2016 Subaru Crosstrek review – Roadshow
The Good With 8.7 inches of ground clearance and standard all-wheel drive, the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek shows reasonable off-road capability, its comfortable ride making it a good all-round driver. Subaru’s EyeSight system gives it excellent adaptive cruise control and collision prevention.
The Bad The Crosstrek’s continuously variable transmission gives it bandy acceleration. In our testing, EPA fuel economy was not attainable.
The Bottom Line The 2016 Subaru Crosstrek may measure on the smaller side for an SUV, but it exhibits all the driving capability of its bigger siblings, both on and off-road. Cabin electronics may not be the latest and greatest, but active safety technologies count for a lot.
At the wheel of the 2016 Subaru Crosstrek on a Northern California backroad, I saw many, many cars bearing the Pleiades-laden Subaru badge on their grilles. It felt a bit like being in a club, not very exclusive but distinct nonetheless.
The typical Subaru driver ostensibly enjoys the beauty of nature, making time for hiking, mountain biking and kayaking. The stereotype suggests coexisting with the environment, not dominating it.
The Crosstrek, a more recent entrant to the Subaru lineup, maintains this ethos, bolstering the ground occupied by the Outback and Forester. Although sporting SUV style, the Crosstrek’s size makes it feel more like a wagon. Dropping 7 inches in overall length and 4 inches in height compared to Subaru’s next model up, the Forester, the Crosstrek shows off an approachable, urban footprint and a sporty look.
The doors open wide, allowing easy cabin accessibility, but I wasn’t crazy about the leather, or leather-like, material covering the seats in the Limited trim version I drove. At 22.3 cubic feet with the rear seats up, the Crosstrek’s cargo area comes in at about 10 cubic feet less than that of the Forester.
The Crosstrek combines a sporty look with high ground clearance and standard all-wheel drive.
Wayne Cunningham/Roadshow
Earlier this year, I drove the Crosstrek on a short off-road course, a dirt track with intentional mud puddles and ruts. Although the Subaru representative in the passenger seat advised me to steer around the worst of it, I was impressed with what the little Crosstrek could handle.
Thank its 8.7 inches of ground clearance, the same as its bigger SUV siblings, for letting me sink a tire into a mud pit and then escape. The Crosstrek’s standard all-wheel drive helped the wheels find the grip they needed to keep me going. And although I had to make a couple of tries getting up a slick hill, I eventually got to the top.
Compact Subaru Crosstrek a back country-capable…
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That Crosstrek, and the one I drove for this review, came with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) mated to the 2-liter engine. With the CVT, Subaru uses a different all-wheel drive system compared to Crosstreks equipped with the available five-speed manual transmission. CVT models get an electronically managed system, which actively moves torque between front and rear axles based on traction and throttle input. Manual versions use a mechanical system that only responds to wheel slip.
With either all-wheel drive system, Subaru doesn’t let you lock the differential for a 50:50 torque split, although setting the Vehicle Dynamics Control switch in its off position helps equalize torque distribution.
The Crosstrek uses Subaru’s horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine, a “flat four”, which presents a lower center of gravity than an inline four. In this application, it makes 148 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque, and turns in EPA-estimated fuel economy of 26 mpg city and 34 mpg highway.
Although the power numbers don’t look terribly impressive, the CVT and throttle tuning made the Crosstrek eager to take off from a start.
Although the power numbers don’t look terribly impressive, the CVT and throttle tuning made the Crosstrek eager to take off from a start. In city driving, its acceleration is more than ample. The CVT exhibits some of the qualities that give this type of transmission a bad name. The engine note doesn’t always coincide with acceleration, and power delivery feels bandy at times.
In my driving, the EPA numbers seemed overly optimistic, as I barely made the city number on the highway, while actual city driving put my average in the low 20s. Your mileage may vary, but I didn’t feel like I was being aggressive on the throttle.
The steering isn’t particularly sharp, but then again, it shouldn’t be for this type of vehicle. The slightly slow response from the wheel perfectly suits a comfortable highway cruise. That comfortable theme runs through to the ride quality as well, with the suspension nicely damping out bumps and rough pavement. I could see taking the Crosstrek for an extended road trip.
Another boon for road trippers comes with the EyeSight advanced safety system, which Subaru now makes available on Crosstreks in Premium or Limited trim. Two forward-facing cameras watch the road ahead, warning me if I’m about to plow into stopped traffic or drift over a lane line. EyeSight also enables adaptive cruise control, which automatically slows the Crosstrek below its set speed when approaching traffic ahead. Having used EyeSight’s cruise control extensively, I’m impressed with this system.
Sony Xperia XZ review – flagship, at a price!
Sony may be done with the Z series, but the letter returns with the company’s latest addition to their flagship X range, with the Xperia XZ. Introduced alongside the much smaller Xperia X Compact at IFA a little over a month ago, this high-end smartphone is Sony’s attempt at finding a foothold once again in the competitive US market.
- Hands on with the Sony Xperia XZ
- Sony Xperia X Performance review
- Sony Xperia X Compact review
With the company hoping to arrest their continuing fall in popularity, does their latest offering prove to be the answer? We find out, in this comprehensive Sony Xperia XZ review!
Buy the Sony Xperia XZ now
Design
The Xperia XZ features a design that has been refreshed in a few different ways, but the general rectangular slab-like design language still makes it easily recognizable as a Sony smartphone. A combination of materials has gone into the build of this device, with glass up front, an all metal back plate, and plastic along its sides.
The phone comes with what Sony is calling a “loop” design. Basically, the sides are rounded and taper towards the front and back, which makes the transition between the different build materials feel more seamless, and also allows for a very comfortable feel when holding the phone. Sony has never had issues with build quality as far as their high-end offerings are concerned, and that remains true for the Xperia XZ as well, with the device feeling sturdy and substantial in the hand.
A few color variations of the Xperia XZ are available, with options including blue and silver, and as seen with this review unit, black. The black version comes with a satin-like finish, which isn’t particularly glossy, but does tend to be prone to fingerprints. That said, black also gives this phone a very sleek and stealthy look.
