Listening to music through EarFun’s first over-ear headphones — EarFun Wave Pro, released Monday — I almost couldn’t believe the high quality sound and wonderful comfort they offer. That’s why I give the set 5 stars in this EarFun Wave Pro headphones review.
It’s flat-out astonishing that someone can offer this level of audio quality, noise cancellation, comfort and battery life for $80.
With AirPods Max rarely marked down much from their lofty $549 price, you have to wonder why people spend that much, or even $300, for a great set of cans.
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EarFun Wave Pro Hi-Res ANC Wireless Headphones
When unboxing the new Earfun Wave Pro Hi-Res ANC Wireless Headphones — which came out on Monday — at first nothing leaps out and screams “premium.” The box is nothing special. The travel case within seems sleek but not fancy. And once I got the headphones out, I wondered if their light weight came mostly from the amount of plastic used.
But with a bit of handling, it became clear to me the cans have high build quality and a splendid feature set for a first go. And they’re incredibly comfortable to wear.
And what’s more, their lightweight feel on your head and high-quality sound in your ears will have you marveling over their incongruously low price tag. They seem like $180 headphones, yet they cost $80 as a regular price. AirPods Max owners don’t need to rush out and buy these (except maybe as a backup), but price-conscious buyers might want to do just that.
These cans compare well to the somewhat-pricier and excellent Soundcore Q45 and Edifier WH950NB headphones I’ve reviewed.
EarFun Wave Pro headphones review: Fine fit and finish
The headphones fold up and fit in the sleek travel case. I found it a bit awkward folding them correctly to get them to fit back in there perfectly, however. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Inside the compact travel case I found the folded-up headphones, a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging, a 3.5mm audio cable for wired listening (very handy on an airplane) and a user manual.
The dark-gray headphones have plush earcups, padding at the top of the foldable, steel-reinforced band and touch controls for power, volume and noise cancellation, plus an audio cable jack and a USB-C port for the charging cable.
EarFun Wave Pro enters a wireless headphone market with ever-increasing sound quality, improving noise cancellation, lengthening battery life and falling prices. And even with other recent contenders from the likes of Edifier and Soundcore getting attention, Earfun still impresses.
I was pleased to find EarFun Wave Pro paired with my devices readily, and with two at a time when needed. The handy User Manual explains pairing, touch control functions and how to get and use the EarFun Audio App.
That little mesh flap for storage could be bigger and tighter. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
I found on my second time connecting to the app on my iPhone 13 Pro that Firmware Version 0.3.4 was available, so I updated from Version 0.3.0. The new version enables adjustment of the EarFun Wave Pro prompt sound, optimizes the UI interface and fixes an unnamed bug.
I found one thing about the travel case to quibble about. When I opened it, I noticed a mesh flap on the inside cover. It’s a place where you can stick cables. But beause it’s folded over — probably intended to fit items underneath and in the upper fold — it’s quite small. It only takes up a corner of the inside cover. But it offers just enough space for the two cables that come with the heaphones.
Excellent sound quality
While comfort is crucial with headphones so you can wear them for hours, sound quality is even more important in my book. And EarFun Wave Pro headphones did not disappoint me. I found they sounded great via Bluetooth or via the USB-C cable.
One note about using the USB-C cable: It connects directly to the transducer, canceling out headphone-based controls. So play/pause and volume control on the headphones don’t work, and you can’t use the EarFun Audio App. All control reverts to the host device. In my case, that’s an M1 MacBook Pro.
This is where I have to add a small caveat for Mac users, however. These cans carry Hi-Res Audio certification, so you know they sound good. But to get their absolute best sound, you need a device compatible with the LDAC Bluetooth codec, and that means Android. When taking advantage of that technology, you’ll get up to 3 times more data transferred, which translates to richer, more detailed sound.
However, the headphones performed well in my Apple ecosystem. The 40mm dynamic coil drivers offer well-balanced sound. Whether I played Mozart symphonies, Miles Davis jazz, Jason Isbell’s Americana, Kendrick Lamar bass-heavy rap or the North Mississippi All-Stars (Delta blues), the cans sounded great.
In the app you can choose your equalizer — Default Sound (EarFun Classic), 10 presets by genre or desired effect (like more or less bass or treble) or a custom equalizer with 10 adjustable frequency bands. I found the default setting sounded great, but it’s fun to play around with stuff.
Strong ANC with 5 settings
The Earfun Audio App provides five choices for noise cancellation and loads of equalizer options. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
EarFun also seems to have done a good job with ANC. I found I could cycle through the settings by pressing the “NC” button on the right ear cup or by looking in the EarFun Audio app (pictured above). The choices are Normal, Ambient Sound, Wind Noise Canceling, Comfort ANC and Strong ANC.
Just wearing the headphones passively cancels some environmental noise. They fit snugly but not too tightly. And when I choose “Strong ANC,” no nearby TV or conversation is going to bother me. And Ambient Sound works fine, letting in more noise in case you want to hear it (e.g., your spouse calling your name, or traffic if you’re out and about). The “Comfort ANC” is a nice touch, if a bit superfluous. I usually want either strong noise cancellation or nothing.
The right ear cup has buttons for power/pairing, volume and noise cancelling, plus an audio cable jack and indicator lights. The left earcup has a USB-C port. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
EarFun Wave Pro headphones features at a glance:
Hybrid ANC blocks up to 45dB noise; also diminishes wind noise.
Certified Hi-Res Audio to deliver high music quality and original sound reproduction.
LDAC technology transfers 3x more data than other Bluetooth codecs.
40mm DLC dynamic coil speaker provides powerful bass, clear treble and rich music details.
Broad 40kHz frequency response
5-microphone AI Algorithm Noise Cancellation for clear calls.
Up to 80-hour battery life with fast charging (10 min charge for 10 hours of playback).
Personalize the headphones through EarFun Audio App.
EarFun laid out a comparison of Wave Pro to pricier competitors. Photo: EarFun
You can pick up EarFun Wave Pro headphones for $79.99. And according to this EarFun Wave Pro heaphones review, they’re well worth that amazingly low price. If the early-bird launch deal is still on, you may even be able to get them for under $60.
I’ve been coveringhearing aids for WIRED for nearly three years now, and I regularly talk to users and prospects about them when I wear them in public. Regardless of what I’m testing, one brand name has consistently and repeatedly popped up during that time: Jabra.
The Danish brand has a long history making a variety of audio gear, but I’ve always associated it mostly with the Bluetooth headset craze of the aughts. The brand made an early entrance into the over-the-counter hearing aid market (via an acquisition), and it hasn’t let up since, releasing new OTC models at a steady clip.
The latest of these is the Jabra Enhance Select 300, the brand’s smallest and most advanced model yet. You wouldn’t really know it just from the look of the aids. These are fairly standard behind-the-ear models that, while quite small (2.64 grams each), don’t offer any obvious surprises. The demure gray chassis sits close to the back of the ear and snakes a silver cable to the ear canal. Each aid carries a single button on its reverse.
Photograph: Jabra Enhance
Jabra front-loads a lot of the purchase process to ensure your aids arrive preconfigured. You can take an online hearing test or, as I did, upload a professional audiogram; either option allows Jabra’s audiologists to tune the product appropriately before it is shipped. The company also asks you to take a lengthy medical questionnaire to rule out any hearing-related medical problems before sending out the product. Eventually, the digital chatter can get a little tiresome: During the shopping process, Jabra even asks about your credit rating and suggests a monthly payment plan for its lowest-priced product if you say your credit is trash. Once you do place an order, Jabra barrages you with introductory emails and invites you to schedule an orientation with an audiologist to walk you through the hardware and the app. Admittedly, some of this is helpful—especially the Zoom orientation—but Jabra could stand to pump the breaks on the auto-mailer a bit.
There’s plenty to explore once your hearing aids arrive. For example, if you aren’t sure which type of ear tips are best for you, you’ll have ample room to experiment, because the company sends seven different baggies of them to try out, including open, closed, and tulip-style tips in a multitude of sizes. I counted 70 different tips in total, and I have no doubt that Jabra would happily send more if I asked.
