Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (PHN16-72) review: big and powerful

7.9

Laptops are an inherently personal device – I mean, it’s right there in the acronym ‘PC’ after all. Gaming laptops perhaps embody that philosophy more so than any other type of computer. Testing out the latest Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (an absolute mouthful of a name) had me getting all philosophical about these portable machines. It’s an extremely powerful laptop that does a lot of things well, provided you don’t mind making some sacrifices along the way.

Straight out of the gate, I’ll say this: there’s no one ultimate combination of specs, features, and design elements that guarantees a great computer. Everyone’s needs vary greatly, so what might be perfect for one person could be utterly worthless to another. Some folks prefer versatility and portability, while there are those who’d much rather have a huge screen and the absolute best performance possible.

Design decisions are amplified tenfold in devices designed for gaming. Take handheld gaming PCs, for example. The Asus ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go favour portability over raw power, meaning they can’t run some games. Meanwhile, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is all power, all the time. It’s a big, hulking beast of a laptop, which is great for playing the latest and greatest, but not for all-around convenience.

In terms of sheer gaming output, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 excels. It cranks out frames galore on some of the most demanding PC games, like Returnal and CyberPunk 2077. This power comes at the cost of battery life, however, which is not a unique complaint regarding gaming laptops.

Again, your needs will determine how much this ultimately matters. Acer capably serves the hardcore gaming audience, as long as you don’t venture too far from a power outlet.

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 review

• First impressions
• Specifications
• Performance
• Benchmarks
• Who is it for?

First impressions

Although I’m not one for large laptops – I’m more of a 14-inch guy myself – Acer has used the laptop’s sizable footprint efficiently. Though at nearly three kilograms, plus a weighty power brick, it’s not the easiest thing to lug around. An upside to that is by sacrificing portability, the laptop wields a fair amount of utility.

There’s an impressively wide range of ports, and I like the centrally located charging port on the back. Too often, laptops force you to pick a spot where you can reach either the left or right side of the device, which may not work with your existing desk setup. Placing it smack-bang in the middle is a solid compromise.

Image: Chris Button.

Image: Chris Button.

Image: Chris Button.

Image: Chris Button.

Image: Chris Button.

Image: Chris Button.

Also taking advantage of the laptop’s size is the full-sized keyboard, including a numerical keypad. I’ve used TKL keyboards for years, so I can’t remember the last time I regularly used a numpad, but having the option is nice. Despite the real estate on offer, the trackpad is surprisingly small and wasn’t overly comfortable to use. But let’s face it: if you’re frequently playing games, you’re using an external mouse instead of a laptop’s trackpad.

As far as gaming-themed devices go, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 adopts an understated aesthetic. Other than RGB keyboard lighting, the only main flourish is a rear spoiler-like section that adds a bit of industrial flair and airflow assistance.

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 specifications

CPU	Intel Core i7-14700HX
Display	16-inch LED WQXGA (2560 x 1600) resolution 240Hz refresh rate
Operating system	Windows 11
Graphics	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 8GB
Memory	32GB DDR5 memory
Storage	1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD
Connectivity	One USB-C port Three USB-A ports One HDMI 2.1 port 3.5mm audio jack MicroSD card slot Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.2 Ethernet
Camera	720p resolution at 30fps
Battery	90Wh Li-ion battery
Dimensions	357.78mm (W) x 278.63mm (D) x 27.85mm (H)
Weight	2.80kg
Price (RRP)	$3,999
Warranty	One year
Official website	Acer Australia

Performance

With a name like Predator Helios Neo 16, you know there’s one thing and one thing only this laptop’s built for – gaming. On that front, Acer has knocked it out of the park. Powered by Nvidia’s RTX 4070 laptop GPU, every game tested ran without trouble. Whether on Ultra or High graphical settings, you won’t have any trouble getting smooth gameplay.

Notoriously resource-heavy games like Returnal and The Last of Us Part I ran strongly, as did the mammoth Cyberpunk 2077. Even without additional frame generation technology like DLSS, each game comfortably played at the laptop’s native 2560 x 1600 resolution when supported.

