When you think of gadgets with eye-catching, sparkly aesthetics, robot vacuums probably don’t immediately come to mind. Perhaps it’s time to change that perception, because the Mova Z70 Ultra Roller looks quite different to other robots.
Launching in Australia today, Mova’s new flagship robot vacuum comes with a docking station in a ‘brushed metallic’ finish. There’s a more subtle ‘stone black’ variant, but it’s hard to look past the glam rock stylings of the metallic design.
But I digress; this is a robot vacuum after all, and what it does is the most important part. Mova advertises the Z70 Ultra Roller as having up to 36,000Pa of suction power, plus a roller mop that lifts out of the way to prevent getting carpets damp.
This roller mop is one of the most interesting parts about Mova’s latest robot. Over the years, robot cleaning brands have dabbled in various technologies, but roller mop technology has come into vogue recently. Compared to other technologies, rollers are said to apply more downward pressure and therefore clean up more stubborn spills. For reference, Mova claims its mop applies 18N of pressure.
Image: Mova.
Mova also reckons its mop stays cleaner for longer, too. As the robot cleans, the mop roller spins at speeds of up to 800rpm, scraping dirty water out and steadily spraying fresh water in. In other words, it should stay fresh while cleaning, avoiding tracking filthy water through the house.
When docked in the included base station, the Mova Z70 Ultra Roller goes through an automated self-cleaning cycle. Here, it empties the robot’s dustbin, washes the mop with 100°C water, and then dries it with 70°C air.
That it looks nice while doing all this is a bonus. In Australia, the Mova Z70 Ultra costs $2,999 and is sold by JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, Harvey Norman, and Mova’s online website.
Shrinking the screen while beefing up the grunt, the Honor 600 Pro takes the fight to the mid-sized Android heavyweights.
Spun off from Huawei a few years ago, Chinese gadget maker Honor’s Android smartphones don’t get as much attention in Australia as household names like Samsung, Google and Motorola.
Despite its lower profile, Honor is producing flagship handsets which can go toe-to-toe with its rivals, like the new Honor 600 Pro and the foldable Honor Magic V6. More affordable than some options, but certainly not budget devices, they’re certainly worth a look if you’re prepared to shop beyond the usual suspects.
At $1,499, the Honor 600 Pro has seen a major price jump since the $999 Honor 400 Pro arrived in Australia last year (the 500 Pro was never officially released here).
With a more premium look and feel than its predecessor, there’s no denying the Honor 600 Pro looks a hell of a lot like an Apple iPhone. Paying homage to Cupertino is a common design strategy among lesser-known Android smartphone makers like Oppo (such as this year’s Oppo Reno 15 Pro), Xiaomi and Realme.
The Honor Pro 600’s unibody aluminium matte frame with sharp edges, sandwiched between a glass front and composite fibreglass-like back, could easily be mistaken for an iGadget. One giveaway, as with most Android handsets, is that all the buttons are on the right-hand side, whereas iPhones place the volume and Action (mute) button on the left.
There’s also a programmable Apple-esque touch-sensitive Quick Button on the right, which can be used to easily launch the camera or access AI features.
While some Pro smartphone screens creep up towards the 7-inch mark, the Honor 600 Pro keeps it at a more manageable 6.57 inches, meaning it shouldn’t be too unwieldy for most hands. It’s a slight step down from the 6.7-inch Honor 400 Pro.
At the same time, Honor has managed to reduce the bezel to a mere .98 mm, making it a fraction thinner than what you’d find on an iPhone, but not enough to get excited about.
As always, I’m disappointed the fingerprint reader isn’t built into the power button. Instead, you need to reach down a long way with your thumb to access the onscreen reader, which I think increases the risk of the phone toppling out of your hand.
Fire up the Honor 600 Pro, and you’re faced with a super-bright and vivid 2728 x 1264 pixel AMOLED display. Even with 6.57 inches of screen real estate, you still enjoy a sharp 458 pixels per inch.