With tips installed (I usually test with open tips), I found that getting the aids situated on my ears was made a bit easier thanks to a pinging sound that plays—Jabra calls it Smart Start—while you are guiding the receivers into your ear canal. Controls are as basic as they come: the button on the right aid turns the volume up for both aids, the one on the left turns volume down, and either one cycles through the programs—four in total—if you hold it down for a couple of seconds.
Naturally you’ll get a lot more out of the hearing aids if you connect your set to a mobile app, and Jabra actually has two apps to choose from. The Enhance Pro app comes up first in the app store, but the Enhance Select app is newer. They work about the same way, but since the Enhance Select is more recent I’ll write mostly about it. Primarily you’ll use the app to move among the four modes—All Around, Restaurant, Music, and Outdoor—all of which are self-explanatory. Each mode has extra options associated with it; for most you can select between “noise filter” to mute ambient sounds or “speech clarity” to boost conversational volume. These can be further customized thanks to three equalizer sliders corresponding to bass, middle, and treble frequencies. Volume can be set globally or individually per ear in the app as well. Of special note: Any customizations you make to programs aside from the All Around mode are reset to defaults once the hearing aids are put back into the charging case.
Think about the last time you saw a person lugging around a Bluetooth speaker and thought to yourself, “Dang, that person looks cool. I want to listen to whatever they’re listening to!” If you have no such memory, you’re not to blame, and you’re certainly not alone. Many portable speakers are dorky hunks of plastic that are aesthetically adjacent to pleather trench coats, mall swords and TJ Maxx hoverboards. And then there are the units that actually sound good, which—with a few exceptions—rank in the looks department between perfunctory and obnoxious.
Iconic guitar amp makers like Fender, Vox, and Marshall have noticed this hole in the market and have plugged it with their own offerings. Marketed as stylish sound cubes bursting with punchy midrange and timeless rocker swag, models like the Fender Indio ($379) and the Marshall Kilburn II ($399) promised to sound just as good as they looked. Now your cool uncle who sleeps on a waterbed can blast Metallica and make jokes about turning up his Marshall to 11 while you knock back a Leinenkugels and help him change the oil in his van! But do these diminutive faux amps have the cojones to make the infamous snares on St. Anger fill the garage with crisp and clangy treble? Can their woofers be trusted to ensure that what little low-end was left in the masters of …And Justice For All is evetrn remotely audible?
In the case of the Orange Box, the aptly named entry from the legendary London-based amplifier brand Orange, the answer is a resounding yes. Clocking in at 50 watts and weighing a little over 6 pounds, this workhorse of a speaker packs a massive punch for its size. After spending a month running the Orange Box through its paces in a variety of scenarios where Bluetooth speakers are essential—kitchen prep, yard work, household repairs, bothering fellow hikers with Top 40 music at a National Park—we’ve sussed out the good, the bad, and the bothersome of this impressive little box.
Dial-a-Tone
Photograph: Orange
Stark minimalism has been all the rage since the mid-aughts, but the stripping-away of essential knobs, jacks, and buttons is a sore spot for the aging demographic that know the Orange brand better than most. Thankfully Orange’s mimicry of their beloved amplifiers yields tactile, user-friendly results in the Orange Box. With the exception of a rather standard pairing workflow, the rest of the controls on the device have a satisfying analog feel to them. Turning the volume knob up controls the actual output of the amp rather than that of the paired device. This works wonders when you’re across the room and want to control the unit remotely with a maximum volume ceiling that’s mitigated by the volume controls on your phone.
Dedicated bass and treble knobs felt like nice extras at first but became essentials after daily use. The former can add or subtract a warm thump from the low end—around the 100-Hz mark, based on our tests—while the latter can be used to either add or remove presence that hovers around 8 KHz: the sweet spot for most spoken word and singing. Having a hard time hearing a podcast in the shower? Crank the treble to 10. Guests straining to hear over your music at a dinner party? Cut the treble to create a lane for casual conversation.
One minor flaw of the Orange Box is the way it handles the crowded high end of radio-friendly pop music at high volumes. If modern producers cease to brick-wall their mixes and cram every last sonic crevasse with ear candy, then the Orange Box may eventually be up to the challenge, but until then the last era of radio hits that really shine on this speaker is the post-grunge explosion of the late ’90s. Then again, what zoomer is spending $300 on a Bluetooth speaker that looks like the amp their grandpa used to play proto-metal on during the Carter administration? Master of Puppets sounds absolutely killer on the Orange Box, and (almost) nothing else matters.
Party Time
Photograph: Orange
The Orange Box is sexy as-is, but the included leather strap doesn’t do much in making it easier to carry around town on its own. For an extra $60 you can buy a gig bag made of sturdy gray denier fabric, which results in a potent totable that looks and feels more like a soft-side cooler full of ‘Kuges than a portable amp. The bag fits snugly around the box, and a piece of cream-colored cloth covers the grill of the speaker without muffling any of the output. The top snaps in place tidily via a pair of magnets, and it peels back quickly to offer easy access to the control knobs. Side pockets keep small essentials like aux cables, beef jerky, and weed safe from the elements, but the power supply does not fit conveniently in any of the compartments.
Manfrotto Element MII Aluminium: two-minute review
Coming in at the cheaper end of travel tripods, the Manfrotto Element MII Aluminium is a budget option that does exactly what it’s designed for with a no-frills approach. I can appreciate that this may make the MII sound a little lacklustre but in all honesty, for the modest sum of just $155 / £109 / AU$259 at the time of writing, it’s undeniably great value for money that makes it an attractive travel tripod for beginners and those on a budget.
Not everyone has a huge budget for photographic accessories after buying expensive cameras and lenses. Not to mention, for many photographers, a small and fairly lightweight travel tripod that provides standard camera support is more than enough, making additional features superfluous. The great thing about the MII is that you get a basic and inexpensive tripod from a well-respected manufacturer.
The MII is undoubtedly well-made and can’t be faulted in this respect, although being a budget model it’s not made to the same standards as more expensive travel tripods. However, a sensible quality / value balance has been struck. As the name suggests, the MII is made of aluminum, which is a heavier material than carbon fiber so despite its compact size it weighs 3.4lbs / 1.55kg.
(Image credit: James Abbott)
Its weight is mid-range for travel tripods, so it’s not a dealbreakingly heavy and fairly light considering it’s an aluminum tripod. Plus, the slightly more expensive carbon fiber version only weighs 7oz / 200g less.
Adding further metaphorical weight behind the MII, it’s fairly compact when folded at 16.5 / 42cm with an impressive maximum height of 63in / 160cm with the center column extended, and a minimum height of 17in / 43cm.
You can also shoot at lower levels than this by removing the screw-in bung / hook at the bottom of the center column and inserting it into the legs upside down. The center column hook is an extremely useful accessory, particularly with lighter travel tripods, because it allows you to hang your kit bag from the hook to increase stability when required, such as in windy conditions where the tripod may otherwise get blown over.
The maximum payload of 17.6lbs / 8kg comfortably supports a camera and a 70-200mm lens. You wouldn’t want to push too far beyond a camera and lens combo like this because the ball head can slip with heavier set-ups.
Looking at the design of the MII, it’s fairly basic with just two leg angles available using twist lock mechanisms unique to Manfrotto at the top of the four section legs. Otherwise, there’s no particular additional features or functionality to speak of
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(Image credit: James Abbott)
(Image credit: James Abbott)
(Image credit: James Abbott)
(Image credit: James Abbott)
Simplicity may sound like a negative and, of course, additional features are always welcome in any tripod to increase its effectiveness in a wider range of scenarios. But simplicity when combined with the effectiveness of support in a compact and lightweight travel tripod can be a huge positive. The MII is quick and easy to use, and this ultimately comes down to the simplicity of the design and features.
The MII can’t be faulted in the support it provides in a lightweight package, and it packs down small for transportation which is exactly what most people want in a travel tripod. There is a small amount of flex in the legs when at their full extension, but the M11 maintains adequate stability and depending on your preference, it’s available with red, blue or black graphics on the legs.
