Pro - 725195.com

News

Honor Magic5 Pro Review: Flagship Smartphone at Value Price

Nov 16, 2023 725195 0 Comment

The HONOR Magic5 Pro 5G is the brand’s premium flagship series model for 2023. After a sell-off by Huawei, Honor no longer bears the burden of the parent company’s trade restrictions and is able to license Google apps in its smartphones. It retails in Singapore at S$1249 with 512GB storage and 12GB RAM powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Here’s a list of the other specs that are truly flagship grade:

Triple 50MP rear cameras – Ultra-Wide f/2/0, Wide f/1.6, Telephoto f/3.0 up to 100x zoom
12MP front camera and 2MP 3D depth camera
5100 mAh battery supporting 66W Wired SuperCharge, 50W Wireless SuperCharge
6.8-inch LTPO OLED 120 Hz refresh with 2160 Hz PWM Dimming and peak 1800 nits brightness
Dual nano SIM with eSIM, supports 5G NR
Infrared Sensor (old school but useful!)
IP68 Water Resistant
Bluetooth 5.2, supports SBC, AAC, AptX, AptX HD, LDAC
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be, 2×2 MIMO
NFC (works with Singapore contactless payment systems)
219 grams

Camera Quality

Shot at 1x zoom.

With 3.5x telephoto mode, even without digital zoom, I find the images appearing somewhat digital. The “High-Res” 50MP version appears less processed but still exhibits digital edges. Shooting with digital zoom offers slightly better sharpening and contrast, but if you prefer to capture the full resolution, the 50MP definitely delivers the raw pixel output. The file save is much faster than Honor 90.

Shot at 3.5x zoom

When shooting in aperture or portrait mode, the camera will artificially process the bokeh to create depth of field. It seems that the final result is different from the live preview, and unlike the Honor 90, I was unable to achieve the narrow depth-of-field of f/0.95. And like the Honor 90, I am unable to adjust the bokeh post-processing.

Audio Quality

Perhaps the one feature that I don’t quite like is the headphone audio. There is the DTS:X Ultra audio processor that without a doubt improves the audio amplification and delivery. But as an audiophile enthusiast myself, I prefer my audio to be unprocessed so that I can listen to the original source. With the Magic5 Pro, after disabling the effect, the audio quality is less precise. Putting that aside, the various effects are rather useful for casual listeners to make the music sound more immersive.

Summary

Reviewer

Chester Tan

Review Date

2023-08-20

Reviewed Item

Honor Magic5 Pro

Author Rating

Product Name

Honor Magic5 Pro

News

Creative Zen Hybrid Pro and LE Audio Transmitter: Broadcast Audio to Multiple Headphones

Nov 14, 2023 725195 0 Comment

Creative latest ANC wireless headphones, the Zen Hybrid Pro, comes with one feature that 99% of the consumer wireless headphones in the market does not have. It’s the ability to broadcast audio to many headphones at the same time with ultra low latency. Why do you need that, you may ask. Well, get a couple of the Zen Hybrid Pros and then you can watch a movie or listen to streaming music with your spouse without disturbing your family members or house mates. Or get a dozen headphones for an open-space listening event – silent party perhaps?

LE Audio and LC3 Codec

The technology that drives this capability is Bluetooth LE Audio, a new audio standard that consumes lower energy and supports more efficient bitrate. It transmits through the new audio codec, LC3, and powered by Auracast broadcast audio. LC3 has been around since Bluetooth 5.2 but it is not widely adopted. On its own, LC3 is a better codec than SBC with higher quality audio in lower bitrate. I suppose the biggest reason that manufacturers do not use it is due to lack of adoption: why introduce a new codec if most of the devices out there are not using?

Having said that, there are actually brands that have been using LC3 in their products. For instance, Sennheiser’s AMBEO soundbars use LC3 to communicate to the wireless subwoofer. Samsung is also using LC3 for its products to deliver the features that LE Audio promises – the ability to stream audio to multiple devices. When more products have the LE Audio and LC3 supported, then the benefits become more widespread. Imagine you can just switch over your existing wireless headphones to a special channel to listen to audio broadcast over Bluetooth – in airports, or museums, or learning institutions.

