BARCELONA, March 2, 2026 – AGIBOT, a global player in embodied intelligence, showcased its full range of humanoid robots and application solutions at MWC 2026, underscoring its strategic push into the European market. Following recent exhibitions in Milan and Munich, the company presented integrated robotics systems designed for retail, manufacturing, logistics, and service sectors, both at its own booth and alongside ecosystem partners across the venue.

The company’s portfolio includes several robot platforms tailored for specific use cases: the A2 Series full-sized humanoids for reception and guidance; the X2 Series compact robots for entertainment, education, and research; and the G2 wheeled humanoids for industrial tasks such as precision assembly. AGIBOT also displayed the D1 quadruped robots for logistics and patrol, the C5 autonomous cleaning solution, and OmniHand, a high‑dexterity manipulator for service and industrial applications.

During the event, AGIBOT officially launched its global online store at store.agibot.com, offering direct purchase and leasing options for its A, X, and D Series robots. The company also introduced its Robot‑as‑a‑Service (RaaS) platform, enabling short‑term rentals with a minimum duration of one day and pricing starting at €899. The rental service is currently available in 17 countries and regions, including Spain, Germany, France, Italy, the UK, and parts of North America and Asia.

In parallel, AGIBOT demonstrated collaborative integrations with industry partners. At the China Telecom pavilion, the D1 quadruped robot showcased advanced 6G‑based sensing and connectivity. The company also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Singtel Enterprise to jointly develop robotics applications leveraging Singapore’s 5G infrastructure.

“Europe is a vital innovation hub, and we are committed to building strong local partnerships,” said William Shi, President of Europe at AGIBOT. “Through open collaboration, we aim to co‑develop an embodied AI ecosystem that addresses the specific needs of this region.”

AGIBOT’s presence at MWC 2026 reflects its broader strategy to deploy general‑purpose embodied robots across real‑world environments while expanding access through flexible ownership models.

For more information, visit www.agibot.com.

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Driven by strong performance in international premium markets, HONOR has emerged as the fastest-growing major smartphone brand globally in 2025, according to a report by Omdia. This surge sets the stage for its planned unveiling of ambitious new AI and foldable devices this spring.

According to a recent report from the global research firm Omdia, HONOR achieved a notable 11% year-over-year growth in global smartphone shipments for 2025. This growth rate secured the number one position among the world’s top ten smartphone vendors for the year.

Further data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) underscores the strategic nature of this expansion. For the first three quarters of 2025, HONOR led all top-ten brands in overseas shipment growth within crucial premium segments. Specifically, the brand showed remarkable strength in:

• Smartphones priced above $300, covering the premium and upper-mid-tier segments.
• Tablets in the $300-600 price band, targeting the upper-mid consumer segment.

This dual-segment leadership indicates a successful strategy of combining volume growth with a deliberate move into higher-margin categories outside its home market.

Building on this momentum, HONOR is poised to make significant waves at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona this March. Industry reports confirm the brand will officially unveil two highly anticipated devices: the HONOR ROBOT PHONE, a pioneering foray into AI-integrated mobile technology, and the next-generation foldable flagship, the HONOR Magic V6.

These launches are positioned as key milestones in HONOR’s “Alpha Plan,” its strategic initiative focused on breakthrough innovation in human-centric AI and revolutionary form factors. The 2025 shipment data provides tangible evidence of the brand’s growing market presence, which it now seeks to amplify with these category-defining products.

HONOR’s trajectory reflects a brand in a powerful transition—leveraging solid shipment growth to fund and introduce cutting-edge technology, aiming to redefine its position in the competitive global landscape.

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GUANGZHOU, China — Held in Guangzhou from December 11, the 2025 Global Technology Innovation Conference (TIC) served as the flagship stage for the company to unveil its latest advancements in integrated technology. The event centered on the core theme of “AI for Real,” showcasing how artificial intelligence is being woven into every layer of TCL’s ecosystem—from consumer-facing smart products and immersive user experiences to the very backbone of its sophisticated manufacturing processes.

At the conference, a clear message emerged from one of the world’s largest consumer electronics makers: artificial intelligence is not just a buzzword—it’s a tool for tangible, vertical integration. In an exclusive interview with Gizmochina, Daniel Sun, CTO of TCL Industries, shed light on how the company is weaving AI into everything from TVs and air conditioners to its own advanced display factories, all while staying grounded in what he calls “experience-first” technology.

Beyond the Hype: AI as an Enabler, Not a Magic Wand

Sun began by addressing widespread misconceptions about AI. “For consumers, intelligence might mean using an app to turn off an air conditioner remotely,” he said. “For engineers, that’s simply Wi‑Fi, apps, and cloud services.” This gap, he argues, is where many tech companies lose sight of the real goal: delivering meaningful experiences rather than chasing the latest model for its own sake.

He emphasized that not every product needs—or can run—a large language model (LLM). “Many problems can be solved with small models,” Sun explained, pointing to quality inspection in TCL CSOT’s display manufacturing. “Using an AI device with a camera to inspect panel circuits is like an airport X-ray scan. It used to be manual; now it’s fully automated—and it doesn’t require an LLM.”

Why TCL CSOT Built Its Own AI: The X-Intelligence 3.0 Story

When asked about TCL CSOT’s homegrown AI system, X-Intelligence 3.0, Sun outlined two core motivations. First, public LLMs lack deep, proprietary knowledge. “We attached our specialized display materials data to the world’s best LLMs, and the results were surprisingly poor,” he said. “The model simply wasn’t pretrained on this domain.” In other words, they couldn’t comprehend highly specialized, cutting-edge knowledge.

Instead of building from scratch, TCL CSOT leverages its vast internal knowledge—accumulated over years of R&D and billions in investment—into existing high-performance architectures through fine-tuning and reinforcement learning. “We leverage the best open models and enhance them with our private expertise,” Sun noted, citing cooperative and open‑source advances, including those inspired by frameworks like DeepSeek.

The second driver is organizational efficiency. Sun pointed out that in corporations with thousands of employees, decision-making processes tend to decelerate. He emphasized that while AI cannot instantly replicate human agility, it serves as a powerful accelerator in domains such as operational analysis, process optimization, and high-value task automation — a view supported by its growing role in enhancing enterprise workflow efficiency.

From Living Rooms to Factories: AI in Action

On the product side, TCL is taking an open‑ecosystem approach. In the U.S., TCL TVs now integrate Google’s Gemini, enabling voice-activated content discovery, educational YouTube browsing, and smart‑home control. In China, the company uses cloud-based LLMs—quantized and cost-optimized—to power natural language TV interfaces for under a dollar per device per year.

But AI isn’t just for the end user. In manufacturing, LLMs and small models work in tandem. At the TCL CSOT Guangzhou t9 factory, which Gizmochina toured on December 11, AI assists in everything from panel defect detection to production scheduling. The t9 line—the world’s only large-generation line compatible with LCD, Micro LED, and inkjet-printed OLED—relies on AI to maintain precision across its 180,000 glass substrates monthly capacity. Capable of producing 6- to 100-inch panels, the t9 line enables applications spanning smartphones, tablets, notebooks, vehicle displays, monitors, TVs, and large-format commercial screens.

The Hidden AI Star: Energy‑Saving and New Product Horizons

Beyond TVs, TCL’s application of small models has delivered measurable gains in areas such as air conditioning. The company’s compressors now leverage real-time optimization algorithms that significantly reduce energy consumption—reportedly by up to 40% in initial operating hours, with sustained savings exceeding 18% thereafter. This advancement not only lowers household costs but also supports broader environmental, social, and governance (ESG) objectives, reflecting a tangible example of AI-driven efficiency in mature product categories.

TCL has also begun channeling AI into entirely new product segments. Two notable directions in its roadmap include AR glasses—deeply integrated with large language model interactions—and a future generation of household robots designed as companion-oriented devices. These efforts signal a strategic move beyond incremental product enhancements toward what the company describes as “AI-native, AI-rich” innovations, where artificial intelligence fundamentally defines the user experience and product functionality.

Globally, TCL works closely with silicon and platform partners to enable on-device AI where possible—and falls back to cloud‑edge collaboration when needed. “Local computing is limited,” Sun acknowledged. “That’s why a hybrid architecture is essential for bringing advanced AI to everyday devices at a feasible cost.”

AI with Purpose

Throughout the interview and the factory visit, one theme remained constant: TCL’s AI strategy is deliberately vertical, practical, and consumer-centric. Rather than joining the race to build the largest foundation model, the company is focused on injecting its deep industrial knowledge into adaptable AI systems—systems that enhance today’s products, optimize its factories, and quietly enable the next generation of smart living.

As Daniel Sun put it: “The anchor should never be pursuing technology for its own sake. It must always return to consumers and customers—that’s where the real focus should be.”

For TCL, that focus is already showing—in quieter air conditioners, sharper displays, and smarter factories that together form a blueprint for AI done right.

Gizmochina attended TIC 2025 as an invited media partner. Special thanks to TCL for facilitating the interview and factory tour.

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HUAWEI Ultimate Series

HUAWEI surprisingly updated their Watch Ultimate Series with the latest model – HUAWEI Watch Ultimate 2. The Ultimate series is undoubtedly one of the most ambitious and radical smartwatches currently available on the market. As it added professional golfing modes, diving modes and outdoor adventures, and sports tracking to the first Ultimate watch, it was destined to be one of the most versatile smart watches for both health tracking and sports assisting.

Over the past year, I’ve completed several outdoor adventures and sports activities wearing various Huawei watches, including the HUAWEI Watch Ultimate, HUAWEI Watch 5 series, and even the HUAWEI Watch Fit 4 Pro. This is likely all thanks to the Ultimate’s spirit of exploration and ambition. It has democratized professional outdoor activity tracking and route navigation across more affordable series (even given to the Fit 4 series), demonstrating far greater generosity than we’ve witnessed from the Apple Watch.

HUAWEI’s commitment to developing outdoor sports features is a boon for outdoor enthusiasts like mountaineers and hikers. The wearable market used to offer limited options with limited brands. Most of them with professional-grade features were really expensive models.

Now, HUAWEI’s integration of hardware and software capabilities across its various series has provided users with more options. In this review, I’ll share my real-world experience with the Ultimate 2, highlighting the pros and cons that might serve as reasons for your purchase.     

Structure & Design

Let us turn to the new Ultimate 2. It remains outstanding in sports tracking and health monitoring. Even by merely inheriting the predecessor’s core features, it’s more than capable of maintaining its unique competitiveness.

However, what continues to captivate me most about the new Ultimate is its design and build quality. The watch is available in Blue and Black editions. Especially the Black model, featuring rock and mountain elements, perfectly suits all kinds of outfits, though it might not be as eye-catching as the Blue one. The Ultimate 2 has an ultra-tough metal frame with a nanocrystal ceramic bezel and Sapphire-glass cover on the front face, shielding a 1.5” OLED display. I’ve tried to scratch the surface with a knife as a simple test for simulating everyday abrasion (though I know this is a bit much). Unsurprisingly, it left no visible scratches or damage.

X-TAP Sensor

The greatest upgrade is the X-TAP sensor on the side. We tried the great sensor on the HUAWEI Watch 5 Pro months ago. The X-TAP sensor houses three major sensors: ECG, PPG, and pressure sensors, which then provide faster, more accurate, and wider health measurement with fingertip touch and press. By pressing and touching the sensor for a few seconds, I can quickly start ‘Health Glance’ for a comprehensive check. And accordingly, the watch will generate a health report with up to 11 indicators. The detailed report will be accessed on the phone app, HUAWEI Health.

For outdoor activities, particularly those at high altitudes, SpO² is a particularly vital indicator. After comparing it with professional monitoring equipment, it is evident that the data measured by X-TAP from the fingertip is remarkably accurate.

Other details

Another notable design change is its more pronounced hollow-out design, lending the watch a greater sense of visual “lightness”. One more unseen design change lies in the strap, where a new release mechanism makes changing straps considerably easier.

150M Diving Mode: Water Resistance & Sonar-based Communication

In addition, to make it the most pro-smartwatch for deep diving, the designer gives it an insane water resistance structure for use down to 150 meters. I didn’t have time & testing device to put it through professional water pressure testing. And I believe most users will likely never reach its water resistance limits. However, as I have not personally tested it, I remain cautious about its ability to operate stably in deep water, and hope to update my experience in the future.

So, one of their key upgrades focuses on more professional diving capabilities, including support for diving operations at depths of 150 meters and independent underwater sonar-based communication. Regrettably, I was unable to complete a dive within the limited time available that would have sufficiently tested its new features. But I can explain in detail how it will help you complete your dive logs more safely with efficient & quick communication.

The constraints on underwater communication are markedly greater than those on land or in the air. Electromagnetic waves, on which above-water communication relies, attenuate rapidly in water, while sound waves are more sustainable for underwater but now carry less information. So the WATCH Ultimate 2 with a small sonar component can have quick and preset communication through delivering sound waves.  work better than electromagnetic or light waves, allowing for independent underwater communication.

I believe most underwater divers still rely on very primitive communication with their dive buddies, such as gestures, lights, and tapping objects. Now you can just add your dive buddies to the watch (both with the Watch Ultimate 2) and start standalone communication without any accessories. As HUAWEI claims, the watch supports over 50 predefined messages and one-touch SOS. And for the SOS function, the maximum transmission range is about 60m.

Currently, the only smartwatch I know of with similar functionality is the Garmin DESCENT series, but they place greater emphasis on pairing with the professional accessory DESCENT T2 Transceiver to accomplish a limited amount of critical communication, which is way less than the WATCH Ultimate 2 can do.

One-Touch SOS: Press and hold for 10 seconds to activate SOS mode. The Watch will automatically transmit distress signals every 25 seconds. This feature enables nearby divers to relay distress alerts, effectively expanding the transmission range of emergency signals.

More accurate positioning and navigation for Outdoors

Thanks to the Ultimate 2’s precise positioning and accurate altitude monitoring, I’ve made it an essential piece of gear for my hiking and mountaineering. I’ve worn it on numerous hikes through the Lake District in England, along the MacLehose Trail in Hong Kong, and up Mount Wutong (Elevation: 943 meters), the highest peak in Shenzhen, China. All were done alone.

Before each climb or walk, the route KML file would be imported into ‘My Route’ of the HUAWEI Health app, and sync it to my WATCH Ultimate 2 as well.

Instead of gripping my phone and constantly tapping the screen to check directions, I simply raised my wrist to display the route on the Ultimate 2. When you veer off course, the watch will also alert you with a voice prompt that you’re heading in the wrong direction.

Compared to its predecessor, the most noticeable improvement is its upgraded Sunflower positioning system. The watch supports dual-band five system positioning, including GPS, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou. The mature system and updated positioning algorithm significantly reduced GPS Drift in environments with weak signals. The consistent performance of GPS has also benefited other outdoor sports that track trails and distance, such as Running and cycling. I know exactly that it takes 1.55km to run from my home to the nearest park track, and that one lap around the track is 545m. So I ran this complete route for a simple test (2.095km). Even accounting for the margin of error from pacing while waiting at two traffic lights, the distance recorded by this watch was also very satisfying: 2.15km.

As for the elevation tracking, it’s also accurate. For example, the elevation of Wutong Mountain, Shenzhen’s highest peak, is 943.7 meters, while the watch recorded my peak elevation of 940.1 meters—an error margin of less than 5 meters.

Another rather intriguing mode, particularly for outdoor users, is the expedition mode. It is functionally quite similar to hiking: adding route, positioning and navigation, and so on. But in this mode, you can mark the waypoints of important landmarks along the path to ensure a safe journey and guide a smooth return. Like the Glofing mode, the expedition mode is exclusive to the WATCH Ultimate series.

As for its performance in health tracking and sleep tracking, my conclusion remains unchanged: it absolutely stands head and shoulders above the rest. Whether introducing the new X-TAP sensor paired with the TruSense system to deliver more comprehensive and accurate monitoring, or integrating Health Glance feature to generate an instant report covering 11 indicators, these are features that other smartwatches struggle to replicate.

Cons: Software Experience

Over the past few years, I’ve reviewed various Huawei Watch series, and the distinct improvements and pleasant surprises can be sensed in each series and model. Unfortunately, even a powerhouse like the Ultimate 2 isn’t a perfect model. There is still room for improvement in its software and user experience. For example, when I import multiple routes to the watch, there’s no way to overlay multiple routes onto the map without navigation, and it’s also impossible to switch the routes during my outdoor tracking. Once I quit the navigation, the only way I can add another route to the map is to end the trip and restart it with another route navigation.

Huawei watches cannot directly connect and sync exercise data with certain fitness applications, such as AllTrails, a popular hiking tool. Whilst you may be able to sync data from the Huawei Health app to the target application via third-party solutions (such as Health Sync) – for instance, to Strava, which is used by most runners – this process is not particularly user-friendly.

Other features

There are a few ‘bonus’ features that I couldn’t go into in detail in the article, such as eSIM support (including eSIM with a standalone number), sleep breathing awareness, NFC support, and offline maps covering most countries and regions.  

Battery

As for the battery life, the fully charged Ultimate 2 can hold for about 5 days for regular use. But if you exercise daily for over 1 hour, it requires charging in about 4 days. But if you only wear it with expedition mode on, the battery life will extend to over 30 hours. Under diving mode and Golf mode, the watch lasts significantly longer, too (12-24 hours). And the watch might drain a bit faster with iOS system pairing.

Verdict

I believe you can find more specialized competitors in specific sports categories, but you’d be hard-pressed to discover a smart wearable as versatile as the Ultimate 2. Even though I still have my grievances with Ultimate 2, it remains my personal favorite at present.

I believe the best reason is that I always find myself excitedly strapping on my Ultimate 2 for outdoor activities, whether it’s running, hiking, cycling, or camping.

Yet the fact is that a smartwatch doesn’t directly grant you a healthier lifestyle or better athletic performance through its features alone. More likely, it becomes your safeguard and source of courage: by harnessing its various health and fitness features, users gain the confidence to challenge themselves and push their limits. In this regard, the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 does a splendid job.

The post HUAWEI WATCH Ultimate 2 Review: The Versatile Safeguard & Courage Enhancer For Adventure appeared first on Gizmochina.

OPPO Indonesia

Last week, Gizmochina got an opportunity to visit OPPO’s Indonesian operations, showcasing the company’s successful “glocalization” strategy—a blend of global reach with local implementation. The term Glocalize is derived from the words Global and Location where brands are focusing on customizing their global offerings for the local markets.

The visit highlighted their smart manufacturing facility in Jakarta, nationwide retail system, and the global Find X8 series launch in Bali.

OPPO Manufacturing Indonesia

OPPO’s Indonesian factory is one of eight global manufacturing centers, alongside facilities in China, India, Brazil, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The company leads Indonesia’s smartphone market ahead of Samsung, with 5.1 million units shipped and 21% market share in Southeast Asia as of Q3 2024.

Responding to growing demand, OPPO has expanded its Tangerang factory near Jakarta. The facility produces their entire phone range with over 35% domestic components (TKDN), planning to increase local sourcing further. Currently, items like batteries, cables, adapters, and accessories are already sourced within Indonesia.

OPPO’s Indonesian manufacturing facility operates at an impressive scale, employing 1,200 staff – 99% of whom are local – and reaches a maximum production capacity of 2 million mobile phones monthly. After touring the facility’s assembly lines, testing stations, and packaging operations, it’s clear that this production volume is set to increase further. The facility’s new manufacturing center has been specifically designed with additional production lines to handle growing market demands. A significant milestone highlighted by Jeffry Firman de Hann, Director of OPPO Manufacturing Indonesia, is the facility’s five-day turnover rate – meaning they can transform raw materials and components into finished smartphones and deliver them to consumers within just five days.

Having previously visited OPPO’s Chinese factory, we observed that both facilities share similar manufacturing approaches and utilize the same AI-assisted production and testing standards. However, the Indonesian facility stands out for its significant positive impact on the local community. Beyond manufacturing, it serves as a crucial center for employment, professional development, and practical industry experience. Employees receive regular training to master new technologies and techniques, while motivational recognition programs throughout the facility showcase OPPO’s commitment to developing local leadership talent. The company has also established ongoing internship partnerships with Indonesian universities, providing students in relevant fields valuable opportunities to begin their careers with a global technology leader.

The smart assembly process was always the most interesting part of every factory tour. Entering and exiting the line is subject to rigorous security checks to ensure that no belongings are left inside, and more importantly, no one can take any parts off the line.

The Indonesian facility’s one-piece-flow manufacturing process operates with remarkable efficiency, combining skilled local workers with advanced AI-assisted visual inspection and robotic assembly systems. The production floor itself is designed for optimal workflow, featuring bright, open spaces, comprehensive multilingual signage, and displays showing real-time production metrics at all key stations.

OPPO’s reputation for hardware reliability, consistently noted by Gizmochina reviewers, is supported by the facility’s rigorous testing protocols. The testing labs subject phones to a comprehensive suite of durability tests, including camera performance evaluation, multi-angle drop testing, darkroom signal analysis, water resistance testing (submerged at 1.5m for over 30 minutes), extreme temperature exposure, and dust resistance verification. A particularly unique test involves placing four phones in a large rotating metal cylinder for 150 cycles of intense tumbling – a harsh durability check we hadn’t encountered before.

Local OPPO Experience Stores & OPPO Gallery

Apart from visiting the phone factory, we were also allowed to take a rest in one of the OPPO experience stores (Pacific Place Mall) and another OPPO Gallery. The OPPO’s mature retail system in Indonesia has developed a localized modern culture far beyond shopping. Visitors can enjoy the authentic Indonesian coffee they serve in the store and may even have a peaceful reading experience.

Launching Find X8 Series Globally

On November 21, OPPO held the global launch of its Find X8 flagship smartphone series in Bali, Indonesia, with the updated ColorOS 15 for global users. As the launch comes after a two-year hiatus for the series outside mainland China, the company is ambitious to challenge Apple and Samsung in the global market with dual high-end lines, the Find X and foldable Find N series.

OPPO led the Q3 smartphone shipments for all of Southeast Asia with an 18.1% share, followed by Samsung, Transsion, and Xiaomi, according to IDC, noting the fact that they have been missing flagship candidates in the segment for the last two years. The launch of the Find X8 series will go a long way in filling OPPO’s absence in the segment and be a growth engine for the brand in the region.

Along with the global launch, the new OPPO Find X8 Series was also announced and available in major European countries, such as the UK, Germany, and France.

“Europe is another major market for OPPO. We will launch more new products in Europe later and increase our investment in the market in multiple aspects.” OPPO Vice President Billy Zhang said after the launch.

The Find X8 series is positioned to compete directly with Samsung and Apple’s flagship devices in established markets. Market analysis from Canalys shows the European smartphone market experienced renewed growth in Q1 2024, with Samsung holding 37% market share and Apple following at 22%. This growth coincides with a new Android upgrade cycle, prompting various manufacturers to refresh their European marketing and sales approaches.

In 2024, OPPO expanded its business in Latin America, such as Brazil and Argentina. As the brand’s newly established markets though, the regions gave the brand good feedback, and now OPPO ranks No. 5 with a 62% year-on-year growth.

Overseas markets – Growth engine for OPPO

The company operates in over 70 countries and regions, with over 300,000 retail spaces worldwide. As OPPO claimed, the global growing lineups extend beyond smartphones to IoT products with 700 million ColorOS (new rollout details here) users worldwide. During the tour and the launch, OPPO emphasized its confidence in its global-made capacity and connection with local communities worldwide.

In 2025, perhaps we will see more significant growth in regional smartphone markets, with a high probability that the tech giant will be among them, even as a major player.

Gizmochina is currently conducting a comprehensive review of the new Find X8 and its global version of ColorOS 15. Our hands-on experience with the device is providing valuable insights into OPPO’s latest product developments and direction.

For our full review and detailed coverage, be sure to check our Review section and subscribe to the Gizmochina YouTube channel.

The post OPPO’s Glocalization Push: Inside Indonesian Manufacturing and Find X8 Series Launch appeared first on Gizmochina.

Gemimlai G3007L

This is the Gemilai G3007L, one of the most popular compact espresso machines in the Chinese market. Now it’s available for multiple overseas markets. If you are a coffee enthusiast or even a professional barista, you really have to try it out. I’ve been making boutique coffee for a few years. Whether it’s hand-brewed, cold-brewed, or espresso, I’ve already tried. I’m fascinated by the aroma of coffee and the subtle differences in flavor that can be discerned between different brewed methods. Especially for espresso, it can be the quickest way to extract coffee liquid or the most expensive and creative fancy. The Gemilai machines always drive me excited, as the brand is good at developing the right coffee tools for individuals and families.

Home-Made Expresso Semi-automatic Machine

Well, a kind reminder here. If you are looking for a fully commercial espresso machine for a huge shop, the review probably is not for you as we only tested it in a home espresso scenario with the most convenient tools. However, I did see exquisite coffee stations using the Gemilai CRM3007L to do their business. And surprisingly, it tasted pretty good. So if you don’t mind, it can also save you money on equipment costs for your small business.

Anyway, if you are a novice barista or a person who loves coffee, and would like to experience homemade coffee, but have no ideas about those machines, then please watch the video to the end. I would try my best to share my experience. After all, with the Gemilai machine, you deserve better.

Packaging & Design

First of all, let’s check out what we got inside the package and the design as well. Some of you may be worried about whether I would need to buy additional accessories to complete my coffee-making journey with the machine. Well, the answer is ‘yes’ and ‘no’.

For most users, the necessary tools and accessories were already included, such as a two-cup portafilter, an additional single-cup filter, a tamper, a coffee spoon, a cleaning pad and brush, and a screwdriver. And I’m pretty happy with the well-designed Manuel, where you can find professional guides and informative figures. So for those who won’t buy any more accessories, I will suggest they buy the espresso powder directly. So you just need to prepare the water, powder, a coffee cup, and milk if you like milky coffee. Then the machine will help you figure all the things out although it’s just a semi-automatic machine. Later I will show you how it works for coffee brewing and milk frothing.

So why is the answer also a ‘no’? Because you probably won’t stop buying those fine accessories and tools, spending a lot of time experiencing the joy. For example, you might need a coffee scale, a tamper holder or station, a needle distributor, or even a small screen mesh. You’ll get hooked, which I’ve all been through, though that didn’t make a big difference in the coffee I made.

Okay back to the Gemilai machine. My favorite part is the design. It’s so elegant and compact built with a whole brushed metal shield. Although it’s a home machine, the texture feels like the big commercial models we’ve seen. It’s smaller than I imagined when I saw its picture.

It’s likely because they removed the hot water outlet from the body. So for those of you who like hot Americanos, it might be a problem, unless you don’t mind getting water from the brewing head.

But meanwhile, it’s truly heavier than I expected. Well, it’s actually a good point. It gave me a reliable feel with solid build quality. And in actual use, I can easily fix the handle with a single hand, without worrying about wobbling or shifting.

Space-Friendly with a Compact size

So on the other hand, its compact size also perfectly allows it to appear comfortably in bars, small stations, or kitchens. The control and info panel is surprisingly simple and intuitive. A power button on the top, followed by a manual and an automatic coffee button. On the right is the info screen and a steam knob. The screen shows the temperature and brew time. The steam pipe with a 3-hole steam wand is good, it takes about 40s to well froth the milk. It isn’t exactly fast overall, but as a home machine, it’s more than enough. The 1.7-liter water tank is good. At least for homemade coffee, you don’t need to frequently refill it.

Professional PID 58mm Group Head & Hybrid boiler system

The best combination on the 3007L model is the professional PID 58mm group head with a dual boiler system. The big size of 58mm group head allows the hot water to come into full and even contact with the powder, which is widely used on most professional machines. The 58mm handle with fine filter holes also brings a balanced exhaust.

The dual boiler system separates the stainless-steel boiler for coffee brewing and the thermos block for milk frothing. So both of them achieve perfect temperature control in their own process. It cannot make both at the same time as it’s a single-pump design. But when you’re done brewing coffee at 200 degrees, the milk frothing can follow up seamlessly.

The machine applies a high-quality Italian ULKA pump inside. It can ensure a steady 15-bar pressure for ideal espresso extraction. To support the boiler heating and high-pressure pumping, the machine features a rated power of 1450W.

G3007L’s Upgrades For Golden Cup Standards

I’m quite sure some of you have noticed the pressure gauge. If you’re familiar with the baristas’ niche, you must know the Golden Cup Standards that have become popular in the last decade. The whole brewing process is just all related to all kinds of figures, such as temperature, contact time, input ratio, pressure, and so on. Although I’m no longer staring at the pressure gauge, it’s still a good reference to help understand your best brew. Specifically, it helps monitor your brewing process with precision and consistency, so there would be records to refer to when you get your favorite way. It’s the same reason to have the display showing temperature and brewing time. So if you need all these brewing figures, the Gemilai machine has taken care of most for you. What else you need to prepare is a coffee scale and grinder with scales.

A warm surprise is that the machine features an LED spotlight here. This is a very useful feature, you can clearly see what’s happening under the brewing head.

Coffee Brewing & Milk Frothing With G3007L

Now let’s show you my complete brewing process with the Gemilai machine! The grinder I used here is also from Gemilai, which is an entry-level, so it’s not as finely graduated. The beans I used here are a blend from Africa and Asia. The default 58mm double-cup portafilter is good for me, so no need to change it here. By the way, the heated top of the machine is good for warming cups.