The screen offers 10-bit colour with a 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, along with up to 120 Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling. What really stands out from the crowd is an amazing 8,000 nits peak brightness, although it’s not for the entire screen. It can only push this extreme brightness to small, specific areas like HDR highlights or fine details,
You won’t see the full benefit of this in day-to-day use, although you can enable ‘sunlight mode’ to ensure the screen is brighter outdoors. You’ll only unlock full brightness when watching High Dynamic Range content from the likes of Netflix and Amazon – supporting HDR10+ but not Dolby Vision.
At the bottom of the handset, you’ve got a USB-C port, alongside a nano-SIM port with the benefit of eSIM, but no microSD card support. The phone features dual speakers for stereo (relying on a dedicated top speaker, rather than an earpiece speaker) but there’s no Dolby Atmos support, and you miss out on an old-school headphone jack.
The Honor 600 Pro runs Android 16, customised with Honor’s own MagicOS 10, which unsurprisingly feels a lot like Apple’s iOS. You have to deal with a reasonably restrained amount of preloaded social media bloatware, plus links to popular apps like Spotify, WhatsApp and Netflix, so you can install them without searching the Google Play app store.
Honor says the handset will only receive two major Android OS updates and three years of security patches in Australia. That’s outrageous considering that Europe gets six years of coverage for the exact same device. Honor says it is “continuing to evaluate based on market and consumer needs” – which is corporate speak for “Australians are second-class citizens and we’ll see how many people complain before we even think about changing it.”
MagicOS 10 comes with the mandatory dollop of AI, including AI Deepfake Detection, real-time AI Translation, AI Text Extraction, AI Memories and AI Writing assistants. There is also an AI-powered photo editor, plus the ability to turn photos into videos.
Of course, if AI features are important to you, make sure you consider the Google Pixel 10 Pro.
As you’d expect with the Pro name, one of the Honor 600 Pro’s big selling points is a triple-lens rear camera array. Flip the handset over, and you’ll find a 200 MP s primary shooter with the benefit of optical image stabilisation. It’s blessed with a large 1/1.4 inch sensor to improve low-light performance.
The handset boasts a CIPA 6.5 rating (from the Camera and Imaging Products Association), meaning it can shoot at a shutter speed 6.5 steps slower than normal without motion blur to improve handheld and low-light photography.
The Honor 600 Pro triple rear camera array features a periscope telephoto lens. Image: Adam Turner.
At this price range, a 3.5x telephoto lens is better than you’d expect, and arguably more useful than a macro lens. The trade-off is that the ultrawide lens is only 12 MP, where you’d really expect it to be 50 MP.
While the island around the rear camera array extends across the width of the phone, it’s still not enough to completely eliminate wobble when sitting on a flat surface.
Around the front, you’ve got a 50 MP ultrawide selfie camera, surprisingly lacking autofocus. It opts for a punch-hole design rather than relying on an Apple-esque notch, but MagicOS still replicates Apple’s Dynamic Island with Magic Capsule.
Under the bonnet, the Honor 600 Pro packs a beefy octa-core Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform with an Adreno 830 GPU. They’re accompanied by a generous 512 GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM. The 8 Elite is no longer the latest and greatest, but it still packs quite a punch.
When it comes to connectivity, it’s a sub-6 5G handset with the benefit of dual nano-SIM and eSIM. You can take advantage of Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, with an impressive spread of audio codecs, including aptX Lossless and the lesser-known LHDC5.0.
The phone packs a very generous 7000 mAh battery, which should get you through a very long day and well into the next. When it’s time for a top-up, the phone can take advantage of 80-watt wired and 50-watt wireless charging, although keep in mind there’s no AC charger in the box.
When it comes to ruggedness, you’ve got IP68, IP69 and IP69K certification – the latter of which is the highest ingress protection rating, meaning it is completely dust-tight and can survive close-range, high-pressure and high-temperature water jets. The body has an SGS 5-star certification for drop and crush resistance, but I’d feel better if Honor also cited the nature of the glass.
Compared to the more affordable $999 Honor 600, the $1,499 600 Pro upgrades to the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, while adding the 50MP telephoto lens with 3.5x optical zoom and 50W wireless charging.
