In a surprise announcement, Apple released the Pro version of its extremely popular AirPods this week. The new AirPods Pro features Active Noise Cancellation and a new design. Naturally, we were curious to see if they were any good. Today, we got a pair for review and here’s our AirPods Pro unboxing and first impressions.

The Pro version comes with a handful of new features that differentiate it from the previous AirPods. The new model gets a redesign and everything is different now. This includes its price, as the AirPods Pro will cost you $249. 

The case is slightly wider and shorter than the previous AirPods case. And it still supports wireless charging but this time Apple is not offering a non-wireless charging option. It makes sense given its ‘Pro’ branding.

Surprisingly it still equipped a lightning port and, in the box, Apple includes a lighting to USB-C cable. So, if you are currently using iOS, make sure you have a USB-C charger, otherwise, you’ll be forced to rely only on wireless charging.

What’s new on the earbuds? As you can see here, the AirPods Pro are little bit smaller and they have a shorter stem. Honestly, I don’t think they look as bad as the images on Apple’s website. After you put them on, they just look like a shorter and smaller version of AirPods.

The reason why they look weird is probably the rubber tips. Just as Apple mentioned at the launch, there are 3 different kinds of tip sizes. For those who have a slightly bigger auricle, this is definitely good news and ensures your AirPods Pro have a tight fit, without having to worry about dropping them. And you can’t really afford to drop them after paying so much! 

Editor’s Pick: Apple patents a Smart Ring, could it replace the Apple Watch?

And thanks to the rubber tip design, put them on, and you will notice that in addition to the tight fit, AirPods Pro is actually using microphones to offer Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). The cancellation is quite impressive, and it is hard to believe the kind of noise isolation created by the new earbuds. You can immediately feel the difference as compared to its predecessor and you will definitely love it.

Activating the noise cancellation slightly reduces the playback time. You get five hours of battery life on a single charge, but it goes down to 4.5 hours with noise canceling. Fast charging is available this time around, so you will get one hour of talk time or music playback from just five minutes of charging.

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In the meantime, Apple AirPods Pro also has a transparency mode which allows you to hear surrounding sounds even with the earbuds placed in your ears. This is made possible because of the large vent on the sides, where the air can pass through.

Another difference is that now you don’t have to tap the stem, now you just squeeze them. There is a pressure-sensitive flat area where you can squeeze it to change songs or pause a song. But sadly, we still can’t adjust the volume using these squeeze controls. So you still have to control it via your iPhone.

With the H1 chip inside, the AirPods Pro will pair with your iPhone if it comes near the phone. In the control center of the device, you can further adjust the volume and switch between the noise canceling and transparency modes.

Our first impressions reveal that although everyone has his own interpretation of how things sound, AirPods Pro may not satisfy all your demands. But at least they sound better than the older AirPods.

So, if you are considering to replace your old device, AirPods Pro is going to be a good choice. New features like noise cancellation and  IPX4 are impressive. For those who aren’t fans of in-ear earbuds, this is probably not worth getting but for everyone else, AirPods Pro seems to a decent Bluetooth earphone with noise cancellation, that is, if you are ready to pay its expensive $249 price tag. 

We will post a complete review of the AirPods pro very soon. So stay tuned.

UP NEXT: This is the Xiaomi SmartWatch & it’s HEAVILY inspired by the Apple Watch

The post Apple AirPods Pro Unboxing & First Impressions: Is It Any Good? (Video) appeared first on Gizmochina.

When talking about gimbals, especially phone gimbals, my biggest concern is the size of it. For me, I would definitely sacrifice some functions to make sure that when I am in need of a gimbal, I can get access to it and actually start using it within 1 minute. Luckily, I find this little guy, the Feiyu VlogPocket. From beginners to pros, this gimbal deserves a seat on your baggage list.

Video Review

Design

Start with the body design, which is the biggest selling point of it. This is the smallest gimbal I have ever used. It is as tall as your phone and it only weighs 272g, which is not much heavier than your cell phone. So, it is super portable and can be easily fit in your pocket. Apparently Feiyu is not joking or exaggerating about naming the device.

It can be perfectly fit in the side pocket of your backpack or most of the big pockets on your shorts or even jeans. I really like the notch design of the phone clip. It will prevent pressing the lock or volume buttons.

The shell of the gimbal is made of plastic but covered by a layer of skin-like coating. So, the touch of the handle is great and a little bit small. When operating the device, it is slightly tricky especially for those who have a big hand. Sometimes you will miss tap the buttons. So, you may need some time to get used to it.

