Lenovo introduces trio of new consumer laptops
Lenovo has unveiled three new laptops for its consumer laptop range. The new offering includes the Z51 that has a revolutionary 3D camera capable of scanning objects for 3D printers and an immersive 3D experience that adds considerable depth to webcam conversations.
Being unveiled on the eve of the Lenovo Tech World get-together in Beijing, the new offering also includes the similar Z41 laptop designed to be a home entertainment powerhouse and the budget IdeaPad 100 that starts at just $249 (around £161, or AU$321).
Lenovo Z51 and Z41
Undoubtedly the star of the show is the Intel RealSense 3D camera that offers gaming, scanning, video chatting and sharing all in 3D to owners of the Z51. Complementing this is Dolby DS 1.0 Home Theatre surround sound on each model that really brings out its home entertainment capabilities.
Graphics come in the form of Intel integrated graphics that can be upgraded to AMD R7 or R9 if you so wish, and when the two machines are launched in June they will start at $499 (around £323, or AU$644) or $599 (around £388, or AU$773) for the 3D-camera clad Z15.
Lenovo IdeaPad 100
The laptop won't empty your wallet either as it's slated to be priced from $249 (around £161, or AU$321) when it hits the shelves in June.
Best laptops 2015: which notebook should you buy?
Read More ...
Just like broadband, the NBN rollout is gaining speed
The NBN market is experiencing a strong upswing, with a large growth in serviceable premises, end users and revenue reported for the last year.
Roughly 899,000 homes and business are now able to order NBN services, which is nearly double the amount that had access 12 months ago.
It’s believed that around 12,300 premises are being made serviceable every week, which is a 73 percent increase on a comparative period set over 12 weeks.
The NBN has also expanded the size of its FTTN (Fibre to the Node) construction to include 200,000 additional premises (400,000 in total), with communities in NT, SA and WA included for the first time, as well as additional sites in NSW, QLD and VIC.
Getting enough fibre in your internet diet?
Around 389,000 premises have already been activated, which equates to a 133 percent increase since March 31, 2014, and around $102 million in revenue.This puts the NBN in a good position to achieve its full-year targets of one million serviceable premises, 480,000 activations and $150 million in annual revenue.
The rollout has incurred $2.2 billion in capital expenditure over the last year, with its EBITDA loss (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) in the realm of $785 million, with operating expenses of $893 million, though this is expected when laying such ambitious foundations that will pay off in the long run.
Read More ...
Here's what iOS 9 tells us about iPhone 6S 'Force Touch'
Rumors have been buzzing for months about the next generation of iPhones featuring Force Touch, and a new leak might offer a look into how it will be integrated.
According to 9to5Mac’s sources, the next iPhone, likely the iPhone 6S, will not be an aesthetic departure from the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. More importantly, it’s expected that the phone will feature a Force Touch screen with haptic feedback.
The report says that Apple has developed iOS 9 to integrate easily with the apps on the App Store. It also says that the Force Touch capability will most likely replace certain press-and-hold functions on previous iPhones, making room for a variety of new controls.
Rumored to be its biggest selling point, the iPhone 6S’s Force Touch ability will be akin to the New Macbook and Retina Macbook Pro’s new touchpads. The integration includes pressure-sensitive scrolling in media players, looking up definitions quickly or drop pins in Apple Maps.
9to5Mac also reports that Force Touch on the iPhone will be “power-user centric” and not be as much of a necessity as it is on the Apple Watch.
The iOS 9 Force Touch integration also reportedly spans beyond the iPhone. So, we may soon be pressure-sensitively scrolling through our favorite tunes on the next iPad.
With Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference just around the corner (starting June 8), it’s not likely that we’ll hear any new information on Force Touch for the next iPhone. These devices aren’t slated to release until around the fall.
Until then, we will have to rely on secondhand information to speculate how Force Touch will further improve and simplify the iPhone’s control scheme.
Read More ...
Criminals obtained more than 100,000 taxpayer records in IRS attack
More than 100,000 taxpayers had their tax records exposed to identity thieves and criminals as a result of an IRS security breach.
The US Internal Revenue Service announced that thieves had illegally accessed more than 100,000 tax records and had made unsuccessful attempts at accessing another 100,000 taxpayer accounts.
The culprit of the breach is weak security authentication using the IRS's Get Transcript application tool online. The tool was taken down late last week, and the IRS website says that users who need to obtain transcripts or records can do so by mail using form 4506.
The breach
Unauthorized access occurred between February and March this year. In order to gain access to records, identity thieves must already have access to victims' personal information, including Social Security numbers, date of births and other identifying information.IRS Commissioner John Koshiken maintained that the Get Transcript tool was legitimately accessed by 23 million users this year, but the agency identified more than 200,000 attempts that could be fraudulent.
Impact
When identity thieves gain access to tax transcripts illegally, they can file fraudulent tax refunds. The agency believes that only a small proportion of tax refunds filed are fraudulent. Koshiken says that no more than 15,000 tax refunds filed may be bogus, resulting in a loss of $50 million.However, if criminals have tax transcripts, identity thieves can wreak greater financial havoc by using the obtained personal information for other financial crimes.
The agency is sending out letters to the more than 200,000 taxpayers that may be affected, offering free credit monitoring service for added protection. If you don't reserve a letter from the IRS, you don't need to be concerned.
This is not a hack
The agency's computers and servers were not compromised or hacked in any way, Koshiken insists, stating that the attacks were carried by sophisticated criminals. The agency was alerted when its system noticed an unusual amount of activity related to the Get Transcript application. Initially, it believed that this was a result of a denial-of-service, or DoS, attack.A recent research estimates that security breaches can cost the economy as much as $2.1 trillion (around £1.35 trillion, or AU$2.6 trillion) by 2019.
- Read our list of the top ten data breaches in the last 12 months
Read More ...
The latest NSA project swipes right for your identity
The National Security Agency (NSA) wants to pinpoint phone users’ identities based on the way they swipe on their handsets.
For those who were weary of the security of your phone’s fingerprint reader, the NSA shares those concerns. According to Nextgov, the spying agency has begun testing “Mandrake”, a system that identifies users based on how they swipe their phone screen.
The technology is another aspect of handwriting recognition, occasionally called dynamic signature biometrics, and reportedly originated in the United States Air Force.
The technology, created by security and military technology firm Lockheed Martin, measures the shape, speed and acceleration of users’ finger movements. “Nobody else has the same strokes,” according to John Mears from Lockheed IT and Security Solutions. The technology will be able to tell if you are more deliberate or broad with your strokes.
Lockheed’s officials say they are not sure whether the NSA has rolled the technology out or how the agency will test it. The firm is also behind the Federal Bureau of Intelligence, or FBI’s, Next Generation Identification systems that cost $1 billion and has facial, fingerprint, retina and tattoo identification. The system may even be able to one day identify a person based on how they walk.
How the NSA wants to utilize the new phone identification system is yet to be seen. If the technology is successful, it could possibly be used for other functions. If it can improve the process of finding a date on Tinder, then they might be onto something.
Read More ...
Updated: Buying Guide: 9 best laptops for students 2015
Best laptops for students
Even for those who feel at home with their nose in a textbook, the end of summer break (or Winter recess) is a big bummer. But as much as it's a return to school and schedules, it's an opportunity. This is a fine excuse to invest in some fresh tech to make the coming academia-addled year a little more bearable.If you're still reliant on a desktop, or if your laptop winces at the sight of a high-definition video lecture, it's time to look into an upgrade. And thankfully if you know where to look, it's possible to get a sleek and impressive notebook without blowing through your savings (or student loans).
We've pored through ourarchives from the past several months and picked the best laptops for school. Our short list spans a variety of budgets that range from power-sipping Chromebooks to help you with that 1,000 page dissertation to more powerful machines that'll do better at a dorm room lan party.
Update: If you're in the market for a durable convertible, the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 12 is a compelling device. Designed for business users, the ThinkPad Yoga 12 has a more conservative design, but don't let its buttoned-up looks fool you – the laptop can still do backflips and the screen has a 360-degree hinge to easily convert between a notebook and a tablet, and you can also use the tent and display modes in between. The business-class design also means that it has a more durable build quality than consumer convertible Ultrabooks on the market.
Acer Chromebook 15
The perfect 15.6-inch media device to share with budsCollege life and an affordable 15-inch laptop are almost synonymous. While most college students will go with a Windows machine, you might be better off with something that runs Chrome OS. Meet the Acer Chromebook 15, the first cloud-based machine to come packing a 15.6-inch screen and a Broadwell processor.
Not only does this laptop laptop also come as a well equipped and fully capable machine for multi-tasking, it has a positively radiant screen that's perfect for long Netflix binges. Acer has leveraged all it's past experience making Chromebooks to create a solid package, one that jumps over nearly all the hurdles early Chrome OS machines struggled with.
Read: Acer Chromebook 15 review
Acer Chromebook 15 C910
If the performance of the Celeron-equipped Acer Chromebook 15 isn't up to snuff, then you may want to consider the more powerful Chromebook 15 C910 ($499.99, £249, AU$620), also from Acer. The C910 model trades in the anemic Celeron processor for a high end Intel Broadwell Core i5 processor, putting it in the same class as this year's Google Chromebook Pixel.It's the biggest and most powerful Chromebook that's on the market today, but unfortunately, unlike with the Pixel, you won't get a touchscreen with the C910, and the resolution is limited to full HD.
Read: Acer Chromebook 15 C910 review
13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display
Intel Broadwell and updated graphics deliver even stronger performance
Updated with Intel's latest Broadwell processor, Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display delivers even stronger performance with its integrated Iris Graphics 6100 GPU. On the surface, Apple is keeping the same hardware design, with the exception of the touchpad. The notebook starts at £999 ($1,299, AU$1,690).
On this year's model Apple is using the new Force Touch touchpad, a technology that was borrowed from the 12-inch MacBook. The new, non-mechanical Force Touch trackpad provides tactile feedback and can detect various levels of force.
The haptic feedback simply replicates the feeling of clicking a mechanical trackpad (something it does perfectly – you really feel like you're pressing a real button). For example, you might press to fast-forward a video and press harder to speed it up more.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is an excellent option for students who may need more power than a Chromebook or a MacBook Air without sacrificing portability thanks to its long battery life, relatively light weight, and high resolution display. Students on a budget will be happy to know that they can get started right away as the MacBook Pro with Retina display ships with free copies of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote out of the box as well as iMovie, Photos, and GarageBand for basic, creative projects.
Read: 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display (early 2015) review
Asus ZenBook UX305
A truly excellent ultrabook at a very agreeable price point
While the Asus UX305 does not necessarily break any new ground in the Ultrabook scene, it's a nearly flawless device, for an extremely affordable price and that in itself is worth high praise.
The ZenBook UX305 is a superbly-built, fully metal machine that's thin, light and very attractive. This lightweight system' also easily handled all my daily tasks whether I was browsing the web, watching video or editing images. What's more, you can get excellent battery life out of the machine considering its 1080p display.
Of course, the most striking thing about the UX305 is that it comes at a $699 or £649 (about AU$902) price. This is a great price for any mobile computing machine, but in this case you're getting a premium, full-metal Ultrabook with an excellent full HD display and a 256GB SSD to boot. While isnt' exactly a shining symbol of innovation in the Ultrabook space, it is the most affordable Ultrabook out today and it won't disappoint you.
Read: Asus ZenBook UX305 review
13-inch Macbook Air
Still the benchsetter for thin and light laptops in 2015
Apple's ultralight MacBook Air is a thin and impeccably built machine. Despite the laptop's slim, cheese knife-like profile, it packs a capable Core i3 processor and an impressive battery that can last up to 12 hours. With this all-day battery life, it's a laptop that can get you through a whole day of classes as well as some internet browsing and Netflix bingeing.
The MacBook Air is of the most affordable ways of getting into the Apple camp of mobile computing. There plenty of reasons to do so too with free software updates and a bundled copy of iWork. Where as on Windows you have the extra expense of having to buy Microsoft Office.
Read: 13-inch MacBook Air review
Asus ROG GL551
One of the best entry-level gaming laptop available
There isn't anything too surprising about the Asus GL551. It checks off all the boxes you'd expect from gaming laptops without breaking the bank. Despite the value-packed price, this laptop isn't lacking in power at all. It performs admirably playing just about any title on medium to high settings.
The Asus GL551 isn't the best looking gaming laptop around, however, it's mostly a joy to use and that's what really matters. The metal keyboard deck and palm rests is a solid platform for gamers to tap and click on well into the wee hours of the night. Plus the notebook comes with a decent set of tweeters. That saves you from having to invest in a headset to hear all of the splashy in-game explosions.
Sadly, our biggest (and only) hangup with the Asus GL551 is its downright awful display for day to day use whether you're gaming or just browsing the web. Save for the display, though, the Asus GL551 is a sweet package for its affordable price and one of the very best affordable gaming laptops currently out today.
Read: Asus GL551 review
Acer Aspire V7
Offering great all-round performance this is ideal for a studentAcer set out to split the difference between a 14-inch gaming machine with a portable Ultrabook machine, and it's struck a good balance with the Aspire V7. It's one of the slimmest 14-inch laptops around, thanks to its Ultrabook-inspired styling. As just barely a gaming laptop rig, the Acer will play games far better than most ultraportable machines that lack dedicated graphics processing.
The Acer Aspire V7's screen was really love at first sight. Whether we were streaming movies or working in Lightroom the colorful display impressed us consistently with its visual fidelity and sharp resolution and great colors working in Photoshop. Acer has put one of the best laptop screens we've ever seen into the Acer Aspire V7, and photographers as well as media junkies alike will love it.
The Aspire V7 also has a surprising amount of gaming power behind it despite its rather middling components. The machine was able to play a handful of modern games including Wolfenstein at 30 fps, and then at 58 fps with some visual tweaks.
Read: Acer Aspire V7 review
Surface Pro 3
Certainly the best laptop/tablet hybrid yet releasedThis is not only Microsoft's most striking and versatile device to date, but the most convincing poster child for the hybrid category yet. And this ringing endorsement comes from a long-time skeptic of such devices.
That said, the Surface Pro 3 (starting at $799, £639, AU$979) is hamstrung by flaws that cannot be ignored. Namely, the battery life might be in line with most Ultrabooks, but isn't close to what Apple's leading laptop and top tablet. And the Type Cover billed as an accessory doesn't help Microsoft's cause – it's quite pricey to boot.
At any rate, this version of the tablet comes in cheaper than the most affordable iPad Air and 13-inch MacBook Air combined, even with the Type Cover, and that's the point. On paper, this slate is more powerful than either Apple device, not to mention most other comparably priced laptops and tablets. The Surface Pro 3 might not be perfect, but it's far and wide the brightest shining example of a potential tablet takeover. If you're not concerned about a downgraded performance, consider the new Surface 3, which doesn't provide as much kick as the Pro, but is lighter and a lot cheaper.
Read: Surface Pro 3 review
Surface 3
Affordably priced for studentsFor students who may not need the extra processing power, screen size or cost of the larger Surface Pro 3, we found the Surface 3 to be a very capable machine with its Atom-based processor in our full review. With the same aspect ratio as the Surface Pro 3, the Surface 3 is now more usable as a tablet than its predecessor, and the slate also comes with support for the Surface Pen for those who require inking, drawing or jotting down mathematical formulas and equations in their studies.
The Surface 3 starts at just $499 (£419, or about AU$814), but you'll need to budget for the Type Cover keyboard case and pen as these are optional extras.
Read: Surface 3 review
Read More ...
Invite-only: OnePlus Two release date teased for next week
The overdue OnePlus Two release date is about three to four business days away, according to the budget Android phone maker.
"We're always looking for ways to shake up the tech industry," tweeted OnePlus' official Twitter account. "And we think it's time for change. Find out more June 1."
It is about time. It's been 13 months since the OnePlus One launched and became an Android sleeper hit on our best phones list.
Come Monday, the much-anticipated OnePlus Two is expected to also introduce a sequel to the company's whacky invite scheme.
Better specs, if you have an invite
Like the OnePlus One, purchasing the Two means wading through an invite scheme that limits the phone's availability at first.This gives the relatively new Chinese firm the ability to ramp up production and increase anticipation for the smartphone on a budget. Invite seekers go into a frenzy.
The trade-off may be worth it. The OnePlus Two specs are supposed to equip the phone with a similar 5.5-inch display, but up the internals to a flagship-worthy Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB of RAM.
OnePlus Two improves to a 16-megapixel main camera and 5-megapixel front-facing snapper, while the battery chugs along with a better 3300 mAh capacity.
Whether or not it gets a metal instead of plastic build and dual speakers remains to be seen and heard on the teased June 1 release date.
Read More ...
An HBO Now price drop isn't off the table, survey suggests
What do users of HBO Now and former New York City mayoral candidate Jimmy McMillan have in common? They think the price of a monthly subscription is just too damn high.
In response to that growing concern of price, HBO is apparently considering lowering the $15/month service to around $10 (about £6.50, AU$13) or $8.33 (about £5.40, AU$11) if they follow through on a survey sent to users who chose not to subscribe after their seven-day free trial ended.
The survey, discovered by Cut Cable Today,
asks users if they would be more likely to continue the service is the
service was dropped down to $10 a month with a three- or six-month
commitment. The rub is that the reduced price may only be available as a one-time deal and only made available to users who have taken advantage of the seven-day trial and chose not to continue at the higher price point.
A representative from HBO told TechCrunch, "HBO Research conducts surveys all the time on a wide range of topics. The questions should never be interpreted as suggesting a strategic direction."
While nothing is set in stone, the move could level the playing field against the service's biggest competitors, Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.
- Here's every new show on Hulu!
Read More ...
Fusion keyboard design can allow Apple to ditch notebook trackpads
A recently uncovered patent filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office reveals that Apple is working on a keyboard with integrated gesture control. Sounds familiar? The idea isn't too far off from the keyboard on the BlackBerry Passport smartphone. However, Apple's patent covers a full-sized, not a mobile one, designed for laptops and desktops.
Like the existing wireless keyboard that ships with the iMac with Retina 5K display, or the keyboards on the MacBook and MacBook Pro, the Fusion keyboard described in the patent comes with mechanical keys. However, as the keyboard integrates a touch sensitive layer on the key's surface, the keyboard can be used like a trackpad to scroll, perform gestures, click, select and zoom.
