#handson - techbuzzireland.com

Google Pixel 6a short term review

It is that time of year again when Google drops their new (a) model and over time it has been a successful phone and having used the 6a for the last two weeks or so for now it is safe to say this one is no different either, a full review is not really due at this time but a good look of the device so far has led me to some conclusions, two weeks is not enough time to give a phone on

The presentation is as expected from Google which is clean and simple and we go through that in the unboxing and good walkthrough of the device below and see what is inside so do look at that to get some insights as to what the phone has to offer, a more thorough review will be along soon anyways after full loading the device with my huge list of apps and of course testing and software updates and so on.

The design is of course off the back of the Pixel 6 which was a heft phone this is much lighter and the camera bar thinner at the back and pretty much similar to the Pixel 5 which again was a smaller phone and a sweet spot for many, even for me these days as I am fed up with slabs, currently using a S22 Ultra and other phones I am reviewing the 6a is small, I have big hands but can live with it to be honest and it fits well in my pocket unlike the rest of the devices.

OK you are not getting the same superb build quality of the PIxel 6 itself but a much toned down build but still robust and very light in comparison and a not so notable camera bar on the back which is fine and for most will be fine too.

Again we have their own chip inside and from what I see has improved, I have shot quite few tech reviews with this phone which are all due after the embargo lifts shot in 1080p and in 4K and I have noted the processing is much faster than the Pixel 6 and I did find the phone a tad more snappy considering the new features inside and for me this is a good sign, also noted there was not much heating during this as long video shoots do heat up your phone and having doing several video reviews one after the other it went rather well and smoothly and I gained time rather than having to wait which for me is a good thing.

Google Pixel 6a unboxing and device walkthrough

If you are not a Pixel user yet and have wanted to try one which I know many are there is a new UI here to play with too allowing you to customise your phone even more with themed icons, widgets and dynamic colours, I would like to use widgets more so however with the amount of apps I use I do not have enough room and have a splattering of folders on my phones with several apps in each but that is just me and how I use my phone on a daily basis all my phones are set up identical, on the Pixel 6a you can search your device too for just about anything which for me is a real handy feature. You know have fast assistant voice typing and again this is a handy tool for many people out there today.

Also on board is Speech enhancement, Live translate and Interpreter mode furthermore there is a built in recorder too making the Pixel 6a a must have for many people out there today, the 6a offers plenty of tools for creators and journalists alike saving you the hassle of carrying multiple devices at once and of course the magic eraser is there which is a cool photo editing tool on the go. In short for someone on the go who uses such features and likes to multitask this device is capable.

Google Pixel night samples

We also have got the cameras which many want to know about I have left samples here for you to see for yourself rather than bang on about the specs, You do have Tensor, Live HDR+ video can be processed live on 4K video, resulting in rich, vivid colors, I have night and day image and video samples so you be the judge, the camera once again though is great and having tested this against another budget version phone this Pixel 6a just kills it full stop.

Google Pixel 6a day samples

This is as mentioned a short term review but so far this has impressed me once again showing what Google can do, I have now fully moved off from my S22 Ultra and will be staying on this until the Pixel 7 drops as one of main main daily drivers, Anything else you might want to know just ask as always. And to sum the device up so far for the money you can’t really go wrong and that is quite a feat considering other devices I have tested and am testing now and this wins all the time. The only real concern is the battery life but again I am a power user and would not have the same use case as the average user but for them they would get a day out of the device at least. I will be back again with another look at the device after its release and more software updates. No wireless charging included here which is a bummer for some and no headphone jack and a 60Hz refresh rate are an easy pick for some to complain about as said in video but let’s be honest most folk do not care or notice the difference between that and 90/120hz refresh rate unless pointed out, some might say different but having used devices with the same it is not a huge deal nor do I take issue with it.