Game	Average frames per second (FPS)
Forza Horizon 5 benchmark (Extreme, 2560 x 1600)	88
Baldur’s Gate 3 (Ultra, 2560 x 1600)	119.4
The Last of Us Part I (High, 2560 x 1600)	72
Returnal benchmark (High, 1920 x 1200)	114
Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark (Ultra, 2560 x 1600)	53.97
Solium Infernum (Ultra, 2560 x 1600)	94.8

You’ll notice that Cyberpunk 2077 didn’t quite hit 60fps via the in-game benchmark, but a couple of tweaks would easily bump it up. If you turned down the graphical preset or the display resolution, and enabled DLSS or FSR frame generation, you’d be in business.

Although nothing I tested pushed up to the display’s 240Hz refresh rate, it’s only specific games that would take full advantage. Competitive titles like League of Legends and Counter-Strike 2 tend to be easier to run, and pro players usually turn down the graphical quality to prioritise frame rate above all else.

It’s quick and easy to cycle through power settings via the dedicated button above the function keys. Image: Chris Button.

Without using the fanciest OLED or Mini LED technology, the display still looks pretty swish. Colours look deep and vibrant, covering 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut, helping games look their best. The display is also great at rejecting reflections and nearby light sources. Its matte finish helps stave off annoying glare, which my house is filled with during daylight hours.

Make some noise

From a purely gaming perspective, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 clears the bar by a significant margin. What I do recommend, however, is that you use a decent pair of headphones. Its fan makes a lot of noise when under load. No matter your choice of Balanced, Performance or Turbo power settings, it’s a noisy laptop. To the laptop’s credit, the fans do a great job of keeping the temperature down to comfortable levels.

As is common among gaming laptops, battery life is the main shortcoming. Even on Standard performance mode and just browsing online, I got nowhere near a full day of use without needing to plug in.

When gaming and drawing more power, you expect to drain the battery quickly, although it was frustrating to not get much life out of general productivity tasks. However, I go back to my earlier point that this is a specific laptop made for a specific purpose.

Make sure you’ve got plenty of room because the laptop and its power brick are large lads. Image: Chris Button.

I travel a bit for work, and this is a laptop I wouldn’t use on a plane, for example. Beyond its short battery life, it’s too big to use in a confined space anyway. However, I’d happily use the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 after checking into a hotel room, where I’ve got space and power aplenty. Its portability extends to taking it from one location to another, and that’s okay.

Another element to consider is its keyboard. Now, keyboards are another highly subjective topic. I prefer a mechanical keyboard with tactile switches. Using this laptop’s keys felt too soft for my liking, and I wasn’t used to the keycaps’ shape. I did like the generous array of specific function keys, though. For example, changing the power settings was as simple as tapping a dedicated key until you cycled through to your preferred option.

Benchmarks

CPU

To give a bit more of an idea of how powerful Acer’s laptop truly is, these synthetic benchmark results firmly place it near the top of our tested devices. Starting with CPU performance, the Predator Helios Neo 16 may not feature one of the much-hyped Intel Core Ultra chips, but the i7-14700HX is no slouch.

Device	CPU (Single-core)	CPU (Multi-core)
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16	2,903	17,385
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen 8)	2,870	17,089
MacBook Pro M2 Max	2,701	14,916
Macbook Air M3	3,075	12,015
Asus ROG Ally	2,543	12,181
Lenovo Legion Go	2,346	9,619
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2	1,567	8,761

Geekbench 6 CPU test

Device	CPU (Single-core)	CPU (Multi-core)
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16	1,395	123
MacBook Pro M2 Max	122	1,031
Asus Zenbook Duo (UX8406)	105	763
Macbook Air M3	141	550

Cinebench 24 CPU test

GPU

In a head-to-head contest, last year’s Lenovo Legion Pro 7i appears to squeeze more performance out of its RTX 4070 graphics card. Bear in mind that synthetic benchmarks can vary between tests, and that the real-world performance of both Lenovo and Acer’s laptops is through the roof.

Device	OpenCL
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen 8)	158,787
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16	119,970
Asus Zenbook Pro 16X OLED	82,480
MacBook Pro M2 Max	72,833
Macbook Air M3	30,479

Geekbench 6 GPU test

Device	Score
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen 8)	13,796
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16	12,881
Asus TUF A16	9,196
Asus Zenbook Duo (UX8406)	3,235
Asus ROG Ally (30W)	3,198

3DMark Time Spy test

Aside from being one of the beefiest computers tested on GadgetGuy, I noticed something interesting as part of this laptop’s marketing on Acer’s website. Mentions of AI features litter the product page, joining in the current hype cycle.

