Not everyone needs an all-powerful, all-encompassing phone. For some, all you need is something that reliably makes phone calls and keeps you in touch with the outside world. The Moto E13 is that phone.
Now, the E13 is available at even more retailers, meaning you can pick up the brand’s newest budget phone for as little as $99. For buyers on a budget, it’s a viable option worth considering.
Moto E13 offers big size at a small price
Optus currently has the Moto E13 for $50 off, bringing it down to $99 until 26 September 2023. With a 6.5-inch display, that’s plenty of screen real estate for a low cost. Granted, its resolution is only 1600 x 720 and the refresh rate sits at 60Hz, but that’s to be expected at the budget level. Under the hood is a 5,000mAh battery, so you’ll easily get through a day without needing to recharge.
Another nifty feature Motorola revealed earlier in the year comes in the form of expanded Indigenous language support, specifically including te reo Māori as an option. Motorola partnered with UNESCO to help digitise endangered languages, which adds accessibility for people using these dialects, while doubling as a bit of social good from the company.
As for where you can now grab a Moto E13, here are some of your options:
Motorola has full specification details on its website if you’re keen to crunch the numbers more closely. For power users who want to take lots of photos and use power-intensive apps, you might want to look at something like the Motorola Edge 40, which has more grunt and durability. However, the Moto E13 looks to fit the bill as someone’s first phone that takes care of the essentials, or older users who want a handset that lasts the day as a calling and texting device.
That’s according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, an Apple expert whose well-placed sources routinely result in correct predictions before official announcements occur. Alongside the reported iPhone 15 range announcement, it’s expected that Apple will also reveal the Apple Watch Series 9 devices.
According to Gurman, the upcoming handsets will be the “biggest iPhone upgrade in three years” due to various external and internal upgrades.
What’s different about the iPhone 15?
USB-C may be a topic at the forefront of many people’s minds following the European Union’s ruling aimed at reducing e-waste, but it’s far from the only difference. It is a substantial one, however, because USB-C is capable of faster data transfer speeds and quicker charging than Apple’s bespoke Lightning connector. When you consider that recent iPad models and MacBooks already enable USB-C and Thunderbolt connectivity, it makes sense that the iPhone follows suit, regardless of legislation.
As reported by Gurman, one of the immediately visible changes the iPhone 15 introduces is a reduced screen bezel. Previously restricted to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models, the standard iPhone 15 devices will get the Dynamic Island, replacing the notch at the top of the display.
Last year’s Pro-level A16 chip is coming to both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, along with improved rear cameras. As for the 15 Pro and Pro Max phones, they’ll both benefit from a yet-unnamed 3-nanometre chip that’ll deliver faster performance. These high-level phones are also due to receive a titanium makeover, up from the previous stainless steel build of previous models.
Three successors to the Series 8 wearables are expected from Apple alongside the new phones. This includes 41mm and 45mm Series 9 watches, and a new Apple Watch Ultra. Gurman noted that the S9 processor will result in the biggest speed improvements to the Apple Watch family since the Series 6 model.
Other than that, the only other main reported tidbit was that there won’t be a new Apple Watch SE model this year, with the 2022 variant continuing into this year. Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch 6 last week, bringing incremental upgrades to the table. Its screen is bigger and brighter, matching the Apple Watch Ultra’s 2,000 nits display, while also reviving the stainless steel Classic model.
Coros, a brand known for making high-end sports performance gear, has launched its HR Monitor accessory to more accurately track your exercise.
You might think of a heart rate monitor and the clumsy chest strap comes to mind. Or the fact that many modern smartwatches have in-built trackers included. However, the Coros HR Monitor operates a bit differently. There’s no chest strap involved whatsoever. Instead, it takes the form of an armband you can adjust to fit comfortably.
According to the company responsible, it’s a “superior alternative to the traditional chest strap” due to the band’s convenience and reduced chance of tracker interference. Other companies have also opted for the armband approach in recent years, including the Polar Verity Sense.
How does the Coros HR Monitor work?