We have two color editions, black and pink. I have to say the pink version is really a clever move because at least in China, more and more girls start their business with a gimbal no matter doing a live show or making a vlog.

The current price of VlogPocket is 450 yuan, which is around 64 USD. For this price, you can get a gimbal, a mini tripod, and a carrying bag.

Practical Use

Form my own experience, the VlogPocket is doing a great job of recording some moments of your interesting life or adventurer trip. However, if you are thinking about business use or a relatively professional shot, I don’t think the VlogPocket is a good choice because due to its small body, it usually takes more effort to get a rather smooth and stable shot. Also, if you are using a big phone whose screen is bigger than 6.5inch, like my Oneplus 7 Pro, you might give it a second thought because there is not enough room for the phones to freely switch orientations. It might be stuck with the axis and even cause damages to your phone.

Talking about the orientations, I really like it because you don’t have to turn the whole thing off to accomplish the switch. All you need to do is double-tap the function button. Most importantly, you can directly use the camera of your phone via Bluetooth. No need to download a third-party camera app. You can even change from landscape mode to portrait mode without touching.

Sadly, in this model, I find no joystick. Although VlogPocket claims that you can achieve tilting the gimbal by holding the trigger button on the back. But according to my experience, it is not so convenient comparing using the joystick directly and the tilting angles are a little bit narrow.

Stability

The stability of the VlogPocket is above the average, but not as good as the DJI Osmo Mobile 3. It becomes more obvious when I start running. I am not saying that you cannot use it while intensive movement but if you prefer a more delicate shot, you have to switch to a bigger gimbal. And I also notice that if you are using the Feiyu ON, which is a camera app designed by Feiyu, the shaking is more violent. Maybe some algorithm update is needed to make more efficient use of the built-in stabilizer.

All in all, the small size is both the pros and cons of the Feiyu VlogPocket. It sacrifices some stability and comfort to make sure that the little smart guy can be easily fit in your pocket. Practical or convenient, which one do you prefer?

The post FeiyuTech VLOG Pocket Foldable Gimbal Review appeared first on Gizmochina.

Recently, Realme launched its new Realme 3 Pro smartphone. What makes the budget phone worth your money is the fluid performance, thanks to its Snapdragon 710 SoC and a really long-lasting 4,045mAh battery.

Here’s the pricing of the two variants of the Realme 3 Pro:

• 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage – Rs. 13,999 (~$200)
• 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage – Rs. 16,999 (~$244)

VIDEO REVIEW

On April 22nd, OPPO’s independent sub-brand Realme officially released the Realme 3 Pro in India, which directly targets the Xiaomi sub-brand Redmi’s latest model Redmi Note 7 Pro.

For those who are living on a tight budget, value for money always comes first when they consider buying a smartphone. In case of the Realme 3 Pro, it has significant upgrades compared to its predecessor and monster-like hardware among its peers, which includes the Redmi Note 7 Pro. But still, is it really worth your hard-earned money? Let’s find out.

DESIGN

Compared to the Realme 3, the newest ‘Pro’ version continues to use a plastic shell. However, thanks to the special color edition, the body has a unique glass finish. Speaking of colors, the Pro keeps surprising us—the previous model had a horizontal gradient. But the new model changes the color gradient in an ‘S’ shaped design. 

Sadly we find it is rather slippery when holding with one hand and easily attracts fingerprints. So a protective case is highly recommended.

DISPLAY

The screen is made up of a 6.3 inch LCD with a 19 by 9 aspect ratio and, as expected, 1080p resolution. Still, the Pro version adopts a water drop style notch. The front camera, light sensor, distance sensor, and earpiece are all embedded in it.

Also, the ‘Pro’ version upgrades the PPI to 410, which means you hardly notice any pixelization or blurriness in the screen while reading texts. 

Sadly we cannot adjust the color space to sRGB or P3 but we do have a choice between cooler or warmer color temperature.

Thanks to the 90.8% screen-to-body ratio, the phone provides an immersive experience while viewing images and watching videos.

SPEAKER

As for the audio, the Realme 3 Pro comes with a single speaker on the bottom right side. And we can find a 3.5mm headphone jack on the left. This is a really friendly feature for gamers who are constantly hooked in playing games even when the phone is being charged.

You can’t complain much about a budget device’s speaker quality, however, the Realme 3 Pro actually does a decent job when playing music. The performance on the high and low frequency is average but far from ideal. However, the vocals are surprisingly clear and satisfying.

