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Tips and tricks for fast,
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wireless p78
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Prevent Wi-Fi
hijacking
Manage your
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Plus much more
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Access all areas Breath of fresh air Type-in programs

Low-cost alternatives to Build your own indoor When getting the latest computer game wasn’t
Microsoft’s Access database p116 air-quality monitor p132 just a case of hitting the download button p122
 WELCOME PAGE

Contact us
Editor Madeline Bennett madeline@computershopper.co.uk
Reviews Editor James Archer james@computershopper.co.uk
Contributing Editor David Ludlow david@computershopper.co.uk
News Editor Roland Moore-Colyer roland@computershopper.co.uk
Senior Staff Writer Nathan Spendelow nathan@computershopper.co.uk
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Design Bill Bagnall
Production Editor Steve Haines
Production Manager Daniel Stark
Production Assistant Lewis Small
Network Production Manager Kerry Lambird
CONTRIBUTORS
Jonathan Bray, Tom Bruce, David Crookes, Mel Croucher, Kay Ewbank,
Simon Handby, Alan Martin, Edward Munn, Ben Pitt, Dave Stevenson,
Vincent Teoh, Clive Webster
ADVERTISING
Email ads.shopper@dennis.co.uk

T
Group Advertising Manager Charlotte Milligan
020 3890 3486
COVER GIFT CONTACT
here’s a meme that’s been doing the rounds on
Chris Wiles support@creativemark.co.uk social networks recently about how precious
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Tel: 0330 333 9493
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UK £44.99, Europe £70, Rest of world £90
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PHOTOGRAPHY people come out of rooms you ain’t never seen before.
Michael Pheasant LIKE WHO YOU?”
LICENSING AND SYNDICATION
Ryan Chambers 020 3890 4027 Ryan_Chambers@dennis.co.uk And there’s another sage piece of advice for the digital
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Managing Directoror John Garewal room in which it’s located.”
Group Advertising Directoror Julian Lloyd-Evans
Newstrade Directoror David Barker I must admit to being one of those access-obsessed
Group CFO/COO Brett Reynolds
Chief Executive James Tye
people. If the wireless drops for even a split second in
Company Founder
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ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER

PPER
R | MAY 2019 3
 CONTENTS
Contents
p78
p116
Regulars
6 Letters
Your monthly missives of wit and wisdom,
tips and tricks, and moans and groans
8 Mel’s World
So who inspired Charlie Brooker’s recent
critically acclaimed Netflix TV show?
Step forward our very own Mel Croucher,
creator of a life-affirming interactive game
in which the players control the storyline
10 Kay’s Corner
Kay Ewbank says goodbye to frost-bitten
fingers and sky-high fuel bills as she discovers
the delights of a power-usage monitor and an
app that turns the heating on automatically
12 Rants & Raves
Laptops are thinner, lighter and more durable
than ever before, and are stuffed with quality
components such as fast processors and
SSDs. But David Ludlow still isn’t happy –
they’re even harder to upgrade these days
138 Zygote
A slightly paranoid Zygote fails to be
reassured by the fact that the passcode
to get through the doors of GCHQ’s
National Cyber Security Centre is 1234
4 MAY 2019
Issue 375 May 2019
p100
p122
Features
p132
News
All the latest news and views from the
technology world, including:
14 News Round-up
78 Get The Best From Your Router
Samsung unveils new Galaxy smartphones,
and more 5G tech hits the shelves
Follow our guide to making the most of your
Wi-Fi and tweaking your router’s advanced
16 From The Lab settings, and you’ll be guaranteed a fast,
In-depth coverage of all the latest scientific reliable, always-on wireless connection
and technological advances
17 The Lowdown: Huawei spy claims
The Chinese company has been accused of
spying by the US. Should we be concerned?
18 MWC 2019
We round up all the latest and greatest
mobile tech from the Barcelona show
Learn 116 Losing Access
As Microsoft moves Office into the cloud,
128 Helpfile & Business Help Simon Handby examines some affordable
Got a PC problem, app annoyance or alternatives to its venerable Access database
Windows woe? Fear not: Simon Handby
is here to answer all your queries 122 Software At
Your Fingertips
132 Advanced Projects David Crookes recalls the
Clive Webster helps you to breathe more computing magazines that
easily in your own home with the help of provided the type-in code for
an indoor air-quality monitor cheap games and utilities
| COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
 p88

p116 p18

Reviews Group Tests

88 Mesh Systems
20 Hot Product Want to boost your
Nvidia’s ray-tracing tech comes to the masses with the RTX 2060 Founders wireless range to those
Edition, but it’s DLSS anti-aliasing and core performance improvements hard-to-reach parts of
that make this the most desirable mid-range graphics card on the market your home? You need
one of these eight top
mesh Wi-Fi systems
24 PCs 42 Video
The Z2 Mini G4 is HP’s latest mini-workstation, Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K finally gets Ultra HD 100 Headphones
10
and despite familiar looks it’s had some video content on to a smaller form factor Whether you want noise-
Wh
significant internal updates cancelling cans for long
ca
43 Home Cinema journeys or tiny wireless
jo
26 Laptops There are better soundbars, but the Denon earbuds for exercising,
ea
Even with gaming-style components, the MSI Heos Bar distinguishes itself with its these eight headphones
th
P65 Creator is a viable laptop for creatives expandability and smart features will be the perfect fit
wi

32 Components 44 Smart Home

Never mind RGB lighting – the Asus ROG Ryuo
240 thinks the future of AIO watercooler
customisation is an OLED screen
34 Storage
Samsung gets back on form with its 970 Evo
Plus SSD, a breathlessly fast NVMe drive
Finally, a smart screen that combines the
usual features with high sound quality
74 Your Software*
46 Handhelds This month we’re giving you the chance
If you can look past the dodgy camera, to get your hands on a fully automated
Huawei’s new P Smart is a temptingly backup solution, Genie Timeline 10
affordable Android phone

36 Networks
Other than twitchy motion detection, TP-Link’s
52 Wearables
Polar’s Vantage M running watch makes some
6 FULL
PACKAGES
Kasa Cam KC120 is a fine security camera key improvements, to great effect

38 Printers 54 Software
Expensive to run and short on printing fidelity, Magix Vegas Pro Edit 16 proves that adding
Brother’s MFC-J491DW can be safely avoided new features isn’t always preferable to
polishing existing ones
40 Photography
Still-shooters and videographers alike will love 56 Best Buys * FREE SOFTWARE
EDITION ONLY
the powerful, versatile Fujifilm X-T3 All the best kit we’ve reviewed recently

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 5

 LETTERS
Letters
It’s all very well having voice-activated smart devices dotted around your home,
but are they eavesdropping on your conversations without your permission?
letters@computershopper.co.uk
Listening in
A recent article on a Radio 4
programme highlighted the fact that
both Google Home and Amazon Echo can,
and do, eavesdrop on conversations around
their products without the key phrases being
spoken. The digitised data is saved and
analysed by the technology giants.
Star letter
Resistor rest
The latest issue of Computer Shopper
(374) arrived at the weekend and I
have to say that I enjoyed reading David
Ludlow’s article on the Raspberry Pi. I was
also impressed by the juxtaposition of the
Pi article and the following supercomputer
article; you couldn’t get a much larger
difference in capability than that.
But when David wrote the second
paragraph on page 111 he said that the
resistor goes between J60 on the
breadboard and the negative bus in
the same column. That’s not what the
picture shows: the resistor is in fact in G60.
Also, if you’re looking for a topic for
an article, may I suggest one on the
intricacies of the Windows boot process?
I have a dual boot laptop, Windows 10
and Vista, and whenever I boot it from a
shutdown it takes way longer than I’d
6 MAY 2019
Do users of these devices appreciate
that their children’s conversations are
being monitored if these devices are in
their bedrooms?
Apart from the privacy concerns,
could these conversations skew any
recommendations in a search request similar
to targeted adverts appearing on YouTube
and Facebook pages? Are these ‘always-on’
devices the start of the problems, associated
with Internet of Things products, which have
been voiced in many quarters, including the
worry about the lack of security and the ease
with which such devices can be hacked?
Dave Sheppard
Yes, both projects were in Python.
Thanks for sharing these concerns. It’s an
important area to investigate, and we’ll be Taxingsituation
covering our findings in the next issue. Your last Star Letter (Shopper 374) on
problems experienced with Kaspersky
Mounting Python Antivirus prompted me to write concerning
In the Raspberry Pi feature (Shopper some difficulties I experienced in filing ixbrl
374), you state that the camera documents with HMRC, generated from
project is written in Python. Is the LED proprietary tax software.
project also written in Python? The program requires the user to
Derek Jones download the prepared ixbrl document from
expect, and the disk activity light is on most
of the time. What the devil is it doing?
Steve Webb
Thanks for spotting that; it doesn’t matter
where in the ‘-’ column the resistor is plugged
in; for the main board it is G60. And thanks for
the tip to explore the Windows boot process;
that could make a useful future article.
❱❱ Write in and win
Do you wish your computer was faster when booting and loading
applications? Thanks to Crucial, you can achieve your dream of a
faster PC or laptop with a 500GB MX500 SSD. The writer of our
Star Letter will be awarded one of these solid-state devices, which
can be installed in a desktop PC or a laptop.
This SSD is 45 times more energy efficient than a typical hard STAR
drive and has sequential reads/writes up to 560/510 MB/s and random PRIZE
reads/writes up to 95K/90K IOPS, making it the perfect replacement for the 500GB
ageing hard drive in your sluggish PC. SSD
| COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

the HMRC website, which is then attached to
the return to be submitted online.
When I did this, the attachment was
rejected by HMRC, because it contained
some unauthorised text. After a lot of hair
pulling, I finally established that this text
was being inserted into the document by
Kaspersky, and the HMRC virus parsing
system was therefore rejecting it. My
workaround now is to temporarily shut
down Kaspersky before downloading the
document, and then start it back up again
(simply suspending it will not work).
It may be there are other readers
similarly affected, either using the same
or other software, which requires a
downloaded document to be in a specific
format, so I hope this may help.
Andrew Mumford
Palicomp palliative
It amazes me how many companies
– not just PC suppliers, in fairness – are
willing to spend lots of money on impressive
In the next issue
❱❱Excel
at Excel
A raft of tips
and tricks to get
your Microsoft
spreadsheets in
order and crunch
those numbers
faster
COMPUTER SHOPPER ISSUE 376 ON SALE IN NEWSAGENTS FROM 11th APRIL
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
websites that include various
means of contacting them,
and then totally ignore any
query you send them.
In 2015 I bought a PC
from Palicomp, based mainly
on adverts and reviews in
Computer Shopper. I spoke to
a very helpful guy who
talked me through exactly
what I needed, gave me a
really good deal and, in days, I was happily
using my lovely new fast PC.
In recent weeks it’s been causing a few
problems, so I thought I’d upgrade. I found
you can’t get through to the support
department via phone; you’re asked to send
them an email. In fairness, they do respond
– again via email. The accounts department
even sent me a copy of my original invoice.
Sales is a different matter. They
hey must be
selling lots of products because they
don’t seem interested in selling a
new one to me. Phone the
number that is plastered all
over the website and you go
through the inevitable press
button sequence a few times
but end up hanging on with no
indication if anyone is likely to
answer you. Then on other
occasions you are advised
that the phone system has
problems and you should send
them an email.
❱❱Build your
perfect PC
We test the top
processors,
motherboards,
graphics cards,
RAM, SSDs and
PC cases to help
you spec the ideal
machine, whatever
your budget
❱❱Analogue
revival
The trends and
products busting
the myth that
digital equals
good, analogue
means bad
LETTERS
I did this on more than one occasion,
but no response ever came. In desperation,
I even contacted the accounts and support
departments, asking them to get someone
from the sales department to contact me.
Nothing came of that, either.
You can build whatever specification you
want online, but there are always a few
things you’d like to discuss before shelling
out significant sums of money in the hope
that your selection is sound.
However, for some reason Palicomp are
reluctant to respond and take my order.
Dave
We asked Palicomp about your problems
contacting them and it responded: “We are
very sorry to confirm we did have some issues
with the phones. But as far as we were aware,
this was only with the support line. As you
have confirmed,
confirm we were dealing with these
queries
que within that time period by
email
ema and replying very quickly and
also via our sales line. We would
certainly never want to lose any
orders because customers cannot
get through to discuss the spec of
the PC they are looking at
purchasing. We will have a new
phone system installed by
mid-March, which should
eliminate any further issues. If you
would like to get back in touch
with us, we will offer you a £50
discount of one of our PCs.”
❱❱Go wild
We explore how
the latest advances
in artificial
intelligence and
drone technology
are helping to
protect wildlife
and their habitat
7
 MEL’S WORLD
Passive regression
He helped to inspire a modern TV classic in which viewers actively control the plotline,
but it’s the growth of passive viewing habits that’s making Mel Croucher despair
THERE WAS ONCE a little
Quaker boy called Charlton, who
got sent off to a nice school in
Oxfordshire. Charlton liked video
games, and when he turned 13 he
became a fan of one particular
game called Deus Ex Machina.
It was hopelessly life-affirming,
and it allowed him to influence
the plotline and outcome, like a
load of similar games. It was also
the first truly interactive movie,
running in real time, with voice
MEL CROUCHER actors and a full soundtrack. It
Tech pioneer and all-round good egg came with a large monochrome
letters@computershopper.co.uk poster of the face of a beautiful,
innocent yet alluring lady robot,
which the boy hung on his wall.
And that thought pleases me,
because I was the creator of the
game, and my intention was to
blow the minds of children just
like Charlton. Ten years later, he
was no longer a Quaker
schoolboy but a stroppy atheist,
and he was making a living
writing naughty cartoon strips
and highly scurrilous columns for
a magazine called PC Zone. I hope
his career choice was influenced
by the naughty cartoon strips
Last year, passive viewers watched active players
for more than 450 billion minutes on Twitch
and scurrilous columns I was
writing for the rival magazines he
devoured, but I suspect he already
considered me to be an old fart.
Back then I believed it was my
mission to take the mick out of
everyone in the computer
industry, and so did young
Charlton. He was calling himself
Charlie by then. Charlie Brooker.
Today, Charlie Brooker is
probably best known as the
creator of TV series Black Mirror.
In a brilliant recent episode, he
didn’t just nick my idea of an
interactive movie where players
influence the plotline and
outcome, he did it for real.
He set his episode in 1984,
which was the year of my game’s
8 MAY 2019
release, and he hung my old
poster on the wall for a touch
of authenticity. And yes, he did
ask permission. And yes, I was
more than happy to give it to
him. And no, he didn’t pay me.
Brooker’s use of the branching
narrative was seamless, and when
the viewer-player-actor makes a
choice via a mouse or remote
control there is absolutely no
buffering involved. And just like
in my old game, if the viewer-
player-actor refuses to make a
choice, then the movie-game-
stage makes it for them.
ALGORITHM METHOD
In future, I am sure this technique
will become a tool of the porn
and ultra-violence industries,
but consumers of mainstream
entertainment have become more
and more bone idle over the
years. In fact, vast numbers can’t
even be bothered to select the
crap entertainment they watch or
play, but allow algorithms to
select for them. So no, this is not
the future of movies, it’s the past.
Charlie Brooker didn’t predict
this, and neither did I. It was
predicted by Ray Bradbury in his
1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, where
books have been banned because
they encourage people to think,
and the 1966 film of that story was
one of my greatest influences.
In the movie, writer/director
François Truffaut introduces a
world in which the masses
consume pap via personal screens,
and believe they have choice in
determining the outcome of all
sorts of vacuous plotlines. They
don’t, of course, and the purpose
of such so-called entertainments
is to pretend the people have a
say in the way things are run,
what choices they have, and what
garbage they believe in.
And here we are, more than
half a century later, living in just
such a society. And we don’t even
need movies to condition the
masses, we can use video games.
People who live-stream their
gameplay are called streamers.
People who watch them playing
are called lost souls.
STREAMER CONSCIOUSNESS
Today, more people will watch
streamers play sports simulations
than will watch live sport. This
passive practice is ridiculously
popular on streaming sites such
as Twitch and YouTube.
Even back in 2014, Twitch
streams for computer games
attracted more traffic than
America’s leading cable and
satellite network HBO, with
professional streamers mashing
up high-level play and banal
commentary. Now they can
extort big money from sponsors,
subscriptions and donations.
Last year, passive viewers
watched active players for more
than 450 billion minutes on
Twitch alone, as the streamers
jiggled and babbled while
playing FIFA 19, Monster Hunter
World and all the rest.
One such streamer is a
charming young man called
Richard Tyler Blevins, who sports
attractive neon-tinted hair and
goes by the name of Ninja. He
has minted around $10m so far
from subscribers who pay to
watch him play Fortnite.
Let me just make that clear:
they are not paying to play
Fortnite themselves, they are
paying to watch Mr Ninja play.
Fortnite involves 100 players at a
time who fight and butcher one
another to the death until only
one is left alive, all in high-
definition video. There are
currently 200 million players of
the game. The youngest players
are aged eight, which should
worry their parents, but probably
doesn’t because mom and pop
are too busy passively watching
some other streamer.
The average age of a Fortnite
player is 13, which is the same age
as the schoolboy Charlie Brooker
was when my life-affirming game
helped turn him into a potty-
mouthed cynic. At least I know
I succeeded in something.
| COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
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 KAY’S CORNER
The heat is on
Armed with a reptile lamp to keep her fingers frost-free, a power-usage monitor and an
IFTTT app, Kay Ewbank is warming to the idea of saving some money on her fuel bills
THE BRITISH WEATHER is a
wonderful thing, but it could
never be called predictable. As
I’m writing this, everything is
hard frozen and my office bears
a strong resemblance to Ice
Station Zebra. I know there’s no
point replacing the car with
huskies, though, because next
week I’m just as likely to be
bemoaning the floods or the
drought or the heatwave.
If we lived in a country
KAY EWBANK where the weather was more
Software guru and Shopper legend predictable, we could plan for it;
letters@computershopper.co.uk have triple glazing and amazing
insulation, put in air conditioning
rather than relying on a couple of
fans. Of course, I could crack and
heat the place by turning up the
central heating (or put the fans
on to cool the place down when
the temperature changes), but I
object to doing either of these
things on two grounds. The first
(and noble) reason is that it’s not
exactly green to be using excess
fuel to keep whole rooms (or the
whole house) at a temperature
that’s high enough for me to
A smart meter shows just how much fuel or power is being used.
The information is enough to turn you into a dreadful combination of
your parents and the ARP warden from Dad’s Army as you go round
shouting at people to ‘turn that light off!’
comfortably sit still. The less
noble reason is that the fuel bill
is how much?
There has to be a techie
solution to the problem, and
there are several. The first thing
to do is to keep a tighter control
over where I’m spending money
on power. I’ve not got a smart
meter for my gas or electricity,
but those of you who have one
can see just how much fuel or
power is being used on either
your PC or your smartphone.
This can be alarming: turn on the
kettle and see the graph turn red.
10
The information is enough to
turn you into a dreadful
combination of your parents and
the ARP warden from Dad’s Army
as you go round shouting at
people to ‘turn that light off!’.
POWER TRICK
Now I could get a smart meter,
but that’s not the only way to
monitor power use. A web
search for plug-in power usage
monitors brought up a whole
range of devices that you plug
into a socket, then plug in the
kettle/toaster/washing machine
or whatever. The kit can then
report to an app on my PC or
smartphone so I can still keep
track of how much electricity is
being used. What’s more, many
apps (including mine) let you
remotely turn off the offending
device. I feel obliged to warn you
that recent tests show that being
too brutal with this facility can
cause family friction.
Being frugal with the power
doesn’t make my working
environment any more
comfortable, however. The
problem here is that what might
be comfortable for more active
occupations results in major loss
of circulation in the current
conditions, leading me to idle
web searching for ‘mouse hand
frostbite’ (which actually came
up with some allegedly real
images). The appliance of
science, fortunately, has an
answer. Don’t heat the whole
room, heat your immediate
environment – in this case, the
choice was either a heated
mouse mat, or (my personal
MAY 2019
preference) a reptile lamp that
heats the whole surface of the
desk, including the keyboard.
That way, my hands stay
warm without me running up a
massive electricity bill.
So that’s solved the problem
for while I’m sitting typing, but
I’ve also been looking at ways to
make sure the house is at a
reasonable temperature when I
get home. The simple option is to
set the timing to come on for
your normal home time, but that
doesn’t work if you stay out
socialising or get home early.
One fun thing you can try if
you have a smart thermostat
such as a Hive, Nest or Honeywell
Smart Thermostat, and you also
own an Android handset or
iPhone, is to set things up so that
when your phone (presumably
accompanied by yourself) gets
within a set location of your
home, the heating (or air
conditioning) turns on.
THIS AND THAT
To do this, you need to set up an
If This Then That account (you
can do this for free at ifttt.com).
You can then create an IFTTT
recipe. Choose your thermostat,
click on the blue This, and select
the Android or iOS Location.
You then select Choose a
trigger, select When you enter
an area, and set the circle for
the location to be whatever
radius around your home you
want to use as the distance for
the heating to come on.
You then choose the device to
select, and the temperature you
want to use. You can create an
equivalent option to turn it off
when you get a specified
distance away, so you don’t
accidentally leave the heating on.
So I’m sorted, whatever the
weather. My reptile lamp means
my fingers aren’t frozen. My
power-usage monitor stops me
fretting about how big my bill is
going to be. And my IFTTT app
means I get a warm welcome, no
matter what time I come in.
| COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
 RANTS & RAVES
It may be under suspicion for spying from some Western governments, but Huawei
is leading the way when it comes to innovative tech
d Mo ore - Colyer
Rolan
THINK OF A Chinese company, and Huawei will almost certainly
spring into your mind. It might not always be in the most positive
light, but the company has grown into an international titan of tech.
When Huawei popped its head above the parapet and peeked
into the Western world, many viewed it as a company that
effectively ripped off the designs and innovations of Apple and
South Korean tech firms.
There were plenty of early Huawei smartphones that had more
than a mere whiff of iPhone inspiration about them. But in recent
years, Huawei has emerged as more of a leader than a follower in
tech design and innovation.
It may get accusations of being in cahoots with the Chinese
government, and fears that its technology snoops on people still
remain in the mind’s eye of paranoid government agencies.
w
David Ludlo
LAPTOPS ARE LASTING longer than ever. Thanks to an iincreased
LAP ed
number of cores, software not really taking advantage of faster
processors and incremental growth, you can expect a decent laptop
to last you at least five years, if not longer. On top of that, laptops
have got thinner and lighter, making them easier to carry. So what’s
not to like? Well, the total lack of upgrade options is what.
It used to be that you could buy a laptop and then unscrew a
panel here or there to slot in some extra RAM or a bigger hard
drive. Today, with the very thinnest laptops, there are no upgrade
options at all, as the SSD and RAM are soldered on to the
motherboard. If you don’t get the spec you need at the time of
purchase, you’re stuffed in the future.
Although laptops are lasting longer in terms of CPU
performance, storage and RAM space are typically the two
12
Yet it has seemed to weather these suspicions and
pushed out some rather innovative tech of late. Take
the Matebook X Pro, a lovely ultraportable laptop with
a practically bezel-less display and pop-up webcam
hidden away under one of the keys. Both were
noteworthy features that Huawei led on, rather than
drawing inspiration from other laptop makers.
Then there’s the Mate 20 Pro, Huawei’s current flagship
phone. It was one of the first big-brand smartphones to sport an
under-display fingerprint scanner, and it also came with a slick
design, powerful 7-nanometre processor and a trio of rear cameras
augmented by AI capabilities. It felt like a truly standout phone,
packed with features that the latest iPhone can only aspire to.
And at MWC 2019 Huawei showed off the Mate X foldable phone.
It wasn’t the first foldable phone, having been pipped to the post
by the Royole FlexPai and the Samsung Galaxy Fold. But arguably it
was the best, with a big, bright folding OLED display facilitated by a
neat hinge design, as well as a gutsy processor and 5G connectivity.
As such, Huawei has emerged as one of the brands to watch as
opposed to one that’s worth a cursory glance at after Apple and
Samsung have rolled their latest gadgets off the production line.
I, for one, look forward to seeing what Huawei does next.
areas that you could do with more of as time goes on.
Who hasn’t bought a computer with a relatively
small hard drive, thinking it will do, only for it to get
filled up relatively quickly?
In many cases, the choice for a smaller drive is
taken because the cost of buying a more expensive
SSD can be extortionate. Yet as time goes on, flash
drives drop in price and the seemingly unaffordable
becomes affordable.
Not only that, but flash drives have shrunk massively. No longer
restricted to 2.5in hard disk enclosures, modern NVMe drives are
smaller than a stick of RAM. They click into a motherboard’s M.2
slot and sit pretty much flat with just a tiny bit of chip sticking up.
Even on a modern ultraportable laptop, it feels as though there
has to be room for an M.2 slot somewhere on the motherboard,
allowing for a simple, cost-effective upgrade. Sure, you can use
fast USB storage when you’re at your desk, but nothing beats
having more storage to carry around with you.
It seems rather unfair that a simple upgrade such as memory
or storage can’t be performed on many modern laptops, which
means you’re forced to upgrade before you’re really ready.
That’s perhaps good news for manufacturers that have seen
profits fall from longer lifecycles, but it’s bad for us consumers.
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
 The biggest stories from the tech world, and what they mean for you
Samsung sets the tone for 2019’s Android phones
SAY WHAT?
YOU DON’T NEED a crystal ball to predict that Samsung will release
a flagship phone at the start of every year. Nor do you need to read
tea-leaves to predict that the latest Galaxy phones will be near class-
leading examples of Android handsets.
But we didn’t expect Samsung to reveal five new Galaxy phones just
ahead of MWC 2019, yet that’s what the South Korean tech giant did.
Let’s get the straightforward stuff out of the way. Samsung revealed a
follow-up to its Galaxy S9 and S9+ in the form of the Galaxy S10 and S10+.
While the Galaxy S9 models were but a minor upgrade over the critically
acclaimed Galaxy S8, the S10 phones are a proper step up.
The Galaxy S10 features a 6.1in panel running at quad WHD
resolution, while the S10+ has a 6.4in panel. Alongside Galaxy S9
features such as fast charging and IP68 water resistance, the new
phones have a slicker design, with a glass chassis and metal trim
to support device-to-device wireless charging. They also pack in
an enhanced Infinity Edge display that now supports HDR10+; a
pinhole cutout for one or two front-facing cameras, depending
on whether the model is an S10 or S10+; and a trio of rear
cameras packed with smart artificial intelligence features.
Under the hood sits an octa-core chip that can be
paired with up to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
Old-school Galaxy fans will welcome the presence of the
microSD card slot to boost storage by up to 512GB and
the retention of the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Qualcomm gears up for the next wave of 5G tech
SAY WHAT?
5G IS COMING and will roll out across selected UK cities in 2019 and into
2020. Even though it’s early days, however, Qualcomm has already taken
the covers off its second-generation 5G modem chip.
There have been rather a lot of 5G announcements
doing the rounds, with little practical use to show.
But having a modem chip ready that hardware
manufacturers can tap into effectively means devices
using the technology will be somewhat future-proofed,
for a couple of years at least.
Now you might be scratching your head thinking
you’ve yet to see Qualcomm’s first 5G modem – the
Snapdragon X50 – but that chip is expected to pop up
in this year’s 5G phones paired with the Snapdragon
855 flagship system-on-a-chip (see News, Shopper 373).
The Snapdragon X50 is very much calibrated to go
with the Snapdragon 855. But the Snapdragon X55
modem is its own thing altogether.
It’s been designed to be customised for specific
devices, be it a smartphone, 5G router or some piece
of smart kit for industrial use.
And the modem chip promises even faster 5G, with 7Gbit/s downloads
and 3Gbit/s upload speeds, which Qualcomm has touted as the means to
enable all manner of future innovations and smart capabilities.
14
Next up is the Galaxy S10e, Samsung’s answer to the iPhone XR in
terms of a handset with most of the flagship specs of its siblings but with
a few cut corners to result in a cut price.
With a lower resolution display and slightly less slick design, the S10e
still has the processing grunt of its larger siblings and is a very nice phone
in its own right. At £699 it’s not cheap, but then it’s not as expensive as
the £799 S10 or the £899 S10+.
But the real stars of Samsung’s line-up were the Galaxy S10 5G and the
Galaxy Fold. The former is a more powerful S10 with a 5G modem for
access to the next generation of mobile broadband. It comes with a 6.7in
display, a large battery pack, 8GB of RAM and an extra 3D
depth-sensing lens, which will supposedly allow for
improved augmented reality app support with content
delivered over 5G.
The Galaxy Fold, however, is very different. As the name
would suggest, it’s a foldable phone with a diminutive 4.6in
display on the outside and a large 7.3in Dynamic AMOLED
display on the inside.
When folded, the Fold looks a bit like two iPhone XS
handsets stuck together, but unfolded it presents a
large, bright screen. Samsung touted its work with app
developers and optimisation of software to ensure that
using Android on a larger than usual display isn’t a
hideous mess. It also comes with six cameras in total.
It also taps into all sorts of connectivity, from the sub-6GHz frequency
to the fancy 5G New Radio millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum, as well
as backwards compatibility with previous G technology at the same time.
And for telecoms providers and hardware
makers wanting to offer connectivity to a standalone
5G network, the modem chip will also support that.
It has been designed to be paired with the
QTM525 5G mmWave quad-antenna module from
Qualcomm, which includes all manner of slick
capabilities, from tapping into different 5G bands to
optimising connectivity with networks in areas of
poor signal so that the best connection is achieved
but a load of battery power isn’t sucked up in order
to boost a signal.
In short, it might seem like a fairly dull modem
chip, but the Snapdragon X55 promises to build
chi
upon the foundations of the initial 5G roll-out and
upo
realise its potential.
rea
However, you shouldn’t expect to see a major
phone with the Snapdragon X55 until the end of
pho
the year at the earliest; we expect the next wave of 2020 Android
smartphones to have the chip in them. And if Apple and Qualcomm
settle their differences, next year’s iPhone might use the chip, too.
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

SO WHAT?
ONE COULD ARGUE that the
he Galaxy
S10, S10+ and S10e are very nice
phones but don’t offer anything
hing
hugely new. They simply
combine a lot of very good
features – under-display
fingerprint scanner, no
notch, powerful cameras –
into a very nice package.
But then they do set the
standard for other smartphone ne makers to
follow, and we’d say from firstt impressions
i i
they raise the bar very high.
Then there’s the 5G variant, which looks to
offer some extra bells and whistles over the
other S10 models but also has access to
superfast mobile broadband. As such, the
Galaxy S10 5G could be one of the main
phones to spearhead 5G adoption.
As for the Galaxy Fold, it’s the first properly
innovative smartphone we’ve seen in a while
that doesn’t seem like prototype tech.
There’s still a strong whiff of first-
generation tech to it, however, and foldable
SO WHAT?
THE TOUTED REFINEMENTS in the
Snapdragon X55 over its predecessor
promise a chip that can bring 5G connectivity
to all manner of devices.
So not only will smartphones come with
5G connectivity, but self-driving cars are also
pretty likely to use the Snapdragon X55, which
can be customised to suit the vehicles and will
allow them to better connect with all manner
of systems and services to enable their
autonomous systems to be smarter and safer.
It could also enable more robots to be sent out
and about beyond the range of Wi-Fi.
The Snapdragon X50 already promises
enough speed for streaming demanding
games from the cloud on to devices that
wouldn’t normally be able to handle them.
The Snapdragon X55 looks to improve upon
that, and if developers get working on apps
that can exploit access to high-bandwidth
connections, then who knows what killer
apps they could come up with; we suspect
augmented reality apps will pop up with
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
phones – if they take off – will get more refined
as the technology grows. Plus the hefty $1,980
price (about £1,488) of the Galaxy Fold is steep
now, but we would expect second-generation
phones to come down in price until they’re in
line with current non-folding flagship phones.
So Samsung really seems to be setting the
pitch and tone for Android smartphones in
2019. There will almost certainly be some other
noteworthy handsets, but Samsung’s approach
to bringing high-quality flagships makes it yet
again the one to watch.
more gusto than before thanks to rapid
connections back to smart systems.
Then there’s Qualcomm’s work on antenna
design. It may sound a tad tedious, but the
chip maker has managed to reduce the height
of the system, which should enable it to fit into
smaller and slimmer smartphones.
It was previously expected that the first
bout of 5G phones would be very bulky indeed
in order to have all the kit and powerful battery
to support a 5G connection. And some, such as
the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, are bigger than
their fellow smartphone siblings.
But Qualcomm’s antenna design could bring
top-level 5G connectivity to the smartphone
world without requiring smartphone makers to
compromise on their device design.
Qualcomm is not alone in making 5G chips;
Samsung and Huawei are also working on their
own modem chips. But it’s definitely one of the
companies driving the high-bandwidth and
always-connected future 5G has long promised
but is only just getting near delivering.
BOOTING UP
Graphics bargain
Nvidia has released the
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, a
mid-range graphics card with
the efficiency benefits of its
new Turing architecture
without the wallet-emptying
prices of its GeForce RTX cards
Bug hunting
Ubisoft is working with Mozilla to
allow the latter to use the former’s
Clever-Commit AI tool to sniff out bugs
in the Firefox browser, which in turn will
help the AI technology get smarter
Switch software switching
It’s possible to hack the Nintendo Switch
to run Android, which will likely annoy
the Japanese games giant – and wreck
your console’s warranty
Banks telling the truth
Banks are publishing details online of
how long it takes to open an account or
replace a stolen card. The move comes
after the FCA asked banks to show
evidence of the quality of their service
Labour security
The Labour Party was forced to shut
down its database after it found that an
MP who left the party to join the new
Independent Group was accessing data
on Labour’s canvassing and voters
Intel Mac chips
Intel expects Apple to shun its Core
series processors in Mac machines in
2020 and use its own chips based on
ARM designs
Microsoft military
machinations
Microsoft’s CEO
has defended the
company’s provision
of HoloLens
headsets to the US
military, despite
protests from
workers at the
Redmond firm
Don’t Dash to the shops
Amazon has stopped selling Dash
buttons, designed to be stuck on the
fridge or in the bathroom and pressed
to re-order household items like loo roll
CRASHING
15
 SOUND
Raspberry Pi Foundation opens a physical
store for its micro computers
BYTES
BACK IN 2012, the Raspberry Pi Foundation Companies
launched; at that time it was but a small
charitable organisation with just a mini
like Facebook
computer board on offer. Roll on seven should not be
years, and it’s now opened its first
dedicated retail store.
allowed to behave
Since the company’s inception, Raspberry like ʻdigital
Pi has consistently been building upon its
original micro computer board, with
gangsters’ in the
successive generations offering more online world”
performance and features, while the The Department for Digital,
Raspberry Pi family has been broadened out Culture, Media & Sport isn’t
with products such as the Internet of impressed with Facebook’s
Things-focused Compute Module 3+ and approach to privacy
the stripped-back Raspberry Pi Zero. It also way to achieving broader adoption of our products.
happens to be the UK’s best-selling PC of all Our vision has always been to make low-cost PCs
time, with millions of units now shipped. accessible to everyone; the shop provides potential
Something
In some ways, the range could be seen as a customers with a chance to learn about Raspberry unusual
tad bewildering, which is why a physical store in Pi, while at the same time giving us a chance to learn
Cambridge, where the Raspberry Pi Foundation has more about their needs. The kit is intended to
happened to
its headquarters, seems a shrewd move. provide a smoother out-of-box experience for this me yesterday.
The store will also be where the charity will sell group of new customers,” explained Eben Upton,
its Raspberry Pi kit, a bundle that offers the chief executive of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Actually, for me
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ and a suite of official “Of course, the shop will also be a great it wasn’t just
peripherals for beginners to get started with destination for existing Raspberry Pi fans. We have
single-board computer programming. a loyal and highly engaged community, and it’s unusual – it was
“Opening Raspberry Pi’s first shop, and great to be able to offer them another way to a first”
introducing the new kit, are important steps on our interact with us and our products.”
Amazon boss Jeff Bezos faced
blackmail from the National
Enquirer, which threatened

OpenAI says its latest smart tech is too to release saucy pics of the
world’s richest man

dangerous to release into the wild We know

RESEARCHERS AT OPENAI, the
non-profit artificial intelligence
research company founded by
Elon Musk, have said that a smart
tool they’ve created is too
dangerous to be shared with other
AI researchers and developers.
The boffins have created an
algorithm, dubbed GPT-2, which
aims to write text in a natural-
sounding way after trawling through millions upon
millions of web pages. But the researchers
discovered they had inadvertently created an AI tool
that could end up creating fake news and be
exploited to create malicious and inflammatory
content if released into the wild.
“Due to concerns about large language models
being used to generate deceptive, biased or abusive
language at scale, we are only releasing a much
smaller version of GPT-2, along with sampling
code. We are not releasing the dataset, training
code or GPT-2 model weights,” the researchers
wrote in a paper about their AI.
“Nearly a year ago, we wrote in the OpenAI
Charter: ‘we expect that safety and security
concerns will reduce our traditional publishing in
the future, while increasing the importance of
sharing safety, policy, and the physical
standards research,’ and we see
this current work as potentially media business is
representing the early beginnings here to stay”
of such concerns, which we expect Canadian entrepreneur
may grow over time.” Doug Putman, whose
The idea behind OpenAI’s work is company took over HMV,
that it helps advance the overall believes there’s life in the
research and development of AI. beleaguered high-street retailer
But refusing to release its research
in full and then publishing a paper that has not been
peer-reviewed at the time of writing has been seen
We have
by some AI academics and smart folks as bad form. to get the
As Delip Rao, founder and CEO of AI research
consulting company Joostware, noted: “There is basics right, like
no denying that technology will have a similar having computers
catalytic effect as it has in every other realm of
human existence, but we need to be cautious that work and
before calling ‘wolf’ in this situation because such getting rid of
efforts shift focus disproportionately from the
reality of the situation.” archaic technology
It’s also worth noting that some of the results like pagers and
OpenAI showcased for its AI algorithm were not
always convincing, with structural problems and fax machines”
inaccuracies. But they did appear to be coherent, Health secretary Matt Hancock
meaning there’s potential for GPT-2 to generate is giving the NHS until 2021 to
text that’s riddled with misinformation. phase out its 130,000 pagers

16 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

 Is Huawei spying on us?
Huawei tech has been branded a security risk by the West, but is it all smoke and no fire?

HANG ON, HUAWEI SPIES FOR CHINA?

We’re not going to throw accusations around here, but
we’ll pick away at the situation so far.
Officially, Huawei doesn’t spy for China’s communist
government, despite the People’s Republic of China
having a big role in interfering with tech companies,
both those native to China and guests in the nation.
The government imposes rigorous blocks on some
sites and services, forces companies to comply with
censorship restrictions and generally isn’t particularly
hands-off with tech firms, unlike western nations.
However, things get a bit muddier when it comes
to accusations of spying. While Huawei needs to
comply with China’s laws within the nation, which
could mean it might be compelled to hand over data
it holds on Chinese citizens, it’s also very much an
international company these days. That means when
it operates in the US and UK, it has to obey the
particular laws of those countries.
As such, Huawei said it would be illegal to hand over data it holds Germany also shares the UK’s stance, which flies in the face of the
about US customers to Chinese authorities. US’s desire to have its allies ban Huawei.
“We never participate in espionage and we do not allow any of our
employees to do any act like that. And we absolutely never install HOW HAS HUAWEI REACTED?
backdoors. Even if we were required by Chinese law, we would firmly While Huawei isn’t exactly happy with the US ban and some of the
reject that,” Huawei president and founder Ren Zhengfei told CBS News. suspicions other nations have about it, Zhengfei has come across as
a tad pragmatic about the situation.
SO WHAT’S THE US’S PROBLEM WITH HUAWEI? “There’s no way the US can crush us,” Zhengfei told the BBC.
Simply put, the US doesn’t buy Huawei’s line on not spying. President “The world cannot leave us because we are more advanced. Even if
Trump has moved to officially ban Huawei’s and fellow Chinese they persuade more countries not to use us temporarily, we can
company ZTE’s mobile and telecoms technology for use in the always scale things down a bit. If the lights go out in the West, the
government and by any government supplier. East will still shine. And if the North goes dark, there is still the South.
That won’t mean Huawei technology will be purged from the US, America doesn’t represent the world. America only represents a
but it certainly won’t see use in arms of the government. And the portion of the world.”
rollout of updated telecoms networks with 5G, for example, could see It’s worth noting that there’s no hard evidence that can prove
Huawei shunned in favour of tech from other Huawei snoops on the West and works
firms such as US-based Qualcomm. alongside the Chinese government. But it’s
Added to that, the US has also banned
the purchase of Huawei phones by US
“We need to decide the extent very difficult to say for sure that Huawei
can’t and won’t use its technology to spy on
companies, which makes it difficult for US
citizens to get their hands on the Chinese
to which we are comfortable China’s behalf in the future unless it gets
heavily and independently monitored. It’s
company’s latest handsets without working
around the ban by buying through Amazon
with Chinese ownership of just at the moment, it would appear there’s
smoke without the fire.
or importing the phone into US borders.
The US hasn’t exactly established the
these technologies” HUAWEI PHONES DON’T SPY ON
best relationship with Huawei recently, ME, THEN?
either, given it had Canada arrest Huawei chief finance officer and Not exactly, or at least not more than any other phone, from what we
daughter of the company’s founder, Meng Wanzhou, for allegedly know so far. Every smartphone tracks its users in some way to locate
violating US trade sanctions with Iran, something Huawei has claimed cell towers or enable location services.
is “politically motivated”. And depending on the permissions the apps have on your
But the US’s antipathy towards Huawei has also been pushed smartphone, you could have your location and data sucked up and
further, with it wanting other nations to embrace its ban. tracked by other companies.
The UK has said it has its own concerns about Huawei’s potential As such, a Huawei Mate 20 Pro, for example, could collect some
snooping, but hasn’t introduced a ban, although BT has already of your information, but only in a similar fashion to phones
pledged to strip Huawei’s tech from its core network infrastructure. manufactured by other companies.
Britain also reckons the threat is manageable and that banning So we can’t go advising you take a hammer to your Huawei phone.
Huawei’s telecoms tech could slow down the country’s rollout of 5G. At the same time, there are plenty of other very impressive Android
“We need to decide the extent to which we are going to be phones in the market, so if you’re particularly paranoid over Huawei
comfortable with Chinese ownership of these technologies and these products, there are more than a few alternative smartphones to make
platforms in an environment where some of our allies have taken quite getting the latest and greatest Huawei mobiles less of a big deal and in
a definite position,” said head of MI6 Alex Younger. some ways less of a privacy threat.

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 17

 MWC Barcelona 2019
The trade show previously known as Mobile World Congress returned in
February. James Archer went to see what’s new in on-the-go tech
ABOVE THE FOLD
Huawei had a heavy presence at MWC,
announcing three new laptops and its first
crack at a foldable smartphone: the Mate
X. Whereas the rival Samsung Galaxy Fold
(see below) has a smaller screen on the
outside and a larger screen on the inside,
the Mate X has two massive 6in displays –
one on the front, one on the back – that
combine to make a single, 2,840x2,200
OLED screen, a design Huawei credits to
its purpose-built ‘falcon wing’ hinge.
The triple-lens camera, which we’re told
will likely be similar in specs and capability
to the Mate 20 Pro’s, is positioned on a
bar that runs down the rear, along with a
combined power button and fingerprint
sensor. There’s 5G connectivity, too. It’s an
overall much sleeker device than the
Galaxy Fold, but also even more expensive:
it will cost €2,299 (around £1,972) when it
launches in mid-2019.
Huawei Mate X
As for the trio of laptops, the most
luxurious was a new version of last year’s
Matebook X Pro (out in April), along with
the cheaper Matebook 14 (also out in
April) and a touchscreen version of the
Matebook 13 (out in February). All three
are thin and light ultrabooks, with various
8th-gen Intel Core i5 and i7 options, but
the most interesting feature they share is
OneHop. This combines NFC and Bluetooth
to allow you to near-instantly swap photos
and copied text between one of the new
Matebooks and any compatible Huawei
or Honor smartphone, which will be any
model running EMUI 9.0 or later.
FLAT HUNTING
Samsung gave us our first in-the-flesh look
at its own foldable handset, the Galaxy Fold
(see Need to Know, page 14). Being encased
in a display and cordoned off, we couldn’t
go hands-on with it, but it did somewhat
18
Samsung Galaxy Fold
assuage our fears that it wouldn’t unfold to be
completely flat – something that appeared to
be the case at the initial Samsung launch
event earlier in February.
Instead, however, our close-up look
revealed a visible spine down the middle of
the screen, a concern we also have with the
Huawei Mate X. Whether you’ll actually be
able to feel this fold line when using the
touchscreen, or if it’s a noticeable distraction
when watching full-screen video, will have
to wait until both parties are more willing to
put their devices in our hands.
GIMME FIVE
Foldable phones weren’t the only trend at
MWC. Even more prevalent was the advent of
5G, and several major smartphone launches
suggest it’s going to go mainstream very
soon. One such device was the LG V50 ThinQ.
There’s no price or release date yet, but it’s
LG V50 ThinQ
certainly as up to date as a premium handset
can be, with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855
SoC and Snapdragon X50 modem providing
the brainpower and 5G capability respectively.
With 6GB of RAM, a triple-lens rear
camera and a double-lens front camera,
there’s a lot of high-end hardware in the V50
ThinQ, but LG has prepared for any potential
heat issues with an internal vapour chamber
that’s 40% larger than the one in the V40
ThinQ. There’s also an unusual clip-on
attachment, sold separately, that adds a
second display on the side, although since
this adds 131g of weight and has a lower
2,160x1,080 resolution than the V50 ThinQ’s
main 3,120x1,440 display, it’s unlikely to
overshadow 5G as the main attraction.
TALL ORDER
Sony also showed off a 5G device, albeit a
rough prototype – don’t expect it to launch
alongside Sony’s centrepiece handsets,
the Xperia 1, Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus.
All three aim for maximum screen height,
Sony Xperia 1, Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus
with 21:9 aspect ratios and sizes ranging from
6in on the Xperia 10 to 6.5in on the Xperia 1
and Xperia 10 Plus.
The idea, according to Sony, is that you
can watch a greater range of widescreen-shot
movies and TV on these smartphones without
a shorter aspect ratio cutting off content.
There’s also a multitasking focus, especially
on the Xperia 1, which has a more powerful
Snapdragon 855 processor to handle the
extra strain, and a higher 4K resolution to
keep each app looking crisp when stuffed
into half of the total screen space.
We also successfully tried Sony’s
exclusive Google Assistant commands for
simultaneously opening two apps in a dual
window view. This will only work with 10
apps at launch, but they are major ones
including Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp.
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

TP-Link Deco X10
AND MY AX
In addition to 5G, there was plenty of buzz
around Wi-Fi 6, or 802.11ax – the next-
generation Wi-Fi standard that’s set to take
over from 802.11ac when it launches later this
year. Network specialist TP-Link was already
on the case at MWC, revealing the Deco X10
mesh system. We got a look at the main
tri-band router, which along with the system’s
satellites will use BSS Colouring – something
that’s possible on 802.11ax but not 802.11ac
– to identify and ignore overlapping radio
waves on the same channel. In effect, this
could improve performance in congested
areas by nullifying the congestion altogether.
The Deco X10 also includes a built-in
smart hub for managing smart home
equipment, just like the Deco M9 Plus that
TP-Link unveiled last year.
PAINTS-BASED SYSTEM
Netgear didn’t have much in the way of new
products, even if its Meural – a ‘smart canvas’
that displays high-quality digital renditions of
paintings in a wooden, Wi-Fi-enabled frame –
was one of the quirkier things at the show.
Still, what it did have was certainly in keeping
with the themes of the show.
The Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot, for
instance, was first revealed in October 2018,
but is still waiting for working 5G networks
Netgear Meural
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
Netgear Nighthawk AX12
to become available. We also got our first
close inspection of the Nighthawk AX12,
Netgear’s second 802.11ax router, following
the Nighthawk AX8, which launched
arguably prematurely last year.
Just like the AX8, the AX12 is a big,
beastly thing that looks more like a Star Wars
spaceship than a conventional router, with
massive upturned wings holding the internal
antennas permanently upright. Because this
model has an 8x8 antenna array for its 5GHz
network, expect it to cost a fair bit more than
the £279 AX8, which has 4x4 arrays for both
its 5GHz and 2.4GHz networks.
BRIGHT IDEAS
Lenovo – or more specifically, its subsidiary
Motorola – was also keen to capitalise on all
the 5G excitement. Not by launching an
all-new smartphone, however: instead,
Motorola revealed the Moto 5G Moto Mod,
an attachment for the existing Moto Z3.
The bad news is that it’s only available in
the US, and the worse news – at least for
eligible American customers – is that the
Moto G5 is almost comically enormous, a
fat black brick that seems to triple the
effective depth of the phone.
A much more palatable product, and
one that is coming to the UK (at some
undetermined point), is Lenovo’s IdeaPad
S340. Lenovo was one of the few companies
giving serious attention to laptops at MWC,
and while these were mostly minor updates
to its business-focused ThinkPad range, the
IdeaPad S340 emerged as an interesting and
affordable everyday clamshell.
Lenovo IdeaPad S340
A base model starts at
€549 (about £471) but it’s
well built, has a sharp Full HD
display and is crammed with
connection ports on both
edges. There are loads of CPU
choices if you want more
power, up to the Intel Core
i7-8565, and Nvidia’s GeForce
MX250 is an optional extra, too.
FLEXED IN LINE
There were two more foldable phones at
MWC, and both were on show with very
little fanfare – possibly because they might
not end up being real phones at all. Instead,
the purpose of budget smartphone firm
Alcatel’s modest display wasn’t to
announce completed devices per se, but to
act as a proof of concept for parent
company TCL’s DragonHinge design.
From what we could see, it’s a lot more
basic-looking g tthan Huawei’s hinge,
nge, but
b
TCL DragonHinge
it also resembles the ‘dynamic fulcrum’
hinge on Microsoft’s Surface Book laptops.
The fact that TCL is working on foldable
smartphone tech is also a pretty big deal in
itself, even if there wasn’t much of a song
and dance about it on the show floor. TCL
owns both Alcatel and BlackBerry, so we
could potentially be seeing far more
affordable bendy phones and foldable
business-focused phones in the near
future. Both could easily find a place if the
general concept catches on, as all we’ve
seen so far are a couple of prohibitively
expensive, enthusiast consumer models.
TCL DragonHinge
19
 REVIEWS
YOUR TRUSTED GUIDE TO WHAT’S NEW

NVIDIA
GeForce RTX 2060
Founders Edition

GAMING GRAPHICS CARD

★★★★★
£329 • From www.nvidia.com

VERDICT
Despite a price bump, the RTX 2060 is a convincing
mid-range performer with some appealing Turing tricks

20 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

TO UNDERSTAND THE importance of the
RTX 2060, Nvidia’s newest mid-range gaming
card, it’s important to recall the success of
its predecessor, the GTX 1060 (Shopper 345).
That was an affordable GPU, around £250
depending on the model, and yet would sail
through games at 1080p, cope well with
1440p and even handle certain games at 4K,
notwithstanding some settings-tinkering.
As such, the GTX 1060 essentially became
the de facto mid-tier GPU among DIY PC
builders and international manufacturers
alike. It took AMD three attempts to come
up with something that would meaningfully
outperform it – the Radeon RX 480 (Shopper
345), RX 580 (Shopper 357) and RX 590
(Shopper 374) – and, in what is either a
cruel twist of fate or a case of questionable
business planning, the last of these has
come out just in time for the RTX 2060 to
reset everything once again.
MORE FOR MORE
Like the rest of the RTX 20-series cards, the
RTX 2060 is built on Nvidia’s 12nm Turing
architecture, which means it too can enable
the series’ headline features of ray-tracing and
Deep Learning Super-Sampling (DLSS) in
games. The former, in theory, allows for
better-looking lighting and shadows by more
realistically simulating how light bounces
around a scene, while DLSS is the product
of Nvidia’s own supercomputer cluster
figuring out how to apply anti-aliasing
without the usual performance hit.
Both technologies are interesting, but
currently sparsely supported by actual
games. Luckily, the RTX 2060 also promises
a big boost to core performance. Its 6GB of
VRAM (there’s no cheaper 3GB version this
time) is of the new GDDR6 variety, with
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
bandwidth reaching 336GB/s compared to
192GB/s on the GTX 1060’s GDDR5. And
while peak stock CUDA core speeds have
dropped from 1,708MHz to 1,680MHz, the
RTX 2060 has a lot more of them than the
GTX 1060, with 1,920 compared to 1,280.
Despite all this, there’s one potential source
of anxiety: the price. With the Founders
Edition model we’re testing here costing £329,
and some partner cards exceeding £350, the
RTX 2060 represents a big leap for more than
Crucially, the RTX 2060 beats the RX 590 on in-game
performance, even without any DLSS trickery
just specs. It’s still the cheapest Nvidia card
that can add ray-tracing to your PC’s
capabilities, but for straightforward 1080p
and 1440p gaming, the RTX 2060 must open
up a commanding performance lead over the
£250 Radeon RX 590.
SOLO PERFORMANCE
We’ll get to that soon, but first, let’s look at
the card itself. Nvidia’s Founders Edition
design sticks with the clean, mostly aluminium
form and styling of its higher-end RTX
Founders Edition models, including dual axial
fans and a silvery backplate.
There’s a good mix of outputs: namely, one
HDMI port, two DisplayPorts, one dual-link
DVI-D socket and a USB Type-C VirtualLink
port. VirtualLink is an all-in-one standard for
delivering video signal and power to and from
VR headsets; it’s a niche inclusion, then, but
one that could be very useful to VR fans
(especially those who might need the single
HDMI port for their monitor instead).
At 229mm long, it’s slightly shorter than
the GTX 1060 Founders Edition, making it
even easier to fit into smaller cases – a nice
nod toward this being a card for (almost)
everyone, including those who don’t want or
can’t afford a massive chassis. Like the GTX
1060, however, there’s no bridge connector
for running two RTX 2060s in an SLI
configuration, something that (of the current
generation) is only possible with the RTX 2080
(Shopper 373) and RTX 2080 Ti (Shopper 371).
Still, it’s a well-built card on the whole.
The twin fans are silent under light loads and
never annoyingly loud under sustained load.
We heard brief spurts of coil whine during
our testing, but only twice, and both during
menu screens rather than gameplay.
Core temperatures are kept well under
control, too. During multiple repeat runnings
of the Tomb Raider benchmark, for example, it
tended to stay around 70°C and peaked at
74°C – funnily enough, these are the exact
same figures as those of the RX 590 model we
tested, XFX’s Radeon RX 590 Fatboy 8GB.
Where Nvidia’s card pulls ahead is
efficiency. True, this requires an 8-pin PSU
cable and has a TDP of 160W, so it’s thirstier
than the 6-pin, 120W GTX 1060, but according
to GPU-Z its total power consumption never
pushed past the official figures, generally
staying within the 150W-160W range. That’s a
much better showing than the RX 590, which
we recorded peaking as high as 255W.
ACQUIRED HASTE
Crucially, the RTX 2060 also beats the RX 590
on in-game performance, even without any
DLSS trickery. Dirt Showdown, running on
Ultra quality with 4x MSAA, didn’t initially
look like a great result: we got 116fps out of
the RTX 2060, just 1fps higher than the RX
590 and 14fps lower than the GTX 1060.
Rather than Nvidia taking a step backwards,
however, we reckon this is an issue with our
test PC’s aging Core i7-4770K bottlenecking
the GPU, as Dirt is particularly CPU-reliant.
21
 This theory appeared confirmed as
the RTX 2060 also scored 116fps
at 2,560x1,440, but this time
it had opened a lead over
the GTX 1060 and RX 590,
which managed 97fps and
108fps respectively. The
biggest improvement was at
3,840x2,160, with the RTX 2060
averaging a smooth 86fps – 32fps
more than the GTX 1060, and 19fps more
than the RX 590.
Metro: Last Light Redux was another win,
as the RTX 2060 tallied 79fps at 1080p (the
only card of the three to breach 60fps in the
process), as well as 46fps at 1440p, all with
Very High settings, SSAA turned on and every
other graphical feature (such as tessellation)
enabled. 4K proved too much, as here the RTX
2060 could only limp to 20fps, but that’s still
better than the 12fps produced by both the
GTX 1060 and RX 590. Getting a playable
frame rate is easy, too – simply by disabling
SSAA (which isn’t very helpful at such a high
resolution anyway) and dropping to High
quality, we got 58fps out of the RTX 2060.
Tomb Raider, which is both less intensive
than Metro and better at scaling with
hardware than Dirt Showdown, was perhaps
the RTX 2060’s finest hour: with Ultimate
We can easily see DLSS offering the best balance between
effective edge-smoothing and unshackled performance
quality and FXAA, it achieved a silky 170fps, an
enormous jump up from the RX 590’s 116fps
and the GTX 1060’s 102fps. There were smaller
but still impressive gains at higher resolutions,
too: 105fps at 1440p is 26fps higher than on
the RX 590, while 52fps at 4K is 13fps higher.
VIRTUALLY PERFECT
The RX 2060 is also the first non-high-end
card we’ve seen land a perfect score of 11 in
the SteamVR Performance Test. The RX 590,
conversely, only managed 8.1, so VR games
will run noticeably better on the RTX 2060.
Speaking of premium cards, the RTX
2060’s benchmark results aren’t just higher
than rival mid-rangers. They also put it slightly
ahead of the GTX 1070, ending up roughly
even with the GTX 1070 Ti. These both cost
significantly more, especially the £480 GTX
1070 Ti – so, far from being a rip-off on
Nvidia’s part, the RTX 2060 is pretty decent
value on pure performance terms.
There are a couple more tricks the RTX
2060 can pull out. The first is DLSS, and
while it’s not as headline-grabbing as the
shiny lights of ray-tracing, it is the technology
we think will make a more positive difference
to a greater number of players.
Sadly, only one of the 25 planned DLSS-
capable games – Final Fantasy XV – is both
currently available and has a working
implementation. It’s also very limited in
22
that it only works with
the resolution set to
3,840x2,160. Still, from what
we’ve seen in XV’s benchmark tool,
DLSS has enormous potential: with
conventional temporal anti-aliasing (TAA)
enabled, the RTX 2060 came out with a
score of 3,789, denoting ‘Standard’
performance, but after switching to DLSS it
boosted to 4,886, a ‘Fairly High’ result.
That’s a 29% improvement at the click of
a button, with no compromising on the
smoothness of edges. Some users have
reported issues such as texture shimmering
when using DLSS (a likely effect of how it uses
AI-sourced approximations of some frames, to
reduce load), but to our eyes there wasn’t a
clearly visible difference between TAA and
DLSS, at least besides the smoother
performance. As long as more games add or
launch with support, particularly for lower
resolutions, we can easily see DLSS offering
the best balance between effective edge-
smoothing and unshackled performance.
RAY OF HOPE
Ray-tracing, on the other hand, feels like
Nvidia’s ambition colliding a bit too awkwardly
with what the RTX 2060 can actually achieve.
That’s not to say it’s a waste of time: in
Battlefield V, currently the only game to fully
support ray-tracing, the woodland shootouts
of the Tirailleur campaign were visibly prettier
with RTX enabled. Without, shadows seemed
flatter, and well-lit areas not quite as well lit.
The problem is that it also cuts
performance by almost half, dropping from
100fps (using 1080p resolution, TAA and
Ultra quality) to about 55fps. That’s still
playable, and performance could improve as
developers become more familiar with and
more capable of optimising the technology,
but for now RTX 2060 owners can expect to
pay a big frames-per-second price for those
nicer-looking effects.
Even if ray-tracing needs work, the RTX
2060 is more than enough graphics card to be
worth £329. Core performance alone ensures
it’s a superb card for 1080p and 1440p alike,
and with the addition of DLSS, it makes the
RX 590 look like the oldest of old hat – a
scant few weeks after the AMD GPU’s launch.
In fairness, any excitement about the RTX
2060 should be tempered with a certain
wariness about where Nvidia is going with its
20-series cards. Bumping up prices isn’t
ruinous if each model can both outclass the
competition and bring along support for cool
new features, but the only 10-series cards that
are due replacements – the GTX 1030, 1050
and 1050 Ti – are all firmly budget options.
As much as we like the RTX 2060, it’s hard to
see something like ray-tracing working on
cards with modest performance to start with,
and raising their prices will defeat the point of
entry-level cards, regardless of how much
fancy tech is stuffed in them.
Still, that’s then, and the RTX 2060 is now.
It’s far more powerful and efficient than the
RX 590, so even if DLSS and ray-tracing
support is yet to become widespread, it’s a
good buy for anyone upgrading from a
budget card or building a new rig from scratch.
A worthy successor to the GTX 1060, indeed.
James Archer
SPECIFICATIONS
GPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 • MEMORY 6GB GDDR6 •
GRAPHICS CARD LENGTH 229mm • WARRANTY Three
years repair and replace • DETAILS www.nvidia.com •
PART CODE GeForce RTX 2060 Founders Edition
Dirt Showdown 116fps
Metro: Last Light 79fps
170fps
Tomb Raider
0% -50 Reference +50 +100
See page 112 for performance details
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE.
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Building on unrivalled OM-D system mobility, the E-M1X is tougher, faster and smarter
with the world’s best image stabilisation* and stand out new capabilities including 50MP
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Built-in vertical grip houses two batteries for extended shooting with optimal ergonomic
design for pro photographers. All new shutter mechanism is tested to 400,000 actuations.
Re-developed autofocus system takes high-speed performance to another level with twin
processors while the new MyMenu option provides the ultimate in customised operability.