Fusion keyboard
If adopted by Jony Ive's design team at Apple, this design would allow Apple to create smaller and even thinner notebooks as it could abandon the trackpad.
The similar technology on the BlackBerry Passport allows BlackBerry to replicate the functionality of the mini trackpad on its smartphone without requiring space on the phone to accommodate a separate trackpad.
Additionally, the design change would make accessing the trackpad even more convenient – users won't have to move their fingers to the trackpad to scroll or zoom as they can do it all from the keyboard.
Dual-stage keys
Each individual keys of the keyboard would have two positions to click. This design is similar to dual-stage camera shutter buttons, like those on phones such as the Nokia Lumia 930 and the Sony Xperia Z3.You can press the key into the first position to type like a normal keyboard. However, if you press the key harder into a second position, it could be used for different functionality, such as for typing alternate characters, accents or using a foreign alphabet. When combined with the embedded trackpad on the keyboard, this second click position can also replicate a click on the trackpad.
Force touch
It's unclear if this patent, filed in 2011, will make its way into future Apple products. Currently, Apple is making a big push behind its Force touch trackpad technology. Force touch initially debuted on the 12-inch MacBook and the Apple Watch, and now the technology has made its way to the MacBook Pro with Retina display models and is rumored to arrive with the next version of the iPhone.Via: AppleInsider
- Read our 2015 MacBook review
Read More ...
Review: Datacolor Spyder5 Elite
Introduction and design
If you're looking at an image of the sky on your screen, how do you know that the particular hue of blue is really what you're seeing? When you're looking at a white background, how true is this shade of white?A color-calibrated display gives users the confidence to know that the tones of colors that they see on a screen is accurate. To achieve this, studio displays designed for graphics and production work come with built-in colorimeters, but these solutions are often costly. Datacolor makes a range of tools under its Spyder5 series, with costs starting at $129 (£83, AU$165), that work with existing laptops, monitors and projectors. The Spyder5 Elite is at the high end of the spectrum at $279 (£180, AU$356).
The Spyder5 Elite competes in the same colorimeter segment as the X-Rite ($189, £122, AU$241) from Colormunki, though that product hasn't been updated in a while.
Given the amount of time graphics and video professionals spend in front of a display to get the perfect images and video edits, it's surprising that more studio displays and mobile workstations don't come with built-in color calibration hardware.
Design
For users familiar with prior generations of the Spyder series, the biggest change on the Spyder5 Elite is that the design has shrunken from an elongated stick to a black-hued hockey puck-sized tool. The Spyder5 Elite measures 2.73 (L) x 2.93 (W) x 1.71 (H) inches (6.93 x 7.44 x 4.34 cm), and the device is affixed to a USB cable that plugs into your computer.
The solid plastic construction gives reassurance that the Spyder5 Elite will survive being crammed into a mobile photographer's gear bag for work in the field or at client sites.
The Spyder5 comes with a tripod mount for use with projectors and a detachable cap, which is also attached to the USB cable. The cap serves as a counterweight for hanging the colorimeter over a display to calibrate and take readings. The cap protects the sensors, and the padding on the colorimeter helps protect your display against scratching when you're placing the device on your monitor to take measurements.
There is also an ambient light sensor on the top of the colorimeter for reading the lighting levels in your room. I found that I got the most accurate color readings when using the colorimeter in a dark room with little to no ambient light.
Setup and performance
The content of the box that the Spyder5 Elite ships in is minimal – inside, you'll find the colorimeter, a card with a web address to download the software and user manuals on the internet and a sticker with the serial number for the software activation that's affixed to the bottom of the box. If you intend on discarding the box, you'll want to jot down the serial number in a safe place for later use.Setup
Overall, the setup experience is quick. Using both a MacBook Pro and a Lenovo ThinkPad T450, the setup took between five to ten minutes on each system.
Curiously, even though the software is tied to the hardware serial number, in addition to the software serial license number, Spyder also generates a license code, which the company says you'll need if you re-install Spyder 5 Elite. I didn't need to use the license code on the PC after I had installed the software on my Mac, but this extra step in the activation process can be a hindrance if you need to calibrate multiple monitors and systems in a studio environment.
Performance
The Spyder5 Elite uses a seven-color sensor to measure your screen output. Once you launch the Spyder software, you'll be greeted with a welcome screen that reminds you to warm up your display for at least thirty minutes, ensure that no intense light falls directly onto your display, reset your display controls and connect your Spyder5 unit.
The Elite model gives you different calibration options to use. There is a step-by-step assistant that will walk you through the process, a studio match to ensure that all the monitors in your studio have similar color tuning and an expert console that will give advanced users more flexibility. Most users will likely use the first two options.
If you're calibrating a desktop monitor, you'll want the Spyder5 Elite to start by measuring the ambient light in the room before you begin calibration by placing the unit on a desk. This will ensure that you'll have the most accurate reading possible.
Once that's done, the calibration process takes five minutes to complete, and the wizard will walk you through each step. To calibrate, you'll want to remove the cap off of the colorimeter and place the colorimeter on your screen – the software will guide you on where to place the device – and use the cap as a counterbalance to keep the unit from sliding off of your display.
At the end of the process, a display profile is created, and you can apply this calibrated profile to your screen to get the most out of a color-calibrated display in your workflow.
For those who want to understand what is happening with their displays, the included Spyder Utility software reads your screen and gives you a detailed analysis of your display's gamut for color saturation, tone response, brightness and contrast, white point at different presets, screen uniformity for brightness and color at different areas of your display and color accuracy. This is a more detailed process and takes longer to finish, but helps you understand your screen's weak spots, such as areas of the display that are lit darker than others.
Looking at the data from my MacBook Pro, the Datacolor software found that the display on my laptop achieved 100% of the sRGB and 78% of the AdobeRGB color gamut, color and luminance uniformity varied at different brightness levels. The sRGB and Adobe RGB color gamut measurements are similar on the Lenovo ThinkPad T450, but the ThinkPad had a screen with more uniform brightness than the MacBook.
I found the brightness consistency test from the Elite model useful in understanding which areas of the screen are brighter than others.
Even though you get a lot of information from the Spyder Utility software, the program requires frequent user input. It takes less than twenty minutes to complete the entire analysis, but the software will prompt you for specific actions, like moving the colorimeter to different positions on your screen and manually adjusting the brightness to get readings at different screen brightness levels.
While the movement of the colorimeter can't be automated, I had hoped that the brightness adjustments could have been. Many systems don't give you precise brightness indicators – like at 25% or 50% – so you'll have to visually guess how bright your screen is using a brightness slider.
Over time, even a calibrated monitor can fall out of calibration. The Spyder5 software lets you quickly check your screen if a calibration is needed, which should be done at least monthly if you're working in a production environment, and a quick calibration option allows you to quickly recalibrate your monitor without going through the lengthy initial calibration steps.
Videographers will want to use choose the Elite over the Pro and Express models since it supports video color standards for PAL SECAM, NTSC, Cineon, ITU-R Rec. BT.709 and ITU-R Rec. BT.2020.
Because the colorimeter works in conjunction with the software, the Spyder5 Elite will only work with PCs, Macs and external displays or projectors connected to your computer system. It cannot be used to calibrate a standalone TV, for example, or a smartphone or mobile tablet that's not connected to your display.
Verdict
The Spyder5 Elite is an excellent tool for professionals hoping to get the most accurate output from their laptops or external displays. Coupled with the bundled Spyder Utility software, those obsessed about color accuracy in their workflow can learn a lot about their monitors and what is happening beneath the glass.We liked
The built-in ambient light sensor on the Elite model that we reviewed – also found on the Pro model – makes it easy to calibrate a display under standard office environments without having to turn off the room lights. The Spyder5 Elite offers plenty of options for calibration, including an expert mode with unlimited calibration settings and advanced gray balancing. The Display Analysis tool allows users to gain a better understanding of their displays with a detailed report on the different display components covering saturation, brightness and contrast.We disliked
There isn't much to dislike about the Spyder5 Elite. At $279 (£180, AU$356), the Elite is a pricy model with advanced features that may be overkill for the average consumer. Users who want a more straightforward calibration tool can opt for lesser expensive models, like the Spyder5 Express ($129, £83, AU$165) or the Spyder5 Pro ($189, £122, AU$241). Likely, the Pro model will hit the sweet spot for most users, coming with the ambient light sensor of the Elite.Final verdict
The Spyder5 Elite is an excellent tool for graphics and video professionals working in studio environments demanding accurate color, contrast and saturation from their work. Compact enough for easy portability when traveling, the Spyder5 Elite not only lets you calibrate, check for calibration and quickly recalibrate, but it also provides tools to help you understand your display and its strengths and weaknesses.
Read More ...
Hands-on review: Sony Xperia Z3+
Introduction and design
Editor's note: We got hands on with a pre-production Sony Xperia Z3+ which wasn't running final software. While the look of the handset won't change, there may be minor cosmetic tweaks before it goes on sale.The Sony Xperia Z4 is here! No, that isn't a typo - I really did mean to type Z4. For this is the Xperia Z4, but as it's the international version of the handset I'm having to call it the Sony Xperia Z3+.
Sony Xperia Z3 Plus is a much better name for this handset, as it represents only a very small incremental upgrade from the Xperia Z3 which launched around eight months before.
Sony has slightly tweaked the design, upgraded the power and given the front facing camera a bump, while the battery has been reduced in size along with the handset's weight.
What the Xperia Z3+ does represent however is a fresh attack on the flagship smartphone market, allowing Sony to stay relevant in a market which now boasts the Samsung Galaxy S6, HTC One M9 and LG G4 along with the iPhone 6.
The Sony Xperia Z3 Plus release date is set for June 2015, although I'm still waiting to hear how much it'll set you back. Going by the Xperia Z3 though this won't be a cheap handset - one look at its competition tells you pretty much all you need to know.
Front-on there's little in the way of change, although the front facing speakers have returned to the elongated, slightly hidden design from the Xperia Z2 - a choice I'm in favour of as the smaller speakers floating in the middle of the bezel on the Z3 looked a little lost.
The Xperia Z3+ has the same height and width dimensions (146.3 x 71.9mm) as its predecessor, but Sony has shaved off some depth with the handset coming it at a svelte 6.9mm.
It means it's easy to hold in one hand and slide into the pocket of my jeans, although the battery has suffered with it getting cut down from 3100mAh to 2900mAh.
The battery does sport the benefit of quick charge - something the Z3 didn't have - and Sony reckons you'll still get two days of usage from a single charge. I'm not convinced, but you and I will have to wait for the full review to see if the claim rings true.
The small battery a slender frame has resulted in a drop of weight, and the Xperia Z3 Plus tips the scales at 144g. I found it to be a good weight, and it balanced nicely in my palm.
The corners and sides of the handset a nicely curved, allowing it to sit comfortably in the hand, and I found the centralised, circular power/lock key easy to hit.
The volume rocker switch just below it isn't quite as ergonomic, and it feels just a little too low down on the side.
Something that will surely bring a smile to the faces of current Xperia Z series owners is the news the Xperia Z3+ has fewer annoying flaps over its ports. In fact, it's got just one, located at the top on the left side of the device.
It's responsible for keeping dust and water out of the nanoSIM and microSD card bay - with the two cards sharing a tray in order to reduce the flap count.
The tray itself is a piece of slightly flimsy plastic - not metal like the HTC One M9 or iPhone 6 - and I fear for its durability, especially if you're someone who likes to switch memory cards a lot.
Sony has tried to overcome this as well, bumping internal storage from 16GB in the Z3 to 32GB in the Xperia Z3 Plus - giving you plenty of space without the need to expand.
What's even more exciting though is the news the microUSB port on the base of the Z3 Plus is now uncovered at all times - meaning no more fiddling each night when you plug the charger in.
Sony has managed to dust- and waterproof the charging port, ensuring the Z3+ retains its IP65/68 rating.
Round the back you'd be hard pushed to tell the difference between the Z3 and the Xperia Z3 Plus, with the same 20.7MP camera and LED flash located in the top corner while the 'Xperia' and 'Sony' logos reside in the same positions along with the NFC image.
Interface, camera and early verdict
On screen it's business as usual with Android 5.0 Lollipop coated in Sony's own interface, although it's not as heavy as HTC's. The pull down notification window is stock Lollipop, with a two step action for notifications and then quick settings.The multi-tasking screen is also stock Android, apart from the fact Sony has added a handy "clear all" key to the window making it easier to get rid of everything in a single tap.
General navigation through the interface felt fluid and quick on the Xperia Z3+, thanks to the sizable 3GB of RAM and new octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor - an upgrade over the quad-core Snapdragon 801 chip in the Z3.
I did find a few apps were a little slow to open and close, but this could be because the handset I was using wasn't running final software.
A slight mark against the Xperia Z3+ is the number of apps Sony has pre-loaded. Above the standard phone applications, and Google's suite, I counted at least 10 additional apps on the handset.
That's not great, especially when the likes of Samsung have made a point of reducing the number of pre-installs that come on their devices.
Of course they're not all useless, with Sony's PlayStation and PSN apps likely to prove popular with PS3 and PS4 owners, while its LifeLog health and fitness app will appeal to the sporty among us.
The rear facing camera, as already mentioned, is the same 20.7MP lens Sony has used in a number of flagship handsets, but the Xperia Z3+ does benefit from Superior Auto+, which the firm claims will improve shots in all conditions.
A quick photo session during my hands on time revealed a quick, capable camera which has a handy physical shutter key on the right side - although you'll have to wait for the full review to see how it stacks up against the competition.
More work has been done on the front facing snapper of the Xperia Z3 Plus, with a 5MP wide angled lens now on board.
This should make for better selfies, with more of your mates able to cram themselves in shot, while SteadyShot should ensure you're not all a blurry mess.
The Sony Xperia Z3+ also promises faster internet with LTE CAT 6 support and Wi-Fi Mimo - both of which can provide higher bandwidth to your handset if it's available.
The Xperia Z3 Plus I was using was connected to a Wi-Fi network and while web pages did load quickly, I wasn't blown away by the speed - although I don't know how busy the network was.
I wasn't able to test the front facing speakers during my hands on time, but Sony has tweaked the technology behind them again to improve the quality and volume of the audio.
Early verdict
The changes made on the Sony Xperia Z3+ are minimal at best, and considering the Z3 was launched not so long ago it's a little difficult to fully justify Sony's persistence on its short reboot cycles.Ignore the Z3 though and focus your attention on the Xperia Z2 and the Z3 Plus is a fine improvement with a much better design, fluid interface and strong front and rear cameras.
It also means Sony stays relevant against the Galaxy S6, One M9 and G4 - and the Xperia Z3+ is a handset it can be proud to have in its stable.
Read More ...
In Depth: Samsung Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 5S
Samsung tried to stand up to the might of the iPhone 5S back at MWC 2014 by releasing the Galaxy S5. Even though since then we've seen both the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 both of these are two strong contenders for your money.
The iPhone 5S itself is now almost two years old but it still sits as one of the most popular smartphones you can buy. As for the Galaxy S5 the price has dropped to a very competitive low since the rapturous applause for the Galaxy S6 so it may be worth dropping some dough on now.
Even though this isn't the top of the game these are still two strong contenders for your money – so how do they both compare and which should you be getting?
Design
Everything changed on the iPhone 6 but many still prefer the iPhone 5S design with a smaller body to house the smaller display - it's all down to your personal taste here.
Unfortunately the Samsung Galaxy S5 just can't compete here, as it's still rocking a plastic back like its predecessor. That said it has an attractive perforated design and feels fairly solid.
Many criticised the Galaxy S5 for its naff feeling design – we even brought it up in our own review – but the Galaxy S6 came back and knocked it out of the park, it's worth having a look at how well Samsung did on its latest phone.
Display
The iPhone 5S has a 4-inch 1136 x 640 IPS LCD display with a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch. It's a great screen, but we've seen better and the Galaxy S5's 5.1-inch Full HD Super AMOLED 432 ppi display certainly falls into the better camp.
There's something to be said for the smaller screen on the iPhone 5S though as many still love the 4-inch size and didn't react well when Apple dropped it for the iPhone 6.
If you want that 4-inch display this is your best iOS option to go for – but bare in mind there are rumours of a 4-inch option coming alongside the iPhone 6S, potentially named the iPhone 6C, later in the year.
OS
iOS is the best version of the operating system we've seen so far and it offers a variety of new features including apps such as HealthKit to track your fitness.
Android 5.0 Lollipop comes with new features such as lock screen notifications, but Samsung is insistent on including its TouchWiz overlay on top of the beautiful new Material Design.
It takes some getting used to so beware before you go expecting the best looking Android software you've ever seen.
Battery
The iPhone 5S comes with a pathetic sounding 1,560mAh juice pack but down to Apple's impressive optimisation it manages to last for quite a while. In our battery life testing we found it did even better with the new software and it charges really quickly as well.
As for the Galaxy S5 it has a more impressive sounding 2,800mAh removable cell inside and a powerful battery saving mode. In our video loop test the phone only dropped 16% of its battery after 90 minutes of full brightness video – an impressive result.
Features
The Galaxy S5 takes a leaf out of Apple's book by including a fingerprint scanner of its own. It also has a heart rate monitor and an improved S Health app, making it similarly useful for fitness fanatics, a download booster which combines 4G and Wi-Fi for extra speed and it's IP67 certified dust and water resistant.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S5 has far more megapixels - 16 to be precise. It's also very fast, as it can take pictures in just 0.3 seconds, allows you to alter the focus of a shot after taking it and it has a real-time HDR mode, which shows you how HDR will affect a picture before you take it. It can shoot videos at up to 4K and it has a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera, so on paper at least it should out-snap the iPhone 5S.
Verdict
Even though the iPhone 6 has come along and impressed, the iPhone 5S is still a really solid offering. If you're a fan of the smaller form factor and like the metal design you'll love the iPhone 5S.Updating it to the latest iOS 8 software paired with an impressive camera makes for a good set up and adding in features such as TouchID make it a great option for iOS fans.
Android lovers will find the update to the Galaxy S5 exciting and also frustrating - TouchWiz just isn't a great overlay. Even though the design has been proven rather lacklustre, for a cheaper price and an impressive set up under the hood this is a really strong option.
We've only really skirted round the edges here though - for a full look at these phones check out our full reviews of the Galaxy S5 and iPhone 5S.
Read More ...
