Swann MaxRanger 4K Mini review: Security that goes the distance

8.4

I’ve reviewed a wide range of security cameras and Wi-Fi routers. Most homes in Australia struggle with Wi-Fi coverage and slow internet speeds.

What many people don’t even consider when buying a wireless security camera is whether their Wi-Fi network will even reach where they want to put that security camera, which creates a whole new challenge.

So, does the Swann MaxRanger 4K Mini address this challenge?

Table of contents

• Things to consider before buying a security camera
• Features
• Specifications and price
• Using the MaxRanger 4K Mini
• Who is the Swann MaxRanger 4K Mini for?

Things to consider before buying a security camera

With so many different security cameras and brands on the market, how do you choose which one best suits your needs? To simplify the decision-making process, these are some important things to keep in mind:

• Power: How does the device power itself? Mains, battery or solar are among the most common types. If you require mains power, is a power outlet available? If you rely on a battery, how long will it last? If you intend to use a solar panel, will it get enough direct sunlight to charge your battery?
• Connection: Some solutions use your home Wi-Fi, others use an Ethernet cable, and some employ their own wireless network. If using Ethernet, how will you run the cable? If you’re using a wireless technology for coverage, where do you want to place your camera?
• Footage duration: Do you want 24/7 video recording or just recording an incident? Most battery-powered cameras will not record continuously for 24/7.
• Night vision: All solutions claim some night vision, but there is a big difference between models. Some use spotlights or floodlights. Will the vision be clear enough to see what you want?
• Storage: Once the vision is captured, it can be stored on the camera, a home hub device, or in the cloud. Can the camera and the storage be stolen, or do you not want the footage in the cloud?

Swann MaxRanger 4K mini security camera features

The Swann MaxRanger 4K Mini is a long-range wireless security camera system that includes a home hub with an HDMI output.

What makes Swann different is that they have produced a product that does not use your Home Wi-Fi to connect to the cameras. Instead, they use an independent Wi-Fi ‘HaLow’ technology that has a quoted range of up to 300m, with a realistic range of approximately 100m in the presence of obstacles.

Home Wi-Fi has a typical range of 20m. This is further complicated by the fact that transferring a 4K video image requires excellent home Wi-Fi coverage, as the distance from a Wi-Fi hub affects the transfer speed.

Image: Angus Jones.

I tested the two-camera bundle, which includes two Mini long-range cameras, a base station with a 32GB MicroSD card for storage, a USB-C charging cable, an Ethernet cable, a mouse and mounting hardware for the cameras. Swann also has a larger model with an integrated solar panel.

The cameras record in colour up to 4K, which has four times the pixels as Full HD commonly seen on free-to-air TV, enabling you to capture better detail. They are weatherproof, allow two-way voice communication, and feature a sensor light that is effective up to around 15m. The camera will pick up an image at night with no sensor light up to 20m away in black and white.

The smarts of this kit come in the form of a small box you connect to your Wi-Fi router via an Ethernet cable. This box receives and stores images from the cameras. It also has an HDMI outlet as well as a USB mouse port, allowing you to connect an external monitor. The monitor, combined with a mouse, allows you to have a dedicated security screen.

Images are only displayed, however, if a camera is triggered or you initiate a connection, so no 24/7 viewing. This is due to the battery life of each camera, which depends on how many times it is triggered, among other factors, affecting its battery lifespan. The base station features an LED to indicate its operational status. Up to eight cameras can be supported with one base station.

Base station. Images: Angus Jones.

Storing footage on the base station means that to steal the footage, you would need to break into the house and find the base station. This is much more difficult than stealing a camera or someone hacking cloud storage. Cloud storage is also available for an additional $15 per month for extra redundancy. Additional external storage can also be connected to the USB-A port on the base station.

MaxRanger 4K Mini specifications and price

Camera	4K resolution 110º viewing angle Night vision up to 20m away IP66 weather resistance rating
Storage	32GB MicroSD card
Dimensions	Camera: 60 x 60 x 89 mm Base station: 100 x 100 x 155 mm
Networking	Wi-Fi HaLow technology Up to 300m connection range
Price (RRP)	2 Camera package $500
Website	Swann Australia
Price (RRP)	$499.95
Warranty	2 years and Lifetime support

Using the MaxRanger 4K Mini

If you are in a retailer, the Swann box is a great information tool. I appreciate the fact that the retail box is genuinely used to assist you in making an informed buying decision. When you open the box, the setup is simplified because the cameras are already synced with the base station. You will still need the Swann app, which is the same app for all Swann products, and to follow the on-screen instructions.