Demand the ultimate in system mobility, performance and reliability, the new E-M1X.
* Based on the CIPA standard, within system cameras, E-M1X with
Find out more at your Olympus Pro dealer or visit www.olympus.co.uk M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm F4.0 IS PRO: 7.5 EV compensation, as of 1/2019.
 MINI WORKSTATION PC
HP Z2 Mini G4
★★★★★
£1,715 • From store.hp.com
VERDICT
An improved, pleasantly compact Xeon-
based workstation, but it has its limits
IN KEEPING WITH the Z2 family’s identity as
serious-faced workstations, the HP Z2 Mini G4
is a conservative update rather than a radical
one. It’s visually indistinguishable, in fact, from
the Z2 Mini G3 (Shopper 355) it replaces.
That’s not strictly a complaint. The Z2 Mini
G3 was one of the few feasible options for
getting proper workstation-grade components
in a mini-PC form factor, and the Z2 Mini G4
gives you that same choice but with updated
internals. In the top-spec model we tested, for
example, a hexa-core Intel Xeon E-2176G vPro
CPU is joined by a 4GB Nvidia Quadro P1000
graphics chip and a 512GB NVMe SSD. Oddly,
our sample unit came with 16GB of DDR4
memory, but it looks like you can only get the
Z2 Mini G4 with 32GB on HP’s site.
Either way, this is a considerable set of
upgrades over the Z2 Mini G3, which for just
a couple of hundred pounds less only had a
quad-core processor and a far less capable
CAD GPU in the 2GB Quadro M620.
HARD WORK
Performance testing shows the CPU power
leap we were hoping for: the Z2 Mini G4
scored 163 in our 4K benchmarks’ image test,
213 in the video test, 259 in the multitasking
test and 227 overall. Considering the Z2 Mini
G3 scored 150 in the multitasking test and
142 overall, the G4 is much closer to the
kind of multithreaded power that defines a
workstation, and you could expect an even
better showing from HP’s retail version, which
has twice the amount of RAM of our test PC.
That said, there have been some big moves
in CPU production since the launch of the
previous system, and while the Z2 Mini G4 is
inarguably powerful, you could get higher
multicore performance out of any recent
consumer-grade Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7
CPU. Judging by these results, the Xeon
E-2176G is no faster in photo editing or video
encoding than the mid-range Ryzen 5 2600,
which can be found in desktop systems
costing £700.
24
If you think it’s worth paying more for a
Xeon CPU, it will be because you care about
longevity and data integrity as much as pure
performance. Xeon chips take longer to wear
out when running demanding applications for
long periods, and they can help prevent RAM
failure with their support for error-correcting
code (ECC) memory. Unlike the Z2 Mini G3,
the Z2 Mini G4 uses ECC RAM modules, so
there are practical benefits to the CPU even if
it’s outpaced by cheaper consumer parts.
POWER OF FOUR
The Quadro GPU, too, is almost perfect for
a compact workstation. It outperforms
similarly priced, gaming-focused GeForce
cards in programs such as Maya and 3ds
Max, and while it’s not up to the performance
standards of the Quadro P3000 and P4000,
these only tend to feature in workstations
that are even more expensive.
Surprisingly, the Quadro P1000 isn’t a
terrible gaming GPU: you’d be best off sticking
to 1,920x1,080, should the opportunity to
slack off from work arise, but with maximum
settings we still got Dirt Showdown running at
a smooth 56fps. Metro: Last Light Redux
managed only 19fps, but this jumped up to
41fps once we disabled SSAA and tessellation.
Best of all is the SSD, another big
improvement on the Z2 Mini G3. That PC’s
drive suffered from slow write speeds, but
using AS SSD, we measured a very fast
1,779.8MB/s write speed and an even quicker
2,356.5MB/s read speed. 512GB isn’t an ideal
capacity if you’re working with large image
and video files, but it’s fine to start with, and
its performance shouldn’t slow you down.
If needed, you can always add another SSD
or miniature hard disk to the empty 2.5in tray
within. Opening up the Z2 Mini G4 is easy –
just flick a switch at the back and pop the lid
open, no tools necessary – and as the 2.5in
tray sits on top, it’s easy to access. As with the
Z2 Mini G3, making changes to the
motherboard or CPU is far trickier, but there is
one other design touch that allows for simple
customisation: there’s a cooler positioned over
the SO-DIMM memory slots, but it’s on a
hinge instead of screwed down. Thus, you can
simply lift it upwards to access the RAM.
It’s a shame HP hasn’t done much about
the Z2 Mini range’s lack of connectivity,
however. As with the G3, there are only four
full-size USB3 ports in total, and no SD card
slot. There is one more USB Type-C port, for a
total of three, plus an Ethernet jack and three
DisplayPort outputs, but no HDMI.
ON REPEAT
The performance improvements are welcome,
but this new version is so similar to the Z2
Mini G3 that they share the same strengths
and weaknesses. We don’t recommend the
Z2 Mini G4 if you want the most powerful
or best-value workstation, but it could be
ideal if you specifically want something
reasonably capable yet small enough to
VESA-mount on the back of a monitor.
James Archer
SPECIFICATIONS
PROCESSOR Hexa-core 3.7GHz Intel Xeon E-2176G • RAM
16GB DDR4 • FRONT USB PORTS 2x USB3, 1x USB Type-C •
REAR USB PORTS 2x USB3, 2x USB Type-C • GRAPHICS
CARD 4GB Nvidia Quadro P1000 • STORAGE 512GB SSD •
DISPLAY None • OPERATING SYSTEM Windows 10 Pro •
WARRANTY Three years onsite, including parts and labour •
DETAILS www.hp.com • PART CODE 5HZ78EA#ABU
Windows overall 227
Multitasking 259
Dirt Showdown 56fps
Metro: Last Light 19fps
0% -50 Reference +50 +100
See page 112 for performance details
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
DESKTOP GAMING PC
MEDION Erazer P66042
★★★★★
£1,000 • From www.very.co.uk
VERDICT
This slim PC is a competent gaming machine,
but you can get much more for less money
IN MANY WAYS the Erazer P66042 isn’t
much of a risk-taker: both its 6GB Nvidia
GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card and Intel
Core i5-8400 are common choices for a
mid-range gaming PC. It’s not a boring PC
either, however, as Medion has added a couple
of little design flourishes to the chassis.
For example, the lights on the front panel
can change hue, offering a decent degree of
personalisation. Whereas most chassis force
you to change colours in the BIOS or through
software, the Erazer P66042 has a pair of
well-disguised buttons on the front panel,
which cycle through the pre-set colours.
It’s an easier and far more immediate way of
customising the look.
THE INS AND OUTS
There’s also a little gift for those who like to
switch up their storage: a combined 2.5in/3.5in
drive tray that pulls out from the front. It
doesn’t entirely save you having to open up
the side panel, as you still have to connect
the power and SATA cables, but it’s still a
handy feature. The fiddliest part of installing
a new drive – affixing it to the tray with tiny
screws – can be done outside the case
before it all slides back in.
We also quite like the look of the Erazer
P66042. What it lacks in premium building
materials such as tempered glass, it makes up
for with a compact, narrow shape that helps it
sit on a desk without practically taking it over.
It’s as capable a gaming system as you’d
expect from the GPU, too. Dirt Showdown
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
posed no problem
whatsoever, with the Erazer
P66042 coasting to 132fps
at 1,920x1,080 and 95fps at
2,560x1,440 even with the
highest Ultra settings and
4x MSAA enabled.
Metro: Last Light Redux
was more of a challenge, as
always, although a
combination of Very High
settings, SSAA and a 1,920x1,080
resolution still resulted in a respectable 47fps.
It was only when switching to 2,560x1,440
that the GTX 1060 struggled, putting out
28fps – a little lower than what could feasibly
be considered playable. Fortunately, at this
resolution you can disable SSAA with far less
of an impact on fidelity, and doing so bumped
the average frame rate up to 54fps.
This is a pretty good system for VR, too.
Scoring 7.9 in Valve’s SteamVR Performance
Test, you should be able to run most HTC Vive
and Oculus Rift games at High settings; the
only real issue might be the single HDMI port
on the back. If your monitor is connected via
HDMI, you’ll need to switch to one of the
three DisplayPort sockets or the DVI-D
output to make room for a VR headset.
Unfortunately, while the Erazer P66042’s
gaming performance is fine in itself, it’s a less
compelling reason to buy when you consider
both the price and the competition. £1,000
is a lot for a GTX 1060-based system these
days, and just last month we saw a range
of £700 PCs with broadly equal
capabilities. Our favourite of these, the
Palicomp AMD Abyss (Shopper 374),
was never more than 8fps behind
Medion’s PC in any of our tests. It’s
only VR where the Erazer P66042
has a big advantage over the AMD
Abyss and its Radeon RX 570.
THINKING AHEAD
You can get more CPU power for the
money as well. Again, the Erazer
P66042 is no weakling: in our 4K
benchmark tests, the Core i5-8400
processor and 8GB of RAM duo scored
130 in the image test, 158 in the video
test and 170 in the multitasking test, for
159 overall. That’s more than enough
muscle for everyday computing, and
even light media editing will be fine, but
it’s just not up to the AMD Abyss’s
overall score of 230.
The storage also offers
slower speeds and less
capacity. The P66042’s
combination of a 128GB
SSD and 1TB hard disk will
beat any HDD-only setup,
but as the SSD is SATA-
based, its sequential read
and write speeds – 461MB/s
and 420MB/s, respectively
– are easily surpassed by the AMD
Abyss’s huge 500GB NVMe drive.
Connectivity is a bright spot for the
Erazer P66042, in fairness. At the front,
two USB3 ports are accompanied by a built-in
SD card slot – great for camera owners –
while the DVD-RW drive might be more of
a niche feature in 2019, but could still be
useful for ripping old CDs and the like.
The rear I/O panel, meanwhile, doesn’t just
have two USB2 and two USB3 ports, but
also throws in a faster USB3.1 connector
as well as a modern Type-C port.
The scope for internal upgrades is more
limited, mainly due to the compact chassis
size demanding a smaller motherboard.
There’s one spare PCI-E x1 slot and one spare
RAM slot, plus that sliding 2.5in/3.5in drive
tray, but that’s it in terms of where you can
add components without removing others.
SHOP AROUND
Even so, we wouldn’t say there’s anything
wrong with the Erazer P66042 itself: the fact
that it’s a decent gaming PC rather than a
great one is more to do with other systems
offering a far more attractive price-to-
performance ratio. On that note, the AMD
Abyss remains the mid-ranger to beat.
James Archer
SPECIFICATIONS
PROCESSOR Hexa-core 2.8GHz Intel Core i5-8400 • RAM
8GB DDR4 • FRONT USB PORTS 2x USB3 • REAR USB
PORTS 2x USB2, 2x USB3, 1x USB3.1, 1x USB Type-C •
GRAPHICS CARD 6GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 • STORAGE
• DISPLAY None • OPERATING
128GB SSD, 1TB hard disk
SYSTEM Windows 10 Home • WARRANTY One year RTB •
DETAILS www.medion.com • PART CODE P66042
Windows overall 159
Multitasking 170
Dirt Showdown 132fps
Metro: Last Light 47fps
0% -50 Reference +50 +100
See page 112 for performance details
25
 WINDOWS 10 LAPTOP
MSI P65 Creator
★★★★★
£2,000 • From www.overclockers.co.uk
VERDICT
A slim, light powerhouse of a laptop,
massively let down by build quality issues
THE P65 CREATOR is an unusual hybrid of
styles: the specs suggest it’s a gaming laptop,
with its Intel Core i7-8750H, 144Hz display and
GTX 1070 Max-Q graphics, but MSI insists it’s
designed for mobile photo and video editing.
It’s certainly a lot lighter than most gaming
laptops. In fact, 1.8kg is about as good as it
gets for something with a GPU of this
magnitude, and at 18mm thick with the lid
closed, it’s not too chunky. Even the 508g
power supply is relatively slim and compact.
LOOSE BENDS
However, while the design succeeds, the build
quality is woeful. Push down on the metal area
above the keyboard and the whole surface
deviates, with gaps appearing between the
keyboard surround and the hinge cover above.
Push hard enough and it moves enough to
engage the power button. Then there are the
unsightly lips all around the laptop’s edges
and uneven cutouts around the laptop’s ports,
which further spoil the overall feel and make
the whole thing look messy.
We’re also not sure it was wise to position
a USB3 port, USB Type-C/Thunderbolt 3 port,
Mini DisplayPort and HDMI output down the
right-hand edge; this is where a media editor
would need space for a mouse, and moving it
freely could get tricky with display cables in
the way. There are another two USB3 ports
and an Ethernet jack on the left, so at least
the P65 Creator is reasonably well appointed
with sockets, although an SD card reader and
perhaps another Thunderbolt 3 port would
have been useful for creative work.
The keyboard is good. There’s no numeric
keypad, but this affords the main keys a more
comfortable central position. Each key has a
quiet, light, short travel action and, while we
weren’t huge fans of the half-height Enter key,
we found it easy to adjust to.
The touchpad, on the other hand, is a bit of
a disaster. It has a heavy click that makes it
tiresome to use, yet it also manages to be
26
over-sensitive to accidental brushes of the
thumb while typing. The fingerprint reader in
its top left corner is a nifty touch, but overall
this is not a nice pointing device.
It’s a bit odd to find a Full HD, 144Hz panel
on what is formally not a gaming machine but,
from a technical perspective, it’s a respectable
display. MSI’s True Color control app lets you
The touchpad is a bit of a disaster. It has a heavy click that
makes it tiresome to use, and is also over-sensitive
switch between various modes, from Rec.709
and sRGB mode in Designer mode, through to
Office, Movie, Anti-Blue (which reduces blue
light output) and Gamer, all of which have
different colour profiles and adjustments.
CALIBRATE GOOD TIMES
The default is sRGB mode, in which the P65
Creator reproduces 83.5% of the sRGB
colour gamut, at a maximum brightness of
313cd/m2. We measured a contrast ratio of
1,152:1, and an impressive average delta-E of
1.4, denoting high colour accuracy. That
outclasses the similarly specced HP Omen 15
(Shopper 374) on every count.
This is indeed a capable display for
professional visual applications. There’s even
a built-in calibration tool for those who want
to tune the display to their own needs. Only
three calibrators are currently supported:
namely, the X-rite i1 Display Pro, the
SpectraCal C3 and the SpectraCal C6.
Importantly, there’s also plenty of power
for the P65 Creator to run media-editing suites
smoothly. In our 4K benchmarks, it scored 146
in the image test, 181 in the video test, 198
in the multitasking test and 184 overall
– all excellent scores for a laptop.
Graphics performance is
high as well. The most
GPU-heavy professional
applications such as
Maya won’t benefit as
much from a GeForce GPU
as, say, an Nvidia Quadro processor, but
the GTX 1070 Max-Q is more than enough for
photo and video editing. It also makes the
P65 Creator a capable gaming laptop, even if it
doesn’t intend to be: at native resolution it ran
Dirt Showdown at 112fps and Metro: Last
Light Redux as fast as 138fps, although this
was with High quality, SSAA off and special
effects such as tessellation turned off.
Battery life, however, remains a weakness
for powerful laptops such as this. The P65
Creator lasted for only 5h 51m in our video
loop test, which to be fair is more than
two-and-a-half hours longer than the HP
Omen 15, but it’s not particularly impressive.
OUT OF TOUCH
The MSI P65 Creator might be a gaming
laptop at heart, and merely masquerading
as a workstation for creative professionals.
Yet, believe it or not, that’s not a terrible
concept. It’s powerful enough for a creative
role, its 15.6in display is up for the job, and
it’s not too heavy to carry around.
Sadly, its poor build quality and horrid
touchpad are impossible to overlook at such a
high price. Our advice, if you’re interested in
media editing, is to forget the gaming-style
features and save hundreds of pounds by
choosing the Dell XPS 15 (Shopper 370).
Jonathan Bray
SPECIFICATIONS
PROCESSOR Quad-core 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-8750H RAM •
•
16GB DIMENSIONS 358x248x18mm WEIGHT 1.8kg • •
•
SCREEN SIZE 15.6in SCREEN RESOLUTION 1,920x1,080 •
GRAPHICS ADAPTOR 8GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
• •
TOTAL STORAGE 512GB SSD OPERATING SYSTEM
•
Windows 10 Home WARRANTY One year RTB •
•
DETAILS www.msi.com PART CODE P65 Creator 8RF
Battery life 5h 51m
0% -50 Reference +50 +100
See page 112 for performance details
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
Monitors

Vivid, true-to-life colours

in an elegant design
276E7QDSW

CCL
COMPUTERS
 WINDOWS 10 GAMING LAPTOP
ACER Nitro 5
★★★★★
£699 • From www.currys.co.uk
VERDICT
The Nitro 5 is far cheaper than most gaming
laptops, but don’t expect those savings to pay off
GAMING LAPTOPS HAVE recently moved
away from chunky, garish machines towards
slimmer, more refined devices. At least,
they have at the high-end; budget
gaming notebooks still exist, but as the
Nitro 5 shows, they’re as hefty as ever.
This particular model, with a quad-core
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U CPU, and a 4GB Radeon
RX 560X GPU, weighs a back-breaking 2.7kg,
not counting the power brick. It’s bulky, too,
with a footprint measuring 390x266mm.
Acer has attempted to brighten up the red
and black colour scheme with a shimmering
chevron pattern on the lid and palm rest areas,
but there’s no hiding its sub-standard build
materials. The chassis is plasticky and feels
rather cheap, and the bezels bordering the
screen aren’t flush with the rest of the device.
On the left edge is a regular-sized SD card
reader, USB3 slot, HDMI output, USB Type-C
port, Gigabit Ethernet port and a Kensington
Security slot. On the right is a pair of USB2
ports, a 3.5mm audio jack and the power cable
socket. It’s a functional set of connections,
but it doesn’t seem unreasonable to want
more, given the amount of space available.
AGAINST TYPE
Much worse are the keyboard and trackpad.
Individual key presses feel spongy, and the
keyboard layout is roughly cobbled together.
The volume and brightness controls are
incorporated into the arrow keys instead of
the top row, which isn’t ideal, and the number
pad takes up a lot of space. Likewise, the
blood-red RGB lighting can only be turned on
and off instead of gradually dimmed, and
there are no colour customisation options or
effects. Typing in general is hindered by the
laptop’s overall sluggishness, so much so that
it often failed to keep up and missed key
presses – a huge problem when gaming.
28
The touchpad isn’t much better. It often
failed to keep up with gestures, and its surface
isn’t particularly smooth. It also picks up
grease quite easily and feels poorly fitted;
simply press down and the touchpad drops
down much further than is necessary.
Gaming laptops should be capable of handling the latest
games. Sadly, the Nitro 5’s graphics chip isn’t up to the task
There’s no redemption to be found in the
display. The 15.6in, Full HD panel is capable of
a maximum brightness of only 259cd/m2 – low
enough for glare from light sources to be a
serious issue. An overall sRGB colour gamut
coverage of only 56.7% is very poor, and the
screen looks very washed out. The contrast
ratio of 1,159:1 isn’t bad, though.
SLOW RIDER
A low-tier Ryzen 5-powered laptop was never
going to compete in the same ring with
four-figured gaming laptops on CPU power,
although you’d still expect it to be reasonably
adept. The Nitro 5 achieved an overall score of
99 in our 4K performance benchmark, which is
actually rather good, coming in ahead of
higher-end, non-gaming laptops such as
Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 2 (Shopper 372).
The Acer Nitro 5’s SSD speeds aren’t quite
as nippy. The included 128GB SATA SSD only
achieved read and write speeds of 477MB/s
and 116MB/s in the AS SSD benchmark, which
lag far behind its rivals.
Ideally, gaming laptops should be
capable of handling the latest games
at a decent frame rate, even if you
have to dial down a few settings.
Sadly, the Nitro 5’s dedicated
AMD Radeon RX 560X
graphics chip isn’t up to
the task, managing an
average of only 14fps in the
Dirt Showdown benchmark at
Full HD resolution at high graphics
settings. Drop the resolution down to 720p
and apply medium settings, however, and
you’ll achieve an average of 58fps.
As for Metro: Last Light Redux, the Nitro 5
reached an average of only 17fps at native
resolution. Tinkering with Acer’s NitroSense
software didn’t help the experience either, and
in fact made things worse when we switched
the laptop from High performance to the
Maximum performance setting: confusingly,
this dropped the frame rate down to 8fps.
BARGAIN BINNED
If the Acer Nitro 5 has a saving grace, it’s
battery life. In our video playback test, the
Nitro 5 lasted 5h 21m before needing to
recharge, which is a decent result for a gaming
laptop. Of course, that’s still not a long time in
the grander scheme of things, and you’ll get
even less time away from the mains if you’re
running games and not just playing a video.
You have to be careful when shopping for
a budget gaming laptop. If you spend half as
much as you would on a top-end notebook
you might expect half the performance, but the
Acer Nitro 5 doesn’t provide anything close.
Not only does this budget gaming laptop fail
to run games at playable frame rates, but the
Nitro 5 falls short in every other area.
Tom Bruce
SPECIFICATIONS
PROCESSOR Quad-core 2GHz AMD Ryzen 5 2500U • RAM
8GB • DIMENSIONS 390x266x27mm • •
WEIGHT 2.7kg
SCREEN SIZE 15.6in • SCREEN RESOLUTION 1,920x1,080 •
GRAPHICS ADAPTOR 4GB AMD Radeon RX 560X •
TOTAL STORAGE 128GB SSD, 1TB hard disk • OPERATING
SYSTEM Windows 10 Home • WARRANTY One year RTB •
DETAILS www.acer.com • PART CODE NH.Q3REK.007
Battery life 5h 21m
0% -50 Reference +50 +100
See page 112 for performance details
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
 WINDOWS 10 GAMING LAPTOP
ALIENWARE m15
★★★★★
£2,040 • From www.dell.com
VERDICT
Alienware puts out another heavy-hitter with
a lighter chassis and powerful internals
ALIENWARE LAPTOPS MAY look odd, but
they never skimp on the materials, and the
m15 is more of the same. The chassis of this
gaming notebook is made almost entirely from
magnesium alloy, making it tough but light;
20% lighter, in fact, than 2017’s Alienware 13.
That’s despite a larger 15.6in display.
It still weighs 2.16kg, so it’s hardly an
ultraportable, but it packs in high-end
components such as an Intel Core i7-8750H,
Nvidia GTX 1070 Max-Q and a massive 32GB
of RAM. The only thing that doesn’t reflect its
premium nature are the bezels, specifically the
ones above and below the screen: they’re
chunky and ugly, a far cry from the tiny
borders of the Razer Blade 15 (Shopper 370).
Many of the Alienware m15’s ports are
situated on the laptop’s rear, a sensible design
feature that helps keep your desk clear of
cable clutter. Hiding back there are the HDMI
2.0 and mini-Display Port outputs, the power
socket and one USB Type-C port with
Thunderbolt 3. In case you wanted to use the
Alienware Graphics Amplifier (£168) there’s
also a proprietary eGPU port, although
Thunderbolt 3 allows you to connect any
other graphics card enclosure. Back on the
laptop itself, you get another two USB3 ports
on the left edge, plus another on the right,
next to a single Gigabit Ethernet port.
TAP QUALITY
As laptop keyboards go, the Alienware m15’s is
pleasant to type on. The click-clack of the
(RGB-lit) keys is satisfying and individual keys
feels sturdy, as if they can take a real beating.
The numeric keypad on the right might be
useful for some, but be warned it also means
some keys have shrunk to accommodate it –
30
the Backspace key in particular. It’s also
pushed the touchpad towards the left, but
this isn’t really a problem in practice.
There are two display versions available: a
4K 60Hz model and the Full HD 144Hz we
tested, and would probably recommend
anyway, as the refresh rate is higher, and 4K
gaming is a far greater strain on the GPU.
The maximum brightness of 327cd/m2 is
quite low, however. It isn’t the lowest we’ve
ever seen, but neither is it bright enough to
comfortably use in bright ambient light.
More importantly for those looking for a
multipurpose machine for photo and video
editing is that colour coverage and accuracy
aren’t great. Its sRGB coverage is a disappointing
CPU performance is fantastic, with the Core i7-8750H
propelling the m15 to an overall score of 191 in our tests
80.5%, and the average delta-E is only 3.64.
Contrast is fine, with a measured contrast
ratio of 1,338:1 but this display is never going
to blow you away with its vibrancy.
FAST TRACKED
CPU performance, on the t other hand, is
fantastic, with the Core i7-8750H propelling
the m15 to an overall score
sc of 191 in our 4K
benchmarks. That’s a class-leading result,
beating the Dell XPS 15 and Razer Blade 15.
reports of overheating when
We’ve heard report
the CPU is at maximum load, but there was
no sign of this on our review unit. The dual
cooling fans are excepti
exceptionally noisy, however,
especially when you set thermals to
Performance mode using
usin the Alienware
Command Center soft software.
The Alienware m15 has two separate 512GB
PCI-E SSDs, allowing it to read files at an
outstanding rate. In the AS SSD benchmark,
the sequential file read speed clocked in at
2,560MB/s,
2,560MB/s easily outstripping its
rivals.
rivals The sequential write
speed was less impressive,
coming in at 709MB/s.
Gaming performance is top notch and,
crucially, high enough to take advantage of
the silky-smooth 144Hz display. On high
quality with SSAA off, it ran the demanding
1080p Metro: Last Light Redux benchmark
at an average 110fps, and managed 112fps in
Dirt Showdown, too.
SHORT RANGE ROCKET
As per usual with gaming laptops, this level of
performance is tempered by low battery life. In
our battery test the m15 lasted 4h 21m before
running out of juice, which is a middling result
compared to the competition. When running
games at full whack, don’t expect more than a
couple of hours on a single charge.
That’s a shame, but otherwise, the
Alienware m15 is a great gaming laptop. Is it
the one you should buy, however? That matter
is a little more complicated; you could get
similar specs, and thus performance, out of
the much cheaper HP Omen 15 (Shopper 374).
An even more tempting alternative is the
Razer Blade 15 – it, too, is an expensive
£2,000-plus, but it’s slimmer than the m15,
has a much nicer display and shares the GTX
1070 graphics processor. Alienware’s laptop is
good, but Razer’s is just that bit better.
Tom Bruce
SPECIFICATIONS
• RAM
PROCESSOR Quad-core 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-8750H
32GB• DIMENSIONS 363x275x18mm • •
WEIGHT 2.16kg
SCREEN SIZE 15.6in • SCREEN RESOLUTION 1,920x1,080 •
GRAPHICS ADAPTOR 8GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
• TOTAL STORAGE 2x 512GB SSD • OPERATING SYSTEM
Windows 10 Home • WARRANTY One year RTB •
DETAILS www.dell.com • PART CODE m15
Battery life 4h 21m
0% -50 Reference +50 +100
See page 112 for performance details
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
 ALL-IN-ONE LIQUID CPU COOLER
ASUS ROG Ryuo 240
★★★★★
£160 • From www.scan.co.uk
VERDICT
With this AIO, you’ll come for the
customisable OLED display but stay for
its impeccable cooling
CUSTOMISING THE AESTHETICS of a DIY
PC build usually means one thing: lighting,
especially of the RGB variety. CPU
watercoolers are an increasingly common
outlet for this approach, and we’ve had
plenty of multicolour all-in-one (AIO) units
pass through our lab, such as the Cooler
Master MasterLiquid ML240R RGB
(Shopper 366) and the Deepcool Castle
240 RGB (Shopper 368).
The ROG Ryuo 240 offers a very different
way of putting that personal touch to a
desktop system. There’s still a thin strip of
RGB lighting around the base of the pump, but
it’s what’s on top that stands out: a 1.77in
OLED screen, which can display JPG and GIF
files, hardware-monitoring information or
custom text strings. It’s the same display as
that of the ROG Ryujin 240, except on a
slightly less expensive cooler.
It’s also a very interesting feature to put
on an internal PC component of any sort,
but it needs to be a functional CPU cooler
as well as a cool concept – and that means
decent chilling performance and a
manageable build process.
MASTER CRAFT
It quickly became evident that the latter
wasn’t going to be a problem, and if anything,
this might just be the most user-friendly AIO
cooler we’ve tested in terms of setup. That’s
especially true if you’ve got an Intel-based PC,
as the mounting bracket – typically one of the
most fiddly things to install – is affixed to the
pump straight out of the box. It’s only if you’re
32
building with an AMD AM4 motherboard
that you’ll have to install it yourself.
Pre-applied thermal paste, flexible tubing,
and the modest thickness of the fans and
radiator also help keep the construction
process as stress-free as possible. The fan
cables are very short, but it doesn’t necessarily
matter if your motherboard’s 4-pin system
fan headers aren’t positioned close enough,
as the pump has its own splitter cable that
allows the fans to hook up and get everything
powered from a single source.
Speaking of which, there are a couple of
extra cables required for providing data and
power to the display, but the result is nowhere
near as messy as the MasterLiquid ML240R
RGB or Thermaltake Floe Riing RGB 240 TT
Premium Edition (Shopper 372) get once
you’ve readied all of their wires.
Even better, it cooled our Intel Core
i7-4770K as well as or better than any of its
240mm rivals. With the CPU running at stock
speeds, idle core temperatures stuck between
25° and 34°C, and under intense load – our 4K
application benchmarks – they only rose to
44-49°C. The hottest it reached was 51°C, 5°C
lower than with the MasterLiquid cooler.
Even once the CPU was overclocked from
its stock speed of 3.5GHz up to 3.9GHz, it only
got a teensy bit warmer. The ROG Ryuo 240
ensured that idle temperatures actually
stayed the same, still within the 25-34°C
range, while load temperatures only rose to
between 48°C and 52°C, with a 55°C peak.
By comparison, the MasterLiquid ML240R
RGB produced load temperatures between
57°C and 60°C, with a 61°C peak.
WHIRR ZONE
This is an excellent showing, especially from a
manufacturer with limited experience in
desktop water-cooling. Our only complaint
with how this AIO runs is that the fans are
fairly loud: from 10cm away, our decibel meter
put them at 55dB. That’s about the same level
of noise you’d hear sitting in a full – though
not particularly shouty – office. We think it
might even be worth lowering the RPM
manually,, as cooling performance is high
enough that you could feasibly sacrifice it
for a quieter experience, unless you’re really
pushing an overclocked processor to its limits.
Finally, the OLED display can be
customised after downloading and installing
Asus’s LiveDash utility. We certainly had a lot
of fun adding photos and images to the pump,
and while 1.77in doesn’t sound much, it’s big
and colourful enough to see through a PC’s
side window if you’re sitting nearby.
The potential for adding hardware data
such as CPU and RAM frequencies,
temperatures and voltages also has practical
benefits. If you’re running full-screen
applications, it’s tricky to get these details at a
glance without having to buy either a second
monitor or a panel display that goes in your
PC’s 5.25in bay; with this, however, all you
need is line-of-sight to the cooler.
At least, you can have this hardware-
monitoring function if you have an Asus
motherboard; if not, it won’t work natively,
and you won’t even get the option in
LiveDash. This is just one of several ways in
which the display is more limited than it
seems. Another is that JPGs and GIFs must be
exactly 160x128 pixels, and no larger than
1MB, to be loaded in. With GIFs specifically,
even this isn’t a guarantee that they’ll work;
we tried multiple files that fit the
specifications, but often they didn’t load,
and several that did were displayed with
varying degrees of static-like distortion.
LIQUID COURAGE
Hopefully these limitations will be less severe
on future ROG coolers, because the display as
a concept is both amusing and innovative.
Fortunately, even though the execution wasn’t
perfect this time, the ROG Ryuo 240 still has
the excellent performance and straightforward
design for it to be worth a look.
James Archer
SPECIFICATIONS
TECHNOLOGY Closed loop • FANS 2x 120mm • SOCKET Intel
•
LGA 2066/2011-3/2011/1151/1150/1155/1156/1366, AMD AM4
RADIATOR DIMENSIONS (NO FAN) 121x272x27mm •
WARRANTY Three years RTB • DETAILS www.asus.com •
PART CODE 90RC0040-M0UAY0
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
CUBE CASE
THERMALTAKE
Level 20 VT
★★★★★
£90 • From www.scan.co.uk
VERDICT
Customisable and stuffed with component
support, the Level 20 VT is a big success
THIS IS A microATX/Mini-ITX case with a
twist – almost literally. Because both the glass
side panels and the metal base have the same
dimensions, they can be removed and swapped
around to your choosing. This lets you flip the
entire chassis on its side, rotating the orientation
of the internal layout, while keeping the rubber
feet on the ground and all sides covered up.
There are some limitations to this modularity:
the top panel, for instance, can be removed and
re-installed on one of the sides, but the side
panels don’t quite fit on top due to fan mounts
that only the top panel makes room for. The front
panel can be pulled off but not placed back on at
a rotated angle, so if you do change it round, the
Thermaltake logo on the front will be sideways.
Still, the ability to swap panels is an unusual and
pleasantly distinct method for PC builders to
customise the look and layout of their systems.
CHILLED OUT
For the sake of clarity, we’ll be describing where
things are in their default positions, starting with
the motherboard tray. This is orientated
horizontally, not vertically as in a tower design,
with three 3.5in/2.5in trays stacked in a cage
directly underneath. Also below and off to the
other side are three 2.5in bays, so all in all there’s
quite a lot of storage space for a microATX case.
At the top are the aforementioned fan
mounts: two identical sets of rails, both
capable of holding two 120mm or 140mm fans
apiece, including as part of 240mm or 280mm
watercooling radiators. There’s more than
enough space for an AIO liquid cooler in the
Level 20 VT, and if you’d prefer to keep things
simpler, the maximum CPU air cooler height is
185mm. That allows for some very tall tower-
style coolers, and the graphics card length
clearance of 350mm isn’t half bad either.
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
CUSTOM BUILD
GAMING PCs
The rear of the case, the only side without a Free UK Shipping
removable panel, can also hold a single 120mm
or 140mm fan, and the base will take another 3 Year Limited Warranty
120mm unit. There’s only one pre-installed fan,
which would normally be a concern, but it’s a Finance Options Available
gigantic 200mm intake fan, which should suffice.
Alternatively, you could replace it with up to
280mm worth of fans and radiators, completing
a nicely comprehensive array of cooling options.
The only thing missing is 360mm radiator
support, although 240mm to 280mm will be
fine for the vast majority of builds.
Like the side and top panels, the front panel
is mostly made of classy tempered glass, but it’s
wisely been raised to allow the intake fan to suck
in air from both sides though a mesh dust filter.
The top panel is similarly raised, suggesting
Thermaltake sees the roof as the de facto place
to add cooling, only minus the mesh.
One downside of the cuboid shape is that the
Level 20 VT has, by microATX case standards, a
very large footprint. It’s almost as wide as it is
tall, so it’s not ideal if you’re short on space.
However, even this disadvantage comes with
even more advantages. The raised motherboard
tray leaves oodles of room to hide cables, even if
there aren’t many options for routing them
besides the included cable ties. The spacious
chamber and ability to quickly remove multiple
panels also make this a supremely easy case to
build into, with few obstructions for hands and
tools to bump into and lots of light going in.
BOX OF TRICKS
The Level 20 VT even has a good I/O panel, with
two USB2 ports and two USB3 ports alongside
the mic and headphone jacks. Technically
speaking it’s on the top side rather than facing
front, but it’s still easy to access if you’ve chosen
to rejig the panels so the chassis is on its side.
With smart design and high construction
quality throughout, the Level 20 VT is a worthy
buy. Its size means it won’t be for everyone, but it
could be perfect for microATX/Mini-ITX builders
who don’t want their choice of motherboard to
limit their scope for storage and cooling.
James Archer
SPECIFICATIONS WWW.CYBERPOWERSYSTEM.CO.UK
WWW.
WWW.CY
W.CYBE
CYBERP
BERPOW
RPOWER
OWERSY
ERSYST
SYSTEM
EM.CO.UK
CASE TYPE Cube • MOTHERBOARD COMPATIBILITY MicroATX,
Mini-ITX• SUPPLIED FANS 1x 200mm • MAX 3.5in DRIVE BAYS Follow Us!
3 • MAX 5.25in DRIVE BAYS 0 • DIMENSIONS 348x330x430mm
• WEIGHT 8.7kg • WARRANTY Three years RTB • DETAILS
www.thermaltake.com • PART CODE CA-1L2-00S1WN-00
@CYBERPOWERUK
@CYBERPOWER_UK 33
 500GB SSD
SAMSUNG 970 Evo Plus
★★★★★
RECOMMENDED £112 • From www.ebuyer.com
VERDICT
It’s not the best-value NVMe SSD, but Samsung’s 970 Evo replacement delivers on chart-topping speeds
PRODUCT LAUNCHES HAVE disappointed
countless times, but few have been as
downright vexing as that of the Samsung 970
Evo (Shopper 368) last year. Despite being
the successor to possibly the best consumer
NVMe SSD ever, the 960 Evo, the 970 Evo
baffled with lower-than-expected speeds and a
price that, while not offensively high, has since
allowed cheaper upstarts to steal attention
away from Samsung’s typically stellar storage.
Just last issue, we saw the Adata XPG SX8200
Pro (Shopper 374) outperform the 970 Evo on
straight speeds, and for markedly less money.
The new 970 Evo Plus therefore looks like
more of an attempt at a do-over rather than
a chance for the 2018 model’s redemption.
The Plus and non-Plus versions aren’t
drastically different, both having Samsung-
made Phoenix controllers and a maximum
advertised read speed of 3,500MB/s, but
there have been some key changes. The first
is that write speeds have had a big boost on
paper, jumping from a maximum 2,500MB/s
on the 970 Evo to 3,300MB/s on the Evo
Plus – a vast improvement for something
that isn’t a full generational leap.
FIT TO DROP
The second big difference is the price. When
we first tested the 970 Evo, a 500GB model
was 32p per gigabyte and the 1TB model cost
30.1p per gigabyte. This has dropped over
time, but the 970 Evo Plus is launching a lot
more aggressively, with the 500GB model (the
one we’re testing) at 22.3p and the 1TB model
at 22.7p. There’s also a 250GB model, albeit
one that bucks the trend somewhat by
working out at a less attractive 32p per
gigabyte, and although Samsung’s site
repeatedly mentions a 2TB model, we haven’t
found any in stock at a UK retailer.
Granted, this still doesn’t put the 970 Evo
Plus among the likes of the XPG SX8200 Pro,
the 512GB model of which is currently going
for an excellent 17.9p per gigabyte. WD’s
new Black SSD, which we’ll have a full
34
review of next month, also pips the 970 Evo
Plus on affordability, its own 500GB version
costing 21p per gigabyte.
Then again, the 970 Evo Plus isn’t exactly
aiming for the bargain bucket. This is a
performance SSD for heavy PC users, and for
all the penny-pinching arguments against it,
Samsung’s latest M.2 drive is the speed
demon that the 970 Evo should have been.
This is clear even in our most easygoing
benchmarks, the CrystalDiskMark sequential
test: the 970 Evo Plus managed a searing
3,568MB/s read speed and, importantly, a
write speed of 3,212MB/s. That’s nearly
700MB/s faster than the 970 Evo, as well as
300MB/s faster than the XPG SX8200 Pro
and 200MB/s faster than the WD Black.
The XPG SX8200 Pro is the fastest of the
bunch in the more taxing 4K sequential test,
but with a read speed of 338MB/s and a write
speed of 257MB/s, the 970 Evo Plus is only
slightly behind, and it improves on the 970
Evo’s results, read and write speeds both.
THE BEST READ PLANS
The biggest victory for the 970 Evo Plus is
how it performed in our file transfer tests,
which more accurately reflect real-life use
than sequential benchmarks. In the huge file
test, for instance, it averaged a 1,334MB/s
read speed and a 1,302MB/s write speed,
comfortably beating Adata and WD’s rival
SSDs and blowing past the 970 Evo, which
produced a 1,073MB/s read speed and a
1,116MB/s write speed.
The difference between these old and new
Samsung drives was even wider in the large
files test, with the 970 Evo Plus landing a
much improved 1,281MB/s read speed and a
1,209MB/s write speed. These also put the
XPG SX8200 Pro behind again, although the
WD Black rallied in the write speed test to win
out with 1,263MB/s – not a bad consolation
for its slower 1,142MB/s read speed.
Competition was a lot tighter in the small
files test, as the 970 Evo Plus’s 414MB/s read
speed and 440MB/s write speed represent
only a close besting of the XPG SX8200 Pro
and a trading of blows with the WD Black,
which managed a slightly faster read speed
and a slightly slower write speed. However,
the 970 Evo Plus is the quickest in most tests,
and offers meaningful improvements on the
970 Evo across the board – exactly what we
want to see from an upgrade.
SECOND TIME LUCKY
When transfer speeds get into four figures,
it can sometimes seem like splitting hairs to
weigh up differences in the tens of megabytes.
Still, with 4K video becoming the new norm,
and game file sizes getting ever bigger, it’s
absolutely fair to want the best SSD
performance you can get. The 970 Evo Plus,
therefore, makes an awful lot more sense
than the old 970 Evo – this time, its speeds
really are among the very best you can get
from a consumer drive.
But should it be the one you buy? In our
eyes, the SX8200 Pro is still far better value.
It may not be as fast as the 970 Evo Plus,
but it’s still very nimble, and even with
Samsung wisely dropping prices, Adata’s
SSD remains the best value. We’d suggest
sticking with the SX8200 Pro, then, unless
you really do need the 970 Evo Plus’s superior
performance – its write speeds in particular.
James Archer
SPECIFICATIONS
CAPACITY 500GB • COST PER GIGABYTE 22.3p •
INTERFACE NVMe • CLAIMED READ 3,500MB/s • CLAIMED
WRITE 3,300MB/s • WARRANTY Five years RTB • DETAILS
www.samsung.com • PART CODE MZ-V7S500BW
Huge files 1,318MB/s
Large files 1,245MB/s
Small files 427MB/s
0% -50 Reference +50 +100
See page 112 for performance details
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
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 SECURITY CAMERA
TP-LINK Kasa Cam KC120
★★★★★
£134 • From www.amazon.co.uk
VERDICT
Slightly over-the-top motion detection aside, the TP-Link
Kasa Cam KC120 is a quality camera with free cloud storage
SECURITY CAMERAS ARE both a great
deterrent to thieves and a valuable way of
collecting evidence and monitoring your home
when you’re out. The biggest issue is trying to
decide which camera is best for you, since
there are so many devices to choose from,
including models with comparatively
expensive cloud storage plans. The TP-Link
Kasa Cam KC120 aims to simplify things with
two days of free cloud storage and a flexible
stand that makes it easier to install anywhere.
Standing on a tall stick of a stand and
decked out in black plastic, the Kasa Cam
KC120 is a fairly inoffensive-looking security
camera. Importantly, the stand is practical,
giving a good degree of adjustment, including
the ability to point the camera straight down
without the stand falling over.
If you’d rather put the camera up on a
wall, there’s a sticky metal plate in the box,
on to which the stand’s magnetic base
attaches. This gives you a fair amount of
flexibility to capture what you need. With a
130° lens, you can capture most of a room
from practically anywhere, too.
CODEBREAKER
Installation is pretty straightforward once
you’ve downloaded the TP-Link Kasa app.
36
This is the same app that’s
used to control other Kasa
devices, such as TP-Link smart
plugs and light bulbs. Having everything
in one place makes a lot of sense and
means that you don’t need to stuff your
phone full of different apps.
Hooking the camera up to a wireless
network proved a simple task. The app
generates a QR code, which you show
to the camera; it pulls in your network
name and password from this, quickly
connecting to your home network.
The KC120 supports 802.11ac
networks, so you’ll have no
trouble connecting to a
modern network
to get the fastest
streaming
speeds.
Once it’s
connected, the camera is
ready to go, and starts monitoring the
surrounding area for motion.
The default settings aren’t great, however.
Pointing the KC120 towards a door covered in
blinds, the changing sun or the shadows
caused by moving cars would trick the KC120
into thinking that there was movement inside.
This isn’t a particularly harsh test, either; an
old Y-Cam Evo camera pointing in the same
direction didn’t generate false alerts.
SENSITIVE SOUL
There are ways of cutting down on the
problem. First, you can simply reduce the
motion sensitivity. Second, you can set up to
four motion alert zones so that you only
focus on the areas you want to monitor.
Even so, with the KC120 set to low
sensitivity, changes in light were still
detected as motion. TP-Link could work on
improving this; for now, we recommend
pointing the camera away from a window.
The KC120 can also be set to start
recording when it detects loud noises.
The accuracy of this will depend on where
you place the camera. If you live somewhere
quite noisy, it’s probably not a very useful
feature; if you live somewhere quieter, you’ll
find that you get fewer alerts.
If you don’t want the camera to record,
you can turn it off. There’s also a schedule
option, so you can set when the camera is
active. It’s a shame that there’s no geolocation
to turn on the camera when you go out and
turn it off when you return, however.
All clips are saved to the
cloud. By default, clips are
stored for two days, although
you’ll be able to upgrade to longer
cloud storage plans in the future
(they’re currently not available). Even so,
two days is a fairly generous offer, and
many competing cameras offer only a
day’s worth of storage.
Clips can be viewed in the app.
Although the interface is quite simple,
it’s also very clear. You can use the
date picker at the top to find the date
that you’re interested in, then scroll
through the list to find the one
you’re after. Clips can be
downloaded to
your phone,
which is handy
if you want to
save evidence.
By default, the
KC120 is set to record at 720p, although you
can override this option to increase footage
to the full 1080p quality. Image quality was
excellent: during daylight hours, video was
sharp and detailed, making it easy to identify
faces clearly. At night, the camera turns on
its infrared lights. The image gets a bit
softer, but quality remains high.
You can watch live and even use two-way
talking to have a conversation with anyone
you can see, which could be a handy way of
scaring off a burglar.
What the Kasa Cam KC120 lacks is a suite
of more advanced features. For example,
there’s no facial recognition in the video
stream, nor is there the option to record
only people rather than any motion.
Ultimately, that may not matter, as the KC120
is a simple but high-quality camera.
WATCHFUL EYE
If you want continuous recording and facial
recognition, the Nest Cam IQ (Shopper 356)
is a better choice, with the best app around.
It also produced fewer false movement
positives than the KC120. That said, with two
days of free cloud storage for clips, TP-Link’s
camera is great value; it just needs a bit of
work on its motion-detection algorithm.
David Ludlow
SPECIFICATIONS
VIDEO RESOLUTION 1080p sensor • CLOUD STORAGE Yes
• NETWORKING 802.11ac • WARRANTY
(two days free)
One year RTB • PART CODE KC120
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
 INKJET MFP

BROTHER
MFC-J491DW
★★★★★
£90 • From www.ebuyer.com

VERDICT
If you’re after an inkjet MFP for the home
office, Brother’s MFC-J491DW doesn’t
quite hit the mark

BROTHER’S MFC-J491DW is an inkjet

multifunction peripheral (MFP) primarily
aimed at home office use, so there’s Wi-Fi,
duplex (double-sided) printing, a fax modem
and a 20-sheet automatic document feeder
(ADF) for unattended faxes, scans and copies.
As a fairly lowly model, the MFC-J491DW
is reasonably keenly priced. It does without
Although the MFC-J491DW has some strengths – it’s
a touchscreen, but its button-controlled
menu is straightforward.
notably easy to use, both directly and from a PC – it’s
Brother appears to have cut down on the
orange plastic that once protected its ink not great, and it’s not helped by high running costs
cartridges, but it’s yet to introduce physical
keying to prevent you inserting them in the and each borderless 6x4in photo needing
wrong slot. There’s a seven-minute thumb more than three-and-a-half minutes. At 1.8
twiddle while the printer primes its ink colour images per minute (ipm), duplex
system; you can’t join a wireless network first, printing was also glacial, but at least it’s good
so you can’t use that time to install software. to have the feature.
During the install there’s a 360MB download
of iPrint & Scan, but you can defer it. DREARY ME
Unfortunately, the MFC-J491DW isn’t
CLATTER OF FACT spending the extra time on high print
The MFC-J491DW suffers from the same quality. Black text was perfectly fine, but
clattery paper tray we’ve seen on other colour graphics looked washed out on
Brother inkjets, but otherwise it sounds plain paper, and photos tended to look a
quiet and refined. In part, that’s down to little drab, although skin tones were a
its modest print speeds: we timed black welcome exception. It’s a similar story for
text at a gentle 10.9 pages per minute (ppm). photocopies: a mono print took 17 seconds
This is a very slow printer in colour, with our and preserved plenty of detail from the
graphics test inching out at just 2.6ppm, original, whereas a colour page needed
32 seconds and
looked rather murky.
Duplex prints were
more faint than
single-sided ones,
yet there was still a
little bit of image
bleed through our
thin test paper.
The MFC-J491DW
does get a shift on
when it comes to
scanning. With a
line-of-sight
connection to our
router, it managed
to preview an A4
document in just
eight seconds, and
⬅ It may be slow and
expensive to run, but at
least the MFC-J491DW
is easy to use
capture it at 150 dots per inch (dpi) in nine
seconds. Scanning a 6x4in photo at 600dpi
took just 19 seconds, and even at 1,200dpi it
was under a minute. Again, however, the
results weren’t great. Focus was fine, but our
test photo picked up a slight aqua tint, while
the scanner struggled to preserve differences
among the darkest shades in various originals.
The end result was adequate for archiving,
but not up to more creative needs.
Although the MFC-J491DW has some
strengths – it’s notably easy to use, both
directly and from a PC – it’s not great, and
it’s not helped by running costs of about
10.3p per A4 page of text and graphics.
The MFC-J491DW joins something of a trend
for high black ink costs of late: black alone
accounts for 3.6p of the above figure.
Epson’s competing WorkForce WF-3720DWF
(Shopper 357) has a similar problem, but it
costs the same to buy, and in most other
respects is a much better MFP.
Simon Handby
SPECIFICATIONS
TECHNOLOGY Piezo inkjet • MAXIMUM PRINT
RESOLUTION 6,000x1,200dpi • MAXIMUM OPTICAL
SCAN RESOLUTION (OUTPUT BIT DEPTH) 1,200x2,400dpi
(24-bit)• DIMENSIONS 172x400x341mm • WEIGHT 8.3kg
• MAXIMUM PAPER SIZE A4/legal • WARRANTY One
year RTB • DETAILS www.brother.co.uk •
PART CODE MFCJ491DWZU1
Mono speed 10.9ppm
Mixed colour
speed 2.6ppm
Mono page cost 3.6p
Colour page cost 6.7p
0% -50 Reference +50 +100
See page 112 for performance details

