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Tineco Floor One Switch S6 review: a five-in-one wet-dry vacuum for all kinds of floor
6:35 am | December 19, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Tineco Floor One Switch S6: Two-minute review

There aren’t too many vacuum mops like the Tineco Floor One Switch S6 – it goes from being a wet-dry vacuum mop to just a vacuum to a handheld unit. Tineco claims the Switch S6 is a 5-in-1, but I found it to be more of a 3-in-1. Still, it's one of the most versatile vacuum cleaners I’ve tested. It takes into account that no two homes are alike and that several have mixed floor types – and I don’t mean just rugs; I mean homes with either wood or tile floors as well as wall-to-wall carpeting.

Product info

The Tineco Floor One Switch S6 is available in the US and Australia. In the UK, only the Tineco Floor One S6 is being sold, which is the vacuum mop without the hot-swappable vacuum attachment that allows it to also become a handheld unit. The wet-dry vacuum mop, though, is nearly identical in functionality, with just a minor difference in the display.

Its primary function is to be a wet-dry vacuum mop, so it does both at the same time. That means its main body consists of a front-mounted dirty-water tank, which has a filter to capture solids (like debris and hair) and a clean-water tank on the rear which can also take Tineco’s proprietary cleaning solution. In tests, I found that the vacuum mop was incredibly easy to use and its cleaning prowess was quite good on both wet and dry spills, thanks to really good water dispersal and the 450rpm roller cleaning head.

This wet cleaning head gets constantly washed with each rotation, plus there’s a scraper built into the casing that, as the name suggests, keeps scraping away the dirt from the roller so as not to transfer any muck back onto your just-cleaned floor.

I found the auto dirt-detection sensors to be quite good too, with the vacuum mop dynamically altering power and water dispersion to match the spill you’re trying to clean up. Equally good is its self-cleaning process, which uses clean water heated to 70ºC / 158ºF to clean the entire machine, although you will need to first manually clean out the dirty-water tank. The roller brush is then flash-dried with air, which I’m glad for, as it reduces the chances of it growing its own little ecosystem and eliminates odors. The self-cleaning process, though, I found to be rather noisy.

Where the Tineco Floor One Switch S6 falls short is when using it as purely a vacuum. Again, it’s not bad, but there’s just not enough suction power on the hot-swappable attachment to match some of the best vacuum cleaners on the market. However, I have to commend Tineco for making such a versatile cleaning machine, as it can still handle the small, quick jobs. And, thanks to being lightweight in vacuum mode, it makes sucking up cobwebs hanging off the ceiling corners easy.

Given the battery is shared between both the wet-dry functionality and the hot-swappable vacuum, the runtime of the Switch S6 isn’t too bad. Mopping, being the more power-heavy functionality, gets you a top of 35 minutes per charge, while you'll get nearly double that amount when using it as a vacuum. There are other vacuum mops with longer runtimes, but given its versatility and excellent performance on hard floors, there’s good value for money here.

Tineco Floor One Switch S6 review: price & availability

  • Launched in May 2024; available in the UK and Australia now via Amazon
  • List price: $649 / AU$999
  • UK model lacks the hot-swappable vacuum attachments

Having entered the market in May 2024, the Tineco Floor One Switch S6 has already seen some discounts during major sales but, even at full price, it offers plenty of bang for your hard-earned buck.

Unlike other vacuum cleaner models, the Tineco Floor One Switch S6 is identical in the US and Australia, where it will set you back $649 / AU$999 without a discount. Based on TechRadar’s price brackets, this price point puts the Switch S6 in the lower-premium / upper mid-range band (we consider anything over $500 / £400 / AU$1,000 as premium), but given it can be had for a discounted price at certain times of the year (usually down to around $440 / AU$640 mark), it really does represent good value as it’s so versatile.

This specific model isn’t available in the UK, although the standalone Tineco Floor One S6 is sold for £449 at full price. This is just the wet-dry vacuum mop main unit, without the swappable attachments for floor and handheld vacuuming.

While the standard S6 has plenty of comparable models from various manufacturers, including Shark and Roborock, there’s nothing quite like the Switch S6 to do a fair price comparison. Still, to put its value into perspective, the Dyson WashG1 costs $699.99/ £599.99 / AU$999, and it’s just a standard wet-dry vacuum mop. On the other end of the spectrum, the Shark HydroVac costs just $359.99 / £329.99 / AU$399.99. It’s not a versatile machine like the Tineco Floor One Switch S6, though.

You can purchase Tineco products directly from the manufacturer in the US and UK, but in Australia, the vacuums are sold via Amazon AU.

  • Value score: 4.5/5

Tineco Floor One Switch S6 review: specs

Tineco Floor One Switch S6 review: design

  • Removable motor for switching units
  • Lighter than other wet-dry vacuum mops
  • Easy storage to keep all attachments together

Tineco Floor One Switch S6 motor being removed

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

The first thing that hit me when I opened up the Tineco Floor One Switch S6 box was the staggering number of pieces that came out of it. And putting it all together while following the diagrams in the user manual was a losing battle. Thankfully, there are easier instructions on the box.

Given this is the first Tineco machine I’ve tested, I was a little surprised (pleasantly, I might add) to see that the motor is a separate piece on its own, which made sense to me once I realized it could be swapped between the vacuum mop and the standalone cordless vacuum. To handle those different tasks, there are two floor cleaning attachments in the box – the wet roller and a ZeroTangle brush. There’s also a Mini Power Brush for upholstery and a 2-in-1 crevice/dusting tool. Tineco even supplies a cleaning brush for the dirty water tank.

Tineco Floor One Switch S6 docking cradle with all attachments

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

While the main charging dock houses the mopping unit of the S6, a small side cradle fixes onto the side of the dock to hold the vacuum in place and stow the other attachments as well. So essentially, every part of this versatile machine is in one place, and the total footprint isn’t too large – so you can consider this model if you live in a smaller apartment.

The vacuum alone is really quite light and, when used as a handheld, is easy to hold up to get to cobwebs on your ceiling. And, in comparison to some other vacuum mops we’ve tested here at TechRadar, the main unit of the Switch S6 isn’t too heavy either. At 4.3kg (9.5lbs), it’s about half the weight of the Roborock Dyad Pro and the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro. Well, it is a little smaller than both of them, with the front-mounted dirty-water tank holding only 450ml of liquid compared to 720ml in the Floor One S7 Pro. So while it’s not entirely ideal for larger homes, it is more than enough for smaller ones.

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Tineco Floor One Switch S6 clean water tank

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
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Tineco Floor One Switch S6 dirty water tank

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
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Tineco Floor One Switch S6 LED display

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

The dirty-water tank is also what prohibits the Switch S6 from sliding under furniture – it’s not bendy and tilting it beyond a 145º angle will see water slosh all over your feet. The swappable vacuum unit, though, is better able to clean under furniture, but you will need to be mindful that the angle of the cleaning head doesn’t change – if it lifts off the floor, its limited suction will be diminished further.

Like many other vacuum mops, the Switch S6 also boasts an LED display that shows you the battery life in the centre and the current cleaning mode. These include ‘auto’, ‘max’ or ‘eco’ depending on the attachment you have connected. A ring of light can be seen around the outer edge of the display that, for the most part in my case, remains blue, telling you that your floor is clean. If the iLoop sensor detects an especially dirty area of floor or a lot of debris, this turns red and the motor will increase its suction power to get your floor clean. Tineco says this function works for both the wet roller head and the vacuum head, but I only noticed it working for the former. There’s no touch functionality, but all the physical controls are within reaching distance of your fingers, so using the Switch S6 is easy. Importantly, it moves over floors smoothly, so you don’t need to exert too much energy when getting your cleaning done.

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Tineco Floor One Switch S6 crevice attachment

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
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Tineco Floor One Switch S6 crevice attachment with brush

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
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Tineco Floor One Switch S6 being used with vacuum attachment

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
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Tineco Floor One Switch S6 being used with upholstery attachment

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Aside from the main wet/dry foam roller head, the Tineco Floor One Switch S6 also comes with a swappable vacuum head for carpets and soft flooring. It’s fitted with what Tineco calls – and claims to be – a ZeroTangle brush to prevent fluff, hair and other debris getting caught up and affecting its cleaning performance. In my time using the vacuum head on carpets and rugs, I can certainly support the claims as I’ve not once had to pick or clean anything out of the brush.

Smaller attachments include an upholstery brush for use on a sofa or in the car, for example, and a crevice tool with a brush that can be attached or removed to the end to assist with agitating debris in hard to reach areas. An extender pole can be attached to the main motor unit too, and the crevice tool can also be used on the end of it.

The removable motor, which can be swapped between the mop unit and the vacuum, is easy to remove from the former but, during my testing, I found that it’s a little harder to take off from the vacuum. It needs a little extra elbow grease, so it’s a good thing it has its own handle.

  • Design score: 4.5/5

Tineco Floor One Switch S6 review: performance

  • Excellent mopping, but not a lot of suction when vacuuming
  • Auto dirt detection works effectively to boost performance
  • Self-cleaning functionality is good, but noisy

While I personally hadn’t tested any Tineco vacuum prior to the Switch S6, we have tested a few of the brand’s machines previously and have been impressed with what the company has been able to achieve at the mid-range price tag in terms of performance. The S7 Pro – while now discontinued in Australia – continues to be our pick of one of the best wet-dry vacuum cleaners for other markets.

So the expectations were high for the Switch S6 going into testing and, while it didn't outperform its older sibling, it still holds its own – particularly as a vacuum mop. I was very surprised at how much dirt it gathered in its tank, even when I thought the floors in my test space (which, for this review, was my own apartment) were looking quite clean. Importantly, none of the mopped-up dirt made its way back onto the floor.

I found that leaving the machine on Auto mode was ideal for my purposes, but there is also a Boost option for some extremely stubborn spills. The wet roller rotates at 450rpm and the cleaning head does a good job of dispersing water onto the floor for easy mopping. I found that even with caked-in stains, the Switch S6 needed no more than 3-4 passes before it mopped it all up. I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly the water dried, meaning I could walk on my floor within a matter of minutes.

What impressed me the most was how well the wet roller cleaned along the edges of a room (along skirting boards). While it won’t necessarily be able to get into very tight spaces, I found that it was able to automatically boost cleaning if it detected more dirt along room edges. I was relieved to find this didn’t need to happen very often in my apartment, but it was also reassuring to learn the iLoop sensor was doing its job.

Dynamic suction is also available for the hot-swappable vacuum as well, but don’t expect it to perform like a Dyson or Shark. While Tineco hasn’t revealed how many air watts of power is available for suction, I suspect it’s around 120 air watts. That's not as good as the approximately 250aw you get from the Dyson Gen5detect or Samsung Bespoke Jet AI, but it’s enough to handle the little clean-up jobs you might need in a pinch. I also appreciated the LED light in the vacuum head to help shine a light on otherwise invisible debris, ensuring I didn’t miss any spots. The vacuum could handle the regular weekly vacuuming, but I think the mop does such a fantastic job that vacuuming becomes unnecessary as a regular chore, saving me time.

The mopping head also made light work of liquid spillages, with just one pass being enough to clean up some milk from the floor. The iLoop sensor also kicked into gear to recognise there was a major spill and so adjusted its suction power accordingly. It also did an admirable job with grains such as rice, easily vacuuming up a small portion of rice from the floor and taking it through to the dirty water tank.

While the regular vacuum attachment does a good job with everyday dust and debris, it doesn't perform as well when attempting to vacuum up the same portion of rice. As you can see in the video, I vacuumed up a small portion of risotto rice, and while it seemed as though it had all been collected from the floor, when I picked the vacuum up, it all fell back out.

The lack of suction power also means that if you do have mixed flooring, the vacuum would definitely struggle on wall-to-wall carpeting with hair and dirt embedded deep into the fibres. I used it on the bedroom carpet and on a living room rug and wasn’t quite enthused by its suction, despite being in Boost mode. It’s still effective on hard floors, but only with everyday debris and crumbs.

