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Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review: excellence across the board from B&W’s much-changed flagship noise-cancelling earbuds
4:30 pm | September 22, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: | Comments: Off

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8: Two-minute review

I was once told that only a poor writer starts with a quote. So forgive me, because this one (from author and leadership mentor John C. Maxwell) explains my thoughts on Bowers & Wilkins' Pi8 far better than I could: A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them. 

A lot has been corrected here, and it takes a big man (or woman, or person) to do it. TechRadar reviews typically begin with the bold claims made by a product's marketing team, and end with whether or not we felt the performance lived up to the hype. But B&W has approached this iteration with such humility, honesty and determination (rather than nonchalance and bravado) that I cannot do that. What I can tell you – and with some joy – is that the Pi8 are some of the best noise-cancelling earbuds I've ever tested.

They are, as you'll probably have guessed, completely unlike their older siblings. Gone are the Swiss watch-style embellishments and metallic circular top plates of the Pi7 and Pi5 (and the Pi5 S2 and Pi7 S2), which looked beautiful in my hand but didn't work in my ear canal. Bowers & Wilkins has effectively started from scratch this time around, deploying the services of the same in-house team that created its PX7 S2 and sublime PX8 over-ear headphones – a set of cans I said "look stunning and sound even better" under intense review. 

Has the gamble worked? While I'd love to stretch this two-minute verdict out, let's face it, the star rating at the top of this review is kind of a giveaway. Yes, it has. The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are now as physically comfortable and secure as they are sonically detailed and dynamically agile.

Also, you now get on-ear volume control. I've been knocking B&W's decision to leave this off the spec sheet since 2021, which meant that even with the company's most elite earbuds, I had to rifle through my bag to alter the volume, while propositions at a fifth of the price could do it. And now that's fixed. Okay, you have to choose whether you want the tap-and-hold gesture of either earbud to tweak volume (left down; right up) or scroll between ANC and passthrough in the left bud, and voice assistant activation in the right, but I don't care – at least, not enough to knock a half-star off. 

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are a five-star set of earbuds all day long, even at their considerable price point. 

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 held in a hand, with floral background

(Image credit: Future)

A quick bit about their corresponding Pi6 siblings, which were unveiled (as is B&W's tradition) on the same day: aptX Lossless support is reserved for the flagship Pi8. Also, while the slightly cheaper Pi6 feature new 12mm bio-cellulose drivers (based on tech used in the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e, B&W's 2023 update to the aforementioned PX7 S2 over-ears), the Pi8 get an upgraded DAC, DSP and amplifier components from ADI, meaning they effectively bypass Qualcomm's digital-to-analog converter. You also get the carbon cone drive unit technology first used in the excellent top-tier PX8 over-ear headphones in the Pi8 – see the design language carried over from that in-house team?

The Pi8 also offer the case retransmission function first seen in the Pi7 and January 2023-issue Pi7 S2. This lets you ping audio to the earbuds wirelessly but without Bluetooth, from connected analog or digital sources, (in-flight entertainment systems, gym equipment, newer USB-C-enabled iPhones, and so on). It's not the first case capable of doing the retransmission dance – see the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 or LG Tone Free T90S for more examples – but B&W's case goes a step beyond, by retransmitting in aptX Adaptive (ie. up to 24-bit/96kHz quality). It's quite the upgrade if you care about streaming quality – and with earbuds as capable (and aspirational) as the Pi8, you really should.  

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review: Price & release date

  • Unveiled on August 21, 2024 
  • Priced $399 / £349 / AU$599

Admittedly, the Pi8 are not cheap. The best one can say about the asking price is that the 2021 Pi7 launched at the same $399 / £349 / AU$699, so it's refreshing to see that Bowers & Wilkins hasn't hiked the price – although that's still top-end in today's money, to be sure. 

The cheaper Pi6 became available on September 15, priced at $249 / £219 / AU$449, which is more palatable, but remember that you don't get the flagship features or hardware, as detailed above.

What else can this kind of money buy? Why, competition is rife up here, friend! Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds come in at $299 / £299 / AU$449; Technics' excellent EAH-AZ80 are also in the same ballpark, at $299 / £259 / AU$499 and the Final ZE8000 MK2 (our pick for the best-sounding buds we've ever tested) are $399 / £289 (around AU$609), where available.

Suffice to say, it's tough at the top. But that's where B&W now finds itself – and the Pi8 are sitting rather prettily up there, it must be said. 

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 held in a hand, with floral background

(Image credit: Future)

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review: Specs

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review: Features

  • Excellent case retransmission feature
  • Effective ANC
  • Very good call-quality; Music App is a joy to use

Do the Pi8 nix noise as deftly as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds or the AirPods Pro 2? For me, yes. As I understand it, the Pi8 have received quite the overhaul here – using tech from their PX8 over-ear siblings – and however B&W has implemented this, it works. That cocooned feeling of leaving the outside world behind kicked straight in but without any sense of wind-tunnel nausea or my eardrums being unceremoniously sucked into a vacuum. It's probably also thanks to the hugely improved fit and the seal it creates betwixt those talented drivers and my ear canals (more on this later), but you should know that here, the noise-cancelling is very good. 

There’s also a useful 'Pass Through' mode, that lets me hear my colleague talking next to me. You can switch these profiles off entirely, but there’s no capacity to tweak the levels of ANC any further, and no 'adaptive' ANC option. I don't care. When the full-fat version is this good, why get granular and try to tweak things? If you just want something that kicks extraneous noise to the curb so you can revel uninterrupted in your sonic selections, the Pi8 are it. 

Now, the case: aside from its no-nonsense, pocketable appeal, you can plug that USB-C port (USB-C to 3.5mm and USB-C cables are in the box) into a non-Bluetooth source, such as an in-flight entertainment system, and it'll double as a wireless audio re-transmitter but in aptX Adaptive transmission up to 24-bit/96kHz quality. Imagine the scene: you're in the middle seat on a long-haul flight, and the window-seat passenger wants to get out. It's fine! Your earbuds are safe in your ears, still sending audio, and your fellow passenger won't trip over long tangling cables – not on your watch! 

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 earbuds, held in a hand on grassy background

(Image credit: Future)

What about call quality? I liked it a lot, despite the lack of sidetone-type tech to either boost or minimize my own or the caller's voice manually. The Pi8 have three mics per earbud and B&W says the setup's been upgraded using PX8-flavor tech. For me, even during an off-shore windy day in Woolacombe (never been? It's on the UK's North Devon coastline, surfer hotspot, you should check it out), my caller told me I came through loud and clear. 

