When you start with a PC build, there are a few essential things you need. You usually think of the spec of your build first, what hardware you want in your PC. How much CPU and GPU power you need also determines the kind of power supply you get for your PC.
Building a PC though is not just about getting the best CPU and GPU in your build. You need to think about your entire set-up from the ground up. Sometimes its better to start at what you can afford or the sort of performance you aim for. That usually starts from the things that you put on your table, your monitor and speakers.
People tend to forget that the display is a big part of their set up. Your display can sometimes dictate an entire build. If you are working with a budget, it realistically determines how much you have left to spend on your desktop tower PC and other peripherals. If you are going for a high-end build, your display determines how much you want to spend for your desktop PC.
How do you choose the right displays for yourself? That is a tough question. That question is made even tougher with Acer’s new offerings to the market.
Acer’s no compromise gaming set-up always has one name attached to their device – Predator. You know it gets serious when you see the Predator branding on any device. In this case, you cannot get any more serious than the Predator X28.
As its name suggests, it is a 28-inch display. What its name did not suggest was the power contained within the 28-inch IPS panel. It packs 4K UHD resolution to take full advantage of NVIDIA’s new GeForce RTX 3090 Ti GPU. If you already have the RTX 3090, you can still benefit from it.
It even refreshes at up to 152Hz (overclocked) with ultra-low response times at 0.2ms (G-to-G), important for esports titles and even racing simulators. With NVIDIA’s G-Sync compatibility, screen tearing is a thing that you have only heard of. For the most realistic and immersive experience, the display offers up to 90% of DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage with Delta E <2. While DisplayHDR 400 does not sound like much, it should still mean that gamers still get a stellar graphics experience from the display.
The “Do Everything” QHD Build – Acer Nitro EI322QURP
It is a 31.5-inch curved display, larger than the Predator X28. The curved VA panel offers QHD 1440p in resolution with up to 165Hz in refresh rate, for fast gaming response. This will be perfect for builds with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3070 or anything equivalent.
It is not a compromised gaming build still though with 1ms of response time on offer. With AMD’s Radeon FreeSync 2 technology on offer, you still can game tear-free too. There is also one thing that it does better compared to the high-end Predator display: its colour accuracy. At 93% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut and DisplayHDR 400 rating, games are more immersive than ever on this large-format display.
The Budget Gamer Full HD Build – Acer Nitro XZ306CX
What if you only have the money to work with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or equivalent builds? To take full advantage of it, you might want to prioritise higher frame rates than resolution. In that case, Full HD will be more than enough to work with.
The Acer Nitro XZ306CX offers up to 200Hz in refresh rate for ultra-smooth gaming experience, 1ms response time for ultra-quick reaction times; important in esports titles like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). At 29.5-inch as well, you get to immerse yourself into the world that is the game in front of you. It is an Ultrawide display too, so you get to see a little more than your usual display.
Like its higher resolution Nitro brother, it also offers up to 93% in DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage. DisplayHDR 400 ensures that you get all the details from dark to light. It also offers AMD Radeon FreeSync 2 for a tear-free gaming experience you can expect from any good gaming monitors.
Gaming might not be your thing. You might not even be considering getting a gaming PC for your build. You just want a versatile laptop that you can rely on and bring anywhere you need it to work. You just want a simple PC that you can use for all sorts of things other than gaming. In that case, you just want a bigger display at a reasonable price you can plug into at home.
For that, the Acer CB292CU is perfect. It is an ultra-wide Full HD display that offers up to 2,560 by 1,080 in resolution. The extra display real estate allows you to have more windows on display as well without making the display feel cramped and small. At 29-inch, you will not feel as if you have a small display too.
The 21:9 aspect ratio is quite perfect for most films eliminating the top and bottom black bars in most cinematic formats. Sure, YouTube videos might suffer a little with 16:9 aspect ratio, but it just means you can have a little bit of a multitasking set up with a wider display. You can be sure to also enjoy your films or just lightly edit videos on the display with up to 99% sRGB colour gamut coverage, if you need to. Accurate colours is always an enjoyable feature on any display.
Price and Availability
All the products mentioned are now available for purchase from all authorized Acer stores and retailers. Of course, you can get them from Acer’s official online stores as well, including their own online store, Shopee, and Lazada. The Predator X28 will set you back MYR 3,699. The Acer Nitro EI322QURP and Nitro XZ306CX with set you back MYR 1,299 each. The more budget option Acer CB292CU will set you back MYR 899.
They say that a good audio adds a whole lot of value to your videos. They also say that even if your video looks bad, your audio can more than make up for it. It does sound counterintuitive, but it can be quite true.
While it is true that the first thing that should stand out in a video is the visuals itself, bad audio can destroy a perfectly good video experience. Audio is one of the most underrated tools in a video production that people sometimes do not pay too much attention to it, especially when it is good. When it is bad though, you just cannot bear to watch the video for too long because the audio just annoys you.
Audio gear is not exactly cheap or straightforward to work with though. Cheap solutions are out there, but they usually come with a whole slew of compromises that makes you think twice about using them sometimes, especially cables. Cabled set-ups, while are some of the most reliable and easily the best sounding while remaining relatively cheap to work with, is rather restrictive. That is also why plenty of productions have preferred to work with wireless microphone systems.
Source: DJI
There are plenty of good choices out there too in this department. One of the most popular choices out there is made by RODE. Plenty have also sort of followed suite in the same form factor. All of them are similar kits too with one receiver and two mic transmitter combos. Each item must be charged individually and kept separately though. There are a few risks to that, obviously.
What if you can just put them in a single place, and charge them simultaneously? What if you can just work with them like most true wireless earbuds now? They are sort of the same thing are they not?
Oddly enough, the first manufacturer that does this is not RODE or Shure. It is DJI with their new DJI MIC. DJI should not be an unfamiliar name to content creators at this point. They make some of the most interesting video recording hardware to date. A lot of them are also targeted to independent and small-time content creators. Most of them are video recording gears though, not really audio recording dedicated items until the DJI MIC.
It is a unique product, this DJI MIC. It will set you back US$ 329 (MYR 1,386*), which is just a little bit more expensive than the RODE Wireless Go II. It is a little smaller than the RODE alternatives. In concept, they work similarly. But there is one fundamental difference between the two. The DJI can be charged on a single platform and that single platform also works as their battery extenders, very much like true wireless headphones today.
Source: DJI
Obviously, coming from DJI, it also comes with a slew of adapters for maximum recording flexibility. There is a USB Type-C adapter and a Lightning adapter that comes with the set if you prefer to shoot with your smartphones. Because it is made primarily with DSLRs to mind, of course it comes with a hot shoe mount adapter and a matching 3.5mm audio cable.
According to DJI, the audio is transmitted via 2.4GHz frequency band that allows audio to be transmitted to the receiver from up to 250m away, which also means long lens shooting is not out of the question. DJI’s clever technologies have also ensured that the signals are free of interference for when your shoot locations get busy.
DJI also says that the entire package allows you to record videos at up to 15 hours in total (5 + 10 from charging case). That means that an entire day worth of shoot will be a non-issue with the DJI MIC. You are not going to be shooting five hours at a time as well, so you are not going to need to worry about the MIC running out of battery. If you need to, you can also record audio directly on to the receiver itself at up to 14 hours, either for backup, or when you are recording a podcast outside.
The DJI MIC is available now in select regions. As mentioned, it will set you back US$ 329. It is not officially available in Malaysia just yet. You can pre-order it in Malaysia for MYR 1,599. For more information on the DJI MIC, you can visit their website.
*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.21 on xe.com as of 05/04/2022
First, yes, we realise that the newly announced NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is not in any way an affordable piece of kit. In fact, it is NVIDIA’s most expensive RTX 30 series GPU to date at US$ 1,999 which is nearly MYR 8,500 by today’s estimation. But this also is not a regular GPU made for the regular consumer.
To be fair, yes, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti broke cover a few days ago. It is still a brand-new piece of kit that hardly comes by though. While conditions in the market is not getting worse, it is not getting that much better either. Prices of GPUs are still quite inflated and item availability is still not great. So, does this mean that NVIDIA’s move in launching a new card going to screw us, customers over even more with an even more pricey GPU?
As it turns out, not really. Let us go into that a little bit later. For now, the GPU; the star of the show.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is not really a new GPU. Like its siblings, the RTX 3090 Ti is more like a small improvement over the mighty RTX 3090. In some partner board cases, it is even bigger than the RTX 3090 which just makes them ridiculous to look at and to have.
As mentioned earlier, it is no ordinary consumer class GPU. The regular RTX 3090 was not a regular consumer class GPU either, so you should not expect this one to be at its asking price. NVIDIA targets not only the most demanding gamers with this card, they want the prosumers to also notice. It is made to chew applications like Maya, Blender, Cinema4D, and other 3D rendering software then spitting out masterpieces as quickly as you can conceptualize them. Of course, I am exaggerating a little bit here, but you get the idea.
It packs 10,752 CUDA cores with 24GB of onboard memory that is capable of 78 RT-TFLOPs, 40-Shader-TFLOPs, and 320 Tensor-TFLOPs. That basically means it can do a lot of calculations. The regular RTX 3090 only houses 10,496 CUDA cores in comparison. The result is a GPU that is overall 9% faster than the one that it evolves from. It is also about 50% faster than the most expensive GPU NVIDIA had before, the TITAN RTX.
All these not just enables gamers to game with up to 8K resolutions in smooth fashion. It also enables content creators to work even more seamlessly with 8K resolution contents. The demand for contents today has brought 8K resolution videos as standard. This would be the perfect GPU to work with for 8K contents.
Source: ASUS
The first of the board partners that have come out and announced their RTX 3090 (at least in Malaysia) is ASUS with their ROG Strix and TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3090 Ti GPUs. The Strix is quite unique, a water-cooled GPU with its own AiO cooler that you need to find space for in your case, if you want one. The TUF Gaming GPU is a more regular GPU, but you still do need some clearance for it with a 3.2 slot heatsink. You can get the ROG GPU at MYR 11,000 and the TUF Gaming GPU from MYR 9,700, which is around the ballpark price of a high-end GPU these days.
So, What Does This Mean?
A quick Shopee search for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 GPU will bring you some clue to the answers. You would see prices of the previous halo product going anywhere between MYR 10,000 to about MYR 12,000. This would be considered a reasonable price before the RTX 3090 Ti showed up. Considering stocks are low, with demands that stocks could not meet, it is understandable these prices.
A few months ago, a quick search of the NVIDIA GeForece RTX 3090 yields result that hover anywhere between MYR 12,000 to even MYR 20,000 for a single GPU. This also means that GPUs have gone down in prices for the past few months and that is a good thing. But it is not necessarily good enough because GPUs are still sold way above their retail prices, just because they can.
Here is the thing though, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti marks an end of stock shortages in the GPU market, it is basically NVIDIA producing a new halo product because they can finally do it with ease. It is why the RTX 3080 Ti was released and the RTX 3090 Ti had to wait a few more months before it comes to light.
If you look closely, even with ASUS’ inflated pricing, the RTX 3090 Ti is priced lower than plenty of the current RTX 3090 GPUs you can find in the market. This should, in turn, drive down prices of GPUs that are currently out in the market even lower. At this point as well, retailers might not even be able to use the “stocks are still scarce” excuse to price their GPUs. There is enough GPUs to go around now, and prices should have come down to earth.
Sure, a halo product like this will still come in limited quantities. It is, after all, the most expensive GPU you can buy in 2022. But it does mean that you can go out and buy a GPU. It signals to us that you can start haggling down prices of the GPUs that you want from the retailers, at least a little bit. It also means that you have enough GPUs to go around now. It is now almost a reasonable time to go out and buy a GPU.
It’s a busy night for ASUS Malaysia as they take the stage to not only unveil the first-ever gaming tablet but also to introduce two new backpacks for gamers. While this may not be the company’s first rodeo when it comes to fashionable gamer gear, it’s the first time they have made it at an official event. The two new backpacks seem to be catering to two unique styles.
Source: ASUS
Built to Game: The ROG Ranger BP2701 Gaming Backpack
The first – the ROG Ranger BP2701 Gaming Backpack – is a large, loud gamer backpack with space for your whole rig. The 22L bag is made of durable, high strength 600D polyester that is lightweight, scratch-resistant and repels water. The bag itself weighs only 0.93kg. However, it’s built to accommodate up to 17-inch laptops with multiple pockets for accessories. The laptop is also accessible through a quick access zipper on the side.
The bag is emblazoned with a holographic ROG insignia and comes with mesh-covered back pads which allow cool air to circulate. These pads also mould themselves to fit the contours of your body with padded Lycra shoulder straps and a chest strap for support and comfort. The luggage strap on the back of the bag not only adds to the aesthetic but also allows you to quickly and seamlessly secure the ROG Ranger to larger luggage when travelling. It also has concealed pockets for ease of access and security.
Adaptable Versatility: The ROG Archer Backpack 15.6 BP1505
Together with the ROG Ranger, ASUS also announced the ROG Archer Backpack 15.6 BP 1505. The smaller, 16L backpack is built to be your daily driver. It’s made of durable Condura 610D fabric which also repels water. It’s built to be versatile seamlessly going between a briefcase, shoulder bag and backpack. The YKK zippers and Duraflex buckles bring added durability to the backpack’s versatility.
It comes with 3 compartments that allow you to carry more than just your 15.6-inch laptop. Thanks to the water-repelling material, you can even carry your water bottle in the ROG Archer with peace of mind. On the back, the ROG Archer comes with an ultra-breathable, high molecular weight polyethylene padding which will keep you cool even on hot days.
Pricing & Availability
Both the ROG Ranger BP 2701 Gaming Backpack and ROG Archer Backpack 15.6 are available starting in April 2022. They will be available from retail outlets and the ROG Stores on Shopee and LAZADA.
The Ranger will cost MYR469.00 while the Archer will retail at MYR399.00.
At this point, smartwatches are outselling regular watches. You even see some of your friends that are not big fans of wearing watches now wearing a form of smartwatch or fitness tracker. There is a very good reason to that.
A smartwatch or fitness tracker does not just tell time. They are more functional than regular watches because they now track your steps, your heart rate, your exercises, and much more. Smartwatches, because they are connected to your smartphone most of the time, are effectively your pagers now (pagers are like little SMS machines that predates even your mobile phones, if you do not know what that is). It also changes time zones with you without your input. It redefines what a toolwatch is.
If you ask us which smartwatch you should buy, and if budget is no object, we will always tell you to go out and get yourself a Garmin smartwatch or fitness tracker. Why? They are simply the best at this, currently. It is okay if you cannot fork out MYR 4,000 to buy a Garmin Fenix though. You can get this, the Instinct 2 at a fraction of the price and still have the best of Garmin.
Source: Garmin
It is still a Garmin fitness tracker cum smartwatch, so it does everything that a smartwatch and a fitness tracker does. Instead of being a one-stop-shop for everything that is fitness and adventure though, the Instinct 2 is a little more focused on different purposes. Still, if you need something completely general and unassuming – there is still the regular Instinct 2 for you to work with. If you are on a tight budget, you can still opt for one without the solar charging capability.
Yes, you did read that right, the Garmin Instinct 2 charges via solar now. Whichever Instinct 2 you pick as well, they are built to military standard 810 to ensure that the watch works in whatever condition you can throw it to, even in 100m of water depths. 45mm too big? There is The Instinct 2S too with 40mm bezels with all the bells and whistles from the larger Instinct 2.
Source: Garmin
As mentioned, the Instinct 2 series is more function focused than ever. There are three purpose-built editions to the Instinct 2 series now. You have the Surf Edition that allows you to keep track of data that you would need in any water sports category. It keeps you updated on wind speeds, tide conditions and more. You can even track your activities on the water and review them later.
There is also a Tactical Edition, a military type of edition made for the military person. You get Stealth Mode with this one too, we assume that is to dim down the screen so that it does not emit any lights. The screen is even usable with Night Vision Goggles for some reason. Of course, it is also a GPS tool to ensure that your location is always updated. Since it could be an essential military gear, Garmin added the Jumpmaster activity mode for when you go parachuting. This is a little overkill for a regular person though.
For regular adventurers, maybe the Camo Editions are good enough. It is a regular Instict 2 with everything that Garmin can offer in a fitness and adventure tracker, but in camo colour options. All of the Garmin Instinct 2 editions works Garmin’s Connect IQ app with access to the store for further personalisation of your Instinct 2.
The Instinct 2 and Instinct 2S is now available from Garmin official stores on Lazada and Shopee. You can also purchase an Instinct 2 watch from Garmin’s official distributor for Malaysia via AECO e-store and other authorised retailers. The Instinct 2 and Instinct 2S will set you back MYR 1,630 onward. For more information on the Garmin Instinct 2 series, you can head over to Garmin’s website.
Today, content is king. When you talk about popular contents in the modern digital age, streaming is always something that comes up. The streaming industry is not limited to e-sports or gaming titles anymore, it could be anything really.
The entire streaming culture really can find its roots in gaming tough. When you talk gaming, you inevitably talk Razer. Razer is not just a gaming brand anymore though; they are a lifestyle brand with nice stuff for your PC and your gaming needs. We are also personal fans of the brand; we use their gaming peripherals and a certain compact USB mic for our podcasts (keep a look out for season 3!).
The streaming industry, as we pointed out, while started from the gaming culture is constantly growing. It used to be that you needed to have a capable enough gear to stream, a stable internet connection at home, preferably a fast one too just so that you can sit down and talk to hundreds to millions of people around the world. Today, 5G is looming upon us. Even without 5G, 4G LTE is more than enough to allow streamers to go LIVE anywhere and at any time. The number of digital platforms that allows anybody to stream whatever they like has changed the streaming industry.
Razer, as one of the brands that advocates the streaming culture must make progress with the streaming industry. To do that, they released a few new gears that streamers can up their game. They launched a new mic, a new mixer, and a lighting pad.
Taking Your Stream Anywhere – Razer Seiren BT
Source: Razer
To take your stream anywhere, anytime, you need to be mobile. The best hardware you have in your disposal is your smartphone. Your smartphone does everything a PC can while you are on the road. Most of the time though, while the camera on modern smartphones is more than capable of capturing clear, high-resolution videos for your Twitch stream, the audio is usually quite choppy unless you use a wired headphone and look cumbersome. Most wireless audio gear also means extra heft and a lot of cost.
The most elegant solution for this is using technology that is already available to us. That is why the Razer Seiren BT exists. The Razer Seiren BT is optimised to be used with smartphones and mobile streaming set ups to ensure that streamers always get the best audio quality no matter where they stream. Its simple clip-on design allows the mic to be mounted conveniently without disturbing your visuals. The wireless mic is also built with clever noise cancelling technology to cancel out background noise and wind noise in the environment, controllable via the Razer Streaming Mobile App.
Have More Control Over Your Streamed Radio – Razer Audio Mixer
Most of the time, audio is an afterthought in streaming. While setting up, plenty of people will tell you how important it is to get your visual right. You tend to focus on getting a good camera on hand and to make sure you and your environment looks good. Then you forget you need to let your voice get through in the stream, so you get yourself a mic that easily plugs into the USB port.
Source: Razer
While that is all good, you will have a problem when you want to work with multiple audio streams. You can, technically, control all these audio streams on your PC itself if you have the technical know-how. If you do not though, the Razer Audio Mixer is here to help.
The Audio Mixer is a clever solution to your Audio problem when streaming. It allows you to control up to 4 audio input channels to stream audio into and from your PC. It is an analogue board as well, so you can have direct and quick fader control over all the audio channels you have for your stream.
The Audio Mixer takes on most audio inputs too including hybrid-XLRs inputs, TRS Line, Optical TOS and others. Integrated to Razer’s versatile Synapse 3 software, streamers not just adjust the volume of your audio inputs and outputs. You can access the EQ of each channel via the software to tune your audio in your streams. All of these is done and loaded on the Razer Audio Mixer’s processor, so your PC can focus on working the video streams.
Visuals is Still Everything Though – Razer Key Light Chroma
Source: Razer
Being one of the big advocates of RGB hardware in gaming hardware, Razer is still all about the visuals too. Of course, visuals are still very important in streaming culture. You do not want to see badly filmed stream with dim lighting on the star of the show. As a star, you do not want your face to be covered by darkness too. But the regular cool or warm lighting is just too boring. What do you do?
You get the Razer key Light Chroma RGB light pads, mount it to your desk with an included desk clamp pole, point the pads to you, and choose whatever colour you want on your face, or lighting up your room. The Razer Key Light Chroma looks very much like a regular professional light pads used to light up a room or a scene with 16.8-million choice of colours with RGB Chroma. But connect them to your or smartphone via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and you will find that Razer’s Synapse 3 and Streaming App features more controls over the light pad than you know. Sadly, it is not battery compatible, you do need to carry a power adapter that can supply 52.5W to each light pad to power the pads. If you want to take your streaming mobile with the 2800 Lumens light source, you do want to make sure you have a power outlet available.
The Razer Seiren BT, Audio Mixer, and Key Light Chroma is now available on Razer’s online store and authorised stores. Unlike some of other devices in Razer’s arsenal, there are no colour options for these devices. Prices start from US$ 99.99 (MYR 479*) for the Seiren BT, US$ 299.99 (MYR 1,399*) for the Key Light Chroma, and US$ 249.99 (MYR 1,209*) for the Audio Mixer. More information on Razer’s range of streaming focused hardware can be found on their website.
Apple has confirmed their first event for 2022 and no, it is not an Apple iPhone event. Well, it could be, but no one knows for sure. They are dubbing the event the “Peek Performance” event which could be a hint of what they could be launching in the event.
Since the event is happening soon, there are already tonnes of speculations around what Apple is set to launch at the event. The biggest hint comes from the way they teased the event itself. “Peek” is not a typo; Apple hardly make typo mistakes like this. We can only assume that it is intentional, and that Apple is teasing a sneak peek to what they are working on for 2022. Then again, they never do that too.
Apple iPhone SE 2022
Rumours have pointed to the next generation Apple iPhone SE for the 2022 season. This is also because Apple did not make an announcement on a new Apple iPhone SE in their iPhone 13 series launch. The Apple iPhone SE for 2022 should be their new “budget” device champion moving forward.
The new Apple iPhone SE might also come with 5G connectivity, which also means that Apple is going all 5G in preparation for its availability. Of course, among other things, the Apple iPhone SE for 2022 will come with a slew of improvements in the camera and display department as well.
Apple iPad Air 5G
There are also reports that Apple will be announcing a new iPad Air 5G in March 2022 alongside the new Apple iPhone SE. As the name suggests, the new iPad Air will come with 5G connectivity at its most premium configuration. It is also supposed to come with a better CPU than before, which is sort of a given. It could also come with Apple’s very popular and useful Center Stage feature alongside a wide-angle front facing camera.
More Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max Goodness, Maybe Even M2
Apple made a breakthrough with their own silicon design with first introducing the M1 chips. Last year they pushed the boundaries of their M1 chips with the M1 Pro and M1 Max. They proved to be very popular with their new MacBook Pro line-up as well. The M1 Pro and M1 Max’s potential should not only be limited to the laptops though.
Reports points to an improved Mac Mini for the event with new designs. The new Mac Mini should also include options for the M1 Pro and M1 Max. Imagine a small form factor computer with the power that rivals modern desktop PCs, and you get the idea.
There are also rumours that Apple is ready to roll out their next generation silicon, the M2. The M1 replacement is supposed to be much more powerful than before and supposed to grace a new 13-inch MacBook Pro. There is not much information surrounding Apple’s upcoming silicon though.
More Likely Than Not, it Has to do With Vision
Apple does make an external display, a very expensive one at that. You might recall Apple launching their Pro Display XDR, an ultra-high-end display made for the professional working space. There is an optional stand that is worth US$ 999 that you can buy for it too. But what if the Pro Display XDR is a little too rich for the blood?
Most recent reports point to Apple working on an external display that does not pack Mini LEDs and is smaller in size compared to the Pro Display XDR. That also means that it could be a lot more affordable than the premium display that is about two years old now. The reports also point to a price point that is about half the Pro Display XDR at US$ 2,500.
Everything Will be Revealed Soon
As always, there is no 100% guarantees with Apple’s event. While we can make an educated guess to what they want to launch based on reports and rumours off the internet, Apple somehow keeps their lips tight on all their announcements. That also means that we will only find out or see their full launch list at their event which is happening soon. You can catch their event on the 8th of March 2022 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (9th March 2022 at 2 a.m. Kuala Lumpur +0800 GMT time) on their website.
LG is known for many things. They are one of the biggest names in home entertainment, especially televisions. They also make excellent home appliances like washing machines and water purifiers. That should mean they make great audio gear, right? Sure, they make sound bars and speakers. We own their XBOOM PL5s and we love them here at techENT. But they hardly make headphones, until now
Their strong partnership with Meridian, a British audio engineering house, has produced the LG TONE Free. This one we have in our hands is one of LG’s latest True Wireless earbuds. Not to be confused with other LG TONE Free earphones, this is the FP8. It will also set you back MYR 1,099 at full retail price.
Its asking price puts it next to the Sony WF-1000XM4. LG also offers Active Noise Cancelling feature here. But they are betting on another thing that Sony does not have with this headphone. The LG Free Tone FP8 is supposed to be more hygienic than any other True Wireless headphones you can find.
So, is it worth MYR 1,099? Does the “hygiene” feature alone make up the asking price? Should you even get this pair of headphones over others, if you are in the market for one? We find out.
Design
First, the LG TONE Free is not one pair of headphones. The naming scheme applies to a range of earphones from LG. Their website does not help much with clarifying the products either. We are not here to comment on websites though.
There is an entirely different problem with the hardware. It looks identical to whichever Tone Free products you pick, save for the HBS-FN7. They also look like Apple’s AirPods Pro, with a slightly tweaked stem.
LG claims that the unique “ergonomic” Concha-Shaped design is based on a design study of hundreds of ears. It is designed to conform to the shape of your ear and ensure a good and secure fit. We recommend that you try it first before making any conclusions. There is a nipple on the earbuds itself. It points out where to tap when you want to interact with the device.
Thankfully, the charging case looks nothing like an Apple Product. It looks more like a pebble you can find on a river’s bed. It is simplistic, minimal even. We must say, we quite like the look of the case itself.
Both the earbuds and the case are covered in a matte finish that repels fingerprint well. Not so well against scuffs and scratches though, the bottom of our review unit is full of scratches after a month of use. It is also a wireless charging case, which is always nice to have. The interior feels a little more durable though with a nice rough finish with LG’s logo on the cap, and Meridian logo on the base.
Hardware
Just because it looks similar to the Apple AirPods Pro does not mean that they are built the same though. They offer differing drivers and enhancements to make them what they are.
LG TONE Free FP8
Driver Unit
Dynamic 8Φ
Frequency Response
Unspecified
Headphone type
Wireless Earbuds
Battery
68mAh x 2 (earbuds) 380mAh (charging case) Max. 6 hrs (ANC On) / Max. 10 hrs (ANC Off) Up to 15 hrs (w/ charging case/ANC On) Up to 24 hrs (w/ charging case/ANC Off)
Miscellaneous
Bluetooth 5.2 Active Noise Cancelling IPX4 Wireless Charging Google Fast Pair/Swift Pair Digital MEMS Mic Meridian sound/EQ
Features
The good thing about Bluetooth earphones like the LG Tone Free are that they are feature packed. You also have to remember you are paying MYR 1,099 for it. It should come feature packed at that price.
IPX4
Water resistance is quite common with most wireless earphones today. This one comes with IPX4 certification, meaning it can take on sweat or even the rain and cold. You might want to hold off swimming with it though.
We have done some running with the earbuds and it seems to deal with sweat well. Silicone type tips are great too because they are much easier to clean. At the same time, true to what LG claims, the earphones stay in your ears without too much of a fuss even with violent head movements. This also may vary from ear to ear.
Whisper Mode
By default, this function is turned off. You can toggle it on or off from the App which we will talk about later. According to the app’s description and illustration, it is to be used in trains.
We think that Whisper Mode can be used when you require a little bit more privacy and subtlety. The public transport is one of them, yes. You do have to use both earphones for this function to work though. The primary mic for calls is also placed in the right earbud, so you want to bring it closer to the mouth.
It works to a certain extent. It works in a noisy environment, but you do want to make sure that you are keeping your voice a little lower when you put the mic right to you your mouth. Yes, you can use it in a library too; just do not annoy your librarian and other patrons.
LG Tone Free App
We appreciate companion apps for any Bluetooth device connected to your smartphone. Thankfully LG TONE Free FP8 connects with the LG TONE Free App.
Everything on the app is intuitive enough that we do not have to guess how to work the main functions. The only one we got a little lost with is in changing the touchpad function. Then again, there are not that many submenus on the app; so that was rectified quickly as well.
There is a dedicated manual section that guides users on the basic workings of the LG TONE Free FP8. It even teaches you how to get UVnano sanitisation going. This also works with other LG TONE Free products, we assume.
Of course, like many headphone apps, the app also features its own equaliser and presets to work with. We mostly toggle between Natural, 3D Sound, and Immersive modes most. For noise cancelling, you can choose between transparency mode, noise cancelling mode, or turn it off completely. You can also check the battery levels of each bud and the case of the LG Tone Free FP8.
UVnano Sanitisation
The party piece of the LG TONE Free FP8 is its UVnano function. It is technically a UV based sanitisation mechanism built into the case. It radiates UV light on to the ear tip section of both earphones.
LG claims that the UVnano technology kills up to 99.9% of bacteria and germs on the parts of the earbuds that matter. It does not clean your earphones from visible dirt and grime though. We do not have any instruments to test their claim, so we will take LG’s word for it.
LG also says that the silicone ear tips they used are made from hypoallergenic materials to ensure that you are ultimately comfortable wearing the earphones. Paired to the bacteria cleaning technology, it might be okay sharing the earbuds with someone else. At the same time, it ensures you have a healthy ear while having a good time.
Quick Pair & Fast Pair
Like any other Quick Pair and Fast Pair enabled devices, you can simply open the case, take out the earbuds, and your smartphone or Bluetooth enabled PC instantly asks you to pair with the headphones. We set up the LG Tone Free FP8 with our Android smartphone in less than 5 seconds. Even getting things going with LG TONE Free app is quick and with very little nuance.
Performance
The meat of an earphone is always its drivers and sound quality. But for a pair of Bluetooth earphones, it does more than just play music. It must be your handsfree kit. The earbuds must also be able to last an entire plane journey.
Calls
In terms of making calls, the report of using the earbuds from the other end of the line is that it sounds mighty clear. Because the connection notice on the earbuds is just a quick ping, your conversations does not get cut off. Our friends have reported that 2e sound natural, as though we are working with the smartphones built-in hardware.
While you can use either earbud for listening, the main voice mic is placed in the right earbud. That is also why Whisper Mode only works with the right earbud as the mic. This also means that it is still better for you to use the right earbud to make calls and have conversations. Using just the left earbud did not allow us to have very good conversations with the earphones.
Receiving calls is a matter of just tapping either nipple on each earbud. The audio transmitted through the earphone is also mighty clear in typical phone calls. Both earbuds transmit the caller’s voice loud and clear. This makes an excellent pair of earphones for not only regular calls, but for video conferencing as well.
Active Noise Cancelling
One of the main selling points of this pair of earphones is also its Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) feature. In the app, you can set it to high, low, off, or ambient sound mode. Ambient sound mode is separated into conversation mode and listening mode.
In ambient sound mode, you hear everything as though you suddenly have super hearing for some reason in conversation mode. Conversation mode tends to amplify the mid-frequencies, where human voice sits. That means that you tend to hear a lot of things a lot louder too unfortunately, and it can be distracting when you are not having a conversation.
In listening mode things are a bit more natural sounding to the ear though with a subtle but noticeable hiss. We would prefer to use listening mode in most situations. It is especially useful when you are strolling down busy streets.
Then there is noise cancelling. It is not quite as good as its direct competition. While it does pretty much drown out most things around you, there are plenty of noise that still escapes the noise cancelling and makes it in your ear. As I type this review on the laptop, I can hear my keyboards clacking away, mouse clicks still visible, I can even have conversations with others, albeit limited.
The ANC algorithm is acceptable enough though. You start playing a music and it will drown out the noise a bit more. It is not made to just act as an earplug.
Meridian Tuning
LG’s TONE Free sounds excellent for podcasts. We listened to F1 Nation on Spotify and the vocals sounds rich and full. It sounds like a traditional radio experience and we quite like that. The low-end of the voice is clear and apparent with the voices. There is a lack of crispiness in the voice though.
The lack of crispiness is more apparent when you are listening to music. We used Tidal to listen to most of our music because Tidal offers higher bitrate than Spotify. Listening to Lost Without You by Freya Ridings is still enjoyable do not get us wrong. There is some loss of velvetiness in her voice with the earphones though. We kept the earphones set to natural for all our tests.
We played the Final Fantasy VII Medley by Video Game Orchestra, 3 Hour Drive by Alicia Keys, Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra, and Circles by Post Malone to put the earphones through its paces. There is no lack of punch in the low frequencies. There is a good definition of the basses as well, which is impressive enough for earphones this size. The low-frequency notes feel quite full and satisfying enough that you can enjoy EDM, Hip Hop, and Pop titles.
With others, you do find that there is some lack of definition in the mid and treble frequencies. The notes in those regions sound almost muddled, suppressed. We suspect that it is also because LG and Meridian chose a punchier tuning to enhance the bass experience. That is not to say that they sound bad though, they are still quite enjoyable.
To be fair, we are a little spoiled by the Sony WF-1000XM4’s sound quality for its asking price. If you do not have that to compare to, the LG Tone Free FP8 sounds excellent enough. You can enjoy your music and podcasts with not too much of an issue.
Battery Life
LG quoted 6 hours in battery life with ANC on. You can extend it to 10 hours if you turn off Noise Cancelling, but why would you? In our use case, we have not used it for more than three hours at a time. A quick look at the app’s battery indicates that at 70% volume, the LG Tone Free FP8 has used up about 50% of battery life in just a little less than three hours. If our math is correct, you should be able to get close to six hours of battery life with ANC on.
The case is supposed to give the LG Tone Free FP8 another one and a half extra charges. A quick pop into the case and the earphones charge quickly enough that you are not going to be out of action for too long. Because we never ran the battery dry, we never had to wait for more than 30 minutes to get the earbuds to fully charge. We find that we tend to leave the case on our wireless charging pad to keep it charged.
The LG Tone Free FP8 – Good, not Great
The LG Tone Free FP8 is a good pair of earphones to work with. It sounds good all around. While the bass-heavy profile does suppress vocals and trebles a little bit, listening to any kind of music is still a pleasurable experience. Noise cancelling is good enough to filter out plenty of sounds. Podcasts sounds reasonably good as well, so there is that.
For MYR 1,099 though, it goes directly against Sony’s WF-1000XM4. The LG’s Noise Cancelling algorithm cannot be compared to the Sony’s. To be fair, Sony’s noise cancelling technology is ahead of any in the industry currently.
Where the LG sounds a little supressed, the Sony sounds excellent. LG’s offering does offer a punchy low frequency, but its direct competitor does it better too. On paper, the Sony also offers a better battery life.
There is one thing that the LG offers that even the likes of Sony does not. They offer built-in UV sanitisation technology with UVnano. It keeps your earphones free from bacteria no matter how you use it at least. It still does not eliminate the need to clean your earphones from time to time though.
Does the UVnano technology justify its full retail price of MYR 1,099? We believe it might. That said, this is not a pair of earphones for us. But it does not mean that the LG is completely horrible mismatch to the market. We think it is made for those who has sensitive skin or ears, those who tend to get irritation in their ear when they start using in-ear monitor type earphones. It is made for those that needs to obsessively clean their earphones every time they use it. It is made for them to enjoy tracks while knowing that they will not have any hygiene issues after. For them, this works, and works well.
To be fair, when we say it is the world’s first 60% Analog Optical switch keyboard, you also must keep in mind that the Razer Analog Optical Switch is Razer’s proprietary technology made exclusively for Razer’s own keyboard line-ups. While that makes it sound less special, hear us out. It is still a special keyboard in its own rights.
The Huntsman Mini, if you look at it, is one of the most compact gaming keyboards available. Even compared to other compact keyboards, it is compact. There are a few sacrifices to make a 60% keyboard. One of them is that you lose your D-Pad. Just think about how much space you save though, and you start to understand why you want a 60% keyboard.
Source: Razer
The Chroma RGB 60% keyboard also comes with the acclaimed Razer Optical switch. Rather than a physical switch, the actuation of the keys is done via light. This also means fewer moving parts and in turn, better durability. The Huntsman Mini is offered in two flavours too, a clicky variant and a linear variant.
While the Optical Switch is great, it could be better. Enter the world of Razer Analog Optical Switches, the only switch of its kind that allows for multiple actuation points. The Analog Optical Switch really redefines what we know about how keyboard should work.
Razer Analog Optical Switch
The Analog Optical Switch, a Razer exclusive, also works like the Optical Switch in its own right. It still relies on light detection and passing technology. Actuation is achieved when an emitted light hits a receiver within the single keys of the switch. The Analog Optical Switch is also only possible because of the Razer’s optical technology. You can see it as an improvement or an evolution over the original Optical Switch.
Source: Razer
Instead of making it an on/off switch, the light sensor within the keyboard now detects how much light is received from the emitter. This is also in accordance with the key height itself, how deep you pressed the key. The switch then activates according to the input from your fingers. While it does mimic the theory of a pressure sensor, it is far simpler than that.
This allows for a more precise control over movements in games. With multiple sensitivity, you can adjust your turning circle and intensity in driving games, for example. In driving games, you can even adjust your throttle feed to feather it in corners to be more precise as well. In first-person, or third-person games, you can control your movement speeds to a more relaxing walking pace when you want to slow down in a town.
The application can also go beyond that though. You can have two types of actuations from a single key for creative applications. We are not saying you should, but you could if you want, especially with the compressed size that is the 60% keyboard form factor. You could add a few more functions within the keyboard in different applications to make your workflow smarter, and faster; you just have to remember which keys does what.
The Razer Huntsman Mini Analog will be available in Malaysia today onward from Razer’s Official Stores on Lazada and Shopee. There are no additional colour options currently other than black, unlike the original Huntsman Mini which offers a Mercury colour option. It is an Crhoma RGB keyboard with PBT caps though, so you can take advantage of those features. It will set you back MYR 669, which is at least MYR 150 more than the original Huntsman Mini (Linear) keyboard. More information on the Razer Huntsman Mini Analog can be found on their website.
When the Sony WF-1000XM3 (WF-1000X Mk. III) first came to light, we were very excited about it. Oddly enough, the truly wireless earbuds from Sony did not have a Mk. II revision. It skipped a generation, which also means that the Mk. III is effectively a second-generation earphone of its type. There is a good reason for that though.
Sony’s argument to the naming scheme is simple. It packs the same technology as the WH-1000XM3 flagship Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) over-ear headphones. It is also leaps and bounds better than the first iteration they came up with. For that reason alone, the second-generation WF-1000XM3 is named the way it is.
With the fourth generation WH-1000X headphone (WH-1000XM4), they also delivered the Sony WF-1000XM4. It shares no visual similarities with the older Mk. III save for the colours. It is also quite a bit more expensive than the older earphone.s It is now MYR 1,099 over the MYR 899 for the Mk. III.
Is it worth the extra ask though? Is it a better headphone than the Mk. III that you should now chuck them away for these new ones? Does it even live up to our expectations? We dive in and try to answer these questions.
Design
As we mentioned earlier, the new WF-1000XM4 looks nothing like its predecessor. It is more compact, more “regular”. It is still quite bulky though, just less so than the WF-1000XM3.
The new earbuds feel more natural and easier to work with compared to the predecessor. It is much easier to place the earbuds correctly now than ever. The touchpad is now a lot bigger and easier to work with than before. The only thing we think missing is gesture control.
Even the case is much more compact now. They still feature the same sort of design language that you get from the case of the WF-1000XM3. The cap is a lot more rounded than before. The bottom is now flat so you can stand it correctly. The bottom is also where the wireless charging receiver is.
Hardware
The new earphones come with a slew of minor improvements that completely changes the experience of a true wireless ANC headphone. The drivers remain at the same size at 6mm, but was redesigned for better response in all frequencies. They have also managed to pack a few more mics and pick ups despite the smaller size.
Bluetooth 5.2 Active Noise Cancelling IPX4 Wireless Charging DSEE Extreme
Features
There is a lot to unpack here. It is by far Sony’s most feature packed true wireless earbuds. Then again, you are paying MYR 1,099 for it.
IPX4
The WF-1000XM4 is officially rated at IPX4. That does not mean you can take it swimming though. Officially, IPX4 means that the hardware itself is splash protected in all direction. That also means that it will work rain or shine. We can also now take it for a jog or the gym without worrying. We recommend that you turn on ‘ambient noise’ when you are out and about for your own safety.
Hybrid Tips
For the Sony WF-1000XM4, Sony developed hybrid ear tips. It is a mix of foam and silicon that combines the best of both worlds. The foam is the part seals the ear, while the silicone keeps the structure and secure the tips to the body.
The result is an extremely comfortable fitting earphones that really seals off the world from you when you put your earphones on. You can wear it for hours on end without any sort of discomfort coming from the usual silicone ear tips. We cannot comment too much on its durability yet though, we need to use it for longer.
The noise isolation from the foam is significant enough that it blocks out most noise. Combined with the noise cancelling algorithm, the world is tuned out. Because foam is more compliant to ear shapes too, the experience should be consistent with most ears. Everyone’s ears are different though so you might get slightly different experiences.
All-New V1 Processor
Instead of the older generation QN1 processor, as per the WH-1000XM3 and WH-1000XM4, the new true wireless earbuds feature a new V1 audio processor. A quick breakdown by EE Times shows that while the current V1 chip is slightly larger than the older processor, it integrates more features within the chip itself allowing Sony to wrap everything else into a smaller and tighter package. Of course, the V1 packs more processing power. That processing power allows Sony to fit more purpose-built hardware with cleverer algorithm for an even better noise cancelling experience than before.
Simultaneous Bluetooth Connection
Sony’s previous true wireless ANC earphones had some reported issues of desynchronised audio across both earphones. Sony have solved that with simultaneous Bluetooth connection on the WH-1000XM4. That also means that both earbuds will get data simultaneously. That also means a more stable, more synchronised listening experience across both ears. For the earphones to work though, you have to use the right earbud first. The left earbud will not work on its own. Sony, it is 2022, everyone else allows us to use individual buds either side.
Pair Quickly, and Correctly
Google’s Fast Pair and Windows Swift Pair are lifesavers for modern Bluetooth earphones. It is really just a matter of opening the case and choose “pair” when Windows or your Android smartphone prompts you to pair with your ear buds. We almost forgot that it’s predecessor came with NFC because this just works. It took us less than 5 seconds to get the WF-1000XM4 going.
Sony Headphones App
The Sony Headphones App really enhances our experience with the WF-1000XM4. If you come from Sony’s modern headphones line-up, you will be quite familiar with the app. There are certain carry over functions as well.
Ear Analysis for Better Experience
You can easily get the app to recognise your ear shape by taking a few photos as per the app’s instructions and tailor your listening experience. The difference can be so marginal that you hardly notice. To some though, it makes the world of difference in their listening experience. In some ways, the app can also help the earphones tailor the noise cancelling experience specifically for you. This is on top of the clever noise cancelling based on the feedback from its microphones from inside your ears. The app now also allows you to check if the tips you picked are suitable for you by performing ‘leak’ tests to see if your ears are properly sealed.
Speak-to-Chat – Your Earphones can Stay on Forever
One feature that trickled over also from the WH-1000XM4 is speak-to-chat function. If you find it quite annoying you can turn it off. It cuts the music so that you can have a conversation. It also only triggers when you start talking though, so your friends will still need to get your attention first.
Ambient mode is better and more natural than before. It is still a little artificial though. Little noises still sound bigger than they actually are.
By default, the music will only cut back 15 seconds after you end your conversation. You can turn that to 5, or 30 seconds. If not, you can also set it to trigger only when you interact with either earbud. It takes up to one second for the earphones cut the music and go into transparency mode, you might want to be patient.
Location Preset
Location detection is one very handy feature we love to use. You can have ambient mode when you are out and about just so that you are aware of what is happening around you. Once you get home, or to the office, your headphones will still continue playing the music and noise cancelling is turned up to the desired levels accordingly. You can even turn equaliser to different presets in different locations. Even the speak-to-chwt function can be customised accordingly.
360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos with Bravia XR
Yes, you can connect your earphones with your TVs too via Bluetooth. If your Sony TV packs Sony’s Bravia XR processor, you can take advantage of Sony’s clever 360 Reality Audio and the details in Dolby Atmos. Unfortunately, we do not have a TV with Bravia XR engine, so we could not test this function.
Performance
The features do not make the headphones though. You want it to sound good. You want to immerse yourself in music. With an ANC headphone, you want to be isolated at that.
Immerse Yourself Anywhere, Anytime, and in Peace
Noise cancelling on this pair of headphones is much cleaner than before. While it does not cancel everything, you can say that 90% of the noise around you gets cancelled with a good seal, and suddenly you are transported far away from your pesky colleagues, or noisy patrons in your favourite café. At 60-75% volume, the music drowns out your environment.
There is only one way to describe the audio experience; it is remarkable. Low-end frequencies excel with the WF-1000XM4. With some clever engineering, there is a bigger diaphragm over its predecessor. That also means that the low-end frequencies are punchier than before, more so than most earphones with similarly sized drivers. There is no sacrifice in detail though.
The mid-tones and high frequencies are excellent and properly detailed as well. Somehow, the WF-1000XM4 offers better vocals than before. You can hear that with songs like Lost Without You by Freya Ridings. The Final Fantasy Medley by the Video Game Orchestra also highlights the balance of the WF-1000M4. We use Tidal which offers music streaming at FLAC qualities.
DSEE Extreme and Hi-Res LDAC
We have to credit the excellent listening experience to Sony’s clever DSEE Extreme and LDAC algorithm. It is Sony’s clever audio upscaling algorithm that brings your music listening experience closer to what you might get on a CD or lossless files. You can turn it off if you want, but we suggest keeping it on.
Calls
The Sony WF-1000XM4 features more function specific microphones to pick up voice. It features bone conduction mic and also something called a beamforming mic. Bone conduction mic only picks up vibrations that comes from your skull while beamforming mic is great at picking up vocals. The result should be crystal clear and stellar voice quality in calls.
The feedback from the person on the other end of the line seems satisfactory. Our voices are picked up nicely and clearly. It is not as clear as using the smartphone’s built-in mic apparently, but still acceptable. The call sounds clear and clean in your ears too.
The better mic experience also benefits the speak-to-chat and smart assistant features of the WF-1000XM4. Because the earphones picks up your voice much better, speak-to-chat functionality is accurate in most cases and will not cut out when you are halfway talking to your peers. Voice commands are also picked more accurately than before.
360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos
360 Reality Audio offers you a sort of a 3D audio experience in the music. Artists can work with a whole surround sound experience to create a sort of immersive experience. For example, the earphones can visualise an all-encompassing drum experience, an acoustic guitar on the front left side, a piano on the front right side, your vocalist right in front of you, and a bass guitar right behind you.
Dolby Atmos on the other hand is a little different. While Dolby Atmos is used in most surround sound solutions for your visual entertainment, it is more about the details. On Tidal, Dolby Atmos allows you to head the little intricacies of the instruments. You can think of it like sitting in a studio listening to the actual recording being done before it gets mastered for the general listening experience.
On Tidal we used David Bowie’s Space Oddity and Alicia Keys’ 3 Hour Drive to test out the 360 Reality Audio. for Dolby Atmos, Tidal offers Sweet Child of Mine by Guns and Roses, Blinding Lights by The Weeknd, and I’ll Never Love Again by Lady Gaga. All of them offers different experience of 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos too.
Battery Life
Sony says that the WF-1000XM4 can last up to eight hours with continuous music playback and five and a half hours with continuous call time. Most of our calls end in less than three hours. One particular call that lasted about two hours did brought the charge down to about 50%. So, we can only take Sony’s word for its battery life.
We have never had the chance to use the earbuds for more than three hours in music playback too in our test period. The battery only went down to just about 60% in that time frame though. The estimation, based on the power consumption at that time, is more than seven hours of continuous use with Noise Cancelling in our case.
The case is also supposed to provide two extra charges, bringing up the total music playback battery life to a quoted 24 hours. We have never drained the battery on the case as well, but then again, we leave it on the wireless charger in the office or at home after every use of the earbuds. The case charges the earphones rather quickly too. In our use case, we never had to wait for more than 20 minutes for the earbuds to fully charge and get going again. You can charge it via the USB Type-C port too.
The Sony WF-1000XM4 Conclusion
We probably have said something similar with the WF-1000XM3, but this is sort of the gold standard now in ANC true wireless earphones. We think that the sound quality from the WF-1000XM4 has comparable sound quality even compared to the Sennheiser True Wireless Momentum II and the Klipsch T5 II.
At MYR 1,099 it is the same price as the AirPods Pro, and it sounds better. You could pick it up for less on other online platforms though. It is also cheaper than the Sennheiser and earbuds, both of which are considered some of the best sounding true wireless headphones out there.
This pair of earphones can offer you a completely tailored experience that is made only for your ears. That also means that each WF-1000XM4 out there could be marginally or completely different, depending on preferences as well of course. While that experience is only accessible through the Sony Headphones App, the app is available for both Android and iOS users.
Your entire audio experience is on a different level with the best-in-class noise cancelling algorithm. It blocks out enough that you feel like you are far away from distractions. With music, you are completely isolated and cut out from the world where you are. You are enjoying pure music.
Is it worth MYR 1,099? Based on its performance, we think the price tag is acceptable. MYR 1,099 for a personalised audio experience is actually highly accessible and reasonable, custom earphones will cost you at least twice that.
Is it better than the WF-1000XM3? Yes, it is. If you can get a good price for the Mk. IV, we think you should upgrade from the predecessor too. The WF-1000XM4 does not just live up to our expectations, it exceeds them. If Sony WF-1000XM4 is already this good; can Sony make anything much better than this?
