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Saturday, September 24, 2016

Alienware X51 Review

September 24, 2016 0 Comments
Alienware X51 Review
Alienware X51

PROS

  • Good mid-range specifications
  • Suitable for 1080p gaming and VR (GTX 970 model)
  • Slimline desktop chassis design

CONS

  • Compact design increases heat and noise
  • Relatively expensive

KEY FEATURES

  • 6th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor
  • 2GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 or 4GB GTX 970
  • 16GB DDR4 memory
  • Opitonal Samsung PM951 256GB SSD
  • 1TB or 2TB hard disk
  • VR-ready (GTX 970 model)
  • Manufacturer: Alienware
  • Review Price: £1,000.00

WHAT IS THE ALIENWARE X51?

Alienware is one of the strongest global brands of gaming PCs, with a range that now stretches to multiple mobile and desktop form factors. While many gaming PCs come in giant towers, the X51 packs a top-of-the-line CPU and mid-range graphics into a desktop chassis that’s not much bigger than a current-generation console.
The X51 line has been around for a while – Trusted covered the previous version back in September 2014. This update is really more about introducing up-to-date technology and a spec boost than a radical design overhaul. Our original criticisms of the previous version focused on its specification, which wasn’t capable of gaming beyond 1080p resolution, lacked an SSD and lead to some toasty internal temperatures. Have these issues been resolved with new-generation hardware?

ALIENWARE X51 – DESIGN

The X51 is all about squeezing a capable gaming PC into a console-sized chassis. As with previous versions, its dimensions make it only slightly larger than a PS4 or Xbox One, with a width of 9mm and a height of 343mm (in vertical orientation).
If you’ve worked in an office at any point over the last decade, there’s a high probability you’ve used one of Dell’s slim corporate desktop systems, and the X51 borrows heavily from them. It has two sets of rubber feet for both vertical and horizontal placement. A glossy plastic cover runs around the side, featuring the iconic Alienware logo on the front that illuminates in blue, along with a plastic section at the top that’s illuminated with LEDs.
Alienware X51
The edges are curved at the front. The power switch sits on the right, its status indicated by a white LED. There are two front-mounted USB 3 ports and audio, but notably, the optical drive of last year’s model has been given the chop. This reflects the modern dominance of cloud services such as Steam and Origin for gaming.

ALIENWARE X51 – SPECIFICATIONS

Quad-core Intel Skylake processors are the new performance champions for PC gaming, if only by a disappointingly slim margin over the previous Core i7-4790K Devil’s Canyon chip. The X51 comes with a Core i7-6700K, but by default, it doesn’t run at its full 4.2GHz Turbo Frequency. Instead it’s limited to 3.9GHz, the lower clock speed is intended to keep down internal temperatures, which can be potentially problematic in small chassis gaming desktops.
The Alienware Command Centre software makes it easy to change this, however. With this R3 version of the X51 – there are four listed on Dell’s site – the CPU has an all-in-one liquid-cooling system that allows that clock frequency to be raised to 4.4GHz. This software also lets you fiddle with various settings – the Alienware FX mode, for example, which changes the colour of the LEDs on the top of the unit.
As with last year’s PC, Alienware has chosen a mid-range graphics card for the X51. The “Maxwell”-based Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 is a slight improvement over the Radeon R9 270 in the previous machine. It only has 2GB of GDDR5 memory, which isn’t a huge amount by today’s standards, but enough for solid 1080p performance. This card comes with 1,024 stream processors, 32 ROPS, 64 TMUs, a base clock of 1,127MHz and memory frequency of 1750MHz.
Alienware X51
It has 16GB of DDR4 memory, running at 2,133MHz. There’s also a 256GB Samsung PM951 PCI Express SSD, plugged directly into the motherboard’s M.2 slot. PCI Express SSDs come in all shapes and sizes, offering wildly different performance figures. Samsung’s 950 Pro is the current king by a long way, with read and write speeds of well over 1GB/sec; the enterprise-grade SM951 isn’t too far behind.
The PM951 isn’t quite as good, though. While it’s a PCI Express Gen 3.0 device including NVMe support, with quoted read speeds that are an impressive 1,000MB/sec, the 280MB/sec write speeds lag behind normal 2.5-inch SSDs. It’s inclusion is probably down to saving internal space from the small M.2 form factor, rather than the performance. But those read speeds are still very nice indeed.
Additionally, there’s a 2TB Seagate hard disk, an obvious essential for a large library of games or media.
Windows 10 Home comes as standard on all X51 configurations and Steam comes preinstalled as well. During testing, I was cursing Dell’s inclusion of the McAfee antivirus trial, which had expired and kept popping up during benchmark runs requesting I pay them money. Not a chance, matey.
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Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Acer Swift 7 Review