It's worth noting that there are no ear-tip fit tests, hearing tests for creating personalized sound profiles, or proprietary spatial audio processing here. If you want those things, you'll need to look at options from Bose, JBL, or even Nothing. What you'll find instead is a very good five-band EQ tab and the talented Bowers & Wilkins Music app. This companion app will quickly become the way you access your music since it corrals all of your paid-for music streaming services (so I never need to go to Qobuz or Tidal specifically – it's all here!) and even serves up various "curated by Bowers & Wilkins" playlist selections for your new listening gear. 

For better or worse, B&W wants the star of the show to be the untouched and unadulterated sound quality, rather than giving you ways to mess with it. The inclusion of Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Bluetooth 5.4 chipset is a testament to that. But remember, a separate high-performance dedicated DAC/DSP amp has also been thrown in, to swerve that within even the Qualcomm chip. That's the extent to which B&W has taken matters into its own hands regarding the sound quality. While it might not be an ideal proposition for those who know they need to augment certain frequencies right from the box (and would rather have B&W do it for them), those who don't need specific sonic recipes cannot fail to be wowed by the separation, neutrality and sonic clarity here.

If you've got an aptX-compatible source, you'll get much better wireless audio support too, including aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive support at up to 24-bit/96kHz. And as you'll read below, the sound quality here is unparalleled from a wireless earbuds design. 

  • Features score: 4.5/5

Three screengrabs of the B&W Music app, using the Pi8 earbuds

Yes, I still love 2003 Laith Al-Deen…  (Image credit: Bowers & Wilkins)

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review: Sound quality

  • Separation, detail and clarity in spades 
  • Bass is resolute; mids textured
  • Noise-cancellation doesn't mar the experience

Rarely will you read a TechRadar section entitled 'Sound' so wholly positive, so prepare yourself: no matter what genre of music I threw at them (and no matter the streaming source) it felt as if the B&W Pi8 had unpacked, weighed, opened out, examined, layered and finally presented my music with the skilled hand of a French pâtissier. The Pi8 buds also didn't seem to care whether they were working with lowly compressed Spotify streams, Tidal Max tracks, Apple Music offerings or Qobuz albums. Everything was served up with a flourish. 

In Lupe Fiasco's Cake, bass frequencies in the vocals sink easily as low as Fiasco is able (which is considerable), revealing a bass floor few earbuds can take you to. During the title track, Samurai, I'm struck by the pin-point accuracy of each voice's placement in the mix. Hype men jump out from my ear lobes, my temples and beneath my chin in a raucous and zealous mix. 

Switching to Stranger by Hinds and Grian Chatten, jangly guitars and Hinds' ethereal vocal stylings are present and have ample room to shine, joining each other in a cohesive mix but never competing for space. Chatten's voice joins centrally and I'm living inside my head as if at a gig, with the Fontaines D.C. front-man, well, literally in front of me… 

Refreshingly, deploying ANC or pass-through doesn't make anything go sonically awry either. Bass is just as resolute in Gunna's collage with pass-through on, a profile that can so often throw a slightly tinny, sweet veil over the audio. 

Any downsides? I'm struggling – and we pride ourselves on being tough critics here at TechRadar. For attack, drive, musicality, dynamic nuance, balance across the frequencies, placement, timing, and all the other things I usually talk about where sound is concerned, Bowers & Wilkins' considerable work and back-to-the-drawing-board approach has paid off. Oh, do these earbuds sound good… 

  • Sound quality score: 5/5

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 earbuds, held in a hand on grassy background

(Image credit: Future)

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review: Design

  • Totally reworked driver housings – and it works 
  • On-ear functions require a compromise
  • Pocketable case

While they might not look as resoundingly premium as the Swiss watch-esque Pi5 or Pi7, the redesign here was necessary. The top surface of each nicely-branded bud is a shiny touch-capacitive button that works very well. 

The buds are available in Anthracite Black with silvery accents (the sample pictured here), Dove White, Midnight Blue and Jade Green. It's a plastic build, but of premium matte plastic that seems to murmur 'I'm expensive' when you pluck them from their small, pebble-shaped case. 

Bowers & Wilkins came clean to me and admitted it needed to fix some issues in the older iterations: the mic and sensors on the older Pi7 models weren’t in the best position, meaning they could get blocked by the wearer. Remember my quote at the very top of this review? It takes a big company to admit to its mistakes, and it has all been fixed for Pi8.

There's now a little indentation containing a sliver of grille, running the entire circumference of each earpiece and directly under that touch capacitive top plate. Under it are those mics and sensors – as far away from your head and ear folds as it's possible to put them. Neat.

As noted previously, a brand new "trickled down from the PX8" carbon cone driver is at the helm here, and you get four silicone ear tip options in the box: extra small, small, medium and large. I switched to the small set, but since the neck of the earbud isn't long and the design has been so carefully conceived, I don't think the tip size is paramount here. Honestly? I truly feel that B&W has taken a long, hard, humble look at Technics' EAH-AZ80 with 'concha-fit' design for the Pi8. Why do I think this? Because, as with the Technics earbuds, they look a little bulky (and they do weigh 7g each, which isn't light) but they fit just as naturally and unobtrusively. The weight is distributed as evenly as possible so they feel as if they hug your outer ear, once in situ. Simply put: they fit beautifully, and you don't need to keep screwing them further down your delicate ear canal. 

The Pi8 offer more battery life than their older siblings – but not much more. The maximum playtime is 6.5 hours from the earbuds and a further 13.5 hours from the case, for 20 hours of total use – but the good news is that those tests are with ANC on. Without it, I got closer to 8.5 hours from a single charge in my testing. For clarity, the Pi7 S2's stamina was 5 hours for the earbuds (ANC off) and an additional 16 hours from the charging case, for a 21-hour total. 

I do have one minor negative though, and it's similar to the minor issue I encountered with the JBL Live Beam 3. Basically, you need to ditch a set of functions again. To clarify, you can now get on-ear volume control by long-pressing either Pi8 earbud, but to have it you need to forego scrolling through ANC profiles and access to your voice assistant. On the one hand, I love that I now get on-ear volume support. On the other, I'd also like to have the option to deploy ANC by touching the earbuds as well. And I know it's not too much to ask at this level because the Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 can do it. 

That's where the complaints end though because when you add in that case retransmission feature, this is a very likeable, comfortable design from Bowers & Wilkins – and a complete rewrite of the playbook that I'm sure did not come easy. 

