TechkSome Swagg

15/12/2019

15/12/2019

Sony Bravia 55XD8577/8599 LED HDR 4K Ultra HD Android TV, 55"

First impressions

The colour of the frame depends on which design variants you buy. Our sample has a shiny black-coloured frame. If you look at the TV from the side you will notice that there is silver-colour line embedded into the frame. You can distinguish the mid-range TVs such as XD85 from the high-end models in the 9 series by the colour of this embedded line. The 9 series are gold/champagne.

And yes the TV is quite thin. The new stand has an integrated cable management system. It is a solution that simply requires you to make sure that all cables go down through the middle. There is a plastic cover to hide cables.

Most ports are facing to the side but a single HDMI port (HDMI 1), optical audio out, and several analog ports face out towards the wall. We had hoped that 4K TVs would finally kill the low-resolution analog ports but we guess there are still enough legacy devices out there to support them. HDMI and optical audio on the other hand should under no circumstances face out towards the wall and we were frankly surprised to see this kind of carelessness from Sony.

User experience & features
Sony will continue to use Google’s Android TV operating system in its models. The company has confirmed that Android TV version 6.0 will be available in this model.

Operating system & smart TV
Sony claims that Android TV has been a success for them. It has helped them sell more TVs and more premium-priced TVs.

The last few updates have ironed out many bugs and Google has said that version 6.0 of Android TV focuses primarily on performance and bug fixes. That is great news.

Android TV is getting better, and in version 6.0 you will be able to better customise the user interface and select which apps are allowed to "recommend" content in the top recommendations bar. Hopefully that will make it feel less like an advertising ploy.

Netflix’s Android TV app has been updated to support HDR (high dynamic range), meaning that you can stream in 4K+HDR.
Google Cast is integrated, too, allowing you to use the TV as you would use Chromecast. Open any app on your smartphone or tablet with Google Cast support and press the cast logo to push the content wirelessly to the TV. The TV takes over the stream to the server so you can use your mobile device for other tasks.

You can even cast to the TV while it is off, and it will automatically power on, open the relevant app and start playing the video. This is very cool. However, be aware that to use this functionality you need to enable "Remote start" from the settings menu and that it will increase standby consumption to a staggering 20W.

Picture quality
Given that Sony has switched to IPS type LCD panels for this year’s 8 series we expected some significant changes. However, it is important to remember that part of what have made Sony’s TVs popular over the years is the company’s excellent picture processing systems. Those are intact in XD85. Before we get to that we just wanted to say XD85 has a semi-glossy panel that suffers a medium level of reflection in a brightly lit room. We have seen much worse.

Unlike last year’s X85C that used a VA type LCD panel, this year’s XD85 uses an IPS type LCD panel. Maybe you already know the general characteristics of each type but if not, the best way to think about it is probably that VA has relatively good contrast and black levels but narrow viewing angles - vice versa for IPS.

In a dimly lit room on the other hand it is clear that the IPS panel has quite good contrast. The picture simply lacks some depth and intensity overall.

As always, Sony has a great video processing. The TV handles SD and HD scaling well, de-interlacing looks good, and in general we noticed almost no issues in image processing. This also means that video in HD and even SD looks perfectly enjoyable on the 55-inch TV. Of course not as good as native 4K content. Upscaling video from HD to 4K does not improve the HD picture in any significant way, despite manufacturers’ claims. You need native 4K content to fully enjoy the TV’s high resolution.

Conclusion
On paper Sony XD85 is the successor to last year’s top-seller X85C but in reality it is a much different TV.

If you mostly watch TV during daytime or in a brightly lit room you will likely not be bothered much by the weak black levels, but if you mostly watch TV in the evening hours of the day you will surely notice that the picture lacks contrast and depth. On the other hand, the wide viewing angles are optimal for living rooms with multiple seating positions.

However, as a full package we think that picture quality is a clear downgrade compared to the predecessor. That is true even when you consider other factors such the expanded colour gamut and support for HDR, which is a claim at best. XD85 is not a bad TV and its motion reproduction and relatively low input lag should be praised but the TV market is a competitive arena.

Android TV on the other hand has gotten better. Not because of faster hardware, because Sony has chosen to use the exact same chip, but because of software optimisations by Google. Built-in Chromecast is great and you can even use it when the TV is off. However, Android TV still has some ground to cover.

We had hoped that Sony would improve the 8 series through iteration. It could have become something great.

07/12/2019

Huawei Watch GT

Design and display
Huawei said from the off that it wanted to make a smartwatch that looks like a watch, as opposed to the high-tech, gadgety look of competing smartwatches. That translates to familiar features for watch users, including a circular face, durable body and crown(s) for interacting with the watch.
Granted, these crowns won’t be used in the same way as with a traditional watch, but they still provide shortcuts to exercise tracking, the main menu and more. Unlike with many other smartwatches like the Apple Watch Series 4 and Misfit V***r 2, you can’t turn the crown to scroll through on-screen menus.