BUY

10 things to know about Pixel 6a

1 Smart, powerful, helpful. And less than you think.	Meet Pixel 6a, the more affordable Google phone that adapts to you.1 Powered by Google Tensor, it’s super fast and secure. The battery lasts over 24 hours.2 The Pixel Camera captures the moment just how you experienced it. And with Titan M2™ security, protection is built right in.
2 Google Tensor. The brains behind it all.	Google Tensor is the first chip designed by Google just for Pixel. It’s the same chip as in Pixel 6 Pro, and it makes Pixel 6a super fast and responsive. Apps launch fast, pages and images load quickly and everything runs smoothly. Tensor also powers advanced features like Live Translate, which enables you to chat in 11 languages in real time.3
3 Designed around you, inside and out.	Pixel’s interface, Material You, helps you to find things easier and get things done faster. The entire phone UI updates to reflect whatever image you choose as your wallpaper. And every few months, you get new wallpapers, called Curated Culture, that celebrate cultural moments. Pixel 6a comes in three classic yet modern colours: Charcoal, Chalk and Sage. It includes 128 GB of storage and 6 GB of RAM4, and enhanced Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.5
4 Your photos match your vision.	This Pixel includes a dual rear camera with an upgraded ultrawide lens and advanced photography features. With Magic Eraser, you can remove distractions or make objects blend right in.6 Face Unblur makes faces in motion sharper.7 With Real Tone, photos represent different skin tones beautifully and authentically. And Night Sight lets you take rich, vibrant photos, even in low light.
5 The battery lasts a really, really long time.	Pixel’s Adaptive Battery can last over 24 hours.2 It learns your favourite apps, so it doesn’t waste power on the ones that you rarely use. Turn on Extreme Battery Saver and the battery can last up to 72 hours.8 You can choose which apps to keep running and Pixel will turn the others off. When you plug in your Pixel, it charges fast.9 With just a few minutes of charging, your phone gets hours of power.
6 Your protection, built into Pixel.	Pixel is built with an extra layer of hardware security in Google Tensor, which works with the Titan M2™ security chip to make Pixel more resilient to attacks.5 Fingerprint Unlock is a secure and reliable way to unlock your phone with just a touch. With IP67 protection, Pixel 6a can take a little water and dust, so you can take your phone wherever you go.10 The Security hub helps to protect your phone, account and passwords by keeping all your security settings in one place. And your Pixel comes with at least five years of security updates, so it gets even more secure over time.11
7 Pixel just keeps getting better.	Every few months, your Pixel gets feature drops. They’re automatic software updates that send new features, tricks, wallpapers and apps to your phone.12
8 So much help. In so many ways.	Pixel’s features help you get things done easier. Use your voice to record and transcribe notes in real time, edit your audio clips, and share them with Recorder.13 Anything you record – personal notes, conversations, waves at the beach – is easy to find, and recorder will even tag transcripts with keywords.13 Pixel can also identify songs you’ve heard throughout the day and add them to your Now Playing history. You can even export the songs to a playlist in YouTube Music.14
9 A whole world of Pixel.	Get Pixel 6a accessories from Google or choose from 68 products designed by Made for Google brands. The new Pixel 6a cases are built to protect your phone and let its colours shine through. With Google Pixel Buds A-Series you can enjoy full, crisp audio for your songs, videos, and phone calls.15 Go the extra mile with our brand new Google Pixel Buds Pro which will bring premium, immersive sound to Pixel 6a, with Active Noise Cancellation that adapts to you.
10 The best of Google, included with Pixel.	Pixel 6a comes with three months of YouTube Premium and Google One free of charge.16 Enjoy your favourite videos and music without ads, in the background and offline. Get access to 100 GB of cloud storage from Google One and automatic phone backup for your photos, videos, contacts and more.

Specs

Tech Review – FiiTii HiFiPods from MIFO

Recently here we tested out the mifo MIFO active S earbuds which are one of my favourite earbuds to date this year, well these boys are from the same company and are aimed at a different user and the company does this well with how they sound and look, however one might look at how a product is targeted this does not mean you don’t want or need them but it is how things work today and with these earbuds they are almost twice the size of the MIFO ones and a different design too which is cool by the way and overall a bigger profile and this allows for some more inside.