3 Variant Models

Now that you have a little more understanding about Bluetooth LE Audio and the LC3 codec, let us now talk about the Zen Hybrid Pro. Creative has packaged the Zen Hybrid Pro into three bundle variant models. Here is a summary of what they come with:

Zen Hybrid Pro – comes with headphones. RRP S$149
Zen Hybrid Pro Classic – headphones, boom mic, BT-L3 audio transmitter supporting LE Audio. RRP S$189
Zen Hybrid Pro SXFI – headphones, boom mic, BT-L4 audio transmitter supporting LE Audio and Super X-Fi. RRP S$219

They go on sale from 10 Nov 2023. Pre-order now to enjoy S$30 discount.

If you buy only the Zen Hybrid Pro headphones, then you can connect to your existing devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops, gaming consoles, etc.) over SBC, AAC, and LC3/LC3+ if your device supports. It is essentially an upgraded Zen Hybrid that supports LE Audio and RGB colour around the earcups, with optional boom mic.

Creative BT-L4 Bluetooth LE Audio Transmitter

The BT-L4 is basically the BT-L3 with built-in SXFI chip. Super X-Fi was launched in 2018 and since then, the features remain largely unchanged. You need to take photos of your ears and let the system work out some computational algorithm to determine the optimal sound to achieve the out-of-the-head audio holography. Since then, there are already many more popular 3D-audio formats, like Sony 360 Reality Audio, Dolby Atmos, Apple Spatial Audio. It seems like a coincidence, but simulated surround audio seems to pick up after Creative’s big announcement of Super X-Fi. Now, with Creative’s new LE Audio headphones and the USB transmitter, could it also signal the rise of Bluetooth Auracast adoption?

Creative App (Windows)

The same Creative app that you install for other USB products – like Creative Sound Blaster X5, Creative Live! M3, to name a few – will recognise the BT-L4 and you can access many features like Acoustic Engine, EQ, SXFI, Mixer. The playback page allows you to select up to 32-bit 96000Hz resolution, while the recording quality can be up to 24-bit 48000Hz.

Audio Quality

It then leads to the question of how the Zen Hybrid Pro sounds. Let me start with standard stereo audio quality. The Zen Hybrid Pro is full of bass, much more because of the cosy ear cups that packs your ears with no room to breathe keeps the sonic intensity. The treble offers clarity but struggles to overcome the strong bass boom, and does so if the audio tracks are not excessive at the lower frequency. This means the Zen Hybrid is not an ideal headphones for a neutral listening experience, though it can be easily overcome through custom EQ. The sound staging is also uninspiring, with instruments closely positioned near the ears.

However, it’s a different story when you turn on Super X-Fi mode. The Zen Hybrid Pro is easily your saviour if you want to enjoy immersive multi-channel cinematic audio experience without possibly getting complaints from your family and your neighbours. You can turn up the volume as much as you want on the Zen Hybrid Pro and enjoy the surround sound. This is where you will appreciate the bass tuning: the Zen Hybrid Pro offers quite the identical sub-woofer experience, minus the reverberations that you feel through the skin. And because the multi-channel sound is generated from the headphones right next to the ears, actually you can hear the directional audio details much better than over physical speakers even though the sound source appears from outside the ears.

For stereo music, the SXFI mode does make the sound stage come from outside the headphones in front of you, but I find the frequency tuning is too heavy on the upper midrange. Pushing it down will reduce the excessive chesty tone and make the audio more refined and less bloated. After listening for a while, you really get the impression that the audio is coming from your home speakers instead of from the headphones.

ANC and Ambient Mode Quality

Through the smartphone app, the ANC and Ambient mode level can be adjusted. The ANC offer adequate background noise removal while not too aggressive to feel total silence. Similarly, the ambient mode lets in some background noise but does not sound very open.

Mic Quality

The normal Zen Hybrid Pro does not come with a boom mic, but based on my testing, I do not find that the boom mic delivers better fidelity. The only benefit is that the mic is positioned nearer to my mouth which achieves better pick-up. However, the mic quality for either mic lacks the high frequency, which is puzzling. Also, the boom mic does not support DNN noise cancellation on background mic noises. I would use with the boom mic where possible for better voice pickup, but using without it does not reduce the quality much.