Armed (no pun intended) with a multi-channel optical sensor, the HR Monitor uses five LED lights with four photodetectors to accurately measure your heart rate. Coros claims that the arm provides more accurate data than the wrist-based technology used by the likes of the Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch devices. The company claims this is because there is more deep tissue the further up your arm, providing optical sensors with more blood flow to accurately measure your heart rate.
Another neat benefit to the armband is that the Coros HR Monitor powers on and off when you wear it and take it off. This helps maximise its 38 hours of active use, which lasts up to 80 days when left in standby mode.
Here’s what you get in the box.
Made from a soft fabric, the Coros HR Monitor lets you adjust a buckle for the best fit so that it sits snugly while you exercise. Plus, the device is platform agnostic, meaning that you can connect it to Coros devices like the Apex 2 Pro or any number of other brands’ gear using Bluetooth. This includes other watches in addition to other compatible machines that record training data. The armband also functions as a standalone device, storing data for syncing to other devices later.
Specifications
Total Weight
19g
Unit Weight
9.7g
Dimensions
42.5 x 28.4 x 9.9mm
Optical Heart Rate Hardware
5 LED lights with 4 Photodetectors
Band Circumference
7.09-12.6 inches
Wearing Position
Arm
Armband material
Polyester Fiber, Nylon, Spandex
Battery life
Recording Activities: 38 hours // Standby: 80 days
Waterproof grade
3 ATM
Temperature Ratings
Working temperature: -20° C~ 50° C (-4° F~ 122° F)
Charging temperature: 0° C~ 45° C (32° F~ 133° F)
Charging
Standard magnetic USB charging cable
Estimated charging time: 2 hours
Wireless connection
Bluetooth
Supports simultaneous connection of 3 devices
Coros HR Monitor release date and price
Out now in the US and China, Coros’ latest fitness device is due out in the rest of the world, including Australia, by mid-September 2023. Overseas, it retails for US$79. We’ll have a clearer idea of local pricing closer to its release here but expect it to be around the $130 mark.
If you’re serious about your workouts and want accurate heart rate data, but hate chest straps, the Coros HR Monitor promises to be a far more comfortable solution.
With a second touchscreen in place of a keyboard, but a trick up its sleeve, the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (not to be confused with the Lenovo Yoga 9i, sans Book) is for serious multi-taskers who hate typing on glass.
Before the days of multi-touch touchscreens and active styluses, the keyboard and track point/pad were an essential aspect of any clamshell notebook design. Now that modern notebook touchscreens are just as responsive to your fingertips and a stylus as the screens on tablets, in theory, you could tear the keyboard off a notebook and replace it with a second touchscreen that doubles as a virtual keyboard when you need to type.
In practice, the concept of a notebook with two screens and no keyboard – going back to the original dual-screen Acer Iconia 14 in 2011 – has offered a very mixed user experience. That second screen can certainly come in handy when undertaking some tasks, but typing on an unrelenting slab of glass is simply horrendous if you spend your days bashing out documents.
Asus’ Zenbook Duo range launched in 2019 with a more sensible compromise. Instead of abandoning the physical keyboard, it shrunk it down. Above the keyboard sits a half-sized secondary screen which acts as a fully functional second display.
Now Lenovo has taken the dual-screen notebook to the next level with the Yoga Book 9i. It’s blessed with two full-sized OLED touchscreens, but there’s a physical keyboard in the box for those times when only a real keyboard will do.
Lenovo Yoga Book 9i first impressions
Out of the box, the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i has a sleek and stylish design that doesn’t draw attention and would look at home in the boardroom or the classroom. It features an attractive anodised aluminium body with rounded edges and a “Tidal Teal” deep blue finish.
It feels a little thick and heavy for a modern notebook, but that’s because it’s two slabs of glass. The elegant design has “Lenovo” and “Yoga” subtly etched into the lid, in a way that works in both landscape and portrait mode – hinting at what lies within.
Open the lid and you’re presented with not one but two stunning 13.3-inch, 2880×1800 OLED displays. By default, the bottom screen acts as a fully-functioning secondary display, with the ability to drag windows between the two or even spread windows across them both, just like a standard multi-monitor setup.
