August, 2023 - Organizer

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: does the handstick king’s first vacuum mop sink or swim?

9:02 am | August 22, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: Australia, UK, US | Comments: Off

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine: Two-minute review

The Dyson V15s Detect Submarine (try saying that quickly a few times!) is the brand’s first mopping vacuum cleaner. This isn’t just a hard floor specialist as it comes with an improved Digital Motorbar cleaning head designed to tackle carpets. The Fluffy Optic – first introduced as the Laser Fluffy in the Dyson V15 Detect – has also been upgraded with an LED light instead of the laser, which offers a brighter and broader beam to illuminate more floor space. The latter hard-floor cleaning head, however, only comes with the V15s Detect Submarine Complete (oh, that name is tiring!), which is the model Dyson sent for this particular review.

It's important to note that there are physical differences between the V15s Detect Submarine and the Complete model – the former is based on the original Dyson V15 Detect released in 2021, while the latter is based on the Dyson Gen5detect from 2022 and comes with the integrated crevice tool.

No matter which model you choose, the star of the show is the brand-new Submarine wet roller head that’s been designed to handle wet and dry spills. Whether it’s a thick, almost-dry food spill, muddy boot prints or just a regular mop of your hard floors, the Submarine can handle it all and mops very well. That said, it suffers from one design flaw that makes it a little hard to recommend as it is now – the dirty water tank is not fully sealed and, as it gets full, it can spill. The handstick’s LED display shows the clean water level only, meaning there’s no way to know how much dirty water is collecting.

Moreover, as the wet roller continues cleaning, at some point it can start to leave dirty streaks, particularly when you’ve paused at a spot. As long as you keep moving, it’s fine. But when you do stop to remove the Submarine cleaning head to give it a wash, not only will the saturated roller leave a streak, you'll get some dirty water spilling out too which even its drip tray – yes, Dyson has thoughtfully included one – can't prevent.

If you can figure out how to avoid those spills – I sure couldn’t in the few weeks I was testing the V15s Detect Submarine – then Dyson’s new cordless vacuum mop is a great cleaner. In fact, its mopping skills are par excellence! If Dyson can fix this design flaw on the Submarine head to prevent dirty water spills, then the next version of the machine is sure to go into TechRadar’s list of the best vacuum cleaners.

Another thing I like about the V15s Detect Submarine is that Dyson has gone back to the 60-minute battery pack, meaning it’s not as heavy as the Dyson Gen5detect, making it a lot easier to manoeuvre – like the V15 Detect. However, the integrated crevice tool that we first saw in the Gen5detect is here and it does not work as well as the one you get separately with the base model of the V15s Detect Submarine or the older Dyson models. Its length is too short to get deep into nooks and crannies, and it doesn’t create as good a seal as the separate attachment does, so it barely sucks up anything from skirting boards.

Despite its flaws, it’s hard for me to not recommend the V15s Detect Submarine to Dyson fans – it vacuums and mops very efficiently indeed – and considering it’s a Dyson with dual functionality, it’s priced rather well too.

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Complete tools and attachments hanging from the Free Dok Multi — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: price and availability

Announced July 2023
Currently only available in Australia with prices from AU$1,549
Not available in the US or the UK yet; Singapore gets the Dyson V12s Detect Slim Submarine (from SG$1,299)

Dyson’s been testing its products by launching them in specific markets at first before releasing them elsewhere. For example, the Dyson Airstrait was released in the US only in May 2023 (yet to be sold elsewhere), while the robot vacuum cleaner called Dyson 360 Vis Nav is still stuck in Australia before heading elsewhere.

It’s the same with the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine – it’s currently only available in Australia, with a potential global release sometime in the future (no official timeline has been offered by Dyson yet). Strangely, Singapore gets a Submarine model, but it’s the V12s Detect Slim Submarine, meaning the handstick has a smaller bin.

To confuse matters further, Dyson has two models of the V15s Detect Submarine in Australia – the base model is identical to the V15 Detect but comes with two cleaning heads – the Digital Motorbar and the Submarine roller – at a cost of AU$1,549 (around $995 / £779 at the time of writing), while the Complete model resembles the Gen5detect handstick – integrated crevice tool is here – and ships with a freestanding dock called the Free Dok Multi and the newly designed Fluffy Optic in addition to the other two heads at a higher price of AU$1,649 (about $1,059 / £829).

This is the same price as the Gen5detect models in Australia and costs just AU$100 more than the V15 Detect. In my opinion, this is better value than either of Dyson's previous two offerings from 2021 and 2022. That’s because you’re not just getting a very good mopping head, but the Complete option also has an improved Fluffy Optic for hard floors that I much prefer over the original Laser Fluffy. However, the Complete option is exclusive to the Dyson Store.

Value score: 4 / 5

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine wet roller head — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine: Specs

The below specifications are for the Australian model of the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Complete.

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: Design

Power trigger returns
Integrated crevice tool in the Complete model; separate attachment in the base model
New Submarine wet roller head for mopping

If you looked at the V15s Detect Submarine handstick, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was just the V15 Detect. And if you saw the V15s Detect Submarine Complete, then at first glance it might resemble the Gen5detect as you can see the red button to release the integrated crevice tool, but then you’ll see the power trigger on the newer machine which was replaced by a button on the 2022 model. And that saddens me – I breathed a sigh of relief that I no longer had to keep a trigger pressed to make a Dyson work… and it just went away again. Still, it’s not a major complaint, just something my arms would have preferred, and I’m sure I’m not alone.