However, I appreciate the fact that the Switch S6 also converts into a handheld unit. As I’ve mentioned earlier in this review, it’s light enough to keep raised for long periods of time, so cleaning upholstery or ceiling fans isn’t too hard at all.

  • Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Tineco Floor One Switch S6 review: maintenance

  • Has a self-cleaning process that is good, but noisy
  • Flash-drying of the mop takes place automatically
  • Manual cleaning of the dirty-tank is necessary

When you’ve finished a clean using the mopping roller head and returned the machine to its docking station, the voice prompt (if you leave it activated) will instruct you to perform a self-cleaning cycle. A button on the handle with a water droplet icon is all you need to press and the machine takes care of the rest. The self-cleaning cycle sees the machine using leftover clean water heated to 70ºC to blast the roller head while it spins to remove any dirt and debris. Dirty water collected in the tray is then vacuumed up into the dirty water tank. This process takes a couple of minutes, after which the Switch S6 blasts the roller head with hot air for around a further five minutes to dry it completely. Suction continues to be used to remove any last dirty water droplets.

It’s an effective process but one that is pretty noisy and much louder than when the machine is used for cleaning. I used a decibel meter app on my phone and recorded a reading of around 78dB. Even with the machine in my laundry room towards the back of my apartment and the door shut, I could still hear it from my living room roughly 26ft / 8m away.

Once the self-cleaning cycle is complete, the voice prompt will inform you it’s finished and tell you to empty the dirty water tank to prevent odors. I absolutely agree you should do this, as (to my surprise) odor can build up quickly. Removing the tank is simple, and you’ll want to separate the lid and the filter and run everything under a tap to remove any debris collected. I left the pieces to air dry before attaching them back to the main unit.

Tineco supplies a small brush to help agitate and remove debris from the filter. You’re also able to remove the roller head entirely to give it an even deeper clean, and Tineco supplies a spare to swap over.

  • Maintenance score: 5/5

Tineco Floor One Switch S6 review: software

  • Voice prompts are a lovely touch
  • Tineco Life app is superfluous but handy

Tineco wants to make your time using the Floor One Switch S6 as easy as possible and so has integrated a voice prompt feature to give you useful instructions and to let you know what the machine is doing. These include telling you to perform a self-cleaning cycle, that it’s charging and which cleaning mode has been selected. If you don’t want to hear them, you can silence them within the Tineco Life app, or simply reduce the volume a few notches.

I found that the app itself wasn’t all that useful, and in some instances, totally unusable. I found that the machine has to be on, or at least ‘woken up’ for the app to connect. I wasn’t going to hold my phone whilst using the vacuum, so the only realistic time you can view information is soon after you’ve put it on the charging dock. It will eventually power itself down entirely, at which time I found the app didn’t connect.

Screenshots from Tineco Floor One Switch S6 app

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

When you do manage to get the app to connect to view information, there isn’t really much to see. You can view a bar graph infographic showing the amount of time you spent cleaning on a particular day, and the current state of the water tanks and the roller head. On all occasions they all returned a ‘Normal’ result during my time testing, but the intention is that it will tell you if something needs cleaning.

There is a user manual in the app too, but I was never able to get this to open. It instructs you to “tap to enter the corresponding tutorial manual”, but in my experience, there was never anything to tap on. The app also regularly displayed the battery level as 0%, despite it being fully charged on the charging dock.

  • Software score: 3.5 / 5

Tineco Floor One Switch S6 review: battery life

  • Decent battery life but not adequate for large homes
  • Up to 35 minutes mopping; up to 65 minutes vacuuming
  • Takes a while to top up

The Tineco Floor One Switch S6 has average battery life for a vacuum mop. The company hasn’t revealed what battery capacity it’s using, but you won’t get more than 35 minutes when using the main vacuum mop unit. That’s because it needs more power to suck up dirt and debris while washing floors and keeping the brush rolling. This may not seem like much, but I found it more than enough for my apartment (which has an approximate total cleaning area of 120 sqm / 1,300 sqft), but potential users living in larger homes will need to consider another option with better battery life.

If you’re just vacuuming, however, there’ll be up to 65 minutes available on tap.

  • Battery score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Tineco Floor One Switch S6?

Buy it if...

You want one machine for all floor types

With a mopping head and a regular vacuum attachment, the Switch S6 can tackle all floor types with just one swappable motor. View Deal

You want an assured clean

With the iLoop sensor in mopping mode, suction power automatically increases when it detects major dirt and debris, meaning you can be sure everything will get sucked up. View Deal

You have a smaller home

I had no issues concerning battery life in a 2 bedroom apartment, with plenty of juice left in the tank after a clean.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You have deep pile carpet

The vacuum attachment for carpet doesn’t have the suction power to get deep within the fibres.View Deal

You have a tight budget

You are essentially getting four vacuum cleaners in one, but there are cheaper alternatives that do a similar – and sometimes better – job.View Deal

Also consider

Shark HydroVac Cordless
This 3-in-1 machine cleans and vacuums hard floors and carpets with a single roller head. No other attachments means it struggles with tight corners and ceilings, but for main tasks, it offers great value.

Read our full Shark HydroVac Cordless reviewView Deal

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine
Excellent performance in both mopping and vacuuming functions, but some design flaws keep it from getting full marks. Plus, you'll need to spend Dyson money.

Read our full Dyson V15s Detect Submarine reviewView Deal

How I tested the Tineco Floor One Switch S6

I tested this vacuum over a period of about a month in my apartment, which has a mixture of sealed wood flooring, tiles and carpets. I ran tests to see how well both main attachments picked up liquid spills and common solid spills such as rice and other grains.

Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch review: a big photo frame that’s not quite bright or brilliant enough
2:34 pm | December 17, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Smart Home | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch review

The Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch is an affordable digital photo frame that uses the third-party Frameo app to enable you to easily share your snaps via the frame. Right out of the gate, the first thing you’re likely to notice is that price; while its $149.99 / £169.99 retail price isn’t anything to write home about, during sales season we've been seeing prices around $89.99 / £89.99 – that’s a seriously low price for such a sizeable digital photo frame.

Connecting with the Arzopa Digital Picture Frame is nice and easy. Once you’ve powered it up and connected it to your Wi-Fi, you can scan an on-screen QR code to download the Frameo app. Now, simply press the "Add a Friend" button on the Arzopa’s screen, punch in the code that appears into the Frameo app, and you’re ready to start sharing pics. Even better, you can repeat this step to set up friends and family so they too can share their snaps with your frame.

Not everyone wants to share their photos with the cloud, particularly if they’re security conscious or have young children. If this is you, then the Arzopa’s offline storage will be music to your ears. The frame includes 32GB of internal storage and, should you fill this up, you can easily expand its storage capacity up to 128GB via its SD card port. This does fall short of what some of the best digital photo frames offer, but it still isn't bad, all things considered.

All digital photo frames built on the Frameo app work in the same way and, generally speaking, I’d say this is a positive. The app is easy to use: you can browse your device’s whole image library or just specific albums, adding individual photos or uploading up to 10 at a time. Unfortunately, if you want to upload more than this in one go, you’ll need to upgrade to Frameo+. The cost of this isn't exorbitant at $1.99 / £0.99 a month or $16.99 / £7.99 a year, but you'll need to bear this in mind when calculating if this frame is the right price for you.

As I mentioned in my Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame review, I’m not entirely keen on the way the Frameo app handles cropping images for digital photo frame’s auto-rotate feature. When uploading each image, you’ll set a circular focal area that the frame will ensure remains in frame in either orientation. However, this can still leave some images oddly centered or cropping out details you hadn’t anticipated. I’d rather just have the option to manually set the crop for each image.

The Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch showing a macro image of a bumblebee in front of a muted purple rhododendron.

(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)

Once your shots are on the Arzopa, its 15.6-inch display definitely delivers your snaps with impact; the frame feels generously sized compared to many of the other affordable frames out there. Since its 1920 x 1080 resolution is shared over that larger screen estate, pixel density does fall somewhat next to rivals such as the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame at 212ppi. However, images still look pretty crisp; rendering my macro shot of a bumblebee, the Arzopa frame shows off every grain of pollen and every hair of her fuzzy coat in decent detail.

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The Arzopa 15.6-inch WiFi Digital Picture Frame showing a macro image of a bumblebee in front of a muted purple rhododendron.

(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
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A macro image of a bumble bee collecting nectar in a bright pink rhododendron.

(Image credit: Josh Russell)
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Bright red maple leaves with hues of scarlet, burgundy and amber.

(Image credit: Josh Russell)

Unfortunately, where things start to come undone is with color. On my iPhone 16 Pro’s screen, a photo I took of a fireworks display reveals a shower of magenta and violet stars in a glowing pink nebula. But when I uploaded it to the Arzopa, the red and pink hues looked washed out, completely robbing the image of any punch. Similarly, floral shots completely underwhelmed, the lack of vibrancy going far beyond slight variations in color profile to looking actively anemic and poorly shot.

The Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch does fare better when it comes to black-and-white photography at least. Thanks to its deep blacks and bright highlights, its display is sufficiently contrasty to deliver monochrome landscape and architectural shots with impressive details. The Arzopa frame definitely shows off HDR photography to a high standard.

However, even this bold contrast was slightly undermined by its screen. Perhaps even more than its muted hues, the lack of a matte finish really damages the Arzopa’s performance in bright light. Without any treatment to diffuse incoming light, my photos were always obscured by hard-edged, geometric reflections of the panel lighting in the TechRadar offices; it was almost impossible to ignore since it made it difficult to make out details in the images. Worse, this reflectiveness means the frame is almost certainly unusable in direct sunlight, further restriction its position in your home.

This tendency toward glossiness extends to other elements of the frame’s design. The Arzopa’s frame feels a little cheap and plasticky, but thanks to its black color, this doesn’t feel so in your face. However, the frame’s bezels are much harder to ignore – despite the fact their beveled edges are designed to make them look more like mounting, the white plastic is so cheap-looking and reflective that it does detract from the overall quality of the frame.

Plus, there are other unusual design choices: the frame’s stand is literally just a plastic stick that screws into one corner of the frame. While it seems to do an okay job of supporting the frame in either horizontal or vertical orientation, I’m not convinced it’s sturdy enough to withstand becoming damaged over time.

Buy it on sale, however, and the Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch is available for an astoundingly good price – and it’s almost certainly better quality than some of the bargain-basement frames you’ll find on Amazon. In terms of crispness of picture, contrast and ease of use, it’s great value for money. However, its muted hues, overly reflective screen and the cheapness of its finish do make my recommendation here equivocal – if you can only find it at a higher price, some of the similarly priced best digital photo frames might make a better choice.

The Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch showing the screen reflecting its immediate surroundings.

(Image credit: Future)

Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch review: price & release date

  • MSRP of $149.99 / £169.99 but currently reduced to $89.99 / £89.99
  • Available now in both the US and UK
  • Frameo app free or $1.99 / £0.99 a month for Frameo+

The Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch is available now in both the US and UK.

Its price varies to quite a degree, which has a huge impact on the value you’re getting. At its full price of $149.99 at Amazon US or £169.99, at Amazon UK, it effectively costs as much as the $159.99 / £149.99 Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame, which I'd argue is a much higher-quality frame, thanks to its anti-glare screen and delivery of bold colors. However, some of the sale prices we’ve seen bring the Arzopa frame down to around $89.99 / £89.99, which makes it a far more appealing option, especially if you can’t stretch to the more expensive Pexar.

One other important consideration here in terms of price is the Frameo app. While the base tier is free, to upload more than 10 photographs at a time or videos longer than 15 seconds, you’ll need to upgrade to Frameo+, which costs $1.99 / £0.99 a month or $16.99 / £7.99 a year. That will allow you to upload 100 images at a time, send two-minute video clips, and manage the content on your Arzopa remotely via the app.

The bottom of Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch showing its ports.

(Image credit: Future)

Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch review: specs

The Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch showing a monochrome image of the Roman Bridge of Córdoba.

