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Insta360 Go 3S review: a worthy 4K successor to the Go 3
4:00 pm | June 13, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Action Cameras Cameras Computers Gadgets | Tags: | Comments: Off

Insta360 Go 3S: two-minute review

The new Go 3S is the latest in a line of the world's smallest action cameras by Insta360, with convenient magnetic mounting and useful accessories for hands-free operation and unique POVs. When your phone won't do or can't be risked, the tiny and fully waterproof Go 3S steps up. 

It updates the one-year-old Insta360 Go 3 with some key upgrades, chiefly bumping video resolution up from 2.7K to 4K. This makes its handy multi-aspect video recording even more appealing for TikTok and YouTube reels. It's also equipped with Apple Find My, which is a useful addition to a tiny 1.38oz / 39.1g camera. 

Higher resolution video is the main improvement here. Otherwise, there's nothing majorly new in the Go 3S and much of the information in our Go 3 review is relevant to the latest iteration. However, the Go 3S is still a worthy upgrade and one of the most creative and best action cameras available.

Insta360 Go 3 specs:

Weight: GO 3S camera: 1.38oz / 39.1g; Action Pod: 3.4oz / 96.3g
Dimensions: GO 3S camera: 1.0 x 2.1 x 1.0in / 25.6 x 54.4 x 24.8mm ; Action Pod: 2.5 x 1.9 x 1.2in / 63.5 x 47.6 x 29.5mm

Maximum video resolution: 4K: 3830 x 2160 pixels at 24/25/30fps

Maximum photo resolution: 12MP (4:3); 9MP (16:9)

Connectivity: USB-C 2.0, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 5GHz

Storage: 32GB, 64GB, 128GB

Battery capacity: GO 3S: 310mAh; Action Pod: 1,270mAh

Quoted run time: Go 3S: 38 mins; Action Pod: 140 mins (for 1080p 30fps video

Its waterproofing depth, double the Go 3 at up to 33ft / 10m, increases slow motion frame rates with up to 200fps in 1080p and it comes equipped with a slightly wider lens.

There's also a neat trick – the Go 3S will automatically switch video aspect ratio based on whether it's horizontal or vertical when filming starts. Sporty types might be interested in the Garmin / Apple / Coros stats overlay option for Go 3S videos.

Gesture control has been added to voice command control, so you can position the Go 3S and start recording without needing to be hands-on, or have the Action Pod element to hand – the pod that's pictured below transforms the Go 3S into a Go-Pro-like action cam.

While the Action Pod transforms the Go 3S' handling and makes it a suitable vlogging camera, it isn't fully waterproof like the camera is, or a dedicated action camera like the DJI Osmo Action 4, so you can't use the pairing everywhere.

Insta360 Go 3S camera in its housing attached to a selfie stick, outdoors

Insta360 Go 3S inside the Action Pod and attached to the optional Insta360 2-in-1 selfie stick. (Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

Naturally, there are some compromises versus bulkier alternatives. Battery life from the tiny 310mAh battery is limited to 38 minutes when shooting Full HD video. That's less than its predecessor's 45 minutes and way less than other action cameras, such as the GoPro Hero 12 Black and Insta360's own X4 360-degree camera.

Overall image quality doesn't compare, either. Although Insta360 says the Go 3S is 'Dolby Vision-Ready' with new HDR technology, there's no HDR video mode like you'd get in a camera such as the DJI Osmo Action 4, meaning you lose out on highlight and shadow detail when lighting is less than perfect. Photos are capped at 12MP in 4:3 or 9MP in 16:9, too.

However, you're buying into the Insta360 Go series for its unrivaled versatility. It's why we rated the Go 3 as the perfect camera for FPV drones and a superb hands-free camera ideal for BTS video and first-person perspectives.

My kids have been super busy getting creative with the Go 3S, attaching it to the soccer goal in the garden, our family dog's collar on walks, and inside the guineapig hutch to see what our cute furballs get up to away from prying eyes (not much, it turns out). 

A quick online search further reveals clever ways people have used a Go camera, shooting from angles you couldn't otherwise consider, such as inside a box for unboxing videos.

And when paired with the Action Pod its functionality is improved, as is battery life, boosted to 140 minutes of 1080p video recording. Being able to choose between the standalone camera and pairing it with the Action Pod further increases versatility.

It might not be perfect, but the Go 3S is edging ever closer and is an excellent smartphone alternative for creative filmmakers.

Insta360 Go 3S camera attached to a sweater magnetically

The Insta360 Go 3S camera magnetically attached to a sweater with the magnet pendant inside the clothing.  (Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

Insta360 Go 3S: price and availability

  • Launched on June 13, 2024
  • Bundles from $399.99 / £349.99 / AU$719.99
  • Can be bought as a standalone without the Action Pod, from $239.99 / £209.99 / AU$429.99

The Insta360 Go 3S can be bought standalone or bundled with the Action Pod. Those that already have the Go 3 but want to upgrade to the Go 3S for its 4K video and new features can save a bit by opting for the standalone option. Like a phone, you can buy the Go 3S in different storage capacities, in this case, 64GB or 128GB versions – the Go 3S has internal memory only. 

The Standard Edition Go 3S bundled with the Action Pod costs $399.99 / £349.99 / AU$719.99 for the 64GB version, or $429.99 / £369.99 / AU$769.99 for the 128GB version. The standalone 64GB Go 3S is priced at $239.99 / £209.99 / AU$429.99 and it's $269.99 / £229.99 / AU$479.99 for the 128GB one. Overall, the Go 3S hovers around the Go 3 launch price, give or take $20 / £20 / AU$40 – in the UK it's cheaper than before. 

I had the Standard Edition bundle in 'Midnight Black'. In the box comes a magnet pendant (lanyard), pivot stand (tripod mount), easy clip (for hats and animal collars, etc), and an adhesive plate. That's a generous selection of accessories (see gallery, below), but additional accessories, such as the 2-in-1 selfie stick that you can see in some of the pictures, are also available on the Insta360 website.

  • Price score: 4.5/5

Insta360 Go 3S: design

  • The Insta360 Go 3S weighs just 1.34oz / 39.1g or 4.78oz / 135.4g with the Action Pod
  • Convenient magnetic mounting and handy supplied accessories 
  • Increased waterproofing up to 33ft / 10m

The Insta360 Go 3S comprises two elements; the camera and the Action Pod  – the latter transforms the Go 3S into a GoPro-style action camera. Without the Action Pod, you have one of the smallest and lightest action cameras available. It has has no real rival.  

Both elements are made from rigid plastic. I'd be happy to put them in harm's way – they've taken the occasional knocks from fast-moving balls and clumsy drops, and come out unscathed.

The thumb-sized Go 3S is a twinge heavier and a fraction deeper than the Go 3 but, otherwise, maintains the same dimensions, meaning it'll work with the same accessories. Put the two cameras side by side and you'd be hard-pressed to note any difference: we're talking a few mere millimeters and grams.

Image 1 of 6

Insta360 Go 3S camera alongside all the supplied accessories on a wooden surface

The items in the Insta360 Go 3S box (Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
Image 2 of 6

Tiny Insta360 Go 3S camera only in the hand

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 Go 3S camera in its housing with rear selfie screen flipped upon a wooden surface

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 Go 3S camera in its housing with rear selfie screen flipped upon a wooden surface

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
Image 5 of 6

Insta360 Go 3S camera secured in a clip accessory

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 Go 3S camera in its housing and attached to an accessory on a wooden surface

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

It pairs with the exact same Action Pod to boost battery life and for easy navigation of settings, plus remote control and viewing. Those who already own the Go 3 but want the Go 3S can save a little by opting for the standalone camera over the bundle.

The camera element has just one button that starts and stops recording. It's equipped with a built-in microphone, internal memory (64GB or 128GB), and a magnetic mount along its back. This forms a strong connection with metal surfaces and Insta360 Go accessories, including into the cavity of the Action Pod.

The Action Pod is pretty simple, too. Its control layout includes a USB-C port for charging, lock button to release the docked camera, on/off button, quick menu for shooting modes, and a flip-up touchscreen that reminds me a lot of the Insta360 X4's: it's responsive and large enough to view clearly, and therefore very useable for remote functions instead of the Insta360 Studio app.

It also features a magnetic underside for snapping into place on accessories such as the Pivot Stand, although at almost 3.5oz / 100g the pod is too heavy for placing sideways onto metal surfaces.

Image 1 of 5

Insta360 Go 3S camera in its housing with rear selfie screen flipped upon a wooden surface

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 Go 3S camera attached to a sweater magnetically

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Tiny Insta360 Go 3S camera only in the hand

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Tiny Insta360 Go 3S camera only in the hand

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 Go 3S camera in its housing attached to a selfie stick, outdoors

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

I love the versatility you get with the Go 3S. As a standalone camera, it's the smallest and lightest in the business and super convenient for hands-free videos. Inserted into the Pod, you get easy viewing for vlogs, selfies, and so on. There's a third option, too: remotely controlling and viewing what the camera sees through the Action Pod even when it's disconnected.

There are times you'll want just the Go 3S camera, such as in tight spaces and underwater: it's waterproof up to 33ft / 10m, but the Action Pod is only splash-proof. It may look like an action camera in the Action Pod, but only the camera element can be classed as an action camera.

  • Design score 4.5/5

Insta360 Go 3S: features and performance

  • Reliable Bluetooth connection between Go 3S and Action Pod, albeit with limited range 
  • Modest battery life
  • Effective gesture control and voice command

Both the Go 3S and Action Pod are slick, quick to start up and pair effortlessly. The two elements enjoy a seamless Bluetooth connection when divided, and the Action Pod's real-time view and remote controls are super responsive. 

There is a natural limit to the range the Bluetooth connection covers, so the Action Pod won't work for remote view and control in several scenarios. You'll lose connection beyond the range of a few meters, and sooner still with the Go 3S underwater. 

You can also remotely control the Go 3S using the Insta360 app, although the dedicated user interface of the Action Pod will have you leaning to that instead of your phone.

Insta360 Go 3S camera in its housing with rear selfie screen flipped upon a wooden surface

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

Battery life is a sour note: 38 minutes is respectable for such a tiny camera, but one of the inevitable compromises versus a dedicated action camera. And battery life is less than the Go 3 camera in like-for-like tests recording 1080p video.

To counter this limit, the Go 3S can extend record times by going to sleep for video modes, such as TimeShift and Timelapse. And virtually all the shooting modes are super simple to use and create decent footage with.

You can also boost battery life by docking the camera into the Action Pod, which has a maximum 140-minute life.

Gesture control and voice commands are pretty reliable and it's handy having both options: when you're in noisy environments gesture control is useful. You also get confirmation that filming has started by way of the flashing red light on the front of the Go 3S.

Image stabilization is reasonable, but there are smoother systems out there and the best shots you get with the Go 3S are when it's mounted to a stationary object rather than strapped to a rapidly moving one. You'll get the best results by utilizing the gyroscope. 

  • Features & performance score: 4/5

Insta360 Go 3S: image and video quality

  • Improved video quality, but still not quite as good as rival dedicated action cams
  • Wider and versatile lens
  • HDR is for photos only

Insta360 has addressed the limited video and photo quality of the Go 3 by increasing resolution. We now get 4K video and 12MP stills, versus 2.7K video and 6.6MP stills. If this increased resolution is all that Insta360 upgraded from the Go 3, it would be enough to greatly bolster the Go 3S' appeal, but there's more. 

Videos are sharper than before, with Insta360 also pinpointing 50% increased CPU power and better dynamic range thanks to Dolby Vision-Ready HDR technology. You can see the difference from the Go 3 but I think that overall quality still lags behind the best action cams like the Osmo Action 4 and Hero 12 Black, especially when lighting is anything other than optimum. 

Still, it's a price worth paying to obtain what are otherwise impossible shots.

