Sony’s Xperia L1 brings the premium feel without breaking the bank

Why it matters to you

Sony’s flagship smartphones have been out of reach for many would-be users, but the Xperia L1 will lower the entry barrier to one of Android’s unique device makers.

As many await the imminent launch of Sony’s Xperia flagships for 2017, the company recently pulled the cover off an entry-level smartphone nobody really saw coming. It’s called the Xperia L1, and it is now available to purchase in the United States from select retailers.

The L1 was first announced back in March and American distribution was not a certain thing at the time. Sony, however, has just updated the L1’s availability page with links to Amazon and Best Buy. The phone retails for $200, packs respectable specs for the price range and comes in three colors: Black, white, and pink, which actually resembles more of a rose gold.

Following in the footsteps of 2013’s budget-conscious Xperia L, the L1 carries a 5.5-inch 720p display driven by a MediaTek quad-core system-on-chip clocked at 1.45 GHz, paired with 2GB of RAM. In terms of cameras, there’s a 13-megapixel shooter at the back with an F2.2 lens and a 24 mm wide-angle 5MP shooter above the screen. The phone comes with 16GB of onboard storage and will support MicroSDXC cards up to 256GB in capacity. It will also be dual-SIM-capable in certain markets.

Sony’s phones have long had a reputation of respectable battery life, and the L1 looks to continue that with a 2,620mAh unit fitted with Qnovo Adaptive Charging. The feature, which will be present in all of Sony’s Xperia XA and XZ devices, claims to extend the lifespan of the battery, allowing it to maintain stock performance for two years. It also allows for quick charging.

The L1 launches with Android 7.0 Nougat onboard. It also features Sony’s Xperia Actions software that monitors how you use your phone and then presents you with the relevant settings to tailor usage to your habits.

For example, if you typically silence all notifications before bed, Xperia Actions pays attention to that, asks if you’d like to set an automatic time window for muting your phone, and offers even more granular controls, like the ability to turn off charging lights and sounds. It will certainly come in handy for those kept awake at night by the piercing LEDs found in some smartphones nowadays.

As for regions other than the U.S., it appears some markets won’t receive the L1 for at least another few weeks. U.K. retailer Clove Technology has the L1’s release slated for early June. It seems American customers will be the first in the world to get their hands on Sony’s latest budget offering — which is somewhat unusual for the company, given its relative popularity outside the U.S.

Article originally published on 03-20-2017 by Adam Ismail. Updated on 05-11-2017 by Adam Ismail: Added U.S. availability.

Nokia 3310: Our first take

Why it matters to you

The Nokia 3310, widely considered to be one of the most popular phones ever made, will now be a good burner phone, but it won’t replace your smartphone.

If 2017’s Mobile World Congress hadn’t thrown enough nostalgia at you with BlackBerry’s QWERTY phone announcement, you’re in for a doozy of a throwback with the reintroduction of the Nokia 3310.

If you don’t recall, the one-of-a-kind Nokia 3310 was a “dumb” phone. It launched in 2000 and there were several other models in the same series. Like most Nokia phones at the time, it was known for its long battery life and its ability to survive almost anything.

Now Nokia is no longer in the business of making phones — smart or dumb. That is all handled by HMD Global and Foxconn. Nokia licensed its brand name to HMD, and there’s a list of guidelines the manufacturers have to follow to make sure the new phones are up to spec with Nokia’s familiar brand promises.

Apart from announcing two new smartphones, and the global availability of the Nokia 6, HMD took the wraps off the new, reimagined Nokia 3310. For starters, let’s just say it’s colorful.

It’s colorful like the Nokia Lumia series for Windows Mobile, to the point that the new 3310 looks and feels like a plastic toy. It’s bulky but incredibly light. It’s also compact, rounded, and feels cheap but not fragile.

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

You’ll have to remember how to type with the T9 predictive texting technology, and how to navigate without a touchscreen. But hey, you can play the iconic Snake game!

The new Nokia 3310 runs on the Nokia Series 30+ operating system, and it has a 2.4-inch QVGA display. It’s packed with a 1,200mAh removable battery that charges via a MicroUSB port. Nokia claims the battery will last a month on standby, which we don’t doubt, and you can be on a call for up to 22.1 hours.

It only has a MicroSD card slot that can support up to 32GB of storage. The 3310 features Bluetooth connectivity with SLAM, Nokia’s method of sharing content over Bluetooth without the recipient’s device needing to be paired

The device has FM radio and MP3 player apps in case you want to listen to some music. You’re out of luck if you want to take a selfie, though, as there’s only a 2-megapixel camera on the rear. Don’t expect anything good out of this camera, unless you’re going for a nostalgic, JPEG-lacking look.