The fact the Predator laptop doesn’t have a dedicated neural processor for AI workloads isn’t a big deal. Most of the current AI-based features rely on cloud technology instead of local hardware anyway.

My point is that it looks like someone’s been playing with Microsoft’s Copilot generative AI technology if the below marketing image is anything to go by.

Image: Acer.

Image: Acer.

Image: Acer.

Now, look closely at a few things here. Firstly, where is that headphone cable going? I’m also not sure the right hand should be clipping through the mouse either. Also, does the thumb on the left hand look a bit… phallic to you?

None of this is an indictment on the laptop, but it’s not a great look.

Who is the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 for?

A laptop built for raw gaming power above all else, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 helps games run and look their best.

It makes a lot of noise and has a short battery life, which are reasonable trade-offs for those wanting a high-powered gaming laptop.

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16

Made for high-octane gaming, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 powers through the latest games at the cost of battery life.

Features

8

Value for money

7.5

Performance

8.5

Ease of use

8

Design

7.5

Positives

Powerful

Vibrant anti-glare screen

Plenty of ports

Negatives

Short battery life

Noisy fan

7.9

The post Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (PHN16-72) review: big and powerful appeared first on GadgetGuy.

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DJI Mic 2 review: a marvellous wireless microphone for creators

8.7

DJI’s Mic 2s represent another step forward in audio and voice recording. As modern microphones become smarter and easier to use, even staunch professionals are taking notice. The DJI Mic 2 kit reviewed here is a portable wireless recording system aimed at content creators, vloggers, indie film makers and corporate video producers who want to up their sound game, either in-studio or on the road.

I’ve spent a month with the DJI Mic 2 kit, which includes two transmitters (TX), a receiver (RX), charging case, along with a few other accessories. I generally use professional broadcast audio equipment for our in-house video production work, which includes studio and on-site interviews and pieces to camera. For this we use four Sennheiser Evolution Wireless G4 (EW 512P G4-AS) transmitters and receivers, along with Sennheiser lavalier mics, and we recently purchased the popular Rode Wireless Pro mic system, which is arguably the DJI Mic 2’s closest competitor. So how does DJI’s latest offering stack up?

DJI Mic 2 Specifications

Prices	DJI Mic 2 (2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case): $529 DJI Mic 2 (1 TX + 1 RX): $379 DJI Mic 2 Transmitter: $169 DJI Mic 2 Charging Case: $119 DJI Lavalier Mic: $69
Store	DJI Website
Warranty	12 months
Dimensions	Transmitter: 46.06 × 30.96 × 21.83 mm (L×W×H) Receiver: 54.20 × 28.36 × 22.49 mm (L×W×H) Charging case: 116 × 41.5 × 59.72 mm (L×W×H)
Weight	Transmitter: 28 g Receiver: 28 g Charging case: 200 g
Wireless Mode	GFSK 1 Mbps and 2 Mbps
Max Transmission Distance	250 m (FCC) 160 m (CE)
Transmitter Frequency Response	Low Cut Off: 50 Hz – 20 kHz Low Cut On: 100 Hz – 20 kHz
Transmitter Max Sound Pressure Level (SPL)	120 dB SPL / Equivalent noise: 21 dBA
Battery Capacity (Li-ion)	Transmitter: 360 mAh Receiver: 360 mAh Charging Case: 3250 mAh
Battery Charge Time	Transmitter: 70 minutes Receiver: 70 minutes Charging case: 2 hours and 40 mins
Max Operating Time	Transmitter: 6 hours Receiver: 6 hours
Charging Cycles for TX and RX	Approx. two cycles when charging two TXs and one RX at the same time
More details	Official specifications on DJI website

Standout features

The DJI Mic 2 kit includes two transmitters, a receiver, a couple of wind screens (a.k.a “deadcats”), connectors for your iPhone and Android phone, USB-C cables, TRS 3.5mm cable, 2 x magnets, the charging case and a soft carry case.

Everything you need comes in the DJI Mic 2’s handy Charging Case including two TX units, RX, magnets and smartphone connectors

You can use the omnidirectional mics built into the two transmitters to capture audio, or run external lavaliers mics (sold separately) into each transmitter. The transmitters will then send the audio signal to the receiver, which connects to your camera, phone or PC or external recorder.