The Huawei Watch GT looks similar to the Huawei Watch 2, and comes in two flavours; a variant with a black stainless steel body and a ceramic bezel design on the outer ring, and a slightly more expensive variant with a silver stainless steel body and brown leather rubber watch strap. While you may assume the rubber makes the leather strap suitable for swimming, you’d be wrong – you’ll have to fork out for an additional strap if you want to swim with the premium watch.

The good news is that the Huawei Watch GT uses standard size watch straps that are soft-to-the-touch, and while they shouldn’t cause any irritation, you can swap them out for other compatible watch straps if it does occur.
But while the strap doesn’t cause any irritation, we found a small blister on our arm where the HR sensor meets our skin after little over two weeks of constant wear. It’s admittedly a small blister that doesn’t cause any pain, but it’s certainly worth noting, especially as you’re encouraged to wear the Watch GT both during the day and during the night too.
Both smartwatches come with a 1.39in OLED display protected by a diamond coating that should negate scratches, and while they certainly look like stylish watches, there’s no size variation available for those with smaller, dainty wrists.
Flip the Huawei Watch GT over and you’ll find a new heart rate monitor that the company claims is more accurate than what’s on offer from other smartwatches at the moment, and like with other Huawei smartwatches, the Watch GT offers contact charging as opposed to full wireless charging.

It’s a shame really, as those who purchase a wireless charging-enabled Mate 20 Pro could’ve charged the Watch GT with their phone! Oh well, maybe next year eh Huawei?
But while it’s largely business as usual in the design department, the Huawei Watch GT offers upgraded fitness tracking capabilities and a completely new software experience that you’ll either love or hate.

Impressive battery life
Unlike the Huawei Watch 2 that runs Android Wear, Huawei’s latest smartwatch boasts the company’s own operating system dubbed Light OS. Having control over both the hardware and the software of the smartwatch has allowed Huawei to enhance the battery life, with the Watch GT offering anywhere between 22 hours and a month of battery life, depending on what you’re up to.
You’ll get two weeks of battery life with constant heart rate tracking and around 90 minutes of exercise tracking per week on average. If you can live without the HR monitor or GPS for exercise tracking, the battery life jumps up to a whopping 30 days. At the other end of the scale, the Watch GT boasts a full 22 hours of continuous exercise tracking, GPS and HR tracking with the display always-on.
That’s impressive, especially when you consider that similar smartwatches on the market, like the Apple Watch Series 4, needs to be charged every day. It’s certainly a freeing experience, not having to worry about the battery life of your watch all the time.

Upgraded hardware
The long battery life is possible in part due to the inclusion of a double chipset architecture, allowing the smartwatch to use different chipsets depending on what it thinks you’re doing. If you’re asleep or stationary for long periods of time, the Watch GT will draw power from a low-powered chip, with the Watch GT only switching to the high-powered chipset when moving around or exercising.

Huawei claims that the HR sensor featured in the Watch GT is more accurate and efficient than what’s on offer by competitors. It’s called the TruSeen 3.0 HR monitor, and it differs from similar HR monitors not only due to the inclusion of new sensors, but also a range of self-learning algorithms to help keep results as accurate as possible. It’s also constantly measuring your heart rate for a more accurate readout both on the watch or the Huawei Health app, and also provides resting heart rate, single heart rate and average heart rate readings.
Combine the TruSeen 3.0 HR monitor with an impressive GPS system comprised not only of GPS, but the GLONASS and GALILEO systems too, and you’ve got a seriously impressive fitness tracker. It’s the first time this trio of tech has been featured in a smartwatch, and allows the Watch GT to triangulate your position based on readings from all three, providing more accurate GPS coordinates even in Urban areas with tall buildings, or when you’re out in the sticks exploring.

Enhanced exercise and sleep tracking
It should come as no surprise that the Huawei Watch GT has a focus on exercise tracking, and while the Watch 2 could do a lot, the GT looks to do more. As well as tracking standard exercises like running, jogging and rowing, the Watch GT includes an altimeter to give advanced readings like elevation when hiking, along with a range of water sport-specific measurements.

It’s water-resistant, meaning you’re free to use the Watch GT when swimming. In fact, the smartwatch offers specific tracking modes depending on the type of swimming you’re doing; Freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and more.
The Huawei Watch GT also features an intelligent Health Assistant that, on top of tracking your daily steps, standing hours and exercise, can intelligently track the different periods of sleep – awake, REM, light and deep. It doesn’t stop at tracking though, as the Watch GT can analyse the sleep data it collects and provides a range of tips (over 200 in total, depending on your issue) that can help you get a better night’s sleep.