September 20, 2016 0 Comments
Acer Swift 7 Review
Acer Swift 7

  • Low-power Intel Core i 'Y' processors
  • Up to 8GB of RAM
  • 256GB SSD
  • Weight: 1.1kg
  • 9.8mm thick
  • 13.3-inch, Full HD IPS display
  • Manufacturer: Acer
  • Review Price: to be confirmed

HANDS-ON WITH ACER’S THINNEST-EVER LAPTOP

The Swift 7 sits right at the top of Acer’s new lineup, and according to the firm it is the first laptop in the world to measure in with a thickness of less than 1cm.
The Swift range also includes the 1, 3 and 5 models and is a move away from Acer's older Aspire branding.
Acer has trimmed just enough fat off the 13.3-inch Swift 7 to bring the thickness in at 9.98mm. It weighs 1.1kg, putting it in the same weight category as the HP Spectre, but just a little heavier than the 970g MacBook.
The Swift 7's all-aluminium design with grey and gold coating is eye-catching. In my opinion, it looks substantially better than the HP Spectre 13. The design tapers off towards the front, making the Swift 7 look even thinner than it is when viewed straight on.
Along the laptop's right edge there are three connectors: two USB Type-C 3.1 ports (one for charging and one for data) and a 3.5mm audio jack. It’s nice to see more than one USB Type-C connector, although it’s one fewer than the HP Spectre 13.
The touchpad is extremely wide, providing ample room to move your digits around. However, it does make it a little harder to activate Windows 10 gestures that require you to swipe onto the touchpad from the sides. The pad itself is Microsoft Precision Touchpad-certified, and throughout testing it proved responsive and reliable.Acer Swift 7 3
The Acer's keyboard is similarly excellent, with a lovely soft-touch, slightly rubberised coating that makes the keys both grippy and comfortable. There’s decent travel too, making this one of the best keyboards I've used on an ultra-thin laptop.
The Acer Swift 7 is powered by Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. However, these aren't in the same category as the Core i chips in the HP Spectre 13. Instead, they're the recently re-branded Core M chips that operate at a tiny 4.5W TDP.
This means, in Core i7-7Y75 guise, this dual-core laptop gets a base frequency of 1.3GHz and a maximum Turbo frequency of 3.6GHz. How long it will be able to sustain that Turbo figure remains to be seen; in fact, with its ultra-thin, fanless design it is likely to stick to its base clock speed more often than not.Acer Swift 7 4
A mix of specifications will be available, but the 256GB of SSD storage and 8GB of RAM configuration will likely be the most common option.
The screen is a 13.3-inch, Full HD IPS panel. It’s bright with punchy colours and high contrast, although it somewhat fails to to stand out against the bezel that surrounds it. Acer Swift 7
Battery life on paper is rated at nine hours, which is impressive. It's likely that you'll have to dim the display somewhat to reach this figure, but with such a low-power processor on board it probably won’t be hard to get a full day of battery life out of the Swift 7.
The success of this machine will likely hinge on its battery performance, so I’ll be looking at this closely when the final product launches.

OPENING IMPRESSIONS

With a launch price of €1,299 in Europe (around £1,326 inc VAT), presumably for a Core i7 model, this is an expensive machine. If this turns out to be an accurate specification and price, the Swift 7 will offer better value than the 12-inch MacBook but will be more expensive than the powerful HP Spectre 13.
Acer says the Swift 7 will launch in October, along with its Swift 5, 3 and 1 stablemates. If the price can be kept down, the Swift 7 could find itself as one of the better-value ultra-premium laptops around.
However, with several other manufacturers yet to reveal their hands, and the potential of Intel’s new Kaby Lake processors only just dawning, expect to see several rivals appearing soon.
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Acer Chromebook 14 Review

September 20, 2016 0 Comments
Acer Chromebook 14 Review
Acer Chromebook 14

PROS

  • Great value
  • Good build quality
  • Long battery life

CONS

  • 2GB of RAM is barely enough
  • Ultra-cheap screen
  • Full HD screen option is expensive

KEY FEATURES

  • 1.6GHz Intel Celeron N3060
  • 2GB or 4GB of RAM
  • Weight: 1.55kg
  • 14-inch 1,920 x 1,080 IPS or 1,366 x 768 TFT (tested) non-touch screen
  • 16GB or 32GB Storage
  • Chrome OS
  • Manufacturer: Acer
  • Review Price: £170.00

WHAT IS THE ACER CHROMEBOOK 14?