Unless you want multiple apps, it is simpler to stay with one brand after you start on a security camera journey, as any additional camera or doorbell you buy will appear on the same app.

To access your cameras, you can use either the app or connect via a computer monitor and mouse plugged into your base station. I loved the novelty of this, but in normal use, I have always reverted to just using the app.

Where this camera excels is its range. I wonder what people must think of my house, with six different brands of cameras along on the front of it, all of which are attached to the house and just within Wi-Fi range.

About 30m from the back of my house, I store a caravan, and there has been insufficient Wi-Fi to run a security camera until now. I have mounted a MaxRanger on a tree overlooking the separate street access to my van. The Camera would be 50m from the base station, with multiple walls and a tree in between, but the signal is perfect.

Camera view from a monitor connected to the base station. The camera is located 50m away. Image: Angus Jones.

Perhaps I’m spoiled by other models with larger batteries, but I found the battery life to be a bit short, lasting around a month. I do tend to work the cameras hard in my testing, which does drain the batteries faster.  An optional solar panel on my caravan camera should solve the recharge issue.

Speaking of charging, this is done via a USB-C cord. I have found that every other USB-C cord I have in the house won’t fit the camera, so you must use their supplied cord, which I find annoying.

The nighttime performance of the camera I would rank as average, and it is certainly not up to some of the latest technology available. You can see how it compares to the Reolink Altas security camera in the comparison below.

Images taken at the same time with no spotlight. Swann on left, Reolink on right. Images: Angus Jones.

Most cameras on the market produce false triggers. This has been especially prevalent with the strong winds we have had lately, causing foliage to move in the camera views. I found the Swann to be excellent in this regard, as it did not deliver the false triggers that most of my cameras from other brands did

There are settings you can play with to reduce riggers by blocking areas you don’t want to trigger an alert. This camera does not support privacy zones, which would blur out part of an image. For example, blurring a neighbour’s window across the street.

If I were to choose cloud monitoring, it would cost $150 per year for 60 days of recordings, a lifetime warranty, insurance, and some additional alert features. The good news is that with the base station, you don’t need to pay anything extra, and your recordings will last as long as your storage capacity allows before they start overwriting.

I have yet to fill the included storage after more than a month. I also tested adding storage via USB, which was as simple as plugging in a thumb drive and formatting it.

Who is the Swann MaxRanger 4K Mini for?

The Swann MaxRanger 4K Mini is for anyone who wants a security camera to monitor areas where the camera will be out of Internet-connected home Wi-Fi router range. Indeed, this solution can be run with no internet at all. Swann has developed a system that effectively addresses one of the biggest challenges in wireless security camera installation.

Is it the perfect camera and ticks all the boxes? No, but that does not exist – yet! Swann also has the benefit of being an Australian company that designs security products for local conditions. Put the Maxranger 4K Mini on your shortlist.

Swann MaxRanger 4K Mini

Directly addressing the needs of large Australian properties, the Swann MaxRanger 4K Mini gives you long-distance home security.

Features

8

Value for money

8

Performance

9

Ease of use

9

Design

8

Positives

Long range connection helps put cameras where they are needed

Minimal false triggers

Negatives

Battery life shorter than other cameras

Need to use provided USB-C cable to charge

8.4

The post Swann MaxRanger 4K Mini review: Security that goes the distance appeared first on GadgetGuy.

Read More

Critical Role star Brennan Lee Mulligan to headline SXSW Sydney

In massive news for the Australian tabletop gaming community, Brennan Lee Mulligan will be in the country to give the keynote at the SXSW Sydney Games Festival in October.

Newly announced as the dungeon master for the upcoming season of Critical Role, Mulligan is also known for leading the Dimension 20 series on Dropout, alongside appearances across other tabletop and comedy shows.

While in Australia, Mulligan will also perform two shows of Endless Dungeon, a live comedy improv D&D adventure, alongside Jordan Raskopoulos, Tom Cardy, Demi Lardner, and Zac Naoum (known as ZacSpeaksGiant on YouTube). As Mulligan explained via a press release, “expect the kind of chaos you can only find at the table — but live, on stage.”