  • Design score: 4.5/5

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 earbuds, held in a hand on grassy background

The buds are truly comfy, honestly!  (Image credit: Future)

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review: Value

  • Acceptable battery life given the excellent sound
  • Sound-per-pound, they're winning
  • If you want hearing tests, you'll be disappointed

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are not cheap. They are earbuds for the listener who wants excellent, unchanged, high-quality audio in a comfortable build. If that's you, the sound here is the best I've heard in a wireless design to date. And if you've got a decent hi-res music service subscription, the B&W Music app will have at it and make your life very easy. Essentially, if you value sound quality above all else, here's where the smart money goes.

However, for battery life, the Pi8 can be beaten by recent options from JBL and Cambridge Audio, and if you want spatial audio mixed in with the ANC, you'll need to look to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds

Hearing tests (and the personalized sound profiles they can facilitate, from the Nothing Ear, for example) and ear-tip fit tests are also absent in the Pi8, so if those extras are high on your list of priorities, the value-for-money option lies elsewhere – possibly with Nothing; maybe even with the Denon PerL Pro

  • Value score: 4.5/5

Should I buy the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8: Also consider

Cambridge Audio Melomania M100
The ANC is very good indeed here, too – as is the sound quality. And to top it all off, you get the option of Matt Berry on voice prompts (his "Waiting to pair!" is the best you've ever heard). The overall aesthetic isn't as polished (the case is a little bigger) and the fit is good but not exceptional, but the M100's still a viable rival, depending on your priorities.
Make your choice by reading our Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 review

How I tested the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 earbuds, held in a hand on grassy background

(Image credit: Future)
  • Tested for three weeks; listened against the Cambridge Audio Melomania M100, AirPods Pro 2, JBL Live Beam 3 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra
  • Used at work, at home and on a long weekend away (in the office, walking along Woolacombe beach, on a train) 
  • Listened to Tidal Masters, Apple Music Lossless tracks and Spotify on an iPhone 12 Pro, a Sony Xperia 1 V and a MacBook Pro

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 became my musical companions for over three weeks – after a thorough 48-hour run-in period. 

They accompanied me to work on weekdays (walking brusquely to the station; on the London Underground network; at the office), and throughout a long weekend in Woolacombe, with regular trips along the seafront after surfing – which is a great way to test any wind interference from mics during calls.

To better test the fit and security of the Pi8, I even wore them during an aerial silks training session, and they did not budge. 

To check the audio quality across the frequencies, I listened to various playlists (spanning everything from grime to classical) on Apple Music, Qobuz and Tidal, but also podcasts and albums on Spotify, and YouTube tutorials (mostly about checking the tire pressure on my car, and how to reset the system so the warning light goes off, in case you wondered) on my MacBook Pro. 

I’ve been testing audio products well for over five years now. As a dancer, aerialist and musical theater performer in a previous life, sound quality, fit and user experience have always taken priority for me – but having heard how wonderful ANC can be when done well, I have grown to love immersing myself in a bubble of silence too. 

Read more about how we test

  • First reviewed: September 2024
Sony Xperia 1 VI review: an old-school flagship that demands some compromise
5:00 pm | August 25, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Phones Sony Xperia Phones | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Sony Xperia 1 VI two-minute review

The Sony Xperia 1 VI is Sony’s top Android phone, and it will seem pretty familiar to existing Sony fans. Even with a significant change to the screen aspect ratio versus the Sony Xperia 1 V, using the Xperia 1 VI feels like meeting an old friend. 

A lot of the typical Sony strengths and weaknesses are here too. The Sony Xperia 1 VI’s key charm is in the way it rejects several contemporary smartphone trends. It has a headphone jack. It has expandable memory. It doesn’t have a camera cutout in the screen, and Sony hasn’t cut down battery capacity just to make the Xperia 1 VI marginally thinner. 

These will all seem smart moves to a good chunk of the phone-buying audience out for something a little different. And you still get high-end camera hardware, a top-tier chip, good speakers, and an eye-catching screen — just about all the usual elements expected of a pricey Android phone.

Sony Xperia 1 VI

(Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)

The Sony Xperia 1 VI does cost a packet, though, and arguably isn’t hugely competitive considering some of the slightly less advanced parts. 

These include slower-than-ideal fast charging, camera processing that still lags a little behind the best for dynamic range optimization and night-time image processing. I also found the rear disappointingly prone to visible scratches, despite the use of high-end toughened glass. 

A big part of the appeal here is the handful of features that Sony’s Xperia 1 VI shares with much lower-end phones. There’s still a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a microSD slot built into the SIM tray. These are not expensive features to implement, but are vanishingly rare in phones of this level. 

The Sony Xperia 1 VI is a lovely phone, but you had better buy into its specific style for the outlay to be worthwhile.

Sony Xperia 1 VI review: price and availability

  • Costs £1,299 / AU$1,899
  • No US availability
  • 512GB storage version available in some territories

The Sony Xperia 1 VI is priced just like its predecessor. But unlike the Sony Xperia 1 V, this phone is not slated for release in the US. 

In the UK you’ll pay £1,299, and AU$1,899 in Australia. That gets you a 12GB RAM and 256GB storage configuration. There’s also a 512GB storage version available in some territories. But with a microSD slot onboard, seeking one of these out or paying more for the additional storage may not be all that appealing. 

The phone was announced in mid-May 2024, with general availability in June 2024.

Sony Xperia 1 VI review: specs

Here's the Sony Xperia 1 VI spec sheet in full:

Sony Xperia 1 VI review: design

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Sony Xperia 1 VI

(Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI

(Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI

(Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI

(Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
  • Classic boxy Sony design
  • Excellent water resistance rating
  • Scratch-prone rear panel

Samey or confident? The Sony Xperia 1 VI has a design much like the phone before it. This look — a no-nonsense block — has been Sony’s house style since 2012. 

Changes therefore come in some of the finer points. The Sony Xperia 1 VI has an embossed, textured glass back, and it comes in red, silver and black, as well as the subdued green seen here. It's more of an ordinary shape too, as Sony’s ultra-long 21:9 screen has been traded for a more standard 19.5:9 aspect ratio. 

As usual, Sony makes use of high-grade materials on the Xperia 1 VI. The front and rear glass is Gorilla Glass Victus (Vitus 2 for the front). Unfortunately, the treatment on the rear panel doesn’t seem to be nearly as resilient as the glass itself. 

On the first day of use, I managed to put a series of scratches on the back. These stand out because, it would appear, they make the matt finish more shiny. And since then more have appeared. 