Quality
Geekbench 6 results tell an excellent story thanks to that Snapdragon silicon, scoring 3,053 single-core, 9,039 multi-core and 17,990 OpenCL. That sees it outgun most handsets around this price point, like the Oppo Reno 15 Pro and Google Pixel 10 Pro. It still falls short of the more expensive Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and Oppo Find X9 Pro, not to mention the more affordable standard-issue Apple iPhone 17, which has inherited more ‘pro’ features.
When it comes to photography, 200 MP primary shooters always sound impressive, but we all know by now that pixels aren’t everything. Thankfully, it does an impressive job, delivering sharp and vivid images that don’t look too overblown or overprocessed. Thanks to that large sensor and great stabilisation, it does a particularly good job with tricky lighting conditions and low-light environments.
1x zoom on the 200 MP main shooter produces impressive results in complex lighting. Image: Adam Turner.
The 120x super zoom also does an impressive job; unfortunately, the For Sale sign across the creek from my house is gone, but it still does well with challenging scenes that don’t just include straight lines (making it harder for AI to make an educated guess). Overall, it’s not as impressive as the 100x super zoom on the Honor Magic V6 that I’m testing at the same time (review to come).
A semi-open doorway roughly 150 metres away looks quite detailed with 120x zoom. Image: Adam Turner.
You do see a quality drop when switching across to the 12 MP ultrawide lens, although it’s not as big a drop as you might expect.
Honor spruiks the 600 Pro’s low-light capabilities, and it did a very good job of my standard low-light test in the junk in cupboard under my stairs. But like most phones, it struggles to get the balance right outside.
The photo below was taken at 10:30 PM mid-winter. The clear sky should be black and at least one star should be visible, but the photo is working too hard to brighten the scene (while leaving the shadows very murky). The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra did a better job, but not as good as the iPhone 17.
The sky should be black. Image: Adam Turner.
When it comes to selfies, you don’t have the option of 2x optical zoom as with some rivals, but I respect the default ‘warts ‘n all’ results, resisting the temptation to go all-in on AI-assisted retouching.
The selfie camera bucks the trend of ironing out wrinkles. Image: Adam Turner.
Who is the Honor 600 Pro for?
The Honor 600 Pro has a lot to offer if you’re looking for a great camera array including a telephoto lens. All in a relatively compact handset with a decent battery life and heaps of grunt.
That said, there’s some tough competition in the pro space. Its nearest competitor would be the similarly priced iPhone-esque Oppo Reno 15 Pro, which doesn’t pack as much screen real estate or grunt but offers a slightly better camera array (such as 50 MP ultrawide, selfie auto-focus) and throws in a fast AC charger for good measure.
Honor 600 Pro
Tons of grunt and a great telephoto lens see the Honor 600 Pro stand tall among better-known Android mid-size heavyweights, even if its pathetic local software support is well below competing brands.
I’ve tested a lot of foldable phones in recent years. Some of the early devices left a bit to be desired, but the form factor has since improved drastically. One of the latest foldables that gets things right is the Motorola Razr Fold.
As mentioned in our review of the Razr Fold, it’s an extremely well-rounded phone that makes the most of the folding design. Durable and sturdy, it’s nice to hold and look at its big screen.
Early on, foldable phones didn’t have the best cameras going around, but that’s changed. Now, you get great cameras, with phones like the Razr Fold ranking highly on DXOMARK’s photography benchmark tests.
It’s a similar story with battery life. Foldable phones have less space in which to fit large batteries, so they didn’t last as long as classic slab phones. But now you can get foldables with 6,000mAh batteries and bigger, which is pretty impressive.
Apple’s first public beta of iOS 27 is now available, bringing with it an early glimpse at the new Siri AI assistant on iPhones.
Apple made a developer beta of the major operating system update available shortly after WWDC last month, but the company now has a build that’s closer to public consumption. The iOS 27 public beta — along with updates for the rest of Apple’s ecosystem, including iPads and Macs — focuses a lot on performance improvements and customisation.
Like the generative AI-based platforms offered by the likes of Google and Samsung, Siri AI is meant to be more capable at handling complex, multi-step queries. It’s also meant to answer specific questions based on your phone’s contents, like messages and emails.
