When I received a soundbar from one of the leading PC audio component manufacturers in India, I knew I was in for something good. Creative’s Stage V2 Soundbar promised to offer an even better output than its already good predecessor. But did it live up to its name? Here’s what I think.
First impressions:
Creative has taken an effort to make the Stage V2 soundbar even more compact, and it shows. Knocking off a considerable portion, it is now just 68 centimetres wide. That makes it eligible to fit in most spaces under TVs, regardless of the crampedness. It sports an all-black body with a metal grille at the front accompanied by the company logo on its left. Creative has also equipped Stage V2 with a wired subwoofer with a 5.25-inch driver. It is hardly 12 centimetres wide, making it slimmer than most of its competitors. Users can also wall-mount the soundbar with a pair of screws, though it could be inconvenient for some as all the input ports are at the back of the soundbar. Though they face sideways instead of facing the wall, they can be tricky to locate and slot in. Nevertheless, it is a manageable setup and is not difficult to the point of dissuasion.
Usage:
The soundbar can be operated with a power button, volume control keys, and the Bluetooth button, all of which are placed on the soundbar’s right side. A white 7-segment LED display shows all the relevant data on the soundbar. Stage V2 also displays the volume, bass, and treble levels along with the input mode, among other things, which is quite nifty. The soundbar can also be operated via a full-function wireless remote that comes in the package.
Speaking of the input ports mentioned above, Creative has provided Bluetooth 5.0, a 3.5 mm Aux jack, Optical input, USB, and HDMI ARC. Surprisingly, Creative has opted for a Type-C USB instead of the standard USB-A. Though a Type-C to USB-A cable is added to the bundle, the USB-A port is a male connector, implying you cannot connect to a pen drive. However, considering its available connectivity options, I did not find that to be much of a hindrance.
The audio output is handled by two 2.25-inch drivers that deliver 40W RMS combined and take care of high and mid-range frequencies. I was impressed with the combined 80W RMS of power that the soundbar gives, including an additional 40W RMS from the 5.25-inch subwoofer.
Verdict:
One downside is that the speaker isn’t Dolby-certified which lowers its value-for-money parameter. Consequently, a price tag of Rs 9999 means it will have to be a well-thought-out investment. Nevertheless, Creative offers a solid package with Stage V2, and there are hardly any aspects to criticise it over.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra represents the best of the Korean tech giant. But is it the best one overall? In this detailed review, we finally tell you our verdict of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and the answer burning question on everyone’s mind, “is it worth its high price tag?”
Today we will unbox the much-awaited Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. This is a top-spec smartphone from Samsung and comes with a host of features including a 120 Hz screen, a quad-camera setup and a lot more.
Hewlett Packard, known in the computing world as HP, has always been keen on providing maximum performance at a minimal price. Well, minimal if you consider the value on offer and the competition. When Intel came up with the latest 10th series mobile CPUs, HP jumped on the bandwagon to upgrade its offering in the gaming industry.
While the baseline HP Pavilion Gaming gets a 16-inch model as an update, the flagship Omen series has undergone considerable changes. While the Omen X acts as the top boss in the lineup, I will be exploring the Omen 15 in detail, which I got a chance to review. Here are my thoughts.
First Impressions:
If the Omen had to mean what it is named after, it would be a rather good omen. Not that it doesn’t have its share of drawbacks and shortcomings, but more on that later. A glance at the laptop defines its purpose and HP has done a fantastic job keeping it straight, sophisticated, and subtle. The lack of RGB lighting on the exterior gives the laptop an understated look, but probably that’s where its stealth factor comes in. Displaying its logo in a shiny diamond background is the only telltale sign of what lies underneath. The new update has made the laptop sleeker and stealthier, making it more powerful and purpose-oriented.
As I opened the lid, I was greeted by the ‘015’ branding on the keyboard deck. This is the first sign of the laptop being a gaming-oriented machine. Its chassis has a metal finish and a matte black colour. While it does look appealing, it tends to attract a lot of smudges. The shiny logo will immediately start to look worn and used if not taken proper care of. The lid itself is quite flimsy and was unable to hold its position as I moved and jerked the laptop around. Not that it was a pressure test, but HP Omen 15 could use a bit better build quality.