I didn’t go to the beach or throw the phone around. The Sony Xperia 1 VI just seems unusually susceptible to damage, at least in this particular finish. And I’ve not had many complaints to level at matt glass phones before, even ones whose ruggedization sounds a lot worse on paper. 

Other ruggedisation cred here is good, though. The Xperia 1 VI is rated at the IP68 and IP65 standards, meaning it can be submerged in water at a depth of up to 1.5 meters, and can withstand low-pressure water jets; you just need to make sure the SIM tray and its rubber gasket are properly in place. 

This is a mid-size phone, but it feels a little larger than its screen size might suggest thanks to its blocky shape, and the way the lack of a camera punch-hole extends the upper-screen border a bit. There’s a combi fingerprint reader/power button on the side rather than an in-screen one and, just like the last generation, it’s not the fastest around to unlock the Xperia 1 VI, being a touch more leisurely than some.

  • Design score: 3 / 5

Sony Xperia 1 VI review: display

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Sony Xperia 1 VI

(Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI

(Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
  • High maximum brightness
  • Lower resolution than the last generation
  • More ordinary shape than before

We tech reviewers like it when a product gets you more, for less money. But less for more money? You might be in trouble. 

Sony once became famous for putting 4K screens in its high-end phones. The Sony Xperia 1 VI takes the opposite road. It has an elongated 1080p screen, one with a much lower pixel density than its predecessor. 

The key question: does it matter? At this size, pixelation isn’t obvious even in small fonts. And thanks to what appears to be careful anti-aliasing, you notice it more as a slight softness when looking close up. I’ll level with you: I didn’t notice until a week into testing when I started looking at this phone’s vital statistics. 

However, it’s one reason to drop the Sony Xperia 1 VI down a tier if you’re considering a bunch of these super-expensive phones. 

It's otherwise strong, though. The Sony Xperia 1 VI is super-bright, and seems to reach its high brightness mode when outdoors more swiftly than some. 

With launch software, it reached 720 nits in ordinary conditions, which increased to around 800 nits after an update. The screen can go brighter when it’s particularly light outside. I could only get my tester tool to register 920 nits (full field white), but others have measured as high as 1,300 nits. Either way, clarity outdoors is great. 

This is also a screen made to save power. It’s a 120Hz refresh display, but in its default mode, it drops right down to 15Hz when displaying static content. Sony says it can actually go down to 1Hz, but I’ve only seen it cycle between 15Hz and 120Hz. You can also set it to cycle between 60Hz and 15Hz instead. But after switching, the loss of motion clarity is quite striking.

  • Display score: 4 / 5

Sony Xperia 1 VI review: cameras

Sony Xperia 1 VI

(Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
  • Excels at shooting subjects very near and very far
  • Excellent shot-to-shot shooting speed
  • Night image quality and dynamic range optimization could be improved

The Sony Xperia 1 VI has three rear cameras, with an array not dissimilar to that of the last generation. There’s a standard camera, a dedicated zoom and an ultra-wide. 

It’s not all business as usual, though. Previous iterations had multiple camera apps. It was intended to provide both a standard phone experience and one closer to the feeling of using Sony’s Alpha-series mirrorless cameras. 

This approach had as much a cluttering effect as anything else. There’s now one key camera app, and it has a Pro mode inside that provides the manual control of the older models. But the one useful “pro” videographer app is apparently making a return at some point in the Xperia 1 VI, according to Sony. To accompany that style, the phone also has a physical shutter button that, just like a “real” camera’s, can be depressed halfway to focus without capturing an image. 

The range of the optical zoom camera has changed too, from 3.5x-5.2x to 3.5x-7.1x. This camera even has “telephoto macro” shooting, which simply means the zoom camera’s lens is capable of focusing incredibly close-up for a camera of this type. 

It is unnervingly effective, capable of “seeing” the subpixels on a MacBook Air’s display — the red, white and blue components of an LCD’s pixel that make white when shining out concurrently. Those are some serious macro photography chops. 

This zoom camera is a blast to use all-round. It’s great for gigs, particularly if there’s a good amount of light or you’re shooting at a festival during the day. There’s a real pro feel to the way the Xperia 1 VI just lets you shoot away at full speed, because it lets the images sit in a queue for processing when there's a spare moment rather than slowing shooting down.

You can tell there’s a drop in lens sharpness at the max zoom. And low-light shooting isn’t amazing. But the sheer shooting flexibility it puts at your fingers is creatively freeing. The Sony Xperia 1 VI is some of the most fun I’ve had with a camera all year. That the zoom also works so well super-close too, only adds to the charm of this little lens and sensor combo. 

The main camera’s primary strengths are its charming color reproduction and general decent-looking processing of detail up close. While there’s some evidence of a sharpening technique at work, the overall impression is of a camera happy to appear a little softer and more natural than over-processed and painterly. 

The ultra-wide camera isn’t quite as strong. But like all the best ultra-wides in expensive phones, you can switch to it and expect roughly the same character and comparable image quality you’d see from the primary camera. Aside from at night, where the drop in native sensitivity is more obvious. 

There are some weaker elements, though. The Sony Xperia 1 VI is more susceptible to overexposure than rivals from Samsung, Xiaomi, and Huawei, for example. This won’t usually be giant parts of the image, just smaller areas a more advanced HDR engine could pick up on. 

The Sony Xperia 1 VI is also far from the best in low light. It’s probably the worst contender at the price for simple auto-mode shooting. Sure, the processing brightens images up dramatically and there’s a respectable level of detail. But photos don’t have the level of detail in shadows as seen elsewhere. 

Video quality is good but, again, you lose some of the spotlight-pulling features of rivals. You can’t shoot at 8K, which isn’t hugely useful for most folks anyway. 

You can, however, shoot at up to 4K, 120 frames per second with all three rear cameras. The telephoto macro mode supports video too, again at up to 4K at 120 frames per second. 

The front camera has a 12MP sensor too, and it can produce detailed-looking selfies in reasonable lighting. This selfie camera is nothing revolutionary, but it’s solid.