The power trigger on the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Complete — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Resemblance to previous models aside, the standout here is the new mopping head. It took Dyson a long time to get here but it’s finally competing with the likes of the Samsung Bespoke Jet and the LG CordZero A9 Kompressor Aqua. With typical Dyson aesthetic, the new Submarine wet roller head has clean lines, a velvet roller, a small clean water ‘bottle’ (yes, it does resemble a water bottle) and, somewhere behind it all, a small compartment for the dirty mop water to collect.

This is where someone at Dyson didn’t think things through as the compartment isn’t well sealed. That means that after you finish mopping and you want to remove the head to clean it, you will be dripping water on the floor as it sloshes around due to the movement. The only way that I found to avoid this is to make sure the drip tray – a grey plastic tray that fits under the Submarine head – is placed by the sink you’re going to be cleaning the head at before you start to mop. The moment you finish, place the drip tray under the head and then detach it. It’s not foolproof though and you might just need the head again to mop up the spill you just created.

Just going by the size, I thought the Submarine roller head would be heavy, but it’s surprisingly not. Even with water filled, the roller’s movement begins to pull the handstick as soon as you press the power trigger, so moving it along a hard floor is very easy.

Maintaining the Submarine is easy as the velvet roller comes off and is fully washable, and you can rinse out the entire cleaning head – press a marked red button and the two parts slide apart.

If you opt for the Complete model, then you also get an updated version of the Fluffy Optic. Instead of the original laser light that I thought was superfluous in the V15 Detect, there’s now an LED light that functions a lot better. As I’ve said earlier in this review, the beam of light is now broader and brighter, so you can see it in any kind of ambient lighting condition and see more of the floor to let you clean more efficiently.

While the Digital Motorbar on the base model of the Submarine is identical to the V15 Detect’s, the one on the Complete model has been given a bit of a facelift to match the gold aesthetic of the handstick – the inner roller is also gold.

As I’ve mentioned before, the integrated crevice tool from the Gen5detect is here and, while useful, I prefer it as a separate attachment. That’s because the integrated version needs to fit inside the tube of the handstick, resulting in it being short and the opening too round and broad. The cutaway for the opening is angled too acutely, so you don’t necessarily create a seal when vacuuming a corner or skirting boards, and no dust gets sucked up. With the separate attachment, which comes with the base model of the Submarine, the slim opening is more efficient and it can be attached to the end of the tube, giving you more reach.

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Dyson V15s Detect Submarine's new wet roller head — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

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The inside of the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine's wet roller head — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

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The velvet roller under the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine mopping head — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

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Dyson V15s Detect Submarine wet roller head separated into its parts — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Another thing I have to talk about with the Complete package is the Free Dok Multi. It’s not often Dyson includes a free-standing dock for its cordless vacuum cleaners and they’re restricted to exclusive models only, as is the case here. However, the dock is far from what I expect from Dyson. The plastic feels flimsy, the parts aren’t easy to fit together and feel like they’ll break if I apply too much force, and the white plastic clashes really badly with the rest of the Dyson color aesthetic. Moreover, if you do get the Free Dok Multi, you can’t stick it into a corner or against a wall. There is only one spot to hang one of the three large attachments that come with the machine, so at least one is going to be hanging off the side slots, and you have to account for its length. So the space the Free Dok Multi takes is more than its slimline look would suggest.

Everything else is inherited from the other Dyson cordless vacuum cleaners – the HEPA filter on the top is washable, as are the rollers on the Submarine and Fluffy Optics. In fact, the entire Submarine wet roller is washable. Cleaning the bin is the same as before, although you will still need to watch out for the hair that gets tangled around the bin’s inner metal cylinder – these can be hard to remove and, as before, not the most hygienic cleaning method as Dyson would have us believe.

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine LED display showing water percentage — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

The LED display is the same as we’ve seen on the V15 Detect, with the graphical representation of the dust and dirt the same vertical graph (as opposed to the horizontal one on the Gen5detect). When the Submarine tool is attached, it displays the percentage of clean water available. A button below the display will let you change the power mode.

Unlike both the Gen5detect and the V15 Detect, I find the V15s Detect Submarine a lot easier to move around, no matter which cleaning head I’m using. According to Dyson’s spec sheet, the Complete model weighs 3.8kg, compared to the V15 Detect at 3.1kg and the Gen5detect at 3.5kg. I think that’s a mistake as it feels lighter than the V15 Detect in the hand, and the Submarine roller just makes it super easy to drag along a floor. I’ve tried measuring the machine myself on a weighing scale, but because I have to hold it in place, the measurements aren’t accurate and come in at just under 3kg, which can’t be right either.

Design score: 4 / 5

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine HEPA filter casing — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: Performance

Excellent mopping capabilities
Dirty-water spills can happen, which can be mopped up with the V15s Detect Submarine
Same vacuum prowess as the V15 Detect

Considering the V15s Detect Submarine is Dyson’s first vacuum mop, I think the company has done quite well. The appliance’s vacuuming skills are, as before, quite good. It’s the same vacuuming performance we saw from the V15 Detect, just quieter. So carpets are well taken care of, as are hard floors. The dynamic suction we’ve seen in the last few Dyson models is here, so most users will only need to leave the machine in Auto mode and it will do its thing and, as before, I still think the Digital Motorbar is the catch-all tool for any kind of floor. However, if it’s mostly fine dust in your home and you don’t have pets, then the Fluffy Optic that ships with the Complete model is good and no longer the novelty that I thought it was when I tested the V15 Detect.

