This week, House of Marley started selling its new eco-friendly Little Bird wireless earbuds in the US. Available for under $40, the company promises high-quality audio on a budget. While a few years ago, House of Marley's Rebel earbuds didn't impress us, it seems the company learned its lesson, and not only is it delivering great audio quality, but it was able to create a well-made product without overcharging users.

Little Bird True Wireless Earbuds specs

House of Marley Little Bird earbuds design

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

The first impression of the Little Bird true-wireless earbuds is that they look like eco-friendly AirPods Pro. Crafted from bamboo and recycled plastics, they look good, and you can choose between three different ear tips, with each size offering different colors: green, yellow, or red.

Although I've always used the medium size for AirPods and Beats earbuds, I find more comfortable the small option for Little Bird earbuds. The medium size isolates the surroundings better, but after an hour of listening time, they start to hurt my ears.

The charging case has a nice finish in black with the logo of House of Marley on the front and at the top. Another great addition is USB-C. Usually, for budget devices, companies tend to use micro USB, and I'm glad it's not the case here. You can really feel its plastic finish, and since I have big hands, I find it a bit tricky to remove the earbuds for the charging case since there's little room for movement.

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

Overall, it has a solid eco-friendly look – which the brand is all about – and anyone rocking these earbuds on the street would look really cool: AirPods Pro-like earbuds with woody and black finishes. This is pure style.

One thing that confused me the first time I tried these earbuds was the lack of LED indicators. You'll find them on the earbuds, but they will always blink white, which makes me think as if they're trying to pair with my iPhone. There's also an LED below the case that activates with the USB-C cable on. If there were an LED in the front, it would be easier to understand if these earbuds were charging or with full battery if there were color variations.

Sound quality

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

House of Marley's Little Bird true wireless earbuds sound good, but there are a few catches. For example, I feel I need to turn the volume way up to get a crispier sound. When it's lower than 70%, the overall quality is flat, and I feel the sound almost disappears below 50%. Compared to AirPods 3 (although they are not competitors), the sound is crispy and full at 50%, and around 70%, I have the perfect experience in a quiet room.

That said, raising the volume doesn't make Little Bird earbuds sound bad – on the contrary, they sound really good. Although it's not very friendly for my ears, I tend to use these earbuds almost at 100%, so I can really experience my favorite tunes.

I have a preference for everything surrounding rock, pop, and indie/pop, and I think Little Bird earbuds value the singing and percussion instruments better. For bass lovers, I don't think users will fall for this product, as they lack that heavy boom.

When I'm outdoors, I feel the medium ear tips work as noise canceling, as the fit with the song usually removes all other noises. With the small tip, I can hear the surroundings a bit better.

Mic quality

House of Marley promises and delivers clear calls. On FaceTime calls, other people talking to me had no issues with how I sounded. However, I've been told to speak a little louder. I wouldn't recommend taking a call outdoors with the wind against you, but these earbuds do a decent job in a controlled environment.

Gestures, battery, and connectivity

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

Impressively, the Little Bird true wireless earbuds work with touch gestures. Gentle taps near the top of the stern give you a feedback sound. Here's what you can do.

• Tap on the left side: Lower the volume
• Tap on the right side: Raise the volume
• Double tap: Play/pause
• Long press the left side: Play the previous track
• Long press the right side: Play the next track
• Triple tap: Activates Game/Movie mode

Similar to Beats Studio Pro, House of Marley offers different profile modes. When you triple-tap the earbud, you can activate game or movie mode. I tried with a few TV shows, but I didn't note the difference between having the mode on or off.

On the company's website, House of Marley doesn't explain much besides "enhance your audio experience with movie and gaming modes." It's a little trick that you might never use, but just be aware that it exists.

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

Regarding its battery, House of Marley promises up to 24 hours of listening time, with 6 hours of playtime without case. These are solid results, and I could spend almost a week without needing to charge these earbuds. No complaints here.

Lastly, there's a USB-A to USB-C cable. Although it's little, it's nice that the company includes a resistant braided cable with this device.

House of Marley offers quick charge, Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, IPX4, and a 2-year guarantee. I think the only thing really lacking on these earbuds is an indicator of the battery status, which could come in the form of a widget or through Marley's app, which is incompatible with this device.

Price and conclusion

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

House of Marley Little Bird True Wireless earbuds cost $39.99, which is a ridiculously good price for everything these earbuds offer, and are available in Signature Black or Cream. They're not comparable with Beats or Apple earbuds, but they also cost up to 1/5 less than these premium options.

The overall sound is good; it has a great built-in quality, and the eco-friendly approach of House of Marley is always a positive point to note.

For casual listening, I think the company did an excellent job by offering USB-C capabilities, touch gestures, and different ear tips without overcharging users. It's a fair price for fair earbuds.

Should you get House of Marley Little Bird true wireless earbuds?

If you're looking for budget earbuds, these are the ones you should get.

The post House of Marley Little Bird review: True wireless earbuds on a budget appeared first on BGR.

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A few years ago, with the advent of the M-series chips, Apple reinvented the MacBook Pro. The laptop was given a thicker design that housed more ports, a much better battery, and that sweet Apple Silicon performance. Now, a few years later, the refreshed MacBook Pro is still considered by many to be the single best laptop out there. And, once again, Apple has breathed new life into the laptop with the M3 series.

The new MacBook Pro is different in a few ways. For starters, the entry-level MacBook Pro is now 14 inches, not 13 inches, and with a dated design, like before. And, it's now available in a new color -- Space Black. But apart from those things and the M3 series of chips, does the new MacBook Pro do enough to keep up? I've been using the 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Max chip and 64GB of RAM to find out.

MacBook Pro (M3 Max) design

The overall design of the MacBook Pro remains the same compared to previous generations -- but that's not a bad thing. I like the look of the MacBook Pro, and find it to be one of the best-built laptops out there.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

New for this year is the Space Black color, which I find looks excellent. I like the Silver color of MacBook Pro, but the Space Black looks more premium to me. It's not true black -- it's really a dark gray -- but naming aside, I really like the new color.

On the left of the chassis, you'll find a MagSafe charging port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a headphone jack. On the right can be found the HDMI port, another Thunderbolt 4 port, and the SD card slot. It's a good selection of ports overall.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

One of the best things about the MacBook Pro is the build quality. There's little flex to the keyboard bed, and the metal unibody build means that the laptop can survive most dings and scratches without any issues.

MacBook Pro (M3 Max) display

The display on the M3 MacBook Pro is a little better too -- which is hard to imagine, given how great the previous generation's display was. For this generation, the display is able to offer a peak brightness of 600 nits for SDR content, and indeed, the display did look very bright. HDR brightness remains unchanged.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

Overall, the screen is stunning, gets nice and bright, and offers excellent contrast. It's a Mini LED display with a 3024 x 1964 resolution, so text is nice and crisp, and the screen can produce deep black levels that help make movies and still images alike look excellent. The MacBook Pro has one of the best displays in the business.

MacBook Pro (M3 Max) keyboard and touchpad

The keyboard on the M3 MacBook Pro is excellent too. Again, it remains unchanged compared to previous generations, but again, that's not a bad thing. Apple revamped the keyboards in its laptops a few years ago, and thankfully, it hasn't played with the keyboard much since then. The keys on the M3 MacBook Pro offer a good amount of travel and good spacing, and I found it easy to type longer text on the keyboard without any issues.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The touchpad is also excellent. As we've come to expect from Apple, the touchpad is responsive and big, allowing you to navigate your way around web pages and other apps with ease.

MacBook Pro (M3 Max) speakers

The speakers are excellent on the M3 MacBook Pro too. The new laptop keeps the old speakers, allowing it to produce relatively deep low-end and bright, detailed high-end. The laptop offers four woofers, and they're able to produce a nice punch from kick drums and smooth bass response for bass guitars. They're far better than you would expect from a pair of laptop built-in speakers, and while music producers will still, obviously, want external speakers, casual listeners will be perfectly happy with what's on offer here.

MacBook Pro (M3 Max) performance

The big difference between the M2 MacBook Pro and the M3 MacBook Pro is the fact that the M3 model...comes with M3 chips. Alongside the new MacBook Pro, Apple also launched three new chips, called the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max.

Under the hood, the new chips actually have a lot to offer. The M3 Pro and Max now support more RAM, with the M3 Max supporting up to an impressive 128GB of RAM. And, the M3 chips are built on a 3nm process, with translates to better raw performance in a chip that consumes less power. There are more GPU and CPU cores on offer too -- with the M3 Max getting a 16-core CPU and up to a 40-core GPU.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

Benchmark results achieved with the M3 Max MacBook Pro are excellent. In CineBench 2024, we achieved the below results.

• Single-core CPU: 140
• Multi-core CPU: 1635
• GPU: 13043

These scores are excellent. They put the GPU performance of the M3 Max about on par with a machine equipped with an Nvidia RTX 3080, which is very impressive for a laptop. The CPU scores are also very impressive -- showing a chip that can deliver similar performance to an Intel Core i9-13900KS in single-core performance, and an Intel Core i7 13700K in multi-core performance -- but at a fraction of the power draw. This also puts the M3 Max at nearly the same level of performance as the previous-generation M2 Ultra -- which makes me particularly excited to see what the M3 Ultra can offer, if and when it gets released.

The end result? The MacBook Pro went from incredibly fast, to...even faster. The vast majority of users will be perfectly happy with the M3 Pro model or even the base M3 model -- or could even simply wait for the M3-powered MacBook Air, when it inevitably launches. Most audio editors and producers will find the M3 Pro to be more than enough -- and very demanding video producers and others who need a graphics-heavy experience should consider the M3 Max.