38 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

 MIRRORLESS DIGITAL CAMERA
FUJIFILM X-T3
★★★★★
RECOMMENDED £1,699 • From www.amazon.co.uk
VERDICT
The X-T3’s wide range of features and
agreeable price make it perfect for
photographers and videographers alike
FOR ALL THE different DSLR and mirrorless
cameras on the market, very few manage to
excel at everything – stunning still shots,
top-quality video and high-end usability are
easy to find individually, but all three rarely
come in a single package.
The X-T3, however, shows that Fujifilm has
pulled off this feat. It has a large, APS-C
sensor shooting 26-megapixel stills, 4K video
recording with 10-bit, 60fps and LOG shooting
support, and more dials than the floor of a
Rolex factory, all for a highly appealing price.
BIG TWIST
The arsenal of controls might even look
intimidating at first, but they’re what make
the X-T3 so eminently usable. You get
dedicated dials for ISO, shutter speed and
exposure compensation on the top of the
camera, then two more dials on the front
and rear right-hand shoulders of the camera,
too. X-series lenses have a dedicated
fly-by-wire aperture ring as well, so
between all those dials and a pair of Fn
buttons, you can really set the X-T3 up to
shoot however you want.
Even if it’s not very beginner-friendly, it’s
a boon for photographers who want to
fine-tune their own exposures. Both drive
mode and metering mode are controlled by
extra physical switches around the top dials,
which again aids experienced users.
The body of the camera itself weighs in
at 539g including the battery and a memory
card, and it feels supremely solid. The top
plate of the camera is metal, which helps,
but the switches and dials click firmly, which
adds to the feeling of solidity. The body is
weather-sealed, and all in all the X-T3 feels like
a camera capable of going the distance.
Our solitary gripe is the screen. It tilts and
pivots, which is great, but only feels as robust
as the rest of the camera when it’s folded
closed. Opened up, it’s quite flimsy.
We’ll forgive that, however, because the
screen itself is one of the finest on any
camera. This 3in, 1,040,000-pixel display is
bright, clear and vibrant, making framing
and image review simple and pleasant.
Indeed, it’s outdone only by the X-T3’s 0.5in
OLED viewfinder. Its total of 3.69 million
pixels make it incredibly fine-grained and
therefore easy to judge focus. We used the
X-T3 with both its kit lens, the XF 18-55mm
F2.8-4 R LM OIS, and with Fujifilm’s XF
90mm F2, which has very tight depth of
40
field, and really appreciated the accuracy with
which we were able to focus manually.
The only notable missing feature is in-body
stabilisation, so you’ll need to spend a little
more on lenses with stabilisation built in.
At least you have plenty of lenses to choose
from, with Fujifilm’s X-mount range spanning
cheap telephotos to professional-standard kit.
Speaking of pro features, ping open the
memory card door and you’ll find a pair of
slots, capable of taking two cards working
either simply as overflow, or as a mirrored
pair, backing up your work as you go.
That’s another fine touch, but not nearly
as fine as the photos this camera takes.
The kit lens is sharp and produces good
contrast, and ISO performance is downright
excellent. Two ISO 1600 images were basically
indistinguishable from each other, noise-wise,
and ISOs 1600 and 3200 were difficult to tell
apart. Beyond ISO 6400 there’s a marked
drop in colour fidelity, but it’s impressive that
an APS-C camera at this price produces
usable images with ISO cranked up this high.
CRACK SHOT
Even better is the range of video modes.
As mentioned, the X-T3 can shoot 4K footage
at up to 60fps, and in 10-bit – and a recent
firmware update added HDR support and
dual film simulation. That means you can
record 4K LOG footage with an LUT applied
on an external monitor, making this a viable
option for filmmakers.
Quality is superb, but it’s this ability to
shoot in F-log – Fujifilm’s own LOG mode –
that makes the difference, as it allows
you to get the most out of colour grading.
A high-speed 1080p mode is also available,
for shooting at up to 120fps.
All the basics are covered. There are 3.5mm
jacks for headphones and a microphone, as
well as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for easy image
transfers and remote photography.
There are an absolute thimbleful of
drawbacks, chief among which is battery life.
With a CIPA rating of under 400 images, and
a video recording time of just 40 minutes
in 4K, at least one spare battery is a must.
A useful-looking add-on is the X-T3’s battery
grip, a £300 addition that allows you to use
the X-T3 with three batteries installed at
once. Alternatively, you can supply power
via the USB Type-C port.
ALL SHOOTING, ALL DANCING
Picking out downsides beyond that is tricky.
For stills photographers, bigger sensors are
available for roughly the same outlay
elsewhere, but even so, with superb ISO
performance, build quality and handling –
particularly for experienced photographers –
the Fujifilm X-T3 is excellent.
The obvious front-runners in the DSLR
race offer far bigger lens libraries, but even
so there’s enough available for the X-mount
that most photographers will be perfectly
happy. This is simply a terrific camera,
particularly if you’re a jack of all trades.
Dave Stevenson
SPECIFICATIONS
SENSOR RESOLUTION 26.1 megapixels • SENSOR SIZE
23.5x15.6mm (APS-C) • FOCAL LENGTH MULTIPLIER 1.5x •
VIEWFINDER Electronic (3.69 million dots) • LCD SCREEN
3in (1.04 million dots) • VIEWFINDER MAGNIFICATION
(35mm-EQUIVALENT, COVERAGE) 0.75x, 100% •
WEIGHT 539g • DIMENSIONS 93x133x59mm •
WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.fujifilm.com •
PART CODE 16589254
Battery life 390 shots
0% -50 Reference +50 +100
See page 112 for performance details
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
 4K MEDIA STREAMER

AMAZON Fire TV Stick 4K

★★★★★
RECOMMENDED £50 • From www.amazon.co.uk

VERDICT
A great streamer with a rare advantage over 4K smart
TVs: full integration with smart home hardware

AMAZON’S FIRE TV Stick 4K is the
company’s latest TV streamer, and it improves
on its non-4K predecessor in a number of
ways. As well as supporting Ultra HD (UHD)
streams, it’s 80% more powerful, and
supports HDR, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision,
along with Dolby Atmos surround sound.
The streamer comes with the all-new Alexa
Voice Remote, which adds volume and power
buttons for your TV, in addition to letting you
open apps and control video playback with
your voice. It’s a seriously capable streaming
stick at a highly tempting price of just £50.
SLIMMED DOWN
This isn’t the Fire TV brand’s first 4K
streamer: we’ve had the Fire TV with 4K Ultra
HD (Shopper 360) for a while. That, however,
took the form of a dongle that dangled
slightly awkwardly from its HDMI port home;
this is 4K capability in smaller, tidier stick
form. Amazon credits this redesign to its
new antenna technology, which improves
connection stability and can handle the
higher bandwidth required for 4K content.
The Fire TV Stick 4K’s performance is impressive, delivering
Once it’s up and running, the Fire TV
Stick 4K works in exactly the same way as
its predecessors in terms of its interface
and apps. As before, this means you’ll find
all the usual catch-up TV apps such as BBC
iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and My5 ready and
waiting. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video
are also here, and these are the services
you’ll need to use if you want to
take advantage of the
streamer’s new UHD
HDR capabilities.
Indeed, Netflix offers
both HDR and Dolby
Vision formats in 4K,
while Amazon Prime
Video supports HDR,
HDR10+ and Dolby
Vision. Although
playback usually starts
out at a paltry 720p, with a little bit of
patience it switches to 4K HDR, with all the
detail and richness you would expect.
The picture quality might not quite be Alternatively, if you own an Amazon Echo
on par with watching a Blu-ray UHD disc, speaker, you can go fully hands-free. As well
as searching for films and TV, you can use
your Echo speaker to control playback and
even check security camera feeds – all
without picking up the remote. It’s not just a

smooth and crisp video. Navigating menus is also snappy
As a result, this looks just like the old,
non-4K Fire TV Stick – in other words, plain
and boxy. As before, you can plug it directly
into your TV’s HDMI port, but if doing so
obstructs other HDMI ports or leaves the
stick protruding too far from the back of your
TV (it’s 108mm long), you can also use the
included HDMI extender to let it hang freely.
The remote also looks familiar, except that
there are new volume, mute and power
buttons for controlling your TV. Setting up
these functions takes only a matter of
seconds the first time you use the Fire TV
Stick 4K, and it’s a real boon being able to
control everything from the one remote.
In fact, the only problem we had with the
setup process was finding a suitable power
source. On the setup screens, the stick
declared that our TV’s USB port wasn’t
supplying enough power, so we had to plug
it into the mains using the supplied adaptor.
If you’re hoping to reduce the amount of
mains-powered devices around your TV, be
aware that the Fire TV Stick 4K might need
more power than your TV can supply.
but the Fire TV Stick 4K’s performance is
impressive, delivering smooth and crisp
video. Navigating menus is also snappy and
responsive, and apps load quickly.
YES OR NOW
The only notable omission, as far as
streaming services are concerned, is Now
TV. If you want a streamer that lets you
watch Now TV, Netflix and Amazon Prime
Video, you’ll need the Roku Streaming
Stick+ (Shopper 361). Perhaps more
disappointingly, there’s no official YouTube
app. If you want that, you’ll have to make
do with using it with the Firefox or Silk
browsers, which is far from ideal.
The remote control’s Voice function
works well. It allows you to open apps,
search for content and control playback by
simply pressing and holding the microphone
button and giving the appropriate command.
In fact, asking Alexa to “show me 4K
content” is undoubtedly the easiest way
of finding new 4K material in both Netflix
and Amazon Prime Video.
convenient control scheme, it’s a brilliant
system for fully integrating your TV into a
smart home network.
HOT STUFF
The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is an excellent
media streamer. It has most of the catch-up
TV apps and premium streaming services you
could want (with one or two exceptions), and
it’s compatible with an impressive range of
HDR standards out of the box.
Add the ability to search and control video
playback with your voice, and you have the
best-value 4K streaming stick on the market.
As a way to speed up sluggish smart TV
apps or smarten a dumb 4K projector, it’s a
strong rival to the Roku Streaming Stick+, if
not quite as fully featured.
Edward Munn
SPECIFICATIONS
VIDEO OUTPUTS 1x HDMI • NETWORKING 802.11ac Wi-Fi
• DIMENSIONS 108x30x14mm • STREAMING FORMATS
UPnP, AirPlay, DLNA, Plex • INTERNET STREAMING
SERVICES Amazon Video, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub,
All 4, My5 • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS
www.amazon.co.uk • PART CODE Fire TV Stick 4K

42 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

SOUNDBAR
DENON Heos Bar
★★★★★
£599 • From www.amazon.co.uk
VERDICT
A great-sounding standalone soundbar that’s both expandable and smart
NOT UNLIKE THE Sonos Playbar (Shopper 374),
the Denon Heos Bar is the kind of soundbar that
doesn’t immediately seem to offer a lot of value;
it’s only when inserted into a wider multiroom
speaker system that it starts to make sense.
That requires robust wireless connectivity, but
the Heos Bar comes with a wide range of physical
ports as well. Nestled neatly in a cutout at the
rear are four HDMI inputs plus a single HDMI
ARC (audio return channel) output.
That’s more than any other soundbar we’ve
seen at this price. It’s even more impressive when
you consider that every one of those ports is
HDMI 2.0a-enabled, so you can use the Heos Bar
as a switcher for all your 4K HDR sources.
Accompanying the 4K video inputs is an
equally wide array of auxiliary digital and analogue
inputs. There’s coaxial and optical S/PDIF, plus a
3.5mm analogue input, a USB Type-A port for
connecting hard disks and thumb drives, and an
Ethernet port for wired network connectivity.
On the wireless side, there’s support for both
Bluetooth and 802.11ac, but setting up the latter is
bafflingly primitive. To connect the Heos Bar to
your home Wi-Fi, you must input the network
password, which requires you to connect the
soundbar to your smartphone via a 3.5mm cable
and transfer the password by wire. It’s even
weirder if your phone lacks a 3.5mm jack: you
have to lug the Heos Bar over to your router and
connect it via Ethernet to get it up and running.
TEAMING UP
The good news is that once it’s connected, the
Heos Bar is easy to use. The multiroom features
stand out: it needs other, Denon-made
compatible speakers, rather than any old
Wi-Fi speakers, but you can group two or more
together or play something different throughout
each one. The mobile app is pleasantly
straightforward, and supports a good range of
music streaming services, including Spotify,
TuneIn, Tidal Amazon Music and SoundCloud.
You can play tunes from DLNA-compatible music
servers on your home network, too.
The simple remote is pretty good too, but
there’s no way to adjust the EQ or select any of
the soundbar’s modes from it. You have to use
the smartphone app to access movie, music and
night modes, tweak the treble and bass, or adjust
the dialogue prominence via the centre channel.
There’s no Dolby Atmos support, but that’s
common at this price. Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD
Master, Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus
support is a decent showing in Atmos’s stead.
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
The Heos Bar claims to support Alexa and
Google Assistant, though it has no microphones
of its own. Instead, you’ll need to connect it to an
Amazon Echo or Google Home smart speaker.
This can be done via Bluetooth, without any of
the bizarre wired shenanigans of Wi-Fi setup.
As for audio quality, the Heos Bar makes a
good fist of delivering the full frequency range
even without an included subwoofer. Behind its
swooping façade are six 2.5in mid-woofer drivers
and three 1.5in tweeters, backed by digital
amplifiers supporting three channels of audio
output: left, right and centre, for dialogue. The
speaker has a pair of rearwards-firing bass reflex
ports at either end of the soundbar, and these
point down if you choose to have the soundbar
mounted on the wall, so it shouldn’t produce too
much of an overbearing bass boom.
THE DEEP END
All this goes together to produce audio of
suitably strong authority, including a prodigious
amount of bass, which rolls off at around the
40Hz mark. It’s relatively well-controlled bass,
too. That centre channel delivers dialogue with
clarity and balance, and there’s a useful facility to
amp up dialogue if it’s too quiet or muffled.
Compared to the very best soundbars,
however, the sound profile is a touch reserved
and the soundstage is a little narrow. The Heos
Bar also lacks extension at the very top end of
the frequency spectrum, and it rolls off quite
steeply above the 10kHz mark, so there isn’t quite
the level of crisp clarity you get with, say, the
Samsung HW-N650 (Shopper 368). The flipside is
that there isn’t much in the way of sibilance or
harshness, but we did miss the atmospherics
that having a little more top-end detail adds.
If you’re only in need of a standalone
soundbar, we’d therefore recommend the
HW-N650 over this – it sounds better and is a
lot cheaper, at £400. Nevertheless, the Denon
Heos Bar sounds good and is absolutely packed
with features, so it’s perhaps worth considering if
you’re after a more versatile speaker that can be
part of a multiroom music speaker configuration,
as well as enhancing movies and TV.
Jonathan Bray
SPECIFICATIONS
DRIVERS 9 • RMS POWER OUTPUT Not stated • DIMENSIONS
72x1,110x148mm• WEIGHT 4.8kg • DOCK CONNECTOR None
• NETWORKING Wi-Fi, Bluetooth • WARRANTY One year RTB
• DETAILS www.denon.co.uk • PART CODE HEOSBARBKE2GB
 SMART SCREEN
JBL Link View
★★★★★
RECOMMENDED £250 • From uk.jbl.com
VERDICT
More expensive than other smart displays, but
the Link View has by far the best speakers
YET ANOTHER SMART screen device has hit
the shelves, following the Google Home Hub
(Shopper 372) and the Lenovo Smart Display
(Shopper 374). Like these, the JBL Link View is
powered by Google Assistant, so it shares the
core functionality of controlling smart home
hardware, playing music and YouTube videos
and so on, but the Link View also has a
front-facing camera for two-way video calls,
as well as a greater focus on audio quality.
Despite having an 8in display, the Link
View is closer in size to the 10in Lenovo Smart
Display than the diminutive 7in Google Home
Hub. At 100mm deep, it’s just about small
enough to squeeze on a large bedside table;
there won’t be room for much else, however.
NARROW DOWN
Unlike its rivals, the display is flanked by two
51mm drivers, giving it a wider, more oval
shape. The front-facing 5-megapixel camera
sits above the screen in the middle, and if
you’re concerned about privacy, you can
disable it via a mechanical switch on the rear.
Also placed above the screen are two far-field
microphones and an ambient light sensor that
enables automatic screen brightness.
On the rear are a couple of extra controls,
in the form of a volume rocker and mute
switch for the microphones, and a passive
radiator to help boost bass response.
The display’s 1,280x800 resolution is
more than enough for a screen of this size,
especially when viewed from afar, but it’s
unfortunately let down by poor viewing
angles. Images look great, with accurate
colours, when viewed from head-on at
standing height, but when you look from
across the room at more of an angle they
take on a slightly blue sheen. That’s quite
disappointing when the screen on the
cheaper Lenovo Smart Display is so good.
Still, in terms of smart functionality, the
Link View works almost identically to the
44
competition. Once you’ve set it up via the
Google Home app for Android or iPhone, it
shows a simple interface comprising weather
info, calendar events, ‘Top stories for you’ and
recommendations from Spotify and YouTube.
As with any Google Assistant-powered
smart speaker, you can then ask the speaker
whatever you please and wait with bated
breath to see if it delivers a useful answer.
The only difference is that, having a display,
the JBL Link View delivers onscreen visuals to
Where the Link View really shows its worth is audio quality.
To our ears, it’s the best-sounding smart screen of the lot
supplement the experience wherever possible.
That’s great when you want to check a
countdown timer at a glance or see a currency
conversion, and when you’re playing music
from Spotify or BBC iPlayer Radio, the screen
not only tells you what you’re listening to, but
also provides handy onscreen controls.
HOUSE STYLE
The other main advantage of having the
display is that you can control your lights,
thermostat, cameras, media and other smart
devices by opening the Home View by simply
swiping down from the top of the screen.
Since it’s powered by Google Assistant, JBL’s
smart speaker works with most popular
smart home brands, including Philips Hue,
Nest, Hive, Ikea Tradfri and TP-Link.
When it’s not in use, the Link View can
also be configured to show images from your
Google Photos gallery. From the Google Home
mobile app you can choose the albums
that appear or, if you prefer,
there’s a ‘Recent highlights’
option that attempts to
automatically select your
best snaps. If you want
to make the most of
Google Photos’ AI while
having a little more
control over it, it’s possible
to have it show family and
friends you’ve tagged in the
Google Photos smartphone app.
Unfortunately, like its rivals, video
streaming on JBL’s smart display is limited to
YouTube, at least as far as initiating playback
via a voice command is concerned. However, if
you have your smartphone handy, it supports
casting from popular apps including Now TV,
BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and BT Sport.
Netflix, alas, is not supported.
Where the Link View really shows its worth
is audio quality. This, to our ears, is the
best-sounding smart screen of the lot.
That’s not to say it’s perfect – on some
tracks, when you’re facing the speaker
head-on, there can be a harshness in the
treble frequencies – but, by and large, it
delivers a fun, controlled sound with plenty
of bass and heaps of detail.
PLAY IT BY EAR
It’s the only Google-Assistant powered smart
display we’d be happy to recommend as a
primary listening device. Indeed, it
delivers enough oomph to comfortably fill
an average-sized kitchen or living room,
where its competitors struggle at higher
volumes. Having speakers either side of the
display means you also benefit from stereo
audio, something that’s absent from the
Google and Lenovo devices.
So impressive are the Link View’s audio
credentials that it ends up being worth the
hefty £110 more than what you’d pay for a
Google Home Hub, especially when it also
has a larger screen and proper video calling.
If you want the very best Google Assistant-
powered smart display, this is it.
Edward Munn
SPECIFICATIONS
DRIVERS 2 • RMS POWER OUTPUT 20W • WIRELESS
802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 • DIMENSIONS
152x332x100mm • DISPLAY 1,280x800 • WEIGHT 1.3kg •
WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS uk.jbl.com •
PART CODE JBLLINKVIEWBLKEU
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
 ANDROID 9.0 SMARTPHONE

HUAWEI P Smart (2019)

★★★★★
£200 • From www.carphonewarehouse.com

VERDICT
Huawei’s newest budget offering is a great
performer, with the exception of its camera

HAVING ENDED 2018 with the excellent which scored 916 and more than just a party
Mate 20 Pro (Shopper 373), Huawei has 3,525 respectively. trick. Point it at a cat,
begun 2019 with an altogether more By budget phone and it will recognise it
affordable handset: a new version of the standards this is also well enough, but as
budget P Smart (Shopper 364). a great device for with the more
Not that you’d think it was cheap at a gaming. The P Smart expensive P20 and
glance. With no physical buttons, and a produced 19fps in Mate 20 Pros, the
screen that dominates the front of the GFXBench’s Manhattan adjustments it makes
phone (save for minimal bezels and a tiny 3 onscreen test and are almost pantomime
circular camera notch), it certainly looks the 21fps in the offscreen in their saturation and
part of a quality smartphone. The same goes test, beating Motorola’s colour picks.
for the rear: along with a round fingerprint Moto G6 Plus (Shopper Things aren’t much
sensor, there’s a dual-lens camera array with 369), which scored better when the feature
a single LED flash. 14fps offscreen, is switched off. In low
Some of the sheen is lost when the phone and the Nokia 5.1 light, images are
is in your hand, as the plastic back feels flimsy, (8fps offscreen). incredibly soft and
especially if you’re more used to glass and Battery life smudgy when
metal. There’s also no USB Type-C port, the P provides another big compared to the
Smart instead having a slower Micro USB slot. improvement on last year’s model: the old P Moto G6 (Shopper 369), and even out in
There is expandable storage, however, Smart couldn’t make it to eight hours in our daylight, fine details are lost in a blurry mess.
allowing for the 32GB of internal storage to be video loop benchmark, but this one managed Things improve when HDR is switched on,
bumped up with microSD cards up to 512GB. 12h 16m. That’s not exactly a standout but not enough to save the P Smart’s
Unsurprisingly, that big 6.2in display isn’t performance in itself, but as with processing camera, and that’s a big disappointment,
an OLED screen, but you do get a 2,340x1,080 performance, it’s good for the price. Only the since Huawei is leading the way on photo
resolution IPS screen for your money, and it’s Moto G6 Plus lasted longer, with 13h 57m. quality with its high-end handsets.
not a bad one at all for the price. Using our Video capture isn’t much better. The P
colorimeter, we found the display covered SNAP HEAP Smart can record 1080p footage at 60fps, but
94.5% of the sRGB colour gamut and offered As is now the fashion, the 2019 Huawei P there’s no stabilisation, so footage often ends
a quite respectable contrast ratio of 997:1. Smart comes with not one but two cameras up unusable. Not just because it jumps all
Brightness reached a peak of 415cd/m2, on the back. Unlike top-end smartphones that over the place, but because the focus hunts
which while not searingly bright is decent provide optical zoom or wide-angle options, distractingly before locking on. The footage is
enough for most conditions. the second camera is purely here to add a bit dark, too, and the exposure visibly steps
depth to shots, and provide a blurry up and down when you shift the camera from
PICKING UP SPEED background bokeh effect. The main snapper dark to bright scenes, and vice versa.
This may be a step backwards from the old is a 13-megapixel affair, while the supporting
P Smart, which had a depth-mapping camera FIT TO A P
screen that could reach is two megapixels. It’s a good thing, then, that the P Smart is so
600cd/m2 brightness and Both have an aperture much better in most other metrics. At £200
a contrast ratio of 1,500:1, of f/1.8, and there’s no it outperforms the Moto G6 in every way
but the new model makes optical image stabilisation except for the camera, which may alone be a
up for it by being far more – although the P Smart stumbling block for some potential users.
powerful. This has the does support Huawei’s However, for those who want a phone first
same Kirin 910 processor ‘AI’ camera features. and a camera second, it’s a good buy.
as the Mate 10 Lite These are based around Alan Martin
(Shopper 370), which recognising what you’ve
launched at nearly double taken a photo of – a SPECIFICATIONS
the price; regardless, the person or certain object,
two performed evenly in say – and make
PROCESSOR Octa-core 2.2GHz HiSilicon Kirin 710 •
SCREEN SIZE 6.2in •
SCREEN RESOLUTION 2,340x1,080 •
the Geekbench 4 CPU automatic edits that REAR CAMERAS 13 megapixels, 2 megapixels STORAGE•
benchmark, with the would, in theory, best 32GB •
WIRELESS DATA 4G •
DIMENSIONS 155x73x8mm

2019 P Smart scoring suit the shot. • WEIGHT 160g •

OPERATING SYSTEM Android 9.0 •
1,528 in the single-core Unfortunately, for
WARRANTY One year RTB •
DETAILS consumer.huawei.
com •
PART CODE POT-LX1
test and 5,526 in the all the P Smart’s other
multicore test. These qualities, its photo-taking Battery life 12h 16m
results also represent capability is a letdown. 0% -50 Reference +50 +100
a big step up from First off, the AI See page 112 for performance details
the previous P Smart, identification isn’t much

46 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

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 E-READER
KOBO Forma
★★★★★
£230 • From www.currys.co.uk
VERDICT
A very decent luxury e-reader, with some rough edges
smoothed out by great features and hardware
CANADIAN E-READER COMPANY Kobo
is one of several underdogs in a Kindle-
dominated arena, and its latest flagship
device – the Forma – is making a direct
challenge to Amazon’s Kindle Oasis.
There are certainly elements of the
Forma’s design that seem to owe a debt to
the Oasis: the offset screen, the buttons on a
grip off to one side, the ultra-thin chassis,
even the shared IPX8 waterproofing. This
means you can dunk the Forma in up to
two metres of water (but not salt water) for
up to 30 minutes. The two devices are very
obviously cut from the same cloth.
FORMA FACTOR
There are some key differences, however.
Where the Oasis has a burnished aluminium
rear and sharp edges, the Forma is clad in
rubberised plastic. And while the Oasis’s
page turn buttons are on the same level as
the screen, the Forma’s are mounted on an
angled spine that makes it easier to hold and
emulates the feeling of holding an open book.
The Forma is larger, too, with an 8in screen,
compared with 7in on the Oasis.
Dimensions of 160mm across and 177mm
vertically might prevent the Forma from
slipping easily into a coat pocket, but it’s
thin enough (at 8.5mm) and light enough
(at 197g) to compensate. More screen space
means more reading space, too.
However, we’d recommend using a PC or
laptop to load ebooks, as browsing on the
Forma itself is rather slow. Moreover, it’s
much harder to find cheap or free books on
the Kobo Store compared with the website
because there are fewer search filters
available. The Kobo Store offers a similarly
vast amount of content to the Kindle Store,
although it also tends to be pricier.
48
Fortunately, once
you’ve got the
books bought and
loaded, reading
them on the
Forma is a pleasure.
Its 8in 300ppi E-Ink
Carta display is
exceptional: text
appears crisp and
clear at even the smallest of font
sizes, eye-strain is non-existent (thanks
in part to even lighting distribution) and
viewing angles are superb.
COMFORT ZONE
Kobo’s Comfortlight technology is a key
success, as it filters out blue light as day turns
to night – something Kindle e-readers can’t.
Enable the Natural Light setting and the
panel’s illumination gradually changes from
bright white to a warm red as it approaches
your designated bedtime. There’s no external
light sensor on the Forma, however, so the
overall brightness must be adjusted manually.
Customising your reading experience on
the Kobo Forma is also easy. There are over
50 font styles to play around with, and you
can set the font size, line spacing and
margins to your exact preferences. You can
also turn on text justification, to give the
text a more ‘bookish’ appearance.
PDFs aren’t quite so well supported;
the dictionary word selection tool doesn’t
work, for one. Page breaks also appear as
they do in the original files, and font text
cannot be changed, but you can zoom in
and out. Annoyingly, filenames reverted
back to their original state when we first
downloaded them, despite us having
renamed almost all of them. This makes for
a less-than-neat
list of books
and authors.
On the bright
side, the Forma
natively supports a
greater range of file
formats than Kindle
– there’s no need
to email them to
Amazon’s conversion
service – and if you have a local library card,
you can also gain access to a wealth of
rentable ebooks through the OverDrive online
library. Thousands of libraries across the
world support the service, and all you have to
do is create an account – this is easy to do on
the Kobo Forma itself – and then search the
OverDrive section of the Kobo Store.
Pocket, the Forma’s offline-reading app
for long-form articles, also has a lot of
promise. With the help of the accompanying
Chrome desktop browser extension or
smartphone app, you can sync articles to
read later on the Forma at your convenience,
which is a very neat feature.
It has some problems, however. One page
we saved using the Pocket extension was
dated January 2019, but after syncing we
were shown a 2017 version of the same
article that was not actually viewable in
Google. Loading times are appalling, despite
the fact that images and adverts are
trimmed out; it can take over a minute to
scroll to the bottom of a web page.
BOOK IT
The Forma is a formidable Kindle Oasis rival,
but it’s not perfect. £240 seems a steep price
for such a limited device, and the lack of
audiobook support is a real shortcoming;
Oasis-style waterproofing would seem like a
good reason to pay more, but then the £120
Kindle Paperwhite is IPX8-rated too.
However, the Forma scores points for its
display, Comfortlight tech and OverDrive
library access, and even Pocket can be very
useful when it works. This e-reader won’t
topple Kindle, but it is a respectable effort.
Tom Bruce
SPECIFICATIONS
SCREEN SIZE 8in • SCREEN RESOLUTION 300ppi •
STORAGE 8GB • DIMENSIONS 160x178x8.5mm •
WEIGHT 197g • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS
uk.kobobooks.com • PART CODE N782-KU-BK-K-EP
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
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 ANDROID 8.1 SMARTPHONE

OPPO RX17 Pro

★★★★★
£549 • From www.carphonewarehouse.com

VERDICT
Battery life won’t ever be a problem with the
Oppo RX17, but it’s expensive for what it is

IT’S NOT NECESSARILY a bad thing that
the Oppo RX17 Pro is a dead ringer for the
OnePlus 6T (Shopper 373), right down to
the teardrop notch and the flashing green
in-screen fingerprint reader. The real big
issue here is why anyone would choose the
RX17 Pro over the 6T, which both performs
better and costs less.
In Oppo’s defence, this is a very good
Android phone in many ways. It’s also more
than a simple OnePlus knock-off: there’s a
three-lens camera array on the back, for
example, something the 6T doesn’t have.
The two phones do share certain
drawbacks, including the lack of a
waterproofing rating and an MIA
headphone jack. The model we got our
hands on didn’t have a microSD card slot
for storage expansion, either.
The display is much better. It’s a huge
6.4in AMOLED panel, with a resolution of
2,340x1,080, and its peak brightness of
423cd/m2 is perfectly fine. We also measured
it covering 100% of the sRGB colour gamut,
so it’s incredibly vibrant – if anything, when
simply viewing images on the web, it can
look oversaturated.
POWER CUT
If you were to crack open the RX17 Pro to see
what makes it tick, you’d find the first big
dividing line with the OnePlus 6T: a far weaker
processor. It’s not that the Snapdragon 710 is
poor for everyday use, but the 6T has a
top-of-the-line Snapdragon 845, while the
RX17 only has the same chip as the £200
Huawei P Smart reviewed a few pages back.
This is starkly reflected in the Geekbench 4
benchmark, as the RX17
Pro’s scores of 1,815 in the
single-core test and 5,934 in
the multicore test are miles
behind the OnePlus 6T’s
respective 2,392 and 9,016.
The £330 Xiaomi
Pocophone F1 (Shopper
373) also beats the RX17
Pro by similar margins.
Oppo’s handset falls far
behind both in the
Battery life, on the zoom, something the
other hand, is more in OnePlus 6T lacks. The
line with the competition third lens, surprisingly, is
– and the best for 3D scanning.
competition at that. To be a bit more
Lasting 19h 30m in our technical, this lens is a
video playback test, Time of Flight (TOF)
the RX17 Pro is no camera, which fires out
slouch when it comes infrared light and then
to longevity. measures how long it
Not only that, but takes to come back.
the rate at which the The idea is that this
battery charges is quite could be used for 3D
something. OnePlus scans of people, as on
boldly promises you can the Sony Xperia XZ1, or
get a day’s power in half even to accurately
an hour’s charge, but the RX17 Pro smashes measure things using just your camera.
this thanks to some clever technology inside. Weirdly, Oppo hadn’t formally enabled this
Rather than one 3,700mAh cell, it has two at the time of our review, but we were able to
1,850mAh batteries to optimise the charging. get the measuring feature working by messing
That, according to Oppo, allows it to fully around with .apk files. It’s easy to use, but only
charge your phone from flat in 35 minutes. seems to give you ballpark figures, often being
It wasn’t quite that fast in our tests, but it off by a few centimetres. This might still be
wasn’t far off. In 10 minutes, from 0%, it was useful in cases, but it’s no replacement for an
up to 42%. It eventually crossed the 100% old-fashioned tape measure.
line after 37m 27s – a phenomenal result.
There are a couple of caveats here. First, to JITTER BUG
reach top speed, the phone needs to be Still, for the less specialised purpose of taking
switched off. Second, it requires the use of pictures, the RX17 Pro is great. Even in low
both the bundled plug and cable; we tried light, image quality is on par with the OnePlus
with another USB Type-C cable, and it barely 6T’s excellent camera, and it applies far less
made it past 30% in half an hour. aggressive processing than even the Mate 20
Pro. Only video recording disappoints: the
MEASURE FOR MEASURE RX17 Pro can shoot at 4K, but only at 30fps,
Incredibly fast charging aside, there’s one and with no image stabilisation, footage can
other trick up the Oppo RX17 Pro’s sleeve: easily end up as a shaky mess.
like the Pro versions of Huawei’s P20 and Ultimately, the RX17 Pro is a good start
Mate 20, it has three cameras on the back for Oppo’s smartphone business in the UK;
that work altogether. It’s there’s not quite enough in the third camera
not as advanced as either lens to justify it costing more than the
Huawei handset, but that’s OnePlus 6T, especially with the performance
fair enough considering it’s difference, but qualities such as its fast
a few hundred pounds charging are encouraging to say the least.
cheaper than both. Alan Martin
Specifically, you get a
12-megapixel camera with SPECIFICATIONS
an aperture that adapts to
the light available to go
PROCESSOR Octa-core 2.2GHz HiSilicon Kirin 710 •
SCREEN SIZE 6.4in •
SCREEN RESOLUTION 2,340x1,080 •
from f/1.5 to f/2.4, much REAR CAMERAS 12 megapixels, 20 megapixels, TOF •
like the Samsung Galaxy S9, STORAGE 128GB •
WIRELESS DATA 4G •
DIMENSIONS

GFXBench Manhattan 3 plus optical image 158x75x7.9mm •

WEIGHT 183g •
OPERATING SYSTEM

graphics benchmark, too, stabilisation and phase

Android 8.1 •WARRANTY Two years RTB •
DETAILS www.oppo.com •
PART CODE RX17 Pro
producing 28fps in the detect autofocus.
onscreen test and 33fps The second, Battery life 19h 30m
in the offscreen test, 20-megapixel shooter 0% -50 Reference +50 +100
which is less than half supports it with depth See page 112 for performance details
of its two rivals. mapping and 2x optical

50 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

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 FITNESS TRACKER
POLAR Vantage M
★★★★★
RECOMMENDED £215 • From www.amazon.co.uk
VERDICT
A highly functional runner’s watch with a
much better design than the last generation
THE POLAR M430 (Shopper 363) is a great
running watch: its GPS tracking proved so
consistently accurate that we now use it to
see if other wearables are keeping pace.
The problem is that the sartorial faux pas
of wearing two watches is multiplied when you
look at the chunky M430. Technically, you can
wear it at all the time, but you wouldn’t want
to; especially not the bright orange model we
were sent. The Polar Vantage M fixes that
problem. It’s a successor to the M430, but
adopts a much more stylish circular face and
a slimmer, understated appearance.
This is a watch you could quite happily
wear all the time, and the rubber strap it
comes with is comfortable, too. And if you
decide you need something a bit lighter or
more fashionable, it’s easy enough to change.
Just prod in the pogo pins at the end and
replace with one more to your liking.
There are a couple of clues that this is a
Polar wearable. For starters, it has the same
number of buttons as the M430 – two on the
left and three on the right – and they behave
in the same way. On the left are a backlight
button and a back button, while the right has
two navigation buttons and a ‘go’ button.
KEEPING CONTROL
It’s all pretty straightforward and, while it
makes the Vantage M look slightly messier
than an all-touch design might, for fitness
purposes it’s considerably more practical.
Touchscreens simply aren’t cut out for
serious running, thanks to their fiddliness
and difficulties working when wet. That’s a
bit of a problem for runners who sweat or
expose themselves to a little rain – in other
words, all of them.
52
The black-and-white screen of the M430
has been replaced with a 240x240 pixel,
1.2in always-on colour display. The colours
aren’t particularly vibrant, however, and it’s
worth pointing out that the handsomeness
of the watch is partly down to a trick of
perception. The screen is mostly black
precisely so it can blend in with the half-a-
centimetre thick bezels that surround the
face of the watch. Still, this won’t be clear to
observers, so it’s hardly a deal breaker.
Best of all is that the Vantage M takes on
most of the M430’s best qualities without
adding many drawbacks. We’d have preferred
it if the display was more clear about when
GPS has locked on: the only visual indicator is
a tiny circle around the compass changing
from red to green. Other than that, it’s mainly
good news. We were also surprised by the
lack of notifications for messages and emails,
but these will have been added via an update
by the time you read this.
GO WITH THE FLOW
One cool trick the Vantage M has is the
screen’s ability to show up to four different
metrics of your choosing while running.
We favour time, distance, average pace and
current pace, but you can also drop in things
such as heart rate, cadence or calories.
Distances have seemed accurate enough
so far, with the sole exception of one run
through a heavily wooded area being
measured a bit short.
The Polar Flow app diligently records all
your data, along with your sleep patterns in a
quite detailed fashion. Once again, you can
automatically import or export this to Strava,
TrainingPeaks, MyFitnessPal, Nike+ Run Club
or Google Fit. Brilliantly, you can also sync it
with Google Calendar, ensuring you don’t miss
the training runs you want to commit to.
The battery life should also be more than
enough for most people, with the 230mAh
battery providing up to 30 hours of GPS and
heart-rate-fuelled training time. Unless you’re
into ultramarathons, that should be plenty –
as long as you don’t lose your charger. Once
again, the charger is proprietary: a little plastic
dish that clips on to the back of the watch.
PRESS THE ADVANTAGE
The Vantage M is more expensive than the
M430, so it might be tempting to buy the
older device if you just want run tracking and
don’t care about the looks. However, the
Vantage M offers quite a few new features,
including Training Load Pro, GLONASS, power
zones, multisport training and swim tracking,
as well as being lighter and more comfortable
for extended wear. For casual runners, these
might be considered nice to have rather
than pure essentials, but this enhanced
functionality combined with a much-improved
design is enough to justify the upgrade.
For an even more feature-packed fitness
wearable, there’s also the Vantage M’s
bigger brother, the Vantage V. However, as
this costs £360, the Vantage M is far closer
to the sweet spot between form, function
and affordability.
Alan Martin
SPECIFICATIONS
PEDOMETER Yes • HEART-RATE MONITOR Yes •
DISPLAY SIZE 1.2in • RESOLUTION 240x240 •
OS SUPPORT Android, iOS • BATTERY LIFE 30 hours •
WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.polar.com •
PART CODE Vantage M
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
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 VIDEO-EDITING SOFTWARE
MAGIX Vegas
Pro Edit 16
★★★★★
£299 • From www.vegascreativesoftware.com
VERDICT
It’s still a capable video editor, but Vegas’s
crown is slipping
VIDEO IS EVERYWHERE, and a vast amount
is produced by non-professionals, particularly
for businesses creating social media content.
It’s a little strange, then, that there aren’t
more editors in the mid-price band to
compete with Vegas Pro. Most professionals
use Avid or Premiere Pro, and there are
various consumer editors to choose from, but
Vegas Pro and Apple Final Cut Pro are the
only serious contenders to straddle the gap.
Our tests of version 16 got off to a shaky
start, with frequent crashes while playing
back a project. This was tracked down to
GPU acceleration, and an update improved
stability significantly, but not entirely. We still
experienced occasional crashes, averaging
roughly two per day.
TRACK DOWNER
Conversely, it’s good to see that the buggy
behaviour we experienced in version 15’s
Picture in Picture effect has been ironed out,
so it’s now possible to animate graphics along
curved paths. However, the bezier curve
handles don’t behave in the same way that
these controls work in other software, and
defining curved paths can be a little clumsy.
More conventional bezier curve handle
controls are included in the new Bezier
Masking effect, but in this instance there are
no curve options such as Split Manual or
Linear. Up to five masks can be applied to a
clip, either to cut out part of the clip or to
apply effects only to specific parts. There are
options to soften the edges of masks and to
animate their dimensions, rotation and scale.
It’s also possible to track motion in the
footage, so that the mask’s position
automatically tracks objects in the frame.
There’s a tendency for the tracking to
wander off course, which is forgivable, but
54
⬆ Masks with motion tracking mean effects can be applied to limited parts of the frame
it’s frustrating that there’s no live display as it
tracks. We found it necessary to track a few
frames at a time, cancel the process check if
it was on course, adjust if necessary and
then track a few more frames.
A bigger frustration is that, while most
parameters of the Bezier Masking effect can
be animated, the shape of the bezier mask
itself is the exception. This means it’s no
good for detailed compositing work, such as
creating a tight mask around a complex
moving shape. Mask shape animation is
still available in the old Pan/Crop tool, but
without motion tracking.
BE STILL
There’s a new stabilisation effect, which is
overdue after Magix bundled the excellent
ProDad Mercalli plug-in with version 14 but
omitted it from version 15 (and upgraders
found that it no longer worked). The new,
home-grown effect isn’t as sophisticated as
Mercalli, but it offers more control than the
simple plug-in bundled with version 15.
Stabilisation effects work by shifting the
footage around the frame to compensate for
detected shaky motion, so some degree of
zooming in is required to avoid showing the
edges of the frame. The plug-in includes the
ability to set the zoom level manually, which is
welcome, as the Auto Zoom option cropped it
unnecessarily tight, squandering image quality.
The new effect also includes a Motion Blur
function, which is designed to reintroduce
blur to moving subjects when footage is shot
with a fast shutter speed. However, the blur
applied was incredibly subtle and nowhere
near the amount that would be produced by
shooting at conventional
shutter speeds. Overall,
the new stabilisation
plug-in failed to deliver
demonstrably better
results than its simpler
predecessor, and in some
tests it performed worse.
It’s a long way behind
⬅ The new Storyboard
feature should make
sequencing clips quicker,
but we’re not convinced
Mercalli Pro, which analyses and compensates
for shakes in three dimensions, and includes
rotational as well as spatial axes.
Editing in 360° is supported, with options
to flip between a flattened view of the whole
sphere or to pan around the footage in the
Video Preview window. The 360° Stabilisation
effect works well, but while the Help section
suggests you use a dedicated 360° render
preset when rendering the video to a file, it
doesn’t explain where to find these presets.
There’s a new Storyboard mode, where
each clip is represented by a single thumbnail
rather than bars on the timeline. This should
make it easier to sequence clips at the start
of the editing process, but the relationship
between the storyboard and the timeline
is unwieldy, and we found it more of a
hindrance than a help.
FULLY LOADED
Vegas Pro has long been a dependable
workhorse. It can’t do as much as Premiere
Pro, but what it can do, it does efficiently
and with attention to detail. While it’s great
to see long-awaited improvements to
masking capabilities, it’s frustrating that
the ability to animate mask shapes is lost in
the process. Magix has form for piling on
new features with each update rather than
refining and improving existing ones, leaving
the user to grapple with a bloated,
inconsistent interface. Sadly, this looks set
to be the fate for Vegas Pro. It also appears
to be less stable than previous versions.
That said, there isn’t much competition
at this price. We still prefer it to the
consumer-focused Premiere Elements, and
Premiere Pro is a lot pricier as part of a
Creative Cloud subscription. As such, we’ll
continue to use Vegas Pro for our own
editing projects for now, but we’ll keep a
close eye out for other options in future.
Ben Pitt
SPECIFICATIONS
•
OS SUPPORT Windows 7, 8, 10 MINIMUM CPU 2.5GHz
•
quad-core (3GHz octa-core recommended for 4K)
MINIMUM GPU 4MB GeForce 9XX or Radeon with VCE 3.0 •
MINIMUM RAM 8GB (16GB recommended) •
HARD DISK SPACE 1.5GB (SSD or RAID recommended)•
DETAILS www.vegascreativesoftware.com
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
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We cover the whole spectrum of technology news, reviews and features.
 Choosing a... PC system
01 A basic PC costing around £350 will
be able to run everyday office,
multimedia and education software and will
easily cope with surfing the internet. It might
even be able to run some modern games.
Many PCs can be sold either with or
without a monitor. If you don’t like the
display the manufacturer is offering, you
can always use your current one, or buy
another one separately.
03 All modern PCs come with at least
a dual-core processor and are
capable of most tasks. Anyone who
peripherals attach to these ports. Most new
PCs come with USB3 or the latest USB3.1
ports, which provide faster data transfers
regularly undertakes demanding tasks when used with supported devices than the
such as video editing and encoding older USB2 standard.
should consider a hexa-core or even
an octa-core processor.
06 Most new PCs now come with
Windows 10 pre-installed. Don’t be
04 There are plenty of good reasons to
upgrade the PC’s memory or hard
disk. If you’ll use your PC for gaming, video
too easily swayed by the inclusion of other
software, though, as it may be that you’ll
never use it.

02 If you want to play games, you’ll

have to upgrade the graphics card.
Budget cards such as the Nvidia GeForce GTX
1050 will cope well with many 3D games, but
to play the latest 3D games smoothly (and
enjoy the best-quality graphics) it’s worth
upgrading to a more powerful card such as
the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070.
editing or other demanding tasks, you’ll
need at least 8GB of RAM and a large hard
disk; 1TB should suffice. Many new PCs have
an SSD, which speeds up the time it takes for
your PC to boot and for programs to load.
05 Having plenty of USB ports is
always useful, as most computer
07 While most PCs come in cases of
a similar size, some have more
compact mini tower or mini PC cases.
These smaller PCs will fit under your TV
or on your desk more easily, but bear in
mind that they’re significantly harder to
upgrade than full-size machines.

PCs
RASPBERRY Y PI LE
LENOVO IdeaCentre 620S
3 Model B+ ★★
★★★★★
★★★★★ £479 • wwww.currys.co.uk
£28 • uk.rs-online.com
m
Mini PCs can be overpriced, slow
ow
The ultimate or even sold without RAM and
micro
ro PC gets storage, but the IdeaCentre 620S
0S
even better is a complete system that’s both reasonably
with faster CPU clock speeds and dramatically improved pow
powerful and pleasantly affordable. The quad-core
core
Wi-Fi performance. The diff
differences bbetween th
this and th
the Intel
el Core i5-7400T handles office work well
standard Pi Model 3 probably won’t be enough to be worth enough, while an Intel Optane Memory drive gives
ves
a direct upgrade, but since this is no more expensive, it’s the the hard disk a speed boost, and there’s even a
best choice for new projects. GeForce GTX 1050 Ti for extra graphical capability.
ty.
PROCESSOR Quad-core 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-7400T • RAM 8GB • FRONT USB PORTS None •
PROCESSOR Quad-core 1.4GHz Broadcom BCM2837 • RAM 1GB • USB PORTS 1x Micro USB REAR USB PORTS 4x USB3 • TOTAL STORAGE 1TB hard disk, 16GB Intel Optane Memory drive •
(power), 4x USB2 • TOTAL STORAGE MicroSD card slot • DISPLAY None • OPERATING GRAPHICS CARD 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti • DISPLAY None • OPERATING SYSTEM
SYSTEM Raspbian • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.raspberypi.org • PART CODE Pi 3 Windows 10 Home • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.lenovo.com • PART CODE
Model B+ • FULL REVIEW Jun 2018 90HC0011UK • FULL REVIEW May 2018

MSI Trident 3 Arctic PALICOMP AMD Abyss

y
★★★★★ ★★★★★ NEW
ENTRY
£1,390 • www.chillblast.com £700 • www.palicomp.co.uk
This white-and-silver version of the Trident 3 crams At this price, you’d
Intel Core i7 power into a PC no larger than a games seriously struggle to find
console. Unlike a games console, however, you can a more comprehensively
open this up to customise the components, not that the SSD and capable desktop system than Palicomp’s
hard disk duo will need imminent upgrading. At this price it’s AMD Abyss. It can multitask with
expensive for a GTX serious applications just as well as it
1060 system, but can run games, and with its large, fast
compared to most NVMe SSD, it won’t be slowed down
compact PCs it’s a by storage. There’s a lot of room for
real powerhouse. future upgrades, too.

PROCESSOR Hexa-core 3.2GHz Intel Core i7-8700 • RAM 16GB • FRONT USB PORTS 2x USB3.1,
1x USB Type-C • REAR USB PORTS 4x USB2, 1x USB3.1, 1x USB Type-C • TOTAL STORAGE 128GB
SSD, 1TB hard disk • GRAPHICS CARD 6GB MSI GeForce GTX 1060 Aero ITX •
OPERATING SYSTEM Windows 10 Home • WARRANTY Two years RTB •
DETAILS www.msi.com • PART CODE 9S6-B92012-061 • FULL REVIEW Feb 2019
PROCESSOR Hexa-core 3.6GHz AMD Ryzen 5 2600X • RAM 8GB • FRONT USB PORTS 2x USB2,
1x USB3 • REAR USB PORTS 2x USB2, 2x USB3, 2x USB3.1, 1x USB Type-C • TOTAL STORAGE
512GB SSD, 1TB hard disk • GRAPHICS CARD 8GB AMD Radeon RX570 Armor 8GB OC •
OPERATING SYSTEM Windows 10 Home • WARRANTY Three years RTB • DETAILS
www.palicomp.co.uk • PART CODE RYZ6 • FULL REVIEW Apr 2019

56 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

Choosing a... Laptop
01 A basic laptop costing around £300
will run everyday office, multimedia
and education software, but it won’t be
suitable for 3D gaming or processor-intensive
tasks such as video editing. Many laptops at
this price have a 15.6in screen and weigh over
2kg, so they’re best used around the house
and for occasional journeys.
04
portability, buy one that has a 13.3in or 14in
screen. In general, the smaller and lighter the
laptop, the more expensive it is, especially if
it has plenty of processing power.
Battery life is extremely important
for a laptop, particularly if you’ll be
carrying it around. We’d expect all but the
biggest and heaviest to last for at least
want better performance, you should
look for an Intel Core i5 or Core i7
model instead. We recommend a
minimum of 4GB of RAM, although 8GB
is better for multitasking.
06 Most budget and mid-range laptops
use a mechanical hard disk for
storage. You’ll want at least 500GB, but

02 If you want to play modern games,

you’ll need a laptop with a dedicated
graphics chip such as the Nvidia GeForce GTX
1060M. Good gaming laptops tend to have
large 15.6 or 17in screens and weigh around
3kg, so they’re best suited to use at home.
five hours on a single charge, but for an
ultraportable that you carry everywhere,
eight hours and above is more desirable.
1TB or more is better. Solid-state drives
(SSDs) have faster performance, making
your computer quicker to boot and more
responsive. They have lower capacities,
05 Laptops use mobile versions of
processors to conserve power,
though. You’ll need at least 128GB.

03 If you want a laptop that you can

take everywhere, look for a model
that weighs less than 2kg. For the best
and these lag behind desktop chips
when it comes to performance. For a
budget Windows laptop, an Intel Core i3
07 Convertibles and 2-in-1 laptops can
change from laptop mode to tablet
mode. We’ve listed our favourite models later
processor will do the job, but if you on in this guide in the Tablets section.

LAPTOPS
APPLE MacBook Pro 13in (2018) ACER Aspire 5
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£3,599 • www.apple.com/uk £699 • www.amzn.to/2MS5lqc
2MS5lqc

Just like its The Aspire

pire 5 is the
bigger 15in epitomee of the
brother, sensible mid-range
the latest MacBook Pro laptop. It’s not ultra-stylish
ish
is as expensive as it is and it doesn’t have a
powerful, but powerful professional-quality
it most certainly is. This is an incredibly potent laptop, with an display, but for the
excellent display and blazingly fast storage, all within a thin and price it offers reliable performance
rformance in a
attractive chassis. variety of workloads, and it will last a full day on battery power
without much trouble.
PROCESSOR Quad-core 2.7GHz Intel Core i7-8559U • RAM 16GB • DIMENSIONS 304x212x14.9mm
• WEIGHT 1.37kg • SCREEN SIZE 13.3in • SCREEN RESOLUTION 2,560x1,440 • GRAPHICS PROCESSOR Quad-core 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-8250U • RAM 8GB • DIMENSIONS 382x263x21mm •
ADAPTOR Intel Iris Plus 655 • TOTAL STORAGE 2TB SSD • OPERATING SYSTEM macOS • WEIGHT 2.2kg • SCREEN SIZE 15.6in • SCREEN RESOLUTION 1,920x1,080 • TOTAL STORAGE
WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.apple.com/uk • PART CODE MacBook Pro 13in • 256GB SSD • OPERATING SYSTEM Windows 10 Home • WARRANTY One year RTB •
FULL REVIEW Dec 2018 DETAILS www.acer.com • PART CODE A515-51-50YS • FULL REVIEW Oct 2018

ASUS ROG Zephyrus DELL XPS 15 2-in-1

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£2,790 • www.box.co.uk £1,700 • www.amzn.to/2AV36P7
Tumbling This is everything
prices mean that’s great about
the Core the XPS series –
i7-770OHQ version of this the massive power, the lengthy
slimline gaming laptop is, despite
e battery life, the sleek design – given
costing well over £2,000, a bit of even more flexibility with a fully
a bargain; notebooks with Nvidia’s
ia’s rotatable hinge and touchscreen.
GTX 1080 graphics card inside are That’s not the only improvement, either: this is the first XPS laptop
usually even more expensive. Thehe ROG with Dell’s ‘maglev’ keyboard design, which gives the keys a lovely
Zephyrus is a lot more portable than most gaming laptops, too. pseudo-mechanical feel.

PROCESSOR Quad-core 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-7700HQ • RAM 16GB • DIMENSIONS
379x275x17.9mm • WEIGHT 2.3kg • SCREEN SIZE 15.6in • SCREEN RESOLUTION 1,920x1,080 •
GRAPHICS ADAPTOR Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 • TOTAL STORAGE 512GB SSD •
OPERATING SYSTEM Windows 10 Home • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.asus.com •
PART CODE GX501 • FULL REVIEW Oct 2018
PROCESSOR Quad-core 2.8GHz Intel Core i5-8305G • RAM 8GB • DIMENSIONS 354x235x16mm •
WEIGHT 2kg • SCREEN SIZE 15.6in • SCREEN RESOLUTION 1,920x1,080 • GRAPHICS ADAPTOR
Radeon RX Vega M GL Graphics • TOTAL STORAGE 256GB SSD • OPERATING SYSTEM Windows
10 Home • PARTS AND LABOUR WARRANTY One year onsite • DETAILS www.dell.com/uk •
PART CODE XPS 15 9575 • FULL REVIEW Oct 2018

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 57

 Choosing an... Internal hard disk
01 A basic 1TB internal hard disk should
cost around £40. This will be fast
enough for general use and will provide
enough storage for most users.
Make sure the hard disk you choose has
the appropriate interface type for your PC.
Most hard disks and solid-state drives
(SSDs) use the SATA3 interface, which
enables faster speeds than the older SATA2.
03
Pretty much every motherboard released in
recent years will have multiple SATA3 ports,
allowing you to connect several storage
drives at once.
04
to provide less capacity than mechanical
hard disks, they’re significantly faster. More
expensive SSDs use the NVMe standard,
which is even faster than SATA3, but require
an M.2 slot on the motherboard.
Buy a hard disk that provides more
capacity than you think you need, as
your storage requirements are likely to grow.
A 2TB disk strikes the best balance between
capacity and low cost per gigabyte.
If you want more disk space or you
want to protect your data against
duplicate your data for better protection.
RAID arrays require hard disks of the same
size. In theory, they can be from different
manufacturers, but it’s better to buy identical
disks if you can.
05 A hard disk’s spindle speed
determines how quickly it can
transfer data. A spindle speed of 7,200rpm
is common in desktop drives and is fast
enough for most purposes. Desktop hard
disks with 5,400rpm spindle speeds are
quite slow but use less power and generate
less heat and noise.

02 SSDs can make the most of SATA3’s

high bandwidth for fast file transfers.
They use flash memory similar to that found
in USB flash drives, and although they tend
disk failure, think about buying several hard
disks to create a RAID array. These use
multiple hard disks to create one large
To strike the best balance between
speed and storage capacity, use an SSD as
your system disk and store your files on a
logical disk with better performance, or to larger mechanical disk.

