So, Q Acoustics’ new 3000c loudspeaker series is something of a novelty at the elite German trade show. Why? Well, because “affordable” isn’t a word you often hear at High End Munich – and affordable is what these are.
But that doesn’t mean the British company isn’t serious about sound; our recent five-star review of the Q Acoustics M40 HD proves that. Also, the new speakers all feature Q Acoustics’ notable C3 (or Continuous Curved Cone) driver design, first introduced in the firm’s 5000 series, to build on the legacy of the 3000i – Q Acoustics’ popular speaker series launched in 2018.
What’s perhaps most notable to me is that while every model in the 3000c series features the acoustic cabinet innovations first introduced in the company’s high-end Concept range of loudspeakers (see our five-star Q Acoustics Concept 300 review for more on this) they come in at a much lower price point.
The company bills the 3000c series as “the perfect entry-point into a modern audiophile world, or as a cost-effective speaker upgrade”. So let’s take a closer look…
The 3050c floorstander is perhaps my ideal pick – in the new Pin Oak lighter finish. (Image credit: Q Acoustics)
The Q Acoustics 3000c family comprises the 3010c bookshelf pair, 3020c standmount speakers, 3030c larger standmount speakers, 3050c floorstanders, with the 3090c center-channel completing the lineup for a home cinema speaker setup.
3000c series audio innovations include a new “ground-up” C3 (pronounced ‘C-cubed’) Continuous Curved Cone mid/bass profile, a hermetically sealed high-frequency driver unit that is mechanically isolated from the baffle, cabinets built with the company’s proprietary P2P (Point to Point) bracing, and patented HPETM (Helmholtz Pressure Equaliser) tubes to help disrupt the build-up of standing waves in the 3050c floor-standing speakers.
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What of that special C3 cone? Q Acoustics tells us, “Significant advances in the design of a loudspeaker drive unit are rare – but the C3 driver successfully addresses shortcomings in established drive unit design, (combining) the bass performance advantages of a traditional straight conic cone with the midrange and high-end control of a flared cone.”
In terms of aesthetic, the UK speaker specialist says that the 3000c range is “more visually minimal with no discerning joints or bolts” thanks to a new one-piece driver trim, in satin nickel or satin chrome, if you go for the white finish, but you can choose between four new modern and high-quality finishes, including new lighter (Pin Oak) and darker wood (Claro Rosewood), alongside Satin White and Satin Black.
Q Acoustics is up against pricey competition – but that’s no bad thing…
All of the models are set to arrive in August. But just how affordable are we talking? (Deep breath) Q Acoustics 3010c bookshelf option will be priced at $399 / £329 / € 399 (around AU$600); Q Acoustics 3020c standmount is set to cost $499 / £399 / € 499 (around AU$750); Q Acoustics 3030c larger standmount will set you back $649 / £499 / €649 (around AU$980); Q Acoustics 3050c floorstander will cost $1,199 / £899 €1,199 (in the region of AU$1,820) and Q Acoustics 3090c center channel will be available for $399 / £299 / € 399 (so somewhere around AU$600).
The company will also be offering the speakers in 5.1 home cinema packages (with a suitably-sized Q Acoustics subwoofer, depending on which speakers you go for), with pricing still to be confirmed.
When you consider that Q Acoustics is sharing the spotlight here with options costing hundreds of thousands of dollars (from the likes of Magico, Sonus faber, Wilson Audio and co), there’s a lot to like for little money – and if we get the chance test them fully, they may well find their way onto our best stereo speakers buying guide.
Samsung has launched a more affordable OLED TV—S85D—in the US. It sits below the S90D and uses LG Display’s WRGB OLED panel rather than Samsung Display’s QD-OLED panel. It also misses out on some features available on the S90D and the S95D OLED TV models launched earlier this year.
S85D is Samsung’s cheapest OLED TV ever, now available in the USA
The S85D OLED TV from Samsung comes in three sizes: 55-inch, 65-inch, and 77-inch. All these variants use LG Display’s OLED panel, which means their color depth and volume won’t be as good as TVs using Samsung Display’s QD-OLED panel. It starts at $1,700 for the 55-inch version and goes as high as $3,400 for the 77-inch version.