 If you want to change the preset brewing time for the auto mode, just long-press the auto button until the time you want. Oh almost forgot, the auto brewing includes a short pre-brewing stage, lasting about 2 to 3 seconds, which is good. Here I manually brew it for 30s. As the pressure gauge showed, it was a steady brew, and the preset flow paired up with the golden pressure between 9 and 12 bar was just my preference. So everything looks perfect.

Even though you are unsatisfied with the flow, you can adjust the control valve to get the right water flow.

And now please watch the review video and check out how I frothed milk with the steam wand. To be honest, we’re not good at making the microfoam. Not to mention pouring them into the espresso and making latte art. Alright, that’s it. It’s not hard to make the microfoam, so the machine could work well for artist’s milk frothing.

Verdict

So overall, I really enjoy making espresso with the Gemilai machine. It does balance efficiency and production quality, which is my main concern in a cup of espresso. And if you are a believer in the Golden Cup Standard, the machine would definitely help you out with amazingly stable brews. The G3007L model probably would be sold under other names in regions like the US. Then its price might shock you out. But now you can check out the Amazon link down below, the price there should be really competitive.

The post Gemilai G3007L Expresso Machine Review: The ‘Pro’ In Home-made Line appeared first on Gizmochina.

DOOGEE in Global Sources Hong Kong Show 2024

On 18^th-31st October 2024, DOOGEE brought a lot of new products to the Global Sources Hong Kong Show. Gizmochina was invited there to check out those products, and we interviewed Joyce, the marketing manager of DOOGEE. Here is the video of the tour and the interview. And if you want to read about those products, there are also pictures and short summaries about them down below.

About DOOGEE

DOOGEE is a globally leading rugged smartphone brand established in March 2013. The brand adheres to the core philosophy of “QUALITY, EXPERIENCE,” DOOGEE’s belief is to design a permanently waterproof and indestructible phone. Currently, DOOGEE’s rugged smartphones are working their way down that journey. Most of them possess IP68 or IP69K water & dust resistance, and even MIL-STD-810G certifications, capable of withstanding any weather conditions, impacts, rain, dust, sand, as well as erosion from oil and water.

DOOGEE has developed multiple product lines, including a variety of smartphones with unique features and designs. For instance, DOOGEE DK10 is a flagship outdoor photography phone created in cooperation with Morpho, while DOOGEE T30 Max aims to inspire creativity and maximize productivity. Additionally, DOOGEE has launched several phones such as Spunk, Blade10 Pro, V Max Plus, T30SE, and N55 Pro, covering various fields from party speakers to ultra-thin rugged smartphones.

DOOGEE is also known for its durability, large battery capacity, and unique design elements. Its products are often affordable for most users. DOOGEE is also recognized for its innovation and unique features, such as night vision cameras, thermal imaging cameras, and laser rangefinders. Although DOOGEE may not match some giant brands in terms of performance and cameras, it holds a niche in the smartphone market’s specific segments.

DOOGEE V40 & V40 Pro’s Debut

DOOGEE released its V40 Pro series new rugged phones on Global Sources Hong Kong Show, featuring robust specifications tailored for gaming enthusiasts. The V40 Pro comes with a 6.78-inch FHD+ resolution 120Hz screen, MediaTek Dimensity 7300 CPU, and an impressive 8680mAh battery, ensuring ample power for an extended gaming session. The device also boasts a quad-camera setup on the back with a 200MP main camera, positioning it as a higher-spec option compared to the DOOGEE V40. For more details on the series, please check out the specs we listed down below.

Gizmochina Review team is also doing a comparison between the Standard and the Pro model. If you are interested in the new rugged series, please stay tuned and subscribe to the Gizmochina YouTube channel.

There’re some specs below of the star phones from DOOGEE showcased at the exhibition.

DOOGEE V40 Pro

DOOGEE V40 Pro is inspired by the popularity of E-sports, and that’s why there are some features that just like the gaming phones right now. Here are some specs of it.

• Dimension: 183.7 mm*83.9mm*16.3mm
• Weight: 536g
• Color: Black / Gray
• OS: Android 14
• CPU: Dimensity 7300, 4m Octa Core / 2.5GHZ
• GPU: Arm Mail-G615 GPU
• Battery: 8680mAh/ Type-C port / 33W Charger
• Memory: 36GB RAM (16GB + 20GB RAM) +512GB ROM
• External Storage: T-Flash Card up to 2TB
• Rear Camera: Morpho Al Quad Camera(200MP+20MP+8MP +8MP)
• Front Camera: 32MP Ultra HD front camera
• Display: 6.78″FHD + 120Hz IPS Notch-less Punch Display
• Unlock: Face and Fingerprint Unlock
• SIM Card: Support 2 SIM Cards+1 TF Card

DOOGEE S200

Another one that caught our attention on the Show was the DOOGEE S200. This model has a mecha-style appearance and a watch-face screen at the back, which not only makes it unique looking, but also adds more functionalities to it. Here are some specs of it.

• Dimension: 179.5×82.5×16mm
• Weight: 364g
• Color: Silver / Dark grey
• OS: Android 14
• CPU: Dimensity 7050 Octa Core 2.6GHz 6mm
• GPU: Arm Mali-G68 MC4
• Battery: 10100mAh Large battery/33W
• Memory: 32GB RAM (12GB+20GB RAM) +256 ROM
• External Storage: T -Flash Card up to 2 TB
• Rear Camera: Morpho® Al Triple camera (100MP+20MP+2MP)
• Front Camera: 20MP Front Camera

DOOGEE Fire 6 Power

• Support flashlight function / Dual light flashlight · 15500mAh Large battery / 18W high power reverse charging
• Android 14
• 50MP AI main camera
• 2MP Macro camera
• 8MP Front Camera
• 20GB RAM (8GB + Up to12GB Extended RAM) / DDR4X
• 256GB ROM / UFS
• Unisoc T606 Octa Core 1.6GHz 12nm
• 6.56” HD+ IPS Notch-less Punch Display / 90Hz · Side Fingerprint Recognition
• Support face unlock
• NFC Supports Google Pay
• Leather back cover design
• Triple Card Slot (Support 2 SIM Cards + 1 TF Card)

For more reviews about the DOOGEE products, please stay tuned to Gizmochina Review and the YouTube Channel.

The post DOOGEE Released Brand New Phones In Global Sources HK ft. Interview appeared first on Gizmochina.

UPS Battery

In this article, the Review Team would like to talk about UPS battery and take the GoldenMate 8 Outlets UPS as an example. Just good to give it a review too as we’ve used it as our work protector for a few weeks.

GoldenMate 8 Outlets 1000AV/800W UPS Battery

So if you’ve subscribed to our channel for over a year, you must know that we’ve reviewed and kept many power stations in the studio, just for emergency and outdoor uses. But the truth is, they mostly stand by at the corner and serve as backup power. The only feature that might make them useful for indoor uses is the UPS. Well, however, compared with a single UPS, those power stations are relatively heavy and bulky, and most importantly, they would cost you much more money. So the GoldenMate 8 Outlet UPS for about 170 bucks is a great example. if you value home and office power protection for every day, and without huge backup power demands – try the UPS!

Compact & Solid Design with LiFePO4 Battery Pack

Let’s take a closer look at the GoldenMate UPS. As a portable UPS, its design is quite simple. To its credit, it comes with up to 8 AC outlets. The outlets support up to 1000VA/800W load capacity. It’s not defined as a large power backup, but GoldenMate still gives it a built-in 230 Watt-hour battery in case of emergency. So basically if not huge demands on backup power, it’s a pretty safe setup to offer personal battery backup and surge protector.

The battery material is the most important feature that distinguishes the GoldenMate from most home-use UPS systems. Unlike most others using lead-acid batteries, it’s housing a built-in LiFePO4 battery, which would be lighter and offer a longer lifespan.

Off-Grid Tests – Work station

As claimed, the battery pack inside is certified with a lifespan of over 10 years and 5000 cycles. Well, that’s a long way off for our time of use. So we couldn’t actually test out its extreme durability. But the truth is it’s really stable for the past weeks. We’ve tried and tested it with various scenarios. No matter for our network and NAS devices or even my workstation with over 600W power, it always provides uninterrupted power connectivity.

During the tests, one of my biggest concerns is whether it will save my work when the power suddenly goes out. A power outage can ruin your unsaved work, and of course, a good day as well. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, you’re in luck. But still, it’s important to note that the causes of power outages are often complex; like the aging grid, overloading, severe weather, or maybe just a mad supplier. The GoldenMate UPS system supports an extremely short conversion time of less than 20ms, so it will be fine for continuously powering up a computer.

In addition to keeping an eye on its working state, we also simply simulated some extreme damage scenarios. For example, frequent power cuts to verify its reliability. As the recorded clips show, nothing happened to the connected PC and other small devices.

Tests with Network Devices

Then to ensure that a complete workflow wouldn’t be interrupted, we used another pack of the UPS to connect up multiple small network devices such as the gateway, two routers, the NAS, and so on. Well, the network connection wasn’t broken and it just looks like the workstation now can live off-grid.

Portable Size for Various Scenarios

You may have also noticed that we didn’t hold it in one position during the weeks. It’s smaller and lighter than we expected. So when we give it a test of different scenarios, I can easily carry it wherever we need it. And the upright design also makes it take up less space than a compact PC case.

Another good point is the fan cooling for heat dissipation. We’ve never once had a problem with overheating.

LCD Info Panel

Another great bonus feature is the LCD info panel. To be honest, it’s way more useful than we imagine. It acts like a complete power station providing real-time battery, input and output data. The visible data includes input and output voltage and power, battery status, output load percentage, AVR status, and estimated battery backup runtime.

Verdict

Now the GoldenMate powers one mini PC, a full-size tower PC, a monitor, multiple mobile devices, as well as a secure camera. During more or less frequent power outages before the generator takes over, it gives me peace of mind to know I will never lose data. And it also cuts way down on the wear and tear of power surges and brownouts. The UPS has proven reliable. Now we can just free those power stations just for outdoor or car-travel uses only.

For those who live in rural or any place where the electric grid is aging, I truly recommend a UPS. The GoldenMate is just a good example. I don’t expect you to use it often, but it would be there for those moments, and help you find peace of mind. So in case you cannot find a reliable one, you can check out the GoldenMate UPS store here.

The post GoldenMate 8 Outlets UPS Review: Live Off Grid? At Least With a UPS appeared first on Gizmochina.

Vivo just announced their flagship Vivo X200 series in China today at the famous Water Cube, a.k.a. the National Aquatics Centre, in Beijing. We got the device a couple of days in advance, so our team had some time to play around and test it before an in-depth review.

In case you were wondering how the phone feels in real life, here’s a quick first impression of the Vivo X200 Pro.

The Vivo X200 Pro is Sleek but Chunky

The X200 Pro feels premium right out of the box. With its flat edges and metal frame, it gives us some serious flagship vibes. We’ve got the Blue Sapphire model, which mimics the ocean waves under light. I’m not sure if everyone would love this, but it definitely stands out.

The almost-flat display is a refreshing change from the curved screens we’ve been seeing everywhere. It’s got a nice heft to it, striking a balance between solid and comfortable—that is, until you get to the camera bump.

So let’s address the elephant in the room: that camera island is huge if we still take it as a Pro model. It’s big enough to be called an “ultra,” dominating the back of the phone, especially when we learned that the camera also inherited quite a lot from the X100 Ultra. While it houses a triple-lens setup, there’s an extra ‘lens-like’ circle up top that’s more for show than function. It balances out the look, but don’t be fooled — it’s not a fourth camera.

Camera App goes all in on AI

The camera app on the X200 Pro has gotten a serious glow-up. Vivo has added a bunch of AI features that make shooting a breeze. But note that almost all the fantastic custom features were developed for domestic users with various Chinese applications. For overseas markets, the brand has to work with Google’s Gemini. But there’s no doubt that OriginOS 5 intrigues me significantly more.

What if add some AI features to portrait mode? The X200 series gives you the answer. There’re four-season styles plus a Chinese style for auto post-modification. It makes the camera look fun, but only if you wait a minute or two.

The portrait mode is smarter than ever, and the landscape mode? It’s like they took the best bits of all the modes related to non-figure photography such as super night mode, pano mode, and star trails mode, and mashed them together. The software manager’s logic I guess is that they want to differentiate the custom modes into two categories, one for portrait and one for landscape. They’re like two folders, with the benefit of being easy to tell apart. The downside is that you have to ‘open’ them first (switch to them) – a step that may already be difficult for average users. One of my favorite features among the upgrades is the Zeiss Perspective Correction. When you look up a bit to shoot certain scenes, especially like architecture, you’ll always be annoyed by the perspective. On the X200 series, it would automatically crop and generate a horizontal perspective for users in real-time. It can instantly enhance the look and composition of your photos.

Further, video capabilities have taken a giant leap forward, especially in dark environments. We’re talking 4K at 120fps and even 8K at 30fps, which are all working well for dark scenarios. And for all you vloggers out there, there’s a new portrait video mode that’s bound to up your game. Initial quality of the videos was quite impressive but we want to test out the camera in detail for our final verdict. More importantly, it has a lot of fun that we couldn’t experience all in a moment.

The main camera is shifted to a brand-new sensor, SONY LTY818, sized at 1/1.28″. It’s claimed to have even better video-shooting capabilities. The 3.7x (85mm focus length & F/2.67) telephoto lens comes with the same setup as the vivo X100 Ultra’s – the impressive Zeiss 200MP APO telephoto lens.

Under the Hood: Dimensity 9400 Powerhouse

Powering all this goodness is the latest MTK Dimensity 9400 chip. We’re still running some benchmarks (Antutu Benchmark: the first mobile chipset exceeds 3,000,000), so stay tuned for the nitty-gritty performance details. But so far, the phone has been very smooth, we can expect the chip to deliver.

One of the coolest features we’ve played with on the phone is the BlueLM AI large model. You can actually download the local algorithm package for offline use, such as Image Stylization and Document Summarization, which is pretty neat. We’ve been having a fun time with image generation, text recognition, and instant translation. Another new software feature that caught my interest is ‘Circle to Search’. Just circle any objects or items on the display to search for their information. It can be triggered in any app while just holding two fingers on the screen for a few seconds. The results? Surprisingly accurate most of the time.

If you missed our X200 launch article, let me remind you that there’s a Pro Mini model as well. It has a very unique placement (compact in size), which is a refreshing change from all the Ultras and the Pro Maxes we’ve been seeing. We also have a detailed article explaining the entire Vivo X200 series, which will be out very soon.

In addition, Vivo and MediaTek have jointly developed and globally premiered the kilometer-level network-less communication technology, which realizes point-to-point and long-distance communication through Bluetooth connection in a network-less and signal-less environment. Supports SOS text broadcasting, one-to-one voice/text intercom, map location display, etc. Within a certain distance, you can form a local network of communication with other Vivo users by turning your phone into a walkie-talkie.

To sum up, the Vivo X200 Pro is shaping up to be a serious contender in the high-end smartphone market. With its focus on photography, powerful chip, and AI capabilities, it’s clear Vivo is gunning for the top spot. Sure, that camera bump is huge and might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re all about that photo and video life, this is definitely a phone to check out.

As for the battery, I would draw my conclusion first here – it feels like the premium phone with the longest battery life I’ve ever used. More details will be revealed in our in-depth review.

Please stay tuned for our full review, where we’ll dive deeper into the benchmarks, battery life, and how it holds up in day-to-day use.

In the meantime, what feature of the X200 Pro are you most excited about?

The post Hands-On with the Vivo X200 Pro: An Ultra-level Photography Powerhouse with AI Smarts appeared first on Gizmochina.

Honor 200 Pro

Just start with a brief summary. The new Honor 200 Pro Global Edition reinforced Honor’s strengths like extreme eye-comfort display, elegant look, easy-to-use software. and, imrpessively, upgraded the camera with the best portrait shooting that we’ve ever seen on a smartphone. The phone has the strongest camera hardware at its price (mid range), and offers a co-branding portrait mode with the famous Studio Harcourt Paris, which even challenges some more expensive camera phones.

Unbox

The Honor 200 Pro comes in a white packaging, inside including a 100W charger and an A to C cable along with the phone. It is worth mentioning that the phone not only supports the 100W Honor super-charge protocol, but also well-support high-power PPS charge. For charging, Honor has always been ahead of most brands, retaining the brand’s optimal charging efficiency while competible with most of the fast-charging accessories on the market. More detailed test results will be shown in the battery and charging section.

Design

The Honor 200 Pro continues the family design from its predecessor, the Honor 100 Pro. A similar capsule shaped camera module, which is advertised with term ‘Realm of Art’. Personally, I would take it as a better design that balances aesthetics and practicality. In 2024, the ‘cookie-cutter’ round camera island is more of a no-win solution for huge camera modules, which ruins the comfort of holding the phone in hands.

The Honor 200 Pro in hand is a white variant. If you look closely, the white back cover has water-flow-like texture underneath. The unique texture is far away from being boring, and rejects to be over-fancy as well. The finish of the back cover is also very commendable. The matte & anti-glare glass adds a bonus to the texture. And when I hold it in the hand, it provided a unique touch that is similar to velvet. Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the truth is that it does deliver a wonderful tactile feel, so much so that I often unconsciously fondle it.

The 200 Pro uses a 6.78-inch Quad-edge-curved Display screen, with very little curvature on the top and bottom, and being slightly more curved on the left and right sides. When compared to most phones with similar edge-curved display, the Honor phone’s screen is visually better with less impact on edges’ true color presentation.

It weighs less than 200g, yet amazingly it comes with a 5200mAh battery. Here we have another phone that weighs close – Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro. However, it only has a 4610mAh battery. It’s even more interesting that a wireless charging coil is set in the thin & lightweight phone, and with up to 66W of power. So how do they stuff such a big battery into this thin and light body? must be another engineering marvel then.

Although the Honor 200 Pro does look very polished, my only complaint is that it has a plastic outter frame. If it is a phone that isn’t about the looks, I wouldn’t care if it’s metal, plastic or other eco-friendly recycled materials. But the Honor 200 Pro is a different story, and the plastic bezel feels slightly dissonant to me personally.

I’ve also compiled a list of features that we all care about here, so you can take a closer look HERE.

Performance

This time the Honor 200 Pro is powered by an Snapdragon 8s Gen3 chipset. In Genshin Impact, when set to the highest graphics to test the phone in Fontaine, the average power consumption was only 5.5W. so it’s clear that the phone is running a more conservative strategy. This performance is close to that of the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro. But the Honor 200 Pro lags a bit behind in some benchmarks’ scores. Maybe some phones are perticularly optimized for those benchmarks?

The conservative strategy is not a negative optimization. One, because the 8s Gen3 isn’t really efficient at high loading due to cache degradation. And two, because the cooling capacity on such a thin & lightweight phone would obviously struggle. Therefore, I’m not going to complain about this, since it is a common trade-off on almost every thin and light phone on the market.

After all, for everyday use and most games, the Honor 200 Pro performs well with the 8s Gen 3 – smooth and fast responded, and there’s almost no difference from most thicker phones running the same chipset.

Screen

I’m sure quite a lot of people who chose phones from Honor for its Eye Comfort Display. This time around the 200 Pro still excels. Starting with its basic specs: it’s a 6.78-inch OLED screen with a manual maximum brightness of 600nits, a full-screen peak brightness of 1,200nits, and an peak window brightness of 4,000nits.

In terms of dimming strategy, when it’s raising up to 35% brightness, the phone applies the ultra-high Duty Ratio DC dimming, while below 35% it would switch to the 3840hz PWM dimming. And because this screen supports LTPS, so compared to LTPO, it has better flicker control. So for the display part, nothing really needs to concern. You would get one of the best phone screens on the market.

In addition to hardware-level low blue light, this display also supports HONOR Oasis Eye Protection. In short, it will colour temperature of the screen, based on the time, the use scenarios, and the ambient light. It is worth noting that, the front and rear camera would test the ambient light at the same time to make the best settings. So if you are sensitive to eye-comfort issues like flickers, the Honor 200 Pro is indeed a safe option.

Camera

The Honor 200 Pro’s camera gets a big upgrade. With the Main Camera using the H9000 flagship sensor (1/1.3″ size, F/1.95, 50MP, OIS), the 200 Pro got a close shooting experience to their flagship model, Magic 6 Pro; And the 68mm telephoto camera is debuting the new Sony IMX856, which features an aperture of F2.4 and 50MP resolution with OIS supports. In terms of hardware, I’d call it one of the most powerful cameras among mid-range phones.

For comparison, I chose the Xiaomi 13, with the same main camera+ultrawide+telephoto combo, very close in focal length. At first I thought it was going to be a close race, but when the samples were put together for comparison, the gap is quite huge.

First of all I really like the Honor’s AUTHENTIC colour mode. As the samples shown, this colour mode helps me to get more textured colors easily. The HDR performance of these twos is completely different. in samples taken by ultrawide camera you can see that Honor has just the right control over the bright poster. The Honor 200 Pro’s sample just correctly presented the poster details, while the Xiaomi phone lost almost all.

The same thing occurs in the telephoto camera. In addition to this artificial light, the better HDR effect also helps the Honor’s sample. The clouds in the 200 Pro’s photo clearly have better texture with being more layered and dynanic.

In terms of sharpness, the bigger and newer sensor also gives the 200 Pro a huge advantage. More samples were shown in the review video. Please take a closer look there if you are interested.

For portraits, the Honor 200 Pro has 3 different portrait modes, all from the collabs with the famous Studio Harcourt Paris, an art studio that specializes in portrait photography.

I personally prefer the Harcourt Classic, which offers a black&white color similar to the High Contrast of the Wet plate processing, allowing me to ignore the colors and focus on the lighting and the model. It’s really a fun way to shoot portraits. And now, it’s for everyone, just choosing one of the three modes and clicking the shutter. You also can make your portrait photography “professoinal” without any post-editing.

Battery & Charging

As mentioned, the Honor 200 Pro has a 5200mAh Silicon-Carbon battery, for everyday use it is a huge improvement over other lightweight phones. The 200 Pro supports up to 100W wired charging and 66W wireless charging. In our 0-100% charging test, it takes about 48 minutes to complete the charging task.

In addition to Honor’s charging Protocol, it also supports the High-Power PPS protocol, which has a maximum input power of around 50W as we tested, meaning that a random high power charger will be able to achieve decent charging speeds for this phone. But the charging port is not without drawbacks. As a transfer port, it only supports USB2.0, which makes it not yet perfect.

Verdict

The Honor 200 Pro is a very unique phone. It does not compromiose much with the thin&lightweight solution. Instead, it brings together a few features that are missing from mid-range phones, such as an excellent telephoto lens, high-powered wireless charging, a large battery and a balanced decent design. The Honor 200 Pro is so well-balanced that it would be hard to find a competitor at its price that matches it on all fronts. We are happy to see it being launched to international market. Predictably, the phone could be a milestone for Honor to make a breakthrough in the global market.

The post Honor 200 Pro Review: Shoot A Studio Portrait With Ease appeared first on Gizmochina.

HUAWEI MatePad 11.5 S PaperMatte

Early this month, Huawei released a bunch of new consumer devices including smart wearables, earbuds, tablets, laptops, and flagship phones. Most of them are amazingly decent with upgraded performance or design. Well, our team’s favorite out of all of these is this new tablet, the HUAWEI MatePad 11.5 S. To be honest, I didn’t expect too much on this tablet, as we’ve reviewed the most powerful model of this lineup last year, which is the MatePad Pro 13.2. I thought well, that’s good, another MatePad, not that ‘Pro’ but in a more portable size at more affordable pricing.

However, after I used it for over 2 weeks, I have to say it is even more ‘Pro’ as a productive tablet powered by Harmony OS. No matter for painting, note taking, or even video editing, it works well. And, of course, I’m talking about the experience with the brand-new M Pencil and the keyboard powered by Nearlink connection. They just seamlessly bring the tablet up to another level.

Hot in Chinese Market

This new MatePad is likely to be the most cost-effective HUAWEI tablet. The market response in China also proves this. It has gone crazy in the Chinese Market and sold out on the very first day it was launched. So now let’s check out why it got so popular.

PaperMatte Display

The first thing I want to share is about the PaperMatte display, which makes it the number-one tablet for my painting and stylus note-taking. It’s an 11.5-inch LCD panel with adaptive refresh rates of up to 144Hz. The true magic comes in the new PaperMatte processing of the protective glass. While this is nothing new, what surprised us was the visual and stylus effect it brought. Some might argue that it is just something that can be fixed by covering a matte protective film. However, the fact is that almost all protective films are just compromises. They often bring issues of worse colors, brightness, and resolution, along with stylus malfunction.

But look at this PaperMatte display. The stylus writing falls smoothly on the nib and fits perfectly. It does this with fine anti-glare while providing vivid colors and decent clarity at various angles. The matte finish is dedicated. When you touch the panel, it doesn’t give an odd touch, on the contrary, it supports various gesture swipes smoothly but leaves almost no fingerprints.

As its name “PaperMatte” implies, it’s like physical paper, except it’s harder. You can even hear the rustle of the stylus sliding on the display. that’s just so similar to the paper experience. I’m sure you hate seeing fingerprints and stains on a drawing tablet. The new MatePad just fixed it well by covering a hydrophobic and oil-resistant coating.

For the rest of the screen, you can check out the info here. The only drawback is that it has no ultra-high brightness and contrast like those OLED screens.

Design

As for the size and design, the whole metal body has great build quality and weight control. That’s also one of the reasons why I enjoy taking it on my business trips. The 11-inch size here is just right, larger than an iPad mini but fitting easily in my satchel.

Performance Powered By Kirin 9000WL

Before I move to the note-taking and drawing part, I need to relax you a bit over its performance. Although we have no firmly correct information about the chipset running inside, it’s pretty sure that the same Kirin 9000s (exact model: Kirin 9000WL) is running inside as what we have on the new Pura 70 Ultra. But of course, the CPU strategy might be varied a bit. But if you guys are still concerned about its performance, I would say that its actual power is at the level between Snapdragon 865 and 888. For daily use, thanks to the New Harmony OS, the great smoothness might make you ignore its performance.

Note Taking in HUAWEI NOTES

As for note-taking, I strongly recommend you guys try out the official app – HUAWEI Notes. On this MatePad, you have two official note-taking apps for options, the other is called HUAWEI NotePad. But obviously, the Huawei Notes has more features. For personalizing, you can customize each notebook with various coveries and paper patterns there, also including changing paper ratio and colors. The writing is optimized with the latest M pencil.

And as a note-taking tool, it has a built-in recording feature, which is not separate from note-taking. For example, assume you have a lecture while taking notes. Turn on the recorder, and your handwriting will also be recorded with the timeline. So when you get ready to review the recording, you can immediately locate the important parts in both your notes and the recording.

Apart from that, you are also allowed to move any part of the note with the circling tool, copy and share, change its size and color, or convert it to text.

Drawing & Sketching in HUAWEI GoPaint

Now let’s check out what it offers for sketching and painting. To be honest, none of those tablets could compare to the iPad for drawing, until the new MatePad. I doesn’t mean the gap in hardware is huge. Actually, now it’s pretty small, as some brands have styluses with great latency performance and stable connections. It’s just because few painting apps were ready to fit well the none-iPad tablets! So HUAWEI’s solution is to create a brand-new one for their own tablets, and, it’s free. The app is GoPaint, now only available for the latest MatePads. It’s also one of the most versatile sketching apps I found in the non-iOS system.

The app can support up to 320 layers for creation, even at 4k resolution, you can still have 66 layers. It offers quite a lot of canvas options and even supports customizing. There are over 100 brush patterns including oil painting, inking and so on. Most of these brushes have been very satisfying to me. While I used only about 10 of them, the pressure feedback, the latency, and the smoothness of the strokes were almost perfect. But there are still some special patterns that are stiff and offer no significant pressure feedback. But since I’m not good at drawing with them, I’m not sure if it’s the proper setup for those special artists.

What impressed me the most was its natural wandering through the inking brushes. Very few painting apps can simulate this kind of natural inking. The art creation is very flexible, you can adjust the shape of the selection at will, modify the color preference of layers, applying various effects such as ‘blur’ and ‘liquefy’. Anyway, I think it’s pretty friendly even for those who do not draw a lot. And you can also find quite a lot of useful tutorials inside the app. The whole app seems to keep emphasizing that Huawei is serious about developing painting and Sketching on their tablet.

You may have sensed my excitement in my review. The reason why I’m so excited is that: if you want a drawing tablet, now why should it be a more expensive iPad? The discussion within some brands is probably still stuck in the entertainment scenario for tablets, and then just spending the cost on hardware could be a less risky option. But I’d love to see one of them start to bring about an expansion of the scene through hardware and software collaboration. And that will lead to a new round of competition, which is absolutely a good thing for users.

Stylus & Keyboard

I haven’t tested the companion NearLink-powered M-pencil in depth yet. Since we had a really good experience with the MatePad Pro last time, I just decided to dive right into daily use. No surprises, it’s as stable and good as ever. The slow-motion comparison between the MatePad and new iPad Air is showcased in the review video. Please check it out if you are interested.

There’s also a keyboard accessory for the new MatePad. The typing is pretty good but it’s nothing special. So I’ll leave it at that. By the way, for officing, I strongly recommend you guys try the WPS Office, which is much user friendly for tablet officing than Microsoft’s.

Battery & Charge

Alright, the last part I want to share with you is the battery. Honestly, the battery is not very impressive, as the tablet uses an LCD panel, it seems that the battery life is a bit more struggle than others with an OLED one. But probably it’s because I was painting a lot in the GoPaint app, the battery dropped a bit faster than I expected. And the included charger only supports up to 22.5W power output, so that might be something you need to be aware of. It’s not really fast.

Video Editing in HUAWEI’s Petal Clip and CapCut/JianYing

In addition to the creative scenarios mentioned above, I also tried editing videos with it, and the tools that satisfied me were HUAWEI’s Petal Clip and CapCut powered by ByteDance. And for those who are interested, CapCut is about to release a Pro version. Or if you can read Chinese, you can also try out its Chinese version, Jianying, which has a lot of premium editing and AI features.

(Please check out the speaker sound of MatePad 11.5 S (vs iPad Air 2024) in our review video.

Verdict

Anyway, the MatePad 11.5 S is still my favorite electronic device for the past month. I’m sure it’s more than enough to fill that gap in the market. If you need a non-iPad to create on, it seems to be the best way to go! More importantly, it’s likely to have a reasonable price tag. I’m not sure how much it will sell for in different markets, but it’s a safe bet that it should be a strong contender for the best affordable tablet this year.

The post HUAWEI MatePad 11.5 S PaperMatte Review: Go Painting & Sketching With Built-in GoPaint APP appeared first on Gizmochina.

The Future Lens 2023 Event in Shanghai marked a significant milestone for TECNO as they unveiled 3 cutting-edge technologies in smartphone photography, including W-shaped Variable Aperture, Liquid Telephoto Macro lens, and Universal Tone for human skins. The combination of these advances not only aims to improve the image quality of a single lens but also has the potential to revolutionize the bloated capture experience of smartphone image systems.

Tecno is probably the most special industry leader among Chinese smartphone brands. Its legacy began with the myths it created in Africa, and has been continuing in the past few years, bringing more affordable hardware and software innovations to the global market for wider users.

As someone still keeping an eye on the mobile industry, I’ve realized that some sort of ‘keep on innovating’ is more of a marketing slogan among brands. But The future lens event showed me that Tecno is still on this path, investing in tech innovation about mobile photography. These new technologies make me even more excited to see what Tecno has in store for mobile photography in 2024.

Revolutionary W-Shaped Adjustable Aperture:

This patented technology is a game-changer in managing challenging lighting conditions. It uses the W shape of a cuttlefish’s eye as a template, shifting in aperture size to work better in various lit environments. By allowing manual adjustment of the aperture, it empowers photographers to handle backlight situations with ease, resulting in images that are not just clearer, but also richer in detail and color. This innovation reflects TECNO’s commitment to solving real-world photography problems.

As the first new technologies to be revealed at this event, it did impress me. What I’m surprised about is that the particular bionic shape doesn’t have any precedent for application within the industry. It’s even more of a bold attempt in the human industrial history of visual capture. Prior research has shown that the W-shape helps them to balance out the uneven light levels in their habitat. Cuttlefish live in shallow water with a lot of light at the top of their vision, but it gets dimmer quickly further down.

As a result, they need to deal with a fairly wide range of light intensities at the same time. The combination of horizontal and vertical oriented slits in the pupil brings an overall more even level of illumination across the retina, reducing the contrast between the brightest and darkest parts of the scene.

More research is already underway, and something like the new bionic ROBOT could be the best vehicle for this. But soon, you may be able to experience the accurate capture of complex lighting on Tecno phones with the bionic variable aperture.

Liquid Telephoto Macro Lens – A Compact Tech:

TECNO’s liquid telephoto macro lens combines the power of telephoto and macro lenses in a compact form. This breakthrough uses voltage to alter the lens’s curvature, enabling stunning close-up shots with incredible detail. It’s a significant step forward in making professional-grade photography accessible on a smartphone without compromising on design aesthetics.

Telephoto lenses on phones are caught in a lens structure that makes it difficult to focus on subjects at close range. But we have also seen some phones (e.g. Xiaomi 11) had their lenses especially enable macro shooting with telephoto lenses, while the focus range was limited to a narrow range (e.g. 3-7cm). As a result, the telephoto lens was only for macro shooting but not for distant scenes.

Liquid lenses are similar to the human eye – well, another bionic application. They can “see close (macro)” and “see far”, but with the solid focal length (angle of view). The transparent fluid wrapped in the film is modeled as the lens, and the voltage motor that controls the fluid curvature is similar to the ciliary muscle of the human eye.

It’s not the first time this technology has appeared in the smartphone industry, but it’s a shame that its precedent hasn’t caught on. I’m still very much looking forward to seeing if Tecno can bring Liquid Lens up to the next level with excellent user experience.

Universal Tone Technology

With the Universal Tone Technology, TECNO is setting new standards in photographic inclusivity. This technology, developed through extensive research, uses AI to accurately render a wide spectrum of skin tones in photographs. It ensures that every portrait is vibrant and true to the subject, a testament to TECNO’s dedication to celebrating diversity through technological excellence.

It’s a shame that we only see a relatively uniform standard of skinning beauty on most phone brands. So in that respect, it seems like Tecno is doing a great thing: every shade of skin tone from every corner of the planet can get compliments and affirmation (which, even though, just came from a phone’s camera system), rather than get simply and brutally told what’s ‘right’ for your skin’s aesthetics.

The keynotes and panel discussions at the event underscored the broader implications of these technologies. Industry experts shared insights on how TECNO’s innovations are poised to transform the landscape of mobile photography, setting new benchmarks for what smartphones can achieve in image capturing and processing.

Mr. Jun Zhang, Director of Sony Semiconductor Solutions (Shanghai), was invited to give a speech on how Sony was continually advancing image sensor technologies, and the value of collaboration with Tecno. He said, “Our image sensors must be closely coordinated with the smartphone manufacturer to achieve the best results. Only through communication with the engineers at the handset manufacturers can Sony develop better image sensors. Therefore, we are very much looking forward to further cooperation with TECNO in the future and will work together to bring the joy of mobile imaging to more consumers around the world.”

Addressing TECNO’s ongoing commitment to putting developing products that meet users’ needs, Director of TECNO’s Image R&D Center, Mr. Xiaohan Huang said: “TECNO’s commitment to user-centric innovation lies at the heart of our technological endeavors. Through relentless dedication to independent research and development, we have consistently pushed the boundaries of imaging technology. Learning from industry leaders, we strive to revolutionize the consumer experience by delivering cutting-edge solutions. TECNO remains steadfast in its pursuit to enhance and redefine the way users engage with technology. The future holds exciting possibilities, and we are poised to continue our unwavering efforts in this journey.”

TECNO’s advancements showcased at Future Lens 2023 are a clear indication of the company’s pursuit of leading mobile photography. While we don’t have clear information yet on when these technologies will be applied and integrated debut on which Tecno products. But sources are suggesting that Tecno will launch a new product in spring 2024 (likely to be at MWC in Feb 2024), where we may have a chance to get a glimpse of how these technologies work with an actual phone.

The post TECNO Unveils 3 Game-Changing Smartphone Camera Technologies at Future Lens 2023 appeared first on Gizmochina.

Redmi Watch 4

In the just-concluded Redmi 10th anniversary, not just releasing the much-anticipated K70 series, Redmi also launched a series of new products. Among all these supporting accessories, the most interesting to me is the Redmi Watch 4, because this is the first time for the budget series, truly wearing “metal armor”.

So we couldn’t wait to call somebody and buy one during the launch. so let’s see if it’s the best affordable smartwatch to buy this year.

Design & Metal Frame

This is the Redmi Watch 4. Although the design with the metal shield used makes it feel much more premium, during the boxing, I still can’t help to have some sort of Apple Watch illusion. So while I quite like the new watch’s design so far, I still have to say that this is the most Apple-Watch-like model of 2023 so far.

If you guys remember its predecessor, the Redmi Watch 3, you may recall that it tried very hard to masquerade as being metallic. But with the plastic frame, the watch 3 still reaped a lot of complaints about its cheap feel and look. The watch 4 seems to have learned from its mistakes and is serious about bringing an aluminum frame to this more popular line, which is great.

And the new watch is still lightweight, though it comes with a metal built outside, adding 10g compared to the Watch 3. The watch body without straps here is about 32g, well, which just feels like the typical weight of a smart band.

The metal surface with a matt finish can keep fingerprints away, and another good detail is that the new crown here is even made of stainless steel with a subtle texture. So when it meets the fine processing of the frame, everything here just makes it correct.

The front face is completely flat with sharp edges. But I have concerns here: as a watch that can’t be worn without bumps and bruises. It’s unavoidable that such sharp edges are likely to be scarred and scratched a lot. So, a little reminder here, just be careful.

There’s another little problem. I’m used to wearing my watch on my left wrist. Sometimes I tie it too tightly, then when I lift my wrist, the protruding crown would be touched by mistake. So when you have the same confusion, the easiest solution is to relax it on your wrist. Or if you just like to use this wrist-lifting gesture as a wake-up trigger, it may be a hidden egg feature for you. But, not for me right now.

About the straps, the good news here is that the Redmi Watch 4 has also been upgraded to fit with Xiaomi’s quick-release straps, which are much easier to remove and replace. It’s compatible with straps of other Xiaomi wearables, such as the straps of the Xiaomi Band 8 Pro. So it means that you have and will have more straps to choose from.

Flat Front & 1.97″ AMOLED Display

Let’s take a look at the front. The front side still features a square dial design close to Apple’s and one that they’ve been sticking to with Redmi’s lineups. Compared to the predecessor, the 1.97-inch AMOLED display and 74.8% screen-to-body ratio here, carry a more complete info display, and also a bit improve the operating experience.

The display quality is still great with a decent resolution and vivid colors. The auto-adjustable brightness can boost the display up to 600nit for outdoor uses, which is quite clear in the bright daytime. Another good feature here is the variable refresh rate. While operating, the display could run at 60Hz for a smooth experience. And the refresh rate can also be reduced to 5Hz while display-off. So in the AOD mode, the new watch could even be more power-saving.

Software – HyperOS

The changes at the software level are also a big reason why I’m looking forward to this watch, the Redmi Watch 4 has the latest Xiaomi HyperOS built-in, making it the second Xiaomi line of wearables to come with HyperOS.

Its dial market offers a very large selection of personalized displays, and I’m sure you’ll always be able to pick the style that suits you best there.

The User interface is still neat and clear. There’s not much difference from predecessors, swiping in different directions on the dial page to check notifications and check widgets you preset in the phone app called Mi Fitness. But there’s only one crown for tapping into the app menu. So you have no shortcut button for actions like starting sports.

Health Tracking & Sport Tracking

There’s not much to say on health tracking features. It’s still good, with an upgraded heart rate monitoring sensor for more accurate heart rate records. The blood oxygen monitoring also supports 24/7 auto-tracking, now you can check your blood oxygen records throughout the day. In addition, sleep tracking, stress tracking, female cycle reminders, and breathing training are also available.

As for sports tracking, the new watch supports more than 150 sports modes, covering almost all the sports I know, such as 17 water sports, 40 outdoors, 26 ball sports, and so on. Even you can find some card or board games there! But there are quite a few exercises that I don’t recommend you wear it for. Like basketball and football, the sharp edges could hurt the others.

Other Features

It comes with a built-in independent GNSS chip, supporting the main 5 satellite positioning systems on the planet. Without a phone, it still can record the track of outdoor running. And thanks to the 5ATM waterproofing, you can also wear it while doing water sports, such as swimming.

And I know some of you also care about the bonus feature like NFC. Yes, it has, but if you live in China, this feature can bring you more convenience, such as secure offline mobile payments and full transportation card simulation. 

Battery Life

As claimed, the new watch got improved by 50% to 80% on battery life performance. It can last up to 10 days in typical AOD mode, and 20 days in typical mode with default factory settings. We weren’t able to test and verify the battery life, since we tried to talk to you about the watch as soon as possible. I would let you guys know if I was disappointed in the follow-up use. But based on the whole-day use with most auto-tracking and AOD on, the 11% battery drop is quite impressive.

Verdict

So that’s my most-anticipated smartwatch in the second half of 2023. The Redmi Watch is still the top contender for best affordable smartwatch. But for now, it still fails to fully utilize Xiaomi’s multi-device connectivity. From the Watch 4, we only get a switch for the smart home’s auto-scenarios.

Our Redmi K70 series review is coming soon. Please keep subscribing to our channel and stay tuned.

The post Redmi Watch 4 Full Review: The Affordable Smartwatch Got Metal Frame appeared first on Gizmochina.

Intro

With the advancement of technology, the development of TWS earphones has also accelerated the process. Some of them have become lighter, more convenient and stable connections, some have improved noise reduction algorithms, and some have achieved ultra-CD-level lossless sound quality. HUAWEI, one of the biggest Chinese digital products enterprises finally launched the new model of their flagship TWS series, HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 3, in September. So, whether it is continuing the magic power brought by its first and second gens, let’s find out the truth.

Unboxing& Design

The HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro3 packaging box still adopts a square design on the front. The whole is compact, which as usual, contains a charging compartment, a pair of earphones, a Type-C charging cable, three pairs of earplugs that can match the size of most people’s ears, a warranty card and a manual.

The charging case of the Freebuds Pro3 has a classic pebble shape, with a matte fog-face design on the shell. The touch here is still great. And a mirror glass on the back with a HUAWEI logo. The button is placed on the left, and the charging port and hidden speaker opening for earphone searching are at the bottom. The earbuds’ body is a use of glossy design, which is not much different from its predecessor, the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2.

The shaft design of the charging case uses a hidden type, the feeling of opening and closing is very smooth. The opening is made into a diagonal cut so that it offers a larger opening Angle for the lips of the charging box, more convenient for users to take out the headset. In operation, it and the current mainstream flagship wireless Bluetooth headset is also roughly similar, press the control key to play or pause music and answer or hang up the phone; long press to switch normal mode, transparent mode, and noise reduction mode; sliding up/down the control area to adjust the volume.

Tone Quality

HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro3 adopts the Kirin A2 core independently developed by Huawei, which greatly improves the computing, but also brings more efficient signal processing capability, more accurate noise reduction, and a purest call environment. This is indeed validated in actual experience. Even though its predecessor was good enough, we still perceive the improvement in areas such as noise reduction. We’ll talk more about that later.

Huawei’s unique L2HC 3.0 audio codec protocol supports a transmission rate of 1.5Mbps, and thanks to this, its sound quality has also been greatly improved. The speed of a lossless CD music is 1.41Mbps, and the FreeBuds Pro3 L2HC 3.0 can restore 100% CD lossless music, letting users enjoy music more immersive. But at the same time, to achieve stable and best sound quality, you need to pay attention to the environmental interference on the signal. Otherwise, in most environments with crowded devices, I recommend you to turn on the ‘Prioritise connection quality’ option on the earbud management page of the HUAWEI AI Life app.

Through the test, FreeBuds Pro3 has excellent low-frequency diving and good resolution of mid and highs. According to official data, the limits of low frequency and high frequency are 14Hz and 48kHz respectively. The human voice is more transparent and crystal with fine detail, and the instruments are well arranged with the human voice, creating a wonderful balance in a stunning sound stage. I’m pretty sure that the new FreeBuds Pro is still the first-tier TWS earbuds in terms of sound quality. However, it should be noted that the L2HC 3.0 protocol currently only supports the Mate60 and X5 series. Even though, you can still enjoy excellent sound on other devices, especially other HUAWEI phones.

NearLink

Not only that, this headset is Huawei’s first wireless Bluetooth headset equipped with NearLink technology. Compared with the traditional Bluetooth headset, it not only supports faster connection but leads to better stability with stronger anti-interference. NearLink, as a new generation of short-range wireless connection technology led and developed by HUAWEI, even comes with lower power consumption, lower delay, wider coverage and easier networking as claimed. The NearLink technology can achieve 20ms of super-low latency, which can be auto-activated when games are launched with FreeBuds Pro 3 if the ‘Dynamic latency’ option is on in the app.

Noise Reduction

As a flagship TWS headset, noise reduction is one of the important criteria to test its quality. HUAWEI has been always the one applying the most aggressive solution for its maximum ANC performance. If its predecessor had already achieved the level of industry excellence, the new Freebuds Pro 3 seems to be almost unrivaled in this regard at this point.

It is equipped with intelligent dynamic noise reduction 3.0, with the powerful computing power of Kirin A2, with the upgraded AI adaptive noise reduction algorithm and three-microphone hybrid noise reduction system, it can accurately identify and calculate the noise inside and outside the ear in real time, and customize the noise reduction effect according to different scenes. Of course, there will still be some background noise in very loud environments, but this problem can be largely avoided once the music is turned on.

The most I’ll complain about is that it’s so quiet that I get addicted to it and miss some of the ambient alerts. So it will be much safer to adapt to the dynamic mode and give your ears time to get used to them.

Furthermore, its in-ear form also provides some passive physical noise reduction, if you choose the right earplugs for your ears.

And thanks to the powerful hardware of HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro3, its noise reduction during calls is also very good. The headset incorporates DNN call noise cancellation algorithms, allowing you to make comfortable HD calls in extremely high-noise environments. Not only that, with the VPU and three microphone system, intelligent processing and distinguishing between high and low-frequency noise, its wind noise resistance is also very good, even when the wind is very strong, users can still clearly talk with the other side.

Battery

In addition, the charging case of HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 3 is still compact, but with a decent capacity of 510mAh. Official data show that in the connection stable priority mode, you can continuously play music for about 33 hours, even in the sound quality priority mode, its battery life can still last 30 hours. At the same time, its charging speed is good. With the empty case, the wired charge only takes 60 minutes to full, and wireless charging takes about 150 minutes.

Other Functions

Of course, FreeBuds Pro3 is also equipped with some features that mainstream flagship wireless Bluetooth headphones have, such as spatial audio, pop-up display when the headset is opened, personalized pop-up theme, intelligent broadcasting and so on. Not only that, this time it also supports offline search headphones, allowing users to add some means of recovery in the case of lost headphones. However, I love this headset very much and will put it away very carefully after use, so I haven’t had a chance to experience this function.

Conclusion

In conclusion, HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro3 can be regarded as one of the best flagship ANC earbuds with its supreme sound quality and noise reduction, and in the case of connecting with Huawei phones, the cross-device experience is relatively perfect. The powerful features of these earbuds are definitely worth the money, but if you don’t have a Huawei phone, you need to decide whether to buy it according to how much you like it and how much you are familiar with Huawei’s software/hardware supports. Personally, the new earbuds have become one of the best companions for commuting, work, and travel.

Make sure you check the earbuds out here if you are interested in having anything I mentioned above.

The post HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 3 Review: Still leading the kind appeared first on Gizmochina.

HUAWEI MATE 60 Pro

After numerous leaks and rumors, Huawei silently launched the Huawei Mate 60 Pro Smartphone in China. As Huawei’s most important premium series, it has never been so low profile. But the news of the silent sales blew up on the Chinese internet. This is the first time Huawei has brought a 5G phone with its own Kirin chip since it was hit with the ban.

So is this Mate 60 Pro in my hand announcing that Huawei’s high-end phones have broken through all the technological walls and are now completely self-researching and self-producing? Unfortunately, there’s very little information that can be confirmed and we still can’t draw any conclusions yet. But we can still take a look at this Huawei mate 60 pro that’s back on the road and maybe we’ll get some answers.

Today we’ll do a brief unboxing and performance showcase. Later we’ll update the detailed review video, so stay tuned and subscribe to our channel. It really means a lot to us.

Unboxing & Design

The box is also low-profile without fancy details. All we learn from it is that it’s the Huawei Mate 60 Pro, featuring Kunlun glass with good shock resistance, powered by Xmage camera system and Harmony OS. The software is a bit different from those global variants of Huawei phones running the EMUI. Later we will check it out. 

The smartphone bundles high-end features and a circular camera module on the rear side. The 12GB+ 512GB storage variant is retailing via Huawei store in China for 6999 Yuan which roughly translates to $960. Huawei Mate 60 Pro is available in four different color options Green, Silver, Purple, and Black. The model in my hand is the silver variant.

The phone has a unique construction, with a metal unibody that extends from the frame to the lower half of the back, while the upper half is a piece of shock-resistant Kunlun glass with a matt finish. The overall stitching transition is wonderfully done.

The camera island returns to the classic Mate 40 series design. Personally, I think it’s the best appearance design language from Huawei. I’m happy to see this big ring coming back in Huawei’s returning work. At the center, it’s the symbol of Huawei’s proud Xmage camera system instead of Leica logo.

Cameras – XMAGE System

It houses a triple-rear camera module featuring a 50MP primary sensor with OIS capability, a 12MP ultrawide sensor, and a 48MP telephoto OIS lens that supports 3.5x Optical zoom and 100x digital zoom. The rear camera supports variable aperture. The XMAGE camera system supports Super Night Mode, Super Macro, Macro PiP, Pro Mode, Slow Motion, Multi Camera, and AI photography mode. Further, it includes a 4D predictive focus tracking for fast capture.

Now turn it over and there’s a 13MP camera with HDR support for selfies and video calling. Actually, it got triple punched holes with a 3D depth lens featuring 3D face recogniiton. But visually it supports custom effects like what we’ve seen on iPhone’s Dynamic Island. The display is a bit wider than most flagships, but its well-built gentle edges make it still comfortable to hold.

While it only has one speaker on the frame, it can utilize the earpiece opening above the front camera to construct stereo sound. There’s no headphone jack, but infrared remote and NFC are well-supported.

Display

The front face is a 6.82-inch OLED LTPO display with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and 1440Hz PWM dimming. The resolution is great and visually it’s pretty sunning with a wider size. It is well-protected with Huawei’s shock-resistant Kunlun glass.

As we mentioned before, the phone now supports 5G network. I’m not sure if it’s available in other regions since we couldn’t find any official info about it. But here is our test in China. The data flow looks pretty good, so you can still trust Huawei phones to excel at signaling.

Software

Now look at the software, the Harmony OS 4, which is a new operating system developed by Huawei as an alternative to Android. It’s really not significantly different from EMUI over daily experiences, such as the same UI and no Google services. But the Harmony OS is said to be faster and more responsive due to its distributed architecture, which might make it a step up from EMUI over performance, battery life, and security.

One more feature that we could only have with the China variant is satellite calling. But by far it’s only available to China Telecom users with a dedicated satellite plan or SatLink users. In the following review video, we will try to show you more about how it works.

Kirin 9000s Chipset

As for the most talked about performance aspect, to be honest, the new Kirin 9000s isn’t able to match this year’s flagship chipsets such as the Snapdragon 8Gen2, which is probably closer to the Snapdragon 870’s level. So it’s not much different from the Kirin 9000 released 3 years ago. But this is already a great success for Huawei. And it seems likely that they’ve managed to find an alternative foundry to TSMC in mainland China at this point, while finally bringing mobile chip production to the mainstream level. I’m sure this will cause a lot of shock and concern in the industry.

Battery & Charge & Other features

The Huawei Mate 60 Pro comes with a 5000 mAh battery that supports up to 88W fast wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and 20W reverse wireless charging. It features an IP68 rating, which means it will be waterproof up to a depth of 1.5 meters for 30 minutes, and is protected from dust. – all these protecting features are without the need for extra cases or covers.

Full Review Coming soon

The Mate 60 Pro will likely be a milestone for the brand. The challenges it has faced in the global market may not go away, but this step has surprised a lot of people. We don’t know the reason why Huawei silently put the Mate 60 Pro on the shelves yesterday, maybe they are planning something big. Anyway, we still hope that the market can stay competitive and no player sleeps in peace.

We can’t wait to review this phone in depth. So please stay tuned and keep subscribing to our channel.

The post Huawei Mate 60 Pro Unboxing & Hands-on: Kirin 9000s Chipset For 5G & Satellite Callings?! appeared first on Gizmochina.

Zendure SuperBase V

The Zendure SuperBase V system is the ever-seen most powerful power backup solution for the whole home, including boosting your electric car. I’d even call it the most necessary piece of equipment on everyone’s doomsday list.

But of course, we’re not at the point where we need to worry about that. This is also the biggest and most powerful tech product for individuals that I’ve ever tested, except for EVs. It’s actually bigger than I expected when I decided to test the Zendure home power solution. But to some extent, compared to the fantasies I once had about this kind of dream product, it’s surprisingly small. I used to fantasize that I’d need to set aside a large workspace in my house to put down an off-grid giant power station and power storage. But thanks to Zendure, it has been realized and easily placed in any corner of any room, with an extremely integrated and modular design.

I would define the Zendure SuperBase V6400 as a portable and modular power station that you can scale from 6.4kWh up to 64kWh with up to 4 stackable satellite battery modules, which easily power the entire home for two days straight. Meanwhile, if adding the Zendure portable solar panels, you can easily access the most direct clean energy from nature and store it in the SuperBase V system as a massive backup system.

With energy prices soaring, this will undoubtedly become a trend, with civilian-grade portability and ease of use. Without much technical setup or installation, any inexperienced individual can get a piece of nature’s most generous gift, which sounds like something out of a sci-fi story. But such a dream scenario come true.

Specifications

Packaging – SuperBase V6400 & Satellite Battery B6400

Let’s start with its delivery packaging. I didn’t think it could be shipped and collected so smoothly, which indeed thanks to Zendure’s efficient, safe, and compact design in light cardboard-based packaging. Although the SuperBase V weighs 130 lbs (59 kg) with a size of 28.7 x 13.6 x 17.4in, fortunately, the entire solid package keeps it securely on the pallet.

To free it out, just unpack the big case as shown in the video below, and pull out the hidable handles, with which you can pull it like a suitcase, and the four well-built wheels at the bottom will help you easily roll the whole unit into the desired position. Finally, lock the front wheels to make sure it doesn’t ‘run away’.

You can either pick up the single SuperBase V6400 unit for an available capacity of 6.4kWh, or also add the Zendure satellite battery units to expand the power capacity of the SuperBase V system.

The satellite battery (101lbs, 46kg) is also a big one, too. It’s unboxed in the same way as the SuperBase Unit, but instead of motorized wheels on the bottom, it only has a couple of support feet for stacking. The best way to assemble them is to lift and stack the battery on top of the SuperBase V. Remove the rubber tapes and the satellite battery would nestle securely on top of the main unit.

What’s included

In addition to the power band combo units, the box was shipped with the following accessories:

• Car charging cable *1 (1.5m)
• Satellite Battery Cable *1
• AC cable *1 (1.5m)
• Warranty Card + User Manuals
• Accessory pouch

The whole power kit we tested also comes with the following Solar-recharging add-ons:

• Zendure 400W Solar Panel * 1
• Mc4 to XT90 Cable *1

In addition to all the accessories we mentioned above, Zendure also provides some additional add-ons, interested in click here to learn more.

Battery

The SuperBase V6400 and the Satellite Battery run on SBS (Semi-solid-state Battery) technology, which has better energy densities than lithium-ion batteries offering higher energy in the same weight. And the solid electrolytes are safer for less risk of explosion or combustion.

Capacity

Both the SuperBase V6400 and the B6400 Satellite battery come with a huge capacity of 6438Wh. The modularized design allows users to pair up to 4 Satellite batteries with each SuperBase V, which can form a 32kWh capacity backup power system without any dismantling and reinstalling process. In addition, if you can afford more, it’s available to run two SuperBase Vs in parallel, storing a total capacity of up to 64kWh, which is undoubtedly the most powerful power setup in homes without professional techniques required. It can fully charge an EV like Tesla Model Y running on a 57.5kWh battery or power up a whole family for more than 2 days.

Output

The various options available on the Zendure SuperBase over inputs and outputs were the most pleasant surprise for me. Since our studio often tests electronic products from all over the world with different AC input standards, we really need a power supply that can provide multiple outputs. Now with the SuperBase V, we can find the corresponding AC outlets for different devices and safely realize both 120V-60Hz and 240V-60Hz power at a time (Available with ZenAC Outputs, including a 240V 6-20 plug). The SuperBase V is the first and the only system to offer both at a time, thanks to its patented GridFlow 2.0 Real-time Bidirectional inverting technology.

You can find a raft of ports on the SuperBase V6400 (see the table in the Specification section).

Having six USB ports below the info panel also makes it great for powering small electronic devices, including two 100W Type-C PD fast charging posts, two standard Type-Cs, and two regular Type-As.

Apart from the USB-A, USB-C, 120V AC and 240V AC plugs, it also contains a 120V TT-30 port and another Anderson port on the side panel that power your RV or camper at 30A outdoors. On the side panel, you can also find a car outlet and two more DC5521 ports, for a total of 126W max output.

In addition to all the output features we mentioned, you can check out Zendure official website, which also offers a home panel with EV outlets. But if you need to make it work for your EV, a single unit can really only be used as an emergency supplement to extend the range a bit. But the good side is that such 6.4kWh capacity sometimes can really help!

Another great feature shared by premium backup batteries is to work as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). No exception for the SuperBase V. It features the powerful zero-downtime online UPS to prevent from sustain damage from even a brief interruption in power. Once there’s a sudden power outage, the SuperBase V’s backup power would seamlessly switch on in 0ms and protect your appliances at work to stay online. 

Inputs & Recharging

Accordingly, its AC input also supports all the wall outlets you could possibly have (120V~60Hz, 1800W Max / 240~60Hz, 3,600W Max). We tested the Superbase V6400 for its recharging with our local grid of 220V AC. It took us around 80 mins to collect back 40% of the power, and the full charge is done within 3 hours. During the whole test, we pull on the fast-charging trigger to get a max available power at 3.2kWh-3.3kWh. So if converted to a 240V grid, it’s likely to achieve a maximum charging efficiency of 3600W as advertised, and collect back all the power of 6.4kWh in about 2-2.5 hours. But please note that the recharging power will drop to a maximum of 1800W with a 120V grid.   

And you can also trigger the AC charging speed switch to custom mode. It allows you to set up a custom charging speed in a range of 600W to 3600W. The figure can be decided in the Zendure app. In actual use, we think it could be more popular since the unit could run safely and quietly in some situations.

Or you may have to charge your SuperBase on the go or just to collect free solar power. The SuperBase features an MPPT solar controller for solar input through an XT90 connector. Zendure offers two options of portable solar panels (200W / 400W). The one we tested is a 400W panel, which consists of four foldable sections. It’s amazingly light enough to carry with a single hand. The panel got four attached kickstands for easy setup and free angle adjustment. We don’t think it’s completely waterproof, but our experience is that it could cope with short light rain (IP54 rated). It really makes sense. After all, we wouldn’t really expect to unfold it to collect solar power on a rainy day. It’s a very practical accessory with a handy pouch on the back side, so you can fit all the cables you might use with the SuperBase into it while having a road trip.

The main SuperBase can take up to 3,000W at 12-150VDC & 25A max current. To reach more efficient recharging, you have to wire a couple of the 400W panels in series (Max. 3 panels) or in parallel (3 series max), which is much more reasonable for home fixed location use. But with a single 400W panel, it won’t be as efficient as using the grid power.

When combining AC and solar power, SuperBase V can charge up to 5,150W on its own, or boost up to 6,600W with a Satellite Battery connected.

Meanwhile, the XT90 port can also work as a car recharging inlet via the car cigarette lighter socket. The cable of XT90 to cigarette lighter is included in the package, so it could also be one of the most convenient recharging options on the go with your cars, though it could only support a power of 12V/24V with a 10A current.

There’s another ZenT2 Port for recharging the SuperBase V from a level 1 or 2 EV charging station with an extra accessory – Zendure EV T1 adapter, which could also offer the maximum 3600W power as the AC inlet can do. But right now, it seems to be required for use in North America.

For the satellite battery, it’s available to be recharged through connection with the main SuperBase unit or the solar panels via the XT90 connecter. As an expandable battery module, it’s as safe as the main unit. But without the motorized wheels, it’s certainly not a good portable accessory but more like a fixed and stackable backup module for the whole system.

Zendure APP

The Zendure app is the best companion software that I’ve used with a backup power station. Users can get the most out of the SuperBase V and the satellite battery’s setup, such as checking out all data and its status with perfect graphics, and remotely controlling features to keep it running properly. Once the SuperBase V is connected via home Wi-Fi, it will be an important part of your smart home. You can:

• See and switch charging sources and discharge status with specific figures of power outputs and input;
• Monitor its operating temperature at all times;
• Check out and change the ambient light effects with different color setups.
• Tracking power data per day, week, month, and year.
• Have voice control with Google or Alexa voice assistant.
• And so on.

Experience & Comments

Let’s ignore the extremes of power usage for a moment, and imagine that during off-peak hours you could easily store 6kWh of cheap power from the mains or solar, or keep it as backup power for off-grid uses. This has been able to solve the power problems that plague most of our homes.

Let’s get a bit more creative, like placing it on an RV, where you have the option of using the car outlet to fully recharge it, or just connecting it to solar panels placed on the roof of the vehicle to collect the clean power. Then we’d have a complete regenerative power system on the go. However, with all of this solar power in mind, please first consider if your area has good high-angle sun exposure. If the answer is yes, then congratulations, the SuperBase V may be the best portable power system for you.  

Some families might still keep those power outages using a gas generator as a backup power source. However, we truly see the Zendure as a smarter alternative with distinct advantages. Generally, it runs much and much quieter, and it can be useful in more usage scenarios with super expandability and portability. For those who are looking for a reliable backup power solution for their home, RV, EV, or just a remote cabin, the Zendure SuperBase V series is almost impeccable.

You don’t need to go through a lot of instructions on how to set it up and confirm the power configuration. It’s already prepared well for users. You can switch between 120V/240V recharging sources at will, and you can rely on its powerful output to power most of your appliances without distinguishing what power they require and where they come from.

The only thing you would seriously consider is its price. Such a versatile power solution doesn’t come cheap, but for those who live with unstable and expensive power supply, or travel all over the place with their EVs or RVs, it could be money well spent.

If you are interested in constructing such a power solution, it’s better to check out Zendure store on your own. I believe you will have a more concrete visualization of the future.

The post Zendure SuperBase V6400 Home Backup Power System Review: The Most Powerful Mobile Off-grid Home Power Solution appeared first on Gizmochina.

ECOVACS ROBOTICS recently showcased a new range of cutting-edge products during its 2023 Global Launch Event. This introduction represents the brand’s ongoing commitment to addressing diverse home service needs and reinforcing its “Robotics for All” ethos. We were excited to be there and take a closer look at the three of the newly released robots. You can check out the video about the event tour.

ECOVACS Deebot X2 OMNI

The first one is the Deebot X2 OMNI robot vacuum. The biggest changes noticeable to the eyes are the shape and size. The front of the robot has been designed in a square body, with 32cm wide and 95mm high, and the mop underneath is 200mm wide, which is pretty large.

If you have followed up on the robot vacuum products in this market, you will understand that, unlike all the rounded robot vacuums out there, such shape and dimension changes, we’ve seen before in the market, can again largely improve the capability of cleaning some hard-to-reach places, like 90-degree corners, areas under or around the sofa, and we will definitely notice the differences it makes. Meanwhile, the mop lift is improved to 15mm high now and the suction power is upgraded to 7500-8000pa, this will enable the robot to climb up taller carpets and will not leave any dirt behind. Ecovas claims that the X2 OMNI can clean up to 99.77% of the whole house, which is much like a figure that we haven’t seen before.

In order to fulfill a vacuum’s destiny, the brain of the robot has also been upgraded. The AIVI 3D 2.0 system has a “Dual-laser Lidar”, which not only significantly reduced the height of the robot, but also can detect everything much quicker and more precisely within a wide 210-degree field of view.

The benefit of the upgrades enables the robot to have a better computing ability, you can see how it maps out the more squared-off corners and accurate tiny objects. In reality, it can determine the size and position of the objects in front of it, not just one, but all of them, so it can decide the best route to go ahead without any trials. The AI machine learning ability has really helped the robot to select the best navigation strategy, to put it into comparison here, some models from other brands will just stuck and can’t decide which way to go, but the X2 OMNI is doing an excellent job here. The mobility is incredible. By the way, this tech is also used in some electric cars, so the reliability and response are second to none for sure.

Some other features worth mentioning are auto dirty-water detection, auto detergent filling, and YIKO intelligent voice assistant 2.0. Which also helps a lot to improve the overall experience.

After this, would you say it can help you better with household cleaning? let us know your thought down below, and we will try to do a more in-depth review of this later on.

ECOVACS WINBOT W2

Next one is the Winbot W2. Living in the concrete jungle is something we are all familiar with, and the glass window is the portal for us to know the outside world, well keeping it clean can be an essential task we all need to do. The Winbot, a window cleaning robot from Ecovacs solves the problems perfectly, and the W2, got some improvements over the first gen.

The best part is that it has a station for the robot, this station is multi-fuctional, it plays the role of taking the robot anywhere it should be, providing power when the robot is working, automatically retracting the cables, and also it can stick to the floor. In case the robot falls from the window, the station will make sure it does not fall further down, this is a very thoughtful design. With this station, the robot can work for 80mins, it can definitely clean many windows in the house. But just to remind you, the station can not suck on the window like the robot, it’s better to put it on the ground it should be.

A common problem with window-mopping robots is that, when it’s working, the cables will easily tangle together, resulting in malfunction or falling. The W2 solves this problem by utilizing only one strong cable on it, the cable is made of composite materials, and won’t easily bind to anything, and even if it falls, W2 will react within 0.02 seconds, and the cable will hold the robot from falling.

Lastly, the cleaning ability. In hot weather or the glass is in extremely dirty condition, cleaning will be harder. So the W2 can solve this by adapting 2800Pa suction power, and the three nozzles on the robot will spray the water out evenly and continuously, keeping the area wet all the time, as you can imagine, this will help with the cleaning a lot.

ECOVACS AIRBOT Z2

Well these are the main upgrades for the W2, let’s jump to the last one, the Airbot Z2.

The Airbot Z2 is a mobile air purifier. It has the same AIVI 3D system like the X2 OMNI, so it has the same AI mapping and accurate navigation ability, and with all the sensors in each room, it will navigate its own way to find the spaces that need air purification. I must say this is a much more advanced solution than the traditional air purifiers that just sit there and work hard trying to do their job. In a typical experiment, the Z2 can bring the PM2.5 figure down to 25 with half of the time a normal air purifier needs. Another benefit of this AIVI 3D system is that, it can follow the house owner anywhere around providing clean air, sort of like a robotic pet.

The Z2 has 5 layers of filters, each to filter out certain types of odors. The most appealing one to some people is the pet hair filter, it can get rid of 97.5% of the pet hair that might cause allergies, which is quite impressive.

To create a more pleasant environment for the household, Ecovacs works with a well-known perfume brand to bring some essential oil to the Z2, so you have both clean and refreshing air.

Impression

Ecovacs, as the leader in the cleaning robot industry, has expanded its product line to every corner of the household. The event really refreshes our imagination about where a smart home can go. So if you are interested in Ecovacs, please check out the link down below, to learn more about the brand story and products, we will also be working on the review of them after this. Please stay tuned to our YouTube channel.

The post We Just Visited the ECOVACS Global Event 2023: All About Household Robot appeared first on Gizmochina.

Tecno Camon 20 Pro is the upgraded version of last year’s Camon 19 Pro, and it offers more than just an attractive design. With its budget-friendly price tag, this smartphone is a pleasant surprise for smartphone enthusiasts who are looking for great hardware without breaking the bank. The rear of the phone features a slightly frosted texture that not only adds a luxurious touch but also provides a satisfying tactile feel. The aesthetically pleasing styling, combined with the frame’s sheen that resembles that of an iPhone, gives the Tecno Camon 20 Pro a premium look without the high price tag.

Tecno Camon 20 Pro Design

The Camon 20 Pro follows the trend of contemporary Android smartphones with a puzzle deconstructionist (this is the brand’s official description) design. Inspired by postmodern architecture, it features a textured leather back with a unique pattern and a pentagon-shaped camera module.

The design not only adds a touch of luxury but also effectively hides fingerprints and smudges. Despite having a plastic frame, the smartphone exudes a premium look and feel.

In terms of ergonomics, the Camon 20 Pro sports flat edges instead of curved ones, making it comfortable to hold. The right spine of the phone houses the volume rocker and power button, while the bottom edge features a USB Type-C port for charging, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a speaker grille.

There is an additional speaker on the top edge, providing stereo sound output. The left edge houses the SIM-ejector tray, which conveniently has a dedicated slot for a microSD card.

Display

The smartphone features a vibrant 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a centered punch-hole design. It offers a snappy 120Hz refresh rate, which is the highest in its segment. The high refresh rate applies seamlessly to both the user interface and supported apps, ensuring smooth and fluid interactions. Moreover, users have the flexibility to adjust the refresh rate dynamically or choose from fixed options of 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz. This level of customization is not commonly found in mid-range smartphones.

The display of the Camon 20 Pro impresses with thin bezels, excellent viewing angles, and impressive brightness levels, making the text legible even under direct sunlight. Additionally, the smartphone is Widevine L1 certified, allowing users to stream content from OTT platforms in FHD resolution.

Camera

As a camera-centric smartphone, the Camon 20 Pro 5G features a triple camera setup on the back. The star of the show is the 64MP RGBW (G+P) main sensor with a large f/1.65 aperture lens and OIS. This main sensor is designed to enhance light sensitivity and improve low light performance. Accompanying the main sensor are a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro unit.

The camera performance is satisfactory as long as the AI feature is turned off. When AI is enabled, it tends to oversaturate colors, resulting in unnatural-looking images with a loss of details and dynamic range. However, with AI turned off, the images appear more balanced, with sharp details, realistic shades, and well-preserved highlights. The smartphone’s night video capturing capabilities suffer from noise and fair light detection, but overall, it performs well considering its price point.

On the front, the Camon 20 Pro 5G boasts a 32MP snapper in a punch-hole setup. In daylight, the front camera captures decent selfies with good detail and accurate skin tones.

However, in indoor or dimly lit environments, the details appear soft, and the colors appear slightly pale. The portrait mode adds a nice blur effect to the background, although the edge detection could be improved.

Performance

The Camon 20 Pro comes with Helio G99 platform. It’s not a flagship SoC, but it still performs admirably considering its affordable price. It effortlessly handles essential communication and navigation apps without any lag or slowdown. Additionally, it provides a satisfactory browsing experience for those moments of leisure.

In addition to that, this smartphone also offers decent gaming performance. While there might be some initial stuttering, games like PUBGM run smoothly on the Camon 20 Pro when configured with the right settings. It is possible to enjoy gaming sessions during your daily commute without any major issues. Moreover, the phone’s back cover effectively dissipates heat, reducing the need for an additional case.

OS & Battery

Running on Tecno’s custom HiOS 13 skin atop Android 13, the Camon 20 Pro offers all the functions and abilities expected from other custom Android skins. However, it does come with some pre-installed bloatware and notifications that cannot be uninstalled.

The Camon 20 Pro is equipped with a powerful 5000mAh battery, which ensures that you won’t have to worry about running out of battery power throughout the day. Whether you’re constantly using resource-intensive applications or indulging in occasional gaming sessions, this smartphone can withstand the heaviest strain and still manage to last a full day on a single charge. Moreover, if you use the phone more conservatively, you can expect even greater battery life.

In the rare event that your battery does run out, the Camon 20 Pro comes with a 33W fast charger. This ensures that your phone gets powered up quickly and efficiently. In just about 90 minutes, the charger can replenish the battery from completely empty to a full charge, allowing you to get back to using your phone without any significant downtime.

Verdict

Overall, the Tecno Camon 20 Pro is a solid flagship-killer smartphone with a price that falls within the mid-range category. Although some users may find the camera’s AI feature finicky, it can be easily remedied by turning it off. Once users get the hang of the device, the Camon 20 Pro transforms into a fully-fledged daily driver that could be one of the top choices in 2023 in this price segment.

The post Tecno Camon 20 Pro Review: Budget Phone with Excellent Camera Experience appeared first on Gizmochina.

Camon 20 Premiere 5G

The Chinese company, TECNO, has undoubtedly caught the attention of smartphone enthusiasts worldwide with its remarkable line-up of devices. This year, TECNO has continuously impressed us by launching several innovative smartphones one after the other, setting new standards in the industry.

Recently, the company took the excitement to another level when it unveiled its highly anticipated flagship model, the TECNO CAMON 20 Premier 5G. This cutting-edge smartphone has been designed to renew the photography experience for users, boasting an array of groundbreaking imaging features that are bound to leave you in awe.

Design

TECNO takes pride in the design of the CAMON 20 Premier 5G, claiming it draws inspiration from the puzzle deconstructionist style found in postmodern architecture, which does look special.

This unique design has even earned the phone the prestigious Muse Design Award for the year 2023. The company’s attention to detail and innovation is evident in the design choices made for this device.

Measuring just 7.8mm thick, the CAMON 20 Premier 5G is also impressively slim, adding to its overall appeal. The placement of the volume button and power button on the right side ensures easy access and comfortable handling.

The in-screen fingerprint reader adds an extra layer of security while also maintaining the phone’s sleek aesthetics.

Screen & Display

In terms of display, the CAMON 20 Premier 5G shines with its 6.67-inch FHD plus AMOLED true-color screen. The high color Gamut ensures vibrant and lifelike visuals, while the 120Hz refresh rate delivers smooth operation and fluid animations.

The peak brightness of the display is impressive, allowing for enhanced visibility even in bright outdoor conditions.

TECNO also took eye protection into consideration, as evidenced by the TUV Rheinland certification for eye protection on the CAMON 20 Premier 5G. This certification ensures a safe and comfortable experience for prolonged use of the device. To further enhance the viewing experience, the phone features slim bezels that reduce distractions and provide a more immersive experience. Meanwhile, the flat-screen and sharp edges contribute to its sleek and modern design.

Performance

In addition to its impressive design, the Tecno Camon 20 Premier 5G boasts a powerful MediaTek Dimensity 8050 chipset, making it a solid option for mid-range smartphone users. The CAMON 20 Premier 5G is equipped with a generous 8GB of RAM and a spacious 512GB internal storage. What sets this phone apart is its integration of Android’s latest memory fusion feature, which enables it to increase its available memory by an additional 8GB of RAM.

While it may not be able to handle heavy games as smoothly as gaming phones, it still allows for enjoyable gameplay in popular games like PUBG and Call of Duty, albeit at reduced graphics settings. However, one downside we noticed during extended usage was that the phone tended to heat up quickly, impacting its overall performance to some extent. Despite this, it did not significantly affect our overall experience with the device.

Camera

The standout feature of the Tecno Camon 20 Premier 5G is undoubtedly its camera system. The phone features a main 50MP lens with Tecno’s innovative RGBW technology. By replacing the traditional RGGB color filter’s “green” array solution with a “white” one, the RGBW sensor captures more light, resulting in brighter and more detailed photos.

The phone enhances light intake by replacing one of the plastic lenses with a glass lens in the 1G+6P lens setup. This improvement increases the amount of light reaching the main sensor. Furthermore, Tecno has increased the size of the main sensor from 1/1.73 to 1/1.56 and the pixel size from 0.8μm to 1.0μm. Even in low-light conditions, the phone excels at capturing crystal-clear night portraits without sacrificing details.

In addition to its impressive 50MP main camera, the CAMON 20 Premier 5G is equipped with a remarkable 108MP Ultra Definition camera. This cutting-edge camera module allows users to capture ultra-wide landscapes and super macro close-ups with stunning detail.

One of the key features of this camera is the 9-in-1 Adaptive Pixel technology. This technology intelligently combines 9 small pixels into a single ultra-large 1.92um pixel. By doing so, it significantly improves the light sensitivity of the camera, making it capable of capturing photos with much greater clarity and detail.

The CAMON 20 Premier 5G also boasts a 32MP Ultra Clear AI Shining Selfie camera. This powerful front-facing camera is designed to elevate users’ selfie game to a whole new level. It incorporates TECNO’s advanced AI-powered “Portrait Master” beauty algorithm. This algorithm uses 319-dot face-positioning technology to accurately analyze various beauty aspects, including culture, skin tone, and physical environment. It then develops a personalized beautification plan, ensuring that every selfie taken with the CAMON 20 Premier 5G is flawless and stunning.

UI & Software

For software, the CAMON 20 Premier 5G runs on the latest HIOS, with a custom user interface based on the latest Android 13 operating system. The device comes preloaded with some installed applications, such as AHA Games, BoomPlay, Hi Browser, and Phone Master, TECNO has included its very own virtual assistant named Ella, which offers assistance and improved interaction with the device.

TECNO is committed to providing software support for the CAMON 20 Premier 5G. They promise one year of major software updates, ensuring that users will stay up-to-date with the latest features and improvements. In addition, TECNO guarantees two years of monthly security patches, which helps to keep the device secure from potential vulnerabilities. Furthermore, TECNO has announced its intention to upgrade the phone to the next Android version, Android 14, when it becomes available. That’s definitely a great promise for the Camon users.

Battery & Charge

The CAMON 20 Premiere 5G mentioned in the quote packs a large battery with a capacity of 5000 mAh, which is quite impressive for its price range. Another great news is its support for 45W fast charging, which allows the phone to be fully charged within 50 minutes. This is a remarkable feat, especially considering other phones in the same category may require a significantly longer charging time.

During my experience with the phone, I found that it could sustain heavy usage for about 5 to 6 hours of screen-on time (SOT). This means that even with continuous use of high-power-consumed applications and features, the phone could hold its own for a substantial time before needing a recharge. However, if you use the phone more conservatively, you can potentially squeeze out an impressive 8 hours of SOT or even longer.

Verdict

The Tecno Camon 20 Premier stands out as an impressive smartphone in an intensely competitive market. Despite the abundance of excellent devices, it manages to earn recognition with its well-rounded features and capabilities. From its attractive aesthetics to its solid build, from its stunning display to its immersive audio experience, and from its dependable battery life to its smooth performance, this phone offers a comprehensive and satisfying user experience.

One particular aspect that caught our attention is the camera setup, which is truly noteworthy. The reliability and versatility of the Camon 20 Premier’s camera are exceptional, delivering consistently great performance across different scenarios. Furthermore, the inclusion of a high-resolution 108MP autofocusing ultrawide lens adds a delightful touch to the phone’s photography capabilities. This lens not only excels at its primary function of capturing wide-angle shots but also surprises with its ability to capture stunning macro photos for those who appreciate the finer details.

The post Camon 20 Premiere 5G Review: A Budget 5G phone with the best experience? appeared first on Gizmochina.

Xiaomi x Disney

Last month, I took a trip to Disneyland in Hong Kong. As I was lounging around Disneyland, a news item popped up on my phone that Xiaomi had released the Disney phone. What?

Xiaomi Civi 3 Disney 100th Anniversary Limited Edition?

Xiaomi CIVI 3 Disney 100th Limited Edition

It’s almost the same as the standard Civi 3, but the look has been completely upgraded to a more vibrant Disney style. And Xiaomi seems to tap hard into the full energy of the world-famous brand. In this co-branding, Xiaomi has expanded its custom options to all kinds of Xiaomi products but not limited to the phone, including a smart band, wireless earbuds, a power bank, and a suitcase.

So to show you how ambitious Xiaomi is, we spent quite some money on the entire customized collection except for the suitcase and the power bank. Hope you guys like it and don’t forget to subscribe to our channel and give us a like. It really means a lot to us.

Okay without further ado, let’s go straight to unboxing.

Their silver packaging is filled with icons of Disney and Mickey. You can even only find the Xiaomi logo in the top corners. The logo of Disney 100 at the bottom obviously tells us that they are released to celebrate Disney’s 100^th anniversary. Turn the boxes around and we can see all of them have an authorized Disney security sticker on the back. You have to be aware of this when you receive the products since the co-branding campaign runs with limited sales.

We don’t see any custom connection between Mickey and the corresponding products. But it’s Disney after all, and we all know how expensive their authorized cartoon images are. So that’s all you would have from the outside.

Now the phone goes first. Open the box and see a card pin designed in the iconic silhouette of Mickey Mouse’s head, with gold edges and a red paint job. Open the compartment, there’s a Mickey phone case, a sticker full of Mickey images, and a certificate card with an exclusive number. Put them aside and let’s focus on the phone.

Like the standard variant, the phone still has a thin and light design, and it feels quite premium with an eye-catching custom red back cover well as the gold frame. The frame feels very close to the texture of metal, but unfortunately, it’s actually made of plastic.

The ring with delicate scales outside the camera module is also in a golden tone. Here’s a Mickey image, whose finger is raised to point to the cameras, kinda like introducing the phone to us. And if you shake the phone gently, there’s a visual reflection of radiating lines that greatly stylize the whole design. To the right of the camera, you can see Xiaomi once again emphasizing that it’s a tribute to Disney’s 100^th anniversary. 

The power button is also replaced with a red one. So that’s it about the look. Not really exceed my expectation but it does look good.

So the hardware customization ends up here. It’s not really impressive, since Xiaomi doesn’t even want to put a spin on its charging kit.

In addition to the custom look, the phone’s software also got some special ideas. The default launcher has been redesigned in the red Mickey theme that unifies with the back cover, including redesigned icons in Mickey style, a Mickey lock-screen wallpaper, and a Mickey AOD clock.

Apart from the theme, there are a custom charging effect and several photo-editing features including a few Disney picture frames, picture stickers, and a Mickey-shaped bokeh.

That’s all about the phone. As a phone, it looks great but I don’t think it will genuinely surprise Disney fans.

Xiaomi Buds 3 & Xiaomi Band 8 Disney Limited Edition

Now let’s look at these two Xiaomi wearables, the Disney variants of the Xiaomi Buds 3 and the Xiaomi Band 8.

The accessories of the earbuds inside are nothing different from the standard Xiaomi Band 8, including a cable and the user manual. Only the Disney stickers remind us that we’re now unboxing a Disney-limited variant.

So we could only focus on the special smart band. We can see that it has the same design style as the phone but technically only the strap got customized into a Disney style. On the strap, there’s an image of Mickey and the Disney 100 logo. And the clasp is designed as a fine Mickey head.

As for software, Xiaomi offers a few dial patterns of Disney theme for the limited edition. But we also saw someone has already shared them on the internet for standard variants.

Let’s move on and see what the Xiaomi Buds 3 can bring to the table. The first thing that comes to mind is the earbuds as well as the charging case. The partition is filled with the patterns of Mickey’s heads as well as the Disney 100 logo.

Put the case aside for a moment, and let’s check the accessories at the bottom. Here we have a manual as well as yet another set of Disney stickers. At the bottom, we can see a regular charging cable, but next to it, the nifty red storage bag of the charging case is a surprise. it feels like some leather. At the bottom of the bag, there’s a small hole for charging, which is really a smart design that we couldn’t see before.

On the front, we can see yet another Mickey. Well, all are about Mickey. It has a magnetic closure, and there’s a pull tab in the shape of Mickey’s head here that lets you hook it up to your backpack.

The charging case is still in a charming red color and has another Mickey head under the Xiaomi logo, which is not very imaginative. On the front, it’s another Disney 100 logo as well as one of Mickey’s hands reaching for a musical note. Pull out the earbuds, and we can see they are also in a charming red design. The stem got a Xiaomi logo while the microphone got two smaller circles on top forming a Mickey’s head.

Put them back into the small bag. It does look really cute and special.

Verdict

To be honest, I did get tired during the unboxing. I actually didn’t have to introduce so much, and especially keep saying Mickey, Mickey and Mickey. But I really wanted you to feel my exhaustion.

So, that’s what makes them special, all are about Mickey: Mickey’s head, Mickey’s drumming, and Mickey’s pointing at something. Well if you guys are interested in the product’s performance, you can check out our channel. We have reviewed all of their regular variants, which perform the same as the limited editions.

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Dangbei Mars

Last year we reviewed the Dangbei Mars Pro, a premium 4K laser projector that performed very versatile for under $2,000. And today we have a more affordable version for you, the Dangbei Mars standard variant, which inherits many of its core features but for a much more affordable price.

We have used it for over a week as our primary projector in our studio, and we think it’s one of the best options in the market if you’re looking to replace your LED projector with a budget of under $1,000. Now let’s find out how it works.

Unboxing & Design

Although it’s over 40% cheaper compared to the Pro version, when I first saw the package and checked what we got inside, I could hardly find any difference. We still got a power adapter with a power cord, a remote control, the instruction manual, a PTZ cleaner, and a fine cloth for lens cleaning.

It looks almost identical to the Pro version. It’s clear that Dangbei put the design on a high pedestal and they don’t want the purchase to fall into the cracks, so we can still see this very cool black body. The frame is still made of aluminum, and on top of it covered with a huge 2.5D glass panel.

The front of the machine is also almost unchanged, except for the huge laser module, next to which we can find a set of laser focus sensors and a camera. The only button you’ll find on the Dangbei Mars is the power button on top and it’s not a physical button, so you don’t have to worry about dust getting inside after long use.

The sides and back of the projector are wrapped by a grille with many dense holes. From the outside, we can faintly see the speakers inside, and these holes are used to have more effective cooling.

Connectivity & Expandability

Excellent connectivity is also intact on the Mars projector. With dual-HDMI video sources, audio sources, 2 USB ports for external storage, and a LAN-wired network connection, you can connect almost any multimedia device to it at the same time. In addition, it also supports wireless projection via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, which certainly gives users more options for projection.

Image quality

Well it’s time to talk about image quality, so what compromises have resulted from the $500 price gap? The most obvious change is the reduction in resolution from 4K to 1080p, which you might think is a step back, but the truth is that its brightness and color are far more decisive than resolution for projector performance. We don’t have many complaints about the sharpness of the images, rather the lightweight design makes it less of a burden in terms of heating and running. Meanwhile, it allows the cost to be spent more efficiently on the presentation of colors and brightness.

So we are happy that the standard version has the same high brightness as the Mars Pro. Even in indoor environments during the daytime, the 2100 ISO lumens still give you a good visual experience. Thanks to the advanced ALPD technology, it allows us to get a brighter image than LED projectors in such a compact body. And compared with most of the full-HD projectors we’ve reviewed, it also performs significantly better in terms of actual clarity viewed by eyes.

Dangbei claims that it can be played on a maximum screen size of 180 inches. It’s a shame that we couldn’t find such a large screen to achieve the most stunning personal cinema effect. But that’s really exciting to think about. But probably later we will upgrade the curtain for it, that’s really exciting to think about.

Another surprise is that the Dangbei Mars even inherits the support of HDR10 and HLG. So it still can handle well with HDR content, which is definitely one of the bonuses that we only used to experience on most flagship projectors. 

Easy Interaction & Auto setup

Excellent image quality is only part of the user experience, for most homes, the ease of use of the projector is just as important as the image quality, and it is in this part that we recognized the effort that Dangbei put into software interaction last year.

Mars also supports fast boost and almost senseless fast autofocus, so you don’t need to manually adjust the projector’s focus after each start-up or position change, and if you have a curtain for your projector as we do, the auto keystone correction and intelligent screen fit with obstacle avoidance can help you get the most accurate image quickly.

Sound with dual 10W speakers

In terms of the sound system, Dangbei Mars has two built-in 10W speakers, and these days, I feel that it is already loud enough when I turn the volume to 50%. And the projector also supports Dolby Audio with multiple sound modes, so you can get stereo and surging audio when watching movies.

Software & NetFlix ready

The Dangbei Mars is still powered by the MT9669 chipset, but its storage has been downgraded to 1GB of RAM and 8GB of ROM, which is in fact my least favorite thing here. the limited RAM brought a slight operating delay while typing. Well thank God it doesn’t run on Android but Linux OS, the user interface is still smooth and very simple, and you can quickly get to the most useful features such as officially certified preloaded Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime videos. So yes, the most important thing is that Netflix has been officially licensed and pre-installed.

Scenarios

I don’t suggest you do too many tricks on it, because I think the brand also realized the fact that users take projectors as a mere display machine most of the time, and if they want to do something special they can plug some other devices into the projector, such as turning it into a giant screen for multiple gaming consoles, or something else like TV boxes.

On the other hand, this projector also supports wireless screencasting, so you can very easily transfer content from your phone, pad, or PC to it, the latency is almost senseless. And we actually tried playing games with it via wireless casting. The latency is already good enough to handle it.

There’re some other reasons for us to take the projector as our studio screen. For example, it consumes less power than a TV and it’s definitely more flexible and portable if we want to move it around and fit it in different sizes and viewing distances. And it’s impressively quiet when running. The maximum noise level we tested is only about 24 dB.  

Verdict

To conclude, the Dangbei Mars is truly an inexpensive projector that offers a great audio and video experience with excellent connectivity and a user-friendly system. Dangbei has smartly made some reasonable trade-offs, allowing them to bring the major advantages of laser projectors to a more affordable model, such as brighter images and decent image quality. It has a significant brightness and color advantage over LED projectors in its price range, so I think it’s a great option to consider if you’re looking to build a private theater system for your family.

If you guys are interested in the Mars projector, you can check out the links below about their deals recently:

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FreeBuds 5

After one year, Huawei recently updated its flagship-level true wireless ANC earbuds with a new model, the FreeBuds 5, which is claimed to focus on better sound quality, noise cancellation, interaction, and brand-new open-ear design compared to its predecessor. It’s been a long time since Gizmochina Review has been excited about experiencing an earbud product. The FreeBuds 5 is certainly another of the most impressive earbuds of late.

The Huawei FreeBuds 5 is a truly new product if simply looking at the design. It’s widely concerning that launching open earbuds was bound to involve compromises such as degraded sound quality, weak ANC performance, etc. So it’s easy to see plenty of new releases of in-ear models on the market, but few attempts at open earbuds. Most brands ended up continuing to challenge the design dilemma after one or two attempts. From FreeBuds 3 to FreeBuds 4 & 4E and now this FreeBuds 5 with a teardrop faux-fluid design, Huawei seems to be increasingly becoming the preferred choice for comfortable wear.

New look & Design

Due to the new look, I have to say that the Huawei FreeBuds 5 is definitely a game-changer in terms of design compared to other TWS products on the market. In previous reviews of the FreeBuds lines, I’ve always been willing to give comment that ‘they are on the way moving towards the ultimate in ergonomic comfort with fresh designs.’ The Freebuds 5 is no exception.

The charging case of the FreeBuds is designed in a more elegant pebble shape. The eye-catching orange-red variant brings a stylish sense of fashion to the earbuds and the case. If you are not a fan of such a bold color, it is also available in other two widely popular options: white and silver.

Open the lid and you would see the earbuds ‘hanging’ on the gently sloping terrace and fitting the curve of the box seamlessly. The Emphasis throughout is on comfortably elegant curves with natural transitions without any sharp joints. Each bud looks like a futuristic water drop that we might have seen in some sci-fi movies. It obviously gives an upgrade to the look and feel, but more importantly, the comfort of hanging on the ears makes ‘burden-free wearing’ a reality. During the weeks of wearing the FreeBuds 5, it feels very different from the open earbuds I’ve tried in the past. It’s breathable and fits securely on the ear, as the smooth curved surface allows for a more relaxed fit to the ear’s contours. They are so comfortable that I have no complaints when I used them as sleep buds.

The earbuds’ operation is also more user-friendly. Thanks to the new design, the combination of the arch-shaped bar and the waterdrop stems provides a larger touch area for smoother interaction, such as a long press for ANC switch, a slide for volume adjustment, or a double tap to answer calls or hang up, and so on.

Huawei claims that it’s IP54 dust- and splash-resistance. So I didn’t take it off while I was doing sweaty workouts and even exposed it to a few light showers (not intentionally). But luckily it survived and has been working well.

Sound quality

At first, we didn’t expect much for the sound quality of these open earbuds. However, it turned out to be a surprise. Each earbud is equipped with an 11mm dual-magnetic dynamic driver unit. And driven by the latest Bass Turbo Technology, the magnetic circuits offer a wide frequency range of 16Hz to 40kHz and particularly sensitive response at low frequencies. On first listen, its punching bass made it hard to believe that it was produced by a pair of open earbuds. It’s also wonderful that the open design doesn’t particularly affect the spaciousness of its soundstage. On the contrary, the wide spatial soundstage is well set up for a great balance between bass, mids and treble, especially when the earbuds were used for Dolby Atmos contents. And this is something I can’t experience with other open earbuds.

In addition to these relatively subjective comments, its excellent sound quality is also guaranteed by Hi-Res and HWA Audio Wireless certifications. Thanks to LDAC high-res codec support, the FreeBuds 5 supports super-high transmissions of up to 990kbps. In addition, if you prefer earbuds for low-latency gaming, the FreeBuds 5 can also automatically limit the transmission by activating the dynamic latency. Under the dynamic latency mode, the earbuds will shift to an ultra-low latency mode when detecting games are launched.

If you are using a Huawei phone, you can go to the Bluetooth settings to decide LDAC playback quality between ‘Optimised for audio quality’ and ’Balanced audio and connection quality’. But please do not get carried away with the former’s excellent sound quality, because the latter actually has a much more stable connection when the phone connects with a Wireless network and other Bluetooth devices.

Companion Software – AI Life app

If you want to experience even more unique features such as customized EQs and shortcuts, you will need to download and install the Huawei AI Life app. It’s a versatile app that integrates all your Huawei devices on the same platform. The software for FreeBuds is especially impressive. It’s one of the very few companion apps that shows connecting devices for earbuds. As you can see in the snapshot down below, the FreeBuds 5 supports dual connection and you can easily switch different sources in the connection center by clicking the bubble, or just check out which device is playing sound.

Active noise canceling

The ANC performance of the FreeBuds 5 already copes with most life scenarios with mid-low noise, which is also the most acceptable for me among all the open earbuds. Users can enable ANC with different ANC profiles, including General (Maximum) to Cozy (minimum), and another my favorite mode, Dynamic (auto-switching based on ambient noise). The Dynamic mode can seamlessly switch noise-canceling strength to balance both worlds. But the FreeBuds 5 still do not match the performance of the flagship FreeBuds Pro series which offers an in-ear design. The roar of the engine, for example, can still not be eliminated entirely. But the comfortable fit and relaxed ear-canal pressure leaves me with no complaints about them.

Call quality

There’re 3 microphones on the FreeBuds 3 picking up both the ambient sound and the user’s voice. So after a deep neural network (DNN) algorithm processing, the call quality is clear and gets enhanced without much distraction in the background.

For battery life, the FreeBuds 5 is able to last 5-hour playback without ANC on, while it could drop to around 3.5 hours if you activate ANC. The charging case can offer an extra 25-hour playback time for the earbuds, which does sound better. Another benefit of the charging case is the fast charge available, which allows users to collect back 2 hours of use after just 5-minute charging in the case. Although the case supports wireless charging, I would still suggest the faster-wired charging for most of the time.

Verdict

I really like the design of the new earbuds, yet perhaps what really makes it stand out is the excellent wearing experience and the superb sound quality as a pair of open earbuds. It’s well-balanced between the audio experience and quite a lot of unique features. If you make the open design your priority, it’s likely to be the best option available.

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PalFur 5-in-1 Professional Vacuum-up Pet Grooming Kit

For fur parents, grooming is the most annoying issue that often makes them think about running away. Yes, I can truly relate because I am one of them. We usually have to fight against flying hair and hair odor all over the house if we do not seek grooming services in time. But if keep relying on grooming and cleaning services, we are very likely to be chagrined by the energy, time, and money spent. However, grooming cats or dogs at home with tools like scissors or clippers is not practical for most fur parents. If you still haven’t found the most effective solution as I did a week ago, the PalFur Pet Grooming Kit I’ve discovered is an almost perfect solution to these worries.

Package & Design

The PalFur Pet kit has 5-in-1 grooming and cleaning capabilities which are totally based on pet parents’ needs. Instead of using a combination of multiple products, fur parents can use the kit to meet the multiple grooming needs of pet caring while fulfilling the adsorption of all kinds of unhealthy pollutants.

When opening the package, users may be amazed, as I was, by its multiple electric modules of brushes and clippers. Apart from the PalFur vacuum, it comes with five multi-functional attachments that make it easy to clean not just hairs from pets, but also various pollutants from carpets, upholstery, and other surfaces.

The kit includes a hair remover, a de-shedding tool, an electric clipper with 4 guard combs, a grooming brush, and another 2-in-1 brush. All of them are specially designed to help fur parents remove loose fur from pets’ coats, preventing matting and tangles and keeping the pet’s coat healthy and shiny.

I really like the design of the PalFur vacuum (11.65×5.12×10.08in). The gentle white and grey casing with the bright orange lid makes it suitable for all kinds of home styles. The transparent large-capacity dustbin (2L) allows us to keep track of the volume of pollutants. And it’s removable for easy emptying and washing.

On the side and the bottom immediately attaching the bin are dual 3-layer filters for deodorization (Metal Mesh + Microfiber cloth + HEPA), but they are only parts of the whole filter system. There is an additional upper HEPA outlet filter on the top for blocking more fine hairs and allergens. The included 32mm detachable hose can be attached with all the brushes and clippers accessories.

Thoughtful Features for Pets & Pets Parents

When receiving the PalFur grooming vacuum, I couldn’t wait to test it on my cats. One of the most impressive features is the revolutionary upper HEPA Outlet Filter, which can block 99.97% of unhealthy contaminants like fine dust and hairs, tiny bugs, and even bacteria. It is significantly better at preventing secondary contamination than most regular vacuums.

My using experience happens to be a good example. My nose often suffered under the infestation of some kinds of unknown allergens, but since the PalFur vacuum happened to come into the house, it seems to have really blocked these nasty allergens and the symptoms (e.g., sneezing, watery red eyes, itchy nose) have almost stopped coming on.

Although I’m not sure if it’s to its credit, the timing of the change is just so coincidental that I’m inclined to believe it. So for families like mine who need to breathe clean air, it is an actual plus. For fur families, odors are usually a problem. The owners may be used to it, but I’d prefer not to embarrass the visiting guests. Surprisingly, after using the PalFur grooming vacuum, my family also noticed a significant improvement in the smell indoors.

The HEPA filter also has another advantage: it can be easily replaced anytime. Users can take it off and clean it or just replace it with a new one. The grooming vacuum features dual air channels for rapid heat dissipation. The effective cooling system also supports continuous cleaning over a long period without worries of heated issues, which is better for those who have to care for multi-pets.

With the dual air channels, the vacuum seems to apply an effective directional airflow design, which auto-compacts the hair during grooming and makes greater use of the 2L capacity of the dustbin. So I didn’t have to empty the dustbin frequently and saved quite a lot of time over fur cleaning.

The 32mm hose is the widest one that I have ever seen on a pet vacuum. It easily sucked away tangled pet hair and ensured thorough cleaning. So far it has not encountered any clogging issues, which is also impressive.

5-in-1 attachments

The most satisfactory feature of the Vacuum is its versatile fur grooming and cleaning with the 5 attachments.  The electric clipper with 4 clipping combs is applicable for clipping hair of all different lengths of hairs. The blade here is sharp but safe with low vibration. The quiet design with less noise is also not offensive to pets. I’m sure that the clipper will make it easier for pets to survive the coming summer heat. As an attachment to a vacuum, a great advantage is that it auto-collects trimmed hair while clipping, so compared to regular clippers, there are no longer worries about the mess coming with fur clipping.

The de-shedding tool with fine-toothed bristles can effectively reduce the shedding of pet hair, which reaches through the topcoat to safely remove loose hair and undercoat. Meanwhile, the vacuum would auto-collect them with one click.

The slicker grooming brush with a larger cleaning surface can be more suitable for medium to long-haired pets. It can easily capture and auto-collect all loose hair and dust while grooming.

The 2-in-1 brush can handle all kinds of surfaces with strong suction and keep the pet environment clean. it offers scratch-free suction of small messes like fur, dust, and other fine pollutants. And the nozzle can clean those hard-to-reach areas like furniture crevices.

The hair remover actually is a hair roller that helps easily remove any soft pet fur from different surfaces of carpets, beds, and couches. And all the rolled hairs would be auto-collected by the connected vacuum.

Quiet performance

Before using the vacuum, I had a concern that my cats particularly hated loud noises. The vacuum would be useless if they run away while I activated the vacuum. Thankfully, PalFur has handled well with the noise issue. Dual layers of the sound-absorbing shell reduced vibrations and kept the noise levels down while the vacuum was running. Although the noise is not eliminated, as a vacuum the noise level of around 60dB is not stressful for my cats, which is already better than most similar products.

Verdict

The Palfur Pet Grooming Kit is officially priced at $199.99, but recently PalFur is offering a 20% off discount, which allows customers to get it for only $159. This is also the lowest price since I’ve been looking at this Grooming Kit. It’s particularly worth every penny if you have a group of fur friends in the family. This multi-functional tool would significantly save your time on trips for grooming services, as well as reduce your expenses on taking good care of their fur and skin health. More importantly, it’s detailed in its design and functions to meet the needs of both pets and their parents. The Palfur vacuum kit really is now the most convenient and efficient solution to pet odor, hair and dander issues, and related environmental problems as well.

So based on my experience, I would like to recommend it to all of whom are tired of dealing with their pets’ hair issues. If you are interested, you can find more information on their official website.

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ROKID Max AR Glasses

We rarely look seriously at AR products, since we have had a few concerns about such products before. For example, it may seem useless or inconvenient in reality. But we did experience quite a lot of AR glasses, most of which didn’t impress us enough to make a review video and share it with you guys. But today, we’re quite happy that we finally got to experience an available product of AR glasses that can be a part of your must-have gear in reality, but also gives you a glimpse into the future of AR. It’s the Rokid Max AR Glasses.

Design & built

Start from its design. Since the Rokid Max’s most basic role is to act as a wearable portable display anytime and anywhere, it really looks and weighs like sunglasses. I’m not exaggerating, the whole body weighs only 75g and the lens module is pretty thin. Regarding futuristic and habitual aesthetics, the Max are the best-designed AR glasses I’ve ever seen.

It comes with a Birdbath Optical module with Micro-Oled lenses, providing 1080P resolution and up to 120Hz refresh rate. Due to the loss of brightness on the way to optical reflection, the module provides a max brightness of 5000 nits and still achieves a decent in-eye brightness of 600 nits, even brighter than some latest smartphones.

So in actual use, unless you’re staring into the sun with the Max, you’ll still have no problem using it outdoors even without the blackout mask. And if you want to concentrate on watching a film and have the most immersive experience, this included mask is definitely the perfect companion.

For a truly immersive experience, a great point is that the Max has a field of view of 50°, while most other AR devices would offer about a FOV of 40°, which might be a bit narrow for most people and feels like sitting in the back row of the cinema. But 50° is kind of a proper viewing angle that helps me capture great image detail and maintain a good focus. Visually, the effect is pretty close to a 215-inch borderless TV placed 6 meters away.

On the leg, you can see a 6-level brightness button and 2 volume buttons. The physical buttons are all the operations you can have on the glasses, including switching between 2D and 3D modes with the brightness button. The Rokid Max supports wearing detection, which could automatically turn off to save power for the connected devices. There’s no built-in battery on the Rokid Max, so it does more like a monitor that requires a continuous power supply from the connected device.

With dual Hi-Res directional speakers, the Max offers one of the best and loudest sounds that I’ve ever heard with AR glasses.

As you can see, I have myopia. Many AR glasses are not friendly enough for myopic people. Either they require me to have new customized lenses or wear contact lenses to use them. But with the Rokid Max, you got the knobs here to adjust the diopter for each eye respectively and simulate the sharpest image you can see. It’s just so impressive! I confess, now I take it with me wherever I go, even when I lay down to rest, though, it might look a bit wield. The nosepiece here is replaceable and adjustable. There’s an extra nosepiece included in the package. I have to say it’s really comfortable to wear and didn’t cause dizziness even after long-time use.

Casting Compatibility

Now let’s talk about what video sources you can connect with the Rokid Max. Theoretically, you can cast any device’s displays to the Max via a wired or wireless connection. The included ultra-thin USB-C cable is a surprise. It’s the thinnest cable I’ve ever used for DP connection, which doesn’t affect our wearing comfort at all. Phones are definitely the best companions. Most smartphones and tablets supporting DP video output can be connected in casting and AR modes. And most gaming consoles with DP output also can be connected via USB-C cable.

Scenarios

For example, to get the best dock mode on Nintendo Switch, you can attach this Rokid Hub to the switch first and then connect it to the Rokid Max and power supply. So there are no more worries about draining power out from the Switch, all you need is simply just a power bank or an adaptor to plug it into the wall. To be honest, the Rokid Max is the only monitor that allows me to play Switch games in such a relaxing way. And what we see on the AR glasses is really no different from what we see on a huge TV. When you attach the blackout mask, you would only see the game in your sight without any distractions, so it’s time to really enjoy gaming.

My favorite scenario is to use it as a portable screen for my Windows tablet. Just connect it with the Rokid Max via the included cable, and the casting images at 1080p 120Hz will directly show on the glasses without perceivable latency. No longer staring at a fixed screen, relax your stiff body, and get to work or enjoy gaming in the most comfortable ways.

If your device doesn’t have a USB-C port supporting DP output, and you’re just tired of switching cables between devices, you can also find a wireless casting base that helps you realize wireless casting regardless of platforms. While Rokid officially has developed a computing station for Rokid Max, which would complete the capacity of the Max to work without phones as fully-functional AI Glasses. What for sure now is that it’s gonna feature some TV features and AR applications, and support wireless casting with low latency. The Rokid team told us that a global version of that Rokid Station would be launched soon. Without a doubt, this is probably the accessory I’m most looking forward to.

Rokid App & AR mode

In simple terms, AR offers a combination between real-world and virtual information and interaction. It means that virtual information including data, applications, and images, is overlayed on the real world you perceive.

You can access the AR mode in the Rokid app, which offers quite a few AR games and applications that are adapted to the Rokid Max, and turn your phone into a remote as a pointing cursor. In AR mode, it offers quite a few AR games and applications that are adapted to the Rokid Max. In addition, here you can access the quick apps which are used a lot with the AR glasses, such as YouTube and Twitch.

When activating 3Dof in AR mode, you will have 3 degrees of freedom tracking, which means you can adjust the content in three axes of freedom, front to back, left to right and top to bottom. Then just turn your head to break the edges of the display.

There’s one more interesting detail. The glasses also support SBS and 3D modes. By pressing the brightness button for a few seconds, the SBS mode would stretch 1080p horizontally to achieve a 3D effect for the 3D contents.

Verdict

Of course, the reason I really appreciate it is that I really need a big display that I can use anywhere and anytime. As one of the most portable screens out there, it’s an almost perfect replacement for a physical screen with a considerable size. It does away with the bulky physical size and replaces it with an eyewear form that you can actually carry around with you.

The 1080p and 120Hz visuals are even better than those of the big guys, while the 600nit in-eye brightness even matches your phone’s brightness. And if need more focus, put the mask on it and you won’t have to worry about a lack of brightness outdoors. You can connect it to your phone or computer anywhere, anytime, and take good care of your work on the go; watch a movie while protecting your privacy. When not in use, at 75g it’s just an ordinary pair of glasses.

So hope you feel the excitement we had with the Rokid Max. If you are interested in AR glasses, you can click the link here to check out more information about this portable huge screen.

The post Rokid Max AR Glasses Review: A Huge Screen In My Pocket! appeared first on Gizmochina.

UGREEN PowerRoam 1200 Power Station

With the rise of wild parties, camping, and road trips, more secure outdoor power stations may be coming into common people’s lives. If you’re a wilderness explorer or camper, you are probably familiar with what I am talking about. The UGREEN PowerRoam 1200 power station is one of our favorite tech products recently. It features the latest LiFePO4 EV-rated batteries that offer a pretty large capacity of 1024Wh. Even so, it’s amazingly portable and compact to ease our outdoor shooting work, as well as our outdoor parties.

UGREEN

Here I have to introduce the brand UGREEN just in case some of you may not have heard of it. Actually, it has quite a big reputation in China as it has been supplying wide categories of electronics since 2012. I bought quite a lot of their products like power banks, expandable hubs, and adapters. Last year they started a cooperation with the leading electric vehicle manufacturer – BYD, and the PowerRoam series is one of their representative works of the cooperation. So let’s check out how it offers high-performance and safe power for private households.

What’s included

The package we received is pretty compact. It shows the look of the Power station at the front and some important features at the back. Unboxed the box, we can see the PowerRoam 1200, with the manual and warranty cards. In addition, the accessory pack offers a few cables for various kinds of power inputs and supplies, including an AC power cable, A DC car charging cable, A DC5521 to DC5525 cable, and another Solar parallel adapter. Yes, apart from the AC wall outlet and DC car outlet, it also supports fast solar charging for outdoor uses.

The fast solar charging capacity is one of the most surprising features of the new power station. We also prepared two UGREEN SC200 solar panels in this review to test the clean charging method. Later we will show you how it works if we don’t have any DC or AC charge sources.

And I really like the input cables here without any bulky adaptors. It gets the input management module built inside the station, which is really convenient for us on the go, and no more worries about forgetting the adaptor.

Design & Output

Looking back at the power station. The PowerRoam 1200 has a classic grey-black design with decent built quality. Judging how good a power station is, we first look at whether it has been designed and built with effort about safety. With this in mind, we found it’s indeed solid and reliable.

The shell is made almost entirely of PC and ABS plastics, which are frame-retardant and leak-proof for high electrical safety. There’s another inner layer made of steel to protect the power station from damage from falls or crushes. And it’s almost the best protection that we can see on a portable power supply.

Some detail here is pretty impressive. For example, the handle on the top is solid and not removable, while UGREEN adds thickened rubber footpads to the bottom. There’re only two moving parts on the surface. One is the dust plug of the car-charging port, and the other is the magnetic dust cover for the side charging panel. Considering UGREEN guarantees a 5-year warranty, the power station is likely to be a durable piece of equipment in our studio. It weighs about 12kg, which is actually light compared to other power stations at the same level.

You can see there are several buttons and output interfaces that we used a lot at the front. The LED light on the far left is pretty useful for dark environments, with 4 modes to choose from: low light, high light, Flash, and SOS modes. By the way, designed for emergencies, the light can still work even if the battery level is 0.

There’s a loT button below the LED light, which helps you connect the phone and manage it on the PowerRoam app. And we will talk about the app and phone control later.

There’re two USB-C ports and 2 more A ports for digital devices, which can work at the same time for various devices like your smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other devices that require USB output.

The C ports support up to 100W power output respectively, while the maximum output of the A ports can reach 22.5W. The USB-C ports have excellent compatibility. We measured that the USB-C ports support quite a variety of charging protocols, including FCP, SCP, AFC, QC3.0, MTK, QC5, PD3, PPS, DCP, and Apple 2.4A.

The info-screen over the USB ports carries all the information about the power station. You can check out the working mode here with overload and temperature warnings, current input and output power, any working outputs, remaining recharge and discharge time, and WiFi or Bluetooth connection. As I said earlier, you can check all the information from your phone. But even from the screen alone, you can still monitor the complete status of the power station without anything else.

Below the USB interface is a master power switch. On the right, there’s a Car outlet and 2 more DC outlets supporting a maximum output power of 120W in total.

But we still use the AC outlets most often with the power station. The outlets are integrated on the right-side panel below the built-in fan. It offers 6 AC outlets with a maximum 1200W output for a total, which is widely compatible with various electronic devices, most appliances, and power tools. And actually, some power-hungry appliances may require instantaneous power exceeding the rated power, which is also taken into account by UGREEN with their latest U-Turbo power-conversion technology. The U-Turbo ensures that devices requiring higher power can also be safely run with the PowerRoam 1200. It can actually drive 2500W devices and reach an insane peak of 3000W output. It is supposed to drive high-power appliances by the solution of reducing the voltage and increasing the current, which can meet most of the supper-high-power appliances, but here I recommend that users only access one AC device to avoid malfunction.

So now let’s make a small summary of its output. The PowerRoam 1200 can support a total of 9 outlets and 4 USB ports, including 6 AC outputs that support up to 1200W total output, 1 car charger and 2 DC outlets that support 120W total output, and 4 additional USB ports that provide up to 245W total output. So in this compact power station, you can theoretically get a maximum output of 1565W. And if your device requires AC power exceeding 1200W, it still can handle it safely at up to 2500W and a peak of 3000W.

Here we did a small discharge test with a shooting light featuring an output power of 160W, although we couldn’t ensure that the light runs at an exactly fixed power. Until the power station ran out of power and shut down, it lasts more than 4 hours and discharged about 942Wh of power.

Charge

To charge the Power station, the fastest and the most common way is certainly to plug it into the household AC Wall outlet. It supports the brand’s latest high-power charging technology – PowerZip. Using the included charging cable, it only took 30mins to collect back 50% of the power and took 79mins to be fully charged, which is even faster than the official claim of 90-min full charging time.

Charge it with UGREEN Solar Panels

Or if you are on a long road trip or engaged in outdoor activities, you can also recharge it with your car charger or Solar Panel. Using the two 200W Solar Panels, you can get nature’s most generous energy source to fully charge the power station in as little as 4 hours, while the charging time would be a bit longer if you connect it to your car with the DC port. If you need to keep sufficient power outdoors, I highly recommend you buy these additional solar panels from UGREEN. As for the battery durability, the power station uses the latest LiFePo4 battery and the brand claims it has a 3000-cycle lifetime.

UPS – continuing power supply

In addition, one more of my favorite features is the UPS to support continued supply power. In events like a power outage or electric grid shutdown, the power station can continue supplying power to connected devices within 20ms of a power outage. If you are afraid that a power outage would destroy your unsaved work, trust me, keep your devices connected to the Power station, and it will save you from the chagrin of wasting your life.

APP

Finally, I must commend UGREEN for its efforts in the software. Even a novice who’s never used a power station before can still easily have full control of the power station on the App, where you can check all essential data of it, adjust power settings, run diagnostic checks, and confirm the remaining charge.

Verdict

As tech reviewers, to be honest, it seems that we have been difficult to feel the real convenience and pleasure with most tech products. But on the PowerRoam 1200, we have almost no complaints. It’s highly integrated, safe, and fast. And most importantly, it can benefit your team or your family, instead of just an individual.

The post UGREEN PowerRoam 1200 Power Station Review: Omnipotence, Beautiful and Reassuring appeared first on Gizmochina.

Canton Fair 2023

Last week we visited the Canton Fair 2023, as known as China Import and Export Fair, which is the largest and most representative trade fair in China. After a three-year hiatus under the influence of the pandemic, the offline exhibition finally restarted this spring. As a tech media, we tried to get a glimpse of the exhibition to see how the giant world factory shows the world its capacity, especially in the field of tech manufacturing.

The first Canton Fair was held in 1957 in Guangzhou. Now it’s developed to have 16 categories of products, which will be exhibited in 3 phases and 54 sections. 

Indeed it’s the pinnacle of international trade events with a long history and staggering scale, attracting buyers from all over the world and has generated immense business dealings in China. So it’s really interesting that it has also become a microcosm of China’s hyper-speed development.

Most of the exhibitors are Chinese factories and trade companies. If they were lucky enough to get well-developed, you might have heard of the brands they built such as vacuum robot maker Ecovacs, Appliance maker Haier, and TV maker Hisense.

Tech on Canton Fair 2023

Unfortunately, we didn’t see those famous phone manufacturers or the new EV brands at the exhibition. But the good news is that we did get to learn a bit about how Chinese suppliers of electronics work downstream. Perhaps some of the products you are using are just the result of their design and manufacturing since most of the exhibitors at the show were willing to give up their own brands and offer custom OEM and ODM services to global buyers. And buyers may be primarily responsible for marketing, branding, and sales.

We have recorded some of the products we found interesting without purpose. So let’s take a look together.

Doni Intelligent mobile Dustcart Robot H100

We were mainly visiting Halls 1 to 3 in Zone A, where the main categories are electronics and household appliances. The first product that caught our eyes was the Intelligent mobile Dustcart Robot H100 from Doni. It can automatically replace big trash bins without human operation, which looks like a robot for serving commercial spaces or public spaces. It supports auto-recharging and intelligent systems to have multi-machine cooperation.

FuninVR gaming machines

The next product we found interesting is a super-cool 360° VR simulator, which seems to provide a completely immersive experience for simulation gaming of flight and shooting. The guy was really having fun here. And you can see some sort of VR racing motor and treadmill game machine. I didn’t really experience these machines since the booth is pretty busy with the long queues.

Ferrofluid Speaker

Then I found an interesting speaker, it’s a magnetic fluid speaker that waves with the music and uses magnetic fluid to visualize the sound.

HAKII MIX series Headphone

We’ve seen too many wireless headsets in the wearable industry, and most of them seem uninspired now. But here we found a creative wireless sports headphone made in a look of headbands. It calls Hakii Mix created by the brand Hakii. That’s one of the very few wearables that still look innovative at the exhibition.

Ecovacs Winbot W1 Pro

This is Ecovacs latest window cleaning robot, called Winbot W1 Pro, which has a steady-climbing system to offer a smooth cleaning experience for various surfaces like windows, polished wall,s and all kinds of glasses. It has a firm grip with 2800Pa suction power, so here it has automatic path planning and firm wipe without any assistant fixtures.

LOCTEK Ergonomic Fitness Chair

This was one of the most innovative products I saw at the exhibition, the latest desk bike with a chair look from Loctek, combining an indoor cycling bike with an office chair. It gives us a new idea that even if you are having desk-bound tasks with your hands and mind, you can still keep your legs exercising subconsciously.

HAVIT peripheral Collection

We also spotted a number of odd PC accessories, such as this transparent-styling or even complete RGB-styling mice, keyboards, and gamepads. This is a collection of peripherals from a brand called Havit.

AOCHUAN Smart S2 Phone Gimbal

The brand Aochuan brings us another smart gimbal for phones, which looks more professional than the Aochuan Smart X series that we reviewed before. It supports 360° gestured human tracking with a lovely fill light for V-loggers. It does feel like a DLSR gimbal that offers much better stability.

POWERUN 40000mAh IP67 Power Bank

And we also found a big power bank that features IP67-rated waterproofness and dust resistance. It has a 40000mAh battery capacity with multiple USB charging ports that support up to 100W power in total. And it looks pretty cool. The transparent panel and a multi-mode LED light make it look like a product designed for geeks.

YONGNUO YNLUX200 Handheld Fill-in Light

If you shoot videos indoors as often as we do, you probably know what it’s like to put up with bulky lighting equipment. But at the exhibition, I found a professional handheld 200W video light manufactured by YongNuo, which just caught our eyes at very first glance. It’s special because of its compact size for easy hand-holding and replaceable battery power supply. Meanwhile, it has a professional information display, multiple working modes, and easy operation. If you guys are interested in it, please let me know down below this video. We will buy it and do a quick review for you.

Comments & Verdict

It’s been almost four years since we last visited the Canton Fair. Four years ago we saw an explosion of smart wearable products and phone accessories. But this year we could feel the difference, as smart homes and entertainment devices were finding their way into the new world. For example, display devices are no longer just about TV, gaming, and office. Some manufacturers are starting to target niche markets such as educational use, and developing complementary education software and interaction.

Overall, we didn’t find so many innovative products and ideas, although most of them seem to be well developed and made. Many products don’t have particularly high technical barriers, which allows us to predict that in the near future, if China sees a wave of industrial shifts, then the South East Asian countries with lower manufacturing costs could be the ones to pursue in the world market.

But unfortunately, we didn’t get to see manufacturers from the electric-vehicle industry, which is another market and industry on the rise in China. Most of them were at the time in another exhibition, the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition. And what happened at that exhibition is a different story.

The post Tech on Canton Fair 2023 appeared first on Gizmochina.

OnePlus Ace 2 Xiangling Edition

Five months ago, OnePlus partnered with Genshin Impact to release the Ace Pro Hutao Edition. We made an unboxing video at that time and we thought it was quite a good co-branding model. If you are interested in it, you can check out the video link here. Then five months later, they did it again with miHoYo to release another co-branding phone, the OnePlus Ace 2 Xiangling Edition. Like I said before, the Ace Pro Hutao Edition is an adorable work, so I’m pretty anticipating the successor. Can this Ace 2 Xiangling Edition be loved by gamers again this time? Let’s find out.

Unboxing

If you purchase the special Ace 2, you will receive a huge and heavy red box. The bottom of the box is a removable tray with metal carrying handle, which looks like some sort of ancient Chinese suitcase. Not surprisingly, the design of the Box is inspired by the Chinese Antique Stacking Lunch Box. The sides also have the fire element pattern of the game, and the golden handle does make it more like a launch box that conforms to the style of Liyue Harbor.

If you play the game a lot, you must know that the character Xiangling is a chef, so it makes sense to design a lunch box for her phone. The magnetic Buckle logo in the center of the box is Xiangling’s name – Ling. When you open the box, a familiar scene appears: It is Liyue Harbor, made of several layers of paper like Hutao’s decorative painting, with Xiangling and her companion, Guoba, on either side of Liyue Harbor.

So why did OnePlus choose Xiangling as the game’s avatar for Ace 2? I think it’s probably because they are so similar to each other. Although Xiangling can be collected for free in the game, she’s actually a very powerful avatar which I also like to play with. I’m sure those of you who have fought in Spiral Abyss should be able to feel how powerful Xiangling is, and Raiden National Team also helped me get full stars in Floor 12. While the Ace 2 isn’t expensive either as a mid-range model with decent performance. I guess OnePlus tried to remind users with Xiangling that the Ace 2 is equally powerful as the character.

The two drawers below Liyue Harbor are the main course inside the lunch box. In the first drawer, there’re some accessories put into the ‘custom manual’. The manual printed with a big Guoba head is thick and solid. And you can see Guoba’s eyes can change from different angles. Open the manual you will see the table of contents on the first page, and some Chinese welcome words on the next page.

Move on and you will see the paper card of Xiangling and Guoba popping up in a fighting posture. The short words on the left are the battle cry of Xiangling in Chinese, which does pull me back into the game. And then there’re a few character cards, Xiangling’s meme stickers, and a lovely Guoba card pin.

Next to the manual, there’s a refine scroll poster of Xiangling. In the beginning, I just thought it might be some sort of new recipe created by Xiangling.

So that’s all the accessories. They look good, but to be honest, the new work is not as surprising as the Hutao edition. Because there’s no custom phone case, the pin is not made into a weapon, and no primogems are given here. Even the poster is printed from the image in the game, while Hutao’s at least has a special poster made for her by OnePlus.

The Phone

The second drawer is of course the phone and the same accessories as the standard Ace 2, so no need to repeat them. The red leather-like variant is exclusive for the Genshin Impact edition, with stitch design on both sides like the Redmi K60. Unfortunately, there is no Genshin Impact element on the back panel. Apart from the exclusive color of the back, it looks the same as the standard Ace 2.

Custom Software

Now let’s boot the phone. Obviously, a customized theme UI is essential. The dynamic wallpaper and customized icons are the most basic tricks of these co-branded phones. Here we have to despise Redmi 12 Turbo’s Harry Potter edition. How can it be made without customized icons? There is a burning effect for the charging animation, and the small chili pepper also appears as you type with the default keyboard.

Like the Hutao Edition, we also have the custom ringtones recorded by Xiangling’s Chinese VA in the game.

The phone is also powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, and it’s still no problem dealing with Spiral Abyss. It can run at full 60fps and the temperature is acceptable. But to run Genshin Impact perfectly, I still recommend Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phones. For more information about the Ace 2, you can check out our Ace 2 full review video. Although it got an upgraded 18GB ram, there’s no perceivable difference from the standard variants since they share almost everything.

Verdict

The Ace Pro Hutao edition is still OnePlus’ best work for Genshin gamers. If put together, the Ace 2 Xiangling Edition maybe not be as worthy, as picky gamers would want a more thoughtful design. And the others who don’t play the game probably won’t buy a co-branding phone for the 18GB ram and the red leather-like cover either.

But every character in Genshin Impact has a loyal fan base, so those who especially love Xiangling better ignore my opinion and pay for it. Otherwise, I would recommend the Hutao Edition more.

The post OnePlus Ace 2 GENSHIN IMPACT XIANGLING Edition Phone Unboxing appeared first on Gizmochina.

Traditional mechanical lock vs Smart electronic lock?

This is a time when we are abandoning physical mechanical locks and keys, and embracing biometric keys and electronic locks. But the revolution will obviously take most people to get used to, especially for those who are used to traditional lock-picking ways. First let’s agree on one thing: the mechanical keys are needed, but definitely the last thing that we want. An excellent option that we recommend here is the Elemake Keypad Deadbolt Smart Door lock, which could be the one that will cost you the least learning and adaptation costs for your journey into the age of electronic locks.

What’s Inside & Design

The size of the whole package is surprisingly small with a wide range of accessories inside to help users with any installation problems. All you need is to make sure every single part presented in the User manual is included. You can easily check them all from the Parts Illustrations and the Assembly Drawing on Page 3. The component pack includes an Outside Escutcheon with a Gasket, a mounting bracket, a bolt, a strike plate, 2 keys with suction cups for removing Key Hole Lid on the outside escutcheon, a Door position sensor, a WiFi-gate module, two more RF cards and a bunch of screws. The door lock offers two color variants – black and silver. Both of them are well-built and mainly made of solid zinc alloy.

The Trivex anti-aging touch panel of the outside Escutcheon is a wise design that prevents fading from exposure to sunlight and supports IP65 waterproofing. Since Trivex regularly tested their products for over 10 years, there is credit that the panel can serve outdoors for years without aging issues.

Easy Installation

But before buying the Smart Lock, let me make it clear: it fits most standard residential doors with 2-3/4’’ or 2-3/8’’ backset and thickness from 1-1/2″ to 1-7/8″, regardless of left or right opening. So basically, it fits all kinds of wooden and metal doors.

The assembly is pretty easy even for someone who never installed any door locks. And users even can click the link where they made a detailed installation video for guidance. The whole assembly was done under the guidance of the official video. The good news is that the video helped a lot and there’s no problem for a single adult to install the lock.

Just pay attention to the first step you make sure the backset of the bolt gets adjusted to fit the door (2-3/4’’ or 2-3/8’’).

To help you install the bolt in the correct direction, there is an ‘up’ mark on the bolt. Then turn the spindle of the outside escutcheon in the vertical position and put it through the backset and fit the door hole (2-1/8” diameter), where you also need to route the cord through the hole and go under the bolt. And connect it to one slot of the inside escutcheon, while the other is left for connection with the included door position sensor. 

Then just attach the inside escutcheon in the right position and fix the escutcheons on both sides of the door.

4-in-1 Unlocking Experience

The 4-in-1 entry smart door lock supports passwords, RF cards, keyed, and Bluetooth remote access, which widely covers most scenarios and the customary access for different people. For those who are used to traditional keyed access or card access, there’re 2 metal keys and 2 RF cards included. For someone who likes keyless access, password entrance is a great option. Last but not least, internet remote access is the most flexible and smartest way that meets different scenarios, where all you need is a smartphone that connects with Bluetooth or just the internet.

To have remote internet operation, you can connect the smart lock with a separate WiFi-gate module, which actually is a smarter design to prolong the battery life of the smart lock than most other WiFi-built-in models. It can be placed at any location where it’s available for wireless connection with both a WiFi signal and the door lock. It’s easy to set up the phone operation thanks to the Smart Life App.

Download and install the App from App Store (iOS devices) or Play Store (Android devices), and follow the setup steps to add the wireless gateway and the door lock. You can add passwords, add and capture RF cards, directly tap to remote unlock, view unlocking records and monitor entrance, check the door state and battery life, and so on.

With the door position sensor, users can check if the door is closed and locked in the App along with an automatic locking feature that makes sure you keep the house or room safe. Before living with smart door locks, I often struggled with returning to reconfirm the door after leaving and being unsure if it was securely closed. Most of the time this was futile. But at that time, it had to be done for safety. Now the Elemake perfectly solved the problem that has been bothering me for a long time, and thankfully, saved much time for me.

Connect With Third-Party Voice Assistant

The smart door lock also supports third-party voice commands to unlock, such as Alexa and Google Assistant. For example, you can link the Smart Life with Alexa first, and move to the Alexa app to add the door lock and activate the ‘unlock by voice’ feature. Of course, for security, Alexa would also ask you to set up a voice code. Even though it’s really convenient, users should still use the voice unlock with caution. After all, the voice can be easily overheard.

Low Power & AA battery

All the electric components apply Low Power Consumption Design. As of the time this review was written, we’ve tested it for over a month and it has worked well without battery replacement. After we saw the official claim that the batteries can support the lock to run for over a year, no matter with the separate WiFi hub or not, I realized that our test looked ridiculous. The battery box loading 4 replaceable AA batteries is a smart design. It’s widely seen that chargeable batteries are applied on most electric products, but for a door lock, no one likes to wait for the charging time. Fortunately, replacing the batteries for the Elemake Door Lock takes no more than a minute. 

Verdict

As a reviewer, I really like their user-friendly attitude and the detail they show on the smart lock. The lock is nice with decent built quality. And most importantly, it is super easy to install following the clear and straightforward installation video. The fact is that no paper user manual is as informative as a good assembly and setup video. Once it got ready to serve, managing the door would be much easier. The tiny complaint is that it would be perfect if it came with a handle regardless of left or right opening, aesthetically pleasing without having to buy an extra one. If you are interested in the Elemake smart door lock, the official website here will offer you more information like free shipping and warranty services.

The post Elemake Keypad Deadbolt Smart Door Lock Review: Keep Door Things Smart But Safe appeared first on Gizmochina.

Redmi Note 12 Turbo

Last month we did a comparison of the OnePlus Nord 3 and the Realme gt neo5, and my conclusion is that there is in fact no loser between the two. And that the real shame is on the Redmi k60 series, their strongest competitor. After twice announcing price cuts as a temporary response, Redmi finally waited for their true savior, and now I’m holding in my hands the world’s first brand new phone with the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 platform, the Redmi Note 12 Turbo, which will be released globally as Poco F5.

Today let’s see how Redmi returns the favor to its rivals and dominates the budget phone market once again.

By the way, we also made an unboxing video about the Harry Potter limited edition of the model. So if you are interested, you can check it out here.

We will upload the video as soon as possible.

Unboxing & Design

One of the marketing words for the Redmi Note 12 Turbo is magic, so we can see it wrapped in a black box with a mysterious feel. What we got is the white variant with insane 16GB memory and 1TB storage, which is one of the hottest-selling versions because it costs only $400! This is totally insane, and here we can also learn from the label that it supports Dolby Vision display as well as Dolby Atmos sound.

Accessories are not significantly different from Redmi’s previous budget models. A User guide, warranty card, and a TPU case, Unsurprisingly, at the bottom of the package we also have a USB-A to USB-C cable and a 67-watt charger. Now let’s take a glance at the phone, the Redmi Note 12 Turbo.

The white variant has a Chinese name that indicates white feathers and ice, and when you look at the fantastic and charming back cover, you will understand that it is really a very apt name. I love the white to-lime green gradient and the shimmering ice crystal texture as the perspective changes, This would be a great stylized look for summer.

The Note 12 Turbo has a full wrap-around flat body, and most importantly this time they finally removed the cheap plastic bracket that connects the screen to the frame, which was one of the biggest disadvantages of the Redmi K series against OnePlus Ace series. OK now let’s do some more in-depth experience and testing on all aspects of it.

The Note 12 Turbo’s frame and back cover are plastic, but visually it doesn’t feel cheap at all. Redmi has good attention to detail, and the surface of the frame is sandblasted which gives it a metal-like look and feel, and its sides are chamfered so it doesn’t feel sharp when you move your fingers from the back cover or screen to the frame.

The camera setup located on the back cover is no longer a huge integrated module, each camera is like a separate island floating on the back cover. Compared to the K60 series, the Note 12 Turbo has excellent size and weight control, it’s about 0.3mm thinner and 10 grams lighter than the OnePlus Nord 3, and what really gets me is that it still has a 5000mAh battery inside.

Two other details on the Note 12 Turbo that surprise me are that they still retain the 3.5 mm headphone jack in 2023 and that they opted for a well-located side fingerprint sensor. Trust me, while the under-screen optical fingerprint sensor looks more advanced. But if you actually compare them side-by-side, you’ll never prefer the under-screen optical fingerprint sensor again.

Display

When you wake up the Note 12 Turbo’s screen, the display panel that takes up almost the entire front face will blow you away, it’s almost the ultimate form of the smartphone display, though there’s still a hole punch for a selfie camera. This screen supports 12-bit color depth which gives a very nice transition of colors for all the images displayed on the screen, you won’t see those bad color breaks when you watch HDR content anymore.

Performance

Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 may be an unfamiliar name to you, as it is Qualcomm’s latest quasi-flagship platform released last month, which is the first time they have put prime core on the Snapdragon 7 series and brings many features previously supported only on flagship platforms. And most importantly, its GPU performance no longer lags far behind flagship products.

The Note 12 Turbo performed very close to those phones with Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 no matter in Benchmark or gaming. And they were all more expensive than the Note 12 Turbo.

Another benefit I found while playing games is that the new platform has better power efficiency, with neither the back cover nor the frame of the phone overheating during 20 minutes of Genshin Impact gameplay.

For such a budget phone, talking too much about the camera doesn’t seem to have much value, in fact, I always thought Android manufacturers should learn from Apple to keep a high-quality wide-angle camera only on the budget models, just like the iPhone SE 3.

Cameras

Because the Note 12 Turbo’s ultra wide-angle camera and macro camera are average, these days I just used its 64MP wide-angle camera to shoot these samples for your reference. It looks good in the daily shooting but there’s no obvious advantage if compared with other competitors in the same price range.

While I wasn’t expecting much from its camera, there was one thing that irked me. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 has a very good image-signal processor, but it seems that Redmi doesn’t want to unleash its full potential in a budget model. Unfortunately, this phone doesn’t support the 4K 60FPS HDR video recording that it is capable to support, so if you are more concerned about video recording, you need to think carefully about buying it.

Battery & Charge

In terms of battery life, the 5000mAh built-in battery and the excellent energy efficiency of the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 make the phone good enough to last all day. Compared to OnePlus, Redmi does a really good job of power management, and sometimes when I don’t play games all day, I can even charge it only once in two days. The 67 watts of wired charging isn’t exactly fast at the moment, but it still meets most users’ needs.

Verdict

Well that’s today’s unboxing and hands-on about the Redmi Note 12 Turbo, which is a phone that impresses me because it really gives up a lot of profit for consumers. Buying a phone with 1TB of storage on a $400 budget sounds like a clumsy joke, but Redmi really makes it happen and gives us the best design and display in its price range. Everyone can foresee that this will be a phone that sells very well, and I’m starting to look forward to seeing how their competitors will fight back, anyway, let’s wait and see.

The post Redmi Note 12 Turbo Hands-on & Quick Review: That Redmi Is Back! appeared first on Gizmochina.

This is probably the most fantasy co-branding phone we’ve bought. So this is the world’s first Harry Potter branded phone, the Redmi Note 12 Turbo Harry Potter edition; and we also got the Harry Potter special edition of the Redmi Buds 4. This is by far the most sincere co-branding series coming from Redmi. According to some sort of rumors, the custom series was born thanks to Xiaomi’s recruitment of the former OPPO product manager who is in charge of co-branding products. So the customization is pretty close to what we saw on OPPO Reno 6 Pro+ Detective Conan Edition and the Reno Ace Gondam edition. So now let’s check out what’s inside the wizarding world presented by Redmi.

Redmi Note 12 Turbo Harry Potter Special Edition

They did work hard on the customization from the outside to the inside. The whole packaging is really impressive at first glance. It looks like a wizarding book, or simply a non-magic book that must be inspired by another book mentioned in the Harry Potter story, called Hogwarts: A History. There’s the emblem with 4 houses’ symbol at the center and the back. Under the school’s emblem, you can see the familiar motto: Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus, which, translated from Latin, means “Never tickle a sleeping dragon”. And of course, we are buying a phone, so you can see the Redmi Note 12 Turbo texture down below the emblem.

There is a lightning-bolt symbol on the red magnetic buckle, which should be the symbolic scar on Harry’s forehead. We all know that the scar is both a bane and a blessing left by the killing curse.

Open the box, there’s more detail revealed here, filled with a lot of spells with their hand movements. The Mirror of Erised is in the middle, which got cut out for showing the Redmi phone. So does it mean that the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts is… Redmi? Well then, good job Redmi.

That’s a card pin made in the shape of the sign of platform 9 and three-quarters! It’s pretty well-made. On the back of the cover, there’s an envelope sent by Hogwarts.

I believe that every Harry Potter fan has a dream of becoming a wizard in their childhood, but on their 12^th birthday, most of them have not received a letter of admission, and that kind of shattered the fantasy. Well, I’m no exception. But now you got another chance to make it come true in another way, which is to take that acceptance letter included in this customized phone kit.

Unfortunately, the recipient is still Harry Potter. It would have been perfect if there were a specific user’s name, which could also be great for their network marketing. Anyway, it’s still worth boasting that the envelope and letter are exactly the same as the one Harry received in the movie.

Remove the panel with the mirror, now we can see the phone. The overall color is still dark red, with multiple patterns that Awaken our memories of Harry Potter, such as the Hedwig, a golden snitch in quidditch games, the sorting hat, the goblet of fire, and so on.

Take out the phone here. The biggest difference between the Harry Potter edition and the regular variant is on the back, which also features the Hogwarts school crest as the main element, while it’s also silk-screened with Harry Potter’s glasses, Quidditch, deer, and other classic elements from the movie.

If look closely at the camera module, you will find other glasses hidden here, which is quite a smart design. That’s very close to my imagination about a Harry Potter phone. Under the phone, there is a regular 67W charging suit in the lightning-bolt case, which is exactly the same as the regular variant. It would be nice if it was also redesigned.

Pull out the box at the bottom. There are quite a few stickers inside and a customized phone case with half of the Hogwarts crest and a cutout for showing the left half of the phone’s back. Put it on the phone and it looks surprisingly good. The leather-like surface also makes it feels great as well in my hands.

And there’s a unique user manual designed in a form of the Marauder’s Map, telling some basic info about the phone and Xiaomi’s service.

So that’s all you got inside the special kit. I pretty much enjoyed the whole unboxing, as a lot of classic moments of the series came into my mind. It’s like over ten years. At that time I never thought I would have a phone that was so relevant to the story.

And it was a bit disappointing when I got into the software. It gave me a little surprise when boost up the phone. A golden snitch flies across the display and lit up the phone, which has a Harry Potter theme ready. And that’s probably all about the customized software features. Neither icons nor animations got redesigned.

Except for the unique look, the special variant has nothing different from regular variants. We’ve done a review about the Redmi Note 12 Turbo. If you are interested in how it works, you can find the video link here.

Redmi Buds 4 Harry Potter Special Edition Unboxing

Okay let’s do a quick unboxing of the Redmi Buds 4 Harry Potter edition. The packaging cube also has pretty decent patterns about Hogwarts School, and there’s a golden snitch on both sides.

Open it and another lightning-bolt scar appears. There is a blue-gray cable with a black sling. Take out the charging case, which is also mainly in blue-gray color with a matt finish. The logo of Harry Potter and Redmi are in a golden color. On the opposite side, another Hogwarts logo is lying there.

It’s kind of stylish, while the shape is a bit like the Redmi Buds 3 Pro. There is a golden lightning-bolt symbol on the top of each bud, which is kind of special but doesn’t really impress me.

Put the case with earbuds aside and here comes the real bragging point, Redmi offers a small unique bag for storing the charging case, which is made in leather-like material with many Harry Potter patterns. And you can see the golden snitch on the front, which make it look very wizarding-styled at first glance.

If you are interested in the Redmi earbuds’ performance, you can leave your ideas down below the YouTube Page and let us know if a review is needed.

So that’s all about the cobranding series between Redmi and Harry Potter. The phone and earbuds are pretty cool with good customized accessories. They add quite a lot of elements to present a recognizable visual style, which is quite successful. But if there’re more software looks for the products, it would be much better.

Anyway, I enjoyed the unboxing and am likely to keep the phone as a piece of my collection. So how do you like the cobranding? Let us know down below the video.

The post Redmi Note 12 Turbo & Redmi Buds 4 Harry Potter Special Edition Unboxing appeared first on Gizmochina.

The Honor Magic 5 Ultimate, the best Honor flagship by far, is only officially available in China now. So the phone in my hand is a China variant, which means the software is slightly different from the other Honor phones you can buy outside China. There’s no Google service by far on the Honor Magic 5 Ultimate. On the other hand, it’s a device coming from an ex-Huawei brand. So apart from the Honor account, you can also log in to your Huawei ID on the phone to access Cloud features.

Except for the brand-new luxury design, the Ultimate model has nothing else different from the Magic 5 Pro (China variant). So if you are attracted by Ultimate’s premium hardware suite and impressive camera kit, the global version of Magic 5 Pro with full Google service ready is a great alternative.

Design

But if you are running to its unique design, then unfortunately you will only take the fact that it doesn’t work with Google. The Magic 5 Ultimate is the most stylish premium phone that I’ve ever seen this year. I quite appreciate the design details it retains on the back cover, which not just offers a stylish and recognizable design but also greatly boosts the grip.

The leather-like pattern looks impressive, retaining elegant lines and dimensionality below the camera module.

Starting with the Magic 4 Ultimate, the series’ camera module is no longer the same round design, but an octagonal curved glass design with a triple-lens structure.

And it’s worth noting that, compared to the Magic 4 Ultimate’s weight of 242g, the 5 cut the weight down to 217g, while the body thickness also got reduced from 9mm to 8.7mm. So it’s pretty obvious that the magic 5 Ultimate is not that bulky and it feels much better than its predecessor. More surprisingly, the battery is instead not reduced by the smaller size but got enlarged to a capacity of 5450mAh.

Display

Turn it over and we can see the front face is quite stunning: A 6.81-inch LTPO OLED curved screen with super narrow bezels. The pill-shaped cutout at the top-left corner is the 12MP selfie camera and ToF 3D system for face scanning.

The edges of the display for the Magic 5 Ultimate are not that curved, so visually it’s great. No edge is too distorted and the grip is fine, but it’s not so satisfying if you add a case.

The display has a high resolution of 460ppi density, 120Hz dynamic refresh rate, a 10-bit color depth with HDR10+ support. So it looks no less than other premium phones.

Almost all the 2023 flagship phones improved their high-frequency PWM dimming to 1920Hz or above. The Magic 5 Ultimate is no exception. And honor even boosts it up to 2160Hz. My eyes are actually sensitive to the flicker issue, so I couldn’t really stare for long at a display that didn’t fix the flicker issue. But fortunately, I didn’t suffer that under low lighting on the Magic 5 Ultimate. It seems that the PWM dimming works.

Honor has excellent HDR content management that is similar to Huawei. Even when you play the HDR content in a window mode, the phone can correctly display the high brightness and vibrant colors required for HDR separately from the rest of the display.

The manual brightness of the display is good, reaching about 750nit. The full-screen adaptive maximum brightness in strong light and for HDR both reach over 1200nits, while the figure will rise up to 1600nits with a 10% HDR window. That’s almost the best level for android.

The phone is equipped with stereo speakers. You can check out how it sounds in our review video.

Camera setups & samples

Main Cam

The Magic 5 Ultimate comes with a triple-lens setup. Let’s first focus on the main camera, which features a nearly 1-inch sensor. Although it’s not the largest sensor size yet, I’m quite satisfied with the photos it took from the main camera. The colors are rich, the bokeh effect is great, and there’s good detail across the brightness and shadow. The experience is so good that as long as you open the camera and press the shutter, it feels like it would definitely give you a great photo no matter when or where you are. Even in a very dark situation, it can control the dynamic range and exposure just right, and won’t feel like the night photo was taken in the daytime.

When you zoom in with the main camera, Magic 5 Ultimate also automatically switches to high-resolution mode to do the cropping. The benefit is that the sharpness will be improved to some extent. This feature will automatically activate when you zoom in to 2x, and you can clearly see the difference between the two photos. Since pixel binning is not available in high pixel mode, its exposure and dynamic range are always significantly improved in low light conditions.

Ultra-wide lens

The physical focal length of the ultra-wide-angle camera reaches 13mm, and the field of view will be a bit wider than the wide-angle lenses of other phones. So the image-quality degradation of the corners is also a problem that needs to be solved by HONOR.

Not only is there the problem of reduced sharpness, but obviously it comes with fringing issues. And here the red flowers also show an oversaturated problem. On the other hand, the wide-angle lens has many of the same advantages as the main camera, such as excellent dynamic range and exposure control. But the poor image quality at the corners and the difficulty in framing with too wide a field of view make me rarely use it in my daily shooting.

The wide-angle camera supports autofocus, so you can also use it as a macro lens. The image quality will be much better than those 2MP macro cameras.

3.5X Telephoto lens

This 3.5x telephoto lens inherits the excellent algorithm from previous HONOR phones, and the AI to increase the image detail allows the Magic 5 Ultimate to take great-looking photos up to 10x. It far exceeds our imagination that a 3.5x optical telephoto can produce such sharp 10x photos. It’s really great, but sometimes this telephoto lens lost its temper. The picture might get exposed too much and the image could look a bit under-contrasted. When I manually lower the exposure, the AI feature for increasing sharpness disappears and the photo becomes blurry. The colors are also not as vibrant as the primary camera.

In night mode, the 3.5X shooting is easier to have stable handheld capture.

And the night mode is also available for the 10x shooting and sometimes it worked, while sometimes it didn’t. The normal mode could even shoot better images with less noise.  

Anyway, this telephoto camera is good all around, but not very stable. You need to put up with it when it misbehaves, and hope Honor can fix it well with the software update in the near future.

Video shooting

In terms of video, the good news is that all three lenses support 4k 30fps shooting and support switching lenses in the recording. The main camera and telephoto are even better, with the ability to switch lenses freely in 4k 60fps shooting. The bad news is that there is no 8k recording. And the 4k clips shot on the wide-angle camera are not as sharp as what we shot on the main camera.

Performance & Gaming

As for performance, I’m not gonna talk much about it since we’ve covered a lot about the Snapdragon 8 Gen2 chipset, which is Qualcomm’s most powerful mobile chipset launched in the past few years. Everything looks great on those phones powered by the 8Gen2. No exception for the Magic 5 Pro. And the Magic OS based on Android 13 is surprisingly smooth and responsive. So you don’t need to worry about the phone’s performance at all. For smooth gaming, the new Magic Ultimate has a unique graphics chip to enhance the framerate in games like Genshin Impact. So on the Magic 5 Pro, you could smoothly play Genshin Impact at a boosted framerate of 90fps. 

Software

So one of the biggest problems of the China variant is the inability to use Google services. For app searching and installation, in addition to the Honor app store, you can still have third-party options like ApkPure and ApkMirror. But if you rely too much on Google services and cannot take it, just think carefully before buying the Magic 5 Ultimate’s China version.

Battery & Charge

Its battery life is another surprise. It’s one of the premium phones with the longest battery life we have ever reviewed. More importantly, it doesn’t get too bulky as a smartphone. It’s almost at the same level as the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The charging is not as impressive as the battery life, but it still supports 66W wired and 50W wireless charging. A full charge with the included charger took about 53 mins. 

Verdict

So that’s all about the Magic 5 Ultimate. As a premium phone, its battery and display are definitely at the top of all models in the market. And the camera experience it prides itself on is still a satisfying additional value. And what we didn’t mention is that all the features are wrapped into the stylish body with IP68-rated water and dust resistance.

So that’s it. Hope you enjoy the review and the video, if you like that video, please kindly hit the ring and like buttons on YouTube, which means a lot to Gizmochina.

The post Honor Magic 5 Ultimate 16+512GB Review: Being Premium With A Small Regret appeared first on Gizmochina.

This is our most anticipated premium phone this year, the OPPO Find x6 Pro. It’s been in my hands for about a week, and now I’m pretty sure it will probably become the legendary model of the whole series. It has the best display for a smartphone, the biggest sensors for triple main cameras, and the top performance and power solution. I know it sounds almost perfect, but I’m not exaggerating.

Design

As the top flagship of OPPO, the Find X6 Pro still has excellent built quality with a smart and recognizable design. OPPO abandoned the sloping camera island design that they used on the Find X5 Pro, which was almost my favorite phone design last year. The brand-new huge round-camera module is swearing to us that aesthetics is giving way to powerful functionality. As the triple lenses with great sensors require much more space inside, the camera bump couldn’t flowingly blend with the back.

However, its center of gravity is not much affected by the large and thick module and neither shifted forward. And the weight of 218g is surprisingly lighter than I thought. So for me, the grip is good, not too heavy or too thick for holding. The glass variant looks pretty premium but it does feel a bit slippery.

I pretty much like the line they add to the camera module, which keeps the three lenses from being disorganized and also gives the location of the Hasselblad logo a reasonable reference. Actually, the upper part is covered with an extra protective glass panel.      

The glass cover mainly curves towards both sides where it meets the polished aluminum frame. Like its predecessor, the frame is thin but solid on the sides and interrupted by antenna strips in 7 spots. The SIM slot with a rubber ring is on the bottom, which can take up to two nano-sized cards. As claimed, the phone supports IP68 rating water and dust resistance.  

The Brightest Display

The front face covers a 6.82″ 2K-level 120Hz LTPO Amoled display, which is one of the most stunning phone screens I’ve ever seen, because it’s so bright! The screen is OPPO’s brightest screen ever and probably the brightest one that I’ve ever reviewed. It can be boosted up to 1500 nits outdoors, and reach around 2500 nits in a 10% window. What made me so surprised is for watching HDR content. If we turn on the bright HDR video mode in settings, the activated brightness can be boosted up to around 2200nits.

Sometimes I even felt uncomfortable when activating the maximum brightness indoors. But this’s not its fault. The super-bright screen provides a better option to enjoy Dolby Vision and HDR videos. And of course, the Find X6 Pro comes with dual loudspeakers for stereo sounds. You can check it out here by yourselves.

Triple main cameras with big sensors

It’s almost like an end-game of all brands’ camera phones this year since there’s not much space for the existing technologies to support the annual upgrade. You will probably find a lot of new flagship models coming with similar multi-lens setups, but hard to figure out what exactly got improved. Even though the shooting experience could be improved, it’s hard to say how much progress in imaging it has made over tough conditions.

But the OPPO Find X6 Pro is an exception. It’s done almost all it can do to construct the huge round module. And the fact is that its upgrade of the cameras is so straightforward, instead of just staying on the advertisement and so-called algorithm optimization.

So what’s the most effective way to improve the imaging quality of the three lenses? It’s quite easy to answer the question: a bigger sensor, another bigger sensor, and another bigger sensor.

This is their most aggressive solution ever. The 0.6x ultrawide angle lens and 3x telephoto lens both use the same SONY IMX890 sensor as the main camera of the OnePlus 11, while the 1x main camera uses the same SONY IMX989 as the main camera of the Vivo X90 Pro+ and the Xiaomi 13 Pro. We can even say that the Find X6 Pro comes with three main cameras without any secondary lenses.

So technically the Find X6 Pro should have the best 3x telephoto lens and best ultrawide lens for smartphones and is likely to have one of the best 1x main cameras.

The sample was taken outdoors on a cloudy day, and the Find X6 Pro has the same natural but stylish colors, and the excellent dynamic range is also impressive under such a complex scenario. We can see that the sky is not overexposed and we can see some detail in the clouds, while the buildings in high contrast also reserve good detail with correct exposure.

The SONY IMX890 has almost twice the size of other telephoto sensors on flagship phones, so actually, it’s what we really anticipate. In this section, we will focus on the telephoto lens.

Because of the large sensor size, the Find X6 Pro’s telephoto camera couldn’t have a high-x optical zoom. Although the default optical zoom option is 3X, you will find that the lens could be switched to 2.7X if you manually zoom in. So it’s actually a 65mm full-frame equivalent lens.

There is also a 6X option on the default list. Thanks to the huge size and sufficient pixels of the imx890 sensor, OPPO brought the in-sensor Zoom technology to the Find X6 Pro’s telephoto lens, which delivers sharper detail and less noise than traditional digital zooms.

Another impressive experience is the smooth zooming in and out between the three lenses. The image and colors are almost consistent in the view-finder when the lenses switch. 

When switching to the telephoto lens, the optical zoom brings much more subtle detail compared to the other lenses. When switched to the 6X Zoom, the detail of the photos was even further enhanced, which is not attributed to the excellent optical quality of the sensor, but also thanks to the optimization of OPPO’s Mari silicon NPU over the past two years. The AI capacity allowed for further enhancement of the textures of various objects in the photos.

From the samples here we can see that the Find X6 Pro’s telephoto lens not only brings amazing detail to the photos, but also achieves great consistency in color and white balance with the 1x lenses, and once again, if you capture zoom-in photos a lot, I highly recommend you try the 6X Zoom on the X6 Pro. The in-sensor Zoom took better advantage of the huge number of pixels on the sensor. And you no longer need to tolerate the slow capture speed and huge photos under the high-resolution mode and crop the picture by yourself. On the Find X6 Pro, it’s really smooth and convenient.

There is no doubt that the ultrawide angle lens with SONY IMX890 is the best ultrawide lens I’ve ever experienced. It has the least noticeable lens distortion and the best detail we’ve seen on an Ultrawide angle lens. The Sony IMX890 sensor makes it no longer a dispensable appendage: great dynamics, consistent colors, and no more fringing.

When we moved indoors with more complex lighting, the Find X6 Pro’s telephoto lens even showed us a comparable dynamic range with the sample shot with the one-inch sensor, The complex reflections on the surface of the model bear are so fantastic as you can see with your naked eye, and its colors are more vibrant and vivid.

When I came to this scene the ambient light was even worse, and it is a common fact that in this case, many flagship phones with a telephoto lens will auto-switch to a main camera when it detects insufficient lighting. Because the smaller sensor on most telephoto cameras may get worse photos by optical zoom in low light. But on the Find X6 Pro, we can see that the photos captured by the telephoto lens are substantially better than the 1x camera in terms of detail, color, and dynamic range.

I tried shooting these samples in low-lighting conditions to find out which lens is better for night shooting. But there’s no absolute answer on the Find X6 Pro, which now is really up to users. No matter which lens you use, it can handle well with night scenes. You just have to make sure that the composition is what you really want. The Find X6 Pro makes the lenses indeed no priority. All three lenses are able to get the best photos at their own focal length.

The new Hasselblad Portrait Mode is also impressive. Available at 24 and 65-mm focal lengths, the simulated lenses bring a stunning bokeh effect and impressive contrast. The photo keying does look pretty accurate and natural, as they claimed a new bokeh algorithm is applied here.

Given the OPPO Find X6 Pro’s incredible improvement in all the lenses, especially in telephoto shooting, I think it’s likely to be the best camera phone of 2023, even if the upcoming Xiaomi 13 Ultra may gain ground in other dimensions, My only complaint about the Find X6 Pro is still not able to bring live preview to the camera, although it’s not a problem specific to OPPO phones. When you take a night shot, you can only see the final result in the album. While this is a process that can bring surprises, I think users would be happier if they could see what they would get in the camera viewfinder.

The delayed preview also led me to an unexpectedly small bug. The telephoto lens sometimes would incorrectly handle the color of the lights at night. You can see that the algorithm incorrectly recognizes the purple lightbox as black&white, but the camera handles the colors correctly once switching to the 6X Zoom. But apparently, OPPO applies complex algorithms here to perform great real-time processing on each photo, and hopefully, they will fix it in the near updates.  

Video shooting

In terms of video recording, OPPO didn’t pursue 8K resolution, but put more effort into color and dynamic range for up to 4K videos shot on all three lenses including a 6x option. The footage here shows that the cloud has a good transition without over-exposure issues. Even when we switch to the telephoto lens, the rich details of the surface of distant objects can be captured very well.

The telephoto lens with great aperture is impressive to have close shots. You can get a very nice depth of field and pretty sharp details, This is the first time I feel that smartphones are finally catching up with some portable digital cameras over video shooting.

Another great surprise is the capacity of shooting Dolby Vision videos. And it’s also a pleasure to play back the footage with the bright display. The Dolby-Vision shooting seems to be more meaningful at the same time, as we can see a more immersive dynamic image on the phone, and its rich colors and high contrast easily pull us into the memories of the shoot.

Verdict

To be honest, there’s still a lot to share with you about the OPPO Find X6 Pro, like Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 performance, 100W wired plus 50W wireless charge, and new software features of Color OS. It doesn’t seem to have any drawbacks, and I did try very hard to dig into it for more details. But that will have to wait until our next video about it, so please stay tuned and subscribe to our YouTube channel Gizmochina.

Disclaimer:  All of the opinions in this Oppo Find X6 Pro review are the Gizmochina Review team’s and based on editors’ own experiences. There has been no editorial input from Oppo.

The post OPPO FIND X6 PRO Review Part 1: Triple Main Cameras, All In One appeared first on Gizmochina.

If you’ve read some of the latest reviews of smart bands or smartwatches, you should be able to find similar questions in the comments: “Can it measure blood pressure?” “Can I use this smart band to measure my blood pressure?”. Yes, as a wearable smart device, many smartwatches have personal health monitoring as a major selling point. With the miniaturization of sensors, many smartwatches already support heart rate and blood-oxygen measurement, and even ECG functions, but for the more than 100 million people plagued by high blood pressure, there are few truly miniaturized wearable devices on the market to easily measure blood pressure. With the arrival of YHE BP Doctor Pro, a smartwatch with built-in blood pressure monitoring, people suffering from specific diseases have a super convenient option.

Unboxing and design

The packaging of the YHE BP Doctor Pro is very simple, the black box has only a logo and some brief information about the watch. The model we have is a black variant.

The accessories are pretty much the same as what comes in a normal smartwatch package. We have a quick guide, an instruction manual, a charging dock, a USB cable and a measurement strap. This strap is the only one that stands out from the accessories.

The watch has an oval body, made of integrated stainless steel, with 2.5D glass covering the top of the screen. The strap is a bit different from a normal watch, with an inflatable cuff attached to one side of the wristband to measure blood pressure.

On the right side of the watch, there are two physical buttons: the power button and the home button.

At the button, we can see an optical sensor module to measure heart rate and oxygen saturation, next to it are four metal contacts for charging with the dock.

YHE BP Doctor Pro is equipped with a 1.41-inch AMOLED touchscreen with a resolution of 360X320, its display is as clear and vivid as the latest smartwatches, and the response speed is fast enough for daily operation.

Initial Setup

Before you start the initial setup for the watch, you should scan the QR code on the quick guide to download the BP Doctor Plus APP, when you set up the watch for the first time, it will automatically start Bluetooth pairing. You can see the watch waiting to be paired on the APP: click to confirm and then the pairing is done.

System UI

YHE BP Doctor Pro has three default dials (watch faces). You can long press the touch screen to switch dials. I like the most original one, it looks like a mechanical watch. More stylish alternatives are in the dial market of the app.

When you press the home button, you will enter a scrolling menu. On the first page, you can see some features of health monitoring, including BP(Blood pressure), SpO2(Blood-Oxygen) and HR (Heart rate). Scroll down and more useful functions will appear, such as workouts and sleep.

Press the button once more to go back to the home page. Swipe inward in four different directions to access four different pages, including Control Center, Notification Center, Activity Log, and Health Monitoring. Or the wearer can continue to swipe right to access the pages of HR and SpO2.

BP measurement

It’s time to explain how this measuring tape works. Before using the BP Doctor Pro to measure your blood pressure, make sure it’s properly on your wrist. For this you should place the tape about two finger widths from your wrist, you can see there are a total of 16 numbers on the tape when the tape fits my arm perfectly, the number the arrow points to is 5, so I should choose the fifth hole on the wristband.

The YHE BP Doctor Pro is probably the most convenient way to measure blood pressure, you can swipe right into the BP interface and click Start to complete a measurement, please note that before starting the measurement raise your arm until it is at the same level as your heart, the whole process is similar to the traditional measurement method, the air cuff will gradually expand and then calculate the systolic and diastolic blood pressure through the sensor.

Since I don’t have any other blood pressure measuring device, there’s no way to prove the accuracy of the data. But I saw a very close figure on my medical report last month, so I think it’s still credible enough in the way it’s measured and the results.

You can see exactly where your blood pressure is on the app, and luckily for me, it’s in a fairly balanced and healthy state.

As a home-assisted medical device, it may be shared by the consumer with other family members, so to ensure that the owner’s BP data is not interfered with, there is also a guest mode for temporary measurements for others.

Extended Health Monitoring

In addition to measuring BP, YHE BP Doctor Pro can also measure and record your HR and SpO2 as well as track your sleep status. By monitoring the daily data, you can better manage your personal health or get a more immediate and informative reference in the treatment of specific diseases.

Other Features

In addition to the groundbreaking BP measurement feature, the YHE BP Doctor Pro also has those features found on mainstream smartwatches, allowing you to check the weather, calculate your daily calorie consumption, set alarms, and more.

The watch also supports workouts, though it does support too few workouts with the current firmware version compared to a typical smartwatch, and doesn’t have built-in GPS, though that makes sense considering his target audience should be using it at home in most cases.

Battery life and charging

YHE BP Doctor Pro is equipped with a 170mAh Li-ion battery. According to my experience, it can achieve three days of use with all functions at default settings and two BP measurements per day, I think its battery life is acceptable, with the dock, it can be fully charged within 90 minutes.

Conclusion

The YHE BP Doctor Pro is a groundbreaking wearable designed for a specific group of people. It makes a lot of sense to put a blood pressure measurement device into a watch. For those with mobility issues, even though there are already much small blood pressure measuring devices on the market, they still need to be taken out from somewhere and put back on your arm each time you use it, but the YHE BP Doctor Pro truly allows you to take your blood pressure alone without moving a step and share the results with your family or friends for immediate help. The only improvement I expected was the battery life, while three days of use actually is reasonable for such a smartwatch. If it could achieve a longer battery life, it would provide more convenience for those with limited mobility.

The post YHE BP Doctor Pro Review: Creative 2-in-1 watch with Blood Pressure Measurement appeared first on Gizmochina.

Enabot EBO X

I want to share with you an innovative companion robot integrated with a lot of new technology. It’s the Enabot EBO X. This little guy is the most innovative and heartwarming robot I have seen so far this year. If you are looking for a gift for your child’s upcoming birthday or want to give extra care to the elderly in your family, trust me, the EBO X can be one of the coolest options.

Design

The cute robot is designed as a movable guardian to provide home security, health warnings, communication, and entertainment for families.

When I first saw EBO X, it reminded me of two of the most famous robot characters in movie history, BB-8 in Star Wars and Eva in WALL-E, It has a very cute spherical body, with a pair of flexible wheels as its feet underneath the body. It’s pretty funny to see the little guys rolling around the home. And the big eyes make it look both futuristic and intimate, like really keeping an eye on things, though it doesn’t actually see the world through the ‘eyes’.

 It has a very cool set of speakers on both sides and the bottom of its body, and the clever thing is that they just look like the ears of EBO X. Working with the built-in microphones, it builds up a two-way audio system for real-time communication, working as a movable voice assistant.

When you pick it up you can feel its heavy weight and solid build quality. This black cover makes it look mysterious and you can’t imagine how many sophisticated components and advanced designs are hidden under the cover.

When you press the top of it, a very compact spherical HD camera will pop up, through which EBO X can see the world and recognize the humans around him. On the top of the camera, we can see some buttons that allow you to adjust the volume of the robot or pause the music.

EBO X has only a few buttons on its body. Since it has a high level of intelligent control system, you can command it and control its behavior in many ways, such as phone control and voice commands. In addition to these buttons on top of the gimbal, we can also see a power switch at the bottom of the robot. Now let’s try to wake this little guy up.

Connection & auto charging

Setting up your EBO X is very simple, it will automatically stand by when it is first activated, all you need to do is open the EBO APP, click Add Device and show it the QR code. Once the robot is bound to your phone, enter your home WIFI password and you can access and control it at any time. You can also sign in to your Amazon account to complete the binding to activate the Alexa voice assistant, so you can talk to EBO X to control the IoT devices at home.

There is also a compact charging station with a refined design in the package. You can place it at the corner, and just make sure there are no obstacles within 1.5 meters in front and on both sides of the charging station.

When you have finished all the preparations, you can customize the appearance of the robot in the APP, there are many fantastic lighting themes for options. You can also adjust the brightness of the RGB light and the rhythm of the waist light. These special lights give the robot a visualized expression so it feels like we can actually feel its emotions.

Mobility

The first thing I’d like to show you is the robot’s incredible motor function. As you can see, the robot is not a self-balancing structure. If you turn off its power, it cannot maintain a stable standing position on its feet. When you start it, the robot is actually self-balancing in real-time by adjusting its own posture through its internal fine sensors and motors.

Even if you intentionally push it, the body can still maintain balance after all kinds of impact. To achieve that, it’s actually much harder than we thought. What’s more amazing is the EBO X can achieve high-speed movement, you can control its movement through the real-time viewport in the app. I’m curious if this looks like a racing game if we put two or more EBO X models together.

EBO X can not only move on flat surfaces but also cross some uneven ground. With the help of responsive design and highly sensitive sensors, the robot can always maintain its balance. When trying to pass some relatively high drop, the robot may fall because of the crash, but nothing has to worry about. It will immediately recognize its own posture and then quickly and steadily stand up again.

But most of the time, when recognizing a high drop ahead, it will stop moving forward to prevent itself from falling from a height, so you can safely let EBO X stay in any room of the house even if the room is on the second floor.

Patrol guardian, smart detection & Alert

As a companion robot, EBO X has many practical and heart-warming features. Thanks to the powerful motor capabilities and the HD camera on the gimbal, EBO X can serve as the most flexible guardian in your home.

When you are out, you can always use the APP to see what is happening at every single corner through the movable EBO X. Control the virtual joystick to let the robot reach and monitor every corner, and if you have a baby or a pet at home to look after, EBO X provides you with an additional safeguard.

For those elderly people with limited mobility, an accidental fall can be a serious emergency without timely assistance from others. Therefore, engineers developed a posture recognition function for EBO X. Once there is a suspected human fall in its field of view, it will immediately recognize and send you a warning, and you can click on the real-time notification from the app to view the live situation.

As a companion robot, EBO X also puts some effort into enhancing the connection between each family member. It is a truly smart device that can be shared. You can send an invitation to each family member to become an administrator of EBO X to access and control it. After the family members have joined, you can also make video calls to them through the EBO X. It supports two-way video calls for up to five people, so everyone can experience the cozy sight of family through the eyes and ears of EBO X.

Entertaining

In terms of home entertainment, once you activate the Alexa voice assistant, everyone can have the EBO X play popular music from Amazon via voice commands, By the way, while the EBO X sings for you, you can also have it follow you, so the music will always be around you.

While the robot has a very compact body, its built-in speakers are much more powerful than I expected. I don’t think anyone would say no to a true home mobile sound system like this.

Battery life

The EBO X comes with a 2500mAh battery and supports automatic recharging, or you can send it back to the charging station via app or voice commands, It completes the process more accurately and quickly than many robot vacuums I’ve seen. So basically you don’t have to worry about its battery life.

Verdict

So that’s all about the EBO X, a very advanced and humane companion robot, it is a completely new category of consumer electronics that can bring joy and surprise to anyone. I really appreciate the Enabot team, especially for the intelligent features designed for children and the elderly.

Compared to those traditional smart speakers or security cameras, it has a much more powerful guarding ability and delivers warmth to the whole family, I think this is a product with great potential, and now I am more looking forward to the brand bringing natural conversation ability like ChatGPT to the robot in the near future, making it a more human and loyal companion. The EBO X now is available on Kickstarter, you can click here to check out more information.

The post Enabot EBO X Smart Home Robot Review: Looks like a BB-8! appeared first on Gizmochina.

Insta360 X3

This, is the most versatile camera that I’ve ever used, the Insta360 X3 360° action camera. It doesn’t mean that it’s for everyone, but I believe that when you’ve experienced it, you will definitely find your own fun in it. The greatest trick of this powerful action camera is the dual high-resolution cameras back to back. With these two lenses, users can have great possibilities to shoot all kinds of creative clips that the other cameras can’t do. I even doubt that the brand developed this product in a way that is able to fully predict how users would use it to create content.

Design

So let’s check out how it works. The two lenses each feature a half-inch SONY IMX586 sensor, which used to be popular on camera phones. Now the dual-lens setup brings a new life to the classic sensor.

They are each recording an extremely wide-angle video that stretches way back, actually with views of beyond 180 degrees. Then the algorithm combines the two feeds shot on them into an almost perfect shooting of 360 degrees, though there’s a bit of overlap at the seams. What makes it really amazing is that the camera knows where the mounting point is and what their mounting equipment like selfie sticks looks like, so it can remove that out of the video. So even mounted with a selfie stick, the Insta360 X3 feels like a viewpoint hovering in the air. You don’t need to worry about the shooting angle, as it does create a real-time spherical capture. And you will decide the camera angle and movement including panning, tilting, zooming, and rolling in post-editing.

In a very hurried shot, you just need to decide where it should be in the air. It can be placed or mounted in a fixed position, follow any object in motion with a mounting accessory, or even complete the traversal of the lens movement with a 33-foot-long selfie stick like a drone.

Compared to its predecessors, the very important upgrade is the 2.29-inch touchscreen, by far the largest of any insta360 camera allowing the user to easily control the camera settings. On the side of the camera, there’re doors holding the upgraded 1800mAh battery, microSD card slot, and USB port. Since there’s no built-in storage, it doesn’t support in-camera recording. As you can see, one detail that may be inconvenient is that you must first take out the battery before you install or remove the storage card. Or there’s a USB-C storage dock available, with which you can have off-camera recording, but also convenient to take it down and plug it directly into the phone for editing.

Capture

The Insta360 X3 has up to 5.7K resolution for 360° video shooting, allowing users to capture stunningly detailed images with vibrant colors. In addition to the Vivid and standard color modes, it also supports log colors. But here I still recommend using Vivid or standard colors to create content, as it looks really great in daylight and is much easier for post-coloring. A surprise I found from the clips is the decent dynamic range, which does offer a pretty natural brightness transition. By the way, in certain modes like time-lapse, the X3 can shoot at 8K resolution.

The cameras feature FlowState stabilization technology which helps reduce shake and blur in videos without sacrificing image quality or field of view (FOV). Additionally, both cameras also feature Horizon Lock mode which keeps your horizon level even if you move around during filming.

Actually, it’s pretty easy to shoot the whole spherical footage. Whether you can turn the footage into stunning creations depends on your spatial imagination and skills in using the software of Insta360 studio.

Software on Phones & PCs

The most convenient way to edit those spherical videos is using the phone app, where you can easily find a bunch of effects and shot patterns to follow, such as different sports or vlog patterns, sky swap, time-lapse, bullet time and so on. To post anything different on social media, it’s perfect and the render time is also surprisingly good, which is even faster than any video-editing tools I’ve ever used.

If you are a professional content creator who wants to edit the clips in detail with the best image quality and the best additional stabilization effects, the Insta360 Studio for PC will be a better and more powerful tool. There’re more options for desktops to upload to social media at higher resolutions than via phones. What’s even more convenient is that you can transfer the shots to Adobe Premiere Pro with the plug-in and edit in the adobe software.

Wide Accessories for Insta360 X3

The Insta360 X3 has great accessories that help secure mounting, such as tripods, standard selfie stick, extremely long selfie stick to shoot drone views, and all kinds of mounts. Unlike some action cameras requiring a waterproof case, the X3’s body is already waterproof to 10 meters without attaching a diving case. But if you still want more secure protection underwater, they also have optional waterproof housings for underwater use. 

Verdict

In the actual shooting experience, the brand-new versatile camera is revolutionary. Especially when working with insta360’s software, no matter the phone app or the studio PC app, from the simplest to the most complicated work, it really feels sick. It’s so clever to present such a complex job to everyone’s phone. Once you export any video that’s edited under its guidance, you’ll probably be amazed at such a new perspective. It will even become a motivational tool to encourage you to try new sports with shots from different angles, and locations that most humans have never seen before.

We had never rated a product as an essential tool for shooting vlogs. But the X3 is, and at least for now, there is no 360° camera that works better than the Insta360 X3. So that’s almost all about the revolutionary camera.

The post Insta360 X3 360° Action Camera Review: A Revolutionary Versatile Camera For Everyone appeared first on Gizmochina.

OneOdio is a brand that specializes in affordable headphones for various purposes, such as gaming, studio, DJ, and casual listening. The OneOdio Focus A10 is one of their latest models, which offers wireless connectivity, active noise cancellation, and surprisingly, Hi-Res audio certification. The headset is designed to deliver high-quality sound, long-lasting battery life, and a comfortable fit, all for a reasonable price. In this review, we will explore the features, performance, and why we decided to add it to the Editor Picks list.

Design & Built

The OneOdio Focus A10 has a sleek and minimalist design, with a metal and plastic build. It brings an excellent build quality that obviously exceeds our expectations. The headphones have soft ear cushions and an adjustable headband. The sponge wrap provides a very comfortable fit for my head and it doesn’t put much pressure on the top of my head. It’s suitable for carrying on the go, and thanks to its foldability, it can easily be folded up and stored in the included carrying case.

The Focus A10 has a simple and intuitive control scheme, with buttons on the right ear cup for power, volume, play/pause, and another button for ANC modes on the left one. The right-side buttons are also available to answer or reject calls, activate voice assistants, and switch between devices. Yes, the A10 headphones support dual connection, which allows the seamless transition between two devices (e.g. phones, PCs, tablets) without manual reconnection.

The headphones have a built-in mic that captures users’ voices clearly, and they also have an LED indicator on each side that shows the battery and ANC status.

Wireless & Wired connection

The Focus A10 supports Bluetooth 5.0 and optimized connectivity, which brought a fast and stable connection under not just SBC codec but also ACC high-quality codec. In addition to Bluetooth wireless connection, you can also use them as wired headphones via a 3.5mm audio jack, which can achieve seamless sounds without latency. It’s another surprise that the affordable headphones have a Hi-Res audio certification, which means they can deliver decent sound with a wide frequency response.

Comfortable Fit

The ear fit of the Focus A10 is comfortable and flexible. The earpads are equipped with true protein memory foam, greatly adapting to most sized heads and ears. They are lightweight and not too tight, which makes them easy to wear for a long using time. And the cups cover my ears well and provide good isolation, which benefits the actual experience of its ANC features.

Active Noise cancellation (ANC)

The Focus A10 is claimed to have a noise reduction depth reaching 35dB, which sounds decent. Especially under low-frequency noises, such as engine hums, it’s able to build quiet listening, while for higher-frequency noises like voices, the effect could be not as impressive. But as we mentioned above, the physical isolation of the cups is great. Overall, it’s able to handle most scenarios when using the ANC mode and the transparent mode.

Sound

The sound quality of the Focus A10 headphones is impressive, especially for the price. The headphones have a balanced and detailed sound across high, mid and low frequencies. What’s most impressive is that it produced a wide and spacious soundstage with a deep and powerful bass. It’s easily put you in the middle of a surround-sound mix, and it’s especially perceivable when watching films with stereo presents. 

For something a bit softer, it also delivered great vocal clarity that paired with crisp and smooth highs from instruments. And when playing orchestral music, the Focus A10 brings a spacious imagination of a concert hall, with expressive dynamics and clear separation between instruments. The experience actually brings a better pleasure than its price should offer.

Battery & charge

Another pleasure of the headset comes from its long battery life. It can last up to 50 hours on a single charge with ANC off, while with ANC on, it still lasts up to about 35 hours, which is already better than most wireless headphones. In addition, OneOdio team gives the headphones a fast-charging feature via the USB-C port. It can offer 2 hours of playback with just 10 minutes of charging, which often gives me great peace of mind when I’m on the road. No more rushing around looking for a place to charge.

But we also have to admit that it would be close to perfect if the headset comes with a companion app, offering multiple EQs or more customized features. And the microphone quality is not as surprising as what we experienced above. Even so, the call quality still justifies its price.

Verdict

Overall, the OneOdio Focus A10 is a great option for those looking for their first wireless headphones but wouldn’t pay much for it. At first, I just wanted to get both ANC and Hi-Res audio on the budget OneOdio headset, but obviously, the Focus A10 also puts a lot of effort into other features and design, such as the comfortable wearing, stable dual Bluetooth connection and a long battery life with fast charging. If you are interested in the brand-new OneOdio Focus A10 headphones, here is the link to explore more about it and more audio equipment from the brand. You might find your own fun there.

The post OneOdio Focus A10 Review: Budget-Friendly Wireless Headphones with ANC appeared first on Gizmochina.

Red Magic 8 Pro

If you’ve watched the phone reviews we uploaded these few weeks, you might understand our concerns about gaming phones in 2023. Our concerns are not unfounded. In fact, the niche market for gaming phones has been cooling down. You may even find some famous gaming brands would stop updating their lineups in 2023. But this doesn’t seem to affect the brand RedMagic. Surprisingly, the latest Red Magic 8 Pro in my hand is one of the best gaming phones we’ve ever reviewed. It really looks cool with a brand-new design, and I was attracted to it at first sight.

This is probably my favorite phone look this year. The RedMagic 8 Pro goes beyond its traditional e-sports fancy heritage with a more streamlined futuristic design. It’s much sharper, like a much low-profile iron plate, which reminds me of the black monolith in 2001 Space Odyssey.

But when got my hands on the phone, I immediately felt its weight and the slightly big body size. Although it’s not a big deal as a gaming phone, the sharp edges and frame make it hard to operate with a single hand. On the other hand, the sharp edges make the thickness more perceptible when held in hands.

But when I lit up the screen for the first time, these discomforts were instantly replaced by the joy of the whole screen. It’s a truly all-screen display with super narrow edges. And visually there’s no visible hole-punch selfie camera, which is hidden down below the display. It’s so elegant that I began to imagine how exciting it would be if it were a new model of famous gaming handheld series.

In fact, if not considering the platform, it’s also far more powerful than Nintendo Switch over performance. But of course, back to reality, among only a few excellent handheld platforms, we have no choice. Anyway, this is just some of my ridiculous imagination. Latter I will show you more detail about this display.

On the back there’s a whole metal cover with a matt finish, texturing a few mech-style patterns. And there’s a light strip hidden below the RedMagic text logo and the shoulder-trigger indicators. I pretty like the smart design, which reminds me from time to time that this is a gaming phone.

We’ve seen too many phones made extra bloated to emphasize their camera modules, whether that’s necessary or not. However, the RedMagic 8 Pro doesn’t do that. The cameras do not bump up a lot. They’re just right there in a vertical sequence, without disrupting the overall design of the phone. Personally, I would say that the RedMagic 8 Pro is a machine that allows us to miss the orderly industrial era, although it doesn’t add to actual uses.

No-hole-punch Display

The front face is the biggest surprise for the RedMagic 8 Pro. The 120Hz AMOLED display is jointly created by RedMagic and BOE, with an FHD+ resolution, 10bit colors, 1440Hz PMW dimming, and a 1300nits peak brightness.

But in our test, we couldn’t get its advertised peak brightness. It achieved around 600 nits of manual overall peak brightness, and the maximum adaptive brightness in a 20% window is about 1000 nits. But the results are already close to the best results that we got on a gaming phone.

In addition to gaming, the display is also perfect for watching videos or movies as the big display achieves an almost perfect screen-to-body ratio without any punch hole. And the area of the under-screen camera doesn’t look different from the rest of the screen unless you check it very closely when displaying pure white.

But I’m sure most users wouldn’t do that. Then you might wonder how the selfie camera performs. Well the 16MP lens can shoot but does suck. But if you are a gamer, it shouldn’t be a big deal.

For daily use, the display’s sampling rate is about 350Hz. But if you add any apps or games into the Game space, its sampling rate can go up to around 500Hz. And you can even boost it up to 960Hz in the software, where we tested a result close to 900Hz. 

Sound & Vibration

As for vibration and audio, the phone still has a 3.5mm headphone jack and is equipped with dual speakers. You can check the vibration and sound here.

Shoulder triggers

The shoulder buttons are preserved like other gaming models. The capacitive triggers feature an excellent sampling rate of 520Hz, which did feel near instantly responsive, especially in some FPS games like PUBG Mobile. The red switch next to the shoulder button is for triggering the game space.

Gaming features

The new game space has been greatly improved along with rich gaming plug-ins and in-game overlay. The overlay now can display CPU and GPU frequency in a better alignment, and you can access almost all the plug-ins from it, such as hunt mode, scout mode, 4D Vibrate for FPS Games.

Multiple notification options and three gears of performance modes can be found easily. There’s a shortcut list to open up a small window for most apps while gaming, which can be moved around, resized, and opened in full-screen.

Return to the Game Space and there’re more gaming-related features to unlock the potential of the gaming phone. Like a true game console, the phone offers wide connectivity with wired and wireless gaming accessories, such as a Keyboard and mouse, game controller, and display.

The gaming experience with the input accessories is great. In some games like Genshin Impact and PUBG, the phone provides convenient mapping solutions, so you no longer need to set up the key functions manually.

Projection

To support wired projection via DP or HDMI cables, the phone’s charging port features USB3.2 connection. It can offer up to 1080P resolution at 240Hz or 2k at 120Hz, which is the best projection capacity we saw on a smartphone. If you only got a display offering USB connection, it still supports a 1080P resolution at 120Hz.

On the other hand, the phone also supports decent wireless projection via WiFi or millimeter-wave projection. The easiest way is to install the RedMagic Studio software on your Windows PC. It can cast up to 1080P streaming at 120Hz without any cables. Meanwhile, the software also supports key mapping with PC’s keyboard and mouse. And the mouse movement is even got optimized in FPS games. But here I don’t really recommend that you play competitive multiplayer games in this way, since it feels like cheating.

And if you still like to have gaming operation on the phone, please note that the latency is about 50ms here, which is fine for most games. But in shooting games like PUBG Mobile, the lag could be a big problem.

Performance & Gaming

The last thing you need to worry about is the phone’s performance. Generally speaking, you’ll hardly encounter performance bottlenecks on a phone with a Snapdragon 8Gen2 chipset, let alone the RedMagic 8 Pro with a built-in cooling fan.

It achieved the best results in almost all the benchmarks. And in all stress tests and gaming tests, it maintained good stability while offering high performance, and never had overheating problems. The highest surface temperature we tested is only 43.8℃ if we turn on the cooling fan. Even without fan-assisted cooling, its temperature didn’t exceed 46℃. The fan usually achieved a cooling effect of 1 to 3℃.

Red Magic has also made power-saving optimizations for Genshin Imapct. The phone would automatically reduce the framerate to 30fps when it detects the player not operating. When the player continues to operate, the frame rate will instantly increase to a stable 60fps. In Genshin Impact, it can run at the most stable 60fps we have ever seen, which is even more stable than the Xiaomi 13 series that we tested last month.

Upgraded Main Camera

As for the phone’s camera module, the main camera is upgraded with a Samsung GN5 sensor, followed by an 8MP wide-angle lens and a 2MP macro lens. The samples shot on the main camera have pretty natural colors and rich detail, and it’s the only lens that supports night mode. Surprisingly its night shooting has been greatly improved with much better exposure.

Since we are not particularly concerned about the camera performance of the game phone, you can just check the samples we shot here, including the other two lenses.

The phone is insanely equipped with a 6000mAh battery with 80W fast charging, which is also the only difference from the RedMagic 8 Pro +, which comes with a smaller 5000mAh battery with 165W fast charging.

But personally, I preferred the Pro version, as the long battery life for gaming is obviously more important than faster charging. And actually, the Pro model’s charge is already fast enough. It only took us 37 mins to collect back the full power of the 6000mAh battery.

Verdict

So that’s all about the RedMagic 8 Pro. I must admit that the phone made me a bit embarrassed as I expressed the view that ‘Gaming phones are about to become history’ last month. Now the RedMagic did hit me hard in the face with its great industrial design, long-lasting high performance, long battery life, and wide connectivity. And we noticed that the brand also released an adapted gamepad for the new series, which would make the phone become a switch-like game handheld. But unfortunately, it’s not available yet.

Once we get it, we will update its experience for you guys. Another feature to look forward to is that RedMagic will update a cloud gaming platform called X Gravity for the 8 Pro series in the future, where gamers can remotely run PC games via streaming. But I’m not too optimistic that the could platform can run smoothly in regions beyond China.

Anyway, though it got a few drawbacks like the absence of NFC, it’s still the best gaming phone I’ve ever reviewed.

The post Nubia Red Magic 8 Pro Full Review: The Best Gaming Phone Experienced Ever appeared first on Gizmochina.

Yesoul Bike G1 MAX

If you are looking for an Indoor Spin Bike for yourself, you must have considered buying a Peloton Bike, which is great. But the only thing stopping you from buying it must be the fact that it is too expensive. Then this Spin Bike might be for you: the Yesoul G1 Max, a Spin Bike with a screen, but at almost half the price of the Peloton bike.

Packaging & assembling

The G1 Max has a lot of packaging padding and a lot of tapes to hold it in place. While it may take you some time to unpack, it also reminds us that wherever you are, it is not likely to be damaged due to long shipping. The screen and power supply are not included in this large box, they will be in another small box. Since the G1 Max has more movable parts, there may be more parts than other Spin bikes. The manual that we do not usually read is very important this time. Anyway, with the tools Yesoul has given you, you just have to follow the manual to install it. If you are unlucky to lose the manual, there is also an electronic version of the manual on the official website. Once you have installed it, you can start your exercise normally.

Design

Although the price is only half of Peloton (might even lower than half), the quality is no less than Peloton. V-shaped metal frame, yes. Two light dumbbells, yes. Adjustable seat and handlebar, yes. Even the feature of movement adjustment is also available for the G1 MAX screen, which we’ve seen on the more expensive Peloton Bike+. And the adjustment range is wider, which makes this screen full of possibilities even beyond exercise assistance. Underneath the handle, there are two water bottle holders.

In the middle of the frame, there is a knob which you can control the level of resistance and press down to brake. The 100 levels of Resistance adjustment allow you to make a personalized riding experience.

Unlike the Peloton Bike, the G1 Max pedals are held in place by straps that hold the feet in place. I think both fixation methods have their own benefits, Peloton requires you to wear Cycling shoes to use, which can lock your feet firmly, and also make it more like riding a road bike. G1 Max is more convenient, any shoes are appropriate for riding. It means that you do not need to buy additional Cycling shoes. As a result, we think the Yesoul G1 Max is more friendly for beginners.

32-inch Big Screen

I would say the most impressive part, besides its cheap price, is the screen. This 32-inch screen is ten inches larger than Peloton’s, and it’s even larger than my computer screen. Even though, as I just said, the G1 Max has a wide range of screen movement. It allows users to use it for other entertainment even when they are not riding. Yesoul has also added a cast function to this screen. You can cast YouTube or other platform videos. In case, you give up exercising completely, then this screen will not be wasted but can be a great tool for entertainment.

Of course you can also cast Peloton tutorials onto the screen of the G1 Max, which sounds more like a Peloton Bike, right? With its own 8w dual speakers, it’s really no different from a compact TV.

The Yesoul G1 Max is designed with this rotating screen to make various sports connections more closely. For example, there are some yoga tutorials. If you want to watch the tutorials while doing yoga, there is no way more convenient than directly flipping the screen.

App & Experience

To use the big screen, you still need a remote control. But it’s convenient that your phone can be turned into the remote control. Yesoul APP connects to G1 Max via Bluetooth, which can realize the functions of casting, class selection, and schedule settings. It feels so good that we truly recommend you buy a spin bike with a screen in order to follow the tutorials to exercise. It’s definitely able to save you time and make any exercise more efficient.

There are a lot of tutorials in the APP, and there is a free trial period for starting. So, make sure that you’ve made sure that you were making a workout plan and would follow it. Otherwise, the smartness and the paid features of the G1 Max are redundant for you.

Verdict

I believe Yesoul’s designers had the idea of “beating Peloton” in mind when they designed the G1 Max. This is their strategy to make some differentiated design and sell it at a lower price while achieving similar functions. I think whether it really beats Peloton or not, at least it gives people who can’t afford Peloton bikes a chance to experience a high-end Spin bike. If G1 Max brings benefits to wider groups, then it is a successful bike. If you are interested in the Yesoul bike, you can Learn more & buy it here with Gizmochina’s discount code: gizmochina10 to get a better price.

The post YESOUL Bike G1 Max Indoor Cycling Review: An Affordable Best Peloton Alternative appeared first on Gizmochina.

XIAOMI 13 Pro

Let’s start with the conclusion that Xiaomi 13 series is very likely to become another memorable model in the Xiaomi digital series. Especially for the Xiaomi 13 Pro, it’s no longer like previous Pro models and looks embarrassing sandwiched between the standard and the Ultra variants. The new Pro finally has the potential to beat the 12s Ultra and win the gold belt as the strongest Xiaomi Phone for this moment, although it still looks a bit ordinary and not so ‘Leica-like’ compared to the Ultra.

It’s not an easy task to surpass Xiaomi’s heaviest product of this year. The reason we’re so bullish on the Pro model is actually simple: in addition to the regular performance upgrades, the ordinary-looking camera module puts a lot of pressure on the Ultra, knowing that the camera performance is the proudest part of the Ultra model.

But this is a truly full review of the Xiaomi 13 Pro, so we decided to divide it into two parts. This video will include most specs of the new phone except for its cameras, and next video we will talk about its camera performance. In some parts, we will compare it with another start model from Xiaomi, the 12s Ultra, such as performance and camera.

Design

Anyway, let’s start with its design. Well compared with the Standard variant, the Xiaomi 13 Pro doesn’t give us much surprise. It looks not really different from the flagships that we reviewed last few years. But Xiaomi did add something to the Pro model, such as the ceramic back cover and the bigger square camera module. But meanwhile, it also reminds us of the Xiaomi Mix 4. They both have a ceramic back cover and a square camera module.

But unfortunately, as a result, it weighs about 235g, which is truly heavy in hand. Unlike the Xiaomi 13, the Pro still uses an edge-curved design, which does make it feel more comfortable to hold. And I have to say that the light-green ceramic is the most pleasing material that we’ve had on a Xiaomi phone, though it unavoidably makes the phone weigh more. But it actually feels a bit thinner and lighter than the Xiaomi 12s Ultra.

Display

The front face is covered with an upgraded 6.67-inch AMOLED display. It’s a 2K 120Hz panel that comes from Samsung, which is added with new features like high-frequency PMW dimming and higher boosted window brightness of up to 1900 nits, while manually adjustable brightness still remains at a maximum of around 530 nits. But the global brightness can go up to 1220 nits.

Like the Vivo X90 series, its high-frequency PMW dimming can also offer an anti-flicker effect for eye protection.   

Xiaomi is still the same Xiaomi, IR Remote and the USB2.0 charging port are still not absent, so wired projection is still not available. The dual speaker units sound good as usual, but there’s no tunning certification of Harman Kardon. The difference is not that obvious, so you can check it out by yourself here.

A delightful experience during daily use is the strong and tense haptic vibration, which is even more interesting and stronger than the X90 that we reviewed before. Xiaomi offers various vibrating effects that simulate different feedbacks in reality. It’s pretty fresh when it vibrates in a new way that you never experienced before.

Snapdragon 8 Gen2 performance & gaming [vs Xiaomi 12s Ultra]

And now let’s seriously talk about the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset inside the Xiaomi 13 Pro. Qualcomm finally changed its mind and decided not to fool mobile users. After all the tests, we strongly believe that the 8 Gen 2’s performance will eventually be remembered and mentioned in the future. It’s so powerful that we can hardly show you its full picture by simply posting the benchmarks and gaming results here.

In addition to the increase in peak performance, its improvement is also reflected in the change in CPU architecture, no longer 3 A710 Middle cores but a new combination of 2 new A715 and 2 A710 mid cores. It leads to a powerful optimization of heavy or mid-running with much better thermal performance, and more efficient power consumption as well.

For example, in 3DMark Wild Life extreme stress test, the 13 Pro completed the 20-min test with a higher peak score; the stability of 78% is even slightly better than the Xiaomi 12s Ultra, while it didn’t get overheated at the same time. And the framerate power ratio is also significantly higher than the 12S ultra.

And then we moved to the PUBG mobile to simulate a mid-loading environment. With consistent graphical settings, both of them could achieve 59.9fps. But the new model only required 2.76W power output on average and a maximum power of 4.5W, both of which are much lower than the 12s Ultra’s power output.

Then we did a gaming test in Genshin Impact. Under the same highest graphic settings. The Xiaomi 13 Pro also achieved better results in both framerate and power output, which is close to what we got on the Vivo X90 Pro +. It’s almost the best result you can achieve on a mobile phone.

And it completed the test with ease, only requiring 5.07W of power support and being heated up to 44.1℃. This means that when you play Genshin Impact, you not only get better performance but also longer battery life.

Another surprise of the Xiaomi 13 Pro for playing Genshin Impact is hidden in Game Turbo. You can adjust the game’s GPU option to the High-quality mode in the Game space, and then you will find the gaming graphics get sharper and clearer. Because the gaming resolution just got boosted from 720P to 864P, which is a 20% improvement. And we also tested the high-resolution mode. The phone can still achieve an average framerate of 59.8 without any throttling issue, which means that we still haven’t been able to touch the upper limit of this chipset. 

There’s no doubt that the 8Gen 2 chipset has been the most powerful chipset for mobile gaming at the moment. Compared to its predecessors, its CPU performance can have a 15%-30% improvement, and from the tests we did, its performance power ratio also can achieve a 25% to 35% efficiency increase, which is also attributed to the GPU upgrade.

And I believe that phones like Xiaomi 13 Pro have even overshadowed many game phones. But I still have to remind you that if you’re only using phones for light applications, you might hardly feel the gap we showed here since its low-frequency running didn’t get as much improved as its heavy-loaded performance.

And by the way, the phone also comes with a combination of UFS4.0 storage and LPDDR5X memory, which also speeds up the system response and game loading.

Battery & Charging

I’m not a fan of MIUI OS, but one has to admit that the OS is one of the smoothest and most stable mobile systems with rich features. And it seems that Xiaomi is considering giving up the strategy of adding features, but more working on building a lightweight system. On the Xiaomi 13 series, now you can remove almost all pre-installed apps except for several essential apps. In addition, compared to its predecessors, it’s quite surprising that the new OS is pretty stable. Is this still the latest Xiaomi phone? Shouldn’t it be selling phones while fixing a bunch of bugs?

As for battery and charging, the new Pro model comes with a 4820mAh battery and supports 120W fast charging. The battery performance did get improved and get a better result compared to the 12s Ultra. And it can be fully charged in just 22 mins with the 120W fast charger.

Verdict

So that’s all we want to share in the first part of the full review. The Xiaomi 13 Pro is possibly the best and most balanced Xiaomi phone in these few years. In addition to the explosive performance, the next part of the camera review probably will let you better understand what I mean.

The post Xiaomi 13 Pro Full Review Part 1: What a flagship should be [vs Xiaomi 12s Ultra] appeared first on Gizmochina.

Before we start the unboxing, I will tell you the final conclusion right now: I love this phone. And the Xiaomi 13 Standard Edition is the most satisfying Xiaomi phone I’ve ever had. For most people, it is also the best Xiaomi phone to buy. I even think it has more appeal than the Xiaomi 12S Ultra and 13 Pro.

If you’re willing to listen to why I like the Xiaomi 13 so much, then I’d be happy to tell you what’s so great about it.

DESIGN

Now phones have been put in more and more stuff, the body has to be bigger and bigger. The largest regular phone has reached 7-inches, if you count the foldable phone then the number will be even like 8 inches. I often miss the old days when the phone could be controlled with one hand. When the mobile phone becomes no longer mobile, then more features also become meaningless. It’s embarrassing to think that it’s difficult to find a small-sized phone these days. It’s especially hard when you’re also trying to find a flagship small phone that doesn’t have shortcomings. I’ve put together the numbers of a few compact phones that look good right now, and blue one is their cons. It’s easy to see that the Xiaomi 13 really has no shortcomings. It’s a bigger phone than the other phones, even a little bigger than the Xiaomi 12. But it perfectly balances size and functionality. That’s the main reason why I like the Xiaomi 13: phones that are better than it, aren’t as small as it. Phones that are smaller than it, not as well as it.

Why would I choose white over blue vegan leather. Look at my Xiaomi 12S Ultra that I’ve been using for less than six months. Maybe the footage isn’t visible enough. The leather texture in the four corners has been smoothed out. If you don’t want your phone to look like this, then get the glass version. Because of the small size and light weight, fingerprints are more downward, but does not affect the feel much when holding it.

In the unboxing video for the Xiaomi 13 series, some viewers guessed that it was still USB 2.0. Congratulations, you guessed right. This is the nightmare for Xiaomi users the whole life.

Like you guys, I think the Xiaomi 13 must have referenced the iPhone and Samsung. You can say the Xiaomi is copycat, but I don’t think it’s ugly, I even think it’s kind of pretty. Especially the screen. When you light up the screen, you can feel the beauty of it without me saying anything more. The screen, which is almost equal in width on all four sides, puts me in a happy mood every time I use the phone. If there is no front camera, I think it is the best looking screen in the world.

Some people will ask: why don’t you buy Samsung S22? Haha, see Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, do you think I still want to buy it? In addition to the excellent bezel width, other specs are also very powerful. This Samsung E6 panel ensures high brightness while DC dimming is not missing. Adaptive colors, or “True Tone” on the iPhone, are also available. Some people complain that the standard version doesn’t have 2K resolution, but the Xiaomi 13 the display DPI is actually 414, which is sharper than most FHD+ phones. Using 2K resolution on a small phone can also bring down battery life, so the display is really good for just the right amount of time.

PERFORMANCE & GAMING

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, LPDDR5X and UFS 4.0, the latest chips are of course there. The throttling test also shows that it can keep the performance stable for a long time, so it seems that the 8 Gen 2 has really improved a lot.

Smaller phones are usually not very good at gaming because of their size limits. But the Xiaomi 13 is an exception. Maybe it’s the new 8 Gen 2 that’s so great, or maybe the cooling system is so nice. Anyway, it does well in Genshin Impact, running around Sumeru can’t stress it out anymore. There were lags during the game, all caused by loading textures. To test how long it takes for Xiaomi 13 to overheat, I followed it up with 25 minutes on Spiral Abyss floor 12, and it still held up. Oh, and the frame drops in the middle were caused by loading, not lagging. The temperature after 45 minutes of intense gaming is also only 45°C.

All in all, it has no problem handling games. But I still don’t recommend it for long term gaming, because the screen is really small. If you have big hands, it will be more difficult to play.

Compared to the Pro version, the standard version seems to have a less surprising camera system. It does have an average camera performance, but because of this 75mm telephoto lens, it stands out from the crowd of small sized phones. The reason I used to have to use big and heavy flagship phones is that I love telephoto lenses. And most of my photography is taken with telephoto. Now that the Xiaomi 13 also has a 3.2x telephoto and is equipped with OIS, then I can use it with no worries. But don’t get me wrong, I mean an extra telephoto will allow you to compose more angles compared to other compact phones. But the image quality is definitely not as good as flagship phones.

When the light is bad, as long as you zoom in on the picture, there is very little detail and all are sharpening traces. Just like the S22, it really can’t put a bigger sensor. So let’s give it a pass.

CAMERA

Compared to the Xiaomi 12S, the 13’s main camera is a step backwards. Although the sensor is smaller, the performance is not much of a step back. Most of the performance is okay, both day and night. I only have two complaints, one is the purple-fringing issue, which is not very well controlled. Another is that the color is a bit strange. Even though we were using the Leica Vibrant mode, the colors were always very dull. The too-intense colors look even worse in the samples taken on cloudy days. These two problems are even worse on the ultra-wide camera. So I’m actually not satisfied with the ultra-wide camera.

But then again, if I am given two options, a telephoto plus a good main camera, or a very good main camera plus a macro lens, I would definitely choose the former. Users of smaller phones must know what they need, because most of the time they are not able to have both.

You should not expect anything from the Xiaomi phone front camera. Except for the Civi series, they all perform pretty much the same. Although the photos look good and rich in detail. But the video performance is really not good. Not only is the 4k resolution missing, but it doesn’t even support 60fps. If you pay more attention to the recording of the front camera, then we recommend you to buy other phones.

All three lenses support different recording specs. The main camera supports up to 8k 24fps and OIS+EIS. the footage also looks the best, stable and clear. The ultra-wide camera supports up to 4k 30fps, which is also good. But the picture does not look so clear. The telephoto camera supports up to 1080P 60fps. only in 1080P 30fps can switch the lens during recording.

BATTERY & CHARGING

67w fast charging and 4500mAh battery, does it sound familiar? Yes, this classic combination is once again found in the Xiaomi 13. I have no complaints about the charging power, 67w is also fast and there is also 50w wireless charging. Plugged in and fully charged in just 41 minutes.

4500mAh is big for a phone of this size, and in actual use it feels about the same as my 12S Ultra, which lasts 5 to 6 hours. Because of the new processor being more power efficient and the smaller screen, it already lasts about the same amount of time as many 6.8 inch phones. One less factor to stop you from buying a smaller phone, isn’t it?

After a few days of use, MIUI 14 has no lags or bugs. Their claim of improving the smoothness of the new system seems to be working so far. No matter how fast your operation is, it doesn’t lag. I don’t know if older Xiaomi phones will be smoother with the MIUI 14 upgrade, but at least with my Xiaomi 13, MIUI 14 is definitely smooth enough.

There are relatively few new features in 14, one of which is the new icon customization feature. Some icons can change shape, but some can’t. The new folders also open the applications inside of it from the outside.  Obviously, MIUI 14 also borrows some features from other systems. But it doesn’t matter to consumers, as long as it works, it’s fine. The biggest upgrade of MIUI 14 should still be this: you can delete most of the system applications. Those apps that you never use can finally be uninstalled. Even the album, weather, can be uninstalled. You can keep only 8 apps, it’s very crazy for MIUI.

When Xiaomi 13 was released, I was very happy because Xiaomi almost created my dream phone. It fits my hand perfectly and didn’t lose important features. Especially the screen, until the S23 was released, I thought the Xiaomi 13 was the best small size flagship in Android. I will also keep my SIM card in this phone all the time, waiting for the next phone to come along that will fascinate me so much.

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