Review: Epson BrightLink Pro 1430Wi
Introduction and design
The BrightLink series is Epson's full interactive projector line. The series features two models, the BrightLink Pro and the BrightLink Ed. The BrightLink ED is for K-12 education and is a model that requires a connected computer and software to enable the interactivity that separates BrightLink models from standard printers.The BrightLink Pro 1430Wi ($2,999, £1,946.18, AU$3,802.36), on the other hand, is fully autonomous in that it can be interactive without a dedicated computer or software. The BrightLink Pro can turn any surface into a projectable interactive whiteboard. Whether it be a table or a wall, the BrightLink Pro can project a computer that can be virtually written on with a digital pen.
Don't want to replace your already existing conference system? The Epson BrightLink Pro is designed so that it can be an extension of your conferencing system. It can do Picture-in-Picture so you can see your meeting but also write on the board for viewers to see as well.
At just $3,000, the BrightLink Pro won't break the bank. Not only is this comparable in price to a standard business-class projector, but when you add in interactivity the BrightLink Pro sets a new standard for price.
Design and specs
The BrightLink Pro weighs 12.3lbs (5.58kg) without the side plate and 14.1lbs (6.40kg) with the side plate attached. The dimensions of the BrightLink Pro are 14.5" W x 14.8" H x 7.5" D (36.83cm x 37.59cm x 19.05cm) without the feet. Now, depending on what attachment you have purchased, whether it is the table mount or the wall mount, depends on how much more weight or girth it will add.Supporting a 10,000:1 contrast ratio and 3,100 lumens for both white and color, the lamp on the BrightLink Pro is bright and crisp. The depth and quality of the image is not as impressive as a high-end, high definition projector, but with a color reproduction of 1.07 billion colors, the BrightLink Pro does handle itself very well. The native image resolution is 1280 x 800 (WXGA) and the native aspect ratio is 16:9.
The BrightLink Pro unit I reviewed came with all of the accessories required to get started. In the box, Epson provided me with the following: three USB Cables, a power cable, six AAA Batteries, a projector remote control, two Interactive Pens, a pen case, a control pad, and a 802.11 b/g/n WiFi USB Dongle.
The BrightLink Pro has a ton of ports capable of handling even the fanciest of conference rooms: two HDMI ports, one VGA, one composite video, three audio-in, one mini-stereo out port, one LAN RJ-45 port, one RS-232c serial port, one monitor out D-sub 15pin, one USB type B for USB display, two USB type A and one mini-stereo port for remote control.
Performance, flaws and final verdict
The BrightLink Pro features several interactive modes that are perfect for business users. The two main modes are Whiteboard Mode (where the BrightLink Pro becomes a digital whiteboard on whatever source is projected) and PC-Free Annotation Mode (in which people can annotate on or around a shared projected file).Performance
With Whiteboard mode, there can be two people using the pens and another six people using their fingers. For the PC-Free Annotation Mode two people can use two pens and another two people can use their fingers. There is also a Computer Interactive Mode, which allows a presenter to show their desktop and then that desktop can become part of the BrightLink Pro interactive experience.You can collaborate in one room with the whiteboard. Just project on a table or a wall and start writing notes. Want to save those notes? Hit save and the Epson BrightLink Pro can save those notes and email them to participants. Want to print them? Well, as long as you have connected a printer, the Epson BrightLink Pro can send that whiteboard directly to a printer with a touch of a button. It was seriously that simple.
The BrightLink Pro can also accept connections from those in the collaborative meeting with their phones or tablets via WiFi. Once connected, you can upload images or use your touch device to write on the whiteboard and have the BrightLink Pro share your input to the meeting.
Want to just use the BrightLink Pro as a normal projector? Fine, just hook up your device via HDMI or VGA and it will be good. Add the USB cable to your device and the BrightLink Pro turns into a huge interactive monitor, allowing you to add some flare into that marketing deck.
Startup time takes about 30 seconds from off to image. The BrightLink Pro image is clear but the clarity does depend on the surface. For example, I used the BrightLink Pro on a table and I had to resize the image in order to be able to project on the table, and the image quality was not perfect.
As expected, the BrightLink Pro's projector works well, but the collaborative touch-enabled aspects of the BrightLink Pro are incredible. Being able to use the pen, or your finger, to swipe through a deck, interact with your screen, is fluid and painless.
The one challenge I had was that I had to calibrate the pens. There was about a one-inch (2.25 cm) to three-inch ( 7.62 cm) difference between where the pen was and where the pointer on the whiteboard appeared. The calibration was not hard to do, though I did have to look at the user manual to find the setting to calibrate the pens on my own.
Flaws
Flaws? The BrightLink Pro, in its current state, is pretty flawless but I suppose there are some improvements that I would recommend for a future release.The BrightLink Pro UI is great, though it's not necessarily pretty. To be fair, I am thinking of Android OS or iOS environments when I am using something interactive, and it might be beneficial for Epson to make it more pleasing to use. Also, when using the whiteboard, the drawing tools are on the right, and the save, print, email, and other buttons are hidden on the bottom. Outside of the save and print buttons, the images used for the bottom tool buttons are vague.
Setup of the BrightLink Pro is going to take time. There are two ways to install the BrightLink Pro. If you are going to use the table mount, then the process is a little bit easier than the wall mounting. The instructions for installing the mount on the back of the BrightLink Pro are confusing as the instructions do not say what screws to use in certain holes. I kind of had to guess which screws to use for the back mounts. I also had to guess what the parts of the BrightLink Pro were, like the case used for the pens, and the on/off buttons, as the instructions used a name for them that was found nowhere else in the packaging.
The Table Mount is big and bulky so you will want to make sure you set it up correctly in the middle of the table (long side) and you will want to make sure that the table is wider than 38 inches (96.52cm) or the picture will not fit on the table correctly and you will have to scale the image down. Also, there are a lot of cables that are used to ensure that everything is hooked up, and if you don't tie them up and keep them hanging, it is super ugly. Also, and I didn't realize this at first, but the cover on the front comes off of the BrightLink Pro which makes it easier to plug in your HDMI and USB ports. It took me forever until I grabbed a screwdriver and did it.
If you are installing the BrightLink Pro on the wall, well, get a contractor ready. The reason for this is that it will be best for you to run all the cables behind the wall so that not only the BrightLink Pro looks neat and clean but also so that there are no wires intruding on the image. You can use a projector screen but, to be fair, it does not make sense as the Pens do need a surface to press on. Also, if the BrightLink Pro is going to go in the middle of the wall, or higher up, you might need an electrician to run power up to right behind the projector. Either that or run a long power cord behind the wall.
The BrightLink Pro gets hot and gets hot fast. If you are going to use this projector in a small breakout room that is about 10ft x 9ft or smaller then make sure you have ventilation because that room will get hot. I had the BrightLink Pro in a room that is 20ft x 25ft and I felt the room getting warm after a couple of hours.
We liked
Pretty much everything. The BrightLink Pro is a revolutionary product that everyone should buy for their conference rooms. It redefines how collaborations and presentations are done.Once physically installed, the BrightLink Pro not only sets up in minutes, but it is easy for you to use. All you have to do is power on the BrightLink Pro and there are only a couple of steps you will need to do. You won't have to do much training to familiarize your employees with the system.
The Interactive Projector is stunning and awesome. It's not only a cool feature but it is a feature that works well. The ability to turn any surface into a workspace, to be able to write on the projected wall, and to have partners use their tablets or smart devices to join in on the work is truly amazing.
We disliked
To be honest, physically installing the BrightLink Pro projector was a bit of a challenge and if you are going to be installing it in a permanent location, you will probably want to run your cables behind the wall. Long story short, make sure you have a general contractor and an electrician on standby or you're better off just placing this thing on a desk.The BrightLink Pro may need some calibration for the pens at first, but that is not something that needs to be done every time you use the projector.
Final verdict
The BrightLink Pro has everything your business needs for presentations, to collaborate internally, and to share with people externally. Its interactive collaborative features are impressive and will revolutionize your team meetings.
Read More ...
UPDATED: Samsung Galaxy S7: what we want to see
Did you know the S in Samsung's Galaxy S series stands for "Super Smart"? Pretty cheesy isn't it? But Samsung really does believe the brand supplies the best of the best in its Galaxy S series.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge released at the start of 2015 proved to be two of the most exciting handsets on the market right now and we gave them both near on perfect reviews with only a few little problems on each letting them down.
Those problems need to be ironed out by the next time around and it's exciting to think what Samsung will be able to pull off with its new found lease of design changes and true innovation.
So what will the Galaxy S7 bring to the table? The rumours are already coming in, so here's everything in one easy place for you to see.
News and rumors
One rumour does seem to have a little weight thrown behind it though as sources believe the Galaxy S7 and Samsung Galaxy Note 5 may be coming with curved screens.
According to supply chain sources both phones will be launching with flexible displays after Samsung put in some big orders with Taiwanese manufacturers. It may end up being a separate version of the Galaxy S7 much like with the Galaxy S6 Edge but it's interesting all the same.
There's even talk that Samsung will go further and deliver a foldable phone, but this seems incredibly unlikely. Even if the technology is in place (which is a big if) it's doubtful that Samsung would risk something so new and untested on its flagship.
Beyond that we can guess at a few things. The design is unlikely to change much for example, having only just been overhauled, while Android M's inclusion is all but guaranteed and an announcement at or around MWC in February 2016 is likely given past form. With a 4K screen rumored for the Galaxy Note 5 it's always possible the Galaxy S7 will get one of them too.
What we want to see
1. Better battery life
Our biggest gripe with the Galaxy S6 was the battery – we found with moderate usage you could get between 17 and 18 hours. That is the average day if you're on a normal sleep pattern but do you really want to be walking that tight rope thinking if I watch a film my phone it's not going to last the whole day?Samsung need to do better than this with the Galaxy S7; even sacrificing a little of its new found design credentials to thicken up the handset and stick in a bigger cell would have been worth the extra life. Next time let's hope it understands functionality takes precedence over design.
2. Bring us to the Edge
We want the same again, but maybe something completely off the bat. If the rumours of the flexible display handset turn out to be true we could end seeing something similar to the S6 Edge come Q1 2016.
3. Another step into VR
Next time round we want Samsung to keep focusing on VR but up its game even further for the Galaxy S7 – whether it be more sensors, more games or a new way of doing it all together we just want more of a focus on VR.
Samsung is one of the few companies doing Virtual Reality right at the moment and there's no better way to keep that going than innovating on an already good product.
4. A price drop
Samsung's devices aren't the cheapest on the market. One of our criticisms of the latest handset came at the price tag attached to the phone and it'd be nice to see it drop down a little as soon as possible. At the moment Samsung's devices are even in a similar price bracket to Apple.It may mean we lose a couple of the superfluous features on the phone but taking it down a little would be really nice. Come on Samsung, you can buck the trend and do it with the Galaxy S7.
5. Drop the fingerprint magnet
The white option is the best for avoiding this but we shouldn't expect our phones to be covered in grubby marks within a matter of minutes. Let's sort it out ready for the Samsung Galaxy S7.
6. Something brand new
The S6 Edge really showed us something different and we want to see that same inspiration again from the South Korean company.In the meantime we may not actually know what we want to see, but something to change up the phone market a little and give it a little kick up the bum it needs.
7. More robust design
Fingers crossed Samsung will see fit to return it to the Galaxy S7, but this time in a much nicer design.
8. Even more power
Not that the Galaxy S6 wasn't powerful enough, but in a year we're going to have a bunch of new processors doing the rounds and we want to see the biggest and best in the Samsung Galaxy S7.Whether it be an in house created Exynos processor or a jump back to Qualcomm, we don't mind, we just want the best the company can find. Is that too much to ask?
Read More ...
MWC 2015: HTC One M9 vs Samsung Galaxy S6
Design, display and processor
The waiting is over and two of the most anticipated flagship phones of 2015 have been unveiled and thrust into our very palms. But how do they stack up against one another? We take a look at the latest offerings from HTC and Samsung.Both HTC and Samsung find themselves in a similar position: needing their new flagship phones to make a big splash in the market.
HTC wants to keep trending upwards after a few years of dismal losses, and Samsung is in danger of sliding the same way if the Galaxy S6 isn't a big success.
Against that background, HTC and Samsung have thrown everything they can at these new phones. They're just about the best smartphone technology these two companies can come up with right now - but do either have what it takes to leave a lasting impression?
Design
There are few surprises from HTC as far as the design of the HTC One M9 goes: it looks a lot like last year's M8, at least from a distance. The full metal uni-body appears again after working so well last time, though overall the handset is a little shorter and fatter than the 2014 edition.
Samsung, in contrast, has shaken things up by fitting the Galaxy S6 with metal sides and a glass back. The appearance is along the lines of the S5, but the materials feel much more premium. There's a thinner bezel than last year's model but no waterproofing and no removable battery.
Display
HTC has chosen a 5-inch 1920 x 1080 pixel screen for the One M9, which puts it some way behind the spec of the display on Samsung's flagship. It doesn't look as far behind as you might imagine though, thanks to some clever use of LCD technology to boost the colours and contrast ratio.
With its Super AMOLED, 5.1-inch 1440 x 2560 pixel QHD screen the Samsung Galaxy S6 has one of the best and brightest displays around - even punching up to 600 nits of brightness when outdoors (which, in non-display speak, is super bright).
The screen on the S5 was excellent in all departments and we're expecting this to be even better. For something a little different, there's the Galaxy S6 Edge of course.
We've been fans of Samsung's Super AMOLED technology for a while now, but it's how the screens look in reality that really matters, rather than how the specifications look on paper - and to our eyes, the S6 just shades it thanks to that jaw-dropping clarity.
Processor
The latest and greatest mobile chip - the 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 - sits snugly inside the HTC One M9, so it shouldn't be lacking in the power department, whether you're playing FPS games or playing 4K video. That's combined with 3GB of RAM, making this one of the most powerful phones on the planet.
Over in the Samsung corner, the Galaxy S6 eschews the Snapdragon route for its own 64-bit octa-core Exynos 7420 processor (although that's still to be confirmed from the South Korean brand). Couple that with 3GB of RAM and you've got a handset that, on paper, pretty much outspecs even the impressive M9.
There's good news for fans of a good, streamlined OS, as Samsung's TouchWiz take on Android now comes with fewer apps installed and a much cleaner interface, leaving you to enjoy all the features of Lollipop without distraction.
HTC has opted for Android 5.0 Lollipop too, with its own Sense 7.0 UI on top, which comes with a clever contextual widget to rearrange your apps depending on whether you're at work, home or out and about.
Camera, battery and key features
Camera
With the One M8, HTC focused on image quality rather than megapixel count, but this year it's slapped a heavy-duty 20MP snapper around the back of the One M9. Last year's 4MP UltraPixel lens appears around the front.Samsung doesn't quite match that spec, but our early tests show that the optimised 16MP snapper of the Galaxy S6 is far superior than HTC's Sony-powered effort - although HTC assures us an improvement is coming there.
The inclusion of optical image stabilisation technology should help minimise camera shake, plus the new Pro mode added to the camera software is likely to make for an improvement in quality too.
Not much to separate the two flagships in terms of specs then, but it looks like the Samsung Galaxy S6 has just edged it in practice.
Battery
The size of a smartphone's battery isn't the be all and end all as far as battery life goes, but it certainly helps. The HTC One M9 sports a 2,800mAh battery, which is a step up from the 2,600mAh cell inside the One M8. Last year's model did pretty well in our battery benchmarks so we're expecting big things from this year's larger size.
As for Samsung, it's gone for a 2,550mAh battery in the Galaxy S6. That's a smaller battery than the one sported by the Galaxy S5, and even the one in the HTC One M9, but we'll have to wait and see what software and power efficiency tricks Samsung has got up its sleeve before offering a final judgement.
With that QHD screen to power though, things could get dicey for Samsung if the battery isn't perfect.
Key features
Aside from the looks and specs of the HTC One M9, its Dolby sound improvements, delivering virtual surround sound both with and without headphones is worth mentioning (despite not really being able to hear much improvement through standard YouTube clips.The all-metal uni-body (available in gold as well as silver) is perhaps the most distinctive feature, though it's a shame the screen hasn't been upgraded to QHD.
The Samsung Galaxy S6, meanwhile, has a fingerprint scanner that's said to be an improvement on the one on board the Galaxy S5 - it can apparently be activated with a tap, iPhone-style, rather than a swipe. Other than that, the screen is the feature we're most excited about.
Verdict
Both the HTC One M9 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 have been out in the wild for sometime now and we've managed to have some hefty experience with both.We really loved the Galaxy S6 giving it four and a half stars in our full review stating it was, "So close to perfect, but a high price and iffy battery really let it down."
As for the HTC One M9 we didn't like it as much as last year's One M8 giving it four out of five stars. Our verdict read, "A great phone if you're upgrading from two years ago, but doesn't deliver enough changes to be worthy of a perfect score."
Both of these handsets are at the top of their game though with only minor differences between the two and a similar price for each.
I'd recommend reading our full reviews for both handsets before you can work out which is the best for you. Check out our full reviews of the HTC One M9 and the Samsung Galaxy S6.
Read More ...
Review: Technics Premium C700
Introduction
The Premium C700 system is the first Technics branded hi-fi system to be launched in seven years.The hi-fi brand, which was lauded and loved throughout the Seventies and Eighties for its turntables and silvery separates, was retired by parent Panasonic during a corporate cleanout and thought consigned to the car boot of AV history.
However it now lives again, fuelled by the inexorable rise of high resolution audio.
The C700 Series reviewed here comprises three unapologetically expensive components: the £1249 / $1,600 SU-C700 stereo amp, £849 / $1,100 ST-C700 network audio player and £1199 / $1,700 SB-C700 compact speaker system.
There's also a matching CD player, the SL-C700, if you fancy it. While you can mix and match with other brand components, that's not advisable.
This system has been designed to perform as an ensemble.
Components and build quality
Build quality across the range is superb. You get the sense that these components will look as good in 2025 as they do today. The cool retro cosmetic design is a real winner.The digital amp is not particularly large, measuring just 340 x 131 x 324mm (w/h/d).
Naturally the fascia features characteristic illuminated VU meters (how could it not?), with a central volume dial. Rather than opt for a common–or-garden switch-mode power supply, Technics has gone old school with a low-noise, high-capacity linear power supply. This is a pleasing indulgence. The amp tips the scales at 7.9 kg.