Another parameter that seems unnecessary is the 180-degree flat hinge. It appears useless as there would be hardly any ardent gamer who would lay the laptop flat on the table to play. Add to that a weight of 2.36 kilos, and you have a good “chunky” laptop at your disposal.
According to HP, the Omen 15 gaming laptop has the smallest footprint in the 15-inch gaming laptop segment. However, it is in no way lightweight and will give you a decent arm workout should you choose to carry it around in a handbag. However, carrying it on your back is relatively easier.
Display
The unit I reviewed displayed all its content on a Full-HD (1920×1080) resolution, with 144Hz refresh rate screen (though it can scale up to 300Hz as per the model) compatible with Nvidia G-Sync. The IPS panel offers 300 nits of brightness, 72 per cent NTSC, and 90 per cent sRGB colour gamut coverage.
While it isn’t the best offering for gamers, it is a pretty solid deal for the price tag it commands. Narrow bezels surround the display on three sides, which offers a decently immersive experience. Continuing the “matte finish” theme, the laptop also features a non-reflective display which is great for gaming.
Connectivity and Hardware
HP does not like to comprise on connectivity and it shows. Armed with three USB-A ports, a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3 support, an HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, and a 3.5mm connector for your headphones or microphone, the laptop can connect to practically anything you throw at it. It also gets an SD card reader, should any content creator or photographer wish to unload the data onto its super-fast 1 TB SSD, more on that later.
The laptop charges via a standard barrel charging pin and can sustain light to medium use for 6-8 hours a day on a full charge. However, for heavy gaming, it is recommended to keep the charger plugged in as AAA games will drain the battery otherwise.
Coming to the keyboard, it is a pleasant sight to look at. With full-sized arrow keys, it took us straight back to the time when I used to play 8-bit games with blocky controls. The keyboard has RGB lighting, though the one present under the keyboard isn’t the best of the lot either.
I found it best to use a single light, or switch it off altogether. The keyboard misses out on the Numpad, though it compensates for it with a few handy shortcut keys.
Typing on the keyboard for prolonged periods would have been easier if it wasn’t for the laptop’s jagged edges, starting digging into the wrists after some time.
HP has sent me the Omen 15 with a 10-gen Intel Core i7-10750H, 16GB of RAM and GeForce GTX 1660Ti with 6GB VRAM. Since I had to use the laptop for general office work, it neither took load on itself nor gave me trouble.
For the average office-goer, the laptop will be a boon as it will be lag-free and sustainable for as long as you would like. Ardent gamers, however, will be slightly underwhelmed by the hardware. However, this should be the perfect pick for someone running on a budget.
The heat dissipation was also remarkable, and the laptop managed to stay cool as I enjoyed hours of gameplay! The fan did become slightly noisy and could be heard over the keyboard, but it wasn’t too intrusive or distracting. Bang and Olufsen have provided a sound system for the laptop, which sits under a somewhat quirky design on the keyboard’s top.
While the sound output is decent, I didn’t use the speakers a lot as my headphones were almost always plugged in. Overall, I’d like to say that HP Omen 15 is a compelling package at its price point if you overlook its few drawbacks.
Verdict
Priced well above the Rs 1 lakh mark, the Omen has to be a well-researched and thought out pick for someone looking for a good gaming experience. While it does its job well, its shortcomings might dissuade some buyers who have a higher budget. Nevertheless, it is a value for money machine that’ll be capable enough for your productivity and gaming needs.