STORAGE
SYNOLOGY DiskStation DS418j INTEL Optane Memory 32GB
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£280 • www.broadbandbuyer.com £44 • www.box.co.uk
When a tiny two-bay NAS An interesting twist
won’t cut it, the fast, on M.2 SSDs,
high-capacity DiskStation DS418j Optane Memory isn’t
sn’t
is an excellent upgrade, especially as it can automatically convert old so much a dedicated storage drive as a
hard disks to be compatible with this NAS’s hardware and features. large cache for your existing hard disk,
isk
accelerating its read speeds to NVMe levels at a much lower price.
3.5in HARD DISK BAYS (FREE) 4 (4) • NETWORKING 1x 10/100/1,000 Ethernet • DLNA MEDIA
SERVER Yes • PRINT SERVER Yes • DIMENSIONS 184x168x230mm • WEIGHT 2.21kg •
WARRANTY Two years RTB • DETAILS www.synology.com • PART CODE DS418j • CAPACITY 32GB • PRICE PER GIGABYTE £1.38 • INTERFACE M.2/NVMe • WARRANTY Five years
FULL REVIEW Jan 2018 RTB • DETAILS www.intel.com • PART CODE MEMPEK1W032GAXT • FULL REVIEW Sep 2017

ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro NEW

WD Red 6TB
★★★★★ ENTRY ★★★★★
£175 • www.amzn.to/2NctBEu £170 • www.amzn.to/2nEZIAQ
The Adata XPG This is pricier than most 6TB
SX8200 Pro hard disks, even those created
is outrageously specifically for NAS drives, but the
good value for the performance it delivers. It’s as fast as or faster WD Red’s performance makes it a worthwhile investment. Despite its
than top-tier SSDs from Samsung and WD, but costs far less 5,400rpm spin speed it manages to outperform 7,200rpm drives such
across all its capacity options. as the Toshiba N300 in read/write tests.
CAPACITY 6TB • COST PER GIGABYTE £0.03p • INTERFACE SATA3 • CLAIMED READ 175MB/s •
CAPACITY 1TB • COST PER GIGABYTE £0.18p • INTERFACE M.2/NVMe • WARRANTY Five years CLAIMED WRITE 175MB/s • WARRANTY Three years RTB • DETAILS www.wdc.com •
RTB • DETAILS www.xpg.com • PART CODE ASX8200PNP-1TT • FULL REVIEW Apr 2019 PART CODE WD60EFRX • FULL REVIEW Nov 2017

SAMSUNG Portable SSD X5 1TB SAMSUNG 960 Evo

vo 250GB
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£439 • www.amzn.to/2DNc17x £80 • www.scan.co.uk
For when you While it’s not quite as
absolutely need to quick as the 960 Pro,,
shift files as quickly the 960 Evo is still the
as possible, there’s the X5. Its use of second-fastest NVMe SSD we’ve ever
the Thunderbolt 3 interface makes it tested, and since it’s much more affordable,
ordabl
able,
e,
the fastest external SSD ever. it’s the one most people should go for.
CAPACITY 1TB • COST PER GIGABYTE 44p • INTERFACE Thunderbolt 3 • CAPACITY 250GB • COST PER GIGABYTE £0.32p • INTERFACE M.2/NVMe • CLAIMED
WARRANTY Three years RTB • DETAILS www.samsung.com/uk • READ 3,200MB/s • CLAIMED WRITE 1,500MB/s • WARRANTY Five years RTB •
PART CODE MU-PB1T0B/WW • FULL REVIEW Dec 2018 DETAILS www.samsung.com/uk • PART CODE MZ-V6E250BW • FULL REVIEW Mar 2017

58 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

Choosing an... AMD motherboard
01 As with Intel motherboards, you’ll
need to make sure you match an AMD
processor with a compatible motherboard.
motherboard’s PCI-E x16 slots. This also has
the benefit of providing a greater range of
video outputs to choose from.
slots. PCI-E x1 and x4 cards also work in
PCI-E x16 slots. If you need a lot of storage, a
motherboard with plenty of SATA2 and
This is relatively simple for AMD hardware, SATA3 ports is essential. SATA2 is fine for
as most of its recent chips use the same
AM4 socket, and the most recent second-
generation Ryzen processors are backwards-
03 Normal tower cases can accommodate
ATX motherboards, which provide the
most expansion slots. A microATX
optical drives and hard disks, but to make
the most of an SSD, you need SATA3.

compatible with first-generation chipsets,

such as the X370 and B350.
motherboard will let you build your PC in a
smaller case, but if you opt for a microATX
board, make sure it has all the features you
05 All motherboards have built-in audio
chipsets, but some support only 5.1
surround sound rather than 7.1. If you’re

02 Budget APU and a minority of Ryzen

processors have integrated graphics,
so to make use of this, ensure that your
motherboard comes with video outputs such
as DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort. For Ryzen
chips that lack integrated graphics, or if
you want more graphics power, install a
dedicated graphics card into one of your
need built in, as there won’t be much room
for expansion cards.
04 If you want to install lots of
expansion cards, look for a
motherboard that offers plenty of PCI and
PCI-E x1 slots. Some motherboards also
have PCI-E x4 slots and extra PCI-E x16
connecting to older surround-sound
amplifiers that don’t have HDMI, look for
an optical or coaxial S/PDIF output.
All motherboards have Ethernet ports and
most have the faster Gigabit version. You
may also find it useful to buy a board with
built-in Wi-Fi so you don’t have to use up a
USB port or PCI slot with an adaptor.

COMPONENTS
INTEL Core i9-9900K MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Armor 8G
★★★★★ ★★★★★
• NEW
£500 www.novatech.co.uk £470 • www.ebuyer.com ENTRY
Intel’s 9th-gen chips see it Whereas the RTX 2080
finally joining the octa-core and RTX 2080 Ti charge
club, including the flagship exorbitant amounts for their fancy ray-tracing and
Core i9-9900K. With Turbo Boost speeds hitting 5GHz anti-aliasing tech, the RTX 2070 delivers the same features at a much
straight out of the box, it’s just as potent in single-core gaming as it more reasonable price. It can also handle 4K gaming without much
is in serious multithreaded workloads. fuss, and MSI’s version stays very cool under load.
SOCKET LGA1151 • CORES 8 • FREQUENCY 3.6GHz • INTEGRATED GRAPHICS Intel UHD Graphics GPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 • MEMORY 8GB GDDR6 • GRAPHICS CARD LENGTH 155mm •
630 • WARRANTY Three years RTB • DETAILS www.intel.com • PART CODE BX80684I99900K • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.msi.com • PART CODE RTX 2070 Armor 8G •
FULL REVIEW Jan 2019 FULL REVIEW Mar 2019

AMD Ryzen 7 2700X THERMALTAKE View 37

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£300 • www.pcworldbusiness.co.uk £96 • www.scan.co.uk
AMD’s second generation of A spacious, feature-rich chassis
Ryzen processors gets off to for both ATX- and EATX-based
an auspicious start with the builds, the View 37 comes with a
mighty Ryzen 7 2700X. It’s faster than Intel’s gull-wing side window that’s perfect for showing
equivalent Core i7-8700K at stock speeds, despite being cheaper, off your handiwork.
and temperatures stay low even when overclocking.
CASE TYPE Mid-tower • MOTHERBOARD TYPE ATX, EATX, microATX, Mini-ITX • SUPPLIED
SOCKET AM4 • CORES 8 • FREQUENCY 3.7GHz • INTEGRATED GRAPHICS None • FANS 2x 140mm • MAX DRIVE BAYS 7x 3.5in, 11x 2.5in • DIMENSIONS 525x261x538mm •
WARRANTY Two years RTB • DETAILS www.amd.com • PART CODE YD270XBGAFBOX • WEIGHT 11.8kg • WARRANTY Three years RTB • DETAILS www.thermaltake.com •
FULL REVIEW Aug 2018 PART CODE CA-1J7-00M1WN-00 • FULL REVIEW Dec 2018

HYPERX Alloy Elite MSI MPG Z390 Gaming

g Edge
g AC
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£96 • www.currys.co.uk £150 • www.scan.co.uk
This is a brilliant do-it-all gaming From built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi NEW
keyboard; the agile Cherry MX Red and Bluetooth to high-end audio ENTRY
key switches provide a strong foundation, connectivity, the MPG Z370 Gaming Edge
upon which HyperX has built a comfortable, detachable AC is stuffed with features. Add in a good price, easy overclocking and
wrist rest, dedicated media keys and customisable red backlighting. a well-designed BIOS, and it’s perfect for premium Intel-based builds.
The USB pass-through port is handy, too.
PROCESSOR SOCKET LGA1151 • DIMENSIONS 305x244mm • CHIPSET Intel Z390 • MEMORY
KEYBOARD SHAPE Full size • NUMBER PAD Yes • CONNECTION 2x USB2 • MEDIA KEYS Pause/ SLOTS 4 • PCI-E x16 SLOTS 3 • PCI-E x1 SLOTS 3 • PCI SLOTS 0 • USB PORTS 2x USB2, 2x USB3,
play, mute, skip, volume • USB PORTS 1x USB2 • WARRANTY Two years repair and replace • 1x USB3.1, 1x USB Type-C • VIDEO OUTPUTS 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort • WARRANTY One year RTB
DETAILS www.hyperxgaming.com • PART CODE HX-KB2RD1-UK/R1 • FULL REVIEW Mar 2018 • DETAILS www.msi.com • PART CODE MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC • FULL REVIEW Apr 2019

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 59

 Choosing a... Custom PC spec
01 Building your own PC is often cheaper
than buying a pre-made system, and
gives full control over the components. You
don’t need any special computer knowledge:
just a few spare hours, a screwdriver and
your choice of parts. Even things such as
liquid-cooling systems can be found in
user-friendly, easy-to-install packages, and
for the most part it’s as simple as inserting
each component into a particular slot.
02 Arguably the most important
component is the CPU. These days
you can get a quad-core chip even on a tight
budget, which should provide more than
enough brainpower for simple tasks such as
web browsing, but hexa-core and octa-core
chips are better for tougher jobs such as
media editing, gaming and content creation.
The CPU will also determine which
motherboards you can choose from.
Intel CPUs will only work with boards that
use an Intel chipset, like Z390, Z370 and
B360, while AMD processors need AMD
chipsets, such as X470 and B450.
03 When choosing a motherboard, think
about both the size of the PC’s
chassis (smaller cases won’t fit larger ATX or
EATX boards, for instance) and how many
BUDGET PCs
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
G ASROCK
★★★★★
£90 • www.scan.co.uk
This plucky quad-core
chip is decently fast,
comes bundled with its
own cooler and – unlike most Ryzen chipss
– includes integrated Radeon RX Vega graphics.
It’s therefore particularly ideal if you don’t need the added power
of dedicated graphics.
SOCKET AM4 • CORES 4 • FREQUENCY 3.4GHz • INTEGRATED GRAPHICS AMD Radeon RX
Vega 8 • WARRANTY Three years RTB • DETAILS www.amd.com • PART CODE YD2200C5FBBOX
• FULL REVIEW Jul 2018
THERMALTAKE Versa H18
★★★★★
£40 • www.kustompcs.co.uk
Budget PC cases are often
lacking in both features and
capacity for upgrades.
The Versa H18 isn’t entirely exempt, and is
limited to smaller motherboards, but it can easily
cope with basic components and ambitious
water-cooled builds alike.
CASE TYPE Mini-tower • MOTHERBOARD TYPE MicroATX, Mini-ITX • SUPPLIED FANS 1x 120mm
• MAX DRIVE BAYS 2x 3.5in, 2x 2.5in • DIMENSIONS 390x205x380mm • WEIGHT 4.5kg •
WARRANTY Three years RTB • DETAILS www.thermaltake.com • PART CODE CA-1J4-00S1WN-00
• FULL REVIEW Nov 2018
60
additional components you’ll want to install.
For systems with a lot of expansion cards
(such as graphics cards, sound cards or Wi-Fi
06 Every PC requires RAM and a PSU.
Performance doesn’t vary much
between specific models, but generally you
cards), it’s best to go with ATX motherboards should aim for 8GB of RAM for a basic build
and larger. For simpler builds, microATX or and 16GB for higher-end systems, and at least
Mini-ITX boards could well provide all the a 550W, Bronze-certified PSU. It’s better to
connectivity you need. Keep in mind, too, buy a higher-wattage PSU than you strictly
that if you want to try overclocking, only need, as it will allow you to add more
certain Intel chipsets will support it, such as components in the future. Also, check which
Z370 and Z390. AMD is more relaxed, RAM is compatible with your motherboard
enabling overclocking on all its Ryzen- before buying, although for all current
compatible chipsets, except A320 and A300. models it’s probably going to be DDR4.
04 While CPU integrated graphics will
suffice for everyday browsing, a
dedicated graphics card is essential for
07 Our recommended storage setup
comprises both an SSD and a larger
mechanical hard disk. By installing Windows
high-quality gaming. These can be installed in (and a few choice applications) on the SSD,
a PCI-E x16 slot on your motherboard, and you can ensure fast booting and loading
have the bonus of adding more display times, while the HDD is a cost-effective way
outputs to use – just make sure the card of storing lots of files. Alternatively, you
will fit inside your chosen case. could buy a hard disk, and then install an
Intel Optane Memory module to accelerate
05 On the subject of cases, personal
taste will factor highly here: nobody
wants an ugly PC. That said, picking a chassis
its write speeds to SSD levels, although since
SSDs are barely more expensive than Optane
drives, this is perhaps better for situations
with adequate space for components is vital. when you want to upgrade from an existing
As already mentioned, an ATX motherboard
likely won’t fit in a mini-tower case, and if
you want to install a lot of hard disks, you’ll
hard disk, rather than when you’re building a
whole new system. In the latter case, an SSD/
HDD combo is better all round. See page 58
need a case with sufficient drive bays. for our recommended storage drives.
A Fatal1ty AB350
350
Gaming-ITX/ac
G
★★★★★
★★
£98 • www.cclonline.com
Tiny it may be, but the AB350 makes the
most of what space it has available. Multiple display
outputs, a rear-mounted M.2 port and onboard Wi-Fi
mean it almost has the specs of a respectable ATX model.
PROCESSOR SOCKET AM4 • DIMENSIONS 170x170mm • CHIPSET AMD B350 • MEMORY
SLOTS 2 • PCI-E X16 SLOTS 1 • PCI-E X1 SLOTS 0 • PCI SLOTS 0 • USB PORTS 2x USB2, 2x USB3,
1x USB Type-C • VIDEO OUTPUTS 2x HDMI • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.asrock.
com • PART CODE 90-MXB5P0-A0UAYZ • FULL REVIEW Jul 2018
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mini
★★★★★
£159 • www.amzn.to/2Qi7bG7
An optional purchase,
ase,
thanks to the Ryzen
en
CPU’s onboard
graphics, but if you’d like a spot of
1080p gaming capability, the GTX 1050 Ti
is the best budget GPU around. Zotac’s
compact design will allow it to easily fit in
small cases, too.
GPU Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti • MEMORY 4GB GDDR5 • GRAPHICS CARD LENGTH 145mm •
WARRANTY Five years RTB • DETAILS www.zotac.com • PART CODE ZT-P10510A-10L • FULL
REVIEW Nov 2017
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
 MID-RANGE PCs
AMD Ryzen 7 1700 M rtar
MSI B350M Mortar
★★★★★ ★★
★★★★★
£160 • www.amzn.to/2RhQGHp £10
£101 • www.amzn.to/2zuBbF1
Both AMD and Intel A near-perfect
have recent mid-range motherboard for
chips, but with the AMD Ryzen-based
erstwhile high-end Ryzen 7 1700 dropping microATX systems. It’s remarkably well
below £200, it’s a great way of adding equipped for connectivity and upgradability, and comes close to
octa-core power to a PC that might otherwise much more expensive mobos in performance benchmarks.
have had to make do with six cores.
PROCESSOR SOCKET AM4 • DIMENSIONS 244x244mm • CHIPSET AMD B350 • MEMORY
SOCKET AM4 • CORES 8 • FREQUENCY 3.0GHz • INTEGRATED GRAPHICS None • SLOTS 4 • PCI-E X16 SLOTS 2 • PCI-E X1 SLOTS 2 • PCI SLOTS 0 • USB PORTS 2x USB2, 3x USB3.1,
WARRANTY Three years RTB • DETAILS www.amd.com • PART CODE YD1700BBAEBOX • 1x USB Type-C • VIDEO OUTPUTS 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort, 1x DVI-D • WARRANTY One year RTB •
FULL REVIEW Jul 2017 DETAILS www.msi.com • PART CODE B350M Mortar • FULL REVIEW Jul 2018

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 COOLER MASTER MasterBox K500

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£249 • www.geforce.co.uk £71 • www.scan.co.uk
Based on the same Pascal Great looks, a full set of
architecture as the pre-installed fans, high build
fearsome GTX 1080 quality and a spacious interior:
and GTX 1070, the GTX 1060 is the MasterBox K500 is a commendable
perfect for smooth gaming at 1080p all-rounder. It’s not the best on storage capacity,
and 1440p. It’s due a replacement, but you can still add at least a couple of SSDs
potentially as part of the new GeForcece and hard disks each.
RTX line, but is still a great GPU today.
CASE TYPE Mid-tower • MOTHERBOARD TYPE ATX, microATX,
Mini-ITX • SUPPLIED FANS 3x 120mm • MAX DRIVE BAYS 3x 3.5in,
GPU Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 • MEMORY 6GB GDDR5 • GRAPHICS CARD LENGTH 250mm • 2x 2.5in • DIMENSIONS 260xx190x280mm • WEIGHT 6.2kg •
WARRANTY Three years repair and replace • DETAILS www.geforce.co.uk • PART CODE GTX WARRANTY Two years RTB • DETAILS www.coolermaster.com •
1060 Founder’s Edition • FULL REVIEW Nov 2016 PART CODE MCB-K500D-KGNN-S00 • FULL REVIEW Jan 2019

PREMIUM PCs
INTEL Core i9-9900K g Edge
MSI MPG Z390 Gaming g AC
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£500 • www.novatech.co.uk £150 • www.scan.co.uk
Intel’s 9th-gen chips see From built-in 802.11ac
it finally joining the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to NEW
octa-core club, including high-end audio connectivity,,
EN TRY
the flagship Core i9-9900K. With Turbo the MPG Z370 Gaming Edge AC is stuffed with
Boost speeds hitting 5GHz straight out of features. Add in a good price, easy overclocking and a well-designed
the box, it’s a just as potent in single-core gaming as it is in BIOS, and it’s perfect for premium Intel-based builds.
serious multithreaded workloads.
PROCESSOR SOCKET LGA1151 • DIMENSIONS 305x244mm • CHIPSET Intel Z390 • MEMORY
SOCKET LGA1151 • CORES 8 • FREQUENCY 3.6GHz • INTEGRATED GRAPHICS Intel UHD Graphics SLOTS 4 • PCI-E x16 SLOTS 3 • PCI-E x1 SLOTS 3 • PCI SLOTS 0 • USB PORTS 2x USB2, 2x USB3,
630 • WARRANTY Three years RTB • DETAILS www.intel.com • PART CODE BX80684I99900K • 1x USB3.1, 1x USB Type-C • VIDEO OUTPUTS 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort • WARRANTY One year RTB
FULL REVIEW Jan 2019 • DETAILS www.msi.com • PART CODE MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC • FULL REVIEW Apr 2019

THERMALTAKE View 37 MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Armor 8G

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£96 • www.scan.co.uk £470 • www.ebuyer.com
A spacious, feature-rich Whereas the RTX
chassis for both ATX- and 2080 and RTX 2080
EATX-based builds, the View Ti charge exorbitant
37 comes with a gull-wing side window that’s amounts for their fancy ray-tracing NEW
perfect for showing off your handiwork. and anti-aliasing tech, the RTX 2070 ENTRY
delivers the same features at a
CASE TYPE Mid-tower • MOTHERBOARD TYPE ATX, EATX,
much more reasonable price. It can also handle 4K gaming without
microATX, Mini-ITX • SUPPLIED FANS 2x 140mm • MAXIMUM much fuss, and MSI’s version stays very cool under load.
DRIVE BAYS 7x 3.5in, 11x 2.5in • DIMENSIONS 525x261x538mm •
WEIGHT 11.8kg • WARRANTY Three years RTB • DETAILS www. GPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 • MEMORY 8GB GDDR6 • GRAPHICS CARD LENGTH 155mm •
thermaltake.com • PART CODE CA-1J7-00M1WN-00 • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.msi.com • PART CODE RTX 2070 Armor 8G •
FULL REVIEW Dec 2018 FULL REVIEW Mar 2019

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 61

 Choosing a... Display
01 A basic 24in LCD monitor costs
around £100. It will be fine for typical
Windows work but is likely to have poor
Many DVI and all HDMI connections
support HDCP, which lets you watch
protected video content, such as Blu-ray
cable or either HDMI or DisplayPort to use a
monitor at these resolutions.

viewing angles, so you’ll need to sit straight

on for the best picture quality. Its colour
accuracy may not be very good, either.
movies. DisplayPort is becoming more
popular, but you’ll need a graphics card with
a DisplayPort output (mini or full-size) to
04 If you want better picture quality,
look for a monitor with a high
contrast ratio. The higher the ratio, the
use this input on your monitor. whiter the whites and the blacker the blacks.

02 A VGA input lets you use the monitor

with any PC, but the quality may not
be as good as it is over DVI or HDMI. Both
are digital connections and require a
compatible graphics card but they avoid the
need for digital-to-analogue or analogue-to-
digital conversions, which can reduce image
quality. A digital connection achieves the
best picture automatically, so you won’t have
to adjust clock or phase settings as you do
with analogue connections.
03 A larger monitor will be easier on the
eye and may have a higher resolution.
Most monitors have a resolution of at least
1,920x1,080 (1080p), which provides lots of
room for working with multiple windows at
the same time. For even higher resolutions,
you’ll need a larger display. Some 27in and
30in screens have 2,560x1,600 or even 4K
resolutions. You’ll need a graphics card with
a dual-link DVI output and a dual-link DVI
You’ll also be able to see more fine detail in
images with high contrast levels. Viewing
angles are important, as wider angles mean
you don’t have to sit directly in front of the
monitor to get the best picture. Wider
viewing angles also allow more people to
view the screen at the same time.
Fast response times reduce ghosting,
but don’t be dazzled by the numbers. A
response time of 25ms or quicker is fine
for all applications.

DISPLAYS
AOC G2460VQ6 IIYAMA G-Master Black
★★★★★
£108 • cpc.farnell.com Hawk G2530HSU-B1
★★★★★
Once you switch it to £124 • www.box.co.uk
sRGB mode, this is one
very good low-cost A fine alternative monitor to the AOC G2460VQ6,
gaming monitor. Its 75Hz refresh rate also with a 75Hz refresh rate as well as FreeSync
means you’ll benefit from higher frame rates support for tear-free gaming on AMD graphics cards.
more effectively than on a standard 60Hz screen. The slim-bezel design is good for the money, too.
SCREEN SIZE 24in • RESOLUTION 1,920x1,080 • SCREEN TECHNOLOGY TN • VIDEO INPUTS SCREEN SIZE 24in • RESOLUTION 1,920x1,080 • SCREEN TECHNOLOGY TN • VIDEO INPUTS
VGA, HDMI, DisplayPort • WARRANTY Three years collect and return • DETAILS eu.aoc.com • HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA • WARRANTY Two years onsite • DETAILS www.iiyama.com •
PART CODE G2460VQ6 • FULL REVIEW Jul 2018 PART CODE G2530HSU-B1 • FULL REVIEW Mar 2019

ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ

UQ AOC Q3279VWF
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£2,093 • www.amzn.to/2Po71NO £210 • www.amzn.to/2BjxUGC
We’re finally starting to see We never thought
4K monitors with 144Hz you could get so
refresh rates, perfect for the much monitor for this
most luxurious PC systems. The ROG Swift little cash: a vast 31.5in MVA panel, with
PC27UQ’s real killer feature, however, is true Quad HD resolution, good colour accuracy and high contrast. That’s
HDR with TV-quality FALD backlighting. not to mention its 75Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync support.
SCREEN SIZE 27in • RESOLUTION 3,840x2,160 • SCREEN TECHNOLOGY IPS • VIDEO INPUTS SCREEN SIZE 31.5in • RESOLUTION 2,560x1,440 • SCREEN TECHNOLOGY MVA • REFRESH RATE
VGA, HDMI, DisplayPort • WARRANTY Three years RTB • DETAILS www.asus.com • PART CODE 75Hz • VIDEO INPUTS HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA • WARRANTY Three years collect and return •
PG27UQ • FULL REVIEW Jan 2019 DETAILS aoc-europe.com • FULL REVIEW Mar 2018

PHILIPS Brilliance 241B7QPJKEB

Q J SAMSUNG C34F791
1
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£182 • www.uk.insight.com £668 • www.amzn.to/2n1Nb9V
IPS monitors generally look With its Quantum Dot
great, but it’s hard to find one display, the C34F791
at a low price. Enter the can achieve pristine colour
Brilliance 241B7QPJKEB: a colour-accuate IPS coverage and superp accuracy. Its Ultra HD resolution and 34in
display for well under £200. It’s well designed, curved screen make it ideal for multitasking, but a 100Hz refresh rate
too, with a collapsible webcam and a greatly adjustable stand. and AMD FreeSync support ensure it’s even better for 4K gaming.
SCREEN SIZE 24in • RESOLUTION 1,920x1,080 • SCREEN TECHNOLOGY IPS • REFRESH SCREEN SIZE 34in • RESOLUTION 3,840x1,440 • SCREEN TECHNOLOGY VA •
RATE 60Hz • VIDEO INPUTS HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA • WARRANTY Three years RTB • REFRESH RATE 100Hz • VIDEO INPUTS DisplayPort, HDMI • WARRANTY Two years RTB •
DETAILS www.philips.co.uk • FULL REVIEW Jun 2018 DETAILS www.samsung.com/uk • FULL REVIEW Oct 2017

62 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

Choosing an... Inkjet printer
01 You should be able to buy a decent
inkjet printer for less than £40.
High-quality printing is possible on such a
03 If photos are your priority, speed is
less important. Choose a printer that
reproduces subtle tones well. You can’t
sided) printing or A3 capabilities are now
much more affordable.

printer, but it will be slow. The actual print

speed of an inkjet can be half the quoted
(maximum) speed for text documents,
and even slower when printing graphics.
Budget inkjet printers such as these are
designed only for light use and can be
expensive to run.
determine this by looking at the
specifications – only hands-on testing will
do, so remember to check our reviews
before you buy.
Borderless printing (up to the edge of
the paper) should also be possible. Pay
particular attention to running costs:
photos use three times as much ink as
05 Pricier photo printers let you print
from memory cards plugged straight
into the printer, so you don’t need to use a
PC. An LCD preview screen offers greater
control for this method of printing. Many
inkjet printers now have a PictBridge USB
port, which you can use to print images
directly from most digital cameras.

02 For £80 to £90 you can buy a more

capable printer that’s either faster and
regular colour documents.

06 If you’re really serious about

better built or better at reproducing photos.
If documents are your priority, you’ll want a
high minimum speed and low print costs.
Look for inkjets that can handle all your
office media, such as envelopes and labels.
04 Heavy-duty office inkjets can cost
up to £1,000 and their build quality
is improving. They use large individual ink
tanks, which can cut running costs.
Printers with automatic duplex (double-
photography, consider buying an
inkjet that can produce borderless prints
up to A3 size. The best devices can print
photos that look nearly as good as those
from professional labs.

PRINTERS & SCANNERS

EPSON WorkForce XYZPRINTING da Vinci Minimaker
★★★★★
WF-7710DWF £177 • www.xyzprinting.com
★★★★★
£165 • www.amzn.to/2JVaD3B It’s not as fully featured as the da
Vinci Jr 1.0w, but the Minimaker
The WorkForce WF-7710DWF allows you to print at prints at identical speed and
the larger A3+ paper size, as well as fax and scan at quality, and costs much, much less. In fact, it’s the
A3, so it’s great for home office users who require a most affordable 3D printer we’ve ever used.
bit more flexibility from their MFP.
TECHNOLOGY Fused Filament Fabrication • MAXIMUM PRINT RESOLUTION 100 microns •
TECHNOLOGY Piezo inkjet • MAXIMUM PRINT RESOLUTION 4,800x2,400dpi • DIMENSIONS MAXIMUM BUILD SIZE 150x150x150mm • DIMENSIONS 390x360x335mm • WEIGHT 11.5kg •
340x567x452mm • WEIGHT 18.7kg • MAXIMUM PAPER SIZE A3+ • WARRANTY One year RTB • FILAMENT 1.75mm PLA • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS eu.xyzprinting.com •
DETAILS www.epson.co.uk • PART CODE C11CG36411 • FULL REVIEW Nov 2018 PART CODE 3FM1XXEU00D • FULL REVIEW Apr 2017

HP OfficeJet Pro 7720 CANON Pixma TS3150

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£130 • www.ebuyer.com £37 • www.ebuyer.com
The OfficeJet Pro 7720 If you only print or scan
strikes a fine balance infrequently, you probably
between price, performance and features, making it don’t need a load of fancy features. The Pixma TS3150
ideal for home offices and small businesses – especially those that does the job for hardly any money – it’s a bit slow, but the results are
could use A3 printing. of a higher quality than we’d expect from a budget MFP.

TECHNOLOGY Thermal inkjet • MAXIMUM PRINT RESOLUTION 4,800x1,200dpi • TECHNOLOGY Thermal inkjet • MAXIMUM PRINT RESOLUTION 4,800x1,200dpi •
SCANNER RESOLUTION 1,200x1,200dpi • DIMENSIONS (HXWXD) 307x445x585mm • SCANNER RESOLUTION 600x1,200dpi • DIMENSIONS 126x373x315mm • WEIGHT 3.9kg •
WEIGHT 15.5kg • MAXIMUM PAPER SIZE A3 (print only) • WARRANTY Three years RTB • MAXIMUM PAPER SIZE A4/legal • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.canon.co.uk •
DETAILS www.hp.co.uk • PART CODE Y0S18A • FULL REVIEW Dec 2017 PART CODE 2226C008 • FULL REVIEW Jan 2018

CANON imageFormula EPSON EcoTank ET-7750

DR-C230 ★★★★★
£499 • www.jessops.com
★★★★★
£317 • www.ebuyer.com Like all EcoTank MFPs, the
This sheet-fed document scanner ET-7750 offsets its high
is perfect for getting through stacks of documents price with low running
without having to manually scan each page. It’s costs, and this specific model delivers sharp,
pleasantly fast and pairs with Canon’s powerful CaptureOnTouch Pro solid colours that suit photo printing well.
software, which does a fine job of processing your scans.
TECHNOLOGY Piezo inkjet • MAXIMUM PRINT RESOLUTION 5,760x1,440 •
TECHNOLOGY Dual CIS sheet-fed scanner • SCANNER RESOLUTION 600x600dpi • DIMENSIONS SCANNER RESOLUTION 1,200x2,400dpi • DIMENSIONS 168x526x415mm • WEIGHT 10.5kg •
231x291x530mm • WEIGHT 2.8kg • MAXIMUM PAPER SIZE A4/legal • WARRANTY One year RTB MAXIMUM PAPER SIZE A3 • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.epson.co.uk •
• DETAILS www.canon.co.uk • PART CODE 2646C003 • FULL REVIEW Feb 2018 PART CODE C11CG16401CE • FULL REVIEW Sep 2018

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 63

 Choosing a... Wireless router
01 Wireless routers each use a number
of Wi-Fi standards, so you shouldn’t
have any trouble connecting your computer
or phone wirelessly if you get an 802.11n or
802.11ac router. Nearly all routers support
802.11n, so even a cheap model should
provide decent performance.
You can expect a transfer speed of around
40Mbit/s at a distance of 10m from any
modern 802.11n router. The very latest
routers use the 802.11ac standard, which
provides tremendously fast transfer
speeds. Some devices still don’t support
the 802.11ac standard, so check the
specifications before you buy.
a wireless router that has a built-in ADSL
modem. This will cost more than the
equivalent cable router, but it allows you
to connect your router directly to your
broadband connection without having to
use a separate modem.
03 Most 802.11n wireless routers use
the 2.4GHz frequency band. This has
good range but it can be prone to
interference if it’s positioned close to a lot
of other 2.4GHz devices, such as other
routers and baby monitors. If you have
trouble getting a consistent signal or you
want faster speeds for video streaming, for
example, it’s worth buying a dual-band
Alternatively, a high-gain antenna can
boost signals and improve ranges and
throughputs to the entire house. You can
also add a high-gain antenna to a PC’s
network adaptor. If wired network speeds
are a priority, you should look for a router
with a Gigabit Ethernet connection.
04 Many routers come with built-in USB
ports that let you connect a USB drive
and use the router as a network storage
device. If you want to share a USB printer
over your network, look for a wireless router
that has a USB print server.
Finally, if you’re interested in making voice
calls over the internet, buy a router with

02 If you subscribe to an ADSL

broadband service, you should buy
router that can use both the 2.4GHz and
5GHz bands.
built-in VoIP support (and phone sockets)
because this can save you money.

NETWORKS
BT Complete TP-LINK Archer C5400
400
★★★★★
Wi-Fi £240 • www.currys.co.uk
★★★★★
£5 per month • www.bt.com Although this isn’t
There are the fastest £200-plus
better-featured
red router, it’s still speedy,
mesh systems available, but the Complete Wi-Fi is
i and comes with an impressive array of
decently quick on both the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands, and is well features, from parental controls and
worth it for BT Plus customers in particular. filters to BT YouView support and smart home integration.
WI-FI STANDARD 802.11ac • STATED SPEED 1,733Mbit/s (5GHz), 385Mbit/s (2.4GHz) • MODEM Gigabit Ethernet • WI-FI STANDARD 802.11ac • STATED SPEED 2x 2,167Mbit/s (5GHz),
USB PORTS 1 • WALL MOUNTABLE No • WARRANTY Under rental contract
co • 2x 1,000MBit/s (2.4GHz) • USB PORTS 1x USB2, 1x USB3 • WALL MOUNTABLE Yes •
PART CODE BT Complete Wi-Fi • FULL REVIEW Mar 2019 WARRANTY One year RTB • PART CODE C5400 • FULL REVIEW May 2018

YUBICO YubiKey 5 NFC TP-LINK

T Deco M5
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£38 • www.yubico.com £185 (triple pack) • www.currys.co.uk
NEW
Like the YubiKey 4 ENTRY Provided you’re willing
before it, this USB stick to tinker with a few
conveniently stores all the cryptographic settings, the Deco M5 is the most
data you need to add two-factor authentication to a PC or feature-rich mesh Wi-Fi system around, even if it’s
laptop; and this time, there’s NFC, allowing you to use it with not strictly the fastest. Get the triple pack for the
mobile devices via a single tap. best coverage throughout the house.
USB TYPE Type-A • OS SUPPORT Windows 10, macOS, iOS 11 and later, Android • MODEM Gigabit Ethernet • WI-FI STANDARD 802.11ac • STATED SPEED 867Mbit/s (5GHz),
WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.yubico.com • PART CODE YubiKey 5 NFC • 400Mbit/s (2.4GHz) • USB PORTS 0 • WALL MOUNTABLE No • WARRANTY Three years RTB •
FULL REVIEW Apr 2019 DETAILS www.tp-link.com • PART CODE 210380 • FULL REVIEW Dec 2017

D-LINK DIR-895L NETGEAR Orbi RBK50

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£250 • www.ebuyer.com £320 • www.currys.co.uk NEW
ENTRY
If you can stomach This is an expensive
the price, D-Link’s mesh Wi-Fi system,
DIR-895L will make but also one of the
it worth your while with staggeringly fast speeds and exceptionally very fastest – perfect for ensuring that
long range. It also lets you connect to your home network remotely, a high-speed connection keeps up its
via an L2TP VPN. performance at range.
MODEM Gigabit Ethernet • WI-FI STANDARD 802.11ac • STATED SPEED 2x 2,166Mbit/s (5GHz), MODEM Gigabit Ethernet • WI-FI STANDARD 802.11ac • STATED SPEED 3,000Mbit/s •
1,000Mbit/s (2.4GHz) • USB PORTS 1x USB2, 1x USB3 • WALL MOUNTABLE Yes • USB PORTS 1 • WALL MOUNTABLE No • WARRANTY Two years RTB •
WARRANTY Two years RTB • PART CODE DIR-895L • FULL REVIEW Dec 2017 PART CODE RBK50-100UKS • FULL REVIEW Dec 2017

64 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

Choosing a... Smart thermostat
01 A smart thermostat can save you a
lot of money by intelligently
controlling your heating.
02 Want smart hot water control?
If you want to remotely set
schedules and disable hot water while
This option is more expensive to install but
will provide you with greater savings.

Most smart heating devices are designed

to be used with hot water central heating
systems, with the boiler directly controlled
by the system. These typically require a relay
to be wired into your boiler, with a wireless
thermostat giving you direct control.
Smartphone apps then tie into the system to
give you remote control. While it’s possible
to fit controls yourself, you may want to pay
an experienced plumber to do the job: expect
to pay around £150 for a typical installation.
If you have electric heating, there are
very few choices, and the big names (Nest,
Honeywell and so on) do not directly
support these systems.
you’re away, choose your smart system
carefully, as many don’t have this option.
Hot water control usually requires a second
04 Do you use a smart personal
assistant? Make sure that your smart
thermostat supports the one that you use.
relay to be wired into the boiler. Amazon Alexa, powered by the Echo and
Echo Dot, is the best-supported system;
03 What kind of heating system do
you want? There are two main
choices: a central system and one with
Apple’s HomeKit, powered by Siri, isn’t so
well supported; Google Assistant, built into
Google Home, is just gaining traction and
individual radiator controls. The former supports Nest only.
replaces your existing thermostat, and
lets you set one temperature for your
entire house. The latter requires each
radiator valve to be replaced with a
05 If you want your smart heating
system to do more, look for IFTTT
support. With this handy system, you can set
smart valve so that each room and automatic rules, such as turning the heating
radiator can have its own individual control. off if the outside temperature rises.

SMART HOME
AMAZON Echo 2nd Generation NEST Cam IQ Outdoor
door
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£90 • www.amzn.to/2DxFEuQ £329 • nest.com/uk
The updated Echo is both While this is an expensive
smaller and cheaper than replacement for the old Nest
the original, and while the souped-up Cam Outdoor, its image quality
£140 Echo Plus is better for listening to music, this is without equal. Facial and sound recognition
model’s blend of value and all-round quality makes it have also been improved, and it’s now much
a better buy. harder for thieves to remove the camera from its mount.
DRIVERS 2 • RMS POWER OUTPUT Not stated • WEIGHT 921kg • NETWORKING Bluetooth, VIDEO RESOLUTION 4K sensor, 1080p recording • CLOUD STORAGE Yes (subscription required) •
802.11n Wi-Fi • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.amazon.co.uk • PART CODE Echo NETWORKING 802.11ac • WARRANTY One year RTB • PART CODE Nest Cam IQ Outdoor •
2nd Generation • FULL REVIEW Mar 2018 FULL REVIEW Jul 2018

TADO Smart Thermostat HONEYWELL

★★★★★
£200 • www.tado.com Evohome Security
★★★★★
A flexible and stylish-looking £257 • www.theevohomeshop.co.uk
smart heating system, the Tado
Smart Thermostat distinguishes This smart alarm system will notify you of a break-in,
itself with a clever geolocation feature that turns on your and its motion sensors can even take a picture of an
heating when you enter a room and switches it off, saving intruder so that you can quickly rule out false alarms.
money, when you leave. A great range of sensors and full app control make this a top choice.
REMOTE THERMOSTAT Yes • HOT WATER SUPPORT Yes • INDIVIDUAL RADIATOR CONTROL AVAILABLE SENSORS Motion sensor, door/window sensor, motion sensor with camera •
Yes • VOICE ASSISTANT SUPPORT Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri • APPS iOS, Android and web • DISARMING OPTIONS Remote keyfob, app, Tags • SIRENS AND CONTROLS External siren,
FULL REVIEW Jan 2018 contactless tag reader/internal siren • WARRANTY Two years RTB • FULL REVIEW Aug 2017

GOOGLE Home Hub RING Video Doorbell 2

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£139 • www.currys.co.uk £149 • www.box.co.uk
The first truly excellent This is the best of the new
smart screen, Google’s breed of smart, camera-
Home Hub is both a equipped doorbells: it’s easy
multitalented smart home controller and a very clever device in itself, to install, comes with a bundled chime, and
jumping seamlessly between providing mapped-out travel routes, has fairly low subscription costs for storing
playing YouTube videos and showcasing photo albums. footage in the cloud.
DRIVERS 1 • RMS POWER OUTPUT Not stated • DOCK CONNECTOR None • WIRELESS 802.11ac VIDEO RESOLUTION 1080p • CLOUD STORAGE Yes •
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 • DIMENSIONS 118x179x67mm • WEIGHT 480g • WARRANTY One year RTB NETWORKING 802.11n • WARRANTY Two years parts and theft
• PART CODE Home Hub • FULL REVIEW Feb 2019 protection • PART CODE 8VR1S7-0EU0 • FULL REVIEW Dec 2018

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 65

 Choosing a... Smartphone
01 A smartphone’s operating system
(OS) dictates its basic features and
which third-party software you can install.
and watch Full HD videos. Don’t worry too
much about built-in media players or Office
document editors; you can always install apps
a variety of custom onscreen keyboards so
you can find one that suits you.

There are three main contenders: Apple’s

iOS, which is found on the iPhone, Google’s
Android, which is used by various handset
manufacturers, and Windows Phone, which
has few options, especially since Microsoft
has discontinued support for its OS.
Apple iOS and Google Android both have
thousands of apps available.
to replace these with better versions later.
The image quality of smartphone
cameras has improved tremendously in
recent years, and resolutions have
increased to as high as 20 megapixels.
03 Very few modern smartphones have
a physical keyboard for entering text;
they almost exclusively use touchscreens
04 Be careful when choosing a contract.
Look for one that includes a large data
allowance if you want to use the internet
regularly or you’ve set your phone to
synchronise your contacts, calendar and
email through online services.
Built-in Wi-Fi can help you avoid high data
charges by connecting to the internet
through wireless hotspots when you’re out,

02 All smartphones have colour screens,

but their resolutions vary. Basic models
have 1,280x720 pixels, but text can be
indistinct. Look for a display that has at least
1,920x1,080 pixels so it’s easier to read text
now. Physical keyboards can aid heavy
emailing, but today’s touchscreen
keyboards work just as well.
Android smartphones and iPhones
running iOS 9 or above allow you to install
or your router when you’re at home. Android
and iPhone handsets can operate as wireless
hotspots, letting you connect your laptop to
the web over your mobile data connection.
There may be an extra charge for this.

SMARTPHONES
MOTOROLA Moto G6 ONEPLUS 6T
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£170 SIM-free; £20-per-month contract www.amzn. • £499 SIM-free; £40 plus £43-per-month contract •
to/2P8PANk (SIM-free); shop.vodafone.co.uk (contract) www.oneplus.com (SIM-free); www.o2.co.uk (contract)
The Moto G series gets back on form with OnePlus’s handsets no longer surprise,
the Moto G6, a fast, fingerprint sensor- but they’re still great phones that cost
equipped budget marvel. Of particular less than a Samsung or Huawei
note are the dual rear cameras, which can take shots that equivalent. The 6T comes with a top-tier processor,
rival far more expensive handsets on overall quality. in-display fingerprint sensor and excellent battery life.
PROCESSOR Octa-core 1.6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 • SCREEN SIZE 5.7in • PROCESSOR Octa-core 2.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 • SCREEN SIZE 6.4in • SCREEN
SCREEN RESOLUTION 1,920x1,080 • REAR CAMERA 12 megapixels, 5 megapixels • RESOLUTION 2,340x1,080 • REAR CAMERA 16 megapixels, 20 megapixels • STORAGE 128GB •
STORAGE 32GB • WIRELESS DATA 4G • DIMENSIONS 154x72x8.3mm • WEIGHT 177g • WIRELESS DATA 4G • DIMENSIONS 158x75x8.2mm • WEIGHT 185g • OPERATING SYSTEM
OPERATING SYSTEM Android 8.0 • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.motorola.co.uk • Android 9.0 • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS wwww.oneplus.com
eplus.com • PART CODE SOnePlus
PART CODE PAAJ0004GB • FULL REVIEW Sep 2018 6T • FULL REVIEW March 2019

HONOR 7X GOOGLE Pixel 3

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£170 SIM-free; £27-per-month contract • £739 SIM-free; £42-per-month contract •
www.argos.co.uk (SIM-free); www.currys.co.uk (SIM-free);
www.three.co.uk (contract) www.carphonewarehouse.com (contract)

Don’t fancy paying tons of cash for an
edge-to-edge, 18:9 display? The Honor
7X is affordable but has a vast, vibrant
screen, and comes with a great dual-camera array.
PROCESSOR Octa-core 2.36GHz HiSilicon Kirin 659 • SCREEN SIZE 6in • SCREEN RESOLUTION
2,160x1,080 • REAR CAMERA Dual 16 megapixels • STORAGE 64GB • WIRELESS DATA 4G •
DIMENSIONS 157x75x7.6mm • WEIGHT 165g • OPERATING SYSTEM Android 7.0 • WARRANTY
One year RTB • DETAILS www.hihonor.com • PART CODE 51092ADQ • FULL REVIEW Apr 2018
Pure Android quality on a powerful
handset with one of the best
smartphone cameras ever. The larger
display is also the best-looking of any Pixel phone yet.
PROCESSOR Quad-core 2.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 • SCREEN SIZE IZE 5.5in • SCREEN
RESOLUTION 2,160x1,080 • REAR CAMERA 12.2 megapixels • STORAGE 64GB • WIRELESS DATA
4G • DIMENSIONS 146x68x7.9mm • WEIGHT 148g • OPERATING SYSTEM Android 9.0 • WARRANTY
One year RTB • DETAILS store.google.com • PART CODE Pixel 3 • FULL REVIEW Feb 2019

APPLE iPhone XR XIAOMI Pocophone F1

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£709 SIM-free; £38-per-month contract • £300 SIM-free • www.amzn.to/2swBkUx
www.debenhamsplus.com (SIM-free);
www.tescomobile.com (contract) The Pocophone F1, one of Xiaomi’s
first smartphones to get a proper
It’s still expensive, but the XR matches UK release, is a phenomenal bargain:
the performance of the iPhone XS and it has the same Snapdragon 845 chip as a lot of
XS Max, despite costing hundreds of premium handsets, plus dual rear cameras, 64GB of
pounds less, and it has a fantastic camera and display. storage and a 6.2in screen, all for a mid-range price.

PROCESSOR Hexa-core Apple A12 Bionic • SCREEN SIZE 6.1in • SCREEN RESOLUTION 1,792x828 PROCESSOR Octa-core 2.GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 • SCREEN SIZE 6.2in • SCREEN
• REAR CAMERA 12 megapixels • STORAGE 64GB • WIRELESS DATA 4G • DIMENSIONS RESOLUTION 2,246x1,080 • REAR CAMERA 12 megapixels, 5 megapixels • STORAGE 64GB •
151x76x8.3mm • WEIGHT 194g • OPERATING SYSTEM iOS 12 • WARRANTY One year RTB • WIRELESS DATA 4G • DIMENSIONS 156x75x9mm • WEIGHT 180g • OPERATING SYSTEM Android
DETAILS www.apple.com • PART CODE iPhone XR • FULL REVIEW Mar 2019 8.1 • DETAILS www.mi.com/uk • PART CODE MZB6715EN • FULL REVIEW Mar 2019

66 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

Choosing a... Tablet
01 All tablets rely on an operating system
(OS) to run apps. You have three main
choices: Apple’s iOS, which runs on the iPad;
Android, which Google licenses to various
manufacturers; and Windows 10, which has
become common in hybrid tablets and
convertibles. If you own an Apple or Google
smartphone, you can download your apps,
music and so on to a tablet that runs the
same OS, so it makes sense to stick with a
compatible device.
starting to see tablets that have even higher
screen resolutions. Some are as high as
2,560x1,600 or even 4K. Entry-level tablets
04 Tablets rarely include a SIM card
slot. This means you’ll have to rely
on Wi-Fi to get online, although some
typically use TN panels, which don’t have tablets let you access the internet through
particularly good viewing angles. The viewing your smartphone. If you want mobile access
angles of IPS panels are much better. to the internet, look for 3G- and 4G-ready
devices. These almost always cost more
03 If you want to listen to music, watch
films and play games, make sure your
tablet has plenty of storage. Many tablets
than Wi-Fi-only models, but they’re great
if you use your tablet while commuting
or travelling.
come with 8GB or 16GB of internal storage,

02 It’s important to pick a tablet that has

a good-quality, high-resolution screen.
Many budget tablets have 1,280x800-
resolution displays, but better tablets have
Full HD 1,920x1,080 panels, and we’re
although some budget models have less.
You’ll typically pay more for a higher storage
capacity. Many tablets also have microSD
05 Your choice of tablet determines the
apps you can use on it. You may find
that some of the apps you want are available
slots that let you add extra storage, although on iOS but not Android, and vice versa.
you won’t find one on an iPad. This is a cheap Windows 10, meanwhile, runs traditional
way of boosting storage capacity. desktop applications.

TABLETS
SAMSUNG Galaxy Book 10.6in APPLE iPad (2018)
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£638 • www.amzn.to/2A9hljh £319 • www.apple.com/uk
Good budget 2-in-1s are rare, but Apple has recalibrated its focus
Samsung hits the mark with itss for the latest iPad, keeping the
10.6in Galaxy Book. The Full HDD existing design but turning it
touchscreen display looks great and, unlike with the iPad Pro or into an education aid with Apple Pencil support
Surface Pro ranges, the excellent keyboard and stylus peripherals and the Smart Annotation software feature. Even if you’re not a
come included in the box. teacher or in education, it’s still a powerful tablet at a decent price.
PROCESSOR Dual-core Intel Core m3-7Y30 • SCREEN SIZE 10.6in • SCREEN RESOLUTION PROCESSOR Quad-core Apple A10 Fusion • SCREEN SIZE 9.7in • SCREEN RESOLUTION
1,920x1,280 • REAR CAMERA None • STORAGE 64GB • WIRELESS DATA No • DIMENSIONS 2,048x1,536 • REAR CAMERA 8 megapixels • STORAGE 32GB • WIRELESS DATA None •
261x179x8.9mm • WEIGHT 650g • OPERATING SYSTEM Windows 10 Home • WARRANTY Two years DIMENSIONS 240x170x7.5mm • WEIGHT 469g • OPERATING SYSTEM iOS 11 • WARRANTY One
RTB • DETAILS www.samsung.com/uk • PART CODE SM-W620NZKAXAR • FULL REVIEW Nov 2017 year RTB • DETAILS www.apple.com/uk • PART CODE iPad • FULL REVIEW Aug 2018

APPLE iPad Pro 10.5in MICROSOFT Surface Go

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£580 • www.currys.co.uk £509 • www.microsoft.com
While it’s still stuck with a If you’ve been craving a
mobile OS, rather than the tablet with the flexibility
productivity-friendly macOS, of a Surface Pro, without
there’s no arguing with the latest iPad Pro’s raw the usual expense, the Surface Go is a
power. An A10X Fusion chip makes it much faster than the 9.7in perfect fit. It’s smaller and uses a less powerful Intel Pentium CPU,
model in both multitasking and single-threaded applications. but it’s still a much more work-ready 2-in-1 than any Android slate.

PROCESSOR Hexa-core 2.36GHz Apple A10X Fusion • SCREEN SIZE 10.5in • SCREEN RESOLUTION PROCESSOR Dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Pentium 4415Y • SCREEN SIZE 10in • SCREEN RESOLUTION
2,224x1,668 • REAR CAMERA 12 megapixels • STORAGE 64/256/512GB • WIRELESS DATA 4G (cellular 1,800x1,200 • REAR CAMERA 8 megapixels • STORAGE 128GB • WIRELESS DATA No •
version) • DIMENSIONS 251x174x6.1mm • WEIGHT 469g • OPERATING SYSTEM iOS 11 • WARRANTY DIMENSIONS 245x175x8.3mm • WEIGHT 522g • OPERATING SYSTEM Windows 10 S • WARRANTY
One year RTB • DETAILS www.apple.com/uk • PART CODE 9.7in iPad Pro • FULL REVIEW Oct 2017 One year RTB • DETAILS www.microsoft.com • PART CODE MCZ-00002 • FULL REVIEW Jan 2019

SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab S3 AMAZON Kindle Oasis (2017)

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£445 • www.amzn.to/2syXCFl £230 • www.amzn.to/2iz8Cge
Yes, it’s incredibly expensive for an The premium instalment of
Android slate, but the Galaxy Tab S3 Amazon’s eReader line is
is pure luxury: the AMOLED display back with a bigger screen,
looks exquisite, the stereo speakers sound great, and ambient light sensor and IPX8 waterproofing,
Samsung’s S Pen stylus is included as standard. though its most interesting improvement is
the ability to play Audible Audiobooks.
PROCESSOR Quad-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 • SCREEN SIZE 9.7n •
SCREEN RESOLUTION 2,048x1,536 • REAR CAMERA 13 megapixels • STORAGE 32GB • PROCESSOR Not stated • SCREEN SIZE 7in • SCREEN RESOLUTION 300dpi • REAR CAMERA None
WIRELESS DATA None (4G optional) • DIMENSIONS 2937x169x6mm • WEIGHT 429g • • STORAGE 8GB • WIRELESS DATA Optional 3G • DIMENSIONS 159x141x8.3mm • WEIGHT 194g •
OPERATING SYSTEM Android 7.0 • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.samsung.com/uk OPERATING SYSTEM Kindle OS • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.amazon.co.uk •
• PART CODE SM-T820 • FULL REVIEW Aug 2017 PART CODE Kindle Oasis (2017) • FULL REVIEW Mar 2018

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 67

 Choosing a... Soundbar
01 If you don’t have space in your home
cinema setup for a set of surround-
sound speakers, a soundbar is the next best
thing. Whether you opt for a soundbar
(which typically sits in front of your TV
stand) or a soundplate (which sits
underneath your TV), you’ll be getting
significantly better audio than the weedy
speakers today’s flatscreen TVs provide.
boxes to your TV and run all audio through a
single cable. Also look for phono inputs for
connecting older devices and 3.5mm audio
Most soundbars now include Bluetooth as
standard but, if your device supports it, it’s
worth looking for a mobile soundbar that
jacks for tablets or smartphones. includes aptX. This less-lossy codec is
capable of higher-quality streaming than
03 As with any speaker, the number of
speaker drivers inside a soundbar
should give a good indication of its audio
the standard A2DP profile.
AirPlay streaming is less common, but
iPhone owners should keep an eye out for it.
capabilities. Although this won’t tell you

02 If you want to cut down on cable

clutter, look for a soundbar with
multiple HDMI inputs and outputs as well as
Audio Return Channel (ARC). Not all
soundbars use HDMI, with many making do
with digital optical audio connections
instead. This means you’ll have to connect
Blu-ray players, games consoles and set-top
everything about sound quality, you should
still look out for separate mid-range drivers
and tweeters, as these should be able to
deliver a wider frequency range than
full-range drivers alone.
04 Bluetooth support is a must if you
want to listen to music from a
smartphone or tablet without wires.
05 For a little extra bass, be sure to
look for a soundbar with a separate
subwoofer. Many soundbars include a
wired sub, but for extra convenience you
should look for a model with a wireless
subwoofer instead. These can be placed
anywhere in a room near a power socket,
without having to run a cable back to the
soundbar itself.

