Platform reviewed: PC Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S Release date: August 29, 2023
Under The Waves is an awe-inspiring story-rich adventure into the ocean's dark depths and one man’s psyche. While the grand ocean canyons are glorious, soon you'll realize that this underwater world is somewhat empty.
However, follow the story through completing the various missions, and you’ll find a story which is just as fulfilling as it is sad. The meat here is slowly learning about the main character's past and what drove him to venture deep into the depths.
You’ll follow protagonist Stan into the North Sea as he works for a company that becomes more sinister the closer you look. Throughout your time monitoring their submarine facilities and repairing broken machinery, you appreciate not only the beauty of the sea but also the ugly nature of what humanity is doing to it as you clean up plastic and cover up oil spills. In this solitary confinement, Stan also has no choice but to reflect on the recent passing of his daughter. This experience makes for some truly insightful and heart-wrenching experiences that’ll resonate with you long after you close down the game.
Don’t look too close
(Image credit: Quantic Dream)
Under The Waves is a stunning single-player game with forgotten rocky crevices and vast open water sections that house all sorts of magnificent creatures. Exploring the map in your trusty submarine nicknamed Moon is all sorts of fun. I loved racing through schools of fish or watching from afar as a gigantic whale made its way slowly across my screen. If you’re a fan of the lonely adventures in the dark bottom of the ocean, then Under The Waves has a lot to offer.
There are also several structures to enjoy on the ocean bed, each with its own distinct ambience. Having the cozy and safe structure of the base was a welcome change from drifting around in the cold and harsh sea. While activities were limited in here, crafting supplies, making a coffee, or even just staring out your porthole from a warm and soft bed gave me some much-needed respite from the otherwise emotionally taxing story.
Best bit
(Image credit: Quantic Dream)
My favorite part of Under The Waves had to be the sinister dream sequences. These nightmares were a psychedelic trip underwater, filled with broken memories, ominous sounds, and frightening visuals. Travelling through these distorted oceanic locations made me feel smaller than I had ever felt before.
There are also several structures to enjoy on the ocean bed, each with its own distinct ambience. Having the cozy and safe structure of the base was a welcome change from drifting around in the cold and harsh sea. While activities were limited in here, crafting supplies, making a coffee, or even just staring out your porthole from a warm and soft bed gave me some much-needed respite from the otherwise emotionally taxing story.
On the other hand, you have the decaying corporate structures scattered across the map, such as The Terminal. This emits an entirely different atmosphere from your warm deep sea base. Swimming around the dark, or ominously glowing red hallways made my imagination run wild. While this certainly isn’t a horror game, I couldn’t help but feel on edge at almost every moment in these claustrophobic corridors.
(Image credit: Quantic Dream)
Unfortunately, as soon as you look a little closer at Under The Waves, the atmosphere crumbles under the weight of various glitches and bugs. At moments when I would be travelling across a seriously strange and awe-inspiring dreamscape I’d at times accidentally turn the camera so I could see the character’s face while talking. Instead of focusing on the glorious landscape or heartfelt words all I could see was Stan’s mouth garbelling at random as he desperately tried to keep up with the words leaving his mouth.
There’s also very little in the way of crafting and action. While there are a few adrenaline-filled moments, you're mostly guided through this story with convenient item drops, which meant I had to spend very little time crafting or searching for materials.
These small quirks plagued my time in Under The Waves. Whether it was my character jankily repositioning himself to get through small entrances or accidentally phasing through one particularly happy and friendly seal. While this doesn’t mean that this story rich game is unplayable, it does put a damper on what would otherwise be a terrific emotional experience.
The sound of the sea
(Image credit: Quantic Dream)
However, there are so many more elements of Under The Waves that round this title off beautifully. One of my favorite elements had to be the soundscaping and music that accompanied my dangerous endeavors.
As previously established, the story at the centre of Under The Waves is more than just a little emotional; while the fantastic voice work ensures that you feel the main character’s pain in every way, the soundtrack was the nail in the tissue-filled coffin for me. Traversing through strange dreamscapes or seeing an image of your daughter again is always paired with heart-wrenching music or ethereal sounds, which make the emotional impact all the more devastating.
On the other hand, I also enjoyed how quiet Under The Waves was while you’re traversing through the open desolate ocean. The quiet and distant bellows of sea creatures, along with the reliable hum of your submarine, permeates the vacuum-like ocean floor, making me feel smaller than I ever had before. It’s a feeling that you can’t get from many games, and one that I greatly enjoy, in a twisted sense.