HyperX recently sent us its premium live streaming microphone, the QuadCast. While it was an eyecatcher and served its purpose flawlessly, it was also rather bulky and complicated to use. Luckily, HyperX soon followed up with its more compact and user-friendly version, the SoloCast. While the SoloCast might seem minuscule compared to the bigger QuadCast, it packs a powerful punch nevertheless. Here is how my experience with SoloCast was:
First Impressions:
Right off the bat, the Cast, as I like to call it, makes its presence and its intention of being a streaming microphone quite clear. With a plain black body with the HyperX insignia embossed and a simple LED indicator at the front, the SoloCast is a pleasant and simple piece of equipment to look at. Nothing too fancy, nothing too gaudy. But that is where HyperX scores over the rest. Despite having minimalistic aesthetics, SoloCast is powerful and competent hardware and a considerable option for streamers looking to set up their streaming equipment on a tight budget.
Usage:
Since capturing voice and audio as clearly as possible is the goal, HyperX has kept that in focus. Akin to other HyperX aural devices such as headphones, the SoloCast takes the “sound over everything else” approach.” It utilises a single cardioid polar pattern as its name suggests (QuadCast uses four!). It also skips out on some fun parameters in the QuadCast, such as a headphone jack, gain control, shock mount, internal pop filter and complete RGB lighting inside. While the SoloCast does its job perfectly, the lack of these manual controls means you will have to fine-tune its settings using software like OBS or XSplit. If not, a simple plug-n-play also works perfectly well.
Standing almost half as tall as the QuadCast, the SoloCast has a rather compact and easy-going design. Apart from the stand it comes with, it also features a slot for a boom arm, should you wish to mount it so. For other connections, a USB Type-C connection does the job seamlessly. It also has a tap-to-mute sensor on top, allowing the user to quickly mute the microphone if the need arises. The aforementioned LED indicator also displays the status of the mic, so that it isn’t accidentally muted.
Verdict:
HyperX says that it has been certified by TeamSpeak and Discord and there is no doubt about it. The SoloCast is not only versatile, but it is also quite flexible and can be adjusted to fill any spot the user wishes. With a price tag of Rs 5,790, it might seem pricey but it is a pretty value for money deal. Well, that is if you are looking for simplicity and ease of use. It will go on sale on Amazon from January 28th.
Today we will unbox the Oppo Enco X, the upcoming True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earbuds. We will also compare them to the top-spec Apple Airpods Pro and the Realme Buds to see which one comes out on top in our first impression.
Realme continues to expand its presence in the domain of smartphones as well as smartwatches. The Chinese tech manufacturer took advantage of the fact that a smartwatch is no longer a luxury but a necessity and successfully introduced its own product dubbed the Realme watch last year. Following the success of their first wearable tech product, Realme released its second smartwatch series, Realme Watch S and Realme Watch S pro, in late December 2020.
I tested the watch over a period of three weeks and here’s my detailed review of the Realme Watch S.
Realme Watch S
What’s In The Box?
Inside the box, you get the Realme Watch S, a Magnetic charging base and a user guide.
Design
The first thing you notice after wearing the watch is that it’s extremely lightweight as it only weighs 48 grams. After a few hours of use, you will forget it is even on your wrist. The Realme Watch S has a 1.3-inch LCD which is a decent size for a smartwatch.
I have slim hands and the watch does not look bulky or huge on my wrist, your experience may vary if you have a bigger wrist. Fitness tracking works very well and the watch has 16 different sports mode that comes in handy if you’re into fitness.
Realme Watch SSetup
Realme has an app called Realme Link which connects all of its smart wearable devices. The app is quite intuitive and can be used to simultaneously connect to multiple Realme smart devices.
To set up your smartwatch
– Download the app – Fill in your details and create your account. – Scan the QR code on the smartwatch and you are good to go.
Specifications
Display: 1.3-inch display with 360 x 360 pixel IPS LCD with auto-brightness and a 2.5D Gorilla Glass 3
Straps: Silicon straps, 22mm width, 164-208mm adjustable length with 3 colours Black, Orange, and Green
Performance And Usage
The Realme Watch S has a better and responsive screen than its predecessor. It automatically adjusts its brightness levels, furthermore, you can also manually set it between 5 levels, which is a major improvement over its predecessor. For better protection, the screen is made up of Gorilla Glass 3.