Mulligan’s SXSW Sydney keynote takes place on 14 October, with one Endless Dungeon show in Melbourne on 13 October, followed by another in Sydney on 15 October. SXSW Sydney badges are on sale now, while Endless Dungeon tickets go on sale on 4 September via Ticketek.

The post Critical Role star Brennan Lee Mulligan to headline SXSW Sydney appeared first on GadgetGuy.

Read More

Best TV in Australia 2025: LG, Samsung, Hisense, TCL compared

Now that we’ve had a bit of time to try out some of this year’s biggest TVs, we feel comfortable letting you know what’s worth your money. As of mid-2025, these are the best TVs we’ve tested in Australia from the biggest brands.

Buying a new TV can be confusing, with all manner of acronyms and buzzwords to decipher. Using our tips, you’ll know exactly what to look for when visiting the shops. Keen for a big summer of sports viewing? We’ve also got a handy guide on how to choose a great TV for sports.

GadgetGuy tests the locally available TV models in Australia, meaning we review what you can buy off the shelf. Sometimes, TVs share similar model numbers to overseas products, which can be confusing when reading reviews from international publications. Differences between Australian and international TVs can be subtle or drastically different. That’s why it’s so important to test and provide local information so you can make an informed decision.

These are the TVs we’ve tested and recommend across different categories and budgets. An OLED doesn’t always suit everyone’s needs, for example, so a Mini LED might be a better choice. Where possible, we recommend multiple models per category, just in case you find one on sale when the other isn’t.

Read on for a glossary of common TV technologies, including OLED, Mini LED, and LED, to help you find the best TV available in Australia.

Best TV in Australia

• Best OLED
• Best Mini LED
• Best value TV
• OLED vs Mini LED vs LED: which TV should you choose?

Best OLED TV in Australia

LG C5 OLED TV

Image: LG.

Price: from $3,295 (55-inch) at JB Hi-Fi

Read the LG C5 OLED TV review

Sitting in the middle of LG’s OLED range, the C5 is an excellent OLED TV for most people. It’s brighter than the B5 and more affordable than the G5, occupying that just-right space.

When Alice Clarke reviewed the LG C5 OLED, she praised its vibrant colours and smooth motion — both of which are hallmarks of any good TV. It produced a beautiful-looking picture replete with the strong contrast OLED panels are known for.

If there’s anything to knock the C5 for, it’s the new AI-infused remote. Gone is the curved Magic Remote of old, replaced with a simpler rectangular block. Oddly, it removed the input button in favour of an AI button, in an effort to push the TV’s assistive features.

But that’s not enough to pry the LG C5 away from the best TV rankings. It’s one heck of a TV for any type of content.

Samsung S95F OLED TV

Image: Chris Walsh.

Price: from $5,299 (65-inch) at Samsung

Another great OLED TV is the Samsung S95F, which is the brand’s latest top model using the pixel-lit technology. Notably, it uses an anti-reflective coating, helping stave off unwanted glare so nearby light sources don’t interfere with your viewing.

As good as OLED TVs are, they’re usually not as bright as other display technologies. That means if any sunlight comes through a window, it’s likely to be noticeable on the screen. Although OLED TVs are getting brighter, Samsung’s solution is to double down on anti-glare tech. In the S95F’s case, its coating diffuses light, getting rid of harsh reflections.

The S95F is also a great gaming TV, capable of pushing refresh rates as high as 165Hz. Games look smooth, there’s a wide viewing angle for multiplayer sessions, and the colours look great.

Best Mini LED TV in Australia

Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN990F

Image: Alice Clarke.

Price: $11,995 (85-inch) via JB Hi-Fi

Read the Samsung QN990F TV review

Samsung has a knack for making excellent Mini LED TVs, and that continues with the QN990F. You might wonder what the fuss is over an 8K TV when there’s not much 8K content around, but this TV does a great job of making lower-res content look stunning. A maximum 240Hz refresh rate also pairs nicely with high-end gaming if you’ve got a decent PC.

Like the S95F, the QN990F also employs Samsung’s anti-glare technology to good effect. Even with the higher maximum brightness of Mini LED backlights, the anti-reflective coating reduces distractions, mainly during dimly lit scenes.