  • Camera score: 4 / 5

Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

A zoom camera is ideal for taking photos of cats and dogs, without needing to get too close (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

While the depth of field is very shallow, making shooting tricky, the telephoto macro mode can produce great results (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

The flattening of perspective you can get at the longer zoom ranges can be quite useful for some scenes (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

Here’s a view of London using the ultra-wide camera… (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

… and a photo taken from the same spot at 7.5x zoom to show the range you have to work with (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

The Sony Xperia 1 VI’s primary camera is a dab hand at capturing landscapes (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

The Sony Xperia 1 VI’s primary camera is a dab hand at capturing landscapes (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

Sony is good at avoiding the temptation of amping up nature’s green tones too much, which is quite a common issue (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

The 7.5x zoom mode is super-handy for gigs (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

The 7.5x zoom mode is super-handy for gigs (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

The ultra-wide camera struggles at night, and ends up capturing soft-looking images (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

Fast shot-to-shot capture is highly welcome when you end up with a fast-moving subject (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

The phone doesn’t always deal well with strong contrasts in light levels: rivals would make these lit road signs appear less blown-out (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

Strong light sources at night can cause some not-unappealing lens flare (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

While night images have a pleasantly enhanced appearance, the Xperia does not bring out as much shadow detail as some (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
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Sony Xperia 1 VI camera samples

Here’s another example of the Sony Xperia 1 VI’s HDR mode failing to avoid overexposing significant parts of the picture (Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)

Sony Xperia 1 VI: software

  • Avoids the current AI obsession
  • Potentially useful creativity apps
  • Fairly normal interface

The Sony Xperia 1 VI runs Android 14 and has a largely inoffensive, not too invasive, custom interface layer grafted on top. 

My first reaction to the phone was its app menu wasn't that good-looking; I thought the text looked a little too bolded and inelegant. The Sony Xperia 1 VI provides a decent amount of customization as to how these elements appear, though. You can alter object scaling and font size independently, and some may prefer the Dark mode, which uses lighter text upon a dark background. 

Sony’s approach to apps hasn’t changed much this generation either. At a time when Google and Samsung are obsessed with AI, Sony’s angle is still to reference the other parts of Sony as a whole. 

Music Pro is a nod to Sony Music. This is a multi-track recorder app, a tiny DAW (digital audio workstation) where other phones might just have the equivalent of a dictaphone. 

External Monitor lets the Sony Xperia 1 VI act as a monitor for one of Sony’s Alpha-series mirrorless cameras. 

Video Creator is a mini editing suite that lets you edit and put together clips into a larger video project. 

All of these are neat ideas, a cut above the low-effort bloat some phones are criticized for including. But they aren’t quite ingenious or developed enough to be considered serious reasons to buy an Xperia 1 VI over a competitor. You’ll find better, more complete-feeling alternatives on Google Play.

  • Software score: 3 / 5

Sony Xperia 1 VI review: performance

Sony Xperia 1 VI

(Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
  • Significant throttling, which kicks in fast
  • Great peak performance
  • Loud and chunky-sounding speakers

The Sony Xperia 1 VI has one of the most powerful chipsets around in 2024, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. It beats Apple’s A17 Pro, used in the iPhone 15 Pro, in a lot of tests, and has notably excellent graphics performance. 

As you’d expect, then, the Sony Xperia 1 VI feels excellent in use. It’s responsive and fast, and games run great. Titles like Fortnite sing on the phone, as it only can with a true high-end chip. 

The Sony Xperia 1 VI also avoids the overheating issues earlier models in this family were subject to. However, a little stress test reveals why. 

This phone throttles its performance almost immediately when under strain. 3DMark’s test bench shows a drop in benchmark scores from the first run (which takes a minute), where other rivals will often wait for significant heat to build up before dropping power, if they do so at all. 

The Sony Xperia 1 VI settles at 58% of its peak performance, which isn’t great. It’s not as bad as some of the sub-50% results I saw in some of the earliest Snapdragon 8-series phones, mind. 

It’s good for gaming, then, but for a phone that’s been partially labeled as a “gaming phone”, you’d hope for high performance that can be sustained for longer. 

The Sony Xperia 1 VI’s speakers are an unmitigated hit. They are a stereo pair that get loud and have real meat to their mid-range. I listen to podcasts all the time on my phone, and the robustness of speakers’ voices compared to the last phone I used, the Infinix Note 40 Pro, was truly eye-opening.

  • Performance score: 3 / 5

Sony Xperia 1 VI review: battery life

Sony Xperia 1 VI

(Image credit: Future / Andrew Williams)
  • Good battery life, but only light users will see “two-day” use
  • Slow “fast” charging
  • Supports relatively slow wireless charging

The Sony Xperia 1 VI has a 5,000mAh battery. It’s an ordinary size for bigger phones in general, but larger than that of plenty of thinness-obsessed flagships.

There’s bad news too, though. As usual for Sony, the Xperia 1 VI does not include a charger. Its charging rate is also pretty poor for 2024, at just 30W. According to my power meter, tested with several different high-power adapters, it only reaches a power draw of 27.5W too. 

Even Samsung, which has been slow to adopt higher-power fast charging, offers a 45W standard. As such, Sony only claims the Xperia 1 VI meets the old fast-charging standard of 50% in 30 minutes. And it meets that, sort of, reaching 49% at the 30-minute mark. 

It takes 86 minutes to reach 100% and continues receiving power at a lower rate for a while after that. 50% in 30 minutes doesn’t feel like rapid charging anymore — not for this money, anyway. 

Real-world stamina is good, and getting a full day of use is no issue. I don’t find this a two-day phone, though; not unless you barely use your Android. A phone with a screen this bright, with a powerful chip, is just capable of too much not to be able to hammer the battery at times. I find the Sony Xperia 10 phones last longer in real use, even if they are markedly worse phones otherwise. 

Some will find the Xperia 1 VI lasts longer, though, and real-world stamina is clearly a highlight next to some of the direct competition. 

The Sony Xperia 1 VI also supports wireless charging, but again the charging speed isn’t great, coming in at 15W.

  • Battery score: 3 / 5

Sony Xperia 1 VI review: value

Sony pitches the Xperia 1 VI at the same price as its predecessor, £1,299. It’s among the most expensive phones out there, and its slight deficiencies stand out markedly at the price. 

The merely acceptable low-light performance, slow charging and moderate screen resolution are not the most comfortable match for a phone selling at this high a price. 

Meanwhile, features like a 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD slot, which are somewhat defunct from many flagship phones, help claw back some value for the Xperia 1 VI but can’t make up for the high price.

  • Value score: 3 / 5

Should you buy the Sony Xperia 1 VI?

Buy it if...

You want expandable memory
Sony goes against the grain by keeping expandable memory as an option even in its flagship phones. That’s always welcome, particularly if you want to avoid relying on Google’s cloud backup to keep your photos safe.

You want a headphone jack
Like its predecessors, the Sony Xperia 1 VI has a physical headphone jack, which has been a rarity in higher-end Android phones for almost half a decade at this point.