A swipe from the top will bring up your notifications, while a right swipe will give you access to the quick toggles menu. Meanwhile, the left swipe gives you information about weather, sleep data and daily exercise statistics.
As mentioned, the Realme Watch has 16 sports modes, which in my opinion, are aplenty. I used all the sports modes but I was most impressed by the Cycling mode as it helped me to analyse my workout routine quite thoroughly.
The watch’s GPS tracking has a tiny margin of error, but it can easily be overlooked, especially at this price range. One noticeable con is that you cannot switch from any sports mode before ending the workout to check notifications.
Realme Watch S sometimes disconnects from the Realme Link app, as a result, I stopped receiving notifications until I reconnect it again. I also noticed a slight lag with messages being shown on my phone vs the watch. I had to manually sync through the app to get all the notifications.
You can read each message individually and then scroll to the bottom to delete all received notifications. You cannot reply to the notifications but Realme is working on a quick reply function. I tested the sleep tracking and it too has some issues. Mostly, the watch was unable to detect when I fell asleep and woke up accurately.
On the bright side, the music control feature impressed me a lot. You can use it to pause and play YouTube videos without reaching for your phone, as it’s all there on your watch.
The Power saver mode switches off all unnecessary features leaving only the display time ON. It saves a ton of battery life, especially when I am travelling.
The battery life of Realme Watch S exceeded my expectations. The Watch has a claimed 14 days worth of battery life and during my use, I went without charging for 16 days with 2% charge remaining.
Verdict
For Rs. 4,999, The Realme Watch S packs with a lot of features. It does everything right from tracking your workouts, heart rate, etc. The Watch’s data lacks accuracy but it is still within a small margin of error.
The Watch also has a sleek, stylish and premium look with an easy to use UI which is best in the segment. The 14 days worth of battery life is impressive. The Realme Watch S is certainly better than its predecessor, the Realme Watch, and offers a lot more exclusive features at this price point.
American watchmaker Timex has established itself as a premium yet affordable brand with a plethora of watches to choose from. Recently it entered the smartwatch segment with iConnect Premium Active, whose Rose Gold coloured, metal-strapped version we got a chance to review. So, is it budget luxury or expensive mediocrity? Read on.
First impressions:
Right off the bat, the watch bears a strong resemblance to Apple iWatch. Intentional? Probably. Intimidating? Not quite. The watch does feel like a bit of a rip-off, but it has a premium appeal nonetheless. It offers all the basic features present in a smartwatch but fails to stand out among the competition. It is also available with a soft silicone strap, though the flexible stainless steel mesh band looks professional and suave as compared to the alternative. The soft silicone option is available in black as well as pink colour while the stainless steel mesh band is offered in silver or gold finishes. It is claimed to be IP68 water-resistant and displays its data on a 36mm rectangular dial. It has rounded corners for a softer finish and also is complete touchscreen.
Features and usage:
Users can connect the smartwatch to their smartphone via the iConnect by Timex 2 app. The app displays all the data that is collected by the smartwatch. Timex has programmed the iConnect Premium Active Smartwatch with a heart rate sensor, sedentary reminders, activity tracking, sleep tracking, and music playback controls as well. The smartwatch also gives direct notifications for calls, texts, and calendar events. It is charged magnetically via a pair of pogo pins that are placed just beside the heart rate sensor.
While using the smartwatch is not an extraordinary experience, it does its job well, with no complaints there. However, it loses its ground due to the fact that the entire navigation system on the watch is controlled by one button, as opposed to the swipe-based touch function available on other smartwatches. The giveaway is thick bezels and a touch button, sans which it could have looked sleeker. Its measurements aren’t accurate either and tend to miscount the steps and the watch also has a slight lag when measuring the heart rate, though I give it the benefit of doubt there. The sleep tracker, too, feels out of place and a rather forced addition than a genuine accessory. The battery life, however, sticks to its promise of lasting for almost five days, albeit with normal to minimum usage. Then again, what are the chances that you will spend the entire day just operating the smartwatch?