Moving on to the ball head – this is a small and lightweight option that fits the overall size of the tripod perfectly, but it can be swapped if you need to use a different type of tripod head for any reason. The overall design of the head is simple with just the pan control and a main knob for adjusting the ball mechanism.
(Image credit: James Abbott)
The ball head isn’t as robust as the heads that come with more expensive travel tripods and can’t support as much weight. In its favor, it uses the popular Arca Swiss-style plate compatible with L brackets – impressive for such a budget model – while some other Manfrotto tripods use a less versatile Manfrotto 200PL Quick Release Plate that can’t be easily used with an L bracket.
Overall, the Manfrotto Element MII Aluminium is a great travel tripod at the budget/beginner end of the market and is well-made for the low price. It’s never going to be as effective as more expensive alternatives, but its simple design and functionality is sufficient for lighter camera and lens combinations – fulfilling its fundamental task admirably.
Should I buy the Manfrotto Element MII Aluminium?
(Image credit: James Abbott)
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
How I tested the Manfrotto Element MII Aluminium
The Manfrotto Element MII Aluminium was tested over a period of time using several different camera and lens combinations to test how the tripod stood up to standard use in travel-oriented scenarios. Cameras used included a premium compact, an APS-C mirrorless camera and a full-frame mirrorless camera. The tripod was also carried around with other photographic kit in my f-stop backpack to evaluate performance over longer shoots such as landscapes.
With nearly 30 years of photographic experience and 15 years working as a photography journalist, I’ve been covering photographic accessories such as tripods for many years. As a professional photographer, I frequently use a range of accessories to enhance my photography and bring my real experience of using these to reviews where I can consider how effective photographic accessories are from both a professional and an enthusiast point of view.
Of all thefitness trackers that I’ve tested, none has made a bigger leap in hardware development than Amazfit. The first iterations that I tried in 2018 were plasticky and horrible. Every year, the wearable has gotten steadily, well, more wearable. A coworker recently asked if my tester Balance was a Samsung Galaxy Watch6 (7/10, WIRED Recommends). That’s high praise!
The Balance is Amazfit’s general purpose fitness tracker, aimed at promoting “wellness of body and mind.” It looks … well, it looks like a Galaxy Watch6, with a slightly different top button, and ideally it would work in the same way by tracking your sleep, heart rate, and activities, as well as taking your calls. It also comes with a bevy of optional AI-powered tools to help you sleep, meditate, and exercise. Right now, though, it’s just still too buggy, which is especially obvious with a seamlessly functioning tester Garmin on my opposite wrist.
Red Flag
As with most fitness trackers, I check the company’s privacy policy to see how it will use such intimate information. It’s usually easy to find, and it usually looks similar to Google’s—no data used for ads, et cetera. The Balance’s privacy policy is unusually hard to find. According to Amazfit’s website, the privacy policy explicitly does not apply to Amazfit trackers, nor does Zepp Health’s policy. There’s no privacy policy in the product manual, either. I asked Amazfit for a link to the privacy policy that applies to this tracker and got no response.
Even if everything is aboveboard, the company has made it very difficult to find out what’s happening to your data. If that matters to you, you should probably stop reading here.
With that said, the Balance is a very light, good-looking, and low-profile fitness tracker. Despite having such a big case—46 mm across, 10.6 mm deep—it didn’t feel large or obtrusive on my 150-mm wrist. The bezel is sleek gray aluminum, and it has two buttons on the left hand side to control it, as well as a tempered glass AMOLED touchscreen.
Photograph: Adrienne So
The screen is clear, bright, and responsive—maybe a little too responsive. It started and stopped workouts accidentally whenever I fidgeted with my jacket cuffs in Oregon’s cold, gray weather. The battery life theoretically lasts 14 days, but with a few tracked activities per day (walking my dog, running, indoor workouts), I did have to charge it once in the past two weeks. It charged relatively quickly, though—it went from 15 to 65 percent capacity in the 45 minutes that I was waiting for a plane at the airport.
It has a water resistance rating of 5 ATM, which means that you can use it while swimming (if not while taking a shower, weirdly). (By way of contrast, my favorite Garmin Instinct 2 is rated to 10 ATM, and I have used it snorkeling and surfing without issue.)
Like most higher-end fitness trackers these days, it comes with a bevy of sensors and tools. These include onboard GPS with dual-band positioning that helps the tracker filter out environmental noise; an acceleration sensor, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, temperature sensor, and a couple of biometric sensors for measuring your heart rate and blood oxygen and so forth. It also has a microphone and an incredibly loud speaker, and my favorite, most comfortable nylon strap.
Add It Up
Amazfit is owned by Zepp, formerly known as Huami, and the app that the Balance uses is Zepp Health. Zepp Health used to be almost unusably annoying, but the app’s homepage has been cleaned up quite a bit. Zepp Health now features a Readiness score, which is similar to that of Fitbit’s Daily Readiness or Garmin’s Body Battery, but you can still check the company’s previous general purpose metric, which was PAI. The company developed its PAI score using the research of Ulrik Wisløff, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. It uses your age, sex, resting heart rate, and past seven days of heart rate data to calculate just how much activity you should be getting.
The Panasonic MZ980 is the brand’s mid-range OLED TV offering from 2023. Although it stands out as a great all-rounder, it’s a bit unfortunate – and actually ultimately unfair, as we’ll see – that the most headline-grabbing thing about the MZ980 is stuff it doesn’t have. Namely the brightness-enhancing Micro Lens Array and proprietary heat sink hardware that you get with the brand’s step up MZ1500 and MZ2000 models.
The MZ980 does still get a premium OLED panel, though, as well as the latest version of Panasonic’s Hollywood-influenced HCX Pro AI picture processor. Plus, of course, it’s significantly cheaper than its more highly specified siblings, coming in at just £1,399 for the 55-inch sized model at the time of writing.
Making this price look all the more tempting is the simple fact that the MZ980 is a brilliant performer, holding its own against the best OLED TVs. Its picture quality benefits from all of OLED’s traditional benefits – spectacular local contrast, beautifully inky black colours, rich but subtle colours and wide viewing angles – while the excellent video processor adds a truly cinematic finish to proceedings.
The MZ980 sounds good too, despite lacking the forward-facing speakers carried by Panasonic’s step-up models, and while its smart system might not be the most sophisticated in the world, it’s easy to use and these days carries all of the most important streaming services.
Panasonic’s step up OLED TVs are even better, of course – but unless you have a particularly bright room to cope with, the MZ980’s value proposition is hard to resist.
Panasonic MZ980 Review: Price and release date
(Image credit: Future)
Release date: Late 2023
Price: starting at £1,399 for the 55-inch model
Having launched a few months back at an already then tempting £1,799, the 55MZ980 is now widely available for just £1,399. Panasonic does not currently sell its TVs in the US or Australia.
The MZ980s are, unusually for a mid-range OLED series, only available in relatively small screen sizes. The 55-inch model we’re looking at here is actually the biggest in the range, being joined only by 48- and 42-inch models.
As we’ll see, though, you shouldn’t let this fool you into thinking that the MZ980 is only good enough to be considered as a ‘second TV’. This is still a very serious TV – just one aimed at people who don’t have cavernous living rooms.
Panasonic MZ980 review: Features
(Image credit: Future)
4K OLED TV
HCX Pro AI processor
Supports all four key HDR formats
So we can get it out of the way and put behind us, let’s start with things the MZ980 does not have. Either the combination of a new high-end Micro Lens Array panel with advanced proprietary heat sink hardware that Panasonic’s MZ2000 flagship OLEDs get, or the same heat sink hardware (minus the MLA technology) that the brand’s MZ1500s get.
It does still use a mid-grade OLED panel rather than an ‘entry level’ one, but even before we got our measuring gear out we know it wouldn’t be as bright as those step up models.
