Category: #Reviews

Tech Review – Samsung Galaxy A04s on Tesco Mobile

The Samsung Galaxy A04s is an affordable device from Samsung on the Tesco Mobile network and comes in at a really tasty price especially if you are a clubcard holder at 99 euro, normally 179 euro on prepay pricing at the time this review goes out so prices are subject to change.

The device is again similar to other Samsung phones on the Samsung portfolio and has thin bezels on the sides and top and a small chin on the bottom finished with a glossy finish all round and I suggest you get a case for it to keep it safe from getting smashed if you drop it, this can happen to anyone and I always advise getting a case no matter the cost of the phone.

It has a good sized screen for media consumption and does a decent job here with bright enough panels inside being a PLS LCD 90Hz refresh rate with up to 400 nits and a 6.5 inch screen.

Onto the camera next which most people are obsessed with these days and there and we have a 5mp front facing camera and three rear cameras which are 50mp f1.8 camera 2mp macro and 2mp depth cameras. But how these translate into real world images and videos can be seen below with the video and image taken with the device itself so you be the judge but from where I stand using high end phones most of the time they are not bad at all. You are maxed out at 1080X30fps and have 10X zoom as with images and like most phones bar the higher end S23 ultras for example all apart after 4X and this happens with many phones.

The device is powered by a 5000mAh battery which for me is great and will last a day easily and me being a power user so for the average joe you should get two days use no problem here. Inside the phone is ran by an Octa Core 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 processors. Not bad but sluggish on some instances in my testing but again this depends on the apps you use.

When it comes to multitasking it worked fine for the most part but sometimes opening apps was a pain and there was some lag between swapping apps on multitasking but this is to be expected at this price no matter the device with similar inerts running it and again depending on your apps of choice, for general use such as social media emails browsing and so on for the most it will be fine and run nicely, my personal workload uses power consuming apps which will obviously slow things down more for me.

Overall for me this is an ideal second phone as I am more inclined to use higher end phones so for going out or going to a festival etc it is ideal and not an expensive loss should you loose it or it gets damaged, it can lack speed sometimes even opening some app and the camera is decent enough which for some is important.

Using the Tesco Mobile network is fine I have multiple sim cards here as I test the networks, over the last few weeks I have been using competing mvnos once of which has gone horrifically slow especially on data which is An Post so I will be moving over to tesco mobile now as it had no issues when testing. Check out their billpay plans here and prepay here and check out the device itself in the video below with image and video samples, So for the parents that are looking for a cheap phone that will do for the younger teens out the this might be the right phone. You can get it here.

Video and image samples and walkthrough

Tech Review – EDIFIER TWS1 Pro 2 earbuds

The latest earbuds from EDIFIER have been in my ears some time now and it is time to have a chat and once again they knock it out of the park bar one small caveat for me so lets get that out of the way which is in fairness a small gripe and that is the limit on the controls at one time on the earbuds which is two commands. It is no huge deal but can be fixed with a software update but the rest from here on in is just great.

The design is clean I like it with the glossy white finish and nice clean case to go with the earbuds so overall clean simple and to the point and not too bulky an earbud either. They fit well in the ears and look good and also stand out and the brand logo is there for all to see, I have noticed here more shops stocking EDIFIER products which is great and they are a company I can stand by as I have done so for years with great audio products and I like to see the brand being now noticed more by third part retailers here.

The EDIFIER connect app is where it is also at and again they have all the features required bar the control limits but having said that you cans till put your own options in here, they are fully customisable and let you take control, Why I say this about the controls and the two controls option per side is we are mostly used to having three or more options each side but it is fine due to the options you have here and for most I would imagine will give them a pass here.

The EDIFIER TWS1 Pro – techbuzzireland

The EQs are great you can also customise your own and enjoy all the other features on board you have also go wear detection, low latency so for gamers they are ideal and I noticed no lag latency during my testing on gaming or audio etc, the volume is loud which I personally prefer and the ANC is pretty decent you also have two levels of ANC and transparency mode/ ambient sound which is great.

The sound overall though is brilliant, loud clear clean hues on all genres and pretty much center stage and for the price you cant really go wrong, battery life is on the lower end but no huge deal here and overall anyone who picks them up will be happy with these earbuds and again I would not expect anything less from the company.

 

The App

 

 

Main Features:

    • Long Battery Life. Around 4 hours music playtime with ANC ON with 12 hours charging case. A total 16 hours playtime.
    • Active noise cancellation with 2 levels of ANC selection and multiple ANC modes is designed to reduce unwanted background noise in various environments.
    • Clear call quality. Built-in microphone to ensure high quality calls.
    • Wear Detection. Music will pause automatically when taken out of your ear and will start playing once you place them back in.
    • Ultra-low latency connection with seamless experience on gaming activities.
    • Edifier Connect App. Unlock all the features through APP: customize control setting and EQ selection (Classic/POP/Classical/Rock).
  • Dust proof and splash proof for active wear. IP54 certified.

Price & Availability:

The Edifier TWS1 Pro 2 is available for £49.99 from https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C7L1KJRQ

Video Review

Tech Review – Skullcandy Rail earbuds non ANC

The latest earbuds have dropped from Skullcandy and once again well priced and great earbuds, the latest on offer is the all new RAIL and SMOKIN BUDS  and first up we check out the RAIL which are the non ANC version and having said that they have NO ANC does it matter, in short no because once these are tuned up to the max you cant hear what is going on outside anyway. Trust me, these are loud and how I like it

The design is familiar with small stems however we can see inside these at the top which is cool, and being able to see inside our tech is now becoming a bit of a trend these days and perhaps later down the road Skullcandy might give us a totally transparent pair and that would be extra cool if they did but for now we have these to poke our eyes into for now.

Comfort and fit is also fine here and sit well in the ears and look clean and will not budge and after wearing them for some time now out cycling and in the gym they have now budged and stay well put as they say, the right tips though is the key here and once applied they block out much of the outside world which is fine.

Controls work well as expected from the company and always have been consistent with their products we go through all these in the video review below so do check it out and the app which is up next. We once again have access to their fantastic app that allows you to change commands and more by just calling out “Hey Skulklcandy” – insert command here..  And as reviewed before this is an excellent feature and we have covered it in depth before but go over it again for newcomers to the channel and anyone looking for something new, it is a superb feature and you can even take photos by using this app which is Skull IQ.

The app is full of features as you would expect and you can change the controls to suit your needs, the you are best off doing the sound test to get the most out of your earbuds and using personal sound by Mimi and once complete you can later do it again if you wish over time on your profile.

As mentioned you can change the buttons features you have sound aware you have multipoint pairing and EQs built in and you can create your own, the volume is loud crisp and clear and calls also excellent too, when it comes to the audio though is where it is at nice bass highs lows and mids no lag latency no distortion when maxed out either and this is where many earbuds fail when turned up the max in some genres, You have spotify on tap however I you use YouTube music.

Overall these are a super pair of earbuds but have NO ANC so one can only imagine what they are like, with all the features packed in here and decent battery life and the price these come in at they are certainly earbuds to put on your list to check out.Check out the video review for more on the latest from Skullcandy.

 

Skullcandy Rail earbuds NON ANC – techbuzzireland

 

The App

 

 

Features

42 Hours Total Battery + Rapid Charge
IP55 Sweat, Water and Dust Resistant
Skull-iQ Smart Feature Technology®
Personal Sound by Mimi®
Multipoint Pairing
Built-In Tile™ Finding Technology
Hands-Free Voice Control
Clear Voice Smart Mic
Adjustable Stay-Aware Mode
Sidetone
Spotify Tap™
Skull-iQ App Compatibility
Preset and Custom EQ Modes (Music, Bass Boost and Podcast)
Call, Track & Media Controls

Custom Button Functions
Use Either Bud Solo
Auto On/Connect
Bluetooth 5.2

BUY

Video review

Tech Review – Creative ZEN AIR DOT

The Creative ZEN AIR DOT are the companies most affordable earbuds to date and come in a very small package overall and I have been testing these little guys out some time now and we are about to discuss what they have and what they do not have, when it comes to earbuds these days the cost to performance ratio is getting better and these come in at just 30 euro..

So do you get value for your 30 euro or are they fit for the bin? Well at this price there is obviously going to be things omitted from these earbuds but its down to the audio experience for most people these days and some like to have a certain level of functionality and for the price these will keep those people happy.

Remember now the price. So what is missing. No app access, no wireless charging, no auto play/pause, no option to each side when one is charging bar the left side, though to be fair this is common even on high end earbuds but just pointing this out and there is no volume control and the battery life is on the low side up to 24 hr hours depending on how you like your volume levels but again remember the price..

Creative ZEN AIR DOT true wireless – techbuzzireland

What do they have then.  Call controls skip and reverse tracks, voice assistant access and reset options are all present which is enough and we have got large drivers for small earbuds and dual mics so is that enough for your 30 euro?

They are small earbuds so sleep and fit well in the ears and look good, the case is tiny and fits in any pocket and overall in general one of the smallest cases this year so far and earbuds with a tiny stem that sport touch controls that worked really well for me on my testing. For calls these are surprisingly good for what you pay here with ENC built in and calls can be controlled easily on them too.

How they sound though given they have custom tuned 13.mm neodymium drivers  is what is important and having no app access at this time they are quite loud and super punchy, we have no EQ to deal with unless you have a third party app on your phone which most are utter rubbish but this is a pair of earbuds that just get the job done out of the box and no fiddling around with and give a pretty decent audio experience, they are not bassy not flat not sound tinny or distort on maxed out volumes and in general will keep most people who are not fussy happy and for the price what more do you really want.

Features 

Environmental Noise Cancellation

Dual Microphones

Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity

IPX4 rating

13 mm Neodymium drivers

BUY 

Video Review

Tech Review – HAYLOU X1 2023 earbuds

The HAYLOU X1 2023 are the latest earbuds on offer from the brand and are a clean simple o but familiar looking pair of earbuds with a gloss finish but with a nice metal case that is like a pebble and easy to fit into any pocket. Branding is kept to a minimum here with just the brand marking on the case which has an LED light around the charging port which is really nice looking and of course USB-C.

These earbuds have most of the features expected, Sound overall here is decent though, nice crisp and clear with an EQ to change things up you can also change the controls and we are down with some features like auto play and pause and voice assistant which is not really a huge gripe with me, however with the functions on the App you are limited to two controls per side however all the other features are present but you can of course set these up to what suits your needs best as everyone is different when it comes to situations like this.

The App 

 

As you can see there is less of a feature set here compared to their latest headphones which are quite remarkable for their price and the same applies here when it comes to the sound given we have less to play with, volume is decently loud we have a latency mode, no lag latency in general noted and also decent highs lows and mids with a nice bass to them, the pop EQ is very bright but the bass and rock EQs are good and my personal choice here to my own taste.

Overall a decent pair of earbuds with responsive touch controls and in general work well, they are comfortable and discreet enough and look well and their charging case is pretty cool too.

Haylou X1 2023 earbuds – techbuzzireland
Key features:
  • Sleek and stylish matte metallic case
  • Powerful 12mm titanium-plated diaphragm dynamic driver
  • Enhanced Bluetooth 5.3 technology
  • Convenient one-tap reset and customizable EQ sound
  • Non-stop music with 24-hour long battery life

 

Discount Code: HAYLOUTWS
Big Sales $16.99 on Shopee (Sept 9): https://bit.ly/3ErJ8fe
On HAYLOU official website:
https://haylou.com/discount/HAYLOUTWS?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fhaylou-x1-2023

Other shopping platform: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oF4zxLH

 

Video Review

Tech Review – OpenRock Pro Open-Ear Air Conduction Sport Earbuds

Open-Ear bone and Air conduction earbuds/ headphones are now a thing these days and we are going through some amount of pairs to test which is a good thing so we can show you how these things work with hands on time with the products and not lazy stock image reviews so you get context. The OpenRock Open-Ear Air conduction earbuds have been on my ears some time now and as mentioned before there is a difference between bone and air conduction headphones and we are now seeing more of the air conduction earbuds hit the shelves.

Also mentioned before in some reviews you will not get to near your earbud or headphone quality here but this is certainly changing for the better and with these sport earbuds again I see a difference in the tech and enhanced over other models tested in the past, there is no app with the OpenRock but hopefully in time we will see one soon but the news is good more or less from here they couldn’t be simpler to operate either.

You get a pretty large case as seen in the video and some might call that a caveat it is still pocketable and you will know you have it at all times unlike some small earbud cases for example, the case is also super robust so the goods inside will be safe.

The Earbuds are also robust and solid and can be moved to get the perfect fit, these will not fall off once you adjust them to your requirement. As mentioned no app so some limitations.

You have no auto play or pause no multipoint connection, EQ and no wireless charging and after that the rest is there, you can use these individually so effectively doubling battery life for those who use one side only which people do and is a good feature to see here.

The controls are simple to use with one button each side to execute the commands which are fixed and you have access to your voice assistant too the button on each side is the perfect size and works right each time and that is all there is to it really. you can skip and reverse tracks, play and pause and higher and lower the volume and control calls.

Overall the sound is pretty good here and a decent audio experience to be had and you can also hear your surroundings too which is not a bad thing there is some leakage on maxed out volume but no lag latency no tinny sound or distorted either when maxed out. Check out the video review for more.

OpenRock Pro Air conduction sports earbuds – techbuzzireland

 

Superior Sound with TubeBass Technology

OpenRock Pro each headphone with dual 16.2mm dynamic drivers (3 times bigger than other earbuds), has redefined the sound of air-conduction headphones with a distortion rate of less than 1% and sound quality performance that is transparent and mellow, outperforming all previous air-conduction headphones.

OpenRockTubeBassTM” Technology

The TubeBass bass enhancement technology can increase the low-frequency resonance of the sound to enhance bass and the rhythm of music, thus invigorating your movement pace. It makes low frequencies more solid, deeper, and enveloped, allowing pianissimo details and vocals to be bright and clear.

Specs

•Audible unit: 16.2 mm dynamic
•Audio decoding: aptX, AAC, SBC
•Frequency range: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
•Waterproof rating: IPX5
•Battery life: 19 Hrs (earphones only) 46 Hrs (with charging case)
•5-minute charging for 1-hour of play
•Full charge duration: 1.5 h
•Charging port: Type C
•Rated input: 5 V 400 mA
•Support: A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP
•Weight: 13g (single earphone) 90 g (complete set)

Features 

  • True Wireless Open-Ear Headphones
  • Superior Sound with TubeBass Technology
  • Up to 46 Hours Extended Playtime
  • Comfortable and Secure Fit, Perfect for Sports
  • Maximize Comfort with Additional Features

BUY

Video Review

Tech Review – PowerCube, the ultimate 4-in-1 EDC charging solution

There is many charging solutions on the market today in all shapes and size which is welcome and there is something to suit everyone’s needs and we all have different needs and there is no denying that one, over the years I have tried and tested many of these in all shapes and size and they all do the same thing but over the years things have have changed with more options being built into one unit and with the tech changing you can implement several products into on now and this is what this product does.

Small and portable which is what we want for at home and mostly for travel purposes the PowerCube is the ultimate 4-in-1 charging solution according to the company, this is in short a hybrid charging device that features a 5,000mAh battery pack, a 20W charger, a built-in charging cable and a foldable phone stand.

This little palm sized gadget is versatile and can do more than charge your phone and we have been testing in out for the last few weeks so let’s take a look at what we are getting here and check the video review below.

 

What does PowerCube do then.

Doubles as A 20W Wall Charger

It also has a built-in AC wall plug (US plug) to give you flexibility when outside without having to bring additional cables and an adapter. If your smartphone needs more than a quick top-up, or the battery itself is dead, simply fold out the AC pins, and plug them into any standard outlet to begin charging. You will not need to face the wall or be tied by the wall socket when chilling at home or travelling with your phone. With pass-through charging you can charge PowerCube and your devices at the same time. It will automatically prioritize powering your devices from a power outlet before charging itself.

 

The integrated Lightning cable supports up to 20W Power Delivery fast charging. Your iPhone battery can be recharged from 0-50% in only 30 minutes.

The built-in USB-C cable delivers a maximum power output of 22.5W for Samsung, Google, and other compatible Android smartphones and tablets. It can even provide emergency power for low-powered laptops like MacBook Air 13″, Surface Go, Chromebook, Samsung Galaxy Book 2 etc.

Foldable Kickstand to Securely Hold Your Phone

Another interesting feature that sets it aside from other power banks, is its foldable kickstand, which allows for hands-free viewing while charging.

Charge Two Devices Simultaneously

PowerCube is also equipped with a USB-C port on the bottom with a rating of 5V / 2.1A that can be used as input and output. It is a capable mobile companion in its own right — both its USB-C port and  integrated cable are capable of delivering 20W of battery power to your device, or 23W total if both ports are used simultaneously. It means you can charge two devices at the same time and share power with your friend.

Safe & Reliable Charging

The product is built with superior safety features, including battery overcharge protection, overcurrent protection, output overvoltage protection, temperature control, short circuit protection, etc.

 

Smallest，Lightest but Most Powerful

Combining wall charger, power bank, kickstand together, PowerCube is still one of the lightest and most compact power banks that you can buy. Having such fast charging speeds is quite unusual for such compact power banks.

PowerCube is remarkably portable – measuring up at a minuscule 4.2 inches(106mm) on its longest side and 1.5 inches (38mm) in width, making it perfect for stashing in your purse, pocket or makeup bag.

It weighs just 173g (6.1 ounces), about 30% lighter than a similar conventional 5000mAh power bank.  This is the type of power bank you’ll even forget you have until the moment you actually need it.

Travel-friendly Pin Converters For Any Country

We provide this travel adapter bundle (including EU plug, UK plug and AU plug) as an add on. They are easy to carry with you in your luggage without issue. Easily convert UK/EU/AU plug to the US plug of PowerCube, you can get juiced up across borders.

Get on Kickstarter

Video Review

Tech Review – HAYLOU S35 ANC headphones

The Haylou S35 are an affordable colourful pair of headphones that stand out in a crowd and for me this is fine amongst the sea of Black or White headphones we will always see and flashy colourful models are far and few between. They might look a bit on the toyish side for some and that is fine as kids can wear them if you don’t fancy wearing yourself but they come in a range of colours.

Before you get started you will need to update the firmware as when first testing there was a constant disconnection error and the update fixed it which was great to see out of the gate. Build quality is mostly plastic but robust with no creeks when twisting the headset, there is no carry case in the box as the headphones do fold up which would have been nice but it is not a dealbreaker at this price to be fair.

Comfort is great or long periods of use it must be said and for me important, the pads sink right onto the ears and the headband nice and plush and after a few minutes you will forget the are there. We have a typical ratchet extension each side which stays in place.

All the controls are on one side which I like and the buttons are raised enough not to get confused which button is which with these which is fine.There is no auto play or pause here which is not a big deal you have access to your voice assistant play and pause skip and reverse tracks volume up and down, all the requirements really and of course call controls and all work well.