55-inch S85D (QN55S65DAEXZA): $1,700
65-inch S85D (QN65S65DAEXZA): $2,100
77-inch S85D (QN77S85DAEXZA): $3,400
You can order the TV today from Samsung’s website and get it delivered to most places in the US by May 16, 2024.
You can watch our video of the S90D and S95D OLED TVs below.
Samsung has equipped the S85D with a 4K OLED panel from LG. It features HDR10, HDR10+ (Adaptive & Gaming), and HLG compatibility, and it can be driven at 120Hz and has AMD FreeSync Premium certification for smooth gaming. It uses the NQ4 AI Gen2 processor for AI-powered 4K upscaling. It also features ALLM, HGiG, Mini Map Zoom, Super Ultra Wide Game View, and VRR.
It has 20W stereo speakers, a step down from the S90D’s 2.1-channel setup. Its audio features include 360 Audio, Active Voice Amplifier Pro, Adaptive Sound Pro, Bluetooth Dual Audio (with Buds Auto Switch), Dolby Atmos, Object Tracking Sound Lite, and Q-Symphony. It has more simplistic stands on the left and right edges, but you can also mount it on a VESA 300 x 200 compatible accessory.
It runs Tizen OS 7.0 (with Samsung Daily+) and comes with Samsung TV Plus for free video streaming. It features far-field microphones for voice commands. It has Alexa, Bixby, Google Assistant, Microsoft 365, Samsung Health, and Samsung Knox. It has a built-in SmartThings Hub with support for Thread and Zigbee modules. It is also compatible with Samsung’s SlimFit Cam for video calling. It comes bundled with Samsung’s SolarCell Remote, which can charge itself using ambient light.
The S85D’s wireless connectivity features include Bluetooth 5.2, dual-band Wi-Fi 5, AirPlay, Smart View, Tap Sound, Tap View, and Wireless DeX. The TV has four HDMI 2.1 ports (one with eARC), an optical audio out port, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, one RF port, one LAN port, and one 3.5mm headphone port.
Beats is expanding its lineup with two new products: the Beats Solo Buds and Beats Solo 4. The latter is the successor to the company’s most popular headphones, the Beats Solo 3.
Both offerings won’t rival Apple’s AirPods lineup, but if you frequently switch between Android and iPhone, you might like Beats’ new options.
Beats Solo Buds passively block noise
Beats Solo Buds comes in a Transparent Red color. Photo: Beats
The main highlight of the Beats Solo Buds is its long battery life, though this comes at the expense of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). Instead, they block noise passively. Beats claims the Solo Buds feature “ergonomically designed acoustic nozzles” with vents helping relieve pressure during extended uses. The earbuds ship with four ear tips, including XS, to help you get the perfect fit.
Each earbud ships with a claimed custom-designed microphone and an advanced noise-learning algorithm for crystal-clear call quality. You can customize the ‘b’ button to control music playback, trigger your phone’s voice assistant, or control music playback. It is also possible to customize the button’s long-press action. Other features of the Solo Buds include one-touch pairing for both iOS and Android and Find My or Find My Device integration.
While the Solo Buds won’t win any awards for sound quality, it stands out with its battery life. Beats says the earbuds offer the longest battery life in its lineup, with up to 18 hours of playback. While there’s no wireless charging, the charging case supports fast wired charging over USB-C. This means a 5-minute top-up is enough to provide an additional hour of music playback.
The Beats Solo Buds will launch in black, gray, purple, and transparent red colors in June for $79.99.
Beats Solo 4
The Beats Solo 4 comes in three colors. Photo: Beats
The Beats Solo 4 arrives nearly eight years after the Solo 3 and packs some meaningful upgrades. The 217-gram heavy headphones feature UltraPlush cushions for top-notch comfort and durability. Internally, the Solo 4 features custom 40mm transducers for improved clarity and minimal distortion. You also get Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking.
Like the Solo Buds, the Solo 4 works with Android and iOS and features Find My/Find My Device integration, one-touch pairing, and a customizable ‘b’ button. In addition to Bluetooth, the headphones have a USB-C port for lossless audio playback and charging. There’s also a 3.5mm port, which will work even when the headphones are low on battery power.
The Beats Solo 4 offers a claimed battery life of up to 5o hours. You can order the headphones starting today in the US for $199.99 in black, blue, and pink colors.