Tests confirm that while the MZ2000 hits brightness peaks on a 10% white HDR test window of around 1650 nits in Dynamic mode and 1432 nits in its more stable Cinema mode, and the MZ1500 hits around 950 nits in its Cinema mode, the 55MZ980’s Cinema mode peaks at just over 700 nits. That’s basically a 50% brightness drop versus the MZ2000, and a still significant 250 nits versus the MZ1500. You will certainly feel this with HDR content, especially if your TV is typically used in a bright room.
It’s worth noting, too, that the MZ980 measures slightly less bright than LG’s rival C3 models – though I should stress right away that while brightness certainly matters in the HDR world, it absolutely is not the only thing that makes a great HDR picture. Especially when a TV’s picture processing knows how to get the maximum performance from the hardware available to it – something Panasonic has been a master of with self-emissive displays like OLED since its plasma days.
With this in mind, the big positive news about the MZ980 is that it retains the top-line HCX Pro AI processor also used by its step-up MZ1500 and MZ2000 siblings. Powered and endlessly refined by Panasonic’s engineers with years of experience dealing with both Hollywood creatives and self-emissive panel technologies, always with a strong focus on recreating creative intent, HCX engines can usually be relied on to achieve subtleties, balances and details precious few other TVs can. Especially when it comes to handling the sort of ‘near dark’ image content that’s typically one of the most difficult things for OLED TVs to manage.
While the MZ980 continues Panasonic’s obsession with accuracy, though, especially with its Filmmaker Mode, and True Cinema presets, it’s also open minded enough to provide an unusually wide-ranging roster of other picture presets that put more of an emphasis on pushing the panel to its colour and brightness limits.
The same spirit of trying to cater for everyone extends, happily, to the MZ980’s HDR format support. While many brands, including, most notably, Sony, LG and Samsung, only support three of the ‘big four’ HDR formats on even their flagship TVs, the MZ980 will play all four: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. So the 55MZ980 will always be able to take in the best version of whatever HDR content you feed it.
Gamers, meanwhile, will be pleased to learn that the MZ980 supports 4K/120Hz gaming and variable refresh rates over two of its four HDMI ports, including the AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync VRR formats. We’ll cover the TV’s gaming abilities in more detail later.
Besides the four HDMIs, the MZ980’s connections include three USBs (two side, one bottom, one USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0), an Ethernet port, an analogue video inout, an optical digital audio output, and a headphone jack that unusually does double duty as a potential line out for attaching an optional external subwoofer.
Smart features are provided by the eighth generation of Panasonic’s own My Home Screen operating system. Again we’ll cover this in more detail in a dedicated section later, so all I’ll add here is that this is actually the final outing for My Home Screen before it’s replaced on Panasonic’s future high-end TVs by a fully integrated version of Amazon’s Fire TV interface.
As mentioned in passing earlier, the MZ980 doesn’t have a forward facing, truly multi-channel sound system like its step up OLED siblings do. Its 2 x 15W set up, though, still has enough power to potentially deliver some reasonably cinematic thrills, especially as it’s backed up by Theater Surround Pro processing designed to create a more immersive sound with the Dolby Atmos soundtracks the TV supports than you might expect to hear from a mere stereo speaker set up.
Features score: 4 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 Review: Picture quality
(Image credit: Future)
Exceptional light and colour subtlety
Outstanding picture processing
Brilliant contrast disguises limited brightness
While the MZ980 might not deliver the razzle dazzle of the latest high-end OLED TVs, its pictures are so refined and immersive that it’s hard to believe they’re coming out of a 55-inch TV that only costs £1,399.
This finesse is at its peerless best when it comes to the MZ980’s handling of dark scenes. The screen’s ability to distinguish between incredibly small differences in light in even the darkest corners of the darkest pictures is mesmerising, giving such imagery a unique sense of depth and detail that feels as if it’s jumped straight off a professional mastering monitor. Especially as this extreme subtlety is delivered without a hint of the sort of instabilities, blocking or fizzing noise that can crop up with other OLED screens with near-black content. Dark scenes on the 55MZ980 are as clean and pure as bright ones, in fact.
Since this is an OLED screen there’s no need to worry about backlight clouding or blooming of the sort you would expect to see with LCD TVs. Nor is there any residual greyness hanging over dark scenes, completing the sense of insight and immersion that started with the immaculate near-dark detailing.
While it’s the MZ980’s handling of dark scenes and picture areas that makes the strongest immediate impression, its handling of light is in truth just as effective. From the subtle dark scene shading through to the brightest HDR peaks, the MZ980 delivers levels of light control (right down to individual pixel level, don’t forget, given this is an OLED screen) that appear flawless across every shade. As a result, the picture always feels completely authentic and natural, perfectly balanced and full of depth, while different objects in the image always look impeccably three dimensional, realistic and contextualised.
Again you actually feel like you’re getting a gorgeously full sense of the subtleties of the professional masterer’s art. Despite this TV costing just £1,399 versus the many tens of thousands of pounds a professional mastering display costs.
While the processing and light control is at its most effective with the 55MZ980’s most ‘accurate’ picture settings, its profound understanding of the screen’s hardware strengths and limitations also means that it typically ensures that even the more ‘dramatic’ picture presets never stray into distractingly excessive territory.
The set’s tone mapping is astute enough, meanwhile, to pretty much exclude clipping (loss of subtle details) from the brightest parts of the picture, continuing the sense of ‘sweating the small stuff’ that’s the MZ980’s trade mark.
Colours, meanwhile, look surprisingly vibrant for a TV of relatively limited brightness – aided and abetted by a combination of the immaculate light control, exceptional colour mapping and outstanding contributions, again, from the HCX Pro AI picture processor. It helps, too, that colours are able to appear against a foundation of such deep and natural black colours.
Obviously some picture presets push more vibrant colours than others, as you’d expect with any TV, but the True Cinema and Filmmaker Modes achieve outstanding accuracy and refinement, while even the punchier settings retain more colour balance and control than similar modes on most rival models.
Not surprisingly with a TV that puts so much store in precision, native 4K images on the 55MZ980 look gorgeously detailed and textured. The HCX Pro AI processor also manages to retain a startling amount of this detail and texture, too, when upscaling HD sources. Motion when watching 24p movies can look a touch juddery with no motion processing active (as it can on most OLED TVs, actually), but the lowest setting of Panasonic’s Intelligent Frame Creation motion compensation system is now clever enough to slightly massage the judder effect without making the image look uncinematically smooth or adding too many distracting processing side effects.
The only major elephant in the room with the MZ980’s pictures is their brightness – or lack thereof. There’s no denying that its images don’t look nearly as light and bold as those of the latest generation of MLA-equipped OLED TVs. Nor are they quite as consistently punchy as LG’s similarly priced and specified C3 OLED range, especially where a scene or shot fills the whole screen with brightness.
While this does mean you need to treat the 55MZ980 with respect by lowering light levels in your room when you want to enjoy a serious movie night, though, the MZ980’s infinite subtlety and richly cinematic qualities make it worthy of as much respect as you can muster.
Picture quality: 4.5 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 review: Sound quality
(Image credit: Future)
Good volume and projection
Solid, clean bass handling
Male voices occasionally sound muffled
The bad news about the MZ980’s sound is that it doesn’t deliver either the scale of sound staging you get with Panasonic’s step up models, or as much forward ‘thrust’. This lack of directness might also explain why male voices can sometimes sound a little muffled and contained.
Just because the MZ980 doesn’t sound as big and detailed as its more expensive siblings, though, doesn’t mean it’s not actually a very decent audio performer for its money. Its speakers are powerful enough to get surprisingly loud without succumbing to distortion, for starters, and despite the limited number of speakers on offer a decently wide sound stage is created into which effects are placed with excellent clarity. There’s even a slight sense of height to some effects when playing Dolby Atmos soundtracks.
The speakers are sensitive enough to pick up even the faintest of audio elements in a film mix too, ensuring that soundtracks always sound busy and involving.