Connectivity comprises six digital audio inputs (three optical, three coaxial), one pair of stereo phonos, a MM phono input for born again vinyl junkies and a USB-B connection for laptop hook-up.
The matching ST-C700 network audio player features a central display, offering white text on black. There's no album artwork displayed when browsing, which seems overly frugal.
Connections here include both USB-A and USB-B inputs, plus two digital audio outputs (coaxial and optical) and a stereo phono pair, plus an Ethernet LAN. There's also a DAB+ and FM radio tuner onboard, along with aptX Bluetooth support.
The ST-C700 network audio player has been seriously over-engineered to reduce the spectre of digital noise.
One cool trick is Virtual Battery Operation, designed to reduce noise and trace distortion generated by the power supply. There's also a high resolution iteration of Panasonic's Re-mastering technology.
Given such audiophile obsession with noise management, it's no surprise to find Wi-Fi AWOL.
The compact curvy SB-C700 speakers feature a piano white finish. While magnetic grilles are supplied, the flush-mounted coaxial driver is so pretty it seems almost vulgar to mount them.
The speakers are rear-ported, with chunky binding posts. Charged with delivering crisp highs is a 19mm aluminium diaphragm dome tweeter, rated up to 100kHz; it's allied to a flat 160mm woofer.
Plug and play loud
System setup is a breeze.It's merely a question of connecting the components together and getting the system onto a network. When powered up, the player looks for DLNA servers on the network. These can then be navigated by a basic tree and root structure.
Both units ship with the same remote, which drives the ensemble. Only one is required.
I suspect though that many will ditch the zapper and choose to drive the system from the Technics app, which is intuitive and graphically rich.
The SB-C700 speakers are best placed forward facing, rather than toed in; the stereophonic spread is pronounced. Cabinet colouration appears non-existent.
Audio performance
Obviously any Technics relaunch comes burdened with high expectations. Thankfully the C700 doesn't disappoint.Sonic quality is several cuts above the mainstream.
This self-proclaimed Premium package produces a highly refined sound, a rarefied realism. The speakers are revelatory, creating a soundstage of almost physical depth. Imaging is precise, with vocals and instruments spatially coherent.
The ST-C700 network player handlesMP3, WMA, FLAC, WAV, AIFF (up to 192kHz 24bit), ALAC (up to 96kHz 24bit), AAC and DSD. Almost Like Being in Love, a live rendition of the Nat King Cole classic, covered by Joe Stilgoe for Linn Records (24 bit/ 192 kHz), has a delicious musicality, with dancing jazz piano and infectious double bass.
The presentation has an air and clarity befitting that ticket price.
Rated at 45W p/c into 8 Ohms, the amplifier has reasonable digital cojones. It's surprisingly dynamic for such a small box, able to scale heights without sounding stressed or scrappy. Highs are crisp and sweet.
Pushed hard it verges on the cruelly constrained, coming across like an over-excited butler - but Jeeves never loses his cool.
Naturally you can connect over Bluetooth. Just pair devices and start streaming. Blue Swede's Hooked on a Feeling (from The Guardian of the Galaxy OST) via Spotify brings a broad smile – provided you remember to engage the Remaster mode on the network player.
Technics' Remastering system covers a multitude of sins, and even makes low bitrate MP3 sound stupidly good. A 256kbps MP3 of Akatsuki by BabyMetal is intoxicating– soaring K-pop cutesy vocals and speed metal presented with clarity rather than thrashy mush.
Verdict
The Technics Premium C700 is a high-end audio system for new age audiophiles.Beautifully designed, it plays the posh card well but can rock out when required too, just don't expect histrionics. It's at its best with 24-bit hi-res sound sources, but does a remarkable job cleaning up low bit rate fare when you want to slum it.
Design and build quality are sumptuous.
We Liked
Technics has produced a very capable and clever hi-fi system. The Premium C700 manages to tip a hat to the brand's enviable heritage in audio, yet it feels fundamentally futuristic.With solid file support, first class app, and an innate musicality that you simply won't hear from multiroom music systems de jour, it successfully recreates the magic of two-channel listening.
We Disliked
Expect to pay a price premium for this up-market network audio system.The soundstage offers oodles of clarity and is an easy, unfatiguing listen, but if you're looking for high volume pyrotechnics, well, that's something else entirely.
Final verdict
Timing is everything. Technic's C700 system has it in spades, effortlessly musical regardless of your chosen genre.The accuracy and articulation of the SU-C700 amplifier and SU-T700 network player had me revisiting old favourites and eager to explore new musical frontiers.
They also look the part. These are statement electronics so smart you'll need to upgrade the rest of your pad to match.
The Technics relaunch is also well timed. With high resolution audio finding genuine traction (when Iron Maiden remaster their entire back catalogue you know things are moving in the right direction), there are tangible benefits to be had from reinvesting in classic stereo separates like these.
Minor caveats aside, I rate the C700 a luscious example of hi-fi luxe.
Read More ...
Review: Canon EOS M3
Introduction and features
Canon's first compact system or mirrorless system camera, the EOS M, seemed very good on paper, but at launch it was expensive and let down by a lacklustre autofocus system that was slow and prone to hunting. Canon issued firmware upgrades that improved the autofocus performance significantly and the price fell with the passage of time, but the damage was done.Now, in the UK at least, we have the M3. Like the M, the M3 uses an APS-C format sensor, but this time the manufacturer has plumped for the same 24.2-million-effective-pixel device used in the new Canon 750D and Canon 760D. It's also coupled with the same DIGIC 6 processor as the two new DSLRs have.
This combination allows a native sensitivity range of ISO 100-12,800 with an expansion setting of ISO 25,600. That's the same as the original M, but that only had an effective pixel count of 18 million so it will be interesting to see how the new camera handles noise.
Bearing in mind the issues with the original M, the M3 has Canon's latest 49-point Hybrid CMOS AF III autofocus system. Canon claims that this brings a 6x speed increase over the original EOS M after the firmware upgrades. It's also possible to shoot continuously at up to 4.2fps (frames per second) for approximately 1000 large Fine (highest) quality JPEGs or 5 raw files. That's not exactly a blistering pace by modern standards, but it's reasonable.
Canon is aiming the M3 at enthusiast photographers, so naturally it has aperture priority, shutter priority and manual exposure modes along with a collection of automated options that are helpful for less experienced photographers.
These include Creative Assist mode which is designed to help novice photographers take control of the camera and adjust brightness, background blur, color saturation, contrast, warmth and filter effects and see them applied live – and then you can save these effect combinations to use them again without having to understand photographic terms like aperture. It's even possible to save up to six of your favourite setting combinations for future reuse.
There's also the usual array of metering modes (384-zone Evaluative, Partial covering 10% at the centre, Spot covering 2% and Centre weighted), exposure compensation to +/-3EV and a shutter speed range of 30-1/4000sec plus bulb mode.
As is now de rigueur, the EOS M3 has Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity built in to allow fast connection to compatible smartphones and tablets. Once a connection has been made the camera can be controlled remotely and images transferred wirelessly using Canon's free Camera Connect app.
The inclusion of a pop-up flash (GN 5 at ISO 100) and a hotshoe tops-off a pretty comprehensive specification for the M3. The only really glaring omission is a viewfinder; there isn't one built-in. There is, however, an optional electronic viewfinder (EVF-DC1) available. This is the same unit as can be used with the G1X Mark II and it adds about £100 to the cost of a M3 and lens kit. While this is considerable extra cost, it's cheaper than purchasing it by itself as it costs around £249.
It's important to remember that although the EOS M3 uses the same sensor as the 750D and 760D it has the EF-M lens mount that was introduced with the original M. This new mount is necessary because creating a mirrorless camera allows the lens mount to be closer to the sensor than it is in an SLR and a new breed of lenses is required. To date there are still only four Canon EF-M lenses, but there is the EF-EOS M mount adaptor that allows EF and EF-S lenses to be mounted on the M3.
Build and handling
In looks the EOS M3 sits roughly halfway between a G-series compact camera like the Canon G16 and an SLR like the Canon 100D. It has the rectangular shape of the G16 – actually the top-plate is even flatter – combined with the more ergonomically contoured finger grip on its front.At 366g (including battery and memory card), the M3 is a little lighter than the 100D, but it feels a little heavier than you might expect – it's deceptively dense. It also feels nice and robust. These two points are likely to be down to the stainless steel element of its steel, magnesium alloy and polycarbonate resin construction.
On the back of the camera is a small, but very effective thumb-ridge that is made from, or at least covered in, the same rubber-like material that coats the front finger grip. This front grip has quite a fine texture and a smart, modern appearance and it provides a superb purchase, making the camera feel comfortable and secure in your hand.
Canon has used a similar, but not identical, control layout to the G16 for the M3 and I found it really easy to use. I especially appreciated the exposure compensation dial on the top-plate as it enables speedy adjustments to be made to exposure. This dial doesn't have a lock, but it has a fairly stiff action so it doesn't get knocked out of position easily.
The mode dial alongside the exposure compensation dial is also useful, allowing quick changes in exposure mode and an easy means of checking the camera's set-up.
I found the control dial around the shutter release easy to reach and use. By default in aperture priority mode it's used to set aperture and in shutter priority mode, shutter speed. In manual exposure mode it and the control dial around the navigation keys are used to set exposure.
Although the M3 has a full complement of physical controls, the 3-inch 1,040,000-dot LCD screen is touch-sensitive. Canon has implemented the touch-controls very well and you can slip seamlessly between using the screen and using the physical controls. Helpfully, both the main menu and the Quick menu can be navigated and selections made using the responsive touch-screen or the physical controls.
I find it especially helpful to set autofocus point via the screen – however, there's a fairly wide border around the screen where it's not possible to set an AF point.
The screen can be tilted up through 180 degrees and downwards through 75 degrees for easier shooting from high or low angles. This is useful, especially for shooting selfies, but a fully articulating screen like the ones on the 750D and 760D would be much more helpful when shooting upright images.
The screen is an sRGB ClearView II device with 3:2 aspect ratio, which suits the native aspect ratio of images from the sensor and it provides a very clear view indoors and in shaded situations. Reflections are an issue in direct sunlight, but with the screen set to its maximum brightness it is still possible to compose images. It's a shame that Canon hasn't built a viewfinder in to the M3, but at least there is an optional one available.
It's easy to connect the M3 to a smartphone using the Wi-Fi system and images can be transferred and shared quickly.
Performance
While the EOS M3 is capable of capturing lots of detail, it isn't always as easy to do so as you might like. As with the original M, the problem is often down to the focusing system. In many cases it focuses the lens very quickly and accurately, but there are other times when it indicates that the subject is sharp when it clearly isn't.There were times during this test when the active AF area was completely filled with the intended target and the box was green to indicate that the lens had been focused, but it was quite clear that the subject was out of focus and it was the background that was sharp. This didn't just happen once or twice, it was on numerous occasions and it happened when using both the 18-55mm kit lens and the 22mm lens that was supplied for this review.
Click here for a full size version.
It's particularly frustrating to have the AF system indicate that the subject is sharp when you're shooting with the camera at an awkward angle, or the subject is quite small in the frame because you often can't see that it's got it wrong until you zoom into the shot or open the image on a computer.
Even at its smallest setting, in 1-point AF mode the autofocus point is also quite large so it's not possible to isolate small subjects in the frame. I suspect that the reason for this comparatively large AF area is to increase the likelihood of a high contrast edge being present for the camera to latch on to.
Click here for a full size version.
We also found that the EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens doesn't get the best from the sensor and if you want to capture the level of detail that we know is possible from the sensor (it's the same unit as is in the Canon 750D and Canon 760D) you need to swap to a better optic like the EF-M 22mm f2 STM .
At 100% magnification and with noise reduction set to the standard level, low to mid-sensitivity JPEG images from the M3 look a little more natural than comparable images from the Sony Alpha 6000, but there's very little in it. At higher sensitivity settings the M3's JPEGs have a some chroma (colour) noise, but there's less loss of detail than in images from the A6000. At normal view sizes, however, images look similar.
Click here for a full size version.
Click here for a full size version.
Generally, the M3 controls noise well throughout the native sensitivity setting, ISO 100-12,800, with the top value giving decent results that withstand viewing at A4 size provided you don't mind a little fine-grained noise. Happily, there's no banding, clumping or problems with colour shifts.
As usual, raw files produce the best results allowing you to find a balance between noise and detail visibility.
In other respects the M3 gives a good account of itself as it generally delivers well exposed images with good colour. The metering and white balance systems perform as we have come to expect from Canon EOS cameras. I found the automatic and Daylight white balance settings the most useful, but the Custom or Manual option comes in handy in artificial lighting if you want to produce neutral images.
Lab tests: Resolution
We've carried out lab tests on the Canon EOS M3 across its full ISO range for resolution, noise (including signal to noise ratio) and dynamic range. We test the JPEGs shot by the camera, but we also check the performance with raw files. Most enthusiasts and pros prefer to shoot raw, and the results can often be quite different.We've also picked out three of its chief rivals so that you can compare their performance directly.
• Samsung NX500: Like the EOS M3, the Samsung NX500 has a box-shaped design with an LCD display but no viewfinder. It also has Samsung's latest and best sensor.
• Sony A6000: The A6000 is Sony's top APS-C format Alpha compact system camera. It has a great sensor, and its rectangular body also houses and electronic viewfinder.
• Olympus OM-D E-M10: Olympus's entry-level OM-D series compact system camera is styled like a DSLR, with an electronic viewfinder on the top, but it's still super-small.
Canon EOS M3 resolution chart
We test camera resolution using an industry-standard ISO test chart that allows precise visual comparisons. This gives us numerical values for resolution in line widths/picture height, and you can see how the Nikon 1 J5 compares with its rivals in the charts below.
JPEG analysis: This graph shows that the M3 captures a good level of detail for much of its sensitivity range, but that two of its key rivals – the Samsung NX500 and Sony A6000 are better still, particularly at low-medium ISOs.
Raw* analysis: These results show how the M3 fares when the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens is mounted, we found we got scores of 4 (x100) LWPH lower when the EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens was mounted. Again, the EOS M3 delivers good results, but not as good as the Samsung and the Sony.
(*Raw files are converted to TIFF using the cameras supplied software)
Resolution test chart samples
This is the chart we use for testing camera resolution. The key area is just to the right of centre, where a series of converging lines indicates the point at which the camera can no longer resolve them individually.
This is the Canon EOS M3's test chart at ISO 100. Click here for a full size version.
And this is the same chart at ISO 6400. Click here for a full size version.
Lab tests: Dynamic range
Dynamic range is a measure of the range of tones the sensor can capture. Cameras with low dynamic range will often show 'blown' highlights or blocked-in shadows. This test is carried out in controlled conditions using DxO hardware and analysis tools.
Dynamic range is measured in exposure values (EV). The higher the number the wider the range of brightness levels the camera can capture. This falls off with increasing ISO settings because the camera is having to amplify a weaker signal. Raw files capture a higher dynamic range because the image data is unprocessed.
Canon EOS M3 dynamic range chart
JPEG dynamic range analysis: JPEG dynamic range is a feature of contrast and in the default Picture Style (Standard) the M3's images have pleasing contrast. Tonal gradation is also retained fairly well in the shadows and highlights. All four cameras are quite close when shooting JPEG images.
Raw dynamic range analysis: After conversion to TIFF, the M3's raw files have a slightly higher dynamic range than the JPEGs, but they don't hit quite the highs of the competing cameras. The results from the Sony A6000 are similar, but the Samsung NX500 and Olympus E-M10 deliver much better results.
Lab tests: Signal to noise ratio
This is a test of the camera's noise levels. The higher the signal to noise ratio, the greater the difference in strength between the real image data and random background noise, so the 'cleaner' the image will look. The higher the signal to noise ratio, the better.Canon EOS M3 signal to noise ratio chart
Raw signal to noise ratio: The M3's raw files (after conversion to TIFF) compare more favourably than the JPEGs, suggesting that the files have more detail and less noise. Even so, its results fall in the middle of the range and the Samsung NX500 and Olympus E-M10 are clearly
Noise/sensitivity samples
The signal to noise ratio charts use laboratory test equipment, but we also shoot a real-world scene to get a visual indication of the camera's noise levels across the ISO range. The right side of the scene is darkened deliberately because this makes noise more obvious.
This is the Canon EOS M3's result at ISO 100. Click here to view a full size version.
And this is the same scene at ISO 6400. Click here to see a full size version.
Verdict
With Canon's new 24.2-million-effective-pixel CMOS sensor and DIGIC 6 processor the M3 has a lot of potential, but this is restricted by a few factors. The first of these is the lack of a built-in viewfinder, which makes it hard to compose images in very bright conditions. Happily there is a solution for this in the guise of an external electronic viewfinder.
The autofocus system can also be very frustrating in some situations, as it has a habit of indicating that the subject is sharp when it's not. This makes you doubt the camera and you find yourself checking images on a regular basis to make sure that the subject is sharp. Lastly, we found that the kit lens is a lacklustre performer that doesn't do the sensor justice.
It's a shame because with the right lens mounted the M3 is capable of capturing lots of detail and attractive, vibrant colours.
We liked
Once again Canon has implemented the touchscreen well giving users the opportunity to switch between using the screen and using buttons or dials to control the camera and navigate through images. Image quality is also very high.We disliked
As mentioned earlier, the lack of a built-in viewfinder is annoying, but the inconsistent performance of the autofocus system is more worrying. Other cameras like the Panasonic GX7, Olympus OM-D E-M10 and Sony Alpha 6000 allow more precise focus point selection and they get the subject sharp more consistently, rarely giving false positives (when the camera thinks the AF system has focused on the target, but it hasn't).Verdict
The M3 has some tough competition and as with the original M, the new camera is capable of producing high quality images that are at least a match for those from cameras such as the Olympus OM-D E-M10 and Sony Alpha 6000. However, the occasionally frustrating autofocus system and Canon's lack of commitment to the system, with a failure to bring out an enticing line-up of lenses or accessories, means that those looking for a smaller alternative to an SLR are better off looking elsewhere.
Inexperienced photographers are less likely to be concerned about the limited number of directly compatible lenses and will be happy with the step up in image quality in comparison with a point-and-shoot compact camera or the average smartphone. Nevertheless, there will be times when they struggle to get the subject sharp.
Read More ...