MacBook Pro (M3 Max) battery

The best thing about recent MacBook releases is by far the battery life. The battery life on the M3 Max MacBook Pro is still excellent, and it'll easily get you through a full day of even heavier use. I have found that the battery can take a bit of a dive if you perform really graphically intense tasks, like rendering video files, but for most tasks, you'll find that you won't really have to worry much about the battery life.

According to Apple, the M3 MacBook Pro gets up to 22 hours of video playback, while the M3 Pro and M3 Max get up to 18 hours. This mostly seemed true in my testing, though if you buy one of these higher-powered machines, you'll likely be doing so for more demanding tasks than watching video.

Conclusions

The M3 MacBook Pro may come less than a year after the original, but it's still a continuation of the series that makes sense. It'd be impossible for Apple to reinvent the wheel every year -- but it doesn't have to. The MacBook Pro is still the best laptop out there, and the M3 series puts it even further ahead of the competition. Things may start getting more interesting when we finally start seeing Windows ARM-based machines that can hold their own. But until then, the MacBook Pro is simply head and shoulders above the competition.

The competition

Those considering buying the MacBook Pro are likely deciding between it and another Apple machine, like the MacBook Air. Apple's lineup is a little confusing right now, but rest assured that the vast majority of users will still get more than enough from the M2 MacBook Air. That said, given the fact that the M3 series is now out in the open, it may be worth waiting on a new laptop for the M3 MacBook Air to launch.

Alternatively, you may be deciding between the M3 Pro and M3 Max. The M3 Pro easily offers more than enough power for 99% of users, even those who have more demanding workloads. I would only consider the M3 Max if you're among the most demanding users who rely on extremely fast graphical computation.

Should I buy the M3 MacBook Pro?

Yes. It's the best laptop around.

The post MacBook Pro M3 review: The best laptop is now even better appeared first on BGR.

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Galaxy Z Fold 5

Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 builds on the previous-generation, but newly goes up against some serious competition. Does it compete?

Skip To Our Expert Review

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Skip To Our Expert Review

Pros

• Well-designed
• Nice displays
• Solid battery
• Good performance

Cons

• Form-factor is limiting
• Expensive

Buy From	List Price	Sale Price
	$1919.99	$1604.97	See It

The foldable phone world is seriously heating up. With the likes of OnePlus finally jumping on board the world of foldables, and others, like Oppo (which owns OnePlus) three generations in, there's some competition in the world of foldables that seems to be pushing them in the right direction. But there's only one company that's been at foldables for five generations now -- Samsung.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is in a slightly strange spot though. While OnePlus, Honor, and Google have all adopted arguably more usable form factors that prevent the need to open up the phone for anything more than absolutely basic tasks, Samsung is keeping its candy bar form factor -- meaning that the device fits a little better in the pocket, and is a little more compact.

But in a world with actual competition, is Samsung still the king of fold-style phones?

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 specs

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 design

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 pioneered the concept of the foldable phone, and that meant creating what it thought should be the standard of foldable design. And, it did a pretty good job -- and is still doing a pretty good job five years later. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is well-designed and premium in build, and it makes sense why so many people love it.

But it's also a little unique, in that it's pretty skinny. The front of the phone is only 2.64 inches, which is much smaller than most slab phones -- and that means that the front screen can feel a little unusable in some situations. I don't love typing on the front display, and while scrolling social media is fine, it's not as great of an experience as it is on a device like the OnePlus Open. The result is that I found myself unfolding the phone much more than I would have liked -- an experience I didn't have when I recently reviewed the OnePlus Open.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The rest of the design, however, is quite nice. The phone feels premium when you fold and unfold it, and unlike previous versions of the phone, there's no screen gap when the phone is folded up. There is a noticeable crease, but most won't really notice it in day-to-day use.

Other aspects of the phone are to be expected. There's a USB-C port on the bottom, with a volume rocker and power button on the side. That power button also has a built-in fingerprint sensor, which works quickly and accurately.

I prefer the overall design of a device like the OnePlus Open, but the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is still very premium and well-built.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 display

Samsung usually includes great displays on its high-end phones, and that remains true on the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

On the front of the Galaxy Z Fold 5, you'll find a 6.2-inch display with a 904 x 2316 pixel resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It looks great. Setting aside the fact that it's a little skinny, it gets bright and vibrant, and most will find using it a joy.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

That remains true on the inside too. The interior display is 7.6 inches, and it's also an AMOLED display with a 120Hz maximum refresh rate and 1Hz minimum refresh rate. It also gets very bright and is easy to see in outdoor, bright environments.

Generally, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 offers an excellent display experience that the vast majority of users will be happy with.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 performance

That's true of performance too. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 offers a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, coupled with 12GB of RAM. I found that it was able to handle everything I could throw at it in 2023. It loaded games quickly and handled multitasking with ease -- which is good news considering the fact that foldables should be more multitasking-friendly.

It's likely better-performing phones will get launched in the near future, considering the fact that Qualcomm has announced its next-gen chip, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. But even then, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will boast excellent performance overall.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 battery and charging

Under the hood, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 offers a 4,400mAh battery, and I found that it wasn't bad -- and able to last a full day of moderate use. Your mileage will vary dramatically based on things like how often you're using the interior display, gaming, and so on. And, if you're a really heavy user, you may indeed find that you'll need to charge before a full day is up.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

Unfortunately, unlike some other Samsung devices, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 isn't a super fast-charging phone. It charges at only 25W, which is slower than the 45W that you can get on some other Samsung devices, and much slower than the fastest-charging phones out there right now. It does support 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, which I appreciate.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 camera

On the back of the Galaxy Z Fold 5, you'll find a triple camera array with a 50-megapixel main camera, a 10-megapixel telephoto camera at 3x optical zoom, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera with a 123-degree field-of-view.

For the most part, the phone is able to capture excellent images overall. They're bright and detailed, with good color reproduction -- all things that we've come to expect from Samsung phones. This includes slid images in low-light environments and good images at 3x zoom.

But the camera is held back by its hardware a little. The ultrawide and telephoto cameras are a little low-resolution, which prevents Samsung from doing any fancy sensor-crop tricks like the ones that can be found on the OnePlus Open. And, 3x optical zoom is fine -- but another zoom camera would have been nice, like on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. After all, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is much more expensive than the Ultra.

Hopefully, the increased competition will force Samsung to take the camera on its high-end foldables a bit more seriously in future years, especially considering how expensive they are. For now, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 lags behind both the Pixel Fold and the OnePlus Open, though it's better than the camera on the Honor Magic V2.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 software

The software experience on the Galaxy Z Fold 5, thankfully, is quite good. The device offers Samsung's One UI operating system, and Samsung has done a pretty good job at refining things like multitasking on the device and offering versatile options for how the phone handles the home screen -- allowing you to choose between a mirrored home screen or an independent one.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

Generally, One UI has never been my favorite approach to software. That remains true here. I don't love the way it looks, and I don't want all those extra Samsung apps. But if you're used to using a Samsung phone, you won't mind how the Galaxy Z Fold 5 presents Android.

Conclusions

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is an excellent foldable phone, but new for this year, it has a ton of competition. The phone is well-designed and technically high-end -- but it still doesn't feel necessarily like the final form of the foldable phone. Ironically, the OnePlus Open, on the other hand, does. That's not to say you shouldn't buy the Galaxy Z Fold 5, just that you should seriously consider the competition before you do.

The competition

The biggest competition to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 comes from the OnePlus Open. Ultimately, the OnePlus Open is a better phone. Its form factor makes it much more usable, plus it has a better camera, and it's cheaper, at least when it comes to its list price. It's also worth considering the Google Pixel Fold, which is much wider and shorter, but also has a better camera.

Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5?

Maybe, but you should consider the OnePlus Open first.

The post Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 review: No longer the best appeared first on BGR.

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The Reolink camera system is one of the most versatile and affordable home security systems on the market. With a single plug-and-play system, you can mix and match PoE cameras and wireless cameras.

Reolink's NVR is also well-designed and easy to use, plus there are several options to add more storage space. On top of everything else, Reolink's software offers a simple interface along with great free apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.

I have spent the past month extensively testing the Reolink RLK8-800B4 4K PoE security camera system (check the latest prices). In this review, I'll cover all the things that make it perfect for both experienced users and security camera novices. I'll also discuss the system's shortcomings, as well as alternative options you should consider.

RLK8-800B4 4K PoE Home Security Camera System

Rating: 4 Stars

This Reolink camera system is perfect for people who want powerful PoE cameras that are easy to set up. The included 2TB NVR has a simple but flexible interface, and Reolink's apps are great. Plus, you can easily expand your system with more PoE cameras or with Reolink's wireless cameras.

BGR may receive a commission

BGR may receive a commission

Pros

• Very inexpensive compared to rivals
• No monthly fee
• Simple setup and easy-to-use apps
• Clear 4K video
• Flexible system with many customization options
• Easy to expand with PoE or wireless cameras

Cons

• Nighttime video clarity is average
• Very limited smart home integration

$459.99 from Amazon

$559.99 from Walmart

$539.99 from Reolink

Reolink vs. Arlo

Before I get to the meat of this Reolink camera system review, I want to cover a big question that I see asked all the time: How does Reolink compare to Arlo?