Highlighting its status as a luxury TV, the QN990F taps into Samsung’s Wireless One Connect Box, providing a hub that connects all your inputs neatly. It means you don’t have cables going everywhere behind the TV, which looks less chaotic, particularly if you prefer wall-mounting TVs.

You also can’t go too far wrong with some of Samsung’s other Mini LED TVs, like the QN900F or the 4K QN90F version. Both models are a bit more affordable and come in more sizes.

Best value TV in Australia

We’re currently testing some of 2025’s more affordable TVs, so stay tuned as we update this list.

TCL C855

Image: TCL.

Price: from $1,995 via JB Hi-Fi

Read the TCL C855 review

In terms of picture quality, features, and sheer versatility, it’s tough to look past the TCL C855. TCL’s mid-range Mini LED is super bright, reaching more than 3,000 nits at its peak, so it’s great at tackling glare during the day. You can also find the C855 for less than $2,000 during sales, making it the best TV in Australia in terms of value.

Cross-platform compatibility is one of the C855’s biggest strengths. With the Google TV operating system installed, it supports a huge range of streaming apps, giving you plenty of viewing options. In the event you can’t find an app on the TV, the TCL C855 supports both Apple AirPlay and Chromecast without the need for an external dongle. It makes casting videos or photos from an iPhone or an Android handset effortlessly easy.

With a 144Hz panel, the TCL C855 excels as a well-priced gaming TV. Regardless of genre, picture details look crisp while the motion stays smooth. Game consoles that support high refresh rates, like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, are right at home here. The only drawback is that the C855 only has two HDMI 2.1 ports, so you might need to juggle devices if you also want to connect a gaming PC, for example.

Its colours also look deep and vibrant, making the visuals pop from the screen. The factory default settings skew a little too vivid, which is fairly common, but it’s nothing a bit of manual tinkering can’t fix.

Blooming isn’t too much of an issue with the TCL C855 thanks to its decent light control. Roughly 1,300 dimming zones keep a lid on any unwanted halo effects, although it can get a little too aggressive at times. Subtitles occasionally fade at the edges against dark backgrounds, so it’s not quite as precise as an OLED TV.

At this price, however, it’s extremely good value.

Hisense U8NAU

The Hisense U8NAU is almost on par with the TCL C855 in every way. Compared head-to-head, Hisense’s mid-range Mini LED TV is slightly dimmer and has marginally fewer dimming zones. Otherwise, it offers a similar set of features, including a 144Hz panel replete with gaming-centric features.

It pairs nicely with Apple devices, too, supporting built-in Apple AirPlay connectivity. TCL claims the advantage here because it also supports Chromecast for Android devices as part of its Google TV operating system. Meanwhile, the Hisense U8NAU adopts the bespoke VIDAA platform, which works well with a bunch of apps, but isn’t quite as open a platform as Google TV.

Both TVs are great, though, so it’s mainly a question of which one you can find for the cheapest. If your budget doesn’t quite stretch this far, consider either the Hisense U7NAU or the TCL C755. Both models have similar features, albeit with fewer dimming zones

OLED vs Mini LED vs LED: which TV to choose?

With so many buzzwords, acronyms, and tech-heavy jargon to sift through, choosing a TV isn’t easy. One of the biggest points of difference to look out for is a panel’s backlight technology. To help demystify things a bit, let’s explain three of the most prominent TV technologies currently available.

Starting with LED, or light emitting diode, TVs with this type of backlight tend to be the most affordable. They’re cheaper to manufacture and therefore get used in most entry-level models.

There tends to be two main types of LED TVs: edge-lit, and full-array. Edge-lit, as the phrase suggests, sees the LED backlights positioned around the edges of the display.

TVs like the LG QNED81 use this technology, which helps keep the cost down. It does mean you encounter blooming, where a halo-like effect appears around a bright subject against a dark background. Meanwhile, full-array LEDs are spread more evenly across the panel, producing a more consistently lit picture.

Mini LED

Mini LED is the next step up, and is currently the brightest mass-market TV technology. These TVs use thousands of rice-grain-sized backlights to produce an image. This creates a greater level of control based on the number of dimming zones a panel has.

Generally speaking, the more premium a TV is, the more dimming zones it’ll have, minimising blooming in the process. Mini LED’s brightness makes it the perfect option for living rooms with lots of natural light and glare, particularly during daytime viewing.