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A dense woodland, taken with the Insta360 Go 3S

Detail is reasonably crisp in this woodland 12MP photo (Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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A dense woodland, taken with the Insta360 Go 3S

With the image brightened the degree of JPEG processing to reduce noise taking place becomes clear, smudging detail (Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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A backlit fire in the woods, taken with the Insta360 Go 3S

Dynamic range is pretty limited (Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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A backlit fire in the woods, taken with the Insta360 Go 3S

Still, you can darken images to ensure you capture the most amount of detail in highlights (Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Boy doing peace sign in the passenger seat of a car, taken with the Insta360 Go 3S

This is an unprocessed DNG raw file. It has a fine grain to it, whereas the next image which is the JPEG version shows aggressive noise reduction and smudged detail. I prefer the raw file (Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
Image 6 of 6

Boy doing peace sign in the passenger seat of a car, taken with the Insta360 Go 3S

This is the JPEG version of the previous DNG raw image, and it shows aggressive noise reduction and smudged detail. I prefer the raw file (Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

Increased resolution is super handy for filmmakers regularly switching between vertical, square, and horizontal formats to shoot Instagram, TikTok and YouTube-ready content. The FreeFrame mode is particularly helpful for this, as you can shoot first and pick the aspect later. Multi-aspect shooting is also better supported by a slightly wider angle lens.

You also get tracking autofocus, with visual confirmation when faces have been detected on the Action Pod's screen proving useful when vlogging. The ultra-wide angle and small image sensor naturally provide great depth of field. There's no official minimum focus distance listed in the product spec sheet, but objects very close to the camera won't be in focus. 

For photos, you do get an HDR option which generally gets you the best results. Overall, colors are pleasant and auto exposure works pretty well, plus you can override it with exposure compensation to brighten or darken the image where needed. 

Videos are recorded onto internal memory. I had the 128GB version and shot a lot of footage before the card filled up. Thankfully, even the 4K video files only take up a sensible amount of memory. 

  • Image and video quality score: 4/5

Insta360 Go 3S: testing scorecard

Should I buy the Insta360 Go 3S?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Insta360 Go 3S: also consider

How I tested the Insta360 Go 3

  • Used in mixed weather with and without the Action Pod
  • Long timelapse and video sequences that tested battery life
  • Experimenting with the various video and photo modes

I tested the Insta360 Go 3S much like any other action camera: playing with its various video and photo modes to record adventurous and creative content, without babying the hardware. 

It's been used extensively to record hyperlapses (TimeShift mode) and slow motion sequences, while the multi-aspect ratio FreeFrame mode has enabled me to pick which format to export videos in using the Insta360 app. 

I've also used the various accessories supplied with the camera: the magnetic pendant for underneath clothing, the magnetic clip, and the Pivot Stand. Insta360 also supplied me with the 2-in-1 selfie stick and Monkey Tail accessories for this review. 

I don't own an iPhone so was unable to test the Apple Find My feature.

Videos and photos have been viewed and edited using the Insta360 Studio app. I then exported both edited and unedited files for clear viewing on a desktop.

  • First reviewed June 2024
LG QNED90T/LG QNED91T review: a feature-rich TV that suffers from mini-LED’s biggest flaw
9:00 pm | June 2, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Televisions | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

LG QNED90T/LG QNED91T review: Two minute review

The LG QNED91T, the company's flagship 4K model in its mini-LED ‘QNED’ range, is a TV with mixed performance. It’s stacked with smart and gaming features that will keep many people happy, but the picture and sound quality are inconsistent, succeeding in some areas, but failing in other crucial ones. It’s worth noting that in the US, this TV is called the LG QNED90 and comes with a pair of feet instead of a central pedestal stand.

Priced at $1,799 / £1,699 / AU$2,995 for the 65-inch version I tested, this is roughly in the same category as many other mini-LED sets of this size, meaning the QNED91T has plenty of competition. 

Picture quality is the most inconsistent aspect of the QNED91T. It has fantastic picture detail and colors that stand out in brighter scenes, but poor backlight control results in blooming issues that are especially visible in darker scenes. Off-center viewing also results in faded contrast and even more obvious backlight blooming. Unfortunately, this keeps the QNED91T from fulfilling its true potential, falling short of some of the best TVs such as the Samsung QN90C, another mini-LED model. 

Audio quality on the QNED91T is again mixed, with meaty bass and clear dialogue having to coexist with average virtual surround sound performance and an uneven sound balance. The TV’s AI Sound Pro mode can improve the balance but sacrifices bass performance in turn. Some may find the QNED91T’s built-in sound adequate, but most would benefit from adding one of the best soundbars. 

Design-wise, LG took a simple approach with the QNED91T, favoring functionality over looks. Its bulky weight makes it feel reassuringly solid but adds a more old-school appearance. That’s not necessarily bad, but it’s something for those who place design high up in their list of requirements to bear in mind. 

LG’s smart webOS smartTV platform continues to be one of the best. The version on the QNED91T, webOS 24, presents a sleek home menu with plenty of opportunities for customization and organization, and it’s both visually appealing and user-friendly. Not much has changed since last year’s webOS 23. There are new features such as an AI Chatbot and customizable profiles, though the latter feature is currently only available in the US. 

The QNED91T is a great performer when it comes to gaming, and has all the gaming bells and whistles you could need. Gameplay is smooth and responsive in any situation. But the QNED91T is sadly held back from greatness by the same picture issues that plague it with movies and, despite valiant effort, won't find itself amongst the best 120Hz TVs. 

Although it has some great features, the QNED91T's picture quality issues are hard to overlook. It thrives in some settings, but ultimately there’s too much inconsistency for the QNED91T to rank among the best TVs. 

LG QNED91T with satellite on screen

The LG QNED91T has excellent picture detail. (Image credit: Future)

LG QNED90T/LG QNED91T review: Prices & release date

  • Released May 2024 
  • 65-inch: $1,799 / £1,699 / AU$2,995 
  • 75-inch: $2,399 / £2,499 / AU$3,995 
  • 86-inch: $3,299 / £3,799 / AU$5,445  

The LG QNED91T (QNED90 2024 series in the US) is LG’s flagship 4K mini-LED model for 2024, with the LG QNED99 8K TV serving as the overall flagship. Available from May 2024, the LG QNED91T comes in three sizes: 65-, 75- and 86-inch. The LG QNED91T’s pricing puts it in competition with mini-LED TVs such as the Sony X95L (its 2023 flagship) and the Hisense U9N (its 2024 flagship). 

We’ve already seen price drops as much as 20% on the QNED91T across multiple sites. Whether these discounts are permanent or will disappear remains to be seen.

LG QNED90T/LG QNED91T review: Specs

LG QNED90T/LG QNED91T review: Benchmark results

LG QNED91T connections panel

The LG QNED91T's connection panel, with four HDMI 2.1 ports (Image credit: Future)

LG QNED90T/LG QNED91T review: Features

  • Built-in with LG’s a8 AI Processor 4K 
  • Mini-LED backlight with LG’s NanoCell layer 
  • Dolby Vision support 

Serving as the flagship QNED, which combines a mini-LED backlight with LG’s quantum dot NanoCell technology, the LG QNED91T aims to deliver bold brightness and color while maintaining good contrast – something it does with mixed results. 

The QNED91T features LG’s a8 AI Processor, the same found in other 2024 models including the LG B4 and LG QNED87/85, that aims to emulate the performance of last year’s LG C3, particularly in terms of brightness – which it achieves. 

The a8 AI Processor enables features for AI Picture Pro, including AI Super Upscaling and Dynamic Tone Mapping, and AI Sound Pro, including Virtual Surround and AI Clear Sound. It’s also responsible for AI Picture Wizard, which helps you create your preferred picture settings. This is done by choosing your favorite images from a group of different types such as bright landscape, sunset, nighttime and more, which Ai Picture Wizard uses to create your personalized setting. 

For HDR, the QNED91T supports Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG formats, but not HDR10+. 

The QNED91T is well stocked with gaming features, with four HDMI 2.1 ports supporting 4K 120Hz, VRR including AMD Freesync, and ALLM and HGiG support. It also features LG’s Game Optimizer, which activates the optimum settings for gaming and allows customization of gaming settings on the fly such as black level, genre and more. 

Audio is provided by a 2.2 speaker system totaling 40W of power with support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. While it's not the most mind-blowing of speaker configurations, it provides sufficient punch and there are several preset sound modes including AI Sound Pro. 

The QNED91T comes with the latest iteration of LG’s smart TV platform, webOS 24. While there haven’t been any major changes, the home page has been redesigned. It still has Quick Cards, which enable you to organize apps into categories such as Music, Sports, Games and more. It also supports all major apps including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus as well as Freeview Play and its apps in the UK such as BBC iPlayer and ITVX.  

New features in webOS 24 include an AI Chatbot assistant and the ability to create up to 10 profiles that store each user’s settings and personalized TV and movie recommendations. LG has also committed to five years’ worth of updates on select TVs, including the QNED91T, meaning the latest iteration of webOS will appear via a firmware update for the next five years. 

  • Feautres score: 4.5 / 5

LG QNED91T with hot spring on screen

The LG QNED91T's colors and textures are highlights, though picture quality is inconsistent. (Image credit: Future)

LG QNED90T/LG QNED91T review: Picture quality

  • Excellent detail and bold colors 
  • Backlight blooming issues  
  • Limited viewing angle  

The LG QNED91T faces much competition in the mini-LED TV category from the likes of Samsung, Sony, TCL and Hisense, with the latter two providing more budget-friendly options. Sadly, it falls short of some of its major rivals. 

Mini-LED TVs tend to excel at brightness and the QNED91T on the surface has a bright picture, particularly when displaying HDR images. When I measured it on a 10% HDR white window, the results were 1,274 nits and 1,132 nits in Standard and Filmmaker Mode respectively. It also yielded 671 and 601 nits respectively in those modes when I measured a 100% full-screen HDR white window. Those are good numbers overall, but they fail to match the likes of the Samsung QN90C, Sony X95L and Hisense U8K. 

After some casual viewing with both HD and 4K HDR sources and cycling through the various picture presets, I established that the most accurate picture mode was Filmmaker Mode, although Standard and Cinema are two alternatives that deliver a brighter image. 

First starting with broadcast TV, the QNED91T did an effective job of upscaling, but lower-resolution pictures still had a comparatively fuzzy appearance. HD broadcast TV had cleaner textures overall with good contrast and color, and when viewed in Standard mode, a brighter look as well. 

Moving onto 4K HDR movies with Filmmaker Mode’s default settings active, the QNED91T demonstrated excellent image detail in faces and clothing when watching Top Gun: Maverick. This impressive detail carried over to demo footage on the Spears & Munsil UHD Benchmark Blu-ray. Rocky landscapes and forests had refined edges and a good sense of depth. Studio shots of owls and lizards again showed realistic detail, with feathers and scales having a 3D-like quality. 

The QNED91T also excelled when it came to color. Viewing the throne room lightsaber sequence in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, streamed through Disney Plus, the vibrant reds carried plenty of vivid punch and never looked overblown. Lightsabers took on a bold, glossy sheen that showcased the QNED91T’s HDR highlights. Turning back to Spears & Munsil, green trees and blue skies popped off the screen. 

When measuring the QNED91T’s UHDA-P3 and BT.2020 color gamut coverage using Portrait Displays’ Calman calibration software, the QNED91T yielded 96%  and 72.2% respectively. Those are both good results so it’s no surprise colors in 4K HDR programs looked good. Color accuracy Delta E values averaged out to 1.1 (we typically look for below 3) in Filmmaker Mode, which is an outstanding result. 

When viewing both the opening Darkstar flight sequence in Top Gun: Maverick and the Batmobile chase sequence in The Batman, the QNED91T demonstrated excellent motion handling, even in Filmmaker Mode with all motion settings turned off. Quick panning shots and long left-to-right sequences showed little to no sign of judder or stutter and motion was incredibly smooth. 

The Batman is also where the QNED91T started to show weaknesses in the picture department. Black levels were decent in some cases and contrast was rich enough, but when viewing dark scenes such as the first crime scene investigation, backlight blooming was very apparent. Lights in the darkened hallway had a clouding effect that changed the deep, black shadows to a dark gray. 

Changing the Local Dimming,  set to Low by default, to High in the TV’s Brightness settings reduced some backlight blooming issues. But this also resulted in some black crush, with objects in dark scenes such as the bat symbol on Batman’s chest in The Batman starting to disappear. Even then, some backlight blooming was still present. 

An issue that some mini-LED TVs suffer from is poor viewing angles, although models such as the Samsung QN90C and Sony X95L have features to improve this. Unfortunately, viewing angles were an issue with the LG QNED91T. When viewed off-axis, backlight blooming, particularly in dark scenes, became apparent, with large, blocky squares of the backlight shining through at extreme angles. Contrast and color saturation also faded when the TV was viewed from off-center seats. 

Finally, although I didn’t expect the LG to beat the Samsung S95D’s OLED Glare Free screen or the anti-reflection features of its more premium mini-LED sets, I expected the QNED91T to handle reflections better than it did. Under harsh lighting conditions in our testing lab, mirror-like reflections were an issue, which made darker scenes very difficult to see. And with the overhead lights dimmed, other light sources in the room were still reflected on the TV’s screen. 

  • Picture quality score: 3.5 / 5

LG QNED91T with butterfly on screen

The LG QNED91T suffers from reflections, even when displaying bright HDR images.  (Image credit: Future)

LG QNED90T/LG QNED91T review: Sound quality

  • Decent bass levels 
  • Clear dialogue  
  • Average virtual surround sound 

With a 40W, 2.2 speaker configuration and Dolby Atmos/DTS support, the QNED91T has perfectly adequate built-in audio, though it lacks the sound prowess of rivals such as the Sony X95L. The QNED91T’s speakers may suit some, but generally one of the best soundbars would be an improvement. 

I found Cinema with its warmer profile to be the best sound preset. The QNED91T displayed strong dialogue clarity across most movies and TV shows I watched, from broadcast TV to intense action movie sequences. During the chaotic Batmobile chase in The Batman, speech came through clearly despite loud background noise and a driving score. 

Bass was another highlight, aided by the Cinema sound preset’s warm profile and the QNED91T’s deeper design. Even with the QNED91T’s relatively average power, the rumble of the Batmobile from The Batman and jets in Top Gun: Maverick had plenty of heft and weight. 

Despite Dolby Atmos support, I found the QNED91t’s effects processing to be average. Some effects were present, such as screeching wheels in the Batmobile chase in the Batman but the pounding rain was missing altogether. And in Top Gun: Maverick, background effects from within the cockpit were lost behind the rumble of the engines. 

With AI Sound Pro active, the overall volume and surround sound effects were heightened, but I found dialogue to be on the harsher side and bass reduced. While some may prefer this brightening of the mix, I preferred the Cinema sound preset. 

  • Sound quality score: 3.5 / 5

LG QNED90T/LG QNED91T review: Design

LG QNED91T Stand

The LG QNED91T comes with reassuringly solid stand in the UK. (Image credit: Future)
  • Solid, central stand (on model tested in UK) 
  • Chunkier than other TVs 
  • Somewhat old-school, basic look 

The QNED91T has somewhat of an old-school design, with a deeper-than-average body and matte gray appearance on the back that harks back to older LCD models. It isn’t the deepest TV on the market (look at the Panasonic MZ2000 for that) but it's still surprisingly chunky. The bezel is trim, however, giving the picture nearly the full scale of the screen. 

With a central, metal stand (on the 65-inch version I tested in the UK), the QNED91T feels reassuringly solid and sturdy. However, it’s worth noting that this is a weighty TV at around 35 kg with the stand attached. In the US, the QNED90 comes with support feet and while I can’t comment on their appearance, the TV itself weighs in at 69.2 lbs with its feet attached. 

Connections are housed in a rear panel and feature four HDMI 2.1 and three USB ports, optical digital audio, and an RF for broadcast and satellite TV. The QNED91 also has  Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities as expected. 

Like most LG TVs, the QNED91T comes with LG’s Magic Remote. This has a central wheel and arrows for scrolling and navigation, or its pointer can be used instead. It also has a built-in mic for voice control and quick access options for apps including Netflix and Prime Video. 

  • Design score: 4 / 5

webOS 24 home page on LG QNED91T

webOS 24 has a tidier home screen menu and is still incredibly user-friendly.  (Image credit: Future)

LG QNED90T/LG QNED91T review: Smart TV & menus

  • LG’s webOS 24 smart TV platform
  • Quick Cards for app organization
  • Home menu trimmed down from previous generation     

The QNED91T features webOS 24, the latest iteration of LG’s smart TV platform. The home menu has been trimmed down and tidied compared to previous versions, with a smaller top banner allowing more space for apps and tailored recommendations. All in all, it’s a welcome redesign. 

Carrying over last year’s Quick Cards, which lets apps be organized by category such as Music and Office, there is the introduction of a more refined Sports card and an an Accessibility feature. The Sports card features the useful My Team function that allows you to receive live updates, scores and recommended videos based on your chosen team from sports such as baseball, basketball, soccer, American football and more. Accessibility includes the AI Chatbot, which can be used to diagnose and solve technical issues such as ‘The screen is too dark’ or ‘The volume is too low’. I found it effective enough, brightening the screen when asked, but it did seem on the basic side. 

LG's webOS 24 continues to be amongst the best smart TV platforms for settings and menus, with the Quick Menu providing an easy way to change important settings such as picture and sound modes without having to navigate away from the screen. There are also plenty of advanced adjustments for those who like to play with picture and sound settings. 

  •  Smart TV & menus: 4.5 / 5 

LG QNED91T with Battlefield V on screen

Gaming performance on the LG QNED91T is good, but games suffer the same picture quality issues as movies. (Image credit: Future)

LG QNED90T/LG QNED91T review: Gaming

  • Four HDMI 2.1 ports
  • LG Game Optimizer 
  • Picture still affected by backlight blooming  

The QNED91T has a good stock of gaming features across its four HDMI 2.1 ports, including 4K 120Hz, VRR with AMD FreeSync support, ALLM and HGiG. LG’s Game Optimizer also provides the best settings for gaming and allows adjustment on the go using an easy to access and navigate menu. 

Playing Battlefield V on Xbox Series X felt smooth and responsive on the QNED91T. When in graphically intense battle sequences or when quickly scoping across landscapes to spot enemies, I saw no signs of tearing, stuttering or judder. Setting the game genre to FPS on the Game Optimizer enhanced this further by smoothing out quick camera cuts. 

When I measured the QNED91T’s input lag using the Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI input lag tester, it gave a result of 15ms at 4K 60Hz. Although still an acceptable result, that’s higher than what you typically find on the best gaming TVs. 

For graphics, the QNED91T excelled and suffered in the same areas as it did with movies. Colors in brighter sequences were still vibrant and punchy, and textures were clear on every part of the weapon and surrounding environment. But backlight blooming was still an issue, and that meant night missions in Battlefield V took on a gray rather than a black tone, and lamps within a stealth mission had a halo around them that bled into the night sky overhead.  

  • Gaming score: 4 / 5

LG magic remote 2024

The LG QNED91T as always comes with LG's Magic Remote. (Image credit: Future)

LG QNED90T/LG QNED91T review: Value

  • Competitive mini-LED market 
  • Good range of smart features 
  • Inconsistent picture affects value  

The QNED91T is priced at $1,799 / £1,699 / AU$2,995 for the 65-inch version I tested, though there are price reductions available (up to 20% off in some cases). At that price, there is plenty of new TV competition in 2024 such as the 65-inch Hisense U8N, which is priced at $1,499 / £1,799 / AU$2,795 (although we’ve seen it as low as $1,099 in the US). And there’s also the Samsung QN90D, though it's priced at a much more premium $2,699 / £2,699 / AU$3,995 for the 65-inch model.

Despite a good list of smart and gaming features, it’s tough to overlook that the QNED91T’s picture is similar to a budget TV due to its backlight blooming and viewing angle issues. It’s also tough to overlook that 2023 TVs such as the Hisense U8K and Sony X95L offer better performance and are available for less. 

  • Value score: 3 / 5

LG QNED91T with ferries wheel on screen

The LG QNED91T's backlight blooming is more visible when the picture is viewed from an angle. (Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the LG QNED90T/91T?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

LG QNED91T with calman and testing equipment

The LG QNED91T with testing equipment, including Portrait Displays' Calman calibration software to record measurements.  (Image credit: Future)

How I tested the LG QNED90T/LG QNED91T

  • Tested using SDR and HDR sources
  • Tested in a lab with varying lighting conditions
  • Measurements taken using Portrait Displays' Calman Calibration software

After some initial causal viewing, I determined the LG's Filmmaker Mode picture preset was the most accurate. I used this for my subjective testing and for measurements using specialized equipment.

For subjective testing, I viewed both lower-resolution and high-definition broadcast TV, and HDR sources such as 4K Blu-ray. I used reference scenes from several movies to test for black levels, contrast, color, motion and more. I also used these same reference scenes to test the QNED91T's built-in audio performance.

To test gaming performance, I used an Xbox Series X and used Battlefield V, looking for smoothness of gameplay while analyzing graphics quality. I also used a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI Input Lag Tester to test the QNED91T's input lag. 

For objective testing I used specialized equipment including a test pattern generator, colorimeter and Portrait Displays' Calman calibration software to record the results. I tested SDR and HDR brightness levels, color and grayscale accuracy and color gamut coverage.

For a more detailed breakdown, check out our guide on how we test TVs at TechRadar. 

iPad Pro OLED models are experiencing HDR color bug, fix incoming
9:27 pm | May 14, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: | Comments: Off

The new OLED iPad Pros are experiencing a color reproduction bug when displaying HDR content. The issue is appearing on both the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models and shows blown-out blue colors that appear to have patches of white streaks on them. This appears to be an issue with the image-processing engine. iPad Pro OLED HDR bug (image: iMORE) Apple has already acknowledged the issue and is actively working on a fix which is set to arrive with the next version of iPadOS. There is no immediate time frame for when this fix will arrive. Apple’s new iPad Pro models are set to go on...

BenQ X3100i review: a potent 4K projector for gaming and movies
10:14 pm | April 9, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Theater Projectors Televisions | Tags: , | Comments: Off

BenQ X3100i 4K projector: one-minute review

The BenQ X3100i is the company’s latest top-of-the-line gaming projector and boasts a 4K DLP chip that can switch to 1080p to deliver a highly responsive 240Hz refresh rate. Between that and its bright 4LED light source, this $2,399  (around £1,900 / AU$3,690) projector has plenty to distinguish it among the best 4K projectors.

It all comes packed into a somewhat stylish, albeit plastic cube that is at least trendier than the many office space-esque projectors on the market. With plenty of setup options and optical adjustments, the X3100I is a powerful projection system with an edge over some of its more fashionably built competitors.

The X3100i won’t be the best option for folks who prioritize watching TV and movies, but it does a great job at that task. And given its gaming chops, it’s an easy choice for gamers who also want a home theater projector.

BenQ X3100i 4K projector review: price and release date

  •  Release date: November 2023  
  • MSRP:  $2,399 (around £1,900 / AU$3,690)

The BenQ X3100i is available now for $2,399 (around £1,900 / AU$3,690). It’s still a very recent model, so it hasn’t seen major price shifts or deals during sales events.

BenQ X3100i on table facing front

The BenQ X3100i is large for a portable projector but can be easily moved from room to room (Image credit: Future)

BenQ X3100i 4K projector review: Specs

BenQ X3100i close up of manual controls

Manual controls let you dial in focus, zoom, and vertical lens shift (Image credit: Future)

BenQ X3100i 4K projector review: design and features

  • Good, but not stunning looks
  • Flexible optical adjustments
  • Potent speakers

The BenQ X3100i is a modestly sized cube of a projector, with almost square dimensions. BenQ adds a touch of style by using an interesting pattern of cutouts for venting plus a dark finish on the front that’s accented in orange. That said, it’s virtually identical to the earlier BenQ X3000i and X1300i. It’s hard to ignore that the projector’s chassis is made from plastic — similar to any office projector — but the X3100i’s design flourishes give it a bit more visual appeal than models from Epson or Optoma.

For some projectors, a more stylish design has meant fewer optical controls, but BenQ hasn’t omitted them. It has a physical dial to vertically shift the lens, plus optical zoom and focus control rings. Digital adjustments are becoming commonplace on projectors, but these sacrifice actual picture resolution, which is why the BenQ X3100i’s optical adjustments are a great addition. It does have digital keystone adjustments, but since these add latency, hardcore gamers had best avoid them.

BenQ’s setup features don’t stop there. The projector has two adjustable feet up front to help angle it just right. Cleverly, it includes attachable feet and a rubber bumper should you want to set the projector upside down someplace like a high shelf. Since there’s a vertical offset to the lens, high placements require the X3100i to be upside-down, and these design features let you do that without having to opt for ceiling mounting. 

BenQ includes a fairly basic remote for easy navigation of the projector's menus and the menus of an attached streaming stick. The side panel controls are handy if you can’t find your remote and want to make adjustments in a pinch, but they’re cheap-feeling and not very responsive.

The included streaming stick is a basic Android TV dongle that tucks into a compartment inside the projector with a built-in HDMI port and a micro USB power connector. Annoyingly, It doesn’t come pre-installed, forcing you to unscrew the projector’s top cover to insert it.

The battery compartment of the included remote control is also difficult to get into. BenQ stretched the cover across almost the remote’s whole length, and it's tricky to grasp it.

In addition to the internal HDMI port, the BenQ X3100i includes two more HDMI ports on the rear, including one that supports eARC. There are also 3.5mm analog and optical digital audio outputs, so your connection options are well covered. The projector’s built-in speakers are surprisingly potent and they provided impactful sound before maxing out in my 200-square-foot room.

  • Design and features score: 3.5/5

BenQ X3100i showing Avatar 2 on screen

The BenQ's focus is on gaming performance, but it also does a great job displaying movies (Image credit: Future)

BenQ X3100i 4K projector review: picture and sound quality

  • Bright 4K picture
  • Flexible and responsive gaming options
  • Somewhat finicky HDR

The BenQ X3100i’s compact size hides mighty capabilities. A 4LED light source pipes out a rated 3,300 ANSI Lumens, working with a single DLP chip to produce a bright, crisp, and colorful 4K image. Movies and TV look awesome with this projector, especially when viewed on a 100-inch or larger screen. 

If you want to make the most of it, you’ll want to pair the BenQ X3100i with a different streaming stick such as the Roku Streaming Stick Plus or Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max. The included one didn’t seem to deliver HDR, and a third-party option was also inconsistent when displaying movies and shows with HDR, taking a lot of fussing around to get the projector’s settings right. 

All the same, the BenQ X3100i is up to the task of providing a killer image. It may not deliver the same rich color as triple-laser projectors like the Hisense PX2 Pro, which shoots for full coverage of the huge Rec. 2020 color space, but its color is still impressive. (BenQ's specifications cite 100% UHDA-P3 color space coverage.)

Gaming performance is a key aspect of the BenQ X3100i, which can run 4K at 60Hz or 1080p at 240Hz. With that option, if I wanted luscious visuals, I could select 4K, and then if getting sweaty in Overwatch 2, flip over to 240Hz mode. The projector’s DLP chip is incredibly responsive. Whipping around the battlefield and snapping at different targets was a breeze, and it was made all the better by the fact that targets can be downright huge with a large projected image.

Regardless of what picture mode I used (save the unsightly Bright setting), the BenQ maintained a relatively consistent noise level, with fans whirring quietly and never ramping up madly to disrupt my experience.

  • Picture quality score: 4/5

BenQ X3100i 4K projector review: value

  • $2,399 is premium territory
  • Respectable capabilities for the price

The BenQ X3100i may not be a class leader in any category, but it’s a flexible option that finds ways to give you more for your money and is a respectable projector for home theaters and gaming dens alike. Its $2,399 price tag may put it at odds with other projectors that can game or entertain equally well, but few can do both at the level BenQ achieves here.

  • Value score: 4.5/5

BenQ X3100i hidden compartment for streaming stick

The hidden compartment that holds the included Android TV streaming dongle (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the BenQ X3100i 4K projector?

BenQ X3100i Android TV interface

The X3100i's Android TV smart interface provides popular streaming apps including Netflix (Image credit: Future)

Buy it if...

Don’t buy it if… 

Also consider...

Hisense PX2 Pro
Ultra short throw projectors like the Hisense PX2 Pro are a great option if you want a big image from a setup that takes up minimal space. It's not the same gaming powerhouse as the BenQ X3100i, but it does look great with both games and movies. Here's our full Hisense PX2 Pro review.

BenQ X3100i showing first person shooter game onscreen

(Image credit: Future)

How I tested the BenQ X3100i 4K projector

  • Tested at home in multiple, real-world viewing conditions
  • Viewed with a variety of media and formats
  • I have tested numerous projectors and displays over the last half-decade

I tested the BenQ X3100i at home, in real-world conditions. This saw it challenged by ambient light coming in from numerous windows, in-room lighting, and ambient noise that the projector and its speaker system had to overcome. The projector was tested both on a bare, white wall and with an Akia Screens CineWhite screen and was presented with streamed HDR and non-HDR content, as well as PC gameplay. 

My testing evaluates the projector’s performance with respect to its price and competition from other models that I and my colleagues at TechRadar have tested.

I have been testing projectors since 2021 and displays for even longer. 

First reviewed: April 2024

Philips 40B1U5600 business monitor review
7:31 pm | March 27, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Tags: | Comments: Off

With a bigger screen, you can get more done. That's the basic theory behind Philips' latest ultrawide productivity panel, the Philips 40B1U5600. It's a 40-inch beast with a 21:9 aspect ratio.

Aiming to be one of the best business monitors with a large panel and plenty of screen real estate, it adds a range of features that help you get work done. For starters, there's a KVM switch allowing you to share this monitor across two computers. Then there's USB-C connectivity with power delivery, so you can drive the display, charge your laptop and connect peripherals, all with a single cable.

For image quality, the good news is that you get an IPS panel that supports HDR and runs at 120Hz. That relatively high refresh is normally the preserve of gaming monitors. But it has a benefit for general computing in terms of day-to-day smoothness and responsiveness. 

Similar thinking applies to HDR support. It's not directly relevant for most mainstream workflows, but it's nice to have. If all that sounds impressive, there is a catch. The Philips 40B1U5600 only offers a native resolution of 3440 by 1440. That's pretty low for such a large display.

Likewise, the HDR support is fairly limited and the USB-C charging power tops out at just 15W. That latter figure is arguably the most problematic of all, as it's not enough to stop even the best business laptops from discharging when under moderate to heavy load. 

Philips 40B1U5600: Design & features

Philips 40B1U5600 during our review and testing process

(Image credit: Philips)
  • Strong feature set
  • KVM switch
  • Mostly good connectivity
  • USB-C limited to 15W power delivery
Specs

Panel size: 40-inch 

Panel type: IPS

Resolution: 3440 x 1440

Brightness: 500 cd/m2

Contrast: 1,200:1

Pixel response: 4ms

Colour coverage: 121% sRGB

HDR: DisplayHDR 400

Refresh rate: 120Hz

Vesa: 100mm x 100mm

Inputs: DisplayPort 1.4 x1, HDMI 2.0 x1, USB-C with 100W power delivery x1

As a productivity-oriented monitor, it's no surprise to find the Philips 40B1U5600 is pretty sober suited. The all-black plastics and unadorned, straight-edged design is fairly anonymous. That said, the large 40-inch panel size and ultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio do make for plenty of desktop appeal. This isn't your average office monitor.

It's also pretty ergonomic for such a large display, thanks to a stand that adjusts for height, tilt and swivel and a plug-out arm for hanging headphones. Speaking of ergonomics, most ultrawide displays of this large scale feature a curved rather than flat screen.

Consequently, it's notable that the edges of the display do feel like they're at quite an oblique angle when viewing the monitor from a normal working distance. In the end curved versus flat is a personal preference. But if curved makes sense at all, it makes sense on this size and format of display and a gentle curve would probably be preferable here.

Whatever, you also get a KVM switch allowing this monitor to share a single keyboard and mouse across two computers. Even better, there's USB-C connectivity with power delivery. That means you can drive the display, charge your laptop and connect peripherals, all with a single cable.

Philips has specified the power delivery at 100W, which should be enough to keep even pretty high performance desktop replacement laptops fully charged under fairly heavy load. All of which means this monitor is very well specified in terms of connectivity and ergonomics.

Philips 40B1U5600: Performance

Philips 40B1U5600 during our review and testing process

(Image credit: Philips)
  • Nice IPS panel
  • Low pixel density
  • Limited colour space and HDR support

The Philips 40B1U5600's IPS panel is a decent performer. It's rated at up to 500 nits, which is plenty of punch for all by the brightest indoor ambient light conditions.

There is HDR support, but it's the entry-level HDR400 variety, which means no local dimming and limited dynamic range. This isn't a true HDR monitor, but it does support an HDR signal and will show the colours correctly.

It's just a pity that the colour balance of SDR content in HDR mode is a little off. In practice, that means you'll have to toggle between HDR and SDR modes depending on content type to ensure the best image quality results. That's a bit of a pain, but probably only a problem if you need to view HDR content regularly.

Similarly, the OSD menu offers a pretty limited range of colour spaces, with just sRGB beyond the default user mode. So, don’t go in expecting one of the best monitors for photo editing or the best video editing monitor. It’s not aimed at those users, and as such, it's not the end of the world that there's no Adobe RGB or DCI-P3 mode. And the IPS panel is pretty well calibrated and offers pleasing, well saturated colours and decent contrast for this panel type.

The 120Hz refresh support is also a nice extra. It's not strictly necessary for most workflows. But it makes for an added sense of smoothness and responsiveness for day-to-day computing. Put simply, once you've tried 120Hz or higher, you won't want to go back to the old school 60Hz experience. 120Hz is just better.

What's more, you get user-configurable overdrive, so you can tweak the response to your preference. This is a fairly quick display and even if it's not actually designed for gaming it isn't actually half bad as a gaming panel.

Where it isn't so good is pixel density. The 3440 by 1440 pixel native resolution is pretty low for a 40-inch ultrawide panel and makes for low pixel density. As a result, images aren't as sharp as higher resolution monitors and font rendering isn't as sharp.

In Windows, font rendering is tolerable on this display and as an overall productivity device, the Philips 40B1U5600 is pretty appealing. However, in MacOS using, say, an Apple MacBook, text is very soft due to the low pixel density.

Philips 40B1U5600: Final verdict

Philips 40B1U5600 during our review and testing process

(Image credit: Philips)

As a big screen for getting stuff done, the Philips 40B1U5600 has lots to recommend it. The connectivity, including a KVM switch and USB-C with 100W of power delivery is great. The core image quality of the 40-inch ultrawide IPS panel is pretty nice, too.

The basic HDR support plus 120Hz refresh are likewise welcome extras and ensure this monitor is pretty versatile and very pleasant to use day-to-day. It'll even make a decent fist of playing games.

Despite all that, there is one pretty obvious limitation and it's pixel density. 3440 by 1440 is quite a low resolution for this large a monitor and both overall sharpness and font rendering do suffer. For Windows users, this remains a pretty usable monitor. But this is in no way one of the best monitors for MacBook Pro laptops and Macs, and we'd advise Apple users to steer clear since macOS isn't terribly well-optimised in terms of font rendering for pixel density this low. 

Pair the Philips 40B1U5600 monitor with the best business computers - tested, reviewed, and rated by us 

Amazon Fire TV 32-inch 2-series TV review: a small TV that gives great value, but struggles elsewhere
12:01 am | March 26, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Televisions | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

The 32-inch Amazon Fire TV 2-series is the entry level series in Amazon Fire TV range, below the Amazon Fire TV 4-series and Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED. It comes with a 720p panel and is priced at $199 / £249 / around AU$305. It is also available in a 40-inch size with a 1080p Full HD panel.

The Amazon 2-series has plenty to live up to following the Amazon Omni QLED, one of the best TVs of 2023, and our budget TV of the year at the TechRadar Choice Awards. Unfortunately, the Amazon 2-series doesn’t quite have the same wow factor as its more premium counterpart and faces tough competition in the best 32-inch TV category, although it does provide a very budget-friendly option for those needing a small screen. 

The picture quality on the Amazon 32-inch 2-series is a mixed bag. Starting with lower-resolution and HD broadcast TV, textures were detailed enough and the Amazon 2-series did a good job of upscaling. For daytime TV programming, the picture was decent. 

Moving onto 4K HDR sources, the first movie I watched was Star Wars: The Last Jedi on a Disney Plus stream to test color and overall HDR performance (the Amazon 2-series has HDR10 compatibility). During the throne room fight scene, With its Film Dark picture mode active, the Amazon 2-series did a good job of displaying the vibrant reds without making them look too overblown. Lightsabers also showed plenty of the expected shine. Testing the Amazon 2-series’ color gamut coverage, DCI-P3 (the color space used to master 4K movies and digital cinema releases) was 74.3% and BT.2020 was 54.1%. Although these results are expected for a budget TV, they aren’t as good as what we measured on the LG 32LQ6300, arguably the best 32-inch TV available.

Amazon 32-inch 2-series with Star Wars the last jedi on screen

The Amazon Fire TV 32-inch 2-series has an inconsistent picture, but colors can be good as shown by Star Wars: The Last Jedi. (Image credit: Future)

Using The Batman on standard Blu-ray to test black levels and shadows, the TV’s regular LED panel showed its limitations as any black areas on the screen took on a gray tone and there were instances of backlight clouding. Contrast was mixed, with a good balance between blacks and highlights in the subway fight scene, but less impressive performance in other scenes. 

Measuring the grayscale of the Amazon 2-series, it gave a result of 3.5 (we typically look for a result below 3). This isn’t the worst result we’ve seen (it’s the same as the LG 32LQ6300) but it explains some of the 2-series’ black level and skin tone accuracy limitations. Measuring the Amazon 2-series’ peak brightness on a 10% window yielded a result of 260 nits and 237 nits in Standard and Film Dark mode, respectively, which are similar numbers to other 32-inch TVs we’ve tested. 

Moving onto Top Gun: Maverick, the Amazon 2-series did a credible job of handling fast motion and panning shots, although there was some blur and judder present and there weren’t any motion adjustments in the TV's picture settings menu to compensate for it. In bright daylight sequences, the characters' skin tones looked oversaturated and unnatural. Changing the picture mode to Natural helped by preventing textures from appearing too sharp, but also sacrificed picture clarity and color accuracy. 

Amazon Fire TV 32-inch 2-series with Fire TV home screen

The Amazon Fire TV 32-inch 2-series uses Fire TV, a smart TV platform with pros and cons.  (Image credit: Future)

The Amazon 2-series fared better than expected in terms of audio quality. There isn’t much to distinguish between the various sound modes such as Standard and Music, though Entertainment proved the best option. With this active, dialogue was clear and the sound surprisingly well-balanced for a budget set. Watching The Batman and Top Gun: Maverick, the 2-series did an adequate job conveying the bassy rumble from the engines of the Batmobile and fighter jets, respectively – much more so than the tinny speakers of the Hisense 32A5K. If you’re using this as a main TV, I’d suggest you invest in one of the best soundbars, but as a secondary TV its sound should suffice.

The 2-series uses Amazon Fire TV as its smart TV platform. This offers access to plenty of apps and customization features, but also displays arguably too many recommendations on its home menu. Navigation also felt occasionally slow and clunky on the 2-series, with long pauses and stutters while loading different pages and apps. There are settings to adjust both picture and audio, but as stated above some important ones are missing such as motion settings.

The 2-series resembles other 32-inch budget TVs, with a functional design that's not uninspired - especially compared to the likes of the Hisense A5K. During setup, installing the feet showed its cheaper design, again even compared to the similarly priced LG LQ6300. The 2-series does, however, come with the Amazon Fire TV Alexa remote – a welcome accessory. 

Amazon 32-inch 2-series with battlefield V on screen

The Amazon Fire TV 32-inch 2-series (pictured with Battlefield V on screen) has average gaming performance that handles motion adequately. (Image credit: Future)

Gaming performance on the Amazon 2-series should be acceptable to bedroom gamers tight on space. There are no real gaming features ( expected at this price) but playing Battlefield V on Xbox Series X was smooth enough, though with occasional choppy frame rates. Switching between targets and scanning the environment was also fairly well handled. 

You see a lot of similarly priced sets with similar features in the 32-inch TV category, and with its 720p as opposed to 1080p resolution, the 2-series lies at a disadvantage. Better options exist at its $199 / £249 price, with the LG 32LQ6300 regularly priced in the UK at £199. However, we have seen the 2-series as low as $119 in the US, and for that low price it is tough to argue against. 

Amazon Alex TV remote

The Amazon Fire TV 32-inch 2-series comes with the Amazon Alexa remote.  (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV 32-inch 2 series review: Prices & release date

  • Release date: 2023 
  • Prices from $199  /£249 / around $305 for the 32-inch 
  • Prices from $249 / £299 / around $350 for the 40-inch  

The cheapest and smallest entry in Amazon’s 2023 Fire TV lineup, the Amazon 2-series is priced around $199 / £249 / around $305 for the 32-inch and $249 / £299 / around $350 for the 40-inch. Both models are regularly on sale, with the 32-inch TV we tested dropping as low as $119 in the US and £149 in the UK. 

Amazon Fire TV 32-inch 2 series review: Specs

Should you buy the Amazon Fire TV 32-inch 2-series?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

Amazon 32-inch 2-series with testing equipment

(Image credit: Future)

How I tested the Amazon Fire TV 32-inch 2-series

  • Tested in lab room with different lighting conditions
  • Tested through a variety of sources - both SDR and HDR
  • Measurements taken using Portrait Displays' Calman calibration software

I tested the various picture and sound modes of the Amazon 2-series using a mixture of broadcast, lower-resolution TV, and HDR sources, streaming through apps such as Disney Plus and Blu-ray. I also used a Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player to play standard Blu-rays.

When it comes to how we test TVs at TechRadar, following subjective testing looking at picture quality, gaming, audio and more, we move on to objective tests using a colorimeter and test pattern generator (for our tests I use the Murideo Six 8K Metal), with the results recorded by Portrait Displays' Calman claibration software. 

To test for brightness, we measure across a variety of different-sized white window patterns in both SDR and HDR using Standard and the most accurate picture mode (in this case Film Dark) to get an indication of peak brightness and how well the TV will cope with reflections. We then record the Delta-E values (which demonstrates the margin of error between the test pattern and what is displayed) for color accuracy, grayscale and gamma using Calman. Lastly, we measure DCI-P3 and BT.2020 color space coverage, along with input lag in Game mode.

Panasonic MZ980 review: a mid-range OLED TV that punches above its weight
1:00 pm | March 16, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Televisions | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Panasonic MZ980: Two-minute review

The Panasonic MZ980 is the brand's mid-range OLED TV offering from 2023. Although it stands out as a great all-rounder, it’s a bit unfortunate – and actually ultimately unfair, as we’ll see – that the most headline-grabbing thing about the MZ980 is stuff it doesn’t have. Namely the brightness-enhancing Micro Lens Array and proprietary heat sink hardware that you get with the brand’s step up MZ1500 and MZ2000 models. 

The MZ980 does still get a premium OLED panel, though, as well as the latest version of Panasonic’s Hollywood-influenced HCX Pro AI picture processor. Plus, of course, it’s significantly cheaper than its more highly specified siblings, coming in at just £1,399 for the 55-inch sized model at the time of writing.

Making this price look all the more tempting is the simple fact that the MZ980 is a brilliant performer, holding its own against the best OLED TVs. Its picture quality benefits from all of OLED’s traditional benefits – spectacular local contrast, beautifully inky black colours, rich but subtle colours and wide viewing angles – while the excellent video processor adds a truly cinematic finish to proceedings.

The MZ980 sounds good too, despite lacking the forward-facing speakers carried by Panasonic’s step-up models, and while its smart system might not be the most sophisticated in the world, it’s easy to use and these days carries all of the most important streaming services. 

Panasonic’s step up OLED TVs are even better, of course – but unless you have a particularly bright room to cope with, the MZ980’s value proposition is hard to resist.

Panasonic MZ980 Review: Price and release date

A close up of the bezel on the Panasonic MZ980 TV

(Image credit: Future)
  • Release date: Late 2023
  • Price: starting at £1,399 for the 55-inch model 

Having launched a few months back at an already then tempting £1,799, the 55MZ980 is now widely available for just £1,399. Panasonic does not currently sell its TVs in the US or Australia. 

The MZ980s are, unusually for a mid-range OLED series, only available in relatively small screen sizes. The 55-inch model we’re looking at here is actually the biggest in the range, being joined only by 48- and 42-inch models. 

As we’ll see, though, you shouldn’t let this fool you into thinking that the MZ980 is only good enough to be considered as a ‘second TV’. This is still a very serious TV – just one aimed at people who don’t have cavernous living rooms.

Panasonic MZ980 review: Features

The ports on the back of the Panasonic MZ980

(Image credit: Future)
  • 4K OLED TV
  • HCX Pro AI processor 
  • Supports all four key HDR formats

So we can get it out of the way and put behind us, let’s start with things the MZ980 does not have. Either the combination of a new high-end Micro Lens Array panel with advanced proprietary heat sink hardware that Panasonic’s MZ2000 flagship OLEDs get, or the same heat sink hardware (minus the MLA technology) that the brand’s MZ1500s get.

It does still use a mid-grade OLED panel rather than an ‘entry level’ one, but even before we got our measuring gear out we know it wouldn’t be as bright as those step up models. 

Tests confirm that while the MZ2000 hits brightness peaks on a 10% white HDR test window of around 1650 nits in Dynamic mode and 1432 nits in its more stable Cinema mode, and the MZ1500 hits around 950 nits in its Cinema mode, the 55MZ980’s Cinema mode peaks at just over 700 nits. That’s basically a 50% brightness drop versus the MZ2000, and a still significant 250 nits versus the MZ1500. You will certainly feel this with HDR content, especially if your TV is typically used in a bright room. 

It’s worth noting, too, that the MZ980 measures slightly less bright than LG’s rival C3 models – though I should stress right away that while brightness certainly matters in the HDR world, it absolutely is not the only thing that makes a great HDR picture. Especially when a TV’s picture processing knows how to get the maximum performance from the hardware available to it – something Panasonic has been a master of with self-emissive displays like OLED since its plasma days. 

With this in mind, the big positive news about the MZ980 is that it retains the top-line HCX Pro AI processor also used by its step-up MZ1500 and MZ2000 siblings. Powered and endlessly refined by Panasonic’s engineers with years of experience dealing with both Hollywood creatives and self-emissive panel technologies, always with a strong focus on recreating creative intent, HCX engines can usually be relied on to achieve subtleties, balances and details precious few other TVs can. Especially when it comes to handling the sort of ‘near dark’ image content that’s typically one of the most difficult things for OLED TVs to manage.

While the MZ980 continues Panasonic’s obsession with accuracy, though, especially with its Filmmaker Mode, and True Cinema presets, it’s also open minded enough to provide an unusually wide-ranging roster of other picture presets that put more of an emphasis on pushing the panel to its colour and brightness limits.

The same spirit of trying to cater for everyone extends, happily, to the MZ980’s HDR format support. While many brands, including, most notably, Sony, LG and Samsung, only support three of the ‘big four’ HDR formats on even their flagship TVs, the MZ980 will play all four: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. So the 55MZ980 will always be able to take in the best version of whatever HDR content you feed it. 

Gamers, meanwhile, will be pleased to learn that the MZ980 supports 4K/120Hz gaming and variable refresh rates over two of its four HDMI ports, including the AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync VRR formats. We’ll cover the TV’s gaming abilities in more detail later.

Besides the four HDMIs, the MZ980’s connections include three USBs (two side, one bottom, one USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0), an Ethernet port, an analogue video inout, an optical digital audio output, and a headphone jack that unusually does double duty as a potential line out for attaching an optional external subwoofer.

Smart features are provided by the eighth generation of Panasonic’s own My Home Screen operating system. Again we’ll cover this in more detail in a dedicated section later, so all I’ll add here is that this is actually the final outing for My Home Screen before it’s replaced on Panasonic’s future high-end TVs by a fully integrated version of Amazon’s Fire TV interface. 

As mentioned in passing earlier, the MZ980 doesn’t have a forward facing, truly multi-channel sound system like its step up OLED siblings do. Its 2 x 15W set up, though, still has enough power to potentially deliver some reasonably cinematic thrills, especially as it’s backed up by Theater Surround Pro processing designed to create a more immersive sound with the Dolby Atmos soundtracks the TV supports than you might expect to hear from a mere stereo speaker set up.

Features score: 4 / 5

Panasonic MZ980 Review: Picture quality

The Netflix menu on the Panasonic MZ980

(Image credit: Future)
  • Exceptional light and colour subtlety
  • Outstanding picture processing
  • Brilliant contrast disguises limited brightness

While the MZ980 might not deliver the razzle dazzle of the latest high-end OLED TVs, its pictures are so refined and immersive that it’s hard to believe they’re coming out of a 55-inch TV that only costs £1,399.

This finesse is at its peerless best when it comes to the MZ980’s handling of dark scenes. The screen’s ability to distinguish between incredibly small differences in light in even the darkest corners of the darkest pictures is mesmerising, giving such imagery a unique sense of depth and detail that feels as if it’s jumped straight off a professional mastering monitor. Especially as this extreme subtlety is delivered without a hint of the sort of instabilities, blocking or fizzing noise that can crop up with other OLED screens with near-black content. Dark scenes on the 55MZ980 are as clean and pure as bright ones, in fact.

Since this is an OLED screen there’s no need to worry about backlight clouding or blooming of the sort you would expect to see with LCD TVs. Nor is there any residual greyness hanging over dark scenes, completing the sense of insight and immersion that started with the immaculate near-dark detailing.

While it’s the MZ980’s handling of dark scenes and picture areas that makes the strongest immediate impression, its handling of light is in truth just as effective. From the subtle dark scene shading through to the brightest HDR peaks, the MZ980 delivers levels of light control (right down to individual pixel level, don’t forget, given this is an OLED screen) that appear flawless across every shade. As a result, the picture always feels completely authentic and natural, perfectly balanced and full of depth, while different objects in the image always look impeccably three dimensional, realistic and contextualised. 

Again you actually feel like you’re getting a gorgeously full sense of the subtleties of the professional masterer’s art. Despite this TV costing just £1,399 versus the many tens of thousands of pounds a professional mastering display costs.

While the processing and light control is at its most effective with the 55MZ980’s most ‘accurate’ picture settings, its profound understanding of the screen’s hardware strengths and limitations also means that it typically ensures that even the more ‘dramatic’ picture presets never stray into distractingly excessive territory.

The set’s tone mapping is astute enough, meanwhile, to pretty much exclude clipping (loss of subtle details) from the brightest parts of the picture, continuing the sense of ‘sweating the small stuff’ that’s the MZ980’s trade mark.

Colours, meanwhile, look surprisingly vibrant for a TV of relatively limited brightness - aided and abetted by a combination of the immaculate light control, exceptional colour mapping and outstanding contributions, again, from the HCX Pro AI picture processor. It helps, too, that colours are able to appear against a foundation of such deep and natural black colours. 

Obviously some picture presets push more vibrant colours than others, as you’d expect with any TV, but the True Cinema and Filmmaker Modes achieve outstanding accuracy and refinement, while even the punchier settings retain more colour balance and control than similar modes on most rival models.

Not surprisingly with a TV that puts so much store in precision, native 4K images on the 55MZ980 look gorgeously detailed and textured. The HCX Pro AI processor also manages to retain a startling amount of this detail and texture, too, when upscaling HD sources. Motion when watching 24p movies can look a touch juddery with no motion processing active (as it can on most OLED TVs, actually), but the lowest setting of Panasonic’s Intelligent Frame Creation motion compensation system is now clever enough to slightly massage the judder effect without making the image look uncinematically smooth or adding too many distracting processing side effects.

The only major elephant in the room with the MZ980’s pictures is their brightness - or lack thereof. There’s no denying that its images don’t look nearly as light and bold as those of the latest generation of MLA-equipped OLED TVs. Nor are they quite as consistently punchy as LG’s similarly priced and specified C3 OLED range, especially where a scene or shot fills the whole screen with brightness.

While this does mean you need to treat the 55MZ980 with respect by lowering light levels in your room when you want to enjoy a serious movie night, though, the MZ980’s infinite subtlety and richly cinematic qualities make it worthy of as much respect as you can muster.

Picture quality: 4.5 / 5 

Panasonic MZ980 review: Sound quality

The speakers on the Panasonic MZ980

(Image credit: Future)
  • Good volume and projection 
  • Solid, clean bass handling 
  • Male voices occasionally sound muffled 

The bad news about the MZ980’s sound is that it doesn’t deliver either the scale of sound staging you get with Panasonic’s step up models, or as much forward ‘thrust’. This lack of directness might also explain why male voices can sometimes sound a little muffled and contained.

Just because the MZ980 doesn’t sound as big and detailed as its more expensive siblings, though, doesn’t mean it’s not actually a very decent audio performer for its money. Its speakers are powerful enough to get surprisingly loud without succumbing to distortion, for starters, and despite the limited number of speakers on offer a decently wide sound stage is created into which effects are placed with excellent clarity. There’s even a slight sense of height to some effects when playing Dolby Atmos soundtracks.

The speakers are sensitive enough to pick up even the faintest of audio elements in a film mix too, ensuring that soundtracks always sound busy and involving. 

Bass doesn’t reach the sort of depths required to unlock the full weight of a potent action scene (so you may want to consider adding a subwoofer via the switchable headphone output at some point), but it does at least delve deep enough to stop loud scenes from sounding harsh or thin. It does so, too, without the low frequencies becoming overwhelming, or causing the speakers to crackle or buzz.

Sound quality score: 4 / 5 

Panasonic MZ980 review: Design

A close up of the stand of the Panasonic MZ980

(Image credit: Future)
  • Slim frame around the screen 
  • Centrally mounted desktop 'foot'
  • A bit chunky round the back 

Viewed straight on, the MZ980 is an attractive addition to your living room. Its screen and frame exist on the same single plane, the frame is on-trend narrow, and although it’s a bit more plasticky than the stands of Panasonic’s more expensive OLED TVs, its centrally mounted plate-style foot looks premium and robust. 

Having its desktop mount placed in the centre of the TV rather than using feet tucked under each bottom corner also means that the 55MZ980 can be placed on even quite narrow bits of furniture.

The MZ980 is not such a great wall mounting option, though, thanks to the way that two to three inches in from the screen’s outer edges the rear panel suddenly juts out a country mile by OLED standards.

Design score: 4 / 5 

Panasonic MZ980 review: Smart features and menus

The remote of the Panasonic MZ980

(Image credit: Future)
  • Uses the My Home Screen 8.0 smart interface 
  • Long but comprehensive set up menus
  • Covers all the main streaming services 

With Panasonic announcing recently that it’s moving to Amazon’s Fire TV platform for the smart interfaces of its future premium TVs, the 55MZ980 represents the swan song for Panasonic’s long-running proprietary My Home Screen smart TV interface. And while the platform has certainly had its struggles along the way, this eighth and final generation sees it bowing out on good form for the most part. 

It now incorporates all of the key streaming and catch up apps the vast majority of UK and European TV buyers would want, and while its interface looks a little basic at first glance, it’s actually really simple to navigate and, best of all, exceptionally easy to customise. There’s voice control support too (Alexa is built in, while Google Assistant works if you have an external Google listening device).

My Home Screen isn’t as sophisticated as some rival smart platforms when it comes to intelligently recommending content you might like, and it can occasionally become a touch sluggish. For the most part, though, I quite like it and might even miss it a bit when it’s gone. 

The 55MZ980’s set up menus contain a vast number of adjustment and tweak options for you to pick your way through. There are, of course pros and cons to this. On the negative side the menus are long, text heavy, full of sub-menus and a bit jargon-heavy in places. On the plus side, if you’re the sort of person who enjoys a good tinker the flexibility the 55MZ980 gives you for adjusting any and all aspects of its picture quality is outstanding. 

Smart features and menus score: 4 / 5

Panasonic MZ980 review: Gaming

The back of the Panasonic MZ980

(Image credit: Future)
  • 4K / 120Hz support
  • Support for multiple VRR systems
  • Dolby Vision gaming mode

Aside from only two of its four HDMIs delivering the full roster of gaming support, the 55MZ980 is impressively equipped for cutting edge gaming experiences.

Those two high bit-rate HDMIs support 4K resolution graphics at 120Hz frame rates and variable refresh rates, for starters. In fact, the VRR support actually covers both the AMD Freesync and Nvidia G-Sync systems as well as the core HDMI-based format. 

The 55MZ980’s Dolby Vision support extends to a proper gaming mode, too, meaning you can game in Dolby Vision HDR from Xboxes and compatible PC cards without having to put up with high levels of input lag. In fact, lag drops to a very respectable 14.5ms with 60Hz sources.

Gamers can call up a dedicated Game Control Board interface containing key signal information and gaming adjustment options, including two different audio profile options optimised for RPG and FPS game types.

There’s even a True Game picture preset alongside the standard Game one, which offers a properly calibrated gaming image for any picture quality enthusiasts who want that.

All of these thoughtful features contribute to a hugely enjoyable gaming experience that looks crisp, ultra-detailed and exceptionally refined. It’s true that HDR graphics don’t look as aggressively bright as they do on some more expensive OLEDs and premium LCD TVs, but as with the 55MZ980’s video performance, the subtleties Panasonic’s screen delivers provide ample compensation.

Gaming score: 4.5 / 5

Panasonic MZ980 review: Value

  • Great price for what it offers
  • £200 cheaper than Panasonic's step-up model 
  • Slightly more expensive than the LG C3

Now that it’s available for a few hundred pounds less than it was at launch, the 55MZ980 is exceptional value. Just £1,399 really doesn’t feel like a lot to ask for a TV that offers as many features and as much top-notch performance - for both gamers and video fans - as the 55MZ980 does. 

There is some pretty tough competition around, though. In particular, LG’s excellent OLED55C3 mid-range OLED model can currently be had for just £1,299, offering four full gaming HDMIs and slightly more brightness. Though it doesn’t provide quite the same picture subtlety as the Panasonic.

Stepping up to Panasonic’s 55MZ1500, with the useful step up in brightness created by its built-in heat sink, will cost you an extra £200. Whether that sounds like a better deal or not will obviously depend on how near the top of your budget you already are with the 55MZ980’s £1,399 asking price.

Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Panasonic MZ980?

Buy it if...

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Panasonic MZ980 review: Also consider

How we tested the Panasonic MZ980

  • Tested over 10 days 
  • Tested with 4K/HD Blu-ray, streaming and Freeview HD broadcasts
  • Reviewed in both dark and light dedicated test room conditions, and a regular (corner position) living room set up

Given that the 55MZ980 doesn’t carry either a built-in hardware heat sink or new Micro Lens Array technology like some of the best tvs, we started our testing by measuring its brightness using Spears & Munsil HDR window test screens and a professional light meter to try and get a feel for where it lies in the great (and now more complicated) OLED scheme of things. 

With its slightly lower than typical brightness in mind, we then went on to spend time watching both HDR and SDR content on it in a wider range of light and room conditions than we normally would to see how well or otherwise it coped with different environments. Ultimately we ended up spending longer with it in a largely blacked out room than we did in brighter settings, since it was in darker surroundings where the TV most excelled, allowing us to fully appreciate its strengths. The set was tested with a selection of our favourite test 4K Blu-rays - especially Babylon, Pan, It Chapter One, Blade Runner 2049, and the Spears & Munsil test signal disc - to see how it handled key picture attributes such as contrast, colour, sharpness, fine detailing, motion and upscaling of sub-4K sources. 

We fed it a variety of resolutions from various streaming and digital broadcast sources too, using both the built-in streaming apps and a Sky Q receiver, to see how well its HCX Pro AI processor dealt with the joys of compression artefacts, while gaming was tested using both a PS5 and an Xbox Series X, with a Leo Bodnar input lag testing device being used to measure input lag.

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  • Reviewed in March 2024
Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS review: performance gaming on a budget
12:00 pm | March 14, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Monitors Peripherals & Accessories | Tags: | Comments: Off

Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS: One-minute review

1440p on a 27-inch panel is arguably still the best choice for mainstream PC gaming. It's also cheaper than ever, with even high-refresh options dipping below $200. In that context, the new Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS doesn't immediately look like a bargain.

For sure, it's cheaper than the equivalent model from Asus's premium ROG range. But at around $300 it's still a fair bit more expensive than entry-level screens that tick the 1440p, 27-inch, and high-refresh-rate boxes.

Then again, the Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS does have a pretty strong spec list with which to do battle with the very best gaming monitors. Beyond the 1440p, 27-inch thing, you get 180Hz refresh instead of the 144Hz more common to cheaper models, plus 1ms GtG response. That later figure implies this is probably an IPS rather than VA panel, and that is indeed the case.

The Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS gaming monitor on a white desk.

(Image credit: Future)

What's more, it comes with HDR400 support, and thus can achieve 400 nits peak brightness. HDR400 is the lowest level of HDR compliance, so you have to be realistic about what this kind of screen can achieve. But it's better than no HDR support at all.

Then add in USB-C with power delivery and a stand that adjusts every which way, not to mention the fact that this is a monitor from one of the best brands in the gaming business and you have a very attractive overall proposition. Sure, it's not the cheapest 1440p panel out there. But it's pretty reasonably priced and very promising on paper.

Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS: Price & availability

The Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS gaming monitor on a white desk.

(Image credit: Future)
  • How much does it cost? $299 / around £325 / AU$450
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where can you get it? Available in the US at the time of writing

At $299 in the US, and likely around £325 in the UK and $450 in Australia (pricing in those two territories has yet to emerge at the time of writing) the Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS isn't the cheapest high-refresh 1440p panel out there.

Still, it's pretty competitive given the specs, including a 180Hz refresh from an IPS panel, and the fact that it's from Asus. If you want cheaper, you could try the Gigabyte G27Q, which is also an IPS panel but only hits 144Hz.

  • Value: 4 / 5

Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS: Design

The Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS gaming monitor on a white desk.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Fully adjustable stand
  • Premium build quality despite the relatively low price
  • HDR400 rating, but no local dimming

As a member of the more affordable Asus ROG Strix range, as opposed to the more premium ROG Swift line, it's perhaps not a huge surprise that the Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS isn't decked out with a zillion RGB lights. However, you do get a high-quality and fully adjustable stand, including height, tilt, swivel, and pivot into portrait mode.

Generally, it looks and feels a cut above more affordable 1440p options. That extends to the connectivity, which includes not only DisplayPort and HDMI, but also USB-C with power delivery.  If the latter is an impressive inclusion at this price point, the catch is that you only get 7.5W of power delivery. So, you can forget keeping a laptop juiced up in a single-cable scenario, that's not enough power.

Instead, Asus envisages that you'll use it to charge your smartphone, for which there is a slot on the front of the stand base. That's just about plausible, but it's not a really clear-cut advantage over just plugging your phone into the wall. If the stand did wireless charging or the USB-C interface did a lot more than 7.5W then the utility on offer would be a whole lot better.

Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS Key Specs

Panel size: 27 inches
Panel type: IPS
Resolution:  2560 x 1440
Brightness: 400 nits
Contrast: 1000:1
HDR: HDR400
Pixel response: 1ms
Refresh rate: 180Hz
Inputs:  1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x USB-C with 7.5W PD 

Beyond the 1440p and 27-inch basics, the Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS offers a very solid set of specs. You get 180Hz refresh, which is plenty for all but the most serious esports addicts, plus 1ms response times. That's about as good as it gets for an IPS gaming monitor and this panel is comfortably faster than cheaper models based on VA rather than IPS screen technology. For tangibly better response, you'd need to speed nearly three times as much on an OLED monitor.

The Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS gaming monitor on a white desk.

(Image credit: Future)

As for HDR, there's DisplayHDR 400 certification, which means 400 nits brightness. There's no local dimming, so this isn't a true HDR display. However, with a claimed 97% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, this is a fairly high-fidelity monitor. 

Yes, there are higher-specification gaming monitors, including 1440p models. However, the Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS's spec ticks all the important boxes for a great gaming experience.

  • Design: 4 / 5

The Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS gaming monitor on a white desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS: Performance

  • Factory color calibration is excellent
  • Solid SDR visuals in HDR mode
  • Incredibly snappy response times

This is a beautifully calibrated monitor. The colors are pitch-perfect and there's oodles of visual pop. This is a vibrant, punchy, and accurate display.

If that all applies to the default SDR mode, the HDR mode is even better. But perhaps not for the reasons you might expect. As an HDR400 panel with no local dimming, there's only the most basic HDR support on offer. But it's the way SDR content is handled in HDR mode that actually most impresses.

In short, this is the closest an affordable HDR-capable LCD monitor gets to perfect SDR calibration in HDR mode. All too often this class of entry-level HDR monitor makes a mess of SDR content in HDR mode. That means you have to keep jumping back and forth between modes depending on content type. But with this Asus Strix panel, you can leave it in HDR mode all the time. It's so much simpler.

The Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS gaming monitor on a white desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Another highlight is pixel response. This is as good as IPS gaming monitors get for perceived pixel response, it's really, really sharp and clear. Even better, in the OSD menu you can choose from no fewer than 20 levels of pixel overdrive. If that sounds like overkill, and it is really, it means you can strike exactly the balance between outright speed and overshoot that you are willing to tolerate.

In truth, even with the overdrive maxed out the overshoot and inverse ghosting are pretty mild. In fact, the only real demerit in the response department is that the ELMB or Extreme Low Motion Blur mode only slightly improves subjective response and does so like all other ELMB modes, by crushing brightness to the point it's hard to imagine why anyone would use it.

Anyway, short of an OLED monitor for about 2.5 times the money, you'll have a hard time spotting the extra speed from more expensive 1440p panels. Even here in 2024, 1440p on a 27-inch makes a lot of sense for mainstream gaming. You get plenty of image detail but without the debilitating GPU load of 1440p. So, you don't need a $1,000 graphics card to get the most out of this display.

At the end of the day, the Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS isn't the cheapest high-refresh 1440p panel out there. But it is a clear cut above lesser alternatives when it comes to everything from speed to accuracy and all-round visual pop.

The only obvious flaw is the fairly pointless USB-C interface with such limited power delivery (and the gimmicky phone slot in the stand, if that bothers you). But that aside, this is just a really nice gaming panel with great specs for a decent price. Highly recommended.

  • Performance: 4.5 / 5

The Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS gaming monitor on a white desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS?

Buy it if...

Don't buy if...

Also Consider

Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS: Report Card

  • First reviewed March 2024
AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK review: A solid performer for a reasonable price
12:40 pm | March 6, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Monitors Peripherals & Accessories | Tags: | Comments: Off

AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK: Two-minute review

It’s gotten to the point where you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a generally solid gaming experience. That’s certainly where AOC is positioning their latest panel, the catchily named AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK, which brings with it the ideal combo of panel size and resolution – 2560 x 1440 strewn over a 27-inch screen – alongside purposeful looks and a generally great image for reasonable money in today’s economy. 

There’s quite a sea of options at this more affordable price point, but the AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK offers a lot for a good price, and may well just be one of the best gaming monitors out there in its price bracket.

The AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK is perhaps a little non-descript compared to some similarly-priced gaming monitors, opting for a simple but effective black plastic chassis with flecks of red on the stand and underside of the bottom bezel. This is typical for AOC monitors and makes this panel look as if it’s a successor to the AOC display I use day to day. 

The AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK photographed on a desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Its simple design pays off, as it’s a good-looking monitor, with thin bezels helping it to look reasonably modern. A weight of 5.5kg gives it some nice heft, and it feels well-made, considering the price. The stand on offer is practical, offering solid adjustment with tilt, height, and swivel, but not rotation - arguably given the slight 1500R curvature. This is also a VESA-compatible panel if you want to opt for wall mounting or on a desk clamp with a mount, as opposed to the bundled stand. 

It’s also easy to put together with a tool-less construction. Instead, the CQ27G2S/BK uses a screw-in stand that attaches to the panel especially conveniently, making life easy. If you’re like me and have a small phobia of manual labor then putting together AOC’s candidate is a doozy.

As for inputs, the CQ27G2S/BK features a pair of HDMI 2.0 ports and a singular DisplayPort 1.4 option, as well as a headphone jack. Given the more affordable price point, I’m not too worried about the lack of more modern accoutrements such as any USB ports, although they would have been nice to have.

There are built-in speakers, although they aren’t the best, sounding thin overall with little in terms of bass and top-end. The saving grace here is that the AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK features a 3.5mm earphone jack so you can connect up external speakers, which would be preferable.

The AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK photographed on a desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Apart from the actual panel itself, the AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK doesn’t offer much else in the way of additional features. The big thing here though is its on-screen display (OSD). While offering plenty of features to play around with including dedicated gamer modes as well as a handful of HDR modes you can enable, it isn't easy to navigate. It takes a few seconds to move from menu to menu, and the buttons on the bottom right offer very little in the way of assistance with function and direction. A joystick would have made things a lot easier.

In delving into the actual panel, the CQ27G2S/BK utilizes a 27-inch VA panel, complete with a 2560x1440 resolution and 165Hz refresh rate. There is support for VRR with AMD FreeSync, although Nvidia GPUs are supported with adaptive sync, and there's a vague semblance of HDR with support for DisplayHDR 10. 

In testing, the AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK provided some excellent image quality. It provides decently bright images with a measured peak figure of 242 nits while offering pretty deep blacks and solid contrast that actually exceeds AOC’s own quoted 4000:1 by a little bit. Its 6900K color temperature is solid for a monitor of this price too, as is its SDR color accuracy. 100% sRGB coverage means it displays all the colors needed for mainstream work and play as accurately as possible while 90% DCI-P3 means it could handle more specialist workloads if you wanted to.

AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK Key Specs

Panel size: 27 inches
Panel type: VA LCD
Resolution:  2560 x 1440
Brightness: 250 nits
Contrast: 4000:1
HDR: HDR10
Pixel response: 1ms
Refresh rate: 165Hz
Inputs:  2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 3.5mm headphone jack 

In enabling HDR though, it’s where AOC’s more affordable mid-ranger falls over. It becomes a much more washed-out and overall less enticing picture. Its 80% sRGB and 59% DCI-P3 color space coverage mean that the CQ27G2S/BK isn’t at all suitable for HDR workloads, and you should stick to working in SDR.

However, it’s important to note that this isn’t necessarily a panel designed for color-sensitive workloads, and for gaming in SDR, it was excellent. The combination of a 27-inch screen and 1440p panel offered solid detail over a great size for my desk, while the 165Hz refresh rate ensured output was smooth. Playing CS:GO at a high frame rate felt especially responsive while using it for day-to-day work and running my Football Manager 2023 save felt sharper. 

The moderate 1500R curve helped to provide a tad more immersion in FPS titles, and allowed me to focus more on firing at bots in CS:GO (I refuse to play online, I don’t want to get smoked!). That curvature was also welcome for filling my eyesight for day-to-day working, and while it may seem like an odd thing to say, the CQ27G2S/BK helped to immerse me in what I needed to get done. When rewatching the last series of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel on Prime Video, the curvature helped there, and viewing YouTube videos was solid too.

The AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK photographed on a desk.

(Image credit: Future)

AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK: Price & availability

  • How much does it cost? £220 (US model $290, about AU$425)
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where can you get it? Currently available in the UK

The AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK appears to be a UK-exclusive panel, being priced at £220 - at least, this exact model. A virtually identical monitor - the AOC Agon Q27G2S - is available in the US for $290 (around AU$425). It sits well amongst some of the best high refresh rate monitors we’ve looked at in the past, such as our top choice, the Gigabyte Aorus CV27Q, and other similar specced options.

The CV27Q, despite now being a slightly older panel, matches well against AOC’s latest option with the same screen size, resolution, and refresh rate, although offers a quicker response time of 1ms, but a worse contrast ratio at 3000:1 compared to AOC’s 4000:1. 

Perhaps the next nearest competitor to the CQ27G2S/BK is an option from the brand 'X=', a spin-off from UK retailer AWD-IT. Their X=XRGB27WQ offers a virtually identical spec sheet to AOC’s choice with the same resolution, screen size, and resolution. It gets a little brighter than the CQ27G2S/BK with 350 quoted nits and offers an IPS panel as opposed to VA. That’ll run you £230, although you are banking on trusting a lesser-known brand.

Other options from the likes of Dell are going to cost at least £100 or so more than the CQ27G2S/BK, making it a rather great value-for-money choice in its category.

The AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK photographed on a desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK?

Buy it if...

Don't buy if...

Also Consider

 AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK: Report Card

How I tested the AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK

  • Spent nearly two weeks testing
  • Used for gaming, photo editing, watching videos and day to day work
  • Tested using a colorimeter for testing overall image quality

During my time with the AOC Gaming CQ27G2S, I used it as my main working monitor, using it for day-to-day work writing articles and editing images with Photoshop. I also used it to watch streaming content on Disney+ and Prime Video after work, as well as playing a variety of games

This is a monitor primarily designed for gaming, hence my testing in eSports titles such as CS:GO, where you’re more likely to feel the benefit of the panel’s 165Hz refresh rate. Its excellent color accuracy also makes it suitable for productivity and generalist workloads, as opposed to using it for more specialist tasks.

As someone who has a few years of experience writing reviews and testing all sorts of monitors, I’ve got the right tools to help you through the minefield of whether a monitor is actually any good or not. You can trust me to take everything into account to help you make the right buying decision.

  • First reviewed March 2024
Lenovo Legion R45w-30 review: A large ultrawide that doesn’t cost the earth
8:26 pm | March 5, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Monitors Peripherals & Accessories | Tags: | Comments: Off

Lenovo Legion R45w-30: One-minute review

It’s easy to see the appeal of ultrawide monitors, as long as you’ve got the space for them. You get loads of horizontal screen real estate to give you more screen space to use, and that can wrap around you to get you more immersion. 

It’s also gotten to the point where you can get solidly specced choices that don’t cost the earth, relatively speaking, That’s where Lenovo is aiming to push their latest screen, the Legion R45w-30, which is one of the larger ultrawide panels available on the market today, and undercuts many of the best ultrawide monitors around in price by quite some distance in the name of offering a solid overall experience backed by a massive 44.5-inch screen.

Lenovo Legion R45w-30: Price & availability

The Lenovo Legion R45w-30 ultrawide gaming monitor on a desk.

(Image credit: Future)
  • How much does it cost? $799 / £799 / AU$999
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where can you get it? Available in the UK and USA

The Lenovo Legion R45w-30 is available in both the UK and USA for reasonable sums of money compared to other ultrawides, and was subject to a handy discount in the UK this past Black Friday to bring its price down further.

It matches reasonably well against our top ultrawide monitor choice, the LG UltraGear 38GN950, which clocks in at a third more in price than this Lenovo option, at £1200 or so. That panel offers a smaller screen size and aspect ratio, but makes up for it with higher brightness and contrast. It lacks some other nice-to-have features though, including extra USB ports and a KVM switch, making this Lenovo choice especially good value.

Other options from the likes of Samsung are going to cost nearly double that of the Legion R45w-30, given they are OLED, making the Legion R45w-30 a rather great value-for-money choice in its category.

  • Value: 4 / 5

Lenovo Legion R45w-30: Design

  • Easy setup
  • Plenty of connectivity options  
  • Lackluster speakers

The Legion R45w-30 is a good-looking monitor, and carried a lot of presence when placed on my desk. It filled my 120cm desk entirely, and offers a lot of display real estate for the price, that’s for sure. Its black plastic construction feels sturdy, and the flecks of metal across the base of the stand were a nice touch alongside the small Lenovo logo. It means that it should fit well in virtually any setup, with looks to it that are far from being the most obnoxious.

On the point of the stand, that’s especially sturdy, as it would have to be to support such a large monitor. The Legion R45w-30 is also especially easy to put together, and requires no tools to do so. This proved useful if you’re someone who has no dexterity in your hands like I do, so being able to put this Lenovo ultrawide together with little effort was rather handy. You do have to be a bit stronger to put it on the VESA mount if you don’t want to use the included stand, though - and of course, for that you’ll need to make sure you’ve got a stand that supports a monitor that weighs 8.3kg without the stand.

Lenovo Legion R45w-30 Key Specs

Panel size: 44.5 inches
Panel type: VA WLED
Resolution:  5120 x 1440
Brightness: 450 nits (quoted)
Contrast: 3000:1
HDR: HDR400
Pixel response: 1ms
Refresh rate: 165Hz
Inputs: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DP 1.4, 3.5mm headphone jack, 1x USB-B upstream, 3x USB-A downstream, 1x Ethernet 

The scope for adjustment is decent, and you can tilt and pivot the Legion R45w-30 to your liking. It can swivel left and right up to 30 degrees, as well as being height adjustable with a scope of five inches, while its tilt is between 5 and 22 degrees, which is useful for making sure you’re comfortable. Admittedly, in using the Legion R45w-30, the massive screen did take some getting used to.

The vast array of inputs on offer pushes the Legion R45w-30 up a lot in my estimations, given it also packs in some options you don’t usually see on more affordable panels. You get a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4 as well as an Ethernet jack, a trifecta of USB-A downstream ports, a USB-C upstream and USB-B upstream, as well as a headphone jack. That gives you a lot of options for connecting additional devices, speakers, and multiple desktops or laptops.

  • Design: 4 / 5

Lenovo Legion R45w-30: Features

The Lenovo Legion R45w-30 ultrawide gaming monitor on a desk.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Easy-to-use UI
  • KVM switch is useful
  • Weak, thin-sounding 3W speakers

The OSD that the Legion R45w-30 provides is easy to navigate, especially with the mixture of buttons and a joystick to navigate through its numerous modes. Inside it, you can toggle between various HDR modes and profiles, and fiddle with more traditional settings such as brightness and contrast. I did find myself pressing the wrong buttons inherently, but that’s down to my own incompetence more so than the monitor. Having the joystick for navigating inside menus was a godsend though, and made my life a lot easier.

You even get access to a KVM switch, meaning you can have two devices connected to the Legion R45w-30 and use the same input devices. Switching over from my MacBook Pro to my desktop PC using the same peripherals (don’t worry, my keyboard has dual legend keycaps) was seamless. If you want to, you can also split sources on-screen by using either USB-C or the DP port with picture-in-picture, allowing you to work on two systems at the same time, which is a nice touch, and means you can take full advantage of the 44.5-inch screen for multitasking. Features like that truly exhibit the purpose of an ultrawide panel for productivity workloads.

There are built-in 3W speakers, although they aren’t the best, sounding thin overall, although they do give plenty of volume. You’ll definitely be thankful for the presence of that 3.5mm jack for connecting some external speakers to boost your audio performance.

  • Features: 4 / 5

Lenovo Legion R45w-30: Performance

  • Overall image quality is fantastic
  • Deep blacks and vibrant color reproduction in games
  • HDR performance is weak

In testing the Legion R45w-30, it provided some good detail and especially smooth output when running Counter-Strike 2, Assetto Corsa Competizione, and Forza Horizon 5 - even if the latter would only run at 21:9, so it couldn’t take advantage of the full wide 32:9 aspect ratio on offer.

Nonetheless, the Legion R45w-30 impressed me, with its good colors and responsive feel. Having never used an ultrawide panel for games before for an extended period, I can certainly see the appeal. ACC especially impressed me, with the entire cockpit of the GT3 Bentley Continental I was driving around Silverstone wrapped around me. Using such a wide monitor seemed to also take away the need to use the camera navigation buttons to move around, as I physically turned my head to take note of where competitors were. The Legion R45w-30 worked wonders for sim racing, not least when I moved from using an Xbox Elite 2 controller to my trusty Logitech G29 wheel. 

It also proved to be much the same story when playing Dirt Rally 2, with sharp images and smooth motion thanks to the 165Hz refresh rate. On tight, twisting rally stages with lots of quick changes of direction, the sharper output was most certainly welcome. Counter-Strike 2 was a lot of fun in ultrawide form, with detailed visuals and smooth frames with that 170Hz refresh rate, even if I was terrible at killing enemies.

The Lenovo Legion R45w-30 ultrawide gaming monitor on a desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Out of the box, the Legion R45w-30 offered up relatively deep blacks and near-perfect whites alongside wonderfully accurate colors. It offered a crisp experience for both work and play, and the 5120 x 1440 resolution served up some excellent detail whether I was bombing my way across a New Zealand rally stage or watching some mindless content on YouTube.

A peak brightness of 367 nits is good enough for the price, and meant images did look rather vibrant. Cranking things up to that level didn’t have that much of an impact on whites, although blacks weren’t quite as deep. However, as much as SDR performance here was great, the same can’t be said for HDR. Enabling HDR400 on the monitor and in Windows revealed more washed-out colors and lower color accuracy, meaning this isn’t necessarily the best panel for those workloads. Stick to SDR though, and you’ll be golden.

  • Performance: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Lenovo Legion R45w-30?

Buy it if...

Don't buy if...

Also Consider

Lenovo Legion R45w-30: Report Card

How I tested the Lenovo Legion R45w-30

  • Spent nearly two weeks testing
  • Used for gaming, as well as photo editing and watching videos and day to day work.
  • Tested using a colorimeter for verifying overall image quality

During my time with the Lenovo Legion R45w-30, I used it as my main working monitor, using it for day-to-day work writing articles and editing images with Photoshop. I also used it to watch streaming content on Disney+ and Prime Video after work, as well as to play a variety of games, including sim racing and shooter titles.

This is a monitor primarily designed for gaming, hence my testing in eSports titles such as Counter-Strike 2, where you’re more likely to feel the benefit of the panel’s 165Hz refresh rate, and using it in sim racing titles such as Assetto Corsa Competizione and Dirt Rally 2 allowed me to gauge its true immersion capabilities. Its fantastic color accuracy and detail also make it suitable for productivity and generalist workloads.

As someone who has a few years of experience writing reviews and testing all sorts of monitors, I’ve got the right tools to help you through the minefield of whether a monitor is actually any good or not. You can trust me to take everything into account to help you make the right buying decision.

Read more about how we test.

  • First reviewed March 2024
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