The Acer Chromebook 14 is not a MacBook Air, even if it looks exactly like one. But once you look past the Apple-aping design, you'll see that Acer has put together a great-value Chromebook that is sure to make buyers on a budget very happy indeed.
It may not have the fastest processor, but a large screen and excellent battery life make it perfect for those who are after a cheap laptop with a little some room to manoeuvre.

ACER CHROMEBOOK 14 – BUYING OPTIONS

Like one of TrustedReviews’ all-time favourite Chromebooks, the Toshiba Chromebook 2, the Acer Chromebook 14 is available in two variants in the UK – and many more internationally.
The model I tested is the cheapest option (£170) with 2GB of RAM and a 1,366 x 768-pixel screen. One step up is a £280 model that nets you a Full HD screen and 4GB of RAM. The price difference is significant, but if you have a little more to spend then the upgrade will probably be worth it for that extra screen fidelity and memory.

ACER CHROMEBOOK 14 – DESIGN AND BUILD

In terms of layout and design, the Acer Chromebook 14 looks very similar to the MacBook Air. Stylish, sharp edges, rounded corners and an integrated keyboard tray make the Chromebook 14 look far more expensive than it is. Add to this the numerous metallic pieces in the light-grey chassis – which contains some metal, but I suspect is fairly heavy on the plastic – and you have a machine that exudes an air of class.
The lid, meanwhile, has a brushed-metallic coating that doesn’t really match the rest of the machine; it looks a little cheap. Overall, though, this is a great-looking laptop for the price.
Acer Chromebook 14
Good looks don't come in combination with a light weight, however; it weighs in at almost 1.7kg. That’s the price you pay for a larger screen – and I think it’s a worthy compromise. You won’t mind carrying this around in your bag most days, although you’ll probably notice it. At only 1.8cm thick, however, it won’t take up a huge amount of room.
There’s no shortage of ports on the Chromebook 14. Acer includes two USB 3.0 ports and a full-sized HDMI connector on the left, which are all very welcome. On the right sit the power connector and a combination 3.5mm jack for headsets.
An additional USB 3.0 port on the right would have been useful, to avoid the left side of the machine from becoming so busy when plugging in peripherals. Nevertheless, this remains a decent selection and is about as good as it gets for a Chromebook.
The keyboard is fine, without being outstanding. It’s coated in a not-particularly-grippy plastic with the keys featuring stuck-on letters, numbers and symbols, rather than those of the etched variety. This means that there is a possibility that they'll wear out over the course of a few years; but this is fairly typical of cheap laptops.
Meanwhile, key travel and feel is minimal, which isn’t ideal – but I didn't experience any issues typing on the keyboard for lengthy periods.
Acer Chromebook 14
The touchpad is surprisingly good. It’s sensitive and responds to two-fingered scrolling in exactly the way I’d expect it to. The physical click action is responsive and doesn’t ping the cursor around the screen. Clicking and dragging objects around was fine too.
Things start to get a little messy only when you begin pushing the Chromebook 14 too hard, in which case it starts to stutter. But this happens only if you get overly ambitious with your browser tab opening habits.

ACER CHROMEBOOK 14 – SCREEN

By any standard, the Chromebook 14’s 1,366 x 768-pixel screen is poor. It covers only 52% of the sRGB colour gamut, leaving a screen that lacks vibrancy. Contrast is rated at just 339:1 thanks to slightly high black levels of 0.69 nits. Maximum brightness is acceptable at 236 nits, and thanks to the matte coating on the screen, using this machine outside in bright sunlight shouldn't prove an issue.
Acer Chromebook 14
There’s a fair amount of colour shift if you move off-centre, however, but at no point is the screen illegible. At this price, that’s the target – and Acer has just about met it.
The screen's best feature is its ability to lie completely flat. This makes working on your lap in bed with your knees up not only possible, but also comfortable. More laptops should have this capability.

ACER CHROMEBOOK 14 – PERFORMANCE

The Chromebook 14 is home to a low-power Intel Celeron N3060. It’s a dual-core chip running between1.6GHz and 2.48GHz, depending on thermal conditions. It has no cooling fans, so it runs silently.
The processor is supported by 2GB of RAM, which in this day and age is barely enough to have five media-heavy browser tabs open at once.
I really had to pare down the number open. Even then continued to experienced problems, with some tabs being put to sleep and my having to reload them. I wish Acer would have raised the price a little and offered this machine with 4GB of memory – but in the UK at least, this isn't an option.
Acer Chromebook 14
Once a page has loaded, I had no issues scrolling up and down them smoothly, but I did prefer to wait for them to load fully before attempting this.
TrustedReviews’ regular benchmarks don’t work on Chrome OS, but I did record a browser-based Kraken score of 5,351ms. In Kraken, a lower score is better, and this result puts the Chromebook 14 in the same range as the rest of the Celeron Chromebook crowd.
If you’re a heavy user, you'll have to change the way you browse the web when using the Chromebook 14. If you do, you’ll be rewarded with comparatively smooth performance. If you can’t, you should buy a more expensive Windows laptop with at least an Intel Core i3 on board.
One area of the Chromebook 14 that can’t be faulted is wireless connectivity: there's the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi on board. This should mean faster and more reliable connections, and during my time with the laptop I never experienced any problems with weak signals. This remained true even in patchy public hotspots and in my own garden, where signal is often very poor.