Thankfully, Lenovo has put a lot of thought into the practicalities of how to switch between modes depending on what you need to get done.
Tapping eight fingers on the bottom screen calls up a full-sized virtual keyboard. If the active window was on the bottom screen, such as Microsoft Word, it automatically moves up to the top screen so you can still see it as you start typing. All of the other windows on the top and bottom screens remain exactly where they were, so as not to disturb your workspace too much.
As on-glass virtual keyboards go, it’s actually not too bad – with a good level of haptic feedback, but it can obviously never match the feel of a real keyboard at your fingertips.
Alternatively, you can tap three fingers to just call up the onscreen touchpad. In this case, the active window stays where it was. When you’re finished with the virtual keyboard or the trackpad, simply tap the X at the top right to hide it again.
Killing the virtual keyboard doesn’t return the active window back to the bottom screen, but thankfully Lenovo has added a tweak that lets you move windows between screens with a simple flick of your finger, rather than needing to drag them. So you can just flick Word from the top back to the bottom and return to whatever you were doing before you temporarily needed the keyboard.
The Yoga Book 9i’s virtual keyboard and trackpad are always on call when you need them.
Bend over backwards
Of course, a dual-screen notebook offers a lot more flexibility than just mimicking a traditional notebook. The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is more like a 2-in-1 but actually offers much more.
The Lenovo user centre – called up with the F12 key – lets you switch between a range of configurations including portrait mode where you can hold the notebook like a real book (although it’s a bit heavy) and collaboration “tent” mode which lets you fold it over backwards so you can present to someone sitting across from you. There’s also game mode, using the bottom screen as a touch controller.
This is where the impressive folio stand comes in handy, a sturdy magnetic fabric folding stand which lets you prop up the notebook is a range of different configurations. Keep in mind, there’s a visible hinge between the screens, which contains a soundbar, so when you fold it open flat it doesn’t make a single seamless screen like a fold or flip phone.
Reach for the keyboard
So far so good but, if you regularly type more than a few sentences at a time, you’re probably reluctant to part with a physical keyboard. Never fear, Lenovo includes one in the box.
The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i’s supplied Bluetooth keyboard is custom designed to fit perfectly onto the bottom screen, with magnets holding it in place. It features a power/pairing slider switch on the side, along with a USB-C port which lets you charge it with the notebook’s charger.
You now have a full-sized notebook keyboard at your fingertips. The key travel is a little soft compared to the best notebook keyboards, but it’s a hell of a lot better than bashing away at a slab of glass. So this sort of makes the Yoga Book 9i a convertible notebook, if not in the traditional sense.
The Bluetooth keyboard drops perfectly onto the bottom screen when there’s typing to be done.
The notebook is smart enough to detect when the keyboard is attached, automatically flinging the active window to the top screen, just like when you call up the virtual keyboard.
If you place the physical keyboard on the lower half of the bottom screen, you get a row of configurable widgets at the top – displaying your Outlook calendar details and news feed by default. Slide the physical keyboard up to the top half of the bottom screen and a virtual trackpad automatically appears below.
Alternatively, you can sit the keyboard on the desk in front of the notebook and continue to use it as a dual-screen device – with the folding stand propping up the screens in whatever way suits you best. To round things out, Lenovo even includes an active stylus. It looks like a USB mouse is also included in some countries, but unfortunately not in Australia.
Admittedly, needing to carry around that separate Bluetooth keyboard is a hassle and it can’t live between the screens when you close the lid. Thankfully, the Swiss army knife folding stand can also act as a protective cover for the Bluetooth keyboard when not in use, complete with a loop for storing the stylus.
Of course, you pay the price in weight, with the keyboard, stand and stylus combined adding another 458 gm to your shoulder.
The super-flexible folding stand lets you transform the Yoga Book 9i to meet your needs.