Bass doesn’t reach the sort of depths required to unlock the full weight of a potent action scene (so you may want to consider adding a subwoofer via the switchable headphone output at some point), but it does at least delve deep enough to stop loud scenes from sounding harsh or thin. It does so, too, without the low frequencies becoming overwhelming, or causing the speakers to crackle or buzz.
Sound quality score: 4 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Slim frame around the screen
Centrally mounted desktop ‘foot’
A bit chunky round the back
Viewed straight on, the MZ980 is an attractive addition to your living room. Its screen and frame exist on the same single plane, the frame is on-trend narrow, and although it’s a bit more plasticky than the stands of Panasonic’s more expensive OLED TVs, its centrally mounted plate-style foot looks premium and robust.
Having its desktop mount placed in the centre of the TV rather than using feet tucked under each bottom corner also means that the 55MZ980 can be placed on even quite narrow bits of furniture.
The MZ980 is not such a great wall mounting option, though, thanks to the way that two to three inches in from the screen’s outer edges the rear panel suddenly juts out a country mile by OLED standards.
Design score: 4 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 review: Smart features and menus
(Image credit: Future)
Uses the My Home Screen 8.0 smart interface
Long but comprehensive set up menus
Covers all the main streaming services
With Panasonic announcing recently that it’s moving to Amazon’s Fire TV platform for the smart interfaces of its future premium TVs, the 55MZ980 represents the swan song for Panasonic’s long-running proprietary My Home Screen smart TV interface. And while the platform has certainly had its struggles along the way, this eighth and final generation sees it bowing out on good form for the most part.
It now incorporates all of the key streaming and catch up apps the vast majority of UK and European TV buyers would want, and while its interface looks a little basic at first glance, it’s actually really simple to navigate and, best of all, exceptionally easy to customise. There’s voice control support too (Alexa is built in, while Google Assistant works if you have an external Google listening device).
My Home Screen isn’t as sophisticated as some rival smart platforms when it comes to intelligently recommending content you might like, and it can occasionally become a touch sluggish. For the most part, though, I quite like it and might even miss it a bit when it’s gone.
The 55MZ980’s set up menus contain a vast number of adjustment and tweak options for you to pick your way through. There are, of course pros and cons to this. On the negative side the menus are long, text heavy, full of sub-menus and a bit jargon-heavy in places. On the plus side, if you’re the sort of person who enjoys a good tinker the flexibility the 55MZ980 gives you for adjusting any and all aspects of its picture quality is outstanding.
Smart features and menus score: 4 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 review: Gaming
(Image credit: Future)
4K / 120Hz support
Support for multiple VRR systems
Dolby Vision gaming mode
Aside from only two of its four HDMIs delivering the full roster of gaming support, the 55MZ980 is impressively equipped for cutting edge gaming experiences.
Those two high bit-rate HDMIs support 4K resolution graphics at 120Hz frame rates and variable refresh rates, for starters. In fact, the VRR support actually covers both the AMD Freesync and Nvidia G-Sync systems as well as the core HDMI-based format.
The 55MZ980’s Dolby Vision support extends to a proper gaming mode, too, meaning you can game in Dolby Vision HDR from Xboxes and compatible PC cards without having to put up with high levels of input lag. In fact, lag drops to a very respectable 14.5ms with 60Hz sources.
Gamers can call up a dedicated Game Control Board interface containing key signal information and gaming adjustment options, including two different audio profile options optimised for RPG and FPS game types.
There’s even a True Game picture preset alongside the standard Game one, which offers a properly calibrated gaming image for any picture quality enthusiasts who want that.
All of these thoughtful features contribute to a hugely enjoyable gaming experience that looks crisp, ultra-detailed and exceptionally refined. It’s true that HDR graphics don’t look as aggressively bright as they do on some more expensive OLEDs and premium LCD TVs, but as with the 55MZ980’s video performance, the subtleties Panasonic’s screen delivers provide ample compensation.
Gaming score: 4.5 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 review: Value
Great price for what it offers
£200 cheaper than Panasonic’s step-up model
Slightly more expensive than the LG C3
Now that it’s available for a few hundred pounds less than it was at launch, the 55MZ980 is exceptional value. Just £1,399 really doesn’t feel like a lot to ask for a TV that offers as many features and as much top-notch performance – for both gamers and video fans – as the 55MZ980 does.
There is some pretty tough competition around, though. In particular, LG’s excellent OLED55C3 mid-range OLED model can currently be had for just £1,299, offering four full gaming HDMIs and slightly more brightness. Though it doesn’t provide quite the same picture subtlety as the Panasonic.
Stepping up to Panasonic’s 55MZ1500, with the useful step up in brightness created by its built-in heat sink, will cost you an extra £200. Whether that sounds like a better deal or not will obviously depend on how near the top of your budget you already are with the 55MZ980’s £1,399 asking price.
Value score: 4 / 5
Should I buy the Panasonic MZ980?
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Features
A mid-range OLED panel powered by Panasonic’s latest top-of-the-line picture processor joins forces with a comprehensive, easy to use smart system, expansive set up options, and support for the full range of HDR formats.
4 / 5
Picture quality
While not as blazingly bright as more expensive OLED and LCD rivals, the 55MZ980 still manages to deliver breathtakingly balanced, nuanced and detailed pictures with preset options that can cater brilliantly for all sorts of tastes and room conditions.
4.5 / 5
Sound quality
Despite only having two speakers to play with, the 55MZ980 still delivers a large, detailed and powerful sound stage.
4 / 5
Design
There’s nothing particularly dramatic about the 55MZ980’s design, and its rear sticks out further than most, reducing its wall-hanging appeal. It’s well built, though, and the narrow frame round the screen gives it an unobtrusive, elegant feel.
4 / 5
Smart features and menus
My HomeScreen 8.0 may not be the most glamorous smart TV interface in town, but it’s actually very easy to use and customise. The TV’s set up menus also offer a huge amount of flexibility for anyone who wants it – plus excellent presets for those who don’t.
4 / 5
Gaming
Aside from only two of its HDMIs supporting a full set of gaming features, the 55MZ980 provides an excellent set of cutting edge gaming features and options, backed up by a beautifully responsive and immersive gaming performance.
4.5 / 5
Value
The 55MZ980 has a lot to offer in both feature and performance terms for its current £1,399 price tag – though there is some stiff competition out there.
4 / 5
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Panasonic MZ980 review: Also consider
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Comparison of 55-inch models
Header Cell – Column 0
LG OLED55C3
Samsung QE55S90D
Sony XR55A80L
Price
£1,299
£1,249
£1,499
Screen type
WRGB OLED
QD OLED
WRGB OLED
Refresh rate
120Hz
120Hz
120Hz
HDR support
HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
HDR10, HLG, HDR10+
HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
Smart TV
WebOS 23
Tizen OS
Google TV
HDMI ports
4 x fully featured HDMI 2.1
4 x fully featured HDMI 2.1
4, of which two support 4K/120Hz and VRR
How we tested the Panasonic MZ980
Tested over 10 days
Tested with 4K/HD Blu-ray, streaming and Freeview HD broadcasts
Reviewed in both dark and light dedicated test room conditions, and a regular (corner position) living room set up
Given that the 55MZ980 doesn’t carry either a built-in hardware heat sink or new Micro Lens Array technology like some of the best tvs, we started our testing by measuring its brightness using Spears & Munsil HDR window test screens and a professional light meter to try and get a feel for where it lies in the great (and now more complicated) OLED scheme of things.
With its slightly lower than typical brightness in mind, we then went on to spend time watching both HDR and SDR content on it in a wider range of light and room conditions than we normally would to see how well or otherwise it coped with different environments. Ultimately we ended up spending longer with it in a largely blacked out room than we did in brighter settings, since it was in darker surroundings where the TV most excelled, allowing us to fully appreciate its strengths. The set was tested with a selection of our favourite test 4K Blu-rays – especially Babylon, Pan, It Chapter One, Blade Runner 2049, and the Spears & Munsil test signal disc – to see how it handled key picture attributes such as contrast, colour, sharpness, fine detailing, motion and upscaling of sub-4K sources.