With all the chatter about the artificial intelligence features of Intel’s new Core Ultra CPUs, it’s easy to forget that AMD has been busy doing AI too. AMD has outfitted many of its Ryzen processors with neural processing units (NPUs) since mid-2023, and it’s continued to expand its AI offerings ever since.
Acer’s latest Nitro 17 gaming laptop (model number AN17-42-R9TH) is built atop an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, which sits near the top of AMD’s product line. If you’re engaging with AI on the desktop, you’ll probably bypass the CPU altogether. With the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics processor in the Nitro 17, everything from gaming to AI image generation gets a significant boost. Aside from the processors, Acer hasn’t exactly pushed the specs to the limit here: 16 GB of RAM and a 1-terabyte solid-state drive are more or less entry-level options today.
That’s just what’s under the hood. On the outside, the Nitro 17 is every bit the beast you are probably expecting, with a 17.3-inch screen (resolution limited to 1,920 X 1,080 pixels), a daunting 34-millimeter thickness, and a weight that tops 6.3 pounds. It is the heaviest and thickest laptop I’ve tested since 2018, and that’s without the power brick (another full pound).
Photograph: Acer
This laptop has been tricked out for gamers—arguably gamers from the ’90s, but gamers all the same. Sharp, angled corners abound from every angle. The screen is spaced away from the back of the laptop by about a centimeter and propped up on a small riser that feels like a separate device bolted on top of the chassis. It’s largely the same design as 2023, minus a few graphical flourishes.
The responsive keyboard rests in a beveled tray, and it’s color-backlit with four tunable zones and a variety of modes that let colors roll across the keys in various patterns. There’s a numeric keypad and full-size arrow keys along with custom keys, like a Copilot button and a Nitro key that launches Acer’s NitroSense software, which lets you tune every aspect of the laptop experience. Above the keyboard is a stand-alone button that cycles through four power modes, from Quiet to Turbo, all exactly what they sound like.
A tour around the sides and back of the laptop reveals plenty of ports, including two USB-C ports— one USB 3.2, one USB 4—an HDMI jack, a microSD card slot, a full-size Ethernet adapter, and three USB-A ports—one USB 3.2 and one USB 2.0. Why there’s a crusty old USB 2.0 port on the device I can’t fathom, but with this many connectivity options, it probably doesn’t matter much. Much of the rest of the space around the edges features various vents and grilles for the dual exhaust fans. When they run, which is any time there’s a moderate load on the machine, they can get a bit noisy, though I’ve encountered plenty of louder machines in recent years. I expected more from the speakers on the unit, though they’re fine for casual entertainment and gaming use.
Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a high-performance, hybrid sodium-ion battery that charges rapidly and offers impressive energy density.
This revolutionary prototype uses sodium (Na), a chemical element over 1000 times more abundant and cheaper than lithium (Li), the main component of conventional batteries.
Generally, sodium-ion batteries face constraints such as lower power output, limited storage properties, and extended charging times. The innovative battery design, led by Professor Jeung Ku Kang of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at KAIST, combats existing limitations of sodium-ion batteries by integrating the anode materials used in traditional batteries with the cathodes used for supercapacitors into a hybrid system. The result reportedly delivers high storage capacity and rapid charge-discharge rates.
Multiple possibilities
Developing the hybrid battery hinged upon improving the energy storage rate of battery-type anodes and boosting the relatively low capacity of supercapacitor-type cathode materials.
The research team at KAIST made use of two distinct metal-organic frameworks to create an optimized synthesis of hybrid batteries, culminating in anode material with improved kinetics and a high-capacity cathode material.
The fully assembled hybrid sodium-ion energy storage device reportedly surpasses the energy density of commercial lithium-ion batteries and matches the power density characteristics of supercapacitors. Professor Kang says this new battery, with an energy density of 247 Wh/kg and a power density of 34,748 W/kg, could be used across a range industries, including electric vehicles, smart electronics and aerospace technologies.
The findings of this research, co-authored by KAIST doctoral candidates Jong Hui Choi and Dong Won Kim, were published in the international journal Energy Storage Materials with the catchy title of “Low-crystallinity conductive multivalence iron sulfide-embedded S-doped anode and high-surface-area O-doped cathode of 3D porous N-rich graphitic carbon frameworks for high-performance sodium-ion hybrid energy storages.”