Dual screens aside, the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i has plenty to offer – as you’d expect considering the hefty price tag
It packs a 13th gen Intel Core i7 power plant, accompanied by 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of solid-state storage. That should handle whatever you throw at it, yet, when it comes to graphics grunt, you need to make do with integrated graphics and there’s no option to upgrade to a discrete graphics card. If you want a decent gaming machine, something like the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is what you’re looking for.
When it comes to ports, there’s only one Thunderbolt 4 USB-C on the left and two on the right in order to preserve that elegant design. There’s no sign of USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet or a headphone jack, so be prepared to throw a dongle or two in your travel bag.
You’ll also find a recessed power button on the right, accompanied by a tiny switch for disabling the front camera. It’s a 5 MP camera with IR support, so it works with Windows Hello face unlock. Unfortunately, Lenovo couldn’t also add a fingerprint reader to the power button.
Those twin OLED screens offer impressive picture quality, including HDR, and are accompanied by full-bodied sound thanks to four Bowers & Wilkins speakers with Dolby Atmos.
When it comes to battery life, Lenovo promises up to 10.5 hours, but that’s a bit optimistic. Expect closer to eight hours but, of course, it depends a lot on how much you use that second screen. Turn it off and you should sail past the 10-hour mark.
Who is the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i for?
The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is a stunning device and, if you spend more time touching your notebook’s screen than typing on its keyboard, it might be the productivity king you’ve been waiting for. Two gorgeous OLED panels and the origami-style folding stand make for the most flexible of 2-in-1 designs.
Lenovo has clearly put a lot of thought into making the dual-screen concept as practical as possible. By including a physical keyboard in the box, it flat-out acknowledges that typing on glass doesn’t suit everyone and is not a great experience. While the Bluetooth keyboard probably drives up the price, it in turn delivers a notebook that offers the best of both worlds.
That said, considering the price tag, you’d need to have a use case where the dual-screen configuration offers a significant benefit to your workflow. You could pick up a decent notebook and a decent tablet for less, but the Yoga Book 9i could be your 2-in-1 to rule them all.
Lenovo Yoga Book 9i
Blessed with dual OLED screens and an active stylus, plus a decent keyboard when it's time to type, the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i will bend over backwards to meet your productivity needs.
Features
9
Value for money
8
Performance
8.5
Ease of use
9
Design
9
Positives
Impressive OLED displays
Bluetooth keyboard and active stylus included
Folding stand and impressive dual-screen configuration tools
Negatives
Expensive
A bit bulky
Bluetooth keyboard not as good as the best notebook keyboards
People often talk about what the “best” TV screen technology is, but the truth is that there is no one “best” technology, but simply a matter of finding the best type of screen for your room and purpose. For gamers and AV nerds who have bright living rooms, I have never seen a TV better than the Samsung 8K QN900C Neo QLED TV.
Every part of it looks better than everything that’s gone before it. Well, every part of it except the price tag which is, while reasonable for this much technology, out of reach for most people. This TV is full of the best that Samsung has to offer, and a great promise for what the future has in store for the rest of the TV lineup.
First impressions
Setting up this 85” beast was very easy for me, because someone came and wall-mounted it. But the stand does work in a similar way to last year’s model, which I have put up and down a few times. So, if you’re not wall mounting it, it is very easy to put together, thanks to the clever construction of the box that Samsung has used for the last few years. It just requires some confidence, some patience, and a screwdriver.
When wall mounted, the QN900C sits fully flush against the wall with no gaps, looking clean and neat. This is because, instead of having all the inputs going into the back of the screen, there is just one clear cable coming out of the TV and going into the separate One Connect box that you can put in a cabinet. It’s glorious, looks clean, and means it’s easier to add or change out what you have plugged into HDMI ports as the mood strikes you.
The only thing that I don’t love from a first impression standpoint is the new home menu that was introduced with last year’s models that you have to navigate any time you want to change between inputs. It makes whatever you’re watching small and brings up a big menu of all the options, which is kinda good, but also means you have to look at a bunch of ads. Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think a $10,000 TV should have unavoidable ads as part of its operating system. I also don’t like that navigating to anything through this menu system seems to take a few more clicks than is required on other TVs I’ve reviewed.