I am uniquely positioned to answer this question because I have been an Arlo user for many years. I have thoroughly tested Arlo wireless camera models ranging from entry-level cameras to the flagship Arlo Pro 4.

While I do continue to use Arlo cameras inside my home, I decided to get rid of all the Arlo cameras outside my house. Instead, I have replaced them with Reolink cameras from the Reolink RLK8-800B4 4K PoE security camera system.

Indoors with limited use, Arlo wireless cameras are great. But outdoors in hard-to-reach spots, Arlo can be a huge pain.

I had several different models spread around the outside home, including Arlo Pro 4, Arlo Pro 2, and Arlo Essential Spotlight cameras.

At best, I found that battery life lasts between 1.5 and 2 months. For hard-to-reach spots, that meant hauling a ladder around my house every couple of months to recharge them. Due to tree cover, solar panels weren't an option for me.

I also find the Arlo app to be buggy and unreliable. I ran into problems all the time with failed alerts, scheduling issues, phantom alerts, connectivity issues, and more. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Even now, all my cameras appear offline every time I open the app. I need to wait 5 seconds for them to connect so I can start streaming video or adjust the settings.

For sporadic use inside my home, Arlo is a better option. I don't keep my indoor cameras armed all the time. Instead, they activate when I'm away so I can check on things when I need to. As a result, I can go for 4 months or more without having to charge them. I also don't have to deal with dragging a ladder all over my property.

Why is the Reolink camera system better than Arlo?

There are several important points to consider when comparing Reolink and Arlo.

First of all, the Reolink RLK8-800B4 security camera system is a PoE system. PoE stands for "power over ethernet," meaning the cameras draw power directly from the NVR over Ethernet cables. Or, if you want, you can connect cameras to a DC power source and record directly onto a memory card instead of running Ethernet cables and using an NVR.

Here's a look at the multi-connection cable on each Reolink camera:

Reolink B800 security cameras are made of durable metal and are IP66-rated. Image source: Reolink

No matter how you set them up, Reolink PoE cameras never need to be charged. Reolink does offer battery-powered Wi-Fi security cameras as well under the Argus brand. I didn't test any of those models for this review, however.

Another reason I prefer Reolink cameras to Arlo cameras is the NVR. Unlike Arlo and other similar options, this Reolink camera system gives you 24/7 recording instead of only recording when motion events are detected.

The setup I tested comes with the latest Reolink RLN8-410 NVR. NVR stands for "network video recorder," and it's the small box you see with the cameras in pictures. This model is an 8-channel NVR, so it supports up to eight connected PoE cameras. Reolink also makes a 16-channel version called the RLN16-410 that supports up to 16 cameras.

Reolink's NVR is simple but powerful, and there are both 8-channel and 16-channel versions available. Image source: Reolink

Instead of recording to the cloud like Arlo, Reolink cameras record to a local hard drive inside the NVR. Some people might say this solution is more secure. It also means you don't need to pay a monthly fee, which Arlo requires.

Arlo does offer local recording options if you plug a flash drive into your hub. However, the bulk of the service is still cloud-based. It also still won't record 24/7, and you need to pay a monthly fee to use any of Arlo's newer camera models. While Reolink does offer a cloud service with 30-day cloud video history, it's less expensive and is not needed with PoE cameras.

Reolink Cloud plans & pricing

As I mentioned, there is an optional Reolink Cloud service if you want to subscribe to it. This service isn't geared toward Reolink PoE camera systems like the RLK8-800B4 setup I reviewed.

Instead, Reolink Cloud is meant for Argus cameras and other Reolink cameras that work without an NVR. If you're interested in those models, here are the main pricing tiers for Reolink Cloud:

Basic Plan: Free

• 7-day cloud video history
• 1 camera supported
• 1GB of cloud storage

Standard Plan: $3.49/month

• 30-day cloud video history
• 5 cameras supported
• 30GB of cloud storage
• Rich Notifications

Premier Plan: $6.99/month

• 30-day cloud video history
• 10 cameras supported
• 80GB of cloud storage
• Rich Notifications

Business Plan: $10.49/month

• 60-day cloud video history
• 20 cameras supported
• 150GB of cloud storage
• Rich Notifications

You can learn more about Reolink Cloud on the company's website.

Arlo features that I miss

I definitely prefer Reolink cameras overall for outdoor use around my home. But there are a few Arlo features that I definitely miss.

First, I miss rich notifications with animated previews. This feature is available with Reolink Cloud, but not with a Reolink PoE camera system like the RLK8-800B4.

A rich notification shows you a quick animated clip of the motion that triggered an alert. Rich notifications didn't always work as they were supposed to with my Arlo system, but it's definitely a nice feature when it does work.

The other thing I miss is the ability to mute notifications for a certain period of time.

With Arlo cameras, you can quickly and easily mute notifications for a period of 30 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours, or 24 hours. For example, you might want to mute notifications for an hour if you have landscapers at your house. Otherwise, you have to deal with incessant notifications as they work around your home.

This isn't an option with a Reolink PoE camera system. Thankfully though, I did come up with a decent workaround.

If you have an iPhone, you can use Apple's Shortcuts app to create a simple shortcut that opens directly to the Reolink notifications page in the Settings app. That way, you can quickly and easily toggle notifications on or off.

Image source: Maren Estrada for BGR

I followed this guide to create the shortcut. If you want to do the same thing so you can mute your Reolink notifications easily, I'll save you some time by giving you the text string for the Reolink app:

prefs:root=NOTIFICATIONS_ID&path=com.reo.link

When you're done, your shortcut should look exactly like the screenshot above. Then, you can simply tap a Shortcuts widget or use Siri to open the Settings app directly to the Reolink notifications page.

I'm sure something similar is possible on an Android device.

Reolink camera system highlights

Now that you know why a Reolink PoE camera system might be better than Arlo cameras, I'll shift focus to some of my favorite features.

First and foremost, setting up a Reolink camera system is so easy. It's plug-and-play in the truest sense of the term. As soon as you first connect a Reolink camera to your NVR, it immediately starts recording and is ready to use.

Of course, you'll need to run all your Ethernet cables and mount your Reolink cameras before you get to that point. The same is true of any PoE camera system. If you're a do-it-yourself type willing to spend time running cables between floors and through your interior or exterior walls, that's great. I chose to use a company that installs security systems for this review.

Relolink B800 camera quality

On to the system itself, the included Reolink B800 cameras offer crystal-clear 4K video during most of the day. You can easily make out faces and small details in the video. I was even able to zoom in and clearly read the license plate number of a slow-moving car.

My only complaint regarding daytime video is that parts of your picture can get blown out a bit depending on where the sun is.

For example, two cameras in front of my house have some trouble at times in the late afternoon on sunny days. That's when bright sunlight reflects off the pavement on the street in front of my house. The rest of the image is still clear though, and so are people as long as they're not in the street.

Also of note, motion can be a bit of a problem at night. The overall picture is very clear with Reolink's night vision. But there is definitely a bit of blur on people and objects moving quickly through the frame.

Reolink RLN8-410 NVR features & apps

Reolink's software is fantastic. In fact, the computer and smartphone apps are so good that most users will never even have to connect a monitor or mouse to the NVR.

Everything you need to set up your Reolink camera system is available in the mobile apps or the desktop apps for Windows and Mac. You can tweak most settings as much as you want. You can also of course view live camera feeds and play recorded video footage.

Of note, Reolink is a trustworthy company that has been in the business since 2009. Reolink protects all data with 2048-bit RSA and 128-bit AES-GCM encryption. Video feeds are protected with SSL encryption.

You can easily toggle between high-quality 4K video and data-friendly low-quality video when viewing live feeds or recordings.

To access your recordings, simply tap the Playback button on any camera page in the app. You can scrub through each full day's recordings or narrow things down so that only motion events are shown.

Below, you'll find a screenshot that shows motion events spread across the day on one of my cameras. Clicking on any of those blue notches will start playing the associated recording. You can also further narrow things down to motion events triggered by people or vehicles.

This screenshot is from the Mac app, but Reolink's other apps have a similar UI.

Navigating through recordings and playing back motion events is quick and easy. Image source: Maren Estrada for BGR

One thing you'll want to do right away is adjust your motion zones and notification settings. If you don't, you'll get motion notifications every few seconds all day long due to things like wind blowing through leaves or bugs flying around at night.

Pro tip: in each camera's settings section, go to Push Notifications > Schedule. In there, you can choose to receive notifications for "any motion," "person," and "vehicle".

Disable "any motion".

That way, you'll only get notifications when the camera's AI identifies a person or a vehicle. If you don't, the constant notifications will likely drive you crazy. Remember, your Reolink NVR records 24/7 even when you don't get motion notifications. You don't need a notification every 10 seconds as leaves shake and cars drive past your home.

Reolink's apps also let you make adjustments to motion detection sensitivity and even object size, in case you want a threshold so that small objects don't trigger motion notifications.

There are other ways to tweak alert settings, too. For example, you can set a time delay of up to 8 seconds for person and vehicle motion alerts. That way, you'll only get a notification if the motion lasts for the amount of time you set.

Upgrades I made to the Reolink RLK8-800B4 system

Out of the box, the Reolink RLK8-800B4 camera system includes a 2TB NVR and four 4K PoE cameras. For many people, that won't be enough.

I wanted a few more things with my installation, and I'm going to discuss them in this section.

Upgraded cameras

First and foremost, the RLK8-800B4 comes with four Reolink B800 cameras. You can read about the B800's specs and features below, but it lacks a couple of key features that I wanted in some locations outside my home.