ACER CHROMEBOOK 14 – CHROME OS

If you’re familiar with Windows, Chrome OS will be a bit of a departure. The OS is essentially a web browser with 32GB of local storage for a small number of downloads. There are very few local applications you’ll want to download right now, and all the best stuff is browser-based. This is likely to change soon with the introduction of Android apps on Chrome OS, but this hasn’t yet materialised on most Chromebooks.
Acer Chromebook 14
If you’re happy to start working in Google Drive or other cloud services such as Office365, you’ll do just fine with Chrome OS. Google Drive is probably the best option at the moment, since there's a Chrome OS plug-in that lets you edit your documents while you’re offline. However, I’d still advise you spend most of your time near a Wi-Fi connection.
There’s even a free browser-based image-editing program called Pixlr, which is a super-basic Photoshop replacement for minor touch-ups or tweaks to graphics.

ACER CHROMEBOOK 14 – AUDIO AND WEBCAM

The two downward-firing speakers on the Chromebook 14 are pretty good. At around half volume music displays some depth, and although there's no bass, the sound isn't bad at all. As ever, the use of headphones is advised – but they'll do the job just fine.
The webcam is excellent. It has a super-wide field of view, meaning you could easily get three people in the frame in a video chat, and it had no problem dealing with extreme backlighting when I used it outdoors on a sunny day.
Acer Chromebook 14
The built-in microphone is adequate, delivering clear voices at a reasonable volume. It struggled slightly in a noisy outdoor cafe, but at no point was my chatting partner unable to hear what I was saying.

ACER CHROMEBOOK 14 – BATTERY LIFE

The Chromebook 14’s battery life is phenomenally good, which is a consequence of its larger form factor. I was able to get through a full day of work while using the Chromebook at around 70% brightness. At half brightness I’d be confident this machine could get through 9-10 hours of screen-on time on a single charge – even more if you used it conservatively. This puts it in the same league as the Toshiba Chromebook 2.
Watching Netflix at half brightness consumed just 9% of the battery per hour, so you could expect around 10 hours of streaming as well.
One thing to note is that Chrome OS isn’t brilliant at reporting battery status, and the final 10% of its battery appears to drain far quicker than the previous 90%. Make sure you have a charger to hand if you’re below15%.
The battery takes a couple of hours to charge from empty while the laptop is switched on.

SHOULD I BUY THE ACER CHROMEBOOK 14?

If you want a slightly larger Chromebook for less than £200, the Chromebook 14 is a no-brainer. It might not offer the best performance around, but you won’t find a new laptop of this size for less money. With excellent battery life, great build quality and just-about-adequate performance, the Chromebook 14 makes a great on-the-road laptop for basic work tasks. Just don't get overly ambitious with the number of tabs you have open.
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Xiaomi Mi Band Review

September 20, 2016 1 Comments
Xiaomi Mi Band Review
Xiaomi Mi Band 2

PROS

  • Attractive waterproof design
  • Great OLED display
  • Battery life

CONS

  • Charging cable easily lost
  • Weak third-party app support
  • Lacks guidance and advice

KEY FEATURES

  • Step counter, heart rate monitor and sleep tracker
  • OLED display
  • IP67 certification
  • Google Fit compatible
  • iOS and Android apps
  • Manufacturer: Xiaomi
  • Review Price: £35.00

WHAT IS THE XIAOMI MI BAND 2?

The Mi Band 2 is the latest wearable fitness tracker from Chinese hardware giant Xiaomi. It follows the cheap but feature-rich Mi Band and Mi Band 1S and introduces a screen for the first time in the range, as well as improved pedometer tech, which Xiaomi claims is kinder to the battery.
The Mi Band 2 is powered by a 70mAh cell that offers approximately 20 days of use on a single charge, and can monitor your steps, heart rate and sleep patterns, as well as display rudimentary notifications for calls, text messages and selected applications. Oh, and it only costs around £35.

XIAOMI MI BAND 2 – DESIGN AND SETUP

Despite its low price point, the Mi Band 2 feels solid enough and looks a lot more impressive than the rather dull earlier models. As with previous Mi Bands, the Mi Band 2 comes in two distinct parts – the module itself and the wrist strap it slots into. Assembling these two elements is the first thing you'll have to do when opening the packaging, and you'll need to repeat the trick every time you want to charge it, as the proprietary USB cable can't be connected when the main module is fixed to the strap.
Xiaomi Mi Band 2
The IP67-certified waterproof unit itself has a scratch-proof face and single capacitive button for interaction. There's a monochrome 0.42-inch OLED screen which displays data such as the time, total steps, calories burned, distance travelled and remaining battery life. On the underside of the unit – the bit that touches your skin – there's an optical heart-rate sensor. The bottom edge is home to two charging pins that link to the aforementioned charging cable. This is quite a short lead and, if you lose it, you won't be able to charge the Mi Band 2 – so keep it safe.
The silicone strap is apparently made from a breathable, anti-sweat material that is more comfortable than the one seen on the original Mi Band. It feels like rubber but is tougher and should hopefully stand up to more punishment. Even if it does become damaged over time, you can buy a replacement in black, orange, green and blue. A simple popper mechanism is used to fix the watch around your wrist.

XIAOMI MI BAND 2 – TRACKING AND SOFTWARE

The introduction of a screen might lead you to assume that Xiaomi is dipping its toe into smartwatch territory with the Mi Band 2, but the focus here is still very much on fitness. Out of the box the first thing shown on the screen, after the time of day, is your total steps taken. Putting this data within instant reach is very much the Mi Band 2's raison d'etre. You can configure what information is shown as you tap through the menu using your finger, and it's possible to also display calories burned, distance travelled and your last recorded heart rate.
Xiaomi Mi Band 2
Inside the main unit there's a vibrating motor which allows it to notify you of events. Passing a particular goal triggers a notification, as does sitting idle for too long – the Mi Band 2 kindly reminds you to get up from your seat and walk around for a bit. You can also set an alarm which will vibrate to wake you from your slumber – very handy if you're keen not to disturb other people in the house with a traditional audio alarm. Because it's not as bulky as your typical smartwatch, wearing the Mi Band 2 in bed isn't an issue, and you can even tell the device to monitor your sleeping patterns to ensure you're getting a good night's kip.
Xiaomi Mi Band 2
Finally, it's possible to use the Mi Band 2 to bypass your phone's lock screen security. You can tell the phone to disable the lock when it senses that the device is nearby, which is quite a time-saver, but might not be of much use if you utilise fingerprint security, which only requires a touch anyway.
To make use of the Mi Band 2 you'll need to install Xiaomi's Mi Fit companion app on your phone. Despite the fact that the Mi Band 2 – like all of Xiaomi's products – isn't officially sold in Europe and the UK, Mi Fit is freely available on the Google Play and iOS app stores. It's a pretty slick download which allows you to control which notifications are sent to the Mi Band 2, what information it displays when you tap through the main menu using the single button, and which third-party apps are allowed to send alerts to the device. There are plenty of other options to fiddle around with, too.
Xiaomi Mi Band 2
Mi Fit tracks and collates all of the data captured by the Mi Band 2 and presents it in a manner which makes it easy to see how you can improve your general fitness regime. The app isn't as great for giving health and fitness guidance, aspects you get from the likes of Jawbone's Smart Coach feature. You'll need the app if you want the Mi Band 2 to track your heart rate, as there's no way of doing this with the device on its own. Mi Fit can keep a record of your weight, but you'll obviously have to measure this yourself with scales and input the information manually.
Xiaomi Mi Band 2
While Mi Fit stores your fitness information under a Xiaomi user account – which, unless you're already a fan of the brand, you'll need to create – you can share this information with your Google Fit profile to avoid duplication. Most Android users will have Google Fit installed already and will use it to get some perspective on their overall health, so being able to integrate your Mi Band 2 data is a real boon.
Xiaomi Mi Band 2
You can set yourself personal goals, such as number of steps taken in a single day, and as is the case with other wearable devices, it's possible to compare your performance with that of your friends. This is one area where the Mi Band 2's Chinese origins let it down somewhat: the only social networks it currently supports are WeChat and Sina Weibo, both massive in China, but relatively unknown in the West.
There's no means of connecting and sharing data with Facebook and Twitter, two networks which – for Western users, at least – would be infinitely more useful when it comes to finding friends who also own a Mi Band 2. This could change over time, as Xiaomi has made no secret of the fact that it wishes to expand its global business.

XIAOMI MI BAND 2 – BATTERY AND CHARGING

Xiaomi Mi Band 2
The Mi Band 2's 70mAh battery can last for up to 20 days on a single charge, according to Xiaomi, and during my review period I managed to get very close to that. Naturally, the more notifications you have enabled, the quicker the battery will drain. Having to remove the actual sensor from its band to charge is a little inconvenient but no worse than competing fitness trackers, such as the Fitbit Flex.

SHOULD I BUY THE XIAOMI MI BAND 2?

At just £35, the Mi Band 2 represents incredible value when set against some of the established fitness wearables, offering more functionality than many of its rivals at a fraction of the price. The companion smartphone app is also excellent, although more third-party app support would be welcome. Being able to share Mi Band 2 data with Google Fit means that seasoned Android users won't have the issue of doubling up on information or need to use multiple accounts for tracking their general health.
While the Mi Band 2 provides plenty of data, the app could be stronger in presenting this information in actionable ways beyond just seeing historical patterns. Still, considering the price; excellent battery life, useful notifications and an eye-catching design – complete with replaceable straps – make the package even more appealin
Xiaomi Mi Band 2
Xiaomi Mi Band 2
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Sunday, September 18, 2016

Huawei Nova Review

September 18, 2016 0 Comments
Huawei Nova Review
نتيجة بحث الصور عن ‪Huawei Nova‬‏

KEY FEATURES

  • 5-inch 1080p display
  • Snapdragon 625 processor
  • 3GB RAM
  • 32GB storage
  • 3,020mAh battery
  • 12-megapixel camera
  • USB Type-C
  • Manufacturer: Huawei
  • Review Price: to be confirmed
Huawei Nova hands-on – A new budget contender enters a crowded market
Huawei has had a good year with its high-end phones, with both the Leica-engineered P9 and P9 Plus impressing both the press and the public. And now it’s using IFA in Berlin to unveil a couple more affordable options.
They’re the first models in the new Nova series, and while they’re unlikely to set the world alight, there’s plenty to like – from the manageable size to the impressively fully featured spec sheets.
Video: Huawei Nova and Nova Plus Hands-on:
First up is the Nova, a phone that takes its design straight from the P9. And that certainly isn't a bad thing.
It’s all metal, with that signature strip of glass across the back to cover the camera lens. It feels great, thanks to slightly curved sides and a small footprint.
huaweinova 15The 5-inch 1080p display helps the phone to remain compact and it’s bright and detailed. Colours are vibrant, there’s plenty of brightness, and pixels are indistinguishable. Huawei could easily have opted for a 720p panel here to cut costs, but I’m glad it didn’t. The display is covered in a sheet of 2.5D glass that curves round the edges ever so slightly.
Flip the device over and you'll discover a nice, grippy texture along with a fingerprint scanner that sits bang in the center of the rear panel. In typical Huawei fashion, the fingerprint scanner is super-fast and unlocks the phone almost the moment you brush your digit across the pad. It can be used for gestures, too, such as bringing up the notifications panel or skipping through photos.
huaweinova 7
The Huawei Nova looks decent, and it has the mid-range specs to match. Running the show is a Snapdragon 625 CPU, paired with 3GB of RAM. It’s interesting to see Huawei utilise Snapdragon’s own chips rather than the Kirin versions it tends to use.
The phone feels fast, with apps opening quickly and web pages loading without too much trouble. I wasn’t able to test it’s gaming performance, for which you'll have to wait for the full review.
On the software side of things, Huawei’s custom UI – known as EMUI – sits on top ofAndroid 6.0.1 Marshmallow. EMUI certainly isn’t for everyone, and while it has seen improvements recently in both form and function, I still find it overbearing; it tries too hard to be like iOS.
There’s no app drawer, the icons are ugly and notifications panel is frustrating and feels out of place. On the plus side it's at least fluid, and you can always add your own launcher.
huaweinova 11
Apparently a Nougat update is coming, but the time frame isn’t yet definite. This will add native split-screen support and an improved Doze mode.
The Nova benefits from an impressive 32GB of internal storage, and a microSD slot if you want to expand it even further.
Huawei claims the 3,020mAh battery should last two days – which is a long shot in my mind. Still, I’ll certainly put it to the test and see whether this figure is accurate. Considering that the cell is larger than the Samsung Galaxy S7 and it has less pixels to push along with its less hungry CPU, this phone could offer plenty of stamina. Charging is via USB Type-C, and Quick Charge support is present too.
Along the bottom of the device you'll find a headphone jack and NFC for Android Pay. It seems to tick most of the boxes – so far, at least.
huaweinova 19
My biggest concern is the camera. The 12-megapixel unit with an f/2.2 aperture dramatically overexposed every test shot I took. Aim the sensor at a window and the image is unrealistically bright; aim it at a dark object and it isn't visible. This could just be a software issue, but it could also be a real downer.
Up front sits an 8-megaapixel camera, which fared a little better. But the ever-present Beauty mode is still weirdly strange.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I was a real fan of the Huawei P9, and there’s plenty to like about the Huawei Nova. It’s a cute, compact device that feels as good as its more prestigious brothers. It's feature-packed too, including everything from a healthy 32GB of internal storage to USB Type-C and a decent-sized battery.
There's a lot of competition in this particular end of the market, but Huawei could have something great on its hands here.
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iPad Air 3 release date, rumours, news, specs and price

September 18, 2016 0 Comments
iPad Air 3 release date, rumours, news, specs and price
iPadAir3

WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING TO SEE FROM THE IPAD AIR 3

If you're wondering what Apple has planned for the iPad Air 3, you're not alone. What follows is the very latest news and rumours relating to the iPad Air 3 release date, features, and specs.
Initially, many were expecting the iPad Air 3 to launch at Apple's March 21 event. However, what we got instead was the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.
Where does this leave the iPad Air 3? It could well be that Apple has retired the Air line, but it could also be that the Air brand isn't as high and dry as you might think.
The iPad Air 2 still occupies essentially the same part of Apple's roster it has since its release, having only been given a fairly modest £50 price cut. The similarly sized iPad Pro 9.7 slots in well above it at £100 more than the traditional iPad Air launch price.
In other words, there's still room for an iPad Air 3 – though precise details are virtually non-existent at this point. Here's what we're expecting to see.

IN BRIEF

When is the iPad Air 3 coming out? October 2016 (possibly)
What’s new about the iPad Air 3? We're expecting it to be thinner, lighter, and more powerful
How much will the iPad Air 3 cost? $399 - $559 depending on the storage is our best guess

IPAD AIR 3 RELEASE DATE UK & US – WHEN IS THE IPAD AIR 3 LIKELY TO COME OUT?

The iPad Air 2 landed in October 2014. It's pretty long in the tooth in tech terms, with many expecting an update towards the end of 2015.
But here we are in 2016, and still no iPad Air 3. As we've noted already, what we got in March wasn't a new iPad Air, but a new iPad Pro.
The iPad Air 2, then, still stands as the company's mainstream full-sized tablet. It's in need of an update, so we wouldn't be surprised to see the iPad Air 3 announced alongside the iPhone 7 in September, with an October release date. That's what the latest rumours seem to point to.
It might not be the most high-profile of announcements, though, given the emergence of the iPad Pro range.

iPad Air 2

IPAD AIR 3 FEATURES – WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING TO SEE FROM THE IPAD AIR 3

As with all things iPad Air 3, the precise features and specs remain a mystery. Still, there are several likely upgrades we can expect from Apple's next Air tablet.
It's a fair bet that the iPad Air 3 will be slimmer than the iPad Air 2. Apple could opt to keep the current measurements and pack in improved innards, but with less onus on pushing the spec boundary now, Apple will probably want to emphasise that Air name.
We wouldn't expect such heavyweight features as the four-speaker set-up of the iPad Pro 9.7, then.
iPad Air 2
It's likely that the iPad Air 3 will have the same 9.7-inch screen as its predecessor, though there's a chance we'd see some of the improvements made to the brightness and clarity of the iPad Pro.
Don't expect the 3D Touch feature of the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus last year. It didn't make its way to the iPad Pro, so there's no way Apple would give its lower-tier tablet range an advantage.
Given that the iPad Pro packs a souped up A9X CPU, an iPad Air 3 could possibly carry a regular A9 chip, as found in the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. That's all speculation at this point, though.

iPad Air 2

IPAD AIR 3 DISPLAY:

We would expect the iPad Air 3 to retain the 9.7-inch display from the iPad Air 2. The Air 1 and 2, as well as the 9.7-inch iPad Pro all featured a resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 with 264 ppi, so we don't see why the iPad Air 3 would be any different.
Considering the Air 2 retained the same screen specs as the first model, it seems unlikely Apple will make such a big jump in screen specs with the new Air tablet. The ppi measurement is also much greater than many of Apple's iPhones, or tablets. That ppi would put the high-end iPad Pro, with its 264ppi, to shame.
We should also see an anti-reflective coating which comes on the current model, as well as the iPad Pro and iPad Mini 4.

iPad Air 3

IPAD AIR 3 DESIGN:

If Apple did want to slim down the iPad Air 3, that could mean a smaller battery. Given that the A9 chip permitted a similar thing in the iPhone 6S without a loss of battery life, that seems like a decent bet.
The last two iPad Air models have slimmed down on previous versions, with the first-gen Air tablet reducing thickness considerably in comparison to the iPad 4, so it's reasonable to expect the upcoming model to do the same.
We doubt Apple would include additional features associated with the Pro range, such as a Smart Connector to enable connection of the the Apple Smart Keyboard accessory, or those aforementioned stereo speakers.