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Kobo might play second fiddle to the popularity of Amazon’s Kindles, but the Japanese-Canadian brand has beaten the tech giant in being the first to deliver mainstream color ereaders that are also relatively affordable. Two were announced side by side, with the Kobo Clara Colour being the cheaper option.
It’s an entry-level model compared to its bigger 7-inch Libra Colour sibling but, despite its 6-inch display size and lack of stylus support, the Clara Colour is a great option for anyone looking for a dedicated reading device. With no other functionality on board, it’s distraction-free reading at its best and in color too.
In fact, Kobo makes full use of the E Ink Kaleido 3 display technology that’s adopted for the Clara Colour. Not only are the book covers displayed in color, but the selected tab on the bottom of the home screen changes to a reddish-brown when selected. Even the download status bar is that color.
There’s even a dark mode available here and, if you happen to have highlighted words and passages in an ebook, they will still be displayed in color – only the text and background colors get inverted.
Page turns are fast, the on-screen keyboard is responsive and the battery life is good too. It’s waterproof, lightweight and portable as well. It looks like the Amazon Kindle (2022) but its biggest selling point is that color screen, for which you will be paying a little more. All in all, Kobo has done really well with the Clara Colour.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Kobo Clara Colour review: price and availability
Announced April 2024
Launch price of $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95
Available in one colorway with optional slipcovers
There aren’t many mainstream 6-inch ereaders with a color display, so it’s hard to compare the Kobo Clara Colour with others. Still, at $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95, it’s arguably the cheapest big-brand color ereader on the market. If you don’t need the color display, then opting for the 2022 edition of the Amazon Kindle or even the 2024 Kobo Clara BW will save you some cash, with the former costing only $119.99 / £94.99 / AU$179 without ads and the latter setting you back $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$239.95.
If the color display is important to you, then you’re looking at going up one size at the very least, with the Kobo Libra Colour being one of the cheapest in the 7-inch size class at $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$359.95. All other color ereaders worth their salt are more expensive.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Kobo Clara Colour review: Specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Display type:
E Ink Kaleido 3
Screen size:
6 inches
Resolution:
300ppi for B&W; 150ppi for color
Processor:
2GHz
Frontlight:
ComfortLight Pro (warm and cold)
Storage:
16GB
Battery:
1,500mAh
Water protection:
IPX8
Software:
Linux based
Connectivity:
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C
File support:
10 document, 5 image, 1 audio
Dimensions:
112 x 160 x 9.2 mm
Weight:
174g
Kobo Clara Colour review: Design and display
Body built with up to 85% recycled plastic
Sharp, responsive 6-inch display
Sunken screen, which reduces glare
Kobo has stuck with the same design formula it used for the Clara 2E, bringing an identical black plastic body and raised bezels over to the Clara Colour – while its monochrome sibling, the Clara BW, gets a two-tone chassis to shake things up a little. Available in just a black colorway, the rear panel is textured to provide a little grip, while the side bezels on the front are just broad enough to offer your thumbs a place to rest.
While the raised bezel design might look a little dated now, it’s better at preventing glare from overhead lighting (indoor or sunshine). Less glare also means you won’t be spotting smudged fingerprints as much either.
That’s not to say the screen is reflective – far from it. The 6-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 display is, like all other e-ink displays, glare-free but its smooth surface can have bright spots from overhead lights. That said, the built-in frontlight on the display can help reduce those bright spots.
The ComfortLight Pro on the Clara Colour is the same frontlight Kobo has been using on all its ereaders for a long while now. It lights up the screen evenly – I didn’t notice any areas of shadows or excessive lighting – which makes the reading experience a good one. Moreover, there are amber LEDs on the device, so you can adjust the light temperature to warmer tones for evening or nighttime reading to reduce eye fatigue.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
As the name of the device suggests, the display can now handle some color – 4,096 hues to be precise. As I’ve mentioned in all my other reviews of color ereaders: don’t expect the colors to pop with saturation as they do on an LCD screen. They will appear a little muted in comparison and that’s a limitation of the e-ink screen technology, not an issue with Kobo’s implementation.