So, I purchased a couple of Reolink RLC-811A PoE cameras in addition to the RLK8-800B4 bundle that Reolink sent us to review.

The RLC-811A looks just like the B800, but it has two key features that make it a significant upgrade. First of all, the RLC-811A has 5x optical zoom instead of the 4mm fixed lens on the B800. Also, it has five extremely bright LED spotlights that help enable full-color night vision.

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Reolink RLC-823A and TrackMix cameras

Another big upgrade is the Reolink RLC-823A camera. I didn't get one at first, but Reolink recently reached out and asked if I was interested in testing one.

In addition to 5x optical zoom and LED spotlights, the RLC-823A has mechanical pan and tilt features plus auto-tracking to follow any motion. So, for example, it can automatically pan and zoom as a person walks from one side of your yard to the other.

Here's a quick motion-tracking video that my camera captured, so you can see how it works:

I found that setting up the camera was relatively easy, though there were one or two hiccups. I wasn't able to use the procedure in the user manual, which involves scanning a QR code on a device to add it. As it turns out though, my NVR was already configured to automatically add new cameras, so I didn't need to worry about it.

Video quality on the RLC-823A is just as good as it is on the RLC-811A model. But the auto-tracking feature definitely adds a lot to the equation. I love being able to extend the camera's field of view almost infinitely. It does a good just of picking up motion and then following people, vehicles, or pets until they're out of view.

Also neat is a feature that lets you pan the camera around and then save different positions. That way, you can easily switch to one of your favorite views with only a few taps.

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In addition to the RLC-823A, Reolink also sent me a new Reolink TrackMix PoE camera to test.

This model is similar to the RLC-823A in that it's a dome camera with a mechanical motor that lets it pan and tilt. It also features auto-tracking, just like the other model. It's not quite as feature-rich, but it does have something that the RLC-823A does not: Dual lenses.

Instead of just one main camera, the TrackMix has a 2.8mm wide-angle lens as well as a second 8mm telephoto lens. That means this PoE camera can capture two feeds at once. One is the normal wide-angle feed with a panoramic view. Then, the second is a zoomed-in feed that can capture more detail.

In theory, the TrackMix sounds great. In my testing, however, this model hasn't worked as advertised. Reolink has instructions that explain how to switch between the two video feeds or view them both simultaneously. Unfortunately, the part about how to switch feeds in the mobile app doesn't work for me.

I can switch feeds easily in the macOS app, but I don't have the same options on my iPhone. The only way I've found to see both video feeds on my iPhone is to enter "immersive view," which shows all of your camera feeds on one screen. Immersive view is a bit of a pain to get to in the app though, so I doubt I'll be using it very often.

This model comes in two different versions, a TrackMix PoE model and a TrackMix WiFi model that can connect to your network with either an Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi.

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Reolink NVR upgrades

Next up is the NVR, which definitely needs some upgrades.

First of all, Reolink ships the RLN8-410 NVR with a 2TB hard drive. 2TB might be fine for a laptop, but it's not much space for a 4K NVR. With five cameras feeding 4K video to the NVR all day long, 2TB was about enough space for five days' worth of video. After that, the NVR starts overwriting the oldest recordings.

I wanted to be able to look back much further than that. Luckily, there are two ways to upgrade the RLN8-410 NVR's storage.

First, you can upgrade the internal hard drive that comes in the NVR. Reolink says this NVR model supports up to 6TB, and it lists recommended hard drive models on its site. I chose the Seagate SkyHawk 6TB HDD, which has been working great.

Instructions for the upgrade are on Reolink's website. It's a very easy procedure that will take most people about 5 minutes to do. Then you just need to format the new hard drive, which is also quite simple.

Next, you can add an external HDD up to 6TB and connect it using the eSATA port on the back of the NVR. I did this too, using a second Seagate SkyHawk 6TB hard drive and a StarTech external drive enclosure that costs about $57 on Amazon.

Those two new hard drives give me a total of 12TB of storage instead of 2TB. That's enough space for about a month of 4K recordings from five Reolink cameras.

Reolink's 8-channel NVR supports a 6TB internal HDD and a 6TB external HDD. Image source: Maren Estrada for BGR

Of note, the 16-channel version of this Reolink NVR supports up to three hard drives. It has space for two HDDs inside the NVR, plus an eSATA port for an external hard drive.

Last but not least, I added a fan inside the Reolink NVR to help cool it down a bit. The RLN8-410 NVR has space, vents, and a connector port for a fan, but it doesn't actually ship with one inside.

I bought a Noctua NF-A4x10 FLX fan on Amazon for $14 and followed the instructions in this video to do the installation. It works great and it's very quiet. I can't hear it at all, even when I'm just a few feet away from the cabinet that holds the NVR.

It's a very simple procedure that anyone can follow. The installation took me about 8 minutes, though 5 minutes of that time was spent trying to work the included screws into the NVR case. They don't fit perfectly, so you have to apply some force to screw them in.

Problems with Reolink cameras

I already mentioned a few shortcomings of this Reolink camera system. Examples include the lack of rich notifications and the inability to easily mute notifications for a short time. But there's another issue that is far more important to me.

Reolink's PoE home security camera systems really fall short when it comes to smart home integration.

The only smart home integrations currently supported by Reolink's PoE system are Amazon Alexa and Google Home. That's absolutely not good enough at all.

If you use a more comprehensive smart home system, Reolink simply won't integrate with it at all. For example, I use SmartThings. My outdoor Arlo cameras used to be deeply integrated with my SmartThings setup, triggering all sorts of automations. Now, all that convenience is out the window.

Many systems that don't support big smart home platforms like SmartThings offer a workaround by integrating with IFTTT. Bad news: Reolink doesn't support IFTTT either.

It's a bummer, but it's certainly not the end of the world. You'll find workarounds for most things if you're willing to get creative. For example, I added a few Philips Hue Outdoor Motion Sensors around my home to handle most of the automations that used to be triggered by my outdoor Arlo cameras.

Reolink camera system price

Reolink offers so many different bundles, so prices vary. But the Reolink RLK8-800B4 PoE camera system is one of the company's most popular options, and it's the one I tested for this review.

The Reolink RLK8-800B4 system retails for $600, which is already a bargain compared to similar systems from some other brands. It goes on sale all the time though, so it's unlikely that you'll pay full price.

At the time of this writing, this Reolink PoE camera system was on sale for just $459.99 on Amazon and from other retailers.

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By comparison, a 3-pack of Arlo Pro 4 cameras retails for $549.99. One additional camera costs $199.99.

That means you'll need to spend $749.98 to get a 4-camera system like the Reolink RLK8-800B4. Plus, you can't use your Arlo cameras without a $9.99/month subscription to Arlo Secure.

Reolink PoE camera system specs

The Reolink RLK8-800B4 camera system comes with two main components. First, there's the Reolink RLN8-410 NVR. Then, you get four Reolink B800 cameras.

The NVR has 2TB of capacity, and the included cameras are all 4K cameras with 8MP sensors. Here are the full specs:

Reolink RLN8-410 NVR specs

Hardware

• Hardware V2

Video/Audio Input

• IP Video Input
• PoE IP camera x 8

Audio Input

• Cameras with built-in mic

Video/Audio Output

• Video Output
• VGA, HDMI

Display Resolution

• HDMI: 4096*3072, 3840*2160, 1920*1080, 1440*900, 1280*1024, 1280*720, 1024*768
• VGA: 1920*1080, 1440*900, 1280*1024, 1280*800, 1280*720, 1024*768

Audio output

• 1-channel, RCA

Included storage

• 2TB HDD

Expandable storage

• Up to 6TB internal HDD
• Up to 6TB additional storage via external HDD (eSATA connection)

Reolink B800 camera specs

Image Sensor

• 1/2.49" CMOS Sensor

Video Resolution

• Default: 3840X2160 (8 megapixels) @20FPS

Lens

• f=4.0 mm fixed, F=2.0, with IR cut

Video Format

• H.265

Field of View

• Horizontal: 87°
• Vertical: 44°

Day & Night

• IR-cut filter with auto-switching

Night Vision

• 30 meters (100ft) (LED: 18pcs/14mil/850nm)

Frame Rate

• Mainstream: 2fps - 20fps (default: 20fps)
• Substream: 4fps - 15fps (default: 10fps)

Code Rate

• Mainstream: 4096Kbps - 8192Kbps (default: 6144Kbps)
• Substream: 64Kbps - 512Kbps (default: 256Kbps)

Audio

• Audio recording

Smart Alarms

• Person detection/vehicle detection/motion detection

Recording Modes

• Motion-triggered recording (default); scheduled recording, 24/7 recording

This review was originally published on September 24, 2022. It has since been updated with additional information.

The post Reolink camera system review: PoE cameras that cost less than Arlo appeared first on BGR.

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Apple Watch Series 9

Rating: 4 Stars

The Apple Watch Series 9 is here, bringing with it a few extra features. But how much better is it than the Series 8?

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Rating: 4 Stars

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Pros

• Good performance
• Double Tap is cool
• Bright display

Cons

• Aging design

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The Apple Watch has long set the bar in the smartwatch world, offering a now-standardized design with excellent fitness-tracking features and great integration with Apple's ecosystem of products and software. The latest and greatest is the Apple Watch Series 9 -- boasting a few new improvements that genuinely help.

But how much better is the Series 9 compared to the Apple Watch Series 8? Is it worth upgrading? I've been using the Apple Watch Series 9 for a while now to find out.