You want a long-lasting flagship phone
Some clever efficiency savings and a respectable-size battery deliver good battery life among flagships. The two-day use Sony claims will be a stretch for most, but it's not out of the realms of possibility for some.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best value flagship
The Xperia 1 VI costs a lot, and arguably doesn’t push the envelope in quite enough areas to be considered an entirely sound deal. You have to loosen your grip on the concept of value a little when spending this much regardless, but Sony asks for more faith than most.

You care about fast charging
While this phone gets to around 50% charge in 30 minutes as Sony claims, its charging rate feels interminably slow next to that of the flagships from Xiaomi, OnePlus, Honor and so on. Sub-30W charging at this price is not ideal.

You are particular about a hard-wearing finish
In theory, the Xperia 1 VI should be one of the toughest mainstream phones around. In practice, its finish is a little too easy to scratch causing irritating surface-level imperfections.

How I tested the Sony Xperia 1 VI

  • Review test period = 3 weeks
  • Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
  • Tools used = Geekbench 6, Geekbench ML, GFXBench, native Android stats

I used the Sony Xperia 1 VI as my day-to-day phone for several weeks. During the review period, I took it to a couple of music day festivals, on a hike across the UK’s north downs, and out and about in London. 

This real-world normal usage testing was accompanied by more technical benchmark testing, which included seeing how bright the screen could go in multiple environments, testing how powerful the chip is, and how its performance was affected by heat build-up. 

Read more about how we test

First reviewed July 2024

NTT Docomo will launch fast 6.6Gbps 5G service in August with the Sony Xperia 1 VI
7:42 pm | July 30, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: | Comments: Off

Japanese carrier NTT Docomo announced that it will launch a super-fast 5G SA service starting on August 1. The so-called New Radio-Dual Connectivity service (NR-DC) will be deployed on three frequency bands: two in the sub-6GHz range (3.7GHz and 4.5GHz) and one mmWave band (28GHz). With two 5G base stations transmitting and receiving simultaneously, devices will be able to achieve download speeds of up to 6.6Gbps. You will need the right device for this to work and currently there are only three on the supported list. The Sony Xperia 1 VI is your only choice if you want to test out the...

Sony Xperia 5 VI leaks in case maker’s images
7:21 pm | July 15, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: | Comments: Off

A report from last month suggested that Sony may be phasing out its Xperia V series, leaving the Xperia 1 as the only high-end smartphone line from the Japanese maker. A new case listing for what appears to be the Xperia 5 VI suggests otherwise. Xperia 5 VI Spigen Rugged Armor case A German online retailer listed a Spigen Rugged Armor case for the Xperia 5 VI. The accompanying images show the case on the device with some subtle differences compared to the same case on last year’s Xperia 5 V. Xperia 5 V in Spigen Rugged Armor (left) vs Xperia 5 VI (right) One...

JBL Live Beam 3 review: a strong case for stellar earbuds that easily outlast the rest
7:30 pm | June 29, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

JBL Live Beam 3: Two-minute review

There are lots of great options on our guide to the best noise-cancelling earbuds, but there's one feature that none of those excellent buds offer: a screen on the case. And the screen on the JBL Live Beam 3 is so much more fun than the display of its predecessor, because now you can select a lock-screen wallpaper from any of the photos stored on your paired smartphone, and the image will even flip so it stays the right way up (so all your friends can see it) when you snap open the case. 

I still wouldn't describe it as a must-have – it still feels as if JBL could deliver greater more through this touchscreen, since it still doesn't present functionality that your smartwatch can, for example –  but given the fact that to tweak the volume by tapping the buds results in the loss of either playback control or ANC profile-scrolling (you don't have to sacrifice anything using the box), it's certainly useful. In addition, the lock-screen wallpaper personalization feature is a nice touch. 

However, the real improvements here aren't to do with the screen. No, the real star here is the improved audio quality. It's typically Harman curve-esque and meaty – but in the best way. There's an expansive soundstage; there's dynamic agility; there's cohesion across the frequencies this time around. 

Plus, battery life is excellent at up to 12 hours from the earbuds alone, minus noise cancellation, or 10 hours with it engaged (and nearer nine with adaptive ANC on –more on the efficacy of this later). The case, too, delivers three further charges, taking your total audio playback time up to a class-leading 48 hours. For clarity, Apple's priciest Pro-suffixed AirPods only deliver 5.5 hours with its top-tier Spatial Audio deployed, or a maximum of 30 hours including the case. 

The JBL Live Beam 3 also boast a very well-rounded feature set, including auto-off when you remove one bud, a fit test, multipoint connectivity, plus a few novel bits and pieces – including "Personi-Fi", where a detailed hearing test of each ear enables you to better tailor the sound to your liking. 

I wasn't convinced by the spatial audio profiles, which is a shame, since JBL has offered a total of three immersive soundscapes for music, movies and games. If you're expecting sonic articles in a three-dimensional space here, you'll be disappointed – and although the ANC is fine, it isn't about to challenge Sony or Bose in the supreme bubble-of-silence stakes. Yes, low-level constants are massaged (my microwave humming away didn't filter through, for example), but the sound of cars outside simply floating away wasn't quite there. 

One truly valuable addition few competitors offer is something JBL is calling Smart Talk. It lowers the volume of your music and activates JBL's TalkThru mode as soon as you speak, then resumes to normal service either five, 15 or 20 seconds after you've stopped. It's a great little feature because you don't have to touch the buds to engage it  – for example, when someone in the office wants to know where that report is. And, of course, if you don't like it, it's easy enough to toggle it off in the JBL Headphones app. 

The fit is great, the battery is seemingly never-ending and, honestly, the JBL Beam 3 quickly became my go-to earbuds for confident, banging, thumping bass – and given my qualms over the audio in previous stablemates, it's a big leap forward for JBL, for which I commend the company. 

For the price, JBL offers a very reasonable sound-per-pound proposition here. Having said that, the price in the UK is currently £179.99 – not the initially reported £149.99. Nevertheless, the JBL Beam 3 still represent value for money, particularly if stamina is a priority in noise-cancelling earbuds. 

JBL LIve Beam 3 on starry blanket

(Image credit: Future)

JBL Live Beam 3 review: Price & release date

  • Unveiled January 2024 (but only available to buy from June 3, 2024)
  • Priced $199.95 / £179.99 / AU$249

The keen-eyed will note that the prices above mean the JBL Live Beam 3 (thus called because of the "beams", or stems attached) retail for $50, £50 or AU$100 cheaper than the screen-on-case-enhanced earbuds they effectively replace, the JBL Tour Pro 2.