Review: Updated: HTC One M9
Introduction, design and screen
The HTC One M9 is a phone built on precision. It's a brand realising it made a pretty much perfect phone with the One M8 and doubling down on its greatest strength to try and win over more customers.It's dropped the maligned 4MP Ultrapixel sensor, bumping it up to a huge 20.7MP option in a bid to attract those that feel safer buying a phone with higher numbers on the spec sheet.
And it's tied off the experience with a huge boost in the engine room and teamed up with Dolby to refine its already powerful BoomSound experience.
Even the battery capacity is improved, something HTC has struggled with in the past – now it's beating Samsung's Galaxy S6. So has the Taiwanese brand managed to do the almost impossible and create yet another perfect device?
It's certainly charging for it: the One M9 isn't cheap. In the UK it's got an RRP of £580 SIM free for the handset, with a good £10 per month extra on contract. US pricing has it at $649 without subsidy – which seems slightly out of kilter with the UK, but if you shop around you can get it for under £500.
This will go down further, but it seems this phone has had to have a price increase to facilitate the improved design and uprated innards. HTC has kept the microSD slot for extra storage, and boosted the internal spec to 32GB to ensure issues of low memory should be a thing of the past.
The internals are impressive: an octa-core Qualcomm 810 chipset, 3GB of RAM, 2840 mAh battery on top of a Super LCD3 screen. It's not got the cachet of Samsung's Super AMOLED display, but it's still colour rich and seems close to the glass, which is important for image quality.
There are some things that haven't improved though: the screen is still "only" 5 inches, which could be too big or too small depending on your opinion on the subject. The resolution is "only" 1080p, but again, some are questioning whether the pin-sharp QHD resolution is needed, especially as it's harder on battery life.
The metallic chassis is back and is bolder than ever. It's a two tone design (well, the Silver/Gold and Gold/Pink versions have a contrasting band around the side, whereas the Gunmetal Grey and Gold on Gold versions don't) that uses a single piece of metal for the entire phone – it really feels better packaged.
However, the key question remains: is this package good enough to warrant the extra cash? Have the improvements added more to the mix or is HTC just treading water, adding nuance rather than innovation?
Design
Let's get this out the way at the start – the design is, by far, the most amazing part of the HTC One M9. HTC is calling it "jewellery-grade," with each one hand-finished by craftsmen, and it certainly shows.The one-piece fascia is complemented beautifully by the two tone metallic rim (on my review unit, the silver and gold variant). The grey and gold versions will look less impressive, given they've lost the two-tone appeal, but that doesn't mean they won't be as nice to hold.
Actually, I'm pretty sure they'll be nicer than this model. There's something about the design right now that I really don't like, the rear edge proving to be quite sharp in the hand. It's not going to draw blood, but when I used the gunmetal grey preview device in Barcelona it definitely felt closer to the One M8 in style, with more of a comfortable curve.
The reason for this hasn't been confirmed by HTC, but I get the feeling it's something to do with the colouring process.
The other thing that's changed here – and not for the better – is the power button transferring to the right-hand side of the phone.
This is a more natural place for it to live, making it easier to turn the screen on and off. However, HTC has inexplicably made it the same size and shape as the volume buttons above, so feeling for it without explicitly looking means I often hit the volume key instead.
The microSD slot is right above the trio of buttons too, and as it's slightly indented can cause confusion when trying to change volume in the pocket. It's hard to tell which is which, even with the phone in your hand – the extra ridges on the power button don't help enough.
While the decisions HTC has made to improve the One M9's design don't seem to have hit the mark, there's no doubt this is a finely crafted phone, and is probably the best on the market in that respect.
The two-tone finish is superb, the weight and balance is even better than before, and the precision I spoke of earlier is the overriding feeling.
The sharp edges of the BoomSound speakers are well-defined, and while it's heavy at 157g, especially compared to the iPhone 6 or Galaxy S6, Apple's is the only device that can come close to beating the attractive packaging here – and I prefer the weight and balance HTC has created.
I'd definitely chuck it in a case though. After two days I'd already dented the bottom through it falling a foot onto the floor, and those nicks are really noticeable on the premium casing.
Screen
One thing HTC gets lambasted for is the extra space around the screen, with people saying the HTC logo doesn't need to be on there, surrounded by a black bar that many think is there for show.It isn't. It's packing screen components that have to go somewhere as HTC has extended the length of the One M9 through the need for decent audio chambers to pump out BoomSound – and I'd rather have the powerful speakers than an identikit smartphone.
The M9 is actually a little smaller than before, despite having the same 5-inch screen as last year. In fact, it's an identical screen to last year's model with a 1080p SuperLCD display covered in Gorilla Glass.
There are undoubtedly performance improvements, but like last year, HTC is being cagey about them. What is apparent is the screen's colours are rich, the gap between glass and display is low and the response under the finger is noticeably sharper.
The screen's 441PPI is perfectly sharp and doesn't really offer a lot less than the QHD screens that are starting to flood the market. Well, more not so much "flood" as "gradually drip," but they are coming.
The only functional reason I can see to stick a super-sharp display into a screen below six inches in size is to allow for virtual reality headsets, which magnify the screen and can cause pixelation. However, HTC isn't using the phone as the base of its VR Vive headset, so there's not really any need here.
The 5-inch screen is a fraction smaller than the competition on the market right now, with many other brands choosing to go 5.1-inch and above – but again, 5 inches seems like a fine choice here. There's a fair amount of bezel on the One M9 compared to phones like the LG G3 and the Galaxy S6, and that's more pronounced due to the extra metallic lip that's running around the edge of the phone.
But we don't need edge to edge displays unless that's what the phone is about – and HTC's model is geared towards feeling more ergonomic in the hand, so it seems to suit the device.
What's new?
Thinking about what's changed with the One M9 is where you'll realize that HTC has hit a roadblock when it comes to innovation.For a brand that's been so heavily into bringing something extra to the smartphone table – think BoomSound speakers, the duo camera, finding a way to get phone signal through an all-metal body – there's very little to shout about here.
It's disappointing, given I've become used to HTC being the go-to brand for cool new ideas – making the same phone as last year with a little more polish has left me a little deflated.
And yet the phone costs so much more than in previous years – it's even more than an iPhone 6. Perhaps that will drop soon as the market stabilizes, but for now it feels like the brand is asking for more just to get a slightly more refined design.
Surround BoomSound
What's better than hearing things? Hearing them in three dimensions of course! And that's just what HTC says it's done here, adding Dolby support to its BoomSound speakers (both with and without headphones connected) to create a virtual surround sound.What this seems to mean in the real world is that the phone can now pump out sound for "theater" or "music" mode, and further improve the sound quality when you're listening to tunes over headphones.
HTC has also created its own range of earbuds to allow you to get the best out of this optimized sound too, taking advantage of the extra power for your ears.
Happier snapping
HTC has gone bold and ditched the Ultrapixel camera for the new One M9 - well, ditched it from the rear anyway. Last year's sensor is now used on the front of the phone; with the low light ability making selfies looks much better.The rear camera is now a 20.7MP affair, a very similar sensor to the one found in the Sony Xperia Z3 (although made by Toshiba).
It's been heavily revised, and now offers a much sharper image for those that like to zoom into photos. It's lost a little of the low light ability, and colors are more muted, but overall is a much sharper and more competent sensor.
Four more cores
The HTC One M9 is powered by Qualcomm's new all-star Snapdragon 810 chipset, which is offering two sets of four cores (with only one set ever working at any one time), clocked at 1.5GHz and 2GHz.That's backed up by 3GB of RAM, and this combination results in a very fast experience under the finger. It's not perfect still, as Android Lollipop still seems to get in way when doing things like pressing the multi-tasking button and letting the phone lag.
Like a lot of things on this phone it seems that it's fine when 'warmed up' - pressing the multi tasking button will lead to a pause the first time, but press again and it's instant - but the first load is slow.
And there's the issue of heat. HTC has been subjected to some bad press in the build up to this review, with the insane power of the 810 chipset meaning you can really run this phone hot through benchmarks and gaming, although not to the levels being described thanks to recent software updates.
In reality, the phone does get rather warm at times thanks to the metal body dispersing heat more evenly, and while it's clear the Qualcomm chip is running to a higher temperature it's nothing massive.
Go and go and go
The battery life on the HTC range has always been something to keep an eye on, as I've always found it rather 'slippy'. That means that even doing general tasks like browsing the web or checking football scores will munch down battery life a little fast.The One M9 has tried to eradicate that problem by using the Snapdragon 810 chip (which can use a lower power set of cores to get you through the less taxing tasks) as well as whacking in a massive 2840mAh battery, which is only fractionally smaller than the one used in the iPhone 6 Plus.
It's even bigger than the one used in the Samsung Galaxy S6, and combined with the lower pixel count should enable HTC to get a better battery life out of its flagship range.
Except, well, it doesn't. You can read more about this in the Battery section of the review, but HTC still seems unable to build a light interface that doesn't eat power when you don't want it to.
Looking at the statistics it seems that Android updating certain Google services is the main culprit, which is something usually associated with early software, so future updates might solve this.
So it's an OK battery life for HTC, and one that might get you through the day, but it will be close - and it's worse than the battery life on the One M8.
Storage hunting
Here's a big win for HTC: the base (and only) level of storage on the phone is 32GB, which means any apps that need to be kept on the phone's internal memory can do so happily without leading to the dreaded 'delete apps to free up space' message when you need to take a picture or download new software.There's also a microSD slot on board to allow you to get more storage in there as well, with the upper limit of 128GB bringing the total available to 160GB for your One M9.
It's worth remembering that putting loads of extra info into the phone via memory card can have an impact on performance, so don't chuck too much on there that you'll need to use regularly as it will slow the phone down somewhat.
Sensing themes
Sense has been overhauled again for the new phone, with the new version coming with a few little tweaks - although it really looks very similar to the one we got last year.The big changes are through themes and the gallery, with both having a marked effect on the way you personalize your phone. The theme generator is actually pretty cool: take a snap of anything, the phone will analyze the image and create a full palette of colors to use with icons and app headers - plus the font and icon shapes will be altered to match the overall 'ethos' too.
You can choose different styles if you're not completely happy with the way the phone's suggestions work - but it's a very holistic way of making a picture work throughout the phone.
Cloudex sounds like stock broking software, but it's the new way of organizing pictures on your new phone. It allows you to draw from Facebook, the One M9's internal gallery and others to give you a complete look at all your snaps in one place.
It takes a long time to sync up at the start and can munch battery if you're not careful (make sure uploading through mobile data isn't tagged, as this takes a lot power when you're snapping around) but does give you a more rounded view of all your photos across cloud and local services.
Healthy performance
One of the interesting things about phones from the last two years was their ability to track fitness, the idea being that they'll always be in your pocket and therefore will give the best amount of info.Despite partnering with Fitbit last year, HTC decided it needed its own version of a health tracker: HTC Fun Fit. It looks like you'll need to download this though, which is a shame – especially when you see some of the pre-loaded apps on the One M9 that I could live without happily.
Then again, Fun Fit doesn't seem like there's a lot of point to it for a number of reasons. Firstly, the rise of the fitness tracker has shown us that the phone is only so good for tracking steps, as it's not always in the pocket and therefore might not get all the data.
Secondly Fun Fit seems very limited beyond giving you information on what you've done in terms of steps taken or time spent running / walking. It's also a little useless, giving wildly incorrect results when working out how long you've been running for.
As part of a larger app, this stuff is great – and I love the cartoonish avatars, the ability to instantly sync up with friends using the app on Facebook and the different levels of activity on offer as you trot around through the day.
However, there's no end game here with HTC's option. No training plans or motivation to do more – so who's this for? The average non-exerciser will idly look at it, intrigued by their stats at the start, but with no motivation to go further.
It's a good app in that it's well-designed, but that's about it.
Interface and performance
The Sense interface on the HTC One M9 is still one of the most cultured and sophisticated around – far better than Samsung's TouchWiz and far more powerful than iOS - and with the addition of Android Lollipop it's been given another boost forward in terms of functionality.There are still a lot of swipes needed to get around, which may put some people off, but it's simple to pick up and rewards you for playing with lots of subtle tricks.
The interface hasn't really been overhauled that much in the last year, and given most of the updates below will be coming to the HTC One M8 (and possibly even the M7) it seems like the reason to get them on the current model is slightly limited.
That said, they're still great ways to drive through the phone, and the nimbleness of the Snapdragon 810 chip means most of the touches are buttery smooth and quick. There are still pauses, judders and stumbles though, which I don't expect in a phone of this level.
BlinkFood
I'll be honest here: I'm a fan of BlinkFeed, but I've barely used it on this review device. I only remembered it was there after a couple of days of using the phone, and even then I found the motivation to go through and set up all my favorite sites wasn't something I wanted to do.There's something about Blinkfeed that's not evolved in the way I wanted it to, even though I was promised two years ago it would become really intuitive.
I really like the theory and when I'm sitting there waiting for something and I want to idly read some stuff for a few minutes, it's always great to have it there.
But then I realized that I don't want to keep snacking. I want something more substantial. After a couple of years of flicking past interesting tidbits of info, I'm not feeling full.
Blinkfeed needs to evolve, become something more substantial - and there was an attempt to do that here, with the service keeping an eye on where you are and the time, and showing you nearby restaurants and eateries that would be perfect for you based on Yelp recommendations.
However, this option doesn't seem to know anywhere in the UK, as it's never once recommended a place to eat, although it is working well enough in the US.
Either way, I don't want it - the times when I fancy a place to eat that I've not tried are few, so the One M9 telling me what's nearby each lunchtime isn't going to be helpful.
Ideally, this service should know the EXACT moments that I'll be looking for a new place to eat (when calendar invites show lunch, for instance) rather than just generically. If it worked now, I'd have turned it off.
The lockscreen does tell me when the sunset and sunrise is coming, which is nice. Always good to know when the vampires are going to be out.
New notifications
This isn't something that's particularly new, but for those of you thinking about upgrading from the HTC One M7 or other phone from 2013, the improvements on Sense are really cool.The lockscreen now shows information in strips which can be flipped away when not wanted, or double tapped to open in the relevant app. It's a neat system, and shows Google and HTC have worked well together to integrate the option with Sense.
In the pull down bar, there's often a lot going on though. With Google Now just chucking information at you (you'll get the option if you search for anything in the dedicated bar on the home screen) as well as apps telling you information, music widgets popping up and more, it's quite busy.
Another pull down will show the quick settings and the integration of all this together makes a lot of sense to me. It's one of those things to be experienced rather than read about, but with a few minutes of use it all makes sense.
Sense Home
Sense Home is one of the big things HTC is talking about with the One M9, a widget that lives on the home screen to show you the apps you use the most.The clever trick is that the phone will work out where Home, Work and the more generic 'Out' zones are, and populate the apps accordingly - and you can set these locations yourself.
It generally works well too, although you can't tell it to NOT put certain apps there - Tinder fans probably won't want others to see that on the front screen.
By default HTC has also lobbed 'smart folders' into the mix, showing suggested apps and those you've downloaded.... but these are really poor and should be switched off. The suggestions are random and the titles truncated - not what you'd expect from a flagship phone.
I like the idea of having different apps for different times, and generally they were pretty good. However, I still found that after a week the eight slots weren't filled with my most-used apps, so I hope this gets more accurate over time.
Gestures
Gestures are back from the HTC One M8, allowing you to wake the phone into certain modes when locked. The main gesture is double tapping the blank screen to unlock it, something Nokia invented and LG made popular. Given how hard it is to find the power button at times, this ability is useful - plus you can now double tap to turn the screen off too.Flicking up from the bottom of the display bypasses the lock screen altogether if you've not got security on, and when I remembered to use it I found it quite a useful ability.
Plus you can drag down from the top or other side to open straight into voice dialing or Blinkfeed, although these are turned off by default.
The main thing that's annoyed me from last year is still there though: if the phone is asleep on the desk, you can't wake it without picking it up or knocking the One M9 first. I'm sure the screen doesn't stay constantly waiting for a tap or swipe input when asleep to save battery, but the LG range seems to be able to do it with better power management.
But this gesture unlock is one of the best thing HTC has done in a while, and it should be applauded for keeping it present.
Keyboard
While I don't want it to sound like I'm bashing the One M9 too much in the interface section, the keyboard is another place where HTC has let a lead go.The brand used to be synonymous with an excellent and accurate keyboard, but it's so far behind the likes of SwiftKey that it's hard not to recommend you don't download a better option from the Play Store as soon as possible.
The accuracy is OK, but the word predictions are rarely correct. On top of that, the phone will only let you put in a word that's not in the dictionary if you explicitly to so - and it won't default to that the next time.
It's not terrible, but HTC used to be the best default keyboard on any phone, where now it's just OK.
Excellent contact integration
One thing HTC does do really well is make the phone section really easy to use, with the clever join between your contacts on handset and social networks almost seamless.For instance the smart linking between your friends on the phone and the profiles on Facebook and Twitter is excellent. And on top of that, the One M9 can pull in HD pictures from Facebook profiles so when you get called it's not from a blurry, pixelated mess.
It can take a while for the app to overwrite the fuzzy pictures with the HD options, but it will shake itself out eventually. Given phones like the iPhone 6 still can't get close to this kind of happy integration (nor do they have smart dialing, where you can easily tap out numbers to get to friends' profiles) so HTC should be applauded for this effort.
Performance
The performance of the HTC One M9 is excellent, as noted. There are too many judders in this early version of the software that I anticipate will be ironed out in a very short time, but when it's opening apps or searching the web everything is crisper than last year.I wish I could it say it would stay that way for the next two years that you'll own this phone, but when you start filling it with apps you'll get an inevitable slowdown as they start doing things in the background.
Always keep things clean and safe, kids. A factory reset once in a while doesn't hurt.
The GeekBench 3 results show a very impressive score, and remember this isn't really the full performance of the phone as HTC has throttled it slightly so it doesn't go burning hot.
That points out something huge about today's phones: they're pointlessly powerful. The octa-core processor can be pushed to insane speeds if you don't care too much about battery, but in day to day life it won't hit anywhere close to that limit, meaning HTC can dial back the power without a worry.
With that in mind, why does it matter how powerful the phone is? It's like buying a high performance sports car that will never see the track. It's good to know you've got that headroom to put your foot down when you want it, and the acceleration is great, but push it too hard and you'll be in trouble.
Even with the lower power, the HTC One M9 is one of the most powerful smartphones we've tested, though topped by the insane skills of the iPad Air 2.