Apple Watch Series 9 design

If you've seen the design of the Apple Watch Series 8, or anything past the Apple Watch Series 6 for that matter, you'll recognize the Series 9. It looks more or less exactly the same as the Series 8.

That's not necessarily a bad thing though. The Apple Watch Series 8 offered a sleek and stylish design with a good color selection. The same remains true this year -- however, the aluminum device is now available in a new pink color.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

You'll still get the digital crown and button on the right side of the device, with the selection of health-tracking sensors on the bottom of the watch. And, thankfully, the device is still available in two different sizes -- unlike other new devices like the Google Pixel Watch.

Generally, I like the design of the Apple Watch Series 9, but it is starting to feel a little dated. Some rumors indicate that Apple will revamp the design of the Apple Watch for the 10th generation -- however, we'll have to see if that ends up happening or not.

Apple Watch Series 9 display

One of the big upgrades to the Apple Watch for the Series 9 comes in the form of a brighter display. While the screen on the Series 8 was also relatively high-end and got bright enough at a peak brightness of 1000 nits, the Series 9 doubles that to up to 2000 nits.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

What does this mean in practical terms? Basically, I found that the Apple Watch Series 9 was easier to see outdoors or in brighter environments, including when the screen wasn’t fully illuminated.

It’s not a huge change, but it is a welcome one.

Apple Watch Series 9 performance

Another major change to the device comes from an improved processor, the S9 SiP. For the past few years, Apple has included renamed, but essentially recycled, versions of the same chip, with only minor improvements overall.

Generally, I found that Watch was quick and responsive, able to handle everything you’ll throw at it in 2023. Not only that, but the device should support more versions of WatchOS down the line too, which is always nice.

Apple Watch Series 9 features

The improved performance doesn’t just help with longevity — it enables a few extra features too. Namely, the device now has offline Siri support, which means it can handle some tasks — those that don’t require talking to the cloud — completely offline. So, it can start timers and access certain information totally offline. Indeed, the device did seem slightly quicker when it came to certain Siri requests.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The other headline feature is the Double Tap gesture, which allows you to tap your thumb and pointer together to control certain aspects of the device’s software. This wasn’t available at launch, but it has since rolled out to the beta and will be launching publicly soon. In my experience the feature works well, and could come in handy for things like controlling your music when you’re holding something in your hand. I had to remember that it was even an option, but you’ll get used to it.

These are on top of all the features that the device already had. The device boasts excellent health tracking, and the feature integrates with other Apple services, like Reminders, Notes, Apple Music, and so on.

Conclusions

The Apple Watch Series 9 represents a relatively minor update over the Series 8. But it’s still an update. It’s not worth upgrading from the Series 8 or probably even the Series 7. But, if you have an older device, the Series 9 will add a ton of extra features to your Apple Watch experience.

The competition

If you’re considering an Apple Watch Series 9, you’re probably deciding between it and an older Apple Watch. I recommend going for the newer device, due to the better processor, which should allow for more software support later.

Should I buy the Apple Watch Series 9?

Yes. The Apple Watch Series 9 is the new best smartwatch out there.

The post Apple Watch Series 9 review: Baby steps appeared first on BGR.

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Open

Rating: 4.5 Stars

The OnePlus Open offers a sleek design and a unique software experience -- and in fact, it's the complete foldable package.

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Rating: 4.5 Stars

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Pros

• Sleek design
• Great camera
• Solid battery
• Excellent displays
• Versatile software

Cons

• No wireless charging

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Over the past few years, we've seen a number of great foldable and flipable phones get released...outside of the U.S. Sure, we get our fair share here, but companies like Honor and Oppo have arguably been making the most exciting options, and they don't launch phones here. Or at least, you may not think they do. The OnePlus Open is finally here -- and it's a rebranded Oppo foldable phone.

Mind you, that's a good thing. As mentioned, Oppo has been making some of the more interesting options over the past few years, and it's great news that we're finally getting those state-side. But can the OnePlus Open really challenge the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Google Pixel Fold?

Turns out, yes, it can.

OnePlus Open specs

OnePlus Open design

The OnePlus Open doesn't necessarily reinvent the wheel when it comes to foldable phones, but it does deliver a well-designed and high-end build that should appeal to anyone looking for a great foldable phone.

For starters, the phone is very thin. Unfolded, the device sits at only 5.8mm, and it feels very slim and premium. Of course, it's a little thicker than that folded -- 11.7mm -- but even then, it doesn't necessarily feel overly thick or bulky.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

That changes a little, of course, when you consider the camera module -- which is gigantic. The camera module is thick and wide, and it adds quite a bit to the overall thickness and weight of the phone. I, however, found that I ultimately didn't really mind that. You won't really notice the extra bulk in day-to-day life, and while the look does take a little getting used to, you will get used to it.

I find the width of the OnePlus Open to be more or less perfect for a foldable phone. The device is wider than a device like the Galaxy Z Fold 5, making the cover screen way more usable. And, it makes the interior screen even larger -- and better for things like watching movies and playing video games.

The phone has a glossy frame and metallic back, if you get the Emerald Dusk model. The Voyager Black model, which is more expensive, has a tactile leather back, which is also very nice-looking. On the right edge of the device, you'll find the power button/fingerprint sensor, while on the bottom is the USB-C port.

Ultimately, the OnePlus Open is an excellent example of what a foldable phone's design should be. It's an ideal width and has a stylish and premium build.

OnePlus Open display

The biggest advantage to foldable phones, of course, is the fact that they offer access to both a standard aspect ratio cover screen for day-to-day social media and texting, and a much larger internal screen for media consumption and gaming. But that alone isn't enough -- the displays need to be high-quality too. Thankfully, the screens on the OnePlus Open are great.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

On the front of the phone, you'll find a 6.31-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a 2484 x 1116 resolution, and a variable refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz. It has a peak brightness of a whopping 2800 nits -- and it looks excellent. It's incredibly bright, vibrant, and crisp too. I'm glad to see OnePlus putting some effort into the cover screen on the phone, and not just the internal screen.

But the internal screen looks great too. It's a 7.82-inch AMOLED LTPO display with a 2440 x 2268 resolution and a refresh rate that can vary between 1Hz and 120Hz. It also has a peak brightness of 2,800 nits.

Technically, the interior screen is a little better than the cover screen, but really, you won't notice a difference in day-to-day life apart from the size. Watching movies and playing games on the internal display is an absolute joy, and again, the screen gets very bright.

OnePlus has put a lot of effort into an excellent display experience, and it shows.

OnePlus Open performance

Under the hood, the OnePlus Open offers a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, coupled with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. That means it's one of the best-performing Android phones out there.

Indeed, the phone was easily able to handle all the day-to-day tasks that you can throw at it in 2023 -- and more. It easily multitasked and loaded games quickly, and it should remain a well-performing phone for at least a few years. Sure, Qualcomm is announcing its next-gen chipset in the near future -- but don't take that to mean that the OnePlus Open lags in performance. It doesn't.

OnePlus Open battery and charging

The battery powering those super-bright screens is 4,805mAh, and I found that it actually performed quite well. Now, we're not really at a point just yet where the top-performing foldable phones can last as long as the slab phones with the best battery, but if you're good at charging your phone, you won't run into any major issues with the battery.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

I found that after a day of moderate use, I still had around 30% of the battery remaining. This isn't a ton -- and I could have killed the battery with heavier use. But it's also not terrible, and with a mix of cover screen and internal screen use, the battery will do just fine.

Less fine is the charging. The phone supports 67W wired charging, which is quite fast -- but there's no wireless charging here. The Open's secret is the fact that it's really just a reskinned Oppo phone -- and wireless charging isn't as important on a phone destined for the Chinese market. But reskinned Oppo or not, the OnePlus Open is destined for North America, and there's just no excuse to exclude wireless charging on a phone this expensive, in 2023.

OnePlus Open camera

The camera module on the back of the phone is ginormous, but thankfully, it houses some pretty high-end cameras.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The Open has a triple camera system, which is made up of a 48-megapixel main camera, a 64-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and 6x lossless zoom, and a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera with a 114-degree field-of-view. It's a very versatile setup, that should allow users to frame a shot well in any situation.

In well-lit environments, the OnePlus Open performed very well. Images are bright and vibrant, and while there's a warm hue to them, I quite like that overall vibe. The camera is pretty consistent too, and able to handle lower lighting with an image that's still quite crisp.

The telephoto camera is particularly versatile. As mentioned, the camera zooms optically to 3x, but by cropping the sensor, it can achieve an effective zoom of 6x, without any loss in detail or digital zoom. This worked well, and images zoomed at 6x looked great, especially with good lighting. Low-light images and images of any movement won't be quite as great, though. That's not necessarily unexpected, but still something to consider.

OnePlus Open software

Perhaps one of the most important things to consider about a new foldable phone is the software experience -- and I really liked the software experience on the OnePlus Open.

The home screen on the interior screen of the OnePlus Open is essentially the first two home screens from the cover screen glued together, and I like this approach. Unfortunately, you can't choose to have independent home screens, like you can on the Samsung device -- but between the two approaches, I prefer this one anyway.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

When opened, the OnePlus Open offers a menu bar at the bottom, allowing users to quickly jump between apps. And, it has some other handy multitasking tools, like the triple split feature that allows you to hide a third app window for quick access. Again, I prefer this to Samsung's approach of just cramming tiny windows onto the screen, but others may disagree.