While Under The Waves does lack some final polish, it delivers an emotionally thoughtful story, beautiful landscapes and an equally brilliant accompanying soundtrack. If you’re a fan of narrative-driven adventures and don’t mind an adventure game that’s on the easier side, then Under The Waves is just the tale for you.
Accessibility
(Image credit: Quantic Dream)
Accessibility features for Under The Waves are solid for a game of its size. You can toggle subtitles and change their size as well as the background to suit your needs best. There's also options to change the HUD color as well as its radar size and objectives size. Finally, there is the possibility to change button mash interactions as well as enable or disable camera sway and vibrations.
How we reviewed
It took me about seven hours to complete the main story of Under The Water, while I tried exploring for a bit which added some more time. On top of this, I soon found myself out of ideas and ways to explore the ocean floor. While there were some constant glitches for both the main character and the wider landscape, these never felt as if they impacted my experience to a massive extent while in the story-driven game.
If you're a fan of expansive landscapes and thoughtful tales, be sure to check out these best story games that are available to play right now.
Another Google app will soon be phased out – Google Podcasts will cease to exist in 2024 as Google looks to move podcasts to YouTube Music. Google Podcasts launched in 2018 on Android and later made its way to web and iOS in 2020.
Google Podcasts is being phased out by YouTube Music
Google is looking to create a centralized podcast destination on YouTube Music and the plan is already in motion in the US where users can listen and watch podcasts on YouTube Music without a paid membership. Podcasts on YouTube Music in the US already features background playback, offline downloads...
The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, introduced the Digital Markets Act (DMA) to ensure a higher degree of competition by preventing large companies from abusing their market power. One of the targeted companies is Apple, and according to Reuters, Commissioner of Internal Market Thierry Breton told Tim Cook he needs to open the ecosystem to competitors.
Apple HQ in Europe, based in Cork, Republic of Ireland
Breton revealed he met the Apple CEO in Brussels and told him Apple should allow iPhone users to benefit from competitive services, be it electronic...
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Apple's efforts to make the new iPhone Pro models lighter is the...
Following its announcement at WWDC 23, macOS Sonoma is now available to download as a free software update for Mac users. You’ll need a 2018 or later MacBook Air, MacBook Pro or Mac mini to jump in. Owners of the 2019 or later iMac and Mac Pro are also onboard. The Mac Pro 2019 and 2023 are also supported as are the 2022 and 2023 Mac Studio models. The oldest supported device on the list is the 2017 iMac Pro.
macOS Sonoma brings new home screen widgets, a presenter overlay feature for video conferencing, enhanced Safari features like browsing profiles and the ability to add webpages to...
Xiaomi is already clearing the legal hurdles before launching its 14 series, and the Pro member of the lineup just got certified by 3C. The smartphone with model number 23116PN5BC will support 120W wired charging, just like two of its predecessors.
The appearance on 3C (Chinese Compulsory Certification) means the phone passed mandatory testing and moved another step towards market availability.
We already learned the Xiaomi 14 is coming with 90W charging, which is an upgrade over the 13 series, but apparently, the manufacturer is okay with sticking with 120W for the Pro...
Xiaomi is already clearing the legal hurdles before launching its 14 series, and the Pro member of the lineup just got certified by 3C. The smartphone with model number 23116PN5BC will support 120W wired charging, just like two of its predecessors.
The appearance on 3C (Chinese Compulsory Certification) means the phone passed mandatory testing and moved another step towards market availability.
We already learned the Xiaomi 14 is coming with 90W charging, which is an upgrade over the 13 series, but apparently, the manufacturer is okay with sticking with 120W for the Pro...
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max unveiled a couple of weeks ago feature Action Button, which replaced the mute switch and can perform multiple actions. However, according to MacRumors, next year's iPhone 16 series will also come with a capacitive button, internally called "Capture Button" and codenamed "Project Nova."
The publication claims that this capacitive Capture Button will be located on the iPhone's right-side frame where the Power Button is positioned, albeit lower, where the mmWave cutout is on the iPhone 15 models. And since the Capture Button is placed where the mmWave...