However, a big plus is that you can also save audio on the transmitter’s internal memory at the same time, meaning you have a ‘backup’ version in case there are transmission issues, and the local version can be higher quality than the one sent through the wireless connection, but more on this later.

This also means that you can use each transmitter as a standalone mic, and record audio directly to the internal memory without even being connected to the receiver at all. This can come in handy if you need to grab high quality audio from an impromptu interview and don’t have time for a proper setup.

Each mic can record two stereo channels, and a third channel is possible using a headset mic connected directly to the DJI’s receiver. Most people will just use one or both TX units depending on how many people are being recorded, and you can decide if you want the audio from both transmitters to be mixed together, or separated into left and right channels when sent out from the receiver.

In addition to mono and separated modes, another excellent feature is the ability to save a safety track that’s -6dB less than your recording level to avoid clipping when sounds get unexpectedly loud like at a music concert or air show.

Intelligent audio

For challenging environments, unique to the DJI Mic 2 kit is its Intelligent Noise Cancellation. This can be switched on or off and will attempt to remove ambient sounds like a set of noise cancelling headphones. This could be for grabbing audio on a busy city street, in a plane or with loud AC running in the background. While you can reduce noise in editing software, this can save time so you don’t have to do it later.

What I really love, however, is the DJI Mic 2’s ability to save 32-bit Float audio files directly to the transmitter’s internal memory. 32-bit Float is essentially a very high-fidelity recording format with high dynamic range to handle both very loud and quiet sounds. Unlike 24-bit audio, which can clip or distort when it reaches the edges of its fidelity, 32-bit Float contains much more audio information to help convert bad audio into good.

Charging and charge case

When you’re all finished with your interviews, vlogs or monologues, the transmitters, receiver and attachments all pack up into the metal charging case, which will recharge each unit for the next time you need it.

There’s also a new and improved latch to keep the case from opening by accident, and you can check the charge level with a series of white LEDs on the outside of the case. Overall, it’s well built, as with the receiver and transmitter units, and should stand up to some punishment.

DJI Mic 2’s sturdy metal Charging Case beside Rode’s Wireless Pro’s cloth covered one

On their own, the TX and RX units will last about 6 hours, and the case will give you about 18 hours of operation. DJI says that it will take about 70 minutes to charge the transmitters and receivers to from empty to full, and if the case is empty, all 3 can be charged with a single USB-C cable that connects into the back of the case.

While 6 continuous hours of change is a fair amount of time, if you have a long shoot day, needing to wait for 70 minutes to recharge the mics and receiver isn’t ideal, so this will need to be planned for.

The charging case will take 2 hours and 40 minutes for a full charge, and it will be able to provide two full charge cycles for all devices.

Receiver (RX)

In terms of day-to-day use, you can manage most of the audio settings via the receiver’s touchscreen display and control dial. The 1.1 inch OLED screen is fairly bright and visible in direct sun. The screen displays real-time audio levels, battery charges, gain settings, signal strength and recoding mode for each transmitter. use the control wheel to adjust the levels and swipe up to access more settings. There’s another view too with a panel of icons for directly accessing the transmitter’s noise cancellation, mute and onboard recording modes.

Rode’s RX on the left and DJI’s RX on the right, each with quite different case and screen shapes

Overall, the interface can be a little fiddly and it does take a bit of time to figure out when to swipe, tap or use the wheel. However with a little practice, the interface works well and gives you the ‘at-a-glance’ info you need. The RX attaches to cameras via a hot/cold shoe mount, and its low-profile shape leaves room for handle rigs, cages or a gimbal.

Transmitters (TX)

The transmitters come it two colours: Shadow Black and Pearl White. The Shadow Black’s transparent case is looks pretty cool in my opinion, however, some might prefer the neutral white to blend in with shirts and other lighter clothing colours.

The Mic 2 transmitters with furry hats (deadbeats) for wind reduction, in cool see-through Shadow Black and Pear White

You can attach transmitters near your mouth using the clip, and there’s a magnet for each that you can place on the inside of a garment and the mic will firmly stay in place. The DJI’s TX have a more compact shape that the relatively square Rode transmitters, so they don’t stand out as much when not concealed.

Each transmitter has a pair of LEDs to indicate charge, connection and noise cancelling status, plus dedicated buttons to start on-board recording, enable noise cancellation and link to a device. Otherwise, there are no display screens but if you want to adjust a transmitter’s input gain, for example, you can still do this via the Receiver’s display.