However, once watching something, all the minor annoyances of the operating system are almost forgotten.
Samsung QN900C specifications
Panel type
LCD (Neo QLED)
Refresh rate
144Hz
Resolution
8K (7680 x 4320)
HDR format
HDR10+
HDMI inputs
4x HDMI 2.1
Gaming features
FreeSync Premium Pro, Ultrawide Game View, Game bar, Xbox Game Pass App
Samsung has had three years to really refine the premium 8K QN900 range, and it really shows. At this price point, with this calibre of TV, you’d expect it to be good. But I’m always pleasantly surprised by just how good TVs can get each year.
Picture
This year’s Samsung QN900C is noticeably brighter than last year’s QN900B, which is great not just for HDR, but for watching in bright rooms. I live in what is essentially a glasshouse, one of those apartments where every external wall is made of glass. It sounds really good in theory but varies wildly in temperature, and is very bright. While the TV is still not quite bright enough to comfortably play really dark games at lunchtime with all the curtains open (though, a TV that bright would possibly be like staring directly into the sun, so perhaps it is for the best), I can happily watch pretty much any movie or TV show on even the brightest day and still see what’s going on.
Although there isn’t a lot of 8K content available yet (and what’s out there is mostly restricted to YouTube), the reason to get an 8K TV is the upscaling that the more powerful processor allows for, which then means you can get a bigger TV and sit closer to it – the dream our parents warned us about. SD free-to-air TV channels still look, well, terrible up close, because this is an excellent television, but not a wizard. But HD channels, content on the basic Netflix tiers and even my favourite ye olde web series made with 50 cents years ago (Carmilla) look the best I’ve ever seen them. For a minute, I thought that maybe I’d accidentally upgraded to the premium Netflix tier and that I was watching 4K shows, the upscaling is that good. I credit my uncanny ability to always find the cake in Is It Cake? on Netflix to the upscaling.
On 4K content, like Daisy Jones and the Six, Hijack and Silo, I am blown away. The blacks are deep (though not quite as deep as OLED, due to the brightness), and the colours are so rich and vibrant (far more so than OLED). There is very, very minimal noticeable light bloom between the moon and a black night sky, thanks to the almost 2,000 dimming zones on the TV. With an 8K 85” QN900C and a good Atmos sound system, it’s like being at the cinema, only the snacks are more plentiful, and you can pause to go to the bathroom whenever.
Frankly, the picture looks exactly as you would expect from a TV of this calibre.
Remote
The Samsung remote is extremely polarising in its minimalism. As someone who still watches a lot of free-to-air TV, I really hate its lack of number buttons, because it means that changing the channel is a whole thing. But I also love how simple it is. It’s small, but not too small, and it’s obvious what everything does. Almost every button (except the Samsung TV Plus button) earns its place. Though, I do wish the four streaming service buttons down the bottom could be remapped to other inputs or other services, given the limited real estate.
My test of whether a remote is easy to use is whether or not I would dread explaining it to my parents. We got my dad a Samsung TV earlier this year, I was really nervous about explaining it to him. He’s not great with gadgets and his old TV was a very simple Panasonic plasma. But, somehow, this remote was far easier for him to understand than any other remote I’d tried to show him. He took to it instantly. He’s still asking about how basic features on his iPhone work (despite him having had one since the 3GS), and yet he’s telling me about Samsung TV Plus channels I hadn’t even realised existed. He’s taught my mum how to use the remote, though she is a little more hesitant.
Relying on a solar cell instead of batteries is a great move, too. Overall, I really like the remote a lot, even though there are still minor changes I would like to make to it.
Gaming
Samsung introduced a gaming mode to its premium TV range a few years ago, and every time I review a new screen I’m impressed by how it’s been improved. It’s set up so that any casual gamer can just start playing and have a good experience, but players with more demanding preferences can adjust it to their needs. Being able to add crosshairs to the screen is something that players of some games will really appreciate and it’ll be a good accessibility move for some people, whereas other players will likely keep it off forever.