OLED

At the top end is OLED, short for organic light emitting diode. Unlike other technologies, OLED doesn’t rely on dimming zones or individual backlights. This is because it lights up on a per-pixel basis, producing the most precise image of any mainstream TV. There’s little to no blooming on an OLED TV because it can switch pixels on and off as needed.

The drawback is that OLED is more expensive than other types of TVs. It’s also not as bright as Mini LED, which can make things tricky in a well-lit room. Once upon a time, there were fears about OLED burn-in, or image retention issues, where visible image artifacts remained on the screen after prolonged use. These days, the technology has progressed to imperceptibly shift the lit pixels regularly, so it’s only a risk in extreme edge cases.

OLED TVs also consistently have the best contrast, colour representation, and viewing angle. If you want to watch something as the director intended, you’ll likely get the closest depiction on an OLED. On some other TVs, if you miss out on the best seat and watch from an angle, you’ll likely notice a loss of colour and distorted lighting. OLED, on the other hand, produces an almost identical picture no matter where you’re sitting.

With all that in mind, there’s no ‘correct’ TV to choose. Each one has its own set of benefits and drawbacks. Above all else, the two most important things to consider are price and what your main use will be. Keep these factors in mind, and you’ll be happy with whichever TV you pick.

The post Best TV in Australia 2025: LG, Samsung, Hisense, TCL compared appeared first on GadgetGuy.

Read More

One of my favourite flip phones is $300 off for the next week only

Often, to get the best deal on any given gadget, it’s best to shop last year’s models. There’s usually not a massive difference year-on-year, and you can save hundreds on pretty similar hardware. That’s the case with the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra, which is currently on sale at a decent price.

Normally $1,699, Motorola’s flagship flip phone from 2024 is $300 off, bringing it down to $1,399 until 9 September. Ever since I reviewed the Razr 50 Ultra, I’ve considered it my favourite of the flips.

To this day, it’s the only folding flip phone still available in Australia that has a telephoto lens, giving you a camera with 2x optical zoom. It’s a feature I missed when reviewing this year’s $1,199 Motorola Razr 60. Moto’s closest competitor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, has 2x “optical quality zoom”, which essentially crops the sensor instead of actually zooming in.

Image: Chris Button.

That’s not the sole reason behind my Razr 50 Ultra fondness, mind you. I really liked its vibrant pOLED displays, the compact form factor, and bright Peach Fuzz colour. Motorola hasn’t brought the Razr 60 Ultra to Australia yet, so the 50 Ultra remains the brand’s flagship flip phone locally.

For $200 more than the Razr 60, you get a more versatile camera array and a stronger chipset. However, the Razr 60 still has its benefits, courtesy of its bigger 4,500mAh battery and more durable IP48 design.

If you’re keen to shop during the sale, here’s where you can find the Razr 50 Ultra:

• Harvey Norman
• JB Hi-Fi
• Officeworks

Alternatively, the Motorola Edge 50 Neo is $100 off until 13 September. It’s a well-priced mid-range Android handset that normally costs $699, discounted down to $599. Here’s where to find it on sale:

• Harvey Norman
• JB Hi-Fi

The post One of my favourite flip phones is $300 off for the next week only appeared first on GadgetGuy.

Read More

Roborock Saros Z70 review: Reach out and touch mess

7.2

At the expensive end of the technology spectrum, you get to play with experimental features before one of two things happens. One is that it eventually trickles down to more affordable gadgets in the following years. Alternatively, it’s a one-and-done deal that gets shelved, confined to the annals of history. I’m not yet sure where the Roborock Saros Z70 falls on this spectrum.

For the most part, the Saros Z70 is a competent high-end robot cleaner that follows all conventions set before it. Where it differs is through the inclusion of a retractable mechanical arm that picks up objects in its way.

It’s a device that has a clear use case. Robot vacuums are great, but usually require a relatively tidy floor to begin with. What if you didn’t need to pick everything up off the floor before setting the robot to work? That’s the question the Saros Z70 attempts to answer.

In its current iteration, the Roborock Saros Z70 does most things right. If you don’t count its main point of difference, that is. As good as a clutter-tackling arm sounds in theory, its sporadic real-world performance doesn’t justify its steep $3,999 price tag.