The software experience is slightly buggy, but these will be ironed out over time. Generally, I really like what OnePlus has done for the Open's software -- more so than the Galaxy Z Fold series. That's partially because I just don't really like One UI that much, but again, you may prefer it -- in which case the software experience on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will likely be a better choice for you.

Conclusions

The OnePlus Open is an excellent phone -- and perhaps the best out there so far. The device is well-designed, boasts an excellent display experience, has great performance, and offers solid battery life. The biggest downside to the phone is the lack of wireless charging, but if you can look past that, you'll love what's on offer here.

The device is cheaper than some foldable phones too. It has a list price of $1,699 -- however, OnePlus says that you can trade in any phone of any condition to get at least $200 off. Obviously, older phones in poor condition will only get $200 -- but if you trade in a newer device, you'll get much better trade-in value.

The competition

The biggest competition for the OnePlus Open comes from the Galaxy Z Fold 5, but I prefer the OnePlus Open. I think it has a better form factor, a more versatile camera, and a more helpful software experience. It's also cheaper than the Samsung device.

Secondary to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the Google Pixel Fold. The Pixel Fold offers the best software of the bunch, but its shorter, wider form factor isn't necessarily for me. That alone, to me, makes the OnePlus device a better option.

Should I buy the OnePlus Open?

Yes. If you're looking for a foldable phone that's almost the complete package, the OnePlus Open is an excellent option.

The post OnePlus Open review: Almost the complete package appeared first on BGR.

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Pixel 8

Rating: 4 Stars

The Google Pixel 8 may be smaller than the Pixel 7 but it packs a bigger punch. Is it worth the higher price?

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Rating: 4 Stars

Skip To Our Expert Review

Pros

• Better display
• Cool AI camera features
• Great software experience
• Good battery life

Cons

• $100 more expensive

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Pixel phones haven't necessarily sold all that well, but they have always showcased the approach to Android that Google itself envisions. Over the past few years, however, Google has been making more investments into features that go beyond the operating system itself, and lean heavily into AI processing and camera features that you simply can't get anywhere else.

But the rest of the phone has always been relatively impressive too. The latest and greatest in the Pixel series are the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro -- and while the Pixel 8 Pro is the clear flagship of the two, with a more versatile camera and better screen, the standard Pixel 8 actually makes a pretty compelling case for itself.

It's also more expensive than last year's Pixel 7. Does the Pixel 8 do enough to justify that price boost?

Google Pixel 8 specs

Google Pixel 8 design

Google isn't radically changing the design of the Pixel for the Pixel 7, but there are a few changes to speak of.

The Pixel 8 still offers the large camera bar across the back of the phone, with an oval-shaped cutout for the actual camera sensors. You'll still get the USB-C port on the bottom and a flat display on the front.

I actually quite like the overall look of the Pixel 8. The phone is relatively unique in a sea of square-camera-bump devices, and while some argue that it doesn't necessarily feel like the most premium phone, I definitely think it has gotten better over time.

The Pixel 8, interestingly, is smaller than the Pixel 7 -- with a display size of 6.2 inches compared to the 6.3 inches on offer by the Pixel 8. That sounds like a tiny change, but the Pixel 8 is actually noticeably smaller, and it feels quite a bit smaller in the hand.

The Google Pixel 8 is available in three different color options: Hazel, Obsidian, and Rose. We're reviewing the Hazel model, however, Rose looks to be the most interesting color. Regardless, if you still want a subdued black phone, you can still get it in Obsidian.

Google Pixel 8 display

The Pixel 7 offered a decent display experience, but the Pixel 8 takes things to the next level. The device has a 6.2-inch display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400, which is pretty similar to last year. Now for the Pixel 8, however, is the fact that the display can now reach a super-smooth 120Hz.

Unlike the Pixel 8 Pro, the standard Pixel 8 cannot range from 1Hz to 120Hz -- instead having a range of between 60Hz and 120Hz. This is still pretty good though, and it means that when necessary, you'll be able to get among the smoother display experiences out there on the Pixel 8.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

Now, to be clear, most won't be able to tell much of a difference between the 90Hz display on the Pixel 7 and the 120Hz display on the Pixel 8. But it's still nice that the new device is on par with more expensive phones out there.

The Pixel 8 display also gets brighter than the Pixel 7, with a claimed peak brightness of 2000 nits. Indeed, the display does look brighter on the new phone, which should help in super bright environments or direct sunlight.

Google Pixel 8 performance

The Pixel 8 offers Google's new Tensor G3 chip, which doesn't necessarily offer too much in the way of basic processing, but it does have a new Tensor Processor Unit or TPU, that's aimed at delivering better AI processing.

Generally, I found that the Pixel 8 was able to handle day-to-day tasks smoothly and quickly. Games loaded relatively quickly, and while the phone did start to throttle a little when it started heating up, most won't run into that issue on a regular basis.

I'm a little disappointed to see that there isn't much of a boost in basic day-to-day processing. To be clear, the Pixel 8 will easily be able to handle most tasks that you can throw at it in 2023, however, we'll have to see how it performs in five years or so.

We'll get into the new AI features a little later, but for now, know that for the most part, the new TPU did process them relatively smoothly. I do wonder exactly how much of that has to do with on-device processing though -- the new Magic Editor, for example, seems to at least partially work in the cloud.

Google Pixel 8 battery and charging

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The Pixel 8 offers a 4,575mAh battery, and I found that it actually delivered a pretty good battery life -- and a better one than the Pixel 7. For the most part, I finished a day of moderate use with around 50% or so, which is pretty solid. If you're a very heavy user you may find yourself with less at the end of a day, but most users should be perfectly happy with the battery life of the Pixel 8.

Thankfully, it's relatively easy to charge the phone -- though you won't be able to charge it super quickly. The phone supports wired charging at 24W with a compatible charger, which is a little slow compared to much of the competition. It also supports Qi wireless charging at up to 12W, or wireless charging at up to 18W with the Google Pixel Stand. I didn't have a Pixel Stand to test that with, though.

Google Pixel 8 camera

Camera features are always a big part of the Pixel experience, and that remains true for the Pixel 8. The Pixel 8 has a dual camera array, with one 50-megapixel main camera, and one 12-megapixel ultrawide camera.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

As you would expect, in day-to-day life, the Pixel 8 performs excellently. Images have good dynamic range, with vibrant colors and good detail overall. That's true of both images captured with the main camera and those captured with the ultrawide camera. I do wish the phone had a telephoto camera, even if it was a lower quality one than the Pixel 8 Pro -- however thankfully Google's Super Res Zoom tech does help make digitally zoomed shots look a little better, within reason.

The big push for Google when it comes to camera tech is about AI features. The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro both offer Google's new Magic Editor tech, which takes the Magic Eraser and improves it even further. Now, you can move objects around in an image, remove them entirely, resize them, and more. And, guess what? It works pretty crazily well.

Of course, it's not quite perfect. I moved an object from a fountain, and obviously, the reflection of that object was still present. But issues like that aside, Magic Editor seemed very good at being able to edit photos in a way that still looked realistic.

The other big new feature is called "Best Take." This leverages the fact that you might take many photos of a group of people, for example, and allows you to select the best take for each person's face for the image. So, if you took four photos and found one that you look great in, but your kid is blinking, you can swap your kid's face for one from a different shot. Again, this feature worked quite well, however, I found that if there was a lot of variation in the shots, I saw areas of the image that didn't look quite right.

There are other interesting new features too, like the new Photo Unblur feature. This makes blurry photos look sharper, however, while it generally worked quite well, the result is often a kind of "smoothing" effect. Still, that's better than a blurry photo.

Google Pixel 8 software

The Pixel series has long offered the most Google-focused Android experience you can get, and the Pixel 8 doesn't change that. I, however, think that's a good thing -- I love the approach to software that Google takes. Android on the Pixel 8 is smooth and easy to navigate, and if you use Google services, you'll find that there's little bloatware.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

Even better is the fact that Google has promised a massive seven years of operating system updates for the Pixel 8, which is pretty huge. This brings the Pixel series about on par with Apple -- something that no other Android manufacturer offers right now. I hope other companies follow suit.

Conclusions

The Google Pixel 8 offers a number of improvements over the last-generation Pixel 7. There's better AI processing, cooler camera features, and the promise of an impressive seven years of software updates. It's a meaningful update to the Pixel line, to be sure.

The only downside? The fact that the base Pixel is $100 more expensive than before, and while it does have some upgrades, those seem more incremental than generational. I'm not sure they warrant the price bump over the Pixel 7 -- though the phone is still a great buy.

The competition

Despite the fact that the Pixel 8 offers these upgrades, it's not necessarily for everyone. Those who already have a Pixel 7, for example, don't need a Pixel 8. And, if you want features like a telephoto camera, it's worth going for the high-end Pixel 8 Pro or considering something from another manufacturer.

Should I buy the Google Pixel 8?

Yes. It offers a range of cool AI features and an excellent software experience.

The post Google Pixel 8 review: AI magic, front and center appeared first on BGR.

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Pixel 8 Pro

Rating: 4 Stars

The Google Pixel 8 Pro adds a better camera and display, plus a range of new AI features. But is it worth the added cost?

Skip To Our Expert Review

Rating: 4 Stars

Skip To Our Expert Review

Pros

• Excellent camera
• Cool AI features
• Super nice display
• Solid battery life

Cons

• More expensive

Buy From	List Price	Sale Price
	$999	$999	See It

Google is finally a mature phone manufacturer. The first five iterations of the Pixel were great phones, to be sure -- but apart from the software, they kind of lacked a real, distinct feel to them. That changed with the Google Pixel 6, which represented Google's first generation of its self-designed chips, along with a revamp of its design. Now, two years later, the Pixel 8 Pro feels like a phone from a mature phone maker that has carved out a few niches for itself -- or areas where it beats pretty much everyone else.

This also happened to be the generation that Google decided to raise prices -- from $899 for the Pixel 7 Pro, to $999 for the Pixel 8 Pro. That's on par with the iPhone 15 Pro, a phone that, while expensive, basically feels worth it.

Does the Google Pixel 8 Pro do enough to justify the price bump? Well, I'm not sure -- but I will say one thing: I kind of love the Pixel 8 Pro.

Google Pixel 8 Pro specs

Google Pixel 8 Pro design

Google is sticking with the same overall design language for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, but at this point, it seems as though it has iterated enough to make a phone that looks and feels good.

Like the Pixel 7 Pro, the Pixel 8 Pro has a big camera bar that stretches across the back of the phone, however this time, all three cameras are found in one cutout, which helps make the camera bar feel a little cohesive.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

Alongside that camera cutout, you might see another little cutout that you would assume is a fourth camera, but actually, it's a temperature sensor. The Pixel 8 Pro has a new Thermometer app, which you can open up to access this sensor and measure the temperature of various objects. Google, for example, suggests using it to measure the temperature of the milk in your baby's bottle. Google is waiting on FDA clearance for using the sensor to measure body temperature, and while there's nothing stopping you from still using it for measuring your own temperature, it may not be accurate. I don't hate the temperature sensor, but I didn't really use it beyond for testing, and I expect most will be the same.

Moving around to the front, Google has made a subtle yet appreciated change -- the display is now flat, instead of curved. The flat display looks and feels nicer, and I'm glad Google has moved in that direction.

Generally, I quite like the look and feel of the Pixel 8 Pro. Not everyone will feel the same, but I feel like Google has carved out a nice, unique look for the phone.

Google Pixel 8 Pro display

The display on the Pixel 7 Pro was already quite nice, but for the Pixel 8 Pro, it gets a little better. The device has a resolution of 1344 x 2992 pixels, and it's an LTPO OLED display, so it can range in resolution from 1Hz to 120Hz. That helps it save on power, and then range up in refresh rate when it needs to for a smoother experience.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The Pixel 8 Pro's display gets brighter too. It ranges up to a hefty 2,400 nits, and indeed, it does get very bright. That can be helpful when in bright environments or outdoors.

Google markets its whole display package as the "Super Actua Display," but that's really just marketing speak. It's an LTPO OLED display with a relatively high resolution, and it's capable of high brightness. It looks great.

Google Pixel 8 Pro performance

Under the hood, the Google Pixel 8 Pro features Google's new Tensor G3 chip coupled with 12GB of RAM. Ultimately, the Tensor G3 doesn't necessarily represent a huge step up over the Tensor G2 when it comes to basic computing power, but it does deliver an improved Tensor Processing Unit, which Google claims enables the new AI features onboard the Pixel 8 Pro.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

I definitely would have liked to see a basic performance boost on the Pixel 8 Pro. To be sure, the phone can handle basic and advanced tasks with ease most of the time, however, introduce a little heat to the package and you'll find that it throttles pretty majorly. A more efficient chip overall could avoid some of those issues.

Still, as mentioned, the Pixel 8 Pro will handle everything you can throw at it in 2023 with ease.

Google Pixel 8 Pro battery and charging

The Pixel 8 Pro is powered by a 5,050mAh battery, and generally, I found that the Pixel 8 Pro offers quite a good battery life -- and a better one than the Pixel 7 Pro before it. Generally, I found that I ended a moderate-use day with around 50% remaining, which wasn't true of the Pixel 7 Pro.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

It charges relatively easily too, though not necessarily super quickly. The device supports wired charging at up to 30W, as long as you have a compatible charger like Google's own. It also supports Qi wireless charging at up to 12W and can charge wirelessly with the Google Pixel Stand at up to 23W, which is pretty impressive -- and actually nears the wired charging speed.

I hope Google builds faster wired charging into the top-tier Pixel phone for next year, especially if it retains the high price.

Google Pixel 8 Pro camera

On the back of the phone, you'll find a triple camera array with one 50-megapixel main camera, one 48-megapixel ultrawide camera with a 125.5-degree field-of-view, and one 48-megapixel telephoto camera with 5x zoom.

As you would expect from a Pixel phone, the Pixel 8 Pro offers an excellent camera experience. In both good lighting and low lighting, the phone delivered crisp, vibrant images that offered good dynamic range.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The big difference between the Pixel 8 Pro and the standard Pixel 8, of course, is the addition of the telephoto camera, which offers 5x optical zoom, and again, produces relatively high-quality images overall. Even higher-zoom images look good thanks to a coupling of the optical zoom with Google's Super Res Zoom tech.

Of course, the headline-making features related to the Pixel 8 Pro's camera have nothing to do with the picture quality -- they have to do with AI. Google has released a series of new AI camera features on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, including the new Magic Editor feature.

Magic Editor is essentially an extension of the Magic Eraser feature from last year, however, instead of simply allowing the user to remove unwanted objects from a shot, they can now move them around and resize them. It actually works very well, and while you will run into the occasional AI weirdness (particularly around challenging scenarios like reflections), it's really quite astonishing that you can get tools like this on a smartphone -- and it's something that sets Google apart from the competition entirely.

Another big feature is the new Best Take feature. This leverages the fact that you likely take many similar shots of a group, for example, then allowing you to select which shot was the best for each face. So, if you find a shot of you and your child that you like, but your kid is blinking, you can choose to use their face from one of the other images that you shot. It works quite well, however again, I did notice some AI weirdness at times if the shots were more radically different.

Overall, these are pretty interesting updates. They also introduce all kinds of questions about whether or not we should trust photos (we shouldn't) -- but that's for another article.

Google Pixel 8 Pro software

On top of offering an excellent camera, the Pixel series has also long offered a well-designed approach to software. We're eight generations of Pixel in, and by now, the Pixel experience is pretty far from stock Android -- instead prioritizing Google apps and services, with additional software tweaks that you won't find on other Android devices.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The Pixel Android skin is my favorite of any Android skins -- even more so than the so-called "stock" Android that used to define Pixel. It's really best for those super plugged into Google's ecosystem, but if you care about a great software experience and want an Android phone, then the Pixel is the way to go.

Even better is the fact that Google has promised a hefty seven years of operating system updates for the Pixel 8 Pro, putting Google ahead of every other Android manufacturer, and on par with the likes of Apple. It's going to take seven years to see if Google can truly deliver on this promise, but making the promise in the first place is a big step forward.

Conclusions

To me, the Google Pixel 8 Pro represents the maturation of the Pixel series. Google still needs to do some work to make this a flagship that spec-nerds like me will care about -- like a better processor. But in the meantime, it has built a phone that excels in pretty much every other area.

Is it worth the extra $100, or a total of $999? Well, yeah, I think the phone really does compete, in more ways than one. It's up to Google to decide if raising the price at this point makes sense for a phone line that still hasn't really sold all that many units -- but regardless, the Pixel 8 Pro is one of the most compelling phone options out there right now.

The competition

You may be deciding between the Pixel 8 Pro and the standard Pixel 8 -- and I actually think it's worth upgrading to the higher-end model. You'll get a more versatile camera, more RAM, and a better display.

It's really up to you to decide whether to buy the Pixel 8 Pro or another similarly-priced Android phone. Other Android devices in this price range will likely offer better performance, however, they won't have the same AI features or the same stripped-back software experience.

Should I buy the Google Pixel 8 Pro?

Yes. It's an excellent Android phone with some killer features.

The post Google Pixel 8 Pro review: Google’s future is AI appeared first on BGR.

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At IFA 2023, Roborock announced several new products, including its new Q8 Max Series robot vacuum. While the company said most products would be available in October, Roborock waited for Prime Big Deal Days to finally release its new Q8 Max Series in the US. Over the past few weeks, BGR has been testing this device, and we tell you if this could be a true ally of your house cleaning as both a robot vacuum and a mop.

Q8 Max

Rating: 4 Stars

With 30 levels of mop customization, Roborock Q8 Max makes cleaning the house easy.

Skip To Our Expert Review

Rating: 4 Stars

Skip To Our Expert Review

Pros

• Great power suction
• Mopping really works
• Accessories make this device more convenient
• Great battery life

Cons

• Mop cloth is reusable, but doesn't look like it
• App could be more customizable
• Robot doesn't recognize mirrors

Buy From	List Price	Sale Price
	$599	$449.25	See It

Design and specifications

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

Roborock Q8 Max is what you expect from a robot vacuum. Made in black or white, it weighs 6.6 lbs and offers a fair size, with 13.9*13.8*3.8 inch dimensions, which is great for entering under some beds and shelves.

It has 5,500Pa high power suction, a DuoRoller Brush that ensures it's cleaning all dust, ScratchSafe wheels and brushes to avoid scratching your floor; it offers PreciSense LiDAR Navigation to avoid stumbling into objects (which will talk more about that later), and Roborock also sent the RockDock Plus, which helps the vacuum clean itself for up to seven weeks straight.

Compared to the Roborock Q7 Max, this new version has a higher power suction (5,500Pa vs. 4,200Pa), and the Roborock Q8 Max now offers 30 customization levels of mop, which the company praises for deep cleaning.