(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)

Should I buy the Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch?

Buy it if…

You want a big, crisp screen
At 15.6-inches, the Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi delivers a lot of screen estate on which to display your snaps. And while pixel density is lower than the 212ppi of the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame, photos still look crisp and clear.

You can get it on sale
Whether the Arzopa frame delivers good value very much depends on the price you pay for it. Pick it up for the sale price of around $89.99 / £89.99 and you’re getting a very good deal, but you don’t have to spend much more than its MSRP of $149.99 / £169.99 to get a superior product.

Don’t buy it if…

You want your colorful snaps to pop
Vibrant hues aren't the Arzopa frame’s forte – colorful subjects such as flowers and fauna can look muted at best, and downright drab at their worst. Fans of black-and-white photography needn’t worry – but if you want your walls to be a riot of color, other frames might prove a wiser investment.

You want to use it in bright rooms
The Arzopa’s glossy screen means it's entirely unforgiving when it comes to reflections – whether using it during the day or at night, I found natural and artificial sources of light completely overwhelmed the brightness of the screen. Fundamentally, if it's to sit opposite windows or under harsh lighting, you’d be better off looking for a frame with a matte screen.

Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch review: also consider

Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame
The Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame scarcely costs any more than the Arzopa at full price, at $159.99 / £149.99; however, performance is superior. It offers a 2000 x 1200 resolution across its smaller 11-inch screen, delivering higher pixel density, while colors are far more vibrant. Plus, its matte, anti-glare screen keeps reflected light to a minimum. Read our full Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame review.

Aeezo Portrait 01
If you’re unable to stretch to the Arzopa – or can’t find it at a reduced price – the Aeezo Portrait 01 is a bargain alternative that also includes internal storage and costs just $69.99 / £55.99. You’ll get bolder albeit sometimes slightly unnatural, colors; but the sacrifice is resolution at only 1280 x 800, rather than the Arzopa’s 1080p. Read our full Aeezo Portrait 01 review.

How I tested the Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch

I tested the Arzopa Digital Picture Frame WiFi 15.6-inch over several weeks. I uploaded a range of photos to it using the Frameo app and connected multiple other people to enable them to share images with the frame, too.

To test the performance of the frame, I uploaded a wide array of portrait and landscape images and included everything from brightly colored shots of flowers and animals to monochrome architectural shots. Additionally, I positioned the frame in multiple places around my home and the TechRadar office and changed its orientation between portrait and landscape.

I have many years of experience taking photos, both on my Canon DSLR and my iPhone 16 Pro and, over the past 15 years, I’ve taken over 40,000 photos. I’ve also spent many years working in print publishing, doing post-production on photos and preparing images for print. This means I have a lot of experience in making images look as close to their source as possible.

Blink Outdoor 4 review: affordable, beginner-friendly home security that gets the job done
8:19 am | December 12, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Home Security Smart Home | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Blink Outdoor 4: one-minute review

The Blink Outdoor 4 is an outdoor-intended camera that offers weather resistance and a simple, easily fixed square design that's perfect for placing up in the corner of a roof or sitting on a windowsill. Its best feature is a phenomenal two-year battery life, powered by two easily replaceable AA batteries – though if you really want, the camera can be powered via a USB-C connection.

Available for $99 / £92.24 / AU$149, this outdoor, battery-powered camera may be attractive just for its low cost. Blink is Amazon’s budget home security brand, and unlike its premium brand Ring, Blink is focused on affordability. Still, the camera works quite well and has a worthwhile range of features. With the included Sync Module 2, offline video capture and storage can be facilitated, provided you have a USB-A device connected (below 256GB).

Aside from this offline solution, you may instead wish to subscribe to one of Blink’s paid memberships, which offer additional features like unlimited 60-day cloud storage and photo capture. However, for most of my time with the Blink Outdoor 4, I used the free subscription with the Sync Module 2, and found it to be a perfectly fine experience.

Setting up the Blink Outdoor 4 was extremely easy. Everything happens through the Blink app for Android and Apple handsets, where you’re prompted to set up an account (you can link to your Amazon account in the app). Pairing your Outdoor 4 with your Sync Module comes next – and as long as they’re both on the same Wi-Fi network, everything works seamlessly. You can place the Sync Module 2 anywhere in your home provided it has power.

After setup, I could check-in on the camera at any time through an always-online live feed. This offers decent (if a bit grainy and motion blurry) 1080p stream, along with two-way audio with sound quality that isn’t terrible, but isn’t the clearest either. Motion-triggered notifications are available with all three subscriptions, but motion event recording, live view recording and person detection are restricted to paid subscriptions.

Motion detection is reliable and you are given the option to turn up the sensitivity in the settings (you can even adjust retrigger time between events). Person detection is serviceable and I generally didn’t have any problems with it, testing it both inside and out.

On the hardware side, the Blink Outdoor 4 is easily mounted on the outside of a home with the included bracket, and its IP65 rating gives it a fair amount of resistance to the elements. A basic mounting kit and power adapter is included in the box, but I’ve happily had the Outdoor 4 sitting on my windowsill over the past couple of months with no mount attached.

Adjusting privacy zones in the app is easy, but selection is limited to an array of rectangular zones on the display (privacy zones will be completely greyed out). The same goes for setting activity zones, though you are given slightly more depth of customization with this setting.

In terms of quality, you may be left unimpressed with the Blink Outdoor 4 if you’re after a replacement for a premium outdoor camera from Ring or Eufy. The 1080p resolution is perfectly fine for a first time home camera, but it’s no premium device. Selecting the ‘best picture quality’ setting will resolve some issues with moving object blur, but you may still find it a bit too grainy. Improving the video quality does reduce battery life. It may be unattractive to you if you already have a robust security system, and it's more intended as a first-time device.

Overall, you’ll be impressed with the Blink Outdoor 4 if you’re after a cheap and reliable battery-powered camera for outdoor or indoor use. It’s not the best security camera on the market but it’s a good entry-level pick for a security-minded homebody. Check out our article on the best home security cameras if you’re shopping for an alternative.

Blink Outdoor 4: price and availability

A hand holding the Blink Outdoor 4 wireless security camera

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)
  • List price: $99 / £92.24 / AU$149
  • Availability: US, UK, and Australia
  • Release date: November 2023 (October 2024 in Australia)

The Blink Outdoor 4 is available at quite a low price when compared to other home security cameras, but it’s designed to be an affordable solution. It's been available in the US and UK since November 2023, but only made its way to Australia (along with the Blink brand) in October 2024.

Directly compared to its predecessor, the Outdoor 3, the Outdoor 4 sports a slightly wider field of view (143 degrees versus 110), upgraded night infrared vision, better motion detection, dual-zone motion alerts and person detection. Additional purchases for things such as mounts may be required depending on where you want to place the Outdoor 4 in your home.

Being able to store all footage locally is a huge plus, but note that you’ll need to use the included Sync Module 2 and your own USB-A storage device (up to 256GB). Stored footage can be viewed through the Blink app.

  • Value score: 4 / 5

Blink Outdoor 4 subscription offers

A Blink Outdoor 4 wireless security camera sitting on a shelf

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)

Blink has two subscription tiers to choose from, both offering unlimited recording cloud storage for up to 60 days. Monthly or yearly billing is available.

  • Blink Basic: $3p/m | £2.50p/m | AU$4.95p/m
  • Blink Plus: $10p/m | £8p/m | AU$15p/m

Blink Basic includes support for one device, motion event recording, live view recording, automatic local storage backups, instant video access, video sharing, person detection and photo capture. Blink Plus includes all Basic features, along with unlimited device inclusion, moments capture, notification snoozing and 10% off Blink devices.

Blink Outdoor 4: specifications

Blink Outdoor 4: design and features

The Blink Outdoor 4 on brickwork

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)
  • Easy setup
  • No privacy cover
  • No remote control capabilities

Setup for the Blink Outdoor 4 couldn’t be more simple. After slotting in the batteries, all I had to do was download the app, scan the barcode on the back of the device, and follow the prompted steps. Setup for the Sync Module 2 is similarly simple.

The Blink Outdoor 4 is only available in Black, and though a basic mounting kit is included in the box, you can get by with just sitting the Outdoor 4 on a flat surface. There’s no motorized movement, meaning you’ll need to make any position adjustments by hand.

The basic mounting kit can be screwed into the wall or ceiling, but note that you’ll likely want it to be within easy reach to replace the batteries. There’s no privacy cover and no ability to simply cut recording unless you physically remove the batteries.

Setting privacy zones is easy enough, but you may be left underwhelmed by the lack of customization. Zones can only be created as collections of rectangles, as can activity zones (though activity zones are given slightly smaller rectangles to modify, allowing for greater coverage control). If you so wish, you can disable video recording or disable the audio connection.

  • Design and features score: 4/5

Blink Outdoor 4: performance

The Blink Outdoor 4 camera in hand

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)
  • Two years of battery life
  • Some lag and pixelization
  • Can be positioned almost anywhere

I reviewed the Blink Outdoor 4 in two different positions – sitting atop my lounge room shelves (keeping an eye on the room) and sitting on the windowsill (keeping an eye on my front door/lawn). In these spots, I tried out all the different recording qualities and, predictably, was most satisfied with the highest quality selection. Two years of battery life is quite a long time to begin with, so I’m not too worried about running the device flat too quickly.

Accessing these settings is easy. Go to the app, then tap the three dots displayed in the corner of the camera’s view, then click device settings. If you have multiple devices set up, you may want to tap the settings icon in the bottom right corner, then access Device and System Settings, then tap the ‘System’ you want to edit, followed by ‘All Devices’, then the camera you want to modify.

All of the video quality options are quite acceptable for the price. Graininess and blurred movements are fine at this end of the market, and ultimately the quality was never so insufficient that the camera was unusable. The camera is set to ‘Standard’ mode out of the box, with lower quality ‘Saver’ mode and ‘Best’ also available. Night vision was also sufficiently capable, but it’s not presented in colour, owing to the lack of an LED light on the device.

Screenshots taken from Blink app showing video footage

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / Future)

Audio quality was fine and is most comparable to a standard intercom buzzer for an apartment. Back and forth communication is easy with microphones and speakers on both ends (on the camera and on your smartphone), but Ring fans may find it lower quality than what they’re used to. Motion sensitivity was fine, and for the duration of my review, I had it set to the default setting of five. I could turn the sensitivity up if I wished, but I found no need.

It’d be nice if the Blink Outdoor 4 had the option to view footage on a browser or computer, or any device without the smartphone app. Being limited to your small phone screen for your home security is disappointing, so hopefully this is changed at some point.

Finally, obviously the two year battery life is an estimation provided by Amazon. Unfortunately I’m not a time traveller, so I can’t provide a good estimation of my own on this – though over my two months of use, it hasn’t had any battery issues (the battery is still reportedly ‘OK’ in the app with no percentage offered). Most of my use was inside however, so I could have easily gotten by with USB-C delivered power.

  • Performance score: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Blink Outdoor 4?

Buy it if…

You want a security camera that saves locally

Though you have to bring your own storage device, the included Sync Module 2 allows you to store footage for ready access.View Deal

You want to save money

The Blink Outdoor 4 is built to save you money and you get decent value with what’s on offer.View Deal

You want a long battery life, wireless camera

Two years of battery life with two AA batteries is nothing to balk at!View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You already have a robust home security system

The Blink Outdoor 4 isn’t compatible with anything outside of the Blink ecosystem (apart from access through Alexa). It doesn’t mix with Ring, despite being owned by the same company.View Deal

You want the highest quality footage

Recording at a maximum of 1080p, the Blink Outdoor 4 doesn’t shoot the highest quality footage, and you may find videos grainy and blurry at times.View Deal

You dislike using apps only

Though the Blink camera app is quite well designed, you can’t currently access your camera system through a computer app or browser, meaning you’re limited to a smartphone or tablet display when previewing footage.View Deal

Blink Outdoor 4: also consider

Blink Mini 2

A sibling to the Outdoor 4, the Mini 2 is a wired-only alternative, capable of shooting in the same resolution and sold at a cheaper price point. It might be more attractive if you intend to place the device indoors, but setting it up outside will require extra handiwork. Read our Blink Mini 2 review.View Deal

Arlo Ultra 2

Shooting at up to 4K and offering HDR night vision, the Arlo Ultra 2 is a more premium wireless outdoor camera than the Outdoor 4. That being said, its six month battery life is nothing compared to the Outdoor 4’s two years of charge, and it’s considerably more expensive. Read our Arlo Ultra 2 review.View Deal

How I tested the Blink Outdoor 4

  • Tested it over two months in my home
  • Assessed the device on sound and video quality
  • Set it up in several different spots in several different configurations

From the moment I received the Blink Outdoor 4, I got to work testing it. I put it through its paces as a casual device, not putting it into a hardcore testing environment and instead treating it as something I would use in my own home.