Table of contents

• Design and setup
• What’s the difference between the Saros Z70 and Saros 10?
• Specifications and price
• Cleaning
• Robotic arm
• Who is the Roborock Saros Z70 for?

Design and setup

From the outside, the Roborock Saros Z70 looks like any other high-end robot cleaner. It’s a circular device with a fair bit of heft, accompanied by a large docking station. That docking station just happens to be highly reflective, showing up any speck of dust and fingerprints left behind — an odd choice for a cleaning appliance.

The dock is so reflective, you can use it as a mirror. Image: Chris Button.

But the main attraction — the mechanical arm — is hidden away in a compartment on top of the robot. When activated (more on that later), the hatch pops open, and the arm extends outward. If anything goes wrong, the robot has an emergency stop button. Fortunately, it’s not a button I had to press during my testing.

From my experience testing robot vacuums, Roborock has consistently led the way in navigation. The Saros Z70 continued that trend, producing a map of my home quickly. From there, it had no issues navigating the plethora of chair legs and furniture throughout the house.

Image: Chris Button.

As a result of its navigation smarts, the robot creates a detailed 3D map of each room. More than just a pretty-looking picture, it’s handy seeing how tall each bit of furniture sits, indicating where the robot can and can’t go.

What’s the difference between the Saros Z70 and Saros 10?

Looking at the name of any given appliance doesn’t provide much information about what it does or where it sits in the pecking order. What does the Saros Z70 mean compared to the Saros 10? Or, just to throw another variable into the mix, what about the Saros 10R?

Let’s look at the pricing first:

• Saros Z70: $3,999
• Saros 10: $2,999
• Saros 10R: $2,899

Obviously, we’re dealing with the flagship range here. Roborock’s top-of-the-line robot cleaners don’t come cheap. To make the comparison as simple as possible, here’s an easy way to think of each model: the Z70 is the mechanical arm model, the 10 is the vacuuming specialist, while the 10R is the mopping specialist.

All three Saros robots come with Roborock’s fancy all-in-one self-cleaning docking station. Here, each robot can empty its contents automatically, while the docking station uses hot water to wash the mopping pads.

Hidden away in the compartment is the Saros Z70’s mechanical arm. Image: Chris Button.

With the Saros Z70, Roborock combines the higher 22,000Pa suction power of the Saros 10 (the 10R has a slightly lower 19,000Pa suction power rating) with the dual spinning mops of the 10R.

However, because of the mechanical arm, the Saros Z70 has less space for storing dust and water. If you look at the Saros 10, it has a 270ml dustbin and a 100ml water tank. That’s larger built-in compartments than the Saros Z70, which only has a 180ml dustbin and a 69ml water tank.

In reality, that’s not a big deal. All it means is that the most expensive robot needs to return to base more often. Considering the point of high-end robots is to automate cleaning, there should be no tangible difference in your daily use.

For $1,000 more than its robot companions, the Saros Z70 combines most of the tech used by the other Saros models into one device. But you’re really paying for the mechanical arm.

Roborock Saros Z70 specifications and price

Size	Robot: 350 x 353 x 79.8 mm Docking station: 381 x 475 x 488 mm
Suction power	22,000Pa
Mopping	Dual spinning removable mop pads Extendable mop
Docking station features	Auto dust emptying Clean and dirty water tanks Hot water mop washing Hot air mop drying
Battery	6,400mAh Up to 180-minute runtime
Mechanical arm features	Retractable OmniGrip mechanical arm Can pick up small objects up to 300g
Price (RRP)	$3,999
Warranty	Two years
Official website	Roborock Australia

Cleaning

With all the fuss about a mechanical arm, the Saros Z70’s cleaning capabilities almost feel like a footnote. Fortunately, its core functionality does exactly what you’d expect it to.

Vacuuming up crumbs, dust, and pet fluff was easy. The Saros Z70 had no trouble with the dry stuff. How it handled the wet stuff was less impressive.

As I usually do, I spread a few different messes on the kitchen floor, including some flour, a streak of margarine, and a smear of Vegemite. With its mops in action and left to do a regular cleaning run, the Roborock Saros Z70 struggled.

The robot handled the light stuff reasonably well, but struggled with thicker substances. Images: Chris Button.