So let’s talk mopping here in more detail. The Submarine wet roller cleaning attachment is pretty impressive when it comes to cleaning spills, both wet and dry. For the latter, however, you do need to remember that there’s no suction when using the Submarine, so you’re mopping up a dry spill, not vacuuming. If you need to clean up breakfast cereal, for example, you can mop up the milk, but you’ll need to use the Digital Motorbar after it’s all dried up to suck up the cereal itself. The Fluffy Optic, however, will only scatter the dried cereal as there’s not enough space between the roller and its case to pull in large cereal like Cheerios. However, spills with smaller bits of food, like rice, can be mopped up easily by the Submarine, but you will need to give it a good wash and allow it to dry fully before using it again.

The updated Fluffy Optic with the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Complete — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Tracked muddy shoes through the house? The Submarine will take care of that and do an impressive job of cleaning up the mud – whether dried or wet – and the stains on the floor. Some stubborn food stains may need a few passes over them, but the Submarine is perfectly capable of handling that. Spilt water on the floor? The Submarine roller will mop that dry too. I used it in the bathroom of my test space (aka my own apartment), not just to mop the floor but also dry out the shower stall and I was very impressed indeed.

Even more impressive is the fact that the roller seems to pick up a heck of a lot of fine dust that the Fluffy Optic misses and doesn’t even illuminate, leaving your floors spotless and a lot cleaner than just vacuuming. I’m basing this on the color of the mop water and how dirty the roller gets after just a few passes on an already-vacuumed floor.

What was not all that impressive was the subsequent dirty water spills I had as I walked from said bathroom to the laundry room sink where I was going to wash the Submarine roller head. So I had to empty the dirty water and use the Submarine to mop up the spills anyway.

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Complete's integrated crevice tool button — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

This is far from ideal and clearly something Dyson didn’t think through. There’s no way to know how much mop water is filling up in the compartment behind the roller as the display only shows how much clean water you have left to work with. If it was the other way around, perhaps the unsealed compartment wouldn’t have been such a bother and I could empty the dirty water after mopping each room (which, again, is not ideal). Not everyone is going to lug the drip tray around as they mop or remember to place it exactly where you finish. And while this design flaw might seem like a small one, it ends up being a bigger issue for the end consumer to deal with.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the Submarine attachment doesn’t hold a lot of clean water. You’ll be able to do a large living room only before you’ll need to refill the little bottle in the cleaning head. So if your multi-room home is all hard floors, you’ll need to fill it often and empty the dirty water just as often, which may not be ideal for everyone.

Performance score: 4 / 5

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Complete's redesigned Digital Motorbar — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: Battery life

Up to 60 minutes of fade-free power
Average of 42 minutes with motorized cleaning heads
Replaceable battery pack

With the V15s Detect Submarine, Dyson’s gone back to the 60-minute battery pack it uses in the V15 Detect. That, I think, is a good move because the 70-minute battery used in the Gen5detect made the machine quite heavy and hard to move around or used as a handheld unit.

While it’s possible to get a full 60 minutes of runtime from the V15s Detect Submarine, that will only work with the non-motorized tools like the Hair Screw Tool and the Combination Tool or achievable in Eco mode. You’ll also get almost the whole 60 minutes with the Submarine roller head as the suction is switched off with it attached, however you'll run out of clean water long before you'll need to recharge the machine.

With the motorized tools – namely the Digital Motorhead and the Fluffy Optic – you can get anywhere between 40 to 45 minutes in Auto mode, depending on how often the dynamic suction comes into play. If your home is particularly dirty and the suction changes often, you may get less than 40 minutes, but you can also get up to 50 minutes if there isn't a lot of dust.

During my testing, I managed to get 62 minutes in Eco mode, but I wasn’t quite enthused by the clean I got in this mode. On the other hand, Boost is great for carpets but you can expect to run out of juice in about 8 minutes.

Topping up the battery, according to Dyson, should take 4.5 hours, but my test unit went from 20% to full in a smidge over 3 hours, so I expect empty to full shouldn’t take more than 3.5 hours.

Attachments and tools of the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Complete hanging from the Free Dok Multi — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Should I buy the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

If you’re not sold on the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine, then take a look at the below alternatives as solid competitors instead.

How I tested the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine

Used up to three times a week as main vacuum cleaner
Spilt milky cereal, water and sauces on the floor to test mopping capabilities
Avoided using detergents

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Complete standing next to a bookshelf — (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

I’ve used the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine two to three times a week for four weeks as my main vacuum, while also running the Dyson V15 Detect to compare suction during vacuuming. I allowed hair and dust to accumulate on the carpet in one room before the first test run.

I also scattered different-sized grain on the floor to test vacuuming, including sugar, rice, Cheerios and tapioca pearls. I then used the Digital Motorbar and the Fluffy Optic to vacuum to determine which one does best on such debris.

To test the mopping prowess, I poured cereal and milk on the floor, allowing it to dry. I first vacuumed up the cereal, then used the Submarine wet roller head to mop the dried, sticky milk. I also poured water on a patch of floor to mop up to see how well the patch dries. Dusty shoe prints and dried food on the floor were also mopped during different tests.

I’ve actively been testing and reviewing vacuum cleaners of all kinds for the last six years and have learnt what to look for when choosing a machine that’s best for different kinds of homes. I also place high importance on value for money in any appliance I test.

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2: Two-minute review

The Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 is the latest version of the American audio brand’s Crusher series of headphones. The company says this new model takes the bass response loved by many from the predecessor and adds active noise cancellation (ANC). This is my first foray into the Crusher series, so I don’t have the luxury of having used the previous model, but the prospect of bass, plus noise cancellation, meant I simply couldn’t turn down the opportunity to have a listen.