For most of my review period, the Outdoor 4 was positioned at the top of my shelves, looking over my lounge room. It was given a decently lit and sized room to allow for motion and person capture, and I was given the ability to test privacy and activity zoning with a lot of freedom.

I tested audio quality by giving the camera to a friend and going to the next room, allowing us to have a conversation over the two devices. I frequently checked the camera through the app and would use it to make sure I closed my front door.

I assessed the Blink Outdoor 4 as a first time device, as somebody who has never had a home security camera.

Read more about how we test.

First reviewed December 2024

Evie smart ring review: in the year of smart rings, this woman-first health tracker falls short
10:42 pm | December 5, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Health & Fitness | Tags: | Comments: Off

Evie Ring: One minute review

The Evie smart ring hit the market with a splash in late 2023, promising to address the otherwise underrepresented women’s health tracking market with features like period tracking and symptom journaling, a pulse oximeter that’s been approved by US regulators, and an open-ring design that accounts for fluctuations in women’s finger sizes throughout the day.

So how does it measure up against the best smart rings? It’s unfortunate for Evie that 2024 has been the year of smart rings, because the goal posts have moved significantly with the release of the Samsung Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring 4. When I saw the Evie smart ring in January at CES 2024, it was a plucky upstart ready to shake up the space; just under a year later, it feels outdated. Parent company Movano actually discontinued the product for several months this year to address concerns in early customer feedback, too, it’s been a rocky start for the Evie Ring.

Such is the fate of many woman-first ventures, and in that respect, I can’t blame Movano for the flaws of the Evie Ring compared to its competition. However, it’s just bad luck and timing that many of its major health-tracking competitors have brought features like ovulation tracking and blood temperature sensing up to speed, even if none of those competitors opt for a woman-first design as Evie does.

Still, the Evie Ring is relatively affordable, especially given that there’s no additional subscription fee, and if you want a device more for general health and wellness purposes rather than activity tracking, it’ll cover most bases.

It’s worth highlighting that I tested the device in the UK, where the ring has yet to be released, and I was therefore using a TestFlight version of the app on iOS; however, the experiences I’ve described below are consistent with those of other reviewers and users who’ve tried Evie in the US. And, while Evie also announced the addition of further data insights as of September 2024, I can’t see any users or reviewers online talking about these, nor did they appear in my TestFlight app. As of writing, the Evie Ring works with both iOS devices and the recently-added Android OS 12 and above support.

Evie Ring: Price and availability

  • $269, with UK pricing and release date TBC
  • Released in Spring 2024

The Evie smart ring is fairly affordable at $269, and is available in sizes 5 to 12 in gold, silver, and rose gold. Before purchasing, you can order a ring-sizing kit – I’d recommend using this at the different points of your cycle to ensure that you don’t end up with a slightly gappy ring. While a UK release date of September 2024 had been mooted, at the time of writing we don’t know when it will officially launch in the UK.

Unlike some of its competition, the Evie Ring is entirely subscription-free, making it an attractive offer for those who can’t quite justify the Oura Ring 4’s monthly $5.99 subscription and higher price tag (starting at $349 / £349). It comes with a ring box-style charger, which charges via USB-C. However, it’s a far more limited experience compared to its competition.

  • Value score: 4/5

Evie Ring: Design

Evie smart ring being worn on an index finger

(Image credit: Future)
  • Open design to allow for bloating
  • Kitted with three notched sensors
  • Up to one meter waterproofing

Arguably the standout feature in Evie's toolkit is its design – it’s an open band that can accommodate the micro-fluctuations in finger thickness that occur throughout a woman’s cycle (or even just throughout the day!). It’s a thoughtful inclusion that no other smart ring on the mass market has considered, and especially as I approach my period it’s a godsend.

This does come with a trade-off, in that the ring’s hardware has to be crammed into a smaller area. For my very slim fingers, it’s a little on the thick side, meaning that when I wear it on my index finger and I’m using my phone it can really dig in, and I’m quite aware at all times that I’m wearing it. However, that’s fairly standard across smart rings I’ve worn, and the open design massively improves comfort compared to those. I also find the gap means the ring gets caught in my hair a lot, which can be a little grating, but it’s dense enough that I haven’t noticed it catching and pulling on my clothes, at least.

Evie Smart Ring being held

(Image credit: Future)

My review unit was the gold colorway, which looks just gorgeous; most people didn’t even realize that it was a smart ring, and at least one person thought I’d been proposed to. However, its titanium PVD coating does scratch fairly easily; after just a week of wear, I noticed a small scratch on its surface. It’s a shame, as the ring is waterproof for up to one meter of submersion, meaning you can wear it while showering and doing the dishes, so it’s otherwise pretty hardy.

On the inside of the ring are three notches housing the sensors; a three-axis accelerometer, infrared as well as red and green LEDs used by the PPG sensors, and skin-temperature sensors. It also comes with a ring-box charging case which is a little more plasticky and cheap than I’d ideally like for an otherwise beautiful product.

  • Design score: 4/5

Evie Ring: Features

Two print screens of the Evie app in use on an iPhone

(Image credit: Future / Movano Health)
  • Blood oxygen and heart rate monitoring on-demand
  • Menstrual tracking is limited
  • Workout tracking very basic

The Evie Ring offers a fairly well-rounded feature set, offering vital metrics like heart rate and blood oxygen levels on-demand through its Spot Check feature, as well as constant heart rate monitoring throughout the day. While you sleep it also analyses time spent in different sleeping zones, and in addition to tracking your heart rate and blood oxygen levels it will measure your heart rate variation average, respiration rate average and skin temperature variation average; however, these are presented as static figures rather than graphs you can extrapolate from and explore.

In terms of activity tracking, the Evie Ring can track your steps and workouts. Auto-workout detection is planned for early next year, but for now you have to use the app to tell Evie that you’re about to work out for a set amount of time. However, you can’t specify what kind of workout you’re doing, meaning granular insights into how different forms of exercise affect your vitals aren’t possible. It logs your active minutes and estimated calories burned, informing its algorithms with your menstrual cycle data to give more accurate readings.

Otherwise, the standout feature is the app-based journal feature, which tracks your menstrual cycle and symptoms. In addition to noting your energy levels and mood on a scale of low to high, you can also note your general mood with one of 13 tags, albeit fairly arbitrary ones, as well as your menstrual flow level (from light to heavy), symptoms, vaginal discharge consistency, and any other stressors like alcohol, illness, injury, travel, or stress.

However, there’s lots that Evie doesn’t do, and a few areas where I feel it’s a little misleading; for instance, menstrual cycle tracking. While smart rings like the Samsung Galaxy Ring use skin temperature data to predict your cycles, Evie’s app seems to solely rely on your logging to predict your next period, much like many standardised menstrual tracking apps.

Most frustratingly, while the Evie can measure all of the data points mentioned above, it falls short in the analysis and presentation of the data across the board. Its biggest competitors offer all kinds of learnings off the back of the user’s health data; Evie doesn’t deliver helpful insights or analysis into trends. There’s also no way to log specific events at certain times of the day, and while the sleep stage graph is useful, there’s no suggestion on what it means or how to improve your sleep.

Plus, there’s no inclusion of features like an energy score, and for me this is a huge missed opportunity, given that menstrual symptoms can impact our sleep as well as our readiness for activity, and that some studies have shown hormone and iron levels can, too.

  • Features score: 3/5

Evie Ring: Performance

Evie smart ring

(Image credit: Future)
  • Battery performs as described, but it's short anyway
  • Lack of meaningful data analysis
  • Some metrics lack context

Performance is another mixed bag for the Evie Ring. On the one hand, it does broadly deliver on all the fronts promised by manufacturer Movano; however some of the specs and features aren’t quite on a par with its biggest competitors.

Once you’ve paired and set up your ring, you’ll choose three goals to work towards from five options: steps, workout sessions, mood & symptom tracking, sleep, and active minutes. I chose the latter three, as my main focus right now is general wellness and mental health as opposed to training and fitness.

On the home page of the app you’re greeted by an Apple Fitness-style ring, which is filled as you complete your daily goals. As someone who’s suffered the negative impacts of calorie counting I didn’t love that calories burned was a fixed category here, but broadly speaking I think Evie does very well at sensitively handling the journey towards wellness and celebrating wins. I particularly like the journaling element of the app, and I found it useful to go back and see if I’m regularly particularly anxious or low-energy in the days before my period.

Print screens of the sleep tracking and period tracking features in the Evie app

(Image credit: Future / Movano Health)

There’s a slight delay in data synchronization between the ring and the app, which can be mitigated somewhat by keeping the app open at all times; however, there were a few instances where it didn’t generate my sleep data at all until later in the day. Evie also can’t tell when I’m taking a nap, only logging sleep between 9pm and 10:30am, and there’s no option to force-track sleep, which left my sleep count completely skewed a few times. Similarly, a few times I had disturbed sleep where I awoke for an hour before falling back asleep, and Evie didn’t log the further sleep session.

The data that does register in the app also isn’t always the most useful; sure, I get my nightly temperature variation while I sleep, but it’s an average rather than an hour-by-hour report, and you only get it as part of your sleep metrics. There’s little-to-no analysis provided, whether that’s trends or suggested improvements, which again diminishes the actual impact the ring has on your health and wellness. Still, at least the data does seem to be mostly accurate; I tested the Evie Ring against my Apple Watch Series 5, and both my BPM and sleep stages broadly lined up, though the Evie Ring routinely struggled to identify deep-sleep stages, implying that I got an average of 10% deep sleep per night versus the 20% my Apple Watch registered.

Its battery life is shorter than much of its competition too; Movano advertises this as 4+ days, but generally mine lasted just shy of that unless I had a fairly inactive week. There’s also no integration with other health or menstrual tracking apps, which is a huge missed opportunity given the lack of actionable health insights generated by Evie.

  • Performance score: 3/5

Evie Ring: Scorecard

Evie Ring: Should I buy?

Movano Evie Ring

(Image credit: Movano)

Buy it if...

You’re on a budget

The Evie smart ring is one of the most affordable smart rings available while still offering a decent feature and sensor set - and there’s no subscription cost.

You’re looking to ease in to smart ring tracking

At its relatively low price point and with its simple features, the Evie Ring is a great option for first-timers, and especially if your focus is basic menstrual tracking.

You primarily want to log symptoms

Evie is a very menstrual cycle tracking-first device, and while there’s room for improvement in the analysis and presentation of this data, few health trackers offer this level of focus.

Don't buy it if...

You want fitness-first tracking

While Evie does offer fitness tracking features, this device is primarily geared towards wellness and menstrual tracking.

You want in-depth insights

Evie doesn’t offer the granular data analysis and learnings offered by its competition.

You want the most accurate readings

Sleep tracking data favored light and REM sleep, and certain metrics offer limited tracking.

Also consider

How I tested

I wore the Evie Ring for two months to assess its menstrual tracking features and carry out comprehensive testing. For instance, I drained the battery down completely multiple times and timed recharging, and slept with it on almost every night. In terms of exercise, I did cardio HIIT workouts at home and went on a few runs, and compared all available health metrics to an Apple Watch 5. I used all of the app features such as journaling and goal-setting.