Bringing up the menu to double-check the refresh rate, or adjust the settings, is really easy. I appreciate being able to fiddle with it mid-game as needed to adjust for bright days, dark nights, and all the different games I need to play for work and fun.
The 144Hz refresh rate means that it’s ready for PC gaming, or just Xbox Series X and PS5 at 120fps, and the buttery smoothness is really fantastic.
Sound and other features
One cool feature of the higher-end Samsung TVs is called ‘Q-Symphony’, which utilises the speakers in the TV, along with compatible Samsung soundbars, like the HW-Q990C, to even greater effect. It’s a nice way of using everything that you paid for, and it sounds surprisingly good. Like, much better than it has any right to. It adds extra channels and means that the TV and the soundbar combined are more than the sum of their parts.
Without a soundbar connected, the QN900C does not sound great. It sounds good for a thin-screen TV that is a TV first with speakers added as a nice to have, but, like all TVs, you really need a soundbar with it to get the whole experience. It’s just physically impossible for a TV this thin to give a full sound stage.
Another cool thing about the TV is that you can plug a webcam into it for big-screen Zoom calls, catching up with family, or looking at your technique on workout videos. I got to see this a bit at the launch (I don’t have the Samsung webcam with my review TV), and it was kinda neat. I can see people in long-distance relationships, or with family overseas (or next lockdown) really benefitting from being able to have their loved ones on the big screen.
Who is the Samsung 8K QN900C for?
This is a TV for AV snobs with a high budget and a bright room. It’s brilliant for gamers, movie buffs, sports fans and people who just want a preposterously large TV with the best quality possible. The price puts it out of reach for a lot of people but, cost aside, there is really no TV enthusiast who wouldn’t love the QN900C.
The whole premium Samsung range is a sight to behold, and something that you just can’t go back from.
True wireless headphones are inescapable these days. Far more models in this form factor cross the GadgetGuy reviews desk more than any other style. It used to be that true wireless was the more affordable alternative to over-ear cans, but the price tag has been creeping up more and more. At $499.95, the Sony WF-1000XM5 headphones are only $50 cheaper than the over-ear version, and $100 more expensive than AirPods Pro (Gen 2).
But, Sony is known for making some of the best noise-cancelling headphones around, and there is a lot to love here to justify the price. There are just also a couple of serious drawbacks that make them less of a slam dunk purchase.
First impressions
The first thing I noticed when I opened up the minimalist packaging was the squishiness of the ear tips. I always think it’s weird how many manufacturers of true wireless headphones go for silicone tips over something like Comply Foam, which can fit more ears. These tips strike a balance between silicone and Comply Foam. They’re more on the silicone side of the fence, but they’re more pliable than usual and keep their shape a bit better, which I find makes them fit my ears with a hardier seal while being more comfortable than traditional silicone tips.
There are four sizes of tips in the box: L, M, S, and SS. The SS size is a bit bigger than the XS I’ve seen with other brands, but given that these buds really aren’t designed for smaller ears, that makes sense.
Setting up the headphones in the app is a breeze, allows for more customisation of controls and means you can keep track of listening habits and volume to look after your hearing health.
Headphones, particularly in-ear ones, are extremely personal devices. There are so many elements, and each one will be a different priority level for everyone else, and that’s even before we get to the unique ear canal shapes and frequency losses each person has. My experience with the Sony WF-1000XM5 true wireless buds was excellent, except for the fact that the buds just aren’t designed for my ears.
Fit and comfort
This was my one problem area with the XM5s. Unfortunately, it’s also the one area that decides success or failure in a product whose only attachment to you is how hard it can cling onto your ear canal. The Sony WF-1000XM5 has my least favourite body shape type of any true wireless bud. It protrudes out a long way, there aren’t any counterbalances, there’s no ear hook, and it’s not trying to conform to any part of your ear except for the ear canal.
Those with textbook ears, the mythical person for whom every pair of buds are designed, will probably be fine. Everyone else, however, is facing a tough ask in terms of fit.