IPAD AIR 3 CAMERA:

The new iPad Pro has a 12-megapixel camera, while the iPad Air 2 and the larger iPad Pro both have 8-megapixel units. Although the Air 2 improved the rear camera, it seems unlikely that Apple would want to outdo its top-end iPad Pro by making the Air 3 with a better camera. 8-megapixels is therefore a good guess when it comes to the rear-facing camera.
Although the megapixel count is unlikely to increase, the Air 2 did increase the camera resolution over the Air 1 from 1,936 x 2,592 to 2,448 x 3264. It also increased the pixel size. It therefore seems reasonable to expect improvements of this kind on the Air 3, even if the megapixels remain the same.
In terms of the front lens, the Air 1 and 2 both featured a 1.2-megapixel lens, although the Air 2 added a larger f/2.2 aperture. While the 9.7-inch iPad Pro has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro features a 1.2-megapixels front-facing lens which, again, seems likely to appear on the Air 3 - unless Apple wanted to outdo it's high-end tablet.
iPad Air 2

IPAD AIR 3 SPECS:

When it comes to hardware, there are several new specs which we can reasonably expect to see on the iPad Air 3.
First up is the processor, which we would expect to be an A9. The A9 is the chip which can be found in both the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. The Air 2 features an A8X, but both models of the iPad Pro have the A9X, so we'd expect the Air 3 to come with A9 at least.
The Air 2's A8X processor was 1.4x faster than the iPad Air's A7, again pointing to a likely processor upgrade in the Air 3.
Using the Air 2 and iPad Pro to gauge specs for the Air 3 is also useful in terms of RAM. The Air 2 and Pro 9.7 have 2GB, while the larger Pro has 4GB. Again, Apple is unlikely to want to position the Air 3 as an iPad Pro alternative, so 2GB it would presumably stay.
Storage options on the current iPad Air model are 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB, though the higher model has been dropped from the range recently. There has been some talk of Apple phasing out the 16GB range, as it did with the 32GB Air models and the original 8GB iPad.
There's been nothing to indicate that Apple is considering such a move, but 16GB does seem slightly outdated so we may see the same storage options as the iPad Pro with 32GB and 128GB models.

IPAD AIR 3 SOFTWARE:

iOS 10 has been unveiled at WWDC, and it's coming this autumn. If history is anything to go by, it'll be turning up in September.
This means that if those September iPad Air 3 release date stories are true, it should launch with iOS 10 already installed.
iOS 10 will bring a smarter, more powerful lock screen with 'widgets' that grant additional functionality without needing to head into the apps themselves. It'll also sport third party Siri support, so your favourite apps will be included in your vocal prompts.
The new dedicated Home app, meanwhile, will turn many an iPad into a smart home hub device. Meanwhile a revamped Apple News app will find its natural home on Apple's tablet.
iOS home

IPAD AIR 3 FEATURES:

Touch ID, Apple's fingerprint scanning technology, is almost certain to return, having appeared on the iPad Air 2 and iPad Pro. You can expect all the usual extra stuff too like Bluetooth 4.2 and Lightning ports.
With Touch ID, the iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, and iPad mini 4 gained the ability to use a pared-down version of Apple Pay. The full feature allows you to pay for things in-store by scanning your device and using your fingerprint to authorise payment. The iPad version simply allows you to authorise online and in-app payments using the fingerprint scanner. There's been no word on whether full Apple Pay will be coming to the tablet range, but it wouldn't be completely absurd to expect it - especially with the prospect of online payments.
The Air 3 would almost certainly not feature Apple's tri-level pressure-sensitive 3D touch. According to a research note from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, there have been 'production issues within Apple's supply chain' with relation to the technology, which might explain why it didn't appear in either Pro model.
Don't expect Pro features like Apple Pencil support or stereo sound, either.

IPAD AIR 3 PRICE:

It's reasonable to assume that the iPad Air 3 will cost around the same price as the iPad Air 2's launch price. The Air 2 launched at £399 for the 16GB model, £479 for the 64GB version, and $559 for the 128GB version. If you wanted to add 3G connectivity, the price for each model increased by £100.
If Apple sticks to the previous iPad Air pricing but decides to ditch the 16GB model, which could be a possibility considering the iPad Pro starts at 32GB, then it could be that the iPad Air 3 starts slightly higher than the $399 mark.
Alternatively, Apple could stick with the 16, 64, and 128GB options as well as the iPad Air 2's current post-Pro pricing – which means that it would start from $349. Wouldn't that be sweet?
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