It’s that time of the week again – time for another refresh of the last seven days of tech testing in our regular Reviews Recap. We’ve rounded up the five hottest reviews published on our site this week, so if you’ve missed any, you can catch up below.
Plenty of new products have passed through TechRadar’s testing lab this week. Not only have we put the new open-ear buds from innovative tech brand Nothing through their paces, but we’ve also been checking out stylish hair dryers and breathtaking 4K media players.
So, if you want to know which gadgets will make worthy prezzies or stocking fillers this Christmas, read on to find our honest assessment.
1. Nothing Ear (open) review: open-ear buds that can’t overcome their critical flaw
Pros
✅ Handy touch controls
✅ Sound doesn’t leak
✅ Slimline case
Cons
❌ Flawed ear hook wobbles
❌ Tinny audio
❌ Low max volume
The Nothing Ear (open) offer some small wins: they have a slender, easily pocketable case, decent touch controls, and, surprisingly for open-ear buds, don’t leak sound all that much. Unfortunately, they also don’t offer great audio quality: the sound often limits and distorts, especially on elements like drums. At the same time, the max volume doesn’t go as high as we’d like.
But a bigger problem is they have a pretty serious design flaw: thanks to their overly flexible ear hook, these open-ear buds wobble, making them inconvenient to wear during a workout. Given half of the reason people buy open ear buds is to stay safe while exercising outside, you may well be better off waiting until Nothing develops an Ear 2 (open).
2. Kaleidescape Strato V Movie Player review: absurdly high-quality movie performance at a lower cost
Pros
✅ Fantastic performance
✅ Easy to use interface
✅ Dolby Vision
Cons
❌ Still very expensive
❌ Not much storage
❌ Remote doesn’t have backlight
The Kaleidescape Strato V is a 4K movie player that combines the best of Blu-ray and a VOD service. It offers seriously impressive video and sound performance, its user interface is very straightforward and intuitive to navigate, and the Kaleidescape store often gets movies long before they’re released on disk.
But perhaps the most important thing is the fact it addresses the two biggest flaws of its predecessors – their high cost and the fact they didn’t support Dolby Vision. While it’s still a major investment, it offers even better value, allowing you to ditch the need for a discrete media player and server and bid goodbye to your bulky Blu-Ray collection to boot.
3. Bose SoundLink Flex Gen 2 review: Bose gives its well-balanced Bluetooth speaker even more polish
Pros
✅ Well-rounded, bassy audio
✅ High level waterproofing and dustproofing
✅ Appealing design
Cons
❌ Sound distorts at top volume
❌ So-so battery life
❌ Only a few changes over predecessor
The Bose SoundLink Flex Gen 2 doesn’t necessarily rip up the blueprint created by its predecessor, but why should it when it’s building on such solid foundations? It offers great, balanced sound: the treble is nuanced and delicate, while the mids are resonant. Even the bass – not the speaker’s strongest asset – is deep and dynamic. Apart from a bit of clipping when played at the loudest volumes, there’s a lot to like here.
It also offers some fantastic features. PositionIQ automatically adjusts sound based on its placement and orientation, while its IP67 rating means it’ll have no issue seeing off a bit of grit or the occasional accidental dunking. This makes it great for taking out and about with you – although its 12-hour battery life won’t last you quite as long as some speakers on the market.
4. iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max review: a 2-in-1 robo vac that fluffs picking up fibers
Pros
✅ Attractive docking station
✅ Capable obstacle avoidance
✅ Good performance on hard floors
Cons
❌ Cleaning base suction too weak
❌ Poor vacuuming on carpet
❌ Not great value
The iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max is a 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop that, unfortunately, falls short of greatness. While it has pretty decent obstacle avoidance and good performance on hard floors, it fares much less well on carpet, leaving behind pet hair and not always cleaning up all messes. Mopping performance is much better, even if it doesn’t use the spinning mop heads that most robot mops are equipped with.
The docking station is aesthetically appealing, but its horizontal water tanks tend to tip up when changing them, making it easy to spill them if their lids aren’t on properly. Both the dock and the Roomba Combo 10 Max make a lot of noise during operation, which makes it hard to ignore while doing business. Even with its reduced price of $999.99 / £799 (was $1,399 / £1,499), you may not be getting as good value here as with a more premium product.
5. Dreame Glory Hair Dryer review: a compact and quick hair dryer that doesn’t cost the earth
Pros
✅ Light, slight design
✅ Powerful and fast-drying
✅ Four modes and two speeds
Cons
❌ Unintuitive controls
❌ Bulky diffuser attachment
❌ Noisy at highest speed
The Dreame Glory Hair Dryer provides impressive performance – particularly when you factor in its relatively affordable €139 / AU$299 price. Its powerful airflow packs a punch, and it offers multiple heat settings, meaning it’s able to dry hair quickly while ensuring it remains free of frizz. It’s also cleverly designed and engineered to be light and compact, while its magnetic attachments are easy to pop on and off.
It does have a few drawbacks. The placement of its controls on the rear of its handle makes it difficult to quickly switch settings midway through styling. At the same time, its brown diffuser attachment is big and bulky enough to detract from its otherwise neat aesthetic. But despite this, it still remains a great option for anyone who wants decent performance for a low price.
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josh.russell@futurenet.com (Josh Russell)
