to your computer, and some libraries also allow you to borrow ebooks too. 

Different libraries have different methods of supplying ebooks, so it's best to speak to your library about how to upload titles to the ereader.

It's worth noting the easiest way to read on your Kobo Clara HD is through the official Kobo store. You can buy and download them on the official website, connect them to your account and then access them from the ereader, or you can buy them directly on the device.

The Kobo Store is certainly more limited than the Amazon Kindle store. Kobo has over 5 million books on offer though, so you should be able to find the top-selling titles you'll want for the Clara HD, but more specialist titles may be missing here.

We tried to find ten popular books that people in the TechRadar office had read or planned to read and found that 9 out of 10 were available on Kobo's store. If you have particular favorite genres or authors, we recommend taking a look to see if they are on the Kobo store before buying this.

One thing worth pointing out is that the Kobo Clara HD comes with 8GB of storage. The Kindle Paperwhite only has 4GB, while if you want more than 8GB you'll have to opt for the 32GB and much more expensive Kindle Oasis.

That means there's lots of space on the Clara HD for ebooks, and Kobo expects there to be enough space for around 6,000 titles. It's unlikely you'll have that many, but it's good to know you've got enough space for as many as you want.

There's no 3.5mm headphone jack or Bluetooth audio on the Kobo Clara HD, which means you won't be able to listen to audiobooks on the ereader.

Considering this is a feature introduced on the Kindle Oasis and standard Kindle, and that Kobo launched its own audiobook service in 2017, we were hoping this device would be capable of playing titles. It can't though, so you'll have to opt for your phone and the Kobo app if you prefer the spoken word.

Verdict

There isn't much development in the ereader space at the moment, but that doesn't mean it's not a great time to upgrade your ereader if you bought one a few years ago. It's also a great time to get one if you've never owned one.

The top-end of the ereader market is where the more interesting developments are happening right now. That said, if you're just planning to read the odd book for an hour a day on your commute or you want a device you can load up with titles to be entertained by on your holiday and don't want lots of fancy features, the £110 / $130 devices on the market will suit your needs.

It's hard to compete against the behemoth that is Amazon in this space, but Kobo has done it here, offering a remarkably similar product for a similar price.

Who's this for?

This is for anyone who wants an ereader but doesn't need any top-end features such as a premium-feel metal design or audiobook integration. If you're looking for a mid-price device, it would be hard to go wrong with the Kobo Clara HD.

It features a great-looking 6-inch display that has the useful ComfortLight PRO features, an easy to hold design that's comfortable in the hand and tons of storage too.

The fact the Clara HD doubles the Kindle Paperwhite storage will be great for some as well, but it's very unlikely the average reader will have 6,000 ebooks to fill this up.

The software from Kobo is easy to use too, so this is perfect for anyone just starting out with an ereader who wants to get into reading ebooks instead of paper ones.

Should you buy it?

The Kobo Clara HD has a remarkably similar specs and feature list to the latest Amazon Kindle Paperwhite model, so your decision comes down to which design you prefer and which book store suits you better.

You do have twice the storage here, so if that's important for you go for the Kobo over the Kindle.

We do recommend inspecting both book stores though to ensure the sort of titles you'll want to read are covered by the option you go for. 

If you're happy with both, it's then time to look at the design, see which one you prefer and make your decision that way.

First reviewed: May 2018

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