For gaming, flying through multiple apps and more it's got the power – but then when you're trying to browse high resolution pictures in the gallery and it takes a second to load the fully sharp image, that experience is ruined.
Shout out for call quality though – the ability to grab signal is very good indeed, which is even more impressive when you think how much metal is in this phone.
Metal usually equals no phone signal at all, so it's good to see that HTC has somehow managed to improve this area. I was a really big fan of using the One M9 to make something as old-fashioned as a phone call.
Battery
Battery life on the HTC One M9 should be brilliant in comparison to what's been before. The Snapdragon 801 chipset finally made an HTC phone decent at lasting throughout a day last year, and with a larger power pack and an improvement from Qualcomm things should be awesome.Sadly, they're not. I'm not saying that it's a problem and this phone won't last long enough to tap out a couple of tweets, but the performance hasn't been moved on much from last year.
The issue is that the phone heats up really easily doing the most mundane of tasks. Anything that takes a little bit of wireless connection is a quick way to watch it drop, be it mobile data or listening to music over headphones.
Where most phones these days won't have much of an issue losing no more than 10% on my morning commute, even with a bit of video action, the One M9 has dropped as much as 17% through Bluetooth music streaming and emails, which is odd as this doesn't usually munch too much power.
The good news is Google's new Android 5.0 gives you a good way of checking the problems, letting you shut down (or get rid of) the apps which are misbehaving.
However, in this case it's 'Google Services' which is the issue, elements fundamental to the running of the phone, which means there's not a lot to be done about it.
I usually see this in the first few days of reviewing, but the issue has pervaded. I do think it's just early days for the software, something keeping the phone from going too deeply into sleep when nothing is happening.
However that doesn't mean you can lean on the One M9 too heavily for playing games or watching videos, which is irritating if you want to have a little bit of battery left at the end of the day.
Gaming is really heavy on the battery, with a quick 15 minute game sometimes sucking 10% juice - although the issue is often that mobile games these days are constantly communicating with servers for online play or in app purchases, which hurts the battery.
Running TechRadar's standard battery test on the One M9, where we looped a 90 min full HD video at maximum brightness showed that the new HTC phone was one of the worst performers of recent times, with 31% of the battery disappearing.
If you consider that the LG G Flex 2, another big phone on the market with the Snapdragon 810 chipset, only lost 13% in the same test, then you'll see that there's something going on with the software here.
I also ran the same test on the newly-Lollipopped HTC One M8 and HTC One M7, and they managed 24% and 30% respectively - and the phone from 2013 had barely enough battery to make it through the day too. This shows that for some reason HTC has managed to go backwards in battery life, even with the larger capacity and theoretically more efficient processor.
I'm confident battery life will improve, but it's actually a small step back from the One M8, which can be had for nearly half the price of the new version, and that's just not good enough.
The other big thing here is QuickCharge 2.0 – although this offers a pretty amazing 60% charge in just 30 mins, the charger in the box isn't QuickCharge enabled to get the maximum speeds on offer.
This is just ludicrous – I thought by this point that they'd be standard as the tech began appearing in phones last year. It's really frustrating that you'll need to spend so much more given this is an already expensive phone.
Camera
HTC's given up on the UltraPixel idea with the One M9, at least for its main camera. Instead it's gone for the same 20.7MP sensor found in the Sony Xperia Z3, aiming to wow with the higher number of megapixels stuffed in.
That step away from Ultrapixels is a big disappointment, as HTC was the one big Android brand striking out against the need for loads of pixels to take a good picture, instead going for the innovative combo of a 4MP sensor that could nab loads of light and a secondary sensor for clever effects.
So how good is the new camera, trying to stand shoulder to shoulder with the best from Samsung and Sony? A good camera today needs to have a fast start up and shutter speed, excellent detail, accurate color reproduction and good low light performance, and it's clear HTC has gone in hard for all of these.
The One M9 generally has a very good performance in most conditions, whether it's low light, bright scenes or changeable conditions. The sharpness of the pictures is clear and the color tone, although a little more muted, looks more mature than the over-coloration of the One M8.
What's clear is there's a lot of post-processing going on throughout the photography process, and it's very good for the most part. It's evident that HTC has tried to offset the loss of low-light performance by boosting the exposure after the shutter is pressed – but this results in a lot of noise.
The flash isn't brilliant either, with the high power light taking over night pictures. The amber LED in there is designed to help improve skin tone, and while it does do that, the entire snap is a little over exposed.
The big annoyances here, though, are the shutter speed (and, to an extent, the start up time, which is far behind the iPhone 6 and the Galaxy S6) and the time taken to autofocus as well.
The biggest culprit was HDR mode, which forced the One M9 to pause for a while before even beginning to start processing the shot in darker conditions. Again, this isn't the sort of thing I'd have expected from a next-generation processor.
And the result, thanks to the lack of autofocus and the slow start to processing, is often muddy and lacks definition.
So while low light performance has dipped appreciably, the general performance has more than improved enough to take its place. In general daylight, I was really impressed with the performance of the One M9. OK, it's nothing different to the rest of the market, but it gives you quality and sharpness time and again.
The field of view is lowered though, thanks to the higher number of megapixels. This means you don't get as much info into the sensor, and where Apple is improving this year on year, HTC just took a step backwards to get more pixels into the mix.
The front facing camera, now using the UltraPixel sensor from the rear of the One M8, is miles better.
It captures a huge amount of detail and really removes the need for a flash – something a lot of people have been calling for on other handsets.
The beauty modes are still present, with the ability to smooth skin and increase the size of your eyes to a scary level. Face fusion, where you can work out what the demon spawn of you and your friend would look like, is also offered – and great fun down the bar.
The other area that HTC has traditionally been strong is the after effects party, with the Zoe ability to take short videos and mix them with pictures a really cool trick.
This year, Zoe has been moved to a separate app, been taken off as a camera option and been replaced in post processing with a lot of, well, useless effects.
I don't really get why HTC is making such a big deal about the ability to do things like double expose your photos – they just end up looking like you've messed up two snaps, unless they happen to perfectly complement one another.
Similarly the prism and stripe effects, allowing you to 'remix' your image – it just seems like a good way to create a Pink Floyd album cover. It doesn't make them look any better, and it's certainly not something I'd share on social media and be proud of.
Camera samples
Click here to see the full res image
Click here to see the full res image
Click here to see the full res image
Click here to see the full res image
Click here to see the full res image
Click here to see the full res image
Click here to see the full res image
Click here to see the full res image
Click here to see the full res image
Click here to see the full res image
Click here for the full res image
Click here to see the full res image
Music, TV and movies
One area that HTC has firmly wedged itself into is entertainment: whether that's using the phone for watching movies, listening to music, playing games or even letting it control your whole media system, the One M9 is really rather good for all of these things.The BoomSound speakers should get the credit for a lot of things here, as they're the reason that HTC has managed to bag the tag of being so good at audio.
When I first heard what HTC was doing with these in 2013, I thought it was a stupid idea - making a phone better at playing sounds out loud was just going to appeal to the juvenile delinquents who play tinny music on a bus, right?
But then I found that I would put music on when working at home, show YouTube video to friends and even use the handset without headphones when using guided exercise apps - things I've never done before with a standard phone.
The sound is rich and loud, the extra space HTC allows meaning there's a lot of room for the audio to echo and gain in timbre. In short, it worked - and even the internal BoomSound optimizations were smart. Using the technology again makes sense - I'm still not convinced that the speakers couldn't have been made smaller in the same way as on other Desire devices in the HTC line.
It seems this is equal parts branding as it is technology holding back - HTC wants the speakers to be seen to give the impression of a flagship phone. I get that, but a slightly sleeker device would have felt like a step forward this year.
Music
Enough of the look of the speakers though - how impressive is the audio capability of this phone? Very good, putting it simply.The HTC BoomSound integration with Dolby technology really does improve the quality of the music, whether with or without headphones.
When listening to music through the speakers, the One M9 will automatically add a notification at the top of the screen to let you know which 'mode' the BoomSound speakers are pumping audio out in, either theater or music.
It's irritating that the phone doesn't switch this automatically, as it's clear that if you're using Netflix you'll need to be in theater mode, and if Spotify is up, then it's music.
Speaking of the streaming service, the music app on the One M9 is starting to feel a little redundant given the popularity of on-demand music, which explains why nothing has really changed of late with the app, apart from making it look more like the Google Play icon and thus causing confusion when selecting it in your apps menu.
If you do have a full audio arsenal of MP3s to throw onto your One M9, then you'll be pleased with the experience, as it's got downloadable lyrics, clever visualizations and a bright and clear interface.
There's no hi-res audio on offer though, and this is starting to trickle through as something people are looking for in a phone. Both LG and Sony are making a big deal of it, and Tidal is growing in popularity as a high resolution streaming option. I don't think HTC has missed out by not including it here, but it would have been a nice improvement.
Video
Watching video on the HTC One M9 is fine, although the automatic brightness settings are a little on the dim side. Even watching stuff in bed, where a low brightness is OK, I found that I wanted to keep pushing the clarity of the display up, which obviously affects battery life.HTC still hasn't got a dedicated video app, so if you want to sideload any video onto the device then you'll need to find it in the Gallery app or through Google Play Movies, but it's not particularly onerous to do so.
The sharpness and contrast ratios are impressive though, and if you've got the phone propped up somewhere then the BoomSound speakers make a nice addition.
I've yet to notice anything coming close to Dolby virtual surround sound coming out of them when it comes to watching video though. To me, surround sound is when you have moments where you're not sure if there's someone approaching to the side - all I felt here was that the dialogue was clearer.
That's not a bad thing, but don't get excited and think that buying this phone will replace a home cinema system. Then again if you did, I'd worry for your sanity.
Peel Smart remote
HTC's SenseTV app has disappeared, to be replaced by the Peel Smart Remote option. Given this was the power behind the app originally, it makes sense that HTC should cease bothering putting its own skin on and let the current app do the talking.
It's an odd app in terms of quality, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. When displaying what shows are on, or those you might like, the pictures look low res and stretched as it pulls them from the local channel servers.
Given this is one of the first things you'll see when turning on the app it won't fill you with glee.
But go a little further and you'll see that this is a very powerful app indeed. The set up for the main TVs couldn't be easier, and by simply entering your post code the channels are almost always spot on.
In less than 30 seconds of powering up the app you can be browsing channels and watching a TV that you've not been able to use remotely for years (we've all got one where the remote has been missing for a while, right?) and setting up a TV from a big brand is speed personified.
The interface is slick and easy to use, and the ability to call up the EPG on the remote screen is really cool. Plus I can never tire of pressing a button for a channel and watching the phone press all the buttons in the right order to make sure that the right pictures pop up.
Who doesn't like automation like that?
One annoying thing that kept happening was the fact programs I'd just watched and decided not to continue with remained in the notification bar, even if the app was closed down.
I'd wager that HTC's biggest problem here is letting people know that their phone is such a powerful remote. Given so many people asked me what the top section of dark plastic was for on the phone, it's clear not many know that this is a device with an infrared blaster packed in.
But if that's HTC's hardest problem to solve then it's not a bad thing at all.
Gaming
The Adreno 430 GPU in the HTC One M9 is definitely strong enough to be one of the better options on the market for general gaming - in fact, there's very little that can be thrown at it that will cause the phone to crash or stutter.That means you can play something like Real Racing 3 or Into the Dead and combine it with the rich sound from the BoomSound speakers to get a really decent experience, and the sensitivity of the touchscreen is something that makes it a real joy to use.
Sadly I'm still yet to find a phone that really does let me use it as a console, with an easy connection to the TV with a Bluetooth controller attached.
What fails to work here is the latency: connecting the phone wirelessly or through a MHL lead (which is supported) still results a slightly laggy experience if you've got a controller attached through Bluetooth on the phone, so all that raw power can't be exploited.
As a mobile gaming unit it's pretty good - as long as you can handle the dramatic loss in battery power - and I've not found much incompatibility for titles on the One M9.
The competition
The HTC One M9 is a very good phone, mostly let down by the fact the one from last year was brilliant. The only reason it's judged so harshly is the fact that in 2015 it's got so many other brilliant phones to steal its thunder - so if you're looking for an alternative, these are the ones to look at.Samsung Galaxy S6
The Galaxy S6 is definitely the phone that most HTC users will be thinking about instead, especially if they're into the Android ecosystem.
While HTC managed to reboot its ailing flagship franchise two years ago, it's taken Samsung until now to manage the same thing - and boy, has it done it.
There's nothing particularly outstanding about the S6, but it manages to do everything very well. The camera is feature-packed and offers up brilliant snaps, with a more-than-decent 16MP low-light sensor. The processor is an Exynos 7420, built in-house and hyper-powerful, and the QHD screen really adds clarity to the mix.
However, that's likely more to do with the Super AMOLED technology underpinning than the crystal clear resolution on offer - after all, there's only so much sharpness the human eye can discern. It doesn't stop images looking amazing on it though.
The main issues you'll have to deal with are poor battery life (with a smaller battery pack and higher res screen, it's understandable that this would be slightly shorter in the power department) and the higher price: Samsung's charging iPhone-esque prices here, so while the One M9 is expensive, Samsung's taken that one up a level.
iPhone 6
If I was going to recommend a phone over the One M9, the iPhone 6 would be it as they're so alike in terms of design prowess – and even the price has evened out.
However, the similarity is only in the effort put into build quality, as where the One M9 is well balanced and weighty, the iPhone 6 is very light and flat.
It still feels very much like a premium phone, and although the screen isn't as sharp, it still looks gorgeous to the point of not really noticing unless you compare.
In terms of the app selection and the general performance, it's on a par with the One M9, and the battery life is very similar too. It really comes down to whether you want to pay the extra cash and if you're an iPhan - if not, the build quality and general luster of HTC's option is excellent.
HTC One M8
And we come to my biggest issue, that the predecessor to the One M9 is actually a little bit better.
While it does lack in terms of spec, it manages to more than make up for it in cost, coming in between half and two thirds the price of the One M9 on contract.
And I can't really say what's that much worse with it. The battery life is actually a touch better, the build quality not miles away and the camera not terrible in comparison. OK, the new 20.7MP camera on the One M9 is stronger, but it doesn't have the innovative Duo Camera sensor for really cool effects.
I'm pretty sure the Sense experience from the One M9 will make its way to this device soon too - so really, with the same screen, a more palatable price and a little longer in the battery, is this actually the better phone?
LG G3
The LG range is always going to be a thorn in HTC's side, as it can offer a premium smartphone experience for a lower price, as it channels its marketing budget back into the phone's cost.
The QHD screen is the real talking point here, but it doesn't really offer that much more than HTC does, and the build quality of the new HTC flagship far outstrips the faux-metal of LG's best.
The LG G4 will obviously give HTC a much better run for its money, but the G3 is still a solid option given it's a very cheap handset for the tech inside.
Sony Xperia Z3
With the Sony Xperia Z4 (or rather the Sony Xperia Z3+) still not globally available, last year's Z3 is the closest challenger to HTC's One M9 - although in my eyes there's very little competition.
It has price as a winner, and despite packing a very similar sensor the camera performance is superior from Sony thanks to better optimization. It's also got a longer battery life too, thanks to the enhanced Stamina Mode.
But it's in the interface and design that HTC is the winner here, as it's got a much better way of bringing the cool bits of the phone to the surface through BlinkFeed and clever notifications at the right time.
The Xperia Z3+ will be landing soon, but as the name suggests it's not much of an upgrade and the HTC One M9 still gives it a serious run for its money.
Verdict
For me, a flagship phone needs to hit a lot of marks to be considered impressive: it has to have cutting-edge performance, beautiful design, a powerful camera, long battery life and not be too hard on the pocket.
Last year HTC hit nearly all these marks, with the One M8 excelling in every area. OK, it wasn't cheap, but nor was it the most expensive on the market. It didn't have the best camera, but it was the most innovative.
This year, HTC isn't at the top of any of those categories apart from design, where it still shows the rest of the market how it should be done. It's raised the price by nearly 8% and yet doesn't deliver any discernible upgrades beyond a more mature camera and slightly more professional speakers. It's all nuanced tweaks, not powerful improvements.
I think I'm most disappointed by the camera used here. I was expected HTC to come out all guns blazing, showing us that it really did believe the megapixel myth was something to be fought, that lower MP counts really do count for something.
Instead of the next generation of duo camera, an 8MP Ultrapixel sensor or similar, it seems to have thrown in the towel and decided to try and make more megapixels work… you know, just like everyone else.
We liked
This is a phone that has all the DNA of the HTC One M8 and polishes it well. Theme creator adds a lot of personalization to create an emotional attachment with the phone, and the Sense Home widget seems to be really useful too.
I thought I'd be getting rid of it straight away as I've seen this tried over and over again by other brands, but it's actually useful and surfaces the best stuff at the right time.
The main thing I liked is the design though. It's easily the best on the market, feeling almost hand-crafted with a great aesthetic and great feeling in the hand – this is the One range grown up.
And while things like BoomSound, BlinkFeed and Sense haven't necessarily been improved much, they're still really great features that HTC is rightly proud of, showing it's still a market leading brand.
We disliked
Sadly, there's more to criticize this year than I've had in the last couple of years. The first is the battery: I'm expecting next generation power management in 2015, as most of the smartphone buying world is, and instead I get something that's a step backwards.That's a reduction in power with no discernible reason either – the full HD screen isn't any different from last year, the battery is bigger and the software presumably stable. So why on earth are we not seeing at least 36 hours of battery life where I'm not even getting a day?
The camera is more powerful than I was expecting but I'm still disappointed in the loss of the UltraPixel and duo camera combo. I wanted to see an 8MP advance on last year, maintaining the strong snapping speed, and instead I got a sensor with the same specs as the one Sony's been pushing for over a year – although it does take some great pics on occasion.
The biggest issue I have with the One M9 is that it doesn't impress me as other models have. Good design is fine, but it seems like HTC's just remade the phone from last year as it didn't have anything new to add into the mix. Taking the DNA from the One M7 and One M8 doesn't mean that's fine for a new handset.
Verdict
Let me make one thing clear: the HTC One M9 is an excellent phone, filled to the brim with good features, a clever interface and a design that it should rightly be proud of, once again showing every other brand how it should be done.The issue is that it doesn't improve enough. The One M8 was pretty much the perfect phone, and not much has changed year on year… in fact, HTC has gone backwards on battery life and hasn't really done much more than polish throughout the phone.