Verdict

The Zen Hybrid Pro SXFI is a splendid headphone for immersive cinematic experience with multi-channel audio. Its ultra-low latency makes it ideal to be used for gaming and movie watching, and the USB transmitter enables broadcast audio to multiple headphones, which I find it a compelling use case where several people can listen to the same audio content at the same time. I highly recommend you to get one unit of Zen Hybrid Pro SXFI (retails S$219) and a few additional Zen Hybrid Pro (retails S$149) so that multiple people can enjoy the same audio content over headphones simultaneously without complex workaround.

Summary

Reviewer

Chester Tan

Review Date

2023-11-10

Reviewed Item

Creative Zen Hybrid Pro SXFI

Author Rating

Product Name

Creative Zen Hybrid Pro SXFI

News

OpenRock Pro Review: True Wireless Open-Ear Air Conduction Sports Earbuds

Nov 14, 2023 725195 0 Comment

The benefit of open-ear headphones cannot be understated. They are the most natural way to listen to music without stuffing earbuds into the ear canals and losing the hearing of things around you. It is more important for bikers and road joggers as they need to be fully aware of the surroundings, but not so much for gym goers who prefers noise isolation from all the equipment noises and unwanted in-house music. There has been numerous variants of open-ear earbuds, and OpenRock Pro features the latest design, which is a pair of true wireless earphones with ear hooks that loop behind the ears.

Conclusion

The OpenRock Pro is available from Lend Me UR Ears, a Singapore audio retailer, at a launch price of S$129. It is available at Shopee with varied promotional price, so head there to get your best deal. The earbuds are excellent for workouts but I find them very useful for use at work, as I can leave them on my ears all day.

Summary

Reviewer

Chester Tan

Review Date

2023-11-12

Reviewed Item

OpenRock Pro

Author Rating

Product Name

OpenRock Pro

News

Google Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel Watch 2 Review

Nov 14, 2023 725195 0 Comment

After I started using the Google Pixel 4XL in 2019, I have been a Pixel owner and love the overall clean UI experience, but had to live with a “primitive” dual-camera setup and a facial unlock system without fingerprint which is a hassle during the COVID years. I gladly moved to Pixel 7 Pro early this year with an excellent triple-camera system, fingerprint sensor, and all the UI goodness. When the Pixel 8 series was launched, I was excited to review it, as well as the Pixel Watch 2 which officially goes on sale in Singapore.

Between Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro

Even though the phone appears similar to the Pixel 7 Pro, the Pixel 8 Pro has different dimensions, which means the casings are not interchangeable. The new model has a matt glass back which prevents fingerprint marks, but this feature no longer matters if you use the phone with a casing, which most people do. The 6.7-inch display is now flat on the sides, which means the screen protector can adhere snugly without popping up.

Camera Quality

I find that the Pixel 8 Pro is less aggressive in sharpening, which makes images appear less digital. The colour saturation is also slightly elevated so the images appear less dull. At the maximum 30x zoom, the Pixel 8 Pro maintains its ability to make sense of images thanks to its conservative extrapolation. Here, the Pixel 7 Pro’s sharpening engine creates a more positive impression of being more detailed. But the new Pixel 8 Pro can enable 50MP high-res mode that allows users to manipulate the images with more pixels. Shooting at high-res mode requires a bit more time to save the image.

Google Imaging AI

The Pixel 8 Pro supports offers many AI-driven editing capabilities not available in other smartphones. Any photo saved in Google Photos can be processed. In “Best Take”, the Google Photo app provided suggestions on swapping some of the faces with better expressions. In “Magic Editor”, the app cleverly traces the subject accurately for me to reposition and resize to another area. It then tries to fill in the details. I find the results very convincing as long as I do not push the edit too extreme.

Tag Pro

Honor Magic5 Pro Review: Flagship Smartphone at Value Price

Conclusion

Like this:

Related

Creative Zen Hybrid Pro and LE Audio Transmitter: Broadcast Audio to Multiple Headphones

3 Variant Models

Mic Quality

The Goods

The Bads

Like this:

Related

OpenRock Pro Review: True Wireless Open-Ear Air Conduction Sports Earbuds

The Goods

The Bads

Like this:

Related

Google Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel Watch 2 Review

Pixel Watch 2: A Smart Health Tracking Watch

Like this:

Related