These tips range from the basics like going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day to more advanced tips like making sure your room temperature is adequate for restful sleep. It really does provide insight into your sleeping pattern, though like with most sleep tracking apps, we immediately feel more tired after learning that we’ve had a bad night’s sleep. Psychology and all that.
The Huawei Watch GT is compatible with both iOS and Android, much like the Watch 2, with Android getting access to more features (likely down to stricter rules on iOS accessories). It offers Bluetooth support, but there’s no access to NFC for mobile payment support.

Light OS
You’ll either love or hate Huawei’s Light OS – it is, as the name indicates, a rather light smartwatch experience. It provides access to basic functions like a torch, weather, compass, stopwatch, timer and alarms, but you miss out on a whole heap of smart features offered by Google’s Wear OS that really enhance the overall smartwatch experience. Features like access to Google Assistant, quick-access media controls, actionable notifications and even the ability to get directions at a glance from Google Maps – none of them are present on the Watch GT.
That’s not all either; Light OS offers no support for third-party apps, and Huawei has no plans to include it in a future update. It’s not exactly a new concept – Garmin initially refused to offer third-party app support on its range – but the company has since changed its stance, and now offers basic support for popular apps like Spotify, Uber and Deezer.
And, to top it all off, it just doesn’t run well. We’ve run into a number of software issues with the Watch GT during our time with it, and while most were inconveniences like minor freezes or duplicated notifications (or no notifications at all), it doesn’t feel like it’s ready for prime-time just yet. Huawei has said that it’ll be releasing software updates to improve performance and notification support in the coming weeks, but those using it right now may feel underwhelmed.
It’s an odd move from Huawei, and it makes us question whether the Watch GT is really a smartwatch, or just a fancy activity tracker. The design suggests the former, while the features on offer suggest the latter. The non-ability to install your favourite watch apps like Citymapper, control your music from your wrist or access Google Assistant will put many off the Watch GT and may force them to consider another option, like the Android Wear-enabled Huawei Watch 2, even with impressive battery life on offer. Light OS? More like Sh*te OS.

Verdict
After our time with the Huawei Watch GT, we’re torn. It boasts incredible battery life, classic design and impressive exercise tracking tech with a competitive price tag, but we can’t help but feel Huawei’s Light OS lets down the overall experience.
Despite being called a smartwatch, Light OS doesn’t offer Google Assistant support, media controls, map directions, mobile payment support or even the ability to install third-party apps. That doesn’t seem very smart to us, leading us to believe that the Huawei Watch GT isn’t really a smartwatch, but is instead an impressive fitness tracker that looks like a watch.
If you’re on the market for a great fitness tracker that doesn’t look like a fitness tracker, the Huawei Watch GT is a decent option, but if you’re looking for true smarts from your smartwatch, we’d recommend picking up the Huawei Watch 2 instead.

28/11/2019

HUAWEI P30 LITE 128GB

The P30 Lite has a fantastic design. Its iridescent back panel is irresistible in a great way, thanks to a wave pattern that grabs, bends and plays with light beautifully.
The 128GB storage capacity is also a boon for the phone, as too is its triple-lens camera, which features a wide, ultra-wide and depth sensor combo.
Its 4GB of RAM may put it on par with flagships like the Google Pixel 3, but mid-rangers like the Realme 3 Pro are clocking in at up to 6GB. As for its 3,340mAh battery, it’s respectably sized, but definitely isn’t the biggest on the block.

Key features
1. Big, sharp screen
2. Sleek build and 128GB of storage
3. Triple-lens camera

At 6.15 inches, the Huawei P30 Lite's screen is roughly the same size as that of the vanilla P30, and it sports roughly the same Full HD+ resolution too. What it doesn’t pack is AMOLED screen tech though, with an LTPS LCD panel taking centre stage.
The 4GB of RAM under the hood doesn’t set off any alarm bells, though the Kirin 710 chipset has shipped in significantly cheaper smartphones, including the Honor 10 Lite and the Huawei P Smart (2019).

Running Android 9, the operating system is as up to date as we could hope for, with Huawei’s skin, EMUI 9, over the top. This means interaction is all about gestures, similar to those introduced on the iPhone X, and there are customisations aplenty if you fancy a deep dive into the settings.
The P30 Lite is seriously slender at 7.4mm thick. It also fits great in the hand with its curved glass back, and the Full HD+ screen has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9, so it’s longer than your average phone.
Just like the Redmi Note 7, it features a 48MP primary camera too, with its triple camera setup sporting a depth sensor and an ultra-wide angle lens alongside that main one.
The battery is a competent with 3,340mAh.

Design
1. Slim and elegant
2. Plastic frame
3. Rear fingerprint scanner

With its 6.15-inch screen, the phone is going to be much better suited to small hands than the likes of the OnePlus 7 and Huawei P30 Pro, but it still delivers a rich, flagship-esque in-hand feel.
The P30 Lite’s frame may be plastic, but it looks and feels solid, emulating the metal of the rest of the P30 family nicely. The front is flat glass with minimal bezels on the fascia, and the back has a slight, elegant curve to it.