UNLOCK SYSTEM

Still no in-screen fingerprint sensor, but let’s try the fingerprint scanner mounted on the back. You hardly feel any delay and the accuracy is also great. Besides, the face ID is also available on this Pro model. But due to the lack of 3D face unlock system, I can simply unlock it by using one of my selfies.

OPERATING SYSTEM

There are not many visible upgrades in this department as compared to the Realme 3. They are both powered by the latest ColorOS 6.0 system over Android 9. Compared to the Redmi Note 7 Pro, Realme’s UI adds space in between different aspects of the UI, instead of dividing lines. This gives the UI a cleaner look. 

Moreover, you will notice that all your apps have been stored in a drawer, which reminds me of a very vintage style. It is like the interface that used to exist in ancient Nokia phones.

What is worth mentioning is that we found a specially designed mode for motorcyclists. During the ride, all notifications are muted and auto-replied with SMS. The incoming calls are displayed in larger fonts. Considering motorcycles play an important role in India, this kind of localization can efficiently avoid accidents.

HARDWARE DEPARTMENTS

Finally, we have got a Qualcomm chip in a budget phone. Equipped with Snapdragon 710 processor, the Realme 3 Pro performs quite impressively both in CPU and GPU departments.

All the apps respond immediately. Instead of closing the background apps, Realme 3 Pro freezes them. So you hardly notice stutters or lags when switching apps.

• RELATED: MediaTek Helio P90 AnTuTu benchmarks reveal its good rival for Snapdragon 710

What makes the phone worth your money? My answer is its outstanding GPU. The Adreno 616 GPU guarantees real visual sense and more efficient and advanced 3D image rendering, which gives me a very fluent and pleasant gaming experience the whole time.

BATTERY LIFE

This is where I find the Realme 3 Pro comes in really handy. Featuring a 4045 mAh battery, there will be no battery anxiety even before you go to bed.

And with the help of the VOOC flash charge technology and the 20W charging brick, the phone charges from 0% to 10% in just 5 minutes, nearly 50% after half an hour, and fully charged in 80 minutes.

CAMERAS

The Realme 3 Pro has a 16MP primary camera with AI scene recognition and auto face detection. The aperture of the lens is larger than before—from 1.8 in the realme 3 to 1.7 in the Pro version. There is also a secondary 5MP camera as a depth sensor that completes the dual camera setup. But no zoom or wide-angle lens are to be found.

In good lighting conditions, photos turn out to be impressive—great balance between bright parts and dark parts. The color is accurate enough with good contrast. But once you zoom in a bit, the amount of details in the picture go down.  

The dynamic range is just about average but luckily I found a solution to this, the chroma boost mode makes it up. You can enable it from the viewfinder, it efficiently improves the dynamic range by stacking multiple images and AI algorithm. Certain colors now are richer and brighter but the saturation sometimes is so strong that the pictures don’t look very real.

When shooting at night, we can still notice the overexposed highlights and high noise level. Images get better when we enable the HDR or the chroma boost mode but it’s far from perfect.

The upgraded nightscape mode does better than the last generation. You can definitely notice the improvements when you enable it. Thanks to the anti-shake and multi-frame synergy, the images here have more details, a balance of optimum exposure and well-controlled noise.

The biggest improvement in the camera department of the Realme 3 pro is its amazing selfie camera. A huge jump from 13MP to 25MP and f/2.0. I really like it for its pleasant soft colors and enough sharpness at the same time.

Turning on the portrait mode, we find some issues around the shoulder area of the person, as it often gets mixed with the background. It seems that the algorithm needs some improvements.

• RELATED: Realme 3 Pro vs Redmi Note 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy A60: Specs Comparison

Other Samples of Realme 3 Pro:

Other Samples of Realme 3 Pro

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CONCLUSION

Overall, if you are looking for a budget phone which comes with a fantastic industry design, decent display, and great CPU and GPU performances, this is definitely your primary choice. Especially if you spend most of your leisure time on your cell phone, the large 4000mAh+ battery gets rid of many of your possible worries.

However, I feel the camera department could use some improvement. This doesn’t mean it’s not good, as for the given price the Realme 3 Pro does have some impressive features like chroma boost mode and nightscape mode.

It’s worth mentioning that the Realme series has made a lot of efforts in introducing features relevant to its target markets like India. This proves that the company is determined to win a larger market share as well as provide better services, especially in the Asian region.

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