Siri AI is only available to recent iPhone owners, however. Falling under the ‘Apple Intelligence’ banner, the feature requires an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16e or newer to work. Fortunately, the overall device improvements promised with iOS 27 are available for anyone with an iPhone 11, iPhone SE (2020), and anything more recent.
If you’re keen to try the iOS 27 beta, back up your device first, and then follow the instructions on Apple’s website. Otherwise, the full release will likely arrive in September, when Apple traditionally launches its latest iPhones.
Previewing Siri AI via the iOS 27 beta
I’ve tried Siri AI for a few weeks via the iOS 27 developer beta, and it’s an improvement from the original Siri. Apple’s digital assistant understands my Aussie accent better, plus it was able to find a specific email from my mum without me needing to open the app.
It still has some awkward moments, though. When I tried to ask Siri what the weather was for the next game of footy at Adelaide Oval, it got the date and the teams correct, but couldn’t source Saturday’s weather, despite it being available. Next time I asked, Siri said it could fetch the weather, but didn’t know who was playing or when.
Third time’s the charm, though, as another attempt proved successful. Siri correctly identified Saturday’s game as being between Port Adelaide and Fremantle, along with the latest weather forecast. It was a relatively low-stakes example and showed that there’s still a bit to iron out, but even with some hiccups, Siri AI was better at collecting information from multiple sources than the older version.
My experience was similar to that of tech reporter and creator Joanna Stern’s, where she noticed a processing delay between queries. Each time I asked a question, Siri had to think for a few seconds before responding. Whether this is because of the beta status or a result of most processing taking place on-device, I’m not sure. I’ll have to wait a couple of months to know for sure.
Best of all? Apple’s AI stuff is largely opt-in and easily ignored if you don’t want to use it.
Over the years, Microsoft’s ubiquitous operating system has accumulated a lot of clutter. Anytime you bring up a search on Windows, you’re faced with countless promotions, web search recommendations, and other information that gets in the way. It’s a frustrating experience, one that might improve based on some testing currently underway.
A tweaked Windows Search Box is coming to Windows Insiders via the Experimental Channel, stripping away much of the clutter. Rather than showing results from external sources, it focuses on displaying content local to your machine.
Image: Microsoft.
“You’ve been asking for search that is faster, more relevant, and easier to use—whether you’re opening an app, finding a file, or changing a setting,” read a Windows blog post attributed to Jeff Petty and Anderson Aiziro.
In a series of before-and-after images, the revamped search box shows a list of previous searches instead of seemingly random web results. Microsoft says the new user experience removes promotional content from searches, while prioritising local files and apps.
Image: Microsoft.
Within the Privacy & Settings > Search menu, users can also disable web searches and Microsoft Store listings from appearing in search box queries entirely. As a result, on-device searches should be cleaner and easier to parse.
Given the gradual nature of the rollout, not all Windows Insiders will have access to the new search box experience immediately. Microsoft hasn’t specified when or if the update will come to more users later.
Image: Microsoft.
Based on the early look at Windows’ changes to search, it looks similar to what Apple tries to achieve with its on-device Spotlight search. Compared to Windows’ existing search experience, Spotlight is far less cluttered, focusing mainly on local files as opposed to web results.
Less clutter is always nice, so fingers crossed that Windows brings the update to more people soon.
I am a huge fan of SteelSeries headsets, to the point that they’re all I’ll use when I’m not reviewing other headsets. The Arctis Nova Pro range is hugely expensive, but it’s also absolutely excellent. So, I was ecstatic when SteelSeries announced the Arctis Nova Elite. That’s because it sounded like it was going to be like the Arctis Nova Pro, but with Hi-Res audio and better drivers. With a price tag of $1,349 and those specs, I assumed it would be a wireless audiophile headset, which is, frankly, the dream.
However, in the eight months that I’ve used it, it hasn’t lived up to my hopes. At this price, roughly $600 over the next most expensive gaming headset from a mainstream brand, it would have to be perfect, and it just isn’t.
My first impression was just of how premium this headset feels, and it would want to. It’s heavier than the Nova Pro wireless I’m used to, but not unpleasantly so. It just accentuates the more premium materials.