Haylou S35 ANC headphones – techbuzzireland

The app offers some more in the sound department and overall these are bass driven for me which again is fine as I like bass, you can change the sound signature in the app as you can see below and also we go over the app in the video review below so you get to see how things work, for me overall the sound is pretty good considering the price and consistent, on some song songs maxed out with volume there was a small bit of distortion however again I like my music loud and just had to turn it down a notch and all was fine. One thing to note there is a big difference in the EQ settings unlike other headphones or earbuds I have tested, you can choose between default, bass, rock and soft and then check out the soundmarket for even more. Highs lows and mids are great and a clean listening experience is to be found overall and great for gaming movies and of course your music.

The App

 

Conclusion

Overall these are a decent set o cans to be fair and sound great with decent battery life and app support which is now becoming the norm at this price point and if you are on a budget perhaps you should give them a look, check out the video review below and the links to purchase.

Overview of the headphones

Specifications

Product name: Haylou $35 ANC Over-ear Noise Cancellation Headphones
Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 5.2
Communication range: about 10 meters (without any obstacles)
Headphone charging time: about 2.5 hours
Headphone battery life: ANC off, about 60 hours/ANC on, about 40 hours
Battery type: polymer lithium battery
Battery capacity: 600mAh
Audio codec: SBC/AAC
Supported protocol A2DP/AVRCP/HFP

Use the discount code below  – S35ANC

BUY On Ali express

Video Review

Tech Review – Soundpeats Air4

The Soundpeats Air4 is one of many new earbuds on offer at affordable prices from the company and there is also the Air4 lite which we will have our next review on so both very similar sets or earbuds and look identical, today we are here to discuss the Air4 version which we have been testing some time now.

Presentation again is standard with the earbuds and familiar packaging keeping the brand identifiable as expected and overall a simple but to the point presentation with all the manuals and cables required in the box, you may notice an eartip compartment in the box but this is just due to standard packaging which is fine as these earbuds do not require tips to fit they are a standard fir with stems and the stems being on the smaller side which for me is better.

The case is finished in matt black looks well and is very clean with a fliptop lid a pairing /reset button and gold accents to match the earbuds which all ties in well with one another. The case is small and pebble like and will fit in any pocket and is not finished in gloss which is great so no fingerprints.

The style is quite nice and looks well and very simple but sleek and fit well in my ears though these being a fixed and finished product they might not suit some peoples ears but for me all good here. They are comfortable to wear for long periods of time and I had no issues with discomfort doing so during my testing.

On setting up you should dio the adaptive EQ test this is to get the best results for you and only you and is a common feature seen today on earbuds and headphones.

 

The App

The app as seen above is a familiar offering yet simple to use with an easy UI to navigate, all the features are here as expected bar reverse track, you can play and pause, higher and lower volume activate your voice assistant and call management you do have again a full suite of EQ settings which is great and with soundpeats you do hear a difference between them all unlike other apps with EQs built in, tried and tested on many of soundpeats earbuds this app is good. Again we have a gamers mode we have ANC here and triple mics with noise cancelling making for decent calls and less of the outside world.

Soundpeats Air4 – techbuzzireland

 

Overall again we have an affordable pair of earbuds here offering plenty for their price with decent sound and overall a decent package which soundpeats is now known for saving you money and getting value for money over other overhyped earbuds out there in which some do  not even offer an EQ app to help you customize your earbuds. Check the video review below for more.

 

Features

    • Snapdragon Sound with aptX Lossless
    • 13mm Dynamic Driver for Immersive Sound
    • Adaptive ANC Tech& Triple Mics Noise-Cancellation
    • 88ms Low Latency Game Mode
    • Total 26 Hrs Playtime& App Control
    • BT5.3 for Stable Multipoint Connection

BUY

Video Review