It picked up most of the flour and most of the margarine. Of the latter, it spread the margarine around a bit, getting some stuck in the grout between the tiles, which I had to manually clean later. Unfortunately, the mop failed to make much of a dent in the Vegemite mess.

Part of that is because robot cleaners don’t apply much pressure when mopping. But the Saros Z70 was less capable of mopping up messes than the $2,499 Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni, which is considered a mopping specialist.

One thing in Roborock’s favour is its extendable mop. For daily maintenance and light cleaning, the mop gets as close to edges as possible because the mop reaches out to clean tight spaces. Another nicety is that when sent on a vacuum-only run, the Saros Z70 removes its mopping pads entirely, removing any risk of dragging wet mops over carpets.

Image: Chris Button.

Again, robot cleaners are best at daily maintenance, not deep cleaning. Even with that considered, the Roborock Saros Z70 is better at vacuuming than it is mopping.

Robotic arm

In theory, a robot cleaner having a mechanical arm is a sound idea. You can’t clean a surface properly if something’s in the way, right? That’s the core thesis of the Saros Z70’s arm: when it detects a small object, the arm extends out, moves it out of the way, and then retracts the arm before continuing on its merry way.

By design, the arm doesn’t activate automatically. You need to enable it via the Roborock app, after you’ve sent the robot on a few cleaning runs to familiarise it with its surroundings.

Screenshots: Chris Button.

Included with the robot is a small box you can set as a storage bin, which is where it can drop off small objects, like toys on the floor. Larger items, like slippers, need a separate drop-off point.

But for an appliance that puts its mechanical arm front and centre, there sure are a lot of provisos. As painstakingly outlined in the user manual, there is a set of conditions in which the Saros Z70’s arm is meant to thrive.

For one, it’s only capable of picking up objects weighing 300 grams or less. That’s fair enough, it’s only a relatively small appliance. But the subsequent laundry list of conditions defeats much of the purpose of having an arm that alleges to declutter the floor.

To give you the short version of the 16-page guide solely dedicated to the arm’s operation, here are some of the main instructions:

• Socks, paper and tissues must be scrunched up
• Shoes light enough to be picked up must face away from walls
• Footwear cannot be picked up on carpeted floors
• Only use the robot to pick up slippers, not sneakers

By the time you follow all the instructions, you might as well just put the things away yourself. It’s an early example of the technology, so while the idea is there, the execution still has room for improvement.

Arm wrestling

Even after factoring in every condition, my testing of the Roborock Saros Z70 revealed the arm to be its weakness. In a deliberately set-up obstacle course filled with scrunched-up paper, a pair of slides, and various cat toys, the robot failed to detect most objects.

Or, perhaps more accurately, it failed to detect most objects as something it could pick up and put away. In one instance, the robot identified a soft cat toy as pet waste instead, subsequently giving it a wide berth.

I can assure you, there was no pet waste on the floor. Screenshot: Chris Button.

On the couple of occasions the Saros Z70 correctly identified objects, I admit to being mesmerised by the cleaning process. Upon detecting an object, the robot’s hatch opened as the arm slowly whirred to life out of its cage. Then, it slowly reached out to grasp its target, pincers gently clamping down.

Image: Chris Button.

With the robot’s payload in its clutches, it slowly moved to a drop-off point previously designated in the Roborock app. Finally, it completed the process in reverse, dropping its contents before slowly retracting the arm back into its body.

The mechanical arm is a fun novelty, but is too unreliable to be a consistently useful feature. Often, a lot of goofy-looking technologies end up being great accessibility tools. I can see an improved and cheaper version of the technology helping elderly users or people with disabilities and chronic illnesses keep clutter off the floor.

For now, however, it’s a gimmick not ready for the mass market.

Who is the Roborock Saros Z70 for?

Ultimately, the Roborock Saros Z70 is a robot cleaner for people who simply must have the latest technology, effectiveness be damned. It cleans well, but not $1,000 better than the next model down.

That nearly $4,000 price tag is solely due to the mechanical arm. It’s a novelty when it works, which is intermittent. I’ve seen the Saros Z70 on sale for $3,299, which is then offset by a similar discount applied to the Saros 10, which is a more affordable and reliable robot vacuum.

Roborock Saros Z70

A good idea in theory, the mechanical arm of the Roborock Saros Z70 isn't consistent enough to pay $1,000 more than the next robot vacuum.