Some might also find the transmitter’s built-in haptics handy, which produces a tangible vibration when recording starts or noise cancellation is enabled without looking at the LEDs.

The transmitters can also be connect to other devices using Bluetooth, so you can link it with a DJI Osmo Pocket or Osmo Action 4, a smartphone or even a PC. Compared to the Rode Wireless Pro, which locks its transmitters to the receiver, this excellent feature means you can use the mics however you want.

The DJI TX on left and Rode TX on right. The DJI’s more compact oblong shape is a little less conspicuous

Each transmitter has a USB-C port to charge the battery and transfer audio files to a PC. The 3.5mm audio jack, however, does not have a screw-lock on it, where the Rode Wireless Pro does. This secures a lavalier mic to the jack to avoid it disconnecting accidentally during a recording, and a good safety feature for pros. 

Audio tests

How we tested

The DJI Mic 2 transmitters have built-in omnidirectional microphones with a frequency response between 50Hz and 20kHz, or 100Hz and 20kHz with the low-cut filter enabled. They have a max sound pressure of 120 dB SPL, with an equivalent noise of 21 dBA. The Rode units, on the other hand, have a broader frequency response of 20 Hz – 20 kHz, with a higher 123.5 dB SPL and 22 dBA equivalent noise.

To test the audio, I recorded voices in different environments using the DJI Mic 2s, and compared these to the Rode Wireless Pro, along with the Sennheiser G4 as a reference. I also enabled and disabled the noise reduction to evaluate the differences and listened for any distortion or artefacts.

Recordings were saved to the transmitter’s onboard memory as well as being sent to my reference camera, a Canon EOS C70, via the receiver. The only point of difference here was that the Sennheiser G4 was connected to the camera via mini-XLR cable instead of a 3.5mm TRS cable.

We tested audio sent via the receiver to a camera as well as direct recordings to the transmitter’s onboard memory

Audio tracks were laid side-by-side in Adobe Audition and listened to with the same reference headphones. I also evaluated the waveforms and spectral frequency display to look for variations.

The Mic 2s have a 250 meter maximum transmission distance, however, this is in an unobstructed, interference free environment, so your mileage will definitely vary. The Rode’s distance was 10 meters more at 260, while the Sennheiser was just 100m and probably a much more realistic figure. With all indoor tests, the receivers were across a room about 8 meters long.

Lastly, I used a broadcast-quality Sennheiser ME 2-II omnidirectional condenser lavalier microphone connected to each transmitter to see if there was any noticeable distortion and the difference in sound quality.

General audio

Overall the DJI audio quality was impressive, with plenty of detail and clarity, especially when using the 32-bit FLOAT onboard memory recordings. However, the tonality of my voice was noticeably different between the DJI and the Rode Wireless Pro, specifically, my voice had a richer and fuller-bass sound. 

This was confirmed by the spectral frequency display showing more low frequency signals on the Rode recording versus the DJI for the same voice recording. It’s not that the DJI sounds inferior, just different, and which you prefer depends on personal tastes.

When connected to the same lavalier mic, which negates the internal mic, the direct-to-memory recordings from both the DJI and Rode were near-imperceptible, showing that there’s no perceptible audio noise introduced or degradation from the TX units.

Intelligent Noise Cancellation

Intelligent Noise Cancellation is a unique feature of the DJI. I wanted to see how precise it was so I tested it in a quiet studio with the air conditioning on and off. The AC fans weren’t actually that loud to begin with, however, I did notice the hum nearly disappear with noise cancellation enabled. I could also hear a slight distortion in my voice, with it sounding a little more post-processed than with the noise reduction turned off. It’s not dramatic or will lessen the quality of a production, but it is there if you listen closely.

Intelligent Noise Cancellation is optimised for separating voices from ambient city and environmental noise

I also tried the noise reduction in a busy Parkside cafe. Background sound included other people’s voices, the hiss of the cappuccino machine, the clanging of dishes, footsteps, chair noises, birds and dogs. Here, the cancellation was much more noticeable, with a direct reduction in ambient sounds, although other people’s voices received the least reduction. In general, the system did a good job of isolating my conversation with a friend from the other noises, and only with a slight muffling effect overall. What I would like to see is the ability to dial the noise cancellation level up or down, so perhaps this could come in a future firmware update.