Except perhaps in the camera, where things are improved and needed to be given that was somewhere HTC was struggling to gain consumer support. It's now just the same experience as on every other phone though, and I miss last year's innovation.
HTC hasn't been as arrogant as Apple by simply bringing out an S version of its phone though – there are some genuine upgrades, which are evident the second you put the One M9 in the hand. It makes the design of last year's model look sloppy in comparison, for instance.
This is a phone sold on precision, but comes with far too many ragged edges to be considered worthy of a perfect score again.
It's all tweaks and polish, an admission that HTC managed to create something brilliant last year and is loathe to deviate too far from that formula. Which is a shame, as this is a brand I've almost come to rely upon to offer genuinely useful innovation time and again.
Fingers crossed 2016 will see something from HTC that lives up to that ideal. But this year we've just got a good phone - a pretty darn good one - but not brilliant.
Read More ...
Review: Updated: Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
Introduction and design
The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is the latest entrant in Sony's rapidly expanding line of Xperia Z handsets. Though the original Xperia Z was only launched in March 2013, there have since been three main entries into Sony's flagship line (the Xperia Z1, Xperia Z2 and the new Xperia Z3) along with tablets and the occasional compact variant.The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is the smaller version of Sony's latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z3. As has become customary with Sony's compact variants, the Xperia Z3 Compact shares quite a bit of technology with its bigger brother, but is it more than just a shrunk down version?
With a 4.6-inch screen (compared to the Xperia Z3's 5.2-inch) and an asking price of £429 (around US$703, AU$792) , the Xperia Z3 Compact is one of the more expensive mini variants of flagship smartphones that we've seen.
The LG G2 Mini, for example, comes in at around £180 ($295, AU$332), whilst the HTC One Mini 2's asking price is around the £300 ($492, AU$554) mark, both quite a bit under the Xperia Z3 Compact's price tag.
The Z3's price tag puts it more in line with smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8.
Positioning the Xperia Z3 Compact against other companies' flagship handsets, rather than the pared down mini variants, might seem like a risky move on Sony's part. However while smaller versions of flagship phones have often sacrificed a number of features of their larger brethren, the Xperia Z3 Compact does a very good job of keeping up with the full size Xperia Z3.
That doesn't mean that compromises haven't been made, however, and thankfully it seems that Sony has managed to keep these to a minimum.
Design
The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact takes design cues from the bigger Xperia Z3, along with the Xperia Z devices that have come before, namely in the OmniBalance design.The idea behind Sony's OmniBalance design is that the Xperia Z3 Compact should be comfortable to hold no matter what you're using the smartphone for, be it taking videos, making calls, playing games and more.
Another tenet of the OmniBalance ethos is that the phone should look great from any angle. From my time with the Xperia Z3 Compact I can certainly vouch for the comfort aspect of the OmniBalance design of the handset.
Throughout using it the Xperia Z3 Compact felt comfortable, no matter what task I was performing with it. Though it has a rather stark look to it, the rounded corners certainly help make it feel nice to hold.
This is helped by the dimensions of the Xperia Z3 Compact. Though there's nothing particularly compact about its 4.6-inch display, the thin bezels around the screen don't just make the body look good, but it keeps the dimensions down to 127 x 64.9 x 8.6mm.
The smaller size of the screen and body of the Xperia Z3 Compact is one of the areas that the Compact may have an advantage over its bigger sibling, depending on your preferences for the size of your smartphone.
While 5-inch and above smartphones are certainly growing in popularity, with Apple being particularly pleased with the reception its 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus has received, not everyone will be comfortable with the Xperia Z3's 5.2-inch screen and 146 x 72 x 7.3mm dimensions.
By offering a very similar experience but with a smaller form factor, the Xperia Z3 Compact could find a receptive audience with those who haven't been swayed with the phablet craze.
I certainly didn't have any trouble reaching each corner of the screen with the thumb of the hand I was holding the Xperia Z3 Compact in. Helping with the comfort, the Xperia Z3 compact weighs just 129g with a thickness of 8.6mm.
While the comfort of the Xperia Z3 Compact is pretty evident, aesthetics are far more subjective. To my eye, however, the Xperia Z3 Compact again impresses. It manages to be minimal without looking plain, with Gorrila Glass covering the front and back, giving it an attractive and premium look.
Around the edge of the Xperia Z3 Compact is a translucent plastic surround. While it helps cushion impacts if you drop the Z3 Compact, it also gives the phone a premium frosted look that works very well.
As with previous entrants in the Xperia Z line, the Z3 compact is dust and waterproof, with IP65 and IP68 ratings, which among other things means it can be submerged in up to 1.5m of fresh water for 30 minutes.
This means that most ports are hidden under plastic covers. While it might prove to be a mild annoyance to have to remove the plastic cover every time you want to charge the Xperia Z3 compact, you'll probably be glad of it if you ever drop the phone in the bath. The covers also help give the body a much tidier look.
One port that doesn't need to be covered to be waterproof is the headphone jack, which is convenient while not compromising the waterproof nature of the Xperia Z3 Compact. However, we're starting to see opened charging ports for water resistant phones, which would have been great here.
Button placement on the Xperia Z3 Compact is the same as on the full size Xperia Z3. While the power button's location in the middle of the right-hand side is a welcome relief for users of the larger Xperia Z3 who don't have to stretch to the top side of the phone's body, with the smaller Z3 Compact the placement doesn't feel quite so essential.
However, the power button, along with the volume controls and the camera button below it, are all comfortable to reach. Though they don't protrude much from the phone's body, they still feel responsive with a satisfying click when pressed.
The Xperia Z3 Compact comes in four different colours: white, black, orange and green. I had a chance to use both the green and white versions, and both looked very good. The orange and green versions share the same black front as the black version, while the white variant is white all over.
The design of the Xperia Z3 Compact isn't perfect, however, with the screen being a veritable magnet for fingerprints. I was often wiping the screen to rid it of paw marks, and though it's not a major issue in the grand scheme of things, it's never nice to have a touchscreen that makes you feel guilty about laying a finger on it.
Also while Sony's ability to cram a lot of power into a relatively small device should be applauded, the Xperia Z3 Compact has a habit of getting very hot during medium to heavy use. An hour's worth of browsing the internet over Wi-Fi made the body quite warm to touch.
A few minutes of using the camera along with some of its more intensive video modes again heats the Xperia Z3 Compact up and can cause the camera app to shut down unexpectedly.
- Here's all the info we have on the Sony Xperia Z4
Key features
Perhaps the biggest selling point of the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is how well Sony has managed to fit most of the features, specs and overall experience of the Sony Xperia Z3 into a smaller and cheaper handset.Often a smaller variant of a flagship smartphone comes with a number of compromises that keeps it from reaching the lofty heights of its larger brethren.
For example, the HTC One Mini 2 has a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor and 1GB of RAM,compared to the full size HTC One M8's 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 and 2GB of RAM.
Feature parity
It's to Sony's credit, then, that the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact doesn't suffer from such large discrepancies compared to its bigger sibling.Both feature a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor along with an Adreno 330 GPU. Both feature the same camera as well, with a 20.7MP Exmor RS sensor with a 25mm G Lens and ISO 12800 settings.
That doesn't mean they're both identical in specs, and there have been compromises. While the Xperia Z3 comes with 3GB or RAM, the Z3 Compact has to make do with 2GB, still more than enough for most uses, and as we recently found out it's still double the RAM you'll find in Apple's more expensive iPhone 6.
Regardless of that compromise, I feel that Sony has done a great job at making sure you don't feel penalised for going with the smaller phone. If you'd rather go for the smaller form factor of the Xperia Z3 Compact, you won't feel like you're missing out.
Brighter screen
Another key feature of the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is the screen. Sony is a huge company with a lot of fingers in a lot of pies. While this hasn't always worked in Sony's favour, it has its upsides, with technology from its TV and camera divisions winding up in the Xperia Z3 Compact.These features include proprietary Sony technology found in its Bravia TVs such as Triluminos and Live Colour LED, which are used to make the colours as vibrant as possible on the Z3 Compact. Cutting through the marketing speak, what this leaves us with is a very impressive looking display that does deliver on vivid colours.
Viewing angles of the IPS screen are also good, though best results are still when viewing the display head on. Brightness levels of the display have also been boosted, with the Z3 Compact's screen able to reach 600nits, compared to the 460nits of the Xperia Z2.
Taking the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact outside, even in bright direct sunlight, I was still able to view the screen without any problem. This is a really brilliant upgrade that has excellent real world benefit.
However, with the screen another compromise has been made with the shrunken down handset. While the Xperia Z3's 5.2-inch display can handle full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution, the Z3 Compact's 4.6-inch display only reaches 729 x 1280.
I say 'only' but that resolution on the Z3 Compact's 4.6-inch screen results in a pixel density of 319ppi (pixels per inch). This is a fairly decent level of pixel density (the iPhone 6's 4.7-inch 750x1334 screen equates to 326ppi for comparison), and image quality was sharp and clear.
However I can't help but be a bit disappointed that Sony didn't go for 1080p on the Z3 Compact as well, to make the screen truly stunning.
Sony apps
The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact's final key feature's appeal will vary depending on how much of a Sony fan you are. Sony's handset is closely integrated with a number of Sony services, most obviously the Sony Entertainment Network. This comprises of the video streaming and rental service Video Unlimited, Sony's Spotify competitor Music Unlimited and the PlayStation Network.
If you're heavily invested in the Sony ecosystem, then you'll probably be quite pleased. However, if you already have a Netflix account for movies and a Spotify one for music, then Sony's own offerings won't be of much interest, and there's little to encourage you from ditching your subscriptions and going with Sony.
Of course you can get Netflix, Spotify and other apps on the Xperia Z3 Compact, but it then leaves you with a number of Sony's own apps that will sit there not being used.
Remote Play
As with its bigger sibling, the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact features Remote play, which lets PlayStation 4 owners stream games from the console to the Z3 Compact.Being able to stream console quality games to the Z3 Compact almost sounds too good to be true, and when the Xperia Z3 Compact initially launched without the Remote Play feature, I was slightly concerned that it might come in a potted-down version... or worse, not at all.
However it didn't take Sony that long to implement the feature, which is just as well as Remote Play proves to be an excellent addition to the Xperia Z3 Compact, making Sony's latest handset even more desirable.
Setting up Remote Play is relatively simple. All I needed to do to enable the feature was to download the Remote Play app from the Google Play store. Once downloaded, I turned on the PlayStation 4 and enabled Remote Play. This gave me a code that I could then type in to the Xperia Z3 Compact to securely log in to the PS4.
I also needed to pair the DualShock 4 controller to the Z3 Compact via Bluetooth. Sony's earlier attempts at using PlayStation controllers with its mobile phones had to be done using a cable, so going wireless is a big improvement - especially as Sony didn't sell the aforementioned lead and didn't explain where to get it.
It can make things a little complicated in other ways, however, as you need to unpair the controller with the PS4 before you pair it with the Z3 Compact. If you don't, and the PS4 is still in range, then the PS4 logs out and the Remote Play session is cancelled.
After using the DualShock 4 with the Z3 Compact you then need to re-pair it with the PS4 if you want to play your console directly. It's relatively straightforward but the process could be simplified and better explained - unless you just buy another controller, which kind of defeats the point.
However I had no complaints at all about the quality of Remote Play with the range of games I tried, which included GTA V and Assassin's Creed: Unity. Even when using Remote Play on another floor of the house Remote Play worked smoothly.
It wasn't flawless, as when other people were using the Wi-Fi network there could be occasional stutters and graphical artefacts, but with a strong Wi-Fi signal I was very impressed.
There was very little input lag whilst playing, which means hardly any delay when using the controller. This is essential for fast-paced action games where every button press is important.
The fact that each game worked well impressed me a great deal. Sound is also streamed through the Z3 Compact's speakers which offer good quality, though audio quality is improved with headphones.
The Z3 Compact's 720p screen means the games aren't quite as impressive looking as on the Z3's 1080p display. However, because of the smaller screen size of the Z3 Compact games still look vibrant and sharp, partly thanks to the additional display technology Sony has shoved in there to offset the lower HD resolution.
At 4.6 -inches the Z3 Compact's screen isn't exactly tiny, but although it does a fine job displaying Remote Play games, if you're thinking of buying a Z3 Compact or Z3 mainly for Remote Play, then you might want to consider going for the larger Z3.
You can also use the touchscreen to control games. This displays a transparent overlay of the DualShock 4 controls on the screen, and it works OK.
However, the Z3 Compact's screen is a bit too small for the feature, so you'd be better off using a physical controller.
Overall I was very impressed with the Remote Play feature on the Xperia Z3 Compact, which is easy to set and up works really well. Being able to stream your PlayStation 4 games to the phone while the TV is being used for something else is a fantastic feature.
It works just as well as on the more expensive Xperia Z3, although the larger screen size and higher resolution of the Z3 gives it a slight edge. However if you've got a PlayStation 4 and fancy playing your games remotely (but not too remotely – Remote Play for the Z3 Compact at the moment only works with Wi-Fi), then the Xperia Z3 Compact easily fits the bill.
Interface and Performance
The Xperia Z3 Compact runs Android 4.4.4 (KitKat), and as is customary with Sony handsets, it comes with Sony's own modified overlay. While in many ways similar to the stock Android experience, there are a few tweaks to the interface.Design wise the interface takes visual cues from the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4's Cross Media Bar UI, with a relaxing background swirl and changing colours. As a long time PlayStation 3 user, I was quite happy with the look, being used to it, but I can appreciate that it won't be for everyone.
If you're not too keen on that look, it's pretty easy to change the wallpaper and theme, either from your own photographs or from a selection of preinstalled pictures and designs.
One nice feature of Sony's own wallpapers is that many of them are panoramic. What this means is that as you swipe between screens, the wallpaper scrolls. It's a nice feature that livens up the background without being distracting.
Elsewhere the experience is similar to stock Android, so if you're already accustomed to Google's mobile operating system, you'll feel at home here.
As I mentioned earlier, Sony has seen fit to include a number of its own apps that link in with its various services, and your reaction to their presence on the Xperia Z3 Compact will range from 'oh that's handy, I've got a subscription for that' to 'why is this app taking up precious space on my phone?'.
I fell somewhere between the two. As a PlayStation owner, I liked the PlayStation app, which let me send and receive messages to my friends on PSN. However, if I had an Xbox rather than a PlayStation, the app would be useless.
Using the app wasn't quite a seamless experience, either. When first setting up the Xperia Z3 Compact I was asked if I had an SEN (Sony Entertainment Network) or PSN account.
As I did, I was able to sign in with it. Ideally that would have been the last time I needed to sign in to that account, with the Xperia Z3 Compact taking care of the rest. However, on using the PlayStation app I was asked to sign in a number of times.
The Walkman app handles music playing duties and was a cute reminder of the days when Sony ruled the portable music player market. The app itself is fine, though it is again tightly integrated with Sony's Music Unlimited service.
Not only does it play your own music, but you can stream and buy new music through Music Unlimited. As I, and I'm sure other people, have no interest in this, this feature isn't much use. Still, at least it doesn't go for too hard a sell to get you buying your music through Music Unlimited, and if you've already got a subscription then you may love this app.
The Walkman app can also find and play music through your home network via DLNA, which is a nice touch.
The Movies app works in a similar way, with the videos you've imported from your PC nestled alongside videos you've taken with the Xperia Z3 Compact's camera as well as video rentals from Sony's Video Unlimited service.
The Album app handles photos and ties in to Sony's PlayMemories Online, which is an online storage service for your photos that offers unlimited storage for free. The app can also find photos on any DLNA devices connected to your network.
The layouts of the apps are attractive, and I was pleased to see that although Sony obviously wants you to use its services, they're not forced upon you, with your own content given prominence. The presence of Sony's services might not appeal to everyone, but I thought Sony wasn't too obnoixious about it.
There are a number of other apps preinstalled, such as AVG AntiVirus and Garmin Navigation Xperia Edition. This is a sat nav device that you can use while driving, which uses the Xperia Z3 Compact's built-in GPS features. The app is free to use for a month, afterwhich you need to pay a subscription to keep using it. The app itself is fine, if a little rough around the edges, with a few extra features over Google Maps that might make you decide to go with a subscription, such as lane and traffic information.
A small LED on the top left-hand side of the body of the Xperia Z3 Compact lights up to give you information without having to turn on the screen and use the main interface. This includes a white light to indicate new messages, a blue light for Facebook updates and more.
It's a handy reminder when you have the phone on a table or desk near you, but it's of little help if the Xperia Z3 Compact is tucked away in your pocket.
Performance
Performance-wise the Xperia Z3 Compact is pretty impressive. As I said earlier, Sony has done a good job with fitting a lot of the Xperia Z3's premium hardware into the smaller body of the Z3 Compact.The 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor means that on paper the Z3 Compact can go toe-to-toe with some of the most powerful smartphones on the market today.
The GeekBench 3 benchmarks I ran to test the handset's prowess came back with scores of 975 for single core performance, and 2798 for multi-core. While single core performance bested the Samsung Galaxy Alpha's 933 score, the Samsung did better with multi-core processing with a score of 3082.
Meanwhile the Z3 Compact was just shy of the HTC One M8's score of 2,899. The last Xperia Compact variant Sony released was the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (the Xperia Z2 was never granted a little brother), which averaged scores of 2884, interestingly slightly higher than the Z3 Compact's score.
Benchmarks may give us a good idea of how well a device performs, but they don't give the whole story. What really matters is how well the device behaves when you're using it for day to day tasks, and in this respect the Xperia Z3 Compact again does very well.
The quad-core processor along with 2GB of RAM keeps Android 4.4.4 with Sony's custom overlay feeling snappy and responsive. Throughout my time with the Xperia Z3 Compact I never noticed the phone feel laggy or slow.
The extra RAM meant that the Z3 Compact didn't have to reload apps or webpages every time I opened up something different, which meant I could switch back and forth between apps quickly.
The only time that the Z3 Compact's performance faltered was when using some of the more intensive camera modes. I'll go into each mode in more detail later, but there are a number of augmented reality modes that can be applied to your photos and videos.
These modes place animated effects, such as fires and even dinosaurs, that can be interacted with by the subject of your photos. These effects require a lot of processing power, and using them for too long (which appeared to be more than five minutes), the phone would heat up and the camera app would sometimes shut down, returning me to the home screen.