The back also houses the phone’s fingerprint scanner and triple camera module. At the base is the USB-C port, while all the buttons are located on the phone’s right-hand side. Audiophiles – rejoice – there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack onboard, however next to it is a very-easy-to-cover-up mono speaker.

At 7.4mm thick and weighing just 159g, the Huawei P30 Lite is indeed light, not to mention slender and comfortable to hold. Its dual-SIM tray slot is on the top, and the phone can take two nano SIM cards, or one SIM card and a microSD card.

The P30 Lite is also available in three colours: Peacock Blue, Midnight Black and Pearl White - all with the same glass finish. We reviewed the blue one and boy is it deserving of its namesake – it peacocks full-on plumage-like iridescence from every angle. If subtlety is more your thing though, black is always a safe bet.
As for the fingerprint scanner, it’s in a natural position for an index finger to fumble over. Meanwhile, the right-hand buttons are easy to press, and ultimately, from a design point of view, everything works well.

The Screen
1. 19.5:9 LCD screen with notch
2. 6.15 inches with 84.2% screen-to-body ratio
3. Full HD+ resolution, 415 PPI

The Huawei P30 Lite’s Full HD+ display measures 6.15 inches, which is an excellent size - balancing immersion and manageability like a champ. It’s a long screen thanks to its 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and it’s light on bezels too, with a water droplet notch at the top, housing the selfie camera, as found on the Honor 10 Lite.
With a resolution of 1080 x 2312, its screen is exactly what we’d expect at the price, retaining the Full HD+ resolution found in the flagship P30 Pro, but swapping out its AMOLED screen tech for something a bit less pricey - LCD.

LCD screens generally showcase less depth, punch and pop than AMOLEDs, but also deliver ever so slightly better clarity.
Thankfully, the P30 Lite’s display is a good one. Viewing angles are strong, as too are brightness levels, and with a pixel density of 415 pixels per inch – bettering the pricier iPhone XR, it’s sharp too.
When it comes to colour accuracy and white balance, the default display calibration has a marked blue tinge to it. There are display calibration settings, not to mention a blue light filter, so between the two you can temper its hues to suit your tastes.
The notch can also be hidden if you’re not a fan, and ultimately, while it definitely isn’t best-in-class, the P30 Lite’s screen looks great.

23/11/2019

Fitbit Versa Special Edition

Versa is the perfect mix of fit and function, starting with the the ultra-thin yet durable.

Versatile Style
Whether you want a smartwatch for night or day, work or play, Versa has you covered. It launches with four case colours and16 band options

Personalised Guidance
Versa comes equipped with all the Fitbit health and fitness features including guided workouts from Fitbit Coach², 24/7 heart-rate tracking, 15+ exercise modes, connected GPS, Cardio Fitness Level, swim tracking, Sleep Stages and Sleep Insights, Relax guided breathing, and Reminders to Move

Smart Features
Stay connected to the apps and information that make life easier with advanced smart features like phone-free music (store more than 300 of your own songs on-device, download your top stations from Pandora or choose from your favorite Deezer playlists)

Wallet-free payments (only on Fitbit Versa Special Edition); app, calendar, and text notifications; and quick replies to messages

You can also further personalise your device by choosing from more than 330 digital, analog, or interactive clock face styles

Water Readiness
Versa is water-resistant up to 50 meters and ready for anything life throws at you, so go ahead and take it in the shower or the pool. Plus, Versa comes equipped with a swim mode so you can track real-time laps, exercise duration, and calories burned on device.

Extended Battery Life
Versa can last for 4+ days* on one charge, so you can effortlessly track your activity, exercise, and sleep without worrying about having to plug it in every night.

Broad Compatibility
Versa is compatible across Android, iOS, and Windows devices, so you can use almost any smartphone. See fitbit.com to check your specific model’s compatibility.

21/11/2019

Garmin Vivoactive 3

If your ultimate goal is getting in shape then consider Garmin Vivoactive 3. Everything is possible with

• Monitor your fitness level with VO2 max and fitness age estimates, plus keep an eye on how you handle stress
• Track your daily calories, step, sleep pattens, real time peace and distance
• More than 15 preloaded GPS and indoor sports apps, including yoga, running, swimming and more
• First Garmin wearable that is Garmin Pay ready, so customers can pay for purchases with their watch
• Personalise your watch with thousands of free watch faces, apps and widgets from our Connect IQ™ store
• Get connected features3 such as smart notifications, automatic uploads to Garmin Connect™, LiveTrack and more
• Battery life4: up to 7 days in smartwatch mode; 13 hours in GPS mode