HOME CINEMA
PHILIPS 55PUS6753/12
53/1 SAMSUNG HW-N850
-N850
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£479 • www.ao.com £849 • www.box.co.uk
This Philips set There’s no
doesn’t have ultra-high-
the best tech trickery
implementation of HDR we’ve here: just a soundbar, subwoofer and their combined
seen on a TV, but otherwise, the 14 drivers blasting out pristine-quality audio, with Samsung’s usual
55PUS6753/12 is a fantastic 4K screen for a relatively low price. high standards for connectivity.
SCREEN SIZE 55in • NATIVE RESOLUTION 3,840x2,160 • VIDEO INPUTS 3x HDMI, 5x component • SPEAKERS 14 • RMS POWER OUTPUT 372W • DIMENSIONS 1,230x83x136mm (soundbar),
TUNER Freeview HD • DIMENSIONS 781x1,244x266mm • WARRANTY One year RTB • 203x400x416mm (subwoofer) • NETWORKING 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth • WARRANTY One year
DETAILS www.philips.co.uk • PART CODE 55PUS6753/12 • FULL REVIEW Dec 2018 RTB • DETAILS www.samsung.com/uk • PART CODE HW-N850 • FULL REVIEW Feb 2019

SONY PANASONIC DMP-UB900

KD-55XF9005
★★★★★
£1,099 • www.johnlewis.com
Direct-lit backlighting, excellent upscaling and
beautifully smooth motion make the KD-55XF9005 a
worthy alternative to high-end OLED TVs, even though
it only has a VA panel.
SCREEN SIZE 55in • NATIVE RESOLUTION 3,840x2,160 • VIDEO INPUTS 4x HDMI •
TUNER Freeview HD • DIMENSIONS 771x1,228x258mm • WARRANTY One year RTB •
DETAILS www.sony.co.uk • PART CODE KD-55XF9005 • FULL REVIEW Aug 2018
★★★★★
£319 • www.hifonix.co.uk
Together with the
Samsung UBD-K8500, this forms the
vanguard of a new breed of Ultra HD Blu-ray players.
Samsung’s model is cheaper, but the DMP-UB900 has superior
features, particularly where audio delivery is concerned.
BLU-RAY PROFILE 6.0 • 3D CAPABLE Yes • DIMENSIONS 435x199x68mm •
NETWORKING Ethernet, 802.11ac Wi-Fi • WARRANTY One year RTB •
DETAILS www.panasonic.co.uk • PART CODE DMP-UB900EB • FULL REVIEW Aug 2016

PHILIPS 65OLED803
03
3 POLK
P Audio MagniFi Mini
★★★★★ NEW ★★★★★
★★
£2,299 • www.currys.co.uk ENTRY £249
£24 • www.amzn.to/2tts0Rh
If you’ve got the budget
get A tiny soundbar with big sound, the
for an OLED TV, this is a MagniFi Mini takes up hardly any
great pick. The panel technology’s built-in space under your TV but is capable of filling the living
strengths, such as perfect blacks and wide viewing angles, are room with crystal-clear music and dialogue. Best of all, it comes with
aided by Philips’ exemplary image processing engine, resulting in a standalone subwoofer, empowering bass booms with an extra kick.
truly wonderful picture quality.
SPEAKERS 7 • RMS POWER OUTPUT 150W • DIMENSIONS 813x340x101mm (soundbar),
SCREEN SIZE 65in • NATIVE RESOLUTION 3,840x2,160 • VIDEO INPUTS 4x HDMI, 1x Component 366x118x366mm (subwoofer) • WEIGHT 1.76kg (soundbar), 3.68kg (subwoofer) • DOCK
• TUNER Freeview HD • DIMENSIONS 824x1,449x280mm • WARRANTY One year RTB • CONNECTOR None • NETWORKING 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth • WARRANTY One year repair and
DETAILS www.philips.co.uk • PART CODE 65OLED803/12 • FULL REVIEW Apr 2019 replace • DETAILS www.polkaudio.com • PART CODE MagniFi Mini • FULL REVIEW Sep 2017

68 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

Choosing a... Bluetooth speaker
01 Bluetooth speakers come in all shapes
and sizes, so you’ll need to decide
what you want to do with the speaker before
you buy. If you don’t plan to take your music
outdoors or around the house, look for a
wired speaker. These are typically cheaper
than speakers with built-in batteries.
If you do want a portable speaker,
however, pay particular attention to how
much it weighs. Ruggedised models should
be able to survive accidental drops, water
spills and unexpected rain showers.
03
It’s hard to tell the difference when listening
to pocket-sized speakers, but if you’re
looking for a speaker to fill a room, an
Single-driver speakers with larger driver
cones can be just as capable of producing
fantastic audio, however.
aptX-compatible device is a better option.
This Bluetooth protocol retains more detail
than the A2DP profile, although you’ll need
to use it with a compatible smartphone in
04 Most Bluetooth speakers have at
least one auxiliary input for a wired
3.5mm audio jack, in case you want to
order to get the benefits. listen to music from a device that doesn’t
have Bluetooth.
As with any audio product, the
number and size of speaker drivers
can have a significant impact on the quality
There are other extra features to look out
for, though. Speakers with built-in batteries
may have a USB port for charging your
of sound you get from a Bluetooth speaker. smartphone, or a built-in microphone to turn

02 Many of the cheapest Bluetooth

speakers use the lossy A2DP
Bluetooth protocol, which is prone to
compressing your music and discarding
detail compared with the original recording.
Typically, the presence of multiple drivers
enables the manufacturer to tune each one
for specific frequencies, directing high-end
sounds towards a tweeter and sending the
mid-range frequencies to the main driver.
it into a speakerphone when a paired
smartphone receives a call. Not all speakers
have physical controls; many rely on your
paired device’s controls for adjusting the
volume or muting playback.

AUDIO
SENNHEISER HD 660
60 S BOSE QuietComfortt 35 II
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£360 • www.hifix.co.uk £288 • www.sonicdirect.co.uk
While they’re inspired by The world’s best ANC
classic Sennheiser headphones get a Google
headphones such as the Assistant upgrade: you can
HD 580 Precision, the HD 660 S bring a search for songs, select playlists and set
more modern, bassy sound of their very own.. reminders all via the built-in microphone.
Being open-back, they’re best used at home. And, of course, they sound splendid.
HEADPHONES SUBTYPE Over-ear headset • PLUG TYPE 6.3mm/4.4
mm/4.4 jack plug • WEIGHT 260g • HEADPHONES SUBTYPE Over-ear headset • PLUG TYPE PE 3.5mm jack plug
CABLE LENGTH 3m • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS en-uk.sennheiser.com • PART CODE (optional) • WEIGHT 310g • CABLE LENGTH 1.2m • WARRANTY Two years RTB •
HD 660 S • FULL REVIEW Oct 2018 DETAILS www.bose.co.uk • PART CODE 789564-0010 • FULL REVIEW Apr 2018

Q ACOUSTICS 3010i CREATIVE Muvo 2c

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£199 • www.amzn.to/2xi4CsE £27 • www.amzn.to/2wzSxB8
Louder and more Considering it’s both
precise than the 3010, pocket-sized and dirt
these bookshelf speakers cheap, the Muvo 2c’s
are worth the money. You’ll just need to plug them into an external bass presence and sheer loudness come
amplifier, like a hi-fi amp or AV receiver. as a pleasant surprise, and it’s water- and
dust-resistant as well.
SPEAKERS 4 • RMS POWER OUTPUT 125W • WEIGHT 4.1kg per speaker • NETWORKING None • SPEAKERS 1 • RMS POWER OUTPUT Not stated • DOCK CONNECTOR None • NETWORKING
WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.qacoustics.co.uk • PART CODE 3010i • FULL REVIEW Bluetooth 4.2 (SBC) • DIMENSIONS 93x38x67mm • WEIGHT 159g • WARRANTY Two years RTB •
Nov 2018 DETAILS uk.creative.com • PART CODE 51MF8250AA011 • FULL REVIEW Jul 2018

UE Boom 3 UE Megablast
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£99 • www.amzn.to/2DhSzzG £139 • www.amzn.to/2qEISUg
This IP67-rated Bluetooth The Megablast brings Amazon Alexa
speaker is a comprehensive functionality to UE’s marvellous
upgrade on the Boom 2: it’s wireless range, making it a rare
more durable, looks better, has longer wireless smart speaker that can easily be taken outside or
range and sounds even better. used in the shower.

SPEAKERS 4 • RMS POWER OUTPUT Not stated • DOCK CONNECTOR SPEAKERS 4 • RMS POWER OUTPUT Not disclosed • DOCK CONNECTOR None •
None • NETWORKING Bluetooth (SBC) • DIMENSIONS 184x73x73mm • NETWORKING 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (SBC) • DIMENSIONS 237x88x88mm •
WEIGHT 608g • WARRANTY Two years RTB • DETAILS www. WEIGHT 1.2kg • WARRANTY Two years RTB • DETAILS www.ultimateears.com •
ultimateears.com • PART CODE 984-001360 • FULL REVIEW Jan 2019 PART CODE 984-000923 • FULL REVIEW Apr 2018

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 69

 Choosing an... Action camera
01 Action cameras are typically much
smaller than a regular camcorder, as
they are designed to be mounted to a bike,
Keep an eye out for 4K/30, 4K/60,
1080p/60 and 720p/120 models for the
widest possible choice of resolutions
If you want to be able to see exactly
what you’re pointing the lens at, keep an
eye out for cameras with companion
board or car, or worn on your person. As the and frame rates. smartphone apps, or wrist-mounted
name suggests, they are designed primarily viewfinders that also let you start and
for shooting action footage, but because of
their small size they are ideal for strapping 03 Most action cameras rely on flash
memory for storing your video,
stop shooting remotely.

on to your pet’s collar or your children’s toys

for a different perspective.
letting you swap out memory cards on the
fly when you fill one up with clips. More
expensive devices can have integrated
05 Action cameras typically have a huge
range of accessories, with specific
mounts and harnesses for different activities

02 Even basic action cameras will shoot

Full HD video, and many will even
shoot 4K, but frame rate is arguably more
important than resolution when it comes to
action video. Higher frame rates will mean
smoother clips, and super-high frame rate
videos can be played in slow motion to
emphasise exciting shots.
flash memory as well as a card slot, but
it’s typically cheaper to buy the basic
version of a camera and pick up memory
and sports. If the camera itself isn’t water
resistant, a weatherproof case will protect it
from the elements, while a tripod mount will
cards separately. let you lock it firmly in place.
Spare batteries are essential for longer
04 Not all action cameras have LCD
displays; in fact, many don’t include a
sceen in order to extend battery life.
shoots, and some decent video-editing
software will help you to produce a more
polished result.

VIDEO
AMAZON Fire TV with DJI Osmo Pocket NEW
ENTRY
★★★★★
4K Ultra HD (2017) £329 • www.currys.co.uk
★★★★★
£70 • www.amzn.to/2B72FTN A cleverly made alternative to action
cameras, the DJI Osmo Pocket isn’t
Despite shrinking from a set-top box to an HDMI intended for extreme sports, but its
dongle, this is packed with new features, including a mechancial stabilisation ensures smooth, great-looking
remote that works with Alexa voice commands. footage for life-logging videos.

VIDEO OUTPUTS HDMI 2.0 • NETWORKING 802.11ac Wi-Fi • DIMENSIONS 65x65x15mm • SENSOR 1/2.3in CMOS • SENSOR PIXELS 12 megapixels • MAXIMUM RECORDING RESOLUTION
STREAMING FORMATS UPnP, AirPlay, DLNA, Plex • INTERNET STREAMING SERVICES Amazon 4K (60fps) • AV CONNECTIONS USB Type-C • DIMENSIONS 122x37x38mm • WEIGHT 116g •
Video, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5 • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www. WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.dji.com • PART CODE CP.ZM.00000097.01 •
amazon.co.uk • PART CODE Fire TV with 4K UHD (2017) • FULL REVIEW Feb 2018 FULL REVIEW Apr 2019

NVIDIA Shield TV (2017) GOPRO Hero 7 Black

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£189 • www.johnlewis.com £313 • slrhut.co.uk
A good media streamer/ The Yi 4K+ is cheaper, but
Android games console hybrid made even better by a no other action camera
more comfortable controller, a wider range of comes close to the video
streaming sources and smart home integration. quality of the Hero 7 Black. That’s largely down to its new electronic
image stabilisation, which keeps footage looking unbeatably smooth.
VIDEO OUTPUTS HDMI 1.4 • NETWORKING 802.11ac Wi-Fi, 10/100/1,000 Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.1
• DIMENSIONS 159x98x26mm • STREAMING FORMATS Plex, Kodi • INTERNET STREAMING SENSOR 1/2.3in CMOS • SENSOR PIXELS 12 megapixels • MAXIMUM RECORDING RESOLUTION 4K
SERVICES Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play Movies and TV, Google Play Music, YouTube, (60fps) • AV CONNECTIONS Micro HDMI • DIMENSIONS 45x62x32mm • WEIGHT 116g •
BBC iPlayer • WARRANTY Two years repair and replace • DETAILS www.nvidia.co.uk • PART WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.gopro.com • PART CODE CHDHX-701-RW •
CODE 945-12897-2505-000 • FULL REVIEW May 2017 FULL REVIEW Feb 2019

APPLE TV 4K SAMSUNG Gear 360 (2017)

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£179 • www.apple.com/uk £109 • www.amzn.to/2wesOMX
This big update adds 4K content (including, for the Samsung’s updated 360º camera
first time, Amazon Video support). The best part is improves on the original in every way: it’s
that if there’s a 4K version of content you’ve more portable, supports live video stream,
previously purchased in HD, Apple will upgrade it free of charge. and is no longer limited to Samsung Galaxy phones. Best
of all, it’s cheaper than the previous model was at launch.
VIDEO OUTPUTS HDMI 2.0a • NETWORKING 802.11ac Wi-Fi, 10/100/1,000 Ethernet •
DIMENSIONS 35x98x98mm • STREAMING FORMATS AirPlay, others via apps • SENSOR RESOLUTION Dual 8.4 megapixels • SENSOR SIZE Not disclosed • VIEWFINDER None •
INTERNET STREAMING SERVICES iTunes, Apple Music, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, LCD SCREEN 0.5in 72x32 PMOLED • DIMENSIONS 100x46x45mm • WEIGHT 130g •
Now TV, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.apple.com/uk • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.samsung.com/uk • PART CODE SM-R210NZWABTU •
PART CODE Apple TV 4K • FULL REVIEW Jan 2018 FULL REVIEW Oct 2017

70 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

Choosing a... Compact system camera
01 If you’re ready to step beyond the
basic controls of a compact camera,
or you want greater flexibility than an
ultra-zoom can offer, a compact system
camera (CSC) is the next logical upgrade.
With interchangeable lenses, manual controls
and stellar image quality, these cameras give
proper digital SLRs a run for their money.
Sony’s E-Mount has a slightly wider
range, but Micro Four Thirds offers the
widest variety. Both Panasonic and Olympus
budget. Most come with at least one kit
lens, but if you already have lenses for a
particular CSC mount, you can buy the body
cameras use this mount, and the lenses are on its own and save money.
interchangeable between manufacturers.
03 Micro Four Thirds cameras are
typically more compact than other
05 Once you’ve settled on a particular
mount, you should pay attention to a
camera’s features. Articulating screens and
types of CSC because the image sensor is integrated viewfinders will help you compose

02 There are three competing types of

CSC mount, and the one you buy
determines the number of compatible lenses
and accessories you have available.
Samsung’s NX-mount is arguably the most
limited in terms of lens selection, and the
company has confirmed that it’s shutting
down its European camera business, so it’s
best to avoid these altogether if possible.
physically smaller – with a 22mm diagonal,
it’s roughly 30% smaller than an APS-C
sensor. The APS-C sensors that Sony and
Samsung use in their CSCs are the same size
as those in traditional digital SLRs.
04 Like digital SLRs, CSCs come at a
wide range of prices. Available from
as little as £200, there’s a CSC to suit every
shots, while extra physical controls and a
hotshoe mount will give you flexibility for
manual shooting.
Touchscreens are great, but they’re no
replacement for physical dials when it comes
to changing shutter speed and aperture. An
integrated flash is much more convenient
than a detachable one, as you can never
forget to take it with you.

PHOTOGRAPHY
SONY RX100 V FUJIFILM X-T2
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£690 • www.slrhut.co.uk £999 • www.jessops.com
It may be small, but the RX100 The X-T2 is a mirrorless
V is seriously fast, and because CSC capable of shooting
it also captures a surprising high-quality images at incredibly high burst speeds,
amount of light, image and video quality are both top-notch. making it ideal for wildlife and sports photography.

SENSOR RESOLUTION 20 megapixels • SENSOR SIZE 13.2x8.8mm (1in) • FOCAL LENGTH
MULTIPLIER 2.7x • VIEWFINDER Electronic (2,400,000 dots) • LCD SCREEN 3in (1,228,800 dots) •
OPTICAL ZOOM (35mm-EQUIVALENT FOCAL LENGTHS) 2.9x (24-70mm) • 35mm-EQUIVALENT
APERTURE f/4.9-7.6 • WEIGHT 298g • DIMENSIONS 60x104x41mm • WARRANTY One year RTB
• DETAILS www.sony.co.uk • FULL REVIEW Apr 2017
SENSOR RESOLUTION 24 megapixels • SENSOR SIZE 23.6x15.6mm (APS-C) •
FOCAL LENGTH MULTIPLIER 1.5x • VIEWFINDER Electronic (2.36 million dots) • LCD SCREEN 3in
(1.04 million dots) • VIEWFINDER MAGNIFICATION (35mm-EQUIVALENT, COVERAGE) 0.77x,
100% • LENS MOUNT Fujifilm X Mount • WEIGHT 507g • DIMENSIONS 92x143x51mm •
WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.fujifilm.eu/uk • FULL REVIEW May 2017

NIKON D3400 POLAROID Originals OneStep 2

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£385 • slrhut.co.uk £90 • www.amzn.to/2DQhr05
A collection of minor The OneStep 2 brings
improvements to battery life, back the simple joys of
shooting speed and stills quality instant photography.
add up to make the D3400 the best entry-level DSLR available. Although the stock can get quite pricey,
your shots will look just as they would on
SENSOR RESOLUTION 24 megapixels • SENSOR SIZE 23.5x15.6mm (APS-C) • VIEWFINDER a classic Polaroid – perfect for sharing or
Optical TTL • LCD SCREEN 3in (921,000 dots) • OPTICAL ZOOM (35mm-EQUIVALENT FOCAL
simply sticking to the fridge.
LENGTHS) 3x (27-82.5mm) • 35mm-EQUIVALENT APERTURE f/5.25-8.4 • LENS MOUNT Nikon F
Mount • WEIGHT 655g • DIMENSIONS 99x124x135mm • WARRANTY One year RTB • PHOTO SIZE 3.1x3.1in • BATTERY LIFE 15-20 packets of film • PORTS 1x Micro USB •
DETAILS www.europe-nikon.com • FULL REVIEW Jun 2017 WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.polaroidoriginals.com • FULL REVIEW Jan 2018

PANASONIC Lumix GH5

H5 PANASONIC Lumix DMC-G80
MC G80
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£1,393 • www.wexphotovideo.com £749 • www.jessops.com
This update to the brilliant The G80 is ahead of the pack
GH4 can take great photos, when it comes to video quality, y,
but it’s video capture where the GH5 truly excels. Its and its stills look great as well.. It’s
4K, 60fps footage is crisp enough for serious indie filmmaking, and it more expensive than the preceding G7, but includes
ludes a
supports 10-bit recording and an optional flat colour profile as well. superior 12-60mm kit lens, among other improvements.

SENSOR RESOLUTION 20 megapixels • SENSOR SIZE 17.3x13mm • FOCAL LENGTH SENSOR RESOLUTION 16 megapixels • SENSOR SIZE 17.3x13mm • FOCAL LENGTH MULTIPLIER
MULTIPLIER 2x • VIEWFINDER Electronic (3,680,000 dots) • LCD SCREEN 3.2in (1,620,000 dots) • 2x • VIEWFINDER Electronic (2,360,000 dots) • LCD SCREEN 3in (1,040,000 dots) •
LENS MOUNT Micro Four Thirds • WEIGHT 725g (with kit lens) • DIMENSIONS 98x146x88mm • LENS MOUNT Micro Four Thirds • WEIGHT 715g with kit lens • DIMENSIONS 79x137x130mm •
WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.panasonic.com/uk • FULL REVIEW Sep 2017 WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.panasonic.com/uk • FULL REVIEW Jul 2017

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 71

 Choosing a... Wearable
01 Wearable tech can include anything
from chest-strap heart-rate monitors
to augmented reality glasses, but the two
03 Fitness trackers are much more
dedicated to healthy pursuits.
Step counters, heart-rate monitors and
a single charge, so you can wear it to bed
and benefit from sleep tracking.

most common types are smartwatches and

fitness trackers. Both are designed to sit
unassumingly on your wrist, and are almost
always meant to be used in tandem with a
paired smartphone.
even sleep tracking are all common, and
the data collected is fed back to you so
you can see how your workout routine
05 Look out for waterproofing as well.
Wearables that don’t mind a few
lengths of the pool can be used for
or calorie intake is going. swimming or just timekeeping, and at the
Many smartwatches also contain very least we expect a fitness tracker to be
health-tracking features, but fitness- able to deal with rain or sweat.

02 Smartwatches are typically more

complex and expensive, though
more closely resemble a traditional
wristwatch. You can use them to receive
and reply to text messages and emails,
quickly check maps and even play
games – like a smartphone, most
smartwatches allow you to install your
own choice of apps.
specific wearables tend to be cheaper,
smaller and lighter.
06
04 When it comes to battery life, it’s
important for any wearable to
last a full day, but if it’s a smartwatch
then you can get away with having to
charge it overnight. With fitness trackers,
it’s better if it lasts for several days off
Different smartwatches use
different operating systems, which
determine which apps you can install on
your device, as well as compatibility with
smartphones. Android Wear and Tizen
smartwatches will work with both Android
and iOS phones, but Apple’s watchOS will
only pair with an iOS handset.

WEARABLES
GARMIN Vivosmart 4 NEW APPLE Watch Series 4
★★★★★ ENTRY ★★★★★
£205 • www.amzn.to/2UYdj4M £399 • www.apple.com/uk
Comfortable, accurate and not too The latest Apple Watch is
expensive, the Vivosmart 4 is a fine the sleekest and slickest
fitness tracker, albeit one without wearable the company has
onboard GPS. It’s particularly suited to those who ever made. An edge-to-edge screen and
don’t already exercise but are looking to improve haptic feedback in the crown are just two
their overall fitness. of the many enhancements.
PEDOMETER Yes • HEART-RATE MONITOR Yes • DISPLAY SIZE 0.7in • RESOLUTION 48x128 • PEDOMETER Yes • HEART-RATE MONITOR Yes • DISPLAY SIZE 1.78in • RESOLUTION 448x368 •
OS SUPPORT Android, iOS • BATTERY LIFE Seven days • WARRANTY One year RTB • OS SUPPORT iOS • BATTERY LIFE 18 hours • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.apple.
DETAILS www.garmin.com • PART CODE 010-01995-04 • FULL REVIEW Apr 2019 com/uk • PART CODE Apple Watch Series 4 • FULL REVIEW Jan 2019

MISFIT Phase HUAWEI Watch 2 Sport

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£40 • www.misfit.com £180 • www.amzn.to/2qLo7qo
An interesting combination It’s worth shelling out
of classic timepiece, fitness for the premium version of
tracker and connected this sporty Android Wear
smartwatch, the Phase doesn’t have a smartwatch: it includes built-in 4G connectivity,
touchscreen or apps but can still control music
ic which when combined with GPS tracking means you can
playback and smart home hardware. safely leave your smartphone at home.
PEDOMETER Yes • HEART-RATE MONITOR Yes • DISPLAY SIZE 1.6in • RESOLUTION N/A • PEDOMETER Yes • HEART-RATE MONITOR Yes • DISPLAY SIZE 1.2in • RESOLUTION 690x690 •
OS SUPPORT Android, iOS • BATTERY LIFE Six months • WARRANTY Two years RTB • OS SUPPORT Android, iOS • BATTERY LIFE Two days • WARRANTY Two years RTB •
DETAILS www.misfit.com • PART CODE MIS5000 • FULL REVIEW Jun 2017 DETAILS consumer.huawei.com • PART CODE Huawei Watch 2 Sport • FULL REVIEW Jul 2017

FITBIT Versa SAMSUNG Gear Fit2

★★★★★ ★★★★★
£199 • www.currys.co.uk £122 • www.amzn.to/2IWodDs
The Versa is a much more There’s much to like about
successful smartwatch/fitness this Tizen-powered fitness
tracker hybrid than Fitbit’s tracker. GPS is a very
previous attempt, the Ionic: this is pleasantly welcome inclusion, and you can add
lightweight, highly customisable and backed up p widgets to the touchscreen, just like
by an active (and competitive) community of Fitbit users. on a smartwatch.
PEDOMETER Yes • HEART-RATE MONITOR Yes • DISPLAY SIZE 1.3in • RESOLUTION 300x300 • PEDOMETER Yes • HEART-RATE MONITOR Yes • DISPLAY SIZE 1.3in • RESOLUTION 216x432 •
OS SUPPORT Android, iOS • BATTERY LIFE Four days • WARRANTY One year RTB • OS SUPPORT Android, iOS • BATTERY LIFE Four days • WARRANTY Two days •
DETAILS www.fitbit.com • PART CODE FB505RGPK-EU • FULL REVIEW Jul 2018 DETAILS www.samsung.com/uk • PART CODE SM-R3600DAADBT • FULL REVIEW Sep 2017

72 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

 SOFTWARE

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ADOBE Premiere Pro CC 2018 KASPERSKY Security Cloud

Sec ftwa
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★★★★★ ★★★★★

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g
£20 per month www.adobe.com £50

There’s a lot to love in this update, especially the It’s just as effective as Kaspersky Total Security, but
improved support for collaborative editing and a host Security Cloud goes a step further by learning your
of new tools for producing VR-ready 360° content. bad security habits and warning you about them.
OS SUPPORT Windows 7/8/10, OS 10.11/macOS 10.12, Android 4.1 and later, iOS 10/11 •
OS SUPPORT Windows 7/8.1/10, OS X 10.11, macOS 10.12 and later • MINIMUM CPU Multicore •
MINIMUM CPU 1GHz • MINIMUM GPU None • MINIMUM RAM 1GB (32-bit), 2GB (64-bit) •
MINIMUM GPU Integrated graphics • MINIMUM RAM 8GB • HARD DISK SPACE 8GB •
HARD DISK SPACE 1,020MB (Windows), 1,110MB (Mac) • DETAILS www.kaspsersky.co.uk •
DETAILS www.adobe.com • FULL REVIEW Jun 2018
PRODUCT CODE Security Cloud • FULL REVIEW Jan 2018

pri
NORDVPN MICROSOFT Windows 10

Vir e net
vat

OS ate
tua wo

up
d
★★★★★ April 2018 Update

l rk
£9 per month • www.nordvpn.com ★★★★★
There are cheaper VPN services available, but
Free • www.microsoft.com
none has the flexibility and multi-level security Besides some subtle visual tweaks, the latest major
features of NordVPN. It’s become much faster update for Windows adds some genuinely useful
than previous versions, too. features, such as Focus Assist and Timeline.

OS SUPPORT Windows 10 • MINIMUM CPU 1GHz or faster • MINIMUM GPU DirectX 9 or later
OS SUPPORT Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, DD-WRT router • DETAILS www.nordvpn.com • with WDDM 1.0 driver • MINIMUM RAM 1GB (32-bit), 2GB (64-bit) • HARD DISK SPACE 16GB (32-
PRODUCT CODE NordVPN • FULL REVIEW Sep 2018 bit), 20GB (64-bit) • DETAILS www.microsoft.com • FULL REVIEW Aug 2018

McAFEE Internet Security 2019

9 APPLE macOS 10.14 Mojave
Sec ftwa

OS ate
so
uri re

up
NEW
ty

d
★★★★★ ★★★★★
ENTRY
£8 • www.amzn.to/2X5sQBL Free • itunes.apple.com
Impressively, the 2019 version takes McAfee Internet Mojave’s small UI improvements and minor added
Security from an industry damp squib to one of the features would disappoint on their own, but together
most reliable security suites on the market. Malware they add up to a great update. It’s free, too, so
detection is vastly improved and performance is better, too. there’s no reason not to make the switch.
OS SUPPORT Windows 7/8/8.1/10, macOS 10.12 and later; Android 4.1 and later, iOS 10 and later • OS SUPPORT OS X Mountain Lion or later • MINIMUM CPU Not stated • MINIMUM GPU
MINIMUM CPU 1GHz • MINIMUM GPU DirectX 9 • MINIMUM RAM 1GB • HARD DISK SPACE Integrated graphics • MINIMUM RAM 2GB • HARD DISK SPACE 12.5GB • DETAILS www.apple.
500MB • DETAILS www.mcafee.com • FULL REVIEW Apr 2019 com • FULL REVIEW Jan 2019

GAMING
XBOX One S OCULUS Go
4K conso
ga le

VR dset
he
★★★★★
me

★★★★★ a
s

£182 • www.amzn.to/2ylWNCV £196 • www.overclockers.co.uk

HDR support is great, No longer do you need
eed
but it’s the 4K Blu-ray player a decked-out PC or
that makes this sleeker, premium smartphone to enjoy VR. The Oculus Go
smaller Xbox One really stand out against crams all the hardware you need into the headset itself, making virtual
the competing PS4 Slim. reality entertainment as immediate and accesible as it’s ever been.
PROCESSOR Octa-core 1.75GHz Jaguar • RAM 8GB DDR3 • FRONT USB PORTS 1x USB2 • DISPLAY LCD • RESOLUTION 2,560x1,440 • REFRESH RATE 72Hz • PROCESSOR Octa-core
REAR USB PORTS 2x USB2 • STORAGE 500GB/1TB/2TB • WARRANTY One year RTB • 2.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 • RAM 3GB • WEIGHT 467g • DETAILS www.oculus.com/go •
DETAILS www.xbox.com • PART CODE Xbox One S • FULL REVIEW Dec 2016 PART CODE Go 32GB • FULL REVIEW Sep 2018
Sw d per
an

NINTENDO Labo
bo SONY PS4 Slim
itch iph

Ga nsol
me e
co
ga eral

★★★★★ ★★★★★
me s

£60 • www.very.co.uk £250 • www.argos.co.uk

Nintendo’ss L
Labo Sony has made the PlayStation
almost defies 4 even better with a slimmer,
explanation: it’s a neater chassis and superior
combination of video game, cardboard model kit and children’s power efficiency. It’s as cheap as the PS4 has
educational tool. What we do know is that it’s iincredibly innvovative, ever been as well.
rewarding and great fun.
PROCESSOR Octa-core 1.6GHz AMD Jaguar • RAM 8GB GDDR5 • FRONT USB PORTS 2x USB2 •
AVAILABLE FORMATS Nintendo Switch • DISK SPACE Not stated • DETAILS labo.nintendo.com • REAR USB PORTS None • STORAGE 500GB/1TB/2TB • WARRANTY One year RTB •
PART CODE Nintendo Labo • FULL REVIEW Aug 2018 DETAILS www.playstation.com • PART CODE B01GVQVQH2 • FULL REVIEW Jan 2017

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 73

 Free software guide
It’s easy to access your free software. Just go to www.shopperdownload.co.uk/375 and
register with the code from the card insert. Please be aware that you need to have
bought the ‘Free Software Edition’ and not the ‘£4.50 Edition’ to access the downloads
GETTING STARTED
The download instructions on the card
insert (opposite) show you how to
connect to the download site. Make
sure you type in the web address exactly
as shown. You’ll need your coupon code
the first time you log on to the site.
ANY PROBLEMS
If you need help with any of the
software this month, please send an
email to support@creativemark.co.uk.
We check this inbox regularly. Please
include the issue number of the
magazine and your coupon code.
WHY DOWNLOADS
In order to provide us with free
software, publishers now require us to
offer the applications as a download
and require online registration. You
need to use the unique code printed in
the box on the card insert to register
and download the software in this
issue. The unique code means we
stop the deals leaking online, so only
Shopper readers get the software.
NO CODE?
If you don’t have the card insert with the
unique code, you must buy the £4.99
‘Free Software’ print version of the
magazine. If you have this edition and
still don’t have a card, please contact
letters@computershopper.co.uk.
REGISTER YOUR SOFTWARE
BY 18th APRIL 2019
REQUIREMENTS Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10;
50MB hard disk space
WEBSITE www.wise-ftp.com
NOTES Get your registration code at
wise-ftp9.disc.computershopper.co.uk
74
Genie Timeline 10 Home
GENIE TIMELINE 10 Home is an easy-to-use
comprehensive backup tool that works
almost entirely automatically.
When you first launch the program, you
select a destination drive then tick the boxes
to confirm the type of file you’d like to back
up (Office files, pictures, emails, music,
documents and so on). If you want to define
specific files or folders to back up, then you
can do that, too.
Once this is all set up, there’s no need to
do anything else. The program will run itself
when it detects that your files have changed
and your PC is idle, and if you interrupt it by
shutting down or rebooting, it just picks up
where it left off. And if you need to restore
one or two files or even your entire backup,
then the Restore tool makes it easy. file, so backup space requirements are reduced.
Backup speeds are twice the speed of the older Explorer folder icons also now have a marker to
Timeline 9, and this newer version is smarter, too: indicate which ones are backed up.
it’s less likely to store multiple copies of the same The Home edition allows you to run backups on a
schedule, and more frequently (every 30 minutes if
REQUIREMENTS Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10; 100MB hard disk space you like, as opposed to every eight hours for the Free
WEBSITE www.genie9.com edition). It supports Disaster Recovery, too, so you
NOTES Get your registration code at genie10.disc.computershopper.co.uk
can restore your PC even if Windows won’t boot.
WISE-FTP 9
WISE-FTP IS a powerful FTP client that comes That’s just the start, however. WISE-FTP also
packed with helpful, time-saving features. contains synchronisation tools that allow your
The program connects easily to any FTP site and system to update entire folders or folder trees,
presents its files and folders in a straightforward without the need to manually transfer individual
Explorer-type view. You can drag and drop files, files. In addition, the Task Planner allows you to
delete, copy or rename them, view their properties schedule regular transfers so they run automatically,
and more, just as easily as on your local system. even if you’re not around. If this isn’t enough, you
A host of cleverly designed tools help to speed even get a macro recorder that can replay and
up the management process. An integrated viewer repeat any common WISE-FTP tasks.
displays some files without Whatever you’re doing,
you having to download SFTP, FTPS and encryption
them first, for instance. support is always on hand
WISE-FTP’s built-in HTML to protect the security of
editor also allows you to your data, and there are
directly modify HTML and plenty of other features.
text files on the server. You For instance, if your
can even edit files with local remote files are an
applications, and WISE-FTP inconsistent mess of
will automatically download upper- and lower case
them, open them, and letters, WISE-FTP 9 can
then upload any changes adjust them to suit your
once you’re done. needs during its transfers.
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

REQUIREMENTS Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10;
75MB hard disk space
WEBSITE www.auslogics.com
NOTES To obtain your serial code, go to
ddefrag49.disc.computershopper.co.uk
Auslogics Disk Defrag Pro 4.9
DISK DEFRAG PRO 4.9 is a very powerful defrag
tool that provides everything you’ll need to keep
your system running at peak performance.
This includes multiple defrag algorithms, so you
can optimise access according to file access time,
modification time or Window’s own prefetch
layout, and you can even manually define
which files you’d like written to the fastest part
of your drive.
Alternatively, if you want to defragment an
individual file, folder, or entire partition, the
program can run before Windows launches,
enabling it to defrag system files that would
otherwise be locked. A scheduler can also run
unattended defrags whenever you like, and you If you don’t want to pay for the commercial
can even leave Disk Defrag Pro running in the version, there’s also a free edition available, but be
background, so it can detect and eliminate warned that it’s much less powerful. There’s no
fragmentation just as soon as it appears. choice of defrag algorithms, for instance, nor
To minimise the performance impact of running boot-time defrag or resource management.
the software itself, you can limit the maximum use Scheduling is also a lot more basic, and you don’t
Disk Defrag Pro will make of your CPU or hard drive, get detailed reports or performance charts.
and you can tell the program not to run at all when Therefore, if you’re in the market for a defrag
a particularly demanding application is running. tool, then we’d recommend you install the trial
That’s very helpful if you want to play a game or version, if only for a while, just to get a feel for
need to run some intensive productivity software. exactly what this program can do.

Ashampoo WinOptimizer 2019

ASHAMPOO WINOPTIMIZER
2019 is a comprehensive PC
maintenance suite that can
help clean, optimise and
protect your PC.
Click Scan on the main
Overview page and it goes to
work, quickly checking your
system for problems. These
might include junk files, poorly
configured browser and Windows
settings, broken Registry keys
and more. Issues can be viewed
individually, or you can have
WinOptimizer resolve them all
with a single click.
While this is all useful, the
true power of Ashampoo
WinOptimizer 2019 only becomes
obvious when you click the
Modules button. This opens up
individual tools to manage your
startup programs, control
Windows services, optimise your
internet connection, clean the
Registry, explore your hard disk
use, free up drive space, securely
delete files, and a whole lot more.
Some of these modules are
small. One module enables you
to save the icon layout on your
desktop, for instance, and recall
it later: that could be useful,
but only occasionally.
Others are more significant.
DiskSpace Explorer analyses your
system and displays detailed
reports on how your drive space
is being used, perfect for locating
bulky files and folders. The
Tweaking option gives easy
access to more than 100 hidden
Windows and application
settings. Startup Tuner not only
displays your current startup
programs, but displays ratings
from other WinOptimizer users
to help you decide what to keep.

REQUIREMENTS Windows 7, 8, 10;

100MB hard disk space
WEBSITE www.ashampoo.com
NOTES Serial code is embedded within
the application

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 75


REQUIREMENTS Windows 7, 8, 10;
50MB hard disk space
WEBSITE www.abelssoft.net
NOTES Get your registration code within
the application
Abelssoft StartupStar 2019
BOOTING YOUR Y PC
may seem simple
sim – turn
it on, and Windows
starts – but there’s an
extra step
st that isn’t so
obvious. As Windows
launches it also
automatically runs a
host of startup
programs, many of
which are unnecessary,
and these programs
can significantly extend
your PC’s boot time.
Install StartupStar,
however, and you’ll
have all the tools you
need to manage your
PC’s startup process
and get it back under
your control.
The process starts by reviewing your current launch when you next reboot, but it will still appear
setup. Clicking Startup Entries displays everything in the startup list and can be restored later. You can
that’s set up to launch when Windows starts. also have the Startup Firewall warn you when an
Scroll the list to take a look, and if you’re sure application is being configured to run at boot time.
there are some entries you don’t need, then You need to be careful with what you disable: if
StartupStar can help you to get rid of them. you block something genuinely important, it can
If you spot a superfluous startup program, it can cause all kinds of problems with your PC. If you
be easily removed, but if you’re not sure whether make a mistake, however, StartupStar’s Backup
something is necessary or not, you can try the Centre can reverse recent changes and get your
Deactivate option. The startup program won’t system running as normal again.

Audials Radiotracker 2019

Premium
PUTTING ON HEADPHONES and playing some
music is a good way to focus when you’re trying to
work in a busy café or coffee shop, and if you want
to listen to something new, you can try tuning in to
one of the thousands of worldwide radio channels.
Audials Radiotracker makes it easy to surf
these channels. Start the application and the user
interface looks like the Spotify app. Want to
quickly find a known channel? Simply search for
it. You’ll find all the commercial and independent
REQUIREMENTS Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10;
2GB hard disk space
WEBSITE audials.com
NOTES Serial code is embedded within
the application
radio stations. However, if you’re after a specific
station, you cans search by genre too.
If you want to come back to a station, add it to
your favourites. Next time you start Radiotracker,
you’ll see a history of your previous radio channels,
making it easy to find one of your previous choices.
You can even replay songs you like, as
Radiotracker can find the source of played tracks
and allow you to play it again. You can also find
previous recordings from your favourite radio
stations, so you can quickly find a
broadcast from earlier in the day
if you missed something you
want to hear in the future.
Radiotracker also allow you to
pool your music, from iTunes and
other sources, into one easy-to-find
location. There’s a podcasts section,
too, as an alternative to live radio.
Lastly, there’s a quick record
function for grabbing audio from
your station. If you like something
you hear or know there’s something
you want to record, choose this
option while the station is playing
and Radiotracker will record the
audio to your PC.

76 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

 Resources
Chat and Communication
UPDATED Evernote 6.17.6.8292 Store your
notes, ideas and plans in the cloud, and
synchronise them between computers.
Mailbird 2.5.27.0
A free desktop email client for Windows.
Miranda IM 0.10.80
Chat with friends across multiple
messaging platforms, including AIM,
Facebook, IRC and MSN, all from one
simple interface.
Customisation
UPDATED iolo System Mechanic Free
18.5.1 Speed up your system with iolo’s
PC optimisation suite.
Rainmeter 4.2
Customise the desktop with your choice
of tools and shortcuts.
Windows 8 Transformation Pack 9.1
Emulate the look of Windows 8 on an
earlier version of the operating system.
General
Genie Timeline Free 2017 10.0.1.100
Protect your most valuable files with this
easy-to-use backup tool.
Paragon Partition Manager 16 Free
Create, format, split, merge and reorganise
all your hard disk’s partitions.
UPDATED PeaZip 6.7.0 A tremendously
powerful archive-management tool.
Internet and Network
CarotDAV 1.15.5
Manage all your online storage services
with one simple application.
UPDATED Cyberduck 6.9.0
A powerful but easy-to-use FTP client for
uploading and downloading your files.
UPDATED Glasswire 2.1.140
Keep tabs on your network usage with this
simple monitor.
Tweaking and Performance
UPDATED CCleaner 5.52 Remove unwanted
information, temporary files, browsing
history, huge log files and even the settings
that uninstalled software leaves behind.
Defraggler 2.22 Ensure that your system
is defragmented properly and improve
its performance.
Finestra Virtual Desktops 2.5.4501 Set up
four or more virtual desktops on your PC.
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
Skype for Windows 8.34.0.78 Make internet
voice and video calls for free, and buy credit
to make calls to mobiles and landlines.
UPDATED Telegram 1.5.12 This free IM app
synchronises your conversations across
multiple devices, and can spruce up chats
with stickers and GIFs.
UPDATED WhatsApp Desktop 0.3.2043 A free
PC and Mac version of the popular messaging
app, letting you chat from your desktop.
Windows 8 UX Pack 9.1
Get a glimpse of the Windows 10 UI without
committing to a full OS upgrade.
Windows 10 Transformation Pack 7.0
Bring some of Windows 10’s new features
to your current operating system.
Winstep Xtreme 18.8
Freshen up your system with this suite of
desktop and UI replacement applications.
Screenshot Captor 4.31.2 Create and manage
screenshots the easy way.
UpdateScanner 2.2.0.0 Scan all the software
on your PC, find out if an update is available,
then install it immediately.
ZipGenius 6.3.2.3116 A flexible file-
compression tool with support for a huge
number of compressed file formats.
UPDATED FileZilla 3.40.0 A fast and reliable
FTP client with lots of useful features.
UPDATED NetBalancer 9.12.8.1855
Make the most of your internet connection
by assigning download and upload priorities
to web applications.
UPDATED TeamViewer 14.1.9025
Remotely control your computer from
anywhere in the world.
UPDATED IObit Advanced SystemCare Free
12.2.0.311 A complete computer security,
maintenance and optimisation suite.
Revo Uninstaller Free 2.0.6 Remove installed
applications completely, including all their
folders, system files and Registry entries.
Simple Performance Boost 1.0.5 Tweak the
Windows Registry to give your PC a
performance boost.
77
GET THE
BEST
FROM
YOUR
ROUTER Wi-Fi powers our homes, but
are you getting the best out

Y
ou only realise just how much of your router? David Ludlow
you rely on Wi-Fi the second
that your router goes down shows you how to set up,
and you run into problems.
Solid, reliable Wi-Fi is a must for any tweak and access hidden
modern household. In this guide, we’ll
show you how to best set up your router settings to help you do more
so that you get the best performance out
of it. That goes for all devices, even if
you’ve bought one of our top-rated mesh
systems (see page 88 for our buying
CONTENTS
Set up your router/mesh system......................80
guide and mesh system group test
Testing performance .................................................8 1
comparing the eight top products).
Advanced settings for a better network ......82
Quality is about more than speed, so Alexa/Google Assistant support.......................83
we’ll also take you on a journey through Set up IFTTT rules....................................................... 84
your router’s more in-depth settings, so Security and guests .................................................. 85
you can restrict access from unknown Should you turn off wireless?..............................86
devices, improve internet reliability and Parental controls..........................................................87
use advanced features that you may not What is Wi-Fi 6?..........................................................87
have known about.

78
79
HOW TO SETUPYOUR
ROUTER OR MESH SYSTEM
Getting the best performance out of your router or mesh system
means configuring and placing it for the best performance
E
ven the best-performing router or
mesh system that we’ve tested
needed some configuration to get
the best speeds and reliability. Thanks to
the different levels of interference and
building materials, each home is unique in
the way Wi-Fi works, so some tweaking
and adjustments are required to get
everything working at its best. Here’s
what you need to know about getting
everything set up in the best way.
DO YOU NEED A MODEM?
If you’re replacing your existing router,
you may need a modem, as most routers
use Ethernet for the WAN (internet)
connection. If you have a standard
connection through your phone line,
then you’ll most likely be on a VDSL
connection, although there’s a chance
that you’re on an older ADSL connection.
VDSL lines used to be supplied with a BT
OpenReach modem, but these have fallen
out of popularity and most ISPs now supply
a router with a built-in VDSL modem. To
connect a modern router, you’ll need to buy
a VDSL/ADSL router, such as the Netgear
DM200-100EUS (around £33). Once this is
plugged into your internet connection, you
connect your router using an Ethernet cable.
If you have a Virgin Media connection,
you’re stuck with using the router that was
provided by the company, although it can be
switched to modem mode by following the
advice online (www.virginmedia.com/help/
virgin-media-hub-modem-mode).
PLACEMENT
Where your internet connection comes in
is usually where your router will be placed.
You may have a temptation to tuck the
router out of the way, but this isn’t the
best option, as you can block the radio
signals. Somewhere a bit more open with
the router out on display is usually best.
If you’re having problems with Wi-Fi
reliability, repositioning your router can
make a surprisingly big difference.
For mesh systems, placement is slightly
different. If you’ve got a mesh system with a
router, the router part needs to be placed
where your main router normally goes
following the rules above. If you have a mesh
80
system that integrates with your existing
router, place the first satellite so that it can
easily plug into your main router via
Ethernet. Make sure the satellite is out and
located in an unobstructed place.
Satellites should be placed halfway
between another satellite and the problem
area. The setup routine will let you know if
you’ve got a strong enough signal or if you
need to move the satellite.
With most mesh systems, you usually
have the option of using an Ethernet
backhaul. This requires you to plug your
satellite into an Ethernet connection.
ABOVE: You can try changing your router’s Wi-Fi settings to improve performance
LEFT: If you don’t have a modem already,
you may need to buy one
The advantage of this is that you get a solid
connection and you can place the satellite
further away; the downside is that you need
to run an Ethernet cable to where you want
the satellite to go.
CONFIGURING WIRELESS
SETTINGS
Your router or mesh system’s setup guide
will take you through configuring the basics,
getting you connected to the internet and
running a wireless network. However, once
your router is running, you can change some
of the settings to improve performance.
One of the best ways to do this is to
change the channel on which your wireless
network runs. Most routers will try to pick
the best channel for the 2.4GHz network
automatically, but we’ve not always had
a lot of luck with this setting. In fact,
we’ve had a router change channel
automatically, preventing any other
devices from connecting, which was just
frustrating. For that reason, we prefer to
set our own channels, testing performance
as we go to see if we’ve improved things
(see box, opposite).
Connect to your router’s main web
interface and look for the wireless settings.
For the 2.4GHz network, the best channels
to use are 1, 6 or 11. The other channels risk
overlapping with other networks, increasing
interference and reducing speed.
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
 GET THE BEST FROM YOUR ROUTER

TESTING PERFORMANCE
If you want to see how fast your LEFT: The Tamosoft Throughput Test assesses
the performance of your network
wireless network is, the Tamosoft
Throughput Test is a great tool and
it’s the one that Computer Shopper
uses. Download the software for
your computer from the free
BELOW: The software displays network speeds
download site (www.tamos.com/ in an easy-to-understand graph format
download/main).
You should install the
software on two computers:
a laptop connected to wireless
and a computer wired into the router using Gigabit Ethernet.
For the laptop, use the newest model that you’ve got, as this will
have the best wireless adaptor in it. If you use an old laptop, you
may hit the limit of its wireless card and think that your network is
slower than it really is.
Once installed, run the server component on your wired
computer. When the software starts up, you’ll see an IP address
listed, which you should note down. On your laptop, fire up the
Tamosoft Client. Enter the IP address that you noted down earlier.
Tick the TCP only box and click Connect.
You’ll see the graph below plot live throughputs, although you can
also read the average upload and download speeds. Run the test
for one minute and note down the average throughputs. Move
around your home and try your laptop in different positions, noting
down the average speeds you’re getting. As you change settings,
you can re-run the tests to see if you’ve improved performance.

For 5GHz networks, the channels don’t LEFT: Beamforming and

overlap, so there’s less chance of any
interference. That said, many 5GHz routers
come pre-configured to use channel 36,
so moving to a different channel, such as
40 or 44, can be beneficial.
If you have a tri-band router, you’ll most
likely have two 5GHz networks. One will use
higher-numbered channels, above 100.
This is to prevent interference.
SHOULD YOU SPLIT
YOUR NETWORKS?
Most modern routers and all mesh systems
can use a technology called band steering.
With this, you get one network name and
then devices are pushed towards the
2.4GHz or 5GHz band based on their
ability and range. For most homes, this is
the best choice. However, routers (but not
mesh systems) give you the option to split
the networks; check your router’s manual
for the exact option. But why would you
want to do that?
The main reason for splitting the
networks is so that you can choose which
network that you want to connect to.
You could use the 5GHz network for
performance devices, such as your laptop,
games console and streaming device, saving
the 2.4GHz network for low-bandwidth or
older devices, such as your printer.
If you have a tri-band router, you can
further segment your network, reserving
one 5GHz network for the real high-
performance devices.
OTHER SETTINGS
Modern routers and mesh systems have
advanced technologies that you’ll want
to turn on in most cases. These settings,
if available, tend to be hidden in the
Advanced Settings menu. Beamforming
is one such technology. Rather than
directing the Wi-Fi signal out evenly in all
MU-MIMO can help boost
speed and reliability
directions, beamforming
lets the router determine
where your device is and
push out a stronger
signal directly towards
it. This can help boost
range and performance
for all devices.
Multi-user, multiple
input, multiple output
(MU-MIMO) requires
support from devices to
work at its maximum
benefit, although older
devices can still connect.
Normally, Wi-Fi uses
shared bandwidth, where all devices have to
wait their turn to use data. With MU-MIMO,
the router can split its bandwidth across the
number of streams it has. For example, a
router with a 4x4 array has four upstream
and four downstream connections. In this
example, the router can split its available
bandwidth into four dedicated channels,
giving devices their own bandwidth. MU-MIMO
is currently limited to downstream channels
(streaming from the internet) and beams
are spatial, so devices in the same rough
location have to share bandwidth.

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 81

ADVANCED SETTINGS
FOR ABETTER NETWORK
From more reliable devices to a more a stable internet connection,
we show you the advanced settings that you need to change

O
nce your router is working and
you’re happy with the speeds it’s
outputting, you may think that’s it.
Yet under the bonnet, your router has plenty
of advanced settings that can help you
improve internet reliability, make devices
more reliable and much more. Here, we’ll
take you through the things that most
modern routers can do.

BACK UP YOUR SETTINGS

Before you start changing any settings, it
makes sense to back up your current
configuration. That way, if you run into
problems, you can quickly flash your router
back the way it was when you were happy
with it. And in future, if you have to reset
your router, you can just restore the ABOVE: Updating your DNS settings can help improve the reliability of your internet connection
settings and all will be good again.
To do this, find the management option. Select the option to upload a file, addresses (216.58.206.35 is Google, for
settings in your router’s interface, where then select your configuration file. After example). Every time you access a website,
you should see a Back Up option. Select restoring the configuration, your router will your computer has to make several DNS
this to download a copy of your router’s most likely restart. queries using your ISP’s default servers.
configuration to your computer. Depending While these generally work, if your ISP
on your router, you may get the option to USE DIFFERENT DNS SERVERS suffers DNS problems, you get a delay or no
name the file, or a configuration file may be A domain name server (DNS) is used to response when trying to access a website,
downloaded automatically. convert the web addresses that are even though the rest of your internet
To restore a configuration, go back to human-readable (www.google.co.uk, for connection is working. The best way to get
your router’s interface and find the restore example) into machine-readable IP around that problem is to ditch your ISP’s
DNS and opt for a
faster, open one.
To change your
DNS settings, go to
your router’s main
web interface and find
the internet options.
You should have the
option to override the
default DNS Address,
with the option to
enter a Primary and
Secondary DNS using
an IP address such
as 8.8.8.8.
There are multiple
options. The free
Google Public DNS
(primary 8.8.8.8,
secondary 8.8.4.4) is a

LEFT: Back up your router’s

settings so you can quickly
restore your optimal settings
in the future

82 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

 GET THE BEST FROM YOUR ROUTER

very reliable and quick service. If you want
privacy, then Cloudflare (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1)
is a great option and promises not to store
any logs of who’s accessing its service.
OpenDNS (208.67.222.222 and
208.67.220.200) is a great security choice,
as the default service blocks you from
visiting phishing sites. If you go to the
website www.opendns.com you can find out
how to configure the service to add in web
content filtering, too, which is a handy way of
adding additional parental controls if your
router doesn’t support this feature natively.
Once you’ve chosen the DNS service of
choice, enter the addresses as listed above
and save your settings.
USE STATIC IP ADDRESSES
Every time a device connects to your router,
it dishes out a unique IP address using its
built-in DHCP server. Each IP address comes
with a lease, which means devices can get
different IP addresses each time they
connect. While this doesn’t make much
difference for most devices, it can cause
problems for some, where you need the
address to stay the same. For example, if
you always connect to a NAS via its IP
address, it’s easier if it has a static (non-
changing) address. Likewise, printers can
sometimes benefit from a static address.
SMART
ASSISTANT
Control your Wi-Fi
with Amazon Alexa
or Google Assistant
Did you know that your router or
mesh system might be supported by
Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant?
For example, many of Netgear’s
routers and the Orbi system have
Alexa Skills and Google Assistant
apps, as do TP-Link and D-Link
devices. Asus currently supports
Alexa for its routers.
Check your router’s support pages
to find out what it can do and how to
enable the Skill, as the options differ
from service to service.
Once enabled, smart assistant
support will let you do things such as
toggle your guest network on or off,
and obtain your network details.
RIGHT: With Amazon Alexa or Google
Assistant support, you can control your
Wi-Fi with your voice

The old way of giving out static
addresses was to assign them manually
on the device. However, the majority of
routers let you assign static addresses
from their interfaces. Well, technically, you
reserve an IP address so that a device
always gets the same one, but this
amounts to the same thing.
The way you do it differs from device to
device, so you may need to check your
router’s manual for the exact instructions.
On Netgear devices, you go to Advanced,
Setup, LAN Setup and then click Add under
Address Reservation. This gives you a list
of devices, complete with a device name.
Select the ones where you want to keep the
same address and click Add. From then on,
that device will keep the same IP address.
ENABLE REMOTE
MANAGEMENT AND
APP CONTROL
All mesh systems and many routers now
support remote access via smartphone
apps. This is a handy way of keeping tabs
on things when you’re out and about.
For example, if your security camera stops
working when you’re away, you can try to
reboot your router or mesh system to see if
that fixes the problem.
LEFT: With a router’s app, you get quick control and
remote management of your router
If you have a mesh system, you’ll have
been prompted to download the app
during setup. If you have a standard router,
you can find the relevant apps for your
router’s manufacturer online:
Asus www.asus.com/asus-router-app
D-Link eu.dlink.com/uk/en/support/apps
Linksys www.linksys.com/us/linksys-app
Netgear www.netgear.co.uk/home/
discover/apps/genie.aspx
TP-Link www.tp-link.com/us/tether
Note, not all routers from a manufacturer
will support remote control or the apps.
ADD NETWORK STORAGE
If your router has a USB port on the rear,
the chances are that you can use it to
share external storage. Just plug in a USB
hard disk or flash drive and the router
should pick it up automatically. To connect,
press Windows-R and type \\<IP address of
your router>
router>. Your router’s IP address is the
same address that you’d use to connect to
its web administration page.
Once connected, you can access the USB
drive as though it were a NAS. There are
some limitations (you get fewer security
options, for example) and speed may be
slower, but it’s still a neat trick if you need
some shared storage.