The Onyx Boox Tab Mini C joins the ranks of the many color ereaders that Chinese manufacturer Onyx already has. In fact, it’s also a note-taking tablet – a smaller version of the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C, but without a rear camera for scanning documents.
Going small from a 10.3-inch color E Ink screen to one that’s 7.8 inches is a good call in my opinion. You get everything that’s on the Tab Ultra C, with the sole exception of the rear camera to scan documents, making this a more compact, portable and more affordable alternative. And considering I found that camera superfluous on the larger tablet, I don’t miss it here at all.
Onyx has stuck with the latest E Ink Kaleido 3 screen tech for the Tab Mini C, so don’t expect all color hues to pop. Some will look good, others will be muted. I’m still waiting for someone to perfect the Gallery 3 screen and use it on a color ereader – it promises good saturation, but there’s no word on when it will be available on mainstream devices.
Reading and writing on the Tab Mini C is good, even in color. Despite the color screen resolution being just 150ppi – half that of its grayscale resolution – it’s a lot easier to read in any lighting condition than some other color ereaders, like the PocketBook InkPad Color 2, thanks to better contrast.
As with all of Onyx’s newer tablets, the Tab Mini C also runs Android 11, which means you get access to the Google Play Store and can download quite a few apps that you think you might use. This includes the Kindle or the Kobo apps, so you get access to bookstores. This is handy as Onyx doesn’t have its own to purchase content from. And given it’s got a web browser pre-installed, you can even buy content from other online stores as well.
There are other pre-installed apps that will be sufficient for most users, including a reading application. If you don’t like any of them, you can always get the Android version of your favorite apps off the Play Store. The note-taking app is a little complicated for most people, so if you use EverNote or any other app, you can have that on the Tab Mini C easily enough.
As good as it is, the Tab Mini C is not perfect. Despite being a smaller size, it’s a relatively heavy ereader by virtue of its big battery and metal chassis. Its weight and thin side bezels make it a little difficult to hold while reading, but I like its sleek, metal body.
Despite having four different refresh rates to choose from for different applications, I still found ghosting can be a problem, particularly in the default notes app. It’s a niggle that may not bother too many users, but I found it a distraction if I didn’t force a screen refresh.
Like most other note-taking ereaders that ship with a stylus, one side of the Tab Mini C allows the pen to stick on magnetically. As strong as the magnet is, it’s not the most secure way to stow the pen. Instead, a magnetic flap to close the optional sleepcover holds the pen in its spot on the side bezel. This additional expense can pinch as the Tab Mini C isn’t cheap – it carries a premium price tag to match its premium build.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Onyx Boox Tab Mini C review: price and availability
Retails for $450 / £450 / AU$765
Available to buy now directly from Onyx and resellers
Ships with a stylus but sleepcover sold separately
At $450 / £450 / AU$765 for the tablet and the accompanying stylus, the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C is an expensive investment, but it could be worthwhile if you use all its features. That includes taking full advantage of its color screen – as washed out as the colors might appear – and use its writing capabilities to the fullest. And considering you can use a plethora of Android apps as well, its price begins to make a little sense.
However, if you don’t need any writing features but would still like a color ereader, you can save money by opting for something like the PocketBook InkPad Color 2 (although I wasn’t too sold on its low-contrast screen) for about $329 / £345 / AU$595.
If note-taking capabilities are important but you don’t need a color screen, then perhaps the 8-inch Kobo Sage for $269 / £259 / AU$459 would be a good option. And if you do feel like splurging, you can go bigger and snap up the Amazon Kindle Scribe or the Kobo Elipsa 2E for their writing abilities and great (grayscale) screens for $339 / £339 / AU$549 and $399 / £349 / AU$629 respectively. They’re still cheaper than the Tab Mini C, but you aren’t getting a color screen with any of the other note-taking ereaders.
Keep in mind that you’ll want to consider the magnetic sleepcover for the Tab Mini C if you want to keep your stylus safe, and that will set you back an additional $43.99 / AU$79.99 (about £36).
• Value score: 3 / 5
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Onyx Boox Tab Mini C key specs
Onyx Boox Tab Mini C review: Design and display
7.8-inch flush glass screen with great contrast
Metallic body with solid build
Stereo speakers
Onyx really knows how to make some good-looking e-paper writing tablets. I’ve had high praise for most of them, as they all feature metallic bodies that look pretty sleek. The Tab Mini C is no different, featuring a black chassis with a screen that sits flush with the bezels.
A layer of glass on the top gives it a smooth finish, but has no detrimental effect on the touch functionality, readability or the anti-glare nature of the display. While this gives a slightly glossy look to the top, the rear panel has a matte finish. Along with slightly rounded rear edges, the Tab Mini C gets a decent grip compared to its bigger brethren.
The sides of the device are clean, with just a small, slightly raised power button on the top left corner, and the USB-C port and two speaker grilles on the bottom.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
As I’ve already mentioned, the screen measures 7.8-inches, which is a good size for most users. It makes the tablet more portable than other writing ereaders, most of which are 10.3 inches. And the glass layer on the top makes writing on it a pleasure – it’s not as smooth as it feels on the Amazon Kindle Scribe, but it comes close.
Importantly, getting a full color display means you can enjoy comics and graphics novels as they were meant to, or just ogle at some book covers in color before you start reading. You can sketch and draw, with a few colors at your disposal when choosing your pen or brush type.
However, because of the limitations of the technology, the colors appear a little washed out. Some hues do look good, though, and the screen has excellent contrast to make reading a pleasure. This became evident to me when I was comparing it to the PocketBook InkPad Color 2 – another 7.8-inch color ereader, but with an older screen technology and no writing capabilities.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Speaking of writing, the stylus that ships with the Tab Mini C is a basic option compared to what comes with the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra and Tab Ultra C – what you miss out on here is the eraser on the top of the pen. The stylus has a grippy, textured surface, with a flat side that attaches magnetically to one edge of the tablet. Strangely, the strongest way to attach the stylus is nib pointing down – if you attach it the other way, the magnet isn’t as strong. Either way, the pen can get dislodged when taking it in and out of a bag, for example, making the magnetic sleepcover an additional purchase to consider.
For an ereader in this size category, though, the Tab Mini C is heavy (as are most other Onyx tablets) by virtue of its large battery and metal body. While it’s not uncomfortable to hold, it can start to feel heavy after about 20-30 minutes, particularly if you’re using it with its sleepcover.
• Design & display score: 4.5 / 5
Onyx Boox Tab Mini C review: software and user interface
Runs modified version of Android 11 with access to the Google Play Store
Four refresh rates to choose from for individual apps
Plenty of ways to sync/transfer books and notes
Like all other Onyx ereaders, the Tab Mini C runs a modified version of Android 11. While I’ve previously said that Android 11 does feel dated now, and I still stand by the statement, Onyx isn’t alone in using it for its devices. Amazon’s latest version of its Fire OS is also a modified version of Android 11.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Running Google’s operating system means you get easy access to the Play Store and the good thing about that is you can download and use a huge number of Android apps on the Tab Mini C. This includes YouTube for watching videos. Yes, the video won’t look its best because of the E Ink screen and its limitations, but it’s just about watchable.
Where it comes in handy is being able to purchase content directly from the device via the Kindle or Kobo apps, as well as using third-party note-taking apps. In fact, you can link a number of accounts to gain access to your work – Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, OneNote, Everdrive and more. In my case, I had a bunch of ebooks stored in Google Drive, and linking it made it easy to transfer files to read on my Tab Mini C.
For most users, though, the default apps would suffice. You can use BooxDrop to transfer files (ebooks, audiobooks, PDFs, photos, music and more) and you just need your mobile number to set it up, you don’t necessarily have to open a Boox account if you don’t want to.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Within each app you use, there are four refresh rates available, each meant for different types of media – from HD for general reading to Ultrafast for watching videos – and these are accessible via the E Ink Center that appears when you swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to open up the device's Control Center. This is also where you can adjust volume and the frontlight, and take a screenshot, record your screen or get into split-screen mode. The setup is great, but there are a lot of features to wrap your head around and the settings can be far from intuitive if you’ve never used an Onyx tablet before.
There are several customizable gestures and functions that take time to delve into in the settings but, once you’ve gotten used to them all, they do make using the ereader easier. For example, swiping up from the bottom bezel takes you back to the home screen, while swiping down from the top opens up your notification center. The user interface isn't as streamlined as a Kobo or a Kindle ereader, but neither of the bigger brands have as many features as the Onyx tablets do, so kudos for the brand for trying to fit it all in. And I definitely prefer the Onyx interface to what PocketBook offers on its ereaders.
• Software & user interface score: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Onyx Boox Tab Mini C review: Performance
Excellent reading and writing experience
Sluggish refresh rates, with significant ghosting
Remarkable battery life
The Tab Mini C is a great ereader and writing tablet. Despite its color screen resolution topping out at 150ppi, there’s very good contrast that makes it a much easier display to read on in any kind of lighting condition than the PocketBook InkPad Color 2. Admittedly some colors aren’t as good as they would appear on, say, an LCD display, but it’s important to remember that the Tab Mini C is not meant to be a multimedia tablet like an iPad. All the colors will be recognizable, though.
Onyx uses a powerful 2GHz processor and 4GB of RAM for the Tab Mini C, and it shows in how quickly the device responds to touch and stylus functionality. Page turns are rapid, pen input is excellent and apps open quite quickly too.
What doesn’t really work on the Tab Mini C is the significant ghosting visible in several applications. Despite four options to choose from for different purposes, having an imprint of the previous page or application is very distracting. Forcing a refresh each time is not ideal. Ghosting can occur when reading in color or black and white, but it’s most prevalent in the former. I noticed it in the default notes app when changing pen types and colors while drawing. I seen it on the home screen after I’ve used the Control Center to adjust volume or frontlight brightness. This is an issue I saw with the bigger Tab Ultra C and Onyx clearly hasn’t figured out how to minimize ghosting or optimize the refresh rates better.
A significant amount of ghosting occurs on the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C despite four different refresh rates to choose from (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Speaking of volume… I have to say I am amazed at how loud the stereo speakers can get on this little tablet. While the sound quality isn’t comparable to some of the best headphones or best earbuds, it’s not bad for listening to audiobooks. And the volume far exceeds what the PocketBook Era or the InkPad Color 2 can hit.
Another good thing about investing in the Tab Mini C is the battery life. With a 5,000mAh pack inside, it feels like the tablet can go on forever. Battery management here is definitely better than what I experienced with the Tab Ultra C. Depending on how you use the Tab Mini C, you’ll likely get up to eight weeks of use between charges. Topping up will take a little while, but if you have a good USB-C to C cable plugged into a wall socket via a high wattage adaptor, the Tab Mini C could top up in about 2.5 hours from 35% battery.
• Performance score: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Should I buy the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
Also consider
It’s not too hard to imagine the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C competing for your attention amongst the best ereaders you can get today, but it’s a very expensive investment. You can get better performers from more popular brands that will cost you less – you just need to be willing to forgo the color display.
How I tested the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C
Used as main ereader for a few weeks
Wrote notes on it, and used it to draw as best I could, plus listened to music and audiobooks
Compared with other ereaders in the same size class and with note-taking features
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
As with all my ereader testing, I used the Tab Mini C for a few weeks before I started noting down my thoughts… on the device itself, by the way. I used it for an average of two hours a day most days, but occasionally that would be a lot longer (on weekends) or for less (on weeknights).
I used the BooxDrop feature to transfer some ebooks I own, but I also linked my Google Drive account – via the Settings pane – to download a bunch more. While I did a lot of my reading using the default reader app on the device, I also downloaded the Kindle and the Kobo apps to access my library on each of those platforms.
I absolutely cannot draw to save my life, but I gave it a go to see how the colors looked and how changing the pen type and size can help with sketching. I also made my own notes – this included editing existing notes I’d already made on other Onyx tablets that got synced to my account.
I used the Tab Mini C to browse the internet using the default browser, and downloaded a couple mobile games to see how they performed on an E Ink screen.
I compared the Tab Mini C with other ereaders, including the Kobo Sage and the PocketBook InkPad Color 2 that are in the same size class, as well as to the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C for a direct performance comparison. During my testing, I also had the Kobo Elipsa 2E and the Amazon Kindle Scribe for more comparisons.
Today, Xiaomi unleashed the 13T series and we have both new phones in for review. We unboxed the Pro, now it's time to unpack the Xiaomi 13T.
Looking inside the retail box reveals one of the differences between the 13T and the Pro - the latter ships with a 120W charger, while the 13T gets a 67W brick to match its highest supported speed.
It's nothing to scoff at, the 67W charger will bring the 13T's 5,000mAh battery from zero to 100% in 42 minutes
We have the Black Xiaomi 13T with a shiny glass back. It's slippery and reflective and it immediately catches every dust particle...