We fed it a variety of resolutions from various streaming and digital broadcast sources too, using both the built-in streaming apps and a Sky Q receiver, to see how well its HCX Pro AI processor dealt with the joys of compression artefacts, while gaming was tested using both a PS5 and an Xbox Series X, with a Leo Bodnar input lag testing device being used to measure input lag.
The Emma Premium Pillow is a foam pillow that contains three inserts. One side is a firm, ‘ThermoSync’ foam designed for hot sleepers, the other is a softer foam, and there’s a layer in the middle that can be removed to adjust the loft to suit your frame and sleep style.
I haven’t been able to sleep on it yet, but I did get a chance to poke, prod, and lie on it during a visit to the Emma HQ. In this hands-on review I’ll go through my first impressions, who it might suit, and how it compares to the rest of the best pillows on the market.
The overall feel is one of firm, uniform support. The two sides do feel different: the ThermoSync side is a little firmer and slower moving; the other side is a little softer and bouncier. However, neither side is particularly plush, so this isn’t the right choice if you want a pillow you sink into.
I was impressed with my first impressions of the cooling properties. It’s not possible to assess temperature regulation properly without sleeping on a pillow, but I’ve also tested this ThermoSync foam more thoroughly for my Emma Premium topper review and was impressed with the cooling there.
(Image credit: Future)
With all inserts inside, the loft is high – I suspect too high for most situations. However, the inside sections can be removed to lower the loft, which means it could theoretically suit anyone, from a broad-shouldered side sleeper to a petite back sleeper.
Price-wise, we’re in the premium bracket here. While the adjustability, along with extras like a 30-night sleep trial, help justify that price, there are plenty of lower-cost options that tick similar boxes if it’s out of your budget. Read on for my full Emma Premium Pillow hands-on review.
Emma Premium Pillow review: price & value for money
Premium price bracket
RRP of £115 for standard size
Free delivery, 2 year guarantee and 30-night trial
At £115, the Emma Premium pillow sits firmly in our premium price bracket. The extras do help amp up your value for money – you’ll get a 30 night sleep trial, for instance. Trials are common with mattresses but rare for pillows. There’s also free delivery and a two-year guarantee.
Still, there are plenty of cheaper, great quality alternatives, which makes the pricing here a little hard to justify. If foam pillows are your thing, our top-rated Rem-Fit 500 Cool Gel pillow is typically around half the price, and the Levitex Sleep Posture pillow is a fair bit cheaper too.
(Image credit: Emma)
Emma Premium Pillow review: design & materials
3 foam layers, including one cooling foam and one softer foam
Layers can be removed to adjust height
Removable ‘UltraDry-Plus’ cover
The Emma Premium Pillow is an all-foam design with three internal layers. On one side is grey ‘Premium ThermoSync’ foam, which is designed to be cooling. The other side isn’t specifically temperature regulating, and it’s softer than the ThermoSync foam, for those who prefer a more plush feel. Sandwiched between the two is a layer of ‘HRX (High Resiliency Extra) Foam, which is really just there for extra height.
The idea is that you can flip the pillow to give different feels and functions, or remove layers to adjust the height.
(Image credit: Emma)
On the Emma website, these foam layers are shown in individual casings, but on the pillow I tried out, these were absent – it was just the bare foam. We’ve noticed inconsistencies with these protective casings when testing other Emma Pillows; it seems to be a bit of a lucky dip whether you get them or not. When they’re not there, I think the bare foam feels a little too delicate, and if you were taking the foam inserts in and out, I’d be concerned about them getting damaged, or snagged in the zip.
(Image credit: Future)
The whole thing is wrapped in a cover made from ‘UltraDry-Plus’ fabric, which is 98 per cent polyester and 2 per cent elastane). It looks and feels like the fabric used on Emma’s mattresses, and my opinion is that it’s fine and functions well, but doesn’t seem especially luxurious. The cover can be zipped off and washed at 60C, which is hot enough to kill dust mites. The interior foam layers can’t be washed, but that’s standard for foam pillows.
(Image credit: Future)
Emma Premium Pillow review: comfort & performance
Very high loft with all inserts inside
Both sides really quite firm (although soft side is a bit more plush)
ThermoSync foam is cool to touch
The idea is that you can flip this pillow to give two different feels, thanks to the different foam layers. So let’s start with the grey ThermoSync side. I judged this to be a really firm foam. Concentrated pressure – for example from an elbow – went in easily, but if I pressed my whole hand (or head) against it, I struggled to make much of an indentation.
The feel is fairly responsive; you won’t sink into it, but it does take a moment to return to its original shape once pressure is removed. This side was a bit too solid for my preferences.
However, I was more impressed with the temperature regulation properties. There are lots of claims made about cooling foams, but Emma’s ThermoSync really seems to work. The surface of the foam actually feels cool to the touch, and beneath my head on when I lay on it in the Emma showroom. The real test of this is to sleep on it, of course, but I’m optimistic based on what I saw during my hands-on time with this pillow, and also based on my time reviewing the Emma Premium topper, which uses the same foam.
The other side doesn’t have these thermoregulating properties and promises a softer feel. The difference in firmness is noticeable compared to the grey side, although I’d still consider it to be medium-firm – don’t expect something ultra-squishy. It’s also springier and more responsive than the other side. When you remove pressure, it returns to shape immediately.
There’s nothing on the cover to indicate which side is which, so you’ll need to figure it out based on touch, or unzip the pillow to peek inside.
(Image credit: Future)
With all three foam inserts in place, this is a high-loft pillow. I found it far too high when lying on my back and stomach, and also too high for side sleeping. For context, I’m 5ft 8, not especially broad shouldered, and I tend to just sleep with one pillow. Broad-shouldered side sleepers might need a pillow of this depth for proper support, but I suspect most people will want to take the central insert out to get it to a comfortable height. The fact that this pillow is easily adjustable is a win, though.
Because it’s foam, it doesn’t need re-plumping, and should provide consistent support all night.
✅ You sleep hot: The ThermoSync side of the Emma Premium pillow shows a lot of promise when it comes to keeping the sleeper cool. That’s not the case with all foam pillows.
✅ You prefer a firmly supportive pillow: Although one side is a little plusher than the other, the overall feel here is of firm, consistent support.
✅ You’re a broad-shouldered side sleeper: With all the foam inserts in place the Emma Premium pillow is pretty tall. It can be adjusted to make it suitable for different body frames and sleep positions, but should appeal in particular to those seeking a chunky pillow.
Don’t buy it if…
❌ You prefer a squishy pillow: One side of the Emma Premium is softer than the other, but neither is particularly plush. Something like the REM-Fit 500 Cool Gel Pillow has more give, and you still get those cooling features.
❌ You prefer a traditional pillow: Moulded foam isn’t for everyone. If you want a plump-able pillow, check out the Emma Premium Microfibre pillow, which is filled with down-alternative stuffing. You can still remove inserts to adjust the height.
❌ You’re on a budget: If the (admittedly high) price tag is a bit much, there are plenty of cheaper options that offer similar features and cost less. Our best pillow guide is a good place to start.
AirPods won’t win any awards for their durability. Their shiny plastic case picks up scratches faster than a hip-hop DJ’s latest vinyl. So you should protect them with a decent case. And for Apple fans, nothing can beat this AirPods that case looks like a Mac.
AirPods cases don’t come much cooler than those from Elago. This one is like carrying a tiny little Macintosh with you wherever you go. And prices start at just $11.99.
You’ve probably heard of Elago before. The company became famous for making cute Apple Watch stands that look like classic Macs and iPods. They’re ideal for any Apple fan, and they’re super-affordable.
The W3 AirPods case follows the same path. It looks just like an original Macintosh from 1984. In our opinion, it’s a must-have. But then we’re clearly biased!
Carry your AirPods inside a tiny Mac
The W3 is made entirely from high-grade silicone. It’s flexible and impact-resistant, and thick enough to ensure that your AirPods won’t suffer when you drop them onto a hard surface.
It’s not so thick that it will interfere with charging, though. The W3 is fully compatible with Apple’s Wireless Charging Case, and even lets the AirPods’ charging indicator shine through.
An ideal gift for any Apple fan. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
The W3 isn’t sticky like cheaper silicone accessories, so it won’t pick up every bit of lint it comes into contact with. But you will find yourself dusting it off every now and then.
The good thing about silicone is that it’s completely waterproof. So you can run the W3 under the faucet whenever it gets too dirty, and it ends up looking as good as new. (Just remember to remove your AirPods first.)
The W3 AirPods case looks terrific
Plenty of protection to keep your AirPods safe. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Of course, the biggest reason to buy the W3 is its design. It looks terrific. And like other Elago accessories, the attention to detail is outstanding, from its tiny floppy drive to the “hello” message on its screen.
A recess on its back ensures you can open the W3 with ease — without having to remove its top section every time. It also has a cutout in its base for access to your AirPods’ Lightning connector.
The W3 slides easily onto your AirPods case and is just as simple to remove. In fact, my only complaint about the case is that the top sometimes comes off a little too easily.
It’s not so loose that it will fall off of its own accord. But if you’re not too careful, it is susceptible to coming off when you pull your AirPods out of a tight pocket, which you’ll need to bear in mind.
W3 is a no-brainer at less than $16
Despite this little niggle, the W3 is a great AirPods case. And it might just be the coolest case money can buy — especially for long-time Apple fans who fondly remember the original Macintosh.
Starting at just $11.99, the AW3 is now available for original AirPods, third-generation AirPods and AirPods Pro. You can order yours today from the Cult of Mac Store.
Elago provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. Read our reviews policy for more information, and check out more of our in-depth reviews. We originally published this review on October 25, 2019, but updated it with additional information.
If you like the look of Apple‘s MacBooks but prefer or simply require the Windows ecosystem, well, you can do a lot worse than the new Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro. Like its predecessor, the very similar Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro, it owes its overall look and feel to the MacBook.
Thanks to its sleek wedge-shaped chassis, it’s most similar to Apple’s now defunct MacBook M1 Air in terms of design. But for features and performance it probably falls somewhere in between the newer and boxier MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) and the base model MacBook Pro 14-inch.
Available in both 14-inch and 16-inch formats, this 14-inch model has both advantages and weaknesses compared to Apple’s alternatives. The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro’s OLED screen is a definite highlight with incredible image quality plus 120Hz refresh. It also supports touch input. Apple simply can’t compete.
On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro’s speakers disappoint and its trackpad is merely OK. Apple definitely does those things better. As for performance, it’s a close-run thing compared to the Apple M2 chip, though the latest M3 is arguably a step above. You get Intel‘s hot new Meteor Lake CPU in Intel Core Ultra 7 155H configuration with six performance cores and eight efficiency cores.
Samsung says the new Intel chip improves the Galaxy Book4 Pro’s already impressive battery life by about 10% and we found you can get nearly 14 hours of video playback and over 11 hours of more intensive use. Put simply, this laptop offers genuine all-day longevity.
On the downside, the design is definitely derivative, the speakers are very disappointing and the trackpad is merely OK. But overall, this isn’t just one of the best Windows alternatives for MacBook fans. It can take the fight to any competing laptop in our best laptop 2024 guide.
(Image credit: Future)
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: Price & availability
How much does it cost? $1,449 / £1,599
Where is it available? Available in the US and UK
Priced at $1,449 in the US and £1,559 in the UK for the entry-level model with 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro is definitely premium priced but it’s not outrageously expensive. It’s a little pricier than a comparably specced MacBook Air, but cheaper than the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro.
On the other hand, Dell‘s XPS 13 can be had with the same Meteor Lake CPU with matching memory and storage specs for a little less money, and the XPS 14 for about the same money.
However, the XPS 13 can’t be had with an OLED display and with the XPS 14 an OLED panel can be configured, but adds $300 / £200 to the price. All of which means the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro isn’t cheap, but it does still offer a strong value proposition.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: Specs
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro comes in two configurations, 14-inch and 16-inch versions.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
These are the specs for the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro
312.3 x 223.8 x 11.6 mm (12.30 x 8.81 x 0.46 inches)
355.4 x 250.4 x 12.5 mm (13.99 x 9.86 x 0.49 inches)
(Image credit: Future)
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: Design
Good build quality
Apple-derivative design
Very portable
There’s no denying it. The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro wouldn’t look like it does were it not for the Apple MacBook and more specifically, the MacBook Air and its wedge-shaped chassis. The Galaxy Book4 Pro is awfully, awfully similar, from the tapering chassis thickness to the keyboard design, the look of the trackpad, and the way the screen lid hinges and closes.
Samsung has also come pretty close to matching Apple’s signature build quality and engineering. The keyboard bed is super rigid and the chassis feels strong even if the way the various parts fit together doesn’t quite match Apple’s peerless precision.
There are other details where Samsung can’t match Apple. The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro’s speakers don’t even come close to those of the MacBook Air, let alone the MacBook Pro. That’s a real pity and it’s hard to understand why Samsung can’t give this laptop high sound quality to match the stunning OLED screen. That display, of course, is a touchscreen, which adds an extra string to this Windows laptop’s bow that no MacBook offers.
The trackpad, meanwhile, is fine by Windows laptop standards, but isn’t quite as precise and satisfying to use as Apple’s haptic trackpad. On the other hand, Samsung has managed to offer better port selection than the MacBook Air. Along with a pair of Thunderbolt USB-C ports, you get a legacy USB-A, a full HDMI socket, microSD, and a headphone jack.
That’s impressive given the compact form factor which comes in at just 11.6mm thick and 1.23kg. This is an extremely portable laptop, a fact that’s only helped by the teeny-tiny 35W USB-C power adapter.
So, this is a very nicely designed and engineered machine on pretty much every level. Among Windows laptops, few if any are better built. But it is, ultimately, a pretty derivative machine in aesthetic terms. Dell’s XPS portables are much more distinctive, while Apple’s MacBooks are ultimately the real deal.
(Image credit: Future)
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: Performance
Intel Meteor Lake CPU is punchy
OLED screen is stunning
Good storage performance
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: Benchmarks
Here’s how the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
Intel’s new Meteor Lake CPU isn’t a radical step forward for performance. But it does deliver all the performance you could reasonably ask for in a thin and light laptop like this.
The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H gives you six meaty Performance cores running at up to 4.8GHz, plus eight Efficient cores capable of 3.8GHz. For day-to-day tasks like web browsing and content consumption, the combination of the Intel chip plus 16GB of fast DDR5 memory and a really quick Samsung SSD makes for an ultra-speedy and responsive experience.
But you also have plenty of performance in hand for some pretty serious workflows like image and video editing. Really, the only limitation involves graphics performance. The new Intel Meteor Lake CPU has a good integrated graphics processor. But it can’t quite match that of the integrated GPU in AMD‘s competing Ryzen laptops APUs and it isn’t up to the job of playing modern PC games.
Of course, you can get similar performance from a whole slew of Windows laptops that offer Intel’s new Meteor Lake chips. But it’s still impressive to experience this level of performance in such a compact and portable laptop.
Another highlight is the AMOLED screen. It’s just so vibrant and offers perfect per-pixel lighting control, so the HDR experience is truly spectacular. No LCD screen, even one with local dimming, comes close. It’s also much brighter than comparable desktop OLED monitors. What’s more, it runs at 120Hz for extreme smoothness and responsiveness and has touchscreen functionality.
(Image credit: Future)
The only slight flaw involves the screen’s dynamic refresh mode. It can switch between 60Hz and 120Hz on the fly and according to application demand. The idea is that running at 120Hz increases battery load, so the screen only steps up to 120Hz when significant on-screen motion is detected. We noticed very occasional stutters that may be related to this feature. It’s not a major flaw and, in any case, you have the option of running in conventional 60Hz and 120Hz modes.