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 83

TURN ON QoS
Quality of Service (QoS) is a service
available on most routers, which is
designed to prevent one device from
hogging all your internet bandwidth.
The benefit is that someone handling a
large file download can’t prevent other
people in your home from using the internet.
How QoS works differs from device to
device. With a lot of mesh systems, such
as the Netgear Orbi, QoS is largely an
automatic service. All you have to do is go
to the QoS section of the management
interface and run a network speed test to
have the system determine your internet
download and upload speeds. Orbi then
dynamically throttles internet speeds in
order to stop any single device from
being able to use the entire internet ABOVE: QoS controls let you stop one machine from hogging all your internet bandwidth
connection’s bandwidth.
Other routers and devices have more
complicated QoS controls, letting you
define how much bandwidth each device
gets and its priority level. Again, controls
differ from router to router, but the steps
are roughly the same.
First, for all routers, you have to enter
the total bandwidth that your internet
connection has. Many routers have a built-in
speed test that will do this for you. If not, you
can visit www.speedtest.net and work out
your own internet speed. Make sure that you
do this from a wired computer to ensure ABOVE: Make sure that your router is up to date to ensure the best performance and range of features
that you’re getting the fastest download
speeds. Once done, enter the download Our advice is to start with the simpler app, you should get notifications when
speed and upload speed in Mbit/s. controls, letting the router or mesh system new firmware is available. Otherwise,
Next, you can define QoS per device, dynamically allocate bandwidth, only delving routers can automatically check for
setting the maximum bandwidth that can into more complex settings if you’re having updates and install them via their
be used. Depending on your router, you problems or you find that one person in the management interfaces. Look for the
may find that you can define the device’s house is constantly hogging bandwidth. firmware update section. You should see
priority, too. For example, for a media an option to check for an update
streaming device, which needs bandwidth UPDATE YOUR FIRMWARE automatically. If you don’t, you can
so you can watch a TV show, you can set Router firmware updates often add new download an update file from your router’s
this as high priority. features and fix bugs. If your system has an manufacturer and update manually.

SMART
CONTROL
Manage your router with IFTTT
If you have a modern TP-Link or Asus router, or Google
Wi-Fi, you have built-in IFTTT support. Using the
website ifttt.com, you can build automatic rules. For
example, you can have a warning when a new device
connects, or you can automatically play a song when
your phone connects to Wi-Fi when you come home.
There are plenty of smart applets that other people
have created, too. For example, there’s one that will
prioritise a Ring Doorbell’s traffic on Google Wi-Fi
when motion is detected.
RIGHT: IFTTT support lets you automate your home via your router or
turn on features on demand

84 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

 GET THE BEST FROM YOUR ROUTER

MANAGING SECURITY
AND GUESTS
Wi-Fi adds convenience, but also adds some security risks into the mix.
Follow our advice to reduce problems and deal with guests more easily

A
s useful as Wi-Fi is, it extends
beyond the boundaries of your
home, making it viewable to
anyone within range of your abode,
including neighbours and passersby. Here,
we’ll show you how to protect your network,
discover which devices are on it, how to
manage access controls and more.

MANAGE YOUR
GUEST NETWORK
Most routers and mesh systems (although
not all) provide a guest network feature.
This creates a separate guest network
that you can share with visitors without
having to give out your main password.
The trick is to provide a network that’s
secure and doesn’t allow people access
to your other devices.
Find your guest network options in your Give the guest network a decent name, Make sure you haven’t enabled the option
router’s management. Depending on the so it’s clear what it is. Make sure security is to let guests see devices connected to your
type of router or mesh system you have, you turned on and that you’ve entered a long main network, as this is a security risk.
may find that you have the option to enable password. The password should be easy Finally, with the security settings properly
multiple guest networks (one for each enough for people to type in, but long configured, you can turn on the guest
network band, 2.4GHz and 5GHz), or just a enough that it’s hard to guess. Don’t leave network. Ideally, you should only enable the
single network. If it’s the former, you can an unprotected guest network turned on, as guest network when you need it and then
decide which one to enable, if not both. In all anyone can join. Once, while testing a router, disable it when not in use. That’s where
cases, the important thing is to make sure we turned on the default guest network and having a router that’s compatible with
that your network is secure and well then noticed random phones joining the Alexa can help, as you can quickly turn the
managed. router as people walked past our home. guest mode on or off.

ABOVE: Make sure you have security turned on for your guest network and that you disable it when not in use

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 85

IDENTIFY DEVICES
It’s worth looking at what’s connected to
your home network, both so you can see
what you’ve connected yourself and to
potentially spot anything that shouldn’t
be on your network, such as a neighbour
who has jumped on to your home network
to use your internet connection.
All devices connected to your router will
be listed. For example, with Netgear Orbi
devices, you can view all devices using the
app by selecting Device List. If you use the
web interface, you can see the list by
selecting Attached Devices.
From the list, you’ll see that some
devices have a name that makes sense.
For example, it doesn’t take long to work
out that the device called NEST-HELLO
is the front doorbell. However, not all
devices present themselves in a friendly
way. There are a few tricks you can use to
find out what a device is.
Select a device to get more information
and your router should give you both the IP
address and MAC address. The IP address
is the one handed out by your router to the
device. The MAC (Media Access Control)
address is a hardware Ethernet address
of the device, which never changes. If you
visit macvendors.com and type in a MAC
address, you’ll be told which company
made the device. This may be a generic
hardware vendor, but often the results
are really helpful.
For example, we had a device that
we couldn’t recognise with a MAC address
of 78:3E:53:7F:E4:B2. MAC Vendors told
ABOVE: Using the MAC Vendors website, you can work out what a device is
us that this is a BSkyB Ltd device, which
means that it’s one of our Sky Q boxes.
Using the IP address can help further.
By using the Sky Q interface we could
check each set-top box’s IP address and
match them up to the right device. Most
routers will usually let you edit a device’s
name so that you can correct those that
don’t make any sense.
If you find any device that you can’t
recognise and that doesn’t look like it
belongs on your home network, you can
usually block its internet connection. This is
typically a slider that turns off the internet.
Do this for devices you don’t recognise; you
can always re-enable access if you have
problems with a device.
If you think that other people might be
using your Wi-Fi, make sure that you
change your network password.
RIGHT: Device Filtering lets you turn off internet access
on a per-device basis, which is a handy way of blocking
anyone that shouldn’t be on your network

SHOULD YOU TURN OFF WIRELESS?

One common ‘tip’ is to turn off wireless when you go
away on holiday to prevent anyone using your network.
That’s a nice thought, and most routers will let you turn
off wireless. However, it’s not something that we
recommend. For starters, the option to turn off
wireless is usually buried in the settings menu to
prevent people from doing this by mistake.
Second, once turned off, the only way to turn Wi-Fi
back on is to use a device that’s connected to your
router via a cable. Third, think about how many
devices you have that may rely on Wi-fi to work: a
security camera or your smart heating, for example.
Turning off Wi-Fi will also stop those devices from
working, which will most likely cause you a lot more
trouble than the odd chance of someone hacking into
your network while you’re away.
Far better, if you want to add protection, is to use
the controls to prevent new devices attaching to
your network, if your router has the option.

RIGHT: You can disable Wi-Fi on some routers, but it’s not a good
idea for security as it makes it fiddly to use the internet and will stop
always-on devices from working

86 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375


ADVANCED DEVICE CONTROL
ROL
AND PARENTAL CONTROLS
Common on mesh devices and becoming ng
more popular on routers are advanced
parental and filtering controls. These are
worth checking out if you have them.
This feature can be provided by the device ice
directly or via a third party, as with the
Netgear Orbi, which uses Circle.
If your router has only basic web
filtering, where you have to manually
enter the web addresses that you want
to block, then avoid the settings. With
proper filtering and access control, you
can do so much more.
Many mesh systems, for example,
let you create user profiles where you
group together all of a person’s devices.
For example, our phone and laptop are
both listed under our user profile in Circlele
on our Orbi system. By creating user
profiles for each member of your house,
you get good control.
For example, you can pause internet
access for one person, blocking all their
devices from going online. Whether that’s
to get a child’s attention so that they
come down for dinner or just to stop them
going online, it’s handy to be able to block
access in one go.
You can often set a web-filtering policy
for each person, too, restricting by category.
ABOVE: With apps and services such as Circle, you
can create profiles to control and customise internet
access for each person in your home
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
GET THE BEST FROM YOUR ROUTER
BELOW: Wi-Fi 6 routers are
available now, but it’s going
to take a while before device
support improves
WHAT IS WI-FI 6?
The names of Wi-Fi standards have
always been a bit confusing, so the
Wi-Fi Alliance is starting to make things
simpler with a new naming convention
that uses version numbers. So 802.11ac
(the current version of Wi-Fi) is now Wi-Fi
5, 802.11n (the previous version) is Wi-Fi 4,
and older standards would have been the
lower numbers.
Wi-Fi 6 is the
new standard,
which was
previously known
as 802.11ax. The
new standard
was designed to
make better use
of all the available channels. Although
802.11ac networks operate in the 5GHz
space (providing 2.4GHz networking
via the older 802.11n system), Wi-Fi 6
operates on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz
bands, thus extending the number of
channels available.
Further to this, Wi-Fi 6 can subdivide
channels to a greater degree than
previous standards, increasing the
total amount of radio space available,
It’s common to find that default profiles are
available, with more sites blocked for very
young children, for example, and adults
getting access to most of the web.
Look out for options to set up time limits
and access times, too. This is really handy if
you have kids. For example, you can set the
amount of time for which they can go online,
which will help improve performance
particularly in crowded and dense areas.
While the current 802.11ac standard
only supports MU-MIMO for downstream,
Wi-Fi 6 upgrades this to support uploads,
too. Thanks to Orthogonal Frequency
Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), each
MU-MIMO stream can be split into four
additional streams,
increasing the
bandwidth per user.
A handful of Wi-Fi
6 routers are
available now,
including the Netgear
Nighthawk AX8
(above). This has
throughputs of up to 1.2Gbit/s on the
2.4GHz band and 4.8Gbit/s on the 5GHz
band. While the headline speeds aren’t that
much higher than existing 802.11ac routers,
testing in dense areas has shown the new
standard to be up to four times faster.
Wi-Fi 6 routers are backwards-
compatible with older devices but will
require 802.11ax clients for the fastest
throughputs. It’s likely to be 2020 before
we see mass adoption.
and when they’re allowed to go online.
As controls are across all their devices,
they can’t put down a tablet and pick up
their laptop to bypass restrictions.
Some of these tools are premium-only
on certain systems. For example, Circle on
Netgear is £4.49 a month if you want to set
no-internet times and time limits.
87
 HOT SPOTS
Mesh Wi-Fi systems
CONTENT REVIEWS Why suffer from poor reception and dead spots
Page 90
when you can have Wi-Fi everywhere? We review
BT Complete Wi-Fi
Page 91
the best wireless mesh systems available today
BT Whole Home Wi-Fi WIRELESS MESH SYSTEMS have been on
Page 92 the rise, overtaking traditional wireless
D-LINK Covr router sales for one simple reason: they
expand your wireless coverage in the
Page 93 simplest way possible. For those used to
GOOGLE Wifi dealing with dead spots, mesh wireless
systems are a revolution, which is why we’re
Page 94
exclusively dealing with them here.
NETGEAR Orbi RBK20 Rather than using a single device, mesh
Page 95 systems use a system of wireless access
NETGEAR Orbi RBK50 points (often called discs or satellites) to
spread Wi-Fi throughout your home. Access
Page 96 points are usually connected wirelessly,
TENDA Nova MW6 although many systems let you use Ethernet
Page 97 instead if you’re having problems.
As well as giving you better coverage, mesh
TP-LINK Deco P7 systems have some smart technology in them,
including better roaming. Most wireless
88
devices will try and hold on to a wireless signal
for as long as possible; with a mesh system,
your devices are forced to connect to the
strongest access point, improving reception
as you move around your home.
Depending on the type of network you
have, there are two types of mesh systems
available: those that ship with a wireless
router, and those that are specifically designed
to integrate with your existing system. We’ll be
looking at examples of both, so you can decide
which is best for your own home.
ROUTE ONE
Mesh systems that come with a wireless
router are designed to completely replace your
existing setup. The benefit is that you get a
brand new router, complete with all of its
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

Standard mesh systems are designed to work with your
existing router, replacing its Wi-Fi with the new one
features, and by removing your old router you
could be cutting down on clutter. In many
respects, then, mesh systems with wireless
routers give you a neater solution.
There are some restrictions, however.
First, every new router will have an Ethernet
WAN port, so you’ll need to have a modem
to plug it into. Second, not all ISPs let you
change your router; for example, if you’re
with Sky, you’re stuck with its router. In this
case, a standard mesh system, made up only
of satellites, is a better choice.
WIRE MESH
Standard mesh systems are designed to
work with your existing router, replacing its
Wi-Fi with the new one, introducing new
features. The first satellite has to be plugged
into your router via Ethernet, but the
remaining ones can be connected wirelessly.
Once set up, you should disable your old
router’s wireless connection.
Depending on the system you buy, mesh
systems can work in two ways. The simplest
ones simply integrate into your existing
network, letting all devices see each other.
The systems with more features create a
secondary wireless network. From your
wireless network, you can still see all of your
wired devices, but wired devices can’t see
your wireless ones. These systems can make
setting up some features, such as port
forwarding, a little trickier, but it’s a worthy
pay-off to get more features.
Satellites typically have Ethernet ports on
the back. These can be used instead of a
wireless connection if you need more range,
such as installing Wi-Fi in an outbuilding.
More commonly, you can just plug wired
devices directly into the satellite to turn them
into wireless ones. If you need more ports,
you can always buy an Ethernet switch.
BLOCK AND LOCK
Advanced features vary between devices, but
include the likes of advanced parental controls
and the ability to pause the internet on a
single device, or even to group devices into
profiles and manage access to all of them.
The latter is particularly helpful should you
have a child with multiple devices, as you can
control internet access (such as allowed times,
duration and allowed sites) globally.
Typically, you’ll get control via a mobile app,
rather than a web interface, which makes
things easier and quicker.
EXPANSION SET
Mesh systems will ship with at least two
devices, giving you good enough coverage in
most homes. However, you can always buy
additional satellites to further expand your
network, eliminating any other dead spots that
you might have. It’s worth living with the base
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
MESH WI-FI SYSTEMS
such as this one, the 5GHz channel is also used
for the link between satellites.
The Netgear Orbi RBK50, meanwhile, is a
tri-band AC3000 system. It has a single
400Mbit/s 2.4GHz network and an 866Mbit/s
pack to start with and expanding your network 5GHz network for clients. A 1,733Mbit/s 5GHz
once you’ve worked out where the signal is links the satellites, giving dedicated bandwidth.
the weakest, if it needs expanding at all. Ultimately, it’s the actual performance that
makes the real difference, which is why all of
BANDING TOGETHER our reviews carry real-world speed tests.
All the products we’ve reviewed are 802.11ac
devices. They use a system called band BEAM WORK
steering to merge the 2.4GHz and 5GHz Modern mesh systems tend to support more
networks under one network name. When a modern technologies. Beamforming can help
device connects, it’s directed to the best increase performance to each device, by
network based on signal strength and pushing the wireless signal directly at a device.
capability. That makes management easier. Look out for multi-user, multiple input,
In terms of speed, all mesh systems are multiple output (MU-MIMO), too. This can
rated by the total throughput for both give compatible clients a dedicated download
bands. For example, the BT Whole Home stream, increasing performance when you
Wi-Fi is an AC2533 system. This means it have a lot of wireless clients in operation.
can deliver up to 800Mbit/s on the 2.4GHz Not all advanced features will be turned on
band and 1,733Mbit/s on the 5GHz Band. by default, but our guide on page 82 shows
For mesh systems that have only two bands, you how to control advanced settings.
THE BEST MESH SYSTEMS FOR…
MAXIMUM RANGE
BT Whole Home Wi-Fi
If you’re lucky enough to own a house so large that one or even two
satellites aren’t enough to completely remove wireless dead spots, a
three-pack mesh system will help you fill in the gaps. There are many
available – even some of the systems we’ve reviewed here as two-
packs have a more expensive, tripled-up package – but BT Whole
Home Wi-Fi is a particularly good deal.
For less than £200, it gives you three satellites that can simply
be added to your current router, maximising coverage for less than
half the price of, say, the three-pack equivalent of Netgear’s Orbi
RBK50, the RBK53. It’s a pretty fast system, too.
MAXIMUM SPEED
NETGEAR Orbi RBK50
For those who can afford it, the RBK50 is unmatched on pure speed.
That could be very important if you don’t just have a large home, but
often need to download large files quickly, or if you have a lot of
cohabitants all demanding fast Wi-Fi.
Most impressively, it maintains high speeds at range, which helps
make up for it coming as a two-pack rather than a three-pack.
Performance between floors or down the garden isn’t immune to
the laws of physics, but does stay quite high when compared to
close-range performance.
MAXIMUM VALUE
TENDA Nova MW6
It’s not the fastest or most feature-rich mesh Wi-Fi system, but
the Nova MW6 is a fantastic bargain for anyone who just wants
something simple and affordable. For an extremely reasonable £155,
you get three satellites (one of which also acts as a router, if you
want to replace your current one), decent performance, easy
installation and a well-designed mobile app.
Besides a slight shortage of wired Ethernet ports, and the built-in
parental controls being rather basic, there’s little indication that this
is one of the cheapest mesh systems around. Even the satellite devices
are well made, with a charming cube design.
89
 MESH WI-FI SYSTEMS
MS
BT Complete Wi-Fi
★★★★★
£5 per month • From www.bt.com
VERDICT
tworking system
A fast and powerful mesh networking
stomers
that’s great value for BT Plus customers
MOST WIRELESS MESH systems are roughly
the same: they come with a collection of
satellites that you spread through your home,,
designed to extend and improve your wireless
network. BT Complete Wi-Fi is a little different.
Yes, Complete Wi-Fi has a router and
multiple satellites (called ‘discs’), but it also
comes with a guarantee. Available for BT Plus
customers, the BT Complete Wi-Fi system
costs £5 a month, and is covered by BT’s
guaranteed performance.
The guarantee is that you’ll get strong
Wi-Fi in every room. The starter package
ships with the BT Smart Hub 2 router and one
additional disc for extending range. If you
can’t get a reliable signal in every room, BT
will send you up to two additional discs free
of charge. At that point, if you’re still having
problems, you’ll get £20 back.
If you have a BT mobile phone contract,
the BT Plus benefits extend to those as well.
If your broadband drops out, BT will send you
a free mobile router and give you unlimited
phone data until the problem has been fixed.
GOING MOBILE
Rather than using a dedicated app to control
the system, as with the older Whole Home
Wi-Fi system, BT provides the controls for the
Complete Wi-Fi system in the MyBT app on
your phone. This is the same app you use to
manage your account and view your bills.
Configuration is easy, with the app taking
you through plugging the new router in first.
There’s a single vDSL port on the rear, but no
Ethernet WAN port. While this means that
you can plug your router straight into the
master socket, not having Ethernet is a bit
of a shame. The old-style OpenReach
modem made it easier to
reposition the router using
a length of Ethernet cable,
but that’s not possible with
the new system.
Once the router is up and
running, the app takes you
through configuring the
disc, helping you place it in
the ideal location. The disc
should be able to connect to
the router wirelessly to pull
the configuration that it
needs, but this didn’t work
for us. Instead, we first had
to plug the disc into the
router via Ethernet to get
the configuration, then we
could move it back to its
final location.
90
The Ethernet port on the disc can be used
to plug in wired devices; you get a further four
Gigabit Ethernet ports on the back, plus a
USB port for printer or storage sharing.
The default network details are printed on
a handy pull-out card on the back of the
router. Unlike the Whole Home Wi-Fi system,
you don’t get a pull-out card on the discs.
LIMITED OPTIONS
There are very few configuration options.
As with most mesh systems, this one
combines the 5GHz and 2.4GHz networks
under one name. When a device connects,
the BT Complete Wi-Fi system then pushes
the device towards the strongest disc and
If your broadband drops out, BT will send you a free mobile
router and give you unlimited phone data
the best channel based on its features.
From the app, you can change the wireless
network name and password, but that’s it.
There’s an option to configure the light
brightness on both the router and the disc,
and you can turn off all status lights, which is
handy if you want to place the device in a
bedroom and don’t want to be disturbed.
That’s it as far as the app goes, and there’s
not even an option for a guest network.
If you want a little bit more control, you
can connect to the router using a web
browser. From here, you can configure port
forwarding and turn off BT’s annoying Smart
Setup, which bugs newly connected devices
with a page advertising the free services you
get with your broadband account.
BT provides online parental controls, but
settings apply to all devices. It’s unfortunate
that you can’t group devices into profiles, and
control each set individually. For example, you
could set different access times and filtering
levels for each child in your house.
The BT Complete Wi-Fi system uses
dual-band 802.11ac, so doesn’t have a
dedicated wireless channel for building the
mesh network. The Smart Hub 2, BT tells us,
has a 5GHz channel with a throughput of
1,733Mbit/s and a 2.4GHz channel that runs
at 289Mbit/s. The discs have the same
1,733Mbit/s 5GHz network, but a faster
385Mbit/s 2.4GHz network.
We got very fast average throughputs
at close range, managing 340Mbit/s.
Moving to the first floor, speeds were high
at 279.5Mbit/s. On the second floor, we got
throughputs of 251.1Mbit/s. That’s faster
than the Whole Home Wi-Fi, but a little
behind the Netgear Orbi RBK50.
MEMBERS ONLY
Whether or not the BT
Complete Wi-Fi system is
worth it comes down to
your needs and whether
you’re a BT Plus customer
or not, as it’s not currently
available standalone. If you
have BT Plus and want a
fast upgrade, then this
system is great value.
However, Complete Wi-Fi
currently lacks features,
such as a guest network
(we’re told this will come
later) and granular parental
controls. For the best
performance, the Netgear
Orbi RBK50 remains the
top choice.
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

BT Whole Home
Wi-Fi
★★★★★
£186 • From www.amazon.co.uk
VERDICT
A smart and easy way to upgrade your
home’s Wi-Fi, but the price is a little high
BT’S COMPLETE WI-FI system may have
arrived, but there’s still room for the firm’s
older mesh system, Whole Home Wi-Fi, to be
a worthwhile purchase. That’s because they’re
very distinct products: while Complete Wi-Fi
includes its own router and is built for BT Plus
customers, Whole Home Wi-Fi works with
any provider and simply aims to boost the
range of your existing router.
With the Whole Home Wi-Fi kit, you get
three identical access points, which – as with
the Complete Wi-Fi system – BT calls ‘discs’.
Each disc is just 165mm across and sits
neatly on the integrated stand, making them
easy to position anywhere.
Each disc has a single Ethernet port, plus a
power button and reset switch. Only one disc
has to be wired into your existing router, while
the remaining two connect wirelessly.
SQUARING THE CIRCLES
As this is a product designed for the masses
and is supposed to be easy to set up,
configuration is done entirely through the
BT Whole Home Wi-Fi app, which is available
for Android and iOS. This app takes you step
by step through configuring the initial disc to
adding subsequent ones.
While the first disc is easy to locate,
subsequent discs need a bit more work.
Due to the wireless connection, the ideal
scenario is that a disc is placed halfway
between an existing disc (wired or wirelessly)
and the area where you normally have poor
reception. To help out, the app gets you to
move to the area where you want to place a
disc and then tests the connection quality.
You’re then told what to do: move a little
further away from another disc; install the
disc here; or move closer to an existing disc.
The LED on the front of a disc gives you a
quick visual guide to the connection state:
blue is good, amber means there’s poor
reception, purple shows the disc is updating,
and red means there’s no connection.
Once the discs are located in the right
areas, you’re ready to go, as BT preconfigures
the Whole Home Wi-Fi with a secure network.
Just as with BT’s routers, each disc has a
pull-out plastic insert at the back, which
contains the default network name, network
password and admin password.
While having a preset network makes
initial setup easy, the downside is that you
need to manually configure every wireless
device to use the new network. A better way
is to disable Wi-Fi on your existing router, and
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
then configure the Whole Home Wi-Fi kit to
use your old network’s name and password.
Settings can be changed easily using the
app, but you don’t get a lot of control: you
can change the network name and password,
turn off the discs’ LEDs, and that’s about it.
GUIDING HAND
It’s impossible to split the 2.4GHz and 5GHz
networks, as Whole Home Wi-Fi uses Band
Steering to direct a connecting device to the
right band automatically. This choice is based
on the connecting device’s capabilities and
range. BT also supports 802.11k/v Wi-Fi
Whole Home Wi-Fi provides your devices with the fastest
and most reliable connection automatically
roaming, which helps direct connecting
devices to the disc with the strongest signal.
In short, Whole Home Wi-Fi wants to
provide your devices with the fastest and
most reliable connection automatically.
It’s pretty fast, too, even though it doesn’t
match the quickest competition. Each disc
has a 1,733Mbit/s 5GHz network (4x4
antennas) and 800Mbit/s 2.4GHz network
(4x4 antennas). Some of the bandwidth has
MESH WI-FI SYSTEMS
to be reserved for communication between
discs, however, so you’re unlikely to see the
maximum advertised speeds.
In our tests, performance was still
very good, and we saw throughputs of
236.3Mbit/s at close range, 212.1Mbit/s
on the first floor and 176.6Mbit/s on the
second floor. This falls a little behind the
more expensive Netgear Orbi RBK50, and
peak speeds fall behind those of the newer
Complete Wi-Fi system.
However, having three discs meant much
better coverage overall, and we could get an
excellent signal in the second-floor bathroom,
at the back of our house; using a single router,
we can only usually get one bar of reception.
Outside in the garden, which is usually a
dead spot, we managed to get 185.1Mbit/s,
with 56Mbit/s at the bottom of the garden.
With the Orbi RBK50’s satellite in the same
place, we got more than 200Mbit/s over
the entire garden, although coverage on the
top floor wasn’t as good.
The Orbi RBK50’s real advantage is that its
system has a Wi-Fi channel for the network
backbone, providing dedicated bandwidth.
This showed in its superior test results. The
downsides of the RBK50, as well as the RBK20
and Complete Wi-Fi systems, are that you
have to replace your existing router, which
isn’t always possible. Netgear’s access points
are much bigger than BT’s discs, and in the
RBK50’s case, the price is higher.
FULL HOUSE
Whole Home Wi-Fi won’t be right for
everyone; if you can reposition your router in
the middle of your house, for instance, you
may find that you can get away with a single
router. If that doesn’t work, and you’re left
with dead spots (or you’re willing and able to
replace your router), then the Netgear Orbi
offers more features and better performance.
However, if you can’t replace your router
or you don’t want the hassle of having to do
so, then the BT Whole Home Wi-Fi is an
excellent choice. It provides you with excellent
and robust coverage and is simple to install,
and the price is the lowest it’s ever been.
91
 MESH WI-FI SYSTEMS
D-LINK Covr
★★★★★
£161 • From www.ebuyer.com
VERDICT
Simple and cheap, the D-Link Covr mesh
system doesn’t have the performance to
keep up with the best
D-LINK HAS A few different mesh Wi-Fi
systems available, but the most affordable is
this C1023 version of the Covr. This nets you
three satellites for £161 – that’s even cheaper
than the BT Whole Home Wi-Fi, which is
relatively old and has seen multiple price cuts.
As with BT’s system, the D-Link Covr is
designed to upgrade your existing router’s
Wi-Fi. The idea is that you hook up the first
device to your router via Ethernet, and then
disable your old wireless. The remaining two
satellites then create a wireless mesh network,
extending your network throughout your
home and, hopefully, eliminating dead spots.
Although it’s comparatively cheap, the
Covr is neatly designed. Each identical satellite
is triangular, looking like a guitar plectrum
from above. With the copper finish to the top,
the satellites look quite neat out on display.
Each satellite has two Ethernet ports,
which is handy, as it gives you a way of
hooking up wired devices to your mesh
network. In comparison, the BT Whole
Home Wi-Fi system has just a single
Ethernet port on each of its discs.
SENSING WEAKNESS
Yet another similarity between these systems
is that the D-Link Covr is configured via a
smartphone app. This talks you through
setting up the first satellite and hooking it up
to your router, before you go about placing
the other two satellites around your home.
The app just tells you to wait for the
satellites to start flashing orange before
continuing, but it doesn’t measure signal
strength. Once we’d finished setting it up,
we found that one satellite was listed as
having a ‘poor’ connection (despite being just
one floor up), and the other listed as ‘bad’
(located at the other end of the house).
Given the placement of our satellites,
it’s hard to work out quite how we could
move them, aside from putting them so
close to the main unit that it wouldn’t really
make it worthwhile.
One difference between the D-Link Covr
and Whole Home Wi-Fi is that while both
systems are mainly intended to join your
existing router, the Covr can be configured to
act as a router, creating its own separate
network. This may make some features, such
as port forwarding, a little harder to configure.
In general terms, you’ll find that devices on
your wireless network can see things on your
old wired network, but not vice versa.
It’s possible to configure the main Covr
satellite to use PPPoE, which lets it hook up
92
to a modem, replacing your main router.
However, this would only give you a single
Ethernet port free, so you’ll most likely need
to add an Ethernet switch into the mix.
GOOD WITH KIDS
Elsewhere, the D-Link Covr has surprisingly
few options. There’s no support for BT IGMP,
for streaming YouView channels, such as BT
Sport. This is an excellent reason to leave
your main router in place if you have BT TV.
You can add schedules to devices, defining
when they can go online. The Covr supports
up to 10 schedules, so you can have one per
The D-Link Covr is a simple and well-priced mesh system,
but it doesn’t have the speeds to really deliver
household member, which is excellent for
families with children. Conceptually, it would
be easier if you could create profiles that
have schedules, and then add devices, but
the result is the same.
The neat auto-reboot option lets you
reboot the system daily or weekly. This can
keep things in tip-top condition and means
that you don’t have to do the job manually.
D-Link uses the AC1200 standard, with up
to 300Mbit/s for the 2.4GHz band and
866Mbit/s for the 5GHz band. Band steering
ensures that your device connects to the
best wireless band based on performance,
capability and range.
Strangely, there’s no way to change the
wireless channels being used, and Covr uses
entirely automatic settings. We’re used to
automatic channel selection being the norm,
but there’s usually an option to override the
setting and pick a fixed channel.
As a modern device, the Covr has all the
wireless technology that you’d expect,
including beamforming and multi-user,
multiple input, multiple output (MU-MIMO).
Performance at close range was very
impressive: we saw 215.4Mbit/s upload
speeds and 234.7Mbit/s download speeds.
Moving to the first floor, however,
performance took a nosedive, with 66.2Mbit/s
upload speeds and 163.2Mbit/s download
speeds. On the first floor, it was worse, with
56.9Mbit/s upload and 74.8Mbit/s download
speeds. Unfortunately, we couldn’t move the
satellites closer together, and not having
control over wireless channels meant we
couldn’t try this either.
Performance didn’t improve outside, using
the Covr satellite placed at the back of the
house. We saw upload speeds of 68.6Mbit/s
and download speeds of 85.3Mbit/s.
HIT THE BRAKES
The D-Link Covr is a simple and well-priced
mesh system, but it doesn’t have the speeds
to really deliver and beat our top-rated
systems. The BT Whole Home Wi-Fi system
is faster and only slightly more expensive, so
it’s the better choice if you don’t want to
replace your current router.
If, on the other hand, you want a
completely new Wi-Fi system, the Netgear
Orbi RBK50 remains the best choice for pure
speed – or, if you can’t stretch to its higher
price, the Tenda Nova MW6. This, like the
Covr, lets you use one of the satellites as a
router, and is much cheaper than the RBK50,
even if it’s not as fast.
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

GOOGLE Wifi
★★★★★
£229 • From store.google.com
VERDICT
Staggeringly easy to configure and with some
amazing configuration tools, this is wireless
networking made easy
GOOGLE WIFI IS designed to upgrade your
existing router, bringing a smart mesh
network into your home. For the best results,
you need to disable your router’s existing
wireless, so Google Wifi becomes the default.
Google Wifi is sold as either a single unit
(£129) or a two-unit pack (£229). Given that
this is a mesh networking product, it makess
the most sense to buy two access points.
Google has done a good job with the Wifi’s
access point design. Each one is a small
hockey puck-style unit, which you can place e Whole Home Wi-Fi has tri-band wireless, with
conveniently out of the way without having ing to
make too much room. A single white LED
shows each access point’s status, although
you can dim or turn this off if the light is
proving to be distracting.
Each unit has two Gigabit Ethernet ports,
which is a step up from the BT Whole Home
Wi-Fi’s single-port access points. Only one
device needs to be physically connected to
the network, with further access points
communicating via a mesh network.
Configuration is extremely simple, thanks
to the Android or iOS app; there’s no web
configuration option, so you’re going to need
a smartphone. Following the app’s simple
instructions, we soon had our dual access
points placed in the ideal positions, and our
network name and password set. There’s very
little need for any other configuration at this
point, as Google Wifi can automatically
configure the optimal network settings.
TAKE THE WHEEL
First, as with other products of this ilk, there’s
band steering. This automatically assigns a
client to the 2.4GHz or 5GHz band, depending
on signal strength and abilities. It takes the
hassle out of networking, as you know each
device will get the best connection.
Next, there’s Google’s client steering
feature. Typically, wireless devices will connect
to an access point and then stick to it until
the signal drops. With client steering, Google
gently nudges devices to disconnect from one
access point and reconnect to a stronger one.
Monitoring via the app, we noticed devices
would switch from one access point to
another, maintaining signal strength and speed.
There’s no need to configure wireless
channels either, as Google uses a dedicated
sensing radio to monitor surrounding
interference, changing the settings
automatically as required. Cloud-based
machine learning lets Google automatically
create a schedule, changing wireless
channels at set times during the week.
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
about
Finally, you don’t have to worry about
updates, as Google will automatically
download and install them for you.
DOUBLE STRENGTH
Internally, each access point has dual-band
wireless, with 2x2 867Mbit/s on a single 5GHz
band and 300Mbit/s on a 2.4GHz band. BT’s
dual 1,733Mbit/s 4x4 5GHz bands, so on paper
it has the advantage over Google’s system,
with a lot more network bandwidth available.
Using dual Google Wifi access points, we
measured throughput of 329.3Mbit/s at close
range, 431.1Mbit/s on the first floor and
164.6Mbit/s on the second floor. This is better
than the BT Whole Home Wi-Fi, bar
second floor performance. BT’s higher number
of access points and higher bandwidth
seemed to make the difference in this test.
Likewise, testing in the garden, just outside
of the kitchen window – a traditional dead
spot – we found Whole Home Wi-Fi to be the
winner. We got throughputs of 153Mbit/s
with Google Wifi and 185.1Mbit/s with Whole
Home Wi-Fi. At the bottom of the garden,
BT’s system managed to give us 56Mbit/s
compared to the 37.7Mbit/s from Google Wifi.
Where Google Wifi shines is through the
app and configuration options. Family Wi-Fi is
MESH WI-FI SYSTEMS
best of the bunch,
the best bunch
bunch, letting
llett
etting
etting you group
togeth
tog ether
ether multiple
together multip
multiple
tiple devices and then set
schedules for their internet access.
For example, you can let an older child
have more time online with their laptop
and tablet, shutting down a younger child’s
tablet earlier. You can also manually pause
internet access by group; this is a brilliant
way to get children’s attention.
Google Wifi has a built-in guest network,
something that’s missing from the Whole
Home Wi-Fi. You can select which devices
people on the guest network can see: for
example, you can hide your NAS, but you
could make your Chromecast available so that
guests can stream photos to your TV.
The one downside of Google Wifi is that in
mesh mode, it operates in Network Address
Translation (NAT) mode. This doesn’t affect
performance, but it can make configuring
some port-forwarding services, such as for
games, tricky. In effect, you have to set up
port forwarding on your main router and the
Google Wifi, which can break some services.
Access from one device to another can be
confusing, too. A device connected to your
original router can’t see a device connected
to your Google Wifi; however, everything
connected to Google Wifi can see your
entire home network. BT Whole Home Wi-Fi
doesn’t have these issues and it simply
integrates into your existing network.
The only way round Google’s configuration
issue is to use a single device in Bridge mode;
however, if you’re going down this route,
you’re better off buying a dedicated router.
There’s no option to configure the DHCP
range of IP address that Google Wifi hands
out, either. That shouldn’t cause too much
trouble, however, and you can use the app to
reserve a device an IP address; effectively, this
is a quick way to give out static IP addresses.
SIMPLER TIMES
Aside from the slightly quirky way in which
Google Wifi works, the system is rather neat,
and the app (and the control it provides) is
the best we’ve seen. Really, this system
makes wireless networking and device
control incredibly easy.
The superior long-range performance
and lower price of Whole Home Wi-Fi
makes it a better system overall, especially
for larger homes, but Google has produced
an easy-to-manage alternative.
93
 MESH WI-FI SYSTEMS
NETGEAR Orbi RBK20
★★★★★
£230 • From www.currys.co.uk
VERDICT
A decent mesh system that’s more affordable
than the Orbi RBK50, but you can get an
even better deal elsewhere
WHILE THE ORBI RBK50 (opposite) offers
outstanding speeds, there’s no denying it’s a
bit expensive, and that gives rivals such as the
BT Whole Home Wi-Fi and the Tenda Nova
MW6 the chance to slip past it on sheer value.
There is, however, a cheaper alternative
made by Netgear itself. The RBK20 is
essentially a baby version of the big RBK50,
adopting the same approach of bundling a
router and a single satellite with tri-band
Wi-Fi capabilities, but with slower speeds
and a lower price.
COME IN THREES
Where the RBK20 differs from BT’s offering is
two-fold. First, you get a router, so you can
replace your existing model entirely; the
Whole Home Wi-Fi system has to plug into an
existing router. Second, the RBK20 uses
tri-band wireless, reserving one 5GHz channel
for the interconnection between satellites,
which in theory should boost performance.
Setting up the system is very easy using
the Android or iOS Orbi app on your
smartphone. You just unplug your current
router and start by plugging the RBK20 router
into your broadband connection. There’s an
Ethernet port for this, so you’ll need a
broadband modem to plug it into.
There’s also one spare Gigabit Ethernet
port for plugging in wired devices. Depending
on how many you have, you may need to
invest in a separate wired switch as well.
Once the router is turned on, you follow
the setup wizard to get connected to
broadband, and then you can place the
satellite. Ideally, this should be placed around
halfway between the main router and the
furthest extreme where you want an internet
connection. The light ring on the satellite and
the app help you see the signal strength, so
you can get the position right.
You can use the two Gigabit
Ethernet ports on the rear of the
satellite for plugging in wired devices,
such as hooking up a PC that doesn’t
have a wireless adaptor.
Once set up, the RBK20 gives you
basic control through the app, letting
you see which devices are connected,
and letting you change the wireless
network name. If you register the
system with your Netgear account,
you can even remotely manage your
system, rebooting it and changing
settings from anywhere.
It works well, but to really take
full control of the system, you
94
need to go into the web-based management
page. From here you can enable BT IGMP,
which lets the RBK20 work with streamed
YouView channels, such as BT Sport
(although admittedly this required a
modem reboot to get working).
You can adjust the Wi-Fi channel settings,
too: the default is that the 2.4GHz network is
on automatic mode, and the 5GHz network
has a pre-defined channel.
MICKEY MOUSE OPERATION
The Orbi RBK20 uses band steering, as
other mesh systems do, giving you a single
network name and password to deal with.
Connecting devices are then directed to the
2.4GHz or 5GHz networks based on
performance, range and features.
Amazon Alexa integration lets you turn
your guest network on and off with your
voice, or have the voice assistant remind you
of your network settings.
Parental controls are provided through
Disney Circle, which requires another app for
management. Through the simple app, you
can create profiles for each family member,
grouping all their devices together so you can
control what each person can view online.
With the basic package you can set filters
per person, and pause internet access for
each profile. The latter is handy if you want to
get a child’s attention or simply prevent them
from using the internet. Adding time limits
and setting scheduled bedtimes to turn off
access requires a Premium subscription,
which costs £4.49 a month.
The RBK20 is an AC2200 system, unlike
the AC3000 Orbi BRK50. This means there’s
one 400Mbit/s 2.4GHz channel and dual
866Mbit/s 5GHz channels, one of which is
reserved for inter-satellite communication.
Testing the system, performance wasn’t
outright explosive, but it competes well
enough with the best. At close range, we
measured a throughput of 279.2Mbit/s,
which is faster than BT Whole Home Wi-Fi.
Moving to the first floor, speeds dropped to
215.9Mbit/s, which also beats the BT system,
though only by a tiny margin. On the second
floor, we still got a strong signal, with a speed
of 154.6Mbit/s, although this was a little way
behind the Whole Home Wi-Fi system.
SIBLING RIVALRY
If anything, the Netgear Orbi RBK20’s problem
isn’t that it’s cheap; it’s that it’s not cheap
enough. That might sound unlikely,
especially when you get a router in
the box, but as it stands the BT
Whole Home Wi-Fi is an even bigger
bargain: £186 gets you three
satellites, more than the RBK50, and
for £44 less. Move up to Orbi’s
three-pack equivalent, the RBK23,
and you have to pay closer to £300.
If you want better performance
and a more stable connection,
then the Netgear Orbi RBK50
twin-pack is the best we’ve tested.
At £320, it’s the most expensive,
too, but it’s fast and the router has
three Gigabit Ethernet ports.
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

NETGEAR Orbi RBK50
★★★★★
£320 • From www.currys.co.uk
VERDICT
A smart system for boosting Wi-Fi range and
speed, the RBK50 could be the answer for larger
homes struggling with wireless performance
IF YOU HAVE a very old router and want to
benefit from upgrading it and getting the
improved coverage that a mesh network can
offer, the Netgear Orbi RBK50 is the product
for you. With this system – a larger, faster
relative of the Orbi RBK20 – you get one
router, into which you plug your broadband
connection via the Ethernet WAN port, and
one satellite router that you ideally place in
the middle of your home to give yourself
the best coverage.
The router and satellite communicate via a
dedicated 1,733Mbit/s, 802.11ac 5GHz network
(the network backbone, to use the more
technical term). For clients, each Orbi RBK50
component has an 866Mbit/s 802.11ac 5GHz
network and a 400Mbit/s 2.4GHz network.
As usual, the idea is that your clients
connect to the strongest Wi-Fi network.
When clients connect to the satellite, the
high-speed backbone should mean there’s no
slowdown in Wi-Fi or internet speeds. The
backbone also means that there’s room for
expansion, as you can buy additional satellite
devices to expand your network further.
DYNAMIC DUO
Setting up the pack couldn’t be easier, as the
router and satellite come pre-paired. All you
have to do is connect the router to your
broadband and turn it on, then place your
satellite and power it on. Usefully, the satellite
has a coloured LED that glows for 10 seconds
to show you network strength: blue means
the connection is good, amber means fair, and
pulsing magenta means no connection.
After that, it’s a matter of using the web
client to configure your router. A quick wizard
takes you through configuring a new admin
password and giving the Orbi RBK50 a new
wireless network name and password.
Settings are synchronised between the router
and satellite automatically, so you
have only a single network in your
home. This is an improvement on
Wi-Fi extenders, where you end up
with two networks: the original and
a new one for the range extender.
Once that’s done, the Orbi
RBK50’s settings can be managed
through the standard web interface.
Those who have owned a Netgear
router before will recognise the
Orbi RBK50’s web interface,
although they may notice that
there are fewer settings. For
example, it’s impossible to split
the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks.
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
Instead, the RBK50 uses band steering,
just like the RBK20. This technology detects
the capabilities of the connecting device,
looks at the current load and network
strength, and then directs the client to what it
considers the best network. It means you
can’t control whether your devices use 5GHz
or 2.4GHz networking, but the result should
be better stability and overall speed.
SWIFT RESPONSE
To test performance, we placed the router
where our internet connection comes into
the house, and put the satellite on the first
floor. Testing at 5m we got a throughput of
383.7Mbit/s, on the first floor throughput
of 317.6Mbit/s, and on the second floor
throughput of 190.9Mbit/s.
Close-range speeds are excellent, but the
best standalone routers are faster at distance.
Unplugging the satellite didn’t make much
difference to our results, as the router’s
position gives such good coverage of the
house. We retested, but moved the satellite to
the kitchen to see how it could fix the poor
reception we have at the end of the kitchen
and in the garden. The results were clearer
this time. Without the satellite, we got
MESH WI-FI SYSTEM
SYSTEMS
throughputs of 29.5Mbit/s just outside the
kitchen window, and nothing at the bottom of
the garden; with the satellite, we saw
287.6Mbit/s just outside the window and
253.4Mbit/s at the bottom of the garden.
These speeds required some careful
placement of the satellite, but put in the
effort and you’ll be handsomely rewarded.
The Orbi RBK50 is a supremely fast mesh
Wi-Fi system, even outperforming newer
systems such as BT’s Complete Wi-Fi.
The Orbi RBK50 has the usual range of
features you’d expect in a modern router,
including parental controls with the Circle
service. With the latest firmware, there’s
support for BT IGMP proxying, which
means streamed YouView channels will
work. These are the channels that appear
in the guide, such as BT Sport, but are
broadcast via the internet.
It’s good to see a guest network option,
too, so that you can let visitors connect to
your Wi-Fi for internet access without having
to give out your main password.
With the router, you get three Gigabit
Ethernet ports for wired devices, while the
satellite has four Gigabit Ethernet ports. This
makes the satellite a useful addition to an
office or the back of a TV, where you
may have a range of wired devices.
PAID IN KIND
The Orbi RBK50 isn’t cheap, and if
you can physically relocate your
router so that it’s positioned more
centrally in your home, you may get
similar speeds for less with another
802.11ac router. Nonetheless, the
Orbi RBK50 is a smart system that
can deliver rock-solid and stable
Wi-Fi to an entire house, particularly
those that are large enough to
suffer from deadspots, either in the
building itself or in the garden.
95
 MESH WI-FI SYSTEMS
TENDA Nova MW6
★★★★★
£155 • From www.amazon.co.uk
VERDICT
With multiple satellites delivering wide
coverage and fast speeds, the Tenda Nova
MW6 is great value
TENDA IS A relatively little-known router
manufacturer, especially here in the UK.
However, judging by the MW6, what it lacks
in name recognition it makes up for with a
quality and reliable Wi-Fi system that shows
some of its big-name rivals how it’s done.
The Tenda Nova MW6 ships in single,
two- and three-pack varieties, costing £65,
£110 and £155 respectively; the smallest of
these couldn’t really be called a mesh system,
but the other two are very competitively
priced, considering how many other systems
cost in excess of £200.
Each individual device is a neat cube,
small enough to neatly tuck out of the way.
With the three-pack we’re testing here,
Tenda claims that the system is expansive
enough to give you 6,000ft2 of coverage.
In other words, that’s enough to cover most
UK homes, even those with thick walls that
usually don’t cope well with wireless.
CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT
As with other wireless systems, the MW6 has
to have one satellite connected to your main
network, using the dedicated WAN port. This
can either be into your existing router, or you
can replace your router entirely, as the MW6
supports PPPoE connections: you just
need a router with an Ethernet port on it.
If you can, it makes sense to replace
your existing router with the MW6. If
you don’t, then you end up using double
Network Address Translation (NAT), once
on the MW6 and once on your router.
Effectively, you end up with two
networks, which can confuse things; this
is normal for most mesh networks, bar
the BT Whole Home Wi-Fi system.
The downside of using the Nova
MW6 as your router is that you sacrifice
wired Ethernet ports. The main unit
leaves you just one spare Gigabit
Ethernet port; the two other satellites
give you two Gigabit Ethernet ports (the
WAN port on the remaining satellites
turns into a LAN port). As such, you may
need to buy a Gigabit Ethernet switch.
The Tenda Nova MW6 system is
managed entirely through the
smartphone app. It makes it surprisingly
easy to set up: plug the first one into
your router or modem, then configure
your network name; plug the satellites in
where you want them, and they connect
automatically. Smartly, each satellite has
an LED on top that flashes a different
colour to show you signal strength. If you
96
place one too far away, you can quickly see
and move it. We had our system running in a
matter of minutes, which is impressive.
STATUS SYMBOL
Once up and running, the app shows you how
many devices are connected, and the status
of the network. There’s no control over the
Wi-Fi settings, as the MW6 automatically
selects the best channel to use. It also uses
channel bonding, directing incoming devices
to the best channel (which could be 2.4GHz or
5GHz, depending on speed or performance).
The Tenda Nova MW6 is managed entirely through the
smartphone app. This makes it surprisingly easy to set up
You can enable Fast Roaming, which is a
good idea for modern devices. This option
means your wireless devices will more quickly
switch the connection from one satellite to
another as you move around. This helps you
maintain a strong connection everywhere.
Parental controls are built in, letting
you group one person’s devices into a
profile, where you can toggle internet
access, or set an access schedule. It’s a
shame that parental controls don’t extend to
website blocking, however.
The app also gives you port forwarding
control, a UPnP toggle and a firmware
upgrade option, and lets you toggle on the
guest wireless network, but that’s about it
for extra functionality.
What’s really important with a mesh
system is how well it performs, and the Tenda
Nova MW6 didn’t let us down. The system
uses dual-band 802.11ac, running at up to
300Mbit/s on the 2.4GHz band and
867Mbit/s on the 5GHz band.
At close range, we saw upload speeds of
254.1Mbit/s and download speeds of
434.2Mbit/s; on the first floor we saw
220.2Mbit/s upload and 378.9Mbit/s
download speeds; on the second floor, we saw
upload speeds of 148.4Mbit/s and download
speeds of 333.1Mbit/s. That puts this
system ahead of the more expensive
Netgear Orbi RBK20, which is impressive
even if the RBK50 is faster than both.
Outside, at the bottom of the garden,
we still managed to get a throughput of
69.8Mbit/s. This is pretty quick,
although the BT Whole Home Wi-Fi
managed slightly faster throughputs
at the same range. Both are easily
outpaced by the Netgear Orbi RBK50,
but this is a lot more expensive.
TENDA EMBRACE
Ultimately, the final choice comes
down to what you want to achieve,
and how much you’re happy to spend.
For a three-pack, the Tenda Nova MW6
is excellent value. Its simplicity and
ability to replace an existing router
make it an enticing choice.
The main competition is the BT
Whole Home Wi-Fi kit. This is slightly
more expensive for a three-pack, but also
comes in a more affordable two-pack,
which might suit smaller properties.
Its main advantage is that it integrates
well with existing routers, which makes it
a better choice for anyone that doesn’t
want to swap their main router.
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

TP-LINK Deco P7
★★★★★
£200 • From www.amazon.co.uk
VERDICT
A smart mesh system with tons of features,
but there are faster alternatives
AS THE MARKET has flooded with new
mesh Wi-Fi systems, one thing that
manufacturers have struggled with is finding
a unique angle that makes their product
stand out. TP-Link, however, has managed to
pull this off with the Deco P7, which has
built-in Powerline networking.
As good as mesh systems are, the speed of
the network is only as good as the quality of
the link between satellite devices. For this
reason, many mesh systems support an
Ethernet backhaul – that is, satellite devices
are connected together using a physical
Ethernet cable, improving performance. If you
don’t have or can’t run Ethernet things can
get tricky, which is where the TP-Link Deco
P7’s Powerline networking helps, using your
home’s electrical wiring to transmit data.
Cleverly, the system can use a combination
of the 600Mbit/s HomePlug AV Powerline
and the dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi (867Mbit/s
5GHz and 400Mbit/s 2.4GHz) to give you the
best performance throughout your home.
TWIN HEADED
The Deco P7 is available in a two-pack,
which we’re testing here, or a three-pack.
The former should suffice for most UK
homes, but if you have particularly thick
walls, three floors or a very large house, the
three-pack is the smarter option.
The Deco P7 satellites are all identical, with
dual Gigabit Ethernet ports on them. The
smartphone app (for iOS and Android) takes
you through configuration and setup for the
system. You start by plugging in one satellite.
TP-Link recommends removing your original
router and plugging the satellite directly into
your modem via the Ethernet port.
This leaves just one Ethernet port spare
for other devices, so you’ll probably need to
buy another switch.
If you can’t replace your main router, the
Deco P7 can slot into an existing network
instead. It makes some tasks a little trickier,
such as port forwarding, but that won’t
bother the vast majority of people.
There is an option to run the Deco P7 in
Access Point mode, where it seamlessly joins
your network. However, this disables the
advanced features, such as parental controls,
so we don’t recommend it.
With the first satellite connected, the
setup helps you configure a secure wireless
network, letting you enter your own name
and password. Following that, the network
setup takes you through the painless
process of adding more satellites into the
mix. We like the way that the app lets you
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
tha most
pick a reference floorplan that ost closely
cl ly
matches your house, so that you can see
where’s best to add satellites.
We placed our first satellite at the front of
the house where the broadband comes in; the
second was placed in the middle of the house
on the first floor. Both were plugged directly
into a wall socket, not extension cables.
STEPS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
As with most mesh systems, the 2.4GHz and
5GHz networks are combined under one
name. Band steering directs connecting
clients to the best network based on range,
performance and client capabilities. TP-Link
has also implemented seamless roaming,
with the Deco P7 system pushing devices to
connect to the satellite with the best
performance. Without this, Wi-Fi devices
have a nasty habit of trying to hold on to a
signal even as it gets weaker and weaker.
The configuration of your network is
handled by the app, although it can be a little
basic. For example, you can’t override the
MESH WI-FI SYSTEMS
defaul
defaultt channels
aul
default chan
hannels used for the wireless
network, only change the network name and
password. The app does let you configure
port forwarding, however.
TP-Link has included its impressive
parental controls. These let you create a
profile for everyone in the family, and then
filter web traffic by category, set time limits
for internet use and block access at bedtime.
Profiles let you group devices that a person
owns, too, so rules apply even if a child
switches between their computer and tablet.
Amazon Alexa support is built in, so you
can ask your smart router to dish out your
Wi-Fi details and turn the guest network on
or off. We love the IFTTT integration, too.
Our favourite IFTTT applet is getting the
system to send an email when a new device
connects: it’s a handy way to keep an eye on
security, letting you know if anything
unsuspected joins your network.
The Deco P7 doesn’t have the highest
Wi-Fi or HomePlug specs, but it’s the
combination of the two that TP-Link
promises will produce the best results.
Running our usual throughput tests, we
found that the router managed a throughput
of 272.5Mbit/s upload and 460.8Mbit/s
download at close range. Moving up one floor,
we saw throughputs of 141.9Mbit/s upload
and 127.4Mbit/s download. On the top floor,
we saw throughputs of 126Mbit/s upload and
144.7Mbit/s download. The drop-off over
distance was a little disappointing.
INDOOR ACTIVITIES
With only two satellites we didn’t get
improved performance at the rear of the
house or in the garden. However, moving the
second satellite to the back of the kitchen,
where most mesh systems can’t reach using
wireless alone, adding a third satellite helped,
with 35Mbit/s in the garden.
If you have a house full of thick walls in
which a traditional mesh system doesn’t
work, the TP-Link Deco P7 could be your
saviour. For everyone else, the Netgear Orbi
RBK50 is faster across the board.
97
 MESH WI-FI SYSTEMS

Award RECOMMENDED RECOMMENDED

Manufacturer BT BT D-LINK GOOGLE
Model Complete Wi-Fi Whole Home Wi-Fi Covr Wifi
Rating ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★
HARDWARE
Modem vDSL N/A Gigabit Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet
Wi-Fi standard 802.11ac 802.11ac 802.11ac 802.11ac
Bands 2.4GHz, 5GHz 2.4GHz, 5GHz 2.4GHz, 5GHz 2.4GHz, 5GHz
Stated speed 1,733Mbit/s (5GHz), 1,733Mbit/s (5GHz), 866Mbit/s (5GHz), 867Mbit/s (5GHz),
385Mbit/s (2.4GHz) 800Mbit/s (2.4GHz) 300Mbit/s (2.4GHz) 300Mbit/s (2.4GHz)
Security WPA2-AES WPA2-AES WPA2-AES WPA2-AES
Upgradable antenna No No No No
WAN ports 0 0 1 0
LAN ports 4x 10/100/1,000Mbit/s 1x 10/100/1,000Mbit/s 2x 10/100/1,000Mbit/s 2x 10/100/1,000Mbit/s
(router), 1x 10/100/ (satellite) (satellite) (satellite)
1,000Mbit/s (satellite)
USB ports 1 0 0 0
Wall mountable No No No No
Dimensions 165x165x77mm 165x165x77mm 51x109x117mm 106x106x69mm

FEATURES
Guest networks 0 0 0 1
Media server No No No No
USB services Print sharing, NAS None None None
DDNS services None None None None

BUYING INFORMATION
Prices correct at time of going to press

Price £5 per month £186 £161 £229

Warranty Under rental contract Two years RTB Two years RTB One year RTB
Supplier www.bt.com www.amazon.co.uk www.ebuyer.com store.google.com
Details www.bt.com www.bt.com covr.dlink.com madeby.google.com
Part code Complete Wi-Fi 181209 Covr-C1023 Google Wifi

VERDICT
It’s unfortunate that BT Complete Wi-Fi is limited to BT Plus
customers, as its performance and guarantee-backed stability
make it a very good mesh system indeed. Luckily, BT’s other
system, Whole Home Wi-Fi, is also a great choice and doesn’t need
a BT Plus subscription.
Anyone wanting the very best performance should look no further
than the Netgear Orbi RBK50: it’s exceptionally fast both up close
and at longer ranges. Both it and the Orbi RBK20 are also set to
benefit from some new Netgear hardware that can be added to their
mesh networks, namely the Orbi Voice Alexa speaker – a satellite that
doubles as a smart speaker and music streamer – and the Orbi
Outdoor, a weatherproof satellite that can be installed in the garden
to boost range even further than the RBK50 can manage.
Rival systems such as Google Wifi and the TP-Link Deco P7 are
respectable in their own right; the latter in particular has some smart
Alexa integration of its own and potentially very useful Powerline
functionality. The Tenda Nova MW6 still stands out among these; at
£155 it’s superb value for a three-satellite system, and it’s not even
slow or unreliable. It’s very much worth considering if you don’t want
to pay extra for the RBK50’s speed, or if you’re not a BT customer.