Set up was easy, but not plug-and-play. Before I could use the headset with my Xbox, I had to plug it into a PC to update the firmware. But then that also meant I could see which game profiles were available in the Sonar app to enhance the playing experience, and there’s a huge variety. There’s something to cover almost every type of gamer.
From left to right: Arctis Nova Pro, Arctis Nova Elite, Arctis Nova Omni. Image: Alice Clarke.
I also want to call out the hot-swappable second battery. This is probably the best feature of the fancier SteelSeries Arctis Nova headsets. The battery lasts for ages, but then when it runs out, you just take the spent battery out of the headset, swap it over with the fully charged one in the DAC, and then charge the empty one in the DAC until you’re ready for the changeover.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite specifications and price
Drivers
40mm Carbon fibre drivers
Headphone Frequency Response
10-40,000 Hz
Headphone Impedance
38 Ohms
Battery Life
Infinite Power System – 2x hot-swappable batteries with 60 hours (30 hours per battery)
Weight
380g – headphones
Price (RRP)
$1,349
Warranty
Two years in addition to your Australian consumer law rights
I’m still marvelling at that battery life number. 30 is a lot of hours, and with the hot-swappable battery it also doesn’t really matter unless you lose the second battery. But even then, the battery is relatively cheap to replace.
It also needs to be called out that this was the first mass-market wireless Hi-Res audio headset when it launched. Gamers, I love that for us.
Music
Ordinarily, I would put the gaming audio category much higher than music for a gaming headset, but I am so extremely impressed by the musical performance of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite that I can’t not put music at the top.
Wireless Hi-Res audio is something that is incredibly difficult to pull off, and really only possible with the 2.4 GHz wireless connection that gaming headsets rely on. It’s not really possible over current Bluetooth connections. Pairing that with these carbon drivers, the Arctis Nova Elite is one of the best pairs of audiophile headphones I have, and certainly one of the best available under $1,500.
Image: Alice Clarke.
The soundstage is so wide, there is so little distortion, and each sound is defined. As you would expect on a gaming headset, the default EQ tends towards being bass-heavy, but it’s very easy to switch to a flatter profile in the app.
With this headset, I noticed new things in songs I have heard 1,000s of times. Right now, I have a new appreciation for the bass line in “You Outta Know” by Alanis Morissette. The stage is so wide that I feel like I’m sitting in the recording studio in the middle of the band, watching fingers move on frets and seeing the vibration of the reverb head on the bass.
Going track-by-track on my usual headphone testing playlist:
“Simmer” by Hayley Williams is rendered spectacularly. This is a song that loves space; the magic is in the quiet spaces between the notes. There is absolutely no distortion or hum beyond what’s supposed to be in the music, and it exposes how noisy some other headphones are. I can hear details on this track that I haven’t considered before – I’m pretty sure the drummer is playing with wood-tip drumsticks instead of nylon. I used to think it was nylon, but after listening on these headphones I’d bet wood with confidence. The way the sound moves in the stereo separation is far more defined on these headphones than others I’ve tried. I can pause and pick out each individual instrument. They don’t blur into one like they sometimes do on lesser headphones.
“Full Heart Fancy” by Lucky Chops is a song where the emotion really changes depending on the headphones. On the default EQ, it’s just a little bass-heavy and grounded. After switching to a flatter EQ, it’s joyous. The sousaphone soars. It’s an expression of pure joy. All the little hi-hat details shine through perfectly when they can sometimes get lost on other headphones.
“Paralyzed” by Conquer Divide: going to something a bit heavier, Conquer Divide can be a tricky band for lesser speakers because there is a lot going on, and huge contrasts. The chorus frequently devolves into a wall of noise, but here, while the recording limitations are still noticeable, I can make out the sounds of the different cymbals and separate the guitars and bass. The lead singer’s voice rings clear, and is rendered with the same detail as the deeper screaming in the bridge.
All up, there hasn’t been a single song or genre that I’ve played that hasn’t absolutely floored me.