Th HiFiPods offer up to 70 hours battery life which is fantastic considering some headphones cant reach that even today and with their presentation too they are new brand to watch out for in my opinion. Just look at the case, it is again another cool unseen design with metal and not plastic it is just cool.

The profile is bigger as mentioned however they have a unique design and finish that stands out in the crowd which for me is a good thing, they might be too big for some and that is a standard thing these days with design elements, once fitted with the correct tips though there is great passive noise isolation straight away as there is again no app here which is fine.

These are easy to control too, the same as the previous pair we tested and of course we go through this in the video review below and overall they are quite good and consistent given their size.

The sound though is what you want to know about and these sounded brighter than the MIFO, with no app there is no option to change the sound or features however they sound good, the ANC is decent but not the best in the world and you cant access your voice assistant but I can live with this and I am sure many others can. Highs can be hard to pick out lows and mids are fine and there is some bass however not strong so overall a quite middle tone experience or bright, for videos and gaming you have latency options but there was some lag playing games from time to time but this is minute and hardly noticeable to the untrained ear and lets not forget the aptX support.

Calls are find you have a mild noise cancelling’/ ANC off setting and the ANC on and Transparency mode it still does pick up a bit of wind but the quality is fine here.

Battery life is excellent lets not mess around here it will however depend on the settings used but for the most it is hitting the near 70 hour claim they make..

Overall they are good but the price might be a but hefty for some given they look great and come with a super cool case there is room for those to rightly claim the price is too much and missing an app but that is the earbud market today and design of features might suit some over others but the choice is yours at the end of the day.

BUY

Amazon US: https://amz.run/5XUO
On Fiitii store: https://bit.ly/FiiTiiHiFiPods

Video review

Tech Review – Pamu Slide 2 earbuds

The Pamu Slide 2 are the latest earbuds now on offer from the company and I have been testing these out for a good while to get a fair grip on them, we unboxed these and compared them to the previous model and clearly seen there is a difference in side overall between both the earbuds and the case and of course the packaging and all of this bringing the profile down which is good but has this had an effect of the sound lets see..

Size fit and comfort.

These are again much smaller with a thicker stem on the width and half the size in length and this made a great fit for me, the stem is wider which looked better and felt more secure they are very comfortable too and i think they look better IMO with the finish they have with the smooth stem and circular design touch area with a nice finish to distinguish both.

Controls and App

OK so the controls are considered small it is a small earbud but work really well as mentioned they touch area is distinct here finished off with a nice circular design, in the video review we go through the app and its features which makes it once again of the better apps out there when it comes to control and features and makes the overall experince a joy to use, but do see the video for more on this. In the app you have controls for ANC Wind Noise reduction, Passthrough, Gaming modes, EQ presets and edit vocal enhancements, transparency mode and of course your feature controls such as skip/play/pause tracks etc..

Battery

Battery life is decent to be fair and with a an app to customise and maximize performance pressing hard on some features of course will impede on the stakes claimed like all make I got around 25 hours maxed out on volume and ANC which is still good and that is better than one might expect at the price point too and not forgetting they are not large earbuds.

Sound

Once again the company has pulled it off overall here with the sound anyone that uses these will be happy you have all the profiles covered here all genres highs lows and mids, bass and treble, especially the bass end of things here is where they shine and if you like bass these are for you, however with the app you can enjoy them with any genre in fact and again with gaming and more, call quality is also quite good, wind noise reduction works well vocal enhancements work and so to does the ANC and hear through you can also use these independently and no lag latency noted. so for an overall package that is very affordable PAMU have delivered a great package here in a very overcrowded market.

Powerful, Punchy Bass – Drop the bass with 10mm dynamic drivers that go deeper and stronger.PEN ensures a natural and full mid&low frequency, while Titanium makes the high-frequency sound more clear. The PEN & Titanium composite membrane helps deliver an unprecedented performance with beautiful balance across the full frequency range.