Overall, our only significant reservation regarding the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro’s performance is those aforementioned speakers. By Windows laptop standards, they’re OK. But if you are familiar with Apple’s MacBooks and thinking of making the switch, you’ll be very disappointed.
Where watching movies and video content on MacBooks, perhaps while on holiday, is a really enjoyable experience, thanks to some great speakers, on the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro you’d have to bring an additional Bluetooth speaker to get a similar experience. That’s a pity.
Performance score:4 / 5
(Image credit: Future)
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: Battery life
Even better than before
Genuine all-day battery life
The Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro already had great battery life. With the upgrade to Intel’s latest CPUs, it just got better. For movie and video playback, you’re looking at the thick end of 14 hours, more than enough for pretty much any plane flight.
Even under heavier loads browsing the web and undertaking more demanding workflows, well over 10 hours is possible. That means with light and occasional use, you’ll get multiple days out of this laptop. And when you’re getting important work done, you can rely on it lasting all day away from the mains.
Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro?
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Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Price
There are certainly cheaper laptops. But as an overall value proposition given the build quality, performance and feature set, this the Galaxy Book4 Pro is very appealing.
4 / 5
Design
The aesthetic is definitely derivative of Apple’s MacBooks. But this is a beautifully built, eminently portable machine. It also squeezes good connectivity into its modest footprint.
4 / 5
Performance
Intel’s new Meteor Lake CPU is used to very good effect here. There’s more performance than the vast majority of users will ever need with the exception of gaming.
4 / 5
Battery
The Galaxy Book4 Pro’s predecessor had good battery life. This new model is even better thanks to Intel’s latest CPU. All-day operation away from the mains is no problem at all.
4.5 / 5
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: Also consider
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Component
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 14-inch
Dell XPS 13 Plus
MacBook Air 15-inch M3 (2024)
Price
$1,449 / £1,599
$1,299 / £1,399 / AU$2,339
$1,299 / £1,399 / AU$2,199
CPU
Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
Intel Core i7-1280P (14-core)
Apple M3 (8-core)
GPU
Intel Arc integrated graphics
Intel Iris Xe
Integrated 10-core GPU
Screen
14-inch, 2880 x 1800 AMOLED
13.4-inch, 3,456 x 2,160, 60Hz, OLED, Touch, Anti-Reflect, 400 nit
15.3-inch, 2880 x 1864 Liquid Retina display, 500 nits brightness, wide color P3 gamut
312.3 x 223.8 x 11.6 mm (12.30 x 8.81 x 0.46 inches)
11.63 x 7.84 x 0.60 inches (29.54 x 19.91 x 1.52 cm
13.40 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches (340 x 212 x 15.6mm)
If our Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro review has you considering other options, here are two laptops to consider…
How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro
I tested the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro for a week
I used it both on a desk and while travelling
I used the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro as my main workhorse for a week, including as a desktop machine plugged into monitors, when on the move, lounging on the sofa, the works.
That gave me a good idea of how it coped with all kinds of tasks, how portable it is and how well the battery lasts in the real world (spoiler, it lasts really well). I have a MacBook Air of my own, so it made for an intriguing comparison. And I have, of course, been testing and reviewing laptops since the early Mesozoic period, so I have plenty of context to draw on.
Travel tripods typically follow a fairly standardized set of features, with simplicity, size and weight at the forefront of designers’ minds. The Vanguard VEO 3T+ 234CB travel tripod bucks this trend with a feature that’s much more common in larger full-size tripods – an articulating center column. This undoubtedly makes the tripod stand out from the crowd, but it also carries a compromise or two if this is a feature you need.
Having an articulating center column is far from a negative. It’s a huge positive, because of the versatility it provides for macro photographers and anyone who often shoots subjects in awkward positions, and incorporating it into a travel tripod could be a masterstroke from Vanguard, because you’ll struggle to find another travel tripod like it.
In the past few years or so Vanguard has been innovating with its tripods, and the huge leap in functionality and build quality can’t be ignored. The VEO 3T+ 234CB continues this trend, and is essentially a smaller and lighter version of the VEO 3+ 263CB. It’s still a bit of a beast for a travel tripod though – weighing in at 4.4lbs / 1.98kg it’s one of the heavier travel models available. The tripod kit costs $330 / £320 / AU$500, making it a mid-range option price-wise.
(Image credit: James Abbott)
The 234CB offers a maximum height of 57.5 inches / 146cm, with a minimum height of ground level thanks to the articulating center column. The maximum height is average for a travel tripod, and will be sufficient in many cases, while the folded length is slightly longer than average at 18.1 inches / 46cm. That may sound long, and combined with the weight could suggest that the 234CB is heavy to carry; but in practice neither spec is an issue, unless you’re looking for an ultra-lightweight travel tripod.
Aside from the obvious advantages of the articulating center column, a feature that’s unique to Vanguard tripods is that the 234CB comes with a VEO+ MA1 Multi-Mount Adaptor. This slides onto the end of the center column, and can accommodate a tripod head or be used to mount accessories such as video monitors, phones, tablets or lighting. It’s a simple yet clever feature that can be extremely useful, and if you need more than one you can purchase additional Multi-Mount Adaptors separately. There’s also a hook that can be screwed into the bottom of the center column, for hanging a photography bag when required to increase stability.
The build quality of the 234CB can’t be faulted, and the twisting leg locks come apart easily for cleaning, which is essential after shooting at the coast, where sand and salt water will damage tripods unless cleaned off. This is a feature that’s sometimes overlooked, but it’s especially useful for landscape photographers, who typically need to clean their tripod often to maintain smooth operation and to increase the lifespan of the legs.
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(Image credit: James Abbott)
(Image credit: James Abbott)
(Image credit: James Abbott)
(Image credit: James Abbott)
(Image credit: James Abbott)
The four-section carbon fiber legs are sturdy, and while there’s a small amount of flex at full extension this doesn’t affect stability. Plus, one of the legs can be unscrewed for use as a monopod, which is another handy feature alongside the leg locks and articulating centre column. The kit also comes with spiked feet, which can be swapped with the rubber feet when required.
In operation, I found the 234CB to be smooth and reliable, and the articulating centre column, despite the additional weight it undoubtedly brings, is both useful and surprising for a travel tripod; it adds an extra level of versatility for photographers, thanks to the ability to position the camera practically at ground level – perfect for macro photography.
(Image credit: James Abbott)
Like most travel tripods, the 234CB comes with a fairly simple ball head, but the VEO BH-110S Arca Compatible Dual Axis Ball Head does have one advantage over the competition, and that’s the panning mechanisms at the top and the bottom of the head. Being able to pan the top of the head just below where the tripod plate sits is useful, as once the camera is level it can be rotated to adjust composition and remain level. Having the panning mechanism at the bottom of tripod heads is useful, but this doesn’t guarantee that the camera will remain level when rotated unless the legs are 100% level.
If the weight of the 234CB is something that doesn’t bother you, and you feel you’ll benefit from all of the other features including the articulating center column, then it’s a great option worth consideration. It’s easily one of the more versatile travel tripods available except for the maximum height. It provides a user experience akin to that of a full-size tripod, and it comes with a well-made carry bag with handles and a shoulder strap, so you can either use this or attach the tripod directly to your backpack.
Should I buy the Vanguard VEO 3T+ 234CB travel tripod?
(Image credit: James Abbott)
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
How I tested the Vanguard VEO 3T+ 234CB
The Vanguard VEO 3T+ 234CB was tested over a period of time using several different camera and lens combinations to test how the tripod stood up to standard use in travel-oriented scenarios. Cameras used included a premium compact, an APS-C mirrorless camera, and a full-frame mirrorless camera. The tripod was also carried around with other photographic kit in my f-stop backpack to evaluate performance over longer shoots such as landscapes.
With nearly 30 years of photographic experience and 15 years working as a photography journalist, I’ve been writing about tripods and other photographic accessories for many years. As a professional photographer, I frequently use a range of accessories to enhance my photography and bring my working experience of using these to reviews, gauging how effective particular accessories are from both a professional and an enthusiast point of view.