I normally wear a medium ear tip in my right ear, and then a medium or small in my left. On these buds, doing the ear tip test in the app told me that I am an “L” in my right ear and a “???” in my left, because no tip passed the test and the app kept saying I was wearing it wrong, and should twist it back into my left ear. I am wearing it as correctly as is humanly possible. I’m concerned that if I try to twist it into my left ear with any more enthusiasm, I may twist off the ear itself.
To be fair, my left ear is always a problem when it comes to in-ear headphones, which is why I favour Comply Foam tips, and earbuds with counterbalances or other ways to stay in. But this form factor is particularly unforgiving to all by the most perfect ears, and I wish I could ask the designers why they chose it.
This means that I constantly have to readjust them, so the first step is to turn off the touch controls so I’m not always turning noise cancelling on and off.
Sound quality
Even without achieving a perfect seal, I am blown away by how good the sound quality is. Music sounds so full, so uncompromised. I have not yet found a genre that doesn’t sound good on the XM5s.
They are a little bass heavy, as is the way of headphones in Australia, so my test songs like “Full Heart Fancy” by Lucky Chops sound a little too grounded. But more classical songs like “Georgiana” by Dario Marianelli still soar.
The entire new Evergreen album by Pvris seems to be what these headphones were designed for. It’s crunchy rock with strong electronic elements, and that grounding that’s excessive on the Lucky Chops song really emphasises the emotion in the track “I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore”. It just flows so nicely, with the sticking pattern on the snare still standing out, not getting consumed by the heavy bass, with the sound of the ride cymbal fading into the background somewhat while still adding needed brightness.
“Goddess” by Pvris is a song I’ve been listening to on a lot of headphones, because I’ve found that it can sound a bit muddy on certain competitor cans (and also I just really like it). But it sounds so clear that I’m noticing little details that I’d missed on my dozens of other listens.
Overall, Sony has done it again. The WF-1000XM5 sounds bloody amazing.
Controls, batteries, noise cancellation and other important things
The battery is something I’m really happy with on the XM5. Eight hours of noise cancellation and music per full charge with two extra charges in the case is very good, given the physical size. The fast charge ability, where three minutes of charging equals an hour of listening, is also fantastic for flights or long work days, just really pushing it that little bit further.
Sony noise cancelling continues to be the best in the business. As I write this, I’m unable to hear my normally very clicky keyboard over the music. Without the headphones on, I can hear my family loudly watching TV in the other room and the sound of my keyboard, alongside the general sirens and sounds of the city. With the headphones on, I can’t hear anything but the music, which is impressive. That said, Sony’s competitors have really caught up on noise cancelling, and the gap between Sony and other brands is much, much smaller than it used to be.
Also, Sony’s transparency mode can’t hold a candle to the (cheaper) Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation). On the AirPods, it sounds like I’m not wearing headphones. On the XM5 it sounds like the world is being amplified by microphones.
Predictably, I hate the controls. Touch controls don’t belong on tiny true wireless headphones, because they need to be adjusted too frequently, leading to accidental touches, especially in this form factor. I’m pleased the touch controls can be turned off in the app, but here some physical buttons would really go a long way.
On the bright side, I really like the case. It’s much smaller than the one on the previous model, while still doing more. It’s easy to fit in a pocket and go. I’m impressed.
Who is the Sony WF-1000XM5 for?
This is a difficult question. If given the choice between buying the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) or the Sony WF-1000XM5, I think I would go for the AirPods. It’s a saving of $100, a better fit, and a better transparency mode. The Sony XM5 is extremely good, and sounds amazing, but the fit and comfort issues really give me pause.
Compact and comfortable design, available in 2 classic colours
NEW HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN2e – blocks more noise, in more situations
NEW Integrated Processor V2, for reliable connectivity and high quality sound
That said, for Android users for whom AirPods aren’t really a great option, and who have standard ears and don’t want to move around too much while wearing them, then I definitely recommend the XM5. They just sound so, so good, and the battery and noise cancelling blow me away. These are fantastic headphones that, were they $100 cheaper, would be easy to recommend.
As it stands, though, if it’s possible to try before you buy, I would strongly suggest doing that, because fit is a roll of the dice.
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