BUY

Video

First look at the Xiaomi Mi Band 7

Another day and another wearable to check out here and things are busy which we like with lots of cool new tech landing in the next two weeks plus some here already so watch out for the full hands on review soon here and on YouTube, the latest offering from Xiaomi is the Mi Band 7 which is a nice slim wearable in comparison to the more watch like alternatives out there and some of which we are testing right now.

We also have a discount code that gives you 10% off and it is (Jim10) so do check that out at the link below.

Features on the new Mi Band 7 include Stopwatch Alarm clock Timer Find my phone Phone unlock Event reminder
Do not disturb mode lock screen music control on band Easily charged with magnetic charging pins Remote control the photo camera Female health monitor and Blood Oxygen monitoring so there is plenty to contend with here.

BUY

Unboxing Video

Tech Review – Creative Zen Hybrid wireless headphones with ANC

The Creative Zen Hybrid wireless headphones are the latest pair of cans on offer from the company and affordable, with a matt white finish they look clean and one could argue a bit more expensive than they are and if you missed out on the introductory offer you have really lost out here it must be said. These come well presented in a small box and details clearly visible to their feature set. You can see the full unboxing below if you missed it before we reviewed them.

These cans are not huge nor heavy and ideal for long term use be it for music or gaming and podcasts, and so on, either way will enjoy them an with access to their super app SXFI you can control and customise even more adding to the value for money here, having tested other headphones in the past headphones combined with the app is a win win for most.

The headphones are very comfortable and light which is important as these can be used not only for music but gaming and more the controls are all one one side which again I like and these controls are slightly raised and easy to navigate and you have a handy ANC button at your disposal too, no creaks noted during use and no sweating of the cups but on long term use like several hours depending on the humidity there was slight sweating, nothing like what I have come across before though.

Unboxing the Creative Zen Hybrid

The headphones are fine without the app but may sound a bit hollow for some however once you download their app the game changes completely for me and I am a huge fan and as mentioned had the pleasure to test this app out several times, the app is on preview during my testing and did a good job and can only get better and I may come back again later with another review when full access is granted but even as is it does a decent job.

In the app you can skip/reverse play/pause and adjust the treble and bass and also customise presets if you like so you have plenty to mess with for now, the sound quality is great and with the extra bass and treble to play with for me this is good if you are a bass fan you are going to like it, for gaming they are also great, music and movies again great with good direction no overlapping and good highs lows and mids with no lag latency noted either.

For the money you cant really complain the battery life is also good at this price and you get 5 hours of playback with a 5 minute charge and this is noteworthy here, In real life testing the battery life would hit around 35 hours for me maxing out the lot which is what I tend to do and have them at max volume which is not good for the ears but when I have headphones on and when testing I do not want to know what else is going on but you have ambient mode at your disposal too which is no common in most headphones and ideal for catching those things you might want to hear going on.

Calls where also fine on these and clear both ends which is great should you need to take any and overall for the money here the clean design that look well with that matt finish you can’t expect more however the price to performance ratio is getting better these days and it is a crowded market but with Creative being a well established brand and great products and of course their SXFI app it does give more than most for the money here.

See the video review below for more insights.

Key Features of Creative Zen Hybrid

Hybrid ANC (feedforward and feedback mics on each earcup)
Ambient Mode
Battery life – up to 37 hours (ANC turned off), up to 27 hours (ANC turned on)
Up to 5 hours of playback with only 5 minutes of charging
40 mm Neodymium drivers
Foldable design, with carry pouch included
SXFI READY

Pricing and Availability

Creative Zen Hybrid is priced at £ 99.99 and is available at the Creative online store.

For more information, visit creative.com/ZenHybrid.

Video Review

First Look – Pamu Slide 2 earbuds from Padmate

The all new Pamu Slide 2 from Padmate will be launching very soon and we have some early hands on access to share with you today prior our full review soon, this is their successor to the Pamu Slide which we reviewed last year and in the video below we compare both pairs side by side and you will see everything is basically halved apart from the specs end of things.