98 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

 MESH WI-FI SYSTEMS

BEST BUY RECOMMENDED

NETGEAR NETGEAR TENDA TP-LINK
Orbi RBK20 Orbi RBK50 Nova MW6 Deco P7
★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

Gigabit Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet

802.11ac 802.11ac 802.11ac 802.11ac
2.4GHz, 5GHz 2.4GHz, 5GHz 2.4GHz, 5GHz 2.4GHz, 5GHz
866Mbit/s (5GHz), 866Mbit/s (5GHz), 867Mbit/s (5GHz), 867Mbit/s (5GHz), 400Mbit/s
400Mbit/s (2.4GHz) 400Mbit/s (2.4GHz) 300Mbit/s (2.4GHz) (2.4GHz), 600Mbit/s (HomePlug)
WPA2-AES WPA2-AES WPAS-PSK WPAS-PSK
No No No No
1 1 1 2
1x 10/100/1,000Mbit/s (router), 3x 10/100/1,000Mbit/s (router), 2x 10/100/1,000Mbit/s (router), 2x 10/100/1,000Mbit/s (satellite)
2x 10/100/ 1,000Mbit/s (satellite) 4x 10/100/ 1,000Mbit/s 2x 10/100/ 1,000Mbit/s (satellite)
(satellite)
0 1 0 0
No No Yes No
137x61x168mm 169x60x226mm 100x100x100mm 38x100x100mm

1 1 1 2
No No No No
None Print sharing, NAS None None
Netgear, no-IP Netgear, no-IP Dynamic IP None

£230 £320 £155 £200

Two years RTB Two years RTB One year RTB Two years
www.currys.co.uk www.currys.co.uk www.amazon.co.uk www.amazon.co.uk
www.netgear.co.uk www.netgear.co.uk www.tendacn.com www.tp-link.com
RBK20-100UKS RBK50-100UKS MW6 Deco P7

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 99

 SOUNDSTRATEGY
Headphones
CONTENT REVIEWS Lend your ears to better-sounding music and podcasts
Page 102 by upgrading your headphones. Whether you want
BRAINWAVZ HM100
noise-cancelling cans or exercise-friendly wireless
Page 103
MICROSOFT earbuds, our guide will help you find the right fit
Surface Headphones
Page 104 HEADPHONES HAVE LONG been an there, or actively block out ambient noise to
SKULLCANDY Venue essential piece of kit for just about everybody, ensure your listening goes undisturbed.
from commuters blocking out the drone of a We think everyone should have the best
Page 105
daily train ride to fitness enthusiasts giving headphones they can afford, so in addition to
SONY WH-1000XM3 their workout a musical accompaniment, and this buying guide, we’ve gathered together
Page 106 anyone who just wants to get lost in their reviews of eight different models that could
B&O BeoPlay E8 favourite songs, wherever they are. well be worth your time and money. These
Such is the necessity of headphones that are split equally between the larger over-ear
Page 107
they’re commonly bundled with other pieces style, and the far more compact in-ear style.
BRAINWAVZ BLU-300 of tech hardware, chiefly smartphones, but Before we get to those, however, here’s
Page 108 these tend to be cheap, tacky earbuds that what you need to know about choosing a
MOBVOI TicPods Free deliver only the bare minimum of audio new set of headphones.
satisfaction. Make a proper upgrade,
Page 109
however, and you’d be surprised at how WEAR IT WELL
RHA TrueConnect stark the difference can be: a quality pair can As you can imagine, over-ear headphones
reveal details in songs you never knew were clamp down around both your ears in their

100 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375


entirety, whereas in-ear headphones are small
buds that sit right inside your ear canal,
rather than resting on the concha ridge as
older-style earbuds do.
Neither style is inherently superior to the
other; rather, they’re suited to different uses.
Over-ear headphones make it easier to get
great sound quality, as their bigger size
allows for larger drivers, which can produce
deeper bass and clearer overall sound.
They’re also far more likely to support active
noise cancellation (more on this later), as
they can form a seal around your entire ear,
and generally have better battery life, too.
In-ear headphones, on the other hand,
benefit from their smaller size by making
ideal exercise headphones. Even the heaviest
in-ear models will weigh a fraction of most
over-ears, and with less physical bulk to get in
the way, they’re much easier to wear when
performing strenuous activity. That said,
they’re also easier to stash if you’re on a
gentle walk or taking the bus, with no need
for a large carry-case. In-ear headphones are
often cheaper than over-ear models, too, and
their sound quality isn’t necessarily poor.
Several of the pairs we have on test here are
very impressive in how they deliver depth
and detail from such small drivers.
MAKE THE ARRANGEMENTS
On the subject of audio quality, we’ll naturally
be appraising how each set of headphones
sounds, but it’s worth understanding the
various elements that make up sound quality
if you don’t already.
Perhaps the most important thing to
have is balance: balance between the low-end
bass notes, the mids (including vocals) and
more high-frequency treble tones. Ideally you
want all three in harmony, without one
overpowering the other. Too much bass can
mean a heavier impact but a drowned-out
mid-range, for instance. Headphones should
also be able to reproduce notes across as
much of the frequency range as possible, or
else you can actually end up with too little
low end, or a nasty hissing effect at the higher
frequencies, known as sibilance.
We’re also looking for clean details and
clear instrument separation in musical
compositions. Besides this helping you enjoy
a track as its creators intended, it’s simply
more pleasurable to listen to a song where its
component parts avoid muddling together.
There’s also the concept of the soundstage,
which is almost like a simulated three-
dimensional space created by music and
vocals. The best headphones have very wide
soundstages, which seem to have a song’s
parts blasted from different areas of this
space – something that’s vital for creating a
sense of immersion.
PRIVACY POLICY
Another thing that can help is active noise
cancellation (ANC). ANC-capable headphones
include microphones that record ambient
noise, and have the drivers play back inverse
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
HEADPHONES
sound waves, cancelling out the noise. It works GETTING IN POSITION
far better for consistent sounds such as air It’s rarely enough for a pair of headphones to
conditioning and engines, rather than human sound good; they should also be comfortable
speech or the clack of a keyboard, but and robust. Although lightness is a factor, this
good-quality ANC can block out distractions isn’t something that you can determine with
to a sometimes astonishing degree. specs alone, so we’ll mention in the review if a
It’s therefore worth the added cost of pair of headphones is particularly easy or
having ANC in your headphones, so long as difficult to wear for extended periods.
you’re aware of two things: one, different Other factors for over-ear models range
manufacturers have different ANC systems from the amount of padding and the feel of
that vary in effectiveness; two, that you should materials to the force with which the cups
observe proper personal safety when wearing clamp around your head, and whether they
noise-cancelling earphones. They can make it seem designed with a certain skull size in
easier to ignore the rattle of a train, but also mind. In-ear headphones should, likewise,
the sound of traffic, so be careful on foot. have a snug enough fit that they avoid
Because of their small size (limiting the tumbling out, but the casing shouldn’t be so
ability to hold all the extra hardware required), bulky that it feels as if your ear canals are
in-ear headphones more often lack ANC being weighed down. The good news, at least
compared to over-ear headphones. However, regarding the fitting issue, is that in-ears
get a good enough seal, and they could still routinely come with at least one (and ideally
allow for passive noise isolation, which is more) set of different-sized tips. You can
simply the muffling of sounds by virtue of then swap tips on and off until you find the
the headphones blocking off your ear canal. ones that best fit your own ears.
THE BEST HEADPHONES FOR…
TRAVELLING
SONY WH-1000XM3
There’s no better travelling companion than the WH-1000XM3, and that
goes for 16-hour intercontinental flights as much as it does for half-hour
alf-hour
train journeys. A big part of that is their sheer longevity: a single full
charge can net you 30 hours of uninterrupted playback, and that’s ’s with
both Bluetooth and ANC engaged.
Noise-cancelling also deserves a special mention, as the
WH-1000XM3 are as adept at blocking out ambient noise as well as
any headphones we’ve ever worn. Besides keeping music and movies vies
free of any distracting engine drone, ANC has the lesser-considered ered
benefit of making it easier to catch an undisturbed mid-flight nap..
EXERCISING
BRAINWAVZ BLU-300
These are not the best-sounding in-ear headphones, nor are they trulyuly
wireless – a Bluetooth connection tethers them to a source device,
but there’s still a wired neckband connecting the two earpieces.
Nonetheless, we’d happily wear these to the gym or on a run, even
over fancier band-free alternatives.
For one thing, they have a great fit (once you choose the
appropriate-sized tips from the included sets), so are less prone to
falling out. IPX7 waterproofing also keeps them safe from both sweat at
and the rain, should you get caught in a downpour, and a relatively low
ow
price of £30 makes them accessible even to beginner fitness fans.
CASUAL LISTENING
RHA TrueConnect
Strictly speaking, the Sony WH-1000XM3 could also be a contender
for this, but RHA’S TrueConnect are a better option if you want top
audio quality without spending £300. These are a lot cheaper yet
still sound excellent, and have a longer battery life than most other
true wireless headphones.
All in all, these are headphones that are easy to use and fun to
listen to, even if they don’t have more specialist features such as ANC.
They’re practically guaranteed to fit, thanks to the massive assortment
of different tips that come with them, and their low-end response and
wide soundstage exceed expectations.
101
 OVER-EAR HEADPHONES

BRAINWAVZ HM100
★★★★★
£155 • From www.brainwavzaudio.com

VERDICT
These retro over-ear headphones from Brainwavz
are neither the best sounding nor the most practical

STUDIO HEADPHONES ARE almost always

larger than their wireless counterparts, but
nothing can prepare you for the size of the
Brainwavz HM100. To give you an idea of their
scale, they’re accompanied by a solid case that
measures 260x240x130mm. That’s an 8L cubic
capacity, or the same as a small backpack.
Naturally, you don’t have to pack them
away every time you’ve finished using them,
but the fact they won’t fold away into a small
pouch like some of their rivals tells you
everything you need to know about the
HM100s: they’re not designed with portability
in mind. Instead, Brainwavz boasts that these
headphones offer accuracy, clarity and a wide
soundstage – important attributes for audio
monitoring and casual listening alike.

NATURAL INGREDIENTS
Irrespective of their size, the HM100s have a
design that stands out among other over-ear
headphones. They not only have polished
wood ear cups – something you’ll be hard
pushed to find on other models costing
around £150 – but Brainwavz has also opted
for a brown faux-leather headband and
earpads. It’s a retro look, that’s for sure, but
besides the solid wood ear cups, we’re not
wholly convinced by the build quality.
To elaborate, the plastic parts of the
headband look a little tacky and cheap, as do
the jack plugs on the 1.5m cable. There’s a
noticeable amount of unwanted play in the
headband’s metal parts, too, which stops them
feeling as solid and robust as we’d have liked.
The HM100s are very comfortable,
however. With an earpad recess measuring
80x60x25mm, they’ll fit easily around ears of
all shapes and sizes, and the soft cushioning
of the earpads ensures your head is never
clamped too tight. There’s also excellent
passive isolation from outside noise.
We were happy wearing the HM100s for
hours at a time, with slightly warm ears
being our only complaint. Although it never
affected us, one caveat is that they seem
to be designed with larger heads in mind.
Indeed, we were surprised not to have to
extend the headband to get the right fit, so
those with smaller heads than us might
discover the earcups end up positioned too
far down their face.
The upside to the large carry-case is that it
can comfortably fit all the accessories that
come with the headphones. And there’s
everything you could need here for casual
and studio use alike. For a start, you can pick
between the included 1.3m and 3m stereo
cables. Both have 3.5mm jack plugs, but can
also be used with the provided ¼in adaptor if
you have professional sound equipment.
Unlike some headphones, the HM100’s
cables connect directly to both ear cups. This
makes connecting and disconnecting the
cables a little fiddly compared to rivals with a
single jack, but it’s not a deal breaker.
The HM100s sound good, but they’re not even close to being
the best-sounding headphones we’ve heard for the money
Last but not least, the HM100s come with
spare, velour black earpads. They’re no
different in shape to the brown faux-leather
ones that come fitted as standard, but should
probably get a little less sweaty.
SOUNDING OFF
The HM100s sound good, but they’re not
even close to being the best-sounding
headphones we’ve heard for the money.
Admittedly, there’s not a wealth of cheap
over-ear models that do sound truly amazing,
and the similarly priced Skullcandy Venue
headphones (page 104) suffer from an
unrefined low end, but even these generally
sound better than the HM100s.
Brainwavz’s headphones deliver plenty of
clarity, but it’s a little too much for our ears if
anything. Mid-range and treble frequencies
are emphasised to the point that some rock
tracks can sound overly bright and harsh.
It’s more of a problem for some genres
than others, but at their worst, the HM100s
quickly fatigued our ears. Moreover, the
HM100s lack a certain amount of punch in the
sub-bass, leaving bass-heavy tracks feeling a
little underpowered and flat, the opposite of
the issue with the Skullcandy Venue.
One thing the Brainwavz HM100s do better
than many of their rivals is soundstaging.
The first time you place the headphones on
your head and press play, it’s obvious there’s
much more of a sense of space than you find
with most closed-back headphones. Live
classical music in particular benefits from this
wide soundstage, but even blues songs are all
the better for being able to breathe.
However, the advantages to this wide
soundstage aren’t always so clear cut.
Instruments can sometimes sound disjointed
as a result of the exaggerated soundstage,
and when sound effects are given a
particularly sweeping presence in the mix, they
often end up distracting from rather than
benefiting the overall listening experience.
USE YOUR BRAIN
Whether you’ll get on well with the Brainwavz
HM100s, then, will likely come down to
personal preference. If you’re looking for
closed back headphones with a wide
soundstage and plenty of instrument
separation, they’ll suit just fine. However, if
soundstage isn’t a priority, the Skullcandy
Venue headphones have more of a fun sound,
and are more practical, too – partly because
they’re much more compact, and partly
thanks to the neat built-in tracking tech that
can help you find them if they get lost.

102 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

 OVER-EAR HEADPHONES

MICROSOFT
ones
Surface Headphones
★★★★★
£329 • From www.johnlewis.com

VERDICT
Microsoft’s headphones have a sharp look and
adjustable ANC, but audiophiles won’t be bowled over

THE SKULLCANDY VENUE isn’t the only set

of headphones to depart from its makers’
usual output. The Surface Headphones are
Microsoft’s first stab at a premium audio
product, and an unexpected twist considering
the Surface family almost entirely comprises
2-in-1 tablets and laptops.
Microsoft has made an effort to ensure the
Surface Headphones complement the design
of the Surface Pro 6 and Surface Laptop 2,,
coming in a neutral ‘platinum’ colour scheme
with shiny Microsoft logos embossed on
either side of the headband. With a total
weight of 292g, these headphones aren’t too
heavy, and the ear pads are soft, so you can
wear them for long periods without discomfort
– even with glasses. Despite that, there’s a
good clamp force, so they won’t fly off your
head even if you take them for a light jog.
When not in use, the ear cups can be
swivelled to fit snugly in their hard-shell
carrying case. However, the headphones es don’t
properly fold up, like Sony’s WH-1000XM3.
TALK TIME
The touch-sensitive media controls on either
side of the driver cups are impressively
versatile. When listening to music, you can tap
once to play/pause, double-tap to skip or
triple-tap to go backwards. If you’re paired to
your smartphone and a call comes in, you can
also double-tap to answer it, or decline with a
long press. Two built-in mics allow you to talk
back, though quality is tinny compared to
most dedicated phone mics.
Outside of calls, you can also trigger your
smartphone’s voice assistant with a long
press. Unlike the Sony WH-1000XM3, the
Surface Headphones don’t have their own
built-in assistant, at least not in the UK. In
the US, they come with Cortana, and
Microsoft has said it plans to bring this
feature across the pond at some point, but
you’ll have to stick with Google Assistant
or Siri for the time being.
Microsoft has also integrated an automatic
pause and resume function. Thanks to
pressure sensors, the headphones detect
when they’re off your head. Here, they’ll pause
music and even a YouTube video. To resume
media playback, pop the headphones back on
your head and they’ll continue where you left
off. It’s a brilliant feature, and works perfectly.
Besides rotary dials for the volume and
ANC level, there’s also an on/off button, a
mute control for the microphones, a 3.5mm
jack and a USB Type-C charging port. A full
battery will provide 15 hours of ANC-enabled
’t too shabby, and a mere
listening, which isn’t
five minutes of charging will yield nearly an
hour’s worth of playback.
The Surface Headphones can remember up
to eight separate Bluetooth connections, and
in testing we found they switched seamlessly
between a Mac, Android phone and Surface
Go. Their wireless range is impressive, too – we
could wander over 15 metres away from my
source with no glitches or dropouts.
There are two shortcomings, in terms of
wireless capabilities. First, they use Bluetooth
4.2 rather than Bluetooth 5, which might have
further improved range and battery life.
Second, they lack support for codecs such as
AAC, aptX, aptX HD or LDAC, so when
listening over Bluetooth, audio quality may be
lower than on headphones that support these
codecs, such as the WH-1000XM3.
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
The ANC system is unusually customisable,
allowing you to step through no fewer than 13
levels of noise cancelling. Thoughtfully, if you
dial the ANC down to zero, the sound of the
outside world is actually amplified into your
ears – handy for crossing the road or popping
into a shop. However, in regular use, there’s
no easy way to tell which level you’re actually
on, and frankly, it’s very hard to distinguish
between level 13 and level 12.
On top of that, while the Surface
Headphones certainly do help to reduce
the volume of external sounds, they’re not
great at blocking out high frequencies, so
the WH-1000XM3 have an advantage on
ANC effectiveness as well.
Sound quality, too, is more mixed than you
might expect for the price. There’s a real
mid-bass punch that keeps everything alive
and kicking, but this also lacks the control
required to avoid overpowering the mids.
Vocals, for instance, don’t sound as forward
as they need to be.
The highs, meanwhile, have a decent
sparkle to them, but there’s still a noticeable
roll-off towards the very top end. However,
the same can be said about the Sony
WH-1000XM3 headphones.
It’s not all bad news. Perhaps the best
thing about the Surface Headphones is their
excellent instrument separation. Inside those
large soft pads there’s a pair of 40mm drivers,
which produce a wide, enveloping sound that
really makes you feel part of the music.
OLD DOG, NEW TRICKS
For a first go at penetrating a competitive
market, the Surface Headphones are a valiant
effort. Their sound certainly has its strengths,
they’re very comfortable to wear and the
design makes them a perfectly styled
companion to other Surface products.
If you’re paying £329 for a pair of
headphones, however, then you expect
uncompromising audio quality – and that’s
not quite what you get with the Surface
Headphones. At this price range, you’re far
better off with the Sony WH-1000XM3,
which deliver more effective isolation and
a more refined overall sound.

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 103

 OVER-EAR HEADPHONES

SKULLCANDY Venue
★★★★★
£150 • From www.skullcandy.co.uk

VERDICT
With built-in tracking tech, these are a great
pair of ANC headphones for the forgetful

SKULLCANDY’S HEADPHONES ARE often

cheap but garish, so the tastefully understated
Venue is an interesting change of pace, even if
they cost £150, a considerable step upwards
from Skullcandy’s typical pricing.
That money gets you not just good looks
and Bluetooth connectivity, but the kind of
features that could give Sony, Bose and others
a bit of a fright: 40mm drivers, active noise
cancellation (ANC), voice assistant
compatibility, quick charge and a 24-hour
battery life. They even have Tile’s clever
Bluetooth location technology built in, letting
you find them even when they’re switched off.
In terms of design, the Venue headphones
are pretty hard to fault. Skullcandy’s favoured
bright colours are replaced by a stylish
all-matt black or white design; the only
things that identify these as Skullcandy
headphones are some small embossed skulls,
one each on the headband above each cup.
Raised rubber strips on the back edge of
each earcup provide tactile controls. On the
left are the power button, ANC controls and
four tiny LEDs so you can see your battery
level without switching on the headphones;
Tile’s clever Bluetooth tracking allows your phone to track
on the right are volume and pairing controls.
You’ll also find a Micro USB charging port
the headphones down if you lose them
and 3.5mm headphone jack housed in a
cutout section at the base of the right Naturally, it would be ideal to never need going on at the low end, vocals come through
earcup, while on each is a small ‘X’ shape such a feature but, as insurance policies go, clearly without sounding pushed back.
housing the noise cancellation microphones. it’s brilliant and extremely well implemented. On the whole, these headphones sound
If you already have several Tiles on your better than the Brainwavz HM100; it’s often
SOFT TOUCH account, adding your headphones to the mix better to have too much bass than not
These are extremely comfortable headphones, is a very appealing selling point. enough, and higher notes are better balanced.
too. They’re 11g lighter than the Sony The noise cancellation is effective, too. The
WH-1000XM3, and the synthetic leather IN TOO DEEP WH-1000XM3 are better, even managing to
cups sit snugly on the ears without pressing Sound quality isn’t up there with the best. The equal the ANC mastery of Bose’s QuietComfort
too hard. The clamp force of the headband typical Skullcandy sound profile is much in 35 II (Shopper 362), and when you’re wearing
also feels firm but comfortable. evidence with lots of bass, and not particularly the Venue in a quiet room with no music
Still, the absolute best thing about controlled bass at that, dominating the music. playing, you can clearly hear the hiss of the
these headphones is Tile’s clever Bluetooth That’s not too much of a problem if your cancellation. Still, Skullcandy’s headphones
tracking. Tile, for the unfamiliar, creates small listening diet consists mainly of fairly dry, live are half the price of Sony’s and Bose’s, and
Bluetooth tracker tags that can be attached classical recordings or light jazz guitar. It’s generally they do the job just fine, cutting
to things, allowing your phone to track them positively enjoyable if you’re into music that enough of the ambient clash and clatter of
down if you lose them. If you’re not in range, specialises in delivering a continuous throb of everyday life so you don’t have to push the
you can put a Tile into ‘lost’ mode, at which pulsing, eardrum-bashing bassline. And if you volume levels up to ear-damaging levels.
point the millions-strong Tile community listen to a lot of audiobooks and podcasts, a
becomes a search party, pinging you an alert bass-heavy presentation can be beneficial, GOOD EAR
whenever another Tile tag owner walks past taking the edge off sibilant recordings and All in all, £150 for the Venue is pretty
your missing item. adding a radio-like tone to the spoken voice. reasonable. Features-wise, they have pretty
The Venue headphones essentially have a However, as soon as any natural low notes much everything you could look for in a set of
tag built-in, and you don’t need them to be kick in, from a double bass to the bass drum wireless headphones. They look the part, have
switched on for this to work. If you can’t find on a rock track, you’ll notice how solid noise cancellation and strong battery life,
your headphones, boot up the Tile app and overpoweringly warm and thumpy these and the Tile technology provides way more
the phone will tell you if they’re nearby. If headphones are. That’s a shame because, peace of mind than you usually get with
they’re in range and you can’t see them, tap otherwise, the sound quality is very good. headphones. The sound quality is a slight
Find and the Venue will play a jingle loud Small details are reproduced remarkably letdown, but it’s far from terrible and doesn’t
enough for you to be able to track them down. clearly and, as long as there’s not too much overshadow the Venue’s other successes.

104 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

 OVER-EAR HEADPHONES

SONY WH-1000XM3
XM3
★★★★★
£300 • From www.amazon.co.uk
amazon.co.uk

VERDICT
Sony hits the high notes with the WH-1000XM3,
-1000XM3,
its best ANC headphones yet

SONY’S PREVIOUS ANC headphones, the

MDR-1000X and WH-1000XM2, were both
great, but they never quite managed to topple
the Bose QuietComfort series, particularly on
noise cancellation quality. Now, however, the
third-generation WH-1000XM3 is here, and it
may have at last taken the crown.
Design-wise, the WH-1000XM3 are
similar to the WH-1000XM2, except for the
headband’s metal core being covered up with
faux leather for the less industrial look. With
thicker and softer cushioning on the earpads,
and improved padding on the headband, the
WH-1000XM3 are more comfortable than
ever, so you can wear the headphones for
hours on end and not feel the strain.

SMOOTH OPERATOR
Smooth surfaces on the earcups maintain the
minimal look, and there’s a brace of buttons
on the left earcup for controlling ANC and
turning the headphones on and off. Playback
and volume controls are delivered through a
touch-sensitive panel on the right-hand cup..
While these controls take a little bit of
getting used to – you double-tap to play/
pause songs and swipe in various directions to
skip tracks and ramp up the volume – they
enable a very clean design. They also let
you temporarily cut the volume and disable
noise cancelling so you can hear your
surroundings, by covering the panel with the
palm of your hand. This might look daft
sometimes, but it feels very intuitive.
A USB Type-C port sits on the bottom of
the right earcup, while a 3.5mm jack can be
found on the left, meaning there’s an option
for a wired connection if you don’t want to
use battery-sapping Bluetooth all the time.
The WH-1000XM3 come with a generous
selection of extras. You get a fabric-covered
case, 3.5mm analogue and USB charging
cables, and a double-pronged airline adaptor.
There’s a comprehensive list of core
features, too, including Google Assistant
support, rapid charging and Sony’s QN1 chip,
which brings together a digital-analogue
converter (DAC), noise-cancelling control and
an analogue amplification on one chip.
Sony’s Headphones Connect app, which
supports Android and iOS, also allows for fine
tuning. There’s an equaliser and surround
sound/position control, and you can adjust
the noise cancelling so that it’s fully on or
filters in some noise from the outside world.
The app is merely functional rather than a
masterclass in UI design, but it helps facilitate
another cool feature: the Atmospheric
Pressure Optimiser. This feature adjusts
the sensitivity of the microphone and noise
cancellation, so it operates more effectively at
different atmospheric pressures – while flying
at high altitude, in other words. We haven’t
had the chance to try it in flight, but we did
find it enhances ANC effectiveness on the
ground or on a Tube train, even if just a little.
Another strong suit is battery life. With
ANC turned on, the WH-1000XM3 can keep
going for an impressive 30 hours.
Support for Siri, Google Assistant and
Alexa is built in, and codec support stretches
to aptX, aptX HD, SBC, AAC and Sony’s own
LDAC. Overall, the WH-1000XM3 are much
better equipped for connectivity and smart
features than the Surface Headphones;
there’s even NFC, so pairing a compatible
smartphone is even easier than usual.
CLOSED FOR COMFORT
Sony’s headphones also excel at noise
cancellation; at the highest setting, they
match the Bose QuietComfort 35 II on sheer
effectiveness at blocking out noise. Everything
from traffic noise to the hubbub of an open-
plan office, and even the roar of the London
Underground, is reduced to a background
murmur and, at times, removed completely.
But there’s a lot more clever stuff behind
the WH-1000XM3’s ANC than simple racket
reduction. While the QuietComfort 35 II
offer three levels of noise cancelling, the
WH-1000XM3 have an adaptive sound mode,
which detects what you’re doing – such as
running or using public transport – and
adjusts the noise cancelling and filtering
accordingly. You can also make manual
adjustments, which can be handy (and safer)
if you want to listen out for traffic or PA
announcements, or even have the microphone
pick up voices while muffling other sounds.
Noise cancellation is extremely iimpressive,
but it’s sound quality where the WH-1000XM3
really comes into its own. These headphones
offer a wonderfully expansive sound: the bass
is deep and impactful, the mids are as capable
of capturing the smooth tones of orchestral
strings and wood instruments as they are the
crunch of overdriven electric guitars, and the
higher frequencies sparkle with clarity.
At the same time, the sound is very well
balanced. The bass never overpowers the
other frequencies, mids don’t get excessively
warm, and treble, particularly in vocals,
doesn’t wander into the realms of harshness
or sibilance. They’re easily the best-sounding
over-ear headphones we have in the round-up,
and they even surpass the QuietComfort 35 II
as well. Bose’s headphones generally sound
great, but can deliver slightly harsher high
notes, and have more of a compressed
overall sound than Sony’s newest model.
HEAD OF THE CLASS
With the WH-1000XM3, Sony has gone
straight to the top of the pile with a pair of
premium wireless headphones that combine
excellent sound quality, leading noise
cancellation and a solid feature set, all
housed in a cleverly designed package.
If you already own, say, a pair of the Bose
QuietComfort 35 II, it’s not worth paying
another £300 to switch to these. However, if
you’re upgrading from a cheaper set, or are
new to ANC headphones entirely, we can
recommend these in a heartbeat.

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 105

 IN-EAR HEADPHONES

B&O BeoPlay E8
★★★★★
£200 • From www.currys.co.uk

VERDICT
Good sound quality makes up for some
missteps, but there are cheaper wireless
earbuds available

THE APPLE AIRPODS may possibly be

on their way out, due to be replaced by a
newer version, but they heralded a significant
move for wireless in-ear headphones: not
only would there be no cable connecting
them to a source device, but there wouldn’t
even be one connecting the two buds
together. ‘True’ wireless earbuds thus
quickly entered the mainstream, resulting in
similar products such as the BeoPlay E8.
To help you tell which bud goes in which
ear, the E8s have a left or right indicator
shown within the inner part of the silicone
housing. A plastic enclosure sits towards the
edge of the housing, where a metal ring
surrounds a touch-based sensor that can be
used to perform various basic controls.
JUST PASSING THROUGH
Tapping the right ear piece lets you play or
pause music, answer and hang-up calls, while
a long-press increases the volume. On the left
ear piece, a long press decreases the volume,
and a tap enables Transparency mode, which
mixes audio from the external microphone
with your music so you can hear what’s going
on around you. The level of transparency is
adjustable through the BeoPlay app.
For touch controls, these are pretty good,
which isn’t always the case when ditching
physical buttons. They’re responsive, easy to
learn and worked pretty much every time we
tapped or swiped. The earphones fit snugly,
too, and didn’t fall out during a light jog,
although the fit isn’t quite secure enough
for more strenuous workouts.
Battery life is limited to around four hours
of playtime, which might not sound like much,
but the leather carrying case included in the
box houses a secondary battery that can
provide a couple of extra full charges for a
total of 12 hours. That’s not bad, if shorter
than the total uptime of the Mobvoi TicPods
Free (page 108), and it only takes an hour for
the buds to fully recharge. The carrying case
itself takes around two-and-a-half hours to
charge from empty, via Micro USB.
The E8s connect over Bluetooth, but as
with the RHA TrueConnect headphones
(page 109), there’s no support for the
higher-quality aptX, just SBC or AAC,
depending on the device you’re connecting.
There are also a few annoyances that can
pop up once the E8s are up and running.
One is that since the right earbud acts as
the master driver, the left bud – the slave
driver – simply stops working as soon as
the right is turned off. It doesn’t work both
ways, but this means that if you want to
listen through one ear only, it has to be
through the right.
Another niggle is that there are no sensors
to tell when you’ve removed the earbuds from
your ears, so you have to pause your music
manually if you need to take them out for a
moment. This isn’t a standard feature on
earbuds, to be fair, but for £200 it seems
like a reasonable inclusion.
EQ OPPORTUNITIES
The app plays a key part in the setup process
but also serves a purpose once you’ve got the
earphones connected. It allows you to adjust
Thanks to their generally high sound quality, B&O’s
buds come out looking rather good, despite some
minor usability flaws and oversights
the level of the Transparency effect, or alter
the E8’s sound signature, through its clever
Tonetouch controls. Here, you can choose
between varying degrees of Transparency,
allowing more or less external noise through,
and select Warm, Excited, Relaxed or Bright
profiles, all by dragging a small white button
around a circular graph.
As you’d expect, the closer you move the
button to the outside edge of the box, the
more drastic the Transparency effect. You can
also pinch to zoom to alter the soundstage of
the earphones, although we found this
particular adjustment had a negative impact
on the sound. We got the best results by
leaving the button in the centre and the
soundstage zeroed in.
Aside from this, the app also has an
earbud battery level indicator and a set
of basic media controls, and you can
rename your earbuds with it too. Overall, it’s
effective, but basic.
Much more impressive is sound quality.
Bass is competent with reasonably deep lower
bass reproduction and a tight, controlled
mid-bass response; there’s no problem with
an underwhelming low-end, as there was on
many earlier true wireless headphones
including the AirPods.
The lower mids are somewhat pushed
back, which make the E8 sound a little warm.
They’re great for genres such as R’n’B, but not
so good for live music recordings. The upper
mids are also somewhat subdued, with a dip
that robs some tracks of excitement. The RHA
TrueConnect are better in this regard, having
more a livelier, fun-sounding signature.
However, the E8s match RHA’s earbuds
on soundstage width and depth. This is
helped further by excellent instrument
separation, making it easy to pick out
individual artists in a recording.
LITTLE AND LARGE
Thanks to this generally high sound quality,
B&O’s buds come out looking rather good,
despite some minor usability flaws and
oversights. Unfortunately, there’s another
issue: the price. £200 is a lot to spend on a
little pair of earbuds, even if they are fully
wireless. The TrueConnect and TicPods
Free both offer similar – or better, in the
former’s case – quality for less.

106 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

 IN-EAR HEADPHONES

BRAINWAVZ BLU-300
★★★★★
£31 • From www.brainwavzaudio.com
com

VERDICT
Inexpensive, waterproof and with an appealing sound,
the BLU-300 make excellent workout companions

IF YOU’RE LOOKING for Bluetooth earphones

that can survive a drenching, the Brainwavz
BLU-300 might be just the model for you.
Advertised as ‘weatherproof’ and ‘sweatproof’,
they’re water-resistant to the IPX7 standard,
which means they can be submerged in up to
one metre of water for 30 minutes. It seems
unlikely anyone should need to fully test these
credentials, but you can at least be sure they’ll
endure the wettest of outdoor activities.
Their design is well suited to being used on
the move, too. That’s because they have a
neckband that ensures the full weight of the
Bluetooth receiver never ends up tugging the
earbuds from your ears. This is handy when
walking and working out alike, but with no
wing locks to secure the earbuds in place,, it’s
i
still important that you find a good fit from
the three silicone tip sizes included.
Indeed, despite the neckband, it wasn’t
uncommon for the BLU-300’s earbuds to lose
their airtight seal in our ears when we
performed more vigorous exercise. This is the earphones on and off. These buttons are BLU-300 don’t ’t support the hi-res aptX audio
easily fixed by carefully adjusting the earbuds, easy enough to find with your thumb thanks codec offered by more expensive models (and
but one downside to cheap Bluetooth to the way the neckband sits, and they also some cheaper ones), but that doesn’t mean
earphones is that the driver housing often provide other useful functions such as they’re disastrous from a sonic perspective..
tends to be larger, which can impact how letting you pause playback, skip tracks and Our only major criticism, considering the
easily you achieve an optimum fit. even summon Google Assistant. price, is just quite how bass-heavy they are.
On rock tracks in particular, this can result
BAND TOGETHER TAKING CHARGE in a sound that’s excessively boomy and
Because these aren’t true wireless headphones In terms of battery life, Brainwavz claims the imprecise, but for other genres, such as
– the two buds are connected by a cable – the BLU-300 last up to eight hours between dance, it can help bring the music to life.
earbuds themselves aren’t as chunky as the charges. Overall, that tallies with what we There could also be a fair bit more detail
B&O BeoPlay E8, Mobvoi TicPods Free or the experienced, and their stamina is only a short in the treble frequencies, which have a
RHA TrueConnect, all of which need to cram way behind similarly priced rivals such as the more neutral sound signature overall.
in additional hardware to make up for the
lack of wires. The downside is that the
BLU-300’s neckband could be a distraction,
bouncing on your neck when running, but in
They only take two hours to charge from empty, so you can
practice this didn’t bother us.
Another neat design feature is that the
quickly add enough juice to get you through a workout
reverse of the earbuds attach magnetically,
effectively turning the earphones into a Creative Outlier One (£30), which claim a Having said that, there’s good mid-range
necklace when they’re not in use. It might 10.5-hour battery life. You can also go twice as presence, with vocals and guitars never
seem trivial, but with no cable tethering them long without recharging as the BeoPlay E8 and sounding too far from the forefront.
to your music player, this ensures they never TicPods Free, albeit at the cost of not having a
slip inconspicuously from your shoulders. case that can recharge them on the move. CHEAP FEATS
Apart from the additional silicone tips, the Best of all, however, they only take two As is so often the case with earphones,
BLU-300 come with no extra accessories. All hours to charge from empty, so you can whether the Brainwavz BLU-300 are the
you’ll find in the box is a Micro USB charging quickly add enough juice to get you through a right model for you comes down to what
cable; there’s no carry-case, for example. short walk or workout. They also boast an you’re looking for. If you want the best sound
That’s not a deal breaker, but it’s a shame if impressive 250 hours of standby time, so if quality possible, for instance, then you might
you want to be able to chuck the BLU-300 in you forget to turn off the BLU-300, the not be looking around the £30 range in the
a bag without the risk of them becoming chances are they’ll still have plenty of charge first place; the RHA TrueConnect are a much
entangled in your other possessions. when you come back to them. better, if more expensive, choice.
Otherwise, there are no major surprises. As you’d expect from Bluetooth However, if you want fun-sounding
The headphones are charged via a port on the headphones that cost little over £30, you’re earphones for walking or running with, the
main control unit, where you’ll also find three not going to find audiophile-level sound BLU-300 fit the bill. They’re easy to use,
buttons for changing volume and powering quality here. Apart from anything, the waterproof and excellent value.

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 107

 IN-EAR HEADPHONES
MOBVOI TicPods Free
★★★★★
£120 • From www.amazon.co.uk
VERDICT
A good-quality pair of earbuds that offer strong
competition against the best, for a lower price
THE TICPODS FREE are another set of
true wireless earbuds, and as with their
contemporaries in this young but rapidly
growing space, they come in a small carry-case
that also acts as a charging dock.
While the setup process might not be the
most streamlined we’ve seen, it’s still pretty
simple. When the TicPods are removed from
their case, they switch on automatically, and
begin the pairing process. They will always
attempt to connect to the last device that
they were paired with, which means the
actual pairing process need happen only once.
Failing that, they’ll remain visible to any
devices with Bluetooth, allowing you to
connect them instantly via the necessary
menus on your phone, tablet, or laptop.
The TicPods’ wireless connections are
pretty reliable, too. We experienced the odd
momentary dropout, interrupting music and
podcast listening, but these outages were
few and far between. Importantly, we found
that the connection between the left and
right earbuds remained rock solid throughout
our time with them, which is not something
we’ve found to be the case with other sets
that we’ve tested.
There are occasions when it makes more
sense to listen with a single earbud, such as
if you want to stop to speak to someone,
and this is something that the TicPods can
handle with only mild confusion. Remove one
earbud, and your music will pause: if you’d like
to continue to listen with just the other
earbud in place, simply plonk the spare bud
back in the carry-case and tap the remaining
one or use your phone to resume playback.
It works perfectly well, although it is worth
mentioning that using one earbud obviously
results in reduced touch functionality.
HIT AND HISS
If you’re a true audio connoisseur, you’ll need
to temper your expectations a bit on the
sound quality front: the TicPods offer a
respectable audio experience, but it’s hardly
astonishing. Vocals are clear, and bass is
heavy but not overwhelming, but with
music that leans heavily on high frequencies
– the cymbal-heavy strains of rock and
metal, for example – they tend to become
irritatingly sibilant.
Of course, if you’re listening to other
genres or you find you’re less sensitive to
high frequencies, the unusual hissing may
not be as much of an issue for you.
Compared to the competition, the TicPods
don’t sound as good overall as the RHA
TrueConnect: the latter offer a weightier
108
sound, with more exaggerated highs and
lows that produce a more enjoyable noise.
The TicPods also don’t have the surprisingly
wide soundstage of the B&O BeoPlay E8,
although in fairness those are a lot more
expensive. Mobvoi’s earbuds still provide
reasonable quality for the money, especially
next to earlier examples of true wireless
headphones such as the Apple AirPods,
which can’t match the TicPod’s heftier bass.
Besides, the TicPods excel at handling
all other forms of audio, particularly the
spoken word, so if you’re a fan of a good
podcast on the morning commute, these
earbuds are well worth a look.
HELD IN RESERVE
Practicality is an equally important
consideration for wireless earbuds, as battery
life tends to be shorter than you get with
other wireless headphones and earphones.
And on this front, the TicPods are pretty good.
They’re rated at four hours per charge,
which is pretty standard for this type of
headphone – indeed, they precisely match the
BeoPlay E8 – and, although you won’t get a
full transatlantic flight’s worth of continuous
listening from them, you can extend this by
popping them back in their charging case.
This can hold another 12 hours charge,
allowing for up to 16 hours of listening in total.
The case is just as well designed as that of
the TrueConnect, too. It’s pocket friendly,
colour-matched to the earphones and uses
magnets to keep the earbuds in place and
the lid closed. Available colours include dark
blue and faux AirPod white for those who
don’t want something as garish as the red
and orange pair we used.
The buds themselves are well made, with
elongated tails just like the AirPods to anchor
them in place. Unlike the AirPods, however, the
TicPods’ tails have a practical purpose: the flat
surface
fac off each one acts as a touch
ch control,l,
allowing you to play or pause, skip forward or
backward, and adjust the volume. It’s even
possible to use them to activate your phone’s
voice assistant, with support for both Google
Assistant and Siri. The only slight weakness is
the built-in microphone: it functions perfectly
well but is on the quiet side for phone calls.
The touch controls can be overly sensitive:
we ended more than one call by accident
while trying to adjust the earbuds’ position.
With practice, however, you’ll increasingly
be able to leave your phone in your pocket,
which can only be a good thing.
One minor omission worth noting is that
the TicPods don’t offer an ‘ambient’ mode,
which would allow the user to hear the
outside world more clearly when music is
paused. Truthfully, however, this is barely
an issue; removing an earbud from your ear
isn’t exactly a laborious process.
TICS BOXES
All told, the TicPods offer a lot for your
money, and although they have their sonic
flaws, in general they’re very fine headphones.
They’re simple to use, quick to configure,
and slow to tire; they’re also better value
than the £200 BeoPlay E8.
Sure, you might not be getting audio
quality of the RHA TrueConnect (which cost
£30 more), and that persistent sibilance
may cause frustration among certain users.
But if it’s your first time exploring the realm
of true wireless earbuds, the TicPods make a
fitting entry-level model.
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
 IN-EAR HEADPHONES

RHA TrueConnect
★★★★★
£150 • From www.amazon.co.uk
.uk

VERDICT
Phenomenal sound quality and strong
design see the TrueConnects to total
wireless greatness

UK-BASED RHA is yet another audio

manufacturer offering true wireless earbuds,
in the form of the black and grey TrueConnect.
RHA’s design is subtle yet flawless.
Despite being made out of plastic, the
all-black matt finish oozes quality and
doesn’t attract fingerprints. A small LED
light on the inner part of the earbuds’
housing works as a connectivity and low
battery indicator, and RHA has makes it
easy to distinguish between the left and
right channels by adding a red dot indicator
on the right earbud.
Both earbuds have a button on the outer
part of the housing – it’s not touch-based,
which comes as a relief as you won’t
mistakenly change the song. A single press on
either side pauses music, while double, triple
and long-presses have different associations.
On the right, a double and triple press
increases and decreases volume respectively.
One the left, which is the slave driver, button
presses can skip backwards and forward,
while a long press activates your
smartphone’s virtual assistant. The right
earbud acts as the primary driver and can be
used independently from the slave driver.
However, the same can’t be said for the left
earbud; it’s completely reliant on its partner.
SHUT OUT
There’s no ANC, but even just passively, the
TrueConnect isolate surprisingly well with the
provided silicone tips. Having the right seal is
always key with earphones, so it’s great to see
RHA include a large selection of tips, and
Comply’s TrueGrip Plus foam tips make an
appearance, too. These tips aren’t just brilliant
for noise isolation and comfort, but can also
be used to smoothen sibilance at the top end.
As for comfort, the TrueConnects fit
snuggly, weigh only 13g and with their IPX5
sweat, splash and weather resistance, they’ll
survive an intense workout.
We had no issues pairing them with an
Android smartphone via Bluetooth; the setup
process is simple. Battery life totals five hours
on a single charge, one hour more than both
the Mobvoi TicPods Free and the B&O
BeoPlay E8, while the charging case provides a
generous 20 hours before it needs recharging.
The metal-reinforced charging case itself is
well designed, with a durable flip mechanism.
Three LED lights indicate the remaining
charge, and a USB Type-C input port gives it
fast charging capabilities. It takes just 15
minutes to fill the TrueConnects to 50% from
empty, which is an outstanding effort.
These earbuds aren’t perfect, however. We e
found them to have intermittent connectivity
issues between left and right channels, which
sometimes meant a split-second drop. We
can’t pinpoint an exact cause, but our tests
seem to point towards it being an issue with
our Android smartphone connecting to a
Wi-Fi or mobile network while still being
paired to the earbuds. The issue promptly
rectifies itself and it’s not the first wireless
device we’ve experienced with this problem,
so it’s hard to point blame at RHA.
SHORT IN THE TOOTH
What is a clear oversight is the lack of aptX,
aptX HD or LDAC Bluetooth codecs. With the
TrueConnect being aimed at audiophiles, and
designed by an experienced manufacturer in
the industry, we’d have expected to see them
included. This might have increased the price,
but the benefits of higher-quality wireless
Audio quality is high. The TrueConnects have a fun sound
signature that excites throughout the frequency range
audio fidelity outweigh the costs. Instead,
they’re limited to the AAC and SBC codecs.
Luckily, audio quality is still high. Very high,
in fact: the TrueConnects have a fun sound
signature that excites throughout the
frequency range, and their ability to
reproduce a wide soundstage is genuinely
impressive. Even more so, when this is one
thing that goes amiss with other true wireless
earbuds, including the TicPods Free.
A wide soundstage brings music to life;
not only do you get a feeling of space, but it
also adds dynamism to tracks. In comparison
to the narrow-sounding TicPods Free, the
RHA’s 6mm dynamic drivers are downright
flavoursome. Instruments are clearly
separated, too, making it easy to become
immersed in the details of a track.
They’re also capable of delivering a
punchy, extended low-end response.
The mid-bass slam hits hard and yet is
exquisitely controlled, with no unwanted
wobble. The sub-bass extends well, too, even
if it cuts off in the very lowest regions.
You can say much the same for the treble,
despite some roll-off at the top end. There’s
plenty of treble energy, and to those with
sensitive ears, the TrueConnects can sound a
touch sibilant. Here, as mentioned, the use of
Comply’s foam tips can help smooth things
out, which makes them less fatiguing.
The mids are a tad pushed back, meaning
vocals can sound a little subdued. If you’re
into vocal-heavy tracks, you might be left a
little disappointed. However, the same could
be said about pretty much every other true
wireless earbud out there; they simply can’t
keep up with similarly priced audiophile
wired in-ear earphones.
TIP TOP
For £150, the RHA TrueConnect offer
spectacular value for money. They’re well
designed, have all the key ingredients to
keep you listening on the move and offer
excellent audio and recording qualities.
Support for higher-quality Bluetooth codecs
would have made them even better, but
they’re still a fantastic set of buds.

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 109

 HEADPHONES

OVER-EAR
ER-EAR HEADP
HEADPHONES
Award BEST BUY
Manufacturer BRAINWAVZ MICROSOFT SKULLCANDY SONY
Model HM100 Surface Venue WH-1000XM3
Headphones
Rating ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★
HARDWARE
Headphones subtype Over-ear Over-ear Over-ear Over-ear
Wireless No Bluetooth Bluetooth Bluetooth
Closed- or open-back Closed Closed Closed Closed
Active noise cancelling No Yes Yes Yes
Power source None None None None
Headphones sensitivity 96dB 115dB 97dB 105dB
Frequency response 10Hz-40KHz 20Hz-20KHz 20Hz-20KHz 4Hz-40KHz
Headphones 64 ohms Not stated 32 ohms 47 ohms
impedance
Plug type 3.5mm/¼in adaptor 3.5mm 3.5mm 3.5mm
Unit controls None Power, mute, volume, Power, volume, play/ Power, volume, play/
play/pause, noise pause, noise cancellation pause, skip, fast forward/
cancellation rewind, noise cancellation
Inline controls None None None None

Weight Not stated 290g 244g 255g

Cable length 1.3m/3m 1.2m 1.2m 1.2m
Accessories 2x 3.5mm cables, 3.5mm cable, carry-case, 3.5mm cable, carry-case, 3.5mm, carry-case,
carry-case, spare pads charging cable charging cable charging cable, flight
adaptor
BUYING INFORMATION
Prices correct at time of going to press

Price £155 £329 £150 £300

Warranty Two years RTB One year RTB Two years RTB One year RTB
Supplier www.brainwavzaudio.com www.johnlewis.com www.skullcandy.co.uk www.amazon.co.uk
Details www.brainwavzaudio.com www.microsoft.com www.skullcandy.co.uk www.sony.co.uk
Part code BWAVZ-HM100 GUW-00001 S6HCW-L003 WH-1000XM3

VERDICT
It’s a clear winner in the over-ears department: Sony’s WH-1000XM3
sound superb, are wonderfully comfortable, can last for days on a
single charge and have some of the best active noise cancellation in
the business. Normally the caveat would be a certain pair of Bose
headphones being slightly better, but this time Sony comes out on top.
The only thing that might be a turn-off is the price: £300 isn’t
unreasonable for the quality you’re getting, but if you only have the
budget for something cheaper, Skullcandy’s Venue headphones are
worth checking out. Costing nearly half of what the WH-1000XM3
go for, the Venue don’t square up on audio or build quality, but
they’re still a well-made set of headphones with a unique and
potentially extremely useful feature in Tile integration.
As for in-ear headphones, the Brainwavz BLU-300 are in danger of
being overshadowed by the newer, trendier breed of true wireless
earbuds. However, these aren’t bound by a lengthy cable, and their
snug fit and waterproofing make them a good choice for exercise use.
The Mobvoi TicPods Free and RHA TrueConnect, meanwhile, are
better for more leisurely use, or a daily commute.
Both are commendable examples of completely wireless
headphones, but in our eyes (and to our ears), it’s worth paying
£30 more for the TrueConnect. Besides longer batter life and a
wider range of replacement tips, giving you a better chance of
getting that perfect in-ear fit, RHA’s buds simply sound better
than the competition.

110 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

 HEADPHONES

IN-EAR HEADPHONES
RECOMMENDED RECOMMENDED
B&O BRAINWAVZ MOBVOI RHA
BeoPlay E8 BLU-300 TicPods Free TrueConnect

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

In-ear In-ear In-ear In-ear

Bluetooth Bluetooth Bluetooth Bluetooth
Closed Closed Closed Closed
No No No No
None None None None
107dB 102dB Not stated Not stated
20Hz-20KHz 20Hz-20KHz Not stated 20Hz-20KHz
16 ohms 16 ohms Not stated Not stated

None None None None

Play/pause, noise isolation, None Play/pause, skip, volume, digital Play/pause, skip, volume,
skip, volume, digital assistant, assistant, answer/end call answer/end call
answer/end call
None Volume, skip, multifunction None None
button
13g Not stated Not stated 13g
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Charging case, charging cable, Charging cable, eartips set Charging case, charging cable, Charging case, charging cable,
eartips set eartips set eartips set, eartips holder

£200 £31 £120 £150

Two years RTB Two years RTB One year RTB Three years RTB
www.currys.co.uk www.brainwavzaudio.com www.amazon.co.uk www.amazon.co.uk
www.bang-olufsen.com www.brainwavzaudio.com www.mobvoi.com www.rha-audio.com
1644128 BWAVZ-BLU300 TicPods Free 602030

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 111

 REVIEWS

How we test
Find out how well products perform with the help of
Computer Shopper’s comprehensive tests

COMPUTER SHOPPER’S REVIEWS use The actual scores in each test are
some of the most exhaustive testing shown inside each bar
procedures you’ll find in any PC
magazine. Every product is subjected to
qualitative and quantitative tests that Normal speed 11ppm Bigger is better for
show how it performs in practical use. all bars except the
Graphs for performance, battery-life Mono costs 2.2p red ones, which
scores and costs are used in the Reviews show running costs
section, as shown on the right. Look in Colour costs 6.7p A product hitting
the ‘Summary of tests’ table (below) for the +100 per cent
0% -50 Reference +50 +100
details of each test we run. mark performed
For PCs and laptops, we evaluate twice as well as our
performance using our own custom reference
benchmarking suite. See opposite for This line represents the performance of a reference product in
a description of our benchmarking each test. All graphs for components and systems are relative
software and game tests. to our reference PC (see opposite for specifications)

SUMMARY OF TESTS
PC SYSTEMS & GAMING LAPTOPS
Windows overall Average speed across
numerous demanding tasks
Multitasking Speed when running
simultaneous applications
Dirt Showdown Frames per second at
(1080p) 1,920x1,080, 4xAA,
Ultra detail
Metro: Last Light Frames per second at
Redux (1080p) 1,920x1,080, SSAA,
Very High detail
LAPTOPS
Windows overall Average speed across
numerous demanding tasks
Multitasking Processor-intensive
multitasking test
Dirt Showdown Frames per second at
(720p) 1,280x720, 4xAA,
High detail
Battery life Run time in minutes for
continuous video playback
SMARTPHONES/TABLETS
Battery life Run time in minutes for
continuous video playback
PRINTERS AND MFPs
Mono text speed Pages per minute for
correspondence-quality text
Mixed colour speed Pages per minute for
presentable text and graphics
Mono page cost Running costs expressed as
pence per page
Colour page cost Running costs expressed as
pence per page
DIGITAL CAMERAS
Battery life Number of shots from
full charge
CAMCORDERS
Battery life Run time in minutes
for recording
ROUTERS
Laptop 2.4GHz Mbit/s at 5m with 802.11ac
5m laptop on 2.4GHz band
Laptop 2.4GHz Mbit/s 1 floor up with
1 floor 802.11ac laptop on
2.4GHz band
Laptop 2.4GHz Mbit/s 2 floors up with
2 floors 802.11ac laptop on
2.4GHz band
Laptop 5GHz Mbit/s at 5m with 802.11ac
5m laptop on 5GHz band
Laptop 5GHz Mbit/s 1 floor up with
1 floor 802.11ac laptop on 5GHz band
Laptop 5GHz Mbit/s 2 floors up with
2 floors 802.11ac laptop on
5GHz band
NETWORK-ATTACHED STORAGE
Large files Average MB/s for read/write
of 100MB large files
Small files Average MB/s for read/write
of 100MB small files
HARD DISKS
Huge files Average MB/s for read/write
of a single 2.5GB file
Large files Average MB/s for read/write
of 2.5GB of large files
Small files Average MB/s for read/write
of 2.5GB of small files
PROCESSORS
Windows overall Average speed across
numerous demanding tasks
Multitasking Speed when running
simultaneous applications
Dirt Showdown Frames per second at
(720p) 1,280x720, 4xAA,
High detail
MOTHERBOARDS
Windows overall Average speed across
numerous demanding tasks
Multitasking Speed when running
simultaneous applications
Dirt Showdown Frames per second at
(1080p) 1,920x1,080, 4xAA,
Ultra detail
Dirt Showdown Frames per second at
(720p) 1,280x720, 4xAA,
High detail
GRAPHICS CARDS
Dirt Showdown Frames per second at
(1080p) 1,920x1,080, 4x MSAA,
Ultra detail
Tomb Raider Frames per second at
1,920x1,080, SSAA,
Ultra detail
Metro: Last Light Frames per second at
Redux 1,920x1,080, SSAA,
Very High detail

112 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

 REVIEWS

BENCHMARKS RATINGS & AWARDS

Computer Shopper rates
products out of five:

★★★★★
Excellent

★★★★★
Very good

★★★★★
Good

★★★★★
Below average

SHOPPER BENCHMARKS ★★★★★

Our benchmark suite uses open-source software that runs on Windows, macOS and Linux Avoid!
systems. This lets us use objective results to compare PCs and laptops, no matter which
operating system they run. It’s designed to test each computer to its limit, using a
combination of intensive image-editing, video-encoding and multitasking tests. The best products can win
We ran the tests on our reference PC, which has an Intel Core i5-4670K processor, the following awards:
8GB of DDR3 RAM and an AMD Radeon R7 260X graphics card. We normalised our
results so this PC had a score of 100. This makes it easy to draw comparisons between
test systems.
BEST BUY
Products with outstanding quality
The resulting overall score is shown at the bottom of every PC and laptop review. and performance for the money
As we use the same tests in our standalone and group test reviews, you can compare
win our Best Buy award.
the performance of any computer, whether it’s a hybrid, laptop or desktop, from both
sections of the magazine.