These are the kinds of headphones that can make you fall in love and cry with songs you’d written off as being nothing, because you can hear all the depth. They’re the kind of headphones that make you fall in love with music again. The kind that makes music feel like a breath of fresh country air. I love them.
Gaming
As you would expect from the makers of the best gaming headsets, this is the best gaming headset in terms of pure audio that I have ever used. The spatial effect is perfectly rendered, and each sound is given its own, distinct space, making it easier to tell where enemies are on the map. It genuinely gives me an edge in multiplayer games like Fortnite, and makes soundscape games like Forza Horizon 6 more epic to play.
Everything I said about the music audio quality carries over to games. This is a marvel of engineering, and if it wasn’t for the next three sections of criteria, I would say this is the best and most perfect gaming headset of all time.
Microphone
This is where the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite falls down. The microphone just isn’t that good. It’s quieter and less clear than the Nova Pro Wireless microphone to the point that my friends will ask me to switch headsets whenever I use the Arctis Nova Elite. Talking at my normal speaking volume, my friends have to turn down their game audio down to 50% (or lower) to hear me clearly, despite me turning up the gain in the app.
I was playing with a friend the other day doing a blind A/B comparison, and they said the Elite sounded fine, a bit compressed as is normal for headset mics, and very quiet, but pretty good. Then I switched to the Nova Pro Omni, and they were like “oh wow, this is night and day; you can really tell this is the fancier headset because this microphone is so much clearer and louder”. I then had to tell them that the Omni was almost half the price and supposedly less fancy. They were shocked.
SteelSeries includes a DAC unit, which can be used to monitor the headset and adjust settings. Image: Alice Clarke.
Speaking quietly so as not to wake the baby, the microphone will constantly cut out, no longer able to distinguish me from background noise, whereas my older Nova Pro Wireless doesn’t have that problem.
SteelSeries insists that this is a platform problem, or an issue because the microphone is simply better and therefore has better thresholds, so platforms will noise gate earlier. I’m guessing the built-in AI noise rejection system takes issue with the frequency of my voice.
I note that no other reviews I’ve seen have called out this issue, and that my male friends have not had this problem.
But I have tried three different Arctis Nova Elite headsets on two different PCs, two Xboxes, a PS5 Pro, a Nintendo Switch 2, two Macs and an iPhone, over Zoom calls, Teams calls, Discord, FaceTime, Forza Horizon 5, Forza Horizon 6, Fortnite, Mario Kart World, and a whole bunch of other games over eight months, talking to multiple other people on a variety of setups, and have had the same problem consistently. My wife has also had the same problem.
If this were a $500 headset, this wouldn’t be a deal-breaker. But for a $1,350 headset, I expect the best microphone possible, and the fact that there is a better, clearer microphone on a ‘cheaper’ headset by the same brand is baffling to me. SteelSeries knows how to get it right; they just missed the mark here.
Noise cancellation
This is another area where I am disappointed. SteelSeries isn’t an everyday consumer headphones brand, so I don’t expect the company to produce the best noise cancelling in the market at this point. It would be unkind to do direct comparisons to Bose, Sony and Apple given those companies have specialised in this area for many years.
However, if I’m paying $1,350 for a pair of headphones that claim they can do everything, I wouldn’t be grading them on a curve; I expect them to at least match the noise-cancelling capabilities of $550 headphones, and they just don’t. They get close. But I’m listening to music on 65% volume right now, and I can hear the clacking of my keyboard and the sounds of my family in the other room. I can hear the hum of the air purifier a few metres away.
I got my wife to try them, and she asked me to turn on the noise cancelling so she could see what it was like. The noise cancelling was already on, and she hadn’t realised through our whole conversation.
The noise cancelling isn’t completely terrible by any means. The passive isolation of the ear cups is very good, and the active cancellation is better than I would expect from SteelSeries, certainly much better than the original Arctis Nova Pro Wireless.
They also definitely have the best noise cancellation of any gaming headset I have ever used.
But if a product is going to be priced so much higher than the best-performing noise-cancelling headphones in the market, those are going to be the comparison.
Comfort
For the last piece of bad news, overall these headphones are pretty comfortable. But the weight does get onerous over time. It’s harder to wear these very heavy headphones for three-plus hours, because I get a headache.