The design this time around is much more compact and sleek and they do look well, their case is super cool and the earbuds much smaller with a small stem and fit really well and again you have wireless charging which for me is great as I have adopted this long ago, there is three colour options to pick from too and they will be soon be available to buy here so get the early bird price while you can

Check out the unboxing below for more and stay tuned for a full hands on review soon and any questions feel free to ask on our social..

BUY

Video Link

Tech Review – The Eppfun Cute Meet 300 ENC earbuds

Need a new affordable pair of earbuds that are clean,simple to the point and get the job done exceptionally well, these guys should be on your list, earbuds these days are getting better in the lower end department and offering decent audio too with most of the features you expect to get, there is some that want it all for nothing but we are getting there with the cost to performance ratio with a lot of tech these days.

The Cute Meet 300 ENC are clean and come in a really cool case too with an unusual placement of the USB-C port mind you, however let this not be a caveat and listen more. These do not look cheap they are clean with a small sten and fit really well, there is no tips here as they are a one piece unit like airpods which are still overpriced and not up to standards no more compared to others out there and even some that come in under half their price, I have tested the biggest range of earbuds here in Ireland and my ears don’t tell fibs, Yes you can argue everyone’s ears are different but go ahead.

When it come to sound they are decent it must be said, nice bass so keep that in mind,highs lows and mids are fine and for music and depending on your source they do really well and are decently loud, my music source is YouTube and it is where I test most if not all my earbuds, for movies and gaming they are also fine and they also have a gaming mode too there is no lag latency either, and can be used individually so they have it all really including your skip and reverse track,volume control and more and access to your voice assistant.

Eppfun Cute Meet 300 ENC techbuzzireland

Check the video review below for more and how to operate the Eppfun Cute Meet 300 ENC

Key features:

1. Metal materials and special appearance technology give you better touch and visual feeling. Super small earphones designed for comfort and secure fit.

2.13mm size speakers give you a strong base and Qualcomm APTX HD brings you with clear sound.

3. IPX5 waterproof, you can use it anywhere Freely for sports.

4. 6 Hours Per Charging for Earbuds; Support up to 32 hours on vol 80% with charging case.

5. Qualcomm CVC8.0 calling noise cancelling and dual mic noise cancelling technology to give you clear calling.

6.Support Aptx Adaptive code Automatically switch codec between high sound quality and 60ms low latency.

20% discount code： 945UPXG4

BUY

Video Link

Tech Review – Punkt MP02 phone Light Blue

The Punkt MP02 phone has been in my pocket the last while, whilst not using it constantly I have used it in the evenings and weekends to get away from all the fuss, this meant I had to schedule lots of stuff and come to my laptop once a day to catch up on emails and all that kind of stuff this phone is meant to take me away from. From someone who carries two expensive high end devices most of the time it was a break I would go back to again having this device, my business phone was turned off at 5pm every day and I swapped out my sim into this device in the evenings and weekends and it was great.

Why I say it is great you might ask, NO social media NO emails and more no pinging noises and whatsmore better for your mental health too. The right to switch off is another matter that we have recently posted on site about and this phone does that, if someone wants you they can text or phone you like we all did in the old days or again just turn the phone off.. The phone runs with Pidgeon and the MP02 is the first voice phone to offer a downloadable privacy feature that uses the Signal protocol to provide free, encrypted Internet-based calls and texts worldwide via Wi Fi or mobile data (subject to data charges). We believe Signal provides vastly greater security compared to the widely-used encrypted alternatives, which exist primarily as tools for harvesting and selling valuable metadata (contacts lists, who communicated with whom, when it happened, etc.). In the Signal system, all metadata is encrypted. By using the Signal-protocol, it is possible to add group messaging and voice messages to the MP02.

Unboxing the MP02 phone

The phone itself caused a still anytime I was out having lunch etc people came up and asked what it was, it does stand out in the nice colour we got the device in and does not have that candybar finish but an angled approach on the rear, it does stand out and it does feel good in the hand and comfortable to use too given the size of the device in comparison to the normal phones I have on me which are big.