I have used Skullcandy headphones before, but when I was a wee youngster. They were affordable, came in an array of funky colors and produced what I believed at the time to be great sound. Fast forward to today and Skullcandy continues to offer those fun and funky designs, alongside a more premium offering, the likes of which see it sit with the heavyweights of the headphone world – in terms of both price and features – such as Sony, Bose, Sennheiser and Apple.

These established brands have a slight stronghold on the market and the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 sets out to disrupt this. And based on my listening, I think it gives it a very good crack indeed. If you’re in the market for a new set of cans and you’ve felt let down by bass reproduction on models you’ve auditioned thus far, then you need to give the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 a listen.

Upon first listen to Skullcandy’s latest, I found myself literally saying “wow” out loud, due to the bass served up being so deep it quite literally shook my skull. I’d even go as far as describing it as having London’s Printworks nightclub strapped to your head. If your primary music tastes revolve around low bass beats, then you absolutely need to hear them. If they don’t, however, you might want to tread with caution, as the bass on offer does take center stage and can overshadow the rest of the frequencies if you turn it up to the maximum level. But thanks to an easily accessible control wheel, you can adjust said bass levels in an instant, and just give your tracks a bit of extra low-end oomph.

Inside view of Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 earcups — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

The Crusher ANC 2 is a handsome pair of headphones and I fully welcome the inclusion of numerous physical buttons to control various aspects of playback compared to touch and gesture controls found on most other premium models. The orange power button is a stylish subtle touch on a matte black finish. Whilst the band is a bit of a fingerprint magnet, it's sleek and premium-looking.

Battery life is almost unrivalled too, at a claimed 50 hours with ANC turned on. Only the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless spring to mind as bettering them with a 60-hour figure.

Noise cancellation isn’t class-leading, as I was able to hear chatter around me in the office on occasion. I have experienced similar issues with other noise-cancelling headphones, however, and personally find in-ear headphones such as the AirPods Pro 2 and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II to be far more effective.

These features, coupled with the performance, do indeed justify the price tag in my opinion, but this is also its Achilles’ heel. At the time of writing, for the same or similar money (depending on your market) you can pick up the Sony WH-1000XM4, a pair that still tops our best noise-cancelling headphones and best headphones lists, despite being succeeded by a newer model. For outright sonic reproduction, Sony takes the crown. But if you want a pair of headphones that is fun, a bit different and that will give you the same wow-inducing experience as me, then you need to give the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 an audition.

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Price and availability

Skullcandy announced the Crusher ANC 2 headphones on August 1, 2023. They’re available globally with pricing set at $229.99 / £199.99 / AU$399.95. In the US at least, the Crusher ANC 2 undercut the Sony XM4 by some margin, but in the UK and Australia, they’re pitted squarely against each other.

You can only get them in one color: black. It would have been nice to see a silver or off-white model too, given the popularity of these colors on some of the competition.

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Specifications

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Features

Crusher bass control
Personalized sound
Skull iQ voice control

Skullcandy has thrown so much into the Crusher ANC 2 that I was disappointed to not see a kitchen sink mentioned in the specs list. The headline feature here is the Crusher adjustable bass, which lets you cycle through 10 levels of increasing bass response. The more you increase it, the more you will start to physically feel the earcups vibrate against your head. You can turn the feature off entirely if you wish.

ANC is the other headline feature here, and the main one that has warranted the upgrade over the original Crusher headphones. Unfortunately, this isn’t the best execution of the technology that I’ve heard. External sounds do get blocked out, but not as effectively as I’ve experienced with other pairs of headphones.

While I was writing this paragraph, for example, I was at home in the living room whilst my housemate was in the kitchen. I couldn’t hear every single thing he was doing or him talking to me, but I could hear rustles of packets, clinks of spoons and cupboard doors shutting. Turning the volume up helped to drown these out more, but I would’ve liked the ANC capabilities to have been good enough to not require this.

Skullcandy SkullIQ app on iPhone — The Skull-iQ app offers plenty in the way of customization (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Through a partnership with Mimi Hearing Technologies (an audio processing startup), you are able to personalize the overall sound profile of the headphones too, by taking a hearing test found in the companion Skull-iQ app. It was pleasing to find you can easily toggle between sound profiles before and after the test to hear your results. In my case, there was a genuine difference, with the soundstage sounding more open and having greater depth. The ‘before’ sound was much flatter in comparison.

You also get multipoint connectivity with support for up to two devices thanks to Bluetooth 5.2. Tile (the Bluetooth tracker) finding technology is built in, so if you ever mislay the headphones, you can reunite yourselves using the Tile app. The companion Skull-iQ app for iOS and Android allows you to assign and reassign functions to each button – some can support multiple functions depending on how many times you press them. For example, Spotify Tap lets you start playing your most recent Spotify tracks at the press of a button and you even carry out the majority of playback features using your voice.

The only feature I feel is missing is wear detection, which would pause playback when you take the headphones off your head. But since pausing playback can be done at the press of a button, this isn’t a dealbreaker.

Features score: 4/5

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Design

Physical buttons to control virtually all aspects of playback
Comfortable despite being heavier than competition
Premium look and feel

Over-ear headphones, by and large, opt for safe and sophisticated design, with the only slight injection of personality coming in the form of subtle accents. Sony headphones, for example, employ little touches of rose gold and the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 see the earcups moving up and down a singular headband. The general consensus surrounding the Sennheiser Momentum 4 is that they’re a little bland.

Skullcandy has gone down the subtle accent route with the Crusher ANC 2. At first glance, it is just another pair of black headphones. But the orange power button and textured section in the middle of the headband do enough in my opinion to deem them different. I’m not sure how many people spend time feeling their headphones, but the Crusher ANC 2 is silky smooth on the earcups and that middle headband section introduces a bit of roughness. These little touches only add to the appeal in my opinion, as it's clear the designers actually considered the final product and didn’t follow the rest of the crowd.

Close up on Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 right earcup — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

At 332g, you may initially think the Crusher ANC 2 could do with going on a diet, as it’s one of the heavier pairs of headphones in the premium space. The Sennheiser Momentum 4 comes in at 293g, Bose 700s 252g and the Sony WH-1000XM5 is practically a feather at 249g. But Skullcandy has handled weight distribution beautifully, as I didn’t notice the extra weight all that much.

Sure, it’s there, but not to the point where they feel like they’re physically pushing your head down. The padding in the center of the headband is incredibly plush and does a great job of absorbing the weight, while the cushioning around the earcups does an equally impressive job of making them feel snug, without feeling like they’re crushing your ears.

I have found other pairs of over-ear headphones to be uncomfortable in the past. Either the earcups would press into my head too much, or the pressure of the headband would become unbearable. I have yet to find similar issues in the Crusher ANC 2 and feel I could easily wear them for longer listening sessions.

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 being worn on head — Despite being heavier than the competition, the Crusher ANC 2 headphones are comfortable to wear (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

That could include a long-haul flight and you’ll be pleased to know that Skullcandy has made the Crusher ANC 2 travel-friendly by employing a folding design. Where some competitor pairs now favor a simple swivel design for the earcups, the Crusher can be folded up neatly – there are subtle hinges on the band just above each earcup – and placed either in the supplied case or, if space is really tight in your bag, they can find a home in a smaller space.

There are separate physical buttons on the right earcup to increase and decrease volume and play/pause/answer calls. They’re easy to identify without looking, since the central play/pause button is concave and the other two each have a unique protrusion to feel. A toggle switch is also on the right earcup to turn ANC on or off. On the left is the aforementioned orange power button, and the Crusher bass control wheel. The wheel can also be pressed in to carry out any command you choose within the app.

Wired listening is possible – a 3.5mm cable is included – via an aux-in on the left earcup, which sits next to the USB-C charging port.

Design score: 5 / 5

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Sound quality

Crusher bass works well for dance tracks, can give others a low-end push
Flaws to be found in other genres

A pair of headphones could be the most well-designed and feature-packed ever, but if they don’t sound good, then they’re essentially made redundant. Fortunately, that isn’t the case for the Crusher ANC 2. The majority of the music I listen to is of a dance and deep house persuasion, so the ramped up bass is something I knew I was going to enjoy and they didn’t disappoint. But even I can freely admit that turning the Crusher wheel all the way to 10 is overkill.

Yes, it’s impressive and the insane vibrations do make you go “ooft”, but for when you actually want to listen to your music, I found anywhere between level two to five – at a maximum – did enough to improve my enjoyment. Music played when the bass is increased gains extra energy and rhythm, and I found myself dancing around my living room as if I were at a silent disco.

Bottom view of Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 earcups — The inclusion of physical buttons makes playback control a breeze (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Don’t let the focus on bass put you off if you listen to other genres though, as the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 handles them well. I loaded up Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill and the iconic drum beat intro benefits from the extra low-end push in my opinion. I expected her vocals to be drowned out by the bass beneath, but was pleasantly surprised to find they still shone through with clarity. I would say outright precision and organization is sacrificed a little compared to the class-leading competition, but not to the point where the performance sounded like it was tripping over itself.

Slow things down with a more vocal-orientated ballad such as Billie Eilish’s WhenThe Party’s Over and it becomes clearer that the Skullcandy pair isn’t quite an all-rounder. I listened to the track side-by-side on the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 and an older pair of Sony WH-1000XM3 (the predecessor to the five-star XM4, which have now been succeeded by the new XM5) and from the opening word of ‘Don’t’ the Sony pair had far greater impact, with Billie’s voice being the clear standout of the whole arrangement. Indeed, for a more detailed listen you will want to opt for a pair from the industry heavyweights.

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 headphones in case — The Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 headphones come supplied with an aux cable and USB-A to USB-C charging cable (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

When listening through the Skullcandys and the Crusher level set to zero, Billie’s voice is still clear, but not to the same extent. The best analogy that comes to mind is that her vocal sounds recessed into the backing track, whereas on the Sony pair it protrudes beyond it, sounding more direct and giving a sense of dimension and layering to the soundstage. The Sony pair also proves to be more dynamically adept as the song progresses, able to track the rising and falling of instruments and vocal lilts.

The Crusher ANC 2 offers an entertaining listen in its own right and delivers a surprisingly impressive amount of low-end punch that’s rare to find in headphones of this price. But a relative lack of detail and dynamic expression does mean it can’t rub shoulders with the best-in-class competition.

Sound quality score: 4 / 5

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Battery life

Battery life can often be the chink in the armor of the best noise-cancelling headphones, but fortunately for the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2, I have very few criticisms. The company claims you’ll get 50 hours of playback time with ANC turned on, and I’m inclined to believe it.

I’ve been using the headphones for a couple of weeks now, on and off, and have only managed to get the battery down to 70%. If you turn ANC off, battery life is claimed to increase to 60 hours. If you do want your pair to last as long as possible between charges, I would recommend doing this, as I couldn’t hear much of a difference when toggling ANC on and off.

If you do manage to finally empty the battery, plugging it into USB-C power will get you four hours of playback from just 10 minutes of charging. I have yet to discover how long a full charge takes as I’ve haven't been unable to drain the battery completely.

Battery life score: 5 / 5

Close up view of Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 headband showing textured material — (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Value

More affordable than the competition with little sacrifice
Bass fans have their prayers answered
Competition are better all-rounders

While it is true that the competition in this premium headphone space do offer better all-round packages, a quick glance at our comparison table further down shows the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 are the cheaper pair by some margin. To some, this saving in cost could outweigh the sacrifices that need to be made.

No, the ANC performance isn't class-leading, but it's not as though it doesn't block out any external sound at all. There is greater insight to be gained from other pairs, too, but the sound produced by the Crusher ANC 2 is still perfectly listenable. And, where some customers of other pairs may have said they wish there was more bass, with the Crusher ANC 2, there is no such criticism to make.

For me, the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 is a fun pair of headphones that doesn't appear to take itself too seriously. It delivers a competent performance – one that did pleasantly surprise me, I'll be honest – and does enough to at least warrant a listen.

Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 headphones?

Buy them if...

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Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Also consider

How I tested the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2

Tested for two weeks, listened against the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones
Used in the office, at home and in public (train platforms, busy streets)
Listened to Apple Lossless tracks via Apple Music

The pair of Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 headphones sent to me for review was a brand new set, so I allowed them to run-in for around 48 hours before starting to make any notes and observations.

Once run in, I listened to Apple Lossless music tracks via Apple Music on both my iPhone and my MacBook Air. I listened for extended periods of time during each week to test out the battery life claims. Following my two week review period, I'd only managed to get the battery down to 66 percent.

I wore the Crusher ANC 2 headphones in various locations to test out the active noise cancellation capabilities, these included in the office where there is regular chatter; on train platforms where trains regularly pull in; and on busy streets when walking around near my home.

To test out the audio capabilities, I listened to a variety of music genres, from dance and house music, to more melancholy ballads and even some death metal.

Turtle Beach Recon Controller: price and availability

The Turtle Beach Recon Controller is available to buy now for $59.95 / £49.99 / AU$99.95, either from the manufacturer’s own website, as well as large online retailers including Amazon, Game and Best Buy. Do keep in mind that the controller is designed for Xbox Series X|S and PC, meaning PS5 players will need to look elsewhere as there’s unfortunately no Sony version of the gamepad.

Turtle Beach Recon Controller: design and features

The Turtle Beach Recon looks the part of the Xbox Wireless Controller with a strikingly similar form factor. But there’s some key differences that separate and in some ways elevate it above Microsoft’s pack-in gamepad.

While build quality isn’t quite as premium as Microsoft’s, it’s nevertheless a solidly built controller that doesn’t really have any outstanding weaknesses in terms of its design. Its textured grips, triggers, bumpers and back buttons all drive that home even further, creating a feel that’s both comfortable and resistant to slipping. In other words, perfect for a gamepad that prioritizes hassle-free online play.

There’s dedicated space at the top of the controller – just above the Xbox Home button – for all its audio profile features and settings. It’s a bit busy here, and first-time users may find the layout to be a touch overwhelming, but it doesn’t take too long to acclimatize to the setup.

Bookending either side of the Turtle Beach Recon Controller’s on-board audio controls are headset and voice chat volume controls. Between them, there’s a dedicated mic mute button, EQ selection and a toggle for Turtle Beach’s Superhuman audio setting. It’s a fairly basic setup once you’re used to it, and you’ll likely find it to be a highly convenient set of on-board functions, eliminating the need to open your console or PC’s volume control centers separately.

Turtle Beach Recon Controller: performance

The Turtle Beach Recon Controller impresses on the fundamentals. Its face buttons, triggers and sticks all feel nice to press and move about; a necessity for a multiplayer-focused gamepad, and thankfully the manufacturer has understood the assignment here. Overall feel reminds me of the 8BitDo Ultimate in that modules are tactile, and feature a short travel time which helps to reduce input delay. The addition of trigger locks would’ve been nice, but what’s here more than gets the job done for online play.

Where the Recon sets itself apart from other pads is, as mentioned, that on-board audio control. These all feel similarly responsive, with volume controls and the mic mute button doing exactly what they say on the tin. The EQ presets are all functional, too. There’s a default setting if you’re happy with a more generalized audio profile, however, there are also options for heavier bass, or a focus on distant sounds such as footsteps and vehicles. That’s especially handy for shooters like PUBG Battlegrounds and Warzone, wherein spatial awareness is often key to success.

The two big surprises for me, though, include the togglable Pro Aim setting. This will automatically tune your analog stick sensitivity to help improve accuracy in the best FPS games. It’s simple, but an effective way to manage finer aiming without needing to delve into your game’s sensitivity settings. Take PUBG Battlegrounds, where sniping from hundreds of meters away is a common method of scoring kills. I found that the togglable Pro Aim helped me to focus more effectively on distant targets.

Lastly, the Superhuman audio toggle on the Recon deserves special mention. In essence, this helps to add clarity to voice chat, and it works phenomenally well. During a Fortnite play session, toggling the setting on and off created a clear difference in clarity by sharpening the chat audio profile, and it helps to quieten background sounds. It’s a must-enable option if you’re playing a title that requires clear, careful communication between team members.

Should I buy the Turtle Beach Recon Controller?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we reviewed the Turtle Beach Recon Controller

Given that the Turtle Beach Recon Controller is designed around online play and communication, we primarily tested the gamepad in a variety of multiplayer scenarios. We found it to be especially useful in games that required clear communication, such as Final Fantasy 14’s various raids and trials, as well as sessions of Fortnite to discuss our plans for each game, where we were headed and callouts for enemy players and loot.

Interested in more of the best Xbox controllers? Consider checking out our expertly tested reviews for the Victrix Gambit and PowerA Fusion Pro 3 gamepads.

Samsung details offers for the Galaxy Z Fold5 and Z Flip5 in India

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

Samsung laid out the deals and benefits for the new Galaxy Z Fold5 and Galaxy Z Flip5, and the Galaxy Tab S9 series to Indian buyers. Both the Galaxy Z Fold5 and Galaxy Z Flip5 come with a bank cashback and an upgrade bonus (where Samsung buys back your old, eligible phone). You'll get a bank cashback of INR 7,000 for both phones and a 9-month zero-interest EMI finance. The Galaxy Z Fold5 comes with an INR 11,000 upgrade bonus if the buyer pays upfront and INR 9,000 if he opts for the EMI option. The upgrade bonus for the Galaxy Z Flip5 is INR 9,000 without an EMI and INR 7,000 with an...

Samsung considers cheaper Galaxy Z FE lineup after the Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 next year

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

As the foldable market matures, manufacturers are looking for a way to offer more affordable versions of their phones. Motorola had first shot this year with its Motorola Razr 40 but Samsung is sticking to its single Galaxy Z Flip and Fold yearly releases for now. That's about to change next year, according to a report by Revegnus - a tipster who shared some spicy info regarding Samsung's upcoming camera sensors. After the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 next year, Samsung is looking to release Fan Edition versions of the duo. That doesn't mean they are going to be available as early as...

Honor announces partnership with PSAV Global for return in India

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

Honor confirmed its return to the Indian market last week, and today, the brand announced a key partnership that will help the company quickly expand its presence in the country. The cooperation is with PSAV Global – a local firm that offers a widespread network of over 5,000 retailers and distributors that span more than 100 cities. The partner will also provide marketing, services, and distribution solutions to Honor. HonorTech team The announcement came from HonorTech, Honor's brand in India, and promised its customers “advanced, reliable, and self-centric solutions and...

Samsung’s Exynos 2400 specs surface, to feature a 10-core CPU

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

AnTuTu's Chinese website is the latest to predict Samsung is going to once again use an Exynos chipset for some of its Galaxy S24 units next year. Perhaps European, African and some of the Asian countries will get the Galaxy S24 lineup with an Exynos 2400 SoC based on an improved 4nm manufacturing process from Samsung. More interestingly, the report brings the detailed specs of the chipset. It's rumored to feature a 10-core CPU with a 1+2+3+4 configuration. The main Cortex-X4 core is said to be clocked at 3.1 GHz, while the duo cluster will consist of Cortex-A720 cores ticking at 2.9 GHz....

Ride 5 review – one for the purists

2:21 pm |

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

Review information

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: August 24, 2023

Ride 5 is the latest in Milestone’s premiere motorcycling racing series which is running exclusively on current-generation hardware, and it looks and runs all the better for it. However, it brings relatively few new additions to the established formula, save for improvements to the dynamic weather system, a few more bikes, and split-screen racing. It’s a title that’s made first and foremost for dedicated racing enthusiasts for better or worse.

While some of the best racing games skirt a fine line between realistic simulation handling and arcade action, Ride 5 firmly establishes itself in the former camp in an unflinching and uncompromising way. You’re thrown into the deep end from the off
- just like 2020 predecessor Ride 4 - and must complete a few time trial laps before engaging with the rest of the title’s content. However, unlike the older game, there’s no strict insistence on a personal best time or the risk of an invalid lap for the slightest mistake, but this is about as much slack as the game awards you.

That’s because Ride 5 isn’t interested in teaching you how to play with its sink-or-swim mentality. There’s no tutorial mode to speak of, nor a walkthrough of how to best use the game’s systems to learn as you go. There’s one track, a couple of laps that need doing, and you have to do your best to wrestle with the controls early on and fight through the difficult learning curve to even have a chance at racing other people. It’s more of a wall to climb than a curve to progress up, though. Bikes feel weighty and responsive in the acceleration, although, turning and appropriately breaking before turns takes some serious getting used to. Even as someone who has played a ton of this series, I was still having trouble with the basics, and can only imagine they are thoroughly unapproachable and uninviting to newcomers.

The Grand Tour

A racer on a Kawasaki Ninja in Ride 5 — (Image credit: Milestone)

Once you’re up to speed with the fundamentals of Ride 5, you’ve got the lengthy career mode to contend with which is split into four main chapters with varying difficulties. You start on a basic 2-stroke 250cc motorcycle, the slowest of the professional racing world, with top speeds capping out at around 80mph / 128kmh before graduating to far more powerful 600cc sport and supersport bikes which can easily do up to 160mph / 257kmh. Before long, if you’re good enough, you’ll be putting your money where your mouth is against some of the best in the division on 1000cc liter bikes in some of the tightest corners seen yet.

There are a ton of motorcycles to unlock by making your way through the career mode as each of the four segments awards dozens of bikes, usually between 20 and 30, which is the core reason to keep pushing through. Unique bikes can also be unlocked including the stellar Kawasaki Ninja ZX-7RR 1996 and the Honda VTR1000 SP1-EM 2001 model, which are sure to be highly coveted to long-time riders and racing fans.

The big appeal of Ride 5 is just how fully realized and gorgeous these real-world motorcycle models look, sound, and feel like. From the garage, you’ve got a total of 233 bikes from 14 of the biggest manufacturers in the world such as Honda, Kawasaki, Aprilia, KTM, Suzuki, and Triumph. Without question, this is the best-looking motorcycling title ever made, and the jump to releasing purely on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC has cemented that, as there’s a level of photorealism that just couldn’t have been achieved by holding onto the previous console generation.

This extends to how the vehicles sound, too. One of the first things I did in the game was to loan out the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, a 636cc sports bike, and an in-game version of the vehicle I passed my bike test on several years ago. Putting the camera into the first-person helmet mode, hearing the roar of the liquid-cooled in-line four-cylinder engine, it was that bike and sounded just as it did when I was behind the controls, it’s really impressive. The immersion starts to break, however, when factoring in actually racing in Ride 5 because taking corners is challenging, even when dropping down a few gears, breaking before the turn, and then accelerating out of a bend. It’s far easier to do that in real life on the same bike at high rates of speed than in the game, where I felt like I was constantly wrestling with the controls.

It’s a shame that the same level of detail doesn’t extend to the tracks that you’ll race on. There’s a total of four continents to choose from split up into three categories; America, Europe, and Asia-Africa which implements real-world locations like Sonoma Raceway, Donington Park Raceway, and Sportsland Sugo just to name a few. While the tracks look good, and that’s the main focus, pedestrian onlookers appear poorly rendered, and asset pop-in is a frequent occurrence from foliage, and other set dressing. Things can look genuinely photorealistic at times, but the illusion can break if you stare too closely at the small details.

Road Rash

Two racers going head to head in Ride 5 — (Image credit: Milestone)

Best Bit

A man dressed in black in Ride 5 — (Image credit: Milestone)

Having a ton of some of the sport’s most iconic vehicles be fully realized to the degree that no other game has before. A lot of time, love, and care went into accurately recreating the look, feel, and sound of over 200 motorcycles.

Not helping matters for the racing experience in Ride 5 is the rival driver A.I. which is consistently coming for blood even when on the tamer difficulties. It isn’t unusual to see fellow racers routinely crash into each other even on straight parts of the track, but it does happen often in the bends. However, it becomes more frustrating when you’re often rear-ended or clipped by drivers who have little regard for their own safety and care even less about you. In the races, I took part in, it wasn’t uncommon for many seconds of penalty time to be added because I was hit off the bike by people who had no business ramming into me. It makes for an experience with is more frustrating than not, as real motorcycle races aren’t conducted this way. While it’s true you can turn collisions off, and tweak driver A.I. settings to your liking, dialing every down to the calmest settings just to get through a race isn’t fun, or the proper solution here.

The previous title Ride 4 received an update to PS5 and Xbox Series X which added DualSense functionality and that’s something that has carried over into this title. It’s an incredibly immersive touch and one of the best uses of the PS5 controller that I’ve ever seen. The adaptive triggers provide a realistic and weighty punch to everything from braking to accelerating, gear changes, and red-lining and it feels awesome. The haptic feedback further sells this as you’ll be able to feel different terrain as you go from sleek tracks to roads, to the grass and gravel when you inevitably take a corner too sharply or get rammed off the road. Because of this, the PS5 is definitely the definitive platform in my experience.

It’s in comparing Ride 5 to its predecessor that I’m less convinced that this iteration even really needed to exist because the games look and feel functionally identical. Prior to this review, I went back and re-experienced Milestone’s latest racer side-by-side with this one and I couldn’t really tell that anything was different. Yes, this one adds a split screen mode, which is a welcome addition, fleshes out the career mode a little more, and includes new tweaks to the dynamic weather system, but that title is available considerably cheaper and includes far more bikes included as free DLC than the base roster here.

Ultimately, I’m incredibly torn on Ride 5. There’s no doubting the visual presentation, sound, and immersion that the game offers on a surface level. It’s without question one of the best-looking PS5 games I’ve ever seen and a good showcase of what current-generation hardware can do. But with that said, it’s just not that enjoyable to play through, as once you get over the steep learning curve, which will likely put off more than a few curious people, you’re left with a title that just isn’t exciting in action, hampered heavily by the A.I. and the handling. If you’re a simulation purist who adores motorcycles then you’re going to get a lot out of this one, however, if you’re just interested in getting on a track with a few bikes you recognize and having fun, then this isn’t the game for you.

Accessibility

Ride 5 has a couple of decent accessibility options including entirely remappable control layouts for some of the best PS5 controllers. You’re also able to enable riding aids which makes the experience easier and includes automatic braking, automatic steering, and the ability to turn off collisions entirely. You can also disable various elements of the HUD to what you need on-screen, too.

How we reviewed Ride 5

I spent around 15 hours playing through Ride 5 in single races and going through different stages of the career mode, buying and testing a wide variety of different bikes with ranging weather conditions. In order to accurately check the controls, I tested the game with multiple PS5 controllers, one which had DualSense support, and another which omitted vibration and adaptive triggers completely.

Ride 5 will look stunning on one of the best monitors for PS5 or the best monitors for Xbox Series X.

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Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: price and availability

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine: Specs

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: Design

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: Performance

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: Battery life

Should I buy the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine?

Buy it if...

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Also consider

How I tested the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2: Two-minute review

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Price and availability

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Specifications

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Features

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Design

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Sound quality

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Battery life

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Value

Should I buy the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 headphones?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review: Also consider

How I tested the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2

Turtle Beach Recon Controller: price and availability

Turtle Beach Recon Controller: design and features

Turtle Beach Recon Controller: performance

Should I buy the Turtle Beach Recon Controller?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we reviewed the Turtle Beach Recon Controller

The Grand Tour

Road Rash

Accessibility

How we reviewed Ride 5

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