The Xperia XZ comes with a 5.2-inch display, which allows for a relatively easy one-handed handling experience, despite the back plate being made with metal. Speaking of the metal backing, there are no plastic inserts to be found here, resulting in the NFC chip being moved from the back, where it is normally expected to be, to the front, next to the front-facing camera. This isn’t the first time that Sony has gone with this placement, but it does make tapping the phone to other devices or payment terminals just a little bit more awkward.
Taking a look around the device, the headphone jack and USB Type-C port are at the top and bottom respectively, a combined SIM card and microSD card slot is on the left, and finally, on the right side is the power button, volume rocker, and Sony’s signature dedicated camera shutter button.
As I also noted in the full review of the Xperia X Compact, the inclusion of a dedicated camera button provides a quick and easy way to get to the camera and is very convenient, but having all the buttons on the right makes the whole side feel quite cluttered. The placement of the volume rocker makes sense when considering its secondary use as a digital zoom control, but it is very awkward and uncomfortable to reach with your thumb when trying to adjust the volume in the portrait orientation.
The power button of the Xperia XZ does function as a fingerprint sensor, but that’s only true in other markets around the world, and unfortunately not the case in the US. For reasons unknown, Sony has decided to disable the scanner with the US version of the device, as the company did with previous Sony flagships as well. The keyword here is disable, and some developers have figured out a workaround that you can attempt at your own risk, if a fingerprint scanner is a must have.
Display
The Sony Xperia XZ comes with a 5.2-inch IPS LCD display, with a Full HD resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 424 ppi. Quad HD is generally what is expected from current generation flagships, but unless you are planning to use the device for VR, you are not going to notice any difference with 1080p here.
The screen is plenty sharp for comfortably reading text and web browsing, has excellent viewing angles, and is surprisingly very vibrant. Brightness is of no concern, and the display is easily view-able outdoors. You also have the usual white balance controls and Sony’s X-Reality engine built-in, that provide a sharper and more natural looking image when looking at photos and videos. There are also some benefits to having a lower resolution display, particularly in terms of performance and battery life.
Performance
Under the hood, the Xperia XZ packs a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, backed by the Adreno 530 GPU and 3 GB of RAM. While this is the processing package that is generally seen with most current flagships, 4 GB of RAM is the norm, so the reduction may be disappointing to some.
With a 1080p display, you’ll generally get much smoother game play and graphics performance when compared to Quad HD screens, because of the reduced strain on the GPU. Not surprisingly, the game play on the Xperia XZ is definitely extremely smooth, and there were no stutters or dropped frames that were noticeable with high-end games. Day to day operations including web browsing, opening apps, checking emails, and watching videos, have also been very smooth. Despite having 3 GB of RAM, I haven’t managed to slow this phone down with heavy amounts of multi-tasking either, so you certainly won’t feel the loss of an additional gig of RAM.
Hardware
The Xperia XZ comes with 32 GB or 64 GB of on-board storage, but if you do opt for the lower storage option, you can bolster that with a microSD card by up to 256 GB. The US version of the device is a single SIM version, but there is also a dual SIM iteration available in some other markets, where users will have to make the choice between dual SIM capabilities and expandable storage.
Unlike the Xperia X Compact, the Xperia XZ does come with an IP 68 rating for resistance to dust and water, which means that you can use the phone in the rain or while in the shower if you want to, and it can also survive a dunk in the water with no adverse effect on functionality.
Audio is a big part of the Xperia XZ experience. By plugging in a pair of headphones, you can take advantage of the device’s built-in support for Hi-Res audio files like FLAC, ALAC, DSD, and LPCM, and it can also upscale an compressed music files to give it more of a Hi-Res sound.
Two small slits above and below the display house dual stereo front-facing speakers, which sound excellent, with no distortion even at the highest volume. However, when compared to something like the Nexus 6P, these speakers are no where near as loud, and don’t offer as much low-end punch.
The Xperia XZ comes with a 2,900 mAh battery, with is a little smaller than a lot of other flagships out there. The battery is good enough to comfortably allow for a full day of use, but you won’t get a whole lot more beyond that. Even with heavy usage that involved a few hours of gaming every day, along with the usual activities that include social, email, and texting, the phone lasted for 12 hours off the charger, which is definitely not bad.
The phone comes with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, which will allow you to get back to a full charge quickly. If you are running out of battery and can’t get to a charger easily, you do get Sony’s staple Stamina and Ultra Stamina modes that limit performance and certain functionality in favor of longer battery life.
Camera
Sony is known for making really good camera sensors for smartphones, but they have unfortunately never managed to get the camera quite right with their own phones. However, there are a lot of improvements that have been made with the new sensor that the Xperia XZ is sporting. The device is sharing the same 23 MP rear camera as the smaller Xperia X Compact, and also comes with a 5-axis image stabilization, a new laser auto focus sensor, and a RGBC-IR that helps get the most accurate white balance, regardless of the lighting condition.
A point to remember is that the 5-axis stabilization is purely software based, so there are no moving parts that are making this happen. This stabilization also kicks in only when you are recording close ups or macro shots, and in other situations, 3-axis stabilization is what you are getting. It does work extremely well though for video, and stabilizes the footage without any noticeable warping or distortion.
Where the Xperia XZ differs from its smaller sibling is when it comes to the front-facing camera, with the former coming with a 13 MP shooter, instead of the 5 MP front-facing unit of the Xperia X Compact. The front camera of the Xperia XZ allows for plenty of detail and color to be captured, and you also get a lot more flexibility with zooming into and cropping shots.
The rest of the camera experience is typically what has been available from Sony. The camera app is fairly simplistic, and navigating between Superior Auto, Manual, Video Recording, or switching to the front-facing camera can all be done by simply swiping on the screen. You also get the usual modes like AR Effect, Sweep Panorama, and Timeshift Video, that can be a lot of fun to play around with. The only quirk with Sony’s default camera app is that the HDR mode is still buried in the camera settings, and is only accessible when using the Manual mode.
It is very quick and easy to launch the camera and take a shot, especially when using the dedicated camera key, and the pictures it takes are surprisingly very good. Images are extremely sharp and detailed, and it produces colors that are much more natural and true to life, but at the same time are stilll very pleasing to the eye.
The predictive hybrid auto focus feature that Sony has been using a for a while now also works well for tracking moving objects and capturing them without motion blur. As long as the subject is moving at a reasonable speed, you’ll be able to get a crystal clear shot.
In low light conditions, there is still a fair amount of detail to be had, and the images come out relatively noise free. The camera does to tend overexpose shots though, and there is a lot of blooming in the highlights. The camera can also be really slow to capture a picture poorly-lit situations, and if you aren’t holding the phone perfectly steady, you will end up with a lot of blurry shots.
Software
On the software side of things, the Xperia XZ is running Android 6.0 Marshmallow with the Xperia UI on top, which Sony has scaled back significantly to keep the experience fairly light. You still have Sony’s own launcher, Settings menu, app icons, and a built-in themes engine, but the majority of the user interface feels very close to stock Android.
This integration goes up to the point where the Google Now second screen is now a part of the Xperia launcher as well. While the Xperia XZ is only available unlocked and free of network carrier bloatware, there are a few pre-installed applications to deal with, like AVG protection, Amazon Shopping, and Sony’s own list of apps. Overall however, this is a very clean and simple software experience, which is definitely a contributing factor to the smooth performance of the device.
Specifications
| Display | 5.2″ Full HD Triluminos IPS LCD |
| Processor | Quad-core, 64-bit Snapdragon 820 |
| RAM | 3 GB |
| Storage | 32 GB (single SIM), 64 GB (dual-SIM) + microSD |
| Dimensions | 146 x 72 x 8.1 mm |
| Weight | 161g |
| IP rating | IP65/IP68 |
| Main camera | 23 MP with triple image sensing, predictive hybrid autofocus, 5-axis stabilization |
| Front camera | 13 MP |
| Battery | 2,900 mAh, Quick Charge 3.0, Qnovo Adaptive Charging, USB Type-C |
| Fingerprint sensor | Yes |
| Networks | GSM GPRS/EDGE (2G), UMTS HSPA+ (3G), Cat. 9 LTE |
| Connectivity | A-GNSS (GPS + GLONASS), Wi-Fi Miracast, Bluetooth 4.2 |
Gallery
Pricing and final thoughts
If you are looking to get the Xperia XZ, the price is going to be something to contend with, with the device priced at $699. This puts it in the same price range as other flagships like the Galaxy S7 Edge and Google’s brand new Pixel smartphones, and there are also smartphones that offer flagship experiences at a fraction of the price, like the ZTE Axon 7 and the OnePlus 3.
So, there you have it for this in-depth review of the Sony Xperia XZ! It has to be admitted that I do really like this phone, and it has been a long time since a Sony smartphone has truly impressed me. The Xperia XZ has got a refreshing, new, and beautiful design which is still true to Sony, and also features a beautiful display, excellent performance, and a really great camera.
There is so much to like about this phone that I was able to forgive the lack of Quad HD display and a fingerprint sensor. However, with these features missing, the high price point might be harder to forgive. The Xperia XZ is undoubtedly the best smartphone that Sony has made in a long while, but if that is enough to justify paying a premium for it is up to you.
Buy the Sony Xperia XZ now
Is the Huawei Honor 8 the midrange champion? (Review)
2016 is the year of the midrange phone. This year we’ve seen amazing offerings in the $400 range that push the limits of what we can expect from midrangers. It’s left a lot of us here at AndroidGuys wondering if it’s worth buying a flagship anymore. The OnePlus 3, ZTE Axon 7, Lenovo Moto Z Play, Alcatel Idol 4s, and Huawei Honor 8 represent the best of the best in terms of quality, but who takes the cake? We’ve spent a few weeks with the Honor 8 and it makes a pretty compelling case.
What’s the best $400 phone you can buy?
Specs
- Display: 5.2″, 1080p LCD
- Processor: Kirin 950 Octa-core processor
- Storage: 32GB (expandable)
- RAM: 4GB
- Camera: Dual 12 MP, f/2.2 aperture (rear), 8 MP, f/2.4 aperture (front)
- Battery: 3000mAh non-removable
- Software: Android 6.0 with custom EMUI skin
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Connectivity: Dual-Sim
- 2G: 850/900/1800/1900
- 3G: 850/1700 (AWS)/1900/2100
- LTE Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/20
Read More: Reference guide to US carrier bands and networks
Build
If I were to tell you that you could get almost the exact same build quality of the Samsung Galaxy S7 while paying about half as much, would that interest you? Would you ask yourself how that was even possible? Well, I was certainly left wondering how Huawei pulled it off after I removed the Honor 8 from its packaging for the first time. I used the phone for about three weeks and was still constantly amazed at how well Huawei sandwiched glass and metal together to make this phone. It’s simply brilliant.
The front of our blue review unit is simple, just the display, small bezels, a standard speaker earpiece/camera and proximity sensor up top with an Honor branding on the bottom. If the Samsung logo on the S7 and Note 7 bother you, the Honor branding might too, but I thought it looked nice without being too eye-catching or distracting.
The back of the phone is equally understated with just a fingerprint sensor, dual-camera setup, flash and honor branding at the bottom. You can see Samsung and Apple’s influence in the design for the Honor 8. It’s simple and doesn’t try to impress with a modular design, large front-facing speakers, or tactile buttons. Huawei kept it simple and let the materials impress those who are lucky enough to see it in person. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is the most visually stunning phone I’ve ever seen in person, but the Honor 8 is right behind it.
With the premium build materials do come compromises, namely, fragility and slickness. The phone will absolutely slide off anything with an incline and any kind of fall onto bumpy surfaces will blemish the devices. At the end of a long drive, I sat the Honor 8 on the top of my car along with my keys and a few other things. I thought it was on a flat enough surface, but I was wrong and it slid onto our blacktop parking spot. Luckily the display was spared, but the corners took the brunt of the blow. No more nice beautiful phone, but it could have been worse. If you’re worried about dropping your phone, get a nice case or choose a different phone because it’s easy to scuff this one up.
Display
The display on the Honor 8 is a 5.2″ 1080p LCD display. Hardly the highest resolution display on the planet, but ask yourself if you truly need a 2560 x 1440p display at 5.2″. The Samsung Galaxy S7 has a 5.1″ QHD display and it truly is a thing to behold, but it’s more due to the AMOLED technology, deep blacks, and wonderful peak brightness rather than the pixel density. Huawei made the right call with “only” a 1080p display on the Honor 8.
The colors are vibrant and the blacks look great. Peak brightness won’t approach those in the upper echelon of devices- that’s one of the tradeoff’s you’ll make in this $400 device, but it does do well enough on cloudy days. Sunny days are another story. You’ll be covering the phone with your hand or running under cover to get a good grasp of what’s on your display.
Auto brightness is better on the Honor 8 than most phones, but it does keep the display a bit dark. I kept my display at roughly 50% for the duration of the review period and was very happy. However, reading in bed was a bit of a pain. The display floor is pretty high and made for some squinting and eye strain in bed. If you like to read in bed you’ll probably need to download a third-party application from the app store to artificially lower the brightness.
Viewing angles are wonderful. If you often share your display with another while watching YouTube or Netflix on the couch at home or the train, you’ll be pleased with the Honor 8. I noticed no color shifting or distortion when viewed at even the most extreme angles.
Software
Software is the biggest area of difference between the Honor 8 and any other widely available Android device in the US market. The Honor 8 runs a heavily customized skin known as EMUI- or Emotion UI. These heavy skins are usually confined to the eastern markets of South Korea, Japan, China and others while we generally get lighter skins here in the States. EMUI takes a lot of what is great about Android and builds on it, but still has some head scratching decisions.
The biggest issue for me is the lack of app drawer. It’s 2016 and some companies, namely LG, have experimented with ditching the app drawer, but EMUI takes that step. I have used my fair share of iPhones and I love them for what they are, but part of the reason I use Android is for software functions like the app drawer. I don’t want three home screens full of folders that I have to search through for an app. Luckily you can swipe down on an empty space of the launcher to pull down a search bar that you can open apps from, much like on the iPhone.
Icons everywhere!
One of the smart improvements that the Honor 8 has is in the notification tray. A swipe down reveals all of your alerts, neatly tucked organized by what time they came in. It reminds me a lot of the timeline layout that Pebble uses in its smartwatches. A swipe to the right opens up your quick toggles. Unfortunately, you can’t customize what quick toggles you have or in which order they show up, but there are some smart toggles like Screenshot and WiFi hotspot toggles.
The app suite included with the Honor isn’t by any means bloated, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some bloatware here. You do get Huawei’s messaging app, gallery, theme store, music player, video player, calendar, clock, file browser, phone manager and email client. You’ll also see two folders named Tools and Top apps. The Tools folder has some of the usual suspects like a calculator, notepad, sound recorder and flashlight. Nothing too revolutionary. Top apps are all of the added bloatware like Facebook, Twitter, and Shazam. Luckily, these are uninstallable. I’ve said this before but if including these apps are what help companies keep the cost of phones down, I’m fine with it (as long as they are uninstallable).
During the review period, I did receive the September security update, so Huawei is doing a good job of staying on top of those. I would like to see when the Honor 8 receives Nougat, though, and what it looks like when it finally hits the phone. When a phone is heavily skinned like the Honor 8, updates tend to take a while because there are a lot of features to incorporate into a new operating system. That’s a lot of testing to make sure nothing is broken once those features are incorporated. If you care about the latest software updates you probably already own a Nexus device. If you care about cool features and aesthetics, the Honor 8 might scratch that itch.
Performance
The Honor 8 is powered by Huawei’s in-house Kirin 950 chip and represents the first phone in the US powered by it. The Kirin 950 is an octa-core chip with four 2.3GHz cores and four 1.8GHz cores. In real world usage, the chip feels comparable to the Snapdragon 820. Obviously, there are a lot of factors that go into how a phone feels but I’m basing my opinion on usage of the Samsung Galaxy S7, OnePlus3, LG G5, Motorola Z Force Droid, and Samsung Galaxy Note7 (which thankfully didn’t explode).
While I did experience minor hiccups, they were just that- minor and infrequent. Daily tasks like browsing Reddit, scrolling through my agenda in the calendar, checking social media apps, taking pictures, and watching videos on YouTube were frustration free. After turning the phone on, it did need time to “wind up”. I’ve seen this issue in Samsung phones as well where they’re difficult to use in the first couple of minutes after a reboot as processes get started. The Honor 8 wasn’t nearly as bad as some Samsung phones that I used, but the issue did exist.
Battery life was a big standout with the Honor 8. The smallish 5.2″ 1080p display combined with a power-efficient processor meant I was able to get through the day, even on heavy usage days, with battery left over. The only day I was reaching for a charger to top off was the first day I received the Honor 8 and that was due to the phone not having 100% battery out of the box and setting up all of my apps. If you have a charger in your car capable of quick charging or a charger at your desk, it’s very possible to not charge your phone at night and just continue topping off as needed. To say I was impressed with the battery life would be an understatement.
Camera
We’re starting to see more and more companies put dual cameras on the rear of phones to maximize mobile photography opportunities. Huawei was one of the first to do this with the Honor 8. The rear of the phone houses dual 12MP cameras, one lens to capture color and one monochrome. This design intends to let more light into photographs in low-light situations. While you will see some grain in these low-light situations, I was impressed at how well the Honor 8 was able to let in as much light as possible. When you’re able to use the flash, you will notice a huge difference. In the sample below, you would be forgiven if you though the brighter picture was taken during the day rather than at 7:30 at night in a dark room with only a television for light.
The cameras do even better in well-lit situations. A day at the ballpark and the beach left us with some truly excellent pictures. Here are some camera samples from my time with the Honor 8
The camera app gives you more than just the bare-bones, too. I was impressed that a quick swipe to the left from the viewfinder found 16 different modes including pro and beauty modes for both photo and video, Good Food, Panorama, HDR, Night Shot, Light Painting, Time-lapse, Slow-mo, Watermark, Audio note, and document scan. While most of the modes will probably go completely untouched, it is nice to have them built-in to the camera app instead of needing to download third party applications if you ever do decide to use them.
Conclusion
As lovers of technology, the writers here at AndroidGuys often engage in conversation about phones like the Honor 8, ZTE Axon 7, OnePlus 3, Moto Z Play, and the Idol 4S. It’s hard to pick which would be the “best” $400 phone since they all have their own strengths and weaknesses. But, the fact that we’re able to consider these phones over flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S7, LG V20, and HTC 10 means that the state of midrange phones has never been better.
I really enjoyed my time with the Honor 8. I’ve used a lot of the phones released this year, and while it isn’t my favorite phone released in 2016 (Moto Z Play, in case you’re wondering) I would have no trouble recommending it to anyone. Huawei proves that they pay attention to detail and put a lot of work not only into the physical design of the phone but the software too.
The software may not be everyone’s idea of what they’d like to see on an Android device, but much like Samsung devices, Huawei was able to pack in a ton of features without making the device feel bloated. It feels sleek and cool like a cutting edge product no-one else has gotten their hands on yet. The Honor 8 is something completely different than what’s on the market right now and that’s a huge plus.
You can pick up the Honor 8 from Amazon, B&H Photo, or Newegg.
Zero 2.0 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
If you’re making a short journey and prefer to travel light, the Zero 2.0 is a perfect way to get around. But if you need to go far, this carbon fiber scooter could leave you kick-scooting your way home.
Weighing in at 6.4kg, the Zero 2.0 is one of the lightest electric scooters I’ve come across thanks to its carbon-fiber build. The light weight makes it really easy to carry around, so you can fold it up and carry it onto a bus or train without breaking a sweat.
The Zero 2.0 has a range of around 15 km (9.3 miles) and can be upgraded with a bigger battery to a range of about 25km (15.5 miles). I tested the 15 km version and found that, depending on how fast you’re going and how much torque you’re using, you may not get very far.
The Zero 2.0 e-scooter is light on weight…
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I found myself running out of juice after traveling around 8 km or so, and had to walk the rest of the distance home. The Zero 2.0’s 5-inch wheels make this a draining experience as you’ll have to kick a lot to get moving.
But if you’ve got the power, you’ll have a lot of fun zooming around on the Zero 2.0. It accelerates pretty smoothly up to 25 kph (15.5 mph) for a great ride though avoid bumpy ground, as you’ll feel most of the patches due to the smaller wheels.
A lever located at the bottom allows you to easily fold and unfold the scooter.
Aloysius Low/CNET
Other features include a bright front light that can be toggled on easily, and a built-in odometer and battery indicator located at the top where the handlebars are. Folding and unfolding the Zero 2.0 is pretty easy to do and you can do it in just one second by pulling a lever. The best thing about the design though, has to be the lack of visible wires, which are usually present on most e-scooters or bicycles.
Retailing at S$1,000 (which converts to around $730, £585 or AU$960) and ships to the US, UK and Australia from Singapore. You’ll pay an extra S$190 (around $140, £110 and $180) for shipping — so if you can get it cheaper locally, that may be a better deal.
Key features
- Weighs just 6.4kg
- Range of 15 km (9.3 miles) or 25 km (15.5 miles)
- Top speed of 25 kmh (15.5 mph)
- No dangling wires
Razer Blade Stealth review – CNET
The Good The Razer Blade Stealth includes a Core i7 processor and high-res touchscreen even in its lowest-end configuration; it has more ports than other 12-inch laptops and a fun Chroma backlit keyboard.
The Bad It’s bigger and heavier than 12-inch laptops from Apple, Asus and others. The thick bezel around the screen feels dated and configuration options are limited.
The Bottom Line The Razer Blade Stealth offers better specs for less money than the competition, and includes features others lack, such as a high-res touch screen and full-size USB ports. The design is slick, the price is right, but it’s not as slim and portable as other 12-inch laptops.
One of the unexpected surprises from earlier this year was the Razer Blade Stealth, a high-end 12.5-inch ultrabook from Razer that represented a major shift for that PC and accessory maker. Rather than another highly designed gaming laptop, the Stealth was a pure ultrabook. It lacked the gaming graphics of other Razer PCs, but included the company’s signature Chroma backlit keyboard, an under-the-fingers lightshow unmatched by anyone else. It was a well-made, slick-looking laptop, and some configurations represented a really notable value, starting at $999 in the US.
Less than one year later, we have a modest update to the Stealth, with a new low-voltage Core i7 processor (part of Intel’s seventh-generation of Core i-series chips, and optimized for high-res and 4K video playback) and claims of better battery life. But, we also have increased competition, from the excellent second generation of Apple’s 12-inch MacBook, as well as similarly equipped Windows laptops such as the new Asus ZenBook 3.
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Despite the more competitive landscape, the Razer is still the price king when it comes to premium ultrabooks. The $999 base model costs the same as the frankly outdated 13-inch MacBook Air, but offers specs far beyond that system, including a new Intel Core i7 CPU and a 2,560×1,440 touch display. Other $999 laptops drop the screen resolution and touch support, and knock the processor down to a Core i5.
The Razer Blade Stealth isn’t available yet in the UK, but there’s a signup form on the Razer UK site to be notified of any updates. If the base model were available, it would work out to be £805. In Australia, the Stealth starts at AU$1,549, but that’s for the previous model, with an older CPU.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
The version we tested isn’t the $999 entry point. This is the $1,249 step-up model, with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, double that of the base model, but the same display and processor. It’s still a good value, but only if you know you’ll need the extra storage space, which is not always a certainty in this era of cloud-based services.
$1,599 bumps it up to a 512GB SSD and a 4K display, but in our testing of the original Razer Blade Stealth, we found the 4K screen had a big impact on battery life (also true of other 4K laptops). While I was very happy with the performance and value of this specific configuration, that $999 base model is still the best representation of the great value Razer is offering.
Razer Blade Stealth
| $1,249 |
| 12.5-inch 2560 x 1440 touch-screen |
| 2.7GHz Intel Core i7-7500U |
| 16GB DDR3 SDRAM 1866MHz |
| 128MB Intel HD Graphics 620 |
| 256GB SSD |
| 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Windows 10 Home (64-bit) |
From the outside, this looks and feels like the same Razer Blade Stealth we tested early in 2016. It has the same matte black finish over an aluminum body. Only the neon green intertwined snakes logo gives away that this laptop comes from a company with a gamer-centric pedigree. The minimalist interior feels like that of a MacBook Pro, but again in all matte black. Besides the keyboard and large touchpad, there’s only a small power button, centered above the Function key row.
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The 12.5-inch Asus ZenBook 3 next to the Razer Blade Stealth.
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While the Stealth has a great overall look, the body is also one of the compromises. At 2.9 pounds (1.32kg), it weighs as much as a 13-inch MacBook Air, and nearly a full pound more than the 12.5-inch Asus ZenBook 3. The 2,560×1,440 display is bright and clear, if overly glossy, but it’s surrounded by a thick black bezel that’s three-quarters of an inch wide in some places. Some PC makers brag that they can squeeze a larger laptop’s screen into a smaller laptop’s body, but this is a 12.5-inch screen in what looks and feels like a 13.3-inch laptop body.
A keyboard that demands your attention
One of the unique extra features is Razer’s Chroma keyboard. It’s a backlit keyboard that can display millions of color combinations in a wide variety of patterns. It’s highly customizable, thanks to the included control software, which can also control power, trackpad and other system settings.
There’s a great deal more detail about the Chroma keyboard and how it operates in our previous Razer Blade Stealth review. But in general, it’s a fun little show-off feature that other slim laptops lack (although you can find similar features in some gaming laptops or standalone desktop PC keyboards). The preset patterns are fun to play with, and I especially liked “spectrum cycling,” where the keys fade new colors in and out in unison, just slowly enough to not be overly distracting. “Reactive” leaves a trail of lit keys in your wake as you type, like a fading echo. “Ripple” sends a burst of a single color expanding outward, away from each individual key press.
The sweet sound of the ‘world’s most expensive’ earphones
I imagine I’m like most people in that I’m fairly content with a leaky pair of earphones that came bundled with a phone I bought 18 months ago. Some of you will have more expensive tastes, of course, dropping a few hundred on a “nice” pair of Beats, Sonys or similar cans. But there’s a whole other world out there, where money is seemingly no object in the pursuit of the perfect sound. And for roughly a week, I’ve been masquerading as an audiophile myself, wearing oBravo’s EAMT-1 in-ear headphones that cost no less than £3,082.50 (roughly $3,900). Yes, you read that right.
Made by an obscure Chinese company, these earphones are “the world’s most expensive” — a claim I haven’t been able to debunk even after a significant price drop (they originally cost £3,699). We’re only talking in-ears here, though. There are plenty of over-ear headphones around that price and more. Some are way, way more.
As far as in-ears are concerned, though, the EAMT-1s are as expensive as they come, backed up by the proprietors of exclusive UK stockist Audio Sanctuary, who were silly kind enough to lend me a pair. (The store appears to be the only place on the entire internet you can buy oBravo’s latest right now, in fact.)
I wish I could tell you exactly why these earphones are so damned expensive, but the deeper my research has gone, the more oblivious I become. The language used to describe the technical capabilities of the EAMT-1s is even more alien to me than the vocabulary audiophiles employ to explain the various qualities of sound. To illustrate what I mean, this is Audio Sanctuary’s explanation of oBravo’s Air Motion Transformer (AMT) technology:
“The AMT diaphragm is made of a Mylar ribbon bonded with conductive aluminium strips. It is equivalent in surface area to a conventional seven-inch cone-type mid-range driver, but is accordion-folded down to a compact one-and-a-half-inch grouping for point-source dispersion. The low-mass diaphragm is suspended within a dipole magnetic field concentrating an intense field around said diaphragm. When signal current passes through the aluminium strips, the ensuing bellow-like motion of the folded pleats moves air five times faster than with a conventional cone driver.”
How anyone without a degree in sound engineering is supposed to make any sense of that, I don’t know. Apparently, though, the 8mm AMT tweeter (for mid- to high-ish frequencies like vocals and hi-hats) paired with a 13mm neodymium dynamic driver is primarily what you’re paying for. I’m reliably told that crafting an extremely high-end earphone is markedly more complex than making a great-sounding pair of over-ears simply because there’s so much less space to work with.
Though I hate to be skeptical, the opinion that money is directly related to quality is common in specialist circles, particularly when audio and video are concerned. Some cables sell for $1,000, for example, even though the vast majority of people wouldn’t say there’s any difference between them and a $10 equivalent. An audiophile, however, might claim the difference is stark. It’s that kind of subjectivity, compounded by impenetrable lingo, that can blur the line between genuine innovation and snake oil.
With my skeptical hat returned to its drawer, I can say the EAMT-1s just ooze quality, from the smooth metal and rich, dark wood of the backplates to the luxuriously wrapped cables. Every connector is gold of course, and you can actually detach individual buds and swap the lead out for one with a 2.5mm jack. I didn’t even know those existed. Because of the earphones’ coaxial design, they are much deeper than “normal” in-ears. But at 35g, they aren’t noticeably heavy and are perfectly comfortable to wear all day, especially with the included Comply tips made from expanding foam.
The pair I’ve been testing have a handmade ceramic enclosure, chosen because the material is relatively inert from a resonance perspective — meaning it barely interferes with driver output (Yay! Something I actually understand!). The ceramic version is described as the best of the best, but you can also request the EAMT-1s with an aluminum enclosure that’s supposed to offer a more “neutral” sound, or an Acacia-wood enclosure for extra warmth.
Materials and build quality aside, the EAMT-1s sound absolutely incredible. I mean, you’d hope so for nearly $4,000, but it’s quite hard to communicate the clarity of these earphones. Listening to the Cure’s greatest hits in high-res FLAC format, for example, I can practically pick out the moment each string of a chord leaves the plectrum; similarly, I swear I can hear the creak of bass-drum pedal on some of my favorite Foo Fighters tracks. The clarity and depth are insane, like you’re sitting in the recording booth as these songs are being played.
And that’s with the EAMT-1s plugged directly into my MacBook, which I’m sure will anger one or two people who would probably argue I have no idea what they really sound like as I’m not running them through a dedicated DAC/headphone amp.
Because the output is so crisp and clear, the EAMT-1s feel at their best when there’s a lot going on in a track. By that I mean several guitars, drums, vocals, effects, et cetera. That said, simpler arrangements sound great too. The Wu-Tang Clan’s 1993 album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), for example, or Kendrick Lamar’s Untitled Unmastered from earlier this year. Never have heard I bass so … beautiful as on the EAMT-1s. The low-end is real deep and silky smooth. It’s not kick or volume, just pure bass tones.
But the thing is, it’s extremely rare for me to be sitting at my computer listening to high-def audio, especially as I have a pretty slim collection. The vast majority of the time — and I’m talking pretty much all day, every day — I’m jacked into Spotify. And I’m talking free Spotify here, where the maximum bitrate is roughly 160 kbps. While that sounds, well, fine on a pair on phone-bundled buds, the EAMT-1s expose every flaw. You might as well be listening to a Galaxy S2’s loudspeaker at the other end of tin-can telephone, to massively exaggerate the point.
Where high-res tracks give a real sense of presence, the same songs piped through Spotify on my phone sound muddy, ill-defined and distant. You can literally feel the compression like a haze hanging over the track — especially if it hasn’t been expertly produced and mixed. But I’m not an audiophile, and there’s only so long I can pretend to be one, with my paltry FLAC library and nonexistent Tidal subscription. Simply put, oBravo’s EAMT-1s aren’t made for muggles like me.
This was never more obvious to me than when I took them out of the safety of my flat. I was genuinely nervous carrying around a pair of earphones I couldn’t even dream of affording, knowing that soon enough I’d be returning to them to Audio Sanctuary, a task I’m seriously looking forward to. I can’t deal with that kind of responsibility. What if one fell out of my ear and somehow I managed to shatter a ceramic enclosure? What if I left them on the bus? People who can afford $4,000 earphones probably don’t have to worry about that, though. I doubt they catch buses very often.
Source: Audio Sanctuary
Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi System review – CNET
The Good The Orbi Wi-Fi system conveniently delivers large Wi-Fi coverage without compromising speed. The system doesn’t require an account with Netgear to work.
The Bad The system is expensive, and there’s no mobile app for its setup process.
The Bottom Line The high cost aside, the Orbi System is a sure and easy way to cover a relatively large home with high-speed Wi-Fi coverage.
The Orbi Wi-Fi system comes with a router (left) and an add-on satellite unit.
Dong Ngo/CNET
The Netgear Orbi is the second Wi-Fi system I’ve worked with and, at a glance, it seems similar to the first, the Eero.
At the very least, the Orbi also has multiple hardware units and it’s expensive as well, costing $400 for a set of two and an additional unit will cost another $250. But while both solutions can quickly blanket your home with Wi-Fi, the Orbi has the advantage of much better speed.
Dedicated extension band
With the Eero, each unit in the system is identical. Netgear went in a slightly different direction however. The Orbi includes two similar-looking devices, each with a different role. Unit one is the Orbi router. It has one WAN (to connect to the internet) and three LAN (where your computers connect to your local network) ports. This is your router of the group and functions mostly like any other, as it’s able to stand on its own as your main router.
The second unit is the Orbi add-on satellite. This unit works as the wireless extender of the Orbi router and can also host up to four wired devices via its four LAN ports. It can only work with the Orbi router, and each Orbi router can handle up to three of these add-on units.
What makes the Orbi different from other Wi-Fi systems is that the add-on wireless extender connects to the main router using a dedicated Wi-Fi band.
Other Wi-Fi extenders (including the Eero) use the same bands as the routers they’re extending to receive and rebroadcast Wi-Fi signals — resulting in a 50 percent signal loss each time the signal is wirelessly extended. The Orbi system, on the other hand, uses a separate quad-stream 5Ghz band — with a top speed of 1.7Gbps — to connect the main router and the satellite unit. This band can’t be managed by end-users and is totally separate from the other two bands the system uses to connect to wireless clients.
So what does this mean? It means that as long as you use just a single extender with the router, you won’t experience any signal loss, since the router and extender are connected via their own dedicated band. The additional client bands — 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz — of the router are used solely to connect your devices to the network and (by extension) the internet.
In a typical home, the service line (cable, DSL etc.) almost always enters the property at a corner. That’s where you’ll want to place the Orbi router, then put the satellite in the middle of your home, which should net you a signal everywhere. In my trial, for a 3,000 square-foot home, the Orbi system — one router and one add-on extender unit — was able to cover every corner.
Setup and configuration
Setting up the Orbi system is fairly easy. First you connect the main Orbi router to an internet source like a broadband modem and turn it on. After that, place the add-on satellite unit at a distance from the main router, then turn it on and you’re done. The two are preconfigured to work together, and the satellite will automatically replicate the Wi-Fi settings of the main router. The only tricky part is finding the right distance to place the add-on unit. Place it too far and there’s not much signal to extend; too close, and you won’t get the optimal Wi-Fi coverage, possibly missing some parts of your house.
GE GBE10ESJSB Compact Bottom Freezer Refrigerator review – CNET
The Good The GE GBE10ESJSB is a true space saver, and a good fit for tiny kitchens. The stainless-steel design is basic, but fashionable.
The Bad Performance was all over the map in our tests, with eyebrow-raisingly high temperatures at the top of the fridge and subzero chill in the freezer.
The Bottom Line Settle for this fridge if you must, but we think you’ll be a lot happier with another compact option.
If you’re living with a cramped kitchen, or if you just want a small, simple second fridge for a basement or a garage, then you might consider the GBE10ESJSB, a compact bottom-freezer model from GE. It’s just 24 inches wide and barely over 5 feet tall, but it still offers over 10 cubic feet of storage space. The cost? $900.
I’d recommend shopping around before buying. To be specific, you’ll want to take a good look at the LG LTNC11121V, a similarly narrow, compact top-freezer model. It costs $200 less than GE’s compact-size option, but offers better performance, slightly more storage space, a nicer-looking design and even a couple of extra features like a pull-out shelf and a manual ice maker.
GE’s smallest bottom-freezer fridge is built…
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Even in its slim package, the GBE10ESJSB sticks to the bottom-freezer script. Your fridge section is up top for easy access to your fresh ingredients, while the freezer section sits below. You’ll get to that freezer by opening a door that swings open, which is typically a little less desirable than one that pulls out like a drawer for easier access.
Still, it’s a nice design considering that most full-size bottom freezers start at around $1,200. If you don’t need the full-size space, then the GBE10ESJSB offers the same fresh-food access for less money.
Roku Express review – CNET
The Good The Roku Express is cheap, easy to use and loaded with streaming apps.
The Bad It’s slower, especially with Netflix, than alternatives that cost just a few bucks more.
The Bottom Line The Express delivers everything good about Roku for a rock-bottom price, but it’s worth spending a bit extra on a faster streamer.
Visit manufacturer site for details.
Last year’s best-selling TV streaming device was the $35 Google Chromecast. This year, Roku really wants to take back that crown with the Roku Express, an entry-level streamer with an asking price that’s $5 less.
And in many ways Roku Express is a better product than Chromecast. It has an actual remote and on-screen display, which I find much easier to use than Chromecast’s phone-based system. And along with all the other major apps like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Sling TV and thousands more, it has an app for Amazon video, which Chromecast does not.
On the other hand, the Roku Express is simply not as good as Roku’s own $50 Streaming Stick, our favorite streamer ever. It’s slower to respond, especially with Netflix, its remote has to be aimed at the TV, and the box itself isn’t as slick as the minimalist, no-cable-required Stick.
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The $30 Roku Express (top) and the $50 Roku Streaming Stick.
Sarah Tew/CNET
For those who just want to spend as little as possible on a streamer, the Roku Express will get the job done. But $20 isn’t a lot to ask for an appreciably better experience, especially in a device you’ll use every day. Unless you’re really, really strapped for cash, skip the Express and spend the extra $20 to get the Roku Streaming Stick. And if you already have a recent Roku 2 or Roku 3, you already have a speedier box than the Express, too.
Just the basics
The Express isn’t quite as minimalist as the Roku Stick or the Chromecast, but it’s almost as small. It’s smaller than the remote, in fact, and can be easily placed just about anywhere in your AV system that allows the remote’s infrared beams can strike its front surface.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
In an ingenious move, Roku includes a sticker so you can affix the Express to the bottom of your TV (see above), the cabinet, or wherever. Doing so allows it to blend in almost invisibly, and keeps the required cables from dragging it around. Of course, double-sided tape or velcro could do the trick too.
Also included in the box is one of the shortest HDMI cables I’ve ever seen. Its 2-foot length seems pitifully inadequate at first glance, but if you stick the little box close enough to the TV’s input, it’ll probably get the job done. Either way, credit to Roku for including it in a $30 device.
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Clockwise from the top: the Express, the power supply, sticker, HDMI cable and remote.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Other specs:
- HDMI output (analog video available on the $40 Express+)
- 1080p or 720p resolution
- Stereo, Dolby Digital+ and DTS audio support
- 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
As usual video quality was just as good as on any other non-4K streamer. Unlike the Stick and Chromecast, the Express can only connect to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks, not the faster (and often less crowded and therefore more reliable) 5GHz band. That said, I had no issues using the Express on my network in the crowded Wi-Fi environment at CNET’s test lab.
Roku’s remote is simple and well-designed to use entirely by feel, with everything you need including basic transport (play/pause and fast-forward/rewind) keys. The version I got has shortcuts for Netflix, Hulu, Sling TV and Google Play Movies and TV, but yours may vary depending on where it was purchased.
Cambridge Sound Management Nightingale Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Nightingale is supposed to mask annoying sounds so you can sleep better at night.
Cambridge Sound Management
Most people can relate to the frustration of a bad night’s sleep — waking up groggy, wishing you could stay in bed for another hour…or three. Sadly, busy schedules often keep us from hitting the snooze button for too long.
Related Links:
- New Sleep Number bed wants to take the weary out of your rest (hands-on)
- Reinvent your sleep cycle with Hello’s Sense
- Samsung introduces SleepSense, a tracker for better, smarter sleep
Massachusetts-based company Cambridge Sound Management (CSM) wants to end this cycle with Nightingale.
A $149 sleep system for folks living in the United States, Nightingale promises to cancel out irritating ambient noises with its apparently pleasant, sleep-inducing ambient noises.
Nightingale is a plug-in device that connects to existing power outlets in your bedroom. It has two pass-though outlets so you can still use them to power lamps and other electrical devices. Why not just buy a regular white noise machine, you ask?
CSM says its solution is more immersive, as each box includes two Nightingale units. The idea is that you’ll install them on opposite walls for improved noise canceling.
Get the best sleep with all this clever tech
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Designed by acoustics experts, this Wi-Fi- and app-enabled device is also outfitted with a speaker that’s supposed to project any one of CSM’s 15 “ambient sound blankets.” Use the Android or iOS app to adjust the volume and type of sound.
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Smarten up your sleep routine with Sleep Number’s connected mattress
The new it mattress from Sleep Number is packed with sensors that track your patterns in hopes of giving you a better night’s sleep.
by Megan Wollerton
From the Hello Sense adaptive sleep alarm to Sleep Number’s latest connected mattress, we’ve written about a variety of sleep-related smart-home products. But we haven’t seen anything quite like Nightingale before. In addition to its basic features, CSM’s sleep device is also outfitted with a color-changing LED nightlight and it’s supposed to work with IFTTT. With a Nightingale IFTTT channel, you should be able to connect it to your Ring Video Doorbell, Philips Hue LEDs, Amazon Alexa products, Nest products and more.
Nightingale is in the middle of a Kickstarter campaign right now. With 30 days to go, the team had raised just about $14,000 of its $100,000 funding goal. You have to pledge at least $149 to snag a Nightingale two-pack and units are expected to ship to backers in February 2017 (this product is US-only).
AIVAnet 