The Live Beam 3 are actually one of three earbuds propositions with cases that JBL unveiled simultaneously in January 2024. The Live 3 range comprises the Buds, Flex and Beam, the latter of which we're reviewing here. The Buds 3 look most like standard earbuds; the Flex 3 are akin to the shape of regular Apple AirPods, with a stick design but no silicone tip that sits in the ear canal; and the Beam 3 are similar to Apple's AirPods Pro, with a stick design plus an in-ear fit and ear tips. 

All three options boast JBL's smart screen case, True Adaptive Noise Cancelling, Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio, JBL Spatial Sound, LDAC Hi-Res Audio for compatible phones, multi-point connectivity, wireless charging, and six external mics to facilitate noise cancellation and to help with calls. Also, all are similarly priced. 

There are a few differences to quickly scoot through: Buds and Beam are certified IP55 for water-resistance, while the Flex are IP54; the Buds and Beam have 10mm dynamic drivers compared to 12mm for the Flex; and the quoted battery life is up to 40 hours on the Buds, 48 on the Beam, and 50 on the Flex (for the buds and case combined).

A picture of a seal on the JBL Live Beam 3's lock-screen

Want a photo of a judgemental seal on your case? Have it…  (Image credit: Future)

JBL Live Beam 3 review: Specs

Becky Scarrott dancing, in a lock-screen on the JBL Live Beam 3

Or how about a dramatic dance shot by Peter Mares?  (Image credit: Peter Mares (Avid Images))

JBL Live Beam 3 review: Features

  • Excellent call quality features
  • Personal amplification and Personi-Fi add value
  • The case – you can't ignore it

JBL has thrown everything it has at these earbuds – and that's putting the charging case to one side for a moment, concentrating on the various audio augmentations and fixes instead. 

Call-handling is ace, thanks in no small part to the numerous options you have available to enhance the experience, including Sound Level Optimiser, which balances the volume of the voice on the other end of the line; Sound Setting, with which you can increase the bass or treble of that voice, or keep things "natural"; Voice Setting, which is the same thing, but for your own voice; VoiceAware, which is a slider to control how much of your own voice you'd like to hear during calls; and Private Call Mode, which actually lets you remove one bud and use it as a mic, so you might lower your voice a little and keep the convo private. During tests, the majority of folk on the other end said that I sounded as if I was just talking on the phone – which certainly can't be said of every set of earphones I've ever tested. 

This level of attention to detail continues across the board. You have six EQ presets or the option to create your own, plus Adaptive EQ for real-time adjustments, with the option of toggling on "Low Volume EQ" to boost highs and lows, even if you're listening at low volumes. There's even "Leakage Compensation", to sort the sonics if the tips you've fitted don't offer an optimal seal. 

The ANC has similar scope. Deploy ANC (over Ambient Aware, TalkThru or off all together) and you can customize functionality by toggling Adaptive ANC – which adjusts the level of cancellation based on your surroundings – and Auto Compensation, which adjusts things based on your ear canal and wearing status once more. 

But we're not done: if you switch Adaptive ANC off, you're presented with a slider that offers seven increments of noise-nixing, irrespective of your location. On paper, it sounds exceptional – and in reality it's good. The seventh level nixes most low-level thrums happily; it certainly doesn't color or negatively impact the presentation. Nevertheless, I think Adaptive is the way to go, because I felt it did a fair job of making adjustments when I was at the beach, on the street, and at home. Does it lower the noise floor in your noggin as deftly as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds or the AirPods Pro 2 can? Not quite. And that goes for the JBL Beam 3's spatial audio profiles (movies, music or gaming have been supplied), too. Things feel a little warmer, more bass-centric and cosier for sure; but it isn't the eyebrow-raising, bullets-over-my-head performance I might have dreamt of. 

That's the reason I knocked half a star off the score for this section, but I maintain that there's still so much here to love – and I haven't even spoken about Personi-Fi yet! This involves a lengthy hearing test of ever-quieter tones at various frequencies dealt to each ear (after an initial fit test). But it's worth it. 

After the tests, you're presented with a written report, which offers a mini verdict on the compensation required for each ear and the option to "have a try" by toggling it on and off. Suffice to say, it's not just parlour tricks or fun graphics (although there is one); it does genuinely make the music ever-so-slightly more detailed, the leading edges of notes more impactful, and the overall presentation is layered with greater precision – to my ears, at any rate. I tended to deploy this, but leave spatial audio to one side when wearing the JBL Live Beam 3. 

Lastly, to the case. I used it much more than I did when testing the JBL Tour Pro 2. It's responsive and far easier to navigate than the previous iteration, plus you can hide features you won't use in the app – the flashlight feature is fun, but it essentially just turns the screen a bright white; my iPhone's torch feature is better. I also really liked the lock-screen wallpaper. Yes, it might be the high-tech equivalent of a Polaroid sticker on your earbuds case; but so what? We're allowed to want that. 

  • Features score: 4.5/5

JBL Live Beam 3's JBL Headphones app, three screen-grabs showing smart charging case settings

(Image credit: JBL )

JBL Live Beam 3 review: Sound quality

  • LDAC tracks are beautifully relayed 
  • Bass is resolute; treble well handled
  • Greatly improved audio 

No matter what you listen to, the JBL Live Beam 3 will sound rather good, but it seems a shame to listen to lowly compressed Spotify streams when Sony's LDAC (from a compatible device – a Sony Xperia smartphone, for instance) is on the menu with these JBLs. Apple Music tracks are handled with zeal and flair, as are my trusted Qobuz tracks. 

Melissa Etheridge's' I'm the Only One is a bass-walking, axe-talking country romp. Etheridge's textured vocal is central and emotive in a mix that shines a light on each solo, riff or musical passage; it will have you dancing wherever you listen to it. 

Baby Lasagna's Rim Tim Tagi Dim is a tough ask for the driver-snap, dynamic nuance and musical cohesion in any set of earbuds, but the JBL Live Beam 3 don't shy away from it. This is techno, and it can easily be muddied in lesser earbuds. Here, though,  I felt every cymbal as it darted from my left to right ear, but never at the expense of the vocal. 

The JBL Live Beam 3 are able to unearth an extra ounce of detail through the strummed guitars and vocal in Noah Kahan's acoustic Stick Season, too, and the fact that I was tapping my foot along is proof that the timing here and agility through the low end is greatly improved over the JBL Tour Pro 2, which I felt were a tad treble-centric, even tinny on occasion. 

The sound is typically JBL at its best again, and you love to see it – sonically, they're a big hit. Want big, exuberant sound that knows when to deliver large, but also when to pull back just a little, allowing the detail to shine through? That's the sonic recipe the JBL Beam 3 present – and I like it for the money. 