These effects, by their very nature, aren't supposed to be used often or for long periods of time, so it's not a major concern, however it is a shame to see such poor performance alongside the Xperia Z3 Compact's generally excellent user experience.
Graphics are driven by an Adreno 330 GPU, which is the same that's found in the Xperia Z3. Game performance was very good, with the Z3 Compact handling a number of graphically intensive games such as EA's Real Racing 3, with aplomb.
Along with the vibrant screen, all the games I tried looked and performed excellently. Due to the fact that the Z3 Compact has the same GPU as the Z3, but with a lower resolution, it could be argued that the Z3 Compact will actually give a better experience, at least framerate wise, compared to its bigger brother.
However, if you want to play games on a bigger screen at full 1080p resolution, you may be happy to take the odd hit to framerate and go with the Z3.
- Here's all the info we have on the Sony Xperia Z4
Battery and the essentials
The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact comes with a decent 2600 mAh battery, which according to Sony results in a talk time of 14 hours and a standby time of 920. In reality, I found that the battery lasted a decent two days with medium to slightly heavy use. This involved browsing the internet on both Wi-Fi and 4G, listening to music and playing games.On lighter use I was pleased to see the Xperia Z3 Compact manage 2 days and 5 hours without the need to charge. This is the sort of usage you'll most likely use regularly.
When the battery reaches a certain level, the Xperia Z3 Compact suggests you switch to stamina mode. When the stamina mode is enabled the Z3 Compact will disable Wi-Fi and mobile data connections while the screen is off, as well as lowering the performance of the phone's hardware to preserve power. This could also be of use if you find the handset is getting too warm when in use.
The stamina mode can be customised to some degree, such as selecting apps that you want to keep active even with stamina mode on, and a mode that helps save power if you use the Z3 Compact regularly to check the time.
With Stamina mode activated, I was able to prolong the battery life for around an additional day, though this was with very light use. When using the Xperia Z3 Compact more intensively Stamina mode failed to provide such an impressive improvement.
Instead, battery life was extended by only a few hours. Because Stamina mode concentrates on turning off app connectivity when the phone is asleep, if the phone is kept awake with near contant use, Stamina mode doesn't get a chance to fully kick in.
Whilst the Z3 Compact was in Stamina mode I didn't notice any performance decreases from the handset whilst in use.
So whilst Stamina mode can eke out more battery life when the phone is left alone, when used constantly it doesn't help that much, which means there's not too much improvement over the Z3 Compact's standard battery life, which thankfully is impressive enough on its own.
There is an ultra stamina mode as well, which severely restricts the Z3 Compact's features to prolong battery life. Essential features such as calls, texts, calendar and even camera are supported, with Sony's estimates showing that enabling the mode will give the Z3 Compact a battery life of over a week.
I was a little disappointed to see that the battery is non-replaceable, however. While this might not be the top of everyone's must have list, I do like the security of knowing that I can replace the battery in the future.
Though I was impressed with how the Z3 Compact kept its battery from depleting too quickly, I was less impressed with how long it took to recharge the phone. Even with the supplied charging block the battery took a while charge compared to other phones, especially the iPhone 6.
In our battery test, where we have a high definition video playing full brightness, the Xperia Z3 Compact's battery was 77% after 90 minutes.
This was much higher than the full size Xperia Z3, which using the same test was left with just 31% of its battery. The Galaxy S5 Mini's battery depleted to 84% during the test, whilst the iPhone 6 held on to 74%.
The essentials
The performance of the Xperia Z3 Compact as a phone is overall very good. Call quality both indoors and outside was very good, and I was impressed with the quality of the speakers when making calls.There are also a few features included to make calls clearer and easier to understand. Background noise suppression does a good job of making my voice clear when making calls in loud environments. You can also turn on speaker voice enhancement which helps boost the voice of the person you're talking to, as well as slow down the speech of the caller.
These features won't be to everyone's tastes or needs but its nice to have the option.
Messaging
The default messaging app is pretty much the same found in stock Android and does a perfectly serviceable job of displaying your messages. The keyboard is large and easy to use, and you can either type out your messages, or use swipe gestures to type, as you would with the Swype keyboard, which works really well.Sony has included tools for the keyboard to monitor how you write using your phone and in apps such as Twitter and Facebook, in an effort to better predict and understand your typing.
Though the screen is a bit too small for two handed typing, the onscreen keyboard was fast and responsive to type with one hand.
Internet
The default browser that comes installed on the Xperia Z3 Compact is Chrome, and it generally works as expected.Thanks in part to the 2GB of RAM and high specs of the Z3 Compact, browsing the internet is a fast and smooth experience, with pages loading quickly, especially on Wi-Fi and 4G networks. Even with a number of tabs open displaying different websites, the Z3 Compact continues to give an impressive browsing experience.
However, during long periods of web browsing the handset does warm up, perhaps a sign of the resources the X3 Compact devotes to providing such a slick experience.
Media
Considering Sony's involvement in various media sectors, it's little surprise to see the media playing credentials of the Xperia Z3 Compact being given heavy emphasis.Music playing duties are by default handled by Sony's Walkman app, which is easy to use, with album artwork and other information displayed within the app. It also has a widget that can be placed on the home screen for quick access.
Music playback through headphones and over the built-in speakers is very good, with Sony's background in audio technology being put to good use.
The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is able to play a number of varied audio formats, including high resolution audio files, it can also upscale your standard audio files as well, in a bid to make your music sound amazing when played through the Walkman app, no matter what the source is.
Turning on the various sound enhancement effects and features of the Xperia Z3 Compact is needlessly complicated, which is a shame considering Sony's efforts in making its user interface simple to use in other areas of the phone.
To turn on the sound quality upscaler (known as DCEE HX) I had to launch the Walkman app, open the menu and select settings and then click 'Sound effects'.
That's not all, though, as DCEE HX is hidden away under yet another menu titled 'Sound effects', which, rather frustratingly, is greyed out. To be able to access this menu I had to first disable the 'ClearAudio+' option, which wasn't made clear and can be easily missed.
Once DCEE HX is enabled it became pretty clear that it wasn't really worth the effort. Though the music certainly sounded a bit louder, and a touch clearer, there wasn't much difference.
Is Sony perhaps not that confident with the feature? It would explain why such a headline mode is hidden away under layers of menus and turned off by default.
Like the Z3, the Z3 Compact also comes with built-in noise cancellation. When used with Sony's dedicated earbuds (which aren't included), the Z3 Compact will process the sound and cut out any background ambient noise, making phone calls sound clear even in noisy environments.
Video playback on the Xperia Z3 Compact is also extremely good thanks to the handset's excellent screen, though you have to make do with 720p resolution, rather than the 1080p of the Xperia Z3.
The display really is the star of the show here, with the increased brightness, coupled with an excellent contrast ratio making videos vibrant and crystal clear.
Again, Sony includes access to its Video Unlimited streaming service, which is fine if you're a subscriber. If not you're able to disable Video Unlimited content from the Video app through the 'Settings' menu.
You can also do this with the Music Unlimited content in the Walkman app, and I appreciated Sony giving me the option to hide away its services. Even when they are enabled they are not too in your face, and if you're in the market for a video or music streaming service, you may be tempted to sign up thanks to the integration with the handset.
Overall, the Xperia Z3 Compact is an excellent device for media, with plenty of formats supported. You also get plenty of playback options as well, with the integrated Music and Movie Unlimited streaming services, along with DLNA support for in home streaming.
Camera
One of the most important bullet points on the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact's spec sheet is its camera. It comes with a 20.7MP camera, the same as the one found in the Xperia Z3.A high megapixel count doesn't guarantee a good camera, however, and Sony has seen fit to back it up with a range of technology that it's used in its digital compact cameras.
This includes the Exmor RS sensor and an ISO rating of 12800, designed to drastically improve image quality in low light conditions. The lens is Sony's own wide-angle G Lens, aimed at giving a wider frame for taking photos.
Sony's camera app comes with a host of tools and modes including a superior auto mode that optimises the settings based on what sort of shot you're taking.
During my tests I was pretty pleased with the superior auto mode, and its ability to detect what type of shot I was going for. For instance, if I was attempting a close up shot, it accurately detected this and switched to macro mode.
There's a manual mode if you want more control over your shots, and it gives plenty of settings to tweak.
I was reasonably pleased with the quality of the photos taken, especially outdoors, which captured colour particularly well.
Detail wasn't brilliant, however, with certain elements missed due to a slight blur. While this means the photos on the whole were free from noise, the lack of detail will mean many will rather go for a standalone compact camera, rather than depend on the Z3 Compact's.
Indoor shots and photos taken in low light conditions were also good, yet fell short of what I expected. Other smartphones such as the iPhone 6 might have less impressive sounding camera specifications on paper, they manage to take better photos.
Sony has made a big deal of the Xperia Z3 Compact's high ISO rating of 12800, the highest in any current smartphone (bar the full size Xperia Z3, which comes with the same camera).
Though this high ISO rating is supposed to help with taking photos in low light levels, and I did achieve some good shots, they still fell short of the iPhone 6's photographs, with a low level of detail and off white balance keeping the images from looking truly stunning.
The camera app comes with a number of diverting modes such as AR effects and face in mode. The face in mode takes photos both with the rear facing camera and the front facing camera at the same time, the idea being to capture your expression as you take a photo.
It works fine, but there's not much to it. AR Effects places animated objects into your photos for moderately amusing results. For example, you can conjure up a T-Rex to stomp around your friends as you take photos.
It's fun for a while, but the effects aren't quite good enough to be anything more than a mildly diverting time waster. You can download more effects from the app store, and these range from the ok to the downright terrible. At least they're free.
The video camera of the Xperia Z3 Compact does a decent job of filming, and as with still photos, there are a number of effects you can add. Perhpas the best one is timelapse, which takes a sped up version of a film, which you can slow parts down to 120fps for ultra slow motion.
It's not really timelapse per se, but it works surprisingly well, and is quick and easy to use. The Xperia Z3 Compact is also capable of filming in 4K. When launching the 4K mode, a warning comes up saying that the Xperia's temperature may rise, causing the app to close.
This did happen a few times, along with a couple of times when using the AR effects. Here's a tip for Sony: if a feature causes your smartphone to over heat and crash, it might be best to drop that feature.
Still if you don't mind filming in short bursts and having a slightly toasty smartphone, then the 4K video mode does the trick.
If you're worried that all these high resolution photos and 4K video will take a toll on the internal memory of the Xperia Compact Z3, don't worry as you can expand the memory with a microSD card up to 128GB.
Camera samples
Click here to see the full resolution image
Click here to see the full resolution image
Click here to see the full resolution image
Click here to see the full resolution image
Click here to see the full resolution image
Click here to see the full resolution image
Comparison
Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini
One of the most obvious handsets to compare to the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini, another example of a smaller version of a flagship handset. With prices around £320 ($522, AU$593), the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is a bit cheaper than the Z3 Compact.Size wise, both live up to their names, with the Z3 Compacts dimensions measuring 127 x 64.9 x 8.6mm compared to the S5 Mini's 131.1 x 64.8 x 9.1mm.
Z3 is slightly smaller than the S5 Mini but Samsung's handset is actually a touch lighter at 120g versus 129g.
The weight discrepancy is in part due to the Z3 Compact is made from more premium materials including Gorilla Glass, while the S5 Mini has a whole plastic body. The Z3 Compact's build quality, along with slightly heavier weight, again gives it a more premium feel over the S5 Mini.
Both smartphones have a 1280 x 720 resolution screen, though due to the S5 Mini's slightly smaller screen size (4.5-inches compared to the Z3 Compact's 4.6-inch), the S5 Mini manages to have a slightly sharper image.
Performance wise, however, the Xperia Z3 Compact is the clear winner between the two, with 2GB of RAM and a quad-core 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor.
The full size Samsung Galaxy S5 has the same processor but the Galaxy S5 Mini instead comes with Samsung's own quad-core 1.4GHz Exynos 3 Quad 3470 processor and 1.5GB of RAM, which just can't keep up with Sony's offering.
HTC One Mini 2
The HTC One Mini 2 is another small variant of a popular flagship device, and again is a bit cheaper than the Xperia Z3 Compact.The HTC One Mini 2 is both larger than the Xperia Z3 Compact (with dimensions of 137 x 65 x 10.6mm), band more heavy at 137g.
Unlike with the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini, however, the HTC One Mini 2 shares a similar premium design with it's bigger brother.
It comes with the same 1280 x 720 resolution as the Xepria Z3 Compact, but again with a 4.5-inch screen that results in a 326 ppi pixel density, compared the Z3 Compact's 319ppi.
HTC downgraded a number of components in the HTC One Mini 2 compared to the HTC One M8, with a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, which makes Sony's decision to keep the same quad-core 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor that's found in the bigger Xperia Z3 all the more laudable.
Both miniaturised handsets do get a cut in RAM, however, though the cut from 2GB to 1GB for the HTC One Mini 2 feels a bit more savage than the Xperia Z3 Compact's cut from 3GB to 2GB.
Sony Xperia Z3
Unlike other miniature handsets the Xperia Z3 Compact hasn't been downgraded in the specs meaning you're looking at a similar set up here but you're getting a bigger display.
The design is pretty similar all over but there's a 5.2-inch 1080p display to enjoy whilst under the hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.5GHz, 3GB of RAM and storage of 16GB or 32GB.
The same 20.7MP camera set up is on the back and there's a bigger cell than the Xperia Z3 Compact with a 3100mAh battery.
You're able to pick up the Xperia Z3 for £350 (about $538, AUS690) making it pretty cheap for a top of the range flagship handset and not far off from the pricing of the Xperia Z3 Compact.
iPhone 6
As I mentioned earlier, the pricing of the Xperia Z3 Compact puts it in a difficult position. It's more expensive than other small versions of flagship phones, and ends up costing around the same as the full-size variants.Perhaps the biggest competitor when it launches, however, will be the iPhone 6. This might not seem entirely fair, as the iPhone 6 costs a good £100 more than the Xperia Z3 Compact, however comparisons may be inevitable due to the fact that both are launching around the same time.
Both have similar size screens, with the iPhone 6 just edging it with a 4.7-inch display. With a resolution of 750 x 1334 that results in a pixel density of 326ppi, higher than Sony's 319ppi, you get a clearer and sharper image on the iPhone 6.
On paper the specs between the two phones should give the Xperia Z3 Compact the edge, with the iPhone 6 being powered by 1GB of RAM and an 1.4GHz ARM-based CPU. However comparisons aren't that clear cut, as through a number of hardware and software enhancements, the iPhone 6's performance easily rivals the Xperia Z3 Compact's.
The same can be said for the camerra. On paper the iPhone 6's 8MP camera should be no match for Z3 Compact's 20.7MP, however the tech behind the iPhone 6's camera has put it ahead, with camera experts DxO labs recently declaring the iPhone 6's camera to be the best ever on a smartphone, scoring higher on its benchmarks than the Z3 Compact.
One area where the Xperia Z3 Compact handily beats the iPhone 6 in my opinion is with storage. Whilst the Z3 Compact comes with 16GB internal storage, which is the lowest storage option of the iPhone 6, it at least can be expanded up to 128GB via microSD.
For storing videos, music and photos, this is much more cost effective than going for a larger capacity iPhone 6, though of course you can't install apps on to the microSD, so you're stuck with 16GB.
Verdict
Compared to other small variants of flagship smartphones, Sony has done an excellent job by making the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact a desirable smartphone in its own right.By keeping compromises to a minimum, and keeping some of the best tech intact from the larger and more expensive Xperia Z3, the Z3 Compact holds its own, and you wouldn't feel like you were missing out on much if you'd rather go with the smaller handset.
We liked
The design of the Z3 Compact is excellent. It looks great and feels comfortable to hold. If you like the look of the Z3 but not sure about the dimensions of the larger phone, then you'll be very pleased with the Z3 Compact.Performance is also excellent with some impressive specifications in a phone of this size. Though the screen resolution has been reduced from 1080p of the Z3 to 720p, it still looks premium.
The overall experience of the phone is great and it really feels like a premium product despite its size and price.
Battery life is also very good considering what you'll be using this phone for. I was impressed that I could often go two days before having to plug the Xperia Z3 Compact in.
PlayStation 4 Remote Play is also an excellent feature that works very well and could be a real selling point of the Xperia Z3 Compact - as long as you own a PS4, of course.
We disliked
The camera wasn't quite as good as I was expecting. It's a fine camera by smartphone standards, but with all the bluster and big numbers that Sony throws around in regards to the camera, I was expecting to be blown away. I wasn't.The handset also has a worrying habit of getting warm when used for long periods of time, or when using certain camera modes. It never feels dangerous but occasionally it would make the camera app crash, which can be annoying.
Sony is obviously aware of the issue, as it includes a warning message when using certain camera modes, but acknowledging a problem with a brief pop up message hardly excuses it.
Sadly, that takes away some of the premium experience of the rest of the smartphone.
Final verdict
There's a lot to really like about the Xperia Z3 Compact. Though Sony seems to be putting out new Xperia Z models every six months, you get the feeling that with each iteration it is steadily improving the formula.Sony has also avoided offering a severely cut down version of its flagship device. Where other manufacturers will cut the specifications of the mini variants, the Xperia Z3 Compact keeps a lot of the features of the bigger Z3, making the compact an excellent choice if you fancy the Z3, but are not too sure about the large size of the handset.
The integration of Sony's services and their appeal will depend on how invested you are in the Sony ecosystem. The PlayStation 4 remote play feature probably has the biggest mainstream appeal, and I'm looking forward to testing the feature when it goes live. However, with other Android devices being able to use this feature (though after being rooted), this may dull the impact of this 'exclusive' feature.
Heat issues are my biggest disappointment with the Xperia Z3. I don't mind a handset getting warm when being used from time to time, but when it starts to affect the performance of certain apps and features it spoils what usually is a very impressive experience.
However, if you are looking for a feature-packed phone that looks fantastic and performs brilliantly, then you'll be very pleased with the Xperia Z3 Compact. Just don't expect to shoot epic 4K movies with it.
Read More ...
Available Tags:Lenovo , NBN , iPhone 6 , iOS , iPhone , Fusion , keyboard , Apple , notebook , Sony , iPhone 5 , Samsung , Galaxy , Epson , HTC , Canon ,
No comments:
Post a Comment