Where the cancellation really comes into its own is in windy environments, where low frequency signals are easily cancelled-out leaving mid and higher frequencies, such as voice, clearer. There’s also a pair of wind filters included in the kit that you can attach to each transmitter unit, and a low-cut filter for bypassing 100Hz and below sounds.

DJI vs Rode

Both the DJI and Rode kits are close to one-another in terms of features and price, with the DJI kit being slightly cheaper at $529 compared to the Rode’s $699, however you can get this for about $550 from VideoPro.com.au. Apart from what I’ve already mentioned, the Rode Wireless Pro has a few more ‘pro’ features to justify its slightly higher price. Here’s a quick summary of what’s different between them:

The Rode Wireless Pro includes 2 lavalier mics in the kit, whereas you’ll need to buy these for $69 each for the DJI Mic 2. However, other lavalier mics should also work if you have some already.

While both brands support 32-bit Float recording directly to the transmitters’ internal memory, you only get 8GB of storage per transmitter with the DJI kit and 32GB with the Rode’s units. Still, that’s 14 hours of continuous recording with the DJI so it’s not a deal-breaker.

The ability to connect the Mic 2 directly to a smartphone is a fantastic option for high-quality recordings, plus there are iPhone and Android connectors in the case

You can use a single USB-C cable from the Rode’s charging case to copy files from both transmitters to a PC at the same time, while each of the DJI’s transmitters need to be plugged in separately to copy the files stored on them.

The Rode Central app (for smartphones and computers) is a great option for managing your device settings, updating the firmware and batch-transcoding audio files. There is no companion app for the DJI, so it’s harder to do the same things.

The Rode system has Timecode Synchronisation support, so it can generate timecodes for the camera to use. This can come in handy during professional shoots.

On the other hand, the DJI gives you a slimline receiver with a wide and bright display and the RX can connect directly into your smartphone for two-person interview recording.

DJI also includes its Intelligent Noise Cancellation feature, which is both an effective and a handy way to reduce ambient noise during recording rather than in post production.

When comparing both of these to the broadcast-quality Sennheiser system, which is about twice the price for one mic and receiver, the audio quality is nearly on par, but this is only part of the story. The Sennheiser’s are heavier, bulkier but more robust, have better capabilities for dealing with signal interference, and designed to work in tandem with many microphones linked to the same system. They also have removable batteries, so you can instantly swap them out when they run out rather than waiting for a recharge.

The Sennheiser G4s are heavy duty, have exchangeable AA batteries, and built for professional broadcasting

Who’s the DJI Mic 2 kit good for?

All up, the DJI Mic 2 is an excellent option for anyone who wants to capture high quality audio for their interviews, presentations, or dialogue in videos and vlogs. The improved battery case makes it convenient and easy to use without a fuss.

Having simultaneous onboard 32-Bit Float recording and a -6dB safety setting means you don’t need to worry about wireless interference or recording in dynamic audio environments. 

Sound quality is impressive too, and you can up your game by adding a lavalier mic, however, one isn’t included in the kit. Compared to the the Rode Wireless Pro, this has a few more pro features, however the DJI option is less expensive and has some distinct benefits. This includes an OLED touchscreen and control wheel and loads of connection options including direct-to-smartphone. Another plus is that you can repurpose the mics to directly connect to smartphones and other cameras over Bluetooth, adding to the kit’s versatility.

Overall, the DJI alleviates many of the pain points of old-school microphone systems, and should be on the shortlist for any content creator.

DJI Mic 2

A fantastic wireless microphone system designed for high-quality audio capture with plenty of features including real-time noise cancellation, 32-Bit Float recording, great connection options and more.

Performance

8.8

Features

8.8

Ease of Use

8

Design

9

Value for Money

8.7

Positives

Impressive sound quality and real-time noise reduction

Direct receiver connection to smartphones with included adaptors

Well built and compact units with bright OLED touchscreen display

Metal charging case with improved latch and fits everything you need

Stand-alone recording using just the transmitters and no receiver

You can repurpose the transmitters/mics with other cameras and devices using bluetooth connection

32-bit Float audio and -6dB safety track recording

Negatives

No lavalier mics included in kit

No companion app for batch transfers, firmware updates or accessing settings

70 minute recharge time for RX and TX could mean production delays

8.7

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