Even after eight months, I find the clamping feeling on the sides of my head to get a bit much after a while. I do think the tradeoff for comfort is worth it for the audio quality, and it’s good to be encouraged to take breaks. But I look forward to the improvements in the inevitable second generation of the product.
Who is the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite for?
It is so hard to put a score and a recommendation on this headset. On one hand, based on a pure audio level, they are so incredible that I get tears in my eyes listening to pop music. Their audio quality is comparable to that of wired audiophile ear monitors I have, and these are wireless. It’s a revelation. I want to use them to play every game, and listen to every song I can think of. I love the sound of these headphones more than any pair of headphones I’ve reviewed in years.
But these aren’t just headphones, and everything else isn’t as good as headsets and headphones at roughly half the price. Because of all the issues I’ve had with the microphone, I cannot recommend them to people who play a lot of multiplayer; the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni is a far, far better all-rounder for that. I also really wouldn’t want to use these on a plane, or travelling, or in other situations where I would want active noise cancelling or the comfort to sleep in and wear them for 12 hours+.
There is so much room to grow for the second generation, and I’m confident that these problems will be solved in version two.
If they were $900, I’d be recommending them over the Apple AirPods Max. But for $1,350, I guess they’re for rich people who don’t mind making compromises, and for anyone who wants near audiophile-quality listening, but wireless, which is an absolutely wild thing to have available in JB Hi-Fi.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
These are the best-sounding headphones I have reviewed in years, but the microphone and active noise cancelling quality make them difficult to recommend for $1,349.
Features
10
Value for money
7
Performance
7
Ease of use
9
Design
8
Positives
Incredible sound quality
Hot-swappable batteries
Wireless Hi-Res audio
Can connect three wired sources and one Bluetooth source simultaneously if you like chaos
Negatives
Sub-par microphone
$1,349 price tag
Active noise cancellation is good by gaming headset standards, but not by regular headphone standards.
Now this is what I look for in a keyboard! As soon as my fingers touched the Logitech G316 X, I knew I liked it. And it’s a combination of things. It’s the feel and sound of the mechanical switches. It’s the somewhat compact size. But ultimately, it’s the overall package that makes me want to use this keyboard time and time again.
When I unboxed the G316 X, I was instantly taken aback. It was a gorgeous-looking new keyboard while also reminding me of one of my first-ever keyboards back in the 90’s. Although my first keyboard was actually cream and the Logitech G316 X is white, I couldn’t help but feel the nostalgia, and couldn’t wait to use it. Make no mistake, they are nothing alike in terms of performance. I have just used so many black keyboards over the years that this white colour with a touch of green instantly takes me back.
Tapping on the keys for the first time did not disappoint. I am a sucker for a loud and satisfying keystroke on a mechanical keyboard, and the G316 X was right on the money. As a gaming keyboard, of course it has to have some RGB lighting to brighten your gaming desk. Also, following in the theme of nostalgia, the G316 X comes with a little screen with pixel animations on it. More about that later.
Images: Jay Marshall.
Logitech G316 X specifications and price
Dimensions
384 × 140 × 40 mm
Weight
920 g
Connectivity
Wired USB connection
Cable length
1.8 m
Switches
Two options(Linear and Tactile) Tactile Actuation distance: 2.2mm Switch actuation force: 55 g Switch total travel distance: 3.3mm
The Logitech G316 X is a compact full-sized keyboard which I love. It’s a great size to fit into your gaming setup as it won’t take up the whole desk, yet it still maintains full-sized keyboard functionality. It’s a huge benefit, especially for those that like to use a full number pad. There is certainly no wasted space, though, and this keyboard has a premium look to it.
A white keyboard is not something I have used for my gaming setup in a very long time, yet it looks fantastic. It stands out against my dark desk and desk mat. The G316 X also comes in black, if that’s more your speed. It comes with a rather unique-looking translucent aqua-coloured accent keys for Esc (with Logitech G branding) and dial. A nice touch that gives this keyboard some character.
Image: Jay Marshall.