Features

8.5

Value for money

5

Performance

7

Ease of use

8

Design

7.5

Positives

Good overall cleaning performance

Convenient all-in-one docking station keeps everything clean

Reliable and quick navigation

Negatives

Unreliable mechanical arm

Not the most powerful mop

7.2

The post Roborock Saros Z70 review: Reach out and touch mess appeared first on GadgetGuy.

Read More

I tried the Hohem iSteady V3 Ultra to take selfies with style

Smartphones have made taking selfies and recording videos easier than ever. But there’s still a slight challenge to overcome. I recently had a month’s holiday overseas, where my wife and I took many selfies and handed our phones to strangers to get that perfect shot. But either my arm was not long enough or the person missed what I was trying to take in the background.

Upon my return, I had a Hohem iSteady V3 Ultra to test, which describes itself as an AI-powered smartphone gimbal. Professional cameramen use fancy ‘Steadicams’ or gimbals to get a tripod effect whilst in motion. This allows for professional photos and videos without any shaking. Yes, modern phones can reduce some shake, but a gimbal takes it to the next level.

Sounds expensive, right? Not so: Hohem have produced a consumer version for a few hundred dollars. Or $299 at JB Hi-Fi, to be precise. That’s a lot cheaper than a dedicated camera with a built-in gimbal, like the DJI Osmo Pocket 3.

Although designed primarily for video, I see some practical reasons to have one of these to ensure your photo and video memories capture what you intended. Let’s face it, most of us are not vlogging every part of our lives and putting them on the internet.

Image: Angus Jones.

This well-built phone holder weighs less than half a kilogram and fits easily into my jacket pocket. It will work with any phone and any camera app. Although pairing with your phone and downloading the Hohem Joy app both add functionality, it can track an object moving straight out of the box (even with your phone turned off).

The handle features tripod feet that allow the gimble and your phone to stand independently. On the handle is a removable 1.22-inch touch screen with a joystick and a record button. When you see yourself in the Hohem screen, press the joystick, and the AI tracking locks onto your face. Now wherever you move, the Gimbal will follow you.

Gestures allow a photo to be taken or a video to be recorded without physically touching the device. More importantly, you can position yourself exactly where you want with the right background and not have to rely on strangers. The gimbal will even track you in 360 degrees if you want to show off the view.

Image: Angus Jones.

The touchscreen is removable, so you now have a remote control in your hands and a screen to view what your smartphone sees, up to 10 metres away. A 20.5cm extension pole is built into the handle, allowing for a higher view or a selfie stick if you want to handhold the gimble, providing a wider view or at least a 20cm extension of your arm to get a better view.

When my kids were little, there were no selfie sticks, but we did have video cameras with limited stabilisation. The issue is that my kids were in the shot, but having me in the shot as well was not possible without a tripod.

Now, with the Hohem, I can be in shot as well as others, capturing footage that’s not shaky, with a wide view, and while moving at the same time. To me, that makes a much more engaging video image. Resolution has also improved a bit over the years. My point is that you can take the capabilities of your phone to a whole new level with this gimbal.

Image: Angus Jones.

Hohem quote nine hours of battery life, plenty long enough to record a day’s activities. The tracking works on objects, including pets. The stabilisation is across three axes, so you can even jog with the thing and get a still image. The gimbal function maintains the horizon level in a shot, which is more than what most phones’ shake reduction features can achieve.

As I sit playing with this new product on a cold, rainy day, there is a three-colour fill light with brightness adjustable by a thumb wheel on the side of the handle. This fill light is reversible, so it can be used to light up your face in a selfie.

When you use Hohem’s app, you can also zoom via the touchscreen, apply special effects and control the recording, shutter, and tracking with hand gestures. Shooting modes include Panorama, Photo, Video, Time-lapse, Time-warp, Slow Motion and Moment (preset movements).

I like that the Hohem gimbal doesn’t require additional accessories to work, and its compatibility with native camera apps is convenient.

The best memories happen in a split second, so having a smartphone gimbal will help you capture that special moment, whether on the side of a football field, a mountain view or a kid’s birthday party.

Australians can get the Hohem iSteady V3 Ultra when it launches in September.

The post I tried the Hohem iSteady V3 Ultra to take selfies with style appeared first on GadgetGuy.

Read More