Anything displayed in black and white on this screen will have a resolution of 300ppi, while anything shown in color will be at 150ppi resolution. The lower resolution might sound like color images (like comics and book covers) won’t look good, but far from it. In fact, the higher pixel density actually renders colors well, making them appear a little more saturated than they would on a larger E Ink Kaleido 3 display as used in the 7-inch Kobo Libra Colour or the 7.8-inch Onyx Boox Tab Mini C.
Despite tipping the scales at 174g – just 4g more than the Clara 2E – the Clara Colour is light and compact, being the perfect size for traveling with. It’s also waterproof, with an IPX8 rating that will keep the device in working condition if immersed in 2 meters of water for up to an hour.
The navy blue rear panel of the Kobo Clara BW (left) and the black of the Kobo Clara Colour (right) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Like its predecessor, over 85% of the body is recycled plastic, which includes waste that would have ended up in our oceans (like plastic bottles and CDs). The packaging it comes in is made from 100% recycled materials and is recyclable in turn, and the ink used to print the text and images on the box is soy, so biodegradable.
Rounding out the design elements is a concave power button on the rear of the device, a USB-C port placed off-center of the bottom edge, and the Kobo branding on the lower bezel. It’s a simple design that reflects the device’s single-minded purpose of digital reading.
It’s also possibly one of the most repairable ereaders on the market, along with its 2024 siblings. Kobo has partnered with iFixit to provide spare parts and instructions on how to perform some repairs, although, at the time of writing, neither of these are available on the iFixit website. I’ll update this review when there’s more information from either Kobo or iFixit.
Design & display score:4 / 5
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Kobo Clara Colour review: User interface
Streamlined, easy-to-use UX
Good font and file support
Cloud transfer files not available
I have always been a fan of Kobo’s easy-to-use interface on its devices, with everything neatly laid out on the home screen. Up to four of your current reads are listed right up top of the home screen, followed by a My Books section and another that cycles through either new recommendations, access to Kobo Plus or one of your Collections within your library.
Above the book tiles is the quick menu for screen brightness, Wi-Fi, battery, cloud sync (for firmware updates) and search, while at the bottom of the home screen are the four tabs to navigate around the device and the Kobo Store.
It’s nice to see Kobo has taken full advantage of the E Ink Kaleido 3 screen by displaying the selected navigation tab in color. The same red-brown hue is also used for the download status of a title you’re either purchasing or accessing via Kobo Plus.
The More pane on the Kobo Clara Colour (right) misses out on the Google Drive and Dropbox support seen on the Kobo Libra Colour (left) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
OverDrive support to borrow from partnered public libraries is still a stalwart presence on Kobo ereaders, as is Pocket. The latter, which is essentially a browser plugin that allows you to save web articles for reading later, gives you access to those articles on the Clara Colour if you already have a Pocket account.
Unlike the more expensive Kobo ereaders, there’s no Google Drive or Dropbox support on the Clara Colour. The only way to sideload titles is by plugging the device into your laptop and PC via the USB-C port and dragging files over.
File support is good, although not as extensive as what you’ll get on an Onyx ereader. Despite that, all the essential file formats are supported, including EPUBs, the most common ebook file format. Two comic files are also supported, plus 4 image formats. The only audio format supported is Kobo Audiobooks, so you can’t sideload audiobooks you might have sourced from a third party – you have to either purchase it from the Kobo Store or listen via Kobo Plus.
Audiobooks, however, take up storage space on a device and the Clara Colour only has 16GB to offer, with no microSD slot to increase it. So you may need to keep an eye on the storage if you’re more into audiobooks than ebooks.
The Kobo Libra Colour (left) and the Clara Colour (right) have dark mode, with color content displayed as is. Only text is inverted. (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
A new addition to the Clara Colour’s settings is the option to “reduce rainbow effect” when viewing in color. I’ve never come across this option in color ereaders from other brands, and I haven’t been able to figure out what exactly a rainbow effect is, so I haven’t a clue how the setting works. I suppose, if color content starts to look a little strange, selecting this setting might help.
Dark Mode is available here and that only inverts text color while you’re reading an ebook. If your book has color images, you will see them displayed in color on a black background, which I think can make some pictures pop a little more.
One change I’ve been waiting for Kobo to make to its interface is the ability to create subfolders within the library. You can create what Kobo calls Collections, but you can’t set up nested sub collections within your main ones. Kindle allows for it, so I think it’s time Kobo adopted a similar option.
User interface score: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Kobo Clara Colour review: Performance
Responsive touchscreen
Good battery life
Less contrast in black-and-white compared to some other ereaders
It’s been hard for me to fault Kobo’s ereaders when it comes to performance and it’s the same with the Clara Colour too, especially with a 2GHz processor keeping things ticking along nicely. Reading on it is a pleasure, although I personally find a 6-inch screen too small due to needing to turn a page a touch too often for my liking – that can eat into the battery life of the device. The small size might also make reading comics and graphic novels less enjoyable as, depending on how the title has been formatted, some frames could get cut off.
Both black-and-white books and color content look good on the Clara Colour, but I found the former lacked little contrast in comparison to some other monochrome ereaders I’ve previously tested. That said, you’ll only notice the difference if you compare two different models side by side and it doesn’t affect the reading experience at all. If it does, though, Kobo allows you to make the text on the screen ‘heavier’ by making the font a little thicker. Colors, on the other hand, appear comparatively more saturated on the 6-inch screen when compared to larger color ereaders and that’s down to the pixel density.
Opening an ebook on the Libra Colour during testing had a significant lag, but that’s not the case with the Clara Colour. It’s faster in that respect and, just like its bigger sibling, has a peppy screen performance. Page turns are quick and the on-screen keyboard has no major lag either, whether that’s to make annotations or type in your Wi-Fi password.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
I had no issues pairing the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones to the Clara Colour to listen to audiobooks, although the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II took a few tries before they paired. I’m putting that down to the slightly temperamental nature of the earbuds as I’ve had this issue with the same set and other ereaders before.
As with other ereaders, the Clara Colour will give you weeks of reading pleasure on a single charge. It has a 1,500mAh battery pack – the same as the Kobo Clara 2E but smaller than the 2,050mAh in the Libra Colour – and you can easily eke out up to 5 weeks of use, depending on how you use it. In my case, a screen brightness of 15%, the refresh rate set to every chapter and the Wi-Fi always on, gave me 34 days of reading about an hour each day before the battery dropped to 21% from full. So you can definitely get more. In fact, the Clara Colour has better battery life than the Libra Colour despite a smaller capacity, but then it doesn’t need to handle as many tasks as its bigger sibling needs to.
A recharge can take up to two hours, but that’s only because trickle charging kicks in at about the 95% mark – as happens with other Kobo ereaders. While it might seem frustrating to have to wait for an hour to see just a 5% top up, trickle charging preserves the battery for longer, thus ensuring a longer lifespan for your device.
Marginally bigger and heavier than the Amazon Kindle (2022), the Kobo Clara Colour is still light and portable. (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Should I buy the Kobo Clara Colour?
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Attribute
Notes
Score
Value
Arguably the cheapest color ereader available, albeit a 6-inch one.
4.5/5
Design & display
It might look dated, but the color screen enhances the reading experience.
4/5
User interface
Simple and remarkably easy to use.
4.5/5
Performance
There’s no reason to complain here, although a touch more contrast would be nice.
5/5
Overall
6 inches may not suit everyone and, in comparison to monochrome ereaders, color options are more expensive.
4.5/5
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Header Cell – Column 0
Kobo Clara Colour
Amazon Kindle (2022)
Kobo Clara BW
Price
$149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95
$119.99 / £94.99 / AU$179 (no ads)
$129.99 / £119.99 / AU$239.95
Screen
6-inch E Ink Kaleido 3
6-inch E Ink Carta 1200
6-inch E Ink Carta 1300
Resolution
300ppi (B&W); 150ppi (color)
300ppi
300ppi
Operating system
Linux based
Linux based
Linux based
Storage
16GB
16GB
16GB
CPU
2GHz
1GHz
1GHz
Battery
1,500mAh
1,040mAh
1,500mAh
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C
Waterproofing
IPX8
No
IPX8
File support (including audio and images)
16
17
16
Dimensions
160 x 112 x 9.2 mm
157.8 x 108.6 x 8.0 mm
160 x 112 x 9.2 mm
Weight
174g
158g
174g
How I tested the Kobo Clara Colour
Used for three weeks alongside the Kobo Libra Colour and the Onyx Boox Palma
Used it for both reading ebooks and listening to audiobooks
Compared it with other 6-inch and 7-inch ereaders
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
I was lucky to have been sent the Kobo Clara Colour ahead of the official announcement, so I’d been using it for a few weeks before publishing this review. I used it alongside the Kobo Libra Colour as well as the rather different-looking Onyx Boox Palma. I also had the brief pleasure of comparing it to the Kobo Clara BW as well.
I used to the Clara Colour to both read and listen – I have a Kobo account, so signing into it via the device gave me access to my existing library. It also gave me access to my Kobo Plus subscription, which is where I found some audiobooks to listen to.
While using the Clara Colour, I had the opportunity to compare it to other ereaders, both black and white as well as color. These include the Libra Colour, the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C, the Onyx Boox Poke 5 and the PocketBook InkPad 4.
Regular readers will need no further introduction to iFi, the digital-to-analog audio specialist responsible for the loveable iFi Uno and iFi xDSD Gryphon DACs, to name only a few. But what you probably won’t know until now is that iFi has today announced the arrival two new products: the Zen DAC 3 and Zen Phono 3.
Not to be confused with the excellent iFi hip-dac 3 (which somehow bettered even the inaugural iFi hip-dac and its subsequent follow-up), Zen DAC 3 is the third iteration in the company’s entry-level desktop Zen DAC lineup.
iFi is pitching the Zen Dac 3 at gamers (and why not when gaming/audio collabs are so hot right now – see the Final Fantasy 14 turntable?), casual listeners, and audiophiles alike owing to its bijou casework and less-than-flagship pricing. That said, there is a $70 or £70 over the previous model (which launched at $159 / £159 / AU$229) to stomach this time around.
What are you getting for the money? This time around, it promises “ultra-res audio” (more on this later), a refreshed design, and USB-C input for plug-and-play connectivity. The Zen DAC 3 features two 4.4mm balanced outputs – one dedicated to your pick of the best wired headphones and the other to all other hi-fi equipment – a design that iFi says “minimizes distortion, crosstalk, and noise”.
Small in size, big for connectivity (Image credit: iFi)
And the hi-res chops or “ultra-res” chops iFi mentions? PCM 768kHz to DSD 512 and full MQA decoding are all onboard, plus billed enhancements such as improved DC offset and “overvoltage protection” where the USB-C input is concerned, to keep your music playing nicely.
This is iFi, so firm favorites XBass+ and PowerMatch analog processing modes also feature. Although I’ve yet to test this newest model, I did test both older Zen DAC iterations and liked them very much indeed. Having said that, this is a fair price increase over the March 2021-issue Zen DAC 2, so it’ll be interesting to see where the money’s gone – and whether this latest proposition still represents value.
The iFi Zen DAC 3 is available to buy from today (April 16) at ifi-audio.com and from selected retailers with a quoted price of $229 / £229 / €229 / AU$229.
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iFi’s double-Zen Record Store Day offering
As phono stages go, it’s a looker (Image credit: iFi)
But that’s not all! To celebrate Record Store Day (which falls on Saturday, April 20. You knew that) the Stockport UK-based firm has introduced the Zen Phono 3. This hi-fi separate for your turntable is crafted, says iFi, “for vinyl lovers who demand nothing but the best”. To that end, the Zen Phono 3 includes an intelligent subsonic filter that aims to eliminate pitch changes from warped records (remember, super-cheap players can actually damage your records) but without simply removing the low end.
To dig a little deeper into that filter, traditional solutions can sometimes fall foul of eliminating both the rumbling side-effect of warped vinyl and your recording’s juicy bass frequencies. However, according to its makers, the Zen Phono 3’s intelligent subsonic filter can “selectively remove” the imperfections while preserving the integrity of your music. Heady stuff.
Its RIAA equalization circuit boasts an Equivalent Input Noise of -151dBV (which for clarity is really rather low, otherwise known as ‘quiet’) meaning it should deliver a big dollop of fidelity and detail over the phono stage built into any inexpensive deck it’s partnered with – some of which can be found in our best turntables guide.
You also get balanced and RCA line outputs around the back, an adjustable gain range, and a power supply controller to further tweak your system’s performance, plus two loading options for MM and MC-High (100 & 200pF capacitance) and three options for MC-Low and MC-V Low (100, 400 & 1kOhm) cartridges.
The iFi ZEN Phono 3 is available to purchase from ifi-audio.com and selected retailers for $249 / £249 / €249 / AU$249 and while I haven’t yet heard it, on paper I like it a lot.
If you’re just looking for a cheap way to keep your floors cleaner and don’t need all the top-end features, you may want to check out this deal. Anker brand Eufy’s BoostIQ RoboVac S11 is now down to $140 after a 44 percent discount. The sale comes as part of a larger sale on Eufy vacs, including ones with a few more bells and whistles. The S11 Max is our current pick for an ultra budget option in our buyer’s guide to robo vacs because it’s super affordable (especially after the discount), has good suction power and a long battery life. Probably the biggest caveat is that it’s not Wi-Fi enabled.
eufy
Our pick for an ultra budget robot vacuum is down to just $140 after a 44 percent discount.
Instead of controlling the unit through your home’s wireless network, the 11S Max comes with a remote that handles scheduling and other smart features like cleaning mode selection. It also has a manual button up top to start a session. It has three power modes — Standard, BoostIQ and Max — and BoostIQ provides a good balance of adequate suction and noise level. In our tests, a BoostIQ session lasted about an hour and 15 minutes. The obstacle avoidance is impressive at sidestepping random objects, though it occasionally bumped into walls. The vac is also about an inch an a half thinner than many other robot vacs we tested, which lets it get beneath low-slung furniture for more complete cleaning.
Firewalla makes configurable hardware firewalls that connect to your router, providing protection for your home or business against various network and internet threats.
The company has announced the pre-sale of Firewalla Gold Pro, the newest and most powerful addition to the “Gold” product line. Touted as the world’s most affordable 10-gigabit smart firewall, this device is designed to be compatible with the next-generation Wi-Fi 7 and high-speed 5 and 10-gigabit ISP fiber networks.
The Gold Pro features two 10-gigabit and two 2.5-gigabit Ethernet interfaces, which provide network segmentation and redundancy. The device is powered by a quad-core Intel processor and 8GB of RAM, allowing it to scale with growing networks.
Available to pre-order
The 10-gigabit ports can be used for both WAN and LAN and users can segment their network with VLANs running at 10 gigabits or connect one port to a 10-gigabit Wi-Fi 7 access point and another to a high-speed switch. The firewall supports VPNs at speeds over 2GB, ensuring a fast and secure network experience, even on the go.
“Our dedicated community is always pushing for a better network at higher speeds. The Gold Pro makes it possible to protect their homes and offices at future speeds, without monthly fees,” said Jerry Chen, founder of Firewalla. “As small businesses upgrade their infrastructure and consumers adopt faster offerings from their ISPs, the Gold Pro gives them unmatched visibility and protection for the next generation of networks.”
The Firewalla Gold Pro is currently available for pre-sale at a price of $789 with early buyers receiving an additional six months of warranty. Shipping is expected to start in early November, with a price increase likely closer to the shipping date.
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Philips is expanding its E1 series of business monitors with the addition of three new models designed to cater to the needs of professionals and remote workers.
The high-end Philips 27E1N1600AE comes with HDMI 1.4 and USB-C 3.2 connectivity with 65W Power Delivery. The 27-inch IPS panel offers QHD (2560 x 1440) resolution and HDR. The model also comes with a 100mm height-adjustable stand.
The other two screens, 24E1N1100A and 27E1N1100A, come with FHD IPS panels, measuring 23.8 inches and 27 inches respectively, and feature a frameless design with narrow borders.
VGA port for older computers
Philips says these screens are ideal for multi-monitor setups and include a cable management system for a tidy workspace. They both come with HDMI 1.4 ports and in place of the 27E1N1600AE’s USB-C 3.2 there’s a VGA port on both models.
The IPS panels promise vivid colors, and a 100Hz refresh rate with 1ms MPRT and Adaptive-Sync. They also include SmartImage Game Modes for ‘light’ gaming.
There are built-in 2W stereo speakers, and the monitors also feature LowBlue Mode and Flicker-free for comfortable viewing and EasyRead for a paper-like reading experience.
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The Philips 24E1N1100A and 27E1N1100A retail at an affordable £94.99/€119 and £109.99/€139 respectively. The Philips 27E1N1600AE, with its QHD display, will set you back £199.99/€249, but you’ll want to shop around to see if you can pick it up for cheaper as there are better models from other makers available for that price.