Verdict:
Despite the lag and error in calculation, Timex iConnect Active Premium does its job well, although it will be difficult to justify the price tag of Rs 7295, especially when compared to the much cheaper, yet equally feature-packed alternatives. However, if you are a Timex loyalist or just like to splurge and look fancy, this one is for you!
If you are confused about the reason behind this headline, I was in the same place a while ago. Taiwanese technology giant ASUS’s gaming division, Republic of Gamers (ROG) used this term to describe the quality of its latest gaming headset, the Delta S. It is supposed to be a considerable upgrade over its predecessor, the already excellent ROG Delta. But is it a significant upgrade or just an aesthetic makeover? I got a chance to confirm that.
Same same, yet different:
If you were to glance across the room at a person wearing the Delta S, you’d be forgiven if you thought it was its predecessor, the Delta. Aesthetically, apart from a few subtle updates to differentiate the newer model, the Delta and the Delta S are practically identical. However, there has been a considerable weight loss during the upgrade, with the Delta S now weighing just 300 grams. The headband has also been slimmed down but has apparently been made more durable.
While the Delta S is an update over the Delta, there are a few shortcomings. The default PU earcups have been updated with a cross-hatched texture, but the clamping force has somewhat lessened. This not only causes the bass to leak considerably but also has reduced the passive sound isolation.
Along with that, the RGB lighting has also gotten a modern touch. It is still as bright and seamless as the previous generation, but now gets an added “Soundwave” mode, which can be accessed via the lighting toggle switch on the left earcup. This Soundwave mode allows the RBG lighting to sync with your voice (if the mic is plugged in) or with the on-going soundtrack and flash according to the volume.
Operating the headphones:
The highlight of the headphones (and the possible reason for their name) is the triangular ear cups (Triangle is called Delta in Greek), which offer a snugger and more comfortable fit as compared to conventional round ones. The headphones are quite light and easy to wear and even extensive usage won’t cause too much discomfort. However, what is uncomfortable are the body-mounted volume controls. It is a rocker that doubles as a mute button, which can get quite irritating sometimes if you wish to adjust the volume in the middle of intense gameplay. It is not intuitive to handle and it took me some time to get used to, during which I was mostly unhappy with the volume control.
Above the volume control rocker is the lighting toggle switch. As mentioned above, it gets a new notch for the Soundwave mode that allows you to change the RGB lighting pattern on the go. The mic is the same AI noise-cancelling detachable unit as before and can be attached to the headphones via a 3.5mm audio jack. It does a splendid job of keeping the unwanted noise out and even has an LED indicator to tell you if you are muted. Funnily enough, I attached the mic to the 3.5mm jack on my phone and my phone detected its input! A rather fancy way of connecting an external microphone to your smartphone, don’t you think?
Case in Point: MQA!
ROG has emphasized significantly on the Delta S being the bearer of an award-winning audio technology called “Master Quality Authenticated” or MQA. It can connect to an MQA core signal on global streaming services and unfold a whole new level of audio quality. Long story short and to keep it simple, MP3 files are usually compressed to reduce their file size, which makes the song lose most of its finer elements. With MQA, the user is able to access the original file quality of the song or soundtrack and enjoy all its elements to the fullest.
However, the file size remains compact, meaning you won’t have to worry about filling up your storage after a few songs.
Confusing, right? Well, the important part is that MQA is supposed to let you enjoy “higher than CD-quality” audio on any device. When paired with an MQA decoder like the one in the ROG Delta S, the original master recording is revealed.
Honestly, there is hardly anybody who would feel a noticeable difference by the presence of MQA. For most, an immersive aural experience is satisfactory enough, regardless of the technical intricacies. Stress your ears long enough and you might begin to notice some difference (Like I did), but at that point, you’d begin to wonder if you really feel it or it is purely psychological (Like I did!). It might be a revolutionary update for ardent audio enthusiasts, but for the average gamer like me, it is just a reason to increase the price point.
Should you buy it?