3D BENCHMARKS
DIRT SHOWDOWN
Dirt Showdown is a cracking racing
game that makes good use of
DirectX 11’s fancy graphical effects.
RECOMMENDED
Products that don’t quite qualify
You’ll want at least 30fps for
for a Best Buy award but are still
smooth racing.
highly rated by our reviewers.

TOMB RAIDER
With the ultra-demanding
Super-Sampling Anti-Aliasing
(SSAA) enabled, 2013’s Tomb Raider
reboot is a great indicator of
mid-range performance.

BUSINESS BUY
The very best products for work
win our Business Buy award.
METRO: LAST
LIGHT REDUX
Our most demanding graphics test
uses tessellation, SSAA and massive
textures to give even high-end cards
a thorough workout.

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 113

 PRODUCT INDEX

Product Reviews
Our guide to all the products reviewed

140
in this month’s Computer Shopper

Hot Product
Nvidia GeForce GTX 2060
Networks
TP-Link Kasa Cam KC120 36 reviews
Founders Edition 20
Printers
PCs Brother MFC-J491DW 38
HP Z2 Mini G4 24
Photography Kobo Forma 48
Medion Erazer P66042 25
Fujifilm X-T3 40 Oppo RX17 Pro 50
Laptops
Video Wearables
MSI P65 Creator 26
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K 42
Acer Nitro 5 28 Polar Vantage M 52
Alienware m15 30
Home Cinema
Denon Heos Bar 43 Software
Components
Magix Vegas Pro Edit 16 54
Asus ROG Ryuo 240 32 Smart Home
Thermaltake Level 20 VT 33 JBL Link View 44
Mesh Wi-Fi Systems
Storage Handhelds BT Complete Wi-Fi 90
Samsung 970 Evo Plus 34 Huawei P Smart (2019) 46 BT Whole Home Wi-Fi 91
D-Link Covr 92

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE

Google Wifi 93
Netgear Orbi RBK20 94
Netgear Orbi RBK50 95
Tenda Nova MW6 96
TP-Link Deco P7 97

Headphones
Brainwavz HM100 102
Microsoft Surface
Headphones 103
Skullcandy Venue 104
Sony WH-1000XM3 105
B&O BeoPlay E8 106
Brainwavz BLU-300 107
Mobvoi TicPods Free 108
CALL 0330 333 9493 OR SEE PAGE 126
RHA TrueConnect 109

114 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

LOSING ACCESS
T
he modern world runs on data. It
underpins everything we do, from
shopping, through voting and paying
our taxes, right down to changing
the temperature in our smart homes.
Big data means big databases, housed
in big data centres, but not every database is
a colossus. Small businesses and voluntary
organisations still need to keep track of
customers and stock, while individuals might
want to record and work with information
related to their house, family, car or hobbies.
For this, they need a database application:
desktop software able to create and manage
a database, and act as its front end for data
entry and queries.
Perhaps 20 years ago, creating and running
a small database for a limited number of users
almost invariably meant installing Microsoft
Access. Launched in 1992, Access quickly
became the dominant Windows program for
the job. Today, Access is more capable than
ever, but it’s only available in the Professional
versions of Microsoft Office 2019 – which cost
116
YOUNEEDDEEPPOCKETSTOUSEACCESS,MICROSOFT’S
VENERABLEDATABASEAPPLICATION.WHEREDOESTHATLEAVE
HOBBYISTS,VOLUNTARYGROUPSANDPEOPLEWHOJUSTWANTTO
TINKERABOUTWITHINFORMATION?SIMONHANDBYINVESTIGATES
more than £400 – or Business subscriptions volunteers for clubs and other organisations
to Office 365, which start at £8 a month. Not without the money for a high-end program.
everyone wants to commit to a subscription Among this latter group there’s sometimes
model, yet many fear that Office 2019 might a requirement to share a database among
be the last ‘perpetually licensed’ (ie, non- users, which can be tricky if there’s no formal
cloud) version of the Office suite. Against that office in which to install the server.
background, does Access still make sense? Happily, Access isn’t the only choice for
Not for everyone. As Microsoft has moved managing or sharing a simple database. There
Office into the cloud, Computer Shopper are cheaper – and free – alternatives, alongside
readers have begun asking about the newer web-based services that are trying to
alternatives. Some have never got to grips bring data management into the age of the
with Access’s rather formal, data-first cloud. Over the next few pages we’ll look at
approach, and have experimented with more Access and three alternatives, compare their
workflow-orientated products such as cost, features and ease of use, and explain
FileMaker Pro. Others are hobbyists, or which might be suited to different needs.
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
MICROSOFT ACCESS 2019
Access is still a great way to ⬅ ⬇ Access is compatible
create and manage simple or with a wide range of
powerful databases and apps. databases, as well as older
Aside from familiarity – it’s been versions of Microsoft’s
around for more than a quarter of a century program, but it won’t be
supported for ever
– Access offers convenience through tools
such as templates and wizards, powerful
customisations, and operations through
macros and code.
There’s also its extensive compatibility:
today’s Access can open or import dBASE
and Excel files, as well as databases from
many earlier versions, although its ability
to import from Access 2.0 and Access 95
formats (.mdb) is limited.
If you’re planning to open an old database,
you may first need to import or convert it
using Access 2000, 2002, 2003 or 2007, but
if you already have one of these you might 2010 are already out of extended support, so
want to consider sticking with it. if you’re sticking with them you won’t receive
While newer releases have added options any new security updates.
such as SharePoint integration – which If you’re set on using a perpetually licensed
allows users to run Access apps without the version of Access, Office 2019 might be your Many have interpreted this as a sign that
software installed – they’ve also lost support last chance. Microsoft announced that the Office 2019 will be the last desktop office
for some legacy features such as PivotTable, extended support period for Office 2019 will package. If that is the case, Access is likely to
PivotChart and replication. Don’t forget, end in October 2025, at the same time as become a cloud-only platform, which is worth
however, that all versions of Access before that for Office 2016. bearing in mind if you’re going to commit to it.

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 117

 LIBREOFFICE BASE
The LibreOffice suite will look
immediately familiar to anyone
who remembers pre-Ribbon
versions of Microsoft Office.
Retro looks aside, there’s a lot to
recommend Base, which matches Access’s
key features: creating and managing
databases, running queries, and presenting
data through forms and reports. Like
Access, Base can create and work with a
locally stored database, or you can use it as
a front-end to interact with various other
databases; supported formats include
MySQL or Access’s JET database engine.
Base has multiple strengths, not the
least of which is that the LibreOffice suite
is open source and completely free,
although we’d encourage regular users to
consider a donation. It’s available for
Windows, macOS and Linux installations
such as Ubuntu, whereas Access is stuck
on Windows only. However, while you can
install Access without the rest of
Microsoft Office, Base relies on other ⬆ Base requires other LibreOffice apps to be installed for all its functions to work
LibreOffice apps for certain functions.
Database programs are by their nature
not always easy to use, but Base tries to
simplify things through various wizards
that help with forms, reports, queries and
tables. In theory, it can connect to an
existing Access database, but in practice
that’s reliant on Microsoft JET drivers,
found only in Windows. We also found the
feature problematic when testing a set of
legacy .mdb and contemporary .accdb files.
Base may not be ideal for a shared
database in a small organisation. Although
it does have a multi-user ‘server mode’,
this can be difficult to configure. Given that
it’s free, however, there’s little to lose from
installing and experimenting with it. For a
single user it’s a perfectly good way to
create smaller databases, and among
multiple users it could save thousands of
pounds in licensing costs ⬆ Various wizards help you get to grips with the program’s interface

⬆ Functions such as forms, reports, queries and tables are all present ⬆ In theory, Base can work with imported Access databases

118 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

BRILLIANT DATABASE
Unlike Access or LibreOffice
Base, Brilliant Database is
available with four different
licences, aimed at different use
cases. The cheapest, at $39 (around £30) only
allows users to connect to an existing Brilliant
Database database shared from a Server
installation, which also allows for creating and
editing the database and costs $199 (£154).
The Professional licence ($149/£115) covers
standalone use on a single PC, while the
Ultimate licence lets you create self-contained
apps, but costs $1,799 (£1,389). Happily, all
are available with a 30-day free trial.
⬆ You can import data from and export it to
common formats such as Excel and Access
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
Brilliant Database looks dated, and it isn’t
initially as user-friendly as rivals such as
Access, lacking a wizard to help speed up and
simplify form design, for example, but there
are templates, and it does offer some help
with creating reports.
It can import data from and export it to a
range of common sources such as Excel or
Access, but there are limitations: only .mdb
files from Access versions up to 2003 are
supported, and you can’t import or convert
the entire database, just selected tables.
You can’t use Brilliant Database to
connect to an existing MySQL or Access
⬆ Brilliant Database isn’t as friendly as some of its
rivals, and the interface looks dated
database, but it does offer some features not
found in LibreOffice Base. For instance, in
multi-user environments, access control
is particularly powerful, allowing different
classes of users to be created and given
different permissions, which is a great way
to protect the database and its front end
from accidental corruption.
Although it has a steeper learning curve
than some other database programs,
Brilliant Database could offer a cost-effective
way to create and manage data in a multi-user
environment. However, we’d investigate
LibreOffice Base first.
⬆ If you work with multiple users, Brilliant Database
offers some powerful features
119
 ZOHO CREATOR Zoho Creator is completely
unlike any of the other
databases we’ve looked at in
this feature. A cloud-based
service that lets you design and build
data-driven applications, it’s powerful enough
to fulfil most of the roles of a desktop
database, with various advantages and
disadvantages. You can access Creator
through any web browser, and thus from any
computer or mobile platform.
Creator builds applications that work in
the cloud, and which you can choose to share
(or not) among colleagues or other users.
For $10 (£8) per user per month, the Basic
package lets you customise existing apps,
collaborate and import data from services
such as SalesForce, or from various databases
including .mdb and .accdb Access files.
Costing twice as much as the Basic ⬆ It’s easy to connect to Zoho Creator from a web browser on any platform
package, the Premium version supports
offline data entry in the Zoho Creator app
(itself free for Android and iOS), while a
monthly $35 (£27) Ultimate
subscription lets you
download and publish the
apps you build to anyone.
Creator had no problem
importing some test Access
databases, although it was
a little slow to finish
populating the data itself.
It’s very easy to create a
new application from
scratch, or from the
range of templates.
One clear advantage
to Creator’s cloud-based
approach, other than the
ability to use it from
anywhere, is that it’s a ⬆ Creator lets you connect payment, accounting and CRM services
ready-made environment
for integration with other example. The chief It won’t suit everyone, but for individuals
cloud services. ⬆ Creator could be ideal for individuals disadvantages are that and small businesses looking to move data
Zoho lets you connect and small businesses during the development through workflows, Creator is slicker and
services including payment, phase you’ll be dependent easier than a conventional database app. Being
accounting and customer relationship on cloud connectivity, and that if Creator is cloud-based, it’s very easy to share a project,
management (CRM), which might help you ever discontinued in the future, your but its per-user per-month subscription model
put together a small commerce app, for workflows might suddenly die. means bigger teams could face high costs.

DATAFORYOURDIARY THEEVOLUTIONOFTHEDATABASE
I n the 75 years or so since the first computers, our use of
technology – and the data we create – has grown out of all
proportion. Today our businesses, institutions, homes, cars and
even our clothes are all producing data, much of which is ultimately
being queried and manipulated in giant databases.
Getting value from this information relies on our ability not only
to store it, but to pull up the relevant bits on demand to run queries
or make changes. That’s only been possible since the 1960s, with the
invention of direct access storage such as hard disks. Before then,
with data stored on tape, extracting a specific record meant reading
the tape sequentially until it arrived at the right place.
The first databases, running on mainframe computers, stored
data in records that comprised linked data; for example, the names
and addresses of customers. Records were organised into sets and
stored hierarchically, so under each customer, child records may
have stored details of that customer’s individual orders. Records had

120 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

COVERING ALL BASES
T
imes have undoubtedly changed since
Microsoft Access was the default
choice for creating and managing a
small database. That doesn’t make it the
wrong choice now, but depending on your
budget and what you’re trying to achieve,
there are alternatives.
Those looking to dust off an old Access
database and continue where they left off
might want to check they don’t still have an
old copy of Access: it will be free and familiar,
but it won’t be supported by Microsoft, and
may contain unpatched security issues.
Alternatively, a new copy of Office 2019
will be expensive, but it will present the
smallest learning curve. On the flip side, rivals
such as LibreOffice Base might not import or
connect to an existing database, but it will
cost you nothing to try them.
If you’re working alone and starting a
new database from scratch, you have the
freedom to evaluate and choose the platform
you want, but you need to consider whether
you might want to share the database in the
future. If you’re working collaboratively in a
corporate environment, everybody may
already have Office 2019 or the requisite
Office 365 Business subscription, making
Access a no-brainer.
If the budget is tight but you still need to
share, it may pay to invest time in configuring
LibreOffice Base in server mode, or evaluating
Brilliant Database; just make sure you choose
the correct licence levels. If you’re a non-profit
organisation, ask about discounted pricing –
Zoho and Microsoft both offer discounts,
although the latter only to registered charities.
The biggest issues are likely to come for
clubs and other organisations without a
formal office and network. Here, multiple
users could use a database program such as
LibreOffice Base to access a web-hosted
database, but you’ll need to pay for the
hosting and setting it up could be complex.
It’s in these cases where a solution such as
Zoho Creator might make most sense. Putting
your data in the cloud makes it easier for
multiple hobbyists, freelancers and volunteers
to manage and access it. Creator’s simple
workflows, meanwhile, could help produce
simple apps, more easily maintained by others
if you find you no longer have the time.
Access may no longer be the default app
for building small databases, but it still
makes sense for many users. For everyone
else there are alternatives, from cheaper rivals
such as Brilliant Database to free packages
such as LibreOffice Base, and now app and
workflow builders such as Zoho Creator.
Whatever you’re trying to do with data,
there’s at least one application out there to
do it – and it may be cheaper or easier to use
than Microsoft’s old-timer.

to be found either by their unique key, or by navigating from one
record to another, hence the term ‘navigational database’.
Because the records in such databases are navigated by their
relationship to each other, changing the data structure meant
rewriting query code, which was often complex to begin with.
Dissatisfied with these limitations as database sizes grew, in 1970
IBM employee Edgar Codd began working on alternatives,
eventually outlining the concept of the ‘relational’ database, now
familiar thanks to programs such as Access.
While some commercial databases are built on alternative
models, relational databases remain the dominant technology today.
To maintain database performance as data stores grow ever
bigger, data centre technology is moving quickly – from disk to
flash-based storage and, with platforms such as SAP HANA, into
memory. In-memory data platforms can perform an order of
magnitude faster than even flash-based databases, but their size
is limited by the available memory.
Recently, however, cloud providers such as Google have begun to
trial Intel’s persistent memory, offering SAP HANA users virtual
machines with up to 7TB of memory. As memory technologies
continue to evolve, databases will continue growing – not just in size
and performance, but in their importance to a data-driven world.

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 121

 Software at
your fingertips
If you wanted cheap games and utilities in the
early days of computing, you usually had to type
in the code yourself, as David Crookes recalls
E
very so often, you’ll find a social
media post or an online musing
about the pain of loading cassettes
into a computer – the familiar tales of
multiple-minute waits, crashes and
spilling tape that needed to be put right
with a pencil.
But what of the many hours spent
squinting at badly printed code in
122
magazines before trying to replicate it on
your computer screen? After attempting to
distinguish the difference between a zero
and the letter ‘o’, a 1 and an l, and a 6 or an 8
while wondering if that gap was actually a
space, you’d inevitably be faced with the
words ‘syntax error’ a split-second after
typing ‘run’. Completing a listing, it seemed,
was often just the start.
Type-ins were ubiquitous within
computer magazines of the 1970s and
1980s. They promised free software in
exchange for tedious graft, but they often
provided the healthiest source of new
programs for particular machines. Trouble is,
the code needed to be inputted accurately
or it just wouldn’t work.
In the most extreme cases of failure, it
could even cause the computer to throw a
wobbly, and if you hadn’t saved your
work and still wanted to see what the
code could do, you’d then have to type
it in again from scratch.
GAME ON
Despite such issues, they were hugely
popular and a huge selling point for
publications. The first issue of Your
Sinclair magazine in 1986, for instance,
had an eight-page pullout containing
three games: Morse Saga, Worm and
a six-screen helicopter game called
Chopper Mission, which had a
daunting chunk of hex code spanning
nine columns across three pages.
There was also the monthly Sinclair
Programs, which ran for more than
three years from 1982 (printing programs
on a dot matrix printer for clarity), and
much to get your teeth into in the
cross-platform Your Computer.
“I wrote programs for Interface magazine,
which was the National ZX User’s Club,
⬅ Some listings caused a scandal. David Hay’s
Space Hockey game in issue 42 of Amstrad Action
(left) was modified by another reader and ended
up being published under his own name in issue
65. Sean McManus had a number of 10-liner
programs printed in Amstrad Computer User (right)
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
 RETRO
O

⬆ Sean McManus would find himself thinking

of programs that editors might publish when
deciding on his next project

because I was so inspired by seeing the code

written by others,” says David Perry, who was
then 15 years old.
“It made a lot of sense to print listings at
that time because 1K programs tended to
be very short, but once we hit 16K, typing
became a nightmare. They’d sometimes need
eight pages for a game, which is why I
switched to writing listings for books.”
Among those titles were Tim Hartnell’s
Giant Book of Spectrum Games and 49
Explosive Games for the ZX Spectrum,
which stood Perry in good stead for an
outstanding career in games development.
He founded Shiny Entertainment, developed
Earthworm Jim and Disney’s Aladdin,
among others, and launched Gaikai, which
laid the foundations for the PlayStation
Now cloud-based service. In that sense,
Perry was not alone, since other successful
developers also kickstarted their careers
by submitting type-ins.
“We started playing electronic games in
1980, learned how to make games
from late 1981 and our first
published work was 1983,” says
Philip Oliver, one half of the
prolific Oliver twins, who
went on to head up Blitz
Game Studios and
Radiant Worlds,
having enjoyed
acclaimed hits
such as the
adventure series
Dizzy. That
published work
was Road Runner for the
➡ Listings in books and magazines were particularly
popular for 8-bit computers such as the Commodore 64
⬆ The gorgeous looking Axys: The Last Battle featured as a listing in the French magazine CPC Infos in 1991
and was one of the longest ever type-in listings, published over five issues and including 5,362 lines of code
Dragon 32, spread over a few pages in C&VG
magazine, for which the brothers received £10.
“We tackled it in a convoluted way,”
Philip recalls of the top-down, procedurally
generated racer.
“After getting the game running, we copied
the code by hand and gave it to our mum, who
typed it up on the typewriter at work. We then
corrected the errors, mum typed it up again
and we sent it to a few magazines.”
CASSETTE THE PACE
As a consequence, it took a year for this
particular listing to appear in print, and it
would most likely have seen the light of
day sooner if the twins had submitted
the game on cassette instead (the original
code, incidentally, is now on GitHub at
tinyurl.com/375retro1).
That’s because editors relied heavily on
readers to send in code for publication, and it
helped them enormously if running versions
were sent on tape or disc (“Don’t send us
listings scrawled in crayon on a bit of toilet
paper,” pleaded Adam Waring in Amstrad
Action, which received 50 submissions each
month). This way, it would reduce the
potential for problems – crucial because
publication postbags would also bulge with
complaints about programs that didn’t work,
especially if they were developed using
machine code rather than in Basic, which
meant the margin for error was greater.
CHECK IT OUT
To tackle this, publications created systems to
help readers identify where they may have
gone wrong. These ranged from adding
space-marking dots in the listings to creating
checksum applications that would check each
line and produce a
four-character
code. By
comparing that
code to the one
in the magazine, a
reader could be
sure it had been
correctly entered.
“Typing in code
manually is always
going to be error-
prone, so we tried to
keep it to a minimum,”
former Amstrad Action
editor Rod Lawton says.

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 123

 RETRO

⬅ Crossroads was published

for the Commodore 64 in
Compute!’s Gazette in 1987
and is highly regarded. It even
spawned a sequel

⬇ The shoot-’em-up Space Junk

was published as a Commodore 64
listing in Your Computer in 1985

“The dots were put in to avoid any “With 10-liners, the

ambiguity; there’s no easy way to indicate the
number of spaces in a line of code reliably
even with a mono-spaced font.”
Some proved less troublesome than others.
In America, Run magazine for the Commodore
64 and VIC-20 had a section called Magic, in
which readers submitted tricks and one-line
code. Amstrad Computer User (ACU),
meanwhile, was known for its 10-liners.
LISTINGS GUIDE
“The best taught you something new or
provided a small but focused utility,” explains
Sean McManus, a regular type-in contributor
to ACU and Amstrad Action, who found the
hourly rate for writing listings was higher
than he was earning on his paper round.
trick was to come up
with an idea that could
be naturally expressed
rather than trying to
squeeze a big idea to
fit,” adds McManus,
whose favourite was a
Piano Chords tutor. “I often came across games that were
“It demonstrated a technique called written using it and it still crops up in new
colour swapping to highlight the piano keys, CPC games today from time to time,”
but also provided a useful program for McManus says.
budding Jean-Michel Jarres.” Such endeavours earned him many fans,
Longer listings often had more impact. One who would make contact via the penpal
such example was McManus’s Easi-Sprite section of the magazine.
Driver, which added new commands to Basic “It was a great feeling, knowing that
and allowed sprites to be moved around the my listings had found an appreciative
screen, making for more colourful games. audience,” he says.

two packed floors, the Leeds them to 1080p and

SECOND ARCADE
CLUB OPENING
DOWN T’ROAD
Arcade Club, the largest
free-to-play video and pinball
venue in Europe, has already
attracted scores of visitors to
Bury,
y, Greater Manchester, but
now it is hoping to welcome
even more gamers at a
new branch in Kirkstall,
a suburb of Leeds.
As in Bury, where the
act
action takes place over
arcade is looking to entice
gamers on Thursday and Friday
nights as well as all day on
Saturdays and Sundays with
an array of top coin-ops, some
of them rare.
A single entry fee allows
access to all of the machines
without having to fill your
pockets with 10 pence pieces.
Find out more by heading to
www.arcadeclub.co.uk.
TO BE THIS GOOD
TAKES 30 YEARS
Over the years, there have been
persistent rumours that Sega
would one day take on Nintendo,
Sony and Microsoft with a
next-gen console of its own. So
far, these rumours have proven
to be unfounded, but there has
been an exciting launch for Sega
fans: a new sleek-looking
console from a company called
Analogue, which plays genuine
Master System and Mega
Drive cartridges while upscaling
outputting via HDMI.
Rather than use
emulation, the console
is engineered into an
Altera Cyclone V FPGA,
which ensures greater
accuracy and no lag. It comes
with a side connector (just in
case you have a Sega CD or
Mega CD knocking around) while
allowing the use of a wireless
8BitDo M30 controller, and
pumps out 48KHz 16-bit stereo
sound. Costing $189, pre-orders
are due to be sent out in April.
Full specs are available at
www.analogue.co/mega-sg.

124 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

 RETRO

⬆ Road Runner was Philip and Andrew Oliver’s first published game . The twins went on to enjoy a 35-year career in gaming

Suitably inspired by such a grounding,
McManus now writes books to inspire children
to code using Scratch and Python, his latest
being Mission Python, which takes readers
through the steps of building a space
adventure game. He saw value in listings as a
learning experience, and it was certainly true
that debugging or adapting the programs
helped readers get their heads around what
was going on (unless they were written in
machine code, in which case it was trickier).
“The magazine listings taught you code by
stealth and you learned by doing, not by
studying in advance,” says Gary Plowman,
whose attempt at creating a more recent
Flappy Bird in Basic for the Spectrum in just
99 lines led to him producing a new type-in
book called ZX Spectrum Games Code Club:
Twenty Fun Games to Learn and Code.
Packed with versions of Space Invaders,
Tetris, Pong and more, each focuses on a
new concept, be it collision detection,
simple AI or adding joystick controls.
➡ The American magazine Compute carried listings
from its first issue back in 1979
“Listings were useful because they used
clever routines to do things in ways you
hadn’t thought of,” Plowman adds.
“A clever use of data statements would
generate level information, for example, and
clever pokes would utilise the system ROM
routines. I recall a type-in that was near to
commercial quality called Battle 1917. It was
a mix of chess and warfare, and worked
well with Basic.”
TAPE MEASURES
As the 8-bit market faded, so too did
the appetite for listings in magazines.
They had already been under threat from
cover-mounted cassettes (some magazines
even put the type-in programs on the tape,
while many authors offered disks or
cassettes for sale) and they were eventually
killed off in the 16-bit era when program
complexity increased and readers preferred
software on floppy disk instead.
Even so, they’ve made a comeback of
sorts in some publications, thanks to a
booming interest in programming.
“The starter programming language that’s
most widely used today is Scratch, which you
can use for free online (scratch.mit.edu),” says
McManus. Inspired by the 10-liners in ACU,
he’s been creating 10-block Scratch demos.
“You can learn a lot from other people’s
code,” he says.

OPENING THE NEW CASE FOR a computer sold by Apple from

IRON CURTAIN ON
POLISH TECH
Behind the Iron Curtain, Soviet
bloc researchers would routinely
reverse-engineer western
technology and produce their
own hardware clones. There were
numerous versions of the
Spectrum, an East German
Amstrad CPC called the KC
Compact and clones of Intel’s
8080 8-bit microprocessor,
among many others.
It’s interesting, then, to see
a newly developed single
board retro computer using
an MCY7880 – the CPU
OLD MAC 1989 to 1991. It allows the
Old computers don’t age purely machine’s innards to be put on
on the inside – they can show view and harks back to the
signs of the passing years on prototypes the computer giant
their exterior, too. Scratches, used to make.
dents, fading and yellowing Created by MacEffects
plastic are common, which is (maceffects.com), the case
manufactured in Poland based perhaps why there went to Kickstarter on 1 March,
on the 8080 chip. Featured has been a small following on from
as a project on Hackaday recent boom in a new moulded
(tinyurl.com/375retro2), it’s remanufactured effort for the
currently running TinyBASIC, computer cases. Amiga 1200 (tinyurl.
although it remains a work in The latest is an com/375retro3)
progress. Creator Marek Więcek injection-moulded, and colourful cases
is trying to use as many Polish clear replacement for the Commodore
integrated circuits from the back for the 64 (tinyurl.com/
1980s as he can. Macintosh SE/30, 375retro4).

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 125

 Helpfile &
BusinessHelp
Whatever your PC, hardware, software, office application
or macro issues, Simon Handby is here to help
Send your problems to help@computershopper.co.uk

Cryptic notifications
Occasionally, perhaps once or twice a week, my Android phone makes
the message notification sound, yet when I look there are no new
messages. I’ve got WhatsApp and Signal installed, and I’m using the
latter for SMS rather than the built-in Messages app. I can’t find any
settings that might explain it. Any ideas?
Oliver Tucker

There could be a few culprits, depending on which phone you have. If you
have a Samsung Galaxy model, open the Settings page, select Advanced
Features and try disabling Smart Alert. This is meant to notify you of
outstanding messages when you pick up the phone, but the movement
detection can be too sensitive. If that’s not it, open Signal, open the menu
and choose Settings, then Notifications, and make sure that Repeat alerts is
set to Never. If that still doesn’t fix it, choose Mark all read from Signal’s
menu, then open WhatsApp, long-press any unread conversations, open the
menu and choose Mark as read for each. Assuming that helps, try to get in
the habit of marking all messages as read as they come in; you can use the
option in the notification preview if necessary.

➡ Signal’s repeat alerts option makes sure you don’t miss new messages,
but it can be annoying

File overload
I’ve long been involved with a
collaborative project, the documents
for which are shared in a Google Drive
folder. In my own role I’ve barely ever
needed to access this folder, and yet it’s
still shared to me. I wouldn’t mind, but
whenever I search my Google Drive for
something, the results are complicated by
pages of shared documents that contain
the search terms. I’d love to just leave the
folder, but there are so many documents
in it that I can’t even find the folder itself
when I look at ‘Shared with me’ in Drive.
I can’t remember what the folder itself
is called, so I can’t find it by searching.
Any suggestions?
Suzy Glover
The first trick is finding the folder. Presumably
it was shared with you before most of the
documents it contains were uploaded, so
you’re more likely to find it by ensuring that
your Shared with me folder is sorted by Share
date, but with a reverse order showing older
items first. Once you find it, you should be
⬅ You can remove yourself from
a file or folder shared in Drive, but
check you’re not the owner first
able to right-click it and select
Remove, but it may be wise to
check the sharing options first.
To do that, right-click the
folder, select Share, click
Advanced and find your name in
the list. If you’re listed as the
owner, find (or add) a suitable
new owner in the list, then drop
down the arrow by the side of
their name and change to ‘is
owner’. Once you’re no longer
the owner, go back to your
own name and click the cross to remove
yourself. Agree when asked if you’re sure,
and the folder and its contents should no
longer appear in your Drive.

128 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375


It’s all gone NAS-ty
Like a couple of other readers who’ve
written to Helpfile recently, I couldn’t see my
network-attached storage (NAS) drive’s
shared folders once I’d updated my PCs to
Windows 10 version 1709. I couldn’t update
the NAS’s firmware, so I had to re-enable
SMB 1.0 on the PCs. This struck me as far
from ideal and, given the NAS was ageing, I
recently replaced it with a Synology DS218j.
The old NAS had 2TB and 4TB disks
which I planned to re-use, but – assuming
that the DS218j wouldn’t recognise their
contents – I had to back them up first. I hit
on the idea of fitting four old 500GB drives in
my desktop PC, and using my motherboard’s
RAID controller to create a striped drive that
would be big enough to back up the NAS’s
disks one at a time. The indicated size of this
striped volume is 1.81TB, and the largest
single backup I needed to make was from a
1.76TB volume on the old NAS, but just to be
safe I enabled file and folder compression.
I set up the file copy and waited a day for
it to complete, only to discover that it had
run out of space having copied only 1.36TB
of data. Windows Explorer showed less than
a gigabyte remaining on the 1.81TB volume;
somewhere I’d lost more than 400GB of
space! I had to shut down the PC for the
night, and when I restarted it the following
morning, the drive showed the expected
amount of space remaining and I had no
problem finishing the backup. Weird.
Unfortunately, things got considerably
worse. After backing up the 2TB disk, I
removed it from the old NAS and put it in
the DS218j, which confirmed that I’d need to
wipe it. I followed the wizard to set up the
new disk, started copying my files back to it,
then logged back into the old NAS to stop it
complaining about the missing disk. It was
reporting that one of the volumes had failed,
so I deleted that volume – and to my horror
discovered that the remaining volume on
the 4TB disk had also vanished.
I’ve no idea why this happened, as I
definitely deleted the correct, degraded
volume, and there was no RAID enabled on
the disks. I had previously been using a
selective mirroring feature, but I’d disabled
it before removing the 2TB disk.
The 2TB disk is now installed in the new
NAS with its old data copied back on, so I
can’t refit it to recover the damaged volume
on the 4TB disk in the old NAS. The old NAS
has no option to restore or repair a missing
volume, but it does at least report the
correct amount of used and free space on
the disk, so I suspect that my data is
probably safe. How do I recover it?
Dean Harris
With luck you should get your data back,
although you’ll need a PC running Linux and a
bit of patience. First, you’ll need to address the
capacity issue on your PC’s RAID array, which
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
⬆ Most NAS drives are Linux based, so an Ubuntu PC may recognise your disk’s partitions
is almost certainly caused by file and folder
compression. During large file copy operations,
Windows can fail to recover drive space that’s
temporarily used during compression, causing
a drive to run out of space more quickly than it
should. Losing more than 20% of a volume’s
space does seem like an extreme case, but as
you’ve discovered, the correct free space
appears when you reboot. You’re likely to run
into the same issue again, so empty the RAID
volume if possible then switch off compression
by right-clicking the drive in Windows Explorer,
choosing Properties, unticking Compress this
drive to save disk space, then clicking OK.
If you don’t already have a Linux PC, you’ll
either need to temporarily install a Linux
distribution such as Ubuntu alongside
Windows, or create a bootable DVD. We’ll
assume you’ll create a bootable installation of
Ubuntu on a USB disk; unfortunately, booting
from a read-only live disc won’t work, but you’ll
still need to create one to get started.
Visit www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop
and download the most recent LTS (long-term
support) version. Once the ISO file has
downloaded, insert a blank DVD-R, right-click
the ISO file, select Burn disc image, and allow
the process to complete. Once it’s finished,
insert an empty USB disk of at least 8GB in
your PC, reboot and change any BIOS settings
if necessary so your PC boots from the DVD.
When Ubuntu starts, select Install Ubuntu
and choose English (UK). In the next step,
choose Normal installation, and Download
updates while installing Ubuntu. If this option
isn’t available, go back a step and ensure the
computer is connected to a wired or wireless
network before proceeding.
When the installer reaches the Installation
type page, select Something else, then find
your USB drive in the drive and partition list;
it’s likely to contain a single partition taking up
all of the drive’s capacity. Select this partition
then click the ‘–’ button to delete it. Now select
the drive’s free space and click the ‘+’ button
HELPFILE & BUSINESS HELP
to create a new partition. When the new
partition dialog opens, leave the default
settings in every field except the Mount Point
list box. Click this and select ‘/’ from the list,
then click OK to create the new partition.
Wait for the partition to be created, select it in
the list, then make sure that Device for boot
loader installation is also set to your USB drive,
before clicking Install Now and finishing the
installation. Wait for the new partition to be
created, select it in the list, and make sure that
Device for boot loader installation is also set
to your USB drive, before clicking Install Now
and finishing the installation.
Once the installation is finished, you should
have a bootable version of Ubuntu on your
USB drive. Remove the DVD, power down the
PC, insert the 4TB disk from your NAS drive
and reboot, changing the BIOS settings if
necessary so that the computer boots into
Ubuntu from the USB disk.
Your 4TB disk should appear in Ubuntu’s
Disk app. Click the App button at the bottom
left (nine dots arranged in a square), search for
disks and run the result. With any luck you’ll
see the 4TB disk with one or more partitions
recognised as a Linux RAID member. You’ll
probably be unable to access the disk at this
stage, but you can try running the Files app.
Assuming that you see a Linux RAID
member partition that you can’t yet access,
use the App button to search for and run
Terminal. In the Terminal window type sudo -i
then hit Enter and provide your password. Now
enter the commands apt-get install mdadm
followed by apt-get install lvm2, accepting any
requests for extra disk space. Once both
installations are complete, enter mdadm -Asf
&& vgchange –ay, which should detect and
mount any available Linux RAID volumes.
All being well you’ll now be able to find the
mounted partitions by running the Files app
and looking in Other locations. Assuming the
data is there, you can copy it to the PC’s 1.81TB
RAID drive, which should also show up.
129
 HELPFILE & BUSINESS HELP

Safe, not sorry

I followed the advice in Computer Shopper
issues 346 and 349 to set up a Safe Mode
option when booting my Windows 10 PC.
Of course, Microsoft has broken that with
one of its feature updates, so I tried to set
it back up, but with no luck. I wondered if I
was making typos, so I checked the correct
syntax of the bcdedit command before
concluding that the change was just no
longer possible.
From bitter experience, I have found that
Safe Mode is a good way of getting out of
whatever mess Microsoft makes with an
update. Can you advise if a Safe Mode boot
option is still possible, and how?
Pam Varey

Things are better than they were, but Windows

10 feature updates still have the annoying
habit of removing settings and customisations.
The good news is that the Safe Mode option
we outlined before should still work. You don’t
mention how far you’re able to get, but to
repeat it in brief, click the Start button and ⬆ Updates will remove it, but you can still re-add a Safe Mode boot option to Windows 10
type Command. Right-click Command Prompt
in the results and select Run as administrator, You should see the response: “The entry Boot tab, select Windows 10 Safe Mode, then
then at the prompt type bcdedit /copy was successfully copied to {a long hex tick Safe boot (Minimal), change the timeout
{current} /d "Windows 10 Safe Mode" and hit number}”. Assuming you do, type exit and hit to three seconds, tick Make all boot settings
Enter. Note the spaces between the bcdedit Enter to quit the prompt, then open the Start permanent and click OK. Now agree to the
command and the /copy switch, and between menu again, search for msconfig and run warning, restart the computer and the Safe
{current}, /d and "Windows 10 Safe Mode". System Configuration from the results. On the Mode option should be reinstated.

Buried under
notifications
I wrote to you a while ago about a Chromebook
that kept reverting to the default desktop
wallpaper (Helpfile, Shopper 341). As you
suggested, this resolved itself with the update
to ChromeOS version 70, which introduced a
set of design changes to the app shelf and
control panel. Unfortunately, it also came with
a problem: while in the previous release I could
clear multiple notifications by clicking Clear all,
now they just collect at the top of the control
panel and can only be dismissed one by one.
Am I missing something?
Simon Carter

You can block Chrome OS notifications on a

per-application basis, or click the Notification
button in the control panel to enter Do not
disturb mode. If you leave notifications on, it’s
still possible to clear multiple messages, although
the option is now hidden. Click to expand the
control panel, then drag up the base of the first
notification to see the Clear all option. Without a
touchscreen, click in the black space below the
bottom right of the first notification.

➡ We don’t know why ‘Clear all’ is hidden from Chrome

OS 70 onwards, but the feature’s still there

130 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

 Advanced
Projects
Clive Webster has been tinkering with computers ever since
Windows 98 forced him to manually install his drivers
clive@computershopper.co.uk

Make an indoor
air-quality sensor
Concerns about indoor air quality are growing, thanks to
draught-free windows and building materials that ‘off-gas’.
Clive Webster shows you how to breathe more easily
THE SMELL OF new carpet or fresh paint might be appealing to gas that might be harmful over time. Worse still, some ‘off-gassing’
some, giving the sense of newness and a job well done. Similarly, a is odourless, and materials such as plywood (which is often treated
kitchen or bathroom smelling of bleach might be considered an with formaldehyde) can continue to off-gas for a long period of
innocent by-product of basic cleanliness. However, these are time. ‘Low-VOC’ alternatives are expensive, but thankfully our DIY
examples of ‘off-gassing’, where a product or material emits a indoor air-quality sensor isn’t.

132 MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

 ADVANCED PROJECTS

HOUSES ARE GETTING more airtight, and

while that’s great for your energy bills,
there are some unintended consequences.
Draughty windows and doors help circulate
air, but now your tightly sealed triple-glazing
might have you wondering whether the air
you’re breathing is a little stale. That’s not
to mention the latest health scare we’ve got
to worry about: VOCs.
VOCs are volatile organic compounds,
the chemical vapours given off by all kinds
of things, from paint and carpets to wood
preservatives and types of plasterboard.
While you can clearly smell when some
items are ‘off-gassing’ VOCs, other VOCs are
odourless. Symptoms of VOC exposure
include poor concentration, headaches, eye
and nose irritation, respiratory issues, lack
of energy and allergic reactions.
However, a cheap sensor can detect
off-gassing and give you some idea as to the
quality of your home’s air. We’ve used
Pimoroni’s BME680 Sensor, as this also
includes a humidity sensor, pressure sensor ⬆ If you don’t solder
and a temperature sensor. Not bad for the BME680 sensor
£18.50. We plugged this into a Raspberry Pii this way round, it
Zero WH (£13) and added a yellow Inky won’t fit on this build
pHAT E-Ink display (£22.50). You could use
any display, but we wanted to make a
low-power device. Finally, a microSD card the sensor side (with the pin labels) faces to just be pushed on to the GPIO header, but
(£9) and a 1.5A USB power supply (a spare outward from the connector block (see now it can’t. Don’t worry, as you can connect
from an old phone should be fine) gives us picture above).e). The BME680 pushes on to the Inky pHAT using those jumper cables.
our basic hardware. As the BME680 Sensor the Pi Zero’s GPIO header with its 2-6V You might find it easiest to just directly
connects directly to the Pi Zero’s GPIO connector on the Pi Zero’s Pin 1. connect every pin to every hole, so Pin 6
headers, you’ll need some male-to-female Pin 1 is nearest the microSD card slot, or connects to hole 6, Pin 7 to hole 7 and so on.
jumper leads too; the Male to Female Jumper alternatively you can use the electronics However, you only actually have to connect
Jerky Junior costs only £2.50. standard of finding the square pad. Turn the nine pins. You can just pull nine cables from
Pi Zero over and you’ll see that every pin of the Jumper Jerky if you prefer.
WIRED UP the GPIO block has a golden circle around it There’s a map of which pins the Inky pHAT
The BME680 sensor needs to be soldered except for one that’s square; that is Pin 1. uses at tinyurl.com/375projects1. As the
to its right-angled header; talk to a nearby Once you’ve pushed the BME680 sensor BME680 sensor uses the 3.3V supply from
electronics hobby club if you’re not on to the Pi Zero’s GPIO header, you’ll see a Pin 1, and the Inky pHAT needs both a 3.3V
comfortable doing that yourself. Ensure that major snag. The Inky pHAT is also designed and a 5V input, you’ll need to use Pin 17,

⬆ The Inky pHAT is a low-energy display that’s designed for the Raspberry Pi

ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019 133

 ADVANCED PROJECTS
⬆ Use the Pinout map at pinout.xyz to see which pins to connect to the Inky pHAT
which also provides a 3.3V supply. You only
need to connect one of the Ground pins
listed. We used Pins 2, 6, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 23
and 24 for our build.
Once you’ve loaded the microSD card
with the latest version of Raspbian Lite (see
www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian for
details), you’ll need to apply the remote
access hacks so you don’t need to plug a
keyboard and screen into the Pi Zero.
Open the newly formatted boot partition of
the microSD card and right-click to create a
text file called ssh. Do the same for a file
called wpa_supplicant. Open the latter and
enter the following text:
ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_
supplicant GROUP=netdev
update_config=1
country=GB
network={
ssid="<WiFi SSID>"
psk="<WiFi Password>"
key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
} as detailed in the login text.
134
Next, open the View menu of the Explorer file
browser and tick the Show file extensions
box. Delete the .txt from the ssh file and
change the .txt of the wpa_supplicant file to
.conf. These two files allow the Pi Zero to
automatically connect to your Wi-Fi network
and allow you to control it remotely via the
SSH protocol. Now insert the microSD card
into the Pi Zero and power it up.
After a minute or so, you’ll need to find
the IP address of the Pi Zero; we find logging
into our router and sorting through the
devices list the easiest way to do this.
Your router might have a list of devices under
the Local Network option, but refer to the
manual if you can’t find anything obvious.
PUTTY IN YOUR HANDS
Using an SSH tool such as PuTTY (see
tinyurl.com/ssh-putty), enter the IP address
of the Pi Zero and click OK. You’ll see a
warning about connecting to a device, but
ignore this. Enter the username (pi) and
password (raspberry) and you’ll log into the
Pi Zero. You should update the Pi’s password,
The first job, as always with Linux, is to
update the operating system with the
command sudo apt-get update && apt-get -y
upgrade. Once that’s done, you’ll need to
install a few extras for your BME680 sensor
and Inky pHAT display. Thankfully, Pimoroni
has made this very easy:
curl http://get.pimoroni.com/inky |
bash
curl http://get.pimoroni.com/bme680 |
bash
Each command will ask for a few options,
and can take ages to complete. That strange
vertical line character can cause problems.
It’s called Pipe, or sometimes Vertical Bar, and
it’s often mislabelled on Windows keyboards.
The standard UK layout, which is probably
what Windows thinks you’re using, puts
Pipe over Backslash, so Shift\ should
produce Pipe. However, Shift\ is often
labelled as ¦, or Broken Bar; meanwhile, Pipe
is often labelled with the ` and ¬ key at the
top left. You’ll have to play around with your
keyboard to see what’s what.
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

Multicoloured E-Ink
We used a yellow, black and white E-Ink display for this
project, mainly because multicoloured E-Ink is quite an
interesting technology. As a refresher, a standard monochrome
E-Ink screen includes micro-capsules that contain oil and
particles of black and white.
As the black particles are positively charged and the white are
negatively charged, you can ‘pull’ the black particles down by
applying a negative charge to the base of a micro-capsule and a
positive charge to the upper side. The particles react like a magnet,
moving toward the opposite charge. Importantly, it’s possible to
apply a different charge to each ‘corner’ of a micro-capsule.
Mono e-ink
Colour e-ink
ACeP
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
ADVANCED PROJECTS
It’s this ability to apply a ‘mixed’ charge across the top or bottom
of an E-Ink cell that allows the use of a third colour. With an
all-negative charge one colour of particle is pulled; with a double-
negative, the second is moved; and with the mixed charge, the third
colour can be pulled to the surface.
E-Ink specialists E Ink announced a four-colour E-Ink tech called
Advanced Colour ePaper (ACeP) in 2016, with delivery expected this
year. With 4,096 colours and screens up to 32in across, the hope is
for low-power, high-impact signage that can be remotely updated.
However, full-colour ebooks are slated for 2020/21 and we’d love to
see domestic e-posters that could update their image every week.
Images: E Ink, www.eink.com
135
 ADVANCED PROJECTS
⬆ The tiny Raspberry Pi Zero WH is ideal for projects that don’t require a lot of power
Once the two sets of Pimoroni software
have been installed, you can download our
example Python script, inky_air_qual.py.
You’ll need to move to the Inky pHAT
directory first, so type:
cd Pimoroni/inky/examples/phat
wget <https://docs.google.com/
document/d/1VfQKxjfa15_
fWG8l3cdfoRRXPYF4qMtkyPlkZ_zyokI/>/
inky_air_qual.py
You can then download the script from
tinyurl.com/375projects2.
PYTHON CODE
Pimoroni offers two sets of examples for
its BME680 sensor and Inky pHAT range,
so we grabbed two of these and mashed
them together for our final piece of code.
r, it wasn’t quite as easy as that.
However,
Download the Python file on your main PC
136
and open it in a Python editor such as
Thonny (see thonny.org) if you’d like to
follow where we made our changes.
You can do this via the Pi (by typing
nano inky_air_qual.py), but it’s a bit fiddly.
For a start, the Inky pHAT’s examples are
for a calendar and a weather readout, neither
of which exactly fit the bill. We took the
weather-phat.py example and stripped out
all the code related to scraping data from
weather website www.darksky.net. The
weather-phat.py example had a nice layout
to present data, however, so we kept that.
Into this shell of code, we pasted most of the
indoor-air-quality.py example from the
BME680, but needed to make tweaks
throughout this amalgamated code to get
everything to work nicely.
As indoor air quality is unlikely to change
from minute to minute, we don’t need the
time to be quite so precise, so we changed
the format from ‘time.strftime(%d/%m
⬆ You only need to connect nine Pins from the Pi
Zero to the Inky pHAT
%H:%m)’ to ‘%a %b %d’ or, in English, from
something like ‘24/02 13:23’ to ‘Sun Feb 24’.
We also discovered that by default the
temperature and air quality readouts are
long decimal numbers, so we couldn’t use
the standard ‘temperature = sensor.data.
temperature’. Instead we had to force
whole numbers with an ‘int’ operator
(for integer). That’s a relatively quick
change, to ‘temperature = int(sensor.data.
temperature)’, for example.
We added some variables to set
thresholds for the temperature being too
cold or too hot, as well as a threshold for the
air quality (higher is better). And then we
altered some of the old weather readout code
to present temperature and air quality
instead. This required a bit of adjustment to
text position, which highlights a quirk of how
Python and the Inky pHAT draw graphics
on to a screen. For example, take the line
‘draw.text((36,
.t 12), display_date, inky_
MAY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375

display.WHITE, font=font)’. Where ‘draw.text’
is the command to draw some text (in this
case today’s date, as defined by the variable
‘display_date’), the two numbers in the
brackets are coordinates for the top-left of
that text, measured in pixels. The rest of the
line says to draw the date in white in the font
(and font size) specified earlier.
We played with font size for a later
element, the ‘warning box’. In the weather-
phat.py example, a box is drawn for a weather
icon, which changes depending on conditions.
We kept the box and instead asked the Inky
pHAT to draw a large exclamation mark if a
temperature
m or air quality threshold is
breached. This required adjusting the position
of the exclamation mark to be central in the
t is always running, and cron is used to
box, and an increase in size (to 40pts) so that
ISSUE 375 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | MAY 2019
ADVANCED PROJECTS
⬅ We used the
standard Pi Zero
case (£6) and its
breakout lid to keep
the build neat
it filled the whole box. This is what the line sudo chmod +x inky_air_qual.py. Now use
‘draw.text((42, 38), "!", inky_display.colour, the crontab command: crontab -e. You’ll be
font=ImageFont.truetype(FredokaOne, 40))’ asked which editor to use; just press Enter to
achieves: draw text at the co-ordinates 42, 38, use the Nano text editor.
which is an exclamation mark in the third You should now see a page of text.
colour of the Inky pHAT screen in the font Use the down arrow to scroll to the
FredokaOne at 40pts. bottom and add the following lines:
Speaking of the colour, if you opted for a
red or black Inky pHAT, you’ll need to change @reboot python /home/pi/Pimoroni/inky/
the variable ‘colour’ from "yellow" (the examples/phat/inky_air_qual.py &
double-quotes are required). 1 0 * * * python /home/pi/Pimoroni/
inky/examples/phat/inky_air_qual.py
SCHEDULING
The easiest way to schedule the air The top two lines tell Raspbian to load the
quality sensor is to use the cron daemon. inky_air_qual.py script whenever the Pi
In Linux-speak, a daemon is a process that boots. However, as the script itself only
refreshes every hour, it might tell the wrong
schedule events. time for up to 59 minutes after midnight,
First you’ll need to which is clearly unacceptable. The last lines
make your script therefore reload the script on the first minute
executable, so that of every day. Save the crontab by pressing
the system knows Ctrl-X, then Y, then Enter.
it’s a program.
You do this with the NEXT MONTH
chmod command:
USE EXCEL LIKE A PRO
⬅ The Jumper Jerky We show you all kinds of tips and tricks
connects the BME680 to get your spreadsheets in order and
Sensor to the Pi crunch those numbers faster
Zero’s GPIO headers
137
 PARTING SHOTS
Zygote
Want to know what your kids are up to while they’re at school and make sure
they’re not bunking off? Zygote has the answer all sewn up
NAME TAGS
British kids usually have
name tags sewn into their
school uniforms, but children
in southwest China are
being tagged by the
uniforms themselves.
Their smart school clothing
has been developed by Guizhou
Guanyu Technology, and boasts
embedded chips that can
withstand up to 500 washes,
even at boiling temperatures.
It records the moment a
student enters or leaves through
the school gate by firing off a
video that can be viewed by
parents, guardians and teachers
on a mobile app. Ay kid who tries
to bunk off is berated by an
automatic voice alarm when they
try to leave the premises without
permission. An alarm sounds if
junior happens to fall asleep in
class, and spending habits are
monitored by whoever doles out
their pocket money.
Best of all, facial recognition
is used to make sure the little
angels don’t try to swap uniforms
to fool the system, and Zygote
believes it’s only a matter of time
before the little darlings are
chipped with devices embedded
under the skin, for the same
reason given by the Chinese
authorities for the sewn-in
spies: “It is for their own good,
and to benefit society.”
DIRTY RATS
Science minister Chris Skidmore
has announced that even
though the rats are leaving
the sinking ship, what’s left of
the government is still up to its
neck in doo-doo.
More than £27m is being
invested in micro-robot workers,
designed to crawl around
underground pipe networks
searching for fractures and
leaks. The idea is to train the
robots to carry out repairs
without the need to dig up the
road and cause mayhem for
days and even weeks.
Scientists from the
universities of Sheffield,
138
Birmingham, Bristol and Leeds
have all been drafted in to help,
and the initial results are
encouraging. It’s reckoned that
the robotic creepy-crawlies can
bypass the roadworks that
currently cost the nation’s
economy a staggering £5bn a
year. That’s no pipe dream.
COME OFF IT
CES is the world’s biggest
technology show, and this
year’s event was not without
controversy when it came to
giving the finger to Lora
Haddock, the recipient of the
Innovation Award in the Robotics
and Drones category. Her DiCarlo
product is designed to produce
“the holy grail of orgasms, using
advanced micro-robotics to
mimic all the sensations of a
human mouth, tongue and
fingers, and adapt to your body
for a personal fit that hits all the
right spots, because there are
better uses for your hands”.
It seems that her robot dildo
had been entered into the
wrong slot, but the show’s
organisers failed to grasp the
point. Zygote is shocked to
discover that the accolade was
only withdrawn after a whole
month of satisfying the judges.
EUPHONIUM
Only a year after Zygote warned
UK businesses to dump any .eu
domain names, the government
has formally advised exactly
the same. The reason is
Brexit, of course, as and when
it ever happens.
Under European law, only
organisations and individuals
located in the EU are entitled to
hold a .eu domain, and the
Eurocrats have stated they will
actively cancel the 273,000
registrations held by UK
citizens or businesses.
What astounds Zygote is not
the lateness of the government
warning, but the crass
misunderstanding of how domain
registration works. According to
the official guidance from the
Department for Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport, “If you
currently hold a .eu registration,
you should consider transferring
your registration to another
top-level domain. Examples
include .com, .co.uk, .net or .org.”
Zygote points out that the
recommendation of .com
ahead of .co.uk is remarkably
unpatriotic, and furthermore it
is almost certain that the .com
domain name of any .eu business
will already be taken. This means
expensive changes to online
advertising material and print for
Europhile UK business, not to
mention their wholesale
disappearance from the
established rankings of the
world’s search engines.
MAY 2019
W0RDP1@Y
Zygote was faintly amused to
receive evidence that 22 million
unique log-ins, along with their
unique passwords, are currently
advertised as up for grabs on a
“popular hacker forum”.
The faint amusement was
compounded when the BBC
correspondent Jonty Bloom
reported that, on visiting the
National Cyber Security
Centre operated by GCHQ, he
discovered that the passcode
on the door to their inner
sanctum was 1234.
Which reminds Zygote of the
old password joke, which goes
something like this:
Please select your password and
type it in here:
shopper
Sorry, your password must contain
more than eight characters:
computer shopper
Sorry, your password must contain
at least one numerical character:
computer shopper 375
Sorry, your password cannot
contain blank spaces:
computershopper375
Sorry, your password must contain
at least one upper-case character:
ComputerShopper375
Sorry, your password must contain
at least one symbol character:
ComputerShopper375YouIrrit@
tingAr$eh*1e
Sorry, that password is already
taken.
| COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 375
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