Vodafone and Three merger cleared by authorities to create the biggest UK operator
8:18 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: | Comments: Off

About a year and a half ago, back in June 2023, the UK's Vodafone and Three announced their intention to merge, thus creating the UK's biggest mobile network operator. This merger has today finally been cleared by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, with some legally binding commitments. For three years, the new operator will have certain mobile tariffs capped and will have to give virtual mobile providers (MVNOs) access to pre-set wholesale prices and contract terms, in order not to negatively impact competition in the space. The new operator will also have to "invest...

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024): a perfectly adequate ereader
2:17 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers eReaders Gadgets Tablets | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024): Two-minute review

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite has been our pick of the best Kindle for a very long time as it's managed to balance price and features quite well. The 12th generation Paperwhite maintains that same ethos to some degree, gaining a brand-new display that leverages the latest E Ink Carta 1300 screen tech.

This not only adds a touch more contrast, which makes the text on the screen darker and thus easier to read, but it also makes page turns a smidge quicker. Honestly, in real-world use, you won't find it all that different from the 11th-generation Kindle Paperwhite, but you will if you have them both side by side and look really carefully. So while I won't say it's a massive upgrade over the 2021 Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, it's definitely worth upgrading if you're using an older Kindle.

I also appreciate the couple of millimeters more of display I get on the 2024 Paperwhite, which is now a 7-inch screen compared to the previous 6.8-inch, but again, it's not really that significant.

What is a little significant is the slight performance boost that Amazon has managed to inject into the 12th-gen Paperwhite. During my testing, I had no issues whatsoever – page turns were near instantaneous, I had absolutely no slowing down even after hours of reading, not a single instance of ghosting and, importantly, the battery life is truly impressive. After three weeks of use, I am yet to charge the Paperwhite for the first time.

A person tapping on the screen of the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

My biggest issue is the Paperwhite's design: the rear panel is so darn smooth, that I often feel like it's slipping through my fingers. That means I'm trying to grip it tighter, which means my thumbs are extended further over the display and the number of accidental touches I have are a little annoying. Admittedly a case will solve that problem, but that's an additional cost to tack onto what is already an expensive ereader.

So while it still builds a case for still being the best Kindle, I think the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024) might represent better value for some users, offering more storage, some resistance to salt water and the option for wireless charging.

Amazon's penchant for hiking up the price of its Kindles with each new generation is disappointing. While I'm struggling to justify the cost of the base Amazon Kindle 2024, I suppose I can get behind the 12th-gen Paperwhite's price hike over its predecessor, but I'm not entirely convinced it represents good value anymore. This is compounded by the fact that, in some markets (like Australia), none of the 2024 Kindles support Audible playback.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024) review: price & availability

  • Announced October 2024; available to buy now
  • Launch price of $159.99 (with ads) / £159.99 (with ads) / AU$299
  • A Signature Edition is available for a higher price but double the storage

As I've said above, Amazon keeps increasing the price of its Kindles with each new release and that means at $159.99 / £159.99 / AU$299, the 12th-generation Paperwhite is the most expensive yet and, in my humble opinion, no longer very good value. And that's the price of the ad-supported version in the US and UK (Australia gets only the ad-free model). If you don't want ads on your lock screen, you're shelling out $179.99 / £159.99 in the US and UK respectively.

You could argue that this price is fine for a 7-inch ereader with 16GB of storage, but for a little more money – $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$359.95 to be precise – you can get a color ereader with a screen of the same size, double the storage, a more ergonomic design (with page-turn buttons) and, importantly, writing capabilities with the Kobo Libra Colour. I suppose I might even be inclined to pay $199.99 / £199.99 / AU$329 for the 2024 Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition for the metallic colors, double the storage and wireless charging, as well as performance just as good as the standard Paperwhite.

If you don't want all that, you can save money by opting for the Kobo Clara BW ($129.99 / £119.99 / AU$239.95), which gets you the exact same display, just in 6 inches, and very similar specs as the Paperwhite.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

A person reading a page of a book on the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024) review: Specs

Amazon has stopped listing some specs for its ereaders, so I have no idea what CPU the Paperwhite is using or the battery capacity.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024) review: Design & display

  • Available in 3 colors in the US and UK, only one in Australia
  • Sharp, crisp 7-inch display
  • Very slim design with no grip

Hey, Amazon, what exactly has Australia done to not deserve the new colorways of the standard Paperwhite? I'm a little annoyed that I get only the black model Down Under (where I am based) and is the version I was sent for this review. It's not a huge complaint, but I do admit to a little FOMO. Other markets can get the Paperwhite in new Jade and Raspberry options.

Nothing else has really changed in terms of design, although the standard Paperwhite is now 7 inches (compared to the 11th generation's 6.8 inches). The body remains plastic which, incidentally, has some recycled materials in it – not as much as Kobo uses, though.

The plastic chassis does make the Paperwhite look cheaper than its price tag, but the real issue for me is the rear panel. It's so smooth that I can feel it slip through my fingers (literally) when the bus or train I'm on brakes suddenly. I love how slim it is, but that too exacerbates the lack of grip, making it far from ergonomic.

To compensate for its slipperiness, I found myself holding the device with my thumb on the screen itself as the side bezels are still very slim. As nice as that looks, it's not ideal for single-hand use and I kept suffering from accidental page turns from my finger on the screen. It's possible this won't affect all users, but it is an annoyance to me.

The power button and USB-C port on the lower edge of the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Given how easy it might be to drop the standard Paperwhite, I'm glad it retains its IPX8 waterproof rating, which means it can stay submerged in 2 meters of water for up to an hour. Just don't drop it in the sea as the salt water will corrode the USB-C port first and, if it seeps in, will start eating away at the motherboard too. The Signature Edition, on the other hand, will survive a quick dunk in the sea.

The rounded corners and edges will be familiar to any Kindle user, as will the be power button on the lower edge. This placement of the power button bothers one of my colleagues, but I don't have any issues with it. In fact, I love the little feedback it gives when pressed. Beside the power button, in the center of the bottom edge, is the USB-C port for charging.

The only embellishments on the device are the word 'Kindle' on the lower bezel and the Amazon logo on the rear panel. As with most black ereaders and tablets, the 2024 Paperwhite is a smudge magnet, but I suspect the two colorways will also suffer similarly. The black one, in fact, begins to look very scruffy within days of use – even just leaving it on a table, it will pick up dust and the texture of the plastic is such that it's hard to wipe away.

If that bothers you like it does me, I think a case becomes a must, and it will add a little extra grip too, but it is an additional cost to bear.

The Amazon logo on the scruffed rear panel of the Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

The rear plastic panel is very smooth and is a magnet for smudges and dust (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

The shift to the 7-inch display has allowed Amazon to update the display to the latest E Ink Carta 1300 technology, which adds more contrast to the text on the screen. The resolution remains at 300ppi though, which is standard and plenty for such a device. The screen supports a dark mode, has 16 levels of grayscale and hits a maximum brightness of 94 nits.

Compared to the 2024 entry-level Kindle, the Paperwhite has a naturally warmer hue (much like paper) which, when combined with the amber LED lights, can make the display very yellow indeed. It might look odd to someone who's not used an ereader with adjustable light temperatures, but it helps the eyes from getting strained too much. If you're like me, who reads for four to five hours a day (mostly at night), you'll appreciate the yellower screen. The LEDs do a good job of evenly lighting the entire display – I found no shadows or areas of excessive brightness during my testing.

• Design & display score: 3.5 / 5

The Kindle branding on the broad lower bezel of the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024) review: User interface

  • Linux-based operating system
  • 16GB of storage, but only 11.5GB available for use
  • Easy-to-use UX, but home screen can feel cluttered

One theory I have for why the Kindles became so popular so quickly is their user-friendly interface. They've always been simple devices, with not a lot of extraneous options in Settings, and that ethos is still maintained today.

If you're already familiar with a Kindle, you won't find anything new on the 2024 Paperwhite. Even if you've never used a Kindle before, it won't take long to wrap your head around it, with setup being as simple as following the prompts on the screen. Once you've set up your Amazon account and logged in, there are only two tabs to explore – the Home screen and the Library.

I personally find the Kindle Home screen unnecessarily cluttered, constantly pushing me into the Kindle Store. If that doesn't bother you, it's a good starting point for finding your next read. However, keep in mind that once you start getting your content from the Kindle Store, you're stuck within Amazon's walled garden.

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The pull-down menu of the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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The library view on the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

You can sideload books of course, but you will need to jump through some hoops as Amazon no longer allows you to plug in a Kindle to drag-and-drop files via a wired connection. You will need to use the Send To Kindle platform, which allows you to wirelessly add content to your Kindles via cloud sync. The good news is that if you ever change (or upgrade) your Kindle, even your sideloaded titles will remain synced to your Amazon account and you can just tap them individually in the Library app of your new Kindle to download them again.

There's no specific tab for Settings, but swipe downwards from the top of the screen and you'll be presented with a few options, including turning on dark mode, cloud sync, flight mode and, of course, accessing all the Settings options.

The different Settings are simple and quite literally bare bones, although please note that if you are in Australia or any other region where there's no Audible support on the 2024 Kindles, you won't even see Bluetooth as a connectivity option (which is available in the US and UK).

There's decent file support on the Kindle now, although, with MOBI now mostly dead, Amazon has had to relent and allow native EPUB support, which is the format most ebooks come in.

As part of the Amazon ecosystem, Goodreads is available on all Kindles and American users will be able to borrow library books too. The latter option is, however, not available anywhere else.

• User interface score: 4 / 5

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The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024) screen set at the warmest yellow light

The warm light setting is good for long hours of reading (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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The brightness and light temperature sliders on the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024) set at maximum

The warm light setting is good for long hours of reading (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024) review: Performance

  • Marginally faster than previous model
  • Speed enhancement seems mostly software related
  • Excellent battery life, even at higher brightness levels

Ereaders are such simple devices that there's really no benchmarking to run to determine performance. However, as someone who's tested several of the most recent ebook readers, it's fair to say I can judge by doing a comparison with the competition.

The 2024 standard Paperwhite wins in terms of screen responsiveness speed and overall performance over even the Onyx Boox Go series ereaders and the Kobo Clara BW too. The former, incidentally, has a more powerful processor than what Amazon has typically used for its Kindles (although the current CPU has not been revealed) and yet the Paperwhite surpasses the Boox Go 6 (which I have been testing alongside this).

Page turns are near instantaneous and not once did I have issues with ghosting (where a very light impression of the previous page remains on screen after a page turn). Reading graphic novels on its an absolute pleasure, especially since the Frame view also opens instantly when you double-tap.

Like the entry-level 2024 Kindle, I think the performance boost is purely software-based rather than being a new CPU. It could be both, too, but Amazon isn't revealing what chipset it's using under the hood here.

Image 1 of 2

A page of a graphic novel displayed on the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

Reading graphic novels on the 2024 Paperwhite is fantastic because... (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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A single frame from a graphic novel page displayed on the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

..the Frame View feature expands each individual frame on the page (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

I'm using the massive operating system as the basis of my performance theory here. As with the base 2024 Kindle, the OS on the Paperwhite takes up 4.5GB of the total 16GB storage available on the device – if memory serves, that's 2GB more than on the 11th generation Paperwhite.

While I am miffed about the lower available storage on the Paperwhite (which reduces its per-dollar value), I'm glad for whatever boost Amazon has given the tablet. Typing via the on-screen keyboard when setting up my Wi-Fi network or any other touchscreen functionality was seamless and quick. And by 'quick' I mean it's as good as it's ever gotten on an e-paper screen – don't expect the same performance as your phone or multimedia tablet.

A person at a table reading a page on the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

What's probably the most impressive feat is the 2024 Paperwhite's battery life. I've had it for about three weeks now and I started using it immediately out of the box at 72%. Three weeks later it was just at 45%, and that's with about 2-3 hours of reading and the screen brightness level at 8 (warm light level of 4). Admittedly that's a low brightness setting that won't put too much pressure on the battery, but I only charged the Paperwhite once, just to see how quickly it topped up. At this rate, I could eke out at least 10 weeks of use between charges, more if I don't read as much as I usually do.

Amazon claims it will take the 12th-gen Paperwhite under 2.5 hours to go from empty to full when using a 9W power adaptor. That sounds about right to me – plugged into the USB-A port of my 65W charger (which offers up to 22.5W of power) and using a USB-A to C cable, it went from 32% to 50% in about 20 minutes. That might have been a touch faster if I was using a USB-C to C cable, but that was being used on another device at the time of testing. Still, that's not bad numbers at all.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

The Library tab on the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Should I buy the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)?

Buy it if...

You're upgrading from an old Kindle
If you've been holding on to a very old Kindle that's on its last legs and it's time for an upgrade, the 2024 Paperwhite is a worthy option if you want to stick with Amazon.

You want the best in e-ink technology
The E Ink Carta 1300 on the 2024 Paperwhite is fantastic. Not only is it the best grayscale e-paper display yet, but Amazon has optimized it well and made it snappier than before.

You'd love a lightweight 7-inch ereader
For its size, the Paperwhite feels ridiculously light in the hand, despite being a couple of grams heavier than the previous model (hey, the added millimeters have to go somewhere!). I'm just not quite sold on its ergonomics.

Don't buy it if...

You're already using the 2021 Paperwhite (11th generation)
Yes, the screen is better, but other than that, there's not a whole lot that's different. The older model is still pretty good when it comes to performance and, in real-world use, the slightly faster screen response time of the 2024 edition won't feel very different.

Value for money matters to you
While its price tag can be justified to some extent, you can get much more value from something like the Kobo Libra Colour. And if you happen to live outside the US, the Kindle won't even let you borrow library books and, in some markets, there's no Audible support either.

You'd prefer a color ereader
If you read comics, manga or graphic novels more, then a color ereader might be the better investment. After all, they were meant to be viewed in color. The Frame View feature on a Kindle makes it even better for graphic novel readers, which makes a strong case for the Kindle Colorsoft.

Also consider

Kobo Clara BW
Sporting the same screen tech, just in a 6-inch size, the Kobo Clara BW was previously my pick of the best mid-range ereader because it's not exactly 'cheap'. Other than its screen size, it shares most of the specs of the Paperwhite, which makes it good value even compared to the entry-level Kindle 2024 model and, arguably, is now the best budget ereader.
Read my in-depth Kobo Clara BW review for more details

Kobo Libra Colour
In the 7-inch screen size class, the Kobo Libra Colour is the best ereader overall. It balances price and features remarkably well, plus it's a lot more ergonomic than the Paperwhite. It's also got stylus support if you wish to use the writing features, but you will need to buy that separately. Even then, I still think it represents better value for money than the Paperwhite.
Read my full Kobo Libra Colour review to find out more

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024)
Admittedly it's more expensive than the standard Kindle, but the loss of 4.5GB to the OS on it makes me think there's better value in opting for the Signature Edition. Double the storage and the option of wireless charging justifies the higher price tag better, although I will admit the wireless charging is a little superfluous.
Read our full Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024) review to learn more

How I tested the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

  • Used daily for three weeks to read
  • Borrowed titles from the Prime Reading service, plus downloaded existing books already available in my Amazon account
  • Tested battery life at various brightness levels

A person perusing the recommendations on the Home screen of the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

As soon as I received the 2024 Paperwhite for this review, I logged into my Amazon account, which promptly gave me access to my existing library that was cloud-synced when I sideloaded titles onto an older device. All I had to do was tap on the ebooks I wanted on the Paperwhite (so none of the ones I'd already finished reading) and I was off.

Unfortunately, because I'm based in Australia, I have no Audible access on any of the new Kindles, so I cannot comment on how easy it would be to pair Bluetooth headphones, but I hope it's smooth and once paired, you should be able to listen to audiobooks if you have a subscription.

I read on the Paperwhite daily for the three-week period I set aside for testing, spending about 2-3 hours each day with it. I used the Paperwhite at various light settings to check how that affected the battery drain.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed December 2024]

Apple lawsuit for nearly $1 billion given the green light in the UK
7:31 pm | December 3, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: | Comments: Off

A class action lawsuit against Apple was given the green light to proceed. The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) of the United Kingdom rejected the request from Apple to block the case, essentially allowing a group of 1,566 app developers, later extended to nearly 13,000, to go forward with requesting Cupertino to repay £785 million, or about $995 million, in commission on apps. The core argument is that Apple used its monopolistic power to make iOS users download apps over the App Store, therefore collecting a 30% commission on all purchases. The tech company wanted to block the case...

Apple lawsuit for nearly $1 billion given the green light in the UK
7:31 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: | Comments: Off

A class action lawsuit against Apple was given the green light to proceed. The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) of the United Kingdom rejected the request from Apple to block the case, essentially allowing a group of 1,566 app developers, later extended to nearly 13,000, to go forward with requesting Cupertino to repay £785 million, or about $995 million, in commission on apps. The core argument is that Apple used its monopolistic power to make iOS users download apps over the App Store, therefore collecting a 30% commission on all purchases. The tech company wanted to block the case...

Xgimi Aura 2 review: a fantastic ultra short-throw projector with one major flaw
5:48 am | November 20, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Theater Projectors Televisions | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Xgimi Aura 2: two-minute review

The Xgimi Aura 2 is a premium ultra short-throw (UST) 4K projector to come from the Chinese brand and is an update to 2021’s Aura. Like its predecessor, the Aura 2 aims to be a complete one-box solution for big-screen home theater thrills and, as such, is capable of projecting an image up to 150 inches in size.

Xgimi is touting its new Dual Light 2.0 technology – which combines laser and LED light sources – in the Aura 2 to deliver bright, colorful, contrast-rich images. On paper at least, there is a marked improvement compared to its predecessor – the Aura 2 is capable of reaching 2,300 ISO lumens of brightness compared to the Aura’s 1,800. Indeed, in practice, the Aura 2 is certainly bright enough for general viewing during the day, with a good level of depth and detail, serving up a wonderful cinematic image.

Naturally, when viewed in a darker room, the quality of the projected image improves and HDR content performs particularly well. The Xgimi Aura 2 supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG and, following a firmware update since launch, IMAX Enhanced.

Achieving a well-calibrated picture on a wall or white screen is relatively simple thanks to the Aura 2’s wealth of picture adjustment settings, including automatic keystone correction and focus. And, should you need to take the reins and make finer manual adjustments, you can do so.

Despite a UST projector’s cinematic credentials, there is always going to be a case for getting one of the best TVs, especially where cost is concerned. The Xgimi Aura 2 is available now for $2,699 / £2,459 / AU$6,399. That’s only a few hundred more US dollars and UK pounds than the Aura, but over AU$2,000 more in Australia, which is a little puzzling. While in the US and UK it makes a competitive alternative to a 65- or 75-inch TV, for example, in Australia it's a much tougher sell. Granted, the Aura 2 is capable of projecting an image far bigger than most TVs – and TVs that do encroach on 100-inches aren’t exactly cheap – but if you only have space to project an 80-inch image, then those in Australia may feel they’ll be better served by a TV.

The fact that the Xgimi Aura 2 uses the Android TV operating system rather than Google TV also feels like a bit of a missed opportunity, especially as some of the company’s other new projectors do use the latter. Because of its use of Android TV, it’s not the easiest process to get Netflix installed – although you can access it by first downloading a separate app from the Google Play Store – and I wasn’t able to get Disney Plus to install natively, instead resorting to connecting an Apple TV 4K to get my Pixar fix.

Speaking of connectivity, the Aura 2 has a wealth of inputs for connecting external devices, although some may feel doing so will ruin the otherwise clean aesthetic. An external soundbar can be connected too, although the built-in audio system is especially good, so you may not feel the need.

Despite a couple of setbacks, the Xgimi Aura 2 is a fantastic machine, although not without competition. Not only do companies such as Hisense and Samsung have excellent UST projectors of their own but, as already mentioned, home theater fans in certain countries may find greater value in a TV. But, if projection is the way you want to go, the Xgimi Aura 2 deserves an audition.

Xgimi Aura 2 review: Price & availability

  • Available since September 2024
  • List price: $2,699 / £2,459 / AU$6,399

The Xgimi Aura 2 was announced and officially launched at IFA Berlin on September 6, 2024. It’s available to buy now for $2,699 / £2,459 / AU$6,399.

Other recently released UST projectors such as the Hisense PX3-Pro, which has a higher ISO lumens brightness, costs $3,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,995 while the excellent Samsung Premiere 9 costs a lot more at $5,999 / £4,999. However, the Premiere 9 isn’t available in Australia at the time of writing. This means the Aura 2 is the most affordable of the three (except from in Australia) and, on paper at least, this is somewhat justified because it’s the lowest specced.

Side view of Xgimi Aura 2 projector

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Xgimi Aura 2 review: Specs

Rear panel of connections of Xgimi Aura 2 projector

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Xgimi Aura 2 review: Design and features

  • Dual Light 2.0 laser light system
  • Motorized top cover to protect against dust
  • Android TV OS not the best

The Xgimi Aura 2 isn’t as projector-y looking as some of its competitors. On the contrary, it’s very much a lifestyle-oriented product designed to blend in with your home décor and not attract too much attention to itself. As such, it’s coated on all visible sides by a Moonlight Sand-colored fabric and has been given a treatment that claims to protect it against water, dust and oil (I didn’t have the confidence to test this out). In reality, it really is an attractive unit and could feasibly either go unnoticed in your room or at the very least be mistaken for a large Bluetooth speaker.

On the top you’ll find a motorized cover that slides open when the projector is powered on to reveal the laser light source. Not only is it a pretty cool party trick, but it helps keep the lasers and mirrors as free from dust and other debris as possible by hiding them away during downtime. There’s also an infrared detector that switches the laser off when it detects someone in its line of sight so you don’t damage your eyes, and yes, it really works.

Along the back (the side facing the wall) there are three HDMI inputs (two for connecting external devices and one that supports eARC if you want to connect an external soundbar or speaker system), three USB-A inputs and an ethernet port for a wired internet connection. Other outputs include a 3.5mm headphone jack and an optical audio port, plus Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 are also supported.

Close up image of Harman Kardon branding on Xgimi Aura 2 projector

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

The Xgimi Aura 2 uses the company’s own Dual Light 2.0 technology. This, says Xgimi, is a “wide spectrum and narrow spectrum hybrid light source technology” which “addresses issues related to traditional tri-color lasers such as speckles and color fringe, ensuring more comfortable viewing.” It’s also because of this light technology that the Aura 2 is able to use a 0.177:1 ultra-short throw ratio – meaning you can achieve a 100-inch image from a distance of just 17.8cm. Do note that this 17.8cm distance is between the projection surface and the closest side of the projector. You’ll still need to factor in the Aura 2’s 27cm depth when placing it on a bench or entertainment unit. Xgimi says for a 150-inch image, you’ll need a distance of 38.9cm.

Once in position, it’s a relatively pain-free process to get a properly aligned picture on a wall or projector screen. The Aura 2 has built-in auto keystone adjustment, which kicks into action whenever the projector itself is physically moved, or it can easily be run from within the settings menu. I have to admit that my first try of using this feature actually resulted in a completely jarring image that wasn’t aligned at all. I ran the setting again and it fixed it… mostly. I still had to use the manual image correction settings to quickly (and easily) align the four corners of the image within the confines of the viewing space on my wall.

The Aura 2 uses Android TV for its operating system, which is a strange choice considering this platform is all but dead on smart TVs and the projector version of the OS don't necessarily get you access to all the streaming apps directly from the Google Play Store.

Xgimi acknowledges that Netflix doesn’t support projector systems running Android TV by way of a leaflet included in the box, which encourages you to download a separate app called Desktop Launcher. Doing so results in Netflix being able to be used, along with other apps such as Apple TV (which also can’t be found in the pre-installed Google Play Store).

Disney Plus was a notable omission entirely and in Australia where I’m based, 4K content on Stan wasn’t supported. I have a 4K subscription to the Australian streaming service which works without a hitch on my TV, but on the Aura 2 all content was available in HD quality only. The only workaround was to connect an Apple TV 4K to gain access to all my streaming apps, which was slightly disappointing.

That said, the UX will look familiar to anyone who’s previously used it or Google TV. A row of installed app icons is flanked above and below by recommended content and content you’re currently in the middle of watching. In use it was largely lag-free, with only the occasional stutter when trying to move quickly through rows or between menus.

The Xgimi Aura 2 comes with a remote control that’s surprisingly weighty, but which serves to provide a premium feeling. There aren’t many buttons, but I think this in turn makes it straightforward to understand and use. There are buttons for volume control, the home screen, settings, Google Assistant and a dedicated button for quick autofocusing. I did find myself pressing the Google Assistant button when I meant to select the settings, but I imagine this would become a non-issue with more use.

The remote isn’t backlit, which is a peculiar omission considering the projector is more likely to be used in low-light settings, and it’s powered by two AAA batteries. I would’ve preferred it if it were rechargeable via USB-C.

  • Design & features score: 3.5/5

Remote control supplied with Xgimi Aura 2 projector

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Xgimi Aura 2 review: Picture and sound quality

  • Bright, colorful images
  • Custom settings possible with various HDR content
  • Built-in sound system is impressive

Due to space limitations in the room where I tested the Aura 2, I was only able to project an image roughly 80 inches in size onto a wall as opposed to a dedicated projection screen. Despite this, the Xgimi Aura 2 delivered a delightfully colorful, crisp image even during the daytime. Its brightness figure of 2300 ISO lumens might not match some of its closest competitors, such as the Hisense PX3-Pro or Samsung Premiere 9, but even in a room with sunlight filtering in, the image produced by the Aura 2 was easy to watch.

A Dolby Vision stream of Toy Story 4 on Disney Plus via an Apple TV 4K device exhibited excellent color reproduction, with the Aura 2’s 99% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut meaning greens, pinks, yellows and reds were all delivered with vibrancy. Getting the best picture settings for your personal preference, though, isn’t the easiest thing in the world.

When the Aura 2 detects Dolby Vision content it automatically switches to a default picture mode which doesn’t give much in the way of customization. You can switch between Dolby Vision Bright and Dark modes, with the former boosting the brightness a little, and you are able to set your own custom settings for things such as brightness and contrast, but there isn’t anything in the form of Filmmaker Mode, for example. Switch to non-Dolby Vision content, however, and you are able to cycle through a more familiar set of picture presets, including Movie, which I used whenever it was available.

Scene from Toy Story 4 showing Woody and Spoon, projected onto a wall by the Xgimi Aura 2 projector

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Darker scenes in Toy Story 4, such as when Woody accidentally gets thrown out of the traveling RV at night revealed the Xgimi Aura 2 could handle subtle shadow details surprisingly well. As the famed cowboy is walking along the road at night, the rocky detailing of the tarmac road is easily seen, while grass and trees in dimmer lighting to the left are picked out as well.

While the majority of content projected by the Aura 2 includes the black bars above and below the central image – which can look a little too stretched out at times – because it is IMAX Enhanced, any content viewed in this format fills the entire projection surface. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on Disney Plus is a good example, and one of the opening scenes featuring Ta Lo and Xu Wenwu in a lush green forest was another treat for the eyes. The fast-moving fight choreography was handled expertly and colors were clear and natural.

What was perhaps most surprising to me during my testing of the Xgimi Aura 2 was its audio performance. Xgimi has opted for a four-speaker Harman Kardon system with a combined output of 60 watts. With the projector and speakers sitting below the screen, it could have been all too easy for the sound output to feel low, but in actual fact voices clearly come from further above, resulting in a more immersive experience than I was expecting.

Scene from Angry Birds 2 movie projected onto a wall by the Xgimi Aura 2 projector

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

It can support Dolby Atmos, although I experienced more of a half-dome of sound as opposed to a full enveloping effect, which is to be expected to some degree due to there not being any physical rear speakers. But the Aura 2 can throw sound out wide with accurate object placement within the soundfield. Bass performance was also surprisingly good, with the Aura 2 projector capable of going real low. A little further on in Shang Chi, when the titular hero is fighting on a bus, is an engaging watch, with the backing soundtrack, punches, kicks and smashes all being fired out with genuine impact.

The Aura 2 does have an eARC output for connecting an external sound system, but I don’t think many people will feel the need to do so unless they want a more authentic Dolby Atmos experience.

  • Picture & sound quality score: 4.5/5

Xgimi Aura 2 review: Value

  • Competitively priced in the US and UK
  • Expensive compared to other models in Australia
  • Affordable big-screen TVs could be a better option

The Xgimi Aura 2 can be considered good value, but only depending on where you live. In the US and UK, it costs less than a well-specced big-screen TV such as an 83-inch LG C4 OLED. In Australia, however, it does still cost more for an 83-inch LG C4, but only by a few hundred dollars. Given the TV has a more feature-packed operating system, delivers true blacks and has a picture quality that’s less susceptible to bright rooms, it makes it a more compelling option purely from a value standpoint.

But, if it is a projector you’re seeking, the Xgimi Aura 2 definitely deserves an audition. It’s a great projector that delivers a colorful, clear image. It’s let down by its operating system, but if you don’t mind plugging an external media streamer into one of its HDMI inputs, then this becomes less of an issue.

Android TV homescreen projected onto a wall by the Xgimi Aura 2 projector

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
  • Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Xgimi Aura 2?

Scene from Shang Chi projected onto a wall by the Xgimi Aura 2 projector

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Buy it if...

You want a simple UST projector
The Aura 2 has a wealth of built-in, automatic picture adjustment settings that should mean getting the perfect image is just a button press away.

You want vibrant images
With 99% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage, the Aura 2 delivers superb, punchy colors that dazzle no matter the image size.

You don't have an external sound system
It's no issue for the Aura 2, the built-in speaker goes big and loud, and only adds to its home theater credentials.

Don't buy it if...

You do all your viewing in a bright room
It's not specific to the Aura 2, but a bright room is a projector's kryptonite. It counters well, but ultimately won't be able to compete against a TV.

You want access to the popular streaming apps
The Aura 2 uses Android TV as its OS, which isn't as talented as Google TV. Some apps are missing and others require workarounds. It's not the most seamless of experiences.

Also consider

Hisense PX3-Pro
Our top pick as the best UST projector right now, the PX3-Pro delivers high brightness and rich color from its 3-laser light engine. It's also well-equipped for gaming, with multiple HDMI 2.1 ports and support for 4K 120Hz and 1080p 240Hz gaming.

Read our full Hisense PX3-Pro review

Samsung The Premiere 9
It's expensive, but Samsung's The Premiere 9 is capable of delivering outstandingly bright images. Its Tizen smart TV platform is a joy to use and the built-in sound is so good, you won't need a soundbar.

Read our full Samsung The Premiere 9 review

Epson LS800
The Epson LS800 uses a 3-LCD laser light source to beam a stunningly bright 4,000 lumens image. This makes it a great option for daytime sports viewing and it also has good built-in sound.

Read our full Epson LS800 review

How I tested the Xgimi Aura 2

  • Tested at home in various real-world living conditions
  • Projected the image onto a white wall as opposed to a dedicated screen
  • Watched a variety of content in SDR and HDR format

Close up image of settings menu on Xgimi Aura 2 projector

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

I tested the Xgimi Aura 2 at home over a period of about a month so I could experience it during various daytime living conditions. This meant multiple light sources, be it natural daylight or overhead lightbulbs, came into my testing room, at which point I rated the picture to see how well it performed.

The projector was tested against a white wall for the duration of my review, which also allowed me to test out its wall color adaptation and wall flatness modes. Both performed well and I could see noticeable differences before and after calibration.

I used a variety of content, including 4K HDR and standard full HD content from a variety of streaming services.

My testing evaluates the projector's performance against other reviews my colleagues at TechRadar have conducted. I have been writing about and reviewing displays for five years.

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[First published November 2024]

Blink Mini 2 review: this home security camera is good price, but unimpressive performance might make you think twice
7:30 pm | November 16, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Home Security Smart Home | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Blink Mini 2 review: two-minute review

The Blink Mini 2 is a home security camera that can be used indoors, and outside when combined with the Blink Weather Resistant Power Adapter sold separately. It has a list price of $39.99 / £34.99 / AU$69 and is available to buy at Amazon.

Blink has followed in many other brands footsteps and requires you to pay a subscription fee to access recordings and most of the Blink Mini 2’s features. However, the camera does have the benefit of manual recording backup, though this will require an additional purchase of the Blink Sync Module 2 and a compatible USB drive.

The setup process was blissfully straightforward, and the Blink Home Monitor app worked well for the most part, aside from a couple of random glitches and the over-complicated process of getting to the device settings from the homepage.

A close-up of the front of the Blink Mini 2, shows the camera and spotlight.

(Image credit: Future)

The design of the Blink Mini 2 is small and simple; the camera is cube-shaped and sits on a ball joint that connects it to the compact circular base slash bracket, depending on whether it’s placed on a surface or fixed to a wall or ceiling. The ball joint only allows for manual repositioning, so regrettably, unlike many of the best home security cameras, there’s no capacity for remote control movement, meaning I could only view one static area at a time. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a privacy cover, so while camera and audio feeds can be disconnected in the app, if multiple people have access there’s no guarantee of privacy while the camera is operational.

The activity and privacy zones did their job well. However, the process to select the areas was basic and was limited to a square or rectangular shape, which isn’t ideal if you want to block off your neighbor's yard but the boundary isn’t straight or at the right angle. The privacy zones were also unsightly on the feed and recorded footage, replacing the area with an expanse of grey.

In terms of performance, the Blink Mini 2 didn’t bowl me over. The video and audio quality were disappointing, but not bad considering how cheap the hardware is. The footage was grainy on the default standard image quality setting, and the picture pixelated when there was movement on the screen. The best picture quality setting fared better, with little pixelation and a slight improvement to the graininess.

The round base and ball joint of the Blink Mini 2.

(Image credit: Future)

For the most part, motion detection and person detection worked well. I needed to up the motion sensitivity from the default level of five to seven as it didn’t detect me on my return to the room. The Blink Mini 2 didn’t detect my cats when it was set to this sensitivity level, but there were a few occasions when it recognized my cats as people when I upped it to the maximum setting of nine.

Overall, I wasn’t blown away by the Blink Mini 2, but for the price, it’s a good basic camera for those who don’t require crystal-clear footage or audio, and are just looking for something that won’t cost the earth to keep an eye on a particular area. If you’d like to check out some alternatives I recommend checking out our best home security cameras buying guide, which features several alternatives tailored to specific requirements.

Blink Mini 2 review: price and availability

  • List price: $39.99 / £34.99 / AU$69
  • Availability: US, UK, and Australia
  • Release date: May 2024

The Blink Mini 2 is available at a list price of $39.99 / £34.99 / AU$69, which is fairly low cost for a smart indoor/outdoor home security camera. It was released in May 2024 and is available to purchase at Amazon, which is no coincidence when Blink is in fact an Amazon company.

An upgrade to the previous generation, the Blink Mini, the Blink Mini 2 has been given some welcome new features including color night view, a wider field of view of 143 degrees and a built-in spotlight as standard. Additionally, it offers person detection and can be used outdoors, but additional purchases are required.

It’s a big positive that it’s possible to store recordings locally, which requires an additional Blink device and a compatible USB drive. As with other smart home security cameras, it also offers a cloud subscription service that gives access to recordings and additional features via the Blink Home Monitor app, downloadable from the App Store, Google Play, or Amazon Appstore.