Very quickly, my attention is drawn to the top-right of the keyboard, where the onboard controls and dial live. It’s a black section with a dot-matrix LED display that animates as I adjust settings with the dial. It’s a clever little panel that has that retro Tamagotchi style to it. With only four different symbols available that represent which setting the dial is controlling, it’s super easy to use. These include volume, brightness, media and report rate (or polling rate). And I can’t forget the smiley face to keep you in a happy mood. Next to this is a Gaming Mode key, which by default disables certain keys while you game. This can be configured in the Logitech G Hub software.
Around the back of the keyboard, it’s fairly simple at first glance. Yet, as Logitech likes to do, they have included one little hidden trick. The top two rubber pads are actually reversible, allowing the angle of the keyboard to be adjusted from four degrees to eight degrees. My only downside is that the G316 X is a wired keyboard, adding another cable to my gaming setup. Not a deal-breaker, but worth mentioning.
Images: Jay Marshall.
Key and switch customisation
Customisation has become a big thing with Logitech keyboards of late; I also recently tested the Logitech G512 X 98, which includes modular analog switches. Now, although the Logitech G316 X is a complete product in its own right, there is some flexibility. No replacement keys or switches are included in the box, yet they are hot-swappable to allow for complete customisation.
Essentially, you have full control over which switches and keys are changed out so that this keyboard fits both your style and gaming needs. I should point out that you would have to buy replacement keys or switches separately, and I hope Logitech release a kit sometime soon. Personally, I would keep all of the switches as they are, and look to change out some of the keys. I love the idea of a completely unique-looking keyboard.
Performance
When it comes to performance, a big part of how I judge a keyboard is based on how it feels. And, as I mentioned earlier, the G316 X has a rather satisfying sound and feel to it. For me, this brings with it a level of confidence when using the keyboard that makes it a joy to use. Pair that with an exceptional 8,000 Hz report rate, and we have a recipe for success. A report rate is essentially how frequently a keyboard sends input data to your computer. Meaning it’s a measurement of how responsive your keyboard is to your button presses.
Screenshots: Jay Marshall.
To put this into perspective, many keyboards have a polling rate of around 1,000 Hz, which translates to one report per millisecond. Meaning the G316 X is eight times more responsive than most, perfect for gamers wanting any advantage they can get. Through my time testing the G316 X, I couldn’t fault it. Not only was it incredibly responsive, but it also left me with a smile on my face every time.
Lighting and software
As I mentioned earlier, the Logitech G316 X has some fantastic RGB lighting. We have come to expect RGB on basically all of our gaming peripherals these days. Logitech has added something a little special to this one though: a light bar running the full width of the keyboard. Not only does this add some cool lights, but it also reacts to the dial adjustments, giving you feedback on your changes. Made up of 30 zones, the light bar animates from left to right as you turn one of your settings up. And right to left as you turn a setting down. This makes for a great user experience.
Screenshot: Jay Marshall.
This keyboard comes with per-key LEDs, meaning each key has its own individual light. This is evident when playing with the different lighting options. The effects and animations are rather spectacular, and lots of fun. Each gives the keyboard a completely different look. And with per-key lighting, the animations look as smooth as you could hope for. My personal favourite is called ‘Ocean Wave’. It’s a sand colour initially, with blue (water) gradually taking over before dispersing again.
Logitech G Hub, the software that manages everything, is simple and easy to use. The software mostly focuses on the keyboard’s lighting. You also have control over things like the polling rate and Game Mode settings.
Image: Jay Marshall.
Who is the Logitech G316 X for?
The beauty of this keyboard is that it would suit basically anyone. From your work or daily driver all the way to your hard-core gamers, this keyboard slots right in and will perform well.
But if I had to be more specific, I would think the Logitech G316 X was made with the gaming millennial in mind. Being one myself, I appreciate the merging of modern, high-performance specs with a somewhat retro vibe.
The fantastic performance and visual appeal make this a great keyboard, yet the small touches of the past add character that sets it apart. Priced at $199 in Australia, it’s not horribly expensive either.
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Logitech G316 X
With a great feel and customisable aesthetic, the Logitech G316 X is a fantastic keyboard for gaming and everyday use.