As a first-time user of a robot vacuum and mop, I really didn't know what to expect from this product, except for "Will it actually clean my house?" But I'm impressed.

Setting up is easy, but I wish the app offered this one tweak

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

Roborock provides two options to set up the new Q8 Max – or any other robot vacuums. You can download the company's app or Xiaomi's Smart Home app. Both have a similar interface, but I like Roborock's better.

After you take the robot out of the box, you can use a QR Code to set it up or just look for the model you purchased. The onboarding process is really easy, and it won't take long until you do the first scan of your place.

With a LiDAR scanner and Reactive Tech Obstacle Avoidance, I hoped Roborock Q8 Max would be slightly clever. It understands depth and won't fall from stairs, but I have some mirrors on the floor, and it was weird to watch the robot vacuum trying to cross the mirror in the office and the living room.

That said, Roborock's app lets you edit the rooms by adding No-Go Zones, putting furniture, editing the surface, or even how you would like Q8 Max to clean your house. One thing I would love to have on the app is the ability to delete a room. For whatever reason, the robot captured a mirror I had in my living room as if there was a completely other room in my place. I wish I could just delete that.

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

Before cleaning, you can select the suction power and the water flow. Every time you tap a new configuration, the robot vacuum will make a sound. The water flow can go from "Slight" to "Extreme." My favorite configurations are "Balanced" or "Turbo" for suction power and "Medium" for water flow. You can also go a step further and set cleaning each room automatically based on the floor and room type.

Better robot vacuum than a mop

When you ask the Roborock Q8 Max to start cleaning, you need, of course, to remove your kitchen rugs, chairs, and mostly cables. Q8 Max is fierce and will try to eat your cables if they're in their way.

In general, I feel like the robot vacuum cleans the dust very well, and after the first time it stumbles on some furniture, it actually learns not to do that again. I only wished it had a real-time view as when it identifies my office chair is on its way, it will clean around it, but even if I moved it, the robot would still come back later to try to clean the spot it couldn't.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Image source: José Adorno for BGR

That said, I enjoy that Roborock Q8 Max cleans all the edges of a room, and then it goes back and forth to ensure all parts are clean.

Its mop capabilities are excellent, but its cloth stops fitting perfectly after you wash it for the first time. If you try to reuse the fabric, it won't stay firm to the robot. The cloth's velcro faces where the robot is going, so it rolls back and doesn't clean as intended.

That said, while the mop cloth is reusable, I think users might need to keep buying new ones to ensure it keeps cleaning as intended. But if you have a new cloth, you'll see that not only is the floor clean, but using it for both vacuuming and mopping is really handy.

Battery and accessories

RockDock Plus Image source: José Adorno for BGR

With a 5,200 mAh battery, Roborock says Q8 Max can clean non-stop for up to four hours. Here, it usually cleans for 60-70 minutes, and the battery is consistently above 50%. I recommend getting the RockDock Plus for more convenience, as it can collect dust for seven weeks straight.

In addition, mopping your environment may get a little expensive, as these mopping cloths are made for being thrown away after usage – as I told you above. You might be able to use it twice, but once you remove it, they do not fit perfectly again, as it won't hold strong on the robot.

Roborock also recommends its own solution for vacuum mops, but, of course, you can use your own.

Is Roborock Q8 Max worth it?

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

Roborock Q8 Max costs $599.99, but you can get 25% off on this product during Prime Big Deal Days. As my first experience with a robot vacuum, I'm impressed with the built-in quality and how intuitive the app is.

Power suction is really important when selecting a robot vacuum, and I think Roborock did a great job by improving this capability with the new series. Mopping is also handy, but you'll need to keep spending on more mop cloths in the long run.

That said, I still consider this robot vacuum a helpful accessory, but I still need to do my own deep cleaning occasionally. Fortunately, it has become less often, as I can rely on this robot for everyday house maintenance.

The post Roborock Q8 Max review: Mop to the top appeared first on BGR.

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AirPods Pro

Rating: 4.5 Stars

The AirPods Pro may not be that different for 2023, but they do make one important change -- the addition of USB-C.

Skip To Our Expert Review

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Skip To Our Expert Review

Pros

• Good fit
• Solid audio
• USB-C
• Good feature-selection
• Nice design

Cons

• Battery is only fine

Buy From	List Price	Sale Price
	$249.99	$249.99	See It

The AirPods Pro aren't being left behind in the shift to USB-C. Alongside the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro, Apple unveiled a refresh of the AirPods Pro, finally bringing the USB-C charging port to them -- and allowing users to charge their AirPods with the same cable that they use to charge their shiny new iPhone.

So, what else is new about the AirPods Pro? Well, not much. That, however, isn't a bad thing -- the AirPods Pro earbuds are still among the best wireless earbuds out there, and still the single best option for use with Apple devices. And, considering how great they are, we took the opportunity of the port change to revisit the new AirPods Pro.

AirPods Pro USB-C design

The design of the AirPods Pro remains completely unchanged in every way but one for the latest generation. They still have the larger bud with the short stem that extends out the bottom of your ears, and they still slot nicely and magnetically right into the charging case.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

I find that the stem controls are the best way to control wireless earbuds. They're easy to squeeze and hard to accidentally trigger. Plus, controlling the earbuds doesn't involve having to push the earbuds deeper into your ears, like it does for earbuds with buttons on the face of the buds themselves.

As mentioned, there is one small change to the design of the AirPods Pro -- and it's found at the bottom of the charging case. Finally, the AirPods Pro have a USB-C charging port, which is a little larger than the Lightning port, but allows users to charge their AirPods Pro with the same cables that they use for other devices. It's a great move.

AirPods Pro USB-C features and battery

One of the best things about using Apple earbuds with Apple products is that they enable a series of helpful, high-tech features. Thankfully, all of these awesome features are still available on the AirPods Pro.

For starters, you'll get Apple's Automatic Switching, which means that the earbuds will switch between your iCloud connected devices -- like your iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch -- automatically when you play media on them. The feature is awesome when it works properly, but you may find that it can sometimes switch devices when you don't intend it to, which can be a little annoying.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The earbuds also support Spatial Audio, which simulates a surround sound experience. This feature works with music and video content, but I find that I really only appreciate it when watching movies and TV shows, which are enhanced by a surround sound experience. Music is usually mixed to be in stereo, and even the music that has been remixed for Spatial Audio can feel a little empty. Your mileage may vary though -- it's worth experimenting with it a little.

The battery life on the AirPods Pro largely remains the same, too -- though the way you charge your AirPods has changed a little. The AirPods Pro will get a battery life of around six hours of continuous listening, which isn't bad -- and with the charging case, you'll get a total of 30 hours of listening time. That's not bad, though it's not necessarily at the pinnacle of wireless earbuds, either.

It's very easy to charge the earbuds. You can use a traditional Qi wireless charger, or you can use a MagSafe wireless charger. And, you can use a USB-C cable to charge them too -- finally.

AirPods Pro USB-C comfort

I find the AirPods Pro to offer among the best fits for wireless earbuds out there. The earbuds offer a nice seal, and fit tightly enough to be usable for things like running and sports. They're an excellent pair of earbuds for those who want buds that can fit no matter what the scenario.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The earbuds come with a few different pairs of ear tips, allowing you to find the pair that fit best for you. I find that the default ear tips that come pre-installed with the earbuds fit best for me, but it's worth experimenting a little when you get the buds.

AirPods Pro USB-C sound quality

The AirPods have never been the best-sounding earbuds out there, but for most casual listening, the AirPods Pro sound great. They're not audiophile headphones, and you shouldn't really expect them to be. But they do deliver a solid frequency response that most users should appreciate.

For starters, the earbuds offer a solid bass response. They do have a slight bass boost, but it's far from over the top, and it never gets muddy. The bass extension is pretty good -- not incredible, but for the most part, you'll find that the buds can reproduce most lower frequencies.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The mids are a little laid-back compared to the bass and the highs, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This is common amongst consumer headphones, and it helps make them sound a little more premium. The highs are also quite well-tuned -- they deliver a decent amount of sparkle and detail, though again, you won't get the brightest of bright listening experiences.

The AirPods Pro offer good noise cancellation and transparency modes. I find the ANC on the earbuds to be amongst the best out there, for a pair of earbuds. It's not as good as some of the top-tier over-ear headphones out there, but you wouldn't expect that.

The only thing that's really missing from the earbuds' listening experience is a solid EQ. You can kind of get around this through accessibility settings, but I hope Apple brings a good EQ to the mainstream AirPods experience in the future.

Conclusions

The USB-C-equipped AirPods Pro earbuds may not differ much from the non-USB-C model, but that's not a bad thing. The AirPods Pro are already among the best earbuds out there, and adding USB-C means that you can charge them more easily, with the same cable that you use to charge your other devices. These aren't the last Apple products to get USB-C -- but they're close, and they represent a step forward to USB-C-ifying Apple's lineup.

The competition

There are plenty of wireless earbuds out there, and some of them are excellent. For example, the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds are among the best out there, with a great fit and tons of high-end features. If you use any non-Apple devices, it's probably worth going for them instead of the AirPods Pro.

If, however, you're squarely in Apple's ecosystem and only plan on connecting your earbuds to Apple devices, then the AirPods Pro are worth going for. They're excellent earbuds made better by USB-C.

Should I buy the AirPods Pro USB-C?

Yes. They're great earbuds for Apple users.

The post Apple AirPods Pro USB-C review: One important change appeared first on BGR.

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