If you intend to store your recordings locally, you’ll need to purchase a Blink Sync Module 2, and a suitable USB flash drive, which will save photos and videos from up to ten Blink cameras. Without a subscription plan, you’ll have access to your recordings if you’re backing them up via the Blink Sync Module 2 (but you’ll have to back them up manually), will receive motion-activated notifications, and can access the live view for up to five minutes at a time. It’s worth stressing here that if you choose not to continue with the initial free trial all recordings will be deleted, so make sure to back them up first if you take this route.

  • Value score: 4 / 5

Blink Mini 2 subscription options

Blink Basic Plan:
In addition to the features available without a plan, you also get live view and motion event recording, unlimited cloud storage for up to 60 days, automatic local storage backup every 24 hours, instant video access, video sharing, person detection, and photo capture. Applicable to one device only.
Price: $3 / £2.50 / AU$4.95 per month, $30 / £24.99 / AU$49.95 per year

Blink Plus Plan:
Along with the benefits of the Basic Plan, you’re able to snooze notifications, get 10% off Blink device purchases at Amazon, and use the Blink Moments feature, which seamlessly stitches together multiple events into one video. Applicable to all Blink devices.
Price: $10 / £8 / AU$15 per month, $100 / £80 / AU$150 per year

Blink Mini 2 review: specifications

Blink Mini 2 review: design and features

  • Easy setup
  • No privacy cover
  • No remote control capabilities

The setup process was fairly quick and simple, I just needed to download the Blink Home Monitor app, scan the barcode on the back of the Blink Mini 2, and follow the step-by-step instructions. The only small stumbling block was when the app claimed that my phone failed to connect to the Mini 2’s Wi-Fi hotspot automatically and to select it manually in my Wi-Fi settings. Before I got to my settings, the app pinged me a notification to let me know that the camera had connected successfully, so we got there in the end.

Available in black or white, the Blink Mini 2 is similar in size to its predecessor and has a rather dazzling spotlight above the camera lens that can be toggled on or off from the app. The camera sits on a sturdy but easily adjustable ball joint that connects it to the base, but this is only for manual positioning, meaning it cannot be moved remotely.

The Blink Mini 2 is angled as far back as it can go, pointing up towards the top right corner of the image.

(Image credit: Future)

As an indoor/outdoor camera, the Blink Mini 2 can sit happily on a flat surface on its stand or can be screwed to a wall or ceiling using the bracket that's integrated into the base. It’s worth noting that to use outside it will require the Blink Weather Resistant Power Adapter, which is sold separately.

Along with the Sync Module 2, the Blink Mini 2 can connect to other Blink devices, such as the Blink Video Doorbell, transforming the Mini 2 into a plug-in chime every time the doorbell rings.

Unlike some other indoor cameras, such as the 4.5-star rated Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam, the Blink Mini 2 doesn’t feature a privacy cover, so there’s no way to manually cut the audio and visual feed to the camera short of just unplugging it. It was possible to block the camera view via the app if necessary by setting a privacy zone, though.

A close-up of the front of the Blink Mini 2, showing the camera and spotlight.

(Image credit: Future)

When I set one of these zones up myself to check how efficient they were, the live feed kept showing me the spinning-wheel-of-doom and wouldn’t load, so it seemed to struggle with this extra requirement initially. The video clips still recorded when spotting movement, however, and it was undoubtedly clear where the privacy zone was, as the image in this area was covered by a grey rectangle. By the time I’d finished testing this, the live feed had gotten itself back together, and the privacy area was again marked by a grey block, so nothing was viewable within that area.

It’s also possible to disable video recording and, as promised, it didn’t record anything after I switched it on. There’s also a setting to disable the audio connection, and true enough after applying this setting it cut off the feed to the microphone both on the live view and in recorded footage, so it was still possible to see what was going on but no sound was present. So while these are good features, privacy cannot be guaranteed if others can access the camera feed.

  • Design and features score: 3 / 5

Blink Mini 2 review: performance

  • Some lag and pixelization
  • Privacy areas work well, but they’re unattractive
  • Standard IR night vision performs better than best daytime setting

I used the Blink Home Monitor app to enable the different settings for testing and to view the live feed and recordings. In my opinion, the process required to get to the camera’s settings is somewhat inefficient. To access the camera settings for the Blink Mini 2 from the homepage I had to go into the settings menu, into device and system settings, then into Office (which is what I’d named my location), click on an inconspicuous all devices button, then click on TechRadar Office (the name of my Blink Mini 2), before I’m finally shown the device settings that I need. Admittedly, if I clicked on the three dots icon from the live view and then tapped device settings, it got me there too, but if you install a few cameras or devices at once, getting to the devices' settings all gets a bit long-winded.

Video quality is set to standard by default, and although I wasn’t impressed with it, it was acceptable for the low price. The footage and live view were quite grainy, and some pixelization occurred when movement was present on the screen. This isn’t what I expected to see after viewing the marketing material, but at a $40 price tag, I suppose you get what you pay for.

The other two settings available were saver mode, which reduces video quality, and best, which is meant to be higher quality. The best footage was still grainy – but not as severely as it was in standard mode – and it did seem to pixelate less when there was movement present, so there was some improvement.

A black-colored Blink Mini 2 sits on a light wooden surface against a pink background. The camera is angled up towards the top right corner of the image.

(Image credit: Future)

As was the case with the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam, the Blink Mini 2’s Night View in Color was only functional with enough ambient light. I found that I needed an LED lamp on in the corner at medium brightness for the image to be colored, and it did a good job of that. But if the environment was any darker than this it reverted to the standard black and white mode that we’re used to from other indoor security cameras. The black and white infrared night vision picture quality was great, and an improvement on the normal quality that’s recorded in daylight.

The audio quality left me unimpressed. There was loud static noise when there wasn’t any sound to relay, and voices weren’t particularly clear – but it was adequate enough for a cheaply priced security camera.

It was frustrating that clips didn’t auto-record if I happened to be viewing the live feed when an event happened. There was a button to save the recording on the bottom right of the screen, which is helpful and means that the clip can be saved. But I can err on the forgetful side, so if I happened to be looking at the feed when a burglar broke in, for example, I might well forget to hit save before coming off the feed to call the police.

The back of the Blink Mini 2 showing the USB-C power-in port and scannable QR code.

(Image credit: Future)

I tested out the privacy and activity zones and found that the selection process is a little more restricted than in other brand’s apps, like Ring, for example. Instead of having adjustable multi-point areas, the Blink Home Monitor app only offers square privacy zones, with just four adjustable points. The activity zone area selection was even more basic, with an 8x8 grid of selectable rectangles. There was an advanced button I could click, but this only zoomed in on the image and offered more rectangles, so setting up the activity zones proved far more laborious than I’m used to. Nonetheless, the privacy zones worked, although it meant dealing with large grey squares over the live view and footage where I’d set them, which wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing.

Although my iPhone 12 Pro worked fine for viewing recorded content, and I could view it on my iPad too, I would have liked the option to view it on a browser as I could with some other brands' camera feeds. So if you wanted to use Blink cameras to watch over your business, or to keep track of your pets around the house, you’re limited to smaller screens to do this.

I kept the motion sensitivity on the default setting of five, to begin with, and for the most part, it worked well. Unfortunately, though, it missed me a few times when I came back in from leaving my living room. It had detected me each time I left, but despite me facing the camera each time I reentered a little while later, it didn't react upon my return. I raised the sensitivity level to eight, and it detected me that time, so it’s worth testing out which sensitivity works best for you if you purchase a Blink Mini 2.

A close-up of the front of the Blink Mini 2, shows the camera and spotlight.

(Image credit: Future)

At the same time, I was testing the motion detection, and I also tested out the person detection setting, which is meant to limit motion recordings and alerts to only trigger when a person is present. My two Maine-Coon-cross cats were the perfect test subjects for this experiment. They didn’t set off the motion recording when the motion sensitivity was set to seven; however, when it was set to nine, which is the highest setting available, it detected my bigger cat, Mr Jinkx, on a few occasions that he wandered through the viewing area. On the other hand, it only detected his daintier sister, who is only slightly larger than the average cat, on one occasion when she jumped onto the TV cabinet (and made a lot of noise while doing it). So I’d wager that you may get away with not receiving unnecessary notifications if you have a standard-sized pet cat, but it could be a different story if your pets are any larger.

It was really easy for me to share recorded videos. I simply had to swipe left on the clip I wanted to send from the list, and it showed me the options to share or delete. Unfortunately, though, the first time I did this it caused the app to fall over. It returned to the clip list with the share screen still visible, and wouldn’t acknowledge any of my taps, so I had to force quit the app and reopen it. The recording did send, however, so that’s a positive, and the camera continued to detect my movements. I’m pleased to say I didn’t experience any further issues sharing clips after this occasion, though.

When I tried to share a clip of Mr Jinkx sitting on the window sill, I found I couldn’t unlink it from the next clip, which also included me, having to tell him that he can’t jump through a closed skylight. Eventually, I found that the icon of a film snippet and a clock on the “cloud storage” bar at the bottom of the screen was to switch the list of recorded footage from moments to separate events. I’m glad the function was there, but as it looked more like a scheduling icon I didn’t find it very clear.

  • Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Should I buy the Blink Mini 2?

Buy it if...

You want to store your footage without paying monthly
Although there’s an extra cost involved, as you’ll need to purchase the Blink Sync Module 2, it’s reassuring to know that you won’t need to tie yourself to a subscription plan in order to back up the recorded footage.

You don’t want to blow your budget
Although the Blink Mini 2 may not have all the bells and whistles we’d like, at this price it’s a good option if you just want a lower-cost camera that’s quick to set up and easy to view the live feed.

You want a compact outdoor camera
Thanks to its IP65 rating, the Blink Mini 2 is all good to use outdoors, and its small size means it’s less likely to stand out to passers-by. It’s worth keeping in mind that the camera still requires plug-in power though, so you’ll need to purchase the Blink Weather Resistant Power Adapter for peace of mind.

Don't buy it if...

You want a 360-degree view
Unfortunately, the Blink Mini 2 doesn’t possess remote movement functionality, so you’re limited to the static view from where the camera is placed.

You value your privacy
There’s an unfortunate lack of privacy cover on this home security camera, which may not be an issue for some, but if multiple people have access to your feed it would be reassuring to have a manual privacy cover for peace of mind when you’re home.

You want a perfect picture
It’s still clear to see who people are and what they’re up to on the Live feed and recordings, but the image quality isn’t the best. The footage I viewed and recorded was often a bit grainy, and the feed often pixelated slightly when there was movement onscreen.

Blink Mini 2 review: Also consider

Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam
This camera will require a little more investment, and sadly doesn’t allow for any kind of local storage, but it has fantastic image quality that didn’t present any lag or pixelization during testing, and you have access to a vast viewing area thanks to its 360-degree rotation and 169-degree tilting capabilities. If you’d like to read more, check out my full Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam review by clicking on the link.

Wyze Cam v3
Another example of an indoor and outdoor security camera, except you don’t have to make an additional purchase to use it outside, as it already has a rubber sleeve to protect the camera's inlet, along with the IP65 water resistance rating. You can learn more about it in the full Wyze Cam 3 review.

How I tested the Blink Mini 2

  • I tested it for a week at home and in a busy office
  • I tested the sound and video quality, live and recorded
  • I tested the ease of setup, usability, privacy settings, and motion detection

I reviewed how easy the Blink Mini 2 was to set up, and tested its app and features.

I tested the Blink Mini 2 in our busy TechRadar reviews office along with a quieter area of my home to establish how sensitive the motion detection was, and how efficient the privacy and activity zones were.

I tested the frequency of notifications and reviewed live and recorded footage, paying close attention to the visual and sound quality, and evaluating how well the camera handled movement.

I observed how well the Night Color Vision worked in different environments, testing how well it performed in darkness and with varying levels of ambient lighting.

I compared the Blink Mini 2 against our previous camera reviews, and benchmarked it against other indoor cameras I am currently testing.

Read more about how we test.

First reviewed October 2024

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