  • Sound quality score: 5/5

JBL Live Beam 3, showing an incoming call, case held in a hand with red fingernails

The multi-function button on the WF-C700N beats any capacitive touch option I've tried. (Image credit: Future)

JBL Live Beam 3 review: Design

  • Earpieces fit snugly and securely
  • On-ear functions require compromise
  • The case is very likeable

I found these earbuds easy to wear – despite my small ears. However, it's worth noting that the Live Beam 3's earpiece design does sit rather far into your ear canals. Those who find this type of fit claustrophobic – think AirPods Pro 2 – may want to look at JBL's other designs, although I can't vouch for those. Again, it won't be an issue for most, just worth noting. 

The on-ear touch functions respond well and can be customised, but this does lead me to a minor negative: you need to ditch a set of functions. To explain, your command options are Playback Control, Ambient Sound Control, and Volume Control, but you have only two ears – and only two earbuds to assign jobs to. I often criticize earbuds that don't offer a way to tweak the volume of music without having to dig out a phone (or ask Siri); while the JBL Beam 3 do offer volume control, assigning that to the left earbud and Playback Control to the right meant I had to forego on-ear ANC. Yes, the touchscreen enabled me to quickly access the ANC, Ambient or TalkThru modes (although not the extra adaptive toggles), but at this level I don't think it's churlish to expect your earbuds to be able to handle all three – because other options, such as the Cambridge Audio Melomania M100, do. 

However, that's where the criticism ends; because the case is very fun. Where the JBL Tour Pro 2 felt like a prototype, the JBL Beam 3 feel every millimeter a second-gen upgrade. They've been refined, made more sleek – and more svelte, too. Yes, the case is still deeper than your average case at 3.25cm (or just over one-and-a-quarter inches) thick, but the little lanyard spot on the top right (as you look at the screen) is quite delightful – because you've now got lock-screen wallpaper to show off. 

The build quality of this case feels resoundingly expensive – and I maintain that Apple is watching from afar, to implement in future AirPods designs. And while the screen isn't an essential yet for functionality, the resolution, responsiveness and brightness – which can be adjusted; you get three levels – is spot on. 

  • Design score: 4/5

JBL LIve Beam 3 on starry blanket

The buds are comfy, honestly!  (Image credit: Future)

JBL Live Beam 3 review: Value

  • Exceptional battery life; great sound
  • The classy finish feels expensive
  • Spatial audio performance is the only issue 

The JBL Live Beam 3's battery life, sound quality (with its smorgasbord of customisations), build and finish are more than worthy of the money here. And the noise cancellation will please all but the most picky of noise-nixers. Oh, and you also get a screen – which in no way affects the stellar stamina. 

My only real gripes are the compromises relating to on-ear functionality, plus the somewhat disappointing spatial audio trio JBL offers here. If you're after buds that are great for movies, for example, I'd point you to the (much more expensive) Sonos Ace headphones, or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds

But given the competitive asking price of the JBL Live Beam 3 (the Bose alternative listed above cost $299 / £299 / AU$449, which is $100 / £120 or AU$200 more than the JBLs), there's so, so much still to enjoy for the money. 

  • Value score: 5/5

Should I buy the JBL Live Beam 3?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

JBL Live Beam 3 review: Also consider

Cambridge Audio Melomania M100
Another pricier option (although not as pricy as the Bose), but the ANC here is very good indeed – as is the sound quality. And to top it all off, you also get the option of Matt Berry on voice prompts (his "Waiting to pair!" is the best you've ever heard). No screen on the case, mind, and the overall aesthetic is far more shy and retiring.
Make your choice by reading our Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 review

How I tested the JBL Live Beam 3

JBL Live Beam 3 held in a hand with red fingernails

(Image credit: Future)
  • Tested for two weeks; listened against the Cambridge Audio Melomania M100, AirPods Pro 2 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra
  • Used at work (in the office, walking through London, on a train), at home and on the beach
  • Listened to Tidal Masters, Apple Music Lossless tracks and Spotify on an iPhone 13 Pro, a Sony Xperia 1 V and a MacBook Pro

The JBL Live Beam became my musical companions for two weeks – after a thorough 48-hour run-in period (during which I loaded many lock-screen wallpaper options to the case). 

They accompanied me to work on weekdays (walking brusquely to the station; on the London Underground network; at the office), and throughout a week in Dorset, with regular trips along the promenade and to the beach at low tide – which is a great way to test any wind-interference from mics during calls.

To better test the comfort levels and security of the JBL Live Beam 3, I wore them to the gym – and they certainly did not budge during training. 

To check the audio quality across the frequencies, I listened to various playlists (spanning everything from classical to crunk) on Apple Music, Qobuz and Tidal, but also to podcasts and albums on Spotify – and YouTube tutorials (mostly about soldering sterling silver bezels to make jewelry from the sea glass collected at the beach, if you're curious) on my MacBook Pro. 

I’ve been testing audio products for over five years now. As a dancer, aerialist and musical theater performer in another life, sound quality, fit and the user experience have always taken priority for me – but having heard how wonderful ANC can be when done well, I know what to look for. 

Read more about how we test

  • First reviewed: June 2024
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Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: | Comments: Off

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2:03 pm | June 1, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: | Comments: Off

The Sony Xperia 1 VI is out now, but many of you are probably wondering if the hefty price tag (€1,399) is really worth it or if last year's Xperia 1 V would do just fine—especially considering the lower price tag of around €850. That's nearly twice as cheap. If it were that simple, we wouldn't have done an extensive comparison between the two. The newer Xperia 1 VI does things a little differently, and we believe that most of the changes are for the better. Still, it's hard to justify the huge price gap, so we dive deeper into the different aspects like display, battery life, performance,...

Sony Xperia 1 VI pre-orders in Taiwan are 50% up compared to the Xperia 1 V pre-orders last year
4:54 pm | May 27, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: , | Comments: Off

The Sony Xperia 1 VI is off to a strong start in Taiwan where pre-orders for the new model surpassed those for the 2023 flagship by 50% – this info comes from the General Manager of Sony Taiwan Tomotaka Tsutsusushio. Pre-orders started on the 23rd and had a perk – a free upgrade from the 256GB model to the 512GB model, plus a 2-month subscription to music streaming service KKBOX (with lossless audio). Local prices have the 256GB Xperia 1 VI at NTD 40,000 and the 512GB one at NTD 44,000 (this converts to USD 1,245 and USD 1,370, respectively). The pre-orders ended today, but there are...

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