There is no denying that the ROG Delta S is a masterpiece when it comes to gaming audio. However, the primary point of the Delta S being costlier than the Delta is the addition of the MQA. Now, the Delta is priced well above Rs 15,000 which implies that the Delta S will be priced even higher. Apart from that, there is no significant reason to choose the Delta S over the standard Delta. Regardless of the choice, going for a ROG Delta headset ensures that you are treated to some of the best gaming gear available in the market!
Hewlett Packard, or HP as it is most commonly known, has always been the go-to brand for style, functionality and reliability. Among its wide range of laptops is the latest Envy 15, which targets the professional users such as video editors, creators, and graphic designers. While it is loaded with top-notch specs, it does have its share of shortcomings. Will the HP Envy 15 make your colleagues green with envy? Find out.
Aesthetics and first impressions:
One glance at the HP Envy 15 is enough to conclude that it is indeed a professional laptop and it carries that badge with pride. Thanks to its aluminium build in a silver-metal finish, the laptop oozes subtlety and elegance. That is complemented by the stylish chrome HP logo on the display lid, while the slim bezels on the top and sides of the 15.6-inch full HD IPS display panel further enhance the sleekness of the laptop.
The bottom bezel, however, takes away some of the glamour with its rather large design. The backlit keyboard is flanked by speaker grilles on both sides (From Bang & Olufsen, particularly) that give out quite decent audio output, while the arrow keys are accompanied by a nifty fingerprint scanner. The touchpad is also quite smooth (more on that later).
Two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support, a full-size HDMI 2.0 port, a USB-A 3.1 port and a microSD card reader constitute the left side of the laptop. The right side houses a headphone jack and another USB-A 3.1 port. All this is housed in a sleek case measuring 14.1 x 9.3 x 0.7 inches (LxWxH) and weighing 2.14 kg. This does seem like a lot, but it can be seen as a compact design if you consider the specs it comes loaded with.
Video and Audio:
As mentioned above, the laptop gets a 15.6-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) IPS, anti-glare display. Its 60 Hz refresh rate might not be in the same league as 144Hz screens, but the display is clear, crisp, and colourful nevertheless. Most colours on-screen pop out vibrantly, but it isn’t too abrasive to the eye.
HP has added a 720p webcam to the mix, which does its job as it should but is nothing to ponder over. However, the highlight of the webcam is the external shutter and microphone mute keys on the keyboard. Coming to the B&O speakers, a decently stereo surround sound can be experienced, though an immersive experience is not guaranteed.
Hardware:
I can safely say that the HP Envy 15 gets one of the best keyboards to work on. Comfortable, intuitive and well-lit, the keyboard looks as pleasing as it is to work on. The trackpad also does its job well and there is hardly anything to complain about here. If you had to be nitpicky, you could wish for a bigger trackpad, but that will only be an occasional woe rather than a regular complaint. The keys are not only well-spaced, but the back-lighting also ensures that every individual key can be clearly seen. The layout is overall quite symmetrical and pleasing to the eye.
Internals:
Armed with an Intel Core i7-10875H CPU, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q GPU, 16GBDDR4 RAM and 1TB NVMe SSD, the laptop can take on anything that you throw at it. Be it heavy files, complex designs or intense gaming, there is nothing that the HP Envy 15 can’t handle. However, the laptop isn’t immune from heating, which it does after a while of extensive usage. It isn’t unmanageable, however, and can be overlooked as well. For the average commercial user, this laptop will fulfil all purposes and will still have the capacity for more. Nevertheless, it could offer a better performance had it been equipped with better internal components such as an Nvidia RTX series graphics card or 32GB of RAM.
Should you go for it?
Priced well above the Rs 1.50 lakh mark, the HP Envy 15 is not a casual buy for sure. But if you are willing to invest that kind of money, you will definitely be pleased with the outcome. There is not much that is left to desire for after owning an Envy 15, but that is only if you are a jack of all trades. Purpose oriented buyers such as gamers or professional video creators might want something more from it, but the Envy 15 will still carry all the tasks given to it diligently.