This phone won’t replace your smartphone — it can’t. But it can act as a burner phone, or a backup or secondary device just for calls and texts. It can also be an excellent device for those in developing markets that just need a solid feature phone.

The Nokia 3310 comes in red, dark blue, yellow, and gray. It will cost 49 euros (~$53) and will launch on May 24 in the U.K. It will also launch in the Netherlands and Belgium on June 5, and Germany on May 26. Unfortunately, the phone only supports GSM 900MHz and 1800MHz bands, so it’s likely only going to work for countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Those bands aren’t really supported in the U.S., so the phone, at least as its currently configured, won’t be launched in the U.S. A HMD spokesperson, however, has said that “the U.S. will be in HMD’s sights.”

Highs

• Compact, fun design
• You can play Snake
• Long battery life

Lows

• Camera is practically useless
• Feels cheap
• Only supports GSM 900MHz and 1,800MHz bands

Updated on 05-11-2017 by Christian de Looper: Added news of release date in U.K., Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands.

Manfrotto’s latest camera bags battle through the commute, from subway to bike

Why it matters to you

Trekking though the city makes comfort, capacity, and safety an even bigger priority, and this new bag series aims to hit all three.

Camera bags are designed for toting gear through a variety of scenarios from hikes to weddings, but Manfrotto’s latest bag line was inspired by a particular group of photographers: City dwellers. The Manfrotto Manhattan is a new series designed for commuters with a backpack, messenger, and three-way shoulder bag designed for comfort, durability, and urban style.

All three bags use a sleek, water-repellent gray exterior constructed from ballistic fabric. Interchangeable dividers can also be completely removed from the bags while even the smallest in the series still has room for a tripod and a tablet.

The Mover 50 backpack is designed to protect a wide range of gear, with the main opening for cameras and lenses against the user’s back. A quick access opening at the top also offers another entry point, while a laptop or tablet compartment in the front opens from the side. Comfort features include both a chest and waist strap

With the gear dividers removed, the Manfrotto Manhattan backpack doubles as a typical backpack — the tripod straps on the front can even double to strap on items like a bike helmet or even a drone instead. As a camera bag, it’s designed to fit a DSLR with up to a 70-200mm lens attached along with four extra lenses or flashes.

The Manhattan Speedy 10 Messenger is a smaller bag, but it’s still rated to hold a small DSLR or mirrorless camera with three lenses or even DJI’s folding drone, the Mavic Pro, as well as a 12-inch laptop or tablet. The single shoulder strap uses a removable pad and includes a stabilization strap that means commuters can still easily bike with the messenger bag.

The line’s shoulder bag can be carried three ways — as a typical shoulder bag, as a tote, or even as a backpack. The smallest in the series, it’s designed to hold a DSLR or mirrorless camera with up to a 70-200mm lens attached.

All three bags were launched in early May, with the messenger bag staring things off at $99. The three-way bag lists for $119 and the backpack for $159.

Verizon pays $3.1 billion for spectrum it needs to deploy 5G, outbidding AT&T

Why it matters to you

Verizon’s $3.1 acquisition of Straight Path could mean more 5G in more places — and sooner.

Verizon’s plans for next-gen wireless are finally coming together. On Thursday, Big Red reportedly outbid rival AT&T for the chunk of frequencies — or spectrum — it will use to deploy 5G. It spent $3.1 billion on Straight Path Communications, a wireless holding company, and agreed to pay an additional $38 million if the deal doesn’t go through.

Straight Path, which acquired — but failed to make use of — spectrum it purchased 15 years ago, was expected to close a deal with AT&T. Ma Bell announced a bid of $1.6 billion for Straight Path in April, but folded its hand when Verizon offered more.

Verizon ponied up for good reason. Straight Path maintains a valuable portfolio of millimeter wave spectrum — frequencies with narrower-than-average lengths ideal for 5G deployment. And it has them in a lot of places, including all of the top 40 markets in the U.S.

Millimeter wave isn’t perfect — it can’t penetrate physical objects like walls and trees, and it has a limited range. But it’s plentiful compared to the low-frequency bands in use by 4G networks, and can be used in conjunction with other spectrum where available. T-Mobile, for example, has said it will use a combination of low-band 600MHz spectrum and high-band millimeter waves for its 5G network.

5G can reach speeds far surpassing 1Gbps, and features improved latency, coverage, and efficiency compared to 4G. Verizon’s finalized 5G spec, which it published in July of last year, is theoretically capable of “several gigabits per second throughputs and single-millisecond latencies.”

In a 5G test last year, Verizon demonstrated multiple 4K TVs streaming video at once — enough bandwidth to download Guardians of the Galaxy in 15 seconds, compared to the 6 minutes it takes on current 4G LTE networks.

The Straight Path acquisition is part of Verizon’s broader 5G rollout.

In February, the carrier announced that it would begin customer trials of 5G technology in ten U.S. cities — Ann Arbor, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; Bernardsville, New Jersey; Brockton, Massachusetts; Denver, Colorado; Miami, Florida; Seattle, Washington; Washington DC; and Dallas and Houston in Texas. In partnership with Samsung, Ericsson, Intel, and Qualcomm, it installed 5G Access Points in homes capable of delivering gigabit speeds to connected devices.

Verizon isn’t the only one pursuing 5G trials. This year, AT&T will begin streaming DirecTV to residential customers, reportedly as part of a “quad play” bundle of television service, 5G internet, wireless phone, and home phone.

That could be good news for your cable bill. According to the Federal Communications Commission’s 2015 Broadband Progress Report, 51 percent of Americans only have one option for 25Mbps or higher home internet service.

Most carriers are targeting 2020 for widespread launch, after the ITU finalizes 5G’s technical specifications. But others are confident they can deploy it sooner.

AT&T, for example, plans to expand residential and small business trials in the second half of this year, ahead of a “standards-based” rollout as soon as 2018. And Sprint is shooting to launch its 5G network by “late 2019.”

The Verizon Wear24 Android Wear smartwatch is now available for $300

Why it matters to you

It’s an affordable Android Wear 2.0 (the latest version) option for those unimpressed by the competition.

LG isn’t the only manufacturer with a brand-spanking new smartwatch. Verizon, not to be outdone by the LG Watch Sport and LG Watch Style, recently announced the Wear24, a watch running Google’s Android Wear operating system.

The Wear24 was made in partnership with ODM Quanta, a Taiwanese company better known by the branded laptops, desktops, and media players it builds for commissioning companies like HP, Dell, and Lenovo. It’s a Verizon exclusive, unsurprisingly, and one of the first smartwatches to ship running version 2.0 of Google’s Android Wear operating system. Not only that, but now you can get it for yourself.

Verizon opened up orders for the device, which start at $300 on a two-year contract or $350 at full price. For a limited time, owners of older Android Wear smartwatches — including models far back as Motorola’s first-gen Moto 360 and the original LG Watch — can trade up for a $100 Visa gift card. You can get it for yourself by heading to the Verizon website.

The Wear24’s a compelling package, to be sure. Its “slim and modern” 13.5mm body is IP67-rated, meaning it can withstand up to 3.3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. And under the hood lies 512MB of RAM, a beefy 450mAh battery compatible with off-the-shelf wireless chargers, a NFC chip that supports tap-to-pay mobile transactions, and a 1.39-inch AMOLED display with 290 pixels per inch. It boasts full compatibility with Verizon’s LTE network, too, meaning the Wear24 can make and receive phone calls and texts without the need for a smartphone.

Thanks to Android Wear 2.0, the Wear24 ships with loads of useful features. New watch faces boast “Complications,” miniature widgets for notifications and shortcuts for apps that put upcoming calendar appointments, fitness goal progress, and more at a glance. A new version of Google Fit, Google’s cross-platform fitness tracker, tracks your pace, distance, heart rate, and the calories you’ve burned during workouts. And new messaging features let you respond to texts and messages with a keyboard.

One of the bigger additions is the Google Assistant, cloud-powered AI software capable of performing actions like setting reminders, finding directions to a specified point of interest, telling you the weather, booking a restaurant, and more.

The Wear24 will launch online and in Verizon stores next month for $300 with a two-year contract, which lines up roughly with the carrier’s Watch Sport pricing ($330 on a two-year contract or $380 full retail).

It might seem odd that Verizon’s effectively competing against its partners with the Wear24, but it’s not the first time. In 2013, it launched the Ellipsis, an Android tablet designed to compete with affordable 7-inch tablets like the Kindle Fire HDX and Nexus 7. That lineup has since expanded to include an 8-inch Model, the Ellipsis 8, and the 10-inch Ellipsis 10.

Verizon notes that the Wear24 is compatible with its $10 Single Device Plan, which provisions 1GB, unlimited talk, and unlimited text for a connected device. Alternatively, existing subscribers can add the Wear24 to their plan for an extra $5 per month.

Updated on 05-11-2017 by Kyle Wiggers and Christian Looper: Added news that Verizon Wear24 is now available.

LG denies claims that it’s in the running to build the Google Pixel 3

Why it matters to you

The competition over who will get to produce the future of Google’s flagship phones could make those phones better and more readily available for purchase.

As Google prepares the successor to the Pixel and Pixel XL, due for release later in 2017, the battle has apparently already begun over who will get to manufacture the third iteration of the flagship Android phone.

HTC is once again in the running, along with current Blackberry producer TCL, and Coolpad, according to Chinese publication Commercial Times, by way of Digitimes. Google’s existing contract with HTC will expire after the release of the Pixel 2, the report says, opening up an opportunity for other hardware companies.

Previously, it was thought that LG was in the race for the Pixel 3, though Commercial Times does not elaborate as to why. Now, it looks more like LG isn’t involved. The company refuted claims that it was building the Pixel 3 in a statement to Android Authority.

“We have reached out to LG for further comment, and Ken Hong, the company’s global communications director, has firmly denied the report,” said the company in a statement.

Since September, HTC has reportedly shipped more than 2.1 million Pixel devices, but Google may be looking to ramp up output to 5 million in time for the Pixel 3. Meanwhile, most variants of the original Pixel — especially the XL — remain out of stock about six months after the phone’s launch, as HTC continues to struggle to fill orders quickly enough.

Remember, too, that HTC may not have been Google’s first choice to build the Pixel, but rather Huawei, according to the accounts of multiple executives from the Chinese tech firm last fall. Keeping this in mind along with the supply-side constraints, it’s possible Google is more confident in LG’s manufacturing capabilities, given that the companies have worked together on multiple Nexus phones in the past.

Commercial Times’ report comes shortly after rumors that Google could be planning a third, larger version of the Pixel 2 for release, codenamed “Taimen.” This article only mentions the “Muskie” and “Walleye” devices we’ve already heard about, which lends credence to the theory that Google is simply testing a variety form factors for the next Pixel, but still only plans to release two of them.

There is also the chance of a lower-end Pixel phone named the 2B that broke early in the rumor cycle, though more recent reports — including a statement from Google’s senior vice president of hardware, Rick Osterloh — suggest that the Pixel brand will stay premium, and the 2B could instead fit into the Android One family.

Updated on 05-11-2017 by Christian de Looper: Added report that LG has refuted claims it’s building the Pixel 3.

Production of the next-gen iPhone chip may be well underway

Why it matters to you

With the A11 chip reportedly entering production now, this keeps the iPhone 8 on track for a slated end-of-2017 release.

The Apple A11 chip, expected to be at the heart of the next-generation iPhone 8, has reportedly entered production. Although Apple hasn’t made any official announcement, several sources have claimed that alongside 10nm hardware now being fabricated for MediaTek and HiSilicon, Apple’s A11 system on chip (SOC) is now under construction.

Rumors abound about the iPhone 8, which is expected to be something of a showcase device. Corresponding to the 10-year anniversary of the original iPhone’s release, the handset is expected to show up at the end of this year and could feature everything from a bezel-less screen with a built-in fingerprint sensor, to wireless charging, and dual rear cameras to new casing materials.

Although none of that has been confirmed by Apple, one feature that most people agree is most likely to appear is the next generation of Apple SoC. Considering the iPhone 7 came packing a new generation A10, the A11 is the next logical step. Now Digitimes is reporting that those same A11 chips have entered production at a TSMC facility.

Earlier reports suggested that the rumored A11 would enter production in April, but the same sources that claimed the fabrication process has now begun said that issues with yield pushed it back by a few weeks. Those issues have now been solved, we’re told, and we can expect the iPhone 8 to enter mass production later this year.

The original plan was to attempt to produce as many as 50 million units of the A11 processor by the end of July and 100 million units by the end of 2017, so clearly, the outlook for the phone’s sales is positive. However, there has also been some suggestion that the A11 could find its way into the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus phones, too.

Despite hints that the anniversary smartphone may end up being rather expensive, with main smartphone rival Samsung, having so many problems with its handset releases last year, early predictions suggest the iPhone 8 could end up outselling the Galaxy S8 by a large margin.

Production of the next-gen iPhone chip may be well underway

Why it matters to you

With the A11 chip reportedly entering production now, this keeps the iPhone 8 on track for a slated end-of-2017 release.

The Apple A11 chip, expected to be at the heart of the next-generation iPhone 8, has reportedly entered production. Although Apple hasn’t made any official announcement, several sources have claimed that alongside 10nm hardware now being fabricated for MediaTek and HiSilicon, Apple’s A11 system on chip (SOC) is now under construction.

Rumors abound about the iPhone 8, which is expected to be something of a showcase device. Corresponding to the 10-year anniversary of the original iPhone’s release, the handset is expected to show up at the end of this year and could feature everything from a bezel-less screen with a built-in fingerprint sensor, to wireless charging, and dual rear cameras to new casing materials.

Although none of that has been confirmed by Apple, one feature that most people agree is most likely to appear is the next generation of Apple SoC. Considering the iPhone 7 came packing a new generation A10, the A11 is the next logical step. Now Digitimes is reporting that those same A11 chips have entered production at a TSMC facility.

Earlier reports suggested that the rumored A11 would enter production in April, but the same sources that claimed the fabrication process has now begun said that issues with yield pushed it back by a few weeks. Those issues have now been solved, we’re told, and we can expect the iPhone 8 to enter mass production later this year.

The original plan was to attempt to produce as many as 50 million units of the A11 processor by the end of July and 100 million units by the end of 2017, so clearly, the outlook for the phone’s sales is positive. However, there has also been some suggestion that the A11 could find its way into the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus phones, too.

Despite hints that the anniversary smartphone may end up being rather expensive, with main smartphone rival Samsung, having so many problems with its handset releases last year, early predictions suggest the iPhone 8 could end up outselling the Galaxy S8 by a large margin.

Alienware 15 R3 (2017) review

Research Center:
Alienware 15 R3 (2017)

Alienware is synonymous with PC gaming, and for good reason. Despite sometimes charging a premium for its LED-bedazzled gaming notebooks, Alienware has established a reputation for putting out durable, reliable gaming hardware.

Dense and durable

Starting with the overall aesthetic, Alienware does a great job of iterating on the classic Alienware “look” by ditching some of the flimsier design elements present in older models. The new chassis is smooth and heavy, with a slightly angled front-edge. The display panel and hinge are rock-solid and flush with the body of the laptop, giving the whole thing a uniquely grounded feel.

It’s a very large laptop, and the vents on the back increase the overall profile significantly. The display hinge is recessed from the back of the laptop by about an inch and a half. Behind the hinge, a portion of the chassis juts out, and lends the Alienware 15 R3 an unusual shape.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Sitting on a desk, the bar is a nice addition. It features several ports, to keep cords from taking up desk space, and the vents do an excellent job of shedding excess heat. But the added length makes the Alienware 15 R3 a little difficult to carry around. It’s slightly longer than a typical 15-inch laptop, or even a 15-inch gaming laptop, so the profile is unusual to say the least.

For a laptop with so much extra space, it’s not used very effectively. For instance, the display panel looks too small for this chassis, in part because there’s a giant bezel at the bottom of the display, like a big Jay Leno chin. The trackpad also feels a little small, and it’s surrounded by empty space.

My ports runneth over

The Alienware 15 R3 takes a different approach. Rather than play it coy, this thing is covered in ports. On the right-hand side, there’s a single USB 3.0 port, but on the other side, there are two more, plus a headphone jack, and a microphone jack.

The Alienware 15 R3 impresses nearly as often as it disappoints.

Moving on to the back-side, the Alienware 15 R3 features an HDMI port, a Mini-Display port, yet another USB 3.0 port, a USB Type-C/Thunderbolt 3 port, a power jack, and finally, an Ethernet port. There’s also a port for the Alienware Graphics Amplifier, Alienware’s proprietary external GPU.

It’s not only the number of ports that sets the Alienware apart, it’s their location. Business-oriented laptops have long put mission-critical ports on the back of the machine, to facilitate easy use in an office setting — where cords trail off the back of a desk or into the center of a conference table. Co-opting this design is a smart move by Alienware, and it works well for a gaming laptop of this size. On a desk or a lap, important cords are out of the way and don’t take up any extra real estate.

The cutting edge

The Alienware 15 R3 is about an inch thick. While that thickness is important for keeping the internals nice and cool under load, and giving us all those nice port options, it’s also helpful for one other aspect: the keyboard.

With three separate lighting zones, and a nice deep key travel, the keyboard on the Alienware 15 R3 is very pleasant to type on. According to Alienware, it’s backed by a metal plate to keep the keyboard from warping or flexing too much while you type, and it shows. Typing feels grounded, the laptop doesn’t move excessively and doesn’t flex at all even when you type angry — that’s important, this is a gaming laptop after all.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

The Alienware 15 R3 features an RGBLED backlit keyboard, in addition to the LED strips on the sides of the chassis. The lighting is easily customizable via the included Alienware utility. Users can set up simple animations, customize each zone, or turn the lights off entirely.

The LED-backlit trackpad is similarly customizable, and pleasantly responsive. Thanks to Windows Precision Touchpad support, the trackpad is quick and accurate. The touchpad supports taps but doesn’t click itself, like some trackpads. Instead, the laptop has two physical buttons on the bottom edge of the trackpad.

These buttons are flimsy, and feel out of place on such a well-built laptop. They have some wiggle, like they’re the wrong size for the laptop. Both buttons travel a little too deeply, so our fingertips frequently caught on the sharp glass edge of the trackpad when pressing the buttons.

Devoid of life

The Alienware 15 R3 has a few different display options available, but our review unit featured a 1080p display with a 120Hz refresh rate and G-Sync support panel. Our review model did reasonably well on a few metrics like color accuracy and color gamut, landing right in the middle of the pack, but its contrast ratio was low for a $2,400 laptop.

Hitting around 70 percent of the AdobeRGB scale is common for laptops and desktop monitors. It’s not great, but it’s an acceptable score for a gaming laptop, because it isn’t going to have a huge impact on how games look. The same goes for color accuracy. Unless it’s way off, your games won’t be noticeably distorted. Here, all three competitors land within the same range when it comes to color gamut and color accuracy.

Iterating on a classic design, the Alienware 15 R3 ditches flimsy design elements in favor of robust durability.

None of these scores would be deal breakers unless you needed a laptop for highly color-sensitive work like professional photo editing.

Contrast is a different story. The Razer Blade managed an impressive 1040:1 contrast ratio, which means colors are vibrant, and shadows are deep and inky. Everything has a unique sense of depth, and games seem to leap off the screen. The Acer Predator 15 didn’t do as well, but even at 710:1, games were appropriately vibrant. Colors were lifelike and bright, and shadows were reasonably dark.

Moving on down the line, the Alienware 15 R3 turned in a maximum contrast ratio of 510:1, and it showed in real-world use. Colors looked drab, shadows were gray instead of black, and the display crushed the life out of many scenes in both games and movies.

Our review unit’s support for G-Sync, combined with the 120Hz refresh rate, made for extremely smooth gaming. However, we think the compromise made in image quality may not be worthwhile. We’d prefer a 60Hz display with G-Sync, if it meant those colors would pop.

Stellar sound

The Alienware 15 R3 features a pair of front-firing stereo speakers capable of filling a small room with lifelike sound. Which is to say, they’re loud. More than that, they provide rich sound to any gaming experience.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

They’re not as directionally accurate as a pair of surround-sound headphones, so you’ll want to keep a pair of those handy to hear each and every footstep in a game like Overwatch. Otherwise, this is a remarkably capable set of speakers.

For movies, videos, and music, the speakers on the Alienware 15 R3 easily eclipse the speakers on its nearest competitors.

Just shy of warp speed

The Alienware 15 R3 comes standard with a 7th-generation Intel Core i7-7700HQ, one of the quickest mobile processors on the market today. For everyday tasks, the processor keeps up beautifully, handling intensive applications like Photoshop and heavy multi-tasking without skipping a beat.

In Geekbench 4 the Intel Core i7-7700HQ easily overtook the Alienware’s nearest competition, running the previous-generation Core i7-6700HQ, when it came to single-core performance. Multi-core performance was a bit of a mixed bag for the Alienware 15 R3, though it managed to push past all but the high-end Asus ROG G752.

The Intel Core i7-7700HQ is the quad-core processor of choice for most mid-and-high-end gaming laptops, but Alienware lets you spice things up a bit if you’re tired of the stock-standard quad-core performance. The Alienware 15 R3 can be had with a 7th-generation Intel Core i7-7820HK, an unlocked and overclock-ready processor with a bigger cache, and higher top-speed — up to 4.4GHz, according to Alienware.

Hyper-drive not included

It’s always a little disappointing when a manufacturer opts to include a slow hard disk in a premium laptop, but thankfully our review unit featured a lightning-fast 512 GB SSD in addition to its much slower, but larger, 1TB HDD. It’s not the most exciting component under the Alienware’s hood, but it is one of the most impressive.

The included 512 GB SSD ran circles around the nearest competition, with read speeds of 2,237 megabytes per second, and write speeds of 1,464 MB/s. Even the Razer Blade, which featured a snappy and quick SSD, only managed a fraction of the Alienware 15 R3’s write speeds.

The Goldilocks Zone

Sandwiched between the modest but powerful Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060, and the overwhelmingly powerful GTX 1080, sits the GTX 1070. One of Nvidia’s 10-series graphics cards, kitted out with the latest Pascal architecture and desktop-grade power, it’s become a popular option for gamers looking for a balance between power and price.

So it comes as little surprise that Alienware saw an opportunity with the GTX 1070, and selected the mid-high-end card as the GPU of choice for the revamped Alienware 15 R3 up and down the line. The cornerstone of the 15-inch Alienware lineup, the GTX 1070 is less of an overachiever than the GTX 1080, but offers some serious horsepower over the GTX 1060, without putting out too much extra heat.

Going head-to-head with the Acer Predator 15 and Razer Blade, one thing is abundantly clear: the Alienware 15 R3’s GTX 1070 reliably outperforms the GTX 1060. In Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, the Alienware 15 R3 eclipsed the Acer Predator 15 by a comfortable margin — hitting 68 frames per second on average, to the Predator’s 48 frames per second.

In For Honor, the Alienware’s GTX 1070 further outpaced the competition, hitting an average framerate of 107 FPS to the Razer Blade’s 67 FPS with detail settings maxed out. That’s a sizable gulf, but it narrows somewhat with Battlefield 1 — the Alienware managed a respectable 81 frames per second to the Razer Blade’s 68 FPS, and the Acer Predator’s 71 FPS.

Moving on to Civilization VI, we only saw a slight margin of victory over the competition, with the Alienware 15 R3 hitting 59 FPS on ultra-high settings, while the Razer Blade came in at 53 FPS and the Acer Predator hit 54 FPS. It’s a narrow margin, but it’s still a victory.

Taken as a whole, the GTX 1070 itself is a reliable performer but it’s important to keep in mind the leap from GTX 1060 to GTX 1070 is a smaller performance gain than you’d see making the jump from a GTX 1050 to a GTX 1060, for instance. It’s still a performance jump, as our test results indicate, but it’s not always a dramatic one.

Not exactly Voyager 2

This laptop is deceptively large. At around an inch thick, it seems thin for a gaming laptop — svelte even — but it’s very long. The way the chassis extends past the display hinge adds a weird dimension to the Alienware 15 R3’s overall profile. That odd length can make it a pain to stuff into a messenger bag or backpack.

On top of that, it’s a very dense laptop. Weighing just under eight pounds, it’s surprisingly heavy. It’s a good weight, though, which makes the Alienware 15 R3 feel solid and substantial. When it goes into a bag and gets slung over your shoulder for a long commute, however, those extra pounds start to really add up.

Looking at a more objective metric like battery life, the Alienware 15 R3 starts to feel even less appealing as a portable gaming platform. Despite featuring a 98 watt-hour battery, we were hard pressed to get more than four hours of battery life out of the R3 on a single charge. In the Peacekeeper battery benchmark, which is typically tough on battery life, the Alienware 15 R3 only managed about three hours.

To be fair, disappointing battery life is expected for most gaming laptops. The Acer Predator 15 fared a little better, but not by much, maintaining a charge for just over three hours during the Peacekeeper test. On our video loop test, which is a little more forgiving, the Alienware 15 R3 kept at it for four and a half hours, before succumbing to a peaceful, if premature, slumber.

Alien artifacts

The software included with the Alienware 15 R3 was appreciably sparse — just a few Alienware branded utilities, nothing intrusive, like unwanted antivirus apps. The included software for configuring the lighting effects is easy to use, easy to program, and straightforward, with a wide array of options available.

Alienware 15 R3 (2017) Compared To

Asus ROG Strix GL553VD-DS71

Acer Predator 15

AVADirect Avant P750DM2-G

Asus ROG G752VS-XB78K

Acer Predator 17 X GX-791-73FH

Origin EON 17-S (2014)

Asus G750JX-DB71

Alienware M17x R4

Maingear eX-L 17

Asus G51J 3D

Asus G51VX

Gateway P-7808u FX Edition

Asus G50VT

Dell XPS M1730

Alienware Area-51 m9750

Warranty

The Alienware 15 R3 comes with a standard Dell warranty, covering manufacturer defects for up to one year from the purchase date. It also comes with one year of premium support, offering 24-hour access to support technicians.

Our Take

The Alienware 15 R3 impresses more often than it disappoints, but with such a high price and a couple of critical flaws it faces some fierce competition from rivals like Acer and Razer. Let’s break it down point by point, and see if the Alienware 15 R3 can come out on top.

Is there a better alternative?

There are certainly a few. It’s worth mentioning that our review unit, as received, would run you about $2,400, and at that price point there’s an awful lot of competition. Similarly configured, the Acer Predator 15 comes in at $2,000 — featuring the same processor, graphics card, and RAM as the Alienware 15 R3.

The DT Accessory Pack

Samsung CF390 Series Curved 24-Inch FHD Monitor

$199.99

SteelSeries Rival 700 Gaming Mouse

$74.99

Razer DeathStalker Essential Gaming Keyboard

$38.47

SteelSeries Arctis 5 RGB Illuminated Gaming Headset

$98.48

If the Alienware’s lack of portability is a concern, the Razer Blade starts at $1900 with the same processor and a GTX 1060. To put it in direct competition with the Alienware though, the Blade comes in at $2,400 if set up with a 4K display and 512GB SSD. It’s stuck with that GTX 1060 though, so if you need the extra horsepower, you might want to look elsewhere.

All in all, there are a lot of options available at the $2,000 to $2,400 price range, and a handful of them provide better displays and comparable performance to the Alienware 15 R3.

How long will it last?

If team of archaeologists come across an Alienware 15 R3 while studying the blasted ruins of our world, it wouldn’t be too surprising if it booted up just fine. Okay — maybe that’s an exaggeration, but this thing is rock-solid. It’s heavy, it’s well built, and it’s going to last a while.

However, some of the hardware in our review unit might age quickly. The 1080p display with a 510-to-1 contrast ratio did not impress. A year or so down the line, as panels improve and prices come down, cheaper laptops are going to look a lot better.

Should you buy it?

No, not really. There are number of better alternatives at slightly lower price points, and your cash will go further with a brand like Acer — or net you a more portability with the Razer Blade. But if you like the Alienware’s design, the build quality, and the hardware, there are a few ways to mitigate the display issues we encountered. It could be worth spending a little extra to pick up the 4K version, or saving a little cash and sacrificing the 120Hz refresh rate to get a more reliable 1080p IPS display panel. Either way, ditching that TN panel makes the Alienware 15 R3 a much more attractive purchase.

Windows Story Remix can augment home movies with notes, 3D imagery, and more

Why it matters to you

Video editing is becoming simple enough to attract mainstream use, and in some cases, you can even let the software make some creative decisions.

Microsoft has announced a new suite of creative tools called Windows Story Remix at Build 2017. The package will allow users to turn their images and videos into shareable clips containing background music, special effects, and various other flourishes.

Story Remix revolves around projects referred to as Stories, which are distinguished from one another using metadata information like the location where photos and videos were taken, the date they were recorded, and their participants.

Several users can contribute to the same Story using their Windows account on their phone, tablet, or PC. The app will gather all the footage and imagery shot by each user, and automatically produce a video showing off the highlights. If you don’t like the results, you can ask for a ‘Remix’ and see a different take on the same content, that uses alternate music and shots to deliver a different vibe.

Story Mix uses artificial intelligence to ensure that it’s only selecting the very best content from what’s available, selecting photographs where the subjects are smiling, and video clips filled with action and dynamic movement. It can also recognize faces, so if the user wants a particular person to be the ‘star’ of a particular montage, the software can be instructed to choose footage and photos that feature them prominently.

However, there’s plenty more that users can do if they’re looking to customize their clips. Lorraine Bardeen, Microsoft’s partner director of program management, took to the stage to demonstrate what Story Remix is capable of.

We’ve seen Microsoft introduce plenty of support for digital writing interfaces via its Windows Ink functionality. Writing on video in Story Remix has some particularly impressive features — Bardeen added a note to a particular stretch of video, and anchored it to a person moving through the scene, causing the note to move and shrink in size as that person got further away from the camera.

As well as notes, the anchor tool can be used to introduce 3D models into video clips. Story Remix works alongside Remix 3D, so models published on the platform can be imported into the app, with the original designer receiving proper credit. Bardeen also revealed that Microsoft plans to release an API for the tool’s mixed reality functionality so that other developers can utilize it in their software.

While Story Remix has the capacity to automatically generate montages based on the user’s photos and videos, it’s also been packed with features aimed at users who want close control. There’s a storyboard interface that makes it easy to edit individual clips, and multiple users can collaborate on the same project in real time. Various music options can be chosen via Groove integration, with the app automatically changing cuts between clips to ensure that the Story’s pacing matches its soundtrack.

Some of the example Stories shown at Build removed great swathes of the original video and replaced them with special effects, ranging from explosions to volcanic eruptions. It remains to be seen whether users will be able to produce videos that are quite as slick and polished as the ones used to demonstrate the software, but Story Remix certainly seems to offer a wide range of creative possibilities.