What does this device do was another question asked and how much does it cost, well the price first of all threw everyone away but that was expected but when the few sat down I explained the pros and cons and it is a niche market for now this device is for but I can see this growing over the next few years as people are sick and tired of the hustle and bustle of a smartphone where everything is at your fingertips and you are easily contactable.

OK so you have a 4g sim card slot but no apps no music no app store and has storage you can’t access but you can take calls and messages and use the device as a hotspot so if your mate runs out of credit for example that cant go without you are there to the rescue but it is a slow connection, so people then said well I can buy a cheap nokia that does the same thing which is right but the cheap and cheerful 20 euro phones are piles of trash and one drop on the ground they are done, this phone is solid and the same thing will not happen.

The device has a nice keypad on front and it is also backlight so it is fine for using in the dark, you have two quick launch buttons for messaging and your phone book and the rest you can see in the video review below, there is more than meets the eye here with secure messaging and calls for those who might be worried they do not get their WhatsApp experience however you can use SIGNAL if you wish, I did not avail of it as the phone as is was enough for me and one less way someone could contact me. Which for me is the point of having the device.

You have a two inch monochrome screen which works fine no matter where you look at it and it is all kept so simple, and that is what is great with this, no apps, no massive endless sub menu lists, no long list of settings no hassle and for all that to keep your mental health in order and get away from the real world for a while it is worth it. See the video review for more below.

The MP02 offers an alternative to mass-produced, old-tech handsets. It’s not just a thin-as-possible pixel platform; it’s a solid, comfortable piece of equipment that is easy to pick up, feels great in the hand, and is never, ever going to bend. Its sleek elegance is matched by top-quality materials, producing a phone that provides a concrete reminder of why the physical world is the world that matters even before it is switched on.

Video Link

Buy

Tech Review – Tronsmart Trip Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker

The Tronsmart Trip is the latest bluetooth speaker on offer from the brand that delivers great tech at affordable prices and with the Summer coming in now is a time to check your tech stash and see if you have a speaker you can take to the beach or pool and not worry about it getting damaged and not only that delivering a decent sound too.

This speaker by no means is big and is portable which is ideal for most and not a cumbersome load to add to your travel bag heading to a picnic or park and so on, and you can see more of this in the unboxing below before we give a full hands on review and get some audio samples too..

The speaker itself has a big Tronsmart logo splashed across the front which stands out and it is not like the company to do so but it looks well and the lettering is raised and made of rubber, this matches the control keys up top which are again raised for easy to use functionality and work well, you can also use your mobile phone to control the speaker if you like you can skip and reverse tracks, play and pause music and take calls on the speaker too which is quite handy.

When it comes to sound there is a decent punch out of the speaker for its size, placing on a solid surface gives better results buy you can hang it if you like with the braided rope attached to one side, there is rubber feet on the underside which keeps it still and it never budged for me testing at max volume.

On the rear is where the ports rest and covered with a rubber flap to keep it safe from water and dirt, there is no sd card expansion on on offer here for those who like to carry them with them but no huge deal, pairing is super fast with Bluetooth 5.3 and if you have two of these you can pair them up which would be a super sounding set up and not expensive.

The speaker comes in a range of colours too which is great and better than the standard offerings we usually see at launch and there is one something for everyone here,battery life is a bit on the poor side with 20 hours having said that you will easily get a few days on one charge or it will last through the night if you are having a late one, there is a nice material finish on the speaker too and does not look like heavy maintenance to keep it clean either, the speaker is light too and overall a decent sounding speaker for its size and packs a decent punch on max volume and will fill a good sized room indoors too.

SoundPulse® Technology.
Up to 20 Hours of Playtime.
IPX7 Waterproof.
TrueWireless Stereo Pairing.
Built-in Microphone.

BUY

Video

Share this:

Share this:

Size fit and comfort.

Controls and App

Battery

Sound

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Unboxing the MP02 phone

Share this:

Share this: